#arsene reads dr stone

[jenniferenglandallen]

Peace Be Still

Just over two weeks ago, I was undergoing emergency brain surgery and awoke in hospital lock-down isolation. The world had changed and through the dense fog of chaos, I heard Jesus speak the words once more…Peace Be Still. Hello Facebook friends: We know each other. Most of you know me through our beautifully interwoven lives whether in hometown Cedar Hill, ACU College days, San Angelo, KLST, KRRT or after Herb and I married and began our lives raising Sam and Charlie in San Antonio and Harper. Years of Autism advocacy has brought us together as has social media or through our church family at San Antonio’s MacArthur Park Church of Christ. With all resolve I wanted to share this story of hope.

PREPARATION WHEN I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT First let me backup a bit… Last August my family and I embarked on our trip of a lifetime to the Holy Lands. Led by Dr. Monte Cox, Dean of the College of Bible and Ministry at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas, this journey was a 10-day immersion in faith, the Bible chronicling Christs teachings while on Earth. One of our most anticipated places to witness was the Sea of Galilee. It’s where much of Jesus ministry took place. As a child, I would marvel how Jesus calmed the waters amid the vicious storms surrounding the small boat he and his disciples were on as told in Mark 4: 36-41. “Master, the Tempest Is Raging” is an old church hymn, written by Mary Ann Baker and focuses on this story of the Savior. Unbeknownst to me at the time, it would be this passage and hymn that would reach and carry me amid the painful and isolated weeks that lie ahead.

THE ONSET OF THE STORM Aspergers101 was shut down December 31st 2019 and just shortly after, I was diagnosed with Trigeminal Neuralgia. Migraines were nothing new to me but the onset of this new diagnosis’s was swift and merciless. Trigeminal Neuralgia is a chronic pain condition that affects the trigeminal or 5th cranial nerve, one of the most widely distributed nerves in the head. Severe facial pain stemming from the brain. Under this diagnosis there is no cure. We were told there are meds that may be tried but with time they will lose effectiveness. The condition affected the entire right side of my head. Told it will gradually worsen and only experimental surgery (not recommended) was on the horizon. Grim diagnosis for sure but we got busy on finding the best solution(s) to remedy. The neurologist offered little more than 3 minutes of his time, medication and follow up in 3 months. As we realized the few options for medication relief proved both ineffective with nerve pain blockage and basic daily cognitive skill function, I had begun to research surgery options on my own. The frequency of pain continued its aggression until it was consistent. As my contact lessened with most people, the conversations with God increased. All I could think was to say, repeatedly, is that I am his. Romans 8 reminded me that not even death could separate us from the love of God and I couldn’t reach high enough at this time. The solution for this storm escaped me, not any research, determination or persistence on my part would fix this…I looked upward as I began to drown.

MASTER THE TEMPEST IS RAGING It was just past midnight March 15th when Herb took me to the hospital. It is important to know that while driving by a closer ER, Herb drove instead to Methodist Stone Oak upon ‘a feeling’. The pain was so intense that the hours/days that followed were blurred with, MRIs, brain/fluid removal, Opioids and various combinations of (and I quote: our arsenal of meds were exhausted) attempting to ease pain. 5 days in, Dr. Christopher Bogaev, a neurosurgeon associated with the Methodist Neurosurgical associates, appeared to Herb and I with the great news I was a candidate for microvascular decompression, the surgery I had read about weeks prior. He would operate in 3 days and believed this would wrap and protect the angry nerve from my brain. Confusion had set in when Herb and our sons, Sam and Charlie were asked to leave the hospital due to the Covid-19. The hospital was on lock-down and I was inside. My family would be unable to return, even for the surgery. Hauntings of intravenous opioids and cups of meds were administered every 3 hours as my body awoke ready for the next administration. Severe head pain continued but I was only semi consciousness at any given time. I could barely move and talking or ‘texting’ was a function I was unable to perform. During the torment of pain, opioids and loss of family contact my resolve was tested. Suddenly I had control over nothing not even my body. The story of Jesus calming the storm reached me during this isolation. I can remember being wheeled downstairs to testing prior to surgery and seeing faces of Gods love in hospital workers. One woman, either of us barely speaking each others language, spoke volumes through our eyes. Sympathetic goodness rolled over me as we exchanged passage of love without ever uttering a word. The technician holding my cross necklace for me during one of the many MRIs, told me of his parents recent trip to the Holy Land and how certainly God was near. My loved ones were forced away from me but no lock-down was to keep away Gods reach…he was indeed close to the brokenhearted. (Psalms 34:18) No surprise I would later find that Herb and Sam and Charlie spent the surgery parked outside the hospital in prayer. It would be days later I would awake with all my senses still operating and the damaged nerve held millimeters apart from causing agony. Jesus was there and had calmed all the turmoil that once had swirled so violently.

THE ELEMENTS SWEETLY REST Just 2 days after surgery I would be sitting up in bed (by 4:30a) ready to show my marked improvement and preparedness for hospital release. By 7a I was released and Herb was notified he could pick me up just outside the hospital just 2 hours later. As I was wheeled downstairs the realization that the world had stopped came into play as the hospital corridors & lobby were still. Though dizzy and weak, the drive home released me from my time capsule and fast forwarded to the world that had halted it’s fast-paced fury to a virus pandemic. I was home. Touch, healing, love and gratitude to be together with my family after not knowing we would see each other again was all present in the healing days ahead. God had guided and delivered us all during this tempest storm. We compared our stories of how so many things could have turned out differently yet how everything aligned and ultimately, how God was Always in control and always is. What a parallel to everyone. Isolated at home with some facing unemployment, sickness and worst of all fear. I wept often as I recovered knowing that the almighty God, the Messiah and creator of all…came for me during a wave of terror. HE was there as he always is...for us all. The overpowering song “Master the Tempest is Raging” will forever be a part of my fabric and will reverberate with the current pandemic the world is facing. I included the lyrics to the song and verses from the Bible that resonated over and over while going through fear, isolation, pain and uncertainty. Does Jesus need to ask, “Why are you still afraid, do you still have no faith?” Peace Be Still In the coming weeks, as the world continues necessary seclusion may the words Peace Be Still bring each of you a balm. A quiet, in the frightening squall and changing current storm as it unfolds uniquely to you and your family. A knowledge that God sees all our perpetrators and will never give us more than we can bear. If it comes close…know he is there.

By: Jennifer Allen

God’s Word: Scripture on his eternal peace & protection 27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. - John 14:27 King James Version (KJV)

1 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” 2 “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” – - Psalms 46 (1 & 10)

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. — Isaiah 43:2 (NIV)

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. — 1 Peter 5:7 (NIV) The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. – Exodus 14:14 “But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head.” - Psalms 3:3 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. 37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. 38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 8: 35- 39

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:6-7 (NIV)

Jesus Calms the Storm 35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” 41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” - Mark 4: 35 - 31

Master, the Tempest Is Raging (Lyrics)

Master, the tempest is raging! The billows are tossing high! The sky is o’ershadowed with blackness. No shelter or help is nigh. Carest thou not that we perish? How canst thou lie asleep When each moment so madly is threat’ning A grave in the angry deep? (Chorus) The winds and the waves shall obey thy will: Peace, be still. Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea Or demons or men or whatever it be, No waters can swallow the ship where lies The Master of ocean and earth and skies. They all shall sweetly obey thy will: Peace, be still; peace, be still. They all shall sweetly obey thy will: Peace, peace, be still. Master, with anguish of spirit I bow in my grief today. The depths of my sad heart are troubled. Oh, waken and save, I pray! Torrents of sin and of anguish Sweep o’er my sinking soul, And I perish! I perish! dear Master. Oh, hasten and take control! (Chorus) Master, the terror is over. The elements sweetly rest. Earth’s sun in the calm lake is mirrored, And heaven’s within my breast. Linger, O blessed Redeemer! Leave me alone no more, And with joy I shall make the blest harbor And rest on the blissful shore. (Chorus)

[fireflyhwufanficwriter]

My thoughts on Dr. Stone’s Chapter 214 (“Stone World’s Earth Defense Force”)

My thoughts after reading Chapter 214:

01. Senku and Ryusui really just stood there, just beyond the edge of the petrification beam’s range, because they had mentally calculated its speed and possible distance? :O Wow..

02. Aww, poor Yo lost some bits of his hair :( But at least he’s okay - and Gen’s okay, too! :)

03. Hmm... It’s pretty rare for Senku to have thought bubbles, especially this late in the story, because he’s usually surrounded by people he trusts... this is a bad sign... :(

04. Kohaku’s idea makes sense to me - Whyman has tried to attack them before, so logically, he WOULD be the one behind this attack as well! And it’s very like Kohaku to want to go on the offensive, hard and fast...

05. ...but Chrome’s right; the “hard and fast” way will mean no time to work on a return vessel... :( Good thing he thought of a great reason to delay the launch - they have to know where Whyman is first! :O

06. Ooh, Kohaku gave us a peek into what Ishigami Village thinks of the moon... :) A floating lake, hmmm...? :O

07. Removing the diamond battery is a good precaution! :) And because it’s so tiny, it can’t be quickly inserted by just anybody, so somebody with nefarious intentions won’t be able to steal and use it so quickly!

08. Until Chelsea mentioned it, I never thought that the Medusa could be given instructions with such a huge delay! :O If the Medusa can be given orders months in advance... :O That’s most likely why Senku kept his thoughts to himself earlier... :O

09. Kohaku and Chrome go wherever Senku goes! :) And Kohaku looks cute when she helps with mining for rocks! :)

10. Selenium, arsenic, and tellurium... three poisons... were used to make a TV camera? :O

11. Just like how Senku was the first person to be photographed in the stone world, he was also the first person to be videoed in the stone world! :D

12. Yo got a haircut, and a new uniform! With him being a former police officer, he’s the best man for the job! :) I’m gonna imagine that he actually didn’t want to do this at first, but then was cajoled into it by Gen, who said Yo would be guarding the most powerful weapon in the whole world :D

13. And Jasper and Turquoise are the ones who will be guarding the Medusa... that makes sense! :)

14. Minami’s on television again! :) (I... actually don’t know if she was on television before, since she could have been a print journalist.) And Brody’s right nobody betraying their society after this... BUT, after Chelsea talked about the possibility of a delayed petrification attack, Dr. Xeno was my first suspect... hmm...

15. The next thing on the agenda is a satellite... :O I like how they showed Kohaku and Kokuyou in the last panel along with the others :D Kokuyou’s an interesting choice... will he be more involved in the next chapter? My guess is that Chrome will recruit him and/or Kohaku in the next chapter to help with the secret return vessel project! :D But, wait, the next chapter will probably have the satellite’s roadmap... ah, well, both of those can be in the same chapter! :D

https   ://   firefly-hwufanficwriterrrrr   .   tumblr   .   com   /   MyDrStoneEpisodeMangaThoughts

#dr stone #ishigami senku #kohaku #dr. stone #dr stone kohaku #dr. stone kohaku #uei yo

[gonuclear]

hate that yo is a cop but do not hate that he’s hot

#ds #dr stone #yo uei #arsene speaks #arsene reads dr stone

[fancyfade]

im making a big list of DC’s disabled characters to chronicle how the comics treat them

(already made a list that got some reblogs here (link) a gazillion years ago)

On my list i am NOT including characters who the reader believes/headcanons as disabled, only characters who are in text disabled

send me disabled characters, heroes and villains

(on the heroes side, an astrik * means that they have been written as villains at one point, even if they returned to heroic roles or it was retconned as OOC, because this is to analyze how the characters were treated by the writers. Some characters on this list may have been written as that way but missing the astrik because I did not read that arc with them yet)

so far ive got

Heroes

Barbara Gordon (Oracle) - paralyzed, uses a wheelchair - magicured

Wendy Harris (Proxy) - paralyzed, uses a wheelchair

Victor Stone (Cyborg) - missing large sections of his body, replaced with cybernetics

Joseph Wilson (Jericho) - nonverbal

Thom Kallor (Starboy/man) - schizophrenia

Rose Wilson (Ravager) - missing an eye *

Charles McNider (Dr Mid-Nite) - blind

cliff steel (robot man) - entire body is destroyed except for his brain, interacts through a robot suit

Todd Rice (Obsidian) - schizophrenia *

Niles Caulder (Chief) - paralyzed, uses a wheelchair

Cassandra Cain (Batgirl) - nonverbal for some time, then is semi verbal *

Freddy Freeman (Captain Marvel Jr) - mobility impaired in non superpowered form

Amon Tomaz (Osiris) - mobility impaired in non superpowered form

Rhosyn Forrest (Thorn) - DID - wiki lists her in the heroes categories, I only saw her in birds of prey where she was treated initially as a villain then as like... not the person they had to stop? more sympathetically at least

Roy Harper (Arsenal/Red Arrow) - briefly lost an arm (universe got reset), recovering addict

Garth (Aqualad/Tempest) - partially color blind

Elizabeth Chapel (Dr Mid-Nite) - blind

Bart Allen (Impulse) - unspecified neurodivergent coding - not including headcanons but this seems intentional on part of the writers and coding can count

question mark on alignment

Mace Gardner (militia) - paralyzed, uses cybernetic bodysuit/parts?

Harley Quinn - unspecified mental illness * a hero in more recent years don’t know how hard DC leads into that or if she’s more anti-hero/morally gray

Villains - this is almost CERTAINLY not going to wind up being a complete list, because so many villains are disabled

slade wilson - (if we’re counting rose’s missing an eye here thing we’re counting his too)

Harvey Dent (two face) - DID

Peyton Riley (ventriloquist) - also DID

Arnold Wesker (ventriloquist) -referred to as schizophrenia sometimes in comics sometimes multipersonality disorder (DID)

Rose Canton (Thorn) - schizophrenia

brain (entire body is destroyed except for his brain, interacts through a moveable robot thingie)

Sean Sonus (Discord) - Deaf

Walter Shreeve (Shriek) - Deaf - Batman Beyond Universe

David (black manta) - was autistic in one continuity

Joker - changes between whether the writers want to portray him as ‘evil cuz crazy’ or just like a 4chan person

komandr (blackfire) - interestingly enough not a human disability (she can’t metabolise solar radiation and fly) but she is still portrayed as disabled and ‘crippled’ according to tamaranean society which makes her bitter and evil

Victor Fries (Mr Freeze) - requires usage of assistive tech (his cryo suit) to live

Barbara Minerva (Cheetah) - uses a cane in her non-cheetah form

characters who were disabled or received a disabling injury at one point but have had most of their definitive appearances as able bodied/NT after being magicured or before being disabled

Dick Grayson (Ric) Dick while Ric experiences blackouts and seizures among other symptoms

Bruce Wayne - Paralyzed in the thoracic region, alternated between using a wheelchair and walking with assistive devices like canes and crutches

Damian Wayne - paralyzed, spine replaced almost immediately afterwards - TBH unsure how much this “counts” as magicuring as the audience is never expected to believe Damian will stay paralyzed

Jason Todd - nonverbal and with some type of cognitive disability due to brain damage after being raised from the dead before being lazarus pitted

#dc comics #disabled characters

[arizonaraine]

X-Men Days of Future Past ala Sorting Hat Chats

This is my favorite X-Men movie! I’m focusing on the 70′s cast, but if you want me to sort the modern X-Men (Storm, Iceman, Kitty, etc.) let me know!

Erik: Double Lion. For a bit, I thought that he was a loyalist who only counted mutants as people. But it becomes apparent that he has no qualms about hurting the people closest to him for the sake of The Cause (TM). In First Class, he abandons Charles-- who has a BULLET IN HIS BACK. In Days of Future Past, his history with Raven doesn’t stop him from trying to kill her once he’s decided that it’s necessary for The Cause. For Erik, the ultimate good is the freedom/supremacy of mutants. He’s also a Lion secondary. His method of going things is to show up and use his powers to raise hell. He’s not a planner, he’s an improvisor. Not a Snake, though, he wants the world to recognize him (and all mutants) in their full glory. 

Raven: Raven, unlike Erik, is a loyalist primary. One of her most telling moments in this film is when she tells Erik: “I’ve seen too many friends die... I don’t want a war. I only want the man who murdered them.” She clung to Erik and his cause for a while, but it becomes too much for her. I believe Raven is a Badger Primary, and I’ll cite another line from the movie for this. She tells Charles “I have compassion. Just not for Trask. He’s murdered too many of us.” That looks like some Badger-style dehumanization to me. There are also a few times in the movie where she has the opportunity to end lives, but she doesn’t. I think that’s a point for a Badger’s belief in the value of life.  As for her secondary, Raven is a Lion. She had to build a Snake model to survive her early life, but I think that First Class breaks down that model for her. She bonds with Erik in First Class over that Lion Secondary. “Mutant and proud!” Once she’s embraced her power, she encourages Hank to be his true self too. She still uses the Snake model, literally changes faces, but she what she wants is to be accepted for who is really is.

Logan: Logan is another Lion secondary. He’s good at improvisation, and his gruff, upfront way of speaking and sarcastic sense of humor read as blunt Lion honesty to me. He method of doing things is to charge in and do what needs to be done-- seen when he says to rambling Charles: “I’m sorry, were you finished?” For his primary, I think Logan is a Badger. His community is the X-Men-- you see how he grows as a member of that community throughout the series. He also emphasizes that many humans tried to help save mutants from the Sentinels. This point reflects his belief in people.

Charles: Charles is the first person on this list who is not a Lion secondary. Charles is so bad at improvising. I mean... “We are... Special Operations... CB... FI...CD...” The dude struggles when things don’t go according to plan, that’s not his comfort zone. Charles’ skills are in community building. He built the school, created the X-Men, taught young mutants how to master their abilities, took in starving Raven as a child. He’s also a Badger primary, but at the beginning of Days of Future Past, he’s badly burned. He lost his community-- Erik, Raven, the X-Men, the students... and he’s lost hope as a result. If he were a Lion, he might cling to the cause-- teaching mutants to master their abilities-- even without the people. But Charles, without the community, suffers with their loss. He starts the process of unburning when Logan, a fellow Badger, and the future version of himself show him that he can have that community again. And then Charles settles down and does the work to bring back the school, gather the X-Men, and keep his promise to Logan. One of the most beautiful, Badger-y lines in the film is spoken by both past and future Charles: “Just because someone stumbles, loses their way, doesn’t mean they’re lost forever.”

Hank: I think Hank is a double Bird. He models Badger secondary when taking care of Charles, but that’s not the tool that first falls to his hand. Hank has an arsenal of skills. He’s the team science guy. He built the X-Men’s jet, created the formula for Charles’ spine, monitored the news feed, and he pulls up all the blueprint information for the Pentagon. When Cerebro isn’t an option, he’s the guy who pulls out the phonebook. He’s also a Bird primary. He cites theories about the nature of time-- the stone in the river, the current correcting itself. He’s taking in external data and using that to shape his understanding of the world, his morality. 

Peter: Peter, Peter, Peter. I think that there’s some Snake in him. He has no problems with lying, stealing, or breaking a prisoner out of the Pentagon-- which might raise some moral quandaries with other people. I think he’s a Snake primary, and his inner circle likely includes himself, his mom, and his sister. In the next movie, after he’s found out that Erik is his father, he’s willing to fight the main villain for him (I’ve only seen Apocalypse once, so I could be wrong in on this point). think that Peter, like his father, is a Lion secondary. He is great at improvising, he thrives in that space. He loves being ahead of everyone. He’s not going to hide what he is, his powers, because they’re “nothing anyone would believe if you told them”. He could be a Snake that just chills out in neutral, but I don’t think that’s the case (also, I really really want him to houseshare with Wanda. I’m so excited to see what becomes of Peter/Pietro in WandaVision).

TL;DR

Erik- Double Lion

Raven- Badger Lion, models Snake secondary when she has to.

Logan- Badger Lion

Charles- Double Badger, burned, may model Snake

Hank- Double Bird

Peter- Snake Lion

#sorting hat chats #x-men days of future past #x-men dofp #x-men first class #erik lehnsherr #magneto #raven darkholme #mystique #logan howlett #wolverine #charles xavier #professor x #hank mccoy #beast #peter maximoff #pietro maximoff #quicksilver #lion primary #lion secondary #badger primary #snake secondary model #badger secondary #Bird Primary #bird secondary #snake primary

[wiypt-writes]

Stark Spangled Banner

Ch37: Fourteen Million, Six Hundred And Five Part 2- I Just Feel You

Intro: Our heroes fast begin to realise that this was one fight that they just couldn’t win…and despite their best efforts, disaster strikes.

Warnings: Bad Language words.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

A/N: So I HAD to write Thor and Tony’s POV over the IW chaptres too, because, frankly, they had some of THE best scenes in Infinity War, and I love that freaking Norse God Himbo and chaotic Stark chemistry so bad! I know this is Katie and Steve’s fic, but Steve had so little screen time in this film all things considered…we were so robbed!!! And I filled this full of gifs coz...ya know...

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Chapter 37 Part 1

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Katie had no idea how many of the dog like animals she shot, or how long they had been at it. As she glanced around, she spotted Steve was locked in combat with four of them, smashing into them with his shields, his face contorted in anger and concentration. She shot a ray taking down a few to try and give him a reprieve, but even more appeared and then something collided with her, taking her down to the ground with a crash. As she went to get up she was suddenly swamped. FRIDAY automatically yelled out a warning and engaged the shield which kept the most of them from gnashing at her with their ridiculously long teeth, but the sheer volume was preventing Katie from getting up. In desperation, she shot her thrusters and managed to take another few out, but the weight of them on top of her meant she merely moved herself backwards along the ground, she could get no height at all.

“There’s too many of them.” Bruce yelled into the coms echoing what everyone was already feeling. Steve was now that surrounded he could do nothing but shield his face and lash out with his legs.

Katie shot again at the ones on top of her, but it was no good. “FRIDAY…we got anything in this arsenal?” She yelled desperately.

A yell came from Bruce just as the AI answered. “I can super charge the cannon… but it will leave your weapons at fifty percent capacity.”

Before Katie could respond, there was another loud whoosh and blast but this one was different and oddly familiar. Through the minute gaps between the mass of animals on top of her, Katie could just make out a huge flash of flowing light, which was punctuated by a bright spectrum of colour, and then the animals that had been on top of Katie were gone as something flew around, knocking them down, leaving them dead on the ground, their bodies writhing under strands of blue electricity.

Katie lay still for a moment, her chest heaving before she sat up, her helmet sliding away as she looked round with a huge smile, because she knew there was only one possible person who could do such a thing.

At the same moment, Steve found himself free and he too sat up, just in time to hear Banner laughing.

“Oh, you guys are so screwed now!” 

And then the Captain heard Katie’s loud exclamation of glee as she flew into the air at the same time the weapon, a huge axe, flew back to its owner. The beam of light in the middle of the field dissipated to reveal Thor, and rather randomly a Raccoon with a gun, and a tree creature standing by his side.

Katie landed softly beside Steve and she pulled him to his feet, her eyes shining with emotion before the pair of them spun to watch as Thor took one glance around the battlefield steely determination in his eyes, turning his focus to where two of Thanos’ warriors were.

“Bring me Thanos!” He demanded as he ran forward, slamming his axe against one of the nearest creatures, sending it flying away.

Katie looked at Steve again, both of them sharing as somewhat more hopeful glance, before they turned their attention back to the fight.

*****

But unbeknown to Thor, Thanos was on Titan, grappling with Tony, Parker, Strange and the other members of the Guardians.

He was huge, and even without the stones, Tony had a feeling he would have been impossible to beat. Nevertheless, they had banded together, putting the plan into action, and had gained another ally in a blue woman. He had no idea who she was, but the Guardians seemed to, and she was on their side so Tony didn’t question it. They needed all the help they could get. .

Finally, Dr Strange opened a portal, dropping Mantis down onto Thanos’ shoulders. She grasped his head with her hands and focussed her telepathic energy through her fingers, the tips of her antennae lighting up.

“Is he under?” Tony asked, pulling on the bonds he had Thanos’ arm in “Don’t let up.” “Be quick!” Mantis wailed. “He is very strong.”

“Parker, help! Get over here” Tony grabbed hold of the gauntlet and Peter moved to help him. “She can’t hold him much longer. Let’s go.”

Quill landed in front of Thanos, grinning as he began to taunt the Titan. “I thought you’d be harder to catch. For the record, this was my plan. Not so strong now, huh? Where is Gamora?”

“My… Gamora…” Thanos grit out, groaning as Mantis kept him under control

“Oh, bullshit.” Quill shook his head “Where is she?”

Mantis gave another small cry. “He is in anguish.”

“Good.” Quill glared at him whilst Tony and Peter were still wrestling with the gauntlet.

“He… he… mourns.” Her voice was shrill and louder this time.

“What does this monster have to mourn?” Drax ground out through his teeth, his voice strained with the effort of keeping hold of Thanos’ other arm.

It was the blue woman who answered, her eyes shining with tears. “Gamora”.

”What?” Quill looked at her and Tony glanced up, a cold feeling spreading across his stomach.

“He took her to Vormir.” She whispered, horror flooding her face. “He came back with the Soul Stone, but she didn’t.”

Tony grasped the danger of the situation and immediately slid back his helmet and looked at Quill. “Okay, Quill, you gotta cool it right now, you understand?

But the man wasn’t listening. He turned slowly to Thanos, so Tony tried again, shouting his plea desperately. “Don’t, don’t, don’t engage, we’ve almost got this off!”

“Tell me she’s lying.” Quill shook his head before his voice became enraged “ASSHOLE! Tell me you didn’t do it!”

 “I… had… to.” Thanos replied.

.“No, you didn’t.” Quill spoke gently, his eyes filling with tears. “No, you didn't…”

Tony watched as the man continued to rage, and then, before they could do anything he drew his hand back and pistol-whipped Thanos twice in the face, causing Mantis to let go. “NO, YOU DIDN’T!”

“Quill!! Tony gave a yell as he leaped for the man’s arm, his helmet forming back around his head, but by doing so he left Parker alone to keep pulling the gauntlet. As Tony tried to calm quill down he was vaguely aware that Peter was shouting about the fact he had the gauntlet, but as Tony turned he saw Thanos snap out of his trance. He head-butted Mantis, before grabbing the edge of the gauntlet and throwing the woman off his shoulders.

They’d come so close, but their plan hadn’t worked. And now the fight was back on. 

*****

Bucky had heard tales about Thor from both Steve and Katie, but seeing the god in person and his power was like nothing he could have possibly imagined. Not least because he seemed to have brought a walking, talking tree and raccoon with him.

A racoon that was now stood shooting a gun into the crowd of creatures.

“Come get some space dogs!” The animal fired his weapon and Bucky, who was a few feet behind him, spotted one of the dog things leaping at him. He grabbed the animal by the scruff of his jacket and held him at arm’s length, spinning around, firing his own M-249 at the same time.

“Come on, get some, get some, GET SOME!” The racoon yelled, before they were clear and Bucky dropped him. He looked up at Bucky with an impressed gleam in his eyes.

Fuck, an impressed raccoon? Jesus Christ, Steve dragged him into the strangest shit at times.

“How much for the gun?” The racoon asked as Bucky fired off another burst of rapid fire.

“Not for sale.” Bucky replied simply.

“Okay, how much for the arm?”

The animal wanted his arm.

Bucky had no words, he just gave him a look and, as he walked off, he heard the racoon mumble.“Oh, I’ll get that arm.” and despite himself, Bucky gave a little snort as he jogged to where he was needed.

At the same time, elsewhere on the field, Steve and Katie were fighting in tandem. Steve slammed a shield into another two creatures as they leapt at them both whilst Katie jumped into the air, shooting and taking down another four. Just as the next group was about to hit them, another shockwave rocked the field, destroying the pack which was running towards them. Katie looked down to Thor who was stood a few feet away and she landed gently between him and Steve.

“New haircut?” Steve asked, his voice slightly winded as Katie retracted her helmet.

“I notice you’ve copied my beard.” Thor shot back, grabbing at his chin with his hand. Steve nodded, and gestured to his face with one of his shields, still catching his breath. 

At that point he looked past Thor to see the tree creature at his other side extending a branch or arm and impaling three creatures on it, lifting them into the air. Something that should have shocked Steve, but he wasn’t sure if anything could shock him anymore.

“Oh, by the way, this is a friend of mine, Tree.” Thor gestured to the creature.

“I am Groot!” The tree yelled, slamming the creatures to the floor.

Katie looked at Steve who was breathing hard from the exertion of battle. But still, ever the gentleman, he introduced himself politely to the tree-boy in return placing a hand to his chest.

“I am Steve Rogers.” He paused looking around the battlefield seeing that, at least for a moment, they were in a respite with the Wakandan warriors handling the Outriders surrounding them. Katie observed Thor for another second before he grinned at her and she threw herself at him.

“Man am I glad to see you, I thought…” She stumbled over her words as Thor chuckled.

“I’m fine.” He smiled, reaching out to wrap an arm round her metal cased back and return her embrace, lifting her slightly off the floor as he did so.

“But Banner, he said your ship…and Loki…”

“I’m the God of Thunder.” He shrugged slightly as if that explained everything, and then he sent his axe flying once more and set Katie down, as a pack began to surround the three. Katie reengaged her helmet and they continued fighting.

“What happened to your hammer?” Steve asked as the three of them circled, before he took another creature down with a blow to the head.

“My sister.” Thor grunted, throwing his axe again.

“You have a sister?” Katie frowned, shooting another creature with a beam.

“Had. She’s dead. I killed her. Well, a big fire demon did.” Thor caught his axe before swinging it straight into the head of one who had jumped at him “I thought Banner might have told you?”

“He mentioned it yeah, but to be honest we’ve kinda been a bit busy.” Katie’s teeth grit together as she off-loaded a shot from her shoulder gun to a creature which hit it straight between the eyes. It slumped to the floor but at the same time the ground began to shake.

“That’s errr…that’s not me.” Thor shook his head as Steve looked at him. The three of them turned to watch as the trees outside the barrier began falling being crushed by whatever was coming, then the dirt underneath the inside of the barrier moved like a wave and from it mechanical wheels like chainsaws sprung up.

“Fall back!” T'Challa’s loud voice sounded in their ears as the wheels separated, “Fall back now!”

“GO!” Steve yelled, looking at Katie and she shot up into the air. As she flew over the field she looked down and saw the wheels split all going in different directions taking out the creatures and Wakandan warriors alike with ease. The machines didn’t seem to have any particular form of control or direction, just mowing down anyone in its path. She looked up as Sam and Rhodey joined her on either side.

“FRIDAY scan this thing for weaknesses…” Katie instructed. “The axle.” FRIDAY said, focussing in on it on the heads up display “You need to take it out.” “Go for the axle guys!” Katie swooped down. “Same time…” “Focus all fire on the left flank” Rhodey ordered as they began to shoot their various weapons.

“I’m doing it,” Sam replied firing his guns where he was instructed but it was having little effect. Eventually, they managed to take one wheel down but as Katie circled up she saw that Natasha and General Okoye were right in its path, but so absorbed in the battle that they almost missed the set of chainsaw wheels coming straight for them, almost. Katie yelled a warning over the coms and was about to swoop down to pull them both out of harm’s way when suddenly Wanda dropped down in front of the other two women and surrounded the wheels in her red glow. She lifted them up lifting it up into the air then grunted throwing it back at a swarm of Outriders.

As Katie spiralled back upwards Okoye’s frustrated voice hit her ears. “Why was she up there all this time?”

It was a boost having Wanda on the field, Okoye was right, but the unease in Katie’s chest was rising as her being down there meant it left Vision open. Katie and Rhodey went back to try and take out another one of the huge wheels, but then they both stopped dead as Sam’s urgent voice called out. ”Guys, we got a Vision situation here!“

Katie looked over in the direction of the palace, just in time to see the android crashing out of the glass.

"Somebody get to Vision!” Steve instructed loudly, before he was sideswiped by another of those damned dog things.

“I got him,” Bruce responded

“On my way,” Wanda’s voice also said. Katie turned to find her on the field, and as she did she saw one of Thanos’ warriors hit her hard across the face with her staff and she fell into one of the large trenches that the chainsaw-like wheels of the machine had created.

Katie swooped down to help, Natasha also sprinting across the field, sliding down into the trench behind the blue woman. As Wanda struggled to her feet, Katie landed next to Natasha.

“He will die alone,” the blue woman growled at Wanda, and then to add even more insult looked added, “As will you.”

“She’s not alone.” Natasha said simply. The woman turned around to see Natasha and Katie there, and then at the other side of her Okoye landed, spinning her spear, pointing it at the horned alien.

“Get to Vision.” Natasha looked at Katie who hesitated. “Now, Nova! Our priority is that stone!”

With a nod, Katie took off again, flying towards Vision’s locations as Friday locked onto him. But, as she flew she was hit by something and landed hard on the ground, her suit dragging along the dirt. Instantly she took off again, kicking one of the animals off her leg as it hung on, its teeth crunching into the metal of her boot but it soon fell limp as her thruster blasted straight through its head.

Meanwhile, Steve was running like he had never run before, and as he reached the clearing in the trees he saw one of the aliens bent over Vision, the tip of his staff trying to pry out the stone from his head. Steve tackled the alien at full speed, his shoulder driving into the man’s waist.

“Get outta here!” He yelled, jumping up as he began to trade blows with the alien, using his arm-shields to both land and deflect the blows. There was no movement so he turned to Vision again, issuing another instruction. “Go!”

Steve kept blocking the alien’s weapon using his shields, finally knocking it from the alien’s hands just before he was thrown over a fallen tree and pinned by his opponent’s hand at his throat. Steve struggled, grabbing at the fingers gripping round his neck, but even with his physical abilities, he was struggling. But then suddenly, there was a familiar repuslor blast to the alien’s back which made him yell out, his grip on Steve lessening a tad, and then the blade of the staff emerged from the alien’s chest. Steve saw him splutter, then choke, before he dropped Steve completely to the floor.

Katie landed besides him, her helmet sliding off as she offered her hand to pull him to his feet. Behind her, Vision cast the alien aside before collapsing exhaustedly to the floor.

“Thanks.” Steve panted, his breath ragged as he gently cupped Katie’s face before he strode to Vision. “I thought I told you to go.” He sighed, hauling the android to his feet.

“We don’t trade lives, Captain.” Vision replied simply.

**** Tony was beginning to realise they had no chance against Thanos. But that spurred him on even more, because if he got the rest of the stones, well it didn’t bear thinking about.

With one last attempt he flew at Thanos, who deflected the blow and picked him up by the helmet and blasted his midsection with the Power Stone. The gaps in nanite coverage were now extensive, as his armour was losing the ability to recover from the intensity of the damage. Tony struggled to one knee, and fired his right hand repulsor at Thanos, but he might as well have been using a fucking water pistol for all the good it did.

Gritting his teeth, Tony got to both feet as his suit tried to complete repairs, adding the beam from his left to the one from his right. Thanos walked right up to him, and backhanded the incomplete helmet off his head. Tony’s eyes grew wide as he crossed his arms to block a blow from Thanos’ gauntlet, the Titan caught his left hand and in desperation, Tony formed what was left of his right glove into a short sword, which Thanos easily caught, snapping it off clean before driving it through Tony’s left side.           

Tony’s body seized up in pain as Thanos walked him back until he collapsed onto a rock, looking up at the man who had stabbed him with shock and hatred, blood bubbling in his mouth.

 This was it. Thanos was finally going to kill him, after six years of nightmares.

“You have my respect, Stark.” Thanos spoke almost with a hint of regret. “When I’m done, half of humanity will still be alive,” he let go of Tony and straightened up, “I hope they remember you.”

Tony’s thoughts flashed to the people on Earth, more specifically Pepper and his Sister. He had failed them, again. His visions were coming true. He drew in a pained breath, the copper taste of blood surrounded his senses as Thanos raised the gauntlet, closing his fist and all four stones began to glow.

“Stop!” Strange yelled, sitting up painfully as he looked at Thanos. “Spare his life… and I will give you the stone”

“No tricks.” Thanos turns to him and Doctor Strange shook his head.

Despite Tony’s protest, Strange handed over the stone and Thanos dropped it into the thumb setting on the gauntlet, the energy pulse making him wince.

“One to go.”

 At that point an energy blast hit the gauntlet right in the empty Mind Stone setting and Thanos grimaced in surprise as Quill, who was screaming in incoherent rage, flew towards him, firing with both hands. Thanos didn’t even bother responding to the assault. Instead he conjured up a portal and simply left.

Star-Lord flew through where Thanos had been and crashed, rolling several times. “Where is he?” He stood up, his helmet sliding away.

With a grimace, Tony managed to stich up his stab wound as well as he could with his suit functions, but he was still weak and had no breath for answers.

“Did we just lose?” Quill asked, his voice now fearful.

Tony turned to Dr Strange and looked at him, shaking his head sadly “Why would you do that?” His voice cracked slightly. After everything they had done to try and stop him getting the stone, after the Wizard himself saying he wouldn’t hesitate to let anyone die to keep it safe, he just handed it over.  

“We’re in the Endgame now.” Dr Strange looked at him. And Tony could do nothing but sigh, and slump back against his rock, hoping that the guys on Earth would fare better than they had.

*****

Before Steve, Katie and Vision could move they were joined by Natasha. As she turned to speak to them she suddenly stopped, as a light wind whipped around them, causing them all to spin on the spot.

Something big was coming. Steve couldn’t explain how he knew, but he did. “Everyone on my position, we’ve got incoming.” He pressed his finger to the com in his ear while glancing sideways at Katie, the pair of them stood by Vision, the feel of unease and silence that had fallen over the clearing was getting even more oppressive.

“What the hell?” Natasha mumbled from behind and Steve swallowed turning to Katie who looked up at him. Neither of them could voice what they were feeling, both of them understanding that this could very well be their final stand.  Katie felt her chest tighten as she felt a single tear of fright, love and pride fall down her face.

“I love you.” She whispered and Steve took a shaky breath.

“I love you.” He replied in kind. “Till the end of the line.”

Then, across the clearing from them, a cloud of grey and blue began to form from nothing. A huge man, purple in colour, encased in a deep golden armour stepped out from the grey and blue mass.

“Cap, that’s him.” Bruce pointed out obviously, because honestly, who else could it be?

Steve raised his shields and took a few steps forward as Katie moved backwards to stand with Natasha and Wanda, both stood in front Vision.

“Eyes up. Stay sharp.” Steve commanded beginning to charge forward, leaving Katie behind. He knew that if all else failed, Wanda was going to have to make the decision to destroy that stone, and he also knew that Katie wouldn’t want her to be alone when she did.

Bruce reached Thanos first, using the rockets on his suit to launch him up in the air and, as his hand clenched into a fist, Thanos raised the gauntlet on his left hand and Bruce’s suit turned blue and see-through, his body flying through Thanos’ rather than colliding with it before it was encased in the rock at the side of a hill face.

As she took stock of what had just happened, Katie glanced across at Natasha and saw a look of fright on the blonde’s face. A look she had only ever seen once before, when Bruce had transformed into the Hulk for the first time and they had been trapped in the cargo bay of the Hellicarrier all those years ago.

Steve reached Thanos second and jumped, aiming to punch him in the face with his shields but he was stopped dead in his path, a purple glow encasing his body simply throwing him to the side and out of sight where he crashed to the ground, his head spinning as everything went hazy.

Shortly behind him, T’Challa was also cast aside like a rag doll and then Sam was grounded easily.

Nothing could touch him.

“Wanda.” Vision breathed from behind them, and they all turned to face him. “It’s time.”

“No.” Wanda’s voice shook and Katie glanced back and forth between her and the Titan as he was advancing.

“They can’t stop him, Wanda, but we can. Look at me!” Vision demanded forcefully “You have the power to destroy the stone.”

“Don’t.” She cried, trying to pull away from his grip a third time.

Katie turned back to the fight in time to see Rhodey drop out of the air. When Bucky tried to fire at the Titan raising his gun and running towards him, shooting bullets wildly, he was also cast aside, the same way Steve had been. All their attempts to take the Titan down so far had been simply hopeless.

“You must do it Wanda, please.” Vision continued to plead and Katie turned to the young woman whose bottom lip had begun to wobble.

“Wanda.” Katie looked at her, her own voice cracking as well with the impending action they were about to take. “I can’t begin to imagine how you feel but Vis is right. You have to destroy it.”

The tears were forming in Katie’s eyes. All she could hear over the yells and noise was Steve’s voice telling her he loved her. But right now she had no idea where Steve was, she couldn’t see where Thanos had thrown him. She understood completely what Wanda was feeling, and faced with the same choice she knew she’d be reacting exactly the same.  But, with Thor seemingly also nowhere to be found, it appeared there was no other way to stop the Titan. 

The stone, and with it Vision, had to be destroyed.

“We are out of time.” Vision spoke gently, his hand wrapping around Wanda’s as he brought it up against his cheek.

“I can’t.” Wanda whispered looking at Vision then over to Katie for some form of guidance.

Katie could offer none.

“It’s alright,” Vision took Wanda’s hand and opened it up, “you could never hurt me. I just feel you.“

As Katie watched, Wanda looked over her shoulder and then she let her power flow, her face contorting into so many emotions, it broke Katie’s heart to think about what she was feeling. Her attention was called back to the fight when someone yelled, this time Okoye. Natasha took a deep breath, looking at Katie as they now found themselves the last line of defence between Thanos, Wanda and Vis. They had no choice but to try and buy Wanda as much time as they could.

Natasha went first, but it was pointless, she was cast off to the side somewhere and Katie stood, drawing herself up to her full height, helmet, shield and weapons ready, knowing full well it wasn’t going to stop him.

But Steve was up and running again. Thanos was advancing on his wife and he wasn’t going to let that happen without a fight. He threw himself into a slide, the momentum carrying him under Thanos’ legs and as he went he aimed a swipe at the back of the man’s calves and knees with his shields. As he jumped to his feet, Thanos aimed a blow at Steve’s head, but he caught the gauntlet in both his hands. 

Gritting his teeth, Steve put every bit of strength he had into holding off the blow as Katie flew in, her repulsors firing at the Titan which made him lose concentration for a moment, but only a second. Then, in the corner of his eye, Steve saw the other fist powering towards his temple.

And then it all went back.

As Steve crashed to the floor, Thanos caught Katie easily round the neck. Both her hands shot up, her fingers trying desperately to prise his away from where they were crunching around the shield of her suit but to no avail.

“Another Stark.” Thanos mumbled, and before Katie could respond, he trew her up into the air, shooting her with a shot from the power stone. The beam of energy hit her square in the chest, killing her reactor, and she was sent spiralling to the right, where she collided heavily, head first with a tree.

As Katie lay motionless on the floor, her suit falling away, she could vaguely hear noises, the sounds of fighting and yelling. Then there was some sort of huge explosion before the world swam around her, and her eyes fluttered shut.

How long she was out for, Katie had no idea, but as she came round, the first thing she noticed was that it was deadly silent. She could taste and smell dirt, and opening an eye, she realised she was led, face down on the forest floor somewhere. With a groan she lifted her head, and, as she glanced across the clearing, she saw Steve was led roughly ten feet away, also face down and still out of it thanks to the force of Thanos’ punch.

“Steve.” She whispered to herself and pushed herself up, half crawling, half running towards him. As she reached his side, there was a sudden flash of green light which surrounded them, but Katie’s attention was completely focussed on her husband who lay motionless on the ground. “Steve.” She gently shook him, her eyes swimming with tears. “Baby, please, get up.”

She could hear Thor yelling something, and felt a surge of hope in her chest that the God had entered the final fight, and that hope grew even more as Steve gave a little groan, and started to move, turning his head as he lifted it up from where he was laying in the dirt. 

“Hey.” She greeted him and he sat up, shaking his head, before he instantly reached out to cup her face, scanning her for injuries. 

“Your suit?” He grit out and she shook her head.

“It’s down, it-“

Before she could explain the pair of them were jolted by Thor’s loud cry which seemed to linger in the air around them.

“No!”

They both looked round instinctively and as they did so, a blinding white light seemed to pulse towards them. Steve instinctively pushed Katie down to the floor, curling his body around hers in an attempt to shield her from whatever it was. He kept his head low, eyes scanning around and once he was satisfied it was safe to do so he moved, his eyes fixing on Katie’s whose were wide with fright.

“Steve, I don’t know what’s happening.” She whispered, and Steve swallowed, looking round as he could hear Thor was shouting again but he couldn’t quite make out the words.

“Come on.” He rose to his feet, offering Katie his hand and she took it. Once she was stood, his hands fell to her shoulders, his eyes searching his wife’s face and she nodded to tell him she was okay. Turning, Steve hissed at the pain in his side and clutched at his ribs, looking around, half expecting Thanos to appear and make another run at him. “Stay close to me.” He looked at Katie, the fact she had no suit worried him a little and he wanted to make sure he kept her by his side, not that it would do much good, but he’d die trying if he had to. 

It soon became apparent that he wasn’t going to need to, as when they reached the edge of the trees they’d both landed between and emerged into the clearing, there was no sign of the Titan. In fact, the only person they could see was Thor. The god’s broad back was hunched over, his shoulders rising and falling with the force of his breathing, the air deadly silent.

“Where’d he go?” Steve asked, spinning around, unease flooding his chest.  “Thor?”

Thor finally turned and met Steve’s eyes, then Katie’s, and it was not a comfort, in fact it made Steve feel even more concerned. The god looked utterly shattered, and still he gave no response.

“Steve?” Another voice cut in sounding as confused as the rest of them felt, and he turned to see Bucky looking down at his arm in disbelief as the limb was disappearing into ash, the gun in his hands fell to the ground followed shortly by the man himself as he just disappeared.

Steve blinked, not sure what he’d seen. An icy cold feeling churned in his stomach as he took a few steps forward before falling to a knee and reaching out, touching the ashes and dust that was all that was left of his best friend. He turned to look up at Katie, he was utterly confused, disbelieving even. 

Katie, in turn, was numb with shock. She stumbled forwards, dropping to her knees besides Steve, her hand hovering over his as she stared at the spot on the ground where Bucky’s gun lay.

“I don’t…” Steve frowned, looking at her. “What the hell…”

Katie couldn’t speak. She looked up and round, her eyes falling on Thor as another cloud of dust and ash whirred around the clearing near where the god was stood and it was then that she noticed Thor was stood about a foot away from Vision, who was led on the ground. His body now a bland shade of purple-grey. She reached out for Steve, but at that moment he rose to his feet, walking slowly over to where Thor was stood, his steps heavy, laboured almost. Katie pushed herself off the ground, her own feet felt like they belonged to someone else as she walked numbly over the clearing, as Steve fell down to his knees, shakily reaching out to roll Vision’s lifeless body over.

It was then that Katie’s eyes locked on the hole in the android’s head and in the corner of her eye she saw Steve drop backwards sitting on the ground with a huff, looking up at her, utter disbelief and sorrow flooded his handsome face as they both shared a moment of understanding. Thanos had taken the stone, and done exactly what Banner had warned he would do. 

“What’s going on?” Rhodey’s voice cut across the silence as he voiced the question on everyone’s mind. “What the hell is happening?”

Katie turned to face him, her eyes misting over as she looked around at the group of people stood in the clearing. Thor, Banner, Rhodey, Natasha and Rocket. There was no one else, only them. No Sam, no T’Challa, no Bucky, no Wanda. And no Tony. Her hand flew to her mouth as she tried hard to stem the tears and sob that she felt bubbling up inside her, and instead she turned, dropping to her knees besides Steve, reaching out for him.

“Oh, God.” She heard his voice crack as his back slumped against Visions body, his arms pulling her close as the group simply remained silent, numb in the realisation that for the first time ever, The Avengers had lost.

*****

Chapter 38

**Original Posting**

#stark spangled banner #steve rogers #Katie Stark #steve rogers x ofc #steve rogers x original female character #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers fic #mcu #mcu fanfic #chris evans #chris evans characters

[thelordofdarkreunion]

Magnificent Scoundrels- The Shadowed Lords

I know I keep throwing new characters and places at you.  Sorry.  Scoundrel shenanigans will return next story.  However, this is important for the story progression, and, to be blunt, these are some of my personal favorite characters I wrote in here.  Enjoy the story, and if you are interesting in it, please read the end note.  

“Nine heroes and their colleagues.

Six Shadowed Lords and the assets they bring:

One Ghost.

One god.

One collector.

One Man

One Cypher.

One Leader.

Six Stones.

One Weapon.

One Crucible.

One Ring.

Seven Lords:

One Lion

One Phoenix

One Warhawk

One Wolf

One Son

One Salamander

One Raven

And a little luck.”  -A List of Items Required

Titanfall Galaxy

The Outlands

Hammond Robotics Lab 365-772

It was night out, and Dr. Lisa Wiltalker sat in the same chair, in the same office, as she did every night.  But this time, she didn’t really mind.  It was a wonderful night outside, crisp and clear, with the stars shining through the window, creating an ambient atmosphere of peace.  Though, in reality, it was actually due to her work that she didn’t mind staying late.  

She was the head of the facility, one of the most important ones in the Outlands region of space, and it was her duty to advance the Hammond company by any means necessary.  And, by God, the opportunities that presented themselves now!  Eight new universes that had just materialized from nowhere.  Eight!  The circumstances that presented themselves for Hammond and herself were...endless.

She was currently studying everything she could about these new galaxies, trying to learn anything and everything she could…

She looked up sharply.  Could have sworn something was moving in the shadows…  No.  She had been here for...fifteen hours, was it?  It was nighttime, and it was a lonely, empty office building, so no wonder her senses were playing tricks on her sleep deprived mind.  She stood up, stretched, grabbed a coffee from the machine in the room, and sipped it while looking out the window and the stars.  Feeling better, or at least more caffeinated, she returned to the task at hand. 

Eight new galaxies.  Endless opportunities to sell the products of Hammond.  Spectre robots, the latest and greatest in infantry fighting machines, faster, stronger, and tougher than a man; explosive Ticks, small drones that seeked out enemies and detonated; and, of course, Titans.  She didn’t think that any of the other galaxies had technology like that, and where better to add to their arsenals but from the Hammond Corporation?  Made perfect sense…

She snapped around sharply.  She swore she could have heard something moving, swore she could see something just inside her peripheral vision…  She shook her head again.  The office was massively secure, with guards, both of bolt and steel, and flesh and blood stationed throughout it.  When in a sleep deprived and lonely situation, everyone started seeing the boogeyman hiding in the corners.  She shook her head ruefully and turned on more lights.  

Where was she?  Ah, yes.  Opportunities.  Who to sell to?  Everyone, if possible.  Who could turn down six meter tall war machines, implemented with the finest in A.I. technology, programmed in the art of death and destruction?  Well, probably a few of the more dense and/or peaceful of the governments out there.  She leafed through a dossier.

The Galactic Assembly?  No.  Has only had two major wars in the last century, both of which had ended within the year.  The United Federation of Planets?  Also no.  Too regulatory, too jealous of their own technology.  The Galactic Empire?  This one looked promising.  A pro-human empire that had been fractured and on the losing side of a major war in recent years, desperate for anything to turn the tide.  Yes, this-

A cold, metallic hand gripped her throat, preventing any sound from getting out, and a horribly deep, rasping, grating voice sounded in her ear.

“You ever get the feeling you’re not alone in the room?  It’s because you’re not.”

The extremely tall, spindly...thing stood over the corpse of Dr. Wiltalker.  The body had a massive, jagged, yet precise hole ripped through the torso, directly where the heart was, and currently lay deep in a pool of its own clotting blood.  The thing, made of cold steel yet looking oddly humanoid, stood above it, watching, savoring the sensation.  

“One more off the list,” it said in the same rasping voice.  It made a move to turn, to exit the room, but stopped.  It stared at the desk.  At the dossier.  “Interesting,” it muttered.  It picked it up.  “Very interesting indeed.”  It leafed through it.   The machine turned.  

It had once been he.  He had once been living.  He had been turned into this… synthetic nightmare by Hammond, against his will or knowledge.  He snarled and suppressed a shudder of rage.  Once the greatest hitman the Syndicate, Hammond, or anyone else had ever known, at some unknown point his mind had been altered, his body destroyed and replaced with… this.  He snarled again.  

He had been having his revenge against everyone and everything associated with the company… but this new knowledge.  This changed things.  So many possibilities.  So many skinsuits.  So little time.  He was the boogeyman.  He was the Revenant.  And he would have his vengeance.

Warhammer 40k Galaxy

Solemnace, Necron Tomb World

The hallways were jet black, cut from a strange stone that seemed to absorb all light around it.  The only illumination came from strange runes and lighting fixtures that seemed to blend into the halls and ceilings.  The light was a pale, bright green, and cast strange shadows on the halls and objects residing within.  It swirled throughout the space, as if it didn’t quite understand what exactly it was supposed to be illuminating.  A human would have found the long halls exceptionally strange.  Disconcerting.  Creepy, even, if one were less eloquent.  It seemed like something from a horror movie, with mad creatures waiting to leap from the shadows on the unaware.  

Even more strange and disconcerting were the objects located within the halls.  Strange devices, artifacts, and objects littered the space.  Each one almost unrecognizable; completely unknown except to the most knowledgeable of galactic historians, and, of course, the curator.  For this place, this entire planet, in fact, was so much more than strange alien hallways and lighting that did not agree with the human ocular system.  Above all else, itt was a place that preserved history.

The massive galleries, for that is what they were, contained a great many strange, horrifying, and wondrous things.  Everything, from inactive artifacts of history to living beings had their place here.  Each was protected, frozen in status by eldritch technologies.  A massive man in baroque power armor.  Tens of thousands of Imperial Guardsmen, from many different worlds, (including some lost) scattered throughout different exhibits.  Huge war machines, from almost every race to bestride the stars.  A large, beautifully embellished bell.  Korks, the ancient and ferocious genetic predecessors of orks.  The ossified husk of some strange, jellyfish-like being.  The preserved head of an Imperial Saint.  The graceful Eldar of the last high council of the destroyed Craftworld Idharae.   Space Marines, from almost every chapter and legion imaginable.  Several Inquisitors that had been just a bit too nosy.  A Custodian.  Stange, undocumented blue crab-like aliens.  Members of species thought to be long dead by the rest of the galaxy.  The total list would probably take hours, if not days or weeks, to describe.  

The long galleries were patrolled by odd beings, bipedal silver robots with elongated skulls, wielding strange spears.  They seemed to be mindless, uncaring of the weariness that would affect any other beings by the constant patrolling.  

On one of the wings of the planet-sized museum, an individual studied a huge sculptured head.  It was old and grimy, its original and secondary colors lost to time.  The figure was lost in it, its bulk taking up a huge display gallery.  Once upon a time the head had been part a a figure called the Statue of Liberty, and had resided in the human hive city of Nuva York on the Throneworld of mankind.  38,000 years ago.  It was a huge monument to human accomplishment.  38,000 years ago.  It was a historical relic, a testament to mankind’s history.  30,000 years ago.  It disappeared, never to be seen again, a missing piece of history.  24,000 years ago.  Now it resided here.  It mattered nothing to the individual.  He was older than the statue.  Older than the human race itself.  

His body was similar to those of the gallery guardians, but much more ornamented and higher quality.  Made of silvery metal, his legs were long but powerful.  A metallic rib cage, with a strange symbol etched in the breastbone attached, the legs to similarly structured arms.  His metallic skull had a largely elongated jaw, with a permanent mouth etched in the metal.  A cloak made of interlocking metallic plates was thrown across his back, and in his hands was a strange staff, made of the same metal as he was.  

A sigh of contentment, strangely synthesized, escaped his lips (or what passed for them).  While he did often travel the galaxy, looking for artifacts and individuals to add to his ever-growing collection, it was nice to look at his gains.  He turned and strode out of the gallery hall.  

A vast open room stretched before him, much better lit than his galleries.  Ornamented skeletal warriors, weapons at the ready, stood on guard.  They were there not only to protect him (not that he needed it, mind you, there were plenty of tricks up his sleeve), but the massive museum itself.  He surmounted the steps to his throne, ornamental carved from the black rock, and surveyed his domain.  He was not here simply to oversee his galleries.  No.  A voice broke him out of his thoughts.

“My lord?” asked another metallic servant, this one bearing heavier limbs and more decoration than its fellows.  The seated figure looked up.  A huge holographic map, made of eerie green light, sprung to life, taking up the majority of the colossal room.  It showed not one, but nine different galaxies.  Each a treasure trove.  Each begging to be explored.  

Trazyn the Infinite, Phaeron of the Nihilakh Dynasty, Archaeovist of Solemnace, curator of the Prismatic Galleries, and collector extraordinaire turned his head to the map.  Eight new galaxies.  Eight new sets of history.  So little time.  So much to collect.  

Marvel Galaxy

Within the passages between worlds

There were ways.  Passages between realms and planets, known to only a few.  Some might call them ‘wormholes’, some ‘slip spaces’, others just plain ‘magic’.  They were small, strange, holes in time and space.  While naturally occurring, and while able to be explained by science, few ever found them.  Fewer still ever used them.  

Loki of Asgard, God of Mischief, was not among those few.  He was with the tiny minority, the smallest percentage of all beings: he knew where they were, knew how they worked, and used them frequently.  They were so incredibly useful; too hard to pass up.  Not even Heimdall, all-seeing guardian of the Nine Realms, could not peer into them.  Poor Heimdall.  The man was a tedious bore, but he really didn’t deserve to die like he did.  

Loki died that day too, choked to death at the hands of the Mad Titan, Thanos.  Or did he?  Was this the original Loki, cheating death yet again?  Was this another Loki from the same universe, the same timeline, transported here?  Maybe.  Or was this a Loki from somewhere else entirely; the same individual from a different universe?  It was possible.  One never really knew with the God of Lies.  

Loki wasn’t truly evil.  He had a habit for causing mass death and destruction, but those killed were mortals, were they not?  A few years taken off their miserably short lives wouldn't really affect anything.  He liked power, enjoyed it, would use force to get it, but, at heart, he wasn’t malevolent.  

But now, out there, seen in the spaces between time and space, there were new things.  Things that truly were malevolent.  Evil.  Things that would enslave all sentients, destroy all life, rend reality asunder.  

He was no hero.  But things like this...they needed to be stopped.  So, unfortunately, he would probably end up fighting on the side of heroes.  However, that didn’t mean he still couldn’t find time for mischief...  

Mass Effect Galaxy

Cronos Station, Headquarters of Cerberus

The room was bare, with only an ergonomic chair standing alone in the center.  A huge window, sleek and curved, with no obstructions, gave view to a massive fiery star.  Tendrils of fire, both red and yellow, spun into space, guaranteed to take any viewer’s breath away.  The floor was black and polished, reflecting the star’s burning light.  Sitting in the chair in the center of the room, surrounded by orange and blue holograms, was a single human.

He was wearing an extremely expensive, well-tailored suit, the edges perfectly cut to fit his frame.  His brown hair was neatly styled, and his eyes glowed blue, replaced long ago with prosthetics.  He stood, glass of incredibly expensive liquor in hand, the glowing tip of a cigarette sticking from the edge of his mouth, staring at the holograms.  Somehow, he contrived to make the vices look incredibly elegant and classy, like a movie star of old.  

He was the Illusive Man.  One of the, if not the most powerful individuals in the galaxy. Creator of the pro-human terrorist organization Cerberus.  He saw his duty plainly: humanity must become the most prominent race throughout the stars.  He was not xenophobic.  Far from it.  He simply wanted his species to succeed, and if lesser individuals saw that as racist, saw him as a terrorist, then so be it.  He cared nothing for the opinions of the weak.  Those who were not willing to act were not worthy of inheriting the stars.  But now...complications.  

Eight new galaxies.  He knew a great many things about them; far more than most.  There were new threats.  New problems.  New factions and people of incredible power.  But most importantly, humanity existed in all eight.  His species.  

Whether through the iron might of the Imperium of Man, or the peace and technological progress of the United Federation of Planets, humanity was in a prominent place in all of them.  He would see them remain that rightful place.  But now there were threats.  Too many to handle alone.  He would need help, and he would need it as quickly as possible if he were to succeed.  

The holograms scrolled past, showing names.  Faces.  Dossiers.  Heroes.  Villains.  Species.  

The Illusive Man sat in his chair, cigarette dangling from his mouth as if forgotten.  He was thinking.  Planning.  He needed more help, needed more people, needed more knowledge.  Knowledge was power.  Power was required to raise mankind to the top.  Simple, but not easy.  He thought some more.  

Unknown Location

The faint light, cast by the glow of a nearby star, emanated from large floor to ceiling windows.  The star was old, cold, but still let out a pure white light, enough to illuminate the room through the heavy, cathedral-like windows.  It contrasted with the empty blackness of space, the only light beyond the star being faint pinpricks, barely enough to cast a second glance at.  The room itself was dark.  Nothing could be seen of it.  Not its size, not its purpose, or any items within.  The light only illuminated two figures standing side by side, staring out into the blackness of space.  

The one on the right was the shorter of the two.  It looked to be human, with two arms, two legs, and a head sticking out from a normal human frame.  However, one couldn’t really tell what it was, for its face was hidden by an armored black mask and helmet.  Two rectangular eye slits, glowing a dim red in the light of the star, looked out through the window.  It wore black armor and gloves, stylized so as to allow the greatest range of motion possible.   A heavy black coat, reinforced by some form of anti-ballistic material, reached down to the figure’s ankles.  Holstered at its side was a large pistol, a human-made automatic of heavy calibre.  

The figure on the left was massive.  While the one in black was slightly taller than six feet, it towered a full eight feet tall.  Its form was large and bulky, with joints of massive power armor poking through a plain white robe that hid the majority of its figure.  A white hood covered its head, and while one might think this figure was some strange alien, the bottom of the face that could be seen through the hood and shadows was unmistakably human.  It had a broad and chiseled face that fit the rest of its massive form, hinting that the bulkiness of its figure came not from the armor, but from the body beneath it.  Two pistols were holstered at its side, both oversized to fit in the figure’s large armored gauntlets.  One was blocky and black, and while heavily ornamented, seemed to be of the type that fired something akin to bullets.  The other glowed a soft blue, coils replacing what would have been the slide on an automatic pistol.  

An utterly massive sword was strapped to the figure’s back, and while beautifully adorned and seemingly crafted by a master, it was too large even for the tall man to wield it.  Instead, it was kept in its place, resting on his back.  

The taller man spoke.  “You know what must be done, yes?”  His voice was a deep baritone, rumbling with massive power and reverberating through the darkness.  

“Yes.”  The shorter figure’s voice was scarred and metallic, spoken through some sort of modulator in the mask it wore.  

“Then we must move quickly.”  The man on the left turned and stared down at the black-clad figure on the right.  “There are those who would seek to stop this.”

“It is logical.  I see no other way to make things right for everyone.”

“Good.  Then it is necessary to do what must be done,” said the deep voice.  

“The fate of the universe hangs on the shoulders of a few.  But they have done it before.  Proven their worth,” replied the black figure.  

“This time there are forces outside of their control.  Things they are not powerful enough to fight.  This is why we must help them.”  The red lenses tilted up towards the tall man’s face.

“Indeed.  We have a mission, and for the good of all we must not fail.”

Hope you liked the story.  I know that both Loki and the Illusive Man are kind of bad guys, and the the Illusive Man goes heavy off the deep end in ME 3, but that hasn’t happened yet, and I need all of these characters on the same side.  Now, the message.  If you have any ideas for stories you want me to write or any characters that fit in with the Shadowed Lords you want to include, please tell me and I will consider writing them if the fit in.  If you have any comments, criticisms, concerns, or questions, don’t hesitate to ask!  I hope you enjoyed the story, and I hope that you have a great day.  Or night.  Or whatever.  

Edit: Also, Revenant is a sociopathic murderer, so he isn’t exactly a good guy either.  

#magnificent scoundrels #story #writing #my writing #my story #fanfic #crossover story #mass effect #apex legends #warhammer 40k #marvel

[deus-ex-knoxina]

When you added onto your tags and acknowledged that tightlacing is vastly different than corsetry... I'm ace and I think I'm on the aro spectrum but that was extremely hot of you and I think I fell in love

hey i’m on the aro ace spectrum too high five!! and FUCK yes i’m so glad that my strong feelings on making sure everyone knows the difference are appreciated!!!!!!!!!!!! and also you’re giving me this stellar opportunity to talk about it even MORE anon i love you let the infodumping commence

this gets long so the rest is under the cut:

TL;DR: corsets serve the same purpose as a bra, supporting from the hips instead of the shoulders. today, some people wear them for that purpose, and some people wear them as medical devices for scoliosis. if a corset doesn’t fit properly, it’ll be uncomfortable, which is why we hear actors complain about them so much (because they’re not wearing custom-made ones, like they would have, say, a hundred and fifty years ago).

so when everyone was wearing corsets, they had ones that fit them, and corsets HAD to allow women to breathe and move because EVERYONE was wearing them, including working-class women. tightlacing was done by a tiny minority of upper-class women to get the tiniest waist possible, which was fashionable at the time (and still is, if you look at modern waist trainers). and yes, it was damaging to them, but it’s not the intended purpose of a corset. the reason that so many people today think it IS is because of victorian men, who sucked.

(so don’t draw neil josten like a super-rich super-fashionable victorian woman)

(and that was the tl;dr so as you can imagine! what’s under the cut is quite long! BUT IT’S INTERESTING SO I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE U TO READ)

OKAY SO HERE’S THE DEAL. we always hear about corsets as like, women-oppressing torture devices. that’s not true. the *reason* we have all these misconceptions about corsets is the fault of victorian men, just like so many things are the fault of victorian men

the actual purpose of corsets??? like the ACTUAL actual purpose of corsets??? they have literally the same function as a bra. the benefit of a corset is that it supports from the hips and waist, not from the shoulders, so depending on your bust size a corset might be better for you (and for your back)!

and people do still wear corsets today, *not* just people dressing up. like i mentioned above, they’re practical, they’re COMFORTABLE ACTUALLY, and if you have scoliosis then special corsets are sometimes used as medical devices!

so back to them being comfortable. this is another huge-ass misconception. you know who wore corsets Back In The Day? women. not just rich women. middle-class women, working class women, EVERYONE. because it’s underwear. do you think a woman who lives on a farm and has to help with farm things could do that with a super uncomfortable, super tight corset? no.

you can try to lace your corset up as tight as possible, but if you have ANY form of core/abdominal muscles whatsoever, you’re just. not gonna be able to have a wasp waist. you’re just not! you have muscles there that can’t be pushed out of the way!

and are you REALLY gonna put all that effort in to lace it super fucking tight every single day? no. you’re not. because unless you’re super rich, you’re probably having a family member or spouse or maybe a single maid help you get dressed in the morning, and the two of you just don’t have time to turn ‘putting on undergarments’ into a whole fuckin’ production every single day.

but birl, you ask, why is it that movie actresses (such as emma stone and emma watson, literally just off the top of my head) always complain about corsets? simple answer: they’re not fitted well, and the actresses have been inundated with victorian men’s opinions on tightlacing and think that wearing a corset automatically means they’re gonna have their internal organs fucked up. if a corset doesn’t fit you, of course it’s gonna be uncomfortable!!!

and when it comes to movies/tv, whether it actually fits is... not always treated as a primary concern. because they’re doing it for costumes, and since it’s film, the actresses can change out of the corset and wear something else when they’re not filming. if you’re wearing a corset as part of your everyday clothes, you’re GONNA pay for one that’s made specifically for you (not to mention that off-the-rack clothing is a fairly recent invention, and for the vast majority of human history, clothing was made to fit an individual, so OF COURSE women would wear corsets that fit them)

costume corsets are frequently not a functional garment and they don’t need to behave like one. real corsets are, and they have persisted as a functional garment for CENTURIES, which they would *not* have if they were actively harming every single person who wore them. which, if you recall, was... pretty much every single woman. that’s the difference, and also, like i said, there’s an element of fear that also drives those actresses complaining because they have fallen for the victorian male complaining.

(side note: i watched enola holmes recently, and it’s a great movie, but for FUCK’S sake a corset is not a tool of repression any more than a bra is! i know some of y’all like to say that a bra is a tool of repression, because you hardly have any need for one! but a lot of people actually do need breast support SO THEY DON’T DEVELOP BACK PROBLEMS)

now. on to tightlacing, finally. with a normal corset, you lace it tight enough to get support from it, and no tighter, because why the fuck would you want to imprison your lungs and also you probably have core muscles because only a TINY subset of society was rich enough to afford zero abdominal strength.

tightlacing, on the other hand, is what most people think of when they think of a corset. pulling the laces on the back of the corset as TIGHT AS POSSIBLE (sometimes with multiple people pulling) to get a teeny-tiny waist. it severely restricts your lung capacity (since your lungs go all the way down your back), it forces your internal organs to move, and it can deform your ribcage.

additionally, since you can’t breathe very well, you have to breathe into the top of your chest (this is where the whole ‘heaving bosom’ thing comes from), so you can’t really engage in physical activity AND when you take your corset off, you’re likely to faint because of blood rushing everywhere.

and like i have mentioned SEVERAL times, if you have abdominal muscles, it is NOT GONNA WORK. because you can’t push muscle out of the way.

so this can only be done by the superrich, and IT WAS A FAD. i cannot state this enough. it didn’t last, because it fucked people up! and the fact that it wasn’t healthy, combined with some good old victorian misogyny, meant that victorian men were talking about tightlacing CONSTANTLY. and since normal corsets had been around for forever, nobody was talking about them because everyone knew how corsets were supposed to work!

which means, of course, that if you look at, say, victorian sources discussing corsets, they’re gonna be talking about tightlacing, and if you don’t live in a time where the VAST majority of women are wearing corsets, then you might not know that tightlacing is this weird fad among super-wealthy women and assume that it’s what everyone was doing!

now here’s the thing. we have bras now. we also have modern corsets. guess what? we also have modern tightlacing. those are waist trainers. now, i don’t know as much about them as i do about corsets, but i imagine they at least pretend to be better for you than tightlacing. don’t fall for it. being able to breathe is sexy.

AND if you’re interested in this, bernadette banner and karolina zebrowska have some great youtube videos on it! i actually don’t remember off the top of my head if bernadette banner has a video dedicated to corsets but she does talk about them when analyzing terrible ‘historical’ movie costumes

another side note: so what sparked this initially was talking about the aftg fandom and how neil josten is frequently represented in art as having a tiny waist. having made it to the bottom of this post, i hope u now have an ARSENAL of facts with which to know with 100% certainty that it is impossible for neil josten to have a wasp waist. the guy’s a d1 athlete.

and even if it’s some kind of AU, if he runs as much as he does in canon, no wasp waist. he has abdominal muscles. and body fat, because he is not a bodybuilder and he NEEDS body fat. i get that he’s short???? but he’s not a twink. he’s a future pro athlete. so even if he tightlaced a corset, he would STILL not have a tiny waist. it’s physically impossible for him.

the end!

[arandompostarchive]

SALEM - Ch. 13

SAVED WORK

Summary: In all the centuries of your existence, you had never been dragged out of hiding by another god, put in a superhero team and forced to save the universe. But it seems your luck has run out.

_____________

1 Day Left

Tony sipped on his second drink of the day. Or fourth? He couldn’t really remember, but he supposed that was the point.

You had been gone for just over a week.

Now it was just a matter of waiting for the clock on your letter to stop. Loki had spent a day or two in the medical wing, which he protested for a while. Until he eventually passed out. He had healed quicker than normal, which was to be expected, but he was still fairly unconscious. Dr. Cho explained that he was essentially mortally wounded, although Asgardian’s unnatural ability to heal was certainly helping. Bruce wanted to find out exactly what he had been stabbed with, so with a bit of sampling, Banner was somewhere in his lab, researching weapons. Tony was sure he’d be the one to build whatever weapon the team needed, but for now, he had nothing better to do.

He thought over what Loki had said. Dead. He wanted to ask him. More accurately, yell at him. Ask him what the hell happened there. Why you were dead and he wasn’t. Tony set his drink down. He should at least try to be sober to read your letter, whatever it was. He sat around for a while, looking over tracking ideas he had, small sketches of how to find where you went.

After a few cups of water, he was feeling a bit soberer. He didn’t get to be Tony Stark by getting plastered off two drinks. Then, he heard a soft voice.

“Boss, whatever energy Y/n’s letter has been emitting has stopped.” Tony’s head shot up and he walked out of the room, abandoning whatever it was he was looking at to head down to his lab. When he arrived, Peter was sitting in front of the letter, sleeping on a stool.

Tony smiled. He would’ve dragged the boy back to bed. Made him get some sleep. But if Peter was anything like him, he’d find a way done. Besides, Friday could probably be convinced to join Peter’s side. So, he softly shook the boy awake, informing him of what had happened. Without hesitation, Peter opened up the glass and metal box, taking out your letter and handing it to Tony. It felt a bit lighter like someone had taken a few rocks out of the package. He ripped open the letter, it was a simple postcard-like piece of paper with your messy handwriting scrawled on it. Tony looked it over, the letter slightly swaying on the page. Instead, Peter said something.

“What does it say?” His voice was soft, as if talking to an animal he didn’t want to run away.

“I need a drink.” Tony said. He didn’t wait to hear Peter’s response before walking out of the room.

***

Loki woke up to a light in his face. “Who had the idea to make these rooms a blinding white?” He wondered under his breath. He pushed himself up and sat back on his pillow. He immediately brought his hand to his side. The pain was mostly gone, a small soft sting and a few bandages were all that was left. There was no one else in the room, not that he expected there to be.

He started to shift himself off the bed before he paused. You were dead, weren’t you?

And he’s here. Alone. He went over his memories of right before he left and he felt a rush of strange emotion. There was a strong tightness in his chest. Like his heart was beating so hard it couldn’t keep up. He knew if he tried to say anything he’d stutter. It wasn’t love. He knew love. And while he wasn’t one to hide how much he wanted to hole you again, this felt different. The more he thought it over, the more he realized he had read a book on this once. It was a short book, mostly of odd psychological occurrences, something he was interested in for a small time. It was called ‘survivors guilt’. Usually, it was in a group of people instead of just one. It never quite clicked for him before. When he first read the definition, he wondered why people didn’t just try to move on with their life. Find other people. Other friends. But right now, the thought of replacing you made him nauseous. He tried to remember what the rest of the page said about how people got past it. That day, he wasn’t paying much attention, but he remembered how it said that people keep doing what they used to do. Try to keep life normal, consistency is important when it comes to grief. It gives you time and space to adjust to your life.

He wasn’t sure what ‘normal’ was. Before he saw you again, he was preparing to spend a good amount of time locked in another cell, this time on Midgard. Then he heard the click of your heels on stone. He wasn’t sure where he’d go now. Now that you weren’t there to argue for him, would he go back? Did leaving with you make him seem more guilty? But there was one thought that stuck. One that wouldn’t leave no matter how many others popped up around it. What’s next?

You were dead, and now they knew almost nothing about Moros, Tartarus, the home of quite a few gods who are now likely quite unhappy from whatever worlds they were on was destroyed, and most of the Avengers still considered him a serious threat. Not that he wouldn’t argue against the fact that he could likely win in a fight against a few of them, he wasn’t about to bring up how quickly the bird-themed one would lose if they fought. He remembered there were two bird-themed ones now, but he could probably take either one of them, so it didn’t matter all that much. But none of the heroes would find that as entertaining as he did. Many would only dislike him more.

He thought about staying in bed, at least so the Avengers wouldn’t be upset when he was missing, but he also thought about getting out. Taking a walk and stretching. Finding out what day it was. How long had he been out? How long was he sleeping? Hours? Days? It felt like weeks. Like everything had changed around him, but none of the items in the room seemed above the Midgardian standards. Nothing to say what day it was and what day he left on. He groaned, sliding himself back into bed and shutting his eyes.

***

It burned.

It all burned.

Like your flesh was being torn away from you. Like everything you loved was disintegrating.

It burned more than you could’ve imagined.

Over it, you heard her soft voice. “Circe?”

You pushed aside the burning. Pushed aside the feeling that every atom of you was on fire.

“Yes?” You whispered. You could hear the pant in her voice. You know she felt it too. The fire spread across your dress and the scent of wood in the village. Shouts and screams were heard in the background with the occasional “Kill them!”

“It hurts. It hurts so badly and I’m scared,” She paused, “Can you say it one more time? Please?” She asked.

You didn’t need to ask. “We’re going to be okay.

You could hear another sob over the shouts. You could feel her hair move against your neck. The smoke clogged your throat, filling each breath with pain. You could hear her choking behind you. A sick part of you was thankful. Burning to death was such an awful way to go. Maybe suffocating would hurt less.

“I’ll miss you. In our own corner of hell, we’ll be out of Salem, won’t we? We’ll go anywhere. See anything. Wouldn’t you like that?” She said.

You nodded and she continued. “I’ll miss you. I wish we could leave Salem. Leave and never come back. Such an awful town with such a pretty name.”

That was all you heard before you felt it. Tranquility. The idea you could live forever. And with the reluctant help of your siblings, you soon learn that you were one of them. You had burned your mortal half, like Hercules. So, you took the role of a war, magic, and darkness goddess.

It always hurt that she burned and not you. It was painful to think you had to live. But you remembered that feeling. That fire under your skin. The feeling of your skin melting away to nothing, leaving only a trace of what you were.

And right now, that’s all you felt.

After bringing a part of hell down on top of your head, Moros left, probably to save himself. You chased him through the dark halls of your mother’s house. You got a few blows in. Not that you could see any of the damage you were causing, but you could feel a liquid stick to the bottom of your shoes, assuring you he was at least slightly injured. Right before he vanished. You looked around and eventually, you looked up. Through the ceiling of the house, you could see a small sliver of black. Granted, it was hard to make it out while you were surrounded by darkness, but the small dots of light made it clear those were the stars. Small constellations you had no hope of recognizing (Even if you knew all of Earth’s constellations). That’s how he got out.

You felt your feet lift off the ground, centering your magic on flight. You made the hole bigger, and once you made it large enough to fit through, you brought yourself through the hole only to be disappointed. You saw something in the distance, but that was more than likely to be Moros. It looked more like you were on a desert planet, surrounded by sand and rock, only some of the rock had fallen into the chasm below.

Shit. You whispered under your breath. You thought through your arsenal of magic, any spells you could think of, anything that could help you. You remembered spells your mother had taught you, things you had learned from other gods over the years. But you couldn’t remember anything helpful. Well, anything powerful enough to be helpful. You felt the rock below you loosen and you dove forward as it fell in Tartarus below you. You could feel everything below you shake before you decided it was best to keep moving. So, you walked forward carefully, making sure not to slam your foot down anywhere.

What if you teleported?

It was a small question resting at the very back of your mind. That power belonged to an infinity stone, granted over time, magic users had gotten better at party trick teleportation. It was more like clearing a pathway through everything for yourself than actual Tessaract level teleportation. Bringing yourself small distances, not across the universe. But you were running out of choices. You didn’t have the quinjet, and even though it took some magical assistance to fly, it couldn’t go all the way back to Earth anyway. No Tesseract. No Loki. And somehow that hurt worse than the idea that there was no way out.

Just try it.

It was a small voice in your head, but a powerful one. So, you brought up your hands. You could feel your eyes cloud over. A deep black took over them, so dark it reflected the universe around you. Loki would’ve thought it was beautiful. But right now, that’s not significant. Black veins spread out from your eyes and your hands began to burn. You made yourself a pathway. One stretching a far distance, one that was difficult to control. Just stay in the path. That’s it. You held your hand in front of you and let the shadows take over the air. It spread, surrounding you. And then you felt it.

That deep, aching burning. The one you felt before. When you died the first time. You felt yourself losing control, for a moment you swore you passed out. Like your head drifted for a minute outside of whatever path you had made. Like you dipped your face into a volcano. A stinging pain that had become familiar. And it was worse than anything you had thought of. Tearing the skin from your face may be less painful. But you kept focused. Now was not the time to strand yourself in space.

It spread over you like a disease, lighting every nerve on fire. It hurt. It hurt you much you didn’t even realize you were screaming. You pictured somewhere you knew. Not on Earth, but close enough. And soon, you felt a cool breeze on your skin. Like cold water on a burn wound. It hurt more. But the burning faded for the most part. It faded from your legs, and your arms, and your chest, but you felt it in your face still. That same intense burn. Your hand reflexively covered it, but the pain didn’t stop. You felt darkness cover your hand as you held it to your eye. More of a numbing agent than a healing one, but now you could hear yourself think. You pulled your hand away and realized one eye was blurry. Like part of it was block but some object in your way. But you felt nothing but the cool, fluffy grass of Kalan.

#loki x reader #loki #salem #saved work #fanfic

[ooachilliaoo]

Quarantine Reading material

I was tagged for this by the lovely and wonderful @rpgwarrior4824  – Thank you SO MUCH for the tag!

I’ll tag: @faith-less-one, @pip-n-flinx, @poweredbycoffeeandwine, @schizoid-freak, @natsora, @serioussamiam and @vorchagirl – No obligation of course, only if you want to! But you’re all brilliant so you should 😉

I um…write a lot of drabbles probably too many to list so here are some of my personal favourites/fluffy fun fics under the cut.

Dragon Age

A Visit to Stone Bear Hold

Evelyn decides that Cullen needs a break. She convinces him to visit Stone Bear Hold in the midst of one of their festivals.

She did not expect him to join in.

And she did not except him to look so damned desirable while he did it

 The Descent

Evelyn hates the deeproads. She hates the smell, the musty air, the darkspawn and most of all she hates the fact that she hasn’t had a proper bath in weeks. Unbeknownst to her a visitor is on his way from Skyhold one who intends to whisk her away to a secluded lake.

Somehow when she returns to the abandoned thaig she’s not only cleaner but a great deal happier.

The Dance

Three new rules, she told herself, peeking out into Skyhold's main hall. There would be three new rules for the Inquisition.

One. No matter the advantage offered, they would never again invite the entire Orlesian court to Skyhold.

Two. Any future party held at Skyhold would involve many more pre-dinner drinks.

Three. She would be allowed to veto any fashion choice made for her.

 Promises - (This one is a multi-chapter fic with many feels.)

He’d done all the right things. Taken the crown, married the wrong girl, but he’d never ever forgotten the promise he’d made to her, his real love. The promise that one day, when the time came, they’d face the calling together…

Now it’s time to fulfil that promise.

  Mass Effect

The Arena

Shepard fights alone in the Armax Arsenal arena but sadly it seems the simulation can’t quite keep up with her.

Kaidan reckons he can fix that.

 Playing Pool

The crew go to a games bar for Traynor’s birthday. Kaidan plays pool with her. Shepard ends up…distracted.

Collections

Kaidan and Shepard take a shopping trip on the Citadel. It was supposed to be purely business but Kaidan can’t resist buying a little something to add to his collection. The downside of is that Shepard now knows what it is he collects…oops?

Tough Kid -  (This one is from Anderson’s POV and may be the best thing I’ve written? I’m told it’s painful though)

She proved she was tough the first time he met her, 16 years old and standing the wreckage of her home. The next time her saw her only confirmed it. Each time they came together she raised the bar on toughness up to and including saving the whole damn galaxy.

He’s proud of that kid, so proud

  Waiting (BBC Merlin)

The prophecy said once and future, emphasis on the 'and future'. It’s the part Merlin clings too as he waits through the decades, the centuries, for Arthur to rise again. There are a few times he’s sure it’s going to happen, there are many when he wishes it had. But still he waits refusing to leave his master’s side.

 Also there’s Time Effect – a Mass Effect Dr Who crossover I’m currently in the process of posting. This one is 5 chapters plus a stupendously painful epilogue – it’s all drafted I’m just dropping the chapters week by week 😊

  The rest are on AO3 😊

#writer meme #thank you so much for the tag! #love seeing all these posts going around! #can't wait to get started reading #I had a hard time choosing fave fics #but i hope you all enjoy them if you want to read any

[commenter2]

Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart trailer analysis

For those that haven’t heard yet, Insomniac Games has released a trailer for there new Ratchet & Clank game yesterday, called Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

I don’t think I need to say how excited I am for it but I’m going to anyway. IM SO EXCITED FOR THIS GAME ! For those that haven’t heard about it yet, here is a link to a video showing the trailer for the game as well as gameplay of it:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsnG-3-r6-Q

The game looked so amazing that I did na analysis of the trailer last night and thought Id post it on my Tumblr page for anyone to read. HUGES spoilers ahead. Also I apologize or the spacing as for some reason I can't separate the paragraphs any longer then they are now.

First is the trailer

First off we get a shot of the amazing animation of the game till Ratchet & Clank drop in, literally, but did they just come out of a dimensional rift ? This has to mean the Dimensionator has to be involved in this somehow. We then see another amazing example of the games design and graphics of what looks like planet Sargasso (which would be cool to go to again) till Clank brings up how they need to get to something, the Dimensionator maybe ?, till he is distracted by an Antropod/Terratrope followed by another rift releasing robots shooting at them and though I’ve seen the trailer already, I quickly got a Dr. Nefarious vibe from them.

Then something unexpected happens as Ratchet RIDES the bug and uses it to take down the robots ! Now I haven’t played Spyro in years but that charging attack reminds me a bit of the charge attack Spyro uses in the games, did anyone else think that? If that was on purpose then its nice to see that Insomniac Games still remembers there roots which gives me comfort with them making awesome Spider Man games in the future without worrying about them ignoring there Ratchet & Clank fans.

After some animal handling gameplay, Ratchet and Clank are thrown into a rift and we see a series of shattered pink/purple glass images of places only for them to quickly grind and slide though two planets, maybe existing ones at the night one kinda looks like Veldin while the city one could be Metropolis or Meridian City, with Clank saying the dimensions are weakening which again backs up the idea of the Dimesinator being involved.  I do want to say that during the quick grind rail segment, the Grind Boots looked much better in design compared to there previous appearances, which were kinda lazy in my opinion. I hope this means they and the Gravity Boots will be different in appearance instead of in color. I should also say it shown that you can DOUBLE JUMP while grinding, which is a cool small change for the iconic mechanic.

We then see Ratchet ride another animal, this time with wings, on planet Torren IV which though I’m not 100% sure I think I saw a Hoverboot boost pad. Could the Hoverboots be in the game ? Before I continue I want to say the idea of Ratchet riding and controlling animals is a really awesome idea, not only would this be an interesting twist to combat in the game but it would also be another interesting way to travel throughout the levels, which Id be ok with doing IF the Hoverboots aren’t in Rift Apart.

Either way this ends quickly as Ratchet & Clank hop to another planet, a new one according to them but again teleport to planet Ardolis where Ratchet fights robot pirates (AWESOME) who are dealing with a creature. I wonder if Captain Slag and Rusty Pete will be in the game ? During a fight we see Ratchet uses a new weapons, specifically a new BLASTER like weapon that has a rapid-fire feature, which I am thankful for cause I couldn’t take another game with the Combuster.

The fight quickly ends as the explosive barrel explodes and Clank gets thrown through a dimensional rift and is separated from Ratchet, NO ! but also AWESOME cause it gives a A Crack In Time like vibe. The hype is then taken up a notch where its revealed that Clank is on a planet run by none other then DR. NEFARIOUS, Clank saying they are to late, meaning those robots at the beginning WERE his and he is somehow causing all of this, maybe.

Speaking of which Im not sure how I feel about Dr. Nefarious being the main antagonist of ANOTHER game. Don't get me wrong he's still an awesome character but it would also be nice to face a new villain for a change, plus it makes me nervous that this could mean Nefarious could be defeated once and for all which could ruin a big part of the story of the R&C trilogy finale I made some time ago.

HOWEVER I think we can all agree that the biggest thing about this trailer is that while Clank is calling for Ratchet a blue and gray/white colored female Lombax with a robotic arm appears wondering who Clank is talking about, which again gives off A Crack In Time like vibes and…..she’s carrying a hammer ? A bit odd since Lombaxes are affiliated with wrenches but its still an amazing idea. Then we get the name of the game which though I hate to say, the text makes it looks a bit bad as its looks poorly rendered especially at the "and" section and what’s that thing between the words Rift and Apart ? Is that a dimensional rift ?

Other then that the trailer is amazing.

Now for the gameplay

So Marcus Smith does confirm some things about Rift Apart like how this will be a full length game and how those things teleporting Ratchet & Clank were dimensional rifts that will allow them to teleport form planet to planet which though cool its goanna be a bit sad not being able to use Aphelion in the game, I wish she could have more speaking roles in games as she IS one of the last few things from the Lombaxes.

He also says that the new graphic allows them to put something called ray trace reflections on Clank, which along with some other people I’ve seen, I agree makes him look really odd. Hopefully before the game comes out they fix this by toning it down  and maybe add a bit of white in there like his older appearances. He then says that the planets are denser with new creatures and that Ratchet has a new arsenal, which sounds perfect to me. He then states that R&C is close to the company’s hearts and can’t wait to show more of it, which again gives comfort.

We get to the gameplay and immediately were introduced to a new mechanic where Ratchet uses a gadget called the Rift Tether to go through a yellow rift similar to that scene in Avenger: Infinity Wars where (spoilers) Thanos uses the stones to pull Dr. Strange closer to him, pulling the area around him towards him in the process. We then see Ratchet fight a Thug for Less enemy, which is cool but not surprising since there were many signs that this game would make references to there other games and this is confirmed seconds later where we see Ratchet fight some Sandsharks. We also get to see several new species of aliens here.

During the Sandshark section we do see a NEW comet strike as unlike in previous games the Omniwrench is thrown diagonally and it looks like it returns to your hand faster. I feel like this change was done for the new female Lombax as I feel like she can do the same thing but since her melee weapon is a a hammer, it wouldn’t really work (or make since) if thrown horizontally, and it would be confusing to have two character with two different ways of throwing there melee weapon. Though I’m not that big a fan of changes I don’t really mind it, heck maybe its a one time thing.

After some more chaos like a giant tentacle creature coming out of the portal, similar to the one in the trailer, and what looks like an Ultra-Mech Unlimited crashing through a walkway Ratchet and Clank were in we get some interesting content in the next cut. One is Ratchet saying something about “break reality” again telling reality is coming apart because of theses rifts, quickly followed by Clank saying Dr. Nefarious has come out of hiding after years of hiding to take over the universe again which means that this IS a post Into The Nexus game, as I’ve seen some people debate about if it is or not.

We get another new game mechanic during the fight with some thugs. It seems that Ratchet can now jump to his left or right in order to avoid incoming damage by using a thruster on his boots, could this mean the Hoverboots are really in the game but are damaged ? It would be cool if during the game Ratchet & Clank or Ratchet goes to Azimuths house on Torren IV to find something about the Dimensionator but also find a part needed to fix his hoverboots thus letting Ratchet use them to get around, especially if the part of the trailer of Ratchet and Clank getting separated IS true.

Were also introduced to new weapons here. One is called a Shatterbomb, the bomb glove weapon, The Enforcer a shotgun like weapon and the Burst Pistol which is the blaster shown in the trailer and would explain its rapid fire ability. The most interesting weapon shown so far is the Topiary Sprinkler, a weapon that when thrown forms into a sprinkler that can project plants around it and shoots out a stream of water that can stop enemies in there place, plus I bet the plants around it is a form of defense system to protect the sprinkler for a time.

The gameplay ends with Ratchet destroying some Robomutts and going though a hallway where a statue of Dr. Nefarious or a mech in his image can be seen but also there is a moment where a purple energy ways rushes through the surrounding areas, just like in another R&C game but that’s for another post, no spoilers now.

Wow that was a lot to write but that’s because there was SO MUCH going on in theses trailers and I’m pretty sure I missed some things. I’m already working on a theory on what’s going to happen in this game, which will most likely come out during the weekend so stay tuned for that.

What were your thoughts on the trailers ? What was your favorite moment in them, and did you noticed anything in them I didn’t talked about ?

#Ratchet & Clank #ratchet and clank #Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart #Dr. Nefarious #insomniac games #playstation #PS5 #playstation 5 #video games

[ancientwastedlores]

The Support System (Ch: 7)

SUMMARY: The Avengers have managed to collect all the infinity stones across the universe, and are currently keeping them in far corners of the world, only for research and to see if they can improve the planet and its people. Reader is a researcher with Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, as well as a field agent. Loki is currently serving time for his actions in New York City in 2012.

A/N: Find this chapter on AO3 here. This chapter has less Loki, only because I want to get a sense of Y/N’s character without Loki around. But dw, the next chapter will have Loki :) 

AO3: The Support System  Tumblr: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6 

Warnings: N/A Audience: general.

______________________________________________________________

CHAPTER 7:

You do manage to arrive in Dubai at night time, and it looks every bit as breath-taking as you expected.

After landing, the door is popped open by the hostess and a man walks in with a clipboard, wearing a S.H.I.E.L.D windbreaker. You see to your surprise that it’s a familiar face. ‘Fury!’ you exclaim.

He nods at you and takes a seat. ‘Right, they’re all based in International City, which is quite a drive from here’.

‘International City?’ Clint asks. ‘Yeah, they have sectors of houses and shops within it, all built to represent different countries of the world’ you provide.

‘Looks like you got yourself a tour guide, then’ Nick points at you with his clipboard. ‘You are tourists, nothing more. You’re staying at the Premiere Inn. It’s not fancy, doesn’t have to be. It has to be close to where they are. They’re expecting visitors from London tonight, and meeting at a club in the middle of Dubai, but there will be no arms exchanges there. However, to be sure, I will be there with my team. The rest of you will be stationed in disguise in and around the China cluster, where we are expecting it to go down. Don’t go heavy on the equipment, take what’s quick, light and effective. These things happen in public there, so let’s keep casualties to a minimum’ he stands up, ‘you’ll be taking a tour bus to the hotel, I suggest you all change out of your gear, and then get your stuff in the bus. You’ll hear more from Stark later’ he salutes the group and leaves the flight.

The group, everyone except for Nat, Clint, and Thor, are in awe.

‘He is SO COOL’ one of the agents exclaim. ‘I know; he just saunters in with all that swagger…’ another agent gushes. ‘Alright then’ Clint says, rolling his eyes. ‘Change, let’s move’.

xx

You’ve laid out all the weapons you got for the mission out on your bed. A proper arsenal. Nat’s bed looks the same, knives, tazers, blasters, guns and various other things strewn across her bed.

‘Okay, when we say light… how light are we talking?’ ‘Anything we can conceal under a dress or a jacket’. ‘So these are out’ you sigh, throwing your katanas to the back of the bed, disappointed. ‘We're fighting men, not alien monsters, you can't use those' she says, chuckling.  'Let me dream, Nat'. You pick up another weapon. ‘If I wear a trench coat, I can take the Chitauri M4’. ‘I don’t know how people perceive trench coats here, but I give you my blessing’.

She grabs a small silver and blue handgun, which you recognise as being another Chitauri weapon that blasts an incapacitating screech in the direction it is pointed, rendering the victim completely helpless.

You decide on a C M4, a few knives concealed in your jeans and socks, your trusty Vibranium gloves, and two guns that Stark made which never run out of bullets.

Then you wait.

xx

Dubai sure is glamorous, but the spot you’ve all been assigned sure isn’t.

Of course, arms dealers aren’t trying to bring attention to themselves either.

You’ve stationed the ten people under you to various spots around the area, and are sitting in an outdoor coffee shop with Sam, overlooking where the exchange is expected to happen.

‘Got eyes on the entrance?’ Nat asks over the comm. ‘Yeah. I got a guy at the entrance pretending to wait for an Uber’. ‘Copy that. Nick said they’re on their way here, so any second now’.

You lean back in your chair and take a sip of your coffee.

‘How do you know so much about this place?’ Sam asks. ‘I used to live here’ you say. ‘Spent about five years here with my family before moving to New York three years ago’. ‘How was it?’ ‘Amazing’ you smile. ‘Gets hot as hell, but the winters are fantastic. And it’s so safe’. ‘Are you forgetting why we’re here’ he motions to the building across the street. ‘Well, I mean it’s one of those cities where women can stay alone and no harm comes to her. You can walk the streets alone at night and people don’t approach you. You can leave your laptop out in a coffee shop to visit the bathroom, and no one touches your shit’.

Sam looks sceptical.

‘You telling me no one even messes with your shit?’ ‘Yup’. ‘Are people just honest or do they assume they have more money than you anyway?’ ‘Wow, probably the latter’ you laugh. ‘Heads up, we got incoming’ you hear Clint on the comms. ‘Hey, where’s Thor?’ you ask. ‘You mean Dr. Donald Blake?’ Sam points at a guy in glasses across the street, leaning on his umbrella.

‘Pulling up at my 9 o’clock’ the guy you stationed to “wait for an Uber” says.

Three black Nissan Patrol Platinums pull up to the entrance.

‘When we moving in?’ Sam asks, ‘We can’t see past those cars’. ‘I do not have eyes on them. Clint?’ Nat says. ‘I see them' Clint replies, 'move on my signal’.

You set your coffee down and position yourself to stand up any second.

The cars drive away, and you see a group of men, dressed quite casually, cross the street and head to the coffee shop where you’re sitting.

‘Hold it’ Clint says.

They sit down and order some coffees. And you notice the other patrons of the coffee shop get up and leave as soon as they order their coffees.

‘Okay… what’s happening’ Thor says. ‘Obviously these guys know something we don’t’ you say. ‘The whole street has cleared’ Nat observes. ‘So it’s just us and them? Yeah, not suspicious at all’ Sam cracks. ‘Let’s move in now’. ‘I don’t see any weapons. We aren’t moving till we see arms’ Nat says.

Sam leans back in his chair, but you keep your position.

‘They may not take out any if they see us’ you point out.  ‘They know of four people watching them’.

You take a deep breath and stand up. ‘Send a black sedan for the agent across the street in five seconds. Thor, move out’. Sam stands up with you and you walk down the street.

You’ve left a microphone at the table where you were sitting, which is able to pick up audio from the next table.

They have a discussion in a foreign language.

‘He just asked him to check the surrounding buildings’ Nat says. ‘Are you in there?’ you ask. ‘You know you can't ask me that’.

You sigh and lean against the wall, waiting. 

After ten minutes of complete silence, Nat’s voice comes on the comms. ‘I see the weapons, we’re moving in. Two of you, move in from the east’.

‘Copy that’ you remove the C M4 you’ve been hiding under the coat and grin. ‘Finally, baby’. ‘You know; the love you have for weapons that tear people apart kinda turns me on’ Sam says. ‘I bet it does’ you wink. ‘Let’s go’.

xx

Oh, do bad guys never learn.

You take a look of the aftermath of the fight and laugh to yourself. You strap the C M4 back in and cover it with your coat. Stark foundation is already on the scene cleaning up the mess, and the cops have arrived to arrest the dealers. No casualties since the street was clear... well, except for the arms dealers themselves. 

After some negotiating between Fury and the cops, Fury manages to get full custody of the weapons to ship back to New York. Nat walks up to you. ‘Are you sure you don’t need to see a therapist?’

‘What’ ‘You were enjoying yourself a bit too much’ she points out. ‘Damn, there’s nothing wrong with that’ Sam defends you. ‘I’m fine, I just like a good fight, is that bad?’ ‘I guess not’ she looks at you up and down again, then walks back. ‘Anyone injured?’ you call out.

You get No’s as a response and officially call the mission a complete success.

xx

‘Can we not stay for a day?’ you ask Fury, on the way back to the hotel. 'We're ahead of schedule'.  ‘I would say yes, but Stark is impatient to open up his new toys, and says he promised you and Romanoff a crack at it first’. ‘Right…’ suddenly you no longer care about staying a day. ‘We’re cleaning up faster than expected’ Fury says. ‘Usually we just watch for about two days and then move in, but I got here first so this one went quick. You’re on your own in Hong Kong’. ‘Thanks Fury’ you smile at him. ‘For all your help’. ‘No problem. I’ll see you around’ he lets you off at the hotel. The rest get down and head to their rooms. ‘At least we spend the night in beds that aren’t flying’ Maria says.

Everyone agrees as they enter, say their goodnights, and retire for the night.

xx

The operations in Hong Kong, as promised by Fury, takes longer.

Nat, Clint and a few other agents were doing surveillance while you stayed in the stakeout van reading your papers for two days. No reason you can’t get ahead with the stones while you wait.

You hoped to have a breakthrough while sitting in that stuffy van with four other agents. None. You couldn’t even contact Stark to see how far he had gotten, but you suspected that it already took a lot of his energy not to pop open the crates with the weapons and go nuts, so maybe he hasn’t actually done anything about the stones.

Day 3 in Hong Kong, Day 5 of the mission: Nat enters your van.

‘They’ve already made the sale, so we have to split up’. ‘Can we do that?’ you put your papers aside. ‘Won’t we fall short?’ ‘We don’t have time to strike them separately, they can easily alert each other. It has to be tonight, and we have to split up’.

You nod, understanding.

‘I’ll go with Clint and Hill and 10 agents, Sam and you can lead the other 10. I’ll get the dealers, you get the clients’. ‘Who gets Thor?’ ‘Um…’

You can’t split Thor. And both of you need Thor, in case there is some sort of alien tech humans can’t touch.

‘You can take Thor’ you offer. ‘No, that’s fine, you take him, and we’ll wait for him to clean up with you and come to us’. ‘That’ll take too long, I have my Vibranium gloves, I’ll handle our clean-up’. ‘We don’t know if Vibranium can withstand the…’ ‘Why don’t we toss for it?’ you take out a coin. ‘Heads, you get Thor, tails, I don’t get Thor’. ‘Do you think I’m stupid’.

You grin. ‘Seriously take Thor. If it turns out I can’t use the gloves, I’ll hold the fort down till Thor comes to us’.

‘Fine’ she gives you a small salute and proceeds to leave. ‘My crew will move out in fifteen to their base, you stay here. The clients are right in this hotel…’ she points outside. ‘We strike at the exact same time’.

xx

‘We’re in position, where you at?’ Clint asks over the comms. ‘Um. Yeah, we can't move in right now’. you say. ‘What? Why?’ ‘Oh I don’t know, maybe because there’s a wedding happening!’ you roll your eyes. ‘There’s too many people in there’. ‘Do you see the clients?’ Nat asks. ‘Coffee shop. They’ve left the bags behind the counter though’.

Nat lets out an irritated sigh. ‘The dealers will move out any minute, we don’t have time to lose’. ‘Well, I can’t move in with a troop of 10 men with guns while there’s a wedding happening’ you say. ‘No worries’ Sam says. ‘I got ya’ll’ he winks at you. ‘I can practically hear Sam wink’ Nat says. ‘What is it’.

Sam removes a cylindrical object from his pocket, similar to the dealer boss in Queens.

‘You took the force field activator!’ you exclaim. ‘Sam…’ Clint warns. ‘We’re gonna discuss this later’ Nat says. ‘We’re moving in right now’.

 You wave your hand and let your crew out of the van. Your agents move out from the other surveillance vans and all enter the lobby in formation.

The clients have taken notice of the group move into the coffee shop, and they all stand up, cocking their guns.

Sam moves in before you, holding the force field activator behind his back. ‘Don’t make this difficult man’ he says.

‘I think it’s going to be difficult for you’ one of them say. ‘There’s a wedding happening in the hall across from this coffee shop, you wouldn’t want those many casualties, would you?’

In response, Sam smashes the activator on the ground, pushing a shield around the agents and the clients. One of the clients shoot, and Sam ducks, causing the bullet to ricochet off the shield and bounce back to hit the guy who shot it.

‘Smart move, jackass’ Sam laughs.

The clients charge, one of them yelling for someone to secure the bag with the weapons, but you’re already behind the counter.

‘Hi!’ you tell the man who tries to grab the bag, and hit his nose with the butt of your gun. He falls back, his nose bleeding.

‘Oh damn, I’m sorry, I know how much that sucks, I had a chronic nose bleed problem as a child’ you quip, dragging him behind the counter by his right leg. He kicks you in the stomach, screaming. 'But I wasn’t a little bitch about it’ you aim your gun at his head. He stops and glares at you. ‘Good boy, I’m gonna tie you up now’.

‘A little help?’ Sam yells, holding off two goons.

You stand up after having tied the guy and throw two silver balls at their torsos.

They scream and drop to the ground, sparks all over their body. ‘Oh shit no!!' you exclaim, 'I had something better, okay, next time you need a hand, call me’.

Sam gives you a thumbs up without even questioning it and runs off to help the other agents.

‘Listen, I’m gonna go help my friends’ you tell the guy tied and gagged behind the counter. ‘If you cooperate, I’ll put in a good word for… oh wait, you’re a terrible person. Never mind’ you jump over the counter, and in one swift motion, push yourself off with your hands and drop kick a goon.

‘Oy! Get this asshole’ Sam yells, motioning to a guy he’s holding by the throat. ‘You have the situation under control’ ‘Yes, but I wanna see what you got’

You grin and take out a little metallic disc from your pocket. ‘Drop him’ you say. Sam obliges.

You throw the disk at the man, and as soon as it touches him, a cage forms around his torso, extending to his arms, forcing them behind him. The metal extends to around his legs, forcing him to kneel on the floor, and finally, a slab of metal clangs around his mouth so he can’t talk.

‘DAMN what the hell is that’ Sam clearly looks impressed. ‘Little gift from Strange. He used it on Kaecilius’ you grin. ‘It used to be bigger, Stark made the whole cage sit in a tiny disc’. ‘I don’t know who the Kae dude is, but that’s dope as hell, I want one’.

Another mission wrapped up, and two days before the expected date!

xx

The flight back is relatively chill. You were expecting celebrations and drinks and singing, looking forward to it almost, but this vibe is not bad either. There’s some soft lounge music playing in the background while everyone reads, writes, is in conversation, or just looking out the window. You, as usual, sit across from Nat, who is trying to sleep before landing in New York in the morning. You can’t seem to fall asleep though, so you decide to sit with some research papers.

An hour in, and you realise your heart’s not in it, in fact you’re even a little sick of it. You take out your TV from the armrest and watch an older episode of Doctor Who, almost missing Loki sitting next to you asking questions. You had gotten into the habit of giving his palms a little massage while engrossed in the show, so you start massaging your own as you watch the shenanigans of the Doctor unfold. 

Five more hours before you land in New York. You put the TV away and look around for anyone awake to talk to. Everyone is tired out and asleep, so you pull your blanket up to your chin and try to sleep too.

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Lmk if you want to be tagged when I post new chapters, and fic requests are open. 

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[empyreanwritings]

A Weapon No More (4)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x X-23!reader, past Wanda Maximoff x X-23!reader

Word Count: 4.3k

Warnings: minor violence, language, mentions of PTSD, gore

Summary:  You made a promise to retire from the life of being used as a weapon after you escaped the Facility, but what’s one more mission? You wanted revenge on the doctor that created and tortured you for all those years, and S.H.I.E.L.D was giving you the opportunity to do so. Would it be worth breaking that promise?

Feedback is always welcome and appreciated (: x

           You gripped the table in front of you until your knuckles hurt. The metal whined under your fingers as it molded to the shape of them. Your blood pumped loudly in your ears. You tried to breathe - to exhale the anger away - but nothing worked. It washed over you in waves. Your skin was hot because of it. You knew if anyone walked through those doors right now, you'd snap on them.

           You were trying your hardest to keep it together. You didn't want to think about the first time Rice ever used the Trigger Scent on you. You couldn't lose reality right now. The person you knew that could snap you out of it couldn't be trusted right now.

           Sounds of her screams filled your ears, but you don't register it. She's begging you to stop, but you can't, not until every part of her body had been shredded.

           Blood. There was so much blood

           Your hands shook against the table. You mumbled to yourself repeatedly to keep it together. There were two things you knew for certain: Fury betrayed you, and you refused to be a prisoner again. It didn't matter who you had to take out, you would never let anyone have that control over your mind ever again.

           The woman pleaded you to remember who she was. She claimed she was the closest thing you had to a mother. None of that mattered now. Mother or not, she was the enemy. The enemy needed to be taken out. You needed to protect the Facility.

           You knocked the table out of the way, letting it crash into the wall with a loud bang. You wouldn't let yourself slip. You were going to find Bucky and demand to know the truth. He wouldn't lie to you. At least, that's what you hoped.

           You stumbled out of the lab, your hand dragging along the wall for support. Flashes of blood blinded you. Her screams sounded far away, yet they were the only thing you could hear. Your head hurt. It hurt terribly, and it wouldn't stop. You just wanted it to stop.

           "Miss Y/L/N, you appear to be experiencing a post-traumatic episode. Would you like me to alert Sergeant Barnes?" Stark's AI was far too intuitive for its own good.

           "No! I'm fine," you gasped. You leaned back against the wall and cradled your head in your hands. You didn't want to see her or the blood anymore. You didn't want to hear her screams.

           You killed her. You killed her. You killed her.

           "Wanda. I need Wanda."

           You stood over the remains of Dr. Kinney. Her blood coated your hands and your clothing. The smell of it was nauseating. The fog in your mind began to clear, and you finally realized what you had done. Your creator was dead because of you.

           You dropped to your knees next to her lifeless body. In the distance, you could see Rice watching you as he twirled an empty vial between his fingers. The Trigger Scent - that's what he called it. He wanted to have it tested now that your claws were perfect, and he needed Dr. Kinney to be taken care of anyways. She was getting too close to you. She was making you soft. It had been the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

           He opened his mouth to say something to you, but you don't hear a word he says. Tears streamed down your face, and you begged Dr. Kinney to come back to you. She couldn't be dead. You couldn't let your first victim be her. She didn't deserve it. But no matter how hard you shook her shoulders, she doesn't come to. She's gone.

           A light washes over your body, and you can no longer see the gruesome scene. You felt a strange sense of peace despite the tragedy you witnessed. What was happening?

           You blinked, and reality began to fall back into place. Wanda was crouched in front of you, her hand placed over your forehead. The red in her eyes faded away as she pulled back and offered you a comforting smile. She manipulated the flashback. She had been the light that brought you peace. You let out a strangled sob and collapsed into her arms. The blood, the screams. . .all of it was gone.

           "You didn't tell me this was happening," Wanda whispered. "You should have come to me sooner."

           She stroked your hair and attempted to soothe you as you nuzzled against her. You didn't want to tell her that Bucky had been the one to help before. Mainly because you didn't want to think about him right now. Until proven otherwise, he couldn't be trusted. The only person you knew you could trust right now had her arms wrapped around you securely. You were safe with her. She wasn't going to let the images haunt you again.

           "What caused this? What brought that - that moment back to you?"

           You shook your head. "I can't tell you yet. Not until I know the full truth."

           "What do you mean?"

           "I can't tell you yet," you repeated firmly. You clutched onto her arms and pulled yourself closer to her body. She was so warm. And you noticed the pounding in your head finally stopped.

---

           Wanda poured water from the kettle into a mug for you. She assured you the lavender tea would help your nerves. Apparently, it was better than chamomile. You didn't really care what you were drinking at this point, but you silently wished it was alcohol. You'd kill to have that dull burn at the back of your throat.

           You stayed in the hallway in Wanda's embrace for at least fifteen minutes. She didn't want you to move until she felt your heart rate slow down. Seeing you that way terrified her. During her time in the Facility, you never seemed scared. You always knew what you were doing and kept your emotions in check. But in that moment, you were a scared child trembling in her arms. All she could do was stroke your hair and hum in your ear until you calmed down.

           You almost made a joke about this being like old times but with the roles reversed, but you decided against it. You didn't have the energy for humor.

           There was a small part of you that wanted to confide in Wanda about your revelation. She'd tear the compound apart to make sure that all the research of the Trigger Scent was destroyed, but you didn't want her attacking anyone until you knew who was aware of Fury's plan. It'd look bad if you sent Wanda to fight them, and they were clueless as to what was going on.

           S.H.I.E.L.D having the Trigger Scent upset you for more than personal reasons. If they had you under their thumb, they'd be an unstoppable organization. They wouldn't need a powerful arsenal or hundreds of soldiers because they'd have you. They'd be more powerful than Hydra and the Facility combined. No one should ever have that much power. It was unnecessary and dangerous. It'd get to their heads and then you'd really be in danger.

           You pressed the heels of your palms against your eyes. You needed to get up and find Bucky to get your answers; you just couldn't bring yourself to move from your spot. Your whole body felt like lead.

           Wanda cleared her throat, bringing you out of your thoughts. "Should I be worried?"

           "I'm okay," you mumbled. "The nightmares and the flashes have happened a lot since I escaped, but I'm working on it. I've been able to handle it for the most part."

           "Because of Bucky?"

           Your head snapped up. "Stay outta my head."

           "I'm sorry, but he popped up in there so suddenly." She sipped at her tea and gave you a knowing look. "If he's helping you, you should accept it. He, of all people, knows how to handle PTSD."

           You swirled your finger around the rim of your mug. Was it weird to have your ex-lover insinuate Bucky was good for you? Absolutely. Of all conversations you expected to have today, this was not one of them.

           "There's something you know that makes you doubt him. You should talk to him about what it is."

           "I said stay out of my head," you groan loudly. Everything she said was true. You just refused to admit it out loud. "Do you know-"

           "He's in the garage today. He's obsessed with fixing up an old motorcycle Steve got for him last year," she interrupted, already knowing your question.

           You nodded and slipped off the stool. You pressed a light kiss to Wanda's cheek, a silent thank you for her help today. Her cheeks turned a faint shade of pink, which didn't go unnoticed by you. It was odd being around her under normal circumstances. You never thought you'd have the chance to when she escaped, but you had been okay with that. As long as she was safe. Seeing her and being with her in this setting gave you some closure you didn't know you were looking for.

           As you walked out to find Bucky, Wanda's eyes blazed a bright red behind you. She hadn't meant to read your mind - she really didn't - but she ended up hearing a lot more than she led on. Anger coursed through her veins. You were the last person they should have tried messing with. She huffed and turned on her heel to find Steve.

---

           Taking the break with Wanda had done a lot to clear your head. You wanted to avoid approaching Bucky in anger, and now you felt comfortable in knowing you wouldn’t. There was no need to beat around the bush and try to coax the information out of him. You were going to ask him bluntly about the situation and hope he'd be honest with you. If it turned out he knew all along. . .you sighed. You hoped he didn't know.

           Bucky was crouched beside a dismantled motorcycle. He wasn't wearing a shirt, so you could see every sinful muscle on his back flex as he moved. You bit your lip. It was a good thing you weren't still mad. This would have ended a lot differently if you were.

           "Hey, soldier," you greeted. He jumped in surprise, but instantly relaxed when he saw you.

           "Hey! Where'd you disappear to after breakfast? I tried lookin' for ya, but you weren't in your room."

           You took a seat next to him on the concrete floor. You stretched your legs out and leaned back on your hands. He flashed you a smile as you got comfortable before turning his attention back to the bike.

           "Sorry, I went down to the lab. Was being nosey." You picked at a stray thread on your sweatpants and hummed thoughtfully. "Can I ask you a question?"

           He nodded and placed the wrench he was using back into his tool box. He's silent as he shifts to move next to you, and all you can do is watch him. He's sitting so close to you, you can feel the heat radiating from his arm, and it's clouding your senses. You cursed at yourself for not sitting on his other side. The cool of the metal arm wouldn't have affected you the same way.

           Well, not as much anyways.

           "The vial that I had in my pocket when you arrested me, what happened to it?"

           His brows furrowed, and a look of confusion washed over his features. He thought back to that day. He remembered finding you lying in the middle of the road after being ejected from the car explosion. You tried to fight him and Steve at the same time, but you were still slightly disoriented from the blast. He realized now that they would have gotten their asses handed to them if you hadn't been compromised.

           He closed his eyes, letting a long sigh slip from his lips. He was the one who patted you down after they put the handcuffs on you. He didn't know what that vial was, so he blindly handed it over to Fury. Something about the way you asked him made him feel like he was about to regret that decision, too.

           "I confiscated it from you, and I handed it over to Fury. He told me he planned on destroying it," he answered honestly.

           You searched his face for any signs of hesitation, but he remained confused the entire time. He didn't know what Fury planned on doing with it. He had been following orders and that's it.

           "What was in that vial? And why do I feel like Fury didn't destroy it after all?"

           You told him about everything that happened when you went down to the lab to look for it - from Tony hacking into the system for you to having another PTSD episode. He tried to tell you that you should have called for him, but he understood why you didn't. All of your feelings about this revelation seemed to pour out of your mouth. Once you talked about one thing, the rest came out like vomit. It wasn't until you ran out of breath that you realized you ended up spilling a lot more than you intended.

           Bucky clenched his jaw when you told him about what the Trigger Scent does to you. Fury had no right to try and control you like that. No one deserved to have their free will taken from them. Look at how badly it messed him up. He wouldn't wish that on anyone else, especially not you.

           He was livid and ready to confront Fury, but you placed your hand over his to stop him. You begged him not to say anything yet. You needed time to figure out what you wanted to do because part of you didn't want to stay at the compound anymore. You weren't sure if it was safe to see the mission through. If Fury decided to use the Trigger Scent on you when you reentered the Facility, you'd be screwed, but you also knew that leaving here wouldn't guarantee your safety. You'd have to live on the run because S.H.I.E.L.D and the Facility would be after you. You'd never be able to find peace.

           It was a lot to think about on your end.

           The idea of you leaving made Bucky's heart sink into his stomach, but he wasn't sure why. He had just started to get to know you. You were someone he actually liked to talk to besides Steve. He loved everyone in the compound, but sometimes it was all too much. Sometimes he needed a break, but he hadn't felt that with you yet. And he wasn't sure he ever would.

           "Sergeant Barnes, Miss Y/LN, your presence is being requested in the briefing room by Captain Rogers," F.R.I.D.A.Y's voice alerted you through the speakers. "I think you both should hurry. Mr. Wilson advised it was about to get ugly."

           Bucky looked over at you, one eyebrow raised curiously. You shrugged. You had no idea what -

           Your eyes grew wide, and you quickly jumped up from your spot. "Oh, no. Oh, god. Wanda read my thoughts. She found out about the research."

           You both took off towards the briefing room. The information you found wasn't meant to get out like this. You intended to feel people out, see what they knew, without starting a fight. Wanda knowing the truth threw all of that out of the window, but it was your fault. You should have been careful with your thoughts around her. She had been worried, obviously you should have expected her to pick your brain and find the source. All she wanted to do was help.

           The situation you stepped into when you burst through the door of the briefing room caught you both by surprise. Nat stood between Steve and Fury, her hands firmly pressed against Steve's chest to keep him from moving. Sam also had his hands on Steve's arms to help keep him still. Wanda pinned one agent to the wall using her powers, while two others had their guns pointed at her. Tony was the only one in the room who seemed calm. He lounged in a chair with his feet propped up on the round table.

           The attention of everyone shifted to you and Bucky. The agents that had their guns on Wanda immediately pointed them at you. You rolled your eyes. You should have seen that one coming.

           "Now that everyone is here, I'm curious as to how the hell the Weapon X project got out so quickly." Fury spoke slowly and never moved his gaze from Steve.

            "Oh, was I not supposed to share that information with Y/N?" Tony asked sarcastically. "I didn't know I was supposed to keep that a secret. I figured if you're going to force someone to be a weapon for you, they should know."

           "Are you out of your damn mind?" Steve shouted. "This is like the Hydra weapons all over again. You never learn, do you?"

           Everyone begins to pitch in their opinion. They're all arguing, and no one seems to be listening to the other, but you've already tuned them out. Your focus is on one of the agents standing in front of you. A bead of sweat drips down his forehead, and his hands are shaking. He's nervous. And the longer you stare at him, the more nervous he gets.

           You step forward, ready to finally put your two cents in, when the sound of a gunshot silences the room. Pain rips through your shoulder, and the impact of the bullet causes you to stumble slightly. He shot you. That bastard actually shot you.

           Bucky took two steps to close the distance between the agent and himself. He snatched the gun away from him and tossed it over to Nat, who caught it with ease. He grabbed him by the back of the neck and shoved him out of the room roughly, making sure to slam the door behind him. You had a feeling that guy would be resigning by the end of the day. Between shooting you and get roughed up by Bucky, he's probably regretting every decision he's ever made.

            You glanced down at your shoulder just in time to see the wound heal around the bullet. You cursed your accelerated healing at this moment. Getting that bullet out later wouldn't be fun.

           "Lower your weapon, agent Carlson," Fury ordered. She holstered her gun and held her hands in surrender. "Take Fields and go check on the hot-shot."

           Wanda slowly released the agent she still had pinned against the wall. Carlson walked over to make sure he was okay before escorting him out of the room. No one says anything as they walk out. The tension in the room was so thick, a knife wouldn't be able to cut through it.

           "I want to know one thing Fury: is the Weapon X plan the reason you wanted us to arrest her?" Steve asked through clenched teeth.

           Fury looked around the room and let out a defeated sigh. He began to explain that he had you arrested originally because the higher ups in S.H.I.E.L.D were interested in you, but he knew you wouldn't stay without a reason. You were too hell bent on taking down Facility bases. And you didn't do well working with others. He convinced them that the only way you'd stay is if you had a reason to. The Facility mission was the perfect excuse.

           He claimed he hadn't expected you to have the Trigger Scent on you. They had gotten lucky with that one.

           Lucky wasn't the word you'd use.

           The plan had been to offer you a position in the Avengers. The Trigger Scent was only to be used during life or death situations, but they were still going to make enough to be able to use for any mission. You weren't supposed to find out until they needed it.

           Throughout his explanation, you didn't hear him apologize or say he'd destroy the research. He conveniently avoided that topic. And when he finished his speech, he turned on his heel to walk away. You shook your head and laughed incredulously. He made it seem like everything was fine now, but it wasn't. There were still a lot of unanswered questions regarding your position here.

           "I will not be used by S.H.I.E.L.D as weapon, Fury." He stopped in his tracks and looked down at you. "I will not be forced to stay by or anyone else. If you try to, a lot of deaths will be on your hands, do you understand me?"

           "I know, miss Y/L/N," he replied dryly before stepping out.

           Steve stormed out after him, refusing to accept that response. Bucky glanced at you to make sure you were okay. You nodded, which prompted him to follow them out. His anger was still evident. He wasn't going to let this go yet either.

           Nat motioned for everyone else to leave and asked you to stay behind. She pulled a chair out for you, and you eyed her curiously. She slipped a small knife out from her boot, gesturing to your shoulder with the tip of the blade. You realized she was offering to help cut the bullet out for you. You nodded, giving her permission to work on getting it.

           "I know you and I didn't get along in the beginning," she stated as she sliced open your shoulder. "But I know what they're planning isn't right. You're a person, and you deserve to be treated like one."

           You groan at the pain of her shoving her fingers into your wound. Talk about team bonding moment.

           "I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but I'm a powerful mutant. They're not going let me go after this, and I think we both know that."

           Nat nodded. "Exactly. I have a proposition for you."

---

           Your mind was reeling as you stepped out of the briefing room. You had been chewed up and spit out more than once today. Wanda waited for you to finish talking with Nat to try and convince you to run away. She didn't want you to be a prisoner again, but you couldn't go through with it. You couldn't risk losing your chance to take out Rice and live your life constantly on the run. That's not a life you wanted to live. You'd still be a prisoner - a prisoner of fear. You refused to let that happen.

           What Nat had planned for you would be risky, but you had agreed to it anyways. You shook your head, trying to rid yourself of all the conflicting thoughts racing through your mind. You needed a distraction.

           "F.R.I.D.A.Y? Where's Sergeant Barnes?" You felt like you were talking to yourself when you spoke to the AI. It was odd.

           "He's sitting on the rooftop balcony. Shall I tell him you wish to speak with him?"

           "No, thank you. I'll go to him myself."

           Finding your way to the rooftop had been a lot more complicated than you thought it would be. There was no elevator that led straight there. It was almost like whoever built the balcony wanted it just for themselves. You wondered if that person had been Bucky.

           Bucky sat on the edge of the roof, his legs dangling over the side. The sunlight glowed around him. His gazed was fixated on his lap, and his hair fell around his face. He looked ethereal sitting there. It should have been a peaceful sight, but you saw the tension in his shoulders. He was anything but relaxed.

           You walked up behind him and sat in the spot next to him. He didn't say anything at first, but he opened your palm gently and placed four test tubes in your hand. You looked up at him in surprise. Was this. . .?

           "Steve and I ransacked the lab until we found all of them." He inhaled deeply and looked ahead. "Stark hacked into the servers and wiped the file clean as well. They can't make it again."

           You let out a shaky breath. Holding the test tubes in your hand was surreal. They couldn't replicate the chemical. They couldn't keep you as a prisoner here. And once the Facility was destroyed, no one would be able to control you again. You'd be free.

           A stray tear fell onto one of the tubes. You watched it roll down the glass and quickly wiped the others that threatened to fall. What a day.

           "Four," you mumbled.

           "What?"

           "You've caught me in four vulnerable moments now."

           Bucky nudged your shoulder playfully. "And you still think I don't know you that well."

           You rolled your eyes playfully and turned your attention back to the test tubes. There was a lot you could do with them. Keep them, hide them, or destroy them. There was probably a right thing to do, but you didn't bother overthinking it. You held your hand out over the edge and let them go. As they shattered on the pavement below, you found yourself smiling.

           They were gone.

           "Are you going to stay and work the mission?" You nodded. "Good. I'm glad."

           "Oh?"

           Bucky stood up and brushed the dust off it pants. He smiled down at you.

           "Well, yeah! 'Cause you're taking me out to dinner."

           You gape up at him. "Excuse me?"

           "You said yourself, I've caught you in four vulnerable moments and helped you through them. I also saved the day by getting those vials for you." He puffed his chest out and threw you a classic smirk. "And I defended you from the agent that shot you in the shoulder. I think I deserve to be taken out."

           "I could have handled that agent myself! How can you even say that?"

           Bucky was already walking away by the time you finally hopped up. "Bucky! I could have taken that agent and you know it!"

           "Sorry, I can't hear you! I'm going through a tunnel!" He cupped his hands over his ear, and you groaned in annoyance.

           "Bucky! You can't just walk away! I could have taken him!"

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Marvel Tag: @killcomet 

#Bucky Barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes series #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes one shot #bucky barnes fanfic #james buchanan barnes #bucky x reader #bucky x you #bucky series #bucky imagines #bucky fanfic #bucky fic #bucky fanfiction #wanda maximoff #wanda maximoff x reader #wanda maximoff series #wanda maximoff x you #wanda maximoff one shot #wanda maximoff imagine #wanda maximoff fanfiction #wanda maximoff fic #wanda maximoff fanfic #x-23 #marvel #marvel one shots #marvel series

[gonuclear]

saul goodman’s fat bong rip

i’m arsene/asta/yubel, i’m the simple one

local demon and himbo connoisseur

currently watching: one piece, yugioh, naruto: shippuden, bungou stray dogs, better call saul, house, good omens, buffy the vampire slayer, moon knight, doctor who, dr. stone, bucchigiri?!, breaking bad

currently reading: one piece (whole cake island), chainsaw man, percy jackson, fellowship of the ring, the odyssey, black butler

current hyperfixations: yugioh, transformers, sonic, lord of the rings, naruto, ghost (band), genshin impact, baldur’s gate 3, house, dungeons and dragons (specifically my campaign), one piece, doctor who, shoujo anime, honkai star rail, warframe, breaking bad/better call saul, resident evil 4, metal gear, hazbin hotel

carrd

writing blog  ★ naruto blog ★ one piece blog ★ stimboard blog  ★ transformers blog ★ selfship ★ pronouns ★ ocs

#intro post :))) #arsene speaks

[notbang]

doors (five of them)

rethaniel appreciation week day 4 → parallels (read on ao3)

1.

The first time she knocks on Nathaniel’s door, she has to believe she’s making him an offer he can’t refuse.

That’s the confidence that brings her to him, all legs and breathy and scantily clad. She’d felt powerless, after the wedding that wasn’t, but she’d taken all that hurt and found a way to wield it like a weapon, and standing on her porch in his running shorts Nathaniel had let her remember what it felt like to have power resting in the palm of her hand.

She thinks he’s interested. He’s not not interested, judging by the inches of him outlined where they’re nestled together, her hips cradling his. His body is warm between her fishnetted thighs where she’s straddled him, and it’s absurd, really, that she wasn’t expecting that—like he should be carved entirely from stone.

If she’s being completely honest with herself (she’s not) it’s not a transaction so much as an excuse—the alarm bells ringing in the background of this particular playing-with-fire endeavour sound suspiciously like the emergency squeal of an elevator. Josh doesn’t know about that night but it’s a special brand of vindictive, implicating the source of her infidelity as her partner in crime. Josh didn’t know about that night and he left her anyway, and it’s almost like retrospective absolution, leading her here.

Nathaniel’s hands are hovering at the back of her, ridiculously large in contrast to their hesitancy and radiating heat. At some point since they settled here her seductive caress of his shoulders turned into a compulsive exploration, the tiny hairs at the nape of his neck prickling against the palms of her hands.

“So what was your point?” he murmurs, clearing his throat, dazed.  

She’s feeling a little dazed herself, trying not to think too much about prior knowledge of what it’s like to kiss him. Trying not to wonder what it might be like to kiss him when he’s given the proper warning, with her limbs curling around his in enticing parentheses, or how he might repurpose his skills to areas elsewhere than her mouth.

Anything you want to me, she says, and sees the lightbulb of inspiration’s erratic shutter in his eyes. She wants, needs to know what anything you want to me entails. Has a few suggestions, if he needs help getting started.

(She doesn’t hear from him until she does, and anything you want to me starts with her shoulder blades digging hard into the wood of his door.)

2.

The second time she’s emboldened by the memory of his face buried against her neck and the arsenal of R-rated evidence she has at her perusal on her phone the entirety of her flight back from Buffalo, the wanting that rises up in her and threatens to boil over and overflow quickly backburnered in her stomach at a tortuous low simmer.

I would love to have sex with you again, she’d blurted out three days ago, the elegance of her articulation infinite as always, and she couldn’t have imagined it, the way his eyes had softened in confirmation that the sentiment was gratifyingly mutual. Three days ago she’d spoken the words aloud and since then the thought of it has taken stubborn root inside of her, spreading through her like a one-track-mind creeper vine.

She goes to his door and she jumps and he catches her, and some secret part of her latches onto that—wants to make it into a metaphor and use it in stubborn supporting argument for everything that’s about to follow.

He’s hard and solid and careful with his weight on her as he stumbles towards the bed and drops them down, and this is healthy, right? Because he wants her and she wants him back and she’s not engaged and he’s not her boss, and this is a cocoon she burrow herself inside of, free of therapy, and workbooks, and friends that still worry that she’s fragile while they’re hiding all the knives.

He pulls back from her and she knows what’s coming—can see the crease of it carved into his brow.

I’m bulletproof, she wants to assure him. Can’t you tell? I can rip myself to shreds and scatter them and still this thing won’t break.

“Just shut up,” she breathes instead, dragging him back down to her, over her, into her, letting herself just feel, and then his fingers are on her, teasing her, prising her open and it’s so much better than her own or heated words on a screen and an old lumpy couch in the lowlight of someone else’s living room.

She pretends not to notice, the way he’s so much gentler than the last time, even in his desperation to inhale her; the way he stops to catalogue each pulse point with his mouth, praising her heartbeat for still thrumming beneath her skin and carving I’m glad you’re home into its every expanse. He’s affectionate and eager and she responds to him in kind, and this is warm, this is good—she thinks she can grow to live in it, this loose, liminal space of the in-between. When Josh left and she fell apart she stopped thinking about the future, but here, tangled in Nathaniel’s grey sheets, his grey shirt, his grey life, the jagged black and white of her can see a case for focusing on the here and now.

“You didn’t answer me,” he mumbles against her shoulder once they’re spent from their second round. “About your trip.”

His fingers are tangled in her hair again, like its appeal to them is inherently magnetic and they cannot be pulled away. She hums and closes her eyes and focuses on the five point star of pressure expanding and contracting across her scalp, lets it regulate her breathing as the tingles radiate outwards.

(She doesn’t plan to stay. Doesn’t plan for any of it. She just never gets around to making the decision to leave, to slow down, to stop before either of them gets hurt.)

3.

He opens the door too quickly, like he was waiting for her; could somehow sense her there.

It’s been two, three weeks at most but she feels like she’s done this a thousand times before, and something inside of her trills in answering anticipation to his smile on agonising autopilot. This time is different, she has to remind herself, and draws her conviction tighter around her like a cape.

“What is it, like a sex thing? Because I’m not sure what else is still on the table for us.”

The laughter bubbles up out of her at that and it only makes it all the more harder, being hit with the deluge of memories of all their teasing turned challenges—her googling the most ridiculous Kama Sutra poses she could find and his ever creative solutions to negating the exigent issue of their height difference, her hamstrings still twingeing from their most recent acts of contortion. She can’t let herself think about the way his leather armchair sticks to her sweaty skin, or the way he makes her laugh then smiles with a hint of surprise every time like he’s never heard the sound before, like no one else around him has ever let him think he’s funny.

I’m happy but it’s not real, is all she can offer him, and she can sense his confusion—see the denial in his eyes that’s protesting you sat right across from me at that table and begged me not to do what you’re doing right now—and the sour taste of it twists in her gut. She’d wanted so desperately to believe that the point of all this was to be happy, too, but there’s so much left for her to sort out for herself separate to fusing to another person before happy can even begin to be a consideration.

She’s had this conversation with him countless times in her head on the way over, but none of it’s playing out the way it’s supposed to. Just speaking the words and tasting kiss and snuggle and cuddle on her tongue weakens her resolve and threatens to have her reaching for him, burying her head in his chest and the blue stripes of his shirt and telling him she’s sorry, that she takes it all back, undo.

Nathaniel takes a step towards her, and it’s like she can’t breathe beneath the weight of how much she wants to let him change her mind.

(I have to go, she repeats to herself like a mantra, blinking back tears as she takes the stairs blindly, two at a time. I have to go I have to go I have to go.)

4.

She hasn’t been to his apartment for the better part of a year—not since she broke it off and ran away, not since Mona came along and occupied her empty space, not since a handshake led to a kiss and a kiss led to an inevitable mistake. Not since that mistake became bigger than the both of them and they let themselves keep making it, let themselves pretend it was an outside force compelling them from inside that supply closet and not something they both consciously chose, until suddenly she couldn’t let herself pretend, not anymore.

He told you he loves you, in not so many words, was how Dr Akopian had phrased it, and she yearns so much for that to be true and something she can let herself deserve.

But then she thinks about how opening doors leads to other things slipping inside, too, to billow outwards and fill up a space. Lets certain other parts of you escape to make room.

If that’s what you want, he’d told her. As if she’s ever had any proper idea of what she wants in all this.

(She doesn’t knock, but the whole way home she thinks of the alternate version of herself in a parallel universe who does, and hopes with all her heart somewhere, someplace, she’s managing to get things right.)

4.

She pounds on his door with such focus and force she imagines herself breaking through it in her urgency, and when he finally answers she collapses against the door frame with an air of something she imagines resembles seductive, as if the slur of her words and heavy lids are entirely by design.

Look, she wants to goad the memory of her frozen, deer-in-headlights former self. Knuckles to wood, rinse and repeat—was that so fucking hard?

Nathaniel lets her in and his shirt is soft beneath her fingers, soft like the way he started looking at her at some point and never quite stopped, soft enough to scare her sometimes. But she’s feeling bruised and broken and raw, and it’s a softness she wants to crawl inside and pull tight around her until every last battered inch of her is covered in its gentle armour; until it seals itself shut over her and the desperation can’t get out. She wants to feel warm and wanted in a way Nathaniel has never denied her, wants to feel bad and brazen and better.

She’s high, but not high enough. She’s drunk, but she wants to be drunk off him, too.

Her senses are dulled but the defensive part of her mind is still whittled razor-sharp, the sting of perceived rejection still burning bright and hot enough to forge the blade. She knows every last button to press, the exact notch between the ribs to dig her fingers into and claw her way inside. You know I still think about you, she tells him, at night when I’m alone in my bed, because it’s what she’d like to believe is true of him, thinking about her. She didn’t pick him, but the idea of him letting her go is sweet and sour to her all at once. Especially when it feels like Greg just threw her overboard and turned his back as she began to buoy away.

Greg hates everything but Nathaniel wants her to be happy, and right now he’s like her very own personification of a butter commercial that she wants inside her and around her and swallowing her whole.

She wants to use him the way she used him to get back at Josh, the way she used him to get her A plus in living C plus, the way she used him for eight months to make a point to herself about how broken she is again and again and again. They way he lets her, every time; the sucker that sees every terrible part of her and never turns away.

He’s turning her away now, though, and how dare you, she thinks. How dare you not join me in this self-destruction when you’re just as messy and terrible as me.

(I thought you wanted me, she sneers to herself as she stumbles down his hallway, lip curling, spurned. I thought you’d always want me, but you’re just like everyone else.)

5.

She can’t be completely sure, the last time she knocks on his door; at which point she stops knocking because it isn’t locked or he’s with her or he gives her a key and the door is no longer just his but her own.

There’s a beginning to the end, though, where she goes to him and it is raining.

He’s fresh out of the shower when he swings the door open to look at her, his hair wet and spiky and stray droplets glistening on his skin where his throat rises up from the damp neckline of his burgundy sweatshirt, and then she’s laughing, because her curls are saturated from the downpour and plastered to her coat and the deep red pile of her sweater underneath. They’ve always been good at this part—the unconscious mirroring, this dance on an unpredictable delay—and a reassuring warmth starts to blossom through her at this suggestion that the page they are on is the same.

“Hi,” she says, giddy, breathless.

“Hi,” he echoes, cautious and confused because he can’t share in her excitement, not yet, not when he’s not privy to the decision she’s made in her head.

She only hesitates a moment and then her keys hit the floor and she tugs him down toward her by his neck, slow enough to give him every opportunity to stop, but then the resistance melts out of him all at once and she’s kissing him and he’s kissing her back, and it’s the first time in such a long time.

He’s kissing her gentle at first, then like she’s his sole source of air and she’d thought long and hard about taking this slow, but her body knows his and they have other plans.

“Rebecca,” he says once they’ve shoved her coat down over her shoulders and she’s fought her way out of the tangled armholes of her sweater to pull his body close to hers, his shower-seared skin hot against the damp-chilled surface of her own. “Not that I’m—” He breaks off on a groan when she sinks her teeth into the sinews of his neck, and she hides her pleased grin in the slope of his collarbones. “Not that I’m complaining, but what is this? What are we doing, here?”

It would be so easy, she thinks, to settle back into that well-worn groove; to shush him with her lips and her fingers and the eager trace of her tongue, to cant her hips forward and lock her thighs until he forgets what he’s asked her, forgets words. She could tell him any number of things, present him with a hundred variations on every unfairness with which she’s come to him before and he’d still give her this, she knows. But they’ve been down so many ill-fated paths already, the both of them burned for their lack of clarity, and he’s so tentative in his hopefulness that it makes her heart squeeze.

She takes his face in her hands, thumbs sweeping his cheeks, reacquainting herself with every last one of its lines.

“It’s been a year,” she tells him, lilting low. “And I don’t know about you, but… I don’t want to waste any more time.”

That sets free a desperate kind of whine in him that has him crushing her in his endless arms, pressing her down into his bed so hard it could make a mould of the two of them, the mattress recasting around them to reset every bittersweet memory they’ve left in it. His hand is unsnapping her bra and she’s squirming to get at the fly of her jeans and all the while he’s nuzzling against her, kissing her chin, sighing his relief into the space below her ear.

“I might need to borrow some clothes,” she breathes, back arching, hips tilting into where he’s slid his hand. “All mine are—oh—all mine are wet.”

“Soaked,” he agrees, his fingers slick against the silk.

He’s reluctant to shift off of her, after, and slides back into the bed to wrap himself around her as if afraid to blink and find her gone.

His nose nudges hers and she can see in his expression that he wants to tell her, the words curling and ready on the tip of his tongue, but he doesn’t know if it’s appropriate, or he’s allowed, and she’s overcome with so much answering affection that her entire body hums with it, warming her from the inside out.

“Hey,” she begins, and waits until his eyebrows slope upward expectantly to beckon him closer with a crook of her finger, as if there aren’t already mere millimetres between them. She drags his earlobe between her teeth, eliciting a shudder, chuffing softly against the flushed shell of his ear. “There are feelings inside me that are still pertinent to you,” she confesses, seriously, then descends into laughter as he rolls over, growling, taking her with him, trapping the delighted sound of it with his mouth enmeshed with hers.

#crazy ex girlfriend #rebecca x nathaniel #rethanielAW #my fic #this kinda ran outta steam halfway but i was determined to have it finished tonight to fulfil my goal of producing fic for this week #the ending..... was not supposed to quite go like that but y'know #they #i'm done spamming today with content now i promise

[dulwichdiverter]

The movie monster of SE22

LEGENDARY HORROR ACTOR BORIS KARLOFF WAS BORN IN EAST DULWICH. WE FOLLOW IN HIS FOOTSTEPS FROM FOREST HILL ROAD TO FRANKENSTEIN

BY MARK BRYANT

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the death of film, TV and theatre actor Boris Karloff (1887-1969), best known as the monster in three classic, black-and-white horror films based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein. Not only was Karloff born in East Dulwich, but four of his brothers were educated at Dulwich College and the area has a number of other connections to his life and work.

Karloff, whose real name was William Henry Pratt, was the 10th surviving child of Edward John Pratt, an Anglo-Indian diplomat who had worked as an assistant collector for the Indian Salt Revenue Service in Bombay, before retiring and moving to London in the 1870s with his third wife Eliza and their seven children.

At the time of the 1881 census the family were living at 23 Landcroft Road, which runs parallel to Lordship Lane between Crystal Palace Road and Whateley Road in East Dulwich. Edward’s ninth child (and seventh son) Richard Septimus Pratt was born there in 1882.

By 1887 the family had moved to 15 Forest Hill Road (later renumbered as 36) and it was here – as recorded by an English Heritage blue plaque above what is now a fish-and-chip shop – that their youngest child, William Henry Pratt (known as Billy) entered the world on November 23, 1887. At the time of his birth, his father was 60 years old.

Karloff’s mother, Eliza Sarah Millard, was the Indian-born daughter of a sergeant-major in the British Army in India. Her aunt was Anna Leonowens, who was governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam (now Thailand) and was immortalised in Margaret Landon’s bestseller Anna and the King of Siam (1944) and later in the award-winning film The King and I (1956) starring Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr.

The young Karloff had two older sisters: his half-sibling Emma, who was his father’s adult daughter by his first marriage to Julienne Campbell and was born in 1850; and Julia, born in 1874. He also had seven older brothers. Of these, the four eldest were educated at Dulwich College, where they were contemporaries of the writer AEW Mason and philosopher GE Moore.

His oldest brother, Edward Millard Pratt (1865-1949), became a judge in Bombay High Court, and the others all achieved distinction in their chosen careers, notably the sixth son, Sir John Thomas Pratt (1876-1970), who was British consul-general in China, adviser on Far Eastern affairs for the Foreign Office and vice-chairman of the governing body of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

The only sibling who showed any theatrical inclinations was the second son, George Marlow Pratt (1867-1904), who worked for a time under the name “George Marlowe” as an actor in the West End but died in his 30s.

In 1888, when Karloff was one year old, his father abandoned the family and by 1891 his mother and the children had moved to a smaller, cheaper house on nearby Friern Road. Then, in 1893, when Karloff was seven, he moved to stay with his half-sister Emma – now aged 43 – in Enfield, Middlesex.

Here he attended Enfield Grammar School before moving to Merchant Taylors’ School in London – where his brother Richard had studied before him – and then to Uppingham School, a private boarding school in Rutland.

He later attended King’s College London, intending to take the exams required to enter the diplomatic service like other members of his family. But in 1909 he decided to give up his studies and sailed to Canada.

At first he worked as a manual labourer in various parts of the country, until one day in Vancouver in 1910 he bumped into Henry Hayman Claudet (son of the pioneer photographer Francis George Claudet), an old Dulwich College friend of his brother John.

As he later recalled: “I was wondering what to do next when a man stopped me in the street and asked if my name was Pratt. I said it was.

“The man was a school friend of my brother Jack at Dulwich and he recognised the likeness. He gave me a note to the works superintendent of the British Columbia Railway and I got a job at 28 cents an hour with a pick and shovel laying tracks.”

Karloff later became a real-estate salesman before starting work in repertory theatre, changing his name from Billy Pratt to Boris Karloff and beginning with the Jeanne Russell Company in Kamloops, British Columbia.

On the outbreak of war in 1914 he volunteered for the British Army but was rejected on health grounds. He therefore continued to act in plays and silent films in Canada and later the USA.

His first screen appearance was as an extra in The Dumb Girl of Portici (1916), which was also the only film starring the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. However, he soon began to make his name, with a standout role as the mesmerist in silent film The Bells (1926). This film has a Dulwich connection, as the play on which it is based launched the career of the famous Victorian actor Sir Henry Irving, who laid the foundation stone of Dulwich Library in 1896.

Other films in which Karloff starred also had links with the Dulwich area. Six years after The Bells, he played the sinister criminal mastermind Fu Manchu in the black-and-white talking picture, The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932), which was based on the fifth of a series of novels by local author Sax Rohmer (real name Arthur Henry Ward), who lived in Herne Hill.

Then the following year, after appearing in The Mummy (1932), he returned to the UK to make The Ghoul (1933) – the first major British horror film of the sound era – thereby reuniting with his family after more than two decades in North America.

In this film (which also features Ralph Richardson in his first ever speaking part) his co-star was Kathleen Harrison, who had been to school in Clapham and whose father was borough engineer for Southwark.

But he is best known for playing the monster in Frankenstein (1931) – his 81st movie – and its two sequels. By coincidence, the bosses at Universal Pictures, the studio that made the film, had originally wanted the part of Dr Frankenstein to be played by Old Alleynian Leslie Howard, but the director James Whale had other ideas and the role went to Colin Clive. In another curious link, Howard’s son Ronald (himself also an actor who was born in South Norwood) later starred in two 1961 episodes of Karloff’s American TV series Thriller.

In Bride of Frankenstein (1935) the female lead was Elsa Lanchester, who was born in Catford and later married the actor Charles Laughton, who starred in numerous films. Among them was Payment Deferred (1932), based on the novel of the same name by Old Alleynian author CS Forester, which was itself set in Dulwich.

During the filming of the third movie, Son of Frankenstein (1939), Karloff’s wife Dorothy gave birth to his first and only child, a daughter called Sara, and Karloff reputedly rushed from the film set to the hospital while still in full monster makeup.

Though he appeared in two later Frankenstein films, House of Frankenstein (1944) and Frankenstein 1970 (1958), he played the part of the mad scientist, not the monster.

However, he never starred in any of the seven Frankenstein-themed horror movies produced by Hammer Films from 1957 to 1974. Six of these have a link with south London as they featured Peter Cushing as Dr Frankenstein, whose family lived in Dulwich during the First World War. Cushing also starred as the archeologist in Hammer’s The Mummy (1959), while the archeologist in The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb (1964) was played by Ronald Howard.

Karloff’s later successes included playing himself in the original Broadway stage version of the black comedy Arsenic and Old Lace (1941), in which one of the characters receives plastic surgery to look like Boris Karloff. Although he was unable to star in the 1944 Cary Grant film version of the play (as he was still acting the part on Broadway) Karloff reprised the role in TV versions in 1955 and 1962.

Other notable Karloff films with south London links include The Body Snatcher (1945) and Grip of the Strangler (1958). The former was based on a story by Robert Louis Stevenson, whose novels Treasure Island, Kidnapped and The Black Arrow all first appeared (in serial form, before they were books) in Young Folks magazine, published by Dulwich press magnate James Henderson.

Grip of the Strangler, which was based on a story written specially for Karloff by his friend Jan Read, also features two actresses with local links: Brixton-born Jean Kent and Camberwell-born Dorothy Gordon.

In 1959, shortly after the release of Grip of the Strangler, Karloff retired with his fifth wife Evelyn – whom he married in 1946 – to “Roundabout”, his country cottage in the village of Bramshott, Hampshire, to enjoy gardening and cricket (though he still accepted small roles). He had been a keen cricketer throughout his life and when in Hollywood, he was an actor-member of the Hollywood Cricket Club along with Leslie Howard and Clive Brook, another Old Alleynian.

One of the last of Karloff’s cinematic appearances was as the voice of the Grinch in the 1966 animated film How the Grinch Stole Christmas, based on the children’s story by Dr Seuss. The original film, which Karloff also narrated, was shown in Dulwich last Christmas at a special screening to coincide with the release of The Grinch, starring Benedict Cumberbatch. It was shown at the East Dulwich Picturehouse on Lordship Lane, less than a mile from the Forest Hill Road home in which Karloff was born.

Dr Mark Bryant lives in East Dulwich. By coincidence his own stepbrother’s surname is Pratt (though, as far as the family knows, he is not a relation of Boris Karloff...)