#this basically became a mini fic outline

[allbluedepths]

I'm a fan of truth serum trope fics, but for something slightly adjacent to that: something (magic/actual serum/Devil Fruit) that makes the recipient "truthful" in that they lower their emotional walls. Nothing extreme or unrealistic, but enough to make typically reserved individuals much more open and vibrant with their expressions.

Aka, the perfect target for this is Mihawk. Doubly so if Mishanks is involved.

Mihawk gets hit by Devil Fruit powers that inflict this during a Warlord mission. Already not great. Also not great: in a rare occasion of pre-planning visits, he's already made plans with Shanks to drop by an island they're docked at nearby. He could just not go — Shanks would understand, albeit be disappointed — but Mihawk uncomfortably realizes he doesn't want that. (Worse, he knows that disappointment is showing on his face, far more obvious than it’d ever be otherwise.)

He arrives at the Red Force, attempting to get himself out of the crew’s view as soon as possible to avoid any mishaps… but seeing Shanks himself gives it away, if the warm smile that instantly blooms across his face says anything. Despite the distinct embarrassment he’s feeling as he registers the crew’s reactions, he expects Shanks to be ecstatic, to finally have the chance to see Mihawk just as free with his emotions as Shanks is.

But Shanks hates it. That’s obvious to everyone, in both his sudden clenched jaw and a brief flash of haywire haki. He shooes everyone away and swiftly takes Mihawk to his cabin with orders for Beckmann to keep everyone well and truly away.

They get to Shanks’ cabin. Mihawk is confused, and a bit hurt, and he knows it's showing because Shanks looks both guilty and upset as he explains: Shanks doesn't hate the idea of seeing Mihawk being expressive, but he hates the fact that it's not Mihawk's choice. He respects and loves Mihawk as he is, he always has, and he doesn't take pleasure in seeing his rival-lover-everything beheld to someone else's will.

(He also admits, more embarrassed than his usual lack of shame allows, that if Mihawk was going to be stuck like this for a bit, he selfishly wants to keep him all to himself despite what he just said. Because he’s spent so long coaxing out every little reaction and savoring them, and now Mihawk shows up on his deck smiling widely at him in front of everyone, and he knows that’s not right but—)

Mihawk cuts him off with a kiss and a smile that’s brighter than normal but just as warm as his usual, private ones for Shanks. Of course he would react nobly like that. (And if his possessive streak does something for Mihawk… well, that’s his business.) He manages to save some of his dignity and express it more in his usual manner, but he wouldn’t have still come if he didn’t trust Shanks with this new development. (His expression definitely gives him away this time, though.)

Point being, they end up spending the day or so while it wears off holed up together, without Mihawk feeling the need to fight it off as he would outside the cabin or answer anyone’s prying questions. Shanks keeps his word and doesn’t invoke any strong reactions — but he does mentally preserve the image of a truly relaxed Mihawk, content to bide his time reading and napping in his bed.

(And if Mihawk eventually suggests some other activities in bed to take advantage of this short-lived change… well, they’ve got a whole day to burn.)

[mrslittletall]

fic writer self-recs

tagged by: @misskriemhilds (thank you and sorry for taking forever to do this)

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favourite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers.

Alright, without further ado, let's begin:

A Storm is coming (Dark Souls) This fic came to be because I was stuck with another fic of mine and frustrated and was like "Okay, but what would happen if Ornstein followed around the Chosen Undead during the second half of the game?!" I wrote the first chapter and added chapters whenever I felt like it and then this thing had over 40 kudos despite them not having gone on the adventure yet and I was like "??? Where did'ya all come from???" And then I started to put effort into this fic. My Chosen Undead, Tempest, grew into a proper OC. The story became a clear structure and outline. And the relationship between the two grew into a slowburn mutual pining romance. That is my most popular Dark Souls fic and I consider it my Magnum Opus as a writer. I sometimes write these two still for one-shots and they always always are so easy to write. They feel like a part of me now. Thanks so much to everyone who gave this fic a chance and stayed with it. Thank you so much.

Keeping it together (Dark Souls)

This is the fic I was stuck on and why I started to write Storm. It is basically about Ornstein dealing with Artorias' death. Horribly. I had a hard time myself during writing this, living through burnout. The year 2019 was my year to heal from everything and I made good effort but then... well, you know what happened in 2020... Anyway, I struggled a lot with this fic, but I think the last chapter of this is the best chapter I have written in my whole writing career. And it only happened because I took a deep breath and then suddenly everything was clear and I knew what I had to do. Off Balance (Hollow Knight)

Ah, another case of "I am writing this on a whim." This fic came to be because of some art of teenage Hollow and I was like "Oh, I want to make fic to this art". I first thought it might be a one-shot but I got ideas and continued and then it turned into a full fix-it and PK redemption arc. You can see in this fic how it grows and the characters with it. You can see how I make WL from sad mother to the queen she is, how PK grows into the role as a father but never stops struggling and how Hollow turns from the Pure Vessel into a child that enjoys life. This fic was extremely well received and I regurlarly receive kudos on it. I am coming back to this universe, I promise. It was just... after 2022, my life turned into hell. Hollow, Pendry, Rydellia, you are waiting for me, right?

Frenzy (Bloodborne)

Is that one of my best works? Honestly, it isn't, I really need to rewrite parts of it. But it is very dear to me. The idea was "What if Laurence got too close the Amydgala and turned into a catatonic state as result?" It was an exploration of the Frenzy status. Mostly from the caretaker POV of Ludwig and a little bit of Laurence (because he is not really there most of the time in the fic). I did quite some research on the topic but I vomited out this fic in a week (YES, REALLY), so it is pretty rough around the edges. Ranni and the horrible, annoying, obnoxious Tarnished (Elden Ring) I got this idea after the Mini Ranni quest in Elden Ring. I was like "Wow, she needs someone that shuts her up." And then I though "Hm, I need a Tarnished who can annoy her to no end." And who was grinning at me?! My version of Laurence (Bloodborne), who can be a horrible annoying obnoxious asshole! So I made an Elden Ring version of him and wrote him into this story. And it WORKED! This fic actually got quite some numbers. I guess I am not the only one who wanted to annoy Ranni xD Alright, let's see how many fic writers I can think of tagging... @within-its-cave @ruthlesslistener @deluxinn @redsixwing Go on, give your fics some love!

[sortanonymous]

Meta Knightmare Masterpost

Now the story of a team of heroes undergoing a journey like no other, and the namesake who had no choice but to lead them through all the action, chaos, heartbreak, miracles, and glory.

(Basically [the outlines of] an odd reimagining of a do-do-ton of Kirby games from the perspective of Meta Knight and his messed-up crew)

Yes, it really took me this long to make a masterpost. I'm not happy about that either.

The Main Tetralogy (AO3):

I - The Quirky Origins

II - The Insane Following Stuff

III - The Later Roller Coaster

IV - The Unforgettable Star-Studded Finale

mini knightmare side stories (AO3):

1 - A Mission Already Running Sharply on Fumes

2 - Our Little Miracle

3 - Happy Birthday, My Blossom

4 - If Only All Dreams Could Come True

Extra Fics (AO3):

Outtakes (Deleted, Alternate, and Pre-Update Scenes)

Meta Knightmare Art (Tumblr):

First Drawings of 5 A-Teamers

Meta Knightmare Stuff Tumblr Posts (Lore Dumps, Info Dumps, etc.):

How Sectonia and Taranza Became Pikiria's Parents

How Max Found Susie

Pikiria Info Dump - Part 1 (plus both my and Aiden Stolidus's drawings of her)

Other Meta Knightmare-related Tumblr Posts (Memes, etc.):

Meta Knightmare Presents: Total Halberd Island (Total Drama Parody Idea)

"Finding Nemo... IN SPACE" Meme with the Haltmanns

[rockinlibrarian]

37 and 47 for the get to know the fic writer ask

Thanks for asking! Anyone else is welcome to ask from here!

37. How do you choose where to end a chapter?

I like my chapters to have a complete arc, beginning middle and end, where you can clearly say "This is the chapter where--" or "This is the chapter about--". It's, gasp, ALMOST like an outline. Don't tell me of ten years ago I've started almost-outlining! But yeah, if I know I'm writing something multichapter (and the times I didn't and I ended UP with something multichapter, the first chapter WOULD have been a complete story in and of itself already!), I'll have like a Scrivener page for each beat of the complete story, so I go in, like, "This is the 'Do Re Mi' section," and then I focus on getting that part of the story out-- so if Maria is going to start teaching music to the Hargreeves children, I need to use the beginning of the chapter to show the status quo, then show how Maria starts to play with that status quo by bringing music in, then show her efforts fully taking off and transforming the children's training and lives. What happens next is Sir Reginald's reaction to these events, but that opens up a whole new can of worms, which is why HIS reaction begins the NEXT chapter, which then becomes the chapter about Maria proving the success of her methods to him, ie "'The Lonely Goatherd' Section, In Which The Children Put on a Show." Maybe I'm cheating with this example since I'm using the beats from a movie somebody else wrote first, rather than coming up with these beats myself.

So let's look at "Exploration of the Astral Plane" instead, which has chapters helpfully titled things like "In Which Oliver Goes Dreamwalking and Gets Lost." Originally "In Which the Summerlanders Try to Host an Intervention" and "In Which Astral Walking Is the Only Solution" were supposed to be the same chapter-- In Which Oliver's Friends Know His Astral Walking Is Getting Out of Hand But They Can't Stop Him-- that wasn't the title, it was going to be the Hosting an Intervention Part-- but the story was getting too complicated as I wrote, so it became one mini-arc about them confronting Oliver and (briefly) succeeding, then a SECOND min-arc about how that brief reprieve ended.

Anyway, I'm not sure I actually answered the question. The actual END of each chapter, while completing the mini arc of the chapter, might just hint at things to come-- some foreshadowing of mood, so you get the Intervention chapter ending with Oliver sighing and saying "If only to prove to you that you’re overreacting..." so you get the sense that this really ISN'T the end. Or the Do-Re-Mi chapter, rather than hinting at anything, ends with a somewhat surprising reveal, so it's more like a punchline than foreshadowing, not in a joke way but in an adding some PUNCH way.

I don't do many straight-up cliffhangers. I guess because I like having the chapters self-contained that way.

But yeah, I've spent too long on one question, on to the next!

47. How many times do you usually revise your fic/chapter before posting?

Eh, I'm one of those people who revise as they go. I can't decide if this is a Bad Habit that keeps me from JUST FINISHING or if it's just the Way I Work. I lean on the former when I find myself just rereading and rereading and not writing anything new! But I also really like revising, it's really just a part of writing, so maybe that's why I do it the whole time.

I do have at least two separate drafts usually, though. When I have MOST of the chapter/story drafted-- there are usually SOME gaps, but I know basically what needs to happen in each of them-- I print it out. Then I can do a sentence-by-sentence close revision-- the change in format helps me see things I didn't before, and often helps me fill those gaps, too. After that revision gets transferred back to the computer file (sometimes with re-revisions added in process), I'm usually ready to post. But there will be additional drafts if I use a beta, which I do usually only when I'm not sure if things are flowing or fitting together properly and need an outside set of eyes to make sure it actually makes sense. (Shouting out to @steeple-sinderby and @versaphile for performing these vital functions in the past!).

So right. I'm a little verbose when I answer ask questions. But don't let that stop you asking me!

[yoonia]

Hi again Dia! About EANA, I just saw your latest poll and I have a couple quick questions. Could you explain what a masterpost is? Like are they just teasers for every fic you write or is it like a taglist? Sorry if it’s a dumb question. I’ve read your fics for 2-3 years now and I feel embarrassed that I still don’t know everything haha😅 Also, how many cats do you have if I may ask?

Don't feel embarrassed!! It's really okay to ask.

So basically, the story masterpost contains the summary/story synopsis and the chapters (including chapter titles and later on, I'll also add chapter summaries too as small teasers), link to the music playlist, the visual concept, and lists of any Patreon special content if there is any. I'll also be putting the story notes and author notes there so I won't be clogging the individual chapters so much with my personal rants lol. The link to the story taglist will also be placed in the masterpost to separate it from my permanent taglist

I wasn't planning to create this as a series/mini-series btw. But looking at the outline, I thought it would work better this way so the readers can enjoy the story better while giving me some space to finish the story in small sequences

About my cats. As of now, I have 5 cats overall. Zorro, the oldest is turning 11 y/o this year. Ozzie and Nonna were supposed to join my ex-roommate when I moved, but my boyfriend fell in love with Ozzie so I took him with me and Nonna is staying with me until my ex-roommie is back from travelling. Then there are my recent foster fails, the bonded sisters, Mino and Bibi. They were supposed to have a brother named Bobby who didn't survive pneumonia last Oct and the sisters became bonded over the heartbreak. I couldn't separate them (I couldn't find anyone who would adopt both) and Zorro practically adopted them so they're staying with us permanently :')

ps. I'll be posting the story masterpost in a couple of hours. I was supposed to put it on queue last night but some things needed more editing and I won't be able to finish it until I'm off work T^T

[sailorgreywolf-legacy]

Haiiii I’m new to this blog but an avid consumer of the sailorwolf blog so I was wondering about Mexico’s relationship with spain or even a master list about them would be greattt

First thing, anon, I am so sorry for how long this took for me to answer. Between irl stuff, a mini break from Hetalia stuff, and wanting to give you a proper answer, it took me some time.

What I am going to do is give you a timeline of the relationship and try to point you to the relevant oneshots and drabbles. But the biggest caveat I am going to give you is that the best way to get their story is to read Legacy. It's the main fic on this blog; it's about Mexico's life. But it is also 60+ chapters long, so it is a time commitment. It is linked in the pinned post.

Also for reference, any time you see Ale mentioned on this blog, that's Alejandro (Mexico.)

Here is the basic outline:

Spain came crashing into Mexico's life through the conquista. Which was a kind of rocky start, but Mexico was a very charming child who Tony felt attached to from the moment he laid eyes on him (their first substantial interaction is in Tierra Firma, Mexico's baptism during the trip is here)

After a long boat ride, little Mexico came down with smallpox. Which you can find in this one. Which made Tony even more attached because he became anxious and worried.

There's some time while Mexico is in his late childhood/early teen years where Tony is just his tutor and guardian. But every single one of the colonies knew that Mexico was the favorite. Tony made no secret of the fact. (here are some oneshots of that period: When Mexico is in his early teens, At Christmas)

Then things change when Mexico hits his late teens, and Tony starts seeing him in a very different light. For Tony's realization that he's sexually and romantically interested in his colony see Forbidden Fruit.

Roderich noticed Tony's interest in this one. He didn't initially react with much hostility, since he assumed that it was natural that Tony would take interest in someone who was always close to him.

There was some time before the relationship became sexual, you can see Mexico attempting to set boundaries here.

But for Tony it quickly became an emotional affair that he prioritized over his husband, because he saw his favorite colony as his gift from God and their relationship as something with divine favor (he directly says that here and here) Roderich got increasingly frustrated with it, as you can see here.

One of Roderich's stipulations was that it had to be private, and it was anything but. Tony had a tendency to give very public gifts and be rather affectionate in public. People knew about it, as shown here.

It's a very complicated relationship, Antonio can be very affectionate like here after a nasty shock or after an earthquake or after some kidnapping on Arthur's part. But their relationship has a large age difference, and Tony has absolute power over his colonies, so it is coercive either implicitly or explicitly (this oneshot should give you a sense of that)

At times Mexico could also be quite affectionate, like this one. But all in the context of a massive power imbalance, which always underlies their relationship.

Antonio was also very jealous. He reacts poorly when Mexico gets too close to anyone else. Like Turkey or France. He can get quite abusive when he doesn't get his way, and he can with that power dynamic.

At one point after the divorce with Roderich (which was highly influenced by the relationship with Mexico), Spain did propose.

I am not going to get into Mexico's independence, since that is the bulk of what Legacy is about. But Mexico does declare independence, and the relationship ends.

They don't really discuss it much until the Spanish Civil War, where Mexico provides aid, and he stays with Spain while he recovers. (This oneshot is about that period)

If you want even more with them, here’s Spain’s chapter in the Anthology of drabbles I am compiling: link

[peaceoutofthepieces]

Sink Or Swim - VDS Season Fic

Coming October 10th

Summary: Jens is beginning to feel lost—left behind. His friends all seem to be moving on at full speed, and he’s stuck. Even the parties, the skating, the weed, all no longer feel like enough. More than anything, he’s starting to feel alone. He’s swimming through mud—and it’s only a matter of time before he sinks.

Lucas is suddenly disconnected. Even though he’s only moved a train ride away, he feels like there’s an ocean between him and his old life. He’s been dunked—dragged—suddenly underwater, and he can’t seem to make his way back to the surface.

When the two boys collide, they begin to wonder if they’ve sunk as far as they think—or if they’ve just been waiting for the right hand to pull them free. 

Masterlist 

Details under the cut!

So....this is my mini announcement. I’ve been wanting to do this fic since the very beginning. As in, this idea has been in my head basically since I discovered Van Der Stoffels, and definitely before I became active on this account. ‘When I Live My Dream’ was initially my way of portraying this idea—so if you want some hints, you know where to find them! I know it’s been done a few times by now, but I couldn’t simply let this go, and I hope you all like my spin on their story :) So, here’s some proper info on it!

It will start on Saturday, October 10th! It will be released like a real SKAM season i.e. in ‘clips’ that are released in real time (by Belgian clock) with the full ‘episode’ posted on ao3 on either Friday or Saturday, depending on the time of the last clip and the time I have to post.

It will mostly follow the outline of a general Evak season and run for ten weeks with the last clip being on Friday, December 18th.

There will not be daily clips, but there will be 7 clips per week. Clips alternate between Jens and Lucas’s POV.

There will also be, like SKAM, extra social media content and texts posted between clips. I’m not sure how I’ll do this on ao3 — but it’s likely the texts will only be included, in transcript form. So if you want to see all the little bonus details, you’re best to follow it here!

There will also be a playlist for the season, with songs given at the beginning of each clip and a Spotify playlist updated weekly with the songs. The link to this will be posted on Friday (October 9th) with the music for the first week!

I’ll be tagging every post ‘#vds season fic’ and ‘#sink or swim’ to make it easier to follow. There will also be a masterlist, but this probably won’t be kept perfectly updated, so the tags are likely the best bet!

I think that covers things, but if you have any more questions, please let me know!

[sokkasangel]

will you do me the honor?

»»——— sokka x f!reader

summary: sokka & the reader are stargazing & start to ramble about the far future.

warnings: none

word count: 800

a/n: the reader is already an integrated member of the gaang in this fic. also this is a request by the lovely @queenofmankind !

»»——— masterlist

day three with no sleep.

you’d been counting the days since this new side adventure began. aang overheard a merchant spill about a once-in-a-lifetime meteor shower four days ago. the trip to the earth kingdom was long & arguous, so the everyone was excited for this distraction.

sure, sokka argued once in a while about timing, but after seeing how passionate the rest of the group was, he changed his tune. however, katara teased he only stopped badgering because you were the most excited out of all of your friends.

but seeing meteorites & talking about them are two different things. without the location or timing of the shower, this distraction soon became more stressful than the whole lord ozai ordeal.

each night, appa would land on a plateau or mountain, high above hindering clouds & tree lines. everyone kept their eyes peeled. you’d all sit in a circle, staring into different sections of the dark sky.

but nothing came.

“well, maybe it’s supposed to be tomorrow,” katara suggested each morning after a sleepless night.

so flash forward to day three. your eyes are bloodshot, & they hurt. aang & katara refuse to use their energy on bending. & poor sokka can barely walk, let alone say one understandable sentence.

on the verge of giving up, the gaang decided to rest in the lowlands of a nearby mountain range. it was mid-afternoon, so most of the group took light naps to gain some energy.

when you awoke a few hours later, the sun had already set. you panicked. what if you missed it? when was the next time you’d see a meteor shower?

you rose & tried to wake aang. he rolled over & muttered something garbled. poor baby.

you moved on to katara; you knew she wanted to see the shower badly. you shook & shook her, but it was no use. she was out of it.

then there was one: sokka.

it’s not that you didn’t want to be alone with sokka. you did. you really did. it’s just that you didn’t know how to be alone with him. it was always friendly between the two of you, but after a quickly shared kiss in the northern water tribe... your relationship seemed to be nothing but awkward.

there was so much unsaid. he still has that thing with suki... & did he even want to be with you like that? you two never made anything official.

but nevertheless, you weren’t going to deprive him of a potential good view. you turned away from his sister & sat next to him. he was curled up in his sleeping bag, snoring. & loud too.

you silently chuckled & moved a few strands of hair out of his face. he looked less crazy & energized when he was asleep. you traced the bridge of his nose with your finger, & then his jawline, & then his lips.

it wasn’t a bad kiss. not at all. it was actually kinda perfect. it happened before the gaang left the northern water tribe, when a straggling fire nation ship pulled up to the wall.

“i call dibs!” sokka yelled, as soon as he saw the red flag. when aang & katara gave him a look of concern, he replied, “cmon, i got this. don’t worry!”

he ran a little ways ahead, but then suddenly slowed his pace. he stopped, turned around, & made a beeline for you. because he was running, he basically crashed into you.

and before you could register what had happened, he grabbed your face & kissed you. it was soft & passionate & long overdue.

“i’ll be right back,” he said pulling away.

you had hoped he’d ask you out after dealing with the ship, but he never did. those feelings just merely lingered in confusion.

& so now you sat, outlining sokka’s face.

after realizing how weird this was, you decided just to wake him up. you were forced to do this multiple times before, so you were an expert.

you shook his shoulders, which caused him to stir. then you tickled him, making a loud laugh erupt. he immediately sat upright & begged you to stop.

you sat back admiring your triumph.

“not funny,” he said. he unzipped his sleeping bad & crawled out. “why’d you have to wake me up? it’s not even light out!” he gestured to the sky.

“well, i was going to give up on the whole meteor shower thing, but i have a good feeling about tonight.” you stood & offered your hand, which s sokka took hesitantly. “i couldnt wake the others, so it’s just us.”

you led sokka aways to a small opening in the wooded lowland. it was a perfect little circle. a few lightning bugs made way for you two. looking up, you noticed the tree line parted, allowing a good of the sky. you laid down on the grass, & sokka mimicked you.

it was silent for a couple of minutes. neither one of you knew what to say. you focused on a few constellations you recognized.

finally sokka spoke up.

“i wanna build a house.”

you laughed. “sokka, i think you need more sleep. you’re talking nonsense again.”

“no, i’m serious. i wanna build a house, maybe somewhere secluded. a little ways from town.” he didn’t look at you while he spoke, he kept his eyes on the sky above.

“okay?”

you followed a lone lightning bug across your line of view.

“&... & i want you to be there.”

what? what were you supposed to say? is he being serious?

when you didn’t respond, sokka kept going. “i wanna live with you in the house i’m gonna build. i- i want you there. a-and maybe after a while, there will be three or four mini-me’s & mini-you’s running around.”

“sokka...” you turned onto your side to face him. but he still refused to look at you. “you mean all that?”

it sounded perfect. more than perfect. a little life with sokka was all you wanted.

but what if this was a prank? was aang & katara hiding in the trees, waiting to jump out & say “ha! you thought!”?

or what if he was settling? suki wasn’t here, but you were. did he just miss her?

no, he’s not like that. is he?

the avoidance of eye contact made this worse. you couldn’t read his face. & you started to panic.

all you wanted was laying right in front of you. he was right there. it was all right there. in your grasp...

but you had your hand extended out fully. it was up to sokka to close this gap. would he quit talking & leave it to how it was? was this your fate with sokka? just meaningless conversations with underlying tension?

“of course i mean it!” he threw his whole body forward. he sat up & threw his arms up at the stars. and finally... finally he faced you. he stared right into you. and it almost seemed as if he was keeping himself from jumping to you.

“i’ve always meant it! i just didn’t know how to tell you.”

[constantly-drawing-daleks]

did you plan everything in "The Exceptionals" or do you come up with ideas on the go?

Aww good question! :D Well I’ll try to tell this from the beginning without rambling, but I feel like the whole story needs to be told.

Basically this started when I was at one of my best friends’ houses for their birthday with another bestie and we were watching Doctor Who when the Daleks In Manhattan two-parter came on and I hadn’t seen that in AGES so I was really happy. This was before I acknowledged it was my favourite two-parter in the whole damn show. We all chatted about things we analysed from it while watching and had a great time, although when Dalek Sec got killed at the end (despite me expecting it) I almost fucking cried.

A few days later that bestie and I were at this group we go to where everyone draws comics and stuff, and I drew a kind of crappy sketch of Sec freaking out at using a tommy gun, so we got to talking about the episodes again and I let loose about how salty I was and would forever be that a character I found so interesting and honestly kind of sweet got killed off needlessly. My friend agreed and we talked about it for ages, then about other concepts we would have loved to see in the show. I remembered an old fic idea I once had and told him about (which I won’t explain in detail for now yet because spoilers, but is hinted in the story description!), and it turned out he’d once had a very similar idea! But then it was HIS idea to combine those ideas with what we both wanted to do - save Sec. We came to realise it would only take one little change in the theatre scene to set things in motion and so that became the idea for the first chapter.

From there, we met up in Waterstones the very next day and spent most of that day planning out nearly the whole outline of phase 1 of the story, which is now completed and up there and I can’t bloody believe it! We planned out basic details of characters we wanted involved, some of which haven’t been introduced yet, and we wrote down basically as much as we could of phase 1 in advance which would take TWO YEARS to complete. Honestly we can both come up with ideas and interactions but if it wasn’t for this nerd’s ability to fire out words a ten times the speed I do, I don’t think the fic would have ever started. Fun fact: We were at Waterstones until pretty late because we decided to join in on their Harry Potter night… dressed like Time Lords.

So yeah a huge amount of it is planned in advance and I actually have the next 19 or so chapters/mini arcs written down in a notebook that we came up with together. When it comes to chapters we may come up with small ideas in chunks and write them down for later, but they’re mostly planned when we come to them and with a bit of ad lib thrown in during writing. The whole of the next chapter is bullet-pointed and I’m busy right now trying to flesh out some dialogue and stuff. If you ask nicely, I might even see if it’s okay to reveal what the next chapter is called ;)

If you or anyone else has questions feel free to ask here OR go ask at @theexceptionalsart which I made for the fic. And here, have a selfie from the day at Waterstones! Ahh, nostalgia.

[phantom-le6]

Ramble of the month July 2022: Marvel Contest of Champions – Round 1 of a fan-fic based hero-on-hero clash of Marvel heroes

For July’s ramble, I’m back on the world of Marvel, but this time dealing with a whole different hypothetical scenario to the one before.  My initial Marvel-related Rambles of the month have all been focused on correcting and then developing the meme-fodder concept that was an alternative MCU started in the 1990’s.  This time, we’re looking at something else that’s more literary in its origins than cinematic, and something that I imagine will spark a fair bit of debate among any Marvel fans who happen across this article.

 Several years ago, before I started coming up with original novel ideas to start writing and developing, I had given up on the idea of being an original writer in favour of fan fiction.  However, as with many of my past literary efforts, I over-planned, creating a massive alternate version of Marvel lore.  So daunting was the idea of actually writing this massive continuity that I’ve all but totally abandoned it, but one concept has gone beyond its original fan-fiction parameters.

  Years ago, Marvel created a special publication known as the Contest of Champions. In this three-issue mini-series, a number of superheroes from around the world were chosen by the alien being known as the Grandmaster to compete in some sort of contest with the incarnation of Death for the life of the Collector.  Originally intended to commemorate the 1980 Moscow Olympics, the narrative was altered and released two year later because America refused to compete in those games, an act of protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in late 1979.

 Since this time, there have been sequels and adaptations of the contest, but none of them ever returned to anything resembling the original intent of the original series, which was to commemorate the Olympics.  Because of this, the idea I had for this contest in my fan-fiction world was that it would occur with Olympic-like frequency.  Once every four years, the Grandmaster would pop up and cajole all/most of Earth’s active hero community into competing against each other. Sometimes there would be a worthwhile prize for victory or a threat to be avoided by agreeing to the contest, other times it’d be some form of mental control making the heroes fight despite them not wanting to.  Whatever the rationale, the size of the hero population and its members would vary each time, which combined with changes to format, location, etc. would prevent the concept getting stale.

 Back at the beginning of the Covid pandemic when home-schooling became a thing everyone had to do, I posted a set of images on my Facebook page of the initial bouts in the first of my fan-fic contests.  The idea was that if parents I knew were struggling with things to keep their children busy and educated, and if those children were Marvel fans and old enough, they could ask them to analyse who would win the bouts I’d come up with.  Whether or not anyone actually did this, I don’t know, but since I never worked out for myself who I would have win the bouts, I thought it would be fun to go back and do a ramble, perhaps even multiple rambles, going through those bouts and working out the winners.

 Now for this, I’ll be doing what I hope anyone else looking at such bouts would do. In other words, rather than just arbitrarily picking a winner based on personal preference or telling a specific story, I’ll be looking at things from an impartial examination of key factors. These include powers and abilities, any weaponry/gadgets carried by default, perception biases and the fundamental nature of each character.  The analysis will also have some influence from the narrative outlines of my fan-fiction plans, so knowledge of events from any other Marvel continuities and their impacts aren’t going to factor in.  Also, as this would be the first contest, we’re looking at very basic knock-out fighting bouts between the heroes in plain, basic, gladiatorial arenas, so environment will mostly not be a factor either.

 So, without any further ado, let’s proceed to the first of a total of 16 bouts in the first round of this initial Contest of Champions:

Bout 1: Black Panther/T’Challa vs Falcon/Sam Wilson

Now before I get into this initial bout, I’m going to point out that all of the match-ups were random draw because I think the most interesting match-ups occur when it’s up to chance instead of being based on classic comic-based rivalries of who is stronger out of two heroes with super-strength, who is the faster speedster, etc.  With that in mind, our first bout pits the first Black superhero in comics history against the first African-American superhero in that same history.  It’s the king of Wakanda versus Cap’s high-flying partner.  Not too obvious who the winner would be at a casual glance, so let’s dive into some analysis.

 From a powers and abilities point of view, T’Challa is the classic trained-from-childhood warrior king, whereas Sam (at least in my fan-fic this is working off) started off as a part of gang in his teens, did a tour as an army paratrooper to get out of that life, and then became the Falcon and an Avenger not long after coming back to his old neighbourhood to work as a social worker. As such, neither is a slouch in a combat situation, but T’Challa has the edge in powers because his body is enhanced in various ways by the heart-shaped herb.

  Next, weaponry.  Sam is a trained falconer with a psychic link to his feathered partner Redwing, so in effect Falcon comes with Redwing as a kind of living weapon on top of his wing-suit, which in my fan-fic world is a Stark-tech invention.  By comparison, T’Challa is rocking a Vibranium-weave combat suit with claws and various weapons that use the same energy-absorbing metal.  As such, he’s at little risk from Redwing’s talons and beak, and since Vibranium can release any energy it absorbs under the right circumstances, it’s easy to see T’Challa taking both his foes out just with what he’s got to hand.

  Now to consider the psychological factors.  Neither combatant is going to be in the dark on who their opponent is; Sam’s in the Avengers by this point and T’Challa’s a major head of state as well as being a superhero.  As such, there’s no perception errors to bias either of their mind-states.  However, Sam won’t have the level of education T’Challa has, especially in combat and tactics.  In other words, sooner or later the Panther will ground the Falcon.

Bout 1 winner: Black Panther.

Bout 2: Mister Fantastic/Reed Richards vs Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff

As I write this bout’s analysis, I’m trying very hard to avoid spoilers on the new Doctor Strange film, but I am aware from memes there’s an encounter between these characters.  However, since I’m looking at a fan-fic world I started tooling around with long before that film was even announced, even if I had seen the film by now it would make no difference.  So, let’s consider these two characters from the reality I’m dealing with.

 In terms of powers, you’ve got elasticity versus the more classical concept of mutant (not mutate, but mutant) hex bolts.  Both characters are quite capable in the use of their powers and there’s no obvious advantage in pitting one power against the other.  However, this is where abilities tell a different story. Our Reed Richards is still very much a top-level intellect, potentially the smartest human in the world, and he’s got a huge level of scientific knowledge combined with nearly four years’ worth of experience leading the Fantastic Four.  That’s a lot of academic and combat smarts to pit against a young woman just going to university after a few months with Magneto’s Brotherhood, followed by just under three years being educated at Professor X’s school as a potential X-Man.

 When you look at the characters in that context, Reed’s greater age and life experience combined with his intellect and greater combat expertise gives him a sizeable advantage over a relative neophyte like Wanda.  Weaponry and gadgets don’t enter in for either character, so we’re swiftly on to the matter of psychological factors.  Now in my fan-fic, the F4 have pride of place as first superheroes out of the starting blocks like they did in the comics, so as a still slightly impressionable woman in her late teens, Wanda’s going to be adversely impacted by a bit of being star-struck going against the great Reed Richards.  By comparison, Reed is someone who comes at things from a position of near-total logic, so he’s not going to have any biases working against him.  He’s also going to have a good idea how to take Wanda out even without tech to hand, whereas Wanda may not have been taught exactly what she needs to overcome someone with Reed’s powers.  All in all, I’m seeing this as a clash that only runs as long as Reed needs it to, and it’ll be him walking into the next round when it’s over. 

Bout 2 winner: Mister Fantastic

Bout 3: Doctor Strange/Dr Stephen Strange vs Psylocke/Elisabeth Braddock

Speaking of Dr Strange, our third bout pits the master of the mystic arts against another of Xavier’s prospective X-Men from his “first class” of the fan-fic world, the telepathic Brit known as Psylocke. At this point, Betsy Braddock is still in her original White Brit incarnation and not yet subject to the body-shift plot that changed her over to an Asian body, something only reversed in the past few years in comics.  As such, we’re pitting her original powers as a telepath that can generate psi-blasts against Strange’s myriad array of spells.

  Given that spells are as much about mental prowess as any gestures or arcane artifacts, and Psylocke is a mind-reader and mind-blaster, she’s going to have a slight edge over Strange in the powers area.  After all, he’s probably going to need to take time incanting or gesturing to pull off any psychic divination whereas Psylocke isn’t so encumbered.  As such, one might think Strange could revert to physical combat as an alternative, using martial arts as an alternative to less reliable spell-work.  The problem here is the damage to Strange’s hands might make him less inclined to hit out with them, and so any combat skills Betsy picked up with the X-Men gain credence over Strange’s martial arts abilities.

  Going into weapons and gadgets, Psylocke is sorely lacking in this area while Strange has the Eye of Agamotto and the Cloak of Levitation.  The latter’s ability to fly does add to Strange’s combat options, but going airborne against a mind-blaster is perhaps poor tactics.  Bottom line, unless Strange gets a chance to cast a spell shielding his thoughts that can withstand Psylocke’s psi-blasts, nothing in this line really helps him.

  This then brings us to the psychological factors.  Strange’s world and that of the X-Men are both relative secrets, so that’s going to lead to ignorance on both sides.  However, Strange has a history of arrogance, Psylocke a history of being underestimated for her well-presented English upper-class exterior, and the latter is a telepath.  That means Psylocke can goad Strange into arrogantly under-estimating her before he’s even twigged to what her powers are, and that sets him up for a major fall. In other words, this fight’s the first one to be won by someone linked to the world of the X-Men.

Bout 3 winner: Psylocke

Bout 4: Thor vs Ms Marvel/Carol Danvers

If there’s one thing the MCU did better than the comics, it was to treat Thor as a character without a dual identity, so that’s the way I’m looking at the Thor in this clash.  By comparison, as someone who prizes the X-Men above most other Marvel creations, it should be of little surprise to knowledgeable Marvel fans that my fan fic would honour the idea of Carol Danvers being Ms Marvel, getting her powers swiped by Rogue and then Rogue turning to the X-Men, Carol getting other powers similar to her original ones, etc.  As such, this bout is more or less a movie-like Thor versus a 70’s-comics-like version of Carol Danvers.

 Now I say comic-like because the one power Carol Danvers had as Ms Marvel that I don’t care for as it was is that so-called “seventh sense” of hers.  As such, my fan-fic would have this power tweaked; instead of being a random pre-cognitive flash, it’s be more immediate pre-cognitive flashes during combat, with Carol “seeing” all the moves her opponent can make in the next few seconds, the clarity of each option being dictated by its probability.  In other words, the clearer and brighter the mental image, the more likely that’s what the other person will do.  Now combine that with the super-strength, flight and near-invulnerability, and you might think Carol has the advantage in powers.

  However, Thor is also strong and virtually invulnerable, and he can also fly, meaning both combatants are potentially even stevens.  In addition, Thor is bringing lightning to the table, and he’s got centuries of combat experience behind him whereas Carol is rocking only years of combat experience.  Add in the pair being team-mates, and Thor’s got the advantage; he can use his lightning on a wide-spread to force Carol into having to pick a wound instead of avoiding them, thereby negating her “seventh sense” ability.  Thor also has the advantage in weaponry, being armed with Mjolnir while Carol is unarmed and yet to manifest any kind of ranged fighting capability.

  This then brings us to the mental factors; Thor’s someone who has well-learned his lesson of humility, and he’s not going to be easily goaded back to arrogance, and Carol is a former military woman, so she knows how to keep her cool in combat as much as Thor at this point.  Neither would hold back much in combat, however, since they’re both warriors after a fashion, but ultimately Thor has a weapon, a ranged attack and a much greater degree of experience, so this fight is going to the Asgardian prince.

Bout 4 winner: Thor

Bout 5: Thing/Ben Grimm vs Captain America/Steve Rogers

This one’s the bout from Brooklyn; both Ben Grimm of the F4 and super-soldier Steve Rogers hail from this single borough of New York City, albeit initially separated by a few decades.  Power-wise, Ben’s got the edge thanks to his super-strength and rock-like skin, whereas Steve is rocking more comic-like power levels. In other words, a normal human at peak physical condition, but with a super-soldier serum that combats fatigue poisons in his system to give him incredible endurance and stamina. However, Ben is primarily a street-brawler whose fighting skills are a mish-mash of his mis-spent youth in the Yancy Street gang and whatever military combat training he got en route to becoming a pilot and astronaut.

  By comparison, Steve Rogers has more extensive real-combat experience from his time as a soldier in World War II, combined with his later experience working as part of the Avengers.  Combine that with Steve still packing the well-known Adamantium-Vibranium alloy shield where Ben is unarmed, and Cap starts to look like a slightly better option. However, the real edge comes from the psychological considerations; Cap is a living legend and most superheroes are more likely to be in awe of him than he is of them.  As such, even to someone with Ben’s military background and standing with the F4, there’s going to be a reluctance to fully commit to fighting the star-spangled Avenger.  As a result, Cap’s getting in an early win here.

Bout 5 winner: Captain America

Bout 6: Iron Man/Tony Stark vs Wolverine/Logan

Genius billionaire playboy philanthropist, or rather his perceived bodyguard, versus the best there is at what he does.  Iron vs Adamantium, Shellhead versus the “ol’ canuckle-head”.  Power-wise, Wolverine starts out at a major advantage; enhanced physique and senses and a rapid healing factor backed up by bone claws that have been coated in Adamantium along with the rest of his skeleton.  Compare that and his decades of combat experience to Stark’s tech brilliance and Wolverine has a clear and present edge.

 Where Stark can reduce that edge is mainly in the Iron Man armour itself.  His repulsor rays can put out high levels of force with each blast, and he doubtless has a few minor weapons that are mainly light and sound; ideal antagonists against a mutant who is vulnerable to sensory overload.  Moreover, the suit can fly and Wolverine lacks the means to hit someone at range, so if Iron Man stays at range, much of Wolverine’s advantage is nullified.

 As such, it really comes down to mental factors, and the simple reality is that for his efforts to be a man, Wolverine is very much a force of nature unto himself, and within that berserker side of himself lies the ability to overcome a Stark bereft of prep time and resources to create any customised Wolvie-buster armour. Sooner or later, ol’ shellhead’s going to get suckered and lose.

Bout 6 winner: Wolverine

Bout 7: Wasp/Janet Van Dyne vs Storm/Ororo Monroe

The size-changing young heiress and socialite among the Avengers taking on the X-Men’s resident weather-witch and childhood pick-pocket and sneak-thief.  Ororo is rocking a clear and present advantage in both powers and experience because although she’s another “first class” student now studying away from the X-Mansion at university, she’s already had to fend for herself in combat more than Janet Van Dyne ever has.  Storm is also a woman of keen senses, so it’s not like Janet going small can be argued as something to work in her favour.

 Psychologically speaking, Janet’s spoiled rich girl background and the naiveté that brings with it just seal her downfall.  She’s not going to give Storm much credit and put too much stock in her own status as an Avenger.  That’s going to be her downfall and, were I ever to get around to writing the fan-fic this is all based in, it would be a major learning moment in how not to be the brat her early comic incarnation and Avengers: EMH version were.

Bout 7 winner: Storm

Bout 8: Invisible Girl/Susan Storm vs Impasse/Dr Cecilia Reyes

For anyone who is wondering who the latter opponent is, Dr Cecilia Reyes was brought into the X-Men lore in the comics back in the late 90’s during the story arc known as Zero Tolerance.  Years later, she was somewhat mis-adapted into a villain role in the New Mutants film.  For those wondering about the code-name, that’s something I’ve added just because in my fan-fic, she’s one of a few proto-X-Men that are there just to give the “first class” some teachers who can train them and then split when said class is old enough to teach.

  Now both these characters rock force-fields as super-powers, but Sue can also turn invisible whereas Cecilia can’t, so that puts the advantage in the hands of the F4’s resident female member.  Combat experience would be roughly even between the two, and there’s no weaponry or gadgets to consider here.  This only leaves psychological factors, and that’s where Susan’s power advantage gets added to considerably.  Ultimately, Cecilia is as reluctant to be donning an X-Uniform and fighting here as she is in the comics, being more at ease in the areas of medicine and academia.  That reluctance means Susan is taking this clash of the force-field wielders hands-down.

Bout 8 winner: Invisible Girl

Bout 9: Spider-Man/Peter Parker vs Banshee/Sean Cassidy

The original web-head at about university age versus an X-Man with a background as a beat cop and an Interpol agent. Banshee’s greater experience certainly gives him a sizeable advantage over Spider-Man, but that’s then countered by the power comparison.  The Irish mutant is only in possession of a sonic scream, whereas our resident wall-crawler is bringing spider-strength, speed and agility to the party along with his wall-crawling powers and spider-sense.  Granted, the wall-crawling doesn’t have much value in an open gladiatorial arena, but that spider-sense can help Peter avoid any tight-beam sonics that get hurled his way.

 In the gadgetry area, Spider-Man has his web-shooters while Banshee’s suit is designed to exploit his sonic screams for flight purposes.  Spidey’s gadgets provide the major advantage here because one well-placed web-shot to the mouth and Banshee’s ability to fly or strike at range is nullified.  Well, at least for a moment; given time, Banshee could just hum at the right frequency to break down the webbing sonically.

  That then brings us to the psychological factors.  I don’t see Banshee putting his all into a fight like this and probably holding back due to perceiving Spider-Man as a relative youth, around the same kind of age as mutants he’s been teaching as part of being an X-Man.  That hesitance is something Spidey as a still slightly callow youngster at times would probably be less squeamish about exploiting.  Ultimately, though, I think that the spider-sense and putting a web-block on the sonics let Spider-Man win this one.

Bout 9 winner: Spider-Man

Bout 10: Ant-Man/Giant-Man/Hank Pym vs Hulk/Bruce Banner

Ok, so a clash of two size-changing scientists, but the rationale behind those size-changes is hugely different.  Where Pym shrinks or grows at will thanks to his tech, Banner is a gamma-powered rage machine, and his larger size is capable of being sustained indefinitely where Pym’s starts to cause health problems quite quickly.  Throw in the Hulk’s massive strength increase compared to Pym’s, and from a power perspective, the Hulk is in an immediate lead.

 Shift then to experience; Pym is a reluctant combatant and probably only has a few years of slowly getting whatever Captain America tries to clue him in on.  By comparison, the Hulk relies mainly on his strength but has enough cunning to be an instinctively effective fighter.  Pym’s advantage of being able to call on insects via his helmet is fully negated by the Hulk’s sheer might despite his inherent lack of weapons, and the Hulk isn’t held back by a distaste for combat like Pym can be.  In other words, Hulk smash.

Bout 10 winner: Hulk

Bout 11: Cyclops/Scott Summers vs Domino/Neena Thurman

Co-leader of the “first class” at the X-Mansion alongside Storm going up against a recent addition to the Xavier School faculty. It’s a teenage university student Cyclops up against the adult and experienced mutant mercenary-turned-X-Man that is Domino, in contrast to her more typical X-Force depiction of the comics. Powers-wise, Domino would seem to have any bout sewn up solely on the basis of her power being that she always experiences good luck.  However, good luck is at times relative, and any form of luck is down to there being multiple outcomes where one is favourable.

  Now Cyclops is a highly skilled tactician in most incarnations, so he’d know by now that in this case, a wide-spread use of his optic blasts would negate Domino’s luck.  Much like with Thor’s lightning, if multiple attacks or a wide-spread area-affect attack comes at you, good luck is ultimately going to be catching the light end of it.  With Cyke’s optic blasts, we’re talking about force blasts and not heat vision as some (Fox) mistakenly believe.  As such, Cyclops actually has a potential lead in powers, but that’s then countered by Domino’s greater volume of combat experience. Domino is also armed with a few firearms, though as an X-Men her ordnance would have to be strictly non-lethal. This also gives her an edge for a weaponry/gadgets point of view.

  Lastly, we’re up to the mental factors, and frankly I don’t see either character having anything adversely impact their performances.  The simple reality is that Cyclops isn’t going to win this one, and it’s a win for Domino here.

Bout 11 winner: Domino

Bout 12: Quicksilver/Pietro Maximoff vs Nightcrawler/Kurt Wagner

X-Men: Evolution fans will probably be excited to see Quicksilver and Nightcrawler clashing, since their counterparts in that animated series did occasionally face off in various X-Men-on-Brotherhood clashes of that series.  This time, they’re both “first class” alumni, and while Quicksilver is down in New York City at university, Nightcrawler’s studying up at the X-Mansion, not wanting to hide his appearance but not ready to walk onto a college campus as the blue-furred demon-like mutant he is.  Yes, I said furred, Fox-verse fans; that’s another one the films got wrong.

 Anyway, less context and more analysis.  We’re pitting super-speed against teleportation, agility and the ability to become near-invisible in shadow.  In some environments, Nightcrawler could take the advantage, but in an open gladiatorial arena, speed had an undoubted edge.  It’s not a big one, mind, as Nightcrawler’s teleportation is near-instantaneous, but multiple ‘ports in a short span of time can be a major strain.  As such, Nightcrawler will more likely be just delaying the inevitable in that regard.

 Experience is virtually identical, save that Nightcrawler as a junior X-Man is getting more regular training at the time of competition than Quicksilver. Weaponry is a non-factor as this is an early Nightcrawler who is not yet in the habit of routinely using swords while Quicksilver has never been a noted weapon-wielding hero.  Psychologically, Pietro is known for his perceived arrogance that is actually frustration at dealing with anyone slower than himself. However, Nightcrawler is not someone who might be inclined to capitalise on this in a hero-on-hero bout unless the stakes were high or he was being manipulated into this.  Ultimately, Quicksilver is winning this by not very much, and it would be a hard-won thing indeed.

Bout 12 winner: Quicksilver

Bout 13: Marvel Girl/Jean Grey vs Daredevil/Matt Murdock

The penultimate “first class” member and well-known telepath/telekinetic versus the man without fear.  My fan-fic world lets Jean start under her original code-name from the comics, advance to a grown-up analogue, and the Phoenix/Dark Phoenix saga comes late to avoid ret-cons, resurrections, etc.  As such, we’re again talking about a teenage mutant studying outside the X-Mansion up against Marvel’s resident blind-lawyer-turned-vigilante.  Also, for those who wish there were more people with red hair shown in fictional worlds, this is actually a battle of the red-heads.

 So, to consider powers first, Jean is bringing telepathy and telekinesis to bear against Murdock’s hyper-senses.  Suffice it to say, Jean’s telepathy alone gives her a major advantage here because it lets her read Murdock’s mind and anticipate his actions. Add in telekinesis for ranged attacks and it’s hard to argue for Matt having much chance.  However, Matt has more training in physical combat, his martial arts background with mentor Stick may include some mental defensive exercises, and his hyper-senses are probably not so easy for Jean to confuse psychically.

 Weaponry-wise, Daredevil’s billy club will most likely be nullified by Jean’s telekinesis, and psychologically, I don’t see either person being overly impaired by anything.  Heck, as someone accustomed to seeing beyond Xavier’s wheelchair or Cyclops at times having to work blind because of some optic blast scenarios, Jean won’t really hold back if she learns Daredevil is blind.  As such, and again this is going be a bit more of a hard-fought outcome, it’s Marvel Girl for the win.

Bout 13 winner: Marvel Girl

Bout 14: Namor the Sub-Mariner vs Human Torch/Johnny Storm

For those reading this without a wider grounding in Marvel Comics, Namor is the approximate Marvel equivalent to Aquaman, though there are a lot of key differences between the two, which I won’t go on about here.  Well, except for the points that matter in this bout against Johnny Storm, the last of the F4 to have a bout in the opening round of this contest.  Now since gladiatorial bouts on land are unfair for a character like Namor, who though amphibious gets strength-depleted if away from water for an extended period of time, we’ll be assuming that he’s wearing his black-and-gold outfit that keeps him hydrated while on land.

  With a relatively fair contest thus assured, let’s consider the powers at play. Namor is all about hydration-dependent super-strength, the ability to breathe underwater or on land, and thanks to tiny wings on his ankles he can even fly.  By comparison, Johnny Storm’s power is fire, including the ability to become a human flaming torch and fly.  Now on spec, Johnny would seem to have the upper hand since his flame powers can be used to dehydrate Namor and weaken him, but as other super-strength characters have proven, a super-strength clap can produce flame-extinguishing blasts of air, and Namor is stronger and still able to fly while Johnny’s flame is out.

 Experience is something weighted in Namor’s favour, as he’s older and longer-lived, plus growing up as an Atlantean prince combined with combat experience in World War II alongside Captain America means a lot of combat education. By comparison, schoolyard spats and then a few years with the F4 would be about the sum of Johnny’s combat knowledge and experience.  Neither would be bringing any weapons to the bout, and gadget-wise Namor’s uniform is as close as it gets just to keep things fair.

 This then brings us to how the characters match-up psychologically. Both have reasons to pull their punches; Johnny is always afraid of burning someone, Namor is enamoured on Johnny’s sister and not about to unleash his full strength on the young hot-head out of some Atlantean concept of honour and nobility.  Both characters are also arrogant, Johnny due to his F4 fame, Namor due to his royal nature.  Ultimately, this fight will go to Namor just for him being the more experience fighter and able to extinguish Johnny’s power before the first firebolt can be thrown. Don’t expect any battle-cry from Namor when the bout occurs, though; he’ll probably save his shouts of “Imperius Rex” for the next round.

Bout 14 winner: Namor

Bout 15: Hercules vs Thunderbird/John Proudstar

At this point in my fan-fic world, Hercules is a co-Avenger with Thor and some of the other, while the short-lived original Thunderbird of the X-Men is getting just a slightly longer life-span to make his inevitable fall in battle just that bit more tragic.  Of course, that’s a little way off after this contest, which from a super-power perspective is about pitting the strength of an Olympian demi-god against the overall enhanced physique of a Native American mutant. Hercules has a major advantage here, and likewise his centuries of experience outshine however many years Proudstar has spent fighting.

 In terms of weaponry, Hercules might have his mace to hand, but I think he’d more likely leave that to one side to give Proudstar a more sporting chance. Psychologically, Hercules might not be as serious about the fight as Proudstar due to his arrogance, and that will goad the Apache mutant to quite a high level.  This means that ultimately neither fighter will be going at this with a level head, but ultimately that will be something Hercules can compensate for and Proudstar can’t, so this fight will end up going to the prince of power.

Bout 15 winner: Hercules

Bout 16: Angel/Warren Worthington III vs Beast/Hank McCoy

Another clash in the ranks of the X-Mansion to end the first round, and it’s another student-vs-teacher clash, as “first class” alumni-turned-university student Angel dukes it out with his former instructor and soon-to-be team-mate Beast.  Now to clarify, this is an original-style Angel without any of his later Archangel powers going up against the blue-furred ape-like iteration of Beast. That means we’re pitting flight, slightly enhanced strength and hollow bones to allow that flight and some enhanced sight and hearing against the Beast’s strength, agility and intelligence.

  It’s hard to see a clear advantage in powers.  Certainly, neither has ranged ability, and while Angel’s powers work best in a hit-and-run capacity, the Beast is among the few characters with the ability to prevent the running part with the right acrobatic feat.  As such, it’s experience essentially breaking the deadlock, as Beast has a bit more in that regard than Angel.  Weaponry and gadgets aren’t a factor here, and psychologically, it’s not as though there are any outstanding mental traits to tip the outcome beyond Beast’s previously noted intellect.  It’s a matter of brains and brain combining to beat a high-flying foe for this last bout.

Bout 16 winner: Beast

So, that’s all the first-round bouts from this fan-fic-based Contest of Champions examined, and the winners determined on the basis of rational analysis, a skill many debaters of such hypothetical scenarios would do well to learn.  Depending on what other ideas I have for Ramble articles between when I’ve written this and the end of July, subsequent rounds may follow shortly or after I’ve tackled some other items.  So, until next time, ta-ta for now.

[creideamhgradochas]

Thanks to the lovely @bitsandbobsandstuff for taking the time to answer these! Get to know more about lovely Kris, go give her a follow and then show her some love!

These questions are from this list. You should check it out, there’s 50 questions all together and they’d be great to ask your favorite fic writer!

1) How old were you when you first starting writing fan-fiction?

Looking back, my first attempt at fanfic was probably when I was 11-years-old and I couldn’t wait for the next ‘Babysitters Club’ book to come out, so I wrote my own story. I think it featured Stacey McGill and horses. I really fucking wish I could find it… But honestly, I didn’t really understand the world of fanfiction until I joined Tumblr. So outside of those little forays when I was younger, I’d say it was last year when I realised it was a thing I could do and people might be interested, so let’s say my 30s.

2) Do you prefer writing OC’s or reader inserts? Explain your answer.

When it comes to fanfic, I prefer Reader inserts. They feel more inclusive and frankly, even as a writer it can be easier to imagine myself in the shoes of the reader character (so I can understand their thoughts and feelings and motivations), if I don’t have a specific name attached to them.

5) When is your preferred time to write?

Either first thing in the morning (coffee and morning air are excellent inspiration) or Saturday afternoons.

6) Where do you take your inspiration from?

Constant reading. I’m that nerd at the bus stop or waiting at the movie theatre or walking down the street with my nose in a book. I also try to draw on real life experiences/ situations when I can, it gives stories more texture.

7) In your Safe With Me fic, what’s your favorite scene that you wrote?

I’m going to be cheeky and say it’s a tie – the dance scene in Chapter 8 and the trigger scene in Chapter 15. The realisations they both had within the few minutes of their dance together felt like such a great payoff for everything up until that point, and I loved imagining Bucky in that black suit (and I just love that song ‘Run to you’). The trigger scene was so much fun just to  resurface and/ or create all Bucky’s memories, especially the ones with the Soldier…they were like mini-stories of their own.

8) Have you ever amended a story due to criticisms you’ve received after posting it?

Nope. Everyone has a different vision and every story is unique for a reason.

9) Who is your favorite character to write for? Why?

Clearly, I’m such a sucker for Bucky Barnes. 😊 His character has been through so many things over his lifetime, you can take him in a hundred directions and they can still feel true to source material (both MCU and comics). He can be a battle-weary soldier or a sassy little shit, and it all links back to some iteration of his personality at some point in his life – whether pre-WW2, Winter Soldier days, or now. I’d like to branch out and try others (or maybe other fandoms) at some point, but I’m content with him for now.

11) How did you come up with the title for the Safe With Me?

I knew I wanted the title to be a line of dialogue, because I like the symmetry of finding titles inserted in a story, and I knew I wanted it to be something ‘safety’ related, since that was the theme of the story. In Chapter 3, Bucky gives the reader a little speech at the end, telling her he’ll do anything he needs to protect her, and after re-working that a little, I came up with the ‘you’re safe with me’ line, and that became the title!

12) How did you come up with the idea for Safe With Me?

I wanted to try a series for a long time, but was always  so intimidated by the idea - I’m blown away by the writers on here who do so many series, the time it takes is nuts. For SWM, there were certain themes I personally wanted to find in a story - what it means to be safe, how sometimes evil people can live right next to you, the importance of mental health...all those concepts were used as foundations to the story and the colour was created around them. Sometimes things went in the direction I wanted, sometimes they took unexpected left turns as I was writing - I think you really have to be okay being led by your gut sometimes. Things like lemon drug or Tony’s tech or changing the purpose of the trigger words were random ideas that fell into place. My brain is a weird place to be sometimes.

14) Are there any stories that you’ve written that you’d really love to do a sequel to?

I’ve thought about doing something else with ‘Bless me father’ (still the strangest, weirdest, dirtiest story I’ve written) maybe a prequel or sequel, but still mulling over ideas.

16) Tell me about another writer(s) who you admire? What is it about them that you admire?

There are so many on Tumblr I love, but three in particular I would point out.

@a-splash-of-stucky: Elsa is a literal poet. The way she writes, the images she conjures and phrases she uses, are beyond gorgeous.

@justreadingfics: Ally can set up a scene like you wouldn’t believe. I am also in continual awe of someone who can write so beautifully when it’s not their first language.

@4luvofall: Cristina nails the dialogue every single time. Her characters are always a little sassy and a little funny, and I want to go drinking with them (and her). Outside of Tumblr, my favourite book is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and I would be happy to read Harry Potter every day for the rest of my life.

17) Do you have a story that you look back on and cringe when you reread it?

No stories, although sometimes I’ll read old dialogue or descriptions and roll my eyes a little! I think it’s important to read your old stuff and recognise how far you’ve come or how your style has changed.

18) Do you prefer listening to music when you’re writing or do you need silence?

I have a writing playlist that is mostly Sigur Ros and Sleeping at Last, with a heavy dose of movie soundtracks like Lord of the Rings. But sometimes, I put headphones in and just listen to silence.

19) Have you ever cried whilst writing a story?

I’ve gotten a little emotional at points, but never full on cried. I have sobbed like a baby while reading though, good lord.

20) Which part of your Safe With Me fic was the hardest to write?

I think the club scene in Chapter 12 was the hardest. The idea was to use the scenery and secondary characters and music to build the tension through the course of the night, until everything collapsed. Finding the right flow and making sure it didn’t feel too rushed was really hard, it took me a long time to work through.

21) Do you make a general outline for your stories or do you just go with the flow?

I tend to make an outline. For one-shots, it’s never long – just listing out the key points and scenes I want to hit. For SWM it was long – the outline was more than 15,000 words. Admittedly, I’m somewhat Type A, so I need structure to function. 😊

23) Do you have a story that you feel doesn’t get as much love as you’d like?

Probably my first Stucky story, ‘The language of a kiss’. I was hesitant to post it – it wasn’t long after I read ‘Not easily conquered’ which was one of the most mind-blowing literary experiences of my life. I love the story and have gotten lovely comments on it, but I think AO3 tends to be a better place for Stucky stories, Tumblr leans more toward Reader insert.

25) Are any of your characters based on real people?

Yes! The reader for ‘Safe with me’ was based heavily on yours truly! Most of her dialogue came very easy because it’s how I speak in real life (full of F-bombs and insults that rarely make sense). Some of Bucky’s dialogue and sass was based on my husband, the way those two bickered in the story was pretty close to real life.

26) What’s the biggest compliment you’ve gotten?

Some of the compliments I’ve received for ‘Safe with me’ have been genuinely unbelievable. Several people have said the story inspired them to write again, which I’m so excited to hear. The biggest compliment though, was probably someone telling me the story helped ease them through a depressive episode in their life. That hit particularly close to home and I can’t express how happy I was to hear that.

29) Do people know you write fan-fiction?

My husband and a few close friends. The first time I told my best friend, who is not remotely into fandom, I gave her ‘Safe with me’ at chapter 12 and she read the entire thing overnight and by 8a the next morning I was getting texts saying “are you awake and if so are you writing because you can’t do this to me.” Hearing someone with no interest in Marvel say that was pretty fun.

30) What’s you favorite minor character you’ve written?

Definitely Riz in ‘Safe with me’. I picture him hanging out in his little kiosk in downtown Manhattan, playing Candy Crush and watching the world go by. He has to have some great stories.

31) What spurs you on during the writing process?

Deadlines! I work so much better under pressure. If I ever had to write a thesis, I would wait until two days before it’s due.

33) Can you remember the first fic you read? What was it about?

I think it was the ‘Worth Fighting For’ series by @serzhantkris. The plot was based on Mulan, and followed the reader who took her brother’s place in the army during WW2 - she went though basic and got deployed and captured as part of the 107th. She was a feisty and amazing character, and I’m always a sucker for 1940s Bucky. The story is broken out across the three Captain America movies and it is seriously breathtaking – sweet, cheeky, full of action, and completely heartbreaking.

34) If you could write only angst, fluff or smut for the rest of your writing life, which would it be and why?

I think I’m going with angst. I like being able to dig into something and maybe cause a little pain in the process. 😉

[eloarei]

Tagged by @chocochipbiscuit to post my current WIPs. Thanks, Choco! (lol this is going to be self-indulgent and painful XD;)  (As with Choco, I also have more bits and blobs and ideas than I know what to do with, but I’ll focus on the ones that have a remote chance of ever getting finished.)  Active WIPS (I have at least opened the document in the past month and I honestly intend to finish them this year.)  In order of recently modified: OP CM BB -- "One Piece, Cobymeppo, Beauty&Beast" I mean, it's kind of what it says on the tin: it's vaguely a Beauty and the Beast AU. (Factoid: this is at least the 3rd or 4th fanfic I've written based on friggin' B&B. It's my favorite fairytale and I'm weak.) Currently at 12.5k (when did that happen?!) out of, I dunno, 18k? I honestly never intended to write this. It just sort of happened-- and kept happening, which is the weird part. I'm liking it though. Factoid #2: there are a lot of dogs in this fic. JD LLW -- "Jak and Daxter, Love Like Winter" 100% inspired by the AFI song, I won't lie. I've been meaning to write this for at least 7 years. I have a lot of thoughts and headcanons about the Jak and Daxter series, and this incorporates my hardcore favorite: Daxter is a Precursor. It also uses a couple tropes I love: reincarnation cycles, and fated lovers. As with any song, I can't say what it's actually supposed to be about, but I always heard it as the story of, well, reincarnation and fated lovers. "I met my love before I was born", and then switching between he, she, and then back to he. The story became very vibrant in my head! And this format especially allows me the opportunity to explore Jak/Keira as well as Jak/Daxter, because while I'm not a huge fan of Jak/Keira, I don't like just ignoring canon if I can avoid it. Currently at 7k out of... maybe 20k? It was supposed to be a lot shorter, but I'm only on chapter 1 out of 3, so less than 15k is probably not happening. Factoid: I think a lot of people only know this series second-hand, so I feel the need to mention that Daxter does, in fact, have a human form. XD FO4NV -- "Fallout 4, Nick Valentine" A very creative document name! XD; The story will probably eventually be titled "Same Heart" unless I come up with something better. It's a Fallout4 AU(ish) centering around Nick having been recaptured by the Institute, getting a memory wipe, and then living there during the years when Shaun is being raised there. Eventually, he and kid-Shaun break out to explore the Commonwealth and try to find Shaun's parents. I swear it'll be a Nick/Nora story if I ever friggin' get to that part, but right now it's mostly a Nick&Shaun story. Currently at 30k out of, I dunno, 70k to 100k? It's on chapter 7 out of 17, I think. I have this one planned out pretty well chapter-by-chapter, so of all my fics it has the best chance of actually happening. (Aside from the length, which sort of counts against it. It was supposed to be shorter, but I apparently couldn't shut up.) I'm thinking about focusing on this one for my NaNoWriMo, since it has about 50k left to it. Factoid: I get more emotional about parental relationships than I do about romantic ones, despite the fact that I LOVE romance. Stories I write about parent-child relationships always end up being my favorite. BttF On Track -- "Back to the Future, On Track" The only one I've actually started posting. I feel bad because I meant to continue writing this through December and January, but I got lazy and distracted, so it didn't happen. The season is just about right to jump back into it though (Fall is a more BttF season for me), so I HOPE to finish it this year. Currently at 18k (holy shit, seriously?) out of probably 30k. Chapter 3 (out of 6 well-planned chapters) is aaalmost done, but I might have to go reread some of IrisBleuFics stuff to get back into the mood of it. (Or maybe Rae's or Edgebug's.) Factoid (actually a question) : does anyone else have seasonal fandoms? Inactive WIPs (there are lots of these, so I'll put them under a cut for you. Still, these are only the ones I’ve worked on in the past year. Again, from most- to least-recent.) 

HP GOtG -- A silly Harry Potter/Guardians of the Galaxy fic I have like a page of. I was mentally explaining the concept of fanfic to someone and this... happened.

HPCM Ways to Live -- Another One Piece Cobymeppo fic, and AU (or UA) about if Luffy had never met Coby in ep.1 and skipped right over to kick Morgan's ass in Shells Town. tldr Coby and Helmeppo become pirates.

FFXV parents AU -- I was REALLY into this one for a while, got a couple thousand words and a good plot outline on it. It's Final Fantasy 15 AU (or, as usual, a UA) in which Noctis is only a baby when the empire attacks, and teenage Ignis and Gladio have to run away with him, and end up raising him on their own. I 100% intend to finish this one, but it's not top priority at the moment.

A modern prometheus -- A magical-world retelling of Frankenstein. Probably gay.

FO4 WFM-- "Fallout 4, Waiting for magic" On the day the bombs drop, Nora's husband is still at war, while she's several months pregnant and working on her legal cases from home. Her friend Nick Valentine has come to give her some documents and check on her when they're suddenly ushered into the vault and frozen. AKA the romantic adventures of Nick and a heavily pregnant Nora out in the Commonwealth. (Inspired by an Ace of Bass song)

Fo4 Sky-- "Fallout 4, Skyrim" Basically a riff off the previous story, but not the same at all, somehow. Set in Skyrim, Nora is essentially sleeping beauty. Wait. Snow white? Er, yeah. Magically frozen in a coffin, yeah. 

MEA Avi -- "Mass Effect Andromeda, Avi: a sci-fi ghost story" REALLY thought I was gonna finish this one, but I got distracted from MEA altogether. The story of Avitus Rix and his SAM unit, which has begun to think it is the late Macen Barro, its previous owner/partner, and Avitus' longtime boyfriend. Still can't decide how sad I want it, but it'll be pretty gloomy even if I go with a happy ending.

DCo side story AU -- A modern mini-fic about my DamselCo characters going on a double date, except Addisson and Hunter are both late so it's just Ellery and Isabelle being kind of awkward.

FFXV Dear Fellow Traveler -- AU, Prompto was raised in Niflheim and meets Noctis and the others on their (very long, winding) trip to Noct's engagement. Promptis, no war.

FFXV mermaid AU -- More Promptis. Noctis fishes up mer-person Prompto. They have adventures. Ignis has to go looking for Noctis later and meets mer-person Gladio.

OW Sagittarius  -- Eheh, posted the first chapter of this in January and then just gave up. XD;;;; I feel so bad. An Overwatch teenage McHanzo AU, where Jesse is a centaur sold into slavery to the yakuza. Trained by the Shimada clan, he falls in love with the heir, Hanzo, who then helps him escape. Many years later, they meet again in Overwatch. I have a GOOD plot outline for this, so I really have no excuse for not finishing it. It's on the to-do list after the first few.

FFXV Firstborn son -- Question: is a person still consider a trans-person if they're born female, but both raised as and identify as male (because patriarchal bullshit)? If so: trans-Noctis, Promptis fic.

FFXV Mirror Sword Shield -- Yet another FFXV AU, obviously inspired by that one Coldplay song that I love. Hundreds of years ago, Noctis defeated the darkness, but was sealed away inside the crystal, only to return when he needed to do it again. Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio have trained as his guardians all their lives, for the slim chance that he does return. (I really like this idea, but if I write this one, it'll only be after I finish the other FFXV fics.)

OW BB -- Guess what? Another "Beauty and the Beast" fic, Overwatch flavored. Except it's really more like, "the beast and also another beast". McHanzo, of course, featuring a snarky dragon spirit that constantly taunts Hanzo about his guilt.

BttF Ashes -- Hot damn I gotta write this fic some day. I have a GREAT plot outline for it, following a chiptune song called Ashes. I love it, it makes me cry. It's a Back to the Future AU, about Doc dying when his house burns down. Years later, ghost-Doc teams up with Marty to finish the time machine, and then (spoiler alert) Marty goes back in time and saves Doc, pulling his corporeal self into the future ala The Mediator and they live happily ever after the end. XD

PacRim Redefined -- Another one I feel bad about, because I have posted most of what I have written, but I don't know if I'll ever finish it. It's a far-future semi-AU about Newt and Hermann. TBH it's one of my favorite fics I've ever written, but I'm a loser and can never finish anything. Hopefully next year??? I've got much of a plot outline, so.

Bttf Dino prompt -- Braincoins prompted me last year to write a fic about Marty and a dinosaur, and I started to! But then I had no idea where I was going with it, so I stopped a few pages in. ^^; I'd like to figure out an ending to it that isn't both boring and bleak.

Bttf Solving for X -- A series of short AUs about if either Doc or Marty (or both) were women. I'd like to maybe work on this one again sometime.

HxH AU Laughter Lines -- A Hunter x Hunter fic that makes me cry when I think about it XDXDXD Based on the Bastille song of the same name, it's an AU in which Gon is like... a tree nymph. A little hard to explain, it's a sad little Killugon fic, and it should be pretty short, so I ought to just sit down and write it one day.

BttF Thirst for Romance -- I love this idea! Why haven't I written it?! In his 30's or 40's, Marty is a nurse at a convalescent home/ hospice, where he meets Doc, who loves to tell wild stories. He tells Marty stories about adventures that the two of them had in the 80's and with time travel. Everyone assumes Doc is just very creative and lonely, and they love his stories. He and Marty become close, and when Doc passes away, he leaves his meager possessions to Marty, including a mysterious set of keys which unlock his old garage, and a strange old car inside... (Really want to write this one eventually!) (Based on the song of the same name.)

BttF Hell Valley -- A sad AU, taking place in the Hell Valley timeline from movie 2. Marty has run away from his abusive step-dad and finds himself living in Doc's garage. They're just two broken people trying to get by. Marty wants Doc to run away with him, someplace far away, but Doc has a better idea, if he can get it to work. (Inspired by the song Fast Car, the sad-sounding Jonas Blue version. "You got a fast car. Is it fast enough so we could fly away?")

BttF SG fusion -- and last and possibly least, yet another BttF AU, but a fusion with Steins;Gate, because time travel is not complicated ENOUGH, I have to make it WORSE. In this story, Marty is raised in the dystopian future with the goal of going back to the past to kill Doc Brown before he can create time travel. I liked the idea a lot, but to be honest I think I even confused myself with it. I'd sort of like to keep writing it, but it'll take a lot more effort than I can foresee me wanting to put in any time soon. Tagging: (if I can remember which of my friends write) um... @braincoins, @nomadsky, and, uh... I know that more of you are writers, so just... take it and pretend I tagged you! 

[chocobroness]

Mini fic request, what if Gladio's tattoo artist became his s/o? Like what if he finished his last session working on it and realized he really liked chatting with them while getting his tattoo done, and wants to continue seeing them

Not gonna lie, this took some time, I never could get Gladio’s personality down. But I did my best!

—

It started out as a way to pass the time for Gladio.

Being still for so long, he had needed a way to distract himself from the pain of the needle.

He never was big on silence so he would start up conversations a few minutes into the work. Just random topics and questions to get the verbal ball rolling.

Questions that were replied with a soft voice.

When he had decided on getting a tattoo he had asked around and had been sent to the shop by recommendation of a few people.

He hadn’t been very impressed when he had seen the outside and it didn’t improve when he went inside.

It was a cluttered place, very small. He had wanted to leave immediately, but stayed because he had wanted to see the artist.

After a moment, they entered. They were small, reaching up to his chest, wearing a black t-shirt and gray overalls, black gloves and an army cap sat on their head, a white medical mask covered the rest of their face.

They raised an eyebrow and asked what he had wanted.

He had huffed and asked if this really was a decent tattoo shop.

He didn’t have to see the rest of their face to know they weren’t impressed by him.

“Let’s settle something first.” They started, tone soft, yet expressing how unamused they were with him. “I don’t do simple designs, I don’t do designs that are details less then an hour’s worth. You will be very clear of what you want and the details of said designs, I can’t read your mind and will probably never want to.”

He somehow felt offended at that.

“Payments are decided after we find out how big and detailed you want the designs, it will be paid bit by bit at the end of each appointment, in cash. Are we clear?”

He gave them points for professionalism and nodded to show his understanding.

They then motioned him to follow them and they walked to another room, one that was slightly less cluttered, with a table and two chairs.

They asked him sat down as they walked over to a shelf and pulled out a sketchpad, they then sat down and opened the pad while they asked for what he wanted

Gladio explained in great detail, he may have been skeptical but that didn’t mean he was going to ask for anything less then the best.

The tattoo artist simply continued sketching, asking for clarification about one detail or another.

They sat there for an hour before Gladio was done with explaining.

He watched as they placed the pencil down and stared at their drawing for a moment before turning it towards him and asking of this was what he wanted.

Glazing down, he had felt all his doubts about them disappear.

The bird of prey looked striking on the paper, he could tell that with a bit more time, the drawing would look fantastic, he felt a bit of excitement at the thought of having the tattoo done.

He looked at them and saw them watching him calmly.

“Well, you shut me up” was all he could say.

He could tell from the way their eyes crinkled that they were smiling.

They then estimated how long the tattoo would take, how much it would cost, and made a schedule of the amount of time he would spend at their shop.

After that, he had simply waited for the day to come and headed straight over.

They had him lay down so they could get the outline done, it was frustrating to not move but he persisted.

After a few appointments of nothing but the sting of the needle, he had decided to start chatting with the artist.

After the basic questions were out of the way, the room was filled with light banter.

Gladio enjoyed watching them snap back retorts to anything he said,

They were sharp-tongued and didn’t hesitate to bite back, they had skill in sarcasm and sometimes they had to pause so he could laugh.

It soon became that he looked forward to his appointments. Always willing to come up with new topics to share with the quiet artist.

“This should be the last appointment for you.” Were the soft words that greeted him when he entered the shop.

He stood there, stunned for a brief moment as the words registered in his head.

He had grown so used to coming that he honestly forgot that it would have had to end, he hadn’t paid much attention to the progress of his tattoo and hadn’t realized that it was practically finished.

He couldn’t help the disappointment that filled him.

He guessed that saying about good things never lasting was true.

He had been quiet, lost in thought as they went to work on placing the finishing touches.

He was being honest to himself when he said he really enjoyed talking to them, it was fun discussing things with them, he felt comfortable.

So he felt sad when they pulled away, announcing that they were done.

He moved to a sitting position as they wheeled in a full body mirror and gave him a big hand mirror so he could examine the finished work.

It looked incredible.

It truly seemed as if the work of art had meant to be on his skin. Every part was carefully detailed, his whole back covered by the body of the bird, wings wrapped around his arms, the eye seemed to stare down at any who saw it.

It truly was a bird of prey.

He glanced up after who knows how long and looked at the one who accomplished this masterpiece.

They didn’t say anything, but didn’t had to, they knew what he was trying to convey.

Soon, Gladio was putting his shirt back on as the artist was writing some things down on their notepad before ripping it out and folding it.

“Now about the final payment.” They started. Motioning him forward so they can finish the last bit of work.

A scribble of a pen here, a check mark there and exchange of cash. The same pattern they’ve done for weeks.

“Well….” He started as he was led to the front of the store. “It’s been fun, gotta admit.”

“Same.” They replied. “If you ever need another tattoo, you know who to come to.” they looked directly into his eyes. “Or else.”

“Gotcha.” He said with a smirk.

They then handed him the fold paper they were writing on.

He looked at it and placed it in his pocket.

“So….” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Wanna chat some other time?”

He looked away, not needing to see them to know that they raised an eyebrow at him.

“Huh…that’s a first.” He would punch anyone who saw him at that moment and comment on the small blush on his face.

“Look, if you don’t..”

“Sure.” He blinked, unsure how to respond when they reached up and pulled down the medical mask that they always wore, revealing a youthful face and a small smile. He was surprised by how lovely they looked. He probably would have kept staring if they hadn’t reached up and flicked his noise, snapping him out of his trance.

“Hope you don’t do that often birdbrain.” He growled half-heartedly at the tease, earning a chuckle.

“So I’ll see you around?” They asked, he nodded and left, waving at them on the way out.

He didn’t remember the folded paper until after he came home, it had fallen out of his pocket when he changed for bed.

He quickly unfolded it and blinked in surprised before snorting.

‘You would notice that. He thought and reached for his phone to add a new contact.

On the paper was a phone number and a small message.

‘You most likely forgot to ask for my number before you left, so I saved you the trouble and wrote it down for you. Talk to you soon.“