#despite appearances: mantis is the worst

[wifihunters]

after.... 6 years lmao i finally got to debut adelpha's patron! aaaaand a player character immediately gave her his name😭i did not have a visual of her or her servants at the time, so... wips

[imthepunchlord]

Still on a Bugettes au kick, decided to dabble into ideas of the rainbow fairies (working off that for the Bugettes, they were known as fairies; which hey, if kwamis appear, this way the bugs can be their own thing). For the canon bugs, expect some slightly altered personalities, and changed up lore set up to work off this concept (like this is Europe's magical beings that make heroes).

Btw, all of these will work off Tikki's base concept art, as she's the easiest to do edits on.

Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Violet, Black, Gray, White

Rainbow Fairies: Taaraa the Indigo Mantis

Taaraa is mysterious, wise, and neutral. Of the fairies, she's regarded to be all knowing, the fairy that can see into the future and know what will be. And the big frustration is that she's rather secretive about it, though when she speaks, she speaks true, so her words, rare as they are, need to be listened to. Tied to indigo, Taaraa is known for her intuition, being orderly and poised, and to have integrity.

The truth about Taaraa is that, as the seer of fairies, she's learned not too long into her existence that there is no singular future. That there are many. There are things that are inevitable and will happen, such as death for humans, but when and how has no such date. She can see possibilities that will be, but that doesn't they will for sure happen, though some are more likely than others. Additionally, she discovered that actions made in the very present are what will shape the future. And in her youth of her role, she tried to influence outcomes, take the reins of fate, but it never worked out. Now she's vague and subtle in her guidance, having ideas for what will be best but making sure to not meddle with the flow of time too much for time is a chaotic beast that dislikes being controlled. Taaraa is often criticized to overthink and over complicate, and she snips back that they no idea what she knows and what she sees.

In terms of romance, Taaraa largely stays out of it. She does look down upon it and find it to be a distraction, but won't discourage it. Much like all her views, what it will be will be. It's up to the romantic hopefuls to shape their own fate.

Working with humans, Taaraa is mainly hands off. It mostly stems from fear of over meddling with time and fate, as they're so fickle and despite all her years, she doesn't know where to draw the line. She doubts she'll ever know. So she lets her humans be, let their own fate play out with minimal influence from her part. But she will still advise and guide her human, she does encourage humans to be responsible, live with integrity, and to be introspective. And if need be, she will inspire, speak true of what may come, and offer the slightest nudge in what she perceives to be the right direction. Just, very delicately. With how she goes about things, she's thought to be the most distant and aloof of the fairies. And while she is on the quiet side, she does care more than most of her humans and even her comrades, will know.

When selecting a human, Taaraa would rather pick a human who will not need as much guidance, someone who does not desire to know the future, who will take their fate in their own hands and pave the way forward. But this is incredibly rare so she extends her desires to someone who holds values in truth and are brilliant, as she likes to work off clever minds, get a sense of how humans think and problem solve. There are times she will also approach those in need of structure, seeing them head towards their worst fate with how they are now, and need some nudging to change themselves and what comes.

[starsnscales]

I never use this tumblr account for anything but I really just wanted to post a really really long thought here.

I am autistic! This is relevant to what I'm talking about I promise.

I have a really heard time socializing with people, it's a problem. I haven't had much social interaction outside of family for over 5 years. I have very little interest in socializing, but have a very deep yearning to make friends. I have been shunned, misunderstood, and bullied by people for years for being "different". Due to this, I formed a large attachment to animals at a really young age. Dogs, cats, birds, fish, etc. I have pets and I love them dearly... But for some reason, the deepest connection I have with any type of animal are fish.

Fish are one of my special interests, but so are dogs! I feel connected to fish on a very weird emotional and mental level. They make me calm. I used to have 2 goldfish and I would sit and talk to them for hours when my boyfriend wasn't home. When I would get dissociated, I would sit beside the tank and just watch them swim. It made me feel better. Unfortunately, the goldfish recently passed away due to health issues from recent incidents that heavily impacted their health. Hurricane Helene left our water, power, and gas supply low for ages. I wasn't able to get more supplies to help them out, but they were fighters. I went and checked on them a few days ago and they passed away. I was so devastated. I had those fish for 3+ years. I wasn't devastated just because I love them though; I lost a part of myself when they died too. I cried for hours, it was the worst cry I have had in years. I still look at the empty tank and get upset.

But a part of me feels missing now that they're gone. Maybe it is the lack in routine I had with them. Maybe it was the deep routed connection I had with them. I'm not sure. Their little tank was a sense of comfort for me, they were a comfort for me. Bubba and Bug were their names (One was a Fantail Goldfish and the other was a Black Moore Goldfish, I'll put little pictures here at the end). My boyfriend wants cats, I want a black and orange one to name Bubba and Bug. I wouldn't find the same love or personal connection to them though, so it would just be a somber reminder of their death.

My family says I loved them too much; I spent too much time with the fish rather than people. These fish never made fun of me though. They never laughed at me, never made fun of my appearance, never made me feel alone. Unlike the people that are supposed to love me, they seemingly enjoyed my company. They would swim around when I talked to them, would follow my finger when I would drag it across the tank when talking. They were good friends.

I've always loved aquariums too. The fish are always beautiful, I feel so at peace despite the noise when I'm there. I get overwhelmed easily, but I could stare at just the coral and drown everything out. All my worries melt away. It's just me and the fish.

I want to sleep under an aquarium one day. Or to have a large tank in my room to give the effect of such.

Maybe it's because I'm autistic and I enjoy the fact that these creatures are easily understood. A simple routine. I cannot speak to them, but regardless they find happiness in my presence. The feeling is mutual. I take care of them physically, they (unintentionally) take care of me emotionally and mentally.

Bug was the black moore and Bubba was the fantail.

My favorite aquatic animals of all time are:

Cory Catfish (especially the Albino ones, I had 6 named the Sex Pistols after the band and JJBA. There are six but of course it went 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7!)

Peacock Mantis Shrimp! So coloful.

Neocaridina Shrimp! Super colorful and super cute.

Crabs! All crabs honestly but especially the Horseshoe Crab (I have a Squishable of one ^^).

Glow Ringed Octo! I love all bioluminescent critters.

Angel Fish! So elegant.

Many, many more but I will spare you the rambling.

If you read this, thank you, like genuinely. It means a lot. Feel free to leave your thoughts! It's nice to see if people relate. ^^

[lyranova]

Omnes Sumus Peccatores: Love is Rich with Both Honey and Venom

Chapter 2: The Confused Man and the Morning Sick Woman

Hiya guys, I hope you’re all doing well! I’m sorry that I’ve taken a while with thid chapter, I had it 98% done for a while but IRL has kind of kept me from being able to finish it…but now life has kind of slowed down a bit so I was finally able to finish it! The chapters with Zera and William will all, or mostly, be split between the past and the present, but i’ll try and have them marked so people won’t get confused! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy~!

Word Count: 3,087

Warnings: Swearing, Suggestive Themes, Morning Sickness, Mentions of Pregnancy, Dante (he needs his own warning 🤷🏻‍♀️)

————

5 Years Earlier

Zera watched as all the Mafia families in Clover city gathered in the elegant ballroom. This was an annual event where all the families mixed and mingled, where deals were made, and where grievances were discussed.

But when things between the families grew too heated they were instantly thrown out. That was the one rule for this event; you did not fight, and you didn’t not argue. Heated debates and discussions were allowed, but anything more was strictly forbidden.

She sipped her champagne and looked around the ballroom. There were 9 major families now; There was The Golden Dawn, a relatively new family that had been climbing up the ladder the last few months and was now the second most influential family.

Then there were the Silver Eagles; who were considered one of the oldest families in the room. Their matriarch, Acier Silva, stood elegantly beside her younger children as she politely spoke with Mereoleona Vermillion.

Mereoleona was a member of the Crimson Lions family; their leader was her younger brother, Fuegoleon, and he was currently trying to keep their youngest brother Leopold out of trouble while simultaneously trying to work out a deal with Nozel Silva of the Silver Eagles.

Her ice blue eyes shifted to the other side of the room where The Coral Peacock family; led by Dorothy Unsworth, the Green Mantis family led by Jack the Ripper, and the Purple Orca family led by Kaiser Granvorka stood. They weren’t the most powerful families, nor were they the weakest.

The Blue Rose family stood a bit away from the others. They were led by Charlotte Roselei and were almost a completely all female family, and if there were any males in that family they tended to be treated as errand boys or less. Although, there was a little rumor floating around that a lot of her family members were in relationships despite all of them having ‘sworn off’ relationships with men.

Then there was the Aqua Deer family, they used to go by the Grey Deer, but after a few changes in leadership they decided to rebrand themselves. So, now they were known as the Aqua Deer and were considered the ‘youngest’ family despite actually being one of the oldest. They were currently being led by Morgen Faust.

Finally, there was the Black Bulls who were being led by Yami Sukehiro. They were one of the newest mafia families, and were considered to be the worst of the worst. They caused a lot of chaos and damage whenever they appeared, and were known for being the loudest and most rambunctious family out of the nine. Tonight only served to prove that as the Black Bulls were being loud and rowdy as they parties and had fun.

Zera smiled as she watched them; aside from her own family, the Black Bulls were her second favorite mafia family. They were just so…free, and chaotic, and just themselves! They didn’t care what people thought, they just marched to the beat of their own drum, and it was just really amazing to see.

If she were to join any family; it would be theirs.

“ Are you thinking about leaving us?” A familiar voice asked, and she smirked before turning around.

“ Of course not papa, I would never think to do that,” She replied as she saw her father, Rika, head of the Cassia family walking up to her.

“ Of course you wouldn’t,” He agreed as he also took a sip of his champagne. “ But just in case you ever decide to, I wouldn’t be upset if you married Yami and joined his family.”

Zera chuckled and shook her head.

“ Yami’s not my type,” She explained as she looked the man across the room up and down. “ He’s too…meaty.”

Rika choked and sputtered on his champagne at his daughters words.

“ Too meaty?!” Zera nodded sadly.

“ Yes. Unfortunately, I prefer my men to be more…willow branch like as opposed to bull like,” She said in a sad, tragic sounding voice, making Rika chuckle.

“ So you prefer men like Jack the Ripper?” He asked and her blue eyes glanced over at the tall, stick like man.

“ I also prefer my men less blood thirsty,” She replied as she took another sip of her drink, making her father sigh and shake his head.

“ Must you always be so picky?”

“ You always told me to keep my standards high, so I’m just doing as you said,” She responded with a soft smile. “ And besides; with such an amazing and loving man such as you who raised me, how can my standards not be high?”

Rika felt his chest swell with pride at Zera’s words. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulled her close, and placed a small kiss on the top of her head.

“ I always knew you were my favorite child,” He sniffled jokingly, making Zera laugh.

“ Yeah we all know she is your favorite,” Zera’s brother Casper said as he walked over to them. “ Dad, we need you outside; Felix and Meino are about to brawl with a couple of members of the Crimson Lions again!”

Rika sighed and hung his head; of course those two were going to start trouble.

“ I’ll be right back, and please try to stay out of trouble until I do,” He pleaded with his youngest child, and she grinned at him.

“ No promises!”

Rika groaned and gave her a look that said ‘please don’t. The last thing I need tonight is another child getting into trouble!’ before he quickly followed Casper.

Zera chuckled before turning to look back out at the ballroom, where everyone was now dancing. She hummed softly along with the melodic music that echoed through the spacious room, her eyes closing slightly as her body began to sway.

She wasn’t much of a dancer, but for some reason, right now, she really wished someone would ask her to dance.

“ May I?” A male’s voice asked from beside her, and she opened her eyes.

It seems like an angel decided to grant her wish, and as she turned to accept his offer she instantly groaned. It wasn’t an angel that granted her wish; but a devil.

A very, very mean devil.

“ Well? Care to dance?” Dante Zogratis, a member of law enforcement who had been trying to get the mafia families on something for months, asked with a sleazy grin and his hand outstretched towards her.

Zera rolled her eyes and began to walk away; this man, if one could call him that, was the last person she would ever want to dance with.

“ Where are you going, Zera?” He asked as he began to follow her.

“ Away from you obviously,” She snapped, not even turning around to look at him.

Since Dante, as well as his siblings who were all in law enforcement as well, had infiltrated the inner circles of the families he had decided to make moves on all of the prominent women in every mafia family, hoping to get some kind of information out of them as well as a good ‘fuck’ as he put it.

Recently, Zera had been his latest target; but instead of giving up and moving on like he did with the rest of the women, he just kept pestering her, over and over and over again.

She had to give it to him; his determination was admirable.

“ Now Zera don’t be like that,” He began, his voice feigning hurt as he followed her. “ You know I’m the only man here who could ever make you happy, so why don’t you just say yes to my proposal? That way everyone can be happy.”

Zera scoffed before turning around on her heel to face him.

“ Is that so?” She asked with a raised brow, her arms crossing under her chest as she gave him a very annoyed look.

“ Yes, we both know that I’m probably the richest, most handsome man in this room,” Dante gloated as he gestured around the room. “ Not to mention that I’m also great in bed,” He added as he leaned in close to her.

Zera openly laughed.

“ If you were really great in bed would you feel the need to announce it to everyone?” She questioned with a smirk.

Coughs and chuckles could be heard echoing throughout the ballroom as people eavesdropped on their conversation, which made Zera smirk a bit; she always did manage to gather an audience when she was putting people in their places.

Dante’s eyebrow twitched in anger, and she could see his jaw tense as he tried to keep his temper at bay.

“ What was that?”

“ You heard me!” She exclaimed boldly. “ I said if you were so great in bed then you wouldn’t feel the need to announce it!”

The room again began to chuckle, making Dantes jaw tense even more.

“ Now Zera-!”

“ Besides I don’t care how great you are ‘in bed’ because I,” She glanced around the room for a moment before her eyes caught a glimmer of someone's coat. “ I-I already have a boyfriend!”

Dante raised a suspicious eyebrow.

“ You do?”

“ Yep, and he’s right here!” She announced as she grabbed the person closest to her and pulled him to her side.

The room went silent, but one could easily sense the confusion and surprise amongst the guests.

“ Him?”

“ M-Me?!” The voice beside her exclaimed in confusion, and Zera’s head immediately snapped in his direction.

Her blue eyes widened and her jaw dropped slightly as she stared at the very shocked face of William Vangeance; the leader of the Golden Dawn family!

“ Shit! Why did it have to be him?!” She thought in panic as she glanced from him to Dante and back again.

Well, this would just have to do…

“Yep, this is my boyfriend, William Vangeance!” She repeated with the brightest smile she could muster. “ He’s smart, handsome, wealthy, and makes me see the gates of heaven every night we make hot, passionate love together! Isn’t that right darling?”

Williams face turned so red that one might mistake him for a stop light if they weren’t paying attention.

How…how did he end up in this mess? All he did was walk over in order to diffuse the situation, but now he was somehow in the middle of it?!

Dante was glaring at him, Yami was howling with laughter as he was watching the scene unfold, and he was currently dying of embarrassment.

He had never met this woman even once but now she’s claiming they had hot, passionate sex every night? Was she crazy?!

—————

Present Day

William closed his bedroom door with a tired sigh; that…had been a very awkward introduction between Neva and Yuno. The two had looked each other over silently before William began to explain the situation; and he could sufficiently say that neither one was very pleased at the idea of partnering up.

But, there was no way they could disobey the order of The King.

After telling the two to talk and get to know one another for the day, he decided to invite them both over for dinner, hoping that maybe Zera could help break the tension between them.

Speaking of, where was his fiancé?

“ Zera? Are you here?” He called as he began to look around their living quarters, he heard a soft groan come from their bedroom.

“ Zera?” He called again, and was once again met with a groan.

He began to quickly walk towards the sound and opened their bedroom door to see his fiancé lying curled up on the bed.

“ Zera?” He called softly for a third time, he watched as she slowly opened her eyes to look at him.

“ You’re home,” She began softly as a bright but tired smile appeared on her face. “ I would get up and give you a kiss, but your little seedling has decided to be very bad today by giving me an awful case of afternoon sickness.”

William blinked for a moment.

“ My little seedling?” He repeated in confusion as he slowly took his shoes off and began to unbutton his suit jacket.

“ Yes, your little seedling,” She confirmed with a pointed expression. “ You know, the one you planted inside my garden about six or seven weeks ago?”

He smirked a bit as he took off his suit jacket and threw it onto the cushioned bench that sat at the end of their bed.

“ But darling, if I remember correctly; weren’t you the one asking, no, begging me to plant my seed inside your garden over and over again until one finally took root?” He asked with a mock confused tone as he crawled onto the bed and towards his wife.

Zera smirked a bit before she quickly pouted.

“ Maybe. But just to clarify things; I didn’t beg you…I ordered you to.” She said as she looked at him over her shoulder.

William chuckled before nodding in agreement as he laid down behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her close to him.

“ You did, and there’s no way I could disobey an order from the Queen.” He muttered softly as he placed a kiss against her shoulder, then her neck, and finally her cheek.

A soft hum escaped her as she leaned her head back against his chest, the warmth radiating from his body made her body feel more relaxed and caused her intense nausea to dissipate slightly.

“ How did Neva take the news of needing to have a partner?” Zera asked softly, her eyes closing a bit as she grew more and more sleepy in his embrace.

“ About as well as I expected her to,” He replied softly as he buried his face into the crook of her neck.

“ So, not well at all?”

William chuckled before nodding slowly.

“ Not well at all.” He repeated, making her sigh.

She had a feeling that would happen. It was very well known to everyone that Neva didn’t work well with others unless it was William, he was the only person she would willingly work with, so for her to now be forced to work with others in order to stay in the family…she could only imagine how terrible of a reaction Neva had.

“ But she did choose a partner,” William said, making Zera’s eyes snap open in surprise before she rolled over to face her husband.

“ Really? Who?”

“ Yuno.”

“ Yuno?! The new kid?” She asked in disbelief, and her brows raised considerably when he nodded. “ Why would she want to work with him?”

“ Because, according to Neva, he can give an unbiased evaluation,” William explained. “ Which I have to agree with; if she were to work with Langris or Alecdora their reports would be very biased against her because of their history with each other.”

“ So this is the best way to get an accurate assessment on Neva’s improvements.”

Zera nodded slowly as she listened to her fiancé explain; they had a point, this would be the best way to get an accurate assessment, but still, she couldn’t help but worry.

“ What’ll you do if Yuno’s assessment of Neva is the same as Alecdora’s and Langris’s?” She asked softly, and she watched as William’s eyes searched hers for a moment before they slowly closed in thought.

“ I’m not really sure,” He admitted quietly. “ I told her that she would have to leave the family but…I don’t think I could make her do that.”

She nodded again slowly, she knew of William and Neva’s history together, and knew that this was the only place she knew and the only family she had ever had. So if he were to force Neva to leave…she wouldn’t have anywhere else to go.

“ Well, if you want my opinion,” Zera began as she reached up and placed a hand against the side of his face. “ I don’t think it’ll come to that, I think everything will work out between them.”

William’s eyes slowly opened and his brow furrowed.

“ How do you know that?”

Zera hummed.

“ Let’s just call it a woman’s intuition?” She said mysteriously, which only made his brows furrow more.

It was probably one of Zera’s many ‘gut feelings’ that she tended to get every now and then when it came to things that involved the family and it’s members…

“ By the way,” Zera continued, changing the subject. “ Is Neva still coming by for dinner tonight?”

Her fiancé blinked in surprise at the sudden change of subject, but nodded.

“ She said she would, but after our meeting I wouldn’t be surprised if she canceled at the last minute since I also asked Yuno to join.” William said with a chuckle, making her sigh and shake her head in disapproval.

“ I’m sure she’ll still come, because if she doesn’t, she knows I’ll never forgive her for it.” Zera told him with a small pout.

William chuckled again and nodded in agreement before he pulled her towards him and held her close.

“ We still have some time before dinner,” He muttered as he leaned his face down towards hers. “ We could take a nap, or maybe we could do something a little more…fun?” He suggested warmly, a hint of seduction in his voice.

Zera smirked at him as her hand slid from his face to his chest.

“ A little more fun, huh? What kind of fun did you have in mind?” She asked, her voice playful and flirty as she moved her face closer to his, their lips now only mere inches from each other.

William hummed, his eyes gazing down at her lips for a moment before slowly working their way back up to her face.

“ Perhaps the kind that doesn’t involve any clothes?” He suggested lustfully, and that only caused her smirk to widen.

“ I was hoping you would say that.” She muttered softly as their lips moved closer…and closer…and closer…

But just as they were about to touch, Zera’s hand immediately shot up to clamp over her mouth, and she pulled her face away from his.

“ Sorry!” She muttered quickly before climbing over him, getting out of bed, and rushing over to their bathroom where, as soon as she closed the door, William could hear her retching into the toilet.

A sad sigh escaped him as he sat up, climbed out of bed, and began to walk to the bathroom so he could hold Zera’s hair back.

Later, he would have to remind their child to try and be a little nicer to their mama and not make her so sick over the next few months.

————

Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you all have a good day~!

[marvelousmop]

Mop's 2023

So, what have I gotten up to this year? Let's talk about this for far too long.

Jenny Over-There:

(Art by the [Complimentary Adjective] @aristidetwain)

Despite my initial assumption that Jenny Over-There would just be a one-off character I'd never used again, "Jenny Over-There - The 925 Universe" went on with five main-line stories, + 1 spinoff in the form of The Rhino Tower, and +2 Appearances in Arcbeatle Press Anthologies (The Cosmology of Sherlock Holmes and, more recently Coloth: Book of the Snowstorm)!

Over the course of the year, she's been relented to several frustrating situations including phone calls, a fake kidnapping (which I suppose is a step up from the real kidnapping that happened earlier), taking up the Man in Grey's job for the day and, worst of all, being relegated to the role of Side-Character in Lawyers and Tigers and Bears.

Speaking of, that Man in Grey sure did go through some developments, didn't he... There's some domino meme you could make that starts off with "Writing a novelisation featuring bootleg Cybermen" and ends with "Writing a human-presenting entity dating a giant humanoid mantis man"... Good for him!

The weirdest consequence of this has to be how this affected Doctor Know-It-All's character, since, in the Oz series, Professor Wogglebug is enlarged by a character named "Professor Nowitall" which, you may notice, is basically the same name... so Doctor Know-It-All is the Wogglebug's adoptive father now. Good for him! But this also changed the Professor's standing in Oz society, somewhat, since Oz does tend to put magic users in higher positions of power, which lead to the retcon in Lawyers and Tigers and Bears where it's revealed the Professor basically just asked his father to undo his banishment (as seen in A Series of Queer Events). Good golly.

Jenny Everywhere:

For the first time, I wrote about the OG Jenny in celebration of Jenny Everywhere Day! While The Rhino Tower features quite a few connections to the 925 Universe (featuring the 925 Universe's Jenny Everywhere, the Conan parody rendition of Grant Farrel/Thor, and even Albrecht D. Whipple, while not actually being from the 925 universe, is the nephew of the wizard cult leader, Artemas H. Whipple), I intended it to be readable without that knowledge.

Similarly, while it is a loose parody of the Conan story The Elephant in the Tower, it very much can be read without knowing that story (or indeed some of the other stories it references, including The Alchemist by H.P. Lovecraft, and The Black Tower by R.H. Barlow, the latter of which I wouldn't even reasonably expect anyone to get).

Also, I did a cover for it! Don't know where that blast of mild artistry came from, but I do know I haven't seen it since.

Work that has actually seen a competent editor:

While my talents certainly haven't gotten me far this year, I can always depend on Arcbeatle Press. For the April Fools anthology The Cosmology of Sherlock, I contributed two segments: Sherlock Versus Herlock (wherein Sherlock Holmes and Watson encounter Herlock Sholmes and Wilson) and Dark Dealings (wherein Watson takes a sponsorship deal from the Man in Grey - this was also referenced in Annals of the Jen).

More recently, I wrote the story Jenny Over-There's Wonderful Life for the anthology Coloth: The Book of the Snowstorm, wherein Jenny encounters a slightly overzealous angel who shows her just what the world would be like if she was gone (and if you think that sounds unoriginal, don't worry, I'm still working on a Christmas Carol pastiche).

I also contributed two pieces to the The Crew of the Copper Colored Cupids series: Crash Bang Wallop (a very very very very loose Fight Club parody - more of the book's writing style than anything), and Cupid Fact File - 150 Chaotic Crew of the Copper-Colored Cupids Chortlers (inspired by a video I saw of this terrible joke book claiming to somehow have "Over 150 Great Pizza Jokes" - you can tell they were really stumped on how to live up to this promise, since three of the jokes have the premise of throwing a pizza into a lake, with the punchline being a lake pun).

What's Next?

I wasn't joking about doing a Christmas Carol retelling, I am writing that one... and it's going to be a big one. And it's not really Christmas-related (unlike last year's "A Very Jenny Over-There Christmas"), so I feel comfortable just releasing it whenever it's finished. Hopefully soon.

It's also been advertised in the back of a few Arcbeatle Press books at this point, so I guess I can comfortably say that I have written for Academy 27 Season 2! I won't say much about this story, except for it being a sequel to "Hall Pass".

Of course, I never plan too far, but I do have hopes for what 2024 will bring. I hope I get to work with more of the wonderful associates I've met since I started writing professionally, and I hope I get to know some of the newer faces that have popped up recently. I hope I stay creative, even as my life gets busier, and I hope this output reaches people and they enjoy it. I know there's such a thing as just writing for yourself, but also I do want my work to be seen by an understandably small audience that gets a quick chuckle. I hope I read more, and I hope that the price for miscellaneous baked goods goes down.

Happy New Year (but only to people who could be bothered to read this far)!

[brw]

Here’s a tough one for you. Which comics characters got the most fucked up by the mcu? Who did they do the most dirty?

WELL, the obvious answer for me is mcu wanda maximoff. she's been whitewashed to the point of being unrecognisable (why does she have bright orange hair?? who fuckin knows!!), her powers are basically jean grey's but redder?? even her magic that wanda learned later seems to be an extension of telekinesis and telepathy and not, ya know, actual magic shit. her costume looks like it's been made of cheap plastic, it's ugly and anyone calling it "comic accurate" (you guys care more abt a comic accurate suit than... whitewashing....) owes me £300.

HOWEVER. this has been talked about extensively by a lot of people who have covered it in far more detail and depth than i ever have. so i'm gonna talk abt some other characters fucked up mcu adaptions, half because it's important to here and half because i was already considering writing posts abt these guys so thank you for enabling me anon!

MONICA RAMBEAU - monica, you know, first person to take on the captain marvel mantle?? one of the most powerful characters in marvel comics, lead the avengers for years, travelled to a satallite in space and back in less than a second, etc etc? faster than quicksilver, basically a immortal, could take carol if it came down to it? what was she in the movies oh yeah a child at first and then a character's who's sole motivation was to defend a white woman's mental breakdown that took the lives of an entire town away from them yup okay.

JANET VAN DYNE - founding member of the avengers person who convinced them to stay together the one who gave them their name who has lead them on more than one occassion, that janet van dyne. who's the founding lady in the mcu, uhh, fucking black widow??? like... what?????? and when it came to the actual ant-man movie she'd been replaced by an au daughter! not even her actual adopted daughter, nadia, a weird au character that is essentially jan but make her a little meaner. janet is, if you ask me, the most important of the first avenger. she's vital to the whole thing and they sidelined her for scarjo. you can imagine my fucking rage!

HANK PYM - like jan, he was replaced, by hawkeye's really boring abled imposter. maybe they thought it'd be too much for them to have TWO neurodiverse scientists on the same team, but his erasure was very prominent to me, ESPECIALLY in age of ultron. ultron without the family drama does not work! the whole thing was that ultron had his brainwaves too, it was an incredibly uncomfortable, sobering reflection of hank as a villain. without that it was just??? where is the interesting dynamics of this! what also rlly pissed me off is that mcu aou is based, obviously, off the comic event age of ultron two years prior. you know what the final message of this comic was? that hank pym, a deeply flawed person who'd made so many mistakes was still important and vital to the world. when he was taken out of the world, everything went to shit. when he came back, he decided to life life without regrets, because he realised his own worth in the world. hank has been... deeply suicidal at points, and as someone who's been there and is neurodiverse like hank this story was one that meant so much to me. and they changed that so tony stark could feel bad, maybe. you can imagine my fucking anger.

THE VISION - listen i do think mcu vision had potential to be an interesting portrayal of the character. vision by nature is a very negative character who has a lot of self hate and conflict based around their own personhood and trying to be human. mcu vision had none of that, and was a more cosmic being. i was interested to see how it worked! and instead of expanding on that, vision's only personality traits seemed to be "dies a lot" and "whitewashed wendy's love interest". like, comic vision is MEAN, that's the thing. i love the vision because they are RUDE, because they openly say that they hate humans, because they're oftentimes violent when allowed and very melodramatic and drama driven. they are a character marked by sad purple prose. mcu vision is just... so nice. where's their unbridled aggression? there was a hint of them being snarky in aou and then it never came up again. mcu vision started out so strong and then immediately fell flat into the mud. i am so incredibly tired.

MANTIS - oh lord, what did they do to her. mantis in comics is a half vietnamese, half cotai/kree experiment empath trained in martial arts who took out thor in her first appearance. this, to be fair, has some not great racial stereotypes. but making her a meek wallflower who delighted in being called ugly and disturbing by drax is just... like, what??? steve englehart at least also made her surprisingly nuanced; despite being interested in wanda's lover, vision, she never once was cruel or mean or showed anything other than kindness to wanda, she stood up for her fellow women, and he also loved her so much he put her in dc when he wrote there for a moment, which honstly, based as fuck. gunn just wrote a gross infantilised version of her, like honestly the difference between her and comic mantis is vast. they kept her powerful, i guess, but the personality she has is honestly so disrespectful to mantis. makes zero sense, either.

there's honestly way more if i was to think on it for a bit, but i'm pretty tired and i feel like this is enough for now. like i said, wanda (and pietro, but i guess he got out early by. dying.) is definitely the worst adapted, but i have problems with a lot of others.

[infinityreview]

Review: The Bultrak

Welcome to Infinity Review, a blog where I review new Infinity miniatures releases. I’ve been playing Infinity and collecting and painting the miniatures for about 10 years, and I love talking about them! I started this blog both to share my thoughts and encourage more discussion about this great miniatures line. I've been away for a few years, but now I’m back!

If you’re interested you can find my review criteria here.

Today I’m looking at the Bultrak, a new TAG for the recently reimagined Morat Aggression Forces. The first images of this model (above) were released about a month ago, and if you’ve been hanging around the Infinity community you may have seen some very negative comments about it. Including mine. I usually  try to save my criticism for my reviews, but I was struck by how much I REALLY disliked this design, despite some very compelling elements. In fact, I think its probably the worst Infinity design in recent memory. Debate over this model has been fierce, and there are certainly people who seem to like it quite a bit. With that in mind I want to once again say that taste is always subjective, and just because I give something a poor review doesn’t mean you’re wrong to like it. Now that painted photos are available and the model’s release is imminent lets dig in for a full review!

Bultrak Mobile Armored Regiment (Combined Army/Morat Aggression Force) Sculpted by: ??? Painted by: ??? Design (2): I have a lot to say about the Bultrak’s design, so lets start with what I like. First, I really want to congratulate Corvus Belli on trying something very different with this design. CB has a history of taking design risks and trying new things, but when it comes to TAGs they often stick with relatively conservative designs. Infinity TAGs nearly all look fantastic, so why deviate much from the formula? Especially when there's so much to explore within that formula. The Bultrak is one of the few TAGs that strays away from they typical humanoid form, which gives it an immediately distinctive silhouette. Its STILL a humanoid shape, but its clearly not meant to be just a big human (or in the case of the original Raicho, a big Morat). What the Bultrak does resemble is a very large Hungry (the Alien species composed of Gakis and Pretas), and this resemblance gives the TAG both an immediately distinctive identity and suggests an obvious role on the battlefield (although that suggestion is misleading). The Bultrak LOOKS like an Alien machine, a feat that the otherwise excellent two previous Morat TAGs were unable to accomplish. It’s most distinctive features are the two enormous mantis-like close combat blades mounted to the TAG’s arms, but the distinctly hunched posture, low set head and thick legs all lend to the image that this is an enormous mechanical Hungry. The arms and legs of the Bultrak are especially nicely realized. I've noticed that many of the new Morat designs have an almost industrial look, and while the Bultrak is explicitly a military weapon it’s limbs have a clear mechanical functionality that makes it easy to imagine how they work.  Unfortunately, there are several elements that sabotage what could have been a really great design.  First and most obviously, the pilot harness. The pilot harness is ridiculous! A number of people have compared the Bultrak with the Nomad Lizard, since both TAGs feature a pilot harness that is very visible. However, the Lizard’s harness is a full enclosure that forms the body of the TAG, with limbs connected to it. The harness makes the operator’s shape plain, but the pilot is fully protected and inside the TAG.  In contrast, The Bultrak’s pilot isn't located in the center of the TAG. Instead he’s hanging off the front. The pilot’s head is lodged inside the TAG’s chest, and because of the model’s hunched over posture the harness hangs straight down from the chest between the TAG’s legs. This creates a bizarre appearance where the pilot looks like its hanging from the TAG’s chest like a partially detached baby carrier*. The harness has the unfortunate side effect of making the TAGs head look like its actually the pilot’s head. I mean, it obviously isn’t, and I don’t think anyone would think so, but because of the position the pilot looks like he’s wearing an enormous bobble-head helmet. It just looks silly. So does the harness itself. The pilot’s head is the only part that’s actually inside the TAG, and he’s gripping a pair of control bars that very much make him look like he’s using a periscope. That would be an interesting idea if the pilot wasn’t hanging out of the TAG. Unfortunately the harness’ foot rests and the column that connects them to the rest of the harness makes the pilot look like he’s riding on a Segway scooter or a giant mechanical pogo stick. The combination of the dangling pilot and the periscope pogo stick looks incredibly silly. What's even more jarring is that this is a TAG that leaves it’s pilot completely exposed. Unlike the Lizard, the the Bultrak’s pilot is totally unprotected by the TAG, except for his head. TAGs are described as mobile armored weapon platforms, but as far as I know this is the only one that doesn’t let the pilot benefit from that armor. In another army that might not seem so strange, but in MAF where every Morat looks like they’re wearing armor stripped from a tank having an exposed pilot seems incredibly out of character. Especially for what appears to be a close combat oriented TAG**. Its not hard to imagine a Shaolin Monk, Knight or Morlock easily stabbing the exposed pilot to death the moment it got anywhere near them. What good is armor if you’re not actually inside it? Several other small details stand out as weird or unsatisfying. The TAG’s main gun looks like a prop from a low budget 60′s sci-fi movie or an 80′s GI Joe toy. It’s overly simply boxy design bears no resemblance to any other Morat weapon, and the way it’s mounted onto the TAG’s back seems extremely awkward, as if it were an afterthought to the design. The gun is accompanied by an interesting looking ammo cannister. Or at least that’s what I assume it is. It’s also very awkwardly mounted to the TAG’s back, and the two elements are connected by a somewhat primitive looking hose. The hose is kind of novel and unique, but the combination of the three elements looks like a random pile of discarded home appliances stacked on the TAGs back. While I do like the overall design of the Bultrak’s arms, the built-in pistols and their ammo cylinders seem really silly to me. The positioning makes it look like they’d be difficult to actually aim, and difficult to use along with the giant blades. The blades themselves are very cool, but they also seem awkward to use. The Bultrak LOOKS like a Hungry, but it doesn’t really have the body shape of a Hungry that would allow these weapons to really work. Or that’s how it seems to me. I’d be curious to see how this TAG actually moves and fights. Speaking of moving... The biggest problem with this TAG’s design may not be obvious at first, and you’d probably have to look at all three of the photos I’ve posted here to notice. The TAG doesn’t appear to be able to walk. You’ll notice that its legs are spread out very wide in a pretty cool action pose. That's because it can’t actually close its legs since the pilot harness is in the way. Looking at the model from all angles, its clear that the upper thighs would knock into the pilot every time it took a step.  Its hips aren’t wide enough to walk with the pilot between its legs. I don’t even think it can waddle.

Sculpt (8): As much as I don’t like the Bultrak’s design, I’m fairly impressed by it’s sculpting. There’s a LOT going on here! The Bultrak has several different interesting textures, included smooth rounded mechanical plating, soft flexible tubing and hard edged perforated blades. Nearly every bit of this model is well sculpted! I’m not a fan of the pilot harness, but it’s placement does create an interesting depth and volume that I don’t think I’ve seen in any other TAG. I really do wish the sculptor had been able to do something with the TAG’s main cannon. It’s so generically boxy and dull, and looks so poor compared to the nicely designed range of Morat weaponry. There is an odd omission on the back side of the TAG’s right leg. The left leg has a recess that the cannister protruding from the model’s heel can fit into. The right leg is missing this recess. That's hardly worth mentioning, but its the one flaw in an otherwise nicely sculpted model.

Pose (8): What a nice pose!  A lot of TAGs get stuck with a pretty generic “dude with a  gun” pose, but the Bultrak actually look like its about to jump into action or is in mid swing with one of it’s enormous weapons. The wide stance, with one leg up on the rocky scenery element  looks great, even if it was necessitated by the mode’s inability to close it’s legs. I’m not a fan of the pilot harness at all, but the pilot’s slight body twist, mirrored in the TAG’s head, gives the whole thing a great sense of motion. Just this little detail makes the head look extremely animated, and enhances the idea that this is a giant Hungry. This is a great example of how a good pose can add character to something like an expressionless robot.

Overall score: 6/10 You’ll be able to purchase the Bultrak and other May releases from the Corvus Belli online store. * Yes, I know “Baby Carrier” is a lazy meme. If you’re a 40K player you suffered through years of Space Marine fans comparing any robot with a chest mounted pilot to a baby carrier, whether the description fit or not. But in this case I think the comparison is sadly accurate. ** There's been quite a bit of discussion about what the Bultrak’s role actually is, and the consensus seems to be that the big gun makes it more suited for long range fire support than close combat. That said, the Bultrak certainly LOOKS like its meant for close combat.

[book-dragon-etcetera]

Why Mantis and Loki should be a thing; fight me (please don’t I swear I’m nice).

What makes a good relationship subplot? Actually, scratch that – this is the MCU, we don’t go for mediocrity – what makes the best relationship subplots? It can vary, but my favourites, the ones that keep me digging and digging, coming back every time I think of a new angle (you’re in the fandom tags, you know what I’m talking about) always tie into the wider story. They feed character growth; allow new concepts to be explored; fit in with and in some cases represent the greater themes of a story.

In case you haven’t guessed, I’m going to be arguing that Loki and Mantis could be something along those lines. Something great. One of the best, most interesting relationships of modern screenwriting. I know, okay!! I know, it feels weird as anything – it’s taken me a while, too. But bear with me, and worst-case scenario, you’ll have a new take on a fascinating pair of characters.

Before I put the two together though, I feel like I need to do a little character study for Mantis. So far, she has had little to no clear development and without serious thought of your own, she seems entirely one-dimensional; two at best. In case you have not plugged hours and hours of thought into a character with barely ten minutes of screen-time, here are some of my thoughts, free of charge 😊. Incidentally, the interpretation I take to enhance my viewing experience (and add suitably crippling levels of angst :D ) ties her in perfectly with Loki’s story and character.

More Than Just a Bug: A Minor Study

What we know: Mantis has spent her whole life in servitude to Ego a massively powerful being, intent on taking over the universe, who sees all other life as inferior, insect-like (hence the name ‘Mantis’ – happenstance in the comics, derogatory in the films). Whether she has ever met anyone else is unclear, and until we actually see her talk about it, we’ll never know. Going by her comfort in talking to the Guardians, and also the fact that she anticipates the result of Ego’s meeting with Peter, I’m going to assume she has, but more specifically, that they were Ego’s other children.

Imagine this, if you will. Mantis, since her childhood, has been intermittently exposed to Ego’s offspring. They appear, are doted on for a few days, and then vanish as suddenly as they came. Not having been delayed by the Ravagers that collected them (as Peter was), they are all young children, with strong but changeable emotions. As such, they fit Ego’s narrative of universe full of mindless beasts, unthinking and impermanent. If Mantis were not an empath, able to feel their distress and confusion at the kidnapping, they would have no impact on her at all. As it is, they give her no epiphany, but rather a slow sense of unease that grows over time, as child after child is reduced to a pile of bones in a cave.

Her uncertainty must of course be hidden from Ego, who may be too narcissistic to imagine she could ever turn against him, but would certainly kill her if he saw her doubts, so she separates herself from the feeling. Her outer self remains uncomplicated and pliant, still attempting to please her adoptive father-figure, while her inner self languishes in steadily deepening turmoil. She dissociates to survive, until she almost believes it herself.

Now let’s try looking at her scene with Drax, where she touches his arm by the flower-filled lakes, through this new lens.

BEWARE. THIS SCENE WILL BECOME SIGNIFICANTLY MORE PAINFUL IF YOU ASSIMILATE THIS INTERPRETATION.

To recap: Mantis has spent her life in a state of slowly growing unease over the pain, suffering and subsequent deaths of Ego’s many children. Her only comfort has been his assurances that all other life is meaningless, and as such their suffering weightless. By Mantis’s own design, this inner struggle has been buried deep, totally inaccessible. Therefore, she goes into this scene entirely intending to allow Ego to kill the Guardians, and if Peter is successful, the universe.

Alright, here goes:

So, Mantis seems normal (normal??) for the first section. She reacts suitably when Drax calls her ugly, and then when he argues that it’s a good thing. When he mentions his lost daughter, she makes a joke (incidentally the sort of play-a-crooked-thing-straight joke that Loki might enjoy), but then Drax compares his daughter to Mantis, calling them both ‘innocent’, and she makes this face when he isn’t looking at her.

This is not a naïve look, and I don’t think it’s meant to be. The tiniest edge of that inner guilt, her natural empathy for the terrible fates of Ego’s children, is bleeding through against her will, brought to the surface by a father mourning the loss of his daughter. Wanting to understand, and partly in fear of what she might find there, she reaches for his arm.

When she feels his grief, she is physically affected, taking large gasps of air with glittering eyes. It’s easy to forget, but in some ways, Drax is the most emotionally developed of the Guardians. He had a wife, and daughter, and a home. He’s lived through what most of us would determine a normal life, and reached middle age. Quill, Gamora, Groot – they’re all younger than him, and therefore less emotionally developed. (I have no idea what age Rocket is, but at least by maturity he can certainly be added to the list.) This level of experience is where Drax’s moments of unexpected wisdom come from. He is a fully realised person with all the complexities and regrets that come with age, something Mantis has never felt in anyone except Ego. And he is mourning his daughter.

When she touches his arm, Mantis is feeling one of the worst losses, the deepest hurts that a person can ever experience, even dulled by years: the loss of a child. But for her, it’s even more than that. It’s personal. She realises in that moment that on the other end of every one of Ego’s children was someone like Drax, feeling what he felt. That they were still out there in the universe, mourning the sons and daughters that Mantis had met. It tilts her world on its axis, and we get a close-up to watch it:

This is her guilt, her worst fears validated. She can no longer use the ‘we’re just insects anyway’ justification to excuse the cavern of bones. Every tiny doubt she has ever had now has an explanation, and it means she has grown up complicit to atrocities she couldn’t even recognise. Upset, and guilty that he still believes her innocent, she turns immediately to Drax, knowing she can no longer stand by do nothing. They are interrupted by Gamora before Mantis can explain, so later that night, knowing she cannot bear being complicit yet again to murder, Mantis wakes Drax and betrays Ego, despite her fear and love for someone who has been (literally) her whole world.

Go watch the scene thinking about Mantis's guilt, I dare you. I did, and it hurt me.

By the end of GotG2, we have a Mantis still conditioned to serve the father she has now killed. His teachings have left her with crippling self-doubt, and a sense of personal inferiority that as of yet we have not seen her question, despite a truly incredible level of power (subduing first Ego – an actual planet – and then Thanos; I’ll go into her frightening Gamora later), and her own heroism. She is incapable of being righteously angry at Ego, because righteously implies right, something it does not occur to her that she might have. And she hides it all, because over the years she has built an unconscious self-defence mechanism which allows her to control people’s actions towards her by seeming harmless and sweet. The ultimate deflector of aggression.

What her motives and feelings might be now she has found her freedom, I also have some thoughts on, but that is a topic for another day (possibly a Loki including day, hmm?). I feel like it’s important to mention that, although this is a dark interpretation, that doesn’t mean I think Mantis is a dark character. There is inherent darkness in the horror of her past, but some of the best and brightest people in the world are people who have been to hell and back, and come back kinder for it. One day, when she has learnt some self-worth, and ditched the clothes that she wore as a slave to a monster, I think she could be one of the best, most impressive, and nuanced heroes we have ever seen.

[capricornus-rex]

Come Back To You (3)

Cal Kestis x Reader

Summary: Despite the lack of the Holocron, the Empire still managed to steal away Force-sensitive children from their families belonging in various systems and then spirited away to another fortress in Scarif. In the middle of a rescue mission, Darth Vader interfered and Cal’s worst fears has been realized.

1 | 2 | 4 | Masterlist

3 of ?

Cal and Cere along with the children reached the surface safely, with no casualties—most importantly among the children. It was a miracle mission, the first of its kind. Despite the positive outcome, Cal could not help but think of you—and the thought of you against Vader. No Jedi ever survived him.

Everyone had to pitch in with helping with the victims. While Cal wasn’t particularly skilled with medical works professionally, he knew how to treat wounds and first-aid. He recognized the boy that you personally carried out of the cell. He had cuts on his hands and arms, most likely obtained from the escape; the bruises on his cheeks and neck suggested that it came from the torturing. Cal thought that getting a pommel to the face was the best mercy a child could ever receive in that place.

“Let’s get you some ice on that,” Cal cooed at the child.

The little child didn’t speak, though he understood what was being told to him. He stayed where he stood and waited for Cal to come back with a cold compress. He gently dabbed the frozen bag on the boy’s bruises, asking him if it hurts from time to time, and then finally disinfecting the cuts on his arms and hands.

“Do you have a name?”

No response, but Cal didn’t push it. He patched up the cut with Bacta tapes—which he had to trim down because the child’s hands were so small.

“She saved you, didn’t she?”

The boy immediately knew who Cal was talking about. He nodded while fiddling the Bacta tape on his arms.

“Yeah… She saved me too,”

He stared back at Cal, even if his face didn’t show it, he was surprised that he found something in common with Cal—it was you. Cal politely dismissed the child, letting him join the other children and then he joined in on Cere having a word with the partisans.

“Cere, a word?” he politely cuts in.

Cere dismissed the partisans before facing Cal.

“I’m going back in there, I can’t stand thinking that I’ve left [y/n] behind,”

Cere sighed, trying her best to understand what Cal was feeling. It took her a good minute before gathering the right words to explain their current predicament.

“Look, Cal, I understand that you want to go and help [y/n], but right now, we have more pressing matters. Mirienna was only able to bring in a small shuttle, it won’t fit all of these children. There’s roughly twelve or fifteen of them!”

“You and Mirienna can worry about returning the kids back to their homes, but I will not stand by knowing that [y/n] just went against the damn Sith Lord and leader of the fucking Inquisitorius!!”

“You want to go in there again and waste her efforts in saving us all especially these children? Then fine, be my guest—be everyone’s guest! What do you think she would do if she were in your place?! I know that both of you know that this was one of the possible risks of this mission! SHE WOULD HAVE REMINDED YOU OF THAT!”

A gloom draped over Cere and Cal in that heated argument. Cal was at a loss for words. He doesn’t know what to say back. Cere’s point was sound. All eyes were on them, the clueless children stared whilst the partisans awkwardly averted their eyes and pretended to do other stuff—but all of those didn’t matter to Cal.

“Cal, understand that we need all the extra helping hands that we can get and you’re one of them. The least I could do is dispatch a rescue unit with you, but I can only do that in a few hours—it may take us hours to get everything done down here.”

“That isn’t enough time!”

“Then what would you have me do?! I told you that it was the least I could! Do you think I want to leave her behind in this planet too? No, everyone I come with, I leave with!”

“Then I’m going in there, with or without your help.” Cal firmly said, his resolve slowly solidifying. He was keen in his own plan of rescuing you.

Cere—for the first time ever—grappled tightly on Cal’s arm, her eyebrows pulled together and her eyes deeply looking back into Cal’s, who was just as angry but to the whole circumstance in particular.

“Listen to me, Cal, please. Help me first here. I know she would do what you plan to do—if you two switched places.”

Cal inched closer, his nostrils flared as his eyes burned intensely.

“I am still going to bring back her back.” He snarled.

Let them stare and listen for all I care! His mind roared.

“We are done talking about this for now, we will continue later once everything about the children has been prepared.”

Cere walked away, towards the cluster of partisans, but before she could even get far, Cal stopped her in her tracks.

“So, we’re just going to leave her behind? You can feel it too, don’t you? You know she’s alive—you believe it, the same way I do.”

That claim was perhaps Cal’s trump card. Cere cannot deny it—she still feels you, which implied that you are still alive at one point. In her mind, she was actually impressed that you could have lasted this long against Vader.

Cere turned around, looking at Cal straight in the eyes to show the sincerity of her answer.

“Yes Cal,” her expression seemed to have mellowed, but her heart remained an anchor, still in fear of the fate that you have put yourself into. “I believe that she is still alive.”

Cal had one glance at the children and he was absolutely torn. He didn’t care if he looked bad to the partisans or children, he just didn’t want the kids to see that someone was walking out on them. He had no choice but to help with the relief effort—he had first-aid duties, feeding them and giving them time and space to relax before their big trip home. The whole effort took about four hours until the evening. The team still had to call on two reinforcements and the original plan is being compromised due to the inadequate resources—transportation, medicine, and food being the top three in the priority list.

The sky had begun to darken, stars were appearing one by one, and the sun had set. The children were able to loosen up by playing by the shore, completely ignoring the infrastructure that housed them for days or probably weeks.

Cal sat down on the sand, watched the kids play near the water and sand, making sculptures with crude tools like oddly-shaped rocks and sticks and splashing each other with the cool water—with the supervision of a partisan or two, of course. Some of them huddled together in the campfire, listening to the partisans’ stories of adventures. He managed a smile, even while his lingering thoughts constantly dwelled on you.

His eyes turned to the fortress, its spire towering and piercing the heaven, a horrid black mark in a colorful backdrop. Cere joined him, sitting on a crate right next to him. There was no exchange between them upon her arrival, Cal avoided eye contact from her.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you,” Cal muttered.

“Apology accepted. Cal, please know that I completely understand what you’re feeling.”

“I know…”

“Aren’t you tired? You need sleep. You can’t take on enemies when you’re sleep-deprived,”

“I’ve been through worse.”

Cal disregarded Cere’s good-willed intentions, but he couldn’t deny that he’s feeling sleepy and tired but yet he feels restless. Every hour passed is another hour wasted, he thought.

“Please Cal, get some sleep first, I’m begging you.”

He said nothing, he only nodded. Cere excused herself and stood up to walk away.

“It’s been a while since I’ve witnessed that kind of love—let alone from a Jedi. She’s very fortunate, having a love like that—from you, no less.”

After saying her piece, Cere retreated to the Mantis to sleep. The children were already being called by the medics for bedtime. Cal would shoot small nods at the fighters as they walked past him. The sound of children’s laughter was replaced with the waves crashing against the shore. The same little boy from earlier approaches Cal; without waiting for the acknowledgement of his presence, the child takes Cal’s hand and puts a necklace on his palm. He immediately recognized the necklace—it was yours, it was the necklace he gave to you not too long ago.

“Where did you get this?!”

The boy was startled when Cal accidentally raised his voice at him. He apologized, saying that he didn’t mean to shout. He studied the necklace and saw that the hook and lock had been snapped forcefully. His fingers hovered over the pendant—a blue gemstone wrapped in a metal coil—he was hesitant to touch it, as it would trigger his Psychometry; his heavy breathing rang in his ears, he later mustered up the courage to touch it and prepare himself of what he was going to see and hear.

“I love it, but you shouldn’t have!”

“NO, YOU HAVE TO GET THROUGH US FIRST!”

“RUN!”

“I’m so sorry…”

Cal jerked his eyes open. His shallow, rapid breathing worried the little boy who was watching him the whole time. Both boys’ eyes met and with that, Cal’s resolve to save you is perfectly unshakeable.

[cinnalock]

TWST Mond Twin Headcanons

((A masterlist of all the random facts and trivia bits for the Mond twins. I may create separate posts of new things in the future, but those new bits will always be added/archived in this post! As with some of my other character lists/profiles, a “last edited” date will be posted to inform when the last addition was.

Diamond Crown Academy, Katherine’s school, is created by @phoenix-manga.

Last Edited: 5-15-2020, added DCA Festival headcanons, corrected an old headcanon, newly added headcanons are in bold font.))

GENERAL HEADCANONS: headcanons that don't necessarily fit into a specific category, mainly little general snippets about the twins.

The Mond twins are a...peculiar set of siblings. They're friendly enough at their own schools, but get them together and you'll likely never see one without the other. They're very attached and seem to only trust each other. Despite how nice they seem, there always seems to be the aura that you talking to them feels like you're intruding in their space and better play by their rules because of it.

There's a rumor that the twins aren't entirely human, if they're human at all. Some believe they're fae or fairy. The twins have never addressed these rumors themselves and, if confronted with them, tend to give vague answers that neither confirm nor deny. Some believe that in of itself confirms the rumors, but the Monds have been known to be mischievous and may simply get entertainment out of confusing their classmates.

Despite their cunning, secretive behavior, the twins aren't bad or evil. They're mainly mischievous and distrustful of others. They're neutral at their worst, just wanting to protect each other above all else. They might relish in the chaos of something like a prank, but destruction and devastation doesn't sit well with them. They're not above schmoozing and sweet-talking to get something like an extension on homework or the last tart in the lunch line, but they wouldn't betray a friend to serve themselves. Ultimately, it's better to be on their good side, but being on their bad side isn't much of an inconvenience, unless the situation is very, VERY bad.

In regards to the above headcanon, the twins mostly represent characters that appear to be on the villain’s side before ultimately abandoning or straight-up betraying them, or characters that you’re absolutely sure are the main villains before the actual villain’s plot comes to light and you realize they were working against the evil.

"Canonically" for TWST Katherine might not be part of NRC due to the "all-boys school" angle, but at the very least she'd visit a lot; if she was part of a NRC dorm, it would be Ignihyde like her brother despite everyone and their grandmother expecting her to be sorted into Pomefiore. In Ignihyde, she'd specialize in web design, but she'd also have a knack for engineering; seeing various pieces like a giant puzzle to put together to make things work. Many classmates would come to her for help with building their own PCs.

Thomas and Katherine share a bank account, but have their own cards attached to it. Both earn relatively the same amount of money in their side jobs. Thomas' payments might be more substantial in the moment, but Katherine is commissioned much more frequently, either through bulk orders of products made by her own hand or companies paying substantial amounts for the rights to various recipes they pay her to concoct.

As proud as Thomas is of his sister's accomplishments, Katherine sends him a hysterical amount of perfumed goods of her own creation, asking for critiques. He does what he can, but to reduce them overwhelming his dorm room, he usually does his initial "testing" with them once before leaving them in a box on Pomefiore's doorstep.

Katherine's animal companion at DCA is an orchid mantis named Lamarie; while normally only the companion's owners can hear them speak, Thomas can hear Lamarie talk as well.

Lamarie is a very conceited, boastful little bug to the point where Vil would describe her as "full of herself" if he could hear her speak. Despite her selfish attitude, she cares about Katherine dearly and will go to great lengths to protect her, even if the effort isn't always necessary.

The Monds use a similar fragrance mainly comprising of cloves and fresh rosemary. Thomas' cologne also contains hints spearmint and bergamot. Katherine's perfume also contains hints of lavender and patchouli. Their respective scents are present in various products made by Katherine, and they regularly bathe with the pure oil mixtures stirred into their bath water. This leaves their smells being particularly persistent (almost overwhelming) and while Katherine says there's no magic additives, non- or weak-magicked beings tend to find themselves being slowly entranced or even "hypnotized" by the smell after a certain period, weakening their resolve and rationality.

While their favorite food is chestnuts, both of the twins' favorite dish is chicken curry, though Katherine likes Indian-style curry while Thomas likes Japanese-style curry. While both enjoy a certain level of spiciness, they tend to exaggerate their ability to tolerate it, leading to some...interesting scenarios when the host/cook takes their word on such.

While curry is their favorite food, Katherine enjoys caviar tasting, though Thomas finds caviar gross. However, Thomas enjoys artisan cheeses while Katherine loathes it.

Both twins love boba drinks, particularly ones with lots of fancy toppings. Thomas eats the toppings out of the whip cream with a spoon before drinking, Katherine likes to drink the toppings through her straw as they sink into the drink.

The twins are relatively neutral when it comes to sweets, though once in a blue moon they get plagued by a ravenous sweet tooth. They prefer baked goods over candy when it comes to satisfying their sugar cravings. Thomas is a straightforward cake-lover, especially chocolate (god tier: chocolate lava cake); Katherine will say her favorite dessert is French macarons because of the aesthetic, but she'll sneak out at the crack of dawn to get donuts for the aforementioned sugar craving above.

Thomas is naturally gifted in herbology and plant-based magic. Katherine grew into it in her teens with lots of training and practice, but she had the terrible luck of frequently killing plants when she was a child. When Thomas discovered his affinity, he'd often revive the plants to keep Katherine from crying. Katherine's prized possession is a lamb's tail succulent Thomas gave her when they were kids that he guided her into keeping alive. Thomas doesn't have a passion for herbology, but he keeps a small potted lilac tree in his dorm, as Katherine gave it to him as the first plant she was able to successfully grow during her first year at DCA.

On the flip side, Thomas could burn cereal as a child. Like how he helped Katherine with gardening, Katherine has tried to help his cooking skills. He learned well enough, but without a dedicated cooking class at NRC (chemistry being the closest thing, which HAS surprisingly helped), his learning process has been slow. He's an okay cook now, and what he does make is at least edible if not enjoyable, but it's definitely not pretty. (Thomas: *standing casually in front of a collapsed cake* "Started making it. Had a breakdown. Bon appetite.")

While Thomas is in the board game club, if the club is cancelled or on the days it doesn't meet, he sometimes sits in on magical shift or track and field clubs to help get regular exercise in; he also helps in tutoring/instructing junior students in the clubs.

If the gardening research club doesn't meet, Katherine might show up to the greenhouse/club room to watch and fuss over the plants, even if she doesn't actually interfere with them because she wants to be a good gardener. Sometimes other clubs, usually the volleyball club, will drag her to their meetings to keep her from worrying.

Thomas is usually on the magical shift team for Ignihyde during the tournament, but he's willing to yield his position on the team if there's 7 players stronger than he is.

BACKSTORY HEADCANONS: headcanons relating to their backstory or explanations of how their origins affect other aspects of their life.

The twins were taught how to read, write, and most basic skills by Mim, including how to use magic. This was to her advantage so they could be independent enough to follow her orders (and not bother her when she had no tasks for them).

However, King Arthur adapted magic into his being over his long life, both by being tutored by Merlin for so long and then over the course of his main journeys and triumphs. Spending so much time with the twins as kits, he imbued them with a little of this magic and is the main reason they remember him so well despite how young they were.

In short, the twins had an adaptation to both good and black magic when they were young.

The twins can change between being human and being squirrels. They themselves have wondered if they could transform midway into a hybrid form, but they’re worried about getting “stuck” and haven’t tried. They also don’t want to try because being born as squirrels is a secret they’ve kept from their classmates (they believe it’s a secret to the teachers and staff as well, but both Crowley and Citrouille are well aware of this, despite not knowing full details of the twins’ origins).

Since Mim is an incredibly powerful sorcerer, the twins adapted a human lifespan once they were transformed by her. They were only a few months old as young squirrels when she transformed them and they had become children as humans, but they also started to age as humans as time went on.

The twins adore mainstream human cuisine, but they still have the tendency to snack on nuts and berries they pluck straight off the plant. They have to be careful of this habit because while they can digest certain things like fresh acorns, they have to be mindful that someone might notice them eating raw foods that would normally be poisonous to humans, such as uncooked acorns.

Naturally, the twins excel at Animal Linguistics. They have to be particularly careful about this because animals on campus risk revealing the twins’ secret to other students proficient in Animal Linguistics if they’re spotted transforming. They have to feign natural excellency at the subject as humans, but also not be found out when transforming into squirrels to use their natural forms to their advantage.

The twins don’t remember Merlin very well from the short time he was looking after them. While he seemed kind enough in wanting to save them from Mim, they’re not interested in reuniting with him because they don’t know his true intentions.

What they don’t know is that Merlin had managed to locate them when they started school, but has decided to leave them alone for the most part. His original agreement with Arthur’s son was to make sure they were released safely into the wild and he sees their current situation as a way to interpret it. He’s normally away, but sometimes he checks in, guiding them as a disembodied voice or animating objects to lead them in the right direction. The twins write this off as normal absurdity in their magic-filled schools and don’t realize it’s him.

The twins weren't sorted into Savanaclaw or Sagamore despite being animal-humans partially because they're not clear hybrids. Another, bigger reason is that their memories from being in nature are not pleasant ones (first being orphaned as kits and then living under Mim's hand) and they want to distance themselves from nature and their "origins" as much as possible.

They put a lot of effort into learning as much as they could about the modern world in such a short amount of time. Their knowledge is certainly passable, but they still slip up here and there. They prioritized learning alchemy for potions that could help them stay awake to study longer or help retain information a bit better. The same came with learning how to use computers as they noticed it was important in the current society. It was difficult for them when they were in hiding before they enrolled, but their fear possibly being enslaved by another witch encourage them to study hard and get stronger in both knowledge and resolve.

Lamarie knows they’re origins and the twins know she knows, but she keeps their secret to respect their wishes and protect Katherine, worried that the witch from their past might be trying to find them.

Lilia and Malleus are also highly aware that the twins aren't human, but they keep it to themselves.

One reason the twins use such strong fragrances in their products is because when they were still hiding at NRC, one persistent Savannaclaw student could pick up on their scent in rooms they were previously in during the night. Even if they were in human form in that room, the student specifically mentioned picking up on the scent of "squirrel" so it lead the twins to believe that even as humans their natural scent/musk smells animalistic. They threw the student off their literal scent before he could find them out by slipping a potion into his drinks and food to give him horrible allergies for the rest of his time at NRC, making him unable to smell clearly until he graduated.

IN-GAME HEADCANONS: headcanons regarding how the twins would work as canon characters in the actual game.

Thomas' unique magic is called "Found Your Weak Spot". He zeroes in on an opponent's weakness, whether it's physical, emotional, or magical and identifies how to exploit it; his attacks become critical.

Katherine's unique magic is called "Take a Deep Breath". A pleasant, but abundant fragrance overtakes her opponents, confusing their minds and slowing their movements, making their attacks much easier to dodge.

If they were in the game, they'd have an overblot boss battle as a special event. During the event, a side story would unfold where the player finds out about their past. The event would reward the player for participating by giving them rare cards where the twins unlock a human-squirrel hybrid form (similar to Savanaclaw students). The cards would depict stories of the twins trying to come to terms with being more open about their origins with their classmates, as well as trying to adjust to their hybrid forms.

CHARACTER RELATIONSHIP HEADCANONS: headcanons explaining how the twins, either separately or together, interact with canon or other OC characters.

During holidays where students can visit home, the twins stay at NRC, normally spending it having huge gaming marathons with Idia. While it took years of getting to know Thomas for Idia to open up to the idea, he enjoys how they're much more willing to venture out to restock on snacks and other supplies in his place. Ortho, unsurprisingly, has to be the voice of reason and makes sure the trio doesn't die from their diet of pizza and chocolate pretzels during this time.

Going back to how the twins have relatively normal diets, they will eat the most decadent, indulgent food concoctions (think burgers with jelly donuts as buns or hotdogs with s’more toppings) in front of Vil just to horrify him. Vil’s motions to have them banned from Pomefiore dorm and a restraining order from him personally have gone unapproved.

While not particularly kid-oriented, the twins are very good at interacting with Ortho. Thomas tries to look after him when Idia isn't around, particularly performing small maintenance on Ortho's suit (such as replacing worn wires or tightening bolts) when it wears a little from extensive use in the middle of the school day. Katherine has had less interaction with Ortho, but gives him little trinkets and souvenirs from DCA when she visits Thomas.

Cheka doesn't know the twins all that well, but he likes their long hair worn in braids (or, as he calls them, their "head-tails").

HOLIDAY HEADCANONS: headcanons specifically centered around how the twins celebrate the holidays.

During their first Christmas at NRC when they were hiding, they'd sneak into dorms and watch holiday movies any students were watching. They were enamored by gingerbread houses and managed to get a boxed kit each year to decorate, but now that they're older, they decide on a design and Katherine will bake the pieces herself when she visits NRC during the holiday break. Ortho typically joins them and has fun helping decorate the structure; he tries to get Idia to join, but the older Shroud tends to hyper fixate on one area to decorate and over-obsesses on how to make it "perfect" to not ruin the overall look of the gingerbread house. They're all glad Idia joins them, but they worry about whether or not he's actually having fun with it.

DCA FESTIVAL HEADCANONS: headcanons regarding the festival held by Diamond Crown Academy.

Katherine gives her bath products to be sold at the perfume booths by the alchemy students. She checks in occasionally to see if they need more of her products (and sometimes to man a stall for awhile so someone else can take a break), but she's normally involved in the more physically active attractions.

Katherine's duties for the festival rotates throughout the course of it. Since one of her strongest subjects is Obstacle Run (see: squirrel), she spends a good amount of time at the obstacle course being a potential challenger for the visiting students to race against.

Katherine is part of an idol group, but with rotating performances from different groups, she doesn't have to spend a lot of time on stage.

Despite not being a dorm leader, a lot of DCA students recognize Thomas as Katherine's brother (either as a formal acquaintance or just "hey, he looks exactly like the girl from Chateau Beastiale") so the native students are more open to approaching him out of familiarity. Some students even "drag" him to a certain booth or attraction to get his opinion on their hard work.

The first few years, Thomas was content to just wander around on his own. He tried hanging out with Rook during the festival for a bit, but the attention Rook tends to get got a little boring for Thomas to put up with. Now he just trades off who he hangs out with, if he hangs out with anyone at all while Katherine's busy.

Thomas doesn't realize it, but he has a bit of a "prince charming" reputation himself. This is because of his long hair and charming demeanor, but DCA students fawned over him at a distance one time while he was helping Katherine fix her hair before one of her performances, people swooning over his caring "older brother" instinct.

Aside from watching Katherine's group, Thomas tries to distance himself from the idol performances. Whether it comes from wanting to tease their colleague's brother or just wanting Thomas' attention, some groups will drag him on stage after their initial performance and encourage him to try and dance along to one of their songs. He goes along despite being embarrassed because he'd find it more embarrassing to "run away" or cause some sort of scene at Katherine's school by protesting.

Thomas usually spends his time trying out different foods, but he'll also find himself in the art gallery, trying to see if there's any pieces inspired by King Arthur or the twins' original home world. If there is, he purchases it immediately if he artist lets him, but given the unlimited points of inspiration in the world, he almost never sees any pieces.

He also spends a surprising amount of time at the Futterwacken dorm because the sentient tea sets stir a strange feeling of nostalgia in him. While he doesn't interact with Riddle too often, them both enjoying the tea parties at the festival allows them to catch up and have fun in familiar company, even if they don't usually hang out at NRC.

It's through the above that Thomas came into a possession of a very strange sugar bowl. The dish's enthusiasm humored him a great deal and when he asked about it, it brought attention to how nobody at DCA actually knew where that particular sugar bowl had come from and, with the staff's permission, they allowed Thomas to buy it and take it back to his dorm. The little bowl's antics still continue to amuse him, but he can't seem to make it understand that he doesn't want sugar in anything other than coffee or tea. He doesn't drink energy drinks or do his alchemy homework in his room anymore...

SPICY HEADCANONS: a link to general headcanons regarding NSFW headcanons about the twins. This set of headcanons will always linked at the bottom of the post. These headcanons will typically contain explict, sexual details so please do not read if you are not comfortable with such. (no link exists at this time)

[artemisegeria]

Love by Design (Chapter 10/11)

Title: Love by Design (Chapter 10/11)

Rating: T

Word count: 3130

Warnings: None for this chapter.  

Summary: Vision makes elaborate foam art as a barista at the coffee shop that his brother owns. One day a new customer comes in, and he completely loses his cool. As she keeps coming back, they grow closer. A casual acquaintance becomes something much more.

Chapter Summary: Wanda and the others complete their surprise for Vision. Wanda plays in her recital.

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16272371

Chapter 1  | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 

“Wanda, Wanda.” A gentle shake of her shoulder brought her back to the present. She was in her own bed, an increasingly familiar warmth curved around her back. They had begun to stay together at least three to four nights a week. Despite the nightmare, she still thought it funny that they spent more time together now that Vision had his own place. His concerned face led her back to the moment. “You seemed to be having a nightmare.”

Wanda rolled over to face him as she nodded and shuddered slightly. Vision let his hand travel from her shoulder to her jaw. “Was I saying anything out loud? Pietro always says I talk in my sleep.”

“You were apologizing.”

“Oh.” She was tempted to leave it at that and change the subject, but looking at Vision’s sympathetic frown encouraged her to go on. He pulled her closer, placing a hand on her back and softly massaging her. “It was my parents and my brother. They were saying that it was my fault they got sick. I had cursed them, and that was why I was the only one who didn’t get sick.”

“I’m sure none of them ever thought that.” Vision continued to rub soothing patterns over her back, and she let herself sink into the comfort he was offering. “I’ve heard the stories you’ve told of your family and I saw the way you were with your brother. I cannot imagine that any of them would begrudge your not getting sick; they would be happy that you were spared that pain.”

She leaned into his shoulder. He wrapped one arm around her shoulder and he brought his other hand up to cup her cheek. He kissed her forehead while brushing away the remnants of her tears. She leaned into him further.

He kissed her gently, touching his lips to the corner of her mouth.

“It’s always worst when I’m worried about something.”

“Is it the recital?”

She nodded. “It’s been so long.”

“You’ve been practicing hard. You’ll be ready.”

“Thanks.” She was finally able to smile weakly at him. He brushed the remaining tears from her cheeks with his thumbs and placed a soft kiss on her forehead. “Can we stay like this for a while?”

“Yes, it’s early.”

Wanda relaxed further into his embrace, taking the opportunity to let her pain and worries float away.

***

On the morning of the last rehearsal, the day before the actual recital, Wanda was glad for an excuse to get out of the apartment. Vision had already left his place to go to the library for the day, according to his early morning text, and she had asked him to stay at hers that night to distract her from her nerves. It was true that she was nervous. Preserving the surprise they had planned was only a bonus.

They had already planned to have their friends come to Vision’s place after her recital. They had been urging him to give them the full tour. But as far as Vision knew, it was only a simple dinner together. She hoped he would appreciate the far more elaborate plans they had.

She walked around the corner to where Scott’s van was parked. Everyone else was already inside. She put on her seatbelt, and they drove to Vision’s apartment.

They tried to unload all the boxes as quickly as possible. Once they were done, they arranged everything. Wanda orchestrated the placement of all the items, glad that there was still an empty bookshelf against the wall of the main living room.

As a finishing touch, Wanda placed the model ship she had retrieved on top of the bookshelf. She truly hoped Vision would focus on more on the happy early memories he had of his brother, rather than recent events.

***

Vision arrived at the community center an hour early to save seats for all of his and Wanda’s friends. He needn’t have worried because there were only a scattering of people in the hall, but he wanted to be sure.

Natasha arrived first. She sat next to Vision with a smile. “Everyone else should be here in a bit. Nice flowers.” She gestured to the bouquet of peonies he was resting in his lap.

“Thank you. They’re her favorite.” He remembered the last time he gave Wanda flowers. Though there was still a bitter pit in his stomach about Ultron’s betrayal, he was relieved that he would not ruin this moment.

Vision watched the musicians set up. Wanda gave him a small wave. She looked calm and unruffled, much to his relief. She had only grown more nervous over the last week. Seeing her begin to warm up showed him that this was her natural element. It was different from the times she had casually played piano for him. Here, she was focused, intent, in control of every movement.

Vision tried not to stare to hard. Natasha’s gaze always seemed uncomfortably probing when he and Wanda were in the same room. They were both convinced that no one knew about their relationship, but Vision privately thought Natasha might suspect. So he turned his attention to the other audience members.

When Clint, Sam, Steve, Bucky, Tony, Scott, Hope, Mantis, and Nebula trickled in, he shared conversation about their preparations for the upcoming school year until an announcement was made that the recital would begin in five minutes. Wanda gave him one more glance, and he shot her a brief thumbs up. He fancied that she looked more comfortable when she turned back to the cello.

***

Wanda accepted his bouquet was huge smile on her face. It was so much better than the last time he had given her flowers, with no interruptions. She fought the urge to kiss him on the cheek in thanks. They had not yet discussed when and how they would reveal their relationship to the group.

So she settled for a simple “Thanks, Vizh.”

“You are very welcome.”

Everyone else clapped her on the back and offered congratulations. The recital had gone as well as she could have imagined.

Natasha shot her a glance when Vision was turned away from them, gathering up his things. When he turned back to her, Wanda sniffed the bouquet appreciatively. “Hey, Vizh, could you do me a huge favor and help us pick up?”

“I would be happy to.”

Natasha walked up between them. “I’ll take your keys if you don’t mind. We can set up the food and drinks while you’re helping Wanda.”

Vision pulled his keys out of his pocket. “Here you are, Natasha.”

She winked at Wanda as she ushered the others toward the doors. Wanda drew him toward the rest of the musicians, introducing him around. They cleaned up all the instruments. Vision carried her cello toward her car. She stalled for as long as was reasonable.

She leaned toward him over the center console. “So…What did you think, really?”

“I admit I don’t have much comparison, but I thought you all played wonderfully.”

“And you’re not just saying that to be nice?”

“Not at all. I love your music. It’s an integral part of you.”

“Thanks.” Wanda could feel herself blushing, but she pushed the butterflies aside. She moved closer to him, tugging on his lapel. She fluttered her eyelashes at him. Vision’s eyes darted around, but upon noticing that the parking lot was almost empty already, refocused on her. “Care to give me a kiss before we’re surrounded by nosey friends?”

“I would.” He reached up to cup her face in his hands. Wanda still wasn’t used to the feeling of his tender caresses. They filled her with joy. Vision pressed his lips against her and pulled back. Wanda leaned forward to close the gap. They took turns kissing each other until Vision finally straightened up with every appearance of reluctance. “Loath as I am to cut this short, should we not join our friends?”

“I guess.” She trusted she had given them enough time. She buckled her seatbelt and Vision followed suit. “Let’s go.”

It was a short drive to his apartment followed by a short walk up the stairs to his floor. Wanda stood directly behind Vision when he opened the door. “Surprise!” they all shouted in unison. Vision was absolutely frozen, his mouth open helplessly. A banner proclaiming, “Welcome Home!” hung above Vision’s kitchen table. Balloons were also scattered around. A cake decorated with a set of keys and a cello sat on the table, while packages were piled on a side table.

Vision’s eyes flickered all around the room, from his now full bookcase to his laptop sitting on his desk. Wanda was beginning to think he was upset when he did not smile, but when he finally turned to her there were tears in his eyes, but he did not look displeased. “How?” he asked simply, voice coming out as a bare whisper.

“Well, Scott and Natasha had the idea to liberate your things from Ultron’s buyers. Then, we all got together to collect it. That’s why I asked for a key, so we could bring your stuff here as a surprise. And before you argue, we didn’t touch a thing that wasn’t rightfully yours, and they won’t go after us.”

“I-I wasn’t going to argue.” Vision still seemed mystified. She noted his eyes land on the model ship before he turned back to her.

“Sorry about that. I know things with your brother are hard right now, but I thought-.”

Wanda could not finish her thought before Vision softly gripped her shoulders and his mouth descended upon hers. She could barely think as his lips roved over hers. She returned the kiss eagerly.

He pulled away abruptly. “Oh, I-I didn’t mean…” His eyes moved from Wanda to the friends who are were all grinning smugly at them.

Cheers broke the silence that had fallen around them. “Finally,” Natasha sighed.

“It was about time,” muttered Tony.

Wanda looked at them sharply. “You knew?”

“Of course. We all did. Didn’t you notice that we stopped trying to matchmake as much. We figured it would be redundant.”

Sam chimed in, “Don’t look so horrified, Wanda. We’re happy for you and Vision.”

“I’m not horrified. I just thought we were being careful.”

Clint laughed. “Yeah, staring at each other and fighting not to cuddle every time you sat next to each other during game night was real subtle.” Wanda glared at him, but her eyes shifted to Vision. He had remained quiet throughout all this. He was still looking guilty and downtrodden, though their friends had clearly known for a long time before his public kiss.

She slid her arm around his waist. His lips began to form a smile in response. He put an arm around her shoulder.

They were interrupted again when Tony said, “Okay, okay, we really are happy for you guys, but I think we’ve seen enough PDA for the day. Let’s get this party started.” Wanda stuck her tongue out at him, but she accepted a plate from him.

It was nice not to having to hide from her friends any longer. Despite Tony’s complaint, she took full advantage of the revelation to stay by Vision’s side all night. They sat close together, holding hands or giving each other small pecks when their friends’ attention was elsewhere.

When Vision began opening his housewarming gifts, he thanked everyone profusely. Wanda was glad she was able to help everyone choose the items he really needed. Most of the gifts were décor that would liven up his apartment and turn it into a true home. Wanda made sure he saved the best for last, which they had all contributed to. Vision gave everyone a full-bodied grin when he opened the fancy coffee maker that rivaled any professional set up. “I cannot thank you all enough.”

Scott patted him on the back. “That’s what friends are for.” Their friends all murmured agreement, and Wanda squeezed his hand.

The rest of the night passed in laughter and fun, with games and copious amounts of teasing.

***

Vision woke up before Wanda on her first day of teaching. He was glad that he had awoken first because he had grown so used to late mornings since he no longer had to open the coffeeshop. The freelance tutoring and editing he had taken up in recent weeks to make ends meet allowed him enough freedom in his schedule to let his day be overly unstructured.

He rose and gathered the ingredients to make Wanda a proper breakfast, as opposed to the single coffee drink she usually opted for. Wanda’s alarm blared at seven a.m. sharp. Vision waited five minutes, but the alarm was still playing and no other sounds could be heard from her room.

He found her, face down in the pillow, mouth open and still sound asleep. Vision grinned a bit. He hated to wake her because she so seldom found refuge in deep sleep, but she would not want to be late for her first day.

He turned off her alarm and gently shook her shoulder. “Wanda, it’s time to get up.”

He was met with only a groan. “I have breakfast ready for you.” She groaned again. “Your students will be waiting for you.” Wanda buried her head deeper in the pillows. Vision found his lips curving up unconsciously. He would always take this sort of reaction over the last time he had to wake her up after a nightmare.

He shifted to rub her neck. “Wanda, I apologize, but you must wake up. I will be forced to resort to drastic measures soon if you do not get out of bed.” This threat also brought no response. With a sigh, he pulled all the covers off her.

She sat upright instantly, glaring at him. He thought some of the emotion might even be genuine. “Was that really necessary?”

“I think so. You were not responding.”

“I would have gotten up in a minute.”

Vision couldn’t stop a dry remark. “Yes, you looked like you were ready to spring out of bed.”

She tossed a pillow at him, which he caught easily. “Fine, I’m up now.” Her expression softened. “Did I hear you say you made breakfast?” A pleading tone entered her sleep-roughened voice.

“Yes, it will be ready for you whenever you are.”

“Thank you.” She finally rose and kissed his cheek. “I’ll be out soon. I just need to take a quick shower.”

“I will see you then.”

As promised, it was only about ten minutes before she came out to her kitchen. They sat down together, passing easy chatter about their upcoming days back and forth. When it was time for Wanda to walk to school, Vision gave her a brief kiss on the lips and wished her well.

***

The first couple of weeks in the new school year passed in a blur. Vision was spending every spare moment preparing for his presentation and Wanda was staging try outs for the Fall musical.

The day for Vision to leave for his conference arrived with a last burst of summer heat. Wanda crept out of bed early, impressed that she had woken before Vision for once. The first thing she saw when she exited the bedroom was his bag laid neatly by the door. She grinned to herself, always prepared early.

She heard the shower begin running, so she started putting breakfast together. Vision was still the better cook, but she had learned a thing or two over the past months. He took such good care of her that making breakfast was the least she could do for him.

Vision’s smile fell on her like the sun when he eventually emerged in a suit and tie. “Good morning, Wanda.”

“Morning, Vizh.” She took a moment to straighten his tie unnecessarily and wipe nonexistent lint off his shoulders. “All ready, I see.”

“Yes. And thank you for breakfast. It smells wonderful.”

“You’re welcome. Eat up while I do the dishes. Then, we can get going.”

Vision ate his omelette quickly, fingers of one hand unconsciously tapping against his knee under the table. Wanda reached for his hand to still it. He looked up at her with wide eyes, and she smiled soothingly at him.

“You’ll be great.” He shook his head slightly, and she squeezed his hand. “I’m going to tell you what you told me last month. You’ve been getting ready for this for months. You’ve done the presentation for me multiple times. You’re prepared.”

“Thank you.”

Vision leaned his forehead against her shoulder, and she wrapped her arms around his torso.

“Of course. Now I’ll clean up while you take care of the final details.” Wanda shooed him away, smiling at the look of abject gratefulness he sent her. She would still have to work on that.

A few minutes later, Vision returned. Wanda had already set the dishes to soak and was standing in the middle of the room. He approached her, reaching for her hands. “Just let me put my shoes on.”

She went to the bedroom, slipping into her shoes and grabbing her bag. Once she came out, she pulled him with her down the stairs, straight to her car. The drive to the airport was pleasant and uneventful; very little traffic got in their way.

Wanda parked at the curb. She got out, but kept the car running, mindful of the glare of the attendant who was on alert for anyone who tried to park in the unloading zone. “Have a safe trip, Vizh.”

“I am certain it will be well. I will let you know when I land.”

“You better.” She leaned up to kiss him once more. It was not as satisfying a kiss as she might have wished, but she was still aware of the audience of travelers coming and going. Wanda brushed her lips over his one last time before pulling away.

Vision intertwined their fingers. “I will miss you, Wanda.”

“I’ll miss you, too. But we can talk or text whenever we want. Let me know if you need a little pep talk.” She reached into her bag to pull out the box she had hidden inside. “And open this before your talk.”

His eyes lit up with curiosity. “Thank you. I will. I am certain that I will need encouragement before the actual presentation.”

Wanda caught the eyes of the attendant again. “I have to go, but I’ll talk to you soon.”

“Goodbye, Wanda. Have a good day at school.”

He waved at her one last time as he walked through the automatic double doors. She watched him go wistfully before getting back in her car and driving away.

[unlucky-words]

A theory on the genetic impact of the hero drug, or: an idea about boost varieties

(tldr; i think abilities are grouped by the number of chromosome pairs added to the body by the hero drug, specifics of them determined by a random (think fingerprint-like) development unique to each person, and this is why boosts kids get so fucked up.)

PART 1: kinds of boosts

one pair (tensile): muscle and skin durability. the addition of a ‘mesh’ over the top of or replacing the skin, and/or internal membranes to diffuse and repel applications of force, this is intrinsic to most boosts, though only slightly. an example of a purely tensile boost is anathema, prior to the second dosage.

two pairs (strength): a rare and often fatal variant of the first pair, these fast and strong enhanced are often mistaken for tensile boosts. the body however cannot support this increase of bodily energy, and will tear itself apart with time. the los diablos villain red behemoth is a living example, surviving by means of armor, constant skin and muscle grafts, mods, and steroid intake.

three pairs (material production): the body creates something, from a fluid secreted through the skin, to body armor and new limbs. an example would be anathema’s acid ability, or the mantis-like arms of the regene that attacks psychopathor

four pairs (extrasensory): increased functionality of the senses. another trait present in most sucessful boosts, but those with this set only posess a far higher degree of change. eyesight may sharpen to be able to focus on objects near invisible to the naked eye, and can do so from 100 meters away. hearing becomes so acute that the heartbeat of enemy soldiers aboveground may be detectable from many meters underground, and through solid bedrock. (it has been debated if these ought to be categorized with telepaths, or vice versa, but the difference is currently accepted as an extrasensory boost modified existing organs. a telepath grows an entirely new sensory organ.)

five pairs (environmental manipulation): ability to change barometric pressure and alter thermodynamics. an example would be sentinel, who was skilled in air current manipulation (presumably done with a combination of the above abilities). most with electric and heat based abilities fall into this category.

six pairs (telekinetic): any ability to change forces applied to objects. an example would be herald, who’s abilities are very strong (high output of newtons) but limited to acting in a very small range around himself, functionally limiting the use to flight. this category covers most with any kind of force field,

seven pairs (telepathic): possesses an entirely new organ in the head like the ampullae of Lorenzini in sharks, to pick up on the electricity in brains, and the ability to interpret the information gleaned from humans and higher vertebrates. telepaths are a security breach waiting to happen at best, and a living atom bomb of secrets at worst.

THEORY PART 2: so i think the reason boosts struggle to have kids, even when they’re don’t appear very altered (like herald) is because of the chromosome thing. mules (born from a donkey and a horse) are harder to breed because despite being very genetically similar, the chromosomes of a donkey and a horse don't match up! they recieve 31 from their father (the donkey) and 32 from their mother (the horse).

applying this to humans, you would have a much harder time getting a kid with each extra chromosome. this assumes two things; that boosts with the same number could produce a healthy, unboosted child (i’ll explain why in a moment), and for the same reason, a child with either two differently boosted parents or one boosted parent and one unaltered parent, are liable to be two things: sterile (like a mule, due to reproductive cells not aligning correctly), and born with defects.

so. going the the why of all this. malin has said regarding kids of boosts: powers aren't passed down, and there’s often birth defects, sometimes fatal. here's my theory why both of those happen: in cases of different boost level couples, the modified cell of the one parent is detected by the cell other parent in utero, and like the cases of babies blood cells fighting the mothers, one understands that the other is wrong. so it tries to self-repair, just like the body fighting off a fever, or when a blood transfusion has the wrong blood type and the antibodies don’t correspond. unfortunately for them, the boosted chromosomes are unstable. if the number is uneven, the additional boosted chromosomes will overflow, so to speak, and damage the base 46, causing moderate to severe developmental disorders depending on how great the difference is. these often are new and undocumented, and thus hard to treat or accommodate. in a boosted couple with the same number, however, this isn't an issue! as they will take each other out and leave an unboosted, undamaged child behind, just like if the couple hadn’t been boosted at all.

[duce-thruce]

ThorBruce Week Day 3- Comfort

A/N: I’m showing up late to the party, but I thought I should contribute a bit haha.

Summary: “Thor came to the understanding that whether it was Bruce or Hulk, he was loved and would always love them back.” Gorr, the God Butcher shows up and Thor is his target. The revengers come to his aid. 

Warnings: Graphic Violence, Characters losings limbs, slight angst.  

Wordcount: 1551

The first thing Hulk heard was the crackling. The strident sound of bones cracking reverberated through the spaceship. Hulk threw a blue-green alien, smashing it into a wall before he turned around.

Thor was squirming on the ground resembling a bug rather than god. Towering him was a cloaked creature, the arch of its back curving over like a praying mantis. It wielded a pitch black sword, clutching Thor by the neck.

Through his teeth, Thor spoke. “Why are you doing this?”

The creature’s lips curved into a malicious smile. “I am Gorr, the God Butcher.”

Then as if to slit Thor’s throat, Gorr set the blad up to his neck.

“NooOOO!!!” Hulk screeched, his voice almost halting the battle. Witnessing Thor become meek and fragile after a matter of seconds, caused the Hulk to become fearful.  

Another alien jumped at him, he merely swatted them away. Hulk tried to gage his own emotions, but one beast jumped on top of him after another. However, his energy only increased the longer he was away from Thor. Every enemy that charged to him died, beaten against the metal of the ship.

“The God Butcher?” Valkyrie asked, running to a spot. She swung the sword, aiming for the Gorr’s shriveled skull. “You will not harm him.” It was a declaration so assured, and very Valkyrie-esque.

Hulk didn’t care who the monster hovering over Thor was. He had to die. That was Hulk’s conviction. With righteous anger, Hulk will crush him to ashes.

The last of the little putrid, blue monsters stood. Thor still quivering along the floor gave a lingering look towards him. Valkyrie protected him, but even she was beginning to struggle with the God Butcher.

Finally, slaying the last of the henchmen, Hulk rushed to Thor, calling out to him in agony.

“Hulk,” Valkyrie commanded,”Buddy, you have to finish this guy off for me.”

Hulk grunted, yanking the killer off the ground. With one hand, he held Gorr by the skull. His head appeared like a walnut in his hands.

He could snap his neck right there and finish the job, but a moan of pain from Thor, lighted his eyes in rage. He peered into Gorr’s beady eyes growling, revealing a long row of teeth.

“If you think you can kill me, you can’t. This amulet gives me all the power I need. I have slain gods of war, peace, love, famine, nature and now I will add the God of Thunder to my list. It is my destiny to decimate the gods of this universe.”

Hulk scoffed, slamming the body into the floor, smooshing it further down, creating a large dent.

“Hulk is no god. You can’t hurt Hulk.”

Then seeing that the Gorr was still alive, he rammed the body into the floor once more.

Hulk paid no mind to the cries of his enemy. He had experience in ruthless killing and conquering on Sakaar, and those killings were more of an afterthought. But this was brutile, unfiltered fury that he was working with.

Piece by piece, Gorr became fragments of flash and bones, and was forming into compost in Hulk’s hands. Ruthlessly, he tossed the body around, never heading the cries of the dying beast. As blood, splashed all over his chess, Hulk ceased his temper tantrum, considering making the killing more ruthless. .

From the corner of his eyes, Hulk could see Thor limping against Val’s shoulder. One last surge of anger was all it took for him to rip that disgusting creature clean in half.

If the God butcher had any last words, there was no one to hear them.

Thor’s gentle voice rang through. “Hulk. Don’t be like that.” But the butcher was an unrecognizable pile of meat. Banner will surely squirm at the sight of that.

Rushing to Thor’s side, Hulk reached out to Thor. No longer angry, he only felt discomfort at the sight of someone so indestructible, someone that he cared about crumbling before him. With his open hand, still using Val as leverage, Thor reached to Hulk.

They were touching each other’s faces. Thor’s smile was telling him everything would be okay, and Hulk believe that..

He submitted himself to the comfort of Thor’s touch, and allowed himself to rest.

Although Hulk was aware of everything that went down on the ship, Bruce awoke distorted and shocked. Before his eyes was Thor with Val at his side. To his surprised, a giant gash was present at Bruce’s knee, residing all the way down his calf. The bone was visible.

“Thor??” was all he could choke out, a terrified lump in his throat  building up. He felt a bit dizzy at the sight of the blood and guts all over him.

Fighting off his own tears, Bruce grabbed Thor’s free hand and placed himself beneath the other man. He could do at least this much.

Thor’s groaning incited fear into Bruce. He couldn’t lose Thor, not when they just found each other, and not when everything seemed to be going well between them.

The ship had several sleeping compartments, and when they came to Thor’s they helped him to lay down. After making sure Thor was comfortable, Val hurried to the medicine cabinet.

Thor grimaced pain surging through his body. A bead of sweat rolled down his face.

Bruce grabbed his hand and gave it a hard squeeze.

“It’s going to be okay.. I promise I will do anything to make this better.” Resting his head on the hand he was holding, Bruce swallowed his need to sob.

“I feel like I should be telling you that, Love.” Thor chuckled despite the agony he was in.

A moment of silence fell between them, one man crying and the other trying not to. But Thor was more of an emotional lover than a stoic warrior, and the second he heard Bruce’s broken sobs, gentle tears fell down his face too.

When Val returned with the giant emergency kit, she also brought back a surprise.

“Look who I found.” She said as she rushed inside to quickly get to work. Loki didn’t hesitate to follow her inside. It was lucky for him, that when Gorr hunted their ship, he was elsewhere making a deal with the Grandmaster. No one really knew what that man was up to. He could have easily became another on the list of the god-killer’s victims

“Thor!” Loki called out, staring at the profound wound.

“Brother.” Thor hummed, giving Loki a nod, before returning his attention to Bruce who was in shambles, still clinging to his hand.

Approaching the bed with caution, Loki asked, “How I can be of service.”

He face the fierce eyes of a warrior, but no reproach was given. At these moments, Val tended to be more critical of the trickster god, but today she pointed at bottle of liquid.

“Give him some of this. It’s a pain killer. He’s going to need a lot of it.”

Loki nodded, pouring the thick as syrup liquid into a cup, and carrying it to Thor who was gritting his teeth. Through his grimace, Thor drank the medicine as Loki brought it to his face. It tasted like strong liquor mixed with heavy amounts of plants and herbs. Minty, but not refreshing.

Bruce was still holding onto him when Valkyrie stopped inspecting the wound.  Her face was grim.

Loki was beside her, his eyes sorrowful. He shut them and looked at his feet.

Val clasped her hands together. “Thor, I can’t save your leg.”

Bruce gave his cold hand a squeeze, his eyes only watching Thor’s face.

The pain was subsiding only a bit, as he realized that the medicine might have contained something more than all natural ingredients. He was dazed, but not enough.

“Chop the thing off.” His resolve outweighed the other options.

Many years ago, this situation would have been the worst case scenario. But he had seen his brother die twice before, witnessed the loss of Asgard, and more importantly, his people. A leg was nothing.

Bruce stayed with Thor, the entire time, although Loki left the room. Whatever his attitude may tell, deep down he couldn’t bare see his brother hurting.

Bruce couldn’t bare to see Thor in pain either, but he knew that he had to be Thor’s strength and support. He could protect Thor as much as Hulk.

Every second that the surgery went on as Val hacked away, Bruce petted Thor’s head, in gentle motions, wiping off sweat.  Sometimes, he would place his forehead on Thor’s or whisper little secrets in his ear to distract him from the pain. The medicine was only capable of so much.

When it was all over, there was nothing below his right thigh. Loki walked back inside, placing a hand on Thor’s shoulder. He smiled but turned his attention to Bruce’s face, stained with tears.

One hand on his forehead and another in his hand, every ounce of Thor was full of Bruce.

Thor was aware of what Bruce had to grow through, seeing him in such agony must have ripped his soul to bits. But he stayed to be his comfort and Thor came to the understanding that whether it was Bruce or Hulk, he was loved and would always love them back.

[imagineaworlds]

Stutter -- Peter Parker (Soulmate AU)

Written By: @golden-alie

Request: “Peter Parker imagine, where your an anti-hero and always flirting with Peter and making him blush constantly and stutter? Thanks!” — @geogrewife “Peter Parker's soulmate working with Thanos, and betraying him to save Peter and the world.” — @geogrewife “I dunno if you remember the imagine I requested, it's about the reader working for Thanos and betraying him and saving the world and stuff I can see Tony going "your DEFINITELY invited to my wedding" and it's making me die of laughter and thought why not share that with you.”

Warnings: Violence?

Pairing: Peter Parker x Soulmate!Anti-hero!Reader

Word Count: 1,354

Listen To: Heart Beat Here by Dashboard Confessional

It was hard to say goodbye to the life I knew, even at such a young age. Wade was my only friend, my family… looking him in the eye and telling him I had to leave was the worst thing I ever had to do, and I regretted it everyday. But I had a new opportunity to travel the galaxy with a group of criminals to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves… but also getting paid to do so. I thought that joining the Guardians would be the best thing for my future, but it ended up being the worst decision I ever made.

For a while, they were my new family. Gamora was my sister, Quill was my brother, Drax was the weird cousin, and Rocket and Groot were the devilish little siblings that loved to pick on me. Then, they weren’t. We were separated during a job, and I was left by myself in the rubble of a destroyed planet. They waited as long as they could for me to return to the ship, but I just wasn’t fast enough. He caught up to me first.

The Guardians were gone, and instead of them, I was faced by Thanos and his children. He gave me the choice between death and joining him as one of his many children. I didn’t want to die, so I chose to go with him. Despite having a background in fighting, Thanos continued to train me harder than any before me so that I was more deadly than anyone in the universe. He compared me to Gamora, his favorite daughter, then after awhile, he said I was finally better than her.

That’s when he sent me off by myself. Thanos said that I would be needed on his former home planet of Titan, we would meet there. All I was to do was wait for him and protect the randevioux. For a while, I sat in the heat and the sun, shooting arrows at a small, single patch of grass that had grown on the side of a piece of concrete rubble. It was quiet, and the only thing that kept me busy were my thoughts.

Then, Ebony’s ship was fast approaching with no signs of slowing down. I quickly realized something was wrong. Following the ship was a smaller, more familiar ship. One I had lived on before. My heart sank when I could see the outline of Quill’s figure in the ship.

With a loud thud that shook the planet, Maw’s ship crashed into the ground, and the Guardians ship gently landed. I hid behind a rock, not sure if Gamora would be hesitant towards me knowing where I had been and what I had been doing. The broken ship’s door flew open with force. Three people excited Maw’s large ship, but none of them were children of Thanos. They, too, were aware of the Guardians ship, but they acted as if they didn’t know who they were.

In some kind of ambush, the Guardians piled out of the ship and attacked the three men. I saw Quill jump the man in a red spider suit, Drax went for… wait, is that Iron Man? I thought to myself. I was sure of it. And a girl wearing green, who I had never seen before, went for the man in a wizard’s cape. After a slight struggle, Quill had the Spider-Man in a choke hold, Mantis was far away after the Wizard attacked her, and Drax was under the weight of Iron Man’s suit.

“Where is Gamora!” Quill shouted angrily. My thoughts raced with confusion. He was right, where was Gamora? Why wasn’t she with Quill?

“I’ll do one better, who is Gamora?” Iron Man asked.

“Try this, why is Gamora?!” Drax laughed.

Spider-Man struggled in Quill’s grip, “Mr. Stark…”

“Hold on, kid,” Iron Man responded, raising his hand towards Quill. Before his weapon loaded with energy, I jumped from behind the rock and shot an arrow at Iron Man’s suit. It didn’t do any damage, but it knocked his hand to the side so that he wasn’t aiming at Quill anymore. As I looked up, I saw Quill ease and lower his weapon from the Spider-Man’s head. “Who the hell are you?” Iron Man asked. He looked to Quill, “Is she one of yours?”

Quill pushed Spider-Man to the side, “She was.” He carefully approached me, and I realized my weapon was still aimed up, but I couldn’t bring myself to lower it. Who knew if the still trusted me? How much did they know about what Thanos did to me? “[y/n]...” he whispered. “You’re alive,” he said with relief in his voice. As he got closer, I pulled the string on my bow tighter. I couldn’t even express how scared I was. Out of everyone on that planet with me, I only knew Quill and Drax, and they left me to be kidnapped by Thanos. “Put the bow down, [y/n/n]. I’m not going to hurt you. You know I never would.”

Cautious of his every move, I slowly lowered my bow. I looked around to the rest of the group, everyone watching me as carefully as I watched them. When my glance connected with the Spider-Man’s I instantly felt my heart flutter, and as much as I wanted to run to him and kiss him, I kept my feet planted beneath me. “Thanos is coming,” I whispered for Quill to hear as I kept looking at the Spider-Man who kept his eyes on me.

“We know,” Quill responded, “He has Gamora.” My focus switched to him and I saw the pain his eyes. “We followed Maw’s ship thinking that it was him.”

“They aren’t any children of Thanos. That’s Tony Stark, Stephen Strange… and,” my heart fluttered again, “Peter Parker. Children of Earth.”

Tony stepped forward towards me, “I’m sorry, but who are you people?”

Quill looked offended, “We’re the Guardians of Galaxy, ass face.”

I interrupted their attempt at bickering before Tony could respond to Quill’s comment. “No, you don’t understand. Thanos is nearly here. We’re supposed to meet when the moons align,” I pointed to Titan’s multiple moons. They were nearly there, and I assumed we only had a few more minutes before Thanos arrived.

Tony turned to Strange, “Dr… What do you say?”

Just then, I portal appeared. Too, late, I thought. Stepping out of the portal was Thanos. Covering his hand was his golden gauntlet where he had the space, reality, power, and soul stone. Quill seemed just as surprised as I was that Gamora was not at his side. As Thanos was about to use the power stone to attack Tony and Peter, they jumped out of the way, and I realized that Peter had still been watching me that entire time.

I sprung into action, taking my chance by shooting an arrow at Thanos’s head. Of course, he used the reality stone to make it disappear. “Oh, my child,” he said with regret before he threw a large piece of rubble at me, and I stood there, accepting my fate. Death was worse than what Thanos would have in store for me. But before the impact reached my body, someone tackled me out of the way. As we tumbled on the ground, their hands found mine and we both tried to slow ourselves down.

When we landed, I looked up to find Peter without his mask looking down at me. “H— hi,” he stuttered nervously. “I’m… I’m Peter.” I looked into his eyes, “It’s you…”

“Hey, kid! Stop trying to get a date!” Tony called before I could say anything to Peter.

As he stumbled around nervously, Peter helped me off the ground. Before we went back to fight Thanos, I grabbed Peter’s hand again, “It’s you,” I said to him just before I kissed him.

Fine, kid! You can bring the girl to my wedding, whatever! Just, give us a hand here,” Tony continued calling to us.

“We’ll get to know each other later,” I told Peter as we ran back into the fight.

marvel family: @unicorn-princess-1999 @esoltis280  @edmunds-torch @smolbeanholland @janetthegiantt @sardonicxhumor @roschele @flewe@madhatterweasley @fallen-imagine-angel @peggy1999 @blu3-wine @ghoulbf @thatravenclaw04

[inawickedlittletown]

Walking The Wire (121/155)

Summary: Tony Stark always knew about Peter Parker. He didn’t know that Peter was going to get superpowers and become Spider-Man, but he always knew about Peter because Peter was his son.

This will span from pre-Iron Man up through the rest of the MCU (eventually including Infinity War) and will be for the most part canon compliant except where I’ve taken some liberties and interpreted canon a certain way.

Pairings: Pepper/Tony, Tony/Steve (endgame), Tony/Mary (past)

A/N: If you want me to tag you when I post new chapters let me know. This fic is also on AO3

I used Collider’s MCU timeline to stay canon and the title of this fic is an Imagine Dragons song that is just so fitting for Peter and Tony

@findmeinthestarss

Masterpost

Chapter One Hundred Twenty

They were all in position mostly because they didn’t know when Thanos would arrive and they all just wanted to be prepared. Peter hated that he was basically on his own hiding in wait. Granted, his dad had tried to have him close to him. Only Dr. Strange was out in the open, waiting. Peter both wanted the wait to be over and for it to go on for a while so they didn’t have to face Thanos right away.

Peter felt it -- his spidey sense making itself known -- a few seconds before Thanos arrived. Then, Thanos arrived. He stepped out of a purple and grey cloud that appeared out of nowhere. Thanos himself was impressive -- huge and purple and so absolutely alien. Everything about him looked intimidating and Peter was genuinely fearful and he was becoming less and less sure that they would actually be able to pull it all off.

“Oh, you’re more of a Thanos,” Dr. Strange said. Peter had to wonder if Dr. Strange was feeling any kind of fear at facing Thanos essentially on his own.   

Peter listened and waited just like he was supposed to. Dr. Strange needed to stall and keep Thanos from finding out about the rest of them long enough for his dad to bring some wreckage on top of Thanos to slow him down. Peter was actually kind of impressed with the plan that they had ended up with. Tony figured that if they all went at Thanos all at once that they might be able to take him and more importantly take the gauntlet away from him. Mantis was the last piece of the plan and boy was it such a good thing that she had the abilities that she had. Making anyone fall asleep with her touch -- it was kind of amazing. They were all just hoping that her powers would work on Thanos. Star Lord seemed to think that they would and he and his team hadn’t explained why they felt that way.

“I take it Maw is dead,” Thanos said. “This day extracts a heavy toll. Still, he accomplished his mission.”

“You may regret that. He brought you face-to-face with the Master of the Mystic Arts.”

Dr. Strange really was an odd one and Peter still didn’t really understand his powers or what his whole thing was with the cape and the clothes -- but his powers were also really interesting. Magic, but not just magic. It was learned magic.

“And where do you think he brought you?” Thanos asked.

“Let me guess,” Strange said. “Your home?”

Peter was a little amazed when Thanos actually used one of the stones and everything around them changed. For a split moment he was afraid that Thanos would figure out they were there, but he seemed distracted by their new surroundings. Everything that looked like mere ruins had become buildings or just a part of the planet and it was kind of amazing because this was what it had looked like at one point and now it was in complete ruin. Peter was almost too distracted by everything there was to look at to actually listen to what Thanos was saying to Dr. Strange, but then he tuned back in.

“Titan was like most planets. Too many mouths and not enough to go around. And when we faced extinction, I offered a solution,” Thanos was saying. Peter couldn’t imagine that his solution could have meant anything good for anyone on that planet.

It didn’t take long for Dr. Strange to respond. “Genocide,” he said.

Peter almost gasped. How was that a solution? It seemed to Peter like the opposite of one.

“But at random,” Thanos said. “Dispassionate, fair to rich and poor alike. They called me a madman. And what I predicted came to pass.”

“Congratulations. You’re a prophet,” Strange said.

“I’m a survivor,” Thanos said.

“Who wants to murder trillions.”

It was -- he was horrible.

“With all six stones, I could simply snap my fingers and they would all cease to exist. I call that...mercy.”

That was his plan then -- to collect the stones and just kill a bunch of people and pretend that he was doing the right thing and helping everyone. He was trying to play god but in an un-godlike manner.

“And then what?” Dr. Strange asked.

“I finally rest -- and watch the sun rise on a grateful universe. The hardest choices require the strongest wills.”

He really was crazy. But the worst part was that Peter could tell that he really did believe everything he was saying -- he thought that he was doing what was best for the universe. He thought himself some sort of hero and he was deluded enough to think that there was no other way to save the universe but this convoluted idea.

“I think you’ll find our will equal to yours,” Dr. Strange said and Peter knew that Iron Man was incoming.

Peter looked up and he saw the thing flying down towards Thanos but Thanos hadn’t seen it yet. Dr. Strange brought out his magic circle things and Thanos watched him for a moment before his eyes narrowed and he seemed to realize--

“Ours?” Thanos asked.

Peter looked up and he could see the wreckage that his dad was bringing, but Thanos seemed to realize at the same time that he was about to be crushed.

“Piece of cake, Quill,” Tony said on the comms.

Star Lord flew out of his hiding spot. “Yeah, if your goal was to tick him off,” he said.

They all knew that this wouldn’t be enough to hold Thanos and it wasn’t. That wasn’t the point. Thanos erupted out, purple light surrounding him and the pieces of what had come down on him and Peter could tell he was using another one of the stones. They really were powerful. Thanos moved too much for Peter to be able to tell how many stones he had on the gauntlet but he knew that it was at least two. He watched as the pieces changed into something that looked like a flock of birds that went after Iron Man and propelled him away.

Peter was tempted to follow and grab on to his dad before any harm came to him, but he knew he couldn’t. He had to follow the plan even if his dad wasn’t there to help for the moment. Tony hadn’t wanted Peter too involved with facing Thanos directly. He didn’t want Peter to make a target of himself, but because his dad wasn’t there to fight Thanos as was supposed to happen, Peter swung in. He shot Thanos in the eyes with the web. He kicked him in the face for good measure and swung away, hoping the web would hold while the others did their part.

Thanos tore the web away, but Peter didn’t go back against him despite how much he wanted to. Star Lord was just taking too long getting the electric mine on Thanos. Strange kept Thanos distracted. Peter was distracted by trying to see if his dad was coming back.

“You okay, Pete?” Tony asked via comms and hearing his voice was good.

“I’m good. How are you?”

“Fine. Fine,” Tony said.

Dr. Strange was thrown off, but Star Lord finally ran towards Thanos and he jumped up and Dr. Strange created steps for him with his magic and Peter saw Star Lord drop the electromagnetic mine. They didn’t know if it would work or how it would react with Thanos but depending on how it went, Peter had to be ready.

“Boom,” Star Lord said as he fell through one of the portals created by Dr. Strange and away from Thanos.

The cloak flew to Thanos, then, wrapping around the gauntlet. The mine went off and it was Peter’s turn to jump in again. Dr. Strange already had a portal for him to jump into and Peter did--

“Magic,” he said and kicked Thanos before falling back into another portal and coming at him from another side. “Magic with a kick.” He kicked Thanos again and it was so satisfying even if it didn’t seem to be doing much to him.

The next time he came out of a portal, Peter didn’t even get a chance to kick him before Thanos had grabbed him and Peter couldn’t get him off as he was lifted into the air and then slammed to the ground and Peter knew he was going to have a few bruises. Thanos’ hand around his neck.

Peter wanted to yell for Tony -- for anyone to help him. He couldn’t though, not while Thanos was holding him down and he couldn’t even breathe. It felt like when he’d been trapped under that building and he was lucky that Thanos didn’t keep a hold of him for long.

“Insect!”

Stupidly, Peter thought to correct him. Spiders weren’t insects. They had eight legs--

Suddenly, Peter was flying through the air.

“Dad!”

Tony had been thrown off so far which would have been bad enough but then he’d had to deal with the bat-like things that had come after him and pushed him further and further away. Away from Peter and away from Thanos and everyone else. Eventually, they’d fallen off and he’d flown back, but he’d kept out of the way and managed to watch as Peter went against Thanos. At least Quill’s test of his electric mine meant that the rest of the plan would work. Tony had been skeptical about Quill’s tech despite it being alien. The electromagnet would hold him. Maybe not for long -- but long enough. They just needed it to be long enough.

Then, then Peter was grabbed and Tony moved quickly, preparing to throw himself into it and get Peter away, but Thanos moved fast and Tony didn’t want to hurt Peter by shooting at Thanos. Thanos threw Peter and--

“Dad!” Peter yelled.

Tony moved just as Thanos ripped the cloak off and Tony could see his intention -- he was going to do something to Peter--

Tony shot down at Thanos, dropping mines and causing explosions that almost touched him but didn’t seem to do anything to him but they kept him distracted which was enough. Then, Thanos actually seemed to harness the fire from the explosions and Tony tried and failed to get out of the way as it came at him and Thanos seemed keen to keep sending it his way. He flew away and at the last second saw Peter appear again. He looked like he was alright, but Tony was his dad and he couldn’t help but worry. The whole situation had him worried.

Peter threw a string of web at Thanos and more specifically the gauntlet, stopping him from the attack he was holding on Iron Man. Before he could do more though, something happened -- something huge came out of nowhere and Peter had to pull back.

Thanos was taken by the thing which appeared to be some sort of ship and Peter had no idea where it came from.

“Well, well,” Thanos said as he got up from the debris.

Peter was distracted by Dr. Strange motioning him as a blue alien jumped out and struck at Thanos. She was yelling something, but that didn’t matter because she clearly considered Thanos an enemy and that was important.

“We have to end this,” his dad said on the comms, “we have to pin him down and take that gauntlet.” The basis of their plan -- it needed to happen and soon.

The alien fighting Thanos didn’t last long, thrown aside by the use of one of the Infinity Stones.

Stephen used a rope made up of energy to wrap around the gauntlet. The time that the new arrival had given them to regroup was more than enough to get back on track and when he’d gotten a chance, Stephen had gone for it. Thanos fought back, pulling and pulling but Stephen held on. Quill moved fast to throw his electromagnet and with perfect aim because it took hold of Thanos’ gauntlet free hand.

Spider-Man swung in and as planned he too took hold of Thanos with his webbing, pulling him back and holding him in place which was what mattered the most. Thanos kept trying to pull away but somehow they were managing to hold him. Stephen hadn’t known that they would be able to pull it off and once he was sure that Spider-Man and Star Lord could hold him, Stephen let go and it was just in time for Iron Man to arrive and grab the arm with the gauntlet. He pulled at it.

Without Mantis, Stephen didn’t know how they could have considered managing this. He opened a portal above Thanos and Thanos didn’t even see it coming as she landed on his shoulders and her hands went to his head immediately and in seconds she had him.

Thanos let out a muffled scream.

“Is he under? Don’t let up?” Stark said.

“Be quick,” Mantis said through gritted teeth. “He is very strong.”

Stark was pulling but the gauntlet wasn’t moving.

“Peter, help! Get over here,” Stark called and his son dropped his web and moved. It made no difference to the hold they had on Thanos due to Mantis. “She can’t hold him much longer. Let’s go. We got to open his fingers to get it off.”

It was all happening like it was supposed to. Stephen hadn’t known that it would -- but he’d wanted it to. Needed it to. It was hard -- watching them and knowing what was to come. Knowing that it was all kind of pointless.

Chapter One Hundred Twenty Two

[myriadimagines]

Shift

Marvel (The Avengers) One Shot

Pairing: Reader x Peter Parker

Other Characters: Tony Stark, Stephen Strange, Thanos, Mantis, Peter Quill, Drax the Destroyer, Nebula

Warnings: Infinity War spoilers, violence, death

Request: “Peter Parker x Male!Stark!Reader one-shot where the Male!Reader joins his Dad, Strange, & crush on the spaceship to Titan after getting caught up in the scenario on Earth with the Time Stone. When they reach Titan and battle Thanos with the Guardians, the Male!Reader confesses his love for Peter Parker as he takes the stab meant for his Dad from Thanos. The Snap happens but the Male!Reader disintegrates instead of Peter right in front of his new boyfriend & dad” – anonymous

Word Count: 1,805

A/N: This is like the first time in a while that I’ve written anything and I’ve had no inspiration for the latest one shots yikes I’m sorry anyway I didn’t know in how much detail you wanted me to go on the other parts so I kinda just focused on the end of the request, hope it’s okay.

please reblog/leave comments, they’re very much appreciated!

Your name: submit What is this?

Peter had noticed the mysterious spaceship before you did, his senses alerting him of its presence. His hand clamped down on your arm, sending shivers through your body, making it initially hard to focus on the urgency of the situation. You looked past him out the window of the schoolbus, your heart pounding out of your chest as you saw the ship. You scrambled to grab the compact device of your suit as Peter activated his wrist band, and the two of you were quick to slip out the bus window as Ned helped distract everyone. You activated the suit your father had built for you, pressing it against your chest as you felt the cool metal spread over your body before you flew towards the ship, Peter close behind you as he swung from the bridge to the buildings.

You and Peter ran into your father just in time to save him from his attacker, and Tony barely had enough time to explain the situation before someone zipped past you, who Tony instructed you and Peter to protect. You and Peter rushed after him, who you’d learn was Stephen Strange, narrowly avoiding the attacks from the alien who was pursuing you. However, you efforts were to no avail as you, Peter and Stephen were beamed up into the mysterious spaceship. Tony had ordered the both of you to return to Earth, and for you to return to Pepper, yet you and Peter were determined to help in this fight, a fight which you’d soon discover was the fight for the entire universe.

—

“Do you think it’ll work?”

You question startled Peter out of his thoughts, and he turned to look at you, the two of you perched upon one of the auburn rocks of Titan, waiting for Thanos’ inevitable arrival. His feet were dangling off the edge, and he frowned as he looked down at his hands folded into his lap. The both of you were exhausted, but were fully aware that the most important battle hadn’t even occurred yet. You had saved Stephen from interrogation — but not before you and Peter had been reprimanded by Tony for not listening to his instructions to return to Earth — and landed the ship on Titan, met the Guardians of the Galaxy, and had devised a plan on how to stop Thanos. All the chaos that had occured made the current silence between the two of you feel out of place.

“I hope so.” Peter finally responded, his voice unnaturally hollow. As optimistic as Peter wished he could be, he could feel the uneasiness in the air amongst everyone. 14 million possible outcomes, in which there was only one where all of you succeeded.

You nodded in response, evidently as dismal as Peter was as the two of you stared into the space ahead. There were a thousands words at the tip of your tongue, and you cast a sideways glance at Peter before quickly looking away, making sure Peter didn’t catch you gazing at him. Surely, he was thinking what you were thinking — that this might be your last moment together. If there was any time for last words, as morbid as the thought was, now was the time to say it.

“Peter, I-” you started to say, the words fixing themselves in your throat as you struggled to confess your feelings to Peter. Struggled to confess that you were in love with him, your best friend, the boy who was always by your side. Peter turned to you, eyebrows raised in anticipation, but you found yourself biting your lip, holding back despite the fact that this might be your only chance.

“y/n! Peter!” Tony’s voice pulled your attention away from Peter, and you could feel Peter’s gaze linger on you for a second longer before looking over his shoulder to where Tony was standing. There was something in your father’s grim expression that unsettled you, but you squared your shoulders as he simply stated, “It’s time. Get into position.”

You and Peter turned to each other as Peter sat up. You reached for your helmet, sucking in a sharp breath before you asked, “Are you ready?”

Peter didn’t respond, stretching his mask over his face as he slowly got to his feet, offering you a hand as he pulled you up too. Finally, he quietly replied, “I have to be.”

—

You were so close. So close.

The gauntlet was just beginning to slip from Thanos’ fingertips, the battle almost won. Perhaps this wasn’t the end. Perhaps, despite all odds, you would emerge victorious.

You should’ve known it was too good to be true.

You and Peter tumbled back as Thanos snatched the gauntlet away from your grasp, broken free of Mantis’ powers as Peter knocked him out. You gasped for air as you landed hard, the air knocked out of your lungs. Peter scrambled to sit up, giving you a little shake as he grabbed your shoulder, making sure you were okay. The two of you watched in horror as Thanos quickly overpowered everyone, tossing Mantis into the air, and Peter lunged to catch her before she fell. You turned around, watching as Tony attempted to subdue Thanos, when Thanos suddenly turned and used his gauntlet, using his powers to drag the moon straight out of the sky and onto Tony.

“Dad!” you yelled, jumping into the air as your jets activated, trying to fly to your father. Tony flew up, trying to stop the moon from making impact, and you watched as he crashed onto the ground. You watched as the bodies of the Guardians suspended into the air, the disruption of gravity leaving them defenseless. Peter suddenly appeared at your side, the two of you nodding at each other in a silent exchange before you lunged into action, grabbing Drax and Nebula as Peter took care of the others. Once you brought everyone down safely, you collapsed against a rock, trying to catch your breath before Peter suddenly spoke.

“y/n…” he croaked out, and you turned to see where he was pointing. You immediately straightened upon seeing Tony attempting to fight Thanos again, alone, and you powered up every weapons system available on your suit.

“Stay with the Guardians.” you told Peter, who opened his mouth in protest. “I need to help my dad.”

“y/n, wait-” Peter tried to stop you, knowing Thanos was too powerful for both you and Tony. Under his mask, you knew his expression was filled with fear, but you had no time to give into fear. Your father’s life, as well as the lives of everyone in the universe, was at stake, and you needed to act now.

“Peter,” you turned to him, and despite the trepidation that filled your chest, you found the courage you lacked earlier. “I love you.”

Before Peter could respond, you lunged towards Thanos, who had just broken Tony’s blade as Tony attempted to stab him. Turning it around, he moved to plunge it into Tony’s stomach, but you managed to insert yourselves between them. You heard the alarmed screams from Peter and Tony, but all you could focus on was Thanos, his gaze burning into yours as he sharply yanked the blade out of you. The screens in front of you glitched, your suit now damaged, and you weakly raised your arms as you fired at Thanos, pushing him back. You collapsed, and you felt Tony crouch beside you as he fumbled to find a way to patch up your wound, something to stop the alarming amount of blood that had spilled over Tony’s hands.

“How brave of you.” Thanos growled, regaining his balance as he raised his gauntlet at you and Tony, the stones on his knuckles growing brighter by the second. “Like father, like son.”

“y/n!” Peter’s scream ripped through the air, and you screwed your eyes shut as you felt Tony’s arms wrap around you, the both of you bracing for the worst. You never could’ve predicted the turn of events, where Stephen saved both you and your father’s life in exchange for the time zone. You watched helplessly as the time stone floated through the air towards Thanos, landing on his gauntlet before he disappeared, leaving no trace as if he was never there.

Peter sprinted towards you, cupping your face in his hands as Tony pulled off your helmet. You put on a brave smile, trying to appear strong for Peter as he engulfed you in a hug, holding you so tightly you thought you might burst. He buried his face into your shoulder, mumbling, “I thought I was going to lose you, y/n, I thought- I… I love you, too-”

You smiled at Peter, pulling back slightly as you reached out to touch his cheek before pulling him back towards you, the both of you embracing each other and never wanting to let go. You could hear the others approaching, all of you now lost, devoid of purpose from Thanos’ departure. There was no telling where he was now, and what he was capable of with all of the Infinity Stones in his power, and despite the happiness you felt knowing that Peter loved you back, you couldn’t ignore the dread that had settled into the bottom of your stomach.

There was a sudden shift in the air, and everyone looked up as Mantis quietly said, “Something’s happening.”

Tony got to his feet, the panic evident in his face as Mantis suddenly evaporated into dust. You scrambled backwards in shock, everyone staring at where Mantis once stood with similar reactions. Your hand began to shake as you suddenly looked down to see your fingers slowly disappearing, and you whispered, “Peter…”

Peter turned, tears welling in his eyes as he saw your whole hand had now disappeared. Clinging to your other hand, which was quickly fading, Peter stammered, “No, no, y/n, stay with me-”

You looked up at Tony, who stared at you, a mixture of helplessness and shock painted across his expression. Peter’s tears streamed down his face as he begged you to stay with him, and you tried to reach out to Tony as you whispered, “Dad, please help me-”

“No-” Tony croaked out, lunging to try and hold you one last time. His son, his only child, but you had faded into nothingness, reduced to nothing but dust that floated away. Tony stared hard at the ground as Peter burst into tears, his hand balled into a fist as if he was still trying to hold onto you.

In an instant, everything had shifted. Thanos had done it. He had wiped out half the universe. But for Peter and Tony, he hadn’t just destroyed half of it, he had destroyed their entire lives.

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