#first proper marvel post lets go

[gender-thief2]

homeless peter parker whump fics are so unintentionally funny sometimes because they’ll literally be like:

peter (malnourished, dehydrated, wearing his homemade dirty spiderman suit, sporting two stab wounds and three broken ribs, voice cracking): nice to meet you mr stark

tony: yeah this is probably an adult

[alotofpockets]

Hard launch | Florence Pugh x Singer!Reader

Where you and Florence hard launch your relationship and your new album

A/n: faceclaim for this is Florence as Taylor Swift and Reader as Gracie Abrams

Marvel masterlist | Words: 2.6k

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Over the past few months you have been all over the world. Your world tour started out in America and after a little break, you had continued to the European leg of the tour. While you loved touring, performing, and spending time with your fans, you craved the feeling of home. 

There were multiple places in the world that you called home. But only one of them was a constant, and you were about to walk into her arms, as you turned the keys to open her front door.

As soon as you opened the door, your girlfriend was in your arms. “Hi baby, I’ve missed you so much.” You whisper into her shoulder as you hold her close. “Why didn’t you say you were coming home today? I would’ve picked you up.” Your girlfriend had been at a couple of your shows, but since she was on set for most of your tour, your schedules didn’t often line up. 

You still had a few shows left in London, but you had the weekend off before you were performing 6 shows at Wembley. “I wanted to surprise you.” You leave your bags at the door as she pulls you into the home. Both your jobs required you to be in different parts of the world often, that’s why you decided that instead of moving into one of your houses, you just moved in together and kept both your places. Meaning that you shared her home in London, and yours in Los Angeles. 

After catching up for a bit, during which you lay cuddled up together on the couch, you told her you had really missed her food, with all the simple and easy meals you had during the tour. “Well, I was planning on filming a Cooking with Flo, so you are in luck, my love.” 

She was getting the ingredients laid out, while you set up her camera for her. You had been there from the start of her Cooking with Flo series, where she would film little videos on her phone and post them to her instagram story. You had been in London for work when covid hit, and you weren’t able to travel back to the US. There weren’t a lot of people that you knew who lived in London, except Florence who you had met a couple weeks prior, you shot her a message and moved in with her the same week.

The difference a couple of years could make. The two of you went from strangers, to roommates, to best friends, and finally to lovers. Florence her cooking show had also expanded. No more wobbly iPhone uploads to her Instagram story, but proper camera setup on a tripod and streaming the show live on YouTube.

“You know how I’ve been having special guests on the show?” You nodded. Even when you were away you kept up with her cooking videos. “Would you want to join me tonight?” The two of you kept your relationship away from the public, though many people had their suspicions, neither one of you had ever spoken out about it. 

That’s why Flo fully expected you to say no to her questions, but you surprised her by saying yes. “Really?” She asked excitedly. “Yes really. We can give them a little teaser for what’s to come, right?”

You had been working on a new album, where you wanted to put focus on what fame had been like for you. The way that everything you did was criticised by the media. That had been one of the reasons that you and Florence kept your relationship away from the public. 

Over the years you have hidden not only your relationship, but also parts of yourself. When you were younger it felt like something you just had to live with now, but you didn’t want to anymore. You wanted to be yourself and not care what people thought, and your next album would be the first step.

“Alright, ready to go whenever you are.” Florence says once she has checked everything over one last time. “Yeah, let me just finish this post and then I’ll be ready.” Your girlfriend walked over and leaned on your shoulders and watched you write the little caption you were giving your post from the last show.

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y/n_y/l/n just posted

y/n_y/l/n: Thank you to everyone that came out last night, it was an honour to play in front of a crowd like you! I can't believe we are nearing the end of the European leg, this tour has been amazing so far, and that is all thanks you x

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You put your phone away and set up the laptop for the livestream. A little countdown started counting down a minute while Florence got ready behind the kitchen island. You turned on the camera and waited to the side waiting for Florence to introduce you.

The countdown on the screen ticked down and Florence got ready to start. “It’s Cooking with Flo, bitches! Today we’re joined by a very special guest. You’ve been asking for this for a while now, and I have finally convinced her to join me. Please welcome Y/n to the show!”

You stepped up beside her. “Hi everyone! I’m so excited to be here.” You spoke nervously. Florence chuckled lightly, you were used to performing in front of thousands of people, but standing in front of this camera got you nervous. “I am so glad you’ve finally agreed to come on the show. Do you want to tell them what we’re cooking?”

“Yeah, for sure. We are making truffle pasta with one of Florence's own recipes today, and I for one cannot wait to try it.” Florence laughed, “But before we get to that part, we will show you exactly how to make it.”

Florence explained every step to the camera and you followed her lead on what to do. The conversation flowed easily between the two of you, the familiar banter making it feel like it was just another evening at home. A sense of familiarity you’ve been missing so dearly while you have been on tour.

She handed you a whisk and told you to mix up the ingredients you had just put in the bowl to make the sauce. Out of the two of you, Florence was definitely the one cooking most of the time, she was amazing and you were.. Well you were nearly decent. 

“Careful there,” Florence teased, “we don’t want the sauce all over the kitchen.” You laughed at your hand covered with the sauce, because it had definitely gone over the edge of the bowl. “No? I thought you were wanting to redecorate the kitchen. This seems like the perfect colour for the walls.” You joke back.

While your cooking and playful banter went on, the chat was blowing up with comments. Many of them were excited about seeing the two of you together and noting the chemistry that was evident on the screen.

You stayed on the easy tasks while Florence did all the hard work, but neither one of you minded, you were just enjoying the time you were able to spend together. 

With the pasta and the sauce presented on two plates, you thought the dish was done. “It smells so good, I cannot wait to taste it!” You already reached for a fork, but Florence stopped you. “Hold on, it’s not done yet.” She grabbed a truffle and the grater and got to work.

With the most serious expression, Florence delicately shaved the truffle over the pasta, her concentration made you giggle. “What’s so funny?” She asked with a raised eyebrow. “It’s just that you look like you’re performing surgery on that truffle.” You have to try hard to hold back your laughter.

“This is art, okay?” You don’t just throw truffles around.” You burst out laughing, unable to contain it any longer. Her serious tone combined with the silly way of putting on the truffle fully sends you over the edge.

“Hey, this is important stuff!” Florence tried hard to stay in her serious character, but failed as she watched the tears spring in your eyes from your laughter. “Truffles are a very delicate matter!” She got out through her own giggles.

You doubled over, clutching your stomach, and before you knew it, you had collapsed onto the kitchen floor, laughing uncontrollably. “Oh no, we’ve lost her!” Florence exclaimed, setting down the truffles on the counter to check on you. “I think I've broken Y/n.”

Florence always had the ability to make you laugh, but right now she got you so far that you could barely breathe, and the tears were streaming down your face. Florence snapped a quick picture before turning to the camera again. “Don’t worry, I will share that with you later. Now, let’s try this pasta.” 

You stood up as you were wiping your tears. “Wait for me! I wanna try.” Both of you take a bite at the same time. “Oh my god, this is so good!” Florence smiled proudly. “You heard it here first, people, you can even impress mega pop stars with this meal, so try it out at home.” You rolled your eyes playfully, “Food easily impresses me, but you should definitely try this recipe, because this was delicious.”

“And that’s all we have for tonight. We are going to enjoy this meal and soon Y/n will head to Wembley for her final shows of her Europe tour. Thank you for watching, and I’ll see you next time!” You both wave to the camera before it shuts off.

“I’ve missed you so much.” You say as you walk into her arms. “No one can make me laugh as much as you do.” She held you tight while telling you she missed you as well. 

"I can't believe we did that. The fans are going to lose their minds." Florence says as she walks both your plates over to the dining table. You smiled, feeling a warmth in your chest as you looked at her. "I think we just gave them something to remember." Florence smiled and leaned in to kiss your cheek. "And this is just the beginning, my love."

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florencepugh just posted

florencepugh: An all new Cooking with Flo out with special guest Y/n Y/l/n! Watch how she takes a break from her tour to spend some time on my floor 😂

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y/n_y/l/n: In my defense, the floor was very comfortable

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Your next few shows in London were incredible. A sold out Wembley night after night, was something you didn’t even dare to dream of a few years back. But now you were playing your sixth and final sold out Wembley show of this tour.

Nervous was an understatement. You had announced things on tour before, but this, this was something on an entirely different level. While your piano was being set up on the stage you talked with your fans. 

“Most of you have been with me for a very long time, and have stuck with me through the many changes I have gone through as a person and with my music, and that is something I am eternally grateful for. The support I get from each and everyone of you, is what gives me the strength to evolve.” 

While you were still nervous, you also felt a sense of serenity. The fans in the stadium were excited even when they had no clue what was coming.

“Growing up in the spotlight for me came with a lot of negativity. Something I haven’t spoken about often. It has made me hide parts of my life, parts that no one should have to hide.” 

You didn’t think you’d get this emotional, but you had to wipe a tear that had started rolling down your cheek.

“I decided that I no longer want to hide these parts of me to make other people happy. I am the one that should be able to share my happiness, and that is something I’ve been working on this past year. I’ve taken a deep dive into what fame has been like for me, the struggles, and the things that I’ve had to hide away.”

You paused for a moment, taking in the crowd that was listening to your every word. The people that have allowed you to continue to make music. The people that loved you unconditionally, no matter what the media had put out about you. The people that have defended your honour again and again.

“All of that, I’ve put it into something that I am very proud of.” The noise of the crowd grew with anticipation. “And I cannot wait to share it with you… so I won’t! New music coming soon on my next album "The Secret of Us.” 

The screen filled with the announcement and the crowd went insane. You stood there basking in the love the fans were throwing your way. The clapping didn’t stop for minutes. You sat down on the stage, looking up at the audience with tears in your eyes.

You got up again, because you weren’t done yet. “And if you’ll let me, I would love to perform one of the songs from the album for you tonight.” You smiled as they cheered even louder. 

“This song is called Close To You, and it’s one of the most meaningful songs I have ever written. The reason that it is so meaningful is because it’s about someone who means the world to me. This person has been so supportive of me throughout my career, they are a big part of my happiness. The things I want to let you be a part of from now on.”

There really was no turning back anymore, that made you extra nervous, but also excited, you didn’t want to turn back, you only wanted to move forward.

“Performing this song with me tonight, as well as on the album, is my girlfriend Florence Pugh. Please welcome her to the stage!”

You watched as she walked onto the stage in her yellow dress, a big smile on her face as she waved to the crowd who was loudly cheering.

You started playing the first chords to the song as Florence made her way to the microphone stand that was just placed next to your piano for her.

I don't got a single problem with provocative See the bodies, how they burn, it's just the way it is Smoky, dark, crowded room, I need nothing Under pink light in June 

You start singing, while making eye contact with your girlfriend, who started strumming the guitar. 

I was so cool, but then, all of a sudden You saw me look at you Florence joined you in the next verse, like you had practised so many times.

I burn for you And you don't even know my name If you asked me to I'd give up everything To be close to you

The two of you continued singing until the final verse. It was just you singing the final part.

You should be mine for life, I'll be signing Every dotted line Chemical override, ultraviolet You could be mine tonight

The crowd went absolutely crazy and you could not believe that you had just done that and gotten instant support from thousands of fans. Florence looked at you with nothing but pride as she opened her arms for you.

You hug her, “I am so proud of you.” She tells you loud enough for you to hear over the cheering. In response you grab her face and place a kiss on her cheek. “Thank you.” With tears falling down your cheeks you turn to the audience and wave and thank them too.

Florence left the stage again and you continued performing the rest of your set like nothing happened, though internally you felt amazing.

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florencepugh just posted

florencepugh: Incredibly proud of you, always. Thank you for letting me be a part of this amazing album, I cannot wait for the world to hear your briliance.

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After a couple more songs you closed off the show by thanking the fans over and over again. “You’ve made this tour incredible, I will never forget the memories we’ve made here. Thank you!”

The moment you get backstage, Florence flies into your arms. “You did it, my love!” 

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y/n_y/l/n just posted

y/n_y/l/n: What a way to end this leg of the tour. I am incredibly thankful for all of your support, and cannot wait to share my new album with you soon! And Florence, thank you for being my biggest supporter though it all 🫶🏻

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florencepugh: So proud of you 🫶🏻

fan1: New music and a new favourite ship? that was not on my bingo card

fan2: The hardest of hard launches

fan3: AAAHHHH

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y/n_y/l/n_updates just posted

y/n_y/l/n_updates: Y/n and Florence Pugh after performing their love song from Y/n's upcoming album.

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fan1: They are so cute!

fan2: I want what they have

fan3: So happy she finally doesn't care anymore. All the best to them

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[smokeybrandreviews]

Dachande

I feel like way too many of my posts lately have been about stupid sh*t like this so I wasn't going to comment, but i keep seeing sh*t about it on all of social media and i feel like i need to say something. Like, it's insane how fast this sh*t has taken off on Facebook, Twatter, Insta, and that god forsaken Tik Tok. The Predator Badlands trailer has dropped and motherf*ckers seemed to be mad that the starring Yautja is Black? Bro, what? Is this where we are right now? Cats are out her getting antagonized by the color of an intergalactic alien because of perceived racial distinction? Can you even apply our perception of race to the Yautja? Alright, if we're doing that, then let's really get into it. Yautja live on one big ass, hot ass, jungle planet. Melanin is absolutely necessary in that environment, according to our understanding of climate habitats. The fact that the first Predator, the Jungle Predator who fought Dutch, was so pale, would make him an outlier. It would make him the minority and i can prove it.

In Predator two, at the end, after Harrigan kills the City Predator, a bunch of other Yautja step out into the light. All of them unique, all of them different shades of brown. Some lighter, some darker, all of them with a weird, fish-like counter-shading, none of them "White". The Super Predators are whole ass black. Like, legit charcoal and obsidian. No "white" Predators to be seen. Sh*t gets even more crunchy in the comics, particularly the Dark Horse takes. The closest thing a Yautja gets to White in the Predator series, are probably the ones in AvP. And, even then, they're yellow tinted, not Euro glazed. Sure, this new Yautja is smaller, darker, and kind of twinkish but that's because it's a juvenile. It's on it's Blooded hunt to be seen as a full-fledged adult. This is the first time we get to see that in film and that's being overshadowed by this stupid, goddamn, narrative. There was so much to be excited about in that trailer and I'm on here, lamenting how goddamn dumb people are about sh*t that doesn't f*cking matter.

This is the first time in the Disney continuity that a connection to Weyland-Yutani has been acknowledged on film. Elle Fanning's character is an android a la Ash and David, which means there are Aliens in the world. Proper Xenomorphs and I'm not talking about the little Easter egg of a skull. Yeah, Trachtenberg tossed in a Harvester skull, the alien species from Independence Day, on that trophy wall. I caught that, friend. I didn't realize ID4 was a Fox franchise but, apparently, it is. I'd love to see those assholes crossover with Marvel. They fit better in that world. Like a better version of the Brood but i digress. For me, the most hype moment was at the end when the controversial predator in question was revealed. I wasn't looking at the design or the skin tone, i immediately geeked out on the broken tusk.

A Weyland-Yutani android? A juvenile Yautja on his Blooded journey who just happens to have a broken tusk? Dare i say it? Dare i hope it? Is Badlands a secret Aliens vs. Predator prequel? Is the young Yautja with the broken tusk actually Broken tusk? The Yautja who blooded Machiko Noguchi in the comics? I've spoken about my love for Machiko at length on this blog. For me, she's the second best protagonist in the Predator/Xeno universe after Ripley. Ma is bad, ass, the first human Blooded by a Yautja, and is a whole as Japanese woman. That first AvP coming series is considered one of the best and set a lot of the lore pertaining to these two crossing over. Badlands feels like world-building. It feels like the ground work to get to that story with the colonies, and the Rhynth, and blooding of Da'dtou-di. God, between this, Prey, and Romulus, i am so hype for the future of this franchise. Especially considering there was a Fox adaption of the AvP comic that was canceled when Disney took over. So much awesome in this trailer but assholes are mad because the Yautja is dark skinned? Word?

[wcnderlnds]

first date | peter maximoff headcanons

・❥・summary: a series of headcanons of everyone’s favourite speedster on a first date・❥・warnings: n/a・❥・authors note: this started out great and then I lost my way but I still wanted to post it anyway <3 if you want to be added to my tag list please fill this out!

Asking you out would’ve been the easy part. Peter isn’t short of confidence so the second he realised he was catching feelings for you — something that didn’t happen very often for him — he’d make a move. It wouldn’t be anything grand. Maybe you’d been hanging out, trying to watch some movie but Peter had been talking all the way through it, occasionally stuffing Twinkies into his mouth. Through his talking, he’d casually drop “hey, so, want to go on a date or something?” Obviously, after the initial shock had wore off, your answer would be an immediate yes.

It was planning the actual date that was the hard part for him. Let’s be honest, Peter isn’t the most romantic guy on the planet. That paired with the fact he’d probably only been on three proper dates in his life (mostly opting for hook ups — fear of commitment say what) made it difficult. His first choice would have been the arcade but no. That was no place to take someone like you. You deserved much better for a first date. Luckily, the carnival was in town. Sure, he could’ve easily ran you to a different state or country to find one but he figured running across the world was at least a third date thing.

The day of the date is when the nerves would hit him but he’d hide it as best he could. As you walked around the carnival grounds marvelling at all the rides and games, Peter would be rubbing his sweaty palms on his shirt because there’s no way he’d ruin his jacket. When your hand did finally slip into his, he’d feel more at ease wondering why the hell he’d been so nervous anyway.

That was because he really liked you. It was evident in the way he determinedly tried to win you the biggest bear in the place. He stood throwing the balls, aiming for the cups. “We’re not leaving here until I’ve won you that giant ass bear, babe. That’s a promise.” And, he would. It’d take him only three games before he finally won you the thing. The smile on your face as he handed it over to you was worth trying a million times.

After you'd try out the rides, Peter would suggest grabbing a bite to eat. The guy is always hungry and the second he spotted the hot dog stand, he'd been dying to grab one. He'd find a spare bench for the two of you to eat and talk. This would be where you'd find out more about him. He'd tell you about his mom and sister -- how he was estranged from his dad (but he totally planned on telling him one day), how he first realised he was a mutant, his favourite video games, etc. And, in turn, you'd tell him all about yourself. He'd ask all the right questions, nodding along, chiming in when he could. Peter wasn't usually a good listener but when it came to you, he'd want to know anything and everything.

Peter would always have a hand touching you whether it was his hand in yours or his hand on the small of your back as you walked around, he liked knowing you were there. That you were with him. Maybe it was also to show off to anyone else that was eyeing you up, too. He was the one you had chosen, not them.

Internally, all through the night Peter would be trying to think of the perfect moment to kiss you. Did you even kiss on the first date? Would you even want to kiss him? There'd be times you'd have to knock him out of his thoughts. "Sorry, just got lost in how pretty you are."

When it came time to go, Peter would walk you home. It was one of the first times he'd want to go slow; savouring every second he got to spend with you.

The chill in the night air meant you'd probably be cold and Peter couldn't have that. He'd pull off his jacket, draping it over your shoulders. When you'd question if he was cold since he was no only in his Rush shirt, he'd wave you off. "Eh, I'll be fine. You're more important. How can I take you out again if you get sick?"

'This is it', he'd think to himself as you stood on the porch of your house. This was the moment he'd kiss you.

His eyes would flicker to your lips, his hand almost hesitantly resting on your hip to pull you close. "I had an awesome time tonight..." He'd pause for a moment, his cheeks reddening slightly. "I really want to kiss you right now."

"Then do it."

Peter didn't need telling twice, his lips would meet yours in a slow, gentle kiss. The taste of your lips intoxicating his senses, knowing damn well that he would easily get addicted to you.

Actually, he already was. There was no doubt in his mind that there'd be many more dates in the future.

taglist: @strawb3rrystar @ldydeath @bohnerrific69 @honeymoon8 @jazzy-reads @mistysconcilium @marchsfreakshow @lacucarachapisser @decaf-mother

[jxsterr]

back at it again but this time i’m worked up thinking about zelink and sleeping as a way to deal with all of the trauma of immediate post calamity.

because, realistically, they are both going to be beyond exhausted. that fight took everything they had within them and more—link had been preparing for it for months on end without so much as a proper night’s rest, and zelda had been slaving away for the better part of a century using every ounce of energy within her to keep this beast at bay. so it’s pretty reasonable that the first thing the pair of them are going to yearn for is a bed and some damn good sleep now that blood moons won’t be knocking on the window every few days.

but just hear me out. for the first couple of days going on weeks link’s only priority is making sure zelda is okay. he cooks for her, makes sure she’s drunk enough water, and keeps the bedsheets clean and comfortable for her to collapse into them whenever she wants. she’s essentially bedbound for the first week, only ever able to really sit up to eat for a bit before the waves of exhaustion call for her to come crashing back down against her pillow—whether or not she wants to. she’s in no fit state to do anything, bless her, and he recognises that. he’s exhausted beyond reason himself but someone has to be the one sat beside her bed, ready to soothe the night terrors that inevitably creep their way into her unsuspecting mind. he doesn’t really care either. the woman who has haunted everything he’s come across in this world, whose presence has touched almost every memory he can conjure up, whose spirit he just can’t seem to shake because he knows there’s something there, a reason as to why he can’t help but heed her call no matter what he does, has just returned to him. the only surviving remnant of his past, the only face he so desperately wanted to see smile again for reasons he couldn’t dig up—of course nursing her back to health is his first priority.

but she worries about him too, about her knight turned friend who just won’t stop doing things for her despite the fact that she can see the very consequences of his fatigue etched deep into his skin. she wants so desperately for him to stop for a moment and sit with her and let her do something in amongst it all. he’s so much lighter than he used to be before he died but by hylia herself has he not shed the skin of a warrior. he laughs more, talks with a little less restraint, and pulls out all sorts of ridiculous things he’s accrued across his travels for her to marvel at while sat up in bed—all for shadows to have set so deeply under his eyes and his face to have lost a little bit of that roundness she’d grown so fond of. she can see how much he needs to sleep too, to rejuvenate again even though he would simply argue that all he’s done is sleep. she sees it when she peers over the loft banister and finds him, face against arms, asleep at the kitchen table, or when she wakes up and realises he’s fallen asleep sat on the floor with his head against the mattress again and all she can do is feel guilt that she has his bed and not him.

so one day she has enough. she waits until she’s settled into bed with him on a stool at her side, book in hand, otherwise he’ll fall asleep himself, and she plucks it unceremoniously from his hands and discards it on the bedside table. she waits until he looks at her thoroughly bewildered for her to finally muster up the courage to say, “i need you to sleep, link. i see how exhausted you are, i see how much you push yourself. i feel awful for being the only one in this bed, so please, do me a favour, and sleep beside me,” and stares at him with enough conviction to move mountains that her own eventually concedes and climbs in next to her.

it’s nothing more than two bodies sleeping next to one another for the first few days, but it’s enough that it makes a visible impact on the pair of them. zelda sleeps better, more soundly, with a considerable dip in the number of night terrors, while link himself finally just sleeps for the first time in what feels like years. it does them wonders. so much so, in fact, they sleep away the first two days entirely. link wakes up, groggy, and turns over with the intention of getting out of bed because goddess knows what time it is and she probably needs something to eat—but a sleep-ridden hand moves quick enough to land on his shoulder with something mumbled about ‘don’t leave’ and it’s so sincere and desperate that he gives in and turns back over, only for said hand to only still once it nestles itself against the palm of his hand. he’s too drowsy to even think much of it so he just curls his hand around hers in return until that signature hum of hers rings out to signify that her wants have been quelled.

it continues like that, small increases in physical affection, until it’s the norm to absolutely entangle themselves in one another. until zelda is able to do more around the house but potters down the loft stairs in search of him to tug gently at his arm and tell him that she’s tired—a silent ask to come to bed with her even if it’s the middle of the day—and he obliges every time. it’s nice, being this useless to the world, enough where they can gather as much of themselves as they need to by merely sleeping the days away. until their mornings are signified by the raise of the moon and the slow bleed of pinks and oranges into the sky signalling their retreat to bed.

every nap goes the same, too. zelda scoots herself into the inner side of the bed and lays with arms outstretched, waiting for her knight to come clambering in between them so she may wrap them tightly around his warm body and pull him close until his face is nestled deeply into her chest, protecting him the way she’s always wanted to. she may not be able to wield a sword, but she can protect his open heart for as long as her hand weaves through his locks until she feels his body go slack against her. she likes her corner, he likes the safety of her arms, it works perfectly.

impa doesn’t appreciate just how long it’s taken them to realise they’ve been sleeping away the days for over a month now, and thus are visiting late, but it’s hard to object when her princess is sparkling and link looks more like himself than he ever has.

[batsandbugs]

THE CONTINUATION OF THE IKEA VERSE

Okay, so this isn't quite an actual update yet, but I've been gone for a while and I wanted to let y'all know what's going on.

The last chapter of Classification System has been fighting me. Bruce and Damian's confrontation is important, but, up until now, I had no clue how it needed to go, or wanted it to end. After all, this story never had a planned plot, and was rather more a chaotic amalgamation of vibes that grew legs and dragged me along for the ride. While that worked well for the first story, the second wanted to veer into serious territory, which is maybe why it was fighting me so hard. I have serious stories, but IKEA Verse has never really been one of them.

So I started thinking of a third installment, hoping this inspiration would drive me to find the proper course for how Bruce and Damian's confrontation should unfold. So I put on my thinking cap, and thought, "hmmm... how am I going to bring back the fun and excitement and hilarity of the first installment, while still continuing Damian and Marinette's relationship?"

And my evil brain responded with...

"~Bigger is better, and better is bigger, a little bit is never enough, no, no, no!~"

So, ladies, gents, and others I now present to you the third installment of The IKEA VERSE:

THE GREAT GOTHAM SEWER RACE

CALLING ALL RACERS! Underneath Gotham lay miles of caverns, lava pools, zombie hordes, interdimensional racing tracks, funhouse hallways, a maze full of doors that do not open and lead into a never ending madness, a mysterious banked fog, submerged waterways, ancient temples, and more! Come try your hand at claiming the ultimate prize which lay hidden at the finish line.

If you survive...

Coming 2024!

So... yeah, IKEA Game Verse is getting a third installment. The last chapter of Classification System, should be out sometime within the next month or two, now that I have proper motivation to get it finished. And starting the new year I'll be posting the Great Gotham Sewer Race! Hope this makes up for the months of radio silence (although I have posted a few chapters of my Marvel fic, so I haven't been totally silent).

As always, all comments, suggestions, and ideas are welcome! The bigger and crazier the better and if it's good, there's a high likelihood it'll end up in the story (after all the knowledge of IKEA stores with ball pits was given via comment, and we all know how that panned out.) Think Hanabarbara Wacky Races! If anyone still remembers that show. Tell me who you want to see! ANYONE IN DC is open for consideration, other fandoms are also encouraged (the caverns beneath Gotham are interdimensional and inter-universal!) Tell me if there's any challenge, or obstacle, or event you want to see! I'm open anything and everything.

I hope this sparks excitement for y'all as it has done for me. See you soon!

[writingoddess1125]

Blowin' Me Up Pt. 2

Kurt Wagner and Azazel Fanfic 

Mild Kurt Wagner and Reader 

Takes place in the 80′s after Apocalypses. I took a lot of creative libraries with this so just know this isn't accurate to anything! Gender N! Reader 

Also don't own X-Men obviously.  (i fucking wish..)  

This one was in the drafts for like- 2 years? Might as well post it!

Previous <<

Marvel Masterlist <<

Kofi

When Azazel came back to, He was laid on the dirty stairs were a bouncer and Angel surrounded him- His head laid on the metal steps as the world seemed too much all at once, a unfamiliar feeling hitting his chest and making his head spin.

"Alright up you go" He heard the bouncer say, the younger man grabbing his arm as gently as possible to help him back to his feet. Swaying a but which lead to Angel grabbing him as well.

It was humiliating for a World Class Agent to be assisted by some random bouncer and a women half his size to a proper chair-

However Zaz was in truth too out of it to even let that humiliation settle on him, his mind woozy and like he had just been hit by a car. Which he defiently had before...

"Does he have any medical conditions? Do we need to call an ambulance" The concerned mutant bouncer asked Angel, who was trying to smooth over the situation and try not to draw as much attention to them- risking their mission.

"No No its fine- This was so out of the blue for him-"

Azazel felt his brain suddently connect the dots at Angel's words.. Staring at her like she had sprouted a second head and feathers from her ass.

Blue..

Blue...

That boy.. he looked to be around early 20s maybe late teens, just old enough to get unto this club..

Blue

The 60s..

Mystique..

"Эта синяя сука!!"

(That Blue Bitch!)

Azazel screamed out suddently making everyone near him jump in surpsie at his sudden rage, The red man rising from his seat like it had been lit on fire. His face twisted like a thunder storm as he marched past Angel and the bouncer.

"Zaz! Zaz what the hell is wrong wit-"

"Завершите миссию самостоятельно. У меня внезапное дело"

(Finish the Mission yourself. I have sudden Business)

He said in a hurry, knowing Angel had been around him long enough to catch what most he said anyway.

"Of what!?"

"Видимо, похитил собственного ребенка!!"

(Kidnapping my own child apparently!"

The women throwing her hands up dramatically as she watched him flee from the top steps and BAMF away as fast as possible.

"Fuck-"

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

Kurt was leaned against (Y/N)- the two of them on the rooftop of the club cuddled against one another. The alcohol adding a boost of confidence he didn't know he had.

"It's so beautiful here"

"Zis is nice, ja?" he said with a lazy grin, his accent heavier then normal.

(Y/N) nodding at this as they leaned against him more. Kurts tail lazily swaying as he glanced over the street below. His yellow eyes caught sight of a food cart, and he nudged (Y/N) with a grin.

"Look," he said, gesturing toward it. "Vanna grab something?"

(Y/N) laughed of course at Kurts eyes practically pleading, their own stomach growling in agreement. "Yeah, let's get something. Alcohol and an empty stomach never mix well"

With a quick teleport down, the two made there way to the cart. The smell of fried food filled the air, and buzzed duo stood there, practically drooling as the vendor started their order- which the two seemed not to even know what the food was.

(Y/N) fishing in their pockets for money. The sound of faint music from the club mixed with the chatter of the city, creating a lively but relaxing atmosphere for the two students.

That was until a group of clearly drunk humans stumbled into view. They noticed Kurt first. Their steps slowed, eyes narrowing as they took at the mutant.

"Hey," one of them slurred, stumbling closer. "What's with the Halloween costume?"

Another laughed, nudging his friend. "No, that's not a costume. That’s one of those mutant freaks."

The tension in the air shift immediately. Kurt glanced at (Y/N), his expression sober and serious now. He gave a slight nod, signaling that it was time to leave.

"Let me pay real quick-"

They muttered softly, getting out a 20$ to pay for the food that was prepared but not eated. Without a word, both turned to walk away, hoping to avoid any further confrontation.

But the group wasn’t done.

"Where do you think you're going?" one of them called, voice dripping with malice. "Too good to talk to us, freaks?"

"Let’s just go," (Y/N) whispered to Kurt, but the humans were already moving toward the two, blocking the path.

Before the duo could react, one of them shoved Kurt hard. He stumbled back, his tail flicking out instinctively—and in the process, it caught one of the humans on the arm, leaving a thin but noticeable cut.

The injured man cursed loudly. "You freak!" he snarled, reaching down to grab an empty bottle from the ground. With a rage-fueled throw, the bottle sailed through the air and struck Kurt squarely on the head with a sharp crack.

“Kurt!” (Y/N) cried out, rushing toward him as he staggered, clutching his head in pain.

But before (Y/N) could reach him, there was a familiar BAMF. The air around Kurt swirled with the smell of sulfur, and a puff of smoke enveloped him, just as his hand reached out to grab his other half. In an instant, the two vanished, leaving the humans stunned and coughing in the dissipating red cloud.

Just as fast as the BAMF happened it felt like a record skip- before loud music developed the area. (Y/N) was now standing back at the club-

But Kurt nowhere in sight.

"Kurt?.."

Tag List-

@bloodyshadow737 @4c1dtr1p

[natashashill]

you are home

pairing: natasha romanoff x maria hill

word count: 1.4k

warnings: very fluffy like obnoxiously fluffy

a/n: this is a repost from my ao3 account that i didnt follow through on after one post & my first ever fanfic actually

summary: a blackhill proposal that marvel never gave us

Her plan to propose to Natasha had been in works for months. It was a fairly simple plan: buy the ring, talk to Clint to make sure she comes home early tonight, ignore the fact that he would pester her asking for details, make sure the home would look extra pretty when Natasha would arrive home under the pretense of an extra nice date night, and then pop the question after a smooth dinner. There was just one question lingering in the back of her mind, would she say yes?

Maria was sure Natasha loved her, there was no doubt that she didn’t. Natasha might not be the type to say ‘I love you’ often but she showed it by her late-night cuddles, making two coffees instead of one in the mornings, bringing lunch for her when Natasha knew she hasn’t eaten yet, and most importantly: letting her guard down in front of her. However, Natasha was also infamously known for being scared of commitment. There was the time Clint asked her to go with her to some place a few months ahead and she freaked out and avoided him for a full day before he snuck up on her before he accidentally scared her leading to a broken nose, Coulson asking Natasha about their relationship and where they’re headed leading to Natasha ignoring Maria’s calls and texts for a week and getting lucky that they were in different cities at the time, and Natasha keeping her bags packed for a month after they moved in together for ‘just being prepared’ reasons.

Maria wasn’t sure she would say yes. It wasn’t her intention to keep Natasha trapped in their relationship, she just wanted some stability in their lives, something normal in their otherwise outlandish lives. Natasha wasn’t one for planning or stability, and just like that Maria had the mind to end up not proposing. Unfortunately for her, before she reached the table, Natasha had chosen that moment to walk through the door and into the dining area.

“Maria? There you are, what’s all this for?”

Crap.

Maria stared at her blankly for a second before pulling herself together.

“I just wanted to surprise you with a nice dinner, it’s been a while since we’ve had a proper date night.”

Natasha stared at her suspiciously for a second before sitting down at the table. She knew Maria planned to propose to her, she knew it two months ago when she accidentally discovered the ring. She went down to the gym and beat a punching bag until her knuckles turned blue that. Eventually, she stopped and sat on the floor wondering why she wasn’t running yet. Two years ago, she would have went running for the hills if someone brought this up to her. It was then that she realized just how much she fell for Maria Hill. She wouldn’t trade the lazy mornings and breakfast in bed, sneaking kisses from her while at work, stealing Maria’s old West Point hoodies to sleep in while she was away, and her corny jokes that no one finds funny for the world. She gathered herself before going home and joining Maria in bed and did her best to not freak out around her the next morning. If Maria noticed that she had been acting strange after that night, she certainly never brought it up. She knew the way her idiot of a best friend has been grinning all day and pestering her to go home early that today would be the day. She sat in her car for thirty minutes staring blankly wondering if this was right, she would marry Maria in a heartbeat but the consequences of putting her in danger scared her. Maria was an angel and she had too much red in her ledger. She didn’t think she would ever be good enough for Maria but if Maria thought she was, she would gladly accept it.

Dinner went smoother than expected and Natasha started to think she was wrong about her suspicions of the proposal. She swallowed down the strange feeling in her stomach that occurred at that thought. On the other hand, Maria was trembling on the inside. She couldn’t postpone the proposal any further, she knew that, but she also couldn’t bare to face the disappointment that would come if, when Natasha turned her down.

“Natasha, I have loved you since the day I first laid eyes on you albeit the whole assassin thing,”

Fuck, here goes nothing.

She’s finally doing it.

“You’ve had my whole heart for as long as I’ve met you and there isn’t a thing in the world I wouldn’t do for you because I am utterly and completely in love with you. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of how lucky I am to be with you and I never will stop. I am so in love with you and I would spend the rest of my days telling you if you’d let me. I know you’re happy where we are right now, I am too, but part of me craves for the part where this becomes something a more permanent. A small sense of security in our lives were everything else is unknown. I would never want to trap you in our relationship, and you’re not obligated to say yes so feel free to walk a way from this at any time, but the fact that you aren’t running out the door yet gives me a small chance of hope that maybe you do too. What I’m trying to say is, Natasha Romanoff, will you marry me?”

If Natasha had tears streaming down her face at the end of her speech, it wasn’t anyone’s business. Her heart broke a little that Maria thought she wouldn’t say yes though she hasn’t shown her the best responses in the past. Her mind was blank and for the first time in her life, she didn’t know what to say. So, she did the one thing she could do best, and kiss Maria, her fiancée hard.

“Is that a yes?”

Natasha couldn’t help but laugh a little at that and stared at her fondly before softly replying, “yes,” and kissing her again a little softer and longer that time, trying to convey her emotions into it. And lucky for her, Maria knew exactly what she meant.

-

“I have most of the forms filled out Tasha, I just need to write out the names and if there’s a name change.”

“Yeah, I was thinking about just going by Hill, if that’s okay with you?”

Maria looked at her dumbfounded and quite honestly didn’t know what to say.

“It would be more than okay, but you know you don’t have to right? You can keep your last name or we could do hyphenated last names if you would prefer it?”

Natasha fiddled with her fingers a little before explaining. She knew she had nothing to be embarrassed about but she was still getting over the fact that what they shared isn’t a weakness and didn’t want Maria thinking any less of her for her reason, not that she would.

“Mia, I want to take your last name I’m sure of that. I’m more sure of it then any other aspect of this wedding. This proposal, our entire relationship, has been the first time that I have felt like I was a part of a family, that I felt like I was home. I didn’t have a family before I came to SHIELD so Romanova never felt comforting to me, and while Romanoff was nice to pretend that I was making amends; it was never real. But becoming Natasha Hill, joining your life and your family, is more than I could have ever asked for.”

Maria couldn’t find the words to respond to that, and she’s sure that even if she did it wouldn’t do what she was thinking justice, so she simply wrapped her arm around Natasha and pulled her closer, letting her lean her head against her. Kissing her forehead softly, she finished filling out the paperwork before putting them all away into an envelope that could be submitted in tomorrow. For today, she’d spend time with Natasha taking her out for lunch and giving her whatever she wanted, because that’s what she deserved.

[rainbowlapisart]

Now that time has passed I wanna share my thoughts on Deadpool and Wolverine as a film, though I will preface by saying it isn't very positive... also, I admit I was high in the theaters watching this, so please treat this post like what it is: just an opinion.

The opening dance sequence was of course amazing, though there was some noticeable CGI. And I think the concept alone of Deadpool literally digging up Logan's grave is a hilarious way to start the movie.

Unfortunately Deadpool feels lamer and more like an asshole in this one. Especially after his character development in the last film I just can't see him desperately wanting to join the Avengers of all teams. Nando v Movies mentioned this but what the hell even is the Avengers now? And why is Happy in charge of who gets let in? And why wouldn't they let Wade in? Yeah he's gross and crass but he has special forces training and is nigh-unkillable. Y'all let Hawkeye in but not Deadpool?

The setup is interesting though I can't fully get behind the idea of anchor beings-- and the further idea that their death leads to "associated" universes collapsing as well as theirs? I don't know, it comes off as "yeah we have all these other characters you care about but Wolverine is the important one so they'd die without him", which is kind of an insult to those characters and that universe.

I admit, I was never big on Wolverine as a character, I always thought he was cool as hell but the only movie of his I've seen was Logan, which was awesome. So I admit that it may just be a case of the movie wasn't meant for me, but still I am a Deadpool fan so of course I'm gonna see this anyways. Super glad we got a good suit for him but I wish we didn't have to wait until the very end for him to put the cowl on.

The Johnny Storm/Captain America tease and bit was really funny I will say. Personally I was too stoned to get the joke at first, I honest to god thought he was just Chris Evans, but now that I've sobered up the misdirect is really funny.

Deadpool is directly responsible for getting Johnny Storm killed. I know Deadpool is a murderer and maybe I shouldn't give a shit about this, but it just feels like an unlikable thing for him to do. Like... that's a guy. That's a hero. It's not like he was being an ass to Wade or anything, he was an ally to the two and got killed for no good reason.

There was barely any screentime for the side characters that were some of the best parts of the first films. After Deadpool 2 I was really excited to see the X-Force working together in the next movie. The dynamic between Wade, Cable, and Domino are really fun and I think this Wolverine would've fit right in. It feels like a missed opportunity to not have the X-Force be the team to help fight Cassandra.

Speaking of, how about those cameos? I never watched Elektra or Blade so these kind of meant nothing for me. I watched this with my dad and he got pretty excited. Laura doesn't really do anything that memorable other than talk to Logan, and of course Channing Tatum's Gambit is the best character in all of cinema. Completely and utterly obsessed with him and I need a trilogy about him immediately.

I didn't love Wolverine's whole "letting his universe down" thing. It gets hyped up so much then when we learn what happened it was a bit underwhelming. I just can't see a universe where the X-Men are taken down by a mob of humans.

I laughed my ass off lots of times. "The Proposal. :)", "Suck it Fox, I'm going to Disneyland", "There's only ever gonna be one Blade", "He has risen, babygirl!", and pretty much everything out of Nicepool.

In general it kinda feels like it's regressing what was so good about Deadpool 1 and 2. It also feels like it's more for fans of the Fox Marvel movies than Deadpool fans. I hope that since this movie is "Deadpool and Wolverine" that means we can get a more proper Deadpool 3 in the future that brings back those who I missed dearly.

[luimagines]

HI PINKY ! 🎻 Anon here ✧⁠◝⁠(⁠⁰⁠▿⁠⁰⁠)⁠◜⁠✧

My finals went overall quite well! (Except for one final but my overall grade was still fine so we're all good) I did end up having my ceiling of my room collapse though! (⁠ノ⁠｀⁠Д⁠´⁠)⁠ノ⁠彡⁠┻⁠━⁠┻ Gotta love landlords that refuse to do proper house maintenance on century old homes. So right before finals had my ceilings collapse, then had finals while stuck sleeping in the living room (to be fair the couch was comfy but the whole setup is less than ideal), and then literally the evening after my last final flew out to literal other side of the planet for college visits. So needless to say I've been rather tired recently! It's been fun though and I also got to see some family that I rarely see again so that was nice. BUT! I finally have the mental bandwidth to send in an ask again. So enough with the dramatic rambling about my life I have more ideas about the human hero reader I thought of!

So! I learned just the other day that an army captain is actually kinda low rank. (At least in the US military, can't speak to other systems) And you usually get there within like 4 years of your career as an officer. And if Wars is around 24-26ish (at least that's how old I usually imagine him since he's one of the older members of the group but not like OLD) and he would have started his time in the military as like a 17-18 year old, buddy boy would actually be behind on his career. (Stick with me this will all come together I swear!)

So I imagine human hero reader (I'm calling them hh!reader for my sanity to specify from here on out for my sanity) ended up getting pulled into the military after saving Hyrule. They really don't like being there, but the royal family of that time doesn't really give reader a choice. I'd imagine them most likely being a very low rank enlisted soldier. (If you require explanations for anything just let me know. I am more than happy to explain and understand most people haven't been raised around this stuff) But because reader didn't want to join the military in the first place and Warriors is one of the MOST wary member of the chain they would probably butt heads quite a bit. I imagine reader with an attitude of while they're usually a very nice person to be around they can hold a strong grudge and aren't afraid to tell someone if they're being an idiot. Not something that goes over well in the military. So reader probably targets at least some of that frustration to the resident military man. And something that would be rather easy to go for is that fact that he still hasn't been promoted. This would probably devolve into him telling them that they suck as a soldier until reader snaps and said they never had any choice in the matter and they storm off. Probably one of the their merry little band would go after reader. I think Sky might be best since he's a knight himself so he'd have a better idea what they were going through. Wind would also be an interesting option especially if it's after the whole "We're the same since we both made the active decision to save Hyrule!" moment. Both are good chances at bonding. Oh yeah I guess it's relevant that I see reader at an older teen age, like 16-17. Yay sibling dynamics (I say this like my only younger sibling doesn't drive me up a wall). I'll prolly add more later but I am tired. And I have a relatively early morning tomorrow.

Hope this was coherent but I actually had motivation for once so I went for it. If any clarification is needed just ask. Make sure to drink water and eat a snack! Self care is important to help prevent burnout. Have a lovely week. Good day/evening) ┌⁠|⁠o⁠^⁠▽⁠^⁠o⁠|⁠┘⁠♪ See you maybe once I've slept and ate. Bye!!

Oh, I thought you going to go the path of Reader outranking Warrior and him not being able to do anything about it. ^.^*

It reminded me of that one post for Marvel where Tony got excited because Rhodey, being Colonel, outranked Steve and could tell him what to do.

I'd imagine if Warrior pulled out the whole "you suck as a soldier" Wild would have to push back a bit because if they suck, what does that make him? He died! Hello? At least Reader had something going for them. They still won in the end with minimal loses on their side.

Wild lost everyone.

So what does Warrior actually think of him then?

[buckyslawyer12]

Let's Talk about Captain America: Brave New World

*Spoilers*

Here's the thing: I don't think it was bad, I think it was weird.

I want to start with the israeli character. She showed up a good half an hour into the movie, did nothing for a total of 10mins of the runtime, and that was it. She could have been completely removed and the plot of the movie would have stayed the same. They made no mention of her "superhero" name Sabra, or even that she's israeli, only that she was a "former Widow." The movie was very obviously cut and edited in a way to reduce her screen time and I think that made the movie feel even weirder.

She should have just been Sharon. They should have just brought Sharon back. Was Emily Vancamp busy? Was her phone off? If you watch the movie and pretend that it's Sharon and not that other woman, her part almost makes sense.

They should have just gotten rid of her. I can almost guarantee she's never going to show up in a movie ever again, and I really hope they bring Sharon back.

As for the movie itself, well, the villains worked well enough, even though they were Hulk villains, not Captain America villains. I think facing the repercussions of the Sokovia Accords and Tiamut made sense. Sam (and Anthony Mackie) did a great job nailing down the core of Captain America not just as a character, but also as an idea. Fighting for what's right, no matter what. So what was wrong?

Something at the core of this movie was fundamentally broken and I cannot figure out what. My friends said they felt like they were missing something, but I don't think it was Isaiah Bradly or Tiamut they were talking about. I felt like if you were even paying half attention you could figure out what was happening around those two things. No, it really felt like a good portion of the movie was sheared off and left on the cutting room floor, but I don't know how they could have managed that.

I would have liked to have seen Sam grapple with letting Joaquin join him as Falcon a lot more. We know Sam's history with losing his first partner all the way back in The Winter Soldier, so I can't imagine he'd be so chill about letting Joaquin fly in this movie. Sam mentions that they've been working together for three years, and I think that was a bad choice. I don't know if it would have been better if this movie came out immediately after TFATWS or if they had just smudged the timeline a little, but I would have loved to have seen Sam and Joaquin's relationship build over a period of time rather than coming out the gate as a proper team. There is no reason to believe that Joaquin hasn't joined Sam on missions as Falcon in the last three years, so why is Sam all worked up about having in the field? And Sam isn't even that worked up about it, not really, only really telling Joaquin to chill and be careful. Sam should have been more reserved and reluctant, so when Joaquin gets shot out of the sky in the end, we feel it more.

Something was also really wrong with Ross. I don't think it was Harrison Ford, who is amazing, but something was wrong about his character. It was probably the extensive retconning they did, and the original actor having passed away didn't help. Ross was never that important and I'm fairly certain the last time he showed up in a Marvel movie was Infinity War for like two seconds so no doubt most people didn't know who Harrison Ford was supposed to be or even who Ross was. I think the main issue was that Ross was dealing with problems that were started in the Edward Norton Hulk movie without the Hulk.

And maybe that's where the fault lies: Sam got Bruce Banner's closure. And I cannot understand why. Sam's story could have just revolved around dealing with Tiamut or what it means to be Captain America in a post-Sokovia Accords world when there are no Avengers. Steven never had to wonder what the point of being Captain America was because he always had the Avengers. There were always threats to punch in the face. Steve had his long-standing foe HYDRA to contend with (which he never actually got closure for, by the way) and then he went off to live the rest of his life. Now what?

That's for Sam to find out.

And you could argue in TFATWS Sam dealt with the issue of "the point of Captain America post-Avengers," but no, not really. In the show, Sam was dealing with an issue that arose out of the consequences of the Blip. The point of that story was Sam coming to terms and accepting that he was Captain America, now he needs to figure out the *point* of Captain America.

Captain America has always been a symbol. A symbol of strength, hope, resilience. He was a symbol during WWII, he was a symbol during the Avengers period. Captain America has never existed out side of strife and conflict.

What is Captain America now?

Brave New World could have been a really good way to figure that out, but that's not what we got.

Instead, we got a weird Captain America movie. And while having Sam on my screen again feels amazing, and I have missed Anthony Mackie, I cannot shake the fact that this movie was really fucking weird.

[impracticalv2]

This app and the people so far have been really chill, so I'm gonna start posting stuff about my interest and whatever, so hello, this is like my proper introduction. I am NOT a social person. I fear social interaction so much, so I'm afraid of people online. I'm doing this whole thing to A. Get over this fear of mine & B. Make more friends because friends are awesome!

Who is this dude?

My friends normally just call me Philipe or Toast

(Both nicknames one from an old gamer tag and another just taken from my name)

I'm a strange person, and I'm not gonna try to act normal to please anyone. I am STRANGE, and I will be embracing it. Now, when I say strange, I don't mean like I'm collecting people's teeth and dried blood. I mean, when I'm speaking, I kinda just don't know what I'm saying. 70% of the time, I will be talking about absolutely f#ck all. (No idea how Tumblr is with swears and all that jazz, so just being safe)

Aside from me being a weirdo most the time the 30% of the time I'm grounded and using the pink thingy in my head to interact, I'm an enjoyable person. I am a YAPPER! When I get going, I won't stop unless someone says to stop, so don't be afraid to shut me down. I can also listen, but something is wrong with my ears, so you'd be hearing a whole lot of "Huh?" & "What'd you say?" I AM TRYING THOUGH I TRY REALLY HARD TO PAY ATTENTION AND LISTEN BUT IT'S DIFFICULT SOMETIMES.

What does this guy like?

Chances are, if you're reading this, I've got you hooked by my natural charm & overwhelming charisma! (I need this for my ego. Let. me. have. it.) Okay, now the part that may connect us. what in the hell am I interested?? Just gonna list some things I enjoy now.

Anime & Manga

Blue Lock (I mean come on it's in the pfp)

Jujutsu Kaisen (ik the ending was kind of lacking and the story just wasn't there sometimes but it has it's moments)

Dungeon Meshi/Delicious in Dungeon

Cyberpunk Edgerunners (The first anime to make me cry like I broke down I'm so serious)

Dragon Ball Z & Super

Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

I watch and read more than this I just can't for the life of me remember anything

Games

The Binding of Isaac (Love hate relationship)

Dead by Daylight (I'm a well-rounded player on both survivor and killer)

Don't Starve (Slowly getting a hang of what the hell I'm meant to be doing)

Guilty Gear Strive (Bridget inspired me to get a yo-yo and I've started practicing)

Minecraft (Everyone loves a bit of Minecraft every now and then)

Outlast Trials (AMAZING GAME BUT MY FRIENDS ABANDON ME ANYTIME A MONSTER COMES BY)

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (I play this game for the OST and gameplay I am NOT a hard-core metal gear lore enthusiast)

Ultimate Marvel Vs Capcom 3 (Iheartjustice made me wanna play Phoenix Wright)

Ace attorney

Roblox (Typical game to have in the lineup nowadays)

YouTuber's

FUNKe - Eye candy and the occasional 4 syllable word has my brain on lock

AstralSpiff - Speedrunner, Streamer, funny stories & a cute cat what more does a person need

SaltyPhish - Don't enjoy overwatch myself anymore but he's still funny

Jschlatt & Basically anything he's in (Sleep deprived, Chuckle Sandwich, collabs, ect)

Ted Nivision - His movie reviews are super funny

Slimecicle - He's goop that's all that really needs to be said

TheRussianBadger - like FUNKe but more, uh AMERICAN.

MichaelReeves - Crazy robot dude

Music & Artist

(To simplify this I'm gonna list the Artist and my favorite song by them)

Will Wood - Misanthrapologist

Sodikken - Redmaggedon

Lyn - Wake up, Get up, Get out there

Green Day - Lowlife (I KNOW IT'S A DEMO IDC IF IT'S LITERALLY PART OF JESUS OF SUBURBIA I STILL WANT IT TO BE A SEPARATE SONG)

Jorge Rivera-Herrans - No longer you

Bear Ghost - Gypsy

Twenty One Pilots - House of Gold

Rare Americans - Brittle Bones Nicky 2

Felix Hagan & the Family - Delirium Tremendous

The Long Faces - Jane!

I have more artist I like but the list just won't stop if I keep going.

Is this dude done talking yet?

Yup, now is the part where I wait for people to hopefully read this then like me, then message me, or however this app works, then FRIENDS! If you read all this, thanks because I spent like an hour typing this out because I'm sorta slow. AND IF YOU'RE READING THIS PART MESSAGE ME ALREADY CHANCES ARE YOU LIKE WHAT I LIKE IF YOU'RE HERE PRECIOUS TIME WE COULD BE CONNECTING IS BEING WASTED WHAT'RE YOU DOING?!?!?

I CAN FLYY DAYY (≧∇≦)/

[taranida]

Tom the Poet or Tom the Filmmaker

I would like all my theories to have evidence that back them up. I’ve come from fandoms where things said are a cute thing, worth considering, but solid theorising comes with quotes, screenshots, counting toes and following the writer’s pattern of three hint and foreshadowings before the big reveal. Therefore, I’m going through the first game yet again to collect all this information and put it in something coherent, something I will be happy with. I hope that the waves of my research will carry me to the proper essay with all the proofs necessary on every statement I’ve made in my first pinned post.

But there are still questions that have no answers as far as I know. One of them: why Tom Zane was made into a filmmaker and by whom?

In Control’s AWE the cutscene where Tom and Alan meet is a toned-down version of their encounter in Room 665. Alan asks if Tom is the Tom, the poet and the diver and Tom replies that it was just a beloved character in his old film. They have the same conversation at the start of Room 665 in Alan Wake II.

Alan seemed always forget that he (or someone else) changed Tom’s identity to filmmaker, still convinced that Thomas Zane he encountered at the start of his journey was a poet and a diver. First, when Tom-the-filmmaker was introduced, I thought that Alan forgot who Zane was and what he learned about him (I wouldn’t put it past Alan: he forgot many things he wrote, even his birthdate somewhat slipped his mind — in 2010 or in the Dark Place; the guide for the first game states that he’s 31, when the statue near the Parliament Tower claims he was born in 1977), but in both cases he kept insisting that Tom was a poet. So, the opposite is true: Alan forgot that Tom now is a filmmaker.

But why is Tom made to be a filmmaker? Even the second game insists that the Tom was a poet: Cynthia notes this in her journal, marvelling at why everyone thinks that he was a filmmaker; even the boys of Old Gods of Asgard say “you need him [Tom] to write the ending,” “art, like Tom’s writing” and “it’s Tom’s story we are dealing with, he’s gotta be the one to rewrite it”. And they are the only three people who knew the real Tom Zane and have some credibility in what he really was: a poet or a filmmaker.

The boys, of course, are a discussion on their own; Tom and Alan are interchangeable in their heads, they might talk about Alan the writer, hence “write, writing, story, rewrite”, but Cynthia has no such issues. She never mistook Alan for Tom, she loved Tom her whole life, devoted to his wishes and for sure wouldn’t mess such a big part of his identity in her head.

Then we have This House of Dreams, where we can read poems, some of them are by Thomas Zane and the Bright Presence shows Samantha that he was indeed a poet. Let’s add Jesse Faden into the mix, who as well, remembers Thomas Zane being a poet and even recites one of his poems in Control’s recordings. She still believes he was a poet somewhere around 2019, judging by her words about her needing to be in New York soon. Only in AWE DLC when she hears Tom claiming he’s a filmmaker, she changes her mind. But at this time, she’s already in yet another Alan’s story, her beliefs shaped by his writing (or by the words of her therapist and this vision of Tom and Alan; take your pick).

So, the question remains: why was Tom made a filmmaker?

My belief here is that Alan (or Scratch — do not confuse with Mr. Scratch) had no need of a poet. In This House of Dreams we see two sets of poems: one is by Thomas Zane and another is by Alan himself, in Control’s AWE Alan also claims that he wrote poems, and what value can Tom-the-poet add to Alan’s attempts to escape? A filmmaker on the other hand, as Tom says in AWII, can make a companion piece for his manuscript. Hence the filmmaker, the auteur.

As a side note. I do believe that the real Thomas Zane never makes his appearance in any games, first we see the Bright Presence possessing the body of Tom, then we see yet another Alan’s face in the Dark Place, that takes shape of what he believes Tom Zane was, and this part of Alan becomes a filmmaker at some point in his journey. After all, as the real Tom once wrote:

When you’re lost You’re lost in your own company

[brw]

Hi! I was wondering if you have any recommendations for comics where Hank & Simon make an appearance together? Also where to read them, if you have that information.

Also, I love your blog, being for the 5 people who like these characters. <3

Omg hiiiiiii! Yes, I will be more than happy to write out a reading list for you! I'll do my best to compile every notable moment or issue where they get a lot of focus, unfortunately there are large gaps in things so there's a really big tone disparity between some of these issues just because of the time that's passed between them, so I'll try to give vague synopsis' when necessary about what's been going on since their last notable interactions.

Avengers V1 #151-#153, Avengers Annual #8 is Simon's resurrection after his death in his debut appearance, and is the foundation for their relationship.

Avengers V1 #160 is just generally a really important Simon issue, and there's only really one or two moments with Hank it, but I think it provides important context to why Simon is the way he is, and how much Hank learns about Simon so early on in their relationship. Hank makes Simon a costume in #161, and it's very ugly.

Avengers V1 #164, #181, #194, #197-#198 (it is imperitive you ignore the Carol arc here. don't worry about it), #201, #203, and ending with #211 are their main stint on the Avengers together, but you can read all of the issues in between these if you so choose! These are just the ones with the more notable scenes. This is the main era of Wonderbeast, and after this Simon soon gets sucked into WCA and Hank into X-Factor and eventually the X-Men proper. There's a few random issues here and there, but we don't get a proper reunion until...

Wonder Man V2 #5-#6, post WCA, in Simon's asshole era. Hank also appears in both Annuals, and in #23-#25 where Simon goes to biblical hell, don't worry about it.

Avengers V3 #14 is their next meeting, after Simon has died in Force Works #1 and Hank grieved for him at his funeral in Tales of the Marvels: Wonder Years. Good issue!

Avengers Two: Wonder Man and the Beast

Their next major appearance together won't be until Avengers V4 Annual, which is the tail end of an arc where Simon went crazy and assembled a team of superheroes to like take down the Avengers or whatever. Don't worry about it.

A+X #12 deals with the fallout of the above. That's +, not vs.

Uncanny Avengers V3 #28

X-Force V6 #49-#50, this is in Hank's evil war crimes era, or more accurately, signals the end of it, and these issues permanently change my brain chemistry. Genuinely insane stuff. I won't spoil anything if this is your first forey but my G-d.

Bonus! Exiles V2 #1-#6 has a Hank who canonically was in a relationship with his Wonder Man, and this series was cancelled early and you can TELL they had more planned for this iteration of the characters but alas...... we will never know :(

And I think that covers all of their major appearances! I hope you have a fun time reading, and if you want me to track down some of those minor, a little more obscure appearances, let me know! :33

[pinkiepognie]

How have you been lately?

Oh boy, recap time!

Let's see, it's been.... 2 years since I've been around? Going off the posts from @/asktacobell at least.

Okay, so. I started college and am pursuing a degree in creative writing. I'm starting with an AA, but the goal is to go all the way up to Masters (: I'm at the community college level right now, and the local university has a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program that I'm intending to transfer to. I'm set to graduate with my AA in Spring of 2026, and will be the first woman in my family line to get a degree of any sort <3

I'm gonna be so real chat I got hot after I got dumped. I got my medical conditions under control (and also dropped ~70 pounds in the process), I got some more proper diagnoses for my mental health issues and thus has allowed me to be properly medicated, and all of that has genuinely allowed me to heal. It was a really, really rough road for a while. I think I went a few months without even drawing and even longer from going outside? But it was genuinely a huge, important part of my life. I learned who my true friends were and who I could rely on, and I also made some new friends that I now couldn't even imagine my life without.

I'm still living at home, but the goal after I get my AA is to apply for a real job so I can start saving money while I go to school for my BA (and eventually my MFA). I've been raising chickens and wound up with a new rescue cat because the Cat Distribution System decided that 4 cats was NOT enough for my ass (':

I'm at a point in my journey now where I'm starting to return to who I was in 2011-2016 before things just got absolutely insane for me. Everything has been going so well and I'm so excited to feel healthy enough (mentally, emotionally, and physically) to return to doing the things I love <3

(I've also been obsessively playing Marvel Rivals, but that's a different story lmao)

[bloodyshadow1]

Guiding Wisdom ch 11

Someone told me that they couldn't read my story anymore since I put it so only people with ao3 accounts can read it because AI is using Ao3 now. I felt bad so I thought I'd post the newest chapter here

It was breathtaking being in front of her mother’s villa. Despite how many times she visited, Olympus never lost its grandeur, but she had never been here. It was standard, if still impressive due to the size and style, but less obnoxious compared to Zeus’. It reminded Annabeth of the Athena Cabin back at Camp Half-Blood. It was made of gray stone, perfectly symmetrical, it was one of the most beautiful buildings Annabeth had ever seen.

“It is pretty nice right,” Athena said more than asked, “let us go inside,” she suggested. “Unless you would like to study the exterior more. It is up to you.”

“It’s fine mom,” Annabeth said, but she was still looking over every inch of the outside of the palace, marveling at its beauty. “I can come outside later, right,” she finished questioningly. She knew Athena planned on inviting her children, but that didn’t mean it was an open invitation. Right?

“Of course,” Athena agreed, though clearly out of her depths, “my home should be open to my children whenever they visit Olympus. Even on your sabbatical you are here most often. Visit as often as you like. Though I cannot guarantee that I will be here. My duties make it so I rarely have time to use my lands as anything other than a glorified office.”

“I guess you are always busy,” Annabeth said, trying to sound sincere, not bitter. Athena was an important goddess, Annabeth understood that, but growing up she would have killed for a chance to do anything like this with her mom as a kid.

“Yes,” Athena admitted, “but that has lessened, if only slightly. For now, things have calmed down, there is no threat on the horizon that I can see. Many of our ancient enemies are put to rest for now, in no small part thanks to you and your friends. I am no longer needed in war rooms where I am continuously ignored.” Not that she was bitter. “I wish to make up for lost time, as it were.”

“It’s a start,” Annabeth said neutrally. She wouldn’t hide the pain Minerva had put her through, and she was close enough to Athena that Annabeth didn’t know how much overlap there was. A 12 year old Annabeth would have loved everything Athena was trying to do. Annabeth as 19 could only hope it was real, maybe afraid and cursing herself for being hopeful, but the gods can change. So she could allow herself to hope, it had worked with Fredrick to an extent.

“That is all I can ask,” Athena said, bidding her daughter inside. The entrance hall of Athena’s estate was a wide room that was mostly plain. Two statues stood on either side of the doorway of gray stone, one of Artemis the other of Persephone. Each created by a master’s hand. Other than that it was a chamber made of white stone and plain walls. “Please take off your shoes,” Athena said as she took off her own. “Socks are fine or I can provide indoor slippers if that’s what you prefer. But no one is allowed to walk around my home with dirty shoes.” Hermes walked through her home with muddy shoes once, once and that was all he needed to learn the proper etiquette of Athena’s palace.

Annabeth didn’t mind, it was a simple rule and seeing her mother follow it too despite making the rule ended any argument that she might have made. It was polite and she didn’t mind, especially once she put on the slippers her mother provided. They were like walking on clouds.

“This is the main living quarters,” Athena explained, though her tone made it clear she was aware it was unnecessary. “I figured this would be where most of the hosting and socializing would be done, at least at first.”

Annabeth looked around, it was a huge room, slightly smaller than an auditorium, with high ceilings. Unlike the entranceway, the walls were covered with fine art and tapestries each made with a master’s hand like everything in the home seemed to be. Ancient weapons and armor from heroes lost to time, some on the wall, others draped over manikins. Even some posters of plays and signed headshots of actors from the age of the silent film to today. There was no rhyme or reason solidifying a style amongst the art work, some were scenes of battle, others love, others abstract art, but the lack of uniform almost seemed to pull the room together. It was like a less tacky theme restaurant with the walls covered in memorabilia.

Annabeth wished Rachel was there with her. Annabeth could appreciate good art, but her oracle friend would have a field day in this room alone.

There were couches, ones that looked old and worn, but seemed comfortable. Odd, though perhaps not too odd given who Athena was, but there was also a loom in the corner that stood out to Annabeth. “This is a lot of space,” Annabeth noted as she took everything in. Athena wanted her to help so she would do her best. “Maybe a bit…, too much. It almost feels overwhelming even with the entire Athena Cabin here, it’s a huge palace.”

“I suppose so,” Athena agreed, reluctantly. “I like my open space, but perhaps for the sake of my children, I could make it slightly less overwhelming.” With a wave of her hand the room grew smaller.

To Annabeth it didn’t even look like the room shrunk in size, it just was suddenly smaller. The powers of the gods were always impressive, despite not wanting to become one, Annabeth envied her mother’s power. She was about to say something to her mother, but stopped when she saw Athena take a deep slow breath. Annabeth didn’t know if her mother even remembered she was there right now, but for both their sakes she pretended to look away and give Athena some privacy. She didn’t have to pretend that hard, even in a smaller room, the artwork in the room was beautiful.

After a moment Athena approached her, “do you have any other suggestions for this room,” she asked, as if she did not need a minute to breathe.

“I was thinking that for the actual get together,” Annabeth started. ‘Get together’ sounded odd in her mouth, but ‘party’ didn’t really fit her idea of Athena either. “Carpet might work better. The tile on the floor is gorgeous and easier to clean, but it can feel a bit cold and detached where you want the atmosphere to be welcoming. Something softer might not be as grand, but it will be better at putting people at ease.”

“That does make sense,” Athena agreed, though Annabeth could see that it was hurting her mother to change her beautiful tile floor to carpet. Still, she took her daughter’s suggestion without argument. “What are you thinking,” she said and with a snap of her fingers the floor was covered in a short gray carpet. She looked at Annabeth for approval.

“Let’s put it on the maybe column,” Annabeth suggested.

Without missing a step, Athena touched the wall beside her and a white board emerged from it. At the top were three columns, yes written in blue, no written in red, and maybe written in green. Under the green was the equivalent of a thumbnail of the current gray carpet. “Then let us keep trying,” Athena suggested with a small, hopeful smile on her face.

“Let’s,” Annabeth agreed, trying to return the smile. For the next ten minutes or so the two of them had a genuinely fun time going through every type of carpet that the goddess of crafts and a girl with a dream of being an architect could conceive of. No matter how ugly or outlandish with Athena’s ability she could summon and create any pattern or image.

Annabeth even got her mother to laugh when she suggested a Lisa Frank unicorn carpet. When Athena summoned it the two of them agreed that the woman had a style, but not was a definite no. The maybes and nos filled up fast but they settled on a silver gray carpet that is soft long. “Oh yeah,” Annabeth said as she rubbed her hand over the soft carpet. “This is nice, a few sleeping bags and we wouldn’t need pillows to sleep in here.”

“That might be the case Annabeth, but I am not going to force my children to sleep in my den,” Athena said walking over to her daughter.

The idea of having her own room in her mother’s home was a childhood dream to Annabeth. To actually feel welcomed by a parent enough to have her own space, she loved her siblings but even though the Athena cabin was better equipped than the others on space, it still could feel like she never had privacy.

Still, “that’s really nice of you mom,” Annabeth said, “but I’m sure my siblings would appreciate that, but most of us are used to living at camp, you know in a communal living space. I freaked out the first night my roommate spent the night at her girlfriend’s and I was left completely alone.” She called Percy who had experience in a big open space alone since he was the only one in the Poseidon cabin, but she didn’t need to tell Athena that.

“I suppose you are correct,” Athena said with a nod, “but then most of your siblings are probably used to it by now. And sleeping on the floor probably is not good for some of them.”

“What do you mean,” Annabeth asked confused.

“Well Jeremiah is in his 60’s. I doubt he would be interested in sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag, no matter how comfortable I make the carpet,” Athena explained.

“Who is Jeremiah,” Annabeth asked, her confusion continued.

“He is your older brother,” Athena said as if it were obvious, “a teacher at Yale, enjoys opera and showtunes, has been living with his boyfriend for the past 43 years in a domestic partnership since their love is ‘illegal’ here,” she finished bitterly.

Athena had no interest in romantic love, she had only experienced it once in her immortal life and that was enough, but she seethed at the idea that her children were not allowed to wed their chosen partners. Similar problems had happened before interracial marriage was legalized too, and Athena was sick of it.

“My older brother,” Annabeth practically whispered. Logically, she knew that she had older siblings, she could still remember Sofia, the head of the Athena Cabin when she first arrived at camp. She had been nice enough, nicer than Thalia had been at first, but Annabeth never saw her after her first summer. She had been too old to spend her life in a summer camp, like Annabeth was currently, but even though she had never heard about Sofia dying, Annabeth assumed the worst, especially once the war started.

Historically Annabeth knew she had famous half-siblings, George Washington, Daedalus, and Frederic Bartholdi to name a few. But it was hard to wrap her head around the idea of older children of Athena out there in the world. Even without the option to go to New Rome.

“There are roughly 60 of my children alive currently,” Athena said seeing Annabeth’s confusion, “including the Athena Cabin at Camp.” There should be more, so many more, she cursed herself internally. Her children did not have the powerful scents that children of the Big Three had, in fact their scent was weaker than most demi-gods due to the lack of fantastic powers gifted to them. And her children were perhaps the most dangerous to monsters if they lived to 18 since survival was due to their skills in battle, not divine power. The soulless ones often chose a meal less likely to fight back than a fully grown child of Athena. If not for her pride and Minerva’s madness there would be dozens more, maybe even over a hundred.

The Athena Parthenos was a powerful relic and it helped unite the Greek and Roman demi-gods, but Athena regretted how many of her children she sent to their deaths to retrieve it. Part of her wished she could blame all of the coins that dangled from Arache on Minerva’s actions, but that would be wrong. Athena would not hide from the horrors she caused.

“I am unsure of how many will attend,” Athena said aloud, both to save her daughter and herself from their own spiral. “I still receive prayers every now and then, but as children of the gods grow older, most of them choose to leave that part of their lives behind. To become a key part of the mortal world than ours,” she said sadly. Athena did not blame them, it was common for many reasons. Once you became an adult, it was harder to pray to an absent parent for help, if they were not there for you as a child, why would they be there for you when you can stand on your own two feet.

Annabeth stood there, lost in her own head. Shaken from her discovery of having older siblings, who were out in the real world, alive. There were too many thoughts, happy that there was proof she had a future even outside of New Rome, but she couldn’t help but be bitter too. If there were adult demi-gods out in the world, why did everything have to fall on kids like her? Why didn’t they fight in the war against the titans, or Gaia, or the Triumvirate? They got rewarded for living to adulthood while she and Percy saved the world when they were twelve and kept having to do so every year.

It was just so complicated, but maybe also a little hopeful. Annabeth thought New Rome was their only choice for a future. Monsters might attack adult demi-gods less, but Percy’s scent was strong even now. They thought twice before attacking a son of Poseidon at his age, especially one as infamous as Percy, but would that be the same once they had kids. Do legacies have the scent that their parents or grandparents would? It was all just too much.

“Perhaps we should move on to the other rooms of the palace,” Athena suggested, she could tell Annabeth’s brilliant mind would be fixated on this if she was not distracted. Something Diomedes said happened to her all the time. If Annabeth needed time, she would have it, but Athena was proof that sometimes you needed to be saved from yourself.

“Yeah,” Annabeth managed to get out, “that would be for the best.” She didn’t have time to be bitter or hopeful. She had to remember she was helping her mother, she could deal with meeting her older siblings when she met them.

The next room was the kitchen, a kitchen from the future and from a chef’s dream. A massive state of the art kitchen with a fridge bigger than Annabeth’s dorm. Dozens of gadgets lined the shelves, some that Annabeth could not even begin to conceive of their uses. There was a black marble island in the center of the room where there was a sink and counter space.

“I always had an interest in cooking,” Athena admitted as she looked around her kitchen. “It was a rather interesting quandary for me. As a goddess I do not need to eat food like a mortal. Offerings and Ambrosia keep me sated. Yet, there are many foods that mortals make, some wonderful, some awful, but with millions, if not billions of recipes throughout time. It is rare to find something that tastes better than Ambrosia, but it does happen every now and then and it is fascinating.” Sally’s cookies for instance.

“So I like to learn how to make food despite it being inefficient for me,” Athena continued. “It is fun to learn recipes and cooking techniques from around the world.”

“I thought that this would be the best place to have snacks and other foodstuffs,” Athena said, fearing she made things awkward with her explanation. “It keeps things organized and if anyone wishes for something else, I can make it for them here.”

“That would probably be best,” Annabeth said, getting into design mode. She wasn’t an interior designer, but she had an eye for things. “You should make a lot of those cookies Sally taught you to make.”

“I can assume that you enjoyed them then,” Athena asked hesitantly. Athena thought they were tasty, but she did not have the courage to see if her children enjoyed them.

“Yeah, they were really good,” Annabeth told her sincerely. They weren’t the same as Sally’s, for some reason they tasted differently even though they were the same recipe, but they were delicious. Percy said they weren’t as good as his mom’s, but that didn’t stop him from inhaling half the box her mother left for her.

“I am glad you enjoyed them, I will be happy to make more for the gathering,” Athena said with a gentle smile that was rarely seen on her face.

From there, they continued the tour, each room being massive and beautiful with artwork adorning the walls that Annabeth had never seen. She’d have to take pictures to share with Rachel the next chance she had. It didn’t take much, Athena had impeccable tastes, even if it was a bit much sometimes. Athena’s palace would be full of masterpieces, but like the size of the rooms it could be overwhelming to be a mortal, or even half and know any one of these paintings, sculptures, or tapestries would be worth more than any house she’d be able to fine with Percy once they graduated.

It was the library/workshop that really made Annabeth gasp. It was huge, like every room in the palace, but this one at least looked lived in. It didn’t even have a roof, more of a veranda over the entrance, but it looked out over all of New York. The massive shelves are covered in books, some new, but others older than her father, older than this country. It made the Circe’s library on her island seem pitiful.

Then there was the craft section that made up the second half of the area reminded Annabeth of Daedalus’ workshop. Mixes of ancient and modern tools to craft every sort of medium Annabeth had ever heard of and many she didn’t. Easels, pottery wheels, of course a loom, Athena’s specialty, but there were tables for metal etchings and even a computer set up for digital art that would make the Hephestus kids drool.

“Mom…,” Annabeth was finally able to get out once she found her voice in the midst of her wonder, “the size of all these rooms?”

“You may ask your questions with no fear of retaliation Annabeth,” Athena told her as she grew more solemn, but not angry.

Annabeth figured Athena already knew what she was about to ask. It bothered her, but she still gave Annabeth permission. “When we were talking with Sally,” Annabeth said carefully, “you spoke of your birth, or after your birth. How you were in Zeus’ stomach. It sounded horrible, obviously, but the way you talked about it…, I could tell from your face that it still bothers you. Seeing this place, it’s beautiful, but the size of everything puts everything into perspective. Are you claustrophobic?”

For a moment Athena just stared out into the city, her face stone. But eventually she softened, “yes, I am. It is not debilitating, but it is uncomfortable being reminded of where I was first born. I become more…, testy and am more prone to irrational behavior.”

“I never knew,” Annabeth told her.

“I did not wish anyone to know, only a handful of beings know of my weakness,” Athena said, her voice full of disappointment in herself. Diomedes of course, Artemis and Persephone who helped her through episodes when they were younger, Hestia probably, and Pallas who died with that secret inside her. Not even her owls knew, some might have an inkling, but most were happy that the rooms of her palace were so large it made it easy to fly in.

Oh and Triton, he had been the one to explain it to her. That was before Claustrophobia had a name since it was before Psyche or Dionysus, but the phobia existed before the name. Despite the bad blood between them, he never told anyone of her weakness and she was grateful.

“We change things back and keep the ceilings high mom,” Annabeth assured her.

Hearing her daughter’s concern for mental state warmed Athena’s heart. She was still unused to having her children care about her, it was an alien but nice feeling. “It is alright Annabeth. The rooms are still large enough that it is not uncomfortable to be in them. Perhaps they will even be cozy when all of my children arrive,” Athena assured her. “Besides, if it becomes…overwhelming, I can change it back until the gathering and return the changes when I am hosting. I will be fine,” she assured her daughter.

Annabeth looked like she wanted to argue, but decided against it, “if you’re sure.”

“I am,” Athena promised, even with Annabeth suggesting smaller rooms, they would still be huge for anyone other than her. Athena was sure she could manage for a few days if it made her children happy. “Let us continue, we can head to the outside from here,” she said, with what she hoped was a sincere smile on her face.

The effectiveness of said smile was debatable, but Annabeth did agree to move on so Athena counted that as a win. As they moved through the workshop however Athena stopped her. “I do not want to alarm you, but there might be something triggering for you up ahead. I will let you choose if you wish to continue, we can see it or I can hide it if you would like, whatever you want, I will respect your choice.”

“What is it,” Annabeth asked surprised that there was something in her mother’s art gallery that Athena thought she should be warned about.

“A piece of rope,” Athena said reluctantly.

“A piece of rope,” Annabeth repeated, not understanding what her mother thought that would frighten her.

“Yes, a piece of rope that was expertly woven by one of my daughters to save herself in her own personal hell on earth,” Athena said sadly and reluctantly.

Annabeth’s eyes went wide as she understood what her mother was getting at. Despite herself, she walked forward and saw the rope made of discarded kite string that she wove years ago in Arachne’s lair. It was the bridge she made all those years ago, mounted on the wall amongst all the other art and majesty that Athena had collected over the years, yet it was displayed as if it was the blade of a great hero.

“I don’t understand I burnt this,” Annabeth said, her heart pounding in her chest as she remembered that day. Before Tartarus it had been the worst day of her life. Trapped in a monster’s lair, surrounded by spiders and misogynistic ghosts, a broken ankle in the dark without even her hat as a magical item. She had woven the kite string into a bridge as a last resort that paid off, she needed to cross a chasm before the spiders could get her. She burnt it to keep them from following her, or at least to slow them down.

“You did,” Athena explained gently as she approached her daughter, she did not touch her, afraid to set her off, but she wanted to be there if Annabeth needed her. “But fire falls under my aunt’s domain. Hestia retrieved the rope, your first act of weaving and brought it to me, telling me,” really yelling at her, “how your wits and skill saved your life.”

It had been a little after Annabeth and Percy fell into the abyss. Athena’s head was nearly torn open as Minerva grappled with her for control. Hestia betraying her had been enough to give Athena the edge to maintain control for a moment, but not keep it. It was enough for Athena to mourn her daughter, to be proud of Annabeth’s success, while feeling shame for her own actions as Minvera.

“But why is it here on your wall,” Annabeth said drily, swallowing.

“It was your first act of weaving,” Athena said dourly, “and it saved your life. Once I found out you were alive and Gaia was dealt with, I put it up to remember your moment of glory.” And as a reminder of what her pride could force her to do.

“Then all the artwork and everything,” Annabeth said realizing what her mother was saying, “it was created by my siblings?”

“Not everything,” Athena admitted, “most things yes, I am proud of my children and display their gifts to me as openly as I can. Some were creations of mortals I patronized, or heroes I mentored, but yes, something from a child or student,” Athena said sadly. She knew every piece of art by name and creator, every hero who swung their swords or raised a shield, every student of hers that created something beautiful. She wanted something to remember them by and this was the way an immortal being could.

“You can make whatever decision you wish about the rope you wove Annabeth,” Athena promised again. “If you wish for me to put it away I will, if you want it to remain on the wall forever it will. If you want me to burn it to ash so there is one less reminder of the hell I sent you to, I can burn it right now so that not even Hestia can save it. Whatever you want, no judgment.”

Annabeth was quiet for a moment, “let me think on it,” she eventually said.

“Of course,” Athena promised diplomatically, “there is no rush, and you can change your mind whenever you want. While you are thinking about that, perhaps we can move on to something lighter,” she suggested as she continued to walk outside.

The outside was as breathtaking as the inside, though more wild. It was almost like the first time Annabeth had really seen Camp Half-Blood in all its glory. There was a beautiful garden larger than almost any Annabeth had seen. Beside that was a large clay circle with training weapons beside it. A large fire pit that wasn’t lit yet, but had a spit over it ready to roast something. There was even a breathtaking spring with a waterfall cascading into it from a cliffside, like something out of a fairytale.

However what caught Annabeth’s eye was a city, a miniature city about the size of a medium building. Annabeth walked over to it and saw that there were no people in the city, no, it was populated by owls.

“I see you have found Feathersburg,” Athena said, her tone a mix of soft and exasperated.

“Feathersburg,” Annabeth repeated and looked at her mother unsure if Athena was making a joke.

“It was not my idea,” Athena assured her, “I wanted to name it Owlthens, but I was outvoted.”

Feathersburg was something, Annabeth had to admit. Despite at first glance being a mishmash of birdhouses lumped together, she could see the genius of the city planning, the perfect fusion of efficiency and beauty. Feathersburg itself was a simple square shape, Annabeth could see the city was divided into quarters with a river running through it. No block was too big or too crowded. There were traffic lights and stop signs at appropriate intersections that would keep traffic from getting too congested. Each home had its own decently spaced yard the same size as the others, some had flowers, others vegetables and fruits, though they were people sized, not owl sized strangely enough.

It shouldn’t be as wonderful to see, but Annabeth adored it. She did have a question for her mother though. “If I might ask,” she started, but Athena interrupted her, not unkindly though.

“Why do they have cars or roads at all,” Athena finished her daughter’s question sounding tired. “It is just something they like for some reason. They know they can fly, they know it is actually slower to drive their cars anywhere than it is to fly, but they still do what they do. I might as well ask them why they wear clothes and wigs, which I have and they just stare at me with their large bird eyes no matter who I ask,” Athena said as she drifted off into the memory.

“Regardless,” Athena said shaking her head, “Feathersburg does not need any changes, except a new name,” Athena mumbled under her breath, “I thought you might like it as I do.”

“It is certainly something,” Annabetha admitted. The strange owl city was charming despite herself.

“This is the residential district,” Athena said, pointing to the most populated district where the homes were. “The economic district where the owls who want jobs work,” she said pointing to the area with the most uniformed buildings. “That is the leisure district, where recreation happens to their heart's content,” she moved her finger across the river to a much more casual area of Feathersburg. “And that is the Thespian district,” she pointed to the final area of Feathersburg.

“The what,” Annabeth asked, unsure if she heard her mother correctly.

“The Thespian District Annabeth,” Athena said with a sigh. It looked like something from an old Hollywood lot, with everything from sci-fi, to Western, to fantasy and to modern day backgrounds, costumes, buildings were clearly different and used as sets for whatever the owls wanted. “My owls are a bunch of eccentric little bitches and I love them so much,” she admitted. “They like to basically have an extended larp where they have fun acting out whatever they wish. It is quite entertaining,” Athena admitted. “However we must move on, as we have more to see and I could watch their antics for days,” she said walking away with Annabeth meant to follow her.

Annabeth strayed for a moment, the owl city was strangely enticing to watch. But eventually she tore herself away and followed her mother. “This is the garden,” Athena said showing off her field of work. “I mostly grow fruits and vegetables, but there are some flowers as well.”

And the two of them continued throughout the house, having a good time with each other on their first mother daughter day. Annabeth learned a few other rules of the palace, no flying in certain areas of the house, which wouldn’t be a problem for her.

While the other was to not go into the restricted rooms of which there were 3. A laboratory that Athena explained was filled with dangerous experiments that she did not want anyone but her own immortal body exposed to. A room that was locked that Athena simply told her no one is allowed in but her. And finally a bedroom on the fourth floor that was right next to her mother’s, on the floor with hundreds of other empty bedrooms.

“This is Diomedes’ bedroom,” Athena explained, “not even I am allowed to go in there without permission. She could enter of course, this was her palace, there was nothing that could actually stop her. But she liked to keep her relationships with her best friend and champion strong and invading her space without permission had the potential to ruin that.

“Diomedes, he was one of your favorite heroes in the Trojan War right,” Annabeth said. She had spent much of her childhood reading and learning whatever she could about her mother once she found books she was able to read. The King of Argos was one of the most dangerous warriors the Goddess of Wisdom had ever taken under her wing. But there wasn’t much about him afterward compared to Achilles or Odysseus who everyone remembered. But when she saw her mother wince she was afraid she got something wrong.

“Partially right,” Athena managed to get out and turn her frown into an awkward smile. “You are correct, however, and I want to be clear that it is not your fault that you did not know, but Diomedes is actually a woman. She transitioned with my aid after the war so please use she/her when referring to her in the future.”

“I’m sorry I-,” Annabeth started to say, but Athena cut her off.

“I know, like I said it is not your fault,” she assured her daughter. “It just brought up bad memories,” her champion had to fight, both to prove herself as a god and to be respected as a woman when she had her realizations. Bad memories. “Now that you know, you can act accordingly.”

“Of course,” Annabeth promised, “she is your roommate as well as your champion,” she asked more than said.

“Something like that,” Athena admitted. She was well aware that her friendship with her champion was strange from the outside but it worked for the two of them. “I can introduce the two of you later, but for now, just know that she is my best friend and loyal companion, and her room is off limits without her express permission.” She did not need her children speculating on her relationships like the rest of Olympus.

The rest of the day was pleasant and helpful, Athena showed Annabeth the room she could have when she stayed there. They were enchanted so that when a person other than Diomedes and Herself touched the door for the first time it would turn into whatever room the occupant desired as their perfect room. That way her children would have a home if they wanted. If Zeus let her bring her children up to visit for more than a weekend. It had taken a lot to get the King of the Heavens to give permission for the upcoming gathering, but it will be worth it for a chance to know her children more.

Eventually it started to get late, Annabeth needed to return to California. Athena offered to let her stay the night, but Annabeth turned her down. She had plans tomorrow and wanted to talk with her boyfriend about what she had seen and done with her mom today. But she was respectful about it though. She promised her mother that she would be there in a month's time with her other siblings to visit and let Athena know that she could visit before that if she wanted to.

That made Athena hopeful, she even managed to put a comforting hand on Annabeth’s shoulder when they said goodbye. They were not at the hugging stage, something they both were internally grateful for, but maybe one day.

Athena left her daughter in her home feeling lighter than she had in a long time.