#run the risk of having too high standards LMAO

[quackity1999]

Quick ooc question

Would i be able to interact just like as ranboo perhaps or-?

[ OOC: i think we might already have a ranboo? ( @scarredteardrops ) (theyre beefing over crops. dont ask. long story. very stupid. love it sm)

here's a post of canon character anons we tend to have come by, btw! ]

[vigilskeep]

i just wish to inform you that i am insane about tristan. as an avid cousland stan he compels me in ways i cannot fully put into words. does he have interests outside of the courtly duties he had to learn? like does he care for battle strategies and such?? what is his opinion on loghain??

yes he has a very well-rounded noble education, combat too!! despite knowing the kind of life he was intended for, they couldn’t blatantly leave him out without risking questions, they couldn’t risk him being the only heir left and untrained if anything happened to fergus, and also i suspect bryce has no idea how else to interact with a child. between that, his magical training, and his noble education, tristan barely had any time for interests of his own, and it’s almost lucky he’s a creature of boundless roaring unspent energy. he’s intelligent, chivalrous; though he’s not nearly as talkative after the events of the origin, he’s wry and charming and he should be well-spoken and well-read enough to hold his own when asked to speak on anything. i’m drawing on, like, chivalric archetypes, courtier ideals, and even, idk, regency novel style standards for the “accomplished lady”. he can charm, he can entertain guests, he can rule, he can fight, he can play music, he can cast judgement, he can write, he can settle land disputes, he can cast walking bomb, and hell, he can even dance

physically, these days, he doesn’t train as much as he did as a boy hoping he could convince his father of a few things, but he still maintains his fitness. a little more vanity in that than dedication to combat, though, lmao. it mayyy be more about looks nowadays than actual strength. also just about being a big wolf in a small cage who is so foundationally bored. the same way cousland’s mabari acts up in the castle because it’s a war dog playing nursemaid. you gotta pace along the bars of your enclosure sometimes, because eventually you run out of books to read and catastrophically bad ideas of who to sleep with. he has a high-ish con score for a mage that i would put down to the above

as for loghain, he was a hero of his as a child. i think a specific part of tristan’s background is being raised on glorified tales of the rebellion and idealising that, romanticising it, and coming to understand that he would never be permitted to achieve anything like the warlike standard that had been set up for him. (he has such bad luck with this. he used to be genuinely fond of arl howe because his visits meant news from outside highever and stories from the old days.) anyway, with loghain, tristan also likes the idea of a historically great “right hand man” somewhat in the shadow of his king’s greatness, because tristan believed he would always be effectively that to his teyrn father and brother. at ostagar he’s spitting mad at cailan, and only his respect for loghain has him following the plan. tristan’s not got quite the head for pitched battle strategy—that was one of the things he was explicitly not really trained for—but he’s educated in history, he’s as good as you’ll find in siege warfare, etc. similar to alistair, he has every good, knowledgeable, evidence-backed reason to trust in the ostagar strategy. afterwards, he can barely react to loghain’s actions. it’s something of a quiet final death knell for the person he used to be, the things he used to believe in, when he wakes up in flemeth’s hut. howe could be an anomaly; loghain can’t

but it’s worth saying that if tristan said what he wants to say to loghain about ostagar—that if he had any heart, any honour, he’d have stayed with cailan, died with cailan if necessary—he’s not really talking about loghain. or ostagar. survivor’s guilt is a bitch

[guiltycorp]

thoughts on this current quest! ! CARIBERT SPOILERS

good thing that we got a specific answer as to 'where was Khaenri’ah located' 

LOVED the tidbit about Kaeya trying to run away to Sumeru as a kid — as nice as living in the winery might have been, little Kaeya was still sentimental enough to risk that newly gained safety just to reconnect with his roots, very sad and revealing

...also, his absence caused a ruckus and Crepus personally went and took him back, which means either that he truly cared about his sworn son ...or that he had a yet unknown goal for him 👀

more confirmation for Kaeya being a little bit too much into alcohol since he tried every kind of liquor the tavern offered and appears to have a high tolerance (day-drinking even though he must have known that a difficult conversation with the Traveler and Dain was incoming)

on that topic, tbh im not sure if his excuse (learning about Sumeru’s alcohol industry and leading trade negotiations) was supposed to be just that, a lie that he came up with, or if genshin writers are this bad at writing excuses for characters to be places... like I guess 'alcohol import regulations' could be something that the Knights would do, but when Snezhnayan merchants wanted to import their firewater they went straight to Diluc, and overall this doesn’t seem like a worthy task for the Acting Grandmaster’s right-hand man

...unless it was supposed to be a vacation that Jean sent him on, but why would she want him to miss Windblume?

also apparently Diluc won’t be in Windblume either, so maybe this is something they coordinated on, idk

but yeah no, most probably Kaeya just lied and specifically went to Sumeru to find out more about Alberichs

anyway, he is as avoidant as ever, getting the small bit of info he wanted and immediately bailing on mc and Dainsleif (who seems like the type to reveal important secrets without meaning to, so it probably would have served him better to pry a bit more) 

i would have enjoyed it if they actually started arguing haha but alas

don't have a lot of thoughts on Dainsleif himself, his reaction to Kaeya makes sense considering his grudge against the Abyss Order

i still think that Kaeya might have ties not only to the Abyss Order (which he only confirmed for himself now), but also to the Fatui (which he might have known about all along), but that's all just theories

overall i really like that Kaeya doesn't seem to know that much about lore stuff — this gives him an opportunity to learn about it alongside us and have to actually grapple with his duties to either Mond or Khaenri'ah rather than it all happening in the backstory somewhere

also since we are told that Kaeya is Chlothar’s descendant that must mean: 1) Caribert was rid of his hilichurl curse somehow and later procreated  2) unless Kaeya is Caribert lmao but that would be too much?.. 3) in either case Kaeya has some Mondstadt blood in him too since Caribert’s mother was from there, tying the whole ‘bloodline’ issues together neatly

otherwise, yeahh, the usual unfortunate writing choices...

gasp did you just empathize with a character who stands against the current status quo? well, let's spend looots of time proving how unreasonable they are.. 

like it's not even a good play on the standard story of cults preying on vulnerable ppl, but who cares at this point

i guess it’s somewhat interesting when compared to Kaeya’s dad writing which made it sound as if Alberichs took over the responsibility of ruling over the survivors as soon as Khaenri’ah’s royal line was incapacitated, while this quest makes it seem as if Chlothar Alberich lived on his own with his cursed son for a while before he founded the Abyss Order 

which also means that they weren’t officially recognized as regents by the nation? hmm

oh and we didn't even get to see what's under a hilichurl's mask :/

we did learn a bit more about Khaenri’ah as a country, specifically that they had some serious divide between the ‘true’ Khaenri’ah bloodline ppl, the nobility, and the commoners, but im guessing this just leads to ‘it deserved to get nuked bc it sucked’

the gravity thing was fun, i liked it in Elden Ring and i like it here hehe, hope there's more of it in the future

but the dungeon seemed pretty cheap overall, especially that same reused statue prop lol Also man, imagine how fun it would be if the twins actually switched places and we played as the evil one for a bit. It would make the dialogues so much more interesting...  Because yeah, the writers should really stop making so much of the story revolve around the mc when they still don’t have much of a personality or specific motivations. At least our sibling has a goal in mind.  But yeah, no. Anyway!!

[oiblackestsheep]

Wow, these are so great, I did not expect this many!!

I love carrot cake what a strong start!!

I usually don't buy much, if anything, but I do like fun niche stores just bc it keeps things interesting.

You really did nail my dress preferences down to a T, omg. Mostly just plain crew-necks with more interesting outerwear like bombers, jackets, cardigans, button-downs (always unbuttoned for maximum casualness tho)

YUP layering clothes see above lmao

Honestly, I don't really even know what a hopeless romantic is to me anymore, but I DO have very high standards for people. That's why I only have like 2 friends lmao

I actually do not like ASMR, like at all! I really struggle to see what other people see in it. HOWEVER, I do have to keep my space-heater fan running all night for some kind of white noise because my ears ring at night (kinda jacked them up from playin music too loud oof)

It is true, I am pretty quiet and introverted when first meeting people but, at the risk of sounding kinda conceited, I am also one of the funniest people I know lmao. Pretty sure the person that laughs the most at my jokes is me. Love it or hate it, it's just the way it is, I make jokes for me I guess 🤷🏻‍♂️

LMAO yeah, per your comment, you were p off about the zodiac BUT you redeemed yourself below.

I ACTUALLY AM BORN ON THE 9TH!!! THAT'S CRAZY! April 9th, to be exact. Also, this is the 9th bullet point to respond to... what does it all mean????

I do love video essays! Shows and movies are good for sure, but honestly what gets me the most? I'm part of the horrid, wretched, insufferable sonic the hedgehog fandom, so that's where most of my video essays tend to fall

Right again, trust no one. Lmao, I mean not REALLY, but... you know, low-key trust everyone like 75% is my motto in recent years. Like, still be nice to people ofc! But just... keep your distance lmao. I've had some tough friendships can you tell? But yeah, see above about my 2 forever homies lmao

Can't complain about being a cola! it's classic, timeless, beloved by all (or most). Ironically not by me so much bc I'm more of a flavorless selzter water drinker than anything. No sugary syrup, more carbonation to burn a hole in my throat. it hurts so good 😭🙏🏻😩

The only show I haven't seen is house md, everything is p good! esp parks and rec and gravity falls (just rewatched gf like a week ago! love the INTP representation in dipper because he isn't just some stereotypical scientist in a lab coat. I mean he's got some of those qualities low-key for sure, but you know... just a more fleshed out INTP which I appreciate)

Honestly, I am a breaking bad, star wars, and lotr INTP all rolled into one lmao. But you know, if you're all of them, then you're kinda none of them, too, so, fair play!

It's true, I really dont get the pineapple thing on pizza thing. I've tried it. I came, I saw, I was underwhelmed.

Fun fact, I just saw a giraffe in a museum over the weekend, and they are weirdly kinda fragile looking!! Very strange how dainty they really are. But I'll take it as a compliment. What else looks like a giraffe? Fuckin NOTHING that's what

Hey congrats on the 800 notes on mbti procrastination!! Thats an awesome accomplishment that you should definitely be excited about! I love your content and I see that post all the time on my dash lmao. I’m already following you so please shower me with your assumptions. 🙏😩

INTP, 5w4, sx/sp

(my zodiac info is in my blog bio so no peeking lmao 😅)

-Isaac 👽

my assumptions! tysm oh my gosh you are way too sweet wahhhh

guys the quality of these banners is pissing me off 🤬 why tumblr gotta bump it down 😿

this is so random but if you were a cake, you'd be either a strawberry or carrot cake

you like going thrifting or to really niche shops. for example, antique, crafts, instrument, collectible, etc

i don't think you have an "aesthetic" (other way of saying i can't think of one LMAO). but for style, you're not the type of person who wears the name brand, but you like dressing casual simple: crew necks, jeans, shorts, flannel, sweaters, etc.

also have a feeling that you like layering clothes (what i see intp's do a lot haha)

this might be super wrong but i feel like you're simultaneously a hopeless romantic and have high standards for ppl

you listen to asmr before you go to sleep

i feel like you are very quiet and introverted but once someone gets to know you they find out that you're actually very funny

dw i didn't look at your bio 😏 idk why but i feel like you were born in the winter or fall (idk what zodiac that is :p). like cold chilly vibes ig

i'm also gonna take a risk and say you were born on the 3rd or 9th the month (6% chance i'm right?). or maybe it's the 23rd - I'M SECOND GUESSING MYSELF AHH IDK 😣

you LOVE video essays. i feel like you click on them especially when it's about shows or movies

you don't trust people immediately, but you have a small group of very close friends that you stick with

if you were a drink you would be cola

your favorite shows are: rick and morty, doctor who, parks and rec, house md, futurama

i feel like there's the breaking bad intps, the star wars intps, and the lotrs intps, but i don't really see you as any of those 🤷‍♀️

intp's are pretty accepting people, but i think you are very much against pinneapple on pizza

if you were an animal you would be a giraffe

[stxphxn-strange]

playing pretend

a/n: hello hello hello! i have a prompt fill for this Dark!Stephen AU from @ironstrangeprompts and im just gonna post it before i can start second guessing my writing lmao

tw: mentions of torture, injury, implied past abuse

Prompt: Dark!Stephen AU. The avengers never really notice Stephen’s pacifist to-a-fault superheroing style until one day a magical incident corrupts him/magical entity possesses him. They’re treated to a completely unhinged and lethal Stephen, the avengers realize just how much Stephen was holding back, what with his quick work dispatching all of them, resulting in very heavy injuries. However, he takes special interest with Tony Stark, whom he has been dating for a few months now. He has Tony all strung up in the middle of the battlefield in front of the other broken and beaten avengers, he taunts and tortures him. “Being a doctor and a sorcerer is so very useful, I can break you in very precise manners, put you back together and then do it again.” When he gets bored of Tony’s screams and decides to end him permanently, Stephen suddenly snaps back to normal. The real Stephen has been battling internally to gain back control, knowing that he’s about to kill the love of his life gives him the final push to break free. He portals them all to safety and to receive medical help. Cue heavy angst and Stephen trying to make it up to them but especially Tony, who insists that everything is fine and that he knows it wasn’t the real Stephen. However they both know that Tony is just putting up a brave front and is undoubtedly traumatized by the incident. Up to the author on if they want to end it in a bleak or hopeful tone.

It took Tony a few minutes to register his surroundings when he woke up. He wasn’t lying in a makeshift coffin of bent metal, broken bones, and the ruins of the building. The familiar baritone, the melody of his waking world, wasn’t hollow and cruelly taunting him. Stephen sounded like himself, soothing and loving and reassuring but worried and tired all the same. Tony heard guilt in his partner’s voice, delineating his dream, his memory, from the present. He wanted to follow that voice, the real Stephen’s voice, and leave the past behind them. Guilt was eating away at Stephen as he tried to calm Tony down and wake him up. He defaulted to the standard promises and phrases when Tony had nightmares, but this time was different. This time Stephen was the cause of the nightmare, and he knew it. No matter how much Tony said it wasn’t his fault, that everything was okay, Stephen knew he had to repair the pieces of Tony’s trust he’d obliterated.

Tony thrashed again in his sleep, feebly kicking the air in front of him just like he did on the battlefield. “Stop!”

“Sweetheart,” Stephen began, unsure of what to say. “Tony, wake up. You’re safe, no one will hurt you.”

“Stephen!” Tony groaned and thrashed again, his eyes still shut as he fought to wake up. “This isn’t you… don’t do this.”

Stephen barely held back tears as he spoke again. “It’s over Tony, I’m back. I’m me again. I won’t hurt you, I promise I’ll never hurt you as long as I live.”

Tony was shaking when he finally woke up, unsure if he was even breathing. He opened his eyes hastily, studying the look on Stephen’s face. Stephen looked concerned, even worried, but unsure of himself as he murmured soothing nonsense to Tony.

“Breathe, Tones,” Stephen said. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. It’ll be okay, I promise. Just breathe, we’re alright. I’ll leave you be once I’m sure you’re okay, and—”

Tony wrapped his arms around Stephen and hugged him tightly. “Don’t you dare. Don’t go… please don’t go Stephen.”

“I can’t risk scaring you again Tony. I’ve already hurt you enough, it’s not fair to keep putting you through this,” Stephen argued, fighting his urge to hug Tony back.

Tony only held on tighter, determined not to let Stephen leave.

Stephen still wanted to disappear, but he quickly understood that Tony wouldn’t let him go that easily. The mechanic was still shivering and trembling, slowly starting to calm down as Stephen hesitantly hugged him back.

++++

They both woke up at the same time, almost four days later. Stephen woke up slowly, feeling like he was underwater or in a fog, while Tony started awake across town.

It was pitch dark in the room, the heavy curtains drawn shut to keep out any intrusive light. It was the middle of the day, judging by the clock Stephen kept on his nightstand, but he couldn’t feel the sun on his face, or see any light from his window. He was bathing in pitch black. At first, he thought he was dead, doomed to an eternity in darkness, when something red bloomed and came to life beside him. Even now, his Cloak was always dramatic, comforting as it covered him like a blanket.

As his eyes adjusted, Stephen registered Wong and Christine on the other side of the room, just studying him.

Christine was the first to meet his stare, rushing to his bedside. “How do you feel?”

Stephen grimaced in pain as he shrugged. “Not great, thanks.” There was something else on his mind, but he was too afraid to ask. He was almost too scared to hear the answer.

Luckily, Wong spoke up before Stephen could ask. “You slept for three and a half days, Strange. How much do you remember?”

“Something attacked the Compound… I think it was me,” he mumbled.

“Not exactly,” Wong began, gentler than Stephen had ever heard him.

“Possessed or not, I still attacked!” Stephen sat up, paying the price as he rose quicker than his body could handle. “It doesn’t matter if I saved everyone, not if I almost killed them first.”

Neither Wong nor Christine spoke, and the cloak simply wrapped tighter around Stephen’s shoulders.

“You did save everyone,” Wong said finally. “And you banished whatever entity possessed you. We still haven’t figured out what it is, but…”

Wong’s voice trailed off as Stephen stopped listening. His head started to hurt as he remembered, in searing detail, more of what happened and what caused him to snap out of the state he was in.

Tony was near silent, his voice failing him after hours of tortured screams. Somewhere, somehow, Stephen knew that he was the one hurting him, the one causing Tony so much pain even though he promised never to hurt the hero. He wanted to stop, to end all of the carnage he’d brought to the Compound, to his friends who were starting to feel like family, to Tony… but he couldn’t. The hand controlling his impulsive strings was strong and steady, and it wouldn’t rest until Stephen finished its bidding.

His movements were mechanical as he strode, like the marionette he’d become, to stand in front of Tony.

And Tony just looked at him with a defeated, almost calm look on his face.

Stephen’s voice sounded distorted when he spoke, preening with a twisted smile as he bent to look upon the man of iron. “Accepted your fate?”

“You won’t be the first person I’ve loved who’s hurt me,” Tony said, between pained breaths. “There’s nothing to say.”

Stephen tried to back up, to keep himself still, but he couldn’t fight the influence of his controller and struck Tony again. “Arrogance is unbecoming.”

Tony inhaled again, deeper and more pained this time but somehow even calmer. “Go ahead and finish the job. I won’t hold it against you, Stephen.”

Stephen was hyperventilating when he heard Wong’s voice again, pressed against the headboard of his bed like he was backed into a corner.

Christine approached him tentatively, resting her hand on one of his shoulders.

Stephen recoiled away from the touch and curled up on himself like a turtle retreating in its shell. He ducked his head under a pillow, shaking in fear and pain from moving too quickly. “Did I… did I kill him? I remember everything until I was about to… please tell me I—”

“You didn’t.” Christine cut him off, hoping to keep her friend from spiraling further. “Wong said you saved everyone, and that includes Tony.”

Stephen sobbed just hearing his partner’s name. Guilt wracked his entire body as he cried harder and harder, his magic running through his veins. Was he not this exhausted, he’d probably set fire to something from his high levels of stress and fear, but all he could do was cry until he fell into painful sleep.

++++

He didn’t finish it.

He didn’t listen.

Tony remembered the horrified look he saw on Stephen’s face, the remorse in his eyes as he sent a vaguely corporeal figure of dark energy through a portal.

Tony remembered the way Stephen apologized again and again as his eyes started closing, overwhelmed by the pain seizing his mind and body. A part of him hoped that Stephen had listened, that maybe the last thing he’d see in this life would be the face he’d come to absolutely adore…

… But he’d woken up sometime later in the MedBay, wanting to see Stephen more than anything. In spite of everything that’d just happened, or maybe because of everything that’d just happened, all Tony really wanted was to go back to sleep, preferably in his partner’s embrace. That really didn’t seem like too much to ask for.

“How are you feeling, Mr. Stark?”

Tony almost didn’t notice Peter pacing around on the ceiling, in fact he didn’t know his pseudo son was even in the room until he suddenly landed a few feet away. “I feel great, Kid. Definitely not like I took a ton of bricks to the face.” He didn’t remember the gory details of the fight, so Tony couldn’t say whether or not he was being literal.

“Welcome back, Boss,” FRIDAY said, a hint of worry in her voice. “And good morning. It’s currently half nine on Tuesday. I’ve been asked to inform you that Col. Rhodes has returned from Washington and has volunteered to lead all reconstruction projects for the Compound. He’s also asked me to keep you updated and will be coming to see you this afternoon.”

Tony sighed. “Thank you. Wait… that means Rhodey came back early?”

“He did,” FRIDAY replied simply. Her voice sounded like what a nod looked like as she continued. “Would you like me to tell him that you asked about him?”

“Sure, but don’t bother him. He doesn’t have to rush to see me,” Tony replied, knowing that Rhodey would probably come anyway. He was maybe the one exception to what Tony had told Stephen earlier, before…

“Col. Rhodes will be here within the hour,” FRIDAY announced.

“Thanks Fri.”

Peter, who had started pacing on the ceiling again, asked what Tony had been wondering since he woke up. “Where’s the Doc?”

“I dunno, Pete. I’ve been wondering that myself,” Tony admitted. “Fri, you wouldn’t happen to know… would you?”

“As far as I can tell, Doctor Strange returned to the Sanctum following the… altercation… on Thursday,” the AI reported.

“What? Altercation? What happened?” Peter landed on the floor again, looking more worried than Tony thought he deserved to.

“There was just a small wizarding mishap, don’t worry about it,” Tony said. He shrugged, trying to reassure Peter as much as he could. “Not even an emergency, Underoos. We would’ve called for you if it was.”

Tony also didn’t want Peter to see what happened. Maybe he was sheltering the kid, but he didn’t want Peter to ever find out about the attack on the Compound. It was bad enough that the team, even in their varied states of consciousness, saw what they did. They saw the fear in Tony’s eyes, saw him slowly surrender to Stephen’s ruthless attacks until he just stopped trying to fight the sorcerer. Tony knew he couldn’t parry these magical attacks, couldn’t break the spelled restraints… but he didn’t want Peter to see how easily he’d given up.

If Peter had more to say, he simply chose not to ask about it. Instead he just shrugged. “Glad you’re okay, Mr. Stark. May heard from Pepper that you got hurt, so I wanted to swing by… no pun intended.”

“How many times do I have to tell you that calling me ‘Tony’ is fine?” Tony asked, rolling his eyes warmly. “I’m fine, Pete. Not up for working in the lab today, I’m afraid, but—”

“That’s okay! My suit isn’t going anywhere, we can upgrade anytime,” Peter replied. “I promised May I’d be home for movie night, but I just wanted to come see you.”

Tony smiled softly. “You’re a good kid, Son. Get home safe, and I’ll give you a call when I’m back in working condition.”

“Thanks IronDad!” Peter was gone in a second, leaving Tony in the quiet with his thoughts.

“Fri?” He asked after a few minutes.

“Still here, Boss.”

“Will you… will you tell Stephen I want to see him?” Tony asked.

Maybe he was the spoiled brat everyone believed, or maybe he was exhausted and touch starved and showing signs of an addictive personality. Tony didn’t know, he didn’t care, and he just wanted his sorcerer back.

“I’ll let him know,” FRIDAY replied, softer than normal.

++++

“Stephen, it’s been days. Days since the attack, days since you holed yourself up in my library like you’re going into hibernation—”

“Good morning to you too, Wong.”

Wong may have laughed at Stephen’s attitude if he didn’t feel so bad for him. Stephen was completely out of it, so much so that he didn’t even realize how late in the day it was. “It’s almost eight, Strange.”

Stephen just sighed. “Did you need something from me?”

“Stark is asking for you again. I think you should see him.”

“You said that yesterday,” Stephen muttered.

“I’m saying it again now. I know you, Stephen, I can read you like any book in here.” Wong began. “You’re trying to outrun your guilt but you know it’s not that easy. Ignoring Tony isn’t going to make things go away, and it’s not going to make either of you feel better. He misses you, and I know you miss him too.”

“I don’t know how I can even look at him after what I did… he trusted me,” Stephen whispered, looking down at his lap. “I broke his trust.”

“Not willingly, and he knows that,” Wong reminded him. “It wasn’t you, Stephen.”

Stephen ignored him, beginning to tremble as he thought back to what Tony had said to him. “He told me he wouldn’t hold it against me… that I wasn’t the first of his loved ones to hurt him. I don’t know what I could do or say to prove to him, let alone to the team, that I’d never hurt them again.”

“Hiding away in here isn’t helping to prove that,” Wong said.

“You just want your chair by the window back,” Stephen accused him.

“Of course I do! But I also care about you and your happiness. If you need anyone to vouch for you, I’ll be here,” Wong replied.

“That sounds like you’ve made up my mind for me.”

“I have. Go now, before it gets too late.”

Stephen opened a portal to the tower, just outside of the lab. “I doubt Tony would be asleep, he’s always awake.”

His suspicions were confirmed as he closed the portal. Tony was in his lab where Stephen thought he’d be, a mug in one hand and a pen in the other.

Stephen’s entire body trembled with nerves as he opened the door, the cloak knocking loudly and dramatically to make his presence known.

“FRIDAY, Quiet Place Protocol please,” Tony said. He looked up and smiled sadly at Stephen as the lab’s usual blaring music shut off. “Hi.”

“Hey.” Stephen suddenly didn’t know what to do with himself. He was too scared to get any closer to Tony, afraid to hurt him, but at the same time all he wanted was to hug him.

The cloak made the first move, flying off of his shoulders and resting on Tony’s.

“Aww, hi Levy.” Of course Tony had a nickname for the relic, he had nicknames for everything and everyone.

Stephen found it annoying in the most heartwarming way, and he couldn’t help but smile as Tony sat down at his workbench.

“You can come over, you know?” Tony asked, half teasingly. “I told you I don’t bite, Steph.”

Stephen felt like a marionette again as he walked towards his boyfriend, but his heart was in control this time. He wanted to protect, to cherish, and to spoil the man in front of him with nothing but love and attention. He was just afraid, still unsure of himself as he studied Tony’s face. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey… I know.” Tony opened his palms on his lap, silently asking to hold Stephen’s hands.

Stephen let him, trembling harder as Tony held him gently. “I don’t know what happened, Tony. Something took over me, and I couldn’t stop it. I’ve never been overpowered like that before, and I didn’t know what to do. But please listen when I say that I promise it’ll never happen again, I mean that’s a given if you leave me, but—”

“I’m not leaving you,” Tony said firmly. “I know you weren’t voluntarily doing all of those things.”

“I never, ever wanted to hurt you. I still don’t want to hurt you.”

“You didn’t.”

“Tony…” Stephen took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. “Tony I could’ve killed you. The entire time I was trying to break the curse, to get that thing out of my system, I almost killed you. And you almost let me do it.”

“I did.”

Stephen didn’t know what to say. Tony had that calm, accepting look on his face mixed with a kind, trusting expression. It was the same look he’d given Stephen in the ruins of the Compound, and it hurt. It didn’t feel like an apology would be enough to make things right, but what else was there to do now? “I’m sorry, Tony.”

Tony slid his arms around Stephen’s waist and pulled him into the hug they’d both been needing. “I’m fine baby, it’s okay. It’s over.”

Stephen knew it wasn’t just over, and he knew Tony knew it too. But in the moment he was too fatigued to fight about it and let Tony hold him closer. “Have you been sleeping?”

“Trying to,” Tony replied. “Not to be cheesy or whatnot, but I do sleep better with you next to me.”

“May I take you to bed?” Stephen asked, sounding even shyer than when he normally asked that. “Please? I know it’s early, but I wouldn’t object to a nap.”

Tony nodded, shifting to press a chaste kiss to Stephen’s lips. “That sounds nice. FRIDAY, save and shut everything off please.”

“Engaging ‘You Shall Not Pass’ protocol, Boss,” FRIDAY reported dutifully.

Tony scoffed. “Remind me to never let you and Peter give Fri name suggestions again.”

“You could just change it if it bothers you that much.” Stephen chose to remind Tony of that instead, even though they both knew Tony was secretly fond of the movie references hidden in his protocols. “Besides, that serves you right for calling me Gandalf all the time.”

“If the shoe fits, babe,” Tony said. He stood up, keeping an arm wrapped around Stephen’s waist as they left the lab and headed for the elevators.

Despite feeling safe and loved in Tony’s arms, more than he could have ever hoped to be and probably more than he deserved, Stephen was still anxious. He felt out of place in the Tower, never mind the fact that he usually spent half of his time there, and he felt even more out of place amongst the team.

“How are the others?” He asked quietly, afraid to hear the answer.

“They’re getting better.” Tony saw no point in sugarcoating the truth. Stephen would see right through it, and that wouldn’t help him process everything. “Carol and Thor are both bored of training with each other, but no one else wants to spar with either of them yet. Or with Natasha, for that matter.”

“Does anyone ever want to spar with them on a good day?” Stephen asked, trying to keep the mood light.

“You’re all a bunch of sore losers who can’t rise to a friendly challenge” Natasha quipped, suddenly materializing in front of the couple. “Tony, what’s going on?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why is he here?”

“Natasha, I—”

Natasha pointedly ignored Stephen. She never disliked the sorcerer, she was actually indifferent and had no issues telling Tony that, but Tony’s trustful, rather soft nature was a concern of hers. It worked in her favor, sure, but she was really trying to be a better friend to Tony and look out for him more. It was this concern that motivated her to look at Stephen with disgust. Natasha wasn’t scared of him, she took heavy damage in the attacks but it was more minimal compared to some of the things she’d put his friends and family through.

Tony was acting as if none of that happened, and that couldn’t stand.

Natasha frowned and glared at Stephen as she addressed Tony. “Tony what the hell are you doing?”

“I’m not—”

“Don’t play dumb and tell me you’re not following. What are you still doing with him? You barely sleep more than an hour without waking everyone up screaming from phantom pain and nightmares! Do you think we can’t hear you yelling and begging for Stephen to stop torturing you and just kill you? Because we all do!” Natasha took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of her nose. “And after all that, you’re holding him like nothing is wrong? I don’t understand how you can be so forgiving sometimes.”

She stormed off before Stephen could defend himself or before Tony could respond. Her words echoed in Stephen’s head as Tony continued to lead him down the hallway, into the elevator, and into the penthouse.

Stephen sat dejectedly on the bed as Tony shuffled around the room, grabbing a few blankets from the closet. He didn’t say anything as Tony made a little nest of pillows and blankets, the cloak joining the haphazard pile the minute Tony curled up under a throw. Eventually Stephen allowed himself to lay down, offering no protests as Tony hugged him again.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized again, mumbling into the soft fabric of Tony’s shirt.

“I know,” Tony said simply. “Relax sweetheart, it’s okay.”

He was still tense, curling up smaller in Tony’s arms. “Are you okay?” The sorcerer asked.

“I’m fine,” Tony reassured him. That was half true. He was fine, to a point, but there were things bothering him that he had no idea how to tell Stephen about.

Eventually they would have to face the music and talk about everything, and they both knew it. For now, Tony was somewhat okay with ignoring it, clinging to the hope that having his Stephen back would keep the memories at bay.

Tags: @stark-strange-love2 @salty-ironstrange-shipper @funkylittlebidiot @richieleeparker @chocopiggy @hatakehikari @taruyison 

[strawberrysoup]

Pocketful of Posies || Chapter 2

You’d been hiding for years and years now; from your  family, from society, from alphas and packs. Suppressants were dangerous but effective and necessary for an omega who refused to be owned—but no suppressants were strong enough to fool the nose of a super soldier, who together with his pack would stop at nothing to bind you to them forever.

pairings: dark!Avengers x reader word length: 5k chapters: 2/? warnings: A/B/O dynamics, power imbalances, noncon and dubcon sexual situations, loss of autonomy, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat — this is a dark!fic, read at your own risk. Open the read more and CTRL + F, search “content warnings” to skip to detailed trigger warnings at the bottom of the chapter.

hey read this: im desperately hoping this lives up to the standards the first chapter apparently set my dudes, fingers crossed i don’t lose any of you with this one 🤞🤞 also before we get started i just wanna let yall know i am very firmly set in my decisions for the designations and i do not apologize lmao 🤙 

You had been manhandled often enough in your life but fuck this time in particular. Even if you’d managed to pass as a beta for more than a decade, you weren’t strong and couldn’t stand your ground in the face of an alpha three times your size. Steve had sucked his fingers clean and easily hefted you up into his arms, following Bruce back into the cabin and down into the basement—you hadn’t been allowed to clean the basement, it was one of the off-limits areas that were noted in your many instructions. If a door is locked, leave it alone. No cleaning is necessary in the basement, garage, or third floor. Wash the linens with a scent free detergent. Make sure the refrigerator is properly scrubbed out.

He’d left you on a metal countertop with instructions to be good for Bruce. You weren’t sure what that entailed but as soon as the blond left the room, your mind started to race. There was no way you could get away from Steve, Sam you could potentially outrun, but Bruce? Being left alone with the beta was the best thing they could’ve done for you. You could get away from Bruce.

“Have you been to see a doctor recently?” His voice was gentle, intended to be soothing as he came to stand in front of you. "Any check-ups, clinic visits?”

You knew there was blood drying on your cracked lips, cutting a jarring path down your throat. The taste was still in your mouth, you’d gouged your tongue and it was still actively bleeding. With that in mind you made direct eye contact with the beta before letting the mouthful spill over your bottom lip and drip down your front, hoping the gore would help emphasize your opinions on the situation.

“Sweetheart, I know you’re upset—”

“Bruce, why is she bleeding?” It was like getting punched in the face by alpha pheromones the moment the door to the room opened again and a much younger alpha stepped through with a practically panicked expression.

Before you or Bruce could respond you’d been swept up in the alpha’s arms. He was a few years younger than you, early twenties probably and being manhandled by a fetus was particularly bothersome. His scent kept you still for a few seconds before you started squirming, making a beta-like snarl while he corralled your limbs.

“Here Pete, can you sit with her over here? We need a blood draw and full work up, her natural hormones have probably been devastated by the chemicals in the suppressants she was taking,” Bruce gestured for the alpha to carry you to a metal table, likely meant to be used for some sort of experiments if the rest of the room was anything to judge by. "All of her reproductive organs could’ve been affected, I’ll need to do a pelvic exam. We’ll run an STD panel and—”

“No! I don’t consent!” Your voice came out as a growl, the best one you could manage. "This is false imprisonment! Let go of me you fucking knothead! This is illegal!”

The alpha started to purr immediately and you found yourself rendered boneless under the onslaught. It was startling—you’d forgotten how it felt, how calm and safe it made you feel. Alpha purrs were meant to soothe and comfort, the tones perfectly adjusted to the omega ear. They also caused a completely involuntary reaction in omegas, the same as all other alpha sounds. You had no choice but to feel relaxed, the white noise of a purr jumbling your thoughts.

Bruce smiled down at you, hand running over the top of your head where it rested against the alpha’s chest. "It’s okay, you don’t have to be afraid. I won’t let anything happen to you, I just want to make sure you’re healthy.”

“Isn’t that better baby?” The alpha sat back on the table and pulled you to sit between his legs, tucked close to his chest. “And unless you have a guardian alpha, it’s not illegal. We’re doing our civic duty, taking care of an omega in unsafe conditions.”

The worst part was that you couldn’t fight it; you couldn’t find your way out of the calm static the purr filled your brain with. Even when Bruce started taking multiple vials of blood from your left arm, when he opened your mouth to check the damage to your tongue, when they started undressing you, you couldn’t fight. It was a hazy sort of half thought, that you wanted them to stop. It must’ve been apparent in your eyes, that you were trying to work your way out of the purr’s effects.

“Shhhh, sweetheart, you’re alright,” Bruce murmured quietly as his hands pressed the glands in your neck, fingers brushing gently against the scent gland in particular. "No swelling in your thyroid or mating nodes, that’s good. Suppressants can really cause problems in your hormone glands; the blood tests will tell us for sure but it looks like you might’ve dodged the worst of it if nothing’s enflamed. How long have you been on suppressants?”

Answering was the last thing on your mind, your eyes slowly roving over the room instead. It was some sort of lab set up, tons of machines and parts of machines, technology you couldn’t even begin to comprehend. Bruce had been taking things from one particular cabinet that seemed to hold medical supplies, the rest of the place resembling a robotics factory or some kind of high-tech research and development lab. The doors had swished open automatically when Steve brought you in and when the new alpha came through. Who had automatic doors in a vacation home?

“Should I stop?” The alpha questioned the doctor, chest continuing to rumble. “I might be making her too calm I guess.”

“No, just keep doing what you’re doing Peter,” Bruce sighed slightly. "There’s too much coherence in her eyes as it is, I don’t know if the purr affects her as much as it should. I’m worried that if you weren’t enhanced it wouldn’t work at all. Look at me sweetie, can you focus on face?”

His hands cupped your cheeks, tilting your head carefully while watching your eyes. You couldn’t find the energy to focus on his face; you couldn’t imagine the purr affecting you more than it already was and dreaded the idea that it could be worse. What did enhanced mean? Like the superheroes you’d been hearing about? You didn’t keep up on current events, unless they were Omega's Rights related.

“I’m sure it’s a result of the beta chemicals dampening her omega instincts,” Peter shifted you slightly as Bruce exchanged his gloves for a new pair. "Once her body starts producing hormones on its own again she should revert back to common responses to alpha stimuli.”

“You’re probably right, we’ll know for sure once I get the blood results,” Bruce gestured for Peter to sit up more, bringing your limp body with him. “I’m going to do a breast exam and a pelvic exam and we’re done. There are some other tests I want to run but I don’t have the equipment on hand so they’ll have to wait until Tony manages to get here. Peter, can you help move her arms?”

You felt like you almost managed to swim through the purr, rage fueling you as hands manipulated your breasts. The exam itself was clinical, professional even—or it would’ve been if he hadn’t been cooing at you the whole time, how good you were being, how sweet you were, how pretty your breasts were. Peter had hummed in agreement along with the doctor, his nose trailing up and down your neck. Your hands clenched into fists and you could feel Peter’s grip on your wrists shift with the movement.

“Calm down, baby,” the alpha’s voice cooed gently against the side of your head, lips pressing into your hair as Bruce shifted away and went for the medical cabinet again. "This is important. Suppressants could’ve caused tons of problems, cancerous growths in sexual organs or secondary sex characteristics is very common.”

Death would be a reprieve. The same thought that crossed your mind any time you considered the potential effects of suppressants. A reprieve from the hiding, the exhaustion, living out of your car or a tent, eating garbage because it was all you could afford—from the constant threat of having your autonomy ripped from your hands.

You relaxed your fists until you felt his grip loosen again, even if only slightly. Your only chance would be to rely on surprise and your speed, there was no other way you’d be able to get away. Forcing your body to relax was a trial though, adrenaline was starting to course through you the more you became used to the effects of the purr. Your scent was still massively dampened by the suppressants, Peter likely wouldn’t be able to smell the shift from fear to anticipation. You bit down on the sluggishly bleeding wound on your tongue, reigniting both the pain and blood flow.

“Alright, last part, we’re almost done and then we’ll get you comfortable, okay?” Bruce was wearing new gloves again, a bottle in hand as he walked back over. "Have you had a pelvic exam before?”

You waited until he was close enough and performed what seemed to be your go to act of defiance: spitting blood directly in his face. He reared back with a short curse, Peter immediately releasing your wrists—his goal was likely to readjust you in his lap, to gain a better hold, but you were fast, faster than an alpha (always faster than alphas, it was all you had). You’d slipped from his lap and darted for the automatic doors before either of them could respond. Running through the woods naked was the lesser evil.

Steel bands. You should’ve noticed, the doors opened too soon for them to be reacting to your presence, you were so focused on getting through. But the moment you did, it felt like steel bands wrapped around your torso, pinning your arms.

The alpha’s scent was like Steve’s—the moment your brain registered it the world went hazy. You were floating, body going limp for a precious few seconds that the alpha used to sweep you into his arms and stalk further into the room. Your senses came back just in time for you to be deposited back into Peter’s lap on the table, a massive blond alpha coming into view for the first time. Your gaze was immediately stuck on his, the heterochromatic eyes nearly hypnotizing. Fighting the daze he put you in was overwhelming, especially when a wide smile split his lips and his cheeks dimpled. One massive hand reached out, almost engulfing the entire lower half of your face.

“Hello little love.” Were alphas always as insanely massive as this one and Steve, or had you just stumbled across literally your worst nightmare? “They told me you’re a flighty thing, I suppose I arrived just in time, hm? Are you going to spit blood in my face as well? It seems to be your calling card.”

The look on your face must’ve betrayed the fact that you were really, really considering it. You had a mouthful of blood and nowhere to put it but his face, honestly. Instead you used the fact that Peter was mostly propping you up to lean over the edge of the table and proceeded to open your mouth, spilling blood down onto the alpha’s shoes nice white shoes.

“I wouldn’t challenge her,” Bruce’s voice drew your attention to where he was using a towel to wipe blood off his glasses, a wry smile and affection clear on his face. "She’s putting a lot of effort into being belligerent.”

The blond alpha rumbled with a grin, thumb brushing across your cheekbone. "It’s been a stressful day for her, there’s nothing she can do that will cause any persisting damage anyway. Let her have her little rebellions.”

You wanted to be furious—what kind of asshole looked a person dead in the eyes and called their attempts to escape false imprisonment little rebellions?—but Peter seemed to have realized where your train of thought had gone because he started purring immediately. Your spine went boneless, laying you flat against his chest.

“Can you lean up against the wall with her?” Bruce directed the younger alpha to shift until both of your legs were dangling over the edge, Peter’s back to the wall the table sat against. “You’re going to need to hold her in place, even while you purr. Alright sweetie, let’s get this out of the way. Thor, will you hold her leg please?”

The sound you made was an accident. Desperation and humiliation were crawling up your spine with astounding speed, even with Peter’s purr going like a motorboat and the sound  was making it too hard to think through your instincts. Omega cries were a deliberate counterpart to the noises alphas made; whines and cries and hisses, perfectly pitched to make an alpha’s hindbrain stand at attention. The sound you made was a sharp, chirping whine—distress, distress, distress, help me, help me help m—

“Oh little love,” Thor’s voice had dropped several registers and he gently shuffled Bruce to the side so he could stand in front of you, slipping as close to the table as possible and tugging your legs to rest on either side of his hips and gently running his hands over your skin. “Let’s get you taken care of, you need rest.”

The pheromones he was putting out were meant to calm but you immediately opened your mouth, using the overwhelming scent of your own blood to drown them out. The alpha sighed and stepped aside again, taking your leg with him and spreading your thigh to rest over Peter’s leg with your foot planted on the table. A whine rose in your throat again but you locked it down, instead biting down on your tongue yet again. It was as grounding as it was painful, the tang of it souring your stomach.

It was your last coherent thought, that you were starting to feel nauseous from all of the blood you'd swallowed. Thor began to purr just after that and the sound was entirely devastating, bone deep and you went completely limp, your head falling to the side against Peter’s chest and your shoulders dropping. This is what acid felt like, you were pretty sure.

Your eyes lazily followed Bruce’s path as the doctor took his place between your legs again, lifting the other into a matching position. Some part of you was fully aware of how gut wrenching this was; completely naked and spread wide in front of two alphas and a beta, a situation you’d rather kill yourself than be in, but your brain couldn’t follow any emotional tethers while Thor purred. The doctor was speaking, you could feel his hands manipulating your vulva, but you couldn’t understand anything coming out of his mouth.

Peter’s hand came to your chin and tilted your head back until you could see him, smiling down at you. His mouth moved, your eyes almost able to track the movement of his lips enough to read them but your brain gave up halfway through. The two alphas were chuckling over something but you were distracted by the discomfort of something being inserted into your vagina. A sharp yip escaped your lips, your body still completely boneless as your eyes rolled down.

“It’s a speculum, sweetie, I’m sorry it’s uncomfortable,” it sounded like Bruce was talking underwater and you could almost feel his breath on your thigh, your mind irritatingly unable to think beyond the question 'who just keeps a fucking speculum lying around?' "Just a few more seconds while I get a pap smear.”

More discomfort came before the instrument was removed, another yip leading Peter to purr along side Thor. The rest of the exam was a blur, slippery fingers and pressure and foreign sensations. You could barely think, let alone realize that Bruce was finishing up the manual exam, when your eyes noticed movement behind them. You couldn’t really make out anything, nothing would focus, but you assumed it was Steve and Sam.

There were more voices but you couldn’t hear anything for an indeterminate amount of time. It wasn’t until Thor stopped purring again that you were able to start regaining your senses, as much as the continuous rumbling in Peter’s chest would allow. The difference between the sounds the two alphas produced was marked by your sudden ability to focus your eyes, to concentrate on voices, in the way your muscular control was slowly returning.

You were almost glad the young alpha was still purring—it meant that the spike of terror that tried to shoot through you was somewhat dulled, enough that it wouldn’t show in your scent. Sam and Steve had indeed come in, accompanied by a young woman with long auburn hair and porcelain skin, a beta from the scent. As soon as she made eye contact with you she smiled vibrantly, slipping forward and sneaking between your still spread thighs.

“You’re so beautiful,” she murmured, long fingers stroking absently against your neck as she leaned in, forcing your back tighter against Peter’s chest. "Will you let me see your trauma my love?”

Some sort of red miasma filled your vision, a fog you quickly realized was coming from her hands—and realization slammed into you like a freight train. You seen that before, in passing. And then the recognition made you nauseous—Thor. You didn’t keep up with current events, but certain names you couldn’t miss. Thor, Tony Stark, Captain America. Your eyes flashed to the blond man standing towards the back of the room; Captain America, Steve Rogers.

Desperation shot through your body like you’d been tazed. Your foot shot out of Thor’s hold, the alpha hadn’t been putting any actual effort into holding you still since you’d been so dazed, and connected with the woman’s chest to send her reeling. Before anyone else could respond, your throat rasped for several seconds before a warbling shriek escaped. The four alphas in the vicinity reacted like they’d been shot; Thor and Steve both stumbled back, and Sam’s knees practically gave out, sending him careening into the wall. Behind you, Peter, far too close to the source, immediately went limp.

There were several distress calls an omega could make. Most of the time, they were whines or chirps, noises meant to draw attention from packmates. They were small, careful sounds—nothing loud enough to attract attention from a foreign alpha or delta. Omegas were quarry to be stolen, after all, which was precisely why they had one, singular method of defending themselves against their biggest biological threat and that was a shriek.

When in close proximity, the sound was loud enough and tuned just so to daze an alpha’s hindbrain. The evolutionary explanation was that a loud shriek meant that an omega being confronted by an aggressive alpha could both temporarily stun their attacker and summon assistance—alphas or deltas, far enough away that the negative effects were nullified but within proximity to hear that an omega was in danger. The assumption being, of course, that an omega who shrieked was in danger from a stranger, not a packmate.

It only worked for a very short time though, any alpha or delta in the area would immediately converge on the omega’s location and deal with the problem—it was the reason you hadn’t used it outside. There was no reason for the effects to last when it summoned immediate assistance, though, and that meant you needed to move. You slid off the table, bare feet slapping tile as you just barely managed to dodge Bruce’s grasp. The woman, the witch from the news, was on the floor clutching her sternum.

The stairs were a blur, so was the foyer and the driveway. You hesitated at your car for all of ten seconds before running for the forest; your keys were in the pocket of your jeans, back down in the basement. Abandoning all of your possessions hurt somewhere deep in your heart but there wasn’t any time for sentiment. You had to get away, quickly.

Luckily the woods had become your home a long time ago. You moved between the trees silently, feet so heavily calloused from constantly going barefoot that you didn’t even notice the twigs and sharp stones digging into your flesh. Your brain shot into overtime. You needed to steal clothes, then cash. You’d lived with nothing for years, you could do it again for however long you needed to. The only thing you really needed was suppressants; everything else was a luxury.

You assumed they were behind you, you’d been running for a good three minutes. The straight path meant they could follow you easier but the goal had to be the maximum distance possible rather than the most strategic pattern. Your only advantage was being fast and you had no choice but to rely on it, especially since your hindbrain was wailing with every step you took. The suppressants were the only reason you could do it at all, the trade off for quieting those damn instincts being a tolerable mildness of character that did not appreciate the constant, incessant shriek of your baser self while you were trying to focus. 

All you had to do was keep quiet until you could find one of the creeks running through the forest—so close to Lake Superior there was water everywhere. You would run through the creek in several different places, to mask your scent and make it difficult to follow. It wouldn’t be hard to find a hunting blind or shack, a hole in the ground was better than going back there. The moment your eyes caught on running water you dove into it, covering yourself with mud before jumping back up to continue running.  

Captain America was super fast and you’d bet the rest of them were similar if not the same and you needed more distance. Somewhere in the back of your mind, prey behavior was setting in. Natural selection had driven your existence, you were the result of thousands of years of evolution, and the life you’d lived meant you were far more adapted to being hunted than most omegas. You were vulnerable but not helpless and as you coated yourself in more mud from a different part of the creek, chemosensory instincts started rattling through you.  

They were coming. Your scent was inhibited by the suppressant’s and that made it harder for them to follow you but they were doing their best. Combined with the water and the mud, your scent was very difficult to pin down, even for a super soldier. You contemplated climbing a tree to hide, but the insane memory of how keen the noses of the pack following you were spurred you on. You kept running, covering yourself in mud two more times, before finding a tree with a massive tangle of roots at the bottom. Fighting whatever creature had made a home down there was worth it—it went deep, was heavily covered by underbrush and detritus from the trees, but most importantly it was surrounded by wild bergamot in full bloom.  

It smelled lovely, spicy and floral with a citrusy overtone. You crawled through the dirt, wiggling between the roots and carefully avoiding crushing any plants or branches that could give you away. Whatever lived in there was out, likely foraging, and you took the creature’s absence to your advantage and pressed as far back into the hole as possible.  

You weren’t tired, despite the long, exhausting day and the fucking trauma. Another small grace that adaption had provided was that once an omega began producing adrenaline, sleep became unnecessary—it was actually considered a very unenviable omega trait in the general population, but you’d found it’s uses worth the unpleasant side effects. Your heart would continue to race for the next several hours, your pupils wouldn’t return to normal for potentially days and your blood sugar had sky rocketed and that was going to be a nightmare for how ever long it lasted. 

The waiting was going to hurt—there was nothing to pass the time and you had to actively focus on not being terrified or your omega scent could seep through, oh, what was it now? Five coats of mud from the creek, a significant amount of bergamot, and fifteen years of whatever the fuck suppressants did to your scent over time.

It wasn’t ten minutes later that you heard them. Stealth wasn’t their objective, that was clear from the amount of noise they made. You could hear Steve and Peter calling your name, although you didn’t know how they knew it. Thor was speaking, his tone low but certainly not quiet. They weren’t even moving that fast, walking almost leisurely.

“She’ll need to bathe and eat. Clint and Natasha are finishing up in New York. Steve, have you heard from Tony or Bucky? Carol?”  

“Tony’s wrapping up, should be flying over pretty soon. Carol and Bucky were on their way up but I gave them a list of things to grab while they’re going through the bigger cities. Shouldn’t be too much longer for them either though.” 

Steve and Thor were different than Sam or Peter. You couldn’t pin down exactly what had set your teeth on edge, but the scent the two blond alphas gave off was different. Their pheromones were worse, more infectious. Eye contact with Steve had made your hindbrain beg to go to him, regardless of the rationality you could usually manage thanks to the suppressants. You could remember the feel of Thor’s hand on like it was seared into your skin instead, you wanted him to never not be touching you ever again—

If you could’ve slapped yourself without making noise you would’ve. The stupid omega in your brain, that dumb, easy cunt was going to get you killed. You sealed your lips, clenched your teeth and tucked your hands under your bent knees. Night was starting to fall to your benefit, the shadows were getting darker. You were so far back they would have to crouch down and crawl half way in to see you.

If you could keep your wits until they passed you could double back, trying to find your keys would be a wash but you could grab clothes from the back of your ancient Tahoe. You weren’t sure how long you’d been in the basement, but you didn’t think it was long enough for them to have gone through your things.

“Could she have gotten this far?” You held your breath as Sam stopped far too close to your hiding place for comfort.

“Omegas are fast and she seemed faster than most,” Bruce answered. “We’ll know for sure once her blood work comes back, but from her physiology I’d say she presents as a classical omega. She’s probably the first in her family in a long, long time. To have a scream that loud in this day and age? The omega gene must’ve been skipped so long that there was no chance for it to adapt to modern omega qualities.”

“There’ve been some studies suggesting that the classical omega attributes are making a come back in the general population,” Peter’s voice came from much farther away. "They haven’t been peer reviewed enough yet and they haven’t been replicated en masse because they don’t have enough subjects, alphas aren’t exactly thrilled to have their omegas studied, but—”

“The lack of data aside, I assume there’s a correlation between the alphas willing to allow their omegas to participate and the behavior of the omega in question. Do you think—”

“Focus, Bruce,” Steve’s voice was light with affection. "The point is that yes, she could’ve gotten this far or farther. The way she keeps running into the creek is messing up the footprints and—”

Their voices faded as they continued the same linear path you’d been running earlier. The fact that they didn’t even sound a little concerned that you could get away was both insulting and unnerving. You didn’t need alphas having that kind of confidence regarding your behavior—and why weren’t they moving any faster? The paranoia was immediate and overwhelming, what did they know about that you didn’t? Something they assumed would hinder you farther along in the woods? Something they were planning for when they found you? When.

You forced yourself to count slowly to six hundred, waiting what you hoped was a full ten minutes before silently crawling out of your hide. Their scents were everywhere, you could smell where Sam had been standing almost directly over the opening in the roots. They were still too close for comfort and you turned, running back through the forest. Your feet were starting to feel sore, usually you’d at least watch where you stepped but there just wasn’t time—you had to get away before they could enact their plans.

The clearing the cabin sat in was coming up and you forced yourself to slow as you approached the tree line, keeping a careful eye out for the beta woman. You couldn’t remember what her call sign was, something to do with witches, and you definitely didn’t want her using that red magic stuff on your head.

The extra seconds of waiting paid off, watching her pace the porch for a few moments before her phone rang. She answered, walking inside and closing the doors behind her. You didn’t wait an extra second, darting across the clearing to where you car was sitting in the driveway with the trunk popped. They must’ve started going through your things but stopped part of the way through.

You could see one of your go bags though, squished between your rolled up sleeping bag and tent. The straps of the bag squeaked with how hard you yanked it out, hesitating slightly—instinct told you to leave the sleeping bag, but you’d grown used to the luxury of it and leaving the stupid thing behind made you decidedly sad. You tossed the straps of the go bag over your shoulder and turned away, knowing it would slow you down and—

There was an Iron Man suit standing directly behind you, gauntlets rested on the hips and the head cocked to the side. You froze, as if staying still could prevent it from noticing you. Fuck, you hoped there wasn’t a man in there. A stupid thought, you considered as you stared silently, trying to decide if there was any way out. Hope was a joke at this point but you didn’t have anything else.

“Hi princess,” it was a distinctly human voice, if filtered. "Hope I didn’t miss too much of the fun.”

  content warning: nonconsensual medical procedures, general noncon touching/assault.

edited 7/9/21 - still on hiatus

[pkmn-downtheline]

High school AU, not like a cringy disney channel one just what they'd be like as high schoolers lol

Like I mentioned before, this'll be based on the standard American high school experience because I don't know enough about Japanese high schools to write an AU about them... But if I could I would because I like imagining them all in cute Japanese high school uniforms... Also, Kierra would be a foreign exchange student lol

Anyways, Skye is a stupid jock on the soccer team. She's aiming to get a full-ride athletic scholarship to Saffron University, but her grades are so bad that she's at risk of being thrown off the soccer team. She's practically failing English, so if she doesn't get a good grade on her next paper, she's screwed.

Briar is that kid who's always drawing eyes in the back of the classroom. He's president of the anime club, which only has like four members (one of them is Skye who joined out of pity even though she knows nothing about anime--she just likes to sit in the back of the clubroom once a month to heckle Briar). He is definition nerd, but Skye keeps other people from picking on him.

Kierra is an overachiever student who's in 4 AP classes, national honors society, top of her class, 14 science clubs, etc. etc. Briar and Skye are really her only friends because she doesn't have time for any other friends lol They're afraid that she's gonna run herself ragged, but Kierra insists that she LIKES the stress. It gives her a rush. Plus, if she ever wants to get accepted to an Ivy League on a full-ride scholarship then she has to keep up. Kierra is also HEAVILY campaigning to be class president lmao

Lizzie keeps to herself and has almost no friends. Even in this universe, Austin dying in a freak accident is inevitable lol He died when they were in elementary school, and she has a lot of hangups with that still. She's very close with one of the English teachers (Shauntal) who's really amazed by Lizzie's writing. She ends up tutoring Skye because she needs SOME sort of extracurricular on her college applications. They do not get along at first, but you all know where THAT leads...

Allie is, quite literally, the most popular girl in school. She does dance team, she's a cheerleader, she does theater, she does music, she's on student council, etc. Pretty much everyone loves her, but nobody knows that she's secretly dating Briar. They keep their relationship on the DL and the only person who knows about it is Amber. They're both nervous about what would happen if the whole school found out they were dating.

Amber is Allie's much-less-popular best friend lol A lot of people question why they're so close and Allie looks at them all like they're idiots and says, "Because she's my best friend". Which doesn't really answer the question, but most people are too afraid of Allie to retort. Amber isn't actually in any clubs, but her dad is a veterinarian, so she helps him out a lot around the animal clinic after school. She really wants to take over the clinic one day.

This is getting long, so here are some smaller bullet points about other things in this AU:

Louvel is a theater kid. Like, a THEATER kid. He has a friend group of 12 people, all of whom are girls. They're ALWAYS screaming and laughing in the hallways and teachers are constantly yelling at them to be quiet. They invade Dennys at 2 AM after a drama show and cry about how amazing Lisa was as Wendy in the school production of Peter Pan. He's also the president of the LGBT club which has two members--Nick and Emilie. Both of whom are straight. Nobody else wants to join his club.

Cade plays percussion in the marching band. Specifically quads. He's always getting yelled at by the band teacher to stop talking and/or playing. He gets sent to the principal's office four times a week. Sometimes he shows up at Louvels LGBT club just to give him a hard time.

Aidan is very image-cautious and is always posting on social media. Reid was a sk8r boi, he said see ya later boi. They have weird romantic tension going on that they're both kind of in denial about. Aidan doesn't want to be picked on for being with Reid and Reid doesn't know how to feel about feeling things for Aidan.

Sorrel is trying to run for class president against Kierra. He's always putting his campaign posters over hers in the hallway lol Nobody wants to vote for Sorrel though because everyone thinks he's a prick. Cade jokingly decides to run for class president and everyone votes for him. Sorrel is FURIOUS.

That's all I've got for now. Maybe I'll post more later. I've thought about this AU a lot lol

[amethystcria]

AFTER 291 - Revisiting Twice: Was Dabi listening the whole time?

Lmao I’m so mad I didn’t post this before the leaks because wow...I was right. 

Had to re-edit some parts here but here are the evidences I believed Hori left to implied that Dabi was in fact using Twice. Whether his death was plan or not is still to be decided but... Twice was bait.

I am of the unpopular opinion that both Dabi and Hawks are responsible for Twice’s death.

CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR 291

(FYI: This is rather long bc I haven’t done theories in awhile so I don’t know when to shut up and overdramatic as Dabi sometimes lol.)

It could be just a plot hole Horikoshi didn’t realize he left but it’s been simmering in my mind since all the foreshadowing of Dabi’s upcoming broadcast. And with Dabi admitting how he did think of killing Shoto, his brother, for his goals... This theory doesn’t seem so crazy now. 

Now that we know of the elaborate scheme Dabi has been planning for many years (and good for him!) coming to fruition at last! I have to wonder what role was Twice gonna have in his plan? Was Hawks apart of it too? Had they been playing their part this whole time? (Edit: With the leaks 291 the answer is yes.)

When the mansion got invaded it was so strange to me that while everyone was heading to battleground, Dabi, turned the other way. He was heading toward Twice. Why? How? We all knew that when the raid started Skeptic put the blame on Twice + Hawks and tried to find them. He couldn’t because Hawks had removed the mini cams by then. So how did Dabi know where Twice was located and that he was being targeted?

The only way Dabi would know is if he had been keeping tabs on Twice and Hawks. Becoming familiar enough with their habits and thinking to make the conclusion that Hawks would trap Twice in that specific room. We already know Dabi never trusted Hawks and yet he allowed him to get close to Twice. Why? Especially if he could guess that Twice had become Hawks intended target in his double agent agenda. Unless this is what he wanted...

Which is already pretty bad using an ally like this. If Dabi didn’t want Hawks to get Twice he would have mention it beforehand. He had to have wanted this. But hey let’s give Dabi the benefit of the doubt that maybe he allow this because he thought he had high possibility of avoiding the worst outcome: Twice’s death

But then that would mean Dabi was willing to risk Twice’s life in luring Hawks which is what I think he did. 

But did he really?

(I’ll be using the official viz’s translation for these lines quotes but the japanese raws to show there’s no differentiation between word usage in the images itself.)

Chapter 265 Dabi: Looks like sentiment tripped you up after all, hero! Hawks: I could never allow mere sentiment to trip me up.

We know that when Dabi finally reached Twice’s location that he did not immediately come to his rescue. He waited for an opening and him throwing Hawks’s words back at him then always seem like an indication of his arrival time.

However in the following chapter, 266: Happy Life, Dabi retorts one of Hawks’ line again. It’s easy to miss since it’s only one word this time and not a whole sentence. I didn’t catch it until several rereads later.

Dabi: He was just 'unlucky,' huh? Maybe by your screwed-up standards

Hawks: You've just been unlucky, but you can make a fresh start once you pay for your crimes.

We can see that Dabi is quoting a phrase in his thoughts. He is not saying this. And ordinarily this would be fine except when Hawks said this line to Twice, Dabi was nowhere near to hear this. We see at the end of chapter 264 that Dabi is still running up the stairs...

Unless Hawks was yelling this line which I doubt. Or the time passage between these two panels are different somehow, again: press doubt, Dabi should have not been able to hear this line but he did. How? Either this is an overlook on Horikoshi’s part or Dabi somehow had bugged the room. Pretty wild of a guess especially when Hawks would have taken out any cameras I think...but if Dabi had been overhearing their conversation this whole time then it make sense why he had certain trail of thought passed his mind in this panel.

Panel Above Dabi: Twice. This isn't your fault. As always... scummy heroes are to blame.

Twice was despairing in this chapter blaming himself for once again falling for a trap. I always thought it was very nakama-like that Dabi could SOMEHOW sense Twice’s plead and reply to his soul. “This isn’t your fault” is the closest to an apologize from Dabi, because really isn’t his fault. It’s Dabi’s. And god if he had been listening this whole damn time no wonder he thought this when he did. Of course he could’ve also just heard Twice’s agony scream (sfx seen on the top)...

I could go on longer about how Dabi faked shock on Hawks escaping his hold, how his little show of comradery with Twice in combating Hawks was an act in itself. And his reaction toward Twice’s death, the word choice usages, the tone of it all was quite theatrical. Good show, Dabi!! 

It had to have been if it was being recorded. Gotta play the good ally, right?

I always did wonder why there was such a focus on his hand on these panels in the infamous black speech bubble chapter. It’s not like the other panels where the focus is there because of his burns. He had something in his grasp to hide.

Chapter 291 Spoiler:

It was one of Skeptic’s cameras. 

That makes me wonder something though. Was this when he cut off the film? And if so, why? If he knew Skeptic was gonna see it and the world why end the recording there after torturing Hawks? Y’know aside from obviously saying he doesn’t care about the league, etc.

Are we really so sure that this bubble had his name? Or could there be something else? There’s a good chance this censor wasn't just a tease but indication of when the camera stop for a moment.

I gotta say if Dabi’s pre recording still going on then I fear for his next card drawn. What are the chances he recorded some students on the battlefield as well? Students who shouldn’t be there in the first place whose parents have no clue their child/ren are a participant of war. As far as they know they’re suppose to be on a field trip for their work study program. Oh man are hero society gonna have a field day if that’s reveal~

One thing for sure though. Twice was bait. Whether it went according to Dabi’s original plan can be up for debate(as in his death being the goal...since 291 SPOILER: Dabi’s pre-recording voice only mention Hawks killing Jeanist, not Twice) but Dabi was satisfied with the end result either way. R.I.P. TWICE You were such a swell guy but too easy to use. It happens. You had a good life.

[imagineurfavs]

2PM Chansung: A-Z

“Hi! I don’t if you are taking requests but can you write the A-Z for 2pm’s Chansung? Thank you! I love your work btw💗” “Will u be writing a chansung A to Z ???” “Hi! Can i request an A-Z for 2pm Chansung? He's the only one missing and he's my bias so... I've live to read it. Thank you and have a nice day!”

A/N I’m so glad I got requests for chansung lol, he’s my bias and tbh i was feeling like no one was interested in him sfgjsfg I’m glad yall are thirsty for him too lmao

----------

A - Aftercare This is tricky lol, bc he’s certainly accommodating and sweet, but I really just...dont think he cares all that much about specific aftercare steps lol. It tends to vary from session to session, he’ll do whatever he thinks is necessary in the moment. You look particularly tuckered out? He’ll help you get cleaned up and dressed and whatnot. Things got especially messy? He’ll run you a bath. Basically, he doesn’t care about specific aftercare, but he’s still a sweetheart.

B - Body Part (their favourite body part of theirs and also their partner) On himself he likes his legs; they're big and strong and he’s fully aware of how much you like them too lmao. On his partner, he loves their lips, even just watching you enunciate certain words or eat certain foods really just sends his mind places lmao

C - Cum He much prefers to cum inside you, ideally he’d love to cum at the same time, it just feels so intimate to him. He’ll try his hardest to hold off if he feels that he’s coming undone too soon so yall can finish together. If not then he loves to come on your butt lol.

D - Dirty Secret (a dirty secret of theirs) Chansung has always been super into photography. So, I feel like he’d be interested in taking some saucy pics of you, like, a full on boudoir shoot. Probably would wanna take some photos of the both of you, he’d make it explicit, but tasteful lmao. He’d feel like he’s making his own highclass softcore porn lol

E - Experience The man is 30 years old lol, of course he’s had his fair share of experiences. But with that being said, I picture him as having the least amount of experience in the group, that by no means means that he doesnt know what he’s doing, just that there’s a lot of avenues he’s yet to explore lol

F - Favourite Position Missionary is usually the go-to, just bc it requires the least amount of energy lmao. Either that or he loves loves looooves to have you on top, that way he can just lay back and bask in your beauty 

G - Goofy (are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous etc) I dont think he’s ever really capable of being 100% serious, there’s always a bit of a lighthearted atmosphere whatever the two of you get up to lmao. He’ll try his utmost to make you feel as comfortable as possible by making jokes and comments, usually at his own expense lol.

H - Hair (how well groomed are they) It’s not something that he pays an insane amount of attention to, but he’ll keep it tidy lol

I - Intimacy (how are they during the moment, romantic aspect) I feel like the build up is intimate, like, the intense making out and the foreplay is super intimate. He’ll be whispering words of adoration to you as he kisses over your body. But, the second he’s actually inside you, it’s like his brain just logs out lol.

J - Jack Off (Masturbation) He’ll literally just do it whenever the feeling takes him; whether that be multiple times a day, or not even once for days on end. If the desire comes and he’s alone with time, then he’ll got at it lmao

K - Kinks (one of more of their kinks) Aside from enjoying a little bit of restraint here and there, I feel like by and large he’s pretty vanilla. He likes the standard y’know lil bit of biting, hickeys and probably spanking if he’s really getting into it lol. But nothing that I feel like really qualifies as a kink kink. Maybe he’d be open to bringing food into the bedroom if he was feeling super duper spicy

L - Location (Favourite places to do the do) He’d enjoy it anywhere with enough room where yall can totally sprawl out and move around to your hearts content. It’s not even that he’s into getting into all these weird positions that require a lot of room, he just a big guy, and comfort always comes first lol

M - Motivation (What turns them on) He’s a simple man, seeing you dressed even the slightest bit seductive will send his mind straight to the gutter. Even with just the slightest bit of thigh on show, he’ll be all over you in minutes guaranteed lol

N - NO (something they won't do, turn offs) No sharing. I feel like he’s the tiniest bit insecure in his skills (no idea why though lol) so I feel like watching you with someone else could really hurt his pride.

O - Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc) He really goes for it when he goes down on you, he’s not afraid to get super messy. Likes to see you blush so he’ll deliberately make the most lewd noises and just watch you get all flustered lmao. He can get kinda fidgety and whiney when receiving oral lmao.

P - Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc) Usually stays at a happy medium; not insanely fast, but not painfully slow either. His thrusts are firm and strong, but not so rough you’ll be feeling it for days afterwards lol

Q - Quickies (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc) Eeeeeh, he’s not really a fan. He just really likes to take his time with everything. I feel like oral is the most he’d do if either of yall were in a rush; he’d rather skip the opportunity for sex than to have the sex be rushed and bad lol

R - Risk (are they down to experiment, do they take risks?) He’s open to it...but he’d rather not. I just feel like he’s someone that knows what he likes. Once he finds his lane, he stays in it lol. So if there was something you really really wanted to try out, he wouldn't necessarily say no, but you’d have to warm him to the idea lmao

S - Stamina (how many rounds can they go, how long do they last? etc) He can honestly last however long you need and then some lmao, he likes to draw out each round as long as humanly possible, until your both just totally spent. With that in mind, I think you’ll only get one round out of him lol

T - Toy (do they own toys do they use them on a partner or on themselves?) They’re not really something that he’ll ever have of his own volition, but he’s certainly not opposed to you buying any and using them. Who knows, maybe one day he’ll let you use them on him.

U - Unfair (how much they like to tease) Eh...I don’t think he’s all that much of a tease, at least not on purpose anyway, he just doesn't have the patience for it. That’s not tot say he doesn't enjoy being teased though, he lowkey enjoys having you make him a needy mess

V - Volume (how loud are they, what type of sounds they make) He can be pretty vocal, usually a mix of low grunts, sighs and breathy sounds that vaguely resemble your name. He’ll go out of his way to ask you to be vocal though, he finds every sounds that comes out of your mouth so sexy lmao

W - Wild Card (a random headcannon) For the most part Chansung is a pretty vanilla guy. But that’s not to say there isn't anything that has piqued his curiosity. He kinda wants to try mutual masturbation, and maybe some kind of role play scenarios. The closest he’s got to the former is coming home a early and jacking it the the sounds of you touching yourself from the room next door. But he just doesn't really know how to bring it up bc it’s so out of the norm for him. So he just waits hoping that one day you'll ask him.

X - X-ray (what's going on inside those pants) I feel like he’s modestly packing lmao. He’s probably average, maybe a tiny bit bigger but with some super nice girth lol

Y - Yearning (How high is their sex drive) He’s like a teenage boy lol. He’s basically always ready to go if you are. Honestly the second you give him the green light he’ll be all over you

Z - Zzz... (How quickly they fall asleep afterwards) Mans will be passed out almost as soon as he pulls out of you lmao.

[whoisbxcky]

After School Special

request: Your writing is amazing!!!! I have a request for a peter Parker imagine where the reader has healing powers and he falls for her and he gets hurt on a mission and she rushes in to save him and she heals him and the gets hurt and peter carries her out and stays by her side the whole time? Sorry if that was confusing

pairing: peter parker x reader (!!reader and peter both 16 in this fic!!)

word count: 3500 +/-

warnings: reader suffering from anxiety and a lil panic attack thrown in the mix, some angst but a lot of fluff also, descriptive violence, gunshot wound

author’s note: Okay first ever Peter Parker fic, apologies if it’s a little iffy (especially at the end- i flopped lol) I really struggled getting this one written despite the fact it ended up being uber long by my standards! I think I struggle writing for Peter purely because of the ‘trying to get into the mindset of a teenager’ thing lmao. 

But as always, feedback welcomed and appreciated, big huge thank you to anon for the request, and I am currently accepting requested so hit that inbox my lovelies! ~ Toria <3

“You ready for your first ever mission tonight, Y/N?”

You practically jumped out of your skin, your head crashing into the top of your locker with a sickening thwack.

With a groan of pain, you spun on your heel, murderous eyes fixating on Peter Parker, who was now stood staring at you with a mixture of shock and fear etched rather comically on his face.

“Well, geez, Peter. Hard to say, you think I can manage it with a concussion?”

You softened your gaze, shaking your head with a rueful smile as you brought a hand tentatively to your head and letting it rest over the knot that was rapidly growing there.

You let your eyelids flutter shut, summoning a warm, white light to your palm and allowing the healing energy to envelop your injury, smiling softly as you did.

When you opened your eyes, your head felt good as new, and you were met with Peter’s wide, curious gaze.

You frowned at him then, raising your brow dubiously as he continued to stare. After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, you cleared your throat, narrowing your eyes at him.

“Something the matter?”

Peter blinked a few times, his cheeks donning an unmistakable pink hue as his gaze shifted anywhere and everywhere that wasn’t your face. You strained to contain an eye roll as your fellow Avenger stuttered uselessly for a minute.

“I… Well no… No, it’s just… Well… Mr. Stark said we shouldn’t use our powers just out in the open like that and well…”

He trailed off, swallowing hard as you fixed him with your best ‘keep-going-and-I’ll-flatten-you’ stare. You had to hand it to the guy, usually when you gave people that look, they turned tail and got as far away as possible from you in the other direction.

“Well, what Mr. Stark doesn’t know won’t land me with another lecture, now will it, Peter?”

You folded your arms, flashing him with a conspirator’s grin.

“Besides, you’re the one announcing tonight’s mission to the whole school.”

You raised your brows, turning to slam your locker shut before grinning at him once more, taking off towards the school exit, after a few beats, you heard Peter scrambling to catch up with you.

The two of you discussed the task ahead of you in hushed tones as you left the school building and hastily made your way across campus. You tried to focus on the conversation at hand, but the nausea gripping your stomach at the thought of your first ever mission made it increasingly difficult.

It had been a year since Tony Stark had found you and recruited you.

A whole year of missing school dances, mall dates with your friends, even class sometimes, in the interest of training to become one of the Earth’s ‘mightiest’ heroes.

You winced at the thought.

After the alien invasion in NYC back in 2012, footage had emerged of an eleven-year-old you healing wounded civilians, an ability you had been entirely unaware of possessing up until that day.

You’d thought nothing of it at the time, given that the video quality was… questionable, at best, and you magically healing the wounded was far from the strangest thing to have occurred in NYC that day.

And, despite the magical healing hands, you had done a spectacular job at being a regular old, boring high school student. Right up until Stark had shown up on your doorstep and told you the Avenger’s needed your unique skill set, and you had found yourself agreeing, against your better judgement.  

Now here you were, a year into your training and about to embark on your first ever mission as a fully-fledged Avenger.

Oh joy.

Your inner musings were interrupted by Peter’s distant voice, alerting you to the fact you had arrived at the tower. You had been so lost in thought, you hadn’t even registered getting into the car Tony had sent for you both.

You reluctantly made your way up to the briefing room, nervously chewing on your thumbnail as Steve hit you with the ‘health and safety come first’ speech, in between briefing you for the mission at hand.

The task was simple: you, Peter, Sam and Wanda would head to a warehouse housing a Hydra sleeper cell, you would infiltrate the building, eliminate any threats and gather as much intel as you could. Easy-peasy. What could go wrong?

A few hours later, the Quinjet was parked up a little way away from the warehouse, and you and Peter were stood just outside the sole entrance, neither of you saying a word.

Sam and Wanda had gone inside already to do a primary sweep, ordering the two of you to wait outside as backup, as well as taking out any hostiles that may try to flee.

Five minutes had past, and the silence was becoming deafening. You could see Peter out of the corner of your eye, his body poised and ready, his focus absolute.

You let out a defeated sigh, before clearing your throat, your eyes fixated on the pebble you were kicking around at your feet.

“They’ve been in there for a while… You think they’re alright?”

You glanced up to find Peter’s perplexed expression staring back at you, sighing again, you continued.

“I mean I know they’re the professionals and all… But shouldn’t they be back by now? What if something’s gone wrong and they-“

You were cut off in surprise as a gentle hand on your shoulder caused you to flinch. When your eyes snapped up once more, Peter was stood just inches from you, a soft smile on his face and warmth in his eyes.

“They’ll be just fine, Y/N. We’re Avengers, this mission will be a piece of cake, you’ll see.”

You felt an uncomfortable heat rising in your cheeks and you studiously averted your eyes, clearing your throat in embarrassment.

“Oh… Of course.”

Peter chuckled then, offering you a boyish grin before your amicable exchange was interrupted by the sound of shouting, followed by gunfire, followed by an explosion.

As the two of you whipped around to face the warehouse, you half registered the fact that Peter had your hand in his and had pulled you to stand behind him. But the sound of Sam’s panicked voice over the coms kept you from thinking too much about it.

“Parker, Y/L/N, we need backup, now. Get in here-“

There was more gunfire, a yell, and the coms cut off. You felt your stomach drop.

You stumbled slightly as your arm was pulled forward, and you yanked it back, your wide eyes meeting Peter’s.

“Y/N? Let’s go, they need us!”

“I… I can’t…”

Peter stared at you incredulously, glancing back at the warehouse that was now half on fire. More gunshots. More yelling.

“Our teammates are in danger, we have to-“

“I know! But I… I can’t do it, I…”

You could feel the ice-cold jaws of panic latch around your throat, making breathing feel almost impossible. You looked around frantically for a way out, but only found the chaos unfolding in front of you.

Peter let out a breath of despair, before turning on his heel and running into the building ahead of you. You moved to call him back but found that the words would not leave your throat. They were trapped there, fear holding them in place and making you choke.

I can’t do this… I’m not a hero. I’m just a sophomore for gods sake. I should be doing homework right now, making weekend plans with friends… Not running into a burning building to risk my life fighting god knows what…

You let out a sob of frustration, falling to your knees in the gravel, your hands coming up to grip your hair desperately. Your breathing was erratic, and you knew you were having a panic attack.

As you willed your breathing to slow, trying to find a calm place in your mind, Peter’s face materialised in your thoughts. You found your mind subconsciously wandering back to the first day you met in the Avenger’s Tower, your surprise at learning your classmate was the infamous Spider-man...

“I can’t believe it, Peter Parker, a hero… And… Part spider…?”

Peter gave a short barking laugh, and you flashed him a sharp-toothed grin. The two of you were sat on the balcony of the Avenger’s tower, the day of your recruitment. Despite the fact you were both freshman at the same school, it was the first time you’d ever conversed with the guy.

“I mean, yeah, you could say that. Here, check this out…”

He grinned at you then, his eyes twinkling in the growing darkness around you. With a flick of his wrist, a strand of web shot out, attaching to the rafter above you. Next thing you knew, he had pulled himself up on the web and was now dangling upside down in front of you, waving his free arm in a mock ‘ta-dah’ fashion.

You grinned at him once more, overcome with a fit of giggles as he let himself drop back to the ground, tripping over the chair as he did.

“Very cool. Doesn’t it scare you though? Putting your life at risk for complete strangers like you do…?”

You trailed of, worrying your lip between your teeth as you stared out onto the skyline. Peter paused for a moment before responding, his gaze moving from the view to rest fondly on you.

“I guess a little… But you got to do what you got to do, right?”

“I suppose… but why you? I mean… There’s a whole tower of heroes here, couldn’t you just… Not? You know, have a normal life?”

Peter chuckled then, and you slid your gaze from the city below to find his eyes fixated on you, and you smiled shyly at him.

“The way I see it? Those with the power to make a difference who chose not to, are just as bad as the bad guys.”

You stared at him for a beat, his words settling deep in your subconscious. After a moment of thoughtful silence, he hopped to his feet, offering you a hand.

“Come on, let’s go check out the cinema room.”

Your eyes lit up, and you accepted his hand as he pulled you to your feet, steadying you with a hand on your waist.

“You guys have a cinema room here!?”

Peter’s laugh mingling with your own faded into the darkness of your subconscious once more, a nearby blast drawing you out of your memories.

You found yourself back on your feet, breathing even once more and a new-found resolve coursing through your veins.

Peter was right, you were afraid, and that was okay. But if you let your fear win and abandoned your teammates right now, you didn’t deserve to call yourself an Avenger.

Sprinting towards the now half destroyed warehouse, you paused for a moment to pick up a nearby steal pipe that was laying in the gravel, likely thrown there in one of the explosions. You may have healing powers, but combat lessons had not been your strong suit, so you hadn’t bothered to bring a weapon with you, other than some knuckle dusters that Natasha had gifted you and a mace from Rhodey.

As you entered the building, your senses were momentarily overloaded. You could see Wanda facing off against an armada of automatic weaponry, bullets raining down on her in succession. Sam was off to your right, engaged with a particularly large man with a suit that echoed Tony’s Iron-man get up. And there, in front of you, Peter was taking on the bulk of the Hydra forces, dipping and weaving to avoid their gunfire while taking them out one-by-one.

A yell to your left alerted you to an incoming hostile, and you cried out in determination as you swung the pipe at the man’s face, knocking him out and onto his back.

You ducked behind a slab of concrete to your right as gunfire peppered the wall behind you, cursing as a stray bullet whizzed past your ear, far too close for comfort.

With a grimace, you stood up, ready to throw yourself back into the fray, when Sam’s voice screaming down the coms made you stop dead in your tracks.

“Grenade, everyone down!”

You threw yourself back behind the concrete slab, your heart stopping in your chest as a deafening boom went off from the other side of the room. You were vaguely aware of debris, fire and the occasional body flying over your head, and you screwed your eyes closed.

You thought things couldn’t get any worse than this, surely, they couldn’t get worse.

You were wrong.

“Peter is down!”

Wanda’s panicked tone came crackling over the coms and you felt bile rise in your throat.

Without thinking, you clambered to your feet, steel pipe abandoned. You stumbled over concrete, bodies and scrap metal as you blindly made your way over to where you had last seen your friend.

“Peter!?”

You heard a voice screaming and took a moment to realise it was your own, horse and cracking with fear as you scrambled to find him amongst the wreckage on the far side on the room.

There, a flash of red and blue under a few wooden beams.

“Peter!”

You called out for him, rushing to his side as you began to dig him out of the rubble. You almost sobbed in relief when he let out a groan of disapproval, helping you shift the largest beam from his torso. He glanced up at you with a lopsided grin, although the pain in his eyes was unmistakable.

“You came.”

You stared back at him, the relief at him being alive giving way to worry for the wounds he had clearly sustained in the explosion.

“I did. Hold still while I fix you up.”

Without another word, you placed your hands gingerly on his chest, willing the warm, white light to manifest in your palms and spread throughout Peter’s whole body.

You heard him gasp and felt his whole body relax, as tendrils of your focused energy reached out throughout his wounded form, finding cuts, breaks and bruises and restoring them as you went.

Once you were done, you summoned the white light back into your palms, sagging forward in exhaustion as your eyelids fluttered open.

Peter sat up, entirely healthy once more, to catch your shoulders.

“Are you alright, Y/N?”

You smiled up at him weakly, nodding.

“Mhm. I’ve just never healed that many injuries all at once before, it’s… Taken it out of me a little”

He gave you a warm smile back, and a whistle from behind you made you both spin around to attention. You found Sam and Wanda heading your way, delicately navigating the warehouse floor.

“You two alright?”

Sam called out, fixing you with a concerned look.

“Yeah, we’re good.”

Peter called back, hopping to his feet and offering you a hand up, which you gladly accepted. You felt completely drained, both from the adrenaline that was now depleting in your blood stream and the expended energy, but you managed to hold yourself up steadily in front of your fellow Avengers.

“Good. That seems to be the last of them. Let’s get to the control room, get those damn files and get the hell out of dodge.”

Sam started walking towards a gaping hole in the wall behind you, which you recalled from the building’s blueprints would lead to a concrete bunker under the warehouse. Everyone nodded in agreement, moving to follow him.

You had only taken a few steps when the sound of a gunshot rang out, thunderously loud in the silence of the decimated room.

Everything seemed to happen at half-speed then.

Your eyes caught the flash of the sniper rifle on one of the corridors above you.

Wanda, without missing a beat, captured the perpetrator in a net of red energy, launching him from the balcony and through a hole in the warehouse roof.

There was a deafening ringing in your ears, making the world around you feel blurry. You became numbly aware of the sensation of warm liquid running down your arm and chest, freezing in terror as you glanced down to see a stream of red on your tactical vest.

You’d just been shot.

Your legs gave out from under you, your eyes rolling to the back of your head in shock. However, the feeling of your body hitting concrete never came.

Instead, when you opened your eyes once more you found yourself in Peter’s arms, his face twisted in fear, panic and rage as he called to you, telling you to hold on, to stay awake.

You could hear Sam telling Wanda to fetch the first aid kit while he started up the Quinjet to extract you.

Wanda’s voice in your mind telling you to stay awake, that you’d be okay.

You took in a shaky breath, willing your voice to return to you as the ringing in your ears finally subsided, and everything became clear once more.

“Stop!”

You half-croaked, half-yelled. Your fellow Avengers stopped dead in their tracks, staring at you in confusion.

Peter grabbed your hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze as he held you.

“Don’t worry, Y/N. You’re fine, okay? You’re fine-“

“It’s not that.”

You winced as a fit of coughing racked your trembling form, and you met each of your teammates’ stares with a determined one of your own.

“We have a mission to complete. You guys go and get the files.”

Stares of confusion turned to disbelief, and it was Wanda who finally broke the stunned silence.

“That bullet has torn through your chest, Y/N, you need assistance right now.”

You coughed again, struggling to sit up, but Peter held you firmly down in his arms, moving to speak before you cut him off.

“I can stem the bleeding with what’s left of my energy. That’ll keep me going while you guys do what we came here for.”

You met Sam’s gaze, your eyes burning with fierce resolve, and he nodded slowly.

“Alright then, Parker, you get her outside and into the Quinjet ready to go. We’ll be as fast as possible. Y/N, you hang tough until we get back, you hear?”

You nodded in response, offering him a small smile as he and Wanda took off running down the corridor.

Peter followed by scooping you up in his arms bridal style, murmuring reassurances to you as he briskly navigated your way back through the debris and out of the warehouse. You let your head fall against his chest, focusing your energy on the part of your chest the bullet had gone through.

By the time you were both safely aboard the Quinjet, you had successfully stopped the bleeding and made a haphazard attempt at patching the skin up, but given the complete lack of energy you now possessed, it was far from your finest work.

Peter gently lowered himself to the floor, keeping you securely in his arms and bringing you to settle in his lap. When he finally spoke, his voice held an unmistakable waiver of emotion, and you glanced up to see the worry mixed with pride etched on his face as he spoke.

“That, what you did back there, Y/N… That was the bravest thing I’ve ever seen.”

He smiled gently down at you, reaching up to your face to move a stray strand of hair from your eye, you smiled in response.

“Honestly, I just thought to myself: what would Peter do? The confidence came naturally after that.”

You grinned up at him, wincing as a giggle bubbled up in your throat.

Peter began to chuckle in turn, shaking his head with a dazed smile.

“First official day as an Avenger, and you take a bullet to the chest. That’s pretty badass, you know.”

You smirked, the pain from your wound subsiding as you lost yourself in oak-brown of his eyes.

“Badass enough to take you on, I think. What do you say, sparring session when we get back?”

“Oh, it’s a date, Y/N!”

You both burst into a fit of laughter, half delirious with exhaustion, half relieved at having survived the day.

Despite your fear, despite your doubts, despite getting shot on your first day on the job, you became absolutely clear of one thing in the safety of Peter’s grasp.

With him by your side, you had the strength to be an Avenger.

[illfoandillfie]

Hello!!

Just wondering if I could get a romance/ love reading? My initials are RCU and his are MS, thank you!! ❤️❤️

sure thing darling!

tarot: king of wands/the magician, 6 of pentacles, 8 of pentacles, 4 of pentacles, 7 of pentacles, 2 of cups, queen of pentacles, 8 of swords/justice

A couple of things worth noting before we get into the meanings of the cards. Firstly there are only 2 court cards which may indicate that one of them represents you and one represents MS. The king of wands is related to the fire signs so if one of you is an aries, leo or sagittarius it could be a connection there and the queen of pentacles is linked to the earth signs - taurus, virgo and capricorn. If that doesn’t fit though it may be more with the temprements of each card and we’ll get into those in depth in a minute. 

The other thing worth noting is how many pentacles cards are here. Usually you look for cups cards in romance/love readings since they’re more tied to emotion but thats not to say lots of pentacles is bad. Pentacles are related to earth so they’re very grounded. Often pentacles are associated with nature, and things in the material realm which could indicate that this relationship isn’t held together by just emotions but something more tangible too. Due to the material connection of pentacles they’re also strongly linked to work situations and finances so if you know MS through work or school that could also be a reason a lot of pentacles are appearing. 

Anyway, onto the cards themselves. 

Firstly that King. In this deck some of the minor arcana cards double as major arcana as well and the king of wands is one of them. He doubles up as The Magician, so i will take both meanings into account but they’ve got similar energies anyway. Both the king of wands and the magician are related to control. The king is linked to fire which is wild and hard to control but he’s more than capable. He’s a natural leader and symbolises overcoming challenges. Fire can represent passion and love and creation but it can also represent destruction and this king definitely has that duality within him. He’s passionate and action focused and often an artistic or creative thinker but he’s also capable of holding a grudge and being narcissistic or aggressive. Similarly, The Magician is an action card too. He controls the elements to create his magic and harnesses the energy to make things happen. The Magician is a good sign for romantic connections too. It shows a desire there, not just physical desire but also a drive to be a good partner. If this card represents you, it’s likely about trying to manifest this relationship and to make it a strong one. If however, the king of wands seems to better fit MS it may be a sign that there is an interest on his end too. 

The Seven of Pentacles is clarifying the king card and it represents hard work, perseverance and diligence. To me this says the king card is representing you but it could still go either way. Basically these cards together are saying that you can draw this relationship to you and you can create a connection but it will take time and effort. Manifestation is half thinking about what you want and visualising it and all of them mental work but it’s also half about taking steps to build it in the 3D physical world. Wanting it is half the battle and the seven of pentacles is a reminder to take actions where you can to make it a reality. 

Then we have the 6 of pentacles which is about charity, generosity and sharing clarified by the 2 of cups which is about unity, partnership and connection. To me, this says that once the relationship is manifested it’ll prove to be one full of kindness and care. You’ll find in each other supportive partners who will encourage and help one another. Also, it has to be said, he’s likely a generous lover, if that’s your jam lmao. It’s definitely a positive sign for the relationship though. 

Next is the 8 of pentacles and queen of pentacles. The 8 is usually a card that appears in relation to people who have started a new job or apprenticeship of some sort since it’s related to ambition, passion and high standards. But these still aply to a relationship, particularly something only just starting out. It shows that at least one of you (but likely both considering that 2 of cups from before) will be driven to keep working on making the relationship good. Loving someone is as much of a skill as anything else and relationships take work to stay strong and this card shows that even through conflict or uncertainty you’ll be working at the relationship and learning from your mistakes rather than giving up. 

The Queen of Pentacles enjoys her creature comforts but is also practical in how she managers her household. She’s warm hearted but also ambitious and hard working. She’ll do what it takes to keep those she loves safe and happy. Sometimes she gets refered to as the “wife card” so it makes sense for her to appear under the 8 of pentacles. She does what she can with what she has and she tries to make the best of every situation. While the relationship may be new, whichever one of you is represent by the queen (or perhaps both of you) will have the drive of the 8 of pentacles as well as the hopeful mindset of the queen. 

And finally, the 4 of pentacles and 8 of swords/justice. I think that, while the other sets of cards were about creating the relationship and it’s beginning, these cards are a bit of a warning. The 4 of pentacles is about security and protecting what is yours but often it can be a sign of hoarding or becoming too selfish. In regards to a relationship it may be a sign of becoming too clingy or demanding. And the 8 of swords is related to feeling trapped by your own anxieties and fears. It’s a card of self-victimisation. In this deck it doubles as the Justice card which is about clarity and truth. I think these cards are warning you not to let the desire to create a strong relationship drag you into a spiral of worry that then influences the relationship, if that makes sense. It’s saying not to let worries about not being good enough or anxieties about how the relationship should be developing effect your behaviour too much. You run the risk of becoming overbearing or manipulative if you listen to the negative thoughts. The Justice card is a reminder that balance is essential - a balance between time together and time apart, a balance between working on the relationship and keeping up with hobbies. Don’t let yourself fall too deep into caring about the relationship so that you loose yourself in it. Be truthful to yourself and encourage your partner to do the same.  

Okay so for your oracles i pulled 4 romance angel cards and 3 of the lovers oracles. And you got:

Worth Waiting For - Divine timing is at work in your love life / Separation - Time apart from your partner is on the horizon / Calling In Your Soul Mate - Your prayers, affirmations, and visualisations help bring you together / Very Soon - Clearly decide what you want so that it comes to you now 

I think all of these resonate with the tarot messages we got. Worth waiting for says to me that the relationship won’t materialise immediately and I think that what the magician and 7 of pentacles was talking about. It will take some time and effort but it will be worth it in the long run. Separation is an interesting one. Obviously the card’s description indicates you may be separated from one another sometime in the near future (or you already have been recently) but my first thought when i saw it was related to that justice card and the reminder that time apart can be healthy for a relationship. Calling in your soul mate ties into that 2 of cups card, regardless of how you interpret the concept of soul mates. if you arent into the whole “one true love” thing it could just symbolise a deep connection. And very soon indicates that the ball will start rolling soon. Keep looking for opportunities to get closer as well as mentally focusing on what you want to happen and you’ll soon find that things will move forward. 

Your 3 heart cards say:

My Beloved - Though we may be physically apart, spiritually we are always united, for love transcends space and time. Nothing is missing. / Passion - a magnetic and seductive quality surrounds you at present. Enjoy it! / Healing - imagine yourself and your beloved surrounded by light. Feel your relationship being healed this very moment. 

we have another reference to being apart/separated here in that first card. This could be referring to physically separated by distance or just not being together as a couple yet. But again, there are also signs that this connection has the potential to be deep and heartfelt. Passion ties in with the king of wands card. The suit of wands is linked to that fiery passionate energy so it makes sense for you to get cards about it, but also passion is felt in that 8 of pentacles as well, so it’s passion beyond a physical attraction or sexual chemistry. 

[ecto-american]

I think Ember’s entire self would have fit really well as being a deceased Kpop idol. Not just in terms of who she is as a character and it giving her more depth and personality that already matches her canon, but also give great social commentary on how toxic the music industry, especially Korea's, can be.

More detail explaining this under the cut.

Firstly a disclaimer: I was an absolute Kpop weeb in my high school years. I knew all the bands and dances and stuff, and thus I was somewhat exposed to the culture of Kpop. Since then, I kind of have gone back and done some researched and watched documentaries and the like (because I am a big sociology nerd), but I'm not that deeply invested in Kpop anymore. But this is a thought I've had for a long time, ever since I first began to hear some of the problems surrounding Kpop idols and such.

I also want to point out that I am not saying that Ember within canon is a deceased Kpop star. She clearly isn't, and I'm not trying to make a case as to why she is given canon evidence. I'm writing this because I really like this interpretation a lot better than what canon gave us. In my own personal headcanons and worldbuilding and rewrite fanfiction, Ember is a deceased Kpop star.

We got that squared away? Coolio. Let's start.

Now that “preface” or whatever is out of the way, I really want to begin this by giving some background on Korean pop, specifically the industry and the culture surrounding it, for those who don't know. This is going to give some much needed and important context behind what I'm about to say about Ember. I will also be providing as many sources as I can to this section, but a lot of this is really easy to find on google as well.

In Korea, to be a pop star: you basically have to be perfect. In your dance, music, appearance, your entire image is now basically the property of your manager. Plastic surgery is a massive deal in South Korea, and it's partly due to this.

When you get your contact, you basically have to go through a bootcamp, which involves: Limited contact with family and friends, dropping any romantic relationships or behaviors that would be deemed unwholesome (many companies even go as far as forbidding relationships so that fans can better “see” themselves as being with the idol, which increases sales), brutal training schedules and everything you do is so heavily monitored by your bosses. This has lead to many Kpop idols (especially women) to be dangerously underweight or to have eating disorders, 15 hour training days day after day, being fired for being in a relationship outside of their company's approval/against contract. It's caused literal deaths and mental breakdowns.

Of course, America has the eating disorder problem too, and long work days. But please take in mind: management in Korea actively pushes for these eating disorders and are almost applauded publicly for keeping their stars thin, while in America, it becomes an absolute scandal. And yes, America has long work days too, but in comparison to Korea, American musicians basically only release a single or two in a year, and an album about every three years or so. On average. Kpop groups are pressured to release one or two albums every year on top of regular singles. If you youtube Korean pop shows, there's so many examples of stars collapsing on stage due to exhaustion and hunger. And most of the time, they're forced to get back up and continue, compared to America where they're normally “hey show over”. There are some Americans who will go through with it, but it's normally stars who are determined to finish in spite. It's not a push by your boss to finish or be fired and blacklisted from the industry.

Kpop idols are often broke as fuck, so there’s not even that as compensations. Many literally don't get most of the proceeds from their music. Their contracts are often compared to being slave contracts by stars. One Kpop star even said that she and her group had to split one meal whenever they were on tour because they were in such poverty. Oh, a rising group, right? NO. It was one of the biggest fucking Kpop girl groups of the time, Stellar! But even if they were a brand spanking new group, what the fuck.

And why don't they leave? Because they wanna be famous and make music. It’s just that unfortunately, it’s a very saturated industry because the agencies literally just crank out so many idol groups every single year, thus leading to absolutely brutal competition. People are regularly rotated out and replaced within groups. Idol groups are regularly formed or disbanded There's lots of weekly programs and music competitions to see who's the best of the best. You're constantly ranked. You're constantly fighting for the top spot. Lots of Kpop idols have to really fight to get their name remembered or known. The best of the best get reknown internationally.

Okay I'm done with the background now, lol. But you get the jist! The Kpop industry is fucking brutal and needs a good social change. Though now that I've laid out a lot of this, you can kind of get the sense as to where I'm going with this.

Based on every appearance Ember has in the show, we can deduce two things: She hates adults and wants to be remembered.

What are two major problems within Kpop industries? Adults controlling these really young adults (normally freshly 18) trying to break into the industry that's hard to make a truly lasting impression on, that's trying to be remembered.

Ember, if we take her canonical song and the background information provided by interviews, is meant to have died in a fire after being stood up. But I think that she would much better fit as a character who died from the intense social, physical and mental pressures of being a Kpop star. Perhaps a Kpop star that was left forgotten in the crowd of idols, whether it's dying in an accident or suicide.

It’s just me, but I really personally don’t like the canon that she died in a fire because of a boy. It’s just really weak imo, and idk. I don’t like backstories based around a romantic interest like that, especially when it’s so bland. Ember is a fucking dead musician and rock star within canon, and that’s the best you can come up with? She died in a damn fire after a boy stood her up? No mentions that she was into music or something?

Of course, she likely wasn’t famous she died. She likely rose to fame post her death, but that’s still just really? Kind of a headscratcher in a sense? Ember deserves more. The given backstory of her death is literally so? Random imo? Given who she is in death? Unless her entire thing is about how she changed so much in death for a guy, which is kinda Hmm for me. But that’s most of canon lmao.

I feel like this Kpop idol angle would have been a much stronger backstory potential for her. It could paint her as this really hardworking idol, this incredibly talented musician and vocalist who just couldn't make the cut. Maybe she got fired for loving another idol. Perhaps she just wasn't up to the brutal industry standards of being a Kpop idol. It’s a backstory that clearly incorporates her musical talents within her life, and kind of gives her death more of an impact, that gives her more character depth. Whether she’s a perfectionist because of this or has such strong self esteem issues due to the pressures she experienced in life. All of this motivating her to work solely towards her goal, or making her realize that she just really wants to have a more relaxed life and do things like date freely and enjoy the peace and privacy she now likely can have.

Ember's powers would fit really well with this Kpop backstory too She can hypnotize people. Besides Kpop kind of literally hypnotizing a lot of people, it could be shown as a legitimate skill of hers, or something she gained in death as she hoped that she could truly charm an audience into remembering her. She wants to be remembered within canon. No matter the cost or sacrifice. The same kind of sacrifice and price many Kpop idols are forced to make and pay.

It gives her stronger motivations other than just being famous for the sake of being famous or to possibly get that one boy’s attention (? It really depends on your personal take). She wants to be famous to prove herself to a company that worked her to literal death or that basically rejected her, or as a personal dream finally achieved. She now has the power to destroy the adults that likely exploited her as slave labor that maybe made her die in poverty or after being another abuse victim.

To me, it’d help pack a better emotional punch and reasoning as to why she does what she does. Fame has much more meaning to her, it’s personal, losing it again would devastate her. At the end of Fanning the Flames, can you imagine how hysterical she might be if the entire sequence was an unintentional repeat of the events that lead her to her death? Why she’s so specifically disgruntled against adults other than the typical “teenage rebellion” to the point of turning them into slaves in Pirate Radio (which is? fucking wack considering how much better it’d be to use something else). Turning them into slaves just like they would have done to her for years, especially since it’s on exercise equipment. It’d bring personal satisfaction to possibly watch them run or bike or work out until they literally collapse like she might have done before. Then forced back on and continue. Hell, you can even explain as to why she kept her relationship with Skulker an apparent secret: she’s used to have to hiding a boyfriend or risk losing everything.

I would have loved to see her being used as a good social commentary on that industry specifically, but also as a hot take for the abuse that just happens in general too much within the music (and many other fame based industries).

If we're going by canon show airing date, Ember would have popped up right around the time Kpop was really making it's mark on American culture. America got really into Kpop in the mid-2000s and, as you can tell by BTS's popularity, is still going really strong. There's even an entire Wikipedia page about it, the Korean Wave. Whether you want to “modernize” DP or keep it in it's canon air date roots, this would still be a relevant possibility no matter where you personally like DP to fall on the IRL timeline.

While many Kpop stars are in groups, given her possible circumstances, she likely broke off to be a solo artist. If you've ever seen Kpop idol fashion, they're also very colorful! Very fashionable and interesting, and it'd be really cool to see more of that kind of fashion for her. The dances are very good too, well choreographed, and it'd just lead to really interesting possibilities as to how she looks and behaves on her stage.

I dunno man, I just feel like this is a really cool take. My personal take tbh, and I just think more people should think about deceased Kpop idol Ember.

[glitterslag]

Warren Worthington NSFW Alphabet

ermm i’m guessing this probably isn’t what you were asking for, but when i get none specific requests i just do what i want lol, sorry!!!! I’ve been wanting to do one of these for someone for a while so i just went off hehe mwah x 

Word Count: 2.5 k oops

Warnings: I mean... it’s literally the nsfw alphabet so don’t open it if you don’t want to read about sex 

A = aftercare (what they’re like after sex) -

He’s kind of a beginner at this kind of thing. He hasn’t had a girlfriend since high school, and after that it was kind of just a chain of hookups, so for the first few times with him you’d both just kind of lie there awkwardly, or get up straight away and go back to whatever you were doing. One night, he tentatively extends his arm out across the pillow and you sort of shuffle into his side, and little by little you shuffle closer to one another until you end up pressed together in a tight cuddle. 

This goes on for a while until he’s comfortable enough to just go full on sap. After that, he’ll grab you up immediately and nuzzle into you, and you’ll cuddle and kiss the entire night after that. 

B = body part (favourite body part of theirs and also their partners) -

He knows he has a nice body and that girls are attracted to him, but he doesn’t really think himself anything special. There are parts of him that he’s insecure about, especially his scars. The longer he’s with you, though, he slowly learns to like himself. 

On you, he loves your hips, bum and thighs. The softer and jigglier the better! He loves grabbing at them when you’re on top, or when you’re lying curled into his side in bed and he’s got an arm around your back. 

C = cum (anything to do with cum, basically) - 

In your mouth or on your boobs is a firm favourite. 

D = dirty little secret (pretty self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs) -

Daddy kink, all the way. He loves all that stuff. He’s dominant by nature, and this is his ultimate turn on. In fact, it’s so obvious you probably couldn’t even call it a secret. It practically radiates off him. If you wanna know his real deep dark secret, it’s that every once in a while, he likes to play the sub. But he’ll go to the grave before admitting it to anyone else. 

E = experience (how experienced are they? Do they know what they’re doing?) -

He’s experienced in that his body count is relatively high, but not by way of sex in the context of a relationship. Like i said, he had a girlfriend in high school for a year or two, and then after that he’s had a pretty lonely life. In between then and meeting you, he’s only really had one night stands with girls from bars and parties. So regular sex with healthy communication is something he has to get used to (and he quickly learns he prefers it so much better to the whole one night stand thing). 

It’s not that he’s bad in bed at first, but he’s definitely used to prioritising his own pleasure, and he seems more concerned with racing to the finish line rather than enjoying the experience as a whole. It takes him a while to learn how to be present in the moment, and to communicate.

At first, he’s maybe not the best at handling criticism. No girl has ever complained (probably because he’s had a lot of drunken one night stands) and so he’s come to think of himself as being rather good. Because you’re the first girl who’s ever told him otherwise, he’s a little indignant for a while, but then he steps up. 

He also does a few things you can tell he’s learnt from porn, and he sort of expects you to be performative like girls he’s seen on there. He gets a little disappointed when you don’t act like girls in porn, because he thinks that maybe you aren’t enjoying it. Once you make him see that real sex with real people looks completely different, that it can be messy and fun and light hearted and not everyone’s squirting every ten seconds and switching positions 50 times he has, like, SO much more fun. His time with you has been the best sex of his life, no contest. He comes to feel like he knew nothing about it before you. 

F = favourite position (this goes without saying) - 

He’d say doggy, or missionary with both your legs as high up as he can get them. 

G = goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous?) -

No, hardly ever. He can be a bit of a stern, serious person. 

H = Hair (how well groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.) -

 I mean, his hair is so blonde and fine that he can just completely leave his pubes and it’s not super noticeable. But he quite often shaves everything off because he likes the clean look. 

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect) -

i don’t know if I’d say intimacy as much as I’d say intensity. When he cares about the person he’s with, he becomes very intense. He’ll force you to maintain eye contact with him the entire time, pressing your foreheads together in missionary, holding you by your chin and bringing you down close when you’re on top, or making you turn your head over your shoulder to look at him in doggy. He looks deep into your eyes the whole time, while thrusting slow, deep and hard. He’ll also pull you back by the hair or throat in doggy so he can murmur in your ear, and just feel close to you in general. It’s exhilarating, and a little frightening, but it’s definitely romantic in a dark sort of way. 

As for actually intimacy - that comes in the moments outside of the bedroom.  Like when you groom his wings with a comb, or sit behind behind him in the bathtub to wash them. Or when he asks you to clean and dress his injuries. Or cut his hair. 

For him, that’s what being truly intimate means. Letting someone in. 

J= jack off (masturbation headcanon) -

Yeah he does it a lot, usually if you’re not around. I’m not gonna dress it up - Warren likes porn. 

K = kink (one or more of their kinks) -

We all know Warren has a wing kink. He views them as quite a personal part of his body, and you’re respectful of that. The first time he lets you touch them he’s hard straight away, instantly moaning and shivering from the feeling. It’s as if you’ve reached out and touched his very soul. The first time you groom and clean them he uncontrollably cums all over his stomach even though you haven’t even touched him. He doesn’t allow you to do it often, because it makes him feel really exposed, but when he does it’s usually during the rare times he’s feeling a little needy and submissive.

He’s also got daddy kink as we know, as well as being pretty into BDSM. He likes to spank, choke and restrain you. He likes to leave his mark on you - he’s possessive in that respect. He’ll make sure you’re never without a very prominent hickey, and he likes leaving red welts on your bum and thighs from spanking. He is 100% an ass man, and isn’t afraid of a little butt stuff (with you).   

L = location (favourite places to do the do) -

You guys are literally always using toys, so he just likes to stay in his room where he’s got everything he might need. Apart from that the bath is great, especially if you’ve just finished washing his wings. The shower, the sofa, the kitchen counter, the living room floor - pretty much anywhere in the house really. Not outside, though - he’s not an exhibitionist. And he doesn’t want to risk getting caught. He doesn’t like the thought of anyone else seeing, or even thinking about you in a sexual situation - you’re his.

M = motivation  (what turns them on, gets them going) - 

Run your fingers through his feathers and he’s instantly hard. Suck his fingers, act innocent, call him daddy. Seeing you in short pjama shorts or lingerie is a big yes. He also loves when you cling to him and act needy. Gives him a heart boner lol. 

N = NO (something they wouldn’t do, turn offs) 

You are absolutely, categorically not allowed to go anywhere near his butthole. Just no.

O = oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.) -

He absolutely loves to receive, which is a good job, because you love to give. Getting to cum in your mouth is quite possibly his favourite sensation on the planet. Will happily go down on you for hours too, though. 

P = pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.) -

Warren loves to be slow, hard and deep. When you ask him to be rough, though, he tends to go a bit quicker. 

Q = quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.) -

To be honest, nah. He’d rather have proper sex and less often than quickies and more often. He’s not a morning person, either, so a morning quickie is a little bit out of the question. He likes to set aside a good two hours of an evening so he knows he’s got time to see to you properly. 

R = risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.) -

He’s always suggesting new things that he wants to do to you (come on, lets just try it once, you’ll like it!) but when it comes to him, he’s not super open to new things. He doesn’t like to feel out of control. 

He’d never pressure you to do anything you didn’t want to do, but you do have to remind him of the double standard of asking people to go out of their comfort zone when they won’t do it themselves. He pipes down a little after that.

As far as risks go, he’s actually surprisingly boring and sensible. Definitely does his research on reddit before trying anything new (lmao) and he would never do anything that had even the slightest risk of getting either of you hurt. You’re always begging him to do something in a public place - quickie in the club bathroom, fingering you under the table at a restaurant etc, and his answer is always a stern no. And you definitely get punished for being a beg once you get home though. 

You sometimes ask to go without a condom (”please War, it’s a safe time of the month!”) but he is absolutely not risking it. He doesn’t want any babies any time soon. 

S = stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?) -

He can go a few rounds. If he needs a break in between, he’ll just play with you until he’s ready to get back to it. I’ve also got this gut feeling he can last for time.

T = toy (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or on themselves?) -

He once got one of those little plastic cock rings you can get from petrol station toilet just for a laugh (this might just be a UK thing so roll with it). He kinda liked it, but it just ended up buried in the bottom of his drawer, never used again. 

You once bought a pair of fluffy handcuffs and he very reluctantly let you cuff him to the bed while you sucked him off, and even though he secretly kinda liked it, they made him feel silly, and he didn’t like not being able to touch you. He was adamant that he was never doing it again. (And then one time, when you two came back from a drunk night out, he confessed that he did want you to use them again). 

For you, on the other hand, he loves them. He loves treating you to cute little toys. He’s bought you a hitachi magic wand, one of those butt plugs with the little pompom on the end, and a super cute wooden spanker paddle thing with the cut out hearts. He goes by the theory that if they’re super cute and girly then it’s less intimidating, because he wouldn’t want you to feel nervous. 

Once you get to the point in the relationship where you’re truly comfortable, you two absolutely love playing with toys. In fact, he probably likes using them on you more than actually fucking you. 

U = unfair (how much they like to tease) -

If you teased him, he’d quickly get impatient. And lets be fair, there’s no way you could restrain him - he’s too powerful and would just break out of your hold and have his way with you. He gets a kick out of teasing you, though. And edging you while he praises you. He loves the sounds you make, and watching you squirm. He’s not mean, though, and will definitely reward you for your patience, twofold. 

V = volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.) -

He’s not that loud. He’ll just kind of make grunting sounds under his breath, and then when he comes he’ll groan. He does like dirty talk and praising you, and he’s usually murmuring things to you under his breath the entire time, so it’s never silent. 

W - wild card (a random headcanon for the character) -

Ok. When he plays video games (which he does a LOT) he’ll ignore you on purpose so that you’ll whine for his attention and cling all over him. He loves when you do that. Eventually he’ll give in or get too horny, then, you’ll cock-warm him like this

or this

 while you both play. 

He’ll inevitably lose concentration after about 2 minutes max and absolutely rail you. You have no idea that he does this on purpose just to get what he wants.

X = x-ray (let’s see what’s going on in those pants) -

Its average length, and thick. He’s got a slight bend in it as well which does wonders, if you know what I mean.

Y = yearning (how high is their sex drive?) -

When he’s on the drink or going through a period of bad mental health, or even just a bad mood, then no. He’s not got a high sex drive. He tends to close off from you when he’s sad or angry, so you won’t get much physical contact. He’s a bit terrified of going near you when he’s angry, afraid of getting too carried away and passionate with the sex and accidentally hurting you. 

But apart from that then yeah, he’s happy to do it every day if that’s what you want. 

Z = zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterwards) -

Warren goes through periods of barely sleeping, especially when he’s anxious (which is often). Now that he’s trying to cut down on alcohol he tends to self medicate with black coffee, and drinks it around the clock. So there are a lot of nights where he’s lying awake long after you’ve fallen asleep in his arms. 

[thelovers-thedreamers-and-me]

Get to know me uncomfortably well: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100

jesus christ

put under a cut because i want to make absolutely sure nobody reads this massive amount of information and also did you ask for EVERY NUMBER EXCEPT 69

1. What is you middle name?

marie

2. How old are you?

28

3. When is your birthday?

november 9 and i bet you didn’t even get me a present, you absolute monster

4. What is your zodiac sign?

scorpio

5. What is your favorite color?

i like jewel tones in general, my fave right now is dark green

6. What’s your lucky number?

i don’t really have one, tbh

7. Do you have any pets?

i do not, unfortunately. i hope to at some point soonish but a lot of that is gonna depend on how my situation shakes out

8. Where are you from?

st. john’s, newfoundland

9. How tall are you?

5′4″

10. What shoe size are you?

9

11. How many pairs of shoes do you own?

i’m not getting up but like 7? i need to get a new pair for working in and i will be getting rid of the ones i don’t wear so that number is in flux

already answered 12

13. What talents do you have?

none, really. but i’m alright at knitting and generally, like, figuring out how physical objects work and go together. my friends also tens to enjoy the games i run so that’s nice.

14. Are you psychic in any way?

bitch read my mind and find out

15. Favorite song?

i cannot express how impossible it is for me to pick ONE FUCKING SONG that’s my favorite. here’s 5 i always go back to, though!

my tyrant- felix hagan and the family

northbound- grace petrie

staring at the sun- mika

too much- carly rae jepsen

vampire money- my chemical romance

already answered 16

17. Who would be your ideal partner?

well there’s the mushy option in which i name names, but i resolutely refuse to do that since i’ve been informed nobody cares about how queer i am. but generally, i tend towards people i can feel comfortable around. despite me being a huge slut for interacting with people, there’s very few that project the kind of atmosphere that lets me really just chill and start thinking about trusting them.

18. Do you want children?

jesus no don’t put me in charge of a child

19. Do you want a church wedding?

jesus no, even the wedding part of that sounds less than ideal

20. Are you religious?

lmao nah

21. Have you ever been to the hospital?

yeah, a few times

22. Have you ever got in trouble with the law?

well i have a background check going through right now that’ll answer that for me but i think i have not ever been caught for my many crimes

23. Have you ever met any celebrities?

a few- i met russell crowe on a set once, and there’s a good few smaller time canadians i’ve met just, like, around

24. Baths or showers?

i usually go for showers because i am living in a place with an insufficient bathtub setup, but i have been known to enjoy a nice bath now and again

25. What color socks are you wearing?

bold of you to assume i put on socks when i’m not going out

26. Have you ever been famous?

bitch i’m famous now everyone else just doesn’t know it yet

27. Would you like to be a big celebrity?

probably not, i like the act of grocery shopping and going to shitty bars and disappearing, and i couldn’t do that if i was a proper celebrity

28. What type of music do you like?

loud and i can imagine myself being in a cool music video when i walk places listening to it

29. Have you ever been skinny dipping?

well yeah obv

already answered 30

31. What position do you usually sleep in?

usually on my side curled up around something, either a person if i’m lucky or a pillow

32. How big is your house?

the apartment is not big enough atm

33. What do you typically have for breakfast?

i don’t usually eat breakfast at all tbh

34. Have you ever fired a gun?

no but i have held one once

35. Have you ever tried archery?

once in high school gym class. i did...... bad

36. Favorite clean word?

i like words that describe the way dragonfly wings look. diaphenous and iridescent and things.

37. Favorite swear word?

i’ve always been a fan of a good solid fuck, and you can quote me on that

38. What’s the longest you’ve ever gone without sleep?

two days, i think?

39. Do you have any scars?

yep

40. Have you ever had a secret admirer?

yeah but they were prolly goofing

41. Are you a good liar?

not under most circumstances

42. Are you a good judge of character?

no, but not in the usual way. i tend to assume people have a lot more hidden motives than they do. like, obviously you don’t want to be FRIENDS with me, you just are PRETENDING for SOME REASON

43. Can you do any other accents other than your own?

yeah, as a matter of fact, i can do them ALL AT ONCE

44. Do you have a strong accent?

most of the time no, but when i’m talking to people with a strong accent from back home mine slips back

already answered 45

46. What is your personality type?

while i rarely get consistent answers, i just took the myers-briggs again and got enfp so there’s something

47. What is your most expensive piece of clothing?

i don’t own much that’s super expensive tbh, i’m broke as shit. my boots cost like 60 bucks and i stressed about that for ages

48. Can you curl your tongue?

yeah, i can do a lot with it

49. Are you an innie or an outie?

innie

50. Left or right handed?

right

51. Are you scared of spiders?

nah

52. Favorite food?

there’s so much food i love! i do have dumplings i am excited to eat tho

53. Favorite foreign food?

again, there’s so much! i am really craving a good currry today i guess?

54. Are you a clean or messy person?

a bit messy, especially with stuff that isn’t, like, a hygenic risk. if things are just out of place i don’t tend to register that as the same level of unclean as, like, food messes

55. Most used phrased?56. Most used word?

these two are ones my friends could probably answer more reliably than me. i do say i’m not a doctor tho

57. How long does it take for you to get ready?

not long, unless i’ve decided it’s a makeup day and i want to do something dumb and fancy

58. Do you have much of an ego?

i talk a big game, but not really, i’m pretty down on myself a lot

59. Do you suck or bite lollipops?

succ

60. Do you talk to yourself?

mmhmm- specifically, rehearsing conversations that will never happen

61. Do you sing to yourself?

sometimes, when i’m in a good mood

62. Are you a good singer?

absolutely not

63. Biggest Fear?

there’s a few, but i’d say the biggest one i’ve had the longest is a loss of identity of some sort. like, just not recognizing the people around me, that sort of thing. it’s gotten a bit intense recently due to events but yeah

64. Are you a gossip?

not really- like, i will gladly listen to your drama but i only really talk about it to other people if it actually affects me

65. Best dramatic movie you’ve seen?

oof jesus, i tend to watch more shitty horror movies than anything else bc i’m hot trash

66. Do you like long or short hair?

both are fine on other people, but short hair is way better for me

67. Can you name all 50 states of America?

just did a quiz and only got 40. i didn’t even remember all the ones i had been to so that’s cool. you guys have too many states anyway

68. Favorite school subject?

i was your standard weird queer kid who imprinted on my english teachers

70. Have you ever been scuba diving?

nah

71. What makes you nervous?

so many things tbh

72. Are you scared of the dark?

nope

73. Do you correct people when they make mistakes?

depends on the person and the mistake, really.

74. Are you ticklish?

fuck off

75. Have you ever started a rumor?

i don’t think so?

76. Have you ever been in a position of authority?

i’m a dungeon master, does that counts

77. Have you ever drank underage?

yeop

78. Have you ever done drugs?

yeop

79. Who was your first real crush?

my best friend in elementary school. i wanted her and i to get married to brothers so that we could live next door to each other and have sleepovers every night because i really liked sleeping next to her and doing her hair

hoo boy baby bobbie (i even knew lesbians as a kid! i grew up in such an accepting family! i have no excuse for being so repressed)

80. How many piercings do you have?

just one ear

81. Can you roll your Rs?“

not competently

82. How fast can you type?

pretty fast- i did take a test recently that came back at 68 wpm so my goal is now to get one word faster

83. How fast can you run?

fuck running

84. What color is your hair?

black with green bits, i post a lot of selfies, you know that

85. What color is your eyes?

grayish blue

86. What are you allergic to?

nothing that i know of. undefeated

87. Do you keep a journal?

i post on tumblr a lot

88. What do your parents do?

my mom works in communications- she used to work in politics but now she works for a non-profit because the staff of the party she worked for was, in her words, a “sack of vipers”

my dad was a journalist and a photographer. he was the editor for the paper back home for a long time, and then after that he did a lot of advocacy work for MS. he ran for office a few times. you know, like you do.

89. Do you like your age?

it’s alright. like, i got troubles but i accept that none of that is because i’m 28 and mostly just because i got myself into a dumb situation

90. What makes you angry?

mostly when people don’t seem to care about how their actions affect others. like, i can almost accept malice easier than a profit motive

91. Do you like your own name?

it’s not bad, and i haven’t really hit on any that i like more than bobbie

92. Have you already thought of baby names, and if so what are they?

lmao nope

93. Do you want a boy a girl for a child?

i want the child to be born to someone who is not me

94. What are you strengths?

not very many tbh i kinda suck as a human person. i am pretty good at compartmentalizing and staying kinda functional when shit goes down

95. What are your weaknesses?

all of them. specifically, i’m hard to motivate and i got depression

96. How did you get your name?

i was named after my grandmother

97. Were your ancestors royalty?

i know at least one was a criminal. i do have a kickass family crest and tartan tho

98. Do you have any scars?

they haven’t faded since i answered question 39

99. Color of your bedspread?

there’s a gray one and i have a blue weighted blanket i use sometimes

100. Color of your room?

the whole apartment is beige

[curiosity-killed]

just tonight

I’m like 86% sure I’ve posted this before but I can’t find it so?? here’s an updated version anywho since GWRH doesn’t go this far on the timeline and TCP is in an entirely different country at this point lmao

Word Count: 1194

———

Aquios is a diligent host. Her servants are instructed to treat Jisel as part of the noble family, and they do so with an alacrity that genuinely surprises her. None of them seem to show any reservation at serving a Capallan, even with the accusations hurled daily from the new imperator, and she is unutterably grateful for it. As small a thing as it is, as basic and commonplace as it should be, it is such a change from Ancelm recently. When they bump into each other in the manor, Kieran is polite and amiable. They smile, and every time, Jisel’s tired heart gives a tentative flutter. She wants, she wants – she wants too much. She can’t have it all, and right now, she can barely have the minimum. After the first week, Jisel avoids Kieran as much as possible. It’s not that hard, especially when Kieran seems to catch on; soon enough, the younger Aquios sibling is rarely to be found in the manor. Jisel feels a little guilty for it, but she can’t help the relief that overwhelms her. “You two should talk,” Sirion advises one afternoon. Finally free of the infirmary’s confines, he’s visiting for the day. She’s pretty sure it’s just an excuse to get out of the city, away from the weight of the city’s sorrow and confusion. He wears exhaustion like a cloak, bruised circles under his eyes. Jisel shoots him a look out of the side of her eye. She speaks before she thinks. “You’re one to talk,” she retorts.

He blanches immediately and looks away. A muscle in his jaw tightens, then twitches from the force. Jisel bites her lip. She wants to reach out and comfort him, but she knows there aren’t words for it. They’re both hurting, but she’s the one who dug a finger into the wound.

“I don’t want you to make the same mistake,” Sirion finally signs. Jisel pauses, trying to order her thoughts in a communicable manner. “Kieran and I aren’t like you and Caleb,” she starts. “I’m running on borrowed time as is. I’ve got too much I have to do before I run out, and Kieran has their own life to live. It wouldn’t be fair to drag them into this.” Sirion purses his lips but doesn’t argue any further. Jisel can’t quite tell if she’s relieved or disappointed. She means what she said, of course. She wouldn’t lie about this – and yet, part of her wishes Sirion would have pushed harder, wouldn’t have let it go so easily. The truth is, she’s not sure that she’s made the right choice. She made it because she felt to do elsewise would be unfair to Kieran, but she can’t help wondering how much of it was really because of that. Wasn’t there a part of her that had wanted Kieran to fight back, to hold more tightly rather than giving way? She shakes her head, trying to refocus on the paper before her. It’s hours since she and Sirion’s conversation and there’s little point wasting energy thinking on it now. Whatever she’d really wanted from that conversation or from Kieran doesn’t really matter now. Both are done and there’s no way to go back and change them. Regret is an indulgence she can’t afford. This letter, though, matters right now. Its information is vital to her efforts. Without a solid understanding of Valyn’s conspiracies, she cannot undermine his coup, cannot prevent the reckless carnage his rule will bring. She bends her focus back towards it and finds it just as springy as before. “Oh snakes’ tongues,” she mutters and shoves herself back from the desk. The chair scrapes against the tile, a harsh shriek in the quiet manor. Most everyone’s in bed by now, and she’d likely be better off following their lead, but she can’t let this go just yet. Every minute she isn’t working is a minute Valyn and his cronies can use to get ahead. She’s been blindsided too many times already. She can’t afford another slip. “Are you alright?” Jisel jerks up, startled. Kieran stands in the doorway in full court garb, high collar to glossy boots. The gold of their eyepatch gleams in the lantern light, honeyed, and their expression softens at her surprise, shifting from concern to something a little warmer. Jisel’s heart gives an unwished-for thud. “Yes,” she says hastily. “Just trying to get through this correspondence.” “It’s awfully late for that, isn’t it?” Kieran asks. Jisel shrugs, glancing over the papers strewn across the desk. It’s borrowed, of course, the old desk of the former Aquois patriarch. Sabine had offered it to her before Jisel even thought to ask. She’d been grateful enough to have a bed to sleep in and walls around her that let her rest without fear of guards showing up to march her to the cells at any moment. When Sabine had brought her to this office, she’d been caught without words to voice her thanks. “I’m playing catch-up to a coup that was apparently in the works for months - at least,” she says. “I can’t really afford to keep standard hours.” Kieran hesitates on the threshold, as if they’re about to say something. Their hands are loosely linked, right thumbtip rubbing the left nail. It’s been so long since Jisel saw that particular tic that it nearly disorients her. The memory is distinct: Kieran fidgeting before her as they asked her to dinner. It seems as if she’s lived lifetimes since that night. They’re both so much older than they were two years ago, two months ago. “I could help?” they offer, uncertain. “I could read half of them or something. To make it go more quickly.” A refusal is on the tip of Jisel’s tongue before they’ve even finished. It defeats the whole point of separating if she only drags Kieran right back in. The purpose of separating was to protect them, to keep them free of association with her and therefore risk of imprisonment or execution. To let them in now would be a blatant contradiction of that supposed goal. But – but it would make the work go more quickly. “If you don’t mind,” she replies. Kieran startles and then smiles, small, and steps into the room. They pull the spare chair from by the wall over to the side of Jisel’s desk and accept a sheaf of the papers as they sit down. There are a few minutes of adjustment, in which Kieran gets settled and Jisel reacclimates to having another person in the room. Then, the room falls silent save for their breathing and Jisel turns back to the letters before her. It seems easier somehow, even though she knows she’s still just as tired. A strange sort of adrenaline runs under her skin at Kieran’s proximity, and she doesn’t waste time mocking herself for it. If it will help her through this stack of papers, it is worth it.  And perhaps it’s not such a bad thing, to take their hand when they reach out. If regret is too much to allow, perhaps she can permit relief. Just this once, just for tonight.

[lydstm]

CHARACTER SHEET repost. do not reblog.

𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬 !

FULL NAME.     lydia martin PRONUNCIATION.       lih - dee - ah   m - ahr - tin NICKNAME.     lyd/lyds GENDER.       cis - female HEIGHT.   5′3  AGE.   21 , verse dependent ZODIAC.         leo SPOKEN LANGUAGES.     english , both archaic and classical latin, moderate french, mandarin, and spanish

𝐩𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 !

HAIR COLOR.         strawberry blonde @ me EYE COLOR.         a mossy sort of green. SKIN TONE.         decently fair. BODY TYPE.         fluctuates, but rather petite, hourglass with more of an emphasis at her chest. but her thighs tend to fill out fastest when she puts on weight! ACCENT.         doesnt quite have one— standard american accent ? no real inflections on certain words, etc.  VOICE.         always a little bit raspy and low, a little bit whistle-y / whisper-y . it crackles a bit, a little bit too scream-torn, hoarse, but even before her banshee abilities took root she had a lower, raspier sort of tone. v sexy. she’s pretty fluent in speech pattern, doesn’t stumble too frequently. can get shrill when upset. DOMINANT HAND.         right hand. POSTURE.         absolutely beautiful she sits almost statuesque and pretty !! does not slouch very often unless she’s doing work on her laptop in bed.  SCARS.          she has a decently sized scar on her waist from tracy’s tail. it’s one of the biggest she has, just about touches her hip, and spans up her side to about mid - stomach. she also has a lot of head scars from eichen that are now hidden by her hair, but you can feel them if you run your fingers through it, right above her ears, mostly. she has a tiny round scar on her right on her left kneecap from tripping in the 3rd grade, and a few other various minor injury scars that just never faded. one on the inside of her thigh from getting herself shaving at 14 lmao TATTOOS.        none BIRTHMARKS.      none         MOST NOTICEABLE FEATURE(S).    her lips are prettypretty and big, in proportion to her face, most notably her top lip. it is just as thick, if not more, than her bottom one, when that’s usually not the case for lips. she has very long hair, usually curled, and she’s just. her face? can i list that as a notable feature she’s beautiful      

𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝 !

PLACE OF BIRTH.    beacon hills , california   HOMETOWN.          beacon hills , california BIRTH WEIGHT.         5 pounds 11 ounces BIRTH HEIGHT.         21.5 inches MANNER OF BIRTH.         c section FIRST WORDS.         mama SIBLINGS.      none, verse dependent PARENTS.        natalie martin & nicholas martin ( separated ) PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT.         they have always been a little bit absent, even when they were still together. natalie took most care of lydia during the early years — nicholas was never really present. he worked long hours, came home late, left home early. weekends were dubbed theirs, where they’d have family dinners both saturday and sunday, which lydia loved. but eventually those stopped, the divorce happened, and things fell apart even further. after the divorce, natalie threw herself into a lot of work, and a lot of dating, and lydia grew up relatively isolated. natalie always meant the best for her daughter, and loved her dearly, and lydia grew to know and understand that, come high school. natalie’s involvement in her daughter’s wellbeing drastically improved over the years. she’s a good mother who made a few mistakes and they have a good relationship.

𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞 !

OCCUPATION.         actuary + also in school for her phd, but she is always working on a new risk model formula to help improve the risk to actual % ratio for her field’s medal.  CURRENT RESIDENCE.          cambridge , massachusetts ; eventually beacon hills , california CLOSE FRIENDS.         allison argent, stiles stilinski, scott mccall, malia tate, liam dunbar, cora hale, kira yukimura. RELATIONSHIP STATUS.         dating & eventually married to stiles stilinski ( @uniewaznic ) uwu FINANCIAL STATUS.         middle class DRIVER’S LICENSE.   obtained CRIMINAL RECORD.         none VICES.        gluttony, alcohol and, especially in her younger years, a decent amount of pain relievers when she was stressed, sex, lydia absolutely uses sex as a distraction, a way to keep out of her emotions. playing stupid. occasional jealousy. 

𝐬𝐞𝐱 & 𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 !

SEXUAL ORIENTATION.         bisexual , no preference ROMANTIC ORIENTATION.         biromantic , no preference PREFERRED EMOTIONAL ROLE.       submissive  |  dominant |  switch. PREFERRED SEXUAL ROLE.       submissive  |  dominant |  switch. LIBIDO.         very high TURN ON’S.        intelligence, if you can match her intellectually that’s a huge plus. lydia also very much likes being appreciated (if she’s!! into you!! if not don’t be creepy),  so showing interest, being blatant in it, telling her you want her, letting her know!! she digs that shit lmao. humor is a big one, a sense of adventure. loves teasing, being teased only in certain situations. if you can actually show here where she’s wrong on something she’s going to bitch about it but it’s highkey hot. make her laugh!! confidence is a nice one too!!  TURN OFF’S.         bland personalities, and she’s really truly done with superficial shit. big bank account boasting isn’t cute anymore. that’s not what she’s really about. mansplaining is the biggest turn off like a FULL 0/10, quickest way to get her to not talk to you. any sort of women degradation, making them appear lesser, weaker. another big turn off is any sort of manipulation. she doesn’t like feeling small.  LOVE LANGUAGE.     gifts!!! and so much touching, she could hold someone for hours. also a palm on the arm, fingers linked, etc. touching!!! is so !!! important !!! also checking in. making sure they eat. if they’re weather prepared. etc. RELATIONSHIP TENDENCIES.        ^^^ that being said!!! however, she isn’t the most outwardly romantic person. depending on the relationship it gets better, but. lydia always tended to have relationships that weren’t...always...built on affection. most of them were more sexual. so, since that’s what she knows, she tends to be a little less on the big romantic gestures, but : ( she’s a romantic at heart!! loves cheesy sweet movies !! loves the gestures !! with stiles (once they’re in a relationship!!)  it’s easier to be more affectionate, because he’s affectionate and good with her. 

𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 !

CHARACTER’S THEME SONG.         shallow. HOBBIES TO PASS TIME.         social media scrolling. clearing out her emails. loves to read scholarly articles—mostly math related, but the science ones (particularly physics) are equally thrilling. lots of reading in general. big netflix fan, if she’s got a lazy day she’ll happily watch crime dramas for as long as she can. baths!!! lydia will sit in a bath with a face mask and a glass of wine for a leisure evening. getting stiles to do face masks in said bath with her is an additional hobby. happens at least twice a week. she also loves yoga and pilates and cycling, and will cycle between the three classes throughout the week. a weird one, but she doesn’t actually mind folding laundry, and an addendum hobby to that is bitching at stiles to fold his own laundry just for the fun of being annoying. MENTAL ILLNESSES.  ptsd. bouts of insomnia and paranoia. not quite sure if it fits entirely, but she still occasionally sleepwalks.  PHYSICAL ILLNESSES.         frequent and intense migraines, along with occasional unexplainable head pains from the physical trauma eichen has left on her body.  LEFT OR RIGHT BRAINED.         left brained PHOBIAS.      most of her fears do not quite constitute a phobia level, as she is still functional and rational through the thing she fears. most of the fears themselves are rather rational. however, lydia does tend to have an irrational knee-jerk reaction to being physically grabbed by the arm/wrist/shoulder in any sort of aggressive way. waist is fine, most things are fine, she just has a physical genuine terrified reaction to being grabbed like that. also, while not quite a phobia, the way she reacts to being yelled at / doing something wrong / making some sort of mistake / spilling something / breaking something / etc is EXTREMELY worrying, and also not a rational, reasonable reaction. it is an emotional trauma she has not quite worked through. SELF CONFIDENCE LEVEL.         decently high, but fluctuates. lydia has a good view of herself, knows her worth and her intelligence, but there were certainly periods of time where she heavily, heavily felt like dead weight in peoples’ lives, where she was told she ruined everything. it stuck with her. it still has not left, even though she is comfortable where she is now. VULNERABILITIES.        getting too caught up in needing to be perfect. her heart in general is a vulnerability, softer than she lets!! people!! believe. kind of an aside, but she’s physically vulnerable to illnesses when the seasons change. she’s good about it, barely stays home, but she always gets some kind of cold. 

TAGGED BY.  @uniewaznic baby ♡ TAGGING. @argaents @farmorepersonal @boycrowned @taeted @dilkos @stuartwcmbly @limitknown + anyone who wants ! ♡