#she hulk x jack of hearts

[celticcatgirl2]

Jack of Hearts in this scene be like:

[incorrectcomicbookquotes]

She-Hulk: (trying to flirt) Maybe if you clean my pipes, I'll handle your pipe.

Jack of Hearts: Ma'am, I do my own plumbing.

[newx-menfan]

Jack of Hearts and She-Hulk are admittedly hitting my Strong Girl/Adoring Amazon Chaser Boyfriend spot… (see Hellion/X-23, WW/Steve Trevor, Nightwing/Starfire, Barda/Mr.Miracle, Guts/Casca, Brianne/Jamie… 😂🤣🤣)

(I still like Wyatt Wingfoot…but Jack’s okay too!)

[jovenshires]

If Spencer is Spider-Man, do you have any ideas on who in the Smosh crew would be certain Marvel heroes?

okay SO. i have been thinking ab this a little bit, bc i would like to expand the spidey au universe to other heroes. BUT im not gonna talk ab what im gonna do with the spidey au (spoilers lads <3). instead im gonna talk ab vibes. who do i think these people could be hypothetically! there's like one spoiler in here but otherwise none of this has anything to do with the canon for my spidey-spencer-verse.

also i wanna say before i get into this - DISCLAIMER: idk jack shit ab comics and i don't keep up with mcu anymore so. we're flying blind baby! i am making shit up as i go!

amanda: @blandview and i talked ab this and i think we came to a few conclusions: either she'd be black widow yelena OR she'd be an anti-hero of some kind. think elektra, think black cat... yeah she's got options.

angela: okay blandview also suggested this one: kate bishop hawkeye. we are taking no criticisms at this time.

anthony: god...... i could go so many directions but my heart longs to make him a villain/anti-hero. he's so morally gray-coded imo. magneto perhaps. other options are loki and wolverine.

arasha: there's so many options here too but i kind of like miss america for her i think!!

chanse: i mean he's miles morales. spencer is peter parker and he is miles morales end of sentence. BUT if i had to pick a non-spidey option, probably wiccan. i wanna give him magic powers so sue me!! oh or maybe iron lad. those are my faves for him

courtney: SO captain marvel coded for many many reasons. like i don't even think i need to explain this one tbh

damien: okay im thinking of making him part of the hero verse in the spidey fic so i am seriously considering this one... on the one hand like. cyclops. he is so classic x-men to me. daredevil could be fun and sexy for him. oh OR the hulk bc he's bruce banner-coded.

ian: so ive got some ops here: to match anthony. professor x. obviously. OR ant-man. do you see my vision. he looks like that.

jackie: scarlet witch was my first thought! mostly bc i could see her tearing apart the universe for love tbh (i did not watch wandavision but that trope sticks with me)

keith: does keith even want to be part of this. no probably not. maybe gambit or star-lord?? i literally cannot picture him doing this non-reluctantly and that's clouding my vision i think DKNGKNGK

kimmy: specifically jane forester thor perhaps. dazzler or jubilee could be fun for her too!!

noah: out of Everyone, noah is voted most likely to be deadpool imo. i could also see him as quicksilver bc little shit (affectionate)

shayne: i mean. thats captain america. look at him. once again i am done speaking thats it.

tommy: god... tommy is the toughest one. he's so normie in a hero world to me. like 'same shit as always' going to work while everyone out there being insane. angel?? he's also kinda x-men coded to me. otherwise....... winter soldier? i'll be real i got Nothin for that one chief.

anyway hope this was not too much of a disaster love ya bye xxx

[totally-not-an-awkward-okapi]

Fanwork creators self rec! When you get this, reply with your five favorite fics/art/podfics/etc. that you've made, then pass on to others. Let’s spread the self-love 🌼

No particular order to these because this is about self love not freaking myself out.

Under the cut because I am still very self conscious about how long my posts can be.

This one was a tribute to my favorite episode of Lights Out: Execution. It was a long car ride home with my grandparents and since it was October, Radio Classics was all spooky for the month.

The episode starts strong: a high ranking nazi officer is reading a letter on the situation in occupied France. In a small town, an unknown woman attacked a guard than ran off. In retribution, the commander of the local military has rounded up every woman fitting her description and is hanging them all until her kills the right one. The first woman comes out. She smiles. The floor falls out beneath her. The first woman comes out. She’s laughing now. Over and over the woman hangs. Her bodies pile below the stage. A storm picks up, driving all but her and commander away. Over and over he hangs her himself. She monologues to him, each time she says a county that will have it’s revenge against the axis powers the floor snaps out from under her.

And then she grows giant and reveals herself to be the Statue of Liberty!

It totally ruins the whole thing, but if you jump out right before then it’s such an effective little piece of horror, I would kill to see a short film adaptation.

I wanted to capture that in the piece, using a rougher pen (which ended up working perfectly for the lightning) and focusing entirely on the lighting. I’m still proud of the little touches too- from how strands of hair stick to her face to the title of the card not matching the number.

Next up: Jack of Hearts! This one’s very different but also relies on a very similar focus on ideas that are presented early on in a story then scraped.

When Jack made his grand reappearance in She-Hulk I was instantly smitten with this sad little guy and went back to read all his previous appearances. I was more than surprised to find that though in his modern stories his suit is a high tech alien device that keeps his powers in check and he’s an alien who’s half n’ half genes where just activated by the fluid he dumped on himself, that’s kinda the opposite of his original vibes.

I wanted to draw something to honor the original Jack, a man with a strange chemical burn wearing an antique suit of armor because it was the first thing he put on after the accident and now relies on as a mental crutch to keep his devastating powers in.

And I’m very proud of how it turned out! (especially because I was very ill when I drew it…)

I really liked how his energy signature turned out. I originally did this piece for Valentines Day, so I wanted the solar flares of his power to look sort of like roses.

I’m also very proud of his armor, which is based on this 1250 statue of Saint Maurice since it was the best match for his original look.

Next piece is actually two pieces I posted separately because I��ve just never worked myself up to finishing the full piece: Lurue!

She’s the patron of one of my stand-by dnd characters, so I’ve always been playing around with what she would look like. But at some point I had the thought “what if Lurue was based on Eohippus” and it was off to the races.

I genuinely have no clue how I motivated myself through hand drawing all the little crescent shapes of her design but it payed off. Plus it was super fun to balance the Indian/Ottoman influence of my typical Elven designs with her particular knight-in-shining-armor aesthetic.

Another two-for because these two are very similar. When I was younger my warm up for drawing was to do a simple portrait of a character then surround them with symbolically relevant plants and flowers. So of course when an X-Man gives me too many emotions I let them out with bouquets.

Not only am I technically proud of these two, I’ve always wanted to break into their symbolism because seemingly no one’s ever caught on.

Firstly, Chamber: Celandine (Joys to come), Fungus (Resilience, loneliness, solitude, disgust), Daffodils (Uncertainty, chivalry, respect or unrequited love, return my affection; new beginnings), Fireworks Protea (Courage, transformation, daring, resourcefulness, diversity), Thistle (Nobility, endurance, warning), Plum Blossoms (Beauty and longevity), and Amaranth (Immortality).

Then, Wither: Betony (Roman for protection from ghosts and spirits), Crocus (rebirth and a neverending cycle of life), Thistle (Again), Purple Hyacinth (Sorrow; Please forgive me), Purple Heather (Solitude, beauty, admiration), White Lily (Purity, commitment, rebirth; a rejuvenation of the soul), Foxglove (Insecurity), and Anemone (Forsaken, sickness, anticipation, undying love, eternal peace).

(I’m so proud of this one that it’s the cover to my Wither playlist, which is still under construction but I’m already so proud of, my playlists are one of my favorite non-art or writing pieces of art)

And finally because I feel weird not mentioning any of my writing, my two fav fics I’ve ever written are:

Shrine Bright Circus Man - Me worrying about Jester calling Molly a god given her history of believing so hard in that sort of thing that she actually made one. It’s short, it’s simple, it’s sweet.

In Pursuit of Ghosts - Probably my favorite thing from my ol’ Overwatch days. It’s a combination of my favorite crack theory about the two red heads being related and Moira’s best skin: Banshee.

[lemusegallery]

Ultimate Muse List

P.S.A.: This post is not meant to be reblogged nor even replied. For this showcases the new changes for my blog as far as muses go and so on. This is applied to here and the @lesinfullgallery (Sinblog) only. For references, bold is both blogs, italic is exclusive to my sinblog and normal only for this blog.

Primary Muses:

Yu-Gi-Oh!: Seto Kaiba

Yugi Muto

Aki Izayoi

Jack Atlas

Judai Yuki

Asuka Tenjoin

Ishizu Ishtar

DMG

Mokuba Kaiba

Kaiser Ryo Marufuji

Star Wars: Darth Vader

Anakin Skywalker

Ahsoka Tano

Shaak Ti

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Darth Sidious

Darth Tyranus

General Grievous

Asajj Ventress

Bo-Katan Kryze

Darth Talon

Aayla Secura

Luke Skywalker

Dragon Ball: Artificial Human #18

Piccolo

Son Gohan

Oob

Vegeta

Seripa

Vegetto

Fate: Saber!Artoria Pendragon

Ruler!Artoria Pendragon

Shirou Emiya

Senji Muramasa

Gilgamesh (Archer and Caster)

Rider!Medusa

Saber!Nero

Lancer!Enkidu

Lancer!Bradamante

Saber!Musashi

Scathach (Lancer)

Rin Tohsaka

DC Comics: Batman

Wonder Woman

Kara Zor-El/Supergirl

Catwoman

Poison Ivy

Raven

Cassandra Cain

MARVEL Comics: Thor

Wolverine

She-Hulk

Amora

The Hulk

X-23

Dr. Doom

Avatar TLA/LOK: Azula

Korra

June

Mai

Katara

Code Geass: Lelouch Vi Britannia

Cornellia Li Britannia

C.C.

Kallen

Naruto: Sakura Haruno

Ino Yamanaka

Sarada Uchiha

Tsunade Senju

Final Fantasy: Tifa Lockhart

Jesse

Akame Ga Kiru: Akame

Esdeath

Leone

BNHA: Katsuki Bakugo

Mirko

Shoto Todoroki

Momo Yaoyorozu

Eijiro Kirishima

Other Characters: The Rowdyruff Boys

Mandy

Medaka Kurokami

Satsuki Kiryuin

Riku

Erza Scarlet

Yoruichi Shihouin

Secondary Muses: Fate: Rider!Achilles

Berserker!Heracles

Caster!Xuanzang Sanzang

Assassin!EMIYA

Assassin!Cursed Arm Hassan

Assassin!King Hassan

Lancer!Karna

Rider!Iskandar

Rider!Saint Martha

Archer!Euryale

Tine Chelc

Assassin of Red!Semiramis

Yu-Gi-Oh!: Kaito Tenjo

Tyranno Kenzan

Rio Kashimiro

Kowora

Star Wars: Darth Maul

Jaina Solo Fel

Lord Starkiller

Barriss Offee

Asajj Ventress

General Grievous

Plo Koon

Kit Fisto

Lumiya

Galen Marek

Avatar TLA: Suki

Ty Lee

Kuvira

Asami Sato

Toph Bei Fong

Dragon Ball: Nappa

Tenshinhan

Mr. Popo (TFS)

Broly

Towa

Android 17

Android 16

Kefla

Code Geass:

Rakshata

Nunnally Vi Britannia

DC:

Big Barda

Cyborg Superman

Harvey Dent/Two-Face

Doomsday

Bane

Final Fantasy:

Lightning Farron

Emperor Mateus

Sephiroth

Noctis

Kefka Palazzo

Other Male Characters:

Syaoran Li (CLAMP Multiverse)

Omniman (Invincible)

Mark (Invincible)

Hiei (Yu Yu Hakusho)

Kill La Kill:

Ira Gamagori

Uzu Sanageyama

Hoka Inumuta

Nonon Jakuzure

Naruto: Tenten (Naruto)

Mei Terumi (Naruto)

RWBY: Pyrrha Nikos

Ruby Rose

Sienna Khan

Winter Schnee

Kingdom Hearts: Xion (KH)

Larxene (KH)

Disney: Jasmine (Aladdin)

Esmeralda (HOND)

Mulan (Mulan)

Pocahontas (Pocahontas)

Exclusive Muses to my sinblog: Chel

Nemona

Nessa

Mai Shiranui

Samus Aran

Rias Gremory

[fiftytwotwentythree]

Wellness Wednesday:

Happy...? New Year?

I say, Yeah, Yeah It Is.

Avoid Eating Out... Check

Avoid Sweets/Junk Food... Check

Lose 52 Pounds... Check

Lose 100 Pounds... Check

Try Out a Vegetarian Diet/Lifestyle (for a month) without Making it a Personality... Check

Go the Whole Year Rockin' a Rat Tail... Check

Weigh the Lowest You've Ever Weigh in Almost 2 Decades... Check

Phew.

These last couple days/weeks/month I have been in a horrible mood, but the last two days of December I had sudden change in behavior and attitude.

I got hit with a surge chutzpah. Workouts became slightly easier. Even though I was running on fumes (aka massive lack of sleep) I don't feel exhausted like I have for the past few months.

And I gotta give up for the New Year and the Death of this Challenge. Seeing the days turn into hours with the Challenge made Heart Grow 3 Sizes... in a Good Way.

I can finally put this Weight Loss/Wellness Challenge down in books under the Win Column.

.

.

53rdth and FINAL CHECK-IN:

Current Goals:

Lose 52 lbs

Completed as of 4/12/2023

Milestone: Loss 100 lbs as of 11/01/2023

Milestone: Loss 104 lbs as of 12/27/2023 thus doubling my initial goal of 52 lbs

New Goal: Maintain or Continue on The Weight Loss Path

Avoid "Junk Food"

Completed:

A whole year with no Pizza, Ice Cream, Pop/Soda, Chips, Candy, Sweets/Desserts

Minimize Take-Out / Fast Food Consumption

Completed:

A whole year with no take out or eating out once - not one single outing.

Rock a Rat Tail for a Full Year: Completed

January 1st, 2023 - January 1st, 2024

R.I.P.

Short Term:

Vegetarian-ish Diet: Completed

End Date: 4/09/2023 - 46 Days Total

Groundhog's Day Diet: Completed*

10/01/2023 - 10/31/2023

.

.

Stats from December:

Food:

Cans of Soup: 20

Oranges: 19

Bags of Popcorn: 16

Leftover Meals: 5

Salads: 2

Take Out: 0

Candy/Sweets: 0

Workout:

Jumping Jacks: 18,500

Push-Ups: 4,600

Glute Bridges: 4,600

Reverse Leg Lifts: 4,600

Leg Kickbacks: 4,600

Sit-Ups: 4,600

Plank (mins): 230

Weight Loss:

Weightloss This Month: -5.2 lbs

Average Weightloss per Week: -1.3 lbs

Total Weightloss: -106.6 lbs

Entertainment:

Movies:

Movies Watched: 10

Favorite from the Month:

Migration

TV:

Hours of Television Watched: ~ 7 hours ( Ink Master; Last Week Tonight)

Books:

Books Completed This Month: 3

Book Title(s) Completed This Month:

Best. Movie. Year. Ever. by Brian Rafferty

Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan

Book Total for the Year: 7

Comics:

Comics Completed: 1

Trades Completed: 24

Comic/Trade Titles Completed:

Venom by Donny Cates Vol. 2: The Abyss (Venom (2018-2021))

Richard Stark's Parker Vol. 2: The Outfit

Ms. Marvel Vol. 2: Generation Why (Ms. Marvel Series)

X-Men '92 Vol. 2: Lilapalooza (X-Men '92 (2016))

Giant Days Vol. 2

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 2

Scott Pilgrim Vol. 2 (of 6): Scott Pilgrim vs. the World - Color Edition

All-New X-Men Vol. 2: Here To Stay

Civil War II (Civil War II (2016))

Archie vs Predator II

Deadpool by Daniel Way: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 (Deadpool (2008-2012))

Batman (2016-) Vol. 3: I Am Ban

Lumberjanes Vol. 4

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection Vol. 6

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 7: I've Been Waiting For A Squirrel Like You (The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl (2015-2019))

Spider-Man/Deadpool Vol. 3: Itsy Bitsy (Spider-Man/Deadpool (2016-2019))

Richard Stark's Parker Vol. 3: The Score (Parker Novels Book 5)

Richard Stark's Parker Vol. 4: Slayground

She-Hulk Vol. 1: Law and Disorder (She-Hulk Series Box-Set))

All-New X-Men, Vol. 3: Out of Their Depth

Happy Horror Days #1 (Chilling Adventures in Sorcery)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures Vol. 3

Scott Pilgrim Vol. 3 (of 6): Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness - Color Edition

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Vol. 4

Batman (2016-) Vol. 4: The War of Jokes and Riddles

Favorite Comic/Trade Read:

Batman (2016-) Vol. 4: The War of Jokes and Riddles

Magazine(s):

Magazine(s) Completed: 0

.

.

Meal Tracker:

THURSDAY

Lunch:

Can of Progresso Lasagna Style Soup

- (10) Crackers

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

Supper:

(2) Hot Ham & Swiss Sandwiches

- (4) Sweet Hawaiian Rolls

- (2) Slices of Leftover Ham

- (2) Slices of Swiss Cheese

Bag of Orville Redenbacher Ultimate Butter Popcorn

FRIDAY

Lunch:

Can of Progresso Broccoli Cheese Soup

- (10) Crackers

Supper:

Hot Ham & Swiss Sandwich

- (2) Sweet Hawaiian Rolls

- (1) Slice of Leftover Ham

- (1) Slice of Swiss Cheese

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

(2) Handfuls of Orville Redenbacher Ultimate Butter Popcorn

SATURDAY

Lunch:

(1) Bowl Homemade Crockpot Chili

- Melted Cheese

(1) Sloppy Joe on a Bakery Bun

- Melted Cheese

(6) BBQ Chicken Wings

(3) Scoops of Broccoli Supreme Salad

Snack:

(10) Smokies

SUNDAY

Lunch:

Can of Progresso Creamy Chicken & Broccoli with Brown Rice

- (10) Crackers

Supper:

Can of Progresso Minestrone Soup

- (10) Crackers

*** NEW YEAR'S EVE ***

MONDAY

Lunch:

(2) Grilled Seasoned New York Strip Steaks

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

Bowl of Smartfood's White Cheddar Popcorn

Snack:

Large Bowl of Smartfood's White Cheddar Popcorn

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

Supper:

(3) Sloppy Joes on Bakery Bones

- (2) Cheese Slices

(4) Scoops of Broccoli Salad

(1) Glass of Chocolate Milk

.

.

Workouts:

THURSDAY

* Morning Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

* Afternoon Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

* Evening Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

FRIDAY

* Morning Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(10) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(10) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

* Afternoon Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

* Evening Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

SATURDAY

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

SUNDAY

* Morning Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

* Evening Workout *

(500) Jumping Jacks [10 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

*** NEW YEAR'S EVE ***

MONDAY

* Morning Workout *

(400) Jumping Jacks [8 sets of 50]

(100) Glute Bridges [4 sets of 25]

(100) Push-Ups [10 sets of 10]

(100) Reverse Leg Lifts [10 sets of 10]

(100) Leg Kickbacks [10 sets of 10]

(100) Sit-Ups [5 Sets of 20]

(5 min) Planks [5 Sets of 1 min]

.

.

WEIGHT TRACKER:

Starting Weight (Noon, 1/01/2023): XXX.X lbs

Weight at Last Check-In, 12/27/2023:-0.6 lbs

Weight As of Noon, 1/01/2024: -2.6 lbs

Total Weight Loss: -106.6 lbs

.

.

Closing Thoughts:

The Good:

Ended the year losing weight and weighing the lowest I ever weighed in almost TWO DECADES.

The Bad:

I dont know what to do for my next challenge and I am running out of time. What will be my 52 in '24???

I want Nachos soooooooo effing bad and my favorite Nacho Spot is closed for New Year's Day.

The Ugly:

Relasping is always in the back of my mind.

[thatoneraven]

KINKTOBER DAY 9: Size difference

Pyramid Head x AMAB!Reader

Contains: teratophilia, size difference, ass eating?, dubcon, first time

Almost 3000 words of monstrous FILTH.

You weren’t gonna lie, you were definitely ogling the new killer. How could you not stare at him? He is absolutely massive. You thought the Oni was huge, but this guy took the crown. He towered over all survivors, a wall of brutal muscle intended to tear them apart. Speaking of tearing things apart, his hands are definitely built for the job. Large enough to fit over someone’s face and crush the bone to dust. Again, you weren’t gonna lie. You were definitely having inappropriate thoughts about his hands. His fingers looked as thick as two of your own put together, and if they were put to work on something other than killing you and your friends? They would definitely be mind blowing. The few moments you get to appreciate his physique, you often find yourself staring at the veins that lead from his well muscled forearms to his powerful hands. It seems like today is your lucky day, because that’s what you find yourself doing right now. Pyramid Head has Bill slung over his shoulder, one hand resting on Bill’s back, the other wrapped around his massive sword. You’re practically drooling as you watch his muscles move smooth under his skin to toss Bill on the hook. You have to bite back a whine as arousal starts to flicker to life in your gut. You continue to hide behind the wall, waiting for Pyramid Head to leave. He hesitates, pausing for a moment to look around, before groaning and trudging away. Releasing a heavy breath, you run up and pull Bill off, motioning for him to follow you to a corner. He’s grumbling to himself in annoyance as you patch up the gaping wound in his chest. “Don’t worry Bill, we all mess up when a new killer comes around.” He glares up at you in annoyance as you pat him on the back and stand up. “I’ve been around here long enough to know that most new killers aren’t that jacked.” He takes a puff of his cigarette before heading back to the gen he was working on. With a sigh, you follow him and help him work the gen back to its full glory. As it blares to life, someone screams in the distance, their red aura falling to the ground. The sound of swinging metal sings through the air, and the body jolts with a last groan of pain. You clench your jaw as you feel their energy leave the trial. “Well fuck, this trial is going too fast. We need to get to another gen.” Bill grunts in agreement, waving for you to follow him. There’s a generator tucked back in a corner between the trees. It’s about halfway to being finished, so you set to digging your hands into its gut and rearranging the wires. Your mind is still a little muddled with thoughts of big strong hands, so you have to scramble to connect the wires when a skill check pops up. “Fuck…” You mumble under your breath, shaking your head a bit to clear your thoughts. Bill casts you a glance and raises a brow before setting back to work. You wipe the machine blood onto your shirt and start to mess with the knobs on the side. Light footsteps approach from nearby, and you look to see who it is. Nea comes into view, holding a nasty looking gash in her side. You move to go and heal her, but she waves you away. “No point healing me. This gen is almost done, let me help and then we can find another spot to heal. He’s far enough away that we can finish this.” She moves to the other side and adjusts the levers, hissing as every little movement jars her wound. The generator is roaring with life at this point, and with one last push of a knob, it lights up the forest around you. You quickly tug Nea up by her hand, leading her to the cabin in the middle, where a gen is already humming with life. You set her down against the wall and press your lips into a tight line as you work on suturing the wound closed. Nea clenches her fists as she tries to stay still, body twitching with tension as the tear starts to quickly heal where the thread has closed it. The faint throb of a heartbeat makes itself home inside your skull, making you work a bit faster. Nea groans in pain at your less than gentle touch, but gives you a nod of understanding as she feels the heartbeat in her head. There’s about an inch of open flesh left when the heartbeat spikes and the menacing sound of his blade strike your ears. You barely have enough time to jump back as a burning hot iron rod punches through Nea’s chest, causing her to flop down onto the floor. “Oh you have got to be kidding me!” She sputters through a mouthful of blood, glaring at the nearby doorway. You’re rooted to your spot, staring with wide eyes as the behemoth of a man rounds the corner. His powerful muscles ripple under the golden light of the cabin, rekindling your earlier arousal. Pyramid Head leans down and bunches his fist in the back of Nea’s shirt, tossing her over his shoulder like she weighs nothing. The point of his head turns to face you, muscles tensing as he moves to raise his weapon. You let out a breath you didn’t even realize you had been holding, getting off your ass and bolting. You cringe as you hear Nea’s scream rip through the air behind you. You quickly dip behind a bush and hope he will leave so you can rescue her. This time, you’re not so fortunate. With a sound almost eerily like a deep breath, his hulking form comes through the doorway, head observing the surrounding area. You have to cover your mouth with a hand to stifle the quick breaths coming from your chest. The pulsing flesh under his helmet drips with a viscous substance as he lets out a tortured groan, head twisting to look at the bush you’re hiding behind. Immediately, he surges forward, blade dragging behind him. You push out of your hiding spot, legs burning as you run as fast as you can. You try to find a pallet anywhere nearby, but it seems this area was cleared out. With a puff of air, you head towards the killer shack. With some luck, that pallet will still be there. You breathe a sigh of relief as it comes into sight, noticing that the pallet is still resting against the wall. Pyramid Head has managed to catch up a bit, and you can feel his presence pressed against your back like a wall. Pushing yourself harder, you manage to make it through the doorway of the shack before a heavy body barrels you over. The breath is knocked out of you as his weight lands on your back, keeping you under him. You shiver as he lets out another groan, tensing up as his wonderfully large hands hold your arms down. A slick sound comes from behind you, and you scream as something wet slides over the back of your neck. Pyramid Head hisses and grips onto you tighter as his tongue tastes more of your skin. You’re not sure whether to be disgusted or oh so horribly aroused, but you don’t have long to think about it, because Bill comes rushing around the corner with his flashlight. “You fucking brute! Come get me!” He flicks the flashlight on, temporarily blinding the furious beast. Pyramid Head gets up with a grating wail, leaving you on the floor, dripping in his saliva. As he chases after Bill, you get to your feet and sigh. The disgust simmering in your gut is making an odd combination with the ever present arousal there, leaving you confused. Wiping off the back of your neck, you faintly notice that Nea’s energy is no longer in the trial. You grimace, realizing that it’s going to be hard to complete 2 gens between you and Bill. Despite the thought, you make your way around the edge of the map, searching for a gen to work on. An untouched one sits between some trees, and you settle down to work on it. The forest is silent aside from the gentle noises of the machine, so you’re left to your loud thoughts as you fix the generator. You can’t stop thinking about the way the thick, wet muscle had slid along your skin, and the way his hands had absolutely engulfed your tiny arms. You shudder and suppress a moan as the thought sends a perverse wave of pleasure through you. At this point, you’re unbearably hard, aching for release, but you ignore it in favor of trying to finish the gen. You manage to coax it to half life before Bill’s fallen aura lights up in the distance. With a sigh, you get up and run in his direction, wincing at the friction to your cock. You manage to make it 20 meters away from him when he’s finally thrown up on the hook. You watch from behind a tree as the Entity appears to attempt to impale him. Pyramid Head digs his blade into the ground and drags a trench around the hook before walking away, body tensed with purpose. Bill looks towards you and shakes his head when he knows you’re watching. ‘Find the hatch’ he mouths to you, before letting go. You cringe as you watch his body get impaled and lifted into the sky. Steeling yourself, you silently make your way to the cabin. The hatch seemed to pop up there most often, so maybe you’d get lucky enough to find it before he did. As you enter the doorway, the familiar hum of the hatch lights a spark of hope inside you. You search the area around the cabin, heart thrumming as you grow closer to the sound. Nestled among some grass, the lid of the hatch stands out, calling for you to come closer. You bolt for it, but cry out when your body is jerked back into a solid wall of flesh. Had you been less focused on finding the hatch, you would’ve noticed that your heart was pounding from more than just the adrenaline. You’re thrown to the ground and rolled onto your back to stare up at the giant man above you. His tongue- which you now notice is huge, just like the rest of him- slips out beneath his helmet to trace over your pulse. You whimper, body jolting at the feeling of the wet appendage touching such a sensitive area. Your cock is throbbing unbearably in your pants, almost painful with your withheld arousal. Pyramid Head makes a hollow huffing sound, retracting his tongue to pull back and look at you. It’s hard to tell where he’s looking since he has no visible eyes, but when the point of the pyramid drops down, you know you’re caught. You try to move away, but Pyramid Head places a heavy hand on your chest and grabs a fistful of your pants. You yelp in protest as he rips your pants and underwear away as if they were nothing more than tissue paper. Your cock slaps against your lower abdomen and you hiss as it’s exposed to the faintly humid air. Pyramid Head’s tongue slips out again, running over your length as he lets out a growl. You moan and buck into him, digging your fingers into the ground as you watch him with wide eyes. The tongue doesn’t even pause as it trails over your balls and down the cleft of your ass. You try to speak, but the instant your mouth opens, your hole is being split open on the thick appendage. You cry out, writhing as the merciless organ forces its way into you and wriggles against areas you had never thought existed. “Fuck! Oh my god!” You’re trembling uncontrollably, hips stuttering up as your insides are assaulted. His tongue presses up against a spot inside you, causing you to scream as your orgasm catches you off guard. Your cock throbs painfully as your cum splatters across your chest, some managing to get on your chin. The tongue quickly retracts, giving you a moment to breathe and recover from the dizzying climax. You don’t get long though, because when you look up, Pyramid Head is forcing his hips between your thighs, the heavy weight of his cock laying against your stomach. You forget how to breathe for a moment, breath snatched away by how fucking big he is. He must be at least 12 inches long, reaching well past your navel; he is as thick as your fist, with throbbing veins leading to a ruddy head. You snap out of your surprise as he lifts your legs over his shoulders and grabs his cock to guide it into your entrance. “Woah, wait! It’s not gonna fit, dude-“ Pyramid Head growls, and, without hesitation, pushes himself into you. Your complaints are silenced as you wail at the burning stretch of him entering you. His viscous saliva allowed him to enter you with relative ease, but did little to soothe the pain of being stretched past your limit. You let out a sob as the bulbous head pops past the resistance of your rim. Pyramid Head wastes no time in forcing his way into you, ignoring your cries as he manages to push 4 inches in. Your hands reach up to dig your nails into the cold flesh of his biceps, too far gone to admire the way the muscles flex under your hands. He snaps his hips forward, forcing another 3 inches in. Your eyes are rolling back into your head, breaths coming short at the feeling of how full you are. The beast above you lets out a screeching cry as your nails rip into his skin, black blood oozing out over your fingers. He furiously begins to fuck into you, forcing more of his cock in. Your eyes wander in a daze down to your stomach, staring in horror at the prominent bulge just below your navel. Your head lolls back, mouth open in a silent scream as the pleasure starts to overtake the pain. Already, you’re cumming again, cock jumping pitifully against your stomach. Pyramid Head doesn’t stop, he just continues to pound into you, groaning eagerly at the way you clench around him. Your vision goes white as he works you past your limit without a break, causing you to scream in a cracked voice. His pace is brutal as he fucks into you, hips slapping against your ass and jolting your body with each thrust. You can feel tears streaming down your face as your vision clears enough to allow you to see the pyramid towering over you. You try to speak, but your tongue is clumsy in your mouth, and all that comes out is a jumbled mess of moans. Pyramid Head groans and forces his hips as deep as they’ll go, causing you to sob as you feel the crown of his dick push your navel up. You didn’t think your body would let that happen, but Pyramid Head continues to surprise you. Angling his hips, he starts to push deeper with each thrust, causing your vision to white out again as you feel a sharp pain in your stomach. Your third orgasm must cause you to completely black out, because you fade into reality with the feeling of something hot and thick dripping from your ass and a wet appendage cleaning the mess off your chest. You look down with exhausted eyes at the monster running his tongue over your chest. Your skin twitches at even the slightest sensation, body still tweaked out from overstimulation. You shut your eyes again and sigh as Pyramid Head gets up. He walks over to your side and bends down to pick you up. You shout as the feeling of him jostling your body causes a fierce pain to rip through your lower body. You wince and cling to his chest, trying not to cry as he adjusts you in his arms. His chest rumbles with a mechanical purr as he walks you over to the hatch. His tongue slips out to run over your lips in a mock kiss before he drops you into the void. With a jolt, you wake up by the campfire, body aching with the memory of last trial. You sigh, running a hand through your hair. Shit.

[whenimaunicorn]

The Heart of Admiration - Part 8

Charles Vane x OFC

Turmoil leads to certain truths being confessed into the dark.

Words: 2246 Content: angst with a side of angst; contemplation of betrayal, unexpected fluff (is the slow burn finally catching?)

It’s approaching midnight, and Hope’s still pacing the deck. She’d already resolved she doesn’t give a whit about keeping up the ruse for Mr. Fellows anymore; tonight she’ll sleep in her rightful place among the crew. Now that she knows what awaits her in her captain’s quarters.

The only thing that’s stopping her from going down to her hammock right now is that she knows she won’t sleep. Too many thoughts are swirling in her head. All she can do is pace, and take measurements she doesn’t even need, and pace again.

Her worst fears realized. Hope feels sicker than she did when Charles Vane disbanded her crew, and she had to beg for her brother-in-law’s life to be spared. Sicker now, because at that time she hadn’t expected anything better from the fearsome brute. Everyone knew Captain Vane’s reputation, and that of his whole crew for that matter. When had she let herself believe that him, and Jack Rackham for that matter, were somehow more noble than any other of the black-hearted men that turned pirate?

She forces herself to take a breath. If she’s now maligning the entirety of her own profession, then certainly her emotions have taken away all rationality. And yet—had seducing her truly been his plan all along? And had Hope actually been falling for it?

Perhaps Stevens and the boys have it right. Something deep within her heart breaks to hear that thought, even if it is only resounding through the inside of her own skull. Avenge the Starling and run. There’s a certain justice to it. The bird flies the cage, but takes everything with her on the way out? Marvelous. Hope feels her heart turning as black as the inky waters look this night, and allows herself to sink into that feeling a little deeper. If they got free with it, they could easily run right back to Nassau. Certainly Eleanor Guthrie would give them haven after they crossed Charles Vane, merely on principle.

Hope feels her guts sicken even more.

Just a few hours ago, she’d been pondering what had felt like the very real possibility that she was in love with Captain Vane. Distraught that her feelings weren’t returned. Now all she can hear is that ugly edge in Jack’s voice as he taunted their captain to take her. They don’t see her any differently than the women back on shore, after all. Prizes to be captured, warm bodies to be used, the luckiest of whom could only hope to become a cherished object kept locked up and secreted away.

That would never be her. Hope simply would not allow it.

Should she go talk to Stevens? Her feet carry her to the ladder, and then away again. She remains furious, but she can’t yet commit to that course of action. There is a difference between capturing a prize on open waters, and stealing a treasure right under the noses of men that trust you. Hope had only supported the scheme that ended the Starling because they had truly planned to hold the cargo safe until a beneficial, fair negotiation had been reached. She would not want Vane to think her a liar, if she proved herself capable of turning around and doing just the thing he had accused her of.

And yet. What else is she to do? Carry on as if nothing had changed? This ache in her heart demands satisfaction. She could leave without causing any trouble; she could think of several other captains that would have her, but even that more reasonable thought leaves her feeling itchy. Slipping away without making some sort of statement just won’t do.

~*~

She’s on her way down to the berth deck, finally ready to set her swirling thoughts to rest, but she doesn’t get very far. Stevens is coming up the other way. She’s surprised; she thought this was his shift to sleep. His pace slows when he sees her, and his eyebrows raise in silent question.

She’s leaning toward conspiring with him, but she has not yet made up her mind. A bolt of panic flashes through her. If she speaks with him, her hesitancy will show, and she may ruin her chances of playing this situation in either direction. Might not be able to help him or stop him.

He’s almost reached her. His mouth opens to speak a greeting. Hope realizes they’re right in front of the door to the captain’s cabin. The one “Mrs. Vane” sleeps in too. To her own horror, Hope finds herself taking the coward’s way out, giving Stevens an apologetic smile and stepping right in through that door as if this was her intention all along.

Vane is sitting on his bed, half-undressed, because of course he is. But what is she to do, step right back out into the hallway again? She shuts the door quickly behind herself, then whirls to face her captain so that she does not look the coward.

They stare at each other for a long moment. What is she to say? She didn’t even plan to come in here. And she certainly can’t explain why she did. “I’d given up on seeing you tonight,” he rasps up at her. He eyes her and she says nothing and so he continues. “After you stormed away without giving me a chance to explain myself.”

“I still don’t want to hear it,” she growls. How could she know what words to trust, coming out of his mouth? She doesn’t want excuses. She doesn’t want this smoothed over with half-truths. She can’t bear to feel the crack in her heart widen.

His brows lift, then converge in an angry crease. “Then why did you come in.”

A good question, Hope. She’s not even certain why the sight of Stevens made her feel such panic in the first place. She had convinced herself up on deck of her new resolve, hadn’t she?

And now Vane is sitting here right before her, looking up with poorly-disguised pain in his eyes. In his eyes? He growls again before she can formulate an answer. “You’d better not tell me that you intend to berate me without hearing my side. That’s not how this is going to work.”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

She tries to turn away, but when her captain makes a scoffing sound she can’t help but look back. “So you came in here, what, because ‘Mrs. Vane’ needs to go to bed?”

“It is late,” she says. Too early to step back out again, and risk Stevens wondering why she ducked in here in the first place. She settles for an easy lie. “I thought I’d find you already asleep.”

“The only time you’re content to rest beside me,” Vane says bitterly, looking away. “When I’m unconscious.”

Hope barks a laugh. Does he really think she’d climb into bed with him after what she overheard? “This time, I will gladly sleep on the floor.”

He flops back in the bed, turning on his side so all she can see is the broad expanse of his scarred back and his hair spilled across the pillow. “Suit yourself.”

She tries to. Pacing across the short space to her trunk, she sits down on it and takes her boots off. Noisily. She doesn’t want to talk, but she doesn’t want to let the man rest, either. He shifts positions when she all but hurls the second one onto the decking beside her, but that’s the only reaction she gets.

She looks around for anything soft to lie down upon, but it appears that the only blanket in the room is trapped underneath Vane’s inert form.

She’s not going to ask for it.

Instead, she puts out the light, loosens her belt, and lies down on her back, fully clothed, on the stretch of decking beside Vane’s bed. A porthole lets in a little moonlight, just enough to outline the hulking form of his shoulder above her. She closes her eyes, tells herself she doesn’t want to look at him. Now is the time for sleep.

Her mind won’t rest. Now that the man is right here, willing to talk to her, she can’t help but imagine what she might say to him were she inclined to let that conversation happen. A bird in a cage. That’s what Jack had called her. She’d certainly felt that way when she got here; has she been lying to herself since then? Getting comfortable with the crew, becoming friends with Anne, and even with Vane himself. Was all that just gilding on the bars?

He was willing to let you go, she tells herself. You just didn’t take it.

Still. The things she’d heard Jack say don’t sit right. We didn’t have to come down so hard on the Starling, he’d said. She’d been approaching them ‘round the corner, and of course her feet had slowed when she heard them talking about her, and her “value.” A part of her wishes she hadn’t. It hurt to know this side of the story. That the dismantling of the Starling had been her fault, that she’d inspired a lustful eye just waiting for an excuse to crack that ship and steal her like a prize. Jack’s words are burnt into her memory: You saw what you wanted, and got control of her.

Vane releases a heavy sigh above her, laced with the frustration of being unable to sleep.

It pisses Hope off. Why is she laying here blaming herself? Jack may have said it, and Vane may not have disagreed with it, but that doesn’t mean it’s true, that she’s responsible for this man’s brutish choices. She’s glad he’s still awake, glad he’s just as troubled as she; if anything he should be the most troubled. He’s not even offering to make any amends.

“The least you could do is give me that blanket,” she barks into the darkness above her.

She hears more than sees Vane roll in her direction. “The least you could do is let me speak.”

“Is this a negotiation? Withholding comfort until I consent to hear you out? Because if we’re talking, you are the one who is going to listen to me.”

“Fine.”

But Hope doesn’t know what to say. The silence stretches between them. As her eyes rove around in the dark, she realizes Vane is peering down off the side of the bed. The angle of the moonlight is likely illuminating her face more clearly than his. He’s just watching, and waiting. But she doesn’t know where to start.

“How much did you hear?” he asks softly. Is it defensive, or is he trying to give her a place to begin?

“Enough,” she barks back.

Vane sighs. “Jack—” he begins, but Hope cuts him off quick.

“You think you can blame this on Jack? I didn’t hear you disagreeing with him.”

“That’s not—”

“You said that I would talk first. I’m not going to lay here listening to you make excuses. The truth and a lie are so close, aren’t they? So close,” she seethes. “After all your talk about ‘liberating’ me from a crew that I was ‘too good for.’ I remember what you said, the last time this ship was likened to a cage around me.” She glares up at the beams of said ship, although she can barely see them in the dim. “You did it for me, yes, but not for my own good. And not for my skills, apparently, either. After all we’ve been through, the truth comes out. I am only here because you want to sleep with me.”

“I don’t want to sleep with you,” Vane grinds out through his teeth.

Hope is too surprised to interrupt him, this time. Even as the silence stretches out a little longer. She no longer knows what she wants him to say next. This morning she was disappointed at his lack of interest, and this evening she was enraged at the spectre of his lust. Which is it? What does she want from him?

“I want,” Vane says slowly, words rumbling even deeper than usual, like rocks deep in the earth grinding together, “to share my life with you. I want you with me every morning when I wake. I want to work with you, seize prizes with you, and sometimes even be the reason that you smile.” Every word is measured, thoughtful, and as true as the very roots of the earth. “That is more important to me than anything else. Anything.”

Hope wishes she could see his face better, as he confesses these words into the dark.

“So I hope that you can forget what you heard Jack say, because I already have everything that I want most.” Is that a stubborn set to his jaw? “And I would never want to lose it over the matter of lust. I was handling my feelings just fine before this,” he pauses, “and I will continue to do so, quietly, and respectfully. As you certainly must admit I have been doing so far. Do not let it trouble you.”

He stirs in the bed above her, and it takes her a moment to work out what he’s doing. His whole body lifts, and then settles, and then his arm extends silently down to her, proffering a fist full of the requested blanket.

In stunned silence, she takes it.

Next chapter

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[silkenstarlight]

come back, haunt me (prologue)

Summary: reader faces an unexpected foe on her way home.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x female reader

Warning/s: mention of alcoholism, stalking, violence, kidnapping

Word count: 1.3k

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Author's note: this is a bit different from the one-shots i normally write! it's place-based and has more of a novel-like tone, but i wanted to give a voice to the daydream that's been consuming my waking hours. let me know what you think!

San Francisco

January 19, 1952

Mama’s always telling me to come straight home.

Here’s 30 bucks. Go on down to the liquor store and get me another bottle of Jack. And don’t you dilly-dally-- you’re living under my roof, you live by my rules.

I really should listen to her, one of these days.

It’s a strange sensation, being followed. You want to disappear, to melt into the shadows and evade your pursuer’s unrelenting gaze, but at the same time, you want to scream so loud that the sheer volume could pierce glass. You want to run and run and run, never slowing, never stopping, until your feet carry you to some distant, unknowable safety that even the searchlights can’t uncover. You want to be home, even if it means being around Mama after she’s started drinking.

I couldn’t decide which was the safest bet as I walked home, clutching the crumpled paper bag that concealed my mother’s chosen vice. I supposed that I could use the bottle as a weapon, could bludgeon the shadowy man who had followed me for several blocks now on my return home, but the thought of the sound it would make-- the sickening crack, the thud of his limp body, the splat of muddied crimson-- it was enough to make me gag. And, Mama would be angry if I wasted her 30 dollars. So, I continued my hurried pace, passing beneath the buzzing, amber halos of streetlights, brisk steps matching the quickened, thumping rhythm of my heartbeat.

My breath puffed out in little clouds and I crossed my arms against the sudden, biting breeze, gritting my teeth and tucking the bottle closer to my body. It’s the fucking dead of winter, how long did he wait on that street corner until he chose some poor girl to follow home? I turned my head slightly, trying to catch him in my periphery, but all I could see was the brown of his long overcoat. I huffed a breath and willed my legs to move faster.

I tried scanning my memories of the liquor store for his face. Dirty linoleum tiles, barred windows and humming refrigerators with sticky doors. Aisles striped rainbow, full of potato chips and room temp Coca-cola, black taffy and hot tamales. A quiet, mousy man with glasses too big for his face, buying a crumpled newspaper and a packet of sunflower seeds. A woman with scraggly hair and gray pit stains languidly browsing through the magazines. A store clerk, bored, half-lidded gaze flickering lazily between customers and his crossword. But no man in a long overcoat-- he was nowhere inside. I had only noticed him once I started walking.

I looked back again, less and less worried that he was some innocent pedestrian who would be offended by my vigilant stare. No, he was definitely closer, his long, loping gait slowly but surely swallowing up the distance between us, his gaze piercing through the darkness, tracking my every movement. Shit. Mama’s always warning me about strange men. Thoughts of quick gunshots and fluttering yellow police tape, of my name splashed on the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle, filled my mind.

No.

I couldn’t meet my end, not like that, dead eyes plastered across the city like a warning. My heart thudded in my ribcage so hard it almost hurt, but I was walking as fast as I could. I couldn’t run. He would surely catch me. And, I couldn’t go to the nearest police station. I would have to make a sweeping turn, allowing the man the chance to assuredly catch up to me and drag me into an alley to do whatever it was that he wanted to do to me. My eyes darted from left to right, searching for safety. I couldn’t go home, and I couldn’t go to the police.

The cathedral.

Of course.

Ahead, the hulking, gothic spires of Grace Cathedral rose into the sky, out of place amidst the violet, steel-and-glass canyon of the city street. But, it offered a tantalizingly sweet sense of safety, its complex arches and buttresses offering plenty of dark corners and crevices to hide in until the man in the overcoat lost interest and realized that stalking me was more effort than it was worth. It was worth a shot. I crossed the street, hardly taking the time to look left and right for any oncoming cars, and jogged up the steps. I could hear the sound of footfalls against asphalt, the flutter of his coat in the barren street, as he followed.

I approached the front door, partially because it was the obvious choice, exactly where he expected me to go first. But the shadows also hung heaviest over the cathedral’s entrance, allowing me to make my next move virtually undetected, so long as I made a decision before he got too close. Either dive to the right into the bushes, where I could wait him out, or shuffle along the wall to the right, where two high-rises stood, offering a short alleyway as a mode of escape. I turned right, then turned left, shifting my weight from foot to foot, second-guessing myself at each movement. Just fucking breathe. I couldn’t see him, but I knew he was probably close. So, I turned left, treading lightly on the balls of my feet to avoid making noise. Twenty feet, ten feet, five until the alley. So close. I stepped away from the safety of the cathedral’s wall to make the final leap to safety when I felt a gloved hand wrap around my arm and yank.

“No!” My voice grated with panic, harsh and high, as he pulled me back into the shadows surrounding the cathedral. He gripped my shoulders so tight that I knew they would be covered in little purple bruises, and he pushed me against the wall with a grunt. Feeling daring, I looked up, locking eyes with him. If he was going to hurt me, kidnap me, kill me, I wanted to know what he looked like. Buzzed blond hair, brown eyes so dark they were almost black. His nose was crooked, as if it had been broken once or twice, and his lips were thin, bared over crooked teeth.

My breath stilled when I realized that he, too, was searching my face for something, his eyes darting up and down as if searching for some identificatory feature. When his gaze settled on the thin scar above my eyebrow, earned in a bicycling accident, he chuckled, his breath fanning towards me in a sour huff. He smiled, his eyes crinkled and dark, glittering in the shadows.

“Zola will be pleased.” He had a throaty, slavic accent, his voice gruff. My heart was pounding in my chest, my legs trembling beneath me, but I cocked my head.

“Who is that? Zola, who is that?” I breathed, trying to will some sense of bravery into my voice.

He simply chuckled again in response, grabbing me roughly by the elbows to lead me into the exact alleyway I had chosen for safety. Ahead, a black car waited, its driver wearing an equally severe expression to that of my captor.

He opened the door for me, ever the gentleman, and shoved me inside, barely taking care to make sure that my head didn’t hit the top of the car. Before shutting the door, he bent down, grabbing my chin and jerking my face towards his. I stared into his eyes and gritted my teeth.

He smirked, reaching into his pocket with his other hand to pull out a black hood. Before pulling it down over my face and blinding me to where they were taking me, he let my last memory of home be of his face.

“Heil Hydra,” he uttered thickly, relishing each syllable.

Confusion rose in my chest, brows knotting together. But, before I could question him further, he pulled the hood down over my face and everything went dark.

[celticcatgirl2]

“You do have that affect on people Jen…”

[incorrectcomicbookquotes]

After Jack finds out what Starfox did to She-Hulk

Starfox: (talking to Pip) So, anyway, I need the ship ready for take off in - AAAAAAH!!!!

Jack of Hearts: (motioning to an open coffin) Okay, get in.

[bringbackwendellvaughn]

[elgaberino-mcoc]

MCOC Wishlist Poll Snapshot: Entire Rankings

001 Mystique 002 Quicksilver 003 Beta Ray Bill 004 Sandman 005 Adam Warlock 006 Kitty Pryde 007 Lizard 008 Morbius the Living Vampire 009 Kraven the Hunter 010 Cloak & Dagger 011 Spider-Man 2099 012 Black Cat 013 Bullseye 014 Jessica Jones 015 Ares 016 Shang-Chi 017 Gladiator (Kallark) 018 Baron Zemo 019 Lady Deathstrike 020 Enchantress 021 Valkyrie MCU 022 Knull 023 Morgan le Fay 024 Scorpion 025 Captain Britain 026 Galactus 027 Dazzler 028 Silver Samurai 029 Black Knight 030 Dracula 031 Hobgoblin 032 Pyro 033 Fantomex 034 Spider-Woman 035 Jean Grey 90s 036 Silk 037 Polaris 038 Silver Sable 039 Sif 040 Anti-Venom 041 Mister Negative 042 Crystal 043 Legion 044 Shocker 045 Malekith the Accursed 046 Destroyer Armor 047 M'baku the Man-Ape 048 The Mandarin 049 Emplate 050 Multiple-Man 051 Shuri 052 Banshee 053 Onslaught 054 Warpath 055 Sunfire 056 Cannonball 057 Dark Phoenix 058 Blue Marvel 059 Prowler (Aaron Davis) 060 Okoye 061 Mockingbird 062 Spiral 063 Madame Hydra / Viper 064 Hydro-Man 065 Red She-Hulk 066 Agent Anti-Venom 067 Blackheart 068 Gorr the God-Butcher 069 Songbird 070 Quasar 071 Absorbing Man 072 Whiplash 073 Armor 074 Daimon Hellstrom 075 Wendigo 076 Nimrod 077 Graviton 078 Gwenom 079 Deathlok 080 Firestar 081 Vulcan 082 Wonder Man 083 Selene 084 Blob 085 Klaw 086 Rachel Summers 087 Thor (MCU Stormbreaker) 088 Shadow King 089 White Tiger 090 Tombstone 091 Jack O'Lantern 092 Valkyrie Classic 093 Toad 094 Moonstone 095 Weapon H 096 Jocasta 097 Dani Moonstar 098 Monica Rambeau 099 Wolfsbane 100 Franklin Richards 101 Ancient One 102 Arnim Zola 103 Exodus 104 Forge 105 Supergiant 106 Madelyne Pryor 107 Hank Pym 108 Hawkeye (Kate Bishop) 109 Negasonic Teenage Warhead 110 Spider-Man Noir 111 Phantom Rider 112 Blink 113 Sebastian Shaw 114 Clea 115 Black Tom Cassidy 116 Kurse 117 Danger 118 Daken 119 Omega Sentinel 120 Grim Reaper 121 Radioactive Man 122 Shatterstar 123 Darkstar 124 Werewolf by Night 125 Hope Summers 126 The Magus 127 Union Jack 128 Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) 129 Crimson Dynamo 130 Pixie 131 Conan 132 Scarlet Spider (Ben Reilly) 133 Azazel 134 Jigsaw 135 Boom-Boom 136 Swarm 137 Xorn 138 Machine Man 139 Black Widow (Yelena Belova) 140 Madame Masque 141 Misty Knight 142 Chamber 143 Mistress Death 144 Skaar 145 Morlun 146 Thanos (Endgame) 147 Leader 148 Sleepwalker 149 Deacon Frost 150 Black Swan 151 Agent 13 (Sharon Carter) 152 Fin Fang Foom 153 Ka-Zar 154 Arcade 155 Iron Spider 156 Dust 157 Gorgon 158 Lash 159 Namora 160 A-Bomb (Rick Jones) 161 Ikaris 162 Nick Fury (Classic) 163 Rescue 164 Nico Minoru 165 Volstagg 166 Weapon Hex 167 Stingray 168 Maximus the Mad 169 Cyttorak 170 Skurge the Executioner 171 Doc Samson 172 Maverick / Agent Zero 173 Sauron 174 Baron Blood 175 Captain America Falcon 176 Wong 177 Mantis 178 Whirlwind 179 Firelord 180 Magma 181 Molecule Man 182 White Fox 183 Nova (Sam Alexander) 184 Satana 185 Dum Dum Dugan (LMD) 186 Holocaust 187 Shiklah 188 Valkyrie Moonstar 189 High Evolutionary 190 Bloodaxe 191 Magus (Technarch) 192 Nighthawk 193 Punisher: War Machine 194 Goliath (Bill Foster) 195 Nova (Frankie Raye) 196 Ghost Rider (Danny Ketch) 197 Dr. Cecilia Reyes 198 Sentinel X (Shogo Lee) 199 Thena 200 Hellcat 201 Cosmic Spider-Man 202 Attuma 203 Shroud 204 Doctor Nemesis 205 Siryn 206 Nate Grey 207 Iron Monger 208 Black Mamba 209 Agent Carter 210 Kluh 211 Tiger Shark 212 Purple Man 213 Snowbird 214 Ice-Thing 215 Lilandra 216 Superior Spider-Man 217 Thane 218 Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur 219 Jackal 220 Jean Grey (X-Men Red) 221 Punisher: Frankencastle 222 Puck 223 Rockslide 224 Red Ghost and his Super-Apes 225 Deathbird 226 Hydra Supreme 227 Strong Guy 228 Zarda the Power Princess 229 Sage 230 Quentin Quire (aka Kid Omega) 231 Prowler (Hobie Brown) 232 Slapstick 233 Stardust (Lambda Zero) 234 Titanium Man 235 D'spayre 236 Colleen Wing 237 Thunderbird (John Proudstar) 238 Iron Maiden 239 Gorilla-Man (Kenneth Hale) 240 Jack of Hearts 241 Titania 242 Avalanche 243 Toxic Doxie 244 Death’s Head 245 Impossible Man 246 Worthy Captain America (Mjölnir/Endgame) 247 Outlaw (Higgins) 248 Scarlet Spider II (Kaine Parker) 249 Beetle 250 Typhoid Mary 251 Bloodscream 252 Serpent (Cul Borson) 253 Ms. America Chavez 254 Ghost Rider (Reyes) 255 Hummingbird 256 Mercury 257 M (Monet St. Croix) 258 Black Tarantula 259 Spitfire 260 Wizard 261 Superior Octopus 262 Maria Hill 263 Minotaur (Dario Agger) 264 Echo 265 Morph 266 Karolina Dean 267 Zarathos 268 Thundra 269 Smasher (Kane) 270 Hyperstorm 271 Boomerang 272 Stature (Cassie Lang, AKA Stinger) 273 Meggan 274 Caliban 275 Hollow 276 Abyss (Styger) 277 Silverclaw 278 Red King 279 Doctor Druid 280 U.S. Agent 281 Sersi 282 Molten Man 283 Zzzax 284 Singularity 285 Agatha Harkness 286 Blastaar 287 Korvac 288 Citizen V 289 Carter Slade the Satan-Stomper 290 Post 291 Shuma-Gorath 292 Sin 293 Triton 294 Quasar (Kincaid) 295 Martinex 296 Iron Man (Mark I) 297 Wiccan 298 Speedball 299 Paladin 300 Amanda Sefton 301 Overmind 302 Diamondback (Rachel Leighton) 303 Feral 304 Charlie-27 305 Rom: Spaceknight 306 Juggerduck 307 The Uranian 308 Blazing Skull 309 Starfox 310 Living Laser 311 Hiro-Kala 312 Namorita 313 Jack Flag 314 Stormborn 315 Doctor Bong 316 Crescent & Io 317 Gamora mcu 318 Wave 319 Ironheart 320 Venom Rocket 321 Doctor Spectrum 322 Davos the Steel Serpent 323 Lady Hellbender 324 Falcon classic 325 Bloodstorm 326 Tempus (Eva Bell) 327 Voyager 328 No-Name the Brood 329 Demon Bear 330 Moondragon 331 Arachne 332 Aero 333 Andromeda 334 Speed Demon 335 Phyla-Vell 336 Xemnu the Living Hulk 337 Aleta 338 Araña 339 Human Torch (Jim Hammond) 340 Constrictor 341 Iso 342 Arkon 343 Genis-Vell 344 Shanna the She-Devil 345 Volcana 346 Batroc the Leaper 347 Arclight 348 Scientist Supreme 349 Yukio 350 N'kantu the Living Mummy 351 Gentle 352 Caiera the Oldstrong 353 Beetle (Janice Lincoln) 354 Penance (Baldwin) 355 Super-Adaptoid 356 Ajak 357 Future Colossus 358 Moses Magnum 359 Vampire by Night 360 Superia 361 Puppet Master 362 Chimera 363 Count Nefaria 364 Stick 365 Hellion 366 Agent May 367 Mister Hyde 368 Spot 369 Cobra 370 Doop 371 Lyja 372 Wrecker 373 Stargod/Man-Wolf 374 Stilt-Man 375 Machinesmith 376 Spider-Bitch 377 Madame Web 378 Corsair & Sikorsky 379 Thor (Groot) 380 Balder 381 Random 382 Power Man (Alvarez) 383 Starhawk 384 Sun-Girl (Selah Burke) 385 Arcanna 386 Scream 387 Kree Sentry 388 Agent Phil Coulson 389 Thunderstrike (Kevin) 390 Talos 391 Carmilla Black 392 Uatu 393 Jennifer Kale 394 Warwolf 395 Enigma (Aikku Jokinen, AKA Pod) 396 Belasco 397 Swordsman 398 Trevor Fitzroy 399 Dazzler Thor 400 Hepzibah 401 Atlas 402 Ogun 403 Yellowjacket (DeMara) 404 Hala the Accuser 405 Entropy 406 War Machine (Infinity War) 407 Animax 408 Captain Universe 409 Whizzer 410 Hogun the Grim 411 Cottonmouth (Clemens) 412 Blizzard 413 Storm (Queen of Wakanda) 414 Silhouette 415 Immortus 416 Beast (Hex-Men) 417 Solo 418 White Rabbit 419 Aurora 420 Equinox 421 Hellcow 422 Owl 423 Arsenic & Old Lace 424 Beetle mk iii 425 Valeria (Age of Conan) 426 Trapster 427 Throg 428 Mimic 429 Hulkling 430 Iron Lad 431 Angel (Black Vortex) 432 Marionette 433 Phastos 434 Hobgoblin 2099 435 Razor Fist 436 Asp 437 Baymax 438 Captain America (Peggy Carter) 439 Sp//dr 440 Tarantula (Kaine) 441 Silver Scorpion (Barstow) 442 Midnight Angels of Wakanda 443 Demolition Man 444 White Wolf (Hunter) 445 Synapse 446 Kingo 447 Grey Gargoyle 448 Gilgamesh the Forgotten One 449 Justice 450 Atlas Bear 451 Iron Fist (Orson Randall) 452 Victorious 453 Lincoln Campbell 454 Luna Snow 455 Zadkiel 456 Crystar 457 Husk 458 Gravity 459 Kaecilius 460 Marrina 461 Ghost Rider (Circle of Four) 462 Nighthawk Supremeverse 463 Fixer 464 Cardiac 465 Capwolf 466 Kull the Conqueror of Atlantis 467 Noh-Varr 468 Korath the Pursuer 469 Miss America (Joyce) 470 Blackjack O'Hare 471 Bi-Beast 472 Vance Astro 473 Bushmaster (Quincy) 474 Krugarr 475 Poundcakes 476 Yo-Yo 477 American Son 478 Mister M 479 Cottonmouth (Stokes) 480 Manphibian 481 Infamous Iron Man 482 Paibok the Power-Skrull 483 Shatter 484 Daredevil Shadowland 485 Nakia 486 Garrison Kane 487 Makkari 488 Elloe 489 Northstar 490 Spiderling 491 She-Hulk (Lyra) 492 Proteus 493 Grey Hulk 494 Doorman 495 Toro 496 Nuke 497 Acroyear 498 Blonde Phantom 499 Drax MCU 500 Orrgo 501 Marvel Girl NPC 502 Fandral the Dashing 503 Spider-Girl 504 Ms. Thing 505 Captain America 2099 506 Veranke 507 Haechi 508 Mulholland Black 509 Mighty Destroyer 510 Eclipse 511 Powell McTeague 512 Druig 513 Copycat 514 Terror 515 Ahab 516 God-Emperor Doom 517 Doombot (V Series) 518 Sword Master 519 Cyclone 520 Black Mariah 521 Zenzi 522 Thor: Herald of Thunder 523 3-D Man 524 Hulk Endgame 525 Tetu 526 Doctor Octopus (Liv Octavius) 527 Margali 528 Molly Hayes 529 Sinara 530 Aldrich Killian 531 Goldballs 532 Mindless Ones 533 Nikki Gold 534 Foolkiller 535 Darkwing Duck 536 Thunderstrike (Eric) 537 She-Thing (Ventura) 538 Killmonger (Emperor Symbiote) 539 Iron Duck 540 Ms. Marvel II (Ventura) 541 Spymaster 542 Scalphunter 543 Spider-Man (Miles Morales Movie) 544 Karn 545 Gun-R 546 Terminus 547 Achebe 548 Llyra 549 Bushmaster (John) 550 Sugar Man 551 Great Lakes Avengers 552 Xarggu 553 Human Fly (Deacon) 554 Shogun 555 Plantman 556 Brawn 557 Elixir 558 Litterbug 559 Smasher (Rokk) 560 Bug 561 Mammomax 562 Synch 563 Anaconda 564 Wolvie 565 Dirk Anger 566 Captain [****] 567 Ezekiel 568 Diamondback (Stryker) 569 Unworthy Thor 570 Master Mold 571 Masked Marauder 572 M.O.D.A.M. 573 Hellsgaard 574 Hulkbuster 2.0 575 Forgetmenot 576 Ghaur 577 Arcturus Rann 578 Ultimate Green Goblin (Movie) 579 Dragoness 580 Porcupine 581 M-11 582 Taskmaster MCU 583 Dansen Macabre 584 Lady Bullseye 585 Harpoon 586 Unicorn 587 Bushwacker 588 Loki variant 589 Night Nurse 590 Psyklop 591 Mack 592 Eel 593 Water Snake 594 Chaos King 595 Red Hulk (Maverick) 596 Kaluu 597 The Russian 598 Geena Drake 599 Jimmy Hudson 600 Slayback 601 Mentallo 602 Skull the Slayer 603 Karkas 604 Dominic Fortune 605 The Buzz 606 Doctor Crocodile 607 Ox 608 Dorrek VII 609 Needle 610 Krang 611 Dino-Thor 612 Stegron 613 Zeitgeist 614 [VACANT] 615 [VACANT] 616 [VACANT]

[aion-rsa]

A Beginner’s Guide to Marvel Zombies

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This article contains spoilers for Marvel’s What If…?

Man, Marvel’s What If…? series really does draw you in with a false sense of security, doesn’t it? The first episode is an adorable romance story laced with punching Nazis. The second is a tribute to a late actor in the form of galactic utopia. Then we get the Avengers being murdered, the universe being melted, and now Captain America eating human flesh. Enjoy your nightmares, kids!

The fifth episode of What If…? is a bit of a fanservice choice. For the latter half of the 2000s, Marvel was riding the Marvel Zombies train like nothing else.

While the first use of the concept came in 2005, one could consider What If…? v.2 #24 (What If Wolverine Was Lord of the Vampires?) to be the prototype. The story involved Dracula turning the X-Men into vampires, but Wolverine’s healing factor allowed him to overwhelm Dracula’s control and fight back. He then littered New York City with vampire heroes and humanity’s last hope came in the form of the Punisher wearing Dr. Strange’s cape.

Mark Millar

The first real use of Marvel Zombies was more of a prank than anything else. Mark Millar and Greg Land were doing Ultimate Fantastic Four and all signs pointed to the idea that they were setting up a crossover. Not just any crossover, but THE crossover. Marvel had been adamant about the Ultimate Universe being separated from main continuity, but solicitations and covers made it seem like the two Reed Richards counterparts were going to meet up. Much of Ultimate Fantastic Four #21 played into this with Ultimate Reed conversing with an alternate universe Reed who very much resembled the mainstream one. Ultimate Reed created a portal to go visit him.

What he found was zombie incarnations of the Fantastic Four with Reed asking, “Ever had the feeling you’ve been had?”

Robert Kirkman

The rest of the arc was about Ultimate Reed trying to survive and escape that world with the help of that world’s Magneto. This set the stage for the first Marvel Zombies miniseries, written by The Walking Dead’s Robert Kirkman with art by Sean Phillips (Arthur Suydam did zombie parody covers of classic Marvel art, which would continue for several more miniseries). Initially, Kirkman wanted to do a story about Luke Cage being the last hero alive, playing up his unbreakable skin as a deterrent, but since the Ultimate Fantastic Four arc already depicted Zombie Luke Cage, that was off the table.

Instead, his story involved two main arcs. One was the survival of Black Panther, who – much like the animated What If…? episode – was kept alive, albeit with his limbs being gradually removed for the sake of being zombie food without infecting the body. While the cartoon had Scott Lang’s disembodied head, the comic had a decapitated Zombie Wasp as Panther’s ally. She was never cured of the disease, but she did stop being hungry after a while and came to her senses.

The other story was about Earth’s zombified heroes dealing with the coming of the Silver Surfer and Galactus. A handful of them went on to devour the invaders and absorb their cosmic powers, along with their cosmic hunger. Hank Pym, Iron Man, Luke Cage, Wolverine, Spider-Man, and the Hulk went on to wipe out nearly all life in the universe as the Zombie Galacti. The follow-up was the basis for Marvel Zombies 2.

As for what caused the zombie outbreak in the beginning, that’s where things get a little hairy. The Ultimate Fantastic Four story revealed that a Zombie Superman (recolored to be the Sentry so as not to piss off DC) got so hungry that he punched reality until breaking into an alternate universe and infecting its heroes.

Kirkman and Phillips did a one-shot prequel called Marvel Zombies: Dead Days that suggested that Magneto bartered with some force to unleash the virus on Earth, thinking that it would only target humans and not mutants. Then a later miniseries called Marvel Zombies Return created an alternate universe time-loop where the zombies from Marvel Zombies continuity ended up in another universe, where they caused an outbreak, infected that world’s Sentry, and Zombie Sentry ended up popping into the Marvel Zombies universe to cause the initial outbreak.

Did anybody follow that? I hope so. Either way, Zombie Sentry was never mentioned again. He infected the heroes and then…nothing. Just a loose plot thread. Weird. Though fitting that the Sentry stopped being a threat because people forgot about him.

Crossovers

The initial Marvel Zombies universe was revisited here and there in several ways. Black Panther’s comic (during when he was leader of the Fantastic Four) journeyed into that universe and dealt with the Zombie Galacti. Ash from Army of Darkness got his own cool crossover miniseries taking place during the initial outbreak. Zombie Wolverine showed up in an Exiles story about a team made entirely out of Wolverine variants. Zombie Deadpool (Headpool) became a major part of the short-lived Deadpool Corps. Marvel Zombies also did a crossover with Marvel Apes.

There was also a one-shot called Marvel Zombies Halloween that revealed that Kitty Pryde and her son survived, while also showing what Mephisto was up to in this reality.

Fred Van Lente

With Marvel Zombies 3, Fred Van Lente started writing and brought the series in a different direction. He introduced ARMOR, a SHIELD offshoot based on dealing with alternate realities. While it still dealt with the Marvel Zombies universe, focus was more on the mainstream Marvel universe as it tried to prevent an invasion. The protagonists for the story were Machine Man and Jocasta. In the follow-up, Marvel Zombies 4, Morbius brought the Midnight Sons back together to save the world from a possible outbreak.

Van Lente’s swansong was Marvel Zombies 5, which was about Machine Man and Howard the Duck venturing into different zombie universes for reasons. After that came Marvel Zombies Supreme, taking place in regular Marvel continuity and featuring Battlestar and Jack of Hearts fighting zombie versions of the Squadron Supreme. Then came the last gasp for the line with 2012’s Marvel Zombies Destroy, where ARMOR sends Howard the Duck and Dum Dum Dugan to fight an alternate reality filled with zombie Nazis.

The Zombie Saga Continues

They did get a shot in the arm a few years later with Secret Wars. The event featured a world made up pieces of alternate Earths, haphazardly connected together. There’s a No Man’s Land on this Earth that’s filled with zombies and homicidal robots. It’s basically a place to dump criminals for execution.

A couple more stories were released, though neither had any connection to the original Marvel Zombies or the stuff with ARMOR. Marvel Zombie was a one-shot about a band of heroes trying to survive a zombie apocalypse, who end up teaming with Simon Garth, Marvel’s Zombie. The ending is…well, it sure is something.

More recently is Marvel Zombies: Resurrection. This one is about the Brood infesting and killing Galactus. The race evolves into a hivemind of zombies, all very interested in infecting Franklin Richards. The heroes for this one include Spider-Man, a Sentinel reprogrammed to be Franklin and Valeria’s nanny, a blind Wolverine, a techno-organic Frank Castle, and a SUPER EXCITED Blade.

Also of note is Marvel Universe vs. The Punisher and its sequels (Marvel Universe vs. Wolverine and Marvel Universe vs. The Avengers). This reality also dealt with a zombie superhero apocalypse, but in a different and more coherent way. Instead of being a virus, it was a bio weapon let loose into the ecosystem. That meant that presumably everyone was going to succumb to it eventually, turning into a savage cannibal. The Punisher, who was inadvertently behind the mess and was immune, would spend his days hunting down and beheading heroes. Also, he’d have to kill Deadpool on a nearly daily basis.

That’s Marvel Zombies in a nutshell.

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The post A Beginner’s Guide to Marvel Zombies appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3tqMadj

[knightofthecourt]

Love Bites - Chapter 2

Belatrice Gray was a TA at Belgrave University, working hard to stay on top of her marking and trying not to flunk her own studies, when a night out with her bff Randall and his roommates, changed everything.  

Hamish Duke x OC fiction with fluff, romance and angst. OC description has been left out to allow for reader personalisation!

“Haim?” Lillth reached out, placing a hand on Hamish’s shoulder. He was crouched next to Bela’s phone, in the same position he’d been in when he called Lillith to ask her to meet him outside.

He looked up at his friends. They were gathered around him, concern etched across their faces. 

“You heard it, didn’t you?” Hamish’s voice was quiet as he looked back down at the phone in front of him. 

Randall nodded. “The ringing, when we were in the club?”

“I should have known - should have come to check on her. She was out here, alone. I didn’t...”

Lilith shot Randall an uneasy look. Hamish was the Knight’s fearless leader, he was always decisive and assertive, the first to lead them into battle or come up with a game plan. She’d never seen him like this before. He looked so lost. 

“Hamish, buddy?” Jack said slowly, “You blaming yourself isn’t going to help anyone.” 

Hamish stared at the phone a moment longer and then moved his gaze to the object sitting a few inches away from it. As much as it pained him to admit it, Jack was right. 

He picked up the small shiny item and then pocketed Bela’s phone and straightened up. 

“Can you track this?” He held the grey plastic button out to Alyssa. 

She took it from him. “Yes - I just need a few things for the spell.” 

“Ok,” Hamish nodded. “Jack, get Alyssa to the Den, we’ve got supplies there. Lilith, Randall, we’re splitting up. We can cover more ground as wolves. The first one to find anything calls the others.”

They all nodded, falling back into the familiar routine of search and rescue. 

As Jack and Alyssa took off in the direction of the Den, Randall placed his hand on Hamish’s arm. 

“Don’t worry,” he said, past the lump in his throat. “We’ll find her.”  

Hamish squeezed Randall’s hand and offered him a weak smile. “Of course we will,” he said, ignoring the gnawing pit in his stomach. 

- - - - -

“You’re sure this is the place?” 

After 40 minutes of attempting to track Bela’s scent and coming up empty, Jack had called Hamish with a location. Now the two of them were standing under a shroud of trees with Alyssa, watching the entrance to a derelict building on the edge of Belgrave’s campus. 

Alyssa showed him the bowl in her hand. A small stick balanced in water with the button tied to it was pressed against the edge, as if pulled by an invisible hand in the direction of the front door. 

Jack sighed. “Why does this campus have so many creepy buildings? It’s like they’re asking for students to get kidnapped by evil magic practitioners from secret cults.” 

“We don’t know that this person is part of The Order.” Alyssa said, her voice low. “Maybe it’s a magic tourist.” 

Hamish ignored their comments as he scanned the area around them. 

“Right,” he said, focusing his gaze on the entrance. “You guys go round the back, I'll take the front. When we find Bela I'll create a distraction while you get her out.” 

“We don’t know how many are in there,” Jack shook his head “Shouldn’t we hold on until the others get here?”

“Randall and Lillith are on their way but we can’t wait, we don’t know what they’re doing to Bela.” 

Jack opened his mouth as if to disagree and then thought better of it when Hamish glared at him. He took Alyssa’s hand and they headed towards the side of the building, leaving Hamish alone. 

Hamish took a deep breath and walked straight through the front door. 

- - - - -

His footsteps were silent as he moved slowly down the hallway, muffled by the thick layer of dust covering the floor. In the weak light filtering in through the grime-smeared windows from streetlights outside, Hamish could make out further passageways and doors branching off into the darkness. 

Before it had been abandoned, the location must have been used as a storage facility for the University at some point. Mouldy cardboard boxes and forgotten paper files lined the rooms Hamish passed, but he didn’t stop to explore them as he pushed deeper into the heart of the building, drawn towards a faint orange glow.

As he crept closer to the end of the hallway a cavernous room emerged up ahead. The space had been cleared, office desks and chairs pushed against one wall. In the center of the room, starkly lit by the uncovered bulb hanging above, was a metal operating table.

Hamish felt his pulse stutter as he saw Bela’s form strapped to the table. She wasn’t moving. 

Terror flooded his mind. He took a deep breath, struggling for control as Tundra’s growls filled his head. Suddenly, a door on the far side of the room opened and someone walked in. 

Hamish recognised him immediately. 

Tanner leaned over the table, examining Bela, and then gave the restraints a sharp tug. 

“I was wondering when you’d show up.” He said, without turning. “Don’t worry, I took care of your friends. They won’t be bothering us.” 

Hamish stepped out of the shadows and into the room, keeping his eyes on Bela. 

“What did you do to them?” He asked. Even to his own ears, his voice sounded strained.  

“They’re ok, for now.” Tanner walked around the table to face Hamish, placing Bela between the two of them. He lifted his right hand and steel glinted in the light. “Just in case you get any ideas.” 

Hamish hesitated when he saw the knife hovering above Bela. “So, The Order is sending Acolytes to murder students now?” 

Tanner’s smile set his teeth on edge. “Oh,” he said, “is this the part where I tell you my motivation?” 

When Hamish didn’t answer he clicked his tongue impatiently. “Fine. This one is just bait. I admit it’s a bit of a waste to kill her, but worth it to get the real prize.” 

Hamish watched as Tanner lowered his arm slightly, the knife hovering just inches away from Bela’s abdomen. 

“The Knights?” 

“Yes. The Knights.” Tanner’s face twisted with disgust. “The great champions. Monsters hiding in our ranks, poisoning The Order from the inside.” 

“We’re part of The Order.” Hamish growled. 

“A mistake,” Tanner’s eyes darkened. “One I’m going to fix. I’ll be a hero.”  

Hamish’s heart stopped as Tanner plunged the knife downwards. He barely had time to inhale the scent of blood before the change ripped through him, his panicked thoughts giving way to Tundra as the wolf took control. 

Tanner watched the man before him transforming. He ran the blade across his palm a second time, sending another rush of blood spattering across the metal table below.

“Mutatis,” he bellowed. In an instant his body stiffened. He doubled over, his spine snapping forward at an unnatural angle as it lengthened and warped. His skin split, thick, dark hair erupting all over and his hands spasmed as his fingernails lengthened into claws.

Tundra turned to face Tanner and found himself staring into the jaws of a hulking black wolf. 

- - - - - 

Bela was snapped back to consciousness by a sickening pain in her legs. She blinked, groggily, as a large dark shape was yanked off her and sent hurtling into a nearby wall. The deafening crunch of plaster and glass sent bells pealing through her temple - she felt like her skull was about to split open. 

As her vision cleared and the room swung into focus she realised with a start that she didn’t recognise the bare, water-stained ceiling above her. What the hell was going on?

The last thing she remembered was being at the club with her friends, she was supposed to meet Hamish outside but that guy… Tanner, was it? He asked her to help with his car. 

Maybe there had been some sort of accident. Was she in hospital? She tried to sit up and groaned as her movement was met with another sharp ripple of pain through her thighs. She went to run her hands over them and realised that she couldn’t move her arms. She was stuck.  

Before she could gather the energy to yell out her vision was taken up by Hamish’s concerned face. 

“Bela? Thank God.” He looked on the verge of tears. 

“Urgh,” Bela croaked, finally finding her voice. “Am I dead?” 

“No, you’re very much alive.” The corner of his lips quirked up.  

“Haim, I can’t move. My legs-” 

“Oh. Wait a second.” He disappeared from view. 

Bela heard ripping sounds, like fabric tearing, and the pressure around her forearms and legs released. She sighed in relief and lifted her hands to feel for damage. As far as she could tell, she was still in one piece, which was a small mercy. 

“Careful,” Hamish reappeared at her side as she sat up and gingerly pulled her legs over the edge of the table.

“What the..?”  Bela’s eyes widened as she took in her surroundings.

“Hamish, where are we? What was that big black thing?” As she turned towards him her voice rose a few octaves. “Where are your clothes? Is that… is that blood? Are you ok?”

Hamish looked down at his blood spattered chest and then back up at Bela, a frown wrinkling his brow. 

“I’m not hurt. I can explain everything, I promise.” 

“Start talking.” Bela pushed herself up onto her feet and then fell backwards against the table. She gasped as white hot agony shot through her legs, turning them to jelly.

Hamish grabbed her waist and lifted her gently onto the table again. As Bela squirmed out of his grasp she caught the look of hurt that crossed his face. He stepped back and raised his arms, palms outstretched towards her. 

“You’re safe.” Hamish bowed his head. “I’m going to explain, we just need to get out of here first, please-”

He broke off as a loud bang echoed off the walls, spinning towards the door on the far side of the room as Jack and Alyssa strode through it.

Bela saw his shoulders relax as he recognised his friends. 

He met them half way, gratefully accepting the jacket Jack handed to him. “Are you guys ok?” 

Alyssa nodded, “Yeah, it was just a holding spell.”

Bela frowned. Spell? 

“Hey, are you ok Bela?” Alyssa started towards her but stopped when Hamish blocked her path. She gave him a funny look.

“Jesus Haim, chill.” Jack pulled Alyssa back towards him. “Where’s Tanner?”

Hamish pointed to a large opening by the door behind them. “I put him through that wall.” 

Jack disappeared into the hallways and then emerged a moment later, shaking his head. “He’s gone.” 

Hamish growled under his breath. “I should have ripped his fucking head off.” 

“Get in line.” Jack huffed. “I can’t believe that idiot was behind this. He barely even made it in to The Order in the first place.”

Alyssa glanced between the two of them. “You put him through a wall Hamish, how did he walk away from that?” 

“He used a transformation incantation.” Hamish’s voice was low but anger punctuated every syllable. 

“What?” Alyssa’s head snapped up. “That’s way above his skill level. What did he turn into?” 

“A wolf.” 

“A werewolf?” Jack’s brow furrowed. “I thought that was impossible?” 

“Not quite a werewolf -” Hamish ran his fingers through his hair, shaking out some of the dried blood,“- but big enough to give Tundra a run for his money.” 

“Do I have a concussion, or did you just say werewolf?” The three of them turned towards Bela and stared, as if they had just remembered she was in the room. 

“Both, probably.” Jack shrugged. “I mean, I’m not a Doctor.” 

Hamish glared at him. 

Bela pushed herself up from the table. “Don’t.” She said, holding up a hand when Hamish made a disapproving noise and moved towards her. She bit down on her lip as her legs throbbed in protest. 

She was exhausted, and furious. She’d woken up scared and in pain, strapped to a table in a creepy room with a very naked, blood-covered Hamish. Now they were talking about spells and incantations and werewolves. Enough was enough. 

“Explain. Now.” 

The three of them looked at her, mouths open. 

“Ok.” She rounded on Hamish. “Start talking, Haim. What the hell happened to me? Was that thing Tanner? What did he do to me? What did you do to him? Why are you talking about spells? Where are-”

Hamish caught her as a cloud of white powder enveloped her head. 

“Was that really necessary.” He hissed at Alyssa as he scooped Bela’s unconscious form up into his arms. 

“You can’t have a secret society if it’s not a secret, Hamish” 

“Fine,” He nodded. “Whatever. Let’s get her back to the Den.” 

“What about Tanner?” Jack frowned. 

“I’ll take care of him later.” Hamish said, his words more of a threat than a promise.