#like. 'touch me while your friends play grand theft auto' is a FUNNY LINE!

[dollsome-does-tumblr]

people get that "so high school" is like ... being silly on purpose, right??

[melyaliz]

Past loves and future babies pt. 3

Masterlist 

Fandom: Marvel / MCU 

Summary: Dinner, Drinks and what comes after 

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OC 

Notes: No one really voted... BUT @thespacebuns reblogged with comments and I decided to give her another chapter :P 

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Before the snap Dixie and Mac had been on their own. The two siblings running across the world just getting hired out as muscle men, hackers, grifters, really anything they could do to make some money. 

Then the snap happened. 

Dixie remembered standing between an open safe and five gun men. Mac screaming in her ear to get out. Fear in his voice making it hard for her to focus. But she knew the drill when she was caught with her back against the wall, do whatever she could to get out of there. 

And then four of them men disappear. Crumbled into ash before her very eyes. The other guy freaked out not sure what to do. Calling out to his comrades. His own shocked yells slowly starting to echo more screams throughout the building as both her and the last gunman walked out. People all around them running out yelling. Trying to escape whatever was happening while their fellow coworkers crumbed around them like some horrible nightmare.

Dixie screamed Mac’s name. Her head set filling with static as she raced toward the door. She kept screaming his name so hard she was sure she tasted blood. Bolting from the building rushing toward the van nearly ripping the door off as she opined it. 

“Dixie!?! What the hell is going on?” her brother had asked his eyes wide as he stood there in pure shock. 

“I don’t know.” 

Since that day their dealings just left of the law slowly stopped. Instead becoming like a second defense to the cops. So many people, unsure what to do, had decided now was the time to play Grand Theft Auto IRL. Leaving millions of defenseless people alone with a lack of defense.

Luckily for Dixie and Mac they weren’t the only ones who had shifted toward protecting those who couldn’t. In fact, it felt like whoever was left had really chosen a side.

Those who were in it for themselves and those who were in it for others. 

Mac had found many resources during those times while on the web. People giving them tips on where to go and who to help. 

One in particular was a former cameraman for NBC news named Logan. 

Logan was funny, handsome, and had lost his wife. 

Mac had warned her, the moment they had met him. He had known it was Dixie’s type. Just out of reach. But she couldn’t help herself. 

It was like Dixie’s heart knew, fall in love with the ones you can never really have. Just another trick deeply ingrained in her subconscious as a way to protect herself. Remind herself that no matter how close they got there would always be something in the way. 

Logan joined their team along with a few others. Roaming the country finding people in need. Meeting up with other do-gooders helping those who couldn’t. 

And then everyone came back. 

And again, it was just Dixie and Mac. 

Alone together. 

--------------------------

Dinner was so much fun, everyone talking and joking while passing around the food. It almost felt like a TV version of a thanksgiving dinner. The way everyone was so comfortable around each other. The history. 

Dixie felt a little out of place but the great thing about food was that you could shove your mouth so no one expected you to talk. It wasn’t like Dixie didn’t like chatting with strangers but… she felt a little like a cow at this point. 

So she ate keeping her posture as small as possible as a way to minimize her presence and keep conversation away from her.  

Or that was what she had thought until Bucky met her gaze from across the table. Before she  could shift her gaze he spoke. “How did you like the suite?”

Nodding Dixie quickly swallowed the large bite of chow mein she had been shoving into her mouth. “It’s better than my old shitty apartment.” 

Bucky chuckled, “Tony keeps this place amazing.”

“The view is really nice,” Steve added, glancing over at Dixie. For a moment she wondered if he was trying to get her approval the way he was looking at her. Wide blue eyes searching her so intently.  

“So where did you live before this?” Bucky asked.

Dixie’s mind raced, where had she lived? Everywhere. Her and Mac moved from city to city pretty often trying to find places that rented for 6 months or less. While she knew she had to be here… you know to save the world. She wasn’t sure how open minded the avengers were to her past days for hire. 

“Arizona before this,” she smiled shrugging, “Tacos were amazing.” 

“I bet, it’s been a while since I have been in that area,"

Well it's pretty hot this time of year"

More small talk continued. Moving past her to something else. Tony’s house in the cabin or how he and Bucky’s arms matched. Well different arms but still. It was weird getting a glimpse into this side of them. All laughing and talking, trading stories and jokes like they were all highschool friends and not savors of the world. There was so much history Dixie almost felt like she was an outsider looking in. 

Which in a way she was.

The conversation went from the dining room to the large main room. There was a fully stocked bar. Tony started mixing drinks. Sam teasing Bucky about some mission they had gone on. Conversation flowed easily as they all laughed and joked around relaxing into the evening.. 

It was warm. These people were a family. Maybe bigger than Dixie and Mac but a family none the less.She had always believed that you could find family anywhere and these people, the greatest heros, were proof of that.  

As the night dragged on she watched curled up on a couch her eyes slowly getting heavier and heavier. 

Then a soft hand slowly brushed over hers pulling her awake. Turing she met Steve’s blue eyes. 

“You look like your are about to fall asleep” 

Smiling gratefully she nodded running her fingers through her hair. Getting up she followed Steve toward their apartment. Most of the team had gone back to their rooms. Bucky still there resting with a glass of scotch relaxing just listening to the music. He had been talking to Steve a few moments earlier, Dixie hadn’t caught the conversation comfortable with her own thoughts. 

It could have been the long day, or the alcohol and amazing food but Dixie didn’t really think much about what “going back meant.” Or that had been the case until they were there.  

Standing in front of the bedroom.

Oh yeah.

This is why she was here. 

Slowly Steve -annoyingly- opened the door for her. For a moment Dixie considered telling him to stop. Stop trying to be so nice and just be himself. 

She had seen a glimpse of it tonight with his team. He was so much more laid back and casual. 

Maybe someday she would be able to get him to act like that with her. When they were alone. She was good at breaking people down. Especially the uptight ones. She just needed to find the right buttons to push. Mac had always joked she had that little sister quality about her, being able to push buttons.

“Soooo” she said as they both stood in the doorway looking into the bedroom. Still so bare and sterile. A strip of moonlight spanned across the room shining on the bed like some weird silver spot light. Even the universe was laughing at them right now. 

Ha ha you have to have sex. 

Dixie would have found it funny if the guy next to her wasn’t so tense. 

It was so thick she could almost taste it on her tongue. The way he stood, the way his arms seemed to flex under his tight black tee. His hands clenched at his sides. Mouth in a tight line. He was totally unreadable and totally transparent at the same time. 

Letting out a long sigh she walked toward the bed slowly pulling off her shirt and shimmying out of her jeans. Behind her she heard Steve take a deep shuddering breath. His nerves getting the best of him.

He wasn’t the only one who was trying to hide his emotions. Dixie’s own emotions were like small bursts of nervous energy as she threw herself onto the bed. Rolling into the center pulling a pillow to herself looking back at her future baby daddy. 

“Well at least it’s comfortable.” she flashed him a smile moving a little to get more comfortable. He flashed her a small smile before pulling off his own shirt and then pants. Slowly folding them before putting them on the floor.

Dixie couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow not sure if he was just stalling or if he was really that anal. She would log that away for later. 

Steve stood now, shirtless in his boxers just looking at her, arms resting at his sides. His hands were a little more relaxed this time much to Dixie’s relief.  She looked up at him through thick lashes as she sat cross legged on the bed. Both of them just staring at the other unsure what to do next. 

“Did you… want to… this is a pretty cozy bed.” she faltered patting the mattress next to her. That same anxiety building up in her chest. Crashing like hot waves in her stomach. Building up before dropping fast and rough as the bed dipped with Steve’s weight as he sat down. 

“Can I kiss you?” he asked, turning to  face her scooting closer before gently pulling her closer.

“You don’t have to ask” she nodded slowly closing her eyes. 

He was so gentle when he kissed her. As if she was going to break under his touch. Something about that tender touch hurt deeper than if he had slapped her. It made her dizzy as if she was standing on the edge of a 100 foot drop.

And Dixie hated hights. 

Grabbing him she pulled him closer moving forward so she could position herself up and over his legs and get onto his lap. He grunted, moving back slightly, his hands resting behind him to brace himself as Dixie wrapped her own legs around his waist. Pulling away she looked down at him, studying his face. A million dumb commnets ran thought her head but she fought not say them aloud. Trying not to ruin the moment instead choosing to keep her big mouth busy with his lips. 

His hands reached around her hips, unsure what to do not really touching her. Reaching down she took them encurling them around her before going back to his hair. 

They kept kissing 

And kissing 

And kissing 

“Ok my lips are getting raw” Dixie giggled pulling away. She could feel his getting a bit hard under her. She wasn’t sure how hard considering she also didn’t know… how big he was. But at least she knew she was doing something. At least he found her attractive.

That was good. Because if he didn’t this whole process would be that much more of a struggle. 

Not that she was against wearing a paper bag.

A girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do when saving the future.  

“I’m sorry” a pained expression spread across his face. His hand reaching up gently pushing away her hair, his blue eyes slightly wide his breath coming out slightly short. 

She studied him, her fingers going for his face thumbs stroking his cheek. 

“I’m not going to bite you” she whispered, “unless you're into that.” 

The tension was cut and he chuckled pushing her forward so she was laying on her back. He kissed her again before pulling away “Oh sorry.” 

“Shhh stop apologizing” she whispered wrapping her legs around his waist again before rubbing his arm. Pulling herself up she kissed but above his collar bone in the dip of his neck. Much to her pleasure she heard Steve’s breath hitched fingers gripping the blankets on either side of her. 

Pulling away she watched as he positioned himself on top of her again kissing her neck this time. Following her example. His fingers fumbling over her totally unsure what to do. His kisses hesitant.

This really wasn’t working. 

"Stop stop," she said pushing his very toned chest gently, "we don't have to rush this.” 

“I…” he sat back looking perplexed, upset maybe. Mostly just awkward. This whole things was just so damn awkward.  

Smiling she laid down beckoning him to lay next to her, “Let’s just cuddle, we don’t need to rush anything.”  

“Ok” slowly he laid down next to her, his face only inches from hers. 

“No” 

“What?” Steve frowned studying her as Dixie shook her head. 

“Turn around.” 

“I… ok…” he said slowly turning his huge back facing her. 

Wrapping her arms around his waist she pulled herself closer spooning him. It was easier this way she could pretend he was a huge pillow. A very muscular pillow.  Closing her eyes Dixie buried her nose in his neck taking in his warm scent. He smelled like warm flannels and justice. 

Whatever justice smelled like. 

She felt his large hand enveloping hers pulling her arms tighter around him. Thumb drawing small circles over her skin. The touch sending small goose bumps up her arm. 

“We’re in this together ok.” she said, her warm breath fanning over his neck, “you just have to be open with me, we can go any any pace you want.”  

‘Thank you” he whispered so softly she might have missed it. Maybe it was her imagination. 

After all, what did THE Captain America have to worry about? 

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 Masterlist 

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[recentanimenews]

Find a Fresh Start in Life is Strange 2, Episode One: Roads

There’s a moment towards the end of Life is Strange 2’s first episode that perfectly exemplified the sequel’s direction. After a particularly stressful sequence, one of the few friendly faces I’d found pulled me aside for some encouragement. “The past is the past,” he says, quite literally gesturing toward the remnants of my time spent in the first game. Of course, he doesn’t know what happened in Arcadia Bay, nor does Sean Diaz, Life is Strange’s new protagonist. I know, though, and Dontnod knows too. It’s a clear message both for those who played Life is Strange and those who didn’t. It’s time to leave Arcadia Bay behind. Set your sights on Puerto Lobos.

The first Life is Strange released over the course of 2015 as a five-part episodic adventure series. Set in a coastal town in rural Oregon, it followed a high schooler named Max Caulfield who awakens the ability to rewind time. After using her power to save the life of an old friend, the two begin searching for a missing person. The game made waves for its tackling of heavy issues such as bullying, suicide, coming out, and sexual abuse within its coming-of-age drama framework.

    I’m a big fan of the first game, but was apprehensive when a sequel was announced. To me, the first game’s story was already as complete as it needed to be. Luckily, Dontnod felt the same way and promised that Life is Strange 2 would be something completely new. After playing the first episode (simply titled Roads), I can assure you that they’ve kept their promise.

Life is Strange 2 centers around Sean and Daniel Diaz, a pair of brothers whose quiet life at home with their dad is suddenly and violently taken from them. On their own and on the run, they decide to make the long trek from the Seattle suburbs to their father’s childhood home in Puerto Lobos, Mexico. While their journey in Roads has only just begun, their story will supposedly take place over the course of an entire year as they cross the American countryside in search of a new place to call home.

  In many ways, it’s the same Life is Strange you already know and love. Aesthetically, it’s identical to the first. Effects such as wind, fire, and running water are once again animated in 2D to charming effect. Character models are rendered in the same plastic-looking style as before,and facial animations are as stiff as ever as a result. Limited facial expressions that couldn’t keep up with the voiceover work undercut more than a few of the episode’s more emotional scenes. It’s the one glaring flaw in the way this game looks, which is normally gorgeous. Much of the episode is spent in a beautiful autumn forest environment that I couldn’t help but take screenshot after screenshot of. Expect to find plenty of opportunities to sit down, listen to the soundtrack, and gaze at shot after shot of all the lovely scenery.

Speaking of the soundtrack, Life is Strange 2 features another well-curated selection of licensed songs. I have this game to blame for me listening to Phoenix’s “Lisztomania” more lately than I have in years. While I do love these licensed soundtracks and believe they add a lot to the Life is Strange experience, they give me concern over the series’s longevity. Recently, Grand Theft Auto IV had to patch out licensed selections of its soundtrack, and the Alan Wake series had to be removed from storefronts altogether due to expiring music licenses. I noticed that Life is Strange 2 has an option to turn off licensed songs, which I hoped meant would replace them with originals. Unfortunately, all it does is mute the music altogether. It’s a good feature for streamers and let’s players who need to avoid copyright takedowns on their videos, but I worry about what happens when the licenses expire. Will anyone who picks up this game a decade from now have to settle with stark silence where a poppy intro used to be? It’s not quite a knock against Life is Strange 2, but it does make me wonder.

    The gameplay of Life is Strange 2 is where it begins to diverge from its predecessor. You are still walking around environments in third person picking up and reading as many objects as you can, but the original’s time rewind ability is absent. This is to be expected, of course, but unfortunately there’s no actual replacement for it. This time around the playable character doesn’t have any powers whatsoever. Before, Max’s rewind ability gave her a variety of time manipulation puzzles to play with and the ability to change dialogue choices over the course of the game. Failing puzzles got characters hurt or killed, and I found myself hitting a few game over screens I needed to rewind out of and start over. If the first episode of Life is Strange 2 had any failable moments, I never found them.

While not being able to play with any fun powers is a bit disappointing, Life is Strange 2 does bring something new to the table: your brother Daniel. As Daniel’s caretaker, everything Sean says and does influences him in one way or another. By the end of the episode I had already felt the consequences of some of my decisions, and Dontnod promises that early actions will only continue to influence him as the story progresses. Moral choices are nothing new these days, but what I found interesting is how many of my little choices seemed to affect Daniel. Being a rather energetic child, his curiosity had him drifting around every scene looking for any way to occupy himself. Sean had plenty of opportunities to bond with Daniel in these scenes or to leave him be and attend to chores such as shopping or setting up camp. All of these interactions contributed to Daniel’s hunger, exhaustion, security, dependence, and overall bond with Sean, which further affect his behavior from scene to scene.

  I tend to play games like Life is Strange with a compulsive need to see every single thing I can, but Daniel’s inclusion in the game changed all of that. While he never ran off and got into trouble, I was always worried he might and stuck close by. I pestered him to go to the bathroom whenever I found one. I refused to even look at toys for the flavor text because I was strapped for cash and didn’t want Daniel to hope I’[d buy one for him. He whines, but he genuinely wants to help. He complains, but only because he doesn’t understand what’s happening. He lashes out at Sean, but his love for his brother is apparent. His behavior felt believable, and I quickly found myself sinking into my role as his protective older brother.

Finally, Life is Strange 2 diverges from the first game most notably with its story and subject matter. There’s no missing person to find, no bullying ring to take down, and no town to save from disaster. There’s no mystery here, only an adventure. This is a story about a pair of brothers on the run. It’s the relationship between these brothers that drives the story forward this time, rather than the intrigue of a good mystery. The story as a whole is massively elevated by the strength of its dialogue, which is an incredibly funny thing to think for a game called Life is Strange. The first game’s attempt at writing ‘teen’ dialogue was charmingly out-of-touch, so it’s surprising to hear the teens in this game talking like actual teens. Unfortunately, the delivery often leaves something to be desired. Many of the line readings -- particularly from Daniel -- sounded rather stilted compared to the first game’s pretty solid dubbing.

It’s also worth noting that this game is more overtly political than the last. The first moments of the episode are dated October 28, 2016, and why Dontnod set the game in 2016 instead of 2018 is immediately apparent: Sean and Daniel are the sons of a Mexican immigrant. Diving into Sean’s sketchbook reveals a reference to a recent debate on TV. “He’s not actually gonna win, right?” asks a friend of Sean over text message. Multiple references are made to building a wall, for crying out loud. The very incident that puts Sean and Daniel on the run could be ripped straight from the headlines these days. “Everything is political,” declares one character to another. It’s clear that Dontnod believes that, because this game is rife with it.

This is, of course, only a review of Life is Strange 2’s first episode. The story is far from over, so there are plenty of lingering questions. The big one is what role the supernatural will play in the story. While Sean doesn’t have any abilities, someone else does. I won’t spoil who or what kind of powers they are, but they play an important role in episode one - albeit a brief one. Whether or not they will be implemented into gameplay at all remains to be seen. I certainly hope so.

The other big question is how exactly Life is Strange 2 will link up to The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit, a free downloadable game meant to act as a prequel to Life is Strange 2. While Chris (aka Captain Spirit) doesn’t show up at all in the first episode, upon going back to his mini-story I found that not only is there a reference to the inciting incident in Life is Strange 2, but the previously unnamed characters Chris meets at the end are in fact Sean and Daniel. How they will link up remains to be seen, but I’m very excited to find out.

Despite all my little quibbles and qualms and comparisons to the first game, after finishing this episode, all I could think of was how good it was. It’s not the same Life is Strange as before, but I never wanted it to be. This story has already both impressed and broken my heart multiple times over. With Life is Strange 2, Dontnod is heading in the fresh direction the series deserves. I can’t wait to see more.

REVIEW ROUNDUP

+ Gorgeous visuals

+ Story that is as relevant as it is emotionally arresting

+ Accurate teen dialogue

+ Pleasantly curated and orchestrated soundtrack

+ Choices are more active than before

+/- No powers to mess around with, but taking care of Daniel adds an engaging layer to gameplay

- Disappointing absence of facial animation in key moments

- Some stilted line deliveries throughout

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Danni Wilmoth is a Features and Social Videos writer for Crunchyroll and also co-hosts the video game podcast Indiecent. You can find more words from her on Twitter @NanamisEgg.

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com