#it'll probably get dark soon... might be bad

[syluscrows]

Sylus taking care of his chronically ill pookie // hurt / comfort / fluff and slight NSFW

WRITTEN IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF AN INDIVIDUAL WITH VEDS / SBS AND ASSOCIATED DISORDERS USING THE SYMPTOMS EXPERIENCED.

Tags: Sylus x reader, gender neutral reader, fluff, hurt/comfort, chronic illness, Sylus being a sweetie pie, and sylus being a jerk...

Tw: organ rupture mentioned, joint dislocation, weak skin / bruising, discussion of shortened lifespan.

- His initial reaction to you telling him is his usual nonchalant self. He doesn't really seem to care, but only in the nicest way possible. Externally he's the exact same at first - internally his dusty brain cogs are spinning like mad, thinking 'what the fuck does that mean'

- He will probably buy you a get well soon basket.. for a chronic condition..

- unbeknownst to you, he has no idea what it is and immediately researched it.. and poor gramps didn't know how dramatic Google was when it came to medical conditions so he only thought of the worst outcomes.

S: "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOUR ORGANS COULD RUPTURE?!"

Y/n: "Sylus, there's emphasis on the 'could'.."

- you have to reassure him that it's not THAT bad, but the whole shortened lifespan stuff coming up does scare the crap out of this poor man.

Y/n: "sylus it's not exactly the most accurate thing.. we don't know if it'll be that early." You assure him, but he clearly doesn't find that reassuring at all, as someone who can't die, he never thought he would feel so strongly about someone who COULD die, much sooner than expected. You can tell it's left a pit in his stomach that won't go away regardless of what you say.

- He's more careful when you two are sparring, or play fighting.

- (in the perspective of a reader who is a hunter) He knows you can take care of yourself in fights. Witnessing you effortlessly slamming a joint back into place midfight etc. gives him reassurance at this, but that doesn't mean there won't be a certain crow checking up on you now and again when you're apart.

- The first time y'all get freaky he's mortified by the amount of bruises on you. How are they so dark? And so big? It looks like you've gotten into a fight.. And the bruises he leaves on you after are even worse.

- And your skin is so soft he can't keep his hands off of you. 😌

- Bless this man when your limbs go numb and you have to wait out the pins and needles in order to move, he knows exactly what to do. Usually you would have to wait for the uncomfortable feeling to dull down so you can move your legs to regain blood flow, but with Sylus around you don't have to worry, although it feels awful when he does it, he lifts your leg and bends it until the feeling goes away, ensuring the blood flow returns sooner so you aren't uncomfortable for long.

- Afterwards he's asking you where all of the bruises are from. "What about this one?" "Sylus I told you I don't know, they just appear! It probably happens when I sleep!" Oh boy do you regret saying that, this man protects you from everything, you might as well be wrapped in bubble wrap.

- If you use mobility aids, throw them out, he will buy you better ones, fancier ones, maybe even custom ones to match whatever vibe you like.

- let's just say he gets a bit too rough one day and there goes your hip, straight out of the socket.. he immediately apologises over and over again, and despite his usual emotional constipation you can tell it's given him a scare as he tries to figure out what to do, asking if you need to go to hospital, if he can put it back for you.. and despite the immense pain you're in, it's still adorable to see him like that.

- you stand up too fast and immediately just stand there and lean against something until your brain descrambles. He honestly finds it kinda cute, and has to hold back the urge to be malicious... His evil lil heart would love to one day rush you to walk forward and watch you fall, but his soft side is strongly fighting against it.

- You do have to talk him out of treating you like you're fragile, which is irritating. You find yourself constantly reassuring him.

- despite his stoic, cold exterior, he does piss himself laughing when you don't manage to lean against something in time when you're light headed, falling over sideways. Laughter is the best medicine, after all. Of course he's concerned, but only for a split second..

- the brain fog is his favourite part. "What did I just say?" You say with an adorable confused expression on your face, or when you place something down and it's as if it's suddenly phased out of existence. He doesn't care if it makes you slightly tardy on your timekeeping, if you're late you're late, you can't help it.

- the brain fog doesn't exactly make it easy to give you tasks.. he ends up sending you a million messages to remind you of what he's asked you to do.

- The man cringes so hard when you're walking along like nothings happening as if your hip isn't clicking loudly with every step. He is clueless to the fact that it doesn't actually hurt every time...

- The first flare-up he felt helpless, being so uneducated and just watching you in pain, hardly able to do a thing. By the time you'd had a few flare-ups around him he gathered a routine. Running baths, getting ointments for your joints, millions of heat pads, practically staying at your side like a lil servant. You insisted it wasn't necessary, since you've functioned through many flare-ups beforehand, but he won't listen.

- There's an emergency box with instructions in case he isn't around so that Luke and Kieran can take care of you too.🥹

[ateez-himari]

[240830] SLEEPY LIVE

● 민기 is live on TokToq now (1:27 AM)

● 76,019 active viewers

'She's (Himari) right next to me in bed right now, we went to visit my mom together because she wanted to see the two of us. They get along really well so I'm relieved, they met before but it was when Hima wasn't doing so well'

'They actually went to the hot springs together when I was out with one of my close friends, my mom really enjoys being around her, she told me that. She asked when our wedding was so I told her that it would hopefully be soon haha'

'No, I don't ever get tired of being with her...we actually see each other a lot less than you think. Members in the same dorms already don't run into each other that often because of different lifestyles so imagine how it is with us living apart, and with her schedule often being packed'

'We've been seeing each other every day lately because of the tour but it's different since everyone else is there too. Sometimes it feels nice to have just us two...more domestic you know ? Being idols is obviously something we love, but getting to live as normal adults feels great too'

'Honestly...no I didn't picture myself with her at first, to me it was just some silly crush because she was a girl I was regularly around. Then we fought before my hiatus...a really bad fight, and I think that was when I realized that maybe it was more'

'I won't elaborate too much on it but a lot of 'Tunnel' is kind of based on what happened back then'

'It might seem silly to some people but just seeing her smile makes the world stop for me, and the first time she was genuinely happy after being stuck in a dark place I never wanted it to start again. Atiny probably know this already but she's fragile...so you have to be careful with her okay ? Love her like we do'

'Haha you can hear her breath ? It's because she's very close to my phone since it's on my chest...I'm too tired to lift it in my hands, I'm scared it'll fall on my face'

'The position is a little uncomfortable but I'm worried she'll wake up if I move. It's the first time she's slept well in some time, because of the situation with her brother...she worries about people a lot'

'About an hour ago she was fussing over my throat because it's very sore right now, instead of doing her rehabilitation exercises'

'Rehabilitation yeah, she went through rib surgery after Coachella...so now there's titanium plates on the broken bones. The doctors said she would be okay without a hiatus so no one knew about it, well only the ones that heard it on her live'

'Atiny are really observant, you're right it's why I always hold her waist instead of her ribcage area like I used to. The size difference is very cute but I have to be careful because of it sometimes'

'We're actually leaving tomorrow afternoon, we booked an airbnb for the rest of our break, it's in a really nice location too, it's romantic'

'Yeah the dorms are empty for the most part but we wanted to be alone in a house, just live like a normal couple for a bit. Our manager helped set it up actually since we were working non stop'

'Ahh you guys want to see her ? I wish, she looks adorable like this...but I'm not wearing a shirt and I think the flash is gonna wake her up'

'Speaking of I think it's time for me to sleep too, I just wanted to say hello quickly. Sleep well Tiny, I'll come back soon'

Translation by 9024subs

[phonkscribes]

Heyo- the power went out at my place after a storm. it got me thinking- what would the dmc boys do during a power outage with their s/o? Thank you (:

This is such a sweet and funny idea, thank you for sending the request and I'm sorry that I'm only just NOW getting to it. I'm going to include Credo because I love him.

Black Clouds Provoke Isolation.

The DMC boys during a power outage with their S/O.

Dante

He is accustomed to not having the power work at the Devil May Cry, but he understands that it's probably not something his S/O would be all that acquainted with. First he'll look up and curse quietly to himself, clicking his tongue and turning his head away as he sits in the darkness. As soon as his S/O comes in and starts to worry about it, he's there to calm them down and tell them that it's not a big deal and that this sort of thing happens all the time. Much to their dismay, Dante... power is important, without power the fridge can't keep the pizza and beers cold. His motivation arises at the risk of these important assets being lost.

If his S/O is afraid of the dark or has an issue with it, he'll drape himself over them like a blanket.

"Alright lets get you to the couch", and then he guides(drags) them to the couch to hunker down until the power comes back on.

Dante would poke fun of them for that, if it weren't for his own apprehension to wandering around in the dark. He gets it, since a lot of bad things tend to happen to him in the dark. That's probably what's going on in the mind of his S/O so the least he can do is be there and comforting for them where he didn't have anyone to comfort himself during those times.

"Hey... it'll be okay, we've been through worse before haven't we?", he'll say in a melancholic sort of way.

When the lights do eventually come back on, he has this big smile on his face and looks down to his S/O. He'd chuckle and give them a quick nudge.

"It came back on! See? What'd I tell you?", and after making sure that his partner's alright, he's going off to check if the pizza and beers are still good. A little celebratory snack wouldn't hurt, and he's thinking that a bit of pizza and a cold drink might cheer them up.

Vergil

Like his brother, he doesn't quite care for the dark when the power goes out, but that's because he's grown used to a lack of light in his life. The darkness is something he's come to embrace, something he can move freely through and about without concern. Of course, this changes somewhat with his S/O by his side. He moves to find them first throughout the power outage, making sure that they're alright. However, he's a bit lost as to what to do in this situation since it's never happened to him enough times before where he's become familiar with what course of action to take. He's spent more time in Hell than in the human world, and will rely on his S/O to take charge, which is something he dislikes.

Vergil would ask them if there's anything that he can do to help, like light some candles or check on the appliances or anything like that. He'd also grow a bit frustrated with them when they don't turn on when he tries to use them or if there isn't anything else he can do to try and help. The Darkslayer tries not to pout and fold his arms in the corner as everything else essentially gets handled for him or by someone else. However, he isn't totally useless here. If there is something he can do, it is also to provide comfort for his S/O in the case that they're not as fond of the dark as he is.

If this gets in the way of them trying to take action, he'll guide them through the house and ask them what they need. Once everything is squared away, his focus is directed onto his partner. What do they need right now? What can he provide for them? Comforting others may not be his strong suit, but he will everything he can for their sake. If this is just holding onto them and pressing their head into his shoulder, he will do it. He won't admit it, but he's glad that their able to vulnerable with him, allowing him to be the rock that they can lean on in their time of need. Besides, he quite enjoys these small moments of reprieve and being close to his S/O.

V

The first one to start is Griffon, commenting about how the lights have gone off and how it's suddenly gotten a bit colder. V acknowledges this from his familiar and starts to get up from his spot on the couch to go and locate his S/O to inform them of the problem if they weren't previously aware already. If they're already getting to it, he's sitting back and watching them, admiring the way that they're handling the situation. He'll leave them after a moment to go and find if he can do something to assist them, such as bringing them a flashlight or even a few candles to light around the house so that things are easier to see. He's not all too bothered by a lack of power, tolerant at best, but he does get cold after idling for a while.

When all that can be done is done, he's curled up on the couch with a spot made available for his partner. V waits for them to come and join him, as he'd like for them to share their warmth with him. Sitting together, he'll start to read from his book of poems as Shadow drapes herself across the two of them. It is a perfect way to relax during an event that they don't have much control over, especially if he notices that his S/O is a bit uncomfortable with the lack of power. V would be too, if it weren't for having his partner at his side.

The comfort of not being alone through this gives him the strength he needs to get through it, and he hopes that he can shed that same strength to his S/O. Griffon complains about the mushy romantic spiel that V sings, flocking off to go and check if the power's back on. While the mouthy bird is out of the picture, he returns his attention to being assuring that all will be okay, as it is not the end... yet. Of course, it's within his nature to be a little teasing to them, and he enjoys watching the way they react to his words. When the power does return, he won't be releasing them from his grasp any time soon. V quite likes snuggling with his S/O and he'd like to be with them for a little longer before they eventually do get up to leave.

Nero

He's a little irritated when the power goes out, and ends up cursing the storm for the lack of lights in the house. Nero looks to his S/O and asks if they're okay before he even starts to do anything else, making sure they're all good first and then going to start the backup generator. At the least, he's got a backup plan, thanks to Nico for providing him with a spare(at a 'good' price.)

"Come on you bastard", he's mouthing off to the generator as he yanks the cord to bring it to life.

Nero returns to his partner as soon as that's been squared away, and takes their hand in his to go and grab the flashlights and other lights and what not. He looks around to see if there's anything that he might've forgotten about or if there's anything that his S/O hasn't done. He likes to be on top of things, even having a little plan that Kyrie made to go over until the power comes back on. It isn't the end of the world, but he hates sitting still for too long, even if all that's left to do is to wait. He'd have called Kyrie too by then, asking if the boys are doing okay while he's here with his S/O.

If his S/O happens to be anxious without the power, Nero probably won't be of much help. He's a better listener than he is the guy to go to for advice, awkwardly standing around while Kyrie would cry about something that happened to her or that she was going through. He's gotten better over the years though. He'll take his partner to the couch and make sure they're nice and cozy, offering them an earbud to take and listen to some music while he sits with them, waiting for the storm to pass and eventually for the power to return. He's attentive, and tries, and that's all that anyone can ever really ask for.

When the power does come back, he's cracking a smile, and even hits them with something witty and sarcastic.

"Was that so bad? You did just fine"

And they did! And he presses a little kiss to their forehead.

Credo

He had expected such to happen when he caught the forecast on the news just a few days prior. He suspected that something like the power going out would happen, and so he's pleasantly pleased with himself when he managed to be correct in his assessment.

"Not to worry, I've got this", Credo assures his S/O as he moves with a calmness to gather the things that he has prepared in case such an emergency were to arise. There are bottled waters, flashlights, and the like.

One could even say that Credo's a little too prepared. He makes his calls to Kyrie and Nero, making sure that they're alright and have everything just as he had instructed Kyrie. While with his S/O, he's going over what the plan is and etc. The one-winged devil is a little impatient with things, pacing around the house as he waits for the power to return, and checks in with his partner to make sure that they're okay too. It might take their own assurance that things are okay to calm him down from his restlessness.

Credo isn't usually one to have his feathers ruffled, but there are times where even he loses his cool, like when the Order used his sister to further their own goals. It was absolutely unacceptable, and he'd hope that her, Nero, and the boys were doing just as fine as him and his S/O were. If his S/O were to become anxious during the predicament at any point, he'd stop his own fretting for a moment to address theirs. He'd apologize if he had any part to take in causing it, and promptly pull them into a hug, after asking if it were okay to hug them. His formalities could be found endearing, even after all this time, and they do end up calming his partner down. The distraction is more than appreciated as he tries to figure out what to talk about.

Although one may find that he's not so good with small talk, and curses himself for not being better at it for their sake.

Sparda

The dark knight doesn't see a power outage as a problem, even finding it a bit trivial that the lights went out all because of a silly little storm? He alerts you rather loudly that there isn't any power.

"Dear!! The lights have gone out! Is everything alright?"

Funny how he could create the contraptions necessary to power the Temen-Ni-Gru, but simple electricity puzzles him. Ah, oh well. He could easily provide a bit of light with a bit of magic. He was quite good at that, and he does well to emulate a bit of light for him and his S/O to walk around the house if he wasn't too busy with reading or doing anything else the moment the power went out. His main priority is his partner and after seeking them out, he's making sure that they're alright and taken care of. Upon finding them, he'll snake his arms around their trunk before pulling them close to himself.

"That didn't scare you did it?", he'd ask as he smirks into the back of their head, pressing a kiss to their hair as he takes a gander at the state of their abode.

He's off to check on other things if his beloved is fine and dandy. With a bit of his devil's magic he'd even start on preparing them some tea to enjoy until the power comes back on. Sparda does enjoy using his talents every now and then, showing off his power in these small displays to charm his S/O further even though he's already secured them. It's something that he can't help. He does get a bit more serious if his partner happens to be a bit disturbed by the lack of power. It's almost like a 180, where his lightheartedness is replaced by being more levelheaded and attuned to every little thing from his partner. The pupils of his eyes narrow as he kneels before them, surrendering himself to them as he takes their hands into his own.

"Darling, if there is anything that I can do, you just need to say the word", he says in a sultry tone. He'll bring their hands to his lips as he thumbs over the back of them.

[tyrantisterror]

At Sea Without a Map Pt. 22

As you continue your dinner, you're struck with a desire to take things further, to explain that friendship isn't the only thing you want from Calibani, to finally hold her close and kiss that fish on the lips...

...but are those feelings real? Do you actually want a romance with this sea monster, or are you just some lonesome soul stuck at sea who got infatuated with the first human-ish being you've met? You spend so much time doubting yourself and your intentions, and of course whether your crush would even be reciprocated, that before you realize it Calibani has finished her meal and left the table to sort her new sweaters.

So fuck it, you decide to gorge yourself. You fought a storm and a sea serpent woman, ran from a stork, and stabbed the living shit out of a nightmarish hodgepodge monster made of rotting faces, it has been an EXHAUSTING three days and you deserve to let loose and eat your damn fill. Who knows what bullshit tomorrow will bring anyway.

Eventually you fill your belly and decide to spend a bit of time going over those papers in the Spindle, Inc. briefcase, but it's more or less a waste of your time - try as your might, you never manage to get much more than a quarter of your mind to focus on the task, and eventually you decide to just hit the hay and sleep.

~ ~ ~

The next morning you wake up to calm seas. With Calibani at your side, you take your boat out of the ship graveyard and set out in search of "Captain Peter," whoever that might be. Your fishy companion has a warm smile on her face, and as you put the graveyard behind you, a trickle of hope finds its way into your heart. Maybe it'll all be alright.

Then you look back, and see a fin sticking out of the water.

Your heart races. It looks like a shark fin - the assassins of the sea! If what Calibani said about this place (and what the past three days have shown you) is true, then any shark you'd meet out here would probably be some hyper-aggressive monster straight out of Jaws or a bad Sci Fi channel movie. You will your boat to move faster, hoping to put more distance between you and the shark.

But then its head crests out of the water, and you realize it's not a shark at all, but a dolphin, the clowns of the sea! It even opens its long jaws to let out an iconic dolphin giggle, a sweet and musical sound that speaks of a mischievous and good-natured soul! You feel your heart rate return to normal as this harmless-

The dolphin surges forward, making you realize it's a LOT bigger than it first appeared, and leaps out to smack headfirst into your boat, rocking it hard with the blow before disappearing below the skin of the water with a malicious cackle. You can see the dark shape of its body moving beneath the waves, and soon enough that dorsal fin crests out on a collision course for your boat. It's time to take action, so you consult your compass.

[pynkhues]

Yeah, i think there's a tendency within the fandom to overlook the fact that Lestat wasn't chosen just because of his looks but also because of his strenght and capacity to endure. The basement was full of pretty men and magnus didn't consider them worthy enough to pass the dark gift. Lestat was different because of the wolves and the fact that he was resisting magnus till the end.

I think about that heartbreaking passage from totbt when Lestat consider killing the wolves to be his downfall and blames himself for being picked by magnus because it shouldn't be humanly possible for him to kill so many of them.

I do wonder if it is even actually possible for one man to kill eight wolves, it almost sounds like something out of the fairytale lol. He definitely had to be very strong and tenacious. It also makes me curious how they'll approach the wolf killing scene. They may have budget for one real wolf, but definitely not eight haha. The animals from s1, especially the fox, looked kinda fake and silly. I worry that the fake cgi wolves will take away from the seriousness of the scene.

I totally agree, anon. I do think Lestat's looks played a significant role in why he was chosen - Anne makes it pretty clear that Magnus had a type after all - but as you said, it was his capacity for resistance and endurance, I think at least, that made Magnus pick him. He could see that Lestat was a survivor, which is the only way a vampire can really make it through an eternal life, and we've already seen what happens to the ones who can't with Dasha and soon will with Nicki.

You're right that the wolfkilling scene in the books feels like something out of a dark fairytale. It's got that sort of heightened fantasy to it, and I'm curious as to how the show plays it. The show does try to steep the vampires in reality where they can - like I love the production designer talking about how seriously they take the period setting, because the period setting feeling very real allows for the more fantastical elements of the show to work - but it's pretty hard to get around how fantastical the wolves are in TVL. In a lot of ways, I think it'll probably be influenced by how they decide to approach Lestat's own unreliability as a narrator.

Like it could be played as fact, or it could be played as Lestat's ego taking centre-stage and his capacity for exaggeration, but also it kind of makes sense to me that they might play around with it as a trauma response? It's really common for people to add new details to traumatic memories over time that aren't necessarily true. This isn't an intentional thing, people aren't lying to make what happened seem worse than it was, rather it's generally thought to be a result of the different ways traumatic memories can recur (you might make the effort to remember when talking to someone about it for instance, but at the same time intrusive memories can just suddenly occur when you're unprepared for them) (there's a fascinating paper on that here if you're interested). I feel like there's a lot of room to explore that with Lestat if the show wants to given the sheer volume of trauma he's experienced, and that thing of it being eight wolves instead of say, maybe three, could potentially be depicted as a traumatised response to a pretty harrowing memory.

Who knows at this stage though! Either way, the wolfkiling sequence is a pretty vital one for all the reasons you said, I love that little section of Body Thief too. I mentioned it in the tags on my post yesterday, but there's something very resonant to the victim-survivor experience, I think, of trying to figure out why you were the one a perpetrator picked, and the fact that Lestat will never really have an answer as to why Magnus plucked him from his bed that night and made him is genuinely pretty haunting.

(And totally agree re the CGI too. I find the rats in 2.08 pretty bad too, haha, I'm glad the show tends to rely more on practical effects than animated ones).

[sufficientlylargen]

I was tagged by @athenasdragon

Favorite color: medium blue, probably? Though when I was a kid I told people it was orange, not because I loved orange more than other colors, but because my older brother's favorite color was orange and it annoyed him when I picked the same one. But e.g. most of my clothing is darkish blues or occasionally greens, so that seems to be what I gravitate towards most.

Last song: "Dare to be Stupid" by Weird Al Yankovic, because it was in a tumblr post that came up recently. I think the last song I heard before that post was "Lock Me Up" by the Chalkeaters.

Currently reading: *sigh* I haven't been finding time to read things lately. I am (roughly) keeping up with some online works, notably @derinthescarletpescatarian's Time To Orbit: Unknown (which I think is almost complete) and Charlie MacNamara, Space Pirate, as well as @elodieunderglass's His Delicious Materials, which is Dungeon Meshi if they all had His Dark Materials-style daemons. Also I picked up Travis Baldree's Legends & Lattes the last time I was in a physical bookstore, on @loryer496's recommendation, but I haven't started it yet. Also also I think I borrowed The Goblin Emperor from @platoapproved something like twelve years ago and then didn't have time to finish it and it's been sitting in my "to read" pile for like a decade.

Currently watching: Same problem as above, time and energy have reliably been either scarce or mismanaged so I mostly watch bits and pieces of whatever @bbcphile happens to be watching. If video games count I picked Hades back up again recently, but not Hades 2 because I don't have a platform it'll run on. Probably also going to pick up Ori and the Will of the Wisps sometime soon, because I loved the first one.

Currently craving: Sleep, or at least the feeling of having slept well. An incident with a medication and some bad doctor's advice left me unable to get much sleep for a while, and I'm still recovering from that.

Coffee or tea: I like coffee a lot, but only drink decaf because of a heart issue that *probably* wouldn't be exacerbated by drinking a bunch of caffeine but it doesn't seem worth the risk to try it. Much tea falls in a similar bucket, making it a really weird-tasting bucket of drink, but I do drink a lot of rooibos, which I consider a tea even though botanists and tea aficionados might disagree with me.

Tagging: @loryer496 @shacklesburst @regexkind @eikotheblue @maeamian @platoapproved @asmuchasidliketo but no pressure if you'd rather not.

[niennawept]

20 Questions for Writers

I was tagged by @lordoftherazzles and by @thenookienostradamus! Thank you both! These are some cool questions!

1. How many works do you have on AO3? Thirteen at the moment (not counting an Adar headcanon collection), but likely to be more soon.

2. What's your total AO3 word count? 170,865 (not bad for a year and a quarter)

3. What fandoms do you write for? Tolkien broadly (so far it's been Rings of Power, The Silmarillion, and The Hobbit - no LotR yet, but I do have an idea for one)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? Click with caution, all of these but the second one are rated E; apparently, I am mostly known for Adar smut: Scars of Silver and Gold, Because the world is ending, Mistletoe Mischief, Calendar Girl, Until the Stars Burn Out

5. Do you respond to comments? Might take me a bit, but yes, I always do. I figure that someone gave me a little of their time in writing out a comment and I can give them some of mine in return. It's especially fun when people are predicting things; I love hearing what they think will happen.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? Mmmm. I think it's probably Scars? Without spoilers, my protagonist lost something very important to her and although there's a lot of good things about that ending - she's still going to have that loss to grieve in the next fic and it'll inform her next arc. I'd say it's still a bittersweet ending.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? I don't really do purely happy endings? I write a lot of hopeful endings, but most of them have some darkness lurking under them. I guess if I have to pick one, it's into the wild because that's technically a fix-it fic with Nienor getting saved by Mablung. Although, I might continue it some day, and it would inevitably get some Nienna-the-Song-is-tinted-with-grief flavoring.

8. Do you get hate on fics? Not so far.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? Uh, yes. I'm not sure what "what kind" means here? I guess I've written a variety- from kind of dreamlike and romantic to fics featuring BDSM-related kinks.

10. Do you write crossovers? I have never written one. I think that I'd probably never directly write one. But I might do something like shove Elrond into the plot of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight for a bisexual awakening set sometime in the Second Age. Not sure if that's a crossover or just a retelling though.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not that I'm aware of.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes. Into Russian, if I remember correctly. It was a long time ago and I'm not in that fandom anymore.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Yeah, I'd say my THAUC piece counts as co-written in the sense that my artist partner and I talked through the main ideas and beats of the story together.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship? Uhhh for Tolkien, I'm afraid I don't have one (I like a lot of ships, but there's not one all-consuming one). So - I guess I pick Sesshomaru/Kagome from Inuyasha? That's the pairing I read when I don't know what else to read.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I don't start a lot of WIPs. I have a lot more ideas for fics than I have documents or text written, but I do have a Finrod piece that I'm not sure I'll ever finish. I have a lingering idea that might save it, but I think that needs more time in the oven.

16. What are your writing strengths? Mmm - I think worldbuilding, specifically for culture is one of my strengths. I also think that I have a pretty good ability to make OCs that people care about (something that was important with a mostly OC cast).

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I struggle with internality a lot. I find thoughts cumbersome to write, because I process most things by talking them out or writing them down. I also think I could tighten up the cast of characters and subplots. It's something I'll definitely be careful with in novels going forward.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? It really depends on the fic. In Tolkien's world, I think so much of culture is tied up in language that it's a little hard not to include some bits and snatches of other languages. It's important to provide translations in text, I think, but otherwise, go for it if it's important to your characters and your plot.

19. First fandom you wrote for? Alas, I don't talk about that fandom anymore. The author turned out to be terrible.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written? Definitely Scars of Silver and Gold. It's my first completed longfic and I'm very proud of it, honestly. Are there some things I'd do differently? Yes. But I do love it. Honorable mention to peaches we devour, dusty skin and all. The YEARNING.

tagging (no pressure, just love): @runawaymun, @polutrope, @melestasflight, @fishing4stars

[ikamigami]

I'm sad that Eclipse is leaving.. but I think that we'll hear more from him :)

At least today's sams episode confirmed that Eclipse won't die for Solar to live.. I was worried so so much.. but just like Eclipse said their signatures could merge or cancel each other.. so Eclipse needs to leave :(

But I think that we'll hear more from him.. though it's just my feeling..

Also Eclipse wasn't mean to Sun that much.. I think even that he was barely mean.. he had so much more patience towards Sun that it was really melting my heart <3

Eclipse can't convince me that he doesn't care about Sun ^^

And Sun.. he obviously dislikes Eclipse and yet I think that he might rethink some things about him.. just the way Sun seemed surprised not only about why Eclipse is doing it.. but also he seemed worried that Eclipse may disappear..

Same was with Bloodmoon's death.. I really think that Sun feels bad about BM and Eclipse because he feels responsible for how their turned out to be..

And later when he found out from Earth that she's friends with Eclipse.. I think that he realized that Eclipse isn't as bad as the previous versions.. caused he mentioned around that moment that Eclipse asked him for help..

It was sad that Eclipse was surprised that Lunar doesn't hate him anymore 🥺 and Earth's friendship with Eclipse is adorable ^^

I hope that somehow he'll be able to stay in touch with Earth wwwww 💞

I'm also so glad that Earth remids Sun that she loves him and that they're there for him.. but the way Sun reacted to the second thing was a bit concerning.. similarly to when Sun was silent after Earth told him that they'll visit him soon.. it's just.. get me this weird feeling especially combined with Earth's "I love you and you're dear to me, remember about it".. as if Sun was about to die.. but well as if he was planning to do something..

And also Sun once again shifted focus from himself to Earth cause she sufferred more.. and when Earth told him that he can talk to them about his issues he said that he already talked Jack's ear off.. which sounded like he considers his issues to be a bother..

And that combined with the fact that Sun is too tired to clean the Daycare or take care of his cats.. really shows us that he's depressed..

All of this really makes me worried about Sun.. (⁠｡⁠•́⁠︿⁠•̀⁠｡⁠)

Sun definitely seems to be near the edge.. I really wouldn't be surprised if Sun really either attempted suicide.. or just throw away his life to protect his family (most probably Moon).. and it'll definitely be because of Moon..

I think that thanks to Eclipse's computer Sun is onto that Dark Sun has something to do with why Moon is like that.. and I think that if Sun knew that Moon is gone from where Puppet left him he'd probably add two plus two cause Sun is way smarter than he gives himself credit..

But even if Sun thinks that all of this (Moon's situation) could've been prevented if Eclipse could bring Solar back sooner.. I think that Eclipse is right that Moon still wouldn't listen to Eclipse's plan.. cause Moon is stubborn (mostly because of his ego)..

But I think that Sun will try to help Moon (or at least try to help) now that he's onto that Dark Sun might be scheming something sinister.. Sun will die.. I can feel that 🥲

At the end I'll say that I saw a few comments saying that Sun has Main Character Syndrome.. well I understand where confusion comes from.. cause Sun often acts as if Suns from different dimensions where him.. but Sun doesn't have Main Character Syndrome.. it most probably comes from his delusions.. he thinks that he's linked to the other Suns and he blames himself for what they're doing.. cause remember that Sun told Old Moon how Lord Eclipse was also his fault or rather he tried to say that but Old Moon had to cut him short.. but yeah Sun thought that Eclipse winning in another dimension was his fault.. when most probably that Sun made the deal with Eclipse when the latter was fighting with Bloodmoon at the end of October.. so it was that Sun's fault not ours Sun's.. but Sun's delusions tell him otherwise..

[marshmallowprotection]

Hi Kait, today has been one of those days can I have Zen trying to cheer me up please?

You know what Zen loves to do after a long day on set? Only one thing comes to his mind as soon as he hears somebody scream “Cut”! He wants to return to his trailer to be by your side before you head back to the hotel you’re staying in for the rest of the shoot.

It's not easy to have a grueling day on set, and that goes for anybody who's working on a project, not just the actors involved. You've been spending a lot more time with him on the job, and he understands that it can be exhausting to do everything in the background while he's on his feet.

He appreciates all the work you put in for him, but you know him, he wants you to take care of yourself just as much as you think of him. 

It doesn't matter if he's having a great day, if you're having a bad day, then that means he's having a tough day, too. You’re partners and that means you're in this together.

He views the ups and downs as something you face together. Sure, there will be times when he has to do things by himself, or times when you have to do things on your own, but it doesn't mean you can't turn to each other when you need someone there with you to make it feel less isolating. 

So, you probably wouldn't be all that surprised to see him find you as soon as the doors closed knowing that about him. Zen knows where to find you on a tough day. You've got a weary look on your face and he's got that pleasant smile that brings you back from the darkness.

He doesn't waste a moment. He scoops you into his lap and nuzzles his face against the top of your head. You might whine at him for doing so, but you aren't upset with him for doing the same thing he always does. He looks out for you just as much as you look out for him. 

His lips would crush against the top of your head before you could open your mouth to say a single word. For whatever reason, he knows what you need before you know how to communicate it. That's how good your relationship is! He gets it. You'll have a chance to explain whatever's bothering you once you settle into his arms, right where you've wanted to be all day long, right? 

He’s more than prepared to whisper sweet nothings into your ears. It can be difficult for him to come out of character once he's involved in the process, but something about seeing you always pulls him back to the surface. It doesn't matter what he's doing, you bring out the side of him that is so inherently him. 

"Babe, I don't know what's on your mind... but I'm here. I don't think we need to talk about it right now unless you want to talk about it. I could just tell from that look on your face that the only thing you want to do is take a nap. Why don't we do that? After all, it'll take a while to get back to the hotel, and we can enjoy each other instead of worrying about the paparazzi. I'm not going anywhere... your favorite star is here to keep you safe and cozy."

[izzy-b-hands]

"He never goes hiking alone again," Stede says. "That's thing one that we'll need to address."

"He didn't 'go hiking'," Izzy scoffs. "He ran out of gas and went walking to get more, and probably wound up going the wrong way."

"That's a kind of hiking, because this is a mountain!"

"That's...it can't work like that!"

Their Lyft driver seems all too glad to drop them off at the base of the trail. Ed's car is parked incredibly shittily (presumably because of the running out of gas, otherwise he'd better have some other excuse), but Ed himself is nowhere to be seen.

"Where does it show his phone?" Stede reaches for Izzy's phone.

"It shows as close as it can to the nearest tower, aka this mountain, the same as it did on the way here," Izzy leans back, phone in his outstretched hand. "And you don't need my phone to know that!"

"Just let me look!"

Why is the tire iron on the ground?"

Stede turns back to Ed's car. "Huh. Odd, right? The tires look fine."

"We should get going and find him. The text that he was out of gas and finding a place to stop was hours ago-"

Stede walks away from him and picks up the iron. "There's blood on this."

--

"How long has it been since you've done this?"

Of course Bonnet doesn't know. They share Ed, sure, and fuck each other, but it doesn't go beyond that, and this is why. He doesn't fucking listen.

"Last weekend," Izzy sighs. "Jim and I tried a new trail. Remember? They sent an email out with pictures to everyone?"

"Because I love a good nature walk, but this seems like it might be more intense," Stede continues. "We'll weather it together though."

"As if there's any other choice."

"What was that?"

"I said," Izzy panics. "Don't raise your voice. Um. Cougars."

"Are there any here?"

"Why would I know?"

"Why wouldn't you?!"

Izzy fights the urge to throw himself or Stede off the mountain. Besides, at such a low height, the fall would barely maim them, let alone kill them.

"Jim and I stick to trails with posted signage, so we know from that what to look out for."

"No research beforehand? That's a dangerous game, Izzy."

Again, he thinks of the brush smashing into his face, if he would simply fall over and start rolling sideways now.

"We don't have to talk," Izzy sighs.

"No, I suppose we don't. Just... it's a nice distraction."

It is. Ed is probably fine, but finding a tire iron with blood on it isn't the most encouraging sign either.

That, and he hasn't texted again. Not even after they both texted him, called, at Stede's insistence tried a video call too.

His phone might just be dead.

"I read a good book for this situation," Stede continues. "Have you ever read Hatchet?"

"...probably?"

"Then you know the secrets to basic survival as well!"

"Oh," Izzy says. "No, I don't think... it's a kid's book, right? Not a bad one, I mean, but-"

"Here in the States they have Boy Scouts, maybe Ed's run into some of them! That would be good luck."

"They don't prowl the woods in packs!"

"But they do camping trips! I loved reading about that as a kid. Yeah, we had our version, but back then the American version was the It Thing-"

Izzy splutters. "They're people's children! They don't just wander the woods ceaselessly!"

A branch snaps.

"We should probably get a move on," Stede mutters. "It'll be dark soon."

--

"Everyone is going to ask why we didn't call the police first," Izzy says. "And I do start to wonder why we didn't."

"Would they go out this soon for an adult? I didn't think the Americans did that."

"The sooner we leave this country, the better," Izzy grumbles. "I know, ultimately the work project has been a good one. But you own everything to do with it now, so you can move us back home, or somewhere that isn't here at least."

"I admit that would be nice," Stede sighs. "Should we stop, eat and rest for a moment?"

"It's getting darker by the minute, can we really afford to lose that time?"

They press onwards.

--

"If there was no sign warning of animals," Bonnet whispers. "Then there probably aren't any here. That logic tracks."

"Does it?"

"Kiss me as a distraction?"

"We don't have time for-"

A huff of breath.

"Don't run," Izzy murmurs. "Just keep walking."

"I'd really rather die making out, if I must die out here-"

"I know, but shhh!"

"Izzy-"

Something crashes behind them, and he grabs Stede's hand.

"Run ahead, and find. Well, if it's a bear actually going higher won't work and-"

Something heavy thunks him in the back.

"What the fuck?"

"Oh!" Ed's voice emerges from the shadow. "It is you guys. Oh my god! This-it'll be funny once I tell you-I thought you two were some, I don't even know, out here to murder me!"

Ed cackles, and holds up his hunting knife. "I nearly smacked this into the back of your neck, thinking I was protecting myself! Holy shit, wow, fuck, actually that. That could have been bad. Oh god-"

"Let's put that back in the sheath," Stede says softly, taking the knife from Ed. "Glad you carry it though, considering how dangerous this area seems. And right by the highway!"

"Where else would...nature doesn't-" Izzy rolls his eyes. "Never mind. But he's right. Good that you have it, though thank you for not outright stabbing me."

"What about the tire iron?" Stede asks. "We found it and I touched it and oh my fingerprints are on it, Ed-"

"There was a snake," Ed interrupts. "So I beat it to death with the tire iron."

"I didn't see any remains of a snake."

Izzy shakes his head. "Nothing. Maybe an animal-"

"Oh no," Ed says. "You know how I am with snakes. He was beaten, to death, and into pieces, and then oblivion."

Izzy blinks. "When did you last eat?"

"Lunchtime."

"We need to get out and get you food."

--

"You know," Stede says as they drive down the dark highway, towards the nearest open diner. "I didn't hate that. I hated the reason we were out there, of course, because I was worried about Ed. But the actual walk..."

"You don't want to do that again."

"Did you really hate it?"

"...no. The quiet bits, both of us not snapping at each other, those were relaxing. I'd just rather not be out there because we're rescuing Ed."

There's a snore in the backseat. Not surprising, because Ed fell asleep even before AAA got to them with more gas. He's probably out even harder now.

Stede smiles. "Well then. I'm free this next weekend."

"Oh-"

"You're free this next weekend-"

"I am-"

Stede shrugs. "If you'd rather not..."

"I didn't say no. Just...not this trail."

"Oh god, no, we'll go to a different one. A better one. With a field to lay in."

"You have a fetish for being covered in ticks?" Izzy asks. "Because out here-"

"Ah, that's right. We'll just have to fuck in the car before and after I guess."

"I guess we will."

[justpottytime]

I love the cuteness of someone having to stay in wet clothes after an accident!! maybe they were trapped somewhere and literally peed in the first place because they can't escape. maybe their dom doesn't want to let them change out of their embarrassingly peed pants for a while, as a power play. or maybe they were somewhere public, and even if they managed to hide before they began to wet... it'll still take time to get home, and they have to wear their peed clothes until they get there.

whatever the reason, they're stuck in their soggy pants/underwear for a while, with obvious proof that they peed totally visible all down their legs... and then, they have to go again.

maybe they just let it out as soon as they recognize the urge again... they already peed their pants, so there's really no making it worse by wetting again, right? unless... unless it'd be conspicuous. the drying pants stains would become dark and glistening with new urine, which would probably hiss or splash loudly, and they'd probably make a new/bigger puddle... their legs would get all warm and wet again, and it'd smell like fresh pee... better to hold it! until they have another genuine accident and feel twice as embarrassed for the repeat performance. or maybe they try to leak subtly to avoid this... but there's still a lot, even if they pee slowly.

shameful rewettings are just so cute!

Ooooooh, adorable! As though one accident wasn't bad enough, double the wetting means double the embarrassment! Whether they try to hold it or not probably depends on the type of person this happens to... Someone who isn't so bothered about what happened might just let go in their pants again to get rid of the discomfort of holding, but someone who was upset wouldn't want to go through that again... Until they don't have a choice!

Thanks for the ask!

[dearmahiru-archive]

I know nothing about the milgram subscription sry, but doctorbunny was kind enough to share the new gifs if you wanted 👀

https://www.tumblr.com/doctorbunny/718691189004632064/theres-a-second-mappi-gif?source=share

tysm! someone kindly messaged me about it beforehand and let's just say i am not feeling well. going to use this ask as an excuse to talk about my thoughts on them because i have too many...!

spoilers below the cut!!

judging from the above shot this gif reads to me like he's waking up mahiru with the confetti. you know how towards the end of mahiru's t1 song she's fallen asleep? since she's wearing the birdcage outfit i image love you takes place right after that moment.

also i will just say that it's absolutely sickening if mahiru's boyfriend died on her birthday like honeyfizzley said. not only is that traumatizing but remember that one timeline conversation where, on mahiru's birthday, amane tells mahiru she'll die soon? if the lover's suicide theory is correct then like... that is the most gut-wrenching foreshadowing possible.

(on a lighter note, mahiru and i share the same birthday! you can probably imagine my reaction when i found that out, went to check her birthday timeline, and saw the convo with her and amane...)

the head tilt at the end is also very cute to me! i really really want to like mahiru's boyfriend. it's alot easier to hate him when he's scattered bird feathers but now that he has a face i can't bring myself to slander him.

speaking of his face, i really like his tareme eyes! i have a drafted post about it but droopy eyes in character design tends to signify the character is gentle personality. think haruka, kazui, or even mahiru herself! so, combined with my wishful hopes he's not a bad person, her boyfriend reads as a kind person to me.

another drafted post i had was about what eyes signify in milgram. the only proposal i've seen were that "eyes are the window to the soul" — it represents the prisoner's understanding/connection to the people around them. for instance, kazui feels disconnected from his wife but, for whatever reason, understands the bar lady more. or, for fuuta's case, everyone in dark triad lacks a face except rumerie who fuuta looks to for guidance in every battle.

so, like with shidou's family revealing their eyes, i think it's very interesting how now is the time mahiru's boyfriend reveals his face. if the above theory is correct—heavy emphasis on the if—then it means mahiru only felt connected with her boyfriend on the last day they were together as a couple.

this might be me being stupid but it kind-of looks like mahiru is limping here? like, compared to her boyfriend's full walk cycle, we're only seeing her left foot hop and a small bit of her other one.

i'm really, really curious on what happened between their happy celebration and how they ended up so wrecked. i initally assumed only mahiru was in disrepair because she was tearing through the forest looking for boyfriend. here they're both walking side-by-side.

also adding onto to my lover's suicide theory... neither of them have their shoes on. i don't like where this is going.

mahiru undercut supremacy... mahiru fluffy hair supremacy...mahiru smile supremacy... mahiru blush supremacy...mahiru...

so sad that once again mahiru's earrings have been taken away from her. just let her have them...! i'm once again curious on what happened between the celebration and the forest because how does her earrings get knocked off? unless it was a car crash or something to mirror shidou's case (i hope not i hope not i hope not i hope i hope not.)

someone on twt mentioned that, comparing the gifs with infm, the thumbnail gif will take place in the middle of the mv. i have a feeling it'll be the reveal of her boyfriend's death maybe? possibly? same with inmf showing mu stab rei before cutting to her hatching from the chrysalis.

"hmm... i’m a little troubled that i can’t go home, but... it’s fine, I guess. even if i go home, there’s nothing left..."

manifesting mahiru shiina 100% innocent sweep first time ever in milgram 🙏🙏

i'm a little disappointed we didn't get a sneak peek into her new outfit...! each prisoner has recieved a new one and i'm really excited for mahiru's. i'm picturing a corspe bride situation where her wedding, the symbolism of her happy future with her boyfriend, crumbles away to nothing, leaving only her and a corspe at the alter. love is (un)dead...

[cxncrie-a]

   God, she really did hate it down here. It was so hard to tell day from night, and she never really got used to it. Maybe she will one day, or maybe she'll just stop caring, who knows? 

   Sitting in the darkness of the room that she currently decided to lounge at, she's thankful for the silence now that Adam's preoccupied with something else or has probably fucked off for the night. He really could be a headache to deal with, though one thing she won't openly admit, is the noise he brings with him makes this stupid manor a little more lively, a little less .. lonely. Even if some of the things he says aren't favorable. 

   Lazily sprawling across the couch that she occupied, her gaze becomes fixated on the ceiling. What's so bad about being friendly or at least joking around with him? She doesn't understand why Damien's so against it. She knows Adam will never see her in a positive light, she's a sinner after all, he was probably just playing ' nice ' until he could get back to Heaven. 

   For all she knows the next time the angels come back down, she'll be the first to go to get rid of evidence that he was helped by a sinner. Okay, maybe that was a little morbid of a thought, but even she knew pride and ego can do nasty things to a person, especially if they have an image to uphold or something.

   A sigh escapes her as she closes her eyes. She's not even sure why she should care anymore, why it should matter. She hates the fact that she always cares about what people think of her, cares about doing the right thing, and what people expect of her. It doesn't matter though, no matter how many times she tells herself to do something for herself, it'll never happen. 

   Her ears perk up slightly as she turns her head to watch Damien as he enters the main room with a raised eyebrow, though his expression soon turns to a glare that threatens her to get out, which she instantly obliges. The last thing she needs to do is piss him off after all. 

   Slowly making her way down the hallway to her room, she briefly stops at Adam's door, who's been so graciously placed across from her room because Damien decided that she brought him in and that she needed to take care of him. She supposes she's at least grateful that she hasn't been forced to share a room with him. Then again, Damien might kill someone before he lets that happen due to how the angel can be. Either way, she stares at the door and briefly considers knocking on it to check on him but figures he's probably fine for the night. Plus if he needed something he could and probably would just abruptly burst into her room.

   For now, she backs away and simply pushes the door open to her room, quietly getting back to work on the clothing she was planning to put together for Adam. Sure it was nothing more but a rough design for now, but she'll need to fight with him to get his measurements later.

   After all, she doesn't trust Damien to keep them here for very long. 

[freedvmrouge]

MYTH/FABLE.

fandom: dc comics.

character(s): jason todd, bruce wayne.

word count: 1,840.

tags & warnings: pov jason todd, post-doom that came to gotham, child trafficking (implied), prostitution (implied), homelessness.

summary: jason's being chased by child traffickers and takes cover in an abandoned apartment building.

masterlist.

The night is falling and Jason cannot get out of here fast enough. There are few things scarier than the pimps that keep trying to snatch him off the streets. A large, flying bat-like creature attacking you in the dark is absolutely on that list.

He's never seen the creature before, he doesn't even know if it's real, but he's not sticking around to find out.

He shimmies out of grasp and runs to the nearest alleyway. Getting shrouded in darkness might be his only chance of losing these bastards. It's light enough that he doesn't expect the big bat to chase after him. Jason's unsure what the bat's parameters for attacking are, but he's not going to risk it.

Shouts continue behind him as the pimp gets his minions to follow his orders. Jason's heart is practically beating out of his chest.

He keeps running as fast as he can. He slips and glides through the alleys and nearly crashes into a wall every time he turns corners. He doesn't even think, he just lets his feet take him where he needs to go. Knowing the streets of Park Row better than the back of his hand is the only thing really keeping him afloat right now.

When he finds a fire escape to a building that may or may not be empty, he doesn't have the time to second guess himself and starts his climb up. Scaling a building always sounds easy until he starts doing it, though. Gravity is always working against him, and he hasn't eaten enough to have the energy to go any faster.

Jason catches the sounds of his pursuers as they get closer. His breathing spikes and all he can think of is, "Please don't see me, please don't look up."

He tries to focus on getting in through the windows, but the first two don't budge and he's starting to lose hope. He might need to get up to the rooftop and then... and then, he doesn't know what he'll do. There are still several more floors to climb.

"There he is! Up there!" One of them screams, and Jason looks down on instinct to his dismay. They're definitely talking about him.

Please, please, please.

As he climbs another floor and tries the window, he starts to hear screams of agony from below. Jason fights his instinct to look. He needs the milliseconds. Then thankfully, fucking thankfully, a window on the sixth or something floor gives and he can quickly slip inside.

Jason continues to hear screams below, but their volume rivals the beating of his heart. He frantically looks for someplace to hide in the off chance that they manage to come up. He should probably find another empty apartment to hide out in, though. He can't think straight.

His breathing gets too heavy and he's starting to feel lightheaded. Shit. He recognizes this feeling. Jason fights himself from passing out, but as he crawls into a walk-in closet space, dusty clothes and all, he blacks out.

...

When Jason comes to, the pitch-black darkness startles him. He tries to remember where he is and upon feeling a dress shoe beside him, he breathes out a sigh. The door to the closet is still closed, too. No one has gotten in or found him. He's safe.

It'll probably be best if he finds another place soon. But he must say, this abandoned building isn't too bad a shelter.

Figuring that he probably won't be able to go back to sleep, he quietly opens the closet door. He should look for food, too. He's starting to cross that two-day streak and the chase took a lot out of him.

It seems quiet and safe when he gets his full face out of the door. But then he catches movement to the far corner of the room. The brief bit of light coming from the window he climbed through is just enough to see... the bat.

Jason can't help but yelp and push himself back into the closet. His back hits the door to keep it closed as if that's really going to help keep a probably-mutant bat creature. The creature is actually a real, living thing and not some myth created by scared, superstitious Alley folk.

Tears start to trickle down his cheeks as he thinks that this will be his last night alive.

There's a noise that puts the fear of something in him. It's similar to a whine, his delusional and malnourished mind believes. Then there's a bit of clawing or scratching against the door. He thinks he might as well get it over with then. This is a walk-in closet. He has nowhere else to go.

After taking a deep breath, he steps away from the door and stands there in the dark.

The clawing continues every few minutes, but the door never caves in. Jason knows for a fact that the bat is strong. He's seen a couple of aftermaths of its attacks before the police came. But the door never moves. It never opens.

At some point, he falls back asleep and wakes up to light shining underneath the door.

Bats aren't awake during the day. They're nocturnal and the sunlight is too bright for them to see. At least, that's what he remembers being told. He's not sure if that applies to this bat, though. He's not sure about a lot of things.

Jason peaks out of the room slowly and quietly. The light blinds him momentarily. But then he finds the room completely empty. No bat creature or anything. He swallows as he finally steps out into the room. He clocks the window that's still open and the room door that's also open. He's not sure if it was open all along.

As he gets closer to what he figures used to be a bed, he finds a brand-new packet of shortbread biscuits. Jason picks them up and finds that their expiration date isn't for another few months. He eagerly rips it open and starts eating a few biscuits. He doesn't know where this came from, but he's entirely too grateful for it.

He stays in the apartment for another half hour before leaving. He should find some odd jobs around.

What he didn't expect, however, was three dead bodies laid out in the alley below. It's the pimp and his minions. Jason swallows, pulling his head back in, and closes the window quickly.

Shit. If the bat's real, then... then that looks like the bat's work. The bat was also here last night. The bat didn't kill him.

Jason doesn't know what to think. Instead, he goes to find another way out of this apartment and tries to get as far away as possible.

Unfortunately, the universe has decided that now is the optimal time to run his luck. The bat hangs in the far, shadowy corner of the greater apartment space. It's not moving. It's just... hanging there.

Jason clutches his packet of biscuits closer to his chest just in case he needs to run. That's when he feels little indents on the packet. He takes his eyes off the bat momentarily to satiate his curiosity.

They look like bite marks. Like a dog's bite.

A whine comes from beyond him and he snaps up to attention.

The bat seems to stare right at him for a moment. Jason can't seem to look away either.

With a jolt, the bat lets go of whatever perch it found on the ceiling and stands upright. The pitter-patter of its feet hit the floorboards. Jason doesn't even realize that he's been backing up until the bat abruptly stops and tilts its head, as if curious.

"Are you gonna kill me?" He asks, even though he doesn't really expect an answer. Maybe talking to it will make him feel better. He doesn't know.

The bat leans forward and then roughly sways its head left to right repeatedly. Wait, what?

Jason furrows his brows and licks his chapped lips in confusion. Did the bat just answer his question?

"Do you... do you understand me?"

With less hesitation, the bat carries its head up and down repeatedly.

"Holy shit. Okay." He rubs his face aggressively, still in utter disbelief that he's in this situation.

He looks at the bat again as it steps a bit closer to Jason. He flinches and the bat stops moving. In fact, the bat steps back a step.

Then, surprisingly, the bat seems to sit down. He's not completely sure how it works. It's still really dark here with only just enough light from the other room to see. He's just amazed this is happening at all.

Jason doesn't know what to do. The bat is still big enough to loom over him. It's bigger than any person he's ever seen, though, so that's not saying much.

"Can... Can I call you anything?" The bat continues to stare at him. "Do you... maybe have a... have a name?"

The bat slowly nods its head.

"Okay, uh, how do we do this... Maybe if I... I can say the alphabet and you can tell me what letter it is?"

The bat nods again, a bit more eagerly.

Jason proceeds to go through the alphabet five times, stopping after every time the bat taps on the floor. What he ends up with is, "Bruce."

The bat nods again, a bit more eagerly.

Jason proceeds to go through the alphabet five times, stopping after every time the bat taps on the floor. What he ends up with is, "Bruce."

This seems to excite the bat so he says the name again, a bit more confidently. The resulting yip makes him smile.

Don't get him wrong, the bat still scares him, if only due to its size and strength. But if he takes those things out of the equation, he's starting to get used to its presence.

"Oh, my name's Jason, and uh." He looks down at the crinkling his hand is making with the packet of biscuits. He thinks about the bite marks and looks back up, eyes wide. "You gave me this, didn't you?" Bruce nods. "Thank you. I was really hungry."

Bruce comes closer and Jason tries his best not to flinch this time. He only marginally succeeds, but he tries to offset it by smiling at Bruce.

Once they're practically side by side, Bruce slowly raises his arm. Jason watches intently but doesn't say a word. The wing soon covers his entire being, leaving a mere crack of light. His heart is beating out of his chest, but a second passes and then two. Bruce doesn't do anything but keep his wing there. Jason realizes that he feels warm. When was the last time he felt warm?

Jason ends up sitting down, hugging the biscuits close, and Bruce simply readjusts.

It doesn't take long before he's dozing off once more. This time, he feels a lot more safe than he's been in a long while.

[iguessiwritefanfictionagain]

Just One Job [Part 1]

a/n: Hello! I haven't posted fanfiction for public consumption in probably eight years. I am extremely nervous lol. I'm trying out writing for The Bad Batch and I wanted to share with the community on here bc I've really enjoyed everyone else's work so far. Please let me know if I missed any warnings and I will happily add them (I don't want to accidentally blindside anyone).

word count: 905 :)

If I keep writing it'll eventual Hunter x forcesensitive!oc, but like super slow burn with some enemies to lovers in there

Also third person POV

~Oc is named (Rean); they/them pronouns; extremely minor description of eyes~

Warnings: Mention of death, mention of Order 66/being on the run from people who want them dead, swearing

Every bar in this system was dingey, but Cid’s was worse. Paint peeled off the walls, stains littered every inch of the floor –it almost looked like an intentional pattern– and the whole place was always slightly damp. Rean hadn’t been to this particular hole since before the war ended. It was only once, very briefly, but it left enough of an impression. This was where someone out of options could get a job. No questions asked. And Rean couldn’t risk questions anymore.

They weren’t technically a Jedi. They were Force sensitive, and at one point had a lightsaber of their own. But they were never officially part of The Order. The man who trained them left The Order and attempted to start his own sect. It ended…poorly, in his own blood. Rean was the first apprentice in his little failed experiment. So, no, not technically a Jedi.

After he was found out, Rean was brought to The Order. The Council stripped them of their saber, but decided to use Rean. They were tasked with particularly grueling, high mortality missions against The Separatists. During the war, Rean was treated as expendable. Someone who needed to pay for their crimes of using the Jedi name in vain. But after Order 66, Rean discovered they were Jedi enough. 

“So you wanna job, Creepy?” Cid stroked her chin in thought, “I can probably swing that. My guys should be coming back soon. You all can work this next one I have together. It’ll probably be too much for those bozos alone.”

They would have preferred a solo gig. They worked better, quicker, that way. But they were known to dabble with small elite task forces in the past. Either way, a job was a job. Rean leaned up against the wall and nodded at Cid in response. 

“What? No thank you?” Cid asked.

Cid waited for a response. Her lips pressed together in annoyance. But there was none besides Rean’s dark eyes boring into her own.

“Oh right, I forgot you were a bitch.”

Rean ignored Cid’s comment as she walked away. They had no interest in engaging her. In and out. One job. They only needed enough credits to get to the Outer Rim and disappear. The last couple months of dodging Clones and informants had been exhausting. The new Empire gave no room for leeway. Any remaining Jedi, however few, were to be eliminated. Rean wasn’t entirely sure there were any real Jedi left. They might have only evaded escape because they didn’t entirely count. Either way, the Outer Rim and a basically empty planet was the end goal. The Empire hadn’t reached its claws out that way yet. 

Rean crossed their arms and settled in. ‘My guys should be back soon’ according to Cid meant nothing. Until they showed up however, there would be nothing to do but smell the faint mildew permeating the room.

~

The door to Cid’s bar slid open, announcing the arrival of ‘her guys’. Rean unfolded their arms and repositioned to get a good look at who they might be. Hopefully well trained, or at the very least competent. Cid didn’t just hire anyone. But she did tend to hire those she could easily outsmart. Kept her safe. Rean respected it, however, not to the point of wanting to work with a crew like that.

“Cid! We’re back!” A child, no older than twelve standard cycles, skipped into the bar. Rean raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Behind the child came four men. Each holding a helmet, and possessing facial features Rean recognized. Both of Rean’s eyebrows now raised in concern.

Working on instinct alone, Rean tightened their body into the corner of the bar even further. Muscles tensed, and a quick hand moved over their concealed blaster. The Clone in front of the group stopped. Rean clenched their jaw in anticipation.

He lifted his hand to halt the others. They stopped, immediately at the ready. The child noticed their pause and turned to the group. Her eyes momentarily brushed over Rean.

“What is it Hunter?” She asked.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Hunter finally turned to Rean.

Rean said nothing, but moved their hand closer to their blaster as a warning. It had been a while since they’d seen Clone Force 99. Almost a full cycle. They did not part ways on the greatest of terms, and Rean was sure Order 66 didn’t help things.

“Our inhibitor chips have been removed, Rean.” Tech said, noticing their immediate defensive position, “though I am not entirely sure they would have influenced our behavior towards you. Considering you are not technically-“

“What are you doing here?” Hunter asked again. He was completely locked in on Rean, ignoring Tech and everything else around him. The anger from their last encounter still radiated off every inch of his being. Rean didn’t need to tap into the Force to feel that.

“I need credits.” Rean said. Their voice stayed at a flat even tone. Hunter’s eyes narrowed, unsatisfied with the answer.

“Who are you?” The child asked, seemingly unphased by the tension.

“Not right now Omega.” Hunter’s eyes didn’t leave Rean.

“Hunter,” Echo moved forward and placed a hand on Hunter’s shoulder, “we shouldn’t be discussing this here.”Not with excitable ears. The sentiment was understood by the whole group. They would move to the ship. There, Hunter could get real answers out of Rean.

[welcometomypinkbox]

Spider-Man & Ms Marvel: Love & War

By: Reborn Dark Phoenix

OMG THIS WAS THE BEST FANFIC I HAVE EVER READ! Is so WELL WRITTEN! You won’t be able to find it as it is delete. This is more of people who like Spider-Man comics where he is OLDER And People who might like Peter x Carol which depict here make a great couple.

Also we won’t be able to find this fic as it is deleted 😔 will post more soon!

Chapter 1: Minimal

If there was one thing Carol loved about having super speed, it was that she could race from her house to the edge of the atmosphere in less than five seconds to get to space. And if there was one thing Carol loved about space, it was how blissful and awe-striking it was. Despite having seen the beautiful view every day since she took up this habit three years ago, she was always struck with wonder when she saw the Earth from space.

And her most absolute favorite thing about space? Free-falling.

As she allowed herself to plummet through Earth's atmosphere, she felt the heat of the massive kinetic energy consume her body, as it warmed her and her body absorbed it. She loved this feeling, the heat nipping at her body; it was so tingly and pleasuring. She loved being able to do this every day, just flying up and plummeting back into the earth, and almost hitting the Atlantic Ocean before maneuvering herself to race to Manhattan.

This... this was probably the best thing to happen to her because of becoming Ms. Marvel.

Well, actually, Peter was... this was a close second, though.

As she arrived at the shores of Manhattan, people looked nonchalantly up at her form; superheroes had been around the city for almost 20 years now; showing up worldwide less than 10. This was a common occurrence, and flying deeper into the city, people didn't even give her a second glance, if they took a first glance, even. Carol was grateful for that-she was having a good start to the day, and the last thing she needed right now to ruin it were ogling eyes looking at her. It was one of the reasons she preferred flying high above the buildings and at super speed. Although, she did enjoy the lower, slower flights she had when she and Peter travelled through the city... well, enjoy wasn't a good enough word, really.

Suddenly, something jumped onto her back and her eyes were covered by a pair of hands. Now normally, she'd knock whoever this was into the atmosphere, anticipating an attack and then a battle, but this set of hands was all too familiar to her, and she simply smiled, waiting to hear his voice.

"Excuse me, but is this the ferry to Staten Island?"

She laughed as she flew up to a nearby building and landed. The person jumped off, and Carol turned to see her most favorite person in the whole world smiling at her: the Amazing Spider-Man.

"Enjoying your week off?"

"Eh, I guess," the Webhead replied with a slight shrug. "Yeah, I'm off the team for a while, but all these thugs just won't let me take a break, y'know? All the regulars like Doc and Rhino and such are locked up on the Raft at least."

"There's something," Carol said as she sat on the ledge, Peter joining her. "What've you been up to these last few days?"

"Well, the lab's needed me more than usual, Jameson's having me freelance more and more, and I'm visiting Aunt May tonight. Kind of dull, really, now that I hear all that out loud." Carol let out a small giggle at that. "Oh, c'mon-that's what you laugh at and not my jokes and quips?"

"They've been kind of failing in quality as of recent, babe."

"Yeah, name one time they've-actually, don't respond to that, it'll hurt my already fragile ego, and the bad guys depend on my fragile ego to help me mock them while I beat them up every day."

"The team says hi, by the way-Logan, Cap, Jess, Falcon, Luke & Danny especially."

"They miss me?"

"Nope, they've really enjoyed the quiet; they've asked me to tell you to take more vacations."

"Ba, humbug," Peter said as he rolled his eyes. "Remind me to pull a joke from my bag next time I see them."

"I'll be sure to do that," Carol purred as she brought his face to hers and began slowing and lovingly kissing him, letting herself get lost in the passion until...

"Captain America to all on duty Avengers, report to the Mansion for emergency mandatory meeting."

"Noooo....," Peter sighed as they separated at the sound of Cap's voice on Carol's comm.

"Sorry, Spider, duty calls."

"Fine," he pouted before smiling, giving her a warm hug. "Let me know what it's about & tell 'em I said hi."

"I think that in their book, that'd break the happy silence."

"Aren't you a bag of laughs..."

*Avengers Mansion, 10 minutes later*

Carol touched down on the mansion grounds at the same time her best friend Jessica, or Spider-Woman to SHIELD & the rest of the world, did.

"Carol!" Jess cried as she embraced her best friend. "What's new with you, huh? I haven't seen you in forever!"

"... Jess, we saw each other two nights ago; before you, Tasha, Clint and Bobbi were called in by Fury for that mission in the East. Remember?"

"Yeah, but that seems like forever ago," the British Avenger/SHIELD agent replied with a smirk. "Oh speaking of which, can you keep a secret? Guess what I found out. Bobbi is crushing on Clint."

"Wait what? But Clint's-"

"With Natasha, I know, and that really is upsetting for her. She asked my advice about it on the mission. Oh, don't tell anyone, ok?"

"Such a good friend you are, Jess," Carol smirked as the two made their way down the mansion hallways to the conference room. "But my lips are sealed."

"What's the seal for?" Logan's voice came as he joined them from his mansion quarters, walking with them to the meeting. "Actually- don't wanna know; better if I don't so I don' have to get involved in any way." The two women chuckled as the three of them entered the conference room and took their seats at the massive table.

Captain America, Tony Stark (Iron Man), Thor, Bruce Banner (the Hulk), Yellowjacket, Wasp, King T'Challa (Black Panther), Hawkeye, Black Widow, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, Falcon, She-Hulk,

Hercules, Tigra, Namor the Sub-mariner, Nova, Mockingbird, Wonder Man, Luke Cage, Dr. Strange, Iron Fist, Noh Varr (Protector), General Ross (the Red Hulk), Daredevil and now Ms. Marvel, Spider Woman & the Wolverine. The full roster of the pantheon of Earth's Mightiest Heroes was now assembled. The only one missing was the Amazing Spider-Man.

"Alright, everyone," Stark began. "Thanks for meeting here on such short notice."

"What's this about, Tony?" T'Challa interjected.

"There's been some... complaints as to how the Avengers are operating." At his words, everyone at the table was shocked.

"Who's been complaining?" Bobbi Morse asked. "I haven't heard anything from SHIELD, and Hill would definitely make sure that Clint, Natasha, Jessica & I would've known about this kind of thing-you know how she isn't so fond of us."

"Bobbi's right," Clint Barton added. "Fury may be in favor of superheroes and the like, but Hill still is against the notion of unsupervised superhumans and vigilantes-we'd have heard something." Carol couldn't help but notice that Bobbi slightly went a bit pink at Clint agreeing with her.

"Are governments and nations complaining about how we handle threats, how we operate?" Simon Williams asked.

"It's not so much as governments or the UN or even SHIELD," Steve Rogers spoke up. "More like... one government."

"This is about the motions going on in Congress," General Ross interjected. "I've been hearing the rumbling about this for some time."

"What rumblings?" Cage asked. "And what's going on in Congress?"

"Remember back when we took the Hood's Syndicate back last year in Los Angeles when Moon Knight asked for our help?" asked Stark. The whole team remembered-that had been a more difficult fight, one of many times the team's full roster had had to be called in. "Well, I'm sure you remembered that one lady who was kind of badly hurt during a tussle between Grey Gargoyle and Wonder Man, and she had come to us to pay for her medical expenses. The way she saw it, it was our fault that she ended up injured and that we should've been more careful. Naturally, I felt kind of bad-" at that the entire team rolled their eyes-"oh come on, I can be human too; anyways, the point is Stark Industries paid all her expenses in full, me taking the responsibility."

Vision cocked his head sideways. "I am not sure I fully understand how that relates, Iron Man."

"Well, it was supposed to be kept on the down low, Vision. But a few months ago, word got out... and suddenly, Stark Industries is bombarded with letters from the courts and lawsuits across the country, not just from regular people, but from businesses. It's starting waves of lawsuits against almost everything we do. The government got wind of this, and since then, Congress has been brewing up a storm on superhuman and vigilante activity across the country-how it's slowly becoming reckless and dangerous. They're even talking about mutant problems again."

Logan, Wanda, Namor & Pietro groaned at once. "I'll always be amazed at how it's always America who seems to have the problems with mutants, yet no other country seems to have it as bad," Wanda exclaimed.

"How bad are these lawsuits?" Banner asked.

"Not too bad; in reality, most of them aren't even accurate or founded in truth-and I'd like to thank Jenny and Matt here for their expertise in law for helping me and the company with that. The major problem is the government's response," Stark continued. "They are motioning for the Avengers to take more responsibility for the actions we take

as a team; and it's not just us they're going after-they've got their eyes on various heroes in the States-Moon Knight in LA, Scarlet Spider in Houston, those New Warriors, the FF, Punisher, Black Cat, other independent heroes....they're associating all of them with the Avengers, being we're the face of heroes on this planet."

"How's their stance on the X-Men, Stark?" Logan asked.

"I'm not exactly sure, but they seem to be moving against the various teams you guys have going-X-Force and those New Mutants-"

"Hey; X-Force rarely does anything in America without Slim's or my approval... well, I can't speak for Deadpool, but you know what I mean. The New Mutants are just kids we're raising and training up to be the next generation of heroes. We've made sure up to now-"

"That's what they're worried about," Ross interjected. "Up to now; from what I've heard, they're questioning the Avengers having mutants on the team, especially Namor and Wanda, being how powerful they are."

"They dare question my motives? They should tread carefully," the Atlantean monarch mumbled.

"Not just you Namor-they're worried about the number of mutants taking residence up in San Francisco since the mayor opened it up as a safe haven; they're worried the X-Men may lead them in some revolution."

"Look, that's just one of the problems," Steve continued. "Congress is looking at all our past incidents here in the nation-Hulk's mind control under MODOK and his resulting rampage in Vegas, our LA Syndicate grudge match, our last battle with Magneto's Brotherhood; and they're also looking at other incidents... like Spider Island, the FF's near accidental destruction of Manhattan, the time the New Warriors almost blew up Stanford in their fight against Nitro..."

"There seeking to control us, aren't they?" Dr. Strange asked.

"I think so."

"They can't do that!" She-Hulk said. "The Avengers are an internationally supported team, and we have authority granted by the UN; we're backed by SHIELD & SWORD! Hell, the mansion grounds are considered international territory. Alpha Flight & Excalibur aren't bothered with this kind of thing. They think they can try to control us?!"

"In essence, they can try-the majority of us here are still US citizens. The only ones they can't touch are Thor, Hercules, Namor and Panther; maybe our resident SHIELD agents can get away, since... well, they work for SHIELD."

"So is that an alternative?" Carol asked. "We have to work for SHIELD to avoid all this?"

"No." Cap's voice was firm and commanding. "The Avengers work for no one. We go anywhere in the world where we're needed, even if it's Latveria. The government has no right to try and control us, because what we do is give back to the world best we can with what the world's given us." This seemed to calm the team down a bit.

"I just want to ask everyone that they be a bit more careful out there, avoid as much collateral damage as possible and whatnot, and just be overall the best you can be," Stark said. "It's getting annoying to deal with all these lawsuits. Carol, I'm sure I can count on you to relate this to Peter, right?"

"Yeah of course; although," Carol said, a smile creeping onto her face, "knowing him, he's probably already messing it up somewhere." At that, everyone laughed.

*Somewhere in the Lower East Side, NYC*

"I'm sorry... what?"

"You heard me-I want reimbursement! Someone's gotta pay for what happened to my restaurant!"

"Dude, why are you asking me? I just beat the bad guys up! Don't you have insurance for this kind of thing? I mean, it happens, like, every day out here."

Spider-Man was having a bit of a problem-swinging to Midtown, he happened across a robbery in progress, and being the responsible hero he was, came in and taught the thugs a few manners. Of course, they tried to fight back, shooting and stuff, but Peter was just too damn quick for them, and in only few minutes and jokes later, the thugs were taken down. Police were now taking them away, and he was just about to be on his way... when the restaurant owner demanded he pay him back for all the damages.

"You should be telling those guys to pay you back!" Spider-Man said as he pointed to thugs being pushed into the armored vehicle headed for Ryker's. "They DID try to rob your store!"

"Yeah, but they weren't shooting or anything! They were just taking money and they'd have left-then you show up and ruin everything, they shoot the place up and trash my restaurant! I should sue you!"

"Right... ok. Listen, I got to go now, so you keep suing passing heroes that save your life and I'll just go back on my way." With that, Peter swung off, with the restaurant owner yelling after him, "THE BUGLE WAS RIGHT ABOUT YOU, WEB FREAK!"

'Sue me? What's there to sue me for?,' Peter mused to himself as he arrived at Midtown and ducked in an alley to change to civilian clothes. 'I barely have any money to my name; I'm doing overtime at Horizon and freelancing as much as possible for Jolly Jonah to get enough money for this.' Exiting the alley and mingling with the populous, he checked his jacket pocket. 'Ok, envelope & cash are still here. Ok, Parker, time to go hunting.' With that, Peter began his third day of searching through Manhattan's best jewelry stores.

*Avengers Mansion, an hour later*

Carol and Jess sat in the lounge, watching a rerun marathon of one of the most popular shows in the country, based off one of the world's most popular comics.

"I loved T-Dog," Jess frowned. "He was awesome, and that was just a bad way to kill him off. I swear, those stupid prisoners... but I still love The Walking Dead."

"Can you imagine if a zombie apocalypse actually broke out in real life? The chaos that'd be caused; what if some of our own were infected?"

"Oh come on, Carol, like THAT'D ever happen; Wolverine heals from everything, we have two gods on the team... must I go on?" The two laughed, realizing that if a zombie apocalypse did ever happen, it wouldn't stand a chance against the superheroes of Earth. "So, how's my male counterpart?"

"He's alright, doing his thing, being bored out there, being all mine," Carol answered with one of her rare luminous smiles; Peter's name always brought a smile and happy memories to her mind. "He's visiting his... aunt tonight."

Jessica was quick to notice the faltering in Carol's voice. "Carol, don't tell me the woman still makes you nervous?"

"She's so sweet and loving, don't get me wrong, and we get along just fine-but that warning she gave me the first night I met her... I've never been so scared in my life. Seriously, if it was you, you'd feel the same way."

"I doubt it; I'd just manipulate her into liking me instantly."

"Of course you would," Carol replied with a smirk. "You always want to take the easy way."

"I'll have you know, Ms. Danvers, that I am very-"

"Ho Spider Woman, Ms. Marvel." Both women turned to see Thor standing at the doorway, his hammer in hand and a fierce grin on his face. "There is trouble brewing upon the streets, and the locals have asked for our assistance. What say you, maidens, are you ready for a battle?"

"Oh yeah, Thor," Carol replied, her eyes glowing. "I'm ready for some action."

*Avengers Conference Hall*

Steve and Tony had remained behind in the conference hall, looking at the various documents, forms and digital files of every lawsuit, complaint and government ordinance that Congress had sent them about their activity in the country.

"Tony, I know what I said to give the team a bit of support," Steve remarked. "But to be honest, I have a bad feeling about where this is headed."

"Honestly, Steve," Stark replied somberly. "I kind of feel the same way."