#but as I have better appreciation for the rogues nowadays

[whipbogard]

Rereading Li’l Gotham and missing Jason being drawn like this and also the antagonistic vibe!!!!!!!!!!

[susandsnell]

hey coco! hope ur having a good day! was wondering if u’d like to talk about why u like and what u find compelling with atton/exile? do u have a particular route or headcanon underwhich u prefer them or is it more of an overarching meta appreciation?

Hi, friend!

Thanks so much for the well-wishes. My day's kind of ehh due to continued Issues but the weather's nice and I'm feeling a little calmer. Hope your day is good!

Thank you so much for sending me this and enabling me shamelessly. I've been ride-or-die for Atton/Exile (which is M/F if you played the Jedi Exile as female, which I did and which is 'canon' but let's not talk about the latter lest we kick the hornet's nest) since summer 2011, which is almost 13 years now? Wild. Literally half my life. Anyhow, my reasons/headcanons have changed and evolved just as I've done a lot of growing up since the time I was first obsessed, but I'll do my best to synthesize/organize my thoughts! (Assume all the Restored Content is canon). More under the cut because 'synthesis' is still essay-length for me, God help me.

First off, I tended to play the Jedi Exile as light-sided and Revan as dark sided; I find the narrative of both games to be the most meaningful with these choices. This post basically puts into words why Revan works better as a Dark Sider, but the Exile, to me, as Revan's foil and mirror, works inversely best as a light sider. The game seems to want you to play her light-sided given how Kreia's best stuff/approval lies in that path. KOTOR II is one of the darkest entries to the Star Wars universe by far, but with a light sided exile, it's a story about how moving through life with an unyielding belief in love and justice for others in your heart will ignite that light in the people around you, and repair a broken world/galaxy.

Enter Atton.

KOTOR II is great in that you technically have such a wide range of shipping dynamics/options, and exactly none of them are functional, largely because it's one of the Star Wars media entries with the most harrowingly realistic depictions of war and its psychological impact on the people it touches. Atton Rand happened to be my favourite of all the love interests at the time because of his voice and his snarky meta-jokes (I was a Daria fanatic almost 2 decades too late, what do you want). Nowadays, I love him because his character basically took the Star Wars expanded universe requirement for Han Solo expys and went off the rails with it, making his 'scoundrel' archetype half-his charming and humorous personality, half-a facade to cover severe and quite realistically portrayed war PTSD as well as his actions as Jaq, the torture-happy mercenary. It's "what if the self-serving charming rogue during wartime archetype was brought to its logical conclusion" and I am here for it.

So first you have the parallels and contrasts - both committed atrocities during the Mandalorian wars, but while Atton was loyal to Revan after their fall and never faced justice for his wrongdoings, the (light-sided) Exile turned from Revan and still was scapegoated by the Council. Atton is a character mired in his own bitterness and cynicism, and you have the option to choose to play the Exile as a character driven solely by her morals, even when she'll suffer unconscionably for them, and it is through this unflinching clinging to her morals that she gains the idealism necessary to survive everything she goes through. Atton once sought to rip freewill away from his victims; the Exile unconsciously, slowly saps it through the cipher.

As a young teen, I admittedly was starry-eyed over the 'sheltered good girl manipulated and hurt by so many meets sexy bad boy recovering from his own past and they protect each other as a power couple' archetyping, but it does go a lot deeper than that. Their dialogue options have easy, natural, sexy chemistry that draws you in, but I do think my appreciation goes deeper. This isn't a simple 'fixing the bad boy' because of the narrative device of the Force cipher meaning you quite literally have "I can fix him" and "I can make him worse" as your game mechanics, lol. You get your surface-level fun of their interactions between the proper, well-mannered Jedi and the flirtatious rapscallion, but you also have two people who, for the reasons I outlined above, fundamentally understand each other after harrowing lifetimes spent alone in their pain and trauma.

I'd go so far as to say Atton is the best-placed of anyone to understand the Exile; the Sion ship is compelling and squee-worthy to any Phantom fangirl worth her salt (as I was), but she's everything he couldn't be or fathom, Visas may have felt closer to the pain the Exile did over Malachor V but her worst actions were committed under duress as a captive of Darth Nihilus and not of her own volition (so I argue she's a lot more morally innocent than Atton or the Exile), Mical/The Disciple is the innocence and warmth of the Exile's upbringing untouched by how the Mando wars reforged her and while Brianna/The Handmaiden is excellent as a potential parallel for specifically the Exile's abuse at the hands of the Jedi (Atris in particular), she's still similarly sheltered to Mical. Bao-Dur was with the Exile during the war but the game didn't develop him enough and understands that aspect of her, but they canonically per the dialogue emotionally distanced themselves given the circumstances, and Mira the Bounty Hunter is cool sister-zoned, but I suspect her family being victim to Malachor V would drive a wedge no matter how much forgiveness the game preaches.

Meanwhile, Atton knows and/or loves not pieces of the Exile, but as she is; the battered and betrayed veteran with a lifetime of wrongdoing to atone for that he recognizes in himself, and the naive Jedi she was before that the charming flirt in him likes to tease. And although his backstory is a revelation, and a harrowing one to the Exile, who sees what she might have become had she stayed with Revan, this is what their relationship is; seeing someone in their totality, and loving and honouring the worst with the best. Despite knowing what the Exile's done, Atton values her enough to still care about how she views him that he begs Kreia not to tell her the truth about his past. The two are instantly drawn to each other on Peragus, not just out of necessity but genuine, instinctive protectiveness, attraction, and a deeper sense (be it Force-Assisted or not) of understanding. Atton refers to it in his death scene (if you count that) as love at first sight, and while there was probably initial infatuation, I think there was just such an instant magnetism that grew and grew between them through shared experience. "Don't give up on me now, dammit!" and "You want her, you get through me." come to mind. Atton is the only party member that asks her to train him in the Force, whereas she has to prompt and convince the others into their awakening. He's deeply scarred by his experiences with the Force, not to mention it's actively dangerous to train as a Jedi due to the Exchange, but he's willing to face that for the Exile - he tells her that part of why he wants to train as a Jedi is to be better able to protect and fight for her. One of the first things he does is teach her to play Pazaak in her head to prevent from psychic attacks through the Force/harm through Kreia's force bond - the exact weapon he wielded against others. The tragedy of any Jedi Exile ship is the constant insecurity created by the force-wound/cipher; how much of anyone's choice to follow in their footsteps or love them is their own free will? What power dynamics, unspoken or obvious, arise from it? But Atton's fierce independence and selfishness almost serves as the clearest answer to this. He willingly reawakens himself to the Force to connect with her, to be better able to fight for her. He chose her, a thousand times over, and whatever role the Force Wound plays, he accepts her influence out of admiration for that steadfast-to-a-fault morality I talked about before.

This isn't some corny gender essentialist "she is his redemption" nonsense either, although redemption is a major theme of a light-sided KOTOR 2; by training Atton and others as a Jedi, the Exile is actively doing the work to heal the galaxy she helped to break. By protecting and teaching and bonding with the Exile, Atton is regaining his own humanity through recognizing hers, over and over, the way he failed to recognize those of his victims. They're together in this, in their recovery, in how they've experienced all extremes of morality. Love, in this story, isn't about fixing someone or breaking them, it's about meeting them where they are and walking alongside them, hopefully to someplace better than where you were when you both met. Is it any wonder that he's the one she walks away with in the end? (As if he'd let her walk alone ever again.)

With all this being said, and to address your question, while the route/headcanon preferences I prefer for Atton/Exile create, I think, the richest narrative with what's there, I've definitely got an overarching meta appreciation for them too. I spent my teen years eagerly eating up every possible iteration of them as a couple, and much of what I described above can hold true in a different aspect if people prefer to play them dark-sided, if people hold the tragic dying in your arms ending as canon, and so forth. They're compelling any way you slice them.

[electricprincess96]

What do you make of the change the New52 made with Catherine and Sheila in Jason's Death storyline?

Despise it. And I've argued with plenty of other so called Jason fans on this one. They all hated Sheila and were happy to see her removed from canon but the fact is all they did was give her story to Catherine thus tainting the one good person Jason had in his early childhood. Jason fans need to realise you're meant to hate Sheila, she sold a young boy, her own son out to the Joker. They also need to realise just cause someone is bad to Jason doesn't mean they shouldn't exist for the purposes of the story. Sheila being an awful mother, an awful person, is necessary for Jason's story while tainting Catherine with that storyline removes the one adult figure in Jason's life that he felt didn't actively seek to hurt him even if she still let him down in another way.

Jason feeling ostracised in Bruce's family, finding out Catherine wasn't his birth mother and realising he had a chance at a parental connection with someone who might appreciate him only for that woman to turn him over to the Joker is heartbreaking and contributes to Jason's later unwillingness to trust people (unless you're Talia cause for some reason DC and some Jason fans think that woman is a saint when she used Jason just as much as everyone else, if not worse in many ways and is no better than many of Batman's other Rogues). However, despite this betrayal Jason still tries to save Sheila in the end showing that despite what DC want us to think nowadays about Jason as Robin, he was good at heart, he died a hero, trying to save a woman who sold him out and watched as he was beaten bloody with a crowbar. This is integral of Jason's character, it shows that he was more than the cautionary tale that Batman and modern DC want to turn him into. He was a hero.

Also easily the worst part about the change in the New52 is it makes Jason's entire life the product of some scheme by the Joker. I hate that. Not everything in comic books needs to be some massive conspiracy. Sometimes things can just happen coincidentally. Jason was not the only orphan (or in this case fake orphan since Catherine was not dead in this scenario) on the streets, Batman could have stumbled across any of them, the fact he takes Jason in is entirely because of actions Jason chose to take, no one manipulated Jason into stealing the Batmobiles tyres.

For people who don't know basically in New52 Sheila was replaced with Catherine. Catherine was originally Jason's step mother in Post Crisis Canon but was changed here to be his biological mother. In original canon Jason's father was killed by Two-Face and Catherine died of an "illness" speculated to either be a drug overdose or some form of cancer that she took drugs to try and dull the pain. Regardless Jason ends up orphaned on the streets and then found by Batman when he steals the wheels off the Batmobile to try and sell them for money. Then Jason finds out Catherine is not his real mother and goes searching for Sheila and finds her in Ethiopia where she's working with the Joker (admittedly unwillingly but she's being blackmailed due to her stealing charity funds so honestly I don't feel bad for her in that situation) and Jason tells her he's Robin and can help her with the Joker and instead of taking him up on that offer she sells him out to the Joker.

In New52 the Joker meets Jason pre death of his parents and orchestrates everything. Willis Todd's death, he fakes Catherine's death to leave Jason "orphaned" so that he'll be taken in by Batman and made into Robin, he then threatens Jason by revealing Catherine is alive and that's how he gets Jason to the warehouse where he beats and kills him.

I just hate that. I hate the idea that the Joker basically controlled every part of Jason's life even BEFORE he killed him. Newer DC writers seem obsessed with Jason being a puppet to the Joker due to him being Red Hood, constantly tied to the clown rather than acknowledging Jason taking the name Red Hood is his way of regaining some agency in his own life by taking from the man who took from him. But to a degree I can understand thinking post resurrection Jason is in a way controlled by the Joker, his existence affects Jason. Having the young boy who thought being Robin made him magic also just turn out to be one of the Jokers sick pet projects is just callous, cruel and ultimately adds nothing substantial to Jason's character arc. It was poor writing and I'm thankful for the most part more modern comics seem to have tried to distance themselves from this god awful retcon and that fans seem to have never accepted it as canon to begin with.

The New52 Outlaws run had its moments but I'll he honestly I'm not a huge fan of Lobdell's storylines, overall characterisation wise i think he normally nailed Jason decently well but some of those plots were.... just not good. This is absolutely, 100% one of the worst ones.

[daisysolovely]

Aemma Targaryen part 4

A Pawn

Hi guys, I’m back :)).

Summary: Aemma realised a shocking truth... 

The Aemma's series: Losing an eye, Aemma's dragon, A ruby eye, A Proposal

P/s: Tumblr still hasn’t let me reply to any comment yet so I’m sorry if I haven’t replied to your comment, I’m so sorry :((( Any feedbacks would be appreciated because your comments are my motivation to continue writing and perfect my writing. Thank you so much XD

Aemma sat far from the pit as she waited patiently for her brother, Aemond who was in a duelling section with Ser Criston Cole. The one-eyed prince had promised to assist her to fly on Vermirthor. It had been years since she claimed Vermithor and nobody allowed the cursed princess to contact the dragon without assistance. 

Aemma’s hands played with the braids of her silvery hair while listening to every grunt and sound of the men and swords clatching together. And a sense of nostalgia flew to her like a wave of the ocean, softly but overwhelming. The pit used to be her favourite place, once upon a time, when her family was still civil and the children were acting their age. She remembered the sound of Lucy's and Jacerys laughing as they fought Aegon who was an all too easy target while her uncle Daemon would be next to her, commenting on how Aegon needed to improve his swordsmanship as the Rogue prince didn’t afraid to show her his disapproval. 

It felt like an age ago when it was in fact a couple of months. Too much had happened and Aemma’s heart raced as she recalled every bit of the events. She and Aemond lost an eye, and then her brother-in-law -  Ser Laenor Velaryon died. The cursed princess had a complete breakdown upon hearing the distressing news for Laenor was a kind cousin and brother-in-law to her. She had sent letter after letter to share her condolence with her sister and wished to be Rhaenerya’s shoulder if the eldest princess ever needed it. Some Rhaenerya would reply, and some remained unanswered. 

“I am finished, sister.” Aemma raised her head upon hearing Aemond’s voice, another drastic change for the last couple of months was Aemond who had grown unbelievably mature and stoic. He might not be much of a talker before but it was because of his shy tendency, that now was a whole different story. She felt as if he had become more observant and sneakier. The cursed princess didn’t know whether she should be happy for him or not. 

Aemond helped his sister stand up as he placed the cane in her hand gently. The prince carefully guided Aemma through the hall while maintaining an appropriate distance between them, unlike Aegon who was glued to Aemma’s body most of the time. “It’s been a while since I ride Vermithor.” The prince said for the sake of starting a conversation. 

While he might become quieter, he disliked not talking to his sister. Aemond enjoyed hearing her angelic voice and learning about his sister. 

“I’m sure he misses you, you’re his favourite after all.” The princess giggled as she recalled the way Aegon would moan about Vermithor’s biased tendency as the eldest prince believed the dragon hated him. “Sadly, now he wouldn’t be able to fly with you as often for you have a mightier companion.” She said with a playful pout and Aemond found her tease refreshing. People were tipped around the topic of Vghar nowadays and only Aemma seemed to treat it as if it was a normal occurrence. 

“You are his favourite, Aemma. The dragon merely tolerated me.” The prince said nonchalantly and it was true, Vermithor’s fondness for the cursed princess was unquestionable. Besides, how could anyone not love her? It was impossible, the prince thought to himself. 

Giggling, Aemma shook her head as she swayed her holding cane hand playfully. “At least, he likes you better than Aegon. Your brother wouldn’t stop pestering me about how ill Vermithor treated him” 

“He’s an idiot.” Aemond huffed slightly. 

Aemma’s face morphed into a disapproving scold, “He’s your brother, Aemond.” Said Aemma sternly, her under-meaning didn’t go unnoticed by the one-eye prince. She was aware that Aemond had started to protest against their brother and so far, he was winning. Yet, she dictated the strained relationship between these two or just in her family in general. 

“Nyke ȳdra daor raqagon zirȳla” I don’t like him, the prince said stoically, switching effortlessly to High Valyrian tongue. 

“Ao ȳdra daor emagon naejot raqagon zirȳla, yn ziry's aōha ānogar se Aegon didn't emagon nykeā easy glaeson raqagon ao pendagon, Aemond. Ry hen īlva, īlon're ry suffering, sepār hen different ōdres se cause.” You don't have to like him, but he's your blood and Aegon didn't have an easy life like you think, Aemond. All of us, we're all suffering, just from different pain and cause, replied the cursed princess. Usually, she would never put the harsh truth on her brother’s shoulder for he was still too young. But the past few months had proven that the one-eye prince was stronger than Aemma thought.  

“Iksos bona skorkydoso ao feel bē Rhaenerya?” Is that how you feel about Rhaenerya, the boy asked and caught Aemma by surprise at the mention of her sister. 

Shaking her head, Aemma raised her hands to hold his cheeks as she stared ahead, giving the impression that she was looking straight into his eyes. The red ruby eye glistened as the sun hit it, creating an oddly alluring sight as it somehow fit well with her violet eye. “That’s a whole different matter, more complicated.” She gave him a brief answer, vague enough for him to understand but not enough for an inside look. “Rhaenerya isn’t like Aegon by any means.” She mumbled. 

Aemond tilted his head lightly, enjoying the soft touch of his sister. A hint of empathy glinted in his eye. She was the only person in Red Keep who hadn’t heard about Rhaenerya and Daemon’s wedding and he felt sorry for her. Who knew Aemma would know of her admiration for her older sister as the cursed princess always talked so highly of the Realm’s delight. And while the geographic distance between the two sisters caused a small drift in their relationship, they still loved each other dearly. Thus, Aemond found it ironic how the eldest princess didn’t even bother to tell her beloved sister about her new marriage. 

It was understandable why the Realm’s delight secretly married her uncle, but to hide it from the least judgemental person in their family who always held her in the best regard? Aemond could never understand. 

But Rhaenerya wasn’t the only reason why Aemma hadn’t heard about the affair. The eldest prince played the quintessential part in this. After the event of Losing an eye, Aegon censored everything around Aemma, what she could hear and who she could meet. What the prince deemed as unfit would never appear in front of Aemma. The news of Rhaenerya’s marriage apparently was one of those units. 

“How so?” The one-eye prince hummed. 

“She has a very calming presence, always knew when I was upset and she paid attention to the smallest thing. The knowledge she has is admirable as well, the things she taught me were brilliantly valuable and I couldn’t stress enough just how great of a company she is.” The cursed princess smiled as she recalled the fond memory she held with her eldest sibling. “You should ask your mother, I think she would know a thing or two about Rhaenyra.” She said in an absentminded manner, it was anything but. 

“I don’t think you would think so highly of her if you know what she did,” Aemond said, his word meticulously calculating as he eyed his sister who held a frown expression. He could see her curiosity had peaked. His sister was a curious creature who would stop at nothing to get her answer… 

“I beg you pardon?” 

“I think you should ask our brother… he would have a better explanation…” A smirk made its way to Aemond as he said sarcastically. If his brother had decided he had the right to control their sister, he should be prepared to explain it to her. 

Raising an eyebrow, Aemma was confused at what part did Aegon play and what her sister had done exactly? A part of her seemed to lean on the possibility of Aegon drunkenly doing some foolish antic like he sometimes did, but her gut told her that it was something entirely different. 

As her curiosity began to rise, the princess made a sharp turn as she decided not to visit the pit. Riding Vermithor could wait but the cursed princess would be damned if something happened to her two most beloved siblings. 

Aemond could see the gear turning in Aemma and he couldn’t help but find sick satisfaction in knowing that he had pushed Aegon’s position in their sister’s heart on a hang. Now, all he needed was to wait. And Aemond had all the patience in the world for that. 

For Aemma, he would wait a thousand years. Because she was worth it. 

—--------

Meanwhile, Aemma stormed toward Aegon’s wings with an unbelievable speed. Her mind had different case scenarios, none of which had the happy ending she wished for. As she stood in front of Aegon’s chamber, the cursed princess took a deep breath. She could feel the stare of the maids on her and didn’t understand why,  assuming that they probably thought she was eccentric for her appearance and disability. 

If only she knew they were admiring her for daring to be in Aegon’s presence alone… 

Pushing the double door with all of her strength, the princess stepped into the eerily silent chamber. It didn’t take long for her to figure out that her brother was still deep in his slumber. It must be one of those mornings, she thought to herself. And by those mornings, she meant when Aegon got too drunk the night before, he couldn’t bear the strength to wake up the next day and instead slumbered in his chamber all day. Until his mother went to fetch him, that is. So far, Alicent was nowhere in sight. 

“Aegon.” Said Aemma softly as she carefully narrowed around his chamber. She hadn’t been to his chamber for a long time, after she knew about him sneaking whore in his room. She couldn’t bear to be in a room where Aegon had done something like that. It simply didn’t sit right with her for some odd reasons. 

Finally, reaching her destination, Aemma sat at the foot of Aegon’s bed. The cursed princess carefully placed her cane beside her as she crawled onto his bed, something she hadn’t done since she turned ten. Skillfully, she pulled the cover away from the prince before lying down next to him and throwing the blanket on her. 

Aemma smiled as she remembered Rhaenerya used to call her a cover hogger due to her tendency of taking all the cover whenever she slept. 

The princess could feel Aegon’s body next to her and she simply waited. It didn’t take long for Aegon to stir as the cold air finally hit his naked body. Groaning, the prince patted around to find his cover. Much to his dismay, he couldn’t find it. 

Reluctantly, the prince finally opened his eyes. And he was glad he did, for he was greeted with the sight of his beautiful sister, laying on his bed, his cover on her as she softly hummed a lullaby. A sight he longed for and the thing that kept him going in this dysfunctional family. 

“Good morning, sleepy head.” The princess said teasingly as she felt Aegon stirring. 

“What a pleasure to have your presence in my chamber, sister.” The Prince lazily said, his voice ruffed from just waking up as he teasingly grinned. “I think you’re the only lady who’s brave enough to visit my chamber alone, not to mention laying on my bed uninvited.”

“Should I leave then?”

“No!” Ageon hastily replied, his hand going to grip hers. “I am quite content if you must know.”

The princess hummed, and a teasing smile bloomed on her beautiful face. “But in all seriousness, what have I done for you to grant your precious presence in my chamber?” He wasn’t dense, Aegon was aware of the reason why his sister purposely avoided his chamber. It was painful evidence of how unworthy of her he was. The prince swallowed bitterly. 

“Aemond and I had a conversation previously.” The cursed princess informed her brother, and her fingers traced the embroidery of the cover carefully. “And a certain topic had caught my attention. Aemond advised me to seek you out.” 

The eldest prince stiffed all of sudden and sat straight up. His bare chest was covered in nothing but the sunlight and had Aemma been less focused on the topic, she would be mortified by the way Aegon’s bare skin rubbed against hers. It was inappropriate and the two knew it. Yet, one was too caught up in their mind while the other enjoyed the feeling too much to care and also because Aegon was a pervert at his core. 

“Don’t you think it’s unwise to take advice from a boy like Aemond?” Questioned Aegon, his tone was unkind and the words were emphasised harshly. 

“I think that you’ve been underestimating Aemond, brother.” The cursed princess stated calmly. “He only told me to ask you about our sister.” 

“What matter of Healena could I possibly know?” The prince huffed and decided to play a fool. “You know I don’t like her. She’s such a freak.” The last was said venomously and it fueled an uncomfortable feeling in Aemma. 

Sighing, Aemma rolled on her side and opened her arms as a gesture of invitation. As if on cue, Aegon scooted into her arms, his head resting on her arm while her other arm caressed his hair gently. Her touch seemed to ease his ponding mind as he let out a sigh of relief, causing the cursed princess to giggle. This was a habit of theirs any time Aegon drank too much and woke up with a headache. The prince had claimed that her massage helped ease his pain away better than any potion out there and while Aemma didn’t buy his claim, she still complied nonetheless for she did not wish to let him suffer. 

“You know which sister I am talking about, Aegon.” The cursed princess purposely lowered her voice, knowing how loud the noise could impact her brother after a night of drinking. She would never understand why Aegon chose to put himself under all this torture for a short-lived pleasure. It didn’t seem like a fair sacrifice in her opinion. 

Aegon whined when Aemma massaged the right spot on his head. The prince allowed his body to relax in her arms, yet his mind was an entirely different story. Aegon’s mind had geared quickly as he bit his lower lips. “Same but different, I could care less about Rhaenerya and you know it. I never did, not when she stayed at the Red Keep and especially now that she was miles away. Did something happen?” He asked with a fake innocence in his tone, but the stern expression suggested otherwise. 

The prince was livid with his brother and certain that the one-eye prince was behind this. Yet, as he watched his sister's lips forming into a pout, Aegon knew he had lost this fight. The truth was he had controlled people around Aemma for months now. But he only wished to protect her and that was his only intention. He couldn’t possibly let anyone taint his angelic sister and she deserved to be protected. Thus, he censored what she could and couldn’t know. The news about Rhaenerya would devastate Aemma’s little heart and Aegon could predict the outcome perfectly. The eldest prince was certain that his little brother could too and yet, he set up a trap for Aegon to fall in. 

“You know something, don’t you?” Aegon heard his sister whispering and his eyes went wild. His arm tightened around Aemma’s waist as he buried his head deeper into the crook of Aemma’s neck. “Are you the one behind this?” Aegon shook his head and Aemma let out a sigh of relief. That was all she needed to know. 

Smiling knowingly, Aemma stroked her brother’s curls. The cursed princess asked softly. “This thing will hurt me if I know, won’t it?” 

As she predicted, Aegon nodded while letting out a whine. Her brothers… They tried to act so differently yet at their core, they were the same, at least to her. Two softies who had overprotective tendencies. The cursed princess felt Aegon burying his head deeper into her neck. “But I have a feeling that I must learn about this.” Aemma pried. “She’s my sister, Aegon. I would want to know if this was you or Aemond or Heleana. So please, tell me, brother.” 

Aegon closed his eyes and knew that he was defeated. She was using her soft tone, one that he could never refuse. Aemma knew so too. “I don’t wish for you to know.” Admitted the eldest prince. “But if you want to know so much… Rhaenyra married īlva uncle isse secret paktot tolī se funeral hen zȳhon late valzȳrys.” Rhaenyra married our uncle in secret right after the funeral of her late husband. 

“Oh.” was all Aemma could mutter out loud. 

“You aren’t surprised?” 

“I suppose not, I always know there was something between the two…” And indeed, she did. She wasn’t stupid and could feel the tension between her sister and their uncle whenever they were near like how she learnt about her sister’s affair with Ser Harwin Strong. Yet, she always kept it to herself. 

She was visually impaired, but she wasn’t blind to the world around her. 

Aegon’s face fell as he watched Aemma lose in her thoughts and how conflicted she seemed. Her small face formed into a frown as she curled into a ball. With a sigh, Aegon changed their posture and spooned his sister. The prince decided to change their role as well as he began to stroke her hair reassuringly. Truthfully, he didn’t understand what she was going through, but he would be with her regardless. 

Aemma rubbed her arms as she bit her lips. She was happy for her sister, truly. But it hurt, learning it through her brother instead of Rhaenerya. It also upset the cursed princess how quickly her sister married their uncle. Yes, the two had waited for so long but she found it disrespectful to Laenor. 

Perhaps Rhaenerya didn’t intend to keep it from her? Maybe the Realm’s delight only wished to hide from their father but unintentionally hid it from her in the process.

Perhaps…. 

She wished she was trustworthy enough for Rhaenerya to tell her. Maybe if she could read her letter, Rhaenerya would tell her more. 

The cursed princess listened to the soft breath of her brother and after a few minutes, she pushed him off. It didn’t sit right with her that Aegon had hidden this from her. By the way he spoke, he had learned the news for a while… Yet, he never told her. 

The pain of betrayal continuously suffocated the young princess. She couldn’t wrap her head around the fact that her two closest siblings hiding things from her. Things that she had the right to know. 

“You lied to me…” She whispered. It hurt her more as she confronted him. Something was worse when it was spoken out loud. 

Frantically shaking his head, Aegon sat straight up. The cover pulled around his lap as his eyes manically focused on her ruby eye. It shone under the dim light of his room, an indication of his devotion to Aemma. The eldest prince had never been so scared in his life, not even his grandsire affected him the way she did. The small princess didn’t even raise her tone yet the impact she created was enormous. “My only wish is to protect you, Aemma. I never intended to lie to you.” Aegon pleaded. He ignored the pounding pain in his head as he sat, hands holding hers as a gesture of begging. “You know where my loyalty lies…” 

“I know…” replied Aemma, but the sharp pain in her heart wasn’t easy to ignore. And the two both knew that the cursed princess couldn’t tolerate betrayal.  

“I knew that Rhaenerya’s action will hurt you and look at you now, sister. I only protected you, don’t you see?” Said Aegon in the softest voice he could mutter but the murderous look on his face betrayed the meaning of his words. “Don’t push me away, Aemma… I love you and I only have you. Look at what Rhaenerya did, she hurt you and yet, you are willing to forgive her. But when it came to me, you couldn’t tolerate it even though my intention was for your good.” 

The more Aegon pleaded, the more torn Aemma felt inside. His words were a sharp knife cutting through her skin over and over. She didn’t mean to hurt him… she never wish to hurt anyone as it went against her nature. And her brother was right, he only wished to protect her… Why did she have to make a scene when he had such good intentions? Rhaenerya had their uncle but Aegon… her little brother had nobody but her. Aemma knew he had an unhealthy attachment to her. 

“I am sorry.” She said shakingly, tears rolling down her cheeks. Confusion and bitterness emerged and settled at the bottom of her stomach. She didn’t know what to think. But her instinct was to comfort him. “I was being sensitive.” 

Kissing her tears away, Aegon hushed as he shook his head. “It’s alright.” 

Aemma nodded as she hid her face in his pillow, preferring to be in solidarity. But much to her dismay, someone pushed the door open. 

“Aemond.” She heard Aegon hissing beside her as if the name was venomous. 

“Sister.” Aemond ignored his brother and his murderous glares as the second prince kneeled beside Aemma’s side of the bed. A bouquet was held in his hand. “Heleana and I made you a bouquet. We wish to make you feel better.” 

Aemma pulled away from her pillow, a smile appeared effortlessly on her beautiful face as she offered her hands so Aemond could place the bouquet on it. It was a sweet gesture but Aemma couldn’t stomach it, not when she now understood why her brother insisting on her seek for Aegon. He could have told her but it would not have the same effect as Aegon confessing his action… Aemond did it on purpose…

A thought sent shivers down her spine… 

She was just a pawn in these two’s competition…

The cursed princess wondered if she truly knew her family as she originally thought… 

[bikananjarrus]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

finally getting around to this, thank you @astromechs for the tag!!

::

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

29

2. What’s your total ao3 word count?

327,391

3. What fandoms do you write for?

mainly star wars and marvel! though i don't write marvel as much anymore (the mcu really burned me too many times lol and just took away a lot of my inspiration/motivation to write for it). so mostly star wars nowadays, but occasionally i will sprinkle in a fic for a different fandom!

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

a. we find ourselves when we lose everything else - 519 kudos

b. our time in the dark - 518 kudos

c. risk everything we have (and just let our walls cave in) - 426 kudos

d. if loves elastic (then were we born to test it’s reach) - 391 kudos

e. revelations (come to us in recovery) - 388 kudos

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

no 🙈. weirdly enough, i was a lot better about responding years ago on my ff. net account. but i don't really do it on ao3, honestly because i'm just a little lazy about it lol. but i promise i read every single one and know that if you've ever left a comment, i appreciate it so so much!!

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

probably broken things. it's a romanogers soulmate last words au which ended in a major character death. but you know. last words au, death. it made sense haha.

i've also written a couple canon-compliant character study type fics, including one for natasha romanoff, one for cassian andor/rogue one crew, some for leia organa (post-tfa), and well, none of those end very happily sooooo.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

uhhhhhhh why was this so hard asdffglkhglj. i write a lot of agnst and hurt/comfort lol. but my fic, the weight of your love, is just pure kanera fluff. and these two kanera fics that i've posted on tumblr (but not on ao3 yet), are just silly and fun and fluffy.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

not really, thankfully. i mean, i've gotten some not-so-nice comments in the past (again, mainly on ff.net) but i've never gotten anything super aggressive or confrontational, so i'm grateful to be in nice corners of fandom!

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

occasionally yes. typically i insert my smut scenes into longer fics though. (i do have a bunch of unpublished half-written smut fics that i haven't gotten the courage to finish and post yet, bc i'm not always the most confident in my smut writing but maybe one day!)

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

not really. i'm not even the best at coming up with AUs, much less crossovers lol. i think the closest i've gotten to a crossover is an agents of shield/mcu crossover, which shouldn't even BE a crossover, but considering that the mcu never acknowledged AoS, it kinda feels like it is. anyway, wrote a fic where daisy johnson and bucky barnes are bffs, and i'm quite fond of it!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

yeah :/ i had somebody take one of my fics and (related to next question) translate it and put it on wattpad. i couldn't message the author and my attempts to contact wattpad got me nowhere so i kinda just let it go.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

looking at last question, technically yes. but other than that, not yet! i would be very honored if someone wanted to translate one of my fics though, and would have absolutely no problem with it! (so long as they asked and didn't steal it asdkfsjd)

13. Have you ever cowritten a fic before?

only bits and pieces of shared aus with friends for fun, but haven’t published anything.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

kanera and romanogers, hands down. kanan and hera are more recent, but i fell in love with both their characters and them as a couple so fast, and i absolutely love writing for them. they're going to stick with me forever. and steve and natasha.... my loves. fell in love with them when i saw catws the first time and haven't looked back. they've stuck with me the longest, i think. and even though i don't write marvel as much anymore, i still think about them a lot, and there's a lot of stevenat wips i have that i still hope to finish one day.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

whew ummmmm. there's a couple of romanogers fics (specifically finishing our time in the dark and the follow-up to revelations which is an endgame fix-it) that i have told myself i will finish. and i want to! but it will really take a major push to get me back into the headspace to write for marvel again. genuinely, endgame drained so much of the love and inspiration i had so 😔 i hope i can prove myself wrong one day!

i also have ambitions to do a star wars sequels rewrite, but it feels so big lol, so idk if i'll ever actually get around to finishing it. but the bits i have written for it i have so much love for.

16. What are your writing strengths?

digging deep into character emotions and their headspaces. that's something i really like exploring. also i think i'm pretty good about including small details, particularly with using the different senses and using those to help set the scene, and whatnot. in short, description and emotion are my strong suits!

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

humor. i think i can be funny sometimes in my writing, but i definitely don't think i'm as good at humor as other people. and especially funny dialogue and banter, that's something i feel like i have to think about more. so still working on that!

i also don't know if this is a true weakness, but i literally don't know when to stop writing asdfljgldkj. i feel like lately it's so hard for me to write short fics (unless i do it in a mad burst in one sitting). but if i'm thinking a lot about a fic, chances are it's going to be 5k MINIMUM.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

i'm not real comfortable with it, especially if i don't speak the language. if it's a very short phrase or a singular word, i will try to use a translator and other online investigating (and then nicely ask people to correct me in the comments if i'm wrong lol). but if i want to have the character speaking full sentences i will usually type it out in english and then use "they said in [insert language here]" as the tagline.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

if we're going wayyy back, technically the first fic i wrote was a bones fic when i was in middleschool lmao. i wrote it in a notebook, never published it online. but i first posted fics online in high school (as a freshman i think), and i think the first fics i published were for percy jackson and supernatural lol.

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

probably revelations. looking at it now, there are certainly things i would change about this one, but i wrote it on and off for 3 years, so i was just really proud when i finally finished it. and there are still a lot of character moments i wrote into this one that i still love.

also you are my solid ground. plot does not really exist in this fic, but i had the best time writing the steve/nat/sam dynamic. literally dream trio.

(real talk, some of my fave fics are ones that i haven't finished yet/haven't published yet. i think my newest favorite fic is the kanan character study one i'm working on now. i still have a little bit to go, but i'm really close to finishing it, and i'm just so proud of it. there's so much about it that i love and i can't wait to share it (hopefully by the end of the year!)).

::

no pressure tagging: @effie-trinket and anyone else who would like to participate!

[tamibae]

Congrats for the 1000 followers! So happy for you❤️

It's almost a year and a half since you've joined the Tumblr fandom, what are some things you feel different about than how you felt before? Are there any things you used to like but don't like it now or vice versa?

Thanks a bunch anon, I'm grateful🥰

Hmm, opinions of mine that have changed over the time... let's see! (Some of them are controversial)

Nowadays, I feel indifferent towards Gajevy. Don't get me wrong guys, I like them together, just not into the ship as much as before. And it's not because I ship them with other characters now.

I don't like how the sequel portrays Juvia/Gray/Gruvia. Feels like they can't have their own moments without somehow the ship being involved. I wish Mashima gave Gray some good fights, Juvia some relevance to the plot.

I love Jerza much more than I used to before, they're now my favorite after Nalu!

I don't want Jellal to join Fairy Tail, let him be on his own missions with Meredy and the former Crime Sorciere members. It'll be great if he's relevant to the plot and meet Erza in between for onscreen progress.

I don't want Ignia to hurt Lucy to trigger Natsu. I want Lucy to have her own connection to the Ignia plotline if she's going to be involved in the mess.

I don't want Aquarius Stardress to merge with any other since that completely destroys the uniqueness of the other one used. Let her get other combos. Enough of bikini outfits.

The sequel sometimes does injustice to Natsu's character by playing him as dumb which isn't the case at all.

I don't want to see another broken fight between Lucy and Brandish for Aquarius' key. Let them decide the ownership in a more mature way.

I love Rogue x Yukino more than Sting x Yukino and Rogue x Minerva.

As of now, Selene is a better character and villain than Ignia. But Ignia is more interesting.

Erza vs Laxus puts all other Erza fights to shame, even Erza vs 100 monsters.

Lucy's Capricorn outfit is absolutely sexy but as a stardress of a combat oriented spirit, it doesn't do much besides saving her from hypnosis. She should have combat abilities more.

Lucy's Cancer and Sagittarius outfits are better with the black leggings added by the anime.

Atsuo can't draw women as good as Mashima does. The thin waists and wider hips seem funny. Lucy and Juvia look bad in his style. That said, I appreciate his efforts to keep Mashima's artstyle a lot but it just doesn't work for me. Also Laxus' body shape looks absurd at times.

That's it for now lmao.

And yeah, I don't like the sequel's treatment to Nalu as well. Just in a different way than Gruvia.

[shades-of-stony]

Post CA:CW Fix It Stony Fanfics

Making Amends by TheseStoriesAreWrittenOnMyHeart

Summary: Everything about them happened in seconds. Their first meeting was quick, with Tony landing next to the Captain, each man giving a curt nod and name in greeting. Their argument on the hellicarrier took mere seconds to escalate. Until Steve was goading Tony into putting on the suit and going a few rounds and Tony not so subtly reminding Steve that he wasn’t afraid to hit an old man. It was only seconds of staring at Tony on that New York City Street, his arc reactor dark, no rise and fall of his chest, for Steve to know that inside the tin can, was a good man. Then Ultron happened, and it took seconds for their world to change, seconds for Steve to throw his shield at Tony and for the billionaire to send a repulsor blast back. They went from laughing and relaxing to standing on an edge thousands of feet above solid ground. And now…now everything’s changed. And all it took was a combination of seconds; of decisions made, actions performed and words spoken that they couldn’t get back. Just a few ticks of the clock for their world to shatter.

It’ll take more than that to make things right.

Note: This one deals with amending the accords. It is about how the avengers pick up after the civil war and how they learn to be friends again. It is an incredibly detailed and well written piece! Also, NO TEAM CAP OR TEAM IRON MAN BASHING. I was only supposed to re-read a few chapters to recall the story and give a few-word review but I ended up re-reading the whole goddamn thing. It’s a masterpiece. 

maybe love is the reason why (we're seeing it eye to eye) by parkrstark

Summary: "I'm sorry. Repeat that again." Tony leaned forward in his seat from across the table. He even stuck a finger in his ear as if he was cleaning it out. "I don't think I heard you right."

Fury rolled his eyes-- or well, eye. "You and Rogers need to go undercover as a married couple in a community out on Long Island."

--

After Civil War, Tony and Steve are sent on an undercover mission as a couple to try and find Hydra informants. Somehow, they end up with Peter as their undercover son who decides to play matchmaker even if the two of them are doing their best to ignore their feelings after Siberia.

Note: My latest Fix It read! It just completed today. This fic is a phenomenal read, with its fake relationship, superfamily, undercover, and sexual tension elements! A definite 1000/10!

and this is the map of my heart by CydSA

Summary: The Avengers are splintered - spread out across the world.

There are many things to regret. The biggest one is what could have been.

Tony refuses to have any more regrets. Steve realizes that perhaps he made the wrong choice.

It starts from here....

Note: Here is some sweet, sweet, Civil War Fix It. It dwells deep into the Accords, how Tony fixes it, and the downfall of Ross. 

floating point exception by ooka

There is something, he knows, to see a man as mortal. To see his fault lines and jagged edges instead of the smooth surface they present. Most people don’t like the illusion, whether it be good or not. They don’t want people like him to be human.

But that’s what he is, under the suit and the smile and the sunglasses. Under the bravo and the quick grins. He’s just a man, trying to hide his broken pieces, the dents in his heart, the washed out color of his soul. He’s just a man, trying to solve problems and make the world better. That’s why he’s Ironman, just a man in a suit. Nothing extra.

The place where the arc reactor used to rest in his chest aches so fiercely for a moment that Tony can’t breathe.

He takes in a few breaths and does what Tony does best - pushes it down and goes to work.

(Tony, after the Civil War. Post CA:CW)

Note: A 150k+ fanfic that is centered on Tony, his issues, and his struggles. PREPARE TO CRY.

Not Enough Scotch for this Matchmaking Scheme by desolateice:

Summary:  After Civil War and a lot of healing the Avengers are fed up with the stubborn silence between Steve and Tony and try to take things in their own hands.

Note: A Fix It where the ‘kids’ play matchmaker to bring their fighting ‘parents’ back together! 

Never Eye To Eye by vorkosigan for mrsgingles

Summary: After the Civli War, the Avengers were back together.

How is everything going, Tony? Pepper had asked in her email. It's fine (Tony had written back). I'm fighting with Steve all the time. Everything is going to hell. I'm okay (you know I'm always okay).

(Or: How Tony and Steve learned to be a bit gentler with each other)

Note: A 26k+ fic where Steve and Tony learned how to be friends again, and more. It deals with the struggles and frustrations they had just to salvage their friendship.  

Fly One More Time (Alternately Titled--The Phoenix) by RavenLost2187

Summary: Steve couldn't see them before.

But then he woke up and there they were.

There's a small problem though.

One of his teammates doesn't have wings like he should.

And that's Tony Stark

Note: Some winged fics anyone? This has a bit of a Team as Family element and not to mention that glorious Civil War fix it theme! 

What it’s worth by masterlokisev159

Summary:  Tony's scent is off. Wanda realizes why.

Note: Here is a Hurt and Comfort fic for you with a dash ABO elements in it! 

Sunrise Over the End of the World by Sapphic_Futurist

Summary: When Dr. Strange arrives at an Accords Committee Meeting and warns of the coming of an alien megalomaniac set on destroying the world, the Rogues are pardoned and Tony finds himself exactly where he never wanted to be. Back at the Compound with Steve, who still can't take a hint and won't leave him alone.

--

In which Tony is broken and Steve finds redemption.

Note: A Bad case of Tony acting like nothing happened and doing his goddamn best to avoid Steve. It’ll work all out in the end. Well, it will get worst first before that though.. 

We stand together (or not at all) by Jana_C

Summary:  It’s so easy to hate this man, so painfully easy. He’s the embodiment of rich, white male privilege. He’s irritatingly arrogant, and he doesn’t always think before acting, and even when he does, he manages to twist his logic around and shape it into something that will always benefit him, and yet, here he is, building the guy who killed his parents an arm, without having been asked; working his way through diplomacy and politics, even though he hates it with every fiber of his being, just so he can correct the mistakes all of them made. She watches him go and sighs, small and tired, before texting a single line to Steve. Get ready to come home.

Note: Anyone up for some Tony Whump and Appreciation fanfic? 

You Don’t Only Get One Shot by janonny

Summary: In which Tony voluntarily carries a tracker around, and learns how to talk to Steve all over again in-between and during kidnapping attempts.

“Leave you alone for two months, and you have an operation all set up to track wayward Hydra cells and rescue innocent billionaires,” Tony said, his tone skating the line of annoyance and admiration.

Note: a dose of Stalkerish!Steve (but not in an entirely creepy way because he just wants to keep Tony safe dammit). 

You've Got A Sister Now by ZaraMelMercury

Summary: It's been a year since the events of the Avengers' Civil War. Tony Stark is trying to pick up the pieces of his life, while juggling his work, his remaining friendships, getting therapy sessions for Rhodey and dealing with government politics, as well as the Accords.

It is a bit rough, but he's got Pepper (always a steady rock by his side), Rhodey, Happy and the Kid- Peter Parker. Tony would never admit to it up front and center, but you could always catch a proud look on the man's face whenever the young Spiderling was mentioned!

Life seemed to be looking up...

Except for one, minor detail:

Steve Rogers.

The hope for one reconciliation, surprisingly, led to another!

A new bond that would form that Tony would ultimately always be thankful for.

"Oh, I wanna take it back!... " "No, no, no, you can't retract it!"

Who would've thought it?

Tony Stark has a sister looking out for him, after all.

Note: Here are some Tony and Nat friendship for you! This one isn’t exactly a solid fix it but one with a more of hopeful ending. 

The Bro Code by Sullen

Summary: In a world where the Winter Soldier is found years earlier and is named Tony’s godfather, Zemo plays a different R-rated video and Siberia goes a little differently.Or –Steve breaks the bro code.

Note: This is just too cute and wholesome not to include. 

WIP

Used to be Mine by Fangirlingmanaged

Tony can't even recognize himself nowadays.

Note: This one certainly deserves a place at the heavy angst category because that’s what it is. HEAVY ANGST AND HEARTBREAK.

[lehouxnap2]

SNK characters as world of warcraft players

Eren - Fury Warrior (Human, worgen)

Has 2 mains, human and worgen. Eren thinks human is the superior race even though everyone knows is the most boring. He's the typical alliance player that rages at you. "You horde scum" Not so good at first. Gets better at playing with time. Always in war mode.

Mikasa - Arms Warrior (Human)

Top dps and she's really good at pvp. Overall a natural good player. Eren always asks her do to duels and she always kicks his ass. Not interested at anything, just wants to play with Eren. Does RBGs with him.

Armin - Frost Mage (Human, Female Draenei)

Big nerd that knows all the lore and is pretty much always raid leader, he's really nice when players don't know the mechanics. Always trying to do achievements. Too scared to do pvp. Does freaky shit in rp moonguard.

Jean - Guardian Druid (Worgen)

Every worgen player i've met was a little bit of a simp im sorry. But Jean is genuinely a good guy, he just wanted to get a girlfriend when he was younger then grew out of it when older. Started as a feral until he realized being tank helps to queue faster in dungeons. It's raid leader when Armin can't make it. Main tank

Marco - Holy Priest (Draenei)

Think of the nicest player that ever helped you, that's Marco. He helps new players when they don't understand or get lost. Big patient fella, if you need gold he's gonna help you in that too. Top healer in raid. Sometimes switches to Shadow. Does random bgs with Jean just to have fun (doesn't like it much because it can get toxic)

Sasha - Marksmanship Hunter (Pandaren)

She used to be those hunters who ruined your day by tanking with her pet getting everyone wiped. But learned how to properly play and now she's top dps. She met Jean when he was tanking with his bear and raged at her in the whispers. They are besties now <3 Loves doing cooking proffesion, that's how she met Niccolo.

Connie - Enhancement Shaman (Dwarf)

He think dwarves are a funny looking race that's why he chosed them. Average player who just wants to have fun. Regardless of what he's doing pvp of pve he never rages. As a shaman he let's the elemental pets do all the work and gets overconfident, the reason why he loses. Fools around a lot with Sasha

Reiner - Protection Warrior (Orc)

Used to be Worgen and be part of the same guild as the rest but changed to Horde because of race benefit (everyone does that nowadays) He only did it because his friends did, so he feels sad about it. His new guild is called Marley. Top and main tank of the raid. Still talks with his past guild but Eren is pissed at him for leaving the Alliance and always attacks him when he has the chance.

Bertholdt - Fire Mage (Troll)

He likes trolls because they are tall and chill, just like him. Same story with Reiner. Being a Fire mage pretty much makes him top dps and someone you don't want to fuck with. He could be one of the best pvp players but prefers to keep it low and have fun. Does R Arenas with Reiner.

Annie - Windwalker Monk (Blood elf)

Same story with Bert and Reiner. She's one of the best pvp players, and does R.Arenas. A lone player, when not doing pvp she works in her proffesions and enjoys the beauty of WoW. Her dad showed her the game when she was young. Reiner and Bert asks her to do stuff together but she rejects them. Likes the company of Armin or Bertholdt alone.

Historia - Discipline Priest (Voild elf, Vulpera)

She has 2 mains. Void elf to be with her guild, and Vulpera to be with Ymir. She's always nice and helping other players but most of the time she wants to do achievements with Ymir and do holiday events. Has the BEST transmogs of them all. And pretty mounts.

Ymir - Affliction Warlock (Nightborne)

Amazing pvp player, but not a big fan of it. Specially because it can get really annoying and childish. At first she carried Hisu in dungeons because she was a "noob" giving her advice on how to properly play. Ymir when really bored likes to troll others and sometimes camp them until Historia tells her is enough.

Levi - Assassination Rogue (Gnome)

Known as one of the best players in WoW. Big fanbase. Kenny, his uncle, teached him since he was a kid to play the game and ever since then he mastered it. He chosed Gnome as his main because even though gnomes are always the butt of the jokes he thinks getting your ass kicked by one is satisfying. Used to play with his two friends until they quit the game, then had his own guild and they also quit the game. So he feels nostalgic sometimes.

Hange - Beast Mastery Hunter (Night elf)

Geek. Knows all about lore but also is really good at being BM hunter. You just can't escape their traps ;). Big big fan of WoW, you are not sure how long have they been playing this game. Never misses Blizzcon events. They are always with Moblit who remindes them to take a break from the game and go have some rest. They have a lot of rare objects and mounts. Likes to hang around with Levi.

Erwin - Retribution Paladin (Human)

Do I even have to say something? He's a human paladin. Guild Master of Survey Corps, used to be really active when younger but as he got older doesn't appear much. He did a lot of pvp, one of the best. Was raid leader along with Mike and Nile. Just like Eren he believes in the Alliance and knows a lot about lore. Ask him anything.

Porco - Feral Druid (Zandalari troll)

He thinks zandalari are the coolest race blizz has ever thought of. He's an average good player. Played a lot with his brother Marcel. Until the later quit the game to focus on other stuff. Used to make fun of Reiner for being bad at it, but now they play mythics+ together.

Pieck - Guardian Druid (Tauren)

Average good player, she's calm and trust her teammates in raids even when things might not look so good. Second tank. Loves being a druid because she can carry her party members in deer and bird form. At some point she met Jean and exchanged tips

Zeke - Elemental Shaman (Pandaren)

He's that player that frustrated you so much you wanted to throw your computer at the floor because he wasn't doing the mechanics right or in bgs. And you know he's doing it on purpose. That troll motherfucker that ganks you even when hours passes and you wonder why people like him exist. Has a monkey pet named as "Monke" that he takes everywhere. Has macros where he says weird shit before you kill him. But he's actually a really good player when serious. Raid leader of his guild. If there's one player Zeke won't fuck with, is Levi.

Falco - Restoration Druid (Tauren)

He and Gabi are new players but learn fast, Falco likes to enjoy the game slowly appreciating the stories, characters, and overall have a good time with his friends. Ends up stressed healing Gabi's ass since she keeps tanking without a care. Tells her she should listen to Reiner's advice as a tank.

Gabi - Protection Warrior (Orc)

She saw the way Reiner played and wanted to be just like him. Gabi levels up really fast with war mode and dungeons. Problems comes she lacks experience so she needs Falco by her side healing her. Eren once saw her in war mode not giving a crap she was a low level and ganked her.

Floch - Unholy Death Knight (Human)

Level 58 DK. That dude that all he does is complain in the chat. In bgs he shits at everyone for not doing their job while he has low dps. In trade chat you are always gonna see him having a discussion about how the game is dead, everything sucks, back in the day "when classic was good". Always joins Eren's RBGs.

Im sorry this was so much fun to do. I didnt plan this

[teeentyonepilots]

wait... i am confusion.... whats going on? somehow ive avoided clique drama for 6 years (no idea how tbh) and so this is the first ive heard of this "pyramid scheme"??? may i ask what thats about?

Tyler’s sister Maddy has been involved in multiple MLM (multilevel marketing) scams to make money. Her most recent one is called BeachBody which sells workout routines and supplements and shakes and shit. She promotes her scams to her Instagram followers, many of whom she has because of her famous brother and many of them impressionable people and children who may get involved just because someone connected to Tyler is promoting it.

MLMs are predatory schemes which drain the wallets of people who sign up for them because you’re always having to recruit more people to buy from you and then sell under your line to move you up the pyramid. 90% of people who get involved with MLMs fail and lose money rather than receive any of the success that is falsely promised. They manipulate and prey upon people’s insecurities— body image, finances, supporting one’s family, especially women/mothers. They steal empowerment slogans like “boss babe” and use CULT LIKE MIND CONTROL TACTICS to convince people it’s not just sales... it’s a whole lifestyle movement that will BETTER YOU. They make it appear like you own your own company when really you’re just a fool making high levels rich.

So you sign up to work for them, investing your own money to start selling the product and you go through training of “winning sales strategies” and if you follow everything they tell you, you’ll be ROLLING IN CASH. Then they tell you exactly what to say to your friends, family, and every single person on your social media to guilt them and deceive them into buying whatever you’re selling. There’s an MLM for everything and most of the products are GARBAGE. Some actually cause damage like Monat hair products (chemical burns). They act like these are the best products ever but are unregulated, not clinically tested, and dangerous... some claiming to cure illnesses and coronavirus and cancer (that’s more of the nutritional supplement and essential oils worlds but yeah they make massive claims).

But the products don’t even matter sometimes... the real scheme is recruiting more people to join. Someone got you to join and they make money off what you sell and who you recruit (your up line). You want to recruit more people so you can become an upline too. These schemes have levels you can “achieve” and they promise you more money, more rewards, cars, vacations, etc. it’s always about selling selling selling and recruiting. They have ridiculous scripting, formulaic social media posts, and people will cold message others to try and recruit them (I’ve seen posts where people message people going through a major loss and being like X product will HELP YOU SO MUCH). Predatory and disgusting. They bombard everyone with their company and often ruins relationships because all they want is YOUR MONEY and are completely disingenuine. I could go on forever about patterns of strategies they us and they’re always changing what they’re doing because people catch on— nowadays they tell the salespeople to not even name the company.

Anyway, I could go on and on forever. There’s lots of anti-MLM videos on YouTube, there’s a website that tells you if a company is an MLM (some may surprise you because they’re established brands and even have physical shops— Pampered Chef, Body Shop, Avon, etc. I learned a lot from the fb group “sounds like mlm but ok” which shares real posts sent in by members, and some members even were formerly involved in MLMs and answer questions about them. They keep a massive list of known MLMs and update frequently. There’s literally an MLM for everything.

So Maddy’s in this MLM which is all about fitness and weight loss (which is scary to be promoting this to young, impressionable fans/children especially while she’s pregnant). She’s been posting NOT SOCIALLY DISTANCED PHOTOS AND VIDEOS with Jenna while working out. She’s trying to recruit people to her team and she frequently posts on her IG story/page about it. Most recently she is trying to get 10 new sign ups and she posted a list of who’s signed up so far and “Jenna J” is on the list. Most people assume it’s Jenna and some are trying to defend her that it may be a strategy of Maddy to trick people into signing up.

Several things could be going on:

Jenna could think she’s just helping out her sister in law with her business. She’s ignorant and ill-informed and misusing her platform of even more followers, many of whom may sign up because she appears to be the ideal standard of beauty and body type— people want to look like her even though that’s extremely toxic. She may or may not even participate in this, but regardless her name is there and makes it seem like she is endorsing a dangerous pyramid scheme to over a million people.

Someone online is claiming Maddy made up her name because Jenna isn’t part of the private Facebook group that Maddy has for people that signed up... 1. Do y’all really think Jenna would have a Facebook or be in a setting where people could find her secret account? No... and IF maddy is using her name and making it up and implying she’s involved... they all need to be more aware of Maddy’s rogue posts manipulating the audience she primarily only has because of her famous brother. Because tying Jenna’s name to this is dangerous.

In conclusion, there’s a reddit post getting a lot of attention and making people aware of what’s happening and what’s the risk. I’ve seen a lot of people on twitter warning people. Some Instagram comments are calling Maddy directly out (though there’s many who are in support.... and the negative comments can be deleted. Be careful what you see people promoting online and do your research. MLMs are insidious and I’ve personally seen people get involved in them.

The irony that Tyler literally posted a few days ago about companies asking him to promote their “garbage products”. He’s extremely anti ads and endorsing specific brands or doing celebrity ads (Josh on the other hand... he sure does love Nike and there was a lot of Nike product placement recently...). I really appreciate that about Tyler and I think it’s awesome he knows the power his support wields because of the very invested fan base. I just wished he’d notice that two of his siblings often use and manipulate the attention they get because of him to try and get rich quick. I get that he’s very supportive of his family, but there’s got to be some line where he protects his fans.

I hope he finds out about this from either reddit or twitter lurking (which he does a lot) and puts a stop to it because it’s dangerous and manipulative and not at all what he is about as a person.

[adventuresloane]

Bones

Pairing: Carey/Killian

Rating: G

Words: 3.1k+

Raffle prize for @nothinelsemattered !

Read on AO3

In the middle of the night that followed the battle against the Hunger, Carey lay awake and thanked her lucky stars that she was not like other Dragonborn.

She'd accepted it a long time ago, of course. She'd had to. Her wisp of a body that refused to bulk up no matter how much strength she gained, her arms so thin and gangly that the larger members of her clan could encircle her bicep between their thumb and forefinger--eventually, she would wield these things in a way that would let her disappear completely as needed. Before she learned to be a rogue, though, her smallness and strangeness simply meant that she was there, but less so.

Nowadays, she liked her body for how it could run and strike and dodge and hide. She liked it for how it let her move. Only rarely were there times, like now, when she loved it in stillness, for just being. She loved how her form fit against Killian's, effortless as breathing during sleep. (And Killian, thank the gods, was breathing, was reassuring with every breath, was still alive.) Right now, she loved the tail that had inconvenienced her so much when she was younger. Hers wasn't thick and strong like others she knew, but whiplike and too long and so little under her control that she knocked candles off the dinner table more than once. Now, it was wrapped twice around Killian's ankle, not tightly, but securely enough for her to know that they would not be pulled apart.

They'd been attached like that for hours now, even before they'd settled into a half-broken easy chair together for the night. Carey had clung to her, too, as she tried to patch up Killian's arm while it bled and bled and bled and made the bandages slick in her fingers. Not even bandages, really, but strips of cloth she'd ripped. She couldn't think of anyone more woefully unaware of how to heal than herself. She tried not to think about the dulling of Killian's golden eyes, their loss of focus. The strongest woman she knew, letting her head droop under its own weight. She thought about it anyway, and it kept her up longer.

What kept her up longer still was the thought of what Killian had said at the time.

She fell asleep just before dawn and woke up once while the sun was still golden, then again in the afternoon, when it came in through the blinds and left neat lines of white light on the opposite wall. The third time she got up, late in the day, was the first time in almost twenty-four hours that she met Killian's eyes, wide awake.

"We did it, huh?" she whispered. Somewhere outside, far away, the clamor of voices in celebration sounded like ocean waves.

It was easy to forget, sometimes, that Killian's kind were mostly nocturnal. She'd never complained about adjusting to the daytime routine shared by most others on the Moonbase, and she'd always pulled off wearing around "cool guy shades" so well that one could forget that she did it to keep the sun out of her sensitive eyes. But Carey was reminded of it many, many times in the days following the battle.

Killian, who in the past would wake up with the sun in order to train under the now-shattered glass roof of the base’s gym, was more alive at night than she had ever been. Carey remembered it when the two of them sat together in front of the window and waited until moonlight was the only thing left with them in the room. The stars were friends to Killian as much as they were friends to any traveler. She knew all of their names and the stories woven into them. If Carey listened long enough, she could make herself believe that everything was the same, that she wasn’t living inside the skeleton of the place she’d once called home. That no one and nothing had been lost. Even with her Darkvision, the cracks in the plaster of this room didn’t stick out so much. She fell asleep slumped against Killian’s shoulder, sunk into her voice. 

She also remembered how the night suited Killian when the sun was out (the sky now clean of black ooze and surely, surely, she hoped, bound to stay that way). With their former daily duties now null and void among the ruins of the Bureau, they both stayed suspended in quiet as if in water. As Killian slept through the bright afternoons, her dark hair came loose from its waist-length braid and sprawled over the pillows, over Carey when she curled up close enough. She stayed awake and watched and imagined that hair falling over the throw pillows of a home. Then she stopped before she imagined the rest. She remembered later that night, when she bolted straight out of a nightmare and into a sitting position in bed, and she would have started to shake if not for the large hand placed gently on her chest to ease her back onto the sheets. Killian had been awake and stayed awake while she drifted back off. 

Eons ago, when they were new to each other, Carey’s heart hadn’t known the difference between fear and want, and it pounded fast either way. By now, it had learned to slow when she lay on the other woman’s chest.

She needed to do something. Killian rolled her eyes when she insisted on being the one to change her bandages and track the progress of her broken arm. But it was the same kind of eye-roll she gave when Carey used to goad her into racing back to the house, which meant really she appreciated it. Besides, Merle was busy enough healing everyone else and could use one less patient. He showed her what to do, and after only several instances of her forgetting the disinfectant or accidentally ripping the gauze on her claw tips, she got it. She wound the clean white material around the wounds on Killian’s thigh and sometimes thought about wrapping up the rest of her, wrapping her up in softness and taking her away. Then Killian would notice her slowing down and ask her if anyone was home in there, and Carey would reach up to flick her on the forehead.

While watching this, Merle kept smiling and nodding at her now and then, like he was answering questions she hadn’t asked him. She’d liked him better when he was more of an idiot. Though, she had to admit, she had never before seen him so at home healing, so unshakably content and present for those he helped, when before he seemed to do it because it was what he had always done. His kids tailed behind him much of the time as he went from patient to patient.

Killian did a lot of reading. Sometimes she did it out loud, which Carey liked best, because she only understood poetry when it came out of her mouth. Carey remembered her saying that, as a young adult, she hadn’t had much besides the books she borrowed from libraries and then never returned as she went from town to town in search of work. Thought of saving up and studying to be a lore bard, though things went differently for her, obviously.

Carey didn’t know who she could have become if not the person she was now. From the start, she’d been an excellent rogue. Fucking amazing, if she did say so herself. She’d come by it in the usual way, born with a natural deftness and a skill for turning her childhood falls into graceful tumbles. By the time she was fourteen, she could disarm someone with a well-placed strike, in the event that her smile and non-threatening size weren’t enough to let a target’s guard down. She might have gone on that way, using her powers to draw out gossip and steal things she could have simply bought with family money, but instead wealthy friends of friends of her parents got wind of what she could do. That was that. She hadn’t had to do much of anything, really, aside from the things that had always come as easily to her as breathing—sneaking and stealing and gleaning information from clients’ competitors. Kids’ stuff.

Even her position at the Bureau hadn’t been her doing. This, too, she’d tripped into. Then, as usual, she’d broken her fall and taken it in stride before anyone could notice she hadn’t meant it. If Carey hadn’t been assigned to track a snow-haired woman who was new in town and asking questions she shouldn’t have been, she wouldn’t have gotten to where she was. It was only because the Director—Lucretia, she insisted that people call her Lucretia now—because Lucretia had seen her snooping, sandwiched her between the wall and an invisible force field of magic, looked her over, and asked how she would like a better job.

Unlike her, Killian was deliberate, always. Carey had come to believe that she could do anything she chose. Now, with everything changed, she could make any choice she wanted, leave for anywhere. 

In the heat of the moment, on what people were now pretentiously dubbing the Day of Story and Song, Killian had said that she knew exactly what she wanted after the dust had settled. But that had been before the Bureau of Balance dissolved and everything fell into flux. That had been before she had had other options.

Magnus was the one who was able to pull her away, of course. He did it with all his usual boldness, walking up and tossing her a shovel and saying, “Bet I can clear more of the East Wing than you.” So she left while Killian slept, and she punched his shoulder and made jabs about his greying hair and helped rebuild, and at one point he tried to apologize for faking his death because he hadn’t properly before, and she promptly shut him up. He asked about that ring, too. She shut him up again.

She prided herself on how quickly she’d been able to adjust to the new way in the weeks after the Hunger ravaged the Moonbase. She liked, in the morning, when she could watch people’s tired faces turn up tired smiles as she called down to them from the bare rafters, cheerfully chide them, do her morning sunbathing under one of the many as-yet-unrepaired holes in the domed roof. It seemed to put people at ease. Everyone needed to be put at ease, these days. Maybe even she did. In these moments, it felt almost as it had before everything. She didn’t think about Avi’s desire to work on his own scientific projects, his saying that he wanted to travel for awhile and leave behind certain memories that the Moonbase held. Instead, she threw wet plaster at his cheek and ran off laughing, but not before she turned back and saw the smile that came to his face.

It was weeks later when Killian came up to her after a long day of this work, walking tall, as she always did, and with a purpose, as she often did, and for an instant Carey was sure of what she was going to say, and again her heart didn’t know the difference between fear and want. Instead, she said, “I need your help. I have an idea.”

The moon didn’t have an abundance of black rock. But that just meant that they had to go out looking together for longer, talking under the night sky or else letting the crunch of grit under their feet do the talking for them. The rocks had to be black, apparently. As they searched, Killian talked about Orcish burial. The rocks black as the earth would be painted white--color of death, light, and that which was lasting. Then, markings would be etched into them and reveal the black underneath again. Each cut would imitate a scar on the body of the dead, since orcs loved their scars so well, whether they were put there as marks of ritual or battle or life. Carey said she never thought Killian would be one to wax poetic about tradition, then wondered if it was insensitive to say so. But Killian chuckled. “Just this once,” she said.

Killian didn’t have any of the ritual scars, though she had plenty of others. Apparently, you only got those as an adult in a tribe, and she hadn’t lived among other orcs long enough for that. But she still knew the traditions. She knew how to construct the stone pillars that marked gravesites, those meant to be seen stark and white against dark, open fields by nomads traveling at night.

They got the same dirt on their hands. Carey loved her short nails and the way she carried smooth rocks as though they were fragile eggs, cupped and snug in her palms. They painted together.

They built the cairns near trees that survived the Hunger’s onslaught, near the edge of the Moonbase’s campus. Carey helped lift stones into place. This was something she could do. It was easy to do something, anything. Being was harder. She hadn’t attended many funerals in her life, none since cutting ties with her clan for good and none for anyone she’d been close to. In recent years, those in her life who had died got no funeral at all. When someone in the Bureau went, she had just waited until the erasure, until the forgetting could take away the heaviness in her gut.

But she remembered now. In the quietest hours of the past weeks, she’d done nothing but remember.

She saw them again, when she and Killian stepped back from the cairns that were built. On one stone, there appeared the distinct X-shaped scar that had been above Brian’s eye, a reminder of an overly enthusiastic play-bite from Spider Bryan. On another pile, a long line, stretching across several stones, to resemble the scar that ran all the way up Johann’s leg. All of the simple stacks of rock looking strangely like figures in the dark, standing up straight. Like her friends, standing up straight again.

Carey stood there, too, and tried to figure out what to feel. There was a hollowness in her gut that was not passive, like a hole in the ground, but active, like a drain sucking everything down. These were the friends whom she always knew, as an Enforcer, she might one day have to kill. These were the friends she’d let herself forget about. It seemed almost selfish that only now was she bothering to mourn them.

She would have kept thinking this way had the sound of a shaky breath not pulled her out of herself. Killian’s eyes shone, even more so than they normally did at night. That was all it took for Carey to go to her, wrap her arms around her waist and her tail around her leg. She reached up to whisper in Killian’s ear, “I’m sorry,” because she figured that that was what you said at a vigil, but mostly because she wanted Killian to hear her voice nearby. This she could do. 

“I’m sorry, too.”

Killian enfolded her easily, as always. Carey took in the scent of her shirt and couldn’t think of anywhere in the vastness of the planar system where she might feel more secure. If she didn’t have this, she wagered, she would never feel that way again. Before she even knew she was doing it, she spoke aloud the thought that stood out most in her mind. “Did you mean it?”

“What?”

“I said, did, uh…” When she took a deep breath, it felt almost hot enough inside her to hurt, the way it did before she let out a blast of fire and lightning. This time, she just exhaled and tried to let the feeling fade. “Did you mean it? During the fight, I mean.”

It was clear that Killian still didn’t understand. And then, all at once, she did. She almost jerked in surprise. Both of them, she knew, were remembering now how Killian, through her ragged breathing, had turned to Carey as she knelt to tend her wounds in the midst of the battle and said, If we get out of this, I’m marrying you.

“I think that depends,” Killian said, finally. There was a smile in her voice. “I can’t really marry you unless you agree to it first.”

For once, Carey Fangbattle did not have a snappy reply.

“What is it?”

“No, sorry, I just…” She scrubbed at her eyes, and the back of her hand came away wet. “It’s just a lot to process, you know?”

Killian couldn’t have seen her face. Her chin stayed settled into the crook of Carey’s neck. But it was like she didn’t even need sound to comprehend, only Carey’s breath. “That’s not all it is,” she whispered. It was not a question. 

“No, it’s…” But for once, even coming up with a lame excuse felt like too much heavy lifting. This was why she hated to feel this way, this dragging, graceless way. It only slowed her down, made her less able to do what she needed to do. 

A tighter squeeze. “It’s what?”

Sour spit filled her mouth and made the words stick together. Into Killian’s shoulder, half-hoping she wouldn’t be heard, she mumbled, “You were supposed to be the one who stayed safe.”

At last, after a pause, Killian pulled back. Carey resisted the urge to turn away from her eyes. “What do you mean?”

“You got hurt really fucking bad, Killer,” she answered hoarsely. “And it...I don’t know. It’s stupid, but I guess it fucked me up, ‘cause in my head, you were always the one person who’d be fine and who’d always stay, and I thought maybe you’d be gone, and I didn’t know enough to do anything to help.” She looked over Killian’s shoulder at the stones.

“I mean, are you dumb? Because the way I recall, I wouldn’t have gotten out of that mess if you hadn’t been there to torch the Hunger like a badass.”

“Shut up. You’re dumb.” She sniffed but slowly grinned. “Everything’s changing. That kind of thing doesn’t normally bother me, but it does now.”

Killian pulled her back in. “I know everything’s going to be different,” she said. “But I want one thing to stay the same, and it’s this. If that’s what you want.”

Carey breathed her in again, and kept on breathing like that for several minutes, until her lungs and mind slowed again. They so seldom did outside of these moments. “Taako’s going to want to take over the catering for the wedding, you know,” she mumbled at last.

“I get the feeling we’ll need all the help we can get planning anyway,” Killian laughed quietly, wonderfully. “Everyone can join in.”

[jbbuckybarnes]

Zerfall - 8/14

Pairing: Bucky x named!Reader (Agent Andromeda) Summary: After Hydra drops virus bombs in 7 major American cities in the height of summer, the team is locked in their emergency bunker for weeks. The virus commonly called the Summer Poison successfully brought the infrastructure to a halt in all big cities. When the virus slowly starts burning itself out SHIELD Agents and Avengers are sent out to bring back order into the cities and the international relationships. Not without hurdles. Warnings for this chapter: Pandemic, crime, canon typical violence, flirting, picturing killing as a positive thing, weird grammar. Not beta read. **Image credit goes to Ubisoft.

Zerfall Masterlist || M a s t e r l i s t

08:00 - Morgan Library, New York City “Wake up, Buckaroo. We have another library to occupy.” you shake him awake. “God, this feels like the 40s,” he grumbled rubbing his eyes. You cleared your throat, “Good morning, Sergeant Barnes,” you climbed on top of him, “Breakfast ends in 20 minutes.” His hair was ruined three seconds later with a giggle before he grabbed you in the middle of your escape. “Way better,” he grumbled into your hair. “You like it when women are soft and you can protect them. I read you like a book, Barnes.” you grinned. “I have a metal arm that’s shielding from bullets. Of course, I like to be protective, Agent.” he chuckled letting you go and made a run for the food.

“Davis? Bucky?” The two men looked up to you from their food before you sat down on their table. “There’s a lower building across from the library that you could take a sniper rifle to. Sounds like a job for you both. I’ll go front and some of the civilians come from Bryant Park.” “You’re right. She really is a badass.” Captain Davis mumbled over at Bucky. “She’s getting the shit done.” He shrugged looking over at you with a smirk. “I guess that’s an affirmative.” You smiled at both of them before starting to eat your soup. “It is, General Andromeda.” You got a wink back. “If I get the paygrade of a General by the end of this I could get used to being called by that title.” You grinned wide.

Two hours later, after you helped the settlement to change their interior around in a more strategic way in case of an attack, you finally wandered towards the Public Library in a group of about 20 people with rifles and vests. “Groups of three on each side entrance. Two with me. Barnes on that building. Davis on that one. Understood?” you looked up at the circle around you. “Understood.” Came back in a choir. “Showtime, guys.” You grinned, picking out the two people to come in through the front with you. A guy with military experience and a girl that grew up in a forest, being perfect with knives. “Everyone on position?” You asked over the communication devices. “One. On position.” “Two. On position.” “Three. On position.” You let EADA scan the entrance area. Quite a few guards. “Wait till we go for it. They might want to escape. If there is nobody after I gave the signal you can storm in.” you told them. You looked left and right to your partners for the mission and each of them nodded. “Going in.”

You jumped over the car you were hiding behind and throwing a bomb with that momentum to land right in the entrance area. “Two gone,” you whispered before getting out your two pistols while the bomb exploded. The second it went up in flames you ran to the next best cover and landed a few good head and torso shots from there. “Wait on my signa-” You were choked from behind. “Whatcha gonna do now, sweetie?” A dark voice chuckled. You yanked your head to the side and felt blood on your cheek shortly after together with a thud behind you. Bucky. “Thanks, partner.” You grinned. “It’s what I’m here for. Always watching your six.” He smiled through his scope. “That sounds like a pick-up line about my ass.” You giggled. “That’s a talk for after the apocalypse, darling.” You got rid of 4 more guards. Your two partners of 3. Bucky and Davis of 5. “Storm in.” you called out kicking in the door that was mildly damaged from the bomb. Head, torso, head, torso, shin, head. You aimed up at staircases and made your way through the rest of the building. “You good? How many?” you asked the others. “Everyone dead. 3.” “Same here. 4.” “Two here.” “Skim through the entire building and make sure nobody is hiding,” you mumbled into the ear piece, suddenly hearing footsteps. In a matter of seconds you got out of your cover and shot the person sneaking up on you in the shoulder, after making sure it wasn’t someone friendly you landed another shot into the head. “Scum,” you grumbled, kicking him before ripping the dog tag off of him. You put your wrist to your mouth, “Eda, scan for important things. Electronics, important books to keep in an extra space, anything.” “There is a computer still up and running in the front row.” Came back shortly after. “Good.” After hacking your way through the computer without much information recovered you finally stepped out of the building again, seeing a guard still securing the front. “Wanted to keep that one for you.” You heard Bucky in your ear piece and smiled before sneaking up on the man and sticking a knife into his throat. There was a lip bite and a suppressed groan behind the sniper scope. He shouldn’t be turned on by this. He really shouldn’t. “Everything is cleared.” EADA informed you. “You can move in, Captain.” “You’re really something else, Agent Andromeda.” “I know.” You winked up to where he was positioned.

-

“God, I love that my favorite sauce comes in glasses. Apocalypse proof food.” You smiled over the pot of pasta that was cooking. You had made Steve’s floor of the building into your little area after the mission went well and you had reported to the others about the day. “Something that isn’t soup and veggies is the thing I’m personally more excited about, but sure.” He chuckled while nudging you. “I really don’t know how I keep doing all of this without getting stressed out by it, you know?” You smiled up at him while pouring the sauce into a pot. “Yeah. Guess you have a good motivation behind it.” His hand was on the small of your back. “Well, it’s pretty simple. I thrive on killing bad people.” You shrugged. “That is a little dark, but valid.” He scrunched his nose.

There were tiny lights throughout the city, but the sky was beautiful again. Not a single cloud. You had snatched yourself blankets and sat down on the deck overlooking the city. “I wish New York had days every year where all the lights would just stay off. I remember when the skyline had like 4 or 5 skyscrapers and you could still see the stars well in Queens.” “You took girls on dates there, huh?” You grinned over. “Yeah.” He smiled up. “Definitely better than going to the movies,” you commented before shoving the next fork of pasta into your mouth. “I just like the wonder in other people’s eyes when they stare up that the sky.” He said a little dreamy and you looked over at him with the softest expression imaginable.

“So, Rockefeller Center and Times Square tomorrow?” You asked after finishing your dinner. “Two control points in a day?” He asked back surprised. “Those are both open spaces tho. Come on, Bucky. We are Avengers and we know the faster we get that done, the better the snowball effect will continue.” You grabbed his shoulder. “Guess you’re right, Ann.” He gave you a lopsided smile. “C’mon. Let’s have a good night of sleep here and kill some of those bastards tomorrow to get your hometown back on track.” You gave a cheeky grin. “Don’t have to tell me twice, darling.” He said standing up and looking down at you for a second.

The next day was filled with two missions and a few more civilians fighting with you on the missions. You’d finally given them hope to get their town back. The Times Square area was full of food resources and antiseptic equipment. To your surprise the reinforcements for that base were not very intense and you had the base in two hours. “Build a few walls around it, have people in the houses looking down before eventually building outlook platforms.” You told the ones staying behind to hold the post. “The rest? We’re going shopping...kinda.” You chuckled.

The Rockefeller Center was a little bit harder, but still a 3 hour takeover with Bucky and Captain Davis on your side. “This is going to be a little bit harder to reinforce, but I’m sure you can find a few ways and a minigun to put there.” You pointed at a good spot and got salutes back. “Damn, I need a break now. And you need a bandaid for that cut.” You pointed up at Bucky. “That’s gone by the time you found one,” he said grabbing you closer on the walk out of the area. “Can I have some of that supersoldier healing?” You chuckled putting your arm around his back. “If I could give that to others, I would.” He laughed. “Let’s go home and watch something from Tony’s Blu-Ray collection.” You looked up. “How about...Star Wars?” He suggested. “Ugh, fine.” You rolled your eyes playfully and got a pinch into your side through the vest.

You started really appreciating the perks of this tower having power in the middle of all of this happening. You had the luxury to not only help friendly people with supplies, but you were able to live normally outside of your intense day job. “Rogue One is just the best.” Bucky mumbled with Chips in his mouth. “It’s badass.” You gave him a fond smile and he stopped in his tracks, eyes innocently going up. “You can have the rest, dork.” You laughed, boxing his arm. “If Steve would see this he’d give us the biggest monologue in history.” He grinned. “You’re eating on the couch and watching Star Wars in the middle of the apocalypse!” You said imitating his frowning face. “Imagine that in small and how hard it was to not roll my eyes every minute of every day.” He shook his head. “Small Steve would be a really great activist nowadays, I assume,” you said tucking the blanket around you tighter. “Yeah, probably. Turned into an idiot with a frisbee instead. Can’t blame him, he’s still a good friend.” He shrugged. “Vibranium arms are definitely better than vibranium frisbees.” You chuckled. “Ya think?” He held his arm out slightly before giving you a fake mad glare and a fist formed towards you. “You act all tough most of the time but I know that it’s just a front. You’re a softie.” You giggled taking his hand and felt the hand turn around and grab your hand. “Guess I like to scare people with my image.” he grinned. “Well, you’re not that anymore. You’re soft Bucky, killing the bad guys.” You smiled at him. “Yeah.” He stared back at you with shimmering eyes for a while. “Another movie?” You mumbled and got a nod back.

[whumpbby]

I believe that the only reason Bruce can maintain his no kill rule is because superheroes don't die the same way civilians do in Gotham. If Cass, Dick and Damian weren't revived after they died, like the thousands (probably millions) of Gothamites that ended up as fodder for supervillains, Bruce would be out there killing rogues.

You see, I appreciate the no-kill rule in general. I am a big fan of a hero who is there to help and not hurt. 

But the writing of DC made Bruce’s noble stance into something ridiculous and useless. The universe got so dark and so cruel that Batman refusing to get rid of the villains permanently seems like madness - these are not ‘sick people who need help’ like they used to be, these villains are monsters of the highest degree, pretty much unforgivable (I am on the fence about Harley’s redemption for that reason, too, because some of the shit she did in canon was vile) and at some point ‘everyone deserves a chance’ stops applying - you don’t deserve a third chance after you wilfully ignored the first two. 

The Joker nowadays is simply not salvageable, as a villain he’s so over the top that taking him seriously is as impossible as believing in any sort of a reason behind his deeds. “Liking to watch the world burn” sounds poignant and cool, but it makes no sense even when some people try to dress up it in nihilism... 

But ANYWAY. The ‘no kill’ rule is made redundant by the writing around it and it’s a shame, because I saw a good thing happening when Jay and Bruce finally made their peace and B admitted that Jay may be able to do what the Bat isn’t able to. And it was such a promising thing! Imagine if DC took it on and Jason was the boogeyman that the family calls in when they happen across someone who can’t be left alive - someone so twisted and unsalvagable and so dangerous that they have to go. That’s when Jason comes in, tracks the villain and dispatches them. It leads to some delicious angst and low drama, but it also opens the gates to Jay being a part oft he family again, and instead of the Bats ostracising him, they love him, but are uneasy in his presence, because they believe the ‘job’ they gave him is hard and harming his soul, they’re ashamed that need to do it. And Jason thinks that they’re critical of his perceived cold-bloodedness and think him less. Drama!:D  

But no, that went nowhere=_= Thanks, DC, no really, keep the change=_=

I’ve noticed the trend recently where the comic books stopped treating civilians as the reason for the plot, but shifted to them being cheap cannon fodder. Whole cities were levelled just for some cheap drama and one person being murdered is nothing anymore, not even a footnote, as long as they’re a civilian. Instead of the heroes stopping the villains before the murder happens, now the victims are used just to show how ‘serious’ of a treat the villain of the week is... So, like, in current DC climate it doesn’t matter how many people Joker kills, what’s important is that he spews some bullshit and Batman is sad for a chapter... (There is a great treatise by Renegade Cut on the genre that uses Batman on youtube and I think everyone should watch it)... but now I’m getting a bit deepXD

So, yeah, I agree that in the current climate in the verse that DC created, Batman staunchly keeping to his rule makes him seem like a mad person - but I am overall a fan of the verse where that stance is a noble one and makes a difference for the better:( All my usual critique of Batman is based on the fact that the current iteration of him is just bad and written badly:( 

[botslayer]

Top Ten games of the 2010′s

This trend seems to be doing the rounds at the moment and seeing as I’ve been gaming for about as long as I can remember, It just feels right. So, let’s get into it. But first, worth saying: These aren't really in any specific order, it's just the games I've personally had the most fun with overall, but it's pretty hard to decide what the hard numbers on things you enjoy for different reasons are if that makes any sense. 10. The 2010's weren't exactly the best time for anyone, I think. For me they were a slog of finding myself and learning things I wish I didn't. Amid all those things I wanted some levity. The world needs something and stupid. We got a lot of it ion 2013 but I feel like we could have used it scattered around a bit more. In that spirit, allow me to show you one hell of a pick me up:

Saints Row 4

Saints Row 4 does not give a fuck. It is aggressively demonstrating that the entire time you play. It doesn't care in the slightest what you think or why, It just wants to show you cool, if juvenile, and interesting, if weird shit. It's the finer points of Ratchet and Clank's arsenal, SR3's humor, And superpowers that genuinely put Prototype and Infamous in a blender and tell you to go ape shit with them. The soundtrack isn't top shelf, it's the roof of the building the shelf is in. Saints Row Two had a better story overall but SR Four's was just plain fun and a solid enough story to still be invested.

The DLC was just as irreverent and madcap, Featuring everything from an evil Santa Clause to evil Gimps on Game of thrones chairs made of dildos Or Tropey-ass costumes and weapon reskins that I'd be genuinely surprised the game dev didn't get sued over. It has earned its place in my top 10 and I will die by that decision.

9.

2016 saw the advent of a new genre. They blended TF2 and MOBAs, and we got hero shooters in their first AAA forms, Overwatch and Battleborn. But neither of these games is on this list, much as I liked them. Partly because the whole time, I kept thinking of one simple question: "Why do I keep thinking of...?"

Anarchy Reigns

Anarchy Reigns is my favorite Platinum game. Full Stop. The Story mode is interesting and has genuinely good character moments, the characters themselves are completely mental, ranging from a mercenary with a bionic cat leg that secretly has a gun built into it to a giant cyborg bull-man with a jet-powered hammer. The soundtrack is mostly angry hip-hop, making every song a banger and fittingly speedy for things like random bombing runs from jet fighters that come from absolutely nowhere.

There are giant monsters, cars with mounted flame throwers, giant robots, and the online is still pretty sweet because even when abandoned, loading it up with bots still rules. I regularly have more fun with this than I ever did with Overwatch, and I don't care how insane that sounds.

8.

Some games want to make you feel something and fail. Some games make you feel some things accidentally, for example, a desperate need to laugh. This game made me feel like a human blender. Like a Chthonic god of mangled flesh and raw destructive power. Nyarlathotep ain't got nothing on me. I speak, of course, of...

[Prototype] 2

There's no end to the absolute destruction you feel like you're causing in this game. It feels more fluid than the first, the main character is a pinch more relatable, and all the body horror, superpowers, zombie hordes, and big old monsters make for some of the most memorable and fun moments and fights in gaming. The DLC is also pretty solid, adding new fun side challenges, and new powers and weapons that elevate you from "Flesh god" to "Screw physics, I made them" Omnipotent. Best god/monster simulation of all time.

7.

Sometimes some games are at an honest tie in your mind. Be it that you like them for essentially the same reasons, or for completely different reasons, but the overall total joy or entertainment they bring is roughly equivalent. Here, we have a case of the former:

Furi/Cuphead

Both games have a tight focus on giving players a unique, boss-centric challenge, both have interesting, somewhat minimal narratives, and both are absolute eye candy.

Furi has a more "Samurai Jack" Quality to me. A complete badass on a relatively simple quest with a somewhat minimalistic art style learning some things as he goes.

Cuphead on the other hand, nails that rubber hose animation style, and the fun levity of such animations while still making the player's ability to interact with the world damn impactful and fun.

They share a spot in my soul, games I love everything about but will never be able to finish. Hats off to both dev teams.

6.

Now here we have another tie. Mostly because the games are so close together, they need to be evaluated more or less as one product IMO, not enough changed for me to consider them separate games, fortunately, that is the furthest thing from an insult it can be in this situation. I present to you, my next pick(s).

Costume Quest 1/2

Now, This might seem pretty random considering my other picks, but honestly, I love Halloween, I love creative madness, I love subversion, I love good characters, and I love cool action, these games have all these things by the bucketload.

The first game is a wild ride through Halloween in multiple very lively locations and the second, slightly confusing as it is, is pretty awesome for the things it introduces, including time travel. Other elements, like the battle stamps, the truly epic forms of everything in the fights, The ability to customize your costumes, etc. they blur together in a pretty big way, but again, there's not a thing wrong with that when both games rock like crystal candy. 

5.

Now, if you hadn't noticed, all of the games on this list have had some hard action at their core, and while I don't HATE calmer games, a lot of the time, so many are kinda dull to me in that with the exception of easter eggs of some sort, most farming sims, for example, just have you doing normal farm stuff with very few twists, may as well start a real farm in that case. My most chill entry is a game that tosses that to one side, asks you to grab a suck cannon, and start harvesting gelatinous monster poop.

Slime Rancher

While you don't spend a lot of time actually interacting with other characters, they just talk at you, the story of the game is pretty effective, the player character of Beatrix has left Earth for a simpler life of Slime Ranching, which entails the raising of alien crops, delightfully derpy and colorful chickens, and going all around in an attempt to farm new breeds of slime for their genetic material to sell off or trade-in for the creation of gadgets while being surrounded by a cast of interesting characters. It's all very wholesome family fun.

The game looks great, has great ideas, and is genuinely the best farming game I have ever played. @ me all you want.

4.

The 80's are almost fetishized nowadays. Given all the property reboots, games that go for the vibe and aesthetic of the time, etc. It almost seems as though the eighties vibe train ain't gonna stop rolling any time soon. But we owe it to ourselves to remember the first big swipe of madcap neon-colored actiony B-movie bullshit and how mind-meltingly epic it was. Ladies, Gents, and whatever else, I present:

Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon

Blood Dragon's story is relatively simple, you play Sargent Rex "Power" Colt (A name said in full so many times I thought his last name was "Powercolt" for the longest time), a former "Omega force" cyborg. Rex and his friend "Spider" were sent into a secret island base to investigate the supposed defection and treachery of their old commander, Ike Sloan. It turns out he has gone rogue and taken an army of "Mark 5" Omegaforce cyber-soldiers with him. What follows is a long story of betrayal, science fiction of the highest nonsensical level, comedy, and brilliantly cathartic action.

The collectibles range from data on animals, to research notes from a scientist, to literal VHS cassette tapes that have full descriptions of movies that I would legitimately watch if I could. "You may now kill the brides" is not a real film and I am angry for every day that that is true. Anyway, play Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon, I dunno if it's on PS4 but it's one game I'd buy a new/old console for.

3.

A lot of superhero games NEED to railroad you. Your goals MUST be to save the lives of the people and help the weak and all that. But one dev asked the simple question: "What if it didn't?" "What if the player chose how to use their power? What if the player could be as evil or as good as they damn well pleased?" One game gave you the powers of thunder and lightning and asked what you'd do with it. It's sequel asked you the same, but against more... interesting forces.

InFamous 2

InFamous 2 is a game about making choices, just like the first one, also just like the first one, it can have an effect on gameplay. That effect went from "What does this particular power do in this allignment?" To "Which new set of NEW powers would you like?" The forces of the last game went from “Three flavors of gun-toting whackos” To “Possibly an allegory for the Klan, Swamp monsters, and Ice-powered super soldiers.”

This was, and still is, the best game in the whole series, The powers felt distinct from anything else and still do, the story is solid as a rock, and the enemy types were still varied enough to be interesting, I miss the Reapers from the first game, but that's about it. Everything else was a massive step up. If you have something that can run it, play it.

2.

Action is something I think we can all appreciate on some level. We can understand when it does or does not work, we can understand when we do or do not like how it feels when we are the ones partaking in it. EX: Any schlep can tell you when the weapons in your game lack impact, or when your character moves too slow for the game to be fun. The following game is something I can't say anything of the sort about. And it's kind of like Wolfenstein, when you have enemies this bad, who the hell cares how many you kill?

Doom 2016

Y'all are lying if you say you didn't expect this one. It's DOOM 2016. This game is made of hate and fuck. AND I LOVE IT. You move so fast, you may as well be half cheetah and half sports car. You slaughter the dregs of hell by the dozens and even the biggest, baddest things this game throws at you can be beaten with the starting pistol if you have the stones for it. It looks amazing graphically, the demons all look appropriately threatening, and even the Multiplayer is a great deal of fun in my book.

Something worth noting: The story presented by default is pretty barebones, but that's where supplementary material fills in the gaps, the difference between supplementary material in most games and supplementary material here is the material is till IN THE GAME. You're free to ignore most of the plot as it happens around you, and even interesting tidbits of the lore like how certain demons function. Not only are these things missable collectibles, prompting continued play to find them, they are also pretty interesting reads. So yeah, just about everything you could want in a sequel/remake, builds the on lore and gameplay very organically. 

1.

And here we are, the last game I'd put in this category. An entire decade, and here, we end on the last game that left such an impact I'd put it in my top ten. But first, let's talk about expectations and delivery: When you say a game is coming out, there are certain expectations you have for gameplay, EX: I say "Ratchet and Clank" and you expect a TPS with platforming elements and crazy guns. I say "Gears of War" and people expect something to do with lumbering about in big armor, dismembering things with a chainsaw gun and otherwise shooting them to paste. We might also expect changes to things, better graphics, innovations in grenade variety, something as that franchise goes on.

After the last game in this series was released, there were tons of people who felt let down and disappointed by it. Then they released the still somewhat disappointing special edition of it. They were both still fun, but neither really felt like the full next step in the series. After a failed reboot, they returned to the original story and the lot of us rejoiced. And when it finally came out? It was a step up in most, if not, all regards, to its predecessors. You know what this last one is. Please, give a warm round of applause to:

Devil May Cry 5

A game that was not only a return to form, but a major escalation in gameplay for one character, and a new style of gameplay all together by way of yet another new character. It didn’t exactly hurt that the story kicked ten kinds of ass and that the game looked spectacular in both the design of everything and the actual graphical fidelity.DMC 5 is, like DOOM, Like InFamous 2, Like [PROTOTYPE] 2, everything you want in a good sequel. It built very well on already solid foundations and it was generally just a fun, slightly goofy, massively stylish, and ultra badass ride. I recommend this, and all these games, to anyone.Good night everyone, have a great 2020. And the rest of the decade, for that matter. 

[metroidheadcanons]

Baseless Ylla Headcanon Thing

So, from the logbooks we know that the Ylla were peers of the Chozo, Luminoth, and Reptilicans, and not much more than that. Still, as an educated guess, I think it isn't too much of a stretch to assume their technology is compatible with Chozo stuff, they've been around for a while, and they probably have at least some amount of ability to tamper with genetics (like the Chozo) or heavy terraforming and climate control. (like the Luminoth and Reptilicans.) We haven't seen them directly, but that doesn't necessarily mean much given how remote most of the Metroid games have been, but going off the pattern of the other races, they're probably quite reclusive nowadays.

One other thing I like to think, is that since it's been hinted the Chozo weren't always so peaceful, and some darker groups may still be around somewhere, the Ylla have probably seen the Chozo at their worst. So while they eventually allied with them and shared technology, they're also probably among the few who still know about their more militaristic expansionist past, and so might be a bit more suspicious of Chozo influence than most; even if not hostile to Samus, they'd probably be quite wary of her regardless.

Another idea I like, is that since we have lizard aliens, moth aliens, bird aliens, etc., the Ylla would probably keep to that theme in some fashion; I have gone with the idea of them as being quite bat-like, kinda like this. I also had this idea of them being somewhat foils to the Luminoth, favoring darkness rather than light; the races probably got along amicably enough, but the fundamental culture difference probably took a while to overcome.

From this idea of them favoring darkness, I had the idea that their planet of origin is an extremely remote place, at the very edge of the solar system it's in (if it's not a rogue altogether) and so recieves very little sunlight. It has lots of moons that produce strong tidal geothermal activity, and a dense atmosphere to keep the heat in. (Said atmosphere also means they can probably still glide despite being of humanoid size, so their wings can still function as such, instead of becoming vegistal arms like the Chozo. This would also make them retain a fairly spindly, lightweight frame; much better suited to stealth than direct confrontation. Because of the geothermal activity, they still evolved to have normal eyesight, (to steer clear of glowing lava flows and whatnot) but it's still fairly weak, and sensitive to brighter lights; sound would still be really important to them, and they'd probably have a lot of technology involving sonics. (Possibly some parallel to the Annihilator Beam, but without the convoluted matter/antimatter shenanigans.) Also, they, and probably most other creatures on their planet, would have developed bioluminescence as a means to find one another visually in the dark, foggy environments. Still, light in general is off-putting to them rather than welcoming; while most cultures in general tend to have some amount of appreciation for their suns, the Ylla very much do not; combined with the danger association from volcanic activity, there's a lot of culture clash with other races. For them, saying someone 'shines brightly' would be an insult rather than a compliment.

Once they became spacefaring they probably attempted to terraform other worlds, but due to most habitable locations being closer in to their respective suns and stuff, it would take a lot more effort to reproduce the unique conditions of their homeworld. Between that and encountering the early Chozo still steamrolling the rest of the galaxy to their needs, they probably retained a fairly limited presence in general, and like the Luminoth, potentially decided to just stick to one planet altogether. They probably also aren't that involved with the Federation either as a result, preferring to be left alone rather than get thrust into major galactic politics again. Still, that they are more aware of the Chozo's darker side, would mean any hostile groups still around and still harboring greater ambitions, would want to target the Ylla quickly to prevent them from warning the rest of the galaxy...

(Sorry for the giant text-wall here. I've put waaay too much thought into this concept, still debating possibly trying to do something with it.)

[kurtty-drabbles]

Spy vs Spy au

N/A: This may be just a one-shot, I just thought Ariel in the Victorian AU we created for The Doctor and the Monster would not give a single fuck.

@djinmer4 @dannybagpipesarecalling

London is a city made by the wealthiest men, therefore, your vision in the city will depend on how much money you have in your pocket, however, lately, even the richer men in London can´t say how beautiful their city is as a big problem emerge from the ground, the underground to be more exact.

"Sir Willow, please, I know your input in the situation, we all know, but we have no more option, Nightcrawler decimates all our attacks and defences, we are practically his servants at this point taking all his ridiculous exigences" A man with a thick moustache explained to his colleagues. The Crown has little power nowadays as Nightcrawler has the final say.

"But call her? This damn woman?" one of his colleagues with a regular thin moustache asked, "why not ask help from the Braddock?"

"Because they refuse to help us, several times, because of this line of thinking, you do know that Miss Braddock is a woman too as well Mrs Worthington  is a woman too, and really, by this point, if you have a bright idea, please say so" silence fills the room and the man continues "let´s call help from Ariel, gentleman this is our last hope" ____________________________________

Kurt Darkholme is not a man to care for the modern and revolutionary technology that the Stark´s industries are creating each day, yet, the man is not ignorant to not use the holo-watch when he has to leave his house to socialize(usually being dragged by his mother and sister) people can be tolerant (and sometimes fetishes) an azure man, however, the police and everyone eyes are looking for a certain azure man.

"Oh, chin up, Kurt" his mother replied noticing his son frown even more than usual "always so moody, you know, when you were a kid you were a picky eater, did you know that?"

"Yes, you told me this before, why we have to go to this party again?" Kurt Darkholme asked not getting the importance of such events is basically the same thing over and over.

"Because our British friends have brought an American Friend to speak, a man notorious for hating mutants, now, my good son will listen to the words as a proper gentleman and at night Nightcrawler will reply" Raven smiles a tad bit sinister as her disguise is now the face of an old lady from a respectable family.

Now Kurt Darkholme is smiling. Finally, something interesting to do.

"By the way, son, have you ever thought about what we told you?" Raven replied as nonchalant as possible.

"I´m a widow for too long and I need to find someone? Yes, you and Anne Marie aren´t subtle in this regards...Look, I appreciate the help and the intention, but, I´m not sure if I should meddle with someone" Kurt Darkholme then replied "I may be more than the person is chewing" and smiles.

"You make one shark eat Blob and suddenly Shark´s jokes are all you can do?"

"Pretty much" _________________________________ A woman wearing a blue dress walks in the party, an outsider for sure("look at her dress? so obnoxious") and is not doing a good job in mix with the crown as many women are giving her a heated glare as the woman has no shame in talking openly with men, especially men with such higher positions and titles.

"I take your trip was safer, Miss Pryde," one of the thick moustaches in the group of men asked the question doing a fine job to ignore the glares of the other women.

"It´s was alright, now, as the payment, is everything as I asked for ready?" Kitty Pryde asked straight to the point, some of the men mutter how this is a big mistake but the others ignore.

"Yes, Miss Pryde, tomorrow it will be official that all schools and colleges have to accept boys and girls from any race, background and age" the man replied uneasily.

"Really?" she asked crossing her arms.

"Well, ok, the bill will only work after a week, but Miss Pryde" the man tries again and Kitty gave a strong glare.

"My price is very simple, or all the kids have the chance to study or nothing will change" a man is fed up by this charade.

"This is ridiculous, you´re taking demands of a capricious child. How to know if she is able to fight Nightcrawler?" the man feels smart for a brief moment until the woman´s eyes are on him.

"You don´t, but, at this point, I can´t fail more than you all did" she did silencing the others then holding her neck for a moment the woman let go her breath "then, after a week we talk again, bye gentlemen" and leave them to be with their inner thoughts and fear.

"We made a mistake"

"At this point, is better make a mistake than doing nothing" ___________________________________________ Kitty Pryde is still doing a poor job to mix in the crown, when a man, the star guest, a man that only speaking nonsense. Kitty rolls her eyes and decides to chat with one of the people in the party(liveless as it appears)

A man with a fancy hat ignores Kitty and is outrageous that a foreign woman, with no title, is trying to speak with him, the man has a title and this time attention is not appropriate in a party in such fashion.

"Lady, how dare you to direct your voice to me?" the man angrily replied, this is not the place or time for such activities. Kitty has no idea what the man is insinuating when someone else is joining the conversation.

"Hallo, is everything alright?" a man with a thick German accent speaks directly to the woman.

"I don´t know, I was just trying to talk and the man acts as is an insult" Kitty is a bit confused and the German man smiles at that and returns his attention to the other.

"Mr Jones, for shame, a guest is engaging in a conversation and you shun her? " the man smiles evilly "that´s why you are disowned, such lack of manners" the man tsk 3 times and the other man, with his fancy hat, leave Kitty alone.

"Hey, I take you are familiar with this environmental?" Kitty asked impressed.

"And I take you are new here? People, in this party and many other social events, are stupid is all I can say that´s nice" Kitty chuckles at that and agrees. "Can I ask for your name or I need someone of higher status to introduce me?"

"No, I´m not that lazy, my name is Kurt Darkholme" the man speaks gracefully.

"My name is Kitty Pryde, I´m here to finish something that people are far too incompetent to do"

"Bold assumption" Kurt speak amused"what you came to do?"

"Make all children have a nice education" and Kitty winks at the man as both ignore the stares and the guest talking, well, Kurt certainly didn´t ignore the man, but, is better pay attention in the new welcomer than Ex-Senator Kelly(disgraced in his own country) ______________________________ Nightcrawler, as Mystique instructed, found the Ex-Senator Kelly in his room and have no problem in killing him with one blow, however, Nightcrawler with his scarlet eyes noticed someone is watching his moves.

"Yep, I've got a feeling you would go after him, Nightcrawler is a big and scary Mutant right´s ally, of course, he would go after Kelly" a feminine voice can be heard but Kurt is not seeing anything.

Kurt leaves the room and the dead body to see where the voice is and have the right mind to not reply, yet, as the voice is too familiar. Lo, behold, Kitty Pryde wearing a black uniform waves at the azure man.

"Hello?" she says cheerfully waving at him as she is above the ground. "Man, I thought I could have stalled this for more time, either way, I´m here to fight you" Kitty replied and Nightcrawler can´t help by a chuckle, finally something interesting is happening in his life.

Kurt fought Ariel as much he could, maybe, it´s a way to show off as a part of him tell him to teleport away, however, the man couldn´t do this as they begin to spar.

(It was while since Kurt spar with someone in such level)

His tail wrapped around her ankle and a victorious smile play on his lips, only to leave as quickly as possible as her ankle phase away from the tail easily and Kitty take the tail to bring the man closer.

"Careful with your tail, someone with less noble intentions may hurt it or your handsome face, now, Nightcrawler" she speaks looking into his scarlet eyes "be careful, ok? next time don´t go for the obvious trap" and let the azure man go as Kitty flies away.

____________________________________

"Who is she?" Raven asked this question far too much for Kurt´s liking and maybe Kurt is starting to realize his mother´s excitement is not due to a new challenge "A woman? you talked with a woman for more than 5 minutes? Rogue!"

His sister shows up with her uniform cover with a few drops of blood, busy night, says the older sister.

"Do you know any Kitty Pryde? Our Little Kurt may have a crush" Raven replied far too amused.

"Not a crush, is just curiosity" Kurt Darkholme replied.

"Oh, my god!" Rogue and Raven ignore the anti-God´s propaganda Kurt is talking "Well, I know she is living with the Summers, I think, Remy mentioned that Scott and Jean are housing a new mutant woman with a similar name, I will confirm, but, this is amazing, Kurt congratulation"

"NOT A CRUSH, I DON´T HAVE CRUSHES"

"The author disagrees" Wade pipes in and Kurt Darkholme is confused by that.

[aroguebyanyothername]

//The misunfortunes of a pocket thief.

Our beloved Au ' Ra was having a rather peculiar and particular afternoon. She has lost her only steed. A fine-feathered chocobo, slightly on the fatter side. The bird had sharp talons and an equally deadly beak, but it was quite a cowardice bird. It would run from any danger that beckoned it. Followed promptly by a “squawk”. It was given to Kha ' Li by her father. When she was delivering papers down the road and halfway across Gridania.

Kha ' Li was never a big fan of birds. She thought that their eye's were much too beady and always looking at her with questionable stares. She believed, if given the choice, those big fat birds would peck her straight through. That she would become nothing but thimble.

It wasn't hard to compare her to her own cowardice chocobo. It took her ages before she'd sit flat on him.

Even as she did so she'd comment in a distraught voice, “Oh! Oh! He's going to throw me! No! No I-I'm telling you this time! I will be thrown!” Her Father always had to strap her in properly. He'd remind her it took her several long hours performing her job the old way than it did with her mount.

But those days of having to be strapped in by parent were past adventures. Nowadays she found her own strength to ride across realms.

Speaking of which, she found herself not only missing a bird, but also losing her way. She had traveled much farther than usual. A rogue mission gone sideways. She had to make a quick escape, but that had been weeks ago. She wasn't the type to appreciate being hunted, but that was one dilemma after the next. The Yellow Jacket Pirates had marked her for dead after her guild's last stunt. She expected persistent, but this. This was a mad dog hunt.

Regardless, as she walked in the only direction that felt less distracting she could see a city. It was completely different than her home town. But then again the girl belonged to the wild and the restless.

“How big this city is.” Her feet rested at the entrance. The part of the world that separated city and forest. Just an inch forwards and she'd be a tourist. She held up her hand, blocking out the bright city sun, “I will find myself even more lost if I venture another step forwards.”

She hesitated. Her face scrunching up at the thought. Her lower lip tightening. Almost pouting at her own thought, “Oh, but the smells are lovely here.” She could smell roses, lilacs, fresh baked bread, meats and even ale from local taverns.

She began to fidget. Standing still, but bent at the waist. Almost like her feet were the only thing refusing to move with the rest of her. She looked this way and that.

Damned be this curiosity of mine. She thought. The girl had a knack for adventure.

“A single peek shant harm me.” She decidedly thought. A small nod. Her footsteps taking a heavy march forwards. She had often found herself in curious positions from her own whimsical wanderings.

“Perhaps I can spoil myself with a little bit of banana ice cream. If they have any. After all, I did look for Alfred.” Alfred was the name she gave her chocobo. She thought the name would make her feel better about him. It didn't. But she thought it to be a very lovely name.

As she was looking around for anyone appearing to hold an ice cream cone she felt the quickest bump into her shoulder.

“How rude!” She scoffed. She was turning to lecture them on outside manners, but before she could even think to offer her fair share of words she could not locate where the individual disappeared too. She didn't realize that she had wandered into a crowd.

She felt something jutting out of her pockets however. Our white haired maiden was used to this feeling. Her daggers, which were openly out and pressed against her hips, sat against her pockets. A rogue was taught to reserve their pockets for bombs, potions, and escape plans. Gil was a rare one to keep on person.

As soon as she reached to see what had suddenly landed itself within her pockets she realized her mistake was in her actions. A shriek ripped through the crowd, “THIEF.” A finger was pointed quickly at Kha'Li.

Deep brown eyes flickered from the finger pointing at her to the direction she thought perhaps the actual thief took off to. When her eyes spotted them. A group of Yellow Jacket Pirates. Their outfits flashed a bright yellow tone. They were moving on her, and moving fast. Pushing through the crowd.

Things began to move in slow motion. They always did in these type of circumstances. When the blame was taken to the rogues. When danger crept in closer. She was taught that her adrenaline would rush and time would stand on it's hind quarters. Her pupils began to dilate. She glanced down once more at the stolen object that had been pushed in her pocket. She could hear muttering. People were beginning to glance at her.

She took off running.

@warhorsetrevelyan