#and got made part of the secret avengers. AND got 5 seasons of his own tv show which nobody seems to acknowledge ever happened

[anki-of-beleriand]

A Heart Made Of Glass ch.1

Summary: Ten years ago you left Wanda and the Avengers to heal your broken heart. You never stopped being a hero, just as you never stopped being in love with her. But life had to go on.

Now, after all that time, she is back and with her is a young woman needing help and an enemy that may not be as afraid as Wanda to lay a claim on you.

Pairings: Wanda Maximoff x Powered!F!Reader - Scarlet Witch x PoweredF!Reader - Past Wanda Maximoff x Vision

Warnings: Angst, drama, mentions of cheating, fluff, violence, smut, Switch!Reader, internalize homophobia, hurt, comfort, Wanda being a complete mess, anger management issues, jealousy, Requited/Unrequited love, idiots in love, swearing, mentions of alcohol. More tags as the story progess.

Author's Note: This story is a continuation of Dirty Little Secret I was really surprised at the response I got for the story, I did all the tags you guys ask for but if I forgot someone please do not hesitate to tell me. Thank you for the support.

This is a story I have been working on alongside my other stories, what can I say? I've been having a lot of inspiration to write Wanda/Reader stories and I'm enjoying it greatly and I hope you guys are enjoying reading them. This story is going to be a long one too, and will have both Scarlet and Wanda as well as America as part of the cast.

Please, do remember English is no my mother tongue so forgive my grammar, spelling and funny mistakes.

Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10

Chapter 1

Norway

The road stretched out all the way to the mountain chain losing itself in a world of greys and whites. There was nothing much to see but a scenery born out of the cold temperatures and the wintry season. The heater inside the car made them forget about the cold outside, and the music playing through the speakers filled the silence they had shared ever since arriving to the airport.

The last couple of days had not been easy on either of them.

Both women had suffered loses that were almost impossible to forget, their paths had crossed by chance, and destiny had joined them by the working hand of Stephen Strange. He had planned this trip with care and cunning, he knew there was only one solution while they found out the source of witchcraft working around the multiverse to get her hands on America.

Strange had met the perfect candidate while trying to fight off Mordo once. If there was anyone ready to help America Chavez that was Wanda Maximoff and if there was someone that could really protected them and hide away their magical signature that had to be Y/N. There was no other way.

The mission then was protected America and the multiverse at all costs.

And Wanda had been chosen to carry on the torch at the moment.

Ten years.

Wanda had not seen Y/N for more than ten years, and now she was sent over to invade her personal space, unannounced and face a past she couldn’t forget. A past that had always had a tight grip on her heart.

In all honesty, she had seen you before. Just not in the right circumstances, and of course, without any single interaction. Wanda was pretty sure you didn’t even notice her there. It had been Steve’s funeral, and you had seemed so cozy with Carol Danvers and Natasha Romanoff that Wanda was pretty sure her own presence went unnoticed by everyone but Clint.

Wanda tightened her hold on the wheel, she had come all the way to Norway with a girl following her close behind to face a shadowy evil while also facing a past that was always haunting her some way or another. That day she had longed to approach you, to go to you and see you how life had treated you after everything that happened; but the memories and the many wounds in both of them prevent her to do such a foolish thing. Steve wouldn’t have liked that his funeral was became a spectacle of old resentments, and surfacing jealousies.

“Are we there yet?” America asked tiredly, her eyes drifting from the road to Wanda.

Wanda broke from her thoughts glancing around the road then giving America a pointed look. She was so tempted to give a sarcastic answer, but Wanda knew America was tired and rather moody after the long trip and the long days of no sleep and the trip through the multiverse. Besides, America didn’t have to pay for Wanda’s mistakes and stupid jealousy that had grown inside her after the funeral.

“Another hour.” Wanda answered tiredly. “We should be able to see the town soon.”

America sighed leaning back against the seat turning her attention to the gloomy world outside her window. Wanda couldn’t really blame the young woman sitting beside her, America had gotten to their world by accident chased by mythical creatures that wanted nothing more than to steal her abilities. At such a young age, America had known the bitterness of grief and treason leaving her alone in a multiverse that wasn’t always kind to her.

“Do you want to take a nap?” Wanda finally asked, she could feel the weight of the trip, and the last couple of days catching up to America.

The young woman tensed at the suggestion, memories of her waking up alone after having trusted that someone would stay with her still haunted her. America flinched when a hand settled on her shoulder, the gesture was supposed to be comforting but Wanda knew there were many wounds that had not been healed yet. Wanda offered a half smile when she read the fear behind America, she tried to offer reassurance but there was nothing much she could do to make America understand that she was not like the others. That they would not leave her behind. That they would never sacrifice her for the greater good.

“I won’t leave, America.” Wanda tried to reassure the young woman; America scoffed at her words but said nothing. “You should take a nap; you really look tired.”

America wished she could really trust the woman sitting in the driver’s seat. She wished a part of her still believed these lies disguised as reassurances, but the multiverse had showed her the portals were capricious and, on some occasions, she just fell into the wrong world. She had learnt the hard way that her abilities and even her age made her a target, a tool or a disposable ally. Even now in this new world, America was being a problem everyone needed to solve, she was just being tolerated and helped because the fate of the multiverse was at stake. Two tears rolled down her cheek, America look away not wanting to see pity in the other woman’s eyes, she clenched her jaw when the car pulled over, her lips quiver as she tried to hold onto her emotions.

If she didn’t think about it, then she didn’t feel it.

But it was too much, a couple of universes ago it had become too much.

Two strong arms wrapped tenderly around her, and America couldn’t help herself but let go until she was a child again crying in the comforting embrace of one of her mothers.

Wanda felt her own tears rolling down her cheeks, the thoughts coming from America had been so loud and so strong she couldn’t help but hear the desperation in the young woman. Wanda held America until she couldn’t cry any longer, her heart swelled painfully at the realization that America had been facing hell for a very long time all on her own. For a moment, Wanda was reminded of her own children, of the kids she had created out of the loneliness and desperation she had been feeling for quite some time. The children that had called her mom and Vision dad; even though they looked nothing like Vision. Even though, whenever she looked at them, she could see you and herself reflected in their eyes, in their appearance in their gestures and their behaviors. Tommy specially was the one that always made her think of you.

God, Wanda wished she could forget.

Wanda longed to forget and stopped feeling the way she did. She wished she could focus her attention on the problem they were facing at the moment, that this oncoming meeting was not making her anxious and scared of what could happen. Wanda lowered her gaze only to discover America had fallen asleep with tears still rolling down her cheeks.

Wanda made sure America was laying comfortably on the seat, the seat belt on and everything ready for them to continue with their trip. A hand went to put away some stray hairs from America’s face, Wanda cleaned up her face of the fresh tears that had fallen moment before and a wave of protectiveness overcame Wanda when she finally realized that America was just a teenager. Lost in within worlds, followed by an unknown danger and victim of her own powers.

Not for the first time, Wanda pointed at their similarities.

With a heavy sigh, and a storm taking over her mind Wanda went back to the driver’s seat. The music was still playing in the background, her eyes went for a moment to her phone that had been placed on the dashboard while projecting the map’s application. Wanda furrowed her brows when she realized there were several missed calls and some messages she hadn’t noticed until now, the name of Tony repeated itself several times, but the young woman merely ignored it while focusing her attention on the red dot on the screen.

Her heart hammered hard against her chest, her abdomen filled with a cold weight that made her sweat and worry her lower lip on her lips. She was getting closer to her destiny and that only meant she was getting closer to you. This time around there wasn’t a single chance for the both of you to avoid one another.

******

The city of Ulsteinvik was a small town facing the cold waters of the north, their houses were decorated to highlight the gloomy winters and celebrate the sunny summers. It was a mixture of colors and modernity that mixed with the industry of shipbuilding and fishing. Since it was a working day, the only people outside seemed to be the few tourists filling up the streets, and some other townspeople going around their normal life. Wanda couldn’t help but noticed this place was too quiet, too lonely and peaceful to be a place you might enjoy. But Wanda supposed your likes and dislikes might have changed…perhaps, this was what you were looking for right now…perhaps, this was the place where you finally found…

Wanda shook her head scaring those thoughts away. Thoughts she shouldn’t allow in her, that she wasn’t allowed to think because you and her had stopped being something a long time ago. The redhead turned to America, a gently hand pressed against the young woman’s shoulder and shook her lightly.

“America, we’re here.”

America stirred awake blinking away her sleepiness. She furrowed her brows glancing around the town before settling her eyes on Wanda

“I’m sorry, wasn’t supposed to fall asleep.” It was the first thing America could mumble, the memories of her tears and her breaking down in front of this unknown Wanda made her stirred uncomfortably. Wanda had never been the one America had been closest to on her last incursion to the multiverse, but this time around it seemed as if she didn’t have an option.

Though she had to admit, this Wanda was someone she was starting to like. In a motherly gesture, Wanda put another strand of hair behind her ear crunching up her nose while trying to offer the comfort of her presence without saying what she was really thinking. America offered a shaky smile, thankful with Wanda for not mentioning her tears or her own desperation.

“Don’t need to be sorry, I think you and I both are completely tired, but I won’t be able to rest until we have reached our destination.”

And even then, Wanda was not completely sure she would be able to rest. She was still apprehensive wondering how you would react to this unannounced visit. America furrowed her brows until she finally realized you two were in the city, not on their real destination.

“Where are we?” She finally straightened up fixing her hair and jacket while turning curious eyes around her.

“Ulsteinvik.” Wanda said without a single hint of hesitation. “I just thought we could eat something and ask for directions; the application is showing me an empty space and I’m not pretty sure if that’s the right location.”

America furrowed her brows when she realized Wanda’s tone had gotten a strange warmness in it, her green eyes were glancing at America with tenderness and something else. The young woman didn’t know what to think, she hated people feeling pity for her. She hated it even more when they thought they could empathize with her disgrace.

“Yeah, sure, I’m also hungry.”

America regretted her decision as soon as she left the protectiveness of the car. She never imagined this place would be as cold as it was. There was no snow, but it was obvious the winds of winter had already touched the land dropping the temperatures while threatening with the snowstorm. America put her arms around herself trying to warm a little, her lip started quivering and she was about to tell Wanda she would be back to the car when a heavy coat fell on your shoulders. The young woman lifted her stare and Wanda was glancing down at her with a reproachful stare.

“You really didn’t bring a jacket?”

America looked away rather embarrassed, she remembered she was offered the option but refused having found herself self-conscious of her lack of resources. The lack of money had never been an issue for her mainly because most of the things she got were either free or stolen; but in this world more like the previous one she didn’t have a chance to steal anything so she relied on what she was given.

“I didn’t know we were coming to a place like this one, and it wasn’t as if I have that many options on my wardrobe.” The answer came harsher than she intended she stepped aside from the witch, though she didn’t let go of the jacket that was offered.

Wanda let out a tired sigh knowing she had been messing up ever since meeting the young woman. Of course, America didn’t have more than the clothes she was wearing currently, she had arrived to their universe in the midst of a violent attack and survive by miracle said attack.

“I forgot about it, sorry.” Wanda apologized then as an afterthought. “Either way, you could have said something.”

 “What was I supposed to say? Hey, I need clothes because these ones smell and are bloodied, and I don’t have anything else?” America made a face feeling foolish.

“For starters,” Wanda replied pressing her lips together rolling her eyes.

“Well, I was busy with other things, Wanda.” America finally snapped looking away from the witch. “Anyway, in this reality you have to pay for things, and I don’t have any money.”

The last part was said with a mumble, a light flush adorning those young features.  Wanda pressed her lips together, this was not the first time she heard that comment, and a part of Wanda told her America was just lying. If she was always alone, jumping from one place to the other, it was possible she never had the right means to get what she needed.

“You can keep the jacket.” Wanda hesitated for a moment before speaking again. “When we had settled down we will come back and buy you some more clothes and anything else you may need.”

“You don’t have to do it. I can get a way to get my stuff.” America replied rather fast, there was an edge on her tone and her eyes hardened at the suggestion.

From her part, Wanda could do nothing more than softened at the sight. Finally understanding was starting to reach her mind.

“I know I don’t have to.” Wanda said firmly. “I want to, America, and you better prepare yourself because we’re coming once everything is ready. Now let’s go buy something to eat and ask for directions.”

The store was almost empty.

There was a single old lady sitting by the cash register while there was a young woman doing some daily purchases. Wanda watched with amusement as America went through the different snacks carefully selecting the ones she wanted to try out. For a moment, Wanda couldn’t help herself but remember Tommy and Billy whenever Wanda offered some new snacks to them. Wanda’s heart clenched at the memory; and she had to remember herself that everything had been fake. Everything she had created out of her own powers, nothing of that was real. Not Westview, no Vision…No Tommy and Billy. The loneliness and desperation told her not a single person in the world would ever understand how real it had been for her. How much she missed her boys.

“It’s that all?” Wanda asked teasingly, the woman at the cash register smiled gently as America blush lightly nodding and grumbling.

“You said to pick something for the both of us.” America finally said lifting her chin, Wanda snorted not remembering the young woman asking exactly if she wanted any of the things she had selected.

Soon the young woman that had been doing the daily purchases stood behind them with her cart, Wanda then put her phone out selecting the map and getting the money ready.

“Very well then, how much for all of this?” The old lady registered all the products and by the time Wanda was about to pay she leaned in with her phone ready. “I was meant to ask you, we’re here visiting, and I was wondering if you know how I can get to the Lighthouse?”

Wanda fixed the screen on her phone showing the spot where she was supposed to go to but that in reality was not showing on the map. If anything, it was as if the place was in the middle of the sea.

“I think this is supposed to be the place, but the application shows like an empty space…”

The old woman nodded understanding Wanda’s explanation, but her eyes drifted to the young woman waiting in line.

“Are you looking for someone in particular?” The other woman finally dared to speak up, her voice was heavy with a strange accent, but Wanda could perfectly understand the coldness behind the question.

“I’m looking for an old friend,” Wanda replied with her heart aching at the thought that at least the two of you were that. Friends. “Y/N? do you know her?”

The young woman finally took the time to give Wanda a complete checkup, something in those clear eyes gleamed in recognition and Wanda wondered for a moment if this woman recognized her as one of the Avengers.

“I’m Vera.” The young woman introduced herself presenting her hand to Wanda and a nice smile to America.  This sudden changed seemed rather suspicious and Wanda had to wonder for a moment if perhaps she was one of your friends?

Not that Wanda cared much.

You could have as many friends as you wished.

“I thought you looked familiar,” Vera said breaking into a relief smile, Wanda raised an eyebrow at this. So, she really was a friend. “I think I recognized you but of course in the picture you look so much younger.”

Vera then opened her eyes shaking her head sheepishly, “not that you’re old, it’s just that in that picture you two were like teens or something. I think it was like Halloween though Y/N seems to hate that picture, even though she looked adorable in that suit she wore, and you were looking so pretty with the princess...”

The next words were lost to Wanda completely, the revelation that you had one of your pictures with Wanda was just too much, but that you had that picture and were showing it around while telling everyone you hated it…well, ouch.

“I’m sorry, I’m babbling, it’s just that…what a coincidence, are you visiting or…”

“Look I wish we could tell you about our plans, but we come from the States and we’re tired and hungry and just want to know if you know where the Lighthouse is.” America finally interrupted the babbling woman that had not taken noticed of the distress expression crossing Wanda’s eyes or the way she seemed to tense up with each word.

Vera felt her cheeks burn, and her eyebrows knitted together at the abruptness of America’s interruption. Wanda held back her smile, because really, she was not fancy hearing more about how much Y/N hated that picture and how Vera and you seemed to be in such good terms.

“Right, sorry I just…”

“No, please we are sorry,” Wanda intervened with a sweet tone. “It’s just the trip was long and the drive all the way from the airport to here was equally long.”

Vera nodded in understanding leaning in towards the phone pointing at the same location Wanda could not make any sense of.

“That’s the right location, actually.” Vera explained. “This was a former World War II bunker for the Soviet Army and many of those facilities are still there so applications won’t show them for security reasons. It’s not occupied at the moment, but you know…paranoia in our governments and what with all the enhance superheroes…”

Wanda tensed at the comment but said nothing else.

“So, just go straight ahead and there would be land and the house?”

“Yes, actually go straight ahead, no turns.” Vera said leaning back. “It’s the only house at the end of the line.”

******

It wasn’t until the city was left behind that America finally dared to make the question Wanda was dreading.

“So, you and Y/N, big story there, eh?” America made the comment with a roll of her eyes, she knew the story. At least the one she had witness back in another world.

“It was nothing.” Wanda replied rather fast, her eyes glazing over.

America wondered, not for the very first time, how many things had changed in this universe. How many more were just as messed up as the woman sitting beside her. Wanda heard the thought, scowling deeply at the questions growing in America’s head.

“It really is nothing.” Wanda insisted gripping the wheel tight.

“I get it. It’s an adult thing, a story behind a real story. I wouldn’t understand.” America snorted rolling her eyes. “This is the “you-know-who” of your life, got it. But you should have seen your face when she mentioned that picture…”

America could only chuckle with amusement when Wanda shot her a heated glare, for a moment America entertained the idea of merely no pushing the matter any longer. But she was curious, and she wanted to know why Wanda and Y/N hadn’t worked in this universe so she kept her eyes on Wanda until the woman could not ignore America any longer.

Wanda rolled her eyes shaking her head, she remembered that day so vividly.

“It was a stupid picture we took on a Halloween, we had escaped the compound that day to enjoy a wild night in New York. We ended up in a Frat house in a party Y/N got us invited to.”

Yes, Wanda remembered that day as if it had been yesterday. She dreamt of that day from time to time, you had made friends with a group of frat guys that allowed the both of you to go to a Halloween party, you had spent the night making sure Wanda enjoyed the perks of an American Halloween and after the alcohol and the dancing the both of you ended up in a room on the second floor. It had been your very first night together. Wanda’s first time. And it had been…special.

It was a night that haunted Wanda from time to time, and hearing a stranger said you hated the picture…well…

America furrowed her brows at the lame explanation, there was more story, but she wouldn’t press matters for now. The young woman had realized that there was a single constant in this world and that was regret and broken hearts, everyone seemed to have given up happiness for the greater good, as if they couldn’t have happiness and save the world at the same time.

The conversation died there, and Wanda and America continued the drive deep in thought. The meeting with you was coming closer and closer and both of them were equally nervous if for different reasons.

The redhead couldn’t stop the influx of memories that one mention of the Halloween picture brought to her. It was kind of unsettling how those images went right through her mind, it wasn’t only that night but the many nights in which Wanda was yours, the many moments in which the both of you shared smiles and conversations. Those secret dates, and the secret outings, the secret kisses, the secret nights of passion.

The secret itself.

The shadows that ended up consuming what the both of you felt for one another.

Wanda observed as the distance separating her from you shortened all of a sudden, after so many years of you never even once showing in her life, she was finally coming over to you. There was a tingling on her abdomen, a strange void on her chest while her hands started sweating. Wanda was really a mess at the moment, and this meeting was creating a whole myriad of emotions she thought forgotten. Her heart fluttered with longing at the memory of Y/N, her smile, her stubbornness, and her voice. The way she usually took everything in stride, thinking of all the possible outcomes while becoming stronger so she could protect the team. So, she could protect Wanda.

“I know you’re powerful, Little Witch, but my powers give me an advantage it doesn’t give everyone else. I can be shadows itself, and I can protect all of you. You in particular if needed it. I would never let anything bad happened to you.”

America stirred on her seat, her eyebrows coming together in a gesture of remembrance.

“I was in a world made of ice once.” Wanda glanced at America for a moment, hearing carefully as she narrated one of her adventures. “It was inhabited, cold and so lonely. I thought that was the last place I would ever be, and then…I was able to open a different portal and I realized that world was necessary to understand the next one.”

America didn’t say anything else, but it was obvious these two trips had affected her greatly. Wanda pressed her lips together; she imagined being capable of traveling the multiverse could bring many possibilities both good and bad. How many times had America be in danger of dying in a place that was not meant for her?

“Have you ever thought of staying in one place?” Wanda ventured with curiosity; America stiffened her eyes going wide for a moment.

“I never have a reason to.” She said and Wanda knew, for what she could glimpse on her mind, that America was lying.

The young woman straightened up leaning in, her lips breaking into a relief smile, there in the distance she could make out the form of a house and a lighthouse.  Wanda clenched her jaw closed, her heart beating fast and her body feeling heavy with anticipation.

“We’re finally here.” Wanda let her eyes wandered to the shadowy figure of a lonely home in the middle of nowhere.

What came before her eyes was something Wanda could imagine you living in.

It was a house in the middle of nowhere surrounded by mountains and a current of water leading to the sea. The house was big, fancy and modern with all the things you had spoken of once, the chimney and the great windows were there as well as the greenhouse. The lighthouse right behind it was a surprised, but in general what Wanda was seeing was something she had been familiar with at some point. This only made her heart ached with longing and regret.

The place itself was surreal, and Wanda found herself smiling at how all of it fit what she had always known about you. Perhaps there was still hope that you haven’t changed that much, and Wanda still knew a thing or two about you.

“I can believe she lives here.” America said looking in awed the place. She was really impressed by what she was seeing, she returned her attention to Wanda only to notice right now the woman was looking like a statute.  “Are you nervous? Why are you so nervous? Was she an ex or something?”

When Wanda blushed at the comment America knew she had won one round. In this world the both of you did have something, but it was over. America mused over this, was it over? Wanda’s reaction told the young woman that was not the case but whatever had happened was enough to create this tension she was feeling at the moment.

“So, it is an ex, eh?” America leaned in then returned her eyes to Wanda. “This is going to be awkward, right?”

“You have no idea.” Wanda mumbled finally able to park the car right on the front door. “They must know we’re already here.”

“How do you know?” America tried to see if there was someone on the window, crunching up her nose. Wanda kept her eyes to the door wriggling her fingers nervously.

“There were cameras along the road when we approached her terrain.” Wanda tilted her head, “I think they also have movement sensors at the gates we just crossed.”

America pursed her lips thinking about these details, her face fell when she realized this was something she should have noticed before. Her latest adventures taught her she shouldn’t trust easily and to always be ready for anything. Her life was at stake and these strangers were doing everything to keep her safe. She should be more alert, ready to be of help and not a dead weight for anyone.

“Stop berating yourself, America.” Wanda placed a hand on America’s shoulder, the young woman huffed looking away. “This kind of reflex take time, and it wasn’t until recently that your life was at any real danger and as long as you’re here it would be our duty to help you and protect you.”

For some reason, this only made America felt worse. She was once more a task, a mission they need to comply with. Once more she was being a problem everyone needed to fix.

The hand on her forearm squeezed tenderly, America lifted her stare to see soft green eyes looking at her. Always sad, always lonely, Wanda turned her attention to the door then back to America.

“Everything is going to be fine, and I am protecting you America, because I want to, because you need that protection, and I won’t leave you alone. Okay?” America swallowed down her response nodding curtly. Wanda offered a tender smile before she let out a heavy sight.

“Look, Y/N and I, we…”

“Have a rough break up?” America asked making a face. “Yeah, I could tell by the teen angsty music you put the whole trip.”

Wanda leaned back furrowing her brows, “my music was not angsty…”

America lifted a single eyebrow in disbelief, though there was some amusement in her eyes. Wanda gave the door one last glance before returning her attention to America.

“What I really wanted to say was that I haven’t talked to her in over ten years.” Wanda lowered her gaze, hating the cold pain that went right through her very soul at this. “The last time we talked…This meeting could go wrong on so many levels I just want you to be ready; mainly because she doesn’t know we’re here.”

Wanda winced observing the angered stare coming from America. The young woman felt like a problem, all over again, because they were about to request help to someone that apparently had a grudge against Wanda, and she hadn’t called before coming and perturbed her personal space.

“You told Strange she said yes.” America said in disbelief, Wanda closed her eyes before letting her shoulders drop in defeat.

“I know, I lied.” Wanda said softly. “But if she had known it was me the one coming, I’m pretty sure she would have said no.”

“How can you be so sure?” America exclaimed. “We’re here uninvited. And by the amount of pinning and depression coming from you I’m guessing not only this wasn’t a good breakup, but it was something to do with you and not her.”

Once more, America found herself facing strong emotions overwhelming her at the worst time. She was so tired of being a dead weight for everyone, wherever she went she was a problem and her actions as well as her presence usually ended with someone getting hurt. The last time the people she had started loving like a family, the world she thought she could stay in had gotten into a difficult situation because of her.

Soon America found herself wrapped in a comforting hug, Wanda put her close and her voice was just above a whisper.

“Everything it’s going to be okay, America.” Wanda clenched her eyes closed, her heart shrank at the memory of Tommy and Billy. Would they know what to do? Would they have Wanda nearby to protect them?

The young woman in her arms was trembling like a leaf, and Wanda didn’t dare to look into her mind since this kind of pain seemed more personal, not so hothead. Wanda was reminded of Stephen’s words just before they left.

“She is no more than a teenager, alone and lost, hiding behind the attitude.”

America had been doing this for far too long, she was forgetting how it was to have someone who cared for her, who could help carried the weight she usually seemed to be carrying.

“I’m just a problem adults need to fix,” she mumbled dropping her shoulders. “Sometimes, their solution is to dispose of me.”

“I’m not going to dispose of you, America.” Wanda leant back wiping away the tears from America’s cheeks.

“We will reach a resolution for this, and then if you want, you can stop running, America.” Wanda tried to offer a smile, to really show the confidence she wasn’t feeling at the moment.

America tensed when the offer was made, it was the second time she heard the same offer coming from the same woman. Different universes. Wanda offered another comforting smile turning towards the door neither of them had approached.

“Look, I know my relationship with Y/N ended horrible. But she is a hero at heart, and she will help. She always does.”

America could tell Wanda was not convince but right now it was obvious they didn’t have more options.

Gee, is there anyone in this world that doesn’t have any trouble with one another? At this rate you guys are going to come face to face with someone like Galactus or Khan and this universe is going to be ashes. Was all America could think off before shrugging and nodding.

“Well then, I guess we better stop stalling this meeting, if they really see us coming they must be waiting.”

Once more America put on a false façade of bravery, she dried her tears knowing that at the moment she also needed to be strong. Whatever was chasing her, would not stop anytime soon and the help they had been looking for might be right behind the door. With a resolution Wanda had become familiar with, America stood up the door before knocking three times.

Wanda held back her smile, she could imagine your face while opening the door and facing the teenager with Wanda right behind her. The attitude and the bravado was something you and Wanda could recognize quite easily…just like Wanda recognized the attitude behind Tommy and the wit behind Billy. The young witch smiled fondly at the memory, her eyes welling up when the emptiness in her heart and life came rushing in; she was supposed to go back to them, to meet with her boys…If only…the thought of the Darkhold poked at her mind, the screams she had heard while trying to reach peace, learning about herself and her powers…

Wanda clenched her jaw, there would be time for that. Her eyes fell on the form of America that was looking around the place before going to the door. Right now, her priority was America.

Wanda sighed stepping forward, it was time to face her past. 

"There's no one home." America stepped back frowning at the lack of activity inside the place. 

Wanda grabbed the knob, her eyes gleaming red before a click was heard and the door was open. 

"Look at that, no locks." Wanda replied with a half-smile that America returned. 

"You know in all universes that's called break in?" But even as she said this America went right into the house feeling the change of temperature. 

The hall was neatly decorated with a table pressed against the wall, there was an empty bowl for the keys and a small mirror on the wall. Wanda closed the door behind her worrying her lip with her eyes glancing around the place. 

It was empty. 

The stood by the door for a moment, the walls were decorated with pictures and some paintings. Wanda watched as America went right in glancing around the pictures, furrowing her brows while trying to catch any sound coming from deeper inside the house.

There was nothing, and Wanda proceeded to follow the young woman. She had taken four steps further into the hall when the click of a gun broke the deep silence in the house, and Wanda felt the pressure of a gun against her head.

"You shouldn't be here, Wanda." The voice was familiar, husky and filled with amusement that Wanda had always found irritating. “Break in a private property is a felony in every country of our world.”

America turned around taking a fighting stance, her eyes went wide open when she noticed the other woman holding the gun. Wanda turned around slowly, her eyes gleaming red when she found herself facing Natasha Romanoff; Natasha smirked when she noticed the tension around those eyes, the anger written in the young woman’s features. She was even more amused at seeing the jealousy there.

“Natasha, why am not surprised that you’re here.” There was a bitter tinge in her tone, and she hated it because she wasn’t supposed to care, you had always told her Natasha was just like a mentor to you. Nothing else.

Natasha tilted her head, her eyes tuned cold and calculating evaluating the situation in front of her. Her green eyes went from America to Wanda, her eyebrows knitted together trying to find an explanation of the situation at hand.

How was it possible for Wanda to find your home? Why was she here? God, why did you have to leave your mobile that day precisely, there was no way Natasha could give you a heads up if you and Yelena never took your phones with you.

“You have a lot of nerve coming here and present yourself unannounced, Wanda.” Natasha couldn’t hide the annoyance in her tone, and her eyes were a clear indicator of his real mood.

The gun was still pointing directly into Wanda’s head, and while the young witch knew Natasha would never pull the trigger it didn’t make her feel better knowing Natasha Romanoff was in your house. As if she had been living there her whole life.

“I am surprised to see you here, Natasha.” Wanda’s voice had an angered edge Natasha was not familiar with, the young woman shook her head taking a deep breath. “We were wondering where you have gone to after the funeral. I guess it was only fitting, right?”

Natasha cocked her head, her lips curling slightly just as she lowered her gun.

“I’ve been leaving here for more than five years now, so yes…fitting.” Natasha put her gun away walking past Wanda, her eyes went once more to America then straight ahead. “Please, take your shoes off if you’re coming deeper into the house, we don’t want the floor to get dirty.”

Wanda scowled at this, and her glare went directly to America who was already taking her shoes off. The young woman shrugged nodding towards Natasha.

“I’m not about to disobey her.” She all but whispered, Wanda rolled her eyes following America’s example.

“Funny you said that, Y/N says the same thing about me every time.” Natasha chuckled making sure her tone of voice held a trace of innuendo while winking at Wanda.

It was almost impossible for Natasha to miss the flash of anger crossing those green eyes, but as soon as it was there it was replaced by a deep sadness. Wanda could pretend all she wanted in front of Vision and the others, but she had never been able of tricking Natasha. The Black Widow had always known, she had always seen it…and that was the reason why she made everything difficult for Wanda.

Because she was a coward.

Natasha went to the living room turning on the lights, she turned around, settling her eyes on Wanda and America.

"Want something to drink?"

America shook herself awake, "yes, thank you."

Natasha pursed her lips going to the kitchen moving around the place with a familiarity that made Wanda hurt. A bittersweet taste of realization hit Wanda making her dizzy, Natasha probably had been living there for quite some time with you. All this time Wanda had suspected Natasha knew your whereabouts, but the Black Widow had always denied it whenever Steve or anybody else would question her. Of course, Natasha knew, of all the people you trusted…

Wanda put her arms around herself, hating this surge of emotions she wasn’t allowed to experience.

"She is not here, by the way." Natasha explained coming over with a glass of orange juice she offered America and a glass of whisky she offered Wanda. “She is out, so you better start talking before she comes back, I’m know she won’t be please knowing you’re here.”

The young witch took the glass with a frown, America looked around the living room admiring the expensive setting and the paintings on the wall. She had never been here; she was still unsure as to why the hostility and how you would receive the both of them; though her own fan girl was getting overly excited to meet the Black Widow. Damn, she was beautiful. 

When America returned her attention to Wanda she realized the redhead was completely stiffened, her eyes hard as steel glaring at Natasha who was torn between her own amusement and a calculating stance. 

The tension could be cut with a knife. 

"Where is she? I need to talk to her." Wanda finally asked, Natasha lifted a single eyebrow and her eyes narrowed dangerously. 

"You can’t come here demanding anything at all, Wanda. I thought you knew this. You lost that right a long time ago." Natasha said calmly, eerily calm. "She is not as patient as I am and believe me when I tell you she is not going to be happy to see you here. So, what are you doing here?"

America took another sip from the glass on her hand, she furrowed her brows not understanding why the violence. As far as she knew, Natasha Romanoff was the best friend of Wanda. Of course, one version of Wanda… sometimes America wondered if perhaps it was better to just lose herself in one of the universes that had no humans or let whoever was after her get to her. 

Every time she got to a new place it wasn't only to learn things, but also to meet people that did not always end up being good. She wondered just what happened to this universe, to this version of Wanda and Natasha to be so openly hostile to one another. 

Wanda looked away before letting out a heavy breath. Her green eyes flashing dangerously at Natasha before she just took control of herself. 

"Something happened, and I need her help." Wanda finally said knowing full well her words were not going to be welcomed. 

"You have some nerve, Wanda." Natasha leaned back against the closest armchair; she emptied the glass of liquor in her hand before massaging her neck. 

"Look, I know I don't have any right…" Wanda trailed off glancing back at the entrance door, the sound of a car pulling on the street calling her attention. 

"She is not going to be happy, Wanda. I hope you're not waiting for her to say yes just because you asked."

Wanda clenched her jaw, tears pricking at her eyes. She couldn't help the wave of regret washing over her, the anxious beating of her heart. Her eyes flickered nervously to the door waiting for you to come in. 

______________________________________________________________

“Dude, she was about ready to pounce on you.” Yelena drawled, her lips curling slightly while wriggling her eyebrows at you. “And I know you’re not that indifferent to her advances.”

You couldn’t help the roll of your eyes at her comment, your lips twitched slightly while you tried to shake your head. The both of you had been discussing the same topic ever since you left the school, Yelena had insisted early in the day to come with you and see you in action only to have her following you around and pairing you with every single woman that came across you during school hours.

It was a game Yelena liked to play, something the both of you did to pass the time but that at the end of the day was something she used to get your mind out of your misery. The misery that usually came around this time of the year.

"For someone that is not that interested in sex, you surely seemed interest in my sex life." You snorted when Yelena laughed cocking her head to glance at you. 

"I may not find it interesting in me, doesn't mean I don't find it interesting in you."

You made a face blinking a couple of times before snickering. 

"You're such a perv, try to say that slowly and think about what you're saying!" 

Yelena opened her eyes before making a face, she slapped your arm laughing at you.

"You're the perv! What I mean is that I find it amusing to see you go through all of that!" Yelena tried to clarify rolling her eyes.

"You mean the sex?" Now you were confused, Yelena rolled her eyes though it was quite evident she was enjoying the absurdity of your banter. 

"No, you idiot!" Yelena exclaimed exasperated. "I enjoyed seeing you squirm and trying to get away from all the attention when it is evident you need some!" 

"Again, too much sex interest for someone like you."

"Again, it is not about me but you."

The conversation died for a moment, it was the wrong thing to say and Yelena realized it far too late. You shrugged offering a tiny smile to the blond woman. 

"I really need to get laid?" That question broke the tension, Yelena laughed and soon you joined in. 

Your house was coming into view, your eyes fell upon the single figure of an unknown car. You and Yelena leaned forward, both your postures changing for a moment.

"You do. You haven't done anything since that space chick left."

"Carol." You chimed in glancing at Yelena who was sitting straight in her seat, her eyes also on the car.

"Right, Carol." She teased whispering the name in a single enamoured whisper, you rolled your eyes while Yelena merely snickered. "That was disgusting, the amount of touching and kissing…I have to use my earphones all week." 

Yelena made gagging noises while you rolled your eyes at her teasing. You knew for a fact Yelena had liked Carol and they got along pretty well which was strange because Yelena didn't like anyone. 

"So, I take it we were not waiting for anyone today, right?" You finally inquired nodding to the parked car. 

"Nope." Yelena popped her lips shaking her head, her hand grabbing the gun under the seat. 

"Well, I don't think it's that bad, Nat would be out by now." You commented dryly, "unless, of course she is happy trashing the inside of my home?" 

"Occupational hazard, Y/N, you should know that by now."

You made a noise at the back of your throat parking right behind the strange car.

"Really, that excuse would get old really soon, Lena." You shook your head turning to Yelena. “Last time, I have to take Tony’s scowling while he helped me fix everything, this time around I’m dragging both of you to do so if it happens again.”

“Last time it was Bucky’s fault.”

“Last time it was you, Natasha, Bucky and Carol.” You replied rather exasperate, “I can believe I have to come back to that disaster, and I left you guys only for two days.”

“In my defence, you never told us they were your friends.”

You snorted closing the door of the car while approaching the unknown one. Perhaps Yelena was right, you didn’t say anything and that was the reason why it ended up in a fight, you looked inside the car but there was nothing there that might reveal who the owner was. You turned to your house then back to Yelena, the young woman had her hand tightly attached to her weapon though nothing else in her posture had changed.

"You know? Now that we talk about it, I like Carol." Yelena mentioned out of the blue trying to go back to the real conversation you two had started back in the car, the young woman had a contemplative stare on her face. "But this Milf you found at school…it has its perks if you want children."

"I'm so no taking you with me next time, Lena…" 

"What? I'm just saying Carol is good for a nice roll in the sack but this Mrs.IWantyoutifuckme is good for a happily ever after." 

Yelena’s words resounded in the hall, you opened the door wide open your lips curled into a smile that froze in place the moment your eyes fell upon the single figure you hoped you would never have to see ever again.

Wanda Maximoff stood in all her glory right at the end of the hall, her long strawberry hair fell in waves behind her back and while there were bags under her eyes and tiredness was quite evident in her green eyes, she was looking as magnificent as the day you met her.

The young witch felt her heart skipped a beat, she made an attempt to go to you when all of a sudden the smile dropped from your face and your features change into disbelief and anger. A well-known anger you reserved only for her. Wanda hesitated, and you hated the way your voice waver and softened when you said her name.

"Wanda."

______________________________________________________________

Tag list: @username23345 - @wandanats-goodgirl - @catswag22 - @imadethisblogbecauseiamasimp - @marvelogic - @dumpaccdontmindme - @nikkinss - @reereeineedtopee - @kaisenblog - @your-internet-adviser - @dark-hunter16 - @wandabear - @justyourwritter69 - @wandasmarley - @imthenatynat - @bisexualnoodle - @trikruismybitch - @julirey06 - @zolaromanoff - @anaaam 

#Wanda Maximoff #Female Reader #Y/N #You #Wanda Maximoff x Female Reader #Wanda Maximoff x F!Reader #Wanda Maximoff x Reader #imagine wanda maximoff #MCU AU #Fanfiction #Reader insert #WandaxReader #WandaxFemale Reader #WandaxF!Reader #MoM AU

[novamirmirsblog]

Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo

YOU GUYS JUST SEND IN SUCH CUTE PROMPTS AND IT STOPS ME FROM WRITING ANGST BECAUSE THEY'RE SO DAMN LOVELY.

Enjoy! @avengers-wholesome Hopefully this is what you wanted! Also this was super fun to write so thank you so much for the request :3

Tag list: @d14n4ol

request: yes

Genre: Fluff 🙄 (Kidding - NATASHA DESERVES HAPPINESS)

word count: 707

Warnings: None

'Well in the spirit of graduation season this is the prompt: Peter (for extra credit) had to take theatre and is the understudy for Romeo in Romeo and Juliet. While at the Avengers Tower, he’s having a hard time memorizing the lines, and reader and Natasha and Tony witness it. So reader demonstrates how the balcony scene is done and tells Natasha to read the Juliet lines, while reader acts Romeo’s lines. The whole scene they become enamored and a spark is lit between them. Fast forward, The Avengers go to Peter’s high school graduation and are being that kind of family that is loud as hell when their kid gets called, especially Tony. Natasha and reader cheer and reader shouts “THATS OUR NEPHEW!” And as Natasha smiles, reader says “Hey, let’s face it: Tony is one second away from adopting him and Tony is like a brother to me, so that makes me his aunt. And because your my girlfriend, makes YOU his aunt!” (IM SO SORRY THIS GOT LONG!)'

YES. I mean let’s face it, Peter would totally do extra credit work. I feel like he would be the kind of student who’s super smart but because he’s all over the place, he never actually does very well.

- Peter often used the avengers as his own personal google. Tony would help with product design, Bruce would help with science, Natasha and Wanda with foreign languages and F.R.I.D.A.Y. with just about anything else

- You, however had a secret talent. Your parents had made you go to acting school when you were very young. There were only two people outside your parents who knew of your talent - Nat and Tony.

- Nat knew because, well, she's a spy and quote unquote 'it was vital she knew everything about you because you might have been a HYDRA spy.'

- Tony knew because he was the one who recruited you into the Avenger family once he saw one of your fight scenes when you were a part time stunt double.

- So when the two see Peter struggling with learning his lines for his extra credit work, their minds automatically go to you.

- 'Heyy Y/nnnnn"

- "What do you want Tony?"

- "Can't I just want to talk to you?"

- "No."

- "Y/n?"

-"Hey Natasha..."

- "Wait why does Natasha get a hey and I get a what?"

- "Because I like her more than you. She doesn't only come to me when she needs a favour."

- Natasha let Tony try to convince you to help Peter with his lines just for her own enjoyment. She then stepped in and you agreed.

- "Natasha come here, you can read Juliet's lines."

- You looked cute, your hair a little messy from trying to explain to Peter many times that it doesn't really matter if he understands what they're saying or not, he just has to read it.

- It's why Natasha took a little longer to reach you than it normally would have done, she was too busy watching you rather than actually listening.

- You start the scene "Wilt thou be gone? it is not yet near day..."

- "It was the lark, the herald of the morn, No nightingale: look, love, what envious streaks..."

- You both get wayyy more into it than you should have. Luckily, Peter just thought it was really good acting.

- Luckily there was no kissing in the scene. It would have been too much for either of you to deal with. Also kissing in front of Peter just felt... wrong...

- Something was started when the two of you performed that scene.

- Even though Natasha is a total top, you were the one who asked her out. You had a feeling that if you didn't do it then there would be much more pining than there should be. Life is too short to live pining after someone.

- Your first date out as an official couple was actually to Peter's play.

-Well technically it was drinks that were after the dinner that was after the play.

- He did amazingly (as you knew he would - he had put so much effort into learning his lines)

- You did have a backup plan in case he didn't learn his lines in time though.

- Plan B was Wanda using her mind powers to send Peter the lines.

- "Y/n, I can here you thinking"

- "WANDA GET OUT OF MY HEAD" (You respectfully whisper shouted this and Wanda whisper shouted back)

- "ONLY WHEN YOU ADMIT THAT MY POWERS DON'T WORK LIKE THAT."

- You loved Wanda but her powers were confusing and you could only focus on things for short bursts of time.

- Act 5, scene 3 had just ended and you guys were definitely cheering the loudest.

- Thor was literally asked by security to leave.

- "THAT'S OUR NEPHEW!" You screamed in Natasha's face as you jumped up and down.

- She smiled - not smirked - but really smiled, you had made her soft.

- “Hey, let’s face it: Tony is one second away from adopting him and Tony is like a brother to me, so that makes me his aunt. And because your my girlfriend, makes YOU his aunt!”

- Peter bounds over to the two of you and wraps you both in a bone-crushing hug.

- Natasha looks at you over Peter's head "Yeah, we're his aunts."

#natasha romanoff imagine #natasha romanoff x you #natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff fluff #natasha romanov #natasha x reader #natasha x you #natasha romanov x reader #natasha x y/n #natasha romanoff #black widow x female reader #black widow imagine #black widow x reader #black widow x you #black widow #yes i have a problem #spidey duo

[missing-marvel]

The Shape of You (Pt. 4)

Pairing: Vision/Reader

Part 3, Part 5

Words: 5698

A/N: *shows up several months late with coffee and a new chapter* What’s up y’all, who’s ready for more metal husband?

-

You awoke feeling sluggish and hazy, practically choking on dust and resisting the need to sneeze. The feeling quickly shifted to panic as you opened your eyes to even more darkness which only worsened when you tried to move, something blocking the space in front of you as well as tangling around your legs. It wasn’t until you rolled to the floor with a loud ‘thud’ that you remembered falling asleep on the sofa. You didn’t remember grabbing a blanket, however, which had gotten wrapped around your legs in your sleep.

You recognized Vision’s silhouette as he appeared hurriedly from the other room. You couldn’t see much in the dim light, but you could recognize him by his eyes alone. They glowed softly in the dark, that electric-blue bringing some familiarity to your surroundings.

The lights came on and you were momentarily blinded, shielding your eyes with your hand as they adjusted. “Sorry,” you said, blinking the last remnants of sleep away. “I just fell off the sofa. I’m okay.” You took a good look around the room for the first time since arriving, still not bothering to get up off the floor. It looked like a fairly basic living space. There was a patterned rug, a coffee table, some shelves with a few random knick-knacks, the usual. You did notice the lack of a TV, however. You supposed it wasn’t worth investing in one if no one would be living here ninety-nine percent of the time.

Still a bit groggy, you almost didn’t see Vision walk over to you and extend a hand to help you up. To be completely honest, you were perfectly comfortable on the floor but you weren’t going to turn him away. You uttered a quick ‘thanks’ as you got to your feet.

You had absolutely no idea what time it was but it was definitely dark out. Not a speck of light filtered in through the drawn curtains. Whether it was evening or early morning, however, you hadn’t a clue. “What time is it?”

Vision pointed to a digital clock sitting on a bookshelf close by. It read 6:30.

“I only slept for a few hours?” Well, more like several hours, by your estimate. It was broad daylight when you’d arrived. Still, that was surprising given that you’d basically passed out as soon as you got indoors and hadn’t slept in like two days.

Vision shook his head, however, cutting off your train of thought. He held up one finger on his right hand and put it down before holding up nine in total. It took you a second to understand what he meant, thinking he was saying ten before realizing.

“Are you saying I slept nineteen hours?” Vision just nodded and you let out a sigh. That explained why you felt so stiff. That much time on a sofa, even a surprisingly comfortable one, would take its toll. One other thing struck you, however. “Wait a minute, so it’s six in the morning, then? It’s awfully dark out.” You chanced a peek out the window to actually confirm that it was, in fact, dark outside.

You turned back when you heard the familiar scratch of pen on paper. It looked like Vision had found a new notepad somewhere. By the time you walked over, he had finished writing. “Clock is an hour ahead. Haven’t fixed it. Only got power back on a couple hours ago.”

“Oh, that makes more sense.” This time of year, it was perfectly normal to be dark at 5:30. However, it was also cold outside and you were beginning to notice that in here as well. You picked up the blanket off the floor and draped it over your shoulders, pulling it tight around yourself. “Is there heat at all?”

Vision wrote his response as quick as possible, handwriting still impeccable as always. “It’s on but not very strong. Building isn’t in best condition anymore. There’s fuses missing so I prioritized some things. A few lights aren’t going to work.” He stepped aside and gestured somewhere down the small hallway behind him. On the wall was an open panel.

“Wait this place still has a fuse box? The Avengers couldn’t afford someplace with circuit breakers?” You couldn’t help but crack a smile at your own joke, if you could really call it that. You were just happy your custodial knowledge was relevant for once.

“Old SHIELD building,” Vision quickly noted. If this place had been built by the Avengers, it would be far more modern, probably to an unnecessary extent. Tony Stark would only stand for the best, even if it was a safe house that would almost never get used.

“Shield? Are they still around?” You only sort of understood what SHIELD was. No more than any other member of the general public. They were a kind-of, sort-of government agency or something like that. They always kept their stuff super secret so most people never really knew what they did. Then there was the whole deal with Hydra which nobody understood. You decided a long time ago it wasn’t worth worrying about, much like most of the American populace. Perhaps you should have paid closer attention.

Vision simply tilted his hand side-to-side in a gesture that implied that the answer was complicated and really not worth getting into. He shifted the conversation to you instead. “How are you feeling?”

“I should be asking you that. You weren’t doing so well yesterday.” You tried not to let the worry in your voice show, though you weren’t sure what good it would do.

You thought you saw a hint of a smile cross his face as he turned back to his paper. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be alright.”

“Vision...” You recalled back to the other night, when you’d told him nearly the same thing after a couple solid days of no sleep. Before you could retort, however, he’d turned and headed toward the other room, gesturing for you to follow.

The small office space was an absolute mess. The only reason you called it an office was the papers and folders scattered around the room as well as the computer tucked away on a desk in the corner. Underneath a blanket of dust, it looked almost exactly like the first computer you’d ever owned. Actually, it might just be the first computer. You were pretty sure it should be in a museum.

Vision navigated the difficult terrain with ease as he made his way to the desk. You, on the other hand, felt like you were doing a balancing act as you tried to limit your steps to the few parts of the floor that were visible. You didn’t know what all these stacks of papers and folders were exactly, but you figured it was best not to mess with them.

“There’s no way that thing works,” you said once you’d cleared a spot to stand by the desk, your own little island of shag carpeting amongst the sea of paper.

Vision pried open a panel on the side of the computer, carefully removing a CPU board with all the expertise of a seasoned technician. The actual monitor was half buried in a pile of miscellaneous cords and plugs next to the desk. After a brief moment of inspection, wherein he must’ve decided all appeared fine, he went ahead and booted the thing up.

It chugged to life like a patient coming out of surgery, slowly and with great difficulty. It made sounds you were pretty sure should only be coming from a lawn mower but all the lights eventually blinked on in time. As it did so, you braved the sneeze-inducing dust pile for the monitor, the air turning cloudy as you shifted all the junk that had been untouched for years. “I’m guessing you’ll need this?” You hoisted the dinosaur of a monitor up onto the desk, Vision taking it gratefully and nodding a thanks your way.

For a minute after he plugged it in, it seemed the screen wasn’t going to work. Only after staring at it did you realize it was working, albeit extremely slowly. A symbol was appearing on the screen, the shape becoming more discernible the longer the machine whirred. As far you could tell, it looked like some kind of government emblem, like an eagle with a crest in the center. It wasn’t until it had spent a solid minute loading that you were able to read the text surrounding it. “Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement... Logistics Division? What on Earth does— wait, that’s what SHIELD stands for?”

Vision nodded in a way that suggested he wasn’t overly fond of the acronym either. You were beginning to think he wasn’t so difficult to read after all, not like you thought when you’d first met, at least. It just took time, much like reading the decades-old monitor had.

“I think someone just really wanted the initials to spell out shield.” You gave a breathy laugh, more air than sound. “What’re you going to do with this old thing? Can it even get internet?”

Vision shook his head and reached for his paper from the edge of the desk. “Not that kind of computer,” he wrote. You resisted butting in as he tore off a new sheet, still not used to the pauses in conversation that resulted from the rather roundabout method of communication. “It’s wired directly into an old SHIELD system and by extension, hopefully, the Avengers emergency system.”

“Really? I would’ve guessed this place predated the Avengers.” As you spoke, Vision got the keyboard hooked up which had been stuffed into one of the desk drawers. It was missing at least a quarter of its key caps, the really chunky, old kind that made a satisfying click-clack when pressed. Apparently they’d prioritized actual computer hardware over keyboards considering there were offices at your job that still had keyboards just like it. Correction: your old job. You’d almost forgotten.

“SHIELD software was integrated with Stark tech after the Battle of New York. In theory, we should be able to put out an emergency signal on a secure Avengers server from here.” You almost hadn’t noticed Vision writing again as you zoned out a bit.

You would’ve been more excited over good news, but you’d learned over the years what happened when you got your hopes up. “So when you say in theory, I’m guessing the odds aren’t exactly...” You trailed off, unable to continue without sounding horribly pessimistic.

“It will work,” was all he wrote, a noticeable firmness in his grip as he held the pen. You didn’t say anything else but moved closer to the desk, directly by his side now. There was what could only be described as a hint of doubt in his expression before he turned back to the monitor as green text cluttered the screen.

“We can only hope so.” You let your hand brush his shoulder as you navigated back towards the door, no longer particularly caring to avoid crumpling the paper on the floor.

You weren’t sure how long it would take Vision to finish what he was doing, especially with the tech he was stuck with. You found it more than a bit ironic that possibly the most advanced machine on the planet had to use a decades-old computer to call for help. It felt weird to think of him as a machine. After what you’d been through in the past 24 hours alone, you’d begun to think of him as just another person. Well, not just another person, that wasn’t what you meant. How to put it...? You just couldn’t explain it. There was no precedent in your mind for a situation like this. Vision was a living being. As alive as anyone, maybe more so. That much you could say confidently.

Trying not to get too lost in your thoughts, you busied yourself investigating the rest of the apartment, not that there was much to find. Living room, connected kitchen, hallway with the office and stairs that led up to a bedroom and bathroom. All pretty standard. All of it looked fresh out of the 80’s. Well, maybe not fresh.

Just as you completed your lap of the place, you were interrupted by a low grumble from none other than your own stomach. That was a problem. There was definitely not food here. You had no other choice really than to shove the feeling to the back of your mind for now. You got yourself a glass of water to make do. At least the plumbing worked.

By the time Vision came back, it had been less than twenty minutes. “That was quick. Any success?” You sipped your water, ignoring the slight metallic tang it had.

Vision wrote as he crossed the room to stand opposite you from the island counter. “The beacon is active. Now someone just needs to hear it.”

Despite his lack of vocals, you sensed a definite lack of confidence in his words. “How long do you think that’ll take?” You hoped not too long. You were concerned about your food situation.

He didn’t bother writing a response. The expression on his face made it clear; he had no idea. Maybe never, if no one was out there to hear it. You only hummed a response, neither confirming nor retorting. The sound of you sipping your water seemed immensely loud in the heavy silence of the room.

“Well, what do we do now?” You were becoming anxious again. You didn’t like being forced to sit and wait. At any minute, you felt like law enforcement would start breaking the door down.

“We wait. There’s nothing else we can do.” He seemed apologetic. He wished he could give you a more concrete answer, some sort of assurance that this would all work out, but he couldn’t. Not truthfully, anyway.

It looked like you had some time to kill. You weren’t sure what all there really was to do. Still, it wasn’t all bad. At least you had company. “I wonder if there’s a better way we can communicate,” you mused, turning your mind to less dire matters.

Vision seemed to brighten up a bit as he was struck by an idea. “You don’t happen to know any ASL, do you?”

You shook your head. “Unfortunately, no. I assume you do?”

He responded by holding up his right hand in a closed fist and sort of nodded it up and down.

“I’m guessing that means... yes?” It wasn’t a far stretch. You’d actually thought about learning ASL before but never gotten around to it. There were more uses for it than people realized. Too bad work left you too busy and tired to make the time for lessons. Well now you had nothing but time.

Vision just nodded his head in the more familiar interpretation of the word. He grabbed the pen and paper again off the counter. “I could teach you some. At least the important parts, if you want.” He hesitated a split second between sentences, just a bit nervous, though the pause was nowhere near long enough for you to notice. It was barely a stutter in his programming, a single digit skipped somewhere in his code. Nothing to be concerned with.

“Yeah,” you said, maybe just slightly too enthusiastic. “Yeah, that’d be great! I— I mean, it would be useful, you know? Way more efficient than pen and paper. Uhm...” You were struggling to ask how he wanted to start when your stomach growled, providing a convenient segue into another topic. “Heh, sorry. Didn’t realize how hungry I was.” You tried to pass it off as no big deal, although you really were starving. You hadn’t eaten anything since before setting Vision free. It had been well over a full day since then.

He looked surprised for a moment, which he was, before he began writing. For a genius super-computer, he could sometimes be very forgetful of the needs of his human cohorts. They were very fragile things, humans. The need for sleep and food was something Vision never had to worry about, something he realized he took for granted. Something akin to guilt began to gnaw at him when he too realized how long it had been since the escape. He should’ve brought up the matter earlier. “We need to get you food,” he wrote very matter-of-factly. It wasn’t something up for debate.

“I don’t exactly have a lot of cash on me, Vis.” You flinched at the nickname, quick to move on before he could call you out on it. It had been merely a slip of the tongue, just shortening his name for the sake of convenience. It could have been a gesture of friendship towards the android, though you weren’t sure you’d quite earned the right to call Vision a friend, even if you were fond of him. “I’ve got like 10 bucks, tops.” You pulled a few crumpled bills from your pockets to emphasize your point. You obviously couldn’t use your credit card, either. You’d seen enough movies to know that.

Vision thought a moment before coming up with an idea. “It’s not the most ethical thing to do, but I could get cash out of an ATM. It’s technically a matter of survival, after all.” He demonstrated exactly what he meant by phasing his hand through the paper as you read, something that could just as easily be done to a cash machine.

It wasn’t so much the legality of the idea that bothered you. After all, you’d stolen multiple cars. It was the matter of Vision’s safety. Not that he couldn’t protect himself but he would be spotted quite easily if he went outside. That was just a matter of fact. And if someone called the police on a strange magenta man or anything along the lines of ‘robot,’ you could pretty much guarantee trouble. “I don’t know... What if someone sees you? The last thing we want is to compromise the safe house. I can just wait awhile longer, I’ll be fine.”

Your stomach chose that moment to grumble again, completely undermining your point. Vision shot you a look that more than sufficed to communicate what he was thinking but he wrote it down anyway. “It would seem we don’t have much of a choice.”

You sighed, all but forced to agree. Although, it would be nice to get some actual food before your stomach started eating itself. “Fine,” you relented. “But we wait until it gets dark out. It’s safer that way.”

Vision wasn’t about to argue.

-

Memorization wasn’t really your strong suit, but you seemed to do surprisingly well with the start of your sign language lessons. It helped that your teacher was so patient.

Vision thought it would be best to start with a few simple phrases for the sake of saving paper. Common things such as ‘sorry’ and ‘thank you.’ You had the benefit of only really needing to recognize them as opposed to being able to do the signs yourself, since Vision could obviously hear you, but you took it upon yourself to mimic the gestures anyway.

It had been a few hours and your head was starting to ache but you insisted on continuing. You were certain you were doing well and you wanted Vision to be impressed. Not only could you remember how to spell your own name, you could spell his as well. The rest of the alphabet may not have stuck as much but oh well. For now, words and phrases were more important.

“That’s... someone?” You guessed as Vision held up his index finger and waved it in a sort of circle. He’d been quizzing you for a few minutes now, to which you’d done pretty well. He shook his head this time, however, and tried not to look amused by the almost comically offended look on your face. “What? Yes it is! I’m certain that means ‘someone!’” You were insistent on the fact. Vision hadn’t tried to trip you up yet but he must be this time. You tried to mimic the motion, repeating the word as if that would change anything.

He shook his head again, not bothering to hide his smile this time. He reached for your hand, raising it higher to show you that there was, in fact, a slight difference between what he was signing and what you were. For a moment, you looked almost startled, like a deer in headlights. He didn’t miss the hint of color that tinged your cheeks. His assumption was merely that you were embarrassed by your mistake, though it was an easy one to make. He switched back to paper in order to explain. “This,” he repeated his first gesture. “means ‘always’. What you signed was ‘someone.’ See the difference?”

You nodded in understanding although your attention was beginning to drift. You felt like you were cramming for an exam in a class you hadn’t been attending. You may or may not have actually had to do that before. The point was, you’d learned just about all you were going to for the day. And just in time, it seemed, as you glanced toward the curtains, no longer backlit by the afternoon sun. You’d managed to kill most of the day, between checking that the computer was still working and just generally talking with Vision. There wasn’t much else to do, not that you were complaining. You were quite enjoying the android’s company and not just because you were stuck with him. And to top it off, you’d managed to distract yourself from how hungry you were. Until now, that is.

“How about we call it a day on the lessons, hm? I’d say now’s about the best time to head outside. There’s just one thing we have to do first.” You turned and exited the room without explanation, only saying you’d be right back. You ran upstairs to the bedroom, hoping you could find what you needed. You hadn’t voiced your plan to Vision, although you saw no reason for him not to go along with it. It was a smart idea if you said so yourself. At least that’s what you told yourself as you began rifling through drawers.

Vision wasn’t sure what to think at first when you came bumbling down the stairs again with a messily folded bundle in your hands. But your intention became clear quite quickly once you’d returned, immediately holding out the clothes to him before bothering to explain.

“I hope this isn’t rude but you kind of… stand out. I just thought, maybe it’d be a good idea to disguise yourself. Just for safety. Is that okay?” You hoped there was no offense taken by the gesture. In truth, you were glad Vision was going with you and not just because of the money thing. You didn’t feel particularly safe walking the streets alone at night, especially when you didn’t know the area. But having Vision by your side made you feel nigh invincible. There was just the small issue of technically being wanted criminals.

He smiled, more to himself than anything. It was just strange, he thought, how concerned you were with his opinion. Of course he wasn’t offended. It was a smart idea. He chuckled a bit, although it was a strange action given his physical state. The motion of a laugh was there, his shoulders shuddering as any human’s would despite his lack of need to actually breathe, but there was no sound. It was one of those mannerisms that was ingrained in his programming, though he wasn’t sure quite where it came from. Not from Jarvis, certainly, since the AI had no physical form, and Ultron likely hadn’t been terribly focused on such gestures at the time of his creation. In reality, it was simply something he’d picked up on his own, even if he wasn’t aware of it.

You let out a breathy chuckle of your own as he took the clothes, glad to see he agreed with you wholeheartedly. He got dressed quickly, leaving only his face visible when he was done. Luckily, it was cold enough outside for him to get away with wearing gloves, a scarf and a hat. The clothes were a bit old-fashioned but in a professional way. The long wool coat and slacks in particular gave the impression of a scholarly type, perhaps even a professor. You couldn’t help but think it was a good look for him.

“Well don’t you look just dashing,” you teased. You’d found a coat for yourself as well, deciding your own jacket wasn’t going to be enough. You silently thanked whatever SHIELD employee set this place up for supplying a myriad of spare clothes. “Oh, one more thing.” You turned to the coat rack by the door, grabbing a scarf that had been left hanging there. “Just in case.”

You hesitated at the front door. Despite the fact that you were merely going to look for a convenience store or something similar, your anxiety spiked as though it were a dangerous mission. You could just imagine all the ways you could get caught. It was almost enough to make you stay here, slowly starving to death waiting for something to happen. Vision noticed your apprehension, however, and did the first thing that came to mind to soothe your worries. He gave you a warm smile, holding out a bent arm for you to take. He thought you might find the somewhat old-fashioned gesture funny and he was right. You laughed, taking his arm anyway. It was a nice reminder that the odds of anything bad happening were tremendously low, which you mentally repeated to yourself as you stepped outside.

-

Everything had gone off without a hitch. There was a small grocery store a few blocks down which you’d run into just before closing time so the store was nearly empty. Vision had waited outside near the ATM, which had provided the funds you needed. Other than the bored clerk at the store, you hadn’t seen so much as a single soul this whole trip. By the time you and Vision were walking back, burdened by just a few days worth of groceries (which would ideally be more than enough), your previous worries had all but melted away.

You only wished the weather matched the feeling. Nothing was melting in this cold. In fact, a few snowflakes had begun to fall. They were almost mesmerizing under the blueish haze of the streetlights, whipped into a frenzy by the faintest of gusts. The sight wasn’t enough of a distraction, however. You couldn’t help it when a shiver wracked your body, your coat not doing nearly enough to prevent it. Vision noticed this, however, and stopped you both in your tracks.

He was quick to reach for the paper and pen in his coat pocket, a look on his face of more concern than you thought necessary. It was only a little chill. “Are you cold?” The question wasn’t particularly necessary, the answer being obvious. Still, it was polite to ask.

You tried to shrug it off, noticeably tensing to suppress a second shiver. “I’m fine. Let’s just hurry back.” You turned to keep walking, knowing there was still a decent walk ahead but he stopped you, putting a hand on your arm for the briefest of seconds. He just looked at you a moment, seeming to forget about his paper. You caught the faintest hint of conflict in his expression, though you didn’t know why. “What is it, Vision?”

Realizing he’d made you worry, Vision seemed to snap back to his senses. He gave you a reassuring smile and reached for his scarf, undoing it quickly. You were facing him, standing close enough to see the circuitry in his eyes. He paused again, however, debating his next action. For a being that didn’t have nerves, he sure felt nervous and didn’t fully understand why. He moved at a pace far slower than he was used to, hesitantly wrapping the scarf around your neck for you. His touch was light as a feather as if he were afraid to touch you. You could do nothing but watch him, lost in the details of his eyes and face as your grip on the grocery bags began to loosen involuntarily.  There was a moment where neither of you moved, his hands still lingering on the loose fabric of the scarf.

Your heart skipped a beat at the gesture, mind racing to find a logical conclusion that didn’t concern such things as the vague and confusing emotions that spiked in your chest just then. It was cold, so Vision gave you his scarf. Your hands were full, so he put it on for you. But what you couldn’t answer was why he lingered the way that he did and more importantly, why your chest began to feel tight in a way that wasn’t as unpleasant as you’d think. The most sensible reason you could think of was that he was simply a gentleman, and perhaps a little unfamiliar with personal boundaries. That was the only possibility you had the strength to consider. Anything else would open doors you were afraid to even imagine.

Footsteps scraping heavily against the pavement cut the tender, if rather nerve-filled moment short. You turned toward the sound, though Vision remained facing slightly away, bowing his head somewhat in an attempt to conceal himself. You froze when a figure emerged from the alleyway; a heavy-set man whose posture listed to one side, most likely from some kind of injury. His clothes were noticeably old and ragged, most definitely not warm enough for this weather. You would’ve asked him if he needed help were it not for the knife he brandished at you.

“Look, I don’t want any trouble,” he said, his voice wavering. Funny, you were just about to say the same thing. Clearly, he wouldn’t be doing this unless he was desperate and in a bad situation. Unfortunately, you weren’t much better off. “I saw you, I know you have cash. Just hand it over and no one gets hurts.”

Under normal circumstances you would’ve complied but you’d used up pretty much all the cash you got and you couldn’t risk giving him your wallet. If your ID found its way into police hands there’d be government agents swarming this place before you ever got the chance to bail. “We don’t have any money left, I swear. Please, just walk away.” You moved slowly, setting the grocery bags on the ground and raising your hands in surrender without making any sudden movements that could set him off. You weren’t as afraid as you probably should’ve been, choosing to try and reason with the man rather than flee, which would probably be the smarter option.

The man stepped closer to you, his grip on the knife visibly tightening. He was nearly within arm’s reach now which wasn’t ideal but you held your ground. Vision caught the man’s movement out of the corner of his eye, his hand reflexively grabbing at your arm protectively. The man furrowed his brow, glancing between the two of you in confusion. At this distance, even without Vision facing him, he could almost definitely tell something was strange here. Having given you his scarf, the only things covering Vision’s face were a hat and upturned coat collar. You spoke up again, drawing the man’s attention before he could get too close of a look. “This doesn’t have to get messy. Please… ”

You weren’t sure exactly how long the three of you stood there, time frozen around you. The only things that moved were the snowflakes that had grown more frequent in the past couple minutes. The man finally shifted, albeit barely, one foot scraping harshly against the concrete as he braced himself. He glanced between you and Vision again, jaw clenched tightly. “I ain’t walking away empty-handed. I can’t. Just gimme your damn wallet.”

Vision tugged gently on your arm. You weren’t sure exactly what he was trying to say, either trying to pull you closer to him or signal that you should run. You didn’t think running was a good idea. You feared Vision’s injuries acting up again and you didn’t want to test your own speed either. You turned back to the man, desperately pleading at this point. “I can’t …”

“Then I’ll just have to take it from you.” He didn’t give you another chance to argue, immediately lunging at you haphazardly. He couldn’t even get close to hitting you, however, as Vision’s reflexes were far superior to the man’s. The android grabbed his arm, twisting it painfully to the side and forcing him to drop the knife. The man yelped and threw a punch at Vision, who dodged it easily. The man didn’t seem to understand just how drastically outmatched he was, not even now that he had a clear view of Vision’s face. Whatever was going through his head, he still seemed to think fighting was his best option. He took another swing at Vision who, up until this point, had no intention of fighting back. But he was left with few other options. He pushed back against his attacker, sending the man sprawling to the ground with a painful ‘smack’ as he hit the pavement. There was genuine fear in his eyes when he looked back up at the two of you.

“Vis, we gotta go.” It was you holding his arm now, pleading with him to leave. He nodded quickly, completely in agreement. The two of you paused only long enough to scoop up the dropped grocery bags before making your escape. The man didn’t dare follow you as you disappeared down a side street, desperate to avoid any more prying eyes. This was the exact sort of thing you’d been afraid of when you’d left the safe house. You could only hope the man kept his mouth shut about what he’d witnessed tonight but it seemed luck may not be on your side.

-

A/N:  I want to mention that I don’t personally know much ASL and had to rely on videos, etc. so if anything at all is wrong, I apologize. Feel free to call me out.

#vision/reader #vision x reader #marvel fanfiction #avengers fanfiction

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

(sees another fandom that I can ask you about and cheers) Orphan Black! Thoughts? I don't know Dr Who but Tatiana is one of my favorite actors period.

Anon you are so sweet! I'm always happy to chat about fandoms and characters and whatnot, and I will never not appreciate the majesty of Tatiana's acting. That is one of the greatest parts of the show hands down.

Orphan Black, to me, is a show that had incredible potential, but didn't really live up to the excitement it created. (Loooong post ahead.)

The thing is, Orphan Black builds a chilling mystery and background, the world it gradually creates as it goes for about the first two seasons, got be very invested and made me wonder a lot about where it was going to go and what the answers were. The setup is brilliant, right from the start with that iconic cold open of Beth's suicide. The unknown is what really helped this show get as thrilling as it was, because the actual answers behind the unknown were kind of hit and miss, and it seemed like far too often, the show just wasn't interested in telling it's story. Hijinks where the clones impersonate each other in slice of life events? That's fun at first and it really works well as they're still getting to know each other. But after a while, it gets tedious, and it seems like the show would rather fuck around and have dance parties (seriously, that scene was such a #BigLippedAlligatorMoment) than focus on the story and the threat that the sisters are facing. Virtually all of Allison's plotlines are like this, they feel like they belong in a different show, and for some reason the writers insisted on giving her one of these storylines like, every season. After Allison passively murders her own friend out of suspecting that she's spying on her, I just don't feel like an arc about her running for some PTA office position even matters. It doesn't feel right.

Speaking of that, here's another example: Donnie. Why did the end of the first season suggest that he was this secret mastermind working for Leekie? The whole idea just deflates in Season 2 and doesn't really go anywhere. He just goes back to being the bumbling sweetheart he was before. Why even have him be the spy? Maybe it should have been Ainsley. Do you want to know the exact moment that I think Orphan Black went wrong? Like, the specific scene? When Leekie was killed off. The character who had thus far been the Big Bad, gets taken out in the stupidest possible way, a literal accident on Donnie's part, and it's even played for laughs. After that point, the show really struggled to regain it's footing, though I don't think it completely went off the rails until about Season 4, and it was still generally hit or miss. Like, some stuff was really good. The introduction of the Castor clones, the development of Rachel's character (I'll get to her, trust me.) and the reveal of Kendall Malone. But it seemed like so much else was just forgotten or otherwise not resolved. Whatever happened to Cal? Sure, the show wanted to focus on the sisters...but Kira deserves to know her father if she wants to. That's just one example. It's a crying shame because this show is sometimes incredible. The metaphor that I always use for situations like this, is a card game. The show has all the right cards in its hand, they're just not being played.

The two strongest characters, at least to me, were Rachel and Helena. One of these characters was superbly written and went through a devastating arc. The other was Helena. We need to talk about her. In Season 1, she really cemented herself as a memorable presence with her trademark accent, her scars, her whole damn personality (again, hats off to Tatiana) and of course, that iconic screechy theme music that accompanied her. Which at first made us jump, but eventually made us cheer. I adored Helena, and I loved the development of her relationship with Sarah. Who went from shooting her in Season 1, to being deadset on rescuring her in Season 3, being furious with Siobhan for betraying her. (This is unrelated but Siobhan has the same " twist villain fakeout" at the end of Season 1 that Donnie does, and it's quite frustrating.) And yet, I swear, the writers just didn't know what to do with Helena half the time. They put her on a bus for long stretches, including one point where she just up and leaves Allison's house in Season 4, for no given reason. And the characters just kind of...don't care. The same thing happens when she gets arrested. No one cares to try and find Helena, even though she's unstable and often a danger to those around her. Even though she's by herself with no real ability to function in society. Even though she's pregnant. There is no excuse for this, and no Sarah, that "I'm sorry, I avoided you" scene in Season 5 is not going to cut it. It's such an afterthought.

I'm being rather critical, but I hope you can tell that this is from a point of passion. I genuinely enjoyed this show and getting to watch it. Just that sometimes it didn't feel like the show cared that I was watching. However, this was not true whenever Rachel was onscreen. Look, I'm a Merula Snyde stan, so you can probably already guess how I feel about Rachel. Despite her crimes, despite her constant slipping back the dark side, I felt so bad for Rachel at the end of it all. That scene with Kira really sums it up. "Who hurt you?" "All of them." And no scene is more intense than when she stabs out the eye cam. Like, I'm sorry, I pitied Rachel pretty much from Season 2 on. Her parents were horrible to her, and I'm supposed to think Ethan is the good guy here? He kills himself in front of his own daughter, telling her that she doesn't deserve him. And then Sarah shoots a pencil through her eye, causing brain damage and requiring a long recovery. I'm not saying that Sarah was wrong to do what she did, just that if I were in her shoes, I'd still feel a degree of guilt for Rachel's condition. In the end, I'm devastated that she was barred from Clone Club, when she made the right decision at the point it mattered. But there's just too much history there, and Sarah won't ever forgive her. (Though again, I do feel as though there's blame to share.) Rachel is my favorite character and I never expected her to be. But she's just so complex. Side note: "Enjoy your oophorectomy" is so damn quotable. I don't know why but I love that line.

So, Rachel's my favorite. Who's my least favorite? It might surprise you. It's Delphine. I'm sorry, but I just...I couldn't get on board with C*phine. Not after Season 3. I was waiting for the point that the show would push to finally redeem Delphine for her turncoat role, for all of the hell that she put Cosima through. By Season 5 though? I realized that as far as the writers were concerned? She already was redeemed. Even though she did nothing to earn it, except be presumed dead by Cosima. The way she treats Cosima in Season 3 is actually disgusting. Her reasoning for breaking up with Cosima is circular. She has to love "all the clones" in order to be with Cosima, and the way to do that is to take over Rachel's job, which means they can't date anymore? I'm not the only one who thought that didn't make sense, right? Oh and let's talk about how she stalks Cosima's date, breaks into her house, and threatens her life. Red. Flags. Cosima even says the line, "If you're not going to be with me, just let me go." I'm sorry, that should not be something she has to beg for. Delphine's behavior made me want her to stay far, far away from Cosima. Who is, incidentally, a sweetie and I absolutely adore her. I legit have trouble remembering that Tatiana's playing her because she just looks and acts so different. That said, even though I immensely disliked Delphine, I am so very glad that they made one of the clones gay. Just like I'm glad that they made one of them trans. (Though...Tony wasn't handled especially well.)

In general, I do think the earlier seasons were stronger. The Brightborn arc, while interesting, didn't really contribute much to the overarching narrative. We got the backstory on Beth's suicide and finally learned the truth about her, I suppose. Still, even though Beth is one of my favorite of the clones, and I never expected her to be either...I feel like the actual reason given for why she took her own life was rather illogical. She apparently did it because the investigation was putting the clones in danger of another Helsinki. Okay, but just because Evie Cho says you should off yourself, doesn't mean you have to. You could just, like...stop investigating. And if you die under mysterious circumstances without explaining anything to the sisters, they're not going to be put off from the investigation. They're going to look into this even more, because they don't know why they're not supposed to. The reveal that she and Art fell in love toward the end adds an extra gut punch, but it also doesn't make sense because wouldn't Art have referenced it during the period that he thought Sarah was Beth? On the other hand, Season 4 also introduced MK. And I have such a soft spot for her. I adore that sheep-masked sweetie. Everyone always asks "Which clone would you date" (because fandoms can think of nothing else I guess) and I never see anyone give any love to MK. Her death absolutely tore me apart. I am glad Siobhan avenged her even if she went down at the same time. Side note, her last word being the affectionate "Chickens..." Broke me.

Season 5 was a strange beast. In general, it seemed like we were finally getting some answers to the questions that were hanging over us. Exploring the deep mythos. But then they kind of turned it around and made it just be a Wizard of Oz style fraud twist. Westmoreland isn't really inhumanly old, he's a charlatan. I don't know why that was necessary in a science fictional show. I've seen the interviews and I get what they were going for, it just feels like it would have been cooler and far creepier if he was actually that old. The puppet master pulling the strings the whole time. We also finally get some answers for Kira's superhuman healing abilities (though we never learn how she's telepathically connected to the clones) and I'm loving it, but the trouble is, it's inconsistent. Ethan "Why is this guy so popular, he's an asshole" Duncan told Rachel specifically that Sarah being able to have children was a fluke, that the clones were "barren by design." I don't know, the whole concept of Revival and of the "magical island" was really foreboding and tied in with the earlier references to The Island of Doctor Moreau. Especially that song about "Revival's Children" just...the shudders, man. But just having it be a regular old scam is...a letdown. I know it may be more realistic, but I don't always need realism in my scifi. The finale is interesting, in that it's mostly an epilogue. I'm glad the clones (sans Rachel) got to live happily ever after, but there are two gut punches right at the end that are total nitpicks but they bother me. Helena naming her kids after Art and Donnie? And writing a memoir that she names "Orphan Black?" Those two tropes can go die in a hole. They can enjoy an oophorectomy, because I'm so sick of them.

The potential of Orphan Black was practically infinite. The results of Orphan Black fell frustratingly short.

#Orphan Black #Alison Hendrix #Rachel Duncan #Helena Orphan Black #Sarah Manning #Cosima Niehaus #Long Post #Beth Childs #Ramblings #Veera Suominen #Donnie Hendrix #Aldous Leekie #Ethan Duncan #Delphine Cormier #Siobhan Sadler #Clone Club #Arthur Bell #Tatiana Maslany

[peppersonironi]

12, 21, 19

(Is this late? Oops. Sorry!)

12: Favourite character to write about this year

Stephanie Brown, easy. She's my spirit animal, so I might be doing a touch of projecting, but I honestly don't care. She's just pure chaos in the best way. Some of my favourite lines that I've written are for her. Such as:

"What's up bitches? I brought donuts!"

"My waffles await!"

"FEAR ME!"

"Welcome to Steph’s Glitter Bomb Palace, Where Snitches get Stitches™! So don’t tell Bruce or I’ll sic Jason on you."

She's also the character I've gotten the most comments on. People really seen to enjoy how I write her!

A close second would be Duke Thomas. Bliss, a fic I wrote for the 2020 Duke Week, was one of my favourites! Or maybe Damian? His dialogue just comes easy to me.

21: Most memorable comment/review

the batfamily exist:

everyone: is,,is that allowed?

On Code Orange (Batfam/Young Justice Crossover)

*Or*

I have wanted to read a DCU/MCU crossover for a VERY long time. This story is such a delight. Your characterisation (and for me an introduction to The Signal) was fascinating in the extreme. I loved the game playing and the fact that I could watch (open-mouthed) as Bruce Wayne enjoyed childlike fun with his children and Alfred(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) was the cherry on top of the icing on top of the cake. I look forward to your updates in a way that you wouldn't believe.

On Batfam/Avengers Crossover

19: Any new fics to start next year

Oh boy. So many. You know what? Here's a list. It'll be good to get these ideas out. Plus, you guys can tell me what you'd rather see first!

Gen/just Batfam

Crack fic based off this piece of dialogue (came from a convo between my sister and I): Tim reached forward and poked Duke's face. "You're right!" He exclaimed. "You really *do* squish like a block of wood!" Duke Centric.

Based on THIS Incorrect Quotes. Talia moves into the Manor because she's sick of Ra's. Featuring a bunch of good mom!Talia.

Based off THIS Incorrect Quotes. Jason runs for President as Red Hood. I have so many ideas! This'll be really fun.

Loosely based on THIS post. It explores Jason and Cassandra's relationship, and how it evolves.

Duke Thomas Big Bang Fic (can't say much, but it'll be great!)

Platonic (need to be certain you understand that. There were some misconceptions w/ my Discord server) Slow Burn between Tim and Damian. At the beginning the absolutely despise each other. But over time they realise their own insecurities, and how they don't actually hate the other. And by the end they fully admit and embrace their being brothers.

Reverse Robins with Damian as the oldest (I made THIS post talking about it a while back. But I've highly revised it.)

Reverse Robins with Duke as the oldest (I wrote THIS fic, but I think I want to change this into a series!)

Cassandra as Batman. Stephanie as Catwoman. Carrie Kelley as Robin.

5 Times Bette Kane was the mastermind behind the batkids' pranks without Bruce's knowledge, and 1 Time her brilliance was brought to light.

5 Times Duke thought that he couldn't possibly get any more siblings and 1 Time he met the cousins (AKA: Duke meets the extended family)

Birdflash

Birdflash in the JL/JLU universe (based off that one hexagon by @novaviis ! Super fun!). The league is inviting potential members to the Watchtower one day. Except Wally wasn't there during the choosing of said members. So he's completely shocked when his husband Nightwing shows up. They have to act like they don't know each other, which basically involves Dick flirting his butt off with Wally, Wally trying desperately to remain professional, Bruce digging in the corner, the rest of the League in varying degrees of disapproval and confusion (at least a couple have seen Wally's wedding ring. So that adds a while 'nother layer).

Young Justice soulmate au. Dick, and eventually everyone else, knows that Wally is his soulmate. Wally is oblivious. Lots of pining and angst in this one. Slow burn to an extent (depends on how long I make it). But definitely a happy fluffy ending in sight!

Batfam Meets Young Justice

THIS fic.

Duke gets yeeted into the YJ universe, and promptly passes out. He wakes up in the Watchtower, and breaks out of the confinement the Team has set up for him. Pulls shenanigans (some unwittingly) and used his powers. The Team and JL are confused, and panicking. Because this guy keeps muttering things about the Batfam. And he has a bat on his chest.

The Team break into some ancient temple after getting info on a new Supervillian plot. They find purple clothed woman draped across a throne. She talks, and they panic, as she knows all their secret identities. The only one who isn't, is Tim. He looks bored. Alternatively: Steph needs Tim's credit card to take his sister out on a date, and absolutely refuses to text.

While the Team is on a mission to stop Lady Shiva, a dimensional portal opens up and spits out a strange Robin (Damian) and what seemed to be a female Batman (Cass as Black Bat). This new dynamic due promptly defeats Lady Shiva and all the goons. The Team is freaked out, and 'apprehends' the dimensional anomalies, bringing them back to the Watchtower. Where the due promptly break and and start chaos. Featuring "Toxic" by Britney Spears. I will not explain why.

The Watchtower gets a sudden emergency message from the Batcave. They accept, to find a stranger calling himself Signal panicking about Robin being missing. They all look at Tim, who ignores them, and says that he doesn't know where Robin is. Some naming shenanigans occur.

(Not sure if this fits here, oh well) Set in Season One, Bruce is tired of Clark's attitude towards Superboy, and adopts the clone himself. Not sure how far this'll go, but at least goes through Dick's time as Robin. (Based on THIS Tumblr post)

(Also iffy on placement) a continuation of one (not sure which? Probably Damian as older) Reverse Robins fics. It's a retelling of Season One of YJ, with Dick as Robin. Nightwing (Damian) feels protective of his brother, and so takes on the role Black Canary had in the show, training the Team. But as time goes on, he ends up being more of a big brother to the group. Cameos from the rest of the Batfam as well! And an Identity Reveal (including finding out Dick and Dami are brothers) at the end!

Batfam Meets the Justice League

Cass takes over being Batman for a bit, because Bruce was an idiot and broke his leg. This happens to line up with when the Justice League reach out to the Dark Knight, in order to extend an invitation to the league. They eventually meet Bruce as Batman, and are confused as to why he is so tall. And male.

Joyfire

Lian accidentally reveals her three parents' relationship by calling Bruce 'grandpa' over dinner.

Museum Heist

THIS fic

Operation: Seduce Nightwing. Based on a post for an ATLA ot3, Wally and Artemis realise silumaneously “Hey, we kinda have the hots for Dick” and decide together to see if he likes them back. Which involves a heck ton of over the top flirting, and shenanigans. The Team is sighing on the sidelines at their idiocy. Dick is internally combusting and thinking “Do they like me back? I’’m not sure.” 

5 times Dick and Wally fought over being the middle spoon, and one time Artemis had had enough.

Set in Season 3 (but ignores some canon), Bart is kidnapped by some mad scientist obsessed with the Speed Force. The Team mobilizes, and gets Bart back from the evil base. But when they get there, they find Wally West freed from the Speed Force. He and Artemis reunite, and everyone is happy. They prepare to leave. Then the Pick-up Squad arrive in the bioship, and Dick gets out. Everyone is expecting Dick to give Wally a hug, because hey, he's his best friend! What they weren't expecting was him to run forward and pull the speedster into a passionate kiss. They go back to the Watchtower, and some more stuff happens.

Soulmate AU where the first thing your soulmate says to you after they fall in love with you is tattooed on your body.

Post Season Two Get Together. Starts with Artemis living with Dick as opposed to Will. Might be Slow Burn? (They come pretty close to kissing) Eventually Wally comes back. Arty and Wally are back together. They both live in the same house as Dick, for convenience. Then some more Slow Burn happens. Maybe some Birdflash moments. Arty tells Wally she kinda had a thing for Dick. Wally admits the same. Maybe a touch more Slow Burn. They Eventually get together.

Batlantern

AU where Bruce met Hal back when he first came back to Gotham. Fic goes through how their relationship evolves over the years (up until current time, when Damian is 13). I'm considering a relationship reveal with the Justice League.

Hal's interactions with Bruce's kids.

Green Lantern Corp acting protective of Hal when Bruce comes to Oa. This was an ask that I got, and I'm holding off on writing it till I get as much into on the GL's as possible, as all I know if their characterization comes from that animated series, and Guy Gardener's (Hilarious!) parts on Young Justice.

Marvel

Like 3 different versions of the Peter Parker Field Trip to Stark Tower Trope.

2-part Crossover with the Batfam (they exist in the same universe), where the Avengers go to a Wayne Gala, and interact with the family. The second chapter involves them heading out the next night to try and contact Batman.

THIS fic.

#Pepper answers #Ask #batfam #dc #fanfiction #birdflash #joyfire #museum heist #batlantern #stephcass #young justice #young justice cartoon #marvel #the avengers #duke thomas #stephanie brown #cassandra cain #bette kane #damian wayne #tim drake #kate kane #jason todd #dick grayson #bruce wayne #wally west #artemis crock #roy harper #koriand'r #lian harper #hal jordon

[redsector-a]

AO3 Ask Game

I was tagged by @themarshalstale which, thank you so much! I feel like I always get missed on these (I know why, it’s been 84 years since I published anything but still). 1. How many works do you have on ao3?

46 it seems. Which...look I’m slow man so that’s not surprising. lol Also crippling depression does not make for much production, at least for me.

2. What’s your current AO3 wordcount?

309662 according to the stats.

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

So do I could only AO3 or in like life? lol I suppose it should only be on AO3 since this is an AO3 ask game. Hrm. Basically AO3 can be summed up as: Marvel (in several iterations - all Avengers related) Torchwood Highlander But isn’t it more fun to consider my entire fandom life, which, I’m sorry, I’m old so...yeah. Not all of this is was published and beyond that a lot is not available anymore...which is likely for the best. Highlander Star Wars Babylon 5 Ronin Warriors/Samurai Troopers Marvel (again, several iterations also of note Avengers and X-Men both count) Torchwood Star Trek LOTR Stargate (SG-1, SGA) Mortal Kombat I dabbled with the idea of Potter fic but never got past the ideas stage.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1: You rearrange me till I’m sane Clint finds himself spiraling into a deep depression after the Battle of New York...until the Winter Soldier ends up saving him and inadvertently giving him a new purpose – to save the man that the Soldier had once been – Bucky Barnes. Not one to be outdone, the Soldier decides that his new mission is to ensure that Clint remains alive himself. Protecting a blonde man with a self-destructive streak is somehow very familiar to him. Through the back and forth of who is saving whom they cross the country and learn more about themselves and each other – and perhaps find a reason for living. 2: Five Dates Bucky Didn’t Realize He Was on And the One He Planned Himself To say that Bucky was surprised when Clint kissed him was an understatement. But it was nothing compared to the shock he felt when he learned they'd been dating for months without him realizing it.Clint gets whisked away for a mission before they have time to talk and Bucky is left to figure things out on his own - hindsight being 20/20 he can't help but wonder how he missed things the first go around.

3: Puck Luck Bucky Barnes is used to the ups and downs of an NHL season. He's used to the unpredictability of the game, knows that bounces don't always go your way, but that doesn't make a broken hand in the final third of the season any easier to deal with. Especially not when he ends up with an impromptu roommate/personal assistant in the form of one Clint Barton - his agent, Natalia Romanova's (rather attractive) friend he hadn't known existed before his injury.

It's just for six to eight weeks - what could possibly happen in that span of time?

4: Loose Lips Launch Ships

Based on the following prompt: “We go to school together and I think you’re cute and apparently you’re also the pizza delivery guy and my little sibling opened the door screaming hey sibling! you know that kid you’re in love with? you really weren’t kidding when you said his jawline could cut steel holy shit-” Bucky is the pizza delivery guy. Clint's younger (foster) brother has a big mouth.

5: Indelible Bucky Barnes has a pretty decent life – a good job, good friends, a cat that adores him - but something is missing. He’s always found body art to be beautiful and inspiring, and on a whim (and with the hope that maybe he can find what he’s missing) he decides to take the plunge and get a tattoo. That's how he meets Clint Barton. Clint's talented and compassionate and there is an instant spark between the two of them. It's not long before Bucky finds himself wondering and wanting more from the relationship despite the ghosts of the past that crop back up. Because Clint makes him feel normal in a way he truly hasn't for years...

(this was pre-Alpine so I was totally chuffed when canon confirmed Bucky’s status as a crazy cat lady (affectionate).

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not.

I really really really want to do it but I often times don’t end up doing it. There are a few reasons. First, I am akwward AF and bad at interaction adn I feel like just saying thank you would be...not enough? Second - I often times tend to like...turtle (aka retreat into myself) when life gets Too Hard/Busy which happens a lot to me (sigh) and then I miss the vague window in my mind in which it would be okay to respond and then it’s even more weird. I do love and cherish all of them. Like there was one months ago that made me go “hmm...I didn’t think I was going to do a sequel to that fic (You rearrange me till I’m sane), timestamp glimpses sure but a sequel hadn’t come to mind” but then the comment made me think! So...who knows? lol Anyway, I literally have been rereading some in an effort to try and get myself going again. Know that if you have commented, I love you.

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

At the moment? Probably: Look at you look at me Bucky's in love with Clint - problem is he's really not supposed to be. For Winterhawk Week 2019 - Forbidden Love (I really don’t want to give away the spin in the fic but...if you’re familiar with the Secret Avengers Vol 2 run circa 2013ish (aka when SHIELD initially ‘took control of the team’) that’s a bit of a hint as to the spin). Were it done, Torch Song would be up there. ;) Torch Song Clint is sent back in time, via an alien device, to 1938. While he tries to figure out how to get back home, he takes up singing and entertaining to make ends meet and does his best to not disrupt the timeline.Then he meets a 21 year old Bucky Barnes. --- A torch song is a sentimental love song, typically one in which the singer laments an unrequited or lost love, either where one party is oblivious to the existence of the other, where one party has moved on, or where a romantic affair has affected the relationship.

7. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve ever written?

Does *wanting* to write crossovers count? lol I want, so badly, to do more crossovers and fusions (which...are kinda deeper versions of crossovers in a way). The only one I do have posted is a crossover between Highlander and Torchwood -

The Immortal Mr. Jones A series of vignettes (some long, some short) in the life of the newly immortal Ianto Jones. My most ambitions project that I have been working on since late 2011/early 2012 is a fusion of the Avengers with Stephen King’s the Stand. I will get that done at some point *shakes fist*  The Stand, for those who don’t know it, is an epic 1000+ page novel about a flu epidemic (I know) that wipes out over 99% of the population and then two figures representing Good and Evil pull the survivors in two directions for a showdown. So basically it’s a non-powered modern AU set in that universe. It’s a passion and comfort project. lol

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yes. Well, minor bitching back when I was in a prior fandom because I tagged a pairing in a fic but it was pre-slash and not labeled as pre-slash. I got hate on...I think it was Torch Song? And I’ve gotten hate on tumblr re me and my fic in general as well. Fandom! *jazz hands* Oh! And I’ve also been hit by those reviewers within Winterhawk (among general Clint pairings actually) who like rate you on either number scales or the “meh” scale. Which isn’t hate exactly but...it’s passive aggressive bullshit because I can’t believe none of them realize at this point that the authors can see their bookmarks - you know?

9. Do you write smut?

Yes. Do I write it well? I have no idea. lol

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I am aware of. Well...there was, I think, one of those reposting sites that had a few fics on it but I don’t think it was being passed off as someone else’s? I can’t quite recall. It’s why I have a note on AO3 about reposting my work anyway.

11. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not entirely, but sort of. Let me explain - I am part of a PBEM game; which for those unfamiliar since it’s a term that was most heavily in use 15-20 years ago, in which you basically do a round robin type writing thing but rather than everyone writing the same characters you write your own characters and you play off what other people have done. Another way of looking at it is  it’s basically DnD without dice and written down rather than done out loud. You also don’t have to all be around at the same time. It’s a lot of fun and yes I have been in it for 20 years even though there aren’t many of us left but they are some of my dearest friends and fabulous writers. Wins all around.  One of the other writers and I have actually toyed with the idea of doing a co-written fic actually, mostly because we work super well together and keep getting ideas for things but can’t really do them as rpgs since the pbem style isn’t used much anymore.

12. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Winterhawk probably. Though, let’s be real - Han & Leia are epic and amazing as are John & Delenn (from Babylon 5).

13. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Does wanting to expand The Black Stallion books as a wee child count? lol Not much of that was written save for world building ideas but there was a great oral tradition of telling stories to my friends. Otherwise...maybe a tie between Star Wars and Highlander. Star Wars was a love since I was super young but the writing bug didn’t hit me until around the same time Highlander was a thing as well.

14. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written? You rearrange me till I’m sane for sure. Though Torch Song, if it were finished, would be tied I imagine (I suck at picking favorites). Honorable mention to Puck Luck and Indelible. Tagging: I have seen this like a million times (okay 5) so I feel like everyone has been tagged already that I know. But...I guess... @vexbatch @crazycatt71 @heartonfirewrites and @disruptedvice sorry if anyone has been tagged before.

#icyredfics #writing #winterhawk #long post

[davidmann95]

Superman’s 10 Best of the ‘10s

Good Miracle Monday, folks! The first third Monday of May of a new decade for that matter, and while that means that today in the DC Universe Superman just revealed his secret identity to the world on the latest anniversary of that time he defeated the devil, in ours it puts a capstone on a solid 10 years of his adventures now in the rear view mirror, ripe for reevaluation. And given there’s a nice solid ‘10′ right there I’ll go ahead with the obvious and list my own top ten for Superman comics of the past decade, with links in the titles to those I’ve spoken on in depth before - maybe you’ll find something you overlooked, or at least be reminded of good times.

A plethora of honorable mentions: I’m disqualifying team-ups or analogue character stories, but no list of the great Superman material of the last decade would be complete without bringing up Cave Carson Has A Cybernetic Eye #7, Avengers 34.1, Irredeemable, Sideways Annual #1, Supreme: Blue Rose, Justice League: Sixth Dimension, usage of him in Wonder Twins, (somewhat in spite of itself) Superior, from all I’ve heard New Super-Man, DCeased #5, and Batman: Super Friends. And while they couldn’t quite squeeze in, all due praise to the largely entertaining Superman: Unchained, the decades’ great Luthor epic in Superman: The Black Ring, a brilliant accompaniment to Scott Snyder’s work with Lex in Lex Luthor: Year of the Villain, the bonkers joy of the Superman/Luthor feature in Walmart’s Crisis On Infinite Earths tie-in comics, Geoff Johns and John Romita’s last-minute win in their Superman run with their final story 24 Hours, Tom Taylor’s quiet criticism of the very premise he was working with on Injustice and bitter reflection on the changing tides for the character in The Man of Yesterday, the decades’ most consistent Superman ongoing in Bryan Miller and company’s Smallville Season 11, and Superman: American Alien, which probably would have made the top ten but has been dropped like a hot potato by one and all for Reasons. In addition are several stories from Adventures of Superman, a book with enough winners to merit a class of its own: Rob Williams and Chris Weston’s thoughtful Savior, Kyle Killen and Pia Guerra’s haunting The Way These Things Begin, Marc Guggenheim and Joe Bennett’s heart-wrenching Tears For Krypton, Christos Gage and Eduardo Francisco’s melancholy Flowers For Bizarro, Josh Elder and Victor Ibanez’s deeply sappy but deeply effective Dear Superman, Ron Marz and Doc Shaner’s crowdpleasing Only Child, and Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine DeLandro’s super-sweet Mystery Box.

10. Greg Pak/Aaron Kuder’s Action Comics

Oh, what might’ve been. In spite of an all-timer creative team I can’t justify listing this run any higher given how profoundly and comprehensively compromised it is, from the status quo it was working with to the litany of ill-conceived crossovers to regular filler artists to its ignominious non-ending. But with the most visceral, dynamic, and truly humane take on Clark Kent perhaps of all time that still lives up to all Superman entails, and an indisputably iconic instant-classic moment to its name, I can’t justify excluding it either.

9. Action Comics #1000

Arguably the climax to the decade for the character as his original title became the first superhero comic to reach a 1000th issue. While any anthology of this sort is a crapshoot by nature, everyone involved here seemed to understand the enormity of the occasion and stepped up as best they could; while the lack of a Lois Lane story is indefensible, some are inevitably bland, and one or two are more than a bit bizarre, by and large this was a thoroughly charming tribute to the character and his history with a handful of legitimate all-timer short stories.

8. Faster Than A Bullet

Much as Adventures of Superman was rightfully considered an oasis amidst the New 52′s worst excesses post-Morrison and in part pre-Pak, few stories from it seem well-remembered now, and even at the time this third issue inexplicably seemed to draw little attention. Regardless, Matt Kindt and Stephen Segovia’s depiction of an hour in the life of Superman as he saves four planets first thing in the morning without anyone noticing - while clumsy in its efforts at paralleling the main events with a literal subplot of a conversation between Lois and Lex - is one of the best takes I can recall on the scope on which he operates, and ultimately the purpose of Clark Kent.

7. Man and Superman

Seemingly geared on every front against me, built as it was on several ideas of how to handle Superman’s origin I legitimately hate, and by a writer whose work over the years has rarely been to my liking, Marv Wolfman and Claudio Castellini’s Man and Superman somehow came out of nowhere to be one of my favorite takes on Clark Kent’s early days. With a Metropolis and characters within it that feel not only alive but lived-in, it’s shocking that a story written and drawn over ten years before it was actually published prefigured so many future approaches to its subject, and felt so of-the-moment in its depiction of a 20-something scrambling to figure out how to squeeze into his niche in the world when it actually reached stores.

6. Brian Bendis’s run

Controversial in the extreme, and indeed heir to several of Brian Bendis’s longstanding weaknesses as a writer, his work on The Man of Steel, Superman, and Action Comics has nevertheless been defined at least as much by its ambition and intuitive grasp of its lead, as well as fistfuls of some of the best artistic accompaniment in the industry. At turns bombastic space action, disaster flick, spy-fi, oddball crime serial, and family drama, its assorted diversions and legitimate attempts at shaking up the formula - or driving it into new territory altogether, as in the latest, apparently more longterm-minded unmasking of Clark Kent in Truth - have remained anchored and made palatable by an understanding of Superman’s voice, insecurities, and convictions that go virtually unmatched.

5. Strange Visitor

The boldest, most out-of-left-field Superman comic of the past 10 years, Joe Keatinge took the logline of Adventures of Superman to do whatever creators wanted with the character and, rather than getting back to a classic take absent from the mainline titles at the time as most others did, used the opportunity for a wildly expansive exploration of the hero from his second year in action to his far-distant final adventure. Alongside a murderer’s row of artists, Keatinge pulled off one of the few comics purely about how great Superman is that rather than falling prey to hollow self-indulgence actually managed to capture the wonder of its subject.

4. Superman: Up In The Sky

And here’s the other big “Superman’s just the best” comic the decade had to offer that actually pulled it off. Sadly if reasonably best-known for its one true misfire of a chapter, with the increasing antipathy towards Tom King among fans in general likely not helping, what ended up overlooked is that this is a stone-cold classic on moment of arrival. Andy Kubert turns in work that stands alongside the best of his career, Tom King’s style is honed to its cleanest edge by the 12-pager format and subject matter, and the quest they set their lead out on ends up a perfect vehicle to explore Superman’s drive to save others from a multitude of angles. I don’t know what its reputation will end up being in the long-term - I was struck how prosaic and subdued the back cover description was when I got this in hardcover, without any of the fanfare or critic quotes you’d expect from the writer of Mister Miracle and Vision tackling Superman - but while its one big problem prevents me from ranking it higher, this is going to remain an all-timer for me.

3. Jeff Loveness’s stories Help and Glasses

Cheating shamelessly here, but Jeff Loveness’s Help with David Williams and Glasses with Tom Grummett are absolutely two halves of the same coin, a pair of theses on Superman’s enduring relevance as a figure of hope and the core of Lois and Clark’s relationship that end up covering both sides of Superman the icon and Superman the guy. While basically illustrated essays, any sense of detached lecturing is utterly forbidden by the raw emotion on display here that instantly made them some of the most acclaimed Superman stories of the last several years; they’re basically guaranteed to remain in ‘best-of’ collections from now until the end of time.

2. Superman Smashes The Klan

A bitter race for the top spot, but #2 is no shame here; while not quite my favorite Superman story of the past ten years, it’s probably the most perfectly executed. While I don’t think anyone could have quite expected just *how* relevant this would be at the top of the decade, Gene Yang and Gurihiru put together an adventure in the best tradition of the Fleischer shorts and the occasional bystander-centered episodes of Batman: The Animated Series to explore racism’s both overt and subtle infections of society’s norms and institutions, the immigrant experience, and both of its leads’ senses of alienation and justice. Exciting, stirring, and insightful, it’s debuted to largely universal acknowledgement as being the best Superman story in years, and hopefully it’ll be continued to be marketed as such long-term.

1. Grant Morrison’s Action Comics

When it came time to make the hard choice, it came in no small part down to that I don’t think we would have ever seen a major Golden Age Superman revival project like Smashes The Klan in the first place if not for this. Even hampering by that godawful Jim Lee armor, inconsistent (if still generally very good) art, and a fandom that largely misunderstood it on arrival can’t detract from that this is Grant Morrison’s run on a Superman ongoing, a journey through Superman’s development as a character reframed as a coherent arc that takes him from Metropolis’s most beaten-down neighborhoods to the edge of the fifth dimension and the monstrous outermost limits of ‘Superman’ as a concept. It launched discussions of Superman as a corporate icon and his place relative to authority structures that have never entirely vanished, introduced multiple all-time great new villains, and made ‘t-shirt Superman’ a distinct era and mode of operation for the character that I’m skeptical will ever entirely go away. No other work on the character this decade had the bombast, scope, complexity, or ambition of this run, with few able to match its charm or heart. And once again, it was, cannot stress this enough, Grant Morrison on an ongoing Superman book.

#Superman #Miracle Monday #Opinion

[tonystarkbingo]

TSB Mark IV Week 2 Roundup!

This includes the Round Robin fic that several participants wrote as part of our Discord Party, as well as a whole bunch of other amazing works.  Go leave them some love!

Title: Adventures of Tiny Dragon Tony and His Treasure (Loki) - Chapter 41: Snapshot #41: The First of Many Meetings Collaborator: tinydragontony Card Number: 4005 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: T5 - more than a partner Ship: FrostIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: Fluff, first meetings, 5+1 Summary: Here it is, the most requested chapter to date! How Loki met tiny dragon Tony! Word Count: 3300

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Title: Snowed In Collaborator: eachpeachpearplum Card Number: 4003 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: S2 - snowed in Ship: none Rating: Gen Major Tags: snowglobe, possible imprisonment?, art Summary: Tony was just minding his own business, taking a quick zip around the city, just because he can. Next thing he knows, he’s in a glass ball sat on some evildoer’s shelf. To make things worse, he’s not the only one…

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Title: Man on the Run Collaborator: ceealaina Card Number: 4008 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: R1 - Old Team Ship: Background Pepper/Nat, Background IronHusbands Rating: Teen Major Tags: Fluff and Humour, Team as Family, Post-Endgame, Fix-It Summary: Saving the world is important. But Tony really, really just wants to retire and spend time with his family. And if faking his death is the only way to do that, that's how it goes sometimes. Word Count: 1115

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Title: Inktober - Day 19 Collaborator: monobuu Card Number: 4040 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: S3 - AU: Star Wars Ship: WinterIron Rating: Teen Major Tags: Scandalous amount of leg Summary: Uuuuuh. Yeah. (*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)

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Title: Scrunch Me Collaborator: martianwahtney Card Number: 4011 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A2 - Victorious Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: fluff Summary: 3 times Tony asks Bucky why he wears scrunchies, and 1 time he figured it out for himself Word Count: 995

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Title: The Best Bathtub Collaborator: camichats Card Number: 4049 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: K4 - Kink: Bath/Shower Sex Ship: Tony/Sharon Rating: Mature Major Tags: Minor sexual content, allusions to sugar daddy/baby relationship (though not actually present in the fic) Summary: Sharon is a tough Shield agent and she’s proud of that, but sometimes it’s nice to relax and feel pampered. Word Count: 1649

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Title: Baffled, bewildered and bemused. Collaborator: JehBeeEh Card Number: 4058 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K1 - Learning to be Loved Ship: Stony Rating: Mature Major Tags: Super Fluffy, Implied Sex Summary: Baffled. Bewildered? Perplexed. Tony couldn’t quite figure out which version fit this situation best, but they all seemed to apply. Perplexed seemed a bit much though. Puzzled? Bemused. Word Count: 3197

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Title: wound with your eyes (kill with a smile) - Chapter 3 Collaborator: deathsweetqueen Card Number: 4066 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A5 - Restrained Ship: WinterIron Rating: Mature Major Tags: graphic depictions of violence, Spy Kids AU, Secret Identities, Kidnapping, Indian Tony Stark Summary: Tony Stark and Bucky Barnes were once the renowned superheroes, Iron Man and the Winter Soldier. Eventually, they put aside the masks and the armour to get married and raise a family together. Twelve years later, SHIELD agents go missing, and Tony and Bucky decide to go on their first mission since their eldest child was born. When they're mysteriously kidnapped by a psychotic TV show host, it's hardly a great first step to getting back in the game. The worst thing, though, might be the fact that the only people who can rescue them are their own children. Word Count: 12,872

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Title: with or without his unhallowed touch - Chapter 24 Collaborator: deathsweetqueen Card Number: 4066 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K1 - myths and legends Ship: Tony/Thanos, Stuckony Rating: Explicit Major Tags: Tony is Kidnapped by Thanos, Tony is the Soul Stone, Female Tony Stark, Obsessive Behavior, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Emotional Manipulation, Stockholm Syndrome, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Physical Abuse, Domestic Violence, Forced Relationship, Gaslighting, Rape/Non-con Elements, Warnings for this Chapter: Explicit Violence, Major Character Death, and Cannibalism Summary: Toni sees the Chitauri mothership high above her, sees the hundreds and thousands of warships that circle the Earth, and she knows, she knows. She thinks, oh, I understand. A beat. Her hand burns. Wow, we are so fucked. She lets the bomb slide out of her hands, watches as it floats towards the mothership, and fire rains down on her, even in the dark, pale, cold hollow of space. She laughs, breathlessly, thinks of all the ones who’d loved her the most, and dies. Word Count: 129,402

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Title: What We Do in the Tower Collaborator: newnewyorker93, rebelmeg Card Number: 4042, 4034  Link: AO3 Square Filled: S2 - Forcibly Adopted (4042) A5 - WTF (4034) Ship: Peter & Tony, Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: Vampire AU, Avengers family, crack and humor, unapologetic cherry-picking of vampire lore Summary: Peter Parker has been having an awkward time as a brand new vampire. But now he's got Tony Stark whisking him off to meet a whole group of weird and hilarious vampires that live in Stark Tower and maybe this won't be so bad after all? Word Count: 5185

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Title: Prince Tony and the Red Headed Princess Collaborator: PoliZ Card Number: 4007 Link: AO3 Square Filled: K2 - AU: Fairy Tale Ship: Pepperony Rating: Gen Major Tags: fairytale elements, domestic fluff Summary: Morgan asks her daddy for a bedtime story with knights and monsters, and wizards and princesses.  With some help from Pepper, Tony is happy to oblige. Word Count: 866

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Title: A Bottle and a Half of Whiskey Later - An 1872 Playlist Collaborator: moosh Card Number: 4037 Link: Tumblr Square Filled: S5 - Canon: 1872 Ship: None Rating: Gen Major Tags: Playlist Summary: A playlist based off some of the songs that Tony sang in the comic. Word Count: N/A

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Title: The Gift of Jab Collaborator: dracusfyre Card Number: 4032 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A2 - Dares/Bets Ship: WinterIron Rating: Gen Major Tags: Pre-Relationship, Sparring Summary: For the ImagineTonyandBucky prompt: Hi! I'm always up for some sparring hotness, so how about Tony being present for physical training sessions (working/watching), but says no everytime Nat/Clint/Steve/etc invites him to do it. Rhodey laughing every time the team says that it's bc Tony doesn't want to embarass himself. Bucky suspects his BF is actually well-versed in hand-to-hand/martial arts/self-defense; so he gives himself the challenge of getting Tony onto the mat. When he does he ends up a)on the floor & b)really aroused. The fill is less horny than the prompt, sorry. Word Count: 2453

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Title: Lady in Red Collaborator: JehBeeEh Card Number:  4058 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A5 - Steve Rogers/Captain America Ship: Stony Rating: Mature Major Tags: Summary: “I GOT SCARED, ALRIGHT?”“Steve, sweetheart-"Steve kept pacing their room like he hadn’t even heard her. “I got so scared, you have no idea. And I know, okay. I know you can take care of yourself, and you don’t need me to save you or protect you, and it is sexy as all hell, but in that moment, I forgot all about that, and I was scared that I couldn’t protect you.” He collapsed on the bed, elbows on his knees and his head in his hands and Toni could hear him take long slow breaths.This had definitely not been how Toni envisioned their return home going. Word Count: 1176

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Title: i come as a woman, dark and open Collaborator: simi Card Number: 4066 Link: AO3 Square Filled: A5 - Resolve Ship: Toni/Steve/Bucky Rating: E Major Tags: Female Tony Stark, Regency AU, Misogyny, Racism, Explicit Sexual Content, Emotional Infidelity, Slurs, Marital Dissatisfaction. Summary: When Toni first meets Captain Steve Rogers at one of the biggest gatherings of the season, she is not impressed. On the other hand, his best friend, the charming James ‘Bucky’ Barnes, was an utter delight. Unfortunately for her, after a series of misunderstandings at said party, she is forced to accept Steve’s hand in marriage in order to save her family’s reputation. And while Toni never expected a fairy tale, she had always hoped that companionship would one day turn into something more. How was she to know that Steve was just as charmed by Bucky as she was? a.k.a. Steve and Toni get married to each other; there are more misunderstandings; Bucky is an absolute delight and possibly the saving grace for their marriage; and somehow, all three end up falling in love with each other in the process. Word Count: 25, 335

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Title: TSB October Discord Party Round Robin Fic Collaborators: rebelmeg 4034 Politzania 4007 EachPeachPearPlum 4003 summerpipedream 4045 Ducky 4013 Magica 4019 SomeSortofItalianRoast 4036 DarthBloodOrange 4010 Link: AO3 Square Filled: rebelmeg: A4 - Huddling for Warmth Politzania: A5 - Dog Park EachPeachPearPlum: S1 - Premonitions summerpipedream: A5 - Clint Barton/Hawkeye Ducky: R5 - Fortune Telling Magica: T2 - Fortitude SomeSortofItalianRoast: S2 - Magic DarthBloodOrange: T4 - Robots Ship: None Rating: Teen Major Tags: animal transformation, magic/witchcraft, Kate is a hero, Clint is a disaster human being Summary: Tony has been turned into a dog, and he is going to straight-up murder whoever made him a corgi. Word Count: 2634

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Title: I Know You Collaborator: iam93percentstardust Card Number: 4012 Link: AO3 Square Filled: R5 - Sam Wilson/Falcon Ship: IronFalcon Rating: Gen Major Tags: Established Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Sickfic Summary: When Tony gets sick and hides away from everyone else, it's up to Sam to find his wayward boyfriend. Good thing he knows him so well. Word Count: 1316

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Title: Thriller - Michael Jackson Collaborator: monobuu Card Number: 4040  Link: AO3 Square Filled: A5 - Murderchildren Ship: None Rating: Teen Major Tags: Creepy?  Summary: N/A Word Count: N/A

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Title: I’ll keep your brittle heart warm Collaborator: peachy Card Number: 4017  Link: AO3 Square Filled: K3 - Protectiveness Ship: Stony Rating: Teen Major Tags: Breaking up and making up, fluff, getting back together Summary: They got married when they were young, just twenty-four years old, despite the arguments from their friends that they should wait, that neither of them were ready for a commitment like marriage so young. Steve distinctly remembered Sam pointing out that the male brain isn’t even fully developed until age twenty-five. But they were young and passionate, so sure they’d found their perfect person that they could overcome anything and everything life threw at them. And it was true. For six months. Word Count: 4223

#tonystarkbingomarkiv #tsbmiv #tsb weekly roundup #tsb week 2

[jq37]

The Report Card – Fantasy High Sophomore Year Ep 16

Into the Woods

We rejoin our Bad Kids (minus Riz, who we’ll get to in a bit) who are still on the Goldenrod while chaos happens around them. Fig adds to the chaos by successfully (with a 30!) pretending to be one of Goldenhoard’s minions to no real plot significant effect. I just feel the need to mention every time Fig rolls a 30+. The kids get Gilear out of his hiding place--a sarcophagus--right before it’s launched out as ammo. His safety proves short-lived however because, when Ayda pings that Riz is no longer on the same plane as them, Fabian recklessly sails the Goldenrod directly into Riz’s last known location, instantly killing both himself and Gilear. So he’s for sure back to his old self. 

Kristen brings them back up and passes some heals out generally while she’s at it. Meanwhile, with a Nat 20, Adaine fully Oracles out and knows exactly where Riz was being held. There, they find a smear of blood (which they taste???? even though they know the disease is communicable by blood???) and Riz’s briefcase, but no body. Plus Tracker smells Celestial energy and Ayda senses conjuration magic. But all that subtle sleuthing is made pointless by Kristen getting a Nat 20 (of course) to just stumble into the next room and find a room full of footage of exactly what happened. Wild. 

Bill can’t get them to where Riz is. The best he can do is get them to the Astral Plane. Fig remembers to check on the stuff she stole from Vraz. Baby just got a to-do list but Fig conveniently grabbed a scroll which will create a portal back to Arborly. Then, they cast Zone of Truth on Goldenhoard who gives them this information before they get to the Astral Plane:

Arianwyn was never working with him.

He repeats what we already knew about the NK giving him a coin as part of them working together in the past. He adds that his money being spent would mean it would come back to him 5 fold and also increase the spread of the NK’s power. 

He thinks the NK is a creep and says he never talks and only appears in weird dreams. At Fig’s prompting, he says he does look a lot like the skeletal figure in Adaine’s Scry on the Shadowcat. He also says he never dealt directly with the Shadowcat and can’t see her in the photo. However, the Shadowcat did put him in touch with Aelwen. 

The NK had more followers in Elmville but Goldenhoard doesn’t know who else was because he refused to join the Shadowcat network, which was a requirement. (I wonder if they include whoever the couple in Sandra-Lnn’s past was)

He let the NK have Sylvere when he was taking over the world because he didn’t care about it. 

Meanwhile, our little Angel Riz is en route to heaven with his dad who is happy-shocked to see him. Pok calls in that he’s coming in with a “good aligned, possible CI,” and it’s immediately clear based on the reaction of the person on the other side of the call that Pok talks about Riz all the time in glowing terms. They arrive in heaven and Riz sees that he has a little chair set up at a copy of his grave so he can sit and listen when Riz and Sklonda come and talk to him. Ally is almost crying. Lou is almost crying. I’m almost crying. 

Heaven--or at least this version of heaven--is set up like an office but outside. I’m picturing the classic Window’s XP background. We learn that Pok is a part of a special force called the Lower Planar Recon Task Force. Basically, it’s full of traditionally evil aligned races (like goblins and gnolls) who are perfect for infiltrating places like Hell. We also see that Pok has a plaque for getting his death avenged by his son.

Anyway, we see where Riz gets his attitude from when Pok kicks puts his gameface on (“Clues first, friends later.”) and has an extended puzzle solving scene with Riz (sprinkled with some father/son stuff). Highlights:

Heaven actually didn’t know about the Kalina=Disease thing. Riz and the gang cracked that for them. Kalina doesn’t ping a Detect Good/Evil but Pok thinks she would ping a Detect Poison/Disease.

He started seeing Kalina about 22 years ago after a mission with the Third Ring (see below). No, he didn’t cheat on Sklonda. If it happened via sexual contact, it would have been pre-meeting her.  

Kalina can’t pick things up but she can create the sensation of weight and substance by hijacking your nervous system. So, to his knowledge at the time, Pok had touched her.

He was introduced to Kalina by someone he already knew and trusted from the Third Ring (Falinel government agency). 

Kalina doesn’t have godly intelligence or omniscience. The way she blew her cover was accidentally mentioning seeing something firsthand she would have had no way of seeing (a river being in a certain place). He didn’t call her out then but he clocked it and started looking into her extra-governmentally.

Kalina got Sklonda her job in Elmville--which directly put Pok in the path of Goldenhoard, who ate him. He also strongly suspects that he got Pok’s citizenship revoked--an action that allowed Goldenhoard to harm him.

Pok thinks that, despite the Bad Kids’ focus on the sex aspect of the Shadowcat plague, it’s a lot more general than that (see eg: the life transference spell moving it from Sandra-Lynn to Tracker). 

Father/Son Interlude #1: Riz mentions that all of his friends are super horny all the time and he’s not about that. Pok says that he was a super late bloomer so it’s fine if he’s not into that now or if he’s not into it period--though he selfishly does want grandkids. 

Father/Son Interlude #2: Pok also shares a story about his own relationship with his superficially distant but actually loving 1st gen immigrant dad the twin theses of which are “People show love in different ways,” and “Work is an act of love,” a sentiment that workaholic Riz appreciates. 

Most demons can see Kalina. 

Pok was in hell undercover to try and figure out how devils had been successful in keeping Kalina at bay. He showed up in the Bottomless Pit but he was trapped there for a while--presumably because Gorthalax was in a gem at that time (also Riz mentions for the first time that Sklonda is dating him which he takes OK). 

Pok has a new body so Kalina can’t tap into it. Kalina must have learned where Pok was because Sklonda infected Gorthalax once they started dating and she got the info from him. And since Kalina spurred him to come rescue Pok than she probably wanted him to blow his cover. 

Kalina avoided having her picture taken. Once it was taken, she wasn’t able to do certain things she was able to before.

Pok says that Riz probably won’t be able to visit him again without pretty powerful magic, but Riz isn’t too concerned because he has some pretty powerful friends. And, with that, Pok offers to hire Riz as a consultant for heaven which, you can imagine, he is very here for. He takes his son to get suited up. 

Back with the other Bad Kids, they look at the assorted things Bill has looted and find some Holy Water, which they pocket, and a birthday present for Fig, which she is pretty easily convinced to open early. It’s a sick new bass which doubles as a literal axe (OK, not an axe, it has serrated edges, I just like the idea of an axe-axe) and can shatter rubies. They then say bye to Bill and get back to Arborly (with the Hangman who is still knocked out, but not destroyed like before).

The group collectively decides to leave Gilear in Arborly for both his safety and the safety of Kristen’s high level spell slots. Adaine takes some of his blood so she can Scry on him if necessary. Sandra-Lynn and Gilear exercise their parental rights to make their daughter feel awkward about her love interest. Speaking of said love interest, we learn what Ayda was working on in secret: a spell for Adaine! It’s called Adaine’s Furious Fists and it essentially lets her magic punch people. Adaine can punch people now! I mean, she’s been doing it since S1 but now she can do it effectually! Love that for her!      

Back to Riz. He’s in with an angel called Isosceles (think quasi-eldritch horror Biblical angel, not Halloween costume angel) who is like the Q of the squad. Riz gets hooked up with some new gear:

Trick bullets (like how Green Arrow has trick arrows)

A grappling gun attachment for his gun

Arcadian Watch: Equipped w/ a saw, laser (1d4 radiant dmg) and lockpick 

Seraphim Vest: Basically a wingsuit (temp fly speed of 40 but only laterally and down, not up)

Gregorian Tie: Equipped with a spy camera 

Once he’s suited up, Pok calls up a door that will get Riz back to the moment in time it was called. But, since they’re in no rush now, he asks Riz to take a walk with him and fill him in on some of the boring, mundane, unimportant stuff he missed from RIz’s childhood. It’s very sweet.

Afterwards, Riz pops back up in Arborly and everyone is super happy to see him. Riz almost blurts out what he learned about his dad but wisely moves the conversation to the Van where he tells them everything except the personal family stuff. Based on the info from Riz, Adaine thinks that Kalina was probably introduced into eleven society a couple hundred years ago by Landrynn Lear (fake cleric spreading the Kalina virus they learned about a few eps ago) so it’s not super weird Aelwen and Arianwyn would have been working with her. It’s less weird than Pok working than them. 

Kristen latches onto the part about the picture being taken of her taking away some of her power and they all do checks to puzzle that out. Adaine (with Arcana) realizes that Kalina has to maintain herself in all these people all the time and, if a picture is taken of her--has to make it so that she can be seen by all of those people at all times which is a permanent spell effect which is-as we learned earlier this season--very hard to pull off. Her not being able to do certain things once the pic was taken was probably just her losing power from the strain of this extra magical effect (my takeaway: don’t let her destroy that photo--or, use it as a bargaining chip). Kristen (with Religion) thinks the 4 transubstantiations (familiar to plague and spellbook to curse and so on) are curses which overlap and create synergy (my takeaway: take them out one by one and watch them exponentially drop off in effectiveness). Gorgug (with a Tinkerer’s check) surmises that the way to take the most pics of Kalina and weaken her would be to take a video of her and broadcast it to as many people as possible.    

Gorgug also has another thought: He wants to know if them having and spending their cursed money is actively endangering him. At the prospect, he decides to give all of his money away to the Tinkerer’s Hall (without telling them it’s dragon money, which means the curse won’t get passed on). Kristen, Fig, and Riz follow suit, much to Fabian’s shock and horror. Adaine opts to keep her money since she has no caring family to fall back on. 

They also--I’m just gonna bluntly say this insane thing that Ally conceived of--have another shrimp party which they livestream in hopes that it will go viral, gain a following, and then when they have video of Kalina, they can get lots of people to watch it. And you know what the craziest part is? It’s not a bad plan. It’s c r a z y, but not illogical. To quote Mr. Lee Mulligan, “The charity shrimp party goes super viral.” Amazing. 

The next day, Adaine brings back Boggy (who poofed in the last fight) as an owl so he’ll be a little safer while in Sylvere. Don’t worry, he’s still spherical as ever. The Hangman (now healed) stays behind, as does the Van--but they do take it actual gem out and take it with them. Baby is there and does come with them. Ayda and GaF also come at Fig’s request.

Fig is able to open a passage into Sylvere and they can instantly feel the ambient badness. They decide to start looking for the three things they need to make the Kalina Vaccine: Starmoth chrysalis, Herrowgray nectar, and Lundgreen pollen. The jocks and Boggy go for the chrysalis, Sandra-Lynn, Fig, Adaine, and Ayda go for the nectar, while Kristen, Riz, and Tracker look for the pollen.

The boys don’t find anything but, suddenly, there’s an image of a super creepy witch’s cottage in the gem, and Zathriel (the Celestial inside) bugs out before the gem goes dark. And Ragh is suddenly gone.   

In her group, Sandra-Lynn flies off on Baxter in search of the nectar but the flapping noises that should be happening suddenly stop. Ayda offers to fly after her but then also becomes distressed, asking why they’re in a house (the others can’t see it) before also vanishing.  

Kristen, Riz, and Tracker are looking around stagnant water for the pollen and they see Kalina’s reflection in the water. Kristen starts to film her on her crystal. Kalina (who they can all see at the same time for once) says that in Sylvere, nightmares are real, something demonstrated when Tracker fully wolfs out without the presence of an actual full moon. Kristen tries to Dimension Door out but they're too far in. They try to subdue her but Trcker vanishes into moths (?). Kalina says that Tracker is chasing down what she thinks is Kristen to kill her (which would make sense as being her nightmare). She says that she said she’d kill them if they got into the forest and here they are. She does a little damage to Riz to underline the statement and Riz starts recording her secretly. Kalina is doing small bits of damage (like 1-4 I think) but it’s enough that it will kill them before they have the chance to make tinctures. 

The jocks find the chrysalis and then look for the others. Fig tries to use Ada’s feather to find her but, like the sapphire, it’s dead. Through Boggy, Adaine can see the jocks are flipping out and find the nectar and go find them.

Kristen casts Greater Restoration of Riz and tells him to find Tracker. The attacks stop on Riz and double on Kristen. She’ll be dead before she can employ any kind of healing mojo than can help significantly and the other healer is MIA. Everyone is running to find each other and then they suddenly hear, emanating from every corner of the forest creepy laughter and they all see a crowned skull. Concerning! 

Detention

Fabian for Crashing the Goldenrod

This was almost like the ribbon dancing sequence except Kristen had something to potentially gain from that and this was an absolutely insane course of action for no particular reason. 

Honor Roll

Kristen for Using Her One Greater Restoration on Riz

What a quintessential healer move. Having one heal and giving it away to your party member. Listen, she may have rejected Helio, but he picked her for a reason. Girl is a BAMF.  

 Random Thoughts

“You can't make these things up. You can. We did.”

Actual Crazy Person Bill Seacaseter: I had to kill Gilear as a matter of course but I love Gilear!

Bill tells Gilear to kill any man who looks askance at Hilariel. Fig (mirroring a comment to Bill from last season) questions what he should do if any woman looks at her. An enthusiastic, “Dealer’s choice!” is the answer.  

"If you die in hell do you die in real life?"

Is the message of this season just “Vaccinate your kids”?

Fabian offers to threaten someone who’s bullying Gilear. You know what that is? Growth.

Bill brought the Bad Kids to the Astral Plane but they wanted to get back to Arborly ASAP. I wonder if there was something Brennan expected them to do there and they didn’t.

Fig ripping the scroll was wild but, honestly, I might have thought that was how it worked too. It’s for sure a thing sometimes. But, in a similar vein, very concerned Fig is going to accidentally shatter Gorthalax’s gem prematurely with that bass. Feel like she’s not 100% clear on how that works.   

“I don’t have a crush one anyone. I just want to be rich.”

Riz took over from Adaine this episode in unpacking my high school experiences, lemme tell you.

Wondering where Baron fits into all this. It seems like the kind of effect that Sylvere would be able to produce but he wasn’t in Sylvere when that happened and I feel like that wouldn’t be Riz’s nightmare (unless it represented anxiety about his not dating or s/t like that). What was that about? Who exactly caused it and with what ability? Is that just a standard demon power?

Not important but last week when Brennan said a halo formed around Pok he distinctly motioned around his head and not over his head so I felt happy to have interpreted that correctly when he said this ep that the halo was one of those you see in old pics of like the Madonna and Child and not a modern-traditional angel halo.

The idea of a lower plane task force is extremely dope from a world building perspective. Like, that makes total sense. 

“Don’t even talk to me until my death’s avenged.” I knew that was going to be a real mug as soon as it was said. 

The stuff with Pok and Riz was so unbelievably sweet. Him having a chair set up to listen to his family talk at his grave? Him clearly being the proudest dad and talking about Riz all the time? Him wanting to just talk about unimportant stuff with Riz because it’s his important stuff. Ugh, my entire heart. And Riz immediately reverting to full, “My dad could beat up your dad,” mode. I love them so much.  

I feel like Siobhan took coming up with a spell for Ayda as an actual out of game homework assignment which she should because Brennan *will* let her do it and then Ayda will save the party with it. That’s how D&D works baby I don’t make the rules. Hit me up with your best ideas.

Adaine actually asked Gilear for some of his hair in order to Scry on him and he’s the one who offered blood instead because he couldn’t spare any more hair. Feel like there’s gotta be a spell for that

Siobhan just casually says the phrase, “Mycelium web,” once again just being Adaine.  

Couldn’t Kalina just say, “Screw it,” and stop showing up in pictures if the strain gets too much? Like, if your cover is blown, it’s blown. Or is it set up in such a way that it’s gonna screw her before she has the chance to turn it off?

It’s funny that Zac is playing such a low Int character because he’s actually figured out a lot of stuff this season and he’s the one who remembered that dragon madness won’t get passed on if the person who gets the money has no knowledge that it’s dragon money. I wonder if we’ll get to see him play a non-Himbo next season.

Adaine, predictably, has no social media presence. Speaking of social media, I love the naming convention of just sticking the word “fantasy” in front of things like Twitter and Google--as in, “You guys are all over Fantasy Twitter.” Like, why even complicate things? You know what this is. 

Goodbye card for Gilear: Outside--Gilear I need you/Inside--to get me a cortado.

I had a stray thought that Riz could possibly use the door to come back after having done angel training for like a month but (1) that’s a little meta-gamey and (2) they were making an exception for him to be there that short time as it was. Anything else probably would have been pushing it. 

Is Pok’s heaven affiliated with any deity or is it just where all the good workaholic secret agents go? To me, it seems like it liaises with all the other heavens more than being it’s own main heaven, you know?

Oh man. Ayda disappearing and Fig clutching her powerful feather, begging her to come back after indirectly putting her the situation she’s currently in? Heartbreaking dude. 

I wonder why the people who disappeared disappeared beyond just getting rid of the NPCs.

Edit: Forgot to mention the part where Kristen rolled a -1 with her trash Dex so Ayda had to give her a portent roll to not instantly blow everything. 

The Bad Kids are in a very precarious position right now. If I trusted Kalina to be someone of her word, I might try to bargain with her--destroy the picture in return for letting us leave. From a DM standpoint, I think it’s probably a good time for an Abernant Ex-Machina. They’re in the forest too as far as we know and they gotta come back into the story somehow. This could be the time. 

Everyone going off about how Riz is a little angel and he could have told them if he was a Celestial and how much he loves Gilear while he’s not in the scene and can’t say anything is peak D&D. 

Bill Seacaster saying a bunch of insane nonsense and then Adaine being like, “Nice seeing you Mr. Seacaster,” is also peak D&D. 

This episode, Adaine, Fig*, Kristen and Brennan (as Sandra-Lynn) each rolled a Nat 20. Adaine and FIg each rolled one Nat 1 that was canceled by disadvantage and Riz rolled one Nat 1 that stuck. 

*I actually am not 100% Fig rolled at Nat 20. Kristen did for sure but I don’t have a Tally for her so I might have flipped those by accident.  If you happen to know for some weird reason, lemme know. 

#fantasy high #fantasy high live #fantasy high spoilers #dimension 20 #dimension 20 spoilers

[marquiswrites]

Out of Time [5/25]

Masterlist

Fandom: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)

Characters: James “Bucky” Barnes, Sam Wilson, James “Rhodey” Rhodes, Shuri, Doctor Strange, Original Female Character/OC

Relationship: James “Bucky” Barnes/Reader,

Rating: Mature

Word Count: 1391

Warnings: Language

Author’s Notes: Time to finally start answering some questions for our MC’s origins. I am super excited for the direction that the story is going, and I would love to hear everyone’s thoughts! For @panicfob​ ‘s 25 fics of christmas [finally starting to get caught up] special thanks to @captain-kelli​ For helping to inspire me to write these two loveable idiots and rooting me on as I did

Chapter 5: Gift Shopping

The unexpected show of chivalry and thoughtfulness had done wonders to calm your current worries. Though now more than ever you were certain that he was unaware of the connection between you, which was worrisome. You could see it in his gaze that some part of his soul recognized yours, but to force that connection was disastrous.

You had learned that lesson the hard way during your time in France during the revolution. Bloody mess that the entire thing had been. 

Sighing softly to yourself as you lingered in the room that you had been assigned. The room was too empty, too blank after so many years of the chambers that you had grown used to. Even your room at the hospital had quickly begun to feel more like home. The one thing that hurt most about the curse of your blood, always having to start over.

You sighed once more, tapping a finger against your cheek as you considered the room. Trying to figure out what exactly you wanted to do with it when a knock came to your door. “You may enter.”

Sam, much to your surprise, opened the door gently, peeking his head in. “I was about to head out, get some shopping done. Much as this place has, it isn’t exactly a mall. I was threatened with bodily harm by at least two others if I didn’t invite you to join.”

You blinked for a moment before offering him a gracious smile. “Thank you for the invitation, if you truly do not mind, I would be glad for the chance. However…”

“Don’t worry about the cash, I’ve got you covered.” He shrugged, but once again you found your expectations shifting unexpectedly. 

“Oh… Why thank you.” You dip your head before turning to the bed, grabbing the coat that Bucky had left with you the eve before. 

“Can’t exactly have you just rummaging about for clothes hoping that they’ll fit. Be rude of us all if we didn’t at least get you set up for the new century.” He huffed a soft laugh, then jerked his head towards the hall, opening the door further for you. 

Slipping your arms into the coat, you follow beside him, allowing him to shut the door behind you. Walking in silence down to the garage, though it was by no means uncomfortable. Matter of fact, it was almost quite companionable. 

Watching him for a moment as he led you to a rather subdued car, in comparison to the others. “Mind if I tag along?”

You turn your head to find the one that they had called Rhodey, who had been there upon your waking, but apparently busy elsewise, walking down the stairs as well. 

Sam raised a brow but chuckled.  “Yeah, we’ll make a whole thing of it. Let you get in some time with Snowflake too.”

Rhodey reared back his head in sudden confusion, brow knitting. Then glancing to you. “You know, that’s a bullshit name.”

“My other’s would confuse you even more.” You smile coyly and slip into the back passenger seat as Sam opens the door for you. 

“Alright now I got to know what that means…” Rhodey grumbled, taking the front passenger as Sam slipped into the driver seat. 

“She’s been saying shit like this since we defrosted her. And I thought the cap was hard to read at times.” Sam chuckled, glancing to you from the rearview mirror, offering a teasing smile. “Half the time she sounds like she’s spewing Tolkein.”

“Who?”

“Oh no.” Rhodey heaved a great sigh before breaking out into laughter. “It’s this all over again. Alright, cap had to have left his list of things to figure out, we need to start mass producing that if these situations are going to keep cropping up.”

“Honestly, that’s probably a good idea. I know Barnes has an easier time keeping up with things, but it’ll be easier than re-explaining these things every time we get a time capsule.”

“Gentleman, as much as I appreciate the fact that you are taking an interest in me, I’d like to remind you both that I can freeze you with a touch.” Smiling rather prettily and batting your eyes at that while settling into the seat. Turning your gaze to the window to watch as the facility grounds passed by. “So please, let us not talk as though I am not entirely present.”

Then both snorted a laugh at that. The tension that had been present as an ongoing undercurrent all but dissipating.

“Alright, how about this then… We can do a bit of gift shopping, and we can just chat. Then we can head back to the facility for an evening of drinks. Make it a bit less like an interrogation, and more like a party.” Sam offered, extending an olive branch. 

You turned your smile back to him. “Agreed, but only if you assist me in purchasing gifts for the others. It would be rude not to join in the season.” Watching as he dipped his head. 

----

You tried not to stare too much at the sheer amount of stores that were laid out before you. Each like a vendor stall, full of their own unique product, offered in amounts that were almost unbelievable if it weren’t for the fact that it was right there in front of you. 

You were glad for the fact that Rhodey and Sam were posted at either side of you, helping to part the crowds before you were lost among the throng. As well as to give you some sort of protection from the curious glares. 

It was still a touch too obvious that you didn’t belong. 

There was a part of you that knew you should be used to it by now, it was like this whenever you were pulled away from the Isle. There was another part that wondered if you would ever learn to blend in with such large leaps in society after so long apart. 

Sam had paused the group without your noticing, pressing a hand to your elbow. “Just take a breath. It’s not usually this bad. And we’ve got your back.”

“Can always go to one of the smaller retail stores if you need.” Rhodey added on, watching you with an understanding concern behind his smile.

You swallow before shaking your head. “No. I must learn. It is no different than- I will become used to it.”

“See, that right there. One of the things I wanted to talk about.” Sam huffed a chuckle while starting to lead you forward once more, Rhodey sticking to your side. Others giving him a wider berth with a single look to the contraption upon his legs. Something that made you frown. 

Sam led you to one of the smaller stores, a variety of scents assaulting you all at once. Lifting a hand to cough into before you were smiling brightly. “An apothecary!”

Sam and Rhodey exchange a quick glance before looking to you once more. Letting you swarm into the store. Bringing perfumes and soaps to your nose and breathing deeply. Suddenly realizing that you were looking for a specific scent. 

One that matched the coat around your shoulders. “When I was younger, much younger, the apothecary was one of my favorite places to visit. It always reminded me of my mother.” 

“You’ve mentioned her a few times, who is she?” Sam spoke more softly, keeping his voice down to avoid attracting attention from anyone around you. “Not that I’m assuming I’ll know the name, but I figure Mama’s are always a good place to start… well, usually.”

You turn a knowing smile to him, lips curling up with amusement. “Oh I rather think you would have heard of her. Most people have after all. I know that much.”

“What, Florence Nightingale have a secret kid while none of us were looking?” Sam quirked his head, sarcasm almost dripping from his tone. Rhodey quiet beside him, weighing what you were saying, as if trying to judge the truth of it. 

“Of course not,” you hum for a moment. Lifting another bar of soap to your nose to take a breath. Smiling as it rings true, and reaching for a small pack of them, your first present of the season. “I am the second daughter of Morgana le Fey.”

#Out of Time #Panics 25 days of Christmas fics #Soulmate AU #Time Travel AU #Bucky x Reader #Bucky x You #James Buchanan Barnes #Sam Wilson #Stephen Strange #Rhodey #Shuri #Post Endgame #Marvel Fanfic #Avengers Fanfic

[thenightling]

My top thirteen favorite individual Sandman issues (Opinion)

Keep reading below...

Warning: Contains some spoilers.

13.  The Sandman Special 1: Song of Orpheus.

The Song of Orpheus is a backstory revealing Morpheus’ falling out with his son Orpheus and the slight revisions Neil Gaiman made to the classic Greek myth of Orpheus visiting The Underworld to try to retrieve his wife.  

In The Sandman, Morpheus is Orpheus’ estranged father.  I love the character of Morpheus but I’ll put it bluntly right here and now.  He used to be an asshole.  He may have even been easy to brand as a villain during his backstory.   

Much of The Sandman is Morpheus’s redemption, setting right the terrible wrongs of his past.   And in Brief lives he is forced to face the sins of his past in regard to how he treated his son.  But here is where we get that tragic backstory and a raw, cold taste of what a jerk Morpheus used to be as a contrast to how much he grows later.     

12.   Sound of her Wings  (The Sandman issue 8)

The Sound of Her wings is the issue of The Sandman that introduces us to Death of The Endless, Dream’s older sister (though she looks younger).  Today she is the official living embodiment of Death for all of DC comics.    Though I have to confess the main reason I like this one is how adorkable Morpheus is when he’s feeding birds.   And that happy expression on his face at the end of the issue. You don’t see that too often with him.   

11.  Calliope (The Sandman Issue 17)  

Just as Song of Orpheus shows us the assholary of Morpheus’ past, Calliope shows us just how much he has changed.   The story is brutal and difficult to read but you also get to see Morpheus as an avenging angel figure, saving his ex-wife from an abusive master who sees her as something less than human.

Poor Calliope was captured and enslaved by mortals who have abused her in the most sadistic and insidious ways.  It’s not just a man abusing a woman (that’s bad enough) but you also see a dehumanization.  The writer currently exploiting and abusing poor Calliope has thought processes along the lines of “It would be wrong if she was a real woman.” 

The fact that she is a muse- a supernatural entity- causes him to treat her as something less than a human being. This is actually a recurrence in The Sandman as we also saw how inhumanely Morpheus’ own captors treated him. 

What happens to Calliope is a chilling display of the inhumanity that could also be an allegory for casual misogyny and to a certain extent, even racism.   The cruelty is such that it’s hard to feel sympathy when Morpheus unleashes his anger on Calliope’s abuser.         

This is also the first time we almost see Morpheus apologize to someone for his previous behavior but he doesn’t actually start doing that until The Season of Mists.

10.   Soft Places   (The Sandman Issue 39)   

Soft Places is a story that can be read at nearly any point in The Sandman.  What I like most about this issue is if you pay careful attention you realize that when Morpheus makes his appearance in this story he is actually between issues 1 and 2 of The Sandman.  He was on his way back to the castle, weakened from his long captivity.  And Marco Polo (lost in time and space) shows him pity and compassion and offers him his water.  For this reason Morpheus helps him to get back home.  

Morpheus sacrifices the last of his own strength to do this, leaving himself at the indefinite mercy of The Soft Place.   Thankfully Gregory (the rather dog-like Gargoyle) finds him and takes him home to his master, Cain at The House of Mystery.

Not only did this give a satisfying story between the first two issues but also teased an what was yet to come and what was happening “Off camera” after the events of A Game of you.   

9.   The Wake: Epilogue: Sunday Morning (The Sandman issue 73) 

I always liked Hob Gadling (Morpheus’ immortal / formerly human) friend.   Here we get a brief story about Robert  “Hob” Gadling.  He also tells about a dream he had and he is given the chance to die but (as always) chooses against it.

Hob’s indefinite life may have actually secured Morpheus’ own posthumous existence as a Dream Entity.   The dream Hob had in this story was of Morpheus (after his death) and Destruction of The Endless.   Here’s the thing though.  At the time Hob had this dream Destruction really was visiting The Dreaming.  And Hob had no idea what connection Destruction had with his deceased friend.  He only knew Destruction as a street artist he had seen once. 

The implication I get here is that Daniel brought Morpheus back as a dream entity.  And with someone like Hob there to potentially dream of him eternally that secures Morpheus’ post-humous existance and freedom from having to be Dream of The Endless for all eternity.   This is how I choose to interpret it.   Call me a dreamer. ;-) 

The artwork is also gorgeous in all of The Wake.  

8.    Midsummer Night’s Dream (The Sandman issue 19)

A Midsummer Night’s Dream happens to be my favorite Shakespearean play so this was a real treat.   We got a fun story and a dark yet also delightfully wicked version of Robin Goodfellow (Puck).  And we got a loving nod to Shakespearean history.  

Morpheus has Shakspeare perform the A Midsummer Night’s Dream play for the real faery court.  And all sort of things happen as well.

If you pay attention you notice Titania tempts Shakespeare’s little son. She also lures him to eat faery fruit.  And anyone who knows faery lore knows what that mean.  She has laid claim to the boy.   He will become a faery and belong to her. And that is a nice, bitter-sweet way of addressing the loss of Shakespeare’s little boy.

The story also has one of the most unforgettable Sandman quotes.   “Tales and dreams are the shadow truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ash, and forgot.” 

7.   Overture Part 6 (The Sandman Overture Part 6)

I love The Sandman: Overture with all my heart.   And it was difficult to pick a specific issue of it to be a favorite.   I chose part 6 because this is the moment where Dream, Desire, and Hope save the universe.   The metaphor is brilliantly obvious.  

The artwork is gorgeous.  And we get to see both Dream and Desire be heroes (”just for one day.”)

You also get to see exactly what happened to Morpheus right before his capture in The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes.  

6.   The Doll’s House Part 4: Men of Good Fortune. (The Sandman issue 13)

I mentioned before that I love Hob Gadling.  This is the story that introduced us to him. Not only do we get the backstory of Morpheus’ immortal friend but we also get to see our proud antagonist finally swallow his pride and admit that yes, he has a friend.   It’s one of the sweetest issues of The Sandman while also showing how people (in general) don’t really change.  Individuals might but human beings are still human beings and the complaints of the thirteenth century are eerily similar to the complaints of the late twentieth century. This story is also the first time (I think) we see Morpheus say his indignant “You dare?”   

5.  The Parliament of Rooks (The Sandman Issue 40)

This is a fun issue.  Baby Daniel lucid dreams his way to The House of Secrets where  Eve, Cain, and Abel tell stories to him.  Eve tells her own “three-in-one” tale and Abel introduces us to the concept of “Lil Endless.”    

4.   Season of Mists Part 2. (The Sandman issue 23)

This was a great issue.  After all the build up of Morpheus planning to return to Hell to rescue Nada (whom he wrongfully left there ten-thousand-years before) and the fear and dread involved with going back there we find out that Lucifer has quit.   

Lucifer explains to Morpheus why he’s shutting down Hell (Dialogue adapted by the Lucifer TV series for a conversation between Lucifer and Linda). He the asks Morpheus to help him cut off his own wings and finally Lucifer leave Morpheus with the key to Hell.  

Now poor Morpheus must figure out what to do with the abandoned dimension and deal with the various Gods, goddesses and creatures of mythology and folklore who have come to try to lay claim to it.  

3.   Sleep of The Just (The Sandman issue 1)

This is the very first issue of The Sandman and it was very different from the first issue of any other comic book I had ever read before.   A LOT happened here.  Where most comic book writers would have taken this story told in this issue and stretched it out for twelve issues, this was concise and brilliantly written.

The Order of Ancient Mysteries, lead by Roderick Burgess, summon and trap Morpheus AKA Dream of The Endless.   They were trying to summon his sister, Death, but got him by mistake.   He is held prisoner for seventy-two-years before finally escaping and seeking revenge on his captor.  

What I like most about this issue is that the story really ropes you in and the internal artwork reminds me of a classic horror comic, something I really appreciated.

2.  A hope in Hell (The Sandman Issue 4)

This is The Sandman issue where I truly realized I was reading something utterly different.  When I first started reading The Sandman it was mostly to learn Lucifer’s comic book back story but I fast got hooked on THIS story and forgot all about Luci. 

I must confess that though I am a life-long comic book reader I have a habit of skimming or out right skipping most combat scenes.  I find them boring and often over the top.   (I was a teenager in the 90s and early 2000s and got burnt out on over-the-top action scenes a long time ago).  So I fully anticipated having to skim over certain parts of The Sandman.

However...

It was when I got to “the battle” in A Hope in Hell that I finally let my guard down and realized this was something completely different.  This was never going to be like any other comic I had ever read.  There would be no giant factory explosions or characters punching each other on busy center-fold pages full of sound effects and fire.   

When I got the line “I am hope.” I finally let my guard down and understood the real magick in what I was reading.  That was the moment I fell in love with The Sandman. 

 Also I love David Bowie.

1.  Imperfect Hosts (The Sandman issue 2).   

As you may have guessed A hope in Hell PROBABLY should be at number 1 on this list but I have a soft spot for Imperfect Hosts for what a delightful surprise it was for me.

I love Gothic Horror.  I grew up loving anthology horror like Tales from the crypt.   Imagine my surprise to discover The Sandman’s minion “Nightmares” entailed old school horror hosts.  Even Destiny of The Endless, the mad mod witch (The Fashion Thing) ,The Hecatae, and Lucien The Librarian were all old horror hosts. 

To see someone like the Crypt Keeper-esque Cain taking care of the weakened Dream Lord was a treat for me.   I also noticed the loving homages to horror comics artist Bernie Wrightson. 

Bernie Wrightson holds a special place in my heart because many years ago my mother gave me a large coloring book signed by Bernie Wrightson.  I didn’t recongize the name but she recongized his style as something I like.  And she was right.   It turned out I already had several books that had been drawn by him but had never checked the name.   I have long since lost that coloring book... and my mother...   But Bernie was a reminder of how well she sometimes knew me.  And this issue reminded me of Bernie Wrightson and so reminded me of her.  So Imperfect Hosts had to take the number 1 spot.   

It also introduced us to the adorable baby Goldie.

#Neil Gaiman's The Sandman #The Sandman #Neil Gaiman

[angelkurenai]

A supernatural marvel - Dean Winchester x Reader x Steve Rogers - Chapter 14 (Dean’s Ending)

Title: A supernatural Marvel

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Warnings: Set in season 13 and Post Avengers: Infinity War, No Infinity War spoilers

Word Count: 5k+

Summary: Imagine being transported in the Supernatural universe, with no memory of your life, where you become a hunter and fall in love with Dean. Only for a very important person from your past to come looking for you and change it all.

Read Chapter 1 here! l Read Chapter 2 here! l Read Chapter 3 here! l Read Part 4 here! l Read Part 5 here! l Read Part 6 here! l Read Part 7 here! l Read Part 8 here! l Read Part 9 here! l Read Part 10 here! l Read Part 11 here! l Read part 12 here! l Read part 13 here!

Your eyes fluttered open.

It was as simple as that, an action that happened every morning, yet this time you wished with all your heart that you'd get to do once more. You took in a breath, and although it came in shakily, a smile graced yours lips because you actually felt it. You felt your lungs fill with air, felt the small protest of your back as you shifted, you were a bit sore apparently, but more than that you were alive. And as your eyes took in the room, everything so familiar, as well as the photo on your nightstand, the happiness in your heart couldnt get any bigger.

With another smaller breath in and exhale, you pushed your blankets off you and before your mind could even register the action, your feet carried you towards the only person you wanted to see at the moment.

You pushed the door slightly open and peaked inside to see him in the exact same position you found him nearly every morning you went to wake him up, sprawled all over the bed with his lips slightly parted. The corners of your lips tugged into a smile and you slowly padded your way to him, laying on the other side which in all hnesty had turned into your side over the course of time. You could have gotten carried away just by gazing at him but quickly gathered your thoughts.

You brought a hand up and gave his shoulder a small shake, whispering “Dean.” but you knew one try wasn't going to beenough “Dean. Dean. Come on, wake up. Dean. ” you heard a soft groan of protest as a response and you insisted even more “Come on sleepyhead, wake up. You gotta get up at some point.” but another moan of protest, soon followed by a soft whine.

“No” he huffed, eyes not opening for a second all the while.

“D” you grinned anyway “It's already very late. You seriously can't tell me you're not gonna get up and help us with research.” you said and only got a hum and cheeky smile from him “And then what are you gonna do? Keep sleeping?”

He let a small soft sigh at first, licking his lips before he sleepily mumbled “Nope. I've got a better idea-” he didn't hesitate to throw an arm over your middle and pull you to himself. Your legs tangled and your arms wrapped around his shoulders as he layed his head at the crook of your neck and layed nearly all of his body on top of yours. “Keep sleeping and cuddle.”

A giggle involuntarily escaped your lips and you let your body relax against his “So what, am I not allowed to get off this bed either?”

“Definitely no.” he said stubbornly but so adorably, so carefree and even innocently that for a second it took your breath away. The past couple days had felt like years when you realized he wasn't being this open with you, as much as Dean Winchester could be. Not when you saw that you were the very reason to his flirty and playful side, even, being gone. Nearly all words died out in your lips. Deciding to erase everything that happened from both reality and his memorywhile staying wasn't just the right choice, it was the only choice your heart could make. It would otherwise crumble, thinking Dean wasn't going to smile like this anytime soon. You cleared your throat, pushing the thought on that back of your mind. It wasn't time for that now.

You bit your lower lip, your fingers playing with the short hair in the back of his head “Somehow always knew this was your favorite position, Winchester.”

He hummed, his smile getting even wider which meant he was fully awake yet didn't want to pull away from you “Hmh you have imagined it, sweetheart?”

You could hear some smugness but even more playfulness in his voice and certainly see it on his face that you couldn't help but want to take it further “Can't tell you all about my fantasies, D. I need to keep a dirty secret or two to myself.” it was one of the hardest things to keep yourself from bursting into laughter when he popped an eye open and raised a suggestive eyebrow at you “Oh, so you're awake now.”

“What did you just say?” he asked in a much more gruff and low voice.

“I mean, I'd go into detail but-” you gave him an innocent yet full of meaning smile “We're kind of in a dangerous positionright now, don't you think?”

He looked up and down at you, just as you shifted a bit, and he gave you that kind of small and breathless laugh that just showed he had thought of something definitely not appropriate. “Right. You're right. I should prob-”

He had already started pulling away but that didn't mean you were going to let go of him, taking hold of his hands “But that still doesn't mean-” your smile softened as you you placed it back where it was and rested your own head on his chest “Any of it has to be over, D. Nobody's stopping us, are they? And I know... I don't want it to end either. Not when it feels good.”

Dean's lips parted for a second, mostly a perplexed expression on his face because of the tone in your voice but at the same time unable to help the skip of his heartbeat at the small confession that left your lips. He was ready to question it but couldn't find the words to it so he decided against it. He let out a soft sigh of content, nodding his head a bit before leaning in to kiss your temple. He didn't say a word, not when he knew he didn't have to. Silence with you always felt so comfortable and when he got to hold you like this, that's when he felt truly complete. And oh he would be damned if he ever let himself ruin such a moment, not when he could have you all to himself like this.

“I mean-” you started peaking again and he could swear he held his breath, waiting for what you'd say and almost hoping you'd give him yet another opportunity to flirt with you just so that he'd see the small tint of red that involuntarily showed up on your cheeks “You're good as a blanket, no doubt the best one I've ever had. Wonderful and so soft, I could never change a thi-”

“What?” his voice came out a bit high-pitched “I'm not- I haven't gone soft! I'm a hunter, I'm supposed to be hard a-and firm a-and-”

“Yet so squishy.” you giggled, wiggling your fingers on his side and making him squirm. But he fought the smile from your tickling and nearly glared down at you, offended. “Come on, Dean! Just admit it, we both know it!” your fingers quickly danced underneath his shirt and onto his belly. This time you couldn't help your laughter when you heard that squeak, almost a yelp, when you pinched it. He almost tried to wiggle away from your grasp but you wouldn't let him.

“No! No! I swear if you keep it up-” another yelp and many more giggles and laughter for you “No, (Y/n) stop, I'm not-”

“Oh you so are!” you only kept going, laughing along as he tried to escape from you “Soft here. Soft there. It's all so soft. See my point?”

“Alright, alright I give up! I give up.” he tried to catch his breath when you let go of him “I get it. I shouldn't have eaten that second burger last night.”

“You idiot.” you still laughed softly before whispering softly “You definitely should have and it's great that you did. Dean Itold you, there's nothing wrong with being soft here and there. I know I love to be able to grab something whenever I can on a man, not to mention my man.” you smirked at him, words so casual he had to blink twice, and do a double take because he thought his mind was playing games on him, both eyebrows raised “Besides, that jaw of yours is so sharp it can so easily cut me through just by looking at it.”

“Doesn't sound bad to me.” but you were sure the smile on his lips wasn't more about the second part than the first.

“It's in fact one of the most beautiful things about you.” you caught yourself able to keep going and he couldn't help but look at you with sparkling eyes and an innocent curiosity “These broad shoulders give me the best piggy backs wheneverI'm too clumsy and break my leg or twist my ankle. And I gotta admit I may or may have not exaggerated a couple timesjust to get an extra ride.” you giggled when he groaned and mutter a small “Of course” but still with a fond smile, almost of disbelief at hearing you say everything you did. For the first time not behind shy smiles or hidden glances “And I'm only gonna apologize for your back, old man.”

He scoffed, rolling his eyes “One mor of that and I'm gonna make you regret it.”

You grinned, snuggling closer to his side “I'll have that in mind.” you whispered “But... it's also your arms, that give the warmest and biggest bear hugs I know. Like when I have a nightmare, they instantly make me feel safe and at home. It's something only you can do and I think I might have finally figured out why but it's way too cheesy to admit.”

“By all means, I'll bring the crackers. Keep going.” despite how he couldn't even hear his own words because of how loud his hammering heart was, he just didn't want you to stop. Not now.

“'M sure you will.” you let out a soft sigh “But I was going to say about how all this softness is the reason why this chest makes you the softest and certainly my favorite pillow in the whole world.”

But much to his surprise, those words made the smile slowly fade from his lips. A frown slowly started setting as the words repeated in his head. Images started flashing through his head, foggy but still the words very much clear. His eyes looked away from you, his entire body went stiff and his heart almost twisted painfully inside his chest. More things kept coming back to him.

“D?” you asked softly, perplexed at noticing the seriousness on his face “Everything ok?”

“N-No- I mean, yeah.” he cleared his throat, giving you a reassuring squeeze “It's nothin' just- I think I had the weirdest freaking dream ever.” he said in a gruff voice, mind elsewhere.

“What dream?”

“I-” but he stopped himself, his eyes slowly falling on you as another image flashed through his eyes and his heart did a flip; making his breath hitch in his throat “No-nothin'.” he cleared his throat, blinking with almost wide eyes looking away “It's just... hard to explain. It- It felt so real and I- I think...” he shook his head “Nevermind. 'S just a stupid dream.”

You noticed the way he struggled to swallow but you didn't try to ask, not this time. This time you wanted to do it better. To do it right.

~*~

“So I'm thinking it's probably not our thing.” Sam shrugged, closing the computer “Maybe for once we could catch a break or somethi-” but the younger Winchester stopped mid-sentence when he noticed Dean wasn't even looking at him, let alone listening “Dean?”

This time you did look up through your lashes to find the older Winchester still looking at you with that awe-struck look on his face that you had noticed was there throughout the entire morning but didn't comment on, too occupied enjoyed yet another supernaturally normal morning with your family.

“Dean? Dean, are you even listening to me?” Sam asked with a deeper frown and you blinked, glancing at him before looking back at Dean with a soft smirk.

“D?” you asked with a small giggle “Do you have a fever or maybe a stroke?”

He finally blinked, being brought back to reality as he scoffed with a smirk “Told you I'm not old. And no uh I'm- I'm ok, why shouldn't I be?”

“Well, for starters... you haven't touched your pie, and mind you it's the last slice you've been saving for days now. Heck, you barely touched any of the bacon I made for you. Jack ate more of it than you and you didn't even notice.” you pointed out, leaning back in your seat.

“H-he did? Oh.” he barely even reacted, shaking his head “Yeah well, I'm just not hungry. 'S nothing to-”

“You?” Sam raised an eyebrow “Not hungry? How's that not worrying.”

“Told you, I'm just fine. I've just got-” he bit his lower lip, taking another look at you – one of the longing ones, as if he had not seen you in years and was really taking you and admiring. Sure it had first made you blush like a mad and you didn't say anything about noticing it, but him not being anywhere near subtle had made you a bit suspicious. “Some things on my mind. That's all.”

“Really? Then maybe you'd sound more convincing if you stopped looking at me as if I'm gonna disappear any given moment.” you rested your elbow on the map table and your chin on your palm, giving him a soft smile “As cute as it may be, it's still a bit worrying.”

“Well, then-” he shrugged “It's maybe cause you're so distracting it's impossible for me to focus on anything else when you're in the room.”

The confidence in his voice, along with the words and the way he smiled softly yet sincerely at you, made your back straighten and your eyebrows shot up in surprise. The smile faded from your lips when you felt the heat rush up your neck. Dean had been flirty before, but it was mostly longing gazes and touches when other people were around that you jut didn't know how to handle it. Your eyes met Sam's for a moment, the look on his face even more stunned than yours, and you could swear he was ready to ask if someone had possessed Dean.

“I-” you blinked, your eyes slowly casting down as you felt your face heat up “Thanks, I guess.”

“What for?” he smiled casually “Was just sayin' the truth, princess.” it turned into a smirk “Would say a lot more if Sammy wasn't in the room but I just gotta compromise.” this did earn a small giggle from you but an even more surprised look from Sam who couldn't believe his brother was actually saying this out loud.

“D-Dean are you- are you sure you're ok?” Sam finally asked instead of you, unable to process it.

“Never been better, Sammy.” the green-eyed hunter leaned against his seat with a casual smile “In fact, I was thinking about that break part and I agree. When was the last time we even went on vacation? We've been hunting non-stop and from how I see it the world is safe for once. We freakin' earned it.”

“I- I mean it doesn't sound bad, I think we could-” but Sam didn't even get the chance to complete the sentence before Dean enthusiastically slammed his hand on a book and got up with a grin, startling both of you.

“Perfect!” his smile mirrored that of a child's on Christmas day “Sweetheart, get that pretty ass up. We're going supply running and Sammy start packing, we'll chose a place when we come back. (Y/n), I'll wait outside, don't break my heart by standing me up. Oh and don't bother changing clothes, undressing you is my job only.” he gave you a wink that left you a bigger blushing mess than before.

“I- I-” it all happened so fast you didn't get the chance to fully comprehend everything “Sure.”

“Just-” Sam raised a finger, the smirk on his face scaring you as you silently threatened him to be careful what he asked “One question.” Dean stopped on his tracks and looked at him “Will you make it by noon or am I gonna see you two tomorrow morning?”

“Don't know.” Dean shrugged so casually, you just prayed that was it, but it wasn't “She's the dom, ask her. Depends on how much she wears me out.” he gave you a boyish grin, another wink and you were left to stare after him with wide eyes. Unaware if you should just end him or Sam who was chuckling and nodding his head. Maybe both.

~*~

Having slipped on a pair of shoes and your thin jacket, you didn't bother taking off Dean's flannel and your shorts. Not that you planned to change, but Dean's smile when he saw you was something you had been craving to see more and more so it just made it all the more worth it. It was actually that very smile that after everything that happened - at least that you remembered happening - gave you the courage you needed. Sure, some weight had lifted off your shoulders at knowing you had made the right choice but actually seeing him be the man he was when it was just the two of you, before the stone and before Steve, allowed you to finally let all your worries fade. At least for the moment.

You couldn't deny that you hesitated for a split second, but with him so close to you, it was hard to resist the urge to reach out for his free hand. You saw the corner of his lips lift into a soft smile, even if his eyes stayed on the road, you were sure he was thinking of you when he gave it a squeeze. He held it with his hand, his thumb started rubbing softly your knuckles as you slowly leaned on his side and rested your head on his shoulder. The soft kiss on the top of your head and the way his fingers nearly laced with yours, had you smiling the entire ride.

“Didn't sleep well?” his rough yet gentle voice was the first thing you heard after some time of driving, and only when you heard him did your realise your eyes had drifted close.

“Probably not enough.” you whispered, rubbing your eyes with your free hand. His warmth, his scent and the deep rumble of the car along with the exhaustion you felt had made you fall asleep. You looked around, only to realize the car had finally stopped but the market stood a good few feet away from you two, so you were mostly by the side of the road.

“Could've always told me, princess.” his eyebrows pulled into a frown “Was it your dreams again?”

“I-” you shook your head “No. No dreams, and no headaches I promise. It was good, it really was. I feel like it's been quitesome time since I slept this well. It just wasn't enough, I'm too tired these days.”

“Well, you-” he licked his lips a bit nervously, worry still on his face “You know that if you ever have a problem with- with dreams or nightmares, then I'm here for you. I'm always here, (Y/n). Doesn't matter how, when or where. Even if it's the freaking middle of the night. You don't have to think twice to wake me up. I'm-” he let a small sigh “I want to be there for you. I- I know what it's like to see things that you don't like, things that scare you and I-”

“If you say it's your job to protect me, so help me Winchester, I will have to kiss the leaving heaven out of you to shut you up.” you breathed out with a fond smile that earned a deep warm chuckle from him.

“Is that a threat or a promise? Cause it only makes me want to keep going.” he smirked at you and you laughed, shifting to bury your burning face in the crook of his neck and wrap both your arms around him “But, in all seriousness, I- I don't do it because it's my job, (Y/n). I do it because I want to.”

“I know you do, D. I always know.” you whispered, the comfortable silence that set between the two of you not lasting for long.

“And you know, in case you have trouble sleeping... your favorite pillow is always waiting for you. I mean, to make the deal more sweet- not that my cuddles aren't the bet you'll ever get, I was thinking-” he paused for a second, a smile playing on his lips "If we tried a bit, move some of the furniture, there could be a space for Kong aside from the rest of your things. Maybe I'll even put him by the flowers I bring."

The casual yet serious tone in his voice but even more the words that he uttered made the air leave your lungs and the smile to vanish. The very familiar weight rested on your chest again and your heart dropped. You froze in your place at first but willed yourself to slowly pull away and look him in the eyes. “Wh-what?”

But his face held no signs of exhaustion, or anger or most importantly pain. It was calm, relaxed with a hint of a smile on his face. His eyes actually sparkling and very similar to the awe-struck one he had been giving you all morning. Until he finally whispered in a hoarse voice “It wasn't a dream, was it?”

Your eyes moved back and forth, searching for more than he was ready to voice at the moment. And you certainly didn't need him to voice them. You couldn't really expect for everything to be erased once and for all, not for a second time. Memories would always find a way back, all that was needed was a key to unlock the past. You gave him a slow and weak nod, trying to swallow down the lump in your throat but it was impossible. Your blood had run cold and you slowly started to pull away from him “No. No it wasn't.”

If you had not let your eyes trail down you'd have noticed the way his lips fell apart and he tried to fight the excitement and eagerness from showing through. His eyebrows raised softly, his lips pulling into an almost smile as he nodded his head “I don't-” he cleared his throat a bit “I don't care about the rest of it. In fact I don't care about most of it. Hell, I don't even know if I remember it in the right order to begin with.” a nervous laugh that caught your attention “I don't care at the moment. I just only- I care about- At some point I saw, or at least think I saw-” but he struggled to keep going and when you finally looked up at him, a small breath escaped your lips when you saw the real uncertainty in his eyes “I hear you say I'm- that you're- That we-”

“Are soulmates.” you completed his sentence and his eyes, big, green and still filled with awe shot up to meet yours. A half, nervous smile appeared for only a split second. Before he slowly nodded his head.

“It was-” he started in a gruff voice “Everything came back and I didn't know what to believe. It felt so real. And-” his smile vanished and a deep frown set “I guess it's because it really was.”

“Gosh, Dean, I'm...” your eyes casted down at your hands “I'm sorry, for everything that went on. Steve won't remember me now, none of the do, it's as if I never existed for them and nothing will be there to remind them of me. But you do now. And hurting you was the only thing I'd never want. I swore to myself I would never do anything to hurt you and I- I thought that if I tried hard enough I'd make things right and I-”

“No” he breathed out fast and desperate “No, shit, no, (Y/n). I didn't mean that-” he dragged a hand down his face “Sweetheart, I should be the one to apologize. I acted like a total dick but I-” it was hard to put it into words and you actually held your breath. It wasn't until you whispered his name that you actually heard him speak, and his words did make your eyes widen.

“I was jealous.” his eyes were glossy, he ran his fingers through his hair as he chewed on his lower lip “I was so freaking jealous, baby girl. Jealous that he'd get you and I- I couldn't. I was blinded by my jealousy. I was... scared. Scared I was gonna lose you for good before I even got the chance to fight for you. And it drove me insane, kid, so much I didn't know what I was even saying. But I acted like a total asshole and I- I didn't mean any of it.” he took in a deep breath that came in shaky as you were only left to stare at him with wide eyes and gaping “I shouldn't have., it wasn't your fault. But I just didn't know how to deal with it. And yet you... stayed. You chose to stay here and it makes me feel even worse.”

“I stayed because I wanted to.” you whispered despite how hard it was with his words setting in “There is no way, no possible version, no life I- I could live without you Dean. I'd always chose you... us.”

“I- I thought I was going crazy, I thought-” he bit his lower lip, shaking his head softly with a nervous laugh that made you look up “My imagination was running wild again. That is was one of those dreams.”

“Th-those dreams?” you blinked, your heart fluttering inside your chest.

“Yeah, you know-” he gave you a half smile, hesitating for a second but reaching out to take hold of your hand again, his eyes glued on them as he rubbed soft circles over the back of it; taking a deep breath and just lacing them without a second thought “The ones with no monsters involved, not in our life at least. Lots of those cuddles. That beautiful summer dress you have. Heck, your fandom pjs too. Cooking, lots of that cause you know I'm addicted to your food. A dog maybe. You know, playing and running around the garden in- in the back of... the house.”

“The-” you started but no words came out and when your eyes met his, the heat on your face only got bigger. Dean gave you a squeeze as you breathed out “O-oh”

Your heart was beating so hard inside your chest you were scared it would break free from your chest. You were thankful for his smile. “You know, though, you staying pretty much means you're stuck with me, right?” he asked with a small smirk.

“Stuck? Well, I was actually going to say blessed to be even destined to have a life with a man like you, whether that happens or not.” you said full of sincerity, smiling on your own “I know how you think of yourself, Dean, but heavens you're only a blessing for a woman and I feel like- sometimes I think I won't be enough for you. I just pray...” you closed your eyes, taking a deep breath “I pray I will get the opportunity to be worthy for you. To make you happy. That's why I stayed, because that's what I want. You. And I know...”

You could swear your entire body was shaking, not just your hands which were sweating. But you had been on the verge of losing him for good, you had seen his soul slip from his body and you had never felt more terrified in your life. You couldn't lose any more time, not a single second, and certainly not by beating around the bush. “I can't be without you, Dean.” you confessed “I just can't. It scares me to think I- I could live without you. I know, and I understand now, that we were meant to be for a reason. And that reason is what I feel for you.” you breathed out shakily, looking away almost shyly “And I feel so many things I can't begin to describe. You're important to me, in so many ways and so much that I just know I want you in my life... in whatever way and form you think you can give me. It doesn't have to be any more than this, I don't want you to feel like you have to-”

You could swear you heard a gasp leave his lips but you were set to get it off your chest. And it was the closest you could get to a confession. In this line of work saying saying the L word wasn't easy, even if your heart was screaming it at the moment for him, you knew you'd freak him out. And you were already saying too much to-

“I love you.” it was slow and in a gruff voice, but firm and sincere. You choked on your words, your eyes widening as your head shot up. Your eyes met his red-rimmed eyes and you held your breath, not sure if your head was playing tricks on you.

He looked even more nervous and scared than you “I- I do. I really do, and it's killing me to think there was a chance I'd never get to tell you. I- I don't care whether I live or die-” he paused when he noticed your wince “I know that in this life the end of the line could be just around the corner. And I don't wanna go without telling you everything, baby. I need you to know it, despite how much it scares me, I want you to know. I do and I can't help it. I love you.” he gave you a small nod, the tear that rolled down his cheek perfectly mirroring yours. But you were far too taken aback to say a word, silence setting between the two of you as he held his breath. He sniffled and cleared his throat, in the end, looking slightly away as if disappointed “I really don't expect you to say it back, I know it's-”

“Stop, just stop.” you whispered shakily, bringing your hands up to cup his face and make him look at you “How will I ever be able to show you that I love you with every fiber in my body, Dean Winchester?”

His beautiful green eyes widened once more, a shaky intake slipping past his lips but he didn't try to say anything. He knew he didn't need to, not at the moment. He gave you a small half smile before with every bit of courage left in him and what you'd given him, he leaned to crash his lips to yours.

A small gasp left your lips but you expected no less than a big smile from spreading on your lips as you kissed him back. The kiss was slow and his lips were soft and delicate on yours, as if he was scared he'd break you like a glass doll. You could feel some of his nervousness slip into, and for a man who had been with so many women before you, it only showed how much more important said first kiss was to him. Just as much important as it was to you. The small sound tha he let out when you pressed yourself closer to him only made you giggle, loving that you had to be the one to deepen the kiss or make the next move.

You pulled away only when your lungs protested. Dean chased after your lips for a second, a small whine leaving and you didn't need to be asked before you leaned in again and pressed two or three small kisses on his lips again. The warm chuckle that you earned from him made you grin.

“Do you think-” you started, your lips inches away from him “Do you think Sam will mind if we take a bit more time than usual to return?”

“To be honest-” he whispered “I think he wishes we don't go back home early.” it made you both laugh “Question is, do we plan to go back home early?”

“No, no we definitely don't.” your arms slipped around his middle again, nearly sitting on his lap and he gave you a boyish grin.

“Great, because there are a couple things I'd like us to talk about.” he turned the car back on, a hand on the wheel and the other wrapped around your middle

You raised an eyebrow “Such as?”

“Alright, first, I'm talking anything dirty here or roleplaying or anything but you may just have given me a new kink.” it earned another laugh from you “So, do you think you can find a suit like your superhero one? Because, not that I don't love you in my flannels or how cool you look as a hunter, but hot damn baby, you're the most badass Avenger I've seen in that suit.”

“Well, hunter or Avenger? Hhm, maybe, if you choose your side wisely, Winchester.”

~~~

Read Steve’s Ending here!

#supernatural #supernatural imagine #supernatural fanfiction #supernatural one shot #supernatural x reader #dean #dean winchester #dean x reader #dean winchester x reader #dean imagine #dean winchester imagine #dean fanfiction #dean winchester fanfiction #dean one shot #dean winchester one shot #steve #steve rogers #steve imagine #steve rogers imagine #steve x reader #steve rogers x reader #steve fanfiction #steve rogers fanfiction #steve one shot #steve rogers one shot #captain america #captain america imagine #captain america x reader #captain america fanfiction #captain america one shot

[naomimakesart]

Tagged by: @chillyravenart to answer a buttload of questions (that I added all in one post) about ASOIAF so here we go!

1. What position on the 👑’s council would you want?

So I’d like to say Mistress of Ships, though I know nothing about maritime profession I feel like it would be the least dangerous of all the positions on the kings councils, in terms of being executed. lmao Realistically I think I’d be really well suited for Mistress of Whispers because I am super nosey and I like to learn people’s secrets 

2. Who’s your favourite of the ‘villains’ and why?

Is Tywin Lannister considered a villain? I know he’s not techincally a good guy but he’s more of a lawful evil I guess, but he probably doesn’t see himself as evil? I think he’s a fascinating character either way. 

3. Would you be a steward, a ranger or a builder in the Night’s Watch?

I’d like to think I could make an alright ranger, and it would be a good position to be in to stay in shape; if I was a steward I’d probably be sitting inside eating honeycakes all the time to stay warm haha

4. What would your own sigil and 🏠 words be?

A white barn owl, surrounded by 3 crystal balls, on a pale green field, with house words that say “You Have No Power Over Me”

5. If you were a warg, what one animal would you choose?

Definitely an owl or a shadowcat. Owls are one of my favorite animals and I love big cats too and I think it would be badass to have an animal companion that I could meld my spirit with

6. If you could travel through time and space to warn one character about something about to happen, who would it be and what would you tell them?

Travels all the way back in time to warn Rhaena Targaryen about Androw Farman being a little BITCH and killing all of her lady-friends/lovers; that way she could feed him to Dreamfyre first. 

7. Which in-universe religion would you choose to follow?

Every single god/goddess that Larra Rogarre followed seemed so intriguing to me! Especially the goddess of cats??? My god, I was just like “SIGN ME UP AND LEMME KNOW THE ADDRESS OF THE CHURCH” 

8. Which in-universe weapon would you favour (dragons don’t count)?

Poison, mwahahaha. No for real, I’d love to know how to fight with a double-sided glaive, and look like a medieval Darth Maul haha. If not that, archery would be a close second, though not as exciting as close-combat. 

9. If you were resurrected as per Beric and Stoneheart, what would your obsession be?

My obsession would be finding all the lemoncakes in Westeros and eating them.

10. How do you think you would inevitably die in-universe?

Probably from gossiping/ saying something at the wrong time, and being executed for treason  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

11. If you could swear your 🗡️ to anybody in-universe, who would it be?

The side in me that wants goodness to prevail would swear my sword to Dany. The side in me that likes intrigue and treachery would swear my sword to Bloodraven and pledge to be one of his thousand eyes. 

12. Which Westerosi castle would you like to live in?

Summerhall, if it wasn’t scorched to the ground. Dragonstone would be my next choice.

13. Would you rather be a rich and influential lord, born into wealth and privilege or would you rather be someone who wields power from the sidelines, like Littlefinger?

I feel as though I would do better as an advisor, and not someone directly in power of all things. That way when things go wrong I don’t have to carry the blame hahaha.

14. Pick one: platinum hair or purple eyes?

As much as I love violet eyes I am in love with platinum hair. 

15. Based on a tag I made once, based on your physical features, which part of Westeros/which house do you belong to?

My hair is dark ashy brown and my eyes are kind of a russet brown, and I have pale skin. I used to think that I would be best suited for House Tyrell, but my hair and eyes are dark enough that I could pass for a Blackwood, and that’s the house I’m choosing haha

16. Who do you think will actually defeat the Night King?

Bran Stark. I know everyone thinks Bran is the Night King, but I don’t. And if it isn’t Jon or Dany, I think it will be the combined effort of the two of them with Bran doing all the mental work.

17. Three people you think will die in season 8?

Cersei most likely, possibly Jaime though I hope he won’t, and then I have had a really bad feeling that Jon would die since he told Melisandre not to bring him back if he dies again in season 6.

18. What would you name your dragon/direwolf?

If I had a dragon, depending on it’s colors, I’d want to name it something celestial, like Starlight or something. If I had a direwolf I’d want to name it Shadow, just bc Shadow is a good name for a canine companion to me lmao

19. How must Ser Pounce be avenged?

We need to find out who murdered him, question/torture every servant that was working during that time until they give us the answer. When we finally know how he died, and who killed him, we will execute the murderer and every member of their immediate family.

20. Whose POV chapters are your favourite? (If you haven’t read the books… skip this and hang your head in shame lol jk jk jk)

Dany, Arya, Sansa, and then later on Jaime, Asha and Brienne. Theon’s chapters were pretty good too! 

21. Your favourite ASOIAF/GOT antagonist?

Think I answered this earlier but I really like Tywin a lot. 

I won’t tag anyone else because I’ve already tagged a lot of people in stuff today, but if anyone else wants to they can copy and use these questions themselves! 

#asoiaf #game of thrones #a song of ice and fire

[thelunarbond]

OC Questions with Phoenix

Questions taken from this post! Sorry if there are any typos, this was super long and I’m tired lmao

1) Their age? 

19

2) Their sexuality/sexual preference?

He struggled with it for a while, but now he’s openly pansexual. Anyone who’s nice to him for a while he’ll become attracted to 

3) Any siblings?

Phoenix has a little brother called Baxter! Baxter is 12 years old. They have a great sibling relationship; they trust each other and always look out for one another

4) Their favourite season?

Autumn/Winter. He hates being too hot and sweating, and he loves wearing sweaters cuz he’s insecure about his arms 

5) Who were/are their parents/guardians?

His parents were an artist and a musician, but they both died when he was 8-9 years old. His foster parents do not get along with him at all and they have arguments on the daily. Since joining the Lunar Bond, Phoenix lives with the other members and doesn’t visit them at all; he only sees his brother outside of the house

6) Their gender?

Cis male 

7) Their date of birth?

3rd September! (side note; I always do a drawing for his birthday, I’ll be sure to post it here this year!)

8) What clothing style?

He prioritises being comfy over everything else. He always wears a pair of ripped black skinny jeans and old, beaten up sneakers. He’ll often wear a long sleeved t-shirt or an oversized hoodie/sweater; the biggest one he owns goes down to his knees! He’ll also sometimes wear earrings (he has a cartilage piercing and both lobes pierced). He’ll never wear anything in public that shows off his arms or legs 

9) What is their favourite food after a break up?

No food. He doesn’t eat. He might drink some water if he gets a headache from thirst. And he’ll spend the rest of the time crying or sleeping. He’s melodramatic help him

10) Their favourite thing to do after a break up?

As mentioned earlier, crying and sleeping. Also listening to sad music. Help him please I’m begging

11) What happens in “the honeymoon phase” for this character?

He’s constantly buying gifts. And wants to see them every day. He becomes incredibly clingy and can sometimes get jealous. He’ll basically do anything for his S/O. He’ll turn up unannounced on their doorstep with flowers. Nobody in the Lunar Bond expects him to be like this at all, as his initial personality is so cold. However he is the most romantic person in the Lunar Bond by a long shot

12) How many serious relationships have they been in?

Three; one when he was 14-16, one from when he was 16-17 and one from recently to present day  👀 

13) What is their nationality?

The Lunar Bond universe is set in a world different from our own, so I’ll just write the equivalent nationality. He’s white British 

14) What languages do they speak?

He really wants to learn a language, however at the moment he only speaks English

15) What is their profession/education?

He’s currently a NEET. He dropped out of school due to anxiety and doesn’t have a job because he recently moved to the city and is too afraid to apply. In school, he did exceptionally well; he’s incredibly clever and always got straight A’s in all his classes. Perhaps when he comes out of his shell a little he’ll get a job doing something he loves

16) Their favourite comfort food?

Soup. Especially chicken noodle soup, as his mother used to make it for him. He’ll always have a bowl of soup if he’s feeling down

17) What is a food they hate?

Not a food, but he can’t stand coffee. He absolutely hates the bitter taste and can’t drink it because the caffeine makes him jittery

18) Their music taste?

Anything. His phone has all kinds of music, from contemporary pop to rock to classical to jazz. His father being a musician really helped him open his eyes to a broad range of music. The only kind of music he won’t listen to is screamo, as it’s too “noisy”. He has a preference towards calm songs as they help him feel relaxed, but he’ll listen to anything

19) Is there a story behind their name/meaning?

(For this question, I’ll write about the process of naming Phoenix!)

Originally, Phoenix’s name came from a name generator. I was struggling to find a name suitable for my main character that wasn’t too safe but also wasn’t too wacky and wild to the point where it wasn’t realistic, and it also had to suit the character. Once I saw the name Phoenix I just knew it fit him perfectly. At the start of the Lunar Bond story, he feels like he doesn’t suit his name; a Phoenix is fiery and always comes back after death and he feels that he is none of those things. However as the story progresses, Phoenix always rises back up after being knocked down. And as he opens up to his new friends, he becomes passionate and fiery about keeping them safe and close to him. He grows in the story to suit his name; he rises back up after every failure, and has the fire in his heart to protect those close to him 

20) Something they do that seems childish to others?

He frequently gets lost in make believe worlds in his head. These mostly come from books he’s been reading, as he loves adventure and fantasy books. He’ll zone out for 30-90 minutes and daydream about being a part of a fantasy world; some people around him think that it’s childish as he’s not grounded in reality

21) What is their all time favourite TV show? 

He doesn’t watch TV. At all. He didn’t really watch TV when he was younger either. He plays video games occasionally, but he mainly reads books or watches films

22) What is their all time favourite movie?

(I’ll write the real-world equivalent of Phoenix’s favourite films here!)

It changes depending on his mood. Hes indecisive and can’t choose a favourite. If he wants to relax, he likes animated films like Kiki’s Delivery Service. He also likes superhero movies like The Avengers. He also likes classics like The Shining. 

23) How big is their family?

Incredibly small. His only blood relative he has left is his brother Baxter. Both his parents were only children, so he doesn’t have any aunts, uncles or cousins. Both his sets of grandparents died when he was very young

24) Are they close to anyone specific in their family?

As his only remaining blood relative, Phoenix is very close to Baxter. They tell each other everything and not a day goes by where they don’t talk to each other, at least on the phone or through texts. For the majority of his life, Baxter saw Phoenix as more of a parent figure as oppose to a brother as Phoenix would always look after him. Baxter also doesn’t remember his parents so relies on Phoenix to tell him about them and what they were like

25) Have they got any allergies?

Not in terms of food, but his skin is incredibly sensitive. He can’t use products that are too scented or he’ll get a rash. He also can’t use aftershave for the same reason, so he’s stuck using the same soaps that he knows for a fact won’t irritate his skin

26) Are they an emotional person?

Yes. He’s incredibly emotional. However, he won’t let it show in front of other people. To people who don’t know him well, Phoenix is cold, stoic and sharp tongued, and pushes away those who try and get close to him. He’s terrified of getting hurt, so he doesn’t allow people near him. On the inside, Phoenix is lonely and begging for someone to support him. When he’s alone, he lets out all of his emotions. He’ll punch a pillow if he’s angry, he’ll cry himself to sleep if he’s sad, he’ll giggle like a schoolboy if he’s happy. There’s only one person who can see straight through him... 👀

27) Do they get angry/lose their temper quickly?

He doesn’t get angry easily, but he’s easily irritated. He will never yell at someone or start an argument unless they’ve really touched a nerve. He will never start a physical fight with someone either. His anxiety makes him easily irritable, so he might tell someone sternly to leave him alone but that’s about as far as it goes the majority of the time

28) What are some of their guilty pleasures?

Animated films, and when he was a kid he was secretly into musical films aimed predominately at young girls (e.g. High School Musical). He still knows all the words to the songs to this day

29) Do they have pets? Do they want pets?

Phoenix hasn’t had a pet since he had a hamster when he was 5. When he moves into his own house he’d absolutely love to have a cat. Or 2. Or 5. He loves cats! He can’t have one right now though because Chase is allergic 

30) Do they like kids? Do they want kids/have kids?

He doesn’t mind children. He doesn’t love them or hate them. He’s very good at looking after children/babysitting because he looked after Baxter for so long. However he doesn’t want his own children because he would worry about them all the time

31) Who’s cuddle buddy are they?

Spoilers 🤐 🤐 🤐

32) Do they have any tattoos?

No. He’s terrified of needles so he’s never getting a tattoo

33) Do they have any piercings?

Only the ear piercings I mentioned earlier!

34) What is their hair colour? Is this their natural colour?

Phoenix’s hair is a light-ish brown colour, which is his natural colour. Minami is desperate to dye his hair but he always says no

35) Do they like musicals?

Other than the teen musicals he watched in secret as a kid? Sure! He has to be in the right mood to watch a musical though. He only watches musicals that are made into films; he’d be way too intimidated to go and watch one on stage

36) Do they like marmite?

He tolerates it. He doesn’t love it or hate it. He’ll eat it if it’s there but he won’t go and buy a jar of it

37) Do they like glitter?

Not really. He thinks it’s too messy and he likes to keep stuff tidy. He’s let Minami put glitter on his face before though

38) Do they believe in the supernatural?

Phoenix is the kind of person to be totally sceptical of supernatural stuff, but then the minute something vaguely spooky happens he’ll freak out and run away

39) Have they ever seen a dead body?

Yes. Wont go into details because spoilers  🤐 🤐 🤐

40) Have they ever had a near death experience?

Being a member of the Lunar Bond is a constant near death experience 

41) Have they ever broken a bone?

Yes. As a kid he broke his leg while climbing a tree in the forest. The worst part was that because he was alone and didn’t have a phone, he was found 2 and a half hours later by his mother as she was wondering where he was

42) What are they like when they’re drunk/what kind of drunk are they?

An overly emotional drunk. All his feelings come spilling out everywhere and he’ll be crying or laughing hysterically or yelling. If he has an S/O he’ll become even more clingy than he is usually

43) Did they ever get drunk while underage?

Yes. He got drunk with his ex-boyfriend when he was 15. Nothing too bad happened; he just ended up spending 3 hours telling said ex-boyfriend how much he loves him. Technically in some countries he’s still underage (however the drinking age where he lives is 18 so it’s all good!) 

44) What is the first thing they do when they wake up?

He checks the time on his phone so he knows what day it is and what time it is, as he’s been known to spend a long time sleeping. He’ll then make himself some tea

45) Do they consider themselves to be popular?

Absolutely not. Phoenix spends a lot of time worrying that his new friends in the Lunar Bond don’t actually like him, and that they’re being nice because they feel like they have to be nice to their teammate. Among the members of the Lunar Bond, he’s actually fairly popular and thought of highly; but he’ll never believe them if they say that to his face

46) How do they like their tea/coffee?

Tea: Depends on the type. He’ll drink loose leaf teas slightly weaker as they have a stronger flavour, so brewing time is lessened. He drinks green tea fairly strong. Some teas such as vanilla rooibos he’ll drink black, but other teas such as Lady Grey he’ll add some milk. Some teas such as Lapsang Souchong he’ll drink weaker with a little sugar

Coffee: In the trash. Where it belongs. At least in his opinion

47) What do they smell like?

Lemon and tea tree body wash, as that’s the only one he likes that doesn’t irritate his skin. Also second hand books

48) Are they a virgin?

No, but don’t tell him I told you that

49) Do they wear glasses/contacts?

He needs reading glasses as he’s slightly long sighted, but it’s not so bad that he has to wear them all the time. He wears them fairly often as he’s nearly always reading, and he just forgets to take them off 

50) Are they good at remembering significant dates, such as birthdays or anniversaries?

Yes. He doesn’t even need to write them down. He remembers dates from weird things, such as when he got his new glasses or when he got his ears pierced. He never forgets a birthday or anniversary and always buys gifts far ahead of time

#I ANSWERED ALL OF THEM HOLY SHIT #wasnt expecting that #oc questions #oc answers #lunar bond #long post

[asknightqueendany]

The Big Five (Bran, Arya, Jon, Dany, Tyrion) who will survive is only something that George R. R. Martin wrote in a letter about the upcoming series in 199-fucking-3. It was supposed to be a trilogy. There was supposed to be a love triangle between Tyrion, Arya and Jon. Also dany wasn’t supposed to have dragons in that outline so STOP using the big 5 to justify that Sansa isn’t an important character! It’s getting old and transparent.

I’m cracking up. Have you people even READ the original outline? No? I highly suggest you check it out before sending me asks on it again. You can see the original photos and transcribed texts HERE.

But let’s go through it because it’s a glorious Friday afternoon and I feel like taking some people down a notch.

The things I seem most about GRRM’s original outline as reasons why it shouldn’t be taken seriously are: 1) it was supposed to be a trilogy and 2) there was supposed to be a love triangle between Jon, Arya, and Tyrion. I don’t know where you got the whole, “Dany wasn’t supposed to have dragons” thing anon because according to the outline, there be dragons:

.

But let’s take a look at the letter. George states, “There are three major conflicts set in motion in the chapters enclosed. These will form the major plot threads of the trilogy, intertwining each other in what should be a complex but exciting (I hope) narrative tapestry. Each of the conflicts presents a major threat to the peace of my imaginary realm, the Seven Kingdoms, and to the lives of my principal characters.”

The first threat, George says, is the Lannister/Stark conflict.

The second threat is the Dothraki invasion, led by Daenerys in what George thought would be his second novel - A Dance With Dragons.

And the Third and final threat to Westeros would be the Others in his presumed last novel - The Winds of Winter.

Now, right off the bat, George has already used all the book titles, with TWOW in progress. On the show, we’ve already seen the play out and conclusion of the Lannister/Stark war. Daenerys/Dothraki invasion of Westeros has happened in the show. And the Others had begun invading the Seven Kingdoms at the end of Season 7.

So all of what George first said has come to pass, just eight seasons and seven books, not a trilogy.

In AGOT, things George said would happen was that Ned and Cat were doomed (✓), things for the Starks would get worse before they got better (✓), Ned would find out what happened to Jon Arryn (✓), Robert would have an accident and the throne would pass to Joffrey (✓), Ned would be accused of treason (✓), and Ned would help Arya and Catelyn escape to Winterfell (did not happen). HOWEVER - Cat never needed escaping from King’s Landing AND Arya did escape King’s Landing after Ned’s beheading - she just didn’t receive help from him.

George says of Sansa: she will wed Joffrey (no) and bear him a son (no), “and when the crunch comes she will choose her husband and child over her parents and siblings, a choice she will later bitterly rue” (✓ - Sansa DOES choose Joffrey over her family in the Riverlands and then again in King’s Landing by going behind Ned’s back to tell Cersei of his plan to send them back to Winterfell and willingly volunteers to write the letter to Robb so that she can still marry Joffrey (not because Cersei made her write it, she did it for Joffrey). Tyrion befriends Sansa (✓) and Arya (no) and becomes disillusioned with his own family (✓).

I’m just going to quote the whole letter from now on because I’m too lazy to type…

“Young Bran will come out of his coma (✓), after a strange prophetic dream (✓), only to discover that he will never walk again (✓). He will turn to magic, at first in the hope of restoring his legs, but later for its own sake (✓). When his father Eddard Stark is executed, Bran will see the shape of doom descending on all of them, but nothing he can say will stop his brother Robb from calling the banners in rebellion (✓) . All the north will be inflamed by war (✓). Robb will win several splendid victories (✓), and maim Joffrey Baratheon on the battlefield (no), but in the end he will not be able to stand against Jaime and Tyrion Lannister and their allies. Robb Stark will die in battle (no), and Tyrion Lannister will besiege and burn Winterfell (no - kinda).” - Winterfell does get besieged and burned, only not by Tyrion, by Theon and Ramsay. And of course, Robb will die during his war against the Lannisters, just not in battle.

“Jon Snow, the bastard, will remain in the far north (✓). He will mature into a ranger of great daring (✓ - kinda), and ultimately will succeed his uncle as the commander of the Night’s Watch(✓ - kinda). When Winterfell burns, Catelyn Stark will be forced to flee north with her son Bran and her daughter Arya (no - kinda). Wounded by Lannister riders, they will seek refuge at the Wall, but the men of the Night’s Watch give up their families when they take the black, and Jon and Benjen will not be able to help, to Jon’s anguish (no). It will lead to a bitter estrangement between Jon and Bran (no). Arya will be more forgiving … until she realizes, with terror, that she has fallen in love with Jon, who is not only her half-brother but a man of the Night’s Watch, sworn to celibacy (no - kinda). Their passion will continue to torment Jon and Arya throughout the trilogy, until the secret of Jon’s true parentage is finally revealed in the last book (no - kinda).” - though Jon isn’t a ranger, he goes on a ranging and is pretty daring. He does become LC but not succeeding Benjen, succeeding Mormont. Bran does flee to the Wall, but to go beyond it. Arya tries to flee North/to the Wall but doesn’t make it. Jon is tormented by a love because of his NW vows of celibacy - Ygritte - and does develop feelings for his kin - Daenerys.

“Abandoned by the Night’s Watch, Catelyn and her children will find their only hope of safety lies even further north, beyond the Wall (no - kinda), where they fall into the hands of Mance Rayder, the King-beyond-the-Wall, and get a dreadful glimpse of the inhuman others as they attack the wildling encampment (no - kinda). Bran’s magic, Arya’s sword Needle, and the savagery of their direwolves will help them survive, but their mother Catelyn will die at the hands of the others (no - kinda).” - as stated, Bran does go beyond the Wall, Jon is the one who falls into the hands of Mance Rayder, Jon does get a glimpse of an Other attack on a wildling encampment (Hardhome), and Bran’s magic and direwolf do save him from the Others (The Door - Hodor).

“Over across the narrow sea, Daenerys Targaryen will discover that her new husband, the Dothraki Khal Drogo, has little interest in invading the Seven Kingdoms, much to her brother’s frustration(✓). When Viserys presses his claims past the point of tact or wisdom, Khal Drogo will finally grow annoyed and kill him out of hand, eliminating the Targaryen pretender and leaving Daenerys as the last of her line (✓). Danerys [sic] will bide her time, but she will not forget (✓). When the moment is right, she will kill her husband (✓) to avenge her brother (no), and then flee with a trusted friend into the wilderness beyond Vaes Dothrak (✓ - kinda). There, hunted by Dothraki bloodriders (✓) [unclear]  of her life, she stumbles on a cach***e of dragon’***s eggs (✓ - kinda) [unclear] of a young dragon will give Daenerys the power to bend the Dothraki to her will (✓). Then she begins to plan for her invasion of the Seven Kingdoms (✓). - Daenerys does wander the wilderness beyond Vaes Dothrak (after she hatches her dragons) with her Khalasar in the Red Waste. She does get dragons eggs, just given to her at her wedding instead of stumbling upon them (really, that’s just better storytelling on George’s part. If she had just randomly found them, it would feel too coincidental). Dany did kill Drogo but not to avenge Viserys; it was to put him out of his misery. Dany does use her powers to bend the Dothraki to her will (burning the Khals to become TSWMTW).

“Tyrion Lannister will continue to travel, to plot, and to play the game of thrones (✓), finally removing his nephew Joffrey in disgust at the boy king’s brutality (no - kinda). Jaime Lannister will follow Joffrey on the throne of the Seven Kingdoms (no - kinda), by the simple expedient of killing everyone ahead of him in the line of succession and blaming his brother Tyrion for the murders (no - kinda). Exiled (✓), Tyrion will change sides (✓), making common cause with the surviving Starks to bring his brother down (✓ - kinda), and falling helplessly in love with Arya Stark (✓ - kinda) while he’s at it. His passion is, alas, unreciprocated (✓ - kinda), but no less intense for that, and it will lead to a deadly rivalry between Tyrion and Jon Snow (yet to be seen).” - Joffrey is killed and Tyrion is accused though he wasn’t guilty. Cersei follows her son to the throne after Tommen’s death (which was her fault so she essentially killed him), Tyrion joins Daenerys to bring down Cersei, he falls in love with Dany (according to all of Peter’s interviews about his feelings for Daenerys), as Dany is in love with Jon, it seems Tyrion’s affections are reciprocated, and we don’t yet know if Tyrion and Jon will fight to the death. It’s possible.

So anon, I’d say so far as George’s predictions go for the entire series, he’s gotten it closer to his original outline than not. So please, for the last goddamn time, leave me alone with this bullshit that the Original outline doesn’t mean anything so far as Sansa’s character and I should stop referring to it. Almost everything George predicted he’d write, has come to pass. Perhaps not how he originally thought…but largely, it’s all happened. 

Wanna know why Sansa’s a “major character” in the show? Look:

And it’s because of Turner’s strength, Benioff continued, that it made sense to give Sansa a dramatic storyline this season and to use Ramsay’s engagement for that very purpose. In fact, the showrunners first thought about putting Sansa and Ramsay together back when they were writing season 2. “We really wanted Sansa to play a major part this season,” Benioff said. “If we were going to stay absolutely faithful to the book, it was going to be very hard to do that.

D&D wanted it. It’s not George’s story or George’s plan. Dan and Dave like Sophie’s acting and wanted her to play a more major role. So they gave her that. It has absolutely nothing to do with the series as a whole or the endgame. Sansa is not a main character and she will matter very little to the endgame.

[hoogiehowser]

MEDIA DIARY JANUARY

:::::::::: MOVIES ::::::::::

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) I liked this so much I ended up seeing it twice. The animation is on a whole different level from everything else in theaters I just can’t believe it. Nothing has immediately endeared me to a character more that when Miles gets to the place where he’s going to put up graffiti and yells “BROOKLYN!” to get the echo. Absolutely perfect. 

Happy Death Day (2017) The trailer looked good but the trailer for the sequel looked even better. Good time repeating movie. Way better than Blood Punch. I’m excited to see more of this.

Alien: Covenant (2017) Had no clue what to expect going in but I actually dug it. It’s just Alien again like every Alien movie but what they do with David from Prometheus makes it really interesting. There’s also some straight up slasher movie sleaze that definitely appeals to me.

MacGruber (2010) It’s just a bunch of dick jokes while a bad action movie happens. There’s no clever spin to it.

Better Luck Tomorrow (2002) Wanted to watch this due to the Fast & Furious connection. It’s a great movie about overachievers and getting away with shit. I think Justin Lin is a great director and his unique voice benefits every movie he does.

Collateral (2004) I didn’t realize until the credits that this was a Michael Mann movie but it was so obvious in hindsight. The premise is simple, Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx are great, and everything comes together in a genuinely cool film.

Wilson (2017) Based on a comic I don’t particularly like from Dan Clowes’ grumpy old man phase. The cool thing about the comic is that each page works on its own and has a different art style. The movie can’t do that. But it’s still faithful to the book which means it feels like a series of one page gags strung together until it finishes. Woody and Laura Dern are great though and it is pretty funny at times.

Blumhouse’s Truth or Dare (2018) There was another truth or dare based horror movie a year before that was a Syfy original. The Syfy one is better. The problem with them both is the supernatural contrivances that make people play truth or dare against their will. It’s such a strained premise.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017) Guy Ritchie made a King Arthur movie and it feels exactly like you’d expect. 

Thoroughbreds (2017) Girl who can’t feel emotions befriends girl who is very politely hiding her extreme emotions. Things get bad when they start to think about murder. Anton Yelchin plays a druggie scumbag loser. It’s such a good movie. 100% my kind of thing.

:::::::::: TV ::::::::::

The Great British Baking Show (Beginnings, Collections 1-4) Got addicted to this one. I love cooking competitions shows and pleasant ones are usually the best. I like seeing competitors that like each other. I like Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry not trying to tear people down. I love Mel and Sue. It’s just a nice show for the nice people.

Toei Spider-Man (Episodes 1-5) I’m not a big toku guy but Spider-Verse got me curious about various Spider-Men. Takuya Yamashiro wasn’t bitten by a radioactive spider, he was injected with blood from the last survivor of Planet Spider and carries out a mission against Professor Monster’s Iron Cross Army to avenge Planet Spider and his own father. Next to nothing present from the classic Lee/Ditko Spider-Man and that’s totally alright. I’m going to try to watch more because the episode where Spider-Man has to donate his blood to hurt child has some serious heart.

The Prisoner (Episodes 7-17) I started watching this a while ago but only now got around to finishing. Mostly super clever plots and the atmosphere is always great. Patrick McGoohan sells it every single time. Some of the later episodes go really off the rails though. There’s an entire wild west episode. Nothing in this stretch tops my favorite episode, The Schizoid Man, where Number Two brainwashes Number Six to act differently and then forces Number Six to pretend to be Number Six while a different man is already pretending to be Number Six. The ending is solid though and carries a really good tv series to a confusing, surreal end.

Cutthroat Kitchen (Season 7, Episodes 1-7) Polar opposite of The Great British Baking Show. It’s the Mario Kart of cooking competition shows. Everyone tries to fuck each other over and Alton laughs at them the entire time. It’s brilliant.

:::::::::: PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING ::::::::::

TJPW Tokyo Joshi Pro ‘19 (January 4) I don’t follow TJPW and don’t know any of their wrestlers besides Meiko Satomura but I watched this because it was on before Wrestle Kingdom. Meiko vs Reika Saiki definitely made the show worth watching and the rest was pretty alright. Lots of fun, new personalities that I like.

NJPW Wrestle Kingdom 13 (January 4) Probably the most I’ve looked forward to a show and it absolutely delivered. For the past few years I’d watch WK and recommended matches but in in July I started following everything NJPW. That added investment made this WK special. Ibushi/Ospreay tore it up and I really hope Ibushi recovers soon. Jay White/Okada shocked me. Naito/Jericho was fucking brutal. And Kenny Omega vs Hiroshi Tanahashi was a match I was so invested in that I thought I was going to cry. If you haven’t checked out New Japan yet this show would make an excellent start. GO ACE!

Impact Homecoming (January 6) Impact has gotten pretty good. I’ve only seen a few of their most recent ppvs but it’s obvious that they have a wealth of talent and they’re willing to tell the kind of dumb stories that I really like. Since Homecoming was in Nashville I went and it was one of the best shows I’ve been to. The energy was insane all night and LAX vs Lucha Bros has to be the best match I’ve seen live. Now that they air on Twitch I’ve been following the weekly show and enjoying it quite a bit.

WWE Royal Rumble (January 27) I always love the rumble but the rumble was weird. Both rumble matches were okay but filled with dumb stuff and way too many recovery spots that were immediately deflated by the person getting eliminated. I like the winners. AJ/Daniel didn’t deliver like I wanted. Sasha and Ronda had a good match. I loved how Finn Balor worked Brock Lesnar’s diverticulitis. Fun show.

NXT UK Takeover Blackpool (January 12) NXT UK doesn’t really grip me aside from the women’s division. I liked this well enough but nothing really changed my mind. Finn Balor made a surprise appearance and he looked like such a star compared to everyone else. Excited to see what WALTER can do here though.

GCW 400 Degreez (January 12) GCW’s brand of hardcore indie nonsense is my absolute favorite. 400 Degreez isn’t the best they’ve done but it was full of disgusting beautiful deathmatch bullshit. Markus Crane vs Nate Webb especially.

NXT Takeover Phoenix (January 26) Takeover always delivers. Johnny Gargano vs Ricochet was definitely the match of the night. I don’t dig the War Raiders schtick but their match was great. Bianca Belair and Shayna Baszler also killed it.

:::::::::: COMICS ::::::::::

One Piece by Eiichiro Oda (Volumes 1-10) I wanted something long to start reading so why not One Piece? Enjoying it so far. I like getting the crew together and Usopp’s story in particular is great. Oda is a master cartoonist. I love every time we get reaction faces.

Spider-Man: Fever by Brendan McCarthy Spider-Man fever got me wanting to revisit Spider-Man: Fever because I remember liking it. I still like it. Doctor Strange accidentally opens a doorway into a spider dimension and Spider-Man gets caught in Doctor Strange’s bathtub and the alternate dimension spiders take him. All this and McCarthy’s art make Fever pretty far out. 

Spider-Man 2099 by Peter David, Kelley Jones, and Rick Leonardi (1-15) Miguel O’Hara wasn’t bitten by a radioactive spider, he had Peter Parker’s DNA put into him by weird future DNA machine and he wages war against the gigantic corporations that control everything. I like Spider-Man 2099. Miguel is so different from the Peter Parker archetype and he’s got claws and fangs. He’s brutal. It’s got a neat post-hero future kind of like Batman Beyond. I stopped reading because the next part is a crossover with Punisher 2099, Ravage 2099, Doom 2099, and X-Men 2099. I’ll hopefully pick it back up because I want to know what happens with the hologram that’s in love with Miguel. 

Spider-Man by Kazumasa Hirai & Ryoichi Ikegami Yu Komori was bitten by a radioactive spider and he definitely wishes he wasn’t. It starts off a lot like our usual Spider-Man but the villains are so much more tragic and Yu deals with some heavy shit. Ikegami’s art evolves from cartoony to serious as the tone of the book changes. He’s a really incredible artist who is consistently pulling neat tricks and trying new things. I really liked this and it may top my favorite Spider-Man comics. It’s just so bleak and unforgiving to poor Yu. By the way, the final plotline is exactly the same as the Sonny Chiba movie Wolf Guy. Turns out the comic that movie was based on was written by the same guy that write Spider-Man. An odd find.

:::::::::: VIDEOGAMES ::::::::::

Axiom Verge Had my eye on this for a long time and finally picked it up on sale on my Switch. It’s okay. There are a lot of clever ideas here that I don’t think work for me. But I do like the decorrupter and the teleport. Some of the movement feels great but some stuff like the grappling hook feels awful. I hate the story. Completely incoherent sci-fi nonsense. But it’s a fun game and I enjoyed my time with it.

Hollow Knight I’ve spent about 30 hours on this game and I feel like I’m close to the end of the story. I absolutely love it. The movement, the combat, and the exploration all feel excellent. I’ve played over ten metroidvanias in the past year (I really like them) and this might be the best. My favorite part about them is how you’re almost never wasting time because there are new secrets to discover all across the map and Hollow Knight does such a good job with that.

#media diary