#they are marveling his height . sillies

[therealslimscreamer]

the balans!!

from left to right: overrift/hydenborn balan is by @pawsometoons, balan oneirones is by me, and balan sanguine is by @redrockbluerock!!!

[sashiavi]

HEAR ME OUT HEAR ME OUT!!.....Big voy Zhongli...I MEAN-- THE Geo archon? Morax? Come on! He has to be a big boy, after all he shaped Liyue's mountains!!

♡ Genshin Impact Big Boys ♡

You're so righttt omg BigBoy!Zhongli/Morax my king ♡ I'm writing this in his prime Morax era I hope that's okay mwah ♡

My fave genre of Zhongli cough I even have two fics about it cough ◇ ◇

Warnings : 18+ Smut | Morax!Zhongli | possessive | dumbification | dom/sub & master/pet | abuse of power dynamics | Size Difference | monster cock - knotting - belly buldge- breeding | God/Mortal | potential dubcon | the more I write the more warnings come up | 'cunny' as a descriptive word for afab anatomy |

→ᴰᵃʳᵏ ᶜᵒⁿᵗᵉⁿᵗ ᵂᵃʳⁿᶦⁿᵍ←

♡Be in charge of your own reading and look after yourself♡

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BigBoy!Morax who towers over many. Easily over twice the size of an ordinary mortal, effortlessly tall, thick, strong, with heavy muscles coursing with omnipotent power. Carving and shaping the mountains of Liyue, with the effort of a minimal wrist flick.

BigBoy!Morax who lazes on his throne, heavy robes draped off of his body, legs spread apart, cheek pressed into the palm of his hand. His body absolutely dominates over your own, dwarfing you while you rest in his lap. His other arm practically cups you, coddling, with you napping away, head agaisnt his chest, your own pretty peppery floral robes water-falling off of his throne.

BigBoy!Morax with the sheer power of a mighty Dragon, supreme, pre-eminent, forced to take extra care and precaution with you; His pretty little pet.

BigBoy!Morax with a hand easily over twice the size of your own. His thumb longer than your jaw, swiping over your cheek and ear. He practically engulfs your face when he cups the side of it, fingers cradling the back of your head, thumb gently dancing over your closed eyelid. The soft core lapis glow of his hands illuminates your pretty, soft features, allowing him to admire you for hours on end- chanting sweet praise and compliments over and over.

BigBoy!Morax who's hands absolutely shrink your stature. Curving over your waist, gripping your hips, fingers effortlessly wrapping themselves around for frame, tickling at the soft bumps of your spine.

BigBoy!Morax who eyes you from above when you walk by his side - On the rare occasion he allows you to walk, much rather opting to carry you everywhere you went - height barely grazing up to his waist, your hand wrapped around just a few of his fingers.

BigBoy!Morax with his even bigger bed, covered in waves of soft silks, the space around dazzling in pretty little things belonging to his hoard. Archons, the treasure-hoarding being marvels at the prettiest little thing in his collection, all splayed out just for him.

BigBoy!Morax with a thick, forked tongue, perfect for hot, spitty kisses, barely battling for control, relishing at how his pretty pet just submits to him. Archons, the feeling of your little tongue sliding over his own, suckling on him obediently.

BigBoy!Morax and his appetite. Eagerly licking and lapping, tongue fucking that sweet little spot inside your cunny, swallowing down all those sweet juices. His large mouth practically engulfs you, thick fangs pin pricking gently into your cunt, lips suckling on your achey clit. His massive hands wrap around your waist, pulling your pretty self into him, forcing his lips to smush, fangs to bite, tongue to curl over and over.

BigBoy!Morax with claws all too sharp to press into your prefect pussy, forced to tongue fuck you into your first orgasm, stretching you out for him.

BigBoy!Morax with a heavy, thick cock. Standing tall despite its size, holding its own, drooling agaisnt his stomach. It was almost otherworldly, ever so slightly unhuman, with ribs and ridges, a pointed tip and a thick, fat knot right on the base of his length. He's always marvelled at your silly reaction, the awe in your eyes, swallow of your throat, eyeing the dribbly tip of his pudgy cock with a look of unease. He laughs, almost purs, soft in his chest, hand on your cheek.

BigBoy!Morax who has to go slow. Just the tip, juuust the tip. Circling your sticky clit with his thumb, rough, slow rubs forcing your cunny to gush, wetting his cock, letting him slide in bit by bit.

BigBoy!Morax who bottoms out in your cunt, cock pressing into your tummy, bulging up into your guts, leaving the lovliest indent of his cock on your front. He cuddles you, coddling his pretty pet, hushing and soothing away all the tears and hiccups with kisses and licks to your face. Oh, you're so full, aren't you? It's not easy taking the cherishing gift of a God, pretty pet doing such a lovely job.

BigBoy!Morax absolutely relishes in the sweet squeeze of your cunny on his thick, bullying length. Hugging him tight, drooly, sticky pussy lips kissing agaisnt the knot on his base, poor pink little clit grinding on his pelvis.

BigBoy!Morax who is not at all afraid to manhandle your body, giant hands latching to your waist, fingers almost intertwining with themselves over your back. Up your hips go, only your very upper back and shoulders lay on the bed as Morax sinks you down on him, himself. You're forced to wrap those legs around him, barely managing to properly anchor yourself, obediently taking him in like a perfect, little, fuck doll.

BigBoy!Morax watches that fat bump in your gut press up over and over, his thick pudgy head soothing under your belly. He can't help but press a thumb into it, massaging over that spot, listening to those insolent little whines and begs your dumb little mortal brain spews at him.

BigBoy!Morax who was still a merciful God, spitting hot globs of spit on to your cunny, keeping it nice and wet for his cock, letting that knot slip in just for a moment. His other thumb comes down, down, down, rubbing large and slow circles into your clit, forcing out those little gushes and squirms.

BigBoy!Morax, gentle as he is, still managing to to fuck you silly. Long, rhythmic slides of his cock, hands guiding those pretty hips, lifting and pulling in delicious motions- Tip to knot, thick inches squelching in and out, filling up that pretty cunny, little Pet so full, pretty dolly servicing his weepy cock.

BigBoy!Morax who can only last so long with that tight gushy squeeze on his length. Poor Morax who looses himself a little. Prettiest cunt sucking him in so, so well? Can't just dangle that sweet, juicy forbidden fruit in front of him and expect him to not take a bite.

BigBoy!Morax who let's his hips fuck into his precious, darling Pet's cunt. Meeting those hips he forces into his own, thick and slippery knot edging, pressing, slipping- The God growls, capturing your lips with his, thick tongue swirling around your own, forcing you to suckle and nip into him.

BigBoy!Morax hums low when he finally slips that thick, swollen knot into your dumb little mortal cunny, fat tip squirting and oozing thick spurts of cum into your tummy. Oh, he needs to be deeper, nestle his breeder cock up in your gut, paint your cervix white with seed.

BigBoy!Morax eggs his lovely pet on, those hands pulling your hips into his still, now grinding that juicy abused clit on his lower tummy. He feels that pretty cunny squeeze, hears those cries and moans, feels them vibrating agaisnt his tongue. He thrusts as much as he can with that locked knot in your pussy, clicking wetly with the hot pressure of him all stuck in you. His heavy balls continue to squeeze, bursting hot ropes of heavy, thick seed into you over and over. Slow and drawn out, his orgasm could last for minutes on end.

BigBoy!Morax who finally, finally gets that sweet cunt to squirt, making a mess all over his lap, gushing and pulsing, letting that buldge press in, impossibly deeper. Another hot weep of cum, milked out by that heavenly squeeze of you wrapped around him.

BigBoy!Morax laying peppery kisses over your face and neck, maneuvering your smaller-than-his frame around, hushing your sweet mewls when your poor body quivers. Poor, poor overstimulated little you, body reacting to the slighted of touches.

BigBoy!Morax who has you laid on his chest and tummy, thick cock stuck in your cunt, nestled and still drooling. His massive hands soothe over your thighs, massage into your back, pat your hair and caress your teary face. Awh, sweet girl. His lovliest, prettiest little doll. It's alright, your God is here, he'll soothe those aches and kiss away the pain. In the meantime, take a little rest, right on his chest, nice and comfy. Poor little mortal, always so tired. Keep him nice and warm now. Just like that.

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I may have gotten carried away.. but I hope you enjoyed regardless ♡

A Small Risa Message: You are loved, you are appreciated and you are allowed to enjoy this kind of fiction ♡

Property Of; SashiAvi

[aventurineswife]

Veritas, Kaveh, and reader are having a bath together. Kaveh and Reader are being their goofy selves as usual while annoying the heck out of Veritas (but he secretly enjoys the chaos). Bonus points if Veritas had rubber ducks that resemble Kaveh and reader <3

Our Little Family of Ducks

Summary: A relaxing bath between Kaveh, Veritas Ratio, and you turn into a playful and chaotic bonding moment. While Kaveh and you indulge in goofiness, Ratio tries (and fails) to maintain his composed demeanor. The discovery of personalized rubber ducks adds to the hilarity, revealing Ratio's secret fondness for his partners. Amid splashes, laughter, and teasing, the trio revels in your unconventional yet loving relationship.

Tags: Kaveh x Reader x Ratio, Polyamory, Domestic Fluff, Humor, Lighthearted Chaos, Found Family Vibes, Kaveh Being Kaveh, Ratio Being Secretly Soft, Rubber Ducks Shenanigans.

A/N: I love these sillies 🤭🫶

The steamy warmth of the bath filled the room, soft tendrils of mist curling around the ornate tiles. Kaveh had insisted on setting up this "relaxation session," and it had taken no small amount of persuasion to convince Ratio to join. The architect and their mutual partner, you, had promised an evening of serenity—though, true to form, serenity was far from what had unfolded.

Kaveh was lounging on one side of the tub, his long hair tied loosely to avoid the water. His eyes glinted with amusement as he flicked droplets of water your way. “And then she said, ‘But why would I need a spiral staircase if I’m afraid of heights?’ Can you believe it? A whole architectural masterpiece undone because she refused to go above two floors!”

You snorted, splashing back in retaliation. “Honestly, Kaveh, maybe she was onto something. Not everyone’s built for grandeur.”

Veritas, perched at the other end of the tub with his back against the smooth, cool tiles, let out a low sigh. His hair clung damply to his forehead, the rings of his pupils narrowing as he surveyed the two of you with a mix of exasperation and reluctant affection. “If you two came here to ridicule the art of storytelling and defy the very essence of peace, then you’re succeeding marvelously.”

“Oh, lighten up, Ratio,” Kaveh teased, sending a small wave of water in his direction. “This is supposed to be fun.”

Before Veritas could retort, you leaned forward, your eyes lighting up mischievously. “Speaking of fun… Ratio, what’s with these?” You plucked up one of the small, colorful rubber ducks floating nearby. Its violet paint glistened in the water, and its eyes bore an uncanny resemblance to Veritas himself.

Kaveh burst out laughing, quickly snatching another from the water. This one, unmistakably styled after you, had a little painted scarf and a tiny replica of your favorite accessory. “No way! You actually got ducks made for us?”

“Correction,” Veritas interjected, his voice cool but laced with a hint of defensiveness, “I designed them. A calculated experiment to observe the cognitive amusement derived from personalized objects in shared recreational spaces.”

You and Kaveh stared at him for a beat before doubling over with laughter. “You made them because you like us, you big softy!” you said, clutching the duck close to your chest.

“I think it’s sweet,” Kaveh added, his grin widening as he lined the ducks up on the edge of the tub. “Now we’ve got our own little family. Look, here’s me, here’s you, and—” He paused dramatically, fishing out a third duck. It was golden with faint streaks of red, and its feathers curled in intricate patterns, mirroring Kaveh’s elegant cape. “Oh, Ratio, this one’s perfect. You even got the hair right!”

Veritas pinched the bridge of his nose, though a faint smirk betrayed his amusement. “If I’d known this would devolve into childlike antics, I would have stayed in my lab.”

“Liar,” you shot back, scooting closer to him and setting your duck on his chest. “You love this. Admit it.”

“I do not—”

“Oh, you definitely do,” Kaveh chimed in, settling on Veritas’ other side. “Look at that face. That’s the face of a man trying not to smile.”

“I hate both of you,” Veritas muttered, but the corners of his lips betrayed him as they curved upward.

“Love you too,” you and Kaveh said in unison, leaning in to kiss each of his cheeks. The warmth in the room wasn’t just from the bath anymore—it radiated from the three of you, tangled together in your chaotic but undeniably loving bond.

“Now,” Kaveh said, grabbing a duck and splashing Veritas playfully, “let’s see who wins the Great Duck Battle!”

Veritas sighed, watching as water and laughter filled the room. His calm demeanor broke as he picked up his own duck and joined in the fray. Perhaps, just this once, chaos wasn’t such a bad thing.

[zoesshortstories]

The Party (Fancy Pants chapter one)

Words: 2.3k

Pairing: Paige Bueckers x actress!fem!oc Ava Radmall

Thanks to Cam, Paige and Ava meet and have an instant connection. Slow burn and rising tension, mutual pining but idiots who won't admit feelings.

TW: discussion of religion (Christianity)

Paige

I answer the knock at the door since Cam is busy with other hostess duties. It’s 8:15 pm and her house and yard is already bustling with people. Her holiday parties are always a hit. 

On the other side is a woman with big beautiful brown eyes and long swooping brown hair partially held back in a clip. Her face is practically glowing in the light, but I’m sure she’d look angelic in the dark too. 

“Hi, I’m Ava” she says and reveals almost perfectly straight and white teeth with a smile. She reaches her right hand out to shake mine. It makes my fingertips buzz. 

“I’m Paige.” I muster and return her smile, coming to my senses. I step to the side so she can come in and try not to stare as she slips off her big black scarf shawl to reveal that her long red longsleeve dress she’s wearing has an open back. I can’t help that my eyes linger on the curve of her spine that practically points down to the way the fabric gracefully gathers at her hips before flowing to her ankles. 

She must notice me staring because she says, “It’s from Reformation.” 

“Uh, what?” I say, feeling caught in the act.

“My dress, silly.” She says with a smile and then Cam comes up to hug her from behind. Cam is still a good height taller than her despite Ava’s sleek black heels. 

“Ugh it’s so good to see you!” Cam squeals when she releases Ava from her grasp. 

“Oh my gosh I know! I’m so glad I made it back from Montana in time. It was snowing so bad that when they delayed my flight I thought they were gonna cancel it and I was so worried!” 

She goes to hug Cam again and they sway back and forth. 

Eventually Cam seems to remember I’m here too and introduces us, despite remarking it looks like we’ve already met. 

“We were roommates at Stanford,” Cam mentions. That helps me bridge the gap as to why the Ava Radmall was here. An on the rise star currently in the middle of her huge rise to fame. I don’t know how she has enough hours in a day or days in a year to be the love interest in the next Marvel movie and the funniest character in the latest season of Wednesday. Not that I was paying too much attention to what she was doing, it’s just hard not to hear her name thrown around. 

“You already know Paige’s a rookie on the team, but come and I’ll introduce you to the rest of them out back!” Cam exclaims and they walk through the party arm in arm. I decide to walk behind them. 

We reach her backyard with the pool and the high top standing tables. Ava gracefully shakes everyone’s hand and then Cam points her to the open bar. 

“I’ll have a dirty Shirley, please.” She asks the bartender as I stand next to her. 

“Ooh make that two please.” I add. “Another dirty Shirley fan, that’s kind of rare.” 

“Yeah well I had a 24-48 rule and Cam’s season didn’t align with mine so I figured why not just add alcohol to my go-to?” 

“Oh what sport did you play?” I ask. This makes her even more interesting. An athlete? 

“Soccer. Midfield.” She answers as our drinks are placed. We thank the bartender and head back to the team, continuing our small talk. 

Ava

When I step into the kitchen to pour myself a glass of water (and maybe to check out the snacks Cam didn’t put out for the party), I can feel Paige following behind me.

It brought me this warm feeling. I’m excited to talk to her again, especially outside of the group setting. There’s something about her that I can’t put my finger on but that’s so compelling to me. 

“I like your necklace,” she nods towards the pearly white cross outlined in shiny gold that has hung from my neck everyday since my mom gave me the it when I was sixteen. Some days I wore it more for her than for its meaning. 

Then I get to watch unabashedly as her slender fingers dip into her crisp white dress shirt. She pulls out a plain silver cross of her own to show me, like it’s our little secret. 

“How long have you been a Christian?” She asks, looking like she’s burning this memory into her brain. 

“I was raised Presbyterian but had a bit of a hard time in high school before coming back to it.” I responded. The alcohol flowing through my veins seemed to have made me extra talkative since I normally wouldn’t even say that much to someone I just met. It took me two years to tell Cam that and we were roommates practically glued to the hip. 

Paige doesn’t say anything but her face looks like she understands. Before my mind convinces me not to, I open my mouth to speak again. 

“Can you keep a secret?” I ask and she says yes both quietly and with her full chest. We both lean slightly closer and I drop my voice. “Well it’s not really a secret, most real people in my life know, but I’m not like out out. But I’m not really in either. So just like please don’t go running right to the media about it.” 

Her blue eyes bore into mine and she crosses her heart, zips her lips, and throws the key behind her back. The gesture of it all makes me giggle.

For some reason it makes me suddenly shy about telling her my “secret.” I take a sip of my drink. She quirks her eyebrow asking if I’m going to just finally tell her. 

“I’m gay or something,” I say and wave my hands around.

“Or something?” 

“Not really or something, I’m just gay got nervous.”

She laughs. The sound does something to me that’s more intoxicating than any drink a bartender could make.

“Well can I tell you a secret that’s also not really a secret?” 

I nod.

“I’m gay too.” 

For some reason when she says this it makes me smile. She’s trying to ease my nerves and relate. Although she hasn’t spoken on it publicly, it definitely did not seem like a secret. Especially considering how hot she looked in her dress shirt and navy pants, it would be a shame if she wasn’t at least a little bit gay. 

For another (maybe related) reason it makes my whole body feel warmer than it normally does when I drink. It’s like my Asian flush acting double.

“And what about your faith?” I ask. Now it’s her turn to take a sip of her own drink, but she finds it empty and I don’t stop her when she reaches for mine. I’m either way past my limit or there’s something about Paige that’s knocking all my walls down. I don’t want to tell her my classic charming stories, I want to tell her the truth.

“Also raised in the church.” She nods her head down but brings her eyes back up to you. “Never had a problem with my faith and sexuality though. I pretty much knew I liked women since I knew what a woman was.” 

“How?” I ask. 

“How did I know I was gay?” She asks, although it’s clear she knows what I’m asking about. I purse my lips and she leans back from the counter to hold her hands up in fake surrender. “Aight I’m just playing. My parents probably knew before I did but definitely before I told them, and I think because of that they were always very strong on teaching me my faith is between me and God and that He made me in His image as His child just the way I am.” 

“That’s beautiful, Paige.” I say and my eyes start to feel a little more teary than when our conversation started. 

“You alright, Ma?” She asks and places a warm hand on my shoulder, her pinky finger falling off the fabric of my dress and making contact with my skin. Her hand is warm and yet it still sends a shiver through my body that I try my best to resist.

“Oh yeah sorry that’s embarrassing,” I gush. “I think it’s just a sign I’m reaching the end of my night.” 

I place my glass in the sink and make my way towards the hidden stairwell in the side of the kitchen. 

“Where are you going, Ava?” Paige asks and I turn on the second step to look at her. 

“I always crash in Cam’s guest room after these parties.” I notice the crinkle in Paige’s brow this seems to cause so I keep going. “don’t worry I always do this so she knows, we like to debrief in the morning. What’s a night out without a roomie debrief?” 

“No it’s not that, it’s just I thought I was staying in her guest room.” 

I pause for a second before turning back to the stairs. “Don’t worry, I’m not a cuddler.” I tell her and continue unbothered on my way. 

Paige

When Cam knocks on the door the next morning I feel like she’s hitting me directly in the head. I roll back over and ignore it, glad we’re in the off season.

But when the door opens I hear the covers shift next to me as someone sits up. 

Ava. 

I fully lean into this whole fake sleeping thing as I eavesdrop on their conversation. But some nagging questions are coming back to me. Did I sleep with Ava Radmall? In Cameron’s guest room? At her holiday party? No. I must have more class than that, right? And I sure hope I would remember if that ever did happen.

“So are you gonna let me in bed so we can debrief?” Cam asks. 

“Just a second let me sit up.” Ava says and I hear her yawn. “Wait a second. If you’re wearing your Sparks sweatshirt, then whose am I wearing?” 

So that’s where my sweatshirt went. I had come back a few hours later than Ava had and patted down the armchair I thought I tossed it on but couldn’t find it. I was drunk enough to leave it to the morning, I guess. 

Cam gasps and I can only imagine her eyes going wide with it. 

“Paige!” 

“Huh?” I mumble and turn over to face them. 

Somehow this sends Cam into a fit of laughter and she’s leaning her hands against her knees with tears in her eyes before she speaks again. 

“I totally forgot that I said you could stay in my guest room and that Ava was coming! I’m so sorry guys,” she says. 

Ava pokes me in the arm. “Scoot over so Cam can cuddle up for the debrief.” She commands and so I listen. 

She props her pillow against the headboard and sits up, lifting up the comforter so Cam can get in too. I scoot to the edge and turn on my stomach to face them, remaining horizontal. 

I let the two of them chit chat away about Cam’s last few weeks of off season and her wedding planning, followed by Ava’s two weeks shooting in Montana and her plans for flying her mom out here for Christmas. Then they get around to debriefing what happened at the party. At multiple points in Cam’s story about one of her fiancé’s friends jumping fully clothed into the pool, Ava’s jaw drops. At the punchline she throws her head back and lets out a deep belly laugh that gets Cam laughing too. 

I smile at the sight of Ava and her laugh instead of laughing at Cam’s story that I wasn’t listening to in the first place. In the morning LA light her hair looks more golden bronze than the brown it was last night. It’s barely messed up from sleeping because she didn’t move once. Her bare skin was bright without her makeup, and I could see the tiny marks on her face that only made it more interesting. I want to memorize them. Then she tucks her hair behind her ears, exposing her neck, and against my better judgement I allow myself to imagine the sweet taste of her skin and what it would be like if she let me leave a mark. 

Ava leans into Cam’s shoulder and sighs. 

“I missed you. We need to hang out more.” 

“I so agree.” Cam says. “It’s both terrible and great we tend to be busy at the same time.”

“I’m pretty free in January. Not even press outside of LA.” Ava says and Cam seems to squeal again. 

“I better get back,” She says and peels out from under the covers. Cam starts talking to me as I try not to look at Ava’s pretty long legs as she looks for her dress on the ground. Her black seamless underwear has lacy sides that hug her hips just right. It looks so effortless, because of course Ava Radmall would look so fucking fantastic in her underwear, but I have this sneaking suspicion she worked to find the fit because it’s almost too good. 

She finds the dress and pulls it over her hips and then up under the sweatshirt, which she tosses off and onto me. 

Then the three of us make our way downstairs, hug Cam goodbye, and make our ways to our cars parked next to each other somehow on the curb. 

“Hey, thanks for letting me borrow your sweatshirt. And sorry for borrowing your sweatshirt.” Ava says as she opens the door, standing in the crease. I unlock my own car and turn to her.

“Hey anytime. See ya around, Ava.” 

“Goodbye, Paige.” 

[atlasofthestaars]

[MK X READER] New Era - Chapter .001

Note: Will use events from Mk9-11 + Aftermath. I am changing canon for some characters to fit the story. Changing canon in general for MK1, so at some point I will add in scenes not in the main story and probably will diverge from it in the end. Some character personality changes, not major, but enough to add depth. Slight character dynamic changes (Mostly Lin Kuei, so the trio feel slightly closer as a whole)

Also excuse the small exposition dump that happens through the chapter, it was needed to set up plot points in the future, so in the future we can get to those juicy character interactions easier!

LOVE INTERESTS: Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Raiden, Johnny Cage, Kenshi, Reptile, Scorpion (Kuai Liang), Sub Zero (Bi-Han), Smoke, Shang Tsung, Mileena, Kitana, Ashrah, Havik, Rain

Also on AO3: NEW ERA

part two

FROM THE EYES OF ONE WHO DOESN'T REMEMBER

Memories are fickle things. 

Awakening in the middle of a field, you heard the buzzing of bugs, and the grass beside you moved as a creature scurried past. Your head hurt, and a fog settled in your mind as if it were blocking something. You sat up slowly, noting the moonlight shining down on the area around you.

You looked down at your hands. It was odd, it felt like you were familiar with it, yet at the same time it felt all too foreign to you. You wiggled your toes, feeling the grass brush against them to remind you that they existed. 

Where were you?

Swallowing any dread you felt building up, you stood up wearily. Your body swayed as you got up, almost stumbling into the grass once more. The area around felt devoid of humans, undisturbed nature spreading far. It was beautiful and breathtaking, but it only soothed you for a moment before panic began to seep back in again.

Where were you?

In the distance was a soft light. A flame? Perhaps. You dragged your feet as you walked towards it. You’d rather go discover whatever that was then stick around being lost wherever you had woken up. 

Why were you there in the first place? 

Fear was crawling down your back at the inability to answer the nagging questions within your head. Shaking it off, you continued on. The closer you got, the better you could identify where the flame was from. 

A temple of sorts?

It had a dragon motif from what you could see, and it was constructed mainly from wood and stone. Red shingles, or at least you assumed it was…it was hard to see in the moonlight, lined the rooftops of the temple ahead. The tree leaves even seemed to be red. There were multiple buildings, one being a tall tower, and a few smaller buildings. The flame, which was quite large from what you could see, was lit in a pavilion of sorts.

Your mind throbbed as a vague memory of a temple floating in the sky appeared in your mind. But this wasn’t that same temple. Not at all. Why were you thinking of that?

Soon enough, you found yourself at the entrance of the area, marveling at the architecture and the beauty of the area up close. How wonderful. Eventually, you spotted two figures walking towards you. 

The first thing you noticed was their glowing blue eyes.

Not knowing what to do, you stood there. Although you felt a pit of dread build up in your stomach as they approached, you stood unwavering. You grimaced, not at the sight of them, but at how the figures coming closer seemed to intensify a dull throb that had been building up in the back of your head.

Silly as it was, were they the cause of your headache? Of the fog in your head that seemed to block out any memories you tried to pry from your mind? 

You watched as the two figures, that you could now identify as men, approached. You could read a vague sense of concern on one of their faces, and the other held a sense of shock on his. They walked over a bridge, stopping at the top as if to create a sense of height. You looked up at them, your will not wavering despite the dread that was building in your stomach.

Your headache, why was it hurting so much?

You watched as one of them held out his hands, forming one a fist connecting to his palm. He smiled at you. It felt warm. The other nodded his head in acknowledgement, but you could see the small smile he had as well. You stumbled as your headache turned into a sharp pain, as if someone had just stabbed your head. Gasping, you stumbled forward. 

The man who had been presenting his hands grabbed you to steady you, and you noted the strange sense of familiarity as he did so. His wrapped hands were firm as he helped you right yourself. You looked up into his eyes, and without thinking, a name popped into your head.

“Liu Kang?”

The dread you felt in your stomach turned into fear as the man’s eyes widened, and the vague shock that had been on his face before was now on full display. He glanced over to his companion who held the same look of shock before they both looked down at you, almost accusingly.

“How did you know that?”

That was years ago.

Shortly after the shock had worn off, you had been escorted into the fire temple. They gave you a place to rest for the night, but you could hear the whispers of Liu Kang and Geras as they walked away. What they were discussing, you weren’t certain.

You could hear the concerned tone in their voice loud and clear despite that.

The next morning in what was perhaps the politest interrogation ever, it was revealed that you had a lack of memories.

Kind of.

You had memories, or at least you thought so, but they were all jumbled up in your head. They felt wrong, and foreign and they didn’t match up with what you were seeing. After all, your mind was telling you the man who was interrogating you was Liu Kang…but it was not the same mortal man that popped into your mind. 

You also eventually recognized Geras, which seemed to alarm the two even more, even if they were subtle about it. Eventually, after long deliberation with each other, Liu Kang eventually came up to you and offered you a place to stay at the fire temple due to your lack of memory and residence.

You were relieved to have a place to rest and stay, even if you had a nagging feeling that the offer was a disguised excuse to keep a close eye on you.

You supposed that was fair.

Eventually, the memories you had came back slowly over the years, and you confided in Liu Kang about them. This led to an eventual friendship with the god as you unraveled the strange situation that you were in. The man, though cordial, had been wary at first of you. You thought that was reasonable. A random stranger showing up in rags and recognizing you without introduction?

That was suspicious for certain, you could not blame the fire god for his caution. Especially since he proclaimed himself to be the Protector of Earthrealm, you could have easily been a threat.

Thankfully, you were not. Or at least, he seemed to deem that you were not. Although you had a jumbled mess of mismatching memories, the two of you had concluded that the memories you did have were visions of sorts, of other realities, and that the memories you used to have were gone. 

Visions of other worlds traded for the memories of your past. That’s what he told you, anyways. You had a sinking feeling that wasn’t quite true, and that was the biggest secret you held from Liu Kang. After all, the more memories you regained, the less it felt that they were random visions. 

They felt like a past life…and maybe they were. You weren’t certain yet. You had a nagging feeling there were many memories left to unlock.

The guilt of hiding this doubt, this secret, was immense at first. Ignoring the fact that you were lying to a god, you were concealing doubts from a man who had offered you shelter and food.

Eventually the guilt died down into near nothingness, but there was still a twinge of guilt every time you lied about it.

Aside from that, you rediscovered abilities that you had not realized you had. 

Shapeshifting into animals. You could transform your whole body into creatures, or parts of them. It was a helpful power, you found. You also seemed to have some sort of muscle memory of fighting skills. Lord Liu Kang had once offered to train you, and to both of your surprise, you were quite skilled.

Rusty at first, but it was obvious your body knew how to fight. It was nothing that years, or in all honesty, months could not fix.

Another ability you realized after a few years was how your body did not seem to age. Or at least, not in the same way humans did. At first, the monks seemed to chalk it up to good genetics, complimenting on how you seemed to keep your youth. However, as more years passed, whispers of magic arose.

Concerned with the strange state of your body, you confided in the fire god. Liu Kang suggested that your body was one that lived longer, perhaps of one that was not native to Earth, or Earthrealm as he called it…an edenian, perhaps? He explained the realm of Outworld, and the existence of the realms in general. He had once explained it much before, along with some monks, but not to the historical extent he had given you at that time.

Through these explanations, you remembered Outworld much more clearly, but the memories of Outworld were once again inconsistent with the world he described.

The Outworld you knew had been run by a tyrant before it was passed to an heir that had been overthrown. It was war hungry, and not at all pretty as he described. Liu Kang offered that, perhaps, when the Mortal Kombat tournament rolled around in a few years, you could join him and the champions he would bring to Outworld.

You agreed, of course. Maybe that realm was key to unlocking more memories, and more explanations. Even though you cherished the Fire Temple, a place you had learned to call home, you now had a purpose going forward.

Go to Outworld to seek the rest of your memories.

And now, you were here, enjoying another peaceful morning in the Fire Temple.

Staring out from the pavilion, you inhaled deeply as you took in the sunrise. You could never tire of the beautiful view. Your ears picked up the soft sound of someone walking towards you, and you turned around, already familiar with who it was. 

“Hello, Liu Kang.” You greeted, a smile on your face as you nodded towards the fire god. The fire god sent you a soft smile in return as he walked up to be by your side. Due to your memories of a younger, mortal Liu Kang that had popped up so often at first, you had taken up a nasty habit of addressing him casually. You tried to fix this, but he had permitted you to address him casually in private.

It felt like a strange honor.

He greeted you, your name rolling off his tongue in a familiar way as his hands settled on the railing much like yours were. It was common for the two of you to meet up here at sunrise, to indulge in the simple yet breathtaking view. It was a tradition from years ago.

“Beautiful morning, isn’t it?” Liu Kang inquired, much like he did nearly every morning. He gazed at the horizon with a sense of serenity and peace before his glowing eyes landed on you. With a chuckle you turned your gaze to the horizon he had been staring at previously.

“It is, just like it is every morning.” You mused, watching as the sky lightened, the darkness making way for the pretty light blue hues as a pink and orange color settled over the horizon. Your fingers tapped the wood as you hummed, remembering that something special was happening today. “Today we’re going to the village of Fengjian, correct?” You inquired, a surge of excitement buzzing through you.

You had been around the world here and there over the years to accompany Liu Kang and sometimes even the Lin Kuei, but it had been a while since your last venture. 

“Correct, Madam Bo said two of her trainees were ready for the exam scenario, and today we're going to observe.” Liu Kang said, nodding as he confirmed the plans he had told you about two weeks ago. You noted how he kept his gaze intent on you, as if analyzing your reaction. You could not hold back the smile on your lips.

“Excellent, it’s been forever since I’ve had Madam Bo’s cooking.” You commented, remembering just how delicious the older woman’s cooking was. You were nearly drooling at the thought of it. Not only that, but Madam Bo was someone you valued as well.

Whenever you saw her, you were reminded of a fatherly figure who you hazily remembered who drunk a lot of alcohol. It was odd, but she too must have sensed the connection, as she took you in as if you were a child of her own ever since she met you. You wished you could go out to see her more.

You opened your mouth to speak, but you heard the faintest of footsteps. Reflexively, you transformed your ears into those of bats and craned them around to hone in on the sound. You tilted your head as you focused before you turned to look at Liu Kang, ears turning back to normal.

“I thought the Lin Kuei were to come later?” You inquired, revealing that you were now aware of their presence. You heard some muttering before the three assassins revealed themselves. Sub Zero, Scorpion, and Smoke. Three of the Lin Kuei you had grown closest to during your association with Liu Kang.

“That was the plan, but we decided to meet up earlier to discuss the plan as we shall leave earlier to get in position to observe.” Liu Kang explained. The two of you turned around to face the three. You smiled at the three. Smoke and Scorpion both bowed to the two of you. Sub Zero, notably, did not, but you did notice the slight nod of acknowledgement sent your way.

“Perceptive as always, and I thought we could finally sneak up on you.” Smoke greeted, addressing you as he spoke your name, a light playful tone to his voice. Smoke was always the friendliest of the three, it was a delight to talk to him. He was the most casual. You noted the slightly irritated glare from Sub Zero sent his way.

You surmised that Smoke had managed to convince the two others to also sneak in. You could not tell whether the irritation was from having to partake in such a silly endeavor, or if it was due to the fact that he blamed Smoke for giving the three of them away.

“Maybe another time, Tomas.” You chuckled, covering your mouth as you did so. Despite your words, you were competitive, and you weren’t planning on giving up in the ongoing game that you had both been playing for a while now. “Regardless, it is good to see you all, it’s been a while.” With that, you nodded towards Liu Kang, letting him go over the plan with the trio.

You observed silently as excitement coursed through your veins.

You had a feeling that tonight was going to be something special.

part two

[tiredsmashbros]

"happy birthday, bluejay."

2k words ; tsari fanfic

"gAH!" tari yelped as she lost her grip on the wooden plates nailed to the tree. fear of adrenaline rushed inside her veins, glancing a peek below her, acknowledging the height and distance above from the ground. she didn't have a fear of heights, yet it still was an alarming issue to imagine in her mind what could happen if she were to fall.

"w-wOaH! bj, grab my hand!" tsb directed extending his arm out, using his stretchable ability to allow tari a more secure reach. "come on!" he exclaimed, assisting her up until she was finally standing on the wooden surface base marked on their destination. "heh, trying to fall again now are we?" the man chuckled in hopes of lightening the mood, referencing an inside-joke recall based on their first meeting, "but on your birthday? what kind of a crazy bird are you!"

tari giggled, relief dominating over her after finally arriving at the top of tsb's home. "i'm not used to climbing up!" she began, taking a break to catch her breath, "why'd you have to live up so high? it's challenging to come to visit you!" the bluejay spoke glancing her eyes to take in the view as she recovered. she could see the showgrounds perfectly where she stood, watching her friends play in the grass field, and even a clear view of smg3's coffee and bombs. it was just a marvelous view, pondering why she hadn't thought to come here more often. with the wind brushing onto her face, and the shade provided by the tree's leaves to guard from the sun it was evermore peaceful and quiet. her worries gone within an instant, it was relaxing to say.

"then i suppose you'll have to come by more often to see silly o'l me, huh?" tsb responded, opening the entrance door for tari to enter. "birthday girl first~" tsb flirted, forming an exaggerated body gesture for her to enter in. tari shyly smiled and nodded, making her way inside the blue and yellow man's humble abode.

as if it was her first, tari couldn't ever grasp how peculiar and unique tsb's home was structured. the outer appearance appearing as a regular small treehouse built from wood and nails. yet the interior, god the interior was like an entirely whole other world. seemingly cartoonishly larger, covered in bright light blue walls, white clouds painted onto them. additionally, small rainbows scattered around. a giant painted sun on the ceiling, accompanied by multiple small paper-shaped stars assisted with tape dangled down from right above. high enough where her standing wouldn't bother it, but not so high where you couldn't acknowledge them. the area was furniture filled with shelves of unused big and small canvases, all sorts of art materials neatly placed and organized, with the man's silly personality of individually colored beanbags to sit on, and nets filled with all kinds of plushies and toys. it felt like a dream house for an art child really. dried used paint splattered about here and there on the walls and floor adding color to the bright white room.

"still breathtaking for you, birdy? i thought it would still be boring even doing some minor edits here and there." tsb scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment noticing tari's positive expressive expression as she glanced the place up and down, side to side.

"are you kidding? how could i not be? any normal person would find this breathtaking! your place is an absolute dream house, tsb! it's bright, cozy, colorful, and a playground of endless creative creation! i can't get over how you can manage to create this all yourself! very impressive!" tari exclaimed, as her smile stretched up to her cheeks, really absorbing and giving a twirl around the space. excitement fueled her as he bounced about exploring the other familiar areas and all of its satisfying gleam of bright colors. it felt like she truly was up in the clouds or a figment of what she felt was a physical imagination of heaven.

tsb could only watch and giggle from the side. his heart was pounding in glee seeing the bluejay prance about in joy, admiring the work of art he's created for himself to call home. he felt an over beamed of satisfied joy he endlessly craved being appreciated. especially from her. a compliment from anyone would've still been appreciated of course, yet hearing those words coming from her felt like he could die at any moment. and he wouldn't mind.

after some time of tari exploring the area admiring all the nooks and crannies of tsb's dream-like treehouse, tsb finally directed tari to his bedroom. a place he... coming to the realization he had never shown her before up until now. the first time smg4 interrupted them cutting their time short, and other visits were with other guests visiting to do arts and crafts or play board games. yet this was the first since her first visit it was just the two of them. tsb grew nervously anxious as he tiled the sun-shaped knob of his door, allowing entry to the girl he admired most. it was just his room and he truthfully had nothing to hide, yet it was still nerve-racking for him, pondering about her opinion.

"t-this is my room-" before tsb could even continue to create a proper introductory description, tari jolted up in joy, squealing in glee rushing inside to admire the new room, eager to explore. it had the same vibe and aesthetic as the main entrance room, the entire treehouse quite frankly, yet this room specifically was more in the theme of tsb's main colors. yellow and blue! additionally, instead of the walls being painted or scattered with paint, they were filled with drawings drawn on paper of different mediums taped onto the wall.

entering the room revealed tsb's bed, filled with drawings of rainbows and clouds above as seen the theme all over the place. the bed is cuffed below of soft felted cloud-shape border with a uniquely colored placed rainbow for a bed frame. to the right side of the wall was a large window viewing of the sky, and next to it a tall dresser. accompanied by the wall where the door was placed, was filled with drawings she could recognize were drawn from her friends. boopkins, luigi, heck even some dumb doodles from smg3 she recalled tsb telling the tale of them hanging out one night.

the last wall to the left side of the room erupted with colors of different shades of green and brown. taken aback coming to the realization tsb's home lacked the color green almost entirely, let alone any color of brown other than the "disguise" from the exterior. illustrations of trees, squirrels, and small rodents, and what she could make out looked like a television. causing a shiver down her spine being reminded of mr. puzzles, yet these looked nothing like him. furthermore, they looked the same tv of a design with a nice chestnut brown with a cyan-like blue screen. some with hearts, some crossed out even wrinkled, and others... tari stared at it in confusion. she assumed it was an interesting relation due to tsb heavy interest in cartoon shows, he would watch several frequently with mario. however, something inside her told her it meant something else. as if it linked to-

"soooo what do you think, bluejay?" tsb queried, interrupting tari's thoughts. to the bluejay's surprise, he was resting on his bed in a crisscross position with his hands questionably behind his back slightly awkwardly.

"oh! i-it's awesome!" she quickly responded, trying to rid herself pondering over the mystery of this "tv". "i don't recall you ever showing me your room before. what gives! trying to hide more secrets?" she confidently spoke back, removing any possible suspicion. taking a seat next the the cartoony man.

"noo, of course not! just something i suppose i hadn't had the time to show you till now." tari rolled her eyes playfully trying to seem hurtful by his response. tsb giggled.

suddenly, he began to clear his throat, straightening his back, and shifting closer to tari with a slight struggle refusing to use his hands for support. however, fear rose inside as he wondered if he was too close to the bluejay, but she didn't seem bothered and instead mimicked his actions. receiving another giggle from the man feeling his face grow hot. "i uh," tsb began, "i have a gift for you! um..." tsb slowly unhidden his hands to reveal a bird-like figure in his palms. tari began to decipher it being a hand-crafted bluejay figure with a neatly small bowtie around its neck. yet she was utterly confused and speechless, it allowed tsb to continue his monologue. "i'm... not very good at making something supposedly grand like parties or cakes, for someone's orbit around the sun, but i do like handcrafting things for people i... um... admire most." tsb confident outward speech turned to stutters and quiet speech seemingly looking down as he could feel his hands sweat under his golden gloves. "i hope you like this gift-"

"of course i do!~" tari finally bursted into squeals having her hands turn to fists positioned up to her face in an attempt to hide her overly joyous smile. shifting her position to admire the beautifully hand-crafted bluejay more up-close. "it's so cute!~" she squealed once more feeling like she could feel herself almost cry from overstimulated happiness. "how did you use to make it?" she queried swiftly, staring at tsb's shades, eyes wide with sparks of adoration.

tsb only stuttered to find the words, his face growing hotter by the second hearing the beats of his pounding heart inside his ears. "i-i used cardboard to create the base of the shape... and um gluing layers of newspaper to give some texture... a-after painting it with acrylic- nO gouache a-a-and reusing some old thick ribbon i had in my scrapes to gave it a bow!" swiftly adding in the end, "y-you know! because it's a gift! cause it you're birthday! a-and purple to match your eyes! b-because your eyes are purple! oH and this is a bluejay, not a duck i-i-i-im not sure if that was obvious um-"

"it's perfect.~" tari softly interjected, cupping tsb's hands and lowering them down from their chests. "it's adorable of you think of me like that. i've never received a gift like this before... it exactly represents me and considering the thoughts you had i seriously appreciate the effort you put in. it's," tari couldn't help but giggle.

before tsb could muster to search for words to say thank you, tari kissed tsb on the cheek. "it's really cute. thank you.~" shots of physical cloud of air flew out of tsb's ears, face even red than the color red itself, stunned and completely flustered he sat there frozen. tari once again giggled seeing the clouds of smoke coming out of their ears like a real-life cartoon, yearning to see what more of a reaction she can get. she was always fascinated by tsb's strange cartoonish nature she just simply adored him more and more. nothing about him could ever bore her. 

just if by instinct, she removed her hands from tsb and reached out to remove tsb shades. settling it down by the bed, gazing admirably into his brown eyes as they were shifting animatedly to pink hearts back and forth. "t-tari-" tsb started, but was unfortunately cut off by someone outside. turning his eyes into pupils with red outlines from surprise.

"tari!" a familiar voice called, "TARI!" smg4 called again louder.

"smg4 must have the party essentials ready. we should go till he gets impatient hehe!" tari stood up from the bed grabbing the bluejay gift with one hand while the other grabs for the cartoon man's glove. 

"y-yeah..." he replied, still stunned by what happened. eventually after a soft tug from tari, he regained his senses and threw back his shades on. springing off the bed and following tari out of his room. 

"you think there'll be cake left after mario gets to it first?" tsb asked.

tari chuckled, "i doubt it." 

END

[bebx]

One of the things I love about Lokius is that, if you're someone like Thor and you're introduced to Mobius, and you had to appraise this funky lil dude in 10 seconds, you know the immediate, visceral reaction is: HIM?! This folksy guy with the ugly brown suit, haircomb mustache, corny dad jokes, average height, and middle-aged tummy? This guy?!

Because if you've only ever known up to Phase 3 Loki, it's not unreasonable to think he'd go for someone up to his "standards"; someone sexy, alluring, powerful, fashionable, and a little bit dramatic. Heck, that's what present Loki expected, too.

But no, it turns out it's very much THIS GUY, with the slight southern twang, no mystical powers whatsoever--not even basic super strength--and a love for snacks. THIS GUY who has a general calmness about him and whose epitome of joy is jet skis. THIS GUY who manages to find a little bit of purpose in bureaucratic paperwork.

It's objectively hilarious and, from a trope perspective, very sweet. Because a healthy, healing individual would see past the superficial and fall for the heart. All those quirks? Endearing. But what matters most is this person believed in you from the start, when you were at your worst and lowest. The wrinkles? Memories of all those times he laughed, smiled, or worried for you. The white hair? Very stately. Gorgeous, like a silver fox. But maybe Mobius is more of a coyote. With that silly knee-slapping laugh and wily mind. The soft tummy? A reminder of every time you had a heart to heart at the cafeteria or "detoured for refreshments" during a mission. So huggable. So perfect.

And past Loki would be appalled. He'd call it pathetic. This puny mortal? Oh, how low you've fallen ... A disgrace!

Present Loki would be so /offended/ by his own arrogance. By his own blindness!

"Yes," he'd say, chin up, eyes firm. "HIM."

this reminds me of this fic I wrote here where Mobius meets Thor and the rest of the Avengers as Loki’s special someone and they’re all shocked because Loki???? The Loki????? with This Guy????????!!!. I mean not to shamelessly promote my own fic or anything but Loki, a god, ending up with Mobius, a little guy, is the concept that is so precious to me I had to write a fic about it.

and yes, Mobius being just a Little Guy is what makes him so special as a character. we have all these superheroes Marvel introduced us to and then you have Mobius. and somehow he still manages to be such a popular fan’s favorite and also I think Mobius just being who he is is what draws — mind you, not just Loki but also so many fans towards to him. like everything you’ve described about him here is actually what makes me a fan of him. so really, we can’t blame Loki for falling head over heels in love with him here.

Thor’s reaction to meeting this boyfriend of Loki would be so hilariously precious too. but also, I believe it wouldn’t take long at all for Thor to grow overprotective of Mobius because Mobius is a good man with a heart of gold and most importantly, Mobius makes Thor’s brother happy. and Thor will do anything to make sure no one looks at Mobius the wrong way.

[coimbrabertone]

Offtopic Offseason #1 - I Don't Believe in Superhero Fatigue.

Hello guys.

So with motorsports coming to an end for the year, I've been thinking of what I'm going to talk about during the offseason. There will be some news, and obviously I can talk about some racing history stuff, but what I've decided to do instead is begin this series: Offtopic Offseason.

What is Offtopic Offseason? it's pretty self-explanatory really - I'm going off topic for the offseason.

First up is...I don't believe superhero fatigue is a real thing.

Instead, I believe that the fatigue is for a certain type of cookie cutter, quippy flavor of superhero slop. A flavor of superhero movie that many recent MCU movies have fallen victim to.

What characterizes this slop?

A certain kind of shame, I think. These movies - and TV shows for that matter - feel almost ashamed to be doing superhero stories, so they undercut the drama with jokes and quips. That's not to say that superhero jokes can't be funny or quippy - in fact, I'd argue that some of the best superhero shows recently have focused on humor and absurdity - but it's about how those jokes interact with the story. I think one of the best examples of this is the Marvel Cinematic Universe's treatment of Thor.

Thor walking around like a dumb jock, getting made fun or, and getting sassed and backtalked by the people around him sabotages what is supposed to be his character arc.

Thor is supposed to be the goofy, spoiled Prince of Asgard who is sent down to Earth to be humbled, a lesson he learns in the first movie, and he should be played as a smarter, more responsible character from that point onwards.

To some extent, he is played that way in movies like Thor: the Dark World and Avengers: Infinity War, but that is in contrast with his portrayals in Thor: Ragnarok and Avengers: Endgame.

I see the claim, semi-often, that it's Taika Waititi's fault that Thor went in this direction, and maybe it is to an extent, but that doesn't explain Avengers: Endgame.

The character who was a headshot away from stopping Thanos in Infinity War turns into a fat drunk the very next movie made by the exact same team.

Now, I get it, it's a despair arc, but he never truly recovers from it. Thor appears in the climactic final fight, sure, but the key moments ultimately go to Captain America and Iron Man.

Thor, meanwhile, goes on to star in Love and Thunder, in a performance that Chris Hemsworth himself calls too silly, labeling him a "parody of himself."

We are constantly told that Thor is supposed to be one of the strongest and most heroic characters in these movies, but time after time, he reverts to the strong, but dumb character that he was at the beginning of his own movie.

His character development constantly resets to zero.

Thor effectively has no more consistent character progression than Peter Griffin.

So...how to fix this?

The short answer is better writing.

I know that's obtuse, but hear me out: there is a piece of recent superhero media, with absurd humor, regular jokes, and complex character arcs that show both progress and regression in realistic and emotionally heavy ways.

DC's Doom Patrol.

Let's talk about Cliff Steele. In the 80s, he's a successful NASCAR driver at the height of his career, owning a mansion, starting a family, and famous enough to cameo in bad soap operas. He's also cheating on his wife with the maid while being suspicious of his wife. This culminates in Cliff causing a crash after he sees his wife feeling up his crew chief to deliberately make him jealous.

Cliff narrowly avoids this wreck.

He's then implied to go on a drunken bender and cheat on his wife again before realizing that it all makes him feel hollow and empty inside. He tries to make amends, picks up his wife and daughter, and they're all driving home together.

Only for Cliff to get caught up in a crash that kills his wife and leaves Cliff as little more than a functional brain. Yadda, yadda, yadda, a quack scientist named Niles Caulder uses a combination of technology and magic to build an immortal robot body and puts Cliff's brain in it. Thus, Cliff becomes the Robotman.

Here, Cliff is given chances to do better. Jane, a young woman living in Caulder's mansion, appears as a surrogate daughter for him, and not long after that, Cliff finds out that his real daughter, Clara, is alive to, and he's given the chance to make amends with both.

He tries.

Often, he fails.

During one sequence, he backslides deep into self-destructive behavior as he gets high on Parkinson's meds and gets addicted to a camgirl and online gambling, to the point of selling his friends' (including Jane's) stuff, and using his daughter's credit card on it, so...yeah, he's being a pretty shitty person at this point.

The thing is, he does better.

He cares about the Doom Patrol, Jane in particular. He wants to be there for Clara and her son Rory, and despite being the robotic bruiser of the team, time after time demonstrates that he's ultimately one of the most gentle and merciful characters in the show.

His character development is hardly a simple case of A-B, but it's written in a serious and sensible way, in contrast to Thor's yo-yoing between characterizations.

For another example, let's look at something that's not a superhero show, but contains a similarly complex character arc: Blitzø from Helluva Boss.

Yeah, I'm critiquing the MCU and bringing up Hazbin Hotel/Helluva Boss as a positive example. I'm well aware that if this blogpost breeches containment, I'll be dealing with the worst people on the internet.

Anyway, Blitzø is a prickly little shit that makes bad decisions and pushes away anyone that tries to make a real connection with him. This is where a lot of the crude humor and absurd plot elements of Helluva Boss come from, so it draws a lot of criticism, but the thing is...that's the point, Blitzø is a problem.

The show, particularly in the second season, is about Blitzø opening up and becoming a better person.

We see him saving his old friend Fizzarolli and ultimately reconcile with him. We see him show moments of genuine care for his employees Moxxie and Millie, as well as his daughter Loona, but we also see his unwillingness to truly be vulnerable around the people closest to him.

We see in Full Moon that he rejects and lashes out at Stolas' attempts to turn their transactional relationship into something more serious and equal. Now, granted, Stolas' own self-worth issues mean that he isn't communicating well, but Blitzø still assumes the worst and screams at him.

This trend continues in the next episode, Apology Tour, where they argue again and Stolas asks Blitzø if he's ever really apologized in his life. Blitzø's answer isn't to reflect on his actions, but to "Apologize the fuck outta everyone!" to prove a point. Naturally, this doesn't particularly work, and it ends with Blitzø following Stolas to an "Anti-Blitzø Party."

Here, Blitzø finally sees the impact of his actions, and begins by making two legitimate apologies: the first attempting to apologize to Stolas, and then making an apology to Verosika, an ex-girlfriend who is hosting the party to begin with. Talking with Verosika makes Blitzø decide to leave the party and give Stolas space, even if it means watching as Stolas dance and kiss another guy.

In the most recent episode, Mastermind, we see the culmination of Blitzø's progress as he is willing to sacrifice himself to protect his friends. This ends with Stolas coming in to take the fall himself, and with Stolas disgraced and brought down from his status as a Goetic Prince, Blitzø lets Stolas stay with him.

The episode ends on a comfortable note between the two of them, with the implication that Stolas has become a lot more aware of their previous power imbalance, while Blitzø has become a lot more awae of how much Stolas means to him.

So, to summarize this long rant about a movie I didn't like and two shows I love: there are ways to write flawed characters, character development is not always linear, and characters can backslide. The problem is that Thor does none of these things in a natural or believable way.

Now, some of this is inevitably down to the fact that a show gives more time to develop a character than a movie.

However...Thor has been in how many MCU movies by now? He's had more than enough screen time to have had a deeper character arc, Marvel just didn't care to deliver one.

That's the kind of superhero content people are sick of.

People are sick of Marvel trying to replicate its earlier success, people are sick of DC constantly rebooting in its own attempts to build a cinematic universe, and people are sick of cinematic universes developing around other movies and franchises.

That's because cinematic universes aren't about writing the best stories possible in the same world, they're about chasing the runaway pop culture success that the early Marvel movies had.

For more proof of that, look at what DC's most successful projects have been lately: the Batman, a standalone movie focused on a single character and the surrounding setting. Penguin, a spinoff from that that is a serious, gritty mob show in the same world as the Batman. Or the aforementioned Doom Patrol which was its own little show on HBO Max.

Doom Patrol started in 2019, ended 2023.

The Batman released in 2022.

The Penguin released in 2024.

All successful and critically acclaimed work in the so-called era of superhero fatigue.

People aren't sick of superhero movies, they're sick of bad superhero movies.

So yeah...this has been my first Offtopic Offseason blogpost, I hope y'all enjoyed it and I'm interested in hearing your thoughts.

Oh, and for the motorsport people...yeah, I'm aware that the Qatar Grand Prix happened last weekend, I just would rather forget about it.

[kittyball23]

Birthday Teen (a Trolls fanfic)

Summary: Not-so-baby-anymore Branch's 13th birthday is not all that it's cut out to be...

A/N: Got inspired to write two more oneshots over the Christmas weekend. Here's the first, a follow-up to Birthday Boy

__________________________________________

Near silence filled the space.

There was no laughter. There were no shrieks. There were no rambunctious squabbles or playful shenanigans. Not even a silly, improvised tune. There was just Branch, his bunker, and his sole cupcake.

It was a stark contrast to the scene that it was for this very occasion twelve years ago. To the fun that existed then, when things were simpler and he would hold no concerns for tomorrow. Back then, he didn’t have to grow up so fast. He could enjoy his time in diapers, clapping his small hands and giggling with delight. He could play with his brothers, enjoy the warm hugs from his grandmother, and sing to his heart's content, all without a worry in the world.

Back then, when there weren't any problems to be solved, and  Branch knew nothing of the hardships the future would bring for him.

But this wasn't like that now.

It was never going to be like that again.

At least, not the way he saw it.

With a sigh he prodded at the rich, vanilla icing on the cupcake in front of him and watched the frosting indent. 

Branch scrunched his nose, a feeling of disgust welling inside of him. He'd lost his taste for cupcakes long ago. They were far too sugary, and in the end didn't provide the appropriate nutrients that were needed to sustain a healthy diet. Nowadays, such a thing was critical, if it meant ensuring his survival. Because, unlike before, he had nobody else to ensure of it.

But, he had gone through the trouble of baking the treat, and it was not trouble he would've gone through without anything to gain in return. Every minute he took with every task he performed was a spent effort.

With a hint of reluctance, and a hint of longing, he unwrapped the confection from its paper covering, and brought it up to his lips. The taste melted sweetly against his tongue and left behind a myriad of  flavors. It was simple but elegant. No extravagance or excess. Just what he needed in such a time.

Inhaling deeply, Branch closed his eyes. He savored the sweetness, marveling at how closely he had hit home with his Grandma's recipe and wondering that, if his brothers had been there, perhaps they wouldn’t even be able to tell the difference.

Trouble was, they weren't there, and had not been for quite some time…

They weren't there for when he'd hit his 3 inch milestone in height, or when he'd become fully potty trained, or when he'd had his first day of school, or when his voice had deepened, or whenever ANY little thing that was important to him had happened. Their absence was a constant ache in his chest that only intensified day after day, year after year, paining him to realize that he couldn't see his brothers as the young men that they were sure to be now... and that they couldn't see him for the one that he was becoming.

Dismay pricked Branch like a thorn.

It wasn't fair. It was completely unfair. He loathed the solitude. The bunker that lacked the very trolls for whom he built it for. His sickeningly sweet cupcake, mocking him with its perfection.

He chewed the last few morsels he was willing to eat away, savoring the flavor, before setting down the unfinished treat on the table and pushing it aside.

This is the worst birthday yet.

[templeofvengeance]

━━━━ CHARACTER STUDIES.

Basic Information.

LEGAL NAME : 𓐍𓈖 𓇓𓅱 (ḫnsw)

NICKNAME(S) : Khonshu, Chons, Traveler, Pathfinder, Embracer, God of Vengeance and the Moon, Protector of Travelers of the Night, Greatest of the Great Gods, He Who Lives On Hearts, Bloody Pigeon, Silly old bird, Little Crow

DATE OF BIRTH : ???

GENDER : Presents as male.

PLACE OF BIRTH : Overvoid/Celestial Heliopolis

CURRENTLY LIVING : Yes. (He 'lives' both nowhere and multiple places at once-- in the moon, in all moons, on Earth, in Marc's head, in a vessel on the outskirts of the Overvoid. His name means 'Traveler' for a reason.)

SPOKEN LANGUAGES : All of them!

EDUCATION : Nothing formal.

HAIR COLOR : None visible.

EYE COLOR : None visible.

HEIGHT : Usually around 8 feet, but can present as any size he wants.

WEIGHT : ???

Family Information.

SIBLINGS : Because Amon-Ra was a creator god, he theoretically has a few siblings, including Montu, Ptah, and Bes, though they've barely appeared in Marvel canon and Khonshu probably doesn't recognize them as such. (If for no other reason than not wanting anything to do with that 'family', if being banished doesn't disown him from the pantheon altogether.)

PARENTS : Amon-Ra (Father) and Amunet (Mother)

RELATIVES: Mut (Stepmother.) Although basically everyone else in the pantheon is related to him in some way, if we wanna get in-the-weeds and upset.

CHILDREN : None, surprisingly.

PETS : Does Marc count

Relationship Information.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION : Vengeancesexual. (Probably some flavor of asexual.)

RELATIONSHIP STATUS : Married to Real Justice! (Single)

tagged by: No one, stolen from @iobartach! Tagging: @violetgleams, @livdrawsstuf (any of your muses), @suns-sand

[quillthrillswriting]

ever since @antizutara (via this post) put the idea in my head of a kataang wish AU, i haven't been able to stop thinking about it.

the following excerpts are from my draft of "if happiness were a tangible thing, it would be you," hopefully coming out later this week! :)<3

---

Ozai strode forward into the passage, beckoning to Katara as he did, and she obliged, careful to maintain several paces of distance. After a few moments of marvelling at the detail of the carved wood panels that lined the passageway, the two finally emerged into a larger room, lined with bookshelves and rolling ladders, intricate carvings, detailed spells on scrolls tacked into walls of ancient wood. A thick scent of cinnamon, and soft rain, and morning dew, smells that seemed as though they  shouldn’t have fit with the space, but did so perfectly.

And the room’s light.

Spirits. It was lit with a glow that felt familiar, and yet, entirely foreign, the likes of which she had not yet known. Stranger still, it didn’t seem to have a source, or at least, not until she tipped her head skyward.

There you are. It was the only thought that seemed logical, as if she were greeting an old friend. There you are. 

Wisps of wind. That was the only way she could think to describe them, although putting mere words to the purest embodiment of hope and dreams felt rather silly and diminutive. Swirling iridescent colours, glowing from within, overlapped and danced with one another. She felt homesickness tug at her heartstrings alongside the flicker of recognition, a memory of sitting nestled alongside Sokka back home as the two watched the Northern Lights flare across the sky. Each and every one of the phantom winds overhead carried possible futures, carried sounds and scents of what could be, what a heart wanted more than anything. Wisps of wind, more beautiful than anything she’d ever seen.

The wishes. They had to be.

---

On the day of the funeral, it rained. It was a good omen, for those of the Water tribe, to have the water spirit La bless one of their people even in death. Katara knew this, and yet, the rain still seemed to make it all feel worse. Drenched, shuddering from the cold and her own sobs, Katara looked away when her mother was finally lowered into the ground. She squinted at the castle, at the balcony lit by candlelight on the very highest floor.

And perhaps it was a trick of the light, perhaps it was her grief warping her sight, but Katara swore that she could see Ozai there, looming in the windows of his study.

Smiling at her.

---

And maybe it was naive hope, maybe it was stupid, but looking up at the stars flying by overhead, Katara closed her eyes and made a wish. She didn’t have the power to stop Ozai and his army. Neither did Sokka. But the Avatar…

The Avatar could save the world. 

And so, she wished for him. She wished for peace, she wished for his return, she wished for a way to prevent the oncoming battles and slaughter. 

And for a moment, it felt as though the stars spoke back. 

---

Once the glow had subsided enough for her to lower her hands, she blinked at the sudden motion as the little orb-thing zipped around her, leaving a trail of stardust. She reached out on instinct with her waterbending, suspending the creature in a bubble in front of her as she leaned in to inspect it. 

“Awe,” She sighed softly as a smile spread across her lips. “You’re kinda cute-”

All at once, another beam of light speared the sky, sending clouds of gold billowing around the two like smoke. Katara thrust her water upwards instinctively to protect them, but when the smoke cleared, the little star-ball was gone.

No, not gone. Different.

Because standing in front of her was perhaps the most beautiful boy she’d ever seen.

He levitated slightly off of the ground, glitter and star-dust trickling from his sandals. He looked to be around her age, but she thought perhaps he was older, from the almost-foot of height he had on her. She would have found him rather imposing, with lean muscles rippling through the thin fabric of his one-shouldered robes, were it not for the teasing grin he wore on his boyish face.

“You think I’m cute?”

if you want to stick around for this to come out, it'll be on my ao3 (hopefully) this week! ->

[rickrakontoys]

"Deadpool & Wolverine" (2024): 7/10

*no spoilers*

Generally amusing, with plenty of excessive bloody violence, potty mouth dialogue, and fun fan service-y references and cameos. Your entertainment value is proportional to your knowledge of the wider Fox-New Line Marvel movies, their behind-the-scenes drama, the current state of the MCU. I can see a lot of the gags going over the heads of the general audience.

Jackman and Reynolds have great chemistry together, giving us an unhinged odd couple, bad cop-badder cop vibe filled with stabbing and profanity. Jackman in particular delivers as a washed out mess of a Logan variant, and his redemption character arc is at the center of the movie. A lot of the film's biggest laughs come from this Wolverine's exasperation with Deadpool's verbal diarrhea.

The action scenes unfortunately lack the visceral edge of the previous two movies, and seems to try to make up for this lesser pizzazz with buckets of CGI blood, gore and needle-drops. Still, there are a few standout sequences that, despite their technical shortcomings, tickles the comic book nerd part of my brain just right. Wolverine and Deadpool fight each other on more than one occassion, with each bout reaching such absurdly violent heights as to evoke slapstick comedy.  A oner towards the end seems to gleefully homage Oldboy.

The plot feels underwritten, tonally inconsistent, and mostly serves as an excuse for fights and multiversal cameos. Attempts to add emotional depth in between Wade Wilson's zany antics don't always land. Scenes between the action tend to drag heavily. Characters too often just stand around in a room spouting exposition or jokes in the plainest manner. Shawn Levy's blocking of scenes is too flat and uninteresting, and a step down from Tim Miller and David Leitch's previous two 'pools. Even with occassional splashes of vibrant color (chiefly from Wolverine's yellow suit), scenes look washed out, lacking depth or contrast.  Thankfully the juvenile humor and gratuitous violence keeps it from being too dull, though even that eventually gets a little grating.

But clearly, no one is watching a movie called "Deadpool and Wolverine" for the plot or emotional depth. They're here to see Hugh Jackman finally don a comic accurate Wolverine suit and team up with Deadpool on a multiverse adventure. On that, it mostly delivers.

The movie often feels like a bittersweet farewell to the Fox-Marvel franchise. Something could be said of how the movie reckons with the ethics of having a powerful entity deciding which universes can live or die, how some things deemed purposeful are elevated while other things thrown out to "the trash heap" to be forgotten. It doesn't explore these themes so much as it uses the idea as an excuse for gags and jabs at both Disney and Fox (Reynolds gets away with a lot). This is definitely the most "meta" Deadpool movie, for better or worse.

But it's a silly good time nonetheless. And the cameos in the movie are actually fun and not gratuitous, with a tinge of melancholy... a farewell to a tumultuous franchise.

Will it hold up to scrutiny after the excitement of all the surprise cameos dies down? Not too sure... It doesn't feel like a natural progression of the Deadpool franchise. Like "No Way Home" was for Tom Holland's Spider-Man, it stops the series' general plotline for a cynical ploy to appeal to nostalgia, rather than be a real sequel to Deadpool 2 (heck most of the characters from DP2 are absent, and his usual supporting cast is sidelined immediately... except Peter). That doesn't mean it's not fun. Reynolds gets his Hugh Jackman team-up movie. But you could feel the corporate franchise milking behind it all. Just because Reynolds keeps making self-aware quips about Disney's greed and exploitiveness of IP doesnt make it okay.

[littlexscarletxwitch]

── ༊*·˚⋆ 𝘀𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻

paring: mum!florence pugh x fem!reader

tag(s): fluffy fluff, flo being a mum, uncle toby, r interacting with flo's kid, flo with heart eyes looking at them, doubts from flo

warning(s): fluff, so sweet it's kinda funny, grammatical errors

word count: 1.1k

note: First, I kinda wish this was longer but I think is quite sweet. Second, I'M RUNNING OUT OF NAMES IDEAS FOR FLORENCE'S KIDS. Like I know nobody gives a shit about their names, but for some reason it is so important to me. So if I ever repeat them just ignore it lol. Also, I saw an opportunity to bring marvel up and I don't regret it on bit. I'm not an english speaker, so please let me know about any sort of mistake. Hope you guys enjoy! <3

requests are open! + check my rules here + masterlist <3

‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚. Part 1 | Part 2 ‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚.

You smiled at her, she looked like an angel in disguise, the moonlight reflecting on her eyes made it look like they were actually green aventurines, and you couldn’t help but get lost in them. 

“What?” she asked you, a smile forming on her lips. 

She shared the same amount of love you had for her, you could see it in those soft green eyes of hers.

“I just wish we could have more time,” you confessed, a bit of sadness in your words.

Florence and you were right at her front door. Your date had ended a few minutes ago when you parked the car in front of her home. Eventhoguh, the two of you had been dating for almost 7 months now, this was the first time you had driven her home. Which you did think was a bit odd, but never thought much about it. 

“Do you want to come in?”

You were taken aback by the question, not actually expecting that kind of request to slip out of her lips. 

“Do you want me to come in?”

“Of course, silly. I wouldn’t have asked you otherwise. Come on, we can watch a movie and you can stay the night if you want to,” she looked at you with big doe eyes, how could you say no to those beautiful pickle green eyes?

“Okay, yes,” you kissed her cheek, eager to be wrapped around her arms for the rest of the night. 

She looked for her keys, but soon the door was being opened from the inside by someone else. 

“Hello,” Toby said when the door was fully opened. “I’m sorry, Flossie, we didn’t expect you to come just yet. But we are on our way out, don’t worry. Hi, Y/n,” he said, finally looking your way and you returned the greet with a smile.

“He’s here?” Florence asked, she sounded both worried and comforted. 

“Mummy!” you heard someone shout, and a few seconds later a little man came running to Florence’s arms. 

Your eyes winded in realisation, as you watched them tightly holding onto each other, as if they haven’t seen each other in decades. This was Florence’s kid, a kid you had no idea that existed until now. 

“We’re sorry Flossie, Aaron here couldn’t sleep without his teddy bear. But we are leaving right now,” Toby said, gently pulling the kid away from Florence and trying to head him out the house. 

“Wait a second, uncle Toby. Who’s that?” he pointed at you, noticing your presence right next to his mum.

You looked at Florence, not sure what you were supposed to say. She looked back at you, also not knowing how to approach the situation. This was not how she expected for you to meet her child. Hell, she wasn’t even sure if you liked kids. Her eyes got watery when she realised that this was it, she had lost you forever. Who could ever want a woman with a child? Who could ever want a woman that had never said anything about having a child?

Maybe it was for the best. Maybe you and Florence weren’t a good match after all. And even though she felt so much love for you, her kid would always come first. Even if it broke her heart doing so.

“I’m Y/n,” she heard you say, interrupting her train of thoughts. 

She blinked her tears away, and focused her sight on you. You were kneeling in front of her child just so you could be the same height as him. 

“And what are you doing with my mum?”

You chuckled at the little boy’s tone showing how much he cared about her mother, “We just were about to watch a movie, right Flo?” you try to find her eyes seeking some kind of comfort for the both of you. 

She locked eyes with you, and realised that you weren’t angry, you were just a little confused. But Florence could work with confusion, she could explain everything to you and things would be alright in no time. 

“What are you guys watching?” he raised his brow at you. 

The more you looked at him, the more you could see Florence through his eyes. They were the same shade of green, the same brightness to them as her mum’s. The only difference between them was that his hair was darker, way darker than Florence’s, almost pitch black.

“Aaron, we have to go,” Toby tried to step in but there was no use. 

“What are you guys going to watch?” he repeated his question, completely ignoring his uncle. 

“Aaron, you should go with uncle Toby,” Florence tried. 

But you had his whole attention. 

“I don’t know, which one would you pick?”

“Well, I like superhero movies,” he gave you a warm smile. 

Good, you thought, he’s loosening up. 

“No way, I love superheroes. Which one is your favourite?”

“I really like Captain America, but I also like Hulk, because he’s so strong. And you?”

“Well, I am more of a Spidey kind of person, you know?” you trailed off. 

The two of you were so engrossed in your conversation that you didn’t notice Florence smiling at the two of you. Relief washed over her as she realised how much you and Aaron had in common, even though he was just a 10 year old and you were a proper adult. She laughed to herself realising how childish you could be sometimes. 

“Okay, Aaron, we have to go now,” Toby interrupted the two of you. 

“But I want to stay, I want to talk to Y/n some more,” he pouted and looked at his mom with big puppy eyes. 

You laugh at him, the same doe eyes Florence would give you when she deeply wanted something from you. 

“Baby, Y/n and I need to talk and—,” but you cut her off. 

“Oh, come on. You said we could watch a movie, right? Why can’t he join us?” 

“Yeah, I can join the two of you,” Aaron agreed. 

“Y/n, I don’t think that is a good idea…”

“Come on, Flor, we can talk tomorrow morning, okay? I want to get to know this little guy a little bit better,” she watched as you winked at Aaron.

“Yeah!” Aaron once again agreed with you, trying to convince his mum as well. 

Florence looked at her son and then back at you. The two of you had just met and you were giving her the same pouty lips. She playfully rolled her eyes at the both of you, maybe this was always how things were supposed to unravel. 

“Okay, he can stay,” she finally agreed. 

“Great, I’m the only one who isn’t wanted right now,” Toby joked. 

“Yeah, see you later, uncle Toby,” Aaron said gently pushing him out the door. “We have some movies to watch.”

Before Aaron shut the door on his uncle’s face, Toby laughed and quickly waved the three of you goodbye. Once Aaron turned around his eyes met yours. 

“So, Y/n,” you could hear the playfulness in his words. “Team Iron man or Team Cap?” he looked at you dead in the eyes. 

Likes, comments and reblogs are appreciated! <3

-M

[starrihan]

Okay thought.. marvel bnd?? Like spiderman

-> Plot: bnd as marvel characters

-> Word Count: 380 (~50-75 words per member)

-> Notes: okay so fun fact, I'm not really into marvel or know like anything about it 😅 IM SORRY BUT! i did do some research and after consulting some credible resources (twitter/ tiktok/ reddit) i was looking up marvel characters and how they are/ act and based my response on that. again, this ask if pretty broad so i'm assuming you want to know who in bnd is like which marvel character? if thats not what you were asking me to write about please let me know via another ask or dm!

-> Credits: I wanna credit the twitter thread I used to help make these! I also used some deleted Reddit responses and for some reason I can’t link them here but I literally typed ‘bnd as marvel characters’ for anyone that wants to look it up themselves!

-> ps: ik this intro is so long but let me know if i got anything wrong or it doesn’t seem like the character matches the member! This is just my opinion but im open to suggestions and criticism! Have fun reading 😚🫶🏽

༄ ༄ ༄

Sungho:

since hes the oldest and a bit serious yet silly, I could see him as iron man! from what I read, Tony Stark seems like he has a similar personality to Sungho? Both have a good sense of humor and are confident but they are also mature and witty, and loyal to their team!

Riwoo:

i’m seeing split opinions on who Riwoo would be but I’m gonna go with ant-man (please it’s not because of his height hear me out). He’s the quietest member but he’s very funny and loving. Like Scott Lang, he has a sense of humor that any people find funny and refreshing (even if it is just his silly little dad jokes). I also think there’s a charm in how light-hearted they both are

Jaehyun:

the one marvel movie I have watched was the new Deadpool, Wolverine one and let me tell you Jaehyun screams Deadpool to me! They’re both funny and very clingy and affectionate, even sometimes annoying the ones that they’re around. They both have the same chaotic energy that can sometimes be hard to keep up with, but that’s why we love them.

Taesan:

Spider-Man. even I, as someone not that into marvel could say that Taesan is Spider-Man without any research. They’re both witty in their responses and comebacks, but both carry a deep sense of responsibility. Both are always trying their best in their own worlds, saving the world and producing music respectively and their passion is conveyed effortlessly.

Leehan:

Thor!! Not only are they both big and blonde, but both have the same cluelessness to them. Thor is considered one of the best looking marvel superheroes and Leehan is said to be the handsomest amongst his members (like when they all looked at him asking is he’s happy everyday because he’s handsome) also Thor apparently likes goats?? Which I guess can be related to Leehan’s love for fish and the ocean

Woonhak:

every source I consulted came to the same conclusion, woonhak is rocket raccoon. Rocket raccoon seems small to me, like woonhak, who’s a small person trapped in a tall body. They’re both sassy but shows how much they care for their team in spite of it. Not to mention that they are both energetic!

[rainwaterapothecary]

Bardic Secrets

A silly little Witcher AU for

Serennedy Mini Week prompt 3 - Letters

Luis Serra sat, long legs dangling over the rocky outcropping above the sand. His music-callused fingers toyed with his guitar, pulling bright tunes out of its painted surface.

Down the beach, a blond girl of about 6 ran with a couple of children from the village. Her laughter melding with the tune he wove.

The bard smiled, his curated five o’clock shadow emphasizing the little movement.

Suddenly the sound cut out.

Sea birds were silenced. The children ran mute.

Cold fingers of air seemed to weave between his own.

“Navarro…”

His head whipped around, pupils slitting at the otherworldly purple light of a Mage Portal.

His fist clenched around the frets.

“We have nothing to discuss, jefe.”

The Mage’s hooded robes gave away nothing about the intruder other than his sickening grin.

Luis clenched his teeth and the fingers atop his guitar began to glow gold.

He slammed the Portal shut, the haunting chuckles of his mentor fading into nothing.

“Luis!” Sherry called breathlessly, running up to her guardian.

The bard smiled down at the smiling girl, blue eyes as wide as her innocent smile.

“We’re going to build a sandcastle! Think you can help?”

Gathering himself and rising to his full height, Luis pulled on the highest of courtly airs for his little girl.

“My lady,”

She giggled, he smirked before returning to his stuffy pompous character.

“I live for building sandcastles. I breathe it. Of course I will help you in this endeavor.” He bowed stiffly, one hand curling into his chest while the other remained holding his musical instrument.

Sherry applauded her peacocking guardian and he slackened the forced manners he’d been trained in, putting away his dark childhood of subservience, stifling magic, and long, dark halls…

As she tugged him down the beach by one ringed hand, he thought that sometimes, sometimes it could have all been worth it if it got his child to smile like that.

She had years, decades if he and Leon could help it, before she had to figure out what the world really held in store for the three of them.

For now…

For now, he was just a silly bard who winked at the ladies, flirted with Witchers, and didn’t have a magical bone in his body.

”My dearest Witcher,

Today I took little Sherry to the coast…”

Whatever his old bosses had in store for the Continent, his Cat and their Child Surprise didn’t need to know.

Not yet.

-----

A/N This works better for the prompt if I include part of Leon's side too:

“My dearest Witcher,”

Leon rolled his eyes at the first line that bedecked the parchment. Leave it to a bard to write an update like it’s a love letter.

Blowing a tuft of hair out of his unnaturally-bright eyes, the Cat continued reading.

“We are well! Sherry picks up on the bardic lifestyle quickly and we’ve been having a marvelous time in the summer heat. (I will pretend you are jealous of my brilliant idea to leave the winter behind. It was a very good idea.)”

---

Yes they are sharing a Child Surprise, yes there is a reason for it, maybe I'll even write it some day lmao

Thanks for putting on this event guys! <333

[bigsoftmarshmallow]

I’m honestly extremely curious how the Dorfs (& Demise if he wants, the big child) would react to walking into a room to find his lover/fiancée chatting with one of his Gerudo guards (who knows, maybe they’re friends) & they don’t notice. But as he approaches to speak to her, he hears the conversation. His beloved appears to be marveling at the Gerudo's heights (as in, Gerudo in-general are just so freaking tall), especially that of Ganondorf. His tiny Darling only reaches his elbows when standing with his arms at his sides. And, evidently, it wasn't just his height that stunned her, but also his overall girth as a result of obviously intense training. And he very much does not miss the admiration in her voice.

Darling: “It would not be surprising if he could crush a Hydromelon between his thighs.” (I'm specifically thinking of the scene with Zangief in Wreck-It Ralph.)

Which gets his guardswoman to laughing uproariously, which gets his Darling flustered.

I need to hear his thoughts, feelings, & reactions. As in, what actions do he take after this?

Smug? Embarrassed? Flirty? Flustered?

Like, I can imagine him from then on taking notice of when his lover seems to be staring at him & begin to subtly flex when he does things & observes their reactions. Or always making sure to emphasize his full height when facing her in close proximity, intentionally looming over her so as to exaggerate their already obvious height difference. Or he could just tease them about it. But be very sultry about it.

Thank you for understanding that Demise refuses to be left out. He IS a big child! No matter if I word it JUST the Ganondorfs, he forces his way in, huffing and puffing and being just a big grouchy pooch. He is the precursor! He is the Ancestor! He refuses to be left out just because he "iSnT a GaNoNdOrF".

Big silly demon...

************************************************************************

Ganondorf (Wind Waker)

Thoughts and Feelings:

Upon hearing his beloved's playful comment and the ensuing laughter from his guard, Ganondorf’s initial reaction is one of surprise and amusement. He’s not used to being on the receiving end of such candid admiration, and it makes him smirk with a mix of pride and intrigue. The thought of being compared to Zangief from Wreck-It Ralph tickles his ego, and he finds himself both flattered and amused.

Actions:

Smug Playfulness: He approaches with a confident stride, his smirk turning into a full-fledged grin as he catches his beloved’s flustered reaction. He might say something like, “I’m glad to see you appreciate the benefits of my training, dear. Perhaps I should demonstrate my strength for you sometime.” His tone is teasing and playful.

Subtle Flexing: In subsequent interactions, Ganondorf will subtly flex his muscles when he’s near his beloved, making sure to strike poses that emphasize his physique. He might casually lift heavy objects or show off his strength in ways that make it clear he’s aware of her admiration.

Height Emphasis: He enjoys leaning in closer to her, making sure to tower over her in a way that accentuates their height difference. His presence becomes even more imposing, but it’s done with a gentle touch, showing that he’s enjoying the playful dynamic between them.

Ganondorf (Ocarina of Time)

Thoughts and Feelings:

Hearing his lover’s comment about his height and strength leaves Ganondorf feeling both amused and a bit embarrassed. The idea of being compared to a character renowned for his physical prowess is flattering, and he enjoys the playful teasing. He’s also somewhat touched by her admiration, which makes him feel more confident and cherished.

Actions:

Flirtatious Teasing: Ganondorf might approach his beloved with a teasing grin, saying, “I’m pleased you recognize the results of my training. Perhaps I should put on a show for you sometime, just to prove your point.” His tone is light and flirtatious, adding a layer of charm to his response.

Subtle Displays: He might start showing off his strength more often in her presence, lifting objects with ease or demonstrating his physical prowess in subtle ways. He takes delight in her reactions and ensures she knows he’s aware of her admiration.

Height Play: Ganondorf enjoys making the most of their height difference, subtly leaning over her or standing at angles that highlight just how tall he is compared to her. His actions are meant to be playful and endearing, showing off his imposing stature in a way that’s both affectionate and entertaining.

Ganondorf (Twilight Princess)

Thoughts and Feelings:

Ganondorf’s reaction to his lover’s comment is a mix of pride and a bit of shyness. The comparison to a character known for his immense strength is flattering, and he’s pleased by her admiration. It also makes him feel more self-aware of his presence and physicality.

Actions:

Playful Confidence: He might approach his lover with a smirk, saying, “It seems my reputation precedes me. Perhaps I should give you a demonstration of my strength to prove you’re not mistaken.” His tone is both confident and playful.

Flexing and Showing Off: In the future, Ganondorf takes opportunities to subtly flex and show off his muscles when he’s around her, enjoying the way she reacts. He might casually lift or move heavy objects with ease, making sure she sees his strength.

Heightening the Difference: He enjoys emphasizing their height difference by leaning in close or standing at a deliberate angle that makes him appear even more imposing. It’s all in good fun, meant to tease and delight his beloved.

Ganondorf (Hyrule Warriors)

Thoughts and Feelings:

Ganondorf finds his beloved’s comment amusing and flattering. The comparison to a character known for his strength boosts his ego, and he’s delighted by her admiration. He feels a sense of pride and amusement at the thought of her being impressed by his physicality.

Actions:

Sultry Teasing: He might approach her with a sultry grin and say, “I’m glad you recognize the fruits of my training. Maybe I’ll give you a private demonstration of just what I’m capable of.” His tone is teasing and filled with a subtle confidence.

Showcasing Strength: Ganondorf will make a point to show off his strength and physical prowess in her presence, lifting heavy objects or demonstrating his power in ways that make her aware of his abilities.

Emphasizing Height: He takes pleasure in emphasizing their height difference, often leaning over her or standing in a way that makes his imposing stature more pronounced. It’s all in good fun, aimed at teasing her playfully.

Ganondorf (Tears of the Kingdom)

Thoughts and Feelings:

Ganondorf is both flattered and amused by his lover’s comment. The comparison to a character known for his strength makes him feel more confident and appreciated. He enjoys the playful nature of her admiration and finds it endearing.

Actions:

Playful Confidence: He might approach her with a teasing smile, saying, “It seems my physical prowess has made quite an impression on you. Perhaps I should offer you a private demonstration to solidify that image.” His tone is light and playful.

Subtle Show-Off: In subsequent interactions, Ganondorf takes every opportunity to subtly display his strength, making sure she sees just how impressive he can be. He might lift or move heavy objects with ease, enjoying her reactions.

Height Play: He enjoys accentuating their height difference, often leaning over her or positioning himself in a way that makes his stature more imposing. His actions are meant to tease and delight, showing off his physicality in a way that’s affectionate and entertaining.

Demise

Thoughts and Feelings:

Demise’s reaction to his beloved’s comment is one of both amusement and pride. The comparison to a character renowned for his strength resonates with him, and he is flattered by her admiration. He enjoys the playful nature of the situation and finds her reaction endearing.

Actions:

Flirtatious Teasing: Demise might approach her with a smirk, saying, “I see my physical prowess has captured your imagination. Perhaps I should demonstrate just what I’m capable of, just for you.” His tone is sultry and playful.

Strength Display: He will take every opportunity to subtly showcase his strength and physicality, lifting objects with ease or demonstrating his power in ways that make his abilities clear. He enjoys seeing her reactions to his displays.

Height Emphasis: Demise takes pleasure in emphasizing their height difference, often leaning over her or standing in a way that makes his imposing stature more apparent. His actions are playful and meant to tease, adding a layer of intimacy and affection to their interactions.