#grabbed some original non-fandom prints too

[shadowed-yet-vibrant]

Tragic: You attended a convention in the hopes of finding character merch, but you don’t care for Pokemon, One Piece, or JJK.

[eri-cheri]

Now that we have reached the last chapter of the year. It is time to do a 2020 roll call of what I like to call, “State of the Shippers”:

1. IzuOcha. Status: Placated.

-IzuOcha’s could celebrate several cute tidbits throughout the year. Mini moments as they say.

Anime Highlights: The OVA’s came in clutch with moments for shippers all around and IzuOcha is no exception. We got a cute tidbit where Izuku and Ochako bumped into each other and were flustered.

Manga Highlights: Christmas kept on giving to this fandom as the AM doll Izuku gave Ochako made many appearances. A cute fist bump between the two was also exchanged and Mina was right there bouncing with y’all.

Heroes Rising: Izuku super man carried Ochako to safety. And was Angy she was injured. Fans could enjoy the small Lois Lane moment.

Troubling Signs?: Ochako said “I would like to be excluded from this narrative” when it comes to her feelings for Deku. She’s a hero damnit! So if they are in for something, probably won’t be while they are still in school.

II. DabiHawks. Status: Yikes.

- Dabi and Hawk’s very public breakup set this fandom in disarray but also kind of disayay?

Anime Highlights: None yet. This fandom was cruelly cock blocked by Bones. Sorry DabiHawks stans.

Manga Highlights: Where to begin, my goodness. With these fans, I guess the good and the bad is a plus in this homoerotic double agent relationship. We have the notion that Dabi may have known Hawks when they were kids, which may be a positive? Hori sure loves his childhood friends. Other than that. The GIRLS WERE FIGHTIN’. Hawks is now permanently scarred by Dabi and I don’t think it was kinky folks. Tokoyami inserted himself in the middle to White Knight Hawks, Dabi broke up with him via YT expose and overall, shippers could anguish in the absolute MESS that this ship endured this year. But I’m sure that’s part of the appeal. So...yay?

Heroes Rising: They were both in it.

Troubling Signs?: The entire relationship is a troubling sign which again, is part of the appeal. Maybe Hawks will cuddle up with Dabi’s father after the war. That’s troubling! Speaking of...

III. EndHawks. Status: Yearning and Burning.

-If there’s one thing Endeavor couldn’t stop worrying about, it was his hot (in more ways than one) new side piece who probably should have looked at the fine print when signing a contract to be a recurring guest star on “Keeping up with the Todoroki’s”.

Anime Highlights: A fateful meeting finally in high definition for all our eyes to see! Hawks’s unwavering support of his biggest hero was endearing to watch and their shenanigans together spurred the anime onlies to finally jump on the biggest May-December ship in the series.

Manga Highlights: Endeavor’s admiration and concern for Hawks seeped through the pages as we entered our most exciting arc in the manga yet. Fate split these two up yet entwined their downfall together. And that Fate’s name was Dabi...or should I say ⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️⚫️ or should I just say Touya!

Heroes Rising: “Don’t bite my head off, Endeavor.” Geez, can you flirt a little less loud Hawks?

Troubling Signs?: They say never meet your heroes and Hawks is in for a rude awakening. We shall see just how deep his admiration runs or if Endeavor’s past will split our dynamic duo up for good.

IV: TodoDeku. Status: “Precious”

-Shoto’s “Midoriya is in Danger” radar was highlighted in both manga and anime. 4th User’s quirk, who?

Anime Highlights: “Midoriya hasn’t returned yet.” “Where’s Midoriya?” “Midoriya! Grab my hand!” “Have some of my Soba Midoriya.” Shoto gets it. His emotional support friend is a danger magnet. TodoDeku’s also enjoyed tiny tidbits in the OVA such as a hand grabbing scene. Gotta hold tight to those crumbs.

Manga Highlights: Two Words. “Precious Friend.” Deku comes in w/o arms or legs fighting for Shoto and Shoto’s honor. These two spent the entire year worried sick about each other, and going against all odds to save each other. Precious Friends indeed. TDDK fans ate.

Heroes Rising: Shoto kicks some dog ass and then faints thinking of Deku (and Bakugo but shh. Let the shippers rejoice.) On the bright side, we have a 3rd movie coming featuring “The Three Musketeers” so shippers of TdDk can HOLD TIGHT to what’s to come.

Troubling Signs?: Shoto still doesn’t know about OFA and he’s gonna have LOTS of questions after this arc. Will Deku finally tell him? If not, it could make or break the ship.

V. TodoBaku. Status: “Shining through the city with a little funk and soul.”

-Who knew the greatest comedy duo we needed was Shoto and his hot headed “friend” or not friend? It still remains unclear to Shoto. Regardless, these two had a fun year.

Anime Highlights: “I wanna see your cute face”, disco dancing, and more fun in the provisional license training. Plus the OVA added some cute moments between the two such as Bakugo staying behind to save Todoroki during a dangerous excercise and his adorable plan neatly animated for us. I’d say TodoBaku’s really were resurgent and energized this year!

Manga Highlights: Shoto, that is not how you properly Catch a Kacchan, I’m sorry. But at least you did it you mad lad. As with Deku, Shoto spent the year worried sick about Bakugo. While the anime let us have our fun, these two were suffering in the manga.

Heroes Rising: Again, Shoto put a dog down and then fainted with Bakugo on his mind (and Deku but we ignore that. Shush.) TodoBaku’s have the 3rd movie to look forward to which is bound to have some amazing content!

Troubling Signs?: They have a lot of trauma to deal with. And a lot of Deku to worry about. I also imagine Shoto will be hurt about being left out of the OFA secret. We shall see what 2021 has to offer.

VI. KiriMina. Status: Unbreakable.

-Changing your hairstyle to match the gal who inspired you in middle school? Sorry y’all but if Mina were a guy, I’d say that’s gay af.

Anime Highlights: We got that backstory Bois. Red Riot’s origin might as well make him be called Pink Riot. Again with Hori and the childhood friends though I wouldn’t exactly call them friends. They just went to the same middle school but Kirishima was highly influenced by Mina’s Chivalrous spirit! A ship is born!

Manga Highlights: The influence is mutual! Mina creates a move based on Kirishima’s unbreakable and we all let out a collective “awwww”. Also in the war arc, we got Kirishima making sure Mina’s chivalrous spirit shines through right into Gigantomachia’s mouth! KiriMina may just be the unsung MVP’s of this arc.

Heroes Rising: They were in it.

Troubling Signs?: I can’t think of a single one. KiriMina’s can enjoy a peaceful sailing.

VII: KiriBaku. Status: Crumb Collectors.

-2020 was an uneventful year for KiriBaku but Bones made sure there were crumbs aplenty! Thank God for OVA’s!

Anime Highlights: KiriBaku’s did thrive in one episode! Kirishima reflects on the sludge incident and evolves his quirk based on inspiring words from Bakugo! Hooray! KiriBaku’s can thrive in their blossoming friendship. The OVA also has Kirishima (and Kaminari but shh) once again following Bakugo’s lead when it comes to the training excercise. How can you not? He’s so manly!

Manga Highlights: Not gonna lie. There is nothing much here this year. I did find a teeny tiny flake in Aizawa’s flashback. Kirishima and Bakugo are sitting next to each other. Oh! And at the hot pot gathering, Bakugo sits next to Kirishima! Eat your crumbs KiriBaku’s! There’s always next year!

Heroes Rising: Kirishima hangs with a lazy Bakugo and delivers the most hilarious line in the whole movie. “Silly Bakugo, there won’t be villains here!” Hahah... Silly Bakugo. Oh you~ KiriBaku’s can inhale the fact that those two sure love to hover around each other!

Troubling Signs?: With great crumbs come little responsiblity. No trouble if there’s no content! 🤔

VIII: KamiJirou. Status: Singing their hearts out 🎶

-If there’s any ship that’s coming close to canonization, I think this is it, folks! “Think of the person most important to you!” Can’t argue with Midnight!

Anime Highlights: Kaminari does non stop encouraging of Jirou and her hobbies! He works super hard to learn guitar for her sake! We love a king who can encourage his queen!

Manga Highlights: Kaminari thinks of the most important person to him and surprise! It’s Jirou! All of the feels can commence.

Heroes Rising: They were in it!

Troubling Signs?: Kaminari does love his women. And men. Kaminari overall is a huge flirt. But Jirou appears to have his heart strings. ❤️

IX: BakuDeku. Status: Rising. 👑

-Alternative Statuses include Winning, Thriving, Soaring. It’s just been non stop content this year. 2020 is truly the year for BakuDeku. The shippers can rejoice.

Anime Highlights: Three words. Be. My. Cane. The OVA’s helped fan the flames of the BkDk hearts with a surprise! Deku tops! Not only that, we got a lovely shoulder tap of encouragement in the canon material. While in season 4, Deku’s primary focus was Eri. Bakugo and Deku still had their moments to be hella gay.

Manga Highlights: Where do I even begin? I guess we’ll just cut to the chase with Bakugo Katsuki: Rising. We finally saw Bakugo’s true feelings manifest for Deku and if getting stabbed for him isn’t the ultimate showing of love, then idk what is. BakuDeku’s rounded out the year with the Volume 29 cover AND the volume 29 cover drafts to eat at our heart strings. Overall, their relationship got the spotlight in the manga this year. And we’re bound to start 2021 with a dramatic confrontation. Hand holding seems to be the key with these two and it didn’t stop with Heroes Rising...speaking of.

Heroes Rising: The entire movie. Like....yeah. That’s it. [OP, your bias is showing. You have to be SPECIFIC.] {But random criticizer in my head, if I lay out the entire plot of the movie, my post will be too long} [OP....] UGHHHH Okay okay. The POPSICLE MELTING. THE HAND HOLDING. THE CHARACTER DESIGNS OF WHAT MIGHT AS WELL BE THEIR LOVE CHILDREN. Did I mention? “It’s fine if it’s you?” CAUSE YEAH. Oh and All Might randomly officiating their wedding in their heads like idk. Isn’t it just simpler if I say the whole movie??!

Troubling Signs?: Well these two’s relationship is extremely delicate and while it has non stop soared this year, Deku might not take too kindly to Bakugo almost dying for him. Will they stop pushing each other away? Time will tell.

That’s all for this year folks! Happy Shipping and good luck to everyone next year!

[duckprintspress]

What is a Story?

When Duck Prints Press put out our call for applicants, we asked everyone to submit “a sample of their work (between 1,000 and 2,000 words)… [that] must function as a short story.” When we reviewed the 100+ samples we received, we noticed many areas where writers commonly struggled. Based on what we learned, we’ve planned a number of blog posts to discuss these challenging areas, and we’ve decided to tackle one of the most frequent issues first. Many otherwise strong submissions lost points on our rubric line regarding “plot and events,” and specifically, they scored a 1 or a 2 because “the story has no plot (for example, is a vignette).” 

So, this begs the question, what is a story, and, of course, what isn’t a story?

(note that throughout this post, I use the word “narrative” to refer to any amount of text that may or may not be a story, and I use story only in a more narrow, specific sense.)

What is a story?

The answer is deceptively simple: a story is any narrative that has a plot. But...what is a plot? There are many ways to define a plot, but at its most basic, a plot has a beginning, a middle, and an end, and by the ending, something has changed. If, at the end of the story, nothing has changed, then it’s not a story. However, even if something has changed, it’s still not necessarily a story, because characters and time-frame also influence the definition. A narrative without at least one character is not a story. Likewise, a narrative time-frame, if it’s discussing events at a meta-level (“this happened, then this happened, then this happened”) may show that changes occur, but it’s still not a story - it’s an overview or an outline. The lines, of course, can be blurry - and where any given author, reader, or DPP reviewer draws the line between “this is a story” and “this isn’t a story” will vary. 

How is a story communicated to the reader?

To function as a story, the narrative must include characters. Now, character doesn’t necessarily have to mean person, or even require sentience, but there must be some point of view being explored, and if the character is an animal or an inanimate object, writing it as a character will require a degree of anthropomorphizing. The key aspect is that the character has some form of agency - some ability to interact with and influence their surroundings. This character will have a point of view and a perspective that affects how they perceive the story’s setting, and by the end of the story this character should have either changed themselves, or changed their surroundings, or changed their relationships. The circumstances around this character must be different by the end of the story than they were at the beginning - or else it’s not a story.

What is change?

As part of the narrative, one or more characters in the story must engage in some form of activity that results in the world around them changing. Writing advice most oftenly calls this “conflict,” but honestly? I hate that word. The classic couching of “person vs. self, person vs. person, person vs. nature, person vs. society, person vs. fate” as the available types of conflict is tired. Defining the only kind of change as conflict and specifically describing it as “x versus y” is to automatically get a potential writer thinking in terms of antagonism. While antagonism is one available type of change, it’s not the only, and while many pieces of writing advice point out that these “versus” constructions don’t mean enmity by nature...why not simply choose a less confusing construction, one that doesn’t require addenda to explain the existence of narratives that clearly are stories but are less “versus” and more “and” - “person and self,” “person and person,” “person and nature,” “person and society,” “person and fate.” I’ve opted to use the word change, because one of the clearest ways to tell if a narrative is a story or not is to look at the nature of the character(s) are at the beginning, and look at the nature of them at the end, and say - what’s different? Maybe they’ve built something. Maybe they’ve reached a new understanding. Maybe they’ve conquered a challenge. Maybe they’ve altered their perspective. Maybe they’ve learned something. Maybe, they’ve changed the world, or maybe, they’ve just changed a light bulb - but something has changed.

Before some writing snob comes at me and says, “okay, fine, we dare you to come up with a plot that doesn’t fit into the classic five conflict types” ...of course we can’t. That model functions because all stories can be shoehorned into it, as long as very loose definition of “conflict” and “versus” are used. But because it’s described in oppositional terms, a lot of writers get distracted by that terminology and think there has to be, well, a conflict, in the narrow definition of the word. And that’s clearly absurd - many of our favorite fanfiction tropes, for example, are fluffy and comforting and soft precisely because they’re not about conflict, they’re about harmony. Yes, “enemies to lovers” is wonderful, but so is “friends to lovers.” Two people going on a date that ends with a marriage proposal is a story: they started out as a couple and ended engaged. Something has changed - their relationship status. But to call that “person versus person,” while perhaps technically correct, is ludicrous. Now, to keep it interesting, there might be some “person versus self” - “I’m not worthy of this love, omg do they really care for me, oh will society give us problems if we say yes?” which is how it can be shoehorned into the “conflict” model. But be it ever so soft, and their love ever so accepted, and their faith in each other ever so steady - if there really is no conflict, just those two people meeting up and having a nice night and ending in a proposal...it’s still a story. To say it’s not a story because there was no conflict, only an advancement of their relationship...yes, a story like that is borderline to being a vignette or “slice of life” narrative. Certainly, if there’s zero sources of tension, it may not be a very interesting story, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a story. 

What else does a story need?

Honestly - not much. Don’t get us wrong - a story is stronger if it has a setting so that it doesn’t just take place in endless blankness. A story with multiple characters but no form of dialog (verbal or non-verbal) may be a little flat. A story where something changes but some of the introduced plot elements aren’t resolved will feel incomplete to a reader. A story without any negativity could be boring. Stories lacking these elements may not be good stories...or they could be amazing, and innovative, showing how a tale can be told without elements we usually consider essential! As long as something or someone has changed, and the story is told in a narrative, descriptive format that includes a character - it’s a story.

What isn’t a story?

Things that aren’t stories fall into two broad categories:

Narratives that have description, characters, dialogue, setting, and other story elements, but nothing changes. Examples of this are “slice of life” narratives and what, in fandom-parlance, would be called an episode coda or canon insert - a chunk of narrative deliberately meant to make a bridge between two established events but in which nothing can change because the surrounding events remain established. (A coda or insert might be a story, it varies.)

Narratives that are either entirely “show” (for example, a vignette) or entirely “tell” (for example, a synopsis),  These can also be seen as relating to time - either there’s little or no passage of time (usually the case in vignettes) or far too much passage of time (usually the case in synopses). Narratives like this may or may not include a character, but even if they do, they’re still not stories. Why not? Because any story that is entirely “show” and involves minimal passage of time is unlikely to result in change, and instead will be an extended description of a moment. And any story that is entirely “tell” and depicts a large swath are overviews - there’s no element to actually grab a reader and no reason the reader should care about this dry relationship of events. That’s not a story - it’s a history textbook.

Drawing the lines between these categories can be difficult, and to some extent will come down to taste. Anyone who says there’s a hard-and-fast rule in writing is a liar. Just because a synopsis or a “slice of life” narrative isn’t usually a story doesn’t mean they will never be one. But, in general, if you’re looking at a piece of work and you’re trying to determine if it’s a story or not, there are some signs that will strongly suggest it’s not a story:

There are no characters.

There is no setting.

Nothing has changed between the beginning and ending of the narrative.

The entire narrative is an extended description of a single person/object/setting.

The entire narrative could easily be reworded into a sequence of, “thing one happened, then thing two happened, then thing three happened, then thing four happened.”

The narrative feels like a “pause,” or a “bridge” that takes place between two events that aren’t depicted in the narrative.

A central conflict or issue is introduced or described in details, but nothing is done to try to solve the issue.

Now, for the most important part of this discussion of what isn’t a story: writing something that isn’t a story isn’t a bad thing! Especially in fanfiction communities, we live for self-indulgent narratives that make us happy. We love to see those “moments between.” We live for a thought-out thousand-year history for some setting that didn’t originally have that much background. These kinds of narratives are fun to write, and especially when they’re part of an existing franchise, can be a delight to read. We are not saying that there is literally anything wrong with writing a narrative that isn’t a story. 

That said, Duck Prints Press’s applicant call specifically asked authors to submit a writing sample that was a story, with the eventual goal of selecting authors to write short stories for an anthology. Which is to say: there’s nothing wrong at all with writing “slice of life” stories, codas, canon inserts, vignettes, or synopses - it’s simply not what we asked people to submit in this specific case, and we’ve come to see that a lot of people submitted non-stories without an apparent understanding of the difference, and we wanted to explain that difference.

But, to everyone reading this: write whatever brings you joy, in as much detail or vagueness as makes you happy, and share it with whoever you want. Just also understand, that for many types of narratives, if you’re asked “is that a story?” it’s not. That’s not to create a hierarchy - they’re all equal as art forms, they’re just not the same.

Okay I kinda understand this in theory but what do these differences actually look like in practice?

In long-form works, it’s usually relatively easy to recognize what is a story and what isn’t. Almost every novel ever published has a plot, and has things change, and is therefore a story. (though there are exceptions - Wikipedia lists a few longer vignettes and, when done thoughtfully, it can be astonishingly effective.) However, in shorter works, it can be difficult to tell the difference - and, as previously mentioned, the lines can blur.

In the interest of giving an idea of what the differences are, here are a few examples I quickly cooked up to try to show you all, since I’ve done a lot of “telling” so far (this blog post: also not a story, ha!) and very little demonstration. These are each around 150 words, to show that even in a tiny word count, any of these narrative structures is a viable choice. (Sorry these aren’t high literature - I just threw them together for this post, so I’d have something that suited.)

(read more)

A story - a narrative with a beginning, middle, and end, where something changes:

The door slammed open. Looking up from her embroidery, Victoria blinked as Margaret strode into the room.There was an air of expectancy that was inexplicable to Victoria; she grew more confused when Margaret approached and dropped to one knee.

“What are you doing?” Heart pounding, Victoria attempted self-restraint, but she couldn’t rein in her hope, because it almost looked like...it seemed like...but--

“Proposing,” announced Margaret, pulling a velvet-covered box from her pocket and opening to reveal an emerald set in a gold band.

“But you can’t!”

Margaret tilted her head to the side and frowned. “Why not?”

Objections occurred to Victoria, but examining them...she couldn’t think of a one that Margaret wouldn’t demolish with her usual brilliance. “You know what? You’re right. Who’s to stop us? And...I accept.”

And as Margaret slipped the ring onto Victoria’s finger, she knew: there could be no objection. Nothing had ever felt so right in her life.

“Slice of life” - a narrative with a beginning, middle, and end, where nothing changes:

“What a day!” said James, dropping onto the couch with an exhausted sigh. 

“I know what you mean,” Tom agreed. He fumbled a hand across the cushion separating them, and James delighted in the simple comfort of threading their fingers together.

A beep, beep, beep sounded in the kitchen, announcing that the microwave had finished nuking their leftovers.

“You getting that?” asked Tom.

“It’s your turn!” James countered.

“But I don’t want to let go of your hand.” Tom gave his hand a squeeze, and a pleased glow suffused James’s chest.

It was Tom’s turn to retrieve their dinner.

But Tom was right - holding hands was wonderful.

“Let’s get it together,” James suggested. 

Hesitating, Tom remained still as James sit up and gave a tug on their joined arms, then he broke into a smile and rose at James’s side.

“I love the way you think.”

“I love you, too, darling”

And together - always together - they got their dinner.

“Bridge” scene, episode coda, or canon insert-style fic - a narrative with a beginning, middle, and end, where nothing changes:

Arriving home after the battle, Sandy opened the rough-hewn door and shed her damaged armor. Her dented cuirass had left an aching bruise across her chest; she carried it to the smithy out back for repair in the morning. A gash on her thigh throbbed where an arrow had pierced the straps holding her greaves in places; she brought them to her leather-working station. Nicks and fissures marred her once-gleaming sword blade. All Sandy wanted was to collapse in bed, but resisted the pull of relaxation, because blood limned the damaged places red, and repair to the damaged weapon couldn’t wait. Taking a seat, placed her feet on the treadles that set her whet stone to spinning and set about polishing out every imperfection.

Yes, she was exhausted.

But her sword must be cleaned, and smoothed, and honed, and prepared.

Sandy must be prepared.

There would always be another battle to be fought.

Vignette, a narrative without a beginning, a middle, or an end, which may or may not have a character, and nothing changes and in which the emphasis is on showing, rather than telling (but, as in this example, a combination may be used):

The wind blew chill down the narrow mountain pass. All was silent, save for the rush of the breeze. All was still, save where gusts stirred the tall grasses and the branches of trees that reached, claw-like, toward the sky. 

Once upon a time, a stream had carved this cut through the cliffs, forcing its way through soft chalk and hard shale, leaving jagged stones that emerged from the steep pass walls like teeth. The stream was long dry, now, only water-smoothed stones strewn across the ground to show where it had ever been.

Once upon a time, travellers had traversed the dried-up rill bed, pounding down the dirt, knocking the rocks aside, leaving scars where their fires burned. They’d lived, and laughed, and explored, and sought...and left, never to return.

Now, there was nothing: nothing but the storm.

And all was silent.

And all was still.

And the wind blew, chill, down the narrow mountain pass.

Synopsis, a narrative with a beginning, a middle and an end, which may or may not have characters, and where something changes, and in which  the emphasis is on telling rather showing:

Emperor Xiang Zhen was born in 9884 to Dowager Empress Luo Zexi and the warlord Xiang Yijun. After his birth, there was a long period of strife. Those who supported Xiang Yijun’s claim to the throne battled those who still supported the Dowager Empress’s deceased husband Peng Zhenya. Eventually, the factions found common ground when Xiang Zhen came of age, and he was enthroned in 9902. 

With his reign came peace and prosperity. The arts flourished. Scholarship advanced, and many great Dao masters arose, using cultivation to rid the land of evil’s left by the long war. Xiang Zhen longed to join a Night Hunt himself, but he was trapped by his political position. He didn’t dare risk the fragile stability in the Empire. If something happened to him, the results could be catastrophic. So he studied, and ruled, and adjudicated, and endowed, and endured.

Xiang Zhen did as he must.

But, oh...he wished he weren’t alone.

I know this is long, so we’ll leave this discussion at this point. Hopefully you found it helpful, and please do let me know if you have any questions! Duck Prints Press is always here to offer support to writers, and we love getting writing asks!

[peanut-in-the-goal]

could u write something like remus is out running errands or something and he gets recognized by an nhl fan who’s homophobic and shitty and he goes home and sirius comforts him and it’s cute and fluffy

I KIND OF WENT ON A RANT IN THE MIDDLE OF THIS IM SO SORRY

ALSO I LOST SPEAKING PRIVILEGES WITH @kielemarie because of this. IM SORRY MARIE PLEASE ANSWER MY ASKS

@candy--floss--kid you asked to be tagged when i finished so here ya go

@lumosinlove thank you for this fandom that is sweater weather

also here’s the last thing I wrote because I'm proud of it please I thrive on validation

---

Remus was walking down one of the aisles in the store, looking for a baking mix. He figured that he’d finally take up the challenge of teaching Sirius how to bake. 

He found a simple recipe. Yellow cupcake mix, how could he mess it up? Remus thought to himself. He placed it in the cart before he felt someone forcefully slam into his shoulder. 

He stumbled, his hand immediately going to his scar from Grayback. He looked up slowly, dreading who he might see. 

His eyes locked with the dark green ones in front of him. The tall man’s eyes matched the Slytherin Jersey he wore. Riddle was in bold letters on the back. Which was bad, but not the worst thing that could have happened.

He allowed himself to breathe, it’s not Fenrir, he let the relief of it wash over him. 

“Sorry,” Remus said. He knew it wasn’t his fault but didn’t want to start any drama or conflict when there was no need for it. Especially with a Snakes fan,

He tried to just walk away. He had everything he needed for just a lazy day at home, but the man stepped in front of him. 

Remus looked up confused. Leo has told him about Karen’s doing this sort of stuff. Something that Gen Z came up with or whatever, but he wasn’t sure if he entirely grasped the concept. Suddenly the man started laughing. A deep menacing, laugh that had no humor behind it. 

His eyes were hard as he stared at Remus. 

“It’s not right you know.” He said. His voice was deep and loud, everyone else in the aisle turning to look. “You’re just a bunch of sinners.”

Remus realized what he was referring to in a heartbeat. He was taken aback at first, he knew people felt this way but he had yet to have anyone come and say it to his face so plainly.

He took a step back moving the cart to go around the man, “Excuse me,” he gritted out. He started pushing the cart before a hand reached out and grabbed it.

Remus raked a hand through his hair, sighing he looked up at the man. The green-eyed man was smirking at him, holding onto the front of the cart. The letters stood out in the harsh lighting of the store, glimmering every time he moved.

ALWAYS, PURE, HOCKEY.

The words were printed underneath the symbol, the green snake. It made him sick, he felt bad for all the people who were drafted to that team, stuck without a chance of escaping on their own.

The queasiness in his stomach turned into anger. He used that.

“Was there something you wanted?” Remus asked, generally annoyed now. 

“I want you to know that it’s not fucking right.” The man stepped closer, Remus stayed where he was. 

“Noted, now if you don’t mind I think I’m going to go home to my boyfriend.”

One of the people next to him snorted and tried to hide their laughter at the affronted look on the green-eyed man's face. 

“How can you even look at yourself in the mirror?” The man sniped. 

“Easily, knowing that a homophobic git who can’t keep their nose in their own business isn’t looking back.”

More people laughed, Remus smirked. The man seemed to be getting angrier and angrier, which was just fine. 

“You’re broken.” The man pursed his lips.

“How original.”

Remus pushes the cart again, managing to make the man dislodge his fingers. He started towards the checkout, wanting to get out of there as soon as he could. 

It wasn’t his first time he heard these things. That was all he heard when he was in the media and the pictures had just come out. But Sirius had suffered through most of the face to face stuff, while Remus saw all of it online.

It didn’t make the impact of the words any easier.

It disgusted him that people still thought this way, that they didn’t like that he was able to find love with someone that wasn’t accepted. So what, oh no, they have the same genitals, obviously, it isn’t right. Fuck them for thinking that, honestly. 

It’s sad that they’re so limited to that type of mindset. Where only one thing is right and everything else is wrong in their eyes.

He huffed, walking down the aisle with his head held high. 

Stand your ground, don’t let him win. You got this.

The man followed him, yelling slurs from where he was trailing behind him. 

Don’t let him see, it’s okay. Just a little longer than you can go home to Sirius and everything will be alright.

He finally makes it to the front of the store, but of course, there’s a line. He stands waiting for self check out, it’s the shortest.

“It’s disgusting.”

“You’re disgusting.” Remus didn’t even raise his head to look at the idiot.

Just ignore it, don’t give him the time of day. Keep your head up.

“How am I disgusting?”

“You’re limiting people to only live by your standards and your viewpoints on what’s normal rather than letting them be happy and live how they want. It’s gross really, that you’re so closed-minded about these things for fucks sake.“

“I’m saying what’s right!” The man spluttered.

“How is it right? How is any of that right?” Remus snapped his head up to look at him, his eyes were hard. “You’re telling me that I’m not allowed to live my life or be happy because it doesn’t see fit to you?” He shook his head in outrage.

The man opened his mouth to speak but Reus didn’t let him.

“Ever hear of John Locke. Our three natural rights that we’re all born with? One of them being the Pursuit of Happiness. I’m not hurting you am I? Me happening to like other men does not affect you, it affects me. It makes me happy and you’re really going to come out here and fucking tell me that I’m not allowed to be happy?”

“Well…”

“Well, what?”

The man was at a loss for words, scrambling to grab onto anything to say but he couldn’t.

“It’s still not right.” He said gruffly.

“Yeah, you said that already.”

The man glared at him before huffing and walking away. Remus sighed in relief. 

He walked up to the check out that had just opened, swiping his items before getting a bag and rushing out of the store. 

Some people smiled at him in encouragement, but he was so drained and just wanted to be home at the moment.

He threw the bag in the passenger seat, climbing into the car to drive. He sat there for a minute.

In for four, hold for six, out for eight. Repeat. It’s okay.

He shuffled his playlist, smiling softly and humming along to the tune of Free Fallin by Tom Petty. He was definitely free falling when he fell in love with Sirius.

The drive home was short, luckily they lived close by.

He pulled up into the driveway and quickly scrambled out of the car. His chest felt tight and there was a lump forming in his throat. He jiggled the key in the lock, difficult because of how shaky his hands were.

Finally, he heard a soft click and stepped inside.

“Baby?” Remus called through the house, his voice cracked slightly. He could hear the dull noise of the TV in the other room, then some shuffling, before Sirius’ goofy grin popped around the corner. Slowly, it morphed to one of concern.

“Re?” Sirius took in his red face, and trembling lips, before pulling him into a hug. Remus sagged against him, letting Sirius support his weight and dropping his head against his shoulder.

“Vas tu bien, mon Loup?” Remus nodded his head slowly against Sirius’ neck because though he might not actually be okay, he felt safe in Sirius’ arms. He held on tighter when Sirius went to let go.

“Mon loup? What’s wrong?” Sirius asked. He pulled back just enough to be able to look at his face. 

Remus stuttered for a moment.”There uh…” Sirius rubbed his side soothingly. “There was this idiot at the store, h-he said it wasn’t right?” His voice came out as a question. He bit his lip hard against the tears welling up.

God, why did he feel like crying? It’s not like he hasn’t heard all of this before because he has. But having someone saying it to his face like that in the middle of a store where he’d never had problems before was like a punch in the gut. Was this how it was going to be from now on?

Was he going to get stopped on the streets or in the stores and restaurants just because he was gay? Because he chose love over being what everyone else wanted him to be?

As long as he got Sirius it would be worth it in the end. It had to be.

“Wasn’t right?” Sirius furrowed his brow. “Oh.” The realization dawned on his face.

“No, no, Remus, non.  He’s wrong, He—”

“I know.” Remus looked at him. “I know. Just… Is this how it’s going to be from now on? Are people always going to look at us like we’re different j-just because we love each other?”

Sirius made a sad almost whine like noise. “I’m sorry Re…”

Remus sighed, dropping his forehead to rest against Sirius’s shoulder again. “At least I have you.” His words were muffled but Sirius still understood.

He smiled softly at his boyfriend. “I could say the same thing. Come on.”

Sirius led Remus back to their living room, the TV playing some cooking show that started when Sirius’ had ended. Sirius sat on the couch, pulling Remus to lay down with him.

“Has it always been this bad for you?” Remus murmured, his eyes were already shut. He cuddled further into Sirius.

“I guess. I don’t know, I stopped listening to that stuff, they’re all wrong anyway.” He grabbed the blanket that was hanging over the couch and draped it over them both.

“I’m sorry, I love you.” Sirius pressed a kiss to the top of Remus’ hairs.

“I love you too,” but Remus was already softly snoring away.

---

Remus’s eyes fluttered open sometime later. He was curled on the couch with Sirius. It was dark outside, the stars shining through the leaves of the tree that stood outside their window.

He shifted to rub at his eyes, yawning.

“You’re cute.” 

Remus snorted. “I just woke up.”

“You’re still cute.” Sirius laughed softly, brushing some stray strands of hair from Remus’ face.

Remus yawned again. “What time is it?”

Sirius grabbed his attention phone from where it was laying next to him. “7:30, you’ve been asleep for a while.”

Remus huffed, sitting up all the way. 

“I was going to teach you how to bake a cake,” he pouted. 

“I know how to bake a cake!” Sirius exasperated, “I also stand by my statement of you’re cute.”

Remus huffed out a laugh.  He stood up, “I’m sure you do.”

“I do! Celeste taught me.”

“She taught you or she tried to teach you, there’s a difference.” Remus raised his eyebrow,

“Fine, she tried.” 

“Then I will conquer the impossible.” He said it boldly, standing up at the same time, making them both laugh. 

“I’m not impossible.” 

“Teaching you is,” Remus smirked, tugging Sirius’ hand to make him get off the couch.

He felt so much lighter now. Being around Sirius tended to have that effect on him. He made him forget what he was worried about, and made him feel safe and loved. The man from the store was still in the back of his mind nagging at him but at this moment that didn’t matter. Nothing matters except the two of them. And wasn’t that wonderful?

“I am not impossible to teach,” Sirius whined. Remus laughed, walking into the kitchen.

“Yes, you are baby,” Remus shook his head fondly, looking for the bag from the shop. He didn’t see it. “I think I left the stuff in the car, I’ll be right back.”

“I’ll get it!” Sirius grabbed the keys before Remus could, a dopey grin on his face.

“Must everything be a competition?” There was no bite behind his words, watching Sirius fling the door open. The cold air from outside drifted into the heated house, Remus shivered.

The door shut and Sirius was back in front of him, bag in hand.

“Ready to show you that I can learn!”

“Did you lock the door?” Sirius hesitated for a moment. Remus had to bite back a laugh, “I’ll go lock it,” he pressed a kiss to Sirius’ cheek.

“Now we’re ready,” He pressed a kiss to Sirius’ cold nose this time.

He took out what he bought, vanilla extract, a boxes of cake mix, sugar, and sprinkles.

“Okay so…” He held one of the boxes, reading the recipe on the back. “Can you preheat the oven to 350 degrees, baby?” He asked. Sirius looked at him before walking over to the oven. “Or, do you want me to do it?” 

“I can do it.” Remus laughed.

“Sorry.” Sirius batted Remus’s hands away. “Okay, what’s next?”

“Uh, we have to make the batter. Can you get the eggs out please?”

“Mhm,” he got the eggs from the refrigerator, placing them gently on the island. 

“Alright wait, we need 3 eggs, ½ a cup of oil, a cup of water, and this.” He held up the mix for emphasis. 

“That’s it?”

“Yep,” he smiled at Sirius. He owed one heck of a lot to that idiot. His idiot.

“Easy,” Sirius dragged out his words and laughed.

“See you say that now, but something has to go wrong I swear.”

Sirius grumbled as he went to crack the eggs into the bowl for the electric mixer. Remus laughed again, going back to reading the instructions, making sure that they were doing it right.

“Oops.” Remus snapped his head up.

“Oops? What do you mean oops?” He leaned over to look at the bowl. Half an eggshell laid on its side in a bowl, on top of the already broken up egg.

“Told you something would go wrong,” Remus laughed, carefully picking it out to throw away.

They worked on making the batter, Remus telling Sirius what to do. Finally, everything was in the bowl and they just had to mix it.

“Okay, you can turn on the — hey wait!” 

Sirius pulled the little switch on the side of the mixer. All the way.

 “No! Sius don’t.” But it was too late, the powder from the cake mix flew everywhere. Finally Remus was able to hit the switch back, turning it off.

They looked around, but the mix had covered the counter tops and ground in a sheet of what looked like dust. 

A startled laugh came from him, Sirius following right after. Their shoulders shook with mirth.

“Well that was a bust.”

“And we still haven’t even started on the frosting yet.”

[umbry-fic]

A Palette Full of You (3)

Summary: Glimpses into Colette and Lloyd’s lives as they grow up together, learn who they are, and fall in love with each other.

(Written for Colloyd Week 2021)

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia Characters: Colette Brunel, Lloyd Irving, Sheena Fujibayashi, Zelos Wilder Relationships: Colette Brunel/Lloyd Irving, Colette Brunel & Lloyd Irving & Sheena Fujibayashi & Zelos Wilder Rating: G Chapter: 3 of 6 Word Count: 6896 Mirror Link: AO3 Original Post Date: 11/06/2021

Chapter Title: Race Into the Night

Chapter Summary: Lloyd, Colette, Zelos and Sheena visit the carnival to have a night of fun after the end of exams. Lloyd and Colette end up riding the Ferris wheel alone, where...

(Colloyd Week Day 3: Confession/First Kiss)

Notes: Chapter 3 of my multi chapter Colloyd week fic! Featuring much fluff and sap. Zelos is non-binary in this and uses they/them pronouns.

Chapter title from Yoasobi's song.

Chapter list Full fic Previous chapter Next chapter

~~~

18-years-old

"There is no way I'm ever going on that thing. You can't make me."

"Come on, you promised that if I scored better than you at darts you would ride the Riptide with me! Gonna go back on your word now, Sheena?"

"Stop smirking at me, Zelos! You clearly cheated! That game was rigged!"

"All carnival games are rigged. That's common knowledge."

"I don't care. You still cheated!"

"Cheated how? You were watching me the whole time!"

Colette giggled, watching her two friends have a go at each other as they inched closer to each other with each word they spoke. All three of them were leaning against the cold metal railing, though Colette was careful to keep a safe distance from Zelos and Sheena. When they were engrossed in arguing with each other, there was a safe zone, and a not-safe zone where one was liable to get smacked by a wildly gesturing arm or two.

Surrounding them were various stalls staffed by people who were enthusiastically calling out to potential customers, hoping to receive more coupons in the final hour before the carnival closed. There were pop-up game stalls featuring the classics like ring toss and soccer, food stands selling carnival staples like candy floss and popcorn, and even thrill rides like the aforementioned Riptide, a roller coaster that paled in comparison to USS' coasters but certainly had the most twists and turns of anything offered at the carnival. Adorning everything was bright neon lights and colourful decorations, and noise came from every angle, lending to a cheery atmosphere that could get a tad overwhelming at times.

Despite the late hour of 9 pm, there was still quite a crowd - mostly consisting of young adults like them, the majority of families having gone home for the night. She had bumped into quite a few classmates in the past three hours, who had come here with the same idea of having a fun night out with friends after the end of A-levels. A lot of pictures had been taken, until her cheeks hurt a bit from smiling so much, but it had been great fun.

She, Lloyd, Zelos and Sheena had managed to visit almost every booth, using up all of the coupons that they were sharing amongst each other. But even with their combined efforts, they had only managed to win one prize: the adorable Siberian Husky plush she was currently hugging. Though they'd certainly snacked on their share of popcorn, sharing one large carton between the four of them until their fingers were sticky with kernels.

"Colette, back me up!" Sheena begged, turning to face Colette. Despite the biting words that were leaving her mouth, her true emotions were betrayed by the smile playing at the corner of her lips. Sheena's hair was tied up into her trademark high ponytail, the ends of her hair swaying slightly in the weak wind.

"What, me?" Colette exclaimed, rather surprised she was being pulled into the conversation. Zelos and Sheena tended to retreat into their own world whenever they got into this state, forgetting anyone else existed.

"Uh, well..." Colette muttered, sheepishly smiling. "Sorry to disappoint, Sheena, but I have to give this one to Zelos."

"See? Even Colette agrees!" Zelos placed their elbow on the railing, leaning closer to Sheena, smirking.

Sheena didn't even spare Zelos a look, just shoved their face away with a hand, ignoring Zelos' sputters of protest. "How could you, Colette? How could you side with the idiot?" Sheena cried in mock betrayal.

"Well, I and Lloyd were both there, and we both saw Zelos win fair and square. And a deal's a deal," Colette replied, shrugging. Zelos did seem more insistent than usual, but she couldn't discern why.

"Just think of it as a date!" Zelos waved a nonchalant arm in the air, that smirk never fading as they took hold of Sheena's arm.

"Screaming in abject terror is not my idea of a date," Sheena hissed through gritted teeth, though she didn't free herself from Zelos' hold. "Besides, we're supposed to ride the Ferris wheel together once Lloyd comes back!"

"Eh, we won't make it before the carnival closes if we catch the Ferris wheel. Don't worry, I'll treat you to ice cream afterwards! And if that isn't enough to appease you, surely some Ajisen will." Zelos turned to Colette and winked, leaving Colette utterly confused. Was there an underlying meaning to all of this she was supposed to be catching?

"If you drag me on that damn thing, Zelos Wilder, I swear I will never forgive - GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME! STOP!" Sheena shrieked as Zelos began to drag her by brute force towards the snaking queue of the Riptide. Colette gaped, watching Sheena struggle wildly, digging her feet into the ground and hurling curses that got steadily fouler at Zelos, who didn't seem to be affected at all.

"I'm back with the drinks!" Lloyd's happy voice came from behind her as he walked up to her, holding two cups with steam venting from their tops, hair adorably ruffled from the day's hectic events, woefully unaware of everything that had occurred in the time he was gone. "Wait, what's... Happening...?" he asked, only now spotting the gradually diminishing silhouettes of Zelos and Sheena.

"I... Uh, Zelos and Sheena are going to ride the Riptide," Colette said, explaining the situation as succinctly as she could. How else could she word it, anyway? There was no explaining the antics of those two.

"Alright." Lloyd shrugged, accepted her explanation and passing one cup over to her. She pushed the plushy into the crook of her elbow, freeing up a hand to accept the cup and still managing to almost drop it. She closed her fingers around the plastic cup, soaking in the warmth it emanated.

"It's hot chocolate," Lloyd explained between gulps as he practically downed the whole cup in half a minute. "They're out of hot milo. Sorry."

"It's alright. Any hot drink would have done." Colette finally took a sip, feeling the sting from the heat and sticking out her tongue.

"Should we wait for them to come back or go queue for the Ferris wheel?"

Colette sighed. "We should just go. The queue for the Riptide is really long... They know to meet up back at the MRT at 10."

The original plan was to take a group photo at the peak of the revolution of the Ferris wheel, but that didn't look like it was going to happen now.

So it would just be her and Lloyd riding the Ferris wheel. An activity that could be seen as romantic. The pamphlet for the carnival had even advertised it as a ride of love. When they'd walked past it just now, she'd seen that the Ferris wheel was decked out with a ton of wire hearts that lit up in multiple colours.

It was just ten minutes. It would be over in the blink of an eye! Totally!

"Then, let's go," Lloyd said, grabbing her hand and giving her a minute heart attack, causing her bravado to crumble into dust.

Nope. There was no way this could end well.

The two of them joined the short queue for the Ferris wheel, having thrown their empty cups into a nearby dustbin. Only eight people were waiting for the next empty carriage to descend to ground level and open its doors. Five of them - three children and two adults - belonged to one family, while the rest were a group of three girls, enthusiastically talking to each other. It wouldn't take long for their turn.

A bout of shivers overcame her as the wind picked up, the warmth of the drink already a memory. She wrapped her free arm around herself, gaze dropping to the floor as she once again regretted forgetting to bring out her favourite dog-ear hoodie. It was always hanging on her clothes rack, and it would have been so easy to just reach out a hand and swipe it on her way out. But no, she just had to wake up late and stumble out of the house still half-asleep.

She'd forgotten how cold the nights could get. Especially for her, someone who couldn't even handle the lecture theatre air-conditioning. Forgoing a long-sleeved T-shirt for her kiwi bird-print tee was not helping matters.

"Here." Something warm and soft was draped around her shoulders, and she looked up to find herself draped in Lloyd's familiar jacket, his face hovering close to hers. "You should have told me you were cold," Lloyd muttered, his breath tickling her neck. "I would have given you my jacket earlier."

His jacket smelt like him, a safe, comforting blanket that reached to her thighs. It held his body heat, too, slowly seeping into her.

Colette flushed, turning her face away so she didn't have to look into those russet eyes. For there was concern there, as well as the ever-present kindness, but there was also more. There was no way to hide her blush, not when he was right here, but she still had to resist the urge to hide her face behind the plushy.

Why was she still trying so hard to hide, anyway? It's not like it was of any use. She was so obvious. As Zelos had told her, it had gone far past the point of being funny.

"Though I guess you're always cold," Lloyd said, tearing his gaze away from her and taking a hurried step back. Perhaps the words were meant to be teasing, but they fell flat with the out-of-place laughter attached to the end.

"I - I mean, it - it was my fault for not bringing a jacket in the first place," she stuttered, the words stumbling over each other in her mouth in her hurry to answer. Now Lloyd would know she was nervous too. She was doing really well, wasn't she? “But thank you.”

"The next carriage is here," the attendant called out, voice flat and expression terribly bored. He was staring at them with a barely veiled expression of disinterest, waving his arms to direct them into the next carriage, doors wide open.

"Come on." Lloyd grabbed her hand, the smile returning to his face. The Ferris wheel was lit up to the nines, throwing soft purple light onto everything around her and illuminating half of Lloyd's face. Beautiful. He was always so beautiful, but it was moments like these where it made her heart hurt, wanting so desperately to reach out and touch his face.

Heart pounding in her chest, she took her seat, Lloyd sitting directly on her left, their legs close enough to brush.

She placed the plushy in her lap, resting her chin on it and trying her best to slow her racing heart, knowing it would be of no use. Here, in this carriage that was slowly rising into the sky and gently rocking, it was just the two of them in this little space, cut off from the rest of the world.

It was hard to tell herself she was imagining the intense way Lloyd was staring at her, like she was the only thing worth looking at, even though the beautiful night scenery was right outside the glass. Nor was it possible to imagine the tension, sharp as a knife, that had arisen between them for the past half a year or so. Almost everything was the same: they were still incredibly close, but there was a hesitance there now - in the way Lloyd’s fingers sometimes curled away from hers, in the way she sometimes stopped before throwing an arm around his shoulder to embrace him.

Neither of them had spoken up about that tension, dancing around each other like fools. Even if he did return her feelings… Love wasn’t enough to bridge the impossible distance between them. She could never fully comprehend all that he felt, just as he could never fully comprehend the absence of what she felt. She could never give him what others could, not with her extreme revulsion towards anything sexual in nature. She’d be willing to try, for him, simply because her love for him knew no bounds, but… she couldn't say where her limits would be. Likely not very far from where she would start.

Even though Lloyd had been nothing but supportive of her, that didn’t mean he was willing to take a chance that could very well end in failure and heartbreak. She might not be enough for him when it came to a relationship. If that was the case, she could understand. Neither of them had done anything wrong. If they were incompatible from the start, then she could keep her silence. She’d be perfectly happy to remain as friends, even if these nebulous feelings would never leave her chest. She didn’t want to lose them.

"Um, do you, uh... like the plushy?" Lloyd asked, his voice cutting through her anxious thoughts. Awkwardness radiated off of him in spades as he shifted in the seat, turning his head away to stare down at the floor. At least she wasn't the only one that was nervous. He was repeating the exact question he’d asked her when he’d given her the plushy.

"I love it. It's soft, and it's cute. Thanks for giving it to me." The same answer she’d given him before.

Lloyd had been the one who won a carnival game - the ball toss, to be specific. He'd managed to down all the cans with a single ball and gotten the choice of any of the first-place prizes. Zelos had raised an eyebrow and asked him how he'd gotten past the unfair odds. Lloyd had sheepishly scratched the back of his head and said it was a lucky accident, one that he couldn’t repeat, which proved to be true in his later attempts.

Lloyd had taken one look at the prize pool, pointed out the Siberian Husky plush to the staff, and then stuffed it into her hands the moment he'd gotten it, proclaiming that it was a gift for her. Zelos had been outright snickering, while even Sheena had looked like she was holding back laughter, shoulders shaking.

Lloyd's hand found hers in the little space between them, his thumb rubbing the skin of her palm just below her fingers. It was a repetitive, soothing motion, helping to calm her down.

She hoped that, no matter what, they would always stay together. Whether as friends or more. Just the two of them.

"I'm glad you like it." Lloyd's voice was getting progressively quieter with each syllable his lips formed, slowly shifting right along the seat towards her.

“Can - can I…” Lloyd asked timidly, turning to face her and leaning closer. Her field of vision narrowed to just his face, barely lit by the scant light that reached them from the carnival grounds and the spokes of the Ferris wheel. Everything else was slowly turning into a blur. “Can I kiss you?”

The carriage had reached the top of its revolution. Through the window, she could see the sparkling lights of the high-rises in the distance. Silence suffused the air as no one spoke, the world itself seeming to hold its breath, neither she nor Lloyd moving a single part of their bodies as they stared at each other. His eyes were wide, filled with such incredible emotion, built up over years and spilling over at this very moment.

Her breath caught in her throat, a current of warmth making itself known in her heart at the fact that he’d actually bothered to ask. She’d expected Lloyd to - the kind, considerate soul that she’d come to know and love, but somewhere in the back of her mind was tucked the irrational fear that there would never be anyone who respected her boundaries, simply because she wasn't worth it.

She took a deep breath, preparing her answer. It wouldn’t be “normal”, that was for sure. It wasn’t a simple yes or no, but rather…

“Is it fine if it’s on the cheek?” were the quiet words that left her mouth, shattering the expectant silence as her grip tightened on the plushy. Maybe one day, she wouldn’t mind a kiss on the lips, but not today. She wasn’t up to it yet.

She doesn’t know what answer she expects. Probably a no. It’s perfectly understandable for Lloyd to just step away.

“Of course,” Lloyd replied instantly, the gentle smile on his face once again shattering all the preconceived notions she’d constructed in her head, absolutely terrified of rejection but huddling herself into a corner in the belief that that was all she could possibly receive. There had been no hesitation behind that statement, no hint of reproach or anger or irritation towards her.

“Yes.” The word slipped out without any thought, for she herself had yearned for so terribly long. The desire she had always held to love, and to be loved, despite everything - to experience it all with the boy that had always been part of her life and that she hoped could continue to be there for the rest of it.

She turned her head to the side, and it didn't take another moment longer before Lloyd pressed his lips against her cheek, one hand still holding hers while his other arm wrapped around her shoulder, the plushy trapped between them. He was nothing if not gentle, bringing up her earliest memories of being kissed on the cheek by her mother, before she had left her life forever. It was through that gentleness that the force of his love was truly impressed on her - for there was passion there, in the very act of holding himself back. Love, gentle like a warm flame, but not any lesser for it, for his love was just as impregnable as a brick wall, unyielding and unbreaking.

She could feel his warm breath against her cheek, his lips softer than she could have thought, his hair close enough to run her hands through as she’d always wanted. So she did, letting the strands fall through her fingers like melted chocolate.

Was he… smiling? It sure felt like it.

It wasn't a magical moment like people always said the first kiss would be like. After all, theirs was nowhere close to conventional, but it was an experience that belonged only to them. No sparks were flying in the air, nor did time stop. It was just the two of them, fitting together perfectly like puzzle pieces in the way they always had, and she couldn't ask for anything more.

Lloyd moved away, his arm dropping from her shoulder, hand joining the other to clasp her limp one. His eyes were shining with joy, the same joy that filled her heart and made it feel like it might take flight at any time. Everything had finally fallen into place.

Her whole face was now on fire as she turned away, leaning forward over her legs. Her hair fell by the side of her face like a veil, letting only tiny glimpses of Lloyd through.

“You’re sure?” she asked, knowing that she needed to clarify. Even if his actions had been the shining light that burned away most of her doubts, some still remained. Lloyd really, truly needed to understand what he was getting into. She would not let him mindlessly enter into a relationship with her without knowing about all the ups and downs, all the complications that would come with it. That would only end in them hurting each other, and then they might never be able to stand the sight of each other again. It was the dreaded future she never wanted to come to pass. “It’s not going to be easy."

“I know,” he replied, squeezing her hand, his russet eyes focussed on hers. “But all relationships have challenges, don't they? We'll figure it out together, just like always. And if it doesn’t work out, then we’ll stay as friends, forever. I just want you to know that I love you.”

There is nothing but burning conviction behind his words, and a determination that reached deep into her soul and lit a flame of hope.

There would be many more difficult conversations that needed to be had, candid discussions that would need to take place. But for now, she didn't say anything more, hoping the unspoken “I love you” from her side could be understood, clear as day. She still couldn’t make herself say it, the final lingering doubt that she suspected would never fully go away holding her back: that romantic love had to go hand in hand with sexual attraction, and that one could not exist without the other.

She simply closed her eyes, leaning against him and enjoying the gentle rocking of the carriage for the remainder of their time on the Ferris wheel.

~~~

25-years-old

"Remember this Ferris wheel?" Lloyd teased Colette, squeezing her hand as they stood in front of the Ferris wheel at the reopened carnival. It wasn't the exact same one they’d ridden at the age of 18, for that one had been deconstructed years ago. But it was a near-perfect replica, down to the purple lights that lit up the spokes, though the hearts were gone. Even the bored attendant who was barely paying attention to her duties was right!

"How could I forget?" Colette laughed, her trademark bright smile on her face. Even after knowing her for twenty years and dating her for seven of those years, the sight of her smile never failed to light a spark in his chest.

At least this time Colette was dressed appropriately for the colder night, in a pencil skirt and a long-sleeved collared blouse with a few frills. She looked a lot more put-together than him, who was just wearing plain old jeans. He had picked her straight up from work before driving them here, after all.

All that was missing was the staff pass that she’d removed from around her neck and left in the car. Her smart-casual image, however, was completely shattered by the pair of grey dog ears poking out of her hair, attached to the headband sitting behind her ears. They even felt furry to the touch, though it wasn’t real dog fur.

A pair of brown ears sat on his own head. Colette hadn’t managed to win a grand prize at the game stalls like he once had out of dumb luck, but she'd managed to do pretty well at the ring toss, scoring almost all of her tosses onto the red-rimmed bottles. That meant she could redeem a few mid-tier prizes, so she'd gotten two headbands with dog ears attached, one for her and one for him that he could wear if he wanted to. He'd put it on immediately. Now they matched! He needed to take a picture of them sometime - Sheena and Zelos would appreciate the cute image.

More like Sheena would strangle him over digital space if he didn't send cute photos.

The carnival had finally returned after four years of absence, and he and Colette had jointly decided to return almost immediately upon hearing the news. It was small and honestly not that impressive compared to other theme parks they’d been to, but it still held precious memories. And it would make for a fun date, which it certainly had so far!

They'd retraced their steps from years ago, though unfortunately, they were lacking Zelos and Sheena. First riding the pirate ship, Colette’s hair going wild in the air as the ship swung from side-to-side, then visiting the game stalls, laughing at each other’s absolutely horrendous attempts, then buying and sharing a stick of cotton candy between them, taking turns biting from the fluffy substance and having their tongues curl from the overload of sweetness, before finally arriving back here at the Ferris wheel.

"I know I've said this already, but thanks for planning this all out," Colette said, linking her arm with his and smiling up at him as they joined the queue. The queue was much longer today, amounting to more than 40 people, by his rough estimate. It was still quite early in the evening, half of the sun still peeking over the horizon, the sky painted in a pink that would soon be darkening to orange. It was just as noisy as in the past, perhaps even noisier, for the families hadn't gone home yet. "There were quite a few kerfuffles with the system at work today, and this really helped."

"That bad?"

"Mm. We had a new intern come in today, and then the old system just decided to crash. Not the intern's fault, she's the sweetest girl. But it was still a headache to deal with."

"Well, I'm glad it helped. Though I'm just happy to spend more time with you."

If everything went according to plan, then he'd be seeing a lot more of her in the future.

He shoved his hand into his pocket, checking that the all-important box was still there. It was the crux of this whole operation, and he could not lose it.

Colette laughed, a sound that inevitably made him smile. "I'm sorry I haven't been free for the past few weeks. It's a busy time for the company."

"It's alright. I'll be starting work soon too, after all. Besides, we still stay two floors apart. There's pretty much no way we don't see each other every week, silly."

"Sorry, sorry. Shouldn't be a downer; you're right. Anyway, since tomorrow’s a public holiday, want to spend it over at my place?”

“Netflix and chill?” Lloyd answered, well aware that he was probably getting some weird looks from people close enough to overhear him. He wasn’t even sure if Colette knew of its double meaning - she was generally completely clueless about the world of euphemisms. Over time, they’d just started co-opting the phrase. After all, their time together at each other’s place was mostly spent… watching shows while curled up together on the couch, creating dishes that were more like unrecognisable disasters in the kitchen while attempting not to set the whole place on fire, or Colette playing video games at the foot of the bed while he tickled her neck with his toes. In terms of risque activities, they so rarely happened - and only after he checked, double-checked and triple-checked that Colette was feeling up to it and not forcing herself for his sake.

“I don’t mind, but we haven’t finished that card game we started last month. The card piles are still sitting untouched on my bay window. Wanna do that instead?”

“Sure!” He replied enthusiastically. Board games or card games always promised a good time, if infuriating when nothing would line up and Lady Luck was decidedly not smiling on him. Colette seemed to get all the luck in these party games. Maybe it was consolation for tripping all the time.

“It’s such a shame that Zelos and Sheena aren’t here,” Colette said, pulling out her phone. “I know they went on the Ferris wheel the year after we did, but we still haven’t gotten that group photo we were supposed to.”

“One’s in Europe and one’s in Australia. There’s no way they could join us on such short notice.” The last he'd heard from them, both were doing well for themselves and very happy in their long-distance relationship.

“True. I guess I can add them to the photo afterwards with the power of Photoshop. Oh, and Zelos sent me this really weird message...” After a few swipes of her finger, Colette shoved the bright phone screen under his nose.

Zelos Wilder: Looking forward to the good news ;)

“Do you have any idea what they mean?” Colette asked, cocking her head to the side in confusion. “They haven’t been replying to my question!”

Lloyd could feel his fingers twitching. Zelos Wilder wasn’t here, but if they were, Lloyd would have strangled them already. Trying to spoil the surprise, were they?

“It’s probably nothing! You know how they are. Always trying to cause chaos.” Lloyd shrugged, hoping he wasn’t being too obvious, as he tended to be.

“I suppose that’s true… What good news?” Lloyd could hear Colette repeating that question to herself under her breath, not quite soft enough for it to escape his notice. She didn’t seem to have noticed that anything was up with him, thankfully.

“It’s our turn! Come on, let’s get on!” Lloyd declared, just loud enough to startle Colette and cause her to nearly drop her phone. She hurriedly stuffed it back into her pocket, following Lloyd to the open carriage. She hadn't realised the space before them had completely cleared.

The attendant lazily waved them onto the open carriage with barely a glance at them, a mumbled: “Have a nice ride” leaving her mouth.

Lloyd was the first to scramble on, turning around to give Colette a helping hand - only to find her falling straight into him, having tripped over the raised step. With a shocked “Oh!” falling from her lips, Colette crashed into him, nearly knocking him flat onto the carriage seat. With a shocked yelp, Lloyd braced himself against the glass window of the carriage, barely maintaining his balance. Years of practice at stopping Colette’s sometimes fantastical falls over obstacles that weren’t visible to him had honed his reaction times to near perfection, giving him ample preparation for this situation.

The attendant continued to ignore them, gaze fixed not so discreetly on the phone sitting in her lap. The doors of the carriage slid smoothly shut, and with a jolt that nearly knocked them off balance again, the carriage set off on its journey.

"Um, sorry..." Colette apologised from her position pressed flush against Lloyd's chest, arms entangled in his. She slowly extricated herself from the mess, stumbling a few times but managing not to fall again, even with the gentle swaying of the carriage floor. He tried his best to steady her without falling over himself. She sheepishly smiled. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Lloyd adjusted her headband, setting the ears that had been knocked crooked back into their rightful place. He’d told her multiple times that she didn’t need to apologise for tripping, but she still did, the habit too ingrained to break. It was endearing, though. “You?”

“I’m fine!” Colette smoothed out her skirt (though there weren’t any noticeable wrinkles in it from the fall,) and sat down to rest her weary feet, giving Lloyd the cue to sit down as well. “Thank goodness I wasn’t wearing heels…”

Lloyd did not want to imagine what would have happened if she was - she might have twisted her ankle, or worse. She rarely wore heels due to her clumsiness, but when she did, all sorts of accidents tended to happen.

He stuffed his hand into his pocket again, fingers feeling the velvet texture again.

It’s still here.

"What's still here?" Colette’s confused voice broke through his relieved thoughts. Her hands were resting in her lap and she was leaning forward, eyes shining with a curious light. The usual white lights of the new condominiums close to the carnival grounds shone, a few glimmers of pink visible as people celebrated Pink Dot. It was at this very moment that the Ferris wheel's lights turned from purple to pink, the spokes emanating soft pink light that washed over Colette, making her hair glisten - almost like an ethereal fairy with imaginary wings that shimmered, having come to visit him on this mortal plane. The dog ears only added to that image, somehow. Even now, the sight of her was enough to make him feel dizzy, both out of love and awe, even if he no longer blushed like an embarrassed schoolboy. Awe that she could get more beautiful every time his gaze landed on her. And awe that such an incredible person had chosen to trust him and stay with him.

He was so enraptured by the angel before him that it took a few seconds for her words to process in his mind, after which he froze in horror.

OH NO, HE’D SAID IT OUT LOUD. A thousand alarm bells were ringing in his head. Some days he was reminded that he was an adult now, and other days he was reminded that he was as much an idiot as he used to be. Some things just never changed.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” Colette said, a teasing lilt to her voice as she rested her chin on her palm, an amused smile playing on her lips.

He could just play it off - he knew Colette wouldn’t pursue it any further if he gave off the signals to drop the topic. She was just like that: the most considerate person he knew.

But…

The original plan had been to do it on the Ferris wheel. It even had Zelos' approval. This, right now, was the perfect chance to just let the cat out of the bag. And he would grasp the opportunity in hand before it could escape him.

For he could think of no future happier than one spent Colette’s side.

Taking a deep breath, he pulled the purple box out of his pocket with a shaking hand, dropping to his knees on the surprisingly clean carriage floor, devoid of the usual spilt drinks and crumpled up tissues.

He could tell the exact moment Colette gleaned the true intent behind his actions, the blank, confused expression on her face morphing into one of shocked disbelief, eyes widening and hands flying up to cover her mouth.

Damn it, he’d completely forgotten the script he’d written with Zelos’ assistance in a back-and-forth over messages, Zelos alternating between giving actually good advice and being extremely annoying, though Lloyd had gotten them to shut up by asking them when they planned to propose. The two of them had both struggled to find the right words, since neither of them had done super well in English. But Lloyd had persevered, wanting to get his feelings across eloquently.

But now that he was staring into Colette’s blue eyes, all the words were sprouting wings and flying mockingly out of his head, leaving only blank space for him to reach uselessly for.

The one piece of advice Zelos had given him that continued to stick in his head was this: speak from the heart, and surely she would understand.

He couldn’t keep her waiting forever.

“I… ” He couldn’t help but start off slow, struggling against the block in his mind but determined to push past it. The words then seemed to just come to him, progressively faster as time went on, stumbling out of some unknown part of his mind - or perhaps it would be more accurate to say his heart. Somehow, throughout it all, he didn't drop the box despite his trembling hands. “Colette, you’re the most amazing person I know. Your compassion, your gentleness, even your clumsiness, they’re all vital parts of my life that I wouldn’t give up for anything. You are my shining star in the sky, the one that gives me hope, that inspires me to be the best version of myself. If I had the choice to relieve my life from the start, I wouldn't change a thing, because meeting you on that playground all those years ago was the best thing that has ever happened to me. All my years spent with you have been incredible, and I would like to spend many more by your side. So, just like years ago, Colette, I have something I need to ask you, right here and right now.”

“Will you… Will you marry me?” He finished, voice drifting off into silence as he flipped open the box to reveal the two plain, thin metal rings he’d bought. Colette wasn’t the type to go for flashy diamonds or colourful gems. She’d appreciate something simple like this.

He waited, the few seconds of deafening silence seeming to stretch out into eternity, broken only by the sound of blood rushing past his ears. This wasn’t the first time he’d asked this very question, if in a different and less dramatic form. He’d already received her answer once. But he would respect whatever answer she gave now, and most of all, they would keep the promise they had made at this very place: that they would always remain friends, no matter what.

~~~

Colette still couldn’t quite believe her ears, gaze flitting between Lloyd’s face and the box he was holding up towards her, the two rings housed snugly within reflecting pink light.

Marriage had crossed her mind many times. She had learned over the years that it wasn’t a penultimate goal that had to be reached to prove her relationship successful, and she’d told Lloyd as much when he’d asked her two months ago if she’d be willing to get married.

But still, even if she had managed to break free from most of the notions the fairytales of old had implanted into her head, able to just enjoy them as sweet stories now, she couldn’t quite rid herself of the dream of having a fairytale wedding. One that was perfectly planned, with family and friends present to stand witness to their union.

She’d told him yes. That she would be willing to tie the knot with him, the one she loved. The expectation of a proposal had been simmering in the back of her mind ever since, often going forgotten. She had not expected the time would be now. Lloyd had been more fidgety than normal, constantly checking his pockets while disguising the action as keeping his hands in his pockets. She’d known something was up, but his true intentions had escaped her detection until just moments before, when she’d been taken off guard. All she’d thought when he’d pulled out the box was that it resembled the ring boxes in the dramas Sheena was always recommending to her, the ones that appeared in all the emotional proposal scenes, until the realisation had hit her in the chest like a truck.

Once again, like years ago, they’d reached the top of the revolution. The silence remained unbroken as Lloyd patiently awaited her answer, not pushing her towards one. And so events repeated, mirrored across time.

Colette slowly stretched out her arm, eyes shimmering with unshed tears as a smile graced her face. She nodded, her throat blocked by all the emotions that swirled in her chest, unable to say ‘yes’ out loud even as she screamed it over and over in her mind, the tears finally breaking free of whatever barrier was holding them back to spill down her face.

Lloyd broke out into the most beautiful smile she had ever seen, radiating pure joy as he slid one of the simple, elegant, silver bands onto her ring finger. It fit. Perfectly. When had he even learned her ring size?

She picked up the other ring that was meant for Lloyd, marvelling at how her hand could somehow remain stable as the rest of her body trembled in barely contained emotion. The ring was so tiny, held between her thumb and index finger, and yet it held such significant weight as she slid it onto his ring finger, the skin of his hand rough against hers and the metal cold.

Lloyd jumped to his feet, pulling her into an embrace and pressing a kiss to the top of her head (his nose bumping the dog ears), holding her close, his happy laughter rumbling through his chest. Even now, when he must have been bursting with joy, he was still mindful of her boundaries, refusing to do anything that would cross the line. Heart filled with warmth, she pressed herself impossibly closer, intending to just melt into his arms forever -

"Please get off the carriage."

The deadpan voice that belonged to neither her nor Lloyd broke through the peaceful bubble that had been constructed around the two of them. She froze, feeling Lloyd stiffen around her as well. Looking to the left yielded the view of solid ground, and the same uninterested attendant gesturing towards it.

Ah. They'd reached the bottom without even noticing. This was… embarrassing, to say the least.

Thankfully, no one seemed to be in the queue at the moment, allowing the two of them to escape from the Ferris wheel without much attention. It appeared that only the attendant had borne witness, and she couldn’t seem to care less, having returned to the booth.

Their interlocked hands swung in the air, the matching rings glinting under the bright neon lights of the carnival as she wiped away her happy tears, both of them grinning uncontrollably.

"I love you," Lloyd said, the words leaving his lips with ease, as they always had. "Shall we go home?” he asked.

Home was with friends and family and Lloyd, the one who held her heart.

Colette squeezed Lloyd’s hand. She felt light as a feather, like she could somehow fly with wings that she didn't have.

"I love you," she replied, the words coming so easily now. "Let’s.”

~~~

The attendant shook her head, scoffing as she returned to scrolling through Twitter.

“I suppose love does make the world go round.”

~~~

Next chapter

[addisonacres]

So, my post earlier today that had me wallowing in self pity kinda blew up on me but it showed that I’m not alone in the Starker fandom as someone not into the popular Daddy kink and Fem!Peter themes. Doing what I should have done to start with, I decided to write my own Mob Boss Tony fic. I hope you guys like it. Warnings: Canon typical violence, attempted non-con by original character, a little bit of blood. 

Grease Monkey - also on AO3

“Peter,” F.R.I.D.A.Y said, lowering the volume of his music so he could hear her, “it’s eight o’clock.”

“Mmhmm, okay, thanks, Fri,” he hummed, biting his lip as he reached up into the innards of the engine bay to make another adjustment. “I’ll just be another five minutes.”

“Peter, you said that five minutes ago, and five minutes before that, and five minutes before that.” If it was possible for an AI to sound exasperated, F.R.I.D.A.Y had nailed it.

“I know, but I’m almost done and when I’m finished, there’ll be no way the cops can ever outrun Happy in this car.” Something nagged at the back of his mind and he paused, rolling out a little from under the car. “Wait, eight o’clock? Why is that important tonight?”

There was a long pause and if F.R.I.D.A.Y had been human, Peter would have sworn that she was sighing. “Boss is hosting a party for the alliance tonight.”

“That’s tonight?” Peter squawked, and pushed himself clear from under the car, scrabbling to his feet. “Crap, are you sure? I thought it was only Thursday?”

“No, Peter, it’s definitely Friday night and people have been arriving for the past hour.”

Grabbing a rag as he hurried past the workbench, Peter scrubbed the oil off his hands and hurried up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He hesitated at the top, torn between going to get changed or heading out to see Tony right away. The way he looked right now, in his ripped and stained low slung jeans and a shirt that used to be white but was now so filthy that the graphic of the molecular structure of caffeine printed on the front could barely be read, he knew that he wouldn’t be impressing anyone. Tony had been working on an alliance with several different factions of the organised crime networks on the East Coast and if tonight went well, he’d be the most powerful mob boss in the country. Peter didn't want to do anything to jeopardise his partner’s hard work and he knew that his appearance would be judged harshly. Decided, he turned towards the bedroom but stopped when F.R.I.D.A.Y spoke. 

“Peter, Boss requests your presence immediately.”

“I was just going to get changed…”

There was a pause as the AI relayed this information to Tony and then she said, “He asks that you come now.”

Immediately, Peter turned back and headed towards the main living areas of the mansion. Tony had known where Peter was, and was intimately acquainted with how he looked after hours spent under the hood of a car so if he didn't care, then Peter wouldn’t either. Of course, that didn't stop him from feeling horribly self conscious as he emerged into the grand foyer and into a crowd of elegant women in flowing evening gowns and men dressed in sharp suits and even sharper tuxedos. One woman, with her hair coiffed in a tangle of curls and intricate braids, a plunging neckline, and towering high heels wrinkled her nose as Peter walked by, and recoiled from him as if terrified that he'd get oil on her gown. He gave her a polite smile which turned into a grin as he saw Tony.

His partner was surrounded by the who’s who of organised crime and they all seemed to be hanging onto his every word, deference and respect oozing from them. Each man had something pretty hanging off his arm, laughing gaily and fluttering their lashes at their host. Tony ignored them all as his gaze fell on Peter and he beckoned him over. “There’s my little grease monkey,” he said fondly, pulling Peter into his arms, careless of his expensive suit. “I thought you might have forgotten about my little shindig,” he teased, kissing Peter’s temple.

Blushing, Peter gave him a bashful smile. “Um, I kinda did? I got too caught up in working on your car.”

“Ah, the upgrades that you were telling me about.” Tony twisted, his arm slipping around Peter’s waist and pulling him so that his back was flush against Tony’s chest. “You should hear what Petey’s been working on for my fleet,” he said, his voice full of pride. “By the time he’s done, there won’t be a cop in the country who can chase us down. The cars will all look like nondescript saloon cars but they’ll give a NASCAR a run for its money.”

“Interesting,” one of the men said, eyeing Peter thoughtfully. “Tell me, Stark, will you be sharing these...advances, with the alliance?” He licked at his lower lip, hungry eyes on Peter.

Tony’s arm around Peter tightened but when he spoke, his voice held only faint amusement. Peter knew that his eyes would be hard though. “It all depends, Romano. I’d be willing to share the technology with those who show loyalty to the alliance, but it will be the technology only.”

Romano’s eyes lingered on Peter a beat too long before dropping away. “Pity,” he murmured. 

One of Tony’s hands came up to cup the side of Peter’s throat in what could only be described as a possessive manner. He breath was hot against Peter’s ear when he spoke. “Why don’t you head up for a shower and a change of clothes, Petey? Dinner will be served soon and you must be famished after working all day.”

Peter tilted his head a little so he could press a kiss to Tony’s cheek and said softly, “Okay. See you soon.” With one last squeeze of his waist, Tony let him go and Peter hurried out of the room and headed upstairs.

He couldn’t help but linger a little in the shower, the hot water feeling divine on his aching muscles but eventually he turned off the water and quickly dried off. He wrapped a towel around his waist and headed out into the bedroom to get dressed in one of the many suits that Tony had had tailored for him, his hands trailing over the garment bags as he debated over which one to wear. Just as he settled on a dark blue three piece suit that he’d worn to his university graduation, he heard the door open and close. He turned, expecting Tony but froze as he saw Romano instead. “I think you may have gotten lost,” he said as politely as possible. “Dinner is being served in the main dining hall.”

Romano looked him up and down, his eyes lingering on the tightly wrapped towel. “Oh, I think I’m in the right place, sweetness.” He took a step forward and Peter took one back.

“I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but I’m with Tony and we’re exclusive. I’m not interested, Mr Romano.”

Romano’s eyes narrowed. “Now, now, that’s not very hospitable, boy. Aren’t you interested in doing your part to cement this alliance?”

Allowing some of the disgust he felt for the man to show on his face, Peter glared at him. “This is a sure fire way of not seeing this alliance through.”

Romano advanced again but Peter was now backed against the dresser and had nowhere to go. “What are you going to do, precious?” he practically purred, lifting his hand and grabbing a fistful of Peter’s hair, twisting it harshly. “You gonna tell on me to your daddy?”

“He’s not my ‘daddy’,” Peter spat. “He’s my partner and I’m not going to tell.”

Romano forced his knee between Peter’s legs. “That’s what I like to hear. You just gonna take it, like a good little boy?”

“Oh, I didn't say that,” Peter said, and then he was pulling the knife out from where it was stashed in the second drawer of the dresser and in one fluid move had sliced it across Romano’s throat. 

Eyes wide and hands clutching at the blood that was spurting from his throat, Romano staggered back, making a gurgling noise. 

“I can take care of myself,” Peter snarled, shoving Romano away from him. “I don’t need to go running to anyone for help.”

It was then that the door opened and Tony stepped into the room. He took in the scene with an arch of a manicured brow and watched as Romano fell to his knees and then toppled to one side, his last breath bubbling out of the slash in his windpipe. “Another one who couldn’t keep their hands to themselves?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Peter confirmed.

“I’ll have housekeeping send someone in to clean up.” He stepped around the body and reached out to cup Peter’s cheek. “You okay? He didn't hurt you?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“Okay, well, maybe take another shower before getting dressed. You’re filthy again.”

Peter glanced down to see his chest covered in blood. “Ew. yeah, I need another shower.”

“Don’t be long, dinner’s ready and there’s your favourite for dessert.”

“Oooh, apple pie?”

“The one and only. With that custard you like too.”

Peter pressed a kiss to Tony’s mouth and then pulled away, grinning. “You’re the best.”

“You know I like spoiling you, Petey.”

“I’ll just be another five minutes, you know, unless I get interrupted again.” He glanced down at the corpse at his feet and nudged it with his toe.

“I’d like to think only one person would be stupid enough to underestimate you, love, but you never know. I’ll put a man on the door to keep people out.”

“Thanks. See you soon.”

Tony kissed him again and with a smile said, “I’ll save you a seat next to me.”

“You’d better.”

“Oh, Petey, there’ll always be a seat for you by my side. I couldn't do this without you.”

“Damn right. It’s you and me, always, Tony.”

“Always,” he confirmed, and then left the room to allow Peter to clean up. 

[shan282-ao3]

The Devil Has Come Ch6

Originally posted on Archive of Our Own [x]

Chapters: 12/? Fandom: Far Cry 5 Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Female Deputy | Judge/John Seed, Female Deputy | Judge/Jacob Seed, Female Deputy | Judge/Joseph Seed Characters: Original Female Character(s), John Seed, Jacob Seed, Joseph Seed, Faith Seed, Staci Pratt, Nick Rye, Sharky Boshaw, Female Deputy | Judge (Far Cry), Original Male Character(s), Kim Rye, Boomer (Far Cry), Joey Hudson, Earl Whitehorse Additional Tags: Canon-Typical Violence, Torture, Fluff, Minor Character Death, Recreational Drug Use, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Eventual Smut, Character Death, Slow Burn Series: Part 1 of Bottom of The River

Summary: They should never have been there. Whitehorse and Pratt were right when they spoke against going to Eden’s Gate. They should have left The Project alone. They’d started something and there was no going back now. The lamb had broken the first seal and the deputy had been helpless to stop her.

Read below:

Hope County had been hit with a heat wave, the last two days had been passed in agony with the air-conditioning inside whatever car they traveled in. The only sound inside the pickup was choir music drifting softly through the radio. Sarah sat in the passenger’s seat counting ammo and reloading her weapons as well as Rook.

She’d told Rook about John when she’d gotten to the Rye's. Thankfully she’d still been there so Sarah had been able to pull her aside and tell her everything. Well not everything, she’d left out the weird baptism and the softer details from her two encounters with him. She’d had been rightfully pissed off that Sarah hadn’t told her sooner, but aside from that, she didn’t seem too worried. She had, however, decided that they stick together from now on if they went out to do something for the resistance they went together.

So they now found themselves sitting in the car on the side of the road waiting for a fuel truck to drive by. Falls End was running low and Mary May had tasked them with bringing some tankers back. Of course, that was easier said than done.

“You ready?” Rook asked and pointed down the road to a fuel tanker driving slowly towards them. Sarah nodded and loaded the clip into her sniper.

She grabbed the outside of the car and pulled herself out of the car so she was sitting on the open window, her shoes leaving boot prints on the seat. She twisted and raised the scope to line up her shot. She took a breath as she centered the crosshairs on the driver’s chest. Normally she would go for a headshot but if she did that they risked the tanker careening off the road and crashing into something.

She held her breath and fired, watching through her scope as the bullet impaled the man. The brakes squealed and it veered towards a ditch on the side of the road but came to a halt before going over. Sarah finally let herself breathe.

She dropped back into the car as Rook drove towards the tanker. They stopped next to it and Rook climbed out. Sarah waited in the passenger seat with her AR-C trained on the road in front of them in case some cultists decided to crash the party.

Something caught Sarah’s eye near the truck, Rook was dragging the dead Peggie away. Sarah jumped out of her seat to get closer, unsure of what it was she’d seen. When she got close to the tank she gagged, the smell of gasoline was sickening. Her eyes widened when she realized what it was she had seen. A stream of flame was shooting out from behind the driver’s seat, her bullet must have gone through the guy and into the tank. She hadn’t switched out of the armor-piercing bullets.

“Run!” Sarah shouted at Rook, turning on heel and sprinting back to the car and leaped into the drivers. She flipped it into reverse and skidded backward, stopping long enough for Rook to get in.

“What the fuck is going on?” Rook’s voice was frantic and demanding.

“I shot the tanker. When I shot the Peggie I hit the tank and ignited the gas.” Sarah craned her neck to look behind them as she reversed away.

“What?” Rook shouted, panic and anger coming across clear. “How the fuck?”

Sarah didn’t answer, a Resistance car drove past them towards the tanker. They both watched helplessly as the car got closer just as the tanker blew. The women screamed as the force of the explosion caused their bones to rattle.

Sarah couldn’t hear anything and there was a massive spot in the center of her vision. She fumbled around until she grasped the door handle and pulled it. She tumbled out of the car to the hot asphalt below. She swore and rubbed her head as she sat on the ground.

Rook stumbled around to the driver’s side and grabbed Sarah’s arm, yanking her up and pointing in the direction of the Resistance members, she was saying something that Sarah couldn’t hear. The van hadn’t exploded in the blast but a thick black smoke was pouring out of the engine.

Sarah followed behind Rook, trying to keep her bearings as they got closer. The vehicle’s occupants were passed out, Sarah followed her partner’s lead and opened one of the doors to drag someone out. The engine caught fire and Sarah tugged harder on the woman in her arms, there were still two people left inside, one in the passenger’s seat and one more in the backseat. She pulled the woman to safety and took a few steps towards the van again.

The explosion that followed sent her flying back onto her ass. Her hearing had been starting to return, extremely muffled but it had been coming back. Now the only thing she could hear was a high pitched ringing. Her head screamed at her to stay down as she shoved herself into a sitting position. The bright spot in her vision was worse now, she could see it every time she blinked.

Somewhere deep down she knew she should check the van, see if anyone survived. She should look for Rook, should check on the woman she’d pulled out. Yet once she’d pushed herself to her feet she found herself stumbling away from the explosion down the road. All other thoughts gone from her mind, she dragged herself past the car chasing safety, home.

It wasn’t long before cars rolled up. Sarah wasn’t surprised, she barely blinked an eye at the white trucks with the Eden’s Gate symbols painted on their doors. Someone tugged on her arm, hazy, confused, shocked, Sarah turned painfully slowly and made eye contact with Rook. She was saying something, Sarah just shook her head and pulled away to resume her walking.

A Peggie jumped from their car and walked towards Sarah, she stopped and looked down at her gun, safely tucked in its holster. She could draw it, she had time. She didn’t, just stopped moving and watched the man as he got closer. He grabbed her and slammed her against a nearby truck, she was numbly aware that it hurt. The barrel of a gun pressed against her neck and she took a sharp inhale if this was how it ended then so be it. She pushed against the gun and felt hesitation in the man.

Pain enveloped her chest and she looked up, past the man with the gun at her throat, to see another had shot her. Rook lay on the ground not too far away. Star and sparkles swam around her vision and the ringing in her ears got softer. Bliss bullets. Sarah closed her eyes and breathed as the bliss took over and she collapsed to the ground.

“Why the hell is she here?” Someone shouted and the sound of something breaking drifted through the doorway.

“She was with the deputy, I thought—“ Another voice, it sounded scared.

“You thought? You thought?!” Sarah groaned, the voices assaulting her ears made her headache worse. “I ordered everyone to leave her alone. You were just supposed to take the rookie not her.” Someone cried out in pain, Sarah tried to care but she couldn’t find the effort in her.

She opened her eyes hesitantly, grateful for the shitty lighting in the room she was in. It was dark aside from the few dim yellow lights hanging above, it was supposed to be menacing she was sure, but to her just felt comforting in a way. There was no one else around, she was finally alone. Except she wasn’t.

Someone cried out to her left, frantic and muffled. Sarah looked to the source, her eye’s fixing on Hudson who was tied to a chair in the corner of the room. She opened her mouth to say something but found she couldn’t, her mouth was taped shut. A touch of panic set in, Sarah looked wildly around to get her bearings, the binds on her wrist cut in every time she moved. Groaning from her right alerted her to Rook’s presence in the room.

The sound of metal squealing caught Sarah’s attention and she watched the door closest to Rook swing open. John stepped through, violence and rage painted on his face and obvious in the way he stalked into the room. Hudson was screaming, Sarah wanted to tell her to shut the fuck up, it was hurting her head.

John paused by Rook who was only now starting to stir but continued on until he stopped in front of Sarah. He grabbed her chin with a grip much harder than she was comfortable with and forced her head up to look him in the eye, turned her this way and that as his too blue eyes looked for something. His body language threatened cat violence, cruelty, all the pain to come, but the eyes that looked with her for a moment betrayed a certain softness, maybe even a bit of regret. It was gone as soon as she saw it though and he let her go, shoving her back a bit.

He bent down and picked up a toolbox of some sort before talking towards the workbench across from her. He dropped something onto the table beside Rook, who was now awake and obviously a little in shock at their situation.

John walked like he had an audience, his movements emphasized and drawn out. It worked to his advantage, all three of his captives watched intently. He stood still for a few seconds, Sarah wasn’t sure why. Hudson had stopped watching him and instead looked down submissively at the floor. He finally pivoted towards Rook and started to speak.

“My parents were the first ones to teach me about the Power of Yes.” He drew the last word out, there was a ghost of a smirk on his lips. “One night, they took me into the kitchen, and they threw me on the ground,” He wasn’t looked at Rook anymore, he had his back to her and was stapling something that looked like skin to his bench, “And I experienced pain after pain after paid—“

His stapler slammed onto the bench, everyone in the room jumped. For the first time, Sarah felt genuine fear when she looked at him. Before it had only been momentary panic or a sense of unease, but now, rage and cruelty lacing his voice and actions, she could barely breathe. She felt like a cornered rabbit staring down a hungry cougar, her instincts screaming at her to run but her body trapped against her chair.

“And when I didn’t think I could take anymore, I did.” His eyes darted to Sarah for a second as he walked towards Rook. “Something broke free inside. I wasn’t scared. I was… clear.” Sarah watched his every moment, partly out of fear and partly out of some sick fascination. He sounded so at peace, and somewhat cocky, as he continued. “I looked up at them and I started to laugh. All I could say was… Yes.” Again he drew the word out and Sarah finally understood what Nick had meant when he said John Seed probably had a ‘yes’ kink.

Sarah kicked against her bounds and John looked at her sharply before continuing his little speech. Sarah had stopped listening, she tried to block him out and looked around the room, searching for some way out.

“Giving takes courage. The courage…” He stepped away from Rook and walked back towards his bench. He held eye contact with Sarah as he continued. “To own your sin. To etch it on to your flesh and carry its burden,” He turned his palms up in some guise of holiness and directed his attention back to Rook. “And when you have endured— when you have truly begun to atone— to cut it out like a cancer and display it for all to see. My god that’s courage.” The image brought bile to her throat. He grabbed a screwdriver and stalked towards Sarah. There was a purr in his voice as he stalked towards her. “I’m going to teach you courage. Teach you how to say ‘yes’ so you can confront your weaknesses.” There was a manic excitement in him and he turned back around, his focus darting all over the place as he continued his rant and he voice got louder and louder. “Confront your sin. You will swim across an ocean of pain and emerge… free. For only then can you truly begin to atone.”

He stopped in front of his bench and leaned back against it, screwdriver held like a weapon. His arm tattoos were on display, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up. “So. Who wants to go first? Hm?”

Rook and Sarah looked eyes, Hudson refused to look at anyone but the wall behind Sarah. No one said anything and John’s anger bubbled. “Which one? Hm?” Nothing. “This is lesson number one.” Hudson whimpered and struggled against her bonds, Sarah didn’t break eye contact with Rook. “Someone’s got to choose.” His voice was strangled, drawing Sarah’s attention. He looked at her with a mix of violence and what might even be fear. She said nothing, just watched him.

John’s patience broke and he turned around faster than Sarah had expected and threw the bench backward. “For fuck's sake we’ll start with you!” He practically screamed and walked menacingly towards Rook. He sounded so happy and at peace before he grabbed Hudson. He pushed her towards the door behind rook, she let out terrified shrieks as he told Rook about what he was going to do to her.

All Sarah could do was watch helplessly, her blood cold with terror. Someone came into the room and took Hudson’s chair out the room while she kicked at her bindings and screamed. “We can’t forget about our other deputy.” John pivoted and grabbed her chair, pushing her in front of him towards the door out. “I’ll be right back.” He told the Rook as he passed, he was practically squatting as he pushed her chair.

John didn’t say anything for a few minutes and Sarah didn’t bother struggling. Hudson’s faint cries could be heard carrying down the hallway until the eventually stopped and the only sound left was air hissing through vents above.

Sarah let her eyes wander, taking in the halls that John pushed her down, as she tried to sort out her thoughts. She was terrified, that was a given, but a small part of her deep, deep down knew that she’d be fine, she’d make it out of this relatively fine. Above the pain, she felt anger, anger at the cult and John. Not sure because he was planning to torture her, but also because he’d kidnapped her. Barely three days ago he’d promise he wouldn’t force her into confession and yet here she was. She shouldn’t have trusted him, she was an idiot.

“I’m… they weren’t supposed to take you.” John finally broke the silence when he’d pushed her into a room and closed the door behind them. He pulled the tape from her mouth and Sarah squeezed her eyes shut as is pulled at her skin. “I meant what I said last time.”

“Fuck off,” Sarah swore, struggling uselessly at her restraints for a few seconds. Her hair was in front of one eye and he moved his hand to brush it away. She flinched back like she’d been attacked. “Don’t fucking touch me.” She practically spat, struggling again and her chair moved back away from him, she felt a small bit of triumph.

John looked a little hurt and pretty offended, but his anger quickly came up to mask it. He clenched his fist and kicked her chair away, it spun and banged against the wall. She had to physically spin herself back around to face him. “I’m trying,” He was practically seething, “to help you.”

“Help me?! You said this was my decision! You said I didn’t have to atone until I was ready!” Her voice rose with every word and she glared daggers at the man who she’d only days ago shared pleasant conversation.

“I know what I said.” He snapped and pulled the sunglasses off his head to run a hand through his hair, it left it looking disheveled. “There’s nothing I can do about it now.”

“Nothing you can do? You can let me go you asshole.” She wished she wasn’t tied up right now so she could punch his stupid, beautiful face.

John looked at her with almost sad eyes and pulled her chair close again. He crouched in front of her and rubbed her wrist with his thumb. “I can’t, word has already spread that I both deputies. If I let you go, Joseph would know and he…” He trailed off and Sarah felt the fight in her die.

John looked absolutely terrified at the mention of Joseph. She remembered a conversation she’d had with Rook about the first time John had grabbed her. She’d mentioned that when Joseph had shown up John had looked about ready to piss himself. Sarah’s heart broke for him, his life had been shit enough without Joseph adding to that.

“John?” Her voice was soft, almost maternal, and she wished she wasn’t bound so she could comfort him in some way. He looked up at her with what seemed like disbelief, why would she suddenly be nice to him? Sarah wasn’t sure why, but she leaned forward as far as she could and bumped his forehead with hers. “John?” He didn’t say anything, just pressed against her and just breathed for a few minutes.

Sirens shattered the silence and John shot away from her like he’d been burned. He looked wildly between her and the door before bolting out, radio in hand.

“The deputy escaped.” A voice crackled through the window and carried through the partially open door into Sarah’s room.

“Which one?” John’s voice was frantic and furious.

“Not Hudson.”

“Dammit! Find her!” John’s stomping footsteps carried down the hall and Sarah looked around for something to help her get out. She resorted to pushing herself slowly towards the door, it was a tiring process but soon she was at the gap. Except it wasn’t open far enough for her to get through and she couldn’t shove it open like that, the thing was fucking heavy.

Familiar panting hit her ears and Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. “Rookie? Tessa?” She called out the gap and soon her savior stood in front of her and shoved the door open. “Took you long enough.” Sarah quipped half-heartedly as Rook cut her restraints.

“Sorry, I fell down some stairs.”

“Why?”

Rook gave her a deadpan look. “It seemed like something fun to do before leaving the torture bunker.” Sarah hummed in mock understanding and rubbed her wrists. “Did you see where Hudson went?”

“Nope.” Sarah shook her head and Rook swore. She handed Sarah her knife and the two went out into the corridor, running towards hopefully an exit.

[geekstudio]

Fan Expo 2018 Report

I was so glad to be back at Fan Expo this year after taking last year off! I got to talk to so many people and see tons of amazing cosplay and I had really missed it!

Now that I’ve a recovery day I thought I’d do up a little report about how the weekend went for me.

Long post with lots of pics so read more for the whole thing!

First up was the awesome cosplay! There were so many great costumes that walked past my table. Most of them I wasn’t able to get pictures of but here are some that I did get.

Saw this great Edna Mode on the Thursday and she had a great attitude!

This Aquaman was great! He was so high energy and outgoing and we ended up chatting for a bit during the slow morning. All his tattoos were airbrushed using custom stencils and apparently he had to run back to his hotel to get his back-up plastic trident because security wouldn’t let him in with his better, custom, metal trident o_O

I was so excited to see this Merlin and Roxy Kingsmen pair! I think they’re the first Kingsmen cosplay I’ve seen and I love Kingsmen so much!

And the last one from the weekend, the Grandmaster! I was so sad that Jeff Goldblum ended up cancelling...

Next part of the report is sales! I spent pretty much the entire weekend at my table. Usually I wander around a bit more but my sister was actually involved in a lot of the tabletop gaming events and panels this year so couldn’t cover me as often.

Lip Balm! So this was the first Fan Expo that I brought my lip balm and lotions to and they were a big hit! The most popular flavour was the Vampire one with Unicorn, Dragon, and Mermaid tied as a close second. It was the first show overall for the Dragon and Mermaid flavours so I was super happy that they went well!

Lotions! The Unicorn scent was the popular choice by quite a lot with Wizard and Fairy tied for second. That was a switch from what I expected because at Anime North the Zombie and Pirate scents were super popular and they were really low sellers at Fan Expo.

Enamel pins! This is also the first Fan Expo with my full stock of enamel pins. The biggest seller for the weekend was one of my original, non-fandom, designs, Spirit of Spring (above). This made me so so happy that a completely original design was so popular at a comic con! This pins isn’t up in my store right now but it will be soon. The second most popular by far was my Luna Lovegood Spectre Specs pin!

Candles! I brought a few candles to this show but the most popular one was the Butterbeer. This was a big surprise because it hasn’t been very popular lately. I sold more Butterbeer candles at Fan Expo this year then I’ve sold at all the shows I’ve gone to in the last year lol. Don’t know why they suddenly did that I was glad to see the Harry Potter love back!

My new Nuka Cola candles went over really well too! I have some left over though so I’ve posted them in the shop here if you wanted to grab some for yourself.

Now for my purchases!

I didn’t buy as much as I usually do this year because I didn’t have much time to shop but I did get some awesome stuff!

The mug I got from FanFit Gaming. It’s an N64 mug with different game items all over. It was their first time at Fan Expo and they had a lot of really cool stuff!

The book is Ark Land by Scott A. Ford. It’s a post apocalyptic sci-fi graphic novel and the art and colours are gorgeous! I’m super excited to read it!

I bought one of these dudes from Triforged Studios as a birthday gift for a friend that was there on the weekend. These Dittos are made from a squishy rubber and totally feel like a real Ditto.

My big purchase was this life size 3D printed Cubone skull. I got it from the same table as the Standee People but I’m not sure if it’s actually still them that sold them. I’m definitely putting this up on my wall next to my Unownymous painting from Rawry & Powly :D

Now the weekend is over and it’s back to the grind. My next show is the Etsy: Made in Canada show in Chatham, ON at the end of September so if you’re in the area stop by and say hi! After that I’ll be at EGLX, then some holiday shows leading up to Christmas. Can’t wait to see people there!

[aion-rsa]

The Coolest, Most Collectible Skybox Marvel Cards

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We can’t clarify this enough: When the age of Marvel Comics superheroes began in the 1960s, everything changed. Characters like the members of the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, the X-Men, and on and on felt more grounded in reality than their comic book peers, and readers immediately took notice.

These were relatable figures who balanced real world problems like wanting to fit in with the pressures that come with protecting New York City (then later, the universe) from all manner of unbelievable threats. Due to the unprecedented success of Marvel Comics, the publisher’s stable of heroes quickly became a merchandising juggernaut. Everything from toys to coloring books competed for the attention of burgeoning Marvelmaniacs, and it’s no surprise that trading cards were quickly thrown into the mix.

Since the early ‘60s, there have been numerous lines of Marvel-inspired trading cards that have showcased the sillier side of these heroes (Topps’ fondly remembered 1976 line of Marvel Super Heroes Stickers) to cards celebrating the company’s storied history (Fantasy Trade Card Company’s Marvel Superheroes First Issue Cover set). As fun as these memorable sets were, they can’t begin to hold a candle to the work that Skybox was doing in the 1990s. Bursting onto the scene in 1992 , the company’s various licensed Marvel card sets showcased a mix of well-known and rising characters from Marvel. That they did so by directly tapping into the zeitgeist while pushing the limits of trading card technology is a bit of magic that even Doctor Strange would be impressed by.

During the ‘90s, Marvel was (Silver?) surfing on a wave of massive success, buoyed by the popularity of Fox’s X-Men and Spider-Man cartoons, era-defining — for better or worse — creatives like Rob Liefeld and Todd McFarlane, and seemingly countless videogames and action figures showcasing these comic book greats.

The bottom line? There was an unquenchable desire to collect anything and every Marvel-related, and Skybox entered the marketplace at exactly the right time. Printed on heavy duty card stock, these cards felt substantial in the hands of eager collectors. Chase cards like “holofoil” and “dyna-etching” variants further made the Skybox lines feel like must haves – and so they became a form of de-facto status symbol for collectors. Simply put, if you had these things you had credibility during a time when so-called nerdery was beginning its ascension towards pop culture dominance. Indeed, the Skybox cards gave comics-related collectibles real legitimacy in the eyes of those who previously dismissed such a thing.

From the glory years of 1992 to 1996, Skybox was the best-loved name in the non-sport trading card game. Their legacy can still be seen in cards today, with companies like Topps and Upper Deck still putting out cards who share basic DNA with Skybox’s inventive lines.

Unsurprisingly, Skybox collecting is experiencing something of a resurgence thanks to the one-two punch of 1990s nostalgia and the enduring success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Because you want in on this collecting action, we’ve put together the following guide to some of the coolest, most collectible Skybox Marvel releases. A universe of fun awaits you, quite literally.

1992 Marvel Masterpieces Unopened Box

Price: $300 – $700

The joys and perils of modern trading card collecting can be directly traced back to the 1992 Marvel Masterpieces line. With stunning paintings from Joe Jusko on the front and detailed information about significant Marvel moments and characters on the back of each card, Skybox hit a nerve with this 100-card game changer. Suddenly, fans who hadn’t picked up cards since their elementary schoolyard days of trading baseball or Star Wars cards were back in the game, racing to get each and every entry in the line.

As Impel, Skybox had warmed up fans for the previous two yeasr with their Marvel card sets. But with a name change and a further commitment to artistry they started a trading card revolution by fully realizing their vision. To own a box of these isn’t merely to indulge in one’s nostalgia, it is to possess an important part of pop culture history.

Buy the 1992 Marvel Masterpieces Unopened Box here

Skybox Marvel Empty Display Boxes

Price: $14.99 – $49.99

With the cards being the main attraction, you’d be forgiven if you took for granted the artistry of the boxes that the various Skybox card lines came packaged in. Since these were designed to grab the consumers’ eye, they are emblazoned with compelling action in what Stan Lee himself would refer to as “the Mighty Marvel method.” Keeping your cards in Mylar sleeves in binders is definitely the smartest way to ensure that your collectibles remain safe, yet might we suggest you start collecting the originally boxes that housed them too? If nothing else, it will give you bragging rights about your dedication to the Skybox era.

Buy Skybox Marvel Empty Display Boxes here

Spider-Man vs Venom Hologram Card

Price: $29.99 – $59.99

It’s difficult to fully articulate how popular Venom was in the early 1990s. Alternately a villain and a terrifying anti-hero, the character’s stunning design roped in lapsed fans and newbies alike thanks to the best set of pop culture jaws since Steven Spielberg terrified moviegoers back in 1975. Consequently, Spider-Man and Venom became comicdom’s most compelling, forgive us, symbiotic relationship, with this snazzy hologram card from Skybox’s 1993 Marvel Universe Series IV line being a memorable souvenir of this crucial time in both characters’ history.

Buy the Spider-Man vs. Venom Hologram Card here

Wolverine Hologram Card

Price: $30 – $45

While discussing hologram variants (which are a fascinating collecting subset in their own right), we would be remiss if we didn’t mention everyone’s favorite cigar-chomping mutant, Wolverine. Thanks to the technology used to create the card – one that we don’t fully understand but absolutely appreciate – it appears as if Wolverine has just clawed his way through a steel wall. When the light hits the card in just the right way it appears as if the adamantium-laced icon is reaching towards you, an incredibly cool effect that is priceless in terms of wow value. To be clear, all the cards included in Skybox’s second series of X-Men cards are memorable. This one though? It’s to be treasured.

Buy the Wolverine Hologram Card here

Marvel Skybox Card Lots

Price: $1-$50

As far as we are concerned, casual collectors of anything are as hard to find as Bigfoot and/or D.B. Cooper. Intellectually though, we know they exist. Thus if you consider yourself among their number and want to dip you toes into the Skybox collecting waters we feel compelled to tell you that you can do so by checking out any of the eBay auction listings for Skybox card lots. Often times these are just a grouping of common cards, but with some perseverance you can find auctions for lots that include rare variants. Due to the care with which these cards were produced, there really isn’t a downside here. Just know that we are not responsible if they become a gateway drug to getting you fully hooked on Marvel cards.

Buy Marvel Skybox Card Lots here

Spider-Man 1992 Marvel Masterpieces Promo Card

Price: $10-40

You have to remember that in 1992, the Internet was not the all-encompassing behemoth that it is today. Nor was nerd culture. Back then, word of mouth was crucial to promote any fandom-related product. Enter promo cards. Either distributed in magazines, at trade shows, or in comic shops, these helped notify target audiences that something new and cool was on the way. Because these were trading cards in and of themselves, they were collectibles in their own right – existing outside of the line they were trying to promote while being directly related to its success or failure.

The back of this specific promo card (which, it should be noted, was something of an innovation itself), promised that “this new, super premium line from Skybox takes the Marvel Universe to another dimension.” On the flip side was a dynamic Jusko painting of Spidey, then the biggest character in Marvel’s lineup. Fans took notice. Sales were made. As a result, trading cards were never the same.

Buy the Spider-Man 1992 Marvel Masterpieces Promo Card here

Wolverine vs. Sabertooth 3-D Foil Card

Price: $39.99 – $120.00

Spider-Man vs. The Green Goblin. The Fantastic Four vs. Galactus. Jack Kirby vs. Stan Lee. The Marvel Universe is full of iconic battles. Naturally, the most compelling battles in Marvel history were replicated in the Skybox lines – as you can see in this offering from the 1992 Marvel Masterpieces line that has Wolverine engaging Sabertooth in combat on a card that used art, foil embossing and printing enhancement to bring the action to life in a way that was anything but static and boring.

Buy the Wolverine vs. Sabertooth 3-D Foil Card Here

X-Men Series II Complete Base Set

Price: $40 – $60

An enduring fan favorite from Skybox, 1993’s X-Men Series II furthered cemented the mutant team’s popularity following the premiere of their Fox cartoon a year earlier and some high-profile comic book releases of the era. Over the course of 100 cards, the most notable mutants of the Marvel Universe were showcased in the line. What truly took this specific series to the next level was its pitch perfect combination of character choices and interlinking cards that, when united, created stunning battle scenes. (The X-Men/Magneto/Acolytes triptych is still a jaw-dropper). Available at more than affordable prices, you can make this popular series part of your collection easily. And indeed, you should.

Buy the X-Men Series II Complete Base Set here

1993 Marvel Masterpieces Carnage Card

Price $1-5

Is there a character who represents the Icarus-type approach that Marvel had to their new creations in the 1990s more than Carnage? Love him or hate him, you definitely had opinions on him back in the day (if not to this very moment). He is featured here though as an example of exactly how tuned into the fan base Skybox was at the height of their powers. They gave consumers cards bursting with life, making unsavory folks like old Cletus here appealing…and highly collectible.

Buy the 1993 Marvel Masterpieces Carnage Card here

Silver Surfer vs. Thanos Etch Foil Card

Price: $1-$5

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Let’s wrap things up by stating a fundamental truth that about all of Skybox’s Marvel trading cards line: They set the gold standard for non-spot cards in the 1990s due to the sheer care that was put into them. No other line featuring these characters had been done so artistically. Everything was all about fan service in a time when that phrase had yet to have any negative connotations forced upon itself. So to look upon a card like this offering from the 1992 Marvel Masterpieces line in which two titans square off to determine the fate of the universe was a revelation for consumers.

Holding a card like this made it feel as if the Marvel Universe was literally in the palm of your hand. Through a combination of enlisting top-tier talent and incorporating innovations in trading card evolution, Skybox was able to transcend mere collectible. We aren’t being grandiose here. To compare the Skybox releases to previous licensed Marvel cards is like pitting the 1960s Spider-Man TV series against Into the Spider-Verse, both have their delights but one is clearly advanced in every way. Skybox cards were a game changer, just as Silver Surfer fighting Thanos would be. And the winner of their battle? Marvel fans everywhere.

Buy the Silver Surfer vs. Thanos Etch Foil Card here

The post The Coolest, Most Collectible Skybox Marvel Cards appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[lupienne]

Comic Negan Fic Recs!

At the beginning of every month, I’m going to repost this. New additions will be in italics (and most likely at the bottom).

Here’s a little list of Comic Negan (or at least comic-leaning) fanfiction! These are all great authors and entertaining fics. If you’re looking for that good ole original Negan fiction(with each author’s personal twist, of course)… check these out. And if you like them, give ‘em a warm fuzzy feeling with a like, favorite, kudos, reblog,shout-out or comment!

In no particular order:

Stigmatic by 217. Follow Negan’s POV as he leads the Saviors in what starts off as comic canon, before venturing into wonderfully AU territory. Also featuring 217’s most excellent OCs; she is truly a master at crafting real, well-rounded and interesting characters. She also has such a talent for writing Negan true to the comics and yet making her own unique version of his character as well. The plotline of this story is always moving forward as the Saviors travel through the highs and lows of life in the apocalypse. On ff.net On A03

217 has also done some AU series within the Stigmatic verse:

Phlegmatic: which is an AU take on Alice and Negan if they had met before the ZA. On ff.net On A03

Haematic which is another pre-ZA AU take where Negan struggles to raise his and the late Lucille’s daughter, Lulu (and her pet lobster, Crusty!), all by his lonesome. On ff.net On A03

Fics by Harleyquinzel. She has quite a few Negan fics, most of which are nice bite-sized reads and quite enjoyable. Here’s three of my favorites.

His Favorite Girl Smut involving Negan and his favorite girl… why, who else but Lucille the Vampire bat?

Making Like A funny and sexy Negan/Rick fic.

One Night Stand Negan and Olivia smut. Hell yeah.

And here is her complete TWD list

We’ll Call it Even by DarylDixonGrimes: A delicious and fantastically written snarky smut fic with Daryl and Negan, where upon delivering goods to Negan, Daryl can’t resist our favorite bad boy’s ‘charm’ much longer. The snark is great, and the smut is yumm!

A Wolf at the Door by Misterkingdom: A very well-written fic where Negan makes sure Rick knows who the King Dick Motherfucker is around here.

Beautiful Tragedy by 217: Yet another gem by this master writer of ole Negan. However, RM (aka ‘Rude Motherfucker’) the OC of this story, doesn’t see Negan in the most flattering light. One of Negan’s (aka ‘Dumpy’s) wives, she uses his perks to support her ongoing drug addiction, that is, until Negan takes note…and he doesn’t approve. The dialogue in this story is absolutely a riot, as RM’s mouth and thoughts are every bit as vulgar and outrageous as Negan’s! On ff.net On A03

217 also has quite a few shorter fare for those that balk at lengthier stories (but trust me, they are worth every word!) My personal favorites are The Cleansing which is a pitch-back affair, Negan’s Number What? (a birthday present to me a few years ago, and the hottest Negan/Sherry smut EVER!), and Non-NEGotiable which is a Stigmatic smut where Negan loses a bet and his ass to Alice. On ff.net On A03

The Life of Negan & Lucille by TeamCarlisle: Based off the ‘Here’s Negan’ backstory, it’s Negan and Lucille’s pre-apocalypse days before it all fell apart. Sweet and yet heartbreaking, it’s a treat to see Negan in his pre-Savior days. But get your tissues out for this one!

Recollection by 217: Another goodie by 217, this is based off the ‘Here’s Negan’ backstory and contains part of his life with Lucille. On ff.net On A03

Embracing the Apocalypse by Embracetheapocalypsewithme (SomewhatSlightyDazed) Sanctuary and the Saviors has gained a new member, Rebecca, who struggles to find a foothold in this new society, but soon has captured the attention of Negan. He himself has been newly reinstated as the Savior’s leader and is also on unsure ground, unlike his previous bout of leadership. The two share a similar sense of humor and a need for a new start, but nothing is ever easy in the post-apocalyptic world.

This is yet another story that captures the charm, awkwardness and humor of Comic Negan, and features a very funny OC as well. Very much worth a read!

SomewhatSlightyDazed also has several shorts (mostly smutty, but a few aren’t.) They’re great for a quickie. A quick read, that is. ;) My personal favorites are: Post-Apocalyptic Driving School, Guys Like Him (Olivia and Negan, always a treat!), and Double-Dare (Smutty threesome with Negan and his wives. Yum!)

Through the Valley by Dusty Cookie Another merry jaunt into Sanctuary and the lives of the Saviors. Several Saviors, while out on a run, spot a female apparently living all on her lonesome and think she might be a good asset for Sanctuary. Now Negan just has to convince her she has a place there, and our story begins. :)

Dusty writes an absolutely fantastic Negan and her OCs are also well-written and interesting. Her dialogue and overall writing style is also so entertaining, witty, and just a pleasure to read. Try Chapter 1, and you’ll be hooked! On ff.net on A03

Dusty also has several short fics that are all equally great… but watch out for that catty Miss Fiona in The Hand that Feeds!

Tender Prey by bigcatsandkatanas I’m very bad and haven’t reviewed this one yet. I haven’t read a lot of them, so maybe it’s a bit pre-mature to say, but I think this is my favorite Regan fic. We have a bit more of a humble and lonely Negan due to his incarceration by good ole Prick Grimes, and it makes for one smutty tale I adore. Negan is written really great in this and despite being mostly smut, it’s also got some nice character moments for Negan. I really like it.

Imagines by Rickdixonandthefandomlifeposts. She writes many imagines for Negan/TWD/and other fandoms. She’s got a lot of them but here are my personal favorites thus far:

A secret affair with Negan in prison

Negan/Rick

Negan/Rick

Imagine Negan and Lucille…

Imagine Negan wants to have sex with you

Imagine overhearing Negan talk about his feelings for you

Imagine Negan wants you to call him daddy

Here’s her masterlist as well:

Wham-Bam by grab-my-boner A nice smutty treat with Negan and Olivia. Honestly, there needs to be more of these two!

Breaking the News by grab-my-boner A short that really crushes your heart as Negan finds out about Lucille’s cancer.

Gifts by redheadedwhat A nice little Negan/OC smut for your reading pleasure. Some humorous bits and of course, some very lovely smut.

Hurt by opheliadawnwalker3 Perhaps leaning more towards TV Negan, this is still a really good (and heart-wrenching) short about Negan and Lucille and her very bad news.

Satellite Days by Kinkozan After the Whisperer War, Negan has been living in an old outpost from the Savior days, and he finds himself in the company of Toni, another survivor who isn’t quite welcome around her old communities anymore either. They must try to survive in their new environment, as well as survive each other.

Backspin by Kinkozan Negan’s wife Charli’s plans of giving him a much-deserved spanking and trying to assert herself in the relationship might come back to bite her in the ass. Smut and angst.

Lupienne’s Negan fanfictions. Here’s my additions to the Comic Negan bookcase. I have a long WIP involving Negan and the boring domestic affairs of his wives, as well as a few shorter reads that are mostly of the smut variety. On A03 On ff.net (I don’t have them all on there, but if you prefer reading on this site…)

Enigmatic by 217: Based off Here’s Negan 15, where Negan receives a nasty wound from a fellow survivor. Upon going to clean out his wound, Negan meets an OC who is all too eager to give him some ‘healing.’ On ff.net On AO3

Love(d) by Dusty Cookie A pre-ZA short with Negan and Lucille. Dusty doesn’t just tug at your heartstrings, she rips them right out of your body.

WIP by Metal Butter Metal Butter mentioned a prisoner Negan fic they were writing, and upon my request, posted a snippet of it! It’s not complete, but it’s awesome just as it is. I love the way Negan is written as he narrates from his prison cell. Also contains shades of Regan. Yum!

In the Twilight Kingdom by Embracetheapocalypsewithme (SomewhatSlightlyDazed) Filled with grief over his recently deceased Lucille, Negan struggles to live and find a reason for doing so in the dangerous new world of the apocalypse.

Decomposition by 217: “Do you know what decomposition is? Answer the goddamn question.” A dark short of Negan’s thoughts as Lucille claims another life.

Imagine: Having a secret affair with Negan in prison by Rickdixonandthefandomlifeposts Parts III and IV are newly posted.

Imagine: Giving Negan a Foot Job by Rickdixonandthefandomlifeposts. Two separate shorts based on Negan’s newly revealed fetish (one of many I’m sure!) The first is Negan and a wife, the second is a little sexy Regan fare. Foot Job 1 Foot Job 2

Bedtime Stories by Embracetheapocalypsewithme (SomewhatSlightyDazed): What happens when Negan finds out some of the Sanctuary women have been writing porn about him?

Wounds to Mend by Lupienne: My latest Comic Negan fic, based off events in Here’s Negan 14. Sherry tends to an injured Negan’s wound.

Last Chance Revival by 217. This fic follows an AU, non-ZA Negan as he tends bar in a rough part of town, where the highlight of his night is watching quirky OC’s Murphy’s ass leave the bar in her tight leopard print spandex. On ff.net On AO3

Heart in a Blender by Bigcatsandkatanas. A Negan/Rick fic set in a non-apocalyptic AU verse. Negan, lonely and despondent after his divorce with Lucille, decides to take a chance and use a dating app. When he accidentally matches with Rick Grimes, it’s the start of an awkward friendship (and maybe more?) Bigcatsandkatanas writes an excellent Negan, from his personality to his dialogue.

I Bless the Rains Down at Sanctuary by Redheadedwhat. Negan’s wife Tallulah discovers the hilarity of a drunken Negan. And an important question is pondered…just what did happen to the band members of Toto after the apocalypse?

Exhaust by Spliced-up Angel. An AU take on All out War. What if Negan hadn’t lost that last battle? Told from Carl’s POV, the young Grimes struggles to adapt to Negan’s rule over Alexandria. Since the story is all from Carl, Negan isn’t painted in the most flattering light. His dialogue is hilarious and poor Carl finds himself in a few embarrassing situations due to Negan’s lack of shame.

Keep those Comic Negan fanfics flowing, and look for an update of this list in August! And as always, feel free to comment with any fics you might know of that feature good ole Comic Negan! In the meantime, hopefully some of these will entertain and meet your fancy!

And if you’d like, please reblog this post to give these authors some more exposure. :)

There are also a few Comic Negan writing/art contests going on right now!

Embrace the Apocalypse with Me’s 400 Follower Challenge Negan’s Artist Contest by Rickdixonandthefandomlifeposts Here’s Negan Give-away by Rickdixonandthefandomlifeposts

[zinniapetals]

Short little drabble 100% inspired by Nikshazana’s adorable art!

Fandom: Fukigen Na Mononokean

Pairing: None

Words: 925

“Zenko, smile!”

The brunette turned, her lips lifting up into a small smile as Ashiya snapped a picture of her.

“How’d it come out?” She asked, watching him wave the printed out Polaroid around.

He stared as the colors emerged, the sun highlighting Zenko’s light brown hair, making some strands look golden. “Pretty good if I do say so myself.”

“Take another one! But now I wanna be in it!”

Ashiya frowned at Yahiko’s haughty voice, giving in to Zenko’s stare that warned him to play nice or else.

“Stay right there-” Ashiya started, lifting the camera to take a photo when Yahiko interrupted loudly. 

“I wanna sit next to Haruitsuki!” He complained, not wanting to stand in the picture by his self. He walked up to the blonde, plopping down right next to him and gave the camera a wide smile. “You too Haruitsuki! Smile for the camera.” 

Abeno sighed loudly, glaring at Ashiya for involving him as well, and stared at the camera with disdain. Ashiya steadied the Polaroid camera in his hands, counted to three and captured the moment.

“Give it to me,” Yahiko demanded, hand reaching out for the rectangular photo. “I’m keeping this.”

“Hey!” Ashiya complained, frowning as Yahiko stuck his tongue at him and ran off into the temple. 

“You wouldn't want it anyways,” Abeno said, getting up from the floor and fixed his yukata. “Let’s go, we have a client coming soon.”

“Ah, that’s right,” Ashiya said, ignoring Abeno’s earlier comment. “Bye Zenko, see you later.” 

She waved them off, watching them vanish into what was originally a storage closet for extra towels.

-

"What in the world are you doing?” Abeno asked once he exited the Mononokean and onto the school’s rooftop.

“Just adding to my collection of Fuzzy,” Ashiya hummed, messing with his phone. He lifted his phone to show his employer an edited picture that screamed I’m a teenage girl and this is my first time at a purikura.

“Please don't tell me all your photos look like this.” Abeno exasperatedly said, feeling sorry for the fluffy demon.

“Of course not!” Ashiya huffed; affronted at the fact that Abeno would even think that. “I just can't help it when it comes to Fuzzy.” 

Abeno rolled his eyes and leaned against the rooftop’s wall, watching Ashiya run around trying to get good shots of Fuzzy playing with the ball. 

“What do you even do with those pictures?” Abeno asked once the duo tired themselves out and were resting comfortably in the Mononokean. 

“Which pictures?”

“The ones with the hairball obviously,” Abeno replied, rolling his eyes. “Clearly you can’t post them anywhere.”

“Why not?” Ashiya questioned, eyebrows furrowed in confusion

“Because no one would be able to see them.”

Ashiya blinked. He turned towards to Fuzzy, to the ceiling, to his phone, and back to Abeno. He blinked again. 

“Oh...”

“So what have you been doing with them?” Abeno asked again.

“Posting them on twitter…” Ashiya mumbled, looking away from Abeno and at the Mononokean’s scroll that was blank.

“What?” Abeno stared hard at his employee, his scowl deepening with every passing second. “Do you ever think before you do things or-”

“Ahhh! Don't start insulting me! How was I supposed to know!” He groaned, hands in his hair as he tried to block out Abeno’s insults. 

Abeno let the insults drop because Ashiya had a point. How was he supposed to know? It's not like he had experienced with the supernatural before they met, and it's only been a year since he started working at the Mononokean. 

“Did anyone have anything to say about it?” He asked instead, genuinely interested in the answer.

“I don't think so,” Ashiya murmured before aha-ing out loud. “A couple of girls from our class praised me for getting some good shots of you though.”

“What!?” He hissed. “Why are you taking pictures of me without my permission!” 

“No wait! You don't understand!” Ashiya explained, quickly taking out his phone and got into his twitter app. “Look! See! It’s because you’re next to Yahiko and Fuzzy when I take these pictures!”

Abeno stared hard at the pictures. It was true, he just so happened to be next, behind, or in the general vicinity of the aforementioned demons, but due to other people not being able to see the creatures, it looked like it was just shitty photos of Abeno.

He scrolled through the rest of the pictures on Ashiya’s feed, nothing too crazy, except for various items being held up by Yahiko that would come off as floating objects to non-seeing humans. He saw the likes and retweets on those pictures were three times as much as the ones of just him by his self.

Abeno handed Ashiya his phone back, scoffing loudly at the conversation he was having with the Mononokean about opening a demon photo business. He stood up, and stretched his arms, frowning at his employee who took a quick shot of Fuzzy.

“I’m not going to tell you to stop posting pictures,” Abeno warned after receiving a fearful gaze. “However, if you get messages with people asking to help exorcise them, you better deny knowing anything.” 

“If you say so,” Ashiya complied, nodding his head as Abeno bent down and grabbed the empty tea set. “Oh wait Fuzzy! Do that trick again, let me record it this time!” 

Abeno walked into the adjourning room, and looked back at Ashiya happily recording his companion and wondered, how did humans view the photos that Ashiya took inside the Mononokean?

[swipestream]

Sensor Sweep: Driveclub, Ultimate Character Compendium, OutRun, The Gladiator

Gaming (Niche Gamer): Sony Computer Entertainment has announced they’re shutting down several titles in a few months. First, they’re delisting Driveclub, Drivclub VR, and Driveclub Bikes from the PlayStation Store on August 31st, 2019, with the online servers for the shutting down a bit later – on March 31st of 2020. They’re also shutting down the online servers for Starblood Arena on July 25th, 2019.

Here’s a rundown on the game’s and components affected.

  RPG (RPG Pundit): Inspired by a combination of events from history and a classic English Folk Song, this adventure features a mission to try to find the wife of a local aristocrat who has run off with a Cymri (Welsh Gypsy) scamp. As you might expect, there’s several twists to the scenario, people working against the PCs, complications and potential wilderness encounters!

RPG (Table Top Gaming News): When you’re the GM, you’ve gotta come up with everything else in the world that doesn’t consist of the party members. That’s tough. There’s guides out there that can help you with NPCs in the world. But they give you, what? 20? 30? Maybe 100 characters? That’s nothing. The Ultimate Character Compendium gives you over 4 thousand. The book is up on Kickstarter now.

  Fandom (Brian Niemeier): There are those who describe the fandom phenomenon as the circuses part of the bread and circuses of our age. That’s not entirely accurate. Ancient Roman plebs didn’t worship the gladiators sent out to distract them from their empire’s fall.

In the crumbling American Empire, geek culture has been deployed to fill a different void than hunger or the need for entertainment. Modern comics, movies, and games superficially resemble entertainment, but they’re actually filling the role once served by religion in Americans’ lives.

  Gaming (Wasteland and Sky): Have you ever wanted to get away from it all? Does the idea of going the distance and seeing what you never have before speak to you? You ever wanted to grab your love and just go for it? Well, you’re human, so I would assume so.

But you don’t have to save up or find the right girl to take a vacation. There is a game for that. The racing series OutRun might be the most romantic video game series ever made. And I mean romance in the broader, classical sense. There is no game like OutRun even thirty plus years from its release.

  Fantasy (Pulprev): Corey McCleery, Alexander Hellene, Xavier Lastra, Rawle Nyanzi and Misha Barnett recently opined on the de-mythologicisation of magic in contemporary fantasy. All five pieces are worth a read, but the thesis running through the heart of the conversation is that de-mythologicisation robs the mystery from magic in contemporary fantasy, making it feel empty. Comparing the works of the pulp-era grandmasters and many contemporary writers, I’m inclined to agree.

  Fiction (Rough Edges): HILL OF THE DEAD is the first novel in a series I’ve recently completed collecting. The Gladiator is the overall title of these books, which were originally published in England as a series called The Eagles. The first four novels were reprinted in the United States by Pinnacle. The fifth and final book appeared only in England. The scan of this one is from the copy I read. The cover art is by Marcus Boas, an artist whose work I’m normally not fond of. This one is not too bad, very Steve Reeves-like, but not at all the way I pictured the character as I read the book.

  Cinema (Scott D. Parker): Today marks the 20th anniversary of one of those films that changed everything. To commemorate the day, the family sat down on Friday night and brought out the DVD. I can’t remember the last time I saw The Matrix, but it was likely ahead of the 2003 sequel. Assuming that, it had been sixteen years since I last saw this movie.

It holds up really well.

  Fiction (Western Fiction Review): Don Coldsmith tells this story in the first person, but not just through one character, but two. These are Pipe Bearer and Otter Woman. The narrative switches between them often and the reader will feel like they are part of the group Pipe Bearer and Otter Woman are telling their tale to. Both storytellers go off on an occasional tangent which adds depth to their character, and they often exchange banter that contains humorous observations about many things, especially how women trick their men into believing they make all the decisions about their life path.

History (Paperback Warrior): Author John Hersey (1914-1993) wrote 25 books in his lifetime and was considered one of the first writers to incorporate story-telling techniques into a non-fiction novel. Working as a war journalist for prominent news magazines like Time and Life, Hersey was able to write bold, non-fiction “novels” based on his experiences. In 1959, Dell published “Into the Valley”, a harrowing account of Hersey’s time with the US marines on Guadalcanal Island during WW2. The paperback features poignant illustrations by USMC Major Donald Dickson.

  Authors (Lesser Known Writers): “Mark Channing” was the pseudonym of Leopold Aloysius Matthew Jones, the first of four children of George Horatio Jones (1844-1920), a dental surgeon, and his wife, Blanche Louisa Lucas (1843-1908).  He had two younger brothers and one sister.

Awards (Adventures Fantastic): GEMMELL AWARDS TO CLOSE AFTER TEN YEARS

Over the last decade, the David Gemmell Awards For Fantasy have honoured the best in fantasy fiction and artwork as chosen by the readers.  W

ith a roll of honour taking in current genre luminaries such as John Gwynne, Robin Hobb, Mark Lawrence, Peter Newman, Brandon Sanderson, Andrezj Sapkowski, Brent Weeks and many more, with all of these winners chosen by a public vote, the awards have brought focus to some of the most exciting books, authors and artists in recent times.

RPG (Sacnoth’s Scriptorium): So, I was sorry to hear the news from the Chaosium newsletter (Ab Chaos) that gaming legend Larry DiTillio has died. I never got to meet DiTillio — one of those legendary figures like Greg Stafford (whom I did meet) or Sandy Petersen or Tom Moldvay — but I highly recommend his work. Among his many achievements, he wrote what I consider the best rpg adventure ever — and not the one you’re thinking of, either.

Culture Wars (scifi movie page): Disgraced Star Wars writer Chuck Wendig, who was fired by Marvel Entertainment in 2018 for his profanity-laced twitter rants, went off the rails again recently, attacking J.R.R. Tolkien and “The Lord of the Rings” in a series of “hey look at me trying to be relevant” tweets.

RPG (Yog Sothoth.com): For many years, various publishers in the Americas and Europe have had their books printed in China as a cost-saving measure (including many in the RPG field). Often the primary downside of this has simply been the time taken for the books to arrive, but it appears there can also be another problem, as the publishers of The Sassoon Files (a Cthulhu-based RPG supplement) have announced that all print copies of their book have been destroyed by the Chinese Government – for unspecified reasons.

  Writers (DMR Books):  It would look as if Steve Tompkins is still well-remembered by many bloggers out there in the aether. Commemorations of his untimely death ten years ago were many and far-flung. The DMR blog posts in honor of Mr. Tompkins were these:

Steve Tompkins — Ten Years Gone by Deuce Richardson

In Memoriam: Steve Tompkins by John C. Hocking

A Lament for Sword-and-Sorcery Champion Steve Tompkins (1960-2009) by Brian Murphy

Steve Tompkins – May His Light Never Dim by William Patrick Maynard

Sensor Sweep: Driveclub, Ultimate Character Compendium, OutRun, The Gladiator published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames

[aion-rsa]

Star Trek Trading Cards: Coolest Collectibles for Trekkies to Own

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This story is presented by:

Forget space being the final frontier, we all know the true undiscovered country is collecting. And when it comes to fandom there is none greater than Star Trek. After all, Trekkies (or Trekkers, they are awesome either way) were the first fans in history to revive a fandom that would have otherwise vanished into the past.

Bear in mind this was an age when tech like the internet seemed about as far-fetched as a replicator or transporter. The Trek faithful keep their hopes for a peaceful future alive first through a letter-writing campaign that gave the show a third season. After NBC cancelled the show in 1969, viewers kept the dream alive through fan newsletters and some of the country’s first science fiction conventions. Word-of-mouth spread that Star Trek was a force to be reckoned with and its Lazarus came in the form of individuals from different ages, races, and sexual orientation who were connected by the cosmic thread of an optimistic future that Gene Roddenberry weaved into their lives.

In the dark times when Star Trek only existed, merchandise kept it going. One of the earliest and most inexpensive Trek products were bubblegum cards. One side of the card would feature an eye-grabbing image from an episode, the other a brief description. In a time before VCRs, these cards were a pocket-sized way to relive the adventures of Kirk and the Enterprise crew…. along with the fascinating foes they faced. Since the first Star Trek cards were produced (quasi-legally, but more on that below), there have been millions of the things circulated across the globe based on every era of the franchise. They endure to this day.

We’ll spare you the obligatory “set phasers on fun” joke. Well, maybe not. But we are certain that you’ll enjoy this guide to the coolest, most collectible Star Trek cards ever made. For these are items that will live long and, you know, long after we are gone.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Uncut Trading Card Sheet

We can think of no better way to start off this guide to Star Trek trading card collecting than with this item: An uncut sheet of 33 Star Trek: The Motion Picture trading cards that was specially printed by Topps as a promotion for Rainbo Bread in 1979. Suitable for framing and available at a jaw-dropping price — even with shipping this will set you back less than $20 — this is a collectible full of eye-popping graphics worthy of the Enterprise’s underrated debut cinematic voyage.

Buy the Star Trek: The Motion Picture: Uncut Trading Card Sheet here

Star Trek Leaf Trading Card Wrapper

The very first Star Trek trading cards arrived not too long after the show premiered….if you could find them that is. Like the similarly elusive Rocket Firing Boba Fett action figure that Star Wars fans still lust over, these trading cards were produced in 1967 by the Leaf Candy Company.

So why were they so hard to track down? Internet legend has it that they were only ever sold in the Midwest, and that they were quickly taken off of the market because Leaf might not have actually had the license to make them in the first place.

Whoops.

The illegitimate factor certainly explains what the cards seem like they are written by a semi-concussed person to whom Star Trek is little more than an acid-induced fever dream. And so they took on mythic proportions, especially in the halcyon days of pre-Internet fandom, in which counterfeit reprints of the original Leaf cards and wrappers were a staple in the consumerist Wild West that was 1970s Star Trek convention dealer’s rooms.

For the curious among you, let us point out that such items are still readily available to purchase, an action we neither condemn nor condone. As for everyone else, you owe it to yourself to at least take a look the original wrapper being sold on eBay at this very moment. Which begs the question, can you actually put a price tag on a fascinating footnote in Trek history?

Buy the Star Trek Leaf Trading Card Wrapper here

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Niners Baseball Patch

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine gets a lot of attention for how it pioneered serialized science fiction storytelling, but amid championing the show’s grit critics often overlook how flat out hilarious it could be. Take for example the seventh season effort “Take Me Out to the Holosuite.” Written by Ronald D. Moore (who would later helm the Battlestar Galactica reboot) and inspired by, of all things, a Fame episode written by Deep Space Nine showrunner Ira Steven Behr, this episode takes a breather from the Dominion War storyline as Sisko enlists the help of his officers to defeat a cocky Vulcan rival at a game of baseball.

The change of tone allowed the actors to ham it up — Michael Dorn’s Worf declaring “death to the opposition” as a way to psych himself up remains a high point in 1990s TV — and the episode became a, well, home run for the show.

For nearly 20 years, Rittenhouse has had the trading card license for the various Star Trek series, and their chase cards are consistently great. Their 2018 Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Heroes and Villains set featured 12 cards that featured mini embroidered patches of the team logo. Pictured above, this “relic” collectible from the set is a souvenir from perhaps the show’s goofiest outing.

Buy the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Niners Baseball Patch Card here

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Iggy Pop Autograph Card

While on the topic of Rittenhouse’s Heroes and Villains line of Deep Space Nine cards, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention that the company had Iggy Pop sign an autograph card from his appearance as a Vorta in “The Magnificent Ferengi.” So if you are fan of both punk and Star Trek, you are pretty much obliged to have this in your collection.

Buy the Star Trek: Deep Nine Iggy Pop Autograph Card here

Star Trek: Voyager Profiles Unopened Box

Fleer held the Star Trek license for the mid-to-late 1990s, releasing cards rich with fan-pleasing information, great graphic design, and a subtle gloss that made purchasers feel as if they were truly owning a high-end collectible at a bargain price.

During this time, Star Trek: Voyager was the buzz sci-fi show, for better and/or worse, so collectors wanting to bring merch from the series home would often buy entire boxes of Fleer’s Skybox “Profiles” cards. Each unopened box guaranteed one autographed card would be enclosed.

As of this writing there are several shrink wrapped boxes of these still-great cards by Fleer available on eBay. Jeri Ryan and/or Neelix fans, may the odds be in your favor.

Buy a Star Trek: Voyager Profiles Unopened Box here

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Photo Cards

Upon its release in the summer of 1982, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was a blockbuster sensation. It’s a bit strange that the film wasn’t the focus of trading cards to be sold alongside of E.T. and leftover Raiders of the Lost Ark cards at corner stores and on ice cream trucks throughout America. Since Topps no longer had the license (perhaps due to the indifference of their Star Trek: The Motion Picture line a few years early), upstart Fantasy Cards swooped in.

Fantasy were at the time best known for their Rocky Horror Picture Show card line, proving that they took a daring approach to collectibles. This non-traditional ethos carried over to their Star Trek II releases, which featured The Wrath of Khan’s biggest moments in two 5 x 7 photo cards per pack. Widely overlooked at the time of their initial release, these have gone on to become cherished due to their cheap secondly market value and a size that invites framing.

Buy Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan Photo Cards here

Monty Gum Star Trek II Trading Cards Set

America’s loss is the Netherlands gain, as that country did get a line of traditional Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan non-sports cards thanks to the Monty Gum company. Making these especially noteworthy is how a few of the cards depicted moments not included in the theatrical cut of the film (years before a Director’s Cut of the flick was a gleam in anyone’s eye).

Additionally, there was no next on the back of cards, which we guess is okay if Trekkies purchasing these before the film hit theaters wanted to avoid explicit spoilers. The gum wrappers (featuring Saavik) and boxes from this line are also highly collectible, so if you see them out and about, pounce. The yellow comets and stars that highlight each card are a great choice too. Khannnnnnnnnnnn!

Buy the Monty Gum Star Trek II Trading Cards Set here

Star Trek: The Next Generation Customizable Card Game

The early 1990s gave rise to the Customizable Card Game. Once dismissed as a Pog-like dud, the format continues to thrive to this day thanks to licenses like Magic: The Gathering and Pokémon. In 1994, Decipher, Inc. released a Star Trek: The Next Generation CCG, the first of its kind for the franchise.

Although it never gained the pop culture foothold of its aforementioned peers, this Trek CCG (and its offshoots) still have their own fair share of rabid followers. If you’d like to count yourself among their number, unopened boxes of the starter set remain abundant.

Buy the Star Trek: The Next Generation Customizable Card Game here

Star Trek Inflexions Leonard Nimoy Autograph Card

Another feather in Rittenhouse’s cap is how they were able to secure Trek’s heaviest hitters to provide autographs for their various chase cards over the year. This is especially poignant when said star has subsequently died, such as with this Leonard Nimoy autograph card from the Inflexions line.

Buy the Star Trek Inflexions Leonard Nimoy Autograph Card here

Star Trek Topps Trading Card Box

It’s not just the cards that are in demand by collectors, advertising materials such as sell through sheets to retailers can be regularly found up for auction. As can empty display boxes for the cards. When it comes to sci-fi franchises like Alien, Star Wars, and Battlestar Galactica, often the empty boxes can be found at way more reasonable prices than their filled counterparts.

And if we could just channel our inner interior designer for a second, might we mention that having a variety of vintage trading card boxes and their eye-popping graphics on top of a bookcase or Blu-ray shelf gives any room an extra nerdy flair?

Buy a Star Trek Topps Trading Card Box here

Star Trek Enterprise Captain Archer Costume Card

Look, Star Trek: Enterprise had its issues. But the casting of its lead was not one of them. Scott Bakula portrayed Captain Jonathan Archer with a warm humanity – often flawed but always true to his ideals and beliefs about the potential of Starfleet. In their corresponding line for the series, Rittenhouse included several cards embedded with fabric from various characters’ uniform – including Archer’s.

For this article we opted not to research whether any cards come with strands of Portho’s hair, but you do you.

Buy the Star Trek: Enterprise Captain Archer Costume Card here

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine James Darren Autograph Card

In the latter seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, one of the more captivating supporting characters was holographic lounge singer Vic Fontaine. Portrayed by 1960s actor and crooner James Darren, Vic gave some real heart to DS9 by having his Vegas-inspired lounge a place of refuge from horrors of the Dominion War. Rittenhouse recognized the character’s importance by making Darren’s autograph a part of their Complete Star Trek: Deep Space Nine line.

It’s a really swinging collectible, and you can take that to the bank, pally!

Buy the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine James Darren Autograph Card here

Star Trek Sealed 1976 Topps Pack

Thanks to an ever-vocal fanbase and non-stop syndication, Star Trek never really left the airwaves following its cancellation by NBC in 1969. As the ’70s wore on, demand for more Trek anything increased. In the absence of new programs, merchandise would have to do. Topps realized this and put together a fondly remembered set of 88 cards and 22 stickers based on the series.

Upon their release in 1976, the cards were a sensation – quickly snatched up by old and new fans alike. To this day, the “Topps 88” are spoken about with so much relevance that they were even the focus of a book from Abrams ComicArts that reprinted the cards and created some new stickers in their now-iconic style. To own an original unopened back of the 1976 Topps Star Trek cards is to quite literary have a piece of history in the palm of your hands, and what a magic thing that is!

Buy the Star Trek Sealed 1976 Topps Pack here

Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 Trading Card Box

When Star Trek: Discovery launched in 2017, it ushered in a new era for a franchise that hadn’t boldly gone anywhere on TV for nearly 20 years. Rittenhouse’s 24-pack, individually numbered box sets of cards based on the series proved that demand for Trek cards was not only alive and well but thriving.

Buy the Star Trek: Discovery Season 1 Trading Card Box here

Donruss Americana Celebrity Cuts Leonard Nimoy Card

Bringing things full circle, we are going to end on another hugely affordable item…albeit one that is a bit of a cheat. While not Star Trek-based per se, who wouldn’t want a trading card featuring a picture of a crooning Leonard Nimoy? Why if you listen closely you might even be the strains of “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins.”

Also, someone needs to release a set of In Search Of… cards ASAP.

Buy the Donruss Americana Celebrity Cuts Leonard Nimoy Card here

The post Star Trek Trading Cards: Coolest Collectibles for Trekkies to Own appeared first on Den of Geek.

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