#I keep forgetting she got that design upgrade...

[catocappuccino]

What are you smillin' for!!!1!

+ also sketchbooks doodles yayyy

[twoidiotwriters1]

The Curse of Oenone (Leo Valdez xFem!Oc)

A/N: Something about Nico, he will always choose violence (when it comes to Ara) -Danny Words: 2,204 Series' Masterlist Previous Chapter // Next Chapter Listen to: 'Sign of the Times' -by Harry Styles

XXXII: *Sobbing* I'm Fine!

Leo is waiting for them at the top of the gangplank, he grins and waves at the group, then his eyes focus on Frank and her. The moment she reaches his side and Leo has to look up to meet her gaze, he flushes to a cherry tone Ara has never seen on his face.

He speaks in a strangled voice. "Ares?"

"Mars. I don't know, I doubt it matters," Ara says, self-conscious about their height difference. "How does it look?"

"You could crash my skull with your thighs," he blurts out.

Hazel gasps, fanning her face scandalized at his comment. "Gods, I hate you," Nico groans, guiding his flustered sister away from them.

Ara hurries past Leo and goes to her cabin to check her reflection, her breath hitches at the sight: she looks exactly like Arachne's tapestry minus the cape and hair. Yesterday she had baby fat around her face, her abs were a soft belly, and now she looks like a high school senior who never misses a workout. Arms toned and longer legs—she barely fits in the mirror, since it was designed for a girl that was 5'3.

"Holy crap," she breathes. Someone knocks on her door, and she finds Nico standing there, waiting to be let in. "I'm tall," she states in shock.

"Congrats. What was the fight about? The one you had with Lily?"

Ara knows this will bring an argument, but if it doesn't happen today, it'll happen at an even worse time. "I told her we couldn't trust you."

Nico visibly tenses. "I'm not surprised."

Ara turns to face him properly. "I had a good reason, you know what I'm talking about."

Nico's eyes darken. "My dad forbade me to talk about it. One of your patrons—your main patron, or did you forget?"

"How can I? Ever since that day, I've been the babysitter of his little prince."

"I told you I wanted no part of your stupid camp, but it was you who promised—"

"You needed a place to live—"

"You expected everyone to act like I don't creep them out."

"Oh, cry me a river," Ara walks past him. "I've got more important things to do than to listen to the same complaints on repeat."

"Crap!" Ara struggles with the damaged oar, she hisses when it scratches her palm. "Leo, I forgot my gloves, can you toss them over?"

Leo seizes her Octopi bag and rummages through its contents. "You didn't grab them? That's basic gear, Ara."

"I don't do basic," she responds.

Leo looks over the railing. "Say what?"

"It's like maths," Ara squints when she looks up. "Unnecessary."

The boy holds onto the handrail as he leans in dramatically. "You think is what?"

"Oh no..." She mumbles and tilts her head. "My scolding senses are tingling..."

Leo scowls. "Get your ass back here—and be careful."

He doesn't reprimand her like, ever, not even tries to, but his job is the one thing he takes seriously, so Ara climbs back on deck and dusts off her hands expecting the berating of the week. 

Leo spots the scrape on her hand and searches for his tool belt. "You almost lost an arm last December and you think being careful is unnecessary?"

"Oh, that was different," Ara watches Leo heal her. "Silly things—"

"Silly?" Leo looks up and his eye twitches. "Fixing the oars and giving Festus an upgrade ain't like changing the batteries of a TV remote, sweetheart. And maths? You need maths!"

She laughs nervously. "You okay?"

"Arae Jackson, that's negligence!" He exclaims. "Is this why they call you Dr Frankenstein back in camp?"

"Oh, you know about that?" She asks unbothered.

"That's it, you're not allowed to work on the repairs."

Her mouth opens in shock. "Leo, you know I'm a good repairperson, don't do this!"

"You heard me," he tries to take the harness off her, muttering grumpily. "Don't do maths, seriously..."

"Hey! Stand back!" Ara keeps him away. Leo is smaller than her now and he was never strong to begin with. "I'll finish the task whether I'm wearing the harness or not!"

"You're not helping yourself!" Nico speaks out of nowhere, both teens looking up to see him at the top mast.

"Stay out of this!" Ara seizes Leo's wrist. "Stop!"

It's kind of cute, seeing him angry over this. Reminds her of Mike a bit, which makes her feel kind of guilty. "Promise you'll be careful in the right way, not yours!"

Ara rolls her eyes. "Can I have my gloves, then?"

"Put them on before you go back," Leo crosses his arms. "I don't understand why Beckendorf made you Cabin Nine's right-hand girl if you ignore safety procedures."

"Beck had the knowledge, I had the spirit," she puts the gloves on with an amused expression. "Anyway... I need insulation stuff—the spongy one? And Industrial glue, and the..." She makes a gesture as if holding something and puffs some air out of her lips. "To fuse the bronze to the hull..."

"Insulation foam, industrial glue, metal welding kit—and bronze-welding rods to reattach the frame to the hull," the boy turns to get the goods.

Ara beams. "And welding goggles."

"'Course," Leo grabs stuff from his toolbox, the rest are from his magic belt. Ara stands there waiting. "Anything else?"

"Your hand in marriage?"

"Dang it, woman! You can't make me forget how irresponsible you are by love-bombing me!" Leo exclaims, handing the tools to her.

Ara puts the goggles on. "Seriously, Cabin Nine kids can tell what I'm talking about after a few tries, but you don't even think about it, that's awesome."

Leo looks away to hide his blush. "Your brain works similarly to mine, that's all. It's why we're attracted to each other in the first place."

It's nice to hear that's what Leo thinks about their situation. "We're soulmates." She says it so matter-of-factly that it makes Leo light up as much as the sun. Ara clears her throat and steps back. "Well, I'm going..."

"Yeah," Leo mumbles, a little smile playing on his face. "I'll be watching, my soon-to-be fiancé."

Above them, Nico groans again, but they both ignore him.

Leo has long forgotten he's supposed to be checking Ara's work while installing Festus's upgrade. Instead, he's just eyeing her, trying not to be obvious, but doing a terrible job.

He can't even hate the fact that she's taller than him by a lot. She's the only demigod that looks god-like in his eyes, Ara's beauty grows with every blessing, no smudge of dirt she gets from her hard work can take it away. When she moves, her body gets framed by the dying sunlight in a way that makes Leo lightheaded.

She's wearing the hair tie he made for her, holding her shiny brown locks in a loose braid, and the way she scrunches up her nose in concentration, the tip of her tongue poking out... The more he looks, the more his heart races. 

She was once out of his league, now she's out of everyone's orbit. She's skillful and experienced, and Leo has a hard time understanding why she would love someone as inconsequential as him.

"You should be careful."

Nico's voice comes to remind him not everything is perfect. Leo jumps out of his skin and swears in Spanish, he glares at the tall boy standing behind him. "Dude, can you not do that?"

Nico doesn't apologize before adding to his comment. "Ara's fool's gold."

Leo frowns. "What?"

Nico glances at the girl, he's angry at her for trying to convince Lily, his only friend, to stop trusting him. Two can play the same game. "She looks good, then you get closer and realize it's all pretend. You call her a doll, right?" He laughs shortly. "That's accurate. Ara likes playing with boys like you."

Leo's fists start to smoke. "Don't you mean boys like us?"

Nico's taken by surprise, a creepy smile forms on his face when he understands what Leo is insinuating. He won't clear up the misunderstanding, Leo has the same arrogant air Ara has when challenged, and is always far more entertaining to watch those kinds of people trip over their feet.

Nico steps closer. "I can get under her skin like no one else. Have you ever asked her why she loathes having me around? You should. She doesn't like to be questioned, so you'll get to see the real Arae."

"She's the General," Leo replies tensely. "You're not supposed to question her, smartass."

Nico's smirk grows. "I see why she likes you." The boy turns to leave. "Ask her."

"I know why she hates you," Leo says confidently, which causes Nico to laugh again.

"No, you don't," he reaches the stairs. "Ask her about the curse."

Ara takes a look at the finished product. "Good as new, right?"

Festus blows out steam and Ara recoils, feeling the air around her get hotter when he does that. She takes off the goggles and dries the sweat off her brow. 

"I'll take that as a yes."

The moon is high above but very thin, so Ara has a bit of trouble finding her way back to the deck, she doesn't notice Leo until she's right under the handrail. The boy's watching in silence with a scowl on his face. 

She jumps over the railing landing on both feet, then dusts off her hands, and nods at Leo. "Hey."

He walks over to the control board. "Hey."

"I'm done," she announces proudly. "I was very safe the whole time."

"Good job," he checks the monitor. "Festus's stable, so are the oars." 

Leo looks at her doing a quick scan. Ara is covered in sweat and grime, her cheeks are flushed... he can't think of any girl who would look better than she does like this, but Nico succeeded in his attempt to plant a seed of doubt, and Leo can't shake off the feeling that Ara has been lying to him about something.

Besides, he once overheard Percy and Ara talking, and her brother mentioned an old crush she used to have on Nico... Leo panicked and sneaked back to his cabin after hearing that, but the words stuck in his brain and he couldn't take them out.

Ara sighs. "I promise to be careful from now on, I'll use a calculator and everything..."

Leo's seen the way she looks at him lately, like it hurts to be near him. At first, he thought it was guilt because she'd decided to leave her camp, but now... What if the love's fading out between them?

"I..." he starts quietly, swallowing the lump in his throat. "How do you feel?"

"Great!" She smiles. "I'd missed it, getting my hands dirty reminded me of home, it made me feel useful."

"You're always useful," he replies. "But you definitely have a natural aptitude for mechanics."

"I was fated to," Ara replies casually. "Thank you for letting me do this."

"You don't have to thank me. You're the General."

"Yeah, well..." she continues, now trying to ignore his weird vibes. "I'll go take a shower before dinner."

Leo blurts out the first thought in his mind. "I didn't know someone could make me this stupid."

Leo would rather jump into Tartarus than tinker with something that doesn't need fixing... but what if it does? Sometimes a machine doesn't look broken, but it malfunctions anyway. He can't deny that their relationship feels... unbalanced. A creation jumpstarted without all the necessary precautions, and there's a buzzing coming from it that Leo can't identify, but it's making his skin crawl.

Ara is unsure of where this is going. "What's wrong?"

He can't think when her eyes are on him like this, he has this urge to make her smile, and he doesn't know where that comes from. Sure, he loves making people laugh, but with Ara... it almost feels like an obligation.

He struggles to form a proper sentence. "I think you're lying to me."

Ara pales, which is not a good sign. "What?"

"You wanted to jump off the cliff," he continues. "And you tried to leave us when Reyna cornered us at the Fort—"

"Leo—"

"Let me finish," he presses anxiously. "You weren't surprised when Nemesis gave you that weird warning, and you've been acting even weirder since we rescued di Angelo—"

"I—"

"Don't lie to me," he demands. "Your prophecy mentions a curse—The curse of love. Does that mean—"

"This is Nico talking," Ara's eyes darken. "I thought he was ending his shift, but he came to taunt you, didn't he?"

Leo feels like throwing up, but more than that, he feels insulted. "So what if he did?"

"He wants us to get into an argument," Ara steps forward. "Don't let him do this!"

Leo steps back. "Then answer my question."

Unexpectedly, her eyes brim with tears. "I can't."

Some part of him that he's not even aware of triggers, Leo is too distraught to think, his heart is breaking. "You said promises were important to you, but you're not keeping yours."

"There are things that I need to keep under control," she speaks with a trembling voice.

"What things?" He asks bitterly. "Me?"

"Don't say that!" She squeezes the gloves in her hands. "We've failed too many times, Leo. I can't risk it. As your General, I'm telling you to stay out of it."

Leo doesn't like how she says that, her voice weighs like it carries centuries of painful memories, and it sounds like Ara thinks Leo will ruin her plans, and that stings.

"Chiron was right," he says aghast. "Your ambition blinds you. No matter what the outcome is, it's never enough, is it?"

Ara can't stand another second of that conversation, so she abandons it, and Leo doesn't stop her.

Next Chapter –>

Taglist.

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[syrupspinner]

i just beat the messenger

there's a joke about shooting the messenger in there somewhere

so this is one of those games with a very specific thought process. let's add a unique and enticing gimmick, but make it a surprise reveal! I always thought this was a bit silly. like, if you're a fan of horror, then you have no reason to play doki doki literature club, because it's just a normal dating sim. but if you do know it's a horror game, then you just had half the game ruined for you, because so much of the presentation and writing and atmosphere and... EVERYTHING is done with the intention that you're going in blind. it's a weird conundrum between trying to market the thing that makes your game stand out and trying to maintain a cool subversive reveal.

the messenger has that in two parts. the first reveal is the time travel gimmick. you start off in an 8bit ninja gaiden-like platformer, and eventually upgrade into a 16bit ninja gaiden-like platformer, complete with world swapping puzzles. yeah, I love world swapping puzzles! link between worlds was my shit back on 3ds

the second part is that the game has a minor genre shift, going from a straightforward platformer to... a nonlinear platformer. I know that all the advertising says a metroidvania, and you can call me a genre snob for this, but I'm not sure if it really counts. sure there's some overlap, like the hub area, but like... you unlock all your cool new movement abilities during the platforming bit, so once the "metroidvania" part starts you don't unlock any new abilities, which is kinda stupid to say out loud. that's like saying you're playing as a roguelike without random generation, I think we lost the plot here.

don't get me wrong, just because it's not a metroidvania doesn't mean it's not fun. act 1 (the platformer) is already a fantastic retro platformer, reasonable difficulty that's juuuuust tough enough to keep you engaged without making you feel like you're being asked for too much, great controls and a good kit that gels with the level design really well, it's good shit. I don't play a lot of retro platformers, so I dunno if saying it's one of the best I've played holds much weight, but damn

act 2 (the not-metroidvania) is also fun! like I said, slut for world swaps. I'm VERY lucky that I was saving up my currency (gems?) so I could get all the map upgrades at once, I would have a very unfun time fumbling for all the collectables without the sparkles. there's also the prerequisite of backtracking through earlier areas, but I think the hub teleporters being in unique spots and the time travel make it more fun that it would've been

WAIT. RED ALERT. so as a peak behind the curtain, I usually write these as I play. maybe not the most professional form, but it helps me collect my feeling in the moment so I don't forget shit. I played like an hour and a half of act two, getting those green coin things and even got a few music notes, the one from the colosusses which was just a world swap puzzle and the yellow one that was just a platforming challenge. also, the fact that I could traverse what I thought was the whole world with my normal moveset made me complacent. but uh. I just got the Lightfoot tabi and I can now walk on water. so never fucking mind I guess! this is a certified metroidvania

ironically, I think the game is at its best with the linear design. when the game opens up, there are a lot of points that feel... easy to lose. there isn't that feeling of exploring for cool new movement tech, feeling your character get objectively more skilled and having that reflected in the map. there are spots like that, like the seashell and the candle. but just as much is like, talking to someone and then being like "don't worry I'll do the thing" and then they do the thing and you get a macguffin, which is much less satisfying in my opinion. like, there's the big where you have to go to an out-of-the-way spot to talk to a monk, and she just opens a path for you in another location. it's fine to have a progression system that isn't based on movement, but the genre shift makes it feel less... impactful. it feels like the game is caught between being a tradplat and a metroidvania, and suffers from trying to fit into both molds at once

so all in all, it's not a perfect 10/10, but it's still a great game that is absolutely worth your time. personally, I'd love to check out a full retro platformer from this team without the mid-game shift, something in the vein of Primal Light

also, there's this whole wrap-around thing when act 2 begins, where Manfred takes you so far east you wrap around west. then it's revealed that you're part of a time cycle thing, but... is Manfred part of it too, or is it like a different dragon every time? and if there's been a bunch of messangers before me, how come my village is still standing? and if the implication is that Manfred flew us around the literal whole world, like... why? why not just... oh fuck it it's not that important

[elena-oc-blog]

Heeey guys! I finished another sketchy ref to add to the anti perfectionist collection. This time it's Bo Minks! Originally I named him Bo Kingsley but seeing as I have marlene now and they look nothing alike (i was planning to try to make it work but it would fuck up his design too much to make him part hyena), i decided to just change his last name! He now has distant lion ancestry instead, as can be seen in his elongated face and bushy mane! Bo is the carpenter of lukka's pirate crew but right now their ship (The Seabottle) is too heavily damaged to be able to sail the seas safely after they had a close encounter with crom :( So now the crew is stuck in Auros city, with their ship hidden in a seacavern further up the coast (they only barely made it there as their ship was falling apart). They are using the little treasure they have to stay in a seaside inn and are doing their best to earn enough money to gather the materials and resources to get their ship up and seaworthy again. Which means the crew has to take little sidejobs and do some small time crimes to keep afloat but out of the king's eye. Bo is a big earner for the crew as his skills in carpenting and sowing means there's always a job for him lying around. He wishes he could take some more time to relax and bask in the carribean sun but he won't complain, he cares for his found family and is a long time close friend of Lukka. Like lukka, Bo had a poor homelife growing up...his parents thought he was lazy, fat and good for nothing and often verbally and emotionally abused him, forced him do all the shitty chores at home and the neighborhood kids bullied him. He ended up running away in his early teens and found refuge with a ship carpenter desperate for an apprentice as he was starting to get old and lose strength in his hands. Turns out all Bo needed was to feel wanted and appreciated and to get accomodation in the form of his leather gloves as most textures severely grossed him out (to the point of wanting to throw up and getting severly mentally distressed) and made him reluctant to touch things that were not his own. Which is why he had been reluctant to help out at home and gotten so upset when his parents forced him to do the laundry or dishes with his bare hands. As soon as he got gloves to protect his hands and patient and loving encouragement, as well as eating being treated as something positive instead of being shamed for it, he turned out to be a hard worker who rapidly gained strength now that he wasnt starved all the time. He grew incredibly close with the carpenter and saw him more as a dad than his bio parents ever were. When Bo was around 18 however, the carpenter had a sudden stroke and passed away. He had left his business and all his tools to Bo but without the carpenter the business felt dead and empty and depressing and bo started to drink to cope with the loss. Then a few weeks later, a 19 year old dragon girl showed up at his business with a small battered fishing boat, looking to upgrade it into a proper sailship. She wanted to leave the land as far behind as possible and become a pirate and go on adventures to forget all her misery and become her own woman. Bo, feeling miserable in his own right, decided to join her. He sold the business (but kept his tools) and used the money to turn the old sailboat into a glorious small and agile ship he and the girl (lukka) named The Seabottle. They then took off, having also gotten supplies in town beforehand, never to return to their home island again. They got on like a house on fire and in time gathered more and more misfits along the way as they sailed on and went on adventures. Bo is the only person Lukka fully lets her guard down with. With the others, she always tries to stay strong and cheerfull around with but with bo, she can be real and direct and show her actual feelings on the matter. Bo also trusts Lukka immensely. They relate to eachother a lot and have many late night deep conversations as they look out at sea on the deck. They are truly best friends forever.

also here is bo's original 2020 design. He had quite the glowup if I may say so myself

[cityelf]

I have to vent about this before it drives me insane.

The more I think about it, the more I think I didn't at all enjoy Alien: Romulus.

First things first: David Jonsson is possibly the best actor the franchise has boasted since Sigourney herself. Unfortunately he also ended up portraying the only character I was in any way attached to - and that's no fault of the other actors, but the scripts they were given.

This movie had the best visuals of any Alien movie, music rivaling the original, and the freakiest damn monster they've come up with yet. The initial worldbuilding was also fascinating! I want to know more about it! But that wasn't on the cards.

Plot-wise? Hugely disappointing, went nowhere. Andy the synth conveniently got an upgrade that provided them all the possible knowledge on the xenomorphs and the operation of the ship... and then the original synth who originally betrayed the original cast imprinted its betrayal into him, too. Who could have seen that coming, beyond everyone who has ever seen Alien?

Suddenly, conveniently, the xenomorphs were inexplicably scared of the presence of firearms. Which they infamously didn't give a fuck about before. Suddenly, conveniently, they didn't care about using the perfectly good male characters as hosts for their spawn, killed them right off. But they kept a woman alive because she was injured and not... suitable? What for, food? The creatures who tear apart every human they come across for no apparent reason, not a food source, not as a defense measure, just... because? Oh, sorry, you wanted to keep her alive purely for specifically female-oriented body horror. How could I forget.

Also, the two male human characters were so unremarkable they could have been interchangeable without notice. Bar one of them being incredibly cruel with no repercussions on one occasion. Even their deaths were a flash in the pan - they were there then gone, and I didn't care at all.

Speaking of deaths, I think the sorest spot of the entire runtime for me? Alien by and large has been remarkable for not inflicting sexual violence on its female characters. When sexual trauma including imagery involving pregnancy has been involved, it has been shared broadly across the male (majority) of the cast. Face huggers, chest bursters, egg hatching - although the insinuation of rape was there, the camera didn't linger. We didn't watch a pulsating length uncoil from someone's throat as they choked.

But that's exactly what I had to see in Romulus: an Asian woman being the first to die after we watched an alien being unload itself in her throat. It was vile and grotesque, and not in a welcome way. The way the chestburster was subsequently handled was incredible, which just makes the prior scene more egregious, disturbing, and upsetting - not from a "well crafted horror/gore" lense, but from a "I thought we were past inflicting sexual violence on women/WOC for shock points" lense.

That doesn't even begin to touch on the element of the film where they introduced a young woman who quickly revealed her pregnancy then all but disappeared from the plot until she could be used for a gory "plot twist" that was as predictable as it was disappointing. And again, the creature design that came from this was incredible. But what came before made it sour.

So, what was the point? A bunch of young people went into space to escape their living conditions and instead just escaped from living. Desperate and impoverished labourers brutally murdered because they dared to aspire for better. Remember when it was corporate greed at the price of any human life that got people killed? I do, because I rewatched Alien for approximately the tenth time earlier this month.

Not to mention; the sole human survivor treated the being she insistently considered her brother like he was completely disposable... right up until there was nobody else left. Contrast to Ripley repeatedly risking her life for a cat that didn't even like her.

All in all, I don't know what went wrong there. Some elements felt intentional. The mining colony as the setup, the emphasis on cryotech as defensive/offensive measures, the baller new hybrid design. But everything else felt like they just worked backwards from that one "really cool thing" they wanted to achieve. And what I was left watching was a mess of scavenged parts from better movies, and a far cry from anything I could positively recommend to others. That's it. I'm done.

I'm just so disappointed.

[dvrkbloomwrites]

The Taste of Blood and Wine

Author: Vesper Lucien

Chapter 2: Whispers of the Past

          The invitation is heavy in Bucky’s hands, heavier than the rest of the mail he picked up from the joint box he shares with his roommates when he got inside the apartment building. He considers the looping, golden, script as he makes his way into the elevator. It carries him to the third floor. That’s the thing about these newer Brownstones, the landlords are puppets, working for large companies that have their fingers in many pots. Whoever actually owns these buildings, whoever calls for elevators and other upgrades to be installed, Bucky thanks them every day. He would rather not have to trek up the stairs every time he wants to get into his bed after a long day.

          Putting the rest of the mail in his messenger bag, he focuses back on the envelope addressed to him. He supposes it isn’t hard to learn his full name. He’s registered as an unmated omega with the Federal Department of Designation Services, and certain aspects of his professional record are public knowledge given his academic interests… but still. Blasting his entire government name for whoever happens to randomly see this envelope? It’s crazy is what it is. When he finally opens the door to his apartment, he’s immediately hit with the scent of rich herbs, the sweetness of raspberries mixing with muling spices, and the sensation of soft fur rubbing up against his ankles.

          “Alpine, Liho, have you two been good girls while I was out?” He asks with an indulging smile while leaning over to give them scritches along their backs.

          “Of course they have.” Natasha’s amused voice calls out from deeper inside of the apartment. Coincidentally, from the very same direction as that delicious aroma. His own smile widens as he heads toward the kitchen. She’s cooking and by the smell of it, mediterranean chicken and potatoes.

          “Sestrenka, you spoil me. How’d you know I forgot to eat lunch while I was out in the wild, wild world?”

          “You always forget to take care of yourself, James.” Nat deadpans. She’s at the island, shaking out some onion powder onto some fan-cut chicken breasts and doesn’t even pause when he strides into the kitchen. There is no separation between it and the living room, allowing the sun to stream into the space from the large windows. Well, it would if the sun ever decided to make an appearance today. “Besides, I’m not even cooking for real. I’m just seasoning it up for Wanda.”

          Looking over his shoulder, Wanda is right there at the stove dipping some Yukon Gold potatoes out of still boiling water and placing them neatly onto a baking dish. Her fingers are fucking bare and he’ll never understand how she does that. “Wanda, doll! My actual soulmate, my twin flame!”

          “Oh shut up, Bucky. Wash your hands and start cutting the bitter ends off the asparagus,” she orders. A bark of a laugh erupts from his chest at that. He does what she says though, after putting his messenger bag and personalized envelope down on the counter furthest from all the action. The intermingling scents of a content pack and home wash over him as the water from the faucet runs over his hands. In a way, they’re both cleansing him figuratively and literally. They help him brush off the irritation from those interviewers that tried his patience and soothe his spirits. He feels like a new man by the time he’s done washing his hands, ready to help his girls with whatever they need.

          Ben Barnes keep Bucky’s attention glued to the television screen as he and the girls ate their early dinner. It still amazes him that an omega like Ben could make it onto the big screen. This adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray isn’t popular by any means but Bucky holds the film close to his heart. Back when he was younger he dreamed of being a famous omega actor before reality set in and dashed those hopes. He got his head on straight quickly after he had his first experience with discrimination because of his secondary gender; especially when not too long after, his parents and sister were killed in a head on collision with a drunk driver while he was at football practice during his senior year of high school. He needed a sure way to provide for himself after that. Well look at him now, a whole veteran, two degrees hotter, and still no job to show for it. He tries not to roll his eyes but it’s difficult.

          A chance glance toward the right side of the sectional, he sees Natasha and Wanda having a conversation that consists solely of subtle gestures with their hands, quirked brows and lips. He almost hates when they do this. He feels left out half of the time. This time, though, there’s a particular tension between them. It makes the atmosphere in the living room feel dense, he’s experienced those two in action like this before. Nat’s a beta and Wanda’s an omega, at first he almost urged them to just fuck it out and call it a day when it seemed to come to a head around six months ago; when Wanda first moved in with him and Nat. As time passed and they both got to know Wanda better, he realized that it wasn’t sexual tension between them. It was more of a slow building animosity that reeked of a long time rivalry that he just couldn’t fathom the depths of. He still doesn’t understand it but the vibe between them hasn’t made living with them unbearable. Usually, he just lets it rest, but today he’s had enough. That irritation from those interviews earlier is creeping back into his thoughts. He sets his plate down on the coffee table in front of him. The clatter of his silver utensils against his plate is jarring enough to get the girls’ attention. Even Alpine and Liho sit up straighter where they’re batting their little paws at balls of scarlet and beige string, playfully biting into them.

          “Okay, what’s going on with you two?”

          “What makes you think something is wrong?” Nat asks. She’s holding her knife at a strange angle, as if ready to throw it at a moment’s notice.

          “Oh relax, Bucky,” Wanda says with a smirk. “She’s just mad she hasn’t had her hole worshipped in a while. Me, on the other hand, well… let’s just say I’ve been blessed by the Most High. ”

          “You— I— seriously? You wanna talk about his now?” Bucky sputters. “Right in front of my salad?”

          “Don’t be a prude, James,” Nat cackles then. “It’s not becoming.”

          “Don’t get me started on the joys of edging,” Wanda adds with a wistful tone. “Oooh, don’t you just wanna get fucked full and then eaten out right after? Bucky, this is why you need to find an alpha with the power of tongue. It really is the best stress reliever.”

          “You both are so very irritating,” he chuckles, shaking his head. As if he doesn’t wish for that on the daily. “That’s it, I can’t stay here. How long have you two had this planned? Torture my poor, innocent, ears until I just up and move out why don’t you.”

          He pins them both in place with a stern look. He knows sex was the furthest thing from what those two were actually talking about, it’s a feeling he has deep in his bones. He’ll get it out of them sooner or later. Wanda is the first one to break. Her sharp inhale is all they need to dissolve into a fit of giggles.

          The sound of paper hitting the floor startles him, bringing the mail back to the forefront of his thoughts. Just as he makes to get up, Alpine’s collar jingles as she makes her way toward him. In her mouth is the envelope. He gingerly takes it from her grasp and considers it once again. Flipping it over, there’s a wax seal keeping the contents inside. He rubs a finger over it in curiosity, in a way it’s like he’s also scratching the surface of a memory in the deep recesses of his mind. He’s seen this symbol before. It’s a butterfly born of deep blood red wax. Rubbing over the delicate design of the wings lets loose a note that makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. It’s not a loud sound at all, it’s like a buzzing of a bee from far away. The volume continues to crescendo, the tone of it growing to a pitch that is reminiscent of a scream. Bucky’s heartbeat quickens. He knows what this is, something his bunâ always muttered about when she thought he wasn’t listening to her teachings of the old ways. The scream gets louder and louder until he can’t take it anymore, until, in reflex, he finally breaks the seal. Then there’s only silence for a moment, an all encompassing silence that always follows a psychic echo.

          “Whatcha got there?”

          Wanda’s voice doesn’t so much as startle him, rather it gently urges him forward. Carefully he unfolds the thick, white, envelope to reveal that it’s an invitation on pitch, black, cardstock. The golden script seems to bleed through the hefty parchment. It just reeks of old money and ancient traditions.

  Miss James Barnes,

You have been cordially invited to attend and participate in the Bacchanal Cycle hosted by the Enclave.

Please be aware that this year’s celebrations include a week full of black-tie events with the exception of the culminating frolic amongst nature in our truest forms.

We look forward to having you.

Friday, September Twentieth

Five o’clock in the evening

Peleş Castle, Sinaia, Romania

            “I— I think I was just invited to a mating run.” Bucky looks up bewildered. “But haven’t those been outlawed for decades?”

Previous Chapter | Chapter 3: Coming Soon…

[skycapt4in-a]

SOME UPDATED SPACEMAN LORE + PLUS SOME EXTRA STUFF i have been doing a lot of thinking and i've changed a couple things about noah's backstory <3

-> While he still didn't visit Earth until later in his life, once he got his very first and very own ship from the Guild when he was in his early twenties he did fly over with the intention of going down to visit, but chickened out on all three occasions.

-> Finally introduces himself to his Earth family, it's emotional on everyone, especially his parents and least of all his younger sister, no hard feeling there because they didn't really meet each other, not that either of them can remember. Nadine was barely a year old when he went missing and Noah was too young to remember any of them to begin with. It's due in a couple months bc I believe he does it before he turns 39 and the dude is 38 rn. Like he gets his shit together all of a sudden.

-> Raz'nar and Noah's relationship only becomes more rocky once Raz'nar learns that his human brother is interacting with his human family again. Raz knows he's being irrational and illogical, Noah knows this too, but Raz is really getting tired of the way his brother seemingly just skirts on through life, doing his own thing, without seeming to care about how others feel about his actions.. whereas Noah just wants to feel like he belongs somewhere for once.

-> Visits Earth more frequently and it's not just to check in on the family, but the very few friends he's made too.. Unfortunately they all seem to be in the superhero line of work so most of the time he spends with them might contain small arguments here and there. But he behaves himself for the most part, might even jump in to help them out.

-> Some of the friends are his fellow sort of prisoners from the Mountain Archives! That organization that Noah unknowingly tried to steal from and as punishment decided to abduct and force him to work for them. Yeah, they don't just do that with Noah, that's just how they employ people. Anyways, Noah's still on good terms with the folks that were working in the Archives the same time as he was.. It may or may not be leading him down a romantic road in his story, idk there's been some interactions with a certain character that have been coming off as fruity as I've been writing them.

-> His first ship's designation was 'H4RB1', which Noah quickly changed to Harbi, or the Harbinger if he was trying to come off more intimidating than he was. Harbi taught Shi'p everything she needed to know about taking care of Noah once she came into the picture and it became clear that Noah was upgrading his flying machine, Harbi was an older machine and was set to be retired and broken down for parts once Noah inevitably got a new craft, but, our boy doesn't like abanoning his old toys like that and bought Harbi from the Guild. It currently resides on Mezzao, fully operational and functional but hasn't flown into space in quite some time.

-> Shi'p can jump through space, this isn't new and has been something she can do for quite some time now but I keep forgetting it's a function she has so hopefully if I write it down on here, I'll remember it more. But she can shorten journey time down by about half if the jump drives are fully fueled up and in working order.

[more-than-a-princess]

Sonia gave him a brief, puzzled look. A part of him she had yet to discover, and a journey she was ready for even if it could be a difficult path to walk. She guessed it had to do with his past and the various degrees of illegality that he'd found himself in, but she hadn't brought it upon herself to ask him about it. Before he'd left, it seemed too personal to ask of a friend. Now, it seemed too much, in light of how intense her life was now that he was thrust into it properly. And that was only meeting the most agreeable members of the clan, family and staff.

She watched his hand prod her chest, the center of her forehead, before dipping lower and giving her a reason to chuckle, softly blushing. "I will not forget, especially with such an explanation," She replied sincerely, just as she pressed her thighs together a bit tighter: if he was going to tease her, she was capable of doing the same back to him, particularly if he'd dared to emphasize his point by putting his hands on her legs.

Or maybe the tease was the litany of options they had that avoided royal responsibilities or letting anyone else in the family know not only of Wylan's existence and return, but that he had no intentions of going anywhere. It was putting off the inevitable, sure, but Sonia saw value in it. Most importantly just being with Wylan, particularly when neither of them were emotionally volatile, exhausted, or otherwise occupied with each other's lips and-

He interjected his approval of the shower at just the right time, or the wrong one, considering where her trail of thoughts had gone. "Well, I will not apologize for you having to deal with me," She told him, though she smiled, hardly put out by his criticism at all. The breaking into the hotel and her family, however, were different: since his earlier departure, her security had only increased, giving him a challenge she had a feeling he'd eagerly accept. Her family was another story, and one she was less inclined to look into at the moment. "And keep in mind that if you pass out in the shower, you'll become even more acquainted with my family and staff: I am not sure I can keep you upright on my own, though I'd try!"

She too hopped off the bed, and in turn had, with surprising emotional ease, begun to shed her own layers of clothing. An unbuttoned cardigan was draped over the back of a chair, shoes were unbuckled and set inside the walk-in closet, and then Sonia reached for the side zipper of her skirt as she watched him marvel at the size of the bathroom. "Something you will have to become accustomed to, I'm afraid," She explained, smirking as she worked the zipper down and slid the wool over her hips and legs. Stepping out of it, she folded it over her arm. "The master bath in my townhome was renovated before I moved in, and I was granted input in the design upgrades. It's not as old as Novoselic Castle, so it was easier to modernize."

Upgraded everything, Sonia thought while she indulged in her own shower, was something he'd have to get used to. Whenever she could, she tried to imagine every situation in someone else's shoes in order to gain a more rounded perspective of the world, but she couldn't imagine how difficult it all would be for him. The change in circumstances, responsibility, family. And, she realized as she rinsed the vanilla-scented conditioner out of her hair, there was his family to think of too. He didn't have parents, but he had a sibling: once word got out, her life would be affected too.

It was best, she knew, if she extended her friendship first, or even just being acquaintances. Greetings and preemptive apologies for whatever the press might dig up, or her family, or both.

The heavy sigh she exhaled when she stepped out of the shower was both in comfort and irritation, from the shower and how much she'd have to attempt to meticulously introduce everyone with the least possible strife, respectively. Considering her cousins already wanted to murder him upon meeting him (though had been, thankfully, convinced not to), the track record was not strong. Wrapping herself in a white fluffy bathrobe, Sonia caught sight of her reflection in one of the bathroom mirrors and, for the first time, felt a twinge of self-consciousness. He'd seen her naked and thoroughly ravished, but not quite so bare: bare faced, sopping wet hair, and her skin still pink from the hot water. Breaking and entering her Tokyo condo had been the norm for him but there had been some lines that hadn't been crossed: her bathroom, for example.

Reaching for a towel, she began to rub it over her hair as she exited the bathroom. In the interim, staff had managed to take away her dirty clothes for cleaning, set out a new outfit for her, and had rummaged through Wylan's hotel room and brought over his luggage as well.

"I feel somewhat human again," She announced with a smile, taking a seat the chair at the vanity table where her skin, hair, and makeup products had been neatly organized for her. "Do you feel better afterwards too? It's the simplest things sometimes that feel the best." She felt less tired, at least: but without something caffeinated, it wouldn't last.

"Mundane..." The word, meant to imply a dull or forgettable example, rings more like a fairy tale to the assassin. Of course now his mind would drift back to that night in the Nevada desert. When the steel weighed his hand down and the kick from that first pull of the trigger would hit him harder than he ever could have imagined. Mundane. "I guess." His response to nothing in particular, thrown into the void, does carry some of the unconvicted left in his mind. "Even before... everything. I don't think mundane was meant for me. I'm up for too many challenges. Have always been up for them. Only now I'm... I approach it differently than I used to. More of a competitor and less a schoolyard bully. Y'know?"

Maybe maybe not.

"I just wanted you to know. To remember. What truly brought me back were these." Wylan leans over, poking one finger into the center of her chest, and another to her forehead, playfully. "And not these." Well, suffice to guess where to fingers would teasingly prod afterward to punctuate the second wind of his antics. He'd never be able to dump out all his hesitance and trauma in one go. It was bound to shut back up eventually.

Good grief, hearing Sonia list options off it almost felt as though his prior statement was reforming itself in real time in his mind. 'I don't know what I'm in the mood for' turning to 'Not in the mood for that'. But it's not something he shows dramatically in his features. Those remain relatively placid- falling onto his back once again, eyes lazily trailing manifested patterns and shapes along the ceiling. Others would be admiring the architecture- Wylan wonders if he could be content to simply get lost in all that crown molding and decorative pizazz. A far cry from the blank off whites from the motel that was left behind.

Something else to get used to.

"Oh. Oh no, I'm abso-fuckin-lutely taking a shower. With or without you." The smirk continues growing- and perhaps it may even be a little more genuine- even if this was cobbling fragments of the mask he'd dropped after alighting upon the bed. "I've been dealt three layers of sweat to clear off. Dealing with breaking into this hotel- dealing with you last night- and now there's another from dealing with that." A nod towards the door that had temporarily sealed them away from the others. From reality. What he would do to keep Sonia to himself in a little pocket dimension or something. Or maybe the better solution would be to shove the entire monarchy and politics in there instead. Hm.

And with that conviction- Wylan rises from the bed with a kick of his legs. Soon tossing off the articles from his upper half and finding the room that would afford him that watery respite. "I'll figure out what I want- would like to do- after. If I don't pass out in the shower." A moment to take in the suite has him laughing. Almost as welcome as the shower itself. "Holy shit you could just put a bed in here."

He'd figure out where his towels and change of clothes were later.

[possiblycringe]

here are some New Squidbeak Splatoon headcanons + designs

more headcanons under the cut

Callie and Marie always did their agent work together, Marie covering as Callie jumped in. This meant Callie ended up getting roughed up more. Whenever she got injured, Marie would be much more distressed (and self loathing over her lack of ability to protect Callie), but she got better at hiding this reaction as she got older.

Captain 3 is autistic. She often forgets to eat until she’s in the middle of her agent work, so Callie and Marie often bring emergency snacks. The TarTar injury doesn’t leave a scar so much as it renders half her face dead. Her hero gear was modified so that it would keep ink consistently flowing through that part of her face, and it also works as her hearing aid.

Four is just a sweetheart. I don’t have much to say, but she forgave Callie much sooner then Callie forgave herself (especially after the damage the bomb rushes did to 4’s arm), and all of her scars came from her helping others. Her long tentacle in the back will wag when she’s happy.

8 really didn’t mesh with octarian society, which is a big reason why she left. She doesn’t like cramped or cold spaces. She’s ambidextrous but not by nature, and her first celebrity crush was Marie, and then Pearl. She also has a bit of low self esteem due to not being useful, and stays at NSS because it’s the only positive impact she thinks she can have on others lives (though she stops in order to pursue a career in writing later).

neo 3 was once a normal inkling, until he came into contact with some fuzzy ooze after running from a small salmonoid. The salmonoid ate the ooze before it fully transformed him but he lost his identity. He’s been living in the wilderness with little buddy and a school of salmonoid for a few years since, then he met cuttlefish, and unlike 8 doesn’t really care about his past. He’s just a little feral. His upgraded hero suit also comes with a fancier prosthetic leg.

no I have no agent names sorry

[superectojazzmage]

Thinking about doing a BioShock replay so getting this old essay/observation thing I had in my drafts for awhile and actually making it, but something I’ve kinda realized is that the reason (or maybe just one reason) that BioShock Infinite isn’t as fantastic and well-constructed compared to the iconic original (or even 2) and has had people souring on it a lot in the years after it’s release is that it forgets the real core that BioShock was built around.

Namely that what BioShock is really about is video games themselves as a medium. BioShock is a story about video gaming, a meta exploration of video games and their gameplay, narratives, and developments. The world of Rapture is carefully constructed entirely around this idea.

Rapture is a small, isolated, contained location where people are free to do whatever they want within the confines of the “system”, just like the world of any video game. A playground where people can be whatever they want to be and do whatever they want to do without fear of consequences, even things that would be regarded as evil in a normal world.

Things like plasmids and vita-chambers and Adam and Eve are all video game mechanics taken to their logical conclusion — upgrades/spells you have to genetically modify yourself into a monster to use, checkpoints that literally stitch your mutilated body back together when you come close to death so you can keep “playing”, experience points that are an actual physical substance you need to acquire to become stronger, power-ups and health pickups that are literally just addictive drugs in hypodermic needles.

And, of course, the famous “would you kindly” twist and everything involving Atlas/Fontaine and the way you can do things/use items that all the NPCs and enemies can’t is all one big warp on the idea of player characters and how players behave in video games. Your character is basically a human robot, a living weapon bred and altered and programmed from birth to be able to be like that.

You can use checkpoints and do all these freakish upgrades to your body because you’re built to be able to. You do everything the objective marker/weirdo over the radio tells you to is because that’s what you usually do in video games you’re programmed to do it, and it’s engrained so thoroughly in you that even after the spell is ostensibly broken, you just instinctively default to following a different voice’s orders. And the splicers, those dumb enemies you’re fighting? Previous players of the “game” who got in too deep and now stalk the maps, killing everything in sight and obsessively hunting for more experience points and unlockables.

The characters of Rapture, the people who built it, are twisted parodies of game developers. A controlling, hypocritical, and narcissistic auteur director, Andrew Ryan, who doesn’t believe in anything except himself and his “vision”. The pretentious prima-donna artists and writers like Sander Cohen who pour their neuroses into the work and on their coworkers. Character designers represented with a crazed surgeon, Steinman, who views people like paintings. An environmental designer, Langford, so obsessed with getting every detail right and perfecting the trees that she doesn’t notice or care about the office around her burning. Uncaring, abusive managers and producers like Suchong who don’t care what they have to do to get the project done. Cutthroat meddling executives like Fontaine who slip into the artistic world and play it for their own ends. And all around them, hapless programmers and play-testers and interns responsible for the actual nuts and bolts that make the game function suffering under the crunch or being discarded at a moment’s notice when they’re “outmoded” or try to unionize.

The central point of BioShock at its core, is to deconstruct and examine the nature of the medium and genres of video games. It is an exploration of what a world would have to be in order to function like a video game world does, it’s setting carefully constructed around this idea, and the answer is… a horror story. It’s a tale that can only really be told as a video game, because it is so inextricably linked to that medium of storytelling.

Infinite doesn’t have ANY of that.

There’s no consideration for the artform and construction of video games, no commentary on gaming culture and ideas. The worldbuilding has no central theme beyond whatever theme was in Ken Levine’ head at the moment, hence why the game cycles through God knows how many ideas without doing justice to any of them and has a completely nonsensical setting and overall plot that looks superficially smart but falls apart at a moment’s examination. The characters don’t map to anything. The gameplay doesn’t map to anything, and in fact is usually completely incongruous with the setting and story. The only thing that maybe could be seen as a twist on the gaming medium is the multiverse plot point/lighthouse scene possibly reflecting on the idea of sequels, but even then it’s so half-formed that I can’t even really discern what point they’re trying to make.

You mindlessly slaughter thousands of people to get to the next cutscene where your characters suddenly become actual thinking humans again and start responding to death realistically. You down drinkable plasmids that are barely even tangentially acknowledged by the narrative.

Compare how intensely interwoven things like plasmids and vita-chambers are with the story and worldbuilding of OG BioShock with how vestigial and barely acknowledged similar things are in Infinite. Compare the complexity and nuance of OG BioShock’s setting and characters with the cartoonish stereotypes and simplicity of Infinite’s entire cast except maybe Booker and Elizabeth themselves. Infinite can barely pick a single thesis to discuss, let alone grapple with its nature as a video game. If BioShock 1 and 2 are a story that could only be told in video game form, Infinite is like a book or movie shaped peg that Ken Levine is smashing into a video game hole.

I don’t know where I’m going with this other then making this observation but yeah. I am curious if Levine will have learned the lesson with his upcoming not-BioShock game Judas, or if it’s going to be the same pretentious bundle of incoherently jammed together ideas that Infinite was.

[kaiyeti]

Hey quick before I start this You're ask got cut off when you were bringing something up with Penny in Volume 7 so if you want to continue what you were saying, just reblog that ask with the rest of it. Thank you on with the converation.

When? He gave Penny upgrades that allow her to fly. That's not working with less recourses. That Penny 2.0, aka fuck around and find out badass.

As I pointed out to anon many time, Penny was turned Human, getting rid of the core, The one thing that allowed her to come back. Once she became flesh and blood and her robot body disappeared her semi immortality went with it.

When it comes to Cinder Apparently. Looks Team rwby isn't weak they have kicked a lot of ass but they have a surprising amount of loses when it comes to fighting the main villains or people that can fight, Not always but enough that I have to say "yo the plot armor is for the main characters not their badguys." Explain Before Neo joined in it was four on one and it was even which is shouldn't be since Ruby has an instant win power on Cinder. Even taken by surprise that should not of happened. Also lets look at the people that beat Cinder, A maiden that is also a combat robot, a maiden that is decades older trained killer not just huntress but actually killer, and a Winter lose to Cinder so badly she was wearing braces to help her move so she could get back into action. Cutting off a regenerating grimm arm is not a win. As for the staff, I was pointing out that couldn't beat Cinder, so what chance do they have against Salem because she is the one with the staff and it took a tank that can't feel pain to hold her to nuke her to take her down for a few hours. You are honestly thinking Team RWBY has a chance again Salem in a fight as they are? They don't.

And yet with all the maidens we have seen who have the powers, None of them are talking to the past maiden or hearing their voices in their heads, And I am talking about having the power not transferring the power because as I pointed out before Penny disappeared as Winter was getting the powers. I truly believe is was a design choice because it was the first time we got to see the transfer naturally and when both were awake. Hence why the transfer was a different color when Penny was giving the powers to Winter. Basically it was the powers moving from Penny to Winter allowing her soul to move to the after life.

First off, Light Punished Salem because after he told her no she tricked his brother and then attacked them both after he explained the situation to Darkness. Why do so many people keep forgetting that part and that the brothers are trying to a balance that works for the world THEY MADE. Like, Penny is the exception to the rule because Pietro made her by giving up parts of himself. She is a loophole. Yes its different from the ever after but in the ever after You only die if you are eaten by the jabberwalker or killed when you aren't an afterain. How the Ever after works and how remnant works are two completely different ecosystems! You don't see Pyrrha coming back with a new body and purpose do you? NO! In Remnant you die you normally stay dead or you either fuse with someone else or someone has to scarify parts of themselves! When Penny came back, Pietro gave more of himself and is more ill because of it, aka he paid a price. Ruby wasn't dead yet when she drank the tea and was absorbed by the Tree, yes she then died but her soul was following ever after rules and not Remnant rules and may have died if not choice to continue to be herself. Remember two different universes two different rules. Salem's immortallity is a punishment that as the brothers said will be lifted when she learns the value or life and death. And Ozpin's immortally is a loophole before he is sharing a body with one just like him until the fuse and become one because if you think about it Oz isn't the same person when he was Ozma. Light isn't wrong here because No one is brought back without a price being paid for it. So If the brother brought back Ozma you realize that would be everyone would come to them asking for someone to be brought back which is a bad thing for remnant.

Huh... I swear the first two sound like Yang and someone else. But hey I'll admit I got that one wrong.

No, as she glows her body disappears while Winter is still visible.

The only difference would be Ruby and Penny would be awake and holding Penny's corpse. I don't know what you want me to say here, Its the same with Fyra. Oh wait you mean Why would it be possible for Penny to come back if Ruby became the maiden. Because I am turning about when they were at Schnee manor, when Penny was suffering from the virus and was still a robot. If she died then there is a chance of bringing Penny back by Pietro giving more of his aura/ the rest of his aura to Penny's core bringing her back. This is a what if situation. sorry for the confusion.

The brothers mother also couldn't bring Alyx back to life and going off Ever After rules of life and death. Even she admits that she has no say what happens in remnant. Other wise this story would be ending a lot different.

Yeah, the swords are still there, and for whatever reason they return to Ever After I hope they find one and bring it back with them so there is a chance of Penny to come back. But if they are going back to the Ever After just to bring Penny back when Salem is destroying the world and killing everyone I am going to be questioning their priorities because stopping Salem is more important than bring Penny back.

Remember There is a main story line of RWBY and bring Penny Back is a side quest.

2. Amd you don't think he took the body to Amity because...

3. If it was magic, then when Pennt aura go? When Fyra pass the power you can see her aura and it the same color, somthing has going on there when Penny pass the power

4. Never sais it has to be Pietro aura to make Penny, they have diffrente personalities dispits having the same aura

6. The heroes can't get the staff back?

7. We didn't saw it and even if, in the SAME episode we saw that Penny aura is green when Cinder try to take her power, and it was change to gold because there is somthing that we don't see

8. Why wouldn't they? Did you forgot that one of the motive of the show is "Fight for every life" if there is a chance to bring Penny back the heroes will do it!

9. Nope! It was just Penny, every scream was in differente tone, we litteraly got the script that showed us she heard only Penny

10. No, there wasn't a portal next to them and how is that importent to what I said?

11. And so is the Ever After, but the rules there is different

1 and 5 didn't need an answer

I give a reason to why the human body doesn't matter as Penny can come back from that, or how she can die permently in the show

I'll admit that I didn't like for a second that Jaune killed Penny and it defently felt like the writers are just trying to shove him into the story, but looking back, giving Penny tells him there is somthing he can do (with empesis on him), telling him trust her on somthing (which eventually followed by silence in which we didn't hear what she tell him after the "trust me"), and the fact that it was HIS aura that we see when she transfer the power (and reminde you his power is Aura Boosting) she defently did somthing with his aura and the maiden power

So either she's inside of Winter which will be find in V10 or she's in the sword, or she's inside or Ruby (the voice in the head and the fact that Ruby was drawn to Penny sword despite in being hidden amd Ruby saying that she don't know why) or (and yes for now it look debunk) she was turn into Little/Somewhat (that one is less likely now but giving that the heroes are returning to the ever after it might be true)

There are a lot of ways for Penny to returne because her death amd everything after is revolve around magic, magic that even Ozpin doesn't know a lot about

Last one before I turn off anonymous because you need to just continue through reblog.

YES! They are literal fugitives at this point! HE WOULDN'T HAVE TIME TO GRAB A SEPARE BODY! IF ONE EVEN WAS AROUND! YOU KNOW VOLUME 8 WAS THREE DAYS WITH THEM AS CRIMALS IN ATLAS AND MANTLE FILLED WITH GRIMM! THERE WAS NO FUCKING TIME FOR HIM TO GRAB ANYTHING!

TO THE FUCKING AFTERLIFE! SHE DIED!

AND WITHOUT PENNY'S CORE IT WON'T BE PENNY

Just realized caplock was still on. Anyway, They can't even beat Cinder. Do you really think that can go through an army of grimm and snatch the staff from Salem who is most likely either keeping it with her at all times or putting in a vault after what happened with the lamp? Salem would killed three of them and turn Ruby into the next hound. THINK ANON! THINK!

Because when Cinder takes Powers from someone She is taking your literal soul that gets destroyed by the grimm and fills out the maiden powers. SHE IS DOING WHAT THE ATM DOES!

AND DID YOU LEARN NOTHING FROM SALEM'S BACKSTORY!? Plus, They are fighting for evey life trying to stop Salem. There is a war going on and the bad guys are fucking winning. Trying to bring back one person that is already dead is counterproductive!

You are wrong.

Did you not see the dozens of portals surrounding them in the background? The portal right behind Winter as she floated up in the air? Clearly you aren't watching the show or paying attention.

THE BLACKSMITH/TREE HAS SAID THEMSELVES THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING TO ANYONE THAT ISN'T ABSORD BY THE TREE BEFORE DEATH! PENNY WAS ALREADY DEAD!

It does matter because even reason you have given is either stretching way out of possibilities of common sense or going into fan fic territory.

That we agree on with Jaune but You you really think Penny wasn't talking about killing her so Winter the better fighter than Cinder would get the powers and wipe the floor with the grimm armed bitch!. The girl didn't know hugs were warm until she was human! Penny know tech not aura or magic! All she knows about the Maiden powers is what we know. This is literally the scene two episodes before it where she tells Ruby to kill her so she can make Ruby the New winter maiden, WHICH ACTUALLY WOULD HAVE BEEN PERFECT BECAUSE THEN WE COULD OF HAD PENNY COME BACK TO LIFE!

No She is not in WInter because you literally see her disappear when the powers are transferred. Possibly the sword, yes. Ruby is suffering from PTSD at this point and getting ready to break down as she saw her kill herself, so no. I did see the little/somewhat theory and thought "seriously? what the fuck?"

You have to face it. They killed Penny in a way that she is not coming back unless divine intervention happens and we all know the brothers and their mother feel about bringing back the dead, boys don't like it and mother has the 5 second on the floor rule and its been five years.

Edit: ALso why do you think Oz, the man from the time of magic and created the maiden powers and vaults doesn't know how magic works? Because I think you are confusing him not knowing if the atm will work with that as I have pointed out multiple times.

[6rookie-writer0110]

The Magician & The Lovers

Chase Stein x Male Reader Stark

Request - I want to know if you can do a Chase Stein from Marvel runaway x Stark male reader while Chase and his friends are running away from their parents and while that they bump into the male reader who is the son of Tony Stark the reader knowing who they are he decides to help down and bring them back to the Avengers Tower.

Chase is in his bedroom, he rapidly packs the items he will need. He runs out of his house and his parents start to chase him. He is running fast and he meets up with his friends. Alex is driving the van and he stopped and Nico opened the door, Chase jumped in the van and Alex starts to drive fast. Chase is breathing hard

“We need to lay low for a while,” Karolina said.

“They would be tracking us. We need to ditch the van” Nico said.

“Where I do keep driving to?” Alex asked.

“Just keep driving,” Chase said.

Their parents use their gadgets to track down their kids. Chase and his friends ditched the van in a different city. They are lost and they start to walk.

“How are we going to lay low if we don't know where we are,” Gertrude said.

“We would think of something,” Chase said.

They keep walking, they are completely lost. They are just walking anywhere then Nico bumped into you hard, you and Nico fell. They help you and Nico stand up

“Y/N!” Chase said very loud.

They hugged you and you do hug them, kinda.

“What are you guys doing around here?” You asked.

“What are you doing around here?” Chase asked.

“I was helping friends of my dad,” You said.

“Y/N, we need your help right now. We need to lay low but we would tell you everything” Gertrude said.

“Can you help us?” Alex asked.

“Y/N are you ready to go?” Happy asked.

You introduced your friends to Happy.

“Yeah, come with me,” You said.

Everyone gets in the limo and Happy drives you and your friends home. They tell you that their parents are villains, they need to lay low.

“All of you can stay with me,” You said.

“Y/N, thank you for helping us,” Alex said.

“That’s what friends are for,” You said.

---

At the Avengers Tower...

“Your dad won't mind?” Alex asked.

“He will be okay with it. Right now, he is with the team on another earth which is Earth 218” You said.

Everyone looked at you confused.

“Wait, there is only one earth,” Karolina said.

“Nope. Actually, there are different earths and some people call it the multiverse. Come I will show you” You said.

They follow to your lab, you used the hologram to explain the multiverse. Everyone is in shock and they had no idea about it.

“Wow that is so cool,” Chase said.

“Follow me, I will show you to your bedrooms,” You said.

“Y/N, do you really live with The Avengers?” Gertrude asked.

“They sometimes stay with me and my dad and Pepper,” You said.

You showed them to the guest bedrooms. Next, you gave them a tour of the tower and they are impressed.

✯ ✬ ✯ ✫

It's been a couple of days that Chase and his friends are staying with you. They are still trying to figure out what to do about their parents. They know they don't want to be like them.

Chase has been spending more time with you. He would spend time with you in the lab or in your bedroom. His friends can see Chase has a crush on you.

“Y/n what are you doing?” Chase asked.

You take off your goggles.

“I am upgrading Black Widow’s gadgets and weapons,” You said.

“You met the Black Widow? She lives here?” Chase asked.

“Sometimes she stays here but she has her place. I mostly help others fixing their weapons and gadgets or improve their suits” You said.

“Do you need any help?” Chase asked.

He is hoping that you will say yes, he just wants to be around you.

“Yeah sure. The electric bracelet worked then it stopped, it only lasted about six seconds” You said.

“Let me see what I can do,” Chase said.

You and Chase stay in the lab all day working on gadgets. You would have pizza with him for dinner. The conversation changes to different topics, but Chase is enjoying it. He hasn't stopped smiling and he starts to like your smile.

----

The next day...

You have been working all morning to improve Bucky’s new metal arm. You still haven't worked on the design or decided on the color. Chase walks into the lab with lunch and you smiled at him.

“I noticed you didn't come upstairs for lunch” Chase said.

“Thanks. I am starving” You said.

“I made you a sandwich and toasted the bread but not too much. Oh, and I got your favorite drink” Chase said.

He smiled and he sat next to you. You start to eat your sandwich and you smiled at him.

“So... Umm, I saw Peter come in earlier... Is he your boyfriend?” Chase asked.

“No, he isn't my boyfriend. He just came to pick up the new suit I had to make for him. I broke up with my boyfriend Percy about four months ago” You said.

“I’m single too and looking,” Chase said.

“You would find someone,” You said.

“You too, Y/N,” Chase said.

✯ ✬ ✯ ✫

Chase wakes up and walks to the kitchen to get something to drink. He starts to yawn and he looks at the time and it's 3:45 AM and he heard a noise from the lab. He goes to the lab and you are still working.

“Y/N it's 3 in the morning. Come to bed, you need to sleep” Chase said.

You stopped for a moment.

“Wow I didn't even notice it's 3 in the morning,” You said.

“Let's go to bed. You need to rest” Chase said.

“Fine,” You said.

You stand up and he grabbed your hand. Chase take you to your bedroom, he helped you pick out your pajamas. He didn't look and he let you change in private. You start to yawn and flopped on the bed.

“Aren’t you happy that I pulled you out of the lab?” Chase said.

“Okay, I would admit I am tired. You can stay here with me if you want” You said.

“Yeah,” Chase said.

You and Chase get comfortable in bed.

“Y/N, I really like you a lot. I want to be more than friends and sometimes I think of kissing you. I like spending time with you and you don't see him as a dumb jock” Chase said.

You are feeling speechless and your eyes opened wide. Chase can feel his heart beating faster and he is waiting for your answer.

You and Chase are lying next to each other and your hand is against his hand. You gently put your hand on top of his hand.

“Chase, I feel the same way. I do want to be more than friends and yeah sometimes I think of kissing you” You said.

He smiled and you smiled too. Now Chase and you are facing each other, he leans in and you feel his lips against yours.

----

The Next Morning...

Tony comes home and he is very tired. He does know about Chase and his friend staying because you sent him an email. He goes towards your bedroom, he sees you and Chase sleeping. You have your head on Chase’s chest and his arm is around you.

Much later during the day...

“Hey dad,” You said.

He does hug you and you smiled at him.

“Son, we need to talk,” Tony said.

“Talk about what?” You asked.

“We need to have the talk” Tony said.

“Oh, dad. Do we have to? I know about safe sex. Why are we having this talk?” You said.

“I want you to be happy. But also I want you to think smart” Tony said.

“Dad, I know about condoms and other stuff. I had sex health class in high school” You said.

“Good, because I didn't know what tips to give you except for don't forget to wear a condom,” Tony said.

“Dad, please stop,” You said.

“Okay, I will stop,” Tony said and he smiled.

Later, you told your father about dating Chase.

[youngbugandtonystank]

You missed the point people were trying to make about tony not supporting the other avengers... peter, who is also an avenger has advanced tech and financial support from tony and he left the rest of the avengers with nothing. Its selfish and stupid because sam, wanda and bucky deserved better from stark. He ruined their lives and even dead he's being an asshole to them dykwim

You and I definitely saw different movies lmaooooo also can’t believe I had to go to the urban dictionary to know what ‘dykwim’ means.

So first, all of you are mad because Tony is throwing advanced technology at Peter to protect him. For years, I’ve been reading the same old crap ‘OMG, I want this Spider-Man as far away as possible from Tony because he’s giving him money and tech!’ and now, conveniently, it’s ‘OMG, look at Peter, he got to enjoy Tony’s tech/money and my fav character needs to have some of that same money I criticized before just because!’

And you need to watch the movies for real, stop reading summaries online, and following whatever DarkLordSpidey1 from Twitter says. He basically worked for these people:  

Redwing (upgraded by Tony Stark and previously named Stark Drone). He also got another upgraded one after those 5 years; ‘Well, you know, those poor techs can't keep up with a billion returning IP addresses and your sick-ass Stark-level tech’. He also made an advanced and technological version of the EXO-7 Falcon for Sam with a freaking weapons system.

The super high-tech Quinjet the rogue Avengers were navigating in while being war criminals belongs to Tony as well. 

The Hulkbuster was specifically made to help Bruce Banner.

The Black Widow's bite was upgraded and given to Natasha by Tony too. Tony also made Black Widow's batons, as well as the stingers.

 Upgraded Cap’s shield and involved magnetics to keep it on his wrist and back. Let’s not forget he upgraded this shield three times for him. He also protected Steve with three different uniforms and added features that made it better for him, each more durable than his previous ones, being capable of withstanding repulsor blasts and more.

He designed a new bow for Clint, added an infrared and sonic-sighting device onto it. The next version that Tony made for him after that one had the capability to transform into a bo staff which could be used for melee combat. He also received an upgrade in 2023. Basically upgraded all of hawkeye's bow and quiver weapons.

Made two uniforms for Wanda to protect her in battle, gave her a home, and supported her for 2 years until she decided to become a war criminal. She freaking calls The Avengers Facility: HOME ‘The Avengers compound. It was the first home Vision and I ever shared’. Same as Steve, he refers to the compound as home in IW. Tony gave them all of that.

While all of them were gone, Tony was working on a prototype for Cap's new shield and continued to work for them. He even kept their stuff safe for them. And for all the crap you give Peter, take into consideration that Thor's magic belt along with the team's equipment was about to be stolen in HOCO, some of you better be thanking that kid lmaoooooo

Who do you think supported the Avengers financially for years? Nick Fury? HAHAHA! Fury is up in space having a vacation while Wanda was holding a few John Does hostage. He gave them a home for years, imagine unemployed adults capable of fighting aliens and terrorists being supported by just one person. And the place where they lived was not a tiny room with some old ass furniture. It’s a whole Ikea luxury compound; a hundred acres with a lap pool and a screening room with the most advanced tech and accommodations possible. 

Also weren’t yall calling the compound where they comfortably lived for years a ‘prison’ when Civil War came out and you were talking about how ‘oppressed’ Wanda felt over there? I still remember yall saying the Rogues didn’t need Tony’s help after CW and they were better off with T’Challa because he's richer and lives in a kingdom? Even T’Challa dropped their asses and let them live in crappy hotels for 2 years. And now you want Tony to throw money at them? THE TRANSPARENCY LMAO

Just admit you didn’t watch the movies and move on.

And this? What the hell is this?

He ruined their lives and even dead he's being an asshole to them

Tony barely knew Sam and I think I already explained why is ridiculous to blame Tony for that bomb. Also, I would argue that Wanda herself ruined her own life with her decisions, which is 100% canon. If you want to argue more, here are some posts (I don’t feel like explaining myself all over again):

x, x, x, x, x.

How exactly Tony ruined Bucky’s life? By having him kill his own parents? Is that it? LMAOOOOOOOO Tony had nothing to do with Bucky’s life, they were never friends. They barely knew each other. 

yall really want Tony Stark to be everyone’s sugar daddy.

[mememan93]

Hey! I’m in a hug sksw mood lately, any spare headcanons or anything? Sorry to bug you lol

don't apologize!!!!!!! I love getting asks!! (i'm gonna mix headcannons and theories here)

- So after the events of Sksw, Link and zelda really like music and instruments, link tries to build new ones, zelda learns as many as possible

-one of the things link builds becomes the spirit flute from spirit tracks, and another the ocarina of time (since its hinted at in hyrule historia that it might be made of timeshift stones)

- If link tried, he'd be a good blacksmith, since he's got a good attention to detail with his woodcarvings

-i've mentioned this in another post, but that was a long time ago, so the scattershot? Gondo upgrades the catapult part, but link carves the new base to look like his loftwing

-speaking of the loftwing, link has separation anxiety

- when told to go to therapy, Ghirahim just gets a therapy dog, the people who want him to see someone arent happy abt it, but they can't hate the dog

-(theory) the old one in the beginning of the game says that zelda got to the surface wrong, meaning Hylia's original plan was for Link, Zelda, and Fi to explore together as friends

-(theory) SPEAKING of hylia's plan, i see a lot of stuff on youtube from zelda theorists about the time paradox in sksw, heres my take: Hylias plan is what happened in the past, nothing else until you alter it. like the fruit of life, it would be pretty dumb for hylia to plan for the dragon to almost die, right? hence why its not there at the beginning of the game

- (headcannon) the gerudo exist in sksw and ride those big snail-crab dudes in lanayru (the electric ones that roll at u)

-so when the statue of the goddess falls to the ground, there is still the secret area of remlits that fall with it, introducing remits to the surface. the bird population drops dramatically (THEY ARE F L Y I N G CATS)

-(Idea if they ever made zeldas story playable) how about mental dungeons??? like to unlock her powers, she goes through both the ones in sws, but also some mental ones to recover memories of hylia, also alongside impa, Hylia is the guide character in that game. (i know this contradicts my hylia is dead headcannon but hey game design man)

-Along with a sword, I think Zelda would use crossbows and lances, they have to teach other weapons besides swords in the academy, right?

-Karane's favorite species on the surface is the kiwkis, pipit's is the Parellas, Groose likes the tiny birds, Cawlin likes the mogmas, Stritch. well. yeah, and fledge likes the robots

-(ghirahim lives au) Ghirahim hates Yuga. he just does. his favorite of the following zelda villains is vaati, with zant not too far behind

-nobody tells zelda or ghirahim about the lumpy pumpkin chandelier. Pumm gives link the stink eye and they are just bewildered

-in lorule skyward sword, skyloft is an underground city, big moles replace loftwings, the surface is still called the surface, now with a different meaning.

-I like the ghirahim is lorules master sword theory because its funny and cool, but it would be like 100x funnier if ghirahim was just teleporting between lorule and hyrule during sws cause sws ravio was calling on him

EDIT: how could I forget!

-Ghirahim just keeps showing up and people get tired of telling him to leave so he just hangs out

[ohmygoodnessgraciouss]

Reality Check - Chapter 2

Oh my Odin!  I can not thank you all enough for the love you gave Reality Check’s first chapter.  Each and every comment has brought a smile to my face.  Thank you so much.  Seriously.  And I can’t wait for you all to see where this goes.  We’re only going up from here on out, so buckle up. 

Summary: Y/N and Wanda were very close after returning in 2023.  The two bonded over the loss of their partners.  It wasn’t enough to keep Wanda grounded after she found Vision’s body though, and Wanda wants the best for her friend.  Unfortunately for Y/N, this means she’s going to be thrown into a reality she wasn’t expecting.

Taglist (Let me know if you want to be a part of it!): @dpaccione

Missed the first part?  Read it here! 

Running through the eternal palace halls to hide from the God of Mischief seemed like an impossible task.  You had to find a hiding spot soon.  Unfortunately, the halls were open wide.  The golden pillars were large, and wider than three men, so maybe you had a chance behind them.  You could give it a try since you had nothing to lose.  

With the book gripped tightly in your hands you ran behind the pillar, leaning your back against it.  It wouldn’t be much longer until you could hear his footsteps approaching.  As long as you run around the pillar at the right time you should be able to escape him.  

His footsteps came rushing towards you and then stopped suddenly.  You held in a breath, fearful that he could hear even the slightest noise right now.  If there’s one thing you could remember at the palace halls, it’s that a pin dropping could echo through them.  You tried it once.  

You started to look to the left, taking a glance around the pillar.  You didn’t even hear him approaching you from behind.  His hands quickly stole the book from your hands as you jumped, turning around faster than lightning to look at him.  He was smirking at you.  “If you’re going to steal my book, at least don’t get caught walking out the door.” 

“Well maybe I wanted to get caught.  If I hadn’t, perhaps you would never come out of that library.”  You huffed, causing him to laugh.  

“Oh come now, I’ve only been in there for a few days.  It hasn’t been that long at all.” 

“Only a few days?  Loki, you’ve been in there for a week.  There are three hundred thousand books in that library and I guarantee if anyone has read every single one, it’s you.  What are you doing in there?” 

“Reading, isn’t it obvious?” You rolled your eyes at the response.  

“Why are you shutting everyone out and simply reading all day every day?” 

He hesitated before answering you.  You knew him well enough by now, after several decades together being each other’s confidant.  “It’s nothing.” 

“If it were nothing you wouldn’t seem so determined to return to that library as soon as possible.  Is it about the coronation?”

“In a way, yes.” He couldn’t lie about the situation to you.  If anyone deserved to know the truth it would have been you.  “Don’t worry about it, love.  There’s nothing that can be done about it now anyway.”  He said it almost as if he was trying to convince himself that it had no effect either.  

“Do you promise there’s nothing on your mind?” 

“I promise.” 

______

“Are you sure you’re alright, Loki?  I’m worried you’re going to make your fingers bleed at this rate,” You said, watching him practice a song on the guitar for the hundredth time in a row.  

“I’m 100% sure that I will be fine once I’m able to perfect this song.” You raised an eyebrow at his statement as he tried to restart the song again, this time ending up with a broken string.  The canned laughter you heard in the back of your head was (for once) hidden by your own stifled laughter.  Loki glared playfully at you. 

“This is just a talent show, you know.  You don’t have to be incredible.  The fact that you’re willing to do this at all is admirable.” You smiled.  

“If I’m going to do it I may as well be the best one in it, darling.” 

“It’s just a talent show for the children!” You exclaimed, laughing at his ability to make anything a competition.  

“And the children deserve only the best.” 

“Yes, well I doubt the children will care if you mess up a single note.  Your wife, however, will care if you manage to hurt yourself by the end of this.” You walked up to him, slowly taking the guitar out of his hands.  “How about this?  I’ll go down to the store to pick up some new guitar strings for you while you focus on… Anything else.” 

He pretended to contemplate it momentarily while you grew impatient.  “Well considering I can’t exactly play with a missing string I suppose this will have to do.” 

“Alright, Hank Williams, go work on the car or something.  I’ll be back before you know it.” You kissed his cheek and walked out of the house.  You spun around quickly to see Loki smiling softly at you as you closed the door.  Despite the fluttery feeling you had in your chest by his reaction, a sense of dread was quickly replacing it.  

You began to walk across your lawn, taking a glance at the neighborhood.  It seemed slightly different than yesterday.  Newer cars?  New designs for your homes?  You couldn’t tell exactly, but it was just enough for you to wonder.  Maybe you weren’t the most observant person in the world, but you assumed you would be able to take note of someone getting an upgrade on their house.  

As you started making your way down the street and to the store, you spotted Agnes across the street with Wanda.  It looked like the two were politely chit chatting about something before you saw Dottie walking closer to them.  You internally groaned at the idea of having to talk to Dottie.  She always seemed pompous and uptight to you.  You’ve never had to deal with her face-to-face thankfully, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t hear about her from neighbors who knew her.  

You decided to walk past them, waving to both Wanda and Agnes.  Agnes smiled brightly towards you and it almost froze you in place.  Agnes out of everyone here frightened you the most.  She was too nice, too neighborly.  It seemed like all she ever did was try to butt in to everyone’s lives.  There was something off about the look in her eyes.  She looked at Wanda with an almost kind of sadness when she said something.  Wanda seemed to be amused by whatever she had said, so why did Agnes seem so disheartened? 

Perhaps it wasn’t your place to ask.  You had to get to the store.  Talking to Wanda and Agnes could wait.  

--

You walked into the store and were greeted by no one.  At least the world was working in your favor for that one, you didn’t have to dodge people left and right just to grab a few things.  

As you walked down the seemingly endless aisles of the store you could find a couple people every once in a while.  They seemed to be stuck though.  They would just stare at a single item as if it was the most beautiful thing they had ever seen.  It sent chills down your spine as you passed by them, not a single word being spoken.  You don’t even know who these people were.  None of them looked like they wanted to be there. 

Fortunately, there was no one in the music section of the store.  The section had countless musical instruments including guitars, flutes, and drums.  Each one was uniquely designed, with price tags on every single one of them.  When you tried to read them, you couldn’t figure out what they were saying.  The numbers were blurred and blended in with one another.  

Maybe they were removing the tags because there was a sale going on?  You looked around for any indication of that and found nothing.  Maybe water got on to the tags and the ink leaked, but there was no damage or any sign of a leak anywhere around the store.  

That’s when you noticed the bright red guitar pick on a shelf.  It was an electric red, far brighter than anything else in the room.  You walked towards it, confused by the color.  When you picked it up, it slowly lost its color.  The red that seemed to radiate off the pick faded until it was a dull grey.  

“Excuse me, miss-” 

You jumped at the sound of someone’s voice.  You turned towards the man, noticing that he was the one you bumped into only yesterday.  Once again his green eyes were what caught your attention.  He was dressed in a suit, his hair slicked back.  “Oh!  I’m so sorry, you startled me.” You laughed breathlessly.  

He smiled politely.  “No, I apologize.  I didn’t mean to frighten you.  I was just wondering if I could ask you a question or two.” 

“Of course you can!  Although I believe a proper introduction may be needed beforehand, especially after I ran into you.  I’m Y/N,” You held your hand out and smiled. 

“I’m-” He stopped himself for a moment before shaking your hand, “I’m Scott.” 

“A pleasure to meet you Scott!” You smiled.  “It’s nice to know more people around here.  Are you new here?” 

“Well, it seems like it.  I don’t really know if you could call me new to the town though.  I just know that I feel out of place here.  They all seem to cast me out before I can even have a chance to introduce myself,” He chuckled.  

“Yeah, I understand that feeling.  Right now it seems like something’s changing around here.  I can hardly keep up with it!” 

“It’s nice to know I’m not alone then,” He smiled.  

“Agreed.”  A brief moment of silence was shared before you remembered he wanted to ask something.  “So, you said you had a couple questions?” 

“Oh yes, but I would prefer if we talked about it outside.  The walls have ears around here, you know.” He said it with such a serious tone that you were almost afraid to question him.  His eyes held a level of somber that you hadn’t seen in anyone in years.  Whatever he wanted to discuss, it had to be something that you wouldn’t forget.  

“Who’s going to want to listen to our conversations?” You laughed, attempting to lighten the mood a little. 

“You may not want to know.” 

[mrs-dragneel-stark-solo]

Late to the gif challenge

super super late to your gif challenge but I've got this littbe drabble finally done for ya! @justkending I really hope you enjoy it!!!!!

Word count:976

Warnings: none

Pairing: Reader x Tony

For the last three months you’d been seen with a stack of index cards roaming the grounds of the compound going over every detail that you’d had written on there for your thesis. There was no way you’d let yourself forget anything for your degree. The others would simply watch you walk from room to room. Bruce and Steve had both offered you to practice on them which was heaven sent for you.

“Why don’t you take a small break and come train with me?” Natasha asked you as you two headed down the hall.

“I’ll do that later, Nat. You know how much this means to me,” you said as you lifted the notecards at her.

“You don’t think that I know that?” She raised an eyebrow at you. “Just don’t forget that you are also an Avenger and you need to keep up with your training so that you don’t get hurt during a mission.”

You rolled your eyes and shook your head at the way she tended to mother you. “Yes, mother dear. I’ll also remember to eat my vegetables at dinner too.” You stuck your tongue out at her.

“Eww, you make me sound like I'm way older than you.” She laughed and walked off in the other direction.

“Love you too, Nat.”

You once again went over your thesis presentation. You’d been so lost in what you were saying that you hadn’t realized that you’d ended up back at the labs. Tony had been informed by Jarvis that you had entered the area and you were once again not looking where you were going. He rushed over to make sure you didn’t trip over his latest project.

“Jarvis, clear my schedule for the rest of the day. I’ve got to get Y/N a day to relax and regenerate after all of the thesis craze.”

“Right on it, sir.”

“Humans are designed to thrive through…..” your thoughts were consumed by the thesis that you’d completely failed to see parts of Tony’s suit on the floor. You tripped and dropped your cards all over the floor. “Damn it! Tony, what did we talk about? The lab floor is not someplace to be dropping parts.”

Tony grabbed your hand and helped you pick up all your cards. “Well if you’d put those cards away and see where you're going then you wouldn’t have dropped them.”

“I can’t and everyone here knows it. I need to ace my thesis presentation,” you huffed and pulled your hair back from your eyes as you worked through organizing the notes. “Humans are designed to thrive through…”

Tony shook his head and took the cards from your hand. “You’re repeating yourself, you know that? You’re repeating yourself.” He put the cards in his back pocket and pulled you into a hug. “We all know how hard you’ve been working towards finishing your degree. You have no idea how excited and proud we are.”

You leaned into his hug and let yourself relax in his arms, to think that he’d gone to your university as a speaker and now you two were dating three years later. Life had you balancing a double life: a dual major grad student and an Avenger who also happens to be dating Iron Man himself.

You sucked in a deep breath and let yourself drown in his scent of mechanic’s oil and his signature cologne. There was something about it that just made you feel so at home, as you took your time there, Tony took his drawing circles all over your back. He stopped briefly and had begun to write something on your back. It's something that you two had done for such a long time that you smiled when you read ‘You’ll do amazing, you've got it in the bag.’

In return you wrote on his chest ‘thank you for the vote of confidence’ you turned to look up at him and planted a kiss on his stubbly chin. The hairs felt rough on your lips but you didn’t really mind it, you moved out of his arms and walked back to the table he had been at prior to your mishap. He followed you closely and started explaining what upgrades he planned on making to the newer model of the suit. He’d been working on various models for various needs. That afternoon was spent with him tinkering away and you sat on his bench practicing your speech for the final time. By the time you’d finished your speech Tony had finished for the evening and there were whistles and claps coming from behind them. You jumped at the sudden crowd and blushed furiously. The team had been told by Jarvis that you were practicing your speech for the last time in the lab. They’d all wanted to hear it and rushed over, Jarvis was told not to interrupt or to announce their presence.

A few days later you went in for your final and the whole team had managed to get Tony into the classroom without being spotted so that when you got nervous you’d see him and feel at ease. They also knew he’d be there to remind her to breathe and continue on. You’d seen him and smiled brightly, which caused your confidence to grow and finish your speech on time. The classroom erupted into shouts and cheers, they’d absolutely loved your speech, the deep research you’d done and the dedication you had to your topic. Your professor congratulated you and told you early that you’d passed as top student.

The team celebrated your success and your early graduation with a party. Now that you were done with your schooling you could focus on your career as an agent for Shield, an avenger and inventor alongside the love of your life and your family could life get any better?

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Marvel:

@reigningqueenofwords

@flowerbunbunny

@Zelda2248

@misz-adrii

Tony Stark:

@reigningqueenofwords

@misz-adrii

@starfire56