#peter is trying to sAVE THIS MANS WORLD BY NOT INTERACTING

[awhoreintheory]

Peter, getting dropped in Gotham and doing his mandatory public library research, only to (and here comes the shocker!) Find out he's in a different dimension?!?! (Par for the course, we know how it goes)

But imagine, right. Batman is one of the first heroes he sees, and he's good at fighting and is very much sticking to his theme, Peter doesn't assume he's the Iron Man of this world, no.

Peter assumed Batman (less cool because he doesn't have a hyphen) is Spider-man's alternative

So, picture Peter avoiding Batman, not because of his no meta rule, but because he thinks this guy is a grown up (less cool, obviously) version of Peter and doesn't want to like. Cause a paradox or something by coming in contact with him

It'd be hilarious guys

[swingingthehatchetnow]

Pete always averted his eyes around the homeless man downtown. Whether it was because he got awkward around social interaction or felt unwarranted guilt about the man’s situation, he’d never managed to look the man in the eyes before. He couldn’t describe his face if he tried.

That changed after Jägerman.

The things that used to be uncomfortable really weren’t anymore. After holding court with the Void, a man on the street really doesn’t seem all that intimidating. Ruth and Richie would’ve made fun of him if he was scared of the little things after the whole ordeal, he knew. It helped him to imagine their reactions. Coping and whatnot.

His walk home was lonelier. As were his study sessions and social life. But the walks home were when he really felt their loss. Even though Pete and Ruth lived in the opposite direction, they’d walk with Richie to his place, and then cut through downtown to get back to the other side of town, where he and Ruth would part ways near the Coldstone, both going to their respective homes.

He still followed that route. Coping. And whatnot.

It was just after noon. Pete had his AP statistics final in the morning, and had no class in the afternoon, because his teachers were proctoring other exams around the school. So here he was. Peter Spankoffski, walking through downtown Hatchetfield, alone. Steph had a full school day, so he wouldn’t see her until later.

“Excuse me, do you have a minute to talk about saving our planet?”

He turned. The Green Peace girl was at it again, with a wide smile and a clipboard in hand.

“It’ll only take a minute of your time,” she continued, now holding out a brochure. Trying to reduce the amount of time he had to talk to her, he took it wordlessly.

“I, um—” his voice cracked, and his face flushed red. Nobody else his age was still having voice cracks. He cleared his throat. “I’ll take a look at it. Saving the world and all.”

Not like he hadn’t done that once already.

The Green Peace girl smiled even wider, and did a little bouncey turn on her heel. The way she bobbed off reminded Pete of Steph when she was in a particularly happy mood. This thought relaxed him a bit.

He tucked the brochure into his pocket and continued walking, though he didn’t get far before he was cut off by someone else.

“Spare change for the homeless?”

Of course he knew that voice. Anyone who spent more than five minutes downtown knew about the homeless man.

Before he even looked at the man in front of him, Pete reached for his wallet. He’d just gotten a bonus at work, so he figured he had a few dollars to spare. Besides, his movie theater job paid surprisingly well.

He grabbed a $5 bill and turned to the man.

“Here you—”

He knew that face.

Older, sure, and a little lost-looking, but there was no doubt about it. Pete was looking at…

“Teddy?”

The 20 year age gap between the Spankoffski boys left them with an interesting dynamic. It was hard to feel like brothers sometimes when one of them was coming home from kindergarten while the other was getting a full time job at CCRP.

But they had their moments. When Pete was learning how to drive, Ted would let him use his car, even though he hadn’t gotten his license yet, or the night before freshman year, when Ted gave Pete his ‘Spankoffski guide to charming the ladies’ guidebook.

Hand trembling, holding out the $5 bill, Pete looked into the cloudy eyes of his older brother. His older older brother.

Somehow, some way… Ted was standing in front of Pete, a shadow of his former self.

“That’s way cool, man,” he said, taking the $5 from Pete. No sense of recollection could be seen.

“Ted, what happened to you…?” Pete watched Ted pocket the money. And then Ted… walked off. Just like that.

“Ted, wait!” Pete called after him, but Ted didn’t turn around. He simply tugged his hat down over his ears and walked off.

With trembling hands, Pete reached for his phone. He spent no more than 3 seconds looking for his brother’s contact info and hitting the call button.

One ring.

Two.

Three.

Four…

“Aren’t you supposed to be in school?”

Pete sighed in relief at the sound of his brother’s voice on the other end of the line.

“No,” he said, “my AP exam was today. Ted, I—” he paused, realizing he had no idea what he was going to say. How do you ask someone if they know that they’re the homeless man from downtown.

He lost his nerve.

“…I was just wondering if you want to hang out later. I— I got a new game, and—”

“Yeah, sure whatever. I get off work at the usual time.” A sound came from Ted’s end of the line, fabric shifting, like he’d adjusted how he was sitting. “Is that all? Because I was about to pull the ol’ Spankoffski charm on this barista that Paul is trying to snag.”

The familiarity of the conversation was enough to ease Pete’s worries. Sure, he’d held court with the Void, lost his two best friends, nearly got shot executioner-style, and ran into what he was certain was some version of his brother in the streets… but all that didn’t matter because somewhere in downtown Hatchetfield, Ted Spankoffski was fine. And so was Pete.

“I don’t say it a lot, but I’m glad you’re my brother, Teddy.”

“Sorry, I was talking to Charlotte. Did you say something?”

Pete smiled and hung up.

Maybe the universe was bigger than he knew and could ever understand.

So what.

[nellasbookplanet]

Book recs: cosmic horror that would appal H.P. Lovecraft, part 1

From the vast void of space and other dimensions to the suffocating pressure of the deep ocean and subterranean caves; aliens and fish people and eldritch gods; madness and seeking to make the unknowable known: lovecraftian and cosmic horror comes in many shapes.

If you're anything like me, you go wild for this shit, but also think the genre's namesake can go fuck himself. Thankfully, many writers have embraced the genre over the years, and a great deal of them have eschewed Lovecraft's bigoted ideas. Here is a selection of cosmic horror that would've appalled Lovecraft and delights me. These are books about and by queer people, women, disabled and neurodivergent people, and people of color; books that ask you to sympathize with (and perhaps even romance) the monster; books that re-imagine Lovecraft's own myhtos into something less hateful yet still genuinely scary. Enjoy!

For details on the books, continue under the readmore. Titles marked with * are my personal favorites. If you want more book recs, check out my masterpost of rec lists!

Winter Tide by Ruthanna Emryss*

Aphra and her brother are the only survivors after the government raided their home, Innsmouth. Their only living family are the amphibian people of the deep, whom they will one day join, but until then they are bound to land where they struggle to build new lives for themselves after the great loss of their home and loved ones. Then rumors start to spread of a russian agent seeking dangerous and ancient magic, forcing Aphra to involve herself as they try to stop it. Does contain horror elements but is generally a much more optimistic look on cosmic horror than most lovecraftian stories, told from the perspective of one of his monsters. Lots of focus on found family and rebuilding of community and fairly light on plot, but also unflinching in its portrayal of real as well as cosmic horrors.

Providence Girls by Morgan Dante*

Sapphic horror re-imagining of several of H.P. Lovecraft's works from the point of view of the women sidelined as victims in the originals. Forced to abandon her not-quite-human children to escape a cult seeking to sacrifice her, Lavinia nearly dies from exposure in the woods. She's saved by the prickly Asenath. The two women find themselves growing close as Lavinia regains her strength. But Asenath's own dark past is catching up, as she too begins to transform into something not entirely human. Beautiful and unsettling with heavy body horror as well as more human horrors such as emotional and sexual abuse.

The Shape of Water by Daniel Kraus & Guillermo Del Toro*

In 1960s America, Elisa works as a cleaner in a government facility when a strange fish man is brought in to be studied. An immediate connection sparks between the two, but his time is running short as plans are to vivisect him. Alongside her colleague and her reluctant neighbour, Elisa must find a way to save him before he's laid under the knife. Less horror than most books on this list, The Shape of Water is nonetheless a beautiful romance about embracing (and being) the other in a world that wants you gone. If you like the movie, you likely also enjoy the book.

Otherside Picnic by Iori Miyazawa

Sapphic, surreal and episodic horror vibe. Following the directions of an urban legend, university student Sorawo finds her way to a reality populated by horrifying creatures from ghost stories and modern urban legends which induce fear and madness in those who interact with them (of which I’m sure you’ll recognize many). Here she teams up with fellow explorer Toriko, both to find out more about this strange world and to help Toriko find a missing loved one. Also available as a manga and (one season of) a pretty middling anime.

Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero

Sapphic, horror with adult and genuinely scary scooby gang vibes. Once, Andy, Kerri, Nate, Peter and their faithful dog were known as the Blyton Summer Detective Club, until they hit their fateful final case in 1977. Now, the year is 1990, and the group hasn’t gathered in years. Tomboy Andy is wanted in at least two states; Kerri, former kid genius, is tending bar; and horror nerd Nate is in a mental institution in Arkham. At least he still has the company of jock-turned-movie star Peter - except Peter has been dead for years. Now they must all come together to find out the truth of what happened all those years ago.

Where Black Stars Rise by Nadia Shammas & Marie Enger

Graphic novel, inspired by The King in Yellow. Dr. Amal Robardin, Lebanese immigrant and a therapist in training, finds herself in over her head when assigned her first client. Yasmin is a schizophrenic suffering from nightly terrors that seem all too real, and when Amal fails to give her the support and answers she needs, she disappears. Desperate to fix things, Amal goes racing after her - and ends up in a world of eldritch nightmares, more real than she ever imagined.

In the Shadow of Spindrift House by Mira Grant

Novella. After Harlowe's parents were killed by a cult, she was sent to be raised by her grandparents. There she ended up becoming part of a group of teen detectives. As the group grows up and starts splintering into adulthood, Harlowe decides to find them one last mystery to solve: the secret of Spindrift House, a manor of murky origin, surrounded by dark mystery. Entering the manor, the group is eager to solve its secrets - but Spindrift House isn't one to give them up easily.

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle

Novella. Re-imagining of one of Lovecraft's stories. Tommy is a hustler struggling to get by; when the elderly Robert Suydam hires him to play guitar at a party, Tommy is quick to agree. But Suydam is seeking something vast and Outside our reality, inviting Tommy to take part. Meanwhile, private detective Malone repeatedly harasses Tommy and his family in his hunt for proof against Suydam's activities. A bleak look that puts the apathy of eldritch gods against the closer-to-earth evil of human bigotry.

Sawkill Girls by Clair Legrand*

Young adult. The isolated island of Sawkill Rock has secrets. It hosts the legend of a local monster, and the very stark reality of decades of girls going missing, never to be found again. Now, three girls stand at the center of the horrific mystery. If only they can come together, perhaps they can save future generations of girls from a monster that may very well be real. Asexual and sapphic main characters, including a sapphic romance. Not as heavy on the cosmic horror as other titles on this list, but the monster certainly leans hard into it.

Blindsight by Peter Watts*

Vampires, post-humans, aliens, and questions on the nature of consciousnesses, oh my! A ship is sent to investigate the sudden appearance of an alien vessel at the edge of the solar system, but the crew isn’t prepared for the horrors awaiting them. Because the aliens are intelligent, but they are nothing like us - to them, we may be nothing but a mistake to be wiped out. No, seriously, this book will fuck you up, highly recommend if you’re okay with a lot of techno babble and existential horror.

The Scourge Between the Stars by Ness Brown

Novella. After having failed at establishing a new colony, starship Calypso fights to make it back to Earth. Acting captain Jacklyn Albright is already struggling against the threats of interstellar space and impending starvation when she´s thrown a new danger: something is hiding on the ship, picking off her crew one by one in bloody, gruesome ways. A quick, excellent read if you want some good Alien vibes.

The Outside by Ada Hoffmann*

AKA the book the put me in an existential crisis. Souls are real, and they are used to feed AI gods in this lovecraftian inspired sci-fi where reality is warped and artificial gods stand against real, unfathomable ones. Autistic scientist Yasira is accused of heresy and, to save her eternal soul, is recruited by cybernetic ‘angels’ to help hunt down her own former mentor, who is threatening to tear reality itself apart. Sapphic main character.

Shards of Earth by Adrian Tchaikovsky

Not too long ago, Earth was destroyed by the Architects, alien beings of massive proportions who seemed hardly aware of humanity's presence as they reshaped our entire planet into a twisted work of art. In their defense, humanity created super soldiers able to communicate with the enemy where no one else could. At once, the Architects disappeared without a trace. Fifty years has since passed, and Idris, one of the soldiers, has neither aged nor slept since, working on a freelance salvage vessel. But when he and his crew stumble on a sign that the Architects may be returning, they must embark on a race to find out the truth.

The Stars are Legion by Kameron Hurley

Zan wakes without memory, a passenger aboard one of the living world-ships of Legion, a fleet of decaying generations ships. Told she’s the salvation meant to free them from the fleet, Zan is flung head first into a brutal and bloody conflict. This book fucked me up when I read it. It’s weird, it’s gross, there’s So Much Viscera, there are literally no men, it has living spaceships and biotech but in the most horrific way imaginable, where humans are nothing but part of an ecosystem that cares little for their well-being. Had I to categorize it I would call it grimdark military sf. It’s an experience but not necessarily a pleasant one.

Empress of Forever by Max Gladstone

Sapphic. Vivian Liao is a highly successful innovator, but she may have bitten off more than she can chew and fears the government may be coming for her. As she goes into hiding, she attempts to pull off one last stunt that could fix everything - but something goes wrong, and suddenly Vivian finds herself waking up in the far future, under attack by an army of robots in space. Hoping to find her way back home, Vivian must assemble a crew of dangerous outlaws to help her hunt down the Empress of Forever, the all-powerful entity who pulled her into the future. While overall a space opera in genre, Empress of Forever also features a cosmic horror threatening the entire universe.

Solaris by Stanislaw Lem

1960s Polish classic, more existential and philosophical than horror, with an exploration of how we may never understand the nature and motives of a truly alien mind. Arriving on a station orbiting the planet Solaris, Kris Kelvin is meant to study the strange, possibly sentient ocean that covers its entire surface. But the effects of the ocean are far reaching - Kelvin finds the crew of the station secretive and unstable, and is shocked to wake one day to the embodiment of a long dead lover. Was it created by the brain-like ocean, and if so, why?

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling*

Possibly one of the most unsettling and claustrophobic books I’ve ever read. Gyre, a caver on an alien planet, ventures into the dark and dangerous underground, guided only by her handler, a woman who has no compunctions on using and manipulating Gyre as she sees fit to obtain her own secretive goals down in the caves. Alone iton the dark, Gyre must struggle to keep hold of her sanity. Sapphic in the messiest of ways.

Levithan Wakes by James S.A. Corey

Jim Holden and his crew are ice runners in a system on the brink of war, tension rising between the inner planets and the inhabitants of the belt. When the crew comes across an abandoned ship, they come into possession of a secret that may light the spark of war. Crossing their path is detective Miller, searching for a missing girl tied to the mysterious ship. More dangerous than even impending war is the truth behind the girl's disappearance, leading to a secret billions of years in the making. It has slept for longer than humanity has been aware, but now, it is waking up. It has a job to do, humanity be damned.

Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

For decades, Area X has been completely cut off from humanity. The only ones to enter are small organized expeditions, many of which never return, or return… wrong. We follow the latest expedition, its participants known only as the anthropologist, the psychologist, the surveyor, and our narrator, the biologist. As they enter into Area X to try to find out its secrets, only one thing is for sure: they will never be the same again.

Out Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armifield

Miri thought she lost her wife Leah when her deep-sea mission ended in a catastrophe. But Leah was miraculously returned to her - or so it seems. Because something happened down there, deep in the ocean, and whatever it was, Leah has brought it back with her. Surreal and strange, Our Wives Under the Sea will not answer all your questions, but it will give you a unique experience.

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

Five New Yorkers find themselves experiencing strangeness as the city itself begins to wake up. They are its soul, its avatars and its protectors, and now they must keep it safe as it wakes and something alien and eldritch attempts to kill it before it’s even fully born. Mix of sci-fi, supernatural, and lovecraftian horror. Multiple pov characters of varying queer identities. Tries to bite off a bit more than it can chew but is also very inventive and unique.

The Gilded Abyss by Rebecca Thorne

Sapphic. Nix Marr is a soldier and damned good at it, but that doesn’t prepare her for her next mission: bodyguard for Subarch Kessandra, beloved royal and Nix’s bitter ex, as she ventures into the underwater city of Fall to seek the cause of a bloody murder spree and a possible deadly contagion of madness. But Kessandra has enemies, the answers she seeks marking her as a possible threat for the nation’s rulers. On their way in an isolated and enclosed underwater ship, the contagion catches up, and Nix will have to put her hurt feelings aside if the two are to arrive alive. Not quite as scary as it could be, but with some very fascinating lore and world-building.

Beneath the Rising by Premee Mohamed

The only thing extraordinary about Nick Prasad is his best friend Joanna "Johnny" Chambers, genius child prodigy. But when Johnny invents a new, clean energy source, the two are dragged into a race to save the world. The invention has attracted the attention of something ancient and dark, searching for a way into our reality, hoping to rule over humanity. Only Nick and Johnny can stop them, but as rifts between them grow wider and old gods loom nearer, they may not manage it in time. More coming of age and adventure than horror, but does feature an interesting take on elder gods mythology.

Leech by Hiron Ennes*

Unbeknownst to humanity, a sentient hive mind has taken over the entire medical profession to ensure the health of their host species. One of their doctors is sent off to an isolated location where they’re cut off from the rest of the hive mind, only to realize they’re faced with a rivaling parasitic entity of unknown intentions. Leech hands you only just enough information to get by, and whether its historical fantasy, an alternate timeline, or futuristic post apocalypse is hard to determine. It’s spooky and a bit weird and wildly creative, and does some neat things with gender.

Family Business by Jonathan Sims

By the author behind the Magnus Archives. When Diya’s childhood best friend and roommate unexpectedly passes away, Diya falls apart and, among other things, loses her job. When she’s offered a position at Slough & Sons to clean up after the deceased, she sees no other recourse but to accept. Her new job is grisly but important, and Diya starts to get back on her feet - until strange visions of a terrifying man and the dead’s last moments start to haunt her. Slough & Sons are hiding something, and it’s up to Diya to find out the truth. No romance, bisexual main character and trans woman side character.

The Hollow Ones by T. Kingfisher*

After having divorced, Kara moves to stay with her uncle and help him run his museum of curiosities, until one day she discovers a hole in the wall of his house. The hole leads to a strange bunker, and beyond that, a dark and dangerous world beyond her understanding. In the company of a friend, she goes to explore this world, but quickly comes to regret her decision to do so. No romance, major gay character, at once funny and deeply creepy.

Malevolent by Harlan Guthrie*

Lovecraftian horror mystery. Private detective Arthur Lester wakes up in his office, his partner dead, memories fuzzy, vision gone, and the voice of a malevolent entity in his mind. Unable to see, Arthur is forced to rely on guidance from the entity as he attempts to solve the mystery of what it is and where it came from. Is this a book? No. But as someone who reads mostly audiobooks, the difference between a book and a fiction podcast is negligible, and also I love this story and its characters and want all of you to do so too.

[crazyunsexycool]

Jealousy, Jealousy

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

word count: 1.0k

Summary: Steve feels a bit insecure as he watches a coworker flirt with you at a party.

Warning: bit of insecure Steve, lil bit of angst

A/N: Here is the 4th part The earpiece!

Steve wanted to act as if he wasn’t a jealous person but he was. It stemmed not from you interacting with other people but from his insecurities. In many ways even when you looked at him and saw just Steve, he was the small kid from Brooklyn who couldn’t ask a dame out to save his life. Then you came along and changed his world, even when he thought he messed up with the whole earpiece incident. He loved you. It wasn’t a sweet innocent love either, it was all consuming and burned wildly in his whole being. So seeing as other men were as captivated by you as he was made his blood boil. A hurricane of doubt and negative thoughts started to form in his head. He questioned if he was worth the effort. Steve couldn’t help but wonder what you saw in him. 

It was as if you had heightened senses of your own because suddenly your eyes connect with Steve’s from across the crowded room. You smile at him brightly, your eyes lighting up. Steve couldn’t help but smile back, yet that same pesky feeling bothered him as you turned back to your conversation. 

It was only a few minutes. You’d gone to the bathroom and on the way back your coworker stopped to talk to you. But he got to see you every day so Steve couldn’t understand why he had to talk to you during a party too. It didn’t help that this was the same guy that kept flirting with you at any chance he got.

“It’s not a good look on you, pal.” Bucky says as he stops next to Steve.

“What?” Steve looks at Bucky.

“This whole broody, trying to not look jealous thing you got going on.” 

Steve scoffs and looks back at you, his jaw clenching when the other man places a hand on your arm which you quickly pulled away. He mutters a curse under his breath as jealousy rears its ugly head. Steve watches as the other man gets too close for your comfort. 

“I’ll be right back.” He says before stomping his way over to you. 

You felt him before you saw him. The scent from his cologne was comforting as he came up behind you. Steve’s hard chest pressed against your back and you immediately relaxed. Looking over your shoulder you smiled up at him but Steve’s eyes were on your coworker Paul. Sure he was handsome with his dark brown eyes and matching hair but he wasn’t like Steve. You’d heard rumors around the tower about Paul and his slutty reputation. That was something you weren’t interested in experiencing. Besides, you had Steve, he was the most caring person you’d ever met. Why would you trade down? 

“Captain, how are you doing?” Paul sends an annoyed look Steve’s way.

“I’m doing great Peter, how about you?” 

“It’s Paul actually.” 

“Oh.” Is all Steve replies. “I hope you don’t mind but I came over here to steal my girl.” 

Paul’s smile fades slowly as his eyes bounce between you and Steve. “But we were having such a lovely conversation. Why don’t you join us?”

“Actually Paul I do need to get going. See you on Monday.” 

“Bye, Patrick.” Steve says.

“Come on,” Paul grabs your hand and tries to get you to stay. “We’re having a good time.”

“I’d very much like to spend time with Steve. I’ll see you on Monday.” 

“But-“

“You heard what she said, now let her go.”

Steve takes your hand and leads you out to a quiet area outside so that he can finally spend time with you alone. 

“What was that about?” 

“What?” Steve asks while putting on his most innocent act. 

“That whole snippy attitude back there. And don’t give me those doe eyes, I know what you’re doing.” 

Steve sits down on a lounge chair and pulls you by your hips so that you’re standing between his legs. He looks up at you like you hung the moon and the stars just for him but there’s uncertainty behind it all. You rest your hands on his shoulders and wait for him to say something. 

“I’m sorry. I just hated seeing the way Preston was looking at you and trying to touch you.” 

You couldn’t help but chuckle at the fact that he wouldn’t call him by his actual name.

“Steve, baby, where is this coming from? Did I do or say something to make you feel like this?” 

“No, not at all. It’s just me.” 

“Baby.” You cup his cheeks and make him look up at you. “I only want you. There is no one else in this world that I would want to be with other than you. Not Captain America or Steve Rogers, the leader of the Avengers. I want to be with Steve, the kid from Brooklyn who gets me flowers just cause and who leaves me little notes and doodles around my office just to make me smile. The Steve who would race to my apartment just to get rid of a spider because I’m scared of them. What do I have to do to make you realize that?”

“Nothing. I just need to remember that you see me for who I am.”

“And that I love you no matter what.”

The words wash over him and they calm the storm he’d been creating in his head. “You love me?” Steve said incredulously.

“Of course.” You smile and nod.

Steve stands and pulls you in for a kiss. He leaves you breathless.

“I love you too.” 

You giggle against his lips as you both say those three little words to each other a few more times. Steve pulls away and takes your hand, leading you back in and through the party.

“Where are we going?” You ask with a laugh.

“I’m gonna show you how much I love you.”

When you get to the elevators Steve hits the buttons multiple times. You turn him around and distract him with a kiss. When he pulls back again and looks up he makes eye contact with Paul. With a smirk on his face, Steve palms your ass and kisses you again. 

He really didn’t have a reason to be jealous. You love him and he loved you but the angry face Paul made was still priceless.

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[accio-sriracha]

A lot of things can happen in a year.

People come and go, seasons change, the world itself can be thrown into chaos and back again.

A year can change you, it can shape you into a whole other person.

If you don't have something there to guide you, a year can make you lose yourself.

And for Remus Lupin? He went through twelve.

It was... cruel, to say the least. Those twelve years spent withering away to nothing.

Twelve years.

Alone.

He swears he spent at least two of them just crying.

Another one trying to forget the look of pride in Lily and James' eyes when Remus held Harry for the first time.

He'd spent nearly four years trying to forget Sirius.

Trying to forget his laugh. How he took his coffee. How he always tied his hair in a bun before doing his eyeliner. How he smiled at him whenever he entered the room, like his mere presence was enough to keep him happy.

How Remus had loved him...

It was another two years before he could manage to sleep without the nightmares haunting him every night.

And it wasn't until the next he'd finally managed to hold down a decent job.

But by that point, it'd already been a decade.

Ten years.

Ten years of torture. Of pain. Of damage far beyond repair.

The tenth year was harder than most. He'd gotten a letter from McGonagall.

Harry was starting school at Hogwarts.

She thought he'd like to know.

Everything he'd built. Every careful wall and gently placed mask.

Destroyed.

He broke all over again.

He was inconsolable that year. Moping around his shabby flat with nothing but the ghosts of memories, the people he'd loved and cared for nearly as long as he'd gone without.

Harry was eleven.

Sirius had been rotting in a prison.

James and Lily Potter have been dead for ten years.

Peter... ten years.

Ten years.

Remus had spent alone.

The next year was passed trying to fix himself up. Trying to build those walls again.

He placed his mask and went out into the world. He got back into shape. He started eating again.

By the anniversary of the twelfth year, he was proud to say he was doing fine.

So fine, in fact, that McGonagall had sent him a letter, asking him to become the next DADA professor.

And Remus was... excited.

So when the paper was delivered to his flat early one morning, a paper he normally didn't care much to read, he decided he would check on the world today.

It had been doing okay the last twelve years. Surely he would find some good news.

And there it was...

Sirius Black.

Escaped.

If Remus had ever been so conflicted, he was sure he must have obliviated himself to forget it.

His best friend.

The love of his life.

A murderer.

Escaped.

Hence forth, Remus could no longer say he was fine.

Not when his first interaction with his best friend's son in thirteen years was saving him from a rougue dementor.

Not when he wondered if it was the very same assigned to Sirius in his cell.

Not when he set up his office, or when he attended the first dinner on the staff's side of the Great Hall.

No.

Remus wasn't sure he would ever be fine again.

So when he and Harry grew close, and the hole in his heart the shape of his parents only seemed to grow bigger.

He'd nearly given up.

That is, until the map.

When Harry said those words.

A man he knew to be dead.

A man Remus knew to be dead.

Alive.

Peter Pettigrew was alive.

Sirius Black had escaped.

The world spun around him, forcing his office out of focus. He could only see the map.

The name in the top left corner.

The Gryffindor Tower.

Peter Pettigrew.

And when he followed them, watched them closely. When he saw the black dog he'd recognize anywhere, thin and starved and fur mangled with dirt.

When he saw Sirius...

No. He would never be okay again.

But he pushed forward. Because he had to. Because he owed it to James and Lily's son. Because he wanted to see if it was true.

It was chaos, a flurry of emotions mixing in Remus' head, thoughts and memories and dreams separating like oil and water.

Harry was right.

Peter Pettigrew was alive.

Sirius was innocent.

So when he held him, for the first time in over twelve years. When he embraced him. When he felt the bones protruding from every inch of his body. When he saw his cautious smile...

Remus would never know a greater sorrow. A greater grief. A greater guilt.

The man he'd spent the last twelve years trying to forget.

The man he loved more than anything in the world.

Remus would never let him go again.

And he didn't.

Not for a very, very long time.

[isle-of-the-gorgons]

Beware The Gorgons Of Hatchetfield!

Welcome to the mysterious and magical land of Hatchetfield, where fantastical creatures coexist with humans, even if not harmoniously.

This is an ask blog for a Nerdy Prudes Must Die Gorgon AU. Before anything else, lets dive into the main characters.

The Gorgons

Stephanie Lauter - Transfemme, bisexual, demigod queen. After disobeying her Godly Father during his trails to make her powerful he curses her to be a gorgon. Her snakes are Brazilian Rainbow Boas.

Ruth Fleming - Transfemme bisexual. Her parents had disrespected a god who cursed their unborn child, after being born a gorgon they abandoned her and she was raised by satyrs. She was all alone until she found Steph and Grace. Her snakes are Axanthic conda morph Hognoses.

Grace Chasity - Cis, lesbian. She was a priestess to a virgin goddess and while trying to figure out her sexuality she lost her virginity to a man inside the goddesses temple, getting her cursed as a gorgon and banished. Her snakes are Diamondback Rattlesnakes.

Richard Lipschitz - Transmasc and aroace. He was being forced into a marriage he didn't want and he begged for the gods to save him, one of them took pity on the boy and "cursed" him as a gorgon, being the only gorgon of the group who was happy about the situation. His snakes are Blue Eyed Leucistic Ball Pythons.

The Humans

Maxwell Jägerman - Cis, pansexual, demigod. While making his name as a hero he was tasked by Ruth's parents to kill their wicked monster of a son, but when he arrived all he found was a beautiful woman.

Peter Spankoffski - Transmasc and bisexual. Pete was ordered to get snake venom from a gorgon in order to save his brother Ted from being wrongfully imprisoned, only to meet and fall in love with Steph.

THE SHIP PAIRINGS ARE LAUTSKI, MAX+RUTH+GRACE, AND RICHIE IS AROACE UNINTERESTED IN DATING.

Click here for the Master List of posts

And with that out of the way, here are the mod introductions!

Mod Muse 🍓

Hiya! Mod Muse here, but you can just call me Muse! Pronouns are she/her! I'm a writer and the creator of this au! You can also find me at my side blog @hatchetfield-omegaverse ! Feel free to shoot me a message any time about the characters, hcs, general lore, fic ideas, or just to send love! I hope you like this au!

Mod Prophet 🐍

Heyo! You can call me Mod Prophet, Prophet, or Snake! My pronouns are They/It/He and im a writer, I'm also the resident Snake expert who assigned the gorgons their snakes. I'm hellenic so I'm mostly here to help make sure this au is respectful to my religion while still taking elements from greek mythology. Please feel free to direct asks at me if you have questions about the snakes themselves or anything related to the mythology and culture of this AU

Tag System

#NPMD Gorgon AU - General posts

#Mod🍓 - Posts done by Mod Muse

#Mod🐍 - Posts done by Mod Prophet

#LoreAsks - Asks about the lore surrounding gorgons, mythology, or world building

#HcAsks - Asks talking about personal headcanons

#GeneralAsks - Asks about basically anything

#CharacterAsks - Asks that are responded to in character

#GeneralLore - Posts about lore that wasnt sent in asks

#TheFics - Anytime parts of the fic are posted

#Safe - Posts that are sfw

#NotSafe - Posts that are nsfw so you can block it if you'd like

The only real DNI we have is NO MINORS! This AU isnt exclusively NSFW but there are a lot of nsfw elements and we do not want minors engaging in that! If we see a minor interacting with us we will block them! If you see a minor interacting feel free to send us an ask to let us know so we can purge any minors following/reposting from us!

LOOK BELOW THE CUT FOR PHOTOS OF EACH OF THE GORGONS SNAKES

Stephanie Lauter

Ruth Fleming

Grace Chasity

Richard Lipschitz

[ultralightpoe]

Haunted House - Stephen Strange

Authors Note: HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Word Count: 1,286

Warnings: illusions to smut

Description: Small halloween blurb.

This is apart of my Halloween event, stay tuned for a new story every hour!

Happy Halloween!

It starts as a small whisper from a mother to her neighbor. “Did you hear about the witch and warlock?” The neighbor talked to her sister, this time whispering “The witches are running a haunted house.” Her sister tells her coworker about it, and on and on and on. 

Within days the news of ‘The Haunted House’ travels and everyone is preparing for it. Making plans to stop by on Halloween because who in their right mind would miss this?

But no one, NO ONE, was as excited as Stephen Strange. 

The sanctum was normally to remain hidden unless the person called to it, but on Halloween (and with proper protection spells of all the artifacts) he began a tradition of opening the sanctum to the world and unleashed his powers upon them…… but that wasn’t his favorite part of it all. 

No. 

His favorite part was you, his wife, and your natural power. 

You came from a coven when he met you, cocky and beautiful, everything about you powerful and smooth. You ended up saving him from a demon, showing him up in all but two moves before you vanished. 

It took months of this, you popping up and saving him, before he finally got your name. Wong had warned him about you, warned him about your coven as well. 

“They are purists, the witches are not to interact with warlocks or humans. If they find that she does, she could be stranded or worse killed.”

But Stephen couldn’t stay away, he was drawn to you. 

Months and months, seeing you became a natural thing and soon enough he was completely in love. Your coven expelled you, and though you had been upset about losing your mother and sisters you had agreed to marry him and you had formed a happy family with him. 

And there was one night a year that you allowed yourself to actually unleash the depth of your power. 

“America!” You call up the stairs, fixing your cliche witch hat once more before moving to fuss over the streamers on the railing. “Baby wizard come on, it’s nearly time!” 

“Coming!” She calls, and Stephen comes around the corner, leaning on the wall as he watches you fuss over the decorations before your adopted daughter rushes down the steps in her own wizard costume. 

“YOU LOOK GREAT!” You squeal, pulling her in and fixing the shoulders. 

“You’re not mad I chose wizard over witch?” America asks, allowing you to fuss over her.

“Absolutely not, I think you look great. Now where is-”

“Right here.” Stepen smiles before you even have to finish asking, turning slowly to show you his outfit. 

“Those are your normal robes, Strange. This is supposed to be-” He smiles and holds out his hand, allowing a fully decorated cloak to fly to him. Cobwebs and black paint over him, and the second he latches on the outfit Stephen had been wearing transforms into the sinister version of it. 

“Better? Mrs. Strange?”

“Perfect.” You smile, stepping closer to kiss him deeply before pulling back and clapping your hands. 

Stephen takes a moment to admire you, trying not to grow a hard on at your costume before you are finally ready to begin. 

“Alright, when the clock strikes 6 we will begin. A new round every hour. Understood?” 

“Ready.” America smiles. 

“I guess.” Wong sighs from his spot by the door, pretending not to be excited even though he was.

“Extremely ready!” Peter calls, swinging from the ceiling and landing next to America. Another one you had managed to adopt, you had ripped the memory curse and managed to allow everyone in the sanctum to remember him.�� “Remind me of my role one more time.”

“You’re the dead man hanging, darling.” 

“Right. Got it.”

“Let’s begin then.” It takes everything in Stephen not to kiss you when you smile, your eyes shining that magnificent purple. He loved this holiday.

- 

The clock chimes 6 times, echoing out to the first crowd that had formed outside, bouncing on their feet excitedly as they wait for the Sanctum to appear, and once the 6th chime hits a heavy cloud of purple smoke appears and then the building is revealed. Gasps travel through the crowd as everyone pushes forward, stepping up the concrete steps happily. 

The doors open slowly, the purple smoke working as a fog as a serene voice rings out to the crowd, lulling them all in. “Come little children, I’ll take thee away-”

Janey, who had just turned 17 three days ago, takes a couple steps in and once 30 people had made it in the doors slam shut and the lighting goes down easily, everyone nearly surrounded in darkness as a purple cloud forms above them. “Follow me, if you dare….”

And there you were, Janey could do nothing but blink up at you as you emerged from the cloud, floating. You were everything. 

“It’s the witch of the sanctum!” Someone yells, pointing as if you weren’t the easiest thing to see in the room. You smile, a cheshire cat smile as you gesture for everyone to follow, leading them into your house of horrors.

- 

The last batch of people come in at 4 am, most of them college students not ready to end the night. You had to pull back the scares a bit so there were no incidents. But by the end of the night you are left on the stairs, laying down with a small smile as Stephen comes to find you. 

His touches are gentle as he lifts your head to sit on the stairs with you, laying your head on his lap and brushing your hair. 

“Have a fun night?”

“The best night ever.” You yawn. “Reminds me of my old home. Especially when the hellhound ended up chasing after that biker guy. If only he knew she was just a puppy who smelled bacon.”

“Why would he have a burger in his pocket, I still don’t understand that.” Stephen jokes, trying to ease the tension in his chest as he gazes at you. He knew you missed it, your family. “I’m sorry baby.”

“Don’t be sorry, Warlock.” You whisper, sitting up and pulling him in for a soft kiss. “Thank you for letting me have fun tonight.” 

“I enjoy it, you are msot gorgeous when you’re not taming your powers….. But the medusa trick was a bit much this year.”

“I TURNED HIM BACK.” You defend, smiling from ear to ear. “But we might have to tone down a bit next year.”

“We?” He laughs and you shrug. “Fine. I might have to tone it down next year.”

He grabs your chin softly, pulling you close until his lips are grazing your own. “Don’t ever tone it down, Witch.”

“No problem, Warlock.” He lets himself kiss you then, opening a portal to your room and allowing himself to destroy you. 

- 

Janey goes to school, whispering about the house. She tells her friends of the smoke and how the witch had turned a man into solid stone and the hellhound. She tells them about the epic maze of blue star shaped portals that lead them from room to room, each one containing another world. 

The news travels about the hellhounds and the flying demons. The skeletons that walked amok and the young man that hung himself in the foyer at the end. (They didn’t know that Peter was using his webs as a harness and the spell you put on him made him unrecognizable)

By the time the police went to the address they found nothing but an empty warehouse, Stephens protection spells back in place keeping his witch and his family safely tucked inside. 

{Would love to write more about reader witchling and warlock Stephen}

[skojukebox]

just had a thought.

What if Sonic lost all of his memories... and then met Surge? Who would Sonic be with no clue about who he is? How would Surge react to this completely different side to the person she despises? Imagine Sonic acting like a civilian behind a Surge who is saving the day, and being completely shocked by people expecting him to do something too?

Between the people who'd be able to train Sonic back to how he used to be, everyone would be able to do something or another- everyone would try to do something, but also lift Sonic up to those expectations that are completely alien to him. How would a Sonic, who is being overloaded by almost everyone around him, react to Surge who didn't like the legendary hero much either?

How could Sonic develop without a "Tails" by his side? Tails moved on after Frontiers, he is nobodies sidekick anymore, and the memories they had together, that are now lost, can't be recreated.

I think Sonic would pretty quickly be back on the track to being a hero again, memories or not. It comes natural to him. Sonic is a very simple guy (sometimes to a fault) who doesn't have a lot of reason to his heroism beyond the fact that he does it because he places all his bets on what he thinks is right. It's interesting to me because we don't really know Sonic's impetus to have first started saving the world (and probably never will, which is absolutely fine with me. I don't need a sonic origin story personally), but I feel like there's just no way heroism was like... A learned thing for him. I feel like he saw something he felt wasn't just at some point, set it right, and never stopped doing it after that. Simple as. And I think again, even if he loses his memory, as long as he has his personality intact? He won't stay a civilian for long. Having his friends around kind of makes it a sure bet. Even Tails; I am sure having Tails with him over the years imprinted good things on Sonic just as much as it did Tails, but even if Tails isn't his sidekick, I don't think he's going to let those lessons be lost. Some time together and I think they'd be best buds forever again, memories or not.

As far as interactions with Surge go, I feel like Sonic seeing Surge saving the day would immediately leave him pretty thrilled and with an appreciation for her. Surge's fatal flaw as a hero, as she is right now, is that she's doing what she does for praise and good feelings. Sonic doesn't do that, but (and I could be proven wrong about this later in IDW but it's what I feel) I don't think he would actually care all that much about the "why" that is behind it.

And Surge's take on this? There's two ways that can go:. One that comes to mind was in early Archie. Not canon , but the first example I thought of:

In this story Sonic runs headfirst into a SWATbot like a dumbass and ends up with coconut-bonk amnesia. Robotnik, rather than just shooting him into the sun while he's unconscious or something, ends up tricking Sonic into thinking the Freedom Fighters are terrorists and Robotnik is a benevolent ruler.

This is Ken Penders cribbing an even older Spider-Man story where a similar situation happens with Doctor Octopus. Except in that story, Doc Ok convinces Peter that he's actually his criminal accomplice (which sucks, he could have explained to him how the cops are actually evil or something). Manipulating a fresh and excitable Sonic sounds like a fun little substory for Surge but I don't think she'd be able to pull it off, no matter how much she hates Sonic. For one, even in this old ass story, Robotnik doesn't even bother trying to convince Sonic that he's evil. I genuinely don't think it would work. As long as Sonic doesn't wholesale lose his personality, he's not going to do evil shit. For further proof, IDW issue #32 shows Sonic in the Sol Dimension with his memories sucked right out of his noggin after going Super Sonic too hard and he's still the same frustrating smart aleck bastard he's always been.

He even relearned his super speed over the course of the short period of time he was bumming it in the palace. Though I think an underappreciated joke in this section is he's talking and acting more courtly like Blaze because he's mostly been around her since waking up. Look at that pinkie!

The other much more likely scenario for Surge is she sees Sonic having all of this power, all of these abilities, all of that stuff... Maybe he doesn't remember exactly what he can do right off the bat, but you know he's going to. First off: she fuckin' hates it. This asshole still has all the superpowers naturally, the stuff that Starline popped her body open like the hood of a car to brutally build into her, but now he has none of the context of the things he did with them in the past? The times (she feels) he screwed up by not using them to finish fights with Eggman? The things (she feels) he did to her that led to her current status? She would be impossibly, unspeakably frustrated. Not only did he not care before, but now he doesn't have have to carry the burden of memory? Bullshit

Sonic wouldn't get why she's so mad. Maybe he'd push to try to figure it out, as he did once before, but I believe the end result would be an impasse between both of them again. What would make her even more frustrated would be Sonic starting over fresh again and then ending up once again better at the things Surge is doing than she herself. You know he will, and you know every second of it is going to be like pulling teeth for Surge.

It would ultimately wind up as a return to the status quo and Surge would hate every single second of it. Kind of cruel when you think about it.

[quickie-for-real]

Intro Post:

Ooc: hi! Just as a warning, this blog will likely more follow my "earth 311619" storyline, so be prepared for that.

Anyway, back in character:

'Sup? Name's Peter. Idk, my agent suggested I try and boost my popularity somehow? So, here I am.

Fastest man on the planet, but you likely knew that.

Total video game lover, Coyote Quest is THE SHIT!!! Retro games rock.

Uhhh yeah interact and shit. When I'm not saving the world I'll be sure to try and respond.

[hollowsart]

Peter Parker's great struggle in his life is mostly the death of his uncle. that's technically the catalyst to his whole thing of becoming Spider-Man the superhero. We all know how this goes and plays out.

Gwen's great struggle in her life is the death of her best friend, Peter Parker, and less-so the fact her father is deeply against her. The loss of Peter affected her greatly and is a major driving point for her and her overall motivations afterwards and how she acts and reacts to things.

Mile's great struggle is similar to Gwen's in that it's the death of Peter Parker. but unlike Gwen's. Peter WAS Spider-Man before Miles. Miles felt like he could have saved him if he wasn't running away from the "responsibility" his powers gave him apparently. (comics he didn't make it there in time at all to do anything, while in the movie, he was too afraid although he did have the opportunity to intervene. he didn't take it, he ran away scared and filled with regret.)

Acedia, similar to Spider-Punk, doesn't have a great struggle that deals with loss. But unlike Spider-Punk whose struggle is with his entire world being fascist America run by President Norman Osborn, Acedia's struggle is within herself.

(cut for length)

it's a personal struggle. Anxiety, Social Anxiety specifically, can feel like a suffocating claustrophobic glass prison placed in front of a crowd of millions with a blinding spotlight constantly bearing down with a crushing intensity.

this struggle is both what makes her HER and is what also affects her life and her actions greatly. without it, she wouldn't be herself. She'd be like everyone else. she'd lose her character and uniqueness. Without her anxiety revolving around social interactions, with 1 more more people, she would just be.. boring.

There's nothing else there for her to have any real interest or conflict. She'd be like a Spider-Man variant whose uncle or parents never died. like a Batman whose parents are still alive and healthy and he's mentally and emotionally stable. a Superman whose home planet never exploded and he never went to Earth (ok wait that actually sounds interesting--).

Acedia's struggles with anxiety is literally her driving point. She does everything she does because of her anxiety and tries to work around it in some way to the best of her abilities. She struggles a lot in her own ways.

She was anxious when she rescued Otto. Anxious when he escaped the hospital. When she was being chased by Otto. When she confronted Mysterio for the first time.. and several times thereafter before feelings started to bloom. She was anxious when she had to try to figure out what to do when dealing with Electra. Anxious when she encountered Curt in the sewers after his unintended transformation.

And so many more instances than just those alone.

Only time she wasn't was when she was bit by the spider that hitched a ride in her bag from her visit to the lab. She was fine when she went to the lab, aside from the arachnid section of the tour. Fine when she got home. and fine when her powers started to show. She was excited and amazed about the powers, finding it fascinating and kind of fun. Learning how they work and what she can do.

She stopped being anxious with Otto after their first confrontation at Oscorp. She stopped being anxious with Mysterio after he waned off using his fear inducers in their subsequent encounters. She stopped being anxious with Vulture after she visited him after their first confrontation at Oscorp after Otto's incident.

Anxiety plays a huge part in Acedia's life. it's in the background, always present, but never the main focal point of the story.. it's still a major "character" in her overall story and life. It is a major controlling factor in her behavior, way she thinks, way she feels, way she acts and reacts.

[classicanalyzer]

What If Season 3 - What If... The Emergence destroyed the Earth? Thoughts

"Let's begin near the end. The final act of a tragic story. When you've seen as many wars as I have, you get used to it. The hard part is watching worlds fall that don't need to because a hero can no longer rise to meet their moment. But I swore an oath. And so I watch. In every variation of this universe, Riri Williams is its last best hope. But in every one I've watched, no matter how hard she fights, and how long she struggles, she always fails. Always... Welcome to Earth. What's left of it anyways." Uatu

This might be the most emotional episode of the entire season so far. Yet again, another peak episode and my personal favorite episode of the season so far. It’s a testament to the team this season and further shows how much of a shame it is to see What If end (for now). This episode's Riri Williams is a great focus character and I can't wait to see her in her own show in 2025. Even in the bleakest universes and situations destined to end in tragedy, all it takes is one bit of encouragement to break through and emerge to bring hope.

This is a pretty bleak setting and it's all because the Emergence just so happened to take place before Etenrals. The Iron Federation feels like a corrupted dream of Tony Stark with the Iron Legion suits around the world (or in this case the remnants of the world). There’s concept art released for What If S3’s promotional material which suggests Strange was able to save parts of Earth.

Riri Williams continues to fight even in a universe where everyone she knows and loves is dead. The fight is all she has left. It's hard for people to still try to hope and fight when even the few survivors you connect with perish. Even with her wit and sass in the episode (they did a great job of capturing that from her depiction in the movie), you can tell she's barely hanging onto hope for a better world. However, as Uatu will showcase himself, all it takes is to show someone they're not alone.

I hadn't expected Quentin Beck to be the main antagonist of a universe like this but man it was such a great idea. I really love how this episode really showcases how much of an egotistical narcissist asshole he really is to the point he would let himself die quicker by putting all those Nanites in his body. Peter and this universe's Riri really need to interact at some point and bond over dealing with Quentin Beck.

Also, I really hated Sharon Carter after she's been revealed to be the Power Broker, so it'll be nice to see that she got karma in at least one universe.

It's really nice to see Ying Nan again and I can't wait to see Shang-Chi once again in the next episode which hopefully will be a lot more lighthearted than this episode. I love this episode but I need a bit of lighthearted plot after the bleak story of this episode.

The Alliance mook deaths caused by White Vision are very brutal and disturbing to see. I was not expecting the disturbing and bloody imagery of the deaths of Riri's team at the end.

Tony Stark would be proud of Riri Williams for building a weapon in less than 7 minutes capable of killing White Vision. She built this in a broken-down ship... with a box of scraps!

Whoever came up with the idea of Riri Williams to go against Quentin Beck deserves a raise. It's a great idea to pair someone who has the intellect of Stark and creates Iron Man suits to go against Mysterio.

I really love how Riri's new suit is basically making her the Vision with Iron Man/Ironheart suit aspects of her universe.

They reused Infinity Ultron's theme (fittingly with Beck's monologue of how he controls the tech of White Vision and the specific track is Fascinating) and some footage of the Red Room Task Force in Episode 3 (They used the same models and animations but they changed the background with one shot at the very least). Brock Rumlow also appeared in the episode during White Vision's attack, so not sure if that's just reused footage or simply they reused his model.

The contrast of the Watcher between S1 Episode 8 and this episode is massive. Two equally similar bleak scenarios where no matter what the heroes do, it won't be enough to stop Ultron or in this case Quentin Beck both of which use and are made up of Stark tech. For Infinity Ultron, the Watcher treats it like yet another sad scenario but one he cannot intervene (until Infinity Ultron becomes a Multiversal threat). But here, he makes it clear how fucking tired he is of seeing the same outcome and is tired of not being able to do anything...so he intervenes by giving Riri encouragement to fight. The Watcher's character arc really presents itself here as a Multiversal cosmic being becoming so attached that no he can longer just simply stand and abide by bleak scenarios where they repeat endlessly.

The imagery and cinematography in this episode go so hard, especially with Riri forming the Avengers symbol at the end becoming a literal light in the darkness that is the post-Emergence Earth. Bravo to the artists of this episode and the season.

The three Watchers, the Eminence, the Incarnate, and the Executioner have stacked voice casting: Jason Isaacs (Admiral Zhao and the Grand Inquisitor), D.C. Douglas (Rayvis), and Darin de Paul (Who also voiced Zeus last episode but also Ardyn of FF15) respectively. It's going to be interesting to see what finally causes the three to finally try to put an end to the Uatu's interventions.

This is definitely one of the best episodes and emotional ones as well. A peak episode in short. It really showcases how even in the darkest of settings, one person can truly still bring a little light back to the universe. It also showcases Riri's character in a new light given the change of settings and circumstances. It's a strength of What If: we get to see characters act or change with their different circumstances. It also showcases how the Multiverse Saga needs to spend more time with the characters it introduces rather than just introduce them and then not use them until years later as we learn more about the case in the episodes than in the main MCU right now. This episode is what Marvel Zombies should've been in my opinion. They also really need to release the score of every episode like S1. Laura Karpman and Nora deserve all the praise for their work in this episode, the season, and the show as a whole.

Note: Unfortunately, this episode does break the huge creature or person towers over someone trend of the last four episodes... however, we did get Tiamut's emergence so technically it might count.

"I see through your reality... And I'm shutting it down." Riri Williams

"I am the master of illusions! I can make it like your little victory never happened. The people will never know." Quentin Beck

"They will because I'm going to give them a vision of the future." Riri Williams

"With what?" Quentin Beck

"Hope." Riri Williams

[neonbrutalism]

RIP Dead Guy (working title)

Unfinished WIP time.... there's a lot more to this but too many scene gaps to post officially, so here's the first bit for the Tumblrerers.

(Speculative Post-BTSV in which Miguel O'Hara of Earth 928B dies saving the multiverse and defeating the Spot. The Society is in mourning and the Spider-Gang is forced to reckon with their feelings. Complicating matters is that Peter's brought back another Miguel from the multiverse who is obviously not comfortable with how they're projecting all this on to him.)

Why hadn’t Miguel put a chair at his work station? 

Peter cracked his back and peered again at the the symbols on the glowing, orange screens, trying to make sense of whatever organizational system Miguel was using. 

Had used.

Dammit.

He didn’t want to bother LYLA anymore with this. She’d been subdued for weeks – well, almost everyone had been – and Peter wasn’t sure how long AI took to mourn. She did her scans and ran numbers, sure, but it was all without any … snap. 

Peter didnt think she was, well, aware enough to grieve… but he also didn’t think Miguel would put her mourning his death in to her programming. Hell, Peter was pretty sure Miguel wouldn’t have wanted anyone to mourn him at all, the stupid, stubborn, broken bastard. If only Peter had moved faster, had recognized what was about to happen…

But maybe it wouldn’t have changed anything. He saw Miguel’s face at that last moment, before…

There was nothing else for it.

“Hey, LYLA?” 

“Yes, Peter?” LYLA appeared next to him, expression unnaturally blank. 

“Sorry to … bother you? I’m just trying to, uh—“ Peter gestured at the orange screens, “I can’t make webs or tails of this.”

He paused, waiting for a reaction. None came. Miguel wouldn’t have reacted either.

“Anyway, uh, I keep seeing this symbol on certain earths? Looks like a… U?”

“A closed eye,” said LYLA, “After the incident, Miguel cut off any viewing access to mapped earths with… other versions of himself.”

“… Oh,” said Peter, slowly,”I guess he, what, didn’t want the temptation?”

LYLA’s eyes narrowed at Peter, “If you think it would have been tempting for him after what hapoened, you didn’t know him as well as you think you did.”

“Uh. Sorry?”

“Is that all, Peter?”

“Yeah, uh. I guess so. Th—“

LYLA vanished before he could finish thanking her.

Peter shook the interaction off and returned to the screen. He touched the closed-eye symbol. The system pop-up counted 793 locked earths. More than Peter was expecting – but maybe that wasn’t a crazy number, since there seemed to be tens or even hundreds of thousands of Peter Parkers. Had Miguel locked them all manually, or had LYLA done it automatically as their map of the multiverse expanded? 

In the corner of the pop up, there was an Unlock All button. 

He shouldn’t. 

Miguel had once told him, when he asked about seeing versions of Aunt May or Harry, that the only thing that spending time watching the dead live without you in another world was good for was torturing yourself.

Ha. Maybe if Peter had remembered to point out the irony if him saying that, Miguel wouldn’t have…

Fuck it. Whatever. Miguel wasn’t here to tell Peter not to. Miguel was just a miserable, guilt-ridden, self-loathing, dead hypocrite and… and Peter wanted to see his friend again.

He pressed the lock. There was a buzz of haptic feedback and all at once, the eye icons blinked open and Peter found himself looking at dozens of versions of a dead man’s face. 

Plenty of them were scowling, wiping blood off their faces after pulling their masks off or boredly picking at paperwork in an office or laboratory. Mostly they were just familiar in a way that felt like a punch in the gut. Stretched all the way out, slouching in a chair looking crabby or curled in with their hands hooked around the back of their necks, poorly dealing with some emotion or stress or another. Some of them, though, looked … happy. Or, at least they looked happier than Peter had ever seen Miguel, outside of those few weeks he’d spent with Gabriella. He didn’t see any versions of her, though. But still, at least there were some versions that weren’t alone.

One Miguel was standing looking out of a large broken window, expression dark and triumphant while a pretty, asian woman in a lab coat and inexplicably a pair of high top sneakers from 1993 curled her arm around his waist and smiled. Peter decided he didn’t want to know what they looked so happy about. 

A teenaged version of Miguel and a girl – maybe a younger version of that woman in the lab coat – with her hair in purple pom-poms, sat in a bedroom. The girl pulled out a box from under her bed, revealing what looked to be a lot of ancient Star Trek merchandise, smiling like she was a little embarrassed. Peter pushed that node aside too, he didn’t want to intrude on that.

A pink haired woman covered in chitin and with a thousand needle teeth hovered in the air on vibrating wasp wings and chatted happily while Miguel in his spider-suit listened, sitting on the edge of a tall building. Behind them, the sky was dark and filled with pistons and girders – Downtown Nueva York.

And speaking of Downtown Nueva York – an explosion caught Peter’s eye. He pulled the node forward – Miguel, in a different mask but it could hardly be anyone else, was fighting, his suit torn and bloody, not flickering with broken light like the suit Peter knew. Someone else – some kind of cyborg or robot, slammed a whirling metal thresher down on the spot Miguel had been lying less than a second earlier. He was losing the fight. 

Okay, calm down, Peter. Miguel was tough and could take a lot of hits  – he just needed a chance to recover. Miguel, no matter the dimension, was perfectly capable of surviving – until he wasn’t. 

Behind the cyborg … A Green Goblin rose up on his glider, bombs in hand. Miguel looked up at the Goblin and Peter was through the portal to Earth 416647 before he could stop himself.

(UNFINISHED FIGHT SCEEEENE!)

Peter stared.

This Miguel looked a little younger — or maybe just got more sleep. He was less gaunt, less haunted. Less like he hadn’t eaten or drank in weeks. His hair was little reidder, messy from his mask, curls hanging over his forehead. He had a small scar across his upper lip that the original Miguel hadn’t had either.

Peter realized he’d been staring too long only when Miguel took an awkward step back from him and exchanged a quick, nervous look with the now unmasked Green Goblin. He looked a lot like Miguel too.

Oh… this was Gabriel — his brother. Miguel had mentioned him once or twice. Peter was pretty sure the Original Miguel’s brother was dead — but then again, he’d never really asked.

“Uh — sorry, I’m. Spider-Man.”

“We know,” said Miguel.

“You said that already,” said Goblin.

Peter was struck with a terrible idea. One of his worst. But … the society hadn’t been the same in the past few weeks. A dark cloud had come over it and Peter wasn’t sure how to get it to pass. The fact was, nervous breakdown in the last couple of days notwithstanding, just about everyone had liked Miguel. He’d been their leader, he’d taken care of them and listened and tried to help them. They’d all loved him … 

Not that Miguel would have ever believed that in a hundred years.

But without Miguel, things were kind of falling apart. Not literally, LYLA ran the place like clockwork, but emotionally. Miguel could de-escalate petty arguments and fights that broke out better than any Peter Parker could (because most of the arguments involved at least one other Peter Parker). But now, arguments festered, problems went unresolved and still, every time that Peter went to the cafeteria, he almost picked up some empanadas before he remembered himself.

Maybe … a familiar face would help everyone move on? Or at least return a sense of normalcy until people got used to the idea that Miguel, their Miguel, was gone.

“Right! Right – um,” shit, how had Miguel done this ‘I’m from another dimension’ shpiel? “I’m from another dimension! I’m part of a – uh, strike team? Thing? It’s a few hundred other Spider-People and we travel around the multiverse to help people! And stop anomalies — wait, no, we don’t do that anymore. So just the helping people. That’s why I came to help you fight — well I guess you didn’t need help, you two weren’t fighting – but it’s cool! We have a headquarters! And a cafeteria and a gym. Just … amenities. You should come check it out. Miguel should – uh. No offense, Mr. Goblin, but a Spider-Society is kind of. Spider-centric.”

“Wow,” said Gabriel in a familiar flat tone, “I’m devastated but I think I’ll survive.” 

“Pass,” said Miguel. He turned to leave. 

“Wait!” said Peter, “I’m underselling it. I promise, it’s … really cool. Super elite.”

Miguel raised a skepical eyebrow, “Super elite with ‘a couple hundred’ people?”

“There’s a bazillion different universe, so I mean, it’s all relative.”

Miguel pulled his mask back down over his face, “Yeah, still pass.”

Miguel fwizzed a strand of web (pale, organic, not like the glowing orange Peter was familiar with) to the upper corner of the building and the Goblin kicked his glider’s power on. 

“Wait! Please!” said Peter, his voice breaking a little, “just – just come see it? And then you can come right back! Please?”

The lenses on Miguel’s mask squinted at Peter and then he sighed, “Fine. Okay – Gabri, will you tell Xina I’m …” 

“Being kidnapped by a time traveller?” 

“Dimensional traveller.”

“Whatever,” said Miguel, waving his brother off, “I’ll be home later.”

Gabriel gave a lazy salute and sped off on his glider.

Peter opened the portal to 928.

Miguel — this new, other Miguel — eyed it suspiciously, then stepped through.

[tiptapricot]

Thinking of this realization and just. God man. How did it happen? How did it play out? What was it like to be there?

Just thinking of like… Miguel just cleaning up the multiverse holes, just patching things up and putting people where they belonged after the collider events and getting spider help for it. And in that time, going between universes putting things right, he finds that universe where he’s happy and where he dies and where he has a daughter who’s left alone.

And they’re fine to be in other worlds, right? They do it all the time, talk to each other, interact, so he just thinks he can step in, can say “hey I found a different universe I’m gonna stay in, check in with me there” and it’s fine for a bit. Maybe he even talks with Peter about Gabriella as MJ is pregnant with Mayday.

Do they ever visit? Does Miguel ever say “this is my friend Peter, this is my friend Jessica,” when they’re off the clock, or “hey can you guys take care of that anomaly she has a soccer game today.”

Is there a brief period both Peter and Miguel are fathers at the same time?

What is it like when it goes wrong? What is it like when the readings go haywire and things start to disappear? How many people does Miguel call, how desperate does he sound? How hard does Peter try to help, try to salvage and save this world? How does he hold his own daughter afterwards when he’s seen Miguel’s disappear in his arms?

No wonder Peter doesn’t push back. No wonder he kisses Mayday’s head after seeing it all again. He was there. He believes it. He can’t let that happen to the people he loves.

And Miguel’s anger makes sense too. They didn’t save things, so now they have to, have to stick to what they know because what they don’t is too dangerous and they don’t have the safety net to explore. Canon has to be real, has to be rigid, because otherwise Miguel O’Hara is the one to fuck up so bad an entire Earth disappeared because of it.

He clings to events, to predestiny, to algorithmic guesses because he has to, because something that is thought of as harmless and good, something like saving someone and being there for someone, could destroy everything. And he can’t do that. He can’t do that kind of grief again so soon.

The collider, Miles, all of it is what started Miguel having to patch things up in the first place, what brought him into multiversal travel and to his daughter and his life and losing that. It’s been less than a year, depending on when he found it, how long he was there, and how quickly things went to shit.

He had everything and lost everything.

And it doesn’t make his reactions right but holy shit.

[thevideogameshutterbug]

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 (PS5) Thoughts - Beginning At The End

No photos this time (I might add a few later). But I've got a lot of thoughts (and photos) about this game now that I'm finishing it up, but I just got finished my last sidequest in the postgame and I wanted to gush about it.

Spoilers, by the by. Quite a few of them.

----

The Mysteriums were a lopsided a pain the ass but man am I glad I saved this quest for last.

I've been thinking a lot about how much this game seeks to embody why Peter's beliefs in having empathy for the people he fights and getting to know who these villains are as people matters, and this quest - as well as Quentin Beck's final words to cap off the story - are such a perfect capper to that.

Nothing is as it seems, especially when you look at heroes and villains. Anything can change for anybody faster than you could ever realize it. When you take the masks off, it's all people making decisions. A good person can go down a dark path, a bad person can decide they no longer want to be that person any more. Not everyone is going to, but it's important to know that such a thing is always possible.

Heck, this game has an almost ''unprecedented'' number of reformed villains for a superhero franchise: Sandman, Mysterio, Tombstone, Mr. Negative, Prowler technically Lizard, all people who understand they did wrong and whose only motivation now is trying to make their way in the world going forward.

Jonah has a podcast early in the game where he insists that people never really change (about either Sandman or Lizard, iirc), advocating for criminals to be just kept in prison in perpetuity (which, I like this version of Jonah, but goddamn is he hard to like sometimes). Wraith advocates just killing these guys because naturally they're never going to change and they might as well be removed from the equation. And naturally, Symbiote Peter eventually starts considering the idea that maybe the best way forward is just to kill everybody who could be a threat.

But this game doesn't just counterpoint that by having its ultimate evolution be monstrous like most superhero works: instead, this game makes a strong point of why that mentality doesn't work - this is a fantasy story, but it's also a good point for real life.

Coming from a law family where I had a lot of interaction with formerly incarcerated people, and living in an inner city relationship where - again - anything can happen to skew a person's life in ways nobody thought they would go, it's not just a more realistic point - it's an essential point: people always change, and any belief otherwise is just an excuse not to examine the world around oneself. They can change for the worse, they can change for the better, or just kind of laterally shift, but they always change. A failure to recognize it is a failure of the self, not the other.

There's a strong trend of former villains in this game being taken advantage of by other villains, with the new villains doing so with the expectation that nobody will come to the former villains' aid, trust them, or aid them in any way (Mysterio's partners try to frame him, Tombstone and Negative get abducted by people who were sure no one would come for them, Sandman gets driven mad and dumped onto the city to be tossed into prison). And it's absolutely amazing to be Spider-Man in this game and be the one who fights tirelessly for everybody, even the people who have spurned their chances before, because that's who Spider-Man is.

Even if their stories still don't always end positively. Because it's still the right thing to do it, and it's a worse crime to stop.

Man, I love Spider-Man.

As a final note, I especially like that none of the former villains really expect to be forgiven and several never are. This might be the philosopher in me talking, but it's not in forgiveness that one finds redemption, but in the capacity of change in and of itself.

[averagewriter-inthedark]

Magic, Spiders, Fire, and A Blip 🌠 | Marvel Headcanon

Marvel Masterlist

Note: I need these three characters to interact at some point in the upcoming projects and so this was a result of that need 💀 I plan though on making another one of these but with America, Shuri, & Cassie!

Being an Avenger with the power to teleport during the events of Doomsday & becoming best friends with Peter Parker, Johnny Storm, and Billy Maximoff would look like:

As you can imagine, you four together are absolute chaos. Picture this: following an accident in your college lab in which you were exposed to godly levels of radiation, you gained the power to teleport to and from any place you put your mind to. Thinking about a shopping day in Paris? Blip. See a show at the Sydney Opera House? Blip. Hibachi in Tokyo? Blip.

You got under Sam's radar when he and Bucky were dealing with rogue super soldiers--Sharon Carter being the one to inform Sam of your ability as you had been hiding out in Madripoor from your home country's government. Sam recruited you with promise of protection if you helped them and you agreed. From then on you became an ally of Sam as he took on the mantle of Captain America and aided him in missions.

It's no surprise that you become involved when Doctor Doom arrives to do what supervillains do--you know, try to destroy the universe--even though Sam is hesitant. This time around the Avengers find themselves with a much...younger bunch of heroes than what they're accustomed to, therefore stakes are high, and the older Avengers are often reminded just how young some of you are.

"So, what's your story, blondie?" "I can set myself of fire and fly. You?" "Teleportation." "Ah...so that's why they call you blip."

"I'm feeling really optimistic about this." "How can you be optimistic about us having no plan?" "Hey, Spider, at least magic man has hope for us." "I second that."

Peter Parker already knew what to expect when it came to a multiversal, planet extinction, genocidal maniac level threat. Now add a chaos magic wielding reincarnated son of the Scarlet Witch, Billy Maximoff, and a flying, fire infused, fantastic Disney prince looking Johnny Storm and the four of you become a team within the team. Gaining a bond long after defeating Doom and going back to your regularly scheduled lives.

There's no question, you guys give your fellow Avengers headaches even when there is no mission and the risk of lives at stake. Y'all are the life of the party and during functions you can expect there to never be a dull moment. For example, the dance floor could be dead but the second you four step on it becomes a vibe. You'll form a mini circle which then gets bigger as the others join in. "Go Billy! Go Billy!" "Peter! Throw it in a circle and let Johnny catch it!"

You guys have movie and game nights pretty much every weekend--except when you have to save the world--where you set up Switch games or pull out a classic board game while a movie plays on the tv. It gets intense when y'all play Mario Kart and Smash Bros because then all goes out the door seeing as all of you are competitive. "Who the fuck just cut me off!? Which one of you is baby Luigi?" "Not me blip--I'm Yoshi." "It's Wiccan! He just threw a shell at me!" "Shut up, Peter!"

"Damn it, Blip--will you let me breathe here!?" "Not a chance, Spider." "Stop throwing fire balls at me, Johnny!" "Then stop pushing me off the cliff!"

Whenever one of y'all has a problem there will be a group meeting to discuss. Whether it's relationship advice, family drama, a new enemy emerging, etc., you have each other's back. It becomes easier to gather everyone when you guys decide to share an apartment at Avengers campus or rent one in the city. "I call this meeting to order and ask that you wait until all details have been relayed before speaking." "Sir/ma'am, yes, sir/ma'am." "Okay, there's this guy/girl..." "WHO!!?!!"

You guys have nicknames/inside jokes for each other that are different from your superhero aliases and are likely y'alls contact names. Johnny is Ken because he looks and acts like a real-life Ken Doll. Billy is Billie Eilish--which must I say more? He gives off major Billie Eilish energy. Peter is Umbrella because he's obsessed with the Rihanna song and blasts it whenever he's going through a mood. And you are Lemon Drop after drinking one too many lemon drop martinis at a gala and they had to take care of you.

Your group chat name is The Fabulous (Chaotic) Four (Johnny's idea) and the group photo is Bucky Barnes holding up Doom's helmet with Sam's goggles on and a thumbs up. You change it though whenever it's someone's birthday. On Peter's it's his meet & greet photo with Rihanna when he went to her concert. On Johnny's it's him in his space suit flipping off the camera. On yours it's a selfie you took at the top of the Statue of Liberty dressed as the Statue of Liberty. And on Billy's it's him at a rave wearing light up glasses with his tongue sticking out.

And because you guys are all superheroes with powers, you take advantage of it. During the harsh winters you all practically cling to Johnny who radiates heat like the sun. Whenever you want to take a trip anywhere without informing the rest of the Avengers your teleportation comes in handy. Billy will use his magic to fix anything in the apartment and cook complex meals for you guys since he can have multiple things going at once. And Peter has his spider-senses to alert you all if something is happening in the area.

Y'all miss each other whenever one of you has to leave for a mission without them. Sam calls for you often, Johnny has the Fantastic Four, Billy will sometimes disappear doing God knows what and Peter still devotes himself to being the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man in the city. It feels like a piece is missing from your little pie whenever someone is gone, but don't worry once Y'all are back together it's like no one left.

Something y'all would be tempted to --and highly advised not to- have a YouTube channel where you post vlogs and videos of random shit. You'd post videos like, "Teleporting to Ibiza for the day because I can," while the boys tend to film in the middle of a mission, "Today we're gonna take you guys on an adventure as we investigate the odd occurrences happening in New York." "When is there not odd things happening in New York?" "Touché"-- "I'm not going to say it again, turn that camera off!!"

[dalekofchaos]

Spider-Man and the Defenders. Wilson Fisk is free, not only that but the Hand is trying to seize power in NYC. It's up to SPider-Man, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist to stop this threat.

The Avengers finally return to NYC and get off their fucking asses after all this time requests Spider-Man's help against Kang the Conqueror(this time not played by an abuser) Loki or even better, the Masters of Evil ran by Norman Osborn, Doctor Doom, Loki, Red Skull, The Leader, and The Mandarin

My Punisher pitch:

Imagine if we get these Punisher challenges.

Peter gets word that The Punisher is in town and set up a bunch of hits on mob bosses and their lieutenants. Much like the Black Cat stakeout missions and Taskmaster challenges, Peter has to pinpoint where Frank is stop him from executing his victims and stop him.

Ideally, I'd love a callback to Punisher and Spider-Man's firs interaction. Being hired to kill him and realizing what a mistake it could've been. "Don't make me make that mistake. Stay out of my way."

It all leads to a boss fight against The Punisher.

Make it clear that what the Punisher is doing is wrong.

Peter calling Frank out on his bullshit and saying "you're just a guy who uses his family's name as an excuse to be a murderer". JJJ calling him a murderer that gets innocent people killed in his one man war on crime. Danika being absolutely repulsed by the Punisher's existence. Then we get a limited time third podcast. The Microchipcast. aka Microchip being the only pro-Punisher voice justifiying his actions and blaming Spider-Man for letting them all for walking alive.

The Spiderverse was already teased, so let's run with it.

Okay, not a full on Clone Saga. Just something that gives us Jackal, Ben and Kaine.

Not sure on the specifics. Baxter Building is already there, want to see Peter and Reed do science together and see Peter and Johnny's unmitigated gayness

Something's happened to Peter. His powers begin to evolve and he doesn't know what to do. He seeks help from the X-Men. His unforeseen mutation not only gets him the help from the X-Men, but the attention of Magneto. Peter fully transforms into Man-Spider and for a brief moment, you get to play as the X-Men while Miles administers the cure.

Deacon Frost comes to NYC and attacks Dr Morgan Michaels. Dr Michaels then tries to research a cure with Spider-Man's help. However it's too late. Dr Michaels becomes Morbius, the living Vampire. This gains the attention of Blade. Blade hunts Morbius, Spider-Man fights him, Spider-Man fights Morbius while trying to help him and then the three teams up to fight Frost.

We've seen the Sanctorum, we could see Baron Mordo leading the "Cult of Dormammu" causing chaos while Mordo is planning a mass sacrifice to unleash Dormammu upon the world.(pretty much the same plot from SMA arc, but with no Fox censorship)

Don't care about the context, I just wanna see Spider-Man and Johnny Blaze team up to kick Mephisto's ass