#and whatever isn't marvel is automatically good

[thenotoriousscuttlecliff]

Film discussion on twitter has just become dominated by Marvel movies, not just by people who like Marvel movies, but those who hate Marvel movies yet for some reason now feel the need to judge all cinema in opposition to Marvel movies and I'm just like "Shut the fuck up about bloody Marvel movies". You just can talk about cinema without someone bringing up how Marvel movies are the root of evil and instead we should champion the shitty work of mediocre filmmaker simply because they are "real" filmmakers who don't make Marvel movies. I see so many crap movies get venerated simply because they are not Marvel movies.

[buck-star]

Saviour

Supposed to be a weapon but somehow the emotions will always bring out the human in him.

Pairing: WS!Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader

Wordcount: 4.055 Words (with alternate ending 5.412 Words]

Warnings/Tags: hurt/comfort, mention of brainwashing, torture, captured, PTSD, anxiety, established relationship, mention of violence, gun, blood, nightmare, fluff, read at your own risk

Authors Note: The Oneshot has an alternate ending, it’s a bit more fluffy to the end if you choose to read the alternative. It’s marked when the alternate starts, so you can decide if you want to read it or not. Thanks to @soelstress for proofreading. Dividers made by me.

Events: Bucky Barnes Bingo [BO23 | B5 | Brock Runlow/Crossbones | @buckybarnesbingo], Marvel-OC -Hub [Row Two-One | Knight in shining armour | @marvel-oc-hub], Bucky Boy Bingo [G5 | Crying | @buckyboybingo]

Masterlist | Bucky Barnes Masterlist

A strong smell of sweat and blood fills the room. The loud screams and weak begging are audible in the room. You're standing in the corner of the room, your eyes on the man who's strapped to the metallic chair in the middle of the room. A bunch of men surround him, while Pierce sits in front of the soldier on a stool.

With a nod toward a man next to him Pierce gets up and takes a step backwards, a smug grin on his face when the other man pushes the Winter Soldier back into the chair. The thick fingers of the soldier dig into the metal of the armrests, his body shaking when everyone takes a step backwards.

And you're standing there, watching the man torturing the soldier so he will do whatever they ask him to do. He's nothing but a toy for them, a doll that’s good as long as he obeys, and if he doesn't, they will help him.

“Please. NO!” The man screams, his voice breaking when one of the men secures him with another strap around his arms. Within a moment the soldier isn't able to get off the chair anyway; he never was, and he never will be able to unless they want him to. There are too many men around; not even with his strength and his abilities would he fight them all without being on the ground, bleeding, and at their mercy again. “No…no…no…no…”

His voice is barely above a whimper when he leans his head back and closes his eyes for a moment. His mouth opens almost automatically when one of the men pushes something against his lips. He pushes the plastic into the soldier's mouth, making sure it sits perfectly on his teeth. Then the man takes a step backwards too and taps something on the computer that's connected with the chair.

Pierce turns to you, the grin still plastered all over his face. He takes a step closer, watching you intensely. Your expression is cold and empty, the feelings bottled up deep inside of you. “Bring him into his cell after; you know your job,” he says with a dark glint in his eyes. You nod, your eyes trailing back to the soldier.

He's still keeping his eyes closed, more tears leaking down his cheeks as he whimpers quietly. His whole body is trembling, his knuckles already white from the strength he used to dig his fingers into the metallic armrests.

“Good, then wipe him. We start over again with him,” Pierce says loudly, waving at a few of his men before they walk to the door and out of the cell. It’s only you, another man, and the soldier in the cell. The man shows no emotion either, his fingers dancing over the keyboard of the computer a few more times before he hums.

The man hits a button, and the machine above the soldier's head is moving, settling perfectly around his head. One plate on his right cheek and another pressing over the top of the left side of his face. The sounds of electricity mixed with the pained screams of the soldier fill the room, making you almost flinch.

But just almost, because you’re too familiar with the sounds to let your body rule your actions. If you show fear or uncertainty, you will no longer be free; you will end up in one of the cells for them for experiments for super soldiers.

The soldier keeps struggling against the straps that hold him in place. His screams loud, the pain audible in them. His back arches, his chest sweaty, and he pants between his screams.

After a few minutes the machine turns itself off. The soldier stares at the ground in front of him, his expression and eyes cold as ice. He doesn't know anything — he doesn't know who he is, where he is, who you are, or what he has to do for the men here.

The other Hydra agent grumbles something under his breath and leaves the cell as well — leaving you alone with the Winter Soldier. You slowly approach the soldier, staying quiet when you remove the straps around his arms and legs, looking at him. He doesn't move; he just sits there and stares into the air.

You narrow your eyes; usually the soldier would sit up straight and wait for something — a command. However, this time he remains in this position. A whimper escapes his plump lips after a while, and tears form in his ocean blue eyes once again. The features of his face contort, and he takes a shaky breath.

“Soldier?” You ask, your voice soft and your expression concerned, when his body starts trembling again. The soldier opens his mouth; there are no words leaving his lips. His fingers dig into the chair again, trying to grip anything — like he’s trying to ground himself with something when he can't remember anything.

The soldier looks up, his eyes still watery, and he takes a shaky breath. “P-Please, no more… I c-can't…” He whispers, a few tears rolling down his cheeks while he keeps staring at you. “I-It hurts.”

Your eyes widen; you know that it hurts; he wouldn't scream like that if it was pleasurable. But instead of asking where he is or who he is, he shows his most vulnerable side. The side of him they would immediately get rid of with another brainwashing.

“I'm not doing such things. You probably don't remember me, but—” You take a deep breath. He doesn't remember you; he never does, and it always aches in your chest. When the soldier shows one human emotion, he gets wiped, and then you can only see the cold, distanced expression on his face. Except right now, he's trembling and whimpering like a puppy who got kicked, and you can't blame him for that.

“P-Please, don't…” He mumbles, his voice rough from all the screaming. His blue eyes show so much pain, searching for some comfort, something to hold on to.”Why… What… What did I do?”

‘Showing emotions,’ you think. You don't dare to speak it out loud and scare him further. Instead you walk to the little counter that's at the side of the room, taking a cup and filling it with some water. His eyes following you, he could jump up; he could try to escape, to fight, but he keeps sitting on the chair, only moving a bit to the edge of it and leaning forward.

When you turn around to walk back to him, he sits with his head low and in his hands there. His body is shaking, quiet sobs leaving his lips. He runs his fingers through his brown locks, tugging at them.

“Soldier?” You ask softly, trying to get back his attention. He shakes his head, tugging harsher on his hair, and you're pretty sure it already hurts. But maybe the pain is nothing compared to the other pain Hydra causes in him. He takes another shaky breath, his breathing shorter than before, and he starts bouncing one of his legs. “Soldier, take a deep breath. I got you some water; it will help a bit.”

He remains in the position; his back moves erratically up and down. Without thinking much, you put the cup to the side and kneel down in front of him. The soldier is on edge with his emotions, and you’re not sure how to react to anything, but calling someone isn't an option — he shouldn't suffer more of that pain.

You put your hands on his knees, caressing him through the black pants that belong to his suit. His head shoots up, his eyes widen. The soldier stares at you, slowly settling his eyes on your hands before coming back to your face. He's still breathing heavily, but his tears stop for a moment, and he looks like he has to process what you're doing.

“P-Please, don't hurt… Please, I… I'm sorry,” he whispers, not even sure what he's sorry for because he doesn't know anything. His body is tense, but somehow your soft touch soothes him, and he relaxes slightly into your touch. Until more tears fill his eyes and he leans his head into his hands again, sobbing loudly this time.

You kneel there, keeping the soft motions of your fingers over his knees. This man hasn't felt any kind of comfort in decades, so you're not surprised that he reacts with tears. Especially not since you know he's on edge with his emotions.

“Can you take a deep breath for me, please,” you whisper, getting a soft nod in response. The soldier inhales deeply, his exhale shaky while he grabs his hair tightly, grounding himself. “Doing so good for me. Now sit up a bit and take a sip of the water.”

He nods again, doing as you say. Your heart aches when you look at him; he looks so broken, so hurt. You reach for the cup, and the moment the warmth of your hands is missing on his knees, he whimpers, his breath immediately shaking again. You hand him the cup and put your hands back on his knees, tracing them slowly.

“T-Thank you. What is that?” The soldier questions and looks into the cup. You swallow down the lump in your throat. They didn't just destroy his current memories; they destroyed so much more whenever they whipped him. Sometimes he doesn't know what certain things are; sometimes he just forgets his past, and right now he doesn’t even know what he's holding in his hand.

“That's water in a cup. You can drink it; it helps to soothe the itch in your throat,” you explain. He nods, his eyes still focused on the liquid before he brings the cup to his plump lips and takes a small sip of it. The soldier hums quietly, taking another sip.

“It’s good; it's warming my throat,” he mumbles, and you frown. He takes another sip and hums once again. The water shouldn't be warm; it should be cool.

“Soldier, can you touch the metal of the chair, please?” You request. He looks up from the cup, nodding before he touches the armrest of the chair. “What does it feel like?”

“It's warm, hard,” he voices, looking at you with slight confusion. You lift one of your hands, holding it in front of him. He tilts his head and touches your arm this time, sighing softly. “It's cool and sooo soft.”

You nod, bringing it back to his knee. For a moment you're lost in your thoughts while he looks at you and keeps drinking the water. He doesn't feel it is different; he just doesn't know the right word. You slowly get up, holding your hand out for him to take it and get up as well. He nods and gets up, holding your hand tightly.

“Look down, and let me lead you. Don't look up, please,” you mumble, and the soldier immediately nods. He still looks confused, but the way your voice changes is a bit hesitant, he knows it's important that he does exactly what you're asking for. “Can you walk?”

He nods again, taking a step to show you that he can walk. The soldier is a bit wobbly on his legs, but it will bring the two of you to his cell, where you will have some privacy. Your grip around his hand tightens a bit, and you walk to the door of the cell, the soldier doing the same.

Just as you asked, he keeps his head low, looking at your feet. When you open the door, the lights are way brighter, and the voices that echo through the hallway are loud. He almost flinches but tries to hide it as best as he can. He shouldn't show anything that could count as emotion; otherwise, you wouldn’t have urged him to look down.

You lead the soldier through the hallway, stopping in front of a heavy metal door. He doesn't look up, but his body starts trembling when you open it and wait for him to walk inside.

“Please, I don't wanna be alone. P-Please, don't wanna be in the dark…” His voice breaks slightly when he whispers those words. He shakes his head slightly, wanting to back away but also not wanting anyone to notice. You run your thumb softly over the back of his hand, taking a step into the room to turn on the light.

The soldier breathes out, still trembling, but he walks into the cell. It looks familiar, but at the same time he can't remember that he has ever seen that cell. There is an old bed with an even older mattress in the one corner, a small table with a bunch of books, and a wardrobe. Next to it is a door that leads to a little bathroom.

You walk into the cell after him, closing the door. The soldier turns around and looks at you, his eyes widened. “Are you going to hurt me?”

“No, I'm not like them,” you explain, nodding to the bed. The soldier walks closer, sitting down and looking back at you. You take the chair and take a seat opposite him. A soft smile spreads on your lips, and he feels his insides warming; it's the most beautiful smile he has ever seen. Even though he can’t remember any other smile, he’s sure yours is the most beautiful smile of them all.

“Y-You know me, don't you? You have that hurt expression in your eyes whenever you look at me,” he questions. You nod slightly, looking down with a soft sigh. How do you explain to someone that his mind — his memories — got wiped and that you’re always there to take care of the soldier? He takes a deep breath, clearing his throat. His voice breaks once more when he continues to talk. “It's not the first time that I can't remember you or anything…”

You shake your head once again, looking up at him. The soldier leans forward, his hands once again in his hair and his breathing heavy. He can't remember; he tries so hard, but there is nothing but emptiness.

“You remembered... you felt something,” you confess, getting ready for being shouted at, getting a punch, but he just remains in his position. The soldier slowly moves back and forth to calm himself down. You're unsure if you should tell him more about him, about Hydra, about the wiping, or if you should just wait for him to say anything. But somehow the words come out before you can stop them. “They wipe your brain every time you can remember or feel anything. They say it's for the best, so you can do your jo— you can do what they command.”

“It's nothing legal…” he mumbles under his breath. Of course, it isn't. No boss wipes their employees' minds to make them work however the boss wants. “Please, tell me more about me. About… anything.”

“If they find out you're on edge with your emotions, they would wipe you and start over. With the trigger words, they would turn you into the weapon they made you. I don't know much about you; they didn't tell me a lot, so I can't use it to my advantage. But your name is James — but you prefer being called Bucky,” you tell him. He looks like he’s saying the name in his mind over and over again — his name. He's not ‘Soldier’; no, he's James, who likes being called Bucky. Even if it's weird to have a nickname that doesn't fit with his first name.

“James, Bucky. It doesn't fit that well. But I don't complain; at least I have a name,” he says thoughtfully. “James. Bucky. I like both, and you… do you like them?”

A soft chuckle leaves your lips, and you nod. “I like them. I guess Bucky comes from Buchanan. Your name is James Buchanan Barnes; it's a beautiful name.”

He keeps looking at you; his eyes soften, and it looks like he slowly calms down a bit. There is still a storm of emotions in his ocean blue orbs, but there is also a slight smile that tugs at his lips. “Thank you. What’s your name?”

You tell him your name, and Bucky says it a few times before he nods. He's trying so hard to keep it in his mind, saying it over and over again so nothing can wipe it out of his mind again. “Do you still have pain?”

Bucky narrows his eyes; he was so busy admiring you and feeling a warmth he hasn’t felt in so long around you that he almost forgot about it. But he nods slowly, his body aching, and he still doesn't feel too comfortable with too much light or noise.

You reach into a drawer next to you, pulling out a few pills. You give one to him. Bucky looks at you with narrowed eyes, taking the pill from you. He waits a moment, placing the pill on his tongue. You chuckle softly, pointing at the bottle next to his bed.

Bucky turns, smirking when he grabs the bottle. He gulps down the pill with a sip of water and shakes his head. “Mhm… isn’t it… a bit dangerous to put pills into a room with a man who doesn’t even know who he is?”

“I’m here with you most of the time. Unless you’re on missions or something,” you say, putting the pills back into the drawer. “Do you want to get some sleep?”

Bucky shakes his head. Even if he tried, he couldn’t sleep now. “What am I doing for them…? Will-Will they let me go?”

You swallow thickly; of course he would ask questions. But telling the man who’s on edge with his feelings that he’s captured by them? “I-I don’t know. I don’t think so. You’re doing… a good job; that’s what they say. You’re the most successful.”

“In what? Does it have to do with my enhanced strength, my enhanced abilities? Or with that arm?” He keeps asking, holding up his metal arm. His blue eyes roaming.over the glistening metal before they settle on your face again.

"Assassin. The winter soldier. The reason why you’re not allowed to remember or feel. And that arm. You had an accident years back, and they found you and… Your arm was damaged, so you got the metal one,” you explain, watching him intensely. To your surprise, he’s pretty quiet and relaxed.

“Thought so… Why else would everyone keep weapons in their hands? Why did I never try to be less successful so they wouldn’t want me?”

“You did. You failed missions, you got wiped, and they turned you into a cold weapon. You tried to rip off your arm — they connected it with your shoulder,” you keep explaining. Bucky nods, listening intensely and taking in every detail he can get.

“Why don’t I just punch myself through these hallways? I’m a super soldier,” he mumbles quietly. Bucky takes a deep breath, looking around the room. “Doesn’t look that nice, so.”

“Because of a promise.”

“A promise? What promise?” He asks, his eyes narrowing. Bucky tilts his head, looking like a cute puppy with his soft blue eyes and his soft, plump lips, which are slightly pulled upwards into a slight smile.

“You... you promised me you wouldn’t run without me. I mean... I know you can’t remember. We… It's hard to escape here as someone who’s known as good as you. And for me, as someone who’s known as your lover…” you whisper, looking down. He can’t remember you; he can’t remember your relationships or his feelings for you. “So we made a plan, but somehow… you… they noticed the change in your expression in more situations than just when you're with me.”

“We… I… what?” Bucky stumbles over his words. Within a second he gets off the bed and down on his knees in front of you. He brings one of his hands to your chin, lifting it up slightly so you have to look at him. “I might be broken. I can’t remember a lot, but if that heart belongs to you, it always will.”

You smile softly; Bucky looks so sure with what he says. He doesn’t even know who he is, but yet he comforts you. You place your hands on his cheeks, feeling the bruises he got from Pierce and the brainwashing.

Bucky leans into your touch; it feels familiar, so soft and loving. “A plan, you say, huh? What's the plan?” You shake your head; he has had enough stress and pain; you don’t want him to be someone he has to be for Hydra to escape with you. “No, baby doll, tell me. There’s no head shaking.”

Baby doll. You smile softly. “Do you remember the nickname?”

“Mhm, actually not. It just… I said it before I even thought about it,” he confesses. “But I like it, my baby doll. So what’s the plan to escape?”

“It includes the Winter Soldier. Or a part of him. Tonight, before the curfew, an agent goes through the cells. If you… when he opens the door, you have to knock him out. And after that we have to work our way through the hallway. There are cameras… not much, but a few agents and alarms. If someone notices, they press the alarm, and the doors are shut and locked.”

Bucky nods, and you stroke his cheeks softly. His eyes are so soft, the same way they were when he remembered everything. He leans closer, his hair falling slightly into his face, and you brush the strands back. He’s so close, you can feel his breath against your lips and then his lips. So soft and warm, fitting perfectly against yours.

Flashes appear in front of Bucky’s eyes; he sees you and him. He feels your warmth. He feels his hands on your body. He feels what he didn’t know he ever felt, but there it is. Flashbacks — things he hated to have, suddenly the most wonderful thing.

He keeps his lips pressed on yours, refusing to pull back. But when his lungs burn, he slowly pulls away, panting just like you. A soft smile on his lips. “I remember you, my baby doll.”

Tears form in your eyes, and you pull Bucky into another kiss. His cheeks pink and his breath heavy, he kisses you back with as much love and warmth as you kiss him. His lips slightly swollen when he pulls back again, leaning his forehead against yours.

Who knew it would help to kiss him to make him remember. And you’re sure when he gets his memories of you back, he will get his others back too. It will need a lot of time to heal his mind, his mental health, but it’s possible.

“I love you; we will escape here. Tonight, baby doll. I will be the Winter Soldier, this time to free both of us, and then I don’t have to be him again,” Bucky promises, and you know he keeps it. Your plan is perfect, especially since there are barely any people working at night, and the cameras, as well as the alarm, can be turned off with a gun. A gun you will get once Bucky has the agent knocked out, because they all wear at least one in their belts.

“I love you too, Bucky,” you mumble, tangling your hands into his soft brown hair. You stroke your thumbs over his cheekbones, kissing the tip of his nose. No matter how often you do it, his cheeks already heat up, and a soft but low grumble comes from deep in his chest.

His blue eyes no longer empty or hurt, at least not as much as before. There is still a certain amping of feelings — of course there is; he still doesn’t know who he is or what his past was like. But the knowledge that he’s not completely lost, that there’s someone who loves him as the man he is, makes his expression soften. His blue orbs filled with love, with warmth, affection, and deep feelings for you — for his baby doll.

ALTERNATE ENDING

Suddenly the door slams open, the metal connecting with the stone wall. Bucky immediately flinches, covering his ears with his hands, and falls to the ground.

You turn around, your eyes widened as you see Pierce and two men with weapons behind him in the door. The smug grin back on his face when he walks slowly into the cell.

“You think you can hide his feelings? We agreed to him having only enough emotions to be entertained by you,” he says, his voice rough and dark. “And then you betray us, hiding that he still has feelings, telling him about himself, and planning to escape.”

You get up, shielding Bucky with yourself, and glare at the other man in front of you. With a wave of his hand, a shot echoes through the cell, and Bucky whimpers once again. You feel pain in your lower leg; looking down, you see the blood soaking your pants immediately. The shock keeps most of the pain away, but you lose your balance and fall down on your knees.

“That’s where you belong, on your knees for a man,” he laughs, nodding. Brock Rumlow, who shot the bullet, walks to you, grinning before he pushes you to the side to get to Bucky.

“GET AWAY FROM—“ you shout but only earn a kick into your side from Rumlow. He grasps Bucky harshly by his hair, literally dragging him over the floor out of the room.

“Need him wiped and obedient and not a puppy in love,” Pierce tells you with a devilish grin on his face. You would punch him, kick him, but the pain of the wound gets worse, and you keep lying still so it hurts less.

“No… please,” Bucky screams, fighting against the man whose fingers are mercilessly tangled in Bucky’s soft, brown locks. “No, please, you need to stop the bleeding. Please… NO! No, not again, please; it hurts; let go! Please, you need to help her with the wound.”

Bucky keeps fighting against the other man — kicking and punching around. But he doesn’t get the other man to let go of him. His screams echo through the hallway, mixed with cries and pleas. Pierce smirks next to you, looking down before he throws a bandage into your face.

“Bucky? Bucky, hey, baby,” your soft voice is audible. It sounds so distant, but he can feel your warmth. Your soft touch — your hand stroking over his tensed muscles, soothing him slightly. “Bucky, baby.”

Bucky slowly opens his eyes, blinking a few times. He’s in a room with dim light, a soft mattress underneath him, and a familiar smell — you and home — surrounding him. The touch on his shoulder feels real, your voice sounding not as distant anymore, and he immediately sits up.

“Baby doll. Did they hurt you? Where are we? I’m so sorry; I should have fought more against Rumlow. I should have protected you,” Bucky stumbles over his own words, his eyes widened when he turns his head to look at you.

You’re sitting next to him, wearing one of his big shirts, and a soft smile is plastered on your face. Aren’t you hurt? Where’s Rumlow? Where’s Pierce? How did he escape them and land in a bed with you by dim light?

“Baby doll, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened. But I remember you. I-I said your name when they put me on the chair. I remember you, baby doll,” he whispers, tears welling in his eyes.

Bucky doesn’t even give you a moment to answer; he barely takes a breath before he keeps apologizing for something you can’t quite put your finger on at the moment.

“Buck… we are home. Our home, our house, take a deep breath for me, please,” you say softly. You let your hand slide down his arm to his thigh, caressing his skin softly. Bucky does as you say; he takes a deep breath, inhaling the sweet scent surrounding him before he exhales. He then looks down at his hands, playing with his fingers.

He's still tense, the muscles of his jaw visible, and you keep the soft motion on his thigh. “Do you want us to do the method you learned?”

Bucky nods, waiting for you to continue talking. At first he hated the method; he didn’t think it could work to name things and feel better after, but somehow it became one of his favorite methods to get out of his panic or flashbacks.

“Good then, tell me five things you can see,” you start, following his blue eyes, which scan the room for a moment. He doesn’t want to always say the same thing, so he takes a moment, taking in his surroundings to calm down.

“My book,” he mumbles. The Hobbit, from 1937, when it first came out. You found it between some other stuff a while back in one of his boxes Steve kept even when Bucky fell off the train and was captured by Hydra. When you started dating Bucky and he introduced him to Steve, you talked about it, and he gave the box to Bucky. “You, my baby doll. Your fluffy socks. Our bookshelf. The moon.”

You nod, smiling. For a moment you let your eyes trail to the window, looking at the bright moon, then you focus back on Bucky. “Now, can you tell me five things you can feel physically?”

“Your hand on my thigh, soft and warm,” Bucky sighs softly, putting his hand on yours on his thigh with a soft smile. “I can feel the sheets, your breath, the blanket. And I can feel my heartbeat.”

Bucky brings his other hand to his chest, pressing down to feel his steady heartbeat. You nod once again. “So, we’re home, Buck, in our bed. You’re safe; I’m safe. Do you want to tell me about your nightmare?”

”It was during the time of the Winter Soldier. But you were there, and you comforted me after they wiped me. It hurt so bad… and I begged them to stop. But when they did, I felt so much emptiness and fear, but you were there. And you told me about a plan to escape and that we were in a relationship,” Bucky tells you.

He scoots closer to you and wraps his arms around your waist while he pulls you down and places his head on your chest. You immediately bring your hands to his soft brown locks and run your fingers through them, massaging his scalp and neck.

“And then we wanted to escape there, but suddenly Pierce was there, and Rumlow shot your leg, and they dragged me out… and I couldn’t help you… I wanted to help you, baby doll,” he whispers, a few tears soaking the shirt you’re wearing.

“It’s oke, Buck. It was just a nightmare. Neither Pierce nor Rumlow were here; no one is hurt,” you mumble, pressing soft kisses to the top of his head. He hums, gripping your hips before he moves himself to lay between your legs with his head on your chest.

"That good, comfy?" He mumbles, looking up with the most adorable expression on his face. The slight pout, his soft blue eyes, while his fingers curl further around your hips. You chuckle softly and nod.

“Yes, now close your eyes and try to sleep. We are safe, Bucky. I love you,” you say, running your fingers further through his hair before your eyes settle down on his Hobbit book. “Do you want me to read out loud?”

“I love you, too, baby doll. Keeping you safe, all mine,” he grumbles against your skin. Bucky nods to answer your question, snuggling further into you. He kisses your collarbone before he closes his eyes and listens to your steady heartbeat as well as to your soft voice reading the Hobbit for him. A soft smile forms on his lips, and he relaxes further, his insides warming when he thinks about the love he feels for you and the love you offer him. “My baby doll, mine, all mine. Love you so much, my precious baby doll.”

Taglist: @rogersbarber @loki-laufeyson68 @etherealdisneyvillainness @winterschildren8 @pono-pura-vida @kimmie113080 @sergeantbarnessdoll @sebastianstanisahotmf @mercurial-chuckles @holylulusworld @randomawesomeperson102 @looking1016 @multiversefanfics @kpopgirlbtssvt @disneyprincessbuffyannesummers @iris-xoxo-juhu @fckedupandbeautiful @hisredheadedgoddess28 @casa-boiardi @blackhawkfanatic @mrsalexstan @thesarcasmqueen-22 @kandis-mom @peachy-satan00 @armystay89 @queen-honeybee-stories [add yourself]

[venusshiftsx]

somethings that help me shift

this is just things that help ME personally, but I wanted to share as it could help some of you guys as well

MOTIVATION

shifting motivation goes different for everyone, you can get motivated in multiple ways. My favourite way is too listen to music, I have a playlist for my marvel reality and for my fame reality, I put all my albums onto spotify as if they are my own so I can listen to.

another motivation is scripting, even if thats just scripting in small things like "my nails are always beautiful, they never break nor get dirty". It can be really anything.

you can also get motivation from watching the movie / series you are shifting too, pinterest and moodboards or whatever motivates you.

One of my overrall things I do though is, if I am not motivated but still wanting to shift, is telling myself I am already in my chosen reality. Because why would I be motivated to shift there if I am already there?

MEDIATION / METHODS

meditation is technically my shifting method. there is no right or wrong way to do it. it puts me in a good mindset and it makes me relaxed and calm enough to focus on what I am manifesting or choosing where to shift to.

all I do is when I meditate, is focus on my breathing until I am fully relaxed and then count to 100. I also start to affirm that I am already in my chosen reality, once I start to get jumbled on what number i am on (like skipping numbers or just starting to forget to count) or affirming after and reminding who I am (as if i was my DR self)

AFFIRMATIONS / LOA

'I am' affirmations, make me very much motivated to shift also. I am in my dr, I am my (dr name), I am (dr self height) or affirmations like: I was born on (dr birthday), I have (dr hair colour / eye colour wtv). Remind yourself who you are in this reality you are shifting to. Affirm what you are doing that day or week in your dr.

LOA (law of assumption) also falls in this because while affirming I am in my dr, I am assuming I am there already.

I don't affirm constantly, I normally just do it when I remember to or if I am robotic affirming while scripting or looking at pinterest. As, if I am already there I don't need to keep reminding myself I am.

this isn't all my tips or things I do

I wanted to keep this thing short, so I only wanted to put 3 tips. But if you want more I don't mind doing more. However I will remind you that just because these help me, it doesn't automatically mean it will help you.

The way you shift and how you do it, and the way your journey goes will be different to mine even though we are all ending on the same goal.

Happy Shifting Guys!!

[seriousfic]

How many "cosmic junk drawers" does the MCU have?

First off, we have Sakaar, which seems to be where you automatically end up if an attempt at FTL travel goes wrong. Thor and Loki end up there when a Heimdall portal gets fucked up, so does the Hulk, Jude Law was meant to end up there at the end of Captain Marvel. And keep in mind, lest you think this is just a Space Bermuda Triangle, it's overseen by the Grandmaster, one of the Elders of the Universe, which gives it a good claim to being a big deal and not just a space dumping ground like Jakku or that planet in Soldier.

The Quantum Realm... oh God, I just looked at that picture, lol!... is where people end up when time travel or shrinking goes wrong? (I don't know why those two are the same thing either.) Kang ended up there after being exiled by other Kangs, Janet van Dyne ended up there, and apparently every being there has come from somewhere else by accident.

Then there's the Void... please don't confuse this with the alter ego of the Sentry in the upcoming Thunderbolts... which is where the TVA exiles people to. Even though it's clearly not a void.

Why don't they just use the Quantum Realm? How are they associated with the Quantum Realm? Unclear! Everyone exiled to the Void is eaten by Alioth, unless they strike the fancy of Cassandra Nova, who is powerful enough to rule the Void and she's struck a deal with the TVA to keep her placated.

(Wait, that's a little weird, isn't it? Even for someone who's an evil Professor X and sometimes is said to have every mutant power ever (but that would make her unbeatable, so ignore that)... still, she's not like a Galactus level figure, is she? Cuz what would a Galactus level figure need with Pyro or the Russian or any other henchmen? I guess she just likes bossing people around? Whatever.)

There's also incursion'd universes, as seen in Multiverse of Madness, which is somewhere Strange gets banished to in a fight with Wanda and man, lot of banishment in the MCU, isn't there? And also does the TVA bother with people who are jumping from universe to universe and causing trouble? You'd think they would--in fact, you'd think that'd be their one job--anyway, this is another place you can end up if you are changing universes and something goes wrong and you don't end up in the Quantum Realm or the Void.

I don't know, does this seem inconsistent to anyone else? Why do we need all these different "cosmic junk drawers"? Can't they just reuse one instead of introducing a new cosmic junk drawer every time the banishment plot point is used? I understand there's probably a difference between 'just' going faster than light and pulling a Sliders, but if time travel and dimension-hopping are the same thing, shouldn't there be one big fail-state instead of lots of different ones that are functionally the same?

Like if Kang throws you through a portal, you can end up in the Void and meet a crazy alternate self, or end up in the Quantum Realm and meet a crazy alternate self, or end up in an incursion'd universe and meet a crazy alternate self? It's both lazy and really lazy. If they reused the Quantum Realm for all of these, that'd be a little lazy, but at least it'd be a rule they were following and maybe they could build on each appearance the same way Tony Stark used to upgrade his suit in every movie.

Instead they just start over with a new green-screen thingamabob each time and do the same thing with it. Thor goes to Sakaar and he happens to meet a character from his past, Valkyrie. Scott Lang goes to the Quantum Realm and he happens to meet a character from his past, MODOK. Wolverine goes to the Void and he happens to meet a character from his past, X-23.

If this is so random, shouldn't it get mixed up a bit? Thor could meet MODOK. Wolverine could meet Valkyrie. It'd be a little less convenient-feeling, wouldn't it? Like when Deadpool met Blade, Elektra, and Johnny Storm. That's at least only thematically related instead of them literally knowing each other.

Although I do think that as long as we're doing this thing where some Marvel characters exist in the sixties and others are in present day, they could've done something like that. Like have the cowboy Ghost Rider show up.

You know, we still have Sam Elliot, but he's not gonna be here forever. And you really just have to get him into a voiceover booth. Come to think of it, is Nicolas Cage that busy? I suppose I couldn't resist getting Channing Tatum in there either, if he's that desperate to do Gambit, but Jennifer Garner over Nic Cage? C'mon. No one liked Elektra that much and the new costume wasn't even comic-accurate.

They actually did it better in 2005. At least they went red. I guess they were doing specifically superhero movies released by Fox, but then they have Blade in there. He's from New Line. And what about the Punisher? I think most of us liked Tom Jane enough to want to see him again.

I suppose I should be grateful it wasn't all industry plants and also Professor X, like in Multiverse of Madness, but I just feel it's a bit sloppy to do a movie that's both a Wolverine-Deadpool buddy movie AND THEN an ensemble cast reunion. You can't really have an ensemble and go "oh, but the REALLY BIG GUNS are Deadpool and Wolverine." Doesn't work. Can you imagine a Lord of the Rings movie where all the focus is on Aragorn and Legolas, and then there's a little bit of stuff with the rest of the Fellowship, but only in the second act? And it's mostly an extended cameo?

Anyway, earlier I reblogged a post about the interconnectivity the 616 Universe used to have, with different writers coming together to integrate all their work, and that seems like it's lacking in both 616 and the MCU. No one wants to build on what someone else is doing, they all want their little fiefdoms, so we get all these plot points that are going in the same direction but not collaborated on and it just feels poorly edited. Sorta like this post. Sorry.

[self-love-tournament]

Call for Submissions: The Self-Love Tournament 🎉👨‍❤️‍💋‍👨👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

Be it alternate universes or freak transporter accidents, a witch's curse or timeline shenanigans, one thing that's fascinated scifi and geek fan culture for ages, especially on this hellsite, has been the prospect of meeting yourself.

And also.

What if you then did the dirty.

To honor this glorious tradition, I'm assembling a tournament that pairs the sexiest of tumblrmen with themselves, and then pits them against each other. We'll determine, once and for all, the selfcest champion.

Automatically included are some of the greats (and my personal favorites). Feel free to include them in submissions so I can curate lists of aliases/start collecting propaganda

The Onceler (from The Lorax movie)

Loki (from Marvel/the Loki tv show)

Ice King (from Adventure Time/Fionna and Cake)

Kira Nerys (from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)

Dave Strider (from Homestuck)

The Doctor (from Doctor Who)

Sans (from Undertale)

England (from Hetalia)

Submissions

I'll try to prioritize characters with more submissions or more impassioned propaganda, so keep that in mind when submitting

+ Ground Rules:

I reserve the right to exclude any characters or fandoms from the bracket (to be fair, the most hated usually get voted off quickly anyway). For example, I decided to exclude a MCYT character, as their player is not comfortable with certain fandom behavior, and there's significant overlap between the character and creator. I'm not here to shame you, but I don't want to amplify something that sexually objectifies a real person beyond their stated boundaries.

Feel free to vote on whatever criteria you see fit! I try to prioritize iconic ✨ examples, ones that have had large impacts on Tumblr history, and any personal blorbos 💖

(NEW 9/20) I did say whatever criteria, but I do feel like I should address hate-voting. I'm not going to forbid it, but I ask that you consider if you really do hate the character/fandom that much. For example, Oncelercest isn't my cup of tea by any means, but man.... you gotta hand it to him.....

I love passionate (and even sometimes violent) propaganda, but do NOT bully anyone or send targeted threats. If it's getting nasty out there, I might use my judgement to adjust this rule, but I hope I won't have to.

Please feel free to spread this submission list! Tagging some of my inspirations: @ao3topshipsbracket @who-do-i-know-this-man @stop-spreading-this-poll @masked-character-competition @bestadaptationtournament @ultimate-anime-tournament @unlikely-adversaries-bracket @top-fictional-unhinged-women @mosthomoeroticenemies @bestfictionaldivorce @controversial-blorbo-bracket @tournament-winners-tournament @the-most-character-i-ever-saw :)

From my end, I really appreciated how @controversial-blorbo-bracket ran their tournament, so I'll try to follow their lead: be open and transparent, give people who are writing propaganda the benefit of the doubt where possible, and try to take passionate takes in stride.

(NEW 9/24) Constructive crit or feedback in good faith is appreciated! I want to make this a space for celebration of fandom

[halfetirosie]

Yaku is Precious, Mr. Thief is Sentimental (Maybe?) 🤔🤔🤔

(Marvels 05-06 React-os!)

1) ERROR 128: YOUR YAKUMO HAS BEEN OVER-WORKED AND IS OVER-HEATING

XD

2) PFFFFFT!!!

The lil' animation where Blade grabs Yakumo and jumps up into the air with him is so silly, I love it!!!! ♡♡♡♡♡

3) Oh, Blade.....Your nicknaming senses are....so ⊹ ࣪ ˖ special ⊹ ࣪ ˖

More like Grandpa Cha💃🏻Cha💃🏻Cha💃🏻 amiright gang?

4) Yaku-Babyyyy!!!!! This gentle boiiiii!!!!!! ♡♡♡

I love how at first he's over here's getting sorta over-powered by the sheer volume of Blade and Eiden's extroversion---

---but then he's like---

Hell yeah, Yaku!!! Give us a big ol' shout!!!!! Be assertive!!!! :D

5) Eiden, our ★ Frugal King ★!!!

Honestly, same tho; I'd find it suspicious if someone wasn't taking advantage of a good deal.... (¬_¬)

6) Awwwwww!!!! Look at our boiii!!!!!! CUTEEEEEEE!!!!! ♡♡♡♡♡

(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)

I love it when they put Yakumo in uniforms, tbh---Like, Dark Nova (school uniform) is my favorite Yaku, and if I had to choose a second favorite Yakumo Look™ I'd probably choose Cocoa Liqeur.

Idk man, just, there's something about him specifically in a uniform.....What do you think, Fisheito? I know there's a good chance you'll read this post at some point...😈

7) ⏳ Theory Time! ⌛

Okay, so I've been thinking---what if the "treasure" that they're supposed to be finding, is this coffee shop itself???

It is a "Hidden Gem," after all....

You know how, when the thief first showed up, he said that most people couldn't recognize what a true treasure is? I think that can apply to this coffee shop; it isn't super well known, and because it hasn't been getting as much business lately, its true worth isn't being recognized.

So, what if this Phantom Thief guy (who might be a yokai and thus have known about this coffee shop for a while) put together this whole game to bring attention to this place, so it will get more business again, and the old guy running the place will find a decent apprentice?

Idk, just a theory. We'll see if it's completely wrong or not.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

8) Ah, yes, add another one to the list of Eiden's Random Collection of Part-Time Jobs!

(Kinda odd that he would only mention this one here, and not the time he worked in a detective agency, but whatevs)

I do think it's funny, tho, that Eiden was able to figure out the next step of the puzzle instead of Rei.... >:)

9) I think my brain has been ruined; I see "nectar" and I automatically think "As in, from the earth??? Is the nectar coming from the earth???? FROM THE EARTH, NECTAR?????"

Anyways....

Something tells me we're going to be seeing our favorite repressed Doritoman soon!!!!!

Hell yeah!!!!!! Can't wait to inflict him with Blade!!!!

😈😈😈😈😈😈

More seriously---I wonder if they're going to need to go somewhere with Solarian fruit/coffee? 🤔

♡ End of report! ♡

[roipecheur]

Here's how to fix Frank Punisher.

First, retcon whatever happened in Punisher 2022. Say it was all a dream and Frank passed the test or whatever by not giving into the Beast at the very end, thereby defeating it. Or the Beast was possessing him the whole time, so none of that was really him, and also Maria was not like really Maria or whatever. I don't care, it's bad, it completely undermines everything that makes Frank as a character, and it needs to go.

So. At the end of Punisher 2022, he's in some hell dimension called 'Weirdworld'. That's fine, that can stay. This is the only good content in the entire run besides Frank's obligatory homoerotic moments with Daredevil.

Frank should get forcibly adopted by wandering children and accidentally catapulted into Dad Mode™ between unimaginable bouts of violence. This is probably the only time that run got him right.

Now, to bring Frank back. He needs a new Microchip. This guy can have some connection to the original David Linus Microchip Lieberman who Frank murdered to death for betraying him back in the early aughts, or he can just be some rando who took on the hackerman name.

He appears to Frank in Weirdworld as some sort of spirit while the kids are sleeping. New Microchip has projected himself in there using magic. He offers to bring Frank out of Weirdworld, but in exchange, Frank has to grant him a favor. Frank tells him to go fuck himself with extra sauce. New Microchip offers to save the kids, too, and Frank is a sucker for kids. So he agrees.

(I'm picturing New Microchip kinda like that nerd guy from the animated Atlantis movie, but OG Microchip was also fat, so like Atlantis guy with a little extra pudge. Cute, though.)

Frank is back on Earth. The kids are free and get sent to someone, probably Natasha because Frank trusts her and she'd look at them and go "what the literal hell" and I think that would be funny. New Microchip has a very Frank-like backstory where his family got killed, and he wants Frank to kill their killers. Frank is opposed because His War Is Over and he doesn't like being forced to do things. But he has to go along because of the magic deal.

Punisher skull comes back. Frank mows the people New Microchip wants dead down in a very typical, Frank-like way. New Microchip also outfits him with a battle van and provides really good tech support. When it's done, Frank is automatically released and is no longer bound to New Microchip.

Naturally, Frank goes to kill him. He finds New Microchip sitting out back looking at the scenery of some sort with a loaded gun waiting nearby. Waiting for Frank. New Microchip's job is done, and he gave up everything to do it. He expects Frank to kill him.

Instead, Frank is like. Grudgingly impressed that this guy had the balls to take what's coming to him instead of trying to run. He also likes his new battle van and could get used to that sort of thing. So, he offers New Microchip a job.

Ok. Here's the crucial part. If this was a new run, Frank should be done with this round of gratuitous violence by issue 3-5, and he and New Microchip should be fucking before issue 10. It needs to be played exactly the same was as if New Microchip were a woman. He's patching Frank up or something, and then they start kissing, fade to black, next page shows them in bed together.

Marvel needs to really play up Frank being bisexual. Not gay. Bisexual. Frank loved his wife, and that's very important to his backstory. Also, gay and not bisexual Frank gives off this weird vibe like being gay helped make him the Punisher, and that would be a nightmare for the PR team and for me personally. But they need to make him SO queer. To the point where people see those stupid thin blue line Punisher skulls and go...isn't that the one who has a boyfriend now?

Angry right-wingers with guns will be burning their shirts and tearing the decals off their cars. Frank's fan base will return to where it belongs: with weird comic book freaks who think he's a funny little guy.

One other thing. There has to be one splash cover where Frank is bridal carrying New Microchip to safety. There should be an explosion behind them. The explosion should, inexplicably, be in the shape of a skull. Picture this. It's very romantic.

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers West Coast #51: I SING OF ARMS AND HEROES...

November, 1989

Guess who's BACK... and guess who aren't too sure they're HAPPY about it...

Well, Hank and Jan don't look too happy about it. Neither does US Agent. Lookit him frown, the gwumpy pumpkin. Wonder Man looks like he has dull surprise going on. I cannot fathom Robot Human Torch's expression. The man would do great at poker. Wanda looks like she's offended. That's a "how dare?!" expression if I've seen one. And Vision looks like he's staring directly at the sun and isn't sure why people keep screaming at him to stop.

So my guess is that Hank, Jan, John, and Wanda aren't happy about it and the others may or may not be happy about it.

They might have been more pleased to see Iron Man if he hadn't just flown through a perfectly good wall for no reason.

Last times in Avengers West Coast: Iron Man left the West Coast Avengers because of the Armor Wars arc in his own book. Wow, that was a while ago.

At the end of Armor Wars, Iron Man faked his own death by letting the government blow up an armor full of blood. When more Iron Manning was needed, Tony Stark just built a new suit and claimed he'd hired a new bodyguard/superhero.

And now, all these issues later, he's back to rejoin the Avengers because he's become more dependent on his armor due to stuff happening in his solo. He figures more time stuck in the armor, might as well be putting it to good use.

Also happening, Wanda has had the worst fucking period of her life (so far). Her husband got disassembled by the government, her teammates don't seem to care, her children keep blinking in and out of existence whenever she's not paying attention, evil bacteria shoved her full of goo until she became a mutant supremacist, the robot Human Torch came back to life to take the hottest robot on the team role from Vision. Just a lot going on!

I sure did talk about Wanda a lot in this issue featuring Iron Man.

Anyway.

Iron Man.

What a shiny guy he is.

Yeah. The Avengers (West Coast) aren't thrilled to see Iron Man.

Because: who even is this Iron Man?

US Agent John Walker is not privy to all the details of Iron Man's identity. But he does know that the original Iron Man was supposedly killed and a new guy took over.

Original Iron Man may have been a founder of the Avengers but New Iron Man is just Some Guy. Some Guy who can fuck off if he thinks he gets to swan in and get automatically put on the team.

Iron Man understands that he doesn't get any special consideration and says he's willing to go through whatever initiation process the Avengers consider necessary.

US Agent is a big company man so even though he's maybe the leader of the Avengers possibly? (he's done literally zero leading and nearly zero interacting with the team), he storms off to go call his handlers in Washington so they can tell him what to do.

With him gone, that just leaves Hank, Wasp, and Wonder Man who all know that Tony Stark is Iron Man. Or was. They know that at certain points, Tony Stark has been Iron Man.

(Way to just spill the beans in front of an Iron Man that you don't know whether he's Tony or not, guys)

So they ask Iron Man straight up if he's Tony.

For some reason that would probably make sense if I was reading Iron Man, Iron Man apologizes and says he can't say.

I do want to read olde Iron Man. One of these days, I want to dig into that backlog. He's one of the prominent Marvel characters I haven't read significant material from pre-2000.

Anyway.

On the other side of the compound, Scarlet Wanda and Vision.

Wanda is in a mood. Because she's been in a mood Byrne's whole run because shit keeps happening to her. Possibly goo related shit.

Vision: "It surprises me that you did not wish to stay for the meeting with Iron man, my wife. I am curious as to your reason..." Scarlet Witch: "Please, Vision... I know you're programmed to use words like 'surprised' and 'curious,' but I wish you wouldn't. It only emphasizes how much more robotic you've become." Vision: "My apologies, Wanda. It was my impression you wished me to sound as human as possible." Scarlet Witch: "Human? Why would I wish that, husband? Why would any mutant worthy of the name wish to associate herself with humans?" Vision: "And yet... you are a mutant, and for years, you have gladly associated with the Avengers -- most of whom are human." Scarlet Witch: "A passing weakness, Vision."

Okay. Seriously. Did nobody think to de-gooify her after that Absolom University adventure? Give her a medical check or anything?

I'm getting a little perturbed with how little a shit this era of the West Coast Avengers seem to give about each other.

Nobody noticed Tigra was going nuts. Nobody bothered to do anything as Wanda has clearly been emotionally spiraling. Wasp decides to help Wonder Man undermine Wanda's marriage.

You all suck.

Wanda is behaving like a jerk now but at least we know external factors contributed. The rest of you just suck.

Anyway, Wanda and Vision reach their quarters and find Agatha Harkness waiting for them there.

Hi, Agatha.

Are you the Agatha that does horrible shit to Wanda to teach her something or the Agatha that's helpful without being traumatizing?

I feel like Wanda is a couple pieces of straw from just breaking so maybe considering the latter approach today.

Also, maybe consider calling ahead.

The last time Wanda and Vision saw Agatha, in the second Vision and the Scarlet Witch series, Agatha was burned at the stake.

She tells them that being burned at the stake sucked but that's not what she's here to talk about.

She's here to talk about Wanda's kids.

Wanda's weirdo kids. To talk about them and to understand what precisely they are.

Scarlet Witch: "They are only children. Normal in every way!" Agatha Harkness: "Normal, Wanda? With a mother who is a mutant and a father who is a synthezoid?"

Rude.

Agatha tells Wanda that her kids are far from normal and if she hadn't been busy resurrecting herself, she would have been here sooner.

Agatha Harkness: "But you already know yourself, that when you are not thinking about them... they disappear!"

Vision asks if that's true but Wanda denies it. BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY AS A GOOD MOM SHE IS ALWAYS THINKING OF HER KIDS AT ALL TIMES 100%.

Agatha pulls the nuh uh on this. There have been recent times where she was too distracted in battle or knocked unconscious where obviously she wasn't thinking about her kids. And wee baby Thomas and William just cease to exist during those times.

Remember those times? All those times they disappeared, freaking out the governesses? Who tried to report it to Wanda and got fired for it?

Wanda refuses to listen to this. Literally putting her hands over her ears and shouting she won't hear it.

Eesh.

Agatha tells Vision that Wanda will need his strength and love more than ever and oof is she behind the times. The government took away his capacity to love! Bad timing!

Elsewhere, up in the sky, a bird, a comet, a (robot) human torch!

Jim Hammond took off when the Avengers grouped up to meet with Iron Man. He took the time to fly over the countryside for about a half hour, just get an idea of how much things have changed.

And he's amazed! To him, it looks like 400 years have passed instead of just 40.

He lands back at the Avengers West Coast Compound and lands right into some drama without even trying.

Ann Raymond saw him being all human torchy and mistakes him for Toro. And when she realizes he's Jim Hammond instead, she, of course, gets upset because for an instant she let her hopes get up and now she's been reconfronted with the fact that her husband died in an entirely stupid and unnecessary way.

And now Jim knows Toro's dead too and is also emotionally staggered by the news.

Also: demons.

Flaming fireballs! Demons!!

Robot Human Torch gets immediately slapped into the pool. A sad casualty of being the first one the demons run into.

But Ann screaming alerted the other Avengers and they assemble and start walloping demons.

Hank Pym suggests that if a bunch of demons suddenly show up to the Avengers West Coast Compound, why there's only possible explanation.

Iron Man: "You mean it's MASTER PANDEMONIUM?? But the last we saw of him, he was being swept away by the river of oblivion... deep in the realm of Mephisto!"

Hank Pym makes a mental note of Iron Man knowing about the Avengers' last encounter with Master Pandemonium. Because Tony Stark Iron Man was on the team at the time. So is this Tony or did Tony just brief New Iron Man on all his Avengers' cases?

I don't know why Tony isn't telling the Avengers he's him so I don't know how tense it should be that Hank is piecing things together.

Anyway!

US Agent comes out to yell at the commotion and he's not really alarmed by a sudden invasion of demons. It does make him punchy so he starts punching.

Robot Human Torch pulls himself out of the pool. He's soaking wet but all he has to do is FLAME ON! to boil the water away.

Then he can "show these demonic delinquents how we used to deal with their kind back in the 50's!"

Did... you deal with a lot of demons in the 50's specifically?

Wasp takes note that the demons don't seem to be after anything and aren't really trying that hard to kill the Avengers. So why are they here?

Whoops, they're a distraction.

While the Avengers are outside fighting the demons, Master Pandemonium busts into Wanda and Vision's quarters right when Wanda is about to have a nervous breakdown over everything that's happened to her over the past few weeks.

Agatha Harkness tries to ward off the demons with her witchcraft but Master Pandemonium tries belches hellfire in her face.

Gross.

Vision tries to do the intangible fisting thing he does which either works great or doesn't work at all.

Whoops, this is one of the times it doesn't work at all.

Master Pandmemonium just blasts out demons from his arms to overwhelm Vision.

Leaving only Wanda to face him, as she boasts that nothing can withstand her hex power.

Although she seems to fend him off and force him to retreat, she doesn't notice until he's gone that one of his demons snuck behind her and yoinked the children.

He drags the poor, probably innocent tots down to probably Hell.

What does he want from them?

Well, first, he wants a captive audience to recap his entire backstory.

Villains gonna villain.

He was an actor man who drunk drove himself into a bad car crash that cost him his arm. As a big Hollywood type in the 80s, he was big into the occult?? Apparently? So he called upon dark powers, promising his soul for his arm back.

Mephisto was bored and decided this would be funny so he replaced the guy's arm with demons. And then he replaced all his limbs with demons.

Mephisto's sense of humor is beyond me.

He didn't want the guy's soul so he ripped it out, broke it into five pieces, and scattered them around.

Master Pandemonium has been searching for them since, trying to become whole.

He found one with the Cat Demon People of Tigra's origin. But whatever Englehart was planning for this dude, he didn't get around to. Guy got one soul piece back and then dropped out of the plot.

So Byrne is bringing back that plot thread.

Master Pandeominum declares to these two stupid children who don't understand any of this that kidnapping them will allow him to replace his missing 4/5ths of a soul much more efficiently than all his aimless searching up until now.

Now, I know where this is going already. It is renowned, infamously.

But try to make your best guesses before I get to the end of the issue. See how close you get.

Anyway.

In the pressing urgency of some innocent children being kidnapped... the Avengers all sit down to discuss classic sitcoms.

That's a fair response, to be honest.

But here's how the conversation unfolds.

Instead of leaping into action, the Avengers sit around and quiz Agatha on how she's alive again. Even though she keeps telling them it was fucking magic and it's not going to make sense to their science brains.

Wonder Man chimes in that HE's seen Bewitched so he can vouch for Agatha's point.

So Wanda starts yelling at him for talking about television when her children are kidnapped.

Wasp tells Wanda to settle down. Clearly they're treating this with all due urgency! Since, y'know, maybe her kids are fake as shit. Maybe they've just stopped existing again like all the governesses said.

And that's when Wanda does her a slap.

Granted, her mutant supremacy is not called for but, yeah, the Avengers are all a bunch of jerks now who can't muster a bit of urgency when a demon man kidnaps some children.

Wasp isn't even hurt because of her small size. But she is concerned that Wanda said that thing the way she did about humans.

Anyone else concerned? Nobody else reacting? Okay.

Wanda begs Agatha to help her follow Master Pandemonium.

I'm surprised we didn't start with that but I've already made clear how I feel about how the team is reacting to this.

Master Pandemonium tried to hide his path but Agatha took precautions when he first arrived so she can trace him. But Wanda can't do it alone! So... will the Avengers step up to action when a witch very lightly implies that they should?

Yes. They finally get their asses in gear and jump through the swirling magic portal.

Even US Agent agrees that where Wanda goes, the Avengers go too. Which is a big team player moment from the guy who doesn't seem to realize he's leading a superhero team.

Watching from the time Limbo that isn't the demonic Limbo or the game Limbo, Immortus freaks the fuck out.

This wasn't how things were supposed to go for his vague yet menacing plan!

And he can't do anything to alter the flow of events because, I dunno, he can't touch demonic realms. So if anything happens to Wanda, he won't be able to protect her!

Dun dun dun??

I wonder what his vague yet menacing evil plan needs Wanda for?

Back at the Avengers, Hank Pym asks Jim Hammond Human Torch to stay behind to watch the Compound.

So despite making a big deal about him joining the team last issue, with WANDA BRINGING HIM BACK FROM THE DEAD, he gets to sit on his ass for the rest of this story.

What a weird writing decision.

Byrne is all over the place with all the subplots he's juggling for this book and a lot of them just get backburnered hard.

Iron Man gets to go. And he hasn't even officially (re)joined the Avengers at this point. They don't even know if they can trust him because he won't admit to being Tony Stark to his closest friends, for some reason.

The Avengers and Iron Man arrive in a seemingly peaceful fairy tale glade but Agatha's floating head warns them not to trust it.

And the very scenery attacks them a few panels later so. Yeah. Floating Head Agatha called it.

In the distance, past all the killer foliage, Wasp spots a building made of twisted agony.

The Avengers fight their way through the angry vegetation and Scarlet Witch blows open the twisted agony fortress front door with her probability manipulation.

But they find that Master Pandemonium is ready for them. Waiting for them.

And he's done the dumbest thing possible.

He's attached Billy and Tommy to his arms so now he has literal baby hands.

It's horrifying.

It's also the dumbest thing possible.

He's so proud of himself for thinking of this.

Was this where you would have guessed him kidnapping some babies was going to go?

Also, jamming babies onto his arms seems to have filled in two points on the star shaped hole in his tum tum.

I used to like what a silly concept Master Pandemonium's entire deal was. But he's ruined it by going even dumber.

For shame, everything that went into making, publishing, and printing this comic book. For shame. You took a perfectly goofy villain and you ruined him.

Follow @essential-avengers and maybe like or reblog. I appreciate being appreciated.

[bedlamsbard]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Tagged by @thatgirlnevershutsup

How many works do you have on AO3? 42, but a lot of those are podfic that has me as co-author -- 33 not counting podfic.

What's your total AO3 word count? normal amount. 1,710,483

What fandoms do you write for? I am serially monofannish. Right now I only write for the MCU, but before that my main fandom for YEARS was Star Wars, then prior to that Narnia (most of my Narnia fic isn't on AO3). There are a few stray other fandoms on there.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Immutable, or, 5 Times Obi-Wan Kenobi Compromised His Jedi Ethics for Anakin Skywalker (Star Wars, 5907), Wake the Storm (Star Wars, 5163), Queen's Gambit (Star Wars, 2632), On the Edge of the Devil's Backbone (Star Wars Rebels, 1839), On Yonder Hill (MCU, 1656). yes I'm aware that there is an enormous drop-off between Wake and Gambit lol, but I'm very glad one of my Marvel fics snuck in there.

Do you respond to comments? No, I have a policy about not replying to comments unless I get a direct question.

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Almost definitely Gambit, since it ends on a cliffhanger with the main trio separated in another universe, Rex left behind in the Gambitverse, and the Gambitverse a mess. Made more angsty by the fact that I refuse to touch that series ever again.

What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? I'm going to go with On Yonder Hill. It ends with a party! Thor and Loki and the Avengers (except Wanda) are happy! I forcibly strangled my automatic reflex to set up a sequel like six times while writing it.

Do you get hate on fics? HA HA HA HA yes.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind? If you are very lucky you will get one semi-explicit sex scene from me every few years. I'm not very good at writing smut and I tend to get bored writing it, which is why I don't do it very often.

Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written? Not recently because I'm not really that interested in them, but I have in the past. I once wrote Susan Pevensie/Willy Wonka, which is probably up there.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? uh, maybe, but I don't think so.

Have you ever had a fic translated? I've had a lot of requests, but I don't think I've ever said yes.

Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yes, in the past. I'm very unlikely to ever do so again due to Some Trauma.

What’s your all time favorite ship? Odysseus/Penelope but if you meant, like, in a fannish sense, probably Kanan/Hera.

What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I'd love to finish Dust in the Air, my big Narnia TLB AU, but I'd have to completely rewrite it because I'm such a different writer now than I was when I was still working on it.

What are your writing strengths? I'm very good at plot, I'm probably one of the best action writers in fandom, I'm great worldbuilding, and I like to think I'm pretty decent at character voice and dialogue.

What are your writing weaknesses? I don't do brevity and I get bored writing sex scenes. I cannot write a one-shot. I do not remember the last time I wrote a story under 50K.

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? I wouldn't do extended dialogue (because I don't speak any other languages well enough to be comfortable doing so), but there are words and the occasional sentence in there.

First fandom you wrote for? well, it was before I knew what fandom was, but it was either The Mummy or The 10th Kingdom

Favorite fic you’ve written? I really loved The Horizon Line, but usually the answer is whatever I'm working on now.

I don't tag people so go for if you want!

[existslikepristin]

Okay, so I had someone send me an ask last night and now I've been thinking about it all day. It wasn't anonymous, which I appreciate, but I'm not responding to it directly for because

I reached out already to say I'd do some editing, and I've let them know the rest of what I'm about to rant on below, but I want to make sure at least a few more people see this

I flip flop around on how to say this shit all the time. Like, do I say that everyone's a good writer in their own special way? Do I say that you don't need likes and reblogs for validation? I don't fucking know what to say except for maybe one more thing that I'll reiterate until the day I die with various embellishments that will fade in and out

You. Yes you, the person who's reading this who is also a writer/aspiring writer. Come closer. We share a bond, you and I, so really get in physically close

Art can't be contained, you scrunge

If you don't think whatever you're creating is art, go to a damn museum. Or do a virtual tour. Or google the phrase "modern art". It doesn't matter. You're going to see some shit in there that, I would hope, makes you think the artist was a dipwad

I'm ranting more than I thought I would. Here's a keep reading line

You know who fucking sucks at art? Pablo Picasso.

Look at this absolute pile of bullshit, then look me in the eye, and tell me this isn't the colorized manifestation of an elementary school dropout's Wattpad account

"But ELP, Picasso demonstrated actual working knowledge of anatomy. This is just his AbstRACt sTyLe"

SHUT UP. Nobody asked you, Barbara

Picasso, Piet Mondrian, Andy Warhol. Their artworks are money laundering schemes. Their fame doesn't come from their talent. It comes from obscenely rich people trading blood diamond money for crisp, clean, still-fake money by claiming that poor people "don't get it"

And yet, despite popular opinions being developed because of ridiculous sums of money being pegged up these guys' assholes, artists today still find meaning in their works, tunneling straight through their cognitive dissonance to tell themselves that, no, I actually enjoy staring at blocks of washed out color until my retinas have burnt in just the right spots that I can see an actual human face because an art teacher once told me that these pictures got the most likes on the pre-internet Tumblr

Does that mean people don't actually like this art? Am I trying to tell you you shouldn't like this art? Maybe, but then you'd be obligated to remind me that Churchgirleum Yawjinius is a disgusting assault on your imagination and yet has as many likes as Definitely Real Medicine, which you wouldn't believe was actually written with all the earnestness my void of a chest cavity could muster

Take it from someone who willingly threw away the opportunity for automatic dozens of reblogs and hundreds of likes per post by telling people to fuck themselves (and still gets a bunch for some reason):

The validation is cool, but it's not worth it

The validation does not define what is good or not

What is good or not doesn't even matter

You're not going to make money off this shit

Someone who is genuinely terrible is going to get more validation than you, and is going to flaunt it in your face, and their writing is still somehow going to mean something to way too many people, and it doesn't matter because their soul is just as unfulfilled by the validation as yours is unfulfilled by the lack of it

What is fulfilling is doing something because you can

You are your only source of real validation, no matter what fuzzy dopamines you get from the vapid click of a like button

Oh, and if you do get the validation of Tumblr notes, that doesn't mean your work is shit or you don't deserve love or whatever. Accept it graciously because it's definitely not uncool that people like your shit, but recognize that it's not going to cure your depression

Art is art. We can look at Roman columns and marvel at how their art built modern civilization (though the Romans can fuck themselves IMO (oh wait they literally did haha)), but did it really? Art makes otherwise brutalist architecture tolerable, but the curly Qs at the bases and tops of columns isn't what kept the coliseum from collapsing on thousands of people watching live murder

If you have a story that has overstayed its welcome in your head and needs to be on paper or on a screen, then write the fucking story. Nobody actually cares about the qUaLiTy of your spelling or grammar. They care about being given permission to think about Karina's tits. Do you think their opinion matters?! I mean, they may have great contributions to make on their own, and they should have voting rights, and it's chill if they have something nice to say to you, but the point is that they're already thinking about Karina's tits regardless of your writing. They're just your thralls to manipulate into thinking about Karina's tits in the way that you, the all-powerful artist, want them to think about Karina's tits. If they try to tell you "Karina's tits would have tan lines" then write a whole fic about how Karina is a nudist and has a perfectly even tan, and who's going to argue about it? The idiot who wrote a pedantic comment? No! It's YOU. THE ALL-FUCKING-POWERFUL ARTIST WHO ACTUALLY MADE SOMETHING TO PROVE YOUR POINT WHETHER OR NOT IT IS CORRECT

If you're an artist, then fucking act like one. Embrace the chaos inherent in creativity. Maybe gentleman is vampire. The poison contains joy. We exist in these devastating, beautiful worlds of contradiction in which we hate people and how lonely we are, we crave kindness and embody violence, and we beg the universe to give us direction despite knowing full well that we're going to zigzag between paths. Maybe you relate. Maybe you don't. THAT'S THE POINT. You're not right. I'm not right. We both write (wow, bars)

I keep saying that everyone should just write, and it's not because I think everyone is secretly a good writer. It's because someone out there needs permission to write after being told their entire lives that their value lies in A, or they're not good if B by all the non-artists in who genuinely don't understand why someone needs to make something impractical to begin the infinitely long road to completion

The dumb fucks who don't understand want to contain you because it's in their nature to desire order. They like to come up with metrics to categorize what counts as art and what doesn't so they can change the rules on you. Chaos always wins though

So WRITE. The world doesn't need your artistry. YOU DO. If you write a bunch of shit and people like it but you quit anyway or nobody likes it and you quit, then idk. Maybe you weren't an artist in the first place, which is perfectly fine, or maybe you're giving your corporate overlords too much control over your mind. If you're an artist, you'll burn with the need to create, no matter how much you create. If you feel that, keep writing

[iam93percentstardust]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this (or when you feel up to it!), reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love!

Ooh fun! I'm gonna go with semi-recent fics from the last year or so (with one exception) because 230+ fics means I have a lot of faves and narrowing it down is a pain.

Enchanted

Steve starts making his way back towards the directions of the cars, wanting to greet her, only to stop dead when he realizes who her date is. Natasha has brought Tony with her. Tony of the pictures, of the stories, of Steve’s infatuated little heart even though he’s never met him in person.

I love writing celebrity aus and this one was particularly fun because I wrote something I don't normally do with celebrity!Steve and nonfamous!Tony. Plus I got to write Natasha and Tony besties, which is always a lot of fun, and got to include a shout-out to my childhood best friend (and I always enjoy when I can work in references to my own life).

Death by a Thousand Cuts

“Tony?” Pepper asks, and he can tell just by the look on her face that whatever she has to tell him, it isn’t good. “What?” he asks. She looks uncharacteristically hesitant. Pepper isn’t supposed to be hesitant. She’s supposed to be barge-in, guns-blazing, unapologetically confident. “The news leaked,” she says eventually.

And now the flip side! Pop star Tony currently owns my entire heart, and I love the idea of breaking up and making up but with the added complication of having to do it on the global stage. There's just something extra delicious about Steve and Tony having to work things out when they have all these people shouting on Twitter and TikTok about how they're better off on their own.

Dear Juliet

When Steve Rogers is given a chance to accompany his friends to Verona, Italy, he's expecting to spend a few days wandering through vineyards and probably seeing at least one Shakespeare performance (and if he's lucky, finding some inspiration for his next webcomic). He isn't expecting the handsome brown-eyed man who works with Juliet's Secretaries or the decades-old love letter that he finds behind a loose brick underneath Juliet's balcony or that the response he sends to Dame Margaret Carter will be answered, not by another letter, but by the sender herself showing up in Verona. He isn't expecting that he'll get caught up in a whirlwind adventure to help Peggy search for her lost love, the woman she left long ago, her beloved Maria.

My current baby! Dear Juliet is an idea that's been sitting in my to-be-written folder for literal years. It was one of the very first ideas that I had for this fandom, and I've been chomping at the bit to write it since 2018. It kept getting put off though, first because I was working on three separate long fics at the same time and then I got caught up with all these other long fics over the years, but after I finished up MRaMRN last year, I told myself that once I was done with my long fic break, I was going to write Dear Juliet. And now it's finally here!

Tied Together With a Smile

“Captain Rogers, this is my sub, Maria,” Howard managed through a strangled voice. “And my son—” “I’m Tony,” YouKnowWhoIAm said, boldly sticking his hand out for Steve to shake. He took it, automatically raising it to his lips to kiss, the way he’d been taught to greet unattached subs as a child. It had fallen out of fashion while Steve was in the ice, and he’d mostly trained himself out of the impulse, but he just couldn’t resist when he saw Tony.

Age difference! Social media AU! Dom/sub verse! Art by two of my favorite artists in this fandom! I feel like this fic has everything that I love, and I pretty regularly go back to reread it.

Marvels Unsolved

A Buzzfeed Unsolved AU starring Tony and Bucky as two ghost hunters searching for truth and Sam as their long-suffering cameraman

Here's my little exception to the five fics because this isn't a fic, it's a verse, but I just love it so much. It's such a rare pair (I think I've written a third of the fics for this pairing), and someone once told me that I wasted a great AU idea on this pairing, but this verse is easily one of my favorite things I've ever written. I'm planning on wrapping it up next year, but I will very much miss it once it's over (and hey, if you like this verse, keep an eye out in October for another installment and a hint of a greater plot!).

[pine-needle1144]

Lab Beakers, Vines, and Vibranium

Temporary spot for this Marvel, Non-Canon, multi-chapter fic. If you know me in real life--no you don't. I'll deny it to the grave. No one will believe you.

Anyways.

Multi-chapter fic being posted with both an OC and as an X Reader, whatever floats your boat.

MCU Bruce Banner x OC x Steve Rogers

My poor excuse of a Summary: Bruce Banner and Tony's cousin are playing God with biological exploration at the Stark Tower. What could possibly go wrong. (Steve Rogers doesn't come into play until later so please hold on for his debut). Oh no, I hope no one falls in love with each other and creates drama. I sure hope individual trauma and miscommunications aren't afoot. I sure hope no random threats appear and make things chaotic. That would be sooo crazy.

Warnings: None yet (If you know me--which you don't--and I'm your boss, you're obligated to skip the smut chapters. I don't wanna hear no ifs ands or buts about it.)

Chapter Two

                                         

The lab was bright and full of natural light. Two out of the four walls were completely glass, the city on full display. It was even prettier at night when all the lights of the city twinkled. Being so high up in the tower made the view beautiful and the noise of the bustling streets almost non-existent. A perfect work environment in Ellie’s opinion. 

Ellie turned her back to the large wall of glass, breathing in the rest of the room. The lab was like a blank canvas. Tony had done a good job fixing things up for her, leaving the rest up to her. It was a separate lab from his own, her own space. Her own academic independence. 

There were four large white tables in the room, some basic tech for pulling up notes, diagrams, etc. Cabinets and a large counter on the farthest wall near the sliding door. She made note of the eyewash and emergency shower station, all brand new equipment. Tony truly outdid himself. He must be really confident in her. The thought made her stomach flip. She’s determined to make him proud–-proud to be her cousin. Proud to share a name. That's not to say he isn't proud already--but she wants there to be not a shadow of a doubt.  

The loud clatter of Ellie dropping her clipboard snapped her out of her thoughts. “Shit.” She hissed, quickly bending down and snatching it off the ground. She flattened out the now bent pages, glossing over her list of tools she’ll need from Tony to get the ball rolling as well as a short list of some supplies for the first phase of her experiments she wants to tackle. She was itching to get started. 

Tony had texted her last night saying that they had landed and would be meeting with her in the lab the next morning. She was practically bursting at the seams with excitement at the thought of being around someone so like-minded, someone she’d been practically begging her cousin to meet. 

Ellie had so many things to say, so many questions, and so many ideas drafted up for Doctor Banner to see. She couldn’t wait for him to pick them apart with her–if he agreed to be onboard, of course. She tried not to think about it too much, knowing the rejection would crush her–but how could it not take over every corner of her mind? These experiments are her first real steps into the science world outside of school. 

“Knock, knock,” Tony said as he walked through the automatic sliding doors of the lab, a big grin stretching across his face. 

Ellie spun around to face him, her dark curls whipping behind her as she lowered the clipboard to her side. “Took you long enough.” Her eyes fell on the man following behind her cousin into the room. 

“Ellie,” Tony gestured to the man who moved to stand beside him. “Doctor Banner, as requested.” He stepped aside so that the two could shake hands. 

“Wonderful to see you, Doctor Banner.” Eleanor smiled at him, allowing her eyes to graze over him as she extended her hand out to him. She soaked in his deep brown eyes and his soft features. He looked tired–yet intrigued and at attention. Her eyes traced over his curls, some with gray hairs peeking through. 

Bruce firmly held her hand, giving her a confident shake. “Likewise, Miss Stark.” He took note of how soft her hand was and how her fingertips lingered against his palm as she pulled away.

“I’ll let you two discuss, I’ll be with Pepper going over some blueprints. You know where to find me.” Tony spoke confidently as he turned on his heels, leaving the two alone.

Ellie leaned against one of the four large lab tables, setting her clipboard down. “I’ll admit it, Doctor Banner, I didn’t think you’d come all this way to meet with me.” Eleanor chuckled, looking over his purple button-down shirt, tucked into gray slacks. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, giving a clear view of his forearms and silver watch.

“Tony was definitely persuasive. He spoke very highly of you, I just simply had to speak with you myself.” Bruce gestured towards her clipboard. “Lemme see what you’ve got.”

Ellie flipped through the pages, stopping on one of the few experiments she was planning to explore. She handed it over, scanning his face and carefully analyzing his features as he read her bullet points.

Bruce hummed as he read down the page. He flipped through a few more pages, reading some ramblings, glancing over some diagrams, and glossing over a few blueprints. “My, quite some ambitious things on here, Miss Stark.” He flipped back to her most recent page. “And you want to source most of this from–”

“Plants.” Eleanor smiled, trying to contain her excitement. “I believe we can genetically modify the DNA of certain plants to execute what I’m looking to create.”

Bruce nodded, placing the clipboard down on the table. “If even one of these ideas in here work–more than just us or Stark Industries will want their hands on it. Shield will want this on their table if they get even a whiff of what we’ll have going on in this lab.” Bruce rubbed his chin as he went over the list again in his head. “Some of your potential methods are…insane, to put it simply. Insane with unpredictable outcomes.”

Ellie clicked her tongue, swiping the clipboard down the table and out of his line of sight. “I suppose I understand if this subject matter is bordering on concepts you don’t think you’ll be capable of–”

“Are you implying this is beyond my caliber?” Bruce raised a brow, taking a few steps towards her until their faces were mere inches apart. He hastily reached past her, sliding the clipboard back to himself.

“That depends.” Eleanor glanced over his face. Soaking in how his eyes crinkled at the corners, the bridge of his nose scrunched, his lips pressed into a thin line–how he looked so wound up and it only made her want to push his buttons even more. “Do I sense intimidation, Doctor Banner?”

Bruce fought back the smile punching and thrashing its way to the surface. “When do we start?” 

Ellie leaned away from him and crossed her arms over her chest, suppressing the urge to roll her eyes at her new coworker. “Tomorrow morning at 9.”

“Deal.” He tapped his fingers on the clipboard before turning away from her and heading towards the door. 

Ellie raised a brow, letting her arms fall to her sides. “Where are you off to?”

Bruce peaked over his shoulder as he reached the sliding door. “Well, Tony needs to show me my room, doesn’t he? Besides, all my belongings are in the lounge down the hall. I should probably unpack since I’ll be living here for a while.” 

Ellie smiled and nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning, Doctor Banner.”

Bruce turned his back to her. “See you in the morning, Miss Stark.” He lifted a hand to wave goodbye as he turned out of sight. 

~*~

Tony grunted as he let Bruce’s last bag slam on the floor. “Jesus, Banner, what did you pack? A bunch of goddamn rocks?” He pressed his hands onto his lower back, bending backward to crack his spine. “What a damn workout.”

Bruce rolled his eyes as he kicked the living room door shut. “Tony, you fly around in a hunk of metal, don’t act like my luggage is heavy.”

Tony laughed. “I’m a little out of practice, I guess.” He stood up straight, giving Bruce a firm pat on the shoulder. “Communal lounge and kitchen are on floor twenty-three. If you can’t find me, just yell for FRIDAY.” Tony looked around the living room. “I know you’re probably not interested, but if you want to like…decorate or whatever–feel free.”

Bruce laughed as he stuck his hands in his pockets. “That won’t be necessary, you know I’m a minimalist.”

“Yeah, yeah–the offer still stands. Oh, and before I forget, there’s always food in the communal fridge.” He shot Bruce a smile before heading towards the door. “Get settled, she’s gonna have you running laps tomorrow. She already gave me a list of shit she needs.” Tony laughed. “You’re gonna love her.”

“If she’s anything like you, geez, I’m not so sure about that.” Bruce teased.

“Har har.” Tony deadpanned, swinging the door open. “I’ll check in on you later.” He gently swung the door shut behind him, leaving Bruce alone in the huge apartment.

He assumes that’s how he should refer to it, considering he practically had an entire floor to himself. The living room was nearly the size of four standard bedrooms, fully furnished. 

Bruce left his bags on the floor as he began to explore, wandering to the far side of the room where it broke off into a small right turn. The turn opened into a beautiful office space with a spiral staircase in the back left-hand corner. He trailed his fingers along the desk as he made his way to the stairs. 

It matched the rest of the Stark Tower, each step was a thick glass slate. Bruce kept his eyes up as he climbed the stairs, looking down through the glass would make him trip over his feet. 

The top of the stairs opened into a fully open bedroom, all glass walls–much like the lab. “FRIDAY, close the blinds.”

White blinds came out of seemingly nowhere, rippling down from the ceiling and covering every inch of glass. The room was quickly encased in complete darkness. 

“FRIDAY, lights, please.” 

The lights on the ceilings gradually bloomed, filling the room with light akin to the morning sun. 

Bruce shuffled over to the king-size bed, throwing himself back on it. He reached up for his glasses, peeling them off his face and tossing them to the side. “What the hell did I get myself into.” He grumbled, rubbing his hands over his face.

[cat-arsenal]

Hold Me Like a Grudge (Gavin x Lasko Royal AU) Ch. 12

Two weeks later, Lasko collapses into bed, a pleasant tiredness settling over him. He had spent the morning training, the afternoon talking politics with Gavin, and the evening having another "session" with Caelum. At first, he had been hesitant to spill his guts to the little daemon, but his charming eagerness and Gavin's clear trust and affection for him eventually won Lasko over.

At first, they talked about Gavin--or more specifically, his relationship with Gavin. Caelum had pressed, energy somehow that of both a psychiatrist and an excited kid, but when Lasko grew too uncomfortable, he dropped it. So they worked on Lasko's other "knots," as Caelum called them; the things that hurt Lasko and made him quiet and cold, long after his physical wounds had healed. Some of the hurt went all the way back to childhood, to the little self-doubts that were reinforced by peers and parents alike. Some of them went only as far back as the months since his expulsion from the military. But all were discussed, gently taken apart, and eased, if only a little.

Daemons, he marvels to himself, as his spirit and body seem to lighten just by being around Caelum, even moreso when they can quietly talk.

"You can talk to me about whatever, okay?" Caelum always assures him. "I'll do my very best to help you, because you're a good person!"

Lasko doesn't entirely believe that. He's killed people, and hurt people, and he isn't sure he deserves forgiveness, much less the friendship of the kind people he's met. But he smiles and thanks Caelum, because he is grateful, and he believes that Caelum believes he's a good person, so for the moment, that's good enough.

Presently, he's beginning to fall asleep when Gavin's familiar knock sounds on his door.

"Come in," Lasko calls, making no effort to get up. He's greeted by Gavin's familiar chuckle, and smiles from where he sprawls, arm over his eyes.

"Aren't you a sight," Gavin croons. Lasko snickers.

"I'm sure I look like hell; I haven't had the chance to clean up or brush my hair or anything." He sits up to show off what a mess he is, but is stopped by the soft, open expression on Gavin's face.

"You look beautiful," Gavin tells him earnestly. Lasko's heart skips, face and ears warm.

"I-I don't...know about that," he mumbles, nervous laughter bubbling up between his words.

A challenging look crosses Gavin's face, and he opens his mouth to speak before closing it sharply and pouting. Lasko can't help but grin. Gavin's pout is really cute. Gavin is really cute. Gavin grins back, and drops onto the bed next to him.

"Don't laugh at me," he laughs, resting his head on Lasko's shoulder. Lasko automatically rests his head on top of Gavin's, and Gavin slips his hand into Lasko's, and for that moment, everything is right.

[multitec001]

The Ultimate Hand Tools Guide and Review: Multitec Takes Center Stage

When it comes to hand tools, Multitec Tools isn't just a brand; it's a legacy that spans generations, honed by a relentless pursuit of innovation and quality. Headquartered in the bustling heart of Delhi NCR, this Pan-Indian supplier has etched its name across the nation, quickly becoming a household name for professionals and DIY enthusiasts alike.

The Unsung Heroes: Wire Strippers

Let's kick things off with the stars of the show: the wire strippers. These bad boys are the hidden heroes of any wiring job. With the sleeves of their jacket slipping through insulation better than a hot knife through butter. Whether you're a pro electrician or an amateur DIYer, this range of wire strippers from Multitec cover you and save time.

Screwdrivers: Your Magic Wands

It is not so large a thing to start with, however pack a powerful punch. These trusty mates are similar to a magical wand you can hold in your hands to deal even with the most hard headed screw forgivers. In the design of the blades and handles, the multitec screwdrivers are worlds apart, with the blades sharp enough to make even a seasoned tech maniac shed tears of joy.

Hex Keys: Unlocking Possibilities

The kaleidoscope of options provided by Multitec is a toolbox full of marvels, each one straining to outdo the one before. Dig in and witness the full spectrum of a hex key: the humble but mighty tools of any worker in manufacturing. These small gadgets are literally magic boxes with which you can open any door–from IKEA-style furniture or machine tinkering.

Stainless Steel Tools: Bling with Durability

Let's not forget the stainless steel tools even! Because who doesn't appreciate adding a little bit of bling into their wrench? Stainless steel does double duty. It not only looks good, but it also provides solid performance under the toughest conditions, with nary a bead of sweat doing the job.

Nippers and Micro-Shears: Precision Cutting

Now, on the nippers and micro-shears, whatever. These are the smallest precision cutting tools that work like very fast tiny samurai swords, cutting through materials like surgeons' blades. Whether you are doing wiring, sewing, or tackling your most delicate craft projects, Multitec's nippers and micro-shears are your best friends.

Pliers and Nose Pliers: The Swiss Army Knives of Tools

The Multitec pliers and nose pliers are like Swiss Army knives, with the capability to solve all kinds of problems with ease. From pinching and folding to turning and crimping, all these tools are the ones to be added to any efficient toolbox.

Cable Cutters: Battling with Unruly Wires

And the rockers–the strongest power tools for those who have to punk the unruly cables–will not be missed in this checklist. The cable cutters from Multitec will easily make your way through the thickest of cables, which will not be the only thing you'll be having when working with them - a clean and neat workspace.

Power Bits: DIY Warriors' Secret Weapons

The power bits, the secret weapons of any DIY warrior; last but not least, nothing else. While performing the toughest of jobs, the multitec’s special power bits provide you with surety of completion on time with accuracy and efficiency.

The Multitec Product Lineup

To give you a better understanding of the breadth of Multitec's offerings, here's a quick rundown of their product lineup:

Product Category

Product Types

Wire Strippers

Automatic, Adjustable, Heavy-Duty

Screwdrivers

Flat, Phillips, Torx, Precision

Hex Keys

Ball-end, L-shaped, T-handle

Stainless Steel Tools

Pliers, Snips, Scissors

Nippers & Micro-Shears

Flush, Semi-Flush, Angled

Pliers & Nose Pliers

Slip-Joint, Linesman, Long-Nose

Cable Cutters

Ratcheting, Insulated, High-Leverage

Power Bits

Drill Bits, Nut Drivers, Impact-Rated

Multitec's Commitment to Quality

Multitec Tools Limited is the brand which is known for its unflinching commitment to quality, and fervent zeal for dramatic improvements, and, therefore, it continues to lead the revolution in the industry of hand tools. They manufacture their tools from the cutting edge facility of Roorkee, Uttarakhand with utmost care and zeal till all the tools bear the Multitec name. Their quality control policies are managed by highly skilled and experienced engineers, so every tool is a proof of their dedication.

Embrace Precision and Innovation

So irrespective of whether you are a skilled tradesperson or simply a do-it-yourselfers at the weekend, Multitec's hand tools are the indispensable companion on your journey to perfection. Let Multitec's hand tools embrace the excitement of an exacting, long-lasting, and cutting edge technology to position your projects to higher levels.

The Multitec Advantage: A Closer Look

Multitec's passion goes beyond the product to find itself in the other services offered. The manufacturing facility in Roorkee, Uttarakhand, which is one of the most advanced and updated ones, truly speaks of their commitment towards quality. Craftspeople, who are highly trained in their trade, diligently manage all stages of production, from the factory floor to the finishing touch, in order to produce quality tools of the highest order.

However, it gets Multitec ahead of the competition that their fanaticism for innovation makes them go beyond what we expect. They are not the kind that sit back and be content with what have been achieved in the past, rather they keep on moving forward. They always want to be at the forefront and this has seen more features as well as technologies that improve their tools.

Take, for instance, the very ergonomic design. Multitec realizes that comfort is what matters most when operating through tools and, therefore, this is the reason behind the precision craftsmanship of their products ensuring that the hand fits the tool seamlessly. This reduced fatigue while at the same time increasing productivity.

And durability would come to mind. Multitec's tools are built to stand anything, it is because of they only use the most finest materials and modern manufacturing methods.

Conclusion: The Choice is Clear

In today's dynamic market of hand tools, Multitec Tools Limited is an epitome of excellence as it provides products that not only match but also exceed the quality and performance benchmarks. Their steadfast innovation spirit, relentless dedication to quality and detailed design, which mainly includes a variety of models to serve every need have turned Multitec into an undisputed leader of the industry.

Call-to-Action: Elevate Your Craftsmanship Now!

Avoid sticking to the poorer instruments that can't be up to your standards. Raise your woodwork skills; take your creativity to a new level with Multitec's amazing hand tools. Their website is a great place to start. Visit it today and see for yourself how great the Multitec difference is. Embrace precision, durability, and innovation, and allow Multitec to be your trusted guide in every endeavour of creativity.

Visit for more at: multitectools.com

Contact us: 9815729563

[daggersandarrows]

out of curiosity what don’t you like about imo/dna and some of the fans?

i'm extremely hesitant to engage with this at all (learned my lesson last campaign) but basically, and i'm hoping people take this in good faith: i was gonna say there's nothing i don't like about im*dna, but to be totally honest i do find that the direction it went with in canon fell a bit flat for me. which is not to say i actively dislike it, i just don't personally love it. and to be fair all of campaign three is just not holding my attention for whatever reason.

i think the fandom has a very strong tendency to flatten literally any two female characters* into "THEY'RE LESBIANS" and give them the personalities of wet cardboard that occasionally makes out. and i get it, femslash is rare, the og bechdel test, etc etc. the urge to take any two female characters and Put Them Together is strong.

but i think it's such a shame that people feel the need to impose this cookie cutter, cutesie anygirl gay personality onto critical role characters specifically. because we're NOT working with flat cw characters that the writers are gonna queerbait us about on twitter before it gets cancelled five seasons in where the gayest moment is one of them putting a hand on the other's shoulder that gets giffed a million times. this isn't even a well intentioned ship written by gay writers who consistently get screwed over by the network. this is not glee, this is not disney, this is not marvel, this is not star wars.

this is a show with well written canonically queer women that have complex, intimately explored relationships that the fandom is hell bent on flattening into super boring recreations of traditional relationships where they must get married and they must have children and one of them is the breadwinner while the other one is a housewife and there's a white picket fence etc etc etc. and it drives me. fucking. nuts. i was on my phone in the theater during episode one of campaign three and people started shipping im*dna within the first five minutes. and i'm not saying there's anything wrong with that per se, but at that point, what is the ship based on if not stuff you're completely making up and then stuffing into the shell of these character's physical appearance?

beauyasha last campaign was so well developed; they both had strong individual emotional journeys that intersected with each other only once beau was ready to accept that she deserved love and yet they were woven together from the beginning. every single goddamn beauyasha moment hits so hard--the first flight, the letter, the tower date, the cathedral--because the groundwork was laid out and both characters plus the relationship was developed with so much care. kimallura lives in my head rent free as one of my favorite love stories and i haven't even finished campaign one. and both characters are matt! i know those are the "endgame" ships and that's all anyone cares about, but everyone else--keyleth, zahra, vex, reani, keg, cali, fearne, deanna--and those are just the pcs--have been well crafted and complex women who are all over the spectrum of "very promiscuous" to "idk about kissing", who have different priorities and feelings and interests and virtues and flaws. it just breaks me to see them filed down to nothing.

EDIT: i totally forgot about the bright queen and her partner. i haven't read the comic yet, i know, i'm sorryyyy

*massive disclaimer that it's not just the femslash; i have just as long a rant on the m/m ships and i think this is why i've carved out my niche of trans bi m/f ships lol. which is not to say those shippers are automatically good either, there's just literally far fewer people shipping them.

[beaniebaneenie]

I'd also like to point out that Joe's comment of "the 2 hour format is a century old" is just fucking wrong.

Movies being 2 hours long is a relatively new thing. In the early 2000s, it was a big deal if your movie cracked 120 minutes. The standard time for virtually every animated film was 75 mins or less.

The standard for live action was between 85 and 95 mins. It was a big deal if you broke into triple digits.

Then all of a sudden, these superhero movies and Epic Pictures started having 2hr runtimes as the norm. Then 2:20. Then 2:30.

Having a long movie doesn't automatically make it good. Sometimes stuff ends up on the cutting room floor that SHOULD be cut, because it's not actually important to the story, or it slows pacing without being meaningful, or it's just a stupid joke that you and your producer buddy love but doesn't fit the tone of the scene.

I was rewatching one of my favorite movies last night- "Cabin in the Woods". It's 95 mins long and it came out in 2012. I am always shocked at its runtime, because it feels so much longer... because the story is that good, and it's told that well.

The problem is definitely that there is some superhero fatigue (because they're just throwing content at us without giving us a moment to breathe), but it's also that the fatigue isn't just from Too Much Content- it's from The Same Content.

With the exception of Black Panther, nearly every MCU film after Winter Soldier suffers from sameness. They're all so carefully constructed to appeal to as many people as possible, while rushing through and cheaping out on production, that they're Same Face Syndrome turned into a movie. Of course there are similar tropes, but Marvel has been showing us the same fucking movie for two decades now and they don't have the magic anymore because we've seen this one already.

The latest ones are all about whatever funny (debatable) thing Tony just said, the colors, the (badly written) multiverse, the CGI.

It should be about the story.

A movie is, first and foremost, a medium for telling a story.

And so many of these executives and directors have gotten high on their own egos and millions that they've forgotten that.

It doesn't matter how many bells and whistles you have- if your story isn't worth listening to, no one will care how you told it.

No, I'm pretty sure the real issue is that the MCU has been turning out terrible stories written by people with dubious track records.