#I adore Hero in a penguin suit

[goosemagician]

The Failure Duet

[layla4567]

WANDAVISION AU (EP 2)

WARNINGS: MENTION OF VOMITING

previous part (1)

You and Adam were getting ready to sleep in the same shared room in his house, the only difference is that you slept in one bed and he in another. You wore a pretty ankle-length silk nightgown with a matching robe and Adam had on a cute striped pajama set. Your husband had grabbed a book to read and you were about to turn off the light on your nightstand when a noise in the window startled you both.

"Honey, what was that?". You asked frozen in place

Adam looked up from his book "I don't know, dear. Maybe it was the wind"

You crossed your arms with a frown. "Adam." He looked at you. "We are in the middle of summer, the only wind that can be there is that of the air conditioning"

*laughs*

"I think someone should go see." you sighed

Adam nodded and stared at nothing, doing nothing, you kept your arms crossed and you stared at him with raised eyebrows. He looked at you confused and you tilted your head to which he shrugged, it seemed like an absurd staring contest. You huffed in annoyance and took a quick glance out the window to then look back at him.

"Oh you mean me!". Adam exclaimed in great surprise as if he had discovered America as you put a hand over your face covering your eyes.

*burst of laughs*

"Yes dear, I'm too scared to find out. You are a strong and brave man". you said blinking with dreamy eyes

Adam beamed proudly and jumped out of bed, chest puffed out, walking briskly to the window.

"My hero..". you sighed in love

But when your husband was going to open the curtain, the blows were heard again and this time stronger, they seemed to have a particular rhythm as if it were Morse code. Adam jumped in fright and ran back to his bed, covering his face with the sheets.

"How brave..". you said ironically

*laughs*

"Darling I think that's not the wind". He said

"And now, what are we going to do?". You raised your hands to the sky in despair and frustration

Adam was going to answer something when a blow as if something glass had crashed against the window startled them both, they both screamed in fear and you waved your hands from fear joining the beds with your magic. When the noise stopped you two realized what you had just done subconsciously. Adam looked at you with a lopsided smile and a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, he couldn't help but teasing you

"My love, if you wanted to hug me you just had to ask"

You smiled mischievously. "Oh please, I need my brave man to protect me"

They both scurried under the sheets while you snapped your fingers and turned off the lights.

*Uhh and ohh from the audience*

★・・・・・・★

The next morning, being the good Samaritan that Adam was, he decided to organize a magic show for the neighborhood, and you, of course, would be his loyal and beautiful assistant. Adam was adjusting his navy blue bow tie wondering if he didn't look very ridiculous while rehearsing his speech.

"Noble ladies and noble gentlemen!…No, not like that… Human ladies and gentlemen! Ugh what are you saying Adam? of course they are all humans, ok again. Ladies and gen-"

*laughs*

"Adam?"

You called out to him, approaching him from the hallway, but when you saw him dressed in a tuxedo suit that made him look like a penguin, a bow tie that was too tight and a black top hat on his head, you stopped short and put a hand to your mouth trying to useless to hide the smile.

"Please don't laugh, I look like a clown, I know"

You frowned, shaking your head as you approached him and put your hands on the lapels of his suit, adjusting his bow tie.

"Don't say that, you look handsome and adorable at the same time." You pursed your lips to give him a short kiss.

"Is that possible?". He said smiling sideways, lost in your gaze.

"If it's about you, anything is possible sweetheart". You wrinkled your nose smiling.

You watched as Adam's golden face took on a coppery hue as he looked down in shame and played with the fabric of his gloves.

"Would you like to tell me what exactly you are preparing?". You asked him as you put your hands clasped behind your back ready to pay attention to his words.

"Oh sure! Look, I've decided to create a little magic show for the neighbors to entertain themselves. I think that here on earth not as many things happen as in Knowhere so a little magic will put a smile on their boring faces"

You laughed at his explanation, sometimes Adam spoke and interpreted things…in his own way. But that didn't bother you at all, on the contrary, you considered it charming.

"It seems perfect to me, love. But I suppose you would have thought about an assistant, right? Every magician needs a helpful assistant". You said with a big smile while you put one hand on your hip and the other up to your head, making an elegant and flirtatious pose while you looked at him knowingly.

"Oh wow I guess I didn't think of that" Adam put his index finger on his chin thinking without paying you much attention"I wonder where I could get one"

Your entire pose deflated as you huffed in annoyance. He looked at you strangely. "I was talking about me, Adam!"

"Oh yes of course!" He snapped his fingers, smiling happily with the satisfaction of someone who solves an intricate riddle, then he looked down at your sullen face and became serious. "Sorry." He said, smiling embarrassedly, shrugging his shoulders.

*laughs*

"Anyway". You said, making a gesture with your hand like someone shooing away a fly. "This afternoon I will be very busy shopping and having tea with Mantis and Nebula. Today they are coming to visit and I won't keep them waiting. Bye!" You gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and ran out the front door.

Adam was perplexed watching you disappear through the door in a whoosh.

"Sometimes I don't understand women." He said frowning

*more laughs*

★・・・・・・★

Mantis and Nebula arrived just on time as agreed. After traveling in stealth mode on the common ship, they left it in an empty field full of grass hidden from everyone's sight, the civilians could still be a little susceptible to the alien technology.

"(Y/N), (Y/N), (Y/N)!!!". She shouted, running to hug you and clinging to you as if she were a monkey, you thanked her for her warm greeting, you missed that.

Nebula followed behind her, rolling her eyes. "It's good to see you too (Y/N)"

Mantis didn't leave you until Nebula dragged her back with a jerk, huffing.

"Sometimes you're a pain in the ass, you know?"

*low laughs*

"Me? Oh c'mon! Now showing my feelings in an emotional way is a pain in the ass for you?". Mantis turned around offended.

"You spent the entire trip on the ship screaming like a mouse and bothering me with your nonsense and you kept asking when we were going to arrive!". She pointed a finger at her chest, tapping, to which Mantis slapped her hand away.

"Well that's preferable to being a cold stone with legs like you!!". Mantis Screamed

"Ha ha ha." She laughed sarcastically. "Please, at least I don't stick to people like a tick."

The two girls were facing each other a few centimeters apart, spitting hatred. The fight was escalating as they raised the tone and I wasn't liking it. It couldn't be possible that they barely arrived and they were already fighting

"ENOUGH TWO!". You screamed as you stood in the middle of them and pushed them away with both of your hands on their chest. They looked at you in amazement, you had never yelled at them before.

You realized what you did and blushing, you straightened yourself, straightening your clothes while raising your chin as if nothing had happened. "I'm sorry". You cleared your throat. “Could you please stop fighting for a moment and be good for once?”

"Only if she apologizes." Nebula snorted like a caged rabid animal.

"Fine, so you can see that I am a person aware of his actions. I'm sorry"

Nebula crossed her arms looking towards the grass, Mantis was waiting for her apology impatiently.

"Come on Nebula, do it for me." You made puppy eyes while Mantis did the same, standing next to you, both looking at Nebula.

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and then opened them. "I'm sorry, are you happy?" She muttered under his breath

"Very much, thank you!" You took her arm and squeezed it tenderly, she just made a disgusted face. It was her way of showing love and you knew it. The three of you linked arms and walked towards the nearest stores.

The city had many stores with very nice clothes. You were looking for an outfit to present yourself as Adam's assistant. You wanted something simple but elegant, something like a red sequin bodysuit and a cute little top hat. Maybe also some gloves that match the outfit and a pearl necklace, why not? The girls helped you with everything, well, it was really only Mantis who helped while Nebula sat bored on a stool looking at everything with tiredness and indifference.

"(Y/N) Look at these shoes! Aren't they cute?"

"Oh they are perfect Mantis dear, thank you!"

Mantis, always so helpful, smiled pleased. She looked like a kid in an ice cream parlor. She looked and touched everything as if she were seeing it for the first time, although in fact, it was her first time in a clothing store.

"Why don't you take something? Don't worry, I'll pay for it." You said, laughing at her somewhat childish behavior.

Mantis's eyes widened, causing her forehead to wrinkle slightly as she opened her mouth slightly. Then she screamed, startling a woman who was about to change in a dressing room. Mantis again ran to hug me and thank me at least 50 times.

Nebula crossed her arms and was already rolling her eyes again in growing bad mood. "Can we go now?"

*laughs*

★・・・・・・★

Meanwhile Adam practiced his magic tricks in the backyard without much success.

"Come on Adam focus, you can do it. You are a sovereign"

He tried to cheer himself up to no avail. His grunting and mumbling were so audible that a neighbor who was outside in his yard heard him and poked his head over the wooden fence in curiosity.

"Oh please! Why is so difficult?. He exclaimed impatiently

"What's difficult?"

Adam stood up embarrassed and turned his head towards where the voice came from. He tried to demonstrate a mature posture. "Oh, I didn't know I had viewers. It's nothing, I was just trying to do a card trick."

"I get it, you can't find the right card, right?". The man smiled understandingly.

Adam made a confused face, squinting his eyes. "What? No! I can't shuffle the cards, I've been trying for half an hour!". The sovereign pursed his lips as he futilely tried to shuffle the cards, he did so with such speed and force that they slipped through his fingers and ended up on the grass.

*burst of laughs*

The neighbor looked at him with a confused smile. "You're Adam, right? My name is Robert, I'm your next-door neighbor. We moved a few years ago." He stretched out his hand over the fence for him to shake.

Adam shook it smilingly. "Nice to meet you"

"Sorry if I intrude, but wouldn't you like to have something? I have one of the best whiskeys in the county." He said modestly

Adam looked surprised, but he didn't want to be rude so he accepted.

"Perfect, see you at my house in a minute"

Adam smiled with a frown as they said goodbye. Whiskey? What the hell was that? I'd have to ask (Y/N) when she gets back.

*laughs*

★・・・・・・★

"Mantis, that faux fur jacket looks fantastic on you!"

"Thanks!". Mantis moved elegantly, twirling like a princess as they walked towards a tea house.

"It's also not a big deal…" Nebula said

"Uhh it seems to me or is someone jealous?". Mantis said, lengthening the last letters while pointing at her with a finger and a malicious smile.

Nebula grabbed Mantis's finger tightly making her squirm a little. "If you point your finger at me again, I'll break it."

"Understood, you don't need to say it twice." She said quickly going to shield herself next to me away from Nebula.

*laughs*

They soon arrived at the nice place and ordered their drinks. A green tea for Nebula, a strawberry tea for Mantis and you ordered a chamomile tea, you were going to order a different flavor but for a while you had a strange tummy ache. Let's see if the tea calmed it down a little.

"So? What's life like here on earth with Adam?" Mantis asked with eyes shining with excitement as he stirred his tea with a spoon making noise.

"Is incredible". You paused to blow on the tea and drink it in small sips. “I missed home a lot, and Adam seems to adapt to the environment quite well.”

"So Adam, tell me. Have you ever tried whiskey?"

Adam swallowed loudly, how could he tell him he didn't even know what it was? "No sir, never in my life"

"Please be familiar with me, we are already friends." Robert said smiling as he went to get the alcoholic drink.

"Umh o-okay S- Robert". He said nervously

"(Y/N) Where are you when I need you?" He thought

"Oh how wonderful!" Mantis smiled, clapping happily. "You make a beautiful couple, I'm very happy for you."

"Thank you Mantis, the truth is that he makes me very happy." You smiled tenderly when you remembered your husband.

"Pfft, I still can't believe that of all the men on the planet you decided to marry that golden airhead."

Mantis turned her head sharply to look at Nebula with a rather disapproving frown.

"Excuse me? FYI Adam is much more than a pretty face. He is very capable"

"Alright, here it is. The best whiskey in the house. It dates back to 1915!" He said pointing to the date proudly

The golden boy leaned further over the table to admire the bottle with curiosity and confusion. He inspected it as if he had in front of him the strangest species of plant he had ever seen.

"What's wrong?. He laughed. "Yeah, I know the bottle has a unique design but it's not that big of a deal". He laughed harder again

Adam quickly looked up a little embarrassed at his neighbor. I didn't want him to think I was a fool for never having seen a bottle of…whatever that was. How was it? whisly?

"I understand that sometimes he may seem clumsy and scatterbrained, but he is smarter than you think apart from having a big heart." Mantis looked at you attentively and nodded at everything, Nebula looked at you suspiciously.

"Well Adam, you're about to try the eighth wonder of the world."

"Yaay…" He murmured without enthusiasm

*laughs*

Robert finished filling the small glass and clinked his glass against Adam's, who looked at him in surprise.

"Today I toast you, neighbor. Cheers!"

Adam looked at the glass and its copper-colored, almost amber contents with suspicion. Then he smelled it and frowned in disgust. But he told himself that he couldn't be rude to his neighbor, so he put the glass to his mouth and swallowed it in a flash, throwing his head back. It was a bad idea. Adam opened his eyes wide and began to cough as if he were having convulsions, feeling like his throat was burning in hot and painful flames.

Robert patted him on the back, laughing lightly. "Whoa dude, are you okay? This drink is not for weak stomachs."

After they said goodbye, Adam felt a little dizzy and walked home like a dizzy duck. Before entering the door he greeted a dog that was lying sleeping with its head resting on its front paws. Adam had mistaken him for a boy. The dog just raised his head in curiosity.

Adam stumbled in, tripping over his own feet. Oh boy. He hoped you wouldn't find out about this.

★・・・・・・★

You said goodbye to your friends but not before telling them that you invited them to today's show and you returned home happy, except that discomfort in your stomach had not gone away. "How odd". Thought. "Have I eaten something spoiled?"

You closed the door with your keys jingling in your hand. "Adam! I'm back honey!"

You looked everywhere looking for him but you couldn't find him. Worried, you went to your formatory to see if he was there. He wasn't there either. You left your bedroom with a frown when loud footsteps coming from the backyard caught your attention. They were irregular stomps, like a baby learning to walk.

"(Y/N)! You're back dear!". Adam exclaimed with his arms open, approaching you, staggering as if he were on a boat in a storm.

Out of shock, you dropped the keys and froze in place while he hugged you and lifted you up to his level. His arms pulled you away from the floor and tightened around your body like they were clamps. Sometimes you forgot how strong he was.

"S-sweetie... I can´t-". You said half choked

"Oh yes, yes, I'm so sorry!" Adam gently placed you back on the ground as you took a deep breath.

*burst of laughs*

Adam smiled, still wobbling slightly as if he had lost his balance, and approached you to give you a kiss. At that moment you placed a finger on his lips and turned your face away while you closed your eyes in a reflex action.

"Adam.. why do you smell like alcohol?". You said slowly as his breath knocked you out.

"Oh that, yes. A neighbor gave me a glass of…of.. well I don't remember the name of the drink but it started with "W". He was very nice but the drink was disgusting, I don't remember that man's name either. "Bobby? Rudolph? .. anyway it's not that important" He said laughing with piggy noises.

My God, he was delirious. Probably because of the alcohol. You grabbed his cheeks with both hands, inspecting him worriedly. He just looked at you with the eyes of a slaughtered lamb trying to focus his vision.

"Oh sweetheart, now what are we going to do with the magic show?"

Adam looked at you blankly for a second with a frown and then raised his eyebrows. "Oh the magic show, right. Don't worry, I have everything under control."

Then he moved away from you a little and put his hand in his suit pocket "You'll see how I can get a handkerchief out of here." He smiled and when he tried to take his hand out of his pocket he got stuck and was struggling until he almost broke the suit until he managed to get his hand out but without anything in it. "And the handkerchief, where is it?" He look everywhere, turning like a dog chasing its tail.

You did a facepalm sighing

The big day arrived and everyone was waiting, sitting in the square, including Mantis and Nebula. Behind the velvet curtain, you peeked, opening it slightly to see how many people had come. There were many. Many people who would see the show and many people who would later laugh at Adam's drunkenness. You walked from side to side nervously with big, long steps, putting a finger in your mouth, biting the nail. It was an ugly habit, but you were too anxious to avoid it.

Suddenly Adam appeared walking with his typical unbalanced steps, holding on to the handrail of the stairs.

"Finally!" You ran to help him, putting his arm over your shoulder for support.

"Are you sure you can do this?". You asked worried

"Of course love, trust me. I can do it."

No, he can't. You soon found out.

To begin with, Adam hiccupped onto the stage and got tangled in the curtains. You broke out in a cold sweat trying to force a smile.

"Hello my friends!! Are you ready for some magic?? The audience nodded and cheered. "Now I present to you the pretty magician and I her assistant!"

The audience looked at him confused. You approached him "Darling, it's the other way around."

"Oh yes sure, sure"

From her seat, Nebula laughed heartily like she had never done before. Mantis elbowed her in the ribs, which made Nebula look at her with a frown.

“Don’t be mean, poor Adam and (Y/N).”

"What? Don't tell me it's not funny? I don't miss this for anything". She continued laughing mockingly

★・・・・・・★

The show was a disastrous but fun chaos, in the end people were laughing but they had a good time. All the shame and humiliation went away and you also started laughing funny. When you finished and said goodbye to everyone, you and your husband returned to your sweet home. Luckily, the drunkenness had already left Adam's statuesque body

You entered your house sighing tiredly, you felt weaker than normal and that horrible pain in your stomach had grown. Adam changed his clothes while you massaged your belly with a grimace.

"Looks like we were a success today, huh? Despite, well, you know…I rapologize about that, by the way"

You tried to smile but it was more of a grimace of pain as you closed your eyes with a whimper.

"Hey, my love, look at me. Are you alright?". He cupped your cheek with a worried expression

"I don't think I'm feeling well." You retched and ran to the bathroom to throw up.

Adam followed you with his eyes, not knowing what to do. When you came out your hand was still on your belly but now you were pale and serious, a little scared.

"Adam…"

"Yes? What's wrong?" He swallowed loudly as he took your hands and squeezed them protectively.

"I think I'm pregnant.."

*Ohh*

He gasped and brought a hand to your belly, which now looked more swollen than before. "Will I be a father?" A shy smile appeared on his lips.

"So it seems, honey." You smiled with moist eyes as you stood on your tiptoes to kiss him tenderly.

*awww*

★・・・・・・★

[aviles2003]

Peach Meets Mario's Family

After Defeating Bowser and His Minions, Mario and Luigi won Back Brooklyn and Saving the Mushroom Kingdom, but there was so much Destruction Bowser's Kingdom lair has made, but with the Kongs and Penguins Helped to put Back Brooklyn into its rightful peace to rebuild again, with the help of construction workers as well, it all turned out well

Meanwhile Mario and Luigi we're On their way back to the Apartment with their family to have a nice Lunch at home, their Mom and Dad were proud of them,

"This calls for a celebration Dinner and will make Things a Victory to you two!" Mario and Luigi's dad Said very cheerful, "yep glad you really did saved Brooklyn for real, Your the heroes of Brooklyn!" Mario and Luigi's mom said excitedly

"and A very Amazing Plumber I might say" Peach said into the Conversation with Mario and Luigi's Family, "My Name's Princess Peach, It's a Very special honor to meet You Mr and Mrs M, Mario Saved My Kingdom from a giant Bullet and I am grateful for Him"

Mario and Luigi's Parents were Surprised to see a new Friend Mario meet from another world, "It's a pleasure to meet you Too Princess, were just going to get Dinner at our home Would you love to join us?" Mario's dad said to her, peach Said the Answer to him "I'd be Delighted too" peach agreed and Mario's parents brings peach along with them "you too mushroom man" he said to Toad, "ALRIGHT!" Toad Said Excitingly

As they arrive inside the apartment, Peach was Surprised to see Mario's Family get together, "Hey-o!" The Family said to say hello, Mario, Luigi, and Their Parents said the same phrase, Peach Said a Soft "Hello!" She never meet any Other humans Like Mario when he first came to her Kingdom, Mario's Family was surprised to see a Visitor in the apartment

"Princess, now I know you meet my Mom and Dad, but you are gonna love My Family who me and Luigi we're living for years!" Mario said, he was joyed to give peach Meeting his family for the first time, she was Nervous at first But was Still contagious how She meets People than the others than toads, "This is uncle Tony, he's a really funny guy and Also does a Magic things, but you just can't help but love this guy" Luigi explains to Peach, "My goodness, what an honor to meet you princess, say what's that in your Ear?" He Surprises peach with a Coin that made her say "Oh my! That's Amazing! I didn't know you we're magic!", Uncle Tony Laughed and appreciated for her words, "Thank you Peach, that means A lot" peach couldn't help but giggle,

Mario Now turns over to Uncle Arthur and Aunt Marie to Peach, "This is our Uncle And Aunt, they can tease us sometimes when we reveal something like the commercial we made, but we have funny Moments to joke around!" Uncle Tony and Aunt Marie met Peach with an ordinary greet "what a beautiful Woman you are! I guess Mario is your type for a girl like you?" Marie Slapped him in the back "hey I'm joking" Mario just blushed for the sakes "What a wonderful Dress Your wearing, did you Get it from a Mall?" Marie asked to Peach, "we'll that Monster Bowser Just made it For me, but I might get rid of it soon." Mario just Spoke up to her "I think you look Pretty In that Dress Peach, You could use it Anytime for like fancy parties, we'll even dye it Into Pink when you think of it!" Peach just giggled with Embarrassment but Find it Adorable from Mario's comment, "Thanks Mario, I guess pink does suit me when we get this wedding dress colored pink soon" Mario just Laughed "no prob princess, anyways-" Peach stopped for a moment

"wait, who's your little girl Marie?" Peach Asked to aunt marie "oh that's Nicola, she just be stuck on her phone, anything I took it from her" the niece was shocked "HEY!" Peach laughed "calm down She's just teasing You Nicola, no need to be Embarrassed" peach said calmly "Alright i get it, but it's nice to meet you Peach, you look beautiful this morning" Nicola said to peach looking at her white dress "O-Oh thanks" peach said with a blushing voice

Peach saw their Grandpa with the Hat, but he is unfortunately sleeping like a Old Heavy Old man sleeping as a elder man "goodness, your grandpa looks like his good one Mario." Mario could thank her for meeting his Family "Thank you princess, I'm glad you meet the rest of our family" Mario Said, "take a seat Peach, You and toad should be ready for Dinner" Mario's mom ask, peach and toad Took the chairs to sit for dinner, peach sits next to toad and next to mario, "Your family is very Special to you and Luigi, Mario, like the princess she is special to all of us as a Family." Mario's thoughts came to his mind from toad "Thanks My friend, Peach is very special to all of us now" peach couldn't help but smile and say "Thanks You two"

Mario's plate was with spaghetti mushrooms, he thought he can't eat another mushroom from that training course he had a flashback "You okay Mario?" Peach interrupted to Mario, "Oh yes, yes I'm Fine" peach gives Mario a rizz face, "Come on don't make me shove that mushroom in your mouth like I did to you" the entire family just laughed making Mario blush from his memory "okay okay I'm getting over it, thanks peach" Mario said that peach is just teasing,

Everyone enjoyed dinner Having Spaghetti and talking about family stuff and new faces like peach and toad,

"Hey peach, while your Here in Brooklyn for only a while I could take you to the mall to see any clothes fits you what you love in fashion" Marie Said to peach "Oh my, that would be wonderful Of you Marie, very soon but I'm all worn out from that Action today, but I'll get rest soon to join you tomorrow" peach quoted, Marie understand but happy to hear that

After dinner is over that afternoon Peach went inside the Bathroom to wear comfortable casual from Marie's clothes, she got out wearing white socks, a Red Pink PJ pants, And t shirt that saids "I love New York" she joined Mario, Luigi and Toad in the couch Watching some TV

Peach was concerned about the TV, "so Humans like you call this "TV"? Whenever you watch something?" She commented, "Yes, we used it to play video games, Watch DVD Movies, And Watch Cable TV channels, like shows and news, from what we change over anything" Luigi Said to her, peach understand

Mario's mom showed Peach some The Photos from the Photo album when Mario and Luigi we're babies, "Aww Mario looks so cute when he's little" peach said to her, "I know right? My boys were so cute when they're little years ago I could remember when they're born" Mario's mom asked to Peach, she even showed her the picture of Mario and Luigi's graduation from school "They look amazing in the graduation Mrs M, They look so proud, how they came along way to be Adults" peach Said seeing that picture, Mario looked at her and he started to feel a crush on peach, "Someone's got a Crush!" Toad and Luigi teased Mario for saying that "guys come on!" Mario said being teased by them but he knows they're joking

Later it was 8pm, the sun started to go down to turn into the Night sky, Mario and Luigi we're ready to sleep in their room, peach and toad however, well they were offered with the foldable mattress to be more comfortable and soft while Sleeping with them too in their room with Mario and Luigi

Mario's mom came to say good night to them, "Good night all of you, tomorrow is a beautiful morning ahead of us." And all of them said "Good night" Back and switched the light off from their room, Luigi And Toad fell fast asleep, Mario on the other hand was still awake, looking at the night sky, peach couldn't sleep to see Mario was awake, she came by his side and asked him something

"Mario, why are you looking at the Sky from the window?" She asked, Mario sighed in joy "I can't believe me and luigi are Heroes for Brooklyn and your kingdom peach, if I haven't stopped Bowser, he would've conqour both worlds, But I'm glad we did it, but also almost scared that I couldn't let my brother die from the lava when he almost fell to his death, and before I did that, My dad said I bring my brother down" Mario said with faithful words, Peach heard him clearly but stood up for him, "Mario, you did not bring Luigi down, What you and Luigi did was brave, and almost seeing you saving your brother was heartfelt for me what I did to my Toads keeping them safe from Bowser, and I can't thank you enough for saving my kingdom from Bowser." Peach said to Mario, all Mario could say is, "thank you Peach, that means a lot from us to you" Mario said in a quiet voice giving her a Hug, peach blushed but also gave him a Kiss on the cheek which makes Mario smile at her, "We'll that takes care of it, you should go to sleep now," Mario told peach "I will, Good night Mario" peach said to Mario, "Good night Peach, Sweet Dreams." And the 4 friends went to Sleep Peacefully from the sounds of the city

[jaylikesrainbowtigers]

What would the Gaang’s Daemons be?

This is based off of His Dark Materials and what each of the Gaang’s daemons would be. This was a surprisingly difficult task because I obsessed over it for like a week.

Aang: Feathertail Glider

Aang’s daemon wouldn’t settle until the very end of the series when he has completed his task to defeat Ozai and stands by his morals. As such, shortly after Aang’s daemon would settle. Before this I could see her taking forms like birds or lemurs so she could fly around. I can’t think of a suitable name but something sweet like Peach or something to do with air as a whole.

But I think that she would settle as a feathertail glider because these little guys are the extroverts who hate confrontation. They tend to be quite energetic yet value others over themselves most of the time. Also the big eyes and ears combined with their tiny size reminds me of Aang. Also they can fly. The idea of another little flying thing following Aang around is adorable. Strangers would be so confused on whether Momo or the glider is Aang’s daemon. Or even Appa?? Like who knows. Not them.

Katara: Snow Goose

Despite others opinions that Katara’s daemon would settle after her mother died, I don’t think that he would. I think we would have to wait until the Southern Raiders episode as the experience of Katara not taking revenge is a pivotal one for her character. Before then I think her daemon would mainly assume the form of a sea otter or a penguin. I actually considered a sea otter as her settled form but something felt off about it. I like the traditional Inuit name Aput for Katara’s daemon as it means “snow”. It feels right to me.

As for why I chose a Snow Goose. The key characteristic surrounding this form are loyalty, dedication, ambition, outspokenness, being a team player, and a more extroverted personality. Katara shows great ambition and her ability to be outspoken when she faces the Northern Water Tribes sexist ideas and convinces Pakku to teach her. Other secondary traits that fit Katara to this form are her protective nature, her desire to help others, her stubbornness, and her ability to empathise with others. The fact that this creature lives in the Artic also shows her pride for her heritage.

Sokka: Common Raven

Sokka’s daemon certainly does not settle in the form he desires. What he really wants is to emulate his hero, his dad, with a wolf daemon. So in Season 1 we see his daemon take the form of a wolf often. However, when he fights as the planner or the inventor (when he works best) his daemon could take another form as a foreshadowing. His daemon would probably settle in the first few episodes of Season 2 as the loss of Yue settles in. I like the name Ila for Sokka’s daemon. It means “friend” or “companion” which I think Sokka’s daemon would mainly be for him.

Whilst Sokka could certainly fit into a wolf form, I think that a raven suits him better. Ravens have a strong sense of social hierarchy which suits Sokka’s desire to act as a leader for the Gaang. They are also opportunistic, adaptable, innovative, expressive, planners, bold, occasionally suspicious, affectionate, and witty. Sokka’s role in the group ranges from the meat and sarcasm guy to the planner so a versatile form was a must for me. The symmetry between Katara and Sokka both settling is birds is just a nice circle.

Toph: Wolverine

Toph’s daemon would either settle straight after she left her parents or not at all in the series. There is no in-between. The only two options for me. Whilst she was with her parents her daemon would often be a mole as a small tribute to the badger-moles who taught her Earth bending. As the Blind Bandit, he would take the form of something ridiculously large for the lols, like a rhino. Other fun forms for Toph would be a bat or a badger. I like the name Bao for him. It means “treasure” and I think Toph’s parents would name a daemon to fit their family vibe.

I had a lot of trouble picking a daemon for Toph. Mainly because all the animals I thought of were not aggressive and avoided conflict. But do you know what animal doesn’t avoid conflict. A wolverine! Traits connected to this form are independence, aggression, a hardy attitude, confidence, loyalty (though they are very socially selective with their friends), and a slightly playful personality. I think that this fits Toph’s no nonsense/ let’s kick some ass whilst playfully insulting my friends attitude.

Zuko: Yellow-Throated Marten

I think that Zuko’s daemon wouldn’t settle for ages. However, after his banishment he and Akira (seems like a good name for her) faked a settle as a lion? Or a bird of prey? Something that Ozai would approve of. Only Iroh knows that Zuko hadn’t settled as he walked in on Akira trying to comfort Zuko in a different form. Aang found out as Akira turned into a beetle during the Blue Spirit episode whilst Zhao only became suspicious. Akira turned into a seal so Zuko could break into the Northern Water Tribe.

In season two, Akira turned into a type of cat to travel incognito in the Earth Kingdom. So in the abandoned town the rest of the Gaang found out that Akira was unsettled.

In early season three, Akira presented as a snake, a python of sorts, within the palace. But her eventual settlement happened when Zuko was on his Airship going to find the Gaang. It was very much a bittersweet moment as Zuko finally felt fully confident in his choice but he was also leaving the last remains of his childhood behind.

But I think if you rewrote the series to have daemons Zuko would probably get an earlier redemption arc as he has a physical manifestation of his soul to talk to in order to work out his feelings. He may have even joined the Gaang at Ba Sing Se.

The reason for my choice of a Yellow-Throated Marten is their guts. Like these small things actively hunt deer and their favourite move is to grab their prey by the neck and flipping them onto the ground. That feels very Zuko. They tend to keep in groups of two or three which remind me of Zuko and Iroh. They have a angry outside but a slightly awkward and kinda sweet inside. Like Zuko. Plus the yellow on them makes me think of Zuko’s eyes. Zuko and Akira cuddles pleases me because she is a fluffy-ish animal.

Suki: Fennec Fox

She would be the only member of the Gaang who we would meet after her daemon settled because Suki is a fairly flat character in terms of her character arc. She already is confident in her role in life and her morals. She doesn’t have to overcome any significant challenges which could cause a settlement to be delayed. We probably wouldn’t learn her daemons name until season 3 when she stays in the show for more than a episode at a time. I’m thinking something common like Liu or Huang.

Fennec Fox Daemons tend to be social, hard-working individuals who are very tough. They also tend to have a good sense of humour and have a higher level of tact than other canine based daemons. These are traits that I see in Suki. Also the balance of Sokka who longs for a canine daemon meeting Suki who has a smaller canine daemon who then beats respect women and all daemon types equally into him. It adds to the plot. Trust me.

If anyone has any ideas for names or other daemon forms for any of the Gaang (or any other ATLA characters) please comment below.

[darlinghowl]

“i personally don’t see why you’d want to be a fan of batman” he dresses up in a batsuit to play detective and the cops of gotham city can’t do anything abt it bc that’s how powerful he is. as bruce wayne he’s seen in multiple comics donating millions to charity or hosting galas for them to try and make gotham a better place. he’s adopted like 7 kids because they were orphaned or in tim’s case just lonely, all of whom he adores. he gets to fuck catwoman by some miracle. his worst enemies are a demented clown, a woman who can cause fungi to grow in your brain and kill you from the inside out, a goofy bastard in a green suit who likes riddles, and a dude literally called The Penguin as if that’s at all menacing. his butler is his dad and also his personal assistant and he loves him. his best friend is an alien from outer space who he cannot lose, and he would do anything to make sure he doesn’t, including but not limited to allowing a hell demon to come back from a tomb they’d just enclosed him in and risking the phantom zone to be open long enough for anything to escape just on the CHANCE clark makes it through. he keeps lollipops in his fucking belt for scared kids he meets, courtesy of tom taylor. he’s the type of hero that stays behind to help get people out of a flood.

THAT is batman. THAT is bruce wayne.

don’t look at me and tell me that all batman/bruce wayne amounts to is tom king’s version of him. that all he amounts to as a character is the black label version of bruce wayne we’re forced to see every few comic runs. that zack snyder and christopher nolan’s batmans are The Batman Interpretation. because bruce wayne/batman IS a hero and he loves his family and i’m tired of y’all pretending the only thing he knows how to do is beat the shit out of mentally ill people for giggles and abuse his children just because some shitty men decided he was Dark and Gritty.

[unrepentantgeek]

Just saw The Batman & here’s my take.

Something my mom’s said for years is that most live action actors play a good Bruce or a good Batman but not both. Usually she’s got a point. This time though I’ll reserve judgment.

As far as Batman goes he was brilliant. He was a little awkward or too brute force sometimes but he’s clearly early on. The movie clearly states it’s been two years plus Gordon isn’t even commissioner yet. Probably just needs more time to develop the ninja skills, martial arts skills & gadgets that mark Batman. Had the detective skills & ass kicking ability spot on though. Characterization wise Pattinson was amazing. The compassion so essential to Batman was clear in his unspoken concern for the mayor’s grieving son & how despite being Bruce not Batman his focus in the funeral scene was the mayor’s son & saving him from the car. Plus the scene where he helps people out of some debris & even escape the building after taking down the last bad guy & stopping people from getting killed by the electric sparks, and going on to join the rescue efforts? The way he comforted that person he rescued as they waited for the chopper to be ready to take her or a hospital? Spot on. THAT’S the Batman I grew up on. (Eat dirt whoever botched him in the Batman Begins trilogy & whoever let him be okay with using a gun in Dawn of Justice. ) Battinson WAS on the emo edge lord side but in a way I personally found vaguely amusing. Refreshingly not gritty or grim dark. Stuck to the essential “Batman is against guns & killing” rule. Over all my sibling put it best: this was about Batman the vigilante becoming Batman the hero. Hoping he’s more the ninja w/ lots of gadgets I adore in the future. (Also his bat symbol looked kinda like the Nightwing symbol.) (EDIT: also there was a car that COULD’VE been the Batmobile but it was only in like 1 or 2 scenes, usually he rode a motorcycle. I thought that was a bit weird personally.)

As Bruce Wayne? Still in his awkward, brooding recluse phase. So young & angsty he triggered a momTM moment in me despite probably being my age by pulling a “you’re not my dad” on Alfred. Not even really associated with his own company yet. But this movie is a brilliant set up for him BECOMING the philanthropist we all know & love. The movie was an eye opener for him in a number of ways & I really think given more in this universe we’d see that seed become character development.

TLDR: brilliant as an early Batman still coming into his own, not enough Bruce shown to see properly but had potential. Overall my dad, sibling & I agree Pattinson is probably better suited for the role of Nightwing/Dick Grayson than Batman/Bruce Wayne.

As far as the others go? Brilliant Gordon, disappointing Penguin, Riddler was more suitable as the latest Scarecrow, and Selina was excellent & had brilliant chemistry w/ Battinson.

[astronomoney]

i lost the ask for this so i had to improvise

Request: Hi! Your fics are so fun to read!! And i was wondering if you could do 1 and 8 for the fluff prompts for Jason? Thank you you’re wonderful <3

Pairing: Jason Todd x reader

Prompts: Prompt list ☁︎1- "You look really cute in that sweatshirt." ☁︎8- "Your hair is really soft."

Summary: Jason Todd pays you a visit while you're recovering from a slight cold, and he brought you food!

Warnings: Like one curse word

A/n: babes you flatter me 🥰 also I head cannon that jason is a soft boi™️ and i will write him as such. you can't stop me. and you can’t convince me he doesn’t read shakespeare (Masterlist)

Word count: 1k

Tag list: @battlenix

Sick Days

Falling in love was never part of the plan. Neither was getting the flu but life just loves to throw curve balls your way. That's how you ended up laying in your dark room with dirty tissues spilling out of your trash can and your curtains drawn.

It had been nearly 3 days since you'd gotten sick so you were in the recovery stage but that didn't make your day any better. You hadn't had a proper night's sleep all week and despite feeling your fever breaking you were no closer to rest. You tossed and turned under your covers trying various different methods but nothing seemed to pull your mind into the depths of sleep.

It felt like you'd been laying there for an eternity. Looking over at your clock you realized that eternity had only actually been about 7 minutes. You groaned loudly and pulled the blanket over your head. That's when you heard a soft knocking coming from your window.

You flipped the blanket off your head and you looked towards the sound. It was only 3 o'clock in the afternoon so the sun was still shining through the thin curtains, showing the silhouette of your favorite person ever. You kicked the blanket off and tried to get out of your bed but tripped and landed on the floor with a thud.

"Fuck," you cursed, untangling yourself from the blanket. The wind was knocked out of you and you cough lightly before jumping up and rushing across the room. You opened the curtains with a wide smile plastered across your face.

There he was. Your very handsome, surprisingly romantic, and all around adorable boyfriend of 11 months dressed in a dark blue Superman hoodie (to spite Bruce no doubt) and holding a bag of your favorite food.

You pushed the window open letting a refreshing cool breeze into your otherwise warm room. The giddy smile on your face only spread when he ducked through the gap.

"But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?" He quoted, handing you the bag of food with a casual smirk adorning his features.

"Romeo oh Romeo, what would I do without you?" you took the bag and leaned up slightly to press a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Starve most likely," he shrugged, moving his hand to cup your chin and bring you in for a real kiss.

You stepped back and looked at the S design on his chest. "Wow the super logo? What's your dear old dad done this time?"

"Not everything I do is out of spite you know." He quipped.

"Well that's definitely a lie but whatever," you shot back, smirking. "I think you look really cute in that sweatshirt,"

Placing the take out bag on your desk you took a look inside. "How was the mission?" he'd been gone the past few days helping a friend of his with some evil psycho. You always worried about him when he went to face people like that but you knew the other heros would look out for him. Plus he promised he wouldn't be dying again anytime soon and he always kept his promises to you.

"Ugh boring," he sat at your desk chair and leaned his head back dramatically. "I was just a distraction because I had the loudest guns." He twisted side to side while you put the take out on the desk.

"Well that's what you get for throwing your silencers at Penguin," you laughed. When he first told you about his double life you didn't believe him but the more you thought about it the more it made sense. Late nights, mystery scars, not to mention the literal Red Hood suit.

"That was one time!" He defended kicking you lightly with fake offense in his voice.

You laughed and kicked him back before returning your attention to the bag. "The fact that it happened at all is still absolutely hilarious," You handed him his container and a plastic fork.

That's when you were reminded of your sickness. You sneezed 3 times in a row and Jason handed you a tissue. "You're such a disaster," he laughed at the expression you made inbetween sneezes.

"It's not funny! I've been sneezing non stop for 3 days! It's so annoying," you complained, opening the food and plopping on your bed. "Seriously, you'd think i'd have gotten better by now but no."

He laughed again and sat next to you. Wrapping his arms around your waist from behind he pulled you into him so your back was resting on his chest and his back was resting on your wall. "I'm surprised all your complaining hasn't fixed it yet." He set his food on the bedside table so he could eat and hold you at the same time.

You gasped and smacked his leg. "Asshole. I'm allowed to complain if i want to and you're the lucky bastard that gets to listen!"

"Oh yeah, so lucky," he joked, clearly trying to get a rise out of you and clearly succeeding.

After eating some and talking for a little while you put the half empty container on your table next to his much less full container. You leaned back into him and adjusted the blanket so it covered your legs. The steady rising and falling of his chest was calming. He was there, with you in that moment and you felt so strangely complete.

The two of you sat in silence for a few blissful minutes and somehow ended up laying down. You had reached your hand up to rest on his neck and you twirled a strand of his hair between your fingers.

"Your hair is really soft," You hummed, your eyes closed and you body relaxed. He hummed back and began tracing random shapes on your arm.

That was the first nap either of you had taken in a very long time. It was also the best nap either of you had taken in a very very long time.

[hopeless-deerie-fanfics]

Obey me videogame headcanons:

Belphie

A minecraft hoe, this bish is up at 4am in the mine with full diamond gear and you kno it

hitman, his favourite item is the homing briefcase, has definitely killed everyone in Sapienza before

resident evil, outlast, and indie Horror Games esp pixel horror Games, really cos these games keep him awake, if he's scared he can actually pay attention without falling asleep.

Asmo

Girls Go games, dress up and makeup games, he likes trying to make them super pretty and judges poor makeup looks, is a well known reviewer of these games and his criticism genuinely improves gameplay so he is valued in the community by Devs, often gets early access because of this

Character creators (always trying to create a copy of himself but never satisfied)

secondlife, club penguin, He's a social guy so anything that lets him network is a bonus, plus customisation options are his jam

mystery games solely for the drama, he lives for it, murder mystery especially

Lara croft,

Animal crossing (he has a perfect town but throws a fit if an ugly villager moves in), a master at landscaping and island design.

Mammon

cookie clicker games, his DDD is full of them and casino games,

untitled goose game, he gets to cause mischief and he thinks the goose is adorable but he'll never tell you that,

guitar hero and he's REALLY good at it, also great at beatsaber, second only to Levi. Rhythm games he really likes, and DDR

Pokémon (he gotta catch em all but doesn't really get all the move types so he isn't all that great in battle, boio loves the game tho),

I'm sorry but fortnite. He likes fortnight.

Levi

dating sims are his strong suit, he knows how to get every ending including the secret ones

dance dance Revolution, BOI is unbeatable,

kingdom hearts, final fantasy, he loves anything where he can ge tinvested with the plot/lore so he'll also go for story heavy games

castlevania, cuphead, bendy and the ink machine, a bit of everything really,

overwatch, destiny, world of warcraft

COD too, and I see him really liking doom for some reason?

Satan

Mario kart, I dare you to challenge him he will waste your ass. He mains Rosalina and takes no shit

stardew valley, stress release but hates fishing in game so he never does it

skyrim (boi just loves the khajit they are all he plays), any cat themed game, he got Nintendogs and cats solely for the cats

harvest moon, professor Layton games

Also he is a ride or die Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning fan.

Beel

overcooked, papas pizzeria, cooking mama, breath of the wild (likes making the recipes),

Kirby (he relates),

Undertale (he loves the music but he didn't know you could pacifist run at first and feels really bad),

Lego versions of games eg Lego Star wars, lego Harry Potter, his favourite is Lego lotr tho.

I also see him liking harvest moon games,

He plays night in the woods and weeps

Lucifer

the Sims (meticulous gameplay and to make them suffer on occasion. Definitely has a diavolo sim who is his in game double's bitch),

fable games (he likes going full evil and having his pet dog reflect that),

shadow of the colossus, a tale of two brothers (these two make him cry like full on WEEP but devildom forbid anyone dares catch him),

taiko no tatsujin, rhythm games (he has to get a perfect score, diavolo bans him from playing them cos he gets one and can't stop, full on addicted. Worse than mammon with gambling games.)

Surprisingly enough animal crossing, stress relief and achievable goals, when work stresses him out he goes fishing in game. He has fully completed his museum. He prefers the GameCube version tho cos he likes it when the villagers are kind of mean, he will put pitfalls outside of the houses of the ones he doesn't like

Lemme kno of you want me to do the undateables too!!😁

[liquid-luck-00]

Finding Home 3

Part 3

@maribatmarch-2k21 Day 15: New Start

Ao3 *** Part 1 *** Part 2 *** Here *** Part 4 *** Finale

~~~~~~~~~~

Jason loved his new family. Marinette pushed him and also knew where his limits were. This was a fresh start for him, yet though Marinette's intervention, he wanted to know how Bruce and Dick were.

"Hey M?" the started.

"What is it Jay?" she answered from the table.

"I was thinking..."

"You want to go back to Gotham."

"How did you?"

"Jay of the four years I have known you, you have always spoken of Gotham as home, like you do of Paris." she stood in front of him. "Go my little hóng hú. Maybe Mao and I will follow."

"But Gotham is."

"No better than Paris. Besides home isn't a place."

"So, I can go."

"Of course, let's find you an apartment." she smiled. "Oh, just two things," he groaned. "one you keep modeling when you can."

"Do-able."

"Two, stake out a place for a boutique."

"That can be done."

---

Two months later he was fully moved in. He waited three months to go out as Red Hood. Trixx adored the mischief they got into as Hood. (Mari made him a replica of his suit, but he still transformed with Trixx more often than not. He wore the replica under.)

Within a month his territory rivaled that of some of the older rogues. In fact, since he protected and cared for street kids, he and Penguin formed a pact, to keep out of each other’s way.

A month later he noticed a new bird lurking around his operations base. The third time he decided to finally meet him. "Hey there little bird," he spoke calmly, leaning against the wall.

"What the!" The new Robin

"Relax. I'm not here to hurt you Robin." he held his hands up in surrender.

Before he could say anything else, Robin groaned at what he heard on his comm, he assumed and guessed what had been said.

"Come on let's get you something to eat, then back to the bat."

"What's your motive?"

"Do I need one?"

"This is Gotham, of course you have one."

"Exactly this is Gotham, the most crime ridden city on the planet. I came to do a bit of good."

"Gotham's no place for heroes."

"Good thing I'm not a hero," Robin tensed. "I'm a vigilante. Now what do you want, my treat." Jason grabbed a backpack he brought with him in case this happened. "Hey when was the last time the Bat was surprised?"

"Why?" He smirked, but Robin, didn't know that. "You're going to get me killed."

"Nah, Bats has his whole no killing rule, so where to little bird?"

The two got burgers and milkshakes, Jason used that time to de transform and stayed in his second suit, Trixx hidden in his jacket nibbling on a cookie. He placed the food in the backpack and put it on Robin.

"What are you?" Robin began to protest.

"Like I said we are going to surprise a bat."

A short while later they rode into the Bat-cave and to say that Bats was amused would be a stretch.

"Who are you?" Batman demanded.

Instead of answering he turned to Robin. "Go and eat, just share the cookies with Alfred and give him the thermos. Okay Timmothy." He had figured the new Robin was Bruce's new ward, it didn’t take a genius to figure it out, after all he should know better than most. Everyone was frozen from his words, so he decided to bite the bullet and removed his mask. "It's been a while hasn't it Bruce?"

"Jason?" Bruce answered. "How are you alive?"

"It's a long story B." They talked and at some point, gravitated towards Tim and Alfred. Tim ended up constantly dozing off on Jason, after he had finished and was listening to them.

"Master Jason where did you get these recipes?" Alfred asked about the cookies and the tea.

"Those are M's recipes." He smiled, "I'll ask if she'll part with them."

"Who is M?" Bruce asked.

"I may have been adopted again." Bruce was going to say something, but Tim shifted against him again. "Come on little bird it's a school night and you need at least a few hours of sleep." he scooped up the younger boy. "Alfred where's his room?" Alfred gave him the directions and went to deposit his newly found brother.

"So, who is M, Jason." Bruce asked him again when he returned, not in the living room.

"M is the person who adopted me in Paris and is practically my mom. She took us in after fleeing the League."

"How do you know she is safe?"

Pfft. "She is the safest person in the world where the league is involved. I would say she is just as good a person to be with as you so don’t worry."

"When you say us…"

"I may have picked up or as you might as well call it stole a little brother from the league’s clutches."

"So, I have another one to adopt."

"You’ll have to fight M and him for that, and you’ll lose to M on your own B."

Bruce chuckled at that and then the three fell into somewhat easy conversation the rest of the night.

---

The four of them settled into an easy rhythm for patrols and Jason's resurrection to Gotham's society. Apparently, the reason Marinette got Jason's documents in order quickly was because Bruce never declared him dead but missing. Thank kwamii for that.

But suffice to say he was glad to be back. He found a store for M to set up 'Miraculous Red' and was able to oversee it for her. They said they'd be moving after the new year, so he just had to wait and see.

In less than a week Dick had found out and all but tackled him to the ground. He had a newly acquired respect for Dick dealing with his younger self thanks to watching both Damian and now Tim. But this is the family he chose to be with. He just wishes the other half was here with him too. He just had to wait a few months and they would be.

Next

~~~~~~~~~~ Permanent Taglist: @itsmeevie01 @adrestar @miraculouspenta @vixen-uchiha @animegirlweeb @jumpingjoy82 @thedragonbug

Taglist: @lady-bee-fechin @stackofrandomstuff @toodaloo-kangaroo @meismu @jjmjjktth @mizzy-pop @galla02006 @blackmagicforever @novaloptr @blackroserelina @sekhmet5 @rosalineandrosemary

[asilentguardian]

My Thoughts on Gotham

My mom and I finished watching Gotham on December 29th, and this analysis has been sitting in google docs since then. Some of this is a bit incoherent, some of it I wrote as I was watching, and some of it I wrote after finishing the entire show. So here it is. 2,000 words or so of rambling about Gotham. 

My thoughts on the show as a whole: Gotham changed my opinion on a lot of Batman’s villains. I used to be indifferent towards Penguin, now I love him. I used to hate Firefly, now I love her. While there were one or two decisions that I disagreed with, the portrayal of these characters was satisfying and the tone of the show as a whole was refreshing. The writing was good for the most part, however there are issues with sexism and homophobia that I personally noticed.

And now I’m going season by season cause I’m a nerd.

Season One

Season one is a bit of a mixed bag for me. It seemed to me that the show writers and the younger actors were still trying to find their footing and decide what kind of world their Gotham was. Some episodes are slow, but overall it’s intriguing and I was invested after a couple of episodes.

The pilot has a lot of moving parts and it still works. They did a good job of intertwining all of these characters before starting them all on their own paths.

I can’t imagine anyone else playing these roles. I am really happy with the casting choices for this show. Jim Gordon, Harvey Bullock, and Bruce Wayne especially.

Fish Mooney is an interesting but welcome edition! To be honest, the first time my mom and I tried to watch Gotham, we hated her. The second time around, however, I LOVED her and her role in the rise of Penguin.

Having Edward Nygma start at the GCPD was a really cool idea! I think they executed his descent into madness perfectly. I wanted Ed to prevail and to be a goodman just as much as I wanted to see the Riddler emerge.

Speaking of the GCPD, the corruption and the conflict within the precinct is very believable and compelling. It’s easy to believe that Jim Gordon is a young and optimistic detective who believes wholeheartedly in doing good. I also appreciate the fact that Jim Gordon doesn’t lose that drive for good throughout the show. I also don’t find it too cheesy, even if it’s a common trope.

The Batman universe is huge so I was expecting references and easter eggs at every turn, and I was half right. There's plenty of references and cameos but they work and they aren’t essential to the plot which helps casual fans keep up with the story.

A lot of seeds are planted during this first season, and it’s rewarding to see them pay off. I don’t feel as if the first season suffers from the thing that a lot of movies do where they are clearly trailers for the next part in the franchise. 

I think my favorite episode of this season is episode 20 “Under the Knife.” The stakes are high and the story line with the Ogre is definitely unexpected and horrifying but in the best way. Also Ed kills Dougherty and it’s very satisfying.

Season Two

Rise/Wrath of the Villains!

Theo Galavan and Hugo Strange were the big bads of this season and I think they were written and acted very well.

Something I’ve noticed about some of the villains on this show and their interactions with children and Bruce in particular is that they’re... unsettling. I suppose that’s intentional and I definitely think it makes some of the villains more intimidating, but it’s really creepy. There are a lot of adults that are preying on Bruce’s innocence in this show. 

Theo Galavan was not my favorite. He was intimidating for a bit, but I kinda grew bored of him. I did enjoy the nod to Azrael. 

Hugo Strange! I was kinda indifferent to him when playing Arkham City but I enjoy him in this show! Loved when he showed up again in subsequent seasons and you immediately knew some Fucked Shit was happening.

So Mr. Freeze. I’m not too sure how I feel about Gotham’s take on this story. The casting is solid, but killing Nora? Not the move. Actually very angry about that to be honest. The Mr. Freeze episode could’ve been so much more compelling and emotional but instead it was a way to move Lee and Jim’s relationship forward :(

They managed to make Firefly not annoying, but I only found Firefly annoying before because of that stupid boss fight in Arkham Origins. But I liked Bridget.

Penguin and Nygma’s relationship is very fun in this season! More on them later, but at least in season two it’s very enjoyable to watch them learn to trust each other. My mom and I adored their story line.

I LOVE Nygma’s character arc in this season. His interactions with Gordon are some of my favorite bits from this season. They are very rewatchable and I find their relationship to be one of the more intriguing ones in the show.

Overall season 2 was decent. Some of the villains were forgettable, but the relationship arcs and character arcs that were compelling kept me interested.

Episode 15, Mad Grey Dawn, was one of my favorites this season. Seeing the Nygma v Gordon thing play out was so so so fun. I really loved being able to follow Nygma’s logic and feel Gordon’s frustration at being framed.

Season Three

Mad City/Heroes Rise!

There’s A LOT I have to say about season 3. I liked it. There’s a couple of big issues I have with season 3, but overall it was compelling and I enjoyed it.

While I’m not usually one for the “this character has a darkness inside of them” trope, I really didn’t mind it with Gordon. I thought it was believable and interesting enough to be engaging. bounty hunter Gordon was pretty fun, too. And hot. Anyway.

The Mad Hatter v Jim Gordon stuff is intense. Episode 6 where Gordon is forced to choose between Valerie and Lee is where the “dark side” trope lost me a little but I do like that they make a point to have Gordon always make his way back to the light. Valerie’s exit felt very rushed and sudden? I don’t know if the actress was written off for some reason, but it felt very weird.

So. Penguin and Nygma. I don’t know if I would necessarily call it queer-baiting, but it definitely doesn’t sit right with me. Here’s the thing about Gotham’s queer representation: it’s not good, but it’s not bad. There is 100% an issue with making all of your queer characters villains. And there’s a HUGE issue with having Barbara’s attraction to women only be present when she’s a) acting as an antagonist to Gordon’s work at the GCPD (Montoya in season one) or b) on the side of the antagonist and framed as crazy (Tabitha in season two). Also, notice how in season five she’s “sane” when she’s with Gordon. It’s homophobia luv.

However, in the case of Penguin and Nygma, the added layer of Penguin’s love for Nygma makes their arc a little more interesting and compelling (there’s still an issue with queer love being framed as toxic and obsessive in this show, but if I don’t stop talking about that this post will be miles long).

The Ivy thing is certainly a new plot device, but I don’t hate it. Took a bit to get used to, but older Ivy makes sense and to be honest, I wasn’t a huge fan of child Ivy. Not that her character was bad, but I personally found her a tad annoying.

SEASON 3 EPISODE 14. THE GENTLE ART OF MAKING ENEMIES. I HAVE A LOT TO SAY ABOUT THIS. Bruce’s character development in this episode made me extremely happy. I haven’t talked a lot about Jerome-Joker yet, but I really like him. Joker is one of those characters you can take a lot of liberties with and it can either really work or really suck (looking at you Jared Leto). Gotham’s version of Joker, while a bit rushed, is a good fucking Joker.

The reason why I like s3e14 so much is THIS is what the Joker vs Batman relationship is about. This is why they are perfect foils. Batman always has a reason, a method. Motivation and a cause. He believes in Gotham and he believes that EVERYONE has the capacity for good. Joker does things just for the hell of it (i.e. kidnapping Bruce). His point is anarchy and chaos. His point is that everyone has darkness and that they are “one bad day” away from giving into that darkness (subtle nods to The Killing Joke, very nice). This is illustrated SO beautifully in this episode. However, I do see an issue down the line of Joker knowing who Batman is instantly, but I digress.

The birth of Riddler! The development of Penguin and Riddler’s animosity! mwah!

Also. Bruce standing above Gotham in an early version of the suit. There’s no ears or cape but my mom and I were VERY excited. I felt so giddy.

Bruce’s vow not to kill was beautifully framed, props to the DP on that one. It felt nice to hear a live action version of Bruce Wayne say that. (Note from the future: yes he breaks it. Sorta. I’m mad about it, but I explain my feelings in depth later).

Season Four

A Dark Knight!

Alright. Season 4. To be honest, it took me a while to warm up to this one.

Scarecrow. Love his costume. Love his escape. Scarecrow is one of my favorites because he’s creepy and cool and terrifying. Well done. The episode where Jim goes after him is really brutal. He goes there alone, not even Harvey by his side, and he is forced to stare his biggest fear in the face. I loved it!

The Pax Penguina. I’m easily won over by references to old literature and history. This show has made me actually like Penguin. I used to find him annoying and didn’t understand why he was people’s favorite, but this show has proved him to be a competent and cunning villain. I love to hate him. It’s fun seeing him at the top of Gotham.

Riddler’s escape and Nygma’s return. His friendship with Lee and Grundy (Grundy!!). Ed and Lee was certainly an interesting choice. I didn’t hate it, it just seemed really odd. I enjoyed Lee’s rise to power though! 

Sofia Falcone. Not really a fan tbh. Didn’t trust her from the start and it was SO satisfying to see her get shot in the head. Talk about a ruthless mastermind. To be fair, I did love to hate her in the beginning, but then she kinda got on my nerves? The actress that played her was really good though!

Captain James Gordon. Yessir. What a legend. One step closer to Commissioner. But also ouchie he had to go behind Harvey’s back. That subplot hurt so good.

Professor Pyg is. A lot. Gotham is a mature show, but it’s hard to like Pyg even as a villain. He’s unsettling and his episodes are a bit too much. I tolerated him but it just got to be gratuitous. I will say that I am relieved that they weren’t heavy handed on the cross-dressing thing. Would prefer not to see that played for a joke anymore, and this show does not need to vilify queerness more than it has.

Jerome and Jeremiah! ahhhhh!!! What wonderful interpretations of the Joker! Jerome was great, but I think I’m partial to Jeremiah. Maybe because his costume looks so much like the Joker from the animated series and Mark Hamill will always be my Joker. Either way, I LOVED their story line in season 4.

Kinda love Barbara being involved in the League. Very sexy of her. Also very sexy of her to not be dead. 

Alright. Here we go. Ra’s Al Ghul and Bruce Wayne. I have mixed feelings about this. So Bruce kills. Technically he’s not Batman yet, and obviously Ra’s didn’t stay dead, but he already took the oath. I have a hard time staying with any adaptation that makes their Batman a killer, but this one wasn’t awful? And then technically Barbara uses Bruce’s hands to kill Ra’s in the finale. I’m upset that they went with a “what if Batman kills” story line in the first place, but the resolution wasn’t too terrible.

Those last three episodes of season 4. Wow. My mom and I couldn’t stop watching. The nods to The Killing Joke were cool but not too on the nose. The stakes felt high and I was so deeply invested because this story line in particular was very well crafted and planned out and it definitely shows. There’s so many loose ends at this finale, and somehow it works and you still have hope. But holy shit, those bridges coming down, the utter panic and confusion as you’re wondering “is X person okay? what happened to X?” wonderful, chefs kiss.

Season Five

Legend of the Dark Knight!

Oh gosh. I have so much I want to say, but I don’t know how to put it into words. I loved this season. I loved the post apocalyptic vibes of Gotham. Loved the rise of the villains into the people who will one day face Batman. Loved Gordon’s leadership and rise to Commissioner. There’s a few things I have issues with this season, but I’m just so in love with that finale. What a beautiful send off.

I loved how the finale was crafted, how we didn’t see the full Batman suit till the end. I did, in fact, cry when that thing was revealed. The score was beautiful. It felt so much like an episode of The Animated Series, yet so unlike any other piece of Batman media. It was so refreshing to have everything wrapped up nicely, so refreshing to have hope and satisfaction in a finale.

Overall, this version of Gotham City feels like a living, breathing thing that is lived in and flawed. It is wonderful. The set designers did wonderfully and it feels so timeless in the way that the Animated Series did as well. I think that’s part of the reason why I loved this show so much. It made me feel the same way that the Animated Series did.

I know I’ve missed a lot of details and plot lines, so if for some reason you are interested in my thoughts on a particular thing in this show, my inbox is open!!

[starry-bi-sky]

Behind the Mask: Gotham Ed, Gotham Fashion: Disaster

Inspired by one of the channels on the maribat discord, @stories-by-kat @maribat-archive

(You can find this on ao3 under ‘imshookandbi’)

Everyone in Gotham held their breath expectantly as the newest episode of ‘Behind the Mask: Gotham Ed’ began playing on their tv screens. Tonight was another Wayne Special, and nobody wanted to miss it.

When the first Wayne Special aired it was met with surprise from every busybody in Gotham, they didn’t think Bruce Wayne would ever agree to such a thing, considering he was big on his privacy, and they were expecting something boring.

How they were wrong.

The episode started like any other, the camera crew standing outside of the house of the chosen celebrity, getting a clear shot of the large estate, before moving to the door and knocking.

[[MORE]]

A few seconds later it was opened by Alfred Pennyworth, the Wayne butler, and the camera crew was invited inside. Bruce Wayne stood nearby with a blank expression, before motioning to the foyer and beginning the tour.

His voice, while pleasant and charming, droned on as he explained the history of the house. People were just about to click off it with a quiet sigh of expected disappointment, when there was a loud crashing sound and Jason Todd, Bruce’s second oldest, came sliding down the foyer stair banister and almost straight into Alfred, who merely stepped out of the way at the last second.

The camera jerked towards the dark haired boy in surprise, who was face planted into the floor and groaning painfully. The camera turned back to Bruce, as if asking a silent question, when the man in question adopted a pained expression and pinched the bridge of his nose, before sighing.

It was silent as the Patriarch of the house muttered quietly, in a long-suffering tone, “We were supposed to act normal.”

After that it was all chaos, and Gotham saw first hand how crazy it truly was in the Wayne Family.

The people of Gotham demanded for a second episode.

The people of Gotham got a second episode.

The people of Gotham got many more episodes even after, much to their unrestricted glee.

The people of Gotham thought it couldn’t get any better, then enter stage left; Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Damian ‘I am a glacier personified’ Wayne’s sweetheart.

She wasn’t showcased until four Wayne Specials later, but even before then she was heavily mentioned. However, it was under the pseudonym (that wasn’t really much of a pseudonym, more so a loving nickname the youngest Wayne gave her) ‘angel’.

And an angel she was, nobody expected her to be French, nor so small. She first appeared when the camera crew was in the middle of filming, a tray of macarons in hand and an easy-going smile on her freckled face. She didn’t even notice the camera yet, instead she walked over to Damian, pecked his cheek, before swinging the tray over to him and saying with a heavy French accent; “Macaron, Dames?”

Damian looked positively gleeful before nodding and taking one. That was when Marinette noticed the camera crew, she looked surprised, but quickly recovered before walking over and, while looking straight into the camera with glowing bluebell eyes, said; “Do you want one too, monsieurs?”

It startled all but Damian, who was still munching on the little treat.

Gotham adored her, and loved having her in episodes. She wasn’t in all of them, mind you, for she was still French and thus lived in France, but that just made her appearances extra special. Everyone did wonder though how she gets over so quickly, considering the far distance.

That isn’t the focus, though. As the newest episode faded in, the title did as well. Gotham Fashion: Disaster, a curious name, but promising for it held the chance of having Marinette in it.

And having Marinette in it, it did. The first thing that appeared after the title card was the small French-Asian girl, however, what was new was the fact that she wasn’t smiling. A concerning and uncommon thing with the young teen.

She was enraptured with something on her laptop, her face was stoic and deadpan, but while her expression was void her eyes were full of life. One could think her eyes were made of blue fire, full of disbelief and anger and thinly-veiled disgust. The corner of her eye twitched ever so slightly, so small a blink could miss it.

The camera crew got closer.

Marinette didn’t even seem to acknowledge their approach, and as they drew in the glare on her laptop died away to reveal a full body image of the Joker in all his crazed glory. There was destruction and carnage at his feet, rubble and destroyed street was strewn around him like an edgy teen’s family photo.

Marinette was glaring at the man, more specifically his outfit, which consisted of mainly green and white and purple.

The teen seemed to notice the camera at that moment, wordlessly she looked up from her laptop, ever so deadpan, and much like her first appearance, looked straight into the camera.

There was no smile though, no polite kindness, nor a tray of macarons in her hand. Tonelessly, yet still full of so much conviction, she stated; “The Joker is a punk bitch. If I ever so much as see him I’m going to slap him with a mallet for the sole reason of looking like an eggplant dipped in green paint and powdered sugar.”

Then, she added, “How dare he make me look at him dressed like that.”

Her incredibly offended voice would’ve been humorous, if it weren’t for the fact that she just swore for the first time on camera. The camera jerked in surprise, and the room was silent for all but three seconds, before one of the men behind the camera said, very quietly, “Pardon?”

That seemed to be the opening to a pair of floodgates that happened to be so full the dam wall was cracking. Marinette twitched, before blurting out; “His outfit! It’s an absolute disaster! An insult to fashion! He’s a walking bruise that someone attempted to cover using a concealer that wasn’t even their correct skin tone! He walks around like that and expects me to be scared of him?”

An inhale of breath could be heard offscreen, apparently from one of the crew about to speak, but the young French-Asian woman continued on.

“Don’t get me started on Puzzler and the Riddler, I know green is a lovely color, it really is, but if you’re gonna walk around like a neon traffic sign then I’m sorry but you’re gonna get slapped. By me. With a ruler.” She began, a scowl planted itself onto her face as she crossed her arms, an unusually out of place expression on her features. “If they want, I will personally make them a new suit, I can make it green if they so desire, but under no circumstances is it going to be that shade of green.”

An opportunity must’ve been smelt, for a second later one of the camera crew members piped up; “What about the rest of the villains? And what about the heroes?”

Marinette twitched again, before bursting out into a outfit-style rant that only an experienced designer could manage. For nearly two hours straight Marinette called out each and every single villain and hero who resided inside and out of Gotham for their poor fashion skills and terrible color coordination. If they had some involvement with Gotham, they were free game.

Two-Face, the Penguin, Scarecrow, Mr. Freeze, Red Hood, Superman, Nightwing, Red Robin, the Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Robin, no one was safe from her ire. She ripped into each and every villain and hero she could think of, each outfit was torn to shreds and rebuilt into something new. It was the hottest verbal fire the people in Gotham have ever witnessed.

“Then there’s Batman,” Marinette hissed dangerously as she neared the end of her rampage, her eyes narrowed in both terrible judgement (for Batman) and self-righteous, fashion fueled anger. “I’m going to have a talk with him about the first Robin’s hero costume.”

“Bright yellow. Stop sign red. And clover green. The first Robin’s outfit consisted of those three colors, two primary and one secondary. Robin was a walking traffic light, he wore elf shoes and didn’t even wear pants. I’m—” She cut herself off, taking a deep breath to seemingly calm herself, before continuing.

“I get that Robin was a child at the time, and he probably needed some way to keep an eye on him, but there are different ways to track a child and being a glowstick is not one of them.” She said, “Apparently, black is the only color he seems to know that doesn’t end in neon. Apparently I will need to teach him on this thing called the color spectrum, and that he needs to use it.” Her voice was full of annoyance and disgusted designer judgement.

“And the cape.” She said slowly, enunciating each word perfectly and clearly, such a small sentence shouldn’t sound so much like a threat, but it did. “Oh, the cape. Let me tell you something—” Off she went again, the young noiret rattled on every single disadvantage a cape had.

By the end of her rant everyone in Gotham felt significantly burned, even if the focus of her ire wasn’t pointed at them. The civilians of Gotham felt both embarrassed of and for their heroes and villains— well, maybe not so for their villains too much, but still slightly. At the most they pitied them. (Except for the Joker.)

The day the episode, ‘Behind the Mask: Gotham Ed, Gotham Fashion: Disaster’ aired was the day that one Marinette Dupain-Cheng’s inbox was flooded with commissions from heroes and villains alike.

The day the episode, ‘Behind the Mask: Gotham Ed, Gotham Fashion: Disaster’ aired villain activity decreased exponentially for a month as villains of all kinds scrambled to fix their suits and outfits.

The day the episode, ‘Behind the Mask: Gotham Ed, Gotham Fashion: Disaster’ aired was the day the phrase, ‘dress to impress Mlle. Marinette Dupain-Cheng’ was coined.

The episode, ‘Behind the Mask: Gotham Ed, Gotham Fashion: Disaster’ became a new Gotham Favorite, and Marinette’s popularity inside the crime-ridden city boosted significantly.

[musicfeedsmysoul12]

You Should See Me in A Crown Chapter 3

Summary:   The team goes to Gotham, looking for a new place to play in. They find one, they also find a bat, a few birds and maybe a new friend for them to play with.

Warnings: Dark AU, this chapter has sex references.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

The team had once already taken over a city’s underground. All it took was finding the right places and pushing. Money, blackmail, leaving someone alive… it was all so simple. 

 Gotham was different they were discovering- only in that people like Black Mask or Penguin had their hands in things.  Both were different from the criminals they had dealt with before, or even Akumas. However, they did what they did best.

 They divided and researched and conquered.

 “Penguin is black market- not our scene,” Alya said as she left the illusion of Stacy Jones, cocktail waitress at the Iceberg lounge drift away to leave her in her normal attire. “He doesn’t like drugs- he threw out a girl using them- and he prefers making his own guns.”

 “So, we offer an alliance when we’re big enough,” Marinette said as she put aside the book she was designing her dress for the gala in. “Black Mask?”

 “A freak.” Alya sniffed. “I mean- good for him, he’s done good work but ugh.”

 “Gotta respect what that man’s done but he’s a freak,” Nino said.

 “Aren’t we?” Marinette asked playfully. They snorted.

 “Got us there. Honestly- he’ll take some time to get rid of. Or fold into our empire- either one you want.” Nino shrugged. “I say kill him- he’ll never fully be folded in.”

 “Agreed.” Alya nodded. Marinette hummed.

 “Any word on the Batman?” she asked. Both shook their heads.

 “No- he’s probably already aware we’re in town but nothing yet.” Alya said. “We’re not that subtle. Or well, Chloe isn’t.”

 “Babe, we like her like this.”

 “I’m just saying,” teased Alya.

 “The magic will hide us. Even if he sees us face to face he’ll never know who we are.” Marinette said. “I just want to make sure we’re ready for him.”

 “Is anyone ready for a furry fighting them?” Nino asked.

 “Babe we’re all kind of furries,” Alya told him. He opened his mouth but then shut it.

 “Fair point.”

-0-

“The Miraculous Team?” Bruce asked Dick as the younger vigilante pulled up some videos Barbara had gathered.

 “Yeah,” Dick said, feeling pained. The events in Paris when he’d been a teenager had been brushed off as a hoax until Hawkmoth was arrested and the entire world learned oh no it wasn’t. Wonder Woman had been furious. Even more so when she learned that somehow the entire team of heroes had gone dark and then come back ruling the criminal underbelly of Paris.

 Apparently, it was rare but sometimes… sometimes Kwami and their holders could become corrupted. Wasn’t to far to assume Hawkmoth had done one finale push against them. 

 Kids his own age… forced into whatever had happened to them.

 “Carapace or Turtle as he calls himself now has been sighted around the docks along with Rena Rouge or Fox as she calls herself.” Pictures of the former heroes appeared on the screen. Both were darker versions of their hero costumes before, more black and jagged edges in their costumes. Both had completely black eyes behind their masks. “I think they’re going after the drug trade. Doing what they did in Paris- limiting it to adults and keeping it away from kids.”

 “Part of their hero selves pushing through.” Bruce nodded. “Maybe we can bring them back.”

 “... You’re being oddly helpful about all this.” Dick said.

 “They’re kids. Might be a bit older but they were kids when this happened. Kids need help.” Bruce told Dick who nodded his understanding. They needed help, and they would help them. “Agreste- could he be helping them?”

 “Possibly. If I remember right Wonder Woman managed to speak with them a few times before they went dark,” Dick firmly did not snort at the double meaning to his words. This was serious. “They said that Hawkmoth had planned to use his son in some ritual didn’t they?”

 “A sense of thankfulness then.” Brice frowned. “I dislike the magic prevents any ability to tell who they are- it would be easier to do if we could tell.”

“I think my brain is trying to make connections but like something grabs it and makes it change its mind,” Dick said, making a face. 

 “Diana said that the magic is unbreakable.” Bruce frowned. “No one can break it not even other Miraculous Holders.” 

 “So we have nothing.”

 “Not truly. Agreste and his girlfriend are coming to the Gala this week.” Bruce told Dick who slowly nodded.

 “Bugs?”

 “Bugs.”

-0-

 Marinette hummed, studying her dress for the gala. It was a classic off the shoulder dress, black lace covering a portion of it. Her lips were classic movie star red and her hair was up, silver earrings hanging from her ears.

 “Damn,” Chloé said as she wandered into the room. “You look delicious.”

 “I try.” She smiled and studied her face a bit more. “Should I do smoky eyeshadow?”

 “I think just a dab? You’re going for innocent child look- smoky might make you look more animalistic.” Chloé said thoughtfully.

 “Point. Adrien managed to weasel his way out of his classic tux with that idea. He’s wearing something a bit more relaxed.” Marinette sighed. “It makes sense though. He’s acting more cat-like lately. I think we’ll have to have a public issue tonight so he can retire from the public for a little while.”

 “I believe Lex Luthor is attending- get him to do something,” Chloé suggested.

 “... you’re still salty about his comment about your dress aren’t you?”

 “Hush,” Chloé said with a sniff. Marinette laughed at her friend before leaving the room to the living room of her floor, finding Adrien only wearing his dress pants and hissing at the fact Luka was trying to get his shirt on.

 “Adrien we need to go soon!” Marinette said, giving him a look. That made him sigh and relent enough to wear the shirt. Luka and Kagami were invited to and were dressed in their suits. Kagami wearing a long coat that had ruffles at the bottom to act as a sort of dress even with her slacks. 

 “I’m the driver tonight,” Kim said as he walked in, dressed in slacks and a sweater that made everyone snicker. “Horse is busy with some issue?”

 “Some guy keeps trying to take over.” Alya agreed. 

 “Yeah. No positive ID- we’re working on that.” Nino said. 

 “Some of the peons have turned traitor. I’m having fun with them later,” Chloé grinned, showing all her teeth. Alya and Nino flashed her adoring smiles. 

 “Have Horse keep us in the loop. Use the Kwami to contact us,” Marinette ordered. She checked her make-up one more time and then it was time to go. They ran over their covers a few times while walking. 

 Adrien the nervous and shy boy after what happened with his father. Marinette his strong girlfriend also a bit nervous. Kagami would act as their bodyguard of sorts, portraying a strong friend trying to protect them. Luka the peacemaker. 

 They did similar things before. It would be hard to play everyone like a bunch of fiddles now.

 Driving to the gala, they all relaxed and chatted after the confirming of the gala. Both Kagami and Luka wanted to find company for the night- though agreed to only do so if Adrien could stay long enough. 

 “Maybe Dick Grayson?” Mused Luka. “He’s got a fine ass.”

 “Bet I can get him first.” Kagami grinned and Luka grinned back. Marinette and Adrien grinned themselves before sighing. 

 “Damn it- it wouldn’t fit our cover.”

 “Poor both of you,” Kagami said in amusement. They made faces at her and the car laughed as they pulled up to the fancy hotel the gala was being held in. Putting their masks on, they left the car with them in place.

 Showtime.

-0-

 “I hate this place.” Muttered Marinette to Adrien who was pretending to be somewhat cowering behind her. Or well not pretending. His cat side was close to the front and it was hard for him to act human enough to pass muster. 

 “Same. Can we please be done with this soon?” Adrien asked Marinette in a low voice, a soft growl to it that made her frown.

 He was really close.

 “Tikki, try and get Luthor to say something?” She said to the Kwami. A bit of creation magic to mess with his head would work. She felt a nudge from the shawl she had wrapped around her shoulders, where Tikki was hiding. She smirked as it vanished and smiled wildly when Brucie Wayne walked up.

 “Adrien! Marinette! How are you enjoying the party?” He grinned and acted like he was drinking but Marinette noticed it really didn’t move- the level in it that was.

“It’s fine. A lot more people then we’re used to but our friends are keeping the worst away.” Marinette smiled at Bruce while Adrien gave a short nod.

 “Oh yeah- Dick and Timmy are talking to them…” Brucie pointed out the group chatting and Marinette wanted to hold back her laugh. Dick was looking a bit unsettled given he was under the gaze of Kagami and Luka who tended to really double down when they wanted someone. Tim looked like he was trying really hard not to laugh, drinking some soda. “It seems they may be…”

 “Flustering your son? They do that.” Marinette giggled before she frowned. “... hopefully, they told him about their bet though I know they probably did.”

 “Bet?”

 “Oh, they bet on who could convince him to join them for the night. They tend to tell their targets this- if the target gets angry they back off. If they don’t mind they keep going,” Adrien explained. “They don’t like not letting people know about the bets- they say it’s to… gross not to.”

 “I’m surprised the son of Hawkmoth would think so.” A slimy voice said from behind and Adrien flinched while Marinette bristled. Lex Luthor was watching them with hard eyes, that to an unknowing observer wouldn’t have a slight shine to them. “I mean didn’t your father lie and use people all the time?” Adrien flinched again and Marinette bared her teeth.

 “And haven’t you been almost convicted of super-villainy a dozen times? Money talks I suppose- at least Paris was smart enough not to let it talk when it came to Gabriel.” Snarled Marinette at the man. He blinked and the shine was slowly vanishing. 

 They’d just needed to prompt him to speak.

 “Adrien?” Marinette offered a hand and he took it. “C’mon. Like and Kagami can stay if they wish, we’re not when people like him are here. So sorry Bruce.”

 “It’s alright,” Bruce told them sounding a bit off but they ignored it.

 The magic would prevent him from figuring things out.

 Kagami joined them as they left, pouting a little. 

 “Strike out?” Asked Adrien, sounding nervous but amused.

 “Incompatible interests.” Kagami pouted more while both Marinette and Adrien blinked.

 “... he’s a top?! With an ass like that?” Marinette asked in shock.

 “Apparently.” Kagami sighed. “Luka doesn’t mind though so he’s having a go of it.”

 “Good for him.” Marinette chuckled as they waited for their limo. Getting in, they stopped at seeing the serious face Kim had. “News?”

 “Some ma’am,” Kim said. He held up a hand and then Xuppu slipped into the back, moving around and pulling small devices off them. Bugs. The monkey grins and uses his powers to swap the frequency.

 Now they can hear the people who placed them when they’re activated.

 “We have issues on the docks,” Kim said straight forward while Marinette rolled her eyes. Of course, there were bugs- Batman probably had some idea Adrien could be helping the team. 

 The magic helped but that was a bit too obvious if one thought about it to block fully.

 “Oh?” Marinette asked while Adrien growled in his throat, and Kagami grinned.

 “Our annoyance just killed three of our men.” They all frowned at that. “We think we know a base near the docks.”

 “Let’s go. Know a name yet?”

 “Red Hood apparently.”

 “He’s done for.”

Tag list:  @northernbluetongue @ines-nz  @seraphichana, @glasswolff, @crazylittlemunchkin, @miraculous786, @viinaa08, @18-fandoms-unite-08 @hypnosharkrebeldreamer @my-name-is-michell @emjrabbitwolf @starsshineandgivehope @internally-confused-what @st0rmy-w1th1n @mycupisbroken @procrasinatingrightnow @i-was-supposed-to-have-a-twin @tumbling-down-hills-and-stuff @lexgetdowntobusiness @anastasian-dreamer

@thesunanditsangel @magicalfirebird @thefoxandthewofs @storyecho

[typinggently]

Feral Bruce Wayne with his rogue gallery?

This was thrilling to think about!!!

A general note at the beginning– the thing that makes Bruce who he is, the way he believes in the possibility of good in everyone, is of course unchanged in Feral Bruce. Which means that his no killing rule and his compassion for his villains still stand unchanged. Also, I think he keeps his silent stoicism for the most part.

Also - when I say “Bruce” here, know that I’m referring to Feral Bruce. It makes for an easier reading experience. But now.

Feral Bruce vs. the Gotham Underground

Bane: Mads Mikkelsen was a professional dancer and a lot of that grace translates into his fighting choreographies – I think it’s the same with Bruce. He’s strong, but he’s also very graceful and athletic. So the epic fights between him and Bane are less “who’s the bigger hulk w the stronger punches” but more a match of different styles clashing. Also, I admittedly only know Nolanverse Bane and I love him dearly. He’s very intelligent and very charismatic, so I think their confrontations could be very interesting. I also just like the mental image of Bane trying to get a hold on Bruce who’s doing the flips over his shoulder.

The Riddler: That’s a special kind of relationship. The Riddler hates and loves Batman in equal measures because on one hand, he drives him to new creative heights, but on the other – the guy doesn’t even have to try. How does he do it?? No one ever solved his riddles this fast!! Inspector Gordon is always fascinated when Batman shows up, looks at the smashed cake/blue umbrella/ripped up telephone book for a moment and then says something like “He’s planning to break into the Mustard Museum at 8pm tomorrow” ??? A true detective. (I had to think of the 60s show where the riddles were always complete mumbo jumbo and Robin would be like !!I’ve got it!!” and say just…the weirdest shit.. and everyone would be all “Ohhhh yes why didn’t we think of that?!” except Bruce does that now. He’s got the brain to jump to the most absurd conclusions and always be 200% right. Show up, say nonsense with a grave expression, melt back into the wallpaper. Watch Riddler have a meltdown because you know the answers to all his punny questions)

The Penguin: See, I say Bruce still has the stoic exterior and the stealth factor and the whole Vampiric vibe. However, he also has that Dadaist Ballet fighting style and a very erratic attack pattern. What I’m saying is that his go to move is stealing Penguin’s umbrella and whacking him on the head with it. Neither of them appreciates the comedic element of that move, even though they pull it off like a silent film comedy duo, time and time again.

Scarecrow: Since Bruce is so expressive, so eager to fill his head with knowledge and so driven by his own emotions which he feels so intensely, I feel like Scarecrow would be the most terrifying villain for him. He seems the type to be genuinely helpless and overwhelmed when trapped in his own horrific imagination. Feargas would most likely cause a complete and utter violent-erratic meltdown. It happens only once, since it drives him to improve the suit so it can never happen again, but I think that Scarecrow is one of the villains he truly doesn’t like going against.

Catwoman: There’s a photo of Rob sitting at the stage to watch FKA Twigs perform back in 2014 and the way he looks at her has not left me since I’ve seen it for the first time. That’s Bruce @ Selina. And yes, sure, I’m very much a SuperBat endgame person, but I do acknowledge that those two had chemistry/a true, meaningful relationship. I feel like he felt comfortable enough to make his weird, dry jokes at her while wearing the cowl and that’s all that really needs to be said about how deep that affection went.

Poison Ivy: She made the mistake of using her love dust on him…once. Bruce respects her intelligence and she respects his dedication, but all their meetings post-dust are super awkward. There’s simply no proper villain-hero discussions to be had and one-liners to be exchanged when there’s the shared history of him tenderly taking her hand and saying in the most earnest tone “I’ll find a chemical that deconstructs rubber tires for you. You’re still going to jail, but I’ll come to hold your hand.” It’s? something?! It’s kinda sweet but also not the intended result (“Of course I’ll let you go, green queen of my heart!”) at all.

Harley Quinn: Bruce adores her. He genuinely thinks she’s a fascinating person and would probably love to hang out with her, but alas! It cannot be. They have to work together at some point, though, and Bruce is so pumped that he can solve a case with the brilliant and bubbly-sparkly Dr Quinzel that he fucks up. By which I mean that when she comes up with the weird one-liner, he responds perfectly in kind, thus betraying his stoic ballet dancer image. It’s probably something like - Harley: “It’s starting to smell a lot like BurgerKing in here…” Batman, completely unprompted: “-because you’re about to get beefed”

Two-Face: Bruce has always admired and loved Harvey - He’s charming, charismatic, intelligent and very good at mingling, small talk (something Bruce can’t do for the life of him). So fighting Two-Face is tearing his heart to shreds. It hits so close to home and it hurts to see Harvey in the condition he’s in. While it might not have been romantic love, Bruce still feels a raw tenderness for him, and while he tries not to let it show, it’s still one of the hardest fights to fight, every time.

Joker: With other villains, Bruce relies mostly on his combination of silence/element of surprise + strength + random fight pattern. It’s very graceful to watch. Joker, he just punches in the face. That’s where the feral comes through. Doesn’t even let him finish his jokes.

-

To sum it up: The girls know Batman is weird. They love him. (Harley probably made him a friendship bracelet at some point, with tiny little dangly bats and little H’s & B’s.)

-

I love these villains so much and it was such a joy to think about them and Feral Bruce in this context, so thank you so much for this ask!!! I had a ton of fun writing this and I hope you had fun reading about Bruce’s funky little adventures :)

[bakugoulovesme]

Live Tweeting Episode 53

SPOILERS

I’m so nervous this is the test epsiode AND ms joke is like the cover art and I already don’t like her :/ (yes it is because she’s going to lust after Aizawa endlessly)

I’m excited to be introduced to more characters tho!!

I honestly didn’t know that Hatsume had a quirk till last episode did one of those card thingies

🧡  Powerloader🧡

Full Cowling! Oh Ochaco looks so sad

Also Bakugou is doing an emo fringe thing for a second and I’m crying- also a new move! Oh it’s just a review of AP shot

I love the little additions to Dekus suit it’s so cute COSTUME GAMMA!!!!

Kirishima is so hot I just hit myself in the face bye-

Aww Aizawa caring for All might,,, bakugous “watch yourself all might” ugh it must be so hard for Bakugou to see all might weak not only is all might his hero and inspiration he also lost his powers defending Kacchan :/

Oh Kodas new mask is cool!!

Denki is so cute and sweet love him 💛💛

Monoma!!!!! I LOVE MONOMA!! I have found a new love for him idk why I find him very attractive and would marry him,,, his hero costume is so dapper I love it,, mr poppers penguins up in here,, when he just laughs maniacally I love it

I hate Vlad Kings dub voice I have never really complained about the dub voices cause I only watch the dub after all,, but the thing they decided the like gruff weird thing I think their doing because of his lower fangs I Hate It.

Monoma is such a fucking loser I adore him

Momo with her hair down!!! So attractive!!

And TSU WITH HER HAIR UP!!! I’m literally shedding tears rn

Mina is cute but she’s so bad at her quirk

OCHACO IS SO LOVE WITH IZUKU!!!!!!!!!!!!! So cute 💖

Also Jirou being interested too I love that lady

Oh my god she’s so fucking in love with him it’s stupid- and IZUKU IS TALKING ABOUT IIDAS “shape” FUCK ME-

I’m about to pass away this is my only straight ship-

Oh no I’m so nervous it’s the test ~eek~

Hey Aizawa I love you the most and support most things you do- but don’t give support to mineta he sucks so bad- (but the way he bent down to talk to him was cute)

Inasa???? 👁👄👁 also chick and purple hair dude who isn’t shinso- I am looking respectfully.

Who is this extra extra Iida?? Inasa chill dude

I’m with Kaminari on this one “I do not trust his enthusiasm.”

Oh Aizawa knows who this kid is

Bakugou stop talking you make me black out for a mintue when you do but thank you for telling me about Shiketsu

Oh Insasa loves UA he’s a little weird but

Better than todo? Shut up.

Also can they please try to pronounce Inasa Yoarashi consistently so I can learn it for gods sake

I have a bad feeling this isn’t going to go well

Ms Joke :((((( 🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤢🤮🤢🤮🤮🤢🤢🤢🤢🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮

“That sounds like an actual nightmare” I fucking adore Aizawa ((the secret is he already has a loud over the top partner and that’s present mic))

Shindou Yo right? He looks just like Izuku- WHY IS HE GRABBING EVERYONES HANDS LIKE THAT I KIND OF LOVE IT

He’s so cute trying to be friends with Bakugou- oof oof oof I think Bakugou saw right through him it’s just like my boy he’s so smart and intuitive

💛Denki 💛

Did he not warn them about what? WHAT DID HE NOT WARN THEM ABOUT?? Aizawa what did you keep from them I hope to god they don’t do bad because of you

Mera? Bye bitch. Leave.

Too many heroes? I hate this I think- how could there ever be too many heroes- there’s a whole goddamn league of villains and I’m sure they aren’t the only ones organizing- especially after the fall of all might. Giran seemed to hint at something like that,, I don’t like this organization or whatever it’s called that’s in charge of heroes alreayd and I’ve heard very bad things about them in relation to hawks or something so I’m very suspiscous rn

UM WHAT THE FUCK-WHERE THE FUCK ARE THEY HOLY SHIT

I am in love with how much Aizawa hates Ms Joke please don’t force a romance between them that’s my biggest prayer

Aww Aizawa hasn’t expelled anyone that’s so cute and he normally does

Kiri calling Bakugou an idiot I love it ❤️❤️

Iida being sad kiri left that’s so cute

Todoroki leaving cause he doesn’t want to hurt his classmates I’m quaking 🥺🥺

Eek everyone knows UA powers, weaknesses, and fighting styles,,, yikes

UA is immediately crushed- I hate this I hate this I hate this- but I think they are going to rock everyone’s socks off still

I mean Shindo is immediately coming in assuming that Izuku still hurts himself everytime he uses his quirk but that’s not true any more,, maybe aizawa did a better job preparing them than ms joke thinks,, they have all grown so much alreayd and increased their quirks powers, and on top of that almost all of them worked hard at overcoming some of their own weaknesses in training they got this

“So you think we’ll be taken out. I don’t really see a reason why I should have warned them.” I WAS RIGHT I LOVE AIZAWA HE LOVES THESE KIDS SO MUCH

Sero is so cool!! Wow I’m impressed with Mina she’s producing a lot more acid than before

Aizawa is roasting the fuck out of Ms Joke I fucking love him

Everyone working together is my kink-

And the episode is over

Masterlist of all episodes I’ve live tweeted 

[jxllydrummr]

( airi suzuki, female, she/her, bang dream! girls band party! ) * &. i know it must be scary for you, kanon matsubara, after not surviving the takeover. to turn into someone like ichika nonomiya, a twenty-two year-old clerk at ‘sno problem, right here in castle town. just remember that you are as kind as you are anxious, and to be wary, be safe, be true to who you are : heroic through and through. ( mage / she/they / 21 / est )

(( Yes hello hello again! It is Mage, who decided that she wanted to play her BABEY Girl, her sunshine, her DAUGHTER!!!!!!! I care abt Kanon so much I can only hope I portray her half as good as she truly is. Also YIKES I WRITE A LOT LMAO… but she’s my baby so I have to… tw for food mention! ))

Before The Snap - KANON MATSUBARA

She’s a 16 year old drummer in the band Hello, Happy World!

She’s an anxious, quick to tears girl with a heart of pure gold. When she gets stressed out (so, VERY OFTEN), she says “fuee”.

She was going to give up on drumming, and was about to sell her drum set, when the lead singer of HHW, Kokoro Tsurumaki, convinced her to jam out with her. This event made Kanon realize how much fun she had drumming, and because of this, she sees Kokoro as a real-life hero.

In my personal headcanon, Kanon almost gave up on drums because her little brother made a joking comment about how she never really touched the drum set, and Kanon started to worry that she wasn’t good enough at all for it.

Made friends with a baby penguin.

Her favorite animal is the jellyfish, but she loves all marine life.

The band consists of Kokoro Tsurumaki (vocals, rich as hell and has the energy of a thousand red bulls), Hagumi Kitazawa (bass, sporty tomboy who hates seeing anyone lose and has zero thoughts), Kaoru Seta (guitar, the Best Lesbian, literally has to do a wedding photo shoot with another girl and Kaoru was dressed up as the groom, another character canonically has a crush on her), and Misaki Okusawa (DJ, tired 24/7 and the only one in the band with a functioning brain besides Kanon, unfortunately has to DJ in a fur suit named Michelle, and only Kanon gets that Michelle and Misaki are the same person).

Kokoro taught her the chant “Happiness, Happy, Magical”, which fills Kanon with courage when she chants it, helping her do what she has to. It’s not magic or anything; she just thinks about how Kokoro saved her by (in her eyes) being brave enough to talk to a stranger dragging drums in the street.

Despite her anxiety, she actually works at Copyright Friendly McDonalds.

She has a pretty good memory, able to recall huge orders and can repeat them back without messing up once, or can remember tiny details about what someone’s wearing.

Kanon’s sense of direction is terrible. It’s so bad that she can often get lost while walking in a straight line. Often, Kaoru has to come and lead her in the right direction. Despite this, she can always find her favorite cafes from how they smell. It’s pretty much her anchor point.

Kanon has gone to every cafe she can find and not get horribly lost on the way to it. From tiny hole in the wall places to a special 3D latte art cafe, she loves them all, but her favorite always will be the local Hazawa Coffee.

After The Snap - ICHIKA NONOMIYA

Kanon did not survive the snap, so now… meet Ichika!

Personality wise, extremely similar to Kanon; anxious, but kind. Ichika is a little bit more extroverted than Kanon, enjoying spending time with friends and not having to be dragged to fun activities. She still says ‘fuee’, not nearly as frequently as Kanon, though.

She’s still into drumming, spending some time at The Record Scratch looking at the drum sets, and sometimes, if she’s lucky, playing them.

Now, she works at Sno Problem, which is still as stressful as ever, but nothing she can’t handle.

Her memory is still good, but she has to write something down in order for it to really stick.

Ichika’s life is very… unnoteworthy. She grew up in a lower middle class family, as the little sister to an older, extremely distant brother. She never really got to know him, although all the memories she has with him are positive, but knew of his garage band, trying to make it big without the record labels. Her parents were often working late hours, so Ichika had a lot of free time. She spent it reading any books she could get her hands on, and listening to her brother perform in the garage, although he would often be away “on tour”.

Because of her reading, she became a massive bookworm, going to libraries and running them dry of any book that caught her fancy that day.

Ichika learned drumming from her older brother. It’s one of the few times he’s gone out of his way to spend time with her, and she adores it. Whenever she plays, she feels connected to her brother.

Her family life isn’t terrible, but she does wish she could be as close to her mom as some of the YA heroines seemed to be with their moms.

She adores the sea, and will often just wander around near it, but she has to have a landmark near her, or else she may wander off and never find her way back.

She started going to school for marine biology, but nearly dropped out after the first sememster because of her work load, and it nearly burning her out. Talking to the college, they let her take on a much lighter work load, while making it clear that she would not be graduating on time. That was fine with her, because that meant she could spend a little bit more time really getting to know herself outside of books and drums.

When she’s not at work, school, the beach, or Record Scratch, she’s usually found at any of the eateries around town, nose buried in a book. Her favorite place is Beans Beans Beans, and she always orders the same thing, a small black tea with perhaps an illegal amount of sugar and cream in it.

She is often seen with a scrunchie around her wrist, almost like it’s just a bracelet. She wears one at work to tie her hair back. Lately, though, she’s taken a shine to a particular one that seems very floral…

She has a stuffed dog named Eve. This has nothing to do with anything I just think it’s vital you know she has a stuffed dog named Eve.

Also her name has a subtle reference to who she really is: ichiKA NONomiya

[imaginexmeintheuniverse]

Your Friendly Neighborhood Helper

12DOCOTP Day 2: Character A works as a Santa’s helper. Character B has a small sibling/child. + Character A is desperate to find a particular item (book/toy/etc.) as a present for someone, but it’s been sold out everywhere. Character B helps.

Pairing: Peter Parker x Fem!Reader

A/N: I switched up the characters for this prompt a little wherein the reader has a small sibling and is desperate to find a particular item, and our sweet bean works as Santa's helper (how freaking adorable would that be) and helps the reader find said item!

*Y/S/N: your sister's name

❄ ❊  ❄  ❊  ❄  ❊

"Next!" An elf leads the way for you and your little sister to go see Santa Claus.

Waiting in a line of screaming kids for over an hour, only to see mall Santa for two minutes isn't exactly how you wanted to spend your Saturday morning, but you do love your little sister, so here you are.

Walking  your sister up to Santa's throne, you help her get up on this lap, and back away to be out of the picture. You stand behind the elf who takes the pictures, unable to see his face that's pressed up against the camera to look through the view finder. Something about him looks very familiar.

You watch your sister with a smile, remembering how excited you were when you were her age and your parents took you to see the big jolly man. She's beaming at the man as he asks her what she wants for Christmas and whispers her answer into his ear as though it's a secret, but you already know what she wants. You already looked everywhere but couldn't find the one toy she wanted.

"Y/N, are you okay?" You're more than a little creeped out by a stranger knowing your name, until you actually look at the person and realize it's one of your classmates.

"Oh, hey Peter," You look him up and down, taking in his embarrassing, but adorable elf outfit. "I didn't know you worked here."

"Yeah," he says sheepishly, tugging at the large bow around his neck and hoping you can't see the blush spreading on his cheeks. "I'm taking pictures for a little extra money to help out with the holiday shopping." You nod, and glance over to your giggling sister. Peter can't help but notice that you're a little off. "Really though, is everything okay?"

"Uh, yeah—" You hesitate for a second, unsure about whether or not you should bore him with your worries. "Just some holiday stress— I don't want to bother you with the details—"

"You're not bothering me," He toggles with the camera before looking up and giving you a warm smile. You're not close with Peter, only making occasional eye-contact during lectures, and casual conversations during labs here and there.

"Well, it's just that my sister really wants this toy for Christmas— it's the only thing she's been asking for, but it's the most popular toy of the season and it's way sold out."

"What's the toy?"

"This Spider-Man action figure— she has all the Avengers figures— but there's this new Spider-Man suit and he's her favorite hero, so she really wants it, and I can't find it anywhere—"

"I can help you."

"Huh?" You stop your nervous rambling, unsure whether or not you heard him correctly. "But it's sold out— and I've checked everywhere in New York!"

"I know a few store owners here in the mall," His smile is contagious, and looking back at where your sister sits, happily clutching the small toy Santa Claus handed her.

"Really?" You ask him, offering a cop out, because you don't want to drag him into your holiday mess.

"Y-Yeah, a close friend of mine actually," He bends down, focuses the camera, and presses down on the shutter. "Say cheese!" The camera clicks and flashes a few times, and you can't help smiling at the sight of how overjoyed your sister looks. "I get off in a couple hours, can you meet me back here?"

"Sure," Your little sister hops off Santa's lap and runs over to you— practically tackling you with a hug, and show you the little penguin plushie. Taking her hand, you turn back to Peter before heading off. "Say thank you to Santa's helper for the lovely picture, Y/S/N."

"Thank you," She beams at him as he hands her the picture.

"Thanks, Peter," You tell him, mostly thankful and surprised at how reassuring he is. You're not sure what it is, but something about being around Peter has always made you feel safe; like everything's going to be all right.

"I'll see you later," he calls after you as your sister drags you away to see the elf village.

"Hey, Y/N," You sister tugs at your sleeve to get your attention. "How do you know Santa's helper?"

 ❄  ❄  ❄

You brought your sister back home, and your back at the mall now, two hours later, waiting for Peter just like he told you. You're browsing on your phone, looking at online stores for any hope of finding your sister's present, but none of the options seem promising. All fakes with a ridiculous flaw, or the real thing but it won't arrive until after New Year's.

"You ready to go?" You turn around to see Peter standing behind you, tucking the rest of his elf outfit into his backpack before slinging it over his shoulder.

"Yep," you answer, standing from the bench and slipping your phone in your pocket.

"Come with me." He starts walking in one direction, and you follow closely behind him. "We got one hour before stores close." You nod like you're accepting a top secret mission, and the two of you speed up your pace.

The first store he brings you to ends up being a dead end, and the second, yet another disappointment. The third store gives you a little hope, only to be let down again.

"Come on, Tony, you gotta have something," Peter pleads with him. He leans in close and whispers to him so you can't hear him say, "I'm trying to help out this girl I really like."

"Sorry, Parker, I'm all out until boxing day."

"Thanks anyways," You thank the man and walk out of the store dejected. Peter seems to be all out of ideas, which isn't comforting, but you do really appreciate all the effort he put into helping you out.

"Thanks, Peter, but I think she'll just have to wait this time around." He opens his mouth to answer, but then closes it, instead pulling out his phone and writing a message at the speed of light. Your gloomy expression soon turns into a confused one as you wonder what he could be rushing so hard for.

"I've got one more thing I can try," He says, grinning excitedly at you.

 ❄  ❄  ❄

"Hey— Y/N, h-hi!"

"Ned?" You turn to Peter, totally confused as to why he's brought you to his best friend's house.

"Hey Ned," Peter greets him, and Ned lets the two of you inside. The two have you sit on the couch before heading off to Ned's room, leaving you there, still confused.

"Dude! You didn't tell me Y/N was with you!" Ned bursts out immediately after the door closes and Peter hushes him, hoping you didn't hear.

"That's why I need that new release!"

"But I just got it!" Ned whines, grabbing the figure that's still in its box.

"Please!" Peter pleads, still trying to get Ned to calm down. "I can get you another one— Y/N's sister is a big Spider-Man fan and this could be my shot—"

"Say no more," Ned hands him the box, knowing how long Peter's been crushing on the girl from chemistry. "But I also want the new Captain America that comes out in the New Year."

"You got it! Thanks, Ned."

You leave Ned's as soon as you came, saying your goodbyes, and when you get to the subway station, Peter pulls a box out of his backpack, smiling.

"Peter, you're the best!" you exclaim, tackling him with a hug. He chuckles as he stumbles backwards a little and bringing an arm around your waist to steady himself. "I-I don't know how to thank you! This is amazing."

"It's nothing," He shrugs, but his rosy cheeks indicating otherwise. "It's not a big deal."

"This is a huge deal! Please, tell me how I can repay you."

"Y-You don't have to repay me—"

"I was actually thinking I could return the favour," A warmth creeps its way up your cheeks as you swallow your nerves. "Maybe with a movie Friday night?"

"Y-Yeah, that'd be- I-I'd like that."

"Great, I'll see you at school Monday," You say before turning towards your subway direction, and then something stops you. It could be how your heart rate just spiked way up, or the feeling of a thousand butterflies in your stomach, but something urges you to look back. You turn back and see Peter still standing where you left him, doing what looks like a happy dance of sorts, and watch him with amusement until he notices you. He instantly freezes and turns beet-red.

Closing back up the small distance you created between you and him, you march up to him grinning. You let out a small laugh at his perplexed expression before  placing your hands on either one of his shoulders, and planting one on him. Keeping it short and sweet, you pull back before he can even get over the initial shock. "Thank you, Peter."

And with that, you walk off to your train, leaving an adorable, blushing Peter feeling like he's walking on air.