#hulk x red harpy

[mcusoulmateau]

New fic! no rules in breakable heaven is an examination of Betty Ross Banner and what it means to be soulmates with Bruce Banner and/or the Hulk.

[demon64]

You know what would be cool? An animated adaptation of the Circle of Four story, the one with these four in Vegas fighting Blackheart.

I have read this story before, and let me just say, that from what I remember, it could use some streamlining. It got a bit overcomplicated. Also, you kinda gotta admit, this fusion of powers would really cool to see:

Kinda wish Laura was a bit in on this fusion of powers, but whatever, sometimes your favorite gets the short end of the stick.

I think all these four would be great to have adapted into the story, but if you felt like having other characters with similar abilities in the limelight, I suggest:

Robbie Reyes swapped with Alejandra Blaze

Daken/Akihiro swapped with Laura Kinney/X-23

Red Harpy swapped with Red Hulk

And Mania swapped with Agent Venom

I'd prefer if you kept the four from the first image, since all deserve the recognition, especially Alejandra

[grimacingneverstawp]

I would absolutely ADORE a fic of astarion and halsin cuddling if you would be so kind.

Fluffy Drabble~

Warning: none

Pairing: Halsin x Astarion

Though the camp was lively, music weaving through the air as Alfira strummed her lute. Alit by candles and campfire, the dusk settled down into a warm orange afterglow. Conversation was buzzing as the Tieflings rejoiced in their saviors despite the impending journey through the Shadowlands to Baldur's Gate.

Astarion had been wincing as he drank wine, muttering about its lack of quality. Despite being stranded in the wilderness, he saw no excuse for lackluster libations. A twinge of jealousy came over the spawn as he watched the joyful elation of the camp inhabitants.

From the corner of his eye, Astarion saw the burly Archdruid, Halsin, standing off to the side in quiet observance of the festivities. Hmmmm. Astarion had a wicked thought.

With the ease of a well practice predator, Astarion sauntered over to the elf. His red eyes were heavy lidded in thought as he tried to strategize on the simplest way to get his needs met. Grabbing a bottle of mead from a stash as he walked, waggling the bottle as he walked up to Halsin.

“Do you find the wine as repulsive as I do?” Astarion asked, trusting the bottle into Halsin's hand.

Halsin looked down at Astarion, his eyes searching the vampire intently. There was a glint of mischievous energy behind those red eyes, but that was common for the trickster.

“I rarely imbibe. Goes straight to my head. Next thing you know, I'll be breaking into song or declaring my love for the first person I lay eyes in.” Halsin spoke warmly, almost laughing to himself as he thought of his younger years of partaking.

“Rarely does mean sometimes. And I believe that time is now.” Astarion put on his alluring mask, his fingers gently reaching to trace the leather band on Halsin's arm.

Seeing no immediate threat, Halsin decided to indulge in the offered mead, if only to keep Astarion preoccupied. Halsin had seen how he kept himself from the group, staying on the fringes.

“Perhaps you are right.” The chuckle from Halsin was low and sweet.

As the night wore on and bottle after bottle was emptied, Halsin's stoic demeanor gave way to a hearty laugh and a rosy complexion. Astarion watched with an amused smirk as the typically reserved druid became more effusive with his words and gestures.

For a second, Astarion felt a lightness in his ribs as Halsin swung an arm around his slender shoulders. He was pulled close, leaning against Halsin's hulking pecs as he regaled an encounter with a group of beautiful harpies. His neck was exposed, a vein tempting Astarion with its gently throbbing. He would just need to turn his head. This had to be the moment.

Just as Astarion was about to seize his opportunity to take advantage of the drunken elf, Halsin turned to him with a wide smile and suddenly transformed into a massive bear.

Without missing a beat, Halsin wrapped his enormous bear arms around Astarion in a tight hug. Caught off guard, Astarion struggled futilely against the bear's grip. To Astarion's surprise and slight horror, Halsin, still in his bear form, promptly fell asleep, his snores echoing throughout the camp.

The camp fell into a stunned silence before erupting into laughter at the sight of the sophisticated vampire trapped in a bear hug. Despite his initial shock, Astarion couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of the situation.

There was no waking the drunk bear, even as Karlach attempted to lift him. She laughed and tossed Astarion a pillow as she waved herself off to bed. The pressure of the bear was surprisingly soothing as the sky filled with specks of light. The camp had grown quiet, the celebration dying softly as exhaustion took everyone to slumber.

In those moments, Astarion could have bitten down on Halsin and drank his fill. Instead, he let out a long breath and settled into the course fur of the bear. There were worse ways to spend the night besides being cuddled by a grizzly bear.

[ariel-seagull-wings]

@thealmightyemprex @themousefromfantasyland @strawbebehmod @professorlehnsherr-almashy @fionapplespiano @knivxsanddespair @stormandforge

I think I found a timeline where we can imagine Mutants living and thriving in Webtoon comics style: is inspired by two individual What Ifs comics that can be considered set in the same universe: What IF 23 (1980): May Parker Was Bitten by the Radioactive Spider? and What IF 27 (1991): The Submariner Joined the Fantastic Four?

I call it The Fantastic Family timeline!

Basically, a lot more of sororority between super humans and mutants would start with Namor and Sue's marriage and birth of their son, Leonard McKenzie II, in this timeline: Namor is open and proud about being not only an Atlantean, but a Mutant as well.

While in the main 616 continuity, Reed and Sue were obsessed with being normal and respectable humans and were far from accepting of the possibility that their son Franklin Richard might be a mutant and would want to bond with fellow mutants, the Sue that married Namor of this timeline would learn to embrace her mutant child, be involved in mutant politics along her husband and son, and be open about Leonard wanting to find more about other mutants, as well as his Atlantean cultural heritage, when he becomes a teen, acting less posessive and over protective than she does in the 616 timeline.

Being the royalty of Atlantis, whose subjects are very loyal to them, Namor and young Leonard bring fellow Submariners to become important allies of mutantkind, turning the fight against human prejudice something more even.

May Parker, alive husband Ben Parker (as the family driver), her nephew Peter, his wife Mary Jane and their little daughter Annie May Parker become the Spider Family, that ocasionally teams up with the Fantastic Five while also mainly dealing with Street Level Crime alongside heroes like Daredevil, Luke Cage, Misty Knight, Colleen Wing and Jessica Jones.

On the cosmic scale, you would have the Defenders formed by Aarkus (Golden Age the Vision), The Hulk, his wife Jarella, She-Hulk, Betty Ross as Red Harpy, Doc Samson, Dr. Stephen Strange and the Silver Surfer.

And lead by Magneto, the X-Men would relocate their school to Alaska and get dual Canadian/US American Citizenship, alternating some groups to go in field missions while other groups stay to teach and protect the younger mutants.

Wolverine would still be an Alpha Flight member, that acts as a liaison between the Canadian Goverment and the X-Men

P.S: The Avengers don't need to exist

[carpexdiemm05]

Never After (SGE x Reader) - Chapter 2

Also read on Wattpad!

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I woke to the most brilliant pair of blue eyes I'd ever seen.

And a hand clapped over my mouth.

The sheets of my bed twisted as I writhed, trying to get out of my captor's grip.

"Shh," he said into my ear. "You belong with the others. Now sleep."

As he lifted his fingertip to brush my temple, I was forced to do just that.

***

When I woke for the second time, I was hacking up bucketfuls of water.

I leaned to the side and coughed until the last bits of moisture were dispelled from my lungs. My throat burned.

"Y/n!"

Then Sophie was there, throwing her arms around me and sobbing into my shirt.

"Wha—Sophie?"

"Oh, Y/n, you're okay!"

I gripped her upper arms and pulled her away from me enough so I could see her face. "What are you talking about?"

Her crying eyes were nearly frantic. "I don't know! All I saw was you dropped into the moat and then one of the wolves threw you onto shore but you weren't waking up for the longest time!" She pressed her hands to her tear-stained face and sobbed. "And Agatha's here but she was dropped into the School for Good! Oh, there's been a terrible mistake, they've mixed us up! I'm supposed to be where she is!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down." I shifted to sit up more, wincing as my soggy clothes grated against my sand-crusted skin. "What do you mean? They've mixed what up?"

Sophie cried some more. "Don't you see? We've been taken to the School for Evil."

Something gripped the back of my collar and hauled me to my feet. I came face to face with the snout of a large gray wolf. Its breath stank of rotting carcass.

He pushed me into a line. I stumbled, nearly slipping on wet sand, but the soles of my boots found traction at the last second.

A pack of wolves stood—on two feet—in bloodred soldier jackets and black leather breeches, snapped riding whips to herd students into line. If any dawdled, a wolf delivered a swift crack, so I kept an anxious pace. I spotted Sophie a few heads in front of me, her golden locks making her stick out like a sore thumb.

The tower gates were made of iron spikes, crisscrossed with barbed wire. Nearing them, I saw it wasn't wire at all but a sea of black vipers that darted and hissed in our direction. I swallowed and breezed through. The rusted words held between two carved black swans over the gates read:

THE SCHOOL FOR EVIL EDIFICATION AND PROPAGATION OF SIN

Ahead the school tower rose like a winged demon. The main tower, built of pockmarked black stone, unfurled through smoky clouds like a hulking torso. From the sides of the main tower jutted two thick, crooked spires, dripping with veiny red creepers like bleeding wings.

The wolves drove the children towards the mouth of the main tower, a long serrated tunnel shaped like a crocodile snout. The tunnel grew narrower and narrower until I could barely see the child in front of me. I squeezed between two jagged stones and found myself in a leaky foyer that smelled of rotten fish. Demonic gargoyles pitched down from stone rafters, lit torches in their jaws. An iron statue of a bald, toothless hag brandishing an apple smoldered in the menacing firelight. Along the wall, a crumbly column had an enormous black letter N painted on it, decorated with wicked-faced imps, trolls, and Harpies climbing up and down it like a tree. There was a bloodred E on the next column, embellished with swinging giants and goblins. Creeping along in the interminable line, I worked out what the columns spelled out—N-E-VE-R—then suddenly found myself far enough into the room to see the line snake in front of me. For the first time, I had a clear view of the other students.

One girl had an overbite, wispy patches of hair, and one eye instead of two, right in the middle of her forehead. Another boy was like a mound of dough, with his bulging belly, bald head, and swollen limbs. A tall, sneering girl trudged ahead with sickly green skin. The boy in front of me had so much hair all over him he could have been an ape. They all looked about my age, but the similarities ended there. Here was a mass of the miserable, with misshapen bodies, repulsive faces, and the cruelest expressions I'd ever seen, as if looking for something to hate. One by one their eyes fell on Sophie and they found what they were looking for. The petrified princess in glass slippers and golden curls. The red rose among thorns.

I clenched my jaw.

We needed to get out of here as soon as possible.

I followed the line into a sunken anteroom, where three black crooked staircases twisted up in a perfect row. One carved with monsters said MALICE along the banister, the second, etched with spiders, said MISCHIEF, and the third with snakes read VICE. Around the three staircases, I noticed the walls covered with different-colored frames. In each frame there was a portrait of a child, next to a storybook painting of what the student became upon graduation. A gold frame had a portrait of an elfish little girl, and beside it, a magnificent drawing of her as a revolting witch, standing over a comatose maiden. A gold plaque stretched under the two illustrations:

CATHERINE OF FOXWOOD

Little Snow White (Villain)

In the next gold frame there was a portrait of a smirking boy with a thick unibrow, alongside a painting of him all grown up, brandishing a knife to a woman's throat:

DROGAN OF MURMURING MOUNTAINS

Bluebeard (Villain)

Beneath Drogan there was a silver frame of a skinny boy with shock blond hair, turned into one of a dozen ogres savaging a village:

KEIR OF NETHERWOOD

Tom Thumb (Henchman)

Then I noticed a decayed bronze frame near the bottom with a tiny, bald boy, eyes scared wide. A boy I knew. Bane was his name. He used to bite all the pretty girls in Gavaldon until he was kidnapped four years before. But there was no drawing next to Bane. Just a rusted plaque that read:

FAILED

I looked at Bane's terrified face and felt my stomach churn. What happened to him?

I gazed up at thousands of gold, silver, and bronze frames cramming every inch of the hall: witches slaying princes, giants devouring men, demons igniting children, heinous ogres, grotesque gorgons, headless horsemen, merciless sea monsters. Once awkward adolescents. Now portraits of absolute evil. Even the villains that had died gruesome deaths—Rumpelstiltskin, the Beanstalk Giant, the Wolf from Red Riding Hood—were drawn in their greatest moments, as if they had emerged triumphant from their tales. The other children gazed up at the portraits in awed worship.

Then, another portrait caught my eye. One of a boy grinning maliciously, clad in a tunic made of autumn leaves, hovering fifty feet in the air.

PETER OF MOAT BRAE

Pan (Villain)

I furrowed my eyebrows. What? No, that couldn't be right. Peter Pan was a hero. A boy who had slain Captain Hook and saved the Lost Boys from a lifetime of misery at the hands of Hook's crew.

One of the wolves shoved me forward. "Move along," he growled.

Turning the corner into a wider corridor, I saw a red-skinned, horned dwarf ahead on a towering stepladder, hammering more portraits into a bare wall. The frames on this wall held familiar faces. There was the dough boy I had seen earlier, labeled BRONE OF ROCH BRIAR. Next to him was a painting of the one-eyed, wispy-haired girl: ARACHNE OF FOXWOOD. I scanned the portraits of my classmates, awaiting their villainous transformations.

Then I saw the frame under his hammer. My own face smiled back at me.

I narrowed my eyes. I'm really considered to be Evil? Their standards must have dropped tremendously.

A dark-skinned hag with a massive boil on her cheek thrust a sheet of parchment into my hands, which outlined my schedule.

An ogre then dumped a ribbon-tied stack of books in my hands.

Best Villainous Monologues, 2nd ed.

Spells for Suffering, Year 1

The Novice's Guide to Kidnapping & Murder

Embracing Ugliness Inside & Out

How to Cook Children (with New Recipes!)

A spotted satyr threw a musty black fabric around my neck—the school uniform, a dumpy, tattered tunic that sagged like shredded curtains.

A scream drew my attention immediately. Across the way was Sophie, struggling against a wolf's hold.

"You don't understand!" she screamed. "It's all a mistake!"

The wolf bent down to her level and snarled.

"There are no mistakes."

[blueikeproductions]

(Loosely inspired by @missyasylum Candy Store animatic)

Dan and JD are looking around for Veronica, and are passing by the theater stage hall.

Dan: Betty said she saw Veronica in Yearbook, but she wasn’t there either. Did the Getalong Gang skip and take her to Sherwood Mall again…?

JD’s ears perk up, hearing faint music from the stage hall: Shush. -presses ear against the wall- Hear that?

Dan: -leans against the wall and hears music also- What the…? There’s no rehearsals today.

JD: “Today?” You’re telling me Theater is the one thing that principal DIDN’T cut?

Dan: Yet. Might depend on how “Grease” goes next month, and that’s definitely not “Summer Lovin’” playing in there.

-The two boys open the door enough to stick their heads in, and are stunned to see what’s going on. The Heathers are performing a shockingly elaborate musical number to a confused and despondent Veronica, complete with giant eagle standees, vibrant stage lights, candy backdrops, the works.-

JD: What the absolute fresh hell…? …Don’t tell me this was REHEARSED…

Dan: Wanna know the sad thing about this? Red Heather is flunking Theater. And look at her belting out lyrics like a pro. It’s beautiful as it is frightening…

JD: When they’d have the time to make the candy sets?!

Dan: That’s left over from the school’s “politically correct” Charlie & The Chocolate Factory stage play.

JD: Politically correct?

Dan: Among other things, they also removed the blueberry scene. The girl playing Violet and her boyfriend were caught… uh… abusing the privilege after hours.

JD: …Here I thought Eleven using her X-Men powers for Hawkins’ production of Carrie was nuts.

Dan: Added to the authenticity tho.

JD: True…

A curious Martha, carrying a note, had since wandered up and taps the boys on the shoulder: Whatcha looking at?

JD: Eh? Oh Miss Dump- er, sorry, Dunnstock. See for yourself. -opens the door wider so she can see-

Martha: -dazzled by the show but still confused- Wuuuuuuut….? -notices Veronica- Oh THERE’S Veronica! -squeezes her way in to the hall and happily waddles down to see a surprised Veronica- Veronica, look! Ram invited me to the homecoming party!

Dan: … Wait, RAM did?

JD: Not… strictly…

Dan: …Oh… oh no…

JD: Myep… …Huh, the harpies’ little song and dance effortlessly included Dunnstock. You said Chandler was FAILING? That was some superb improve.

Throttle: -looming over them- It’s not.

Dan and JD: -startled- WAUGH/SHIT! How’d a Hulk like you sneak up on us?!?

Throttle: Thrash and I helped the Heathers’ practice their little Candy Store bit. I stood in for Sawyer and Thrash stood in for Dumptruck.

Dan: Huh so that’s why Thrash was wearing a matching sweater last week…

Throttle: Chandler painstakingly planned this to every last detail to make a point. She’s… a different breed of terrifying.

JD: I was gonna say satanic. I am somehow both humbled and kinda jealous…

Throttle: You would be. Evil knows evil after all…

JD: -feels a chill go down his spine- W-what’s that s’posed to mean?

Throttle: -darkly smiles at the two concerned boys and lumbers off-

JD: -just looks disturbed, shutting the door to the theater hall as Dan pats him on the back-

Dan: Ah don’t let that ghoul get to ya, Jason. Remember our last time together in Hawkins? You’re an Autobot, not a Decepticon! -smiles-

JD: Y-yeah. -gingerly touches a pocket on his coat where he’s been keeping the Fangry toy Dan gave him back then, but unbeknownst to both, the Autobot sticker Dan placed on has started to peel, the Decepticon logo now peeking through…-

[wolfys-blorbo-mansion]

Ronnie and Rosalyn's Timeline (WIP)

Okey-doke, I decided to make a timeline of events involving Ronnie and Rosalyn, as if they were actual characters and not OCs. This took me a bit to put together, so I hope you like it! (Dividers by @firefly-graphics, Red Harpy fan art by davyonmartz on Twitter/X [Warning: 18+ Content])

1991

Ronnie Banner makes her comic debut as a newborn in Incredible Hulk #379. She is the result of the pregnancy revealed in Incredible Hulk #342. While Betty is discussing trying to process Bruce's new form as Merged Hulk, she mentions that his presence could be threatening to their newborn daughter, Ronnie.

Ronnie was born with green wings from Betty's previous mutate form, Harpy. At first, Bruce was shocked at the revelation of being a father, and feared that Ronnie would grow up to be just like him with an uncontrollable alter-ego, or that he'd repeat his father's past sins of alcoholism and abuse. With the support of his associates, Bruce was able to set his fears aside and be a good father and role model to Ronnie.

1993

After the events of Future Imperfect, Bruce began to fear becoming like Maestro, his evil future counterpart, and showed signs of instability when referring to himself as "Hulk" or "the Hulk" instead of "Bruce." This fear would get the better of him as it affected the time he spent with Ronnie. Eventually, after Ronnie's second birthday, Bruce reached a breaking point and decided to entrust her to his cousin, Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk.

2001

Rosalyn Sharp makes her comic debut in Umbra #1. Initially depicted as a no-nonsense mutant working for SHIELD. Her powerset consists of dark energy manipulation, invisibility, intangibility, flight, fear inducement, healing, and peak human condition.

Her backstory was revealed in the next issue; she was born in Atlanta, but was given up once her parents found out she was a mutant. She was then adopted by a seemingly benevolent family, only to later find out that they were working for an evil organization that would exploit mutants. Rosalyn would find out the truth when she turned 16, and unleash her untapped potential under a moment of extreme distress, destroying the facility.

This event gained the attention of the X-Men, who took Rosalyn in and trained her to better control her powers.

2005

Ronnie gets her own comic series called Hardy Hulk Girl. The first issue establishes the concept of a now 18-year-old Ronnie, and how she balances her school life with her hero life, which she adopted when she was 15. Her human form gained more attributes of Harpy such as more pronounced canines, the ability to shoot concussive energy blasts, and nails that could sharpen into claws. While her wings are normally hidden in human form, they will spread if she needs to fly or whenever she gets startled or angry.

As Hulk Girl, her wings and claws remain unsheathed, her forearms and calves become feathered, and she gains birds' talons (similar to the above picture, but more reminiscent of She-Hulk). Her strength and durability increases drastically from base form to Hulk Girl form. In dire situations, she can tap into a primal rage and become Savage Hulk Girl, further increasing her strength and durability at the cost of her intelligence.

Despite the fact that Hulk can speak, albeit in broken English, Savage Hulk Girl hasn't spoken, and is confirmed to not be able to speak. This is mainly because Savage Hulk Girl's personality is heavily based on the Hulk from the late 70s-early 80s TV show. Much like him, Savage Hulk Girl has a childlike personality, acts on either instinct or emotion depending on what triggered the shift (Savage Mode can activate regardless of Ronnie's form), and only communicates in growls and roars.

While Bruce's personality shifts are a result of his DID, Savage Hulk Girl's personality shift is due to Ronnie's mind kicking into overdrive due to multiple stressors. Since Savage Hulk Girl is still Ronnie at her core, she doesn't mind being called "Ronnie," unlike Hulk, who hates being called "Bruce" or "Banner."

2008

The Incredible Hulk is released in theaters. While not as popular as Iron Man released a month prior, one of the hottest conversation topics about the movie was the addition of Ronnie. People praised Bailee Madison's performance as Ronnie, calling her "adorable" and "charming."

2012

Marvel's The Avengers releases to critical acclaim. Some changes between the canon Avengers and this version is that Bruce and Rosalyn (who made a cameo in the post-credits scene of Captain America: The First Avenger) have a few scenes together, hinting at a possible romance. During the scene where Bruce hulks out on the Helicarrier, Rosalyn attempts to calm him down. This seems to be working, but it gets interrupted by a helicopter shooting at the Hulk. When he falls to Earth, Rosalyn ends up following him.

There's a deleted scene where Rosalyn tells Bruce about her backstory, which follows her comic origin for the most part, but instead of being taken in by the X-Men, she gets taken in by SHIELD.

2014

A sequel to The Incredible Hulk is released. This time, the movie focuses on Ronnie and her struggles. The plot kickstarts once Ronnie is sent to a summer enrichment program, and has to create a prototype for a device that could improve the world. Ronnie creates a gamma-powered Arc Reactor, inspired by her dad and Tony. While Ronnie is participating in the program, she befriends a young boy by the name of Christopher and quickly finds out that he has cancer.

Prior to Ronnie's presentation, an unknown entity sabotages the Arc Reactor. The presentation starts off normally, but once Ronnie tries to demonstrate the Arc Reactor's capabilities, it is set to explode. Everyone manages to get out safely, but once Ronnie notices that Christopher is nowhere to be seen, she heads back in to try and save him, despite the protests. Before they can escape, Ronnie and Christopher take the full blast of the explosion. Ronnie's frustration at the presentation being sabotaged combined with being bathed by lethal amounts of gamma radiation transforms her into She-Hulk for the first time (the name She-Hulk was used for Ronnie's alter-ego since Jennifer Walters doesn't exist in the MCU, therefore there is no risk of confusion with the names).

Upon recovering from her rampage, Ronnie finds out that Christopher died due to the blast expediting his cancer. Bruce decides to train Ronnie in controlling her anger and eventually transforming at will, but Ronnie is against using her new powers and tries to find a way to repress her emotions in order to prevent any accidents.

Meanwhile, it's revealed that the person who sabotaged the Arc Reactor was Samuel Sterns, who now goes by The Leader. As shown in the previous movie, after a drop of Bruce's blood entered an open wound in Sterns' head, his intellect increased dramatically, at the cost of his morals. His plan was to kill Ronnie as a revenge plot, but it ended up backfiring when Ronnie turned into the She-Hulk.

The final battle would focus on the Hulk fighting one of the Leader's lackeys, Crusher Creel, aka the Absorbing Man. At one point, Creel would get the upper hand, causing Ronnie, who was watching the fight as it was happening, to hulk out and assist her father.

Once the fight ends, Ronnie feels a bit more comfortable with her powers, but not to the extent of Bruce. The idea being that later movies would have Ronnie grow more as a character and accept She-Hulk as a part of her.

2015

Avengers: Age of Ultron is released in theaters. The plot is roughly the same as canon, with a few differences. For starters, Bruce and Natasha are not in a relationship, and Hulk turns back to Bruce in the first scene due to Ronnie's presence.

During the party, Natasha flirting with Bruce is replaced with Ronnie getting to know some of the partygoers, such as Sam, as well as Bruce and Rosalyn keeping their distance, since they're not the biggest fan of parties. When Ultron attacks, I vividly remember a brief bit where Bruce falls face first into Natasha's boobs… yeah, that's getting omitted. Instead, Ronnie runs into Bruce, and they tell each other not to turn green.

She-Hulk goes on a rampage in Johannesburg due to Wanda's mind control and has to be stopped by Hulk and Tony in his Hulkbuster armor (called Jughead here, since Veronica is Ronnie's full name).

After this display, the Avengers go into hiding at Clint's farm. The bedroom scene where Natasha tries to convince Bruce into running away with her is replaced with Ronnie doubting her status as an Avenger.

Bruce is captured by Ultron, but can't hulk out and escape since Ultron gave him an ultimatum: "If I even see a speck of green on you, I'll make sure you never see your daughter again." Once Ronnie finds out about Bruce's capture, she manages to face her fears and hulk out to save him.

Hulk and She-Hulk join the final fight against Ultron, and Rosalyn attempts to calm the two down once the fight is winding down. However, they get attacked, knocking out Rosalyn and She-Hulk (she's still inexperienced, therefore she's not as powerful as her father). Hulk takes Ronnie and Rosalyn to safety and tosses the Ultron clone out of the Quinjet. Here, Hulk does listen to Ronnie and turns it around, since if he left, he would break Ronnie's heart again, and he didn't want that.

At the end, Ronnie confronts Wanda and berates her for her actions. She ends up nearly killing her until Bruce and Clint intervene. They tell Ronnie that even though she still has ill-feelings towards Wanda, they're on the same team now, so she should at least tolerate her. Ronnie begrudgingly agrees, starting an interesting relationship with Wanda.

[jahdalli]

God loves you ❤️

•

Bruce loves listening Betty talk.

He always listens carefully to what she has to say and see her like she's the best thing in the world.

Because for him she is the best in the world, and he could listen to her talk about biology for hours.

Return Betty Ross to MCU

Follow me on instagram ^^

This is the article Betty’s said in the background

[monstersandmaw]

Male drider x reader - Part Four (nsfw)

Edit which I’m including in all my works after plagiarism and theft has taken place: I do not give my consent for my works to be used, copied, published, or posted anywhere. They are copyrighted and belong to me.

I think the previous parts have had a female reader, but I left it ambiguous/gender neutral in this one, even in the nsfw bits, mostly out of habit.

It's 8000 words, with a bit of angst, a good dose of fluff, some recognition of unhealthy attitudes, and a slightly messy nsfw scene at the end...

Hope you enjoy!

Part One, Part Two, Part Three

Gilvas waited until you’d closed the matching panel at the other end of the secret passage, and then turned away.

While you worked on the catalogue, you couldn’t shake the vulnerable look on his face as he’d told you about his late wife and as you’d stared at her vivacious features in the portrait. In the nine years since her death, he’d become a shadow, haunting this creepy old mansion and drifting from one day to the next, and it broke your heart. Gilvas was clearly a gentle soul, though his fuse was short at times, but you had begun to suspect that it was more of a defence mechanism than a character trait.

As evening billowed around the stone walls of the enormous house at the end of the day, with an awful lot still swirling around your mind, you nearly walked straight into Naril who was loading his last pile of autumn leaves into a wheelbarrow by the back door. He called your name just in time and you sidestepped with a bashful grin.

“So is it true?” he asked almost immediately.

“Is what true?”

His ears waggled and he laughed as he dumped the leaves into the barrow with a little flourish. “You and the master…?”

“Me and the master what?” you snorted, crossing your arms. “You make it sound like we’re school kids caught snogging behind the bike sheds! He showed me the portrait of his wife and told me a bit about her, that’s all.”

Naril shook his head expressively. “We’ve had people here on the estate before, you know? None of them ended up strolling the corridors with him.”

“How’d you know about it anyway?” you asked instead, resisting the urge to flick him in fond reprimand on his large ear.

“Chiara came in and started talking to my dad about it. I couldn’t believe it, and neither could they. The master doesn’t ‘chat’ with anyone…”

You shrugged. “Well, if he’s happy talking to me, I’m happy enough to listen. He seems nice, once you get past the way he likes to bark at you.”

Two days later, while you were stooped over the working version of the catalogue, scribbling something down in the margins of your cataloguing notes, the shadows moved in the recesses of the library, and Gilvas emerged. You looked up and smiled. “Hi,” you offered.

He nodded curtly at you and began to pace.

Setting your pencil down a minute or two later, you asked, “Everything… alright?”

Gilvas turned, apparently on the point of snapping something acerbic and defensive at you, but he caught himself in time and paused, throat working. The dark red birthmark on his neck moved and shifted like ink in water. If asked, you’d have said he was nervous. “I… I was wondering if you would take tea with me on the terrace today.”

You froze. Of all the things you’d been expecting from him, that had not been it. “Uh…” you began artlessly.

“Or not. You don’t have to,” he blurted, turning away. “Stupid idea anyway.”

“Wait,” you laughed, relief washing through you. “Wait. I’d love to. I was just surprised, that’s all.”

“Oh.”

If you’d been surprised, it was nothing to the expression on Chiara’s face when he summoned her to the library with a little bell pull that you’d not spotted before.

“You… You want to take tea… You want to take tea outside…?” the harpy repeated, looking unsteady on her clawed feet.

As if he’d just realised how unusual it was, his expression went blank, his four ruby eyes going dull, and he seemed to deflate. Gone was the intimidating, sharp-edged lord of the manor, and in his place you saw a vulnerable, shattered widower, with no one to talk to and rusty social skills.

Reading her master well enough, Chiara schooled her features into something resembling their usual sternness, and she nodded. “Of course. I will have it set up for you and…” she looked at you with her golden eyes and you tried not to shrink away. “For the both of you.”

“Thank you,” you said, and she nodded, departing.

“I think I gave her quite the shock,” he muttered, half smirking.

With a snort, you said, “We’re just going to have to find more ways to surprise them.”

“Them?”

“Your staff,” you said. “It’s clear that they all respect you, and they enjoy working here - well, obviously I can’t speak for all of them, but I have supper with Mr. Ambleside and his son almost every night. I don’t get the impression that they’d object to seeing a bit more of their mysterious master from time to time.”

“It’s been so long,” he croaked. “I… I’ve hidden myself away up here. I… I don’t remember — I mean…” he broke off and you noticed how glassy his eyes were.

Cautiously, you approached him and laid your hand on his foremost right leg. It was smooth like glass, and cold. It felt extremely brittle, though you knew the chitin was pretty tough. Your eyes nearly drifted to the empty stump on his right side though, and you suppressed a shiver. It wasn’t that tough. He shuddered and you nearly retracted your touch. “Sounds like you could use a friend to take tea with every now and again…” you said gently.

“I’d like that,” he said. “If… If you could bear it.”

“Bear it?” you repeated. “Please. I wouldn’t have accepted if it wasn’t something I didn’t already want to do.”

Gilvas fixed you with a piercing red gaze, making the blood-dark streak of his hair and the swirling birthmark stand out in vivid detail. “No,” he mused slowly, his legs and spider body relaxing a little into your touch like a great machine coming to rest. “I don’t suppose you would.”

Tea on the terrace became a daily fixture, weather permitting, and on the first day it was rained off, he asked you into a small drawing room on the ground floor that you’d never been in before.

Four and a half months into your stay, he leaned over the table and poured you another cup with shaking hands. He always shook, you realised, though the tremors worsened when he grew agitated or emotional. If Naril was right, he was about ten years older than you, and while at times he seemed youthful and almost playful when you got him talking about one of his interests - mathematics was a particular favourite of his - there were times when he seemed stiff and tired, and much, much older than you; and older than he truly was. He carried the weight of his grief around with him everywhere, dragging at him like chains, rattling in the quiet corridors of his mind and reminding him of his heartache. He never went too long with a smile on his face, the expression often shattering or sliding off his face to leave a brittle mask behind.

“Gilvas?” you asked as he set the teapot down on the tray with a rattle. “Everything alright?”

“You’re too perceptive by half,” he grumbled. “I wanted to ask you to dine with me tonight.”

“Oh,” you breathed, taken off-guard.

“You sound disappointed,” he said a slight huff to his tone.

Conflicted, you said, “It’s Naril’s birthday. He’s celebrating with the rest of the staff and some of his friends tonight, and he asked me to join him…”

“Then you must go, obviously,” he said. After a pause he added, “Naril is the one who tends to the gardens, is he not?”

“Mmm. He’s a firbolg.”

“My father always hired firbolgs for their way with nature. I’d forgotten that Ambleside has a child. How old is he?”

“About my age, I suppose?”

Whether or not he was aware of it, Gilvas’ face shuttered at that. With a sigh, he shifted his already vague gaze to the huge patio windows beside you and stared out at the gardens beyond. It had been raining earlier, but it had cleared up now to leave broad puddles flashing in the sunlight on the terrace. “I think I will go for a walk through the gardens this evening before sunset…”

“You want some company?” you asked, but he shook his head.

“No. Thank you.”

Naril’s party was just rowdy enough to be fun without straying too far into unruliness, and you stayed up late in the kitchens, laughing and joking with him and his father, who, it turned out, had quite the sense of humour with a few glasses of wine in him. Eloise, the maid, also joined you, and a few friends of Naril’s who lived in Starfall Springs. The laughter continued long into the night, until his friends from town announced that it was time to head back just shy of one in the morning.

Waving them off at the end of the night, still buzzing with the unusually vibrant evening, you and Naril turned from the upper gates and walked back to the house. In the dark, the firbolg could see much better than you, so he let you loop your arm amicably through his to stop yourself stumbling on the uneven driveway.

Just as you stepped back into the kitchen, he cracked a good-natured joke at your expense, recalling a moment from earlier in the evening, and you nearly fell about laughing. “Oh my gods,” you wheezed as you clung to his arm to stop yourself tripping up the step. “You’re never going to let that go, are you?”

“Nope,” he said, popping the plosive consonant with a chuckle. “You’re far too easy to tease. I —” he cut off suddenly, expression falling. His eyes were wide and he was staring at a point on the far side of the kitchen.

You looked up and found the hulking shape of a drider standing silhouetted in the dark doorway. “Forgive me,” Gilvas said stiffly, jaw working. “I came for a brandy. I thought you’d all turned in for the night.”

You blurted, “Gilvas?” at the same time as Naril whispered, “My lord?”

“Forget it,” he said, turning abruptly in the wide doorway. “I hope you enjoyed your evening together.”

Even after the door slammed behind him - the gesture leaving a sour taste in your mouth - neither you nor Naril spoke.

Finally it was Naril who broke the silence. “I’ve never seen him before…” he murmured, awestruck at the encounter. “He looks dreadful. Perhaps he is sick after all?”

“He doesn’t look as dreadful as he looked three months ago,” Chiara’s unexpected voice said tartly from the pantry to your left where she’d apparently been occupied, stowing away the remnants of the uneaten food.

You swallowed. “Well… I… uh… I guess I’d better head back. Thanks for tonight,” you said, hugging Naril briefly. “Happy birthday. I’m sorry I didn’t have anything to give you… It’s not as if I can go into town or anything from here…”

“Couldn’t you ask your friend to pick you up,” he said. “You know, the one you phone every Friday?”

Despite having phoned Damien every week since arriving, you’d never even thought of asking him to drive all the way out here and pick you up for the weekend. He’d probably do it though if you asked. “I guess I could…”

The idea took root in your mind, and as you took your break the next day, you used the house’s landline to call Damien’s shop since he’d be at work too.

“Hey!” he chuckled. “You don’t normally phone today. How’s things at the Spookville Court?”

“Don't call it that,” you scoffed. “It’s fine. Listen, I haven’t got long, but I was wondering if maybe you’d be free this weekend…? I know it’s not exactly a short drive, but I’d kind of like to get out of here for the weekend…”

There was a pause while he checked his calendar. “Sure,” he said. “I can pick you up on Friday night if you like?”

“You don't have plans?”

“I was gonna grab a beer with Sarrigan since he’s in town,” he admitted, “But maybe if you can get away early, we could go together?”

“I don’t see why I couldn’t…” you said. No one was monitoring your hours after all, and it wasn’t as if you hadn’t made huge inroads into the project already.

You grinned and practically flung yourself at him when Damien’s truck drew up outside your cottage on the far side of the courtyard. The wide expanse of gravel sat on the side of the house with the servants’ entrance, and was overlooked by the back of the mansion.

“I missed you!” you laughed, letting the colossal orc spin you easily in a circle. “You still smell like chocolate,” you said as his immensely long, black plait caught you in the face.

“Just proves I’m sweet,” he joked, and you groaned, smacking him in the chest with the back of your hand as he set you down.

“That was a bad pun, even for you.”

“You ready?” he asked.

“You don’t want to stretch your legs first? You’ve literally just got here.” He shook his head, but did nip inside your apartment for a drink of water and a bathroom break. While he was gone, you leaned against his truck and looked up at the trees above you. The height of summer was fading to the bronze of autumn now, and a few coppery leaves rained down around you like confetti, spiralling through the air that promised a change of season soon.

“Ready?” he asked, swinging your overnight bag easily into the truck and helping you up the enormous step into the cab.

As you drove away, you glanced up at the house and caught the glint of sun on a window as it closed on one of the upper storeys, but you soon forgot about the house as Damien began to regale you with stories of your friends’ antics.

With Widowsweb Court in the rear view mirror, you sighed and settled into the comfy seat, letting Damien talk as the house dwindled to nothing behind you. It felt good to be away from the limited confines of the estate, but as you looked forward to a weekend in Starfall Springs with your friends, something nagged at the back of your mind, like a caught thread pulling in the sleeve of a favourite sweater…

Your whole weekend in Starfall Springs was like the first breath of fresh garden air after a day spent in the dusty library of Widowsweb Court.

Damien had taken you to the Inglenook Inn that first night, where he, Sarrigan, their respective partners, plus a mothman named Merritt whom you’d met a few times before, and a couple of your other friends were gathered, and the lot of you talked late into the night. There were a lot of questions about Widowsweb Court, but you mostly focused on the work and describing the house and gardens to them. Somehow it felt disrespectful - an invasion of his privacy - to talk about Gilvas much.

As you left the pub to walk back to your modest apartment at the north end of the town, Sarrigan caught up with you. As he scuttled up to you, you were struck suddenly by the difference between him and Gilvas. Sarrigan Silkfoot’s silver-banded fur rippled in the moonlight, ruffled by the night breezes, where Gilvas’ spider body was black, hard, and shiny as black lacquer, and where Gilvas’ legs moved like articulated, curved daggers, Sarrigan’s were chunky and muscular and unbelievably fuzzy, ending in a little hooked and almost dainty talon. Gilvas’ legs ended in wicked points, sharp and slender as paring knives, and his fangs probably carried a deadly venom, where Sarrigan’s smile held only jollity. Gilvas also had no mandibles, where Sarrigan’s hardware clicked and chittered with his emotions.

“Listen,” he said as he fell into a near-silent step beside you. “I know you’ve not got any reception up there at Widowsweb, so I haven’t been able to get in touch by text or whatever, but I just wanted to ask you - away from the others - how it’s going. With my family’s history with theirs, I did some digging into the Widowsweb estate and the family…”

“You did?” You weren’t sure whether to be offended or curious, but in the end, the latter won out. “What did you find?”

“Just tragedy. Lately anyway. Earlier generations seem to have done ok, but… you should look him up.”

“Who, Gilvas?”

He nodded.

“You mean the fire?”

Again, he nodded, shuffling nervously. “The police think he started it, but they could never prove it.”

You scowled, horrified and hurt. “Sarrigan, I’ve met him. He doesn't seem like the type to murder his family - and his unhatched children too?” You shook your head, appalled, stomach roiling. “He’s devastated… rarely talks about them, and when he does… he’s close to tears. I think he lost a leg in the fire too.”

Sarrigan’s handsome face remained harsh and he clicked his mandibles pensively. Finally, he sighed. “Just… be careful, ok? The articles I found all said he had a nasty temper, and that since his wife’s death, he fired all the staff and turned into some kind of recluse…”

“They’ve got the last bit right,” you said, “But not the first.” He did have a short fuse though. “Thanks for looking out for me, Sarrigan, but I’m not worried.”

He nodded once. “I’m sorry if I overstepped.”

You shook your head and parted from him with a warm hug. “I appreciate it, but trust me… Gilvas isn’t some cruel, violent lunatic. He’s an isolated widower who’s never learned how to move past his grief.”

To your relief, Sarrigan seemed to take you at your word, and left you at your door looking happier for having aired his anxieties, and in turn having had them laid to rest.

The remainder of your weekend passed without incident, but you couldn’t get Sarrigan’s words out of your head. If he’d been painted by the press at the time as some kind of violent monster, it was no wonder that Gilvas had hidden himself away on his estate and never spoke to anyone.

On the Sunday of your weekend away, you met up with a few friends at Damien’s cafe for breakfast, and spent the better part of the day while the sun was out browsing the marketplace. As you passed a carpenter’s stall, your eye was drawn by a number of carved, wooden puzzle boxes. The satyr who had made them was demonstrating how one of them worked to a small crowed of fascinated onlookers, and when he finished, finally sliding the last section of wood free, the lid sprang open to reveal the empty chamber inside, and everyone applauded.

Fascinated, you realised what a tactile thing the boxes were, and suddenly thought of Gilvas. With his reduced sight, he relied a lot on his sense of touch. On a whim, you bought one and had it wrapped neatly in brown paper by the satyr. Thanking him, you headed home and packed up, bringing with you a few new clothes and a few more things to occupy your evenings.

Bouncing back up the driveway in Damien’s truck that evening, you couldn’t miss the looks the orc tossed you sidelong, and as you drew to a halt in the courtyard again, he stayed put in his seat and asked, “Are you really alright here? It’s so remote…”

“It’s fine,” you said. “I love the work, and the people are kind. I promise I’ll ring you the moment I’m unhappy, but for now, I’m honestly loving it. I’ve never had a better or more fulfilling job, Damien. I can’t believe I’ve got so little time left really…” You paused and sighed. “I almost don’t want to leave.”

He bowed his head and backed off, though not without pulling you half into his lap for a bone-crushing hug first. “Take care, OK?” he grunted before releasing you.

“You sure you won’t stay for some supper?” you asked as you slithered out of your side of the cab and landed on the gravel. “I bet you’d love Naril.”

“I can’t,” he said with a regretful grimace. “I need to get back to prep the shop for next week. Another time?”

You nodded. “Drive safely.”

For the entire week following your return to Widowsweb Court, you didn’t see even the slightest glimpse of Gilvas.

There was no trace of his having been in the library at all, and the secret panel at the rear of the room stayed firmly shut. You didn’t think it was your place to go wandering the corridors again, and although you continued to take a mug of tea out onto the terrace every afternoon, it was hardly the spread of High Tea that you had shared with him every day for months. The whole place seemed empty without his presence now, reminding you of your very first week there, when every shadow and doorway had loomed ominously large before you.

Finally, at the end of the week, you ran in to Chiara on your way back down and you paused to let her past with an armful of linen. “Chiara, is… is Gilvas around? Is he alright?”

She narrowed her eyes and tutted softly at you. “None of your concern,” she snipped at you before bustling off.

You stood there, mute and surprised.

It definitely didn’t sound like he was alright, but what were you to him, really? You thought of the box stowed away in your room, waiting for the right time to be brought out and given to him, and suddenly felt foolish. You’d known him for a matter of months. He was a lord, with land and a title; he had a whole household full of things already, and you were just there to reorganise his library. He’d probably already forgotten about you.

You worked solidly through the morning again the next day, but didn’t feel hungry enough to go down to lunch. You continued on through the day, pausing only to sip from your water bottle before heading back up the ladders time and time again with armfuls of books. It was exhausting. There was no trace of the webbing he’d used to catch you, and since there was also no sign of him, you made sure to take extra care going up and down.

With a sigh you finally set down the last of the hagiographies at eight o’clock that night, and put your hands to the small of your back, grunting. Dusty, tired, stiff, and still oddly demoralised, you thought you heard the creak of a door from the back of the library, but you’d barely dared to hope before the main doors opened and Naril stumped in, looking terribly out of place and awkward in his gardening overalls. He had mud on his trousers, but his boots had been scraped clean.

He sighed your name in obvious relief when he spotted you. “You ok?” he asked.

“Fine, why?” you frowned as you turned to face him, still with your palms pressed to the small of your back.

“You didn’t come to lunch, and you missed supper as well. I was worried about you.”

You smiled and dropped your hands to your sides. “I’m fine. I just… haven’t felt like myself lately. Thank you though.”

An awkward silence hung between you, and he scratched the back of his head. “Right. Well, there’s… uh… stuff in the larder and fridge if… if you get hungry. I just wanted to make sure you hadn’t been crushed by a ton of books or something.”

With a chuckle, you said, “This isn’t The Mummy you know? People do actually secure their bookshelves…”

He laughed briefly and headed for the doors again. “Seriously though… Are you sure you’re ok?” he asked, ears waggling.

“I’ve… I’ve got a lot on my mind, that’s all.”

“Ok,” he said, green eyes wide and glassy. “Well, you can always talk to me. What are friends for, right?”

“Right. Thank you, Naril.”

He nodded, and left.

In the silent stillness of the library, you sank with a heavy sigh into one of the nearby chairs and let your palm cradle your chin, with your elbow planted on the wood of the table. When had this place started to feel so sad again? It was as if the gloom was seeping back into the fabric of the place like a sponge soaking up ink.  

About a minute later, a familiar movement caught your attention and you looked up to find Gilvas standing beside a bookshelf. He was tilting his head in that way that meant he couldn’t see you in the dim light, but he knew you were still there.

“I’m here,” you said quietly, hardly daring to move in case he scuttled away.

Locking onto your voice, he moved with expert familiarity round the library and came to a halt near your table. The only light now came from a lamp one shelf over. “I… I overheard…” he began stiffly. His red gaze sailed right over your head, so it was clear that he couldn’t see you, even this close up. “Is… I mean… Are you alright?”

“Could ask the same of you,” you said wryly, eyeing the dark shadows under his eyes and the tightness around his mouth. “I haven’t seen you in ages.” He looked dreadful again, as if he’d hardly eaten anything in the interim.

“Been better, I suppose,” he said. “The firbolg said you haven’t eaten today… is that right?”

“Mmm.”

“Should we raid the kitchen together?”

You smiled. “You haven’t eaten either I take it…”

He shook his head.

Standing, you swayed as a head rush washed over you and you let out a tiny grunt of surprise, grabbing the back of the chair.

With a scowl, he stepped closer. “Alright?” He steadied you, his hand finding your waist and lingering there.

“I missed you,” you breathed unthinkingly as you stared up at him.

Gilvas froze and then let out a rough exhale, withdrawing a few paces. “You did?”

“Mmm. I have something for you too, from Starfall, but it’s back in my room. I… I’d started to think I wasn’t going to see you again…”

“I’m sorry,” he said, his fingers curling briefly into fists at his side. “I… I rather let the melancholy take over again.”

“Why?” you asked, stepping closer to him. His ear followed you and he narrowed his eyes. You got the impression that you’d just stepped into his limited field of vision and he could now make out your silhouette in the shadowy library.

The lord of Widowsweb Court gave a bitter, brittle laugh and turned away, legs moving in sequence like a windup toy. “I think I misled myself,” he said eventually.

Your brows knitted and you closed the distance between you, laying your hand boldly on his cool, obsidian foreleg again. As before, he shivered, but he didn't pull away. “What do you mean?”

“I suppose I got carried away - this past month in particular,” he said in his rough baritone.

“I don’t understand.”

“Of course you don’t,” he said, that cut-glass edge returning to his voice. “You don’t know what it was like before you came here; before you —” he stopped himself but then took a breath and continued in barely a whisper, the consonants softly articulated. You had to lean in closer to hear him. “Before you brought the light back to this place.” His voice cracked as he added, “And you took it with you.”

“Gilvas…” you gasped, shocked by his tone.

“I know,” he growled. “It’s inappropriate of me, and melodramatic. You were only gone for two days. But it’s the truth. I got so swept up in spending time with someone again — in… in enjoying myself — that I somehow forgot that you have a whole life outside of our brief interactions here, beyond these walls…”

“Naril's birthday…” you breathed and he nodded. He’d stumbled upon you and Naril sharing a laugh and a close touch at his birthday and had assumed from the physical closeness that there was something more than friendship between you. That had been the last time you’d seen him.

Then he shook his head in disgust and sneered self-deprecatingly, “It’s as though I became a teenager again - spoilt and sour and… everything I loathe about myself.”

He backed away out of your grip until his huge carapace nudged against the shelf behind him and he went still again. Trapped between you and the books, he breathed heavily for a moment through his aquiline nose. Your heart was beating in your throat but you kept quiet.

“I have a nasty, possessive side,” he said, scowling. “I’d almost forgotten about it, but as — I hesitate to call it a friendship… I’m not sure what we had between us — but whatever it was grew, I came to think of you as… mine. And then I saw you laughing with him and… I remembered that you’re not mine at all. I have no right to make those kinds of disgusting demands or claims. You’re not mine — you’re not anyone’s but your own person. I forgot myself, and I hated myself for it.”

He was jealous.

Gilvas was jealous that you’d been laughing with Naril that night. Despite the anguish on his face, you had to smile. When he heard you chuckle softly, he growled at you again, deep and rich and animalistic. Defensive. That was all it was; defensive bluster.

“It’s true that Naril has come to be my friend here,” you said, moving carefully closer to him now that he couldn’t back away any more. “But I thought about you all weekend while I was away. I couldn’t get you out of my head. When my friend Sarrigan —”

“— Silkfoot?” he interrupted with a sneer. “‘Sarrigan’ is an old Silkfoot name…”

“Yes. Sarrigan Silkfoot is a friend of mine,” you said carefully, noting the lingering displeasure in his features. “He’s currently dating a human, and my best friend, Damien, is also very much in love with a human. If you’re worried about what previous generations of Silkfoots thought about relationships between species, you needn’t worry. The current heir to the family - Sarrigan’s older brother - has even recently married a human. Things have moved on since the founding of Widowsweb…”

His chest heaved and he sank lower so that his pendulous spider’s body was only a few inches above the ground, and his torso and head were almost on a level with yours. “I’ve hidden myself away too long,” he whispered, more to himself than to you.

Taking a final step over to him, you stood in the space between his deadly front legs. It felt suddenly intimate in the extreme, and you reached your palm out and laid it on his chest. He flinched, but let you talk.

“Sarrigan told me a bit more about the papers said… about the circumstances of the fire… about what people believed at the time…” you said carefully, and Gilvas’ face darkened dangerously. “But I got to know you before I’d heard that, and I can’t believe you would have started it. I can’t believe anyone thought that of you.” You placed your left palm to mirror your right and felt the way his chest heaved with emotion as he listened. “You’re a good person, Gilvas. I told my friends that, and they believed me. And I think you’ve suffered alone for long enough.”

Gilvas’ expression shattered and he leaned forwards and drew you into his arms. “I don't want you to leave…” he whispered into your hair as he held you close. He smelled like books and sandalwood, warm and comforting, and you let your arms snake around his waist.

“I don't have anything else lined up for after I finish here,” you said without letting go. He was gently inhaling the scent of you, you realised, and you let him hold you, drawing comfort from the warmth of your body. “And I told you there’s a lifetime’s worth of work to do on this library…”

“I could renew your contract,” he said. “Or… Or you could… No. I don't want you to feel… obliged…” he said, swallowing thickly and drawing sharply back from your embrace as if you’d burned him. “If I’m paying you —” his face buckled into a sour grimace and he lurched slightly further away from you. “I don’t want to pay you to stay here…” he spat as if the idea thoroughly disgusted him.

You laughed. “I own my apartment in Starfall. I could rent it out for some income, and come and live here with you. That way… there’s no imbalance…”

“Yes,” he nodded breathlessly, hardly daring to believe what he was hearing. “Yes, that’s… that’s good. And if you still have your apartment, you can… I mean… there will be somewhere for you… if… if you decide…”

“Stop,” you said. “Don’t push me away again.”

The drider took a huge inhale and nodded. Then he licked his lips nervously and said, “You know, we were going to raid the kitchen before we went down this path. You shouldn’t make any rash decisions on an empty stomach.”

“An excellent point,” you said with mock seriousness. “Let’s go.”

Over a rather strange and cobbled-together supper of leftovers scrounged from the pantry, eaten at the scrubbed wooden table in the kitchen, Gilvas stayed almost completely silent. At first, you thought he was just concentrating on eating, being particularly careful about his movements since he didn’t see as clearly as you did, but after a while, you discovered the crinkle in his brow and noticed the tremor in his fingers again.

“Wait here,” you said, pushing back from the table and touching the back of his hand briefly. He was always so cold.

“Where are you going?” he barked, tense.

With a giggle, you said, “Trust me. I’ll be right back.”

And with that, you vanished out of the back door and scuttled over the gravel to the little apartment above the old stable block where you’d been staying for the past few months. Minutes later, you returned to find him exactly where you’d left him, scowling at his food.

He looked up sharply as you reentered, and you watched his shoulders drop with relief a split second later when he figured out that it was you.

“Here,” you said, holding out the brown paper parcel to him, touching it to the back of his fingers in case he couldn’t see it.

In moments, it was obvious to you that he couldn’t, because his fingertips trailed along the edges, looking for a way into the parcel. “What is it?” he asked warily, shifting his head from side to side.

“You’ll find out. I saw them being made in the marketplace, and I think with your sense of touch you’ll probably have an advantage over someone with sharper vision…”

At that, his frown deepened, though not from discomfort. He was openly curious now, and he got to work on the wrappings, abandoning them to one side. “A box?” he murmured when he’d run his fingers all the way around it. Watching him, you suddenly felt a thrum of desire go right through you. You wanted him to do that to your body, to explore you by touch, and you barely bit back a moan as the force of it swept through you.

He paused and turned his face towards you expectantly.

“Yeah,” you croaked. “It’s a puzzle box. It’s all inlaid with different types of wood, and there are a few panels and sections that you have to slide in the right order to open it.”

At that, his face cracked into a gorgeous, open, delighted grin and your heart slipped sideways in your chest at the youthfulness it lent to his features. “I used to love these as a child,” he said. “Thank you.”

He moved then, obviously not having been sitting on a chair like you, and found his way faultlessly around the kitchen to where you were seated opposite him. The little inlaid box lay to one side on the table while he took your hands in his and squeezed your knuckles fondly, earnestly.

“Thank you,” he rasped again.

You raised your chin and he let go of you with his right hand and brought it up to cup your left cheek in his cool palm. His thumb traced an arc across your skin and you shivered, exhaling and breathing hard. “Gilvas…” you whispered, want burning inside you inside you like a flare. You didn’t want to push him or rush him, but if he didn’t kiss you in the next three seconds, you thought you might just wither up and die on the spot.

Mercifully, he leaned down, tilting your chin upwards to meet his lips. His kiss was soft, his lips cool and hesitant, but the moment you let a little moan of pleasure escape you, he deepened the kiss. His long fingers scrunched in your hair and he closed his red eyes with a flutter of long lashes. His two forelegs rose up slightly for balance as his body rocked downwards and he pulled back with a gasp, chest heaving again. “I want you,” he whispered hoarsely, looking suddenly shy.

You grinned and stood. “I want you too…”

Gilvas led you through the house, pausing with endearing frequency to kiss you breathless against almost every spare surface that wasn’t covered by paintings or suits of armour or priceless vases on precarious pedestals, and finally he backed you up against the double doors to a bedroom on the fourth floor, and picked you up so that you had to latch your legs around his waist at the point where his humanoid torso met his spider’s body. You ground yourself against him as he kissed you over and over, his long hair falling around your face in a black and red curtain.

With one foreleg, he delicately pushed the handle down and nudged the doors open. Still holding you, he drew your top off over your head, discarding it to one side as he carried you across the room and deposited you onto a massive bed. It bounced and flexed beneath you, and as you looked around you discovered that it was not a bed, but a thick and intricately woven web slung between the two perpendicular walls of the far corner of the room. You leaned back into it, feeling the soft silken strands flex slightly beneath you, and looked up to see Gilvas’ silhouette in the darkness of the room.

The moon shone through an open window to your right, painting fine silver highlights to the gleaming lacquer of his carapace and needle-like legs, and in the moonlight, you saw that he was dripping webbing onto the floor from the gland at the tip of his spider’s abdomen. You knew enough about driders to know that when they got really aroused, they often leaked webbing like this. Male driders did not mate the way many other beings did, but that didn't put you off. You wanted him - his pleasure, his ecstasy, his noises, his joy…

It did make him suddenly nervous though, as if he’d only just realised that you might be expecting him to penetrate you, and with his anatomy, he couldn’t.

“Gilvas?” you asked, reaching up for him where he still loomed hesitantly above you. “Come here… let me take care of you…”

“I…” he began, but he let you draw him down onto the soft, smooth webbing. His legs ended in those dazzlingly sharp points, and he seemed to dance across the webs like a circus performer on a high wire. He lowered himself down atop you and you kissed him again. His hands skated over your hips and he drew the rest of your clothes off to abandon them beside his bed.

Seeking friction, he carefully slid his slick abdomen against your legs and shivered, moaning. “You’re so warm,” he whispered, head bowing forwards as he rested on his elbows, one on either side of your body. “I can’t believe how warm you are… it’s… it…”

“Does it feel good?” you asked, raking your fingers through his long hair and he nodded wordlessly. “Can you roll over?” you asked.

“Oh gods,” he gasped, clearly aroused by the idea, and nodded.

It wasn’t the most elegant manoeuvres, but once he was on his back with his legs curled upwards like a black, clawed hand, you sat in the gap where his one missing leg should have been, and ran your hand over the smoothness of his underbelly. In no time you discovered the slit in his lower body that was leaking slick, pearlescent fluid all over himself.

“Oh!” he yelled, spine curling and legs twitching as you traced your fingertips around the softer inner walls of the slit. Where the rest of his body was cool and hard, there he was almost searingly hot, the inner walls silky and slick. “Oh gods, oh gods… oh gods…” he chanted in time with your motions, his whole body twitching and making the webbing rock beneath him.

The tendons of his neck stood out in glorious contrast beneath the watercolour birthmark as he clenched his jaw and rammed his eyes shut, lost in the sensations. His fingers scrabbled at the web of his bed and he rocked and shivered and arched into your touch as you worked him closer and closer. You knew he was going to make a mess when he came, and you felt your whole body flush hot at the thought of finally getting him to let go of all his tight control and insecurities, to give himself over to the simple, honest pleasure you were offering to give him.

The thought of that was almost enough to make you come yourself, but you focused on him until he growled softly.

“I want…” he began but cut off as you grazed a spot inside him unexpectedly with a fingertip that made him bellow wordlessly. “Fuck…” he hissed when he’d recovered, head lolling back again, and you grinned at the curse on his aristocratic tongue. “Wait…” he panted. “I want… I want to touch you… before I… before you make me…” he growled again in frustration. “I’ll only be able to… to… come once… please… let me…” Hearing him lose control of his words like that in the face of his arousal only made it all the more endearing.

“You can touch me,” you said coyly without changing anything, but when he genuinely snarled, sounding more like a werewolf than a drider, you laughed and leaned closer to him.

His cool fingers dug into your arms as he tugged you tight against his body, pulling you down to lie atop him along the length of his belly and humanoid stomach, and you ground yourself against him for a little relief. His hand slid down your body, down your side, and before you could think, he was pleasuring you. “Let me,” he hissed when you tensed a little, revealing his venomous fangs as a flash of white in the dimness when you tried to pull back to finish him.

“But I wanted to make you come,” you pouted, and he actually laughed at that, four red eyes closing and crinkling softly in the corners with genuine amusement at your disgruntlement.

“Too bad,” he groused. “I want to watch you first.”

“Fair enough,” you grunted as he caught you just so and you rocked against him. “I’m so close…” and you really were. His touch was relentless, demanding your pleasure in return for the sensations you’d just given him.

“I know,” he snarled right in your ear, teeth - the non-venomous ones you hoped - just grazing the shell of your ear. “I can smell it on you.”

And with that, you came unexpectedly hard, crashing into your release and clinging to him. He eased you through it and when you lay panting and spent on his chest, he moved his hand to his mouth and cleaned himself luxuriantly, obviously enjoying the taste of you on his skin.

After that, he seemed softer and more relaxed, and when you’d recovered enough to get your legs back under you and return your attentions to his body, he finally seemed to have allowed himself this connection to another person. His body heaved and rocked rhythmically, his legs knocking nonchalantly against each other as he spasmed and moaned, and as he grew wetter and slicker around your hand, and his inner walls began to clench and shiver in a distinct cadence, you knew he was getting close. He was also giving you the most delicious sounds; gasping and cursing, grunting and even wailing softly at times when you slowed your touches to a barely-there whisper against him.

Eventually though, he began to rock against you in earnest, and you felt his release coming as a rapidly-building wave, gathering momentum until it finally ripped through him like a wildfire. White release gushed from his entrance and covered your hand, rolling down the sleek, shiny carapace to soak into the webbing while his body heaved and convulsed with pleasure. He made no sound, his face contorted in a rictus of pleasure as he gave everything he had to you, his hands gripping the webbing as he released in messy waves all over himself and you.

Finally as the pleasure faded to something gentler and less intense, he lay back, motionless on his bed, muscles completely slack, face soft, breathing quiet.

“Gilvas?”

“Mmm?” he hummed without moving.

“You alright?”

“Mmm.”

Weak and completely spent, he lay there unmoving for a long time while you gently trailed your fingers around his still clenching slit as aftershocks of pleasure rippled through him. Eventually, you wiped your hand clean on the webs beside him and shuffled up to lie beside him. He still looked absolutely exhausted and drained, and you sat there a long time just watching him.

After a very long time, he mustered the energy to open one arm to you and you nuzzled in against his bare shoulder. His breath hissed softly through his slack jaw and he pressed a shy kiss to the top of your head. “See why I wanted… to make you… to make you come first?” he whispered, words heavily slurred and indistinct.

You nodded and shifted to drape your arm across his chest and draw idle patterns over the bare skin of his white torso.

His skin was starkly pale in the moonlight, and as you stared at him, you realised he’d probably relied solely on touch for the whole time you’d been in the room. You smiled and pressed a kiss to his jutting collarbone, making him inhale sharply.

He was still too thin, still obviously not taking care of himself properly, but, you thought, if he’d trusted you and let you in to this extent, perhaps you could both take care of each other now.

“Penny for your thoughts?” he whispered after another long while of silence and closeness in the dark.

“Just thinking how good this feels,” you said honestly. “And how I could lie like this forever… Or at least… until you’re ready to go again.”

He snorted, taken off-guard. “Won’t be for a very long while,” he said bashfully. “Driders don’t recover quickly. Not the male ones, anyway.”

“I’m in no rush,” you said, laying your cheek back down on his cool skin and shivering as goosebumps rippled up your body.

He fumbled around on his other side and drew a large blanket up and over his body, careful to avoid the mess on his carapace, and let you snuggle up beneath it.

You’d have to wait for the dawn to go again though, because you were asleep in his arms in minutes.

___

Maybe we'll get to see more of them in the future, but for now, this four-part story is over. Thanks for your comments and enthusiasm for the cranky spooder boy!

___

I really hope you folks enjoyed this one! Don’t forget to let me know if you did enjoy it by leaving a like and/or reblogging it!

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| Masterlist | Patreon | Ko-fi | Writing Commissions |

[paragonrobits]

a no nuance list is like expressing things you want to change. Could be controversial or not. :)

oh I see! i should make a more exhaustive list but off the top of my head:

Emphasize Bruce’s relationship with DID and how his system influences the Hulk.

Put the X-Men in there. MUTANTS ARE WHERE IT IS AT. And also Wolverine and Cap teaming up in WW2

Black Panther, rather than SHIELD, being the one to devise the Avengers idea as a result of T’challa making his strides towards helping the world as a whole

Let Wasp (Janet or Hope, doesn’t matter which) use the gigantification technique. Marvel your reticence to let women be physically imposing is very irritating

Betty Ross as Red She-Hulk/Harpy? Yes? Yes please??

I’d like Thor’s characterization from Ragnarok and onwards (as a more comedic character, in keeping with Norse mythology, with serious action beats) to be a stable of his personality from the get-go rather than the pseudo shakespearean vibe they kept shooting for. Maybe with a dose of fatalism, based on him feeling he’s doomed to die at Ragnarok, and when this doesn’t come to pass he winds up severely rattled.

Generally i would like elements introduced later (Wakanda, Vibranium, the Infinity Stones) to be introduced from the beginning? Like later writing decisions to be incorporated the whole time.

The nature of Vision being worthy clarified as quickly as possible so as to stop people going ‘oh he’s only worthy because he’s a blank slate’ even though the obvious take is that its because he is genuinely more moral and worthy than any human at that point.

More robot characters, actually!!

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 27 May 2019

Quick Bits:

A Walk Through Hell #10 somehow gets even more disturbing as we’re shown some of McGregor’s past as he was abused and set up as a suicide. The horror that Garth Ennis, Goran Sudžuka, Ive Svorcina, and Rob Steen keep exploring in this series keeps getting more personal and seemingly has no limit to its depth.

| Published by AfterShock

Amazing Spider-Man #22 concludes (mostly) the “Hunted” arc as Kraven continues to try to convince Spider-Man that he’s a killer and to finally put Kraven out of his misery. It’s incredibly messed up logic, but Nick Spencer, Humberto Ramos, Victor Olazaba, Edgar Delgado, Erick Arciniega, and Joe Caramagna make it interesting. You could consider this end anti-climactic, especially after how long this has been, but I get the feeling we’ll be dealing with the ramifications for a while to come.

| Published by Marvel

Amber Blake #3 takes an interesting turn as an undercover operation into a modelling agency reveals that Amber’s childhood friend Amanda is still alive. The level of intrigue and twists in this story just keeps escalating, matching the density of the layouts and art from Butch Guice, Mike Perkins, and Dan Brown.

| Published by IDW

Angel #1 is incredible. Possibly even better than the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series and that has set a ridiculously high bar. Bryan Edward Hill, Gleb Melnikov, Gabriel Cassata, and Ed Dukeshire embrace the darker, moodier feel of Angel consistent with the different atmosphere that was present in the television series, while diving deep into building up his dark past and conflicted future. There’s a lot that is new to this interpretation, which just makes it more intriguing. And the art from Melnikov and Cassata is gorgeous.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Ascender #2 advances the vamps’ plan to eradicate the remaining technology in the universe, as Andy is reunited with Bandit, and the vamps come to threaten him and his family. This remains an interesting new take on the Descender world from Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen, and Steve Wands as we see more of what’s happened since the end of that series.

| Published by Image

Batman: Last Knight on Earth #1 is an interesting debut from Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, FCO Plascencia, and Tom Napolitano. On its surface, it’s an “Old Man Bruce” story, as a previously comatose Bruce awakens in a dark and strange future. But this existence is weird and unreliable. Especially as Bruce awakens in a fiction at first, being told that he’s in Arkham and that all of his villains and time as Batman were fever dreams cooked up by a fractured mind. This may well be the best art ever from Capullo, Glapion, and Plascencia.

| Published by DC Comics / Black Label

Black Science #40 shows that the story still has some surprises in store as it rockets towards the end. Also some ridiculous jokes. Matteo Scalera and Moreno Dinisio continue to inventive as hell with the art.

| Published by Image / Giant Generator

Coda #12 is the explosive, brilliant conclusion to what has been on the best series of this year and last. Si Spurrier, Matías Bergara, Michael Doig, and Jim Campbell have delivered some stunning flights of imagination, tapping into some highly inventive nihilistic fantasy, presenting the final battle battle this issue, and, man, does it stick the landing. Phenomenal storytelling all around.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Daredevil #6 begins “No Devils, Only God” in a New York City without Daredevil. Lalit Kumar Sharma, Jay Leisten, and Java Tartaglia come on for art duties for this arc and it’s an interesting shift. Sharma’s style reminds me a bit of Klaus Janson’s, but without the heavy inks and shadows.

| Published by Marvel

Detective Comics Annual #2 heads into Year Two territory as we get a new Reaper from Peter J. Tomasi, Travis Moore, Max Raynor, Tamra Bonvillain, Nick Filardi, and Rob Leigh. This is a nice use of the annual format, giving us a satisfying single issue story setting up a possible future arc.

| Published by DC Comics

The Forgotten Queen #4 brings an end to this excellent series exploring the history of Vexana, War-Monger, from Tini Howard, Amilcar Pinna, Ulises Arreola, and Jeff Powell. Very interesting depth added to the character and interesting hints as to what more might be coming, hopefully.

| Published by Valiant

Hellboy vs. Lobster Johnson: Ring of Death elaborates further on Hellboy’s time in Mexico making wrestling movies in a pair of tales from Mike Mignola, Chris Roberson, Mike Norton, Paul Grist, Dave Stewart, Bill Crabtree, and Clem Robins. Seeing a presentation of the movie Hellboy starred in is a real treat.

| Published by Dark Horse

Immortal Hulk #18 leans hard into the body horror aspect of the series, debuting both Betty’s full form as this new Harpy and in the Abomination. Joe Bennett, Ruy José, and Paul Mounts just nail this perfectly.

| Published by Marvel

Killer Groove #1 is a great first issue from Ollie Masters, Eoin Marron, Jordie Bellaire, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. It’s a taut crime drama mixing a never-was musician with the potential of life as a hitman, as he lucks into a kill during a chance encounter. Great art from Marron and Bellaire.

| Published by AfterShock

The Magnificent Ms. Marvel #3 advances the alien plot, sending Kamala and her parents off to Saffa to supposedly fulfill the role of their Destined One, saving the planet again. Saladin Ahmed, Minkyu Jung, Juan Vlasco, Ian Herring, and Joe Caramagna are doing some interesting world-building here, and ensuring that nothing is quite what it seems.

| Published by Marvel

Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt #5 is the beautiful conclusion to what has been a brilliant series from Kieron Gillen, Caspar Wijngaard, Mary Safro, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. It’s been a sequel, satire, criticism, and repudiation of Watchmen, but it’s also been an interesting mediation on “being better” while coming to terms with the nature of reality and learning to deal with the human element.

| Published by Dynamite

Queen of Bad Dreams #2 gets more into the grit of IJ Wei’s investigation into the escaped figment, delivering some great police procedural stuff. The artwork from Jordi Pérez and Dearbhla Kelly is wonderful. Reminding me a lot of some of the work from John Watkiss, particularly during a very impressive action sequence.

| Published by Vault

She Said Destroy #1 is an intriguing science fantasy debut from Joe Corallo, Liana Kangas, Rebecca Nalty, and Melanie Ujimori. It taps into Celtic mythology, presenting a war between Brigid and the Morrigan, but also appears to be telling a coming of age story with some members of the Morrigan’s flock as they try to combat Brigid’s oppression. 

| Published by Vault

Star Wars #108 is essentially another one-shot in the 80th anniversary of Marvel celebration, with Matthew Rosenberg and a murderers’ row of new and old Star Wars artists delivering a tale set in the old Marvel continuity. While you’ll get more out of it if you’re familiar with the original series, with familiar faces like Valance Hunter, Domina Tagge, and Jaxxon, but it still works well on its own without having any foreknowledge of previous events.

| Published by Marvel

Stranger Things: Six #1 begins another prequel mini-series, this time introducing us to “Six” and looking into the experiments going on at the Hawkins Labs, from Jody Houser, Edgar Salazar, Keith Champagne, Marissa Louise, and Nate Piekos. I quite liked the first one that served as a view into the terror that Will went through during season one, but this one looks like it’ll be breaking some new ground. Very interested to see more of what happened earlier.

| Published by Dark Horse

Superman: Leviathan Rising Special #1 is a tease for Event Leviathan, the next turn in the Superman series, the forthcoming Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen minis, and the upcoming Supergirl arc once she returns to Earth, but it also manages to tell a fairly entertaining story in its own right as Talia al Ghul kidnaps Clark Kent.

| Published by DC Comics

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #94 continues “City at War” as everything gets nastier and dirtier, and we still haven’t had a full-on incendiary spark yet to ignite even larger warfare. Dave Wachter and Ronda Pattison deliver some incredible artwork. Splinter is very chilling in this one.

| Published by IDW

Thor #13 will make you care about Cul Borson. At least, a little bit. Maybe. Jason Aaron, Mike del Mundo, Marco D’Alfonso, and Joe Sabino deliver on another single issue story broadening the bits and pieces of the War of the Realms.

| Published by Marvel

Transformers #6 takes a break from the ongoing narrative and gives us a look into the past friendship between Megatron and Orion Pax, from Brian Ruckley, Beth McGuire-Smith, and Tom B. Long. There are some interesting parallels between Megatron’s observations and the drifting apart of these two old friends.

| Published by IDW

Wolverine: The Long Night #5 concludes this adaptation of the podcast of the same name from Benjamin Percy, Marcio Takara, Matt Milla, and Joe Caramagna. This has been a mature, psychological thriller amidst all of the violence and darkness, with this final chapter delivering more twists even as it brings the answers.

| Published by Marvel

Other Highlights: Age of X-Man: X-Tremists #4, Bad Luck Chuck #3, Black Panther #12, Blossoms 666 #4, Catwoman Annual #1, Dark Red #3, Dead Kings #5, Delver #4, Dick Tracy Forever #2, Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #8, Dog Days of Summer #1, Fantastic Four #10, Fight Club 3 #5, Four Sisters 2: Hortense, Grand Abyss Hotel, KINO #16, Life on the Moon, Lumberjanes: Somewhere Green #1, Major X #4, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #39, Princeless - Book 8: Princesses #3, Punk Mambo #2, Punks Not Dead: London Calling #4, Rick & Morty #50, Spawn #297, Star Trek: Year Five #2, Star Wars: Vader - Dark Visions #4, Superior Spider-Man #6, TMNT: Urban Legends #13, Thanos #2, Wailing Blade #1, War of the Realms: Giant-Man #2, War of the Realms: Spider-Man & The League of Realms #2, War of the Realms: War Scrolls #2, Wasted Space #10, X-23 #12, X-Men: Grand Design - X-Tinction #1

Recommended Collections: Death Orb - Volume 1, Dept. H Omnibus - Volume 1, The Goon: Bunch of Old Crap, Judge Dredd: Toxic, Punisher - Volume 2: War in Bagalia, Rick & Morty Presents - Volume 1, X-Force - Volume 1: Sins of the Past

For the week of 20 May 2019

Quick Bits:

Action Comics #1011 is the last stop before Event Leviathan starts in earnest and it raises more questions as to what’s going on. Brian Michael Bendis, Steve Epting, Brad Anderson, and Josh Reed have done a great job elevating tension through this lead-up and moving the pieces around the board.

| Published by DC Comics

Assassin Nation #3 is another brutal issue from Kyle Starks, Erica Henderson, and Deron Bennett. The body count remains high and we get more questions about who authorized the hit. There’s some hints that it may all just be misdirection.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Detective Comics #1004 gives us the life history of Astrid Arkham. It’s told largely in full page montages, really allowing Brad Walker, Andrew Hennessy, and Nathan Fairbairn to cut loose on the visuals.

| Published by DC Comics

Faithless #2 sees Faith go to a party, and then it gets weird. This feels like that Griffin Dunne film of him wandering around New York, only with more magic and gorgeous art from Maria Llovet.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Ghost Tree #2 delivers well on the promise of the first issue, going further with Brandt’s conversations with the spirits around the ghost tree, and setting up the possibility of something horrible coming soon. More gorgeous artwork from Simon Gane, Ian Herring, and Becka Kinzie.

| Published by IDW

Incursion #4 is a fitting conclusion to this series bringing Gilad back to a regular status in the world of the living, with some interesting teases as to what might be further down the line, from Andy Diggle, Alex Paknadel, Doug Braithwaite, Diego Rodriguez, Leonardo Paciarotti, and Marshall Dillon.

| Published by Valiant

Justice League Dark #11 continues “Lords of Order” and keeps burning down the magical side of the DC Universe, while diving very deep into the back catalogue to build up the new. James Tynion IV is developing a very interesting structure for what might be coming.

| Published by DC Comics

Middlewest #7 shows the sheer devastation that Abel can unleash as his powers manifest, similar to the rage that his father has shown, and how his newfound “family” can also let him down horribly. Great work from Skottie Young, Jorge Corona, Jean-Francois Beaulieu, and Nate Piekos as the story seems to be headed for more dangerous waters.

| Published by Image

Star Wars: Age of Rebellion - Jabba the Hutt #1 is an entertaining little story of how Jabba manipulates others to accomplish his goals.

| Published by Marvel

Stone Star #3 gives us another surprise as Dail tries to save Kitzo from being eaten in the arena by Most-Maw. It’s very interesting how this series plays with elements of hero shooters and the designs for the characters and creatures by Max Dunbar are incredible.

| Published by Swords & Sassery

Other Highlights: A Shining Beacon, Age of X-Man: Amazing Nightcrawler #4, Animosity #21, Asgardians of the Galaxy #9, Avengers #19, Batgirl #35, Battlestar Galactica: Twilight Command #4, Bone Parish #9, Books of Magic #8, Clue: Candlestick #1, Cyber Force #10, Dial H for Hero #3, Doctor Strange #14, The Flash #71, Freedom Fighters #6, Gasolina #18, GI Joe: A Real American Hero #262, The Goon #2, Highwayman, Invader Zim #43, Invisible Kingdom #3, Martian Manhunter #5, Marvel Comics Presents #5, Mary Shelley: Monster Hunter #2, Miles Morales: Spider-Man #6, Monstress #22, Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur #43, Mr. & Mrs. X #11, Redneck #20, Riverdale Season 3 #3, Road of Bones #1, Rumble #12, Runaways #21, Shuri #8, The Silencer #17, Star Trek: Q Conflict #4, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge #2, Tony Stark: Iron Man #11, The Unstoppable Wasp #8, Venom #14, War of the Realms: Journey into Mystery #3, War of the Realms: New Agents of Atlas #2, War of the Realms: The Punisher #2, War of the Realms: Strikeforce - The Land of Giants #1, War of the Realms: Uncanny X-Men #2, The Warning #7, Welcome to Wanderland #4. Wolverine: Infinity Watch #4, Wonder Woman #71, X-Force #8

Recommended Collections: Black Badge - Volume 1, Black Magick, Cover - Volume 1, Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Volume 1, East of West - Volume 9, Fantastic Four - Volume 2: Mr. & Mrs. Grimm, Friendo - Volume 1, James Bond: Blackbox, Middlewest - Book 1, Planet Terry Complete Collection, Redlands - Volume 2, Summit - Volume 3: Truth & Consequences, Wayward - Book 3

d. emerson eddy thinks there should be more hours in the day.

[komikswaria-n-t]

Nowości, plotki i zapowiedzi w formie krótkich wpisów. Zapraszam.

Tak, dziś będzie o Immortal Hulk... Zapraszam do lektury.

Szesnasty numer serii Immortal Hulk jest dość ważny z perspektywy historii autorstwa Ala Ewinga, ale jest też ważny dla kolekcjonerów wariantów, bo od tego numeru Marvel zaczął nową praktykę. Otóż do sklepów zaczęły trafiać dodruki okładek z ratio. Pokrótce pisałem już o tym na łamach Avalon Marvel Comics (pod tym linkiem). Teraz będzie trochę dłużej. 

Pojawiła się plotka, że Immortal Hulk #16 będzie komiksem, w którym zadebiutuje Red Harpie. Wszystko za sprawą posta Benetta na jego Instagramie. Tak się nie stało, ale zanim wszyscy się o tym przekonali, to wraparound wariant (1:25) w wykonaniu tego artysty osiągnął cenę na poziomie 120$ i wyprzedał się w większości sklepów. Nakład podstawowy również zaliczył sold out, a Marvel zapowiedział dodruk komiksu. Tym razem jednak zapowiedzi zostały poszerzone o dodruk z ratio 1:25. Była to całkiem nowa sytuacja na rynku, która dotychczas nie miała miejsca. Sklepy musiały zamówić 25 sztuk dodruku, aby otrzymać jeden wariant dodruku. Grafika na okładce miała zmieniony kolor tła (pomarańczowy) względem okładki incentive z pierwszego druku. Sam pomysł wydawał mi się kuriozalny, bo takie praktyki zmniejszają zazwyczaj wartość pierwszego printu.

Oczywiście trzeba kuć żelazo, póki gorące i nagle do gry weszły sklepy z EKSKLUZYWNYMI WERSJAMI DODRUKU Immortal Hulk #16. Czyste szaleństwo.

Oczywiście nikt nie zmusza mnie ani Was do wywalania pieniędzy na wersje limitowane, ale jednak niesmak pozostaje. Ktoś wydał dużo kasy na okładkę Benetta, może zainwestował i nagle okazuje się, że to wcale nie jest aż tak limitowany tytuł, bo teraz wjedzie dodruk okładki. I wtedy Marvel oferuje sklepom możliwość zamówienia wersji exclusive, te dostają okładki + okładki z ratio i dyktują kuriozalne ceny pod pretekstem limitowanego nakładu. Oczywiście zazwyczaj okazuje się, że nakłady wcale nie są takie małe, a sklep dysponuje dużą ilością danej okładki. Zarobek jest oczywiście ważny, ale pewne granice są od niedawna mocno przekraczane, a kolekcjonerzy mogą czuć się wykorzystywani i oszukani. Wiadomo, że zamówienia okładek ekskluzywnych liczą się do puli, która wymagana jest do otrzymania standardowych incentive wariantów. W ten sposób okładki dla sklepów kwalifikują na dużą ilość egzemplarzy wariantów ratio i pozwalają, tym samym, na większy zarobek sklepom, które oczywiście zaszalały i wywindowały cenę dodruku 1:25 do poziomu nawet 80$. Jak już pisałem spadek wartości był prawie pewny i tak się stało. 1st print ratio Benetta jest bez problemu dostępny w cenie około 50$-60$. Dodruk zatrzymał się na poziomie 35$-55$. Każda wyższa cena to już ponury żart. Jednak Marvel leci dalej ze swoją inicjatywą i już za chwilę do sprzedaży trafi piąty dodruk Immortal Hulk #2, który dostanie wariant ratio. Tym razem okładkę virgin Alexa Rossa, która pierwotnie ozdobiła wersję regularną w pierwszym druku.

IH #2 to pierwsze pojawienie się Dr. Frye, także jest to bardzo solidny key issue. Wariant Zaffino (1:25) do tego numeru to aktualnie wydatek nawet 300$ za wersję raw. 

Cena piątego dodruku z ratio, w przedsprzedaży, to około 50$, co uważam za sporą przesadę. Co więcej, sklepy znowu zaoferują okładki ekskluzywne i tak możecie znaleźć już pre-ordery wariantów od Unknown Comic Books, ComicXposure czy Space Cadets. Co za dużo to niezdrowo. Dobrze, że chociaż warianty ekskluzywne to wydatek maksymalnie 15$. Nadal będzie to key issue, ale nie dajcie się naciągnąć na te kuriozalnie wysokie ceny virgin okładki Rossa. Jeżeli chcecie inwestować to zalecam pierwszy druk regularny bądź bardzo drogi wariant Zaffino. Oczywiście sprawa ratio dodruków to nie tylko Immortal Hulk.

Na horyzoncie jest trzeci dodruk Major X #1 od „mistrza” Roba, który doczeka się wariantu sketch z ratio 1:25. Cena w pre-orderze? Od 60$ do nawet 100$... Zostawię to bez komentarza. 

Przestrzegam Was raz jeszcze przed wywalaniem tak dużych pieniędzy na te okładki. Jeżeli traficie okazję to oczywiście bierzcie śmiało, jednak wszystko z umiarem. Podejrzewam, że za chwilę powtórzy się sytuacja z IH #16, a ceny zaczną mocno spadać. Coś czuję, że za jakiś czas będzie można kupić te warianty w cenie około 20$. Życzę udanych i przemyślanych zakupów 😉 Pozdro!

[spiteweaver]

wishlist

It’s a long one, folks.

Genes/Scrolls:

Butterfly x1

Capsule x5

Laced x1

Metallic x1

Opal x2

Pinstripe x2

Rosette x1

Runes (Gaoler) x1

Scrolls of Eternal Youth x11

Shimmer x2

Skink x1

Spirit x1

Stained x1

Striation x2

Tapir x3

Vials of Scattersight

Accents:

Many Eyes Plague (Male Spiral)

Apparel:

Aeruginous Tail Tatters x4

Archer’s Tail Twist x3

Astonishing Sweater x1

Autumn Breeze x5

Autumnal Wreath x10

Bewitching Ruby Clawrings x1

Bewitching Ruby Grasp x2

Bewitching Ruby Pendants x1

Bewitching Ruby Tail Decor x1

Black Aviator Boots x3

Black Aviator Coat x1

Black Aviator Gloves x3

Black Aviator Scarf x1

Black Arm Bow x1

Black Leg Bow x1

Black Neck Bow x1

Black Tail Bow x1

Black Wing Bow x1

Black Currant Plumed Anklets x1

Black Currant Plumed Cover x1

Black Currant Plumed Jabbot x1

Black Currant Plumed Tuft x1

Black-Edged Claw x1

Black Lace Tail Ornament x1

Black Lace Waist Frill x1

Black Linen Leg Wrap x1

Black Linen Neck Wrap x3

Black Linen Tail Wrap x3

Black Spats x1

Black Tulip Flower Crown x1

Black Tulip Flowerfall x11

Black Tulip Tail Lei x1

Black Tulip Wing Garland x1

Bone Antlers x2

Brown Daredevil Cover x6

Burlap Mantle x2

Burnished Gold Belt x1

Burnished Gold Boots x1

Burnished Gold Gauntlets x1

Burnished Gold Pauldrons x1

Burnished Gold Tail Cuffs x1

Celadon Silk Veil x1

Citrine Talonclasp Pendant x2

Copper Amulet of Transmutation x6

Copper Earrings of Transmutation x6

Crimson Leg Silks x2

Crimson Silk Veil x1

Crimson Wing Silks x4

Daisy Flower Crown x1

Daisy Flowerfall x3

Dark Red Arm Bow x1

Dark Red Leg Bow x1

Dark Red Neck Bow x1

Dark Red Tail Bow x1

Dark Red Wing Bow x1

Darksteel Amulet of Necromancy x2

Darksteel Earrings of Necromancy x2

Darksteel Glasses x1

Dusky Rose Thorn Gloves x1

Dusky Rose Thorn Stockings x1

Dusty Highnoon Vest x2

Ebony Antlers x7

Ember Sylvan Anklets x1

Ember Sylvan Bracelets x1

Ember Sylvan Headpiece x2

Ember Sylvan Wings x1

Enchanter’s Cobwebs x2

Ethereal Flame Tail Ribbon x1

Filigree Rapier x2

Haunting Amber Grasp x1

Gloomy Highnoon Vest x2

Gold Halfmoon Spectacles x1

Golden Sage Cover x1

Golden Sage Shawl x2

Golden Sage Tassel x1

Golden Seraph Anklets x2

Golden Seraph Arm Piece x3

Golden Seraph Headpiece x3

Golden Seraph Hip Drape x1

Golden Seraph Tail Bangle x5

Golden Seraph Wing Ornament x5

Golden Leg Silks x4

Golden Silk Veil x5

Golden Wing Silks x18

Gossamer Arm Silks x2

Gossamer Silk Scarf x1

Gossamer Silk Veil x2

Gossamer Wing Silks x5

Gray Plague Doctor Mask x1

Grim Healer’s Reference x2

Grove Sylvan Anklets x1

Grove Sylvan Bracelets x1

Grove Sylvan Twist x1

Grove Sylvan Wings x1

Haunting Amber Forejewels x1

Haunting Amber Grasp x2

Haunting Amber Pendants x1

Haunting Amber Tail Decor x1

Hip Copper Frames x1

Hip Midnight Frames x1

Honeyed Woodbrace x1

Honeyed Woodwing x1

Horizon Starsilk Cloak x1

Horizon Starsilk Earrings x1

Horizon Starsilk Scarf x1

Horizon Starsilk Shawl x1

Horizon Starsilk Sleeves x1

Horizon Starsilk Socks x1

Horizon Starsilk Tailwrap x1

Horizon Starsilk Wingdrapes x1

Hunter’s Gloves x1

Hunter’s Leggings x1

Hunter’s Treads x1

Illuminated Emblem x1

Infectionist’s Emblem x1

Ivory Tail Tatters x2

Larkspur Corsage x1

Larkspur Flower Crown x1

Larkspur Flowerfall x1

Larkspur Lei x1

Larkspur Tail Lei x1

Leather Aviator Boots x1

Leather Arm Wraps x1

Leather Leg Wraps x1

Leather Neck Wrap x1

Leather Tail Wrap x2

Leather Wing Wraps x1

Lovely Seraph Anklets x1

Lovely Seraph Armpiece x1

Lovely Seraph Headpiece x1

Lovely Seraph Hip Drape x1

Lovely Seraph Tail Bangle x1

Luminous Halo x2

Maroon Chest Wrap x1

Marigold Corsage x1

Marigold Flowerfall x13

Marigold Wing Garland x1

Moondust Starsilk Cloak x2

Moondust Starsilk Earrings x3

Moondust Starsilk Scarf x2

Moondust Starsilk Shawl x2

Moondust Starsilk Sleeves x2

Moondust Starsilk Socks x2

Moondust Starsilk Tailwrap x2

Moondust Starsilk Wingdrapes x2

Moonlight Lace Anklet x2

Moonlight Lace Collar x1

Moonlight Lace Headpiece x1

Moonlight Lace Ribbons x1

Moonlight Lace Tail Ornament x2

Moonlight Lace Waist Frill x2

Moonlight Lace Wristlet x2

Mysterious Mantle x1

Nature Tome x1

Nebula Starsilk Cloak x1

Nebula Starsilk Scarf x1

Nebula Starsilk Shawl x1

Nebula Starsilk Sleeves x1

Nebula Starsilk Socks x1

Nebula Starsilk Tailwrap x1

Nebula Starsilk Wingdrapes x1

Night Sky Arm Silks x2

Night Sky Leg Silks x2

Night Sky Silk Sash x1

Night Sky Silk Scarf x1

Night Sky Silk Veil x1

Night Sky Tail Bangle x1

Night Sky Wing Silks x3

Obsidian Roundhorn x3

Onyx Seraph Anklet x1

Onyx Seraph Armpiece x1

Onyx Seraph Headpiece x3

Onyx Seraph Hip Drape x1

Onyx Seraph Tail Bangle x1

Onyx Talonclasp Pendant x2

Opulent Nightshade Gloves x1

Opulent Nightshade Ovalcrown x1

Opulent Nightshade Spats x1

Pastel Rose Thorn Tail Tangle x1

Pastel Rose Thorn Wing Tangle x1

Pearl Flourish Anklets x1

Pearl Flourish Belt x2

Pearl Flourish Bracelet x1

Pearl Flourish Eye Piece x1

Pearl Flourish Tail Drape x1

Pearly Amulet of Chemistry x3

Pearly Cuffs of Chemistry x1

Pearly Earrings of Chemistry x5

Pink Wooly Coat x1

Pink Wooly Tail x1

Poisonous Rose Thorn Gloves x1

Pretty Aqua Neck Bow x

Pretty Lavender Leg Bow x1

Pretty Lavender Neck Bow x1

Pretty Lavender Tail Bow x1

Pretty Lavender Wing Bow x1

Pristine Rose Thorn Arm Tangle x2

Pristine Rose Thorn Banner x1

Pristine Rose Thorn Crown x1

Pristine Rose Thorn Gloves x2

Pristine Rose Thorn Leg Tangle x3

Pristine Rose Thorn Stockings x2

Pristine Rose Thorn Tail Tangle x3

Pristine Rose Thorn Wing Tangle x1

Privateer’s Cutlass x1

Privateer’s Seaspray Boots x1

Ravenskull Broadsword x1

Raven Sylvan Anklets x1

Raven Sylvan Filigree x1

Raven Sylvan Twist x1

Raven Sylvan Wings x1

Raven Woodtreads x1

Red Rose Flowerfall x10

Respectable Alabaster Locket x4

River Royalist Cuffs x4

River Royalist Tail Rings x18

Romantic Red Rose x1

Roseate Scale Tassets x1

Roseate Scale Wingplates x1

Roseate Tail Tatters x2

Ruby Daredevil Cover x3

Sakura Flower Crown x3

Sakura Flowerfall x7

Sanguine Rose Thorn Gloves x1

Sanguine Rose Thorn Stockings x1

Sapphire Talonclasp Pendant x2

Scarlet Sylvan Headpiece x1

Scout’s Tail Twist x1

Seapetal Corsage x1

Seapetal Flower Crown x3

Seapetal Flowerfall x3

Seapetal Lei x1

Seapetal Tail Lei x1

Searing Emblem x1

Seashell Mantle x2

Silver Amulet of Science x1

Silver Earrings of Science x1

Silver Flowerfall x2

Silver Sylvan Wings x1

Simple Copper Bracelets x4

Simple Gold Bracelets x3

Simple Gold Necklace x4

Simple Iron Bracelets x1

Simple Pearly Bracelets x3

Sky Blue Silk Veil x1

Sky Blue Wing Silks x1

Sociable Striped Locket x1

Soft Pink Arm Silks x1

Soft Pink Leg Silks x3

Soft Pink Silk Veil x5

Soft Pink Wing Silks x9

Spectral Fuchsia Clawrings x2

Spectral Fuchsia Forejewels x2

Spectral Fuchsia Grasp x2

Summer Swelter x14

Swashbuckler’s Cutlass x4

Swashbuckler’s Seaspray Kerchief x1

Sweetheart Lace Waist Frill x1

Tanned Rogue Gloves x1

Tarnished Steel Belt x1

Tawny Antlers x1

Teardrop Jade Choker x1

Teardrop Jade Earrings x1

Teardrop Jade Ring x1

Teardrop Pearl Earrings x9

Teardrop Pearl Ring x1

Thresher Flatfins x1

Toxophilite’s Gloves x1

Toxophilite’s Tail Twist x1

Toxophilite’s Treads x1

Trickster’s Magic Cards x1

Umbral Scale Bracers x1

Umbral Scale Greaves x1

Unearthly Onyx Clawrings x3

Unearthly Onyx Forejewels x5

Unearthly Onyx Grasp x8

Unearthly Onyx Pendants x1

Unearthly Onyx Tail Decor x2

Verdant Sage Sash x1

Verdant Sage Shawl x1

Violet Daredevil Cover x6

Viper’s Arm Guards x1

Voltaic Halo x1

Well-to-do Sable Locket x1

White Spats x2

Windbound Plumage x1

Witch’s Cobwebs x3

Witch’s Herb Pouch x1

Witch’s Staff x1

Familiars:

Armored Duskflapper

Ashen Bicorn Whale

Bearded Yeti

Black-wing Hummingbird

Blackline Bicorn Whale

Blacktalon Striker

Blotched Quetzeel

Blue Tang Hippogriff

Bone Fiend

Boolean

Bubble Brook Gecko

Budwing Morpho

Buff Laced Cockatrice

Charoite Burrower

Clattercog Engineer

Cloud Chaser

Coarsefur Yeti

Cog Frog

Colorburst Buttersnake

Corrosive Depin

Crystalhide Jester

Dappled Dunhoof

Deeprealm Hunter

Downy Fox Rat

Driftwood Baron

Dunewind Manticore

Dunhoof Ambassador

Dwarf Unicorn

Enstatite Burrower

Fawn Fox Rat

Fire Sprite

Firefly Cockatrice

Flamerest Fiendcat

Flamescale Spearman

Fluted Pukasloth

Frost Delver

Glamourtail Hopper

Glasswing Flutter

Glossy Duskrat

Golden Featherfin

Golden Idol

Golden Kitsune

Golden Porpoise

Goldenbeast

Goldfin River Flight

Great Blue Waveskimmer

Greenwing Razorclaw

Hippojay

Hulking Greatowl

Ice Sprite

Iron Golem

Irregular Nekomata

Kelp Tender

King Parda

Lesser Wisp

Light Sprite

Lightning Sprite

Longhorn Capricat

Longneck Scrapper

Longwing Epiptite

Malevolent Spirit

Mammertee

Maned Cobra

Mantarune

Maren Ambusher

Maren Warrior

Maren Wavesinger

Masked Harpy

Melon Marzal

Melprin

Mimic Buttersnake

Mock Firebird

Molten Wartoad

Monkey Wrench

Mottled Buttersnake

Octoflyer

Orange Blotch Pansy

Overcharged Silverbeast

Pangolin Racer

Paradise Zalis

Patina Pangolin

Peacock Spider

Perching Java Sparrow

Plague Sprite

Quartz Cockatrice

Quetzeel

Rat King

Red-Footed Akirbeak

Regenerating Reedjumper

Rivermouth Flatbill

Rockback Charger

Rosy Peryton

Roundhorn Melprin

Ruffle Glasswing

Runic Bat

Seaglass Swimmer

Sentinel Mith

Shadow Sprite

Shimmering Xolo

Silver Featherfin

Silver Ferret

Silver Kitsune

Skycat

Smoky Bantam Fangar

Speckled Peacock Spider

Speedy

Spellwall Boran

Spined Cobra

Spinel Vulstal

Spiney Whale

Spotted Pukasloth

Steelhound

Stone Borer

Swift Volt

Torrent Tricktail

Tunnel Hydra

Ultimate Buttersnake

Undergrowth Shovelsnout

Undying Featherback

Velvet Floracat

Vermillion Epiptite

Wartoad

Water Sprite

Watermelon Coleus Gecko

Wave Sweeper

Wind Sprite

Wispwillow Peryton

Woodland Turkey