#mason – mentor's ball

[catmillers]

"So, d'you feel better this side a' all of it?" Cat asked. She had begrudgingly peeled away from Holland to at least pretend to do her mentorship job. It wasn't a shock when she, eschewed talking with the sponsors to find her friends and well, harass them. "Like, talkin' t' sponsors, doin' all that kinda shit?" Cat clarified, giving a gentle nudge to Mason.

@masonxxbrick

[just-a-ghost00]

Mini PAC - Details about your soulmate/TF using game cards and letters

Group 1 - Cassette

Banana card : they are fruity! If they’re a man, they have big D energy. They are joyful. They come from a warm climate country. Possibly an island.

Bunny card : this person is super cute and lovely. They look like a baby. They are very kind and soft with others. They have a high sex drive. Their teeth and ears could be parts of their body that you like about them. They feel very innocent and vulnerable.

Airplane card : this person likes to travel for fun and/or travels a lot for work. They live at a distance from you. They enjoy fast communication. They are active. They are curious and love to be challenged.

Letters : T H U N L I I O E Z E I C U Y I M A

Words or names I picked up on ( feel free to add more to the list in the comments) :

Liam, Theo, Noah, Noe, Zain, Zina, Zelie, Mona, Mina, Naim, Chloé, Chile, Lucy, Milan, Athene, Luna, China, mole, eye, cutie, cinema, zinc, camel, thyme, chain, lion, Leo, Helio, Nile, mint, maze, hazel, mountain, cunt, aconite, Lyna, Lina, Alice, menace, county, yen, Celine, TMI, TUE(sday), OCT(ober), autumn, Ciel, honey, Luca, Han, menu, hate, anime

Group 2 - Subway

Bicycle and train card : they live at a distance from you but it could be easily accessible. They enjoy traveling and/or they travel for work. They like biking.

Dress card : they are pretty feminine. They like to dress unconventionally. So if they’re a man, they like to wear skirts or high heels, to put on makeup. If they’re a woman, they’re a bit of a tomboy. They enjoy fashion in general. They could be a model.

Dolphin card : they are sociable. Their family matters a lot to them. They are very sensitive and in tune with their intuition. They have a kind and generous heart. They are playful, even flirty. They like water and/or leave near a body of water.

letters : W E E M S A U T T B A E E O R E N R

Words and names I picked up on (feel free to add more to the list in the comments) : tenor, Muse, water, Mona, Mason, Saturn, Beau, war, ram, Taurean, brat, bae, West, euro, won, MON(day), mount, sun, tarot, bus, runes, tan, beast, Roman, Roma, Meteora, Mars, ASMR, Ares, Arena, amore, nature, muerte, mentor, senor, Matteo, master, webmaster, woman, man, Erasme, Bruno, brunette, same, torn, tears, BTS, Naruto, Moana

Group 3 - Snacks

Letters X L N E J E E A O N A H N N L I R W L

Words and names I picked up on (feel free to add to the list in the comments) :

Hélène, Helena, Nia Jax, jail, Leo, Xena, hell, Joan, Joana, Jane, Jean, Jona, jean, Noel, Noe, Noa, lion, JAN(uary), Wall E, halo, hola, hello, Axel, Hoax, Jihane, Will, Jorah, horn, Jael, Jeanne, norn, helix, Halle, alien, Rollex, Rollin, Alienor, Jolie, Rio, Janeiro, Nelliel, Ronnie, Leon, Johann, Neil

Watermelon card : They support Palestine. They come from a warm climate country. They love summer. They love watermelon. They like your juice ;)

Tennis ball card : They are athletic. They enjoy tennis or any type of ball game. They got balls ;) They are swift and fast. They communicate quickly, they are witty and sarcastic.

Socks card : You'd feel very cozy with them. They have an odd but warm personality. They enjoy date nights snuggling by the fireplace or Netflix and chilling. They have cold feet.

[cain-gunn]

"Okay, be honest, what's the vibe now that we're actually here?" Cain asked Mason. Mason had mentioned being nervous about the ball-- he always kind of was, but now that he was a mentor there was a higher level of responsibility. "Still feeling freaked out about being a mentor at the Mentor's Ball, or is it better now that you've seen it?" As usual, the room was incredibly decorated to theme, and food and drinks were already circulating. "Wanna ease into it, or divide and conquer for sponsor funds before anyone else has the chance?"

@masonxxbrick

[scarlethuntress76]

JORGE MIGUEL RIVERA-HERRANS YOU SON OF A BEAUTIFUL MASTERMIND!!!! WE GOTTA TALK ABOUT THE UNDERWORLD SAGA!

So it’s been over 72 hours since Epic the Musical: The Underworld Saga was released to the public and I have ThOuGhTs!!!!

First of all The Underworld, when I heard Polites I started tearing up but then in comes Mama Wanda Herrans as Anticlea (The mother of Odysseus) with her beautiful voice and I’m balling and sobbing like a baby!!! Also the final thoughts from Polites are his mantra from the beginning of Act 1 “greet the world with open arms”.

He was thinking it was all gonna be alright while he was passing away from the attack by Polyphemus. And Anticlea’s final thoughts were all about waiting for her son to come home from war and come back to his family. As soon as Odysseus sees her in the Underworld he is trying to think why she’s here, and then he realises that he took too long and that his mother died whilst waiting for him and he is heartbroken but he must carry on with his journey to find the prophet.

Then No Longer You happens and oh my god Mason Olshavsky as Tiresias does a beautiful job as the dead prophet Circe spoke of in The Circe Saga. Also from looking at Jay’s TikTok, Mason is taller than Jay!!! Mason seems like a funny dude and I wanna squeeze him!!!!

The way that Odysseus is talking to the prophet while Tiresias is telling Odysseus that he will longer be the same man that he once was when he left for war all those years ago. Also when Odysseus shouts “WHO?!” I don’t think he realises that the prophet he talking about Odysseus and his family almost fearing him because of what he is about to become.

And last but certainly not least, Monster. Jay, you are a mad man I swear. In this song what I believe is happening is Odysseus is realising that he can’t keep doing what he’s been doing and letting anyone else die. He has already lost his best friend (Polites), his mentor (Athena), his mom (Anticlea), 500 men all because of his past actions.

He’s wondering if Circe turned his men into pigs to protect her nymphs because she’s going insane, he’s wondering if the Cyclops is up in the middle of the night because of how many weary travellers he’s murdered, he’s wondering if Poseidon drowning a fleet was to keep Odysseus in check and respect Poseidon as a god not to be messed with, he’s wondering if using the wooden horse to kill sleeping soldiers was a wise choice to make sure the war with Troy would end. But unfortunately he’s going to have to become a ruthless monster. Because as Poseidon once said in The Ocean Saga “Ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves.”

He’s going to let himself become the ruthless monster that the gods wanted him to be for more people that follow him to survive. He’s not going to be the same man he was when he left for the war against Troy all those years ago. If he has to go where Poseidon won’t reach him, he’ll do it. If he has to drop another infant from a wall, he’s gonna do it, no second thoughts.

And when Odysseus goes home to Ithaca, to his loving wife Penelope, and his (probably teenage) son Telemachus he knows that he’s going to be a monster to either his subjects, his family or himself.

Anyways those are my thoughts overall 10/10 for the whole of act 1!!! Can’t wait for Act 2!!!

[millerbrick]

@masonxxbrick

Just like with Medea before, Miller had called his brother into his room, had said that there was something they needed to talk about. Fear still pressed against his lungs, but he knew this was going to be a more straightforward discussion than the one he'd had with Medea. After all, telling the story could only be simpler than telling the truth. This would be quick and straightforward, even if, with Mason, that undoubtedly meant that it wasn't going to end well.

Because unlike with Medea before when things could have gone a number different ways, Miller knew there was only one outcome to this conversation. Mason would be confused at first. It would almost be like a repetition of the mentor's ball of the 132nd, only a hundred times worse. Then, Mason would get angry. Miller knew how much his brother adored Medea. Mason, who wouldn't know the truth, wouldn't stand for him hurting Medea in any way. All this would lead to Mason hating him, again, while they were still in the process of mending their relationship. It would just be a matter of how much.

"I'm going to need you to keep this to yourself for a while. Everyone will know eventually, but until then," Miller sat down cross-legged on the bed, "I need you to just hear me out and keep it to yourself, okay? Can you promise me that?"

[slate-skylar]

Slate knew that most of the people from the upper districts -- people like the Bricks, the Cannons -- wouldn't want to have anything to do with him. Likely, they were looking forward to seeing him die in the Arena. But he had never gotten the impression Mason was the type to root against anyone, and Mason's innocence had struck him at the ball, so that he now felt drawn to him.

"Hey, ready for mentoring?" he asked, approaching him in one of the hallways that came off the main lobby. It was a simple question, and one that skirted the obvious subject of Slate being a fucking tribute. But he didn't particularly feel like discussing that at the moment.

@masonxxbrick

[smithbrick]

Smith could kill him. First, the kid from Seven broke his wrist then he had the balls not to finish the job. The only thing more embarrassing than being outdone by a tribute from a lower district was the fact that everyone knew about it now. His thoughts went out to his mentors 'cause no one was sponsoring his sorry ass after he had it handed to him. Worse was that nobody from the pack had the brains to back him up. What the fuck was going on? If this first day was any indication of how the rest of his time would be in the arena, Smith was already dreading it.

Mason had to be around somewhere. At least he had managed to beat out River, though, he couldn't have picked anyone worse. Smith wouldn't blame her if she outright hated them both now that they'd burned their bridges. As he roamed the arena, he hoped that the city was big enough to avoid seeing her any time soon. Famous last words. He spotted her just outside of a grand stadium, thankfully without her partner. "River," he sighed, holding his hands up to show that he wasn't armed. The knife he grabbed from the cornucopia was still tucked tightly in his boot. "Funny running into you here, am I right?"

@rivermallory

[masonxxbrick]

Mason Brick 132nd Mentor's Ball

For the night Mason is sporting an orange mohawk, colorful make-up, a colorful suit with an orange undershirt and orange boots. His Stylist decided to go easy on him with it being his first Ball.

[ledenews]

Purple Power: Ferry Boys' Still Unblemished as Postseason Looms

The last time Martins Ferry won an OVAC basketball tournament championship, current head coach Derek Edwards was in his first season at the helm. The former all-Ohio guard for the Riders returned to coach at his alma mater, taking over for Ferry’s longtime and ultra-successful mentor, Jeff Sabatino. That was back in 2017. Edwards’ Purple Riders finished the OVAC regular season rankings at 18-1, earning the top seed in the tournament. The team, led by senior big man Zac Selby, Ferry took care of third-seeded Buckeye Trail in the finale, 64-47, after beating No. 4 seed Linsly, 58-55, in overtime. Now in Edwards’ seventh season, he’s seeing a lot of similarities in that season’s team and the current crop of Purple Riders who, at present, sport a spotless 14-0 record heading into the home stretch of the regular season. The Riders are currently the top seed in Class 3A. They will remain that way too. No. 2 seed Caldwell, even with wins against Fort Frye and Shenandoah in its next two games, won’t bump its average enough to overtake the Purple Riders. That lead in average is 68.14 to 51.63.   “I think we have a similar team to that one,” Edwards said. “I think we’re more capable of making it hard on teams to defend us from the perimeter this year in comparison to that. “I think defensively, we’ve evolved much better, transitioning more from zone concepts to a man concept and we play mostly man now. “There are some comparisons, but we are a far different team in some aspects. We’re able to score at a more consistent rate. This team can really score at all levels.” Selby was the lone returner on the 2017 team. This season, the Riders had to overcome the loss of five seniors, including all-Ohio performer Jaizen Miles. It was a concern coming in when you lose five seniors,” Edwards said. “We knew it’d be challenging replacing all of that experience, especially Miles, who could defend, score, and rebound. “We’ve had guys step up and some guys have really developed faster than we expected, and that’s a credit to them and their commitment to this program.” But this time around, the Riders had a few key pieces, including one of the Ohio Valley’s top underclassmen providing a nice foundational piece. They received another when a junior from Linsly opted to come to Ferry for his final season. Talented Tandem Lights It Up That aforementioned sophomore’s name is Alexander Reese. He’s 6-5, strong and agile, and he showed more than flashes as a freshman when he average 14.5 points a game. The addition of Denali Jackson to the lineup has greatly announced the versatility and effectiveness of the Purple Riders' offense. He’s bumped up that scoring average considerably, leading the Purple Riders at 22.4 per game. A rebounding machine, it’s a rare night when Reese doesn’t pull a double-double. That other foundation piece who formerly wore Orange and Black? That would be senior Denali Jackson. A 6-0 guard, Jackson beats defenders off the dribble and makes it look effortless. Dangerous with the ball in his hand, he’s formed a formidable 1-2 punch with Reese. His average? He’s second on the team at 22 points per game. The team averages 67.2 per game, so more than half comes from Reese and Jackson. That’s not to say the rest of the team is incapable of scoring. They can, and do score. In last week’s road win at rival Bellaire, senior guard Gage O’Connell went for nine points and junior Mason Redinger went for eight and six. Fellow senior and big man Landyn Hores can post up and pull down boards in the paint as well, In a more recent win against Monroe Central, O’Connell hit for 13 while freshman Anthony Booth totaled 10. Sophomore Tev’n Williams has hit double figures on multiple occasions. Plenty of scorers, coupled with a strong nightly defensive effort that sees teams averaging only 50.5 points against is a big reason the Riders are sitting pretty with Tuesday’s OVAC cutoff looming. “We want to be a balanced team that can attack from both the inside and outside,” Edwards said. “It all depends on what the situation calls for. We’re back to making the right plays and trusting the guys you’re out there with, trusting them to make the right plays. “They’ve really bought into that. The trust level between them is at a very high level.” And with the OVAC rapidly approaching, and the Ohio postseason beyond that, that’s exactly the type of play Edwards is looking for out of his charges. Read the full article

[riverstardis]

shock to the system:

oh that’s weird it does like the build up to the intro but then it cuts out?

oh sebastian grayling i forgot it was time for him

oh there we go there’s the intro

aww elle and dervla

lmaoo elle suggests putting the new f1 on dog sitting duty when he finally arrives and dylan’s like “do you think i’d trust an f1 to look after her?” sjskkf

alicia snuck out before cal woke up😬

elle asks ethan to mentor sebastian because she needs a “good reliable doctor” but says he’s too busy with a ctr review. dylan volunteers to mentor him… you may regret that bestie

elle’s like “but you’re a senior clinician?” since when did the seniors not have mentees?? maybe it depends on whether there are any (named) registrars actually there at the time? maybe it’s a registrar if possible like lily was rash’s mentor but like when paige joined there weren’t any registrars (technically there was matthew but he was paeds) so maybe that’s why she then got a consultant as a mentor? oh and archie was still off after being stabbed when mason started. and iirc alicia was initially meant to be bea’s mentor but ethan ended up taking over? idk how it actually works in real life though

cal bought alicia a toothbrush to keep at his to save her rushing off in the mornings and says he’s free tonight and she says she can’t because she’s washing her hair💀 jeez cal take a hint man

cal walks away looking so thoroughly traumatised that ethan asks him if he’s okay😭😭 he’s like “i’ve just been turned down…” and ethan goes “by a member of the opposite sex? no… WAIT do i hear the walls of jericho falliiing!!” DJSKFKKF

“so this is what it feels like? no wonder you prefer books to girls” 💀💀

ethan’s face falls so fast when he realises cal’s talking about alicia😭 though surely he was also there in the flat while alicia was there with cal?? i suppose he was probably already asleep when they got back, and i’m sure he’s used to cal bringing girls home at all hours

“she stayed over last night but she’s not playing ball today” “it’s not a game is it cal?” “see that’s where you’re wrong, little brother, it is all a game. and it’s a game i really like to win.” urgh🙄

sebastian’s so annoying

oh this actress played yaz’s mum in doctor who!

lmaoo robyn feels lightheaded and jacob catches her and sebastian’s like “hospitals change, nurses don’t” and makes like a drinking motion and jacob turns on him like “are you forgetting that i’m a nurse?”💀💀💀

cal keeps checking out his patient’s girlfriend and louise says to alicia that he’s like a dog on heat but that he doesn’t get that kind of reputation for nothing

cal implies that alicia’s jealous and she’s like “i’m the one who turned you down remember” he’s like “so you were turning me down” and she says it’s just not gonna happen is it “because you’re cal, the guy who sleeps with everyone, who flirts with patients’ girlfriends. men like you are the reason women don’t do relationships.” SJDKKFKG YESSS DRAG HIM

he’s like “wow. well maybe i’m like superman in reverse, take away the disguise and you’ll find clark kent” orrr she could go be with ethan and get clark kent without having to work through an arrogant disguise? she just goes “you wish mate” sjdkfkkf

cal’s clearly starting to actually like alicia at this point but like, if he just hadn’t slept with her in the first place when he knew full well she liked ethan not him he wouldn’t be in this situation would he?

oop cal saying alicia can keep believing that he’s the reason they wouldn’t work but really she would run a mile whoever he was. and asks her when was the last time she was serious about anybody😬

aww alicia’s mum rings her in tears about her dad and alicia’s crying by the end :( and ofc cal has to talk to her “turns out he’s just like every man in my life. but you know what, you’re right. maybe i am a bit messed up. but so would you be if you had two parents going at each others throats and a dad going through a mid life crisis.” “i’m sorry i wasn’t thinking” “yeah. so just do what you’re here to do and stop playing with my head, okay?” :(((

hmm was it sebastian saying “my dad’s gonna kill me” that made dylan consider giving him a second chance?

and then he immediately goes and resuscitates a patient with a dnr😭

ethan says he heard there was nearly a bit of an incident and alicia tells him that cal’s patient thought he was flirting with his girlfriend and ethan says it wouldn’t be the first time and alicia says to cut him some slack because he feels bad about it and ethan makes a jab at her sleeping with cal and says he has enough notches on his bedpost?! jesus christ that came out of fucking nowhere guess he’s hit his limit huh😭

yknow i’m not sure that’s even specifically because of his own feelings for alicia because he did a similar thing with lily when she slept with cal but he only saw lily as a friend, and it wouldn’t exactly fit with the fact that he willingly conceded his awards night ticket to cal because he “knew his place”. i think it’s more to do with him having a friend who he feels is on “his side” who can see through cal’s charm so he maybe feels betrayed when he feels like they’ve “fallen for it”. clearly that’s not healthy😭 get this man some therapy asap

aww seb finds dervla hurt :( he treats her in the staff room🥺

oop the patient’s girlfriend thinks cal and alicia are together and she say’s they’re not but it’s complicated and the gf is like “it’s only as complicated as you make it” and alicia immediately goes to speak to cal nooo bestie don’t listen to her she doesn’t know the full story! you don’t seriously think starting a relationship with someone while knowing full well you have feelings for his brother is going to be anything but complicated, do you?

cal suggests they just be messed up together😭

elle telling dylan how great sebastian was with dervla… maybe he should go be a vet instead of a human doctor?

ohh yeah it’s deffo the ‘arsehole dad’ card that’s winning dylan over

seb tries to hug dylan and dylan goes “there is no physical contact. ever. do you understand?” and seb says yes… dear reader, he did not, in fact, understand

i keep saying that cal must’ve known alicia liked ethan and i do think he did subconsciously at least but i think maybe he didn’t quite want to believe it or something which is why he doesn’t realise what he’s getting himself into? like i would not be surprised if he just couldn’t fathom the idea that any woman would pick ethan over him. the problem is that ethan couldn’t fathom that either😭

[lorata]

As prompted by your recent answer to a Devon and Misha ask, I was wondering if you know much about different kinds of relationship sparring. I feel like you've written about mentor/victor and friend sparring, but I remember you mentioning Two culture has more types like sparring between romantic partners, flirt-sparring, and parent/child sparring (especially interested in how that would work?). Do you have any ideas on that or is it more "I know it exists and that's as far as I've got"?

(TUMBLR CRASHED AND ATE MY RESPONSE AGAIN >:( >:( >:( )

the gist is that yes, I have actually been asked this before in previous asks that are still in my inbox and good heavens yes, I know so much about sparring, but the problem is that sitting down to write an ethnographic paper about it is an absolute nightmare! but yeah if you were to sit down and examine the full corpus that is the D2 universe you would find examples of every kind of sparring that is in your ask. it’s just that, you know, it’s over 10 years and (checks) almost 3 million words of writing. even I don’t want to comb through it all and I wrote the dang stuff 

offhand, here are the examples I can pull out from memory: 

romantic partners: Selene & Dash (& Petra), Devon & Misha, Claudius & Selene, Blake & Rowan, Mason & Levi, Rowan & Alec (Avengers AU: Rowan & Clint, Alec & Clint, Frigga & Lyme IT’S COMPLICATED I DON’T HAVE TIME TO GET INTO IT IN A LIST, Frigga & Brutus, Cato & Loki)

flirt-sparring: Claudius & Selene, Rowan & Alec, Frigga & Lyme (again, complicated), Brutus & Frigga, Cato & Loki

parent/child sparring: Joseph & Electra (just posted), Adora & Creed (Injured Creed Part IV, will be posted when I finish that chapter), Frigga & Loki, Rowan & his parents

parent/child sparring is similar to mentor/victor sparring in that the parent should never let the kid win (also kinda like irl intensely competitive kids will get super mad if they ‘beat’ you at a race, they aren’t stupid, and they want it to mean something) and is a sort of mix of reassuring affirmation of structure and roles, but is less intense about it. you’re obviously not going to pin your six-year-old to the wall and make them repeat affirmation mantras before you let go (WELL I MEAN NORMALLY, Joseph probably did a bit of ‘do you deserve it’ before letting them up that meant Alec usually went more rounds than he should because saying yes felt like quitting). it’s also just way more like … fun bonding time activity, like the D2 equivalent of going outside to throw the ball around, or whatever. kid gets home from school / parent gets home from work, run outside and throw down for half an hour before dinner. it’s tactile, parent teaches kid a new joint lock, they release endorphins, everyone comes back inside happy. 

Joseph incidentally while he is occasionally physical with Alec does NOT do it during sparring, that is not what sparring is for. when he realizes Alec is not backing down when he should have he will end it. any physical abuse takes place outside that context in a specifically designated punishment zone, which is … I mean, it’s not better, he’s hitting his kid, but I just mean that even for a dad who has hit his kid and does spar with him regularly, crossing those streams is a big no-no

(obviously there are abusive parents who use ‘sparring’ as an excuse to beat the tar out of their kids, but I feel like that is mega-taboo in Career circles. I know I keep going back to sports but if you have a bunch of baseball-loving dads who have happy memories of sharing it with THEIR dads and are really glad to pass this on to their kids, and then it turns out one of them was beating their kid with a bat or throwing the balls directly at the kid’s face, it would be like …… extra personal? in addition to the baseline ‘child abuse is bad’ I mean, you’re taking a cultural thing and twisting it. no bueno. on the other hand there probably IS a cycle of abuse thing where some people only did experience sparring as a punitive thing, and so that’s the way they do it, and it takes someone else to be like, what, what the fuck, what are you doing, who taught you that! see Misha not getting sparring for ages because she kept waiting for Lyme to deck her)

flirt-sparring is much more fun, it’s an easy way to test compatibility, really? is there the proper give-and-take, are you both fighting for dominance (or the reverse lmao) or are you able to find a balance, is one of you an asshole, is there a spark, all those things are going to get answered in a hand-to-hand fight real quick. Katie and I jokingly call it “cup of sparring” bc sooner or later ex-Careers who are interested in one another will ask for a match, and if it goes well, it’s on. sometimes it’s slow (Claudius and Selene in the Victor Lene AU have a sliding realization that happens over several months of sparring), sometimes it’s … not, lol (Rowan and Alec in the OG AU go from first date to I-never-do-this banging in the locker room because the sparring is just that good). on the flip side, sometimes you spar and it’s just not there! in which case hey, no hard feelings! let’s grab a coffee we can still hang out

couple-sparring I’ve written a lot of fic about, both when it’s good and bad, but essentially it’s a check-in to make sure things are okay. if you haven’t sparred in a while, something’s off. it doesn’t have to be a huge intense thing, it can just be play-wrestling on the sofa over the remote or whatever, but it should be a regular thing to see where each other’s heads are at. if there’s a problem in the relationship, the sparring is also going to feel weird, and it’s hard to pretend it isn’t. I feel like “they don’t want to spar with me anymore!” is an early Career barometer and/or bff paranoia check for cheating, likewise telling your bff that the sparring hasn’t felt the same recently would come up in conversations about why you feel like it’s not working anymore. 

sparring bruises are a thing I mention a lot, where in the Program it started out as a way for the kids to show the others that They’re Taken and not to make sparring weird (and because, let’s be real, teenagers love hickies lol). in adults it’s less Lol We’re Necking and more like, this is a visible sign that sparring is ongoing and things are okay (whether it’s true or the bruises are made in desperation to appear normal is a whole other Thing but that can be fun, if you’re doing like … a relationship drama kind of thing). the bruises absolutely do not have to be visible to everyone, it’s not like a weird Stepford thing where people are Checking To See Whose Bruises Are Fading (though I’m sure young nosy couples who are like, newly in love and Know Everything absolutely do this), but if you do notice that all your bruises have faded it is kind of like ah crap, we should pay attention to this and probably fix it, ASAP.

there’s also definitely hate-sparring which I think is usually a Centre-phenomenon but happens, like, so much. Selene and Petra were obviously a comical example but every year there’s aggression and competition so it definitely happened, and it’s a good way to like … bleed some of that off so you don’t get gangs of bullies at 3am or whatever. I think it probably does happen even as adults where, like, sometimes two people really, really get on each other’s nerves and they just need to go pound the shit out of each other! if you and that annoying dude at work have a lot of aggro tension people are gonna start telling the two of you to go out back and fight it out. this may or may not be paired with hate-sex, in that it often is but – like Selene and Petra as teenagers – it absolutely does not have to. sometimes two people really do not like each other and regularly meet out back behind the dumpsters to bash each other’s faces in and then go back to work. i know the rituals are intricate I know it i know they’re intricate

anyway tl;dr I love my ridiculous punchy jocks 

[amateurwordbender]

Lover & Loner

“I’m not going.”

“Johanna,” Blight says with a mixture of exasperation and I’m-going-to-murder-you written on his face. Johanna’s grown very accustomed to that face; it was with her every step of the way on her Victory Tour. “You can’t skip this party. It’s—”

“Why the hell not?” Johanna cuts in before her former mentor can launch into some lecture about how this is the unofficial opener for the Games season, how everyone who’s anyone in the Capitol will be there, blah blah fucking blah. “It’s not like I’m mentoring. I don’t need to meet sponsors or try and squeeze secrets out of the Gamemakers.”

“Sure, but people aren’t just going to let it slide if the winner of the last Games doesn’t show up. There are going to be socialites who want to meet you for the first time, reporters who want your opinions on this year’s tributes—”

“All the more reason not to go—”

“and,” Blight continues loudly, “the Capitol needs to keep all of them happy.”

That stops her protests in her throat. Johanna crosses her arms, but she hears what Blight isn’t saying. Snow and his lackeys won’t tolerate it looking like they can’t control one of their precious victors.

She hates them all so much that it stains the edges of her vision red. Sometimes, she wishes she didn’t have a sense of self-preservation and could just tell the esteemed president himself to fuck off straight to his face, maybe shoving a spear so far up his ass that he can’t move without slicing his balls for good measure. But you don’t make it out of the Games alive without a deep-seated survival instinct, so she swallows her bitterness and goes down to meet with her stylist.

Another scratchy wig, another gaudy dress, and she’s off to the gala, wading through a smog of perfumes and flummery. Johanna tries to stick it out; she really does, but after one too many hands on her skin and compliments from people who made bets on her life, she gives her micromanager—sorry, escort—the slip and starts looking for an escape route. 

The main entrance is out of the question; Blight or Gabinia, who has been frantically searching for Johanna since she disappeared into the crowd, would spot her right away. There are a few other doors accessible from this floor, but there are guards posted by every single one of them, and they give her suspicious looks whenever she approaches. She heads upstairs instead.

It’s quieter on the second level, but that doesn’t necessarily make it an improvement. Here, the air is just as thick, if only with scheming rather than schmoozing. This must be where those deals that can mean life or death for the tributes who haven’t even arrived in the Capitol are made. Johanna recognizes a few faces that pass her by—there’s one of the victors from Two, and yep, that’s the Gamemaker with an atrociously green mustache who scored her last year. She beelines for fluttering curtains that indicate a balcony. 

It opens out to a view that is probably fucking magnificent, but she looks down over the railing instead to gauge her chances of making it to the ground. The stone walls are polished so flat that there aren’t enough grooves to serve as footholds. And she’s just high up enough that she wouldn’t be able to jump without breaking something, and she’s not that desperate. Yet.

Johanna leans back, tapping her newly manicured nails against her thigh. At least she’s alone out here, and at least she can breathe without it feeling like her lungs are filling with—

“Miss Johanna Mason,” a smooth voice calls from the balcony entrance. 

Johanna doesn’t bother hiding her scowl. She knows that voice. Every person in Panem knows that voice. And while Johanna never had many friends, she did go to school, and she does remember that year Finnick Odair was reaped and became the singular topic of conversation among every girl and half of the boys in the halls.

“Shouldn’t you be off seducing some neglected Capitol housewife?”

“I see my reputation precedes me,” is Finnick Odair’s only answer. He slides up beside her, slinging an arm carelessly over the railing. “As does yours. Quite the impressive victory, by the way. Such… strategic prowess.” Johanna glances over at him.  He’s holding a champagne flute, and he twirls it between two fingers without spilling a drop. “I’d be careful, if I were you. They watch the smart ones very closely around here.”

She glares into his easy smile. She should just up and leave, but this is her spot. “That supposed to be some kind of threat?”

Finnick blinks innocently. “Threat? Me? Heavens, no.” He’s adopted a pitch that reminds her of Gabinia, and it nearly coaxes a smile out of her before she remembers how goddamn irritated she is. “Miss Mason, I’m the least threatening person you could meet. Harmless, really.” There’s something sharp in the angle of his mouth, and Johanna scoffs. As if a victor could be anything resembling harmless. 

But as she watches him take a lazy sip of his drink, she realizes there’s a bit of truth to his words. Everyone here seems to have completely bought into his charm. They see the sculpted arms, the chiseled jaw, and have somehow entirely forgotten how those arms snared helpless children in nets before plunging a trident into their hearts, how blood splattered that jaw as it twisted in grim triumph. 

Then again, it’s not as if the Capitolites have anything to fear. Their victors are beasts, but the ones like Finnick Odair have been thoroughly tamed.

If she gave a rat’s ass about etiquette, it would probably be Johanna’s turn to say something, but she finally gives the view the time of day instead. The city sparkles beneath them, the lights too bright and clustered together in a way that feels claustrophobic. God. There’s really no reason why she has to be here right now. She could be back in Seven, lounging high up in the branches and watching the stars above rather than the vapid people below.

“So,” Finnick continues almost right away, undeterred by her silence. “What are you doing all on your own?”

She sighs. Stupid Snow. Stupid rules requiring victors to return every year. “What do you think?”

Finnick hums. “Well... you wanna get out of here?”

“Oh my god,” Johanna mutters.

“I’m serious.”

“I’m surprised you’re capable of it,” she shoots back. “Even if I wanted to go anywhere with you, there are guards at every door. I checked.”

Finnick grins at her, all teeth. “Oh, darling, that’s not an issue.” He drains the rest of his glass, then practically twirls around. “Come on.”

Against her better judgment, she follows. 

Almost as soon as they get downstairs, they walk right into Blight’s line of sight, and Johanna ducks reflexively behind Finnick’s frame. He raises an amused eyebrow at her, but blocks her obligingly all the same, and they reach the nearest exit without any trouble. Finnick steps forward as the guard standing by lifts a gloved hand.

“Sorry, this area’s off-limits.”

“The gardens?” Finnick tilts his head. “I know Ms. Dillia quite well, you know. I doubt she’d mind us simply taking a stroll.”

It takes a minute for Johanna to place the name as the host of the gala, and she quickly hides her disgust before it can show on her face. Finnick’s not much older than her, and that woman has to be well into her fifties. Likely older, given the cosmetic norms around here.

When the guard doesn’t budge, Finnick leans in and drops his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “Sir, please. We’re not trying to ruffle any feathers here—or disturb any plants.” The guard’s mouth twitches. “You know the folks from Seven. Spend all their days holed up in the woods and far from any civilized company. She just needs a little air.” 

Johanna does her best to look dizzy and overwhelmed. It isn’t hard. It takes Finnick trailing a hand up the guard’s arm, but eventually, he gives in and lets them through.

“Not bad,” Johanna says once they’re out of earshot. 

“You’ll learn how to deal with them soon enough.”

She manages to bite back a comment about how it must be easy when he is one of them. “Thanks,” she begrudges instead. They reach a pitiful fence at the edge of the grounds, and she hikes up her dress to climb over. "Anyway, see you."

“Oh, at least let me walk you back. There are creeps all over the city at this time of night.”

Johanna rolls her eyes. They both know she’s hardly defenseless. “Fine.”

She doesn’t bother trying to make small talk on their way to the City Circle, but Finnick doesn’t seem to mind and chatters enough for the both of them while they walk, pointing out this building or that like the perfect little tour guide. Johanna tunes him out until they get to the entrance of the Victors’ Tower, and damn, he’s still blabbering on. She frowns.

“Why did you help me?”

Finnick doesn’t show a sign of being fazed by the interruption. He shrugs. “Dunno. Guess I got bored.”

“Do you want to come up then?” The offer slips out before she can think better of it.

“Sorry, I would, but I’ve actually got a date I need to get back to,” he says, just shy of sheepish.

Oh. She hadn’t meant it like that, but that’s on her for forgetting who she was talking to. She spares a moment of pity for the woman who bored Finnick so much that he decided to walk Johanna back to her quarters. “Suit yourself.”

“See you around, Jo.” He gives her a wink that would probably make anyone else swoon but honestly looks dorky as fuck to her, then heads back towards the party.

Johanna figures that’s the end of her stint with Finnick Odair, at least until the next Games. After all, she doesn’t plan to leave her apartment much while she’s forced to be here. But for some reason, almost every time she does, she finds his infuriatingly cheerful self at her side, cracking a joke or dishing rumors about victors and Capitolites alike. 

She mostly puts up with him because he clears the very low bar of being more fun than Blight, so it’s a surprise when before long, he really is joining her on Seven’s floor. The other victors probably think they’re sleeping together, but his visits never go past sampling Capitol snacks together or exchanging stories about home. Johanna can’t blame the assumptions—this isn’t at all what she would’ve expected either, and she starts realizing pretty fast that there’s a distinct difference between how Finnick acts in public and in private.

Which, well, duh. But it goes beyond putting on a face for his adoring fans. At first glance, Finnick’s sense of humor consists entirely of innuendo and flattery, but Johanna soon learns of a cynicism that is far more bearable. Plus, he’s supposed to be some sex-crazed playboy. It’s possible that she only sees less of it because they never spend a night together, but it’s almost like that part of his personality is fully switched off as soon as they’re in the Victors’ Tower. 

The more time she spends with him, the more the layers peel away, to the point where Public Finnick and Tower Finnick seem like two completely different people after a while. Honestly, he plays the Capitol puppet even better than the patsies from One. She doesn’t know how he stands it. Johanna’s a good actor, too—it was literally how she won, but she hated every moment of playing the whimpering coward, and it was a relief to show her true colors—doesn’t Finnick ever get fucking tired?

She’s never been one to choose her words carefully, so she asks him about it straight up while they’re taking a walk through the nearby arboretum one day. Finnick just turns to her with a smirk.

“I’ve been at this game a lot longer than you, sweetheart.” He offers her a plucked flower, which she slaps out of his hand.

“Call me that again and you’ll find an axe buried in your chest,” she purrs, mimicking his smile.

“Ooh.” Finnick shudders in a mocking way that really makes her fingers itch for a handle. “Noted. I wouldn’t want to know what it’s like being on your bad side.”

“As long as you don’t try and make me your next plaything,” she says without any real malice. But Finnick's step falters, and a shadow crosses his face, and something in her chest twinges in regret. Which makes no damn sense. The gibe was harsh, but she’s always harsh, and she didn’t really say anything wrong; Finnick is very publicly the Capitol slut—though the actual citizens of the Capitol might frame it in airier terms, like eligible bachelor or lover. She’s even seen him acknowledge it with a gracious laugh and blushing change of subject in state-sponsored interviews. 

“Wouldn’t dare,” he says after a beat, and maybe she imagined the weight in his eyes, because his smile is as clear and unbothered as always when she glances again.

   It isn’t until days later, when the Games are nearly over, that she finally understands the truth behind that look.

Snow summons her personally to tell her what she needs to do, and Johanna is so stunned that she doesn’t have time to protest before he’s showing her live footage of her family, of her one brainless friend who refused to be driven away, of Mom and Dad and Jordan and Theo, and it’s impossible to say no. 

It makes sense, she thinks bitterly to herself as her stylist paints her into a concubine for the evening. It makes so much sense that victors are routinely sold to the highest bidder or given away for political favors, because they’re all slaves from the moment their names are drawn. It makes perfect sense, and yet her palms are still sweaty and her legs are still numb all the way to the manor of her companion for the night, and she’s clammy with dread in a way that she never was in the arena. 

At least in there, she could do something. Trapped in her buyer’s dark bedroom, there’s nowhere to run. With his hand too low on her back and pushing her to the mattress, there’s no one to fight.

She’s ready—well, she isn’t, but she’s willing to shove down her pride, to endure the thread of horror barely stitching her breaths together, to cooperate if it means the people that she loves will be safe. 

But it seems the man she’s been sold to isn’t satisfied with mere cooperation. He wants a struggle—and fuck, this makes sense too, since he picked her—and when he hits her and sneers, grabbing a fistful of her god-awful dress, that thread in her chest snaps, her mind goes blank, and she doesn’t realize what she’s doing until it’s too late and the man’s blood is dripping from her hands. His body lies motionless at her feet, drenching the carpet in red, still warm. Johanna is cold.

Mom. Dad. Jordan. Theo.

She collapses beside the corpse.

 —————

also on ao3 (where future chapters will be posted! please heed the warnings there—nothing is going to be worse than what is in canon, but future chapters may explore darker themes in more detail)

[shyrose57]

Changed Tales:

The Village That Went Mad/A Not Too Bad Town: A little village in the wood, run by Mayor Jimmy, and his wife, Helga, a mischievous shapeshifter. The two have a young son named Salem. Other residents of the village include Miles, a rich cattle breeder, Patch, a blind cat hybrid who was formerly a soldier in the Red Eyed Villager wars, Cornelius, a wandering traveler who settled down in the town after meeting Patch, Bob, the local builder, Jack, a farmer who produces most of the village’s food, and Robin, a young and talented doctor who’s quickly making a name for himself outside of the village.

The Lost City Of Mizu/The Region Of Mizu: A region of the distant future, most well known for it’s capital, The City Of Mizu. It’s a popular tourist sight, both due to it’s amazingly preserved records of history, as well as being one of the few accessible underwater cities open to tourists. It’s residents both live and work here, typically as historians, or tour guides.

The Masquerade/A Regency Ball: A social gathering in the late regency era, hosted by Billiam the Third, who’s most well known for his ‘Red Grounds’, a vast garden surrounding the estate filled with many beautiful and exotic red flora and fauna. It’s attendees were Lyaria and Oliver, two close high class friends from London, Sebastian, a wealthy wine seller, James, a big name business man with a reputation, and Drew, a friend of James who was invited to the party as a plus one.

The Wild West/Beauty Of The West: A large town in the west, and a popular place for people to visit. It’s main attraction is the Celestial Saloon, a large saloon that offers a variety of drinks, games, and other activities. It’s a place well known for wealthy aristocrats to wind down in, and is funded by Billiam. The town is also known for being surprisingly safe, with Sheriff Sherman working with the local bandits to make sure other criminals keep their distance. 

The Haunted Mansion/Cold Spot Club: A club that searches out haunted places and urban myths to check them out themselves. It’s located in the City That Never Was, and consist of Greg, the mayor’s son, Ash and Zachary, twins who work in a cafe for a living, Joey, a social jock who’s got a good eye for detail, Porkums, a hat maker who works in the family business, Francis, a kind baker who owns a cafe, Rash, a student who works part time at the library, and Gump, a construction worker who’s somewhat known as the neighborhood cryptid. 

The Pit/Subbin’s Capital: Subbin is a militaristic empire who’s culture heavily integrates combat and battle into it’s people’s life styles. That’s why it’s Capital’s main attraction is The Pit, a gladiator ring personally funded by Porkius, where people can choose to fight for money, fun, or simply to learn how to.  

Assignments:

Ranbob: Dream, DreamXD, Drista, Mamacita, and Mexican Dream.

Cornelius: Dream, DreamXD, Drista, Mamacita, Mexican Dream, and Foolish.

Hubert: Dream, DreamXD, Drista, Mamacita, Mexican Dream, and Eret. 

Isaac: Karl, Quackity, Sapnap,  George. 

Cleetus: Karl, Quackity, Sapnap, George.

Benjamin: Karl, Quackity, Sapnap, George, Bad, Skeppy, Ant.

Charles: Karl, Quackity, Sapnap, George, Ranboo. 

John John: Ranboo, Tommy.

Ranbutler/Moon: Ranboo, Tommy.

Zachary: Ranboo, Connor, Tubbo, Ghostbur.

Ran: Ranboo, Techno.

Sebastian: Bad, Skeppy, Glatt.

Levi: Punz, Purpled, Ponk.

Laggius: Fundy, Sam.

Oliver: Fundy, Niki, Eret.

Lyaria: Niki, Hannah.

James: Sapnap, Drista.

Mason: Sapnap, Connor.

Jack: Quackity, Connor.

Patch(Catboy): Hbomb, Antfrost, Tubbo.

Billiam: Techno, Philza.

Sherman: Techno, Philza.

Watson: Techno, Philza. 

Greg: George, Connor, Glatt.

Ash: Tubbo, Tommy, Ranboo, Ghostbur.

Robin: Tubbo, Puffy, Ponk, Purpled, Foolish.

Jackie: Tubbo, Purpled, Jack, Charlie.

Bartholomew: Jack, Tubbo.

Genevieve: Niki, Hannah, Callahan.

Things:

Oliver and Lyaria have known each other for quite awhile, and she thinks of him somewhat as a mentor, as he took her under his wing when she was introduced to this world. Both have a lot of dirt on people, though they rarely make use of it, preferring to make fun of their dress or arrogance instead from the side.

Ranbob is a bit of a loner. This stems from the fact that he was born with a weak Pearl, that cracked the first, and last, time he ever attempted to teleport. If it ever broke, he’d suffer from Perma-death. Seeing as teleportation is more or less instinct, he was forced to learn how to show down his instincts and distant himself from them in order to avoid accidentally doing so. This has more or less made him seem odd to others, and he himself doesn’t understand how to react to some of their more instinct-driven gestures, having long since suppressed his own.

In other words, he has no idea what he’s doing. Luckily, there’s quite a few Enderman hybrid on the server that do.

The Tales character appear before Tommy visits the prison and dies. Because I would like to attempt to redeem Dream a tiny bit, and y’know, I don’t think you can really do that after he murders Tommy. So, that just never happens here.

Jackie’s father runs an old rickety inn called Bee ‘n Boo, which he intends to pass on to Jackie. However, Jackie’s passion has always been fighting, so, knowing his father would disprove, he fights in the Pit in secret.

Levi is a gardener who fights in the Pit to keep his skills sharp, as well as earn money when he’s not on the job. He’s got a special touch with plants, and quite the green thumb.

Genevieve is a professional fighter who originates from Subbin. Though she often returns, she spends more of her time outside of the empire, mastering new styles and honing her abilities. She’s also Jackie’s role model.

Ash and Zachary tend to unintentionally spook people a lot. They walk incredibly quietly, know a lot of scary stories, can tell when somebody is nearby, and occasionally talk in sync with no prior planning. Hilariously, Techno is probably the most weary of them. 

They’re also both bat hybrids, though for most of the time, those traits remain dormant, so the most people notice is that they have really good hearing, not too great eye-sight, and pointed ears. They’ve also got little bat wings hidden under their jacket, but nobody really notices those. Under a lot of distress, their traits manifest more, typically rather violently.

Ranbob is also pretty short. He inherited more of his mother’s genes than his Enderman father, so though he has some Enderman traits, it’s not many. 

He’s incredibly weak to water though. His mother was a third blaze, and both parents passed down that particular weakness, except doubled. He inherited both a fair amount of heat resistance, and his golden eye from her side.

Hubert is an old childhood friend of Billiam’s, and the two took in Moon when he ended up lost and injured nearby. They even helped him get home to his brother John John. Moon ultimately decided to continue working for Billiam, having grown close with them, though he keeps in contact with his brother.

[knightofameris]

hidden mist — clint barton

Setting: AU (mix of MCU and 616 comics, clint has no family, he’s a mess, and kate’s a thing along with lucky) Gender: Neutral Contains: slight body horror (like Red Skull peeling off his mask), fighting, curse words, not necessarily fluff? but kinda at the end? more so action-y Word Count: 2.2k Prompt: “I’ve never known more about what isn’t going on in a situation” for @\amandarosemire‘s 500 follower writing challenge! Sorry it took me so long but I finally grinded it out kshlksg [this is a repost to a new account, sorry amanda!]

Summary: Everything’s a little confusing when your boyfriend finds out you’re in the middle of a cold war of sorts. Especially when you’re a highly trained agent. But at this point, nothing’s surprising to him or to Kate.

a/n: i love clint and the mcu did him dirty. Be sure to check out amandarosemire’s writings! She’s amazing at writing and I’m always so taken aback when reading her works. [reblogging from old blog]

Let me know if there are any mistakes, regarding the gender of reader, grammar, spelling, or with the story. c:

Enjoy! 

☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆

❝ who do you choose to stand beside you in times of crisis? who would you trust? ❞

☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆

If someone were to ask you which other Avenger you would want to be beside you while the building you were stuck in was burning down with people pointing guns at you, the last person they’d expect you to answer with would probably be Hawkeye.

You see, if you had Iron Man with you, he could easily just fly you out after using his targeting system to take out the enemies. Captain America could just throw his shield at the enemies and then carry you out the safest way possible. Thor could summon some lightning, take them out, and then again, you’d be flown out of the building. Natasha’s clever, you probably wouldn’t even end up in this situation if she was with you.

But you were and the building was on fire and guess who you were stuck with?

Hawkeye.

Well, both Hawkeyes, but only one of them is really the Avenger here. Or well, Kate is an Avenger-in-training. But that’s not the point I’m trying to make. The point is, you, Clint, and Kate, were all royally fucked.

Their bows laid at their feet, their arrows scattered about. You? The gun you held was pointed at the man you were supposed to be protecting—Mason Wu.

“Mirage,” Mason licked his lips, “I thought your job was to protect me?”

“Mirage,” Clint deadpanned. “Babe, you’re Mirage?”

“Now’s not the time Clint!” You muttered through gritted teeth just loud enough for him to hear. “You weren’t even supposed to be here!”

“Ugh, ‘babe’?” Kate groaned. “How did you even get into a stable relationship?” You shot her a look.

“You’re not supposed to be here either, Katie.” The glare from your eyes caused Kate to shut her mouth, not even wanting to correct you into calling her Kate. She gulped and you saw a bead of sweat fall down the side of her head, but you knew it wasn’t from the nerves.

You felt the temperature rise and with it you readjusted your grip on your gun, your clammy hands feeling uncomfortable.

“What’s going on, Wu?” You demanded. You eyed him carefully as he seemed unaffected by the flames. Rather, he seemed at peace, almost delighted, to see you working up a sweat. He grinned and with a wave of his arm, water seemingly came out of thin air and killed the fire. Wu then clenched his fist, all the water dropping to the ground and then dissipating into thin air.  Then a stream of water flowed up his arm and under his suit.

You, Clint, and Kate watched in mute horror when water started coming out of his eyes, nose, and mouth only for what seemed to be his skin to come off. As if it was in slow motion, he peeled off his skin. You furrowed your brows, your mouth turning downward in disgust. Clint letting out an ‘ugh’ noise and Kate gagged.

A light blue crystalized humanoid was underneath with what looked to be water inside of him. Whatever face he had, you knew he was smirking.

“I’ve never known more about what isn’t going on in a situation,” Clint whispered. Kate slapped his hand with hers. You sighed, hanging your head down.

*** [E A R L I E R  T H A T  E V E N I N G] ***

“I just have to attend the charity event that Roxxon’s holding, I’ll be back before you know it.” You leaned down and kissed Clint on the cheek and he frowned for a quick moment, putting his arrow down on his lap. You pulled away just fast enough to see the frown etched on his face and you tilted your head. “What’s wrong?”

“Roxxon?” Clint asked, turning to look at you.

You sighed, “Yes, I know they have had their fair share of misdoings with the Avengers, but I’ll be safe.”

“No, uh-” Clint furrowed his brows. You stared at him, waiting for him to finish his reply.

“What?” You asked. You let a small smirk make its way onto your face, knowing that he had a mission that night at the same charity event. You weren’t too worried though, even with your boyfriend as an Avenger you were able to keep him away from your other life. Something you decided personally. You just wanted to get a taste of a normal life.

As normal can be, living with Clint and sometimes Kate.

He shook his head, “Nothing, nevermind.” Clint picked up his arrow again, attaching on a new gadget at the end.

“Alright,” you replied, adjusting the cuffs on your suit. You headed out of your shared apartment. “Make sure to feed Lucky, and tell Kate to clean up her PI work off the counter, it’s a mess.”

You closed the door behind you and glanced down at your watch. With a sigh you began to head towards the elevator and over to the charity ball, hoping the mission would be a breeze.

After all, it was just protecting a guy from any possible assassins. How hard could it be?

*** [P R E S E N T  T I M E] ***

It was very hard, if the man you were protecting is out to get you. At this point, everything that you felt you needed to do was for self-preservation and to keep Clint and Kate safe and alive. Whatever the mission was before is now called off and something you’d have to talk to Fury about yourself.

But you know, even if you were asked which Avenger you’d want to have beside you in a burning building with guns pointed at you before this entire situation, you’d probably say Hawkeye.

Wu began to walk around you, Clint, and Kate; his hands clasped behind his back.

“It’s simple, really,” he grinned. “All I really want is you (Y/n) (L/n).” Your face remained stoic, watching him circle you. You wish you could just take him out there and then but with all the guns pointed at you and you didn’t even know how vulnerable he is, you didn’t know what to do.

Unbeknownst to you, Clint already had a plan in mind.

He clasped his hands behind his head and sighed, “Look, the whole villain monologue thing gets really old. Why do all villains like to listen to themselves talk?” Clint patted Kate’s arm. She glared at the older man and Mason Wu’s grunts jolted, their fingers lightly placed on the trigger. “Look-” Clint bent down and began picking up his arrows after pushing his bow off to the side “-I just want to pick up my arrows because they’re perfectly good arrows so you can go ahead and monologue and—DUCK!”

A white smoke screen appeared after Clint jammed one of his arrows down on the ground. Clint tackled into you, causing your breath to escape your lungs. Mason Wu’s grunts already began to open fire, shooting each other instead since they were all in a circle.

Kate kicked over Clint’s bow towards him while scrambling to grab her own. You looked up at Clint, who laid on top of you while the guns were still going off.

“You’re gonna have to explain every—”

“Later! Let’s move!” You shouted, shoving him off. You began crawling towards cover, with Clint and Kate trailing from behind.

The smoke began to dissipate and by this time the three of you were already hidden away.

Mason growled, looking left and white, his suit tattered and ripped apart. “Idiots, they’re all idiots!” He glanced down at his subordinates who were either dead or groaning and about to die. He sighed, closed his eyes, and let out a huff. “Guess I’ll have to do this my own way.”

A wave of water shot out towards you. Your eyes widened as you jumped over the mostly destroyed bar and began running, water lapping at your legs. You turned your head and tried to shoot him but the bullets ricocheted off of him instead.

You cursed under your breath and for once in your life, you were unsure of how to get out of this mess.

Clint watched as you ran, somehow avoiding the water. Kate whispered at him from behind a different table, a few feet away.

“Try electrocuting him,” Kate whispered. “Water types are weak against electric types, right?”

Clint scrunched up his face at her. “What?”

“Like in Pokemon!”

He grumbled, examining his quiver at the tip of each of the arrows.

“Clint, hurry up!” Kate exclaimed, her eyes wide-eyed, looking back and forth from where you were running, and quickly running out of endurance and already being taken by the water, then back to her mentor. A small glint caught her eye. Thinking fast, and seeing how Clint was still mumbling to himself while trying to find the right arrow, she dove out of cover with her bow and grabbed the electric-arrow.

“Grab them, Clint!”

Clint’s head jolted to where Kate was, out of cover. He saw you in a very compromising position in a water bubble, way above the ground. Wu grumbled, his piercing eyes (eye sockets?), moving towards Kate.

Kate’s arm was pulled back, and Clint sprinted towards you. You, who was too focused on not drowning.

You watched him with fear in your eyes. The water already surrounded your entire body and you didn’t know how much longer you can last without air. He grabbed an arrow and pulled his arm back. At first, aiming towards you then to the part that linked the water bubble to Wu. He shot at it and immediately the water link froze over.

Kate let go of her arrow. Wu screamed in pain, as his entire water body began to get electrocuted.

You screamed as you went into free fall. Clint quickly jumped up on tables and then a shelf, launching himself towards you and grabbing you. He wrapped his arms around you as you both fell and he turned himself to take the brute of the impact on the ground.

By this time, Kate had frozen Wu in a bunch of frozen arrows and trudged her way over to the two of you.

You groaned and rolled off of Clint. You turned to face him who held his chest and his face was scrunched up in pain.

“God, that’s going to leave a bunch of bruises,” he groaned, slowly sitting up.

You laughed, “I’m glad you’re okay, thank you, by the way.”

“It was a good thing we were placed on this mission then,” Kate said. “Otherwise you’d be dead.”

Your eyes narrowed at her, “I would have been fine. I had a plan.”

“You’re a terrible liar.” Clint rubbed the back of his head, groaning again as he felt a jolt of pain shoot through him. You turned to glare at him but your eyes softened as you saw the amount of injuries littered across his face and body.

“You never found out about me being Mirage.” You smirked, placing a hand on his shoulder then running it up to his neck, your thumb stroking his cheek. His eyes met yours.

“Yeah, well,” he leaned into your touch, using his hand to hold onto you, “isn’t that sort of your thing? Mirage? Looking like different people?”

“Usually, yeah. But—” you frowned, really taking in the amount of injuries on his face “—Is this how you’re always riddled with bandaids?” Your eyes bounced back and forth between Kate and Clint. “Why-how? I go on as many missions as you guys.” The two archers exchanged glances then shrugged. You sighed, shaking your head.

Sirens began in the distance and a SHIELD helicarrier from above shone a light on the burnt down building. The three of you glanced up. You hung your head then went to stand up. Your stuck your hand out to Clint and he graciously took it. His weight was significantly more than you expected and you stumbled into him as he stood up.

He smirked, looking down at you. “You know, you can always kiss me better.”

You rolled your eyes and Kate groaned, hitting her forehead with her hand. “Are you in high school still? Why are you flirting like a high schooler?”

“What?” Clint arched a brow. “Oh, come on, they always work on you.” You looked down at his chest, biting the bottom of your lip. You placed your hands on his chest, slowly snaking them around the back of his neck and his hands rested on your hips, pulling you in closer.

Both of you ignored Kate pretending to throw up on the side.

“Do they?” You tilted your head with a smirk, looking up at him.

“Usually.”

And this was one of the times his flirting did work.

He leaned into you, his lips on yours. You closed your eyes, pulling him ever so closer into you. His lips were rough and you could swear it was cracked from the earlier fighting but you knew he didn’t really care. Especially when your tongue darted out over his lips for a second. When it came to you, he’d throw out his well being as long as you were safe. Of course, it applied for you, too.

For any mission of yours in the future, for any catastrophic event, if you were stuck in a burning building with guns pointed at you again, you’d want Hawkeye to be the one standing next to you. Clint, specifically, as much as you loved Katie.

But you know, even if you were asked which Avenger you’d want to have beside you in a burning building with guns pointed at you before this entire situation, you’d probably say Clint Barton.

a/n: i love clint and kate and i tried doing my own type of characterization between the comics and then the possible better version of the mcu. i don’t think this is my best version i’ve written of clint compared to my other works but i had fun! i tried grinding this out and i had a lot of struggles writing for him. but i did it !! love this dumb bird boy

don’t forget to like, reblog, or leave a reply !!! it means the world to me, seriously. it does. so much.

[oceankisscd]

alexa play you should see me in a crown by billie eilish

[ LINDSEY MORGAN, CIS FEMALE, SHE/HER. ]    introducing nesta montalvo, VICTOR of the 65th hunger games, representing district 5. my sources say that they are twenty seven years old, & that they’re pretty handy with knowledge of electricity & power. wonder if that did them any good in the arena ? anyways, caesar says you can’t miss them, because they remind everyone of the ever present hum of white noise, sun kissed skin littered with scars, harsh words leaving silver tongues, shattered mirrors, & bloody shards of glass.

CHARA INSPO   :   mikasa ackerman  (  aot  ),   johanna mason  (  the hunger games  ),   kirishima touka  (  tokyo ghoul  ),   amren  (  acotar  ),   raven reyes  (  the 100  )

PINTEREST  :   click here !

she   wears    𝖘𝖙𝖗𝖊𝖓𝖌𝖙𝖍   &    𝖉𝖆𝖗𝖐𝖓𝖊𝖘𝖘   equally   well   /   the   girl   has   always   been   𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 - 𝐠𝐨𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐬  ,  𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 - 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐥 .

name   :   nesta montalvo

age  :   twenty seven

gender & pronouns   :   cisfemale & she / her

district   :   five

occupation   :   victor of the 65th hunger games.

moral alignment   :   true neutral.

any wanted connections i have are at the end of this !!

greetings , and welcome to the first intro i’ve written in .... a year ? maybe ?? this should be fun !

you were born on the night of the worst storm district five had seen in who knows how long , and during the loudest roll of thunder , you made your appearance. the sounds of your shrieks defended the howling winds , as if you were challenging zeus himself at mere infancy. your parents knew then that you were a force to be reckoned with  --  a storm given skin. they gave you the name nesta ;  a name meaning sacred , and pure. if only they’d seen your fate ahead of time.

you grew up in and out of the powerplants , had hiding spots in the hydrodam , learned the way power was the main source of ... well , everything. you were always good in school , but it wasn’t anything you were interested in. your desires lay towards maintenance work , wanting more than anything to get your hands on those wires. even as a child , the way that the simple connection could cause such a big reaction was one that so deeply mesmerized you. the way electricity and power worked was incredible , and you wanted any and everything to do with it. 

you lived in a bubble of possibility , until you lost your sister to the games. you were fourteen years old , and sylvie was everything to you. your rock , your best friend , your person. and she was reaped , and she was killed three days into the games by the female career from district 2. it completely destroyed you  --  you lost interest in everything , everyone. life became a routine , moving day by day. you had your wires to tinker with , and your parents to have measly conversation with , but nothing was ever the same.

you were eighteen years old when you were reaped. eighteen years old , no longer in school , three weeks away from starting your new job at the plant , and suddenly you had no future. 

you went through the motions , the parade , the interviews , having to deal with the uppity stylists , and suddenly you were in the arena , fighting for your life. it wasn’t until after you’d survived the bloodbath with nothing but a coil of wire and a small backpack that you decided you weren’t going to let your parents lose another daughter. so you fought  -- you fought and you fought and you fought until you’d managed to get your hold on a sword. with your wires , and your new weapon , you were able to figure out a way to win.

and win is exactly what you did.

now , you’re perpetually stuck going through the motions of the capitol , and you hate it. you hate it more than you’ve ever hated anything , and yet you can’t seem to find a way out of this godforsaken loop and you’re just so ready for it to be over , over , over , over. 

it was purposeful , the words you’d prattled during your second time mentoring. announcing that you despised the capitol loud enough that people of importance could hear. it wasn’t two days later that you’d received word from home that your parents both perished in an accident in the power plant. accidents happen all the time , they’d said. we’re very sorry , they’d said. but you knew -- you knew it wasn’t an accident , but it was still enough to numb your system and zip your lips tightly. but that anger ,  that fire , still burned inside.

you want the capitol gone , you want to watch it burn to the ground. for eight years , you’ve had to send people you knew to the slaughter. for eight years , you’ve been stuck in this game that never seems to have an end. for eight long years , you have been nothing but a pawn and you are so , so tired and so , so angry.

and now come the wanted connections ,,,

give her some victor friends. people who understand just how exhausting it is to have to constantly go through the motions , to feel like they are nothing more than just pawns in this never ending game. 

i am a sucker ,,, an absolute SUCKER ,,, for will they / won’t they’s. do with that what you will.

a half sibling mayhaps ???  someone for her 2 actually still care about and keep her mouth shut so the capitol doesn’t go banana balls on her

REBELLION CONTACTSSSSSSSSSSSSSS GIVE HER INFO LET HER FIGHT !!!

i know i mentioned will they / won’t they’s already but truly ,,, this girl is terrified to let herself love anyone because she is worried that anyone she loves will die the way her parents did. give me this please i love the angst of it all.

[ptit-lion-art]

ALT PROJECT - PLOT and CHARACTERS I’ve been working on it all the weekend, so I really hope it doesn’t flop ! I hope you enjoy, good reading ! PLOT

Dipper, a 24-year-old trans boy, works at a non-governmental agency whose main purpose is to gather information. With Bill Cipher, his mentor and partner, they will have to deal with many missions, but also with more personal matters. Add to that human feelings, and you get the ALT project. ALT Project is an assembly of one shots (non-chronological) and fanarts. The story takes about 6 years. Year 1, begins with the meeting of Dipper and Bill, until Year 6 which corresponds to the present in history. (I put the chronological order in beginning of each one shot to locate the reader.

You can found one shots here: English: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1585024 French: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1585012

CHARACTERS

• Mason “Dipper” Pines

Mason Pines is a 24-year-old transgender boy (Year 6). He lives alone in an apartment downtown and has been working at the agency for almost 6 years after meeting Bill in a military environment. • Bill Cipher

Bill Cipher is a 28-year-old man (Year 6) who has been working at the agency for far too long depending on his point of view. He’s the one who recruited and trained Dipper before he became his partner. He owns a pet... unusual.

• Mabel Pines

Mabel is Dipper’s twin sister. She lives across town because of her fashion work, but that doesn’t stop her from seeing her brother as much as she can. • Pacifica Northwest

Pacifica, a 24-year-old woman (Year 6), took over her parents' business in this city. She has known the twins since their first summer in Oregon with their great uncle, 12 years ago. Despite a difficult start, they became friends. She came to town for business but mostly to get closer to her crazy friend Mabel.

• William Cipher

William is Bill’s younger brother. Despite being three years younger than his oldest, he runs his own pet store on the outskirts of the city. No wonder his brother got his pet.

• Tyrone Owens Tyrone knew the twins in kindergarten, with whom he became friends very quickly. He is Dipper’s closest friend since. An amateur of sport but especially of hand-ball, he works in a sports shop in town. • Shannah Young Shannah is Tyrone’s girlfriend. She was in the same high school as him and the twins. She immediately became friends with Mabel, but had a more complicated start with Tyrone and Dipper. She works at a clothing store in the downtown mall • Tad Strange Tad is a 29 year old man (Year 6) who was transferred to the agency. He is a colleague of Dipper and Bill. There are more second characters like parents or thing like that but they are more important characters in ALT. I hope you enjoy the beginning. MY MP ARE OPEN FOR ASK ABOUT ALT

YOU CAN ALSO ASK CHARACTERS OF COURSE <3