#and scarlett is Interesting to me . i think they could have taken a bit more time w her corruption and redemption but i really like the

[goldentlme]

the gang so far btw . just arrived in cellia and GOD i miss tristian so much when will i see my babygirl again ...

AND i decided that the naming scheme for this run would be biblical names ! i wanted to do christian demons but there arent enough of them , and i didnt like the optiosn for angels enough on their own .

i got rly lucky w shinies somehow . i got that shiny rowlet First Try ( sick as fuck ) and my beloved absalom .... Well ill have to shelve him soon because he isnt quite as useful as he used to be but i will salute him the whole way down . And i used the sparkle on espurr BUT i do indeed have so many natural shinies its a little insane i think

[lia-land]

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

4.5/5

Spoilers for the first book in the Caraval series by Stephanie Garber.

I loved this book!!!

However, the more I think about it, the lower I want to rate it. You really do have to enjoy it on the surface, so I’m not going to it pick it apart as much as I’d like to here (and yet, somehow this still ended up being super long...). Quality wise, it’s a 4 star book at best, maybe even 3.5, but I had so much fun reading it.

I’ve seen a lot of criticism for this book and admittedly, I did go into it biased and expected to DNF but I thought this was amazing. When I say ‘amazing,’ I mean I really enjoyed reading it, not that the actual story and writing were amazing. It was good from page 1 and I read 1/3 the first time I opened it. I didn’t feel like I was waiting for it to pick up, because the pacing was consistent throughout. It’s fantasy, but in its own category. It’s kind of like a combination of the Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, and a bit of Coraline. Maybe a little Now You See Me. Whatever it is, I want more.

Here’s an example of why you should take this book on the surface and not think about: while writing this, I remembered that Caraval was meant to be a competition, but the plot didn’t acknowledge that. We were constantly told that Caraval was a game AND a competition, but we barely saw how any of the other players were progressing. The other players were so irrelevant that it really would have made no difference to the story whatsoever if they weren’t there. Not sure how an editor didn’t pick up on this. I think the publishing house is either Macmillan or Hachette, so what happened here? I’ve noticed that a lot of popular fantasy books recently have poor writing/plot holes and most of the time, they’re backed by one of these big publishing houses. I want quality > quantity to come back. You could argue that because this specific run of the game was designed for Scarlett to win, she never had any competition, but the point is that Scarlett didn’t know that. As readers, we also didn’t know that. It’s lazy to write that it’s a competition and have other players at the start to make us intrigued, just to later not do anything with it. The closest we got was when everyone was in Tella's room at the start.

The plot twists were interesting. I felt like it was incredibly obvious from the start that Julian was Legend, then he was, and then he wasn’t. But we still don’t actually know who Legend is, so we’re left wondering if he could still be revealed as Legend in the next book. A very interesting tactic from Garber and perhaps even a dig at current popular fantasy books where so many times, it feels like the author is treating the reader as someone who is not intelligent. Looking at you, Jennifer L. Armentrout.

Most of the criticism that I’ve come across is about the world building and how it’s basically non-existent. I disagree, I think this was a very immersive universe and a very unique one in YA, especially for the length of the book. Of course, if we compare this to current popular fantasy books with faeries and politics, then yes, the world building does not have the same level of detail in the sense that we don’t know what’s going on on a global scale, but Caraval doesn’t need that. So much of Caraval’s story relies on interpretation and mystery. More details would have taken away from that. This book is more about the characters and the game. Knowing the history of the world in Caraval wasn’t as necessary as knowing the history of the game. We were given what we needed and there’s a lot of fantasy series now with world building that is far too convoluted to get through, so this was a nice change.

This might be an unpopular opinion (update: it’s not) but I really wanted Legend to be the main love interest, and still do. Or at least for Julian to have been Legend the whole time. The way Legend was portrayed throughout the book and all the mystery surrounding him was intriguing, and I found Julian and Scarlett a bit odd since Scarlett was under the impression that Julian had also been with Tella. None of her inner dialogue acknowledged that, though. Her main reason was always the fact that she was engaged to a stranger, and never ‘my sister has hooked up with this guy.’

I didn’t notice this until after I finished Caraval, but there’s actually only two somewhat developed characters. Everyone except Scarlett and Julian were just extras with a few lines. Dante was somewhere in between, but then he died halfway through and we didn’t see much of him. Tella’s character became prominent only towards the end, which I suspect was only for the sake of writing a sequel, as Caraval was originally meant to be a standalone. For any other series, I’d consider this a really big negative, but Caraval’s focus is the game and the idea of Legend. There’s also a big theme of unfamiliarity and having no idea who Scarlett can trust, so for this specific series, it works.

Scarlett is not very interesting, but I didn’t dislike her. I felt the same way about Poppy from the Blood and Ash series, in the way that she felt like a lens for us to see the plot unfold, rather than her own character. Writing developed characters is not something that Garber does well or at all in this book, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. I really just cared about the plot and finding out about Caraval’s intentions and Legend. Julian was also inconsistent, but I think that was meant to come across as unpredictable and mysterious. I feel like he’s still not entirely done with lying. I’m still waiting for him to end up being Legend.

The ending was underwhelming and overwhelming at the same time. Overwhelming because too much happened very rapidly with not enough explanation, and underwhelming because what did happen didn’t really seem worthy of the nearly 400 page build up. I kept waiting for another twist that made more sense. Again, I personally enjoyed it regardless, but I can acknowledge that it didn’t fit perfectly. I don't know if it gets cleared up in book two, but it was still a rushed ending. Since Caraval was originally written to be a standalone, it makes a lot more sense. I wonder if the intention was for us to never meet Legend at all. I actually think Caraval as a standalone story would have worked well, if not better.

Also, I don’t think Scarlett ate anything for the entirety of the game. I feel like there should have been at least one scene where she would be skeptical to have anything on Caraval since we know the food and drinks can have effects.

This is a book that I would love to see as a film or TV show adaptation. I might even enjoy it just as much as through a visual medium. As pretty as all the writing makes the settings out to be, I was a tiny bit bored of continuously reading descriptions towards the end of the book. As many have said, there is a lot of purple prose and some of the sentences might make you do a double take, but it’s not unbearable. It could definitely benefit from another round of editing, especially at the start, but once you get used to it, it’s fine (it definitely improves in the sequels). Reminds me of an old joke about English teachers and how they’ll tell you that blue curtains symbolise the characters’ depression and whatnot, when the author just meant that the curtains are blue. I feel like someone should tell Garber that sometimes, it’s okay for the curtains to just be blue. On the other hand, Caraval wouldn’t be Caraval without all the weird and wonderful settings, so it’s not that I want less description, but maybe striking a balance between comparing feelings to colours and describing colourful settings would make this perfect.

Honorary shoutout to the following sentences:

-“Scarlett had an emerald-green premonition that she would make a discovery inside.”

-“It tasted like the moment before night gives birth to morning.”

-“He tasted like midnight and wind, and shades of rich brown and light blue.”

All the vivid imagery made me want to make a very 2014 tumblr vibe playlist:

Young and Beautiful - Lana Del Rey

The Poison - The All-American Rejects

Wonderland - Taylor Swift

The Greatest Show - The Greatest Showman soundtrack

Disturbia - Rihanna

The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived - Taylor Swift

The Writer - Ellie Goulding

Hotel California - Eagles

So It Goes… - Taylor Swift

House of Memories - Panic! At The Disco

The Black Dog - Taylor Swift

Starry Eyed- Ellie Goulding

I Hate It Here - Taylor Swift

Game of Survival - Ruelle

Figure 8 - Ellie Goulding

Centuries - Fall Out Boy

Mad Hatter - Melanie Martinez

[abiteofhoney]

you know what im gonna make up my own questions to ask you about your characters! i don't know much about them but this will help

who holds the most guilt?

who had the most recent fuck-up? (either timeline wise or how far you are into your story-wise)

who is the most like you?

who has your favourite quirk?

who are you hoping will become a fan favourite?

who has the best and worst fashion tastes?

what are the special interests/defining hobbies of your characters?

on a three-person car ride, which characters, when grouped together, would be: having the most fun, be the most likely to kill each other, be the most likely to come out of it as changed people?

answer as little or as many as you want! no pressure xx

i love you for this 🥺 i don’t have a lot of wips out and what i do have is still in its pretty early stages so i won’t have a lot of characters to choose from, but ill do my best! contenders will be from The Noble Prince, The Curse of the Human Condition, or my unnamed lesbian murder wip

i put it all under the cut bc it got a bit long :)

1. Kieran from The Noble Prince, or Cestian from The Curse of the Human Condition! Kieran harbors a lot guilt for his mother’s death — she perished in a house fire. he was also inside and tried to get her out, but he couldn’t save her, and ended being dragged out by his own father but not without suffering some severe burns.

Cestian holds a lot of guilt because…. well, his guilt is complicated, but long story short: he did nothing while the woman he loved was beaten and exiled, and then when he later found her on the brink of death, he saved her, but she had lost her memory. so now she sees him as her savior, but doesn’t remember any of the pain he caused her.

2. the most recent fuck up….. oh… probably King Oliver from The Noble Prince. his fuck ip was blindly trusting Lord David, who recommended Kieran to guard Tzipora. because Kieran is about to uproot the King’s plans for Tzipora.

3. oh oof which of them are most like me? that’s hard to say. all my characters are like me, small parts of me taken and worked into new characters. maybe Kieran. he’s not very outspoken, but he has a lot of opinions, and he’s very curious.

4. Emmett! idk if it counts as a quirk, but he has a vicious southern accent and it’s fun to write! if that doesn’t count, then Tzipora’s tendency to repeat things :)

5. if i could write more for Evie and Scarlett, i just KNOW they’d be adored, especially Scarlett. they’re fun little murderers that worship a goddess of murder, and scarlett is a very bubbly, very sweet, but very violent love bug :) i love her so much

6. Best fashion tastes have to be both Alesya and Cestian from the Curse of the Human Condition. Alesya was a princess in line to be Queen, and Cestian is a King, so they both had to make sure they looked good at all times. worst fashion tastes goes to Silas, from the same story, or Kieran from The Noble Prince. he dresses for comfort and to hide his scars, not to look good.

7. Kieran is the only one that i’ve given a defined hobby/interest, and that’s reading! he reads any and every genre, but his favorite thing to read is old journals. he loves to learn about the world through other peoples’ eyes, to read about their lives

8. most fun would be Evie, Scarlett, and Tzipora. Three women that love bloodshed and don’t care who they hurt. they’ve all seen a lot and would have a lot of crazy stories to tell.

most likely to kill each other would be Alesya, Cestian, and Silas, all from the Curse of the Human Condition. Alesya is in love with Silas and hates Cestian, but she’s being forced into an arranged marriage with Cestian, and Cestian and Silas hate each other because they’re both in love with Alesya 😅 it’d be a mess

and to come out changed…. hmmmm… Evangeline, Tzipora, and Alesya. A murderous creature, a magical God, and a mere human woman that appreciates life. i think they’d end up falling into deep conversations about humanity and show each other different perspectives. they’d all be a little different once its all said and done.

thank you for these! it was really fun !!!!!

[noahtally-famous]

EPISODE TWO THOUGHTS

“maybe if there’s a swimming challenge, caleb would have taken his shirt off” “WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?! I’M ALREADY SAD!”

I want to say I like emma and bowie’s friendship, but also...I know it’s not completely genuine so like...

with every scene involving ripper, I’m liking him less and less. ugh he combines like all of owen’s bad characteristics, duncan’s bad characteristics, and a hell lot more fart jokes--it gets way old after a while

on a different note, damien’s amazing, he’s so pure

yeah ofc it’s not okay to you, ripper, that’s why you have an IQ of like...1 (sorry, ripper fans, I just rlly don’t like him now)

mk reminds me of a less nerdier scarlett--more so the morally gray scarlett that revealed herself in the control room thingie. she’s got the brains and she’s willing to do anything to get to the top (even if it means putting everyone else down)

....which also gives me slight noah vibes too, but that could just be my noah brainrot--I can’t seem to get over that lmao

“cabbage isn’t a fruit. that’s all I came here to say”

with every second bowie’s on screen, I love him more and more

ohhh I know the context behind that promo pic now--the one with julia and nichelle! I rlly want a friendship involving them or y’know ~lesbian undertones~

“okay losers, hands up if you want axel as your captain” *everyone’s hands go up* yeah ripper! in your freaking face!

YES AXEL YOU KICK HIS FUCKING FACE OFF THAT BOAT *wipes tear* that was the most beautiful thing I’ve seen all week

oh I forgot to mention, I love chef’s new getup!

it’s okay priya, you tried your best--those moves were sick...until you got smacked in the face by a cabbage...

:0 millie being worried abt priya...a potential friendship???

priya def gives courtney vibes--a nicer, less manic courtney vibe, to be exact

zee all curled up and rocking back and forth while cabbages are raining down around him is such a mood lmao

wayne calling raj “rajie” all the time is 🥺

SO THAT IS HOW THEY REVEALED AMPUTEE ZEE

literally everyone’s reactions when they saw zee’s leg ‘ripped off’ was fricking hilarious lmaoo--including chef’s

and zee playing along to bullshit everyone??? gold, I’m dying rn

“it was my favorite leg too” hjkfljkdhffd

my g o d, chase and emma are a m e s s. [ god, I’ve been told by several posts that they get back together??? noooo they should each either find different love interests or like don’t, I don’t care. but don’t get back together. I mean I don’t mind the ‘exes get back together’ trope, but from the way everyone’s acting, it wasn’t well-executed here ]

ugh I know he doesn’t get eliminated this episode but RIPPER SHOULD JUST GO

Yeah I was waiting for Axel’s boot. She seems like a mix of Shawn and Eva--sure, she may have been a bit one-dimensional and may or may not have a short fuse, but I def would have preferred her to stay over Ripper. Gods, that guy is annoying! 

sorry Ripper fans, unless that guy redeems himself greatly, I don’t think he’ll ever be in my fav. I don’t dislike him--I don’t think I dislike anyone in this season so far--but he’s not on my like list either

[raysofcrosby]

With your WLTAY story did you have the whole story planned out like sequels chapters included or were you inspired to keep writing for it when you had finished because you heard alot of feedback and interest in it? And did/do you have ideas for more chapters that you could possible write or chapters that you have written off doing because you don’t want to do them anymore or struggled with? Sorry i am very nosey 👃🏻🥸. It is my absolute favorite story on this whole site i have told soo many people to read it! Reblog! Reblog! Spread the content! 📖 🗺️

i think about right towards the end of the fic is when i got a little more inspired to keep writing for it even after it was finished!! like when i realized how much i enjoyed writing their little fam and then saw how many people enjoyed reading the fic, i felt more inspired to just think up of a few bonus chs that went further into detail of events that didn't get that much in the main fic.

like w the au version of the eight years earlier ch where matt knows from the beginning, i really enjoyed kind of going into the "what ifs" of it yk?? and then just going more into detail w their wedding and scarlett being born, it was a lot of fun for me as a writer to just dive further into those storylines talked and thought about, but not written about.

in total, i have about eight bonus chs planned, counting the au and the christmas special!! right now i've posted six!! the last two are going to be the images below 🥰 it's just taken me a bit to write bc i dont have as much free time and lately it's been hard to write, even when i do!! tho i have been writing tidbits of the next ch ((which is the first image))

tysm for even taking the time to read this fic, let alone share it 😭 💙💙💙 that truly means a lot and be nosey all you want!!! this fic truly has my whole heart and i will always answer questions for it, tho i cant always promise it'll be in a timely manner 💀

[starlingsrps]

hangs in the air like stars in outer space

halloween comes and goes and nothing happens between nell and captain holland. privately, mary is annoyed as hell. she despises losing, especially when hatcher is still in the game and she’s out. she (probably) could have taken it if he had lost too but that gawky son of a bitch is still in. after the annoyance wears off, she achieves a kind of zen about it. she’s not richer but she also only put five bucks in so she’s not out too much, all things considered. she does, for a moment, consider grant’s theory that maybe nell and holland hooked up and just didn’t tell anyone but mary can read nell like a book. she’s as tense as ever and no, she’d be a lot more relaxed if she was finally getting some.

she’d know.

it’s quiet today - the mission light is dark and the men have been milling around back and forth between huts and rec buildings. she’s pretty sure she saw jack warren dragging a few of the guys to go see some cows, which should probably be a sign to brass that they need to get some new movies stat. clubmobile has been quiet since they opened up, an absolute waste of lipstick as far as mary is concerned, and it’s just been the her and nell perched at their little cafe table listening to a tommy dorsey album and painting each other’s nails for what feels like hours. she’s not sure where helen has fucked off to but since she hasn’t seen jp, she’s sure he’s trapped somewhere in the chapel with her debating theology, the poor bastard. 

“any headway with kirkpatrick?”

mary glances up from nell’s left thumb and pulls a face. “oh, that’s nothing. hold still.”

“you look cute together.”

“please, i look cute with everyone. it’s my cross to bear. what about you, heartbreaker? saw you talking to captain tucker the other day.”

“i think he’s just lonely. the guys are still hazing him.”

“oh, tucker’s something alright. i was at kimbolton for a minute and if it’s pretty and breathing, he’s on it.” an idea strikes her and she looks up. nell looks absolutely miserable, as though she knows what’s coming. “could be good for you. practical experience and all that. easy on the eyes, nice ass.”

nell’s fingers twitch as though she’s dying to pull them back and run like hell, wet nail polish be damned. “i don’t think-“ she cuts herself off with a frustrated huff and presses her lips together. “it’s fine.”

her eyes flick off of mary’s face and she turns her head to see halstead and holland approaching. there’s no mission today so they look about as relaxed as they ever do. nell’s fingers twitch again and mary laughs. “down, girl.”

“shut up.”

“gentlemen,” she calls in greeting. “need anything? let me finish this base coat on howard first and i’ll get on it.”

“do mine next?” halstead shoves a hand under her nose.

mary pretends to blanch like scarlett o’hara at the sight of the engine grease under his nails. “with those hooves? absolutely not. holland, you in? i’ve got skyhigh and dark ‘n’ handsome.”

“i’m good, thanks though.” across from her, nell’s face lightens a bit and mary just knows that he’s smiled at her. “we should get going. meeting.”

the two of them continue on and mary gives nell some dignity back by pretending she doesn’t notice her watch them walk away. she’s already terrorized the poor thing enough. “a little blood in the water might get him off his ass,” mary suggests, moving back to do a second coat.

“i really don’t know if he’s interested.”

mary rolls her eyes at nell’s cuticles. “honey, i know you’re not blind.”

“mary-“

“i’ve seen that man break speed records to say bless you first if you sneeze across base.”

“mary-“

“your children would have the best hair in human history.”

nell laughs a little at that. “well, maybe i’m not interested in him.”

“howard, you’re the worst liar i’ve ever met. don’t piss on my hair and tell me it’s raining.”

“i’m not. you know it’s a bad idea to get involved with the pilots. i just don’t want to get attached and get hurt.”

“because you’re not already,” mary mutters under her breath. “you’re an idiot.” at nell’s sound of protest, mary shushes her and moves to finish the second coat with a little more zeal than skill. “a very good man, dare i say a disgustingly good man, would marry you with five minutes notice and you just keep shooting yourself in the foot.”

“what if he-“

“what if the van falls over and crushes us right now? what if he dies? what if this ends tomorrow and he goes back to iowa and you never see him again and i get christmas cards from you and some bozo who looks like him if you squint a little for the next thirty years? you’ve got to take a chance sometime.”

nell is glowering, gnawing on the inside of her cheek before finally spitting out “omaha is in nebraska.”

mary caps the nail polish, mostly because she’s finished and a little because nell howard is stubborn as a goddamn mule and she’s about to throw it at her. “jesus christ, howard. are you ever going to let yourself want anything again?” she’s gone just a half step too far but her gloves are off and mary knows she’s incapable of backing off until she’s finished. “you know damn well your brother would want you to be happy. it’s not a fucking crime and it’s not going to bring him back if you sit there miserable for the rest of your life.”

nell’s face is white and she looks as pissed as mary has ever seen her. good. as far as mary is concerned, she doesn’t do it enough. she stands and shoves the bottle in her pocket and straightens her hair scarf. “give those five minutes to dry. if you still want to punch me in ten, i’ll be doing inventory and we can see if it really is chip proof.”

[randomshyperson]

Can I request a celebrity AU with Elizabeth Olsen and Female Reader? Where R is Vision in the MCU. And like throughout a series of interviews and behind the scenes shots, you can see how the two actually fall in love in real life. And in like the final interview they ask “Are you two dating?” And this time they can finally say yes

Hello darling, how are you? I hope well. This took me a while, and i’m not sure you’re even going to like it. But i hope you do. It was honestly kind of strange to write for Lizzie, i kept mistaken the name as Wanda. Also, i changed your idea a bit, because i could find the right way to write the interviews. But anyway, here it is. Good reading.

Elizabeth Olsen x Reader - Love is outside the screen

Summary: The one where Reader plays Vision in the MCU and she falls in love with her co-worker Elizabeth Olsen.

Warnings: None.

Words:  4.308 words  //// Read on AO3

Marks:  @wandamaximoffpuppy

Part. 2  || Part 3

Eight years ago

Your agent was calling you for the third time, and you thought you should answer before you lost your contract.

Letting out an impatient sigh as you reached for your cell phone, you left it on speaker.

- Hello, Sara. - You say with a slight irony as you relax your body in the water of the jacuzzi again.

- It's not polite to ignore someone who keeps you employed. - she said irritated, making you laugh.

- Sorry, but I told you I was on vacation. - You reminded her. - And what did you keep doing? Oh yes, calling me.

- Don't be so grumpy, woman. - She replied with a light humor in her voice, and you could hear the clatter of keystrokes, suggesting that she was working. - I have an opportunity for you.

You raised your eyebrows in curiosity, but said nothing. And by your silence, Sara kept talking.

- Tell me, have you ever thought about being a superhero?

You let out an incredulous laugh, thinking it was a joke. 

- I'm not going to make any weird latex movies, Sara. - You warn her, and she lets out a laugh.

- Actually, honey, it's Marvel.

You blink in surprise, and then turn to rest your arms on the edge of the jacuzzi and look directly at your cell phone.

- What are you talking about? 

- Ah, caught your interest, huh? - She remarks. - You actors are all the same, one famous name and you fall to your knees.

- Sara...

- No, it's okay. - She giggles. - They want a openly queer actress to play a lesbian heroine, I think. And then they called me.

- Wow, Marvel doing something like that? - You comment. - It sounds like a lie.

Sara giggles.

- It pays well anyway. - She says, and then a notification pops up on the screen. - I just sent you the script. Let me know if I can confirm your audition.

You let out a sigh before saying goodbye and hanging up, grabbing your cell phone to read the script.

It is the scene description of your character's appearance, and there is also a note for the chemistry test. You bite your lips thoughtfully. You were known in the media for roles in international, indie and cult films, mostly lesbian romance. You had a few academy nominations, and had been awarded twice by the critics. Superheroes were not really what you were looking for. But then you remembered how much you missed having a lgbt reference in media like this, and then you are sending a message to your agent confirming your audition.

//-//

Present

You are twiddling your thumbs in your dressing room. It must be the ninth interview in less than two weeks. Letting out a sigh, you stand up, momentarily looking at your appearance in the mirror. The make-up team did a good job, you look well. And then you are walking outside, to the dressing room next to yours. 

You knock on the door, and are soon answered. But Elizabeth doesn't smile when she pulls you inside.

- Hey, Lizzie, what's up? - you ask worriedly as you close the door. The next second she's hugging you tight, and you sigh. - You're anxious, aren't you?

- I feel like my heart is going to burst out of my mouth. - She grumbles and you start stroking her back, trying to calm her down.

- Remember that exercise we practiced, okay? - You ask her tenderly as you move your feet so that you move together toward the sofa in the living room. You break the embrace slowly, to sit Lizzie down on the couch as you kneel in front of her. She looks on the verge of tears, and you place your hands on top of hers. - Breathe with me, okay?

It will take you many minutes to calm her down, but you don't care. And then she smiles, and brings your foreheads together.

- Thank you. - She whispers before kissing you. She walks away too quickly in your opinion, but you can't say anything because the producer is calling you next, announcing that the interview starts in two minutes. You smile at Liz before getting up.

//-//

Seven years ago.

You had just finished filming your last scene in Age of Ultron when your agent called you. Scrolling your finger quickly across the screen, you answered while your cell phone rested on the table in your dressing room, and you kept your hands busy trying to pin up your hair.

- I'm leaving the studio, Sara, what's up? - you told her.

- I wanted to congratulate you on the affair, although I'm surprised it happened so quickly. - She says and you frown in confusion, finishing up with your bun. You pick up your cell phone next.

- What are you talking about?

Sara giggles, and sends you an attachment. You pull your cell phone away from your ear to look at it. It is a photo of you and Elizabeth, your teammate and romantic partner in the franchise, taken the same day you discovered Liz had social anxiety and took her out for coffee with you to take her focus off the celebrity world for a while. The paparazzi managed to capture the exact moment when you kissed her on the cheek in farewell. 

- This is all over the gossip sites as Marvel's mysterious romantic couple. - Your agent commented, and you rubbed your fingers across your forehead in irritation.

- You want me to publicly deny a relationship, is that it? - you ask, walking around the dressing room and gathering your things.

- What? No! This is great for advertising. - she says with slight excitement in her voice. - Especially after the movie comes out! Fans love couples who fall in love behind the screen.

You roll your eyes, switching your cell phone to your ear.

- I'm not going to make a relationship contract if that's what you're thinking! - You say with irritation and can imagine Sara rolling her eyes on the other end of the line.

- Yes, yes, we've been over this, Miss Morally Correct. - She scoffs lightly. - But I really called to talk about the premiere. We have details to discuss.

Sighing, you ask her to wait. Then you finished putting your things away, and grabbed the phone as you walked out the door.

//-//

Six years ago, California

Interviewers can be motherfuckers when they want to be, you thought as you bit the inside of your cheek, trying to keep your face impassive as you watched the woman in front of you list the "missed moments" from the Avengers set. You knew that your agent had talked to the show's staff about the authorized questions, and yet here you were on live television, having to declare whether the timely photos taken on the Avengers set meant that you had a secret relationship with your best friend Elizabeth Olsen.

A slideshow was playing on the screen behind you. There were pictures from the footage, many where you and Liz were laughing together, or having lunch together. There were some where she was sitting on your lap, or vice versa. Your expression softened when you noticed one where she was looking at you adoringly. It was so strange to be an artist sometimes. You smiled politely at the presenter.

- Come on, Ellen, you know how these things are. - You said. - Things are different on camera, Lizzie and I are friends.

The audience let out a chorus of displeasure, and Ellen laughed lightly.

- You know that many of the fans would like this rumor to be true, especially since you two play a couple and you are openly queer. - She says, and you wiggle your fingers in your lap, uncomfortable with where this conversation is going, but you nod in agreement. - Furthermore, you say that the paparazzi cameras are deceiving, but what about the stories you post on your personal networks?

She asks with a chuckle, and then other videos are playing on the screen, and you force yourself to smile and watch.

The vast majority are harmless, and platonic. You spend a lot of time at Liz's house because when she moved in, you were her reference and tour guide, and so you got into the habit of checking up on her. And then you became friends and you spent more time at her house than at yours.There were many videos and pictures on yours and her instagram where you two were tending a garden, playing board games, cooking together, or watching sports.  You bit back a smile as you watched the memories through the images. 

- See?It's hard to believe that this is just platonic. - Ellen insisted again, and the audience laughed.  You tried to cover it up with a smile. - But since you claim to be single, we're going to play a game now. It's called "Who Would You Rather?

The audience applauded and you giggled, straightening your posture in your chair. And then the studio screen had a sign with the name of the game.

- It's very simple, you just have to choose which of the artists you would rather. - She explains, and you blink.

- Rather what?

Ellen lets out a giggle, and you understand, nodding in embarrassment. The audience laughs. The picture changes to two pictures.

- Who would you rather, Scarlett Johansson or Chris Hemsworth?

- Wow, that sounds like a trap. - You comment awkwardly, making the audience laugh. And then you bite your lips. - I think Scarlett.

Ellen gives you a suggestive look, and the audience chuckles, you force yourself to imitate them. The picture changes again.

- Scarlett or Sebastian Stan?

You laugh, smoothing your hair slightly.

- I don't know, I think Seb. - You answer. And then the picture changes again, and you want to run away when the audience gives a chorus of excitement.

- Sebastian Stan or Elizabeth Olsen?

- There it is the trap. - You comment clumsily, causing the audience to bust out laughing. You swallow dryly and look down at your lap before saying. - I'd say Elizabeth Olsen.

You played for a few more minutes, and then the game ended with you choosing Elizabeth at the end, which got the audience cheering and celebrating. When the interview was over, Sara was calling you, and you were massaging your forehead when you answered.

- I thought you said you two weren't dating. - She teased, and you grumbled in irritation. 

- I thought you had discussed these matters with the staff. - You retorted, slightly irritated. - She only asked me about Lizzie and dating the entire interview.

- Honey, you're America's sweet couple. - She sneered. - Ellen wants viewers and will ask the questions that the audience wants to know.

- That's ridiculous. - You said and then sighed. - Why did you call me anyway?

- I have your new shooting location, so get your coats and jackets ready.

//-//

Six years ago, Berlin.

You are laughing at Anthony's imitation of Robert. Sitting in the shared dining hall, you were having a good time over lunch with your other colleagues while you were recording Civil War.

And then you were in scene again, many minutes later, and you found it strange that the nervousness was crossing beyond your character during a specific scene in which you were counteracting with Elizabeth. 

You saw her laughing at a comment your character made, and you should have this expression of surprise and embarrassment, but you didn't even have to act it out. Your cheeks reddened naturally at the image of Liz laughing. And then the director said cut when you were done and you were rushing out to clean up your makeup.

Later that day, after the shoot was over, the team wanted to visit a local pub, and you accepted the invitation, ignoring the previous event, and smiling when Elizabeth touched your arm to get your attention.

- A toast to the Avengers! - shouted the camera crew chief when you were all gathered at the bar, you thought maybe he had had too much to drink, but you joined in the toast. 

You stood next to Lizzie and Chris at a table while sipping a dark drink that might have been craft beer, or something German.

Your cell phone vibrates with a notification and you choke in surprise at the content of the message. Sara had sent you a note from TMZ, stating that your secret romance with Elizabeth Olsen was threatened because you had been seen leaving a coffee shop with Katie McGrath. 

Chris and Lizzie look at you curiously, and you just lay your cell phone down on the table for them to see while you turn the entire glass of beer in your mouth.

- Wow, so your type really is super heroines. - Chris commented with a smile, and you laugh, pushing him away slightly. 

- I swear, I can't be seen talking to any woman that she is automatically my girlfriend. - You say irritated as you put your beer glass back on the table. Your gaze returns to Lizzie, who has picked up your cell phone from the table and is reading the news. Then she hands the phone back to you, and gets a strange look on her face that you can't read very well, but she forces a smile.

- At least you cheated on me with a pretty girl. - she says and you frown in surprise. Chris laughs at the joke, but before you could have any other reaction, the rest of the team is joining you.

//-//

Five years ago, California.

You gave up fighting the questions about your relationship with Elizabeth. They would happen anyway, whether your agent talked to the teams or not, so you just smiled politely when you told people you were just friends and remained truthful in your statements. 

Usually the interviews with Lizzie were easier, because you went into protective mode and your brain was ready to give sharp, snappy answers to keep Elizabeth from being embarrassed. 

So here you were on the Night Show, with one of your favorite interviewers, and your best friend by your side. Jimmy was asking good questions, and he was funny. You hoped he wouldn't ask anything too embarrassing.

After many questions about employment, and worldview, which was refreshing, he finally asked you about the rumors of your secret relationship.

- Girls, you know that the public wants to know. - He began with a smile, and you laughed lightly, exchanging a look with Lizzie. - And actually, we have arguments this time.

- Here we go. - You commented with light irony which made the audience laugh. 

Your latest posts on instagram were visible on the big screen.

- Last Tuesday, both of you posted these stories on your personal accounts. - Jimmy started with excitement. - And it rocked the internet completely, because the location was visible on your instagram, Elizabeth.

Lizzie let out an embarrassed giggle.

- Well, if the public's doubt is whether we were together there, they can confirm it. - She said, and Jimmy let out an excited exclamation. Lizzie waited for the audience to stop their celebratory chorus before speaking again. - But this was a special celebration, since it was my birthday. 

- And I took her on a trip to Mexico. - You completed the story with a slight smile. The audience let out a chorus of happiness and you looked at them in confusion. - Guys, friends do this!

Jimmy and the audience laughed for a moment and then the image came off the screen.

- Come on girls, you're giving us material. - He remarked with a smile. - And you're still going to deny the relationship like you always do, I imagine.

You and Wanda exchange a short chuckle.

- Look, Jimmy, all I have to say is that Lizzie is amazing, she really is. - You saw yourself confessing. - Anyone would be lucky to date this brilliant, spectacular, sweet, fun-loving woman. But that person is not me.

Jimmy lets out an exclamation of sadness along with the audience, but then they applaud your words, and you smile wryly. You risk a glance at Lizzie for a second, and she has slightly flushed cheeks, and looks surprised at your words.

You ignore the nervous feeling at the pit of your stomach, and decide to keep your posture polite as you answer the next questions.

//-//

Four years ago.

You had to kiss Lizzie. And then you shook your head. No, not you. Vision. Your character, Vision, had to kiss Lizzie's character, Wanda Maximoff. And you repeated this like a mantra as you walked from your dressing room to the set.

The day you read this scene, you smiled politely at your agent, and disguised any apparent nervousness. And then you spent the last few weeks pretending that if you didn't think about it, eventually the director would make a change and the scene wouldn't even exist. But here you were, trying to have one last drop of professionalism.

You weren't even recording the scene officially, it was just the rehearsal of lines and marking, and you had sweaty hands. 

As you walked through the studio, the staff smiled and greeted you, and then you spotted Lizzie and ignored the uneven beating of your heart.

- Let's get started girls. - announced Russo as soon as he caught sight of you. He signaled for you to follow the team's prearranged schedule. You smiled at Lizzie as you took your place. - We can test the order of the scene directly. I need to know which angle is best to have Vision ask Wanda to stay with her.

And then you started recording. And now you were Vision. There was no time to think about how naturally your hand fit into Lizzie's, or how good it felt to feel her hugging you. And then Russo shouted cut again.

- That's pretty good. - He commented, looking at the monitor. - Let's shoot the stone scene okay, then the action scene.

The scene started, and you said your lines the way you were supposed to. And then you were looking at Lizzie, and she kissed you as the script said. You held the sigh in your throat, and pulled away. Vision doesn't sigh, so you shouldn't either. And then you are smiling as written, and the director closes the scene again.

You were getting pretty good at hiding how affected you are by Lizzie the more you kiss her onstage. And then you wrap up the day's shooting, and you are mentally exhausted. You want to sleep in your dressing room, but you decide to go home.

And as you are walking back to your car, Lizzie calls out to you.

- Hey, partner. - She greets me by walking beside you. - Don't you want to go for a drink tonight?

You let out a sigh, ignoring the urge to shout that you would go anywhere with her, and thinking about how tired your body is.

- I'm exhausted, Lizzie. - You tell her, and she looks upset, but you add with a smile. - But I'll take it if it's something at your place.

Lizzie's face lights up quickly, and she nods, and then says she'll leave something in her car. She returns when you are already in yours.

- All set? - You ask to confirm, and she smiles and nods. And then you start the car and drive out of the studio.

Lizzie turns on the car stereo a moment later, and you begin humming the song.

- You've been distant lately. - She comments distractedly as you drive away. - You know you can talk to me, right?

You smile, ignoring the feeling in your stomach.

- Yes, Lizzie. - You say without taking your eyes off the road. - I'm just busy, that's all. It's nothing.

Lizzie makes a noise of agreement and looks away. You think maybe she believes you're not telling her the truth, and you feel guilty. So you decide to change the subject.

- How are things at home, Liz? Are Mary-Kate and Ashley well? - you ask, and she looks at you quickly.

- Everything's fine. - she says, and then she bites her lip. - Did I do something?

You frown, glancing quickly at her before looking down the street again. The light was red. And when you turn your head toward her, she lets out a sigh.

- You don't talk to me anymore. - She says seriously, looking at you. - Since Berlin, you're just distant. Always busy, and with ready-made answers. And now you try small talk, even though you hate it. I wish you would tell me what I did wrong.

Your heart is racing at the accusations, because she is absolutely right. And then you swallow dry, and prepare to speak, but then Liz is pointing ahead, the headlight has opened. And you have to drive, and she crosses her arms and looks away to the window.

You drive the rest of the way to her house in silence, and when you park the car in the driveway, she mumbles a goodnight before getting out. 

Squeezing the steering wheel in your fingers, you take a deep breath. And then you get out of the car, and the noise of the door opening surprises her because she turns to look. But you are walking toward her, and raising your hand to the back of her neck, bringing your mouths together. Lizzie chokes in surprise, but in the next second she melts against you as she kisses you back.

You part breathlessly, holding your foreheads together.

- I am in love with you. - You confess. - I'm sorry I was a complete idiot, but I was terrified.

Lizzie giggles, kissing you again quickly before hugging you. And then she is breaking the embrace to look at you, a shy smile on her lips.

- I'm in love with you too. - she says. - I'm glad that's the problem and not something else.

You laugh, and kiss her one last time before entwining your hands and walking toward her house.

You decide to take things slow, so naturally, two weeks later, you ask her to be your girlfriend over dinner. Lizzie smiles all night, but you know that if this is a secret, she can't wear the ring.

Public relationships mean contracts, and agents, and unwanted questions, and lots of opinions about your lives. And you two wanted to keep that to yourselves for the time being.

So when directors comment that your onstage chemistry is amazing, you two just nod and thank them. When the interviewers ask if you are together, you deny it as before.

The first time you sleep with Lizzie, you almost break the bed. And it's all right, because you two are laughing with happiness and pleasure, and she pulls you in for another kiss. And you entwine your hands, the commitment rings on your fingers.

A year and a half later, you are getting very busy with your participation in a youth series, and there are many rumors that you are dating your co-star, so Lizzie is jealous and you can't blame her. 

You decide that the secret cannot go on any longer, at least not to your friends and employers. So you talk to Lizzie, and you both call your agents. Sara laughs for ten minutes when you tell her, but she is happy to talk to Lizzie's agent. You are not public yet, but it is important that all parties are in agreement. You hate bureaucracy, but you don't mind as long as Lizzie's hand is in yours. Your friends are very happy, and the other cast members tease you constantly about it.

When you shoot the last movie, you think you are going to be fired because your character has died. But then you and Lizzie get a series together.

You try not to overthink how you will deny the rumors on television, but Lizzie kisses you on the cheek and tells you that you will face it together. 

It takes three more months for you to propose. You think your chest will explode with happiness when she accepts.

And then you are calling your agents again, and Sara almost faints when you tell her that you got married in secret at some registry office in the Caribbean and she needs to get the paperwork sorted out. When you get back to California, there is a small ceremony with your family members.

//-//

Present

You and Lizzie are sitting side by side in the interview. The questions about WandaVision are over, and now you know from Jimmy's expression what he is going to say.

- The last time you were here, I had only an instagram post as an argument for your secret relationship. - He says, making you, Lizzie and the audience laugh lightly. - But now I have talked to the production and they prepare a presentation.

- My goodness. - You remark, making him laugh. And then he waves to the big screen, and you try to disguise your nervousness.

A presentation of images began to play to the audience to the sound of "honeybee" by the band "The Head and The Heart". There are several studio shots, from photo rehearsals to behind-the-scene moments. There is a picture from the day you met, from the first cast test, from the Avengers taping, paparazzi shots of you laughing in the parking lot, or in the open areas. There are pictures of you walking around Los Angeles together, pictures of your rides, or your travels. There are clippings from instagram stories where you spend time together, laughing and hugging. The presentation ends with the BTS photo of WandaVision from the first day of recording where you have your arm around Lizzie, and the two of you are laughing.

You clear your throat away the emotion, but Lizzie wipes her eyes lightly.

- That was very beautiful. - She comments as Jimmy hands her a piece of tissue paper. The audience bursts into tears of excitement.

- I guess we can get to the part where you deny everything now can't we? - Jimmy jokes and you smile and straighten your posture.

- Actually, Jimmy, we have something to announce.

[idy-ll-ique]

The Perfect Wingman.

Pairing: Single Dad!Sebastian Stan x F!Reader

Genre: Fluff, tiny bit of Angst

Warnings: mentions of injuries, blood

Requested: Nope

Summary: Felix, Sebastian Stan's five year old son, is the perfect matchmaker (with the help of Uncle Anthony, of course!)

Author's Note: Hiya peeps! Another matchmaker fic lmao there's just something about that trope where kids play matchmaker for adults that's just... 💞 anyway enjoy!

---

"Buddy! Hi!"

Y/N glanced at Chris Evans as her boss spoke to her, seeing him running towards somebody. After her boss left, she turned around and smiled when she saw him chatting with Felix, Sebastian Stan's five year old son. The kid was literally sunshine in a bottle, making everyone around him happy. Guess that's another thing he got from his father.

Aside from looks.

Then she looked around, but couldn't see Sebastian anywhere. "Boo!" Startled, Y/N screamed and held a hand over her chest as she whirled around to see Sebastian doubled over in laughter behind her, clutching his stomach. "Oh my God!" she groaned as several heads turned to her at her scream. "You should've seen your face," Sebastian wheezed.

Y/N pouted at him and swatted his chest. "I could've had a heart attack!" Y/N wasn't an actress, she was just an assistant on set. Her only work was to make sure that all the actors on set were hydrated, which in turn led to her becoming good friends with all of them. They were all very friendly people, the Marvel cast. "But you didn't. Felix!" Sebastian called out and his son looked up.

Running as fast as his little feet could carry him, Felix jumped into his father's open arms, giggling. Y/N watched them with a smile on her face; Sebastian was a great father. "Meet Y/N," Sebastian introduced her and she waved at the kid. "Hi Felix," she grinned but Felix was mesmerized. Wow, she's so beautiful.

He simply blinked at her a few times, his jaw dropped. Y/N raised a questioning but amused brow at him, her eyes flickering to Sebastian who was watching his son with an exasperated look on his face, all too aware of his shenanigans. She laughed at Sebastian's expression and Felix snapped out of his thoughts. He raised his arms and leaned forward; a silent request of please pick me up.

Y/N gathered him in her arms, his tiny arms going around her neck as she held him on her hip. "Hello!" He had surprisingly clear speech, he did not mispronounce his L's and R's much. "Hi! How are you today? Enjoying yourself?" Felix nodded excitedly. "Yes!" Sebastian simply watched them with a soft smile as the girl he fancied talked to his son.

Sebastian had had a crush on Y/N ever since they began filming, and at this point, 4 months later, the only person who was oblivious to his feelings was Y/N. Everyone knew, and everyone heartily teased him for it. He had always wanted to ask her out; seeing his son get along so well with her only fueled his feelings. "Are you… are you an actwess too, Y/N?"

"No, darling, I'm a helping hand. I help everyone stay hydrated."

"What does that mean?"

"I give everyone water when they ask for it," she explained and Felix nodded, eyes the same colour as Sebastian's blinking at her in wonder. "Water is impowtant," Felix stated matter-of-factly making Y/N giggle. Felix decided he wanted to hear that sound much more frequently. "Felix! Is that you?!" Y/N, Felix and Sebastian turned to see Anthony making his way towards them.

"Uncle Anthony!" Felix squealed and Y/N put him down on his feet, smiling at the way he ran to Anthony Mackie. "Your son is so cute," she commented, turning to Sebastian only to see him already staring at her, a soft smile on his face. "It seems as though he has taken a liking to you. I wouldn't blame him." Y/N rolled her eyes at his flirting but blushed.

He did flirt with her a lot, but come on, that was just a part of his personality. Surely he didn't have feelings for her, he couldn't. Oh but he did; very strong feelings, on top of that. "Cheesy," she jabbed back and Sebastian clutched his chest with a pretend hurt look on his face. "You wound me," he pouted and Y/N grinned at him.

What they didn't see was Felix and Anthony staring at them, eyebrows raised in an identical manner. "Uncle Anthony, can I ask you something?" Anthony smirked but nodded. "Does papa… does papa love Y/N?" Anthony laughed loudly, realising that the adorable kid was the perfect wingman for Y/N and Sebastian. So he said, "Yes, yes he does."

"She is really pwetty…" Felix confessed, his own cheeks turning pink. "Aw, look who's blushing," Anthony teased, pinching his little cheeks. Felix blushed more and slapped his hands away, pouting. "Do you want your papa to go on a date with Y/N?" Anthony asked the child. Felix thought for a moment before nodding.

"Yes. If he likes her, he should just tell her!" Oh, bless his innocent heart. If only it were that easy in real life. "He will ask her soon, we'll make sure of it. Here's what you can do to help…"

---

2 months had passed since Felix visited the sets and Sebastian was getting impatient. If you thought his flirting was too much then, you should see him now. He flirted with her every chance he got but Y/N used to brush him off each time; he possibly couldn't be genuinely interested in her. She didn't think herself to be worthy of his affections, so, as much as she liked his flirting, she never reciprocated.

As Y/N gathered a few bottles of water in her arms, she heard a screech behind her. "Y/N!" Smiling, she turned, dramatically faking an 'oof' as a tiny body collided with her legs. "Felix, honey, hi! Didn't expect you to visit the sets today," she grinned as Felix let go, smiling broadly up at her.

"His babysitter couldn't make it, had to bring him down."

Her smile turned nervous as she saw the father of the cute kid walking towards her, a suave smile plastered on his face. "That's okay, papa, I can just hang out with Y/N!" Felix assured him before frowning at the dozens of bottles in her arms. "Do you need help?" Ah, ever the gentleman. One more thing he gets from his dad.

"Thank you so much, sweetie," she cooed as she handed him two bottles. It wasn't much, but seriously, how much could a little child carry? That was enough for him. "Can you go give these to Scarlett and Chris?" she requested, pointing to the spot where Scarlett Johansson and Chris Hemsworth were standing. "Okay, Y/N!"

She grinned when he left. "Seriously, how did you manage to birth the most perfect kid in the world?" she commented, turning to Sebastian. "Look at me," he said unabashedly, wiggling his eyebrows. "Seb," she huffed and nudged him, raising her eyebrows in shock when he took the bottles from her arms. "I have some time before my next scene."

"That's my job—"

"Nope, can't have you carrying all these bottles, sweetheart. What if you drop them?" She pouted as she followed him through the busy set. "Do you think I'm clumsy?" He glanced at her, worried that he actually offended her, but smiled when he saw her playful look. "Nope, but I don't want you to trip over the fallen bottles and hurt yourself."

"Now that was a good line," she whistled and Sebastian laughed. As Sebastian and Y/N chatted more, they heard a loud wail coming from a few feet away. Freezing up, both of them turned to see Felix sitting on the floor, surrounded by Elizabeth Olsen and Chris Evans as he moaned in pain. Y/N's eyes went wide with fear when she saw the cut on his knee.

Talk about hurting oneself...

Forgetting the world around her, she quickly rushed to the child, Sebastian hot on her heels. "Bub, stop crying," Chris tried but Felix wouldn't listen. The moment he saw Y/N, though, his tears ceased. "Y/N," he whimpered and reached towards her, finally content when she took him in her arms. "Oh, honey bun, you'll be okay," she whispered, kissing his forehead.

"It hurts," Felix insisted. "I know, darling, let's patch you up." Without any word to anyone, Y/N led him away from the crowd, sitting him down on one of the chairs littered across the place. Sebastian, Chris and Elizabeth watched her; Chris and Lizzie were smirking but Sebastian was beyond shocked. The worry on her face the moment she found out he was hurt, the way she cradled him…

The way his son had stopped crying when he saw her, as if she were his mother. The way he reached out to her instead of him. "Just ask her out, pal, look at her. She's perfect for you. And for Felix," Chris told him, patting him on the back before leaving with Elizabeth.

Sebastian stayed where he was for a few more minutes, heart racing and mind in an overdrive, watching as Y/N took care of Felix. Be mine, please.

"All okay, bub?" Y/N crooned as she tied a bandage on his knee after cleaning the blood off. "Thank you, Y/N!" Felix threw his arms around her neck and buried his face in her neck, smiling widely. Y/N returned the hug ardently, rubbing his back. "Felix?" Felix looked over Y/N's shoulder to see his dad standing there, a small smile on his face. "Papa!"

He made no point in moving out of Y/N's arms and Sebastian took the hint, merely ruffling the boy's hair. "You doing okay? Y/N take care of the boo-boo?" Felix nodded eagerly. "It doesn't even hurt now," he said proudly and Sebastian smiled. "Did you say thank you?" "He did, Sebastian," Y/N assured him.

"I wish Y/N took care of my boo-boos all the time!" Felix pouted. Sebastian froze again, his eyes darting to Y/N when he saw her stiffen. "How is that possible, sugar?" Y/N joked nervously as she stood up, Felix still in her arms, holding him on her hip like before. "Papa can date you! And then you can get married and then you'll be my mama and then you'll take care of all my boo-boos!"

Sebastian and Y/N stared at each other as Felix innocently looked at Y/N with a huge smile on his face. "M-Married? Bubba, I don't think your papa likes me in that way…" Sebastian suddenly found his voice. How dare she? "Y/N, I do like you, why do you think I flirt with you all the time?" he scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Y/N's eyes went wide. "Wait, I thought you were joking—"

"I wasn't. Will you go on a date with me?"

"Sebastian, I-I… I'll be honored."

"Oh please, iubi, the honor's all mine," he chuckled and, not caring about who was watching (including his own son), leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers in a sweet kiss. Y/N's heart fluttered at the term of endearment as she kissed him back. Felix groaned loudly in Y/N's arms, covering his eyes. "Yucky!"

Sebastian and Y/N had to break the kiss because they laughed too hard. Felix slid down Y/N's arms and ran towards Anthony, who was watching them with a small smile, proud of his best friend for finally making a move on the woman he liked. Anthony smirked when the pipsqueak stopped next to him. "Good job, bud."

"Thank you, Uncle Anthony." And Felix gagged again as he and Anthony turned to Sebastian and Y/N, only to see them in another liplock.

---

A/N: Thanks for reading! Leave a like if you enjoyed, reblogs will be accepted and appreciated too <3

[seasaltbaptism]

may i ask when it comes to marvel comics who are your favorite characters? do you have a preference for marvel or dc comics? if you had to rank your top 5 comicbook characters who would they be and why? what is something you think people misunderstand about your favorite character and/or team? <3

hi jojo! i went to go play so viddy games but i’m back! you may indeed ask!! when it comes to preference it’s probably a close tie? i do enjoy some marvel characters more than some dc characters ( see magneto, kurt , kitty, emma , deadpool, the punisher, daredevil ect. ) you ask such nice questions let’s see if i can give you succinct answers !!

top five favorite comic book characters, in no particular order.

1. magneto / erik : this man tops a lot of people’s lists i’m sure, however i really do love his core character traits and what he stood for & stands for. mainstream media demonizes erik because in my eyes they don’t want the public to realize that activism and toppling current oppressive world orders IS POSSIBLE with effort and willingness of people ( think about the inception that was the hunger games trilogy movies, how they strategically butchered it in a way where it’s core message was skewed and used as marketing , eerily similar to messages in the books ) . originally erik survived the holocaust and i like the message his original jewish creators wanted to send when making him. he is someone who never wants to see his people or any people violently oppressed and killed & movies don’t quite capture it too well ( besides some of the older original x-men movies actually ) but i resonate with him. through love and compassion and a firm hand against oppressors, uniting with people to help formulate and continue to form a better world for everyone is always worth it to me. what people misunderstand about him? portrayals have made him cruel & i think that in ways he is, he’s cold and weirdly detached but he’s also driven by love , intense love & i really wish people would remember that.

2. spider man / peter parker : once again , jewish , poor , for the people , down to earth. peter parker is a light hearted character despite who and what he’s always up against ( i’m not looking at the mcu , i’m looking a little bit at TASM and the original spider man movies. i’m peeking at them ) but i do just love how he doesn’t let the world beat him down, though it’s interesting to look at points in his comics where he IS taken to his limits. he makes me feel safe, i know he’s not real. i’d leave cool things out on my fire escape for him, he has so much genuine kindness and heart, i really adore this character and a lot of his variations ( see spider man 2099 / miles morales / spider gwen / esp 2099 ……. mmm miguel ANYWAYS ) also like parallels with venom too , love venom but imma put him in with pete bc i haven’t read too many of his comics. the mcu has misunderstood this dude a whole lot, but people tend to make him a bit too serious lately, and i enjoy diving into that side of him, but i think peter is genuinely really good at seeing the good in people / seeing ways their lives could be better if nudged onto the right path. also he doesn’t like billionaires.

3. the punisher / frank castle : i’m not a fan of a lot of his cartoon appearances and portrayals to be a cold hearted military man , as he hates cops and the military & the gov. i like his netflix show , i really enjoyed that actually. frank castle lost everyone he cares about and the media surrounding him usually never focuses on how his code makes solid differences / protects people ( except the show. god. i’m emotional. ) anyways i have a thing for characters who are emotionally destroyed but still do good bc that’s the only fucked up way they feel they can still do good. EVERYONE THINKS HES PRO COP OR PRO MILITARY OR ANTI LGBT? HES NOT? HES WITH THE LGBTS , THE GAYS , THE MINORITIES! HES NOT A RACIST EITHER! HE HATES RACISTS HE’LL MURDER RACISTS!

4. comic book scarlett witch / wanda maximoff : romani representation that’s mostly done nicely , i really actually relate to this character a lot , and find catharsis in her. she suffers greatly, probably too much, but she works her way through it, she’s powerful and kind and vengeful and angry and beautiful. she’s wise and confident and loses that and regains it, she reminds me of the wheel of fortune card in my deck, constantly embodying things that should have killed her. once again, i know she isn’t real, but i do relate to her and love to see her happy and winning, she’s brave and strong and i hate her MCU portrayal , truly, but i love her comic book self! god ok. people misunderstand her a lot, esp mcu …….she’s not ‘ i’m tired of being good >:) i wanna be a bag guy now! she’s more ‘ i loved very deeply and i cling to that because i cannot imagine who i will be if i acknowledge that what i loved is gone and i cannot get it back ‘ vs ‘ i can remake myself over and over if i need to , i contain all i need ‘

5. night crawler / kurt wagner: god. ok. his design fucks so severely i want that man to give me a hug , pick me up and spin me around , ok? did you jot that down? we got that? i know he smells nice , i know he does. his smile is so sweet to me , very playful. i enjoy how hard he works to be a good person, how he doesn’t take short cuts or let his past dictate him ( idk what the fuck was going on with his movie portrayal in those early x men movies i watched as a kid ) but in some of the animated shows and def the comics i have fallen hard for this man , i know he’s not real. i know. shh. but yes! the way he has quips too, idk i really enjoy him overcoming odds and projected bullshit he has to face, you and i just 🤝 gotta shake hands here ok we are shaking hands. hm. people think he’s naive or an idiot, they misunderstand his hope and warmth, it comes from a place of understanding hatred and choosing to rise above that, so.

( bonus!! ) 6. lanterns: i dont have a favorite lantern ( i’m lying it’s razor , hal & guy. ) but i love all my mutuals who make the lanterns more interesting than anything dc has done recently. i miss GLTAS , i miss when hal wasn’t reduced to a total dickhead , i love the headcanons that GLS are weirdly ageless and have wonky fashion sense , i love all my mutuals art and stuff i just love it. i loe space adventures i love fucked up shit going on out there in the big old galaxy. i love razor bc of GLTAS and his development, i miss him and IO and i hope he’s doing ok. but yes! this subgroup of heroes ( i also miss when dc didn’t make them a weird military thing and i love reminding people it’s an honor based volunteer service only given to those as highest honor. lol ) omg ppl stop saying they’re the military shut the fuck up theyre gays in space!

[martianbugsbunny]

OUAT Thoughts Pt.34--Episodes 4-5

I have watched through S4E5; spoilers DNI. Also, spoiler warning for anyone further behind than I am.

—How can anybody keep a straight face about that funky lil hat? If Rumple ever actually wears it I will no longer be able to take him seriously.

—The Sorcerer’s Apprentice got turned into a mouse I CANT EVEN

—Are we never actually going to see the Sorcerer? If he could create a hat this powerful, he must be something else.

—I love that Rumple enchanted a broom to do the thing! Sorcerer’s Apprentice is hands-down one of my favorite Disney cartoons, so any reference to its iconic bits delight me.

—How can nobody see the Snow Queen’s castle? It’s an ice palace! IN THE MIDDLE OF A FOREST! And a thing like that has got to generate some kind of supercool temperatures around it, so it should be pretty obvious when anybody gets close to it.

—The Snow Queen’s weird obsession with mirrors is an interesting nod back to the original Snow Queen story. Which, in itself, has some pretty solid themes.

—That backstory stuff with Emma and her buddy Lilith is fruity as heck.

—So the Snow Queen was Emma’s foster mom? Oh, the intrigue! The question still remains: did she know who Emma was at the time? It seems almost impossible for it to be that big of a coincidence.

—I enjoy a bit of leg as much as the next person, but Elsa needs some new clothes. Her dress simply isn’t practical in Storybrooke. But she could keep the sparkly purple cape, I wouldn’t mind.

—On the other hand, it kinda makes me sad that Hook is out of his pirate clothes. Those are mostly practical, and they’re quite dashing.

—I can’t believe Will Scarlett is actually of some narrative significance. I’ve watched the Disney Robin Hood where they’re all animals, and I’m not sure he was even in that one; I’ve also watched Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, in which he happens to be one of the main draws for me. His part in the story seems to be largely variable. The Wonderland stuff has some potential; the drawing he tore out of the book was, I think, of the Red Queen? Which might have cool implications if he’s actually from Wonderland, given his last name.

—If Hook ever risks his relationship with Emma to take Rumple down, I’m gonna mad. Mostly because I am now ride-or-die for CaptainSwan, but also because if Rumple’s marriage falls apart I will cry.

—Emma’s date-night dress was gorgeous. I love Elsa being confused about how little of it there was, compared to Arendellian fashion—but then again, has she looked in a mirror lately?

—Snow and Charming mother-henning about Emma’s date with Hook was adorable. I love when the Charmings get to have normal domestic moments like that.

—We’ve seen how much Hook cares for Emma—he traded the Jolly Roger to help her, for Pete’s sake! (Which is peak romance if you happen to be dating a pirate captain.) Having Emma show him some of her childhood keepsakes was a good way to balance out their relationship and show that she trusts him and cares for him too.

—It’s not such a big deal that Will escaped and got pardoned, considering he was in jail for a pretty minor offense and was apparently being kept there for longer than he should have been.

—I kinda wish the other Snow Queen had a hair color other than blonde. It’s a classic, but it might’ve been more interesting to give her dark or ginger hair. Heck, maybe even just straight white would’ve been cool. Or pale blue. Or light purple. Her dress is pretty, though.

—Regina and Emma being grudging frenemies is amusing. I love how salty they are around each other.

—I’m not sure how I feel about the turn Henry’s taken. Snooping around Rumple’s store is one thing; using the ‘connection to Baelfire’ card to manipulate his way into a job there is another. He’s definitely Regina’s kid.

—Elsa’s story kills me, especially in Frozen 2 (I cry at Show Yourself every frickin time) but this version hits a bit harder. Her parents actively searched for something to change her so she would be “normal.” It’s kinda the next logical step for them, seeing as they were pretty crappy parents in Frozen to begin with, but it’s so much worse. Good golly.

[morizoras-cave]

Knowing Yourself

Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie x Teen!Co-Star!Reader, Avengers cast x reader (Platonic, of course)

Genre: Angst, fluffy ending

Description: You’re a 15 year old member of the Avengers cast and you have a pixie cut and you’re slightly boyish. One day, you overhear Anthony and Sebastian telling the other cast members that they think you’re “probably a lesbian”. As a very innocent, young person, you feel weird about it, since you’re not one to think a lot about sex and who you “prefer”.

Warnings: insecurity, questioning of sexuality, joking about sexuality, stereotypes about lesbians, shame over sexuality

(A/N): This fic doesn’t end up confirming the reader’s sexuality, so you can read this whether you’re straight, bi, lesbian or anything else really :)

Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie and most of the Avengers cast were sitting down for lunch on the set of Avengers: Triple Execution. The newest installment of the series had introduced two new young characters, you and Melania. While you and her were off on your own shenanigans, the “old people” enjoyed salads and slander from the set.

“No way, you’ve read the script!” Chris Evans exclaimed when Tom Holland claimed that he had. Tom nodded enthusiastically and the actors all shook their heads in disbelief. 

“He’s bluffing,” said Robert as he grabbed the pepper from Scarlett. Tom admitted to defeat, finally admitting that he hadn’t, and that he just trying to pry information from the others. 

Past the table ran Melania and then you, laughing. “Give me the soda, you scum!” you yelled. The cast watched the two of you in amusement. 

“Don’t you two ever sit down and eat?” Paul Bettany called after you, causing giggles to erupt between the cast members. Nor you or Melania had time to answer since there was a heated fight over the Coca Cola. You both disappeared to somewhere else on set.

“Is it fun to work with Y/n?” Elizabeth asked Anthony and Sebastian, since they were working the closest with you. 

“Of course! She’s a doll.” Sebastian said, forking his salad rather aggressively. None of the cast members had noticed you, now triumphantly holding the Coca Cola, running to hide between some props right next to the actors’ table. You smiled at Sebastian’s words. 

“Actually, me and Sebastian have a bet with the Russo brothers,” Anthony explained. This peaked your interest and you listened closer. Either way, it was always a pleasure to listen Anthony tell a story. “They think she’s gonna turn out straight, so me and Seb betted that she’s lesbian.” The other actors laughed.

You froze. Lesbian? How could that be? Like with another woman? You knew that kind of stuff was normal, but you’d never thought of yourself doing it. You’d never even thought of sex with a boy, let alone a girl! Your cheeks heated up and your mood dampened in shame. 

“I mean.. You’re not wrong!” Jeremy mused. 

“Her short hair, her boyish style. That kid’s gonna be running after women in like a year!” Sebastian jumped in, and the cast laughed again. 

“And she’s also real close with Melania.” Anthony joked. You didn’t know why, but a small tear slid down your face. You didn’t hate lesbians or anything, you just felt weird and uncomfortable.

Speaking of the devil, Melania had apparently spotted you between the props and ran over, grabbing the Cola from your clenched fists. You just let her have it, and she ran off laughing loudly. The sound apparently shut up the cast, which filled you with rage. 

You stood up from among the props and marched past the large lunch table, to get to your trailer, looking down at the ground. Most of the cast could apparently easily see your tears, that were now falling freely. 

“Y/n-” Don began, but you kept walking, leaving the cast stunned. 

“She was crying, I think,” Scarlett whispered and the other actors nodded. Anthony and Sebastian were filled with a rotting guilt.

“We have to go talk to her..” Anthony said, standing up and leaving behind their unfinished sandwiches. 

Meanwhile, you had gotten to your trailer and locked the door. Then you’d thrown yourself at your bed and just lied there and cried. You didn’t know for how long, until suddenly someone knocked on your door. You stopped crying, wiping your tears quickly.

“Y/n?” Sebastian yelled, knocking once more. 

“What? Are you here to talk to me about my love affair with Melania?” You spat, hugging your knees to your chest. You felt horrible about yelling at the two. You considered them your big brothers. 

Should you have considered them hot or attractive? Should you be having crushes on them? What if they were right? So many thoughts filled your head, things you weren’t at all ready to think about.

“We would like to apologize.. Can you please open up, N/n?” Anthony asked. You could hear the regret in their voices. You didn’t want things to be wrong between you guys. Besides, you thought, it was probably your own fault for not thinking about that stuff. I mean, you were fifteen! How hadn’t you thought about sex like everyone else your age? How could you be so naive?

You hesitantly got up and opened the door. You were instantly met with the apologetic faces of Anthony and Sebastian. They looked sad already, but you watched their expressions worsen, when they saw your red and puffy eyes. 

Both of them instantly embraced you, and closed the door. You sniffled, attempting not to cry again. You pulled away and sat down on the floor of the trailer. Anthony and Sebastian exchanged glances, shrugged and then sat down next to you. 

“Y/n.. We were wrong to say those things about you in there-” Anthony began, trying to meet your eye, but you only looked into your lap. 

“No,” you interrupted, “It’s my own fault for being so sensitive about it. If I just.. If I just thought a little bit more about.. You know..” 

“Oh, darling, no,” Sebastian voice was full emotion, as he pulled you into a hug, caressing your back. Anthony watched quietly, putting a hand on your shoulder. 

“No, we were wrong, Y/n.. It was way out of line to make those assumptions about you, just from your appearance. We won’t do it again. You’re perfect just the way you are, you don’t need to start thinking about those nasty things.” Sebastian whispered calmingly. You gently pushed him away, still too shy to look at the two.

“Yeah, but.. I mean, shouldn’t I be considering these things? It just feels so weird that.. Such a basic part of who am I is something I haven’t taken any thought to. And the fact that you guys have a guess about it makes it even worse.. I should just figure it out now.” You poured your heart out, which was something you weren’t used. Telling others when you were troubled was way out of your comfort zone. 

“No, no, no. You do not need to figure any of that out! Besides, that could take years! You don’t need to force any uncomfortable thoughts on yourself to be able to label yourself for others.” Anthony said, and finally you met their eyes with a half smile. 

“There’s our doll!” Sebastian exclaimed and you hugged them both again. 

“Thank you.” you said into their chests as the three of you sat together on the floor. You felt alright. You knew now that you didn’t need to have yourself in check at such a young age. You were still discovering, and you were doing it at your pace. 

[hooniee]

   — ꒰‧⁺ maple tree*ೃ༄

↷ ni-ki x reader ⋯ ♡ᵎ 

↷ genre: fluff | romance⋯ ♡ᵎ

↷ warnings: not proofread! | none! ⋯ ♡ᵎ 

↷ synopsis: almost getting squished by a freshman boy falling out of a tree, might have made your monday morning turn around ⋯ ♡ᵎ  

↷author note: hi guys! this is for @enhypenwriters​ event! strangers to lovers <3 this was one out of three i wrote and this was one i wasn’t satisfied with but it was a cute idea (or at least i think so!) please enjoy! ⋯ ♡ᵎ

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ────── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .*

monday morning was unmistakably not on your team. from your charger being broken and leaving your phone dead to your wicked idiot brother consuming the last slice of toast, you were not a festive person. 

"i'm heading out idiot, don't be late," you shout at your brother who just replies with an 'okay!'

rummaging around your jacket pocket, you pull out a granola bar that was half-eaten from the other day and scarfed it down. 

definitely a bit stale, but you were appreciative nonetheless.

you arrive at the bus stop and take a seat, enjoying the scenery. one of your favorite destressers in the hectic mornings.

arriving at school, you hasten your steps with five minutes remaining.

'mr.kim is going to mark me absent for the seventh time this month.'

fortunately, this was the only good thing going for you today.

you exhault in relief and take out your materials for math class as you mentally adjust yourself for the long day ahead.

this day couldn’t get any more tiring.

from an exhausting morning, your lunch period comes to rescue you from starvation.

you head outside to your usual place beneath the maple tree in the courtyard, with your sandwich and chocolate milk.

taking a mouthful of your sandwich, you draw out the scarlett letter from your bag to relish in the meantime

profoundly absorbed in your book, you didn't recognize that a boy is sitting on a tree branch right overhead you. 

he didn’t mean to stare down but it was the first time he had seen you.

he would admire you from a distance until mother nature said ‘no’

CRACK

there was the familiar sound of a snapping branch and you managed to glance up and duck it just in time to see a mop of blonde tresses right next to you.

the blonde hair boy instantly rose up and dusted himself off, clearing his throat, pretending that nothing had happened.

you were still flustered at the out of the blue fall. you place your book facing down, marking the page where you left off.

“a-are you okay? that was a pretty high fall,” glimpsing at the maple tree and back to him.

you have never seen this guy. he was tall and lean with milky skin and blond hair that touched his harmonious brown eyes.

the gaze he held on you was interesting.

navy blue nametag, an underclassman

“don’t worry princess, i’m alright. i've had worse” he returns with a wink.

a simple wink was enough to send a rush of blood to your cheeks.

'what a flirty freshman, wasn't he just embarrassed a couple of seconds ago? 360 change'

“if anything hurts, just go to the nurse. please be careful,” you say instantaneously, attempting to flee quickly.

he doesn't need to see the powerful blush on your cheeks that won’t leave.

a tug of your wrist sticks you in place. he spins you around to confront him but the grass appeared to be more appealing.

there's a moment of silence before he asks. “...are you blushing?” 

your brain was internally smashing your head against a book.

“no i am just not used to a freshman guy falling from the sky. don’t flatter yourself, i have standards.” you spit out.

"i didn't even mention anything about myself, i just asked if you were blushing," he smirks at you, feeling boastful.

how did you just betrayed yourself?

“whatever! now if you don’t mind, i’ll be going now. i’m late.”

neglecting your book and food, you hastily grab your bag and head out to your following class.

he chuckles to himself, finding your flustered demeanor adorbale. he looks down at where you sat.

"hey! you forgot your-" the freshman exclaims but you had left and no traces of your silhouette could be found.

he bends down, plucking your book and analyzing it for any name.

'you would definitely be back for this' he thought to himself.

peeping at your un-opened chocolate milk, he looks around before snagging it.

"free milk for me," he hums to himself.

you, on the other hand

you aspired to punch yourself for three purposes.

one, you forgot your food and you were perishing.

two, your book was gone

three, that damn freshman.

you were too ashamed to show your face infront of him. not when he caught you profusely blushing from a wink.

for the next few days, you dodge your usual spot and lingered in the library instead.

that method came to an end because you didn't realize how many OVER affectionate couples occupied the library.

you had mentally battled with yourself, forgetting to pay attention in classes.

'there was a chance he wasn't going to be there'

'but there's also a possibility that he'll be there"

you decided to convince yourself that he wouldn't be there. you craved not being shoved in a cubicle and have couples make out in your favorite book isles.

the next day you head to the maple tree and before you sit, you glance at the encompassing areas.

you didn’t see any traces of a lanky, blonde boy near the tree or IN the tree.

and assuming the coast was clear, you relax.

the previous book you were reading was nowhere to be seen so you brought a new book, frankly in love

you plug in headphones to tune out and you immersed yourself into the book. after a few minutes, your earbud comes out or more specifically, taken out. 

you look up and nearly screamed. the freshman boy was dangling off the tree with your right earbud in hand. barely an inch away from your face.

this was the closest anybody has been to your face and you tried not to make any sudden movements.

“what are you doing?” you furrow your eyebrows at the boy hanging. he flashed you a radiant smile that put the sun out of business before jumping down, landing smoothly.

your cheeks became warm again, grasping that you were gradually falling for this freshman you didn't know the name of.

“sorry! i just wanted to talk to you” he cheekily said, “nice blush” 

“that's fine i guess? AND i'm not blushing, i was just startled,” you avoid eye-contact.

he playfully rolls his eyes before extending his hand to you with your book.

"i believe this is yours?" the boy returns you the book you rummaged for.

your eyes widen, realizing that he had the book the whole time.

"oh my gosh! i was looking for this everywhere," you blurted.

you look at him and he smiles.

you fall back into being stiff. you had never been this anxious under someone's gaze until you met him.

this time, you tried to kindle a conversation.

“why do you want to talk to me?” you ask curiously.

you had never had someone excited to talk to you like this. you were wishing that his interest was genuine.

he pauses to consider a bit, placing a finger to his chin.

“you’re interesting and i want to get to know you more, toto” he hums and you're perplexed by the suddenly calling.

'toto? that's new'

“toto? that’s not my name, why are you calling me that?” you tilt your head.

you didn't know what was weirder, the nickname or the freshman aspiring to get to know you.

“don’t worry about it,” he smiles, 

"why are you alone out here? shouldn't you be eating in the canteen?” he settles next to you.

for the first time, you locked eyes with him and it was dangerous. you could get lost in his eyes if you gazed for too long.

“because i want to, what is with the Q&A? are we playing twenty questions?” you sneer.

this freshman recognized how to push the right buttons to make you flustered at the precise moments.

“maybe, or is it a date?” he answered

you just choked on your own saliva and you hoped he didn't catch that.

it grew quiet and he stared at you with a fixed gaze. feeling awkward, you shove the other earbud into his ear.

he flinches from the abrupt contact but loosens and smiles, recognizing the song that resonated from your earbuds.

“toto, is this she’s in the rain by the rose?” he gasps.

it shocked you because not many people know this band.

“yeah, you know the rose? this is my favorite song from them” you flash a smile, feeling content.

'something in common, maybe he's not so bad'

you both softly sway together, occasionally bumping shoulders.

"nishimura riki," he says.

you didn't catch what he said, "hm?"

"nishimura riki is my name, but you can call me ni-ki," he smiles at you.

"(y/n) (l/n), (y/n) sunbae to you," you laugh.

"what if i called you mine instead?"

[the nickname toto, came from tomato! the reader blushes easily and ni-ki is quick to notice, rebranding her as toto <3]

[angelkurenai]

Imagine being part of the Black Widow movie with a character who is Bucky’s wife in the comics. Only you and Sebastian have a crush on each other so your costars try to set you up.

“Natasha, my sister. What brings you home?” Yelena only tilted her head when Nat rounded the corner with her gun raised. She frowned when she saw the blonde was only smiling at her, no gun of her own raised. And that was even more suspicious, or even scary and dangerous, than her having one pointed at her.

“We've unfi-” she started, the words having been on her mind from the very beginning and ready to be spoken after thinking about them too much. She stopped herself though, frowning deeply “Wait a second. Aren't you... going to fight back?” she put a smirk on her lips “Where's my welcome back party?”

“Oh there will be one. There will be.” the smile on Yelena's lips was even more worrying as the seconds ticked by, especially when Natasha watched her grab a chair and slowly move it to the side before taking a seat on it. And when she crossed her arms over her chest, leaning back casually, it all clicked in her mind.

Natasha's eyes widened and a breath left her lips as she muttered “Well, fuck.”

She barely had time to let it all register before she swirled around and was met with very certainly a kick in the face. It wasn't strong only because the attacker was holding back but it managed to do the job of disorienting her, making her grasp on her gun loosen up. An arm quickly appeared, ready to take it from her but she quickly grasped it, pulling back only for the attacker to swing with to knocked on her hand while an elbow met her face. Taking advantage of the hand with a gun close to her, and after just having lost hers, she took hold of the arm and twisting forced it to drop it. Both parties jumped after the fallen guns, with a roll and twist, soon on their feet to face each other and point the swapped guns at each other.

Only two seconds of silence before “S'up sis.” you said with a wide smile that made Natasha laugh and shake her head a bit.

Glancing at Yelena from the corner of her eyes to notice the blonde had taken and poped a beer open, watching the show with interest. She looked back at you, gun still pointed and smiled even more “Figures you'd be here. Since she didn't even attempt to make a move.”

“I'd rather watch the show, thank you very much.” Yelena shrugged “It's been a long time. Oh and while we're on that-” she raised a finger “Twenty bucks on Red. Sorry, Natasha.”

“Only twenty? Come on, you drink like there's no tomorrow. How is Nat gonna buy for drinks later? That won't be enough. Unless Natasha has more on her?” you complained, looking at Yelena who pouted.

“But I only have twenty with me?” she raised the money in her hand, looking a bit more though her pockets but unable to find anything else.

“Fine.” you huffed “But you two keep it down on those damn drinks. I, as the winner, won't.”

“You two are literally the worst.” Natasha tried to say a bit more seriously but she only scoffed a laugh “Already so sure you'll win this, (Y/c/n)?”

“When have I not? Wait-” your shoulders relaxed a bit “Yelena, have I ever?”

“Absolutely not. I've kept count.” the blonde shook her head “And I doubt this will be an exception.”

“Thanks for the vote of faith you guys.” Natasha muttered with a roll of her eyes.

“Hey, I'm technically your opponent right here. Don't expect my vote of faith. Especially after so long. I'm kinda looking forward to see what new tricks those Avengers taught you.” you smirked, the both of you circling around each other. All Yelena did was lean forward in her seat to watch you both.

“It's been a long while. I'm pretty sure you've got a couple new ones yourself. Speaking of which-” her smiled turned into more of a teasing one and you prepared yourself for the worst “What has the great Red Widow been up to lately? Still saving, what was it, ah Red Sparrows from their fate?”

“Hardly. The new ones seem even less willing to be saved. I'm keeping my tabs on them but, you see, the world is a big place for only a handful of heroes. Never enough of them. Even more, ones willing to use all means necessary. You know how that is. So-” you shrugged “I've expanded my horizons.”

“Ah one would wonder why that is.” her smirk only grew, especially as she shared a look with Yelena, and you cursed at both yourself for your not careful words and your sisters “I suppose, there aren't any more Winter Soldiers to save from HYDRA anymore, are there? Oh it feels just like it was yesterday. There is that one in particular-”

“Alright-” you huffed, giving her and Yelena who was trying to stifle her laugh a glare “Is that how you're planning on winning this? That's a low move, Romanoff. And you- you stop laughing. That's not fair play.”

“Oh you've hit a spot there, Natasha. I might even have to reconsider my bet.” Yelena smirked and you shot her another glare.

“I mean, I kinda remember you always fell for the ones with the blue eyes, didn't you (Y/c/n)?” she insisted of course and you hated yourself for how easily you let it affect you, not that you really had any control over it “I've got a location, in case you're still interested.”

“Oh she is. I assure you of that. I've got enough proof.” Yelena smirked, taking a sip of her beer casually.

Natasha chuckled. You glared as hard as you could at her though you knew, you could practically feel it, that the heat had started traveling up your face “I hate you both so much right now. One more word and I give up on this.”

“Then, maybe, I shouldn't mention how he's asked me several times about you ever since he found out I knew you? Oh the questions he had and the times he brought you up.” the smirk clearly didn't leave her lips and you didn't even try to keep yourself from rolling your eyes.

“I'm never telling either of you a single thing again.” you sighed.

“Wow! What a scene!” the video cuts to Scarlett who is holding the phone – his phone Sebastian notes and he hardly can keep himself from wincing, preparing himself to do that later because nothing good could come out of this. And given how the woman uploaded the video in his own account and it has been up there for a good few hours now – because, let's hide his phone away that would be great too is what she must have thought of – there is no taking it back because far too many people have seen it. Now it's his turn. And, once more, given how he's aware of how well his friends know about his crush on you, based on all the endles teasing, he is prepared for the video to be the most embarrassing one of those moments.

“Red Widow, finally in the MCU, who's excited about that? I know I am! It's going to be amazing on the big screen, especially with such a wonderful actress as (Y/n)! I can't believe how I had managed to keep it a secret for so long. I know everyone is excited, I've been getting texts and calls from friends all these days, though the one that really has been more thrilled than anyone has kept quiet about it. As some would say. What I would say is-” he smirk was full of mischief “Has kept shy about it. Because trust me, if there is one reason I'm making this video for, it's Sebastian Stan. So this goes to Marvel... and possibly (Y/n) who is not sadly away these days filming but I have no doubt will see this.”

Oh no. Oh no. Goodness, he hoped not. He didn't dare take a look at the comments but he feared, after the countless notifications, that with all the attention this was getting you'd see it one way or another.

“And since I know you follow him and will be attentively watching everything he posts, I expect comments down below or like, definitely, a dm. You two either start texting each other or else I'm gonna smack you in the head because there is only so much mutual pining I can take.” she let out a small breath before grinning even more widely.

Mutual... what? Sebastian blinked twice or three or four times. He didn't know. He'd have to watch the video again and listen to that part just to make sure it was not his own wishful thinking. And definitely ask Scarlett about it. However, he had to watch the entire thing first to see for himself just how bad it was.

“Oh and don't think you're off the hook, Sebastian. This video is also about you, if not mainly about you. I'm doing you a favor, buddy, you'll thank me for this later. After, like, you dare come out of your house when you're done dying of embarrassment.”

So, actually never, if it was all going as bad as he imagined.

“See, as I've made very obvious, he's a great fan of hers. We all are, let's not kid ourselves. However, when he doesn't let his vast admiration for that great talent and possibly small- who am I kidding, big crush on her, take his mind away he has these brilliant ideas that I can't help but agree to. And even if he might be a bit too shy to admit it out loud, I'll go ahead and say this: Hey Marvel, give Bucky Barnes his wife in the MCU...” well, maybe not as bad as he feared. The crushing part had been mentioned more than plenty of times by the rest of his friends.

“Because Sebastian would totally love to share a kiss or two with (Y/n). And we want to see the most badass couple of the Marvel comics on the big screen too.”

Well, no, it was even worse apparently.

“As would her, but that's not the point here. I've been trying to figure out a way to get two idiots together and with all this distance and work, this is the best I could think of. Well-” Scarlett shrugged and it was then he noticed the laughing behind the camera “Chris Evans' really, but if it works, hey fine by me! He said something about being subtle but I ain't got enough patience for that anymore. So, there's that. Hopefully, Marvel and Kevin will listen, even more hopefully (Y/n) you'll see this and then even more hopefully as if by a miracle I won't have to listen to you two talk about each other, non-stop, ever again!”

[thejollyroger-writer]

Where Your Heart Will Fly on Wings - 1/2

Part One: A Ship, A Map, and A Secret

A Neverland arc (season 3A) rewrite where the gang doesn't meet Captain Hook until they get to Neverland to rescue Henry. Most of the end of s2 ("Second Star to the Right..." "... and Straight on' Till Morning," the last two episodes of the season) are the same: Greg and Tamara kidnap Henry. With Killian not present, I imagine that David succeeds in wrestling a bean away from Greg. They go to Rumple for help, and though he refused before, Blue's potion worked in giving Belle her memories back and he changes his mind. Somewhere in his shop, there is a ship in a bottle, and he removes this ship, docks it in the harbor, and leads Emma, Regina, Mary Margaret, and David through a portal that takes them to the waters surrounding Pan's island.

Also on AO3

Special thanks to @shireness-says my forever beta who only makes my life (and my stories) better, and all the ladies on discord who answered all the little questions I struggled with while writing this. Thanks, ladies. ( @kmomof4 @hollyethecurious @donteattheappleshook @elizabeethan @stahlop ) Written for @neverlandnewyear. Some other interested pals: @thisonesatellite @darkcolinodonorgasm @scientificapricot @carpedzem @superchocovian @itsfabianadocarmo @regi-writes-stuff @allons-y-to-hogwarts-713 @winterbaby89 

The ship touches down on the waters, the portal disappearing from around them — but what they find is no better. Fat, cold rain drops pelt them from above, and below them, the waves begin to toss the dilapidated ship in every direction.

“Great job, Gold!” Regina yells, wrapping one of the ropes around her wrist. “You landed us right in the middle of a storm!” 

“Believe it or not, dearie, my powers do not include the ability to control the weather, and certainly not in this realm!” 

"We don't have time for this!" David chimes in, helping Mary Margaret keep her footing on the quickly-dampening deck. "If we're even going to make it onto the island, we have to get through this storm together!" 

"And how do you expect we do that?" Regina chides. "This ship is barely more than a pile of old boards, it's not going to survive this storm." 

"Then maybe we should work together to try to make it through this!" Mary Margaret yells. 

"What do you expect us to do?” 

"Well, we can start by trusting each other!" 

Regina scoffs. "You think trust is going to get us through this storm? Is your trust going to keep us from taking on water?" 

"No," Emma mumbles, looking down to her feet, and the water that she finds there makes her realize just how much trouble they're in. 

And that's when something rams into the side of the ship. And again. And again. 

"What the hell was that?" 

"Sharks?" 

"Afraid not," Rumple mumbles, trying to plant his feet on the slippery deck to keep control of the helm. 

Regina looks over the railing, conjuring a fireball in her hand. "Mermaids." 

"Mermaids?" Emma repeats. "They're real, too?" 

"Does that really surprise you anymore?" Regina asks. 

"We have to do something!" Mary Margaret yells over the wind. 

"I am not being capsized by a fish!" David sloshes across the deck to a small cannon, which he loads a length of chain into before firing it into the water.

Mary Margaret picks a large net up off the helm, tossing half of it to Emma. “Help me get this into the water!”

“What are you going to do, catch one of them?” Regina tosses a fireball towards the surface of the water — which, surprisingly, works, and a mermaids around them back off the ship. 

“Yes!" Mary Margaret stops for a moment to glance at Regina before tossing the net into the waves. "And ask her to help us.” 

“Mermaids aren’t going to help you, dearies!”

“Obviously you’re also not going to help us, either!” Regina crosses the deck and throws out another fireball, clearing the starboard side just as she did the port. “There.” She wipes her hands on her soaked slacks and smiles at the fact that the storm also seems to have left with the mermaids. “They’re gone.” 

“Not all of them!” Mary Margaret says, grunting as she and Emma struggle to pull their fishing net back onto the deck. “What about this one?” 

With a flick of Regina's hand, the creature is out of their net and sprawled on the boards of the deck, her hands bound in front of her and her shining tail flopping into the inches of water that have settled onto the boards of the deck. 

But her presence on the deck only causes an argument to break out between them, each offering their own way to deal with her — to ask for help, to kill her, to let her go. With every question they ask her, she offers them a vague but threatening answer, and the storm that Regina thought was over slowly begins to reform around them. Even after Regina turns her to wood with a whoosh of her magic, they continue to argue amongst themselves, the storm surging around them — all except Emma, who realizes the mermaid’s plan was to set them against each other to be destroyed by the storm. With no other option, she tries to get their attention, screaming across the small ship towards them, but nothing works — and she dives into the sea. 

Quickly followed by a piece of metal rigging, pulled off by the winds into the water behind her and making hard contact with her head, immediately knocking her unconscious.

Without a second thought, David moves to dive in behind her, but Mary Margaret’s hand tight around his arm stops him. “No! You could get pulled under, too!” 

“Not to worry!” A voice cuts through the rushing wind and water, another ship appearing out of the darkness of the storm. Within moments, it is close enough for the man to follow Emma into the water, a rope tied around his waist. 

For a few long, terrifying moments, nothing happens. The storm still surging around them makes it impossible for them to see into the water, and they can only hope that the mysterious man can save her before it's too late.

After what feels like forever, a head breaks the surface of the water, Emma's bright hair a strong contrast to the dark waves, and the other man follows. 

"Pull me up, Scarlett!" he calls, facing away from their small ship, and the man just visible on the deck of the nearby ship does as asked, pulling the man with Emma in tow. David wants to oppose, beg the man to bring Emma back to their ship, but just the feeling of Mary Margaret's hand on his arm keeps his mouth closed.

"Can you get us over there?" Mary Margaret asks, turning towards Rumplestiltskin. He rolls his eyes, but twirls his hand in front of him anyway, taking them all onto the other ship's deck in a wisp of smoke.

"Is she okay?" David asks as soon as he finds his footing, kneeling beside where Emma is laying on the deck — just as she spits out a mouthful of seawater and rolls onto her side. Mary Margaret drops to her knees on the deck beside her daughter, wrapping her arms around Emma's shoulders.

"Perhaps we should give the lass a moment? A bit of space?" the man who rescued her says, leaning against the bannister behind him, his arms crossed behind his back.

"Oh, come on !" Regina cuts him off, raising her hand towards the wave, moving ever-closer to their ship. "We don't have time for all this." 

"Alas, she's right. I'm afraid we'll have to save the pleasantries until after the dashing rescue," he says, striding to what can only be his rightful place behind the helm and leading them quickly away from the waves, away from the storm. David helps Emma to her feet and they all watch as their old ship crumbles beneath the waves, after which the storm around them seems to disappear at an alarming rate; within mere minutes, the sun shines down from a cloudless sky and the soft wind blows lightly on the sails.

The man locks the helm into place and holds his hand out in a welcoming gesture. "This seems a much more appropriate time for introductions. Welcome aboard the Jolly Roger. "

"Okay,” David says, crossing his arms across his chest. "Who are you?"

"Captain Jones," he says, mimicking David's position -- which only draws attention to his left arm, which is blunted just shy of the elbow, replaced with a shining, metal hook. "But most people have taken to calling me by my more colorful moniker—"

Rumple laughs, cutting him off mid-sentence. "You've really owned up to your ailment, haven't you, Captain Hook ?" he says, spitting the last two words between his teeth. 

The man turns around, noticing Rumple standing behind him for the first time. "Oh, now that's just my bloody luck, innit?" He pushes his dark, wet bangs off his forehead with his wrist and lets out a small laugh. "All I was expecting was a few damsels in distress," he says, turning towards Emma for a moment and waggling his eyebrows at her before returning his attention to Gold. "Yet it appears I've caught myself a crocodile." 

"Like, Captain Hook Captain Hook? Waxed mustache and perm and Peter Pan?" 

"Well, love, I must admit I'm uncertain about the first two, but I'm glad to hear that you know who we're going up against."

"Up against? I just want to save my son." 

"Why do you think they brought him here, dearies?" Rumple asks, flourishing his hands to conjure a whisp of purple smoke, revealing a new outfit of dark pants and a black, reptilian-scaled vest. "Pan is the one behind it all, I have no doubts about that. And he is a far more powerful foe than any of you are able to go up against." 

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Regina bites back, but Rumple is gone in another wisp of smoke before the question even leaves her lips. 

"It appears that even after all these years, he is still as helpful as he's always been," Hook says, his jaw obviously tight with tension.

Emma's head is spinning. She's spent months trying to wrap her head around everything about Storybrooke and her life, around the idea of true love and fairy tales and everyone's stories intertwining — but this, running into handsome, one-handed pirates in Neverland that have a history with Gold, goes beyond all else.

"Wait, you know Mr. Gold?" Mary Margaret asks, voicing the question they all seem to be thinking.

"Aye, " he says, wrapping his hook around one of the spokes of the helm, where his attention is also focused. "though he was not known by that name. Before he became the Dark One as well, if the rumors are to be true."

For once, Regina seems interested in what he has to say." But he's been the Dark one for —"

"Lifetimes, aye," he says, cutting her off, but turning his eyes down to where she is standing on the lower deck.

No one knows how to respond to him, so the deck stays silent. For the first time, Emma looks around, taking in the small crew that stands around them. There are five that she can see, not including the captain: another tall, dark-haired man standing against the railing, arms crossed over his chest; a stout man with a red beard and an even redder hat; a fierce-looking woman with a mess of dark hair piled high on the top of her head, her dark orange tunic and black pants having seen better days; and two dark, brooding young men, no more than twenty, on the far end of the deck.

"What brings you all to Neverland?" the woman asks. Emma is not surprised that she is the one who tries to make conversation, though she vaguely remembers something about women being bad luck on ships. 

"They took my son," Emma and Regina say simultaneously, and none of the ship's crew are able to keep their immediate reactions off their face.

The dark haired man leaning against the railing behind David barks out a laugh, but when Regina turns her glare in his direction, he snaps his mouth shut.

"What could Pan want with your son?" Hook asks. 

"Does it matter?" Emma spits back. "We need to get him back."

Hook holds up his hands in a gesture of reluctant surrender. "Of course, of course, you're right." He turns to the man still leaning against the railing, who pushes off to his feet when he sees the look on the captain's face. "Prepare for a return to open waters, I would like to dock at Pirate's Cove before dinner time, Mister Scarlett."

Emma expects a salute, given the rest of the captain's countenance, but the man — Scarlett — just nods and walks away.

"Dinner?" Regina asks, her voice dripping with anger. "What part of ' we don't have time for this' don't you understand, pirate?" she spits.

"Can I ask you how many times you've visited this island, your Majesty?" he asks, the same fire in his voice.

She's taken aback for a moment, but answers nonetheless: "Never."

"That's what I thought. I, however, have been here for longer than any of you can even imagine, which gives me the kind of knowledge you could use on this type of quest. Are you really going to turn that down?"

To this, Regina has no response.

"Now, the beaches at Pirate's Cove will prove much more useful to your mission here, and by sailing around the island, it will rid you of the necessity of walking either through or around the Dark Jungle, which I can assure you is something you do not want to do. So, yes, we are going to chance the few hours it will take to sail around the island to hopefully cut days off of what it would have taken you on foot, and then we will be closer to Pan's camp and it will hopefully prove easier to find your boy."

This time, it's David who is angered by his response: " We ? What do you mean 'we'?"

Captain Hook practically rolls his eyes at this, which almost pulls a laugh out of Emma. “Do you expect to navigate the island yourselves?"

Emma intervenes, trying to calm the tension while also ensuring they stay focused on rescuing Henry: "He's right, David, we could use his assistance."

He winks at Emma. "I had a feeling I was going to like you." 

  Though she knows she should be resting, bunking with Regina, David, and Mary Margaret belowdecks, Emma instead finds herself drawn to the crew of the Jolly Roger , and spends the next few hours chatting quietly with them as the ship makes its way across the surprisingly quiet waters surrounding Neverland.

Especially the woman — Tiger Lily, Emma learns. Something about her keeps Emma interested in their whispered conversation, and it does not take her long to learn that, like her own, the woman's background is full of sadness and sacrifice.  She tells Emma how she sacrificed herself to try to stop someone from turning evil and spending the rest of her magic to get to this island after exiling herself; tells her about being found by Pan and working for him in return, only to learn how evil and twisted his ways are, stealing boys from their families and never allowing them to leave. (" And there's something deeper and darker behind it all, something that he only mutters about with his second in command, a Dark Magic that keeps the island alive — I believe with the sacrifice of the boys who decide they want to leave." ) And Captain Hook, saving her as she tried to escape Pan, though she knew it was impossible — or, well, improbable. 

"And I've been in his service ever since. He was working with Pan for a while, too, and able to leave this realm. He asked every time we docked somewhere if I wanted to leave, to live a better life, but I've enjoyed the time I've spent with him as my captain. I've never known a better man." 

"Oh, is that so, Lily?" the very man appears behind them, a smile covering his dark features — except his eyes, Emma realizes. His eyes are the brightest blue she has ever seen, the same color as the soft waves moving in the sunlight. 

"Now, come on, Captain," she laughs, and the way she sets her hand on the captain's arm sends an unwanted shiver down Emma's back. "You and I both know you're nothing if not a man of honor." 

"Yes, but you're not supposed to divulge that knowledge to our new guests just yet." 

"And why not?" Emma asks, knowing that her crossing her arms over her chest is a defense mechanism, but that only makes her pull them closer to her. 

He wags his eyebrows across his forehead, then winks at her once more. "Can't go around telling everyone that Captain Hook is a big softie. I have a reputation to uphold." 

Emma rolls her eyes and walks away, if only to save herself from any more unwanted shivers or repressed feelings. 

Their mission is to save Henry. Henry comes first and everything else has to wait.  

  "Well, what are we going to do once we're ashore?" David asks, hunched over the Neverland map spread across the desk in the Captain's cabin. 

"Pan's camp is only a short distance from the Cove, remember?" Mary Margaret adds, the focused planner and adventurer that Emma has only seen glimpses of. "We can sneak up on him and—"

"Nope," Hook says from where he has planted himself in the corner, one boot crossed over the other and his arms crossed over his chest. "There's no way to sneak up on Pan." 

Regina's eye roll is practically audible. "You keep saying that but offering no helpful advice." 

"And you keep saying that but not actually listening to what I have to say." 

"Hook is the one with the knowledge of the island, Regina," Emma reminds her. 

"And I'm the one with the knowledge of magic, maybe we should just give that a try!" 

"What are you suggesting?" Mary Margaret scoffs. " Poof ing yourself into the middle of a camp on a magic island you've never visited before?" 

"What do you suggest, Hook?" David asks, if only to keep Mary Margaret and Regina from fighting. It's obvious that the last thing he wants to do is take advice from a pirate, but even David realizes that they are left with very few other options. 

"There is no way to plan what is going to happen once we reach those shores. Everything we do, everywhere we go, Pan will know about it and will always be steps ahead of us." 

"How have you spent all this time in this realm and not learned even a few tricks that could help us?" 

"Most of my years here have been spent on this ship, provided with rations by the very demon himself. Before that, he and I had an agreement that made us more comrades than foes, and all the time I spent on the island was for his own doing." 

"Oh, that's helpful," Regina mutters, leaving the cabin without another word. 

"So, let me see if I understand this," Emma asks, knowing that neither David nor Mary Margaret will be able to be civil about this. "Your plan… is to not have a plan at all?" 

Hook nods. "There is no other option in Neverland. It's Pan's game there, and he makes all the rules. Best we can do is be ready for whatever he throws at us." 

"I don't like this," Mary Margaret mumbles, and David wraps his arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer to press a kiss against the top of her head. 

"It's what we have to do to get Henry back, and that's all that matters," he says, a princely tone of finality in his voice, and the room falls silent.

  "Can I ask you something, love?" Hook asks, his eyes leaving the horizon for just a moment to look at her (again, though she has only noticed a few of them) where she is sitting against the railing on the starboard side of the ship. 

"I'm not your love," she bites, looking up from one of Hook's maps that she's borrowed from his quarters. 

"I've had my share of run-ins with the Crocodile, and I've even crossed paths with the Evil Queen once or twice. The other two, that's Snow White, the princess, right? And her husband?" 

"And how do you know that?" 

He pauses, trying to chose his words carefully. He knows that if he says the wrong thing, he'll lose the small amount of ground he's made with them trusting him. "I've been… through an agreement with Pan, I can leave these waters every once in a while, as long as I fulfill some of the things he asks of me." 

"You work with him," she says, but her face fails to give away any of what is going through her head. 

"In a way, aye. But I've been to the Enchanted Forest, and I know what happened to it. How is it that you got here?" 

"Well, there was a curse." 

"Aye." 

"And I — I broke the curse." 

" You broke the curse?" 

"Yeah, I — I'm the Savior , apparently, because I — I'm their daughter." 

"Snow White's?" He's not nearly taken aback enough. "And the Prince." 

She nods. So does he. Somehow he is wrapping his head around all of this much easier than she did. Maybe once you're alive for a few lifetimes, things like this are a lot less surprising than they were for Emma. 

"How is it that you and the Evil Queen share the same son?" 

Emma can't help but laugh. Where does she even start? "No offense, Hook, but it's a very long story that we don't really have time for." 

"Aye, that I can understand." He lifts his hand off the helm to scratch his beard before moving his hand behind his ear and to the base of his neck. "But do you — you know — live together?" 

"No, no, it's more like… joint custody." 

"Come again?" 

Right. "Joint custody," she says again, even though the centuries-old pirate knows nothing about the ins and outs of child custody. "We, uh… share him, I guess. Take turns." 

"And what about the boy's father? Is he a part of this taking turns ?" 

His question turns her blood to ice. Neal. Where does she even begin? For a moment, she's angry — at Neal, at herself. "No." How dare he. How dare Hook to even ask about Neal, he has no right — 

He has no idea. It was an innocent enough question, there's no way he knew the still-gaping wound that a question about Neal would inflame. 

"He's — dead." 

"Apologies, love, I didn't mean to stir up any unwanted emotions." 

"Stop calling me that." 

"I'm afraid it's more of a habit than anything." 

She has no response to this and turns her attention back towards the map.

    "Bloody hell," Hook mumbles, though Emma and Smee, his first mate, are the only ones close enough to hear him. At first, they don't see whatever the problem may be, but as the ship continues to approach the shore, Emma sees him leaning against one of the trees just on the other side of the shore.

Pan. Emma can sense it somehow — her motherly instincts, maybe, or something like that, but she can feel that the man on the shore is Peter Pan. 

No. No, not man. Boy , with a pudgy teenaged face and dark hair that falls down to his eyebrows. 

"That's him," Emma says. She means for it to be a question, but it does not come out that way.

"Aye." She turns to him just in time to watch the edge of his jaw tick as he grinds his back teeth together. "That's the demon Pan." 

For a moment, Emma is unsure how she feels about all this. Hook's plan to take them around the island has already taken hours of their precious time, and all under the guise to keep them from Pan — only to have him waiting for them right where Hook brought them to shore. What if Hook had been playing with them the whole time? Giving Pan time to plan ahead while he wasted time sailing them all around the island?

But then she looks at him again, sees the rage obvious on his face, and she almost feels bad for questioning his motive even though she has every right to. 

"Bested us again," he mutters, but then straightens his back and looks out over the ship. "Prepare for docking!"

Pan watches, unmoving, from the shore as Hook and his crew lead the Jolly Roger to the dock — and, still unmoving, as they come ashore. Finally, he speaks. "Thank you for bringing our special guests ashore, Captain," the boy leers. "Good to see you're still good for something."

"You know I can't pass up the opportunity to give assistance to a damsel in distress, nonetheless three. And Dave." There's a joking tone in his voice, but it's not present anywhere else in his body. 

"Ah, yes," Pan says, pushing himself away from the tree. "Welcome, your highnesses. I hope you find Neverland as welcoming as you have spent all those years hoping your Enchanted Forest would be. And you, Regina, you and I have more in common than you may want to believe." 

Regina rolls her eyes, conjuring a fireball in her left hand. "Oh, please," she spits. "Let's do this the easy way: give me my son back and I won't burn your whole island down." 

Pan just laughs. "No, I’m afraid that's not going to happen. You're on my island now, and you're going to play by my rules." 

"Do you think this is a game?" 

"Oh, your majesty , that's exactly what this is. So, Emma, I'm going to give you a map." He pulls a folded piece of parchment out from under his tunic. "A map that will lead you straight to your son." 

"If this is some kind of trap," she starts, taking a step towards him with her hand on the sword on her hip. 

But Pan's soft laugh stops her. "I may not be the most well-behaved boy on the island, but I always keep my promises. The path to finding Henry is on this parchment."

"Why are you giving it to me?"

He chuckles again. "See, it's not about finding Henry. It's about how you find him. And, Emma," he says, placing his hand on her wrist as she reaches out to take the parchment. "You're the only one who can."

She takes it from him, then unfolds it — only to find it blank, save a pattern around the outside. "It's blank." 

"You sound surprised," Regina bites, but no one pays attention to her. All eyes are on Pan. 

"You'll only be able to read that map when you stop denying who you really are." 

Emma looks down at the map once more. Everyone around her looks at it. 

And when they look up, Pan is gone. 

  As they follow Hook's lead through the jungle, Emma's focus is on the map. She thinks of all she can: her background, everything she's learned since coming to Storybrooke. She even attempts to admit that she's the savior during a short break, but nothing works. 

Regina, angry and impatient and nothing if not motivated, takes it from her, insisting on magic, despite the arguments from the rest of the group. It works — to a point, leading them not to Pan's camp, but to an ambush by a group of Lost Boys. It does not last long, the heroes quickly overpowering the boys, but David gets nicked with a Dreamshade-tipped arrow — a secret he tries to keep from the rest of the camp.  

Hook sees it, though, the one in the group that really knows how deadly the poison can be, but he, too, keeps it to himself. 

He leads them away from the ambush, towards a cliff that looks out over most of the island. From there, he insists, they can plan a route through the jungle and maybe even scout out Pan's camp. But by the time they get there, the sun has set, and all they can see is shadow. "Now that you've seen what Pan can do in just a few short hours, we need our strength. I suggest we make camp."

Regina, unsurprisingly, is against his idea. "You want to sleep while my son is out there suffering?"

"If you want to live long enough to save the boy, yes," he argues, and no one has a comeback for this. Regina is first to walk away, huffing knowing that Hook is right. Hook is second, closely followed by David, who barks an order about finding firewood, leaving Emma and Mary Margaret looking out over the jungle.

They are silent for a moment, Emma obviously worrying about something, but Mary Margaret has learned not to push. And after a few moments, Emma does say what's on her mind:

"Regina's right, Henry's out there somewhere."

But Mary Margaret is ready with her positive comeback. "And Hook is right. We have to survive if we're going to get him."

"I know. I just hope we're not too late."

Mary Margaret leaves her there, knowing that sometimes, her daughter just needs her space to think. She stands there as the others build their camp, her attention turned once more towards the blank parchment — the map , removed from her pocket.

Though he does not mean to, Hook startles her with his approach. "I opted for first watch so you and the others could get your rest." 

Emma just shakes her head, starting towards the campfire, needing the monotony of the crackling fire to slow her mind down. "There's no way I can sleep here without solving this map."

"Then it appears you and I will be not sleeping together, love," he jokes, waggling his eyebrows at her with a smirk on his face.

Emma just rolls her eyes. "Listen, Hook. I am here to save my son. The very last thing I'm going to do is get distracted." 

His smirk is gone, not even a trace of a smile left on his features. "Of course, Swan. I meant no insult."

They sit in relative silence, the rest of them falling asleep quickly — or, at least, staying quiet. The sounds of the Jungle seem to grow louder in the darkness, almost deafening. But Emma's attention is still on the map.

"Nothing I can think of is working," she groans, dropping the map to the ground beneath her feet.

"None of those are what Pan is looking for. What have you been avoiding? What have you been hiding from, love?" 

She is already on edge, and his endearment only makes her angrier. "I am not your love, Hook. Why are you helping me, anyway?" 

He's been wondering the same, so he's quick to answer. "I've been searching for a glimmer of hope when it comes to defeating this demon for as long as I can remember. If finding your lad and ruining his plans takes his power from him, then helping you is the very least I can do." 

"But why? What did Pan ever do to you?" 

He's silent for a moment, trying to decide how much he wants to divulge to her, and he maks a quick decision. "It wasn't me personally," he lies. "But it's the principle of the thing. He preys on boys who think he's taking them to a better life, but all he's doing is taking them from their families. Growing up alone is the worst thing that could happen to a boy, and Pan thrives on separating families." 

"Sounds like something you know a lot about." She doesn't mean to be so forward, but once it's out, there's No taking it back.

"Pardon?" 

"Only someone who grew up alone would talk like that." 

Now it's his turn to get defensive. "And how would you know that? You're the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. What can a princess know about growing up alone?" 

She knows that there is no way for him to know otherwise, to know the truth about her childhood, but his assumptions about her still make her a little angry. "You have no idea what you're talking about," she grits, trying not to let her anger get the best of her. "My parents sent me through a portal when I was only a few hours old. I grew up alone , spent my whole life alone . I was an orphan, too, Hook. Or, at least, I grew up believing I was." 

"I'm — I'm sorry, Swan, I shouldn't have assumed—" 

"No, you shouldn't have." 

"You're right though, love. I, too, spent much of my life alone. My mum was sick and passed when I was a boy, and my father took my brother and I on a ship to a far-off land. Until one day, we woke up and he was gone. He left us there to settle a debt and we never saw him again." 

Silence settles between them for a moment, and then he smiles. "It seems you and I have quite a lot in common, then, love," he chides, but Emma barely hears him. She's too distracted by the parchment in her hand, which has revealed a map at some point in their conversation. 

"Hook—" she tries, but he cuts her off.

"Apologies, I know, you're not my love ." 

"No, Hook, that's not it." 

Finally he looks at her, trying to find what she is talking about on her face, following her eyes down to the parchment in her hands. But there is something else that has changed, too, something about her . He can't quite put his finger on it, but he thinks he maybe sees a glimmer of hope in her eyes. 

[awed-frog]

jonathan stroud interview

Lucca Comics 2020

[Here is the link, but I don’t know how it works and if you can rewatch the event...it was a weird streaming interview, they lost a lot of time with the translation but the questions were interesting. I’m sorry I missed the part with Licia Troisi, but I was busy writing down Stroud’s answers and I couldn’t possibly do both.

Stroud appeared at his home (?); his study is 90% books - most of them looked part of a series, probably a demon hunting encyclopedia or something - and 10% weird artefacts, like a pharaoh’s bust.

Troisi and Stroud were interviewed by YA expert and editor Chiara Codecà.]

Where do your stories come from?

I start with a little scene between two characters, or a piece of dialogue. For The Bartimaeus Sequence, it was about a boy magician and a djinn, and the confrontation between them; the energy of the book comes from this initial confrontation. For Lockwood & Co, I had a boy and a girl coming to a house in London, knocking at the door...they had swords, were there to fight ghosts. I knew nothing about the story and who those guys were, but I loved the energy and wrote the story from there. 

Fantasy books always start with tiny acorns. As a writer you have to get excited by what you're doing...many times I try writing something and it has no life, but when I find a tiny scene that has life, I get excited, I think "I will stay with this and see if I can build it into something bigger".

Methods of working? 

I need to have discipline and write a certain number of words every day. I need a roadmap and to know where I'm going, but when I start it's very bad, there is no detailed structure at all, just a series of loose ideas and themes. Often I'll improvise for quite a while, write 50 or 60 pages of scenes, trying, and nothing really works...But I am looking for the story, for the right atmosphere, eventually a structure emerges and then I'll follow it and write chronologically. But that early bit is just about hunting and searching. I wish it wasn't like this because it's really slow! For the current book, I needed 2 years of work! It's a slow process for me. 

It is a mechanism, a complicated mechanism. Sometimes you start with a little piece on the inside, which works, you know it works, it's characters or a scene, you know it's good and a useful piece of technology, but at that point you need to figure out what goes on the outside. Often I have to take time to figure out how the bigger machine works from the tiny piece of engine I already have: what machine does this belong to? It's like you have to figure out what the car looks like, its purpose and colour and everything. That comes later for me.

Role of your previous life as an editor?

Being an editor is a noble profession, and an important one! For me it was essential to begin like this because it taught me how to look at text, how not to be afraid of changing and manoeuvring, playing with text. Not being frightened of these things is important. As a writer you have to learn not to be frightened of the blank page and of change. As an editor you become more relaxed about that. Now, as a writer, I spend time on things, if it doesn't work, I change it, move it; I'm happy to play with it, and I think being relaxed about that is a great skill to learn.

(Licia Troisi mentions she's a fan and is also a fan of The Name of the Rose, which she read more than 20 times)

It's what we all aspire to as writers, we want to create something that's like a home, a welcoming house, where people can come in and they're your guests, you make them feel comfortable. As a child I read The Name of the Rose, of course, but also detective stories in general, they're interesting...I read Sherlock Holmes when I was 10, those books have that same quality, you enter this world, and it's complete and beautiful. When you're inside you think it's a special, cozy place, I reread them very often since. When I write I try to consciously imagine that effect on me: as a writer you try to bring a warmth. You have terrible things happening, murders and ghosts, but you want to have a warmth also, which the reader will sense. It's an important quality.

Any news on the new book?

I have it here, it’s almost finished, here is the manuscript: The Outlaws: Scarlett and Browne, it's really thick! It's about the same length as a Lockwood book. It's a fantasy, a new series. The original idea was to do a British western, so it's set in a version of England in the future: many strange things have happened, it's a different place, more dangerous, like the wild West in some way, but British. There are monsters and cannibals but also our heroes: our heroine is Scarlett McCain, she's an outlaw, robs the little town dotting the wilderness. She's tough and formidable, and she meets a young boy called Albert, who seems a little foolish and weak, she gets crossed with him a lot but he may be more interesting than she thought.

It will be out in the UK in the spring 2021.

How are you coping with the pandemic and has it leaked into your work?

It's an interesting one...For me I think I'm lucky with my existence, I'm able to carry on working, I'm so much more fortunate than many others. I carried on working, my children are running around the house but it's not a problem. For the work...I've been working on this book for two years, and as I was writing this year I realized it has echoes of the current situation - but I had been working on it even before the pandemic. One connection is that the world of Scarlett and Brown is a very chaotic and challenging world; many people kind of hide themselves away, shut their doors, don't want to engage with the world at all. My heroes are two very different people, but both have a positivity to them, they're not afraid to embrace the world and these changes. And as I was writing, this was important to me: the world has horrible things to it, but you have to face up to them even if it's hard.

Imaginary worlds: you have to set rules, but do you always abide by them? Have you broken any rules?

You try not to, it's a bad mistake to break rules. For a very small but annoying one, with The Bartimaeus Sequence...the 1st book is always the most difficult to write, you're inventing and figuring out the rules...and there is mention of a computer, just once, a magician using a computer, and it's not an important detail, but later, when I understood my world better, I understood how ludicrous it was! These guys use magic, they can use it for everything, so they never...their technology has not advanced in the way it is in our world. I was very angry at this foolish mistake. It's very hard to accept tiny errors. This is why the new book it has taken me two years, I was struggling to understand the world, change things around. I hope the 2nd book will be quicker!

(Comment from the audience) Discovering a new book for the first time, there's nothing like it.

Yes, it's what we're all looking for, both as a writer and a reader.

Writers who inspire you? Any recs for our listeners? Advice for new writers?

Licia is wise, she's a sage, I agree with her tips (ie, read everything, in multiple genres, and write stuff you enjoy writing, not in view of publication). You have to write for pleasure, absolutely, it's the fundamental thing; if you get it right you will pass that pleasure on to other people. Like Licia, I like to play with genres, so as a reader I have to try everything...I always liked fantasy, Ursula K. LeGuin and others, but I read everything...At the moment I'm reading George Orwell, and he talks about politics, literature, truth, and whether it's possible to be a writer in a moment democracy is under attack. It's a very important read, and he's on my mind a lot.

What is the book you got most emotional to write?

The 3rd book in The Bartimaeus Sequence, Ptolemy's Gate, has carried the most emotional weight for me. It's the ending, it brings the story of Nathaniel and Kitty to a close, so I was anxious to get it right, I was very concerned about the ending. But once it was on the page, I had this great feeling of emotional release, I knew this was the best ending I could do and I was very proud of it.

How do you approach a character? The depth of feeling you manage is amazing.

Writing a character is like getting to know a new friend. You need to like them, to be interested in them, to slowly uncover who they are. Initially I know what they look like, maybe a couple of other things, but as I write, I slowly discover their inner lives, their secrets, their flaws, their sense of humour...it takes me a long time to find those things, but you need to find them. These are people you're going to work with for years. It's a constant discovery, you need to treat them like friends.

[collecting-stories]

Flirt - Topper  Thornton

Request: Hi lovie! I was wondering if you could do trooper from obx (youre the only one ive seen do fics abot him and hes so cute🥺) maybe promts 36 63 where he likes the reader and is just very sweet all over 💞

A/N: Some more Topper fluff for you  guys!

Outer Banks Masterlist

///

You sat at the island in your kitchen, watching a movie on your laptop while the chef that worked for your parents tried to finish preparing dinner. Your dad had been insistent that you not ‘go wandering off’ today because your mom had invited the Thornton’s over for dinner and drinks. You weren’t looking forward to having them over. You’d heard plenty of stories about Topper and had witnessed his douche-y behavior on more than one occasion but your mom insisted that they were the kind of people you wanted to be friends with.  

“You’re not dressed yet?” Your mom asked, coming into the kitchen.

“You’re already drinking?” You replied, looking at the wine glass that was in her hand.  

“I have you to thank for it, stressing me out when you know that I have important guests coming over.”  

You rolled your eyes, shutting your laptop and turning in your stool to face your mom, “Why does you kissing ass to the Thornton’s have to include me?” You asked.

“Get upstairs and change before I call your dad!”  

“I’m going, I’m going.” You passed the counter, grabbing a stuffed mushroom off the tray as you walked to the back stairs.

“Don’t take food! Melina’s worked hard on that!”  

Knowing that you would choose something she didn’t approve of just to make the night difficult on her, your mother had left a nice floral wrap dress and some sandals on your bed. She’d even left out a necklace she wanted you to wear. You got dressed slowly, stalling even more once you heard the front door open and your mother’s voice go up an octave as she welcomed the Thornton’s into the house.  

Your dad would have your head and, more importantly, your car, if you even thought about skipping out on dinner so you swallowed your pride and headed down the kitchen stairs. At least you could sneak into the living room for cocktails this way. You weren’t counting on the person you were least looking forward to seeing standing there in the kitchen getting water.

“Topper,” you said, standing at the foot of the stairs. He turned around to look at you, clothing right out of a J. Crew ad. “Hey.”  

“Hey, your mom told me I could grab a soda.”

“I didn’t know Yeungling made soda.” You sassed, looking at the beer bottle in his hand.  

“Oh yeah, just released.” He nodded, “real exclusive shit.”

“What are the chances you’d consider sharing?” You asked, coming over to lean against the counter.  

Topper smiled, grabbing a beer from the fridge and passing it to you. “So, hiding from your parents?”

“And you and your parents.” You replied.  

“Newsflash...you aren’t doing a great job...I’m kinda right here.” He teased.  

“Well,” you shrugged, not shy is giving him a once over, “the lesser of three evils.”  

“You’re not?”

“What?”

Topper frowned, nodding his head side to side as if he was contemplating something before looking at you again, “I don’t know, just seems like, maybe, are you trying to flirt with me?”

Your mouth dropped open, feigning shock because maybe you were flirting with him a little bit. You had heard all the rumors; you knew all the dumb shit that Topper got into with Rafe and Kelce but you couldn’t deny that he was hot. Majorly attractive in the worst way cause it let him get away with being a douche. Of course, he wasn’t being one right now. At the moment he was being nice, funny even.  

“In your dreams Thornton.” You replied, setting your beer down and crossing your arms, still leaning your back against the counter.  

“Doesn’t have to be.” Topper said, as if that wasn’t a line meant to deliver a blow to his ego. He set his beer down beside yours, leaning his hand against the counter and trapping you between his body and the marble surface.  

“Wow, that was really smooth.” You smiled, biting down on your bottom lip.  

“So?” He asked, “What do you say?”

“I don’t know Top, everyone keeps telling me you’re the bad guy.” You reply. He wasn’t being the guy that you had heard and seen him be right now but maybe he was just trying to impress you.  

“Everyone?” He looked a little taken aback for a moment, frowning in what was supposed to suggest he was hurt by this accusation. “Who is this everyone?”

“Scarlett-”

“I’ll tell you what Scarlett has always wanted to date me...she’s just bitter I’m not interested in her.”  

“Because you’re interested in...”

“You.” Topper said, and then, “I mean I’ll be honest before today I never really thought about us but here we are, you know? And I think we’d be pretty great together.”  

“Wouldn’t you like to know.” You replied.  

It was just then that your mother came around the corner, visibly exhaling at the sight of you in the kitchen. “Good, come out here, both of you.”  She waved before heading back into the living room.  

Topper grabbed his beer, downing the rest of it before starting to follow her. At the doorway he stopped and looked back at you. “I really would like to know. What’d you say?”

“Tomorrow night, you have yourself a date Topper.”

-

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