#i just think there's a difference in how m/ai responds to them

[verilly]

REL:LY / Magic Words / LSG ✶

Aqua Hoshino x Reader

This is PART THREE, check out other parts in the link below!

REQUIEM: Sixth New Genesis!

What's to come: [Reader likes both genders], [Aqua x Reader], [Akane x Reader]

[Songs of the chapter: "MANNEQUIN" by Deco*27, "Parasol Cider" by Nanahoshi Orchestra, "Nonsense Bungaku" by Eve]

[7,531 words]

It's been a few days since the video was posted. Multiple news websites were talking about it, people online were harassing others about it, even people in real life were talking about it. Even though Akane doesn't want to be the face of the news so soon, it's shining a better light on her. She is a victim of the internet and she'll never have that innocence back, but she's a lot better now.

Akane has been showing up on set more often now, you cling onto her like there's no tomorrow when she stays. Honestly, when she first came back, you swear you could feel your eyes watering, but that isn't important. What is: is that Aqua gave Akane an important suggestion. "Try acting, be someone who you aren't to protect yourself. Separate this show from your real self." It really wasn't something you agreed with, but if it would keep Akane happy and safe, you'd be okay with it.

"It's really all your choice, Akane." You perked up, leaning against Akane's shoulder glaring at Aqua, "Don't think about the audience when you make this decision. I know they're important or whatever, but you are too!"

"I think it's a pretty good idea and I am good at acting, but... what— who should I act as?" Akane asked, tilting her head to the side you were opposite to. Aqua stared out, not giving her a response. "Ahem. [name], what do you think?" Akane shifted her head to face you as you stopped leaning on her shoulder, before you could respond, Akane kept going. "What's your type?"

Your face turned red as your eyes widened under your mask. All eyes were on you, including the people filming. You choke on your words before letting them slip, "M-My ty-t... type..?" You bit your lip, did you even have a type? The only person you've ever fallen for was... Hanae. You caught yourself before you accidentally said her name. Roaming around your mind, you realized how similar Akane and Hanae really were. What differences did they even really have? Hanae was more conservative and less obsessive, then again, people had more of a life outside social media, didn't they? You shake your head after another minute of pondering, "This isn't helpful at all but... *I think you being yourself in all of your 'Akane-ness' is my type."

"You're lying..." Akane blushed, jolting her head to look at the floor, "How could you say that? Even after all I've put you through..— Hm! N-Nevermind..!" Akane took a deep breath in and put her arm around your shoulder, "A-Aqua! What about you? You did save me too after all, I think I can do this for you. As a thanks." You stared at Aqua, is Akane just going to ignore your super-extra-cute confession? You pout under your mask and lean closer into her. Aqua better have a good answer. "So... What's your type, Aqua?"

"Hm..? You're really serious with that question?" Aqua looked a little shocked, he sighed and looked out the window, "I never really thought of that, I guess." He rested his cheek to the palm of his hand and started thinking. "My type... I guess my type is someone who's pretty."

"Go to hell!" You mutter half jokingly.

"Keep going Aqua!" Akane said, pulling out her notepad and pen. Staring at him with her pretty blue eyes.

"Someone who can smile as bright as the sun, and performs without a fault. Assertive behavior and speech... Captivating eyes that can draw you in with one glance..."

"You're telling me you've never thought of your type before? Hah, what a stupid lie." You half-heartedly joke as you shake your head back and forth, "Come to think of it, a pretty girl who works hard... kind of sounds like Ai from B-Komachi, doesn't it?" Aqua's eyes widened for a split second before calming down quickly, his lips forming words, but you couldn't hear it at all.

"Ai? I've heard of her... I'll research her the best I can: I'll be your girl, Aqua!" Akane said with glee, writing down the name in her notepad while putting it back down on the table next to her. She turned back to you and smiled, "And what you said [name]... I.. Mm, thank you."

You leaned onto her shoulder as Aqua stared at the two of you. His eyes were dark. Did no one else notice that at all?

˚⋆୨ ✶ ୧⋆˚

You were back on set today, another week passed by without any progress on finding Hanae. You were inside a classroom, the sun was bright, Aqua sat directly next to you. Couldn't he have found another chair? You'd been sitting next to him the entire school week, your head plopped down into your arms as time passed by slower than usual.

Aqua didn't say anything when he sat next to you, the camera's were on, glaring onto your face. Still, you didn't feel the urge to act or put on a show. This was just life, for you at least.

...

When's Akane getting here?

Just as you thought that, footsteps could be heard from behind the doorway. You got excited, getting back up and impatiently staring in anticipation for Akane to enter.

It was just Mem and Yuki. Ah, well that's fine. Maybe you should go hang out with them? Before you could get up from your seat, the two girls had already come over. Not to you specifically, but towards your general direction. Their real target was Aqua.

"How's it going, Aqu-tan?" Memcho slyly asks, sitting on the desk in front of him, "I overheard that... you have a type??!"

"Yah, and I heard it was pretty basic too! All you care about is looks, am I right? All boys are the same! It's about time you morph into a man!" Yuki says, bursting out laughing after.

"Who told you that?" Aqua asks, deadpanned, he doesn't seem mad or concerned.

"How silly of you, Aqu-tan! I said we overheard!" Mem laughed, you forgot you told her about the 'conversation' you and Akane had with him. "I also heard that Akane was acting for you? That's so totally weird! Why would you do that to that poor girl?"

"Yeah Aqua! You totally suck! All you care about is looks!!" Yuki adds in, you nod your head to their conversation... When is Akane going to come back?

Begrudgingly you continue to watch everything unfold before you as you lean on your arm. All you could think about was Akane.

...When did the two of you get so close?

That's when the door slid open again: It was Akane!

The door was wide open, she didn't enter though. She patiently waited for the cameras to pan to her. Akane I bailed deeply before closing her eyes, when her eyes opened back up she was a completely different person. Her 'aura' changed.

She reminded you exactly of Ai.

You guessed that Aqua noticed too because he was just as shocked as you were, maybe even more. Akane's eyes were different, they looked just like Ai's too— no, they looked just like yours. Just a different color. Was this seriously all just acting? How could someone just change their entire vibe like that?

"What's wrong you all?" Akane asked, looking at everyone present, "It's almost like you've seen a ghost!"

"A-Akane? Is that really you?" Yuki asks, understandably a bit taken back, "You seem so... different...?"

"Do you dislike this part of me, Yuki?" Akane asked, tilting her head to the left. Yuki shook her head while she waddled back towards the two boys who just walked in. "So, how about we hang out all on our own today, Aqua?"

You felt a pang of sadness when Akane said that. Why Aqua? Why not you? You don't blame her though, Aqua is quite handsome, isn't he?

You shove your head back into your arms as the room fell silent. Aqua and Akane left the room together with a group of camera people following them. Was all your hard work for nothing? Did Akane not like you? Did she really like Aqua more than you? Aqua is just so... off putting. But she's never been under his stares for days on end has she?

Aqua totally likes her now, doesn't he?

Why does that make you a little sad?

˚⋆୨ ✶ ୧⋆˚

For the next few days of shooting, Aqua was all over Akane. Though, you weren't out of it the entire time. You and Akane still had moments together, and it was really enjoyable. It felt really familiar, but you couldn't really put your finger on it.

Then it came to the last day on set. Everyone knew that the last episode was all about the cast members confessing to each other. You didn't plan on doing anything, there was an uneven amount so it was bound to happen, a fail on the casting director honestly, but you aren't going to complain. You'd rather not have manic fans asking about your love life while streaming, and if you were going to confess to anyone: It'd be Akane, and she's currently preoccupied with Aqua.

The sky turned dark and the sun started to set, you sat down on a bench as the crew started to gather around. The contestants lined themselves up and discreetly discussed with each other on who picks who. It's usually the boys going for the ladies, isn't it? You could guess who would go with who.

"Alright, is everyone set?" The director asks, casting a glance towards the people working with the lights and cameras.

"Yes sir!" The higher up yelled back.

"Action!"

The air seemed tense, somehow. No one was up to the challenge of going first. You kept to yourself, watching through your mask. Was it figurative or real because it was getting a little harder to breathe as each minute went past.

Noboyuki bit the bullet and went over to Yuki. He got on his knee and poured out his feelings to her, it was honestly kind of cute. She said no though. You didn't actually understand it at all, Yuki said she liked him, so why'd she reject him?

Then it was Kenji, who knew he'd go next— not like there were a lot of options, but still. He went up to Memcho of all people, didn't expect that either. They were so different, so it was kind of a shock to no one when Mem rejected him.

Lastly, it was Aqua's turn. He was standing between you and Akane, his eyes glanced towards you for a split second before he slowly walked towards Akane. She was sitting underneath a tree on one of the other benches, his hand traveled up to her face and brushed a lock of her blue hair out of the way.

Their faces drew closer and closer together, lips barely an inch apart.

Aqua's eyes shut and Akane brought her hand up.

Right before their lips connected, Akane brought a hand up between the two of them.

"I'm sorry, Aqua. I just can't do... that." Her eyes didn't have stars in them, "We can still be boy-girl friends, my heart just... it's for someone else."

She quickly got up from her seat. Everyone seemed shocked, you and Aqua were no exception. What was she up to? Akane excused herself and bowed as an apology to Aqua, and also probably the camera, and marched towards you.

"[name]! Will you accept my confession of love?" Akane shouted out, her face was red and her hands were on her thighs.

"H-Huh? What?? Why me?- I mean I would love to and everything but I seriously don't uhm!!" You stutter, your face turned red. Everything was a blur in that moment, you don't really remember too well as to what happened but, Akane slipped your mask away and kissed you underneath it. Her eyes were shut with passion while your eyes were wide open, stars gleaming. You didn't stop it, a kiss takes two people after all.

You were definitely flustered, your eyes wandered to the people in the crowd watching the two of you. Aqua looked shocked, his mouth was wide open, a real sight to behold. The rest of the crew looked almost exactly as surprised as Aqua, was it really that bad?

Or in other words: Would it give this season of Lovenow higher ratings than the rest?

-End of Re_Love:Love_You

Lovenow was a hit with everyone, there weren't as many controversies surrounding you and Akane that you thought they'd be. Which is a good thing, but mildly strange. The two of you decided to make your relationship private, mostly for your sake, not stating whether the two of you were dating or not. On the inside though, Akane decided to stick to just being friends— Just kidding! The two of you are full on dating!

Just kissing again... it was more of a situationship.

On the other hand, a few days after Lovenow ended, it was released to the public that Akane and Aqua were dating! Which made you... jealous. Though honestly you couldn't really place why.

To your dismay, they didn't air the episode of you and Akane sharing a kiss. Instead, they begged Akane and Aqua to re-record the part and act like they were in love. The two agreed reluctantly while you threw a tantrum in your head.

...

Fuck.

You bite your lip as you throw your head onto your pillow, why was Akane so important to you? Not that it matters right now, you have a party to get to. What would look good on you?

It was the Lovenow after-celebration, not something you've ever been to before. You asked Aqua about it since he had one for a past drama he was in, apparently this one is supposed to be less fancy. Just a casual hangout with the cast, an unofficial party! How cute!

You tossed something on and went to meet your friends at the barbeque place you went to last time. It was the same old, same old, even the seating. You were squished in between both Akane and Aqua, even though the two of them were dating. It was awkward to say the least.

"So I heard that Akane and Aqua were dating!" Memcho stated, poking at the freshly cooked meat in front of her, "What made you change your mind, Akane? I thought that you and [alias] really had something special!"

"Huh? Oh! We do! We do, just for [alias]'s sake. They told me that their fans would freak out or something... and that it was for my safety? I don't really understand it all, but if [alias] wants it then I thought I'd do that."

"Oh I see... then what about you Aqua? What did you think?" Memcho asked, turning to look at him.

"I think that it's fine, me and Akane only started dating because so many people were betting on it on social media."

"Ah, so you're no fun. I see." Mem sighed, collecting some bell peppers from the plate in between her and Yuki, "Then what about you, [alias]?"

"...Akane can choose for herself, that's what I think." You were deadpan with your answer, you didn't want to come off as rude though. Is it too late for that? "☆Oh! But seriously, it's all for Akane's safety that we don't get together. As an internet celebrity, I expected you to understand." You said jokingly.

"Ahh! I do! I do! I'm professional in every aspect- not that I'd expect you to understand either! I am your senior after all, aha!" Memcho defensively shouted, laughing with you.

Kenji and *the other guy entered the room with a few more drinks, this hangout session was a lot less fun than the one you all had last time, for you at least. How could you change that though?

The night was coming to an end, everyone said their goodbyes and you tried your best to cling onto Akane as best as you could. She didn't seem any distant than she was in the beginning, but it still felt as if there was a barrier between the two of you. This is Aqua's fault. You groaned as thoughts wandered in and out of your head, you were surrounded by the two blonde's. You never knew Mem lived in your direction.

The walk was really peaceful, you didn't expect that much from Mem. However, the person to break the peace was Aqua.

"Memcho, what's your dream?" Aqua asked, his head poked out from your side to look at the girl beside you.

"My dream? My dream is to be somewhere, be someone. It was really fun being on stage with all you real celebrities. It was almost like being on a stage." Memcho sighed, she twirled her finger in her blonde locks. "I saw how you reacted when Akane acted like Ai, she really captivated you huh? I really miss that about her..."

"You know about B-Komachi?" Aqua asked

"How could people not know about B-Komachi?" You laugh as you put your arms on the back of your head, "Especially after the tragedy, it's a lesson well learned. Ai didn't deserve that at all, she was going to make it to the top of the world."

"Exactly, right? After that I couldn't believe what horrendous thoughts I had! Even after what happened and what was yet to come, I still wanted to become an idol." Mem looked at the ground before rising up with a smile, "That's all behind me now, I believe in myself, and I'm sure that I'm someone's idol— at least, I'm sure there are hundreds of people looking up to me."

"The two of you really like B-Komachi?" Aqua asked, putting a hand to his chin, "What about you [alias]? Have you ever thought about being an idol?"

"An idol?" You thought about your second life, you weren't even an idol yet. And in this life, you already had a plan set for yourself. You didn't need to go down that path, but you never were an idol before.. What are you even on about? "Oh? I guess I have, but who hasn't in this day and age?"

"Then what would you think about joining the second coming of B-Komachi? Strawberry Productions is trying out the whole idol thing again." Aqua said, putting on a soft smile. It looked weird. "We're friends, aren't we? I think that I know you two well enough to trust that you'll be great idols and won't tarnish the name of Ai." He's acting so strange.

"What?! Oh em gee! It would be an honor!!" Mem agreed happily, "Though, I would need to speak with someone who actually knows what they're doing, make sure it isn't too shady."

"Yeah, if the contract is okay I'll think about it."

"Right, you've been to my home before. Just follow me."

˚⋆୨ ✶ ୧⋆˚

You've been in Aqua's home before, but never this up close. You got to see his mother and sister again, they're really cute. Another thing to add was that his 'house' is a lot larger than yours. What was the word for it? It was a studio apartment while yours was a small crummy apartment your mom left you when she moved back to her home country. You really never realized how big it was.

"Ah, so you've brought another one for me. You're really good at this whole recruiting thing, aren't you?" The pink haired woman grumbled, "How'd you manage to snag this one? A YouTuber and full-time influencer?" She shifted her gaze to look at you, "And a faceless internet celebrity and singer. I'm surprised that either of you were interested in becoming idols."

"It was a dream of mine ever since I was a child, ma'am." A drop of sweat rolled off of Mem's face as she spoke to the director.

"Well the two of you are independent streamers so there aren't any managers I need to talk to?"

"I am independent in it of itself, but I do have a team working for me in the background surrounding legal advice and finances, so I believe that I would have to check in with them before I make any hasty decisions." You say, gripping at your lower forearm, you really didn't want to experience another death so soon. You haven't met Hanae yet... and everything regarding the industry is much more safe, isn't it? So no falling lights.

"Once you get a concrete answer, there won't be any problem regarding Internet personalities, we at Strawberry Productions work with them on a daily basis, but you Memcho. You look like you have something to say."

Memcho was lying about her age. By 7 whole years. You tried your best to suppress a few giggles to slip out from your mouth, but then she poured her heart out about what inspired her, made her keep pushing, and what blocked her from getting any farther. At that point, you felt bad for almost laughing.

"So by the time I was financially stable, I was already over the prime age from any idol to debut..." Mem sighed as she looked down at the ground, fiddling with her fingers. Before anyone else could and then Aqua's sister barged into the room.

"No one is too old to be an idol!" She shouted, jumping on top of Mem with a hug, "Every age is idol age, that's what Ai would say!! Are you really going to join me in B-Komachi?!!" She looked over to you and smiled as bright as the sun, "And you! The one that Aqua totally def-likes-because-why-else-would-he-invite-someone-as-cool-as-you to our house, are you going to join us too!?"

"I'm thinking about it, but I'm sure that you'd all do well without me!" You say, ignoring the parts that she said too quickly for you to understand.

"But you're just so talented!! You can sing so well and you'd be such an amazing addition to B-Komachi!" She shouted out, "Oh! My name is Ruby Hoshino, please remember my name even though you are so ultra-amazingly-famous-celebrity!"

"Th-Thank you, ☆I'm sure you'll be a great idol...!" You feel awkward saying that, did you even really mean it? Probably.

They talked more about it for a few minutes, but it came to an end. You texted your team about joining B-Komachi and they texted back in a meer seconds, it would affect your stream schedule greatly, but you'd still be able to live off of it for a while. You had enough money to sustain yourself and maybe one more person for at least a few years. It was really all up to you, did you want to try to become an idol again?

That was all you could think about, you tried to get sleep but the scene of getting crushed played over and over again. You even searched for any new articles about it, but not a lot showed up. At least, not on the internet. It was over 40 years ago, wasn't it?

God you sound old.

It's a lot safer now, so you wouldn't die from being an idol. With another bonus of being a part of the famed B-Komachi! That would most definitely get Hanae's attention, wouldn't it? It'd help you find her— or maybe Hanae will find you? You'd have to tell Aqua tomorrow at school. Yes.

Anything for Hanae.

˚⋆୨ ✶ ୧⋆˚

The sun rises and so do you, thinking about being an idol made you feel tense all of a sudden. Ruby goes to the same school as you, so it shouldn't be hard to tell her you accept her invitation, right? You could always just ask Aqua. You continue on with your daily routine as you shrug, your uniform looks as plain as it did the day before. Maybe you should add something on to it?

Eruru calls you over and Matsuyo over to her table and yaps on and on about how her weekend was. Being a loved daughter of an amusement park owner would be fun, wouldn't it? She shoves you and Matsuyo in her arms and suggests that you three should go out for fun, you agree with her. Matsuyo hisses at her touch, but doesn't move further.

"Ohh! Let's all take a photo together, it would look really cute for my Instagram!" Eruru says, pulling out her candy colored phone, "Say 'Cheese'!~♡' or how about 'Happy Third Month of School!!' That looks so so cyuute!~ Ah you guys are the best!"

"How does she have this much energy...?" Matsuyo grumbles, taking out his own phone, "But going to the park with the two of you doesn't sound that bad."

"It sounds amazing!☆ We could go on so many of those roller coasters until we vomit our guts out together!⭑" You say clinging onto his back, shaking him back and forth. You felt embarrassed, but he didn't flinch.

"Not you too" He complains, "But that sounds good too, maybe not the vomiting."

"Alright!! What about this Saturday? Or Sunday?" Eruru chimes in, "I posted it and it already has a few likes! We are totally going to be super duper famous!"

"Saturday is fine, we have to study on Sunday though. We have a test, remember?"

"Arghh!! No tests! Those are so boring." She whines.

Aqua walks into the classroom and sees you leaning on Matsuyo, he seems a little disappointed. You brush it off and roughhouse with your newly made friends. Though he was back at it again, staring at you from a distance. It didn't creep you out as much as it did before you officially got to know.

˚⋆୨ ✶ ୧⋆

"Aqua, take me to your sister."

He couldn't take your nerves sometimes, yet he found himself agreeing anyway, as you now walked next to him, hands on your hips. The way to the courtyard felt neither fast-paced or slow, you didn't say anything as you two made it to the destination of where Ruby Hoshino sat.

Neither of you noticed the red haired girl lurking close by.

When Ruby's magenta eyes spotted the two of you, she perked up expectantly.It was as if gears turned in her head until her face lit up and she proudly exclaimed "Oh, Aqua! Are you showing me your first friend?"

Aqua only looked at her with a deadpan expression, but you felt the need to squint your eyes together, the female twins' energy being way too bright. It was somehow higher than Eruru.

"Your sister is too bright, can you tell her that for me?",you stood behind Aqua, only daring to look at the personified sun over his shoulder. He ignored your comment though and gave a court 'No' to his sister, who immediately had the gears turning in her head, again until...

"Ah! Is she your girlfriend?"

Your jaw dropped to the floor. There was a shocked aura coming from one of the bushes nearby, as well as the sound of someone falling back a little, yet nobody bothered to notice. As your eyes went wide, Ruby continued on a rant, completely unbothered though, as she made fun of her brother.

"I can't believe you tried to get with that Akane girl, because like-"

"She is not", Aqua cut his sister off. He put his hand on the small of your back and you tried to not react, but you couldn't tell, was your face heating up? He pushed you forward towards Ruby and then pulled his hand away. "This is [alias]."

...

"Oh!" Ruby really needed to work on her volume control.

The aura coming from the bush changed, you couldn't tell if it was in a positive way or not, but the redhead used it as a hiding spot to claw at her hat.

Eyes blessed with one starry glow gazed into the ones holding two and the blonde girl stepped forward grabbing and holding your hands together. The serious look on her face surprised you, there were so many emotions in her eyes, like a deep galaxy and suddenly you saw an energy in Ruby that you've only ever seen in an idol long passed.

"So you've decided?", there was hope in her voice.

The close proximity was still startling you, as well as her suddenly turning serious, but you quickly tried to gather yourself. Small flashbacks of the long lost time where you've spoken similar words flood your mind, hands unconsciously gripping hers a bit tighter.

"Yeah, I've made up my mind. I'll take up your offer, I'll join B-Komachi as an idol."

-End of Magic Words

Even before you joined B-Komachi, you knew that training to be an idol would be hard work. However, you didn't expect it to be this hard. Maybe it's a lot more different in this body than your old one. You aren't an energetic 12 year old anymore. Was all this cardio really worth it?

You stop to catch your breath with your hand on the stone wall next to you. 'Why did I accept her offer' kept running in and out of your brain as your face turned red with adrenalin. Pieyon shouted for you to keep going as you were way behind the other three girls. Biting your tongue, you made it on top of the hill before flopping to the floor in front of Kana and Ruby. All this running puts way too much pressure on your little deformed rotten heart.

"Are you okay, [name- [alias]?" Ruby asked, putting a hand out for you to grab.

"Ruby! Why are you saying that? You're the one with asthma!!" Kana sighed, helping Ruby lift you back up from the ground. Ruby comments with a 'But I'm not the one dying!' as you stare at the sky above.

"Keep it up, [alias]! It's only been 30 minutes-ish!" Memcho laughed, patting your back and handing you a sticker covered water bottle. "Well actually it's closer to 25, but y'know~"

"What do you mean it's only been 30 minutes??!" You whine, pulling your mask off to the side of your head to breathe in fresh air for the first time. "I feel like I'm dying!! There's no fucking way I'm going to be able to do this on a stage.."

"Language!" Ruby shouted, "No idol would ever drop an f-bomb without getting criticized, we really need to work on that." She took a sip from her water bottle, it was glittery and pink. An Ai charm was attached to the lid. "And put your mask back on!!"

You groaned as you slapped the mask back on your face. *You had to go to the amusement park later with your friends... would they even let you go? You weren't even that good at dancing either. Idol work just isn't meant for you. You fall butt first onto the floor as you shut your eyes. B-Komachi II is already going downhill. Speaking of downhill, that was your next goal. Running downhill back to the studio with your new friends and Pieyon. Again, you were behind them, but it wasn't as bad as the run up.

When the apartment was reached, you felt the cool breeze of sweet air conditioning on your skin. You sat down on one of the brightly colored sofas Strawberry Studios owned.

"No sitting down just yet! We have to work on our muscles! And also learn choreography, some marketing stuff using videos, probably some more cardio, oh wait, not to mention editing the videos–" Ruby continued to go on for a few more minutes as you caught your breath, again.

The dancing sucked, especially learning it all from a not so high quality video. There wasn't anyone to train you besides Pieyon and the Ai fanatic: Ruby. She was a lot better than you were, so was Kana. Memcho was also better than you, but the gap between the two of you was a lot smaller than your gap with the two self proclaimed idols.

You wonder where Aqua is.

As hours went by, your training for day one was finished. You were with the girls, sitting in a room with walls made of mirrors as they packed up their stuff and made some small talk with each other.

"Here's what's funny: we did this whole work out thing with Pieyon to promote B-Komachi! It was sooo hard, we had to do, like, actual punches and stuff for a whole hour!" Ruby burst out laughing, but quickly stopped to think, "I just don't understand kids these days, why do they find buff guys working out so entertaining? Whatever, we'll have to make them fall in love with us!~"

"If they're all going to fall for us, then we're going to have to make a name for ourselves as idols. For example: Who's going to be the face of the new B-Komachi?!" Memcho says, putting her pointer finger to her lip.

"So a leader?" Kana asked, shifting her eyes to look at Mem.

"Yeah! A leader! I say that I should be the leader because I'm the one with the most experience using social media and with uh– nevermind that part. That's totally [alias]."

"No thanks, I'm not up for being the face of this whole group thing, I can't be the face. I don't even have one." You joke, "But I'm being serious, I don't think it would do us any good by having me be the leader. Plus, I don't think I'm really... marketable."

"I totally understand that." Ruby says, putting a hand on your shoulder and smiling, "We won't pressure you any further– but since we're on this topic... I nominate myself to be the leader of B-Komachi because I resemble Ai the most. Plus, I was the reason we made this whole group in the first place, y'know? So I think that the title should go to me."

"Well you aren't going down without a fight!" Memcho shouts, pouncing towards Ruby. They got in a cat fight as you look over to Kana.

"What about you? You haven't said anything yet. Any thoughts on who the leader should be?"

"Hm? Oh well... no comment." Kana sighs, "This is dumb, why don't we just get a random number generator online and just like... I don't know. Ruby is even and Memcho is odds, and whatever number gets chosen the person gets the win?"

"No Kana! That's a horrible idea!" Ruby shouts, "Being an idol is all about talent! Memcho, I challenge you to a singing contest in the karaoke bar down the street! Whoever gets the better score gets to becomes leader!"

"Oho, child? You dare challenge me? Respect your elders, Rubytan!" Mem laughs, you can't tell if it's at her self deprecating joke or at Ruby for challenging her. Mem pointed her finger at Ruby with a silly looking grin plastered across her lips.

"Yeah? You wanna go? Let's go!! C'mon!" Ruby runs out the door with Mem closely behind her.

"What about you Kana, are you gonna go with them?" You ask.

"No, probably not. I'm going to head home now. It's getting dark anyway. Bye [alias]." Kana left before you could say bye to her. From a distance you could hear her saying bye to Pieyon as well.

You're alone in the room as you sit in a corner and scroll through the apps on your phone. It's always the same thing again and again, art of you, food, videos of babies, art of the newest anime, true crime, the latest controversies, paparazzi photos of Akane, and school stuff on your separate account. It's all so much, maybe you should post something soon...

*Shit.

You run down stairs quickly only to find Pieyon taking his mask off. A pretty blonde head of hair popped out of the mask as he set it down. It was Aqua under there the whole time!

Oh.

Oh???

"Oh. Hi [name]." Aqua said, his face was sweaty and gross. That's what a mask does to someone, doesn't it? "I forgot you were still here."

"Eww!! I hate that, put your mask back on." You whine, covering Aqua's face with your hand from a distance, "I can't believe you did that stupid voice! You're such a loser!!" You laugh, "And I can't believe that you were the one to make me run all of that stupid shit!!!" You groan, flicking his forehead.

"You said you wanted to become an idol, this is how you do it." Aqua says softly, looking over at you. His hand was over his forehead. "Can I take your mask off?"

"Well if it's you then it's whatever." You sigh, his hand slipped your mask off carefully, grazing his fingers– barely touching your actual face before setting it down onto the table before you. You flinch at his touch and make a face before reverting back to your normal self. "I don't think I like this whole idol thing right now."

"Really? Why?"

"I want to say that I'm loving this whole setup, but I like it when group activities are like... how do I say this, I wish that I could be friends with all of them. And I know that the time will come, but as of now it just feels really uncomfortable. Like Ruby is obsessed with me for some reason, Kana just doesn't seem to like me that much, and Mem is– well actually nothing is wrong with Mem, she's cool."

"That's a lot." Aqua sighs, "Do you want me to talk to them about it or something?"

"No. That'll make me sound like a loser. Instead, I'll just... I'll just chill out or something, I'm sure that it'll be fine. Idol work is hard work, so I'll push through like the rest of them☆"

"Make sure that you take breaks though, you know it isn't going to be good for you if you don't." Aqua says, he puts his hand on your right arm in a gentle way. You backup a little with a smile across your lips.

"And how would you know that? ☆It's not like my heart's going to explode or something." You take your arm back from him as you say, giving him a look.

"Do you really know that?" Aqua asks, "It doesn't have a high chance of happening, but I'm sure someone like you with a genetic heart defect would take precautions, no?"

"..." You were taken aback that he remembered something so invaluable in everyday life about you, but you were grateful to some extent that he did, "What does it mean to you anyway? You aren't some sort of doctor or something! You're just a kid you like idols– and it's not like you're gonna give me a break from any exercises!!"

"True, maybe I'll need to train your heart more than the others, yeah? You and Ruby."

"That is so... stupid!! Aqua you aren't going to make me do anything."

"But that's how you can be a good idol, don't you want to make your fans happy?" He said menacingly, it's almost as if he was trying to test you.

"I already make my fans happy! In fact, just because I joined this group means that I can't stream or– or make any content for them all to consume!! [alias] is falling off right now!"

"Chill out, it's only been like one day." Aqua murmurs.

"One day is a lot!! But like... I guess it's fine. I can still try to make music and they'll eat it up..."

"I'm sure Matsuyo would be upset. He's a real big [alias] fan." He states sarcastically.

"And you aren't? Your sister seems to like me a lot!" You reply sarcastically to his comment as you cross your arms.

"I'm more of a [name] fan."

"..." Your face turned red as you bit your lip to not say anything else that he could counter and make you even more flustered- embarrassed. Yeah, embarrassed.

"...Weren't you supposed to go to the amusement park with Eruru today?"

"Oh shit! I totally forgot!! Okay, yeah. Thanks Aqua!!" You yell, running off to meet your friends. So that's why you came down here, you can't believe that you forgot about it so quickly. The time is 7:39 you're already 19 minutes late. You mentally beat yourself up as you call an uber your way to ride over to Wonderland, Eruru's place. You hurriedly type up a text to both Matsuyo and Eruru filled with apologies and lies on what you were doing before this.

You cover your face with your hands in the car ride as you think about what just happened. Did Aqua really need to say that? Did he even mean it or was he just trying to get high ground? Or was he just trying to catch your off guard? His words kept repeating in your head. That's it: you'll never let your guard drop around him. Hopefully.

˚⋆୨ ✶ ୧⋆˚

On Sunday, you and the girls met back at the studio. The silence was somewhat awkward. Kana was on her phone, trying her best to not think of anything related to B-Komachi it seems, Ruby and Memcho were looking back and forth at each other, whispering in each others ears every now and then while giggling, and you were staring at all three of them with an awkward smile plastered across your face. At some point, you started staring out at space.

Thankfully it wasn't for long because Ruby quickly broke the silence with Memcho at her side. "Okay! We decided who the leader should be." She smiled while Mem gave her the thumbs up. "It's going to be..."

"Kana Arima!" Mem and Ruby both shout out, pointing their fingers at the surprised girl. Her jaw was dropped, and so was the phone she was previously holding.

"WHAT??" Kana shouted, "There is NO way I'm going to be a leader for this... rookie group! It would make me look bad! And it's not like I'm like Mem and [alias], they all have a backup plan! I'm just some... erm... I don't have an agency or- or a fanbase that I could crawl back to if this whole plan falls backwards! This is just totally not going to work out in my favor! There's no way! Nononono, everythingisgoingtofailandand... What happened to you wanting to be the leader, Ruby?!"

"Well while we were out at karaoke, we saw some songs that had your name in it!" Ruby said, pointing to a picture on her phone.

"And then we searched it up on YouTube! And we saw such cute videos of your singing songs and some of them were actually pretty recent. Kana, you have such a great voice! So much better than me and Ruby!" Memcho says, clicking on one of the videos on Ruby's phone. The song started playing and before it got to a part where you could get a good listen to Kana's voice, Kana jumped and slapped the phone off of Ruby's hand.

"No! D-Don't listen to crap like that!!!" Kana screamed, "I- I thought I told you guys that I didn't want to be the leader!! Didn't I?"

"You did? I don't remember you saying anything like that~~"

"Noo!! I can't be the leader, I know nothing about being an idol! I never even liked idols to begin with, I think they're all phony and fake for keeping up an act all the time!"

"Hey! Don't disrespect other idols, we could get canceled for that you know! And you put on acts all the time, you're an actor. That's your job!" Ruby shouted back, picking up her phone from the floor and dusting it off.

"If it means anything, I think you're the most experienced out of all of us, Kana." You say, putting your hand on Kana's shoulder, "And I know this is all unexpected, but we all believe in you. You can do this!☆ You've been on a stage before, we haven't! If anyone, I think that it should go to you. We're all learning how to be idols after all." Kana looks at you with a smile as she takes a deep breath.

"And if you mess up, we'll be right behind you to pick you back up!" Ruby said, her left eye shined brightly, it almost outshined you!

"That's so totally right!" Mem agreed, nodding her head back and forth, "You'll be a terrific leader, and if anyone disagrees they'll have to answer to my fists!"

"I... I guess I could try being a leader. If I'm good enough, I'll be able to push the spotlight on you guys. Th-Thanks." Kana's smile drops as she closes her eyes. She said something that only you could hear, "If I'm good enough, or... if I'm the best leader then he'll be cheering for me. I'll be a bright star that he can look up to."

Kana likes someone? You didn't expect that, but you internally agree with her. Even if you do hate most things about being an idol, you wouldn't let B-Komachi crumble down. Hanae wouldn't like that, so neither would you.

-End of Looking So Gentle

Check out the other parts here! {CLICK ME}

[willtheweaver]

Writerly questionnaire

Thanks for the tag @thatuselesshuman @the-golden-comet @the-letterbox-archives @theink-stainedfolk

How long have you had your writing Tumblr/ Writeblr? A fast and loose estimate is fine!

I’ve been on Tumblr for five years, although only two of those have been as an active part of Writeblr.

What led you to create it?

There really aren’t that many places where I can go off about my writing. Most of the people I know have moved all over the place.

What’s your favorite thing about the Writeblr community?

All the support from fellow writers. It’s validating to know that there are those out there who enjoy your work, and that you made the right decision in pursuing writing.

What’s one thing you’d like your mutuals to know about you?

I am always open to asks. Ask about my writing, world-building, OCs, advice, writing tips, I’m open. I do my best to answer, but some stuff I don’t want to spoil just yet.

Is there anything more you’d like to see on your dash?

Nothing I can think of.

WIP it good

Which Works-In-Progress (WIPs) are you noodling about lately?

Right now focused on A Feather in the Forest. Drafting is done, and now I’m doing editing and revising.

How long have you been working on them?

Eight months.

Do you remember what inspired them/ what got you started?

I had a vague idea in my head for a story. Just some thoughts that I thought could be made into something cohesive, and so I jumped in.

When someone’s asks the dreaded “What do you write about,” question, what do you say?

Whatever is in my head.

What do you want to say (if it’s different from what you say)?

I said what I said, and I stand by my words.

Let’s rotate Blorbos

Name any character you’ve created. Side characters, protagonists, antagonists, characters who’ve never been written, the first original abomination you’ve pulled out of your ass: whomever you like!

Are you sure about this? Very well then…here are some off the top of my head:

Fen, Playa, Opal, Sorrel, Caine, Leif, Ivy, Nettle, Rail, Quill, Volt, Halley, Hesper, Grey, Reed, Dirge, Zephyr, Cya, Gale, Morgan, Clio, Talvi, Marigold,Freya, Squall…(continues until the heat-death of the universe)

Who’s the most unhinged?

None so far, but there is more than enough time for screws to come loose…

Who comes the most naturally for you to write?

Whichever I’m in the mood to write.

Do you ever cringe at them?

On occasion.

How much control do you feel you have over your characters? AKA do they ever “write themselves” , refuse to cooperate, or do things you didn’t expect? To what degree? Are some less cooperative than others?

Do the gods hide because they are afraid that the mortals are tired of their little games and are plotting to destroy all deities? That’s how it feels sometimes.

Do you enjoy people asking about your characters? And do you have a preferred means of receiving said questions? For example, as Asks, as Replies, as Reblogs, as tags, as comments on AO3, etc.

I do. Always feels good to have someone to talk to about OCs. As I am active on Tumblr and not on AO3, any and all asks, replies, reblogs and tags are welcomed.

On Writeblr Engagement

What makes you want to follow another Writeblr account? Do you follow ‘em as you see ‘em, or take time to scoop out the blog to make sure it aligns with its contents? Do you follow based on WIPs, or vibes?

I check them out before I jump in. Call me weary, but I like to get a good feel for potential moots. If I feel like they are a good fit, I jump on in.

What makes you decide against following?

Unnecessary negativity, AI content, hate, bigotry, overly political content all turn me off.

Do you interact with non-mutuals often?

I do whenever I have free time. If anyone wants to ask about my WIPs, OCs, or tag me in tag games, I do my best to respond.

Do your mutuals’ characters occupy a space in your noodle?

Yes. A memorable character always sticks with you.

Do you interact with your mutuals often?

As often as I can.

Tagging @kaylinalexanderbooks @mk-writes-stuff @xenascribbles @words-after-midnight @nczaversnick

@bookish-karina @paeliae-occasionally @poethill @jay-avian @riveriafalll @lavender-gloom

@the-ellia-west @autism-purgatory @duckingwriting and open tag

[nerdieforpedro]

No Stops and No Pulling Out

Chapter Three of A Safe Place for Us Series

Dieter Bravo x Aisha Smith (black plus size AFAB)

My entire masterlist and blog are for readers 18+ MDNI. I do not consent to my work being used in AI, recommended on TikTok, borrowed or plagiarized.

Summary: Dieter arrives at Aisha’s place. He continues in his honesty and his Kit Kat responds in kind. The point of no return.

Warnings: All the smut basically, fingering, oral (f receiving), both of them being bossy and chatty? (What was I thinking? Was not. 🤭), unprotected P in V (wrap it up IRL), aftercare, a smidge of cum play?, cockwarming, cuddles 🥰

Word Count: about 1.6k

Notes: This chapter is very horny. Here we are, I’m no quite sure what so say other than I hope you enjoy. 😉😆 I laughed way too hard at my own warnings, but I think I covered everything.

Main Masterlist/ Dieter Bravo Masterlist/AO3 Link

Once passed the threshold of her bedroom, she pushes Dieter onto the bed and drops her robe. The straps of her nightgown drop and expose one of her large breasts, the ones that Dieter has dreamt about. He’s laying across the bed removing his shirt and shimmying to the edge, he notices that she looks tense. Standing, Dieter takes one of her hands and kisses the back of it. “You’re sure you want to start now? Don’t seem excited at all Kit Kat.” His smirk earns the crack of a small smile, Aisha leans forward and kisses his cheek, his scruffy beard tickling her lips.

“Yeah I can. I said I could. And I do want to, it’s just going to change everything.” Placing her hand on his back, Bravo pulls down his pants and steps out of them. The first kiss to her neck has her exhale while with the next he earns his name cooed softly while he brings her over to the bed. Falling back, he beckons her to sit on his lap, but ends up pulling her because she was taking her time. A knee placed on the outside of his thighs, she’s spread for him. His hand guide her hips down to graze the head of his cock. He feels her slick entrance on his tip, licking his lips at the thought of being inside of her soon. “Dee, put it in.” Aisha’s nails are digging into Dieter’s shoulders.

“Not yet. I need you a lot more wet Aisha.” His middle finger quickly entered her head without warning and she yelped. “Sorry baby, but you’re not stretched and relaxed enough for me yet. I think you’ll enjoy the baby making process if I can get three in.” The perplexed look on her face made him start moving his finger slowly, having her ride it while she repeated his name and the soft curse of ‘fuck.’ “Same Ai. God this is so better than how I pictured it.” Pulling down both of nightgown straps, she lifted her breast to Dieter’s mouth.

“Stop talking and suck. Help me get there Dieter.” Nodding, his tongue warmed her nipple as her hips began to roll in his finger, Bravo fell back and Aisha did with him, straddling him as a second finger entered her moist core. Now making a vacuum around her chocolate pebble, Dee watched as her back started to arch and her hips began gyrating in circles. “M-More…ahh…almost…” Slipping a third finger in proved difficult as she was clenching his two so tightly, so he used his teeth to nab at her nipple. It was enough to have her drip down his hand and wrist as her body became rigid with her orgasm. Her full weight was on top of him as he held her. Panting for a few moments, Aisha was able to look up at Dieter and saw admiration on his face. She shouldn’t but she felt shy suddenly at him seeing such a different side of her.

“Didn’t know you liked to give commands like that in bed too. I just thought it was during movie nights and meals.” He jokes as she rolls off of him, still watching him. “What is it?”

“So…you love me and that’s why you want to help me have a baby Dieter?” He can tell she hasn’t quite accepted his words from her question. Why is he only good with them when they’re written by someone else?

“Because I love you I want to put a baby in you. Maybe two or three, we’ll see how the first one goes. You know I’d take care you and our kid right? Aisha you’re one of the few good things I have besides my Kit Kats, sobriety and my robe.” He turns to lay on his side and kisses her breast then forehead. “Now if you want me to continue, that nightgown is coming off, you’re keeping your legs open wide and I’m kissing both sets of lips.” Bringing the two fingers he had inside of her, Dieter licked them slowly as she removed her nightgown and tossed it on the floor. Wordlessly, Aisha slipped a leg under Dee’s side and put her other one on his hip to flip him from his lateral laying position to on top of her.

“My one set of lips are going to be kissed by your cock Dieter. Guide yourself inside of me. Now.” Twitching from her aggressiveness and another command, he reaches down and moves his head and shifts against her wet slit, coating himself in her juices. “Stop teasing me and fuck me Dee.” Getting himself situated on his knees, he grabs a pillow and taps her hip for Aisha to raise them for him.

“Aisha, I’m not just going to fuck you. At least the first time. I told you I love you, are you going to act like you didn’t hear me?” He asked with an sharp edge, allowing his bulbous head inside of her warmth. He held her hips still so she couldn’t despite trying to use her legs to get some leverage. “Do you feel the same or you truly just want a kid from me? Hm?” He felt her walls grip him, trying to pull him further in.

“I heard you, I just…I’m going to be covetous with you Dieter. Your time, your love, your attention and maybe even your Kit Kats.” She strokes the vellus hairs on his arms as her eyes meet his with a soft smile. “I’ve loved you for years.” Bravo quickly bottoms out within her spongy walls, throbbing within her. He kisses between her breasts as her back arches, the stretch of his thick member dragging toward her depths. He doesn’t move, kissing her chin next before exhaling. “My god Dee, that’s what you have in those pants?! My pussy won’t be the same…”

“Damn right she won’t, she’s mine now as are you. Beautiful.” Her cunt clenched when he spoke about her quivering cavern and moaned when he said he was hers. He didn’t announce when he was going to move, he just drew back and slid into her slowly. Their bodies found their own rhythm between grunts and whines, as Dieter sped up, Aisha began to pull his hair and licked his Adam’s apple. Dieter used his forearms to hook under her knees to spread her legs further as he rutted into her.

He felt close, but he didn’t want to stop. Having her moan and cry his name out, growling hers, he wants to churn his come inside of her and then fill her again later. Dieter thought he could hold out a bit longer, but he wasn’t able to, once he began pouring into her, his hand quickly dropped her leg and his thumb found her clit, he licked his thumb and circled it, trying to make her climax so she could milk his cock. On this he was successful, and her velvet walls did clinch around his softening length as he remained within her.

Dieter found her eyes and watched her purr. At least he thinks he heard a purr and this is why he wouldn’t want another man to experience this. Possessive? Yes, but she moaned when he called her his. “Aisha. Aisha, damn sweet girl…” Using his tongue, he cleaned his thumb of her slick and bit her bottom lip, forcing her mouth to open for him to slip inside, making her taste herself.

“Are you…always like this Dieter?” Able to speak between pants and Dieter’s thumb bobbing in her mouth. He didn’t pull out and just warmed within her. He knew he would have to eventually. They would need to clean up. But then what, just appointments until things are figured out? More, he wants and needs more from her.

“No. It’s only with you. Aisha. I’m not in the habit of wanting someone this much. You did that to me.” Cupping her face, a light kiss, gentle. He can do that and be that for her. She watched his features soften with the kiss. Dieter looked warm to her, Aisha couldn’t recall him ever this territorial with her. Protective maybe, especially after her work was stolen but not like this. Where it doesn’t look like he’s going to let her go. It makes her feel safe, but also scares the hell out of Aisha. She ruffles his hair as he finally slides out of her. The loss of his girth has her groaning and feeling the drag of his length exiting her has her crave it again. “Come on.”

“W-Wait, I’m not ready to stand yet.” Dieter has already popped up out of bed and is pulling Aisha by her hands to take her to her bathroom. Wobbly and leaning on Dieter’s arm, they make it there together and wipe each other down, cleaning up. “I’m still dripping a bit Dee.” She states barely above a whisper as he’s between her legs, spreading her again to ensure that she’s clean and dry. The sensation of the washcloth and his hand. He flicks his tongue on her inner thigh. “D-Dee, don’t.”

The low chuckle as he stands, “I’m not. Nowhere near ready to go again. Come on, back to bed with you Scribbles.” A light slap to Aisha’s ass as he holds a handful of it and takes her back to her bed. Laying next to her feels right, having her curl on his chest gives Dieter a wide smile.

“You’re going to get some sleep too?” With heavy eyes, Aisha peers up at Dieter and presses her palm into his chest, “We’ll talk more tomorrow morning Dee.” Her voice trailed off and he was right behind her.

“We will. I promise Ai.”

Chapter Two. Chapter Four

The cuddlers 🤗: @megamindsecretlair @soft-persephone @soft-girl-musings @rosecentaur1916 @westside-rot

@mysterious-moonstruck-musings @schnarfer @yorksgirl @angelofsmalldeath-codeine @guelyury

@readingiskeepingmegoing @gwendibleywrites @pascalsanctuary @survivingandenduring

[more-better-words]

20 Writer Questions

Tagged by @mytardisisparked. Aw, thank you ☺️

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

52!

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count?

546,530. And it ever increases! (to be fair, a full third of that is one fic <.<)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

At tthe moment, the Star Trek: Enterprise brainrot continues to be extremely real. But if you look over my fandoms list, there's a diversity of very niche and obscure properties!

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Far and away, the four fics that make up my ENT series Built to Last, though not in order lol

What We Build Here

For the Duration

From the Ground Up

The Place We Call Home

And then Lay Down the Beat, which is a Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency joint.

5. Do you respond to comments?

Heck yeah! I am massive ho for comments and love to respond to them.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I have an allergy to angst - I read and write fic because I love the characters and want them to be happy, so about the worst I can manage is bittersweet. So probably What We Build Here, but ONLY because I knew it would have a followup and everything would be okay!

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

All of them! The fic's not over til the happy ending gets here!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Never on AO3, but I have gotten some rude anons here on tumblr in the past.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Kinda. 😄 I've written some M rated Trip/T'Pol that is inevitably very vanilla and very sweet.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I don't - I don't think my brain's wired right for crossovers.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not in the manner that this question is asking, but I do consider the AI scrapping stuff to be theft and I'm not cool about it.

Stealing this answer from @mytardisisparked, because yeah

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? 

Nope

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Years ago I worked on a massive Baldur's Gate 2 AU with a friend that was a lot of fun. Never did publish any of it, which is a shame.

In my more modern writing era, no, though I have been the grateful recipient of a lot of ideas and positive feedback from some very wonderful people (most especially my beloved @pajamasecrets, but also @candiedsumire, @deadheaddaisy, @followersarepeopletoo, and a host of others)

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Every ship i've ever written is my favorite!

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Probably the sequel to In a Strange Land. That one just...*sigh*

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue, definitely. I can sit there and have characters chat endlessly and be happy as can be.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

All the parts around the dialogue 😅

I struggle a lot with plotting. The answer to the question "what happens next?" makes me break out in a cold sweat.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

As it's never really been an issue for me…none, really.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

If someone dug up my old LJ (and I won't tell you where to look), they'd find some extremely middling (and unfinished) Buffy the Vampire Slayer fic.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

That changes depending on the weather, the phase of the moon, or the barometric pressure. I love them all for different reasons. 😁

Tagging anybody who want to play along!

[bearpillowmonster]

Metroid: Other M Review (Spoilers)

I'm going to keep the last bit here with a spoiler tag, this is where I won't just talk about spoilers in the game's story itself but a certain thing that I found could be both helpful and harmful to how you approach the game. Read at your own risk.

This game was developed by Team Ninja. The same people who made Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive, in fact at that point, that was all they've done, just different iterations of the same two series'. So this was not only their first outing with the Metroid franchise but their first outing to approach a new IP. While all developers start somewhere, some succeed with the property by either reinventing it to the fans liking or making a faithful adaptation as if it were their own. This happens to bit some of the former, the reinventing part. And because of their prior experience, it would make sense to compare this game to Ninja Gaiden in its play-style, the way the map is, the way the action shots are, the way you walk around, even some of the sounds. I haven't even played Ninja Gaiden, just seen footage so for me to feel this, someone who's played the games must really feel it.

Now, is this a question of experience, of choice, or a lack in Metroid's department?

Well, Nintendo reached out to them because of their work on Ninja Gaiden and were impressed with their latest engine for it. They took three designers, veterans of Metroid, as well as Sakamoto as producer (who directed a majority). Hayashi, who was director from Ninja, claimed he was a big fan and wanted to include as many creatures as possible so the thought of "lack of Metroid knowledge" is cancelled. Sakamoto proposed a simplistic control design, similar to the NES, hence the sideways thing (though the classic controller isn't compatible). But what's funny is that someone even asked if the game would be too similar to Ninja Gaiden before released to which Sakamoto responded "-while the new game will feature heavy action-based sequences, there will still be the exploration-based sequences characteristic of other Metroid games." which doesn't say a whole lot as an answer but I guess it's true.

His goal was to introduce this game to new players as well as give old fans something new. I suppose a lot of people already know Super's ending but honestly I don't see as many people picking this game up as a "new fan". I think what it boils down to is that Sakamoto wanted something new yet classic as well as really trying to dive in on Samus as a person. Just read this line (I'm pulling from Wikipedia, don't judge) "Kitaura tried to include more scenes with Samus outside her powered armor, to illustrate "the human, weak side of Samus, her expressions and gesture", but Sakamoto convinced him otherwise with a declaration that the Power Suit acts as a shield for both enemy attacks and the reveal of her emotions"

What emotion? You made Samus kind of dull.

This kind of reminds me of Toshihiro Nagoshi who created the Super Monkey Ball series. He really wanted to dive into Ai-Ai's as a character he created Super Monkey Ball 2…nah, I'm just kidding but for real, he left Monkey Ball because he wanted to tell a more in depth story and really experiment thus Yakuza was born. At this point, Sakamoto hadn't worked on any story-driven games and probably wanted to express himself so I imagine he just tried to take one of his tried and true franchises and combine it. And in the process, the gameplay idea was to make something similar but also different so when people submitted Ninja Gaiden mechanics, he probably accepted. I mean Samus does move a little like a ninja, I would assume that's part of where the hiatus came from. "What do we salvage? What do we get rid of?" mixed with Sakamoto's ambitions. Though Zelda had Wind Waker then did a 180 and released Twilight Princess due to what the fans had to say and that was only the span of a few years.

Conclusion: Probably choice.

Now was it the wrong choice? Personally, I think Metroid should have a 3D environment 3rd person shooter but maybe not as corridor ridden in the sense that you're looking at the side, rather than behind. That's more like a mainline game, I think even best kept to that while spinoffs can go and do what they want (Fed Force) Mostly. There are sections of this game where you do indeed do that but it's more for slow detective work than combat. I also think that the narrative should've been expanded upon, but you saw my thoughts on that in the actual review.

Sakamoto wasn't really involved with the Prime trilogy and it could be easily written out in this story so I imagine this was almost a soft-reboot in his eyes.

I think the Federation being the bad guys is fine and trying to reuse Mother Brain for their own purposes isn't new, we saw it in Prime 3 and this does it a bit differently but taking Metroids and Ridley too? Just what exactly is the point here? How many missions is she commissioned BY the Federation to wipe out the Metroids before hand? And then they threaten to reprimand her for originally trying to bring back a specimen? (She probably wasn't going to go back to the Feds I assume) Even though they wanted to use it to their advantage anyway. And Adam being head of the project only to say he was given that title and only "researched it". What was that? He warned them not to actually do it? Could he create this thing? Yes, he proved that. But should he? No. But he knew that and researched it anyway then submitted that research for review. How dumb can you be? What did you think they were going to do with that research?

It's very specific that a bad batch in the Federation is supposedly bad but we only really get to see a part of it, we have no idea where that leads or how far it goes, it's said almost in passing despite being very important.

Ridley controlling the Metroids is a new take I believe but doesn't Mother Brain do the same? Am I just confused on that?

As far as I know, the Deleter wasn't settled upon and is just theorized to be Pierce which is fine but it just takes away from the ending, especially know thing it doesn't get expanded upon. It would've been cooler if you questioned your teammates and even Ridley only for it to be MB but I guess that wasn't thought up. I think MB has a lot more potential as she has a human form. I think she should return and be the one that's reviving all these projects, an overarching villain.

[tea-and-la]

So I saw a post earlier...

(I’m gonna paraphrase because I don’t want to tag OP or argue), that basically went like, “If M/ai is toxic and unsupportive as a partner, why do y’all (read: zutara fans) think shipping her with Ty Lee could work?” 

Where do I start? 

First of all, I’m a Zutara shipper and a Mai stan (mostly in a fanon sense because a lot of her characterization unfortunately got shunted by Bryke into revolving around Zuko.) But even in canon, I love the potential that this badass, goth knife girl had. And I can empathize with the extent that her childhood trauma caused her to repress her emotions.

As SO many Zutara fans have said already, it’s the relationship (not the characters themselves) that's unhealthy. As in, it isn’t beneficial for either M/ai or Zuko. I love BOTH characters, but I don’t think it’s what either of them needed in terms of partners for several reasons; Most significantly because of their struggles with emoting and communicating. Also, the phrasing of that original post neglects to take into account that people act differently with different people. You can be toxic in one person’s life and not in another’s (again, not implying that M/ai is toxic.) 

I don’t want to spend this whole meta talking about Ma/iko because I want to talk about my fav sapphics, but I do want to contrast the first scenes where we see them interact (in terms of M/ai’s response.) 

Starting with The Awakening, M/ai and Zuko are a newly established couple (after three years apart and without any on-screen acknowledgment of what has changed.) This scene has been analyzed to death over the past few days so I won’t get into it.

But this is the first time Ty Lee and M/ai are reunited:

 M/ai, who usually has a stoic expression, almost looks sad in this scene. And then she says this: 

I thought you ran off and joined the circus? You said it was your calling.

One could infer many things from that line. That M/ai and Ty Lee talked about their future plans at some point in the past. That it was important enough for M/ai to remember. And that M/ai’s conflicted expression means she realizes that seeing Ty Lee again meant she had to leave a place that was special to her (the circus.)  Then Ty Lee responds: 

Well Azula called a little louder! 

Even though she says it in a cheerful voice, it’s almost an unspoken understanding between them that she didn’t have a choice. I think this is part of the reason M/ai agrees to join, so that Ty Lee doesn’t have to be alone. 

Also, M/ai is pretty perceptive towards Ty Lee, which makes sense because they are canonically close. In The Chase episode, Ty Lee is trying to find the word to describe Appa’s fur. Azula walks off and ignores her, but M/ai was listening and gave her the word she was looking for. Ty Lee gets SO happy that she jump-hugs M/ai, and M/ai’s face goes soft. It’s a small moment, but we know that Ty Lee struggles with getting attention since she grew up with identical sisters. Having someone like M/ai as a partner, someone who listens, complements her well. 

And don’t even get me started on THIS scene. The emotion on M/ai’s face is truly powerful. M/ai being put first by someone; this girl who values loyalty and yet, was not expecting it. And then, both of them being fully prepared to die in each other’s arms. Arguably one of the most meaningful moments for M/ai. 

And finally, MaiLee already have really strong communication and emotional vulnerability. In the Smoke and Shadows comic, Ty Lee opens up about her fears now that Azula is out of prison (something she could’ve told Suki or any of the other Kyoshi warriors instead), and M/ai finishes her sentence because that same feeling resonates in her as well. Because of their shared experience. It’s a moment of vulnerability for them both. 

 M/ai breaks up with Zuko (in the comics) because she felt he closed off any emotional conversations about his worries. In my opinion, this isn’t something that would exist within MaiLee dynamic. And perhaps Ty Lee’s emotional openness could encourage M/ai to become more comfortable with expressing her own emotions and finding things she likes (rather than hates) about the world.

[crystal-heart-saga]

CRYSTAL HEART:

CHAPTER ONE: A Startling Discovery.

DISCLAIMER; I DO NOT OWN MARVEL, IF I DID, HALF OF ENDGAME WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED.

TW; MENTIONED/REFERENCED/IMPLIED CHILD ABUSE.

Natasha’s POV

The Battle raged around me as I raced across the compound. I had to get inside before HYDRA wiped their Computers.

“I’ve got your six Tash,” Clint’s voice rang in my ear.

“Copy that,” I said, effortlessly taking out a HYDRA agent that had attempted to block my path.

I took a moment to catch my breath, the gun still firing from my shoulder. Suddenly, a barrage of bullets rang out from the other side of the fence. I turned around and saw Cap crouched behind his shield. pinned down by a half dozen HYDRA agents.

I vaulted over the fence and rolled towards the sounds of gunfire. A HYDRA sniper had been hiding on top of the security building. I fired a few rounds into him. He screamed as one of the bullets hit him. His weapon ejected and he crashed to the floor below. I grabbed a piece of pipe, and another HYDRA agent rushed towards me. I smashed him with the pipe, knocking him out cold.

This gave Steve the opening he needed, he leapt to his feet and tossed his shield. taking out three goons in one swoop, then he punched the last one and tossed him into the security fence.

"Go Romanov," He said, turning to me, "We've got this out here, but there's no point if we lose the Data."

I nodded, heading towards the door.

Inside the perimeter of the security building, three HYDRA agents had managed to capture James. Clearly they'd used a trigger word to knock him out.

"What's the plan Ms Romanov?" Spider-Man asked. I glanced to my left where he hanging upside down off a web at my side.

I held up a finger to shush him as I watched what the HYDRA goons were up to. They were working on loading the gasses back into the portable canisters.

"I'll take them out, you get James to safety," I whispered, turning to the boy beside me.

"You got it."

I kicked down the door, startling the agents, One of them tossed a canister at me, I dodged it but It exploded, the blast left a giant hole in the floor.

That was the opening I needed.

using my widow's sting on the agents, I was quickly able to incapacitate them. and as Spidey moved in and got James out, I dropped down through the hole in the floor.

I was inside the Compound.

Walking through, it seemed that all the occupants of the compound were outside getting their butts handed to them by the rest of the team. Reaching the Server room, I pulled a USB drive from my suit pocket and plugged it in.

"Alright JARVIS," I said, "Start the Download."

"Straight away, Agent Romanov," the AI replied.

While I waited, I picked the lock on the filing cabinet and started digging through the paper records. I found the Winter Soldier Files but put them back without looking. That was too Personal. Something else caught my eye, A file marked Kriegerkinder

Kriegerkinder? why did that sound familiar? I opened the file and promptly shut it again, desperately trying to dispel the nausea that had risen from what I'd seen inside. the team needed to know about this.

As the download finished, I grabbed the USB drive and started to head out through a different exit. walking down a dark, foreboding corridor. lined with doors to what seemed like holding cells. suddenly, my foot collided with something soft.

I looked down, it was a teddy bear. A tattered, old, slightly disgusting teddy bear with a missing arm, ear and eye.

Children, there had been children here.

maybe there still were.

I broke opened every door in the corridor, all of the holding cells were empty. the floors were stained with blood, vomit and other body fluids. and the walls had chains much too small for any adult.

Cell after cell, empty, empty, empty. Like HYDRA had gotten them all out when we'd shown up.

and then, as I threw open the door to the last cell, I found a sight I'd never forget.

It was a child! A little girl who couldn't be older than ten huddled in the damp corner of the cell. she had messy platinum blonde hair that was long, unkept and matted with filth. scraps of tattered grey fabric that could barely be called a dress, hung loosely off her far too thin body. Big heterochromatic eyes, Blueish green on the left and deep hazel brown on the right, stared up at me in fear.

"Don't be afraid," I whispered, kneeling down, "I won't hurt you."

The little girl looked at me as if she didn't believe me.

"You are safe now," I told her, "you're okay now, I promise. What's your name?"

"1 2 2 8 1 9 2 2." She replied, almost robotically.

"That's your number, what's your name?" I asked again.

She remained silent and looked at the floor.

"You don't have a name... do you?" I guessed.

She shook her head, Blood-stained pale locks falling in her face.

"Well, I'm Natasha. Natasha Romanov."

The Little girl gasped and recoiled in fear, "You... You're... You're one of them! You're an Avenger!"

"Yes, I am an Avenger. But I'm not going to hurt you. and neither will anybody else. We don`t hurt children."

"So you`re not going to feed me to the Hulk?"

"Why would I do that?" I asked, appalled.

"That's what they said you'd do to us if we ever left."

It didn't take me long to realise why the little girl thought I was that kind of person. HYDRA tells people anything to keep them under their control.

"How many of you are there?" I asked.

The little girl hung her head and chewed her lip, "I... I... I don't know... but... They stick us with needles then we become really sick. A lot of us don't make it."

Bile rose in my throat as I tried not to let my anger truly show. I'd only scare this little one who'd already been through so much.

"How long have you been here?" I asked.

The little girl shrugged.

"Would you like to leave here? with me?" I asked, "We can keep you safe. I promise."

The little girl looked away, as if thinking about it. then she turned back to me and nodded meekly.

I offered my hand and she hesitantly took it. Together, we left that dark, damp cell behind.

"You know, I have to call you something," I said, "You really don't know If you have a name?"

The little girl shook her head again, "No. but... but I have dreams occasionally, someone's in them, and they call me Mel."

"Mel, huh? Well, I`ll call you that. Would you like that?"

she nodded.

I held Mel close to my side as we left the Compound and walked across the now-empty battlefield. Evidently, the Avengers had won the day yet again.

Mel Stumbled as we passed through the mangled wire fence and headed for a large group of black Vans.

"M'sorry." Mel said softly.

"Nothing to be sorry for," I replied, "It's alright, just a few more steps."

"Tash!" Clint called out to me. I felt Mel jump and try to make herself smaller. "There you are! Do you have any idea how worried we were?"

"Sorry, got a little... distracted," I replied, gesturing towards Mel.

"S***!, Barnes was right... the orphans... the experiments, just like the twins."

"I think she's the only one left."

"What's your name kid?" Clint asked, kneeling to Mel's height.

"I don't really have one," Mel responded shyly, "but Ms Romanov's been calling me Mel."

"Nice to meet you Mel, I`m Clint Barton, Codename; Hawk-eye." Clint smiled, then he turned back to me, "You should talk to Hill."

"That's a given, here she comes now," I replied.

"Agent Romanoff, did you discover anything?" Hill asked.

"You could say that."

[rhodeys]

I wish you would write a fic where tony has accidentally turned into a child and Rhodey has to babysit him Thanks !!

thank you for the prompt! 💞💞

(i may have had too much fun with this) 

The thing is, Rhodey's used to being greeted by an empty penthouse every time he decides to check up on Tony. It's precisely the reason why the rest of the penthouse blend into the background while he makes his way to the private elevator that leads to Tony's workshop – the sectional sofa, the mezzanine, the staircase leading to the mezzanine, the kid, the–

Rhodey does a double take. 

There's a child in the penthouse - staring back at him like a baby deer caught in the headlights. The child blinks, just once, before brown eyes are back to being impossibly wide over the tiny hand perched upon the glass handrail. He's wearing a black t-shirt that's ten sizes too big for him, the edges of it ending at his knees. His feet are on two different stairs, almost like he'd been in the middle of making his way down before Rhodey conveniently barged in. The child doesn't even move a muscle. 

"Uh," is all Rhodey says, eyes flicking around the penthouse in sudden uncertainty before he turns to the boy. "Hey." 

The boy continues to stare at Rhodey for five odd seconds, making the older man feel oddly conscious. And then, finally, a careful: "Hi." 

"Hey," Rhodey says again, softer now. "Are you alone here?" He scans the empty penthouse once more. "Where are your parents?" 

"Why?" The boy is quick to ask, tone changing as his eyes narrow, and Rhodey's never seen a five-six-whatever-year old sound so defensive. "Where are yours?" 

Rhodey's taken aback, if only for a brief second, at the sudden shift in tone. Brown eyes are no longer wide, but slitted with something close to suspicion. "They're not–" Rhodey starts. Stops. "I'm sorry. Just–" He turns his head away, still maintaining wary eye contact with the boy, and calls out in the general direction of Tony's bedroom. "Tony?" 

"Yeah?" The boy asks. 

"No, not– that's my friend," Rhodey elaborates, making a vague motion with his hands to the space around them. "Have you seen anyone else around here?" 

"Is your friend's name Tony, too?" The boy asks, slowly continuing to make his way down the stairs, sharp eyes still fixated on Rhodey. 

"Yeah. He's–" Rhodey starts, and then something the boy had said registers. "Wait. Too? What's your name?" 

The boy finally takes the last step, and it's right then that Rhodey sees the familiar design of Black Sabbath printed across the oversized t-shirt. The sleeves were pulled up and knotted at awkward angles to prevent it from dangling down tiny arms. "Tony," the boy says. 

Rhodey's lips part in growing surprise as he takes in the messy waves of dark hair, matched with a pair of brown eyes that shine too bright, the layer of chub across a familiar bone structure, and the all too familiar expression of suspicion that Rhodey was once subjected to in MIT – one that, over the years, had eventually been hidden behind a perfected mask of cool. "Tony."

"Yeah," the boy says, making a face like Rhodey's being stupid. "S'what I just said."

---

"I mean," Rhodey clarifies, pinching the bridge of his nose after Pepper had calmly pointed out through the call that Tony's always been a child. "He's an actual kid. Physically. He's–" he cuts off as he shifts his attention to Tony, who's scowling from the other end of the sectional with tiny arms crossed over his chest. "Do you know how old you are?" 

"Course I do," Tony huffs out, eyes narrowing in offense. "I'm eight."

"Eight? Kinda short for an eight year old, aren't you?" Rhodey teases, and Tony's eyes narrow even further. The boy looks away just as his cheeks flush pink at the jab aimed at his stature. 

"Wait. Is that Tony?" Pepper's voice filters through the phone. "It doesn't sound like him."

"Gee, I wonder why eight year old Tony doesn't sound like fifty year old Tony."

"How are you even sure it's him? Did you ask Jarvis?" 

"Trust me, I'm sure," Rhodey says, deciding against bringing up when eight year old Tony had unashamedly called out 'who's the broad?' the second Pepper answered the phone, which ended with Rhodey fumbling to put the phone off of speaker. 

"And Jarvis isn't responding. He must have gone down when Tony did– well, whatever he did." Rhodey sneaks a quick glance at his watch. It's been almost an hour since he walked into this debacle. "He should be back up soon." 

"Okay," Pepper says after a heavy sigh. Her calm demeanor doesn't even surprise Rhodey – god knows the pair of them have been through enough and more of Tony's eccentricity. When it comes to Tony, this is just another day for them. "Jim, listen. I'm still in DC, but I'll be there in a few hours." There's distinct shuffling from her side. "Just– stay put. Read him a book. Put him to sleep."

"Put him to–" Rhodey cuts himself off before he can even consider the ridiculousness of the suggestion. "This is Tony."

"And you're his best friend. Which is why I'm sure you'll figure something out." And by thrusting her sheer level of confidence upon Rhodey, Pepper ends the call, leaving him staring helplessly at the phone in his hand. He looks over at Tony, who immediately looks away, defensive hands still folded across his chest in an act of petulance. 

Pepper had a point, Rhodey figures. Smaller Tony can't differ much from the real deal. He just has to make Tony talk; keep him occupied. Maybe play an R-rated movie– 

"Keep staring at me like that, 'm gonna think you're a pedophile."

"Jesus Christ."

---

They're not even ten minutes into watching Eraserhead before Tony decides it's too unrealistic, and therefore not worth his time. 

"What?" Rhodey asks, barely able to suppress the disbelief in his voice. Tony loved this movie – even watched it twice a month, every month, while they were in MIT. Sure, it had Rhodey worried for Tony's sanity at first, but he got around to movie nights soon enough. "You love this movie."

"Nope," Tony says, and that's that.

---

"Aren't you too old to be a babysitter?" Tony asks after spending a whole of five minutes scrutinizing Rhodey with a fairly impressive stink eye.

Rhodey huffs out a breathy laugh. "Tell that to the guy who put me here."

"Maybe I will," Tony says pointedly – sounding like he fully intended to file a formal complaint. "Where is he?"

"You're talking to him," Rhodey says, which shuts Tony up.

---

Rhodey's making a mental checklist of how else he can entertain eight year old Tony who hates Eraserhead – when Jarvis comes online.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Rhodes," Jarvis greets, and Rhodey immediately shoots a silent prayer of gratitude to the AI. On the other side of the sectional, Tony's head jerks up in surprise from where he was fiddling with the StarkTab – eyes darting around for the voice. 

"I apologize for my inactivity. My servers may have been affected while Sir was testing the functions of…" Jarvis trails off, and there's a very telling silence that follows – Jarvis apparently having noticed Tony's absence and the kid's presence. Tony's still looking around for the source, and when his attempt turns futile, decides to zero in on Rhodey. 

"Mr. Rhodes," Jarvis starts, his words edging on hesitation. "Is that–" 

"Yep."

---

Tony takes it upon himself to find out the source of the voice. There's ten minutes of Tony opening and closing doors, crouching under tables, checking behind furniture five times his size, and because Tony - no matter the age – is still Tony, returns to where Rhodey's seated, newfound determination plastered across his face. "Who was that?"

"Who was who?" Rhodey asks, raising an innocent brow. 

"The guy who was just talking to you." 

"Don't see any guy here."

"I heard him."

"Heard who?" 

"The guy!" Tony blurts out hotly, throwing his arms out in frustration as his cheeks flush a shade of red. The movement makes the full sleeves of Tony's undershirt break from the knot Tony had made, resulting in them splaying out like loose wires before they end up dangling flimsily at his sides. Tony pays no mind, and Rhodey tries to pay no mind. 

"Which guy?" Rhodey asks, and he can barely contain his grin watching the way Tony puffs his chest, lips parting to make way for whatever childish blabber before they snap shut in annoyance. 

His face turns into a scowl as he brings his arms back across his chest, dangling sleeves and all. "Stop pulling my leg." 

"Whatever you say, kid."

"Not a kid."

"You're, like, five."

Tony looks like he's about to explode from frustration. "Eight!"

"Full fledged adult, then."

---

"You have a lot of grey hair," Tony speaks up all of a sudden, working on the offense this time. 

"You're short," Rhodey answers without missing a beat.

"But I'll grow," Tony says, grinning now, like he'd struck gold. "I'll be taller than you."

"Oh, yeah," Rhodey agrees for the sake of entertaining the kid, deciding against breaking his bubble as much as he'd like to. He adds an enthusiastic "definitely." 

Tony, self-proclaimed genius that he is, catches on to the intent. He looks almost giddy with excitement as he crawls over from his place on the sectional to where Rhodey's sitting. "You're jealous!" Tony exclaims, eyes shining in delight. "Aren't you? You're jealous that I'm gonna be taller than you!" 

"You got me, kid," Rhodey shrugs, a lopsided smile pulling at his lips. "What can I say? Life can be a– biscuit, sometimes."

"A bitch, you mean."

---

They go through the StarkPad together, not that Tony needed much help anyway, seeing as he already figured out most of how it works by himself. Rhodey gets his fair share of questions anyway, from why do people need such a big screen? to I can watch an entire movie in this?

"Ha, this makes you look even older!" is the first thing points out when Rhodey switches it to the front camera. 

"Yeah, yeah," Rhodey says smiling, and in a split second, contorts his face just as a grinning Tony holds up the tablet and takes a selfie of them. 

"This is so cool," Tony exclaims in barely contained excitement as he proceeds to take a dozen more pictures of himself, some of which Rhodey accidentally ends up in the background of. 

"Yeah, remember my friend Tony? He made it."

Tony perks up, suddenly more interested, and Rhodey thinks he's going to ask more about the StarkPad until– "Is he taller than you?" 

Rhodey snorts. "He wishes. Tony used to stuff paper balls into his shoes when we were in MIT. He wears heels now." 

"I know MIT! My dad studied there," Tony says, and Rhodey makes a surprised sound, like that wasn't news to him at all. Tony cocks his head, eyebrows knitting as if something just occurred to him. "Wait, how does he wear heels?" 

"He gets them custom made into his shoes."

A pause. Then: "And he's still shorter than you?" 

"Yep."

"That must suck balls."

"Yep."

---

"You never told me your name," Tony says out of the blue after spending a good few minutes drooling into Rhodey's shoulder while he was dead to the world.

"It's Jim."

Tony shifts, drawing his feet towards himself so he can curl into Rhodey's chest. "That's an old man's name," Tony points out softly. 

"Rhodey, then."

"How many names do you have?"

Honeybear, Platypus, Sourpatch– "A few."

"My name is Anthony," Tony says, voice softening even more, as if he'd pass out any moment now. "But nobody calls me that anymore."

"Thought you didn't like-"

"Because when they do, I kick 'em in the dick," Tony finishes, words coming out in soft mumble before he drifts back to sleep.

---

When Pepper walks into the penthouse an hour later and spots Tony snuggled against Rhodey's side, soaking his polo shirt wet with drool, she flashes him a triumphant smile. I told you so.

[sanstropfremir]

what do you think makes someone have good stage presence? do you think it's something that can be taught or something one just naturally possesses?

i read your answer to the other ask. and re. super m, i like lucas. don't get me wrong. he's very much a hong kong beauty that i love (sm is really missing out by not putting him in more editorials).

but in terms of stage presence, he isn't a standout to me? maybe that's because he's in a group with, in my opinion, two of the best performers (taemin + kai). i put him in the same category as baekhyun. like you mentioned, he doesn't stand out but makes up for it by screaming. but for lucas, he's not the best rapper or vocalist and isn't given a lot of lines.

also, what do you think about nct's infinite concept? this is a bit random but wanted to group together since we're talking about nct members. nct2020 was a whole mess for me (as someone who absolutely LOVED nct2018 concept wise and thought maybe, hey this could work). watching nct2020, it seems... asjhdakjhlgds for a lack of better words. like if i was a member and wasn't taeyong/mark/ten/lucas/doyoung, i would be :/ there's definitely a reason why sm pushes them the most because they're just better in capturing the audience. the other members feel like glorified background dancers.

in my personal opinion, stage presence is how well a performer can convince the audience that they are alive, and that they belong there. the stage is an artifice. it isn’t real, nothing you do on it is real, all performance is just that: performative. a human being’s natural state is not on a large platform being stared at, obviously anyone put in that situation is going to find it difficult to act in a natural way. why do you think people hate public speaking? why stage fright is a thing? those of us that can make it over that initial hurdle of being looked at have dual challenges; we as the audience know this whole scenario is fake; what makes it real is our willingness to be convinced that it is real, and the performer’s ability to make us believe that it is real. a huge part of this is making their bodies move and respond in a way that we recognize. this includes making facial expressions. it also includes exuding the confidence that you belong on that stage. that we should be looking at you. this is no place for timidity or nervousness. yes, i do think this is something you can learn, it’s acting and anyone can learn to act. do some people have an advantage over others? absolutely, it's the same with any skill. are there some people that despite being on stage for years never learn? also yes. i don’t think it's a ‘you have it or you don’t’ scenario, like with all reductivist binary statements, it belittles the effort of the people that work extremely hard to get where they are. this is the fallacy of mozart***; those with a high level of natural talent cannot coast by just that talent alone - a true artist is dedicated to pushing their own boundaries and skills regardless of what others deem you as. no one is born a genius, but we all have predispositions that, if applied cultivation, can become fully fledged ‘genius’ level skills. 

i’m gonna put the rest of my responses under a cut because i got extremely deep in the weeds on that one, whoops.

i can totally see why lucas and baekhyun would fall into the same category for you, that's valid. obviously a lot of how effective someone’s stage presence can be is pretty subjective. my standards have a slightly different skew than the average kpop fan, since my life has been working and making performance for over a decade. yes, lucas doesn’t have the same presence as taemin or kai, and yea he's not the best rapper or best vocalist by far, but i think he carries himself extremely well despite that. he's got advantages from the start; he’s the tallest in the group and he’s pretty, but the few times that he is in center i am absolutely paying attention to him. ‘im the other one chilling with them other ones’? no idea what the fuck that means but i absolutely believe him. honestly i can't even remember any other parts of that song. if sm ever decides to give him more parts i think we’ll see a uptick in his skills. he really knows how to work a camera; his expressions and body language are already really strong and he exudes confidence like an overeager puppy.

i think nct’s infinite concept is ridiculous and a bit disrespectful to the original members who’ve done the lion's share of the work building the brand. obviously i understand why sm did it, when you have an established brand that you can keep plugging new members into you essentially never have to take the risks involved with debuting a new group ever again. plus with nct’s whole.....new culture + technology thing, they’re primed for any of the weird awful tech updates that are inevitably coming in the next decade. no shade on the girls in aespa, i just find the idea of debuting a girl group with overly sexualized ai robot versions of themselves into a world where the boundaries between idol and fan are already constantly violated uhhh...........distasteful. to put it mildly. i also think the concept is disrespectful to the new members that constantly get added in; because they get added into a system that has a clear working structure based on those original members, who are going to be in every iteration ever. because they’re the proven selling points. at least when you debut a totally new group you’re giving those idols a clean slate. any of the new nct boys will never really have a chance to truly establish themselves outside of that context. plus they will forever be plagued by exclusionist stans. if you’re lucky and charismatic and pretty like lucas you might get the chance to get beyond that (he made it to superm after all), but for pretty much everyone else? anon you said it not me.

*** i know this is not actually what the mozart fallacy is. hence the wording change. but as far as i'm aware there isn’t actually a name for this phenomenon so i'm calling it like how i heard it first described, which was using mozart as an example.

[enigmaticxbee]

✖️✖️✖️✖️ 5x11 Kill Switch

The one where... an online AI is hunting them down and Mulder has a creepy naughty nurse/amputation hallucination.

Best: Mulder hallucinates that Scully kicks her way into save him and then she really does. She doesn’t hesitate to sacrifice the kill switch to save Mulder. And tiny Scully dragging giant injured Mulder away from the trailer is perfection.

Worst: WHAT is this sexy nurse/amputation hallucination about? I’m not a fan. Scully kicking nurses? It’s just not for me I guess. I suppose it’s pulling from Mulder’s mental porn collection or something?

✔️ Flashlights

✔️ Woods

❌ Slideshow

❌ Autopsy

✔️ Evidence Disappears

❌ Scully Misses It

❌ Mulder Ditch

❌ Sunflower Seeds

✔️ Voiceover: Mulder & Scully closing discussion

❌ Catch Phrase

✔️ Scully is a (Medical) Doctor

❌ Mulder is Spooky

✔️Scuuullllaaaaayy! Muullllderrrr!

❌ Fox/Dana

✔️ Inappropriate Touching (that I am here for)

❌ Casual Scully

❌ Casual Mulder

✔️ Trench Coats

❌ Bad Tie Watch

❌ Glasses Watch

50 States: DC x41 & Virginia x10 (35/50)

Investigate: Together & Apart

Solve Rate: 62%

✔️ Bechdel Test

MSR: 🐝🐝🐝

Goriness: 👽👽👽

Creepiness: 👽👽

Humor: 👽👽👽

Rewatch Thoughts:

Great music in this episode. Twilight Time of course, but also the score - it builds the tension really well in the cold open especially.

This episode isn’t a personal favorite, but I always enjoy more than I remember (until it gets to those hallucinations).

Esther Nairn/Invisigoth is great. She has to build this character, and her rapport with Scully, and her backstory all really quickly and she’s very compelling. I don’t ship it, but I do appreciate seeing Scully interacting with another woman in a meaningful way, which is depressingly rare on this show. She doesn’t start to trust or respond to Esther until she opens up about David and her true motivations. Scully might be able to relate to going on the run, lying, doing anything in desperation for your platonic work partner.

Love all the little Scully hanging out at the Gunmen’s moments - reading an issue of The Lone Gunman, sleeping on their couch, etc. (Also: was that the Gunmen’s shared bedroom or do they not really live there and are just crashing during this case... I always assumed they lived there, but that looked VERY cozy)

They really need an “I’ve been taken hostage” code. Mulder’s like just hmm, Scully’s acting weird again, oh well!

Scully drives this whole episode!

I like how they pick up this concept in my favorite revival episode This - not just the concept of uploading your consciousness into the internet, but of doing it in order to be with someone forever. I don’t think it holds any appeal to Mulder and Scully at this stage in their lives. But later on they consider it differently.

Episode-Related Fanfic Recs:

2:45am by Setmedic - It's 2:45 in the morning, why did M and S arrive at the diner the same car? (On Gossamer so if link doesn’t work you can search for it there.)

[3pirouette]

AO3 Tag Game

Thanks for the tag @captainjimothycarter

This was a wild fucking ride, and I invite ANY and all of you to hop in my ask to discuss any and or all of this. because I’ve been writing fic since the 90′s... 

1. How many works do you have on ao3? 223

2. What’s your current AO3 wordcount? 1,016,444 (Holy shit I had NO IDEA)

3. How many fandoms have you written for and what are they? 10 Main fandoms (Captain America/MCU/Agent Carter, Once Upon a Time, CSI, Big Bang Theory, X-Men, Doctor Who, X-Files, House, Nolan-verse Batman, Stargate Sg1/Universe) with crossovers that included 9 other fandoms (Operation Endgame, Ravenous, Indiana Jones, Monster’s Inc, 10th Kingdom, The Santa Clause, Outlander, Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Return to Oz)

I also have some questionable Lois and Clark the new adventures of Superman and MacGyver fic I’ve never published. 

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? 

The Silly Stocking Supposition (995)

The Attractive Enchantress Extension (656)

The Unexpected Evening Encounter (518)

The Descending Spiral Derivation (430)

Nobody’s Baby (406)

I don’t know why it surprises me that the top four are BBT Sheldon/Penny. The Shenny community I was a part of was AMAZING and to this day I don’t think a SINGLE day goes by where I don’t get notifications about kudos on my S/P fics. 

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not. I didn’t in the beginning- I came from ff.net where that wasn’t something you really did unless you DM’d the person, and I felt like it was “inflating” the number of comments. BUT i have since learned how important it is to thank people for their comments, and how much fun it can be to talk to people there, so now I reply to EVERY comment, even if it takes me a while to get there. Because I appreciate you. I really, really do. 

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? I mean... In most of my other fandoms I was the QUEEN of angst. Especially X-Men. Like- there’s a story where Rogue commits suicide. And the one where Logan watches his children grow old and die because he can’t die. I’ve done a few for Steggy- Steve talking to Peggy’s AI, Steve replacing Peggy’s picture in his compass, Old Steve living through the snap again... My House fics are are pretty angsty... and some of my S/P ones, too. Like- there’s a lot of angst. Probably more than happy endings. 

7. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve ever written? Ha. ha ha. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. 

I mean, let’s start with the ones that make sense, shall we? Cap/Indiana jones. Totally makes sense. As does Doctor Who/Avengers, because Doctor Who can be anywhere, right?? And Outlander/Captain America sort of makes sense because of the time period and them both being in the same war. 

There’s my still unpublished (shh, i know, I know) Stargate SG-1/MCU crossover... As soon as I manage a plot that’s getting posted because I LOVE IT. 

Once you get to the Rocky Horror/Captain America TFA, that’s when things start to take a turn. 

And then there’s the “Anyelle” from the OUAT fandom.... where we shipped all of Bobby’s character’s with all of Emilie’s characters and THAT IS HOW YOU GET CANNIBAL PORN CHILDREN. 

But... but Once Upon a Time really did me in. I crossed that shit over with The Santa Clause, Monster’s Inc, The 10th Kingdom, Stargate Universe, and Return to Oz. 

Seriously? If it makes even the TINIEST bit of sense, I will fucking write it. 

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic? Yeah, but nothing horrific. Just your run of the mill stupidity. 

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind? YES. Most of the time it’s pretty straightforward M/F. Sometimes it’s Cannibal. Sometimes it gets a little kinky. 

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen? YES. And it sucks. don’t do this. 

11. Have you ever co-written a fic before? YES. Twice. I did an X-Files series with a friend who I’ve lost track of about Mulder and Scully getting drunk off their asses and hooking up, and then I did a forever-unfinished self-insert fic in the CSI universe. Neither of these are on my AO3 because I don’t have/never got permission to post. 

12. What’s your all time favorite ship? ALL OF THEM. God... I don’t pick ships because they’re cute- I pick them because the CALL to me on a basic level. Mulder and Scully were my first love, Steggy is my latest, but these pairs- UGH. They all kill me and I will happily die with them over and over again. 

13. What was the first fandom you wrote for? The first fandom I wrote anything on paper for was actually X-Files. I started writing stories before I knew fic was a thing on the internet. But I’d been writing episodes of Quantum Leap in my head long before I ever wrote that first (awful and will never see the light of day) X-Files fic. 

14. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written? How can I answer that? Like, LITERALLY HOW CAN I ANSWER THAT? I love them all, and I am so proud of so many of them for so many different reasons!! Don’t ask me to choose amongst my babies. I can’t. 

Ugh, this was crazy and so much fun. 

WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT TO KNOW ABOUT MY FIC I WILL TELL YOU ALL THE THINGS!

[gemsofgreece]

Ancient Greek, the language of the future

by Eugenia Manolidou, conductor.

“I read with interest Mr Dimos’s article that was published in the “Opinions” column on October 17th 2020. Please allow me some comments regarding it.”

[GEMSOFGREECE NOTE: I have read both articles and many things stated by Mr Dimos had me disagreeing or straight out displeased. Eugenia Manolidou responded with an article of her own, apparently motivated by similar feelings. I think her article is an enjoyable read and I agree on many levels while on others I can’t have an opinion due to lack of sufficient knowledge. I thought some of you would be interested in it, so I am translating the article in English. The article is informative for both Greek speakers and people interested in the Greek language and culture as well as the pronunciation of Ancient Greek. In the link, you can find the sources she used at the end of the text. I must now add that I did not necessarily expect to enjoy an article written by Mrs Manolidou (she’s well known in Greece and married to a politician) but that’s a personal impression that perhaps shouldn’t influence you. Going on with the article under the cut.]

I’ll begin with its title, “Can a dead language live again?”, which clearly refers to our language, Ancient Greek. I call it “ours” because even though we don’t comprehend it very well when reading ancient texts, we however use it in our everyday speech, even without realizing it.

For example, we might not know that the word αὐδή (avdí) means voice but we say very often “έμεινα άναυδος” (émina ánavdos = I was left speechless / voiceless). We might not know the phrase «ξύλου ἅπτεσθαι» (= knock on wood) but we always search for wood to knock when trying to avoid a bad omen.

Of course, I should not even start with the vocabulary in sciences, arts and literature because the list is endless. The Greek language is a living language that has survived not because we say so but because it remains in the international vocabulary by enriching most European languages.

Every year, students of the Classical Studies abroad rush to acquire books, teaching methods for Ancient Greek from Oxford, Cambridge and the rest acclaimed publishing companies. I will refer to the publications POLIS Institute Press of the Jerusalem Institute of Languages and Humanities with the title «Λαλεῖν τῇ κοινῇ διαλέκτῷ τῇ ζῶσῃ» (=Speaking the common living dialect). Meaning, the Common Greek, the living.

It is known that almost all schools in Europe kindle interest and enthusiasm in kids to learn the Classical Languages - and not “dead” so as to condemn them in advance - Latin and Greek. And yes in most countries they are taught with the Erasmian pronunciation because it helps them understand the dictation. Just for that. Not because they think it’s the correct pronunciation. Not anymore.

The Erasmian being an accurate description of how the ancients talked is an outdated thesis which many of the intellectuals and professors in Europe have now understood and explained. I will try to add some arguments in favor of this statement in short.

For those who don’t know, Desiderius Erasmus Roterdamus (1466 – 1536) was a Dutch monk who invented a method that would help those who learned Ancient Greek to write it down correctly. So, where someone would say “Χαίρε” (hére) and write it as «χέρε» (because that’s how it sounds), Erasmus explained that they should think of it as “háire” in order to write it correctly. But he never urged people to pronounce it like that.

Besides, in his book Colloquia Familiaria in the chapter “Echo”, he explains how to pronounce the diphthongs -onis, ονοις / -kopi, κόποι / -lici, λύκοι / -logi λόγοι/ and so on. Erasmus never said this is how Ancient Greeks talked, he just urged his students to memorize the correct dictation by ear. No European language is spoken exactly as it’s written.

We all think of such tricks to write words correctly. For instance, we think “extra-ordinary” but no fluent speaker of English pronounces it like that. Unfortunately, during the Renaissance in Europe, when the arts and literature were greatly inspired by the Greek mythology, history and philosophy, Greece under the centuries-long Turkish occupation couldn’t be a match for the rest of Europe. So when the French, German and Italian aristocrats spoke Ancient Greek to each other, we spoke a mix of Greek, Turkish and Italian, a blended language that we would hardly comprehend nowadays. And thankfully, our language survived thanks to the Church and the Scripts, which are written in Ancient Greek.

Therefore we did not know the way Ancient Greek was spoken in Europe. Here in Greece, we didn’t know. There were Greeks who didn’t live in Greece during the Ottoman rule though who knew. One of them was the priest Konstantinos Economou of Economon (1780-1857) who in his work «Περὶ τῆς Γνησίας Προφορᾶς τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς Γλώσσης» (=Regarding the Authentic Pronunciation of the Greek Language), Saint Petersburg 1829, explains why there’s no way the Ancient Greeks separated the diphthongs.

First of all, they were called “diphthongs” which means “two sounds in one”. If they don’t mean that, then why call them this way? Just like Andrea Marcolongo says in her book «La lingua geniale» , which translates to “the genius language” and not “the wonderful language”, with the subtitle «9 ragioni per amare il Greco», meaning, “9 reasons to love Greek” (Ancient Greek clearly, that’s what they always mean by “Greek” in Europe), there is no language more rich, precise and well-studied than Greek. Otherwise we wouldn’t have diphthongs, let alone a need for a diacritic mark( mark used to indicate a vowel forms its own syllable). We say «αρχαιολογία»  and in English it’s archaeology, «παλαιοντολογία» and it’s «paleontology». But we say «αρχαϊκό» (note the diacritic) and in English it’s «archaic».

Let’s examine some more words: We say «ατμόσφαιρα» which in Latin is atmosfera. We say αίνιγμα, in latin it’s enigma. We say ενέργεια, in latin “energia” / αιθήρ, in Latin etere /  Aίγυπτος, Egitto / μυστήριο, mistero / φαινόμενο, phenomenon / εγκυκλοπαίδεια, enciclopedia. The list is long and if we get ourselves into the scientific vocabulary (ginecologo, ematologo, pediatro), we will never end with this. In short, Latin, a “sister” language to Greek, saved through itself the pronunciation of Ancient Greek.

One more argument: the Greek words can be stressed exclusively in three syllables: the ultimate, the penultimate or the antepenultimate. If we separate the diphthongs, the punctuation gets out of hand. So instead of “hérete”, we would say “háirete” which is obviously wrong. With the separation of the diphthongs, the Dactylic Hexameter (the rhythmic scheme of Ancient Greek epic poetry) would collapse. Perhaps you’ve heard the attempts of the Europeans to recite the Iliad or the Odyssey.

Homer’s poetic epic has a completely different sound due to the loss of the Hexameter. Besides, just like Erasmus said and Economou quotes in his book: «Conducendus aliquis, natione Graecus, licet alioquin parvum eruditus, propter nativum illum ac patrium sonum, ut castigate graeca sonari dicantur.» Meaning, “Call someone, Greek in nation, even with little or no education, for that native sound, so that you learn the exact and natural pronunciation of Greek.”

What’s truly pitiful in this situation is not how foreigners learn to speak Ancient Greek. The true shame is that such a beautiful, rich and living language, our language, is more appreciated, loved and respected abroad than in Greece. I admire the people who try so hard to learn a language for which they don’t even know the alphabet. And yet they try, they learn it, they speak it, they teach it and that’s why the big publishing companies still publish teaching methods for Ancient Greek.

In the foreign universities, most professors teaching Ancient Greek are foreign. Foreign professors tutoring foreign students. It’s them who come to Greece for vacation and crowd our monuments and museums, which are right on our feet and yet we consider a visit there as a nuisance. If we truly want to love our language, our history and culture, we should be taught Ancient Greek from a young age, as a living language, like they do abroad.

With simple, comprehensible texts, from the mythology, from Aesop, from simple sayings and delphic orders, our language is full of them. So instead of occupying ourselves with whether Homer’s sheep cried “vee” or “beh” and instead of trying to decode why the Greek rooster says kokoriko while the English rooster says Cock-a-doodle-doo - he does neither - let’s try to make our children understand the importance, the meaning and the symbolism of the Naval Battle of Salamís instead of a plain «ὦ παῖδες Ἑλλήνων, ἴτε» (= O children of the Greeks, arise), dry and withered.

[richkidznation]

VerdjAmarelo - Greenn'Yellow Tunes is Zona $ul's first full Brazilian album. It was released in September 23rd, 2019. The album was mostly promoted online but they did give interviews and performed in popular Brazilian shows. The two songs who were mainly promoted where VerdjAmarelo and Pipa, which both recieved their own music videos. The songs were mostly chill beats and had a nostalgic feeling to them, the lyrics mostly expressed appreciation to their home country’s places and culture. The songs became very popular domestically and helped them get to make their first concert in their home city, Natal. They traveled back to Brazil to record the music videos and promoted the songs so they invited a lot of their friends to participate on them.

VerdjAmarelo M/V aesthetics -

Pipa M/V aesthetics - 

Tracks and lyrics overview - Under the cut

VerdjAmarelo - 3:29 (vibes to Zico’s Any Song)

    VerdjAmarelo talks about how beautiful Brazil is and the wonders of living near the beach, which was the boys’ reality before they were to leave. They also referred to the poem “Canção do Exílio” in the lyrics, expressing how much they missed their home.

Pipa - 3:49 (vibes to WOODZ’s Waikiki)

    The song talked about the wonders of Pipa beach, a place they confessed to visit constantly for vacations and that they loved and missed deeply.

Ai, ai, ai - 3:48 (vibes to Gabriel o Pensador’s A Cura Tá no Coração)

    This song was more rap-focused, but still sounded calm and chill. It talked about the current political situations of the country, quoting Bolt during an interview, “Well, since, I guess, every single brazilian artist has a critique song, I guess that’s ours?”

Churrasco&Coca-Cola - 2:46 (vibes to Han SungWoon’s Get Ready)

    This one has a more upbeat sound to it, and it’s just about having birthday parties at home, eating churrasco and drinking coca-cola, just dudes chilling.

Água de Coco - 3:12 (vibes to EXO’s Ko Ko Bop)

    Another one about beaches, this time, they mention beaches in general, even mentioning some names. They just talk about drinking coconut water and vibe.

Arroz com Feijão - 4:00 (vibes to Kanto’s YOSM)

    This one is about their childhoods and how much they miss their mom’s rice and beans as lunch everyday, it’s just them being sad and missing home.

Barulho - 4:13 (vibes to A.C.E’s SAVAGE)

    The only song with the heavy beat they’re used to do in their Korean discography, it’s about partying and making noise.

Motel [Explicit] - 3:35 (vibes to WayV’s Love Talk)

    Another chill song, however, this one had explicit lyrics about going into a motal and having sex. This one caused some problems for them and their korean fans, to which Wasabi responded: “Our Korean music has nothing to do with our Brazilian music. Think of Korean and Brazilian Sona $ul as completely different groups.” which didn’t solve the problem but made it smaller at least.

Dever de Casa (Bolt&Wasabi) - 2:12 (vibes to Mamamoo’s Sleep in the Car)

    Just Bolt and Wasabi being silly and rapping about not wanting to do homework as kids.

[imagines-dreams]

The Science Fair

Rating: PG

Warnings: mentions of an absent Howard Stark, sad little Tony Stark

Summary:   Decades before Tony Stark became Iron Man, before Peggy Carter lost her memories, before Jarvis was an AI, the three of them were at a science fair to see little Tony win the biggest trophy there. Well, partly. Peggy Carter, Edwin Jarvis, and Maria Stark were that for that, but Tony just wanted to prove himself to his father.

Word Count: 2725

Notes: In my bout of procrastinating, I wrote this. Didn’t edit it, don’t even remember if I used to correct tense, but hey maybe someone will like it

~ - ~

His father promised. He said he’d come. Howard Stark didn’t keep promises often, but if there was one thing Tony knew about Mr. Stark was that he always took every opportunity to see if his son could live up to the Stark name. So, if his father wanted to keep to that, he should come to his competition.

“You should wait outside, Mr. Jarvis,” Tony said.

His butler blinked a few times. “Are you sure, sir? Don’t you want-”

“Dear old dad said he’d be here, and he would hate it if you weren’t outside waiting.” He nodded towards the door. “Please, Mr. Jarvis.”

Mr. Jarvis nodded. “If you insist. Although, if I may, I do want to be here when they announce you as the winner.”

Tony laughed and shoved his butler towards the door. “I’ll come get you, ok?” When his butler didn’t budge, Tony whined and pushed him harder. “I promiseeeee.”

“Of course.”

And so, his butler plucked the child off his legs and left him alone at his station. Tony moved his mouth back and forth and kept his hands by his side. In the back and he’s too imposing. In front and he’s too submissive. His father could come at any minute. He had to be presentable. He had to look like a Stark. Act like a Stark. Be a Stark.

Maybe arms crossed would be better.

His robot poked his shoulder.

The boy scoffed. “Not now.”

Still, his creation pestered him, nudging his shoulder as if it were a pet trying to gain some affection from its owner. Creator, if Tony were being honest.

“He’ll be here,” Tony mumbled to his invention. “I’m proving myself today.” He sniffed and readjusted his clothes.

Still, his robot whirred, spinning its claw and chirping. When Tony didn’t budge or even glance at his robot, the mechanical pet slowly and carefully dropped its spinning claw on his perfectly styled hair. “Hey!” Tony grabbed the arm of his robot and raised his eyebrow. “You can’t touch the hair.” He held up a finger to his robot, glaring cause the claw was still a tad too close. “Hair, off-limits.”

The claw spun quickly, fanning his already messy hair.

Tony grimaced. “Not funny.” He blew his hair out of his face. “Dummy.”

His robot just beeped happily, and Tony honestly couldn’t help but laugh. “You like that name?”

His robot chirped again. It fanned his hair, and Tony laughed. “Ok, ok!” He let go of the claw and ran both of his hands through his hair. “Dummy,” he mumbled. “Well, that just sounds unprofessional.” He swiped his notebook off his table and flipped to a new page. “We need something that looks better on paper.” He tapped his pen against his forehead.

His Dummy whirred and chirped. In morse code.

So, Tony repeated, “D - U - M - E.” Tony nodded. “Needs a hyphen.” So, he wrote in big letters in his notebook. “D - U - M, then a hyphen, E. We’ll come up with a longer one later.” He held it up to Dum-E. “How does that look?”

Dum-E paused for a few seconds. Tony didn’t move. He knew his robot like the back of his hand, and he knew it would take a few seconds for Dum-E to analyze what’s in front of him.

His robot chirped in approval.

Tony smiled. “Nice to meet you.” He held out his hand. “Dum-E.”

His creation stretched out its limb and closed its claw around his hand. Slowly and mechanically, Dum-E shook his hand up and down.

Tony nodded. “Nice job.” He let go of the claw. “Damn, I’m good.”

“Language, Anthony.” The voice pierced the air, and for a second or two, the entire fair froze to acknowledge the powerful woman in the room. Well, except Tony.

Tony beamed. “Hi, Aunt Peg.”

The woman, dressed in her Sunday best, smiled ever so gently and crouched down. “I believe someone owes me a hug.”

“I didn’t put that in writing.”

She glared at him. Tony immediately laughed and let himself fall into her open arms. Aunt Peg squeezed him tightly, just for a second, before pulling away and squinting at his hair. “Can’t say I’m fond of this new style.”

“Blame Dum-E.” He pointed at his robot, who only beeped in protest. “He messed it up.”

“Well, you’re lucky Mr. Jarvis always carries hair product with him.” She pushed his hair back a few times, disguising the last one as a way to clear his forehead so she could kiss it.

Tony cringed. “Aunt Peg,” he whined.

“Oh, don’t be like that.”

“Spies shouldn’t kiss their godsons on the head.”

She narrowed her eyes at him.

“I mean, businesswomen,” Tony lied. “I meant to say businesswomen, because spies don’t exist, and I definitely don’t notice it when you and Mr. Jarvis sneak in unknown and questionable objects into my father’s basement.”

Peggy smiled at her godson. She held him by the cheeks and admitted, “You’re too smart for your own good.”

The boy shoved her off of him. “Of course, I am!” He ran back to Dum-E. “I mean, look at this!” Dum-E chirped and extended its claw. Tony smiled. “Built him all by myself. Dum-E’s entire program is built to observe and respond, even if he’s sometimes a dummy.”

Dum-E whirred in annoyance.

The little genius scoffed and crossed his arms. “Still a dummy.”

The robot chirped.

Tony stiffened. He whipped around and pointed at his robot. “No, you!”

Godmother Peggy didn’t interfere. She let Tony argue with his creation in a language she knew she could never understand, just in awe of how special her godson was. And since she scanned the science fair ground when she entered, Peggy was certain Tony would win by a landslide, go to the state competition, national competition, maybe get some money that he’d end up giving to Maria to give to charity.

And that was just from the science fair. Since Tony was four, playing with tools he shouldn’t have and tripping over scrap wood in his father’s workshop, Peggy knew that Anthony Stark would change the world. Maybe even better than his father did.

Then, Mr. Jarvis comes in. “Howard won’t make it,” he whispered.

“Bastard.” Peggy shook her head.

“Aunt Peg?”

Suddenly, Peggy’s little godson, his head barely past her own waist, was staring up at her with those big brown eyes and messed up hair. “What happened?”

Peggy just smiled softly. “Don’t worry about it, my dear. You should be thinking of one thing, and one thing only.”

“The objective,” he said, mimicking the serious voice he had heard his godmother use when scolding someone

She smirked. “Yes. And the objective is what?”

“To do my best and beat all the other bastards here!” Little Tony jumped up in the air and yelled, “Yeah! I’m the best!”

Peggy glared at her godson, and when he noticed, he immediately smoothed out his shirt and nodded. “I mean to do my best.”

“Exactly. And, let me remind you, who uses bad words in the house?”

“You do,” Tony admitted.

“And your father?”

“Steals them without your permission.”

She laughed. “That’s my boy. Smartest godson I could have.”

“Anthony!” Maria Stark burst through the doors, a crowd of photographers and reporters trying to follow her. “There he is!” She dropped to the floor and kissed her son on the cheek. Once. Twice. Three times.

“Mom!” Tony laughed and shoved her away. “My hair,” he pouted, trying to fix it.

“Oh, your hair, so sorry.” She looked to her butler. “If you could, Mr. Jarvis.”

The man nodded. “Anytime, Mrs. Stark.” He took out some hair gel and applied it to the kid’s hair. “You will be the best looking young man in the room,” Mr. Jarvis said.

Tony smiled. “I will! Then, when Dad comes in, we’ll have two of the best-looking men here!”

The three adults fell silent but tried to keep up their polite smiles. Peggy sighed. After Mr. Jarvis was done with Tony’s hair, she crouched down and held his hands. “Sweetheart, I have to tell you something, but I won’t tell you unless you promise me something.”

Tony made a disgusted face. “Promise what?”

“That you’ll beat the other bastards in this fair.”

“Peggy!” Maria cried.

“Maria, please.” Peggy asked again, “Can you promise me that?”

Tony nodded. “Duh. No one can come close to Dum-E!”

“I know that.” She sighed. “You’re not gonna like what I’m about to say, and that’s ok, alright?” She paused and let Tony process that. Then, she admitted, “Your father, he’s not coming. I’m sorry.”

Tony’s face seemed to be on pause. His smile never fell. It was still there. But what made everyone there uneasy was the light that fell from his eyes. “Dad’s not coming?” he repeated.

Peggy tried her best. “I know it’s hard, but you must know that you are doing so well. Better than everyone else, ok? And we’re here.”

“That’s right,” Mr. Jarvis said. “We’re here to support you and see you win that trophy!”

Maria explained, “Your father’s just very busy with work. He wanted to come.”

At that, Peggy and Mr. Jarvis stared at Maria, knowing that she’d defend Howard but still wondering how she could after all this time.

While Peggy glared at her godson’s mother for lying again, Mr. Jarvis swooped in and held Tony by his upper arms. “You feeling alright, Tony?”

“Yeah. Of course, why would I feel different?” He licked his lips and backed away from his family. “I mean, I just thought that since he promised and said he’d be here that he’d be here, but he’s not, so I guess I’ll just deal with him being too busy to watch me beat these losers and get that trophy, and if he doesn’t want to see it, fine!” His lower lip was trembling, and his fists clenched. “Well, you know what? I don’t want to see him!”

“Tony!” Maria scolded. She immediately regretted it, because her son was crying. “Sweetheart-”

“No!” Tony ran off, away from Dum-E and the science fair.

“Mr. Jarvis, stay here and watch the robot, stall the judges for as long as you can.” Peggy held out her hand to Maria. “Come on, let’s go.” Once Mrs. Stark’s hand was in hers, Peggy ran through the crowd of parents and teachers and students and followed her godson. “You have to stop forgiving him,” Peggy said in between breaths.

“He told me he was busy,” Maria reasoned. “Howard is always working, you know?”

“Maria, you’re smarter than that.” Once out of the crowded room, Peggy scanned the hallways. Everything was empty. There weren’t any visual cues as to where her godson would be. Instead, she listened. And just like that, there was a low and subtle creak of a door to her left. So that’s where she went. One of the doors was only nearly closed, so she slowly opened it and found her godson behind all the desks. The little boy, who had just been proclaiming how he was going to beat all the other bastards with his smarts was crying in the corner and hugging his knees to his chest.

Slowly, Peggy closed the door and turned to his mother. “I’m going to go in and calm him down-”

“No, I should go in. I’m his mother.”

“I know. That’s why you’re the last step.” She pointed at the door. ‘This needs a delicate touch. He’s broken right now. I’ll gather up the pieces, and you can glue them back together before sending him to Mr. Jarvis for a final fashion check.”

Maria sighed. “Fine. But, Howard really did want to be here. He told me so himself.”

Too tired and frustrated to argue, Peggy just smiled and gently, she opened the door. She knocked on the wall. “Hello, Anthony.”

The boy looked up just to catch his godmother’s eye before ducking his head back down behind his knees. “I don’t” -a sob- “wanna talk right now.”

“That’s alright.” She crossed the room and sat down next to him. “I’ll be right here.”

For a few moments, the two just sat there. Tony cried into his arms, and Peggy just stared at the opposite wall, trying to contain herself from hugging him. Then, finally, Tony’s sobs turned to simple sniffles. Exhausted, he let his head drop on his godmother’s shoulder.

Peggy wrapped an arm around her godson. “I know sorry won’t do much,” she said. “And I know that you really wanted your father to be here-”

“He could’ve seen that I’m really a Stark today, Aunt Peg.”

Her eyes widened. “Anthony, you are a Stark!” She turned to him and held his face in her hands. Wiping away his tears, she stated with confidence, “Even better than your father, actually.” She shook her head. “Anthony, dear, does your father tell you otherwise?”

Tony shrugged. “I don’t know.” He sniffed. “Kinda.” He explained further. “He doesn’t like all my ideas. Says they’re not strong enough, and that Stark men are strong.” The boy trembled in her arms.

“I see. And you think that since your inventions aren’t strong enough, then you’re not a Stark. Is that correct?”

“Mhm.”

“Oh, my dear.” Peggy turned her godson so he could face her and crouched down to look at his face. He still had some chub on his cheeks, a sign he was growing older right before her eyes, and she couldn’t believe how brilliant he was, how smart he was at this young age. She wiped away his tears. “Anthony, you are the best kid I know. The smartest kid. The most innovative, and the strongest.”

He sniffed. “The strongest?”

“Yes!” She smiled. “Do you know how many kids would run if they saw what was in your father’s lab? Or what about the time Mr. Jarvis and I were handling that large case with that black stuff inside it. You stared at it with fascination I’ve only seen in agents and asked if it was non-Newtonian.” The spy laughed and held his hand. “You have more strength in your little hand than some of my field agents.” With a smile, she nuzzled his nose with her own. “You’re my brilliant godson. Don’t let your father’s stupidity bar you from beating all those bastards.”

Then, Tony smiled, and he laughed. “Auntie,” he whined.

“There you are!” Peggy swept him up in her arms and spun him around. As he laughed and giggled, she said, “There’s my beautiful boy! Finally!” She hugged him close and put him down. “Now, your mother’s waiting outside. You talk to her, then afterward, to Mr. Jarvis so he can fix that hair, and then, a picture with your trophy. Sound good?”

He nodded.

Peggy stood up and straightened out her outfit. “Would you like me to hold your hand?”

He shook his head.

“Ok, let’s go then.”

She followed Tony outside the room where he was enveloped in a hug from his mother. Maria smiled at Peggy, and the godmother smiled back before heading back inside the science fair to stand with Mr. Jarvis.

“How is he?” he asked.

“Better,” Peggy said. “Although, we must discuss Howard’s parenting as soon as we can.”

“I agree.” Mr. Jarvis sighed. Then, he added, “Mrs. Stark does have the best intentions.”

“Anthony needs better than that.” She sighed. “I’m going to set up a room for him. At our safe house. Just in case.”

He nodded. “Unfortunately, I do agree with you.”

“Good. Then, we are in agreement.”

“That we are.”

Soon, the two Starks came back. Mr. Jarvis fixed his hair and clothes. And soon, it was like it had never happened. The judges came by. The rounds went on and on. The awards were given out.

Tony Stark won first place. No one was even close.

A picture was taken. A little Tony Stark, his mother’s arms wrapped around his torso and a bright smile adorning her face. Mr. Jarvis was behind them, staring quizzically at the robot, named DUM-E in the article that printed it. Peggy Carter was cut out of the photo, (she had called in a favor with her friend), but in the photo Maria was sent, Peggy was next to Maria, smiling fondly at her godson.

[221bshrlocked]

Sleeping Beauty (4)

Sleeping Beauty Masterlist

Pairing: Bucky x Shape Shifter Reader

Words: 3207

Warning: fluffff and a little awkwardness. And some jealousy.

A/N: Lol I couldn’t stop laughing when I saw this video and thought it would be super hilarious and like fluffy if Bucky did this. And then I thought, how fucking cute is this other video and wow I love small puppies.

To his surprise, you never brought up the incident in your room when you walked to his place. On the contrary, you acted like nothing happened and laid on his bed as he lazily flipped through the channel until Planet Earth was on. He always liked watching it with you because he loved hearing you talk about that one time you shifted into a hyena or how itchy it was when you were a baboon.

The food came and you ate in silence, constantly whining back when Bucky caught you scratching your thigh and telling you to not make the wound worse.

Hours later, you were sleeping on your stomach while Bucky was massaging your leg when Steve walked in. Before he could say anything, Bucky shushed him and told him to wait. Very quietly, he stood up and walked out with Steve.

“What’s up?”

“So here’s the thing.”

“Oh no.”

“No no this might be good. We’ve been getting a lot of calls from this one charity and they requested you by name because the kids said they’ve always wanted to talk to you and I think it might be good if you’re in the spotlight again.” Steve crossed his arms and waited for Bucky to think about.

“Are you sure this is a good idea? I can’t do people by myself, and these are tiny people. I can’t do tiny people Steve what if something bad happened.”

“Then I’ll just tag along as your support animal.” Both men turned around when they heard your sleepy voice, Bucky cringing when he saw you scratching the wound again. “Fucking stop already you’ll make it bleed again.” He swatted your hand away and you made a face at him, hoping he’d get scared of you but instead, he just laughed.

“Y/N you’re not scary when you’re like this,” Steve commented and regretted it as soon as the death stare was aimed at him. “That’s not what you were saying a few hours ago Rogers. Wanna test out that theory with the tiger again?” You tried to look intimidating again but failed, with Steve apologizing and changing the subject.

“Yeah Y/N will go with you. The kids will love it. You’ll be fine Buck they did ask for you specifically. Nothing will happen. Right Y/N?” He nudged you and you beamed up sleepily at Bucky again. “Sir yes sir.”

“So what animal will you be?”

“I’ll think of something. Kids like all sorts of animals.” You walked back in his room and resumed your previous activity, not noticing when Bucky walked in and covered your legs before opting to sleep on the couch this time. Something about you in human form in nothing but shorts and his shirt made his heart almost beat out of his chest and he didn’t want to test any ideas.

You woke up colder than usual, moving around to see where Bucky was only to hear the soft snores coming from across the room. Why was he sleeping on the couch? You sniffed under your armpits to make sure you didn’t smell bad and asked yourself again.

Maybe he felt uncomfortable after seeing you naked? What if he was repulsed? You stood up and walked out of his room, staring at the clock and seeing it was five in the morning.

No way in hell you were going to fall asleep now that you knew he didn’t want to sleep next to you.

Walking back to your room, you turned on your laptop and searched the charity Steve mentioned last night. You saw a couple of videos on youtube and you smiled like an idiot when you saw them playing around with puppies. You knew in an instant what animal you’d be and you thought it best to shift now so you Bucky doesn’t ask why you acted weird around him. That was the problem with him. He always knew when something was up and never once dropped the subject until you spilled your guts to him.

You walked downstairs and got a quick bite, knowing you weren’t in the mood for dog treats today and that it would take a toll on you if you didn’t eat anything. On your way back to your room, you passed by Bucky’s and saw he was still sleeping.

So you walked into yours and stripped, shutting your eyes and focusing on the breed of dog you wanted to shift into. But you regretted your decision as soon as you shifted. Why didn’t you shift on your bed? Where it was comfortable...and you could’ve rested as you waited for him to wake up. Fucking idiot.

You scrunched your face when you noticed the wound still itching you, licking it repeatedly before you felt a pair of hands wrapping around you. You barked as loudly a possible, which wasn’t loud at all, and calmed down when you saw who it was that carried you.

“How many times do I have to tell you to stop bugging it? Don’t make me put a cone around your head.” Bucky warned, chuckling when he saw guilt written all over your face. You bit his thumb and kept growling when he started playing with your tiny ears.

He walked to the kitchen and set you down until he made coffee, occasionally looking back to make sure you were still there on the countertop. Not that you had a death wish and would jump off the high ground if you wanted to leave. Sitting near you, he started scratching behind your ears and you noticed something was different.

“Don’t scare me like that again doll. I didn’t see you when I woke up and thought something happened. Had to look around to make sure you didn’t turn into a worm or something while you were sleeping.” You made a disgusted face and he laughed at how amazing it was that you were still capable of reacting like a human when you shifted.

“Don’t wanna kill you by accident darling. Jeez you’re so fucking small what breed of dog is this?”

“She is a spitz type breed located in the north-west Poland and north-east Germany region.” Friday replied in an instant and you started barking at the AI. Bucky thought this entire situation was hilarious and thanked the AI. “English Friday. What specific breed is she?”

“Pomeranian Sergeant Barnes.” Friday replied and apologized for thinking he wanted her to be more specific. “That’s alright Friday, one thing to tell the kids today. Right doll?” He rubbed your cheeks and noticed you weren’t paying attention to him anymore. Thinking it was nothing, he grabbed you and finished his coffee before putting in the dishwasher, walking back to his room to prepare for his visit today.

He sat you down between his thighs as he crossed his legs and typed away on his laptop, talking to you as if you were still in human form and pretending you were responding to him. When you got up from his lap to lay on the covers, he grabbed you and placed you back between his thighs, continuing his research on the charity event. A couple of minutes later, you stood up and scurried away from him once more. And for the second time, Bucky grabbed you sat you down, thinking you were playing around with him and telling you to stop moving already.

You didn’t try to leave again, knowing he’d probably just tickle you or something. That was the problem when you shifted into such a small animal. You couldn’t convey when you were angry or upset. It was much easier when you were a larger animal, it made everyone more alert and aware.

Hours later, you were sitting next to him in the car, eyes shut and quieter than normal. Bucky started to feel that something was up but he thought it was best to talk about it after you came back. He pulled up right in front of the building and parked, calling out your name to wake you up. But you opened your eyes instantly and stared at him before climbing over the gear shift into his lap.

“Thanks for doing this Y/N. ‘m not sure I could’ve come by myself.” He picked you up and exited the car, walking to the man standing at the entrance and telling him he was here for the even with the kids. The man recognized him instantly, telling him they were all waiting for him inside.

“But sir, there might be a problem with the dog.”

“Why?” You could tell Bucky was getting a little uncomfortable but you didn’t think it was because he didn’t want to leave you.

“We were told no animals allowed for the event.” The man looked at the security out of habit and you noticed he was getting scared from Bucky.

“She’s my emotional support animal.” Bucky said without hesitation and you barked at his words. The man was startled from the squeak that came out of you and told Bucky to wait until he asked if it was okay. He came back after a few minutes and asked Bucky if you had all your vaccinations.

“S-sort of?” Bucky replied and the man was confused. “Okay I’m sorry I lied. This is Y/N. From the Avengers. You know, shapeshifter?” Bucky watched as the man’s eyes widened in recognition. “Oh my god of course yes sorry sir, and… ma’am.” He tried to pet you but you growled, making Bucky snicker before holding back his laugh.

“She woke up a little early today. Sorry. And you, play nice.” Bucky pushed you around in his arm until you relaxed.

“Right this way Sergeant Barnes,” the man led the two of you through the metal detector and as soon as Bucky walked through, the beeper went off. “God sorry I forgot about this. I’m so sorry. It was a habit.” He leaned down and took the knife out of his boot, giving it to the man and apologizing once again. “I’ll go through again. Sorry!” Bucky worried that he was already making a bad impression and the men told him it was okay when he passed and it didn’t ring again.

You walked through after him and barked when the man tried to pick you up. You let him anyway and growled when he placed a sticker on your fur. “It’s mandatory. Sorry.” He gave a tag to Bucky and led him through to the hallway.

As soon as he entered, the three teachers standing at the windows lit up. All the kids were facing them so they didn’t notice when you guys walked in.

“Guess who’s here guys?” The woman in the middle clapped her hands and all the kids looked back and saw Bucky standing there. Before he could see it coming, they were running to him and saying hi, with the shortest of the kids pulling on his pants so he could give them some attention.

Bucky was tense for a second before he felt you lick his fingers and he knew he should just relax.

“Hey guys, I heard you asked for me by name.” Bucky walked towards the teachers and sat on the floor, laughing when all the kids sat around him in a circle and told him they had so many questions. “Guys what did we say we’re going to do when Sergeant Barnes came?” The teacher asked and Bucky turned to the kids once again.

“Thank you Sergeant Barnes for all your hard work. We love what you do.” All the kids said in once voice, well, they tried, and Bucky couldn’t help the smile that cracked through the brooding facade. He told them it was nothing and he loved doing what he does.

“So, I don’t know what you guys wanna do. Oh, before I forget, this is my friend Y/N.” He set you down and you barked, looking around and sticking your tongue out when all the kids said you were so cute. “Can I pet her?” One girl asked and Bucky said you were friendly. She reached for you and you started licking her hands before she could do anything, making her giggle and pick you up before hugging you.

“Just careful with her guys, she’s special.” Bucky saw a kid playing with a puppy doll from the corner of his eyes and thought to break the ice with the kid a bit. “Hey guys, wanna see something funny?” They all nodded and he asked the kid if he can see his doll for a second. The kid gave him the puppy toy and Bucky pushed his hands on the arms and the puppy’s face turned into an angry expression. He did it again and the kids stared at him like he was weird.

He then took you from the little girl’s hands and you knew immediately what he was going to do. And you had to remind yourself this was for the kids. As soon as he pushed a little on your shoulders, you growled. He stopped and you licked your nose, waiting for him to do it again. And when he did, you growled a little louder and bared your teeth to him. The kids started laughing and said they wanted to give it a go but Bucky said maybe later, afraid they’d get to hard with you.

“Mr. Barnes sir, I have a question.” One kid raised his hand and Bucky was amazed at how respectful he was.

“Call me Bucky, all my friends do.” He said and the kid beamed when Bucky called him a friend.

“Is your arm waterproof?” The teachers immediately chastised the boy and Bucky said it was okay. Very slowly, he took off his jacket and reached towards the kid. “It sure is, I mean I gotta swim somehow right?” He relaxed when the kid grabbed his arm and touched it and before long, all the kids were around Bucky asking him all sorts of questions about his arm.

“Here, let me take her from you.” One of the teachers took you Bucky and kept you near his chest. Bucky looked up to make sure you were safe before going back to the kids.

You were glad the attention was on him and not you, mostly because you were afraid of how forward the kids might get with you. And they did ask for him after all. You yawned in the man’s hand and stuck your hand out, playing around with the little watch he was wearing and biting his shirt.

By lunchtime, Bucky was absolutely exhausted and told the kids he had to leave soon. They all took a picture with him and told him to come back again. Bucky said he would love to and turned around to look for you. When he noticed you were still playing around with the man and stealing some of his food, he got a little jealous. You weren’t this social with anyone else, not even with the team.

He didn’t know what came over him but without thinking, he walked towards you and grabbed you, telling him you were leaving and forcing a friendly smile before walking away.

“I can’t begin to tell you how amazing today was. Please do come back soon.” The woman touched Bucky’s shoulder and you felt queasy, wanting to bark at her but knowing you weren’t in the place to do such a thing.

“Yeah definitely the kids are adorable and I didn’t think I’d enjoy it this much to be honest,” Bucky didn’t catch on to the soft touches and hair twirling and you hated how thick he could be sometimes. “Well here is my number...in case you’re free and wanna go for coffee sometime.” Bucky took the card and looked at it before thanking the woman and telling her to have a good day.

At least he didn’t take her up on the offer now.

Once you got back to the compound, Steve asked how it was and Bucky said he’d had a lot of fun but he needed to nap before dinner. Holding you near his heart, he kicked off his shoes and laid on the bed before walking to his bathroom to change. He came out with a pair of sweatpants and a tight sleeveless undershirt. When you crawled from under his hands, he got a little worried. But then you jumped on his chest and rested your entire body near his head in the crook of his neck. He didn’t budge, knowing you were tired from how early you woke up and he shut his eyes.

Sleep overtook the two of you in seconds and Bucky didn’t wake up until hours later when he felt something strange against his chest. Slowly opening his eyes, he looked down and stopped breathing.

You’d shifted back, laying almost on top of him fully naked. He wanted to move but the slightest of changes made it worse. His arm was wrapped around your back and laid on your waist, with your entire chest flush to his side and your head on his chest. He looked down and saw your right leg on top of his and knew there was no way he could entangle himself without waking you up.

And the more he tried to ignore how warm and perfect you felt against him, the tighter his pants got. This was the last thing he had on his mind today and he didn’t know if he should just wake you up or not. Not knowing what else to do, he texted Wanda and told her to come without telling anyone.

When Wanda walked in and saw the picture, she almost laughed out loud. He pointed at his mind and told her it was okay.

I need you to raise her high enough so that I could get up.

Why?

Wanda, you are not asking me that now.

I’m just saying, is this not how you two g-

No she was a fucking puppy and shifted in her sleep. I can’t wake her up like this. She’ll feel embarrassed and the last thing I want to do is make her feel like she’s at fault. Please.

Wanda could see how genuine Bucky was and nodded, slowly raising you above him and not helping the smile when she saw that Bucky shut his eyes so he doesn’t stare at you. He quickly got off the bed and sighed with relief, walking around and covering you with his bed sheets before walking out.

He turned to Wanda and told her to not say anything to anyone, not even Vision.

She told him his secret is safe with her.

“But you should tell her how you feel.”

That stopped Bucky from walking any further and turning around. “W-what?”

“Oh come on it’s obvious you too have a thing for each other.”

“N-no she doesn’t. Does she?” Bucky looked at Wanda like a child who was just told the most confusing fact about the galaxy. She smiled at him before walking away and shrugging, leaving a very confused and turned on Bucky in the middle of the hallway.

[cosmerearchive]

We have an excerpt from Starsight, the sequel to Skyward! This book comes out November 27th, 2019. Enjoy!

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1

I slammed on my overburn and boosted my starship through the middle of a chaotic mess of destructor blasts and explosions. Above me extended the awesome vastness of space. Compared to that infinite blackness, both planets and starships alike seemed insignificant. Meaningless.

Except, of course, for the fact that those insignificant starships were doing their best to kill me.

I dodged, spinning my ship and cutting my boosters midturn. Once I’d flipped around, I immediately slammed on the boosters again, burning in the other direction in an attempt to lose the three ships tailing me.

Fighting in space is way different from fighting in atmosphere. For one thing, your wings are useless. No air means no airflow, no lift, no drag. In space, you don’t really fly. You just don’t fall.

I executed another spin and boost, heading back toward the main firefight. Unfortunately, maneuvers that had been impressive down in the atmosphere were commonplace up here. Fighting in a vacuum these last six months had provided a whole new set of skills to master.

“Spensa,” a lively masculine voice said from my console, “you remember how you told me to warn you if you were being extra irrational?”

“No,” I said with a grunt, dodging to the right. The destructor blasts from behind swept over the dome of my cockpit. “I don’t believe I did anything of the sort.”

“You said, ‘Can we talk about this later?’ ”

I dodged again. Scud. Were those drones getting better at dogfighting, or was I losing my touch?

“Technically, it was ‘later’ right after you spoke,” continued the talkative voice—my ship’s AI, M-Bot. “But human beings don’t actually use that word to mean ‘anytime chronologically after this moment.’ They use it to mean ‘sometime after now that is more convenient to me.’ ”

The Krell drones swarmed around us, trying to cut off my escape back toward the main body of the battlefield.

“And you think this is a more convenient time?” I demanded.

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Because we’re in combat!”

“Well, I would think that a life-and-death situation is exactly when you’d like to know if you’re being extra irrational.”

I could remember, with some measure of fondness, the days when my starships hadn’t talked back to me. That had been before I’d helped repair M-Bot, whose personality was a remnant of ancient technology we still didn’t understand. I frequently wondered: Had all advanced AIs been this sassy, or was mine just a special case?

“Spensa,” M-Bot said. “You’re supposed to be leading these drones toward the others, remember?”

It had been six months since we’d beaten back the Krell attempt to bomb us into oblivion. Alongside our victory, we’d learned some important facts. The enemy we called “the Krell” were a group of aliens tasked with keeping my people contained on our planet, Detritus, which was kind of a cross between a prison and a nature preserve for human civilization. The Krell reported to a larger galactic government called the Superiority.

They employed remote drones to fight us—piloted by aliens who lived far away, controlling their drones via faster-than-light communications. The drones were never driven by AIs, as it was against galactic law to let a ship pilot itself. Even M-Bot was severely limited in what he could do on his own. Beyond that, there was something that the Superiority feared deeply: people who had the ability to see into the space where FTL communication happened. People called cytonics.

People like me.

They knew what I was, and they hated me. The drones tended to target me specifically—and we could use that. We should use that. In today’s pre-battle briefing, I’d swayed the rest of the pilots reluctantly to go with a bold plan. I was to get a little out of formation, tempt the enemy drones to swarm me, then lead them back through the rest of the team. My friends could then eliminate the drones while they were focused on me.

It was a sound plan. And I’d make good on it . . . eventually. Now, though, I wanted to test something.

I hit my overburn, accelerating away from the enemy ships. M-Bot was faster and more maneuverable than they were, though part of his big advantage had been in his ability to maneuver at high speed in air without ripping himself apart. Out here in a vacuum that wasn’t a factor, and the enemy drones did a better job of keeping up.

They swarmed after me as I dove toward Detritus. My home-world was protected by layers of ancient metal platforms—like shells—with gun emplacements all along them. After our victory six months ago, we’d pushed the Krell farther away from the planet, past the shells. Our current long-term strategy was to engage the enemy out here in space and keep them from getting close to the planet.

Keeping them out here had allowed our engineers—including my friend Rodge—to start gaining control of the platforms and their guns. Eventually, that shell of gun emplacements should protect our planet from incursions. For now though, most of those defensive platforms were still autonomous—and could be as dangerous for us as they were for the enemy.

The Krell ships swarmed in behind me, eager to cut me off from the battlefield—where my friends were engaging the rest of the drones in a massive brawl. That tactic of isolating me made one fatal assumption: that if I was alone, I’d be less dangerous.

“We’re not going to turn back around and follow the plan, are we?” M-Bot asked. “You’re going to try to fight them on your own.”

I didn’t respond.

“Jorgen is going to be aaaaaangry,” M-Bot said. “By the way, those drones are trying to chase you along a specific heading, which I’m outlining on your monitor. My analysis projects that they’ve planned an ambush.”

“Thanks,” I said.

“Just trying to keep you from getting me blown up,” M-Bot said. “By the way, if you do get us killed, be warned that I intend to haunt you.”

“Haunt me?” I said. “You’re a robot. And besides, I’d be dead too, right?”

“My robotic ghost would haunt your fleshy one.”

“How would that even work?”

“Spensa, ghosts aren’t real,” he said in an exasperated tone. “Why are you worrying about things like that instead of flying? Honestly, humans get distracted so easily.”

I spotted the ambush: a small group of Krell drones had hidden themselves by a large chunk of metal floating just out of range of the gun emplacements. As I drew close, the ambushing drones emerged and rocketed toward me. I was ready though. I let my arms relax, let my subconscious mind take over. I sank into myself, entering a kind of trance where I listened.

Just not with my ears.

Remote drones worked fine for the Krell in most situations. They were an expendable way to suppress the humans of Detritus. However, the enormous distances involved in space battle forced the Krell to rely on instantaneous faster-than-light communication to control their drones. I suspected their pilots were far away— but even if they were on the Krell station that hung out in space near Detritus, the lag of radio communications from there would make the drones too slow to react in battle. So, FTL was necessary.

That exposed one major flaw. I could hear their orders.

For some reason I didn’t understand, I could listen into the place where FTL communication happened. I called it the nowhere, another dimension where our rules of physics didn’t apply. I could hear into the place, occasionally see into it—and see the creatures that lived there watching me.

A single time, in the climactic battle six months ago, I’d managed to enter that place and teleport my ship a long distance in the blink of an eye. I still didn’t know much about my powers. I hadn’t been able to teleport again, but I’d been learning that whatever existed inside me, I could harness it and use it to fight.

I let my instincts take over, and sent my ship into a complex sequence of dodges. My battle-trained reflexes, melded with my innate ability to hear the drone orders, maneuvered my ship without specific conscious instructions on my part.

My cytonic ability had been passed down my family line. My ancestors had used it to move ancient starfleets around the galaxy. My father had had the ability, and the enemy had exploited it to get him killed. Now I used it to stay alive.

I reacted before the Krell did, responding to their orders—somehow, I processed them even faster than the drones could. By the time they attacked, I was already weaving through their destructor blasts. I darted among them, then fired my IMP, bringing down the shields of everyone nearby.

In my state of focused concentration, I didn’t care that the IMP took down my shield too. It didn’t matter.

I launched my light-lance, and the rope of energy speared one of the enemy ships, connecting it to my own. I then used the difference in our momentum to spin us both around, which put me into position behind the pack of defenseless ships.

Blossoms of light and sparks broke the void as I destroyed two of the drones. The remaining Krell scattered like villagers before a wolf in one of Gran-Gran’s stories. The ambush turned chaotic as I picked a pair of ships and gunned for them with destructors— blasting one away as a part of my mind tracked the orders being given to the others.

“I never fail to be amazed when you do that,” M-Bot said quietly. “You’re interpreting data faster than my projections. You seem almost . . . inhuman.”

I gritted my teeth, bracing, and spun my ship, boosting it after a straggling Krell drone.

“I mean that as a compliment, by the way,” M-Bot said. “Not that there’s anything wrong with humans. I find their frail, emotionally unstable, irrational natures quite endearing.”

I destroyed that drone and bathed my hull in the light of its fiery demise. Then I dodged right between the shots of two others. Though the Krell drones didn’t have pilots on board, a part of me felt sorry for them as they tried to fight back against me—an unstoppable, unknowable force that did not play by the same rules that bound everything else they knew.

“Likely,” M-Bot continued, “I regard humans as I do only because I’m programmed to do so. But hey, that’s no different from instinct programming a mother bird to love the twisted, featherless abominations she spawns, right?”

Inhuman.

I wove and dodged, fired and destroyed. I wasn’t perfect; I occasionally overcompensated and many of my shots missed. But I had a distinct edge.

The Superiority—and its minions the Krell—obviously knew to watch for people like me and my father. Their ships were always on the hunt for humans who flew too well or who responded too quickly. They’d tried controlling my mind by exploiting a weakness in my talent—the same thing they’d done to my father. Fortunately, I had M-Bot. His advanced shielding was capable of filtering out their mental attacks while still allowing me to hear the enemy orders.

All of this raised a singular daunting question. What was I?

“I would feel a lot more comfortable,” M-Bot said, “if you’d find a chance to reignite our shield.”

“No time,” I said. We’d need a good thirty seconds without flight controls to do that.

I had another chance to break toward the main battle, to follow through with the plan I’d outlined. Instead I spun, then hit the overburn and blasted back toward the enemy ships. My gravitational capacitors absorbed a large percentage of the g-forces and kept me from suffering too much whiplash, but I still felt pressure flattening me against my seat, making my skin pull back and my body feel heavy. Under extreme g-forces, I felt like I’d aged a hundred years in a second.

I pushed through it and fired at the remaining Krell drones. I strained my strange skills to their limits. A Krell destructor shot grazed the dome of my canopy, so bright it left an afterimage in my eyes.

“Spensa,” M-Bot said. “Both Jorgen and Cobb have called to complain. I know you said to keep them distracted, but—”

“Keep them distracted.”

“Resigned sigh.”

I looped us after an enemy ship. “Did you just say the words resigned sigh?”

“I find human nonlinguistic communications to be too easily misinterpreted,” he said. “So I’m experimenting with ways to make them more explicit.”

“Doesn’t that defeat the purpose?”

“Obviously not. Dismissive eye-roll.”

Destructors flared around me, but I blasted two more drones. As I did, I saw something appear, reflected in the canopy of my cockpit. A handful of piercing white lights, like eyes, watching me. When I used my abilities too much, something looked out of the nowhere and saw me.

I didn’t know what they were. I just called them the eyes. But I could feel a burning hatred from them. An anger. Somehow, this was all connected. My ability to see and hear into the nowhere, the eyes that watched me from that place, and the teleportation power I’d only managed to use once.

I could still distinctly remember how I’d felt when I’d used it. I’d been on the brink of death, being enveloped by a cataclysmic explosion. In that moment, somehow I’d activated something called a cytonic hyperdrive.

If I could master that ability to teleport, I could help free my people from Detritus. With that power, we could escape the Krell forever. And so I pushed myself.

Last time I’d jumped I’d been fighting for my life. If I could only re-create those same emotions . . .

I dove, my right hand on my control sphere, my left holding the throttle. Three drones swept in behind me, but I registered their shots and turned my ship at an angle so they all missed. I hit the throttle and my mind brushed the nowhere.

The eyes continued to appear, reflected in the canopy, as if it were revealing something that watched from behind my seat. White lights, like stars, but somehow more . . . aware. Dozens of malevolent glowing dots. In entering their realm, even slightly, I became visible to them.

Those eyes unnerved me. How could I be both fascinated by these powers and terrified of them at the same time? It was like the call of the void you felt when standing at the edge of a large cliff in the caverns, knowing you could just throw yourself off into that darkness. One step farther . . .

“Spensa!” M-Bot said. “New ship arriving!”

I pulled out of my trance, and the eyes vanished. M-Bot used the console display to highlight what he’d spotted. A new starfighter, almost invisible against the black sky, emerged from where the others had been hiding. Sleek, it was shaped like a disc and painted the same black as space. It was smaller than normal Krell ships, but it had a larger canopy.

These new black ships had only started appearing in the last eight months, in the days leading up to the attempt to bomb our base. Back then we hadn’t realized what they meant, but now we knew.

I couldn’t hear the commands this ship received—because none were being sent to it. Black ships like this one were not remote controlled. Instead, they carried real alien pilots. Usually an enemy ace—the best of their pilots.

The battle had just gotten far more interesting.