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lucid-jun · 3 years

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Empty Vase

Yumeno has trouble sleeping, Chuuya tries to help.

!! tw !! : s3lf h@am & su!c!dal themes, v0mit, implied mental and physical ab*se, unintentional meal skipping, brief mention of alcohol

The celling fan echoes throughout the room shamelessly, Yumeno, who spent the last half an hour tossing and turning between the polyester sheets, now listens to the monotonous creaking in defeat.

Their eyes don’t focus on anything in particular, pouncing from the vacant grey walls to the empty vase on the bedside table, the sheer amount of space left unoccupied in the room wouldn’t bother them on most nights, however, as of this moment, a certain restlessness was blooming at the pit of their stomach, slowly and agonizingly extending all the way to the top of their scalp.

Their breathing is uneven and a suffocating sensation seems to have its grip on their esophagus, still, for the most part, they manage to distract themselves, rocking back and forth in an attempt to lull their mind back to sleep, they were tired after all. Very tired. And a proper thoughtless slumber was quite tempting during times like these.

But somewhere deep within them, they longed for something more permanent. A kind of rest that wouldn’t need them to wake up again, the idea of breaking free from the mafia’s choking hold was intoxicating yet, for whatever reason, they were still here, still alive.

Perhaps because there were a plenty of other things they longed for, like the red velvet ice cream in the parlor downtown, or the tiny walks to the park Chuuya would take them on occasionally, the annual mafia picnic where they would sit beside Gin, Kajii and Tachihara, watching the latter two bicker back and forth, and not to forget, those rare moments when Kouyou would ruffle their hair and give them an endearing smile. All these occurrences that pile on top of each other ease their discomfort temporarily.

Then, a string of memories revives itself all too quickly, Dazai’s spite filled eyes staring right into their torn soul, Mori’s venomous tongue slithering and hissing next to their ears, all the times they were curled up on the floor, wheezing in pain because they failed to please the boss.

There was also the constant burning and throbbing, the cuts which itched unforgivingly and even then, they had no choice but to wrap the damned barbed wire around their frail arms and wrists. They could feel bile rising up their throat, their mouth swelling slightly as they covered their lips and swallowed in an effort to keep their dinner down.

Dinner.

On second thought, had they even eaten dinner tonight? When was the last time they ate? Was it this afternoon when they hastily chomped down on all the mini strawberry Kit-Kats in the pantry? They couldn’t really tell. Either way, they weren’t feeling too great, the nausea amplifying itself by the second. They felt as though they were all over the place, inside out and vulnerable, their trembling now evidently worsening.

If they were to be completely honest, they weren’t even sure what they were thinking about at this point. Everything just sort of mushed together and created this Frankenstein of a spiral and they kept falling and falling and falling.

Unable to hold themselves back any longer, Yumeno rushes over to the bin which is stationed at the corner of the lifeless room, hovering above it and retching rather violently, gagging on the taste of acid that lingers in their mouth moments after they’re finished.

Sighing heavily, they allow their body to grow limp and drop down on the floor, irritated by how their t-shirt is drenched in cold sweat, stubbornly sticking to their back, but they're too exhausted to change.

There’s a knock on the door that initially goes unnoticed, only heard when it rings in their ears twice as loud as before, they don’t know what time it is, sluggishly picking themselves up and dragging their feet, hesitantly twisting the doorknob.

A messy mop of orange pokes through the crack, Yumeno rubs their eyes, adjusting to the light seeping into the room from the hallway, “You alright?”, an equally, if not more, exhausted Chuuya speaks, his breath reeking of alcohol and mint, not knowing what to say, the younger simply shrugs. Chuuya opens the door further, standing still for a while before inviting himself in, “It’s 2 AM, why are you still awake?” The morbid scent of puke reaches his nose and his face momentarily scrunches up, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

The silence is sickening and it weighs on his heart. Even though there really is no special bond between the two of them, Chuuya still does his best to look after Yumeno, because they’re young, because they had no other choice than to walk this rotten path, because he knows there is a lot hidden beneath the face they show. In return, Yumeno doesn’t protest, they don’t whine when Chuuya practically carries them to dinner, they don’t cry when he visits after most missions, rubbing their wounds with disinfectant, and when the single, barely audible, word of gratitude leaves them, Chuuya nods.

“Do you mind if I sleep here tonight?” He asks, and they know it’s partly because he’s worried and partly because he’s trying to escape from his own demons. So they whisper a tiny “Okay.” And Chuuya cracks the window open for a bit, in hopes of the stuffiness reducing. He then walks over to the pile of clothes that’s decked up on a rolling chair, grabbing what he guesses is a clean t-shirt, cleaner than the one they had on right now anyways. “Change.” He says, before turning around and flopping himself on the bed, Yumeno does so with considerable difficulty, leaving the soiled clothing on the floor and crawling next to him.

They don’t hold each other, they don’t even face each other, both stuck on respective sides of the bed which isn’t quite the perfect fit, but they manage. Neither of them catch a wink of sleep, but there’s a sense of tranquility that envelopes them.

There are so many things Yumeno wants to say to him, reassure him and tell him how much they appreciate him and look up to him, but they don’t. They’re not sure if they have the right. Especially not after the incident with the Guild that left a crushing gap between them and other members of the mafia.

This melancholy that gracefully draped itself all over them left them unable to move. And they could do nothing but curse their own existence, the same goes for Chuuya, plus there was the added agitation of trying to get over the things that happened in the past.

Well, whatever it may be, Yumeno can’t complain and they don’t want to either, blankly staring at the empty vase in front of them, they take solace, albeit in a messed up way, in knowing that when the first rays of the sun will hit the ground, the vase will still be empty.

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that was it ! i really like yumeno as a character and i want to see more of them, this was inspired by that one picture of chuuya giving a piggy back ride to yumeno :") ahh this is my first fic and it's kinda short but i hope u like it !!

see u next time :D

#yumeno kyusaku #yumeno kyusaku imagine #Q bungou stary dogs #bsd yumeno #bungou stray dogs #bungou stray dogs imagine #yumeno kyusaky x reader #chuuya #chuuya nakahara #chuuya imagine #chuuya nakahara imagine #chuuya x reader #chuuya bsd #chuuya bungou stray dogs #bungou stray dogs x reader #chuuya being a good brother #yumeno needs a hug #ff

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nagdabbit · 3 years

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so as someone who has never watched GCW or CZW or seen Nick Gage wrestle, but wants to be prepared for what mayhem may come on Dynamite, would I regret buying the Homecoming Day 1?

maybe. if you're not into deathmatch/hardcore wrestling, it might be A Bit Much to start with. also, gcw shows cost cash monies, as you said. for me? absolutely worth it, the card is absolutely stacked. hell, 2 cold scorpio whoopin ass at 55 years old was worth the price of admission. but if you don't know what you're getting yourself into, it might put you off.

i'd suggest starting easy (and free) with some beyond matches on youtube. beyond wrestling is a great promotion, gage's second home after gcw, they always put on fuckin bangers of shows. and they put out a shitton of free matches on youtube!

youtube

gage vs g-raver, 50,000 thumbtacks match.

a nice, easy appetizer. a good place to dip your toe into the hardcore shit. (i'd also suggest looking into an iwtv sub and finding the 100,000 thumbtack match from halloween 2019 [? i think? i dont have it open in front of me]. nick gage vs mance warner. heckuva time.)

youtube

gage vs addy starr, no dq. we love and support intergender wrestling in this house. if you arent a fan, for personal reasons, skip this one. i get it. if you think it shouldnt exist at all, then we will have words.

anyway, great match. made me fall a little in love with addy, good show all around. (pretty sure that was the same show with chris dickinson vs effy, which isn't related, but i sincerely loved it and recommend that match to anyone who will listen. or, this was the double header with gcw, and that match was on the the show.)

i cant think the gage match will go harder than dr. britt baker d.m.d. vs thunder rosa, or the bunkhouse match, or the first mox vs omega match with the barbed wire web. there *is* a limit to what you can show on cable tv, after all. but if you enjoyed those, there's a good chance you'll end up enjoying homecoming. but, as evidenced above, gage clearly knows what he's doing, too. he can hit whatever level they need him to. hell, go look up ndk (nerder death kill, his tag team with thomas santell--ask me about ndk, i love ndk) matches. he can actually wrestle, too. hell, i like his one winged angel better than kenny's. yeah. i fuckin said it. come at me.

anyway, my point was, its probably not going to end up as violent as we want it to. he can work well within set parameters, ie: tv ratings. he's coming off the b r u t a l match last night. hes been teased for homecoming part 2 tonight. mans gotta be hurting.

but, just in case they let him do his thing, here's a little taste of the true god of this shit.

youtube

gage vs shlak. this is, i think, what we're all wanting, expecting, and hoping for for wednesday night. absolute fucking mayhem. blood. lighttubes. pizza cutters to the face. total fucking destruction.

youtube

this isn't a full match, but i will always put pro wrestling cinema over. they do good work. but DO search this full match out if you wanna spend money (rspring break from gcw' the collective event over wrestlemania weekend. delightful show). highly recommend. but even just in highlight form, set to dmx songs, this fucks. it remains one of the hardest, bloodiest, most painful--even for me--gage matches i've seen in recent memory, outstanding work. may dmx rest in peace, one of the best there ever was or will be.

if you're enjoying yourself, and you find that you dont mind spending money on the king, i would highly suggest: gage vs effy from the gcw/black lable pro double feature, 2 cups stuffed. im pretty sure the whole show is on iwtv, but it might be a buy from fite (which, if theyre still doing the "download the app and get like 10 bucks of credits," do it. this isn't an ad, but thats basically a free ppv). one of my favorite matches. effy brought it. absolutely insane. a+ would recommend.

also, the gage vs allie kat texas deathmatch which gave the world the best wrestling promo to exist ever.

and also gage vs aj gray from gcw draft day in may. it has everything. mayhem. gage retaining the title (😭 fuck you cardona). aj gray being a baddass. a jon moxley run in. ron funches on comentary. great time all around.

i may have gotten distracted a lot because i havent had coffee yet, but i just love nick gage, y'all.

#asks!#nick gage #gcw homecoming #aew dynamite

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geejaysmith · 5 years

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How would the series have gone if maxwell has survived, and Jacobi died?

No joke, this is a plot point in one of the AUs that's cropped up thanks to Kat's and my conversations. I went from Spongebob memes to role-reversing the Wonder Twins in Time to Kill basically on a whim, and from there my options were "role-reverse Desperate Measures" and "Maxwell /jumps and fistbumps the air/ 2!!". Anyway, I pictured Maxwell's grief-fueled angry outbursts following Jacobi's death and was immediately taken with the idea, and I'm already doing Maxwell 2: Max Harder in another Thing, so Dark Vengeance Maxwell it is!

The key differences between Jacobi and Maxwell in this situation, I think, are that Maxwell doesn't have the same kind of attachment to Kepler or Goddard Futuristics as a whole, nor does she have Jacobi's Big Backstory-Defining Fuck-Up. I'm in the middle of season 3 again and listened to her backstory episode while on a walk just yesterday; She's always known Goddard's had few scruples about how it does business; it was just the place that let her do her work with the least amount of barriers. Plus, you want to look me in the eye and tell me that Kepler's "my authority comes down from on high, what I say goes and if you disobey you'll suffer eternal damnation creative disciplinary measures" attitude wouldn't set off a prodigal pastor's kid's alarm bells? Also, her half-serious "I never cut the wrong wire" in Fire And Brimstone is actually a way bigger indicator of her personality than I realized at first. Not to say that she's never had a decision come back to bite her in the ass, but betting on the wrong side of "if Minkowski isn't bluffing my best friend is going to die" is going to be one that hits hard.

Now, here's something Kat picked up on that I didn't fully process til Kat pointed out this exchange:

KEPLER I'm right. Look: the plan was forall of you never to find out aboutthis aspect of the mission -

EIFFEL The plan was for us to be dead.

KEPLER That's kinda what I mean.

EIFFEL What about Jacobi?

JACOBI Yeah, was I supposed to find - ?

KEPLER The point is: you're here now.

Which she took to mean Maxwell and Jacobi were probably never supposed to know about the duplicates either, nor Cutter's plans once they'd established extraterrestrial contact. So what, was Kepler going to conceal the whole thing from them, or were Maxwell and Jacobi - both of whom have few connections outside Goddard, both of whom were unlikely to be missed - never supposed to make it back to Earth either?

And that's a whole other topic which has some wrinkles to it (I feel that Maxwell and Jacobi being loose ends was Cutter's call, not Kepler's). My point is: I think Maxwell would pick up on it, and have even less of an issue with turning on Kepler if, in her eyes, he was willing to throw them to the wolves anyways. Kepler pissed off Minkowski by killing one of her own, why wouldn't she be more likely to respond by finally responding in kind? But Kepler knew all along Lovelace would be able to get back up, something Jacobi wouldn't be able to do, and he took that risk anyways. Additionally, he's not making any hints about, say, tossing Jacobi's body into the star after watching Lovelace reboot. Even if the duplicates did have any idea about what they really are, surely a weaponized alien clone of Jacobi is better than no Jacobi at all, especially if you're so confident in your ability to put a leash on him with the psi-wave regulator, right?

Bottom line: Maxwell goes from kicking herself for making the wrong call and getting her friend killed (when it should have been obvious actually killing Minkowski's crewmates would be all the difference, of course that'd be the thing that sent her over the edge) to putting a plan together to yeet Jacobi into the star, get her friend back, and read Kepler the riot act for being so quick to write artificially created humans off as things, and for thinking so little of people's lives in general that his bullshit mindgames took higher priority than just telling them what they needed to know so they could get some actual results. She always knew Goddard did it's business the dirty way, but in addition to letting her and Jacobi fly blind when just telling them would've made both the module incident AND the mutiny go so much better, do you KNOW, Colonel, do you even GIVE A DAMN about how much time and energy we could've if you hadn't just let her and Jacobi take shots in the dark for the MONTHS we've been up here?? We could've actually gotten something done instead of going in circles trying to hit a target when you won't even tell us what to aim for!

(Unless of course, that was never the point of Command sending them up here to begin with, but put that moment of realization away for later, Alana.)

So yeah, Dark Vengeance Maxwell is less about making Kepler pay for what he did with his life and more getting back at him with "I'm going to let ALL the aliens onto the ship, and there's nothing you can do about it", plus fixing her mistake and bringing Jacobi back, all while getting to violate scientific norms and the laws of nature. See Warren? This is what I can do when you let me do my job.

And that's just the dynamic that emerges within SI-5, I've barely touched upon how the rest of the crew is involved. I don't see her being quite as angry at them as Jacobi was? Especially if she can get him back via Alien Necromancy - she doesn't strike me as having quite the Us vs. Them mentality Jacobi's developed from his time with SI-5 (she asked if they'd actually delivered Hui's letters home, plus her remark "I hoped it wouldn't come to this" when she and Jacobi catch Eiffel and Lovelace at the end of Desperate Times). Sure, she can distance herself and get the job done, and remember that at the end of the day, the only person she really has is Jacobi - but I think she's not so far gone that she can't at least see why the crew did what they did, or that they only did it because her team left them no other options.

She would absolutely not be above leveraging their emotions to get her plans into place afterwards, though. The real snag in things is that now, she actually has to deal with the consequences of her actions with regards to Hera, and THAT is a whole can of worms I haven't yet set aside the time to think about to the degree I'd need to write about it, lol.

#wolf 359 #gill's AU children #I get Olivia Octavius vibes from Maxwell #and I've seen at least two other people remark similarly #the woman is a budding mad scientist let her do her alien necromancy!#and that in short is why Maxwell keeps Going Apeshit in my fic concepts #plus it's waaaaay more fun when your morally-dark-gray mad scientist obviously COULD act like a decent person #and therefore there's tension about whether she will or not or if she really means it when she does lmao #mrbookboy

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waveridden · 5 years

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favourite podcast episodes? or if that's too broad, pick a podcast of your choice and list your favourite episodes.

oh i can absolutely do top 5 podcast episodes

“a fine figure,” the far meridian 1x08. in which peri meets a man in the desert who is grieving things neither of them fully understand. makes me cry every time. i would actually super super super recommend it even as a standalone it is. so good. it is a wonderful intro to scripted audio fiction it’s so short and still so profoundly good

“plasticity,” ars paradoxica #16. i don’t know how to provide proper context for this episode. it’s about time travel, and children not being allowed to be children, and lullabies and loss and it’s just. fucking tremendous. (it’s also written by the same woman who writes the far meridian so like, listen, i just know what i’m about and that’s valid)

“tucked in,” the magnus archives #86. i know horror isn’t for everyone, and this show is hard to recommend episodes out of context bc once the metaplot is going it’s really Going. but this statement is like... so visceral. because who was never afraid of the dark as a kid? who never hid under their blankets when they were scared or upset? this episode taps into something very very primal and i love that.

campaign #80-81. these episodes are like... major comfort episodes for me? i don’t know how or why but they’re the perfect culmination of the very very long arc on phindar, and they make me laugh and cry every single time

“new brighton - nakhane ft. anohni,” song exploder. this is the one nonfiction/interview podcast that i truly 100% genuinely believe everyone should listen to, and this episode is such a phenomenal example. this show is interviews where artists talk about the process that went into one specific song of their choice, and in this episode nakhane talks about the exploration of what it means to be both christian and black in south africa, why he made a pop song, and why it was important to have a trans woman guest on the vocals. and boy, if you can hear the isolated vocals of anohni singing “never live in fear again, never again” and not cry then you are a stronger person than me, because i’m literally physically crying just from thinking about it

also i know this is just a top 5 list but i have so many favorites so like in no particular order here are some things that i really enjoy

the entirety of greater boston. i can’t recommend a single episode but i avidly completely recommend the whole show

the first two episodes of zero hours are absolutely killer

episode 3 of startripper came to me at a time when i desperately needed something simple and joyful and i still hold it fondly in my heart

the stellar firma blooper reel is the funniest thing i’ve ever heard

the third season of within the wires is so so brilliant. it probably doesn’t land the same if you haven’t heard the whole show but it’s so good

who shot ya is a good show and if you like movies you should listen to it

i have mixed feelings about the second and third seasons of the adventure zone, but taz balance is still an all-time great

the s1 finale of marsfall includes some of the best acting i’ve ever heard

the strange case of starship iris does some fantastic things with the framing device

friends at the table is long as fuck but it’s amazing. every season has been incredible and i’m so excited to start twilight mirage

at this point i’ve recommended basically half of the podcasts i’m subscribed to so tldr is if any of this piques your interest (not just kat, but literally anyone reading this) you can always im me and i’ll go off about a podcast

#waveridden.ask #katasstrophee #kat i am so sorry this is probably more than you bargained for but also THANK YOU

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wonderlandmind4 · 6 years

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Delicate Stages Drabble: Three

Harmless Fun

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x OFC

Summary: Drabbles following Delicate Stages. Looking into the life of Bucky and Ana. Warnings: Language. Fluff

Words: 983

A/N: I’m posting drabbles for Delicate Stages here! (Do not read unless you’ve read Delicate Stages first)

Settling into her life in Wakanda only takes a few days, but Ana didn’t think this would happen so quickly already. She’s nervous is the thing, and if she inflicts pain with her actions, then, well. She doesn’t want that.

Breath in, you got this. Ignore it, ignore- no, don’t look! If you look then you’ll be done for. Ignore the feeling, concentrate.

It’s fallen silent around her now, Ana solely knows it’s because Bucky has opted to just stare up at her. She can even feel the coy, little smirk radiating off him. She ignores him, because the second she looks into those damn steel blue eyes, she’ll just fumble and fail. She hears his short intake of breath, as if he’s going to say something, but she speaks before he has a chance to.

“No, okay. I got this. I swear I- just, I’ll do it,” Ana rambles frowning in consecration. She places her hands on Bucky’s left shoulder one more time.

For the past twenty minutes, Ana has been convincing herself to detach Bucky’s vibranium arm, as he sits on the kitchen chair, shirtless, listening to him instruct her how to do it. She’s nervous, because she doesn’t want to hurt him, and also because Shuri apparently put some sort of metal arm low-jack within the prosthetic.

“We haven’t gotten around to watching that Fullmetal Alchemist show yet,” Ana continues talking a mile as minute, “but he’s got an arm just like yours and his mechanic does repairs and stuff, right? So, one time he has to get it reattached. Chords and wires physically attach to each of his nerves, but it’s so painful that he nearly passes out from it.”

“Annie Doll,” Bucky says soothingly, a hint of laughter in his voice. He places his hands on her hips for comfort. “You aren’t going to hurt me. It’s not excruciating, and I won’t pass out. It’s more of a minor uncomfortableness for a few minutes, then it’s fine.”

Ana nods, biting her lip.

“Hey, baby, we don’t have to do this. I know how much you love it,” Bucky reminds her, wiggling his fingers against her hip.

Rolling her eyes, she tells him, “I love all of you, Snowflake. Not just your arm. And, no. We’re doing this because you’d rather work without it and this will make you feel better, and makes you happy.”

“You make me happy,” He murmurs, pulling her in by her waist.

“You’re cute, and distracting,” Ana quips, but quickly kisses his eyebrow. “Now, one more time. I find the little switch.”

Bucky lifts his arm, so his hand is resting on her shoulder and she has access underneath. She finds the nearly invisible switch within the grove under his arm, pinching it between her thumb and index finger.

“Yes,” He encourages.

“Turn it three times counter clock wise, then press up-“

“Yup.”

“Then turn clockwise twice and-“

“Take your other hand and push my shoulder in-“

Ana does just that, “At the same time as pushing the switch up, and-“ Bucky’s left arm suddenly clicks and detaches. “Yes!”

Bucky winces but quickly schools his face into a proud expression as Ana wraps her arm around the bicep. She steps back with it, surprised with how light the arm is. She carefully maneuvers the vibranium into the cushioned case T’Challa provided for them. She locks it with the code Shuri gave her, then holds her arms up.

“I did it!” She exclaims triumphantly.

Bucky smiles brightly at her, but then Ana catches a mischievous glint in his eye. Before she can react, he launches out of the chair, wrapping right arm around her waist, hosting her up and pressing her back against the wall. Her breath leaves her, as it always does when he pulls off this particular suave move. She has to brace her hands against his chest, and tightens her legs around his hips, giggling as Bucky gently bites her chin, then presses a quick kiss to her jaw.

“Proud of you, darling.” Bucky whispers against her skin. When he pulls back to meet her eyes, there’s nothing but love shinning in them. “See, I can still ravish you perfectly fine.”

Ana quirks her eyebrow, slipping her right hand into his long hair and gently grabbing a fist full to tilt his head back. His sharp intake of breath when she does this will always be her favorite, along with how his eyes darken to a deeper blue.

“Or,” Ana says, her voice sultry, brushing her lips over his, “I’ll be the one to ravish you, Soldier. Think we should test that?”

“Shit,” Bucky stutters out a sigh. “If I knew taking my arm off would be a thing, I’d have suggested it earlier.”

A loud cackle escapes Ana’s mouth, dropping her hand from his hair as she laughs unabashed. “You’re the one who pressed me against the wall, so you take full responsibilities for my actions.”

“Hmm, that I can do,” He agrees, winking at her.

“I’m in love with a giant dork.” Ana watches as Bucky’s expression melts into a soft look, one that never fails to make her heart flutter.

“And I’m in love with a girl who makes me feel worthy, even without my arm.” Bucky responds quietly, his smile soft and fond.

Ana’s heart swells in her chest, because even after spending ten months away from each other, it hadn’t deferred their love. In fact, they seem to be even more in love, stronger than ever, and it keeps growing. Ana can’t contain her smile or her blush, so she drops her head down, placing a delicate kiss on the port of his shoulder.

“Bucky,” She murmurs, as she lifts her head, pushes back his hair. “Take me to bed.”

He kisses her lips, tender and tantalizing. Keeping his lips attached to hers, Bucky says, “With pleasure.”

**********************************************

Drabbles: Two Drabbles: Four

Tags: @justreadingfics @nerdyandproud9 @buffy-morgendorffer-01 @kat-lives @towrite-or-nottowrite @watchoutforfrostbite

#delicate stages drabbles #delicate stages #bucky barnes x ofc #bucky barnes fanfic

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thatgirlonstage · 6 years

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Podcast Challenge 28/9/18

Bolded means I listened to an episode today. Strikethrough means I’m all caught up and waiting for the next episode, or the podcast is complete!

Podcast: Adventures in New America

Episode: S1E1: The End

Time: 31 min, 52% of goal

Commentary:

Well I’m definitely intrigued -- not ready to make a judgement on whether I’ll like it yet, but I’m intrigued

Podcast: Conversations with People Who Hate Me

Episode: Civility

Time: 36 min, 60% of goal

Commentary:

Sometimes this show does actually feel constructive and it’s usually the episodes that don’t have super conservative people on

I respect what Dylan is trying to do, I really do, but... there are some people you just. can’t reach. These people were good, because, as they themselves said, they were listening to each other. But so many people come on this show and out in life just really actually aren’t willing to listen or concede anything outside their experience. They might SAY they are, but they aren’t

And so we call them cunts

Episode: Latinx

Time: 38 min, 63% of goal

Commentary:

This was a discussion I actually really enjoyed hearing -- because as Kat says, “Latinx” as a term DOES have some issues with it, while also being a step in the right direction, so it was interesting to hear Alvaro raise some of the real issues with it

Podcast: The Flop House

Episode: #67 - The Uninvited

Time: 47 min, 78% of goal

Commentary:

Slowly, slowly I am gaining the ability to distinguish between Dan and Stuart’s voices

“Can you think of a blander title for a movie”

Me: literally anything shamalamadingdong has ever come up with

Episode: #68 - Teen Witch

Time: 56 min, 93% of goal

Commentary:

“Neatly resolved without any reason to be neatly resolved” oh the number of media that statement could apply to...

Episode: #69 - Big Money Rustlas

Time: 48 min, 80% of goal

Commentary:

I am rejecting this episode from my long term memory on the basis that it made me hear the phrase “little person fetish porn”

Total Listening: 4hr 16 min, 427% of goal

#tal listens #adventures in new america #cwpwhm #the flop house

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kat-lockhart · 6 years

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Seeing for Yourself

“Where are you going now?!”

Colton could feel the anger in his brother’s words, even over the vast distance between them. Their telepathic link was something they had from childhood, an infant pact made by Colton, so he could always protect his baby brother. Over time, the tables somehow turned.

“I have to see them myself,” Colton replied, keeping his emotions in check as he reached out to Crawford.

According to his brother, Colton had dropped connection at some point during his visit to Duskwood. It occurred sometimes, when the elder brother was drinking or focused intently on something else, but Crawford insisted he experienced his brother’s anger spike just before the disconnect. Colton wasn’t angry, though. He wasn’t sure what he felt, at least beyond the insatiable need to lay eyes on Kat.

“Colton. Listen to me. We can’t risk it. She will be returned to you, I swear it, but we can’t risk another incident like in Westfall. Please don’t do this,” Crawford pleaded.

By grace of his Worgen form, Colton was already nearing Raven Hill. The Lockhart place was only a few miles beyond. In his primitive thoughts, there was no turning back now.

“I just need to see her. To see them. I won’t get near the house. I am sending a shadow. I will take a flight out of Sentinel Hill in two hours.”

He could sense the defeat overcoming his brother and it bolsters Colton to run faster through the forest.

Kat did her best to leave ‘the ghosts’ alone, bugging Gregor as little as possible. Unfortunately, it wasn’t always easy. That morning she delivered a pair of strawberry pies to the ranger, by request of her mother, and warned him that she would be testing the new shield generator. All this really meant, if her previous tests were any indication, was that she would spend a fair amount of the day cursing and yelling in the workshop.

“Alright, this is the last test for today,” Kat muttered as she peeked out the window.

Daylight was dying and that put her in a poor position for checking the pylons she had around the property.

“Let’s make it count.”

She checked her notes and the settings on all the safety nets she had in place. The Expediential Energy Capacitor, lovingly called the EEC, was technology beyond her own skill to create, but in the last few weeks, she was confident in her understanding of its potential. With it supplying the energy for the farm’s defense system, she was able to make some ambitious upgrades. It was only a matter of perfecting the insulation and wiring for the rig.

“Here we go,” she breathed as she engaged the EEC and prayed.

Unwilling to offer ‘the ghosts’ a chance to meddle in his affairs, Colton tucked into ditch about a quarter mile from the Lockhart farm. He summoned his shadow to be his eyes and sent it through the darkening forest towards his target. As soon as the modest farmstead was within view, he slowed his progress and sent the shadow in a wide circle around the property. He searched for ‘the ghosts’ but with his limited vision, he found only the barest hint of their passing. He couldn’t even get a true grasp of their numbers, but he felt safe in the assumption that it was more than they had originally thought.

With his survey providing nothing of use, he sent the shadow to the house. It was the hour when most families would sit together for their evening meal, but he found Jane alone within. He felt his rage rise like bile as he looked upon the sickly woman. She hobbled around the kitchen, weakly stirring pots and checking the oven. He hated her and everything she represented. Swirling within his deluded mind, she was the source of Kat’s hesitance. Jane was the reason Kat didn’t return to her brothers. Unfortunately, he could do nothing from so far away.

He had to suffer her to suck breath for at least another day.

A disgusted growl escaped the Worgen as he changed the shadow’s course, sending it to check the workshop. He could see bright lights through the curtains and knew instantly she was within. This realization did little to bring him comfort, however, because he knew his shadow could not pass into such a small, well-lit space without being discovered. The creature crept from window to window, peeking in to try and get just a glimpse of his target. If he could just see her, he would be able to put the half elven temptress out of his head for good.

“Son of a bitch!” Kat snarled as she hit the safety lockout.

While the connection was complete, the circuit around the house sparking to life for just a moment, there was still one pylon buckling under the surge of energy.

“I just have to replace it,” she muttered, moving over to jot the note down.

She pulled open one of the curtains and glared into the darkness. The faulty pylon was on the other side of the barn, not terribly far from the safety of the house.

“They aren’t going to snatch me out of my own yard, not when they think Darsa will do it,” she whispered.

Her gaze shifted to the spare pylon as she bounced her pencil against the table.

“Fel,” she groaned as she grabbed her wrench and the pylon and stormed out the workshop door.

As if some prayer had been answered, the object of his obsession rushed out of the workshop and into the night. The shadow trailed her, soundless and nearly invisible along the path she took. He could see her clearly, though. She looked healthier than she had the last time he had seen her, her curves fuller. Her hair was longer, finally affording a feminine appearance to her face. Of course, she still wore her piercings, much to his disappointment. He would convince her to shed them and let the holes heal. He just had to have a chance to talk to her.

The shadow flickered out of existence as Colton realized he needed more than just a glimpse. He needed to smell her and feel her. He needed to talk to her and show her that she needed to come back to him.

Without more than another thought, he was on his feet and rushing towards the farmstead. He shielded his thoughts from Crawford, knowing his younger brother would not understand. He just had to go to her himself because no one else could be trusted.

It took only a moment to switch the pylons out, the spent one practically crumbling beneath her careful manipulations. With the new one in place, Kat jogged back to the workshop. She paused at the door, staring into the darkness.

Colton saw her pause before she entered the workshop and his heart skipped with something like joy. She could feel his presence, she knew he was coming.

Kat turned all dials to off and disengaged the lockout.

“Alright. I lied last time. This is the last test,” she muttered as she prepared to turn on the shields.

He hit the edge of their property and heard ‘the ghosts’ moving nearby. He kept his eyes on the workshop, though. He would make it to Kat long before the Lord’s men could lay a hand on him. Then, as an offering to his beloved, he would kill them all.

The EEC hummed to life and a soft glow enveloped the room before spreading out rapidly to the pylons. Kat held her breath, counting softly before allowing herself to celebrate.

Something was wrong. Colton felt the surge of energy before the shield fully engaged, allowing him to stop in time. The barrier hummed inches away, but he couldn’t comprehend it.

“What is she doing? Who is threatening her?” He whispered.

Panting from the run, he took a step towards the shield with a hand outstretched, as if he intended to touch the forcefield.

“You can hurt me later,” Crawford whispered as he materialized behind his brother, covering his muzzle completely with an ether-soaked cloth.

Colton was too lost to put up a fight, taking two deep breaths of the chemical before everything went black. Crawford snarled at the shield as he picked up his brother and took off into the woods, hopefully saving them both from discovery.

Kat finally howled with her victory. She leapt up from the ground and danced around as the barrier not only ignited but stabilized between the pylons. She watched the meter for a moment, seeing no change in the charge.

“That’ll keep ‘em at bay!” She crowed.

She danced around a few moments longer before bringing the shield down and slumping into her chair with a huge grin on her face. She reached in her pocket for her cigarette case but felt the comm instead. She tapped her fingers over the face before grinning and turning the channel to alert Gregor of her success.

[ @maluraunderchild as the ‘half-elven’ temptress mentioned above | @darsacarrington for mentions ]

#The Brothers SL #interlude writing #unedited #tired of struggling with this so I am posting it #may fix it later

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daydreamnct · 7 years

Text

What it Feels Like PT.3

Requested: Yes

Word Count: 1,649

Characters: You (f) + NCT’s Ten (ft. EXO Baekhyun)

Genre: Angst

Part 1 / Part 2

I stare up at him, my chest tightening as the feeling of anxiety I’ve felt all night intensifies.

This can’t be real.

I’ve spent so long trying not to think about him and now here he is, right in front of me.

I realise there’s no escape, and swallow down the lump in my throat. I refuse his hand, pushing myself up with my arms and smoothing down my dress. He stares at me, but his face doesn’t mirror the shock I feel.

“What are you doing here?” I ask. The first thing I’ve said to him in a year and it sounds unnatural, an accusation. He ignores my question and continues to stare at me. There’s pain in his eyes as I’m sure there is in mine, and neither of us can find the words to say next.

We stand there for a while, just looking at each other, until a shiver runs through me and I snap back to reality.

“Are you cold?” he asks, dully as though concern is the last thing on his mind. “No” I reply, equally as unconcerned. “It’s been a while” he remarks, and I can feel the sadness in the statement. “Yeah” I say as I acknowledge the weight of what he said. Sure, it’s been a while since he broke my heart. “I’ll just… go back inside-” I move to brush past him, wanting to remove myself from a situation where I could be hurt again. “-Wouldn’t want Baekhyun to wonder where you’ve got to” he scoffs under his breath. I whirl around and face him. The tightness in my chest channels itself into anger, and his expression tells the same story. “What” I look him dead in the eyes, challenging him to repeat his statement. “Don’t try and pretend, Y/N. You were practically all over each other earlier” he says, finally raising his voice to a normal volume – it sounds like shouting in the small, quiet alleyway. I answer on impulse, unable to believe that he has the nerve to call me out on my behaviour after all this time. “I don’t owe you an explanation.” He simply laughs, and attempts to brush past me this time, making for the door.

He pulls the handle and shakes it violently when it doesn’t budge.

“Shit” he almost screams in frustration.

He would never curse when we were together, he wasn’t the type. Do I still know this Ten?

Both ends of the alley way are blocked by locked gates covered by barbed wire, and after trying to break them several times Ten gives up. I gave up about 5 minutes ago, and I’m leaning against the wall looking unimpressed when Ten makes his way back over to me. “We’re stuck” he says. “Duh” I roll my eyes and sit on the floor outside the door to the party. I hug my knees into my chest and, to my surprise, Ten places himself directly next to me. I try to distract myself from the scent of him that I used to crave on nights alone, and play with the ring on my right hand. “You still have that?” Ten sounds shocked, and I look down at my ring. I had forgotten that it had been a gift from Ten on our first anniversary. ‘A symbol of us for you to wear’ he had said, ‘Promise me you’ll never take it off’.

That was just a memory now, and I shrug as I continue to flip the accessory around in my fingers. “I hate that thinking about our relationship makes us sad” Ten looks outwardly as he speaks. I would’ve thought he wasn’t talking to me if I hadn’t been the only other person there. “We fucked it up, it is sad” I say bitterly. He turns to me. “Was he worth it?” It takes me a second to understand who he means, but I realise he’s talking about Baekhyun. “Was she?” I ask him.

He lets out a small sound of frustration and instead of answering pushes himself away from the wall and begins to pace in front of me, kicking bits of dirt in front of him. He seems to be mustering up the courage to say something as he looks at me and then away from me again. The suspense is suffocating, and I’m about to ask him what the issue is, when he finally turns to me and speaks.

“Listen, Y/N, I came out here to talk to you. But now that we’re here I don’t know what to say” he continues to speak, his volume increasing as he gets more worked up; “I just don’t understand why we hurt each other. I thought I could just let go of our relationship, that if I did that it wouldn’t hurt so damn much to see you with him all the time, but it hurt more. It still hurts damn it!” he kicks the wall next to me, and I rise from my seated position. Then tears began to run down his cheeks. I feel the overwhelming urge to comfort him and make everything better. I go to put my hand on his shoulder but change my mind and take a step back remembering that we aren’t like that anymore. “I know,” I say hoarsely as he turns to look at me “Ten, I know. You wanted me to know what it felt like; I do. I get it. But we can’t keep lying to each other. If we want to move on, we have to talk.”

When he doesn’t respond, I speak again.

“So, was she? Worth it, I mean.” He sighs in defeat and looks up to the sky, wiping the tears from his face. “Nobody was ever worth as much to me as you” “Then why-” he cuts me off “-that night, I hate that night. I know what it looked like with me and that girl. I wanted it to look that way but, Y/N, I didn’t do what you think I did” when I say nothing in response, he laughs, “god, why am I even telling you this. You’re still with Baekhyun.” I’m too shocked to speak. I want to tell him that he has it wrong, that me and Baekhyun have never been an item. I want to tell him that he’s the only man I’ve thought about since we got together – heck, even before then.

But it’s too late as he looks sadly at me, turns to the door, and it suddenly bursts open. “There you are Y/N! The acrobatics just finished and Jieun looks like she’s ready to – oh” Lena seems startled as she notices Ten, and he brushes past her making his way quickly inside. I move to follow him but Lena stops me, grabbing my wrist with the hand that isn’t holding the door open. “You can’t, everyone will see” and I know she’s right, but the fact brings me to tears. Lena pulls me into an awkwardly positioned hug as she attempts to stop the obvious (why hadn’t I seen it before?) automatic lock from trapping us outside. “Can we just go home?” I ask between sobs, and Lena hums a yes as she wipes my tears – making me look presentable so that we can leave the venue without any suspicion or questions from our group members.

I look out the car window as we drive back to the dorms, thinking about everything that I said and everything that Ten said. My heart aches as though the wound from that night all those months ago was fresh. What did he mean, he didn’t do what I think he did? “Are you ok?” Lena asks quietly, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “I need to talk to him” I say, as I realise that our lack of communication is what ruined our relationship in the first place. Me sitting by myself in the dorms won’t help the situation, I need peace of mind. “I’ll cover for you” whispers Lena as she gestures towards the driver who was given strict instructions to drop us back at the dorms. Only Lena and I had left the party early so the manager was still with the rest of the group, and I could practically see the excitement in her eyes at the idea of an escape plan.

“Do you mind if we take a rest stop here?” Lena asks the driver, and he sighs but murmurs an OK. “We’ll only be a minute” Lena says, smiling as we clamber out from the vehicle with our hoodies on to hide our identities. We walk round the back of the shop and Lena stops me, gripping my shoulders with both hands. “I’ve got this covered, Y/N, you go and do what you have to do” “Lena, how the hell are you going to-” I begin, but she cuts me off. “-Don’t worry, they won’t even know you’re gone. I’m brilliant, go, go!” she smiles and pushes me forwards.

I start running, suddenly full of energy and desperation. I look at a sign and whether by sheer luck or Lena’s pure genius, I’m within walking distance of Ten’s dorms. I begin to lose my breath as I round the corner to the building complex, and I’m wondering when Ten will be back or if he already is when a car pulls up. In sudden panic, I hide behind a pillar and watch as Ten exits the vehicle. Five more people get out and head into the building, and I watch as they slip through the door one by one.

I hop from foot to foot, wondering how I’ll get in, wondering if I should just go back when my phone lights up. I expect it to be Lena telling me it was all over and we’d been caught, but the name on the screen makes me almost drop my phone in surprise.

It’s a message from Ten, that simply reads:

‘Come up’.

a/n: it’s been a while since I posted part 1 and 2 but here’s part 3! It was going to be the final part but I didn’t know how to fit in the fluff etc (wink wink) that I wanted to into this one chapter so let me know if you want the next part ;) - Kat

#ten chittaphon #nct ten #nct scenarios #angst #kpop angst #nct angst #baekhyun #kpop fanfiction #kpop fanfic #nct u #requested

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mcutrio · 7 years

Text

Final Battle [7]

Tags: @buckys-little-monster @imaginesofeverykind

“Woah,” Kat breathed, her eyes opening after waving away the dirt and ash from Thor blasting open the rock wall. Above her in the vault was one of the few Chautari beasts that wreaked havoc upon New York, and as menacing as it was, it was an incredible sight. “Banner-- get to Romanoff. Thor and I will scope out the area.”

“I got it,” Bruce responded, stepping tentatively behind the two.

“This place is creepy,” Kat blinked, her eyes adjusting to the dim light. “Strucker’s been a busy boy, huh?”

The sudden sound of metal churning and cogs whirring caught their ears and they turned, though were sent to the ground with a whoosh as a metal figure blasted past them. Before it could turn back and shoot them down, however, Kat reached for it and punched a hole through its chest, sparks flying upon impact. She looked over at Thor with panicked eyes, watching as four or five more came from within the vault.

“Guys?” Tabitha called out, her hands shaking as she pressed her fingers to her earpiece, watching Ultron’s robots unearth themselves from the ground. “We’ve got company.”

“Get off the bridge!” Wanda demanded in front of her, ushering the citizens to get to safety before creating a pulsing, red shield that defended them from shockwaves and blasts that the robots sent, only to be forced to the ground whilst Tabitha used her powers to tear them in half. She helped the young girl up, pushing her forwards so that they could make their way to the midst of the battle, where Pietro stormed through bots and Clint shot them down with arrows.

However, they were brought to an immediate halt when the ground began violently shaking beneath them, and they instinctively grabbed cars and telephone poles in an attempt to stay upright.

“This looks promising,” Kat said, stepping forwards as she looked over into a pit that seemed to go on forever, like an abyss. Thor ceased following her as the ceiling began to churn, and the pair looked up above them as the metal core began to throb with blue lights and seemingly lift the ground above it up into the air, casting streams of daylight onto them before large chunks of earth began falling down.

“Thor!” Kat yelled, her hands covering her face to protect it from the cascading rock and debris.

The god of thunder shielded her, lifting his hammer in an attempt to create an air pocket as they were helplessly buried beneath the earth.

Courtney stopped dead in her tracks at the perimeter of the rock, watching as the city broke away from its country and was lifted into the air. Steve caught her arm, keeping her steady on her feet.

“Do you see the beauty of it?” Ultron said, his voice echoing between each of his bots, “the inevitability… you rise, only to fall. You, Avengers, you are my meteor, my swift and terrible sword. And the earth will crack with the weight of your failure. Purge me from your computer's, turn my own flesh against me; it means nothing. When the dust settles, the only thing living in this world will be metal.”

The Avengers who occupied the city were quick to respond to Ultron’s threat and continued to fight off the army of metal who seemed preoccupied with nothing other than taking the team down.

Suddenly, a metal bot smashed into Steve’s front and catapulted him into a car, only to be taken down a moment later by Court who shot six bullets straight into its eyes.

“Cap, you got incoming!” Tony reported.

“Augh, incoming already came in.” Rogers groaned, taking Court's hand as she lifted him to his feet. “Stark, you worry about bringing the city down safely. The rest of us have one job,” Steve threw his shield, taking down four bots. “Tear these things apart. You get hurt? Hurt ‘em back. You get killed? Walk it off.”

Bucky, ripping the head off of a robot, felt a surge of static surrounding him as he looked up to watch another one of Ultron’s minions smash into a purple orb that surrounded him. The moment it vanished, he looked over to Tabitha who held her hands in his direction, nodding at him.

“Did you not hear me the first time?” She grinned, sending a shockwave out towards three AI’s who fell to the floor as she fried their circuits. “Watch your back.”

Bucky laughed, crushing another bots face in his hand.

“It’s kind of difficult when--” he let out a huff of air as he stomped on a robot, “--you’ve not got all of this going on,” he mimicked the hand gestures she would make when using her powers and she laughed.

“Just be thankful that I saved your ass; again,” she grinned.

Meanwhile, Kathryn and Thor managed to remove the rocks surrounding them, and with one another there to help, they were in the open again.

“Do you require a forewarning, fair maiden?” Thor questioned sarcastically, spinning his hammer at his side with a smug grin.

“You shut your mouth,” Kat shot back, pointing towards him before grasping his side and squeezing her eyes shut. “Okay; go-- oh my god.”

Before she knew it, she was up on the bridge, swaying on her feet as Thor and Cap helped a woman whose car had tilted and fell from the flying city, and then grappled and uplifted another green car.

“You can’t save them all,” one robot said, approaching Steve with red eyes only to be impaled with his Shield that he tore out afterwards with his magnetic wristband, to which the robot flew off. “You’ll never--”

“You’ll never what? You didn’t finish!”

Court turned with a knife in a robots chest, beaming at the sight of Kat just as Thor dropped the green car behind them, landing atop it with a thunk.

“What, were you napping?” Steve joked, following Thor as he moved into the thick of the action.

“Yeah; where the Hell have you two been?!” Court asked, exasperated as she, without looking back, swung her arm around and stabbed another bot in the head.

“Got buried under tonnes of rock,” Kat cracked her knuckles before booting a robot in the chest, catapulting it into a building a few yards away, “just the usual.”

“Ah,” Court grinned, sensing the sarcasm. “Well, it’s good to have you here.”

“It’s good to be here!” Kat exhaled, lifting a car over her head and throwing it upon a handful of robots, watching them crumble underneath the weight with sparks and wires flying.

Thor was upper-cutting one bot before propelling himself into the air, spinning around and shooting back the minions that came towards him. One of the bots smashed into a truck, which exploded upon impact and created wider devastation for the bots.

“Showing off, now?” Kat retorted though he had no time to respond before Ultron came whizzing past, grabbing the god by the throat and shooting off into the distance. “Oh.”

Meanwhile, Tabitha and Bucky stood back to back, taking down whatever approached them and not allowing the other to take a hit. It was exhausting, but they eventually cleared out their area.

“We’re all clear here!” Bucky reported.

“We are not clear! We are very not clear!” Steve said back, drop-kicking his shield into the torso of a bot and watching it falter to the ground in pieces.

“Get your asses over here then!” Kat heaved, unearthing a telephone pole and using it to take out Ultron’s minions as if it were a game of baseball.

“We’re coming to you,” Clint stated.

And then with the further help of the twins, Hawkeye, Tabitha and Bucky, the team were able to clear the area until they had an open window to get civilians to a safer area whilst the next wave of robots set off again.

“The next wave’s gonna hit at any minute,” Rogers said. “What’dya got, Stark?”

“Well… nothing great, maybe a way to blow up the city,” Tony responded. “That’ll keep it from impacting the surface if you guys can get clear.”

Courtenay paused, her shoulders heaving with heavy breaths as she placed her hands on her hips, listening to the conversation intently.

“I asked for a solution, not an escape plan,” Rogers pressed.

“Impact radius is getting bigger every second,” Stark retorted, no lace of hostility to his tone, “we’re gonna have to make a choice.”

“Fuck,” Courtenay cursed, her hands trembling as she made a rash decision, pressing a button on the side of her glasses and watching as the call icon appeared in front of her eyes. “Come on, pick up, pick up, oh my god, Peter!”

“Hey, Court-- how's the big fight?” Peter asked casually.

Courtenay swallowed. “Peter, I-- I don’t think we’re gonna make it out of this.”

Peter paused, hesitant. “W-what?”

“It’s… the city, it’s flying, and the only way to stop it from doing any more damage is if Stark blows it up and if he blows it up then we all die and then--”

“Hey, hey, calm down. Take a deep breath,” Peter ushered, though there was panic evident in his own tone. “You’re going to make it, alright? Don’t be talking like that.”

“Oh, Peter,” Courtenay felt herself crumple as a tears fell from the corners of her eyes. “I’m not, I-- this is it. There’s nothing we can do.”

“Please don’t say that,” Peter cracked, his voice wavering. “You know I can’t do this without you.”

“I wish I’d have been able to spend more time with you,” Courtenay panicked, “because now it's all coming to an end and I regret not being able to speak to you in person and oh god this is awful.”

“Please,” Peter begged, “it can’t happen like this.”

“I-- I’m so sorry,” Courtenay swallowed back her emotions, “as little time as we got to spend with one another, just know that they were the best times, okay? You’ll remember that, won’t you?”

“I promise, Courtenay,” Peter sniffled, “I love you.”

Meanwhile, Kat shielded her eyes while staring over the horizon, Tabitha and Bucky by her side. They were all speechless, empty and exhausted, unable to muster up the courage to address the situation at hand, as they all realised that this… this was probably it for them, for all of them.

However, with a sudden surge of wind and the sound of battering turbines, a quinjet large enough to support the whole city appeared, and the crackling sound of Fury’s voice overriding their comms spoke out loud and clear.

“Glad you like the view, Romanoff,” he said, “it’s about to get better.”

Courtenay’s hand covered her mouth, and she let out a relieved sob.

“Peter!”

“What?”

“I might-- Jesus, I might make it,” she choked, “please stay safe.”

“What, Courtenay--”

She ended the call, unable to muster up the courage to say ‘goodbye’ or ‘I love you’, in fear that it would be her last.

Tabitha grinned, her fingers intertwined with Bucky’s who exchanged a facial expression similar to her own as their hair whipped backwards from the strong wind currents.

“She’s dusty, but… she’ll do.” Fury said.

“Fury, you son of a bitch.” Steve grinned.

“Ooh, you kiss your mother with that mouth?” The director snapped back.

“This is SHIELD?” Pietro asked, an unmistakable smile on his face as he squinted towards the sun.

“This is what SHIELD’s supposed to be.” Steve nodded.

“This is not so bad.” Pietro decided, watching as carriers were ejected from the aircraft and transported to the city so that people could mount them and be flown to safety.

“Let’s load ‘em up!” Steve commanded, turning back into the city to gather the civilians up, the team following close behind. They ushered people out of the safety of buildings and back onto the streets, where they bustled hurriedly towards the carrier ships.

“Go!” Kat hurried, encouraging people by pressing them forwards.

“Thor, I got a plan!” Tony yelled.

“We’re out of time,” the god of thunder responded, his voice husky with urgency. “They’re coming for the core!”

“Rhodey, get the rest of the people on board that carrier. Avengers? Time to work for a living,” Stark rushed.

In a quick moment, the rest of the team had gathered at the core, smashing away any approaching bots that set on a straight path towards the drilling device. They gathered around it in a protective circle, eyes and hands focused on nothing but the opposition.

“Romanoff? You and Banner better not be playing hide the zucchini,” Stark said.

“Relax, shell head. Not all of us can fly,” she shot back, a yellow-truck crashing down the street as the rest of the Avengers were left to assume that it was her. The moment it arrived at the church she bounded out, seemingly calm. “What’s the drill?” She asked.

Tony pointed towards the core. “This is the drill. If Ultron gets a hand on the core, we lose.”

The Hulk stormed into the church, smashing away a stray bot as the team turned to face Ultron who hovered, looking smug despite his metal features.

“Is that the best you can do?!” Thor yelled, poised for attack.

Ultron let out a deep laugh, lifting his hand to summon an army of bots that came with his gestural command.

“Oh, dude,” Kat cussed.

Steve huffed and glared over at Thor. “You had to ask.”

“This is the best I can do,” Ultron said, outstretching his arms to present his handiwork. “This is exactly what I wanted; all of you against all of me. How can you possibly hope to stop me?”

“Well, like the old man said,” Tony began, looking over at Steve. “Together.”

Tabitha, Court and Kat shared a confident look, nodding at one another. Hulk let out a mighty roar, almost that of a battle cry, and the swarm of robots came storming for them all, some flying, though most sprinting and climbing.

Everyone released every ounce of energy they had; hitting and kicking and shooting, whilst Tabitha exerted purple flares from her hands and tore the bots apart mentally, crushing and distorting their metal bodies with her mind. Kat beheaded robots with her bare hands whilst Courtney pulled her minigun off of her back, unleashing a hailstorm of bullets that both pushed the bots back and ripped their vibranium flesh apart.

Vision and Ultron battled above them, slamming into one another in a flurry of fists before Vision blasted a golden surge of power from his gemstone onto the AI, pushing him out of the church and onto the ground. Thor and Ironman moved to either side of Vision, blasting lightning and energy bolts towards him as he struggled against the force.

Courtenay turned her minigun, hammering the bullets down onto him with a borderline psychotic grin on her face.

“Yeah, take that, bitch,” she laughed.

Ultron, struggling to his feet, waved his arm about. “You know, with the benefit of hindsight--”

But before he could finish, Hulk lunged forwards and catapulted him into the sky. The handful of remaining robots followed after him, realising that accessing the core was not an option.

“They’re trying to leave the city,” Thor realised, twisting his hammer in his hand.

“We can’t let ‘em, not even one,” Tony panicked, “Rhodey!”

“On it. Oh no, I didn’t say you could leave! War machine, coming at you!” Rhodes laughed, though he was caught off guard at the sight of Vision, who was entirely new to him. “Okay, what?”

“We gotta move out. Even I can tell the air's getting thin,” Rogers commanded, nodding towards the rest of the team who were heavily-breathing and winded. “You guys get to the boats, I’ll sweep for stragglers, be right behind you.”

Clint looked towards the drill, “what about the core?”

“I’ll protect it,” Wanda volunteered. “It’s my job.”

“Nat-- this way,” Clint encouraged.

“I’m coming with you,” Bucky decided, nodding towards Steve.

“It’s not safe,” Rogers denied, “stay put and make sure everybody gets on the boats securely.”

Although hesitant, Barnes nodded, taking off with Kat and Tabitha. Bucky and Tabitha joined Nat and Clint in the car whilst Kat ran and jumped beside them, landing with a thunk ahead of one of the carriers whilst Nat sprinted off to take care of Bruce.

Without Nat, the other three loaded themselves onto the boat, remaining on their feet whilst they ensured that the civilians were strapped up and ready to leave safely.

“Costel!” One woman yelled, fear in her tone.

Clint immediately perked up at her words, looking out for any stragglers in the town.

“We were in the market,” the woman added, clutching her arms to herself as she panicked, a stream of blood dribbling down from her eyebrow. “Costel!”

Clint, upon spotting the stray boy, sighed to himself and took off into a jog before any of the others had a say in it. Pietro watched steadily, his eyes narrowed and focused, making sure danger was kept at bay.

“Thor, I’m gonna need you back in the church,” Tony reported.

“Is this the last of them?” Thor asked Rogers, watching another four pedestrians rush into the carrier.

“Yeah,” Steve answered, breathless. “Everyone else is on the carrier.”

“You know, if this works, we maybe don’t walk away,” Tony said.

“Maybe not,” Thor stated, opening his mouth though his words were cut off abruptly by the jagged sound of an overhead jet pummeling bullets into the Hulk, who roared with rage.

Clint turned, the young boy Costel in his arms, and held his breath. Making a decision, he turned his body. Pietro, upon realising what was about to happen, rushed forwards.

“Pietro!” Tabitha called out, her fingers brushing against his arm as he shot forwards and into the line of fire. Instantly, she lifted her hands, pushing a forcefield forwards and feeling the breath leave her body as she repelled the force of the bullets.

Once the jet vanished, Tabitha relieved her mind of the pressure and fell to her knees, catching her breath and swallowing as she stared through the ash and the rubble. She felt a wave of relief swarm over her as she watched Pietro and Clint haul the child out from the bus he toppled over as a form of cover.

Steve helped them get into safety and Pietro, his face pale with fear and his side bloodied with a gunshot wound, fell into a hug with Tabitha who had made a last minute decision that had, ultimately, saved his life. The two, although partially strangers, sobbed.

They all finally settled into the carrier, though Thor shot off into the air to get to the church as Tony had requested. Moments later, Wanda appeared, looked as fear stricken as he brother.

“Pietro!” She yelled, snatching him into a hug, “I felt it, I felt you d--”

“It is fine,” Pietro reassured, clasping her face, “she saved me,” he nodded towards Tabitha, hunched over with exhaustion, and smiled weakly at the younger twin who had nothing but gratefulness on her face. “We are safe.”

“Oh, it’s been a long day,” Clint complained, collapsing back into three, free seats whilst holding a wound on his side.

Once the carrier doors were locked securely, it set off into the air and headed for safety. From the window, Kat watched the crack of lightning meet the core, and suddenly the city of Sokovia was nothing but lumps of rock that fell into the water below.

And despite their incapability to save Sokovia, they saved the people.

#mcu trio #thor x reader #bucky x reader #peter parker x reader #bucky imagine #thor imagine #peter parker imagine

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nofomoartworld · 7 years

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Hyperallergic: A Wedding Ceremony Takes the Shape of an Art Exhibition

Zachary Z. Handler and Nick Horan’s wedding at Miami Is Nice at SpaceCamp, Baltimore (all photos by the author for Hyperallergic unless otherwise noted)

BALTIMORE — The global wedding market is a $300 billion industry where romance has been manipulated to such a high degree that getting married is often the most expensive endeavor of one’s life, aside from buying a home. Although wedding traditions appear to be governed by an iron (or platinum) fist, it’s shocking to realize that major retailers invented most of our customs — including the white dress, diamond ring, and gift registry — in the past 80 years. What is most alarming is how little Americans deviate from capitalist heteronormative wedding practices, despite the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015, and how divisive weddings remain — for couples, extended families, and all who believe that love, not your gender or race, determines the right to marry.

Who better than artists to challenge and reclaim this oppressive system as a unique declaration of love? In Baltimore, two artists have upended the traditional wedding, realizing it as a month-long gallery exhibition and queer performance series. Miami is Nice, hosted at SpaceCamp, a cavernous artist-run gallery, features work by 45 artists from across the country and looks nothing like a traditional wedding, except for the cheesecake station, but manages to celebrate the aesthetics and values of grooms Zachary Z. Handler and Nick Horan in a variety of unique ways.

Installation view of Miami is Nice at SpaceCamp

After Handler, a photographer, and Horan, a dancer, got engaged, they made a decision to plan their wedding around The Golden Girls, an 80s sitcom featuring four feisty older women living together in Miami, who became queer icons for addressing serious political and social issues including the AIDS crisis, gay rights, female sexuality, and interracial marriage. In the end, Handler and Horan decided to curate a thematic exhibition as the setting for their union.

“I love you so much, let’s make art together for the rest of our lives,” Handler remembers saying when he proposed to Horan during a live dance performance at Artscape. “I had to rip the pantyhose off of his face and he said yes. And then we immediately began planning. We wanted to host our wedding in an art gallery — but what if we don’t like the art? What if we curated our own show?”

“We wanted to create something that felt authentically like us, but that doesn’t back away from our politics,” agreed Horan, speaking in the gallery a week before the public opening reception. “It was a fun realization, the wedding traditions that could be subverted and destroyed, and then put back together by two gay men, especially in the age of Trump.”

A glittery toilet seat designed by Diza Hope

Since Handler and Horan had little experience curating an exhibition or planning a series of public events, they partnered with Michelle Gomez, a contemporary curator who runs Creative Unions, an event planning company designed to integrate contemporary art into celebrations, and Carlyn Thomas, curator at Terrault Contemporary in Baltimore to plan all the details, including a national call for entry asking for gay-, Miami-, wedding-, and Golden Girls-inspired artwork.

The objects in Miami is Nice run the gamut from something you’d find in a traditional art gallery to home decor. Pink neon and gold glitter proliferates, with a glittery toilet seat designed by Diza Hope that makes even a trip to the loo a special event. A site-specific installation by Gary Godbey, Horan, and Handler features 400 copper Jell-O molds proliferating up a gallery wall and around a corner like a metallic tornado — an over-the-top declaration of domestic ’80s bliss.

Some of the works riff on ‘80s abstraction, like Leah Guadagnoli’s Frank Stella-meets-home goods terracotta relief sculptures, which connect pastel beach house décor with organic late 80s assemblage. Alex Ebstein’s collaged yoga mats of flat Matisse-esque shapes of hot pink, teal, and white hint at Miami in the ‘80s, but also aestheticize current exercise culture. A neon-lined mirror sculpture by Esther Ruiz floats an oblong hot pink glow on the wall around it, offering an abstract window into an alternate universe where geometric principles govern.

Installation view of Miami is Nice at SpaceCamp (photo by Akea Brown)

A number of the works deal with gayness in the 80s, when living in the closet was required, and the difficult process of coming out. Michael Anthony Farley’s “Queering Utopia” digital prints of nude men superimposed over images of Miami high-rise apartments communicate the hidden-in-plain-sight sexuality of gay men during that time. In one of the most compelling works, Handler and Horan recreated the boudoir of Golden Girl Blanche Devareaux as a photobooth station, featuring the original wallpaper and bedspread. Next to the bed, jewelry by Anne Stringer is available to try on and wear in your photo. Adding to the retro feel of the bedroom, several brightly colored wall-mounted telephones with curly matching wires are available for a listen. The piece, titled “Proposal” by Tiffany Threadgould and Kat Tingum, features audio documentaries of Southern LGBTQI seniors sharing their coming out stories.

A recreation of the boudoir of Golden Girl Blanche Devareaux (photo by Pixilated Photo Booth)

The wedding altar was designed specifically for the grooms by Anya Mizani and is one of the most dramatic pieces in the show. Comprised of a human-sized pink neon rectangle, it’s filled with large, faux tropical leaves in green and shiny gold. Not just an altar for the ceremony, this piece reinforces the dramatic spectacle of the wedding as a performance.

During the wedding ceremony, Kate Folson and Sarah Beth Oppenheim performed original choreography where two separate entities merge into one, borrowing moves from classical and nontraditional dance, with additional performances throughout the evening. Even the wedding vows were punctuated with interactive artwork. Each guest was given a print by Jimmy Malone to hold up, presenting a purple sea of the four Golden Girls’ faces, a symbolic gesture of friends and family.

Jimmy Malone prints

Here, the art takes on an active role, used for various utilitarian purposes: touched, held, waved, worn, and, in the case of Blanche’s bed, slept in by the grooms over the course of the month. While it’s not unusual for contemporary artwork to be interactive, this exhibit challenges the boundaries of art for art’s sake, transforming works of art into objects to be used for a functional purpose, building a connection between object and audience and breaking down boundaries between a curator’s authority and a viewer’s natural inclination to interact, transforming the art gallery into a nostalgic playground and LGBTQI safe space.

The ceremony, which was invite-only, was held a week after the exhibit’s public opening reception, which garnered several hundred attendees. Days after the wedding, the couple also hosted a public “Cheesecake Conversation” with Golden Girls writer Stan Zimmerman and “Out on The Lanai: A Golden Girls Podcast” host H. Alan Scott. Finally, the closing reception, on October 28, will host an evening of “drag, poetry, music, dance, and community” with artists from Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington DC.

What’s interesting about all of the different events embedded in Miami is Nice, including the opening, wedding, and additional programming, is their cohesion and diversity. This project makes you aware of just how much space exists within the contemporary wedding tradition to subvert, destroy, and rebuild what, for many humans, is the most sacred event of their lives.

Zachary Z. Handler and Nick Horan (photo by Kirstin Pagan)

Regardless of whether married folks realize it, all weddings are a performance where rehearsal, props, makeup, and setting come together to communicate the values that will govern the rest of their lives. Placing contemporary visual art into the center of your wedding is not a universal solution to the problem of lame, overpriced hetero-normative weddings, but it cracks open a window that has been purposefully jammed shut, drawing an invigorating breath of fresh air into a stale institution in need of revival. Handler and Horan have, with the help of art, built a vision of a life worth living, and celebrated like it’s 1989.

Miami is Nice continues at SpaceCamp (16 West North Avenue, Baltimore) through October 28.

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