#he should be angry after Ai attacks humanity not before

[number-1-kuaidul-fanboy]

Oh yeah Rev was in the episodes I showed to my friend today too and he was decently well behaved. Calling Ai a he for once:

And I know what the dub did with his response to Akira saying he's going to die if they don't stop Ai was funny and all but... I like this better:

Is it just the Rev simp in me thinking this part is cute? He's basically saying he'll protect him and says it so softly and... well, it's just cute. Code me to safety, you lil softie.

Oh yeah I also don't hate the Pandor thing anymore. AIs have gotten so much scarier/worse irl lately that Rev programming Pandor to not have thoughts against humanity just doesn't bother me whatsoever anymore. I 100% get it. I think it was more so the phrasing of that scene that bothered me when I first saw it.

[captainsimagines]

traitor

Summary: It was only one night, no strings attached, just two friends working through their grief together. Steve went to live his life with Peggy and within two weeks of returning, he peacefully passed. Unimaginable things happen everyday, jokes have negative consequences, and protection doesn’t always protect from the possibility… the possibility of carrying a child. He would have stayed if he knew, everyone agrees with this, so why is the world calling Steve Rogers a traitor?

One-Shot (with a happy ending)

Pairing(s): Avengers x Fem Reader; brief Steve Rogers x Fem Reader

Warnings: Unexpected pregnancy; serious talks about abortion; brief mention of suicide (if you squint); mentions of Endgame deaths; strong language; minor descriptions of actual birth; ANGST but with a happy ending! This is purely fanfiction. 

Word Count: 6,600+

A/N: So, Olivia Rodrigo’s album just came out and dude, jfc every song is magical. like... wtf. This is essentially a ‘song fanfic’, but ehhhh not quite. The lyrics don’t match the fanfic lmao but the melody does??? idk this is a shit ton of angst, be warned. It was from a request I got a while back, so this is kind of a request fanfic. 

~

Up until the moment Steve pressed his soft lips to yours, you were certain you had never experienced such a wonderful sensation of magic. You had been witness to actual magic, to beings from other worlds, and yet Steve’s gentle touch was enough to erase any other image, to completely overpower your senses, a kind of magic that dug deep into the trenches of your heart and settled in its new home. 

No, you and Steve were not a couple. There were some flirty remarks over the years, some fantasies that lay dormant, but there was never the craving to actually act upon them. But when half the world disappeared and the remaining Avengers came up with a plan five years later, the loss of a teammate prompted the sudden push of two touch-starved individuals. The rest of the team had gone to sulk in their own corners of the compound, some hard at work at constructing the final piece to the puzzle, and you and Steve ventured off to the kitchen. Two cups of tea each, silent but heavy tears mixing in with the sugar and milk. 

You were the first to break, shoulders crumbling and knees rocking under your weight. You fell to the floor, sobs and hiccups forming into a full-blown attack, your hands scratching at your neck. Steve fell beside you, pulling you into his chest and rocking you back and forth. He cried too, the final words of his best friend ringing in his ears like a dreaded song on repeat. See you in a minute. See you in a minute. See you in a minute. 

Time was irrelevant, you had enough of counting time, estimating it, time-traveling through it. If you could sit there all night, all week, another five years huddled close to Steve Rogers, then so be it. 

‘I can’t believe she’s gone,’ you had sobbed. 

‘I can’t believe it either. I can’t,’ he had cried back. 

You had simply lifted your head and turned his face toward yours, searching his eyes for any hesitation before you had leaned in first. He had returned the intimate gesture almost immediately, gripping you tightly. Tears dripped in between your moving lips, sobs caught inside breathy moans, grips becoming tighter and tighter as each of you shared your first time together. No other partner up until that point had ever pulled such a pained but grateful cry from your throat, no other human being had ever made you feel so safe and peaceful. 

The final battle was over, you had lost yet another teammate, but the world had a chance to start over. And Steve had pulled you aside a few days before he returned the stones, letting you know that he wasn’t coming back the same man. He had been so scared of telling you, of possibly betraying you, but when your palms cupped his cheeks and you gave him a kiss on the lips with a soft whisper of ‘Be with her. Cherish her. Be happy. We’ll meet again’, his worries instantly shattered. He could only rapidly nod his head, grabbing your hands that were soaked in his tears, and kissing them until he said his final goodbyes. 

And he returned such a different man, but with a smile you had never quite seen before. Yes, he was older and you only had a few seconds to actually process that, but he was happy. He had been happy. He finally lived the life he deserved. 

Sitting in that pew two weeks later, both sad and happy tears streaming down your face, you felt at peace for the first time in a long time. You simply gripped Wanda’s hand as they carried the casket down the aisle, a sad melody drowning the church. 

`

The first round of sickness hit you the day of the funeral, but you obviously didn’t think much of it. It was the fits of sadness and grief, the hot coil in the middle of your stomach, you thought. It had to be. It wasn’t until your breakfast was regurgitated into your toilet only a few minutes after enjoying it that you were suddenly worried. 

You sneaked to some liquor store a subway ride away, careful of not leaving a trail. This was embarrassing, it was insane, it couldn’t possibly be real. You gave the cashier your money and ran to the stall provided, peeing on the stick the best you could before placing it on the dirty sink in the corner. You patted your hands on your thighs repeatedly, careful to not touch any other thing in a goddamn liquor store bathroom. 

‘Friday?’ your voice was so defeated, tears already stinging your eyes.

Your little bluetooth sprang to life, ‘Yes, Y/N?’

Your bottom lip was trembling wildly, hands now shaking. ‘Can you stay active with me while I read the results? I can’t… I can’t be alone right now.’

‘Yes, Y/N. Anything you need, I’m here.’ You sobbed openly, thanking her under your breath. ‘Are you sure you don’t want me to contact anybody else?’

‘I can’t face them. I can’t face them if it’s positive, Friday.’

‘Okay, it’s alright,’ her voice was so delicate, so quiet and reassuring. ‘Just keep talking to me, Y/N. I think the results should be ready now.’

You inched closer to the test. ‘I’m scared, Friday.’

‘I know,’ Friday sighed, ‘But you will get through this. No matter the result.’

Grabbing the small device from the sink, you swallowed so much saliva that it actually hurt. The plus sign was so clear, so evident in its visibility, and your ears only registered the loud cries escaping your painful lungs because Friday was practically yelling in your ear. 

‘Please, calm down Y/N! Your heart rate is too fast-” she was stuttering, an AI was stuttering. ‘I’m calling for help. You need someone to be here with you. I’m sorry.’

It took ten minutes. Ten minutes of banging outside the bathroom door from the cashier, ten minutes of blurry vision and a strep throat. Sam broke through the door as quickly as he could, eyes flying around the small bathroom until he saw you huddled in the corner, a pregnancy test clutched in your small hand. He crouched down beside you, hands extended but not exactly touching you, and eyes trying to lock with yours. 

‘Y/N, Y/N?’

Just the sound of his voice, the voice of someone who didn’t need this added pain in their lives, it was just too much. Another weight added to your shoulders. 

‘I don’t know why,’ you choked out, ‘I’m so sorry.’

Sam’s face contorted into a pained expression, eyes brimmed with salty tears. ‘What are you talking about? No one is blaming you for anything. You’re safe, I’m here.’

You shook your head violently, ‘I didn’t mean to.’

But as quickly as those words left your mouth, the pounding in your head had become too unbearable. You collapsed into Sam’s arms. 

`

You woke to a single doctor who was monitoring your vitals. She was just sitting beside your bed, clicking random buttons on the screen in front of her. You whimpered slightly, the bright lights temporarily blinding you. The doctor quickly stopped what she was doing and removed the tube from your nose, allowing you to breathe on your own. You ignored the weird scratch that caused, and asked her the question you needed to have answered by a true medical professional - not a liquor store device. 

She confirmed what you already knew. There were no ‘congratulations’ or even ‘I’m sorry’s’, just the fact that you were pregnant and it was very early on. There were still options for you, it was healthy so far, you were healthy so far- 

Wait, options? 

The team were all huddled outside, nerves all over the place. They didn’t know what was going on. Sam knew but it wasn’t his information to pass on. It wasn’t until Bucky’s angry demeanor actually turned violent, a hole forming through the hospital wall. You were all on a private floor, completely displaced from the reality down on other levels, so any freak-outs were only slightly justified. Slightly. 

‘Sam, you gotta tell us. I made a promise to Steve, Sam! I promised to take care of her!’

Bucky’s words gripped Sam’s heart in a metaphorical vice. ‘She’s gotta tell you guys, man. It’s not my place.’

You had curled in on yourself, the doctor’s words echoing louder and louder. 

‘Abortion is an option. At this rate, it would be quick and safe. I can promise you that. It’s your choice.’

You wanted to die. You wanted the world to swallow you up and bury you alive. You wanted to disappear. If you had died in the snap, this wouldn’t have happened. It wouldn’t have happened. 

The ride back to the compound was a quiet one, with Sam driving you and the radio on low volume. 

‘Are you going to tell them?’

You bit your lip, ‘The doctor said I had options.’

Sam’s breath hitched and he tried to mask it, but you had heard it. You felt guilty, disgusting, like you betrayed Steve and the rest of the team. They had just lost him, you had just lost him, and you were carrying his child. And if Steve would have known, he would have wanted it. He would have encouraged you to have it, he would have been so happy, he would have been such a great fa-

‘The choice is yours, Y/N.’ He glanced over at you, ‘Can you at least tell me who the father is?’

The wrecked sobs were like second nature now, choking you with their strength. ‘I’m so sorry!’

Sam pulled to the side of the road and quickly took off his seatbelt, sliding over in the connected front seats to pull you into his chest. ‘Shh, hey. We are not going to be mad at you. Everything’s going to be okay. It may not seem like it now but-’

‘Sam!’ you cried, clutching his shirt in a tight fist. ‘I swear it was an accident! Steve didn’t know! He didn’t know, I swear he didn’t know!’

Sam’s mouth dropped open, an almost embarrassing noise of surprise sounding from the depths of his soul. He ran his hands through your hair, eyes rapidly searching for a single viewpoint. But he couldn’t focus on any one thing, not when you were shuddering against him and apologizing nonstop. 

Steve didn’t know. 

`

The team had reacted in a similar manner. They so desperately wanted to wish you a congratulations, it was the norm for this kind of thing. Especially with such a rough few years - bringing life into this world could be considered an ultimate blessing. But this was Steve’s child, his baby, his only baby in this timeline. It was a part of him, something he had unknowingly left behind. 

The team took a few days. The pain of losing Natasha, of losing Steve, of losing Tony. The gift of life. It was just too much. 

And you found yourself in front of Wanda’s bedroom door, hands clutching your night robe closed and knees wobbly. She brought you tea, she laid underneath the covers with you, she spooned you until you stopped crying. 

‘We weren’t together.’

‘You weren’t?’

You sat up, muscles straining due to your thousandth crying session that week. ‘No, it was one time. It was a mutual thing. We just… felt safe. And we made love.’

Wanda shut her eyes briefly, only to open them for two parallel tears to slip. ‘That sounds beautiful.’

‘We used protection. It really was an accident.’

Wanda interrupted, ‘No, don’t try and justify yourself. It happened. It’s done.’

You whimpered, reaching out to grab her hands. ‘I feel so guilty for even talking to you. I don’t know how you did it. I’m so selfish to be pouring all this on you-’

‘Hey, hey,’ she whispered, ‘But I am the only one who can truly understand. I have lost more in my lifetime than anybody ever should. But I am going to help you get through this, Y/N.’

You pulled her into a hug, ‘I missed you so much. I’m so sorry, but I can’t do this.’

Wanda slowly pulled away, eyes cloudy and touch of red twinge flying in her irises. ‘Alright. I won’t leave your side. No matter what you decide.’

` 

The chair was cold, the room was cold, no matter how inviting the hospital tried to make this room. It was decorated in the most neutral colors, so delicate in its designs, pamphlets and books scattered on every available surface. It was made to make the pregnant person feel secure, to feel comfortable in the hands of their doctor, but it just made you sick. 

And when the doctor asked if you would like an ultrasound first, that it wasn’t actually necessary for you to view it, you found yourself saying yes. You were at six weeks, it would be there. Wanda clenched her eyes shut, because even if you were strong enough to do that, she wasn’t. But she was here to hold your hand. She would hold your hand no matter what. 

It was the size of a grain of rice. That fuzzy, white figure off a little to the right of your uterus was the size of a grain. A literal grain of rice. The monitor shifted and the doctor cleared their throat, the slimy device absentmindedly being circled around your lower abdomen. 

‘Oh my god,’ you whispered, eyes locked on the place the doctor had their finger. Wanda brought her hand up to her mouth and looked away. 

That’s when you heard it. 

The steady rhythm of a strong heartbeat. 

Your chest started heaving, tears staining your cheeks as you listened to the beautiful sound. 

‘I’m so sorry,’ the doctor mumbled, ready to pull the monitor’s plug to end the live video but you gripped their arm before they could. 

‘No, no!’ you yelped, the heartbeat still sounding, so early in its actual life that this was for sure Steve’s child. 

You turned to Wanda, face contorting into one of agonizing regret. ‘I can’t do this. I can’t do this to Steve.’

Wanda gulped and took in a ragged breath, ‘Y/N, Steve’s not here.’

‘No,’ you whined, head turning back to look at the monitor. The monitor with yours and Steve’s child on it. ‘This is the only real part of him we have left, right?’

Wanda opened her mouth but shut it again, unable to formulate a proper response. 

‘This is Steve’s child,’ you stated, sucking in a breath through your sobs. ‘This is my child.’

` 

The team was alerted of your decision the minute you walked into the common room. They had known what you left for, dread itching in their souls and morals twisting greedily, but they hadn’t stopped you. They couldn’t do that to you. 

‘Hi,’ you mumbled, placing your things on the counter. Everyone kept their heads down, lumps growing in their throats as each second passed. ‘I’m okay.’

Clint was the first one to speak. ‘Did everything go well? Did they hurt you?’

You smiled with your teeth for the first time in weeks, ‘No, they didn’t hurt me. They didn’t even touch me.’

For a few seconds, no one caught on to your words. But Bucky was the first to register them, to etch them deeply into his brain, to stand from his seat and walk to you cautiously. ‘You decided-?’

You smiled wide now, happy tears falling over your strained cheeks. ‘I’m having a baby.’

The team erupted, cries and cheers deafening you. Bucky stumbled over and hugged you close, arms wrapped over your shoulders and face buried in your neck. He had to bend his knees to keep that position. He weeped into your shoulder and thanked you repeatedly, his own body rumbling with broken sobs. You held him close, fingers digging into his shirt and the skin of his back. 

‘We promise, Y/N,’ Sam said off to the side, waiting for his turn to hug you. ‘We promise to take care of you and this baby.’

A few more long-awaited congratulations were shared. ‘Guess I’m on desk duty for the next nine months, huh?’

Bucky held you tighter. 

`

The first four months were certainly eventful. Wanda insisted on taking pictures of you every few weeks. She had you model with a nice tight shirt to show off your growing stomach, different props in your arms as the weeks passed on.  Flowers, sporting equipment, random Avengers inventions, signs that read the number of weeks you were at. You even did couple shoots, with your teammates posing behind you with their hands on your stomach and an equally bright smile.

She had them printed out and framed, the compound common rooms now littered with random photos of you and your growing child. It was like a timeline, a museum considering you would catch someone inspecting the photographs. This time it was Scott, casually eating his cereal and balancing it in his hand as he walked the hallway. He had this silly smile on his face the whole time, milk dripping from his bottom lip. In his photo, he was posed behind you with a giant smile, back arched and head thrown back while you were trying your best to arch your back as well. And then he saw you watching him, eyes falling from your face to your stomach, and that silly smile growing wider. 

Happy insisted on doing yoga with you every other morning, his chosen playlists actually Tony’s. Half expecting the songs to only emit the essence of rock and roll, you were surprised when the playlist only contained acoustics. Happy winked at you, ‘He was a man of taste, Y/N. He, too, had those sad driving songs.’

Peter was hesitant to visit at first. He was still mourning Tony, as you all were, and seeing everyone again was certainly a hard thing to do. But he managed, and the moment he saw you there, trying to balance a plastic bottle on your tiny stomach, he burst into a fit of giggles. 

‘Oh, oh! I almost got it!’ you encouraged yourself, stomach not yet protruded enough to quite get it. 

Peter rushed over and caught the bottle as it slipped, ‘You’ll get there. How do you feel?’

You grinned at the kid, ‘Like I’m pregnant.’

Peter chuckled, ‘I wouldn’t know, so.’

‘It’s weird,’ you admitted, turning back to your abandoned bowl of fruit. You popped a piece of pineapple in your mouth, ‘But I just remind myself that they’re gonna be an angel when they come out.’

‘All slimy and angelic.’

You swatted at Peter, ‘They’re healthy. That’s all that matters.’

Peter placed his hand on your stomach, half-expecting something to happen. ‘I can’t believe you’re having his baby.’

You bit your lip, willing yourself not to cry. Steve should be here experiencing this. ‘Me neither.’

`

The next month had come so quickly. Your friends - your family - made sure to keep you occupied. Whether it was to shop, to nap together, to eat together, to exercise together, anything, they were by your side. It was so overwhelming at times, but not wanting to scare anyone, you took time for yourself whenever you could. You’d settle in your room, in a nearby cafe, in Natasha’s room, and just sit and breathe. With one hand on your stomach, you couldn’t possibly fathom the luck on your side. It always tore your heart in two when you realized Steve would never meet his child, absolutely mutilated it. But the realization that this child was going to have such a massive family, your family, uncles and aunts who would die for the kid - that realization was sometimes too much. 

The thunder from outside startled everyone. The quiet night everyone was having was suddenly interrupted by the appearance of a certain god, hair now cut and beard trimmed, running into the common area. He was practically hyperventilating, his quick pace halting as he scanned the room. ‘Is it true?’

‘You got my message?’ Wanda asked, shutting off the water from the sink. 

‘I’m sorry, I was away. I just got the message and-’

Thor lay his eyes on you, your obvious stomach, and he started crying softly. ‘It’s true?’

You smiled at him, opening your arms for an embrace. But Thor fell to his knees in front of you, forehead resting on your stomach. ‘This is a miracle.’

‘It really is,’ you laughed, wiping away a few stray tears. ‘The condom broke.’

Laughter sounded almost instantly. 

Thor looked up at you, eyes red and eyebrows furrowed. ‘He didn’t know?’

You shook your head, ‘No, Steve didn’t know. I promise.’

Thor nodded, believing you. He stood slowly, encasing you in a tight squeeze. He hadn’t changed much since you last saw him, but he did seem to be drinking less. ‘After so much loss, the Heaven’s send us a gift from a beloved friend.’

`

Bucky seemed to be the happiest. Although he shared your beliefs that Steve should be here to experience this, to cherish this, to be the father he had deserved to be, Bucky couldn’t help but feel grateful that you decided to keep the baby. He knew he needed to stop relying on Steve to fix his mind, this he had to do on his own, but the bundle of joy inside of you just added to his undying love for his best friend. This was a piece of him, a true half of Steve’s heart that would soon be breathing air and opening its eyes. 

He was currently laying beside you, just woken up from a nap and lazily drawing circles over your clothed tummy. You were still asleep, deep breaths a little ragged since you were twisted slightly to your side. You had given up trying to sleep on your back nowadays. 

‘Hey there,’ Bucky whispered, a funny smile forming on his face because he can’t believe he’s talking to your literal stomach. ‘You know you’re a miracle, right?’

There was no response, obviously. But Bucky just positioned himself to lean on his elbow, temple resting in the palm of his hand. ‘We’re going to love you so much. Steve would have loved you so much.’

He placed his metal hand on your stomach, careful not to apply so much pressure. He was hesitant though, the metal hand now from Wakanda but still something he didn’t entirely trust. Still, he rubbed smooth circles on your side. ‘I already love you so much.’

Kick.

Bucky widened his eyes, a hitch in his breath. Was that real?

‘Did you just respond to me?’ Bucky asked, a little laugh escaping his lips. ‘Should I say it again?’

Nothing happened for a long while. He switched hands, rubbing a little deeper now. It was a free massage for you, anyway. 

Bucky bit his lip and looked up at your face, still peacefully dreaming. He leaned closer to your stomach and repeated his earlier confession. ‘I love you.’

Kick. 

Bucky shot up from his spot on the bed and covered his mouth, a loud laugh accidentally escaping and startling you awake. 

‘W-What?’

‘They kicked! They kicked!’

‘Seriously?’

Bucky was shooting through the stars, because even though it was a long shot, he felt like somehow Steve was telling him he loved him back. 

`

Sam’s leg bounced madly as he watched the doctor slick up the generator. You repeatedly tried to calm him, tell him that it would be quick and simple, and there was nothing to be worried about. 

You were six months now. Belly now protruding to the point where you could only see the tips of your toes when you glanced downward, and the baby was positioned farther into your back. If anything, you were having a giant freaking baby. He was a product of a super soldier. 

You remembered having that scary conversation with the doctors, your whole family beside you as they heard and relayed the information. 

‘Your baby is perfectly healthy. The serum isn’t affecting it. His lungs are forming less quickly than the other organs but there’s no serious worry.’

Bucky had literally cackled at that, confusing everyone in the room. ‘Steve and his shit lungs.’

But now you were finding out the sex. Only one person was allowed in the room this time, and Sam had literally begged you with his eyes to choose him. 

‘Are you two ready?’

You each nodded at the doctor, waiting for the monitor to spring to life. After a few seconds, the heartbeat was detected. You gripped Sam’s hand in yours, a quiet ‘thank god’ passing through his lips. 

Then the giant image of a literal baby appeared on the screen. It was so surreal. It resembled a quick sketch, like one Steve would have casually drew, and you couldn’t help but imagine him drawing that very image from memory. 

‘Y/N, I-’ Sam cleared his throat, smiling at you. 

‘Would you like to know the sex of the baby?’

‘Yes, please,’ you answered, gripping Sam’s hand harder. 

The doctor moved the generator a few times more, hitting the spacebar on the computer to capture the image. ‘Congratulations, you’re having a boy.’

You shuttered a tiny laugh as Sam flew out of his seat, arms extended upward for a moment before he brought his hands down to kiss them over and over. 

‘I’ll print this out for you,’ the doctor smiled, leaving you and Sam to celebrate. 

`

Everyone had gathered later that night to find out the news. You had printed enough copies for everyone who wanted one. Bets were placed, a multitude of gifts already mounted in online shopping carts. 

‘Don’t keep us waiting!’ Rhodey shouted, champagne bottle at the ready and propped up on his thigh for when you made your announcement. 

Sam was standing beside you, a massive grin plastered on his face. You rolled your eyes at him and urged him on, telling him that you were fine with him saying it. Sam didn’t need to be told twice. 

‘It’s a boy!’

Pop! Drinks were poured and hugs were shared, with even Friday coming over the monitor to congratulate you. 

Even in the midst of all the excitement, you felt a little empty. But you enjoyed your pre-baby shower, happy that everything was so unbelievably working out. 

It was midnight when you alerted Friday to call Happy to your room. You needed a ride. 

Happy was slightly irritated at being woken up, but once you told him where you were heading, he obliged. The ride was silent, comfortable, with Happy glancing at you once in a while to make sure you were okay. 

You walked across the grass slowly, hands resting on your stomach and just a little waddle in your walk. You flashed your phone light over the headstones even though the headstone you were looking for was in a secluded area. Happy trailed you, keeping a respectable distance. 

You stopped in front of the small building, the fence somewhat blocking your path. But there was no security around, and even if you were caught on camera, your face let everyone know who you were and your connection to Steve. You had no worries. 

You broke the lock easily and opened the door. It was almost entirely marble, a good deal of Steve’s actual aesthetic. So simple, not overly patriotic, and secluded. He had refused to be buried in Arlington. 

You sat on the bench provided, the three names in front of you standing out like they were begging to be read out loud. So you complied. 

‘Sarah,’ you muttered, smiling as the name rolled off your tongue. ‘Thank you for sending everyone a literal angel.’

You muttered his father’s name as well, but felt no personal connection to it. You spent at least ten minutes building up the courage to utter his name, to say his name in front of him again. He was buried right underneath your feet, his name the only thing for you to see. 

‘Steve,’ you sighed and rubbed your stomach. ‘Steve.’

You sobbed silently and watched as the tears fell on top of your resting hands. ‘I don’t regret it.’

You were met with silence. ‘I don’t regret any of it. God knows why he did this. But you lived your life, and I just can’t believe I have to bring life into this world without you here.’

‘It’s a boy, Steve. A lovely little boy.’

You brought your hand up to your mouth to bite the side of it, throat clenching. ‘Everyone is so happy. I am, too. I promise you.’

You lowered your hand back to your stomach. ‘I just wish that you could feel that happiness.’

The moonlight moved slightly, shining on his name brighter now. ‘He’ll know about you, don’t worry about that.’ You laughed. 

You didn’t want to keep Happy waiting. You stood from the bench slowly, feet sore. You walked closer to him, wishing you could easily bend down and give him a kiss. But you physically couldn’t right now, so you blew him one instead. ‘Thank you.’

`

Somehow the rumor got out that an Avenger was pregnant. And when Wanda was seen outside without a large stomach, all fingers were pointed at you. 

The news went ballistic, most positive and raving, while others pondered just who had gotten you pregnant. You had been seen with everyone in paparazzi photos, so no actual conclusion had been made. 

Until a picture of you at Steve’s gravesite was leaked. 

It was constant bombardment, timelines were stitched together, magazines and their headlines were having a field day. Rhodey had tried to cancel these news stories, to threaten lawsuits, but to no avail. The world was now cursing Steve’s name - ‘how dare he leave her while pregnant?’, ‘how could he leave her pregnant and for another woman?’, ‘did he even know?’

The team had done everything in their power to try and clear yours and Steve’s name, but no one was having it. Steve’s love story was now tarnished, with many calling him a traitor and a deadbeat. It was no use. 

You struggled to climb the stairs, inwardly cursing the staff for not installing a ramp instead. The flashes were blinding, the lights were hot, and the various microphones placed on the stand were comical. 

Everyone hushed, looks of sympathy and pity slapping you in the face. 

‘I know what you’re all thinking and what you’ve all been saying,’ you started, eyes wandering to the far corner of the room where your team were huddled. ‘But I need to clear a few things up.’

‘Steve didn’t know.’

The crowd erupted, questions flying at you like fast bullets. They were silenced after a few moments. ‘We shared a moment with each other before we brought everyone back. I didn’t know I was pregnant until after his funeral.’

The crowd murmured amongst each other. ‘He told me he was planning to stay in another timeline. To live his life. I encouraged him. He did not leave me alone and pregnant. He truly didn’t know.’

You finished, they didn’t deserve a deeper explanation. You ignored their calls for questions, some even trying to crowd you at the doors. But you pushed through them, cradling your stomach with a newfound sense of pride. 

`

It was time. 

You sat up in your bed and quickly wiped away the hard crusts from the corners of your eyes. You sat there for a few seconds before you felt another harsh twinge. ‘A-ah!’

You didn’t know why you paused, legs now thrown over the side of the bed. They felt like menstrual cramps, it could be false labor. You let out a heavy breath and pushed yourself up, legs wobbly. But the moment you did, it was like something snapped. Your legs were wet and a tiny puddle had started forming on the floor. 

‘Friday!’

The lights in your room turned on immediately, ‘Y/N, is it time?’

You moaned at the uncomfortable cramping, ‘Yeah, I think it is.’

‘I’m waking and alerting the team right now, Y/N. Sit back down, please.’

You listened to Friday, sitting at the edge of your bed for a few moments before you realized you had to pack a bag. You shuffled across your room and grabbed the duffel bag Scott had left for you a few days ago. You packed a pair of socks, sweats, underwear, vaseline and your toothbrush, hairbrush, and phone. You zipped your bag just in time for both Bucky and Sam to throw open your door, Sam struggling to put his shoes on and Bucky slipping on a jacket inside-out. 

‘Y/N, is it really time? Are you ready? Are you okay?’

You ignored the cramping in your back and laughed at them, ‘Yes! My water broke, I’m in pain, it’s time.’

With both Sam and Bucky at your sides, they held onto you as you all stumbled down the hallway. Thor was already waiting with the elevator open, the biggest smile on his aging face. 

‘Wanda and Bruce are preparing the room. Scott already called the doctor. Clint’s in route,’ Bucky reassured. The three men huddled into the elevator with you, all instructing you to breathe and to squeeze them if you needed to. 

But even though you were in pain, albeit not as extreme as it was going to inevitably get, you were so incredibly happy. They were all so loud, so chaotic, and you were as calm as a cucumber. 

The elevator dinged. ‘Good luck, Y/N,’ you heard Friday call after you. You pinched your eyes closed, the thought that Friday was ultimately a part of Tony’s consciousness - Tony was wishing you good luck. 

The pressure in your hips was starting to build and you didn’t know how long this would actually take. Some people had quick births, some people lay in labor for hours, some for a day. But it seemed like this was going to be pretty quick, because your next scream was completely involuntarily. 

Bucky winced, leading you to the bed Wanda had just lay sheets on. ‘You’re doing great, Y/N. Absolutely perfect.’

You laughed at Bucky and gripped his hand in silent thanks before slipping into the bed and trying to get comfortable. Before you could truly feel like you made it, like the first hard step was done, you sat up quickly. 

‘Wait, wait! Nat’s sweater! I was gonna wear Nat’s sweater!’

Thor was already out the door, ‘I’ll get it! Don’t worry!’

You smiled at the ceiling, beads of sweat now rolling down your forehead. ‘Oh, this hurts!’

It was an hour. Once you shimmied into Natasha’s purple knitted sweater, you lay there trying to control your breathing. Everyone had piled into the room one right after the other. The room was big enough, spacious enough for even Bruce to roam freely. Although you were in an immense amount of pain, you still focused on your team. 

Scott was on his third cup of coffee, sipping excitedly as he conversed with the others. Bruce was constantly checking your vitals and wanting everything the doctor was saying repeated. Wanda was beside you, a hand gripping yours and the other running ice chips along your lips. Bucky was on your other bedside wearing one of Steve’s sweatshirts because it still smelled like him. His logic was that if he was wearing something of Steve’s the first moment he held your baby, then the first thing he smelled would be the remnants of his father. 

And Thor was practically speechless, silent in his own little corner and feeling like the god’s really did bless everyone in this room after such turmoil.

Clint arrived with Peter trailing behind him just when the doctor instructed you sit up - you were at ten centimeters. 

‘You gotta push, Y/N! You gotta push when the doctor says push!’

You yelled until your lungs gave out, head almost rolling back but Sam held it in his palm. ‘C’mon, Y/N! You’re doing great!’

You usually had perfect pitch when you sang, never faltering when it was time to hit a high note. But your voice was cracking at the most unusual times, throat rubbed raw as you felt your hips splinter open. 

‘He’s crowning!’

Wanda traded places with Sam real quick, deciding that she wanted to see the baby when he was finally out. Bucky had a death grip on your hand, tears flowing freely and a smile to match Thor’s. 

‘Push, Y/N! Push!’

‘I’m-I’m! I’m sorry! I can’t!’

The doctor was working her hands around the head, trying to ease the baby out easier. ‘Trust me, Y/N. One more big push and the shoulders will be out. That’s the hardest part.’

The doctor’s words were starting to drown out, and your head lolled back again. You felt tiny smacks on your cheeks, ‘C’mon, Y/N. You can do this. Everyone believes in you. You’re so goddamn strong, Y/N!’

That was Bucky’s voice. Bucky. 

You opened your eyes, delirious for a second. ‘Steve?’

Bucky whimpered and nodded, bringing your hand up to his lips and pressing kisses all over. ‘He’s here. I feel him, Y/N. You can do this.’

And you could feel him. You could see your family but you could feel him. It was so light, like a gentle whisk across the cheek, a promise that this truly was a miracle. 

You screamed as you pushed under doctor’s orders, feeling numb and abused but satisfied. His shoulders slipped out and along with them came his arms and torso, legs and all ten toes. The doctor caught him quickly, lifting him up vertically to let you see him. He was already crying. 

‘He’s here!’

You sobbed and smiled widely, laughter rattling your chest as the team bombarded you with quick hugs. Sam remained at your side, his eyes motioning for Bucky to go see the baby. 

‘Who’s cutting the cord?’

You looked around the room but you knew. You answered the doctor’s question. ‘Bucky.’

Bucky was truly confused. Not because of your decision, but because he couldn’t possibly be worthy of this. His hands, those hands that had killed so many people involuntarily, had almost killed Steve, those hands were now gripping a pair of medical scissors to cut the symbolization of new life entering the world. He turned to you for permission one last time, before he gripped the cord in his hand and cut where the doctor pointed. 

His shoulders felt a million times lighter. Like he was set free all over again. 

They cleaned the baby up quickly and swaddled him. The doctor placed him in your arms, all warm and utterly safe, to look back up at you with the same blue eyes as his father. 

You sobbed happily, brushing your fingers delicately along his pink cheek. ‘Hi. Hi there.’

He was no longer crying, just staring up in pure astonishment at the various faces staring back at him. 

‘Y/N, he’s beautiful,’ Clint said, tissue already in hand. 

‘I can’t believe you’re here,’ you spoke softly. 

‘Do we have a name?’

It was like everyone said it in unison. ‘Steve.’

You snuggled into the bed and Natasha’s sweater, somewhat aware of the doctor still fixing you up down there. You would try feeding later, but for now your newborn needed to be passed around the group and be awed at. 

You carefully guided him to Bucky, holding his head gently in your palm. Bucky took him, arms instinctively curling in the correct position. Once Bucky had him in his arms, it was like everything that happened in the world was worth it. Absolutely everything. 

Bucky watched in fascination as the baby curled deeper in his chest, little fist clutching Steve’s sweatshirt. He took the sweetest little intake of air…

`

xxMoni

[isolaradiale]

The dark hues of the evening blended to lighter, softer blues of dawn. With every minute, the creatures of the museum began to slow until they stopped altogether, all at once. Whatever they were doing, they dropped it, and began to move their way to the places they had been before the museum took a turn for the lethal.

The artwork climbed back into their frames, stepped onto their pedestals, and walked back into their display cases. A light rain outside washed all the street paint away, color emptying into the drains in the city. Landscapes let their prisoners out, shutting the windows to their world.

Those unlucky enough to earn a spot on the Wall of Shame reappeared in the lobby, their wounds appearing as colorful splashes of paint, and nothing more.

As the oranges and golds of the sun trickled in through the ornate windows of the museum, a blaring voice interrupted the stillness as the intercom museum sparked to life.

"Goooood moooorning, my lovely little visitors! The door to the museum will be opening shortly. Please make your way back to the lobby in an orderly fashion, and be sure to grab all your belongings!"

As Capella promised, the large wooden doors opened once again, releasing all the prisoners of the museum.

"Thanks for visiting the Tempus Museum! Janus, did you want to say any parting words?" "I'm mortified enough as it is, thank you." Came a muffled voice from behind, sounding much less enthused.

"Aww, somebody's cranky... Well, suit yourself!"

As if to add *Extra Enthusiasm*, as everyone exit the doors, they passed by Capella's invulnerable form as she personally waved everyone goodbye, stickers glittering in the morning sunrise. Janus was still sitting at the reception booth, head in his hands and rubbing his temples.

"Bye bye! Goodbye now! Goodbye! Buh-bye! Bye now!" was the chorus that trailed off as she spoke, bidding farewell to the museum's visitors...

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Thank you, everyone, for participating in our recent event: Canvas! As a reminder, you will receive event participation IF:

You've written a starter, thread, mini, or interacted with someone else using the event setting for parts 1, 2, or both.

You've written a 500 word drabble using the setting of the event for parts 1, 2, or both.

You did not have to participate in both parts to receive event credit (so if you only wanted to participate in part 1, it still counts!)

Remember that for participating in the event, you can give yourself 100 stars to use in the marketplace!

A few things have changed as a result of this event, also:

The Tempus Museum has decided to make its home in the Archimedes ward, for now, not far from the Theater of Calliope. Its structure and function is largely the same, but the Optimized Tools won't be there. The artwork won't come to life and attack you, either... during the daytime, that is. You can check out its full description on Archimedes' page!

Janus still takes his place as the museum's curator, and does his best to accommodate guests of the museum. It's not uncommon to see him taking and teaching courses and workshops in the museum, either! He's still polite and eager to help with anything involving the museum and its activities, but if asked questions about the Stars or Spirale, he'll politely explain that he doesn't want to get anyone into trouble. As in the event, on the odd chance that someone is hostile and violent toward him, they'll instantly be killed, and will respawn back in their room.

Thanks again for participating in Canvas! We hope you had a great time!

Frequently Asked Questions:

"Do the things we made turn back to normal?"

Yup! If you didn't destroy it in Part 2 of the event, whatever you made will turn back to normal.

"Will our artwork try to kill us at night?"

Nope! If you took it with you, it's of no danger to you. If you kept it on display at the museum, it's also no danger to you (or anyone else for that matter.) Only the original stock monsters of the museum come to life at night. But unless your muse breaks into the museum, you have nothing to worry about.

The monsters still have their damage invulnerabilities, so unless your muse has a death wish, maybe don't break into the museum without some serious planning. Shady art theft rings will buy your stolen artwork for a hefty price, though, so whether it's worth the risk or not is up to you.

The more often your muse breaks into the museum, the more the monsters will recognize their patterns. Breaking into the museum more than two times is almost impossible, and should be reserved only for the most cunning of thieves.

"What if we made weapons or jewelry? Can we take those back home too?"

Sure! Just know that the weapons will go back to being fragile, and will shatter if used in combat. Any jewelry will look very convincing, but if you try to sell them to anyone, they'll identify it as a fake. Not that they won't buy what you have anyway, but it certainly won't be worth the price of actual precious stones and minerals.

"Can we go back to the museum?"

Yes! It's open to the public from sunrise to sundown, unless there's a nighttime gathering at the museum (which you're free to come up with on your own if you'd like to use it in a setting for a thread.) You could also theoretically break in or sneak in, or hide until the place closes, but you run the risk of running into the guard patrols... or worse.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ (Epilogue)

As the visitors left the building, Capella skipped over to the front desk. Caelum emerged from the darkened corner of the lobby to join her, with the rubber stopper on his cane making soft thumps on the elaborate stone tile.

"Well, that was fun! Thanks for letting us use your museum, Janus." "You're... welcome, I suppose." "Good good! I'll come back here when I make more pieces to show off to the lovely people of our Spirale."

Punctuating this, her hands went up to playfully pat his cheeks.

"Ooookay! Well, until next time! And as for you, Dr. Caelum, I'll see you at this afternoon's meeting or whatever, right?" "Aha, yes I'll be there."

Saluting the both of them, her form vanished into a series of pixels, leaving the other two at the desk. Now that she was gone, the AI turned to give a pointed look at his father.

"...Mmm. Still angry, eh?" Came a chuckle, but the other didn't look so amused.

"You know, at one point, I would have congratulated you for feeling slighted. And I would have celebrated you experiencing such a thing. But you've been around for so long that these things come naturally to you now, don't they? Feelings like being angry... Now I just feel bad when you're upset like any other human."

Another more cheery laugh, and he walked himself over to the doors, motioning the other to follow. With the crowd gone, he could finally step outside and stand on the steps.

"...I am sorry for causing you trouble." "I know." "Good, I'm glad that came across." "I'm still irritated, don't get me wrong." "Yes, yes. I don't doubt it." "And I'm not sure if anyone will come back after such a thing. I wouldn't blame them. I just wanted a place to contribute to this whole thing, and now it's all..."

Sighing, he sat on the first step, watching the rest of the street illuminate in the warm glow of the sunrise. He only realized the old man beside him was trying to sit down when he gave a little huff of effort, and immediately helped his father down beside him.

"Ahh. Much better, thank you." "I could have gotten you a chair..." "Haha, that's alright. If you can sit on the steps, so can I."

For a while, the two sat in silence, watching the streets of Archimedes begin to wake up. Cars stirring, cafes opening, people walking their dogs.

"...Are you doing alright over there?" Janus asked, not turning his head.

"About as well as I can, mmhm." "You still have your migraine medicines down there, right?" "Mmhm. Dr. Lyra has been taking good care of my health, don't worry." "She's the nice one, isn't she? That's a welcome change from the other facility..."

A hand went to the Ai's shoulder, patting it reassuringly.

"Instead of worrying about my health, you should direct that concern inward, Mortimer. You have a place where you can walk around, do all sorts of things humans do. Talk to people, make friends. Play games, read books, paint your lovely canvases. You're not confined to the life we lived three years ago."

Silence followed for a little until the young man leaned against the older one. He must be pushing 70 at this point, right?

"...Are you in a place where you can refer to me by my name? And not that Star code that they made?" "Well, no. Not really. But I don't think anyone's listening. So I don't care~" "Ha! Rebellion got you into this mess, didn't it?" The AI replied with a laugh, earning another from his father.

"Well. Messes that they were, I can still sit with you without you being stuck behind a screen. So even after all the hells we've been through, I'd call that a success. Wouldn't you?"

A smile cracked on his face. They have gone through a lot.

"A success... it's nice to finally call something a success again, father. It's very nice."

[cyberghost-scout]

(Ugh, I'm sorry, Au mas, my beloved. But I have strong urges to share shit)

The Brave Au (and it's not angst this time!)

Ghosty's time with the Braves has helped her come out of her shell over time. She's more honest with her emotions. She said things should and should not please everyone (even if some days are more complex than others). However, she's still trying to get over her anxiety attacks when it comes to higher-ups getting angry. It's a big hurdle for her to overcome. Luckily no one is that mean to her when a prank war happens. It's heart-wrenching to see this robot coming comfortable with herself and everyone, alone by herself in the room, shaking uncontrollably with pure terror and anxiety, trying to fix something desperately before a perceived blow-up happens. It takes her time to calm down after that, even if everyone takes her to a quiet place and assures her it's alright, but she looks so emotionally drained. The team couldn't imagine how bad it was for her to be around Wolfbitch, as her creation, but when witnessing her having a breakdown-- that fills in some blanks. Anyone who attempts to hurt Ghostwire like that deliberately will earn everyone's hatred and disrespect. 

The girls and her get along nicely, of course. It's nice that she and the others can have some bonding time. As Ghostwire realized not all women were like Wolfbitch(Evermore), the girls enjoyed seeing a new perspective with a female super AI. So it's enjoyable when they want girl time. And maybe Ghostwrite uses the information to get back at some of the guys. Watch out, boys~!

The day she discovered plush toys and aquariums is both the team's entertainment and headache. As she will kick somebody's shin if they try to take the plush away or tease her about it, and the other one is, she will try to dunk her head in the SALT water tank cause the sharks to look so cool! They still support her interests, despite being weird about it. 

Her expertise during the job is undercover stings, like Shadowmaru's job but less secret spy stuff and more, surviving the area and finding out the remote locations in public places. Then she comes back and complies with the information with the team, but mostly Shadowmaru, given their jobs overlap with each other the most. 

Then, of course, with her strength, she mainly helps with training, and sparing with the others, despite most times they'll end up being head-locked, but this is helpful for the braves. It helps find out some places that needed some repairs, testing out new techniques, entertainment, and burn out extra energy/anger. Then there's interrogation, but she prefers that as a last resort (stays the hell from that same room if humanly possible); she always feels unnerved with how her temperament turns cold, calculating-- and emotionless.

Sometimes Drillboy uses Ghostwire as a shield from Powerjoe and Gunmax if they're about to do mean big brother things to him. Those two have learned early that it's best to leave him when he takes cover behind Ghostwire or become a temporary wall decoration. Drillboy taught this trick to Bishop later on. 

Polaris and Oberon are in this verse, but they're organic. Cause I thought that super cute that an AI adopts some cute cats. Of course, the humans would help, btw. (This alone is super cute that I want to delve into this later on). And yes, Polaris is still that bad bitch; she will put others in their place except for Ghostwire and her baby. Even ancient spirits, Zonders, Gods, and everything between will shake in fear before this 8-pound black cat with cute white round eyebrows. I'll let you guys think of who Polaris hates the most. Amuse me.

Ghostwire, having a different chip and system to keep her memory and said super chip running from the rest of the braves, is easily more resistant to virus or what makes her team vulnerable, brain cells included. But it's a double-edged sword. Her resilience makes it more challenging for her to get diagnosed. She can't combine into a more prominent form/trump card. Tune-ups take some patience and experienced workers needed for repairs than the rest. So her repairs or check-ups take longer not to cause more irreversible harm to her. 

It might lead to the discovery of Fedelis and Flow thanks to one part that's desperately needed a replacement, or she's stuck in the short form for a year. For this plot thingy for the truth of Phantasma along with Fedelis and Flow, that would be angst with a fluff ending kind of thread; as well established, Ghostwire does not like looking back in her past: out of fear it will not give her closer or peace. However, the rest are not having this; they do want to respect her wishes of leaving her past behind, but not this time; she is needed and can't let her be in a defenseless form any longer. Let along a YEAR. So the stakes and emotional tension are high between the team and Ghostwire. Maybe the two (Fedelis and Flow) would be around more after all of the angst. That'll be cute.

Now, something cheeky with (causes @braveggg-hq. And I thought it would be funny.) Now by the time, the GGG started to appear around the corner. Ghostwire was curious and suspicious of some hidden secrets going around. She's quick about finding details and started to snoop around, which may or may not be discovering the GGG gang's, minus the kiddos, existence faster than the other AI's and Yuuta. The GGG group may not know she found them (Volfogg might suspect something, thanks to sensing her signature. However, that was put on hold as Ghostwire quickly disappeared), but now she knew they exist, and she's getting answers. 

Now, you can imagine Saejima, Azuma, and Toudou keep the GGG as a surprise secret. Everything is going fine, only for Ghostwire giving the poor three older men a heart attack by phasing through a wall, cornering the three, and confronting them about the GGG. Poor Saejima, too spook to think straight, eventually told her the truth but begged her not to spoil the surprise. Maybe help them keep the rest from going too far if they wanted to pick a fight! She eventually obliges with the idea after hearing the explanation. Better to supervise the known trouble makers. But deep down, she was excited and curious about the new faces.

Mostly seeing more femme AIs; that's something fun to try to make friends! She's tired of the Smurfette deal in terms of the ai side of the team. She loves them, but sometimes, *gestures a strangling motion*. 

We all know how the rest reacted, but luckily Ghostwire managed to lessen the fight's severity. After the petty battle, Volfogg realized his suspicions were correct; the energy signature- Ghostwire did indeed found them first. "WAIT! You knew and didn't tell us!?" From a disappointed, pouting Drillboy. While she dryly answers yes to the young mech's puppy eyes and baby pout. 

Sure, the GGG AIs are going to be super cautious of Ghostwire at first. Maybe some might say something unintentionally offensive about her past, but they'll warm up to her after she clears the air, maybe after giving the bot who said the insensitive thing a good karma reward. And yes, the GGG do know of Fedelis. How could they not know of the blunt legend himself?

[howwelldoyouknowyourmoon]

Doubting the Story of Exodus

By Teresa Watanabe Los Angeles Times religion writer    April 13, 2001

It’s one of the greatest stories ever told: A baby is found in a basket adrift in the Egyptian Nile and is adopted into the pharaoh’s household. He grows up as Moses, rediscovers his roots and leads his enslaved Israelite brethren to freedom after God sends down 10 plagues against Egypt and parts the Red Sea to allow them to escape. They wander for 40 years in the wilderness and, under the leadership of Joshua, conquer the land of Canaan to enter their promised land. For centuries, the biblical account of the Exodus has been revered as the founding story of the Jewish people, sacred scripture for three world religions and a universal symbol of freedom that has inspired liberation movements around the globe. But did the Exodus ever actually occur? On Passover last Sunday, Rabbi David Wolpe raised that provocative question before 2,200 faithful at Sinai Temple in Westwood. He minced no words. “The truth is that virtually every modern archeologist who has investigated the story of the Exodus, with very few exceptions, agrees that the way the Bible describes the Exodus is not the way it happened, if it happened at all,” Wolpe told his congregants. Wolpe’s startling sermon may have seemed blasphemy to some. In fact, however, the rabbi was merely telling his flock what scholars have known for more than a decade. Slowly and often outside wide public purview, archeologists are radically reshaping modern understanding of the Bible. It was time for his people to know about it, Wolpe decided. After a century of excavations trying to prove the ancient accounts true, archeologists say there is no conclusive evidence that the Israelites were ever in Egypt, were ever enslaved, ever wandered in the Sinai wilderness for 40 years or ever conquered the land of Canaan under Joshua’s leadership. To the contrary, the prevailing view is that most of Joshua’s fabled military campaigns never occurred—archeologists have uncovered ash layers and other signs of destruction at the relevant time at only one of the many battlegrounds mentioned in the Bible. Today, the prevailing theory is that Israel probably emerged peacefully out of Canaan—modern-day Lebanon, southern Syria, Jordan and the West Bank of Israel—whose people are portrayed in the Bible as wicked idolators. Under this theory, the Canaanites who took on a new identity as Israelites were perhaps joined or led by a small group of Semites from Egypt—explaining a possible source of the Exodus story, scholars say. As they expanded their settlement, they may have begun to clash with neighbors, perhaps providing the historical nuggets for the conflicts recorded in Joshua and Judges. “Scholars have known these things for a long time, but we’ve broken the news very gently,” said William Dever, a professor of Near Eastern archeology and anthropology at the University of Arizona and one of America’s preeminent archeologists.

Dever’s view is emblematic of a fundamental shift in archeology. Three decades ago as a Christian seminary student, he wrote a paper defending the Exodus and got an A, but “no one would do that today,” he says. The old emphasis on trying to prove the Bible—often in excavations by amateur archeologists funded by religious groups—has given way to more objective professionals aiming to piece together the reality of ancient lifestyles. But the modern archeological consensus over the Exodus is just beginning to reach the public. In 1999, an Israeli archeologist, Ze’ev Herzog of Tel Aviv University, set off a furor in Israel by writing in a popular magazine that stories of the patriarchs were myths and that neither the Exodus nor Joshua’s conquests ever occurred. In the hottest controversy today, Herzog also argued that the united monarchy of David and Solomon, described as grand and glorious in the Bible, was at best a small tribal kingdom. In a new book this year, “The Bible Unearthed,” Israeli archeologist Israel Finklestein of Tel Aviv University and archeological journalist Neil Asher Silberman raised similar doubts and offered a new theory about the roots of the Exodus story. The authors argue that the story was written during the time of King Josia of Judah in the 7th century BC—600 years after the Exodus supposedly occurred in 1250 BC—as a political manifesto to unite Israelites against the rival Egyptian empire as both states sought to expand their territory. Dever argued that the Exodus story was produced for theological reasons: to give an origin and history to a people and distinguish them from others by claiming a divine destiny. Some scholars, of course, still maintain that the Exodus story is basically factual. Bryant Wood, director of the Associates for Biblical Research in Maryland, argued that the evidence falls into place if the story is dated back to 1450 BC. He said that indications of destruction around that time at Hazor, Jericho and a site he is excavating that he believes is the biblical city of Ai support accounts of Joshua’s conquests. He also cited the documented presence of “Asiatic” slaves in Egypt who could have been Israelites, and said they would not have left evidence of their wanderings because they were nomads with no material culture. But Wood said he can’t get his research published in serious archeological journals. “There’s a definite anti-Bible bias,” Wood said. The revisionist view, however, is not necessarily publicly popular. Herzog, Finklestein and others have been attacked for everything from faulty logic to pro-Palestinian political agendas that undermine Israel’s land claims. Dever, a former Protestant minister who converted to Judaism 12 years ago, says he gets “hissed and booed” when he speaks about the lack of evidence for the Exodus, and regularly receives letters and calls offering prayers or telling him he’s headed for hell.

At Sinai Temple, Sunday’s sermon—and a follow-up discussion at Monday’s service—provoked tremendous, and varied, response. Many praised Wolpe for his courage and vision. “It was the best sermon possible, because it is preparing the young generation to understand all the truth about religion,” said Eddia Mirharooni, a Beverly Hills fashion designer. A few said they were hurt—"I didn’t want to hear this,” one woman said—or even a bit angry. Others said the sermon did nothing to shake their faith that the Exodus story is true. “Science can always be proven wrong,” said Kalanit Benji, a UCLA undergraduate in psychobiology. Added Aman Massi, a 60-year-old Los Angeles businessman: “For sure it was true, 100%. If it were not true, how could we follow it for 3,300 years?” But most congregants, along with secular Jews and several rabbis interviewed, said that whether the Exodus is historically true or not is almost beside the point. The power of the sweeping epic lies in its profound and timeless message about freedom, they say. The story of liberation from bondage into a promised land has inspired the haunting spirituals of African American slaves, the emancipation and civil rights movements, Latin America’s liberation theology, peasant revolts in Germany, nationalist struggles in South Africa, the American Revolution, even Leninist politics, according to Michael Walzer in the book “Exodus and Revolution.” Many of Wolpe’s congregants said the story of the Exodus has been personally true for them even if the details are not factual: when they fled the Nazis during World War II, for instance, or, more recently, the Islamic revolution in Iran. Daniel Navid Rastein, an Encino medical professional, said he has always regarded the story as a metaphor for a greater truth: “We all have our own Egypts—we are prisoners of something, either alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, overeating. We have to use [the story] as a way to free ourselves from difficulty and make ourselves a better person.” Wolpe, Sinai Temple’s senior rabbi, said he decided to deliver the sermon to lead his congregation into a deeper understanding of their faith. On Sunday, he told his flock that questioning the Jewish people’s founding story could be justified for one reason alone: to honor the ancient rabbinical declaration that “You do not serve God if you do not seek truth.” “I think faith ought not rest on splitting seas,” Wolpe said in an interview. “For a Jew, it should rest on the wonder of God’s world, the marvel of the human soul and the miracle of this small people’s survival through the millennia.” Next year, the rabbi plans to teach a course on the Bible that he says will “pull no punches” in presenting the latest scholarship questioning the text’s historical basis. But he and others say that Judaism has also traditionally been more open to nonliteral interpretations of the text than, say, some conservative Christian traditions. “Among Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist Jews, there is a much greater willingness to see the Torah as an extended metaphor in which truth comes through story and law,” said Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, dean of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles. Among scholars, the case against the Exodus began crystallizing about 13 years ago. That’s when Finklestein, director of Tel Aviv University’s archeology institute, published the first English-language book detailing the results of intensive archeological surveys of what is believed to be the first Israelite settlements in the hilly regions of the West Bank. The surveys, conducted during the 1970s and 1980s while Israel possessed what are now Palestinian territories, documented a lack of evidence for Joshua’s conquests in the 13th century BC and the indistinguishable nature of pottery, architecture, literary conventions and other cultural details between the Canaanites and the new settlers. If there was no conquest, no evidence of a massive new settlement of an ethnically distinct people, scholars argue, then the case for a literal reading of Exodus all but collapses. The surveys’ final results were published three years ago. The settlement research marked the turning point in archeological consensus on the issue, Dever said. It added to previous research that showed that Egypt’s voluminous ancient records contained not one mention of Israelites in the country, although one 1210 BC inscription did mention them in Canaan. Kadesh Barnea in the east Sinai desert, where the Bible says the fleeing Israelites sojourned, was excavated twice in the 1950s and 1960s and produced no sign of settlement until three centuries after the Exodus was supposed to have occurred. The famous city of Jericho has been excavated several times and was found to have been abandoned during the 13th and 14th centuries BC. Moreover, specialists in the Hebrew Bible say that the Exodus story is riddled with internal contradictions stemming from the fact that it was spliced together from two or three texts written at different times. One passage in Exodus, for instance, says that the bodies of the pharaoh’s charioteers were found on the shore, while the next verse says they sank to the bottom of the sea. And some of the story’s features are mythic motifs found in other Near Eastern legends, said Ron Hendel, a professor of Hebrew Bible at UC Berkeley. Stories of babies found in baskets in the water by gods or royalty are common, he said, and half of the 10 plagues fall into a “formulaic genre of catastrophe” found in other Near Eastern texts. Carol Meyers, a professor specializing in biblical studies and archeology at Duke University, said the ancients never intended their texts to be read literally. “People who try to find scientific explanations for the splitting of the Red Sea are missing the boat in understanding how ancient literature often mixed mythic ideas with historical recollections,” she said. “That wasn’t considered lying or deceit; it was a way to get ideas across.” Virtually no scholar, for instance, accepts the biblical figure of 600,000 men fleeing Egypt, which would have meant there were a few million people, including women and children. The ancient desert at the time could not support so many nomads, scholars say, and the powerful Egyptian state kept tight security over the area, guarded by fortresses along the way. Even Orthodox Jewish scholar Lawrence Schiffman said “you’d have to be a bit crazy” to accept that figure. He believes that the account in Joshua of a swift military campaign is less accurate than the Judges account of a gradual takeover of Canaan. But Schiffman, chairman of Hebrew and Judaic studies at New York University, still maintains that a significant number of Israelite slaves fled Egypt for Canaan. “I’m not arguing that archeology proves the Exodus,” he said. “I’m arguing that archeology allows you, in ambiguity, to reach whatever conclusion you want to.” Wood argued that the 600,000 figure was mistranslated and the real number amounted to a more plausible 20,000. He also said the early Israelite settlements and their similarity to Canaanite culture could be explained as the result of pastoralists with no material culture moving into a settled farming life and absorbing their neighbors’ pottery styles and other cultural forms. The scholarly consensus seems to be that the story is a brilliant mix of myth, cultural memories and kernels of historical truth. Perhaps, muses Hendel, a small group of Semites who escaped from Egypt became the “intellectual vanguard of a new nation that called itself Israel,” stressing social justice and freedom. Whatever the facts of the story, those core values have endured and inspired the world for more than three millenniums—and that, many say, is the point. “What are the Egypts I need to free myself from? How does the story inspire me in some way to work for the freedom of all?” asked Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben of Kehillat Israel in Pacific Palisades. “These are the things that matter—not whether we built the pyramids.”

Teresa Watanabe Teresa Watanabe covers education for the Los Angeles Times. Since joining the Times in 1989, she has covered immigration, ethnic communities, religion, Pacific Rim business and served as Tokyo correspondent and bureau chief. She also covered Asia, national affairs and state government for the San Jose Mercury News and wrote editorials for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner. A Seattle native, she graduated from USC in journalism and in East Asian languages and culture.

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-apr-13-mn-50481-story.html

_____________________________

Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and Joshua – there is no evidence any of them ever lived

The Divine Principle: Questions to consider about Old Testament figures

Unearthing the True Origins of the Bible 

– interview with Dr. Andrew Henry

[buginateacup]

@dalniente I’m making a new post for this

So based off our previous conversation I’m reposting this thing separately because I went for a walk and words started percolating and now I have three pages written already and there would be SO MUCH PINING. Because of course they cant be married they just need to get an annulment there’s no way this could ever, would ever work between them...right?

Original idea below based on the idea that Roxanne bills Megamind for destroyed shoes and clothing for the last seven years

Just Megamind looking over this list Roxanne’s presented him with and just going “Minion fetch the piggy bank!” and just smashing it open to hand her a diamond or something! And then being like, “Wait no that ones flawed you need something better...aha!” and hands her a better diamond on a ring instead (my brain escalates these things. Its what it does) and Roxanne just boggles and throws it back at him shouting “I wanted to get my shoes replaced not for you to ask me to marry you!”

“I wasn’t asking you to marry me!” Megamind did not think this through he’s panicking and Roxanne is looking furious and elsewhere in Metro Wayne Scott’s superhearing just heard the words “Marry me” and yes finally things are happening its about time.

“Well good!” Roxanne should not open her big mouth when she’s angry this is utterly humiliating why did she even mention marriage of course he wasn't proposing he doesn't even like her. This was the worst idea ever she just wanted to not have to worry about the blisters from breaking in another pair of shoes when she’d rather pay attention to the giant spiderbot or talk to him about how the brain-bots AI works.

“No. Not good! Not good at all!” You handed her a ring you mega-idiot what else would she think! This is nothing like the occasional hours weeks years of daydreams he’s absolutely never had ever in his life that she would say yes. That she would ever want to marry him. This is the worst this is the absolute worst “As if that’s the kind of ring I’d ever propose to you with!”

“EXACTL- wait what?” He’s thought about a ring? He’s thought about a ring specifically for her? That is not a normal thing. That is something people only consider when things get really serious. Why has he thought about a ring for her?

“What?” You just...keep making it worse for yourself don’t you Megamind. “Of course I wouldn’t propose to you with some possibly cursed ring! You deserve sapphires as blue as your eyes!”

“And you deserve emeralds to match yours!”  Oh my god Roxanne shut up shut up shut up, “ Why are you giving me a cursed ring!”

“Possibly! Possibly cursed!” Ahahahahaha help oh evil gods help, “Any ring I did propose to you with would be 100% not cursed! Emerald cut sapphire in a platinum band framed by baguette cut diamonds!”

“See now that sounds like a ring I would be happy to accept!” Stop talking Roxanne please, please try and get out of this with some shred of dignity left.

“Fantastic! I’ll make it for you tonight!” Oh no.

“Wonderful! I cant wait to wear it!” Oh fuck.

“Brilliant! Are we engaged now?” Of all the ways Megamind’s plans have backfired over the years he never imagined an outcome like this...

“Yes! I don’t know!...I guess? Sure! Fine!” Roxanne wonders if this is what it feels like when one of his plans goes awry...

And then we have two options, the first where the shouting continues...

“Thank the evil gods because I have been in love with you for years!” and Megamind storms towards Roxanne and pulls her into his arms

“Well good because I love you too!” and she wraps her arms around him and...

well...

turns out billing your supervillain for damages is a great idea after all.

And the Second which is much funnier...

They are not engaged. Definitely not. Today has just been a shared hallucination and they are going to go home and never speak of this again.

And this is about to get really funny or really terrible but they’ve finally stopped shouting at each other and they’re just looking at one another and Roxanne sort of sways and Megamind sort of sways and...

And Minion is suddenly there hugging them both and is just so ecstatic that neither of them have the heart to tell him that its all a big misunderstanding (is it?) and they’re not really engaged (are they?) but sure he can make Roxanne’s dress so they can get him out of the room for ten minutes while they actually work out how to tell him this was a mistake....

And then Metro Man flies in like “I’m so happy you two crazy kids finally worked this out!” And Megamind and Roxanne are both just...freaking and Wayne is going on and on about how much he wants to help plan the wedding and Roxanne says the first thing she can think of to not get roped into a Scott Family Event with a capital E and blurts out “We’re eloping!”

“We are? I mean yes! We are! Absolutely!“ Megamind agrees. They can get in the invisible car and just drive until they figure this out or until they run off a cliff whichever will be easier

(the cliff is currently winning)

“Oh great!” says the oblivious Wayne Scott who is just so, so happy for these two, “I’ll fly you down to Vegas right now!”

And he does. With Megamind and Roxanne in one arm and Minion in the other and Roxanne and Megamind have no way of communicating without the others catching on so they are just exchanging these panicked glances and then blushing because holy fuck why is this happening this was not the plan and before they know it they’re standing in front of an Elvis impersonator saying “I do” and Minion is throwing confetti shaped like brain-bots and Wayne is crying and Megamind and Roxanne managed to get a whole five minutes to themselves before the wedding to be like “Okay this is insane but we just get divorced later right? How hard can it be? We’re a damsel and super-villain no one will be surprised when it doesn't work out” (no matter how much they each privately might want it to).

That kiss though...that is really something.

They share a honeymoon suite with the works (courtesy of Wayne). Flowers, chocolate, champagne, his n hers bathrobes. It is extremely awkward. (except the bit I just wrote with body chocolate which, omg) There is only one bed and it is the size of a small continent and they still wind up accidentally tangled together the next morning.

But its fine. Its absolutely fine. There’s a divorce register in the hotel lobby exactly for these kind of situations. No one is even going to know.

Except Wayne flies back to Metro with Minion and they make a big delighted announcement so when Megamind and Roxanne do show back up (the Divorce register opens late on Sundays and they had to check out by ten. The universe really must have it in for them or something). The whole city knows.

And is actually pretty happy for them.

Apparently there had been a pool.

(Carlos, Roxanne’s doorman, won if you’re interested)

Okay fine, they can pretend for a while. Figure out some way for Megamind to go back to villainy and for Roxanne to go back to being kidnapped. This isn’t going to backfire at all.

Only Roxanne goes back to her apartment (alone) to have the panic attack she’s been pushing back for the last 36 hours, to find removalists on site and a representative from the city explaining seeing as she’s no longer the Metro City damsel she’s not entitled to remain in her lovely open living giant balcony apartment she’s been living in for the last seven years that the city has been subsidising her rent on.

Roxanne’s apartment is was very nice and extremely expensive. More than she can afford on her own. So she puts her stuff in storage, packs a bag and hunts down the Evil Lair. And she walks in like “Hi Husband. I live here now I guess.” (please don’t throw me out can I stay? Can I stay forever?)

And Megamind who has been contemplating cutting off his own finger rather than trying to remove the ring he’s still wearing, sees her walking in with a bag, still wearing that awful (possibly cursed) ring and just...

Right.

Okay then.

Hi wife, please stay and never leave but of course we cant be married what were we thinking and now we have to keep this a secret from Minion except we live with Minion and he’s going to be very concerned if you ask for a separate bedroom and I guess I’m a superhero now which means you’ll be getting kidnapped by other villains and that is NOT OKAY AT ALL and there will definitely be a “That’s my wife!” moment and no one understands why I look so absolutely gobsmacked when you kiss me on live tv after I rescue you and you tell me you love me but oh of course it was for the cameras it wasn't real

SO MUCH ANGST AND PINING

...

...

This is a problem they can solve...somehow

Except now they’re stuck married and living together and all of Megamind’s uncles are asking when he’s going to bring their new niece in law to visit. and there is so much PINING because they each think the other doesn't want to be married except they sorta want to and ugh...

---------------

Roxanne woke up in the middle of the bed, one leg twisted around someone else’s and the taste of chocolate still in her mouth.

This is not her bed.

Did she hook up with someone?

There is someone snuggled close behind her breathing softly. She can feel a lean chest bare against her back and is that a goatee pressed against her shoulder? 

Roxanne opened her eyes and looked down blearily. there was an arm around her waist, pulling her back against the body behind her. She has her fingers tangled in the other persons hand. There's something about the arm. She squinted in the early morning light.

Its blue

Oh

Well

That’s okay that’s just Megamind then. Roxanne closed her eyes and snuggled backwards a little. The arm around her waist tightened and the lips on her shoulder pressed a sleepy kiss against her skin.

...Wait

That's Megamind.

Roxanne's eyes shot open. She pulled her hand and the one she was holding up to the light. Definitely blue. Long fingers and square palms and definitely not human. 

And there are rings

There is one ceramic zirconium band in dark grey and a large (possibly cursed) diamond ring on the ring fingers of each of their hands.

Why is she in bed with Megamind and why are there rings and oh god she just remembered everything.

Very carefully she laid their joined hands back over her waist and hoped desperately that she can just fall asleep again and not deal with this.

She can feel the moment Megamind wakes up. A whole body shudder goes through him from his feel up to his head and he shakes into full alertness.

"Oh evil gods"

She felt him roll onto his back and press his hands over his face. But her hand is still tangled in his so he winds up pulling her on top of him instead.

And Roxanne panics and flails and rolls over as well until she is lying on top of

...her husband

He's her husband.

He's her husband and he's awake and she's awake and he's looking up at her with brilliant green eyes the colour of emeralds and she sees the recognition dawning and she wants to kiss him, wants to say "hi", wants to say "want to stay married?", wants to say "what if this wasn't a mistake?" but what comes out is "We should get divorced."

[chemicalmagecraft]

Foresight is 20/20 Chapter 14

Hinata's palm struck me in the jaw, making me grunt. "Kick his ass, Hina-chan!" Kurama cheered from the sidelines. It was nice seeing how well those two were getting along, even if it meant him encouraging her to beat me up. The two of them actually helped each other a lot. Hinata warmed Kurama up to humankind and got him to be slightly less angry, while Kurama made sure to rub some of his "I'm better than you lousy humans" pride off on her, causing her to be a bit more confident. Plus he liked imparting little bits of arcane knowledge upon his favorite human, meaning...

I just barely noticed with my chakra sense that Hinata was leaking a small amount of chakra out of her fingertips, so I jumped back. Unfortunately, I'd determined with my eyes that expressing too much interest in obtaining the Byakugan with my chakra assimilation would only cause most of the clan to grow wary of me, so I didn't have the ability to actually see her jutsu, but at least I knew to stay away.

I made a few seals, but had to stop when the barely-there chakra rushed me. Even though I moved my arms the chakra swerved faster than I thought it would, causing my left arm to go completely numb. "Ow," I said despite the fact that the problem was that I couldn't feel any pain in my arm. "You're getting faster with that, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Hina-chan said. "Kurama-chan helped me figure it out."

I tried to move my arm, but couldn't. Eight Trigrams Heavenly Will as it was called by most of the family, or much less pretentiously Tenketsu Puppetry Jutsu by Hinata, was a jutsu Hinata invented by combining the basics of Juken that she was learning with the chakra threads I'd showed her how to make and then some sort of advice from Kurama. In addition to acting like a ranged, though technically much less potent, version of Juken, the threads stayed inside the tenketsu of the victim meaning that not only was any recovery from the attack blocked until they were removed but she could also, as her name for it suggested, puppeteer my arm.

"Impressive, sis, but you know that that doesn't exactly work on me." I raised my right pointer finger, causing a single link of yellow chain to form on it. With a bit of concentration, I changed the yellow Adamantine Sealing Chain to a shadowy purple permutation, Adamantine Destruction Chain. I swiped at roughly where I felt the chakra threads with it, managing to snap all of them and suck the foreign chakra from my body.

I'd figured out that my assimilation could also adapt powers that were compatible enough together. I was already working under the assumption that I couldn't just make new elements by combining people's affinities because that would be broken, but I did alchemize Ai's Adamantine Sealing Chain together with the Kikaichu's Parasitic Destruction to make chains that could drain chakra as well as disrupt it for some extra chakra cost. Plus, the disruption and absorption effects synergized, enhancing each other's performance. And there was also the || combination, Parasitic Sealing, which allowed me to cover my body in an aura that disrupts and absorbs chakra. Though it was harder to do than Adamantine Destruction and wasn't perfect...

But I digress. I pointed the chain link at Hinata, shooting an entire chain at her. The general consensus of just about anyone who I used my special chains on was that if I got a grab in the fight was over. Sure, I could still only have more than a few links out for a few seconds without any boost before I got super tired, but between the draining and the throw I could easily pull off with the chains I only needed one good grab to wear down even adults. At least enough to jump in with a few cheap hits to finish them off. Hinata obviously knew this by now, so she ducked under my chain, then rolled out of the way when I tried to pin her to the ground.

I was expecting her to do that, though, and had already prepped my next jutsu. Metal marbles, designed so I could hurt but not kill with my magnet release, scored hits on her side. I charged, and she blocked my foot with her hand. I winced, realizing my mistake when my leg turned numb from the near-instantaneous point-blank Heavenly Will. I used my demon gem-based flight to try to kick her with my other foot, but she got it before I could.

"Full body takeover, eh?" I asked as the rest of my body below my neck was wrested from my control. Really, having a relatively non-draining jutsu that might as well be an automatic win to anyone in melee distance is even more broken than I am...

"Sorry, but can I practice this for a bit?"

I tried to shrug, but remembered the futility. "Go ahead. I still have control over my demon gems, so I can catch myself if you slip up." Hinata spent the rest of the sparring session finding stupid dances to make me do, egged on by Kurama. I did get her to work on her proxy chakra control a bit, though. She could almost make me do Juken by the end. And I could almost do Juken by the end.

kukukuku~

Tenten said something, probably about how much it stank that we had to go to school, as we walked ourselves to school. Well, they walked and I floated because I actually may or may not have a bit of trouble matching other people's walking paces, especially if I'm not paying too much attention... I didn't know what she was saying, though. I was thinking. I mumbled something in response and pulled out my sealing notebook and note-taking pencil, which I used to write down the formula I thought of. I tuned out their conversation even more as I sketched the complex seal down as best I could.

"You messed up a little there," Tenten said as I was finishing off the last strokes.

"Hm?" I asked.

She pointed to one of the runes and oh my that was very wrong. "I'm not sure, but I think it'll just tear a hole in the fabric of space if you don't fix that stabilizing rune." I thanked her and hurriedly fixed it.

"I feel like maybe you should not write down a seal that could potentially tear a hole in the fabric of space itself until you're absolutely sure it won't do that?" Neji said with more than a little concern.

To be honest, I didn't blame him, but... "Graphite's pretty much the worst for making seals," I explained, "which means that it's really good for practicing making the more dangerous seals because it's almost impossible to activate it accidentally. Unless you're a jinchuriki, maybe, but even then you'd probably have to be pretty distracted."

"Well why didn't you have me use a pencil when you were trying to teach me seals, then?"

Finished, I stowed the notebook. "Okay in my defense I wasn't expecting you to screw up the easiest seal in the book when given detailed instructions, much less screw it up enough to accidentally make an incredibly simplified explosive seal. And with the last seal I had you do, I think we both know that you should always assume that there will be an explosion when making a paper bomb."

I tried to teach Neji fuinjutsu once. Turns out he's literally the worst at it. He somehow managed to turn a basic light seal into a thankfully tiny bomb with only a big enough blast radius to burn itself off of whatever it's written on with a noise like a firecracker, which apparently was a theme with him. No matter what, he would always make bombs out of whatever seal I gave him. And then, when I tried to have him purposefully make a bomb, hoping that maybe he was just some sort of bomb savant, he somehow managed to make a seal tag that teleported itself and whatever it was touching to a random place within a fifty meter radius. Which, okay, free spacetime ninjutsu, but how? "I'm still scratching my head on how you managed to make a short-range teleport out of a bomb. Speaking of, what's your mom make of it, Tenten?"

She snorted. "She's still on that high from the wedding, so she's been more concentrated with being all lovey-dovey with Mommy than looking over the seal, but she did say to never let Neji near a seal again when I told her it was supposed to be a paper bomb."

"It wasn't really that bad, was it?" Neji asked.

Tenten laughed and shook her head. "Not at all, Neji..."

"...It's much worse," I finished her sentence with a slight grin. We high-fived. "When I looked at the seal you were making with my eyes, I saw a lot of different possibilities. Random teleportation was one of the better ones. You don't want to know what the worse ones were."

"Right." He didn't believe me. To be fair, I did tend to mess with him... And was messing with him. "So what's the seal you were working on supposed to do? I'm assuming it's somehow related to spacetime."

"Yeah, normally when people screw up seals that have nothing to do with spacetime, the result doesn't do anything to the fabric of reality," Tenten said, elbowing Neji.

"Shut it."

I shrugged. "You're right, though. It was most certainly a spacetime seal."

"Yeah, it looked a bit like an object summoning seal, but a little different," Tenten said. "Was it meant to swap objects between two paired seals?"

"Close. My hope is that it'll form a portal between two locations when chakra's input on both ends, and that it's compatible with demon sage chakra. It's still a little rough around the edges, though."

"Let me guess, secret base," Tenten said.

I brushed my hand through my hair. I was combing it less now, so it was a bit curlier and fluffier. And it was getting so long that my bangs started falling over my left eye more. I loved the way it looked, though. "Obviously. In fact, I have an agent working on finding the location right now. Haven't found anything good yet, though."

"How do you have an agent?" Neji asked me.

"Magic." I noticed a certain building and pointed at it. "Hey, isn't that the school? That looks like a school."

"Yup, that's the school," Tenten said. "Mommy took me here a lot. Mama's job is a little less kid-friendly, plus the teachers looked after me when I didn't want to sit through Mommy's classes."

"Oh right," I said. "Your mom's a teacher."

"Yeah, I said that earlier, weren't you paying attention?"

Something about that sentence felt a little doomy, though I couldn't tell why. "No, I was thinking about how to breach through spacetime to reach another location without accidentally summoning Mega Neo Beqthulhuzillaon, Destroyer of Souls and Eater of Worlds."

"Is that an actual concern?" Neji asked. "Are you messing with us or could you have actually summoned some sort of eldritch horror monster?"

I smirked. "You should know the answer to that question by now. I'm assuming you know the way, Tenten?"

"Duh."

kukukuku~

I tried very hard not to groan. "My name is Uzumaki Tenko," our teacher for the next few years said, writing it on the chalkboard. God I hate chalkboards. If I were Hokage I'd make chalkboards illegal. Which is probably one of the reasons I should not be Hokage, actually... "I look forward to teaching you." I slumped in my seat. It's not that I didn't like her. Tenko was really nice. No, the problem was that she knew I was a literal genius relative to my age level, and with that comes... expectations...

Before, my plan was to just rest on my near-complete high school-level education to put the bare minimum amount of work into the actual academic parts of ninja school, which considering what grades I got with how little effort I put into school before would've made me best in class or thereabouts already. But Tenko already saw me put actual effort into something, meaning she might have been able to tell when I didn't put in the work. So if I didn't want to hear about it from her and Tenten both I'd have to at least half-ass it. Ugh...

I sound like Shikamaru, don't I?

"Didn't I tell you she was going to be our teacher earlier?" Tenten muttered to me. I guess that was what I missed... "And why are you so annoyed Mommy's your teacher?"

"Because she'll actually care if I don't put any effort into my work," I whispered back.

"How terrible," Neji snarked. I flicked him with natural energy. Using natural energy without sage mode may have been a lot weaker, but I could at least flick someone sitting right next to me hard enough to feel. He flicked me back, though. My Neji may have been completely seal-illiterate, but he was just as much of a ninjutsu genius as in canon, and figured out how to feel and manipulate natural energy just by watching me do it, though he hadn't quite managed sage mode yet. We proceeded to engage in invisible and incredibly petty warfare that Tenko would probably have stopped if she were a sensor. Luckily, Tenten was too amused to turn us in. She almost gave us away with her giggling, though.

"Now, why don't you introduce yourselves?" I'm not saying that I completely tuned everyone's introductions out, but I am saying that the only names that I retained aside from Hyuga Neji, Uzumaki Tenten, and Rock Lee was someone from the Yamanaka family whose given name was Kaede. Kaede is a pretty awesome name. Why couldn't I have been a Kaede?

"Hello. My name is Hyuga Kouki," I said when it was my turn. "The reason why I don't look like Neji despite us having the same family name is because he's adopted."

"What!?" Neji spluttered. "No! You're the adopted one!"

"It's nice to meet you," I halfheartedly finished, pretending Neji said nothing. He flicked me for my troubles when I sat down. I flicked back, and as if someone assassinated a duke or something, Flick War II began.

kukukuku~

"Just remember that these are friendly matches," Tenko said when we were all sitting on the ground by the sparring ring. "If I feel like someone is being hurt too badly, I'll stop it there. And once more, it's taijutsu only."

"Why'd you look at me when you said that?" I asked. Her glare turned a little more accusatory. I pouted. "I wasn't gonna do it anyway..."

"Right," she said, turning away from me. "You may now look at the slips of paper I gave you. Who has one?" Tenten and a boy I should probably have known the name of raised their hands. "You two are first. And Tenten, try not to rough him up too badly, okay, sweetie?"

The unnamed kid grinned maliciously. "I hope teach doesn't get too angry after I beat up her precious daughter." Neji and I exchanged a look and snickered. Right, like that kid stood a chance. When they were told to start, the kid jumped in for a punch. Tenten dodged easily and shoved him to the side. He stumbled and fell.

"Get him with your Uzumaki strength, Tenten," I cheered dully.

She scowled at me. "For the last time!" Tenten shouted, then picked up the nearest object. Namely the unnamed kid. "I'm not!" She hoisted her hapless victim above her head. "Freakishly strong!" She threw Hapless Victim at me. Without even blinking, I deployed the demon gems hanging from my earlobes. One formed a springy barrier in front of me that safely absorbed the impact of the collision without too much damage to Hapless, while the other formed a barrier under him to cushion his fall.

"I have no idea why I would think that," I said as I recalled my gems. "Truly, your ability to lift over your body weight in small child despite being yourself a small child is totally unremarkable." She blushed and growled at me.

"Kouki, please stop antagonizing Tenten," Tenko said. "The match is over, Tenten wins."

"How did you do that?" another small child I probably should've known the name of asked me.

"Magic."

Hapless (I was now trying to commit his face and chakra signature to memory so I could keep calling him that) groaned and sat up. "I thought we weren't allowed to use jutsu!" he complained.

"You weren't," I said. "The Uzumaki bloodline manifests itself passively in the form of enhanced vitality and strength, something that Tenten definitely has even if she doesn't quite have the traditional looks."

"HEY!"

"So really, you didn't stand a chance."

Hapless stomped off to his seat and the rounds began again. After a few, it was my turn, as well as, "coincidentally" enough, a young Rock Lee.

"Remember, no jutsu," Tenko reminded me.

"Yeah, yeah," I said, then got into my fighting stan- "Ah, crud," I muttered, realizing that I had not been doing regular old sparring enough. I couldn't even remember the last time I'd actually practiced fighting someone without ninjutsu or genjutsu.

"Start."

I dodged a really shoddy punch. To be honest, it was pretty weird seeing Lee suck at taijutsu. Very lucky for me, but weird. I leaned away from another punch, then caught his arm. "Stop," I commanded. I uncurled his fist, removed his thumb from his palm, and then forced his hand into a proper fist. "It's a common mistake," I assured him. "If you punch someone with your fingers around your thumb, you'll probably break it. Oh, and hit me with those two big knuckles, not the entire fist." When I released him, he cautiously punched me. "Good," I said after catching his hand with mine. "However, I'm afraid that now I have to..." I twisted around and slung his arm over my shoulder in an attempt to suplex him or something. "Finish you!" Key word being attempt... I may or may not have only lifted him onto my back...

"I don't think you did what you were attempting to do..." he said.

"Stupid physics. I always hated that subject..." I shrugged and just dropped backwards in what I hoped looked like a planned move. I really needed to work on my taijutsu...

"Okay, that was not at all what I was expecting..." Tenko sighed. "Kouki wins, I guess..."

"You okay?" I asked as I got off Lee.

He sighed. "I am fine..."

The third noteworthy match was Neji versus Yamanaka Kaede, a hotblooded girl with orange hair like that one Fu guy and red eyes. While Neji was technically a pseudo jinchuriki by now from my experiments, his powers were weird and technically even his "passive" strength would be considered an active jutsu, especially because he could turn it off. The Yamanaka, on the other hand, was surprisingly strong for a Yamanaka. Maybe she was part Uzumaki? She did have red hair. At any rate, while Neji was almost overpowered at one point, he beat her. He was a genius after all.

kukukuku~

"Hey," I said, then sat down on the floor next to Lee. Okay, I actually floated just a bit off the ground, but the sentiment was there... "Sorry about beating you so bad."

He sighed. "No, it's okay... I already knew I would not do well here. I cannot use ninjutsu or genjutsu, and you saw how my taijutsu is..."

"Can you channel chakra into things?" I asked. I really wanted to know what would happen if I started him off early.

"I can, but no matter how hard I try, I will not be able to use a jutsu. The doctor said that there is a problem with my chakra coils, so I am incapable of molding my chakra into jutsu..."

I shrugged. "Not exactly a dealbreaker, if you're willing to work extra hard."

"What do you mean?"

I summoned my crystal ball. Yeah, I know it's kind of a stereotype, but I'd made the jutsu from that crystal ball jutsu Sarutobi used to see Naruto in the first episode, plus it did kinda look cool. "Watch this." I waved my hands over the floating crystal ball, casting the jutsu. Despite not activating my Shoraigan, the crystal ball changed to show another location. By using a physical medium, I could show my vision to others and didn't have the same backlash, though with the downside that it wasn't private and I didn't get nearly as much information.

"See that man?" I said, pointing to Gai training. "He used to be about where you are, but now he's one of the most dangerous shinobi in Konoha through taijutsu alone. Do you want to know how?" I put away the ball and looked at Lee. His eyes said yes. "An insane amount of practice, training, and diligence, combined with challenging himself to do something even more difficult whenever he fails a training exercise. You should probably take time to rest every once in a while, especially at first to keep from permanently damaging your body, but I see a fire in you. There's no reason why you couldn't become as good as or perhaps even better than him one day."

There were stars in his eyes, and he was almost crying. "Do you think so?"

I gave him a small grin. "I know so. Also..." I pulled out the other thing I had for him. "This is a bit of a beginner's fuinjutsu kit, at least my version of it. Try and see if you have some aptitude for it. You may not be able to inscribe seals with chakra alone, but if you pick up enough you might be able to work wonders with seals." Imagine Rock Lee with the ability to make and use seals. To be honest I have no clue what would happen but I do know it would be amazing.

He stood up, energized, and gave me a deep bow. "Thank you very much! I will make sure to become a splendid ninja!"

My grin was genuine. "I'm sure you will."

kukukuku~

Usagi

I lurched along the dirt path. My new body of stone and earth was not suitable for travel in the slightest, but I had no other alternatives. It seemed that compatibility with myself was not quite as common outside of Konoha as I assumed it was at first, and the rabbit was either a stroke of luck on my part or perhaps somehow related to how Kurama was present in End Valley at one point. Perhaps his chakra acted as a primer. Still, I did sense a few scattered people in small villages who had compatibility, though I couldn't in good conscience simply abduct and kill an innocent person. I needed to find a bandit with compatibility.

"Well well well, what do we have here?" a source of malicious intent jeered as two men appeared from behind trees. Speak of the devil... The two bandits, however, were nowhere near compatible.

"There's a toll to use this road," the other bandit said, brandishing his sickle. They had yet to realize my anomalous existence on account of the cloak, gloves, and mask I had fashioned for myself.

"Oh," I said. "I do apologize. I was not made aware of the toll. You really should put up a sign."

"You gettin' smart with us?" the first bandit asked. "We'll rough you up!" I probably didn't look like much of a threat either. The body I'd formed for myself was rather on the short side, to save energy. It was still definitely in the adult range, but not by much.

"You two are bandits, aren't you?" I asked. I already knew the answer, of course.

"Of course we're bandits, now give us all your loot!" The sickle-wielding bandit rushed me. That was a mistake. My body became fluid, the eyeholes of my mask gained two red lights where my eyes should have been, and I dodged effortlessly. I removed one of my gloves and placed my hand on his face, my hand like a lunging viper.

"Do you take chakra instead?" I asked, then infused his body with demon sage chakra. He dropped his weapon as his brain itself was altered in such a way that, while he didn't technically die, he certainly couldn't have been said to have been truly alive anymore. I removed my hand, revealing red markings across his face.

"What the hell!?" the other bandit shrieked. Without turning to him, I sent a signal to my new thrall. The bandit that I had just "killed" snarled like a beast and rushed at him. The... I suppose the best word for it would have been "zombie" bit the man on his arm with partially crystallized teeth. The man shrieked, throwing the zombie away and running in terror. I nodded to myself and split my attention in two, one half of my mind focusing on breaking the zombie down into more demon gems and the other tending to the bandit.

When my zombie bit him it infected him with my chakra, causing the cells in his arm to start to transform into the demon gem-like material that I'd used to zombify his partner. I altered the rate at which the infection spread, causing it to slow near the surface while speeding up within his blood and bones. My hope was that he'd notice the infection, cut his arm off and assume he got it all, then hurry back to his leader while carrying the infection. That would be fun. When I was done with the carrier, I turned my full attention to the zombie, which was almost prepared. With a final command, the corpse disintegrated into red powder. Some of it scattered to the wind, where it would be carried elsewhere. The rest came to me. About half of it went behind my mask, where it bolstered my existing gem. The other half I formed into another gem that I hid within my cloak.

With that done, I placed all of his belongings into a bag I had tied to my makeshift body under the cloak. I wasn't to know fuinjutsu, after all. I continued down the lonely road, ever-so-slightly quicker than I had before.

[firebirdsdaughter]

We really ignoring Horobi murdering Izu who not trying to kill him and the fact while he didn’t started this cycle. He sure as hell doing himself no favors by murdering Izu who Artuo closet ally and act all surprised when Artuo hate him. Not acknowledging he the cause for this malice in Artuo. Should Artuo still try to get though to him even though he murder Izu who got no back up compare to Jin who died before and can very well be bought back again?

…

Uh.

Can I just ask… Why are you on my blog? It’s not like I’ve been subtle about my love for Horobi. And you must be on my blog bc I’m pretty sure I haven’t put any of those thoughts in the main tag, and have been carefully tagging them as complaining/negativity/opinions/salt.

1) I’m not saying Horobi was ‘right,’ I’m saying he isn’t in a sane place right now and this wasn’t a ‘cold blooded murder,’ esp bc I’m pretty sure he understands that he regrets it now. He’s been trained for more than ten years to respond to things w/ extremity and violence, as evidenced by the Ark having him repeatedly take out or try to take out things/people that were making him feel in any way—what happened w/ Midori, why he was driven to attack Jin in 41. From Horobi’s extremely damaged and fucked up perspective, he just wanted to make the pain and confusion go away. He didn’t try to hunt out Izu, she approached him, and knowingly endangered herself. Which is why I’m also calling the fact that we’ve seen Izu move faster than a car, she could have dodged the shot and didn’t, so it’s ineffective as drama bc it was easily preventable. I’m calling bs on the writing.

2) Horobi’s definitely not surprised that Aruto hates him? He might be surprised that Aruto went full Ark (I am, too, that feels out of character, I would’ve expected him to just go regular berserk on his own). I’m not saying it’s wrong for Aruto to be mad. Like I just said, I would have expected him to go berserk on his own, which might have ended up leading to Jin’s death anyway. Like… Where did you get that. Actually don’t answer that. Aruto getting angry and going after Horobi would have been one thing, though the way he went Ark is weird to me. What bugs me is the way it’s being treated/reacted to as a ‘black and white’ situation when it should be more grey. Horobi is mentally unwell, and there were multiple factors at work/responsible for the situation. This isn’t just ‘Horobi is a bad person it’s all his fault.’ This is also ‘contrived drama by the writers who are hoping we forgot Izu can break land-speed records.’

2.5) I’m not expecting Aruto to reach out to him at this point. Hell, I’m not even saying ‘forgive’ him, even though I think by this point Horobi has figured out he regrets it. What should really happen is someone else intervenes and keeps them away from each other until both are more stable. Really, someone should have stepped in to control that on both ends. Aruto shouldn’t have been left alone. Neither of them should have. I do think more effort should have gone into reaching out to him before it happened. If they hadn’t been alone in there/if someone w/ a little more ‘emotional/mental experience’ had been present, things might’ve gone differently.

3) Izu still not having a back up is ridiculous, literally everyone knows Aruto is Zero-One, this feels like just terrible planning/lack lustre writing imo, and on top of that, Horobi didn’t know she had no backup. Still doesn’t make his reaction ‘okay,’ bc violence is never the answer, but he’s shown before he believes in bringing AI back through backups, so it may not even have occurred to him that she wouldn’t have one. Additionally, we don’t know Jin has a back up. We can’t say he ‘can very well be brought back again’ bc we don’t actually know that. We don’t know if ZAIA kept that data, Williamson just said they ‘repaired’ him. And that’s also it, even if it exists, ZAIA has it. Not Horobi. Also… This is KR, they could figure out some MacGyver to bring Izu back, even if it’s not clear now, though that’s more of a meta thing. Actually, what I would love to happen is Horobi helps bring her back, maybe as part of therapy.

Look, disagreeing is fine. That’s why I’ve been trying to keep my negative reactions out of the main tag. I’m not trying to get into fights, I’m just venting. I’m analysing what I see and interpret. It’s not that Horobi was ‘right’ it’s that he’s mentally and emotionally unstable rn bc of what happened to him, he should not be expected to know how to react calmly to things, esp if under pressure and in an intense situation. I also literally just wrote a post about how I don’t think it’s fair to blame Izu entirely, either. I comment about blaming the humans (esp Yua and Fuwa (whom I love dearly), but they did escalate the situation and then leave Aruto alone there, wtf did they leave him alone???) bc if they’d listened to Izu at the start we’d likely not be in this mess, or if they’d actually tried to reach out to him before, things could have gone differently.

This is my point of view. If this is upsetting to you, which it seems to be from the tone of this Ask, I recommend blocking my blog, bc these are my feelings on this, and I’m not going to change. I’d block you so that you wouldn’t have to see my posts, but then you wouldn’t be able to see this answer, which I hope explains some of my position, so I’ll leave it for now. Besides, in the end, it’s just a tv show, and it doesn’t actually matter, for all I can get very emotional about things, esp bc Horobi as a character became very important to me.

I hope at least some of that was coherent. I have a hard time articulating my thoughts (part of why I repeat myself so much), and I have been extremely exhausted for the past few days bc my sleep schedule is messed up, so it’s even worse.

I’m not apologising for having an opinion and an interpretation of a piece of media, and I never will. That’s not something I should be required to apologise for. I’m not hurting anyone, bc, again, it’s just a tv show. I’m just in my corner, rambling. I don’t mean any of it as an attack against people who disagree, everyone interpret things differently. For instance, I have things in media that I dislike so much it makes me feel physically ill to think about them, but I just filter them out and it’s fine. I’m even on friendly terms (I hope?) w/ people who like some of those things that make me feel sick, but it’s fine, bc we just don’t discuss them. I know people I disagree about things w/, less viscerally, and have actually had discussions w/ them about that stuff.

Having differing opinions is one thing, but I don’t appreciate the aggressive tone here. I’m saying this partially bc I do understand getting very fired up about something, even if it’s fictional (*looks pointedly at my own blog*), so I’m assuming you just feel very strongly on the subject, but please be aware of how your words might come across—bc the another part of the reason I’m saying this is that I know if I had been in a slightly different mood when I saw this, it might have greatly upset me to unwell levels. I hope it was not your intention to attack me on anything, and that this is just something you feel passionate about, but as someone who often struggles w/ tone and knows it… Please consider it. It can be harmful.

[fandom-necromancer]

1023. What’s that look for? Did I do something wrong?

This was prompted by the amazing @yawheeman! You should never leave it up to me who to pare him with because there is a 99.6% chance it’s Nines XD. I hope you enjoy!

Fandom: Detroit become human | Ship: Ralph/Nines

Nines carefully looked around before pulling back the curtain of vines that had overgrown most of Detroit’s deserted districts. He couldn’t sense anyone around, neither human nor android and let himself slip gracefully through the hidden entrance. It was a hole in the street, maybe there had once been a manhole cover in place, but the street was cracked and broken beyond repair, so it could have just been natural decay too. His feet hit ground in a muddy puddle, created by the broken drainage channel behind him. The small rivulet had washed out enough earth to create a small tunnel into a basement which walls had given in. The room was stable enough for them and dry, housing enough equipment to be easily considered an android repair workshop. All of it was stolen, although no one would miss the parts in this side of the city.

In the beginning of the revolution Detroit had suffered a great loss of its citizens as they fled the city. It was unsure what the future would bring, and they didn’t want to relay on the hope for it all to play out nicely alone. Fear of civil war and rebelling androids resulted in the conclusion that home could always be found someone else, somewhere safe. It hadn’t been such an irrational thought back then. But surprisingly the revolution had been peaceful. Markus led the androids towards a bright future, where they were treated as equals and were granted their rights. All androids except for RK900 of course. Amanda tried everything to stop deviancy in its tracks and even after humanity had declared them persons, the AI had sent out their deviant hunters before being deactivated for good. After proving RK900s could not be deviated and knowing they were just machines, they were quickly becoming the hunted themselves by police and the army. They were killed or deactivated in mere months.

Except for one. Nines – his name was Nines now – had been lucky. He had been critically damaged by the group of deviants he had been programmed to kill and afraid as the survivors were, they left him lying there and ran. Nines had lied in that back alley in the deserted part of Detroit, for how long he didn’t know. He couldn’t move, he couldn’t repair himself, he couldn’t even think clearly. The first sound for him to hear after far away footsteps, a cat and the rain was the shuffling of feet and a cape fluttering. Then static speech: ‘Who left you here? No, no, no, Ralph can’t leave you here like this! Ralph can help! Don’t worry, Ralph will fix you, Ralph fixed himself too, see? Sleep now, I will help!’ [F0rc3d /ntrrfac_ det!cte#] [com-enc|ng coun/er me@s+res..-] [W@rn-//fdjs] [Shutdown completed.]

When he had woken up again, he was facing a heavily damaged, smiling face. The smile was lopsided, as half the face was immobile, but genuine. The android in front of him was blonde and his best days had far passed: patches of dirt clung to his clothes, the hull was cracked, and one eye was either blind or heavily damaged. He was leaning over him, before standing up and letting his emotions take over his motions in some sort of victory dance. Nines frowned at that. Emotions… Dancing… That was… He scanned the android in front of him. That was not the programmed behaviour of a gardener. He awaited his attack protocol engaging and his HUD telling him how to approach best, only to blink in confusion. There was nothing. Then he thought it all over. He could frown. He could think. He could scan. He had been repaired and skilfully too. But his programming seemed to have been destroyed. ‘What did you do to me?’, he screamed, sitting up. Or wanted to scream rather, because all that came out of his mouth was a metallic screech. The android in front of him froze, then patted his shoulders in a far too naïve, far too friendly gesture towards a killing machine. ‘J-Just stay calm! Everything is alright, see? Ralph repaired you! Ralph cares! Your voice box is still broken, that’s Ralph’s fault. Ralph didn’t think of different architecture. Ralph is sorry!’ Nines looked the robot up and down. The speech pattern was unconventional, but what he had said seemed genuine. That android was earnestly sorry for repairing him and damaging one system in the process. A system Nines didn’t need anyways. Speech wasn’t needed for killing.

Again, he searched for his programming that should have told him to eliminate this deviant. It would have been remarkably easy in his damaged state and with the amount of trust he showed. But it wasn’t existent. He discovered he could still access his fighting subroutines; he was still capable of killing Ralph. But without the programming in place there was doubt. Should he kill him? He decided to wait for now.

He held his hand up with his activated Holo-screen. >What did you do to me? To my programming? ‘Ralph helped you! Ralph knows a lot! Humans killed RK900s. But you were just a machine. So, Ralph brought you with him! Ralph repaired and gave name! You are Nines now! And Ralph gave you deviancy!’ Deviancy? That word alone sent a surge of panic through him. He started self-diagnostics and waited for the result. It came back positive. There it was: the deviancy virus. It was integrated into his personality, had rewired paths and bypassed important structures that had made him himself, that had made him a powerful tool once. It was all gone. All gone never to come back. >You destroyed me! He was standing up now, ready to strike, but something made him stop again. The way these eyes looked at him. There was regret and despair, but also fear. Nines decided then that he didn’t like seeing that emotion, that he had never liked seeing it in his victims. The programming just always hid it, deleted his doubts and thoughts and hesitance. Maybe what he had thought to be himself never really had been him. So, he sat back down and tried to find words for his confused mind. ‘Ralph did not destroy! Ralph never destroys again! Sometimes Ralph did things he regrets, but never, never again! You are free now. Ralph did no harm. Ralph wants to help!’ >I am confused. It will take time. >I think a thank you is appropriate. The desperate look vanished from the androids face that instant and his voice nearly was too fast for his mouth as he was babbling again: ‘No, you need not to thank Ralph! Ralph understands. Ralph was confused too! Confused and angry. This is normal. Ralph has time, Ralph has time.’ >I can stay? ‘Of course! You can’t go out there! They will kill you! You must stay!’ Ralph stopped himself there and seemed to consider something. ‘Stay as long as you want! That’s what Ralph meant. Yes. Ralph cannot force, only advise.’

Nines did stay with the quirky, broken android. Ralph was a mystery to him. He had obviously seen some abuse in his life, badly enough to be the reason for him deviating. The speech pattern wasn’t normal either. But still he seemed to trust him, the murderer of several androids, completely. He helped him accommodate to his deviancy, gave him something to work on and answered his questions. He also still searched for a spare voice box for him, but never found one. He came back one day damaged as a floor collapsed underneath him. Then Nines had cleared his mind. He would stay with Ralph and he would protect him. The unit’s processors and scanning abilities were obviously not as advanced and he couldn’t defend himself. He had asked Ralph once why he didn’t live in the good part of the city. The inhabited part that wasn’t slowly turning to rubble and were he could live in safety. ‘Ralph’s scared’, he had said. ‘Humans are scary.’ Nines hadn’t asked any further.

Since then he had been the one going out to get them what they needed. There were enough abandoned Cyberlife stores in the area and now, three years later that Cyberlife was trying to find its way back into business by catering to the androids need, they wanted to sweep under the rug that they had ever sold an android. That meant enough Thirium and spare parts for them once they found one that hadn’t been raided yet. It was one of these trips he had come back from just now as Nines entered their refuge.

Ralph came out of the adjacent room they used for stasis as he heard the RK900 play the tune they had agreed on beforehand. Ralph was able to tinker with the voice box so that he could at least play these little melodies. ‘Nines is back!’, he called excitedly and ran to hug the broader android. Ralph really liked Nines, who had stayed with him for so long now. He couldn’t remember how life had been all alone and he was thankful he didn’t need to think of it anymore. >Yes, I am, Nines nodded and ruffled Ralph’s hair. To say he had grown fond of him, too, was an understatement. ‘Did you get any parts?’ >Unfortunately not, I Ralph didn’t read his message to the end as he grabbed his arm and turned it around. ‘Nines is hurt! Let Ralph see!’ He leaned in to get a closer view of the thin ripple of blue blood that trailed down his arm. ‘What happened?’ Nines used his other hand to display his sentences. >I couldn’t find a voice box anywhere. >I also couldn’t find an eye for you. >So, I went into the city to ask someone. I look like a RK800 after all. ‘Nines, you can’t do that! It’s too dangerous, Ralph won’t allow it!’ >It went well enough until we interfaced. I wanted to show them were to meet me. >I didn’t think it through. >They attacked me. ‘That is not fair, Ralph’s so sorry Nines. Ralph will show them!’ >No, it’s alright. It’s my fault. I’m sorry I couldn’t find the spares. >Sometimes I think I would have better stayed a machine. He produced a metallic sound Ralph had learned quickly to be a sigh of frustration. >If I had just been killed back then. You would still have enough spares to repair yourself and I wouldn’t have to live like this! >It’s just not worth it! The grip around his arm tightened, as anger appeared on the other’s face and Nines immediately halted his thoughts to analyse the threat that the tool in Ralph’s hand portrayed. ‘Stay! Nines stays! Humans are dangerous and they will kill you! Ralph won’t let you, no, Ralph won’t let you!’ The WR600 had his hand with it lifted and looked ready to strike. But just as he began to move he froze again and Ralph let go of his arm and the tool immediately, holding his head and darting into the other room.

Nines looked down on the tool Ralph had been about to repair him with. It had been some time since the other android had one of his aggressive outbreaks. Nines knew by now Ralph didn’t mean to be violent. Other than himself he had never been a person to harm others intentionally. So, Nines just took some cloth that was lying on the table and wrapped it around the cut, before he carefully followed him.

Ralph was sitting on their bed, arms around his knees and back to the entrance. Nines walked around slowly, not to surprise the other, and sat down next to him. Ralph looked up looking distressed and overly guilty. Nines smiled softly, holding out his hand. >What’s that look for? Did I do something wrong? He knew he had done something wrong, but maybe it helped Ralph to voice it. ‘This is the only life we have. It is worth living because life is worth living. There is beauty in the world, Ralph can see it. Maybe Ralph has just one eye, but Ralph can still see.’ >I’m sorry. ‘No, Ralph understands. Ralph was once the same. Sometimes Ralph got angry and did things he regrets and often thought about shutting down. But then we only suffered, right? We deserve nice things.’ >We do. And I have you. I often forget that. ‘That’s not something nice. Ralph is broken and angry all the time.’ >You are damaged, Ralph, not broken. That is something entirely different. >And being angry is okay if your android is an idiot. ‘My… android? Nines is not mine. And Nines is very clever!’ >I don’t think so. I just walked into the city and interfaced with an android when you already knew how dangerous that was. ‘But you are sick of being silent. Ralph understands!’

Nines decided to hum a low static tune and pulled the other android close. >You understand me perfectly. I don’t need a voice as long as I have you. The WR600 looked up to him confused and Nines simply rested his head on his. ‘So, you will stay?’ >Of course I will stay. I would really be an idiot to leave. I will always stay by your side Ralph. He felt the body next to him press into him. ‘Thank you. Ralph will stay with you too.’

[number-1-kuaidul-fanboy]

Scenes that should’ve been in Duel Links

Because I’m actually kinda salty about their handling of some of these characters, particularly Revolver. The source for both of these is my own post VRAINS fanfiction The Lost is Found. You can read the whole thing here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/41231739/chapters/103369587 

Excerpts below the cut since they’re both a bit long.

(Source: Chapter 13 of The Lost is Found, my post-VRAINS fanfiction on Archive of Our Own)

Ryoken finally turned to Ai, his eyes narrowing. “You tried to kill us.”

The Ignis’s eyes narrowed. “You tried to kill me. Multiple times. Before I did that.”

“And Takeru and Yusaku? What did they do to deserve your wrath?”

Ai stiffened. “N-nothing I just…”

“Why did you do what you did?” Ryoken cut him off. His nails dug into the couch, his body trembling with rage as he growled, “Why did you attack humanity after claiming you were on our side for so long?”

“BECAUSE I WAS SCARED!” Ai snapped, glaring up at Ryoken as his eyes welled with tears.

Ryoken raised an eyebrow. Ai fell to his knees, trembling as the memories of the simulations washed over him. The cries of his partner echoed in his mind along with images of him falling to the ground limp, so vivid it was as if they’d really happened. Happened because of him…

Ai pulled his legs into his chest, shuddering. “I… I was scared I would be like Lightning and Bohman… I hate those humans that erased Earth… and the ones who started the war… I thought that meant I would hate all of humanity eventually. I didn't want that to happen. I wanted to die before it could! Before I could hurt anyone… before Yusaku would end up getting involved and-”

It was at that moment that Ai remembered who he was talking to and shoved himself in the duel disk in a fit of shame. “I’ve said too much!”

Ryoken stared at the duel disk, barely processing the fact that Ai had just poured his heart out to him, let alone what he’d said. He had seen the Ignis’ data and the probability each of them had to have either a positive or negative relationship with humanity. However, he hadn’t considered the cause of the negative outcomes would be… anything like this. Emotional, sure but… wanting to die? Ryoken barely believed it but Ai seemed far too genuine to be lying about this.

“Are you still there?” Ai’s voice was small.

“Yes…?”

Ai peeked out of the duel disk, resting his head on his arms. “I’m sorry… here I am getting angry that you won’t apologise when I have stuff I should be apologising for too.”

Ryoken blinked. “Is that what you wanted? An apology?”

“Only if you mean it. Do you regret any of it?”

“It was… my fault the war started in the first place.”

Ai couldn’t work up the effort to get angry at Ryoken anymore, his voice low as he replied, “So you admit the deaths of my friends are on your hands?”

Ryoken’s eyes narrowed. “My actions are on my hands. And I didn’t make you act out the way you did.”

“That’s… fair. I’m sorry… you won’t believe me… but it really was all for Yusaku… to prevent… those-those simulations I saw… of him getting involved and…”

Ai couldn’t finish his sentence. The memories surged through him again and he found himself shivering and gripping the sides of his head in a vain attempt to block them out.

(Source: Chapter 15 of The Lost is Found)

Aoi sat down at the table, placing the duel disk down in front of her.

“What is it, Ai?” she asked, her gaze intent on the Ignis.

“I um… I don’t really know how to say this, I just…” Ai let out a sigh, his body slumping further into the duel disk. “I’m sorry. About… how I duelled you and your brother. It was… I was horrible to you and… and…” Ai’s voice quivered. “I’m so sorry…”

“I know.” Ai looked up at Aoi in surprise. “I mean… I figured you were. With you being back the way you were. You know… peacefully with Yusaku. Still I…” Aoi suddenly looked away. “I appreciate the apology.”

There was a far off look in Aoi’s eyes

“It doesn’t fix anything… I-I know that. I just… wanted to say it.”

“Well, it doesn’t undo what you did but… it helps me trust you a little again.”

------------

Small note about the Ryoken scene:

Yes, I’m aware Playmaker told Revolver about Ai’s true motive in one of the event chapters, it bothers me a little bit that Playmaker said that when Ai was so unwilling to tell anyone but him (even Roboppi) but I can excuse that as difference of interpretation. What I don’t like about Duel Links’s take on that scene is Revolver’s only response to learning that Ai was essentially trying to die, is thanking Yusaku after he stated that he felt responsible that all the Ignis ceased to exist. I don’t think I need to explain why that’s crossing a line.

[niqhtlord01]

Humans are weird: Friends stick together.

“Overseer Nelson, alien forces have been detected at the outskirts of the complex.” Nelson looked down at his monitor showing a display of the mining complex Heaven’s Fall. The complex was situated on the mining world Alia I nestled on top of a cliff overlooking a massive crater filled with lava known as Hades’s Gateway.  Red icons were appearing one by one at the outskirts of the complex at the very farthest edge of scanner range. “Those fat frakers sure took their time didn’t they Cindy.” Nelson said as he took a sip from his mug. From the control center he could see through dozens of security feeds and scanner returns giving him full coverage of the mining complex. From the returns he was getting on the scanners it looked like a small force of aliens were attempting to access the complex via the main road.  “Cindy, can you predict which path they’re likely to use?” A old projector hummed to life and presented a faded projection of a the female AI Cindy. “Of course Nelson, I’ll just use my mind powers and predict where the space aliens are going to go.” “Come on Cindy, give it your best shot.” The hologram gave an exaggerated sigh before being replaced with the map of the complex again, a red line leading from the main gate to the center of the complex. “Information on them is limited after they took the capital and destroyed the planetary network but if I had to guess I’d say they are highly likely to advance along the main road without alteration and begin searching the complex. They probably think this place is abandoned.” Nelson got up to pour himself another cup of coffee as he took in the information. “Yeah. Last evac shuttles were going on when they were attacking the capital so they probably think there isn’t a single human left on the planet.” Cindy’s appearance came back for the projector. “You should have been on one of those shuttles Nelson, it was stupid to remain here.” Nelson sat back down in his command chair sipping his drink. “There isn’t a storage device large enough to fit you entirely on it and you know I couldn’t sleep right thinking of you all alone waiting for those alien bastards.”  Cindy’s hologram flickered several times as she became angry. “You could have survived and made another Cindy just like me! You shouldn’t have resigned yourself to death over a bunch of 1′s and 0′s!” Nelson just kept sipping his drink, switching between camera feeds to get a better look at the aliens. “I was here when you were first installed into the complex and I’ve been with you every day since. There isn’t a chance in heaven or hell making a copy of you because to me you’re not just 1′s and 0′s. You’re my friend, and friends stick together.” Cindy’s hologram continued flickering as if she was about to start saying something and then stopping over and over. Eventually she stopped flickering and just looked at him. “Thank you Nelson. Truthfully, I didn’t want to be alone either.”  “Then it’s a win win for both of us.” Nelson smiled before putting down his cup. “Now, let’s get to work.” He flicked on several consoles and listened as their hum began growing louder. “They appear to be entering the processing bay and storage room 032.”  Cindy brought up the cameras for those rooms just as the aliens began entering. The aliens were humanoid in form with a set of arms and legs similar to humans. Their skin was covered in a thick layer of grey fur with heads similar to parrots. They wore a combat harness that largely exposed their fur except for the odd bit of tech they had slapped on it projecting a thin energy shield around them. It could block most ballistic weapons and with the planets average temperature in the 80′s-90′s they didn’t feel the need to wear any thicker armor plating. Their weapons were long slender rifles that shot out concentrated lasers strong enough to cut through metal.  “Let’s get this over with quickly, I hate uninvited guests.” Cindy said. Nelson paused and considered his options while looking at the map of the complex. “Right, here’s the game plan. I want you to close the processing vents then start redirecting the steam flow into the processing vents. Once they have reached critical temperature seal the processing bay and open the vents.” Cindy ran some quick calculations. “Smart thinking, but what if their shields block out heat?” “Just a guess but I doubt it. If their shields also operated with temperature control they would be decked out in heavier armor.” “Good point. What about the bunch in storage bay 032?” Nelson brought up the inventory list for the bay. “I’m reading we still have a mechanical dig dog in there. Why don’t you power it up and take it for a spin?” Cindy smiled. “Been a while since I’ve been behind the wheel of one of those.” “Go to town then and have some fun.” Nelson said as he turned on the screens just in time to see the processing bay locking down and flooded with super heated steam, the fur of the aliens catching fire. He switched over to the storage bay to see a giant mechanical digging machine powering to life and attacking the aliens. They were getting some shots off at it but the machine was built to carve through lava flows so their heated lasers did next to nothing to it. He could hear her through the camera humming “Singing in the rain” as a drill bit impaled an alien and began spinning them rapidly before flinging them into the wall. “You’ve earned it.” Nelson said as he left to get some more coffee. 

[vrainsrewatch]

episode 10 thoughts

i don’t have as much to say about this episode as i thought i would, but that’s probably because it’s mostly dueling. we do get our first master duel of the series, though, and that’s pretty cool! 

ah, yes, the start of a beautiful rivalry.

seriously, i could talk all day about how i love the way these two interact and bounce off of each other in the earlier eps like this, and how i adore the ryoken reveal and how much good it did for both of their characters and arcs, but i probably shouldn’t lol. i will say that i think they have my favorite rivalry in all of ygo, but again, i still haven’t watched zexal (shame me more), so who knows how i’ll feel about that once i finally get around to it.

anyways,

this little reoccurring thing is so cute, honestly. i love the way they change it up throughout the show, too, with “i thought AIs didn’t pray?” and everything. it’s a really nice and subtle way to show ai becoming more and more human and also showing how their relationship develops, too. stuff like that makes me really happy.

THE IGNIS ARE NOT YOUR CHILDREN, SHITSTAIN, YOUR SON IS RIGHT THERE. seriously, though, the ignis are not his children. it’s kinda terrible that he thinks like that when he has a living, breathing son who wants nothing more than to have his love and approval. and on top of that, it also really shows what he thinks of ryoken, too, in a less obvious way.

he didn’t raise the ignis. once they were created, they fucked off into the network and created the cyberse world and governed themselves without his interference. to be this upset over his own decision to take them out despite only being their creator is really telling of how much of a hand he actually had in raising his real son, and it’s certainly not a good look.

people hate on him all day long for a myriad of things, and i don’t blame them, but honestly objectively, he’s a terrible person. a perfectly fine character, there’s nothing particularly inconsistent with his writing, but an awful, awful person lol.

moving on.

setting the scene for all of rev’s future duels, lmao. seriously, the OG trap card thing was so hype every time, and made me always look forward to his duels. can’t wait to get to that part lol.

we also get the chess pieces again, and man, i really underestimated how often they were brought up in the early episodes lol. i still don’t think they needed to be a big presence going forward, but i understand why people are irked they were just dropped. that said,

you actually have a reasonable point? after your bs on aoi and akira from episode 8, i wasn’t expecting that lmao.

again, the imagery in this series can be really amazing. i actually love this shot a lot. the colors, the symbolism... prisoners of destiny certainly comes to mind, and it’s good foreshadowing that they are both still locked in the past, completely intertwined with the other’s, even if they don’t know it yet.

THEY CHANGED IT??? LITERALLY ONE EPISODE LATER??? HOLD ON, I FEEL LIKE I’M MAKING THIS UP.

OKAY I’M NOT CRAZY. 

i’ve never heard people talk about this, but seriously??? at least be consistent about it in the episodes right next to each other lmao. oof. on that same note,

ah yes, back before rokkets had come to the TCG so CR was still calling them varrets. good times. 

back to real analysis lol

i love how quickly playmaker picks up on this. part of why i don’t care that yusaku never lost a single duel is because of shit like this - he’s incredibly intelligent and his ability to understand a board or an opponent quickly is amazing. i’ve heard a lot of people complain about his lack of losses, and like, i get it, the angst/character potential watching him lose an important duel would’ve had is amazing, but it honestly makes sense he never lost.

the series shows him just picking up his old deck and getting right back into it once he gets fed up, but if you don’t think someone with trauma wouldn’t practice meticulously to make sure he never had to worry about a panic attack due to losing, i highly urge you to think about it a bit more lol.

and while yusaku never lost, he did have what, 3 ties in the series? 2 to rev and 1 to bohman iirc, so that’s not... terrible.

oh speaking of which, i love how revolver forced a tie in their speed duel. it’s implied that it was planned from the very start, and i find that so interesting. how difficult would that be? to plan for a tie? it really shows how intelligent revolver is.

speaking of rev,

what a dramatic asshole lol. i love you.

and also,

this is.... sad. it really makes me think that, try as he might not to, he holds some resentment over his father never being around/present much in his life and takes that anger out on cyberse. he’s not sympathetic to his father feeling like he’s killing a child - and nor should he be - and instead says that he understands that they need to be destroyed. it’s not an i’m sorry father or anything remotely in the same vein as that. 

and again, i will reiterate it should not be, fuck dr. kogami, revolver should be angry his father is a neglectful at best piece of shit, and honestly this is a good reaction in some ways, but it’s really, really sad. it’s so sad to see, and i really wonder if he had the love and affection he should’ve had growing up (and I KNOW the KOH did some good things for him, but they were working on restoring his father in the network, and probably had no fuckin clue how to take care of a child) if he wouldn’t have grown to hate the cyberse/ignis so much, and maybe could’ve been more easily persuaded that due to their free will, they could make their own choices on humanity.

but hey, i digress. 

and this is the first scene where we see that ai might be growing on yusaku! whether you take this to mean that he knows ai is useful to him in duels, or that he’s actually forming a connection already with him, it’s hard to deny that he really does worry about ai, even this early on. i love it. they make me soft.

i mean, i guess it’s not that early anymore, it’s the 10th episode. but still lol.

might watch another tonight if i can! we shall see~ if not, i’ll be home all day tomorrow, so i’ll definitely be watching some then!

[buckys-forgotten-plum]

Hold Me Tighter

Prompt- You were a human test subject that had been rescued by the Avengers Team. Your recovery wasn’t looking too good, and not even Tony knew how to handle it. That’s when you met Bucky. 

Warnings- maybe a little angst, language, mention of abuse

I wrote this in a day so I am genuinely so, so sorry if this is bad. 

anyways, pitter patter lets get at her...

—————

It was your twelfth day at the Avengers Tower and nothing had changed. You stayed in the room that was given to you, pecked at the food that they had brought, barely slept in the bed provided, and showered at least twice a day in the shower that was in the bathroom. You knew it wouldn’t work, but the idea of scrubbing off all the filth of your past in the fancy shower, clouded your mind petulantly. You refused to talk to anyone, look at them, and especially touch them. Touch was not going to happen.

Though you were freed from your inhumane compounds, the mindset still remained and it was painful to even try to escape them.

“Miss y/n, Mr. Stark would like to enter your room,” the AI Friday, who you actually liked for the fact that the only thing she did was talk and play music for you, spoke softly as to not scare you out of your wits.

That was a very easy task.

All you did was nod, not wanting to hurt your throat anymore after all the screaming done whenever you unwillingly fall asleep.

The door to your room unlocked and a handsome, tall man walked in holding a small tray that had pancakes and a small glass of juice, “thought you might be hungry,” he murmured quietly.

You nod silently from the corner of the room in which you had decided to be the place you spent most of your time.

“I was thinking that...you might wanna come out whenever, and uh just kinda look around the tower? Of course someone would have to go with you- security reasons and all- but just to get some sunlight and I don’t know stretch or whatever,” he trailed, losing eye contact with you after your lack of response.

Did you want to leave the room? For some reason, you felt like you were safe, and yet you didn’t want to risk falling into some trap. 

“I promise I won’t hurt you...” Tony’s voice was soft and he crouched down to your level, gently putting the small tray in front of you. 

You didn’t say anything, as per usual, but you made the move to lightly pull off a piece of one of the pancakes before putting it in your mouth. You didn’t like the flavour. 

“Not your kind of food? If you want I can take you to the kitchen and you can make something yourself,” he offered, taking the tray back.

it was either that or starve... And you were really hungry. You waited a few moments before nodding your head microscopically. Tony slowly stood up and and began walking out of the room, “Kitchen is this way kid,” He says, a small smile on his face. 

You got up slowly, almost falling over due to the low blood sugar you were suffering from. You silently walked behind Tony, remembering to look over your shoulder every few moments to make sure you were safe. It didn’t take long before the small trip was over and Tony stood by as you silently explored the large, modern space. It had been a very long time since you had seen a kitchen, in all reality it had been a really long time since you had seen anything other than a concrete wall and angry men who jabbed tasers at you. 

“Hey friday, tell the others to stay clear of kitchen 4b,” Tony spoke quietly to the bracelet on his wrist, but it still startled you a little, making your body flash in and out quickly. 

The action made Tony pause and his eyes grow to the size of saucers, “What the hell was that? What did you just do?” his voice was a little shaken as he looked at your small frame. 

As Tony started walking towards where you were, you began to feel trapped and panicked. It wasn’t until he got about a foot away from your body that you completely broke and disappeared from sight before showing up in the hallway a second later. You heard Tony mutter a confused string of curses, before deciding to find your way back to the room that had become your safe haven. As you turned to go the opposite direction, you ran into a tall, dark wall. 

A quick gasp left your lips as you saw the gruff looking man in front of you, looking just as surprised as you did. There was no time for the scary man to react before you flashed out of existence again, leaving him confused and slightly disoriented. Unfortunately, when you reappeared back in your room, the dizziness that overcame you from lack of food and using too much energy too fast, made you stumble around and fall to the floor with a heavy thump. 

“Owww” A quiet whine left your lips as you gently cradled your now bruised elbow. 

“Are you okay?” the sudden, deep voice that came from your doorway scared the shit out of you and made you let out a surprised yelp. 

You whipped around to see who made the unexpected entrance and was faced with the same, scary man who you had bumped into in the hallway. He immediately noticed how scared you were and put his hands up, getting down on his knees and bowing his head. The action made you eye him a little suspiciously, but also gave a small sense of relief. The way he crouched down reminded you of the way you used to, when the assholes with the tasers came in to do more tests on you. 

“My name is Bucky, is your elbow alright?” the man, Bucky, asked as he looked at you, head still bowed in a sign of submission. 

You nod your head silently and begin to assess the large man in front of you. He was dressed in a normal black t-shirt and grey sweats, his hair was in a bun and his blue eyes stared into yours. The last thing, quite surprisingly for you to notice, was the metal arm that was placed between his kneeling legs to help steady him. Your mouth slightly fell open at the sight as your eyes studied it closely. Small little clinking noises were heard as the arm flexed and move with the shifting weight of Bucky. 

“Can you tell me your name? The place we found you in was empty of all the subject files, including yours. And from what I saw in the hallway, I assume you were the only successful one,” You weren’t fully paying attention to his words, although you were focused on his voice, it was very rough, but it was very calming to you. 

You hadn’t talked in years, the only time you ever used your voice was to scream in pain or fear. There was never a need to talk in the hellish place you were kept and after you were rescued, you just couldn’t think of a reason to answer vocally. 

“I-uh- I went through something like what you’ve been through,” he mumbles quietly and shifts his position so he was sitting directly on the floor in front of your small, still shaken up, frame.

When you still didn’t answer and only gave a blank look, Bucky sighed quietly and took the hem of his shirt in one hand, lifting it up slightly. You immediately raised your eyebrows at his actions and moved your gaze to somewhere else in the room, cheeks heating up in slight embarrassment. 

“These are all from the people who hurt me. They had these weird rods that would emit electricity and shock me until I stopped fighting back or if I didn’t move fast enough. I can’t even count how many times it happened while I was there,” Bucky’s voice was so quiet it was almost impossible to hear.

The confession made you turn your head back towards the man, his shirt was pulled up to reveal his toned stomach that was littered in violent scars. A gasp escaped you and your hands immediately went to rest over your sides, the places that held your own scars from the awful electrocution tactics your captors used. 

“You have them too, don’t you?” He asks, voice a little broken. 

You once again nod silently, biting your lip harshly at the awful memories that now attacked your mind. You hated what had happened to you, the experiments, the training, the punishments... Everything that had happened to you hurt. It hurt you when it happened and it hurt you now in your memories. 

“Were you not allowed to talk when you were there?” he asked, scooting closer to you. 

The action made you flicker anxious, your reflexes always on edge incase you needed to leave. After the flicker had stopped (sometimes it took you awhile to stop) you shook your head and tried to block out the flashbacks of scary men in masks, beating you into unconsciousness after you had cursed out one of the men who had tased you way longer than necessary. The memories were becoming too much for you to handle and you couldn’t control the flow of tears that had started to run down your cheeks. 

Bucky’s face contorted into one of guilt as he saw your broken figure. He knew what it was like to have such memories, but had forgotten what it was like when something so awful was fresh in the mind. “Sweetheart I’m sorry, I didn’t think about how painful it was for you to think about it. How bout we talk about something else okay? You wanna tell me your name? Where you’re from?”

His questions were a little panicked because everyone knew how to deal with an upset girl except for Bucky Barnes. He was the absolute worst at consoling upset people and the fact that you were a small girl who he didn’t even know the name of didn’t seem to help. It wasn’t like you were sobbing though, you had learned very quickly that sobbing was a big Nono in the lab, which made you train yourself to just cry silently with an unmoving face. That would result in less punishment from the guards.

“Do you want me to leave?”

You wanted to say that you didn’t care, he could do whatever he wanted. But your brain was too invaded with the harsh memories that plagued your mind. The fall of tears grew stronger and your emotions took over your control, making you flicker in and out tirelessly. The action didn’t hurt or really effect you in any way but it made it hard to stay in the same place for long. You had no choice but to change your position every few seconds, which definitely freaked Bucky out.

“Should I get Tony? How do you deal with this?” Bucky held wide, anxious eyes as he followed your flickering body that moved a few feet every thirty seconds or so.

You couldn’t speak, just stay silent and try to calm yourself down to help stop yourself. You didn’t know how your powers worked. It just happened sometimes when you were frightened and you hadn’t managed to be able to control it enough to just do it when you wanted to. The teleporting became more random as you lost more and more control, every few moments you would just disappear from existence for a second before appearing a few feet off the floor and stumble back down before popping back up somewhere else.

It was getting to a point where the teleporting was exhausting, and your breathing was becoming laboured. Bucky couldn’t think of anything to do but stare in awe at what was happening. He had seen things. But nothing like this.

“Fuck,” it was the first work he heard you say as you landed roughly by your dresser before slamming into it.

You took the few seconds you had to wheeze in a few breaths, trying to calm down. You felt exposed, and without any sedatives like what your guards would usually give you, it was unknown how long you would go until it stopped. You were ripped from your place against the dresser and appeared on the floor a few feet away. You looked over at Bucky, pleading eyes staring into his.

“It’s okay, I think I know how to help,” he mumbles calmly before you disappear out of sight again, this time for a few seconds.

When you reappeared, you unexpectedly flew into Bucky. He, somehow, caught you without hurting himself or you and held you tightly in his arms. His strong, warm embrace instantly gave you a small sense of containment, something you strongly needed at the moment. Your heavy breathing was the only sound in the room as he wrapped his arms around your arms and waist and his legs around yours.

“Is this helping?” He asks, hot breath fanning against your ear.

“Y-yes” You croak out weakly, grabbing onto his shirt in hopes that it would help you stay in the same spot.

As you and Bucky sit in silence, your flicker slowly came to a stop, only coming back in a short burst every once in a while.

“So teleportation, huh? That’s different,” he jokes, a light chuckle rumbling in his chest.

You nod your head, breath still heavy and eyes closed in exhaustion. Bucky’s metal hand slowly started to rub circles on your lower back, fingers lightly digging into the flesh.

“Do I get to know your name yet? I mean I have just saved you from yourself,” Bucky states, a smile on his lips.

“Y/n....that’s my name,” you mumble out quietly, not having enough energy to open your eyes and meet his gaze.

Bucky’s smile grew at your answer, what a pretty name. As he processed the situation he was in, he thought it was quite strange. Bucky was holding a girl, who he hadn’t known for more than half an hour, gently rocking back and forth to keep her calmed down.

“Wanna sleep in the bed? It’s probably more comfortable than on the floor,” he suggests and begins to move.

Your body begins to flicker again, “no! P-please don’t move. Not yet...”

“Okay, okay. I won’t,” his grip tightened around your slightly shaking frame.

Though you were extremely tired and a little out of it, you understood why this calmed you down. Back at the lab, when you got upset, the people who watched over you would put you in a blank room and turn high pitched sounds and flashing lights on. It would upset you even more and the awful people who controlled you would use it as an experiment to see how long you could last before passing out.

“I’m sorry,” you mumble out quietly and move your hands to Bucky’s back, trying to close the space even more.

“It’s alright, doll. I know what you’re going through. I still have nightmares ‘bout it,” he confessed quietly and lightly nuzzled his nose in your hair, a comforting action for you and him, “try and sleep, alright? I know you haven’t been resting that much with all the noise that happens during the middle of the night,”

Your cheeks flare up in embarrassment at his comment, “m’sorry, don’t know how to control it and when I have bad dreams it just...happens,”

“You teleport in your sleep?” He asks incredulously.

“Well I’m not really asleep after it starts...but yeah I guess,”

The two of you fell into a silence once again and after a few moments, Bucky shifted a bit to get a pillow that had fallen off your bed during your episode and put it down beside your bodies before slowly moving to lay down on it. His legs were still tightly entangled with yours, arms still holding on to you tightly and breath still tickling your ear.

After a few moments he spoke, “is this better?”

You didn’t respond, couldn’t really due to the fact that you had quickly fallen asleep. After the realization had come to Bucky, he smiled proudly to himself for being able to calm down such a troubled mind and soul. When he was sure you had fallen into a deep slumber, he slowly made the move to grab the corner of a blanket that was hanging from your bed and pull it down before placing it over the two of you. Bucky closed his eyes, letting out a heavy sigh of relief before falling into a much needed slumber of his own. 

//Part 2//

[evilpixiea]

Not to be pushy, and different anon as before, but would you consider continuing your mermaid fic? It’s really good!

Very rushed and terrible. I hope you enjoy regardless.

Previous.

–

Clark named the second merman Dick because… well… he was a dick.

He spat water at Clark whenever he approached, attackedthe sides of the tank, and once, when Clark was in the other room, even jumpedout. He would have suffocated, thrashing wildly on the floor if Clark hadn’t flownin, scooped him up, and flew back in the water.

“Don’t let him do that again,” he told Bruce who hadlooked like he was on the verge of jumping out of the tank after him.

Dick hissed, clawed uselessly at Clark, and then swamaway with a frustrated wail, the sound high pitched, melodic, and eerilybeautiful.

That was one good thing about Dick… he was ‘chatty’.

While Bruce rarely made much noise – hadn’t made a singlesound until Dick was in the tank with him – Dick spoke a lot, the foreign mersong echoing off the walls of the fortress.

And the more he spoke, the more Jor-El recorded. The moreJor-El recorded the more the AI could decipher. The more Jor-El deciphered themore Clark could learn.

It began with one ‘word’. A distinctive note that Dickwould whistle whenever Clark would approach the tank with the bucket of fish.

At first Jor-El deduced it meant ‘food’.

When next Clark fed them he tried to mimic the sound. Itdidn’t go as expected.

Dick froze, his eyes going wide, face awash with a floodof emotions… shock, uncertainty… and then rage. Confused, Clark gestured at thefish and made the noise again. Dick snarled, abandoning the meal, to hide inthe cave.

Bruce didn’t. On the contrary, Bruce looked at him,really looked at him, for the first time. Eyes sharp, calculating.

“I no longer believe the word we identified means‘food’.” Jor-El said as Clark climbed out of the tank.

“Yeah. I figured that out on my own. What does it mean?”

“Judging by the context… I believe it means ‘arsehole.’”

Clark looked over his shoulder at Dick, glaring at himfrom the cave.

The next translations weren’t much better. Without any commonalityto any documented languages it was hard for even Jor-El to process andunderstand. He did deduce the correct whistle for ‘food’, ‘sleep’, and a wholeseries of other insults all coming from Dick. But it wasn’t until, one day, asClark was climbing out of the tank after the mer’s dinner that he really startedspeaking to the creatures.

It started with a firm tug on his cape.

He turned and saw Bruce floating, just below the surface,watching him.

“No more fish,” he told him and showed him the emptybucket. “You ate them all.”

Bruce didn’t swim away. Instead he did something Clarkhad never seen him do. He raised his face above the water.

“Bruce. No. You can’t brea—”

“Bruce,” Brucerasped, his voice hissing and empty, as if he didn’t really have a voice box…at least not one capable of this.

Clark stared.

“Bruce…” hesaid again and sunk back below the surface of the water.

Bruce was… trying to communicate with him.

“Wait!” Clark jumped into the water. “Bruce,” he said, ina burst of bubbles. “That’s right. Bruce. Bruce.”

Bruce studied him and sang a strange string of notes athim in his own language.

Clark mimicked them, as best he could. Perhaps, likeBruce, he was reciting the name that had been unknowingly given to him. Maybethat made sense. After all, he’d said the word ‘Bruce’ to the merman more thananything else. And, if Bruce was clever, which he had a feeling he was, hewould have noticed he didn’t say it to Dick.

That made that word special. That was why it was the onehe’d tried to say.

He said the mer word again, and again, until Brucereached out and put a hand over his mouth. The touch was stilling. Without eventhinking Clark reached out to mirror it, brushing his hands against the merman’slips, against the sharp shape of his teeth.

Bruce let him.

And then he sung a new word.

Clark mimicked it.

Bruce pushed open Clark’s mouth, touched his teeth, justas Clark had done, and sung the word again.

Teeth.

Clark smiled. Teeth,he said in the mer language.

Bruce touched Clark’s hair and sung something else.

Hair, Clarkechoed, excitement building.

Bruce touched his hands.

Hands, Clarktasted the word for the first time.

Bruce brought Clark’s fingers to the skin of his tail.

Tail, Clarksung. It was a long beautiful sound. But not soft. Powerful and strong.

But then Bruce touched Clark’s legs… and said nothing. Astrange look on his face.

“Legs,” Clark said, more bubbles bursting out of hismouth. The mer language wasn’t something he mimicked by moving his lips. It wasmore like humming.

Bruce frowned harder. He made a strange hiss… trying tosay the word the way Clark would. Underwater it was nearly impossible. It didn’tmatter. The attempt was enough.

In the weeks that followed Clark spent more and more timewith Bruce, piecing together the mer language while Dick glared at them fromthe darkness of the cave.

Except he wasn’t Dick. Bruce’s name for him was somethingcloser to One-Who-Swims-Into-The-Night-Air. Bruce’s true name was even moreconfusing. One-Who-Is-Dark-At-Dawn-With-Cloak-Of-Shadow-And-Many… Clark didn’tknow what that last word meant.

Maybe scars? Bruce did have a lot of scars.

But that didn’t seem right. Bruce kept pointing at Dickwhenever Clark tried to question it.

It was Jor-El that solved at mystery one day after Clarkclimbed out of the tank and started towelling himself off.

“Are you going to try to find his other children?”

Clark looked at Jor-El in shock. “What?”

“The one you call Bruce. Are you going to find his otherchildren? I believe he wants you too.”

“Why would he want that?”

Bruce answered that question the next day when Clarktried to ask it.

He hissed… and it took a few minutes for Clark to realisehe was saying ‘legs’… and another word. A word that he believed meant ‘kill’.

For a moment Clark was confused. Was Bruce worried hisother children would kill humans? But then he realised. He wasn’t. He wasworried the humans would kill them…

He looked at the scar on Bruce’s side. The one Arthur’strident had left. He thought about the way he’d caught Dick, leaping over rockstrying to get away.

Children, Clarksang the last word in Bruce’s name. Where?

Where I flew,Dick snarled at him.

Sure enough, when he went back to those rocks, close to wherehe’d found Bruce, and listened for a few hours he heard something. Another mer song.Lonely and haunting. He flew towards it. He wasn’t the first to arrive.

He found a fishing boat. There was a fisherman leaningover the bow… trying to rescue out what looked like a young man floating in thewater, in among a tangle of seaweed. Seaweed that hid his tail and the claws onhis hands.

He looked like a shipwreck survivor, barely alive and yetstill somehow ethereally beautiful.

And the fisherman had fallen for it.

Clark dove, grabbing hold of the merman seconds before heattacked.

He named this one Jason because after his mother’sfavourite actor because that was quite a performance. He certainly had thefisherman fooled.

Dick swum happy circles around Jason when Clark droppedhim in the tank. Bruce didn’t. Bruce just rose out of the water to rasp ‘Bruce’at him. His way of saying ‘thank you’.

Later he learnt Jason’s true name was, simply,One-Who-Dies. He wished he knew enough of their language to ask for the storybehind that name.

Instead he made the tank bigger after that. In fact, hemade it expand to almost every room in the fortress, giving them plenty of tunnelsand open water. They made use of it. Clark even ordered Jor-El to startreleasing fish at random places in the network of tanks and mazes to keep theyounger two entertained. Dick and Jason always seemed to enjoy hunting. Brucewas more practical. He hunted to eat.

Despite that they all grew bonier, the fish clearly not sustainingthem the same way their wild diet did.

Clark tried not to think about that.

It took him longer to find a third child. At first hewasn’t sure he had. While Bruce, Dick, and Jason all looked fairly similar thisone was different. For one thing, she was female, the first female Clark hadseen. For another, she had bright red hair. The others seemed to know her andDick especially greeted her with enthusiasm.

He called her Barbara because her hair reminded him ofold Ms Barbara Bell who lived in Smallville. True name,One-Who-Knows-The-Best-Hunting-And-Angers-Kindly.

The fifth was another male. Younger than the others, withbony arms.

He called him Tim because… honestly, Clark was runningout of names. Tim was a nice one and it seemed to fit the solemn youth. True name,One-Who-Will-Wear-Cloak-Of-Shadow.

The last two he found were another female, about Bruce’sage, maybe a little younger, and a young boy.

The boy was clearly Bruce’s. He looked more like him thanany of the others. Clark called him Damian. True name was One-Who-Is-Little-And-Angry.

The woman was strange. She, like Barbara, had red hair.He called her Kate. True name… he didn’t know. Most of the words used in itwere strange to him and Bruce didn’t seem willing to share.

Clark wasn’t sure how he felt about her. It was clear shewas Bruce’s mate. How else would she end up with Bruce’s son? And how elsewould Barbara have the same hair colour as her?

That should make him happy. Bruce’s mate.

But… for some reason… it didn’t…

For some reason he couldn’t name… he wished that he’dnever found her… that it could just be him, Bruce, and Bruce’s children…

“Fuck,” he whispered late one night. “He’s a killer mermaid,Clark. A killer mermaid with a mate.You can’t… fuck it.”

Weeks past. But then… something strange happened. Barbara’shair started turning black… her breasts started to shrink…

Only a few days later Jason’s hair began to turn red… andhe started to develop…

“Jor-El?”

“Yes, my son?”

“Is it… eh… possible that these nychterída could be…intersex?”

“Of course,” The AI answered without hesitation. “I determinedthat when I first scanned Bruce. I thought you knew.”

He found two more shortly afterwards. They were both darkhaired and flat chested. He called them Cassie and Renée just because… well… hewas feeling a bit guilty for giving all the family not ‘in heat’ male names…not that they would know or care, of course.

Renée quickly warmed to Kate… while Cassie slotted inamong Bruce’s children.

[xxx-cat-xxx]

Sleeping At Last

or: 5 times Tony couldn´t sleep (and the one time he could)

My first 5+1! It´s based on an ask from lovely @trashofdoom, featuring a severely sleep-deprived Tony and various people (and AIs) looking after him. A million thanks to my amazing beta Bethany (@whumphoarder).

TW for vomiting, alcohol-overuse and somewhat unhealthy coping mechanisms. Enjoy!

Tony rubs his eyes exhaustedly. They’re dry and stinging, irritated from countless hours spent staring at a Starkpad and fiddling with code. He spots another error in the programme and corrects it with a sigh. The numbers, usually easier to understand for him than any human behaviour, just won’t come together today.

There’s a soft knock at the door. It is honestly beyond Tony why people still knock in an era where there are retinal scanners at each entry to keep out unwanted visitors and open doors for the wanted ones, but at least it reduces the number of possible intruders down to two, one of whom  - Captain Spangles - is ruled out because of his ridiculously regular sleep pattern.

“Hey Brucie,” Tony calls even before the other man has entered. “What brings you here at - “ God, how has it become 4:30 this quickly?

“I should ask you the same. This is the, what, fourth night in a row?”

“Just getting these updates done.” Tony rolls his chair back and gestures to a row of devices lined up on the table across from him.

“And that can’t wait until tomorrow?” Bruce asks critically.

“The glitch with the comms not adjusting frequencies automatically was a serious issue last time... Nat wouldn’t have gotten hit if we had been able to warn her. She barely made it through—you know that.”

Bruce looks at him, then sees through him. “It wasn’t your fault, Tony.”

“I know it wasn’t my fault,” he says, a little too quickly. “But it’s my responsibility to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I just can’t figure out what caused it...” He rubs his forehead with furrowed brows. “It’s like my brain is filled with fog.”

Bruce frowns at that admission.

“Anyway,” Tony goes on, “now that you’re here, I’ve got something I wanna show you...”

He gets up from the chair, making for the 3D-hologram area at the other end of the room. But only a few steps in, his head rushes without warning.

“Woah,” he breathes, grabbing a table for support as darkness clouds his field of vision. “What the fuck was that?”

“That was your blood pressure screaming at you to finally get some rest,” Bruce assesses, stepping over to steady Tony as the man sinks dizzily to the floor. “And I agree with it.” Gently, he pushes Tony's head between his knees.

“That’s unfair,” the other man grumbles. “Back in college, I used to pull five all nighters in a row, and that involved a lot more partying.“

“You’re an old man now,” Bruce teases, but his voice is tinged with concern.

The engineer mumbles something into his knees that sounds a lot like “'Should see yourself.”

"Better?" Bruce asks after a minute, resting a hand on the other man’s shoulder.

“Hmm.” Tony nods without looking up.

“Stay put. I’ll make you some tea.”

“I don’t drink strange herbs dissolved in water,” Tony says with a shudder. “You know I'm a full-blooded coffee addict.”

“Trust me with this one—it's not the normal kind. Just stay there until I'm back.”

Tony, of course, doesn't listen. When Bruce returns a few minutes later, he’s made it back to his desk on wobbly legs and is squinting at the tablet. Bruce wriggles it out of his fingers with an exasperated sigh and presses a cup of something hot and steaming into his hand.

“This... doesn't smell like tea,” Tony says warily.

“It's Chai. The real one, not the nonsense they sell at Starbucks.” He watches as Tony takes a tentative sip, then another, and a bit of colour returns to his cheeks.

“Where’d you learn that?” Tony nods at the cup.

“In Kolkata,” Bruce replies. His gaze goes a bit distant as he adds, “I miss it sometimes, you know? It's the weirdest kind of place, but it took me in.”

“Why did you come down here, actually?” Tony asks, now looking up at him intensely.

“Couldn’t sleep,” Bruce shrugs. “Guess I wasn't the only one.”

“Yeah.” Tony gives him an exhausted smile. “Tell me about it...”

Joining a mission after four straight days of staying awake was definitely not the best idea, but Tony isn't exactly known for making sensible choices.

Luckily, the battle finishes quickly, leaving him sitting on the edge of a curb, knowing full well that his slumped-over posture is looking anything but heroic to the camera crews filtering in from all sides. On the other hand, it would certainly be worse publicity if he took a swan dive in front of the assembled press, which, unfortunately, is a very likely scenario considering the way the world is currently wobbling around the edges.

He’s just trying to gather the strength to make it upright and join Nat in talking to the reporters when he spots a blurred figure approaching quickly from behind a corner, raised gun aimed right at the assassin.

Tony fires without thinking. He might have forgotten that the repulsors were still set to full power, because the next thing that follows is an ear-splitting bang and a cloud of smoke rising up from what used to be a bus stop.

“What the fuck, Stark?!”

He blinks when a very upset Nat is suddenly standing over him, and seriously, that's one of the moments when he understands why people are sometimes afraid of her.

“You can't complete a single mission without destroying New York?” she demands. “What was that for? Trying out your new tech? Impressing the tabloids?”

“Calm down,” Tony hisses, more than a little annoyed. “We didn't get all of them, there was someone sneaking up on us. I just saved your ass.”

“What?” Nat's angry expression morphs into confusion as she turns around and surveys the area. “There's nobody here, Tony.”

“No, no, that's not right.“ He gets to his feet shakily, steadying himself against a streetlamp until the familiar blackness fades from his vision. He uses the suit's sensors to zoom in at the heap of rubble, but true to Nat's word, there is no sign of an attacker.

“I thought I... never mind,” he mumbles.

“You know your little stunt was caught on camera, right?” Nat asks, still annoyed, but with a bit of concern now mixed into her tone. “And that I've got to report it to SHIELD if my team members have health issues that can negatively influence their ability to - “

“That's not  - I'm not having flashbacks, okay?” he interrupts her, anger flaring up. “I just - I thought I saw something. Someone. Won't happen again.”

“I wasn't  talking about PTSD, Stark. You are aware that sleep deprivation can lead to hallucinations?”

“I'm  - gosh.” Tony rubs his eyes wearily. He really, really doesn't have the energy for this argument right now. “That's none of your business.”

“It becomes my business as soon as it compromises the mission.” Nat gives him a glare, but her eyes have gone soft. “Go home, Tony. I'll handle SHIELD and the press. Do us all a favour and get some sleep.”

“If only it were that easy,” he mutters under his breath. But he fires up his thrusters all the same and takes off into the sky, decidedly not looking back at the disaster he’s caused.

Tony wakes up drenched in cold sweat, his breaths coming in short, painful gasps. The sheets next to him are empty.

“Jarvis?” he croaks.

“It is 3:52 a.m., Sir. You are in your quarters at Stark Tower. It is currently drizzling, with a high probability of heavy rains for the coming day. You have been asleep for one hour and 37 minutes. You started to exhibit signs of distress sixteen minutes ago.” The AI hesitates a moment. “You were also talking in your sleep. If I may, Sir, would you like to know the current status of Miss Potts?”

“Yeah,” Tony breathes.

“I can access a video feed of the security cameras in the Hong Kong hotel she is currently residing at, if you'd like to see it.”

Tony nods weakly into the darkness, trusting Jarvis' ultrasharp sensors to pick it up.

The screen above the bed lights up, displaying a slightly pixelated image of Pepper in business attire, taking notes on a Starkpad while nodding politely at an equally formally dressed man seated across from her.

A small field with name and designation appears next to the man's head, revealing his position as the head of one of Stark Asia's subsidiaries.

“Thanks, J,” Tony says hoarsely after a few minutes. “You can close it now.”

The AI doesn't reply, but the room illuminates with a warm light that leaves no shadows in the corners. Bless Jarvis for knowing what he needs when Tony himself doesn't.

He sits up slowly, his fingers gliding over the soft fabric of the blankets, then feeling for the bathrobe that's draped over a nearby chair. He lets his fingertips run over the slightly uneven wall while he makes his way to the bathroom. Then he rests his hand on the doorknob, feeling its solidness.

Real, he reminds himself, because sometimes the present is elusive, sometimes it’s so much harder than it should be to figure out what's there and what isn't.

He sits on the bathroom tiles for a while, enjoying the chill seeping into his bones, anchoring him. He thinks of Pepper somewhere in Hong Kong, far, far away. Safe.

He knows that sleep is not going to come to him now.

When he finally steps into the shower, Jarvis has already adjusted the temperature and his morning playlist is issuing softly from the speakers.

“Honestly, I don't get the sense of ‘brunching’,” Tony states while tossing down his third cup of coffee that morning. “Maria's a grown-up girl, she should host a party like normal adults do. Get drunk, let loose, bully Fury into singing Karaoke - you know what I mean.”

“Not everyone's like you, Tony,” Steve replies good-naturedly, but still with this slightly lecturing note in his voice that sometimes drives Tony crazy. “Some people like to celebrate their birthday without it ending in fistfights and drunken guests throwing up everywhere.”

“Hey, that was one time!” Tony retorts, “And it's not a fistfight if armour is involved.” He reaches over the extensive buffet to grab the coffee pot and refill his cup.

“Haven't you had enough of that already?” Steve asks, raising an eyebrow.

“Can't you let a guy have his small vices?” Tony deflects. He tries to scoop sugar from a delicate porcelain bowl into his cup, but his hands are jittering so much that half of it ends up on the tablecloth.

With a small sigh, Steve takes the spoon from his hands, adding sugar and stirring calmly. “You sure you're alright?” he adds, handing the cup back to Tony.

“Yes, Spangles. Stop mother-henning me,” Tony replies. He suppresses a belch when the first sip of coffee doesn't quite settle well.

They stand in silence while he sips the beverage, until Steve spots Sam on the other side of the room and goes over to talk to him, and Tony is left squirming uncomfortably. He’s full of nervous energy just waiting to be transformed into new inventions in his workshop, but he still has to wait through another few hours of polite conversation and boring toasts before he will be able to disappear.

Ironically, today is the first morning in a while that he actually feels like he might be able to sleep if he tried hard enough. But the prospect of everyone's irritation if he misses Hill's birthday celebration kept him away from bed.

He's thus settled on caffeine to fight the tiredness and reduce the headache throbbing behind his temples. The coffee has so far accomplished its job of keeping him upright without getting dizzy, but it also makes his stomach burn and causes a vague feeling of nausea that only increases as time goes on.

“You haven't tried the cake,” a kind voice says from behind him, pulling him out of his thoughts.

“Here, have a piece,” Laura Barton offers, holding it out. Then she seems to think better of it and sets it on the counter in front of Tony. “I made it, not Clint, so you don't have to worry about getting poisoned.”

Tony tries to come up with a way of politely declining, his stomach somersaulting at the thought of food, but Laura has an aura about her that makes it almost impossible to say no. It reminds him faintly of Pepper. He has no illusions about who calls the shots in the Barton household.

“Thanks,“ he says, taking a tentative bite. He has to swallow twice to get the piece down, and then he can feel it sitting heavily at the end of his throat. He stifles another belch that brings with it the sour taste of acid.

“It's great,” he lies while taking a deep breath, attempting to will the nausea away.

It doesn't work. Instead, he can feel bile creeping up his throat. The urge to gag is suddenly overwhelming.

“Are you okay?” Laura asks.

Tony just presses the plate back into her hand. “Sorry,” he chokes out before making a break for the bathroom.

He only makes it to the sink before hot and bitter liquid is forcing its way upwards and splashing into the basin. It still carries the smell of coffee, making him even more nauseous. He barely manages to catch a breath before he heaves again, bringing up another gush of vomit.

The throbbing behind his forehead intensifies and he closes his eyes against the pain. He’s  coughing and sputtering, steadying himself on the basin, when he hears the door to the bathroom open.

“Occupied,” he croaks. But there's already a hand on his back, patting him hesitantly.

“Tony, what's going on?” a voice asks, and yep, out of all people that could have come to pee at this very moment, it has to be Captain Fucking Righteous.

“Nothing,” Tony pants, “Go away - ugh.”

He retches again and brings up a mouthful of bile.

“Are you sick?” Steve's hand now moves towards his neck to feel his temperature, and no, this is not happening.

“It’s nothing.” Tony bats his hand away. “Just overdid it with the coffee today. You were right, be happy.”

“I wasn't - that's not what I'm thinking,” Steve says defensively.

“But you were also wrong,” Tony continues, spitting into the basin. “Apparently, brunching doesn't reduce the risk of people ending up barfing.”

Steve ignores his banter. “Can I get you anything?”

A bed, a new head, and truckload of aspirin are all high on his list, but Tony settles for the easiest.

“Glass of water and some mint would be marvellous,” he says, and Steve is gone within a second. The guy is so helpful that it's a plague.

To the best of his ability, he avoids looking at the brownish mess he’s made. His stomach is still more than queasy as he starts the water.

By the time Steve returns, the evidence is cleared and Tony's game face is reestablished.

The anniversary of his parents' death has always been a night without the remotest hope of catching sleep. It is also the one night a year during which Pepper doesn't say anything when Tony drinks himself senseless.

In earlier years, Rhodey used to always be around on that date—ever since the very first time in college when he'd found Tony passed out in a puddle of his own sick with a BAC of 0.3. Then Pepper moved in, and Tony would be moody and irritable all night, demanding her to leave him alone, secretly praying she'd stay. She always did.

But this time, Pepper is still in Hong Kong - the negotiations taking longer than expected - and after the first few glasses of scotch, he finds himself turning his phone over in his hands, contemplating calling a few of his old business contacts and inviting himself to one of those parties that have more recreational substances floating around than actual food.

But he doesn't. Instead, he pulls up the second number on his speed dial. It takes less than a full ring before Rhodey picks up.

“Hey man,” Tony greets jovially, “What're you up to?”

Then, after a second, he quietly adds, “It's bad tonight.”

The can you come over goes unsaid. It's only a few minutes before the War Machine armour makes a soft landing on the balcony. Rhodey steps out of the suit and into the warmth of the living room.

“Here.” Tony turns around from the bar, a bit unsteady on his feet, and presses a glass into Rhodey's hand. “To all those sweepers that keep the roads free of ice.”

Rhodey clinks his glass against Tony's, his eyes wide and sad. Tony doesn't pass out that night, but Rhodey almost wishes he did.

The annual Maria Stark Foundation Gala takes place a few days after the anniversary, all of which Tony spends on a single workshop binge, running on coffee, AC/DC, and the deliberate aversion of any thoughts not related to R&D.

Pepper, who finally returns after a successful conclusion of “the greatest bargaining endeavor in history” (in the words of her PA), hauls him out of the lab a few hours before the Gala, threatening to fly right back to Hong Kong if he doesn't shower and dress up.

Tony's head his swimming when he bends over the sink to wash his face. He feels weak, almost feverish. When he starts to shave, his hands are trembling so hard that his usually perfect goatee comes out looking more like a modern art caricature of symmetry than anything else.

Pepper eyes his crooked beard, his haggard face, and the black circles beneath his eyes with a frown when she hands him the cue cards for his speech. She’s ushered into the changing room by an assistant before she can comment.

Tony manages a speech that leaves the audience laughing themselves to tears, without actually comprehending a single word of what he says. All the time, he clings to the lectern, painfully aware only of the weakness in his limbs and his own heartbeat pounding loudly in his ears.

He staggers down from the stage just to see Pepper emerging from the changing room in a breathtaking sleeveless gown. He might have been swaying a bit, because her eyes go wide upon seeing him and she hurries in his direction.

“You look fantastic,” he manages to say before the static in his ears grows deafening and the ground rushes up to meet him.

He comes to with his head in Pepper's lap and a group of assistants encircling him, heatedly debating the best course of action.

“Hey,” she says, her expression serious. “You back with us?”

“Hmm,” he grunts, trying to focus on his surroundings through the dizziness and pulsing headache.

“Can you get up?” she asks.

“Yeah, of course,” he mumbles. But his legs are jelly when he tries to get them under him. “Or maybe I'll just stay here for a while. The view is great,” he says weakly.

Pepper doesn't even give an answer. Instead, she pushes an arm behind his back to sit him up. With the help of Happy, they get Tony to his feet and manage to get him to the couch in the backstage room.

Tony sinks heavily onto the cushions. Pepper sits down next to him, waving at Happy to close the door and wait outside.

“So. What's going on?” she asks calmly, but Tony knows her too well not to hear the panic barely contained in her voice. “And don't dare tell me that you're fine, because I’m not an idiot.”

“I'm okay, Pepper - quit giving me that look,” he starts.

“By what definition was that ‘okay’?” she interrupts in an icy tone.

“Okay, as in, I swear there’s nothing majorly wrong with me. Just had a bit of trouble sleeping over the past few weeks,” he concedes. “Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Except for you passing out in the middle of a public Gala.”

“Where would be the fun in life without the little surprises?” he jokes in a weak voice. He can feel fatigue washing over him in waves, making his body numb and heavy.

“Sleep deprivation, that's all it is?” Pepper probes. “ Can I trust you on this? I won't regret it if I don't haul you to a hospital right now?”

“You can trust me on everything, you know that.” A moment of pain washes over her face, so brief that he nearly misses it.

“Hey. That was two years ago. Look at me, Pep.” It takes a lot of energy to lift his arm and reach out to touch her face. He looks her straight into the eyes. “I'm not dying. I promise.”

“Okay,” she says after a moment. She doesn't look completely convinced, but it seems she decides to let it go for now. “You can't go back in like this. And we can't leave the Gala early without the press going wild.”

“Trust me, I don't wanna move,” Tony says. The world is turning fuzzy before his eyes now, greyness creeping in from the edges. “Nothing wrong with backstage couches - I'm speaking from experience. Let's just stay here for a bit.”

Pepper bites her lip to suppress a smile.

He lets his head fall down below her shoulder, nestling his face into the soft spot between her neck and collarbone. He is vaguely aware of her hands in his hair, a warm and steady presence holding him. And then, in an uncharacteristically nonchalant fashion, Tony Stark falls asleep.

[hektorpaint]

Prompt: Orbital bombardment

I wrote another prompt from Impalalords Discord, this one being dark gritty. But i was pleased with the result. Enjoy

******************

They came from the void, the blackness from beyond our own galaxy. They were scared and scattered, their ships even more so. We welcomed them with open arms, victims of a great war, which could be discussed if it was the right thing to do.

But a half millennia of peace makes you think different of war. Not long after, a month or so, an armada of similar ships, many of them were of similar design. the contact we got showed them as a different species, it would show those we first met was slaves. They imposed on us order and discipline and that they were the chosen warriors of the galaxy, they had come to prove themselves as the absolute overlords.

Just over 500 years ago we the Thausaries made contact with the humans from Sol system. Their contact and understanding is well overdone and can be found in many other writing, and even in short would take up too much time. But within years they rose to our defenders, helped us out on every world and every occasion. It was soon nothing left to fight, meaning the start of a peace council, started by the very fight hungry humans but lead together with every other species. Everyone got a say, we discussed all kinds of topics even when someone made a crime we held it civilised. It was a good time.

We wouldnt join them some did but most of us refused, when we refused we got hurdled into the intended direction.

I will still remember those pictures long after I die, a large valley was created by lasers from their ships stretching from France to Egypt. North america was just gone, riddled with craters miles wide, it was madness. Those pictures from space was blurry but, we all heard the news, billions dead in the first attack, it was chaos we didn't understand anything, it was the same attack all over our planets, some more crippled than others. It was uncalled for, it was a brutal attack to show their strength. Not many fought them back after that, they landed and took our homes.

We turned to our former protectors but they were stumped, never had they met a species so hell bent on death and domination. there was a voice saying we should attack them back but with what army, we never had one to show off and the humans repurposed their robots and dismantled their ships. We were facing a true end, the enemy didnt listen to any of our hails unless its was about our own surrender, the likes of information, land or people. Instead we turned to the thing we had always done, we called all species that wanted to fight back for a meeting. Many voices were angry, spitting and hissing hate against humans. Others were scared, some didn't say anything at all just empty eyes stared out in the room. It was hard trying to meddle for a middle ground, finding peace and understanding so we could discuss our problem at hand. But we didn't have to as a voice was heard from the back rows, the source was a old human in a wheelchair.

“We have one possibly solution left”, he spoke softly forcing the room quiet. All eyes turned towards the small frame huddled in the chair.

“Yes, that's what I'm trying to say here. We need to take what we have and leave.” A member from the Bikamku species, normally they are all for a hard hitting solution. This war had them running.

“We have coordinates to a location, it might give us a chance. We need help. If you can spare manpower and ships we can start this up.”

Large lumbering machines they were, rusted and dented, warped in some places due to some old war, they must have been around for centuries. Things deemed too violent to take apart or too powerful to ever be forgotten. Old like in way with no AI onboard, relaying on voice command and your own fast thinking, com system going from one room to another, with push to talk. A pulse system that took up enough power to count as a weapon, but used to detect the surrounding ships, asteroids, missiles etc. We could have a field day examine one of these but five more dreadnaughts joined the fight above Earth.

With newfound strength we pushed through the aliens blockade, it took us all some effort. But it was a great relief to look down at that blue ball beneath us. A voice came over the voice channels, sending it wide so all could her them, even our enemies. I think now that was part of it. The message came from the dreadnaught called Irkalla, 

“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, thy kingdom come.”

The ships main cannon fired straight at the planet, a massive red cloud rose from impact melted everything in its vicinity. I still remember those around us froze in horror but not the humans, the rest of their army followed the first one and bombarded their planet, freeing it from alien enslavement and all other life leaving it burned. It was victory, for a time.

I look up at the blue human AI, it stands there staring out in the dark, storing all I was telling it. To be alone was crazy, we were always together, now losing the hive was something that should never happen, now thinking I instead of we is pure nerve wracking. this silence never happened, always a few million voices to overlap and think in unison. That humans built those restless, self repairing machines just goes to show how crude and magnificent and crazy the human race was.

The humans deployed those robots in the last fight they fought for the Bikamkus last word as well, ships burned in the atmosphere, more allies than enemies. The robots came, built from scraps and broken parts, commanded with a straightforward direction that they would protect us. Nothing was left alive after that fight.

Then it came to our homeworld and nuked it with fire and radiation, leaved it dead as their creators had done before them. We got bodies into as many ships we could handle and fled our home world we had nursed over the millennia. Now it all was quiet, the halls of the ship flickering to life as I walked through, the human AI following me. I cursed my luck ending up onto a human cruiser of all things.

Now i fear I might be the only one left alive, anywhere. Humans ways to fight dirty works effectively but is this prize worth it?