#it's really something to write a chapter i know is pretty much tailored to what a reader specifically wants

[gnashingwailing]

@fireflywritesgt LOVINGLY WRITING MY UNHINGED CH23 THOUGHTS AND THEN BURYING THEM UNDER A READMORE. I felt such overwhelming hype when I saw we got 2 chapters in 1 day I truly was ready to throw my phone out the fucking window. TOO MUCH JOY FOR ONE LITTLE GNASH... I hadn't even finished processing ch21......

first off pov Joe when he goes to Calloway's to pick up his cute new tailored fit in 3 days

soooo right from the jump. hey.

"“…’cause he’s way better off than I am, it’ll make it harder for me to leave him or something. That he’s luring me in. I mean—” Joe laughed nervously as he steeled himself in preparation for how the captain would react to his next statement “—if it were a giant treating me the way he treats me, everyone would call me a pet.”

“Well of course they would, Joe. That’s because giants are evil.” The captain said matter-of-factly.

He may as well have poked Joe squarely in the eye. Nonetheless, the bartender continued."

hey. UM. Joe you beautiful idiot who canonically has bad luck and, presumably from reading this very chapter, a terrible poker face. Maybe you should have said. Any Other Thing? GODDD in my heart he's definitely sooo overconfident and drunk like wow I am so smooth :) nobody suspects a thing :) while Calloway is having a conversation with him like uh... just saying, but you know, none of us could stop you from. for example. idk. becoming a giant's pet. we wouldn't like that but it's just a random thing that came to mind just now, unrelated to the really tall really wealthy really powerful guy who is afraid of taking advantage of you by luring you in and giving you things like a giant would and maybe isn't treating you like a person. And you're afraid you shouldn't want it. Like BRO IT IS SO OVER FOR YOU even without Harry literally calling Joe's name 3+ times in the dead silence 😭😭😭😭 And presumably Harry having been waiting around there for a while to see Joe! Loitering in a way we know tinies are on guard about since they all noticed that snatcher back in Ch13!

They're idiots ur honor, so true, but it's all worth it to see Joe get rescued and swoon like a damsel ... I definitely wonder if Calloway observed any of that, and what he might think about it if so. >:) May or may not have been daydreaming and writing bits about how horrifying it would be to give your surrogate kid all this well-meaning advice, see him nearly slip to his death, and while you're hurrying down to try and help him, watching him call out to a walking nightmare for help and then get whisked away by it

I have a pet theory that everything we've seen from Calloway so far has been pretty heavily colored by it being from Joe's perspective when he's having a bad day, and maybe he will be more understanding than we think? Objectively, I didn't think he was being very rude or anything back in Ch 13, when he was speculating on Joe's love life. It rankled Joe, which is understandable, but he 1) he's happy that Joe looks good, 2) he doesn't let Gutters or O'Grady rag on Joe too hard and 3) he just generally seems like an interested father figure would about his kid's love life:

"“Oh, lay off him, Tim. It’s a good borrowing year!” Captain Calloway cut in. “We all have ‘em, we all enjoy ‘em, we all cry ourselves to sleep when they’re over.”

Relief washed over Joe like the warm water in Harry’s sink.

“Though I gotta say…” The captain gave a wry smile as he continued. “…it could just as easily be someone else’s good borrowing year if ya’ catch my drift. Could be he’s got a little sweetheart looking after him. A brick of pure chocolate? That’s practically a dowry."”

Although I may be wrong here, since Ch 21's incident at Tiny Town with the Italian mob that saved him gives us the insight that "[for] the first time in Joe’s entire existence at that, Joe understood what it was like to have a real father." So maybe Calloway is not that nurturing to Joe and not much of a caring dad -- as @remordsposthume's tags so wisely point out:

WTF WAS HE DOING LETTING HIM LEAVE THE BAR LMAO. Calloway's Den of Drunkards confirmed for an "everybody drive home drunk. it's not my problem" bar??? Everyone is processing TAoLaW thru their own cultural lens and. in that spirit. lmfao. I must say. Calloway reminds me of the libertarian redneck dads I've known who just let their kids do whatever. If he was a giant I think he'd let his kids ride ATVs thru the woods drunk. Most probably he would also be ridin around drunk with them. "If you die it's your own damn fault" being his motto is too on the nose LOL. Huge farm dad "I LOVE MY SONS. ONLY HALF OF THEM WILL SURVIVE TO ADULTHOOD BUT I DO LOVE THEM" energy. To Me.

(Btw Harry & Joe processing their parental issues together WHEN <3)

BUT ANYWAY YEAH EVEN IF CALLOWAY WAS THE MOST UNOBSERVANT GUY IN THE WORLD RE: THAT SUSPICIOUS CONVERSATION? YOU WERE LITERALLY BOTH SCREAMING EACH OTHERS' NAMES LIKE LOVESICK ROMANCE PROTAGONISTS RIGHT UNDER THE DREDGE THAT'S STILL PROBABLY GOT AT LEAST SOME NIGHT MARKET CUSTOMERS? HELLO?? @94444 we are on the same wavelength rn

AND MORE ABOUT CALLOWAY... I am very heartened by how you mentioned once, Warren, that you planned to give each character real depth and treat them with sincerity. I feel very interested about when that time will be for Calloway! We know that he takes in kids (or at least O'Grady and Joe scratch that. tag lore be upon me) and teaches them how to sell trinkets. We know that he hates giants. We know he's been horribly injured in a way that led to him losing a hand, an eye, and possibly teeth. Knowing what we do about the risks of being a borrower, and how casually cruel giants are to them, it's not unlikely those last 2 things are related. I'M TAKING YOUR TAGS AND RUNNING AWAY WITH THEM LIKE A DOG W SOMETHING IN ITS MOUTH.

So Calloway knew them for several years as vulnerable kids... then lost them for a year or so... then got them back after they escaped the watchmaker's? I will be interested to see if that trauma means he's more protective of them, or uh, still more drunk libertarian dad about them. Lmao. He seemed like he cared about Joe getting into Tiny Town way back in Ch3 tho at least! (as an aside... interested in who Gutters is, too. He SEEMS to be older than Joe/Tim, but he could also still be a Calloway Kid himself... he seems to defer to Calloway... and/or he could just be some guy embittered about giant/tiny relations. which. fair, brother.)

If the broader Tiny Town culture (such as it is... would word get around about this incident with Joe and Harry, or does news just not travel that well amongst lots of secluded borrower communities? much to consider. it makes sense in a dark way why you would physically mark somebody who's transgressed against society's cardinal rule, in a culture where you cannot generally spread information effectively) would reject Joe for his proclivities... will Calloway, too? Or is it Joe's anxiety making him think that? I'm afraid we already know how Tim would feel. Other than him, Calloway is the person who Joe seems most connected to in miniature society... Although Harry's worry about Joe not spending enough time around his fellow miniatures in Ch22 is at least partially motivated by his own guilt-trip, I think he has a bit of a point! I hope Joe doesn't lose touch with everyone -- or if he does, I hope there will be new friends out there for him, too, who are more understanding.

(LORRAINE WHEN)

Now Calloway aside, OBVIOUSLY THE ENDING OF THIS CHAPTER HAD ME HOOTIN AND HOLLERIN.

“Joe… can we go back to the big, sexy giant part for a second?” <- LIT'RALLY me rereading this chapter 800 times

A snapping turtle is a fantastic little horror for poor Joe to face, woof. Those fuckers are scary enough when ur height is measured in feet. The quick way they snap is no joke. Just want to 👏👏👏👏 about how good this passage is: The turtle’s maw emerged from the waters of the lake like the gaping mouth of some ancient monster that fed on the souls of sailors. The grimy lakewater rushed over its beady little eyes as its beak, sharp as a dagger, flew towards Joe faster than a gunshot. YEAH.

It just!! makes my little heart sooooo happy to see that Joe does have someone who will unconditionally look out for him...!!! Harry has his issues, and they're still learning how to open up about themselves, but he consistently shows up!! :') the thought of him waiting for his man all night ... hoping the dredge would be the place Joe meant ... and then acting sooo fast when he saw a tiny guy fall off of it... what a faithful hound of a [future] boyfriend. Calloway is so right. Joe deserves somebody to look after him. And Joe has done the (forgive me for the loaded meme) girl math on this. One big man is the best possible outcome for him. ONLY THE BIGGEST MAN WILL DO to keep him off of his bullshit as much as possible 👍👍

And OF COURSE god their conversation is just so so so fucking funny. "Thank you" "fuck no I'm not" -> "FUCK YOU" is INCREDIBLE i CANNOT STOP THINKING ABOUT IT lmaooooo and Harry still being so gentle about receiving this insult and trying to parse what Joe means ... he does listen to Joe, they're definitely not back to square one as drunk!Joe feared, his own issues are just getting in the way! (And Joe's are getting in the way of him seeing thru Harry's facade into what the real issue is! We love to see it!)

"“I meant that. You don’t get to call me handsome until you start listening to me.” He slurred. “You gotta—you gotta want it.”

Joe crossed his arms and scowled up at the beautiful man and his beautiful face as Harry tried to parse what Joe was saying.

“Want it…?” Harry echoed.

“Yeah. You gotta want to be my friend. And screw what anyone else thinks!”"

And did anyone else cackle at how Joe telephone-gamed Calloway's advice to still be in plausible-deniability-land. "You gotta want to be my friend" ok. not what he fuckin said. run that back real quick -> "Not if you’re being open about what you want and everything. That’s how love works, Joe. You gotta want it."

I just adored the moments of insight between them, too. "... Joe knew his real answer was yes – he was just too afraid to say it overtly. He argued and fought and begrudgingly accepted it instead. / What was that saying to Harry?" vs. Ch22 Harry's revelation: "How much of his relationship with Joe was genuine, he wondered, and how much of it was Joe going along with Harry’s suggestions in the name of diplomacy?"

Joe IS acting like somebody who's being coerced! Harry IS being a trustworthy guy by noticing it and checking in once their relationship is definitely turning intimate! It's so fascinating to think in hindsight that every time Joe turned red and embarrassed, Harry was having a thought at the back of his mind like "he doesn't want this. I'm scaring him. He doesn't want me, and he doesn't even know the real me yet. And worse, he can't tell me, because he's afraid of what I might do to him." But he can't SAY all that because it would hurt too much if he said it and Joe confirmed he was actually correct, so Ch22 comes out as a trainwreck where he's accidentally insulting Joe's ability to survive without him. (Side note I KNEW Harry wasn't REALLY considering Joe his landlord. Sad!!! That fucked up scrawny starving guy has squatter's rights and he was doing pretty good all things considered maybe !!!)

The respective issues ~Society~ has given both of them just make it impossible to talk about the root of their problems without baring your guts in a really terrifying way. OOF.

HOWEVER this chapter confirming that homophobia isn't such a problem in tiny society is going to make this eventual conversation betwen them real interesting... Harry like "You don't understand Joe :( there's something really wrong with me... ... I like ... men..." and Joe being like "omg :) :) :) :) :) wait what's wrong with you tho" and then Joe "No you don't understand Harry :( I know this is sick but... I like.. giants... I'm sure you could never see someone smaller than you as anything other than a pet ..." and Harry just ":) :) :) :) oh what no :) Georgie was shorter than me" I hope they can have a good, baffled laugh at how long they could've been snuggling guilt-free. At the end of the angst. <3

[viridiave]

Spoiler-heavy thoughts about Crick and how the Game Mechanics treat Temenos’s story

So. yeah if you press ‘Keep Reading’ I should probably let you guys know that these thoughts are just a tiny bit unhinged. And again - spoiler alert! You’ve been warned!!

GAME MECHANICS AND UI

- Gonna preface THIS section by asserting that yes, not EVERY mechanic needs to be taken apart under a microscope and re-contextualized into the greater lore of the game. Not EVERYTHING has to mean something to everybody. Some of my classes in game design disagree though and honestly for the genre that Octopath Traveler is, that being a story-heavy role-playing game where the narrative is half the game, I'd say that integrating lore into the mechanics and vice-versa wouldn't hurt - in fact it ENHANCES the experience. The second game does this pretty handily through the EX Skills (the first of the skills being Divine Blessings, and the second being earned at the end of the story.) and the Latent Powers.

Okay the Latent Powers? Honestly that part's mostly for Hikari. Shadow's Hold/Light's Radiance is STILL one of the best examples of Gameplay and Story Integration that this game has

No I swear I don't have a bias for 'other selves'/'deep parts of yourself made manifest' what are you talking about -

I swear I can write an entire separate post JUST about the EX Skills. Mostly for Osvald, Castti, and mOTHERFUCKING TEMENOS AGAIN

aND THIS IS WHY I GO FUCKING BONKERS WHEN I THINK ABOUT THE DEMO VERSION OF THE GAME LIKE WHAT THE FU-

- Literally the fucking emblem for Temenos's story is a staff and a sword over the Sacred Flame like - they REALLY want you to know how important Crick is to this tale

- tHE FACT THAT CRICK IS THE ONE WHO HAS COVER. NOT EVEN HIKARI OR THE WARRIOR CLASS. IT'S CRICK - DOES THIS COUNT AS FORESHADOWING???

I'll like - write here what I should have written in the bath - and that's me being like 'oh it's because he's recklessly protective. OH SHIT IT'S BECAUSE HE'S RECKLESSLY PROTECTIVE'

I fully acknowledge that it doesn't have to be that deep. MAYBE I'm pulling stuff out of my ass. But allow me to go bonkers over Crick and his for-some-reason-worryingly-appropriate moveset

Man I wonder how bonkers I'd go over Malaya if she was allowed to throw hands. I want her to complement Castti's moveset so bad

- Also the fact that both of their kits complement each other. Crick's bulkier build was made specifically with supporting Temenos in mind.

My guy's Sacred Sword reduces the enemy's elemental defense. Wonder if that implies that the Sanctum Knights normally work with magic and/or magicians

aGAIN HE HAS FUCKING COVER which is PERFECT because early-game Temenos can and will faint if a monster blinks at him too hard

Then there's his OTHER skill Godsblade's Shield which RAISES his physical defense to SO HE CAN COVER FOR TEMENOS BETTER LIKE. AT SOME POINT I SHOULD JUST ASK WHY THEY TRIED SO HARD FOR HIM SPECIFICALLY

And I mean. It makes SENSE but I don't think any of the other helper characters really had this level of chemistry in their mechanics as these two do

Emerald and Gus both have healing moves for better survivability considering how squishy Osvald and Agnea are

And it makes sense, Temenos already has access to a healing move because he's a cleric

The thing that separates Crick from them is that neither Emerald nor Gus really have moves to further support their leads on the level that Crick does. Emerald is fast and he breaks well and Gus is clearly meant to be the DPS of Agnea's Chapter 1, but again - Crick has moves tailor-made for Temenos to go off and do his thing

You lose Pirro and Scaracci/ Rai Mei and Ritsu after the intro and none of them really complement the Throné and Hikari and vice versa as much as Crick and Temenos do with each other

The difference with them too is that they have established relationships with their lead characters prior to the story, sometimes even encountered as antagonistic forces

Pirro, Rai Mei, and Ritsu are all bosses that were once considered close comrades of Throné and Hikari

Scaracci displays mutinous traits throughout Throne's Chapter 1

Emerald subverts this by acting mutinous - which, his conflict with Osvald amounted more to a sacrifice of goodwill

He knows Osvald and how he acts even prior to the beginning of Chapter 1, so he's in this category of having an established relationship

Gus averts this completely by just being a genuinely supportive part of Agnea's life

Mechanically, you never have anything to do with these characters again past Chapter 1 - save for Rai Mei and Ritsu being bosses. Hikari's companions also play an integral narrative role in his final chapter, with Ritsu being encountered as a boss again for the final time

Crick is a subversion of all of them in that he doesn't have any direct relationship with Temenos prior to Chapter 1, and though we never use him as a helper character ever again he consistently shows up as an integral part of Temenos's story up until his death in Chapter 3: Stormhail

Weirdly Crick is also the only one out of all of them where the use of Path Actions is required more than once - Osvald has to Scrutinize Emerald at one point

AND GODDAMNIT OF COURSE THE FIRST AND LAST TANGIBLE INTERACTION WE HAVE WITH CRICK IS TO FUCKING GUIDE HIM I'M SO MAD ABOUT THIS BOOKEND IT'S SO MEAN AKSJKAS

And this in itself makes complete sense given that he has larger roles to play outside of Chapter 1 - just not in the same vein as Ritsu or Rai Mei, but the fact is that Temenos's story is VERY good at establishing and building up chemistry between its characters

bUT FOR MECHANICS WE NEVER HAVE TO USE AGAIN AFTER CHAPTER 1?? THEY WENT SO HARD AND I WANT TO KNOW WHY

- It's not as big of a deal as it looks but I also find it funny just how much fun the devs seemed to have with Crick's introduction and entry into the party - using the Path Action to fucking TROLL with him.

- ON THAT NOTE, LET ME FREAK OUT OVER GUIDE AS A PATH ACTION A LITTLE MORE

I saw a post on Reddit earlier about the 'summoning townspeople' Path Actions and it kind of shook my world a little, so I'll just put my response to it here

For a guy who makes it a point to tell people not to follow anything blindly it's INCREDIBLY hilarious to me that Temenos's Path Action is getting people to follow him blindly.

MECHANICALLY, it's because he's the designated cleric. Temenos has Guide, because Ophilia has Guide. But thematically it's interesting to think about just how antithetical it is to his central creed of doubting, and how this specifically applies to Crick.

I did go back and check and yeah - Crick's one of three individual people I was able to find over the course of the stories that has a required Path Action used on them more than once.

Malaya is one other example with Inquire, and she even one-ups him with one use of Soothe. And I'll get to HER when I get to Castti's essay - I mean infodump - because it's like. Somehow even MORE heartbreaking than this instance of Guide

While I'm here I'll also mention Roque, who also has two instances of a Path Action used on him, namely Purchase and Hire in Partitio's Chapter 5

But back to the dramatic aspect of it it's like. I really want to shake the devs because it's so mean of them to have Temenos's relationship with him begin by guiding him towards not only the cathedral but to a healthier way of thinking, and to end with Crick's fucking GHOST leading Temenos to the crucial truth that he's lost so many people to find, including Crick himself

- I won't scrutinize everything about the cleric class itself but I WILL talk about the EX Skills, because to me it's ironic just how mean they are. I'm glad that the irony isn't lost on the fanfic writers like I see you guys use these as fanfic titles - bless you all

First - Prayer for Plenty, the sequel's answer to how absolutely fucking broken Saving Grace was as a passive in the first game. Limiting it to JUST Temenos's natural moveset feels like it should be sending a message honestly - it's a way to prolong the lives of his comrades and he couldn't do that for the ones he held dear in his own story. Can't help but feel like the fact that this is the one he gets from AELFRIC'S SHRINE rubs salt in the wound - no pun intended -

Secondly is Heavenly Shine and it's like. It's a holy nuke filled with divine power that drains Temenos's magic reserves completely. He invokes Aelfric's name when he uses it to and to this day I think the reason it feels cathartic to use is because it feels like a manifestation of Temenos's wrath

Unlike Osvald's own magic kamehamehadouken nuke where he learned it out of a need to protect Elena, Temenos learns this AFTER his story - and maybe it's just my concern speaking but man I really want this to represent his sheer need to go absolutely fucking apeshit like my man is NOT in a good place after his story is done

- This is the part where I go into the tinier, 'definitely stretching this past the realm of MATTERING' details that actually have something to do with the game mechanics

Some of Temenos's class lines are reminiscent of Crick's own. We've drawn the comparison with Temenos's Sweeping Cleave line already and it's adorable

Temenos Sweeping Cleave [insert handshake emoji] Crick Sacred Slash: I'll cleave you in twain!

Reaching even further here. His lines for Lux Congerere and Sacred Effulgence also somewhat invoke Crick's declaration of 'cleaving the shadows from this world', but it's not exact and I'm just indulging

Lux Congerere: Banish the shadows from this world!

Sacred Effulgence: Aelfric, banish the shadows from this world!

I'd also be extremely remiss to NOT mention the recruitment of Ort in postgame and it physically hurts me to summon him because of the way he says 'I will avenge you, Crick!' like DUDE. Oh well at least he's grieving healthily

Sacred Slash brothers let's gooo

There's like. No way that I'll be able to fit all of this in my other thoughts about Crick that are dedicated mostly to his and Temenos's arcs so. It's like not even in a ship sense anymore even if I do think they're fruity as hell

Honestly I'm just glad to get this all out of my system EXCEPT THERE'S MORE, because Temenos's story loves to torture my brain and its themes resonate with me a bit TOO much

[munasnook]

Upcoming Projects:

There’s so many stories I’ve been wanting to write and projects I want to work on but I have a huge creative block that’s been stopping me for almost 5 years now. I need to stop thinking about only the end result and stop being such a perfectionist, but it’s so hard. I’m making a list to motivate me, and give any tips, advice, or suggestions for creative block if you feel inclined! Thanks so much!

These aren’t ranked in any particular order, but I’m only adding projects that I’m less intimated by onto this list so I can actually start working on them, have a finished product, and not be miserable if it doesn’t turn out the exact way I imagined it.

Fun, Dark Magic D&D Campaign:

Building a stronger D&D 5E campaign for my players. This is my first time playing as well as being a DM, and this is all of their first times playing too. The campaign started in a city full of dark magic, and the characters are currently being pursued by dark wizards for a special item and following one of the characters. I’m working on my improvisation and I’m pretty awkward when it comes to RP/voicing characters, and I want to keep this in mind as I build but also improve on it. (Just don’t want to stall the players or take us out of the game because I can’t think fast/clearly enough!)

What I want to accomplish:

- Making a name for the campaign, first of all. It’s just been going by the group chat name…

- Having a driving goal for the party, as well as a stronger sense of the world they’re in and why.

- Writing sessions more loosely with more options for players, and also finding ways to create concrete events without forcing players into too much exposition/lack of choice

- Tailoring the campaign to the rest of the party’s skills

- Creating more areas and events for the party to explore without being overbearing/overwhelming

- Finding a balance of everything above to make a loose outline of a campaign so I don’t get so lost as a first time DM

Cthulu Session:

I just started reading some Lovecraft for the first time (overdue!) and it was pretty inspiring to me, as I’ve been trying to come up with some ideas for a fun Halloween type campaign for my players.

What I want to accomplish:

- A session that’s memorable and feels very Halloween like.

- A chance to improve on my descriptions of the environment to my players, as well as the effect they have on the environment.

- Give the players a chance to jump more into character and feel like they can RP more comfortably.

- Fun, creepy vibes session that still ties into the story.

Fantasy Novel:

There’s been this idea (only a mood, so far) of a fantasy story I’d like to write. I still don’t know anything about the characters, but I’m starting to notice things about the environment. I’m hoping that by building the environment first (which I’ve never done before) will give me a new challenge, perspective, and process to writing a story. I’m hoping eventually characters will come along the way, and if it doesn’t work out, I’m happy to turn it into a video game or somehow tie it into my D&D campaign.

What I want to accomplish:

- Have a full script of something I’m proud of.

- Learn how to create a strong environment, work on showing/not telling, and successfully immerse the reader in a new land though writing.

- Start and finish a writing project all the way through, even if I don’t feel my soul in it like I do with my bigger projects. (Something to get me going!)

Romance Webcomic

It’s been a small dream of mine lately to make a cute WLW webcomic to get myself used to scripting, drawing, and sharing my content. It’s very different from anything else I’d be writing, but it would really challenge me to rely on dialogue (which I’m horrible at writing) and learn how to do pacing before I start on my longer, more complicated comics.

What I want to accomplish:

- Create something (start to finish) that warms me up on how to write dialogue.

- Learn how to pace comics and chapters.

- Post my work online.

- Draw/translate written script into image, and get faster at drawing comics instead of obsessing over smaller details.

- Learn how to write, draw, and publish with a schedule.

- Build up something to get me going, something I can be proud of, even if it isn’t my ultimate ambition.

- Find the fun in writing and drawing again!

Well, hopefully I have more pressure to start working on this stuff now. I’ll be posting some of it just so I remember I’m staying true to my word, it’s so easy for me to look over and choose to do something else, but if I make tumblr a space to write and learn/encourage other writers, I’ll feel much more excited to write than when I’m sitting at home alone with BG3 and Elden Ring calling my name…

Hoping to make this page a journal and documentation of some kind as I reignite my creating journey. It’s been almost 5 years of avoiding creating work, and it’s starting to really ache. Better to start now than later!

[thelaithlyworm]

Writer ask!

What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work? (In other words, what do you think is the best introduction to your fics?

Are there any tropes you used to dislike but have grown on you?

Gonna mash up 18-21 and say: if you wrote another fic in the "all creatures fierce and bright" collective, what would it involve?

Promote one of your own “deep cut” fics (an underrated one, or one that never got as much traction as you think it deserves!). What do you like about it?

Hmm.

What fic of yours would you recommend to someone who had never read any of your work

Well, if I knew something about their tastes I'd tailor the recommendation, but sight unseen I might try:

Short, dunt need to know canon, a bit funny, a bit sweet, some pretty wordplay and descriptions and a few real feelings under the fluff.

For Podfic I'd probably go for

which is short, funny, and has a widely recogniseable canon. (With the caveat that I recorded it a while back and my voice is a touch better now.)

Are there any tropes you used to dislike but have grown on you?

I don't know about "dislike" exactly, but hanahaki has gone from, 'I don't know why people would want to write that' to 'I really should try that sometime.' Something about the complete over-the-top grandiosity of the premise, I think.

if you wrote another fic in the "all creatures fierce and bright" collective, what would it involve?

Probably something early in the timeline, where Xiuxiu doesn't particularly like Hei Xiazi (the common cavalryman who was suddenly taking up so much of her cousin's time and likely the reason he was cursed, was he cursed in all the twenty years she's known him? He was not) but like hell she's going to let Xie Yuchen whistle in the wind so they're going to make this exile and escapade work. And Hei Xiazi doesn't know what to make of this tiny slip of a thing (whose grandmother cursed him, what the hell?) who is now following him around and if she gets hurt Xie Yuchen will eat his eyeballs but he needs someone around for the few times Xiao Hua is lucid so by god and all the devils they're going to make this work. I like V-shaped relationships where the two outer points have to make their own bond, I think.

Promote one of your own “deep cut” fics (an underrated one, or one that never got as much traction as you think it deserves!). What do you like about it?

So "Of Things Left Out" did absolutely terrible numbers by The Hobbit standards but I'm still overpoweringly fond of it. In which Thorin reads Bilbo's journal and realises the little guy has been absolutely roasting him for pomposity the whole way and... gently twits him back by improvising a completely over-the-top praise song for the occasion of Bilbo's birthday.

I liked it for the meta-ness of it. If "The Hobbit" is an in-universe text which the subjects know is being written as they go, how do they feel about it? Do they care for about the silliness Bilbo puts in, how do they want to be described? And, light as much of the fic is... in that frame of Bilbo-the-Chronicler, how fucking raw does it get when the business with the Arkenstone happens. Would Thorin want to be recorded that way? (In my version, he has an answer to that.)

And, I'm always very soft for gentle hurt-comfort fics. And a chance to compose Tolkein-style poetry, hee!

Thank you for asking!

[vivinavina]

Sage of Swords Chapter 2: Scars of War/Don’t Be Afraid/Prayers Repeated

Author rambling on the second chapter of my TotK AU fic, Sage of Swords. You can read the chapter here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/48501826/chapters/123298054#workskin

So, chapter 2 thoughts. First off, oof, poor Link. A comment said it best when they said Link was doing Bad. Y’all, Link is doing bad, and will be getting worse because her entire world just fell apart. Like, when Zelda got poofed away in the main game, she was totally unharmed, suddenly super safe, and surrounded by a world literally tailor-made for her. Zelda fits in the Ancient Hyrule way more than she does in the modern day. And she can inherently feel that all the things she loves—her friends, the people, etc—are safe because Link is there to protect them.

But Link was literally molded by the modern Hyrule. All Link’s skills are geared towards surviving modern Hyrule, her ability to socialize tied to that open, trusting Hyrule where everyone is banding together happily to survive and thrive. And it was surrounded with things that feel comfortable to Link. She traveled all over Hyrule before BOTW, so things are familiar, if only in that nostalgic way she can’t quite place.

Here in the Ancient Hyrule, she is alone, surrounded by strange people and locations, and she doesn’t have any reassurances that anything else will survive something that nearly killed her. Because keeping the things she loves safe is her responsibility! So she’s dealing with the fallout of all that mess, unaware that the people who could help her are right there!

Sonia and Rauru’s chapters felt a bit rough, but they were really necessary and I had to keep extending them because there were things I needed to include, but Link was not in a mental state to narrate on them. Things like the look of Link’s arm brace and Secret Stone. I do like the portrayal of Sonia with traits more traditionally shared with Link, the impulsivity and fearlessness to run towards trouble, while Rauru is the more measured, thoughtful of the two. They’re definitely not supposed to be perfect analogues, and the characterization will be worked on through the future chapters. But, I hope I illustrated Sonia’s a bit with being the first to run to Link’s aid, and being the one to try and help Link even as she actively gets a sword pointed at her. I probably should have increased the amount of dialogue between them, but it also didn’t feel right to break up what they were doing to speak… eh, I’ll make a note that those sections will be the first on the list if I’m looking to rewrite.

Link’s Secret Stone is fun. I won’t elaborate too much on the mechanics of it besides that it makes sure the Gloom doesn’t kill her. A lot of people write Link’s Stone power to be similar to Zelda’s, or manifestations of the Champion abilities, but I decided to augment her resilience. If surviving near death who knows how many times, her determination and ability to survive are one of Link’s most important traits.

Fun fact, looking up the kanji I wanted to use for Link’s Stone, I found that both the words for healing and courage can both be pronounced yu. This is probably wrong, but I’m going with it. As for which one specifically is on the Stone, I leave it up to interpretation.

The distress signal idea spawned pretty early, just as something Link would do while distressed. But I sort of elaborated the idea, with the Sheikah Slate in BOTW being able to pick up the signal happening nearby it and pinging it off all the other Sheikah Tech or important magic items (Master Sword, Secret Stones, etc) like signal towers. And then that morphed into the idea of Link sending out the signal and it bouncing off of… nothing. Right now Link thinks she’s in a land far away from Hyrule, far enough that it can’t pick up Sheikah Tech to get the distress signal far enough to reach her friends. And… she’s technically right…?

[redhairedgirl95]

Heyyy 💞 been re-reading em2 and i just wanted to know if you could write more headcanons about stella and her relashionship with her parents ( like her spending time with them , cute family bonding stuff , arguing, her fear and insecurities regarding them and like how she doesn't want to dissapoint them ) if you have inspiration of course ,no pressure. I have to say that you represented stella's complex relationship with her parents better than the writers did in the show . Exited to read the new chapter of all that glitters is not gold 💓

I am crying for your kindness <3

I'm so glad you like the fic so much that you are RE-READING it! It's crazy! I love you so much, anon! <3 <3 <3

Here's some headcanons of stuff Stella does/did with her parents.

I hope you like them <3

Dancing

It’s pretty obvious that Stella is clumsy. Really clumsy. So, when it becomes apparent that it’s not something she is going to overcome alone, at around five years of age, her mom contacts a dance instructor from Callisto to give her lessons twice a week. Stella doesn’t like it. Callistian music is enchanting, but a little too slow for her Solarian heart. She does all she can to get out of those lessons – she fakes temperatures (which is tricky, because Solarians’ body temperature is already a little higher than normal, due to their connection with the Sun and the heat in general), headaches, injuries of every sort … it's only when, sneaking into the ballroom during a party, when she was supposed to be already asleep, she sees her mom and dad dancing together, and smiling, that she decides to give dancing lessons a chance.

In the end, when she really starts trying, it doesn’t seem so bad. She learns to be more graceful, but unfortunately that applies only when she is dancing. And though Callistian music and dances are good, she prefers the Solarian ones. Especially the Dance of Happiness, her father had thought her that himself!

As she grows older, she has the honor of dancing both during Summer and Winter Solstice, joining the sun and moon dancers, respectively.

Sewing

Stella’s passion for fashion starts at an early age. Her first experiences with sewing regard altering her dolls’ clothes. When Luna enters her bedroom and finds little Stella in tears because she has pinched her finger with a needle, she sits down with her and decides she would teach her. She takes her to the Palace tailors and asks them to set up a workstation for her and the Princess.

Some of Stella’s most cherished memories of her childhood are of her and Luna bickering about color combinations and fabric. She and her mom DON’T have the same taste!

Power

Oh, she knows her parents are big shots, especially her dad. As a child, she always used to sneak into the throne room, sit her dolls on the floor and order them about from the throne. She loved playing Queen. Radius knows, of course. Everybody at court knows. When she is a little older, at nine or ten, the King allows her to sit by him during hearings and he starts teaching her what a King (or Queen) does and how they listen to their people. Those are maybe the only times when Stella manages to sit still and pay attention without falling asleep.

Birthdays

She know that her mom doesn’t like the Sun all that much, but Luna always makes an exception for Stella’s birthday. With Radius, they spend the day at the beach, building elaborate sandcastles, tanning (Radius and Stella), organizing fashion shows (Stella and Luna), and eating marshmallows. When the Suns go down, Luna moonbathes with her, while Radius tells them the story of the constellation of Stella’s choosing. For some reasons, those stories never leave her memory. She can name every star, constellation, and celestial body in Solaria and Callisto, and she is learning about the others.

Though the memories of those birthdays are carved in her heart, she knows those things have only happened two or three times. Her parents started growing apart when she was little, and though they always made an effort to make her birthday special, it wasn’t like before.

Singing

She doesn’t know many Callistian songs, but she knows hundreds in Solarian! Sacred and secular. Radius sings when he prays, and she sings too. It’s in the room of the Second Sun that she learns Old Solarian, when she sees her dad kneel and pray for strength, peace, and light. Always light. Light in the sky, light in his mind, light in their life.

Stella doesn’t sing in public, but she sings with Radius, from strong and meaningful songs to silly little ones. She’s sad when, getting older, she gets to do that less and less.

[kedreeva]

I see you've received a few of the fanfic writers ask thing, so rather than double up a number I wanna give you free reign to choose any two questions you'd like to answer! Xx

18) What's the most obscure thing you've researched for a fic?

I dunno about MOST obscure but I did have to learn a lot of nautical stuff very quickly while writing Siren's Song. I spent a long night once trying to learn about alcohol and which specific bottle of what would be the most likely to still be good X number of years into an apocalypse. Also which forage foods would be available in various regions of the US over winters. and how to make cheese without calf rennet. apocalypse fic was really good for my wilderness survival knowledge lol

6) Do you outline your fics? If so, how?

I do! Often extensively. I scribble a paragraph of the stuff I know happens, and/or stuff I want to happen, and then I sit down and I write the story in the sort of shorthand I'd use if I were telling a friend about the story, in order, as much as I know. If I don't know something I just write in that I don't know. If it's something chaptered, I note where the chapters are (probably) going to end as I go. once it's all jotted down, it serves as a first draft! Sometimes it's just a couple paragraphs, sometimes it's thousands of words by the end, depending on the length of the fic.

If I remember to do it, I'll keep a master doc of the outline pure, but more often I have a doc the outline is in, and I slap the chapter outlines into a fresh document, deleting them from the outline as I go. It's an easy way to see the amount of work I have left to do going down. I've also gotten pretty good at estimating length of stories this way, or even tailoring an outline to a goal word count (like for auctions). I've even nailed a few 10k word auction fics to within a few words!

[metalbvcky]

I posted 1,865 times in 2022

84 posts created (5%)

1,781 posts reblogged (95%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@musette22

@bubbarnes

@love-buckybarnes

@thedamageofherdays

@sebastiansourceurce

I tagged 1,865 of my posts in 2022

#till the end of the queue - 642 posts

#sebastian stan - 545 posts

#stucky - 336 posts

#chris evans - 325 posts

#bucky barnes - 231 posts

#stucky fanart - 227 posts

#fanart - 201 posts

#steve rogers - 120 posts

#fav - 103 posts

#writing tag - 85 posts

Longest Tag: 136 characters

#prnstar au part 3 is gonna get ANGSTY because it goes in depth of the lore of like steve's career and bucky's life since he moved to NYC

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

I took my love, I made him mine

You know, there's nothing like the comfort of a cabin fic set in late autumn! Which is why I wrote this :3

@buckybarnesbingo - Adoptable square. KINK: Kitchen Sex @mcukinkbingo - I: Comfort Sex

Pairing: Steve/Bucky Word/Chapter Count: 1,657 (1/1) Tags: Canon Divergence, Cabin Fic, Smut, Kitchen Sex, Bottom Bucky, Top Steve, Post-Serum Steve, Beffy Bucky (see full list of tags on AO3)

🍂 Summary 🍂

“Something smells awfully good over there,” Steve says from afar, and his words die in his throat when he steps into the kitchen.

The first thing Steve’s gaze lands on is ass, peeking out from an apron that’s loosely tied at Bucky’s waist. He lets his eyes wander the smooth, bare skin, of ripped shoulder blades and massive thighs.

"What’cha waitin’ on, Stevie?” Bucky smirks, eyes sparking. “Come and get a taste of this pretty peach.”

--

Or, how Steve and Bucky spend their cabin getaway after a long mission.

Read on AO3

110 notes - Posted October 22, 2022

#4

Shelves of Aster Chapter 1 (Part 1 of I Never Bloomed 'till I Met You)

It feels surreal posting this now that it's almost been a year since I started writing the first fic for this series. Now here we are, at Steve/Bucky's origin story! It's gonna be much longer than Rose Blue, so it's an unfinished WIP :) I hope to update every now and then, but I'll be hopping between this and my SFS bang fic for a while.

A big shoutout to @appleschloss who is very much as absorbed into Bloom as I am <3

Pairing: Steve/Bucky Current Word/Chapter Count: 10,344 (2/?) LONGFIC! Tags: Modern/Bookstore AU, Dom/Sub, Dom/Top!Steve, Sub/Bottom!Bucky, First Meetings, Meet Cute, Falling in Love, Fluff & Smut (see full list of tags on AO3)

📚 Summary 📚

Steve had just about everything he could want, and he wasn’t even forty yet. A nice penthouse in Brooklyn, heated floors in all bathrooms, and a closet full of tailor-made suits. It was almost complete, but one thing was missing.

A sub, preferably a twink. Maybe a partner as well? He’d also love to have a sugar baby to spoil.

But Steve was too busy with work to jump back into the dating scene, as bringing Tony’s fantasies to life was time consuming. Had it really been a year since he hooked up with someone? It felt longer, considering he’d been active in the lifestyle for over a decade.

Then came an encounter on a late evening, when he ran to the nearest store in need of paint. It was as if his thoughts were heard and the perfect match for him had fallen into his lap. An adorable twenty-something with beautiful blue eyes and short brown hair. Unfortunately they were about to close, so he hadn't had the chance to talk to the cashier beyond exchanging a couple of words.

But what were the odds he was interested in kink too?

Read on AO3

(A reblog is greatly appreciated! <3)

112 notes - Posted January 15, 2022

#3

Fame and Exposure

My first fill for the fourth round of @buckybarnesbingo! And it's all @appleschloss's fault :P

Pairing: Steve/Bucky Word/Chapter Count: 3,089 (1/1) Tags: Modern P*rn AU, Top!Steve/Bottom!Bucky, Smut, Daddy Kink, Roleplay, Silver Fox Steve, Twink Bucky, P*rnstar!Steve, Sex worker!Bucky (see full list of tags on AO3)

🎥 Summary 🎥

Bucky storms into the office, panting, acting as if he had just run half a mile. “Look, I-I know— I know that I’m— I’m—”

“Late?” Steve finishes for him, arms crossed as he leans against the desk. His navy dress shirt exposes the hairs on his chest, the first two buttons loosened, as with his tie. “Typical,” he says with a roll of his eyes. “What’s your excuse this time?”

Bucky fiddles with his hands, not meeting Steve’s gaze. “Um...I had to take a detour?”

“Bullshit.”

“But sir, traffic was heavy!”

Steve surges forward, coming to wrap a hand around Bucky’s jaw to force eye contact. While Bucky gets lost in those sharp blue eyes, Steve’s dark tone causes a shiver to roll through him. “You listen to me, boy,” he growls, “because I won’t repeat myself.”

--

Bucky's first ever p*rnshoot ends up being with Captain Rogers, an attractive silver fox who frequents Bucky’s wet dreams.

Read on AO3

121 notes - Posted May 20, 2022

#2

Tom Holland during the puppy interview: aw aren't you all sweet? so the question--

Chris Evans: CAN'T YOU SEE THAT I'M BUSY HERE!!!!!

150 notes - Posted June 17, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

When you're writing a longfic and have to go 20k+ words back to refresh your memory on a small detail in order to continue with your current place

504 notes - Posted May 5, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[amazing-spiderling]

For the ask game: 5 14 16 31 49 50

Do you have any works where you refuse to reach a certain relationship landmark, for one reason or another?

Huh. This is kind of a strange question- I mean, I think when I start writing something, I have a pretty good idea of where I want things to end up. So if I'm not choosing to get to a certain "landmark" it's because it just wasn't right for the narrative, not because I'm choosing not to go "that far". I guess I don't often write about characters having children, either because it's not write for the story at the time/doesn't make sense, or I'm not interested in inventing some just for the sake of it. I don't have a problem with children and babies being in stories- I love to include Ellie in Spideypool stories when it makes sense, and I like the idea that Peter would be good with her.

Are there any relationship dynamics/tropes you want to write in the future, but haven't yet?

Ah, so- I have a little idea simmering in a pot. It's certainly one of those, "If no one else is gonna write it I guess I have to do it!" kind of things- that's *sort* of an enemies to lovers thing? More of a rivals to lovers thing, but also with plenty of misunderstanding and identity shenanigans, so there's plenty of familiar things for me to pla with as well.

Are there any relationship dynamics/tropes you enjoy reading about, but wouldn't want to write yourself? Vice versa?

To answer the latter question first, I don't really spend my time writing anything I wouldn't want to read. The closest I have come is writing fills for other people in events that are maybe not my setting/plot of choice, but it's still going to be tailored to my tastes, otherwise there's just no way it would get done. As far as tropes I like reading but wouldn't write? Hum. I don't mind a little bit of a sharper edge of cruelty/ adversarial nature in earlier chunks of a story that can get worked out as the story progresses, but I think I have a hard time channeling that myself, so I mostly worry it would fall flat. I dunno, I'm kind of a never say never person for this sort of thing.

Are there any songs that remind you of [clarified in DMs to be mattfoggy]? Are there any songs that remind them of each other?

I was kinda in my feels about "Heather" by Conan Gray while making a playlist a while back, which I think would be a decent pick if you were trying to make a mix about some serious pining, and it could probably go either way tbh. I have also been reading a lot of the older DD comics lately (80's ish I think?) where Matt is literally involved with a Heather, and Foggy and Natasha (yes, that Natasha) conspire to break them up. It all goes very poorly! Especially for poor Heather.

"I'll Still Have Me" is another song that hits me just right, and I think it's the kind of song that would have Foggy SOBBING during S3 (or y'know, any of those periods when Matt is faking his death or whatever.)

Everybody knows I'm upset, they don't even have to ask it They know I believed in us last week.

What's your favorite relationship dynamic that you've seen in another work of fiction? Has this influenced your writing at all?

I don't think I got terribly involved in shipping until, oh, college or maybe even a little after that. I consumed a lot of media that I think is popular for ships (Sailor Moon, read GO in high school, other various 90's anime, comic books) but I was always pretty content to accept whatever relationship was presented on screen or not really think about it much at all. But one of my long-time friends and I first bonded over X-Men and the buddy relationship between Wolverine and Nightcrawler, and a few years later he showed me the tanker chapter to Metal Gear Solid 2, telling me "I think you're going to like these two guys" because of my penchant for buddy bro relationships. At the time I was content to be like, "YEAH WHAT GOOD BROS" but obviously that didn't last. XD Since then, nearly all of my ships have followed the pattern of friends-to-lovers, and obviously that shows up a lot in my writing and art. (Although weirdly, while I totally GET Logan/Kurt as a ship, it just doesn't do anything for me.)

Free space! Brag on yourself! Advertise your writing! What are you most proud of recently?

Oh gosh. Well, I recently wrote a stupidly fluffy little fic for a friend called, "Keep It Simple" which is a very silly college MattFoggy story about Matt struggling to confess his feelings to Foggy while Foggy does everything he can to... help him confess. (It makes sense in context, I promise, haha.) That was a fun one to write, mostly because I got to come up with lots of silly things for Foggy to say, and I love getting to write about him being a good bro.

I'm also charging ahead with a co-writer to work on "Home's Around the Corner (It's a Long Way There)" and hopefully chapter 4 will be out before too long. (You know how it is with edits.) We only had a general idea of where we wanted the story to go when we started, but as we've written more, some interesting wrinkles and turns have cropped up and I'm having a good time with it. I think the end result will be pretty satisfying all around. :3

[therealvinelle]

Speaking of Renata's place being at Aro's side, that's something that struck me as interesting about your fic. There was a passage suggesting that Renata was frequently in Aro's study with him and Carlisle, not because she felt Carlisle was a threat, just because that's where she feels she belongs. And judging by the fact that Aro didn't send her away, it appears he agrees. Can you elaborate on that? Of course when he leaves the castle she's necessary for protecting him, but the way she stays around in other contexts seems more about their bond, their personal relationship. How did that develop? Was this inclination to be close to him instantaneous from the moment she joined their ranks or is it something that developed gradually? Does it stem from some subconscious anxiety and desire to guard him at all times, or does she genuinely just like being in his presence? And if that's the case, is that feeling mutual? Not the protectiveness, obviously, it's her role to protect him and prioritise his safety over hers if needs be, but the fondness. Does he care for her and enjoy her company the way she does or is he more sensitive to the boundaries between them? Also, it seems she's very content to just fade into the background and not be included in conversations when someone else is present; do they converse frequently (about non-work stuff) or are they more the companionable silence types?

(Ok wow that's a long ask. Sorry for bombarding you with these questions lol, I'm just really interested about your thoughts on these two.)

So sorry about the late answer! Since this was more of a question for my fic Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream, and the upcoming chapter is a Renata chapter, I figured I’d put this on hold until I’d written that. Well, turns out this tumblr account sucks up all my free time, so that chapter took forever and now your ask has been stewing for a month.

With that in mind, the chapter is now out, have this meta that’s 80% conjecture and gut feeling:

How did that develop?

Meyer states in the Guide that Renata would give her life for Aro. That’s past loyal body guard territory, that’s something more intense.

Considering my thoughts on how Renata and Makenna’s uncle Luca sounds like a creep, and the horrifying implications of that (how much of a choice does Renata’s family really have in this situation? If they asked Luca to leave, would he leave these humans he’s devoted himself to obsessing over? Does he even see these humans as people, or are they collector’s items, or exotic pets? Just... that whole story, and knowing how awful Twilight vampires are, I don’t buy into wholesome family man Luca, AT ALL), then Aro coming along to pluck Renata from Luca’s clutches takes on a very different meaning. He didn’t just adopt a random vampire from her coven to become a Volturi, he rescued her from this awful, abusive, situation.

In other words, I’ll never know how Meyer wrote that Renata is so fiercely, wholeheartedly protective of Aro without intending this, because it’s the only thing I can see.

Going forwards from that, Aro seems to be a very pleasant person to be around. I headcanon that he’s the one she’s closest to in Volterra, in part because I can’t see how anyone could top Aro in Renata’s eyes. She owes it all to him, and Chelsea would make that bond even stronger.

With that in mind, I do think she was probably terrified of the Volturi at the very beginning. Luca would have told her about them, about how they would come murder her family, Luca, and herself if she broke their laws. Having their leader come knocking, then, to take her away from everything she’s ever known would not look like salvation at all, it would be a “Guess my life could get worse. Who knew :/” moment of despair.

I can’t know what her early days in the Volturi were like, though in my fic I put it down as Luca gaslighting her about what her gift was, and Aro earning her trust by telling her the truth and giving her glorious purpose. Which is one way for things to go, I can also see Aro cutting a corner with Chelsea to get past Renata’s initial fear and distrust of this stranger, then once she views him as a positive figure she becomes thrilled to no longer have to live with Luca anymore.

Either way, I imagine she became superglue pretty early on. What Aro did for her was powerful stuff, he wouldn’t need to prove himself beyond that.

is that feeling mutual?

As for Aro, I imagine it’s rather less intense on his end, more a paternal fondness. It’s hard not to be won over by someone who’s as devoted as Renata is to him, it becomes personal. Plus, for someone in his position, being able to trust someone completely, to know that this person would give anything for your safety... yeah, powerful shit.

There’s also the matter that before Renata, I imagine Aro's life, for lack of a better term, sucked. There’s no one in the vampire world more people want dead than he, especially not in those early days. Jane and Alec have their hands full enforcing the law, they can’t be sitting in Volterra all day making sure he doesn’t die. Aro could certainly forget about leaving Volterra, he’d be too exposed. Renata changed all that. He has reason to be deeply grateful to her.

As for boundaries... perhaps this is the person who desperately wants an Aro & Renata buddy comedy show inside me talking, but a body guard like Renata, one who required physical contact at all times and who cares deeply... while I don’t think the Volturi are without boundaries, and Aro is still her master, I do think they’re not as clearly defined as they would be with, say, Caius and Felix. Renata’s role in the guard makes her something more intimate, much as I imagine it does Corin.

do they converse frequently (about non-work stuff) or are they more the companionable silence types?

Someone as trusted as Renata, a person wholly devoted to Aro, whose purpose is to stand by his side... Aro seems a very chatty person overall, I imagine there is a lot of thinking aloud and general chattering with Renata around, with her contributing to the conversation by poking him. (Which differs from the others in that most of the guard are out on missions and their job isn’t to hang around Aro, Renata’s is, and Caius doesn’t want to hear it (hears it anyway), Marcus craves the sweet release of death (Aro talks at him anyway). Really, it’s gonna be Renata who has both time for this, and doesn’t leave the room when Aro starts Abe Simpson-ing.)

Overall, I think Aro and Renata’s relationship is one of the closest among all the Volturi. He did something amazing for her, she did something amazing for him, now her purpose is to stand by his side.

And best of all, it’s not sexual. It could have been a gross draculina thing, it’s not, and I’m so grateful for that. One of the things Meyer did very right.

[thefoxandthepenguine]

Your Name Engraved Herein (Part 4)

Wanda Maximoff x Fem!Reader

Summary: You have known Wanda since you were ten until destiny drifted you apart. What would happen when you meet her twelve years later after you join the avengers?

Warnings: Angst, slow burn

Word count: 2.3k

a/n: I’m so sorry it took me forever to finish this chapter. Still a bit angsty for this chapter, but I promise the upcoming will be fluffier (for now). Again, tell me what you think about this by commenting, reblogging or leaving me an ask. Bold and italic fonts indicate flashback.

Btw, thank you for 300 followers! I know I haven’t written a lot of stuff and I haven’t updated for a very longgg while, so it’s pretty amazing to see the number of followers increases bit by bit each day! Thank you so much!! It’s really my honour and pleasure to know people out there actually like my writing! So thank you for each and everyone of you! ❤️ I Promise I’ll definitely finish this series (though I’m not sure how long will this takes lol) as there’re plenty more going on in my head!

Previously on Your Name Engraved Herein: You met Wanda in the orphanage after your parents were killed in the Novi Grad Bombings when you were ten. You became close friends with the twins and even lived together after moving out from the orphanage. However, destiny drifted you apart after the three of you volunteered for the Hydra experiment: you were traded to Dreykov and became one of the Widows. You were mind controlled for five years until Natasha and Yelena freed you from your subjugation. You decide to join the Avengers with Yelena, knowing that Wanda was one of them, after you are resurrected from the Snap. That is when you finally meet Wanda again, twelve years after you last saw her. You thought everything will be the same as in the past. However, what you do not know is that Wanda is grieving for the loss of her love.

Above is a very short summary of the previous chapters as it’s been so long since the last update. I tried to summarize it as best as I can, but I still recommend you to take a peek just to recall what happened. I am really sorry for the waiting 😢

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Christmas Spin-off

Chapter 4

The wall built around Wanda dissolves after that day in the rain. She leaves her room and smiles more every time you are around. It is just like the old day - the two of you have been inseparable since then.

If your life had been a drama…well, it has been a drama. But it certainly is not a comedy.

So the truth is things do not really change much after that day in the rain.

You still try your best to invite Wanda to join you and Yelena whenever she seems to be available. Yet Wanda declines your offer most of the time without much surprise. Even when she is in her better days and agrees to spend some time outside her room, it does not seem like she is enjoying your company anyway. She will force a halfhearted smile to some of the dumb and cheesy jokes made by Yelena before excusing herself and end the night way earlier than expected. She looks exhausted and desolate from behind and you just want to do something, or at least say something, to comfort her. However, you always struggle coming up with something right to start a conversation with her. Your heart wrenches every time when you watch her walking away in silence.

You have never cursed yourself so much for being so hopelessly inarticulate.

But life must go on, especially when you are in this line of work.

Recently you have spent most of your time in the laboratory tailoring your own sets of uniforms and weapons with Yelena and Natasha. You are actually fine with anything as long as they are handy and you have seriously considered going with a bullet proof vest, but Natasha banned the idea the moment you proposed it. Whereas Yelena is very excited about having her own new uniform. So here you are now, stuck in the laboratory and looking at the draft for God knows how many times.

“Yelena, we can’t possibly have anything better than this. Are we done?” You sigh and look down at the finalized version of the draft for the very last time before passing it back to Yelena.

At least you hope this is the finalized version.

“But don’t you think we should have two more pockets on the side? It’s more handy that way.”

“This is literally a walking pocket now,” you tap on the draft and try your best to put the brakes on that idea, “we don’t need any more pockets on the uniform.”

Yelena pouts her lips and you can tell she is thinking what she can possibly put inside the imaginary pockets now.

You exchange a knowing look with Natasha in silence and shake your head slightly in sync. Both of you giggle and step aside to leave Yelena harassing the designer all over again.

You are leaning against the wall when your gaze falls on the door across the room. It somehow catches your attention as you have noticed no one has walked through that door for the last few days. You have tried to open it yourself, but unfortunately it is locked.

And you are definitely not a big fan of staying in a room with potential danger lurking behind a locked door.

“Why is that door always locked?” You cannot help asking Natasha.

Natasha furrows her brows in confusion for a brief moment before following your gaze and realizes what you are referring to. To your surprise, Natasha lets out a deep breath and walks slowly towards the door.

There is a hint of melancholy in her eyes. An expression that you have seldom, if not never seen on her face. You follow her quietly, waiting for her to organize her thoughts.

“Vision used to live in this room. He has his own room of course, but he always said it’s more convenient to stay here,” Natasha chuckles softly and places her hand on the handle gently, like it was something delicate, “and Tony and Bruce would just stay in the lab with Vision when they’re here. The science geeks could stay here all day if I didn’t come and drag them out for dinner.”

You nod your head slowly, understanding why the room is no longer in use now.

People who used to stay in this room are not around anymore.

//

Wanda is a bit surprised, and relieved as well, to find the common room empty when she finally leaves her room to find something to eat.

She is not hungry at all. But she feels like it is about time for her to eat something. It is more like an obligation, rather than fulfilling her own needs.

Wanda gets herself a bowl of cereal and sits alone on the couch to pick at it. She indulges herself with a moment of complete silence until she begins to squirm uncomfortably in her seat.

The room is way too quiet to her liking.

She cannot stop her mind from replaying her last moment with Vision, and how the light dimmed in his eyes.

Wanda turns on the television with a flick of her palm. She tries to lose herself in the world of television, but even the sitcoms fail to save her from drowning in her thoughts.

She has not realized until now that spending time with Y/N, Yelena and Natasha outside of her room is the rare moment that she could take a break from the waves washing over her.

Wanda sets the empty bowl in the sink and spaces out until the bowl overflows with running water. She can either go back to her room and curl on her bed until Y/N or Natasha tries to drag her out, or she can take the initiative this time.

Wanda bites on her lower lips thoughtfully and lets the water run on her palm. Maybe this is the change that she needs in order to save herself from the endless nightmare. Maybe she should not just sit around and wait for the others to come to her.

Wanda walks hesitantly towards the laboratory, wondering what she should say when she sees them. She keeps fidgeting the rings on her fingers before finally plucking up the courage to push open the door.

Wanda first notices Yelena talking agitatedly with the woman in suit at the working desk near the entrance. And when she continues to look around, she finds Y/N and Natasha talking right in front of the door to the room that she has not been to since the battle against Thanos.

The room. Vision’s room.

Wanda kept fidgeting the rings on her fingers the moment she stepped into the laboratory.

After spending years undergoing different experiments in the HYDRA research base, it would be an understatement to say the laboratory setting left an unpleasant impression on her.

She knew she was safe now with the Avengers and she was not even the subject today. But she could not help but feel a cold shiver of fear run through her when she was surrounded by the four white walls.

“Um…are you sure you want me to do this? I can’t…I may not be able to control it.” Wanda’s gaze shifted between the Android standing right in front of her as well as Stark and Banner standing outside the booth.

“Please go ahead Miss Maximoff. I can assure you no harm can be inflicted on me by such means.” Vision looked into her eyes and stated it matter-of-factly.

Wanda took one last look at Vision before raising her hand hesitantly towards the stone embedded on his forehead.

It was not like she enjoyed digging into the minds of others. Every time when she used her power to look into others’ minds or create a vision, she would somehow feel the same as that person, though to a lesser extent.

And it was mostly distressing.

Vapour of red hue emanated from her palm when Wanda began to concentrate. She took a deep breath and prepared herself to be washed over by whatever it was in Vision’s mind.

She waited for several seconds before fluttering her eyes in confusion.

Nothing strong came.

There was a lot running inside Vision’s head. Truth and knowledge. Wisdom and the Universe. But there was not much personal emotion, just pure innocence and curiosity. And looking into Vision’s mind offered her a haven of peace away from the stress of the real world.

Serenity that she had not felt in a long time.

“What can you feel, Miss Maximoff?” Vision asked when the magic finally vanished from Wanda’s palm. She noticed that Stark and Bruce were looking at her expectantly from the corner of her eyes.

“Just you.” Wanda murmured.

Both Y/N and Natasha turn their heads and widen their eyes when they see Wanda standing at the entrance.

Y/N is the one who makes the first move. She walks closer towards Wanda and tugs her lower lips between her teeth before speaking, “Wanda, we’re just…”

“This is not what you should be prying into Y/N.” Wanda notices the hurt expression on Y/N’s face and yet she leaves the room without looking back.

//

Wanda actually regrets what she has blurted out the moment she rushes back into her room and locks the door.

She crawls onto her bed and lies on her back, replaying what happened again and again in her mind.

“Wh-what are you doing?” Wanda could not tell how surprised she was when she felt Y/N sitting down on the pavement next to her.

Her clothes were soaked through.

“I’m here with you this time.” Y/N’s voice was as soft and gentle as usual.

Wanda looked into Y/N’s eyes and she finally had a feeling that she was not completely alone when she saw the determination in her eyes.

The raindrops kept spattering on her face and there was this wave of exhaustion washing over her again. She could not help but to lean her head on Y/N’s shoulder. She used to do that when she was upset, and Y/N always joked that this was her special spot.

And this was indeed her special spot.

“What if you were gone too?” Wanda mumbled in the rain to herself, not really expecting Y/N to answer.

She was afraid. Everyone she cared for and loved was gone. Having Y/N back in her life was like a candle lighting up in the complete darkness. She did not think she could take it anymore if she lost this last hope.

Wanda knew Y/N heard her by holding her hand tightly in the rain without saying anything.

She knows Y/N. She has known her since they were kids and they have literally been sleeping on the same bed for more than five years until they could not fit into the same bed anymore. How could she say, or even think Y/N is prying into her life when she knows deep down in her heart that all Y/N wants to do is to help her.

She wants to apologize. She needs to.

Wanda keeps tossing and turning all night. It is one of the few nights her mind is occupied by something else other than Vision.

She does not wait until someone comes and drags her out of her room the next morning. Instead she rolls out of her bed before breakfast time, knowing Y/N is always the one making breakfast for everyone each morning.

But to her disappointment, Y/N is not there when she rushes into the common area.

She thinks she can apologize to Y/N later that day when she sees her. But it turns out she does not even have the chance to talk to her for the next few days.

Y/N is definitely shunning her.

Y/N never shows up at her door and asks her to join them after that day. Hell she does not even show herself up during meal time. Even on the rare occasions that Wanda gets to see her, Y/N is either busy talking with Yelena and stops whatever they are discussing right at the moment she steps into the room, or they are on their way walking to one of the conference rooms and lock themselves there for the whole day.

This is just getting unbearable and Wanda decides she has had enough.

She is pacing up and down outside Y/N’s room early in the morning, finally plucking up the courage to knock on her door when the door springs open right in front of her face all of a sudden.

Y/N does not seem to be surprised when she sees her standing across the door, probably given away by her footsteps.

“Good morning, Wanda.”

Tag:

@liver-casserole @user122445 @ihave-committed @hangesfirstwife @marvelwomen-simp @chaekhan @reereeineedtopee @madamevirgo @xxromanoffxx @natashas-wh0r3 @xxxtwilightaxelxxx

[gale-gentlepenguin]

ML Fic: Soulmate Survey Part 37

Shout out to @asongeverlasting for beta reading for me and making sure I actually got this out.

Check her writing out on AO3 as Ramblingwren

(Master post)

(Read the fic in a more condensed on Ao3)

(The latest chapter will be up on there once this reaches over 300 notes on tumblr)

_____________________________________________________________

Simularé looked out over the city from the top of the school.  Using her replicated powers, she took the form of Volpina so they'd be able to alter the illusion quickly should something pop out and accidentally reveal the true form of the school. Thankfully the sentimonster didn’t need to do much in order to maintain the illusion; Paris was a surprisingly quiet city.

As far as they could tell, no one in the city outside of the school had any idea what was going on. And that worked out perfectly for them.

“So, this is where Lila has you stationed,” a voice called out, resulting in the faux fox turning around. The figure behind them was a woman clad in dark blue, with blue skin and a feathery fan. She looked confident and the sentimonster instinctively felt that this individual was very much aware of what it was.

Mayura had quickly deduced it was the sentimonster as it was in Lila’s previous akuma form, Volpina. With Lila now Masquerade, it was unlikely she would choose to take such a form. She would likely want to stay in her new form to show it off.

“Do not be alarmed, Simularé, it is your creator. Mayura,” Mayura spoke again.

The shapeshifter leveled a sharp glare at the woman. What made her so certain of that?

“How do I know that is true?” Simularé questioned.

The villainess took a moment to examine the sentimonster. Mayura had to admit that this sentimonster was her finest work to date. The amount of emotion harnessed from Lila to create it made it far more unique, much less of a mindless creature than her previous creations. Amoks were created much like akuma were, locking on to intense emotions before sending off. But unlike akuma, amok can be shaped and tailored with enough focus. Simularé was a special case, as it was made from the conclave of emotions that Lila was experiencing during her breakdown. It had been quite difficult to focus on one specific feeling but Mayura had pushed through. Simularé was sculpted to be Lila’s ideal ally, but it was also so much more than a simple asset. This Amok embodied Lila’s core personality. Her cleverness, her cunning, her mistrust of others, her playfulness, her pride and so much more. To put it simply, this Sentimonster was Lila’s spirit given a new form.

“Trust me Simularé, you would be best not to ask that,” Mayura warned.

The sentimonster felt as if it was being talked down to and clearly did not approve of anyone talking to them in such a tone, save for its master. It charged at the peacock villainess, ready to make contact, But, before it could get close, Mayura stuck out her hand and pinched her fingers together, causing the sentimonster to feel as if some force was pulling its essence out. The pain it felt was indescribable! It felt as if its very being was being ripped out. Mayura was in range to sense the Amok and could easily remove it without difficulty, much like Hawkmoth could with an akuma. Though Mayura had a feeling that letting the Sentimonster know that keeping her out of range of the item was the key to its survival would not be wise. It was best in this moment to display power.

“Stop! Please!” Simularé begged. “I … I believe you! I will do whatever you ask, just please stop the pain!”

The villainess smiled, it seemed there was even more to this Sentimonster than Mayura had anticipated. It had a powerful sense of self preservation, something controlled sentimonsters didn’t seem to have. She took note of that.

“Good. Now, you are going to explain to me your master’s end goal and where Ladybug and Chat Noir are in the building.”

Simularé felt the grip that Mayura had on its essence and held back its burning resentment towards the blue bird villainess. She would behave. For now.

“Okay… I will tell you everything.”

_____________________________________________________________

“Duck!” Ladyice called out as she had Ice Noir lower their bodies to avoid oncoming ice projectiles.

“Surprising that she's only attacking us with ice. She's Stormy weather. You'd think she would be attacking with more, maybe some rain or like a vol....” Ice Noir commented.

“Don't talk about that! Do not give her any ideas!”

The two had skated out of the room and made their way through the now icy hallway while Stormy Weather gave chase.

“I was just saying it seems weird how...mediocre her attacks are.

“It’s like we saw before, the akuma servants are like robots, they can’t react quickly so changing up her powers is likely just as much of a problem. She's probably not as dangerous as we initially thought.”

“So maybe we should face this problem head on now that we aren’t cornered?”

Ice Noir changed direction and began skating towards the umbrella-wielding akuma.

Stormy Weather noticed the approaching cat and raised her umbrella, creating a mighty gale to blow him back and ending him flying past Ladyice to the end of the hallway.

“She can use her other powers… can confirm,” Ice noir commented as he got off the wall, still dazed.

Ladyice skated up to the dazed cat and helped stabilize him. Despite seeming like a wasted effort, the cat’s brash antics actually inspired Ladyice with a way to take her out.

“I just figured out how we can stop her, think you can give her one last charge for me?”

“Why Bugaboo, asking me to rush headfirst into danger? How heartless.” He feigned hurt.

Ladybug rolled her eyes.

“Silly Kitty. Just be ready to hang in there when she blasts you with wind. Don’t get blown back this time.”

“Got it.”

Ice Noir quickly skated across the ice as he drew his weapon. He was ready for her this time.

“Hey breezy weezy! The weather today was supposed to be sunny with a 20% chance of raining Cats and Dogs!” Ice Noir called out, clearly happy with his lame joke.

Stormy Weather saw the cat approaching once again and prepared to send another wind blast at him.

But the cat was prepared this time around and extended his staff to anchor himself to the walls on either side.

“Nice try!” Ice Noir snarked. “But a small little puff of wind won't blow me back again.”

The storm akuma decided instead of creating just another wind blast, she was going to step it up with a cyclone attack! A powerful tornado tunnel would surely blast the cat down for good.

“We were wrong! She can amp up the power too!” Ice Noir exclaimed as he held onto his staff with all his might while his body was being blown back by the massive winds. “This was not well thought out!”

He focused on digging his claws into his staff and doing his best to remain in the wind tunnel. The powerful winds blew into his face and he could see Stormy Weather slowly approaching.

“I don’t think I can hold on much longer, Ladyice!”

He felt his grip slipping. Any second now, he was going to get blown back.

“Don’t worry, Kitty. I got this.”

Stormy Weather didn’t get a chance to react when she felt something tackle her full force and rush her into the wall on the opposite end of the hallway.

The wind died down and Ice Noir was able to land on his skates. He released his grip on his staff and fixed his windblown hair to resemble its original state before quickly skating down the hall to help his partner.

“Nice job, Ladyice.”

The red-clad heroine stood up from her grapple with the storm akuma.

“Actually…”

Ice Noir looked up to see that his partner had shifted power ups. Her skates and ice skater aesthetic were replaced with a suit that had red spacesuit-like plating, a jetpack with retractable wings with red and light blue colors that matches her helmet.

She had changed into her space form, Cosmobug.

“Space power up! Because you can fly through the wind! Genius!”

Cosmobug smiled.

“Well, Stormy Weather is dazed but probably not for long.”

The two heroes noticed her about to grab her umbrella, but Chat Noir’s cat-like reflexes helped him snatch it first.

“Oh no you don’t!”

Ice Noir broke the umbrella over his knee.

“I don’t think she will be as mobile without her powers.”

Stormy Weather tried to stand but slipped on the icy floor she had created.

“Let’s just make our way to the boss,” Cosmobug said. She used the jet on her back to swoop up Ice Noir and fly slowly down the icy hall.

“Just like you to sweep me off my feet. But don’t think I will be a smitten kitten like usual.”

“Oh? Is that so?” The bug heroine raised an eyebrow. “It’s hard to imagine that you haven’t been dreaming about this scenario.”

“It helps that you aren’t riding a horse with the wind blowing in your hair,” Chat Noir joked back, catching Ladybug’s teasing.

Cosmobug quickly moved them to a part of the hall where there was no ice. Both undid their potion transformations, reverting back to their usual hero forms.

“Not keeping the jetpack?” Chat Noir asked. “It is really cool.”

“The room halls are pretty limited, and there's not much mobility, otherwise I might have,” Ladybug confessed.

The two heroes took a moment to catch their breaths and figure out their surroundings.

“We should thank Stormy Weather.”

The cat looked at his partner skeptically, remembering how a few minutes ago, the wind had nearly sent him flying through a brick wall.

“What makes you say that?”

“Lila probably had Stormy Weather out and about to flush out other people in the school and make sure the area was difficult to traverse. She likely sent out a bunch of other akuma to do the same, which means her forces are scattered and we have a better shot of dealing with her with fewer obstacles.”

Chat Noir nodded. He would not have deduced such a thing from one encounter with a weather akuma.

“Good to know, so the plan is to locate her and save the day.”

“No need to figure out where she is, I already have a good idea where she should be.”

Chat Noir noticed Ladybug had already started moving. He quickly followed behind, though he didn’t need an explanation this time. He already knew where Ladybug was heading — to his homeroom class, but he couldn’t say that without revealing what he knew.

_____________________________________________________________

‘This was a ridiculous decision.’

That was the thought running through Chloé’s mind as she ran for her life from a large group of Reflekta clones.

The two or three she had run into early were easy to avoid, but now it seemed like a horde of those tacky clones. And all of the ice that surrounded certain hallways made it impossible to traverse. She was limited in her running space and she was running out. But what made it all worse was that now those Reflekta copies had adjusted to running.

“HOW CAN YOU RUN IN THOSE HEELS!?” Chloé screamed as she ran down the hall.

She just had to try and be a hero. Why was she even doing this? The assistant probably got turned into one of those gross clones or got masked like those other students. She could have just sat back and just waited for Ladybug and Chat noir to find her or let them handle it.

“You can’t run forever” The crowd of clones sang in Rather impressive and creepy harmony.

Chloé took a turn down the hall and went into the door of the nearest room.

She closed the door and locked it before smelling the musty wet air.

“What the… EWW!” She spat in disgust as she realized she had locked herself in a janitor’s closet.

“Why did it have to be in such a gross smelly room?” she moaned.

Unfortunately, her comments caught the attention of the crowd chasing her.

She heard banging on the door.

“You can’t hide, we will find.”

Chloe put her back to the door to keep them out and felt herself slide down it in despair.

Was this how it was going to end? Getting turned into one of those fashion nightmares after hiding out in such a rank smelling closet? She didn’t even save… wait. She did save someone. She saved that old man. It hadn't been glamorous, but she did manage to save at least one person.

“I guess I did do something good after all. May not have been exceptional… but it was something.” Chloé smiled for a brief moment.

She took a moment to look at the positives, Ladybug and Chat Noir would likely come in and save the day, plus there were those other two heroes. Perhaps that would be enough. But she had to admit, finding solace in that was getting harder to do when the smell of the closet was destroying her nostrils. Just then, she remembered she had some nice perfume in her bag that she could spray to alleviate the smell.

“Well, at least I won’t smell awful when they capture me.”

She put her hand in her bag and felt around for her perfume. As she searched, she felt an unfamiliar object in her designer handbag. She pulled it out.

“What is this?”

She noticed a note on top of it. It was a bit dark to read so she pulled out her phone and turned on her flashlight.

“Return to Ladybug after mission?”

Chloé’s eyes went wide. Could this be what she thought it was? How was it possible? She didn’t have time to question it.

She opened the box and out came a floating bee creature, who Chloé recognized right away. It was real.

“Pollen!” Chloé exclaimed with cheer.

“It has been a while, my queen.” the bee kwami said.

Chloé would have loved to revel in this moment more but she knew that door was going to burst open any minute. She needed to be the bee heroine.

“As much as I would love to talk more, we need to hurry. We have some akuma clones that need bashing.”

“Right away, my queen!”

Chloe put the bee miraculous in her hair.

“Pollen, Buzz on!”

_____________________________________________________________

“It is a good thing there are so many copies,” Ryuuko stated as she leaped over a few Reflekta copies.

Viperion swerved and dodged the replicas of his sister’s akumatized form while avoiding getting caught in the bubbles that froze them and floated them up in the air.

Deadzone had been doing a lot of friendly fire thanks to its single minded obsession.

“After this, I really hope I never have to see my sister take this form again,” Viperion commented.

“Right, Adrien mentioned that you were Juleka’s brother. Older brother, right?”

“Older twin brother. But yes.”

“Really? You seem older.”

“I am a grade ahead of her, but we are the same age,” he explained.

“Could have sworn you were at least a year or two older.”

“A lot of people think the same thing. Even my mom forgets, sometimes. Rose, my sister’s girlfriend, says I radiate ‘big brother energy’ or something.”

“You learn something new.”

“What about you? Any siblings?”

“Sadly no. I was an only child.”

“Too bad, I think you would have made a great older sister,” Viperion encouraged

“A snake charmer, are we?”

“Well I am the snake, and I am not charming myself, so I think the more correct term would be dragon charmer.”

“Change that to fun killer because you killed my fun right there.”

Before Viperion could retort, they had made their way down to the end of the hall and noticed that it was frozen off.

“Dead end,” they say at the same time.

“No, Deadzone.”

The two turn to see the deadly akuma amalgamation pointing its blaster at them.

The two heroes looked at the deadly akuma.

“Any ideas?” Ryuuko questioned.

“Just one.”

Viperion moved his hand to his bracelet.

“Second chance!” Viperion activated his power.

“Now we have some options.” Viperion explained.

The akuma fired a bubble blast at Ryuuko, and she was frozen.

“Second chance!”

Things reset to how they were a few seconds before. Viperion grabbed Ryuuko and pulled her out of the way of the oncoming bubble blast.

“Thanks. For a minute there, I thought that thing had me.”

“It did, but I used my power to stop that. we still have to get out of here.”

“Look out!”

Ryuuko got hit with another bubble as they got up, protecting him from an attack.

“This might take a few attempts…”

_____________________________________________________________

Hawkmoth paced inside his lair.

Mayura was out there, his son was out there… and things were not going the way he planned. Masquerade seems to be building a base for herself and was more concerned with that than getting the miraculous. Adrien is MIA, and Mayura isn’t responding.

“I might need to step in. But there is a lot of risk in this. Far too many variables that I can't account for”

Hawkmoth never liked leaving his lair. It had too many risks to it. After Heroes' Day, he had nearly been exposed. And after that fiasco in Shanghai he didn’t want to risk getting taken out by his own akuma. He had already taken plenty of risks that had blown up in his face. Would this be another one of those times he would need to risk his miraculous?

“But it could also be just what is needed to beat Ladybug and Chat Noir once and for all.”

With an akuma this powerful, the two would likely have to use their special powers multiple times. If he can just locate them and wait for them to do so, he could potentially gain the advantage. Maybe Mayura was on to something with her actions.

Hawkmoth walked to the window.

“There will be a right time. I just need to wait for it.”

He felt an itch in the back of his neck. He wasn’t sure what it was but he could tell one thing, something big was going to go down, and he needed to figure out the right call soon or it could cost him dearly.

_____________________________________________________________

“…And that’s her plan.” Simularé finished. “As for Ladybug and Chat Noir… I am unsure. I lost track of them before I was given a new assignment. But they are in the building and they have not tried to leave.”

Mayura smiled at the information. While it was quite unfortunate that she didn’t have the exact location of the two heroes, it was good to know that they were still in the building, and Lila’s plan was certainly something interesting.

“Indeed, that is quite a clever plan. Ensuring everyone in the school couldn’t escape was pretty smart. You likely had a few escapes anyway, with how clumsy some of the akuma were. You are fortunate that neither one was Ladybug or Chat Noir. Still, though, it isn’t your master’s fault for that. They are basically mindless puppets. But then again, it seems that there might be zero escapes since there seems to be no new reports on the subject of a school takeover.”

Simularé let the peacock villainess muse, analyzing her movements as if trying to figure out any advantage it could handle.

“So, the next step now that all communications are cut is to send out a message that Ladybug and Chat Noir have already been defeated, so as to cause massive despair in order to create even more minions. Sounds a bit derivative, don’t you think?” Mayura mused.

Simularé said nothing. It held its tongue. Deep down, it knew that starting any dispute with this peacock was not wise. Especially given that crazy power she had over their being.

“Still, it is quite a plan. And with all those extra akuma recruited and Ladybug and Chat noir cut off from their guardian, they wouldn’t be able to get any sort of back up. They wouldn’t be able to put up much of a fight before all of Paris is under Masquerade’s thumb. I approve of the plan.”

“I am glad you do,” Simularé stated with a forced smile.

Their conversation was cut short when an akuma appeared. Seeing one it did not recognize, the artist akuma prepared to fight. But thankfully the shapeshifting sentimonster stepped in.

“Stand down Evillustrator, this one is not our enemy,” Simularé ordered.

Evillustrator eased and walked over.

“Masquerade has ordered that we start reinforcing the building. She wants this place to be like a fortress,” he parroted.

Mayura looked at the artist.

A fortress? Yes, Simularé mentioned that Masquerade wanted to reinforce the school so that she could ensure Ladybug and ChatNoir would have less chance of escape.

Simularé nodded at the akuma servant.

“Alright, so she wants us to drop the illusion, then?”

“She wants the place to be like a fortress.”

“Go ahead and start,” Simularé motioned. She figured that her master likely didn’t care about the illusion much as she was prepared for stage two. But she would maintain it for a bit.

The akuma moved to the end of the roof and begins working to reinforce the walls

Mayura began moving to the door of the roof to get back down into the school.

“Tell your boss I will be heading to her, and she best be welcoming,” Mayura ordered.

“As you command,” Simularé replied, hiding a large amount of anger and resentment towards the blue bird.

As soon as the blue peacock is out of sight.

Simularé contacts its master.

“Simularé, what is going on? Did Evilustrator reach you?”

“Yes. He is working to make this place a fortress. You want me to maintain the illusion, right?”

“I am about to go public shortly. After I make the announcement. Drop the illusion and make sure this place is a full-on fortress. After that is done, report back to me.

“Yes master. By the way, I had an idea.”

“Oh?”

Simularé smiled sinisterly. She was going to show Peacock why she was sorely mistaken.

“I will report the details to you shortly.”

_____________________________________________________________

“Everything is set up,” Robostus noted.

“Excellent. Let’s do it now.”

The Reflekta camera crew was all set, and Gamer had set it up so the moment they went live, every screen in Paris would show Masquerade.

Masquerade got off her call with Simularé. Something seemed a bit off with her sentimonster but she was intrigued that she had a plan.

“We are live in 5….4…3….2…” the gamer stated before pressing the go live button.

Masquerade smiled.

“Good afternoon, citizens of Paris. You may not know who I am, but don’t worry! You will be very familiar with me very soon. I am Masquerade, and I have decided to make Paris my personal kingdom.”

She paused to let that sink in.

“Now you are likely very alarmed by this declaration and that is normal. It will only be a matter of time before I spread my influence to everyone in Paris.”

She paused to let her words hang in the air before continuing.

“Do not be afraid, I am no monster. I plan on being a fair leader. All I ask is for your undying admiration and absolute loyalty. After that, you are free to live your lives as you normally would. Do not resist and you will have no problems. However, if you do… well, I can’t guarantee your safety.”

Masquerade took a calm breath before finishing.

“This last message goes out to the heroes of Paris, Ladybug and Chat Noir. I know you are here, I know you believe you will stop me, and I know you have allies here. But you will fall to me. Your days of superheroing have come to an end, your miraculous will be taken from you, and I will expose you as the failures you are,” Masquerade finished with venom.

She ended the transmission.

“Now make sure that it is being looped,” she ordered.

“Already is,” Gamer confirmed. “And panic is starting to rise.”

Masquerade smiled. Her plan was already working.

It may have seemed like a simple ego boost, but that speech of hers was a crucial part of her plan. Her charm bracelet could hyper focus on anyone that was akumatized in the past and have their biggest insecurities exposed. But that one by one process took far too long, if the hope of the entire populace of Paris was already demoralized. Then all she needed to do was send out her masks and let them take hold. And all she needed to do was go out there and send the masks.

She could already feel massive amounts of negative emotion from outside of the school. As soon as she headed out of the school, she could easily go and get more akuma soldiers. She could feel her bracelet trembling with all the potential additions.

She was prepared to leave, activating one of the charms to give her black angel wings, but something she remembered caused her to stop.

“Simularé I am moving to phase two of my plan. Get down here.”

It only took a few seconds for the sentimonster to jump from the roof and knock on the window.

One for the Reflekta copies opened the large window to let in what appeared to be Dark Cupid, before it shifted into the phantasm form that was its base.

“Right on cue. So, what is this plan you wanted to suggest?” Masquerade inquired. “And be sure it is not a waste of my time.”

“What if I told you I could get you a Miraculous?”

The sentimonster could feel that Masquerade was very pleased with that idea.

_____________________________________________________________

37 attempts.

It took thirty-seven resets before Viperion figured out what they needed to do.

“Ryuuko, follow my directions exactly,” Viperion instructed. “I know how to win.”

He quickly pulled her towards him to make sure she dodged the first bubble.

The akuma was surprised by the avoidance.

Viperion smiled.

“Your next line is, ‘How did you know I was going to blast at her?'” Viperion stated confidently.

“How did you know I was going to blast at her?” Deadzone parroted in shock before realizing they had said exactly what Viperion had said they would say.

The dragon heroine looked at the determined expression of the snake. She could see experience and certainty in his posture. All her years of fencing taught Kagami the art of reading body language, and the hero in front of her was someone that exuded an aura of confidence. She knew she could trust him.

“Alright, Sassy Snake, I will let you take the reins.” Ryuuko responded.

“Jump to the left in 2 seconds and start running.”

Ryuuko followed the instructions and sure enough avoided yet another bubble attack from Deadzone.

“Head to their left and bounce off the locker at the end.”

Ryuuko dashed past the akuma and jumped as Viperion instructed, perfectly avoiding the barrage of blasts sent her way. Viperion had perfectly mirrored her motion as he explained the next steps.

“Now somersault twice and draw your sword.”

Ryuuko somersaulted as Viperion leaped over her and the dragon turned to draw her sword, now on the other side of the hall.

“Now as soon as it fires a bubble at you, activate your wind! No matter what! I believe in you Ryuuko.”

The last words seemed a bit strange to the fencer. What did he mean by that?

“Will you shut up!?” Deadzone shouted before sending a bubble at Viperion.

“For my final glimpse into the future, you will say, ‘Not so tough now are ya?'”

The bubble contacted Viperion.

“Viperion!” Ryuuko cried out.

The bubble enveloped the snake and floated to the ceiling, taking his frozen form along with it.

“No…” Ryuuko muttered. She looked down in sorrow.

I failed to protect him. He ended up protecting me. He had been backing me up to make sure I wouldn’t do anything reckless.

Ryuuko felt her mind flashback to a few days ago which now seemed almost like it happened a year ago. They had made such a good team back then and now… they get a chance to be heroes again and she couldn’t cover him like he did her.

“Ha, not so tough now are ya?” Deadzone stated with confidence.

Ryuuko’s ears perked up at the statement. That was the line Viperion predicted they would say. That means… Viperion knew this would happen! Which meant his previous statement was to show he planned this. She knew what to do.

Deadzone turned its attention to Ryuuko.

“Don’t worry, you will join him shortly.”

Deadzone fired another bubble right at her, but this time Ryuuko wasn’t moving. She was at the perfect distance to do what she needed to do.

Ryuuko smiled.

“Wind dragon!”

The dragon-themed heroine turned into a cloud and blew the bubble right back at the akuma.

“What!”

The bubble encapsulated the akuma, causing it to freeze in place and then float to the ceiling.

Ryuuko returned to her original form and smiled, seeing how they had finally incapacitated the akuma.

“We did it, Viperion. We took them down. I'm sorry it cost you so much… I won't let you down!”

She raised her blade, upon realizing that her partner was indeed trapped in a bubble.

“Wait a minute…”

Ryuuko walked underneath Viperion’s bubble. She wasn’t entirely sure if this would work, since akuma magic was weird and often unpredictable, but it would make a lot of sense if it did.

“It is a bubble, so this should work right?” Ryuuko questioned as she used the tip of her sword to touch the bubble. She pushed it forward a bit causing the bubble to pop.

Her partner dropped to the floor.

“Ugh… my head.”

“You’re okay!”

Ryuuko hugged her friend, but then realized her sudden action and quickly jumped back up. A bit flustered, she could swear Marinette was rubbing off on her.

“I am glad you are alright, friend. You had me concerned — slightly,” Ryuuko corrected herself.

Viperion was surprised by the quick motions but managed to steady himself.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Of course. But make it quick, we will need to get a move on.”

“Okay… Who am I?”

Ryuuko froze at the question. She could see the confusion on his face. He was completely serious.

“Oh… that is not good at all.”

_____________________________________________________________

Masquerade is on phase two of her plan and Simularé is starting to make waves.

Who will get to the akuma first, Mayura or our heroes.

What will happen to Viperion now that his memory is gone?

Will Queen bee be the right choice?

Reblog and Comment . Your support is invaluable in keeping this fic alive. And I love hearing your thoughts on it

[izusun]

Headcanon: Izuku is into DIY.

Hot Take: Izuku would create a long furby. He has a collection of various eldritch creepy long furbies. Katsuki absolutely refuses to go into his room because of them. He would've exploded them by now but that would make Izuku cry.

Other CursedTM Things that Izuku does that makes Katsuki die inside and that Katsuki tries to hide from the rest of Class 1-A:

He's a part of the Vulture Culture community and collects roadkill and dead animals to turn into bones.

He has a collection of shitty All Might hawaiian shirts.

He has a collection of stuffed animals. They all have names ripped from Lovecraft such as "Yawgsathoth" and "Mother of Pus"

He writes fanfiction of the heroes.

He has a giant worm on a string plush, and his room is also decorated with Worms on Strings (you have no idea how much Katsuki had to bribe him not to add worms on strings to his uniform blazer)

He does have a plague doctor mask and will regularly just go out in a cloak and his mask

He cosplays exclusively female heroes, and crossdresses the worst dresses

He basically does art makeup, on his face and the face of Katsuki

"Hey what are you reading?" "Oh, this book on how to cook frogs."

He will eat anything. Including stuff that is on the ground. He has an iron stomach.

The actual reason Izuku hangs up All Might everywhere (it used to be a mix of all heroes) is because once in middle school Katsuki accused him of being straight, so he put him up everywhere and continued the habit, Katsuki hates his room now

- Goblin Anon (otherwise known as Goblin anon projects everything she does or wants to do onto her fav)

HI GOBLIN!!! GENUINELY SCREAMED AT THIS AU BECAUSE WTF

even i would not want to enter the beloved’s (izuku’s) room because of his shit.

i’ve searched up long furbys and i am, simply put, traumatized. i had a collection of furbys when i was a kid but we had to give them away because there’s too much of them. but long furbys? i am very much scared.

there’d be a picture of a long furby under the cut, and i’m genuinely terrified of the fucker.

also, can i just say that izuku writing fanfictions is the least cursed thing that he does? because like, reading the rest is like looking at that picture where you can’t decipher a single thing because, again, wtf izuku.

but they’re also funnier? creepier? because i can genuinely see izuku doing those dhekdoowks

✄┈┈┈

this shit would probably be snaking around the frames of izuku’s door. or he probably has one at the corner of his wall, the one that meets with the ceiling, and when a visitor looks up, they’re greeted by the sight of this centipede looking furby that has additional four eyes that izuku lovingly and carefully sewn on. it’s so nightmarish :’)

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

the vulture culture part started when they were young. his interest started when he saw a documentary on how to pin butterflies and he was like, “you know what? thats actually something i want to do!” but! BUT!! he cannot catch a butterfly, thus he settled for mounting dragonflies which he collected in the nearby stream (where katsuki fell).

fun fact about mounting dragonflies: they lose colours when they’re dead. you can use acetone to not only help preserve its colours, but also to stop its decay. they decay so quickly, it’s terrible.

anyways, izuku does not know that and instead followed a youtube video of how to mount dragonflies, using an old picture frame as the case.

inko comes home, sees his son doing his stuff and is just happy that izuku’s not rewatching that loud all might video. she helps him pin the other wings and they are fascinated at how pretty they look. well, the next day, the wings are now transparent and the belly side of the dragonflies are black. it also stinks so they had to throw the whole thing plus the case.

izuku’s fascination grows from there.

a failed experiment, after all, instigates the desire to right them.

so that’s where he starts: butterflies, moths, beetles, another dragonfly case.

katsuki is fascinated and disgusted because, “why would you want dead insects in your room, deku?”

the rest began when the bakugou’s and the midoriya’s have road trips. inko doesn’t have a car so the bakugou’s drive along with them, and it’s a good day. the kids are having fun and getting along, and the parents are chilling and enjoying their vacation. life is good.

then on their drive home, izuku, who is sitting sandwiched between katsuki and inko, lets out this blood-curdling scream. it wakes katsuki up and almost had masaru swerving the car out of the highway.

“maru-san (because my boy izuku cannot say masaru) can you please stop the car! i wanna get that!” he screams, pointing at something indecipherable by the side of the roads.

masaru does anyways because it’s so rare for izuku to request something, but also his heart’s still pumping so fast after izuku’s scream.

masaru wasn’t even done stopping the engine when the car doors are opening, and katsuki and izuku are tumbling out, hand-in-hand. masaru and inko follow them closely, while mitsuki stayed to watch over the car.

katsuki’s excited for an adventure, but then izuku just. stops them. in front of a skull.

masaru chokes from behind them and katsuki lets go of izuku’s hand so fast, running back to his dad because, again, “deku what the shit?”

izuku ignores him and gestures at the deer skull, one that has moss growing by the teeth and around the jaw, turning to inko to ask, “mama? can we bring that home?”

masaru feels very faint, but doesn’t say anything when inko easily agrees, laughing at her boy and patting his untameable hair as if your child asking you for a carcass’s skull is normal.

inko picks it up and they go back to the car. mitsuki does a double-take on what inko’s holding, but shushes up when she saw izuku bouncing happily. katsuki hesitantly sits beside izuku, but when izuku began yammering about all might, he forgets about the skull and nerds out with izuku.

inko explains to mitsuki and masaru about her son’s newfound interest, telling them that it’d go away in two years, don’t worry.

it didn’t. instead, his interest and his collection grew. so for his subsequent birthdays, along with hero merch, he has vulture culture collections gifted to him.

when he moved to the dorms, they’re more packaged than his hero merch and katsuki wants to get angry because he’s been looking for those limited hero merch and yet there they are, chilling beside izuku’s many many skulls and bones.

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

IZUKU STARTED COLLECTING THE ALL MIGHT HAWAIIAN SHIRTS WHEN HE WAS TWELVE

he ransacked for the very first edition, often saving his allowance just so he can buy the retro versions of the all might hawaiian shirts. sometimes he’d barter, but that’s only when he’s really desperate for the shirts. usually he’d just be in an auction site and buy just those.

he’d take katsuki with him and katsuki is very careful in what to buy, often researching the things and having a very long pros and cons list to narrow down what he’d buy, then his best bud izuku just out there buying all might hawaiian shirts.

funniest thing too is that those are the first to go because they? don’t value much? and they’re ugly, tbh, and yet izuku’s slurping them all up.

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

the first time class 1a were talking about plushies, izuku dropped the names and they’re confused because-

“bro did you name your plushies with lovecraft names?” OR “bro? do you perhaps have personalized lovecraft toys?”

it’s the earlier one but izuku would want to buy personalized lovecraft monster toys.

ok but? he names them as per the appropriate lovecraft characters? like:

a purple octopus plushie is called azathoth.

a green gecko plushie is called bokrug.

a fish plushie (literally nemo) is called dagon instead of nemo.

a pink jellyfish plushie is mother of pus.

he has other plushies that have normal names (well, as normal as naming a plushie “cheese grater”), but he has a collection of specific plushies that align with lovecraft beings.

he writes all might x reader fanfictions, i’m sorry ;v;

he only writes them because he doesn’t want other heroes with all might, but also the reader pairing gets more views than all might with other heroes.

katsuki caught him writing a slowburn, enemies to lovers all might x reader fanfic and proceeded to proofread it for him.

synopsis of the fanfiction: reader is a villain with a sound quirk (tailored to present mic’s quirk) and all might met them in a hero gala where the reader pretended to be a worker so that they could infiltrate the gala’s holder’s office for a specific banking access that is linked to the world’s bank. all might manages to sniff them out and proceeds to fight them, but when a beam is about to hit the reader, all might swoops in and saves them. cue the reader developing unwanted feelings for their greatest foe, all might.

aND THEN!!! all might knows the reader outside of their villain persona and is actually very much taken by them. so it’s a painful surprise that the reader is a villain. but he is willing to save them.

it is still incomplete despite having 102 chapters. by chapter 78, katsuki asked for payment because shit was too long and too angsty.

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

HEISOSL IZUKU HAS A WORM ON A STRING DOOR CURTAIN

he genuinely likes them but creating the door curtain kind of extinguished that interest because that’s just too much worms and too much strings for a single curtain, and it was very much tiring.

he has a tiny one stitched on his blazer and inko heaved this really big sigh when she saw that her son’s crisp UA uniform got a worm by the chest pocket.

aizawa eyed it once and was so close to expelling izuku just because of that.

shouto, when they became friends, sends a box of them to izuku because he thought that those are izuku’s favourite. katsuki had not stopped cackling when he saw the huge box of them.

to punish katsuki, he made a furby with worm hair and left it by katsuki’s door. katsuki’s scream woke everyone up.

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

the moment he walked out with a plague mask, tokoyami was exiting his dorm room too and they made a long eye contact.

tokoyami does not know if he is amazed by izuku’s plague mask or he is terrified because why does it look authentic.

for halloween, he was a plague doctor.

he stowed them away after saving eri.

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

his first women hero cosplay was in third grade when they had a play about different heroes. the girl who was playing ragdoll got sick and everyone’s already strapped in as their hero and unwilling to change. izuku, himself, is present mic (katsuki’s all might).

the girls don’t want to give up their heroes and izuku, the bestest boy, goes and says he will become ragdoll.

their teacher agrees and helps him strap in as ragdoll and you know what, izuku loves it.

from then on, he tries to cosplay as much women heroes that he can afford. inko loves helping him and katsuki thinks he is adorable but! dont tell deku!!!

OK BUT he wore the dress that broke the internet once and katsuki almost exploded the dress off him. almost because izuku dodged and warned him that if he ever breaks that dress, katsuki will have to pay (either monetary or revenge, katsuki doesn’t know so he behaved).

FOR HALLOWEEN, HE WORE THIS AND KATSUKI HATES IT

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

izuku painting star freckles on his face!!!! or heart freckles!!!! or flowers!!!!

izuku in fairy makeup, pleaseee!

he also loves giving katsuki his own freckles because something about blonde hair and red eyes with pale cheeks kissed by freckles is making izuku gay panic.

izuku putting concealer on his own freckles once and his classmates are looking at him weirdly, wondering why he looks off?

like he still looks amazing, but something’s missing. it’s fucking them up and katsuki isn’t helping them so they’re trying to piece what’s up.

it takes monoma sneering at izuku and asking where his eight freckles are that 1a realizes why he looks different.

ok but denki asking monoma why he knows how much freckles izuku has and monoma spluttering, bright red and embarrassed, until he just walks away.

(answer: he’s crushing on green bean).

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

IZUKU HAVING A COLLECTION OF LIKE ARCHAIC? BREWING? STUFF? BOOKS.

i dont know how to explain it but my friend has this specific book about poisons, detailing recipes and ingredients.

it also talks about the use of frogs, lizards, snakes. the benefits of different flowers (ones with toxins) and how to use them during tea time.

it’s bizarre but the book looks pretty so i think izuku would have a handful of those in his room.

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

izuku eating grass? flowers? trying dandelions and complaining that it’s furry

izuku wandering what a twig tastes like so he just sucks on it like a lollipop.

inko gave up on stopping him because her son would just eat anything but his broccolis, and she’s very much tired of thinking if izuku would have an upset stomach. he never had.

first time mitsuki saw izuku do that, she forced him to drink cola and eat candy to cleanse his palette.

katsuki goads him on eating more.

izuku’s favourite is chewing on maple leaves. he’s just a weird boy.

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

OK BUT THE FINAL ONE ABOUT HIS ALL MIGHT POSTERS?? I HAVENT STOPPED LAUGHINGF

izuku wanting more all might figurines than posters. he only has some chemistry stuff (periodic table) on his wall, a little tapestry that matches inko’s, a canvas of monet’s water lilies (again, matching inko), and some cosmic facts that he bought online.

and yk katsuki sees those and thinks that it’s so weird that izuku has those posters but not all might?

his first thought was, “he doesn’t like all might as much as i do.”

the following one is, “he’s straight so he doesn’t want a guy’s face on his wall.”

katsuki’s mouth so happens to say the second one and the next week he visited izuku’s room again, each surface of the wall that is not taken by pinned insects and his frog-book stuff, plus his other existing non-hero posters, is covered in just all might posters.

he belatedly realizes that his own face is also on izuku’s wall, but that’s for later musings because for now he’s jealous that izuku managed to scourge the limited all might posters, but also is disgusted a bit because that’s too much all might.

katsuki walks out before his interest in all might plummets.

┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

ps to my beloved: ﹤୨♡୧﹥

GOBLIN I LOVE YOUR AUS ALL THE TIME AND IM SORRY FOR RESPONDING SO LATE! YOU ALWAYS MAKE ME SMILE AND I LOVE U!!!! you’re genuinely so precious pls dont stop your ramblings!!!!

[raineydays411]

The adventure continues

Bruce Banner x daughter! reader

Summary: It’s been about two weeks since you’ve been on Sakaar. You and Loki have been kissing the Grandmasters ass in order to stay in his favor. That’s when you see a familiar face.

A/n: Hello! So I finally found the energy to write this chapter lol sorry it took so long. Also, I’m not too sure how to spell Sakaar, soo if there are different spellings please ignore that 

You sigh as you sit next to Loki. It’s been about two weeks since you came to this planet. You haven’t even begun looking for your father. No, instead you and Loki have been running around kissing the Grandmasters ass. 

You found the man amusing, his chaotic energy was entertaining to say the least. But he had an air of danger to him. You tried to make sure to stay on his good side. Loki seemed to have the same idea as well. 

You and Loki have become significantly closer during your stay here. You never thought that you’d be so close to the God that tried to take over your planet, but here you were. Since your talk in the tailor's room, Loki has become increasingly overprotective over you. He was constantly by your side, glaring at anyone who dared to come up to you. Now as annoying as that sounds, he has gotten you out of some sticky situations. 

For example, there was this one time this alien tried to kidnap you, claiming that as a terran, you’d make him rich. Well before he was able to step even a foot away, Loki was there and almost ripped his arm off. The only thing that stopped him was the Grandmaster. He assured you and Loki that the kidnapper would be taken care of by his “Champion”. Whatever that meant.

That was another thing you tried to avoid on this planet. The Grandmaster’s fights. Something about the idea of sometimes innocent beings being forced to fight for others entertainment was wrong to you. And while to the rest of the population it was the norm, you just couldn’t stand the thought of watching these people slaughter each other.

Other than these few incidents, you and Loki have fit in pretty nicely. Loki was at ease with this crowd, charmingly talking to them and winning them over with his silver tongue. And you have made a name for yourself as well. You were known as one of the best storytellers in Sakaar. Of course, you usually told plots of the movies, plays, and books you memorized from Earth. But what they didn’t know won’t hurt them. But unlike Loki, you were getting restless. You wanted to find your father and go home. You miss Tony and Pepper, the way they were so sweet to each other, and the way Steve would ruffle your hair in the kitchen after his work outs. You wondered of they were worried about you as  you have been missing for two weeks now. 

Lost in thought, you didn’t notice a familiar face who was strapped down in a chair. However, you did notice when Loki went tense next to you. Looking up at him you raised an eyebrow, silently asking if he was okay.

“I’m fine”, he said quickly, “Darling, it seems as if the Grandmaster will be inviting us to watch the newest competition, perhaps you’d want to make yourself scarce before he comes.” 

You smile, appreciating the warning and stood up excusing yourself. You thought you heard someone call for Loki, but brushed it off as he was very popular among this crowd. You made your way to your room, desperate for some peace and quiet. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Loki lets out a relieved sigh, knowing that if you saw Thor in that chair, you would have made a rash decision and ruin all the plans you both had made.

He stands up, excusing himself from the small group that formed around him. He rushes to Thor, shushing him.

“What?!” ,Thor asks confused on why Loki was shushing him. 

“You’re alive?”, Loki says, in a hushed tone. Thor looks up at him as much as he could, the chair restricting his movements. 

“Of course I’m alive!”, He shouts quietly

“What are you doing here?”

“What to you mean what am I doing here?!” ,Thor says exasperatedly, “ I’m stuck in this stupid chair! Where’s your chair?”

“I didn’t get a chair”

“Then get me out of this one!”

“I can’t”

The two brothers were so caught up in their silent bickering, they didn’t notice the Grandmaster appear right next to them.

“What are you whispering about?”

The two jumped apart. 

“Time works differently around these parts.”, He says, “Anywhere else I would be like millions of years old but here in Sakaar I’m like...”

He trails off, leaving an awkward silence. He smiles and glances at Loki as if he was waiting for him to say something. Loki laughs nervously, looking from Thor to the Grandmaster. Thor looked in between the two totally confused on what was happening. 

Seeing he wasn’t going to get an answer, the Grandmaster continued, 

“ In any case, you know this uh, um”, he turns to Thor, “ You call yourself the ‘Lord of Thunder?”

“God of Thunder” ,Thor corrects, he gestures at Loki, “Tell him”

“I have never seen this man in my life.” 

“He’s my brother!” ,Thor shouts getting frustrated.

“Adopted.”

The Grandmaster looks at Loki, “ Is he any kind of fighter?”

“You take this thing out of my neck and you’ll find out.” 

The Grandmaster laughs in amusement, as if Thor told him a joke instead of threating him. 

“Hey Sparkles, here’s the deal, anyone who defeats my champion shall win their freedom.” 

As the Grandmaster and Thor had their conversation, Loki’s mind was racing. He had a plan. A plan to overthrow the Grandmaster and (reluctantly) help you find your father, even though he doesn’t know who your father is. He already adjusted the plan when you arrived, and now Thor. He has to keep both you and him in the Grandmasters favor. 

He’s snapped out of his thoughts when he hears Thor call his name once more. He turns to see him being carted away on the chair he was bound to. He smiles at the Grandmaster and excuses himself, forcing himself to mingle once more and not rush off to find you. After a while, he manages to sneak away from the crowds and go back to his room. He finds the room where all the gladiators are being held and makes a clone, stepping into the prison. He sees Thor, saying a prayer for Odin as they were not able to give him a proper burial. He joins in, seeing Thor tense up at his voice. 

“It hurts doesn’t it...being told you are one thing only to find out that it was a lie.”

Then Thor turned and sat indignantly, refusing to acknowledge Loki.

“I couldn’t jeopardize our position with the Grandmaster. It took time for us to win his trust. He’s a lunatic, but he can be amenable.” 

ping. Thor throws another pebble at Loki. Loki sighs, knowing that it was going to be useless talking to him at the moment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You sat in your room, listening to music on your phone. You may not have any cell service, but surprisingly, this planet has great Wi-Fi. 

You’re writing in a journal you found in the bag Strange gave you. Ever since that first day you arrived at Sakaar, you have been journaling your experiences, thoughts, and feelings in this journal. You also have been writing down methods you could use to find your dad.

You were so lost in the music and your writings that you didn’t notice Loki walk into your room. He saw that you weren’t paying attention and decided to scare you. 

He crept quietly, making sure to make no sudden movements that would catch your eye. But before he could actually scare you, you spoke up. 

“Don’t even think about it Loki.”

“How did you know it was me?” ,He asked, surprised at your reflexes. 

“I can smell your hair gel from outside the door.” You say, rolling over to look at him and removing your earbuds. You laugh at the offended look on his face. 

You both chuckle and then Loki’s face turns serious. 

“Y/n, we have a problem.” 

At those words, your heart begins to race. You worry that the Grandmaster has lost trust in the both of you, or he has become suspicious of you both. 

“What’s wrong?”, You ask, chewing on your lip in anxiety. 

“It seems that Thor has found his way on Sakaar.” 

You breath a sigh if relief, “ Oh, is that it? That’s fine, we can just get him on board and adjust out plan--”

“No, we can’t.”, Loki interrupts.

You squint in confusion, “Why not?”

“It seems that the oaf has gotten himself captured and forced into the gladiator fights.”

You gasp and quickly stand up, “We have to help him! He could be killed!”

“Calm down”, Loki says, resting his hands on your shoulders, “ Thor is far stronger than you believe. He will be able to handle himself. What we need to do for now is to keep our heads, and stick to the plan.”

“Stick to the plan?! Loki, we can’t just leave Thor on his own!”

Loki sighs, “ It’ll be better in the long run. If the Grandmaster suspects mutiny, we can both be killed or forced to fight as well.”

You stay silent, taking in the words that Loki is telling you. 

“Alright.” ,You agree, disappointed you couldn’t do anything to help Thor.

“That’s a good girl.” Loki says, patting your head. He turns to walk out of the room, “ Come along, we mustn’t give the Grandmaster any suspicions.”

You roll your eyes, hiding your phone and journal in your bag. Following Loki down the hallways, you sigh. You miss home. You miss your dad, And you feel completely useless. 

“Darling”, Loki whispers, “Now, I know you don’t like the idea...but perhaps you should make an appearance at the fights”

Your eyes widen at the suggestion, but before you speak Loki continues. 

“ I won’t force you, but just know that the Grandmaster is incredibly proud of his champion, and you seeing it would be more points toward you.”

You nod. You’d have to go eventually. Might as well get it over with. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You and Loki arrive to the arena late. You didn’t miss much except for the opening act. You hear the roaring of the large crowd, thirsty for blood and carnage. It churns your stomach. 

Then the Grandmaster appears in hologram. You don’t really pay attention, you just force yourself to relax. You know that if Thor is fighting then he’ll be okay. But the thought of watching a friend murder another living being that is most likely innocent makes bile rise in your throat. 

You’ve never been a person who likes violence. Violence meant that you and your dad had to move again, violence meant that you would be left alone.

Despite this, Tony made sure that you knew how to defend yourself if you had to. You trained with Natasha at first but...it didn’t go so well. So you started training with Steve and Bucky. You learned quickly but hardly ever used your training. Mainly for stress relief or a good work out.

But here on Sakaar, you had to be on guard all the time. It was exhausting. You couldn’t imagine what it would be like if Loki wasn’t here. Surely without him you would be dead. 

You zone back in, hearing the Grandmaster introduce the first contender. 

“Ladies and gentlemen...I give you...Lord of Thunder. Watch out for his fingers, they sparkle.”

To your surprise, Thor walks out from his waiting area, the crowd booing as he enters. He was wearing different armor and most noticeably, his hair was cut. He had red markings going down the side of his face. 

“Jeez, now I remember why I had a small crush on him back in the day” you mutter to yourself. Loki looks at you in disgust and disappointment. You avoid his gaze, looking intensely at the arena. 

“Okay! Lets get ready to welcome this guy” 

The crowd cheers, getting excited for the next contender. The grandmaster rubs his hands together.

“Here he comes” 

a boom goes off and green smoke fills the air. The crowd applauds and cheers as they burst. 

“He is a creature. What can we say about him", 

Rumbling shakes the ground as the arena is lifted. Your chest fills with anxiety, this champion must be big if they have to lift the arena. You turn to Loki, seeing his face light up with a mix of emotions. 

“Well hes unique. There’s none like him” 

The rumbling continues as the area is still being lifted. 

“I feel a very special connection to him.” 

You see Thor prepare to fight, putting on a helmet. Concern fills your heart and the audiences cheers fill your ears. 

“Hes undefeated.” 

Loki’s words fill your head. Reminding you that Thor is a god. He’ll be okay.

“He’s reigning”

You settle down, trying to reign in your anxiety.

“He’s the defending.”

 Loki looks at you and smiles, brushing a curl out of your face and patting your cheek. You instantly feel better, knowing that someone is there for you.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I give you” 

“This guy really knows how to build suspense.” You whisper to Loki, who snorts into the drink he has. You both quiet down as the champions doors finally start to open.

“Your Incredible...” 

A roar fills the arena. A roar that makes your blood grow cold and your breath stop.

“HULK”

And there, bursting out of his holding area, was the Hulk. Dressed in gladiator armor, holding an axe and club in both hands. The crowd goes wild, cheering loudly at the sight of their champion. 

Your father, who has been missing for four years, was the Grandmasters champion.

“I have to get off this planet.” Loki says, pale at the memory of what the Hulk is capable of. He pulls you up from the couch, you lax with the shock, an rushes to leave.

“Hey, hey, hey where are you two going.” The Grandmaster intercepts the two of you guiding you both back to the seats. 

“Is she okay? She looks like she’s about to be sick” The grandmaster says, scooting away from you like you were contagious. Loki looks at you in concern and asks if you are okay. 

But you could barely hear him. You didn’t hear anything. You were just focused on the arena. Finally seeing the man who you were looking for.

[krispytidalwavesheep]

Hopes and Dreams IV

Thanks for your continious support! I will try to update at least once a day every day, and in case I won’T be able to write much I already prepared some more chapters. After this chapter, I will try and reveal more of readers backround, bit by bit. Heisenberg and the other Lords will have a bigger role in the long run too. But I don’t want to spoil anything just yet :) Constructive criticism is always welcome, by the way. Only then I can learn to get better at writing! ***

You woke up to a knock on your door and groaned. It was way to early to be awake, if your sluggish mind was anything to go by, but you still managed to mumble an “Enter” to the person standing in front of your door. A part of you was rather disappointed when it wasn’t the lady of the castle, but the daughter you recognized as Bela.

“Mother awaits you for breakfast in 10 minutes. I have brought you a change of clothing too, but you better hurry. The way to the dining room is rather long, and mother doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

“Thank you. I won’t be long.” You smiled and grabbed the clothes Bela handed to you. You were glad that she handed you a simple tunic and simple pants since you wouldn’t be comfortable to fight in a dress. Or wear a dress altogether. Even though you still felt kind of weird about your dream, you also felt kind of giddy at the prospect to fight the lady’s daughters.

“I’m ready!” you said smiling when you left your chambers. Bela gave you a small smile in return and motioned for you to follow her. You easily fell into step beside her and looked at your surroundings. The whole design of the castle practically screamed Lady Dimitrescu and you honestly liked how the place was designed. It was fitting.

“My sisters and I will show you around soon. Cassandra is needed elsewhere today, and Daniela is stronger than me, so it was decided that you would go one on one for now.” She said by way of explanation and you nodded. You were pretty sure that Daniela wanted to fight you by herself because she felt humiliated from yesterday. Anyway, you still had the chance to impress the lady of the castle and that was more important.

“I am very impressed if I am honest. Not only did you sense Daniela as soon as she decided to attack, but you managed to pin her down as if it was nothing. She was practically fuming when she announced your presence yesterday.”

“She isn’t the first vampire that I have fought. Which doesn’t mean that I will underestimate her. The element of surprise was certainly on my side yesterday.” You said, deep in thought. You were confident that you could overpower her, but the fact that she could turn into a swarm of insects certainly gave her an advantage.

“Mother told us as much yesterday. I would really like to hear more about your travels when the opportunity arises. Life in the castle is good, but sometimes I find that I miss the outside world, at least a little bit.” Bela said and opened the door to the dining room. Your eyes found those of the lady immediately, and you smiled at her. The dream came back to the forefront of your mind, but you decided to postpone your musing in favor of greeting her with a little bow.

“My, my, aren’t we charming today.” She purred and you felt the temperature in your face rise a bit. That voice was sinful, and you briefly wondered what it would sound like moaning your name. ‘Woah there,’ you thought and shook your head. Where did that thought come from?

“I have a little gift for you, my dear. Come closer, will you?” she said and pulled something from under the table. She gently placed the item in your hands and said, “It’s a pendant with the Dimitrescu crest. You are required to always wear it, since it offers certain protection in these parts. Pesky Lycans won’t bother you anymore too.”

“At least invite me to dinner first,” you winked which made Bela laugh and Lady Dimitrescu sigh exasperatedly.

“I appreciate the gesture, my lady. Thank you,” you said and bowed again, which made Bela laugh even more. You shot her a wink too before you sat down on the chair to the lady’s left. Just as you wanted to say something, the doors flew open and Daniela entered the room, glaring at you. You gave her the sweetest smile you were able to give and wished her a good morning. To your amusement you noticed Lady Dimitrescu hiding a chuckle between her hand which made you puff out your chest a little bit.

“Good morning, mother, Bela. And good morning too you to, little guard dog.” Daniela said, giving you a nasty smile but you just started laughing.

“Daniela, what did I tell you about manners in front of our guests?” Lady Dimitrescu hissed, ignoring your laughter in favor of glaring at her troublemaker of a child.

“Sorry mother…” Daniela mumbled and turned towards you, “Sorry for calling you a guard dog.”

“It’s okay. A little teasing before sparring is nice, and I don’t really mind the nickname.” You said and gave her a genuine smile. Daniela just nodded and took a seat so that you could start on breakfast.

***

“Don’t go easy on me, alright?” you smile while stretching a bit to get your muscles working. Daniela growled something undoubtedly rude, but you let it slide. What made you gulp though was when Daniela charged at you with inhuman speed, stopping right by your ear.

“Tell you what. If you win, I’ll show you a little secret the next time Mother is away.”

“And what if you win?”

“Suggest something.”

“I can bake mad cookies, tailored to the palate of vampiric creatures.” You said, intending it to be a joke. But Daniela’s eyes glittered at the word cookie and you huffed out a laugh.

“Deal!” she said, shaking your hand and taking a stance a few feet away from you.

“Whenever you’re ready bugaboo!” You said with a wink which made Daniela bristle and Bela and Lady Dimitrescu laugh. Bela handed each of you a wooden weapon, a knife for you and a sickle for Daniela and you took the same stance as Daniela.

Both of you circled each other warily, but soon enough Daniela made her first move, which you easily deflected. You silently analyzed each other, always circling, until you decided it was high time you made your first move. Daniela was confident in the way she held herself and her weapon of choice. She was an experienced fighter, but she was also impatient, so you should have an opening soon. You ducked under a swing and tried to ram the hilt of your knife in her shoulder, but she turned into that damn swarm of bugs, evading your attack.

“Is that all that you can do?” she asked, rematerializing a few feet away. You just smiled at her and resumed your attempts to get to her. You started analyzing her movements and the bugs behavior when you got a sudden idea. What if they had a hivemind? That would mean that there was a queen bug somewhere in there. You continuously attacked her, looking for strange behavior and soon enough you found what you were looking for. There was indeed one bug that was bigger and always surrounded by a swarm of other bugs.

When Daniela saw your triumphant grin, it was already too late. As gently as you could you grabbed the bug queen and Daniela was on the floor, not able to move. You gently released the bug and Daniela gasped for air. Kneeling in front of her you offered her your hand and to the surprise of everyone in attendance she took it, giving you the first genuine smile.

“Sorry if I hurt you, bugaboo. I’ll still make you those cookies if you want to.”

“It’s okay. I’m honestly impressed that you got it so fast, and by the looks mother is giving you, she is too.”

Almost against your will you turned towards Lady Dimitrescu and sure enough, she was smiling at you. The two of you made your way to where she was sitting, Daniela shoving you playfully and saying, “Next time I will get you though, little guard dog.”

“Hah, I’d like to see you try. I can sense your intentions a mile away!”

“It is good to see that you get along so well, seeing as you two have the same chaotic energy.” Lady Dimitrescu smiled gently.

“I like her!” you both said in unison and started laughing. It honestly made you fell all warm and giddy inside. That weird feeling of being right where you were supposed to be only grew with that interaction and you decided to embrace it, for however long it took. When you looked at Lady Dimitrescu you could see a gentle affection in her eyes, and it made you feel all sorts of good things.

“Let us go inside for some tea. I feel quite thirsty,” Lady Dimitrescu said and stood, but before you could follow her you got stopped by Bela’s hand on your arm.

“Everything alright?” you ask cautiously but Bela just smiled and said, “Thank you.”

“What for?”

“It has been a long time since I have seen Mama smile so much. Please try not to get yourself killed, okay?” Bela said. That last part seemed a bit odd and with a thoughtful frown you followed her inside. You felt like you were missing something from the bigger picture here. First, the weird familiarity you felt towards Lady Dimitrescu, then the weird dream with the girl who looked so much like you and now that statement from Bela, that somehow left a weird feeling behind.  Something was going on and you really hated not knowing what exactly. Without realizing you gently grabbed the pendant around your neck and started to caress it gently.

***

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[shreddedparchment]

A Wife for Thor Pt.15

Stressed

01/16/2021

Pairing: King!Thor x Reader          Word Count: 5,747

Warnings: angst, jealousy, anxiety, talks of pregnancy, conception troubles

A/N: I’m sorry this came so late and that it’s taking me time to get these out. I’m writing very slowly right now and I only have my brain to blame. I’m finding it so hard to focus right now and I’m not sure why. I’ve gotten away from my usual habit of writing when I wake up and before I go to sleep. Hopefully, I’ll get back to normal soon. I hope y’all like (hate?) this chapter! Things will start to get tough from here on out. I hope y’all will stick with me through it. xoxo

“Well, I’ve got to get back to my girls. Some of them have taken to sneaking out at night in an attempt to earn their wings. If I catch them, I get to make them do whatever I want and I’m not going to lie, it’s the best part of my day.”

Hilde smiles at you, and you try to give her a returning social exchange with the same energy but your mind and eyes keep drifting back to the astronomer across the room currently chatting with Bruce and Tony animatedly about something scientific that you don’t understand.

“Are you seriously stressing about her?” Hilde asks, exasperated with you already.

“No,” you answer with your feathers obviously ruffled. “I’m not.”

Hilde clearly doesn’t believe you as she skews her lips and tilts her head.

“I’m not!”

You say it too loudly and the trio on the other side of the table turn to look at you.

“Not what?” Tony asks, brow furrowed a little with curiosity.

“She’s not tired,” Hilde covers. “How about a tour from Her Majesty?”

“Uh, yeah, I can give you all a tour of the palace. It’s really big.”

“No,” Tony shakes his head. “No tour for me. As fun as following you around while you brag about how much bigger your house is than mine sounds, I just spent weeks in the trenches and I’m going to try and get some sleep or Pepper will ground me and won’t let me come out and play. So, I think, good night?”

“Right. Of course, yeah. Estrid?” You call out to the two large open doors.

“Yes, Your Majesty?” Estrid hurries into view, giving you a quick curtsy before standing with her hands at her front.

“Can you show Mr. Stark-”

“Really?” he asks, incredulous.

“Sorry, habit,” you laugh nervously. “Can you show Tony to his room, please? And Bruce?”

“Uh, yeah. I’d love some sleep,” he nods, rubbing his chest with one hand in slow circles.

“And Bruce as well,” you nod to Estrid who gives you another curtsy.

They all begin to stand, shoving their chairs back in under the table and taking a last drink.

“And…” with odd trepidation, you look at your husband’s very recent former lover and try not to feel too overwhelmed. “Jane?”

“No, actually I was hoping I could speak with you?”

She takes a step towards you, hands pulled to her front as she fidgets with the tips of her fingers for a second then drops them at her sides.

“Oh, yeah. Sure. Thank you, Estrid. When you’ve escorted the gentlemen to their rooms, come find me so that you can show Jane hers when she’s ready.”

“Very good, Your Majesty,” Estrid nods, another curtsy before she turns to Bruce and Tony who now look nervous too as they give you and then Jane inquisitive looks. “This way, gentlemen.”

As Estrid disappears into the hallway, Tony and Bruce follow slowly leaving you, Hilde, and Jane to stand awkwardly in the smaller of the two dining rooms in the palace.

“Should I stay?” Hilde wonders, inching a little closer to you and reaching out to grab your elbow.

“Hm? No. It’s okay. But if you’re going-?”

“Your Majesty,” Heimdall’s warm voice fills the space strangely washing over you with a soothing calm.

Something about Heimdall always makes you feel at ease and the night suddenly seems very bearable.

“Heimdall will be taking over your care until Thor returns, is that alright?” Hilde checks, sounding genuinely worried.

“Will I do, Your Majesty?” Heimdall asks, his voice a gentle teasing.

“Of course, Heimdall!” your huff of a laugh pulls from him a gentle chuckle and he moves around towards you to draw your hand up to his lips.

It’s a genuine sign of respect and it warms your heart.

“Alright, well, I’m off. I will see you tomorrow, Your Majesty. Jane.” Hilde gives her a nod and quickly slides from the room eager to catch her troops out of bed.

Heimdall makes his way towards Jane and as she turns to him, she smiles wide, “Heimdall, it’s so nice to see you again.”

“Jane Foster,” he says her name in full though it doesn’t sound as if he’s being formal.

In fact, they sound pretty close.

“It has been quite a while.” They hug and your heart gives a strange uncertain clench. “How are you?”

“I’m good, all things considered,” Jane says.

All things considered? What things considered?

“Yes, well…” Heimdall leaves his words hanging there, full of meaning that you don’t understand and suddenly the warmth his greeting had left you with is gone and in its place is a sense of intrusion.

Jane was the Queen they had all been expecting. Suddenly feeling dismal, you turn away from their reunion to fill up your fancy silver cup with wine and take a nice long drink.

Without turning back around to look at her because in the moment you can’t really bear it, you address her and hope that your voice doesn’t give you away.

“What was it that you wanted to speak to me about, Jane?”

Hopefully it has nothing to do with Thor or you might just lose your head a little. While a part of you would very much like to bury the hatchet and put everything that happened with her and Thor in the past behind you, in this moment, the last thing you want to do is talk about how she is or was the love of his life.

That you know, right?

This is all so fucked.

“I was actually just wondering if you had a space that I could set up my equipment? Somewhere with clear access to the sky is preferable, and lots of space? I’ll need to set up my equipment to show Thor--and yourself what I’ve been seeing the last few months.”

You can hear it in her voice that she added you as an afterthought. She came to show Thor. To see him?

You hate this sudden insecurity growing inside of you, this second guessing that didn’t even exist until she walked into your home tonight.

Are you thinking too much? Is this wrong of you? Thor is your husband. He loves you. He says it every day. Several times a day because he knows you need to hear it. He physically shows you, also several times a day if he can. Just today, in the hallway downstairs…

“Your Majesty?” Heimdall prompts, pulling you from your thoughts.

You dismiss his concern without acknowledging it because it’s in his all-seeing eyes. Instead, you focus on Jane.

“I have the perfect space. It’s a bit of a walk. I mean, it’s still on palace grounds, just a bit further up the hill behind us. But it’s an observation tower Loki was having built probably for this exact reason.”

“Perfect,” she smiles, then moves to her chair to pick up a large brown bag you hadn’t noticed she’d brought in here with her. “After you?”

Heimdall follows behind the two of you and Jane follows a step behind as you lead her out of the palace back entrance which is hidden behind a smaller room behind the throne room.

The night is chilly and you wrap your arms around yourself and regret the shorter choice of dress.

Jane also seems to shiver for a moment but her own clothes are more tailored to the weather outside than yours is. Her shiver passes.

“Do you enjoy living here?” she asks.

For a moment you don’t realize she’s talking to you, then when no one else answers, you start and quickly clear your throat.

“Yes, I do. I mean, it’s cold a lot. I’ll be glad when Summer’s here. Spring is also kind of on the chillier side.”

“Yeah,” she smiles, as if she’s been here often.

The silence after her affirmation grows tense and your heart begins to pound as your mind goes into a flurry of what she might have gotten up to here in New Asgard before you’d come into the picture.

Warmth suddenly envelops you and you turn to look at Heimdall as he places his dark cloak over your shoulders.

“Thank you, Heimdall,” you gasp, reaching up to pull the cloak around yourself more tightly.

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Heimdall nods, “It’s my honor.”

The terrain suddenly grows more rugged and Heimdall is quick to offer you his arm as you adjust your steps to accommodate the rockier path.

You make a mental note to have this pathway fixed. Smoothed out and maybe even given a railing as it gets steeper.

The only thing you can hear is the sound of three pairs of feet trudging along shifting stone and dirt then a softer step as the hill evens out a bit more and becomes covered in grass.

When you don’t have to look down at where you’re stepping anymore, you look up at the tower that looms ahead.

The base is made of heavy stone, each placed with precision and reinforced with steel supports. Wooden beams line each of the corners, decorated with carved images of what you can only assume are Asgardian moments in history.

When you’d come to see its progress at the beginning of its creation, you’d recognized the images of Thor and Odin in battle just above the beam that lines the doorway.

The rest of the tower is a mix of wood, stone, and iron. The aesthetic is very much like the palace, Asgardian curves and shapes fit into more modern Norse lines.

The three of you stop as you reach it and Heimdall hurries forward to throw the large door open.

As you step through, you see that the inside of the tower has not changed much since the last time you came to inspect it.

The bottom floor is a large empty room with only a fireplace against the back wall, exposed rafters up above before the height is cut short by the ceiling.

“Wow,” Jane does sound impressed, “This is great. Is there a-?”

“Upstairs,” you point towards the staircase to the right that rises up around the side of the room. “There’s another room, smaller, but it has a lot of balcony space.”

“Great! Thanks,” she sighs with relief as if she really didn’t expect you to give her some space to work, then heads towards the staircase.

“Um, there’s no furniture in here yet. I’ll have someone bring you some tables and chairs, is there anything more specific that you need?”

Jane stops at the foot of the stairs then turns to look at you and then the space of the bottom floor.

“Would it be possible to get a bed in here? You’re right, and it is a long way from the palace. I’m gonna be in here probably all the time so…?”

You know that she isn’t asking for the impossible or anything out of the question, but suddenly the idea of making this tower her little space has a whole other life playing out in your head.

A life where you had married Thor and he had been unable to give up Jane. A life of her living here at the palace with you in her own space where Thor can come and be with her in private away from prying eyes while still giving the appearance of being with you, his Queen in name only.

“Your Majesty?” Heimdall prompts you quietly, reaching out to touch your elbow again and pull you from the pain and panic you’re trying to hide.

You force a smile, a small shake of your head, “Yes, of course. Sorry, I’ve had a busy day. I’ll have them bring you everything you need within the hour.”

“Thank you. Once I have everything set up I’ll make sure to show you what I’ve found and then Thor can um, plan for what might come?”

“Of course,” you agree, eager to get the hell out of here and back to your room where you can fall apart in private. “Now, I hope you’ll excuse my bad hosting skills, but I really am super tired and I think I’m going to turn in a little early.”

“Oh, yeah, sure! No problem at all,” Jane smiles, “Thank you for all your help. And dinner! Dinner was so good. Thanks.”

“My pleasure. I’ll let Cook know,” you nod, hoping that your smile isn’t too tense for the moment. “Good night.”

“Night!”

You’re almost grateful for the cold night air as it bites the skin of your cheeks. Anything is better than the stress you just felt in that tower.

You hear the heavy door of the tower close behind you, then Heimdall’s footsteps join your own though your heavy breathing is alone as he walks calmly beside you.

“Are you alright, Y/N?” Heimdall wonders, gentle and honestly concerned.

“I’m fine,” You lie.

“Does having Jane Foster here bother you? There is no need for you to worry. I have seen Thor be with many women-”

“Oh, my God,” and you can’t help but huff a laugh. “Not helping, Heimdall.”

“-and I have never seen him be with anyone the way he is with you. It’s more than just love. It's a partnership. Companionship. It’s friendship. Trust. After their initial reconnection, Thor’s trust in Jane and their courtship dwindled and as you know, by the end, it was completely gone.”

“So, what you’re saying is he’s so sure that I love him that he has no reason to worry?”

Which is true, you do and he has no reason to worry about you not loving him or falling for someone else at this point. You can’t even imagine being with anyone the way you’ve been with Thor.

“He’s not afraid to lose me?” You hate giving into these thoughts.

Honestly though, talking about them to someone will help you sleep tonight. Maybe.

“Yes,” Heimdall agrees. “And no. Even now, this very moment, all he can think of is you.”

You stop walking, stunned by his words because you’ve never asked him to look for you. You’ve heard Thor ask him to see things before, to search, and Heimdall always has. It had never crossed your mind to do the same.

Then again, this is the first time you and Thor have been apart since before you were married.

“What-You can see him?” Heimdall looks down at your feet, focuses what must be his mental eyes, and then slowly nods.

“He’s distressed at leaving you here alone, he’s finding it hard to focus on what Fandral is telling him and Fandral is growing more and more upset.”

You smile, completely absorbed by this information.

“Did he ever ask you to look for her? For Jane?”

Your words are quiet, hesitant, though your heart feels slightly more at ease by Heimdall’s reassurance.

“In the very beginning of their courtship, just after he left Earth and the bifrost was destroyed. Their love was new then. It was short-lived. Then Thor came back to Earth and they were able to be together, for a time.

“But their compatibility has always had its trials. After some time together, Thor was called back to the Universe and Jane had her own work to do. Their responsibilities have always pulled them apart and if I’m honest, Thor is the more hopeless romantic between them.”

You think about all of the small things that Thor has done for you since you came back home. The flowers, the baths, surprise dinners, the small presents hidden under your pillow or in drawers he knows you’ll get into. He’s done a lot more to show you he’s thinking about you during the day than you have and you can understand what Heimdall is saying.

You’re not so much a gift giver in love it seems, and instead give him all of the affection he’d seemed so starved for in the beginning.

“Her being here will not damage your marriage. Trust me.” Heimdall finishes.

You lead the walk again, moving slower but calmer after Heimdall’s reassurance.

“Will you come back up and check that Jane gets everything she needs? We really should have had the tower set up a long time ago.”

“As soon as I am certain you are in your quarters safe, with a guard outside your door, yes. I can ensure that she has everything that she requires.”

For a few minutes you walk in silence, at ease. When you reach the back doors of the palace however and he holds the doors open for you, you turn to Heimdall and after a quick bite to your lip, “Is he still with Fandral?”

Heimdall smiles and nods, “Fandral is yelling at him for not paying attention.”

Both of you laugh.

~~~~~~~~~~

It’s so early when you wake. It’s still dark outside and you’re almost sure that sunrise is still a few hours away.

You’re exhausted. Eyes burning as you push yourself up and the night plays itself over.

So suddenly you’re anxious again, nerves making your fingertips tingle and your stomach do an uncomfortable flip as you turn over onto your back to look at Thor’s side of the bed.

It’s undisturbed. Both pillows are still in their made up position.

He said he’d be back very late at night, early morning at the latest. You’d been hoping for the former.

With a groan, you sit up, sliding slowly down to the end of the bed and the bench where Thor sits to put his boots on.

You’re so groggy. The night was restless and you’ve really only gotten about an hour of sleep. Two at the most.

It’s stuffy in the room, the fire still burning and leaving you a little sticky from being huddled underneath a heavy blanket because you’d missed the weight of Thor’s arms all night.

The large glass doors across from you rattle from the wintry breeze outside, beckoning you forward for relief from this heat.

As you step on the floor, your body is rocked with a shiver that pushes you up onto your toes. As fancy as this palace is, you’ll have to ask Thor if it’s possible to get some heated floors installed.

Moving as quickly as you can, you don’t stop until you’re at the doors and then thrust them open and absolutely inhale the frigid late night air.

You scan the distant ocean as it spreads into the horizon, the sky it touches still an inky black with a breathtaking scattering of stars.

You can hear the Valkyrie below in their barracks and training grounds already working hard to get into shape. Hilde must have really caught them sneaking out.

Heimdall should be waiting close by. You really want to see if he has news about Thor’s schedule and if maybe he’s on his way home and just running late.

As you turn to walk back into the room, you freeze as your eyes scan the tower you’d set Jane up in.

From this angle you have a clear view of the balcony. She’s already set up her equipment. You didn’t know that you could see this well into the tower.

It’s all lit up like a beacon in the dark.

It’s an unpleasant reminder that she’s here and you make a mental note to keep the curtains drawn when you know she’s up there. Which you realize that unfortunately, will probably mean all the time.

Sighing, you move towards the door but then freeze again as Thor moves from the balcony doorway towards a large telescope attached to what looks like heavily modified computers.

He’s still in uniform, smiling. Behind him, Jane follows, arms wrapped around herself before she stops too close to Thor for your liking.

She rushes around him and looks through the eyepiece. You can see her talking away, mouth moving at the speed of light as she explains something to him, her hands flying around her as she talks, apparently the cold is forgotten.

She pulls away from the telescope as Thor chuckles then moves back inside out of sight as Thor sidles up to the eyepiece but doesn’t touch it yet.

The telescope moves, clearly Jane adjusting it from inside where she must have set up her computer equipment.

Thor takes a step back then the telescope stops and Jane flutters back out onto the balcony and gestures for Thor to look through.

He does, Jane moves in beside him, saying something that must be a whisper if she’s standing that close. He says something back.

The two of them having a pleasant conversation.

The clench in your chest feels choking.

Thor pulls back from the eyepiece and turns to look at her.

He’s too far away for you to see his expression, too small. But their faces are so close and he doesn’t pull away.

You sink back into your room, terrified to see something that will ruin the perfect bliss you’ve been in these first three months of your marriage.

Not that it isn’t already ruined. You’ve been a mess since Jane showed her face and now with what you just saw, how can you feel anything but lousy?

You don’t do what you want to do. You don’t slink back into bed and hide under the covers to wallow.

Instead you move to your closet and look for a dignified dress. Something that you can wear that will scream Queen of New Asgard but also be relaxed enough for you to work in.

You choose something with a simple cut. Long sleeves, a deep V in the front, with a loose flowing skirt but a tight bodice to match the equally tight sleeves. The color is an iridescent black that shimmers in teal and startling pink.

The color reminds you of the northern lights with a splash of the hazy pink in the orion nebula. It’s beautiful and otherworldly, and it screams Queen of Asgard in casual formal.

With the dress you move back into the room and hang it on the small stand in front of the full length mirror by your vanity before grabbing some new underwear and moving into the bath.

You ignore the large tub you and Thor have spent hours upon hours in and quickly shower instead. You emerge fresh and clean, though not exactly refreshed.

You’re stepping out of the shower when your bedroom doors open and you freeze, staring at them as they swing forward with your hands pressed to the top of your towel holding it shut.

Your heart drops when Estrid smiles prettily at you, turning around to close the doors as she greets you.

“Good morning, Your Majesty, did you sleep well?” She moves straight for your vanity to pull out the brush, pins, and makeup she usually uses on you in the morning.

She’s in here much earlier than normal and she can’t have gotten that much sleep herself. She’s so attuned to you now that you’re worried for her but also grateful.

“Good morning, Estrid,” you reply, refusing to answer her question because she’d only worry. “Did Ms. Foster get all of the things she needed in the tower?”

“Yes, m’am. Heimdall made sure that she had everything she would need for her research before he retired to stand guard at your door.”

You have an endless stream of questions about Thor in your head, things you want to ask Estrid but you bite your tongue as Estrid helps you on with your dress then sits you down at your vanity to dry your hair and work on today’s set of braids.

Time passes as she works. Time that feels like seconds to you as your mind works hard to try and reassure your heart that you have nothing to worry about, and yet, it still aches.

“You’re very quiet this morning, Your Majesty,” she observes.

“Yeah. I don’t really feel like talking unless I have to.”

“Very well, Your Majesty,” she accepts, but then after a few minutes of silence. “Are you not feeling well? Shall I send for the doctor?”

“No, Estrid. I’m not sick. I’m-shit, what’s the date today?”

Reaching around, you look for your phone to check the date.

“‘Tis the fifteenth, Your Majesty,” Estrid informs you.

“Did you forget about me already?” A deep smooth voice slides in from your doorway and you turn in search of the comfort the tone gives you.

“David!”

On your feet and across the room, David greets you with open arms. A small firm hug is what he gives you before kissing the side of your head and then pushing you back to look at you.

His eyes linger on your stomach for a moment before he frowns playfully.

“Nothing yet? I guess we’ll find out today if we’re to expect anything in the next month.”

“No pressure,” you reply sarcastically.

David chuckles, his fancy four piece navy suit a display of his busy nature. As much as he wants to visit, you know that he’s busier now with so many people wanting his services. The prestige of being the Queen of New Asgard’s lawyer has brought him a windfall.

Not that he needs it, but he appreciates the work.

“I did forget we had a testing today. Something happened yesterday.”

Your voice filters into a whisper at the end, though you’re not even aware of it.

David matches your energy, though he doesn’t whisper, he recognizes your stress and concern saturates his entire person.

“What’s happened?”

“I-” You look towards Estrid, and she’s so good that she’s cleaning your vanity, ignoring your conversation as best she can, but still. “Estrid, were you finished with my hair?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” she turns to you and smiles. “Will you be needing anything else? Breakfast in the breakfast room?”

“Are you hungry, David?”

“No, I’m not. Thank you.”

“No breakfast, Estrid. Thank you. When the doctor arrives, can you show him in?”

Estrid curtsies, and without another word, she leaves you and David in the room.

“You look beautiful today, by the way,” David tells you as he moves towards the small table in the corner to sit but waits for you to reach your chair first to pull it out for you.

“Thanks, I chose it very carefully,” you admit. “Does it make me look like a real Queen?”

“You are a real Queen,” David assures you, then cocks his head as he registers your stress again. “What happened last night?”

You sigh heavily, using your nails to pick at the woodgrain of the table, shoulders slouched a little as you deflate.

“Jane showed up with Tony and Bruce,” you reveal, a shaky breath accompanying your desperate information.

“Oh? At Thor’s invitation?” David wonders, which honestly sobers you up a little from your depression.

“No. I don’t think so. I mean, Tony and Bruce were supposed to come to install a security system for the palace and I guess maybe she just tagged along?”

“And you are upset that your husband’s former lover has forced her way into your new home.”

It’s not a question. David has always been very observant and he sucks for it. Jerk.

“Well...yeah. But that’s not why-”

“Something else happened?”

David leans towards you and places his hand over yours, a soft knowing look on your surrogate father’s face.

With a quick little sigh you tell him about your stress over not getting pregnant and the pressures from the ambassadors to do that before more time goes by to secure the ties between the Asgardians to Earth. You tell him about your worries about Jane that have died down a little since you and Thor got married but have never truly gone away. Lastly, you tell him about what you saw this morning and how you’d been expecting Thor to come directly to you when he got back but clearly that’s not happening.

“Maybe I’m being too sensitive? But I mean, it’s been what? An hour and a half since you got here and he still hasn’t come to look for me?”

You reach over and rub your arm, the soft fabric of your dress pleasing but only in the back of your mind where you’re not thinking about Thor and Jane.

“If that is how you feel, then that is how you feel. The important part now is talking to Thor about it. Couples lose out when they feel about something the way that they do and then keep it to themselves. Even Gods are not mind readers.”

David tilts his head, eyes looking across the room for a moment before he looks right back at you.

“At least not to my knowledge.”

You almost smile, but the stress of talking to Thor about this is giving your anxiety a nice boost.

“What if I don’t like what he says?”

“Then you don’t like it. You cannot avoid the confrontation because you might not hear what you want to hear. That is not how a marriage, or any relationship works. In big moments like these, honesty I think is the best policy.”

He’s right of course. You know he is. That doesn’t mean you have to like it.

You close your eyes and try to see Thor’s handsome face smiling sweetly at you, just as he had yesterday before he left. Instead you see him smiling down at Jane next to that stupid telescope, him chuckling at whatever she’s saying as she talks away about her work.

Two knocks to your door pull you from your stupid thoughts and drop your heart into the pit of your stomach, but Estrid peeks in to make sure that you’re okay to see her.

Suddenly, you’re dreading seeing Thor.

“Come in, Estrid.”

She moves in, behind her follows two doctors. One is a woman with a lovely heart shaped face and long full dark brown hair that compliments her olive skin. She’s wearing a sleek gray pantsuit, pink camisole underneath, and a thick black coat draped over her arm.

Her name is Amana Wilson and she has been your gynecologist since David gave you your inheritance and you were able to afford better healthcare.

The second doctor is an older man with a thick black beard streaked through with bits of gray. He glows an almost ethereal way. Clearly Asgardian. Your general caregiver since you moved to New Asgard, Doctor Alric Orvinson smiles eagerly, kindly, a pure excitement radiating off of him.

He’s always so eager to put everything he’s learning into practice.

Doctor Wilson curtsies and Doctor Alric bows before they both greet you in unison.

“Your Majesty,” they say.

David waits until you’re standing before he stands too, but then he moves towards the doors.

“I think I’ll go have some of that breakfast you offered me,” he tells you then makes his way towards the large doors. “Doctors, I know you will give Her Majesty the best care you can offer?”

“Of course,” Doctor Wilson assures him and he leaves you with a quick wink of his eye.

“Thank you, Estrid. Make sure David gets a proper meal? No pop tarts!”

“Party pooper!” David shouts back.

Estrid curtsies, “Right away, Your Majesty.”

She leaves you quickly with a chuckle in her throat at your exchange with David.

As the door closes, you take a step towards your doctors and slowly release a held breath.

“So, what will it be today? Should I go strip or…?”

“No. Not today. Since we did a physical on you last time, we won’t worry about that during this visit,” Doctor Wilson assures you.

“Today, Doctor Wilson will be watching me take some blood and perform a pregnancy test to see if you are expecting our heir!”

Our heir?

New Asgard sees the future prince or princess to come as their own. It’s not just your and Thor’s baby. This baby, if and when there is a baby, is an entire people’s baby.

You feel your anxiety rise again. Clenching your hands, you nod and force a smile as Doctor Alric moves towards you with a large metallic box that he places down and opens.

Inside comes a rush of cold air and what looks like medical equipment used to test blood. You don’t know what it’s called and it’s super high tech. Nothing that you’ve ever seen before.

Your two tests before had been sent to labs and then you’d received the results a few days later, if they’re testing the blood here, does that mean faster results?

“So, how long will I have to wait this time then? To know whether I’m doing my job or not?”

Doctor Alric looks up at you with slight surprise and worry.

There must be something in your voice since he seems to realize what he’s said is putting pressure on you because he stands up straight and fixes his own suit jacket before speaking.

“Your Majesty,” he begins, but Doctor Wilson moves to stand beside you and places her hand on your shoulder.

“Within the hour. This is Stark tech, so it’ll be quick and accurate. Have you been stressing about getting pregnant?” She’s so much softer than Doctor Alric, but not because she’s a woman.

She just knows you better.

“Kinda hard not to with an entire planet waiting for it,” you admit. “Do you think that if-if it’s negative, should Thor and I stop trying so hard? We’re trying daily. No breaks.”

“I think the stress more than the trying will probably make it harder but you’re both healthy. It will happen. If you are tired and you think the stress is too much, then take a break. It won’t do any harm if you lose a couple nights of sleeping with your husband.”

You feel a swell of relief for this human woman who knows just what to say. You give her a sly smirk.

“Have you seen my husband? It’ll hurt.”

She laughs a quick knowing chuckle, “Trust me, you don’t gotta tell me how fine he is, Your Majesty.”

Both of you laugh a few seconds then you take the seat that Doctor Alric sets beside you and while you roll up your sleeve, he and Doctor Wilson fly off into medical jargon that you don’t understand and consequently zone out into thoughts of Thor and why the fuck he still hasn’t come to see you.