#its likely just gonna be for if we know who's talking. otherwise we're all INCREDIBLY BLURRY and trying to pry us apart is Bad for us.

[silent-sentinels]

sure sucks that faucet doesn't like people talking about [ ] because [ ] has the objectively coolest pronouns out of all of us hkjgh

[kangaruined]

ranting abt my roommate in the tags dont look at me

[a-killer-obsession]

🔞 Minors DNI 🔞

A search for a rumored Vegapunk weapon leads the Kid Pirates to an unexpected new crewmate, with a bloodlust that rivals their own and an incredible power.

CW: Please check AO3 for all current warnings, but general warning for smut, slow burn, serious gore, and really dark themes. AFAB reader, she/her pronouns.

Masterlist || AO3 || Chapter 1

Chapter 36 - Breaking Point, Side A

Tensions flare in the aftermath of a traumatic night.

Word Count: ~3.5k

Taglist: @h0n3y-l3m0n05 @tremendoushorsepatrolgoth @iggy5055 @eyes-ofhell

Dawn's crying woke you both up only a few hours later, Heat quick to urge you to rest and collecting her from the crib. You sat up, knowing full well she was probably hungry. You didn't know how old she was but you guessed only a few months, she probably wanted to feed every four or so hours. Your breasts were aching for release anyway, now that they had been drained once it felt like your body was kicking into overdrive, your breasts noticeably heavier and firmer than they had been the last few days. Maybe this is what the books meant when they talked about your milk coming in. Either way, you were just as eager to feed her as she was to eat, her cries making your breasts leak and wet your shirt. You held your hands out for her and Heat lowered her to you carefully, as her little arms escaped from the swaddle and refused to let go of his finger.

She was quick to latch again, and you could see now in the daylight that her eyes were a sparkling blue. It hurt, with the blonde puff of hair and blue eyes she looked the way you imagined your own baby might have. Come to think of it, you hadn't even named him. You couldn't afford to dwell on it now, there was a very much alive orphaned little girl currently on your breast who needed you to keep your head. So young and yet she'd already been through so much. Heat watched with fascination as she made small squeaking sounds and kept his finger in a surprisingly strong grasp, forcing him to cuddle up against you, not that either of you minded. You let yourself rest against him, his free hand squirming its way behind you to wrap around your waist, giving in to the fantasy that this was your little family. That nothing traumatic had led to this strange situation, this was entirely normal and comforting, before the stress of reality reared its ugly head.

“What are we gonna do Heat?” You sighed.

“I'm gonna go out and grab a bunch of stuff as soon as you're okay with me heading out,” he replied, “whatever you need, I'll get it”

“My mask,” you pouted, “it's back on the ship”

“I'll get it,” he clenched his teeth, “you just stay here and rest, just focus on yourself and Dawn, I'm gonna take care of both of you don't worry about anything. The doctors said you need to be on bedrest for at least a week, after last night I'm enforcing that. You're not lifting a finger till you're recovered”

Together you made a list of everything you thought you needed, and against his desires he left to fetch them, putting a very milk drunk Dawn back in the crib before heading out, leaving you to get a little more much needed sleep. He decided to do the hardest part first, heading back to the Victoria to grab your mask. He hoped everyone would be asleep as it was still very early morning. He sauntered up the gangplank as quietly as he could and head underdeck to the infirmary where he'd last seen your mask, after Mohawk removed it during your operation. Thankfully it was still sitting in place on the back counter, a little blood on it still but otherwise unharmed.

“You wanna explain where the fuck you were going with my girlfriend and packed bags last night?” An aggressive baritone came from behind him. He turned to the masked first mate, a scowl on his face as he used his height to feign confidence over the shorter blond.

“She's not your girlfriend, or did Kid not pass on the message?” Heat spat back at him, “she said, and I quote, ‘he and I are over, we're done’. You pushed her too far Killer, she's done with you hurting her”

“Me? Hurting her?” He let out a laugh, a genuine unhindered one that threw Heat back in surprise. “She killed my fucking baby, she should have fucking listened when I told her it was too dangerous”

“A marine killed your baby Killer,” Heat yelled, surprise quickly overruled by anger, “her baby, that she grew and nurtured and could feel inside her. A baby you didn't even plan on having! You're not the only one grieving, you're just the only selfish prick acting like it's all about you. Hasn't she fucking been through enough? She delivered her own fucking dead baby in the middle of a battle and you won't even look at her. She needed you and you fucking abandoned her, just like you always do! It took her so long to let you back in after your last fuck up and in the blink of an eye you managed to fuck it all up again”

Killer punched Heat hard, his jaw making an audible click as his face was forced sideways. If he was anyone else he might have been sent flying, but he was just as strong as the blond, bodying the hit like it was nothing. He turned his head back to Killer and grabbed a fist full of his shirt, raising him off the ground like he weighed nothing.

“You want a baby so fucking bad? Go knock some whore up,” Heat spat, “because apparently that's all she was to you. Just a fucking broodmare. She'll never carry another child again, so you better go get to work finding a new incubator cos she can't do it anymore. Did you ever even love her or was she just convenient? Just a quick way to get what you wanted?”

“Of course I loved her!” Killer shouted as he forced his way out of Heat's grasp, “love her” he corrected himself.

“Then fucking act like it,” Heat shoved him hard, Killer's back connecting with a infirmary cot. “She spent the last three days waiting for you to man up and go to her, and instead you just sat around here twirling your hair and acting like the whole world is against you. Pull your fucking head out of your ass Killer. She just went through something traumatic and you're too busy grieving the dead to see the living. You know where Wire found her last night? On the edge of a fucking cliff. Getting ready to fucking jump. You did that, you drove her to think shes worth so little that she'd be better off dead, her death would have been blood on your hands Killer”

“She… I didn't know,” he said quietly, mask tilted away, unable to look at Heat for the shame he felt.

“Of course you didn't, because you haven't fucking talked to her,” Heat growled, “if you had then you'd know how fucking torn up she is, how much she's blaming herself. She thinks you only loved her because of the baby. You know what she said to me when she woke up in the infirmary, after your stroppy ass stormed out without even looking at her? She said tell him I'll make him another one, you should have seen the heartbreak on her face when I told her she couldn't, because she thinks the only reason you want her is to make babies. She'd just lost her baby, fought for her life after almost bleeding to death, and found out she'd never carry another child, and all she was thinking about was you, how disappointed you'd be with her. It's fucked Killer, you're fucked for putting those thoughts in her head. All you had to do was fucking be there for her, but you were too fucking selfish to do the bare fucking minimum”

Killer slumped down against the cot and put his head between his knees. A harsh sob came from him, but Heat didn't have it in him to comfort him, he didn't deserve comfort, not after the hurt he'd inflicted on the woman Heat loves. The firebreather gave him a tsk and started rummaging in the cabinets for pain medication for you, knowing you were still physically hurting immensely even if you didn't say it when you made the list.

“I'll… I'll do better,” Killer cried.

“That's what you told her last time,” Heat scorned.

“I didn't mean to shut her out, I just… I needed someone to blame,” he said sadly.

“Then blame the fucking marines! Don't go blaming her! She didn't do shit!” Heat yelled, “and for the fucking record, it could have happened outside of battle anyway, its not uncommon. Would you still have blamed her then, or would you finally have some fucking sympathy? How much does she have to suffer before you decide she's worthy of your comfort?”

“Where is she?” Killer asked.

“None of your fucking business,” Heat growled. “You and Kid have three days to apologise and grovel before the log pose resets, otherwise you're sailing away without the three of us. You wanna talk, you talk to me, I have my mini den-den, you're not getting near her till I say you can”

“Three?” Killer asked.

“They didn't tell you shit did they?” Heat half laughed, “she went to that cliff to kill herself, but instead some lady with the same idea handed her a baby and jumped”

“I… I saw it last night… I thought it was a ghost,” Killer's eyes were wide with surprise under the mask. He'd seen the small bundle, asleep in your arms, but it hadn't made any sense so he'd chalked it up to a mania induced hallucination.

“Yeah well, she's keeping it, but not on this ship, not after what Kid said,” Heat scorned.

“What did Kid say?”

“He called her a worthless whore and a life ruiner,” Heat tutted as he gathered some shit in a plastic bag, “real nice stuff to someone who just lost her baby and was forcibly sterilised, like we hadn't just found her trying to kill herself”

“I wanna talk to her,” Killer grabbed Heat's pants as he walked past. Heat kicked his hand away and kept moving.

“Too fucking bad, she's busy and she's tired and she doesn't want shit to do with you,” Heat replied coldly.

Killer watched Heat move as a realisation dawned on him. Heat had never spoken to him or Kid like this, the man was usually obedient and loyal, more akin to a puppy than the territorial wolf he was being right now. “You love her, don't you?”

“So what if I do?” Heat replied, “even if she never loves me back, I would never hurt her the way you have. She deserves better.”

“Oh, and you're better?” He scoffed.

“Well Killer, I didn't fucking leave her to mourn on her own after she lost her baby,” Heat spat, “in fact, I was the one there for her, every second I could be. I'm the one who was with her every minute I could be for the last three days, when all she wanted was her so-called loving boyfriend. So yeah, I'd say I can do better. I am doing better. I'm picking up your fucking mess but I'll do it happily because she means the fucking world to me.”

“So what, you're just gonna go play house with her and some stranger's baby?” Killer laughed.

“If that's what she wants, yeah,” Heat replied, “and if she doesn't, I'll support that too, because she's a fucking human being with her own thoughts and feelings that deserve to be recognised, not just a hole for you to breed. Maybe it's for the best, this way she gets to have a baby and she isn't stuck tied to your pathetic excuse of a man. You're a fucking coward Killer, you talk big game but when it comes down to it you're just a scared little boy who thinks he can just ignore his problems till they go away. The worst thing is that people still care about you, but you ignore them too. Hell she probably still cares about you. But you act like the whole fucking world is against you. Really it's just you, hiding away in your room and tearing shit up, refusing to take your meds just so everyone will treat you like the victim, when you could have been out there comforting her when she needed you. She never would have gone to that cliff if you'd just fucking let her in, if you'd let her mourn with you. You're fucking lucky some random woman decided to hand her a baby and off herself or Yin would be dead right now. Even if she ever forgives you, I might not, because what you did was selfish and cruel, and you almost took her from me because of it, from all the people who care about her. So much for the dangerous Massacre Soldier Killer, you're just a pathetic little man who can't even comfort a woman when she so desperately needed you. You should've stuck to whores, emotions are clearly too advanced for you.”

“Are you done?” Killer growled, standing now with his arms crossed in front of Heat as the taller man cussed him out.

“Far fucking from it,” he growled, “but she needs me, and unlike you my head isn't too far up my own ass to see, so I'll be going now. Have a nice life, Massacre Soldier”

Manic laughter followed Heat out into the hall, all the way until he reached the gangplank and fled far enough for the sound to no longer travel.

Dawn was back on your breast when Heat returned, making you jump at first before his wild mop of blue hair appeared, using his ass to open the door because his hands were too full. Comically, he was wearing your mask on his head to save hand space, but it was clearly far too small for him, sitting on a mound of hair instead of his actual head. You snorted as he entered the room, putting down the large armfulls of bags with a heavy sigh of relief. He pulled the mask from his head and set it on a dresser before collapsing on the bed next to you, his hands over his chest and his eyes closed.

“She sure eats a lot huh?” Heat noted, turning his head to the side to watch Dawn. Her little arms were wiggling around like she was searching for something, so he turned to his side and offered her his hand. Her fingers wound around one of his and he couldn't help but blush. Given his big, somewhat scary appearance he wasn't used to small vulnerable things being so fearless with him. “Small but strong too”

“I don't know how old she is, but she seems to want to eat every three or four hours,” you replied with a yawn, “God I'm so tired. And hungry”

“I got you some food from the bakery down the street but you'll have to wait till little miss here releases me so I can grab it,” he laughed, trying to reclaim his finger but her grip was iron tight.

“You're the fucking best Heat,” you smiled, half lidded in your exhaustion. He didn't envy you, he hadn't exactly had much sleep either between when the nurses kicked him out of the hospital and when Kid had called them all for an emergency meeting about Killer, but then he wasn't putting all his energy into feeding another living being while recovering from a traumatic birth and major surgery. By the time Dawn was thoroughly milk drunk and nodding off again, you were nearly asleep, leaning against his chest with his arms around you to keep you upright, now that the small one had released her insane grip on his finger. He took Dawn carefully from your hold and put her back in the crib, admiring her for a moment before returning his attention to looking after you.

He rummaged in the bags and brought over the baked goods and a bottle of water, and you could barely open your eyes as you accepted them and sleepily nibbled. He had to take the remnants from your hand as you started to slouch over, a fond smile on his face at how cute you were in such a sleepy state, your lips turned upwards just the tiniest bit at the corners.

“Heat, do you love me?” You mumbled against his chest as you both got settled under the covers, your warm breath tickling the bare parts of his chest through the lacing of his corset. His breath hitched at the question, taken entirely by surprise and feeling like a deer in headlights. “Sorry,” you apologised, feeling the way he tensed, “I just… last time we slept together, it felt like more than just two friends fucking. I thought maybe you loved me. It's okay, I'm not mad if you don't, I just… thought”

“I do love you,” he breathed, his whole body still tense. He thought he might puke from the anxiety, worried the next words out of your mouth would be disgust or rejection. Nobody had ever loved him like that before, not in a romantic way. He was used to meaningless hookups during short stays at islands with people he'd never see again. The way you made him feel was entirely foreign, which is probably why it'd taken him so long to name the feeling.

“I know I said once that I didn't think I could fall in love with you,” you said softly, intertwining your fingers with his, making him relax a little, “but I think maybe that was a lie. You give me butterflies, Heat. And you make me feel so safe, you always have.”

He let out a shaky breath and a tear rolled down his cheek, he didn't realise just how stressed he was till you noticed the glistening trail and wiped it with your thumb. Your eyes bore into his, suddenly more alert now as you inspected his perpetually sad face before pressing a soft kiss on his mouth. You pulled away with a sigh, your forehead resting on his.

“I didn't notice you falling for me, I should have noticed,” you whispered,”I'm so sorry Heat. I'm… I'm going through a lot right now, but just knowing you're here, that at least one person in this godforsaken world wants me is enough to make me want to live”

“I thought you were dead,” his tears flowed freely now, his hands shaking as he finally processed the last three days. He'd been trying so hard to keep it together, to stay strong for you, because he knew you needed him, but those walls were crumbling so fast under your warm touch. “After the hospital said you left, we followed your vivre to where we knew the cliffs were, and it was burning. I knew physically you were fine, but for your resolve to be so set that your vivre burned… I… I thought I'd lost you. I only just realised how much I loved you after Quincy hurt you but I thought you were going to die last night thinking nobody loved you and I just… I never would have been able to live with myself. I should have told you sooner but I was so scared you'd hate me for it or that it'd ruin our friendship”

“Oh Heat,” your own tears started to meld with his as you pressed your cheeks together, your arms tight around his shoulders as he started to sob against you, the dam collapsing under the immense pressure of his emotions. “I'm so sorry, I'm so fucking sorry. I never wanted to hurt you, I was just so fucked up and I just couldn't take it anymore. I should have seen you there, I should have known you were there for me like you've always been, I've been such a ghost lately that I didn't see” You held his head gently in your hands, his dark eyes glassy with tears as he sniffed and looked at you, “I'm not ready right now, but I have no intention of leading you on. I'm gonna find the strength to say those three words Heat, because I know I feel them, I just can't bring myself to say them right now. Please don't stop loving me, you're all I have”

His lips crashed against yours, pain and fear and love and overflowing intangible emotions bursting at the seams as his tongue fought against yours and his hands held you close against him. You could feel his growing erection against your thigh so you slid your hand down his front, threading it under the waistband of his baggy pants, desperately needing to make him feel good, to alleviate your guilt after the hurt you'd put him through. He let out an almost pained whine as you started to pump him, his kisses messy and half focused as you serviced him, till he couldn't focus on anything else anymore and all he could do was pant against your shoulder. It didn't take him long to cum, so wound up from the overbearing stress that the release you gave him had him letting out a stuttered groan as he came, his seed spilling over your hand and lubricating his cock as you worked him through it.

“Shh, I've got you,” you cooed as you made your final slow strokes, his breath hot on your shoulder as he gripped you tight like he was afraid you would disappear forever if he let go. It was almost painful, given your sore breasts and surgery site. “Heaaaat, loosen your grip baby, I'm not going anywhere, I promise”

He let go a little but refused to entirely remove his hold on you, but you were more than fine with that now that the pressure wasn't painful. You held his head close to your heart and stroked his hair, and your steady heartbeat and tender caresses in the afterglow of his orgasm finally lulled him to sleep. You breathed a sigh of relief that he was finally relaxed, and you soon followed suit to take advantage of what rest you could get before Dawn inevitably woke you up again.

[NEXT CHAPTER]

[inkyquince]

@flameshadowwolf

I too... Am so normal, but about THIS.

edit:.. i went too fucking insane with this???

content warning. wren is trying... so hard. not many contents to be warned of, excep with leighton, then it has bondage, filming and taking pictures.

characters. wren. avery. bailey. leighton.

AND THERE'S THREE MORE CHARACTERS TO COME, I JUST WANTED TO PUT THIS OUT CUZ OTHERWISE MIGUEL IS GONNA SLAM FUCK MY THROAT ALL DAY.

OKAY SO:

Wren is incredibly surprised by the text. The little specialised notification sound he assigned to you never goes off that much anymore, unless there's an emergency. He takes a moment to check his phone, waving on some of his friends as he tucks his gloves away in his back pocket.

His stomach squirms a bit at the sight of your name on his screen. It always used to do that, especially when you two first got together, and when you gave him his little one. Fuck, even if he barely sees you, you still got him feeling... Some sort.... Of... What the fuck?

Sunshine: Hey Wren. Thought you should know that I've been seeing someone for a while now and he proposed a few days ago. He just wants to let you know, for Junior. DW, you don't have to come to the ceremony or anything.

What the fuck.

What the fuck?? and 2. He's going to have to know when the fuck exactly the fucking wedding is so he can...

He can... Do what, exactly? Fucking stand up, and object? On what grounds?

"HEY JORDAN! I fucked that pretty thing and they had my baby! I get eternal dibs, right?"

"I fucked them first, no one can fuck them after!"

"I want more babies with that lovely piece of ass, this isn't fair!"

"I'm a deadbeat who last saw my kid three months ago, and this means I-"

Wren squeezed the phone tightly.

Daddio: Want me to watch the kid on the wedding day? Make a day out of it?

Sunshine: Nah, they're excited for it. Get to be in the wedding party and everything, y'know, with the rest of the family.

Fuck you. Fucking fuck you. Fuck you.

Daddio: Coolio. Congrats.

Why didn't you tell him the moment you got with some guy? Why didn't his kid pick up the phone and quietly beg for Dad to come and take you both away from this fucking prick, sleeping in his fucking house?

Why didn't he fucking swing by, a bouquet of something for you, a pack of condoms in his back pocket (maybe with some holes pricked into the foil wrapper), a big ole cow plushie for his baby. Make it obvious who gets to be with his family, and its' not some fucking guy he doesn't even know the name of.

But he knew why. It's why other ex-husbands, or co-parents, or whatever, get to be invited to the ceremony.

Fuck this.

Wren doesn't get to go to the wedding. No, he doesn't get to see who is the new stepdad in town, until he swings by, two months after the ceremony and honeymoon (the honeymoon where you trusted one of your fucking friends with his kid, not him), wanting to surrpise his baby on their birthday. After a few upbeat knocks, the door swings open and-

Avery:

Are you shitting his actual bricks? You're fucking him.

"Wren." Avery's lips slip into a small smirk before returning to a neutral look. "How nice of you to drop by."

I'll fucking drop kick your ass-

"Dad!" A shout rang out and his kid appeared just behind Avery, little face light up like the sun.

But before Wren could say anything, Avery settled his hand on their small shoulder.

"Hey, what did we talk about?" The business man offered an easy going smile but his kid immediately straightened up their posture and fidgeted a bit.

"Inside voices for the inside. Sorry, Miste- Sorry, Avery." Wren ground his teeth as he watched his baby blink up at the blond, who just gave their shoulder another squeeze before looking back at him.

"You should have called ahead, Wren." Avery says smoothly, his hand not dropping from where it sits. "We're about to head out for dinner."

Dinner. He knows about those fucking dinners. When you were vulnerable and in need of money and this fucker would take you out to dinner and parties and the fucking hotel. Those restaurants were so fucking stuffy and he knows his kid is gonna hate it. The snooty waiters, the fact you can't even get a soda, and you... You eat what Avery tells you to eat. Wren bite down on his tongue. He opens his mouth to tell Avery where he should stick his fancy dinner-

"Wren?" You appear behind Avery, who immediately drops his hand from Junior's shoulder, and instead snake around your waist.

"Sunshine!" The smuggler immediately lets slip, even with the darkening of Avery's eyes and brightening of his kid's. Gotcha. Some hope in that department. "Dropped by to give out some gifts to someone who might just... Be a year older?"

His kid almost starts vibrating with excitment as Wren feigned ignorance. Even you cracked a little, soft smile.

"Anyway, thought you might wanna also get one of those horse rides I keep promising." He shrugged, knowing that he was really coming off as the coolest dad right now. "Might suit better than one of those fancy lad dinners, eh?"

Avery's face was dark as he glared at Wren and you worriedly rested your hand on his side. The smuggler's stomach tightened. He wasn't just famous for being a fancy pants out here. He knew what Avery was truely like. Green eyed rage monster. For probably the second time in his life, he felt a tinge of regret. If he got you in trouble with Avery... Fuck.

"But dad!" Junior squeaked up, blinking their wide eyes. "The dinners are soooo cool! They give me a seperate menu and when we went last time, Miste- Avery said that we wanted to taste test the kind of cakes they had, to be ready for my brithday!"

Wren's mouth fell open as Avery smirked at him in victory. This piece of shit was turning his kid into a fucking townie.

"Hm. Maybe you can do your... Horse riding tomorrow. In fact, I'd love to go with. Pay for a proper lesson."

That fuckin bastard-

"Why don't you come with on Friday?" You suddenly blurted out, and your kid lit up again, reaching their tiny hand up to cling to yours. Avery looked less pleased, giving you a side eye after he nearly crushed Wren once and for all.

"... Friday?"

The businessman's victorious grin returned.

"...The parent-teacher meeting, Wren."

Bailey:

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!

Shitting fuck!

He was late. Only by 10 minutes, but fuck, it's been years since he's been to one of these things, he had no idea how long it took to talk about how great his kid is at drawing within the lines!

Wren pushed past another couple and their snotty son and checked his hand again. The inked on details were smudged from the sweat, but he could still make out a faint, "Room 3" and stopped right in front of the door. Fuck.

Stepping in, four heads looked over. You, looking wonderful, fresh, like you could use another kid from him. Junior, lighting up at the sight of him and raising their little hand in a meek hello. The teacher, checking their watch with a slight frown, and-

Fucking christ on a jackass. Why the fuck was he here?

To be fair, Bailey seemed to be thinking the same thing, both for himself and for Wren. Was there something in the orphanage contract that every orphan's future kids also belonged to the caretaker or some shit? If so, Wren was willing to haul Bailey from his chair and beat his ass right here, right now.

“Wren.” You nodded at the chair next to Bailey, tilted away a bit. “... You’re-” 

“Late, I know.” Wren didn’t mean to snap, but the little frown on his kid’s face made it obvious it came out far harsher than he meant it to be. What he didn’t expect was the clear look of disdain aimed at him from Bailey. Like he was no better than the dog shit on his heel. Jesus. 

Not to totally diminish the ground he gained with you lately, Wren hooked his foot around the chair leg to yank it closer and dropped down, giving Junior a grin and a wink. 

“... As I was saying, they have returned to the good work they were doing before and it seems they have even improved when concentrating in class” The teacher ignored Wren, focusing on you and Bailey. “I am quite surprised, actually. Some of the issues they were having before, poof! All gone.” 

“Issues they were having bef- What issues?” Wren cut in, suddenly frowning. 

The teacher eyed him, probably shot his kid the same look when they were talking in class. 

“You were unaware of some of the bullying? We-” 

“Bullying?” Wren whips his head around to stare at you. 

It takes him a moment to realise that Bailey’s gloved hand had at one point crept over to rest on your thigh. 

“There was-” 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” The smuggler struggled not to raise his voice again, but it evidently wasn’t fucking working, with the looks being given to him.

“I-” 

“We.” Bailey cut you off with a dark look aimed at the blonde. “We wanted to settle it before… Asking for your expertise.” 

Wren felt something in his gut grow hot and uncomfortable. Bailey. Bailey was the fucking monster who “took care” of you your entire life, and now he was sitting here, one hand on your thigh, taking care of his kid. How fucked were you? Were you in trouble, and why didn’t you tell him? Or did you willingly let this fuck into your house? 

He sat there, boiling with anger, barely able to give his kid a few smiles until the end of the session. Wren stayed behind a moment, as you bundled your child up in their jumper and herded them out, Bailey’s towering frame hiding you from his eyes as he walked behind you. 

“... Hey, can you put this number on the contacts? Just to keep me updated with this stuff. Y’know. Incidents.” 

The teacher blinked up at him. 

“... I’ll have to ask the parents to allow-” 

“I am one of the fucking parents. I’m the father!” Wren snapped. 

She blinked again, far more confused than ever. Bringing the contact papers out, she tried her best to obscure the page from him, but he saw anyway. Your name at the top… With Bailey’s name and number directly under. What the fuck was happening. The last time you two fucked, you were still under that fucker’s thumb, what the shit is he doing going to parent evenings?

Wren ignored the startled look from the teacher as he grabbed his jacket from the back of his seat and stomped out the room, shoving past some scandalised looking parents as he looked around. He will fucking punch that fucker’s nose in and take you home himself. Demand some fucking answers. See if he’s hurt you. Kiss where he’s hurt you better. He’ll be there in the morning when Junior wakes up. 

Making his way out of the weird crayon scented hallway, he eventually got to find the exit, only to stop on the steps out, cold wind ruffling his hair. 

His kid was in an expensive car, squinting at the bright light of an ipad, probably playing one of those surfing games. Totally oblivious to what was happening outside. Bailey, resting against the door, his gloved hands squeezing at your sides as he spoke low, intense. Too close. Too intimate. Especially for what he knew of your relationship. 

Did he snake in while he wasn’t there? Did he stop seeing you as an orphan one day, and started to see you… The real you? The way Wren saw you? Did he see you and-

Bailey was kissing you. Just something quick, his hand briefly cupping the back of your neck before pulling away and adjusting his gloves. The two men made eye contact for just a moment, but Bailey’s smug tilt of his lips said it all. That the two men had switched lives within a heartbeat. One was surrounded by loved ones, even if coerced. They got a warm house and a place in bed next to you. The other was on the outside, with only his work.

Wren was going to beat that fucker’s face in.

Leighton: (Wren’s Day Off)

He was so fucking excited. 

The two of you never bothered with shit like settling visitations in court, custody hearings or child support, or shit. You both knew that Wren wouldn’t be able to raise the kid by himself, with how much he works… Not to mention his hobbies. Wren usually just sent you the dates he had off of work, and you’d usually let him know if his kid was able to come hang out with him that day. 

Finally, today was the day he got to fully spend with his kid. Show them how to do some tricks when riding, maybe start teaching them how to play poker… And he got to spend some time with you. 

The two of you would usually share a cup of something warm as his baby ran around, trying to find their good coat and boots. A fond look shared between the two of you. A spark of something.

So, when he knocked on the door, and you opened it, dishevelled and blushing, Wren was rather taken aback. He knew that look. 

You had been fucking. 

Flushed and breathing quick, and fucking gorgeous. 

“Wren! Didn’t expect you so early!” You breathed, tightening the robe around yourself. 

He said nothing as you led him in, fluttering around by the kitchen counter to assemble the cups and put on the kettle. Wren just watched your bare legs, with the bruises and rope marks wrapping around them. 

“... Where’s the kiddo?” 

“Oh, outside in the garden. They’ve taken an interest in guessing all the flowers and they’ve just been having fun drawing the plants.” You gave a soft laugh and Wren struggled to join in. 

Keep busy, outside, while you get stuffed with cock. It made him mad, but mainly because he had imagined that plenty, but with the two of you. Getting one of his friends to watch his baby and tug you to his room for a drink and a sweaty, nasty fuck. 

God, he’s gagging for a fuck. 

“... I’m going to go for a piss.” 

You hummed and waved him away, knowing he knew his way through the house. He wasn’t going for a piss. He was gonna snoop. 

Fuck you, he had a right to know. 

Wren made his way to your room, and inched the door open before freezing up. He could hear your shower running in the ensuite. A camera was set up on a tripod. Ropes tied to the bedposts. Polaroids scattered on the dresser. Against his better judgement, he dragged his finger over one to pull it closer. 

You. 

You tied up, with a blindfold. 

A fat cock sunk into your poor hole. 

Wren cast his eye over the other pictures. Bound, gagged, blindfolded, toys stuffing your hole full, a fat cock resting against your drooling lips. 

So lost in the pictures of you he once got to see for himself, he didn’t notice the door swing open and someone pause in the doorframe. Towel drying his hair, Leighton just watched the smuggler, looking somewhat amused as Wren stared. 

“Should we send you out to the garden too, now?” Leighton drawled, his wedding band glinting as he tossed the towel to the side. “You interrupted us.” 

The smuggler almost jumped out of his skin with a low cuss. The headmaster just watched him, looking pleased and smug as the other man backed out of the room a bit more. Wren never wanted to die so much before in his life, but something about… This entire morning was going to fucking haunt his nightmares. 

He did pocket one of the polaroids though, just to put up on his pinboard. 

YOU MAKE ME WEEP 😭 I MISS YOU AND I HAVEN'T BEEN ON. can't wait for the semester to wrap up. but i did get a job for the summer hahaha!!

i'm trying to get pregnant by kylar or eden. so far i have FAILED.

honestly, i must ask how you would think wren would be as a parent. would love to hear any thoughts on that!!!

THIS GOT BURIED, IM SO SORRY!!

DW, we know how Eden and Kylar are. Non stop fuck nasty machines.

Okay, for Wren as a dad, it... Depends?

Like, does he like you as a fuck buddy or does he... Like you, like you? Like Like... Like Love Like?

Cuz if its the first one, I think the best you get is that he's going to be not present at all. Like he sends money, he's going to show up some days to absolutely dazzle your kid with a horse ride and presents and shit, and then won't come and visit for another 8 months. He's flighty as fuck, he's busy. Your kid will have his beautiful hair, maybe his soft brown eyes. Maybe your kid will always love him because he's the cool fun dad who spoils them when he does come around. Maybe they get disenchanted by him by the time they hit their teens. He doesn't pick up when they call, he doesn't come to important events. Maybe one day he comes by with a couple of presents and they flatly turn down going out for a day with him. You might get to watch his face fall a bit. Maybe just his eyes just get a bit duller.

Your kid goes off to hang out with friends and you and Wren get to have a drink together for the first time in ages, since his attention is normally on your kid, never you. He's down. Says he wants to do better. But you know him by now. So you just offer a pat on the back, and wonder if this is the last time you'll see him again, since he's finally been turned away by his kid, and has no reason to come back anymore.

NOW, if you're someone he actually fucking likes?

My god. Wants his annoying input in everything you do. Choosing a flat? "Sunshine, babycakes, darling, its cheaper to get a lil cottage out on the farmlands, and then I can come by every night after work and-" Deciding on a crib? "Sweetheart, muffin, angel face, let me see if i can get it handmade, never should trust the plastic shit, fuck, I slept in the top drawer for the first 3 months of my life, baby-" Like its cute, but shut up babe.

He's going to be in your damn life. Even if you say he can take a backseat, he's fucking taking that backseat out, taking out the gear stick and putting his seat there. Fuck you.

Somehow got into your phone to get a copy of important upcoming dates, and he skids into the ultrasound, all sweaty, just as you're getting your gown on.

He's going to be your fucking best friend in this. That's Wren as a lover, boyfriend, partner, it's as a best friend who really wants to get into your pants and deigns to bombard you with sloppy kisses just because he knows it makes you swat at him.

He would sometimes not show up days in a row, but it's never months. Just a few days, and he comes back with an oversized plush under his arm, or a stupidly big cake or something.

He loves that kid man. He's always gonna love his kid, but they aren't an afterthought anymore. He wants 50 more hours in the day, so he doesn't have to choose between work and his home.

Wren's also fucking terrified. He knows the town he lives in, its why he wanted you in the farmlands, not in town. Will beg you to consider homeschooling. In his perfect world, his kid never steps foot in town, and gets to grow up with nature, and feeling safe. Doesn't matter what age, he wants to be old as fuck, and have his 40 year old kid still at home and training horses or something.

Wren, overall, as a parent would love his kid. But his relationship with you would decide how much he wants to actually be there.

[firelord-frowny]

i am so !!!!!!!!!!!HRJGHGFOGHSFLG SFS

not really lmao its not that serious but YES IT IS AND YES I AM but not really lmao

there's this... ~idea~ in the world of violin pedagogy that You Only Need Very Light Pressure To Make Notes Sound Good, and its

??????????? WRONG LMAO ITS WRONG ITS BULLSHIT AND IT'S BASICALLY THE! ONE! SINGLE! DETAIL! that sets Really Good violinists apart from World Class violinists.

and i get so frustrated because like... people will marvel over the clarity of Hilary Hahn's playing and James Ehnes' playing and basically every legendary soloist to have ever lived. like, there is an AUDIBLE difference between the clarity/purity of the tone quality when Hilary Hahn plays a passage of fast slurs, versus when, idk, joshua bell* or some other Average Player. In hahn's playing, you EXCLUSIVELY hear the pitch of the actual note. In a less refined player's playing, you'll hear brief lil high-pitched choppy noises interrupting the beginnings and endings of many notes.

AND THE REASON WHY HILARY HAHN DOES NOT HAVE THAT PROBLEM IS BECAUSE SHE'S USING! MORE! PRESSURE!

But people be like ~hur dur, if you use Too Much Pressure, you'll injure your joints/tendons~

YEAH THATS WHY YOU HAVE TO TRAIN FOR IT DUMMY!!!! if somebody who's not fit enough to run a marathon tries to run a marathon, they're gonna get hurt! but that doesn't mean running the marathon is inherently dangerous! it just means you have to fucking exercise to prepare for it!

IF YOU GRADUALLY CONDITION YOUR BODY TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF HIGH-LEVEL VIOLIN PLAYING, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN PHYSICALLY DEMANDING TECHNIQUES WITHOUT INJURY!!!!!

and i'm especailly sfghdslfgdgfhdsh right now bc i was looking at a video of some dude (who really is a very good player and who really does have lots of useful advice) offering suggestions on how a player can figure out exactly how much pressure they need to use in order to get a good tone, and when he demonstrates his own ~optimum pressure~, he's like, "now if you listen carefully, you'll hear that i'm getting a pure tone out of all of these notes." and then he proceeds to get a tone that's NOT CLEAR AT ALL!!!! but he seems satisfied with it!!! and so do most of the people in the comments!!

which like, okay, yes, a LOT of very good players do exactly what he did, and nobody thinks they suck because of it, because they don't suck! they sound great!

but they don't win the fucking menuhin competition. they don't become legends. they don't sell out carnegie hall.

they're regular. they're the typical, very solid, very skilled Professional Violinist who can successfully audition for full time professional orchestras, and they can become professors at some decent music schools.

but they're not legends. and if you WANT to even TRY to be a legend, you have to be able to hold a candle to the Hilary Hahns of the world. you have to measure up. and even the teensiest, tiniest imperfection can and does keep otherwise gifted players from reaching the very highest levels of musicianship.

the average player's standard for what constitutes "pure tone" is just???? not high enough. not if they want to be phenomenal.

and i haaaaaaaaaaaate that when i talk about wanting to step my game up and try to eliminate as many tiny errors as possible, people always wanna assure me that it's not necessary, nobody really notices those details anyway.

?????????? THEN WHY AREN'T WE ALL SOLOING WITH THE BALTIMORE SYMPHONY, HMMMMM??? WHY DIDN'T WE ALL GET INTO JULIARD? HMMMMM??? WHY DON'T WE ALL HAVE RECORDING CONTRACTS WITH MAJOR CLASSICAL LABELS??? HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM????

IT'S BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH! AND WE'RE NOT GOOD ENOUGH BECAUSE WE'RE NOT MEETING THE STANDARDS THAT ARE SET BY THE GREATEST PLAYERS IN THE WORLD! YOU KNOW!!! THE ONES WHO LEAVE AUDIENCES GOBSMACKED BY THEIR INCREDIBLE PRECISION!!!!!

i know ill probably never reach that level but dammit imma try to get as close as i can anyway.

[un-pearable]

i moped i whined i dragged my feet i read at least six hundred thousand words of ninjago fanfiction in the span of like 4 days probably but i did it. i finished season 8. it was... ok honestly it wasnt that bad i knew i was being dramatic about it at the time but it wasnt that bad. part of that was because i already knew what i was getting into via getting spoiled by fic but im glad for it because otherwise i dont think i wouldve made it through. SO. some thoughts.

as you are already fully aware, i was not……. particularly enthused by the changes made in season eight. in fact you could even say i was particularly unenthused by the changes made in season eight. but disregarding my personal war against the authors re: lloyd & garmadon, one of the things i noticed was definitely the massive tonal shift that i honestly... think couldve been handled better. im not opposed to the idea of a tonal shift - 9/10 i am always okay with something getting more serious and genuine. but like, here... they kind of killed half the heart of the series for me. i feel like they tried to lean so hard into the ninja stuff that it kind of feels like somebody wanted a gritty reboot of ninjago without actually being gritty and without actually rebooting it, if that makes sense.

like half the scenes in the first few episodes take place exclusively at night, there's a huge ramp-up in them doing actual ninja things, and lloyd is now Mature and Serious and The Leader (<- things regarding lloyd that i am bitter about, number 385734356091573: the fact that they made half an attempt last season to kickstart a character arc for lloyd abt him growing into the position of leader and what that means for 1) him 2) his relationships and 3) his future and then they completely bypassed that entire thing via timeskip because the writers are lazy hacks and also lopped off half his personality along the way so now he feels like an entirely different character and also completely devoid of personality at the same time).

my qualms with lloyd aside. ninjago is, inherently, an incredibly goofy series. the premise is literally a bunch of lego dudes whose epic power is spinning like tops, and who are allegedly ninja despite the fact that they Really Suck At Being Ninja. i feel like for this season, somebody was like "okay guys we need to make ninjago not for BABIES anymore and also make new character designs so we can sell more lego sets so we're gonna make it MATURE and DARK and [something something]" and as a result it lost half its personality. most of it, even. they barely even did spinjitsu. do you know how disappointed i was by this? no. no you cannot even fathom how disappointed i was in the writers. and its. okay for lack of a better comparison bear with me here while i talk about one piece for two seconds

one piece is also, inherently, an incredibly goofy series. the premise is a kid eats a weird fruit and gets rubber hose powers and wants to become the king of the pirates. the stupidity is consistently present throughout the series and if you take out the dumb humor you've got a completely different series (both in regards to themes and also, again, the literal premise). but on the other hand, it also deals with some kind of brutal stuff (oppression, totalitarian governments, censorship, genocide, prejudice, slavery, more genocide, trauma, abuse, etc.) in a competent and mature way that doesn't feel cheap or fake-deep. both the stupidity and the seriousness are integral to its identity. these two things are not mutually exclusive.

though granted id like to say that the stupidity and the seriousness are all part of the very basis of the themes of one piece, but ninjago also just. doesnt really have themes. frankly. im not sure the writers have anything they want to actually say outside of "wow ! ninja cool !", but thats a complaint for a different time. but also still sort of relevant here because the reason these two seemingly opposed things work so well in one piece is because they're baked into the premise and main themes of the story, and... well. not so much with ninjago. it also probably doesnt help that ninjago was originally set to go for like two seasons max, but still.

EITHER WAY my digression on that aside, its very very possible to have both of these things co-exist in a series without one cheapening the other, but, unfortunately for me, the ninjago writers either a) cant do that or b) dont want to do that. and whoever was part of making the decision to marvel-ize ninjago: i hate them. personally. like i guess it worked out for everybody else given that the show is still going but im very annoyed about this. maybe it gets better in the later seasons but honestly im not counting on it. head in hands.

also speaking of marvel-izing ninjago i feel like this season they tried to work in some bad meta jokes and it was mostly rather embarrassing and i hope they do not do it again. its the typical "did he just-" "yes he did" / "i did not think that through" / "that didn't go as planned" / etc. schlock. i dont like that.

now, onto other things, aka namely: the harumi problem.

so harumi. her backstory is that at some point when she was younger (unclear because she has the baby lego model but it cant have been THAT long ago but she also acts and looks like a normal adult so as always the ninjago timeline eludes me, but thats irrelevant. mostly. well it depends on how you look at it but we'll get to that later) she thought the ninja were super duper epic and then when the great devourer showed up and wrecked the city her parents died because the ninja didnt stop it soon enough (or, more accurately, lord garmadon, but she doesnt blame him for some reason). anwyays so after that the royal emperor and empress decide to adopt her and she becomes the princess despite not asking for and not wanting this position or the responsibilities that come with it and being terribly traumatized and generally all around miserable. which sucks, for sure.

but for some baffling reason, she decides that the person whose fault this all is is... lloyd. like she says the ninja in general, but lloyd is the only one she ever seems to target. which is really strange, frankly, because lloyd's first appearance in public as the green ninja is either the great devourer, or like a few days before it, so why she'd single out him for this problem despite him clearly being new to the whole thing is beyond me. because its not like she blames him for opening up the tombs or something which is... well okay frankly half of this is misako's fault by virtue of being the deadbeat mom ever, but you already know my extensive opinions on misako's incredibly bad parenting.

either way, maybe she sees him later as the leader and retroactively decides to place all the blame on him as the ninja grow in fame and infamy, but the show never really tells us that - assuming that her bitterness towards the ninja grows as everybody praises them and calls them world saviors and so on and so forth is extrapolation, and usually in a more competently written series i'd be able to somewhat confidently assume that this is what the writers intended, but also this is ninjago and i have no such faith.

so harumi's whole thing is that she lost everything and blames it on lloyd, for some reason, instead of like. pythor or something. unfortunately this is kind of cheapened by two things. 1) she literally becomes princess of ninjago. like it'd be one thing if she was on the streets after that it'd be a little more understandable, and 2) she's... acting like she went through so much more than lloyd. unfortunately for harumi, she's trying to compete in the parental issues olympics with lloyd garmadon, winner of the "most parental issues in ninjago" award every year since 2011. so when she's waxing poetic about how much her life has sucked and how sad she is about her mommy and daddy or whatever, the audience is kind of just sitting there like... girl. lloyd has gone through so so so much infinite crap his life has sucked since pretty much day one he probably has enough mommy & daddy issues for the whole team, frankly.

pitting pretty much anybody against lloyd in a battle for trauma is not going to end well for your villain if youre trying to make them sympathetic. honestly. and like its not even that the concept of her backstory is bad, its just that her anger is completely misdirected and pointed in probably the worst possible direction as far as drumming up sympathy goes. because the ninjago writers remain ever incompetent. it also really doesnt help that shes like "omg people died because of you guys!!! you havent saved anybody youre just little kids pretending to play hero" despite the fact that ninjago absolutely 100000% wouldve died twenty times already if they had just sat back and done nothing. my dear friend goose had some very good thoughts so im just going to copy paste what she said here

so. harumi. couldve been done better, had some interesting concepts, but the incompetency of the ninjago writers strikes yet again. also rip lloyd, getting horrifically traumatized yet again. cant wait for lloyd getting his heart ripped out and stomped on and having his trust completely 10000% betrayed and the world getting almost destroyed by somebody who he thought was an incredibly close ally to never get brought back up again after harumi gets kicked out of the picture

also im very very very so glad harumi was evil because i had some incredibly . choice words about how bland and uninteresting she was at the beginning of the season. so thank you harumi for becoming interesting, even if your writing is kind of mediocre and mostly rather confusing 🙏

other than that im very sad that theyre brutalizing garmadon like this but at least i came prepared for what i was going to see via spoilers from fic. im also very sat that they're brutalizing lloyd like this but i was also prepared for what i was going to see via spoilers from fic. ninjago writers give them a break challenge.

some other misc. thoughts / live reactions (you can really tell that the first three were from when i started the season like last week from the amount of bitterness leaking out from the text 😭😭😭)

ah hell yes the return...

completely completely understand. breaking immersion with spoilers is sometimes. necessary. especially given how much of a shift the attitude is here... the desire to recreate the series is an understandable one but leaning so hard on the tropes that this show has had a loose relationship with at best, at the expense of the existing character dynamics.... ugh. the irony in them trying to age up the series with it's audience only backfiring and alienating the very kids who related to lloyd the most is great. the loss of spinjitzu is completely unforgivable though its integral to the ecosystem. keystone species but for a doofy fake martial arts show. we're loosing biodiversity here people. bad metaphors aside, YEAH. the seriousness works because the rest of the show is lighthearted, not in spite of it. your one piece comparison is perfect.

despite my "lloyd is a comic protag" post blowing up it completely didn't cross to mind to think about marvel there and you 100% have a point. s8 and on ninjago was DEFINITELY influenced by the boom in popularity of the mcu. considering this is when they brought on schut to help write and then he completely took over for s9 and on,, i don't know nearly enough about the guy and his work to make a judgement about that but it would be very interesting to look into

harumi..... harumi is very much the kind of theoretically interesting kids media villain where i can understand why their concept works for a lot of people and can be interesting to see, but is so overdone that i just. i can't care. i literally could not give a shit about harumi. no matter how well her arc is executed she's such a predictable brand of villain that fandom always looses their shit over and i get why but it just doesnt work for me. she also falls into the category of "villain who assumes they know everything about the hero and that they suffered more" which. can also be interesting when its about how the characters are perceived by the public, but when its treated seriously by the narrative? incredibly frustrating. i have pages and pages of talking about this back when i was reading archie for the first time so not to derail into sonic again but the appeal of scourge and sonic's dynamic to me is that while they both suffered, they responded COMPLETELY differently. the idea that scourge deserves to be heard out bc he experienced such a hard and tragic life is completely negated by the fact that sonic's life in the comics is a unending deluge of traumatic bullshit - and scourge knows this. scourge doesn't get why sonic didn't respond the way he did. that's like the ONLY way this kind of dynamic is interesting to me - the narrative validating that harumi was right actually and her life sucked more and thus her point is valid and makes sense and we don't need to look any further is. frustrating. "the villain points out the heroes aren't actually helping/good people" is the furtherest thing from an interesting plot to me, especially when its clearly such a cop out. your friend has an extremely good point, the need for the villain to be focused specifically on the ninja destroys any actual nuance her motivation had, if she was more generally focused on the systemic problems ninjago so adamantly refuses to face it would be an infinitely more interesting story. but also this is a kids show and that's far too bold for a series that just introduced a monarchy for shits and giggles.

okay aside from. all that. asdfjdk thank you for the olympics line. yeah. yeah. dear god this poor kid will continue to never get a break. the lack of capitalizing on the oni stuff... do these people not understand their fanbase. we are still drawing fanart of snake jay. we will go crazy over literally any non-human traits imaginable. curse you for reminding me of voltron in 2022 but asdkfjsdkdf. cole dad....

between the heartbeat, decoded letting the ninja download themselves into his brain, and just. everything about the most recent few zane oriented arcs. fascinated the implications for zane's physiology. do you think he could keep the others around in his head like he used to have pixal.

[cruciatusforeplay]

This is part two of a hella big post. Check out part one here. These are all a lot more recent, so I'm gonna try to be less spoilery, but there are gonna be some.

A not-so-brief history of Hawkeye in Comics Part Two (spoilers below the cut)

A note on events, dying and doubling down on Hawkeyes

Comics love doing big events, and I'm not covering them in here. Partly because they are huge and complex and to just focus on Hawkeye would be an injustice to the stories, but also because the amount of stuff I would need to spoil would be way beyond just a little Hawkeye. Clint was involved in Secret Wars (1984), which was one of the first crossover events of its kind. Another notable era is 2004-2009, where there is an incredible amount of superhero politics driving big narratives. If you're new to comics, you might not know that characters dying is common and rarely permanent. This is relevant because while I said that I wouldn't talk about events, I think it would be pretty uncool to not mention that Hawkeye dies and is brought back to life (Avengers Disassembled, House of M, New Avengers #26). It's around here that Clint picks up the Ronin mantle.

This is also when Dark Reign/Dark Avengers is going on. For anyone who'd like some Clint whump from this era, there's a top notch naked torture scene in New Avengers Annual (2009). Clint is involved in several other big events and crossovers over later years, but that's definitely a seperate list.

In the time where Clint is dead, Captain America is hanging out with a group of newly formed Young Avengers, including archery badass Kate Bishop. Cap suggests to her that she take up the Hawkeye mantle and gives her Clint's old bow. After Clint returns, he becomes initially her mentor, before they form a very close friendship. Clint is initially doing Ronin things, but even when he lays down ninja robes, they decide to be very Hawkeye about the whole thing and both keep calling themselves Hawkeye, despite the obvious confusion this causes.

Hawkeye's ears: Hawkeye vs. Deadpool #0-4 (2014)

This is a fun little miniseries that you could treat as a Halloween special if you so desired. It's set in the time after Fraction's run and there are a few callbacks, but nothing major if you've not read that. Clint is a little short-tempered and hypermasculine in this run for my personal taste, but it's got lots of grumpy Clint Vs sassy Wade while they vaguely attempt to team up. The thing this run does really well is Clint's deafness, despite the lack of visible hearing aids. There are comments around lip-reading, wearing aids when wearing other headgear, there's some sign language, and this is the run where Deadpool pulls his mask up so Clint can lipread and see his face while he signs (facial expressions are really key in sign language). It's lovely. Otherwise the run gives you a Kate cameo, some Deadpool and Hawkeye disaster/shenanigans, and perhaps most importantly, the return of the skycycle.

Key background: All New Hawkeye #1-6 (2015)

This run is often overlooked, but the art in the flashbacks is beautiful. We get some key information around Clint and Barney's abusive home situation - with their dad who drank and beat them, and how they ended up in care after their parents died, and subsequently their early days in the circus. There is a definite shift in how Barney is characterized as a bad influence compared to the 2003 run. It parallels with the rest of the arc which focuses on Clint and Kate Bishop working together to get some kids out of a very bad situation. The rest of Lemires run is a little weird and has no major repurcussions for anyone except Barney (which I won't elaborate on because it's relevant to the Fraction run).

Back to your roots: Tales of Suspense #100-104 (2017)

Seeing Clint cycle back and return to Tales of Suspense is really lovely. This comic is one of my all time favourites. It's incredibly tight story-telling with a great plot and really fun dynamic. The premise is Clint and Bucky teaming up to figure out the body trail being left after Black Widow's death. Clint is obnoxious and a delightful mess, Bucky is sporting a permanent scowl and is hilariously level-headed. It's a lot of fun and it's a lovely build on the tension and teamwork between these two idiots (who I, as an avid Winterhawk shipper, am completely gone for, but even without that, this is a great comic.) It also has some killer covers, and the facial expressions are absolutely hilarious.

Hawkeyes together: Hawkeye #13-16 (2017) and West Coast Avengers #1-10 (2018)

The Hawkeye run is Kate Bishops run and it has a larger continuing storyline that runs from the beginning of her Hawkeye and way into WCA, but I've listed the issues that you'll want for Kate and Clint shenanigans, and you should be able to catch up without the rest if you don't want it. These comics are ridiculously fun, especially West Coast Avengers, which has Kate leading the team this time. There's loads of jokes, and it strikes a nice balance between Hawkeyes being disasters and being hyper competent. Truthfully, this is Kate's show, and Clint takes a backseat, but their dynamic is killer here so I think is deserves a mention. There are also plenty of Clint related wardrobe malfunctions and Lucky the Pizza Dog is around.

Our most recent boy: Hawkeye freefall #1-6 (2020)

I haven't read this one yet, but it's been extremely well received by the fandom. As a result, good news: no spoilers! It's a short run, which may have had something to do with it being published during 2020, and specifically around a time when Marvel were experiencing some major distribution issues (which would have led to digital release only and as a result lower sales), but that's all guesswork because I haven't actually researched it. This run has someone dressing as Ronin and letting Clint take the blame for their nefarious deeds (oh no!). Clint makes some classic Clint (read: dumpster fire) decisions, and the art looks fun and vibrant. Can't really give you more without reading it myself 😅 If you need more Clint still, he's also rumoured to be knocking around in the 2020 Black Widow run, but I've not had the money to get my mitts on that yet either.

Notable AUs:

Marvel is a big fan of throwing a well known cast into an alternative universes, so there are a few other places to look for him.

The Ultimates universe was largely speaking a bit of a shitshow, but they did give us a very dark and gritty Clint, so if that's your jam, ultimate hawkeye is the place to be. Old Man Hawkeye appears alongside Old Man Logan, and they are both, you guessed it, old. It's not the only time we get Clint as a wrinkly dude (the second half Lemire's run also has some timey-wimey stuff happening), but this is a version of Clint who is going blind (granted we've seen that before too, but this is a darker vibe than Blindspot). Wanna know who the greatest marksman is without his sight - old man Hawkeye for you! Finally there's the Zombie 'verse: zombie Clint is a little confused, but he's got the spirit. Clint got zombiefied and then left in some rubble as only a head for 40 years before getting picked up, so he's a little worse for wear. If you need that in your life then Marvel Zombies is your universe. For a full rundown of all the universes including animated and MCU, click here.

Notable aliases:

Clint's been a few other people than Hawkeye in the 616 universe (the main Marvel Comics universe). He used one of Hank Pyms growth serums and became a giant strongman in Avengers #63 (1969) and stuck around in his Goliath form for more than a few issues. After Cap had died, Clint returned from the dead and tried on Captain America for all of one issue in Fallen Son #3 (2007). He decided (with a little help from Kate) that it wasn't right to wear the uniform, which in turn led to some interesting tension between him and Bucky Barnes when Buck did become the new Captain America. Finally, there's his most well-known alternate persona: Ronin. Clint becomes Ronin after returning from the dead, wanting a break from his Hawkeye persona and an opportunity to become Ronin arises in New Avengers #27 (2007). Clint is not the only person to have used these aliases. Additionally, Hawkeye has been used not only by Clint and Kate Bishop, but also by Bullseye during the Dark Reign.

The things we haven't talked about

Like I said at the very beginning, there is a lot of Clint Barton knocking around in comics and even with all this there's a lot of content I haven't focused on. For instance, I've not talked a lot about his relationships, beyond his marriage to mockingbird (and really I only scratched the surface with that), and honestly once you start getting into interpersonal relationships we're starting to move on from what can be done in a Tumblr thread.

There are also some topic specific threads floating around, which you might like to look at too.

@vaguelyrotten has done a run down of some great dumpster fire Clint Barton comics (some of which I haven't listed) and you can see that here.

@bobbimorses did a great summary of Clint's historical deafness for instance which you can find here.

There's also this little bit all about Clint and Bucky in canon (thanks to @nightwideopen ) and how Winterhawk became a thing (thanks to @1000-directions )

This is slight sidenote, but @clintscoffeepot did a really great comprehensive of Fraction Clint's apartment which is just a really useful writing resource and you can get that here.

There is also this website which I stumbled across fairly far into writing this post which does actually look like it might be comprehensive.

If I've missed anything major, or listed something incorrectly or you just have some Clint related opinions that I need to know about, do hit me up.

[princessjungeun]

Photographs: Ryujin x Reader

You and Ryujin have known each other for only three years but it definitely feels like longer. You both entered JYP on the same day and later you both discovered you were both cast at the same Got7 concert.

Right away Ryujin gained popularity within the company for her looks and incredible talent. She was without a doubt one of the prettiest trainees in the company if not the prettiest. Her dancing was just as incredible too, dance was something she was naturally gifted with but she did have her struggles too.

You on the other hand...unfortunately you didn't have a "glow up" until months before your debut so when you first arrived to the company you didn't stick out to many people. You're also a foreigner so many people couldn't understand you when you tried talking to them so they didn't bother. However, Ryujin stayed by your side and protected you from everyone and everything.

You remember the first day you two met like it was yesterday.

You held a suitcase that was half the size of you in one hand and wore a huge backpack on your back as well. You struggled to keep your eyes open due to the ten hour time zone difference. But knowing you'd be able to take it easy the first 3 days was the only thing that kept you from passing out right there in the airport.

A staff member that picked you up from the airport gave you instructions for how to get into your dorm, giving you a temporary key card until you received a real one on Day 4. When you got up to your dorm room you first knocked on the door but nobody opened it. You struggled to grab the key card from your back pocket due to the gigantic backpack that went past your butt.

“It's ok I got it." You heard a voice next to you but your bags blocked your view. She wiggled past and took your suitcase for you. Before you could choose a room the girl was already putting your bag in a bedroom that had other belongings in it.

"You're gonna be my roommate. You can sleep on the top, more headspace." She was a good four inches shorter than you but her personality said otherwise. You admired her boldness and how she didn't bother asking you what you wanted for yourself.

Right as you were going decline her plans so you could take the single across the hall you looked up and saw her face. She was the most beautiful girl you had ever seen. "Uh yeah that's cool... i-uh I'm L/N F/N" you introduced yourself to her. She responded "Shin Ryujin."

Since then you two have been inseparable, she was always around you no matter what. Everyone knew you and Ryujin were best friends, a few suspected you two were something more which technically wasn't wrong but it also wasn't right.

The relationship you had with her was so strange but you never bothered to ask about it. You've both had your fair share of sleeping in each other's beds, in addition to the few times she kissed you. You have both even admitted you'd date each other. The nickname you gave her, Jinnie, she deeply hated if anyone else called her by it. However when it fell effortlessly from your lips she couldn’t help but smile. You had fallen for her long before then but you knew it'd probably never work out. But everyone knew you were off limits to everyone but Ryujin.

"Jinnie come on please!" You begged the blue haired girl for the nth time to just look at you so you could get a picture of her. She rolled her eyes and looked at you just long enough for you to get a picture of her. "Yah! Y/N!" She shouted at you. You looked down at the disposable camera in your hands "you look beautiful today, I had to!"

She looked at you and asked "why do you always take pictures of us?" You simply responded "Because one day when all this is over we can look back and remember all the things we did that we wouldn't have remembered if it wasn't for the pictures."

The real reason was for when you finally came clean about your feelings and she rejected you and disappeared from your life, you'd have a few things to remember. Or if she shared the same feelings which you doubted, you'd both have pictures to remember from the years before. Either way it was a win win.

Ryujin went over to the bookshelf in your shared bedroom, she grabbed a familiar box and went through it. You watched her face change as she was clearly remembering when each photo was taken. "Why didn't I know you took half of these?" You smiled and said " I'm sneaky I guess."

You looked over at the pictures that you had taken over the years, smiling at the memories that played in your head like small movies.

You and Ryujin had been practicing from sun up until sun down getting ready for your performance. You both knew the only reason she was here was because she didn't want you to practice alone. She had perfected her routine hours ago, but you were still struggling. You had just gotten one of the worst criticisms in your entire trainee period the night before. You honestly don't know how you haven't been eliminated from MIXNINE yet.

You and Ryujin both sat on the floor taking a small water break. "Jinnie look at me! Do a cool pose." You pointed your camera at her. She looked up and made a peace sign with a small smirk. "Ooooh you look so cool and you're not even trying!" You whined. She laughed and helped you stand up so you two could get back to your dance practice.

You shuffled through the box again and found another picture

A picture that was taken on an airplane before you all headed to Japan for the first time.

"Jinnie come on stop playing around I'm scared!" You whined to her. You've only ever been on 3 flights total. From New York to Seoul to visit your cousin and aunt for the summer. That's also the time when you two went to see GOT7 which resulted in you getting scouted. Then flight back from Seoul to New York. And of course the most recent, from New York back to Seoul.

Ever since your last flight which was from New York to Seoul, you've been terrified of flights. The turbulence was so bad you literally fainted due to fear onto the passenger next to you. The anxiety you faced was so bad your manager oppa had to carry you out to the van from your dorm so you all could leave.

"Ok ok sorry Y/N" Ryujin spoke to you softly. "It'll be fine, just think of something else. Like that time Lia fell asleep in the shower, or when Yuna asked every TSA agent we passed if they thought she was pretty." You laughed softly at the small things your other members did. You felt Ryujin reach for your hand, grazing her thumb over the back of your hand. You grabbed your camera and quickly took a picture of her smiling back at you.

You blinked yourself out of your trance and saw her staring right at you which made your stomach do flips. You lean forward and hug her, she envelopes you in her arms and she falls back onto the floor holding you. You both laugh and she looks down at you in her arms. Both or your eyes find each other and her eyes flicker down to your lips quickly. You notice and hide your face in her neck hoping she doesn't make fun of you for blushing. You pull away and she uses her thumb to move your head so you're looking back at her.

"Y/N-ah... be mine?" She whispers her next words which catch you off guard. You sit up and say "Jinnie...I don't know... do you only have eyes for me?" It's no secret that Ryujin is a flirt, she kisses all of your members on the cheek and back hugs almost everyone she meets. Ultimately making it feel less special when she does the same to you.

She turns around and you lay back so your back is on her front. You look up at her so she's looking into eyes, she wraps both her arms around your torso and leans down to your ear and says "i only want you. You're the only one I look at." She presses a soft kiss to your ear then temple which makes you blush. You play with her fingers and say "then why do you always do things with other people?" She responds "so I know it's only you I get butterflies with and nobody else." You try to hide your smile but it didn't work. She asked again "so...be mine?" You nodded with a smile and she held you tighter.

A bright flash came from the other side of your room, Yuna sitting on her bed holding your disposable camera. She sprinted out of the room before you two could catch her before yelling "ITS FOR MEMORIES!" You looked up at the girl who still held you close. "We're kicking her out. She can room with Yeji unnie." She nodded in agreement before kissing you again.

After all these years, the girl you wished you could call your own was finally yours.

[marveloustiming]

Look at the Stars ( Part 1\?)

Gif not mine.

"You okay Marris?" I was drawn out from my memories as Rocket spoke to me.

"Yeah I'm alright" I said as I rummaged through my old red and black backpack. I still had this thing after who knows how many years, although I had added things to it over the years. I had outgrown the clothes so I was forced to get new ones, and I ended up breaking the headphones by accident. I added a tablet, new headphones, and a leather jacket to the mix though. I snickered as Rocket kept insulting a few people that walked around us and only grinned wider when I saw that Groot was drinking from the fountain.

"Don't drink fountain water, you idiot. That's disgusting" Rocket said. Groot shook his head. "Yes you did. I just saw you doing it. Why are you lying?" Rockets device started to ring, indicating that there was a criminal with a bounty on their head nearby. "Okay humie, how bad does someone wanna find you. 40,000 units? We're gonna be rich!" I smiled and suggested we head toward him.

I was startled to find a woman with green skin on top of him. Over the years I had gotten used to all of the different types of species and colors that came along with this kind of work. But this woman was familiar. Although I had never met her or seen her in person, there were stories of her working with powerful and violent man named Ronan. She was practically raised to be a weapon. Rocket tackled her off of the man while ordering Groot to put Peter into the bag. Although Groot seemed to get mixed up as he aimed for Gamora instead. I took off after Peter as he started to run. I felt and saw a knife go by me as it landed onto Peters hand, which made him drop the metal ball. We all seemed to be after something different. Peter and Gamora wanted the ball while me, Groot, and Rocket wanted Peter. The women jumped off of the bridge as the ball fell down, me and Peter following after. Peter landed on Gamora while I landed not to far off. "Fool, should have learned." Gamora threatened. "I don't learn, its one of my issues." Peter retorted before slamming a rocket onto Gomora's side and made her shoot off and slam into a fountain. As Peter stood up, I rushed to him and punched him in the face, right as Groot put a bag on Peter and lifted him up. "Quit smiling you idiot. We're supposed to be professionals" Rocket commented. "Oh leave him alone. He's just happy." I stopped walking immediately after I said that. Gamora was striding towards us. She pushed Rocket out of her way and immediately went towards me and Groot. Before I could do anything she slammed her sword into my head and I blacked out.

I was slightly aware to me being lifted up into the air. I could see Groot next to me and Rocket next to him. Then there was Gamora on my other side. The ships that surrounded us were lifting us up. It was the Nova Corps. They ordered Rocket to drop his weapon and informed us that we were under arrest for the destruction of property. I blacked out again quickly after that. I was rudly awoken for good to me being shoved upwards. I stumbled forward as the man shoved me towards the door. I could hear Rocket shouting at him, but I couldn't process what. In the room there was glass separating me from two Nova Corps officers. "Arva Anne Connors from Terra. Mostly refers to herself as Arva Marris though. She is able to control the elements and electricity, as well as turn herself into different animals. Most of her powers are the result of illegal genetic and cybernetic experiments on a living human. She's traveled with Subject 89P13 and the thing that calls itself Groot." I was quickly ushered out of the space after that.

"I guess most of Nova Corps wants to uphold the law but these ones here, they're corrupt and cruel. But hey. That's not my problem. I ain't gonna be here long. Me and Marris have escaped twenty two prisons, this ones no different. You're lucky the broad showed up 'cause otherwise me, Groot, and Marris would be collecting that bounty right now and and you'd be drawn and quartered by Yondu and those Ravengers." Rocket explained loudly.

"I've had a lot of folks try to kill me over the years. I'm ain't about to be brought down by a tree, a girl, and a talking raccoon" Peter said. "Raccoon? What's a raccoon?" Rocket questioned. "What's a raccoon? Its what you are, stupid." " Ain't no thing like me except me." " So this this orb has a real shiny blue suitcase arch of the covenant Maltese falcon kinda vibe." This continued on for a while until Peter got tased for trying to get one of his belongings. After that we were all escorted into a room and told to strip down to our undergarments. I was incredibly hesitant to do so but I feared that I might get the same treatment as Peter for resisting. As I stepped into the cell I was sprayed with a gooey orange substance. The force of it blasted me to the back of the cell and it startled me to the point where I couldn't move for a few seconds, but when I came to my senses I turned my back to it. I was given a yellow jumpsuit to change into and than shoved into another room. I felt anger at being treated so harshly. Before I could control it my arms lit on fire. I was quick to put it out and get the jumpsuit on and go sit on one of the benches.

Soon after that Peter came in and tried to act on his anger. As soon as he turned around he was surrounded by four flying guns. Peter backed down and was quick to get dressed. He ended up sitting beside me for whatever reason. When I looked at him questionably, all he said was " You seem like the most normal out of the group." The next one to come in was Rocket. I could see the wounds on his back. Unlike me though, Peter was blatantly staring at them, so I poked him in the side to get his attention. I shook my head to indicate that Rocket didn't like being stared at. After everybody else coming in and changing, we we ushered into another room and given sleeping bags. This room though seemed to be the center of the prison. It looked like the cafeteria. Dozens of inmates were milling around sitting at one of the many tables. Right in the middle of the room was a giant watchtower where some guards were stationed. A few seconds after we walked in the inmates started to yell and throw things at us. They were mostly aiming for Gamora, shouting words like murder. "Like I said she's got a rep. Lot of prisoners here lost their families to Ronan and his goons. She'll last a day, tops. " Rocket said." The guards will protect her right?" Peter asked." They're here to stop us from getting out. They don't care what we do to each other inside." I was the one who answered his question." Whatever nightmares the future holds are dreams compared to what is behind me." A second after Gamora said that two men came up in front of Peter.

"Check out the new meat," the blue one said " We're gonna slather you up in Navian jelly," As that man was speaking I focused on the other guy. As I looked closer I began to recognize him. It was Luke. He looked much older than when I last saw him. His hair had streaks of gray in them and I could see wrinkles starting to form around his cruel eyes. "How're you doing sweetie?" Before I could respond two branches slid up Luke's nose and lifted him clear off of the ground. I looked over to see that Groot had him and the blue guy. I had told Rocket and Groot about Luke and guessing from their pissed off expressions they could guess exactly who Luke was. "Let's make something clear! This one here are our booty! You wanna get to him, you go through us! Or more accurately, we go through you!" During Rockets speech I lit my arms on fire to seem more intimidating. While Groot dropped the two men I sent a glare to all the people around us. We walked over the now sobbing men and headed for the sleeping quarters. I took up a spot next to Rocket and Groot and leaned against the wall.

"So, how're we gonna get out of here?" I whispered to Rocket. He looked to be deep on thought for a second before speaking. "I was thinking of the watchtower. Of we could get in there then we'll be golden. We just need a way to get in there." There was only one easy way of doing that. "The security bands that the guards wear. I've seen them use it dozens of times. Its the easiest way." We continued from there and soon I fell asleep.