#the mantis; the eyes on the sky and the live reaction

[all-of-your-mercy]

funny little combined drawing thingy i did with @princessaurayt & @jebusfox :) + plenty of game references

[yourmcu]

Mesmerized (ii)

Pairings: Natasha Romanoff x fem!reader

Request:

@lostaurorax​ said:

hii!! i love ur writing i was wondering if u could write a natasha x reader fic were reader is part of the guardians of the galaxy and they come to the compound and natasha is just starstruck but reader plays kinda hard to get and then just a bunch of fluff !

Word count: 2,551

A/n: basically a day out with Natasha. you like having her around. she likes having you around. Part 2/? (more notes at the end of the fic!)

Warnings: mostly fluff, but ending’s pretty angsty (help), some thor fluff in the beginning, jealous!nat if you squint

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

gif not mine!! credits to the owner^^

After Natasha left your room she immediately goes straight to hers. She barely falls asleep.

She stares at the ceiling, absorbed in her own thoughts. She tries to shake away the heat rushing to her face whenever the moment you kissed her on the cheek replays on her mind. All it took is someone like you to get one of the toughest people in the compound turn into mush.

She never believes in the ‘love at first sight’ bullshit because, well, it is bullshit. It’s impossible to love someone you just met. But who knows, right? You might just be an exception.

No, Natasha frowns. I just like her... a lot. It’s different.

The next morning, her run consists of her planning out the date day with you, where she’d take you first and stuff. She stops by the front gate of the compound, suddenly worrying. She wants to impress you. But what if you don’t like what she had in store? What if you think she's boring?

You're the type of person that almost likes everything and you’d express it kindly if you don’t. Boring you should be the last thing on Natasha’s mind.

Natasha walks into the kitchen to hydrate herself but halts once she saw the mess you and Thor had all over the counters.

“Wait, hold on- no, that’s - oh god, Thor, that’s too much batter!” You smack him on the arm and laugh, tilting your head a bit to figure out how you’d get the large pancake out of the pan.

“Oops,” Thor says sheepishly, turning around to put the bowl back on the counter, noticing Natasha’s confusion. “Oh don’t worry, Natasha, we’ll clean up after we’re done.”

The mention of the redhead makes you turn as well. “Good morning, Nat.” You beam. Normally, Natasha would sent a glare to anyone who calls her that, someone who isn’t a close friend, but with you... instead of a glare her eyes light  up. Giving you a small smile, she greets you back.

“I thought you were going out?” She questions, passing by you to reach the fridge.

“We were, but IHOP’s closed, under maintenance they said,” Thor sighs and you hum in response. “It’s quite alright. I heard you guys are going out anyway-”

Natasha lowers the water bottle from her lips, staring at him. “You heard?”

You spin around to clean up after turning off the stove. ‘I didn’t tell him anything,’ you mouth to her, which makes her think Steve somehow knows of it already.

Thor lets out a laugh, grabbing the whole pan and twiddling his fork, “you two have fun.” He winks and walks out of the room.

-----

“They were so cute,” you look back at the newly engaged couple near the window of the restaurant. “And really, you didn’t have to pay. I can pay you back.”

Later that afternoon the both of you headed out. Natasha parked her car somewhere and since it was a nice day, not too hot or anything, you both strolled around the city to find a place to have brunch.

“Y/N, it’s fine. I’m the one who asked you out.” Natasha chuckles, remembering the way you pouted in there begging her to let you pay at least for your own food.

You huff, smiling. “Fine. But I’m getting you back.”

So far you were having a good time with her. You got to know each other more, she told you stories about some of the team’s missions from other countries which were relatively rare, her first encounters with Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, and in return you told her some about your out-of-this-world missions with the guardians.

And no you didn’t tell her about the history of moon rocks or some shit, nor did you promise to bring her back some. Who even collects those nowadays? Natasha was more interested about your early life, on Earth, which you were thankful for. You were taken away from your father (the only parent you preferred and loved) who was pure human one day by your alien-freak of a mother which you inherited your fire powers from.

You don’t like talking about it. But with her you're surprisingly comfortable.

Natasha smirks. “So we’re going out again sometime?”

“Of course we are.” After two seconds of pure confidence you wish you didn’t say that out loud. “Well, you know, I won’t force you to something you don’t want it’s - it’s your call.”

You're in the middle of telling her about your favorite bar and diner, the one your father always takes you as a child and you even paid a visit there the last time you were on Earth.

“Huh. Isn’t that the one that just closed?” She recalls

“No, really?” You drag out the ‘no’, sighing. “They’re the best. They make their own iced tea and beer and stuff... and - oh!”

You feel something rub against your ankle: a fluffy dog who's looking up at you with its tongue out and its tail was wagging wildly. Natasha raises her eyebrows, her eyes trailing to the abandoned leash behind it.

“Hey there,” you kneel down to pet it with caution just incase its intention is to bite you. But it seems to be happy and tame. “Look, Nat, s’adorable.” Natasha chuckles briefly and starts looking around for a person who looks frantic and is finding, calling a dog. 

“This fella belongs to the animal center.” You caress the dog behind its ear while you read the information on its collar.

It isn’t that far, it seems like the dog just escaped as well because the guy running the center was unaware of its absence.

“Thanks!” Said guy smiles in appreciation, reaching out to take the leash out of your hand. Natasha’s mind is focused on how the guy looks at you for the first time. It's the exact same look she gave you that night. Mesmerized, as if it was love at first sight. She doesn’t miss how his hand brushes yours, completely intentional. “I don’t know what I’d do if you hadn’t returned him. The pups here just grew out of their mom’s milk and are very hyper. It’s a lot of work.”

You're completely oblivious to this, you’re just glad the dog is back to where he belongs.

“No problem, he’s very sweet.” You smile politely. “Are they up for adoption? It would really help you out if they were, you know, and this one here is well behaved.”

At this point Natasha’s just eyeing the guy like he’d pounce on you any minute now. He’s definitely into you and she doesn’t like it.

“You’re welcome to stop by anytime,” he grins, ignoring your suggestion. “Can I have your number?”

“Oh, I don’t have a phone...” you trail off.

“That’s right, she doesn’t.” Natasha steps in and she catches the guy off guard and surprised that the Black Widow is actually with you the whole time. Natasha intertwines her hand with yours, pleased with his dumbfounded reaction. “We’ll be on our way now.”

You didn’t expect that but you weren’t complaining. Her hands were soft, and it brought this comforting feeling you couldn’t explain. But you clear your throat once the both of you are a few blocks away from the center.

“Sorry, he gave me an off vibe,” Natasha mutters and removes her hand from yours.

“Don’t be, I appreciate you looking out,” you smiles. Her car was getting into view now. “If it helps you sleep at night though, he wasn’t my type.” You joke.

Turns out you weren’t completely oblivious.

Natasha merely scoffs, getting in the driver’s seat and starting the engine.

After the dog incident you both drove around different parts of the city. You went to a different mall to stroll around, commenting on anything you both saw that would somehow lead to a stupid story that happened at some point in your lives.

A local artsy bookstore, not gonna lie Natasha liked reading a good book when she had the time. So did you. It was nice to know that she’s the type of person who liked reading. Quill always got annoyed with you whenever he saw you reading silently in the ship (but when was he not annoyed with you?). The only ones that was willing to try and read back in space were Mantis and Gamora, bless her soul.

“These are good,” you mutter to Natasha. “All my books are on the ship, I think, but if I get to them I’ll let you read my favorite one... if you want.”

Last stop of the day. Natasha claims it’s a surprise.

“I don’t do well with surprises,” you whine, holding back a smile. “Just tell me.”

“No. And besides, we’re already here.” Natasha chuckles.

Your eyes light up on how stunning the scenery was. An edge of the cliff and below is a beach that doesn’t look like it’s visited by people everyday. The beautiful sunset, the sky made up of purple, orange and almost pink magnifies the calmness of the waves crawling gently to the shore.

“I always come here whenever I need to,” she says silently and exhales, walking over to you. “It’s the perfect place to go whenever those idiots get on my nerves.” You laugh lightly at her reasoning.

Natasha pats a spot on the grass beside her. She holds her gaze on you as you sit down, sighing. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah,” she manages to stop staring at you and look up at the sky instead. It's getting darker by the minute, the orange and pinkness started to fade as the sun went down, all of it replaced by light purple, darker shade of blue.

You're used to different colored skies. It would always vary and depend on what planet you were on, plus you always see those stars shimmering up above, so your focus is on the water and the waves. The way they move calms you.

“Thank you for today,” you murmur. “I’m gonna be honest, I didn’t expect any of this happening.”

Natasha hums. “I hope I wasn’t too boring.”

“Of course not, I think you’re very interesting and you’re fun to be with.” You say genuinely.

Once the sun is fully down and the moon had taken over the sky, the both of you get up to head back to the compound. “Eating out here would’ve been nice but Steve’s in charge with dinner, he wouldn’t be too happy if he knew we already ate.” The car ride back is silent, but the good kind. A content, comfortable one.

Okay so, your stay took more than a few weeks. 

You grew close with the amazing group of people, plus your good relationship with Natasha just kept growing and... just got better.

Thor stayed too because he didn’t have a choice, but he didn’t mind. Rocket left one pod for both of you to use that’ll send you to wherever Quill’s ship was up there. 

You and Natasha went out when you had the chance, taking turns treating each other to stuff. You learned that Thor included your books when he packed you a bag, and now Natasha was borrowing one of them.

Sometimes you’d join them on missions. You did a great job every time, not wanting to be a burden to a team you weren’t officially in. Sometimes you’d join Steve into a sparring session at the compound’s gym.

Speaking of which, he’s treating both you and Natasha as if you’re dating.

“Would you look at that, your girl managed to give me a bruise. She’s a keeper.” Steve tells Natasha.

“You totally deserve that.”

You also started sparring with Natasha. And Tony caught on with the whole ‘dating’ thing from Steve.

“Oooh, am I interrupting something here?” Tony smirks. He's going back and forth visiting the compound and coming home to his wife and daughter at their cabin. It's working out though. “I think the mat’s unsanitary. Take this to the bedroom.”

“Oh shut up, Y/N was just working on her tackling.” Natasha grunts, leaving you sprawled  on the mat, exhausted. “It’s getting sloppy. We’ll go again in a minute.”

-----

“Y/N,” The devastating tone of Natasha’s voice makes you look up. “Quill’s calling. He’s looking for you.”

“What?” She doesn’t answer but instead motions you to follow. In her office is a hologram of your fellow half-human and he looks distraught.

You step in front of the hologram so he can see you. 

“What happened to a few weeks, L/N? It’s been almost three months!” Quill says. “Look, come back, bring Thor with you. Our distress signal goes off almost every day and we can’t keep doing this without both of you.”

“Alright, how much time do I have before you lose your cool?” You reply sarcastically, but you're also worried and didn’t want to leave. You know better than to argue with the guy.

Natasha doesn’t want you to leave so suddenly. There’s limited communication between you and her once you go back up there. She grew attached to you.

Quill gives you an obvious look. “As soon as possible! Just - just get back here, please?” Then he abruptly ends the call.

You roll your eyes and left the room to pack, barely noticing Natasha hunched over, visibly sad and anxious that you’re leaving.

She loves you, and now you’re leaving without that knowledge.

You told Thor about it when he passed by the open door of your room. He didn’t look thrilled to be leaving so suddenly. After packing everything up (on his part it wasn’t that much) he offered to carry your bag for you as you said your farewells.

“Sorry guys, duty calls,” you sigh, hugging everyone. “Seeing as Tony’s not here just tell him I’ll miss him or something.”

“Will you come visit soon?” Wanda asks as she pulls away from your hug.

“Definitely.” You turn your head when Steve nudges you, nodding his head to the direction where Natasha is shifting, pacing, avoiding any eye contact.

You walk over to her. She tries holding back tears as you did. She grew attached to you and now you’re leaving. “Hey Nat,” you cup her face, trying to get her to look at you. “I’m sorry. I don’t wanna leave either, not right now, but-”

Natasha kisses you, pulling you close to her as much as possible. Tears fully streaming down her face. She’s never felt this way before, about anybody, for a long time.

But let’s face it, you both know you loved each other. Maybe the both of you just knew that if you got together, it’ll be extremely hard for your relationship once you left. The long distance relationship thing. Even if you aren’t, it's already too painful for Natasha, like she's caught off guard or something. None of you knew that today's your last night on Earth.

“I’m gonna miss you.” Natasha whispers after pulling away.

You smile sympathetically, wiping her tears away with your thumb. “You know I’ll come back, right, pretty girl?” Natasha exhales shakily and pulls you into a hug.

“You better.”

----

I found a song for this fic-series whatever, please I’m so proud of myself the song reminds me of this story

I’M ANNOYED THAT I HAVEN’T PUT IN MUCH ABOUT THE READER’S FIRE ABILITIES IN THIS ONE BUT I HOPE YOU ENJOY ANYWAY (they’re on a date she wouldn’t need it for anything)

[junhee-moved]

TBAA in Budapest~

(((that’s the only photo I took)))

So I guess I promised to make a post of my experience about the a.c.e concert  in Budapest. This is gonna be very~ long so I understand if you don’t wanna read it dfghjkl the rest is under the cut (though I’m not sure if it’ll show on mobile). Highlights, favourite moments, hi-touch, summary of the members will be at the second half of the post so scroll down if you’re only curious about those.

First of all thank you to my two friends who were with me and a huge uwu to @salty-hun whom I’ve been friends with for more than a year and finally we were able to meet :’)))) I love you Vivi!!

Well the organization from the hungarian side was kind of a mess, basically they had no idea about the top10 existing (me and my friends were all in the top10 + 1, like the top10 got two vip tickets for free). So we were waiting about two hours to get information of what we were supposed to do. It was still a mess but in the end we figured it out. The korean staff were angels tbh. Some fans also didn’t know how to behave but oh well (the security were so done with us lmao). But some foreigner fans were giving out photocards which was so sweet :’)))

We were let into the venue around 7pm and I was in a shock. Like, dude I’m in the first!!! row!!! + there were extended parts of the stage both on the left and right side and in the middle. And the extended part of the stage from the left was IN. FRONT. OF. ME. My body was aching by the time the concert started but oh boy it was worth it!

Also there was a door behind the stage which was opened and everyone was looking whether a member would appear. And then Sehyoon was there and waved to us and then the staff closed the door :’DDD

I’m not sure whether you’re curios about the performances but I’ll try to say a little about them. They started with a video then an intro, then cactus and callin’ and then they introduced themselves. Jun and Byeongkwan said hello in hungarian with an A+++ accent, I was surprised :o Then they talked a bit about Hungary (Jun said he’d wanted to visit Budapest since he was 16 and none of the members knew about it. And they were really amazed by the hungarian sky lmao and then they said the sight in front of their eyes - the fans were more beautiful. They cringed so hard).

Then we had a screaming contest. Byeongkwan was on the right, Sehyoon in the middle and Junhee on the left (on the extended stage, in front of me. I died). And these parts of the audience had to scream. The middle (Sehyoon) part was the loudest.

Ugh, I’m honestly not sure about the order of the performances asdfghj I’ll say whatever I remember (god this post is a mess already, I’m so sorry).

I think Donghun and Chan performed All of me next and holy shit!!! Their vocals!!! are amazing!!! I might be (probably) biased but I fell in love with Chan’s voice.

Then we had the Taeyang dance covers. They. didn’t. have. to. go. that. hard. They’re all soooo great dancers!! But again, I might be biased but Jun totally caught my eye. Like he has such a strong stage presence and his facial expressions ooooof.

Then the Flashlight cover!!!! I waited for this performance the most. The whole atmosphere of this performance was magical.

I’m lost, I don’t think this was the order of the performances. We’ve also had a short stage of Donghun, Byeongkwan and Chan singing small parts of 3 songs. Chan was singing Miracles of December. them. honey. vocals. holy. cow. I’m not sure about what the other two sang but man, they were awesome!

Also a short stage of Chan singing Dessert, Black and Blue and Take Me Higher! This boyyyy!!!!

Then there was Black and Blue by Jun and Sehyoon. Let me tell you. My soul left my body. I was so not prepared to see this right in front of my eyes.

Then Dessert ot5 version + a little fanservice uwu. They also blessed our eyes with Take Me Higher ot5 version.

There was a short break when they announced a few winners from vip and ga/balcony (the prizes were signed posters and polaroids). We’ve all had our numbers on our wristbands and each member selected 2 winners. My number was 17 (vip) and they said vip 77, 7, balcony 17, so they really liked the number 7 but not me :’DDDD 

I feel so lucky, Youngblood - both slapped us in the face. Again, their voices were so on point!!

Near the end ment - I have to talk about it in the ‘my fave parts’ of this post.

They’ve also performed See you again + Make it nasty + the zombie dance. I kinda went blind during these performances, the lights were very strong. But I’m pretty sure I watched the whole with my mouth open because - again, amazing, wonderful, superb, jaw-dropping!!

BTS covers, Bigbang covers - you should know that Park Junhee is anything but a good boy *cough*

Finally we had the group photo, 5tar and Take me higher as the encore. More about it in ‘my fave parts’.

HIGHLIGHTS, MY FAVE PARTS

the way Junhee said ‘szia’

Junhee choking on smoke

Junhee saying he was so looking forward to the tour because Budapest was in there

Chan missing his pocket while trying to put his hand in it and donghun laughing at him

them saying the audience is more beautiful then the sky

Chan being a super-duper-hyper-playful baby and the others loving him to bits

Sehyoon’s overdramatic reaction during the screaming contest

Seyhoon nunchaku-ing(??? lmfao how to say this) with his towel

Donghun coughing in the mic in the middle of singing and the others making fun of him

Donghun starting to sing Do you wanna build a snowman when Chan said he’s gonna sing a winter song

the fans turning on their flashlights during the performance

them pointing out fans who didn’t turn on their flashlights

BLACK. AND. BLUE.

ZOMBIE. DANCE.

flashing their abs during Make it nasty like there’s no tomorrow

Junhee’s twerking

Donghun being hype

Donghun high five-ing the crowd during Dessert

Chan’s sulking when Jun said there’s one missing part in Take me higher (aka Chan)

Junhee saying Chan is gonna leave the stage if we’re not energetic enough and Chan protesting

Donghun expecting fans to finish the lyrics of Take me higher then making a face when we didn’t know the lyrics

them telling us to dance if we feel like (insert hyungwon mantis-dance-like moves)

Chan telling the fans not to cry

A.C.E loving their maknae

Junhee being 90% of the time on the left side of the extended stage. in front. of. me.

Just them being constatóntly on the extended parts of the stage.

Junhee being an awesome speaker

Jun high five-ing me in the end of the encore

Donghun taking my banner. He gave it back in the end of 5tar and thanked me.

Sehyoon collecting banners.

Sehyoon taking my friend’s banner and not giving it back to her. rip.

Chan telling us to scream during the group photo but to make a pretty face

Chan telling us to scream during the panorama picture (I can’t explain this, it was funny)

me being barely visible in the group photo

my friends not being visible in the group photo rip

Byeongkwan’s dancing

the ment. Sehyoon talking about how he had to go to the hospital for the first time in a foreign country and how he had trouble communicating and accidentally ended up at the emergency. He told us that he was sent to another hospital where the doctor took him to a pharmacy and bought Sehyoon the medicine he needed. Yeah this was the time I started crying like a baby.

Byeongkwan telling us he wasn’t feeling too good and he will need some of Sehyoon’s medicine.

the translator buffering for a second and Byeongkwan making a what’s-going-on face

the surprise video from us. Jun and Chan got so emotional

Byeongkwan’s new name is BK. Donghun’s is DH. They were calling each other like that lol also Wow introduced himself as King Wow

Wowkwan.

them loving the banners

the whole 5tar and encore Take me higher performance. They were singing and dancing in front of us, waving, high five-ing and shit. Fanserbice on point.

them mentioning about the special project and filming the fans

them wanting to come back 

them being the most humble human beings ever

the translator was awesome

we could hear the members talking, the fans were very respectful

the fans were also respecting each other during the concert

ABOUT THE MEMBERS

Junhee - so charismatic!! like I couldn’t keep my eyes off of him. His stage presence is no joke! He was really having a fun time. He interacted a lot with the fans. He was rude af. A natural leader. His smile!!!!!! Dimples!!! His hands are indeed smol lol His hyserical laugh is amazing! So are his dimples (again). The concert proved me that black haired Jun is superior!

Donghun - his vocals holy heaven!! He was really energetic and smiley the whole time. His hair was so floofy! He also interacted a lot with the fans. He was kinda in his own world with Chan, like these two together were having fun lol I died a little when he took my banner and then said thank you. Bodyrolls.

Sehyoon - his dancing!! beautiful!! So is his smile! He wasn’t talking a lot, maybe because he wasn’t feeling too well or was just shy. But he was really adorable while communicating with the audience. He collected banners lmao he was so extra at times. Very humble. I loved his hair.

Byeongkwan - he wasn’t too much at the left side of the stage :( and he seemed kinda quiet and tired. I hope he gets well soon. But he’s an awesome performer! Very powerful. He and Sehyoon had fun while collecting and examining the banners. He was trying to include everyone when he was filming the crowd.

Chan - oh! my! god! The cutest person! Like he was having such a great time! He was just randomly dancing around all the time. Him and Donghun tho haha His voice is the most beautiful thing ever. His laugh! A literal sunshine! He got kinda emotional during the surprise video. All the members treasure him.

OT5 - their chemistry!!! They genuinely seemed like they were having the time of their lives. They were so silly and cute and funny, and they loved the audience! Honestly, I don’t think they’re THAT short. They’re average. They were rude at times too. I’ve heard a lot that they’re more beautiful irl but I wasn’t sure how that works but boy!!!! They are stunning!!! Their skin?? Drop your skincare routine pls!! Ethereal beings.

HI TOUCH

IT’S A BLUR!!! It was too short and the room was pretty dark too. Also they were seated so I couldn’t really tell how tall they are lol + I only had time to say a short thank you to all of them.

Chan was the first. He was so cheerful and loud, like I couldn’t even see him yet but I heard him shouting THANK YOU!! He was all smiley and cute and his hand was quite big and soft :’)))

Donghun was the second, he was also very smiley and sweet :’))

I’m not sure if Byeongkwan or Sehyoon was the next. I think it was Byeongkwan. He looked really tired :(

Sehyoon had that beautiful smile on his face. My heart? Melted.

Jun was the last, he looked super tired :((( Like he didn’t even look at us, he just seemed like he wanted to be done with the hi touch asap

Overall

I had an awesome time! I can’t believe I saw them live and they’re actually real people. It all feels like a dream. They’re very kind, humble people who love us so much! I love them too :’))))))) I laughed a lot and cried like a baby. No regrets (Jun said to do everything we want so we wouldn’t have any regrets later). Can’t wait to see them again. Oh yeah, my bias is indeed Jun (or Chan rip)

Okayyyy this is very long and messy and I’m embarassed to post it, I’m so so sorry :(((

[myriadimagines]

Shift

Marvel (The Avengers) One Shot

Pairing: Reader x Peter Parker

Other Characters: Tony Stark, Stephen Strange, Thanos, Mantis, Peter Quill, Drax the Destroyer, Nebula

Warnings: Infinity War spoilers, violence, death

Request: “Peter Parker x Male!Stark!Reader one-shot where the Male!Reader joins his Dad, Strange, & crush on the spaceship to Titan after getting caught up in the scenario on Earth with the Time Stone. When they reach Titan and battle Thanos with the Guardians, the Male!Reader confesses his love for Peter Parker as he takes the stab meant for his Dad from Thanos. The Snap happens but the Male!Reader disintegrates instead of Peter right in front of his new boyfriend & dad” – anonymous

Word Count: 1,805

A/N: This is like the first time in a while that I’ve written anything and I’ve had no inspiration for the latest one shots yikes I’m sorry anyway I didn’t know in how much detail you wanted me to go on the other parts so I kinda just focused on the end of the request, hope it’s okay.

please reblog/leave comments, they’re very much appreciated!

Your name: submit What is this?

Peter had noticed the mysterious spaceship before you did, his senses alerting him of its presence. His hand clamped down on your arm, sending shivers through your body, making it initially hard to focus on the urgency of the situation. You looked past him out the window of the schoolbus, your heart pounding out of your chest as you saw the ship. You scrambled to grab the compact device of your suit as Peter activated his wrist band, and the two of you were quick to slip out the bus window as Ned helped distract everyone. You activated the suit your father had built for you, pressing it against your chest as you felt the cool metal spread over your body before you flew towards the ship, Peter close behind you as he swung from the bridge to the buildings.

You and Peter ran into your father just in time to save him from his attacker, and Tony barely had enough time to explain the situation before someone zipped past you, who Tony instructed you and Peter to protect. You and Peter rushed after him, who you’d learn was Stephen Strange, narrowly avoiding the attacks from the alien who was pursuing you. However, you efforts were to no avail as you, Peter and Stephen were beamed up into the mysterious spaceship. Tony had ordered the both of you to return to Earth, and for you to return to Pepper, yet you and Peter were determined to help in this fight, a fight which you’d soon discover was the fight for the entire universe.

—

“Do you think it’ll work?”

You question startled Peter out of his thoughts, and he turned to look at you, the two of you perched upon one of the auburn rocks of Titan, waiting for Thanos’ inevitable arrival. His feet were dangling off the edge, and he frowned as he looked down at his hands folded into his lap. The both of you were exhausted, but were fully aware that the most important battle hadn’t even occurred yet. You had saved Stephen from interrogation — but not before you and Peter had been reprimanded by Tony for not listening to his instructions to return to Earth — and landed the ship on Titan, met the Guardians of the Galaxy, and had devised a plan on how to stop Thanos. All the chaos that had occured made the current silence between the two of you feel out of place.

“I hope so.” Peter finally responded, his voice unnaturally hollow. As optimistic as Peter wished he could be, he could feel the uneasiness in the air amongst everyone. 14 million possible outcomes, in which there was only one where all of you succeeded.

You nodded in response, evidently as dismal as Peter was as the two of you stared into the space ahead. There were a thousands words at the tip of your tongue, and you cast a sideways glance at Peter before quickly looking away, making sure Peter didn’t catch you gazing at him. Surely, he was thinking what you were thinking — that this might be your last moment together. If there was any time for last words, as morbid as the thought was, now was the time to say it.

“Peter, I-” you started to say, the words fixing themselves in your throat as you struggled to confess your feelings to Peter. Struggled to confess that you were in love with him, your best friend, the boy who was always by your side. Peter turned to you, eyebrows raised in anticipation, but you found yourself biting your lip, holding back despite the fact that this might be your only chance.

“y/n! Peter!” Tony’s voice pulled your attention away from Peter, and you could feel Peter’s gaze linger on you for a second longer before looking over his shoulder to where Tony was standing. There was something in your father’s grim expression that unsettled you, but you squared your shoulders as he simply stated, “It’s time. Get into position.”

You and Peter turned to each other as Peter sat up. You reached for your helmet, sucking in a sharp breath before you asked, “Are you ready?”

Peter didn’t respond, stretching his mask over his face as he slowly got to his feet, offering you a hand as he pulled you up too. Finally, he quietly replied, “I have to be.”

—

You were so close. So close.

The gauntlet was just beginning to slip from Thanos’ fingertips, the battle almost won. Perhaps this wasn’t the end. Perhaps, despite all odds, you would emerge victorious.

You should’ve known it was too good to be true.

You and Peter tumbled back as Thanos snatched the gauntlet away from your grasp, broken free of Mantis’ powers as Peter knocked him out. You gasped for air as you landed hard, the air knocked out of your lungs. Peter scrambled to sit up, giving you a little shake as he grabbed your shoulder, making sure you were okay. The two of you watched in horror as Thanos quickly overpowered everyone, tossing Mantis into the air, and Peter lunged to catch her before she fell. You turned around, watching as Tony attempted to subdue Thanos, when Thanos suddenly turned and used his gauntlet, using his powers to drag the moon straight out of the sky and onto Tony.

“Dad!” you yelled, jumping into the air as your jets activated, trying to fly to your father. Tony flew up, trying to stop the moon from making impact, and you watched as he crashed onto the ground. You watched as the bodies of the Guardians suspended into the air, the disruption of gravity leaving them defenseless. Peter suddenly appeared at your side, the two of you nodding at each other in a silent exchange before you lunged into action, grabbing Drax and Nebula as Peter took care of the others. Once you brought everyone down safely, you collapsed against a rock, trying to catch your breath before Peter suddenly spoke.

“y/n…” he croaked out, and you turned to see where he was pointing. You immediately straightened upon seeing Tony attempting to fight Thanos again, alone, and you powered up every weapons system available on your suit.

“Stay with the Guardians.” you told Peter, who opened his mouth in protest. “I need to help my dad.”

“y/n, wait-” Peter tried to stop you, knowing Thanos was too powerful for both you and Tony. Under his mask, you knew his expression was filled with fear, but you had no time to give into fear. Your father’s life, as well as the lives of everyone in the universe, was at stake, and you needed to act now.

“Peter,” you turned to him, and despite the trepidation that filled your chest, you found the courage you lacked earlier. “I love you.”

Before Peter could respond, you lunged towards Thanos, who had just broken Tony’s blade as Tony attempted to stab him. Turning it around, he moved to plunge it into Tony’s stomach, but you managed to insert yourselves between them. You heard the alarmed screams from Peter and Tony, but all you could focus on was Thanos, his gaze burning into yours as he sharply yanked the blade out of you. The screens in front of you glitched, your suit now damaged, and you weakly raised your arms as you fired at Thanos, pushing him back. You collapsed, and you felt Tony crouch beside you as he fumbled to find a way to patch up your wound, something to stop the alarming amount of blood that had spilled over Tony’s hands.

“How brave of you.” Thanos growled, regaining his balance as he raised his gauntlet at you and Tony, the stones on his knuckles growing brighter by the second. “Like father, like son.”

“y/n!” Peter’s scream ripped through the air, and you screwed your eyes shut as you felt Tony’s arms wrap around you, the both of you bracing for the worst. You never could’ve predicted the turn of events, where Stephen saved both you and your father’s life in exchange for the time zone. You watched helplessly as the time stone floated through the air towards Thanos, landing on his gauntlet before he disappeared, leaving no trace as if he was never there.

Peter sprinted towards you, cupping your face in his hands as Tony pulled off your helmet. You put on a brave smile, trying to appear strong for Peter as he engulfed you in a hug, holding you so tightly you thought you might burst. He buried his face into your shoulder, mumbling, “I thought I was going to lose you, y/n, I thought- I… I love you, too-”

You smiled at Peter, pulling back slightly as you reached out to touch his cheek before pulling him back towards you, the both of you embracing each other and never wanting to let go. You could hear the others approaching, all of you now lost, devoid of purpose from Thanos’ departure. There was no telling where he was now, and what he was capable of with all of the Infinity Stones in his power, and despite the happiness you felt knowing that Peter loved you back, you couldn’t ignore the dread that had settled into the bottom of your stomach.

There was a sudden shift in the air, and everyone looked up as Mantis quietly said, “Something’s happening.”

Tony got to his feet, the panic evident in his face as Mantis suddenly evaporated into dust. You scrambled backwards in shock, everyone staring at where Mantis once stood with similar reactions. Your hand began to shake as you suddenly looked down to see your fingers slowly disappearing, and you whispered, “Peter…”

Peter turned, tears welling in his eyes as he saw your whole hand had now disappeared. Clinging to your other hand, which was quickly fading, Peter stammered, “No, no, y/n, stay with me-”

You looked up at Tony, who stared at you, a mixture of helplessness and shock painted across his expression. Peter’s tears streamed down his face as he begged you to stay with him, and you tried to reach out to Tony as you whispered, “Dad, please help me-”

“No-” Tony croaked out, lunging to try and hold you one last time. His son, his only child, but you had faded into nothingness, reduced to nothing but dust that floated away. Tony stared hard at the ground as Peter burst into tears, his hand balled into a fist as if he was still trying to hold onto you.

In an instant, everything had shifted. Thanos had done it. He had wiped out half the universe. But for Peter and Tony, he hadn’t just destroyed half of it, he had destroyed their entire lives.

tags: @proudchocolateaddict / @myfriendmagislit / @fire--pheonix / @army-fandoms / @allltheships / @beautifulbows924 / @writinqss / @woah-imagines / @steve-rogersirl / @musicallisto / @diskateatscake / @willingtofightformyhappyending / @are-u-shuri / @bru-spanner / @iammostdefinitelyonfire26 ↳ want to be added to the tag list?

[powereddonut]

“Kujaku” 二

"That's just simply awful!" The girl wails, falling to the grass after hearing his story.

The process of merging their bodies didn't take long and her strength had all but depleted. Suzume wipes at the tears that continue to flow, her peafowl kimono soaking up the clear liquid. She still looks the same with a blue rose hairpin that holds back a part of her bangs. Her dark blue hair remained at its short length and her eyes were that same mantis-green. She felt no different either and all that changed was the second voice in her head. Michael sighs at her exaggerated reaction and if he could, he'd be rolling his eyes.

"Is the hero okay? Where is he now? Oh and you, how are you?!" She inquires, and albeit he was appreciative, Michael was also confused. Why was she so concerned about someone she hadn't even met? His story rewarded sympathy, yes, but not enough that she should do something about it.

The god's voice sounded calm even though he was seething within her body, "He's fine. You shouldn't be worried about him anyway. Your mother wanted you home by sundown."

Suzume gasps and scrambles to stand up. Her legs wobbled and she planted her hands firmly on the slanted rock. She looks up at the sky, noticing the sun moving towards the tip of the forest. Suzume stood there for a minute, admiring the pretty pinks and blues that accompanied the sunset.

She sighs in content, relaxs' her body, and starts her small trek home. It was a bit difficult, but the trunks of the surrounding timber helped to steady the young girl. They passed the tree line and made it to the river, crossing a small stump that she placed as her miniature bridge.

The townsfolk greeted her with joyous waves and gracious smiles. She beamed at them and waved with as much gratitude, heading the rest of the way home with a skip in her step.

"The villagers seem to like you," Michael converses, his voice monotone as he observes the people who spoke to her.

Suzume doesn't respond until she's at the front gates of her home. It's fairly sized, enough for her family of three with one floor for everything. Their kitchen is small and the living room medium-sized. She likes the colors of jade green and teal blue that paint their walls and ceiling. The floorboards are mahogany, and dimly lit lanterns line each hallway with a fireplace held in the living room. It's a spacious home, especially compared to the rest.

She lifts the latch on her gate and shuts it behind her, walking to the entrance, "I participate in many of the festivals held each year, and I just enjoy helping around," Suzume shrugs off the thought because doing the right thing came naturally. Her parents taught her well, that's for sure.

Michael hums in acknowledgment but stays silent as they make their way inside. He quickly noticed she spoke aloud when talking to him. She'd look suspicious and slightly crazy to the outside world, so he'd only speak when they are alone. The god also noticed that she couldn't hear his thoughts and vice versa. He guesses' this is because he is technically a physical body inside of hers, so there'd be two different minds. There's a lot more to learn about these new arrangements, but for now, he'll take to enjoying the variety in scenery.

He was slightly disappointed in humanity but still curious to see its outcome. Though he may not be able to interact with his environment, Michael couldn't wait to hear the tales of Remnant.

"Tadaima!" The little girl announces when entering her home. She began speaking while absentmindedly slipping off her geta, switching them out for slippers, "Sorry I was out so late. You should have seen the flowers though. I found a couple of irises, and the orchids that I've planted are almost ready. Oh, oh, and obaachan said she'd make a bouquet for ojiisan the next time we visit him! I'm super excited about that... Okaasan?" Her mom hadn't replied, but the hall was illuminated with the soft, yellow glow of their kitchen.

"Be careful," Michael cautions, and Suzume nods. With her eyes narrowed, she slowly rounds the corner, listening out for any voices. Her footsteps were light as she made her way down the small corridor, "You got anything?"

Suzume pauses and closes her eyes. She couldn't listen in on conversations, but her semblance did allow her to hear heartbeats. Everyone/thing has a pulse with a special kind of rhythm, that if manipulated, could stop all functions in the body. The downside, her semblance requires a lot of aurae and a loud beat, so that's out of the question.

"Um... there are two(?) heartbeats. I can't be sure though." Michael took note of the girl's age and judged her accordingly while they trained. It was a pain teaching Suzume how to unlock her aurae as the god was too weak to do it for her. They hadn't done the ritual until three weeks after she unlocked her aura, and one week after she obtained her semblance. Now, all that's left to do is nurture her natural abilities and learn how her semblance works himself.

The blue-haired girl scans the hall for anything to defend herself. Passing by a broom, she holds the wooden stick close to her chest, tightly gripping its handle. She is slightly afraid, yes, but far more concerned for her mother. Suzume's father wouldn't be back 'til morning, leaving the little girl to fend off whatever was in her kitchen with her mother, who may or may not be injured.

She continues with cautious steps until they were at the entrance of the kitchen. Suzume paused and peeked around the next corner, peering into the dining room. At the sight of her uninjured mother, her shoulders relax and she lets out a sigh of relief.

"Okaasan?" She calls and her mother turns around surprised at the sight of her daughter. Suzume's mother looks young for her age with unblemished skin and no wrinkles caused by stress. Her raven hair is long and silky, passing her shoulders and her eyes are like emeralds.

"Oh, sweetie, I was looking for you!" She exclaims and crosses the dining room, making her way into the kitchen, and smothering her daughter in a hug. She steps back to inspect her child, noticing the broom clenched tightly to her chest, "Why do you have the broom?"

Suzume breaks out in a nervous sweat and rubs the back of her head sheepishly, "Um, well, I thought there were intruders, and since you hadn't responded when I came through the door... I thought something happened to you..." She responds, and now that she hears it out loud, it doesn't sound so smart after all. The blue-haired girl hadn't been trained in wielding weapons properly so it's not like she could do anything.

A hearty chuckle filled her ears, and she stares up at her mother with a pout, "Well, there is no danger here, so please set aside the broom before you break it." Her mother instructs, and Suzume quickly leans it back against the wall. She stands back in front of her mother expectedly, "Now, come meet our new guests: Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren."

Suzume tilts her head to the side, looking around her mother to see two children. They appear to be the same age as her, the female having a shorter stature than the male. The blue-haired girl studies their features, immediately noticing the grime and soot that clings to their skin. She likes the girl's orange hair and fierce aqua eyes. Then there is the boy's long, black hair with a single magenta streak. They intrigue her, and she's curious as to how they became so... disheveled.

She shook off the inquirement and zoomed over to their positions, starting with a booming introduction, "Hajimemashite, I'm Ana Suzume! It's exciting to meet you! It's not every day I get to see new faces!" The orange-haired girl looks openly uncomfortable and shuffles to her companion's side. They huddle together, equally overwhelmed and nervous about Suzume's actions, "Wow, I love your hair. Is the streak natural, or dyed? Oh, and your blue eyes look so pretty! They're like crystals--"

She hacked as her haori was yanked from behind. Suzume's mother was looking down at her with a strained smile, her left eyebrow twitching. Suzume laughs nervously and chokes once more when she is dragged into the kitchen.

Her mother frowns at her daughter, a stern expression on her face, "Do not overwhelm them, they've been through enough as it is. We told you this before, remember?" Her mother sighs as she rubs her temples. A brief thought to this morning leaves Suzume feeling guilty. A few months before, Kuroyuri village had fallen to an onslaught of Grimm. The huntsman and huntress' were informed too late of their slaughter so instead, they've been looking for survivors. Suzume should have figured that the duo in front of her were the only ones.

Michael sensed her sympathy and shame, presumably towards the two children she had bombarded. He was quick to guess what happened after seeing their lost and somewhat broken expressions. He'd experienced such faces before but never took any actions to assist them. That wasn't his job after all.

Suzume walks over to the two companions, her head tilted down and a sheepish look on her face. She wasn't embarrassed to apologize, just a tad flustered about her earlier actions, "Gomennasai, I shouldn't have bombarded you like that. It was super immature of me, and I hope you find it in your hearts to forgive me," She finishes with a deep bow, her abdomen lowering at a perfect 90º angle.

The boy looked audibly flustered while the female was openly confused. They did find the girl to be weird and probably a bit too energetic at this time of day. Their first impressions weren't great but she seems to sincerely regret her actions, and that was enough for Ren.

"P-Please stand up, no need to be so formal," At his word, Suzume straightens her back and smiles timidly at the two. Nora steps an inch or two away from Ren's side and observes the girl. She wasn't as accepting of her apology, but she appears nice enough.

Suzume's mother silently laughs in the background, hiding her snickering with a few coughs. The three were equally as nervous to meet the other, and it was just so awkward to watch. Their bodies were tense, and Suzume was squirming with every passing second - she just had to do something.

The raven-haired woman walks over to her daughter, placing a hand gently on her shoulder, "Why don't you take them to get washed up? Dinner will be ready in 10 minutes."

"H-Hai!" She exclaims and beckons for the two to follow her. Suzume waits until Ren and Nora are behind before she starts walking forward.

Again, the atmosphere grew awkward, and nobody dared to break it. Suzume wanted to but was too afraid that she'd ruin the moment again. Nora and Ren were only silent because they truly had nothing to say. Yes, Ren was curious about the overzealous female but is far too nervous to say anything. Then Nora wasn't speaking because Ren hadn't said anything either.

Truly an inept bunch and that's when Michael started talking. Not like the other two could hear him, but Suzume did.

"This is sad to watch..." The god spoke and was probably sweatdropping. Suzume huffs and crosses her arms, puffing out her cheeks in a childish manner.

"Well, what am I supposed to do? I already ruined my chance earlier." She responds and sighs, heavily disappointed in herself. Suzume is usually more talkative than this. She is used to leading conversations and adding interesting comments, but this was just too much for her. The two that are following her probably think she is a waste already and neither enjoy her presence.

Michael groans at his host's persistence and internal anxieties. It irritated him how he can feel a portion of her emotions, "You haven't even tried so quit assuming."

Suzume huffs, partly because of the blatant truth and partly from how hypocritical the god was being, "What do you know? The first time I spoke to you, you threatened me!" Suzume argues back with slight vigor, momentarily childishly stomping her foot.

"Correction, the first time you spoke to me, I asked who you were, and you responded with an onslaught of tears." He deadpanned with that same monotone voice. Suzume puffed out the air stored in her cheeks and huffed once more. Their natural rosy tint grew brighter as she became more annoyed.

"Says the one who--" Her angry outburst was interrupted when she was poked in the back, and Ren was looking at her probably very concerned for her wellbeing. Then that's when she realized, she wasn't alone. Once again, there are two people (who probably think she's nuts by now) that are following her to the bathroom. Although now that she notices, they passed it 15 seconds ago.

"Ah! G-Gomen! I promise I'm not as crazy as I may seem!" She spluttered and bows her head to the two once more. This is humiliating, truly and utterly embarrassing. Embarrassing enough that she felt tears prick the tips of her eyes, and her eyelashes became cold with the clear liquid.

Her sniffling gained the duo's attention, and now they actually felt bad. Ren patted her back comfortingly, trying to reassure the tear-stricken girl. Nora crouched to look at Suzume, and lifted her head with two hands, offering her a warm smile. Standing up at full height, Suzume sniffles again and wipes her tears away with the sleeve of her haori.

"It's alright, and we don't think you're crazy. We were just... startled is all," The orange-haired girl consoled and pats her shoulder, that endearing look still present on her face. Her voice was nice, Suzume declared. It sounded like cherries, or peaches and cream, and there was a puffiness to it. She likes it a lot because it sounds like her grandmother's and that's how she calmed down.

Ren stayed quiet as Nora reassured the girl, and he began observing her once more. She wasn't talking to herself, that's something that he knew for sure. Maybe it was her aura, but then he knew nothing of a self-talking semblance. So that's what made him curious enough to question.

"If you don't mind me asking," He began, gaining the attention of the soft female, "Was that your semblance you were talking to?"

Suzume's cheeks flushed a light pink and she twiddled with her thumbs. She could feel Michael's surprise and his slight intrigue. He wondered if she was going to speak the truth or create a cover story. Though, it may just be the former.

"S-Something like that, and I'd love to show you, but he's kind of shy," It wasn't a complete lie, and Suzume knew Michael was going to chastise her later. The god wasn't impressed with her response, and slightly perturbed at being called "shy". There is just a selective group of people that he prefers to associate himself with. That's completely different from being an introvert.

"Ah, okay..." Ren steps back to give the blue-haired girl some space. He accepted her response but still felt the need to know who "he" was.

Ren has a different voice, but it wasn't a bad difference, just diverse. It's soothing, almost like the koi that swim upstream or the plops they'd make when coming up for food. She could also compare it to a lime or maybe the color green. So far, the two comrades were admired by Suzume, and she hopes they can accept her a little more.

"Right, um, the washroom is this way." Suzume points forward and clasps her hands together at her front. The duo begins following the blue-haired girl once more until they were inside.

孔雀

"Itadakimasu!" Chorused the three children, more Ren and Suzume as Nora struggled with the correct pronunciation. Suzume resisted the urge to giggle and instead began with grabbing her chopsticks and eating her simmered fish. She felt more tired than hungry so she didn't scarf down her food like usual. The ritual performed earlier that day had started taking its toll on her body and she became drowsy with every passing second. Though, it'd be rude of her to pass out in front of guests so she ignored it in favor of filling her near-empty stomach.

Suzume didn't find Ren and Nora's appetite to be disturbing, rather, she felt sympathetic. The green-eyed girl wondered when was the last time they ate something they didn't have to catch.

"More please!" They exclaimed as the two companions held their bowl up for the second round of rice, and she casually giggles. She felt the slightest bit of determination, perhaps to make them feel comfortable and at ease. Suzume was always more give, give, give, rather than, take, take, take. She didn't feel bothered by new people in their home, it just meant more family and friends to make.

It didn't take long for the three children to start rocking their heads. Nora has her's planted on Ren's shoulder, though it was more hanging off. Her aqua irises could only be seen as halves as her eyelids slowly shut only to be jolted back open whenever Ren shoots his head up. The said boy has his hands folded in his lap and eyes lidded. His locks of black hair hang messily at his sides and dangle with every jar of his head. Then there was Suzume who sat across from the two, not fairing any better. She has a closed fist pushing up her chubby cheeks. Drool seeps from the corner of her bottom lip as she dozes off, only half asleep as to stay aware of her surroundings. Michael didn't need sleep so he just watched the humans in amusement, fully prepared to tease his host greatly in the morning.

All in all, it was pretty bad but Suzume's mother just stares fondly at the small children. She didn't want to wake any of them up, but she couldn't exactly carry them either. So, with much reluctance, she lightly taps the table to gain the three's attention.

"Wake up..." Her words trail off in a low hum, words idle and smooth as to not startle them too much. Ren sluggishly raised his head, eyes looking far off but posture staying attentive. Suzume grumbles meekly and Nora stays silent, "Let's head to bed, okay? Don't want you to get any aches or cramps."

"Hai...~" Suzume slurs, not even bothering to correct herself, and instead slides out of her seat, feet making a small plop on the wooden floorboards. She yawns, covering her mouth, and beckons for the two other children to follow her once more.

Ren gently nudges Nora's head with his shoulder. The ginger-haired girl groans in annoyance but gets up nonetheless and trudges to Suzume's position. She turns around and exits the kitchen, going into the hallway. Yeah, she should have checked to make sure they were following her but she is far too tired.

They almost passed their sleeping courters three times but finally stumbled upon them after a good five minutes. Suzume slides the fusuma open and moves to the right to allow her guests in first. They trudge inside and the blue-haired girl trails behind them, sliding the door shut after.

"I apologize for not getting the futons out sooner. Just didn't think anyone was staying over today." Suzume informs as she slides open her closet and drags out two plain, white futons with two dark blue quilts. Nora shrugs and immediately flops down on the sleeping mat, her loud snores soon following after.

Ren was more refined than her, actually helping Suzume lay out his futon and bringing the quilt over his mat before laying down and snuggling up underneath. She really would have admired the two's almost at ease expressions if it wasn't for her drowsiness catching up with her. Suzume has her futon laid out a few feet from the two, not wanting to disturb them with her presence. She bets it's odd having someone like her barge into their personal space and lives. Truthfully, Suzume felt sorry for them but she has a feeling they wouldn't want to hear that.

Before the green-eyed girl could fully lay down and blow out her candle, a small tug on her haori got her attention.

She looks down and somewhat behind her, finding that Ren is staring up at her. His eyes are glazed over, almost listless, as his thin, pink lips parted slightly to oblige her, "Thank you," He acknowledges lethargically, his eyes slowly shutting and his hand falling limply to his side.

It was too adorable, Suzume realized, and couldn't help but smile, "Of course," she responds and turns towards his sleeping form, grabbing his wrist and tucking it underneath the quilt. She didn't want either of them catching a cold, so naturally, she tucked Nora in as well. Bringing the dark blue quilt up to her neck, Suzume watches as the ginger naturally burrows under the covers. It's barely seen because of the dark, but she saw a satisfied simper grace her pale skin.

With a final goodnight, Suzume blows out her candle and huddles under the welcoming warmth her blanket brings. It's a cold night, nothing she wasn't used to but it felt great to finally close her eyes.

"Night, kid," Michael spoke before she shut her eyes and counted her way into slumber. He's left alone once more, only having her soft breaths to keep him company. The two children weren't found as a threat, he concluded. The god would allow her to have them as companions, if only for her safety and nothing further. Was he attached to her? No, well not figuratively, but more like acknowledged her naivety and wanted to help.

Yeah, he'd be her protection - a defense mechanism when all things went to heck. He contemplated some more about their future, having said there was nothing else to pass the temporary eventide and he couldn't control time. Now he wonders what all he could do in this body. Michael didn't feel any different, possibly a bit less immortal, but nothing changed extensively. Maybe over time, his energy would replenish and he'd gain back some of his power. Though, he couldn't guess the duration... sigh, what pain humans can be.

[davidmann95]

What are your thoughts on Infinity War and do you think the portrayal of Thanos is gonna make it harder for DC to do Darkseid in a future move due to comparisons?

Extended disconnected musings below the cut because world-shaking spoilers fucking obviously, but for the section of my audience that hasn’t seen it yet but is fine with simply seeing my immediate reaction and placement of it: it’s so very good, y’all. Hype as modern blockbuster filmmaking gets. Not a top-5 MCU flick (which is a credit to the MCU, not in any way a ding against this), but if you only count the Avengers movies that actually have “Avengers” in the title, this is definitely the best of that lot.

* I had been, while not concerned per say, very curious how the Captain America team would handle this - the writers might have been there from the beginning and done some pretty bombastic pulpy action in the first Cap movie, but the Russo Brothers had been entirely on the grounded side of the franchise, even doing the relatively grounded Avengers movie in Civil War - given this would be the most cosmic and superheroey of the bunch, and they acquitted themselves magnificently in every way imaginable. It’s big, it’s funny, it’s ballsy, it’s engaging, it’s fun, it’s weighty as hell, it’s emotional, it’s the gold standard of this sort of thing. I have no idea what they’ll do if they ever stop doing Avengers movies, because at this point the sky is the absolute limit for them.

* I know people have already inevitably been complaining about this being dependent on previous movies for continuity and character, to which I say

1. Fuck you, this is the sequel to a once-in-a-generation filmmaking blockbuster that completely changed the game, of course you’re going to know who the goddamn Avengers are, most especially if you’re going to see this movie. Don’t act like you’re that cool. You’re not that fuckin’ cool.

2. This may not have been a movie of character development, but it’s by no means a movie short on character. It’s very much in the vein of Grant Morrison’s JLA, in that it banks on familiarity and iconography not to change our understanding of these characters, but to do the most conspicuously *them* moments possible. Captain America might be a minor presence, but he’s Captain America as heck in this, and so forth.

3. This only banks on you having seen the first Avengers. Banner is our entrypoint character because he himself doesn’t know what’s going on so the Avengers breakup can be recapped in broad terms, the initial conflict you don’t really have to know about Ragnarok to understand (they could’ve been fleeing Thanos destroying Asgard for all a casual viewer would know), Spider-Man’s role is obvious even aside from him being a cultural icon, Panther is Cap’s secret ally the rest of the team barely knows about so and Wakanda are broadly understood, and the Guardians and Strange are reintroduced. Strange you immediately know all you need: Wong defers to him so he’s clearly a big deal, but he’s also still telling him things about magic - even if jokingly - so clearly Strange is not the most seasoned veteran and hasn’t been in this hidden mystic world forever. The Guardians are space bozos, and based on Star-Lord’s manchild nature and 80s nostalgia and lack of familiarity with the Avengers you can guess he hasn’t been to Earth in a long time even if he clearly hails from there.

* Thanos was…good? Though I would have yelled “BULLSHIT!” at my monitor when I saw Starlin declared Thanos in an interview to be exactly as he had always envisioned him had I seen this at the time, because this is very much from the Slade-in-Teen-Titans “scrap everything, and it’ll wind up better because there’s nowhere to go but up” school of villainous improvement. But seriously, while surely people will write eye-rolling thinkpieces on his nature and goals, he’s a proper vile bastard of the sort we haven’t quite gotten in these movies before that more than justifies his place after 6 years of buildup, with humanity to spare keeping him from being a caricature; it should avoid Darkseid comparisons quite deftly (and vice-versa), even if none of what made this work can translate back into the comics. And as much as the sidekick baddies might have been traditional uncanny-valley CG, this guy might be the most amazing effect I’ve ever seen in a blockbuster: I totally bought this was a real flesh-and-blood living being existing in recognizable 3-dimensional space whenever they zoomed in on his expressions. And more importantly, they acknowledged he has a nutsack for a chin.

* Speaking of effects, that’s how you do a fuckin’ magic fight!

* And speaking of villains: SKULL. What a payoff, and I sure hope he stays and fills the role Mephisto did in the original Infinity Gauntlet as Thanos’s right hand man, because I want to see him face down with Steve as Captain America one more time. In a very different movie/s, I could have seen him seizing the Gauntlet and promising Thanos he too will wipe out half the universe, but much less indiscriminately, with the great tyrant dying with the ultimate monstrosity his endeavor has brought about evident to him at last. And then you’d have the ultimate Nazi as the final boss, since not only are he and Cap enemies, but he battled Iron Man’s dad, was well-versed in Asgardian mythology and stole one of Odin’s treasures, and is like Hulk a failed Super Soldier. What we got should be pretty good too though. Fingers crossed he at least sticks around to menace Bucky and Sam once one of them takes over as Cap.

* Outside the villain, boy, who would have expected Thor would basically be the closest thing to a main character of this movie? I guess Marvel rightly expected Ragnarok would be fire, and knowing that he’ll now be the major remaining original Avenger, are trying to build him up in double-quick time. And with only half of Asgard gone, they can keep the setup Waititi provided after this (even if I wish they hadn’t brought back his eye. I’m not worried for him personally though; his godly constitution should be more than capable of resisting mere alien raccoon ass germs). And given Ultron was the Iron Man-centric flick and Civil War was literally a Captain America movie, it feels fair they gave this to the third member of the core trio. By contrast, I’m not sure whether Black Panther was too late for them to account properly for him, or they did know, and that’s why the final action was set in Wakanda even though it’s relatively irrelevant.

* The characters getting to bounce off each other was much of the heart of this, and while Downey vs. Cumberbatch was totally reasonable - I wish Strange and Spidey had more time together as promised as fellow Ditko creations, but doing Sherlock vs. Holmes makes sense, with “Do you concur, Doctor?” almost feeling deliberately evocative - I never would have expected Thor and Star-Lord to be the standout comedic pairing. And yet, as Drax put it, it entirely makes sense: “He is not a dude. You are a dude. He is a man.”

* What most leapt out at me as signalling this is the post-Trump movie relative to Civil War’s summer 2016 blockbuster? There, the question of whether or not the government can be trusted is the inciting incident that drives everything. Here, that the government is actively working against the right thing is so plain that Rhodes - who had previously said his critical injuries were more than worth standing up for the Accords, so passionately did he believe in all they stood for - immediately, casually acknowledges that the entire thing is fucked and bails with no fanfare, and that’s the end of it.

* I’d expected this to be an all-out invasion flick and so had been disappointed no Defenders or whatnot would at least cameo, but as it really turned out I’m not surprised there wasn’t a place for Daredevil to stick his horns in. And despite assurances, no Hawkeye! I’m sure as many as 5 or 6 people were quite disappointed.

* Betting pool on who’s actually dead? Obviously everyone vanished will be okay, but the others? Gamorra looks pretty stiffed, but she seems a safe bet to return. Vision’s end felt gruesomely final, but they put so much effort into implying he might be able to survive without the stone, and now they have a seminal story to draw on for a potential solo movie of his. Loki, I think, is most likely to remain in the ground. A last-minute return and final prank against Thanos wouldn’t be out of place for him by any means, but his character has come full circle, and I think it’s more likely that if he returns it’ll be as Kid Loki.

* Speaking of the vanishing, I really appreciate the thought that clearly went into who was taken off the board. The castoffs either really had nothing to do with the Thanos conflict, even and indeed especially if they were big for maximum shock value (Black Panther, Spider-Man, White Wolf, Falcon, Mantis), or DID have something to do with Thanos but whose arcs in terms of physical confrontations with him reached their logical climaxes (Star-Lord vented regarding their shared relationship to Gamorra, Drax tried and failed as he was always going to because that one-sided hate he wanted fulfilled isn’t as much at the core of his character as Gamorra’s relationship with Thanos is). Or in Strange’s specific case, the enigmatic type with an ace up his sleeve who could logically leave a final mystery and hope for others to have to rely on. And as a whole, it means the final OG Avengers movie ISN’T going to be an even bigger crossover movie than this the way we thought. This, for the MCU’s 10th anniversary, was the big crossover movie. The last Avengers movie as we’ve known it up to that point is mostly just going to be the founders (plus Captain Marvel, a mandatory Wakandan representative or two, and Rhody since he’s the other hero who was introduced in Phase One) getting one last hurrah. And it makes sense to go with that smaller cast, because they’ll want space to really zero in on Steve and Tony before they go, and since going at Thanos head-on is no longer an option, there’s not really going to be an opportunity for the same kind of massive super-war we got in here anyway, because then he’d simply de-create them.

* Steve and Tony are going to die, and going into pure fanfic, I think I know how it’ll happen. Steve will get the Gauntlet, and it’ll kill him to use it, but in an homage to the climax of Kree-Skrull War, he’ll use his last breath to not only revive everyone, but bring together an army of superheroes to defeat a depowered Thanos once and for all (Gamora or maybe Nebula almost certainly striking the final blow), raising his returned shield high, exchanging a last look with Bucky, and finally crying out “AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!” And Tony? Tony is going to knowingly walk to death in a doomed fight against Thanos as a distraction to give Steve that chance, becoming the guy who lays down on the wire and lets someone else crawl over him. It not only reaffirms his partnership with Steve and the idea behind the original Avengers just as both die, but brings his character arc totally full circle: he faces down the embodiment of his nightmares, and after having lived as the ultimate egotist, he dies as the man who sacrifices himself so someone else can secure the win. And Thanos was I believe introduced in an Iron Man comic, so that aspect’s pretty appropriate too.

* Jackson finally almost got to say motherfucker in one of these! And that’s the second Marvel movie with a character nearly saying fuck. Take the leap Disney, I believe in you. And much as that last shot in the stinger was neat, and much as this alternative would have been literally impossible, how much cooler would it have been if that screen had shown a “4″?

* My #4 title prediction? Avengers: The End. There was a big Thanos story by Starlin titled Marvel: The End where he destroys everything but ultimately turns it back, and that’d be both ominous enough to fit the warning that we should be scared of this title, and spiritually truthful. And since the Spider-Man movie right afterwards will according to Feige mark the start of the new MCU, they can title that Spider-Man: Brand New Day in accordance with said new beginning.

* Post-all this? It’ll be awhile yet before the Fantastic Four and X-Men come on stage, so ‘Phase 4′ will basically have to stall until they can bring in Doom to be the true final boss before the inevitable reboot a decade or so down the line. Spider-Man’s the new lead (hence the Iron Spider armor, which in Homecoming seemed deliberately to be overly gaudy as Tony’s vision of a Spidey remade in his image but now seems an indicating as his leading man status, the red/yellow/blue color scheme marking him as Peak Superhero) along with Panther, Captain Marvel, and likely Thor as the old standby. The Avengers likely disband for a bit due to losing the core and break up into different teams - your Ultimates, Champions, Young Avengers, etc. - before coming back together in New Avengers, managing to make the Avengers movie after the next one an event by making it about the reformation. Osborn leading the Cabal’s the big bad; he’s the leading man’s leading villain, he has the pedigree thanks to Dark Reign while still being able to put on a Goblin suit at the end, he lets them do the inevitable “all the bad guys get together to fight the Avengers” story, and while it might not work as well as it would have post-BvS pre-Justice League, using Sentry/the Void - a compromised, frightening, unsure, ‘realistic’ Superman figure - as his muscle and the true threat would be hella charged at the moment in a way I could see the MCU being cocky enough to go for, even if they never outright do Avengers V Squadron Supreme.

That’s what I got. As the god of thunder would say, farewell and good luck, morons.

[cjworthington]

The Spirit of Alola - Chapter 3

A Pleasant Ride Home

My mind feels fuzzy, and I try to pull myself out of the fog with a shake of my head. We'd been bumping about in the cab for a while now, but I still couldn't pull myself out of the exhaustion-fueled haze.

I'd thought about discussing my strange over-tiredness with Kabir, but I also think I might be okay after a good long rest. Besides, knowing him, he's probably noticed. My husband may be blind, but he sees more than most.

The move to Alola was long and more complicated than any move we had made before. However, that was to be expected since we were traveling across the ocean and not just a few hours on the land.

I had spent many sleepless nights the weeks before we had even started packing to ensure all the plans for our move were set firmly into place. I wanted to be certain that the time spent after the move was more productive than our last, which had been a disaster. Kabir offered his help where he could, but his strengths lie elsewhere. Coordination and planning are areas that I am well acquainted with.

Hopefully, this will be the last move we make, I think to myself. At least, that is the plan.

We had spent a significant amount of time hunting for the perfect home, both inside and out. Of course, we needed plenty of space for the Pokemon we used for research, but we also wanted to make sure that our own Pokemon would have plenty of room to explore and stretch their legs. There was also our need for a large area for our lab, plus spare rooms for any visiting family or friends. All this made the hunt for this very particular home a difficult one.

Hop purrs contentedly on my lap as we continue down the road, her rib cage rattling with the shifting noise and her warm body soothing, having placed her front half across my legs. I look down at her soft purple fur and gently rub my hand across it, encouraging a small mewl of pleasure from the touch. The Delcatty pushes her head up a bit to inform me that she would require more pats. I oblige with a smile.

Kabir sits next to me, with Tinsel on his left. As is typical, she is sporting her ever-present red PokeAssist vest with the words "Do Not Battle" written in white on a patch of black.

The blue Sylveon had her head out the open window, excitedly watching the world pass by. One ribbon was still wrapped affectionately around my husband's wrist, even though he did not need her for guide work at the moment. Her fluffy tail was thumping gently against his leg, and he smiled at her happy noises of curiosity and awe.

My husband's short, neatly combed hair was blowing in the gentle breeze as we rolled along. Though we are only in our late 20's, his rather difficult life had left his black hair peppered with gray streaks, and his face was lined with the stress of his life, aging him by nearly ten years.

As a result, it wasn't uncommon for strangers to address him with a respect reserved for a more senior person upon first meeting. We also had reactions of shock when they would learn that I, who looks younger, is married to that very same aged-seeming man.

While Kabir is tall and somewhat gaunt from frequent hospital visits, I am short and thin. Though they aren't very noticeable when I'm at rest, the muscles under my caramel-colored skin are hardened from my many years of martial arts training.

My eyes are a light brown, and my hair is long and black, usually left down, unless I was working on something. At those times, I would pull the hair tie off my right wrist to put my hair up in a ponytail or messy bun.

Kabir was faced forward; his head angled down slightly and, his sightless eyes, ever milky white, were unmoving. Even so, I could see his mind working as he paid careful attention to the world around us. His ears would hear things I can't, and his nose would smell scents that I would never be able to pick up in such small traces.

"How's your head?" I question, knowing the flight must have made it hurt.

"It's not too bad right now." My husband answers. "How are you feeling?

"Ready to be finished with this move." I joke

" Have you heard anything from the movers yet?" Kabir asks.

"Oh my! I haven't even turned my phone on yet!" I respond. "Silly thing of me to do."

"You must really be tired." He chuckles back, knowingly.

I grab my phone out of my pocket and switch it on. Watching as it powers up, I see there are no new messages or phone calls. I let Kabir know, then notice the battery is rather low, so I put it back in my pocket and look to my window to see a forest sprawling across the land outside.

Everything is a whiz of new sights as the Tauros swiftly pull the cab along the currently empty road. The trees and grass are green with splashes of color as I see every Pokémon and plant this island seems to hold rush past.

Pikipek and Wingull soar effortlessly through the sky. They swoop down with well-timed flaps of their wings, snatching up only the ripest fruits.

Bug Pokémon like Ledyba, Caterpie, and a pink and white small mantis-like creature I don't recognize, crawl along the ground and up the trunks of trees. A black Rattata with thick whiskers stops its scurry from its hole to stare at the cab as it speeds past.

I describe the scene unfolding before me to Kabir as best I can, though I know my words would never give the vibrant world any justice.

"I can't wait to get out and experience this new world!" He exclaims excitedly. "I want to smell the fruits and grass. Feel the bark on the trees. Dig my toes into the dirt. This place sounds amazing! Even the sun on my face feels different and more inviting."

His eagerness is contagious, and I find myself wanting to get out of the cab to explore with him.

We continue on like this for a while longer, descriptions filling the air as we speed down the road.

"Oh, I can see a city!" I call out to Kabir, sticking my head out the window, the rushing wind blowing my long dark hair into my face.

"That'll be Hau'oli city!" The cabby, Berns, calls back to us. "We're near to your home. You'll only be a walk down Route One to get to town, but you will be just far enough out of town to enjoy nature to its fullest. You really picked a fantastic location."

"That's precisely what we were hoping for," Kabir answers back, excitement showing on his face.

I see the town Berns was talking about growing larger. It was bustling. People and Pokémon make their way around the streets, stopping at the various vendors or walking into the many shops and restaurants. I start describing as much of the world around me as I can as the Tauros begin to slow down as we arrive in the town.

"We're entering the town just now." I describe. "There's a small Growlithe pup sniffing around some of the fruit stands. I think it's looking for food. Oh, but a sweet-looking older gal at a produce stand has given it some fruit. There are even more Pikipek in this town as well." I add, patting my husband's leg excitedly. "They are grabbing fruits from the stands here too, but the shopkeepers don't seem to mind."

"The food grown on this island is meant for everyone," Berns calls back to us over the patter of eight hooves on pavement. "We always have such an abundance of food because of the tropical climate."

"Have you ever had a food shortage?" I ask, leaning forward to see out the front of the cab.

"Of course." The cabby replies. "Even though our home seems perfect, we do experience natural disasters, just like anywhere else in the world."

"Well, what happens to the wild Pokémon when these kinds of things happen?" Kabir questions quizzically.

"We share even then, of course. This abundant food comes from the fertile land. Both people and Pokemon alike live on this island, so we return everything we receive back to it, even if times are rough."

"This place gets more and more wonderful with every passing moment." I sigh, sitting back and looking out my own window once more.

"Yes," Kabir says, echoing my pleasure. "It'll be the perfect place to set up and study."

A large building comes into view, and I start describing this new commodity to Kabir.

"That'll be the Pokemon School," Berns says after I finish. "Children from all over Alola come here to study Pokemon."

"Really? The building looks old, though. I thought your League only started not even two years ago." I say, tilting my head to one side and thinking about the Schools from our old home of Johto.

"It did..." He sounds confused by the comment.

Kabir, catching on, explains. "Usually, Trainers challenge gym leaders to battles to earn gym badges. When they gather eight, they can enter that area's Pokemon League. The Pokémon Schools where we come from were established to help would-be Trainers bypass the long trek around the land collecting badges. If a Trainer chooses to attend the School, they can qualify that way to enter the League should they graduate."

"Oh, I see," Berns responds thoughtfully. "Well, that certainly is interesting. The School here is simply for learning about Pokémon and teaching the children other important life skills so they can pick a profession they enjoy when they get older."

I look over at the School again and see a group of children practicing with their Pokémon in the yard. "There's a Charizard, Eevee…and…oh, that must be a Tsareena." I pause as the cabby confirms my guess. "It's tall with magenta legs and body, a white midsection and face, and long green, leafy frills falling down the back of its head. What is that large blue and white Pokèmon?"

"Um," Berns pauses, glancing at the schoolyard. "Oh! That's a Primarina."

I describe this one to my husband as well.

"You know, you two should think about teaching a class or two at the School. I bet Principal Oak would be more than pleased to have a couple of overseas Professors as guests." Berns comments afterward.

"Yes!" Kabir responds eagerly, sitting up at the comment. "That sounds like a wonderful idea. It would be so much fun." He turns his eager, sightless eyes towards me and continues.

"I wonder if he would allow us to sit in on a few classes as well. I would love to see what the education system is like here." He reaches his hand out in front of him, and Tinsel flops onto his lap, shoving her blue head into his hand for a pat.

"Yes. It would be fun to teach and watch a class." I agree, reaching over to the affectionate Sylveon and giving her head a scratch as well.

"If you two catch me again, let me know how it goes. I've got a little one myself, though he's too young yet to be going to School." The cabby says. "But hey, you should come over once you have settled. I know the missus would be thrilled to have you over for dinner, and the little tyke would love to meet your Pokémon too."

"Absolutely, we will," I respond.

"It would be our pleasure," Kabir adds, smiling broadly.

We continue to travel on, with pleasant conversation interlacing with the descriptions of the sights. Berns throws his own knowledge in as well, kindly telling us names of the new Pokemon and giving us spans between certain places, like a popular restaurant, the Pokemon Center, and other useful shops from the distance of the town entrance.

When we finally come to a stop, he spends a few minutes writing down the information for us on a piece of paper and hands it over to me. "Sorry, I can't write that down in Braille for you, sir." He says, turning to my husband.

"Oh, no trouble at all. Sashi can transcribe it for me when I need it. Though I've been blind all my life, so I've grown to be pretty good at judging distances, and Tinsel here will be able to keep me on a straight path if my wife isn't around to keep me on track." Kabir responds conversationally with a slight chuckle at his own words.

Then he continues, always eager to have a chat. "In fact, Sashi and I started our careers out as Pokemon Trainers, and we've traveled all over the world, usually walking or riding our Pokemon from town to town. So I'm actually rather used to foot travel."

He starts to end his monologue when I place my hand on his arm, though, ready to get inside. I could also tell Berns' was getting antsy to leave, seeing as he was still on the clock.  

"Thank you, though, very much for writing down all the information for us anyways. There's a lot to remember; moving to a new place and having the directions on paper will be very useful." He finally finishes.

"Oh, good. I'm glad to be helpful. I've written down my own number and address as well." He points to the mentioned areas on the paper for me. "If you guys have any questions or you just want to pop over for a visit, feel free. I've got to get back to the airport, though, so you guys have a good time getting settled. Don't be strangers!" He clambers back into his seat, then gives the reins a shake calling out a few words to his Tauros, and they begin to make their way back up the road.

Kabir, the Pokemon, and I all turn towards our new home.

It's wide and tall. So tall, in fact, that there are four levels to it. The main floor is flush with the ground at the front, then a second floor containing three bedrooms plus a sizable master's bedroom. Above that is the large, empty attic. Finally below all of this is the basement, which actually has a door leading to the backyard.

There's a fence around the entire property, broken in some places and completely missing in others. We'll be fixing it later, knocking down some areas and raising higher fences around the side that edges along the sea.

The property held several acres of land that stretched far back behind the house. I hadn't seen it more than what the pictures had shown me, and I was too tired yet to have any desire to go exploring. Even my ordinarily adventurous Delcatty didn't leave my side to check out the new place.

I stand and stare at our new home for a moment, but movement in the corner of my eyes catches my gaze. I look over and see a lithe feline shape. The body looks similar to that of a Persian, but instead of the golden fur, this one is grayish-black. The face is also strongly different, being rounded and puffy.

I watch as the cat Pokemon glares at us, hisses, then slips under the fence, sprinting towards the city we just left.

"Looks like we finally made it," Kabir says, reaching out and patting my arm. Tinsel's ribbon, as usual, was guiding his hand, but the movement was so natural with her help that you could nearly assume the young man was fully sighted.

"I don't know about you, but I could certainly use a nap." He continues, giving my arm an affectionate squeeze.

"Alright then, tough guy," I tease my husband, giving him a gentle punch on his arm. "Let's get inside before we fall asleep standing out here."

We head inside, drop everything on the empty living room floor. We wrap ourselves into our sleeping bags like a pair of Metapod, wriggling around on the ground until we find a comfortable position on the hardwood floors. Hop and Tinsel snuggle up between us, and we finally begin to drift off.

[dangandidlyronpaimgines]

NDRV3 Victims meet Killer

Trial 1

As she felt the cold darkness of death approach her, Kaeda smiled.

Perhaps now she could apologize to Rantaro

When she opened her eyes next she was no longer on the giant piano, she was in the fluffy clouds

She looked around, where was she?

Then gasped and clutched her head in pain as forgotten memories returned

She had... this was all..

“Hey Kaeda are you alright?”

She looked up (when had she closed her eyes?) to see Rantaro looking at her in concern

Rantaro...

She felt tears well up as she hug him tightly

“Rantaro! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to kill you.. I... I...”

“Hey.. it's okay. You only wanted to kill the mastermind right? You didn't mean to kill me.” He held her close to him and rubbed her back. “Besides.. you weren't the one to kill me Kaeda, you were wrongfully executed.”

“W-what!” She looked up at him startled. She.. she hadn't killed him?

“I'll tell you everything I know... your past memories are probably going to start to come back soon.. Let's go relax somewhere else. Hopefully no one will come soon.. but since this is Danganronpa...” He shook his head. “Anyways we can greet them when they come but for now you need to sit down for a while.”

Rantaro held out his hand in front front of him

“Let's go Kaeda.”

She looked at his hand for a second before slowly wrapping her hand in his

“Okay.”

Trial 2

She couldn't help the scream that escaped her lips as she fell

She failed.. she failed.. she couldn't protect her people she was a failure, a failure

And god was she in so much pain, make it stop!

As the pain started to fade away she gasped

“Hey Kirumi are you okay?”

That voice, it couldn't be..

Yet as she opened her eyes and looked down and behold there he was, Ryoma the one she murdered.

She opened her mouth to speak but a gasp of pain was all that escaped her as her head started to pound.

“It's alright Kirumi the head pain is normal. It's a sign that your memories are starting to return. Anyways we should go to the others.. we were all worried about you especially since how brutal your execution was..”

He held out his hand to her.

Why...?

“Why?.. Why are you being so nice to me? I killed you! I drowned you in your own lab!” She yelled out in confusion, her normal calm facade gone

To her surprise Ryoma let out a low chuckle

“So what? You had a reason to live while I had none. I understand why you did what you did. I forgive you Kirumi. So let's go back to the others alright?”

He forgave her.. just like that.. what a minute others?

“Do you mean.. Kaeda and Rantaro are here?”

He nodded

“Yup it seems they have been watching out for us. I'd be rude to keep them waiting ya know.”

She stood back up straight and looked down at Ryoma with a small smile

“I suppose you are right, we shouldn't keep them waiting.”

And she grabbed his small but powerful hand in hers and he lead her to where the others were waiting

Trial 3

I'm so sorry I failed you sister

That was the only thought that echoed throughout his mind as the world began to turn black

He couldn't do it, he couldn't send her 100 friends

And then his pain dissapeared and his vision returned

“HIYAAAAAAAAAH!”

Actually no now the pain has returned as something kicked his chest sending him down to the ground

“Nyahahaha! I think you were a bit harsh on him~”

That voice!

He opened his eyes to see his two victims, Tenko and Angie standing in front of him

Angie had a small smile on her face as she looked down at him while Tenko just huffed

“He did kill us you know!”

“Forgive and forget, that is what Atua is telling me!”

As the two argued he got back up and looked around

Clouds, clouds were everywhere the eye could see bathed in a golden light

“Are we perhaps in the afterlife?”

He questioned the arguing duo

Angie smiled at him and nodded her head

“Yup, yup! Isn't it wonderful!”

Tenko crossed her arms

“Yes it would be wonderful if we weren't dead! At least I can watch Himeko from up here..”

His eyes widen

“So we can watch what happens to the others from up here facsionating.... Urgh!”

He held his head as pain started to form from within it

Tenko looked down at him with a sigh before doing something he would never expect, she helped  him up

“The head pain is normal it seems from what the others tell us it's your lost memories returning to you.”

She drapped his arm around her shoulder as she helped him up

“Ooooh! That's right the others are waiting for you Korekiyo! We should go meet them!”

Angie exclaimed as she grabbed his other arm to help him up

He couldn't understand why they were helping him.. he just murdered them in cold blood and now here they were helping him

“Why...?” 

Tenko just looked away from him so Angie was the one who answered

“Because we are friends silly! Besides it's not your fault you killed us!”

And with that the two girls helped him walk to where the others were waiting

Trial 4

Gonta was crying

Even as the pray mantis stabbed him

Even as the fire was burning him alive he was crying

He just could not believe..

He.. he killed Miu..

So when the pain stopped and it seemed he was no longer being held up he simply fell to his knees sobbing

“Hey idiot! What are you crying for! If anything I should be the one bawling my eyes out not you!”

He opened his eyes to see Mui standing right in front of him, her hands on her hip as she glared down at him

“Mui! But.. Gonta thought..” He stood up in shock

“Yeah well you did strangle the shit out of me if that's what your thinking. But hey now we're both dead.”

So he did..

Gonta couldn't stop the wail that escaped him as he pulled Mui into a tight hug

“Hiiieeeeh!”

Mui was not expecting this one bit as she gave a startled reaction

“Gonta so sorry! Gonta not gentleman at all! Gonta don't know why he did it!”

“A-alirght! I get i-it now put me the fuck down!”

Mui yelled and he complied but as he did a strong pain flowed into his head

His hand clutched his head as the pain continued to throb

“Aaand there's the memory pain huh?

Mui stated to Gonta's confusion

“Memory?”

Mui brushed him off and sighed

“Anyways get up you big lump the others are waiting for us.”

“Others?”

“The other bozos who died, you still remember them right? So hurry up and let's go!”

With that she got up and began walking away

“H-hey! Wait for Gonta!”

And with that he followed her

Trial 5

Kaito couldn't help the smile that crossed his lips

He did it, he saw space..

And in some way be managed to beat Monokuma

But as his world faded away he heard something he never expect to hear again

“Nishishishishi~”

He opened his eyes wide in surprise to see Kokichi standing in front of him

And on instinct he slugged him straight in the kisser

“Owww! You see me again after killing me and you decide to punch me? I guess I kinda deserve it though”

Kokichi rubbed his jaw as Kaito looked around

“Where.. where are we?”

“Welcome to the afterlife Kaito~” Kokichi announced smiling at the confused Kaito

“W-what?”

“I mean how else would you get to speak to me. I was squished remember~” Kokichi giggled at his stun face. “Anyways at least you got the last laugh on Monokuma riiiiight.”

“Yeah I guess..”

Kaito rubbed his neck awkwardly as he looked around.

Clouds were everywhere.. were they in the sky?

“Hey Ko-”

“Anyways as much as I would love to answer all of your dumb questions, the others are waiting for you!”

Before Kaito could question him his head began to throb

“Ow.. he-”

“Aaaand there's the headache~”

With that statement Kokichi grabbed the confused Kaito's arm and began to drag him forward despite his protests

Trial 6

Tsumugi didn't expect anything to happened as she was crushed

Kiibo was just happy that he managed to help the other survivors escape 

So when they both woke up to see clouds everywhere they had no idea what happened

Kiibo took a step away from Tsumugi, glaring at her slightly

“What have you done now? Where are we?”

Tsumugi merely sighed

“I don't know... this wasn't a part of the plan but I understand why you don't believe me.”

Kiibo opened his mouth to speak but stopped as he saw a figure approach

“Well well... welcome to the afterlife you two.” Rantaro drawled out as he looked at the two

Tsumugi paled and took a step back while Kiibo's eyes widen

“R-rantaro but you..” Kiibo stopped talking as he realized what happened “Is this a form of afterlife?”

Rantaro nodded

“Everyone's waiting for you two you know... don't know why they decided to send me”

“E-everyone... they want t-to meet me for.. revenge right?” Tsumugi stuttered out

Rantaro sighed and ruffled his hair

“Sure some of us are angry.. which is understandable.. but.. most of us just want to talk..” Rantaro trailed off and looked away

Kiibo moved forward ready to meet the other students but Tsumugi remained where she was

Rantaro smiled and Kiibo and began to walk him towards the others but then he stopped and turn towards Tsumugi

“Take your time.. I understand why you don't want to meet the others right now.. but we'll be waiting for you.”

And with that they both walked away leaving Tsumugi with her thoughts

[thecreativeangel]

Hurricane (Peter Parker x Reader)

Peter Parker x Fem!Reader

*Please don’t plagiarize my work, thank you :3*

Summary: A battle against Thanos leaves your unconventional family even smaller and more divided than ever. As you dig through the rubble to find their bodies, tempers flare at the slightest touch, including yours and Peter’s. 

Warnings: This oneshot is based off of Hurricane by Flurie, I highly recommend you check her out. Definitely swearing, and MAJOR angst. Describes blood, gore, being ripped in half, losing loved ones, death, Thanos being a lil shit, going mad... I cri so much, my poor bby’s. 

Word Count: 1647. That’s... less than I usually do...

Your could feel their hearts hanging in the air, chipping apart to splinters. How does a person begin to describe how icy cold and searing hot the pit in your stomach is when all you want to do is vomit until the pain goes away. There was no time for tears, not for you. You, who desperately yanked at Black Widow’s arm, the only part of her exposed under the chunk of concrete that crushed her legs. Every pull was another sound of flesh ripping as you separated her upper and lower body, the blood beginning to pool into a puddle, dirtying the toes of your shoes. With one last jerk, you and her upper body skidded back, your butt landing painfully on the destroyed sidewalk, a few feet away from the largest pile of rubble. What remained of Natasha Romanoff wasn’t much, but you had to lay her next to the others. You had to.

So, you dragged her limp half form across, the smears of blood intersecting with others. There would be no proper funeral, but years of mourning. She was laid next to Captain America, who’s cracked in half shield was already loaded on the Guardian's last getaway ship. You couldn’t bring yourself to leave their most precious belongings, it would be sin, absolute sin. Rocket payed no attention to you as you placed Black Widow’s pistols down next to Captain America’s cracked shield and trudged back to the wreckage. It was harder than ever to keep your composure, almost impossible. This was harder than you knew it would be, but you held your strength in the most when wearing thin. Take everything in slow; that was the only way not to break down right now, that was what Natasha told you before she died.

Thor was standing over Loki’s body. You didn’t know if he was crying his soul out or silently brooding because it would hurt too much to look him in the face. Gamora and Starlord huddled together with Groot under Gamora’s arm, watching Mantis sit over Drax, weeping loudly and muttering like a crazed person. She had been trying to heal him for two hours now, pressing her bloodied hands against the hole above his heart as if she had the power to make it better. You guiltily decided she had gone half mad with anguish, most likely for good. Wanda Maximoff was lying on a stretcher in critical condition, but at least she wasn’t in heaven with her brother yet… Bruce Banner was now standing over Natasha’s half corpse and you joined him, not knowing what else to do at the moment.

“You didn’t have to tear her apart.” He murmurs dryly, still looking down at her. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Bruce…”

He whipped around to you suddenly, his skin tinted green. “I COULD HAVE FUCKING DRAGGED HER OUT MYSELF.”

His voice echoed across the abandoned street and you shrink back. Banner unclenches the fists at his sides, bringing his hands up to rub his temples and you choose this moment to slink away, tears pricking your vision.

Reaction wise, Peter Parker the worst of them all. You approached him at Iron Man’s body, the man and the suit separated, but you didn’t know which looked worse. He heard you come closer, curse the enhanced senses, and wheeled around, pale in the face and red in the eyes.

“Are you going to take the suit.” It was more of a statement that a question, harsh and dead.

“Who cares?” He says, twisting his mask in his hands. “‘Cuz I don’t. I don’t care what happens anymore. I don’t care if his body fricking rots here, I don’t care if Thanos shoots me down himself.”

“Great way of thinking.”

“Yeah?” Peter asks loudly, temper flaring. “How ironic to hear that coming from you. What did you do to save him?”

“Don’t-” You say stepping closer. “Don’t give me that shit. I-”

“You failed!” Peter yells harshly. He never yelled at you. “We all failed! I could have done instant kill and I didn’t because I was fucking scared!”

“You’d have died if you activated instant kill,” You counter, trying hard not to explode. The temper had to be kept inside, fragile and composed, but still inside.

“I DON’T CARE!” Peter roars, grabbing your shoulders and shaking you roughly. “MR. STARK WOULD BE ALIVE NOW IF I HADN’T BEEN SCARED!”

“Shut up with your mourning!” You seeth, regretting every word of defense that was uttered. So close to breaking down, you ached to let him in, to tell him you understood. “You’re not the only one-”

“Who did you lose?” Peter asks incredulously, throwing his hands up. “No one, because you’ve got no on-”

You shoved him back with all your strength. He didn’t know the several times your life nearly ended because he was never there. Peter was never there when your hurricane came, he never knew. Your anger was several times the flame, too much for you to take, your mind roaring at you to tell him, to make him know what he missed. Tears were streaming down your cheeks, but they weren’t sad tears, they were angry. Furious. Livid because…

“HOW FUCKING DARE YOU, ASSHOLE!” You scream, pushing him back again. “I LOST NATASHA! SHE ADOPTED ME, CARED FOR ME WHEN I WAS LIVING ALONE ON THE FUCKING STREET, I LOVED HER LIKE A MOTHER AND YOU STILL BITCH? HOW’S AUNT MAY, HUH PETER? HOW’S SHE DOING, SAFE AND HAPPY IN BOSTON?”

You gasp for air, loving to let go of the poison inside you. The sky evening sky burned red against your skin, ashes falling like a eerie rainfall. Words flowed out of your mouth, mixing with relief, weakness and self doubt. Peter stepped back, stiff as a board. The world you knew, the world you kept to yourself spun and churned around him in the wind. This was it, your hurricane had broken loose, the weathervane spinning out of control, fragile and exposed. There was a pained look on his face, but then again, that only scratched the surface of what he was feeling. The worst possible moment you chose to break down and give into the ache, letting him in. It’s all you knew, all you ever knew was this hurricane, standing there, rooted to the ground. Ashes were falling slow, dense like a pouring rain.

Peter moved. Rushed forward and tackled you in a hug, squeezing you like letting go would mean instant death.

“Let go,” You mumble stubbornly in protest, attempting to pry his arms from around your waist. Peter would deal with the pain like you did. Now both of you would know the hurricane. He would fall apart slowly under the pouring ash rain, just like you did. “Let me fucking-”

His sob made you forget everything. Peter Parker was sobbing into your suit, his chest spasming in heaping cries, burying his face deeper in the material. Peter Parker was broken.

“I’m s-sorr-” He couldn’t finish before another convulsion and he wailed pitifully, hiding against your shoulder.

“It’s-” You cut yourself off. It wasn’t okay, nothing was okay. You watched his emotions flow, regretting everything, because it was just Peter, after all. After this, he wouldn’t stay the same, but you didn’t ever think of how it would change him. You watched his emotions go, knowing both you and him would never be the same. Everything was messed up, beaten, burned, obliterated, but those words weren’t comforting. “It’s okay...”

Peter responded with a muffled wail. “Peter…” You murmur softly, running your hand through his messy hair, over and over. “C’mon, we have to-to go. You shouldn’t l-look at him an-any more-”

You were weeping harder now too, choking on the salt water that poured down your cheeks. Peter heard your distress and raised his head, cupping your face in his hands and brushing away the flow with the pads of his thumbs. It didn’t help, the tears were still coming in streams, but then he gave you a watery smile and you couldn’t help but mirror it, staring into his red rimmed eyes.

“Who’s helping who, huh?” You murmur, causing him to chuckle. He would change, so would you, but you didn’t know how, and that was okay.

“I love you…” He whispers simply, pressing his lips against yours. You respond immediately, the kiss tired and lazy, open mouthed with the absence of lust. Right now, all you and him needed was a bit of hope and a lot of love, just enough to glue the shattered pieces back together. You close your eyes and grip his sides tighter, cherishing the moment of peace.

You pull away, taking his hands off your face and lacing his fingers together with yours. “We’ll rebuild the Avengers.” You suggest. He tries to turn behind and look at their bodies but you force him to look at you.

“We’ll rebuild the Avengers.” You repeat firmly, staring into his eyes.

“I know we will.” Peter says softly, tearing up again. Here you were, building yourself up again after such a defeat, like a true warrior. He was beyond proud. “We’ll be different after this, y’know. I don’t know how we will change…”

“Stay with me then,” You whisper. “We can save them, if we try.”

He squeezed your hand and sniffled. “‘Course we will. We always do.”

And so it known to you and him that life has a funny way of restarting itself. While everyone else is living peacefully, some take on the job of bringing the peace at the sacrifice of their own sanity. In a hurricane of heartbreak, misery, torture, pain and suffering, all it takes is to find the tiny drop of hope that, in your case, came in the shape of a lanky sixteen year old boy named Peter Parker.

[violetsystems]

#personal

There was a definite shift in the general vibe of things this week however weird it remains to be.  The plague of statement based street wear is that I always read into everything I see on my commute.  Thursday morning it was a shirt that told me to be positive in pink cursive font.  Knowing how to gauge signal to noise is always harrowing.  If you err on the side of optimism sometimes you create your own magic.  The first photo op with the preying mantis was a surface level joke of unknown origins.  I can never be sure if it’s random or not these days.  What matters to me is my personal reaction to things.  After the second pass it was apparent to me that a living thing had been brought to my attention.  I grabbed a Jun Takahashi shoebox from my office and a file folder.  I squatted down in front of the giant windows in front of work while people watched puzzled.  Scooped the mantis up and delivered it to the park outside of the museum.  Took some video.  I saved a bat a couple of years ago outside of work.  Brought it all the way to Northerly Island during a heatwave in a styrofoam cup.  Nobody remembers that but me.  I remember why I did it.  I’m always motivated by safety and respect for living things.  I may not follow through enough to get noticed or have my own tv show.  But the act of helping in these situations does bring about a sort of revelation in my head.  The way things are in Chicago it’s always hard to tell if it’s the universe sending a message or something far more sinister.  The mantis mates and kills.  I guess I didn’t have a lot of time or equipment to verify this particular mantis’ gender.  I did read a National Geographic article that pointed out the exaggerations statistically.  I have a history of gardening.  I am for lack of better terms a gardener.  I enjoy nature and observe often.  The moon flowers I planted outside years ago only bloom outside of my kitchen window for some reason every morning.  I’m probably more of a druid than a warlock in real life.  I feed feral cats at my doorstep every morning and sometimes get a nudge in the calf muscle.  What all this means to me is that I’m kind and caring regardless of how people judge me in person.  I’ve learned people are just anxious and hurt most of the time in that respect.  They lash out.  I’ve also learned to stay out of the way and in my own lane however overgrown with foliage it is.  As secluded and quiet as my life has become I don’t feel all that alienated.  I arrived at this point by setting up boundaries for both myself and society.  Maybe the year before was more about training myself.  This last year has been about showing people what I am really about.  As much as I shy away from fake, rehearsed bullshit there are moments when I perform in plain sight.  It’s called living life with love, care and intention.  It goes ignored often.  It’s confusing to some people when they can’t intimidate you the way they want.  Things just fall into your orbit magically like you are docking at the International Space Station.  It’s a long difficult process that takes patience and focus.  But in space no one can hear you scream.  Unless they have the security clearance to share the same close quarters with you.  Then there’s really nothing to be screaming about. at that point.  The hardest part is over.  Though I am exhausted enough to sigh deeply at what lies ahead.

Everybody wants to know the path they are on is not a waste of time.  I can remember as far back as college  where I sat hovering over tarot cards in a dark room.  I read from the Thoth deck mostly because of the art but also because of Carl Jung.  I was focusing on English and Psychology at the time.  I would read into the cards to try to find a deeper meaning.  I read a lot about Jungian archetypes and Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey.  I grew up on Star Wars and G.I. Joe but was raised staunchly anti-war.  Years later I drifted into a job and a career and stayed there.  Over two years ago I decided to quit drinking and start exploring New York.  This was after five or six years travelling back and forth to Asia by myself trying to kick start a dead musical identity.  It’s mind numbing to think about this much failure this early in the morning.  I’ve been playing magic the gathering more seriously in the past two years than anything.  I lose ninety percent of the time.  In some people’s eyes I’m a joke and in other’s I’m something they’re inspired by.  Neither of those really affect me all that much anymore.  I do see a lot more Undercover these days in the streets in terms of fashion.  I’ve been wearing that stuff for years and fading into the background ironically I guess.  The feeling I’ve always settled into was that I simply was not good enough to be noticed.  That feeling can be toxic and lethal to your dreams.  It’s the first onset of negativity and it can speak volumes.  So the real mind fuck is that you ultimately are the one to choose whether or not it is worth it to stay on the path you are on.  Following your dreams is as easy as it sounds.  But there’s no shortage of people to point the finger at them and tell they are unrealistic.  There’s always deeper reasons behind the discouragement.  Just like there’s different ways to read into different things.  Your frame of mind shapes the probability of where the pendulum will swing ultimately.  You put your own miracles in motion.  Miracles that people would rather see fail because it knocks them out of the equation.  I wouldn’t argue that a higher level of thinking might be at play.  Let alone a higher power.  But what you do with the insight is on you.  You take the leap of faith or you sit in your room and wonder if you are good enough to be a friendly neighborhood spider-person.  Having the calm and mental acumen to take the step is another thing entirely.  Is your shit really together?  Stress is all around us.  Doubt is what we’ve come to expect.  Everyone is afraid to lead and I can empathize.  Sometimes you need to walk away from everything that really is a waste of your time.  You can hear the screams of judgment in the distance.  I think I’m so much better.  I didn’t do it the way you expected.  I broke the rules to a game with no rule book.  I made them up as I went along.  And somehow got lost in Jumanji forever.  Thanks Sony.

Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey always ends with the Hero coming home transformed.  How many ever adventures you go on with a positive mindset will change you after awhile.  People take that a little far when they follow me to the grocery store on my lunch break.  But Chicago is where I have lived for over two decades now.  You never realize what all has built up around you.  What blooms in front of your face and under your nose after awhile is anyone’s guess but your own.  You can see the signs and feel the rhythm of it.  That you’ve built something up from all of this.  But maybe you want more.  Maybe you demand it.  Maybe you won’t settle for less.  Some people close a chapter and feel like they’ve written the book.  Some people the saga draws on and on with no end in sight.  Some people feel their life is over and some people feel like it’s just warming up.  For some people the hero’s journey never ends.  It’s the very cycle of life.  The hero starts within you.  We all know what we look up to.  We all know the things we are inspired by.  We all know the pride before the fall maybe.  We all don’t always get back up again.  Years ago I took it upon myself to motivate me to become something inspirational if only to myself.  I ran great distances.  I helped tourists.  I gave my kindness to animals.  I found what made me happy within the limits and tested them.  A hero that comes home to their own city and razes it to the ground doesn’t leave much room for witnesses.  I fought a lot of battles here in Chicago.  Maybe even some in New York.  And still there’s always someone to question it.  How they’re better.  Talking instead of listening.  Speaking instead of doing.  The English language in America is a luxurious waste of time when nobody cares if they are understood.  People explaining the explanation over and over again.  Arguing the minutiae of details without ever tackling the problem or implementing a solution.  They’re afraid to fail.  They’re afraid to break down in public and look at themselves.  To see yourself as a real hero requires you to see in yourself the opposite.  I’ve been more miserable than anyone can know.  I’ve faced my loneliness head on and saw some ugly things.  I had self doubt planted in me on so many levels.  It was up to me to detach from it.  And when you lead through the trees you are almost always the first one out of the forest.  It’s a very lonely feeling to know where you have been.  But when the forest clears and the sky is wide open you you can either take a deep breath or sigh and look away.  There were times when I wasn’t ready to take in the entire horizon.  These days I’d rather get lost in it from my kitchen window.  Sure in space nobody can here you scream.  But we’re both here down on Earth where I hope these feelings catch a breeze and eventually reach your window.  I hope it’s still warm enough wherever you are to receive it.  I know it’ll get there eventually.  This is the planet we call home after all.  And I’m glad I get to share it with you specifically.  However far away it seems you are the heart is always a great place to start.  <3 Tim