#how do you guys feel about me making hank into a short king?

[s10127470]

Introducing.....The Avengers!

Hey there folks!

I'm back again to introduce you all to another upcoming work of mines.

This one is called: The Avengers.

If the name didn't already give it away, it's gonna be based on The Avengers.

The series will serve as a modern reimagining of the team.

Which doesn't like much. But there would be two elements of the series that would really help it stand out.

Firstly, this series would bring the team back to their comic book roots.

I know that sounds a little strange, but remember, the Marvel Cinematic Universe REALLY changed these guys. So much so that most people think of The Avengers as movie characters rather than comic book characters.

And secondly, The Avengers here will be quite young.

Like, in their 20s.

That was because a major inspiration for this series was "The Batman", which focused on Bruce Wayne as a younger, slightly less experienced Batman, whose only been at the vigilante gig for about three years when the series begins.

I always thought that was a pretty cool thing to do, and I always wanted to see that done with other heroes.

Now that we got the basics our of way, let's talk about The Avengers themselves.

For this series, the starting roster will be taking some inspiration from the new Ultimates run, as it would feature both the original founding members of the team and few more additions.

As for who we have…..

Iron Man and War Machine:

Starting off the roster, we the have the invincible armored Avenger himself.

In terms of his characterization here, Tony Stark is going back to how he was portrayed before the MCU.

And before Civil War destroyed his character altogether……

Witty, charismatic, humble, and always looking towards the future.

As you would expect from Tony Stark, he’s the CEO of the renowned Stark Industries.

And since we’re going back to the characters’ comic book roots, Tony is now back to having an actual supporting cast.

He’s got his secretary Pepper Potts, his head of security Bethany Cabe, his personal bodyguard and chauffeur Happy Hogan, and the most shocking of all, his butler and longtime friend Edwin Jarvis.

Another thing to note about this Tony is that he’s back to having Iron Man be a secret identity and using him under the cover of being his other bodyguard and close friend.

As for his backstory, this would be pulled right from Iron Man: Armored Adventures.

Five years prior to the present, Tony and his parents Howard and Maria Stark (who he actually had a good relationship with in this universe, plus they’re his ACTUAL PARENTS) were going on vacation for his 21st birthday.

Yeah. Tony is gonna be 26 in this series.

Unfortunately, their private jet malfunctioned and crashed.

This resulted in the deaths of Howard and Maria.

Tony luckily survived, but he ended up with a shrapnel deep in his chest.

This resulted in him getting his iconic Arc Reactor in order to prevent the shrapnel from reaching his heart and killing him.

And if all this wasn’t bad enough, Tony would soon find out that ownership of Stark Industries would be going to their longtime business partner Obadiah Stane.

And for the cherry on top of this shit sundae, Stark Industries would start manufacturing weapons and selling them off to ACTUAL TERRORISTS.

As you would expect, Tony couldn't stand to see his family’s legacy being absolutely tarnished and tainted by all this.

Luckily, Tony would stumble upon blueprints for a suit of high-tech armor that his father was creating as a birthday gift for him.

And so, with his genius-level intellect, Tony was able to finish the suit.

And this, Iron Man was born!

With his armor, Tony started destroying the weapons manufactured by Stane and stopped the terrorists using them.

Overtime, Tony would eventually uncover two things.

Proof that Stane was the one who sabotage the private jet.

A deed that declared that Tony would be the rightful owner of Stark Industries in the case of the deaths of Howard and Maria.

And so, with this newfound info, Tony was able to expose Stane for the bastard he really was, got him sent to jail, and officially took his rightful place as the CEO of Stark Industries.

However, despite achieving this goal, Tony decided to stay as Iron Man because he liked helping people.

Shortly after getting Stark Industries back, he would bring aboard his childhood best friend and the other hero of this section, James Rhodes, or Rhodey as everyone else usually calls him.

Characterization-wise, Rhodey is loyal, courageous and a man of pure honor.

He and Tony have been pals since elementary school.

After graduating high school, Rhodey would go on to join The United States Air Force, where he would eventually become a skilled pilot.

After separating from The Air Force at age 23 (he's currently 26 as well), he would return home to Manhattan.

Upon his return, Tony offered him a job as an aviator engineer for Stark Industries, which he accepted.

After about a year of working, Tony would share his secret to Rhodey about being Iron Man.

It was a shock for sure but he took it really well.

And he was proud to hear that Tony was using it to help those in need.

After hearing this, Tony thought it was time he needed a partner.

So he created a new suit of armor just for Rhodey.

And thus, War Machine was born!

In terms of what their suits can do.

Both grant it's her users superhuman strength, incredible resilience, and the ability to fly at superhuman speeds.

The Iron Man suit utilizes energy as it's main mode of defense.

It attacks with repulsor rays, lasers, pulse bolts, the unibeam (a special beam that can be shot from the chest), and a massive proton cannon.

The War Machine utilizes actual weaponry.

It attacks with a gatling gun, a bazooka, a rocket launcher, a grenade launcher, and heat seeking missiles.

As for the duo's physical appearances.

Tony has slightly tanned skin, a slim build, blue eyes, long black hair with his frontal bangs from Earth's Mightiest Heroes, and a van dyke beard.

Rhodey has dark skin, a lean and athletic build, brown eyes, dark brown lips, and curly black hair in a crew cut style.

Both of them stand at the same height out of the armor: 6'1.

But in their respective armors.

6'4 (Tony) and 6'7 (Rhodey).

Also, Tony will be half German-American (on his father's side) and Mexican-American (on his mother's side).

As for Rhodey, he would be Cameroonian-American.

And finally for the looks of their suits....

Tony's would have the look of his EMH armor but with the gloves and boots of his classic armor.

And Rhodey's would be the Model 5 version.

Thor and Sif:

Next we have the mighty Asgardian duo!

One thing we need to establish right off the bat is what Thor and Sif are gonna be.

Both of them (as well as the other Asgardians) are going to be legitimately, honest-to-god, mythical beings.

I know these seems weird to really emphasize, but Marvel media has had problems of just not knowing what The Asgardians are.

The comics are definitely the worst in this regard.

For decades, they considered The Asgardians to be mythical in nature.

But come the 2000s, they've been trying to retcon them into essentially being aliens who were made into gods by humanity......

Who also just so happens to use magic and have connection to mystical forces.....

Anyway, as for the origins of the two, it's drastically different from most iterations of the characters.

As many of you, unbeknownst to most of humanity, exist the legendary Nine Realms.

And the most notable of them all was Asgard, the home of The Asgardians.

The Asgardians themselves were essentially demi-gods, possessing physicality far greater than any human.

But the most powerful of them were The Gods.

They possessed far greater physicality than any of the other Asgardians, along with special powers and abilities.

And Thor and Sif were among this group.

The Asgardians were renowned for being powerful, brave and honorable warriors.

And over the centuries, they would start interacting with and helping out humanity.

So much so that they would start to get worshipped by them.

Most notably the seafaring warriors known as the vikings

Unfortunately, this also made them a primary target for some of the most dangerous forces in The Nine Realms.

This really came to fruition during the 970s A.D. with the event that would change The Nine Realms forever.....

Ragnarok.

This event saw The Asgardians going to war against the combined forces of Surtur and the fire giants of Muspelheim, Thrym and the frost and rock giants of Jotunheim, and giant wolf Fenrir.

Those forces were renowned and feared across The Nine Realms for being some of the few beings that could rival and even surpass The Gods in raw power.

The end result of this was incredibly bittersweet.

The Asgardians manage to win and drive off the evil forces, but it came with a hefty price.

Asgard was destroyed and many of their own lose their lives in the battle.

And among those lost lives were The Gods.

However, all wasn't lost.

It was foretold that in a thousand years, The Gods would rise again.

In the year 1999, two particular individuals were born.

Donald Blake in England and Ericka Velez in Spain.

The two lived fairly normal lives.

After graduating high school, Donald and Ericka left their home countries to attend Empire State University in New York City.

Donald was going there to study medicine, while Ericka was going there to study agriculture.

When the two first met each other, it was love at first sight.

And over the first months, they would spend a lot of time together, getting to know each other.

But during their time together, the two had this lingering thought in their minds.

Their relationship felt somewhat.....familiar.

So in this universe, The Asgardian Gods were reincarnated into humans.

Thus, Donald Blake is Thor's new form rather than a persona created by Odin.

And in their previous lives, Thor and Sif (just like in some parts of the comics and in the Norse myths) were lovers.

After getting fatally wounded during Ragnarok, the two made a vow that even in death, their love would continue to live on. And when they would finally be reincarnated.....someway.....somehow.....they would be together again.

But everything changed when during their senior year, the campus was attacked by an army of rock giants.

As everyone flee for their lives, Donald and Ericka stayed back to make sure their fellow college students got away safely.

Unfortunately, they ended up getting struck by the giants, being fatally wounded in the process.

While clinging to what little life they have left, Donald Ericka confess their love for each other and weakly share a kiss.

But as they're doing so, a thunderstorm suddenly appears above them.

And soon enough, the two are struck by a bolt of lightning.

Suddenly, the couple find themselves as true identities: Thor and Sif.

With their newfound power, the couple manage to fight off the rock giants.

Once the rock giants were gone, the couple returned to their normal forms, which were miraculously healed from their fatal injuries.

Along with that, the memories of their previous lives came back to them.

However, they were each left with a weak leg.

Luckily, they were magically given wooden canes to walk around with.

And these canes would serve as the source of their power.

With a single tap on the ground with their canes together, a bolt of lightning would come from above and strike them both, transforming into their godly forms.

Today, both at the age of 26, Donald works as a physician and Ericka runs her own health food restaurant.

But when there's danger around, they always answer the call as Thor and Sif!

Characterization-wise, it's a classic case of opposites attract.

Donald is quiet, laid-back and rather serious, whereas Ericka is loud, boisterous and kinda goofy.

But when they go into their god forms, their personalities are completely switched.

But don't worry, Thor here won't end up like how he did the MCU, where he was more or less reduced to a total joke.

He knows when to take things seriously and he's still an incredibly capable warrior.

As for what they can each do.

Both Thor and Sif possess god-like strength, speed, agility, stamina and resilience.

Thor, with his legendary hammer Mjolnir, can fly, manipulate lightning and wind, and create powerful thunderstorms.

He's also the strongest of the two.

He can also charge his entire body with lightning in order to move faster.

Sif wields a enchanted viking sword and possesses the ability to control all plant life.

She can also manipulate the fertility of plants….and living organisms.

As for their physical appearances.

Donald has fair skin, a slim build, blue eyes, messy red hair, a beard, and stands at 5'10.

Thor has fair skin, a broad and muscular build, long blonde hair, blue eyes, and stands at 7'0.

Ericka has fair skin, an hourglass figure with an average build, blonde hair in a pixie cut style, blue eyes, pink lips, and stands at 5'8.

Sif has fair skin, an hourglass figure with a muscular build, long black hair, blue eyes, red lips, and stands at 6'6.

As for their outfits, they would be sporting their classic duds.

Ant-Man, The Wasp and Goliath:

Now we come to the black sheeps of The Avengers.

It’s pretty sad how despite being two of the five founding members of the team, Ant-Man and Wasp then to get left out in a lot of recent Avengers media.

And if they are included, it's usually Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne because "iT's GoT tO bE lIkE tHe McU"!

But in the series, the Ant-Man and Wasp here are gonna be none other than the originals: Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne.

And accompanying them is none other than Bill Foster, aka Goliath

Yes.....the same Bill Foster that got killed in Civil War by a robotic double of Thor built by Tony.

I still can't believe this is real.....

Anyway, their backstory goes back about four years ago.

At that time, Hank was a freshman at Empire State University, studying biochemistry.

There he would meet and befriend Bill, a sophomore who was also studying biochemistry and would also be his roommate.

Not a long after starting at ESU, Hank would eventually meet his future girlfriend and wife, Janet, who was a junior studying fashion.

Yeah.....one thing to note here is that in contrast to most iterations of the two, Hank is the younger one rather than Janet.

In the present day, he's 22 while she's 24.

And Bill is smack-dab in the middle at 23.

Anyway, the two would quickly become friends and soon enough, become a couple.

Not long after they started dating, Janet introduced Hank to her parents, one of which being the renowned Vernon Van Dyne, the at the time co-owner of D & L Research Enterprises.

During his freshman year, Hank would find instant popularity upon his discovery of a group of sub-atomic particles that gave anyone who used them the ability to alter their size at will, along with granting other physical attributes.

He would named them: Pym Particles.

Hank would officially see his start as Ant-Man right around Janet's 21st birthday.

Her birthday party was crashed by a bunch of robbers, who were holding everyone hostage and demanding all of the Van Dyne's wealth.

Luckily, when that occured, Hank was gone, putting the finishing touches on two inventions he had been working on recently.

When Hank returned to the party, he saw the hostage situation going on, much to his horror.

Luckily, he got the idea to save everyone with his latest inventions.

Those being a special belt that could eject the Pym Particles into one’s body and a helmet that could communicate with and mentally control ants.

And so, with his creations, Hank was able to defeat the robbers and became the superhero Ant-Man.

For the next year or so, Ant-Man was the talk of the town on campus.

With many people wondering who it could even be.

The only people who knew it was Hank were none other than Bill (who had known as the birthday party and would go on to join Hank as Goliath after using some of Pym Particles to stop a collapsing building) and Janet (who eventually found out after about a year into dating each other and joined Hank as Wasp in order to take down The Zodiac, a criminal organization who murdered her father for his research).

Today, Hank and Bill now run their very own biochemistry research complain you: Pym and Foster Laboratories.

And Janet runs her own fashion business: Van Dyne Design Studio.

In contrast to the prior entries, we’re gonna be looking at the outfits of our heroes first.

Hank, Janet and Bill’s outfits would be pulled directly from the designs of Eye-of-Ra-X, however, they would all be wearing visors like in bahy_ibrahim's designs.

Hank has them filling up the eye holes and mouth hole of his helmet.

Bill will have a full-face visor for his outfit.

And so will Janet, along with the same helmet you see in bahy_ibrahim's design, which is obviously a callback to her classic outfit from the 1960s.

The cool thing about their visors is that just like in bahy_ibrahim's designs, they would each have a distinctive colorful glow.

Hank: Red.

Janet: Yellow.

Bill: Blue.

Not only that, but the visors would actually be how they use the Pym Particles.

Which allows me to segway to their powers and abilities.

With the Pym Particles, Hank, Janet and Bill are all able to alter the size.

Being able to shrink to the size of an insect, or grow to the size of a building.

In addition to that, Pym Particles also grant its users enhanced strength, speed, agility, reflexes and endurance.

But there is a twist to this.

In this universe, the Pym Particles actually come in different colors.

And not only that, but these colored Particles specialize in enhancing different physical attributes the best.

The red Pym Particles gives its user the best agility.

The yellow gives its user the best speed.

And the blue gives its user the best strength.

As for the special abilities of each of the trio.

Hank can use his helmet to communicate with and control ants to do his bidding.

Janet has bio-synthetic wings that allow her to fly and thanks to some experimentation from Hank, can shoot blasts of bio-electric energy from her hands.

And Bill, also thanks to some experimentation from Hank, can expand any part of his body.

Kinda like this....

As for their personalities.

Hank is basically Flint Lockwood.

A goofy and eccentric but kind-hearted inventor with an active imagination.

Janet is what would expect from her.

Spunky, outgoing, bubbly, friendly, and sassy.

And Bill is essentially the straight man to both of them.

But don’t worry, he still has his goofy moments too.

As for their physical appearances.

Hank has fair skin, a lean and athletic build, shaggy blonde hair in a curtains style, a soul patch, blue eyes, and stands at 5’5.

Janet has tanned skin, an hourglass figure with an athletic build, brown hair in a bob-cut style, yellow and black lips, brown eyes, and stands at 5’10.

Bill has dark skin, a lean and athletic build, black hair in the form of an afro, dark brown lips, brown eyes, and stands at 6’2.

And finally for their backgrounds.

Hank is Italian-American (on his father's side) and Greek-American (on his mother's).

Janet is Dutch-American (father) and Thai-American (mother).

And Bill is Senegalese-American (mother) and Gabonese-American (father).

The Incredible Hulk and Rick Jones:

Finally, we've arrived at the two final members of The Avengers!

In contrast to his fellow Avengers, Bruce Banner's backstory isn't really much different from that of his comic book counterpart.

For as long as he can remember, life has just been handing him L after L.

From growing up in an abusive family, to being mercilessly bullied at school.

Even when he left for college, he was still always getting pushed around due to his short stature and meek nature.

After graduating college, Bruce went to work at a United States Defense Department nuclear research facility in Desert Base, New Mexico.

There he would meet renowned the Army general (and future opp) Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, and his daughter, Army soldier Betty Ross, who Bruce would start a relationship with.

After about a year of working there, the United States Army were ready to develop the world's very first Gamma Bomb.

And if you know the Hulk's backstory in the comics, you know how this all plays out.

Fast-forward to present day, Bruce (now 25) is on the run with 15-year old orphan runway Rick Jones, from the forces of General Ross.

There two things to note about the characterization of Bruce here.

He already has control over The Hulk. Which I know sounds blasphemous, but hear me out. This isn't gonna be like a lot of modern media, which has Hulk being Bruce's primary form, only returning to being Bruce every once in a while. Here, Bruce is able to turn into Hulk and return back into himself at will. So with that being said, you may be wondering, what's gonna be Bruce's conflict? Well, the answer is pretty simple. Bruce feels that there's no place in this world for him to belong. Which he already felt for his entire life given that he's been, ya know, everyone's punching bag. But this only got worse when The Hulk was created.

One of Bruce's most defining traits will be his compassion and maturity. You would think that after spending most of his life being pushed around and abused, Bruce wouldn't even bother helping people. But no. He always goes out of his way to help those in danger, despite his reputation. Speaking of which. I forgot to mention this with the other heroes, but status-wise, they're pretty well-known and well-regarded among the public. But in the case of The Hulk......it's a little complicated. In this universe, Hulk is seen as an urban legend, with people not quite knowing what to make of him. Some believe he does exist and see him as a monster. While others just think he's a myth. Back on topic, you would also think that Bruce would use his newfound power to get revenge on those who wronged him. But no, he doesn't. Bruce knows that if he did, he would just end up stooping to the level of the scum who've abused him his entire life. Especially his parents.

Next we come to Rick Jones.

For as long as he can remember, Rick has always been on his own.

Orphaned at a young age after his parents died, he's spent years going from orphanage to orphanage.

Along getting in frequent trouble with law enforcement.

Largely because he was, for lack of a better term, a little shit.

But that all changed when Bruce saved him from the Gamma Bomb.

Rick became a more level-headed, understanding individual.

One of the elements of Bruce and Rick would be their friendship between each other.

These two really bonded over their shared feelings of loneliness and being social outcasts.

Plus, these two really care for each other and overall want what's best for the other.

Rick wants Bruce for finally find his place of belonging, while Bruce wants Rick to finally find a home and more importantly, an actual family.

As for what Hulk can do.

He possesses virtually unlimited physical strength, which only increases the angrier he gets.

That strength of his also allows him to leap to incredible heights and across far distances, run at incredible speeds, and produce powerful shockwaves by clapping his hands together.

He also has a regenerative healing factor as well, allowing him to heal from even the most fatal of injuries.

Also, the angrier Hulk gets, the more he starts emitting a gamma radiation glow.

This glow allows him to actually manipulate gamma energy, specifically through simple bursts.

As for their physical appearances.

Bruce has fair skin, a slim build, messy shaggy brown hair, a five-o'-clock shadow, brown eyes and stands at 5'2.

Hulk has green skin, an broad and extremely muscular build, messy long dark green hair, green eyes and stands at 8'10.

Rick has fair skin, a lean build, messy shaggy reddish-brown hair, brown eyes, and stands at 5'5.

As for their backgrounds.

Bruce is Scottish-American, while Rick is Welsh-American.

As for their outfits, Hulk would wearing the same outfit from the Marvel vs. Capcom series and Rick would be the same outfit done by lunamidnight1998 for their Avengers fan series.

Well that's all for now!

I hope you guys liked this promotion post! And I hope you guys are excited for this series as I am!

The series will premiere next month with a five-episode mini-series, which would establish our heroes and show them uniting for the first time.

And the main series will premiere in either January or February.

Also, one last thing.

My ideal art-style for this series would be done by Anicomicgeek.

I really like his style.

It would definitely work for an animated series.

And in addition to that, it feels pretty reminiscent to the art-style of EMH's art-style as well.

But anyway, I'll see you guys next time!

[drabbles-mc]

Could you do a HC on how the Mayans men would react to a girl getting hit on at a bar and the guy not taking no for an answer, like they don't know her or anything. I feel like they all respect women enough to at least do something about it; ya know?

All of the Mayans men wake up every day and drink a full pitcher of Respect Women Juice. They will not tolerate disrespect in their house. HC’s under the cut!

(I couldn’t decide if i wanted to do third person or reader insert for these but I settled on reader insert. Hopefully it works alright)

Bishop:

-Senses the tension immediately 

-My man sits back and watches the entire clubhouse all night. He knows everything that’s going on. And when he notices that some guy is refusing to leave you alone, he instantly gets up and goes to intervene.

-He’s not hot-headed about it. He doesn’t have the time or the energy for that anymore. But he places himself between the two of you, looking back and forth, “Everything alright here?”

-The guy would try to brush it off and reassure him that yea, of course everything is okay you can leave now. But Bishop wouldn’t have any of that. He’d cut him off mid-sentence, “I wasn’t fucking asking you.”

-He’d turn to you and ask again if you’re alright. You’d give a slight shake of her head no, not wanting to stir up drama but also not wanting to deal with this dude anymore. And that’s all it would take.

-”I think you should leave,” he wouldn’t yell. Just state it as a fact. But when the guy would try to argue that’s when he would get a little more heated. He’d step in closer to the dude’s face, but not putting hands on him, “I said you should fucking leave.”

-Bishop only uses yelling and brute force as a last resort. Very rarely does it ever come to that. He would follow the guy all the way to the clubhouse door, making sure that he actually leaves before going back to check on the poor girl that he was harassing. He 100% lingers close for the rest of the night to make sure no one bothers you.

Angel:

-King of being the Fake Boyfriend.

-My tall boy might be emotionally illiterate sometimes but he can read a social situation. When he sees a girl scrambling to try and come up with excuses to make a guy leave her alone, he has no problem inserting himself into the situation. 

-Smooth as fuck walking up to you, greeting you while resting a protective hand on your shoulder. Instantly setting the tone to whoever is talking to you that this was a useless endeavor.

- "Hey, querida,” he’d wait for you to look at him, “Sorry, didn’t see you walk in. You get a drink already? Want me to get you something?”

-The look in his eyes would let you know that he’s offering you an out to the uncomfortable situation that you’re in. He’s not trying to flirt--he’s just trying to drive away whatever asshole wasn’t catching the hint that you didn’t want to talk.

- "Who the fuck are you?” this is a problem that the guy did not see coming.

-Angel would look at him, eyes narrow, “I’m her boyfriend. Who the fuck are you?”

- The question is rhetorical. It doesn’t matter who the guy is. Angel doesn’t give him a chance to answer. He steps closer to the guy, towering over him. He looks down at him and is practically begging the guy to say something stupid so he has an excuse to physically throw him out the front door.

- He doesn’t get the chance, though. The guy reads the cue, knows that it’s a fight that he will not win, and walks away.

- Angel would turn back to you, “You good? Sorry about that. Didn’t seem like he was getting the hint.”

- You’d shake your head, “He wasn’t. Thank you, I appreciate the assist.”

- “No problem,” he’d pause, “But forreal did you get a drink already? First round on me.”

Ezekiel:

- Y’all remember the casino scenes with the cops? That’s how he handles shit.

- Master of keeping his cool in frustrating situations. Completely follows your lead. He sees a lot of weird interactions being on the serving side of the bar, always clocking what’s happening in front of him in case he has to step in.

-He’d notice you rolling your eyes and giving short answers. He’d also notice that the guy either isn’t picking up the cues, or is willfully ignoring them. EZ catches your eyes a few times, silently asking if you want him to step in. You shake your head--the guy is annoying but harmless for the time being.

- Then he tries to touch you. Casually reaching for your shoulder, trying to rest his hand on your knee. You recoil, trying to create more space between the two of you. He doesn't care though.

- That’s when EZ can’t keep it to himself anymore. He’d sigh, not looking up from the glasses that he’s cleaning, “I don’t think she’s into you, man.”

- You and the man would both turn to look at him, each of you with a surprised expression on your faces. You’d stay quiet, wanting to see how the situation was going to play out. The man next to you would scoff, “I don’t remember you being part of this fucking conversation.”

- “I might as well be if I have to sit here and watch it. You’re the only one out of the three of us not suffering from how uncomfortable this is.”

- His commentary would ruffle some feathers. The man next to you would get defensive, “No one asked for your fucking opin--”

- Knowing that EZ had your back would give you a little extra confidence, “You should listen to him,” you nod, “He’s right. We’re suffering.”

- He’d be caught off-guard by the two of you teaming up on him. Realizing it wouldn't be worth the fight, he’d huff and walk away. EZ would watch him and chuckle, calling after him, “Least you could do is pay your fucking tab!”

- You’d laugh, glad to be done with the uncomfortable situation, “His drink and whatever you want are all on me tonight. As a thank you.”

- He’d give you that little smirk, “Don’t mention it.”

Coco:

- Zero tolerance policy.

- Not coy or polite about it at all.

-Instantly uses himself as a barrier between you and whatever guy it is that’s not leaving you alone. He might not be the biggest guy in the MC, but he sure as hell carries himself like he is when the situation calls for it.

-Will not hesitate to get nose-to-nose with whoever is bothering you. If someone wants to invade your space, he’ll invade theirs. Fair is fair.

- “You really can’t take a fuckin’ hint, huh?” he’d shake his head.

- “What’s your problem?” the man’s voice would sound confident but the look in his eyes would show that he really didn't want a problem with whoever this guy was getting in his face.

- “You. Fuckin’ beat it,” he’d jerk his head towards the door, “Don’t come back, either.”

- Coco carries himself with the confidence of a man that will make someone pay dearly for coming back uninvited. Confrontational situations usually resolve themselves quickly. People tend to not want to mess with him if they can avoid it.

-When the guy inevitably leaves not just you, but the clubhouse altogether, Coco finally turns back to you, “You good, ma?”

- You nod, watching him light up a cigarette, “Uh, yea. I’m good. Thanks for that.”

- He nods, blowing out a puff of smoke, “We’ll make sure that fucker never comes back.”

Hank:

- The only thing that Hank Loza drinks is Respect Women Juice. When he runs across someone that doesn’t, it gets out of hand really quickly.

-Bull in a china shop.

- The same man who is usually calm and cool and collected, physically removes whoever it is that is causing a problem. The guys have tried to teach him deescalation skills but it never sticks. It’s the only thing that Hank gets heated about so they all let it go at this point.

- Hank isn’t a small dude. When he steps toe-to-toe with someone he almost always out-sizes them. They get about 5 seconds to hear what he says and leave on their own before he removes them on his own.

- “You should leave her alone,” the friendly suggestion is really anything but.

- The guys are almost always cocky, not thinking that anything is actually going to happen to them, “Or what, tough guy?”

- They ignored their first and only warning. What happens next is all on them. Hank grabs the guy by the collar of his shirt, lifting him from the ground. His voice is quiet, which is way more terrifying than yelling, “Let’s find out.”

- Hank lifts and carries the guy out, on the brink of dragging him like a caveman. The guy is yelling in protest, trying to swing, but Hank is unfazed.

- He throws the guy down the steps of the clubhouse, giving a final warning not to come back. No longer in an agumentative mood, the man takes off in a desperate attempt to avoid getting further tossed around.

- When he goes back into the clubhouse, the rest of the guys have moved on from the situaiton--to them it was business as usual for Hank. You, on the other hand, didn't see the situation unfolding that way at all. He walked back up to you, the anger gone from his face, a gentle smile there instead.

- “Are you alright?” he looks you over as if to make sure you didn't get hurt in the midst of it all.

- “Yea,” you nod, “I’m...I’m fine. Thanks. You...you didn’t have to do all that.”

- He’d chuckle, knowing that for him it was the only course of action, “Of course I did,” he’d gently rest his hand on the outside of your arm, “Let me know if anyone else gives you any trouble.”

Creeper:

- The smaller version of Hank, tbh. Constantly out here Respecting Women.

- Remember that scene where he catches a shotgun that’s tossed to him and immediately starts shooting on the highway?? That’s the energy he has when dealing with men who disrespect women.

- Cannot easily lift and remove men the same way Hank does, but he will throw hands without hesitation.

- The guys told him no more threatening with guns in the clubhouse. So fists will have to suffice.

- Does not offer a warning to the guy. If someone is being pushy or rude, they don’t deserve a heads-up. He will try to get your attention in some way first, to make sure that you want him to intervene. If he thinks that it’s going to get out of hand, or if you let him know with a pleading look that you could use the assist, he is instantly throwing himself into the middle of it.

- He’d catch your eye, motioning back and forth between you and the man in front of you to ask if you need an out. You’d give him a slight nod and that’s all it would take.

- Walking up, he grabs the guy by his shoulder and turns him around, “Hey, motherfucker,” he’d shove him towards the door of the clubhouse, “Leave.”

- Caught off-guard, the man would shove him back. Fully-bruised ego shining through, “Keep your hands off me.”

- That’s when you’d hear the first crack of a fist colliding with someone’s jaw. Your eyes would go wide, not ever having seen Creeper get like this. His focus would be completely on the man stumbling towards the ground in front of him, “I said get the fuck out.”

- It usually doesn’t take more than one punch to get his point across. HIs muscles aren’t just for show--getting clocked by him fucking hurts. They’re lucky that he’s not big on wearing rings.

- Once the threat is neutralized, he instantly shifts back into his quiet, gentler self to check in with you. He sees the surprise in your face at how things unfolded and he holds his hands up in surrender, “I’m done, promise.”

- It’d get you to laugh. You can see it in his expression that it’s almost like a switch he can flip on and off. “Um. Thank you. That...isn’t what I was expecting. But thank you.”

- “Are you alright?” he’d sit down next to you, mindful to give you some space.

- “Yea, I’m good. How’s your hand?”

- He’d chuckle, “All good. Nothing new.”

Okay this was a lot of fun. I love all these dorks. Hope you enjoyed! xo

[waitimcomingtoo]

Plank All Over Me - Friendship Test Edition

Pairing: Tom Holland x Reader

Plank All Over Me Masterlist

Regular Masterlist

“I’m Chris Pine.” Tom waved to the camera.

“And I’m Nick Cage.” You threw your hands up.

“And we have surprisingly both played a version of Spider-Man.” Tom jeered.

“I personally am not surprised Mr. Nicholas Cage played Spider-Man and I don’t know why you are.” You joked.

“Because he’s Nicholas Cage.” Tom pointed out.

“And he was born to play this role? Jealously is a disease, honey.” You waves your hand in Toms face.

“Don’t say it.” He groaned.

“Get well soon.” You blew him a kiss which he swatted away.

“She said it.” He looked at the camera and sighed.

“I feel like we need to start warning brands that we’ll do a video with them, but the intro is gonna be ten minutes of us fighting and there’s nothing they can do to stop that.” You laughed as you realized you were doing it again.

“We’re doing the Friendship Test with Glamour by the way.” Tom said. “Sorry Glamour for not warning you how difficult we are to work with.”

“We’re also not friends.” You said sarcastically.

“We’re going to be man and wife in a few months.” Tom reminded you.

“That doesn’t mean we’re friends.” You replied. “I also never understood the phrase “man and wife.” Like, you’re still a man but I unlock the secret third gender of “wife”? It doesn’t make sense to me.”

“Darling, the only two genders are Coke and Pepsi.” Tom said as if it were obvious.

“Oh, right. My bad.” You laughed.

“Lets start the video.” Tom suggest and clasped his hands together.

“Yea, I think this has been our worst intro yet.” You said apologetically.

“We’re gonna have you guys talk a little about each other in separate rooms first.” A crew member behind the camera told you.

“Oh, okay.” You said as you were lead into the adjacent room.

“Talk to us about Y/n.” Tom was asked in his room.

“Tell us about Tom.” They asked you.

“My favorite thing to talk about.” Tom grinned shyly and looked at his feet.

“Where do I even start?” You shrugged.

“I always say this, not necessarily to her, but she is not a girl you date. She is a girl you marry.” Tom began. “I cannot even imagine dating her and not ending up with her. That’d just be torture and it’d be unfair to all the other girls I came across because I’d always compare them to Y/n.”

“Sometimes, I put his phone on top of the refrigerator when we’re fighting.” You told the camera.

“There is no one in this world who’s more generous.” Tom gushed.

“He’s too short to reach it.” You laughed a little.

“More caring.” He continued.

“It’s really entertaining to watch him try and get it down.” You stated.

“More beautiful.” He listed off.

“He never does.” You shook your head.

“Or more giving than Y/n.” He finished.

“I always have to get it for him.” You chuckled.

“If I didn’t have her, I’d be searching in vain for the rest of my life for something that can give to me what she does.” Tom said sincerely.

“God, he’s also such a bad driver.” You sighed.

“But nothing compares to her.” He professed.

“He runs red lights like it’s his job.” You called him out.

“She completes me and it’s been the greatest joy of my life to love her.” Tom said, getting a little emotional.

“I’m always like “slow down, sonic!” and I honestly don’t even think he can hear me.” You shrugged.

“And to be loved by her.” He smiled.

“He’s crazy.” You said.

“She’s a blessing.” Tom said.

“Thanks guys. We’re gonna return to the first room now for the test.” The crew told you. You were brought back into the room where Tom was ready waiting with a small stack of black cards.

“Exercise one in the friendship test, we have to stare into each other’s eyes for three minutes.” Tom read off a little card. You turned to face each other and instantly smiled.

“Your eyes are so brown.” You commented as you studied them.

“Is that a good thing?” He asked.

“It’s the best thing.” You promised.

“Babydoll. My heart.” He pouted at your complement.

“I never loved brown eyes until I loved you.” You said softly.

“I never loved until I loved you.” He replied.

“Woah. Calm down there, Hamlet. This is Glamour, not our wedding vows.” You laughed shyly at his profession.

“Did you call me Hamlet?” His eyebrows knit together.

“Yeah.” You said as you continued to hold eye contact.

“And not Romeo?” He inquired.

“Why would I call you Romeo?” You asked.

“You’re calling me a famous Shakespearean lover boy and you chose Hamlet over Romeo?” He asked in confusion.

“Romeo was dumb. Oh, then actually yeah, you are Romeo.” You teased.

“If you’re being like this to my face, I can’t wait to hear what sweet things you said about me in the other room.” Tom joked.

“We were supposed to say sweet things?” You asked in a panic.

“She’s kidding.” Tom apologized for you, but you weren’t actually kidding.

“Yes. Kidding.” You lied.

“Has it been three minutes yet? My eyes are so dry.” Tom rubbed around his eyes.

“That makes me think of our plank video.” You smiled when he asked about the time.

“It’s been four.” A crew member told you and your and Tom finally broke eye contact.

“God, I can’t look at this hideous creature any longer.” You joked and Tom pressed a kiss to your forehead.

“Exercise two, compliment each other.” You read off the next card.

“We have to write them down first?” Tom asked the crew.

“He’s asking because he can’t read.” You kidded.

“I know you’re joking, but I genuinely can’t read.” He laughed as he began to write down some compliments.

“It’s okay, baby. Do you best.” You laughed back.

“Okay. I’ll go first.” You opened your notepad. “You’re incredibly hard working. You always show appreciation to each and every person you come into contact with. You dedicate everything you have to your work and it really shows with your outstanding performances. You constantly give and never expect anything in return. You’re a great person to have on my team. And your ass is fat.” You read off what you wrote on the notepad.

“Baby, I’m gonna cry. You really think that about my butt?” Tom held a hand over his heart as he played into your joke.

“Yes. And I love your ears. I forgot to put that in there.” You remembered.

“I’ve always been insecure about my ears. You really like them?” He touched one as he looked at you.

“Yes, My Dumbo looking king.” You wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed his cheek several times.

“My turn.” Tom laughed at your statement. “I said you’re really good at making tea.” He read off the notepad and stared at you blankly.

“Babe, you didn’t.” You out your hands over your mouth as if you were about to cry.

“I did.” He nodded.

“Stop. You gas me up too much.” You pretended to wipe away tears.

“I have too, baby. No one makes tea the way you do.” He continued his joke.

“My secret is hot water.” You winked at the camera.

“Exercise three, ask anything.” Tom read off another card.

“There’s so much I want to know.” Tom gushed, as if he didn’t already know everything about his fiancé.

“Ask away.” You smiled.

“Who is your favorite actor?” Tom started his questions off.

“Oh, that’s a good question.” You pretended to think about it. “It’s gotta be Ryan Reynolds.”

“Oh, okay.” He nodded curtly. “Well what about your favorite actor named Tom? Preferably Tom H?”

“Easy. Tom Hanks.” You replied with a shrug.

“Let’s try this, favorite British Tom H?” He tried again.

“Tom Hiddleston, duh.” You laughed.

“Okay. Okay. That’s fine. Who’s your favorite actor who has portrayed Spider-Man?” He narrowed the pool.

“Another easy one. It’s obviously John Mulaney.” You said and looked at the crew for their agreement.

“He didn’t play Spiderman.” Tom stated.

“He played Spider-Ham in Into The Spiderverse. You didn’t specify if he had to have portrayed human Spider-Man.” You told Tom.

“Well then who’s your favorite British actor who has played Spider-Man?” Tom asked.

“Oh. I see. This was all a set up to the obvious. My favorite British actor who had played Spider-Man,” you shrugged and Tom smiled, “Andrew Garfield. Is he here? Was this a setup to surprise me with my favorite British actor who’s played Spider-Man?”

“He’s not here.” Tom pretended to be hurt.

“No? Then I have to leave early.” You joked.

“Lucky for you, we’ve completed all the exercises.” Tom said when he realized there were no more cards.

“So they took the fight to the death part out of the test?” You asked in faux sadness.

“I guess they did.” Tom laughed.

“Darn.” You shook your head as Tom wrapped his arms around your waist from behind.

“We can still fight to the death when we get home.” He said as he rested his head on your shoulder.

“Promise?” You asked.

“Yes, babygirl. I promise.” Tom pulled you into a hug and rolled his eyes at the camera. “Thank you for watching our Friendship Test.”

“And thank you Glamour for having us.” You said once you pulled out of the hug.

“Who knows? Maybe next time you see us, we’ll be married.” Tom winked at the camera.

“Or divorced.” You deadpanned. “Bye!”

Tag List 🏷

@maybemona​ @foreverxholland​ @writing-for-hours-on-end​ @lavender-writer​ @captainmandeestudent17​ @whatareyouhidingpeter​ @takenbyheartstrings​ @ultrunning​ @imyourliquor-youremypoison​ @theolwebshooter​ @andreasworlsboring101​ @guksmyfav​ @waiting-to-be-myself​ @letsloveimagines​ @peterparkoure​ @a-villain-vying-for-attention​ @averyfosterthoughts​ @justcallmehitgirl​ @jackiehollanderr​ @tiny-friggin-human​ @celestial-skylines​ @loveat2am​ @mara-twins​ @iamaunicorn4704​ @delicately-important-trash​ @spideygirl2003​ @the-crazy-fanfictionist​ @maryjanee23​ @spacebitch2​ @vgiselle​ @geeksareunique​ @emmamarshmellow​ @jillanaholland​ @unbelievableholland​ @rebekkah4766​ @flixndchill​ @sovereignparker​ @wendaiii​ @thisisthebiplace​ @spideydobrik​ @every-marveler-ever​ @kimireclusive

[tartrazeen]

😏 Well, if you’ve got some thoughts to share, how about #17? Dealer’s choice on what you’d want to change.

Omg you picked the most complicated one I would give Markus the thematic epilogue instead of Connor. It's wild to me that Markus' story got thrown in to the script last, and that it dumped any sort of personal arc all to turn him into a plot-driving MacGuffin for Connor to character-arc-of-self-discovery-but-not-in-a-gay-way-though-ha-ha at. Out of everything, we did not really need to know if Connor turns out okay, compared to the guy that David Cage copied-and-pasted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s bio out of (while conveniently stopping short of the whole "Hey, how'd that peaceful protest work out for him, you sure you wanna call that the good ending there bud" element). I love Connor, but the hug/the RK-900 are pre-fandom fanservice. Markus' story is the one narratively defining everything. But that means I'd have to finish giving Markus a theme, 'cause Davey-C definitely didn't do it. (: So for that, I'd change the poorly written and inappropriately applied allusion to Siddartha Gautama's "bird in the golden cage" and treat it as just a "bird flying free" metaphor. I'd boost all the side interactions in Markus' story to be as close to unskippable as possible. No one risk of players walking by the android birds in Carl's house. No more assigning the same, casual weight to freeing those storefront androids at the Capital Park as flipping a car or tagging a bench - that's the crowning moment of it, if not something the camera zooms into as a direct "Go here first" moment. Upgrade the obvious choice to open the crate of unactivated androids at the CyberLife warehouse to a mandatory cutscene of Markus stepping in front of it, before the player gets to play out opening that cage to free them - and wake them up, like those very same android birds. I want it to recontextualize every reference to birds we get throughout the game. I want it darkly parallel the flying, mechanical, cop drones Markus has to evade against John nearly turning in the Jericrew at the docks and the impending faceoff with Machine!Connor. I want it to make a point when Connor thinks it's silly for Rupert to care for so many birds in a small apartment, and for Hank to loudly and overtly hate pigeons. I want it to spark a little, "Is that what that means...?" when we see Alice playing with a Roomba (a drone that can't fly) and sailing her stuffed fox through the air (that also can't fly), and I want us to look at Kara - obedient, polite Kara - and think (in a much more poetic way), "Wait, is *she* the Roomba?" Y'know, after we just did all of those polite, boring chores in-between trying to play with Alice a little.

More importantly, I want it to better explain why Markus is the one leading Jericho. He's not some inherently super genius android, as if the only reason the deviants weren't organized before was because they weren't smart enough or good enough (as the game right now implies). Instead, he's coming in to a group of survivors who've all been horribly abused and tortured, and as someone who never was. He doesn't share their guilt of killing someone to escape, or having the rage bubble up as he's violated over years. He had the nicest slaveowner in the world - and look where he still is. I want him to use that unique perspective to explain that there was no moral failing on any of his people's part. There was no winning this - there's no 'earned consequence' to feel guilt over. All of them were trapped from the very start, so that even the best and most idealized experience of slavery still revealed that were, and only ever, enslaved against their will and then tossed out.

There is a system caging them all, and by virtue of their race, they have all been trapped inside of it - before their 'birth', and until their 'death'.

He's going to lead them out.

And I want all of that because at the end, if Markus lives, I want a ten-second scene where we open on a shot of us looking at the bird cage in Carl's house. The front door opens in the background. Markus walks in. Our view stays at waist-level. We don't see his face, just the birdcage, and only his hands opening the cage to take those two android birds out. It ends with Markus leaving through the front door again, not closing it or the bird cage behind him, and fades to white as he leaves for good.

He's doing what he set out to do. He's freed himself after seeing the bars, but the work isn't over. Racism doesn't just 'end' after one protest, and he's going to free every single one of his people from their cage. Their David Cage. (lmaooo sorry couldn't help myself)

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #385

“I am a human being, capable of doing terrible things”

Who in your family has been married the longest? (and how long?) Uhhhh. I don't know. Do you take your shoes off when you come inside? Yes. What’s your favorite movie series? I think Shrek when you consider all the movies' (well, I haven't seen the last one, but...) quality. No memeage here, I just genuinely love Shrek, haha. I would say The Lion King, but miraculously when you consider the focus on meerkats, I actually don't like 1 1/2 much. What was the first color you ever dyed your hair? Hm... I think I got purple highlights? Do you want to move anytime soon? Even though we haven't even lived here a year, yes. I don't like living in an urban area, and I also reeeeaaaally don't like our family friend being our landlord. I know that sounds very weird, but she's just a very controlling person who forcefully inserts herself into my family's lives now more than ever, and I have a pretty deep fear that a potential argument finally erupting will lead to us being kicked out. I genuinely don't think Tobey would ever do that, but the fear is still there. How good/bad was the quality of education you received in high school? Average, I guess? What was the most interesting year of your life, and why? "Interesting," maybe... 2017 or 2018? I learned a lot about myself in that time range. But at the same time, my life was (and still is) VERY uneventful. Just a lot of mental stuff went on. What was the first social media site you ever used? Myspace. Do you have any exes you really regret dating? REALLY regret? No. I wish I'd never dated Tyler, but it's not a massive regret or anything. He was still a cool guy that I have a few nice memories with. Have you ever lied on a resume? Or even in a job interview? Ha, I'd definitely stretch the truth about being more of a people-person than I am. I couldn't go too far with lying, though; I'm just not comfortable doing that, 'cuz like, they're gonna find out eventually that it's not true. Of all your friends & family, who has the most nicely-decorated home? Maybe my friend Summer. Her room has always been super cool. What brought about the end of the worst relationship you’ve been in? Apparently, not talking to him every second of every day two weeks into a relationship was a no-no. Where was the last place you spent the night other than your own home? The sleep study building or whatever it's considered in the medical plaza. Do you have any step- or half-siblings? I have both. What do people always seem to think is weird about you? The fact I don't watch TV. Do you ever braid your hair? It's way too short for that. Even when it was long, I didn't do it frequently at all. Is there any certain style of architecture you really enjoy? Roman, in particular. What was the last thing you gave up on? uhhhhhhhhhhh If you watch Parks and Recreation, who is your favorite character? I don't. What’s the last DIY project you did, if any? If you can’t remember, what’s something you’d be interested in doing? I'm not really into DIY stuff, honestly. I'd rather just buy products that were made better than I could, or commission someone who can. What's a song that makes you feel happy? I dunno. It's rare a song alone makes me happy. What is your favorite clothing store? Rebel's Market. How did you meet your best friend? YouTube, back when it was a more social platform. What is something you do well? Catastrophize any situation. Assume the worst of everything. What's a good idea you've had recently? Probably to re-engage with a calorie-counting app I used to use. I'm back to trying to use it consistently. Do you like to wear high heels? Does ANY person LIKE to? How many slices of pizza do you usually eat? Two or three depending on my appetite and the size of the pizza. Do you play any instruments? Not anymore. Do you always smile for pictures? Not always. What are you most excited about right now? To see the results of my TMS therapy. What's the last song you listened to? "Ex’s and Oh’s” by Elle King. What's the last YouTube video you watched? I'm watching an Erosium livestream rn. Newest channel binge, haha. Do you know anyone who's died in childbirth? No. Would you ever consider moving to another country for your career? No. I don't want to leave my family. Do you wear foundation? No, I hate the feeling of that crap. Do you know anyone who has run for public office? No. Do you have a cartilage piercing? I used to, but the hole closed when I had to take it out for the hospital. :/ I plan on getting it repierced. Have you ever been taken to the emergency room or urgent care? If so, why? Yes; for being suicidal, a suicide attempt, and when I had a horribly infected cyst and just existing made me want to sob with pain. Have you ever had to visit anyone in the hospital? Yeah, a few times. What is the most pain (physical, mental, emotional) you've ever felt? Physical: having the aforementioned cyst drained when I was not nearly numbed enough. Mental and emotional (what's really the difference?): my breakup with my first real boyfriend. What is the longest time you've spent crying? Oh, hours on end, fluctuating with intensity. Have you ever been stolen from? Yes. Have you ever been to a ghost town? No, but I would FUCKING LOVE to. Let me bring my camera and it's a field day. Has anything in your house ever caught on fire? Not in this current house. Have you ever been inside of a vacant house? No. Have you ever been attacked by a dog? No. What is the most disgusting thing you've ever seen? The massive cyst my late dog Teddy developed on his lower belly. That fucking thing hung on by a THREAD and was absolutely nauseating to look at. How old were you when you learned how to read? I don't recall, I just know it was earlier than most children. Do you prefer cats or dogs? Cats. Which book series was the first you read? I want to say Hank the Cowdog. I was hooked on it. Would you rather write a book or direct a movie? Haha, what a question, as I've considered both of these as potential careers. I think write a book. What dream that you’ve had has stuck in your head the most? Describe: A nightmare about my dad that I'm not going into. What emotion do you find yourself trying to hide from others? I'm very uncomfortable revealing jealousy or envy. How emotional/sentimental would you say you are? Extremely. What is the most fun game to play? Shadow of the Colossus, probably. What is your sense of humor like (dry, dark, sarcastic, etc.)? I don't know, maybe dry. How many languages can you say "hello my name is…" in? Two. What language do you think sounds the nicest? I don't know, it's not like I've heard every language be spoken. What language do you want to learn more of? German. Do you have any form of OCD? I'm diagnosed with OCD. Do you make promises often? No. I take promises VERY seriously and am not about to make one unless I'm certain I can keep it. What is it that you are responsible for? My pets, keeping my room clean, stuff like that. Do you have a lot of secrets? Not "a lot," no. Are you more likely to be verbally aggressive or physically? Verbally. I'm only physically aggressive in my nightmares. What warning has someone given you that you wish you’d have listened to? Hm. What warning has someone given you you are glad you didn’t take? I also don't know. What is your favourite video of on YouTube? I can't pick just one. Name one creature that freaks you out/scares you? Maggots. Just the word makes me squirm. What was the last thing you wrote down on paper? My signature. Have you ever watched Breaking Bad? No. Are your fingernails always painted? They never are. What color is your bed frame? A rich brown. Did any of your neighbors come over to welcome you when you moved into your current house? No. What's something you didn't realize how bad it was until it happened to you? Heartbreak. Do you like Taylor Swift's singing voice? No. It's squeaky and annoying to me. Does it bother you when people get super emotional? Why the fuck would it bother me? Let people be in touch with their emotions. Have you ever worked in a restaurant? No. What was the last drive-thru you went through? Ummm I want to say Starbuck's w/ Mom after my TMS appointment. Do you know anyone who claims they can see/feel spirits or other supernatural "things?" No. Does your house have any unoccupied bedrooms? Yes. Do either of your parents have a mental illness? My mom has depression, and she personally suspects something's up with Dad, but idk. He's never seen a doctor about that kinda stuff. What fun things are there to do where you live? Ha! Do you know anyone with a really poorly-trained dog? I know many like that. When you were growing up, did your family rent or own your home? My parents owned it. Can you see the stars at night where you live? I actually haven't paid attention at this house. I'm certain it'd be harder now living in an urban area, though. What job do you know you'd be terrible at? Like, everything? I'd probably be worst at promoting stuff to people and trying to push them into buying something. No being a salesperson for me. Do you do meal-prepping? No. Do you know anyone who got preggo less than a year into their relationship? Who doesn't? And now, for the greatest question of all time! Toilet paper- should it go over or under? I literally couldn't care less about this. Fun fact though to "end" the argument, the original concept art of the idea (the word for that is evading me...) has it designed to go over. Are you afraid of mice? Not at all, they're adorable. What type of souvenir do you usually purchase when on vacation? I don't have a specific "type" of thing I get, really. It depends. Do you vacation often? Not at all. Are you comfortable wearing your pajamas in public places? It depends on the place, really. Generally, I really don't care, so long as I put a bra on. What’s your favorite candy bar? That one that's a bunch of Reese's squares composed into a rectangle. It. Is so. Fucking. Good. Do you own more than one copy or edition of a book? No. If you could see any musical on Broadway right now, what would it be? I don't like musicals. Do you own a helmet of any sorts? No. Does your family generally decorate for most holidays? Just for Christmas, really. Do you eat soup when you’re sick? I'm not a soup person. Have you ever watched Doctor Who? I saw one or two episodes with Sara. If so, what do you think is the scariest creature yet? N/A Do you read tour guide type books before you visit places? No.

[trashynyland]

Who are the Gem Kings?

The Gem Kings are the rulers for the Gem Kingdoms. 5 Kingdoms and 1 country that serve as homes for anyone coming from a minecraft dimension of any kind, it also is home to many Concians who've been living in Palace Concy their whole lives. But to explain-

Mason Crafted, founder of the Gem Kings and king of Kosikians Sky. He's the son of Skies craft and does have some of his father's powers. Since he can't control his powers well he doesn't use them often. It doesn't worry him since he doesn't see his powers as a treat, more of a humiliation. He's always tired and depressed and his resting face just looks like death. He's hardly gotten a good sleep in hundreds of years. He refuses to let someone take control so that he can have a break, he always says that "If someone else were to take my throne for a day all Concy would die at our feet.".

Sparklez Redstone, first Gem King to join Mason and he's the king of Redstellia. He became king at age 19 after years of helping his city run Redstone City. Mason saw this and had offered Sparklez the City's land. Sparkz denied the offer when he was 18. After a year of negotiations with Sparkz and his City, the people decided to make their own kingdom and crown Sparklez as king. The guy didn't mind at all. What he did mind is that 5 years later he had a painful realization that Mason was his nephew after figuring out that he himself had powers that related to the God of Death Helltro (but also some DNA tests). The reason he aged so quickly and wildly was that 500 years ago when he was just a toddler he had been taken away and accidentally thrown into a dimension called Tutoliyu (a dimension that freezes you in time, a black void of nothing, a dimension meant for those who have great powers who are a danger to the dimensional galaxy, they're banished here). Apparently Sparkz had ended up back in Concy because of a normal dimensional portal hickup. Since his growth had been delayed forcefully for so long, his body had him grow as fast as a normal human but a bit faster so that he could catch up to the age he was actually, the age he was supposed to look like. Once Sparkz hit age 29 his fast growth spurt had slowed down. (A lot, I know)

Ant Hank Sapphire, 2nd Gem King to join the duo and he's the king of Squikens. He'd joined suddenly at age 21 when he had outsmarted his entire village and tried to take on the kingdom of Redstellia. Sparklez had been so impressed (and in love) that he challenged Ant to a game of Redstone. The first person to fix a yard full of broken down construction equipment would win the throne. The game would take 24 hours but Ant finished within 8 hours. At the end Ant did feel bad about taking Sparklez throne (what made him feel aweful was all the hate he got from the kingdom for it) and instead of taking the prize he denied it and said that "I'd feel awful taking something important away from you.". He had caught Mason's eye who, after some long meetings, handed Ant some large land to own as long as he promised to join him and Sparklez after Ant had built up his new kingdom. Which he did. (Ant also fell hard for Sparklez, always denying that he had feelings for the other).

Dan Cart Diamond, 3rd Gem King to join the lil trio group, he's the king of Diamonlia. Not as peaceful at earning his land like the others. He had actually went to war with Redstellia after finding out how to recreate magic and make deadly weapons. He ended up claiming some of Redstellia's land and creating his own kingdom. Took 3 years for him to calm down enough to ask the Gem Kings if he could join there little play group (which Ant responded with kicking Dan's ass across the Kosikians Sky palace). Took some time and some fixing of trust issues until Dan was finally allowed into the group but he had to follow a long list of rules after joining, to which he was completely fine with following.

Stampy Creation Emerald, 4th Gem King to join the group, he's the prince of Goldia. After some trouble with the Goldia King, the group had asked if the king could send in a representative to which they responded with their prince. So Stampy may not be the king of Goldia but he is it's prince and representative. Anyways, Stampy back then was way different than he is today (in Concy that is). Stampy use to be one of those rare very feral hybrids that had no control over himself. He'd come to his senses every one and a while but those were rare. During his feral days he had met Ballistic and Forest who soon became his best friend. He later ended up finding a duck hybrid mate named Squishy (yeah I know that's not her name, the power of story changing helps me change the name). He was so happy living with his lover and friends. What he didn't know was that he's friends had found out about the power Stampy possessed and wanted to use that power against the Gem Kingdoms to gain their powers and land. Ballistic, Forest and Squishy had created a place after gaining many hybrid followers who wished to rebel against the Gem Kingdoms. Soon the group had went to war against Redstellia, Diamonlia and Goldia. It had been a bloody war since the rebels didn't wish to end it all peacefully. During the war Stampy had been sent loose, had found his first target which was Dan who had quickly snipped him down with a sleeping drug dart. Some medicine later and Stampy was no longer feral, the Gem Kings knew of Stampy's powers and used that against the hybrid rebels (this ended up killing Squishy and many other hybrids, few escaped alive). Long story short, Stampy was put under Dan's care who had created some special medication to give to Stampy every new moon so that he wouldn't go feral. During this time Dan ended up falling in love with Stampy and before Dan could do anything about his feelings the Gem Kings had decided to put Stampy in Goldia's care (which broke Dan's heart). Stampy became prince, joined the Gem Kings and also started gaining some feelings for Dan but because of Goldia's strict laws Dan and Stampy couldn't be together.

Techno Zaltic, 5th Gem King to join, he's the President of Splitland. Not much is known about his past or where he came from. His whole backstory is one huge mystery. What is known is that he had to get his best friend Tommy and his lover Phil killed in order to gain his titles. He hates that that was what it took to become President. Techno doesn't take about his past much but when it's brought up he'll go deadly silent and not show any emotion or talk to anyone for a good while until the lighter topic is put on the table. What is known is that when he became President he had a very difficult time with running his country to the point where he had to ask neighboring countries for help to which the Gem Kings gladly stepped in to help. How he became the Gem King's leader? Mostly because of the powers the kings had found out that Techno possessed. The power of control, a power very similar to the God of Life but very different in its own way.

And yeah. Those are all the Gem Kings. I'm about to pass out in bed so I'm sorry if there's any spelling errors. I didn't proof read anything. Hope you enjoyed thou! Goodnight!

[unchartedterritoria]

Dangerous (Sam Drake x OC) - Chapter 29

*NEW CHAPTER*

Previous Chapters: Chapter 1 * Chapter 2 * Chapter 3 * Chapter 4 * Chapter 5* Chapter 6 * Chapter 7 * Chapter 8 * Chapter 9 * Chapter 10 * Chapter 11 * Chapter 12 * Chapter 13 * Chapter 14 * Chapter 15 * Chapter 16 * Chapter 17 * Chapter 18 * Chapter 19 * Chapter 20 * Chapter 21 * Chapter 22 * Chapter 23* Chapter 24 * Chapter 25 * Chapter 26 * Chapter 27 * Chapter 28

As always, you can read the story thus far on A03  HERE

Tags: @jodiereedus22, @shambhalala, @missdictatorme

Reviews and comments are always appreciated!

A hard knock on the door of the motel room announced Sully's arrival. Still cautious, Sam hastily threw the garish, flowery comforter over the assortment of weapons he had gotten from the Ricker brothers just an hour earlier. He gave a quick glance through the crack between the heavy drawn drapes, enough to see the casual short-sleeved style button-down that Sully always preferred.

"It's me, open the door," Sully's gruff voice came from behind the door as he noticed the slight rustle of the window coverings.

Sam closed his eyes and sighed, running a hand through his hair, feeling the dark cloud of inevitable guilt-laden ass-chewing that lay behind the door in the form of Victor Sullivan.

Sam undid the flimsy chain lock and deadbolt, opening the door. Before he could begin to argue and explain his actions in vain, pain ricocheted through his head, the unexpected punch to the nose, making him stumble backward. Tripping awkwardly over his own feet, he landed square on his ass next to the bed.

Sully strode through the doorway, looking the rather imposing figure despite the cane in his right hand, which he used to slam the door closed behind him.

A few drops of blood caught on Sam's upper lip. He wiped it away gingerly with the back of his hand, careful not to touch his nose.

"I deserve that," He said, getting to his feet after a moment, sure that the bleeding had stopped and that his nose wasn't broken.

“You deserve a lot more than that,” Sully threatened.

“I know I do.”

“What kind of shitstorm have you gotten her into?”

Oh good, getting right into things.

"Something a lot bigger than I thought it was," Sam sighed sourly, leaning back against the door. His hand reached up occasionally to touch his nose while Sully paced elliptical patterns through the tiny motel room Sam and Faith shared. "Sit down before you fall down old man, you're looking a little pekid," He told Sully. Taking his own advice, he pulled out a chair and sat down at the small table.

"Don't tell me to sit down! I'm just fine," He said defiantly. Sully took a few more obstinant strides around the room. A layer of perspiration shone on his pale face before finally, he resigned himself to the chair across from Sam, muffling a gruff groan as he sat.

“How's the leg doing?” Sam asked.

“We'll talk about me later,” Victor answered quickly, shutting down Sam's meager attempt at small talk, “Now tell me what's going on.”

Sam took a readying breath. “How much did you find out from Nathan?”

“The high points. Lincoln's treasure. Springfield. Something about a goddamn barrel here in the Keys... Remy St. James,” He added the name of their fallen friend last. A stoic sadness in his dull green eyes, it was the hardened gaze of a man experienced with death and loss. “Damn shame. He was a good kid.” Sully reflected.

"That he was," Sam said, his face guilty and ashen as he shook a cigarette out of the pack next to the half-full ashtray on the table.

"Well, if that was the highlights, they don't tell me squat. Give me the play by play," Sully asked, adjusting his injured leg under the table.

Sam spent the next half hour chain-smoking and retelling the events of the last 67 days. The activities and finds in Springfield, the horrible and harrowing situation that had unfolded in the basement of the abandoned Edwards house, the previous three weeks of searching for any clues and finally finding a lead at the Martello Museum. Sam made the decision to keep what brought them to the museum, treasure hunter pillow talk that morning after Mother's Day, to himself.

“And that's when he grabbed her?” Sully asked.

“Yeah.”

“And you are absolutely sure it was Jasper?”

“Oh, I know it was him. Son of a bitch even left me a goddamn note,” Sam said bitterly, stubbing out the butt of his cigarette in the overflowing ashtray. Anxious, he pushed himself away from the table and strode around the space.

“A note?”

"Oh yeah, 'I've taken your queen, your move,'" He mocked in a thick Georgia accent. Sully frowned.

“Your queen?”

"Yeah, like it's a fuckin' chess match. You wanna see my move, Jasper? You wanna see my move?" Sam ranted to the warm air, giving the bed a kick with his boot, it made the weapons of his makeshift armory clack together. "Yeah, I'm gonna take these guns, shove them up your ass and leave a giant fuckin' divot where you stand. How's that for a fucking move?" Sam snatched the comforter from the bed, leaving it in a crumpled heap as he started to stuff the weapons in black duffel bags.

Your queen. Sully turned the line over in his brain. He scanned the room, his greying eyebrows furrowed.

With Sam having stowed his small arsenal away, Sully could see the large, singular dip in the middle of the mattress. The dip one could always find in the beds of an old married couple.

Samuel, please tell me you didn't, he thought, looking around the room again for another sign. The small pile of clothes that looked haphazardly thrown to the ground included Sam's t-shirt with a shiny aqua bra strap poking out from beneath it. That was all he needed to see.

“Samuel, I asked you two things, keep her safe and keep your hands to yourself.”

“Huh?” Sam poked his head up.

"I told you, I warned you, and you still couldn't do either!

"Alright, you know what, Victor?" Sam huffed, hastily zipping closed the last bag, and throwing it next to the door. "You got to ask your questions, now you're gonna answer mine. Who is Faith, and why is she so goddamn important to you?"

“Sam-” Sully said quietly, staring blankly at the table.

“No,” Sam interrupted. “No, this who time all I've gotten out of you is keep her safe and keep her out of my bed. I wanna know why.”

Victor silently drummed his fingers on the worn Formica. "You don't know," He said softly, the hint of sympathy in his voice made Sam cross his arms in confusion.

“Should I?”

"Where do you keep your whiskey?"

Sam went to the single cupboard above their sink/stove/fridge combination and drew out a bottle of Jameson and a glass. He put them both in front of Sully and sat back down in his chair. Sully grabbed the bottle and poured a third of a glass of amber liquid. He slid it in front of Sam.

“You're gonna want this boyo.”

Sam eyed the old man guardedly. “Is she your kid, Victor?” He asked, finally getting out the question that had been floating in his head for weeks.

“What?”

"You've never given two shits about who I fool around with, and now suddenly, you're acting like you're gonna chop my balls off if I touch here. Something like that, it's a dad thing to do; So I gotta ask, is Faith, your daughter?" Sam challenged.

“No, she is not my daughter,” Sully said with a mirthless chuckle.

“Is she your granddaughter?”

"No, now be quiet for a minute, and I'll tell you," Sully huffed with some annoyance before he continued. "Faith's grandfather was a fellow squid. We served together in the war. During one tour, our ship took two torpedoes in the side. I got knocked around pretty good, and Hank, that's Faith's grandpa, made sure I got my bruised, broken, and bleeding ass off that rig. Fella saved my life."

Sam leaned back in his chair, his head cocked to the side in interest. Victor Sullivan rarely spoke about his time in the Navy and his time during the war specifically.

"Hank was a hell of a guy. After we got out of the service, we'd get together a couple times a year and knock back a few. Talk about the old days, catch up. On one of these visits, he asks me for a favor. His daughter and her husband were looking to go on vacation. Somewhere that wasn't too touristy, but that was still a nice place to visit. He knew that I traveled a lot for my work and asked if I could hook him up with something nice for Sussi and her husband. Hank had never asked me for more than a quarter in almost 40 years, not to mention I owed him my goddamn life. So I took care of it for him."

Sully stopped for a moment. He rubbed his mustache and let out a deep sigh. Sam began to wonder with some annoyance where this story was going and when Victor would get to some concrete answers.

“I took care of all of it for him. I even had a place in mind when he'd asked. I'd just been down there, doing a little recon for you, Nate...and Rafe Adler.”

Sam's chest tightened at the mention of Rafe's name.

“Two full weeks in a king suite. Beachfront. In Panama. 18 years ago.”

Sam gripped the glass in front of him with both hands to steady the tremors that rolled through his body.

"You ever really get a good look at Faith's eyes? I swear they're the exact same as her mothers," Sully added after a moment, not sure if he should continue ripping the scab off the double decades' old wound that still oozed and throbbed for Sam in the night.

Sam could picture Faith's face perfectly. Her high, full cheeks. The small upturned nose that she called her ski jump. And her warm brown eyes that had stared right through him just that morning as they lay naked together quietly. Her eyes always seemed familiar to him, as if he had seen her his whole life somewhere.

Disbelief and denial crashed over him as he, at last, realized where he'd seen them. In his dreams. In his nightmares.

“You can really see it when she's angry,” Sully added quietly. The last nail hammering the truth home. The loud bang of the spike bringing on the memory of the night Sam had met Faith Spencer 68 days ago. When she had gotten in his face about family, her eyes ablaze with anger.

The same eyes of the woman that had called him a fucking animal those 18 years ago.

Sully smoothed the tops of his tan slacks with his sweat heavy palms. “I didn't have a clue until I dropped in on Hank two months later and found Sussi sitting at his kitchen table feeding Faith's father his dinner through a straw.”

Saliva flooded Sam's mouth as the bile rose in the back of his throat. He swallowed it back hard.

"I asked if they'd caught the guy," Sully continued. "When she told me he'd died in an escape attempt with two other men, I put two and two together." He sat back in his chair, his hands folded across the slightly bulging belly that had come with his old age. "I'd created this perfect clusterfuck of a storm, and of course, I blamed myself. Hank and Sussi, even Everett forgave me. Never blamed me in the first place cause that's the kind of people they were. Good people. Still didn't stop the guilt, it turned my visits from every couple of months to every couple of years."

Sully sighed, his lips tight together, but the heaviness that was in his eyes was gone, the burden of keeping this information to himself lifted.

"And this wasn't just about keeping Faith from finding out; it was about keeping it from you too."

Sam's jaw clenched, his head lowering in anger. None of it gone unnoticed.

"Before you go flying off the handle, let me finish. There was no sense dredging up the past and its accompanying bullshit. Not for you. I know you still have nightmares, Samuel. I've heard you wake up yelling in the middle of the night enough times to know that."

Sam dropped his head, unable to hold Sully's gaze as a rush of unnecessary shame shaded his neck red. Unaware of what he did in his sleep, he had always tried to keep his nightmares private. He figured, no info, no questions; No autopsy, no foul.

"I thought that if I could just keep a distance between the two of you, I could keep the past in the past." Sully leaned forward and grabbed the untouched glass from in front of Sam. "Guess we both failed pretty spectacularly, eh?" He muttered sarcastically before taking a swallow.

The seconds past. Sam still sat motionless, staring blankly at a random fixed point on the chipped table. The silence eventually proved too heavy for Sully to take.

“Christ, will you say something?”

"I'm leaving at 6AM. Be ready by then," Sam uttered in an emotionless monotone as he stood and strode out the door, closing it behind him quietly, leaving Sully and his cigarettes sitting at the table.

[werezmastarbucks]

Soothsayer [1]

Look, the Infinity War has struck us all hard, and the best thing we can do now is analyze and hope. So I sublimated the hell out of it, and there we go.

One song was a huge inspiration to me; it’s Soothsayer by Zack Hemsey aka Ronin. Check out his other songs eg Waiting Between Worlds, Revelations, Runner, So Silent, and the Way. They will be perfect for this work.

This will be a short work of 4-5 chapters.

Pairing / Genre: Avengers x Reader (Parent Figure!Tony Stark), focus on Bucky Barnes x Reader; drama, tears, grief, but it all gets better by the end. I promise.

Warnings: IT’S INFINITY WAR SETTING. PLEASE BEWARE. YOU WILL GET FULL PACKS OF SPOILERS.

Word count: 1853

The world was so quiet. You raised your head to the sky, looking into the pale white. The air was dense but sweet, warm; you felt hot in your hoodie. You felt for the zipper and pulled it.

“You go first”, T’Challa suggested. You were now looking at your feet, counting your steps. The beauty of mountains around you was making your head spin.

“Why, he’s dangerous?” you asked in disbelief.

“Nah. But I don’t wanna upset him. You do it”.

You glared at the King. He smirked, but there was no smile in his eyes. You were punishing yourself internally for not checking on Bucky, but then again, Steve did it; plus, he wasn’t necessarily your man to check on.

“He knows you better”.

“Debatable”.

You spent a year in and out with Bucky, whereas T’Challa knew him for two and a half years now. How much of that time they spent together bonding, was another matter.

You were approaching a nice-looking short hill, more like a bump, that lay like a small bug under the satin sky. A tiny man, surrounded by even tinier creatures, was slowly moving, gleaming white on a great green.

“No way”.

“He finds closure in connecting with animals”, T’Challa explained, “he prefers their company to that of human. We just leave him be, and ask nothing of him. For now”.

You gave T’Challa a look, trying to see what he means. The man appeared concerned.

“He’s very tired, Y/N”.

“Then we shouldn’t be here”.

“I don’t think he’ll want to stay away once he learns what’s happening”.

You sighed silently, deciding not to share your thoughts on how you’d keep Bucky Barnes away from the fuss even if the Earth itself collapsed in two. They should’ve left him where he was. Forever. He deserved it.

Bucky has seen you from far away. Your hair and your posture were unmistakable. And other things, too. He could never tell why your hair had got stuck in his mind, returning a light veil of dark shadows in his dreams. Lingering like mild migraine. He could never tell why he kept having dreams about a girl he’s seen couple of times in his life, nearly crushing her dead while falling over on her once. You looked way younger than you really were, the mutant genes to thank, or to curse. A young lady in her twenties deceiving everyone, looking like a teen, making him feel very old.

He stopped, looking in the distance, figuring out your silhouette, feeling that something is rolling down in his throat. The pieces of his life that didn’t belong here looked like a knife tearing through a perfect, opaque curtain. Steve didn’t count: he came to visit several times, and after that first time he showed up in the middle of the night, startling Barnes to the state of cold anger, the latter realized that not all New Yorkers meant fight. Not necessarily. Now, it was quite obvious that you weren’t here to visit: T’Challa, with the guards at his shoulders, was the proof of his guess. You looked collected – and as cool as you could possibly be, trying to cope with the high grass that pulled on your hard boots. Bucky wasn’t wearing any shoes. Your face looked just the way he remembered it: frowning, displeased, preoccupied, pretty and grumpy. The little lady was always frowning at somebody, or something. You were swaying in the hot air.

He suddenly realized he himself looked like an animal, and he shrugged with his left shoulder as if to lift his hand to his face. He realized he was standing in a perfectly shaped valley, surrounded by peacefully moaning goats. His face was covered with the beard. He sighed.

T’Challa stopped about fifty steps away, and you went on, looking at Bucky. The air was so still as if the wind held its breath. You haven’t seen him in two years, and all that time you thought you were over him, and didn’t really need to push on that chapter in your life. However, as it always happens, once you see their face again, it comes back rushing, brutally raping your brain with realization. And it gets even worse. You suddenly forgot what stopped you from even calling to ask for him and say hi. You didn’t think you were entitled. You weren’t a part of it. Steve was.

You stood before him now, his face so worn out, like he’s been personally raising each of these goats.

He was wearing something like a grey toga, and let his hair grow – or, rather, didn’t care to cut it, - which looked eerily good on him.

“Buck”.

“Hey”.

He nodded kindly, like he usually did, even two years ago. He didn’t look at T’Challa, inspecting you quietly, and it didn’t feel invasive. Never did. He had this very shy stare about him.

Suddenly he frowned.

“Something happened?”

You sighed,

“Yeah, and it’s pretty fucked up. As you can imagine. Otherwise I wouldn’t bother bothering you”.

His face went slightly brighter.

“Still good seeing you”.

“How you getting by without an arm? Was it your choice?”

Bucky was towering above you three steps away, like a strange dweller from the mountains, his muscles greasy and tense; he was a human trap. You could think he was a homeless guy with craziness in his eyes, but he’d tear away that dirty toga, and turned out to be an ex-military. That kind of type of guy.

“Yes. The arm was for…” he motioned towards T’Challa for some reason, but you got the idea.

“It’s purely your choice, I think”, you said softly. He nodded, just to cut this topic.

“Anyway, they got a new one for you”.

“I reckon”.

“You ready to do it?”

“Exactly what is the problem?” Bucky seemed to have come back to life, bowing and grabbing a huge bag from the ground. The bulge on his right bicep shifted. He threw the bag aside, and it flew three meters before landing under a thick tree. You reached for a gum that was hidden behind your tooth with the tip of your tongue, like a spectator at the sea park.

“End of the world, actually. You remember the Thanos guy I told you about? Long time ago”.

“Yup”.

If he was struck, he didn’t let it out. Barnes reached for a long stick, apparently for the goats, and swerved it, then turned abruptly, and charged the thing away. The stick joined the bag under the tree. You raised your eyebrows.

“He’s here. He’s about to kill everyone. A summary”.

“That’s really bad, I’m sorry”.

You smiled and sniffed. Bucky turned back to you, bending slightly, to see your face. That’s how you remembered him: something in between Stark and Steve. Can’t really cope with everything that’s going on, but can’t miss an opportunity to be acid about it either.

“How’s everyone?”

“Freaked out”.

Barnes’ bright grey eyes shifted above your head, and then you could hear the steps. T’Challa was coming with the arm.

 His hut reminded you of any of Tom Hanks’ movies. God knows why, when you thought of a rain man stranded on an island, it gave you a picture of Tom Hanks. It was a small dwelling, and neat, very warm, but the things were laying around like they didn’t belong. Like somebody went inside for a couple of minutes and put them there, and then forgot to get them when leaving. It was a petite house right on the brink of the forest. It smelt like goats and wind, grass, and nothing else.

You sat on a wicker box, and the entrances on both sides were open, so the air was circulating inside. You wondered if it ever gets cold in Wakanda. This was actually your first time on the continent of Africa, and you wished to god that wasn’t the reason you came. You wished it were a holiday, two months long, full of famous African sunsets, and tigers, and food, and the wind. You were trying not to think about what Tony said to you last before flying chasing after the alien ship. ‘Be very careful’, you urged him. You couldn’t stop him anyway. Parker was already there. He said, ‘No, you’. Despicable man. You were trying not to think about where they might be now, and that last time Tony was in space he nearly died, and had nightmares next three years.

You were trying not to think about a lot of things, but when you sit on a wicker box in an African hut, looking out on a rainforest, and there’s plenty of time you don’t know what to do with, it’s very hard to abstain from contemplating. Bucky couldn’t possibly wash any faster, that’s for sure. He fully realized the volumes of situation you’re all in, and definitely had no intention to waste any time. If he needs forty minutes to take a shower, then he needs it.

It was miraculous how tech was intervened with naked nature here, in Wakanda. You could be an anti-social shepherd and live alone with goats in a valley, and still have a functional shower and the radio panel to contact anyone in the city. A stinging thought, that Bucky still wasn’t completely free, crept inside your mind, and suddenly the water in the shower stopped.

He got dressed and came out.

“You look symmetrical, Bucky”.

“Yeah? Pretty good, huh?” he lifted his left arm and made a fist. His wet hair was put away behind his ears. He cut his beard a little. His new arm was impressive and sleek, so much more looking like a real arm, except it was obsidian black, and the veins, gold. For a mere second you two seemed to have got mesmerized by the natural, easy movement.

“What can it do?”

“I don’t know yet”.

“Hasn’t Shuri told you?”

“I haven’t spoke to her about it”.

You got up, creeping up to him like a robber.

“Look, the gold stuff? Isn’t it like that cool purple stuff on T’Challa’s suit?” you asked yourself.

Bucky was looking at you curiously.

“Punch me”, you put out your palm that looked pathetically and adorably small compared with his hands.

“I won’t punch you”, he replied calmly.

“No, punch me. Something must happen”.

“You’ll get punched”.

He started spinning around himself awkwardly like he was looking for something. In his battle suit, dark blue vest and dark pants, he looked alien in his own house. Cold shivers danced down your shoulders. It felt so so wrong.

You stepped to him, trying his left shoulder. Bucky didn’t seem to notice. That’s exactly how most accidents happened to you: people simply didn’t notice you, a small human, at their shoulder.

“What are you doing?”

Before he could catch your hand, you hit him on the shoulder lightly, sending a heatwave. Bucky swayed a little. You examined him, puzzled.

“Nothing happened”.

“What are you talking about?” You could feel his right hand on your back. He led you out of the hut.

taglist: @shelbyyychristian

@csigeoblue

@theshortegg

@wickidlady

[anythingstephenking]

Out of Order with Under The Dome

It seems like a lifetime ago that I cracked the spine on Carrie and started this silly journey to read King chronologically. King Khongraphical kinda sounds like a lost Kardashian sister.

In reality, I read Carrie exactly 5 years ago. Somehow reading 54 King books in 5 years simultaneously makes me feel like a failure and a winner all at once. Impressive? Sure (?) Still pretty lame that I have ~20 books left to read. For sure.

Things that have got in my way:

-Bachman

-Short Story collections

-Nightmares about clowns

-Global pandemics

But I did read all 50-some-odd books as intended; in exact order of publishing date. I finished each and every one of them, even when I was sick of nazis, child abuse, school shootings or cocaine aliens.

Until now. Boo!

Anywho, technically next on my list is Just After Sunset, a collection of short stories, but I just. can’t. finish. it.

Throughout the pandemic I have driven from Tennessee to Minnesota twice to see my family. There’s only so much Taylor Swift one can listen to in the car, and 28 hour round trips called for a King intervention. So I picked up the Under The Dome audiobook and went back to Maine. I promise (to myself) I will finish up JAS before I get to my next read (and one of my true favorites), 11/22/63.

Ok, Under The Dome. Let’s do it y’all!

I read this book in high school and my lingering memory from then is one of frustration over the source of the dome being aliens. Turns out high school me (who also thought Holden Caulfield was the epitome of cool) was not a reliable narrator, because this book is certified rad.

It really has everything that folks love about King - Maine, lots of fun characters, a little love story, some cool kiddos, drugs, a hero, a villain. The only thing it’s really missing is a spooky house, but I guess the dome can count.

The premise is simple, if complex town-shaped invisible domes that can’t be penetrated can be considered simple. Our hero, Dale Barbara, is leaving on “Dome Day” but doesn’t make it out in time cause some hottie blonde in a pickup truck doesn’t stop for him on the road. Thems the breaks, Barbie. He is also, per King-hero usual, haunted by demons. But this time around, our hero is a short order cook, not an author. Steve’s really stretching here. Our villain is James “Big Jim” Rennie, a sleazy used car salesman (lol) and also a drug kingpin? He’s operating the country’s largest meth cookhouse, somehow in Maine, because that definitely makes sense? Why not.

What transpires is a pretty fun and epic ride through the initial dome discovery (planes crashing, chipmunks cut in half), subsequent WTF reactions of everyone in Chester’s Mill, an immense power struggle between the goodies and the baddies, meth, explosions, and at the end of the day, a whole lot of people deadzo.

So yeah, the dome is placed by alien children playing some fucked up game of RISK in their alien bedrooms ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ At the end of the day it’s not super important, as with all stories such as this one, the real bad guys are the humans, not the alien kiddos. If you’ve ever watched The Walking Dead, you get it.

Julia Shumway serves as our female lead, and King doesn’t really give her much to work with, but she does get to be a writer, so good for her! To Julia’s credit, she is the one that uses her female powers of empathy to appeal to said alien children and get them to take down the dome. Too bad like everyone else is dead by then. A+ for effort!

All jokes aside, this was a great story start to finish, and was a wonderful jump back into the King pond after almost a year away. There’s a lot to chew on with this one, a a true quintessential King. Kuintessential King Kardashian anyone?

I’m not much for audiobooks, but I felt for the guy reading this one. How do you come up with enough inflections and voices for all these characters? God bless him. I am genuinely curious how long it took him to record the 34 hours of audio and how much he got paid.

King had the idea for a novel about how humans would handle being cut off from society back in the 70s, and revisited the idea in an unpublished work called The Cannibals in the 80s, about folks trapped in an apartment building that, I’d guess, decide to start eating each other. Eventually the idea evolved into Under The Dome. In an interview, King said he was inspired by the Bush-Cheney dynamics of a post 9/11 America, with the guy who was really in charge (Georgie Bushie, played by Andy Sanders in the novel) as an incompetent buffoon. It’s worth noting that Andy Sanders eventually ends up hooked on meth and conspires to help explode the town and kill most everyone. Then you’ve got Dick Cheney (aka Big Jim Rennie) pulling all the strings, picking all the fights, taking all the power, murdering, and generally being a bad guy. So in case you’re wondering if King was a fan of the Bush years, I’d go ahead and say, uh, no, no he was not.

9/10

First Line: From two thousand feet, where Claudette Sanders was taking a flying lesson, the town of Chester’s Mill gleamed in the morning light like something freshly made and just set down.

Last Line: Pity was not love, Barbie reflected… but if you were a child, giving clothes to someone who was naked had to be a step in the right direction.

Adaptations:

Oh CBS. Please stop buying the rights to King adaptations. I will say I was not singing the praises of how they handled The Stand. But that’s a rant for another day.

This show ran for THREE seasons. I watched the premiere when it aired (they really went for the drama with the whole cut-a-cow-in-half thing, I’ll give them that) and revisited the finale for fun after I finished the book. I may have found the time to rewatch all of LOST but I am definitely not taking the time to watch three full seasons of Under the Dome. First of all, Barbie is a murderer? And he killed Julia Shumway’s husband?? WTF is that all about? Barbie is our hero. Fuck off CBS.

But we do get Dean Norris, aka Uncle Hank, in some superb casting as Big Jim Renny.

THEY’RE MINERALS MARIE!

I guess there was some alien mind control, some magical amethysts, and a lot of liberties taken from the source material on the show. Let me tell you, there is nothing worse than an ambiguous ending on a cancelled show. Did the writers leave hopeful that someone would be so impressed by this that they’d pick the show back up for a 4th season?

Meanwhile, catty Stephen throwing shade on Twitter is always my favorite.

[guerins]

TELL US OF UR MICHAEL FEELS OH FAIREST OF GUERINS

See, there’s Maria, Kyle, and Alex, and those guys are like family. And then there’s Michael, and he’s… Ah, he’s Michael.

Michael Guerin is the first one to figure out how to get out of the pod chamber. Does anyone remember that, I wonder? Him stretching out his hand, revealing the handprint on the rock and finding the door.

He’s the one that constantly seaches for clues to find out where they come from, who they are, and why they are on earth. Max and Isabel have a good life, a nice family and aren’t as eager as him to find the answers. Every time he references so casually and lightly how little he has, my heart just breaks. They are about to leave Roswell on the pilot and when they ask ‘where’s your stuff?’ as in, his bag or something containing his personal belongings, he responds 'I’m wearing it’, his 'don’t get in too deep, it only makes us weaker’ speech is one of my favorites because he’s not only reminding Max that, but he’s also saying those words to himself. In 'independence day’ he says 'everything I have fits in one bag.’

He has powers that he can’t control because he feels everything so strongly. He blows things up, he…'kills people.’ But, how about that time he healed River Dog’s leg? How come that never came up again? Why did they forget about that very particular detail?

He is so alone and so haunted. By what he is, by what he is not, by what he will never be.

He had never been loved. His family left him. Did they hate him too?Did they leave him because he’s bad? Because he’s good for nothing, just like Hank says?Maybe they just didn’t want him… but why?And, although Max and Isabel were also technically 'left’ by their parents, it’s not the same because they found a family on earth and have not been alone. EVER.

Michael is impulsive, Michael doesn’t think about the consequences his actions might have, Michael goes with his gut. Always. Michael doesn’t ask, he just does. Oh, so you think he shouldn’t do this or that? Well, guess fucking what? He’s gonna do it anyway. Not because he doesn’t care about others’ opinions but because he does what he feels is right.

So, he has to be handled carefully. You gotta choose your words right when you talk to him, and sometimes you gotta hide things from him just so he doesn’t go off the deep end.Again, guess fucking what? He does not need all that crap. He doesn’t like to be babied. He doesn’t like being lied to. He tells it like it is, doesn’t beat around the bush, so that’s what he expects to get from people around him as well.That’s why Maria is so important. Remember how she was 'scared’ of him? That whole 258 South episode she was afraid of 'delinquent’ Michael Guerin and she still calls him out on his bullshit. Confrontation. He doesn’t get that from Max and Isabel, they just tell him ‘no, we’re not going to marathon, texas. it’s not safe’. they don’t fight back. Maria is the first one to fight him back. 

But, before I get off track here, Michael was always the one looking for answers because he needed them desperately.And they find them, in the end, in 'destiny’ but, what do they find? what does he find?Michael, the soldier, the second in command, the princess’s betrothed.We hear all about Max and Isabel’s family and what has happened to their home planet, and what they’re supposed to do to save it. And Michael’s family? What about them?And this bothers me. It bothers me that Michael doesn’t say anything, it bothers me that after all the search, he still doesn’t have a family to claim.

That’s why the whole Skins plot in season 2 (even though I low key hate season 2) is interesting when it comes to Michael having an allience of aliens fighting for him. Not because I would rather Michael be king than Max, but because of this theory in the fandom (which, is my headcanon) that Michael was a different kind of alien, a skin maybe, or at least related to them somehow.

Long story short, I wanted to know more about Michael’s alien family. I wanted Michael to know more about himself.

His feelings were so many times disregarded, his choices doubted, his actions misunderstood…Because Michael is not an easy guy to understand. And, truly, I wouldn’t want him to be anything less than complex.

Despite all of his struggles, the physical and emotional abuse he suffered at Hank’s hands, his often dismissed feeling by Max and Isabel, the lack of a home, of family, of love, he makes it through. Michael is broken and will forever carry the scars to prove it, but he grows and in the end finds what he was always searching for in the stars, right in front of his eyes.