mantcdea

[mantcdea]

x.

[mantcdea]

you are allowed to be proud of yourself for things that might seem small to other people.

[mantcdea]

Carefully, she offered Carol the slice of barbecue pizza so she could try it, a warm smile tugging at her lips. It was a shame it wasn't a particularly healthy food, Mantis thought.

"Well, it's not like we eat it every day. I think it's okay to have in moderation." She watched Carol. "How is it? Do you like it?"

A nod from her. "Pizzas aren't always healthy, but putting at least some kind of vegetable makes it at least a little better." A hum from her as she listened to Mantis's reaction. A nod from her. Since the two were sharing it was nice. "Please." She said. She had settled her pizza back onto her plate.

[mantcdea]

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

[mantcdea]

Welcome to the friggin’ guardians of the galaxy

[mantcdea]

She waited with bated breath, eyes wide and gentle, hands folded on her lap as she listened intently.

Nebula's words struck a chord within Mantis, and she blinked rapidly to hold back tears. Her gaze dropped to her hands as a deep breath raised her shoulders.

"I do." Her words were spoken with reverence and something akin to defiance. Mantis blinked again, slower this time, her dark eyes meeting Nebula's. "I still love them. I always will. I love them because..."

Her voice trailed off, leaving behind an echo of uncertainty – a truth that was almost too painful to be spoken aloud. But Nebula had been vulnerable with her first. She'd given Mantis her truth.

"Because I was waiting for the day Ego no longer had use for me. I gazed at the stars each night as if it were the last time I'd see them." Eyes flickered once again to the constellations. "The future wasn't real. I went to bed each night wondering if I'd wake up the next morning. Sooner or later, I would end up in the caverns, the ones you saw. So I looked at the stars. I never took them for granted."

Slowly, Mantis' head turned to face the Luphomoid.

"I'm sorry the stars failed to comfort you, Nebula. But... you can still choose who you become."

@mantcdea asked:

“I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.” [ for Nebula]

Nebula’s jaw tensed.

She didn’t look at Mantis, at least not right away. Her gaze stayed locked on the stars through the viewport, the constellations just distant enough to feel like lies. A promise of eternity, love, light... just too far away to grasp.

“I used to love them too.” The confession slipped out quieter than she meant it to. Sharper, more brittle. Like the edge of a blade dulled from use.

“Before the night became a cage.” Her fingers flexed unconsciously at her sides—metal clinking faintly against flesh. When Nebula spoke again, her affect was flat but not unfeeling.

“The stars were pretty once. When I thought they meant freedom. When I still believed I’d get to choose who I became.” She didn't notice, nor would she care, when the bitter laugh escaped her lips. “Turns out the night doesn’t care who you are. It only takes. And brakes.”

She finally looked at Mantis- Mantis with the still too kind eyes, still too open, still so forgiving. Nebula hated that they didn’t make her want to flinch.

“But you… you still love them. Even after everything.” A pause. A beat that felt heavier than silence. “Maybe that’s the difference between us.”

But there was something gentler in her eyes now. Not surrender. Not softness. Just the slightest flicker of something else.

Hope. Or maybe just the memory of it.

[mantcdea]

“Where I Live”. Photo by K.

[mantcdea]

[mantcdea]

I love making @asgardianhammer laugh as she mentally prepares for... *sigh* the pain AKA watching Thor Love & Thunder for the first time.

You got this Mir! 💚

Mostly.

I hope... 😬

[mantcdea]

Your softness is sacred — it means you haven’t let the world harden you.

[mantcdea]

will you just let me be silly for a sec. there's this dread so ancient in me

[mantcdea]

[mantcdea]

Hearig the other laugh, Mantis' hands twitched on her lap to refrain from face-palming – realizing that maybe taking Shuri would be a mistake. Surely the situation could be de-escalated without bloodshed, right?

"Hm." She shrugged. "Maybe it is power, yes. I was going to say empathy and kindness, but your assessment seems more accurate." She pointed to the cookie Shuri had taken. "Try it, I need an opinion on how they taste."

Shuri chuckled at first, then it slowly devolved into laughter. "Is that an invitation to go with you, then? See this woman face-to-face?" What a feat it would be, seeing the woman who'd caused her so much trouble and not slit her throat out in front of the whole world.

... or maybe she would.

"Power, mostly likely. People like her can never get enough of it."

[mantcdea]

modes of comfort

[mantcdea]

Shoutout to everyone who is trying right now. Trying to do the right thing. Trying to stay strong. Trying to hold on. Trying to let go. Trying to love themselves. Trying to find happiness.

[mantcdea]

"If it does...?"

Mantis' hands wrung, expression morphing into something far more pensive. Pondering, planning. Teeth anxiously caught her lower lip before Mantis released it in a worried, forced smile.

"If it does... I'll get the most beautiful flowers for your funeral. The loveliest the people of Asgard have ever seen."

Instead of answering his last question, Mantis batted her eyelashes, both hands clasping Skurge's wrist for support as she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek with a loud, cheerful mwah.

"You'll do great! I'm sure." She took a step back. The puppies once again started pawing at Skurge's legs. "Aren't they cute?" Mantis drawled, practically melting as the animals whimpered. "Come on – pet them!"

Skurge watched as she piled things on top of things on top of things needed for just the three puppies. Surely, she was blowing things out of proportion... right?

"Wait, yet!? What if it does?!" The thought of raising normal puppies was already daunting; the cherry on top that they could start slinging things about with their minds at the drop of the hat made it even worse.

He continued to stare at her slack-jawed, palm held out to take the biscuits.

"Have I wronged you in some past life, Mantis? Are you seeking to punish me for some transgression?"

[mantcdea]

MAQUINN Couture 2025 if you want to support this blog consider donating to: ko-fi.com/fashionrunways