#shark buddy you have THE ART EVER

[lockes-woods]

Stuck Chapter 1

Himiko feels like she's in a slump. She's been working her ass off for the past three years and it feels like she's gotten nowhere. She's stuck at her two minimum-wage jobs and is still two years away from getting her degree. Despite the support of her friends, she feels like she's falling behind. Himiko's on the brink of giving up on her dream when a couple comes along with a proposition.

(Sugar Daddy Mishanks x reader)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Another round” A deep voice calls out a midst the crowded room. Himiko looked up and caught the eye of the redhead in question. A smile broke out across his face when he noticed the returned eye contact. She recognized him as one of the lawyers from the firm up the block. There were more people at his party than normal for a Tuesday night. They must have won a case; they only ever got this lively when they won a big case. She counted at least 12 people clustered around four tables that had been pushed together. Half of them appeared to be in lively debate, one was passed out, three had left to play pool, and two were making out in the corner. She huffed a laugh through her nose before getting started on their drinks. Most were drinking beers, but a few including the redhead were drinking top-shelf rum. After pouring their drinks and opening their bottles Himiko helped their waitress load her trays up.

          “I’ll take your finest wine,” a pompous voice called to her left. Himiko internally cringed as she turned to serve him.

          “That would be our Déesse it is 4,500 berries a glass.” She responded with her best customer service smile.

          “I’ll have it,” he grunted before leaning into her space and squinting at her. “Say you look familiar.” Himiko didn’t recognize him. He was definitely not a regular here or at her other job; she would have remembered someone who was this annoying.

          “I get that a lot guess I just have one of those faces.” She laughed brushing off his comment. She turned to head to the back to grab the wine. Before she could leave his vicinity, he grabbed her right arm in a bruising grip.

          “I know who you are. You’re that skank who conned my buddy out of thousands of berries,”  he said, raising his voice.

          “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She responded calmly trying to pull her arm out of his grip, but he wouldn’t let up.

          “Yes, you do; you’re a pool shark” he seethed. His grip tightened before he continued, “I’m not leaving until you pay back what you owe.” 

          Panicked by him tightening his grip Himiko yanked her arm backwards as fast and as far as she could causing him to slam face-first into the wooden bar. Her martial arts training kicked in as she quickly rotated her wrist outward causing him to lose his grip on her. She backed up until she bumped into the shelves of alcohol behind the bar.

          “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO MY FATHER IS” He screeched clutching his now broken nose.

          “Outside of the fact that he has a bitch son who's bleeding all over my bar no.” She spits back without thinking. She could feel herself getting angry. It was alien to her; it normally took a lot to rile her up.  

          “He’s Captain Morgon of the 153rd precinct” he seethed blood running down his face staining his teeth, “You’re so fucked for this.” Before Himiko could respond two of her male coworkers materialized next to her. She could suddenly feel the eyes of her patrons on her.

          “I think it’s time for you to leave pal.” Her coworker James said stepping between them while her other coworker Hiroshi gently steered her towards the back of the house. She was vaguely aware of him yelling about the manager and demanding she be fired on the spot before his voice became muffled by the closing door behind her. Her breathing began to become erratic as the adrenaline wore off. She settled against the counter in the kitchen. Thankfully the kitchen staff had been let out for the night.

          “Let me get you some water, I’ll be right back,” Hiroshi said before going back out to the bar. Himiko trained her breath as she counted her intakes and exhales. This was the first time in a while she had to defend herself outside of competitions. She was normally able to talk her way out of situations before it got physical. Hell, half the classes she took were on sociology and psychology. She was better than this. She may have just blown her chance at becoming a social worker in one move. Himiko sighed and leaned her head back. The door that connected to the front opened again.

          “Here,” Hiroshi said handing her a glass of ice water. Himiko grabbed it and took a small sip.

          “How bad is it?” She asked looking up at him.

          “They just got him outside when I walked out; James and Marcus had to literally drag him kicking and screaming. They’re talking to him outside now.” He said, filling her in.

          “Jesus, this is a nightmare,” Himiko sighed before continuing. “I can’t afford to lose this job.”

          “I wouldn’t worry about it; from what I saw he was the one who assaulted you. If he had just let go he wouldn’t have gotten hurt.” He said, squeezing her shoulder comfortingly.

          “I guess, I’m just worried that Marcus is involved. I already have a write-up this month for calling out without coverage.” Himiko said taking another sip of her water.

          “I mean he’s just a manager; he has to run it by the owners before he fires anyone.” He responded before the door to the front opened. Both of them turn their heads to see Marcus walk in.

          “Right,” Marcus starts looking at Himiko. “Are you okay? How’s your arm?”

          “I’m fine; it’ll bruise but nothing broken.” She responded.

          “Good, you,” he said pointing at Hiroshi. “Get back out front and help James close everyone out. We’re closing early.” Hiroshi nodded before leaving the two alone in the back.

          “I’m sorry-” Himiko started before he cut her off.

          “You have nothing to apologize for; I saw the bastard grab you on the security camera. That’s how I got out there so fast.”

          “But we had to close early because of me,” she said.

          “There was only an hour before the last call. The majority of our business has already left for the night.” He said in an almost comforting tone before continuing. “He’s already been escorted off the property; he basically ran away when I called the cops.”

          “You called the police?” Himiko asked in a nervous tone.

          “Yes, if he really is the son of a police captain I want to get ahead of this before it becomes a problem. A buddy of mine who works for the police precinct we’re in is on his way. He’s going to take your statement in the back office.”

          “Okay,” she nods after swallowing the lump in her throat.

          “Also, while it’s none of my business what you do in your free time if you happened to be a pool shark, I would hope that you would only do that at establishments that did not share our clientele.” He said in a serious tone. She nodded in response rubbing her arm. The bruise had just begun to bloom.

          “Hey Marcus, you’re friends here,” Hiroshi said, poking his head through the door.

          “Ready?” he asked.

          “Yeah,” Himiko said following him to the back office.

***

Himiko groaned to herself as she grabbed her coat off the rack and exited the back of the building. Everyone outside of Marcus had already left for the night. She glanced down at her phone and saw that it was already a quarter to four. After factoring in her half-hour ride home on the subway she was only going to get three hours of sleep before she had to leave for her barista shift later that morning. She dragged her feet as she circled around the building through an alley to the street.

“Hey!” a voice called to her left. Himiko stiffened before relaxing once she saw the familiar face of the redhead from earlier.

“Hey, what are you still doing here?” she asked as she watched him snuff out the cigarette he was smoking. He pushed himself off the wall before responding.

“Waiting for you.” He said with a disarming smile. If Himiko didn’t already think he was handsome she did now.

“And why would that be?” she asked, quirking her eyebrow at him.

“I’d like to offer you my services. That is assuming you pressed charges?” he asked.

“I did.” She confirmed before continuing, “No offense, but I work here. What makes you think I could afford your services?” she asked. While the bar was not a shabby establishment it was on the cusp of the city’s center and uptown. Bartenders in center city were paid decent, but not enough to afford an uptown lawyer. He nodded in recognition before responding.

“Noted, but I have been known to work pro bono in the past. I may be inclined to do the same here. Especially when my favorite bartender happens to be involved.” he said, still smiling. “It doesn't hurt that she happens to be easy on the eyes.” He tacks on the end of his statement. Himiko could feel the blood rush to her cheeks at his compliment.

“I don’t even know your name and you want to represent me in court for free?” she asked.

“If that’s your only hang up it can be easily fixed.” he said holding out his hand, “Shanks.”

“Himiko” she responded, shaking his hand hesitantly.

“There, now that that’s out of the way how are you getting home?” he asked.

“The train?” she responded unsure of where this was leading.  

“At this time of night? I’d feel more comfortable if you took a car.” He spoke.

“What are you going to pay for it? A ride home would cost a quarter of my tips,” she said.

“Of course.” He responded seriously like it was a dumb question.

“And why would you do that?” she asked skeptically.

“You’re my client now and I take care of my clients.” He said like it was the simplest thing in the world before pulling out his phone and passing it to her. “Here type in where you want to be dropped out.”

“Are you sure?” she asked knowing that prices rise this time of night from all the bars and clubs letting out.

“Positive.” He confirmed. She typed in the address of the bodega that was on the same block as her apartment complex before handing back the phone. He quirked an eyebrow at the address. “You live here?” he asked concerned.

“Yeah, why?” She asked back.

“Nothing, it’s just not the best area.” He answered.

“I can take care of myself.” She dismissed.

He laughed in response. “I don’t think anyone would doubt that, especially after tonight. It just caught me off guard is all.”

Himiko hummed in response as a black car pulled up.

“Well, this is me.” She said, nodding to the car.

“Here before you go,” he said reaching into his blazer pocket and pulled out a card. “Here’s my business card; my personal number is written on the back if you need anything outside of business hours.”

“Okay, thanks,” she said sincerely before getting in the back of the car. She waved to him as the car pulled off the curb and headed south toward her apartment complex. Himiko settled into her seat, and the exhaustion of the day finally fully hit her. She leaned her head against the window willing herself to stay awake. She was too tired to even attempt to process the last couple of hours. She just hoped that she could at least get some sleep before her shift later that morning. She only had one class on Wednesdays so she could crash as soon as that was over. She just hoped she could last that long.

MASTER LIST

#red haired shanks #dracule mihawk #modern au #sugar daddy au #slow burn #surgeon mihawk #lawyer shanks #bisexual reader #red haired shanks x reader #dracule mihawk x reader #red haired shanks x dracule mihawk #red haired shanks x dracule mihawk x reader #cross posted on ao3 #mishanks x reader

[waffliesinyoface]

The Akatsuki, Ranked by How Normal (and/or insane) They Are

Now, listen. I love the akatsuki. You, dear reader, presumably love the akatsuki.　They’re great. They are also, however, the biggest collection of walking buckwild basket cases to ever exist. So. Lets rank them.

Kisame - he is literally a shark. He is literally a giant blue shark man with face gills and a semi-sentient sword that can eat things. This is our barometer for “normal person” here.

Sasori - i hear you protesting but, hold on. Yes, he has literally turned himself into a puppet man. Not a deal breaker! He’s just. Dedicated. You could have a reasonable conversation with him. Provided you don’t annoy him in some way, and/or don’t qualify for his internal standard of “artistic”, he is no more likely to kill you than any other S-rank criminal ninja. 

Kakuzu - Similar to Sasori in that you could probably survive a conversation with him, but also, he has a lot of anger issues and not a lot of self restraint. “Normal”, but only relative to other ninja.

Deidara - We are now at the point that other ninja are giving you the side eye. Excitable, loud, obnoxious, a little mean, and passionate about art. That by itself would not be out of place on like, any college campus. However he also has mouth hands, a penchant for arson, and the ability & desire to explode anything that looks slightly artistic.

Konan - Not even normal from a distance because no one looks that put together all the time. Flies around with giant paper wings and calls herself god’s angel with a straight face. Genuinely means it. Enters and exits rooms/conversations by turning into paper and fluttering away on the breeze. If you’re not a citizen of Rain Country, your life is of less consequence to her than an ant. Absolutely fucking inscrutable woman.

Zetsu - “isnt zetsu literally a fucking alien plant dude or something?” yeah “doesnt he literally shlorp out of the ground all the time?” yeah “isn’t he actually two people, and frequently talks to himself” yeah “how the fuck is he not the LAST person on this list?” listen to me. the rest are worse.

Itachi - You think he’s normal but then he opens his mouth and oh no,  he’s so not. His plans have plans. None of these plans are good plans, but he will genjutsu you into going along with them anyways. Stabs people in the face while calling himself a pacifist. Logic is a distant relative and he killed all of those. You do Not want to be a target of his affection by any means.

Hidan - He’s an asshole and god loves him for it. Will ritualistically disembowel himself and then complain about the rain five minutes later. Even when viewed through the lens of Jashinist ideology, he is an outlier and should not be counted.

Obito - His plans make no sense and he is basically losing his shit throughout the entire series. Good times. Has weird hangups about kakashi. Got kidnapped by an evil grandpa and was convinced that using the moon to reflect a super genjutsu onto the entire world was Necessary for the Greater Good. Decided to pretend to be Tobi for months, if not years, for ??? reasons, instead of actually advancing his plans. Despite being obviously in his early twenties he decided to tell Pein & Konan (& Itachi) that his true identity was Madara Uchiha, century-old-grandpa, and they fucking bought it.

Pein - Named himself Pein. Because he was in so much pain, you see. His best friend died so he decided the clear and logical thing to do was to pilot his corpse around and call himself god, and also grab like 5 other corpses and dye their hair the same color. That’s a lovely coping mechanism, Pein. You do you, buddy!!

Honorary Mention: Orochimaru - there are not enough words to describe this man adequately. What the fuck, sir.

#naruto #akatsuki

[dotster001]

Can I get a test match up for your event? This is what o sent on a while ago for an obey me match up (I think it was for 500 or before when I sent this) anyway, thanks and congrats!

-🦈

Transmasc he/they, 4’10(lol), INTJ-I have Adhd and lots of anxiety(always nervous and stressed about something)

I like art and theater (acting and musicals) I also like playing the Irish tin whistle and electric bass. I also like reading (books and comics)

I like to think and I’m told I’m funny, I like making people laugh and be happy(though sometimes my jokes can be like, horrifically dark-it’s coping but I always feel bad when I make someone uncomfy :( ), I’m caring, I’ll be there for anyone and take care of people no matter what (not the best at taking care of myself though rip)

I’m kinda 50%, sometimes I’m chaotic and I’m up to do whatever and dangerous junk without thinking-other 50% I just wanna nap and cuddle with someone.

Btw I don’t really know the new characters/datables so prefer not to be matched with them, sorry

Event Closed

(sup SHARKY!!! Hope you enjoy this 😊)

I match you with Belphegor.

Imma be honest. It's the dark humor. If anyone uses dark jokes to deflect inner turmoil, it's him. I mean, just compare the way he is before and after he was locked in the attic. Point being, you're never going too far with him. If he goes too far though, smack him. Actually, maybe don't, he might like that.

He does his best to stay awake for you, but sometimes he can't help it. So he likes that you're a reader, because it's something you can do while he lays on your lap. You can both sit quietly together, and he doesn't miss too much if he falls asleep. Although, he does get dissapointed missing your expressions if you're reading something particularly interesting. But it's fine. He can see them when you rehash the book for him later.

Got anxiety? Babes, he can help. Sort of. His abilities are typically used to put people to sleep. And if anxiety is keeping you from sleeping, it's all the more excuse for him to use you as his body pillow. But he slowly learns to syphon his abilities so that if the negative energy is starting to rise, he can lull you down enough that you can feel at ease. He's so proud of his new skill, mostly because it means he isn't useless to one of the two most important people in his life (it's the trauma talking)

Glad you like cuddles. Your new position as boyfriend to the Avatar of Sloth is dependent on cuddles. Get ready for your new life skipping classes to nap in the attic, skipping council meetings to snuggle, and disappearing from the HoL to sleep under the stars. He's warm and snuggly, more soft than any teddy bear you've ever cuddled.

Idk how tall the brothers are, but I hc that they are all nearly freakishly tall. His sadistic ass mercilessly teases you for being 4'10" constantly. But if you find a spell that could make you taller, suddenly he's whining and pouting. He likes his tiny boyfriend! You're snuggle sized! Don't stop being his tiny cuddle buddy!

You're lucky you're chaotic. Because once you started dating Belphie, your involvement in the Anti Lucifer League had only grown. Your fingerprints were on all sorts of crimes. Good thing you liked that life.

"So, obviously we are still banned from the kitchen after the incident," Balphie said, pointing to the whiteboard that was detailing his idea for the future prank.

"Right," you and Satan both nodded.

"So, we need a prank that will require less stove top and more finesse! Now, Satan, you will aquire as many bottles of dish soap as possible from your connections."

"On it."

"And as for you, my little shark," he said, giving you a soft smile, before taking your hands in his, "I need you to cause some chaos. While Satan and I spread the dish soap on all the floors in the house, you'll pester Levi enough that he summons Lotan."

"And filling the house with water, along the house full with bubbles! Belphie that's genius," you said, nuzzling your nose against his.

"I do what I can," he grinned, pride radiating off him. "Now if everyone understands the plan, let us begin!"

#matchups #1.5k followers #obey me #belphegor #belphie #om!belphie

[mushiver]

I haven't been a movie nerd even ONCE on this account. Here's my top 10 movies in 2023

1. The Lord of the Rings (trilogy)

IT STILL COUNTS AS ONE

Can't go wrong here. There's fantasy, action scenes, friendship, romance, badass dialogue, comedy. There's refreshing masculinity where men are close friends, fight for each other, die for each other, kiss each other on the forehead, sing, etc. The Aragorn Arwen romance is sweet and isn't overblown, and the main theme is to fight for good. If you're tired of anti-heroes and want a clean good vs. evil, this is it. The downside is not having poc representation and only 3 important women, but they are extremely awesome and play pivotal roles. If you've heard about LOTR for forever but never actually seen it, here's your sign.

2. The Lego Movie

This movie sells itself, but I have seen it maybe. 40 times. And I could quote it from start to end as a kid. It's funny, has crossover characters along with the main ones (like Batman, Superman, Gandalf, Abraham Lincoln, Han Solo), lots of references, and the main message is that you're special in your own way. It's very autism coded, I think

3. Jaws

Classic man vs. monster, and it's great if you don't watch thrillers and need something "dip your toes in." While the majority of the town goes all rambo trying to kill the shark, the main characters are the opposite. The chief of police is ultimately empathetic and wants to stop more people from being hurt, Matt Hooper is a shark expert "city boy" coming along, and Quint has a boat that needs to be bigger

4. My Cousin Vinny

Vinny is a lawyer taking a case to prove his cousin didn't murder a clerk, but he's the worst lawyer in existence. He forgot everything he learned in law school, can't stop wearing a leather jacket to court, and his fiancée saves him most times. It has some of the most quotable lines and 10/10 I recommend to Alabamans for the southern jokes

5. Knives Out

A modern "whodunit" mystery that shines the most because it's a comedy. The main character Marta is the only one who thinks she knows what happened, but she pukes every time she tells a lie. Benoit Blanc is also the most iconic detective to me and one of my favorite characters ever

6. Tommy Boy

This has a very similar tone to My Cousin Vinny, but it's a road trip movie. After Tommy's dad dies, he and Richard (a jerk coworker) try to sell autoparts to save his company. They're the worst salesmen in existence, but ultimately are creative and pull some shenanigans (Tommy and Richard go from rivals to buddies). It's from the 90s and not very chill with the r-slur and some fat jokes, but it's ultimately a feel-good movie if that isn't a dealbreaker for you

7. Jurassic Park

Like Jaws, another classic pop culture movie. The score is so good, and they make a world full of dinosaurs have the same magic feel as the wizarding world. It's an adventure movie with great action scenes and characters. (This is a trope I love personally but) Alan Grant is a grump who doesn't like kids, but later he looks after them. Ellie Sattler is one of my favorite characters ever, and Jeff Goldblum lays on a table. Survival movies are fun 10/10

8. Joker (2019)

DROOLING OVER THE CINEMATOGRAPHY. It's such a well-made movie, and you never know entirely what's real with unreliable narrating. It makes you feel for Arthur and understand his actions while knowing he made the wrong decisions in the end. Some think it's negative for mental health representation, but it can be used as a cautionary tale for the ways mentally ill people are mistreated and how the events that led to the start of the film weren't his fault. Ultimately, I think it inspires more empathy, and it's a piece of art

9. Signs

I'm a sucker for the "everything makes sense in the end" trope. A lot of people didn't like the combo of two supernaturals (the existence of God and aliens), but I don't think it ruins the movie. It centers around a family struggling with the death of their mother (or sister or wife, depending on the character), and the ex-priest dad had lost connection with his faith. He happens to find it again because of an alien invasion. Normal Tuesday

10. Arsenic and Old Lace

From 1944, it's a weird movie and the acting is iconic. Mortimer is trying to get to his honeymoon, but when he visits his aunts, he finds a dead body in the house. It's a comedy involving shenanigans, avoiding the police, and an uncle who thinks he's Teddy Roosevelt. (It's a bit outdated as far as mental illness goes, but Mortimer's goal is to put his family in the care of a mental institution rather than shipping them off or telling the police.) As a drama queen, I also appreciate Cary Grant being a drama queen

10 honorable mentions: Lego Batman, Napoleon Dynamite, The Goofy Movie, Clue, Psycho, Marriage Story, Into the Spiderverse, Avengers Endgame, Dead Poets Society, Muder on the Orient Express. Swag thanks for reading

#movies #movie recommendations #movie nerd #lord of the rings #the lego movie #jaws #my cousin vinny #knives out #tommy boy #jurassic park #signs #arsenic and old lace #joker #joker 2019

[link-sans-specs]

Link Sans Specs: Archive

Mythical Society 🐍♾️🐍

The same beautiful ocean blues free of specs, but hidden behind a paywall. Exception: All posts related to GMM episodes (Bonus Rounds, BTS Photos, BTM) have been included in the GMM archives.

Secret Loft Meetings

Bonk (Mar 2020)

Blood Oath Page (Jan 2022)

Blood Oath Page (Mar 2022)

AMAs

Scuba Dad (Jun 2022)

Carpool Vlogs/Car Biscuits

Untitled (Apr 2020)

Rhett & Link Go To the Beach (Jun 2020)

R & L Get a New Perspective! (Nov 2020)

The Best Chicken Rhett's Ever Had (Mar 2021)

Discovering the IG Explore Page (Oct 2021)

Saying Hi To a Stranger (Jan 2022)

How Being a Pet Owner Humbles Us (Jun 2022)

Loudly Talking at Physical Therapy (Jul 2022)

Meeting Fans at a Drive-Thru (Sep 2022)

Stretching on Dog Walks (Mar 2023)

Painting Link's White Overalls (Apr 2023)

Acting Like Ourselves Off Camera (Jun 2023)

Why Is Your Car On Dynamic Mode? (Nov 2023)

Buying Art Magazines (Feb 2024)

Quarterly Livestreams

RandL Rave 1 + 2 + 3 (Aug 2020)

Hide & Seek (Nov 2020)

MS Anniversary Extravaganza (Feb 2021)

Holiday Meal (Nov 2021)

GMM 10th Anniversary (Feb 2022)

RandL Makeover 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 (Jun 2022)

The Great Board Game Competition (Nov 2023)

Rhett & Link React

The Surrogate Sharers (July 2021)

Buddy System Season 1 Finale (Aug 2021)

Clown Shark (Oct 2021)

It's My Belly Button (Jun 2022)

Rhett Showers at Link's House (Feb 2023)

Sensory Deprivation Tank (Sep 2023)

Never Before Seen

(May-Jun 2022)

Rhett's Real World Audition 1 + 2 (Sep 2023)

Broken P elvis Song (Sep 2023)

The Bible Tells Me So Show (Sep 2023)

Exclusive Extras

Merle Haggard Vinyl Cover (Sep 2019)

Merle Haggard Vinyl BTM (Sep 2019)

Buies Creek Doc Extras 1 + 2 (Dec 2019)

Rhett Turns Into a Werewolf (May 2020)

Did Link Really Shave His Head? (May 2020)

Rough Cut of Unaired GMM (Feb 2021)

Lionel Vinyl Mini Doc 1 + 2 (Apr 2021)

You Are Video (Jun 2021)

What am I Spanking? Banned GMM (July 2021)

RONSTADT Listening Party (July 2021)

Hazel BTM (Oct 2021)

Golden Tee Virtual Taste Test (Jan 2022)

Brooks & Dunn Vinyl Cover (Apr 2022)

Brooks & Dunn BTM 1 + 2 (Apr 2022)

Boot Scootin' Boogie Video 1 + 2 (Apr 2022)

Banned GMM + GMMore (Jun 2022)

Neon Moon Video (Jun 2022)

Couples Therapy w/ CCR (Jul 2022)

Society Showdown Ep. 1 (Aug 2022)

Nostalgia GMM BTS 1 + 2 (Feb 2024)

Mythical Cookbook Photoshoot (Mar 2024)

LTAT + Extras (Mar 2024)

#link sans specs #archive #blog directory #mythical society #secret loft #ama #carpool vlogs #car biscuits #quarterly livestream #r&l react #exclusive extras #there's another chunk of this mess straightened out #go me #eating this elephant one bite at a time #but dang if it isn't a delicious elephant 😜

[coates58reid]

Detailed Notes on best squishmallows

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#squishmallows #mart #squishy #best #top #new

[livelectures2]

Shark Tank Project Ideas for Students: 73+ Innovative Ventures from Various Niches

Are you a student with an entrepreneurial spirit? Have you ever dreamed of presenting your innovative ideas on a platform like Shark Tank? Well, you’re in the right place! In this blog, we’ll explore over 79 exciting Shark Tank Project Ideas for Students from various backgrounds and interests. These ideas are not only creative but also explained in simple words, so you can easily grasp their potential.

1. **Smart Study Buddy**: An app that uses AI to create customized study plans and provide explanations for tough topics.

2. **Eco-Friendly Utensils**: Develop biodegradable cutlery made from sustainable materials.

3. **Virtual Fashion Stylist**: An app that suggests outfits and accessories based on user preferences and what’s in their wardrobe.

4. **Recycled Art Supplies**: Create art supplies from recycled materials, reducing waste.

5. **Solar-Powered Phone Charger**: A portable charger that harnesses solar energy.

6. **Community Garden Subscription**: Offer monthly subscriptions to a local community garden, delivering fresh produce to subscribers.

7. **Online Language Learning Platform**: A platform for learning languages through interactive lessons and quizzes.

8. **Pet Wellness Subscription**: Deliver pet wellness products and information to subscribers each month.

9. **Smart Waste Sorting Bin**: A bin that automatically sorts recyclables from non-recyclables.

10. **Homemade Candle Kits**: Sell kits with everything needed to make your own candles at home.

11. **Eco-Friendly Toothbrush**: Develop a toothbrush made from sustainable and biodegradable materials.

12. **Mental Health App**: Create an app that offers resources and support for mental health issues.

13. **Indoor Plant Subscription**: Deliver a new indoor plant to subscribers each month, along with care instructions.

14. **Homemade Soap Business**: Craft and sell artisanal soaps with unique scents and designs.

15. **AI-Powered Fitness Coach**: An app that tailors workout routines and diet plans based on user goals and progress.

16. **Remote Work Essentials**: Sell curated kits with office supplies for remote workers.

17. **Food Truck with a Twist**: Offer unique, fusion food options on a mobile food truck.

18. **Customized Meal Prep Service**: Prepare and deliver personalized meal plans to customers.

19. **Home Recycling Service**: Pick up and recycle items that can’t be recycled through regular municipal services.

20. **Upcycled Furniture**: Create unique and environmentally friendly furniture from discarded materials.

21. **Sustainable Fashion Line**: Design and produce clothing with eco-friendly materials and practices.

22. **DIY Home Improvement Kits**: Offer kits with all the materials and instructions needed for home improvement projects.

23. **Pet Dating App**: Help pet owners find playdates and potential mates for their pets.

24. **Eco-Friendly Gift Shop**: Sell eco-conscious gifts and products for all occasions.

25. **Student Tutoring Platform**: Connect students needing help with tutors in various subjects.

26. **Smart Home Integration Service**: Set up and configure smart home devices for customers.

27. **Local Artisan Marketplace**: Create an online platform for local artisans to sell their crafts.

28. **Food Allergy Tracker App**: An app that helps users track their food allergies and find safe dining options.

29. **Custom Clothing Alterations**: Offer tailoring services to customize clothing to customers’ preferences.

30. **Emergency Preparedness Kits**: Assemble kits with essential supplies for various emergency situations.

31. **Organic Skincare Products**: Develop a line of organic and natural skincare products.

32. **Outdoor Adventure Equipment Rentals**: Rent out equipment like camping gear and bikes.

33. **Subscription Box for Book Lovers**: Deliver carefully curated books and book-related items to subscribers.

34. **Sustainable Tech Accessories**: Create eco-friendly tech accessories such as phone cases and laptop sleeves.

35. **Virtual Event Planning Service**: Help individuals and businesses plan and execute virtual events.

36. **Plant-Based Meal Delivery**: Deliver plant-based meals to health-conscious customers.

37. **Elderly Companion Service**: Connect trained companions with elderly individuals in need of companionship.

38. **Zero-Waste Grocery Store**: Open a store that sells groceries with minimal packaging waste.

39. **Homemade Jewelry Line**: Craft unique and artistic jewelry pieces for sale.

40. **Hiking and Nature Tours**: Lead guided hikes and nature tours in your area.

41. **Student-Focused Tech Repair**: Repair and refurbish electronic devices commonly used by students.

42. **Homemade Pet Treats**: Create and sell gourmet pet treats made from natural ingredients.

43. **Mental Health Workshops**: Offer workshops and events focused on mental health and self-care.

44. **Bike Sharing Program**: Start a local bike-sharing program for eco-friendly transportation.

45. **Aromatherapy Products**: Make and sell essential oils, diffusers, and scented products.

46. **Custom Photo Albums**: Craft custom photo albums for preserving precious memories.

47. **Home Energy Efficiency Assessments**: Help homeowners identify and address energy-wasting issues in their homes.

48. **Reusable Food Packaging**: Create reusable food containers and packaging.

49. **Vintage Clothing Boutique**: Open a boutique specializing in vintage and retro fashion.

50. **Eco-Tourism Adventures**: Offer eco-friendly adventure tours and experiences in your region.

51. **Tech Recycling Service**: Collect and recycle outdated electronic devices.

52. **Online Plant Store**: Sell a variety of plants and gardening supplies online.

53. **Sports Equipment Rental**: Rent out sports equipment for outdoor activities.

54. **Natural Cleaning Products**: Develop and sell eco-friendly cleaning products.

55. **Pet Grooming Services**: Provide grooming and pet care services for dogs and cats.

56. **Homemade Salsa and Sauces**: Create and sell your own line of homemade salsas and sauces.

57. **Virtual Art Classes**: Offer online art classes for all skill levels.

58. **Homemade Ice Cream Stand**: Serve unique flavors of homemade ice cream.

59. **Eco-Friendly Toy Store**: Open a store that sells sustainable and educational toys.

60. **Personalized Event Decor**: Create custom decorations and party supplies for special events.

61. **Car Detailing Service**: Provide professional car detailing services.

62. **Homemade Jam and Preserves**: Craft and sell a variety of homemade jams and preserves.

63. **Artisanal Coffee Roastery**: Roast and sell specialty coffee beans.

64. **Educational Subscription Box**: Offer monthly educational activities and projects for kids.

65. **Virtual Yoga and Wellness Classes**: Conduct online yoga and wellness classes.

66. **Gourmet Popcorn Stand**: Serve a variety of gourmet popcorn flavors.

67. **Dog Walking and Pet Sitting**: Start a pet care service for busy pet owners.

68. **Vintage Furniture Restoration**: Restore and sell vintage furniture pieces.

69. **Virtual Escape Room Experience**: Create and host online escape room adventures.

70. **Homemade Candles with a Twist**: Offer candles with surprise jewelry hidden inside.

71. **Local Art Exhibition Space**: Open a gallery for local artists to showcase their work.

72. **Homemade Natural Cleaning Products**: Develop and sell environmentally friendly cleaning solutions.

73. **Personalized Engraved Gifts**: Offer personalized and engraved gifts for special occasions.

74. **Healthy Snack Subscription**: Deliver nutritious snacks and foods to subscribers.

75. **Eco-Friendly Stationery Shop**: Sell eco-conscious stationery, pens, and art supplies.

76. **Virtual Tech Support**: Provide remote technical support for common tech issues.

77. **Sustainable Farm-to-Table Restaurant**: Create a restaurant with a focus on locally sourced and sustainable ingredients.

78. **Homemade Organic Baby Food**: Prepare and sell organic baby food made with love.

79. **Eco-Friendly Home Cleaning Services**: Offer green cleaning services for homes and businesses.

Remember, when presenting your Shark Tank project idea, it’s important to be well-prepared, passionate, and confident. The “Sharks” are looking for innovation, viability, and a solid pitch. Choose an idea that resonates with your interests and aligns with market trends. Now, it’s time to dive into your project, refine your pitch, and take the plunge into the world of entrepreneurship!

So, whether you’re passionate about tech, sustainability, arts, or food, there’s a Shark Tank project idea suitable for you. These ideas are designed to cater to the diverse interests of students and are explained in simple words. Dive into your chosen niche, brainstorm, and bring your entrepreneurial dreams to life!

[justapillowpetpanda]

#activity #adrianzhang #autumn #beginnercrochet #costume #crafts #crochet #crochetkits #crochetpattern #crocheting #easypeasyyarn #fall #halloween #justinetiu #salemthehalloweencat #thewoobles #yarn

[clarktooncrossing]

On March 6th of last year I posted a collection of discarded drawings called DUMPSTER DUDELZ on deviantART, my way of making sure abandoned art would be seen. It hadn't been the first time I had compiled all of my leftovers together, 2013's Sketchapalooza ULTIMAtE acting as the original Clarktoon sketch dump before I made Sketch BOOMs a thing. The only difference this time was that all the artwork was original, Sketchapalooza including fan art of Queen La, Mickey Mouse, and Blue's Clues. With all the projects I start then never finished, I figured a compilation like this would be a perfect way to show what all doesn't make the final cut. Now with it being the dawn of a New Year, I decided to bring the idea back with a vengeance! That is until I saw how many scrapped scribbles I actually had. Unlike the previous DUMPSTER DUDELZ, which had amassed years worth of rejected content, this one comes at the end of a single year where most of my ideas managed to make it online. Heck, one of the sketches seen here actually was posted to deviantART before now. You know what I say to all that though? Screw it, let's post it anyway! Hopefully my posting all of this will usher in the beginning of a full, productive year of artwork. If not, I at least got to humiliate my good friend Volts48...

1) SPOOKY SCARY SEXY MASKED MANIAC Halloween is always a rough time for me, artistically. With Christmas taking up all of my focus I'm left unavailable to post anything for the second best Holiday of the year. Not that I ever stop trying, mind you. My goal for 2022 was to post a specially themed Sketch BOOM themed around the month of monsters, even managing to get one of my ideas down on paper. Said idea being my buddy Alec genderbent and dressed in a Virgin-Killer sweater as revenge for all the times he paid other artists to draw me with massive boobs or in frilly outfits. To any artist that has done that, rest assured I don't actually take any offense to it, I appreciate any fan work based of my characters regardless of how ridiculous. Besides, you at least draw she-me with clothes on, so there's that. This was just a silly excuse to put my friend in the exact same situation he puts me through as well the culmination of an old inside joke that even he forgot about. Back when I first started my Discord server I was very strict about what could be posted, so Alec made a big stink when my college buddy Alice2Rose posted a picture of one of these sweaters, my ignorance showing when I didn't even know what it was. Leave it to an anime weeb to detect a virgin killer a mile away. In any case, here's hoping the aftermath of my friend's long forgotten stink brings you some Halloween fun on this New Year's Day.

2) POLKA PUP, DOO DOO DA DOO DA DOO Yet another joke that culminated on my server, this time from my friend Void-Android. All throughout the last year the mechanized man was obsessed with posting comics and GIFs of puppy sharks, their precious lil' faces flooding my server like the world's cutest Sharnado. Seeing as my friend Finjix and I semi-frequently collaborate ideas for our own shark character Polka Shark, I figured it'd be fun to draw the fantastic, frantic fish as one of those peculiar house pets. The end result is an adorable abomination that'll annoy the carp out of his friend Striped Starfish.

Striped Starfish: Just what I needed; Polka with legs. There goes my plans of washing ashore and dying of heat stroke.

For those wanting more of Polka Shark's absurd under-sea antics, go check out SIM-N's gallery on deviantART. For now though I hope you all enjoy Polka Pup more than the Starfish did.

3) The Mummy of 3K, Queen Emoteph Like I said at the beginning, I had completely forgotten about having already posted this sketch of ERN-E's girlfriend and Yas Queen of the year 3000 EMIL-E as a Mummy. The idea comes from my repeated attempts to bring back the Monster 3K Pin Ups that SIM-N and I used to do for Halloween, Emoteph being brought back from our initial run from 2015. Alas, all that came from this was this admittedly awesome sketch. Fingers crossed I get to take this idea to its fullest extent next year, ERN-E opening a tomb to find the hottest Mummy ever found by man or machine.

ERN-E: That is one fresh-looking corpse... EMIL-E: You're not too bad looking yourself, big guy.

4) ERN-E X EMIL-E Speaking of the Clarktooniverse's first couple, here we have ERN-E and EMIL-E in some slightly updated designs. After years of making his eyes one big screen, I finally decided to give ERN-E more human-like eyes for ease of expression. Em herself didn't get much of an upgrade, but a sketch of ERN-E alone felt naked without his best girl by his side. Here's hoping I get to draw more of these two together in the future.

5) LET'S DANCE AT WHIMSYLAND Okay, this one's definitely needs an explanation. 2022 saw me make my fourth pilgrimage to Disney World to meet up with my friend @the-pale-servant / @agathe-the-smol, despite my vow to not visit the park until Bob Chapek was fired. I have made it no secret how much I despised the bald-headed, brain-dead, creatively bankrupt loser in charge of the Disney during his tenure, his treatment of the Disney Parks being a key factor. Whereas most people saw the parks as a magical wonderland always ready to be expanded and improved, Bob saw it as a money-printing machine he could run raged without a break. It was disgusting. This was most evident when Jart and I got stuck on four different rides, often times more than once. Though to be fair, we still had an amazing time while there! Still, my continued cynicism against the state of my favorite place on Earth wasn't getting any healthier, so I decided to express my contempt creatively. Welcome to Whimsyland, a theme park opened in 1962 by Matt Whimsy as a celebration of the human spirit and endless imagination. Here you could meet Fred Fox, the company's cartoon mascot currently exiling himself to the Park in response to how the CEO's handling Matt's business. Fred is my Mickey stand-in, though unlike Mickey he makes it clear he hears fan complaints and hates being depicted as the villain. Dancing the charleston beside him is Fiona Fox, cartoon fashion icon that the current CEO keeps exploiting, though Fiona at least uses this to her advantage by continuing to inspire young girls. Along with the rest of my currently in development cast, Whimsyland might become the most perkiest place on the planet once more. Until then, we can at least enjoy these two characters dancing to this.

In case you're wondering why I never posted this, you can thank my questionable coloring choices for that. The orange coloring on Freddy feels fine, but the same can't be said for Fiona's fur color nor for their attire. Like I said, this idea's still a WIP.

6) SOMETHING IN THE WAY, OWL DUDE IN THE RAIN Poor Owl Dude, I don't draw him nearly as much as I should. Luckily, the new story ideas I have in mind with him should help fix that. And no, SIM-N, none of them involve a stove!

7) SAURA, EXPERIMENTAL SKETCH If any Clarktoons dominated a majority of my thoughts this year it would be Fred Fox and Saura, my teenage heroine with the power of transforming into a hyper-evolved dinosaur warrior. Helping matters was the fact that Alec got interested in the idea, collaborating with me on certain elements of her story while also commissioning our friend @zernna to draw her every chance he got. For the record Zerna, I plan on releasing a colored reference of Ms. Bosewick here sometime this year, so if we pay you to draw her again you'll know exactly what she looks like. But first I decided to experiment a little, adding details to Saura's design that ultimately won't be a part of her end design. A rule with character designs in cartoons is that the more lines and details you add, the older a character looks, which is what I felt was the major problem was here. With any luck, Saura's finalized design will look plenty bad@$$ without making her look like an actual fossil.

8) POST-BUMPER: ORIGINS Earlier this year I decided to make myself some mailing labels with Bumper on them, quickly drawing Crocie's adorable little ghost buddy as a mailman. The end result looked mighty cute, ignoring how the post officer used another mailing label to cover up mine. Turns out there's somebody in the world who doesn't find the floating marshmallow cute after all. Weird, right?

And for those of you wishing to see what the end product looked like:

9) FRED FOX Surprising as it sounds, it took me a few tries before settling on Fred Fox as the Whimsyland mascot. My goal was to create a rubberhose character in the same vein as Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Felix the Cat, Bendy, and the Cupheads, while also making it unmistakably my own. So at first I tried a turtle, only to quickly realize that wouldn't be as cute or charming as intended. Next I tried an elephant, which admittedly looked better, but for whatever reason that didn't work with me either. Finally I settled on a fox with a Boston accent named after a running joke from the Angry Video Game Nerd and the rest was history. 

10) CHIBIZOWA What you're currently looking at is not the Clarktooniverse's answer to King Ghidora. At least, not at the moment, anyway. All throughout 2022 I had intended on drawing birthday pictures for my friends online, including Zerna, someone who has very kindly drawn a lot of my characters over the last few years. What I had planned for her birthday was a sketch of her girlfriend murd3r3r being dragged to the mall by my mechanized mercenary Candy Banger to find the ultimate birthday present, Coco not being accustomed to the violence Candy brings to any situation. In the end, thanks to some advice I got from Alec, a worn-out Coco gets Zerna a three-headed dragon plushtoy named Chibizowa with Candy giving a thumbs up from the window so the two could have a cute moment together. Now for all of you wondering why I didn't end up making this adorable-sounding gift pic, there's a lot of factors that went into it. The first being time, something I am terrible at managing. The second was not knowing enough about Coco, having to go off what I saw in the pics posted in Zerna's gallery. I didn't want to assume what her personality was like, I'm terribly shy by nature, and matters weren't helped by her own lack of art depicting her aliensona. It's why I'm jumping on Zerna's band wagon by telling you gremlins to hound her for sona designs/more art!! >:'0 For now though, I hope you all enjoy this sketch. Who knows, maybe on day I'll end up making the planned present a reality.

11) ONE LAST FRED FOX And that's all she wrote.... OR IS IT!?

Not included with the DUMPSTER DUDELZ were these two random sketches based on the musical Twisted, which my friend Alec finally convinced me to check out this year. I enjoyed it immensely, even buying the soundtrack and digital recording of the show before drawing their Jafar in the same style as the original Aladdin. Turns out you can make this character look sympathetic. No doubt he'll have a good 2023 as will all of you! That is if you keep dreaming a little harder...

#twisted #jafar #ghosts #Bumper #Zerna #aliens #monsters #dragons #robots #virgin killer sweater #genderbend #shark puppy #Fred Fox #Fiona Fox #Whimsyland #screw bob chapek #new year #2023 #mummy #dinosaur #Saura #Crocs Swamp Gang #3K #ERN-E #EMIL-E #clarktoons #clarktooncrossing

[leandra-winchester]

My Buddie Sims - 16/? (Master Post)

These days, Eddie is always super tan. He still had his tan from their beach vacation and then got some more in the spring sun (and spring in LA can be pretty warm and sunny already).

So they're all having a great time in their beautiful garden. Christopher absolutely adores his little kitten Polly, and she him.

And look how tiny she is next to Buck's long (and also nicely tanned) legs!

But every kitten eventually grows into an adult cat. She still sleeps on the kitty bed next to Christopher's, every night, though.

The two of them are simply inseparable.

Even if Polly can be quite the little shit sometimes. Both Buck and Eddie have told her countless times not to jump onto the counters, but she still keeps doing it. Look at that smug little face!

More after the cut (and Chris turning into a teen)

As spring moves into early summer, Christopher's birthday is coming up. He'll have a proper party with all his school friends (which happened 'off-screen; I didn't put much time into creating other children for the game, so we'll just have to imagine that), but that afternoon, his bisabuela, great-aunt Pepa, Bobby and Athena, as well as aunt Maddie and uncle Chimney are coming over to enjoy a barbecue and some early summer fun activities.

Like water balloon fights, which is always fun!

And this is the last look at Chris as a kid. (Ngl, I was looking forward to him being a teen - or preteen, rather, since I have a mod for that which makes your preteens shorter than adults and overall look and act younger than they would in the game - but Christopher was really the cutest boy I ever created in the Sims game, and I already miss him being a child. 😭 )

But here he is, now a teen, getting a hug from his step-dad.

And having cake that Buck baked for him.

Moving on to a few days later, Buck visiting his sister's house and greeting his little niece (which *cough* I had kind of forgotten to create in the game until that point).

He spins her around and plays with her.

And she tells him a really thrilling story about her bunny toy that was lost but then dad found it again! (or something)

As for the Buckley-Diaz family, nothing has changed. Eddie still greets Buck with a kiss when he comes home, and they're both just ridiculously in love.

Eddie also got a lot better at cooking, thoroughly enjoying it whenever he gets to prepare a meal for his husband and his son.

(And this gaze in particular reminded me of my own fanfic where Eddie prepares *that* dinner for Buck and Taylor, and cracky unhinged shit happens in my fic. 😁 None of those things happened here, however. Although, in this verse, it would have at least made sense for him to have the ‘special ingredient’ around... Go read the fic if you want to know what I’m talking about.)

The Buckley-Diaz boys wouldn't be the Buckley-Diaz boys if they didn't still play video games together.

Which they do, frequently. (I utterly adore their face journeys through those games and could have posted at least 10 screenshots of this scene alone.)

Christopher, now being a teen, made a few changes to his room, too. All the childlike drawings he made have been neatly packed away by his dads, and instead he has some very cool shark art on his wall above his desk (with a brand new computer). And he's got shark bed covers as well. Ever since that beach trip where he met Emma he's been really, really into sharks.

And that concludes our family fun for this post. Next we have more garden fun and date nights. 

#my sims #my buddie sims #buddie #buckley diaz family

[jennyslcte]

A MASTERLIST OF “OBSCURE” AND “UGLY” TRAITS AND OTHER THINGS. (1/?)

Anyone who knows me knows I love a downright gross character with sincere but obscure attributes. I recently made a PSA, located here, about how we should make traits like this more popular in the RPC. An anon suggested that I put together a list of traits and other things to work into a character’s personality in this sense! You can find that list under the cut. Enjoy!

Give your character bloody, scratched up knees.

Horrible fashion sense.

Bald spots.

Skin picking.

A habit of burping.

Make them overcompensate, make them desperate to save face.

Make them overly talkative. Obnoxious, annoying.

Awkwardness. Allow your characters to be awkward as fuck. Awkwardness isn’t always quirky. For me, it’s sweaty armpits and a bright red face.

Hey, there’s one. Sweat. Sweaty armpits. Sweaty tits. Sweaty hairlines.

Do research on health problems and concerns. Portray them in an understandable and careful way. A character can have Trichotillomania aka excessive hair-pulling. Give them diabetes, heart problems, OCD, Epilepsy, Arthritis, joint pain, back pain. The list is endless. Pull from personal experience too, that always helps me.

FARTS.

Write more about your character’s period. Sometimes it’s downright gross. Describe that.

Give them bad or crooked teeth. Missing teeth too.

Thin or thinning hair.

Throw in some facial hair too. Chin hairs, especially. I have so many.

Maybe your character a nail biter. 

Give them a messy home or a messy purse. 

Make them unconventional. 

Big noses. We love big noses.

Make them ugly but honest.

Make them unsatisfied for reasons they don’t understand. Let draw from this dissatisfaction and grow irritated by everyday life.

Obscure interests. Clowns, bruises, dirt, ghosts, trashcans, tearing out book pages, taping receipts to the wall, strange little tattoos, sex, demons, scissors. Whatever you can think of. 

Make your characters cut their hair on impulse. Get ugly, horrible haircuts. They can cut their bangs at 3am and regret it when they wake up.

Sleeping until the afternoon. 

Broken bones. 

Maybe they’re obsessed with the internet and social media.

Let them have lots of dirty laundry.

Hair chewing.

Necklace chewing.

Junk food lover.

The person who forgets to wear deodorant. 

The person who forgets to wear deodorant but always has a little travel one inside their bag. Thank God.

Rotting milk in the back of the fridge.

Doesn’t text back. Never answers emails. 

Make them fickle. Make them change their mind often. 

Give them a crooked spine.

Smelly feet.

Sore feet.

Bad at exercise.

Slowest runner on the planet.

Old pillowcases. They forget to wash them. But when they do, it’s awesome.

Excess cleaner. Everything needs to be clean or the world explodes.

Rashes.

Eye boogers. We all wake up with them.

Bad breath. Nobody wakes up with minty breath, dude.

Bad at makeup. Always has mascara and lipstick all over the place. One time, a foundation bottle exploded. 

Make them want to be liked. Adored.

Make them ignore people.

Ripped tights.

Chipped nail polish. 

Blotchy tans.

Uneven skin tone.

Ache. Pimples. Zits. Puss. WE ALL HAVE THEM.

Back acne....come on, give your character back acne.

Textured skin.

Poor communication skills.

Slow reader.

Not good at math.

Hell, not good at school subjects at all. 

Poop. LET YOUR CHARACTERS POOP, DAMN IT.

IBS.

Yeast infections.

Hairy balls.

Hairy legs. Hairy boobs. Hairy everything. 

Chronic kick the ice under the fridge person. 

Shopaholic. But, for like, stupid shit. Trinkets, books they’ll never read, journals they’ll never write in, stickers, ribbons, shark teeth, rocks, marbles, fancy napkins, plates, figurines, lotion, hats, Christmas decorations, and more. 

Did I mention trashcans?

Starts writing in journals but then gets annoyed and never writes in it ever again. Now they have tons. Too many. They’re all filled with one to three pages max.

Make your characters a try hard. Desperados. 

Make them get fired. Lose their jobs. Make them bad at their job.

Steal from the job.

Make them storm chasers.

Or a cashier at the dollar store.

Can’t swim.

Their whole life is a junk drawer.

Just give them a junk drawer. There are so many batteries in there.

MASTURBATE. LET YOUR CHARACTERS JERK OFF.

Do they masturbate a lot? How? Do they just do it to go to sleep? Make them masturbate just to go to sleep.

Ugly cry.

Ugly orgasm.

Scars.

Birthmarks. 

Discharge. 

Uneven tits.

Uneven balls.

Little dick, big dick, small dick. Sing it with me.

One day I’ll build that Ikea table. Not.

Dirty dishes. I’m not doing them.

Your character doesn’t do the dishes? Make them have a habit of chucking them in the garbage and buying new ones.

LAZY. LAZY. LAZY. SO FUCKING LAZY.

Has cereal with every meal. 

Drinks right from the bottle.

Collects mugs.

Collects rubber bands. 

Cries at everything. At every movie, every commercial.

Receding hairline. Sorry, buddy.

Silver hair.

Dry skin.

Dandruff.

Greasy hair. I didn’t have time to shower.

Mismatched socks. 

Ripped underwear.

RIPPED PANTS. OH NO.

Worst driver ever.

Secretly, I’m an asshole. But only in secret.

Accidentally burnt the apartment down. Nothing tragic. Nobody died. I left a pizza in the oven.

Let random shit happen. Not everything is a tragedy. Accidents. Oops.

Give your characters studio apartments. Small homes. Old homes. Little, tiny spaces. 

Give your characters regular, working class jobs. Receptionist, garbage person, cashier, deli manager, dishwasher, food staff, telemarketer. Once again, the list is endless. 

Break some hearts. Your character can cause the suffering. 

Dysfunctional siblings. 

Fried, dry ass hair. 

Make them make terrible art. 

Make them not very talented. You don’t have to be good at everything to be happy.

Involved in a crime. Missing person, theft. You name it.

Make them a bad criminal. Maybe they suck at it. 

Worst. Assassin. Ever.

NOT EVERYONE IS AN EXPERT. 

Maybe they smoke too much weed.

Smelly socks. 

Maybe they smell too good....so good that it’s disgusting. Potent.

#rp psa #masterlist. #resources. #BY ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #this was so fun.....maybe i'll make a part 2 sometime #rph #rpc #rpt

[unmaskedagain]

Ladybug: A Young Avenger

Hey Everyone, I got prompt for a civil war ML crossover fic but I was really into Team Iron Man on Ao3 for longest of times and, after endgame, I kind of need some team fluff. So I tweaked the prompt. It’s still team Iron man; just… not the way you’d expect. (Also did anyone know else know that Penny’s last name was Rolling?)

It took Tony Stark all of five minutes to figure out Ladybug’s identity.

“Jarvis, buddy?” Tony called out.

“Yes, sir?”

“What’s up with teenagers and being bug-themed heroes wearing inappropriate costumes?”

           The A.I took a moment before answering, “…I, for one, blame Vine.”

           Tony sighed. First fifteen-year-old Peter Parker aka Spiderman. He took the kid on an as an intern the second he learned about Spiderman. Now fifteen-year-old Marinette Dupain-Cheng aka Ladybug.

           He groaned.

What could he do? He needed help.

           Captain America needed to be stopped. The Winter Solider needed to be taken down. Team Cap had gone too far.

           It was war.

           Getting Harley Keener, a mechanical mastermind to agree to be his intern was a bit like chewing nails but Tony always knew the kit would agree. Getting Peter Parker, a child genius with a bright future as a scientist, to agree to be his intern was a piece of cake. Honestly Tony could’ve asked for the kid’s soul in repayment and Peter would’ve asked if he wanted on a silver plate or if plastic was okay? Getting Riri Williams, an engineering prodigy to be his intern, was easy. Too easy; her mom practically threw her at him, all while making him swear into a recorder that he wouldn’t sue. No matter what. Introducing the kids to his labs made him feel like Willie Wonka hand-delivering the golden tickets.

           They were all future scientists and engineers like Tony. They grew up worshiping at the altar of Stark Industries like ever future MIT graduate did.

           Marinette Dupain-Cheng, on the other hand, was an entirely different beast who played an entirely different game. She was a fashion prodigy who had designed for stars like Jagged Stone and Clara Nightingale. She had interned for Style Queen Audrey Bourgeois, had her clothes walk the runway during Paris fashion week, and had a summer job that somehow lasted over a year, working for Miranda Priestly, the editor-in-Chief for Runway Magazine when the scary woman took over Paris: Runaway. Said job ended when Miranda when back to New York. Marinette only prayed to the fashion gods. So when Tony Stark, god of the nerds, showed up at her door, she only blinked once.

           Said girl sat between her parents, with cool blue eyes glaring at him suspiciously. Luckily Tony was smart enough to bring Pepper with him.

           Pepper Potts smiled at the family in front of her; two bakers and the daughter, who made the most delicious macarons that she ever tasted. “So you see, after Tony came across Marinette’s wonderful re-design sketch of his suit on her website, he was very impressed with her talent.”

“But to take Marinette on as an intern?” Sabine asked. “Excuse me, but Marinette has always leaned towards the arts than science.”

           Tony gave the woman his best charming smile, “What is science if not another form of art. We both create, strive to better our talents, work to make names for ourselves; experiment and test out hypothesizes. Granted no one in my field ever created the disaster that was crocs.”

           Marinette narrowed her eyes, “Didn’t your father help on the Manhattan Project?”

           Silence.

           Pepper cleared on her throat. “Tom, Sabine, before anyone agrees to anything I’d like to go over safety procedures in place. Would you mind stepping outside with me, I could use a bit of fresh air.”

           Tony and Marinette just stared at each other as the three left the room. When the front door closed behind them, Marinette leaned forward, “What do you want?” Her patience had reached its end.

“Aren’t you being a little rude?” Tony smirked.

“Aren’t you a little old?” Marinette snapped back. “What do you want?”

“I want Ladybug’s help.”

           Marinette flinched back in shock. Her heart raced in her chest. “How do you know?”

“I’m Tony Stark,” He shrugged easily, picking up a mint chocolate Macron. “I know everything.”

           Marinette fought the fear racing through her, and steeled herself like Miranda and Audrey had taught her, “So Iron Man’s wanted Ladybug as an intern? So what does Iron Man get? What does Ladybug get? What does Tony get? And what does Marinette get?”

“You made clear distinctions,” Tony said approvingly, his business-side gearing up. “But I am Iron Man.” He said. “You come to New York for this spring break and for the summer. I get Ladybug’s help in handling a personal issue that has developed within the Avengers. Ladybug gets training from the Avengers. Marinette gets to add Stark Industries and a personal letter of recommendation from Tony Stark to her resume.”

“On the condition, that identities stay secret from the media,” Marinette crossed her arms. “I don’t suppose I can hide it from the rest Avengers for very long. And I get an additional letter of recommendation from Pepper Potts. Pepper takes my friend Chloe on as an intern; she’s the hero, Queen Bee. And only one who knows my identity, besides you. Also, I actually do get to help design your next suit. My expenses?”

           Tony smirk widened. The girl knew how to cover her bases. She even wanted to have an Ally with her should things take a turn. “All paid for by me. First-class all the way. You and Chloe will stay in the Stark Tower on the same floor as the other interns.”

“Other young superheroes, you mean?” Marinette guessed, causing Tony’s eyes to twinkle in joy. “Spiderman, Iron Heart, and WarIron. Based on their sizes, I had guessed they were young; teenagers probably. Why didn’t you ask Chat Noir too? Or why aren’t you? Because you’re not, you would’ve mentioned it by now?”

“You mean the Agreste kid?” Tony said, not noticing Marinette’s eyes widen in surprise. “He’s not serious enough for me. I play games but he goes too far. Surprised you haven’t dumped him yet. Get a better partner.”

           Marinette took a bit of a macron to get a moment to think. Adrien was Chat Noir. In retrospect, it made a lot of sense. Both were socially immature, and a bit naïve. Each had an idealistic view of things and didn’t let the real world break them of it. For example Adrien and his dealing with Lila’s lies. Chat Noir and Ladybug turning down his advances.

“Very well,” The bluenette finally agreed. “I agree to be your intern. Shall we discuss my salary now or later? Well, need to before I or my parents sign any contracts.”

           It was Tony’s turn to narrow his eyes. Not one; not a single one of his interns: Harley, Peter, or Riri ever asked about how much they’d get paid. They’d all assumed it was an unpaid internship and was surprised when their contracts included a salary. “You’re a shark.”

           Marinette hummed, “You should see me when there’s blood in the water.”

           That was something Tony was looking forward to seeing.

           The official paperwork was signed three days later; Marinette was officially a Stark intern. Due to go to Orientation for spring break in New York in a few weeks.

           Those weeks flew by. She let Fu know she’d have to go back and forth for a few weeks. She didn’t bother telling anyone else. Her friendships in the class had dwindled dramatically. While most weren’t her outright enemies, her classmates tended to avoid her. If they couldn’t do that, they were beyond cold to her. It was Lila’s doing. She got her hooks into the class, who all wanted to tie themselves to the golden goose, and when it was clear that Lila and Marinette didn’t like each other, they picked sides. They chose their meal ticket over their lifelong friend.

           Honestly, it made Marinette almost wish that Lila had lied about her instead; accused her of being a bully or something. Anything. Because at least then her ex-friends would have somewhat of a reason to be ex-friends. Even if it wasn’t a very good one. Instead, they were just bad friends all on their own.

           Still, Marinette didn’t mourn their loss as she sat in the back of the class with Chloe on a Sunny Tuesday morning, and they were living for New York that Friday. She had a steadily rising career in Fashion. She had worked under Miranda Priestly and Audrey. From them, she learned it was best to drop fair-weather friends and how to spot wannabes, fame-seekers, and gold-diggers from three miles away.

           She was happy with Chloe as her bestie. The girl had turned a new leaf and proven her loyalty to the point where Fu made her a permanent hero. And the Blond had been ecstatic when Pepper Potts had shown up at their door. She had hugged Marinette a full five minutes for getting her the internship. All while screaming with joy.

           Both girls were excited to go. Though Marinette did encounter one downside. The night before, Jagged Stone and Penny Rolling; or as Marinette deemed them #RollingStone, called her. Or rather Penny did the talking. Jagged was trying to wrestle his newest jacket away from Fang’s teeth. Penny offered Marinette a chance to spend her spring break traveling around on tour with Jagged, as his personal stylist. Marinette had no choice but to turn the job down. She loved her honorary Uncle Jagged but she already signed the contract.

           That morning Lila had spun another set of lies. The first was about helping Tony Stark fix his Iron man suit when she was traveling in America. The second was about the newest song Jagged Stone wrote about her. It was exhausting to listen to but the class hung on every word.

           Bustier had just finished her first lesson of the day when she invited Alya to stand up.

           The glasses-wearing girl grinned at the class, “So as everyone’s aware; there’s a class pool party is this Saturday; first day of spring break, baby!” The class cheered. “Everyone who’s invited should’ve gotten their invitation. Don’t want any drama,” She cast a cold look to the two girls at the back of the class. “Invite only. So no party crashers. Marinette, Chloe what are you doing this Saturday?” Alya smirked at her call out that the two girls weren’t invited; that they were the only ones who weren’t.

           As if on cue, the classroom’s door burst opened and in walked Tony Stark, followed by a very apologetic looking Pepper, “Marinette; it’s time to go! Grab Pepper’s minion and let’s go.”

           There were gasps from the class. Max sat up straight. Iron Man was in front of him, in his class, this was the best day of his life.

           Marinette just sighed, “Did you kick the door open, Tony?” Disapproval clear in her voice.

“…No?”

“I can’t go now!” Marinette explained. “I have class. We weren’t supposed to leave until Friday, remember.”

           Tony waved her off, “Details. Spring Break starts now. Queenie, Mari; chop-chop! New York is waiting!”

           Bustier decided to step in. She may not always be the best teacher but she refused to allow a strange man, even if that man was Tony Stark, to take away any of her students. “Mr. Stark, can I ask what you want Marinette and Chloe for?”

           Thankfully, it was Pepper that answered as she closed back the classroom door, “They have been employed as interns for Stark Industries. They’ll be attending orientation during their spring break at Stark Tower.”

Max actually fell out of his seat. Because this couldn’t be happening. Stark industries rarely ever took high schoolers’ as interns. Tony Stark only chose the best of the best. How could Marinette land the job?

“Marinette’s my intern,” Tony grinned. “Blondie’s Pepper’s. Who else is gonna teach her how to rule the world.”

           A slow smile spread across Chloe’s face, “With an iron fist.”

           Tony pointed at her, “You scare me. Pepper get your intern!”

           The other students were amazed. Marinette was Tony Stark’s intern. Chloe somehow got Pepper Pott's attention. What had they missed? Why didn’t Marinette tell them? How?

“That’s what we’ll be doing this Saturday, Alya,” Chloe drawled. “In New York, hanging with the Avengers.” Causing Alya to flush with anger. “We couldn’t come to your pool party even if we wanted to. Which we don’t.”

“He found my sketch of a potential Iron man suit design,” Marinette explained, continuing the story Tony had told her parents. “He loved it and offered me the job a few weeks ago.”

“Weeks?” Nino asked. “And you didn’t tell us? Dudette, not cool.”

           Alix nodded, her arms crossed, “Yeah I thought we were friends!”

           Marinette and Chloe just looked at them like they were stupid.

           Alya put her hands on her hips, “Mr. Stark, why didn’t you ask Lila Rossi to be your intern? She helped you with your suit before. She’d be much better than Marinette!”

           The girl in question face turned bright red, “This can’t be happening.” Lila muttered.

           Tony looked honestly confused, “Lila? Who’s Lila? No one ever helped me with my suit except the kids I already got as interns.” He looked at Pepper. “Do I know a Lila Rossi?”

           Pepper shook her head, and turned fierce eyes towards Lila, “Miss Rossi, please refrain from lying about Tony Stark and or Stark Industries. Or we will sue you on the grounds of defamation.”

           Lila squeaked. Sue? She couldn’t be sued. Her mother would kill her if she got a lawsuit from Tony Stark.

           It was the rest of the class’s turn to look confused.

           However, before anyone could ask any follow-up questions, the classroom door burst opened again. Jagged Stone strutted in, followed by a very apologetic look Penny and happy Fang with, what looked to be, the arm of a leather jacket.

“Marinette!” Jagged yelled. “What’s this about you not coming on tour? I need my favorite stylist, love.

Marinette just sighed, “Did you kick the door open, Jagged?” Disapproval clear in her voice.

“…No?”

           The bluenette just shook her head, “I have plans this Spring break. I’m sorry.”

“Plans?” Jagged whined. “What could be better spending your Spring Break with a Rock Star? You can even bring your Blonde. Penny could use an assistant!” He paused, finally noticing it wasn’t just kids. “The bloody hell is Tony Stark doing here?”

           The two famous men eyed each other. The women they came with just looked so done with the world.

           Tony crossed his arms, “I got custody of Marinette for Spring Break; you snooze, you lose.”

“What?!” Jagged hissed. “She’s my designer.”

“She’s my intern!”

           Jagged glared, “I knew her first. By rights, I get custody.”

“I have a contract that says otherwise!” Tony taunted the Rock Star. “Her future is Stark Industries.”

“Her future is Rock and Roll!” Jagged yelled back.

           Both men glared at each other.

“Pepper!”

“Penny!”

           Both women groaned. How was this their lives? Why what was this their lives? What bus full of nuns and orphans did they rob in a past life?

           Penny smiled, “Marinette means the world to us. I’m her honorary Aunt Penny,” She held out her hand for Pepper. “Jagged’s her honorary Uncle. We’ve known her for years. Contracts were already signed?”

           Pepper nodded, “Tony doesn’t play when it comes to his interns. He won’t budge. Trust me; we’ve done this three other times. Marinette’s his kid now, all but legally.” For now, Pepper didn’t bother to add. Every now and then she found discovered a new set of adoption papers with one of the interns’ names on it; one time she found three sets for all three. Plus if Tony kept hinting any harder, May was going to gut him.  “She’ll be in New York for Spring break and all of the summer.”

“Summer!” Jagged whined. “He gets custody for summer too! No!” he shook his head. “Not happening. Call our lawyers, Penny. We’re going to family court!”

           Tony blew him a raspberry. Tony Stark blew Jagged Stone a raspberry. The class could only blink, trying to process what was happening.

           Marinette just wanted the earth to open up and swallow her.

“Marinette already designed your clothes for the tour,” Penny tried to placate. “They’re amazing. We can call and skype if we need any additional tips. We have a concert in New York over spring break so we can go and see.” They didn’t. But Penny would be damned if she could have one booked within the hour. Anything to stop jagged from mention family court again. “Most of our summer is free too, we can visit Marinette whenever we want.”

           Jagged huffed but didn’t say anything.

“Well not whenever you want,” Tony teased.

“Family court!” Jagged hissed.

“Tony!” Pepper said warningly. She was not going to let this going to court. No matter how lovely Marinette was. “Be nice.”

           Tony pouted.

           Marinette raised her hand, “You guys know that legally my parents still have custody of me, right?” There was no answer. “Right?!” Nothing.

           The bluenette just sighed.

           Alya took that moment to break in, “Jagged, don’t you want to say hi to Lila? She’s right here,” Alya pointed to her bestie. “Oh, can we listen to the songs you wrote for her? Can you tell us how she saved your cat from getting hit by a plane?”

           The look Lila gave Alya could’ve killed a thousand men.

           Jagged looked affronted, “Lila? Who’s Lila?” He looked at his fiancé. “Penny, do I know a Lila?”

“No!” Penny glared fiercely at Lila. “Jagged Stone has never written a song about an underage girl before. He has never owned a cat. What parents and airline would careless enough to allow a child to rush onto a runway for a pet? Refrain from spreading any further slander. Or we’ll hit you with a lawsuit so fast you’ll get whiplash.”

“I’m allergic to cats by the way,” Jagged told the class. “All fur actually. That’s why I got Fang here.” He pointed the crocodile who had made its way to Marinette for cuddles. “I’ve had him for twenty years. He’s the only pet I’ve had all that time.”

           Marinette rolled her eyes and took the crocodile in her lap.

“Twenty years?” Kim’s eyebrows furrowed. “Whoa, that’s long that we’ve been alive.”

           Nino glared at Lila, “Yeah it is.” He finally realized the girl was lying. Most of the class had in fact.

“Enough of this,” Tony waved. “Marinette, Chloe, time to go. Leave the dinosaur.”

           Bustier took a deep breath, “No one is taking Marinette or Chloe anywhere. Until I get a note from their parents verifying that is. I’m going to have to ask you all to leave.”

           Penny and Pepper nodded understandingly. Jagged and Tony just looked shocked.

“But I’m Tony Stark!”

“I’m Jagged Stone, love!”

           Bustier just rolled her eyes and shooed them out of her class. It took some handling, and eventually, the women had to drag the guys out. The teacher shut the door with a sigh of relief. She brushed off the imaginary dirt on her clothes. “Marinette,” She called. “If you could tell any future visitors to wait until after school to pick you up, with a note from your parents that would be most helpful.”

“Sorry,” Marinette blushed, a deep dark red.

           Bustier walked back to her desk before pausing. “Is that Crocodile still in my class, Marinette?”

“…Yes.”

“I think he’s here for the rest of the day,” Chloe shrugged. “Unless you want to invite Jagged back?”

           Bustier paused. No. Never again. “No. No. Fang can stay for the day.”

           When the lunch bell rang, Marinette found that it was easier to avoid her classmates' questions, as they were too busy yelling at Lila. It wasn’t long after that Ladybug had to take down Lila’s seventh akuma form.

           Marinette and Chloe left that night to New York. Somehow he managed to convince their parents that missing three days of school to study in the most advanced building in the world was a good thing.

           When they got to Stark Tower, they were given a quick tour. Then Pepper took Chloe to show her where she would be working. And Tony took Marinette the workshop where three other kids were already working.

           The oldest one glanced at her and snorted, “God he kidnapped another one.” He was the tallest in the room with dark brown hair and a smirk on his face.

           The other two snickered.

           Tony looked affronted, “Oh please; your parental units practically threw you at me.

The younger looking boy smirked, “Aunt May threatened to shank you next time you took me out of school early.” He had light brown hair and big brown eyes

           The genius pointed, “You tell Aunt Hottie to leave me alone.”

“HI, I’m Marinette!” She waved happily. “He keeps mentioning he has custody. And I’ve become moderately concerned.”

“And you should be,” The other girl in the room laughed. She was a pretty brown-skinned girl with black wild curls. “Name’s Riri.”

“Harley,” Said the first boy who spoke.

“Peter,” The other boy introduced.

           Marinette nodded and eyes them, “WarIron,” The pointed at Harley. “Iron Heart,” Then at Riri. “Spiderman, right?” She pointed at Peter.

           The three looked at Tony with questions in their eyes. Tony raised in hands in surrender, “Hey, I told her nothing.”

           Harley eyed the new girl, “You’re from Paris, right?” She nodded. “Ladybug, I’m guessing.”  Marinette blushed. “Welcome to the Young Avengers, I guess. Why’d he bring you in?”

           Marinette shrugged, “He said to there was a personal problem happening with the Avengers. He wanted my help.”

           The teen froze. Peter just shook his head, “You didn’t, Tony!”

Tony looked sheepish.

“What?” Marinette asked.

           Riri rolled her eyes, “That personal problem? It’s called ManHunt.”

“I’m sorry?” Marinette asked. She was going to have to hunt a man?

“It’s a game,” Harley explained. “Team Iron Man versus team Cap. One team hunts the other in a sort of hide and seek type of thing and tries to capture as many members as they can. Last time we played it, Team Cap crushed Team Iron man. It’s why Tony brought us all in. Revenge.”

           Said Man didn’t look one bit ashamed, “Rules were since Thor and the Big guy are gone I can bring in whoever I want to replace them.”

           Marinette tossed up her hands, “You brought me here to play a game?” Unbelievable.

“No,” Tony said. “I brought you here to take out the Winter Soldier.”

“Say what now?”

“Welcome to orientation,” Was All Tony said to her question.

           The kids trained together for a week; Chloe, a girl named MJ who was Pepper’s other interns, and a boy named Ned who was a tech intern, were brought in as well. When it turned out that Kagami was in New York City for a fencing tournament. Tony was happy to bring in the scary girl as well. (And somehow get her mother to agree to let her stay for Spring Break) He made practice stealth and learn hand signals. Tony drilled them on the Team Cap’s strengths and weaknesses. They reviewed videos of previous missions until they had everyone’s fighting style memorized. Tony went over body anatomy aka where the best place to hit them was. They memorized plans and scenarios to take out each specific member of Team Cap.

           The teens spent a lot of time in the lab creating gadgets to use against the Avengers. Each one straight out of a spy movie.

           As far as Tony was concerned this was War. And there would be no prisoners.

Team Cap consisted of Captain America, The Winter Soldier, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, The Falcon, Antman, along with several Shield employees which included Fury, Melinda May, and Coulson.

           Team Iron man consisted of Ironman, War Machine, Vision, Maria Hill, The Wasp, Quicksilver, Daisy Johnson, and a bunch of names Stark employees: I.E the interns. (Black Panther refused to participate. Though he and sister would watch from Wakanda.)

           Each team had a total of thirty players; no more, no less.

           The game would take place at the compound. Anything area within the compound legal territory was free to use. The living room would be home base and were all ‘out’ people had to stay. Until they were freed. Or until every member of the hiding team was captured and then it was Game Over. Everyone could communicate with their own team using special mics; normally only taken out for missions. However, those imprisoned in the home base couldn’t communicate with their team.

           On Saturday, just before sunset; the main superheroes of the avengers met up. Tony facing Steve. Rhodey glaring at Bucky. Vision versus Wanda. Hawkeye to QuickSilver. The wasp against Ant-Man and the Falcon.

           Steve smiled, “Tony.”

“You ready for war, Cap?” Tony asked.

“Training exercise,” Steve corrected his husband. “I trust your team is ready.”

           Tony smirked, “Oh you have no idea. Your little spies are already hiding in the shadows.”

“Like your team isn’t?”

           The alarm went off.

           Tony suited up, “You have 1000 seconds, Steve.” His helmet shut. “I’d get running.”

           Steve rolled his eyes. His team split up, running into the growing shadows.

           The game had started.

           Marinette waited, hiding in the shadows on the roof. Her ladybug costume was all back with little red polka dots; mostly easy to move around body armor. This wasn’t her actually Ladybug suit; Tikki, while willing to create a new suit design, decided it wasn’t a good idea to involve magic. So Marinette designed herself a new suit, and Tony help her trick it out.

Tony had pointed out the all-good hiding spots located in the Compound. She was the overly large landing pad. She forced herself to stay completely still. Even when she saw the Falcon take flight with WarIron right on his tail.

           The smallest of moments caught on the corner of her eye, the glint of metal. An arrow, she realized. She smiled. Hawkeye.

           She watched the man take stock of the room, looking in every possible place a person could hide. Unfortunately for him, Marinette had a bit of luck on her side.

“All clear on the roof, Cap,” Clint said into his mic. “I’ll keep a lookout from up here.” There was silence as he listened to Cap’s orders. “Okay. Will do. Stay invisible, got it. Over and out.”

           The second the conversation had ended, Marinette through a smoke bomb at his feet. Before Clint could even finish saying, “What the he-” Marinette was on the attack. Using the smoke to her advantage, she swung her yo-yo at Hawkeye’s feet. The String wrapped around his legs, tripping him. Five seconds later, Hawkeye was hogtied on the ground.

Marinette touched her mic, “Tweety Bird down. Bringing him to home base now!”

“Copy that, Ladybug,” Tony said. “Be careful.”

           Clint looked up at his assailant; expecting to see Tony or the Wasp, any avenger. Instead what he saw, was a teen girl with a scary blue-eyed glare on his face, “Who are you?”

           Marinette leaned down, “Your reckoning.” She hissed.

“What the fuck!” He said as he was thrown over the girl’s shoulder and carried to home base.

           When Marinette got to home base, she saw Harley putting a rather put out Falcon on the ground, Spiderman with five webbed up shield agents, Chloe had brought in two, Kagami and Riri brought in six. MJ and Ned both brought in one random shield agent. Marinette tossed Hawkeye on the couch.

           It had been twenty minutes, Clint knew by the clock on the wall. Twenty minutes since sunset and the game had started. And they had already lost just over half their team to a bunch of teenagers.

Clint couldn’t help but wonder what the hell had Tony unleashed on them.

“Foghorn Leghorn secure,” Harley said into his mic. “Tweety in his cage. The shadows are all accounted for.”

“I’m Tweety,” Clint told Sam.

           Sam paused. “…Am I Foghorn Leghorn?”

“Wasp and Vision on their way with The Blue Fairy,” Tony’s voice rang their ears. “They’ll play guard dog. QuickSilver is down; Miss Tuffit got him. Seven minions gone; Captain Hook and his jolly crew got them. Over and out.”

“Queen Bee, MJ, guard the Home base until they get here,” Harley ordered. “Guy in the chair, Mj, back on monitor duty. Fulfill mission Top hat ASAP.” They nodded and left the room.

           Top hat was important. The two were trying to hack into Team Cap’s communications, once they did; it was game over.

“The rest of you complete the assignment,” He told them.

           Then all split up again. Vision and Wasp arrived with Scarlet witch just as they were leaving. All three avengers gave the kids confused looks as they left.

           It would take Marinette another hour before she came across another member of Team Cap. And she didn’t so much as come across, as she did respond to Peter’s cry for help.

“Captain Sparkles!” Peter yelled in their earpiece. “Training yard. I’m trying to hold hi-No I won’t give you back your shield! Hurry! Over!”

“I’m around the corner,” Marinette hissed into the mic as she ran for the yard. When she arrived it was just in time to catch the shield that was flying at her face.

           She held the shield tightly in her hand, feeling like Wonder Woman, as she stared down Captain America.

           Steve looked at the young girl who had joined the fight, “My shield, miss?” He was aware that Spiderman had landed behind him.

           Marinette smiled sweet. Then she launched the shield at him with such brute force, he was lifted off his feet. “The Name’s Ladybug.”

Steve didn’t catch the shield in time and it bounced back to Spiderman.

           Captain America glared at the two teenagers.

           Then the fight was on.

           Spiderman hits Steve with his shield, distracting him. The shield falling to the ground. Ladybug barges Captain America backwards. Steve shoulders her to the floor. Marinette lands on the ground; pain flaring across her shoulder. Spiderman punches Steve who just lifts him and slams him against the ground. Spiderman raises a fist but Steve twists it. A web shoots out of his hand, the sound of a small explosion fills the training yard.

           Marinette takes the distraction to trip Captain America and jump up. As Steve falls to the ground, Marinette uses the electro-shooters that Riri made and shocks the dear life out of him. It wasn’t enough to bring him down but then Peter added in his own shocking web-shooters.

           Yet Steve still looked ready for another round of their fight. Marinette quickly picked up the shield and slammed it across his head. Steve Rogers fell forward in a slump.

           Spiderman webbed up with quick-drying cement.

           Both teens breathed heavily; struggling to catch their breath, tense from the fight. Marinette could even find it in herself to unclench the shield.

“Captain Sparkles is down, over,” Marinette said into the Mic.

“We’re bringing him in, over,” Spiderman added.

           There was a moment of silence.

“…What the fuck?” They heard War Machine say.

           When Marinette walked in with the shield in one hand and helping Spiderman carry Cap with the other, the avengers present quietly lost their shit. Kagami nodded, where she stood over Fury who looked more pissed than ever before in his entire life. Chloe stood over Coulson, who just looked put out. MJ and Ned looked overly pleased. Their mission had been a success but it only lasted long enough to get Fury and Coulson. After that, Team Cap was smart enough to ditch the communications, figuring something was up.

“Who’s left?” Spiderman asked in the Mic. “Over.”

“Stoneheart,” Kagami answered bitterly, referring to Melinda May, into the Mic so the team could hear them. “She took out Daisy and got away. Hill is after her now.”

“Jon Snow and Miss Tuffit,” Chloe said referring to the Winter Soldier and Black Widow. “Iron Man and WarIron are after Small fry. War Machine has eyes on Miss Tuffet.”

“I’m closing in on Miss Tuffit, over.” War Machine said.

           Marinette looked at her team, pressing on her mic, “Guy in Chair, Mj, I want you on Stoneheart’s tail. Spiderman go be back up for the War Machine. Iron Heart, meet me on the Location 12. Over.”

“What are you going to do, over?” Harley asked.

           Marinette clenched the shield in her hands, “I’m going to go tell Jon Snow that Winter Is Over. Queen and Dragon with me. Over.”

           The battle with the Winter Soldier was epic. The showdown happened in the gym. It turned out they weren’t hunting for the Winter Soldier, the Winter soldier was hunting for them. The second they walked into the gym, the doors closed behind them.

           Bucky jumped down from the rafters. He stared at the girls. He had seen them fight. None of them fought with any ounce mercy but plenty of skill. But they were clearly just kids. Just Dames in over their heads. He’d go easy on them. “Shall we, Ladies?”

           Ladybug, Queen Bee, Iron Heart, and Dragon shared a look before giggling.

           The Winter Soldier only just barely stood a chance.

           The girls laid Bucky gently on the floor on home base. He grunted and glared at them.

           A few minutes later, Tony and Rhodey walked in with the Black Widow. The last of Team Cap.

           Tony smirked, “Game over.”

           Rhodey shook his head, “Record time; two hours and four-two minutes. Beats the last one by about seven hours and sixteen minutes.”

           Then they debriefed. Video of the fights and footage was seemed was shown so everyone could see where they could improve. The image of tiny Ladybug clocking Captain America in their head with his own shield was rewinded and watched seven times.

           Tony fell over laughing, “I’m putting on Youtube!”

“I will divorce you!” Steve snapped but couldn’t fight the smile on his face.

           Once The random agents of shield and Stark industries left, Steve glared at Tony. His team had gotten demolished. In record time. “You brought in outside heroes, that’s not fair.”

“No,” Tony laughed. “I brought employees of Stark Industries as agreed upon. Everyone meet WarIron,” Harley lowered his helmet. “Iron Heart,” Riri lowered his, “You know Spiderman already,” Peter took of his mask and waved. “MJ, and Ned” Both teens nodded. “Ladybug,” Marinette took off her mask. “Queen Bee,” Chloe glared as she removed hers. “Dragon!” Kagami took off her black mask. “The interns. Otherwise known as the Young Avengers.”

“Oh, fuck you too Stark,” Clint complained. “Did you see what they did to poor Bucky. He’s the deadliest assassin in history, and I felt they went a little rough.”

           Bucky nodded with a wince, “Can I have my arm back.”

           Steve looked at the bluenette still holding his shield, with a charming smile.

Kagami glared. She held the metal arm like trophy. “Spoils of War.”

           Marinette giggled.

           Being a intern was going to be fun.    

#ml fic #ml salt #adrien salt #marinette dupen chang #Marinette deserves better #Avengers #stony #tony stark #team iron man #peter parker

[luxekook]

in too deep ☼ knj

☼ dedication: this fic is a bday present for the loml tay aka tay bay bay aka @interludemoonchild​!!!! luv u long time <33 (sorry this isn’t about hobi skksksks)

☼ pairing: marine biologist namjoon x assistant reader

☼ genre: idiots to lovers, fluff, angst, crack

☼ summary: you had always grown up being told tales of terrible jobs with tyrannical bosses. but now, you’re left to wonder why you hadn’t heard more tragic stories of all-too-wonderful jobs with all-too-beautiful bosses... did falling for your boss only lead to heartbreak and a two weeks’ notice? or could it yield the possibility of romance?

☼ word count: 3.1k

☼ warnings: pg15, cursing, chaotic energy, pining, miscommunication, mentions of quitting, lots of sea nerd stuff, namjoon is smart af but an idiot in love, the reader isn’t any better, crabby bois, arguments, completely cheesy fluff, short make out sesh, mention of sex

☼ banner creator: heathy bby @shadowsremedy​

☼ beta reader: the amazing and astoundingly talented phia @meowxyoong​

“Kim Namjoon!” You cry, swatting the blue-clawed crab away from your feet with a broom, “What did I tell you about bringing your goddamn crustaceans into the office?”

The man in question hustles out of his office looking disheveled, “You’ve seen Carl?” He sinks right down to his hands and knees to peer under your desk. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, little buddy!”

You stare disappointedly as your boss picks up ‘Carl’ from his hiding place and cradles him to his chest. “Namjoon,” You sigh exasperatedly, folding your arms.

He looks up at you and blushes, “Sorry, Star. I just feel so bad leaving them downstairs at the lab. It’s so lonely and dark down there.” 

While your stomach flips at the mention of his nickname for you, your eyebrows furrow in confusion, “Well, why don’t you just stay down there with them?”

“Because you’re up here…” He mumbles something incoherent. 

“What?” You lean forwards, your ears straining to catch the garbled syllables.

Namjoon clears his throat, looking everywhere but at you, “Because it’s nicer up here.”

“Don’t tell your investors that,” You laugh, thinking of all the fancy and shiny equipment housed in the aquatics lab a few floors below. Working for a top-tier marine biologist sure had its perks - namely the state of the art kitchen with a full espresso bar. 

“Star, I would never!” He looks affronted by the mere mention of such a thing. “Now, apologize to Carl for scaring him.” 

You scoff, but just one glance into Namjoon’s sparkling brown eyes makes you crumble instantly. “Fine,” You begrudgingly shoot the crab a look, “Sorry, Carl.”

“See, Carl?” Namjoon croons, “She’s sorry!” As he turns back to you, you can immediately tell he is about to launch into Marine Biologist Mode™. 

“Carl is a blue crab - a Callinectes sapidus, to be precise. That scientific name literally means ‘savory beautiful swimmer’.”

“Savory, huh?” You quip, relishing in the scandalized look Namjoon shoots you.

“Don’t listen to her, Carl,” He whispers, stroking a finger gently down the crab’s shell. “Now, where was I? Ah, yes… He’s named for his pretty sapphire-tinted claws, and he’s one of the most harvested species of his kind. So, don’t even think about it.”

You burst out laughing as he eyes you, “Okay, Joon, I’ll leave my pot of boiling water at home.”

Namjoon splutters out a choked laugh, looking at you like you are the most exasperating thing he’s ever come across. And, you probably are.

When you came to work for the distinguished marine biologist four months ago, you found him literally buried beneath piles of research papers, files, and National Geographic magazines. Apparently, he had tripped into his filing cabinet and everything had fallen off of the shelves onto him. The man had been a right mess. It was no wonder he had put an ad out in search of an assistant.

In your new role, you slowly but surely introduced some structure and organization into Namjoon’s life as best you could. The first thing you did was update his office. The man still had an honest to god lava lamp on his desk. You were still baffled at how he had managed not to break the fixture before your arrival.

Swiftly following the disposal of the cursed lava lamp, you ordered new file cabinets - and had them nailed to the wall. Virtually, you did even more. You restructured his online platforms and updated his schedule to include more than just scattered notes like “Meeting at 10AM, i think? Or was it 10PM?”

To his credit, Namjoon adhered to most of your suggestions and changes, but apparently he still refused to grasp the ‘no creatures in the office’ rule.

Overall, Namjoon was a great boss - kind, understanding, sweet, and a tad eccentric. His love for all things sea-related shone through the gentle way he handled his specimens, the passionate tone of voice he used while speaking on any related topic, and the stars in his eyes at the mere mention of discovering a new species.

It had been all too easy to become infatuated with him. Especially when he called you “Star” and left you to interpret the meaning on your own. 

You remember the exact moment that you fell in love with him so vividly. It had been last month, just three months into working for him. Namjoon had been going off about fucking sand of all things.

“…Sand speaks of history, of science, of travels. Each grain of sand holds thousands upon thousands of years of movement, of erosion. For example, the beach outside of this building is tan because of the iron oxide tinting the quartz and the feldspar to a light brown color. But, there are other beaches that are black, white and even pink in color! It’s fascinating! And to quote the goddess of marine biology Rachel Carson: "In every curving beach, in every grain of sand, there is a story of the Earth…”

Yeah, you are head over heels for your boss. And that’s why you needed to quit.

The end of the workday arrives too quickly - a common theme it seems when you love what you do and who you work for. Namjoon walks beside you down to the parking lot. You sneak a glance at his face and note that he seems deep in thought.

Your mind slips to the image of you and Namjoon going home together to a shared house overrun with fish tanks and models of sharks. It’s all too easy to picture, and all too painful to acknowledge the impossibility.

“Star,” Namjoon’s voice jolts you from your fantasy. You blink up at him, realizing you’re both stopped beside your adjacent cars. Namjoon smiles at you, “I’ll see you tomorrow? It’ll be Friday, finally...” 

It seems like he wants to say more but stops himself for some reason. You pause, waiting for him to continue, but he just blushes and brings a hand to the back of his neck bashfully.

“Yeah, Friday,” Your tone is less enthusiastic. You planned to hand in your two weeks’ notice tomorrow. It’s a complete strategy on your part so that you can have the whole weekend to cry and shove at least one gallon of ice cream down your throat.

You wave goodbye to each other and enter your respective cars. You watch Namjoon pull out of the parking lot before you and pause to rest your forehead on your steering wheel. You were so screwed.

Twenty-four exhausting hours later, you find yourself with your fist poised over Namjoon’s wooden office door. Are you actually doing this? Are you really going to quit the only job you’d ever loved? 

Yes, you are. You love Namjoon too much to stay here surrounded by his charisma and his beauty. You love him too much to try to complicate his workspace, his sacred ground. You love him too much to ask him to blur the lines of colleague and lover.

You need to leave - for his sake and for yours. It isn’t like he still needs you. He has been following your routine with vigor and always keeps his office organized now. Your tasks have been dwindling for weeks. 

It’s time to move on. God, even the tension today had been off the charts with you and Namjoon skirting around each other like you were both walking on eggshells. Clearly, he is also feeling like you are in the way.

With that in mind, you straighten your shoulders and finally knock on the door.

Your ears strain for any sign of an answer. Your breath catches in your throat as you try to sustain the meager amount of courage you had mustered up inside you. Twisting open the handle, you push the door open and are immediately met with an empty office. Damn, he must be downstairs.

You chuckle at the sheer idiocy of your panicked state over knocking on an empty office door.

This is perfect anyways. You can hand Namjoon your two weeks’ and then evacuate the building in one sweep. Shutting down your computer and grabbing your things, you trudge out of the room and towards the stairs.

The journey downwards seems akin to walking the plank as you take each step slowly, dreading the inevitable. 

Ciara has it all wrong: you do not love it when you One, Two Step. 

The entrance to the lab looms overhead. The steel double doors look more like the gateway to hell rather than a nice entrance to a marine facility. You don’t break your stride as you march through the doors. If you had, you might not have kept going.

The familiar light humming of the tank filters meets your ears as you peer around the rows of shelves containing colorful fish and scuttling critters.

“Joon?” You call, the nickname slipping past your lips before you can stop it.

“Back here, Star!” His answer sounds from the very back of the lab. Of course, that’s where the crabs are housed.

You make your way past the tanks of clownfish and the pools of stingrays to where Namjoon sits hunched over the shallow tank containing four green-tinted crabs. 

“That’s it, Nala.” Namjoon croons as the smallest of the four crabs swims around the tank, “You show your brothers how fast you are.”

“Talking to your subjects again, boss?” You can’t help but tease the man you've grown to love as he fawns over his work.

Namjoon blushes slightly and nods, pushing his glasses up to rest on the bridge of his nose, “Studies have shown that it helps them develop.”

“I thought that was humans?” You say, shifting your weight back and forth. The letter in your hand seems to burn more each second you hold onto it. You couldn't take it anymore.

As Namjoon opens his mouth to reply, you thrust the letter into his chest and say, “Never mind. This is for you. Please read it later.”

With that, you fast-walk your way back to the entrance of the lab. The sound of the envelope tearing open only forces you faster. Fuck, it had been idiotic of you to assume that he would actually listen to you and open it later. Namjoon is as impatient as they come. Of course he wouldn't wait.

“Star!” His strangled call startles you, “What is this?”

“We can talk about it on Monday!” You reply, somehow already close to tears. Why is this godforsaken lab so big? You pace down the aisles of tanks and breathe a sigh of relief as the exit comes into view. 

Then, Namjoon comes barreling around the corner, cutting off your escape. The man looks baffled as he clutches your written resignation in his hands. His chest heaves as he holds the torn pages out towards you, “What. Is. This. Star?”

You bristle. I guess we’re doing this now, you thought. Stiffening your shoulders, you muster all the false bravado you can manage, “It’s my two weeks’ notice, Namjoon. I’m sure a smart guy like you can read.”

“Okay, allow me to rephrase,” Namjoon stalks towards you, tossing the crumpled letter over his shoulder. “Why did you give me this?”

“The letter explains everything,” Your eyes dart around, both in search of a viable escape and in avoidance of his intensity.

“Sure it does,” He scoffs, his eyes blazing with disbelief. “I want to hear it from you.”

Your back hits the cool glass of the tank behind you. You’re trapped between the contrasting temperatures of the water and Namjoon’s body.

“Joon,” Your voice shakes, “You don’t need me anymore. You’ve done everything I've asked of you and then some. You’re organized. You’re on time. You’re put together. I barely have enough tasks now to fill a day, let alone a week. It’s time to move on.”

“Time to move on?” Namjoon echoes before barking out a humorless laugh, “I don’t need you anymore? That’s really what you think, Star?”

“Don’t call me that.” The nickname snufs out any trace of fight left inside you, and you plead, “Just let me go, Joon.”

“Never,” He growls.

“I don’t understand what you’re not getting,” You sigh, exasperated and drained, “You’ve surpassed my expectations and erased the need for my position. I think the saying ‘the student has become the master’ applies here.”

Namjoon gapes at you before he snaps, “You’re the one who’s not getting it! Have you ever considered that the student might just be in love with the teacher?”

Joon rakes a hand through his hair as you become the one to gape open mouthed at the frustrated man.

He continues, “I wake up earlier every damn day because I can’t wait to see you at work. I organize all of my things because I just want to see you smile at me when you notice. I spend an hour each night picking out what to wear the next day because I want to impress you… Don’t you see? Everything I do is for you, is because of you. I want to be the best version of myself for you.”

Your mind struggles to compute the seemingly impossible notion that the object of your affections returns your love. “Did you,” You gasp out, “Just say that you loved me?”

“Yes, you complete jellyfish! I love you. I am in love with you! And it’s not like it’s not obvious! I call you ‘Star’ because you are my starfish, my sea star. You are the one who keeps the balance to my ecosystem of chaos. You are the key species that keeps everything afloat.”

“And you thought that was obvious?” You yell back at him, “How on earth would I immediately have known the intense analysis behind your nickname for me, Namjoon the science buffoon?” You huff, scrambling to process the amount of information that had just been thrown at you. 

He needed you?

He loved you back? 

He nicknamed you after a fucking marine invertebrate?!

Namjoon blinks in surprise, “Did you just insult me with a Bill Nye pun?” You don’t deign to give him a response. Namjoon chuckles before grinning sheepishly, “Okay, fine. You make a good point.”

“I know I do,” You pout. “You can’t just spring this on me, Joon. Why haven't you told me this before?”

“Because I was nervous that you would leave me, that you wouldn't return my feelings. Obviously, the first point is moot. What about the second?”

“You’re asking if I love you back?” Your body sags against the tank behind you, “How could I not, you crab-loving, walking mess of a—”

Namjoon captures your mouth with his, kissing you with fervor. His hands wind their way up to cradle your face between them like you are the most precious thing to him. 

Pulling back slightly, Namjoon rasps out, “So, you’ll stay?” 

“Hm, I don’t know,” You crack a wry smile, “What’s in it for me?”

“Well, let me show you,” Namjoon replies before whipping his shirt off. You gape open mouthed at the expanse of beautiful tan skin in front of you. 

Was that a hint of a tattoo swirling over his left shoulder?

He reaches down to tug at the hem of your dress, insinuating he wants it off. A nice concept in theory; however, with one look around at your surroundings, you slap his hand away. “Namjoon! Not in front of the fish!”

“But, Star, these aren’t fish! These are squid, and they are classed as cephalopods—”

You put a hand over his mouth, “Allow me to clarify: I will only fuck in a creature-free zone.”

Namjoon murmurs something beneath your palm. You give him a warning look before removing your hand. He immediately repeats himself, “My office?”

Your eyes narrow, “I know for a fact you have at least three crabs in there.”

Namjoon pauses, looking suspiciously shifty, “There are only seven…” 

You wait for it.

“...teen.” He finishes.

“Kim Namjoon!”

Two Years Later

The short walk down the aisle ends too quickly as you find yourself standing in front of a teary-eyed Namjoon. Five of his friends stand behind him in a row, while the sixth stands proudly as the officiant.

They really are out here looking like a whole boy band, you muse. But, you only have eyes for their leader. 

Namjoon stands before you, all tall and handsome in his tux; and as Officiant Jin™ begins the ceremony, you can't help but wonder how you got so lucky.

Finally, the ring exchange is introduced dramatically by Seokjin who spouts something about circles and never ending love. “Let us now have the rings brought forward and presented by the ring-bearer!” He booms, raising his arms up like he is summoning a great force.

Ring-bearer? You rake your mind for a prior mention of a ring-bearer… You thought Yoongi as the best man would have the rings.

Suddenly, Namjoon produces a silver whistle from his pocket and blows it once. You stare at your soon-to-be husband like he has sprouted another head.

And then you hear it: the sound of legs and claws scuttling across the floor towards the altar. 

“Tell me that is not what I think it is,” You whisper-yell over to Namjoon, who looks way too pleased for your liking.

Your fears and exasperations come true as Namjoon swoops down to pick up Carl who has two shiny rings tied to his shell with a ribbon.

“Oh, Kim Namjoon,” You sigh as you watch him remove the rings from Carl and hand the crab off to a disgruntled Taehyung, “What am I going to do with you?”

“You’re going to marry me,” Namjoon grins.

And marry him you did.

a/n: jellyfish have no brains, lolz. idk why making joon call the reader a jellyfish made me crack tf up but IT DID.

© luxekook. please do not repost, modify, edit or translate.

#bangtanhq #ficswithluv #btswriterscollective #btswritingcafe #hyunglinenetwork #kwritersworldnet #bangtanarmynet #btsbookclub #btsnoonanet #hyungsmutsociety #maknaesmutsociety #bangtanscenery #kim namjoon x reader #namjoon x reader #knj x reader #bts #namjoon fanfic #bts fanfic #happy bday tay!!!!!

[cagestark]

-Unfinished-

That’s the title, btw.

About this: Stuckony, college!au with older Tony. NFF. 9.4k. Minor CBT, daddy kink, spanking mentioned. 

-

“Steve - 3 o’clock.” 

Steve doesn’t tilt his head up from where he is looking at his phone, but behind his dark tinted sunglasses, Bucky knows that his blue eyes are scanning the crowd that crosses the southern sidewalk of the quad. Bucky knows when Steve has spotted the man in question because his mouth parts enough for a breathy exhale, tongue wetting his lower lip. 

“God,” Steve murmurs. “No chance he’s a student.” 

“Forties,  you think?” Not that there aren’t students of all ages moving on campus today, but there are no bags by his side, no pack slung over his shoulder, no sense of eager urgency as he stands watching the afternoon sun play off the fountain that’s dead center of the open, grassy area. Faculty or family, Bucky thinks.

“Couldn’t say for certain,” Steve says. “Wouldn’t say for certain. Jesus, he looks good.” 

“Better than good, come on, admit it.”

“What makes you think he’s interested?” 

“No wife at his side,” says Bucky. “But more importantly, no straight man is stylish enough to wear boots like that.” 

Steve gives a long suffering sigh. He slips his phone into his back pocket, and Bucky takes the moment to admire the way his boyfriend’s shirt clings tightly to his biceps. Buying Steve shirts is a chore, always too loose around his trim waist and always too tight across his chest and arms. A chore, but no crime. At least, not one Bucky’s suffering from. “Well,” says Steve. “Should we introduce ourselves? ‘S only polite.” 

Bucky gives a shark’s grin. 

Up close, the man is even more striking than he’d appeared across the quad. He has thick, dark hair that lays with stylish disorder, and neatly groomed facial hair threaded with gray. His eyes are hidden behind dark Ray-Bans, but they can see his eyebrows rise steadily at their approach, the corners of his full mouth slipping upward. He’s more than a head shorter than they are, but his petite stature belies a strength. 

Steve, ever amiable, offers his hand. “Hi there. Steve Rogers, Art postgrad. This here is—” 

“James Barnes, Criminal Justice.” 

“—do you need any help finding your dorm?” 

As they speak, the stranger’s smile grows wider and wider. He reaches up to push back his sunglasses, really dark eyes surrounded by healthy lines hinting at many smiles. When he takes Steve’s hand in a firm shake, Bucky feels downright jealous of his own boyfriend’s palm. Hastily offering his own, he’s treated to a calloused palm that is small in his own grip but no less strong. 

No wedding ring.

“Tony,” says the man. “Boys, you should know I’ve been playing the game longer than you’ve been alive.” 

“What game?” Steve asks, grinning widely. They all take note of the way Tony’s eyes drop to Steve’s mouth, the full lips, the neat lines of white teeth, the facial hair he’s taking way too much fucking pride in (though Bucky sure as hell doesn’t mind the beardburn). 

“If you know the game, then you should know how to play along,” Bucky says, winking. 

Tony laughs, the lines around his mouth and eyes blooming. The sound makes Bucky’s gut flutter, his chest clenching tight with fondness that feels too strong to have for a man they’ve just met. “I’m no student,” says Tony. Then, a little more cautious:  “I just finished moving my son in. Freshman; bioengineering.” 

Bucky’s eyes nearly roll. He reaches out to put a stabilizing hand on his boyfriend’s strong shoulder, leaning into him dramatically. Yeah, Bucky has father issues, what else was he going to get growing up with a ma who raised him and his sisters alone after their old man walked out? The gray in Tony’s facial hair had called to him, but the downright authenticity in him being a parent? Bucky can feel his cock tingling already. 

“You hear that?” Bucky leans in to whisper into Steve’s ear dramatically. Out of the corner of his eye, he watches Tony watch them, notices dimly the flicker of anxiety that passes through his expressive eyes, the drawing of his brows together. His eyes widen with more than a little incredulity when Bucky goes on to say: “He’s not just a daddy, he’s a dad.” 

Steve slips an arm around Bucky’s shoulder and pulls him close, patting at his head with theatrical indulgence. “Your weakness,” Steve sighs. 

Tony snorts, turning away to stare out over the quad and pretend to give them privacy. A healthy flush rises to his face, a few shades short of a flush. Flattered, Bucky thinks. Maybe he’s been turned down recently for his age, for having a grown son. Maybe he thinks he’s getting too old to attract lovers but he’s dead fucking wrong. 

Steve murmurs something else to him but it falls on deaf ears because Tony’s head has turned back towards them, eyes widening in horror. Bucky reels just in time to catch a football as it strikes him in the chest, knocking the breath out of him a little. Sprinting across the quad towards them is a familiar, dark skinned man who looks more delighted than concerned.

“Jesus Christ, Wilson!” Steve barks, demeanor changing from soft to authoritative in an instant. “What the hell are you thinking, kickin’ a ball this direction? You could have hit someone!” 

“Just Barnes,” Sam pants. “No great loss.” 

“I’ll remember that next time we’re in a sociology class and you’re begging for my notes, buddy,” Bucky says, throwing him the ball. Sam catches it with a dry thud, tucking it under one arm to greet Steve with a pat on the back.

A hand touches his shoulder and he turns to see Tony, eyes flickering between his sternum where the ball made contact and Bucky’s face. “Are you alright? I’m sorry I didn’t notice it sooner. Fuck, I thought it was going to take your head off.” 

“I’m alright, doll,” Bucky says, realizing a little too late the endearment slipping off the tip of his tongue. 

Tony snorts in a way that makes Bucky feel silly for falling into familiarity so soon. “I’m hardly a doll; I’m twice your fucking age, James.” 

“Bucky,” Bucky supplies. “Friends call me Bucky. Twice my age, huh? Does that mean you’ll call me ‘baby’?” 

“Means you should address him as sir, Buck,” Steve chimes in. Tony licks his lips, a subconscious action that he and Steve can’t help but zero in on. Feeling the heat of their gaze on him, Tony reaches up to slide his sunglasses back down over his eyes, a loss Bucky downright laments. The silence that rests between them feels thick with something. Promise, Bucky hopes. Chemistry, for sure. 

“Oh Jesus,” Sam mutters, breaking the moment. “Y’all make me sick with that fifty-shades of gray bullshit. If I have to hear Rogers spanking the holy hell out of you one more time I’m going to mistake it for a domestic dispute.” 

“Hey, let’s not make light of domestic violence,” Steve says. When he glances over (hoping for a blush, a flush, any sign that their banter is affecting him), Tony’s head is ducked, and maybe he’s looking at the ground, politely playing spectator in the conversation, but Bucky thinks that maybe he’s looking at Steve’s hands, broad and strong and capable of delivering spanks that have Bucky’s teeth chattering. 

Bucky ups the ante. “Can’t mistake it for nothing than what it is, Wilson, not when I’m thankin’ him after every spank.” 

“If you were spanking him right,” says Tony suddenly, flashing eyes that burn from behind his sunglasses. “The only word he should be able to say is please.” 

Bucky’s mouth goes dry, a ringing in his ears as he stares at Tony’s confident, experienced gaze where it rests on Bucky’s own boyfriend. He’s got the urge to go down on his knees then and there, to ask for a demonstration that will leave his ass aching for days. By the time his soul returns to his body, he’s missed half of whatever Sam is saying.

“—came over here to find you two fuckers because some of the other boys asked me to. Want to throw some ball? The field’s clear for it.” 

“Hell yeah,” Bucky says to cover up the fact that he wasn’t listening. “Steve?” 

“Sure,” the blond agrees in his calm, agreeable way. 

Tony clears his throat, taking a step away from the group. Bucky and Steve share an alarmed look from behind their own sunglasses. Tony strikes them as the kind of man who always keeps a foot out the door, but they don’t want him to get away so easily. Especially if what he really wants is to be there as bad as they think he does. 

“Nice meeting you boys,” he says. “Enjoy your game—I’d say stay out of trouble but if you’re anything like I was, that will only encourage you—” 

“Whoa, you’re leaving already?” Bucky asks. At risk of coming on too strong too soon, Bucky reaches out to put a gentle hand on Tony’s shoulder, watching him closely. When the man’s mouth parts a little, no sign of being uncomfortable visible in the set of his shoulders or the lines of his face, Bucky squeezes a little, feeling burning skin through Tony’s leather jacket.

“We could really use a referee,” Steve offers. In a stage whisper: “Bucky cheats.” 

Bucky pulls away to lightly punch at one of Steve’s broad shoulders. “That’s Steve’s way of saying I’m talented. If we have an unbiased judge for once, will that put to rest this cheating bullshit, Steve? Then Tony, you’ve got to come watch. Unless you’ve got someplace to be. Is your wife waiting in the car, maybe?” 

Tony snorts softly. He holds up his hand, free of rings. “No wife. But if you’re any good at this game, you already knew that.” 

“If you’re so knowledgeable, then you must know that we needed to hear you say it,” Steve counters lowly. It’s Steve’s turn to put one broad palm on Tony’s shoulder, and the size difference between them is enough to have Bucky’s throat squeezing tight like when Steve’s got a hand around it. Fuck, he could see it all in his head like the filthiest show: Steve bending Tony in half across the island in their off-campus apartment together, Tony’s smaller figure riding Steve, making eyes at Bucky across the room. But he’s getting ahead of himself. “What do you say, Tony? Help us settle an old score?” 

“At your service,” says Tony, grinning widely. 

-

“What the fuck are you doing, Tony,” Tony mutters under his breath to himself. The field looks lovely,  even if the lines are faded and not yet repainted. The grass is lush and green, providing the perfect background for Steve and Bucky’s pale bodies. They’ve got him set up on the first row of the stands so that he has ‘the best vantage’. 

The vantage is pretty fucking good. When the two grad students had joined their half-dozen friends, the two had immediately shed their shirts, giving them to Tony for safekeeping. Thank God for sunglasses, because it gave Tony the freedom to let his eyes wander over two of the most sculpted chests he’s ever seen outside of a magazine or television. It’s fucking obscene how broad Steve’s shoulders are, the way they taper to his slim waist. Neither of them has a single hair on their chests, and Steve is notably lacking the fine line of hair that Bucky has running from his navel down into his shorts. 

Tony remembers those days. Waxing, working out, keeping his body firm and appealing so as to attract and delight whatever sex he wanted to go home with that night. That had changed after Pepper, her not-so-playful wondering of Why are you trying so hard, Tony? You’ve already got me. Their breakup years ago had swept all the dirt from beneath the rug, and her accusations of infidelity still stung after all this time. 

Still reminded Tony that he was just a washed-up old man compared to these kids horsing around on the football field of his alma mater. If he wanted to have a midlife crisis, he could go to the nearest dealership and buy a corvette. But is that all this is? When the two had approached him like tigers closing in on a tasty meal, he’d felt flattered. Almost embarrassed. He’d done such things during his college days—volunteered to wear the ugly red shirts that would set him apart as a student underclassmen could look to to ask questions. Escorting freshmen and sophomores to their dorm rooms had been the perfect way to strike up conversations, and Tony had ended up inside those dorm rooms more times than he could count. 

He’d never been interested in men like him, though, always more interested in people his own age. If he’d seen a man in his (very) late forties with so much gray, he never would have given them the time of day. Too old for the casual lifestyle. He’d been prepared to tell the boys that, to send them on their way. But the same reason he didn’t was the same reason why he wasn’t meant to have casual-sex anymore. He caught feelings too quickly. Fifteen years of monogamy has reconditioned his brain, and now he craves the connection. Wonders what Steve and Bucky do on dates together, if they want to travel, if there’s room between them for another person. 

“Tony, you dumb bastard,” he sighs to himself. Then, louder, cupping his hands around his mouth: “Hey—! That was holding, Bucky! Roll around with Steve on your own time!” 

On the field, Bucky has Steve pinned to the grass. His torso, damp with sweat, catches the light as he twists to listen to what Tony’s saying. The grin he gives is far from apologetic, and judging by the way one of Steve’s large hands splays against the curve of his boyfriend’s waist, Steve is hardly a victim. 

The rest of the team boo at Bucky, Sam cuffing his head gently as they all set up another play. 

This must be foreplay for them, Tony thinks fondly, working hard to keep from grinning. The two of them have basically spent the entire game with their hands on each other. Tony won’t say he’s unaffected by the sight of two attractive men grappling with each other, of the position of power he’s in. When he shouts stop, they stop. Clearing his throat, he shifts, leaning forward to plant his elbows on his knees and hide the growing bulge in his jeans. His own jacket has been removed and sat to the side, too hot to wear it in the direct sunlight. 

When Steve misses a signal because he’s too busy looking at Tony in the stands, it’s a good fucking feeling. 

The kiss the two of them share when Bucky scores a touchdown (even if he’s on the opposite team from Steve) is open-mouthed and deep, both of Steve’s hands cupping either side of Bucky’s face to hold them together, the searing heat between them enough for Tony to feel even so far away. One hand drifts down to cup Bucky’s ass and Tony groans under his breath, forced to turn his gaze away. 

By the end, Bucky’s team has won. 

“Losers buy drinks!” Sam shouts to cheers from all. 

A Monday night and they’re going out for drinks, oh to be young again. 

Tony meets them on the field and is roped into an exuberant, sweaty hug from the victorious Bucky. They are easily a head taller than he is, and even though Tony isn’t some twink (he works out plenty often, though warding off heart disease isn’t sexy in any way shape or form), he can’t help but feel dwarfed. The hard planes of Bucky’s body pressed flush against his own, the way Steve’s eyes glitter as he takes in the sight of them—there’s a heat pooling low in Tony’s gut. 

“Congratulations,” Tony says, breathing in the masculine scent of sweat. “And Steve, my condolences.” 

“Thanks,” Steve laughs. 

“Enjoy your drinks, gentlemen,” says Tony. 

Bucky pulls back, frowning down at Tony. “What, you’re not coming with? Steve owes you a drink too. The referee gets the first drink, as a matter of fact. Come out with us.” 

“Yeah, Tony,” says Steve coming up to wrap an arm around Bucky’s waist. The look they give him leaves no room for interpretation. Tony isn’t slow—for some reason he can’t begin to imagine, these two want to fuck him. Taking him out for a drink is far from a contract set in stone, but it’s the next step to Tony ending up between their sheets. Steve lifts a hand to thread it through Bucky’s dark hair. “Do you want us to beg?” 

Tony licks his lips. “That would be a sight.”

“Is that a yes?’ Bucky asks. “Or should I get on my knees? You know—to beg.” 

That image spears through Tony’s gut like a lightning bolt. “I could come out for a drink or two.” 

-

One by one, their friends take their leave in various states of intoxication, many of them with aching cheeks and chests from laughing. Tony is a fucking hit, witty and sarcastic and clever. He roasts the boys like he’s one of them, but Steve and Bucky are all too aware of how he isn’t. The wisdom in his eyes, the sadness of his silences when he slips out of the conversation and loses himself in his thoughts. 

Sam plays the most excellent wingman. When he leaves, dragging Bucky up out of the chair to grab him in a bone-aching hug, Sam mutters in his ear, “I like this guy. Treat him good.” 

“And then there were three,” Tony murmurs, voice nearly lost to the noise of the bar. “Should we call it a night, or should we order another drink?” 

“I don’t know about you two,” Steve says, “But I need to slow down. Maybe we should order something with a little more sustenance than the typical bar food.” 

“Burgers?” Bucky offers. “What do you say, Tony? Are you in?” 

Tony’s glossy eyes flicker between them, narrowed in playful confusion but with a healthy dose of skepticism. He’s had more to drink than any of them, starting out with hard liquor (letting everyone try his expensive aged whiskey) before tapering off to beer. His body is loose, face flushed, but he’s just as quick. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you two are trying to get me...sober. Which is actually a refreshing change of pace from the people I’m usually at bars with.” 

“You don’t have to stop if you don’t want to.” 

Reaching out, Tony finishes off the last of his draft before pushing the glass away. The smile he gives them is so fucking handsome, none of the anxiety or self-consciousness in his gaze the way there had been at the quad. What this incredible man has to be self-conscious about, Bucky has no fucking clue. Tony rubs his hands together. “So. Burgers?” 

Over burgers, the conversation changes tempo from the fast-paced, superficial topics they’d discussed among the other college boys. The three of them may as well exist in their own little world; once the bar’s busy hours began, they moved to a smaller table in the corner to free up seats for larger parties, families flooding in to have their last dinners with their college kids before driving away. Gravitating towards each other, heads always leaned close to be heard over the music, Bucky has seen the waitress turn away from them more than once, unwilling to break the spell they all seem to hold over each other. 

“So your son’s going to school for bioengineering?” Bucky asks, licking grease off his fingers. 

Tony’s eyes watch the movement, so Bucky plays up the action, giving a flash of teeth and tongue before sucking his fingers clean. He’s already feeling more sober, the greasy food soaking up the alcohol in his stomach. Tony reaches out for his sweating water glass and takes a large gulp that has Bucky hiding his smirk. “Peter. Yes, he’s always been especially interested in advanced prosthetics.” 

“He’s in the right place then,” Steve says. “We’re number one in engineering this side of the Mississippi, and the head of the bioengineering department is top in her field.” 

Tony smirks. “No need to sell me on the college, kids. I went here myself.” 

Bucky leans forward. “Major?”

“Which one?”

“Ho-ly shit, Steve. You hear that? Which one. All the ones, Tony, all the ones.”

“I have a Masters in electrical engineering and physics.” 

“Fuck me,” Bucky breathes. “You’re a genius.” 

“It’s funny that you say that,” says Tony. “I have been called that once or twice or ten dozen times.” 

“Can we ask about Peter’s mom?” Steve asks. He immediately regrets the question when Tony’s face falls from its easy smile. The crowd mills around them just outside the gravitational pull of their table, and Tony leans back in his chair to watch it for a long silent minute. Steve nudges the older man’s foot under the table. “Hey—you don’t have to answer that.” 

Tony waves a careless hand, though there’s nothing relaxed about his expression. “It’s fine. Peter was the result of a one night stand during my younger less responsible days. Mary and I co-parented fine. She passed away after a terrible accident many years ago, when Peter was just a boy.” 

Bucky’s heart aches, a physical weight in his chest it sinks like a stone tossed into water. “I’m so sorry,” he says. 

“Me too. She was a very good woman and an incredible mother. After she died, I knew I couldn’t care for a young child on my own, so I remarried. Pepper is an awesome step-mother; when I was leaving Pete’s dorm, he was just booting up his laptop to Skype with her and show her his room. We divorced a handful of years ago because of—irreconcilable differences. It was rough on Peter.” 

“And on you,” Bucky surmises. 

Tony winces. He lifts his water to try and hide behind it. “That obvious?” 

“Do you miss her?” Steve asks. His face is clear and open and sympathetic; Bucky knows him well enough to know that he isn’t the easily jealous type, that even if Tony said he was still madly in love with this ex-wife Pepper (and what kind of name is that, Bucky wonders) Steve wouldn’t take it personally. 

“No,” says Tony without preamble. “The fighting was bad. I worked too much, I didn’t want more children, I didn’t make her feel wanted. She was convinced that if I wasn’t being intimate with her, then I was being intimate with someone else. My porn history is what really tipped her off to my changing proclivities. I thought, I’m too old to be having a sexuality crisis. She thought I’d misled her—tricked her into marrying a gay man.” 

“There’s no such thing as too old,” Steve says with tenderness. “And you hardly could have tricked her if you hadn’t known yourself.” 

Tony’s smile is misty, distracted. “Yeah. Well. Jesus, boys, would you look at the time?” 

“Tony.” 

“It was sweet of you kids to humor me, but I really should get going. It’s a long drive back to New York City.” 

“Are you sure? You had a lot to drink,” Bucky says. There are a host of reasons why he wants Tony to stay—at this table, in this moment, in this bar—but more than anything, he wants Tony to be safe. And he wants Tony to want to stay. 

“I’ll sober up on the walk back to the university’s parking lot, don’t worry.” 

“Our place is close by,” Steve says. “We live in an apartment for graduates. It’s small and the walls are thin, but it’s clean and you’re more than welcome to stay and drive back in the morning.” 

Tony frowns. Bucky wishes that he’d push those ridiculous tinted glasses back so that they could see the darkness of his eyes and whatever might be swimming in them. Face flushed with either drink or anger, the older man scoffs, pushing away his water. “I really don’t get you two. There were half-a-hundred other men and women in the quad who would have been happy to go home with you. Why the hell did you target me? Look, here’s some life advice: try to avoid picking up middle-aged men with as much baggage in their past as they have bags under their eyes.” 

“Wait a minute—” says Steve firmly. Bucky can feel the tenseness in his form mirrored in his boyfriend’s body, a rising sense of alarm that the night is not turning out the way they had hoped. It happens sometimes: Bucky and Steve will pick up a person only for the night to end outside the bar. But judging by Steve’s clenched jaw and the way Bucky’s own heart pounds, this isn’t a situation they’ll be able to walk away from - not without shooting their shot properly. 

But Tony makes a derisive noise to stop Steve before he can start. Reaching into his wallet, he takes out an obscene amount of cash to leave it on the table. “Please. No more. Thanks for trying to repair an old man’s pride.” 

They watch his figure as he begins to shuffle his way through the crowd towards the exit. 

“I don’t wanna let him go,” Bucky says. “Not right now, but not tomorrow morning, neither.” 

“You really like him,” says Steve, more of a statement than any question. He takes a last drink of water before standing hastily. “Then we’d better not let him walk away without knowing.” 

Outside, the air has a chill in it. People stream along the sidewalk wearing jackets to protect them from the beginning hints of the New England fall. Their height gives them an advantage as they search the crowd for a shorter head of dark, impossibly fluffy hair. Steve takes a firm grip of Bucky’s arm, pointing, whispering a breathless, there! 

Bucky sees him. Tony has stopped the next building over and is leaning heavily against the brick wall, both hands rubbing at his face as if trying to wipe the remnants of sleep away. The people flooding in and out of the bar have disguised Bucky and Steve’s exit; they nearly make it to him unseen before he turns and begins to walk away back towards the university, when a knot of fear that’s tied itself deep in Bucky’s throat makes him call out, “Tony!” 

Glancing over his shoulder, Tony’s face displays a complex series of emotions that Bucky can’t properly follow—but at least he doesn’t run. Stepping out of the crowd’s current, he lingers at the mouth of an alley while the two younger men catch up to him. 

“I know I left enough cash,” Tony says tiredly. 

“We aren’t here about the cash,” Steve says. “We really had a good time tonight, and we don’t want it to end. If you’d rather head home alone instead of with us, could we at least get your number?” 

“My number?” Tony asks, eyes wide. He shoves his hands deep into his pockets. “What for?” 

“To text you,” says Bucky. “To maybe set up another time to meet up whenever you’re back this way.” 

“Come on, boys,” Tony murmurs, his voice nearly lost to the crowd. He looks at them with soft, sad eyes. “Come on. Let's just quit pretending.” 

“Who’s pretending? What will prove it to you? You want me to beg? I offered it once before. I’m not above it.” 

Neither of them can miss the way Tony’s throat bobs at the suggestion. Before anyone else can say a word, Steve’s hand is pressed to Bucky’s shoulder. When Bucky glances over, he sees the cool level gaze and immediately goes soft and spacey in the head (though hard everywhere else). 

“Go on,” Steve says to Bucky. His voice is low and sure and goes straight to Bucky’s cock. “That’s what he wants. You want to give him what he wants, don’t you? Get down on your knees and beg him.” 

“Steve,” Tony croaks. 

The rest of his sentence is lost at the sound of Bucky’s knees connecting with the pavement. Tony looks good from down here, Bucky thinks dimly, looks good from every angle, but there’s something about being on his knees that makes Bucky see through different eyes. 

“Please don’t be done with us,” Bucky begs through numb lips. Behind him, the raucous mill of the crowd melts into white noise. They’re only just inside the mouth of the alleyway. People would barely have to turn their heads to see them and the thought sets Bucky’s nerves on fire.  “Please, give us a chance.” 

A long breath comes out of Tony’s nose, jaw clenching and unclenching. His looks from Steve to Bucky again and again before he lets a tentative hand reach out and touch Bucky’s hair. Bucky’s eyes fall shut at the feeling. There’s a reason why he keeps his hair long. Mouth parting, he tilts his head into the older man’s touch. 

“Jesus,” Tony breathes. “What am I going to do with you, kid?” 

“There’s plenty you could do,” Steve offers. “But you don’t have to do anything at all, if you don’t want to.” 

Then Tony is kneeling in front of him, shifting those tinted glasses until they rest in the impeccable cloud of his hair. He takes up all the space in the alley, all the space in Bucky’s vision, all the space in his brain. 

“What about you, James?” Tony asks. “What do you want?” 

Without any hesitation: “I wanna make you feel good.”

They kiss. There’s no preamble, no gentle exploration; Bucky and Tony are both masterful kissers after years of experience, and at the moment neither of them are sober enough to worry about finesse. Bucky takes Tony’s tongue into his own mouth and suckles, swallowing the way the older man groans. His facial hair abraids Bucky’s mouth and chin, the sting making him feel raw and hot all over. It’s one of the best kisses he’s ever had, and if it’s an omen of how the evening will progress, it’s a very fucking good one. 

“Fuck,” Tony mutters, pulling back. His breath fans across Bucky’s face as he laughs, one hand coming to rest on the younger man’s shoulder. “I’m not twenty-five anymore; this kills my knees.” 

Steve, who had nearly blended into the shadows while watching them with bated breath, helps Tony up, adding, “I guess Bucky and I will be the only ones on our knees tonight.” 

Then it’s his turn to kiss Tony, tilting the older man’s chin upwards and cupping the back of his head with one broad palm. They are the antithesis of each other: one tall and broad, pale and blond. Bucky groans at the sight of his boyfriend’s jaws opening, the hint of hollowness in his cheeks as he licks into Tony’s mouth. 

“God,” Steve mutters when he pulls back to catch his breath. “That whiskey tastes even better comin’ off of your tongue.” 

“How close is your apartment?” Tony asks. 

“Too far,” Steve says roughly. “Too far for me to not have my hands on you. Yes or no?” 

“Yes. Yes, yes.” 

The two of them coax Tony deeper into the alleyway, his boots echoing off the concrete. When they’re a safe enough distance from the prying eyes of the street, Steve leans with his back against one brick wall, pulling Tony’s back to rest against his chest while Bucky presses himself flush to the man’s front. There’s no hiding Bucky’s erection which presses into the soft cotton of the t-shirt beneath Tony’s jacket, and when Bucky shifts a thigh between the man’s legs, there’s no way to miss Tony’s erection either. 

Tony sighs in pleasure as Bucky drags his thigh along his cock. When his head tilts back, Steve is there nuzzling into the side of his neck, scraping teeth along the sensitive skin. 

“Fuck me, look at him, Steve,” Bucky pants. With hands firm on Tony’s hips, he tugs the shorter man up while angling his own hips down until the bulge of their cocks can drag against each other. “He’s so fuckin’ beautiful, isn’t he?” 

“Like art,” Steve rumbles into Tony’s neck. “Wanna pin him up against the wall—” 

“I think I can feel what you plan on pinning me with,” Tony breathes, arching his back. 

“You think?” Steve asks, rutting his hips upwards. It punches a gasp from Tony’s mouth that Bucky swallows with his own. 

Between them, Tony must feel like the pivot on a seesaw, dragged back and forth, both of them desperate for whatever part of his body they could touch. Steve splays a wide hand against Tony’s breastbone between his open jacket and drags his palm from one pec to the other, fingers taking one clothed nipple (hard and delicate as a glass bead where it pokes through his t-shirt) and working it over, tender and merciless. 

In front of him, Bucky guides his hips so that Tony maintains a steady pace where their cocks are grinding together. He hasn’t cum in his pants since he was fifteen years old with his first girlfriend writhing against his lap, but he feels liable to repeat history tonight. 

“You feel so good,” Bucky groans into the juncture of Tony’s neck. “Been thinking about this ever since I spotted you on the quad, even more at the bar. Every time you’d flirt with the waitress I’d almost pop a stiffie. Nobody’s got a right being as sexy as you are.” 

“You’ve got it—ah!—wrong,” Tony pants. He’s wrapped his arms around Bucky’s neck, the fingers of one hand tangled and tugging at his hair. “Watching you and Steve roll around on that football field was like pornography. The hell do you think I had my jacket in my lap, for?” 

Bucky barely manages to stifle an embarrassing sound in his throat. His balls feel tight and heavy, as if he’s been edging himself all day long. His jerking thrusts against Tony’s jeans begin to become sporadic as he chases that high. His sweatpants will be ruined—they probably already are, if he’s leaking like a faucet how he thinks he is—but all consequences and repercussions fade as the coil of heat in his gut winds itself tighter and tighter. 

“‘M gonna cum,” he gasps, shivering when he hears the breath Tony sucks in at his words. 

“You want that, Tony?” Steve asks. “You want him to cum or do you want him to wait? You get to decide tonight—” 

“Steve,” Bucky says, voice strained. “Don’t make me stop, please don’t make me, he feels so good, Steve—” 

“Stop him,” Tony gasps, though his own hips offer no help considering he arches them to rub the burning line of their cocks together. “Don’t let him cum.” 

Steve reaches out to press firmly on Bucky’s chest until he stumbles back away from the warm cradle of Tony’s hips, an undignified noise slipping past his lips. From a distance, he’s treated to the incredible sight of them: Steve holding Tony flush against him, the way Tony’s eyes are dark and heavy-lidded, the obscene bulge in his denim and the way his entire body jerks when Steve thrusts his cock against the lush curve of Tony’s ass. 

“Jesus, you all aren’t making it easy on me,” Bucky says, palming his eyes. 

“Tony’s right,” Steve says firmly. “He deserves better than this. We need more room.” 

“Apartment?” Tony wonders through swollen lips. 

“Apartment. Let’s go, sugar, we’ll take a shortcut.” 

-

What the hell am I doing? Tony wonders for the thousandth time that day as they walk briskly down alleys and jaywalk across streets. The thought replays in his head like a track on repeat. His own erection wanes quickly thanks to a heart condition and as a lovely perk of aging, but he hardly minds when he sees how ridiculous the two younger men look trying to hide their half-hard cocks while navigating the downtown area. Tony removes his jacket and offers it to Bucky who has a tell-tale patch of darkness where the head of his cock has rested. The sight makes his heart pound. 

What the hell am I doing, he thinks again when the two of them pin him to the wall in the elevator of their apartment building, both of them grinding their respective erections into his hips while teasing the sensitive skin of his neck, hands creeping up under the hem of his t-shirt to trace his quivering stomach. 

He feels infused with some sort of youthful madness. The three of them stumble out of the elevator with swollen mouths and tented pants and he feels young again. Even for just a moment while Steve takes the time to unlock their apartment door. Then the three of them are tumbling over the threshold and Tony remembers—right, he’s on the wrong side of forty. 

“Goddamnit,” he hisses when his knee cracks against the doorframe. The twin expressions of horror on Bucky and Steve’s faces have his pained groan turning into laughter, even as Bucky leans down to wind one of Tony’s arms over his broad shoulders and help him to the couch. 

“Jesus, you okay?” Bucky asks, kneeling down between Tony’s spread thighs and tenderly running his fingers over Tony’s clothed knee. 

“Fine,” Tony laughs. “Still a little drunk.” 

Bucky’s eyes flash upwards, pale, liquid heat. His fingers trail up, up, until they trace the seam at the crotch of Tony’s jeans. “Too drunk?” 

“Not that drunk, kid,” Tony smirks. “Not by far.” 

“Good,” Steve says from where he’s locking up the door. “Do you want Bucky to suck you off?”

The idea, spoken so casually as Steve pauses to rifle through the drawer of the foyer table, sends a bolt of electricity down Tony’s spine. He’ll never get used to it—that flippant way Steve speaks about Bucky, as if Bucky is just an item Steve feels welcomed to loan out. Sure, you can take him home, Tony. Just rewind him before you bring him back. 

“I think he likes the thought of that,” Bucky says lowly, his mouth curving upward to hint at wickedness. 

Steve stops, rustling papers falling silent as he glances over his shoulder at them. “Tony? What do you want?” 

“I’m amenable,” he admits, far more breathlessly than he’d like. 

“Then get to it, Bucky, I’m looking for our papers we got from the clinic.” 

“Lookin’ in the wrong place,” Bucky teases. “On top of the ‘fridge.” 

Then he leans forward and licks a broad line up over Tony’s denim-covered cock. It barely registers as pressure on his dick, but it’s the imagery that has the blood rushing from his head in a torrent so strong he feels dizzy. Bucky keeps his eyes cracked open, glittering as he takes Tony apart, laving him from outside his jeans, dragging the line of his teeth down the growing bulge to laugh at the sound that slips past the older man’s lips. He opens wide to mouth at Tony’s balls, the heat from his breath and tongue seeping through the denim. 

“Finally,” Steve breathes, drawing Tony’s attention. He holds out two pieces of paper—how the hell he expects Tony to read given the lack of blood in his brain, Tony has no idea. “Bucky and I get tested regularly. Here’s our most recent screening, and we’ve only slept with each other since then.” 

“I don’t have mine,” Tony says. His voice sounds strained from the effort it takes to keep his hips still and not fuck up into Bucky’s mouth. “Condoms okay?” 

“More than fine,” Steve says. “God, look at you, Bucky. Makin’ a mess of him.”

“Get me something and I’ll blow him proper.” 

Steve retrieves condoms while Bucky unfastens Tony’s jeans. He gets distracted by the sight of Tony’s cock straining against the fabric of his boxer briefs and leans forward to nuzzle against it. It takes all the breath from him. When was the last time Tony felt desirable? To have Bucky looking at him this way, refusing to withdraw his mouth from Tony for longer than a moment at a time—it fills up an empty, wounded part inside of him that he had avoided acknowledging in the first place.

“Finally,” Bucky breathes, snagging a condom up from where Steve drops them on the couch cushion beside Tony. Tony wants to mirror the sentiment, but his throat is shut tight while he watches Bucky tear open the condom with expert fingers. 

Steve kneels down next to his boyfriend. One hand cups Bucky’s jaw and briefly turns his head so that their mouths can meet. If Tony thought he was breathless before, he knew differently now. It’s pornography in person, it’s erotica come to life watching both of these hopelessly attractive young men kiss each other so filthily, tongues flashing pink when they adjust the positions of their mouths. 

The aching of Tony’s cock is painful. When he reaches down to rub the heel of his palm over it, it offers only the briefest reprieve, his eyes fluttering shut. Then Steve’s fingers wrap gently around his wrist and his eyes open to see the both of them watching him, flushed with swollen mouths. 

“Sorry,” Steve rumbles. “We are easily distracted.” 

“Then you’re among like-kind,” says Tony. 

“May I?” Bucky asks, holding up the condom. 

“Please.” 

“Hips up, sugar,” Steve murmurs. There’s a fluttering of embarrassment at the endearment—in some ways Tony feels infantilized—but it’s been so long since he was called any sweet name (besides Peter’s fond, exasperated dad’s) that a larger part of him feels choked at the name. Swallowing hard, Tony shifts upward so that Steve can work the jeans and underwear down and off.

Bucky reels off a line of expletives at the sight of Tony’s cock: long, cut, flushed. It jerks under their gazes, the head slick and sticky. He can’t help but laugh under his breath at the expressions on their faces. The laughter ends when Bucky reaches out to trace his fingers up his shaft, thumbing at the sensitive skin beneath the head. 

“You’re perfect,” says Bucky. 

“It’s a cock.” 

“Yours,” says Steve. “Is there anything about you that ain’t perfect?” 

“I’m positive there is, but I really can’t think of them right now,”  Tony says, thighs tense from the effort it takes to keep still under Bucky’s explorative touch. When a warm palm cups his balls, rolling them tenderly, feeling the heft of them, all semblance of language leaks from Tony’s ears. 

“God, you need to cum, don’t ya?” Bucky asks. “It’s been too long, hasn’t it? Bet you don’t like to cum with your kid in the house, but he’s been hanging around night and day to spend time with you before he went away to school. Has there been nobody since your ex, Tony? It’s like you were saving it up for us. It’s okay, it’s okay, we’ll take care of you. Just how you deserve.” 

With careful fingers, Bucky places the condom at the tip of Tony’s cock before rolling it down his aching shaft. Then Bucky is chasing the edge of the latex with his mouth, heat and pressure enveloping him. Tony makes a guttural sound, fingers scrabbling at the cushions of the sofa for purchase.  

“Don’t be greedy, Buck,” Steve says. With a hand on the nape of Bucky’s neck, he coaxes his boyfriend back off of Tony’s cock so that he can lean forward and lap at it with his own tongue.

“Holy shit,” Tony slurs drunkenly. While Steve sucks on the head, Bucky places open-mouthed kisses along the shaft. They urge Tony’s thighs wider and wider so they can comfortably take turns rolling his balls in their palms, tugging softly, hurting him in the best way. It helps to keep his orgasm at bay, though he still feels it creeping over him. It centers in his lower gut, a liquid heat relocating to his balls. 

“He’s getting close, Steve,” Bucky breathes, his lips brushing against Tony’s shaft. “His balls are drawin’ up. Feel—” 

“God, you’re right.” 

“Don’t want to cum yet,” pants Tony. 

“Do you want us to stop?” Steve asks. 

That idea is painful in a way Tony can't tolerate. 

“No, just—” His hands release their death-grip on the sofa to bat their hands out of the way. Using one hand to press his cock towards the flat of his stomach, his other hands slaps at his heavy sac. Gasping in pain, he doubles over on instinct to protect his most sensitive parts while the pain lances bright and sharp through his gut. As he catches his breath, he feels how his erection has waned. Still hard, but not in the danger zone. Had he been any closer, the blow to his balls might have made him cum, no matter how bad it had hurt. Tony’s always been one of those people to enjoy pain with his pleasure. 

“I don’t like that,” Bucky says, frowning as Tony uncurls and leans back to his original position. “Don’t hurt yourself. We coulda just put a ring on you—” 

“Rings will only do so much,” Tony laughs, still trying to catch his breath. Then, with surprising diffidence, he mentions, “Sometimes, I like to be hurt.” 

Steve groans, collapsing forward to rest on Tony’s thigh. Muffled, he says, “Don’t tell me that, Tony. Have mercy on me.” 

“Steve’s a sadist,” Bucky admits, grinning. He leans forward and laps at the latex covering Tony’s cockhead. 

Tony lets out a shaky breath through his nose. “Is that so?” 

Steve lifts his head and pins Tony in place with the heat behind his gaze. “Can’t help it,” he says, voice rough. “I love...confusing people. Take Bucky for example: the first few spanks, he flinches away, right? Puts up a real fuss. But position him so his cock’ll only brush against my leg if he’s arching his back, and he’ll be thrusting out his ass for me to spank in no time at all. Work a person over with pleasure and pain and they’ll start cravin’ both.” 

“Work me over enough so that it doesn’t hurt so fucking bad when you’re following too close at the grocery store and step on my heels, will you?” Bucky deadpans.

“You're doing too much talking,” Steve says. With a firm hand, he cups the back of Bucky’s head and coaxes him down until Tony’s cock bumps his cheek. “Go on, baby. Choke on him.”

Tony gives a groan that is mirrored (though muffled) by Bucky. That impossible heat and force of suction surrounds his cock as Bucky’s lips slide lower and lower, tongue working against the thickness as best as it can. When Tony’s cockhead brushes the firm back of his throat, Bucky’s dark eyelashes flutter shut. Steve is just as enraptured as Tony, watching with hooded eyes even as he presses down with more force on the back of Bucky’s head. 

Bucky gags, the back of his throat spasming around the most sensitive part of Tony’s cock. Tony moans long and low, reaching out to brush away the stray strands of hair in the younger man’s face. Bucky’s eyes flutter open at the touch. The whites are flushing red, tears at the corners as he continues to gag and gag and gag, massaging Tony’s cock with his throat. 

“He loves it,” Steve whispers over the wet, obscene sounds of Bucky choking. 

“That true?” Tony grits out. “Do you love choking on cock, Bucky?” 

Steve relents his grip so that Bucky can pull back, mouth wet and red and gasping for breath. “Your cock,” he says with a cracking voice. “Love choking on your cock, daddy.” 

“Fuck,” Tony groans, legs shaking. “Don’t call me that, you shouldn’t call me that—” 

“He shouldn’t call you that, or you shouldn’t like it?” Steve wonders. 

“Both.”

“He loves it too,” Steve whispers. He’s the devil on Tony’s shoulder, feeding him everything he needs to hear to drag him deeper to sin. “Look at him. If you bent your leg and gave him your shoe to rub against, he’d cum quicker than you could blink. It’s the power imbalance. He’s getting off on it, so why can’t you?” 

Bucky pulls back. His voice is throaty when he laughs and says, “Steve, I think you’re usin’ your mouth too much.” 

The blond man laughs. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.” 

Then both of their mouths are back on Tony’s cock, licking and sucking, making sure to run their lips over every last inch of him. Sometimes they are distracted enough to pull back and kiss for a moment, mouths swollen. Sometimes they refuse to part from Tony, instead lapping at each other’s mouths from around Tony’s cock. The heat in him builds slow like water turned from simmering to boiling. He reaches out and pets his hands through both of their hair, Bucky’s so fine and dark, Steve’s so thick and golden. When one of their thumbs drifts to the sensitive skin behind his balls and rubs in a slow, firm circle, all at once he feels like he’s vaporizing. 

“I’m going to cum,” he warns. 

Steve pulls off, nuzzling wetly at Bucky’s temple to say, “Go on baby, you’ve earned it. You finish him off.” 

Instead, Bucky pulls off too, looking at Steve with mournful, sulky eyes. “I want his cum, Stephen.” 

“Don’t talk to me, talk to him!” 

Bucky turns that heated gaze on Tony instead. He looks absolutely debauched: face flushed, sweat gluing strands of dark hair to his pale temples, mouth red and swollen. Leaning forward, he drags his smooth cheek along Tony’s throbbing cock. “Why can’t I have it,” Bucky mutters with all the morose energy of a teenager. “Come on, daddy, lemme have your cum. I'd strip this condom off of you and drain you, suck you dry."

It’s, fuck—what, like it can’t tempt him? It does. He hasn’t cum in anyone’s mouth since Pepper (and as per her preferences, she’d then spit). He’s never had someone acting positively thirsty for his cum. It's a heady feeling, something he could get drunk off of, could get used to. But Tony was a young queer man during the AIDS crisis. He knows that safety matters more than the heat of the moment. 

“You’ll take what I give you,” he says. “And I will give it to you, once we all know it’s safe and we can enjoy it properly. Now—be a good boy and, and suck daddy off.” 

If Bucky notices that the words are stilted coming from Tony’s mouth, he doesn’t show it. A noise slips from his throat, raw and high and desperate, and then he is leaning forward and taking as much of Tony’s cock past his lips as he can, groaning wetly when it chokes him. Tony’s fingers tighten, pulling harshly at Bucky’s roots as the heat in his balls builds back to boiling point. 

A warm hand reaches out to push Tony’s shirt up, baring the long line of his soft abs. He places his palm just beneath Tony’s navel just in time for the muscles there to clench up tight as Tony cums. 

For a moment the pressure builds and builds, leaves him standing at the precipice and looking over the edge for so long that he thinks it might last forever. Then one firmer press of that thumb behind his balls snaps the tether that held him back from plummeting down. His entire body tenses as his balls draw up tight. No sound escapes until his cock finally begins to release its spend, and then the only sounds in the room are Bucky’s wet gags and Tony’s choked groans as one of the best orgasms of his life is wrung out of him. Maybe it’s a good thing he shoots into a condom instead of down the kid's throat, because it seems to last forever. Steve presses him firmly to the couch even as his body spasms in the throes of pleasure, a comforting weight. 

“Jesus,” Tony whispers to the ceiling, body wracked with aftershocks. 

“Did you hear that?” Bucky rasps letting Tony’s softening cock slip from his mouth. Tony blinks down at him, unsure if there was something he as supposed to hear—a knock on the door, the wet sounds of the best blowjob of his life—but then he realizes that Bucky is speaking to Steve. “He said he will give it to me. That means we’re not finished, right? There’s gonna be more between us, right Tony?” 

Tony breathes out, his heart soft. Now that he’s cum, he feels the post-coital exhaustion coming over him. Christ, it must be late. The best way to spend his evening (if they’ll let him) would be to spend it pressed between their stacked, warm bodies.

“I’d like there to be more,” he admits. The blood returning to his brain brings back all of his doubts, his fears, his insecurities. What the hell is he doing, letting two young men take him home, letting two young men work their way into his heart like this? Surely it is doomed. But if there’s even the slightest chance of otherwise, then Tony feels obliged to follow it down, to see it through right to the end. 

“We can take all this slow,” says Steve, the voice of reason. “Exchange numbers. See each other next time you’re in town to see Peter. See what happens.” 

“I’m an exclusive kind of guy,” Tony admits. Realizing the irony of having such a conversation with his pants down, he works them back up over his hips, tying off the condom and depositing it in a trash can Steve produces from beneath one endtable. “Fifteen years of monogamy will do that to a man. If I’m talking with you two, I won’t be talking with anyone else.” 

“That’s fair,” Bucky says, leaning his cheek against the denim of Tony’s jeans. One side of his mouth quirks upwards. “Besides, you’ll have your hands full with the two of us, anyway.” 

“We’d extend that same courtesy,” Steve says, poking Bucky in the ribs. “Besides—I don’t think anyone is going to be peaking our interests. Not if they aren’t you.” 

“That’s sappy.” And everything he’s ever wanted. 

“It’s true, though.” 

“Steve’s a big softie,” Bucky teases. Throwing his voice in a poor imitation of his boyfriend, he adds: “I’m Steve and my childhood asthma left me with a huge complex—I want to make you crave pain and then make you vegan pancakes in the morning.”

“That’s it—” Steve slaps Bucky upside the head. “No pancakes for you in the morning. None.” 

“What about for me?” Tony wonders softly. 

Steve’s smile, when he turns it on Tony, is bright as the sun. “For you? All the vegan pancakes.”

Bucky mutters something foul under his breath, and all at once Steve is towering over him, chest nearly pressed against Bucky’s shoulder, a solid disapproving wall of muscle. The brunet has to turn his face into Tony’s thigh to hide his smirk. Tony watches the display of dominance with raised brows. 

“You’ve been pushing me all night, Buck, and I’ve just about had it.” 

“Just about?” Bucky asks. 

Steve’s eyes cut to Tony. “You said something earlier today, about the proper way to spank somebody. Care to show some pointers, daddy?” 

Tony’s cock, spent as it is, gives a valiant jerk. At his feet, Bucky’s entire body shivers. He turns to look up at Tony, his eyes like molten silver with all the heat and desperation packed behind the irises. It’s been so long since he spanked anyone properly (or was spanked in return); surely it would take him a few swings to get back into the hang of things. 

He has a feeling that Steve wouldn’t be the only one learning a thing or two tonight. 

Clearing his throat, he says, “I think I can help with that.” 

#stuckony #college!au #Insecure!tony #tw: alcohol #cagewrites

[omercifulheaves]

Favorite Monsters: The T-800

So back in October, I did a post a day about different monster that were favorites of mine on Facebook just for fun. Now, with enough time passed that I can look back at them without the frustration of how long they took to write, what I forgot to include etc. hanging over it, I a.) actually like how some of them turned out b.) figured I should fix some of those up and make the available to people outside of my facebook followers.  And with that, let’s kick things off with...

From: The Terminator (1984), directed by James Cameron, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger

"It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity or remorse or fear. And it absolutely will not stop -- EVER -- until you are dead." -Kyle Reese explains to Sarah Connor just how royally screwed she is. Unstoppable killers weren't anything new by the 1980's but I think we can all agree that decade produced the standard by which all such things are measured against. One part Yul Brenner in Westworld, one part Michael Myers and several parts our collective fears of urban violence, nuclear annihilation and the dehumanization of an increasingly mechanized future. The moment that makes the character for me comes during the Tech Noir club shoot out. After a slow, dream-like build up, things erupt in chaos and gunfire. (Can I tell you how differently the scene feels to me after years of mass shootings?)  The Terminator has Sarah Connor dead to rights and it's only at the last second that Kyle's able to leap in and open fire, blowing him backwards through a plate glass window. Then, as that eerie mechanical drone plays over the soundtrack, the guy who just took a half-dozen shotgun blasts to the chest slowly stands up like it was nothing as the camera zooms in on a terrified Sarah Connor's face. You can feel a chill go through the movie itself at that moment, as if it's telling you: "Whatever you thought this guy was, rest assured...what he is is a hundred times worse." Then, as Kyle and Sarah flee, the Terminator, shot from a low angle so that it looms over the audience, charges after them. It won't stop. It won't stop. That's such a simple concept and that's what makes it so terrifying. Sure, you can damage it enough that it'll back off for a stretch but as the man himself is fond of saying, he'll be back. Blow up that car and set him on fire? Not even going to slow him down as he jumps on your getaway car and punches through the windshield. Hide in a police station with a few dozen heavily armed cops? He'll come crashing through the front door and slaughter them all. Burn his flesh off and the mechanical skeleton underneath will rise out of the flames and keep on coming. (Legit love how bloody terrified Kyle is when he sees that mother.)  Blow that up? As long as there's enough pieces of it still functioning, those'll come after you too. Your only options are to find a way to destroy this thing completely or die tired. People like to joke at how Arnold's best performance is portraying an emotionless robot. Well, screw those people, he's great in this. He truly does present himself as something inhuman wearing a human skin. The all too efficient to be human way of moving, that creepy way of scanning things with his eyes before moving his head. (In interviews, Arnie mentions that he took cues from stuff like great white sharks and security cameras to develop the way the Terminator looks at things.) And it isn't emotionless that he's portraying here, with the way the Terminator never reacts to anything, but soullessness. Part of me wonders how differently things would have played had Cameron went with his original choice for the role, buddy Lance Henriksen who ended up playing Detective Vukovich in the film. Don't get me wrong, Henriksen would have been *great* in the role , dude was seriously creeping people by showing up in character to meetings about the film. But would The Terminator have gone on to be the career making film for both lead actor and director? Or would it have ended up a discovered on video curio like The Hitcher, another movie about an implacable stalker starring  Rutger Hauer, a similarly creepy charismatic actor? As much as I like Lance, all I can say he's a presence in a movie while Arnold is a Presence. Can you picture Lance wearing a pair of mirror shades and holding a .45 Hardballer working as well as an image to sell your movie on as the one we got? Sure, a 6'3" Austrian Killdozer isn't the most subtle of infiltrators but that looming physicality sells the danger of this thing. You don't need state of the art CGI to get across how dangerous this thing is. (Even though T2's great. Don't @ me) Just look at it! It's called a Terminator, huh? I believe it. And of course, I can't end this without talking about how freaking great the design of the Terminator's endoskeleton is, courtesy of Cameron and Stan Winston's special effects crew. A malicious nightmare hybrid of an engine and a human skeleton, there's a reason shots of this thing stepping out of the flaming wreckage or its foot coming down to crush a human skull are etched in viewers memories. There's a reason why you can see blatant knock offs of this in anime like Bubblegum Crisis and Dirty Pair, video games like Kojima's Snatcher, and too many crappy direct to video movies to count. Between this and Robocop's ED-209, "ROBOT HATES YOU" design really peaked in the 80's and hasn't been bettered since.

#movies #the terminator #james cameron #arnold schwarzenegger #favorite monsters #favorites

[mrmissmrsrandom]

Fic writer interview meme

tagged by @demoiselledefortune, thank you for including me!

My answers are below

How many works do you have on AO3?

69 (nice).

What’s your total AO3 word count?

553,656 words, but I do have several longish collaborations that inflate the wordcount. 

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?

Currently looks to be at 12, not including other tags for the same series (FE and MDZS have different general tags for some things). Majority of my works have been across the Fire Emblem series at this point. 

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

A. Serrated, an MDZS Canon Divergence AU written in part with @mwritesink. It is also the longest fic I have on Ao3 thus far!

B. Return to Childhood Redux, an alternative sequel/spin on one of the Scum Villain Self-Saving System extras that was written for a Bingqiu holiday art and fic exchange. (Note: the rest of the translation at that time was unfinished, so not fully happy with certain characterizations in it, but... popular is popular lolol).

C. The Lion in Winter, a “30 years later” FE15 fic that I still need to finish (and I will!! I will!!! I’m super grateful to everyone who has stuck with it/returned to it thus far!!). It features slowburn Alm/Lukas as sad middle age men. 

D. Tassels and Bells, a Serrated sequel/”extras” chapter fic in part with @mwritesink. No set update schedule like the first fic, just more if we’re in the mood to write. 

E. Unlike the stream, you are not in view. A (currently) pre-slash Liujiu fic co-written with @dornishsphinx for Liujiu Week 2020, where Liu Qingge is a sharkboy and they meet as kids. My love of monster designs and sharks shines here.

Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I try my best to respond! Thankfully a majority of the comments I’ve gotten are positive, and its always satisfying to get ones where “I never thought of this idea/ship/etc. but I love it now bc of you.” 

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

Garotte, an FE4 bad end fic. But the angst is also mixed in with horror. 

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

Hoooooo. Well, Love Like Ghosts is shaping up to be the craziest based on what me and @dornishsphinx planned for it, since it uses all three of MXTX’s current novels in one form or another. Some fun ideas: Meng Shi becomes an aspect of Guanyin in the heavenly realm, Qin Wanyue from Scum Villain and Xue Yang from MDZS end up together-- and those are the least crazy things about it. 

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Yep! And it was so weird, because... they commented on it after reading nearly 200k worth of content? If you didn’t like it buddy, I think you should have quit while you were ahead.

Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I don’t know how to respond to the “different kind” question of this lolol... but yep! I’ve written smut. I think my main issue is trying to draw out sex scenes/foreplay when I write it on my own. 

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Yep! I had at least one that I know of, but that was waaaayyy back on ff.net days. I found it, told my friends about it, then they dogpiled the fic with comments about it being stolen, and then it was deleted soon after. It... looking back on it, it was probably too intense, especially for the fic in question.

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, but it is more “had a request, but haven’t seen the result/the one who asked decided not to continue beyond the first chapter.”

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes! Several times now at this point, and it has been a lovely experience each time. :D

What’s your all time favorite ship?

To write, it looks like right now its setting up to be Arthur/Hawk from FE4... which honestly shows how much of a crackship/rarepair/multiship writer I am haha. I love so, soooooo many ships and love to write for so many ships as well though. 

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

I would like to say never say never, but I’m not sure how to proceed at parts on my Wen Ning/Lan Xichen “everyone else is dead but we’re still here” postcanon fic. 

What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Lengthy descriptions of space/character features unless I’m super invested with in the phrase of “I have to make this character the most sexually desirable person in the grocery store.” You feel?

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

I am not comfortable enough in the other languages I know to do that. :D

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

Pokemon Special. It was that manga that drove me to write fanfic in the first place.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

On my own, despite some pacing issues and it not being one of my most popular, its Sunbeams Shade Black Wings for the MXTX Big Bang. It just feels... really close to my heart, and one of the fics I wrote through tears at points because I was so invested in writing the story. 

I’m not going to tag anyone, but feel free to do it if you like!

#my asks #writing meme