#The highlight of this year so far was seeing a jumping spider and attempting to get it to climb on me but it politely refused several times

[iwonderwh0]

Literally my entire list of recommendations on YouTube shorts (I try to avoid this place but I end up in it once in a while) consists of spiders

Someone gets sucked into alt-right radicalisation pipeline and my algorithmic radicalisation apparently peaked in how I stopped being afraid of spiders and started loving them. I now even want a spider as a pet. To be more specific, I still feel fear of big spiders, but now it's different and coexists with excitement. Since my radicalisation journey I had a chance to let several smaller-looking spiders walk on my hand (one literally fell on me from above when I was outside) and if before I'd freak me out, those times I was fairly indifferent (granted, those weren't scary-looking spiders).

I wanna hold a tarantula. I wanna let in touch my skin and feel the thrill.

[khalixascorner]

Say it Loud(er)

Summary: When Tony goes before the Senate to protest an inhumane amendment to the Superhero Accountability Act, he doesn't mean to admit he loves Spider-Man on live CSPAN. Rather than recant his statement, Tony rolls with the punches and declares them married too. Now he just has to let Peter know before the press gets their hands on him.

Tags: Accidental Marriage, Public Confessions, no literally, it's mostly fluff with a little bit of spice right at the end.

Fill for Marvel Trumps Hate 2022

Read on AO3 Here

To say that Tony was irritated to be in front of the Senate again was an understatement. It felt like they had just resolved the mess with the Accords, with the House and Senate adopting the Superhero Accountability Act instead. It got rid of all of the worst parts of the Accords and focused instead on reasonable accountability. It had taken Tony months of negotiations and over a year of lobbying to get the more reasonable law passed. 

And now he was here again, all because Ross was capitalizing on a recent high profile case where an enhanced was the main suspect. The man hadn’t even been convicted yet but apparently, the evidence was damning enough that people were fear-mongering like they had when the Hulk first appeared. Of course Ross would jump at the opportunity and try to roll back all the good that the SAA did.

This new amendment to the SAA was a humanitarian crime and Tony wasn't going to sit back and let them undo all his hard work.

“Next to speak is Tony Stark,” a voice said, and Tony sighed again.

“Alright, Fri, let’s shut this down,” Tony murmured as he moved towards the podium. 

“Knock them dead, boss,” the AI chirped in his ear. “And try not to get arrested.”

Tony smiled at that, but judging by the nervous looks around him, it wasn’t a very nice smile.

“Alright, folks, you know who I am but for those of you with dementia, I’m happy to remind you. My name is Tony Stark,” Tony said, straightening his jacket as he spoke. “Now, what you might not know is why I’m here. The amendment proposed wouldn’t affect me, as I’m not enhanced. However, it would affect someone I care a lot about. Many someones actually. So I feel it’s my responsibility to use my voice for them, as they’re unable to speak here themselves.”

Tony paused and looked around the room, Friday taking in who was paying attention and who wasn’t while also highlighting their anticipated vote. It was far too close for comfort, which was why he was here at all. 

“This latest amendment to the Superhero Accountability Act barely passes the rather low bar of being constitutional and completely falls short of being moral, just, or even needed,” Tony said firmly. “One person misused their abilities, and now Secretary Ross is attempting to use the fear caused by it to rewrite the rules for a whole group of minorities that are already at risk for discrimination. A mutation or enhancement is no different than any other tool, and like a tool, it can be used for good or evil. But that doesn’t make the tool inherently good or evil, nor the people wielding it.”

Tony stopped again, taking his time to look at all of the NRA supported senators before he continued. 

“Senators on this very floor have said as much about guns, and the precedence is clear. It would be hypocritical to say that enhanced or mutant individuals should be treated less fairly.”

“Now, see here, Stark, the level of destruction from a gun is nowhere near what a mutant can cause,” Senator Kelly objected.

“Really?” Tony asked, disbelief plain on his face and in his tone. “Did you forget the guns I used to build? The missiles? Hell, the Iron Man suit is arguably more dangerous than most mutants because it’s not limited by a physical body that can be strained or fatigued. It’s also not limited to a set number of abilities or skills. And yet, if I broke the law and were convicted, I’d only face jail time, not conscription to a ‘special unit’ in the military.”

“The raft was deemed inhumane, and rehabilitation is always the goal,” another senator blustered.

“Oh yes, we’ll be rehabilitating them by putting them in slightly less horrible cages and making them submit to physicals and who knows what other testing in the name of ‘quantifying their abilities to make best use of them’ all with limited oversight, after which, they’ll be thrown on the front line to die before they can complain about the situation,” Tony all but spat. “You would not, and frankly could not, do that to Iron Man, so why would you think you could do it to Spider Man? Why is Spider Man less deserving of being treated like a person even if he were to fuck up than Iron Man? Or a non-Avenger like Daredevil? You are trying to draw a line in the sand using only your fear as reasoning.”

“Mr. Stark, you would ask us to let our constituents live in fear,” Senator Clark argued. “What will you offer them when these enhanced individuals cause havoc and destruction again and again? We cannot cage them without risking the lives of others.”

“Friday, pull up prison statistics for guards injured on duty and compare the findings to current injuries for known mutants to guards on duty as well. And while we’re at it, let's pull up the data for mutant escapes after convictions and data on repeat offenders both enhanced and non. Oh and just for funsies, pull up a list of rehabilitation programs for both populations too,” Tony said, ignoring the objections as Friday took control of their projection systems and began displaying the requested information.

“Now, as you can see, Senators, there is no data to support such accusations, and frankly, even if there were, then the humane response would be to increase the literal absence of enhanced and mutant specific rehabilitation programs,” Tony said, crossing his arms and staring at the Senators like they were unruly children throwing a tantrum. 

“But there’s not enough of a population to warrant those programs.” Tony pitched his voice high as he mocked them. “We don’t have the funding and other inmates need it more.”

“And that is exactly my point- enhanced are an almost non existent portion of our prison population,” Tony said quietly. “And do you know why that is? No- don’t answer, because I guarantee none of you in this room truly know. None of you will ever live in fear of being literally dissected alive just because you were born different or had some random act of god turn you into something others consider less than human. Only a few of you will know the fear of being shot first and questions asked later if at all.”

Tony let that sink in, looking around somberly as Friday changed the statistics to enhanced and mutant individuals that had gone missing or had been murdered by their families, by police, or in some cases, never solved. 

“For every one of them brave enough to step forward, to put themselves out there while using their abilities to help, there are hundreds if not thousands more living in fear, and you validate their fear when you propose laws such as these,” Tony gripped the edges of the podium, willing them to understand, to pull their god damn heads out of their asses. “This amendment is discriminatory and built on a foundation of lies and fear mongering. Your actions say that you trust me, an ex-arms dealer with the moniker ‘Merchant of Death,’ to be a better person than someone like Spider Man, an enhanced who literally rescues cats from trees and helps little old ladies cross the street, simply because my DNA looks normal to you. Why am I held to a different standard than him?”

“Mr. Stark, you seem very concerned about Spider Man’s position in regards to this amendment,” Senator Ryan asked, giving Tony an unimpressed look. 

“Of course, I would be concerned when someone I love is being threatened by the people that are meant to protect them,” Tony retorted then froze. He took a deep breath, pretending to regain his composure even though he was just buying himself time to think. The Senate was made up of obstinate asses, and today was no exception. They all appeared wholly unimpressed with his arguments which meant it was time to up the stakes. Tony would make it abundantly clear that he would not allow Spider-Man to be drawn into their crosshairs on a whim. With a quiet murmur to Friday to back him up, he stared down Ryan and the others.

“Of course, I’m going to care when you’re literally threatening my goody two shoes husband, who literally wouldn’t harm a fly, because you’re scared of your own shadows.” 

Shock rippled through the crowd and Tony capitalized on it. 

“Stark Industries won’t stand for it either. We will not support representatives, or a government that would take advantage of minorities, enhanced or otherwise, and I assuredly will not allow my husband to be put to trial for your fears. If this amendment is passed into law, we will find somewhere that will welcome Iron Man and Spider Man with open arms,” Tony said firmly. 

“Are you threatening us?” Senator Kelly blustered, and Tony gave him an unamused look.

“I would have thought you people would have figured out by now that I never threaten anything,” Tony  said. “I’m just nice enough to tell you the consequences of your actions in advance. You’re welcome, by the way. Now, if you don’t mind, I have another appointment to get to. I do so hope you’ll remember what I said but if not, I’m sure the recorder can give you the transcripts.”

Tony spins and stalks out of the chamber, the people in it already out of his mind as he focused on the new problem.

“Fri, marriage documentation from Wakanda, send a note to Lion-O discreetly to back us up, then file a copy with New York, have it in a pending pile or something. Also, update all of SI’s information to have Peter as my emergency contact and spouse. Put the name as Peter Parker-Stark. Update my will and everything to say spouse instead of heir.”

Tony ignored the many reporters and people trying to get his attention, heading straight for Happy and the waiting car.

“Oh, and have Rhodey as my witness and May as Peter’s.”

“On it, boss, backdating to May 4th of last year, congratulations on your nuptials,” Friday said primly as Tony climbed in the car. He snorted when he realized what the date was. 

“Very funny, Fri, I’m sure Peter will approve. Although, now I have to plan an anniversary gift with barely a month of lead time,” Tony complained.

“Might I suggest you start with rings,” Friday said dryly. 

“You take care of those, I have to call Peter,” Tony said as he let his head fall back for just a moment. A headache was building but it was his own fault for not watching what he said better. And he did love Peter, in his own way, so what was a little marriage between friends?

[mrsalwayswrite]

To Call Forth Love - Chapter 11

Guys, buckle up. This chapter is a roller coaster. Also, its in Ivar’s POV so.... just strap in tight. 

Warnings: lots of swearing, Ivar’s poor decision-making, Ivar’s anger issues, lots of threats of violence, brief reference to past violence, mention of attempted sexual assault, Ivar’s mind is a dark, scary place, ok? angst-fest i swear there is some fluff hidden in there!

Words: 9800 (i kept it under 10k yay!)

Tag List: @youbloodymadgenius @pomegranates-and-blood @deans-ch-ch-cherrypie @geekandbooknerd @heavenly1927 @zuxiezendler @punkrocknpearls @love-all-things-writing @southernbe @ecarroll1978 @breezykpop @avoidanceishowiroll @maggyme13​ (lemme know if you wanna be added or deleted from the tag list)

Series Masterlist

 Ivar drummed his fingers along the white marble, kitchen countertop, lost in his own thoughts. Currently those very thoughts centered on two persons, alternating back and forth like some kind of dizzying carnival ride. 

 The first person was the man- no that goddamn fucker- who was betraying his father's trust, who was selling information about the company. When Ragnar asked Ivar to look into the encrypted transcript, he figured it was some low-level employee who had been placed in the company for the purpose of spying or had been bought out by the Russian mafia. Nothing that had not been attempted before. There were enough safe walls up that those pitiful attempts were easily caught by the youngest Lothbrok. And those persons always suddenly vanished….sometimes their broken bodies returned to send a message. 

But the more Ivar tugged on this thread, and the more this tapestry unraveled, the more his blood boiled. No, this was no mere employee that was selling them out this time. The more that Ivar discovered, the more he had to physically restrain himself from jumping on the company jet to retrieve the fucker and introduce him to Ivar's knives. Oh, how he wanted to hear the man scream and see the red stain blooming on his pristine suit. The idea gave Ivar such a rush, he had to grip the marble countertop to steady himself. 

 Last week, he had told Ragnar of his findings and his further damning suspicions. To his credit, Ragnar throwing a glass decanter across his office and against the wall was far less than what Ivar would have personally done in his rage. If he found out someone he had trusted for years was now betraying him, blood would stain the very ground he walked on. Soon enough though. Vengeance ran just as thickly in Ragnar's blood as in his youngest son. Together they made a plan. Now all they had to do was finish spinning their spider's web and wait. 

 Ivar continued to monitor and make sure to extract any information that the bastard tried to leak out, replacing it with useless information, but not enough to make it obvious he had been caught. Oh no. This was a game. One Ivar knew he would win. Now it was about moving the chess pieces into place and watching the house of cards crumble beneath the turncoat. 

 The other person that continued to haunt his mind was both its soothing balm and his greatest headache - Kari. 

 Until now, he never understood how it was possible to be both equally frustrated by someone, yet so desperately wanting to be around that person. He found himself frequently checking his phone to make sure he had not accidentally missed a text from her. How the highlights of his day involved her - either through their texts/video calls or when he actually saw her in person. How if he heard mention of a restaurant or café he had not tried yet, she was the first to cross his mind to ask if she would come with him. How if he was bored at home, flipping through a streaming service and saw a movie or TV show, his first thought was to wonder if she would like it.

 It was infuriating. Maddening. Destabilizing. Terrifying. 

 Then he would open his phone to see a picture of the two of them as his background. Something he always ruthlessly ridiculed his brothers for doing with their girlfriends. Yet he could not bring himself to change his background, not when her face greeted him after he unlocked his phone. 

 A few days ago, while they were cuddling on her bed watching their TV show, she pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of them. The action startled him more than he cared to admit. When he asked her why, she just shrugged and said she wanted a picture so when he called, the picture would come up. When he glanced at the picture, he rolled his eyes. The angle was all wrong, the lighting was terrible. Really, he did not know how she managed to take such an unflattering picture. 

 So logically, he snatched the phone from her hand, immediately deleting the picture to her cry of dismay. His own phone came out and with his special photography features he installed, he took a few pictures of them still cuddled together. Before he knew it, an hour had passed as they played around like it was a mock photo session. There were some single shots of him she took, he grumbled about; many more of her that he took, much to her annoyance. Most of the pictures were of them together - some silly, some serious. In all of them though, they looked like a couple. They looked happy. 

 The current picture as his background was one of his favorites. It was a side shot, he was laying on his back, his head propped up against a pillow while Kari had her chin on his chest. The two of them were staring at one another, gazes locked with smiles on both of their faces. It was cheesy and corny and for anyone else, Ivar would laugh until his sides hurt. Now his heart clenched painfully in his chest whenever he saw the picture. The soft way she looked at him, like she wanted to just soak in his presence, that words were unnecessary to understand one another. But what hit him even harder, what knocked his feet from underneath him….was how he was looking at her. He gazed at her like she had hung the moon for him personally. 

 It was later when he was editing and scrolling through the pictures that he realized this was something he had never done with Freydis. Sure, she took pictures of them to post on social media and show off her glamorous life. But he knew for a fact they never took pictures just to make each other smile and laugh….and he never looked at Freydis like he looked at Kari. 

 He was unsure what it was between him and Kari. It was more than just lust, even if he did desire her with every cell in his body. It was more than just friendship because he knew he would never be satisfied with only being her friend. Was it love though? The very thought made him want to gag and run away. Romantic love was a rarity. The only couple he knew that held any form of love between them was Floki and Helga. Never would he admit aloud how he used to watch them, study them, and wish that one day he could find someone to cherish like that. But as the years passed, he gave up on that dream. He was a Lothbrok, love was….never truly an option. 

 He knew familial love. He would kill for his mother, Floki and Helga and his family. Subconsciously Kari was now a part of that group he would kill for. If anyone tried to hurt her, his wrath would equal those of the old gods themselves. 

 But was this romantic love?

 And if it was….what the fuck was wrong with him?

 Ivar slammed his hand on the countertop as his turbulent thoughts got the better of him. A sneer tugged on his mouth. The very idea was a foul taste that lingered on his tongue. 

 Yesterday he went over to Kari's after work. They had gone out for dinner, her wearing one of the new dresses he had bought her, much to her chagrin. She had looked even more stunning than he had imagined and, gods above, did her ass look divine. They had a great time, talking and laughing. When they got back to her townhouse, a heated make-out session happened against the front door since he could not wait any longer to get his hands and mouth on her. In the midst of it, he asked her to be his girlfriend again. Almost begged. Something he never did. 

 And she said no. 

 Again. 

 He left soon after. His emotions warred with his fears and he had to get away. Once back home, he beat the fucking shit out of a punching bag in the gym. Ubbe eventually found him, covered in sweat with bloody, bruised knuckles since he did not even take the time to wrap his hands before swinging away at the bag like it personally offended him. His older brother tried to get him to talk, but Ivar shrugged him off. So with a sigh, Ubbe just stood behind the punching bag to stabilize it as Ivar continued to beat his frustrations and worries out. 

 Though with the morning sun, those fears and frustrations returned. All day they hovered just above him as he attempted to distract himself with work, cawing loudly like crows sent to torment him. 

 Even now with the moon rising, they taunted him. Not once did he text Kari or respond to her texts the whole day. So many times his fingers hovered over the keyboard, ready to respond. But he never did. 

 And his insecurities cackled at him in the background.

 It was the gentle touch on his shoulder that drew him out of his inner turmoil and back to the present. His sharp eyes turned to see the only woman he knew would unconditionally love him for every moment of his life. 

 "Are you alright, darling? I've called your name a few times now." Aslaug asked, watching him with concern as she stood next to him. 

 "Fine." He grunted, shifting on the kitchen stool. 

 If her cool look said anything, she did not believe him.

 Ripping his eyes from hers, he looked down at the mug of tea on the counter she had made for him. It was as he grabbed it to take a sip, he realized it was cold. Fuck. How long had he sat there consumed in his own thoughts? 

 His mother was back from France, staying for three days before heading to Kattegat. The two of them had been talking in the kitchen as she prepared her nightly chamomile tea, making him some without even asking. They had been discussing Ubbe's upcoming birthday and when he was going to visit Kattegat with her next. They both were dressed to relax, him in sweatpants and a t-shirt, her in yoga pants and a loose tank top with a fluffy robe over the top. 

 Aslaug was a formidable woman in her own right. She used fashion as a weapon. 'Dress to impress and remind people of your place' was a motto she lived by. Majority of the time she dressed in power suits or dresses that conveyed power and authority, while still appearing gorgeous and feminine. It was this current look that was his favorite, how she was relaxed with the fluffy robe he bought her years ago and her beautiful hair hanging loosely down her back. It reminded him of the many hours she spent at his bedside, reading to him or distracting him from the pain radiating throughout his body from yet another surgery. It was this Aslaug that was his beloved mother. He appreciated the strength she wore like a mantle when she was out in the world, running her business and being the face of the hotel chain. Something many people claimed she would never be able to do. Yet she thrived….and so did her business. 

 But it was this Aslaug that was gentle with him, that he allowed to comfort him and spoil him. There was only one other woman he was so comfortable with….

 "He's probably thinking about Kari." Hvitserk said from across the kitchen island. He had joined them some time ago, jumping into the conversation while munching on whatever he could shove in his face. It was while he worked on his second piece of cake, with Aslaug fondly reprimanding him, that Ivar must have zoned out into his thoughts. 

 "Shut up." Ivar glared at his brother. 

 "Kari? That is the girl you've been spending so much time with, right?" Aslaug slipped onto the kitchen stool next to him, her eyes peering at him knowingly. 

 He did not answer. His gaze remained trained on the mug between his hands, even as he had no intentions of drinking it now. 

 Hvitserk leaned on the kitchen island, facing his youngest brother and mother. "Yep. I'm guessing they had a fight last night, that's why he's in one of his moods. She probably refused to be his girlfriend again."

 Ivar clenched his jaw, but refused to look up. 

 "She's worried about you." Hvitserk's tone softened. "She texted me earlier today, wanting to make sure you were okay."

 "Why the fuck does she have your number?" Ivar snarled, his full attention on his brother. 

 "Because I fucking gave it to her. Did you not hear me say she text me to ask about YOU? Damn it. Get your head out of your ass!"

 Ivar started to rise from his stool along the kitchen island, blood roaring in his ears. 

 But it was the gentle touch on his shoulder once again that stayed his actions. "Ivar, darling, tell me what happened?" Aslaug softly cooed. When Ivar made no further movement, her hand slid to his back, rubbing soothing circles on it like when he was a child. 

 After a moment, the fight drained from him like pus from a wound, leaving him feeling exhausted. He sunk back into his seat, running his hands through his loose hair. "I don't know what to do. Fuck. It's been almost two months and still….she still won't be my girlfriend. I gave her the bullshit that it didn't matter, that we can be whatever we want, we're just Kari and Ivar but…."

 "But you want more." His mother softly finished after his voice trailed off.

 He did not bother answering, keeping his eyes glued to the countertop.  

 "It's not like she isn't into you, we all see the way you look at each other." Hvitserk stated after a silent minute. "I bet the sex is great with how flexible she is. Hot damn."

 "We haven't."

 "What?"

 Ivar ran his hands through his hair again before confessing quietly. "We haven't….had sex."

 There was a long pause before Hvitserk started laughing. 

 "Shut the fuck up!"

 "Gods, no wonder you're so grumpy. She's got you by the balls and you aren't even fucking."

 "Hvitserk!" Aslaug chastised, her hand still rubbing Ivar's back. When Hvitserk raised his hands in mock-surrender, only then did she turn her attention back to her youngest. "Has she told you why she won't be your girlfriend?"

 "Some bullshit about needing time….not being ready….that I'll get bored of her eventually….I can do better. Fucking excuses." There was a large part of him that was pleased that her reluctance to date him was not because of his legs. Even if he despised all her other shitty excuses. 

 "Maybe she just isn't into dating?" Hvitserk unhelpfully added with a shrug. 

 "Has she had a boyfriend before?" 

 Ivar turned to his mother, pondering her question. His mind scrambled to remember if she ever mentioned an ex but he could not recall. "I doubt it. She's a virgin."

 "Just because she's a virgin doesn't mean she's never dated. Not everyone jumps the first thing that moves like you boys."

 Hvitserk chuckled while Ivar grinned at their mother's jab at them. She had long ago accepted her boys were the furthest thing from virgins and instead of trying to persuade them from that course of action, she just checked that they were treating the girls fairly and made sure they were stocked up on condoms. 

 Aslaug sighed. "Has she ever acted skittish around you? Especially in regards to sex?"

 He thought back. "Sometimes? I know she wants me. I can tell she does. But it's like she is scared to have sex. I can feel her tense up initially sometimes when I try and…." He chose to not finish his statement. 

 "I want cake, doesn't mean I want to fuck it though." Hvitserk smirked, dodging the spoon Ivar threw at him. 

 "You'd fuck cake if you could." Ivar retorted. 

 Hvitserk laughed. "It'd have to be some damn good cake."

 "Ivar…." His mother drew his attention back to her, a sadness in her eyes. "Do you know if anyone has ever hurt her?"

 "What?" All the joking instantly evaporated from the air. 

 "Could that be why she is so reluctant? Could someone from her past have hurt her or….taken advantage of her?" 

 He knew his mother was trying to be delicate with her wording for his sake but what she was saying, what she was implying…. a righteous fury rose up in him at the thought. His gaze darted from his mother's worried expression to his brother, only to see the same shock and anger mirroring his own feelings. 

 Without a word, he got up and started pacing, running his hands through his hair as his mind reviewed every interaction, every intimate moment, looking for any kind of clue as to the truth of his mother's words. With each step, each breath, his fury increased thinking about a faceless person hurting Kari, laying their hands on her, possibly forcing themselves on her. His mind could easily see it. Those blue-green eyes of hers he adored, overflowing with tears, filled with pain, slammed shut to try and block out what was happening. Her soft skin littered with bruises. The sounds of her crying, shouting, begging for mercy….

 With a shout fueled in rage and coated in anguish, he spun on his heel and punched the nearest wall. The plaster cracked under the impact, leaving a dent and spider cracks coming from it. His hand throbbed with each heartbeat after. He could feel the bruises protest that were not fully healed from last night, and some fresh blood trickle from his knuckles. It was a truly, fucking miracle he had not broken any fingers. 

 Now all he could think of was hearing the truth from her. He needed the name of this faceless person who dared even think about harming her. The raging fire in his blood demanded it. Then he would find that bastard and kill them so slowly and painfully, they would curse the day they ever laid eyes on Kari. He would drain them of their blood, forcing them to watch it spill at their feet. He would break every bone in their body. 

 He needed to see her, with an urgency that made his very breath lodge in his throat, threatening to choke him, and his heart pounding like a war drum in his ears. He needed to make sure she was okay. He needed to wrap his arms around her and promise that no one would dare lay a hand on her while she was his. Because no matter what she said about not wanting to be his girlfriend, she was his. 

 Ignoring the sharp stinging in his hand, he started for the garage, snatching his keys off the counter. His phone was in his hand, ready to call his driver, even though he had told the man to take the night off. 

 "Ivar!"

 His brother's call made him pause.

 "I'll drive."

 He looked over his shoulder to see Hvitserk push away from the kitchen island and walk towards him. A nod of thanks was all he could manage. If he tried to speak, he knew poisonous vitriol would escape his mouth. Just as he started to walk again, his mother's voice made him freeze. 

 "Be careful."

 Be careful? He whipped around, wondering what the fuck she meant by that. He watched Aslaug stand up and come closer. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Hvitserk stop too. Most likely just as curious what she meant. 

 His beautiful mother stood in front of him, a guarded expression on her face. "Please…. Be gentle with her. You don't know what happened. Just, don't push, don't force her to talk."

 "I'm going to find out who the fuck the bastard is and fucking destroy them." He hissed through his teeth, an icy venom lacing every word. 

 "I know. But she might not be ready to talk. Just be careful. I know you want to help but sometimes…. Sometimes you just need someone to sit by you and remind you that you're not alone versus threatening to burn the world down in their name."

 His mother's words settled in his mind like light rain over a wildfire. After a long moment, he simply nodded. The fire in his chest still raged, but now it felt more contained than wild. 

 She squeezed his hand before stepping back and smiling sadly at both of her boys. 

 Immediately, Ivar stormed out the door, headed towards the garage and their many vehicles.

 "My car!" Hvitserk shouted, heading in the direction of the cabinet where they kept all the keys. 

 Ivar continued forward, figuring that was where they were ending up. Hvitserk's silver Audi R8 was parked next to Ivar's own Mercedes. 

 Swiftly, he slid into the passenger seat, leaning his head against the headrest and closing his eyes. His anger swung on a pendulum from fiery to icy. One minute he wondered if his rage would consume him, the flames licking at his nerves. A ticking time-bomb of wrath just waited to be released within him. In the next minute, his muscles would lock as if thick ice slipped into his veins. The anger and fear rolled in his gut, images of what could possibly have happened to her like ice shards driving into his brain. He scrubbed a hand down his face, only now noticing the faint tremble in it. 

 Thankfully Hvitserk did not say a word when he dropped in. He tossed Ivar a cloth and an instant ice pack for his hand. Soon as he was sitting, Hvitserk started up his vehicle and pulled out, not even turning on music. 

 Now more than ever, Ivar hated how far Kari lived away from him. It was only across the city, not even a thirty-minute drive. Most of the distance came from the gated community the Lothbrok brothers lived in outside of the city. But with each minute that passed, his mind fractured just a bit more from the fury and fear that ate away at it like parasites. The urge, the desperation, to see her grew with each moment, each turn of the wheels. Eyes still closed, he tried to focus on his breathing. 

 When they finally pulled up, he noticed the roommate's car in the driveway but did not care. It was evening, but early enough that he guessed Kari would still be awake. If not, she was about to be woken up. Then he realized that in all the commotion, he had not even considered texting her. He just needed to see her. Now. 

 "Do you want me to stay?"

 Ivar rubbed a hand over his mouth before looking over at his brother. "No…. I'll call a cab or something."

 "Nah. There's a pub nearby. I'll go get a drink and wait for you."

 "Alright."

 Ivar opened the door and got out, heart lurching painfully. Each heartbeat felt like a chanting of her name within his chest, only worsening the necessity to see her.

 "Hey." Hvitserk was staring at him intently. "You tell me what she says. I know she's your girl but I like her around. She's….she's good. Whoever hurt her, I want in."

 Ivar grinned that was nothing short of bloodthirsty. Reaching forward, he fist-bumped his brother like they did when they were kids. "Deal."

 "Good luck."

 Ivar waved him off then shut the car door, starting towards Kari's front door. He pulled out his keys, quickly finding the one for Kari's townhouse. In the back of his mind, he knew Kari would hate that he used his key. He had promised only for emergencies. 

 Well, he deemed this an emergency.

 Without remorse, he unlocked the front door and let himself in. The scent of cheap wine and garlic hit him immediately, along with some irritating pop music. He rolled his eyes, wondering how people could listen to that shit. It made his ears want to bleed. 

 As he was closing the door behind him, not even trying to be quiet, a blonde head popped out from the kitchen area, only to gape at him. 

 "Where is she?"

 At his question, her eyes narrowed at him. A second later, Alana disappeared only to come around the corner, ignore him completely and stalk towards the living room. 

 He followed behind, his barely suppressed anger rising to bubble just beneath the surface when he heard Alana's shrill voice. 

 "Why the fuck did you give him a key?!"

 "What?" Kari's sweet voice reached his ears. 

 Alana took a step further into the small living room, one hand on her hip and the other pointing an accusatory finger in the brunette's direction. "You can't give people keys to our place! How can you be so stupid? You don't have the authority! What were you thinking?"

 "I didn't…." It was then he came around and Kari spotted him, her voice trailing off as her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "Ivar?"

 He spared Kari a glance. Any other time he would have loved to admire how relaxed she looked, curled up on the couch with an open book in her lap, dressed in those short, sleep shorts that would be the death of him and a loose t-shirt that said NYC in faded letters. Instead he turned his full, incensed attention to Alana. He was already on edge thinking that someone had hurt his kitten, had dared to lay a hand on her, but to hear her roommate yelling at her….

 That ticking time bomb in his chest was about to go off. 

 Ivar came up behind Alana, forcing her to turn around as he stood poised over her. Looking down his nose at her, he could smell the sudden fear rolling off of her, crashing against the waves of fury around him. What she was thinking, he did not even try to guess, for it was too fucking stupid to waste his time on. It was now as he hovered over her like an angel of death, that she seemed to realize the mistake she made. 

 Instead of blowing up at her, instead of yelling, he stared her down with an icy glare, freezing her like prey. His voice was deceptively smooth and controlled, not giving away the blood roaring in his ears. "If I ever hear you talk like that to her again…." He grinned like the devil himself, letting his threat hang in the air. 

 All the blood drained from Alana's face as she stared at him then her eyes darted to Kari and back. 

 "Oh no, she won't save you." He said, taking another menacing step closer, watching her stiffen. "You insult her….you fucking deal with me, bitch."

 A slim pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, an embrace he probably could recognize in his sleep because of the way his body subconsciously relaxed into it. "Ivar, it's alright."

 Alana thickly swallowed, the quake in her voice undeniable. "You can't….you can't talk to me like that. This….this is my uncle's property."

 "Think I give a fuck?" He sneered, laying a single hand on the clasped hands around his waist. "I could buy this shitty place tonight if I wanted. What the fuck would you do then? Hmmm?"

 "Ivar, let's go." Kari softly pleaded; her face pressed against his back. 

 "No, kitten, if the bitch doesn't like the way I'm talking to her, she can fuck off." 

 Kari scooted between them, placing a hand on the side of his face, trying to turn it towards her. His only response was to wrap an arm around her, pulling her closer against him, to shelter her from his storm….but he never took his eyes off Alana. He had never hit a woman before, but his clenched fist was evidence of how close that line was about to be crossed.

 Her eyes were wide and mouth opened slightly, gaze shifting restlessly from her roommate to Ivar and back. It was obvious now she understood the potential consequences of her actions, how Ivar was not someone to fuck with, how Kari was his and he took any slight against her personally. She stumbled a step back, almost falling onto her ass if she had not caught herself against the wall last minute. The whole time her eyes remained focused on Ivar as if waiting for him to pounce, terror controlling each of her movements. 

 And he reveled in the intimidation. Bathed in the satisfaction it brought him. Inhaled her intense dread like an expensive perfume. 

 Kari tugged on him once again, her gentle voice a beam of sunlight striking through the black, stormy clouds. "Ivar, let's go upstairs. Come on."

 This time he allowed her to move him. He gave Alana one last shark-like grin, before following Kari up the stairs, holding her hand the whole way.

 Once they reached her bedroom, he slammed the door closed behind them. His skin tingled like flames licked each individual nerve ending, his anger scorching him, clouding his judgement and thoughts. Alana would have to be dealt with later, she was a small minnow in the ocean. Soon enough he would remind her of her place. Now though, he needed to fulfill his mission that originally brought him here. He needed a name. He needed to know whose blood would paint his knives. 

 "Ivar, what…."

 He cut her off, yanking her against his body and claiming her mouth like a man possessed. There was nothing soft and gentle about this kiss, it was greedy and controlling. His tongue plundered her mouth with a fierceness that left her gripping his t-shirt to hold herself upright. She tried to pull away but his hand fisted in her hair restrained her. He refused to relent, his rage and fear manifested into an inglorious passion that demanded to be soothed by her touch alone. It was selfish, possessive yet he did not stop until the wrathful fire warming his blood dimmed to a manageable flame. Only then did he release her mouth to press their foreheads together, both breathing heavy and lips swollen. 

 "What is his name, Kari?" He growled. 

 "What?"

 "His name. The man that hurt you."

 She carefully leaned back just enough to meet his bright eyes; head tilted to the side. "What man? What are you talking about, Ivar?"

 He found himself breathing a sigh of relief. Maybe his mother was incorrect after all? Gently, he shifted his hand from fisting her hair to rub a thumb along her cheekbone. "No one…. No one has pressured or forced you into sex before? Like an ex or a friend?" He quietly asked, the question tasted like poison on his tongue. 

 Immediately, she stiffened in his arms….

 ….and his rage returned tenfold. 

 He cupped her face, forcing her gaze to meet his. "What. Is. His. Name?"

 "It doesn't matter." Her answer came out in a halting breath. 

 "The fuck it doesn't matter." He stepped away from her and started pacing in her small bedroom. His hands trembled with the need to do something, anything! His blood boiled dangerously in his veins, obscuring his senses. "He fucking hurt you! I swear on all the gods, I'll gut him and set him on fire!"

 She dropped onto the edge of her bed, eyes wide as she watched him pace like a caged tiger. "Ivar, no. It's….it's fine."

 "Bullshit! No one lays a hand on you! I'll skin him alive! Fuck! Who is it?"

 "Why does it matter? It was before."

 "Back in England?"

 "Yes." She answered hesitantly, hands gripping her pale lavender comforter. 

 At least he had a place to start. "What happened?" He demanded. 

 "It doesn't--"

 "Say it doesn't matter, one more fucking time!"

 Her mouth audibly clamped shut. 

 Groaning at himself for yelling at her, he ran his hands roughly through his hair. It felt like daggers to his gut every time she tried to say it did not matter. How could it not matter? Someone would pay for her pain. He just needed the bastard's name. Fury was a living, writhing parasite in his gut, eating away at him. Why would she think it did not matter? That he would not care?

 Once he felt somewhat stable, he turned to face her as she still sat on her bed. He took a step closer and opened his mouth to say something, only to see her flinch at his movement. 

 The world stopped spinning. The very air was rapidly sucked from his lungs leaving him gasping. All the walls surrounding his dark heart crashed down when he saw her flinch. 

 In fear. 

 Because of him. 

 "No, no, no. Søte Kari." He mumbled, his anger evaporating instantly. The red lens of rage covering his eyes vanished like smoke. He stumbled closer, dropping to his knees in front of her. A position that was not impossible with his legs and braces but was not comfortable either. "My sweet, my sweet Kari, no." He beseeched. "I'd never hurt you. Please, kattungen min, kjære, don't….please."

 Carefully, he wrapped his arms around her hips, staring up to meet her startled gaze. The green was more prevalent in her eyes than blue today. Something he only now noticed. Their eyes remained locked. He desperately hoped she would see the pain, the remorse, in his blue eyes. Never before had his anger disappeared so quickly, an almost whiplash because replacing his anger was self-loathing. Here was the woman who he wanted, needed, desired, in his life….and he caused her to be frightened….of him. He had only wanted to protect her, to avenge her, to keep her safe. Never this. Never to fear him. Not his sweet kitten. 

 Finally, what felt like an eternity, one of her hands rested on his cheek. "I know, Ivar." She whispered. 

 He dropped his head onto her knees in relief and awe. His shattered heart slowly rebuilt within the confines of his chest. How she could forgive him so easily, so quickly, astounded him. His hands clutched at her hips, needing to anchor himself to her. Her hand lazily ran through his loose hair, soothing him more than any drug or pill ever could. 

 "What happened to your hands?" 

 "Mmmm?"

 She laid a hand over his, lightly tracing his bruised knuckles. 

 "Boxing." He mumbled against her bare thighs. 

 Thankfully she either believed him or decided not to push the topic. Whichever it was, he was grateful. Her hand returned to combing through his hair and all he wanted to do was purr like a cat and bask in her presence. 

 After some time, when his heart no longer rammed against his chest and his stomach untied itself, he tipped his head to the side to softly utter, "is it because of him why you won't be my girlfriend?"

 Her hand's movement ceased at his question. "Ivar, look at me please." 

 Worried he had damaged whatever fragile bridge he had just managed to fix; he lifted his head to meet her gaze. Indeed, he saw pain, but also confusion in her eyes. She scanned his face as if looking for a hidden agenda, for secrets hiding in the shadows. His eyes never abandoning her gaze, he grasped her hand, pressing a kiss to the palm before placing it against his cheek. With a sigh, the corners of her lips briefly turned up in a smile. Her thumb rubbed along his skin.

 "Why do you want to know?"

 Blinking at her question, his thoughts spun in circles. How could he explain it without further frightening her? How he wanted to spill every drop of blood from this faceless, nameless man, to bleed him dry like a pig. For how dare anyone hurt Kari, the sweetest, purest soul he had ever met. It was more than that. He wanted to know, needed to know. He wanted her pain, in hopes he could take it from her. To be her shield, her armor, so she could be the pure heart he protected. 

 "Do you trust me?" He simply responded. 

 She inhaled sharply, turning her head to look away. After a moment she looked back at him. "Yes, I do."

 He swore his heart swelled three sizes bigger at hearing her words. "Then tell me."

 "It's not….it's not that important."

 "It is to you. So that makes it important to me."

 A wet laugh escaped her, his own lips turning up at the sound. She leaned forward and pressed a sweet kiss to his mouth. "Fine, but get up. That can't be good for you."

 "Oh, thank fuck. This floor is hard as hell." He quipped.  

 After some pointed looks, maneuvering, adjusting and him finally just dragging her next to him, they laid on her bed together facing one another. 

 He wanted to drag the words out of her, force the truth from her lips. Instead he kept his lips sealed. His hand rested on her hip, thumb rubbing lazily along the line of her soft sleep shorts. Any other time he would have no problem expressing his appreciation for her ass and thighs highlighted by the short shorts. Now though, he focused on her face. 

 Her own gaze remained glued to his chest, her fingers fiddling with his Thor's hammer necklace. An action he never told her how much he adored since she started it. He noticed how she played with her own jewelry when thinking or nervous. To see her use his constant necklace to fulfill that urge made his heart swell. 

 When she continued to remain silent, he had to swallow a growl of frustration. His mother's words floated across his mind; an idea birthed from it. 

 "I've only had one girlfriend." He confessed. "Plenty of girls to fuck but only one girlfriend….and we can see the shit show that was."

 She raised her eyes to his and for a second he caught a glimpse of renewed fear in her watery eyes. Then her eyes dropped back to his chest.

 "Kari….trust me." He whispered, pressing a kiss to her forehead. 

 "I've only had one boyfriend. He, um, he was a friend of a friend at university. My family really liked him. He came from a….a well-known family. We were only together for less than two months." She sighed, still playing with his necklace. "I didn't really want to date him but felt pressured so I gave in. He was nice….romantic at first."

 "What happened?"

 She gave a one-shoulder shrug. "He wanted sex….and I didn't want too. At first, he was tolerant but he soon began to pressure, saying I had to because he was my boyfriend, I should stop being such an ice queen and prude, demanding to know if something was wrong with me…. You have to understand, my grandmother was religious and she strongly believed you had to wait until marriage for sex."

 He snorted. 

 None too gently, she poked him in the chest. "Stop, it was important to her. So that's what I grew up hearing. Plus, I think she wanted to try and force me down that path….to make up for her own child--my mom."

 "What's wrong with your mom?"

 "You really want to hear all of this?"

 "You've heard all about my fucked-up family. Can't be worse than mine."

 She snickered. "Touché." Instead of the words flowing freely, she pressed her lips into a fine line, hesitating as if worried what would come out. 

 "Sweet Kari," he snuck a kiss to her lips, "just tell me."

 "Fine. Well, my mom, she….well, she fell in love young. Got pregnant. So, my grandparents forced them to get married. My dad had a decent job and they loved each other, so it was not a bad life for my mom. But he died when I was five. Car accident. My mom missed my dad, I know she still does….but something changed in her after his death. For weeks she refused to leave her bed. Then one day, it was like a switch had flipped. You have to understand, she had gotten used to a certain lifestyle, and with him gone, she could not achieve that anymore, especially with me. So she….she found boyfriends that were wealthy and willing to pay for her to live comfy. During this I stayed with my grandmother. I think part of that was that I take after my dad more in looks, so seeing me reminded her too much of him, especially in the beginning."

 "And after your grandmother died?"

 "Thankfully, I had already graduated school and could go to university. My mom remarried when I was twelve to a very wealthy man."

 "And the boyfriend? What happened with him?"

 She hesitated, eyes bouncing up to his then back down to his chest. "One day he invited me to his flat to watch a movie. He….tried to get me to have sex with him. Shoved me onto the couch. I kept slapping at him and telling him to get off. Finally, he did. Then told me to get out. Said we were through, since I wasn't going to sleep with him. That there was no purpose for us to date. Funny enough, I found out after that the whole time we were dating, he was sleeping with other girls."

 Ivar shoved off the bed, back to pacing, anger rolling through him like a train. Images of this faceless boyfriend played before his eyes. He wanted nothing more than to find him and choke the life out of him. To watch the fear in his eyes slowly dim as he paid the price for hurting his Kari. 

 "What is his name?" He growled out, fists clenching by his sides. 

 "No."

 Her quiet answer shocked him. He spun on his heel to stare at her. "What? What do you fucking mean 'no'?"

 She shook her head, eyes flicking up to him then back down to the comforter. Only now could he see the tears swimming in her eyes….and he wondered if she was trying to suppress her pain for his sake. 

 "Kattungen." He stepped closer, running a hand through his hair, feeling like the world's biggest asshole. Sliding back onto the bed, he gathered her up in his arms. He could hear the occasional sniffle as her face was pressed against his chest. 

 "Want to know the best part?" She murmured. 

 He could feel her hot breath through his thin t-shirt. "Hmmm?"

 She chuckled humorlessly. "My mother was furious when she found out he broke up with me. Not because he was cheating on me the whole time, but that I refused to sleep with him. She said I needed to get over myself and just let him fuck me. That….that I probably wouldn't do better than him anyway. No one wants a tease."

 Every time more of her past came out, he wanted to punch someone, preferably her mother at this moment. Fuck! He knew his own family was fucked up in their own way but at least he knew his family always had his back, well, maybe not Sigurd. His family would support him and fight for him just as much as he would for them. Who did Kari have? His thoughts were interrupted as she continued speaking. 

 "I promised myself after Nat….um, him….that I wouldn't date unless I was friends with the guy for a while first. I wouldn't take that chance again."

 Now he had a name, or part of a name, he swore he would find the bastard. Gently, he ran his hand up and down her back for a few moments before asking his next question. "Did he break your heart?"

 "No." She shook her head against his chest, face still buried there. He could feel her hand back to fiddling with his necklace. "I liked him but it was too soon for more. I was slightly wary because I knew he had a playboy reputation."

 "Mmmm….is he the reason you left England?"

 "Part of it. I couldn't deal with the stigma and disgust from those I thought were my friends. And my mom continued to push me to try and win him back. Or find someone else wealthy to date. And...I didn't feel safe staying with her."

 "Because of her pushing?"

 "Mmmm….and my stepdad." The last part came out in a barely-heard whisper. Yet it immediately sent alarm bells blaring in Ivar's mind. 

 "What about him?"

 "He….he liked to watch me."

 "What do you mean?" Anger churned in his gut, that parasite back to eat away his resolve of containing his fury. 

 Her voice was only a whisper, as if worried someone would overhear. "He never….did….anything. Sometimes he'd make comments, like how some man would be lucky one day to have my legs wrapped around him….or I need to make sure to swallow….just stuff like that whenever my mom wasn't around. Or if one of us was passing the other, he'd stop me to brush some hair behind my ear or touch the necklace I happened to be wearing….just little things. But whenever he was around, I could just feel his eyes on me, like he was touching me but with his gaze. It's stupid. I tried to tell my mom once but she said I needed to learn to deal with men's attention. So, I tried to avoid him whenever I could."

 "Fuckkkkk…." He groaned. So much of her fear made more sense now. Why she refused to be his girlfriend and why she was so initially uncomfortable with anything sexual. Fuck, if her mother had remarried that bastard when she was twelve, she had been dealing with his pedophilia advances since then. He added this sickening fucker to his list to investigate. It could not be that hard to find him. His mind already was plotting how to deal with him, how to induce the most pain possible. 

 They laid together silently for several minutes, both wrapped in their own thoughts. Her face was still pressed against his chest as if hiding from the world, or her memories, he was unsure. He made no move to push her away, offering her a safe haven, even when he happened to feel a growing wet spot on the front of his shirt. Resting his head against hers, he laid the occasional kiss to her hair, wishing it could wipe away her tears. 

 "Kari…." His mind fumbled with what to say. How to reassure her he was different from her ex. How to tell her that he needed her safe, for both of their sakes. That he had never before thought about it, too focused on wanting to label her his girlfriend, but she had truly become his best friend. Gods, above he hoped she felt the same. But those words clung to his tongue with a vice-like grip, so he settled with just saying, “I won't let anyone hurt you ever again. I'll tear them apart if they try."

 "I'm not sure you can make a promise like that."

 "I just did, and I will always keep my promises to you."

 Tipping her head back, she smiled softly up at him and he thought his heart would burst. He could read the trust in her gaze, the affection there that kept drawing him back to her over and over until he felt addicted. She rose up slightly to kiss him, just a gentle pressing of lips. "Anyone tell you that you're scary when you're angry?"

 He chuckled, tucking some loose strands of brown hair behind her ear. "Once or twice."

 She settled back down. This time he laid on his back, with her head still on his chest. They laid there quietly, a comforting solace between them. His hand drew random patterns along her back as he stared up at the ceiling. Everything she said replayed over in his mind like a personal horror movie with his thoughts including created images. He knew it was significant she had spoken about it, confirming the trust she placed in him, not that he had given her much of a choice exactly. It did nothing to quell the hurricane of fury building beneath his skin. 

 Never before had he felt such absolute hatred towards someone, this ex of hers, her mother and her goddamn step-father. They did not deserve to breathe the same air as her, let alone be acknowledged by her. At least those she said were family, the mother and step-father, were dead to her in his opinion. His family would have no issue with adopting her. Hell, most of his siblings already asked about her frequently enough. Gyda still liked to tease him that he had stolen her friend. No, he planned to keep Kari far away from those that hurt her. There was no reason for her to return to England. Her place was here. With him. 

 "Ivar….will you ever show me your legs?"

 He froze. What peace he basked in immediately gone at the thought. 

 Feeling the tension coursing through his body, she leaned back to look at him. "It's okay. You don't have to. It was just a thought." She laid back on him, her arm over his waist. 

 It was an innocent question, even more so paired with the small, understanding smile on her face. It was cruel though. For his immediate reaction was to forcibly shut that down, tell her never and to never ask again. His greatest weakness, his greatest shame. Even if everyone around him said otherwise, pretended otherwise. It was true. He was a cripple with disformed legs. Only his cunning and ruthless mind saved him from complete anonymity. The cruelty came swooping in with a flood of guilt. Had she not just shared her own personal scars and pain with him? Trusted him? Ivar was a selfish bastard, he knew it. But for her, he wanted to be different. 

 He took a deep breath, a nervousness making his stomach flutter. "Freydis….she saw them a couple of times." He softly stated, resuming his tracing on her back. "She never said it to my face but I knew they disgusted her. I overheard her once telling Margrethe that the scars were hideous."

 With a gasp, Kari sat up to stare down at him. In an instant, she was straddling him, hands cupping his face. "Ivar Lothbrok, nothing about you is hideous. She must be blind as a bat. Next time I see her, I should punch her in the mouth for saying something so stupid."

 He laughed, amused and enthralled by the outrage she expressed. Here she was once again coming to his defense without prompt. "Please make sure I see that."

 She grinned before blushing. "I think you're one of the most beautiful men I've ever seen."

 He wanted to make a joke, but the sincerity painting her confession floored him. "Come here." He tugged her closer, his hand behind her neck, desperate to feel her lips on his. "I don't deserve you." 

 She giggled, responding to his brushing of lips. "I am only a lowly priestess, unworthy of your attention and affection, oh most benevolent god."

 "But you're my favored priestess."

 His lips worshipped hers, saying with actions what his words never could truly convey. The slow press of his tongue against her lips had them parting. Instead of plundering her glorious mouth, he traced her perfect lips with his tongue. Then he nipped at her bottom lip before pulling it into his mouth to nibble on. The shudder and soft moan from her made his cock twitch to life. He released her bottom lip, drawing her into another slow kiss, their mouth meeting with deeper need and unspoken understanding. Finally, he pulled back, pressing their foreheads together. If they continued anymore, he might be unable to control himself. The desire to bury his face between her legs and make her forget she even had an ex was growing by the second.

 "Stay."

 His lips quirked in a lazy grin after hearing her whispered request.  

 "Stay tonight, with me."

 "You sure?" He ran his nose along hers, making her giggle. 

 "I'm sure."

 "I need to let Hvitserk know. He dropped me off."

 "Okay, I'll finish getting ready for bed." With another quick kiss, she peeled off of him to slip off the bed. With one more sweet smile, that made his heart skip a beat, she headed towards the attached bathroom. 

 He watched her walk away, admiring the way her sleep shorts framed her ass perfectly and showcased her thighs. Fuck, he loved her curves, loved getting his hands on them. Hopefully soon he would be able to do more than just touch. He wanted to drink her in like the most expensive whiskey, to hear her cries as he filled her up from the inside, to teach her about pleasure, to help her discover her body in new ways. His cock reared to life in his sweatpants at the intrusive thoughts. Annoyed, he rubbed a palm over it to help relieve some of the tension. He did not need Kari coming back to see his member standing straight up like a flagpole. 

 Quickly, he pulled out his phone from his pocket in need of both the distraction but also not wanting Kari to potentially hear the conversation. 

 Hvitserk answered on the second ring. "Got a name?"

 Ivar huffed, rubbing a hand down his face. "Not yet. Won't stop me from digging anyway."

 "She alright?"

 He thought about his answer for a moment. "Yeah, yeah, she's perfect." He knew the stupid smile he was sporting was obvious in his tone but he did not care. 

 Hvitserk snorted. "Am I coming to get your ass now?"

 "No, she asked me to spend the night."

 "And you didn't even stalk her this time! I'm so proud of you, little bro."

 "Shut the fuck up."

 Hvitserk laughed. "Text me and I'll come get you in the morning. Tell her hi for me."

 "Yeah, yeah…." He started to hang up but stopped. "Hvits…."

 "Yeah?"

 "Thanks."

 "Is this Ivar still on the phone?"

 "Fuck you."

 He hung up to Hvitserk's laughter in the background. Listening now, he could hear water running in the bathroom and figuring Kari was brushing her teeth. Shuffling to the edge of the bed, he swiftly removed his leg braces, leaning them against the wall. For a moment he sat there debating if he should remove his sweatpants too. He knew Kari would not make fun of him. He knew he trusted her, more than any other woman besides his mother and maybe Helga. 

 Yet he could not do it. His insecurities won out. 

 He yanked his shirt over his head and shuffled back onto the bed and under the covers. Although her bed was not the worst mattress, it certainly left something to be desired, especially knowing how fucking amazing his bed was back at home. A brief thought of calling Hvitserk back to come get him and Kari so they could sleep in his bed came to mind. But before he could consider that option more, the bathroom door opened and she came out, a sheepish smile on her face. 

 "What?"

 "Nothing. Do you need….?" She gestured to the bathroom. 

 "No."

 "Ok." She turned the light off in her bedroom, moving in the semi-darkness to crawl into the small bed with him. 

 He loved how she immediately molded her body to his, scooting as close as physically possible, and releasing a content sigh. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he breathed in the scent of her, his face in her hair. 

 "Are you happy here?" He suddenly asked. 

 "Right now?"

 "No, here. That you moved away from England. Are you happier here?"

 He could sense her thinking about her answer. She shifted slightly, her ass rubbing against his cock and he had to choke down a groan at the sensation. Fuck if only she knew how she teased him unknowingly, the innocent seductress that she was. 

 Finally she answered, a lightness in her tone that had been missing for most of their time together tonight. "I am. It hasn't been easy being on my own and not knowing anyone, but yes, I'm happy here."

 "And….now with me?"

 She turned her head slightly to try and peer at him in the darkness. "Are you fishing for compliments?"

 "Just answer the damn question." He grumbled against her neck, nipping at her skin.

 She entwined their fingers that were splayed out over her stomach, careful of his bruised knuckles. "Yes, Ivar. I'm happy you're here. You and your family certainly make my life more interesting."

 He hummed, nuzzling against her. 

 It did not take long for her breathing to even out and her grip on his hand to loosen in sleep. He laid there thinking about how perfect this felt. How he wanted this every night. But she needed a better bed, certainly something more comfortable and bigger. If he showed up one day with a delivery truck and a new mattress, how much would she protest? And an actual fucking TV for her room. Absent-mindedly, he wondered if she would let him get her a new place to live. Somewhere that was better in every aspect, especially without the bitch of a roommate. He knew she would never let him, but he allowed his mind to wander in that image. A new place, maybe an apartment, overlooking the water and with a king-sized bed they could both easily sleep in but always end up cuddled around each other in the middle. 

 He pressed a gentle kiss to her neck, brushing the fantasy away. Maybe he would just buy this shitty place and give it to her. He would love to watch Alana have to pack up and move out. The place could not be worth all that much. 

 He made a mental note to investigate how much the townhouse was worth tomorrow. 

 For now though, he allowed his fingers to run underneath her sleep shirt, grazing her bare skin. He almost groaned aloud when his fingers skimmed upward to confirm that she was not wearing a bra, something he had certainly noticed earlier. It took all of his self-control to slide his hand back down to a neutral spot on her body. If there was truly such a thing. 

 With her warm body in his arms, their quiet breathing synced, he allowed sleep to claim him. Knowing when he woke up, this all would not just be a dream. 

[the-beetle-and-the-shadow-offi]

Season one: Episode one: The Castlemaster

Felicity breathed in deep as she hit the sand, inhaling the salt breeze. It was nice to get away from her hectic family, even if she temporarily had traded them for a busy beach.

She set down her beach bag and stretched. She wasn't far away from Granveston Main Street, and with thirty bucks and four hours, Felicity was ready to enjoy her day.

Screaming interrupted her dash for the waves, and she slipped to a stop, ankle deep in the waters. At first, all she noticed was that people were screaming and running. Then she noticed the growing mound of sand behind them.

Felicity started to back away, thinking that she needed to get out of the area and help some other people, when the most horrifying thing about the sand monster revealed itself.

The monster, who was shaped like a young girl on a moving sand throne, raised a fist and launched a beam of sand at a running passerby, turning them into a sand sculpture. They were then washed away by the ocean.

Felicity took off running, her water shoes digging into the sand. She left the waterfront and rounded a corner, where she found a group of cowering people huddled in front of a building.

"Why don't you go inside?" She asked, out of breath and confused.

Someone pointed to the door. "It's abandoned, and locked."

Felicity walked over and checked the lock, then checked around. "I don't normally do this, but everyone stand back."

Felicity took a step back, then kicked the locked knob off the door with a jump. She rubbed the back of her heel as the group of people filtered inside.

"Well, that was an impressive use of destruction," a raspy voice said from behind her.

Felicity spun around, panicking. When she didn't see anything right away, she looked around in confusion.

"Come to the alley, slow poke!" The voice called.

Felicity hesitated. Then she proceeded with caution.

She wasn't expecting a floating cat holding a ring to be the one who'd been calling her.

<On the other side of the beach>

Diego Hart was not having a good day. First, his dad woke him up early on the last Saturday of the summer. Then, he was dragged out to the beach, where it was hot, scratchy, and all people did was scream and splash.

And then there was this monster thing.

That was unexpected, but also very inconvenient.

Or was it?

Diego had broken away from his family, equal parts intentionally and accidentally. He hadn't meant to separate, but when you get a chance to get away, well, he wasn't one to say no to fate.

Which put him here. Face to face with a large pinkish... bug? It was flying, so he guessed that was right, though he didn't see any wings.

"Hello, Chosen! I am Tikki, and I will be your Kwami and companion through this next stage of your life!"

"You're helping me get through my last two years of high school?" Diego asked, bewildered. "And what's with this 'Chosen' stuff? Being the chosen one never ends too well in books and movies."

The creature—the kwami—Tikki—blinked. "I chose you to wield my miraculous! The Miraculous of the Ladybug, of creation and healing!"

Diego scrunched his nose. "That sounds like a girl's power."

Tikki crossed her arms(fins???) and pouted. "There have been many male wielders of the Ladybug miraculous. You would be following a legacy, rich with creation and life, and it is not a 'girl's power'."

Diego shrugged. "Can I have an explanation for what exactly all this is?"

Tikki quickly explained the situation, the Miraculous, and his powers. She also told him he may have a partner.

"If Plagg found a suitable one, that is. The Black cat is a tricky one to hand out, and since we can't trust our Guardian.... Well, Plagg is in for some searching." Tikki turned back to him. "I was lucky to find you so quickly! Your use of the beach umbrella was very clever! I knew you were the one at that moment."

Diego felt his face heat up as he recalled the moment the kwami was speaking of. The monster, Castle Crasher, had almost caught up to him, so he had pulled a big beach umbrella out of the sand and used it as a shield. It wasn't something especially creative, but it had just made sense.

"That was just a use of resources," Diego attempted, but Tikki waved him off.

"We can't waste anymore time! Say 'spots on'!"

<With Felicity>

"Claws out?"

With a yelp and a flash of green light, Felicity was transformed into a black cat superheroine. As she examined her new look, she found that her hood covered all her hair, her mask covered all her recognizable features, and she could feel that she was more athletic than she already was.

"Wow," she breathed. A distant crashing brought her back to earth, and she slid her baton out from it's place on her thigh. Guided by a deep instinct, she swiped her thumb across the surface, and it opened like a slide phone.

Another swipe, and it closed. Her fingers found a button, and pushed it. She let out a yelp as it extended and speedily carried her upwards.

"S-stop!" she cried. The baton-staff thing stopped at her cry. She clung to the pole, trying to catch her breath, half wondering how the staff was balancing on it’s tiny surface.

The ground shook, and the staff fell forward. It hit a roof, and Felicity managed to roll forward on impact and get to her feet instantly.

“Woah.”

<Diego>

Diego skeptically examined the dark red magic fabric that now covered his arms.

“I guess it’s plenty tough,” he muttered. Then he pulled out his… weapon. “A yoyo…. I’ve never even touched one of these before… How does it work?”

He tentatively dropped the yoyo down and swung it back and forth a bit. As he got more comfortable with it, it felt more and more natural, and he executed more and more complicated maneuvers with the yoyo.

At the height of the activity, he threw the yoyo forward. When it wrapped around a building ornament and pulled him forward, he was jerked out of his reverie, and he realized just how absurd his situation was.

<Felicity>

Felicity looked up from trying to track down the villain to see a red and black speck in the sky. She narrowed her eyes to see it was getting bigger. It was only when she heard a voice yelling “I’ve been kidnapped by a yoyo!” did she think maybe she should move.

She came to her conclusion too late, unfortunately, and before she could make a move, she was crushed under a warm, red and black weight.

“AGH!”

She pushed against the weight, unable to get a good look thanks to her hood. “Is this some part of the akuma’s powers? Because it’s dumb. Stupid sky debris.”

“I’m not dumb!”

Felicity’s eyes widened at the sound of a fellow teenager. A male one, specifically. With a burst of strength she hadn’t possessed before, she kicked him off and jumped to her feet.

<Diego>

Diego clutched his stomach, reeling from not just one, but two sudden impacts in thirty seconds. He finally peeled apart his eyes to see the cause of the second impact, or rather, who had so forcefully kicked him off.

He got it, it was rude to lay on top of people, but he hadn’t meant to!

He looked her over. On the small end of the average spectrum, or the large side of the petite spectrum, wearing a black suit with a hood over her head, white, and very angry. Or scared. He wasn’t sure which.

“Is there a word for someone both angry and scared?” he wondered, only realizing too late that he’d said it out loud. “I mean--! Uh…. You must be the Black Cat! Tikki told me about… your kwami, I guess. Are we allowed to talk about the kwamis?”

The cat let her guard down, just a little bit. “Plagg didn’t say anything about it. He didn’t tell me about another wielder, though. Who are you?”

He mentally stopped in his tracks.

Don’t say Diego, don’t say Diego, don’t say Diego!

“I’d prefer to go by Escarabajo, if that’s okay.”

“Ah, I figured you were Latino.”

Diego pouted. “I thought I masked it well….”

The cat looked at him. “It’s… a work in progress, Escarabajo.” She turned as a rumble went through the building. “Focus on the akuma, we’ll talk later.”

She took off on her staff, and Diego—no, Escarabajo—followed.

<Felicity>

As long as no one asks me for a name, I’ll be perfect. If I’m given one, that’s different, but I won’t pick one for myself.

She stopped on top of a street lamp, marveling at the ease that she now balanced with. She scanned the streets, pointing out the street that had many sand figures.

“That’s where we need to go, Escarabajo.” She said, turning to see him hanging upside down, looking rather surprised by his new predicament.

He looked at her, his eyes wide. “I could be Spider-man….”

Felicity harrumphed and crossed her arms. “I’m no Mary Jane.”

<Diego>

In his haste to explain as quickly as possible that that wasn’t what he meant when he said that, he’d let go of the yoyo, and fell. Luckily he managed to land on his feet.

“Ow...” When he looked up again, the cat was offering a hand up, though she looked rather exasperated.

“Come on, you can play around later. Let’s deal with the sand castle monster.”

Escarabajo stood up and followed after her.

Following the sound of screaming and a trail of sandy figures, Escarabajo and the feline girl beside him soon caught up to the monster. The girl looked to him, and it slowly dawned on him that she was looking for him to direct her. He hastily thought out a plan and whispered it out to her.

“Can you sneak up on the monster? Tikki says there should be an object that, essentially, controls them and their powers. If we destroy it and capture the nasty butterfly--” Here he made a vague questioning noise before continuing “--We should be able to stop it. I’ll have to purify it. Haven’t quite figured out how.”

The Cat looked at him, her eyes narrowed. “Well, read your manual then. I’m gonna go find the object. I’d bet my tail it’s either the bucket or the shovel.” She leaped away, and Escarabajo nodded absently.

In light of her words, he took the yoyo off his belt, and thumbed it open. As if Tikki had overheard, which she probably had, the user’s manual was highlighted. As he skimmed over the most pertinent sections, he kept an eye on the Cat.

<Felicity>

Felicity snuck up on the villain just fine. She had quietly jumped from one building to the next, to a streetlamp, to the ground, all without any real noise.

The catch was when, despite her best efforts, she disturbed the very edge of the sand. And that alerted the akuma to her presence.

As the akuma stilled, Felicity attempted something she’d never done before but had full confidence she could pull off in the suit. She did a back flip on to a small billboard, and jumped behind it. She held her breath as the villain rumbled closer and closer. The villain missed her by a hair, and continued on it’s rampage.

Felicity kicked into gear. Plagg had said that because of her age, she could use her special power three times, and she knew exactly what to use it on.

She ran parallel to the villain before leaping forward. “Cataclysm!”

She broke the chains holding up a large sign, causing it to fall down and cut off the path the villain was taking. She repeated the process two more times, then dove out of the way, waiting for Escarabajo to do his thing.

She peeked up, and spotted the shovel and pail. She risked glancing behind the villain, and saw Escarabajo coming up behind. She crouched down farther, waiting for the right time.

<Diego>

Escarabajo had watched the Cat’s movements with awe. She was so fluid and confident looking. He noticed, of course, the tenseness she held whenever she was a misstep from being turned to a sand pile, but the grace with which she threaded around the villain was astounding.

Then Diego reminded himself that he was graceful, too. One of the most graceful in his gymnastics class.

“Yeah, it’s just another gym class,” he muttered before jumping into action.

He swung on his yoyo, catching up to the Cat. He saw her trap the villain on three sides, then dive for cover. He threw his yoyo in the air as he got closer, yelling, “Lucky Charm!”

He grabbed the tiny box out of midair and kept running. He glanced around the area, and spotted a few items he thought he could use. He quickly grabbed a red can and a fallen branch with his yoyo. He slipped behind an advertising sign, and took a moment to look at the box in his hand, just to double check.

Yep. Matches.

He poured the liquid over the stick in his hand, and threw both the stick and the box over to where the Cat was, keeping a few matches for himself. He hoisted the can up, then swung forward. As he swung behind the villain, he poured the liquid out of the can, creating a line of gasoline behind the villain.

Then he struck and dropped the matches he was holding.

<Felicity>

Felicity felt the air heat up, and knew she only had a short window. She struck the match, lit the branch, and jumped out of hiding. She swung the branch like a sword, cutting off the sand holding the shovel and pail.

She threw the pail to Escarabajo, and stomped on the shovel. Escarabajo threw his yoyo through the bucket, bursting straight through the bottom before pulling back.

Then he opened up his yoyo, and swung it at the black butterfly that left the broken bucket. The yoyo closed automatically over the insect, and Escarabjo brought it back to him.

He gently pushed the center dot on the yoyo.

<Diego> He watched the butterfly fly out, purified to a bright white. He speaks without even thinking.

“Bye, bye, little butterfly.”

Then he takes the empty matchbox that the Cat offers him, and throws it up into the air, yelling out the curing spell.

As magic ladybugs zip through the city, the Cat heroine walks up beside him, attentive and curious.

“So that’s how we avoid legal trouble. Nice.”

Escarabajo had to take that in, then he glanced at her. “I guess. It’s pretty and convenient.”

She snorted. “Well, was pretty decent working with you. See you around.” She made to leave, but Escarabajo shouted after her.

“Wait! What’s your name?”

She shrugged. “What do you want it to be?”

At his stunned expression, she turned around and leapt away.

Hearing the beeping coming from the studs attached to his wrists, Escarabajo followed her example, swinging up and running across rooftops before people came out to investigate. He made it to the beach and ducked behind the portable toilets before being blinded by pink light, and returning to his normal self.

Tikki flew out of the studs and into his hands. “You did a good job,” she whispered to him. “Now, I need someplace to hide.”

Diego offered her his beach bag.

Tikki hidden, and his Miraculous secured safely on a lanyard, Diego quickly returned to his family.

<Felicity>

Felicity whispered “Claws in” not too far from where she’d cried “Claws out”. Despite not being tired at all, she decided to go home. After all, she could only be gone for so long after something like that before her parents found out and flipped.

Plus she had to get ready for school on Monday, and that was gonna be a pain.

<Chapter Fin>

[captainchrisstan]

Delicate

Summary: 

My reputation´s never been worse, so

You must like me for me 

Words: 1438

Pairing: Chris Evans x Reader

Warning: none.... maybe angst 

A/N: this is done with love for @angrybirdcr​ Thank you for letting me participate and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ 

7-. “Is that what you think of me?”

17-. “I can´t imagine this world without you”

Hey guys! ✨my mother language is not English, so if there is any mistake please help me to improve. Also, my work is not allowed to be on other platforms. Just comment, like and reblog ❤️

The first thing you do when you close the magazine is to throw it as far as possible out of your reach, damn journalists you thought, again they had misinterpreted your words and what you didn't know is if they had done it on purpose or not.

Working in the film industry is complicated, if you are not careful your whole life was exposed to the public and that could be a double-edged sword. The big problem was that you had worked very hard to get to where you were now, even getting a starring role in one of the Marvel films but it had all fallen apart once you started dating Chris.

Chris Evans, the actor best known for his role as Captain America, was your boyfriend, so you were no longer known as "Y/n the actress with a great future in Hollywood" but as "Y/n The girlfriend of Captain America". At first, this fact bothered you a lot but Chris helped calm your nerves by saying that later he would be known as "Chris the Spider-woman's boyfriend", which is how Hollywood worked.

Ten months later your relationship with Chris was all wonderful, instead, the press attacked you with tooth and nail, insinuating that you were with him for fame and money because of the age difference, although it was not much it was still a difference that every journalist sought to highlight, so both decided to keep the relationship as hidden as possible, to the point that the press did not know if they were still together or not.

The sound of your cell phone is what gets you out of your attempt to burn the magazine with your eyes, looking at it you realize it's a message from Scott saying if you could go get Chris who was already a little bit drunk.

The trip to Scott's house is short but you spend it grumbling about curses to the magazine and journalists in general, once you arrive at Scott's house you can observe the boys standing outside waiting for you.

“Hi, Y/n!”

"Hey Scott, how are you?"

"Well, the usual" Chris quickly says goodbye to his brother and gets in the car, when he tries to put on his seatbelt you quickly talk to Scott.

"How many?"

"like a decent man"

"Hey! I'm still here!” The three of them laugh and when Chris finally manages to put his seat belt on, they say goodbye to Scott.

"Stay with me tonight?" You look sideways quickly at Chris and smile, you honestly liked it when Chris was stress-free and relaxed, he looked even happier than he already was.

"it's an order or a question"

"Both" you both laugh and just nod your head.

"What's going on?"

"Why do you say that?"

"I know you, what did I do now?"

"You haven't done anything .... or is there something you haven't told me?" Chris raises his hands in surrender and you just laugh.

"Yeah, but what's going on?"

"Today another magazine came out with a little interview of mine... You know, the usual. The thing is, they brought it up when I went to have coffee with Tom the other day after recording and they started making deductions about whether I was after his money and fame and all that… Again… You know me and you know I'm not like that..." the neighborhood where Chris lived was approaching which surprised you, the road had become shorter than usual. What you miss about the situation was that Chris didn't say anything.

Stopping the car in the parking lot of Chris's home, you quickly turn to look at it. "You know I'm not like that, right?" Chris gets out of the car and heads for the driveway.

"Is that what you think of me, after almost a year of the relationship, do you think I'm just looking for money and fame?”

"y/n I don't want to argue, I'm a little past my prime and I don't want to mess up... let's keep talking tomorrow" Chris disappears inside his house and you keep leaving your keys on the entry table.

"This is not something you can discuss tomorrow Chris, this is something you think of me" with a sigh Chris simply looks at his girlfriend and knows he will regret what he says.

"In the beginning... what we had, in the beginning, was too good to be true Y/n you have to understand that..."

"No, I don't get it, Chris."

"It would not be the first time that something like this would happen to me..."

"I'm not them, Chris."

"I know! I know!... but you have to understand that you were practically starting your career, what better than to jump into stardom than to date one of the most sought-after men in the industry". You are speechless, your hand moves to pinch the inside of your arm in an attempt to make it all a dream, but unfortunately it is not. "Even I did that!" 

"I think I'll go and sleep at home"

"y/n please"

"No Chris, I need some space."

The weekend had gone by faster than you thought possible, Chris had called and sent messages but you didn't answer any, every time you saw his name on the screen the words repeated over and over in your mind.

With what Chris said on Friday night, thousands of situations made more sense to you, like when he told you a secret from a colleague like he was waiting for you to tell a magazine, or when he would arrive sometimes with expensive gifts even though you told him you didn't want anything, there were many signs but you were too blind to notice. 

On Monday you had to go back to the set to re-record, your manager Jimmy just stared at you when you walked into the makeup area waiting for you to say what had happened.

"Chris called me Sunday morning," as you sit down you simply start browsing Instagram hoping Jimmy would take it as a sign that you didn't want to talk about it. "You know you can count on me, right?”,  the facade that you didn't care about anything slowly begins to crumble the moment those words leave Jimmy's mouth. A few knocks on the door bring both of them out of their trance, as you look up to see in the mirror in front of you, you can see Chris almost as emaciated as you are.

"Could you give us a few minutes alone, Jimmy?"

"Sure, I'll tell Veronica not to come to makeup yet.",  When Jimmy comes out the door he lets Chris in and he sits in the same place where your manager was before.

"What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you... clear up the weekend" you get out of your seat but Chris is quicker and grabs your doll "Please"

"Chris, you've already made it clear to me what you think of me, and I can't change that.”

"No, don't talk like that. At first, I thought I'd use it as a marketing technique, you know.”

“Oh, God!”

"Just... just let me finish" The seconds that passed felt like an eternity for Chris. "At first I didn't have faith in us, you're younger than me, you were just starting your career and... the truth is I don't have a decent excuse if I'm honest.  Soon I realized that I had misjudged you, that you were not what I or the press thought you were. In our first fight... do you remember... when I went to spend the night at my mom's? well, when I got there I talked to her and she ended up yelling at me, she told me that you were the best thing that had ever happened to me and that she would be ashamed to call me son if I let you go". Chris laughs nervously, but even that can't make your anger go away.  "Sometimes I wonder if he doesn't love you more than me. The thing is... I can't imagine a world without you and even though there are times when the moments get difficult between us, nothing scares me more than losing you..."  without letting him finish you throw yourself into his arms, although there are no excuses for his behavior you cannot but forgive him. At the end of the day, they were both humans. 

"Why didn't you talk to me before?" Chris just shrugs. "We were able to clear this up from the beginning."

"All I know is, I don't want to lose you.”

PERMANENT TAGLIST: @petersoftboyparker​

[lovelytonys]

PLEASE GIVE ALL OF YOUR THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS AFTER FFH

I LITERALLY DON’T THINK I CAN DO THAT BC IT’S WILD UP IN MY BRAIN RN BUT LET’S ATTEMPT SOME BULLET POINTS

•it was SO fun. Everyone got me so scared to go see it but instead I had a blast. Sure the emotional parts were a little rough but what no one told me is that the movie put the pieces back together too! It felt very healing as far as Endgame sadness and no one told me it would be like that. Plus I thought it was so funny and Peter & his friends & teachers were GOLD

•I love this MJ. GOD do I LOVE this MJ. Zendaya is wonderful. “Awkward teen” is such a common archetype that it never seems to feel real and miss zendaya waltzes in with her impeccable acting instincts and realistic quirks and mannerisms and just nails this teenaged character with complete authenticity.......wig

•in the same vein I’m head over heels for this version of petermj GOD YES I don’t want perfectly romantic high school couples because things don’t WORK like that!! Why did things ever work like that!! Plus like every version of Peter Parker is a big nerd anyway it’s just unrealistic to expect him to have any game, you know? I love watching Zendaya & Tom play off of each other bc they both have SOLID instincts honestly they’re a joy to watch when they share the screen

•jake gyllenhaal man,,,,,jake gyllenhaal,,,,I don’t even know where to go with this. Mysterio was a cheesy level of evil, like he was ridiculously theatrical, and it would have been cheesy and ridiculous in less skilled hands but INSTEAD mr jake SNATCHED my WIG. He was so goshdarn charming in the first half that I caught myself wanting to like him (when I wasn’t mentally challenging him to fight me in a Walmart parking lot for being such a huge jerk) and that was all well and good but once he got to let his villainy loose? WOOOOOO okay first of all that SMILE that goshdarn SMILE the second Peter left the bar haha oh MAN he just, like, flipped a switch, you know? WILD. Riveting. mr jake’s teeth get 20 Oscars ALSO his villain speech? I can’t get into it there’s a lot to unpack but his delivery was so great. SO great. I loved how he was generally reserved and charming even when evil so that the moments when he had an outburst were scary. Like any time when he got angry and started yelling felt like a Moment bc of how he held back for the rest of it. He was always so deliciously menacing too like ugh sometimes I just love a good old fashioned villain, you know? He’s not terribly complicated, he’s pretty much just evil! Simple as that! Woohoo! And his dying line gave me CHILLS it wasn’t even just the line even tho the words are chill-enducing enough but it was his DELIVERY that just SENT ME like the way he’s trailing off and ESPECIALLY that creepy & deranged little smile AAAAHHHHHHH

•while we’re on the last line I get chills when I think about it bc when remembering the moment you fit the mid credit scene in with it and it’s like,,,,so THAT’S what that means,,,,THAT’S what the smile is for,,,,,THAT’S why you’re so pleased that anyone will believe anything,,,,,W I L D

•and I thought it was so cool how they updated Mysterio. He’s a special effects guy, right? That’s how the story goes when you look back at his origin comic, yeah? So to see him working with modern special effects instead of the practical effects of the era of his debut was so cool. Seeing Jake Gyllenhaal walk around in a Marvel movie wearing a morph suit was kinda meta and I kinda dig it. I thought it was all very creative

•if you had told me years ago that Back in Black by AC/DC would be the thing to set off an emotional outburst for me I literally would not have believed you but here we are

•no joke I was doing a relatively good job of holding it together (and relative is good for me) until AC/DC started playing, then I kinda lost it

•TOM HOLLAND SMASHED IT

•HE JUST SMASHED IT IDK

•THE SCENE IN THE PLANE. YOU KNOW THE ONE. 3000 OSCARS FOR MR TOM real talk I would kill to see him do a legit drama piece and I also can’t even imagine what he’ll be doing when he’s older. I mean. He’s pulling this out in a summer blockbuster of all things before he’s 25.....imagine what he’ll be doing if he gets to the point of having, like, decades of experience behind him

•the part when he was building his suit.......I cried

•as far as the plot...on one hand? Predictable every step of the way. On the other hand? I find a weird satisfaction in watching a movie that flawlessly fulfills basic beat structure and yeah it would be boring if every movie did that but it’s okay sometimes

•the first scene. the first. goshdarn scene. I have never truly known what it was like to laugh and cry at the same time

•MJ AND A MACE!!!! YEAH!

•I like how this movie begins with the question “is Spider-Man the next Iron Man” and proceeds to answer it with “no. He’s Spider-Man and that’s more than good enough.” Tony’s shadow is a huge one to live under and I love that the movie explicitly places Peter outside of that shadow. Like, yeah, he’s similar to Tony in some ways but at the end of the day? He’s his own hero. It’s highlighted even more by the fact that Mysterio is his foil and Mysterio wanted to be the new Iron Man.

•I don’t know what I was expecting from the second credit scene but that......wasn’t it. The two credits scenes threw me through more loops than the entire actual movie did

•J Jonah Jameson got a bigger reaction out of me than anything else in the movie by far

•I swear to you the words “pizza time” were uttered in this film I just don’t remember where

•I literally thought I was going to die when looking at Peter immediately after he got hit by the train

•the consistency with the limp throughout the whole second half really heckin Got Me and also how he touched his ribs in the final battle bc they were injured from the train accident. It’s the little things like that that make Peter seem more human & genuine

•WHEN HE SAW HAPPY AND WAS AFRAID OF HIM BC HE DIDN’T KNOW IF HE WAS REAL,,,,THAT HURT MY GUYS,,,,POOR BBY BOYYYYY but then when he hugged Happy I thought I was going to have a meltdown don’t worry I didn’t

•the scene where Mysterio seriously gets in Peter’s head, you know the one, good golly was that overwhelming. Like. I was feeling the need to jump up and start pacing the floor, you know? It was really well done and it stressed me outtt

•Iron Zombie had me feelin a little queasy if I’m being totally real here lol I was not feelin good about that one

•it took me the whole 2 hours to bounce back from “even dead I’m the hero” oh my god that was SO Tony. I can hear it in his voice. I miss him.

•can’t believe Tony is still out here fully protecting Peter with a whole army of drones from beyond the grave wow the irondad JUMPED out

•BUT OVERALL I FEEL SO GREAT AND EXCITED ABOUT THIS MOVIE WOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[peter-parkourwrites]

Searching For Forever ~ Part 6. (Peter Parker x Stark!FemReader)

Summary: When everything seems almost too perfect, your family is starting to fall to pieces. Your father chooses his path, and Steve chooses the opposite, and you’re in the middle of it all. Only confiding in your best friend who just so happens to be everyones favorite Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and the one you fall for.

Warnings: Swearing, Angst, mentions of blood

Word Count:

series masterlist

~~

When your dad came home that night, he was completely silent, he dropped the food on the kitchen island, and stormed off to his lab, Peter’s suit in his hand. You called Peter about thirty times, and no answer. He didn’t show up to school the next day and when he finally did, he didn’t talk to you. He barely even talked to Ned. So you found yourself sitting with Harry, and Betty’s friends. Which consisted of Jason who was always on the morning announcements with Betty, Cindy, and Abraham. And somehow you managed to drag MJ along, she didn’t really like it but as long as you were there she was fine to read, sketch, and sometimes even join in on the conversation.

You didn’t get the full story of what happened but you were able to piece it together. You knew Peter got his suit taken away, that much was obvious. It was even more so when your dad asked you to replace the tracker and put more locks on protocols. He told you about the ferry incident, but what you didn’t get from him you got from news outlets and twitter feed. Seeing Peter so… heartbroken and beat up over all of this broke your heart. You wanted to help, you tried to talk to him but everytime he just ignored you and even went as far as to tell you to shut up one time. So from then on you only gave him shy smiles when he glanced over at you, and sent a supportive message every once in awhile. You and Ned were still close, and he often told you about how Peter was doing, but only if you asked. You knew Ned was only trying to be there for Peter, and you were glad it was at least Ned if it wasn’t you.

When you first met Peter Parker, you were unsure how you felt about him. You met at school of course, and yeah he might have spilt orange juice all over your brand new converse but something inside you told you not to flip out on him. You didn’t know why, and you could never have known that he would be the cause of your first heartbreak, he would be your first love. You just saw him as some goofy kid, with a cute smile who tripped over his own two feet constantly. From then on everything you felt had been a confusing mess. And for the first time in your life, you were unsure how to feel about something. The way you felt about him was uncharted territory, then and now. Sure you had dated other people, but it didn’t even last a month or so until you left. Only having enough room in your heart for one other person, Peter Parker. That spot in your heart was reserved for him and only him. Sure, you ignored it as best as possible as the years went on, but you could only hide emotions like that for so long. For the first time in your life, you were finding yourself in a problem that you didn’t know how to solve…

Well of course you knew it was just a matter of if you wanted to solve it.

“(Y/N)? Hello?” Harry waved his hand in front of your face as you swallowed a fry and looked over at him.

“Personal space, Osborn.” You teased nudging his arm slightly.

“Well sorry I didn’t know asking you a question was invading your personal space.”

“Haha very funny. But what’s up?”

“Are you going to Homecoming?” He asked as Betty grinned and nodded eagerly, waiting for your answer.

“Uh… yeah I think so anyways. I just gotta figure out a dress situation but it shouldn’t be too hard.” You said with a nod as he grinned.

“Cool cool, well I guess uh… I’ll see you there then? Save me a dance will you?” He asked, standing up as the bell rang, a hand reaching down to you. You smiled and nodded, taking his hand in your own as he pulled you up.

“No promises, I’m a very busy girl. But we’ll see.” You teased with a small wink before walking off with MJ and Jason to art class.

“I gotta piss, don’t fuck up my painting.” You teased nudging MJ as you walked by her.

“Wouldn’t dream of it Stark.” She muttered, going back to her sketch.

You walked down the empty hallways letting your feet scrape against the polished floors, ignoring the small squeaks they were giving off. When you were about to round the corner you halted hearing Peter’s voice.

“Hey I thought you had calculus this period?” You raised a brow before hearing Liz speak up. You knew it was wrong to listen in, but hey no harm no foul.

You leaned a bit closer to hear what they were saying, and gulped hearing Peter’s next words.

Five simple words. Five fucking words, and you felt your heart shatter against your ribcage. Bringing a hand up to your mouth you felt a tear slide down your cheek before racing off, not even wanting to hear Liz’s answer.

“All harm, all foul.” You repeated the mantra in your head as you raced to the next closest bathroom and practically flung yourself into the stall. You let quiet sobs rack through your body as you leaned against the cool wall beside you. With a shaky hand you pulled out your phone and quickly typed a message to MJ.

You: Emergency. West corridor bathroom. NOW.

Once it sent, you sunk down against the wall and brought your knees into your chest, as tears fell from your cheek to the floor.

“Fuck fuck fuck.” You muttered resting your head on top of your kneecaps.

At first it was just a dumb rumor, and sure you were a bit nervous about it, but it was just a rumor. It didn’t mean anything at the time. But now, with blurred vision, shaky hands, and trouble breathing it was anything but a rumor. The boy, you so desperately, selfishly wanted for your own was giving up on you.

“Pumpkin? Are you almost done?! Pep and I want pictures!” Your father called as he knocked on your door. You fiddled with the ends of your dress and let out a shaky sigh. It was now homecoming night, and you were determined to have a good time. Natasha had curled your hair, and you pulled it back into a half up half down look, to go with your dress. You had a delicate looking maroon dress, it came to a stop just above your knees, the skirt was all red, as was the top but it had black lace covering it, and the red stopped at your shoulders, but the lace continued down to your wrists. You paired it with black heels, and some gold necklaces as well as diamond earrings. And you looked good. Your makeup was simple, a little bit of eyeshadow, mascara, concealer, but what pulled it all together was the killer highlight that made you glow.

“Yeah I’m good!” You called, grabbing your clutch with your phone, and lipgloss. When you opened your door, your father and Pepper turned around and both gasped before coming to hug you tightly.

Pictures were taken, and many hugs were given. As you chatted with the team, laughing at their jokes and mild attempts to threaten anyone who tried to flirt with you. The doorbell rang. You hugged everyone goodbye before your dad walked up from the front door, Harry in tow.

“Sweetheart, care to tell me why there is a boy here asking for you?”

“Harry!” You cheered and ran up to him giving him a short hug, before turning back to the group, Harry nervously shuffled behind you, all eyes on him.

“Everyone this is Harry, Harry this is the Avengers. He’s going with my friends and I. I’m guessing they sent you up huh?” You said turning towards him. He nodded with a soft chuckle before handing you the corsage.

“Okay we’re leaving now! Bye!” You called off to the team before leading Harry out of the house and to the car.

You felt absolutely gorgeous that night.

And maybe somewhere deep down you did it for yourself, MJ did tell you to mainly dress up for yourself - to feel better, or whatever bullshit she spewed at you while you were shopping for dresses.

~

“Why can’t we just stay homeeeee. I don’t even wanna go to that stupid dance anyway. I’d rather not watch Peter and Liz swap spit while I cry into some un-spiked punch.” You complained, MJ’s hand tugging yours into the shops.

“Because, you’re my best friend and I’m not gonna let you sulk over some idiot boy who you can’t even tell your feelings too.”

“You’re making it seem like it’s my fault Peter asked Liz to homecoming.” You suggested, crossing your arms over your chest as MJ began sorting through dress on the rack for you.

“Well yeah, cuz it is. I mean not directly. But if you told him how you felt we wouldn’t be in this shitty mess.” She remarked, quirking a brow in your direction. You flipped her off and walked up to the rack behind her.

“Okay but that doesn’t mean I should put myself in situations where I’m gonna end up crying anyways.”

“No, but if you walk in there looking hot as hell he won’t know what hit him.” She added with a wink tossing you dresses and ushering you into the changing rooms.

~

And boy did you look damn good. You walked, a slow strut into the gym with your small group, your arm looped through Harry’s as a small ‘fuck you’ to Peter. Of course you didn’t really mean it but hey, a little jealousy never hurt anyone.

“Oh! I love this song come on!” You cheered, placing your punch on the table and grabbing Betty’s hand, dragging her to the dance floor. You jumped around, swaying your arms and body to the music, grabbing Betty’s hands as you two spun around and laughed. As much as you didn’t want to come, you were so so glad you did.

“Harry! Jason! Come dance with us!” Betty called to the boys as they walked up to you. You grinned and grabbed Harry’s hands, beginning to dance around with him.

After about ten minutes, you could feel the sweat on your forehead. You huffed and waved them off, telling them you’d be back and walked over to where MJ, and Ned were with the rest of the group. You grabbed your cup muttering a small thank you to MJ before gulping half of it down.

Spacing out for a little bit, you jumped when Ned waved vigorously at the door and MJ gave someone the finger. Curiosity displayed on your face, you leaned over and saw Peter, the curiosity turning to annoyance. Scoffing, you rolled your eyes and turned around to face MJ completely.

“Where’s Liz? Isn’t she his date?” Cindy asked motioning towards Peter who was walking through the crowds of people. You shrugged and walked back up to the punch table, pouring yourself some more of the fruity drink.

A small gasp escaped your lips as you watched Peter race out of the gym.

“Fuckin’ hell Parker.” You muttered, slamming the cup down and walking back over to Ned. “Lets go!” You called, grabbing the collar of his suit jacket and running off the way Peter went.

Everything happened so fast, you were racing down the hallways with Ned one minute, and the next, Ned was shooting Peter’s webs at the shocker guy.

“Guys! The guy with the wings is Liz’s dad!” He cried, coming to a stop in front of you. “Call Mr. Stark and Happy Hogan tell them what’s going on!”

“Peter wait!” You called as he started to run off. “You’re gonna need this.” You said tossing him an earpiece and a tracker.

“Thanks… and for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” He called, swinging away. You and Ned exchanged a shocked look before running back into the building. You and Ned raced off to the computer lab and you pulled up a chair beside him, watching as he quickly logged in and began to track Peter’s phone.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y pull up Spider-Man’s tracker, and keep me updated on movement.” You said as it was projected in front of you.

“Peter? Do you copy? Tell me what’s happening?” You yelped as Ned nudged you slightly in order to get you to quiet down. “F.R.I. put the comm on speaker so both Ned and I can work and listen.” You said swiping through your contacts and dialing Happy. You tossed the phone to Ned and took over with the tracking.

“He’s by the gamestop on jackson ave.”

“Where are the headlights on this thing? God- I’m in Flashes car!”

“You stole Flash’s car. Ha awesome.”

“No Ned not awesome! Peter can’t go to jail for this shit!” You cried before giving Peter directions on where to go. “Call Happy, hurry!” Ned nodded and dialed his number.

“Take off in five minutes! Who is this?”

“Mr. Happy it’s Ned!”

“Who?”

“Oh for god sake, Happy!”

“Kid?! What the hell, why aren’t you at the dance?”

“I am, just ugh look Peter-”

“Nope bye!” He said before hanging up. You groaned and rested your head on the desk.

“I’m gonna kill him.”

“Well would you do that later?! Kinda need to find Vulture here!”

“Right right, okay uh… he stopped at an old industrial park in Brooklyn.” You said raising a brow at the computer. “F.R.I.D.A.Y. Call my father, tell him what’s going on.”

“Copy that boss.”

“Okay wait wait! He said he was going out of town?”

“Weird, oh we reached Happy and he doesn’t seem to like you very much.” Ned interrupted.

“He doesn’t like anyone.” You deadpanned, your eyes scanning over the computer screen as Vulture’s car stayed put.

“What did he say?” Peter shouted through the comm, as horns honked at him.

“Sounded like he was catching a flight, something about leaving in nine minutes.” You froze and shook your head frantically.

“Fuck fuck fuck! It’s moving day. F.R.I.D.A.Y. Call anyone! If they all don’t answer then get me mock sixteen.”

“Are you sure? It’s not ready yet and-”

“Just do it!” You yelled, slamming your hands down on the table.

“Why what’s this about?”

“He’s going to rob the plane!” You hissed pulling your phone out of your pocket and calling Happy.

“What’re you two doing here? There's a dance.” Your teachers voice sounded through the lab as the lights flicked on. You gulped and looked over at Ned.

“Uhhh… watching porn.” He said and you smacked your palm to your forehead, muttering out apologies as you both walked out of the computer lab.

“Okay listen, you go in and stall everyone. I’ll call you when I find Peter.” You yelled as you raced towards the front doors.

“Wait where are you going?!” He yelled, pushing open the doors. As if on cue one of the drones dropped a small box with the labeling ‘Stark Industries’ on it. You grinned and pulled out the watch, slipping it on your wrist. Ned watched on in amazement as you tapped it three times and a silver and purple suit slid across your body.

“To help the guy I love stop Vulture… Thrusters engage.” You said, and blue flames poured from the feet and hands as you began hovering, “Keep me updated on what’s going on here!” You called towards Ned, tossing him his own earpiece.

“I knew you were in love with Peter!” Ned cheered, raising his fist into the air and jogging back into the building.

“I’ll deal with him later… Watson?” You asked, as the suit whirred to life, taking off.

“Hello Miss Stark. Nice to finally be of service.”

“Skip the formalities for now, access Spider-Man’s tracker and set the suits coordinates to his location.” The suit flew up into the sky, moving as you dodged buildings and flocks of birds.

“Mr. Parker has crash landed on Coney Island beach. He seems like he could use some assistance.”

“No shit, just… fuck uh, switch half the suits power to thrusters and go!” You yelled bracing yourself as they engaged and sent you flying forward faster.

As you approached Coney Island you gasped. Immediately feeling your heart rate increase.

“Ma’am your blood pressure levels are spiking and you are getting extremely hot, I believe you are having a mild panic attack shall I-”

“Waston, just turn on the air and do an infrared scan of the area for bodies.” You whispered the last part as you flew down to the destruction. Seeing your father's new mask prototype laying on the ground you sighed and kicked at it slightly.

“There is one body, alive, seems to be Mr. Parker, to your far left. And the other who seems to be The Vulture within the flames.” You groaned and flew over to where Peter was.

“Oh my god…” You whispered, the mask of your suit retracting as you walked up to him. Carefully, you knelt down beside him, your hands hovering over his body as he groaned in pain. Blood was smeared across his nose, bruises littered his cheeks and collarbones.

“Wh-where is he.” Peter hissed, from pain as he slowly pulled himself up. You gripped his elbow with one hand, using the other to support his back.

“He’s back with the main part of the plane. Peter we need to get out of here he could-”

“No. I’m finishing this.” Was all he said before ripping from your grasp and stalking up to Vulture with every bit of strength he had left.

Before you could process what was going on, Vulture flew at the both of you, knocking you to the ground with a loud thud. Groaning, the mask slid back from your face again as you blinked a few times.

“You asshole! I’m going to be concussed!” You shouted, slowly standing up and looking towards Vulture.

“Hey Pedro… see you’ve got a sidekick, (Y/N) Stark. I’ve heard a lot about you from my daughter, how talented and smart you are. But I never pegged you as one to fight, what’s with the get-up? Daddy build you your own suit?”

“I built it myself headass, and I’m no sidekick.” You hissed, venom lacing your words as you raised your hand and fired a blast towards him, which much to your dismay… he dodged. He flew back at you both, and you quickly jumped out of the way, watching as Peter rolled underneath him and shot a web towards him.

When he missed, Vulture flug himself towards Peter and used the metal claws on his suit to press him against the sand. You practically roared, as you lunged at him, sending both yourself and Vulture flying off into a piece of broken plane wing. You punched at his masked face repeatedly, screaming curses at him as he whacked you with his wing sending you flying back against the ground.

He took this as another chance and quickly grabbed Peter again in his claws, now lifting him up into the air. You watched in horror as Peter flung himself from his grasp and began plummeting.

“Watson, locate all of the weak points on Vultures suit.” You instructed as you flew towards Peter, scooping him up in your arms in mid-air.

“The turbines are failing, and the whole engine is about to fall apart on his back. If you hit those he will surely go down. Although do be careful. We don’t need anything else of Mr. Stark’s blowing up tonight.”

“Yeah yeah whatever.” You huffed and placed Peter on the ground, as he groaned and sat up. You watched carefully as Vulture walked over to where the opened boxes of mini-arc reactors and felt your blood boil. You flew up and wrapped your hand around the engines, using your thrusters to pull away from the direction he was going.

“Those… aren’t… for… sale!” You groaned, your voice straining as you continued to pull back. “Now Pete!” You yelled, turning your head and watching as Peter stood up and shot a web towards to box.

“No wait! It’s going to explode!” He yelled and you closed your eyes, breathing in heavily.

“Watson, armor engage.” You said as a light blue shield formed around your suit. “Aha! It worked!” You cried, out of pure joy. This was something new you decided to add in, as a small upgrade from your dads tech figuring it’d be helpful.

“Time to go home kids.” Vulture announced, as he cut away Peter’s web and kicked you off him. Flying backwards you huffed, landing against the ground.

Your eyes watched as Vulture began to fly off, a horrified expression displayed on your face as his suit malfunctioned and collapsed against the ground with a loud ‘boom’ and flames swirled in the air for a short moment.

“Oh god…” You whispered, pushing yourself up from the sand and racing along-side Peter towards the flames. “This is such a stupid idea!” You called towards Peter as he looked at you and shrugged.

“I know. But no one dies on my watch.”

“Our watch you idiot!” You yelled, skidding to a halt, as Peter jumped straight through the wall of flames. “For fucks sake…” You muttered, flying overhead and watching as he lifted up metal with ease and dragged Vultures body from underneath.

“Watson, check vitals.” You said, panicky as you landed beside Peter as he placed him down against some crates.

“Watson?”

“Sherlock reference. Get with the times Peter.” You teased, playfully punching his shoulder. He scoffed and shook his head as he webbed him up.

“He is very much alive, however he has a broken nose, second degree burns around his arms and neck, and-”

“Yeah yeah don’t care. Come on Pete, we better get out of here.” You groaned, as you moved your arm to wrap it around his shoulders. Pain shot through your arm, as well as your head. “I think I have a concussion…” You muttered, the suit’s helmet retracting as Peter chuckled and wrapped his arm around your waist.

“Probably. But hey that’s what heroes get.” He said with a shrug as you rested your head on his shoulder.

It was quiet for a few minutes, the silence more comforting than awkward but it was still there, lingering in the back of both your minds.

“I-I’m so sorry (Y/N). I didn’t mean for you to get all… caught up in this, I just…” He let out a large sigh as you both hobbled away from the beach and over to some place to hide for a bit. “I really… uhm, like you and I know you probably don’t feel the same and that’s okay? I think? I mean not for me I’d be crushed- Not! Not that I want you to feel bad or anything but-”

“Peter.”

“I mean it’d be hard if you didn’t like me back? I mean we have the same friends and we go to the same school. Hell I work for your dad I mean he’d probably kick me out of a job… not that it’s even a job I don’t even get paid, I should talk to him about that.”

“Peter!” You yelled, placing a hand over his mouth. His eyes widened and he nodded as you dropped your hand from his mouth and slid it over his cheek. “Kiss me.” You whispered, leaning in towards him. And he did not hesitate. Peter reached his hands up to your face and pressed his lips against yours.

The kiss was a bit sloppy at first, noses bumping, teeth bumping, and the occasional awkward position switch but within seconds you had both figured it out and your lips fit together like puzzle pieces. One of Peter’s hands slipped around your waist and pulled you closer towards him, as your hands slid around his neck and played with the ends of his curls at the back of his neck. You both pulled away, blushing furiously, and catching your breath. With a gentle chuckle he rested his forehead against yours and you let out a peaceful hum.

“God I’ve been wanting to do that since sixth grade…” He whispered, his eyes moving to look into yours. You giggled and a warm smile crossed your lips. “I’m sorry for asking Liz to homecoming by the way…” He muttered and pressed a short kiss to your nose. You rolled your eyes and pulled back from him.

“And just as I was forgetting that ever happened.” You let out a small ‘hmph’ and crossed your arms, as Peter shook his head and rested it between your collarbone and neck.

“Noooo.” He whined and pulled you flush against him. “Look we’ll make a deal. I won’t ever bring it up again if you don’t bring up, me lying to your dad. Sound good?”

“Sounds good.” You affirmed with a short nod of your head as you placed a short and sweet kiss to his lips. “Now come on Spider-Boy we have a very anxious Ned to talk to,” You glanced down at yourself and then Peter and chuckled slightly. “After we clean up a bit.” You said with a small chuckle before leaving the small shack and darting out of the guards line of sight.

“I go off the grid for two hours and you almost died!” Your father's voice echoed off the walls of the new compound as he stared down at you, face red, and knuckles white.

“Well I didn’t die. Besides Pete and I had it all figured out.”

“If you had it figured out you wouldn't have gone after him in the first place and left it to the FBI!”

“We both know the FBI wouldn’t be able to stop him Dad.” You deadpanned, lifting your legs up on the coffee table. “We had it covered. I have a suit now, and-”

“Speaking of the suit, I’m taking it.”

“No you’re not!” You yelled shooting up from the couch and moving closer to him. “I made that, all on my own! Y-You can’t just-”

“I can and I will. You don’t even know what I’m taking it for.” He said walking down the stairs to his lab, motioning for you to follow. A soft groan slipped past your lips as you stood up and hobbled down the stairs.

“I have taken the liberty of fixing it up for you, and adding some choice improvements.” He said, pulling up the holograms on the exo-skeleton of it, and tapping away. “F.R.I.D.A.Y pull up the new functions I added.” He said, sitting down in a chair and kicking his feet up on his desk. You walked over, standing beside him and scanned the screens.

“Of course boss… let’s see, Miss Stark will now have an extra set of power for thrusters. Added police scanners so you can see their radar. A special designed tracker for Spider-Man and Mr. Stark himself. You have a main comm with connection to the team, one for Peter, and one for the police if needed. The jets in the boots will be much larger, but look smaller for better flight techniques so they won’t be clunky, and a chest repulsor transmitter.”

“I also took the liberty of hooking up Watson to your spotify so now he can play whatever music you want.” He said tossing you a necklace with a mini-arc reactor pendant on it. A smile tugging at your lips you pulled him in for a bone crushing hug and he chuckled softly, bringing his arms around your neck.

“So you’re not mad?” You asked, looking up at him with a raised brow.

“Well yes, but I did worse when I was younger. But no missions yet. We need to start you with proper training first. You start tomorrow morning with Nat, Bucky, and Steve.” He said pulling up the schedule.

“Two hours?! Everyday a week?” You groaned and flopped down into his desk chair.

“Yes now go to your room, I need to give you some form of punishment.” You huffed and stood up, knocking the chair back with your legs, before walking up to the small flight of stairs.

“You do realize I still have my technology right?” You asked, turning to face him, your hands on your hips.

“Oh shut it, scram. I’ll see you in the morning. Love you kiddo.”

The next few days had gone by oddly fast. You were thrown into a new routine of school, training, more training, and sleep.

After your kiss with Peter he seemed… off? More awkward around you, but you guessed it was because you two hadn’t really had the chance to talk about what happened. Your father had you working on your own suit constantly. Giving you new additions, and suggestions every time you stepped foot into his lab. Even at the dinner table while you stuffed yourself full of pizza he’d bring up some new problem, or some type of weapon to add for your safety.

He tried putting a safety protocol on your suit, like he had Peter’s but since it was your suit, he could only get so far. The rest of the team was shocked to say the least when you started training. Sure they were supportive but they didn’t want to push you to hard. But when you insisted, they would kick your ass into next week until you got better.

“Dad! Pepper wants to know if you ordered the white lillies for the upcoming press conference.” You muttered, walking up to him as he dismissed one of his staff. A tablet lay in your arms, a check-list of what Pepper needed, and tabs with sketches of a new suit for yourself, and gadgets for the rest of the team.

You had finally been able to move up in your father's company to Peppers assistant, and helped him out in the lab. You were on ‘Inspector Gadget Duty’ as Tony liked to call it, creating loads of different things to help during missions, like Nat’s shock disks, and even faster arrows for Clint.

“Oh also Scott and Hope want to know if they need to bring their suits to the annual dinner.” You said with a small hum, as you waited for his answer. He turned towards you, clad in a black suit with dark grey stripes and his signature sunglasses.

“Yes I did, they’re in there now. And for the hundredth time, uh no they don’t. But look at you kiddo! All fancy, taking after your old man I see.” He said with a playful wink before pulling you into a side hug.

You were wearing a simple white dress that hugged your waist and legs, paired with a dark red blazer.

“More like taking after Pepper.” You teased nudging him slightly. “Anyways uh when Peter gets here for the little… initiation or whatever you want to call it I’ll be heading out with Nat and Steve after to talk with Fury about the new recruits they want to bring in. We’re going to evaluate them and test their skills in hand to hand combat, offensive techniques, and-”

“Woah woah woah slow down there roadrunner, relax. Take a minute to,” He took in a deep breath and let it out. “Breathe.”

“Always so dramatic.” You said with a small laugh before looking back down at the notes.

“Yeah yeah, well we’ve got a Spider to congratulate.”

“He hasn’t even accepted the suit yet.”

“Yeah well.” Tony shrugged and started walking backwards, towards the steps. “We’ll get there soon enough.” You rolled your eyes and walked behind him, down the large steps and chuckled seeing Peter watching as the quinjet flew off.

“Ya don’t see that everyday.” Happy said to Peter, stuffing his hands into his suit pockets.

“You do if you’re me.” You teased and walked up to them beside your father. You gave Happy a short fistbump and grinned up at him before turning to Peter.

“I like the get-up squirt, very professional.” Happy said nudging your arm sightly. “You don’t see that everyday either.”

“Oh ha ha.” You muttered rolling your eyes. “Watson, please deduct Happy’s pay this week.”

“Hey uh uh uh, no no you don’t.” He groaned and you chuckled before giving Peter a warm smile.

“Hey Pete.” You grinned and walked up to him giving him a short hug. He returned the gesture and as you pulled away his cheeks flushed red.

“H-Hey (Y/N). You look really good… I-I mean not that you normally don’t, you always look gorgeous but-” Tony cleared his throat and placed a firm hand on Peter’s shoulder. “Yeah I’ll shut up now…” He whispered, causing you to chuckle.

“Well I’m gonna steal the kids for a minute.” He said giving you a small peck on your forehead before turning to Happy.

“Seriously?” Happy spoke up, raising a brow.

“Yeah I gotta talk to the kids.”

“I’ll be close behind.”

“How about a loose follow? Boundaries are good.” Your dad said with a curt nod before walking ahead, motioning for Peter and yourself to follow. You chuckled and walked alongside Peter, brushing your hand against his as you walked.

“Sorry I took your suit. I mean you had it coming, turns out it was just the kind of tough love you needed right, to urge you on. Wouldn’t you agree?” Your dad said as he poked at Peter’s arm as he walked.

“Y-y- uh, yes?”

“Let’s just say it was.”

“Mr. Stark I-”

“Screwed the pooch hard.” You chuckled as your dad nudged your shoulder. “Both of you. But then you did the right thing, you took the dog to the free clinic, raised the hybrid puppies… alright not my best analogy .” He huffed, and the glass doors slid open. You beamed over at Peter, knowing what was about to happen.

“I was wrong about you. I think with a little more… mentoring you could be a real asset to the team.” He said patting his shoulder and walking around him, you rolled your eyes playfully and linked your arm through Peter’s.

“T-t-t-to to the team?”

“Yeah, anyways there's about 50 reporters behind that door, and when your ready…” Tony said tapping against his watch as the doors slid open and revealed his new suit. “Why don’t you try that on.” He said standing in front of it, “And then I can introduce the world to the newest official member of the Avengers, Spider-Man.”

Your mouth dropped as you let go of Peter’s arm and watched him approach the suit.

“Peter if you don’t say yes then I will.”

“(Y/N), sweetheart you’re already starting training.”

“Yeah but still Dad!” You cheered and jumped up and down slightly, walking up to Peter you smiled over at him as he tried his best to contain the excitement bubbling inside him.

“Well anyways, Happy or my daughter here will show you to your room… where's he between? He’s next to uh, Vision?” Your dad asked raising a brow, you turned towards him and nodded.

“Yeah, Vision isn’t big on doors… or walls. But he’s quiet, and makes a mean chicken parmesan… with Wanda's help.” You said with a small chuckle before turning back towards Peter.

“Thank you, Mr. Stark but I-I’m good.”

“You’re good?”

“Excuse me?!” You yelped, wide eyes looking up at Peter.

“I-I’d rather just stay… the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man for a while… ya know? Somebodys gotta look after the little guy right?”

“You’re turning me down? You better think about this, look at that. I built that with (Y/N)’s help of course, to fit your needs.Last chance, yes or no.”

“No.” Peter said shaking his head slightly.

“Okay, uh Happy will take you home.”

“Thank you, Mr. Stark.”

“Very well, Mr. Parker.” He said shaking Peter’s hands as the doors slid shut you shook your head, running a hand through your hair.

“I’ll go tell Pepper…” You grumbled, pushing open the door and blinking rapidly, as the photographers started taking photos as you walked in. “Oh piss off.” You hissed and they immediately turned away from you.

Pushing through the small crowd you grabbed her hand and whispered what had happened to her. Her eyes grew wide as she gripped your wrist and dragged you out of the room.

“Where’s the kid? What the hell happened?” She asked, pulling you up beside her. You shrugged at your father as he turned around. “Did you guys screw this up? I told you (Y/N) should have been the one to ask him.” She said glancing towards you with an annoyed smile. You chuckled and nodded, silently in agreement with her.

“He told the kid to go wait in the car.”

“Are you kidding me?” Pepper hissed as she walked up to Tony. “I have a room full of people in there waiting for some big announcement what am I going to tell them?”

“Think of something, how about… uhm, Hap you still got that ring?” Your father asked raising a brow towards Happy. You audibly gasped and brought your hand to your mouth as Pepper looked over at you with a confused expression.

“Do I-I oh are you kidding? I’ve been carrying this thing around,” He muttered, digging into his pockets. “Since 2008.” He cheered, pulling it from his pockets and tossing it to your father.

“OH MY GOD Okay it’s happening, everybody stay calm, stay fucking calm.” You shrieked, bouncing in your shoes.

“Hey hey, don’t quote the office while I’m proposing.”

“Shut up and propose Dad!” You yelled and gripped the tablet in your hand.

“I can think of something better.” Pepper joked and leaned in for a kiss. You raised a brow and shrugged as you followed her back into the press conference.

“Pep, I gotta go! Bye!” You said, giving her and your father both small pecks on the cheek before racing out through the back door and up to the hangar for the jets.

A loud thud pulled you out of your reading, you chuckled and stood up from your bed, placing one of the new books Loki had given you on the bed and stretching.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y please open the curtains.” You said, watching as they slid open to reveal Peter, clad in his spidey suit, standing up from the ground of the balcony. You walked up to the glass doors, pulling them open and giving the boy in front of you a small smirk.

“Awe did the big mean glass squash the little spider?” You teased, faking a pout as you reached for his hand and pulled him into your dimly lit room. Peter scoffed and yanked you back, spinning you around so you were flush against his chest.

“Ha ha very funny.” He said with a roll of his eyes as he tugged off his mask. You carted your fingers through his messy hair and chuckled.

“I know, I’m such a jokester.” You hummed and placed a small peck to his cheek, before pulling free from his grasp. “Speaking of jokesters, my dad’s still peeved you declined his invitation.”

“Okay but I thought it was a test! How was I supposed to know it wasn’t?” Peter groaned and flopped down against your bed as he stared up at the ceiling. You shrugged and sat cross legged beside him.

“I dunno, maybe trust him?”

“I never said I didn’t.”

“You kinda did.”

“Ugh stop putting words into my mouth.” He mumbled, laying his forearm over his face. You rolled your eyes and picked up the book again.

“Men, so dramatic.” You mumbled rolling your eyes as you opened the book back up to the page you were on. “I don’t see why you can’t just talk to him about it. He doesn’t bite.”

“Easy for you to say, you’re his daughter.”

“Yeah but he’d kick my ass in a heartbeat if I ever did something worthy of it. And you politely declining his invitation because of a misunderstanding doesn’t call for that.” You mused, leaning back against your headboard, with a small thud.

“Okay fine then the rest of the team would.”

“Sam and Bucky maybe, but if I stopped them. They won’t.”

“But would you stop them?” He asked, now turning his body to the side, resting his chin hand as he stared up at you. You shrugged and looked up to meet his chocolate brown gaze.

“Depends.”

“On what?!” He cried and jumped up, now facing you completely, and kneeling in front of you. A small smirk curled at your lips as you cupped his cheek and leant forward.

“On if you let me do this.” You hummed and leaned forward, closing the gap between you, your lips meeting and moving in a gentle motion.

Peter reached one hand to go around your waist and the other to cup your cheek gently. Slowly, you slid your arms around his neck and began to play with a curls at the nape of his neck, tugging them softly. Peter let out a small groan, causing him to take control of the kiss and push you back against the covers, as he straddled your waist. You brought your knees up, around his body and let your tongue swipe across his bottom lip. Peter tasted like he always did, a gentle mix of mint, and cinnamon. Along with his strong smelling cologne. It sent you into overdrive as you arched your back, pushing your chest flush against his.

A knock on your door sent you shoving Peter off the bed with a loud thud. Taking deep breaths you brushed your mess of a hair back away from your face and lightly fanned yourself with your hand, to try and counteract the heat rising to your cheeks.

“Coming!” You called through the room, before peeking over the edge. “You good?” You whispered with a sheepish grin. Peter simply covered, what you assumed to be bright red cheeks and gave you a weak thumbs up. You smiled and pushed yourself off your bed before walking up to the door and opening it, squinting at the bright light from the hallway.

“Oh, hey Steve.” You said smiling at him, before Bucky appeared beside him with a slight wave. “Hey Buck… whats up?”

“We’re heading down to the gym and then going to grab some food later. Do you want to join us?” The super soldiers asked with eager smiles. You sighed and ran your fingers through your hair. “Uh, rain check? I’ve got a lot of uh homework to catch up on.” You said with an apologetic smile.

“Sure, tomorrow maybe?” Bucky asked, as you nodded bidding them goodbye before shutting your door. When you heard their footsteps fade down the hallway, you broke out into a fit of laughter and stumbled over to the bed as Peter stood up from the floor.

“Okay please never shove me off the bed again.” He muttered, groaning slightly as he rubbed the back of his neck.

“Sorry Pete, I promise.” You said placing a small kiss to his cheek. “Still on for movie night?” You asked raising a brow towards the TV. He nodded and wrapped his arms around your waist.

“With you? Always.”

So yeah, things weren’t… perfect, and you didn’t really know where your relationship with Peter stood, but you were both happy. And everyone at school seemed to know you were both off limits. I mean everyone already knew anyway that you were both in love with each other, but yet you still had yet to make things official, let alone actually say the words. But you were happy. Really happy and for now that’s all you needed.

[love-minor-poltergeist]

A Fresh Start

(Widowmaker/Male!Reader)

Requested by: @widows-knight, who asked for a wedding-day request with a male reader and a pregnancy announcement at the end.

Word Count: 3,462

A/N: I originally tried to keep the request relatively simple, but the prompt developed a mind of it’s own and I kind of ran away with it! I hope you enjoy it!

Also- ngl, I must have spent what felt like a day researching flower symbolism for this (; v ;)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For as long as she had been in Talon, Amélie  never dreamed that she’d live to see the day she’d  see the familiar sight before her again; albeit, she looked just a little bit different than her first wedding. 

She stood before a mirror in a white dress, hair neatly done and tied and braided (courtesy of an incessant Sombra) into a bun, and lips painted with a dark plum-purple lipstick. White silk and lace flowed over blue skin like water, pale roses sewn delicately into the lace sleeves. Cheekily enough, Amélie  found a few spiders hiding among the sea of roses, and she just knew that you had slipped in an extra request to the tailor. 

She chuckled at the thought and briefly wondered how long it would take you to notice the small butterfly woven into your boutonniere. 

Behind her, Amélie  can see Sombra idly fiddling around with the thin bride’s veil while Gabriel leaned against the wall. 

It had been surprisingly easy to invite the two of them to her wedding, Sombra practically jumping at the opportunity; though Amélie  had to keep a close eye on her to make sure the younger woman didn’t cause too much mischief. Gabriel, on the other hand, hardly batted an eye at her request.

In fact Amélie  thought the broody man wouldn’t even come- as he was never one for social gatherings, anyway. However, he had showed up to help her get ready in a suit that looked like it had seen better days, and seemed to at least try to be more sociable for her sake. Which, truthfully, was enough to make her almost crack a smile. 

Even whenever the two started their bickering (“Oye, viejo, quit slouching-” “Oh, be quiet, you brat.”), it hardly dampened the mood. Instead earning an eye-roll and a low chuckle from her while she did her eye make up. She’ll let it slide just for now. If anything, it only added to the strange little family dynamic they had.

It helped her take her mind off knowing that you were out there waiting for her, likely nervously fiddling with the buttons on the cuffs of your suit, and blissfully unaware of the little surprise in the making.

She lowers a slender hand to her stomach and gently bites down on her lower lip. 

Your relationship has always been...active, to put it lightly. Not that she was complaining. Oh no, far from it. It wasn’t even the highlight of the thing you had together.

Around you, Amélie  was able to actually feel. Every moment spent around you gave her the sense of normalcy that had been ripped away from her. You didn’t shy or cower away from her the first time you met her; even going so far as to learn French to grow closer to her. Though you were more or less tongue tied after you had oh-so boldly approached her, and that had gotten her attention. 

She gently chuckles to herself at the memory, the buzz of pleasurable warmth growing stronger and her cheeks flushing a light purple. At the time, Amélie  had no idea what it was about you that interested her.

Perhaps it was the way you seemed so earnest in your attempts to get to know her that intrigued her. Or maybe it was because of cute you looked all flustered and stumbling over your french- and she hardly ever used to word cute for anything. 

Whatever the reason may be, she had let you come closer to her- a choice she never once regretted. And neither did she regret saying yes when you had quietly kneeled before her to pop the question. 

The hand on her middle tenses and her brows crease as she gave her reflection a tight-lipped smile. While her heart rate was still worryingly low from Talon’s poking and prodding, Amélie  swore that she felt it race. 

And it wasn’t just because of wedding-day jitters. 

“Have you told him yet?” 

Gabriel’s sudden question snapped her from her thoughts, causing her gaze to move to his reflection behind her. 

He hadn’t moved at all from his place on the wall, but his normally stern (or as Sombra dubbed it, his “resting bitch face”) had softened a fraction as he gave her a small frown. From her place on the armchair not too far behind Amélie , Sombra piped up before the bride could answer.

“No, she hasn’t.”

Amélie  turns from the mirror to give the younger woman a hard stare, which merely earned her a shrug. Gabriel sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, his brow twitching; the sight not too far off from an exasperated father. 

He’s interrupted before he has the chance to lecture her. 

“Chut toi. I don’t plan on hiding it from him.” the hand at Amélie ’s side tightens into a fist as she  shoots the taller man a curt look. “It’s just..”

She trails off, her lips falling into a tense line. 

Talon had broken her down mentally and physically, taking her whole being and filling it with poison that burned away at her core until a fleshy, twitching wound was left. The pain excruciating as it tore away inside of her and molded her into the perfect little pawn Talon wanted: a living weapon. 

Already pale skin turned a sick, chalky white until it took on a blue hue, giving her an unnatural appearance. Her skin was now cold to the touch, almost as if she was a walking corpse. Had it not been for the fact that she could very faintly feel her pulse every now and then, Amélie  would’ve thought her heart had stopped a long time ago. 

So naturally, Amélie  assumed her body just wasn’t able to do certain things anymore.

Then the two little pink lines on her pregnancy test had to completely blindside her, throwing her for an emotional loop. 

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to have children; she had played with the idea of starting a family before Talon’s influence, after all. Having a child to teach ballet or proudly show off their feats had especially warmed her heart enough to almost propose the idea to Gérard. 

Of course, that was all before she had her life destroyed and her first husband killed at her own hands. 

A bitter smile formed as she crossed her arms, nails digging into lace. 

Well, if she had thought parenting would be stressful before, than she was certain that it would be a downright disaster now. Would the child even be healthy? What if it would only bring regret, causing a strain in your relationship? 

A slender, warm hand claps onto her shoulder, forcing Amélie  back into the present. 

Sombra at least had enough manners to give her a somewhat sheepish smile. Just as the younger woman opened her mouth, Gabriel interrupted her.

“You do realize this is him, we’re talking about, right?” Gabriel’s gruff voice takes on a note gentle enough to catch the attention of both women before him. 

His face hadn’t changed much, but the concerned frown was enough to emphasize the thin scars and lines littered across his face- showing off years of stress and strain.

“The guy has it bad for you, Guillard. If he’s stuck around long enough to get the balls to propose to you, then a pregnancy won’t be an issue for him.”

“..It also helps that you have the man whipped.” Sombra grins beside her as Gabriel rolls his eyes. Though Amélie  can see the ghost of a smile on his face before he covered it by coughing into a closed fist

“Sombra-”

“Oh, did you want me to get mushy with it, old man?” Sombra snorts, gently turning Amélie ’s head towards herself. Purple eyes glance over to Gabriel and motion towards the door, staring at him before he relents with a huff.

“I’ll wait for both of you outside. Try not to take too long unless you want to give the soon-to-be husband a heart attack.” 

“Well, when you say it like that-” She’s cut off as Gabriel shuts the door, leaving the two women alone. A few moments of silence passed before Sombra hears a slightly muffled “ahem” next to her, and she turns over to meet Amélie ’s slightly squished face.

She grins and the frenchwoman huffs before promptly prying herself away from Sombra’s grip.

After briefly checking in the mirror to see if her makeup was smudged, Amélie  turns back to Sombra, brows furrowed. 

Yellow eyes meet purple, neither women saying a thing as the two of them stood in silence. A few moments pass and Sombra is the first to break the silence, her voice uncharacteristically quiet as she grabs onto her taller friend’s shoulders.

“He loves you a lot, you know.” Amélie  quietly nods, more to herself. Sombra gives her a tiny smile, quietly laughing to herself as she continues.��

“Did you know he asked me if I knew any French so he could talk to you? Me of all people! And he didn’t think I would mess with him when he did- even after I told him whatever bullshit came into mind!”

Suddenly, your stuttered and near-nonsensical phrases made a lot more sense. 

“A part of me almost felt bad when I did it; pobrecito bebé just didn’t know any better,” Sombra waves her hand, a small smirk on her face. “To be honest, I was expecting you to shoot him down like you did the others.” 

Her brows furrowed as her smirk fell slightly, a smile taking its place. 

“So imagine my surprise you had this funny look on your face-” “You were watching us the entire time?” Amélie  already knew the answer to that question, but she couldn’t help but feel the tiniest bit of annoyance flare up at it.

The Mexican only gives her a tiny shrug and a sheepish grin as she continues.

“Anyways, you didn’t look like you hated him, so I mostly just left you two be then. But then he just kept coming back to me for help, always so eager to try and get closer to you.”

Sombra’s face took on a softer appearance, a near giddy smile on her face.

“Even when the two of you had your down moments, he stuck by; just trying to understand the best way he can.” 

Amélie  blinks, eyes stinging slightly as her friend reached up to put in the bridal veil; careful not to undo hours of work put into her hair. Thin lace lightly brushes against her bare neck, the fabric the tiniest bit itchy as it falls over her face.

Sombra steps back to admire her handiwork, silent as she places a hand on her chin as she looks Amélie  up and down. Purple lips purse for a moment, before she nods and looks back up to meet her friend’s stare. 

She sighs, her face falling into a look of unbridled warmth.

“What I’m trying to say is that I think he’s going to keep trying to do his best for you. And I say this as the person who had to deal with him fussing over what do to make you happy.”

Though she could feel her chest begin to grow tight and her vision grow slightly blurry, Amélie  breathed out a quiet laugh as Sombra placed a hand on her cheek.

“..Plus the old man and I kinda already gave him our blessing without telling you. I don’t know if I should be saying sorry about that right now, but we just wanted to let you know that we think you deserve something good-” Sombra trails off as cool flesh meets her hand, the pair locking eyes as Amélie  gives the shorter woman a small but grateful smile. 

“..Thank you, Sombra.” 

“Pssh, don’t get all soft on me now, hermosa. You’re supposed to save that for the actual wedding part,” Sombra laughs, but Amélie  can see her wipe at the corner of her eye with her other hand through the lace curtains of her veil.

A sharp knocking fills the air, causing the two women to look over as Gabriel opens up the door. He pauses for a moment, suddenly feeling a bit awkward as he took in the sight before him. He clears his throat, glancing off into the hallway.

“...Do the two of you need more time?”

Amélie  is the first one to collect herself, taking in a deep breath before stepping forward.

“We were just wrapping things up,” She pauses for a moment. “...Where did you two put the bouquet?”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not too far away from the trio, you were left to wait for your soon-to-be-wife at the altar; your chest tight and heart nervously fluttering as you periodically glanced into your reflection in a nearby window. 

Every strand of hair and small wrinkle was heavily scrutinized, quickly tucked in place and neatly smoothed back; your fingers slightly shaking each time you did so. It was a little tedious, but it was enough to mostly take your mind off how nervous you were while you waited.

Then your eyes would wander to the flower on your lapel. A single, deep-red carnation sitting in the button hole and then to the tiny, silk yellow butterfly carefully placed in the center, and your heart races and a trace of cold sweat begins to form.

To say that you were nervous would be an understatement. 

You let out a shaky sigh and adjust your tie one last time before turning away from your reflection. For what must have been the twentieth time today, you scanned the room of people in front of you.

Oblivious to the groom’s plight, the neatly-dressed crowd of guests chatted and laughed amongst themselves as they waited for the main event, enveloping the room in a relaxed air.

You could make out a few familiar faces of family members here and there, as well as some of the members of your unit scattered throughout; most of which were taking the occasional swig from flasks they snuck in in between conversation. 

A good chunk of the population here were mostly people you invited, which weren’t a lot of people. Amélie , meanwhile, hardly invited anyone at all save for Gabriel and Sombra. Which didn’t bother you, truthfully. 

While Gabriel may scare you a little and though Sombra had messed with you a majority of your time knowing her, you knew well that Amélie  had come to care for them greatly. And in her line of work, friends were few and far between. Most of one’s time with Talon was spent wondering whether or not they’d get to live another day. 

After how far she’s come, Amélie  deserved to have those two by her side on her big day. Where, you hope, it would only be the start of a lasting and happy marriage. 

You take in a shaky breath and ran a hand through your hair. You hadn’t seen Amélie  since this morning on account of your bride not wanting to bring any bad luck, and it’s been stressful. Your mind kept drifting to a hundreds of “what-ifs”; Amélie  getting cold feet and leaving you the most prominent one. 

It certainly didn’t help that she’s been behaving oddly since a few weeks ago, having been caught more than once staring young couples whenever the two of you were out on dates; especially ones who had a child or two with them. Amélie  had of course tried to reassure you was nothing wrong before changing the subject, but a nagging part of you insisted otherwise.

Your anxiety over the situation only grew worse when you woke up in your shared bed to Amélie  vomiting in the bathroom a week before your wedding. She had insisted that it was just from an upset stomach, but it had done nothing to quell your nerves. 

Someone clears their throat nearby, nearly making you jump. You turn to see Gabriel standing beside you and he moves to pat at your shoulder- stoic face breaking slightly to offer awkward comfort. 

“She’s coming in a bit. We just had some, ah… minor difficulties.” he coughs, moving his arms behind his back. 

Before you even had the chance to wonder just what the hell the other man meant by that, Gabriel looks towards the entrance of the room and Sombra- who had her upper torso poking out between the cracked double doors- shoots him a thumbs up.

Just like that, he gives you one last rough pat on the shoulder before stepping away to stand next to the altar. The officiant, who had silently stood back and waited, cleared his throat-causing you to nearly jump, as you completely forgot he was there- and take his place at the small podium behind you.

The double-doors open up with a groan that filled the room, a hushed silence fell over the crowd. Your breath hitches as you take in the sight of Amélie  making her way towards you, white lace following and flowing with each step. 

A carefully arranged- and from the looks of it, slightly battered- array of blue roses and slender rain lilies sat in her hands. Though their petals had suffered some damage, it did nothing to take away from their beauty; their colors still vibrant and rich, and full of life.

Beside her, Sombra was attached to the crook of her arm- a smaller bouquet of her own in her free hand- as the two walked down the aisle. The two of you lock eyes and she gives you a grin and tried to shoot you a pair of finger guns- albeit failing with her since her were hands full.

Though you couldn’t see it, you were sure Amélie fondly rolled her eyes.

When the two finally reach the altar, you find yourself at a loss of words, your breath hitching as you stare at the veil of lace in front of you. Perhaps it was a bit predictable of you, but at this very moment, even with her face concealed, Amélie  never looked more stunning like she did now.

The officiant’s droning fell on deaf ears as you gave your soon-to-be wife a watery smile. 

You mouthed a small ‘I’m happy that I met you’, chest tight as the situation began to settle in.

It wasn’t until when you finally lifted up Amélie ’s veil and kissed her that you began to feel wetness gather at your eyes, and your cheeks stinging from how hard you were smiling. 

The entire room erupted in cheers and shouts of congratulations all around you, and you were certain that Sombra had shouted something ridiculous because you hear Gabriel burst out into rare laughter.

Though you paid the noise no mind as a cool hand reached up to gently wipe at the corner of your eye, and the sight of your wife- cheeks flushed and eyes soft- with a small smile on her face. Eager, you slowly move her hand away from your face to slide the ring on her finger. 

You fully welcomed the tears gently rolling down your face at this point, you hear Amélie in front of you gently laugh; light-heartedly chastising you for working her up this much as she wipes at her eyes. 

The rest of the evening passed by in a blur, joy and merriment filled the air and creating a pleasurable buzz. Guests gradually began to trickle out as the sun turned a burnt-orange as the sun began to set down the horizon. 

Gabriel and Sombra were the last guests to leave, the two of them shooting their friend a look you couldn’t quite read. Amélie huffs at this before shooing them away and Sombra’s laughs before the door closes; leaving you alone with your new wife.

The two of you were silent, but that didn’t bother either of you in the slightest; too blissed out to let it do so.

As the two of you moved towards the exit, towards the sleek limousine that’ll escort the two of you for the day, Amélie promptly stops just when you were about to open the door. 

Confused, you turn to look towards her, and see her lips drawn into a thin line. 

“I need to tell you something before we go,” her words curt, worry bleeding into her tone as a hand smooths the lace of her sleeves.

“Of course. Is there something wrong?”

“Non, Non. It’s just..” she sucks in a deep breath. 

“I’m pregnant.”

[minimickzy]

Tag || Peter Parker

You had been playing a game of Tag for 13 years, this could be the end.

Characters: Peter Parker x Reader, Mj, Ned Leeds, Tony Stark

Word count: 2260

Warning: fluff

AGE: 17/18

a/n: for my love of the movie Tag. PLEASE LEAVE FEEDBACK AND RBS MAKE ME DAY <3

Tag. Ever since you were 5, Peter, Ned, Mj and yourself had played a game of tag for the entire month of June. It was the bond that held you together all through elementary, Jr. high and now high school. Now it was after your senior year and with the threat of being pulled apart by college, this year had definitely proven to be the most extreme yet. 

The only ground rules were as follows:

No tag backs

No hitting of private parts 

No outsiders allowed to join 

Nothing is off limits

No superpowers fuck you Peter

In the 13 years of the game all of you had gone to extreme lengths in order to get rid of the cursed tag. Highlights include: crashing Ned’s aunt’s wedding and tipping over the cake in the process (smooth move Parker), running through a protest and accidentally breaking your arm while going after Mj and lastly finding out Peter was Spider-man when you sneaked up on him and he jumped to the ceiling. After that you had to add the 5th rule.

With school out, nothing was holding you back from putting everything you had into this motherfucking game. You were it with 5 days to go. Ned had tagged you so he wasn’t a target. Mj and you had made a truce to get Peter, he hadn’t been tagged yet this year- that was unacceptable. Luckily, you had Peter wrapped around your finger. Mj knew this was because that boy had been head over heels for you since the 3rd grade when he realized girls didn’t have cooties.

Mj put a tracker she and Ned had made into Peter's backpack earlier that day. You followed him to a park, happy to finally have the upper hand. You hid behind a rock and watched the small dot on your phone get closer and closer to you. Finally you heard his voice, you couldn’t hear what he was saying- honestly in the moment you couldn’t care less. 

As soon as the dot pass the rock and you saw his black converse appear on the path you jumped up and threw yourself on his back “You’re it!” You laughed as he let out a surprised yelp. You hopped down and started to take in the world around Peter Parker. Right behind him- who he had probably been talking to was Tony-fucking-Stark. Your cheeks heated up and you felt your knees go weak. You had just jumped on a guys back in the middle of a park while they were walking with a famous billionaire who had no idea you even knew him.

Peter turned to you and bit his lip. “I-I… I’m sorry- I didn't. Shit.” Peters cheeks were pinker by the second. “Mr. Stark, this is uh, (y/n).” Peter motioned to you Tony put his hand out to shake, “I’ve heard quite a bit about you. I didn’t think this is how we’d end up meeting.” He smiled and you nearly fell over. Peter talked about you? You’d be sure to bring that up later. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I don’t normally go out and jump on peoples backs by the way.” You quickly grasped onto what was left of your reputation. “That’s a relief. Can I ask what made you do it now?” Peter rubbed the back of his neck before sighing, “It’s a game. We um-  Us and our friends play this game of tag every June- its kinda a big deal and (y/n) was it and I hadn’t been tagged this year. How’d you even know where I was?” You turned him around and unzipped his front pocket, digging out the small device and handing it to him. “Mj made a tracker.” 

His eyes widened, “wow.” You nodded and shifted awkwardly, “I um- should get back to Mj… We were uh, studying…” You nodded to Peter and waved to Tony while backing up, ready to run away as fast as humanly possible. “Nice to meet you Mr. Stark!” He smiled again before you took off.

You didn't see Peter for a 2 days until you and Mj were taking your weekly trip to the beach. This wasn’t to say that either of you were very inclined to go sit on a crowded beach that smelled of bird shit and sunscreen but you both did enjoy the people watching. Ned decided to join after the promise of ice cream. 

You sat on a towel, sunglasses blocking out the harsh light, bathing suit covered with a loose white tee. Mj was reading a book- more than likely about a civil rights issue that you would definitely learn about  as soon as she finished the book and was able to properly argue with no one but direct the rant at you. Ned was sitting back and just enjoying the heat with earbuds playing music softly. 

Everything was at peace until out of nowhere the book was knocked from Mj’s hands and Peter appeared running by and leaning down to tap her shoulder, “gotcha!” Mj didn’t miss a beat to lean over and hit you, “Go get em tiger.” You scrambled to your feet and took off in his direction. 

You maneuvered between towels and kids playing, never letting your eyes off of Peter. He looked over his shoulder to see you closing in on him. He ran onto a volleyball court and barely missed the bottom on the net while attempting to make it, you let yourself slide under on your knees with ease, quickly catching up.  Peter took a sharp turn for the ocean. Sadly for him, some kid had been working on a sandcastle and left the bucket lying around, catching his foot and causing him to topple over. You couldn't stop yourself soon enough and fell right on top of him. You laughed against his chest, “Not fast enough Parker.” You chuckled again before being knocked off Peter by a wave. 

Peter got up and started back towards where you both had left Ned and Mj. “If I tag Ned, we both run and let Mj fend for herself?” He asked, you chuckled and nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” When you reached the towels you quickly picked up your phone and towel as Peter tapped Ned, “Sorry!” You yelled and then took off laughing with Peter once again.

7 am, June 30th. 17 hours until the end of the game. Last you heard Mj was it. You had woken up bright and early to try and get the jump on everyone. You made your way to the coffee shop, you thought it’d be safe there until 10ish, that's when the rest of the group tended to wake up. You got coffee and sat facing the door, this way they couldn’t get past you. It was around 9:30 when a women started towards you, she was wearing a dress and a hat.

You looked around to check if there was no tables left and she just needed a place to sit… but that didn't seem to be the case as there was still quite a few empty table and chairs. Then it clicked- Peter had pulled this same shit on you in the summer before 8th grade. “Really this shit again? Learn some new tricks Peter.” You laughed until the women looked up and it was just a random stranger. You turned beet red and started to spew out apologies, “I’m so so so sorry- I thou- I didn't mean-” that was when you heard the evil laugh from behind you. “Peter!” you whipped around and caught his eye, he leaned to look past you and smiled, “thanks Ms. Samuels!” You glared at him, “I thought Mj was it?” You could see the smirk playing at his lips, “Oh yeah, she is.” “Then why are you… fuck.” 

A hand patted you on the back, “we love a good distraction.” “dammit!” You lunged as Peter ran like a mad man for the door. You chased him a few block through the masses of people on the street before he run into the subway. You followed not far behind. The train was just pulling in as you reached the platform. You could see his brown locks speeding towards the cars. “You’re not away this time Parker!” You slipped into through the doors just before they shut. The car was plenty full but that didn’t stop you from pushing past people in order to find him.   

It didn't take long to find him trying to hide in between a man and the doors. You put a hand on your hip and raised an eyebrow at him, “Peter you have to know when you admit defeat.” he peaked out at you past the man's shoulder and shrugged, “it was worth a shot.” You laughed and tagged him. “Better luck next time dude.” 

12 pm, June 30th. 12 hours remaining. Peter tagged Mj and you were once again fair game. In the last hours of the game things got desperate. In 5th grade you locked yourself in a bathroom at Mcdonald's for 6 hours. Peter made aunt may tell you guys he was sick and Ned and once pretended to get arrested in order to not be it at midnight.  

5 pm, June 30th. 7 hours to go. Mj tagged Ned after trapping him with a new lego set. You thought that might have been the end. But you can never truly feel safe as long as the clock remained running. You wondered around the city, just walking the streets in order to stay active and not be anywhere they would expect you to be. You started down a random street when you felt someone grab your arm. You reacted instantly and punched the person square in the jaw before realizing it was Ned. 

“Oh my god! I’m so sorry I thought you were some random guy! Are you okay?” Ned nodded and groaned, “yeah I’m fine- now that you’re it.” “are you sure you’re good?” Ned nodded again before reaching up to check if his nose was bleeding, “Yes. Just don't hit me again.” You sighed, “Shit, how the hell am I gonna tag anyone? How’d you even know where i was?” Ned shrugged, “Peter wasn’t the only one who we can track.” “Are you kidding me? We really need to update those rules.” “Yeah, like maybe no punching.” You shot him a glare, “stop whining and get that fucking tracker off me.” 

11:35 pm, June 30th. 25 minutes till your impending doom. You, Mj and Ned had made a truce to work together to tag Peter. He had let it slip to Ned his plan to get out tag free. Hop on the Ferry at 11:45, you had to admit it was a solid plan- or it would have been if not for his big mouth. You hid on the dock as the last passengers of the night found their way onto the Ferry. You waited until 11:44 to run on and find a seat in the corner with a view of the entire level. 

As the Ferry left the dock you sent a quick text to Ned and Mj, ‘plans a go.’ Peter wasn’t in sight which meant he had made his way to the second story. You went up to second floor and peeked around the corner to find the target. Peter was nowhere to be seen but you had watched him get on the boat so that only left one place. 

You softly walked to the front of the boat and sure enough there was Peter Parker. Your heart leap at the sight of him with the wind pushing his hair back and his sleepy stature leaning against the railing. You looked down to your phone, 11:56. You knew what to do. You knew exactly how to finish this game. Now you just had to wait a few more minutes. 

You watched him from against the edge of the doorway out to the deck, careful to not let your shadow ruin the eliminate of surprise. 11:57, this plan was crazy and might just kill you in the process but Mj had promised it would work just fine. 11:58. Too late to back out. You stepped forward and cleared your throat to make your presence known. Peter turned to look at you, his eyes grew wide as he stepped back, pressing against the railing. 

“Hey Peter.” You smiled as sweet as you could. “(y/n)...” You moved closer to him, “Ned kinda let your plan slip.” Peter went a little more rigid and mumbled under his breath, “Damnit Ned.” It was now or never, You pushed yourself towards him and kissed him. It wasn’t your first kiss, but it was your first kiss with Peter Parker. You didn’t know if you’d ever have a reason to do it again and you didn’t want to let any second of it pass. You put all the built up passion into a single moment. You pulled away before to long. Peter was staring at you with wide eyes, mixed with surprise and lust. You carefully pulled your phone up and pressed it, letting the screen light up to revel the numbers 12:00 and smirked, “You’re it Parker.”

General taglist

@marvels-queen-bee  @paigeyisme @littleblue5mcdork @mystxrieux@dannnyphantomm @properparker @flopobrien @utautattooedghoul@commondazy@safehaven1097 @macymafia@pinetree111 @thekidsofneibolt@mcheung0314 @notnotnotnotkayla @bigbilliamdenbro

Peter Parker Taglist

@make-yourownmemories @light-up-shawn @savethebabyseals@marvelswebdesigner @caipurniia

[itsclydebitches]

RWBY Recaps: Vol. 6 “Uncovered”

This is a re-posting from Nov. 4th, 2018 in an effort to get all my recaps fully on tumblr. Thanks!

So much for Thursday/Friday postings. This episode ripped my heart out through my teeth, so you know I've gotta get thoughts down on paper. What’s today’s theme? The folly and inexperience of youth, but as much as I want to dive straight into my impassioned defense of Ozpin, we need to make sure that we unpack the new intro first. And, you know, the rest of the episode...

The highlights have already been circulating for the last week, most notably the animation of Ozpin’s (presumed) past reincarnations… and the fact that the one right before the guy we think of as Oz looks like a dad. He looks like Tai’s brother. One of these Ozpins is not like the others and honestly I kind of love it. Seriously though, in the realm of actual analysis there are a number of details I want to make sure we put a pin in before moving forward. Let’s make use of our good friend the list:

The beginning is super fluffy with the gang hanging out while waiting for the train, Ruby chasing after Weiss, and Blake watching them fondly. Out of the whole group Yang is the only one who appears upset, staring morosely out the window where we get a flash of Adam. I think this is significant given that she seems to be the most volatile of the group right now. As we’ll see, though most of them have beef with Ozpin, Yang is the one instigating the fights.

We have a moment where the camera moves through Maria’s eyes and then immediately does the same with Ruby’s. Are Maria’s eyes also important? Perhaps her semblance is connected to her blindness somehow.

We see (I think??) Roman’s hat blow by right before the hooded person (Cinder) is broken up by red slashes across the screen. Omg could he actually come back? I mean yeah, he literally got swallowed whole by a grimm, but he also might have cut himself out a la Hannibal Chau style. Please bring back my flamboyant fave and have him get revenge on Cinder. That would be so very excellent.

There’s a young woman (Salem) staring up at a statue of Oz. Last week it seemed weird that this statue looked so very much like his Vol. 1-3 reincarnation, but considering we’re in Jinn’s story world she might be borrowing imagery that the gang is familiar with. Either that or the reincarnations tend to look like each other in time? Idk. To be decided.

Jaune slams Ozpin up against a freaking wall. Given how this Volume is going so far, I’m pretty confident that it’s Ozpin and not Oscar. Wonder if Jaune is finally going to confront him about his part in Pyrrha’s death…

Plenty of potential WhiteRose (as mentioned in the first recap). Seriously, I try to keep shipping out of these (a few Ozqrow jokes aside…) but I’ve also gotta call any potential setup as I see it, and given the happily chasing after her, using her glyphs at the end, the final shot of Weiss helping Ruby to her feet, Ruby collecting dust cartridges later in the episode, her calling Weiss's name in Jinn's world, Weiss doing the same for her… all of this could just be them re-developing their relationship after the separation. Could also be something more.

Also in terms of that final shot: having the whole group—Ozpin included—standing together and facing down some threat is very reassuring after this week’s episode. Ngl lol.

Finally, we have those grimm arms reaching out to drag Qrow into darkness, notably while he’s drinking. “Wow,” I say to myself. “Those arms sure do look a lot like Cinder’s!”

Oh look. We open on Cinder.

Classic rule of television: if you don’t see a body they’re not dead yet. (Unless, apparently, you’re Ozpin.)

(…but maybe not Roman.)

She’s clearly terrified, waking up in water with her eyes darting every which way, groaning when she finally pulls herself to shore. It’s always good to throw your villains into moments like this where their basic—human—instincts take hold. It makes them a little more sympathetic (if not more justifiable) and therefore more compelling. At this point I really have no desire to see an attempt at a Cinder redemption arc, but even I’m wincing at that panicked look on her face.

She’s having trouble summoning up her power, presumably because she just got her ass beat by another Maiden. It comes back pretty fast though, which really helps put into context how powerful these women are. Even freezing them from the inside out is only going to knock them out of commission for a little while.

Cinder takes a look way up to where the tree stands and pounds her grimm hand against the rocks in frustration. Apparently these things are ridiculously strong because it opens up a crack in the mountain, letting a sliver of light shine through to her face. (A trope normally reserved for the heroes.) Cinder then uses her One Punch Man powers to break out, considering that her flames are still sputtering.

Outside she meets a sweet, no-name woman who makes the mistake of stopping to help. Cinder steals her clothes, her money, and presumably kills her. RIP nice lady just trying to do her grocery shopping.

We realize that Cinder woke up weeks ago as we move into another flashback at the house. There the team has their first conversation about the relic.

Ruby: “We need to take the relic to Atlas?”

Qrow: “That’s what Oz said.”

For all his banter and bluster, Qrow is a very passive character. He has so little faith in himself that he needs to put it in others—so he fosters pretty much all of that onto Oz. Ruby is the one who subtly questions why they’re taking the relic all the way to Atlas. Qrow is the one who just reiterates that these are Oz’s orders, so that’s what they’re gonna do. Right now he’s not questioning his general and I’ll be interested to see if and how that changes after the events of this episode. One of the reasons for Qrow’s dark descent in the intro?

We have a funny exchange where Ren points out that the borders of Atlas are closed, but no worries. They have a missing Schnee heiress to get them through! What’s less funny is when Qrow mentions that they actually wanted to seal the relic back up in the vault but can’t because they don’t have access to the Spring Maiden. Cut to a guilty looking Yang. Not that they’d have much chance convincing Raven to help them (what is she up to with Tai??), but again: Oz isn’t the only one keeping secrets.

Ozpin comes out leaning heavily on his cane and wincing with each step. Hmm. Another indication that, despite his power, he’s surprisingly fragile? I’m still wondering how Cinder won that fight and it looks like he isn’t recovering as quickly as the rest of the group, despite the fact that everyone took a beating in Haven. Something to chew on.

Still talking about the relic, Jaune mentions that they don’t know what the thing actually does and we get to see Ozpin’s conflicted expression before he whirls around with a smile. He’s clearly weighing what he should and shouldn’t tell them, secrets later revealed in the episode. He says that the relic has a “wonderful and incredibly dangerous ability”—important wording! We’ll come back to that. It can answer any three questions every 100 years, provided they’re not about future events. Ozpin claims that the questions were asked before the relic was sealed away so, sorry, no knowledge to gain right now.

Jumping a little farther into the episode, we also continue the plot-line with Cinder sneaking around in the dead woman’s clothes, realizing that she’s very much a wanted criminal now. She heads into this super sketchy spider gang and asks for information on Team RWBY and the others—not going back to Salem then—throwing down the woman’s lien as payment. The leader assures her that she’ll have their locations within a week… despite the fact that she already knows where they are. The “big guy,” Hazel, was asking first.

Back with the group. Ruby finds the relic lying nearby while Yang tries desperately to get her bike out of the snow. Despite having agreed to this plan of separating and stranding themselves, Yang is expressing her frustration by treating it like a cruel trick of fate, complaining about that as well as the fact that they’ve “gained a defenseless old woman.” After Maria introduces herself and comments a little about being hard of hearing, blind, and how her glasses need a tuneup, we slam hard into the heart of the episode. Good. I’ve got things to say about how these kids are acting like… well, kids. Yang has basically just had a temper tantrum in the snow and Qrow rightly points out that they need to try to keep calm so as not to attract more grimm. Yang—as we expect—uses this opportunity to segue back to the relic. She wants to know why Ozpin lied to them. Oscar thinks they deserve to know too and forces (maybe?) the switch.

“I didn’t lie,” Ozpin says. He just didn’t provide them with all the information. This immediately sets Yang off because that’s just a technicality. An excuse. Right? Well, yes and no. Do people sometimes manipulate others by doling out pieces of information and then claiming, “I didn’t really lie”? Yes, absolutely. But there’s also something to be said for adults withholding information in an effort to protect their charges. Like… if a kid asked you how someone died there’s a BIG difference between saying, “They were murdered” vs. “Oh, well the murderer tortured them for days and then sent pictures of it to their family and then gutted them very slowly….” Yeah. Sometimes you don’t need that kind of shit weighing you down and in this case Ozpin has an additional, practical reason for not telling them that the relic attracts grimm: their worry would just bring more. Which is exactly what I said last time. Telling them wouldn’t change the situation—there’s a very good chance it would actually make things worse—so he tried to give them what little peace he could.

Weiss: “You know, I’m getting real tired of people choosing what’s best for me”

An understandable statement? Sure, but Weiss is still a kid. Yes, 14, 15, 16, and even 17yos are still kids, whether we want to give them the label of “teenager” or not. It’s sometimes hard to remember given their responsibilities, but Team RWBY is still a collection of developing brains challenging thousands of years of experience. Kids never like it, but sometimes adults do know what’s best for them. All of this is complicated by the abuse in their lives—notice that Yang (Raven), Weiss (parents), and Blake (Adam) are far less trusting of Ozpin than Ruby is—but that doesn’t change the fact that a teenager is not equipped to make these world-altering decisions in the same way an adult is. Combine this with the fact that they have implicitly acknowledged Ozpin as their leader and them thinking they can challenge his well thought-out choices in this manner is a big problem.

Ironically, Ozpin and James have a lot more in common than they think they do when it comes to leading: they both understand the importance of compartmentalization, it’s just that James is more obvious about treating subordinates as subordinates. Ozpin cozies up to people and then they’re surprised when they don’t have his ear. As I said before, you can trust your army without giving them every single secret. That’s dangerous, and the girls aren’t entitled to dangerous information just because they want it.

Ozpin says he’s not entirely sure why grimm are attracted to the relic (another lie?) and we learn that he was the one who spun the story of Lionheart’s heroic death. Again, Yang sees things in a very black and white manner—that’s another lie and lies are bad—and Ozpin angrily argues that Lionheart doesn’t deserve to have all the good he did erased by his final mistakes. That's a pretty loaded conundrum and I’m definitely not equipped to untangle it. Rather, I’m more interested in how the girls are completely unable to consider that viewpoint. Because (common theme here) they lack the experience that Ozpin does. To them Lionheart was just a Bad Guy and should be treated accordingly because they’re teenagers who have never faced a betrayal like that. They might have a very different reaction if, years down the road, one of Team RWBY succumbed to Salem and betrayed them in the end. Would Blake want Yang’s name forever tarnished if she gave in and joined Raven? Would Ruby be okay with the whole world thinking nothing but awful things about Weiss if she went dark? No, it’s more complex when you love someone… but they’re too young to understand that yet.

Age matters here. Experience matters.

Just as important, Ozpin is an emotional, flawed human being who is being cut very deeply right now. That is, the girls have 100% condemned Lionheart despite the good he did in the past… and Ozpin has no doubt done things just as bad, if not worse. Though unintentional, their rejection of Lionheart’s worth is a rejection of Ozpin’s as well. If they can’t consider forgiving Lionheart for his mistakes, how could they possibly forgive him? “Does one lapse in judgement truly negate all of his good?” he asks, a question he no doubt poses to himself all the time. As Ozpin defends his friend he’s also trying desperately to defend himself and what he’s hearing from Yang is, “No. You’re irredeemable.”

Whether we consider Ozpin’s past to actually be irredeemable or not, that’s a pretty hard blow. Remember last recap I pointed out how shocked he looked at Ruby’s support? It’s because this is what he’s used to hearing. Everyone (like Qrow) looks to him to be their leader and then reacts with fury when he makes decisions they don’t like; people insist they care for him and then condemn those who have made far fewer mistakes. And he’s been dealing with this for thousands of years. Honestly, I’m surprised the guy can even get out of bed anymore.

“Do you really think Leo was the first?” he growls when Yang insists that he can trust them. Of course Leo wasn’t the first to betray him and, as Ozpin points out, he said those exact same words. You can trust me. Ultimately, why are these kids any different? Because they’re the heroes? No, that’s the perspective of the audience. From behind our fourth wall we know that Team RWBY is trustworthy, but Ozpin has no such reassurances. If a friend he had for years could suddenly betray him like that, what the hell is stopping a bunch of former students who are already frustrated with him?

Also… just pointing out… Yang insists he can trust her and then two seconds later she, along with Blake and Weiss, have their weapons pulled on both Ozpin and Qrow. So he can trust them… but only if he does what they want and tells them what they want to hear. And people question why Ozpin has trust issues.

I do want Ozpin to trust more—both for himself and for others—but my god does he have good reasons for holding back.

Sadly, we don’t get to see Yang try to grapple with the revelation that she’s parroting Lionheart’s words (because, as I’ll discuss a bit below, RWBY ultimately dodges any real sticky moral questions and segues back into simple story logic). Instead the conversation is derailed as Ozpin realizes that the relic is missing.

Ruby has it, but she’s not willing to hand it over. So much for my theory of her sticking by him this Volume. At least right now, she’s acting as much like a kid as any of the others. In what I think is a reckless move, Oscar realizes that Ozpin is hiding something from them and briefly takes control, telling Ruby to say the name Jinn.

She does and all the snow stops.

A sort of genie appears and says that she was created by the God of Light to “aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge.” Jinn then reveals that Ozpin did lie outright. There are still two questions left.

And with this revelation we come to the crux of the matter. His own very personal history aside, compartmentalization aside, why doesn’t Ozpin just give the gang all the information they want? Why all the lies? Because they’re children and right now they’re acting like it. Yang isn’t interested in making sure everyone gets to a safe place after Qrow mentions that they’re probably attracting grimm, she wants answers right now and she won’t move until she gets them. They’re not considering the hypocrisy of demanding Ozpin’s secrets when they’ve all had (and for some still have) secrets of their own. The girls aren’t responding logically to Qrow’s innocuous “Hey” later—why does he deserve their wrath?—they’re reacting with pure emotion, pulling their weapons on him for daring to just try and voice an opinion. That is an incredibly extreme reaction and in my opinion shows how little they’re thinking through their actions right now. They are, to put it bluntly, acting like a bunch of bratty teenagers. They want something and the adults in charge won’t let them have it, despite having numerous good reasons for withholding it (both practical and personal). So they throw a fit. The only difference is that instead of stomping their feet these girls have crazy powerful weaponry and a relic at their disposal.

All of this culminates in the release of Jinn. Let’s think back to that moment in the house: Ozpin tells them that the relic has a “wonderful and incredibly dangerous ability”—emphasis mine. Do the kids stop to wonder why the ability to answer questions is called incredibly dangerous? No! They’re just fascinated by the shiny new toy. Ren thinks it’s cool, Blake is amazed, Yang notes that picking the right questions would be a big responsibility but doesn’t back down from the challenge, and Nora immediately leads them in a charge to determine what they’re going to ask. Not one of them says, “Hey. What’s the catch here?” They’re all ready to jump into asking three questions without thinking through any of the potential repercussions of messing with an ancient object they know absolutely nothing about.

This no doubt tells Ozpin, as it told me, that they’re still kids and as such are in many ways still thinking like kids too. They don’t have the experience and the maturity yet to consider the consequences of their actions. What? Do we think someone as controlling as Ozpin just let two questions remain without a very good reason? That it’s a coincidence that immediately after he—or someone else—used the first question the relic was sealed away? No, there’s some downside here… but the gang never considered that possibility. So rather than explain all that and risk them insisting that they use the questions anyway—as kids are wont to do—Ozpin says the questions are used up for now. That way there’s no risk to them.

I’m thinking that when Ozpin charges Ruby he’s trying to reach her to protect her somehow. It's not just about him keeping his secrets. Jinn’s smoke is reaching for her too and he’s trying to get there first. He’s flawed, yes, but he’s not going to attack her. When has Ozpin ever been violent towards them? When has Ruby ever hesitated to defend herself? This isn't an experienced Huntsmen going on the offensive, nor a talented Huntress scared for her life---it's a desperate man and a young girl panicking at this mess of a situation. Because let's be real, if Ozpin had wanted to take the relic by force he easily could have. But he wouldn't do that. He’s not the one who drew his weapon here. No, if there’s a catch attached to these questions he wouldn’t want Ruby to pay it. He literally begs her on his knees not to use the relic… and when that fails he gets desperate and uses incredible speed to try and reach her before the magic does.

Remember, he wanted to immediately seal the relic back up in the vault and would have it they’d had access to the Spring Maiden. It might not just be because they’re worried about the relic falling into Salem’s hands. It sounds like there’s danger attached to using it too…. and people would absolutely be tempted to use it.

As we see here.

Ruby says, “What is Ozpin hiding from us?” WHICH IS ABOUT THE WORST QUESTION YOU COULD POSSIBLY ASK.

That’s not a targeted question to help you understand what Oscar was hinting at before. That’s an entirely open ended question that, depending on how Jinn works, will show you every secret Ozpin has ever had. What kind of fucked up invasion of privacy? Granted, we don’t have time in RWBY for something like that to actually happen—looks like Jinn is going to show us Ozpin’s greatest mistake/regret, something he thinks they’ll abandon him because of—but that doesn’t change how horrible that question was. I don’t care if the girls are right that Ozpin needs to work on trusting people more. You know how you don’t help people do that? By forcibly pulling all their secrets out into the open without their consent. Ruby’s question wasn’t just horribly invasive, it wasn’t thought out at all because no matter how frustrated she might be I don’t think she’d ever want to do that to a person. She, like the rest of her team, isn't thinking clearly.

Finally, you know what the real kicker is? All of this—everything I’ve mentioned throughout this scene—is done in front of Maria. What’s the latest definition of oblivious immaturity? Demanding that your leader reveal his secrets in front of a complete stranger.

Honestly I wanted to rip out my hair through this whole part of the episode. It’s easy to identify with Ruby and the gang because they’re our protagonists. The show wants us to empathize with them, but in this case it doesn’t change the fact that they’re acting their age and making really uninformed decisions. Despite the huge range of ages in this fandom, sometimes I feel like I’m watching RWBY very firmly from an adult’s perspective while the vast majority of the fandom is watching from the perspective of our heroes. They see the mean adult keeping secrets—and in a black and white universe secrets are bad!—while I’m seated firmly in Camp Context. It’s like that post about watching The Little Mermaid at different stages of your life:

As a child: She loves him! How romantic…

As an adult: You love him? You’re sixteen and you met him yesterday!

The thing is, I know RWBY isn’t going to take that adult perspective. That’s not how most stories go. Ozpin’s secrets will be revealed, he’ll probably be forgiven, and he’ll learn the lesson that it’s Bad to keep things from your friends. The intricacies of the situation and his very justifiable reasons will be brushed aside because he’s not our primary hero. Ruby is and her view of the world is that nearly blind faith in humanity. She doesn’t understand that after thousands of years Ozpin’s fractured faith doesn’t mean he can’t encourage others to be better than he is, she just pouts and says he should trust them specifically because he preaches trust as a general principal. At its core RWBY follows the simplistically moral logic of a fairy tale and though that’s great in many ways, I’m still at times frustrated by how the show introduces adult viewpoints without ever having the narrative justify them. Ozpin tells the group that he has more experience than them and has carefully considered his choices, but we’re encouraged to frown at him like the rest of the cast. Except Ozpin is right! He’s right!! He’s right and he should say it!

But most people don’t seem to agree with me. Oh well. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

We end the episode with Jinn’s magic reaching the group before Ozpin can reach Ruby. They’re all seeing the same vision of a castle and a beautiful woman, Jinn’s voice telling them a fairy tale:

“Once upon a time there stood a lonely tower that sheltered a lonely girl named Salem…”

So Salem’s backstory coincides with whatever Ozpin is so terrified of them figuring out about him. Full disclosure: if he starts crying next episode I will also be an emotional wreck. Here’s hoping that whatever the girls see, they’ll start mending their trust in one another once it’s over. I’m not sure I can take a whole Volume of everyone eviscerating Ozpin for trying to protect them, himself, and the rest of Remnant.

What’s he doing? His best. It’s far from perfect, but give the poor immortal a break.

Here’s hoping for one in episode three!

Other Details of Note

Of course it’s raining when Cinder leaves the vault. We need appropriate atmosphere for her dramatic collapse and rejuvenating murder lol

Except can we please have women remove their heels when everything goes sideways? I’m sorry, but if I were that exhausted and injured getting the spikes off my feet would be the very first thing I did.

Love that they essentially gave Maria’s glasses eyelids. Makes it very easy for her to express herself.

Okay so we pretty much know for a fact now that Ozpin and Oscar are starting to share thoughts both ways. I can’t imagine that Ozpin went, “Yeah so I’m still hiding something and you can figure it out by saying ‘Jinn’ to the shiny relic over there, but don't tell anyone else, okay?” Oscar is starting pick up on things as they (presumably) merge.

The relics are entities! And now we know why the the statue in Haven was of a woman bound in chains—she’s Jinn. Look at Ozpin’s dramatic ass designing lairs that reveal secrets no one realizes are there.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, old man”—evidence that Ozpin either used that first question himself, was there when it was used, or has used the relic at another time in the past.

[duncanbarker-blog]

As recent converts to the joys of Harry Potter (and theme park fans), we couldn’t miss Universal Studios Japan on our visit to Osaka. While wandering through the magical Harry Potter World was the highlight of our day, we also rode the scariest rollercoaster we’ve ever been on and discovered many more fun attractions.

Universal Studios Japan is well worth a day if you are in Osaka. It’s easily accessible from the city, and the large park (much bigger than Universal Singapore) has plenty to keep you busy all day.

Top Tip: Book your tickets in advance with official partner Voyagin to avoid long queues on the day. The park gets very busy (even in February when we visited) so it’s worth paying extra for an Express Pass.

In this post we share the best Universal Studios Japan rides for adults and older kids as well as tips on avoiding queues, how to get there, the best place to buy tickets, and much more to make the most of your day.

Top Universal Studios Japan Rides and Attractions

1) Exploring The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was our favourite area at Universal Studios Japan. To get there you walk down a long pathway lined with pine trees (past the car that Ron crashed!), so it feels separate from the rest of the park, like you are entering another world.

Ron’s crashed car on the path to Harry Potter World

Entering Hogsmeade

Even if you don’t go on one of the two rides here, it’s a joy to wander the snowy cobbled streets of a perfectly recreated Hogsmeade village.

You can shop for wands at Ollivanders, jokes at Zonko’s and sweets at Honeydukes and have a pint of butterbeer in the Hog’s Head or Three Broomsticks. The warm butterbeer on a cold day was delicious (if very sweet).

Simon drinking butterbeer on the terrace of the Three Broomsticks

You can also take a photo next to the Hogwarts Express, see owls waiting to deliver mail in the owlery, and send letters with a Hogsmeade postmark in The Owl Post.

Most spectacular of all is Hogwarts Castle perched on rocks overlooking the village.

Note that Harry Potter World does get very busy and at peak times you’ll need a timed entry ticket to visit. You can pick these up in the park for free but they can run out, so to be on the safe side, buy an Express Pass in advance.

Luckily this wasn’t necessary in February (although it still felt crowded), and we were able to visit twice—it’s particularly lovely at sunset.

2) Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

Hogwarts Castle

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is the main attraction in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and the most popular ride in the whole park. It takes place inside Hogwarts Castle, and I enjoyed the walk through the castle seeing Dumbledore’s office, classrooms, and talking paintings (in Japanese!) as much as the ride itself.

It’s a 3D ride but glasses aren’t needed as you are immersed in the world of Hogwarts, taking part in a Quidditch game, feeling the heat of a dragon’s fire on your face, and even getting spit at by giant spiders. It’s an exhilarating experience with fantastic effects. It did trigger my motion sickness, but it was worth the nausea and I recovered quickly.

The other ride in Harry Potter World is Flight of the Hippogriff which is aimed at kids and didn’t seem worth the 65-minute wait when we were there.

3) Wand Magic

The other thing we loved doing in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was Wand Magic where we cast our own spells!

This might not be for everyone as you first have to buy a magical wand from one of the stores, but for big Harry Potter fans it’s worth it, and you end up with a beautifully created souvenir.

There are five points around the village where you can perform spells—you get a map with your wand and can also look for the bronze medallions on the floor that show the spell. There are teachers available to help you out.

Armed with Hermione’s wand, I used the Incendio spell to light a chimney (after an embarrassing number of failed attempts!) and another to make it snow down a back alley. It’s a lot of fun and really added to the experience.

Of course, the most authentic place to purchase your wand is Ollivanders, but there’s usually a 10–15 minute wait to get in. You can also buy the magic wands at other stores in the area. Make sure you get the special magic wand and not the regular wands which you can’t use for spells.

To go the whole hog, you could also buy a Hogwarts gown and scarf from the stores, but this (including wand) would set you back about $250. The scarfs and wands are more reasonable than the gowns (Simon bought a Gryffindor scarf for about $40). As we were on a press trip they lent us a gown for the day.

4) Despicable Me Minion Mayhem

Despicable Me Minion Mayhem is the second most popular ride in the park and has long queues. This fairly new ride (opened in 2017) is located in the fun, colourful Minion Park and is another immersive 3D simulator ride without glasses using a giant dome screen.

The whole experience is about 25 minutes as there’s a long intro video (with English subtitles) that adds to the context. The ride itself is narrative heavy, and although we couldn’t follow the Japanese, we got the general idea, and it’s still a fun experience as you bounce around a giant factory on your way to becoming a Minion.

Unfortunately, this is another ride that’s not great for those with motion sickness.

5) The Flying Dinosaur

Oh my—The Flying Dinosaur is intense! It’s the scariest rollercoaster we’ve ever been on, and it was brilliant fun!

It’s located in Jurassic Park and the idea is that an out-of-control Pteranodon seizes you from behind and pulls you high into the sky. This means that once you’ve sat down, your seat is turned 90 degrees towards the floor so that you are facing straight down. There is nothing between your face and the ground far below!

The ride is so fast and disorientating that I don’t remember exactly what happened, but it involved multiple 360º inversions, many twists and turns, and an underground section. It’s a crazy, cool and unique ride that’s not to be missed by thrill-seekers.

6) Hollywood Dream – The Ride

The Hollywood Dream rollercoaster passes through the streets of Hollywood

If you prefer your rollercoasters slightly less terrifying, then Hollywood Dream is for you. It’s a smooth, non-inverting, high-speed coaster with some stomach dropping ramps and vertical drops.

I love that you can choose from one of five songs as your personal soundtrack—I went for Michael Jackson’s Bad. It’s a very fun ride.

You can also ride the same coaster backwards on Hollywood Dream – The Ride (Backdrop), but unfortunately it was closed when we visited.

7) The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man

This award-winning attraction is a dark ride that combines a moving vehicle with 4K3D images (you wear glasses) and immersive elements where you feel the heat and water from the villains firing at you.

It can cause motion sickness, but if that doesn’t affect you, you won’t want to miss this one.

8) Jurassic Park – The Ride

Jurassic Park is a mostly gentle water ride through a park filled with dinosaurs. There’s a huge and fun drop at the end where you may get wet (especially in the front row).

We bought ponchos (400 yen) just in case as we didn’t want to risk getting wet on a cold day. There are also lockers available (100 yen which gets returned to you).

In winter this was one of the easiest rides to get on, but I imagine it’s busier in the summer.

9) JAWS

JAWS was temporarily closed when we visited, but we would have liked to have gone on this. What starts as a leisurely boat tour of Amity Harbour becomes more thrilling when a gigantic man-eating shark appears.

10) Space Fantasy/ Lupin the Third

Space Fantasy is a spinning rollercoaster where you journey through space. From 19th January to 23rd June 2019 it is relaunched as Lupin the Third Car Chase XR as part of the Universal Cool Japan 2019 event which celebrates Japanese characters. This 3D rollercoaster features characters from Lupin the Third on a high-speed car chase. 

Universal Studios Japan Tickets

Universal Studios Japan is a very busy park throughout the year, so we highly recommend booking your tickets in advance to avoid the ticket queues on the day.

English speakers can’t book on the official website, so you need to use one of their partner agencies like Voyagin (who we’ve used for other activities in the past).

A one day ticket costs from 7,400 yen ($66) with higher prices at peak times. You may also want to pay extra for an express pass (see below).

Check Universal Studios Japan ticket prices at Voyagin here.

Is a Universal Studios Japan Express Pass Worth It?

Even though we visited in the winter, Universal Studios Japan is probably the busiest theme park we’ve visited (yes, even busier than Disney). The park features many major attractions that you won’t want to miss, but they all have very long queue times from as soon as the park opens.

You could get on a few rides quickly at the start of the day if you arrive early, but you won’t be able to do everything without waits of at least an hour and usually much longer.

Unfortunately there isn’t a free queue jump system like Disney’s FastPass, so the only way to guarantee to get on everything without long waits is buying an Express Pass, which can cost more than the entrance ticket.

Express Passes can sell out, so it’s best to purchase them in advance when you buy your ticket from Voyagin. They are usually available 2–3 months ahead.

Some Express Passes were still available to buy within the park when we visited in February, but in high season they are likely to be sold out.

It’s rather confusing as there are many different passes depending on which rides you can use them on and prices vary depending on the date. Make sure your pass at least includes Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey.

The best pass is the “Express Pass 7 – The Flying Dinosaur” which includes all the major rides, but it costs at least 9500 yen ($85) and at peak times can be 19,250 yen ($173) or more. 

A cheaper option from 8200 yen ($74) is the “Express Pass 4”, but you have to choose between versions that include The Flying Dinosaur or the Minion ride. 

Voyagin publishes this handy Express Pass demand spreadsheet with the prices of the various passes on different dates. This will also give you a good idea of the busiest days in the park which you should try to avoid.

Note that the Express Pass will give you timed entry for the most popular rides.  

See the range of Express Passes on the Voyagin website here.

VIP Wristband and Harukas 300 Entrance

Instead of the Express Pass, you could buy the VIP Wristband for 3850 yen ($35) which gets you into the park slightly earlier through a special entrance.

You have to pick up the wristband from the Harukas 300 observatory one to five days before you visit Universal Studios Japan. It includes entry to Harukas 300 which is well worth visiting for stunning views over the city.

We recommend visiting Harukas 300 just before sunset so you can see the sunset as well as the city lit up at night and the light shows that take place in the evening. We enjoyed tasty pineapple soft serve ice cream topped with crunchy pineapple candy at the cafe and there’s also a restaurant that looked lovely (not vegetarian-friendly though).

See our guide to visiting the Abeno Harukas 300 observatory.

Light show in the restaurant area of Harukas 300

Example Queue Times

If you’re not sure whether an express pass is worth it or not, here are some queue times that we noted during our visit in February (off-season) when the park opened at 9 am:

10.15am Minion Ride – 80 minutes

11 am Spider Man – 50 minutes

12 pm Harry Potter – 120 minutes

12.15pm Flight of the Hippogriff – 65 minutes

12.30pm Hollywood Dream – 60 minutes

3 pm Flying Dinosaur – 190 minutes

3.30pm Jurassic Park – 30 minutes

View of the Hollywood Dream ride from the lake

Universal Studios Japan Opening Hours

Universal Studios Japan usually opens from 8.30am or 9 am until 8 or 9 pm. See the calendar to check the hours (and ride closures) for the date you are visiting. 

You should arrive at least 30 minutes before the official opening to get into the park as quickly as possible and head straight to either Harry Potter, the Flying Dinosaur or the Minion ride.

How to Get to Universal Studios Japan

It’s easy to get to Universal Studios Japan by train from central Osaka and shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes. Universal City Station is only a 5-minute walk from the park. To get here, you’ll likely need to change at Nishikujo station and transfer to the JR Yumesaki Line (also known as JR Sakurajima Line).

For example, from Namba Station take the Hanshin Namba Line to Nishikujo then change there for Universal City Station. This will cost about 360 yen and you can use your ICOCA card which is the easiest way to pay for transport in Osaka.

You can use Google Maps or Hyperdia to find the route from your nearest station. 

Us at Hogwarts Castle

Hotels Near Universal Studios Japan

Universal Studios Japan is easily reachable from central Osaka, but if your trip is focused on the park it would be convenient to stay in one of these hotels just a few minutes walk away:

The Park Front Hotel at Universal Studios Japan – The newest official hotel and the closest one to the park gates. It has large rooms (unusual for Japan) and lots of amenities. My top pick. 

Hotel Universal Port – Comfortable rooms, sea views and a great location. 

Hotel Universal Port Vita – Funky, colourful rooms (some with sea views) and an ideal location. 

La’gent Hotel Osaka Bay – A good budget option. Rooms are small but clean and it’s still walkable to the park. 

Food At Universal Studios Japan

Simon with his Minion popcorn and cookie sandwich

Bringing food and beverages into the park is prohibited, but it’s unlikely they’ll check your bag and it might be a good idea for vegetarians to bring a few rice balls as meat-free options are limited.

Vegetarians can enjoy plenty of sweet treats though. We loved:

Salted caramel banana popcorn from the POP-A-NANA stand in Minion Park. You can even buy a souvenir bucket.

Cookie sandwiches from Despicable Me! The Cookie Kitchen. The chocolate orange one was especially tasty (500 yen/$4.50).

Chocolate cakes at Beverly Hills Boulangerie. There are lots to choose from, but the chocolate fondant with a hot melting middle was delicious.

Butterbeer at Three Broomsticks. It’s got to be done! The cold version is fizzier, but the warm one was better on a chilly day. You could probably share as it’s very sweet. There are great views of the castle from the terrace out the back.

Savoury vegetarian options are much more limited:

The Fossil Fuel stand in Jurassic Park World has waffle style french fries with avocado and salsa topping for 500 yen ($4.50).

Azzurra di Capri, a table service restaurant, has a vegetarian pizza. Go early to get a table.

Three Broomsticks has a vegetarian menu, but you have to ask staff for it (and it took them a while to find it!). The vegetarian set menu includes salad, grilled corn on the cob, fries, warmed vegetables, and granola for 1750 yen ($16). They said they could also do a vegetable curry, but it would take 30 minutes.

Park Side Grille, a table service steak restaurant, is listed on the map as having a vegetarian menu, but there are no meat-free options on their regular menu so you would need to ask.

Shopping

Simon in a unicorn hat at the It’s So Fluffy shop

If you plan to do any shopping, bring your passport as you can then shop tax-free if you spend over 5000 yen.

There are many options for souvenirs in the park. Our favourites were in Harry Potter World and It’s So Fluffy which is full of cute fluffy unicorns from Despicable Me.

Summary

Universal Studios Japan is a fun day out in Osaka with the magical Harry Potter World and some seriously thrilling rollercoasters and unique 3D simulators. It is a very popular park, so do make sure you avoid peak times, book tickets in advance, and either buy an Express Pass or prepare to queue.

If you are theme park nuts like us, you might also want to read our posts on our favourite Universal Studios Singapore rides and Tokyo DisneySea rides. 

Many thanks to Universal Studios Japan and Voyagin who hosted us at the park.

If you enjoyed this post, pin it!

[williamsjoan]

DualShockers’ Game of the Year 2018 Staff Lists — Ben Walker’s Top 10

As 2018 comes to a close, DualShockers and our staff are reflecting on this year’s batch of games and what were their personal highlights within the last year. Unlike the official Game of the Year 2018 awards for DualShockers, there are little-to-no-rules on our individual Top 10 posts. For instance, any game — not just 2018 releases — can be considered.

2018. Seriously, what a year for gaming. I can’t remember the last time I actually had this many games to juggle into the top 3. When Sony blew their load at E3 2016, it was one of their best conferences and, incidentally, most of those games released this year, like God of War and Marvel’s Spider-Man. I didn’t jump on the Nintendo Switch hype until August of this year, and honestly, I’ve barely used it because of all the other titles shining instead.

I don’t usually compile lists in my head of ten games because only a select few titles really keep my enthusiasm by the end of the year. However, when thinking about my backlog and the games that did come out this year, it reignited a spark in me that felt these games needed recognizing. Here are my Top 10 games for 2018:

10. Far Cry 5

Far Cry 5 ranks at the beginning of my list for Game of the Year and it barely made it onto here. Let me tell you a story of how I even came to purchase this title. I’m a bad spender – give me money, it’s gone in a week or two. I had money around the time that Far Cry 5 was about to release and I thought “meh, why not” and pre-ordered the game. It’s a bad habit; help me. In doing so, I jumped blindly into a series which I had never really touched other than playing Far Cry 4 and Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon at a friend’s house in the previous years.

Needless to say, Far Cry 5 was a huge change from its predecessors – and I’m not sure I liked it. At the start of the game, it’s quite fun when you begin to learn about the cult and story of the world you’ve been dropped into. It had great potential from the get-go, with a cool concept. However, Ubisoft wasn’t the best at executing that later on down the line.

I’ll be honest – I didn’t finish the game because I lost motivation to do so. Either way, a game has its faults but can also be quite fun. I did have a bit of a blast in co-op free roam and running around this unique open world. As is with Far Cry games, I loved the times where wild animals would appear out of nowhere and help me attack NPCs. I adored Boomer and all of the other companions, but that’s about it.

Check out the DualShockers review of Far Cry 5.

9. Call of Duty: Black Ops 4

Okay, this was a huge change for Call of Duty, at least in the sense that they barely changed any features from previous games. Black Ops 4 removed single-player, one of the series’ best elements, and replaced it with Blackout – an awful attempt at battle royale. That said, the multiplayer is surprisingly fun with its new additions such as manually-regenerating health, specialist-based combat, improved mobility and controls, and the change in game-modes.

It’s nice to see a Call of Duty game be fun again, and actually feel somewhat balanced. Blackout is another story – that mode absolutely sucks. Zombies becomes more and more complicated every year, so much so that I don’t feel like it’s a “casual mode” anymore. All I want is for me and my friends to jump into zombies and see how long we last, but the maps are too convoluted and you have to do a crap ton of objectives just to unlock the better weapons. I want Zombies from the original Black Ops back.

Either way, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 (or IIII if you want to be difficult) takes players on a good journey into the lands of playing online. In short, we don’t care if you want to play a story – fight these kids instead. At least they actually made it fun unlike Fallout 76.

Check out the DualShockers review of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4.

8. Deltarune

This incredibly good spin-off to my personal Game of the Year from 2015, Undertale, is just part one of a possible series, and I’m super excited. We’re finally into that part of the list where I stop half-criticizing games and instead showcase how bloody good some of them are. Deltarune was a fantastic revisit to the world of Undertale with vital mechanic changes, a unique story, and an all-new cast of characters mixed with reused ones.

Lancer’s design is hilarious; I love the thought of a chubby spade who rides a bicycle. I won’t reveal any of the plot details, because if you’ve played Undertale but not Deltarune you have to go jump into it right now. It’s a blast, and you should be playing it. If not, go play Undertale then this game. I’ll be waiting. I’d put this game as number 1 if so many amazing AAA games didn’t exist. Let’s get into those now.

7. Fortnite

Image by @ikcatcher

Yes, Fortnite is on my Top 10 list. No, I have no regrets. I’m putting it on this list less because of it being a good game (it’s pretty good, to be honest) but more because of the game’s significance this year and the impact it made on my life. I played Fortnite on the day they released the Battle Royale mode last year, purely because consoles (at the time) didn’t have a battle royale game due to PUBG being on PC originally. I found that it was decent, but never would I have imagined the absolute influence it would gain.

Aside from becoming the most popular video game on the planet, Fortnite actually helped me expand on my career this year. I started off the year at various other outlets before eventually branching out into writing about Fortnite. Writing about this game actually allowed me to open up my experiences in games writing, and I actually ended up here at DualShockers because of it. I’m happy at the journey this game allowed me to take, and the memories I’ll have because of it. As much as it can suck sometimes waking up early in the morning to write about patch notes, it gives me the motivation to keep going and not just lay in bed all day. Thank you, Fortnite. You can suck it if you blindly hate this game. That’s my two cents.

6. Detroit: Become Human

“Oh no,” you say: we’re entering Sony territory – and with a bang, as one of the most gorgeous games of this year is Detroit: Become Human. Detroit was a huge step forward from the previous titles from Quantic Dream and David Cage, and a game where choices actually changed the story. From the days of Telltale Games and Life is Strange emerges a game where the choices you make surprisingly matter, and the game lets you view what could’ve happened instead. I loved when I checked the choice map at the end of a scene and realized everything that mattered. Except for saving that goldfish at the start – that made no difference whatsoever.

That’s also not to mention how absolutely mind-bogglingly gorgeous this game is. The photorealistic visuals are mind-blowing when accompanied by those motion-capture performances of a lifetime. The star-studded cast of Bryan Dechart, Clancy Brown, Valorie Curry, Jesse Williams, and more perfectly brings each and every character to life to tell an enriched story of a very possible near-future. It’s a visually-appealing masterpiece.

Check out the DualShockers review of Detroit: Become Human.

5. Tetris Effect

Tetris Effect is a gem of an experience. With incredible, entrancing visuals that make you feel like you’re in either the next Star Wars combined with a mixture of audio that flies around your brain and sucks you into the dreamscape, Tetris Effect is a masterpiece. Each movement subtly synchronizes itself with the music playing in the background, with the BPM adapting to your placements and rotations. For something as simple as Tetris, this game really puts an Effect on you.

It’s also extremely difficult. As someone who had never played video games would say, it’s the Dark Souls of puzzle games. I should probably change the difficulty, to be honest. Either way, I’m having a blast with this game; I wouldn’t even call it a game – but an auditory and visual experience. Go play it.

Check out the DualShockers review of Tetris Effect.

4. A Way Out

A Way Out was such a good game, and a refreshing take on the co-op genre. I absolutely adore co-operative games, especially those in which me and a single friend can complete a campaign. This game from Hazelight Studios was an absolute blast of a time, with minigames in-between story elements such as Connect Four or Baseball being such a nice way to take a break from the story and just have fun. Me and my co-operative partner beat the game in a single sitting with how much we adored it.

I think I’ll forever keep coming back to A Way Out with new friends just to see their reactions to each element of this short, but sweet experience. The fact that it is developed for couch co-op but also allows anyone with a copy to invite their friend to play for free is something I absolutely admire, and Josef Fares’ dream came together extremely well. The game sold well, which I love, and I hope to see more out of this genre of video games. What a title.

Check out the DualShockers review of A Way Out.

3. Marvel’s Spider-Man

Marvel’s Spider-Man is the best superhero video game of all time. Sorry to the Batman: Arkham games, I love you – but this game is just so good. I’m kinda sad that it got snubbed at this year’s The Game Awards ceremony, losing to the next two games on my list (spoiler alert)…and also got snubbed at our own Awards ceremony. Boy, oh boy, this game got pushed under the rug.

The combat is magnificent when combined with all of the different variations of movements that the player can create; it is an utterly satisfying experience, one in which I keep coming back to. It’s rare that an open world game can keep my attention for so long (I have the attention span of a fetus), and Marvel’s Spider-Man achieves that magnificently. Well played, Insomniac Games.

Check out the DualShockers review of Marvel’s Spider-Man.

2. God of War

God of War is a masterpiece; a project with the absolute intent of demolishing any of its competition Kratos-style. The game was my first foray into the God of War series, and playing the original remastered trilogy makes me just wanna go back to the new one. It’s such a damn good game that if I went into everything amazing about it, then this article would never be finished.

The gameplay, the story, the music, the tone, the setting, the atmosphere, and everything – just everything about God of War is an absolute delight. My issue is that the game ended way too early. I absolutely cannot wait for the next installment. Bring it, Sony Santa Monica.

Check out the DualShockers review of God of War.

1. Red Dead Redemption 2

Red Dead Redemption 2 brings something new to the table; not in the sense of just being a fresh take on the open-world genre, but being a revolutionary landmark in the history of video games. Ever since the release of the original Red Dead Redemption, Rockstar Games has worked tirelessly on this project – controversially so, after the senior writers stated that they worked 100-hour weeks.

If you’re reading through each and every staff member’s Game of the Year lists, it’s pretty likely that most, if not almost all of them will include both God of War and Red Dead Redemption 2 at the forefront (assuming they played them). I’m falling straight into that trend – but you have to admit that there is an astonishing reason behind it. Both of these games are absolute masterworks, built detail-by-detail in order to transcend the normal experience of an open world game.

Red Dead Redemption 2 is a thrill to play, and quite frankly is one of the greatest video games ever made.

Check out the DualShockers review of Red Dead Redemption 2.

Check out the other DualShockers’ staff Top 10 lists and our official Game of the Year Awards:

December 17: DualShockers Game of the Year Awards 2018 December 18: Lou Contaldi, Editor in Chief // Logan Moore, Reviews Editor December 19: Ryan Meitzler, Features Editor // Tomas Franzese, News Editor December 20: Scott Meaney, Community Director December 21: Reinhold Hoffmann, Community Manager // Ben Bayliss, Staff Writer December 22: Ben Walker, Staff Writer // Chris Compendio, Staff Writer December 23: Eoghan Murphy, Staff Writer // Grant Huff, Staff Writer December 26: Iyane Agossah, Staff Writer // Jordan Boyd, Staff Writer December 27: Max Roberts, Staff Writer // Michael Ruiz, Staff Writer  December 28: Noah Buttner, Staff Writer // Rachael Fiddis, Staff Writer  December 29: Steven Santana, Staff Writer // Tanner Pierce, Staff Writer December 30: Travis Verbil, Staff Writer // Zack Potter, Staff Writer

The post DualShockers’ Game of the Year 2018 Staff Lists — Ben Walker’s Top 10 by Ben Walker appeared first on DualShockers.

DualShockers’ Game of the Year 2018 Staff Lists — Ben Walker’s Top 10 published first on https://timloewe.tumblr.com/

[ges-sa]

New Post has been published on https://ges-sa.com/marvels-spider-man-review/

Marvel's Spider-Man Review

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A big thank you to Sony South Africa for providing an early review code of this game.

“Living on the edge; fighting crime, spinning webs; swinging from the highest ledge he can leap above our heads. Villains on the rise and the city’s victimized, looking up with no surprise, arriving in the speed of time. Making villains fall, webbing rivals to a halt, racing up and down the walls, bringing justice to us all.”

These lyrics to the ‘Spectacular Spider-Man’ nicely encapsulate a day of the life of everyone’s favourite wall crawler, and also nicely sums up some of the thrill that players can experience from controlling Spider-Man in the character’s newest video game offering.  There have been no shortage of Spider-Man games over the decades, but it always felt as though there were some areas lacking from a complete overall experience in capturing some aspect of the character and his world. Insomniac Games, as published exclusively by Sony Interactive Entertainment, set out to write the ultimate love letter to Spider-Man fans (gamers and non-gamers alike) and they’re love and attention to detail have shone through here in the most robust and satisfying video game portrayal of Spidey to date.

Without a doubt, one of the major highlights is the game’s most advertised feature, the ability to web swing around a faithfully recreated Manhattan, New York, with some Marvel flavour here and there. Now while web swinging has been in every game since ‘Spider-Man’ on PS1, with mixed results each time and arguably reaching its peak in ‘Spider-Man  2’ in 2004, the team at Insomniac Games I think have outdone themselves here on their first attempt at the character and deliver and amazing and engrossing web swinging experience. Its relatively quick to get the feel of and swing around with confidence, using the R2 button to shoot out a web to a nearby building or object and from there jump out at the right moment with the X button to further increase your momentum and speed, and the same R2 button allows you to run up the side of building and parkour your way around the island. Before long you will be swinging around with the greatest of ease, running along buildings, sling around the edge of buildings like a boss, and using the L2 and R2 triggers to zipline into a nearby rooftop of object, or through water towers, etc, and bounce off for further momentum. You will likely find yourself spending considerable time, just swinging around, taking in the breathtaking New York skyline from the highest perches and even running around on street level to read Daily Bugle headlines or just randomly interact with random citizens. The level of detail found throughout the city is mind boggling and more impressive still is that it feels alive and not a desolate empty open world sandbox for you to play around in. The street are always backed with vehicles and the sidewalks with people going about their day which gives you greater satisfaction saving the day and taking it all in, and feeling like you are a part of this living city. As time goes on you’ll be able to navigate by New York subway as well if one want to cut down on some time getting from one end of Manhattan to the other. How often you use this though will depend on how much one enjoys swinging around as Spider-Man or listening to the dramatic hero that starts playing in the background as you swing off into action and past iconic New York as well as Marvel landmarks.

Combat is another area of focus, taking cues from the Arkham series combat system, mostly requiring a single button to chain a series of moves together allowing you to hit button combos and drop enemies with slow-motion finishers from a variety of positions. Unlike combat found in the Arkham games though is the further ability to mix things up with Spider-Man’s innate agility and webs, taking combat to the air if one feels like and using web attacks in a variety of ways from simply trapping enemies, sticking them to walls, swinging them, their weapons or nearby objects around as projectiles to take out multiple enemies and give you a chance to go for the kill. And while Spider-Man in the comics does not kill, the video game version is a little more liberal, sending enemies flying off rooftops, intentionally and by accident sometimes to their certain doom. While this would be a major no-no in a movie or cutscene, during the flow of combat, it does make for some satisfying action or unintentional comedy sometimes so can’t get too upset about it. There are certain sections of gameplay that will require a stealthier touch and allow you to perch on girders and objects above, picking off enemies silently to whittle down the numbers or prevent hostages from suffering. IT is very satisfying to web up unsuspecting enemies and deliver knock out blows from out of nowhere. Some sections can be completed either through stealth or straight up combat so players have plenty of choice on how you wish to play much of the time.

Another major strength of this game without a doubt is the cinematic cutscenes throughout the main missions of the game. The level of detail going the appearance (some classic and some newly tweaked) of the different characters and settings is remarkable as so many little details go a long way to selling the immersion, the world and as things develop throughout, the stakes as well. Subtle facial animations and mannerisms, to seeing individual textures in some clothing and fabrics, to the pores on character’s faces and even design of the interior and exterior locations and set pieces these characters appear in; this game is gorgeous to look at no matter if you have a regular PS4 or PS4 Pro. Spanning over 20 hours easily, you’ll want to advance to the next main story missions quickly to be treated to an epic narrative beginning with a 23 year old Peter Parker waking up and quickly rushing off to stop Wilson Fisk, aka The Kingpin, as him and his thugs have stepped out of line one time too many for police captain Yuri Watanabe and Spider-Man to let slide. However, they’ll soon realise that the power vacuum created will result in threats far more dangerous than Fisk ever was, as a new menacing gang of criminals known as the Inner demons rise up, lead by the mysterious Mister Negative. Through it all, you’ll feel the pull on Peter as he has to balance his time between saving the city as Spidey, as well as his work and personal commitments as Peter Parker. With a story taking bits and pieces from many decades and other media of Spider-Man’s history; writing duties have been handled by veteran TV and Spider-Man comic writer Christos Gage, along with consultation from Dan Slott who’s written the character in the pages of ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ for a decade, and we it’s clear to see why the story aspects of the game are in solid hands and they manage to strike and maintain the right tone.

To emphasis a feeling of partnership, some story related missions allow you play as Peter’s on-again off-again girlfriend Mary Jane Watson. A Daily Bugle reporter in this version of the character, you will be able to sneak around certain areas and take photographs, collecting some crucial evidence and later on, having a few other abilities as well. These missions do help add some further elements of diversity to the gameplay and can be very effective in increasing tensions and suspense, especially as MJ starts going around places she shouldn’t be. Not to be left out, players can take control of Peter Parker as well at certain points and make use of Peter’s other strengths, his scientific genius (a major area of focus during the Dan Slott run of comics) and good heart; whether completing scientific project mini-games like researching compounds or fixing complex circuits or walking around the F.E.A.S.T. shelter and talking to Aunt May or the New York homeless, this game makes good use of integrating many of the defining characteristics and elements of both of Peter Parker’s regular and superhero life.

Not to sound like a boring game, this is anything but with an engrossing story that quickly picks up steam and very entertaining boss battles with some longtime and fairly recent Spider-Man villains. Many of these make use of the standard game mechanics, but are presented in such a way that make each one feel fresh, along with certain quicktime button events thrown in for good measure. The only gripe about boss battles is that there appears to be no option to replay them once you have advanced, aside from maybe replaying the story all over again.

In addition to the main story mission, there are numerous side missions that become available throughout the game that range from tracking down a copy-cat Spider-Man, spying on thugs in Central Park and following leads on the live-streaming Screwball.  Things don’t stop there as there are additional side quests that continue to appear as you progress such as collecting backpacks around the city with different Spidey easter egg’s that flesh out some of the character’s past prior to the events of the game, racing and catching pigeons, looking out for the Manhattan environment at different research centres around town, taking photos of different Marvel New York landmarks, stopping petty crimes and much more. While some of these, most notably the different varieties of street crimes have been done in past Spider-Man videogames, there’s an extra level of polish here; although as fun as these can be, some at times can start to feel a little monotonous and repetitive after a few dozen crimes, especially if you’re a completist who wants to finish everything the game has to offer. The scope of the creativity of the ideas for some of the side quests was rather refreshing and made me feel more like Spider-Man tackling some of the mundane goings on around the friendly neighbourhood in addition to the bigger stakes of the main story.

The game builds in opportunities throughout to stop and swing around the boroughs and seek out some these activities. Not only as brief palette cleansers between the story chapters but also by completing the different side missions, quests (as well as main story missions) you will earn a variety of tokens that can be used to craft and unlock around 25 new suits for Spider-Man to wear (easily accessible from the map menu) and switch at any point in your gameplay. Even better is that these suits come with their own powers and abilities that can later be mixed and matched as you prefer between any of the available suits, some of these suit powers will prove invaluable at different points, especially when surrounded by waves of armed enemies at once. The earned tokens also help to craft gadgets like impact webbing, electrical webbing, web bombs, a spider drone and more that once can easily integrate into combat and stealth situations.

From the care taken with the story (which may one of the best and most impactful ever outside of the comics, and some of the movies) the pacing, characters, most of the voice acting, gameplay mechanics, presentation, shout-outs and easter eggs, it’s very obvious to see the love that Insomniac Games has for Spider-Man and his history and delivering a game that justice to a character with such a long history and legacy. What the Arkham series of games did for Batman, this game has clearly done for Spider-Man and delivers the overall best gameplay experience of being both Spider-Man and Peter Parker to date. The hype was clearly real and will not disappoint fans of any interest level of the character and even regular gamers as well. With a story good enough to play through many times over and an added photo mode on the day of release, as well as many collectibles and side goals to complete, one could very easily spend upwards of 40 hours and more with this game and still be satisfied, which I’m sure will only further continue with the release of future DLC. This is definitely not one to be missed.[/vc_column_text][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”31487,31494,31488,31489,31490,31491,31492,31493,31495″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

Additional Information

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Reviewed on: PS4 Available on:  PS4 Genre: Superhero, Action Age Rating: Pegi 16 Publisher/Developer: Sony Interactive Entertainment / Insomniac Games Estimated RRP: R889 Release Date: 7 September 2018[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

Likes

Gameplay makes you feel agile and powerful as Spider-Man

Great story with the right tone and mix of humour, drama and stakes

Dislikes

Repetitive nature of certain street crimes.

No apparent way to replay certain missions or boss battles once completed.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

[andrewdburton]

How to build confidence and destroy fear

My mission at Get Rich Slowly is to help readers achieve personal and financial freedom. I want to help you master your money and your life.

Generally speaking, we focus almost exclusively on the financial side of the things. This week, I’m going to shift gears and share some of the things I’ve learned about overcoming fear, finding happiness, and achieving personal freedom. (Don’t worry. We’ll get back to the hard-core financial talk very soon.)

In December’s discussion of wealth habits, I talked about what T. Harv Eker calls “financial blueprints”. Actually, I talk about them all of the time. Understanding your money blueprint is a vital part of changing your relationship with money.

Our blueprints are created through lifelong exposure to money messages received from people around us, especially our family and friends, and from our country’s culture and mass media. Eker says the unfortunate truth is that most of us have faulty blueprints that prevent us from building wealth.

“When the subconscious mind must choose between deeply rooted emotions and logic, emotions will almost always win,” writes Eker.

He says that most of us are motivated by fear, especially when it comes to money. We don’t call it fear, though. We say we’re motivated by security. Eker notes — correctly — that fear and security are essentially two sides of the same coin. The tough truth is that money doesn’t dissolve fear.

Eker writes:

Fear is not just a problem, it’s a habit. Therefore, making more money will only change the kind of fear we have. When we were broke, we were most likely afraid we’d never make it or never have enough. Once we make it, however, our fear usually changes to “What if I lose what I’ve made?”

Like Eker, I’ve found that fear motivates a lot of people. Instead of making decisions based on goals and desired outcomes, most folks make fear-based decisions. As a result, they get less out of life than they’d hoped, less out of life then they might if they knew how to overcome their fears. (For more about this, see last week’s article about scarcity mindset versus abundance mindset.)

I’m not judging. I’ve been there. For years, I let fear rule my life. But over the past decade, I’ve learned how to quell many of my fears. Better still, I’ve learned how to act in spite of my fear. As a result, my life (financial and otherwise) has drastically improved.

Today, I want to teach you how to destroy fear and build confidence. To begin, let’s talk about death.

Note: Long-time readers have seen some of this material in other forms. This is my attempt to gather all of it into one place.

The Regrets of the Dying

Australian singer-songwriter Bronnie Ware worked in palliative care for many years, spending time with men and women near death. As she worked with her patients, she listened to them describe their fear, anger, and remorse. She noticed recurring themes.

In 2009, Ware wrote about her experience in a blog post that went viral. She turned that article into a book called The Top Five Regrets of the Dying. When people die, she says, they often express one or more of the following sentiments:

“I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.” People (especially men) often find themselves trapped on what economists call the hedonic treadmill. They work to achieve material wealth and status, which should bring happiness but doesn’t. Instead, they want more. So, they work harder to achieve even greater wealth and status, which should bring happiness but doesn’t. And so on, in an endless cycle. People trapped on the hedonic treadmill are never happy because their reality never meets their ever-increasing expectations.

“I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.” In order to keep the peace and avoid rejection, we sometimes bottle our emotions inside. But refusing to be open and honest leads to a life of quiet desperation. Sure, the barista at the coffeehouse might laugh if you ask her to dinner; but it’s also possible that dinner could lead to the love of a lifetime. On your deathbed, you’ll regret the things you didn’t say and do far more than the things you’ve done.

“I wish I’d stayed in touch with my friends.” In Aging Well, George Vaillant summarizes more than fifty years of Harvard research into adult development. “Successful aging [is] best achieved in relationship,” he writes. “It is not the bad things that happen to use that doom us; it is the good people who happen to us at any age that facilitate enjoyable old age.” In The Blue Zones, his book about populations of people that live longer than most, Dan Buettner writes that two secrets to a long and healthy life are making family a priority and finding the right “tribe”. At the end of their lives, people who failed to foster friendships regret it. (Here’s my summary of The Blue Zones.)

“I wish I’d let myself be happier.” Happiness is a choice. Your well-being doesn’t depend on the approval or opinion of others. Happiness comes from one place and one place only: You. This idea, which is well-documented in happiness research, is the key to personal and financial success. (On Thursday, we’ll explore this notion at great length.)

“I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, and not the life others expected of me.” Ware says this regret is most common of all. “When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it,” she writes, “it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled.” We spend too much time doing the things that others expect of us. (Or the things we think are expected of us.) But living for the approval of others is a trap. We can never hope to please everyone. In fact, it’s nearly impossible to please anyone – other than yourself.

These regrets share a common theme. In each case, the dying lament having spent too much time seeking outside approval instead of focusing on their own feelings, values, and relationships. This is true regardless of wealth and social status.

Ware isn’t a nurse and she’s not a scientist – her observations are based on experience, not empirical data – but from my reading over the past decade, her conclusions match the research into happiness and human development.

Money can’t buy happiness – at least not directly. Money is a powerful tool, it’s true. Abused, it brings sorrow and suffering. Used wisely, it opens doors, delivers dreams, and fosters joy. Although wealth is no guarantee of well-being, the more money you have, the easier it is to flourish.

But here’s the truth: You don’t want to be rich – you want to be happy.

On your deathbed, you want to have lived a life without regret. To do that, you need to face and defeat your fears. You need to find joy in day-to-day activities, and use that happiness as a platform to procure passion and purpose. You need to forge freedom, both personal and financial.

The Source of Fear

Our lives are filled with fear.

Some of our fears are physical. We’re afraid of spiders, snakes, and dogs. We’re afraid of heights, crowds, and enclosed spaces. We’re scared to jump out of airplanes (or even to fly in them), to go swimming, or to touch a drop of blood. We’re afraid we might be mugged.

Some of our fears are psychological. We’re afraid of failure, darkness, and being alone. We’re afraid of the future. We’re afraid of death. We’re frightened of being judged by others, and scared to ask someone for a date.

Some fears are rational. I, for instance, am scared of bears. This is a healthy, rational fear. Bears will eat you. When you ignore your fear of bears, you can up like Timothy Treadwell, the man profiled in the film Grizzly Man. (Sorry if that’s a spoiler for anyone.)

If you’re walking alone at night and a thug demands your money while holding a gun to your head, you’ll feel afraid and rightly so. This is a natural, rational fear.

These healthy fears have a biological basis, and are the product of millions of years of evolution. A fear of snakes (or bears) has helped the human race to survive. A fear of heights keeps you from spending too much time in places where you might fall to your death.

But sometimes rational fears can become irrational or excessive. It’s one thing to be nervous while walking on the edge of a crumbling cliff high above a river; it’s another to suffer a panic attack on the seventeenth floor of a well-constructed, glass-enclosed office building. (Or to worry about a bear attack in Paris!)

Still other fears are mostly (or completely) irrational, yet they’re very common. An estimated 75% of all people experience some degree of anxiety when speaking in public. I’m one of them. I’m aware of no biological basis to be afraid of giving a speech in front of 500 strangers, yet doing so makes most of us sweat and stammer.

Healthy, rational fears keep you alert and alive. Irrational fears and anxieties prevent you from enjoying everything life has to offer.

If It Bleeds, It Leads

If our lives are filled with fear, that may be due in part to the prevalence of internet, television, and radio. Our fears are fueled by the modern mass media, which makes money highlighting extreme and unusual events.

Here, for instance, is the front page from the 18 January 2014 on-line edition of USA Today:

Human trafficking! Attacks on Americans! Identity thieves! Remains of dead boy! Elsewhere on the front page, there are stories about extreme weather, a new truck that burst into flames, the background of a high-school gunman, a gay teacher forced to resign, and so on. And this is a normal, uneventful day.

If you pay attention to the news, you might think terrorist attacks are common, bicycles unsafe, and that it’s dangerous to let children play unattended in the yard. Yet statistically, terrorist attacks are exceedingly rare, riding a bike increases your life expectancy, and your children are safer outdoors than you were when you roamed the streets twenty or thirty years ago.

The events in the news are newsworthy only because they’re the exception, not the rule. They’re statistical outliers. Yet because we’re fed these stories daily, we think these things happen all of the time. As a result, we’re afraid to live normal lives.

I have a friend who’s reluctant to leave her home. Because she’s been assaulted in the past — an unfortunate event, but a statistically unlikely one — she lives in fear of being assaulted in the future. It’s true that by appearing in public, my friend runs the risk of being assaulted again. It’s far more likely, however, that doing things outside the house would bring her pleasure and fulfillment.

To some degree, each of us is like my friend — but not as extreme. We are all filled with fears, and these fears hold us back.

To live a richer, more fulfilling life — a life without regret — you must first overcome your fears. You can start by exposing yourself to new experiences, by interacting with your environment and allowing it to change you.

It all begins with the power of “yes”.

The Power of Yes

For a long time, I was afraid to try new things, to meet new people, to do anything that might lead to failure. These fears confined me to a narrow comfort zone. I spent most of my time at home, reading books or playing videogames. When opportunities came to try new things, I usually ignored them. I made excuses. I wasn’t happy, but I was complacent. I was safe.

Then I read a book called Impro by Keith Johnstone. It changed my life. (Fun trivia: Here’s where I learned about the book.)

Impro is a book about stage-acting, about improvisational theater, the kind of stuff you used to see on the TV show Whose Line Is It Anyway? I’m not an actor, nor do I want to become one, but several of the techniques described in the book were applicable to my everyday life.

In one section, for example, the author explains that in order for a scene to flow, an actor has to take whatever situation arises and work with it. She needs to accept and build upon the actions of her fellow actors.

Once you learn to accept offers, then accidents can no longer interrupt the action. […] This attitude makes for something really amazing in the theater. The actor who will accept anything that happens seems supernatural; it’s the most marvelous thing about improvisation: you are suddenly in contact with people who are unbounded, whose imagination seems to function without limit.

I thought about this passage for days. “What if I did this in real life?” I wondered. “What if I accepted offers and stopped blocking them?” I began to note the things I blocked and accepted. To my surprise, I blocked things constantly – I made excuses to not do things because I was afraid of what might happen if I accepted.

When online acquaintances asked to meet for lunch. I’d refuse. I was scared they might think I was fat or stupid. (Or that they might be an axe murderer!)

When a local television station asked me to appear on their morning show as a financial expert, I was afraid of looking like a fool, so I refused.

When a friend wanted me to join him to watch live music at a local pub, I declined. I’d never been in a bar (yes, I’d led a sheltered life) and was nervous about what might happen.

When another friend asked me to bike with him from Portland to the Oregon Coast, I said no. It was a long way. It seemed difficult and dangerous.

These are only a handful of examples. In reality, I blocked things every day. I refused to try new foods. I didn’t like to go new places. And I didn’t want to try new things. Or, more precisely, I wanted to do all of this, but was afraid to try. My default response was to find reasons something couldn’t be done instead of ways to make them happen. Because I focused more on possible negative outcomes than potential rewards, I avoided taking even tiny risks.

After reading Impro, I made a resolution. Instead of saying “no” to the things that scared me, I’d say “yes” instead.

Whenever somebody asked me to do something, I agreed (as long as it wasn’t illegal and didn’t violate my personal code of conduct). I put this new philosophy into practice in lots of ways, both big and small.

When people asked me to lunch, I said yes.

When people contacted me to make media appearances or do public speaking gigs, I said yes.

When friends asked me to go see their favorite bands or to spend the evening chatting at a bar, I said yes.

As a result of my campaign to “just say yes”, I’ve met hundreds of interesting people and done lots of amazing things. I’ve eaten guinea pig in Perú and grubs in Zimbabwe. I’ve climbed mountains in Bolivia and snorkeled in Ecuador. I’ve learned to love both coffee and beer, two beverages I thought I hated. I’ve learned to ride a motorcycle. I’ve shot a gun. I’ve gone skydiving and bungie-jumping. I published a book. I sold my website (and bought it back again!). I wrote a monthly column in a major magazine.

These things might seem minor to natural extroverts, but I’m not a natural extrovert. I’m an introvert. These were big steps for me. These experiences were new and scary, and I wouldn’t have had them if I hadn’t forced myself to say yes.

In recent years, I’ve come to look at saying “yes” like playing the lottery. Every time I do something new, there’s a chance I’ll win big. Let me explain.

The Lottery of Life

My work nowadays involves meeting and chatting with folks from all walks of life. They email me to say, “Want to have lunch?” and I say, “Of course!” We talk about podcasts or travel or bicycling or comic books. Whatever strikes our fancy. When we’ve finished our tea or Thai noodles, nothing seems to have happened — not on the outside, anyhow.

What’s happened, though, is that we’ve both received lottery tickets. By meeting and chatting and sharing ideas, we’ve been given tickets in the lottery of life.

I also get a ticket whenever I try something new. (Because I now try new things all of the time, I’m accumulating a lot of lottery tickets.)

I get tickets when I say “yes” to things that are scary or difficult too. When I spoke at World Domination Summit in 2012 — something that scared the hell out of me! — I got a lottery ticket. When I flew to Ecuador to talk with people about Financial Independence, I got a lottery ticket. When I introduce myself to strangers or “important people”, I get a lottery ticket.

But note that these tickets are rarely handed to me. To get them, I have to take risks. I have to move outside my comfort zone. As much as I enjoy sitting on the couch in the evening watching Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee with Kim, neither one of us receives a lottery ticket for doing so. To get tickets, we have to do things.

The prizes in life’s lottery are many and varied.

When I learned Spanish, for instance, I received a winning lottery ticket that has paid off in all sorts of ways. I made new friends (my tutor, my English student), traveled to new places (Perú, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador), read new authors, tried new food, watched new movies, and so much more.

When I was in Quito a couple of years ago, I rode the teleférico, the cable-car that carries visitors 4000 feet up the side of a nearby volcano. During the fifteen-minute ride, I chatted with two couples that spoke only Spanish. If I hadn’t learned Spanish, I couldn’t have understood them, much less conversed. But because I do speak Spanish, I enjoyed a pleasant chat about one couple’s life in Venezuela and the other couple’s life in Quito. Plus I garnered a restaurant recommendation for later that evening. Yet another small prize I won simply because I took the time to learn another language.

That’s an example of receiving a small payoff from the lottery of life. Sometimes, however, you hit the jackpot.

In 2008, I received an email from a blog reader. He’d be in Portland the following week and wanted to know if I had time to meet for lunch. “Sure,” I said. “Let’s do it.” I met the reader and his wife at a local Thai restaurant. We had a great conversation. I was impressed by his story and his drive. I gave him blogging tips. He told me stories about traveling the world. His wife showed me how to stretch my injured hamstring.

Over the next year, my new friend shared a couple of guest posts at Get Rich Slowly. He stayed at my house one night when he got stranded in Portland.

Eventually, this guy — whose name was Chris Guillebeau — moved to Portland. Our friendship grew. In 2010, I joined Chris for a train ride from Chicago to Portland. On that trip, he shared a crazy idea. “I want to create a conference and hold it in Portland. I want you to be on the planning team,” he said. For the next three years, I helped to organize the World Domination Summit, which grew into a grand party for 3000 people.

Saying “yes” to lunch with one stranger had a ripple effect that continues to spread throughout my entire life. Because of that one action, I’ve met hundreds of incredible people, some of whom have become close friends. I’ve traveled to Norway. I’ve spoken on stage before one thousand people. Chris and I collaborated to create the Get Rich Slowly course. (And the payoff continues: I’ll be presenting a three-hour workshop on Financial Freedom at this July’s edition of WDS.)

Not every meeting or experience pays off so handsomely, of course. In fact, some are disasters! But most provide some sort of reward, and sometimes those rewards are enormous. Prize-winning tickets are so common and fruitful, in fact, that I’ve almost become addicted to playing the lottery of life. I relish making new acquaintances, going new places, and trying new things.

I used to think I was unlucky. Good things happened to other people, never to me. Everyone else had more fun than I did. Now, eight years since learning to say “yes” to life, I know the truth. Success breeds success. When you do something well, you open doors to new opportunities. When you fail to act, doors remain closed.

Wishing won’t make you happy or wealthy, and good things don’t just happen. Luck is no accident. Luck isn’t magic and it’s not a gift from the gods. You make your own luck.

Luck Is No Accident

What we think of as “luck” has almost nothing to with randomness and almost everything to do with attitude. According to psychologist Richard Wiseman, only about ten percent of life is truly random; the remaining ninety percent is defined by the way we think. Wiseman says we have more control over our lives — and our luck — than we realize.

John Krumboltz and Al Levin, the authors of Luck is No Accident, agree. In that book, they write:

You have control over your own actions and how you think about the events that impact your life. None of us can control the outcomes, but your actions can increase the probability that desired outcomes will occur. There are no guarantees in life. The only guarantee is that doing nothing will get you nowhere.

This has certainly been true in my own life. When I sat at home, afraid to do things and meet people, I was “unlucky”. Once I took action, my fortunes changed.

Wiseman says that “lucky” people share four attributes:

Lucky people make the most of opportunity. This is more than just being in the right place at the right time. Lucky people must be aware when an opportunity presents itself, and they must have the courage to seize it.

Lucky people listen to their hunches. They heed their gut instincts.

Lucky people expect good fortune. They’re optimistic. They think win-win. They make positive choices that benefit themselves and others. They tend to assume the best.

Lucky people turn bad luck into good. They fail forward, learning from their mistakes and finding the silver lining in every cloud. There’s a Spanish saying, “No hay mal que por bien no venga,” which can be roughly translated as, “There is no bad from which good could not come.” Lucky people believe this.

In Impro, Keith Johnstone writes:

People with dull lives often think their lives are dull by chance. In reality, everyone chooses more or less what kind of events happen to them by their conscious patterns of blocking or yielding.

This, my friends, is truth — perhaps the fundamental truth.

Our attitudes produce our luck. Choice is the backbone of life and meaning. This theme will appear repeatedly at Money Boss, and not just when discussing luck and fear.

At the heart of happiness is choice. We make meaning in our lives through our choices. At its core, freedom is about the ability to choose. And our financial states — for good or ill — are largely defined by choice.

Everyone chooses more or less what kind of events happen to them. Learn this quote. Learn to love it. Because you already live it, whether you know it or not.

Allow me to pause for a moment to acknowledge that yes, some people enjoy better circumstances than others. Systemic poverty is a genuine problem. It’s a barrier that some people have to overcome in order to achieve success. And yes, shit happens. You could get hit by a truck tomorrow. To me, these things are obvious and should go without saying. Yet, if I don’t explicitly mention them, I’ll get nasty comments and email.

Action Cures Fear

Saying “yes” is the first step to fighting fear and living a life without regret. But saying “yes” isn’t enough by itself. To cure fear, you must also take action.

Cody is a personal trainer in Portland, Oregon. He coaches athletes to lift more and run farther than they believe they’re able. Cody says one key to achieving peak performance is acting in spite of fear.

When lifting weights, for instance, many athletes — especially novices — become intimidated. They may be physically capable of living a given weight (and may have even lifted that very weight in the past), but they’re afraid to do so; they think about what might happen if they drop the bar. Others might imagine the pain and suffering that comes from running a marathon, the long hours of work ahead, and allow those thoughts to stop them from attempting the race.

Cody says that successful athletes overcome their fear by turning off their brains and taking action. Instead of waiting for the moment when fear subsides — a moment that might never come if she keeps thinking about it — the veteran forces herself not to think about what she’s doing. She simply does it. She lifts the weight or scales the wall or dives into the pool. She keeps running and doesn’t think about the distance that remains.

    At the start of the classic science-fiction novel Dune, our young hero is put to a painful test. To calm himself and focus his mind, he recites this litany against fear:

I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.

If fear is the mind-killer, then action is the fear-killer. To overcome fear, you must reach a point where you’re no longer thinking — only acting. Thought creates fear; action cures it.

Cody’s insight isn’t new. Motivational speaker Brian Tracy has said, “If you want to develop courage, then simply act courageously when it’s called for. If you do something over and over again, you develop a habit. Some people develop the habit of courage. Some people develop the habit of non-courage.” (Tracy’s famous advice for doing what you fear? Eat that frog!)

In The Magic of Thinking Big, David J. Schwartz writes, “Action cures fear. Indecision, postponement, on the other hand, fertilize fear…When we face tough problems, we stay mired in the mud until we take action. Hope is a start. But hope needs action to win victories.”

Schwartz advocates a two-step plan to build confidence and destroy fear:

Isolate your fear. Determine exactly what it is that scares you.

Take action. Figure out what action will counter your fear, and then do it.

“Hesitation only enlarges, magnifies the fear,” Shwartz writes. “Take action promptly. Be decisive.”

Often what we’re actually afraid of is the unknown. We like certainty, and choosing to do something with an uncertain outcome makes us nervous. That initial step into the unknown can be scary. But after the first, each subsequent step becomes easier and easier. When you act, you remove the mystery.

For years, I was frightened to speak in front of crowds. I avoided it. And when I agreed to speak, I put off preparation until the last possible moment. But when I began to say “yes” to offers and opportunities, I had to learn to speak in front of crowds. At first, I didn’t like it. But over time a funny thing happened. The more talks I gave, the better I got — and the more I enjoyed it. I’m still not great at it, but my fear fades a little more each time I step on stage. Action is curing my fear.

Action Creates Motivation

At home, Kim wakes at five o’clock to get ready for work. Most days, I just lie there. “I don’t need to get up,” I think. “I’ve nowhere to go.”

But I’ve learned that if I don’t get up, I regret it. If I stay in bed, I don’t make it to the gym. I miss work deadlines. I have less time to do the fun stuff, like hiking, and reading, and riding my motorcycle.

So, I get out of bed. I get dressed. As unappealing as it sounds, I go outside for a walk or a run — even when it’s raining (as is frequently the case back in Portland). The first few minutes suck. I’m tempted to turn around and return to my cozy bedroom. Before long, however, I find I’m actually enjoying myself. I return home invigorated, eager to get things done.

photo by Antony Mayfield

If I were to wait for motivation, I’d sleep all day. By forcing myself to take action, I find the motivation that was missing before.

Feeling Good is a popular self-help manual by David Burns. The book helped a younger me through an extended bout of depression. Part of the solution was to overcome my chronic procrastination, procrastination brought about by fear. In Feeling Good, Burns describes the problem.

Individuals who procrastinate frequently confuse motivation and action. You foolishly wait until you feel in the mood to do something. Since you don’t feel like doing it, you automatically put it off. Your error is your belief that motivation comes first, and then leads to action and success. But it is usually the other way around; action must come first, and the motivation comes later.

You see, action primes the pump. It creates momentum. It instills confidence.

Another way to boost confidence is careful preparation. Anxiety is largely self-doubt and insecurity — an underlying belief that you cannot handle whatever is before you. Anxiety often causes fear and procrastination. Because of this, preparation plays a key role in mitigating fear.

When you prepare — to speak to a crowd, to hike through a bear-infested forest — you decrease your doubt. You can’t eliminate the possibility of failure, but you can drastically reduce the odds. You rehearse possible situations. You practice the required actions. You allow your imagination to explore (and cope with) worst-case scenarios. Preparation helps you to do your best.

And that’s the important thing: If you always do your best and you do what’s right, then you needn’t fear the results. Sure, bad things will happen sometimes. But if you’ve done well and done what’s right, the negative outcome isn’t your fault — it’s just how things are. If you’re unprepared, however, you must own the negative results.

When we’re prepared, we feel competent. When we feel competent, we feel confident. When we’re confident, our fear fades into the background.

Action Is Character

A decade ago, I was full of hot air. And I was lazy. And depressed. This wasn’t a good combination for getting things done. I talked a lot about the things I wanted to do, but I never did them. I found reasons not to. I even had trouble keeping up my end of the household chores, which frustrated my wife.

I was a Talker.

Maybe you know somebody who’s like this. A Talker seems to know the solution to everything, has great plans for how she’s going to make money or get a new job. She can tell you what others are doing wrong and how she could do it better. But the funny thing is, a Talker never acts on her solutions and her great plans. She never gets that new job. She’s out of work or stuck in a job she hates.

To everyone else, it’s clear that the Talker is full of hot air, but he believes he’s bluffing everyone along — or worse (as was my case) isn’t even aware that he never follows through on his boasts and promises. Sometimes a Talker conflates talking with doing. When confronted, a Talker has excuses for not getting things done: He doesn’t have time, he doesn’t have the skills, the odds are stacked against him. When a Talker does do something, he often takes a shortcut.

That, my friends, is the man I used to be.

Something changed in the autumn of 2005. I began to read a lot of books. Not just personal finance books, but self-help books and success manuals of all sorts. As I read the books, I discussed them with my cousin, Nick. During our conversations, I’d sometimes lament that X was a priority in my life — where X might be exercise or getting out of debt or reading more books — but that I never had time for it. Instead, I “had to do” a bunch of other stuff instead.

“Well, then X isn’t actually a priority,” Nick would say, which made me angry. I’d argue, but Nick would point out that the things we actually do are the priorities in our life. What we say doesn’t matter; it’s what we do that counts.

It took me a long time to learn this lesson, but eventually I began to align my life with my stated priorities. Instead of just talking about doing things, I did them. I stopped looking for shortcuts and started doing the work required to get things done. Unsurprisingly, this worked. When I did things instead of talking about them, I got better results.

Today, I am a Doer.

In his notes on The Last Tycoon, F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, “Action is character.” Fitzgerald meant that what a fictional character defines who that character is. Superman is a superhero because he does heroic things, not because he talks about doing them.

The same is true in real life: You are defined by the things you do — not by the things you think or say. If you never did anything, you wouldn’t be anybody.

We Are What We Repeatedly Do

We are what we repeatedly do — not what we once did, and not what we did only once.

One mistake does not define you, nor does a single act of kindness. These events may provide glimpses of a potential you, but who you really are is revealed by what you do on a daily basis.

You can say that health is important to you, but if you don’t eat and act healthfully, it’s just not so.

Thinking about writing doesn’t make you a writer; writing makes you a writer. If you’re not writing, you’re not a writer.

You can say your life’s too busy and you want to slow down, but so long as you keep scheduling things, you’re showing that you value your busy-ness more than the downtime.

I’ve self-identified as fit for almost seven years. For most of that time, I have been fit. I’ve eaten well and exercised often. But during the past couple of years, my attention has been focused elsewhere. My priorities have shifted. During my RV trip across the U.S., I allowed my diet and exercise regimen to slip until today they’re average at best. I can see it in my body and feel it in my mind.

Talking about fitness and having been fit in the past won’t make me fit today. To be fit, I have to do the work to become (and remain) fit. Fitness will return when I choose to eat right and exercise once again. Not just once, but every day.

If you don’t like who you are, choose to be somebody new.

We are what we repeatedly do.

Note: This quote — “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit” — is frequently attributed to the philosopher Aristotle. However, Aristotle never wrote this. Instead, the quote is Will Durant’s summary of Aristotle’s philosophy.

Summing Up

Whew! That’s a lot of information. Let’s summarize what we’ve learned today.

On their deathbeds, people generally regret the things they did not do rather than the things they did. They also regret having spent so much time seeking outside approval instead of focusing on their own feelings, values, and relationships. In short, dying people regret having been afraid.

Some fears are physical. Others are psychological. Some fears are rational. Many are not. Healthy, rational fears keep you alert and alive. Irrational fears and anxieties prevent you from enjoying everything life has to offer. In part, our irrational fears are fueled by the mass media. We’re bombarded by news of the exceptional and the unusual, so that we come to believe life is more dangerous than it actually is.

A mighty weapon in the war against fear is the power of yes. By teaching yourself to accept opportunities in life, you can gradually overcome your irrational fears. You can teach yourself to become bold, to try new things, to meet new people, and to enjoy a more rewarding existence.

This is one of the secrets of lucky people. What we think of as “luck” has almost nothing to do with randomness and everything to do with attitude. Everyone chooses more or less what kind of events happen to them. You make your own luck.

It can help to imagine that life is like a lottery. Any time you do something — especially something new — there’s a chance that your life will be vastly improved in the long run. When you say yes, you’re given a lottery ticket. Often that ticket won’t pay off. But sometimes you’ll hit the jackpot.

Saying yes isn’t enough by itself. To cure fear, you must take action. Action boosts confidence. So does preparation. When we’re prepared, we feel competent. When we feel competent, we feel confident. When we’re confident, fear fades into the background.

If you always do your best and you do what’s right, then you needn’t fear the results. Sure, bad things will sometimes happen. But if you’ve done well and done what’s right, the negative outcome isn’t your fault — it’s just how things are. If you’re unprepared, however, you must own the negative consequences.

The bottom line? Action is character. You are defined by the things you do — not by the things you think or say. You are what you repeatedly do. If you don’t like who you are, you must choose to be somebody new.

What have action and fear to do with personal and financial independence? Everything!

The first step toward freedom of any sort is facing and fighting your fears. “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face,” Eleanor Roosevelt once said. “You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

From these humble beginnings, you can progress to greater things.

Next, we’ll explore personal well-being. We’ll talk about what happiness is, how it’s achieved, and what you can do to maximize happiness in your life. Because happiness too is an important part of achieving personal and financial freedom.

The post How to build confidence and destroy fear appeared first on Get Rich Slowly.

from Finance https://www.getrichslowly.org/building-confidence/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

[ges-sa]

Spider-Man: Homecoming Review

New Post has been published on http://ges-sa.com/spider-man-homecoming-review/

Spider-Man: Homecoming Review

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”25987,25986,25985,25988,25989,25990,25992,25993,25994,25995,25991,25996,25997,25976,25977,25978,25979,25980,25981,25982,25983,25984″][vc_column_text]Spider-Man has long been my favourite comic book superhero from before I could even remember, with my parents buying me my first comic (Spectacular Spider-Man vol.1 187) from a shop in Umhlanga in the early 1990’s before I could ever read. Though I couldn’t understand the words, I was wowed by the images of Peter Parker springing into action as Spider-Man and battling the villain of that issue, the Vulture (coincidentally).  It was the first Spider-Man movie in 2002 that got me back into the medium in the early 2000’s and I’ve followed the “Wall Crawler” in his many other animated shows, comics and appearances since.  

Following the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and the worldwide success of ‘The Avengers’, many have wondered what it would be like if Marvel Studios required the rights to Spider-Man and worked their magic on him within their connected movie world. While they have not completely re-acquired the film rights, they have managed to successfully negotiate a deal with Sony Pictures to finally make this a reality. We got our first taste of the all-new Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland, during ‘Captain America: Civil War’ last year; and what a sweat taste it was. For everybody that loved and enjoyed that version of Spider-Man, there is plenty more of that goodness in store throughout ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’. Spider-Man is arguably the most popular superhero and one of the most enduring figures in pop culture. There is an everyman quality about him, allowing most people of any age and demographic to him, and this movie does a good job of highlighting that.

While taking much of its inspiration from the early ‘Ultimate Spider-Man’ line of comics as a template, ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ is a pure joy for any superhero, Marvel or “Spidey” fan. Beginning just after the events of ‘The Avengers’ we are shown how the newly formed Department of Damage Control, under the auspicious of Tony Stark and the US government, impacts Adrian Toomes’ salvage business and sets him down the path to becoming the villainous Vulture. From there the film moves forward to the present day as Peter Parker readjusts to life after having met Tony Stark and encountered the other Avengers. From the moment Peter is introduced (The prologue scene is available online and the Playstation store for those that can’t wait until seeing the movie in theatres), the tone for the rest of the movie is set. The film wastes no time retelling Spider-Man’s origins or the death of Uncle Ben for a third time, choosing to drop us right into the ongoing story and succeeds in effectively telling a hero’s origin tale without including the already familiar origin itself.

The most notable thing I can say about this movie that it’s pure fun. Peter Parker, more so than any of the other previous films, is a smart and geeky high school kid, who loves being Spider-Man and can’t wait to jump into costume and help people around Queens, with the hope of impressing his new “mentor”. As the characters mention more than once, emphasis is placed on Peter being a “Friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man” and it shows, so don’t expect any grand city-wide or world threatening peril in this one as the stakes are a little more personal and ground level compared to that of other MCU films. This just feels so right, especially for the first film about this new Spider -Man, it makes you wonder why it’s taken so long for this aspect of the character to be spotlighted. I felt that this film captured more of the overall spirit of Peter Parker than any of his other five previous films have done while trying carefully to steer clear as much as possible from aspects and subject matter covered in those earlier movies. He’s got some level of scientific acumen, not accepted by his many of classmates, clearly charming, doesn’t quite have the famous “Parker luck” but still finds a way to let his activities as Spider-Man interfere with his civilian life and always striving to do the right thing even if he doesn’t quite go about it in the best of ways. It’s really amazing that they’ve incorporated all these aspects of his personality as well as several aspects of his classic costume into one film and have it all work within the structure of the film.

When he’s in costume, Spider-Man is on full display, doing whatever a spider can and throwing out good natured quips to the criminals he encounters and is very chatty; while out of costume, Peter Parker deals with day-to-day teenage life at a high school that feels more lively, diverse and representative of any high school you’re likely to find in the US today. That this is the youngest Peter Parker we’ve seen yet on film further adds to the immersion and better captures this period in the character’s life. Regardless of whether the costume is on or off, the overwhelming upbeat tone and sense of fun is present throughout. This by no means implies that this film never gets serious when it needs to. As much as Peter Parker gets a thrill out of being Spider-Man, there are times when he realises that being Spider-Man has its price and has to weigh up doing the right thing at the expense of how it will affect other’s perception of him as Peter Parker. As part of his first venture into tackling larger scale crime than he’s more accustomed to, he’ll have to overcome novice mistakes and attempt to the rise to the challenge; conveying, “with great power comes great responsibility,” without the words ever having to be spoken.

Tom Holland hits another home run in his second outing as the 15 year old Peter Parker. His joy, enthusiasm and situational comedy is a pleasure to watch and handles the heavier scenes deftly, leaving me excited to see more from him in this role in the future. It’s like watching a puppy with big paws, it is clear to see that he has so much potential and many years of leading man roles ahead of him. Michael Keaton has experienced somewhat of a career resurgence ever since ‘Birdman’ and turns in another great performance as Adrian Toomes, the Vulture, who is played more as a scavenger after his namesake, with is an inspired take on the character. His shift from blue collar worker to blue collar criminal is handled with reasonable believability and one can understand his mindset and empathise with him. Robert Downey Jr. returns as Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, and little needs to be said about him at this point. He could sleepwalk his way through the role and still nail it. Stark takes on more of a hands-off mentor role for Peter in this film which is an interesting extension of their relationship from ‘Captain America: Civil War’ and isn’t nearly in this movie as much as the trailers and marketing suggest but does carry weight and importance when he is present.

Having avoided trailers and spoilers, a pleasant surprise is the return of Stark’s head of security: Happy Hogan (Jon Favreau) after not seeing him since ‘Iron Man 3’ in 2013. He who acts more as the first point of contact for Peter in his communication with Tony and is entertaining when he is on screen. It’s good seeing him on his feet again, hopefully this not the last we have seen of Happy Hogan in MCU related films. Another major surprise is Jacob Batalon as Peter’s best friend Ned. He adds another layer to this story, giving Peter someone to confide in and has his fair share of comedic moments. It remains to be seen if he will be the MCU film version of Ned Leeds but regardless, it will be great to see him return in the sequel. Marisa Tomei shines as Aunt May and while far younger than classic Aunt May or even the ‘Ultimate Spider-Man’ version of the character, one can see what the filmmakers were going for. There far too many other side characters, supporting characters and cameos to mention but by and large, everyone performs their parts well and brings something regardless of how big or how small their roles may be, although some side characters seem far removed from any version of their comic counterparts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wNgphPi5VM

‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ is definitely worth anyone’s time regardless of how much of a fun you are or where you sit on the movie going spectrum. You’ll get a complete Spider-Man story that doesn’t require much, if any, knowledge from any other films to be able to enjoy; although fans of Spider-Man and/or the MCU will definitely find more things to get hyped about and ponder until future movies. Children will no doubt flock to see it and this is one that can be enjoyed by the whole family. There is a mid-credits and a post-credits scene at the end for those with the patience to do so. I have no doubt this will an instant hit with South African audiences and shoot to first place on local top 10 charts. I already can’t wait to see this movie again and look for any easter eggs or references I might have missed the first time.

Comment below and let us know what you think of this movie when you see it, what you are hoping for in the 2019 sequel, if you think Spider-Man will appear in future MCU Avengers films or what you favourite Spider-Man movies/animated shows are.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

Additional Information

[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Reviewed on: Cinema 3D Available on: Cinema 2D, Cinema 3D, 4DX, IMAX 3D, Cine Prestige Genre: Action, Adventure, Superhero Age Rating: PG 10-12 Estimated RRP: R50 – R120 Release Date: 07 July 2017[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]

Likes

Best all-round movie Spidey yet

Fun hero’s origin tale without the obligatory origin

Strong lead and supporting cast

Dislikes

Certain casting decisions of minor characters

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]