#I would've liked to be more specific than just USA and Not but I only have so many poll options

[oregoncoastfox]

#poll #etiquette #I would've liked to be more specific than just USA and Not but I only have so many poll options

[emeraldspiral]

So in Globs of Doom there's a hub world and then there's doors that lead to the different stages that are labeled with the name of the location, like Bikini Bottom or Amity Park. But because the city Zim lives in doesn't have a name it's just called "Zim's Town", which is kinda funny, but also kinda highlights for me how annoying the trope of not naming things is. Like, more often than not it just makes things awkward rather than funny because you have to either write unnatural dialog to avoid saying a name or try to make a gag out of covering it up, and there's only so many times you can make the same joke about a name being smudged or drowned out by noise or someone asking "Hey what is your name?" Like, the one time they called Dib "Whateveryourlastnameis" in Dib's Wonderful Life wasn't even that funny, and people didn't even get that he wasn't supposed to have a last name because it was never made clear that "Membrane" was supposed to be his dad's first name and not a family name, and eventually they just gave up on that idea and made "Membrane" his canon last name in the comics/ETF.

I get that Jhonen wanted the city to feel like it could be any city in the US and not a specific real world city, but there's no reason giving it a made-up name would've taken away from that. And the name could've been really funny and thematically appropriate. It could've been a pun on the idea of it being a non-descript Anytown USA, or the idea of it being gross and polluted, or maybe named after an in-universe company that owns everything, like the Poop corporation, to show what a hyper-capitalistic hellscape it is.

So if you got to name the city in Invader Zim, what would you call it?

#invader zim #also #does anybody ever give zim a fake last name in fanfic? #i know he's gone by the aliases shminvader shmim and mike audience in the comics

[crabcrabcrabmeat]

Anon has got me thinking abt Gundam again -_- apologies. Specifically Gwitch, which iirc had a preproduction w a ton of market research vs First which has more auteurism imo. They have opposite pitfalls in a way.

Gwitch is undoubtedly made with the international market in mind. For example, the UI at the school, on characters phones etc is exclusively in English, and not even basic phrases or wasei-ego a Japanese audience could easily infer or read. (Granted, the font makes it tricky for anyone to, lol) Someone's job was to write it grammatically accurately and meaningful, as opposed to just plunking in filler text about operating photoshop or whatever like someone at the studio did for Wing. It's a notable choice, but also a poor one for narrative flow, because it necessitates fumbling at the edge of the 4th wall a bit (and for anglophones, redundancy) when characters talk abt the text they just sent/read. (It happens multiple times too lol) It's a very good choice however, if part of your metric for success is getting foreign eyes on your show AND having nerds pour over the phrasing as easter eggs to analyze. It's free marketing!

Using English can absolutely be an artistic choice, esp when only a Japanese audience is going to be watching the show (there has been tape-sharing from pretty much the start, but that's not what finances a production) Early UC used English/Anglophonisms all the time for an international and narrative intent, such as calling female federation cadets "Waves" a la WW2 USA, having western name orders ("Amuro Ray" even though "Ray" is his family name) and saying that the canon name spellings are in katakana, even with Japanese names like 'kobayashi' and 'deikun'. Part of that is futuristic world building, but it's a very political choice, even before getting into 0079s obvious themes. I'm no expert on race/ethnicity in anime, but to put in context how new the 'racelessness' design approach was in 1979 as opposed to today, Yasuhiko Yoshikazu semi jokingly told coworkers a possible kanji spelling for "Ray" if any higher ups audit their choices. A non (Yamato) Japanese lead was something artists had to defend! (Another example off the top of my head is Jotaro from JJBA having a Japanese father....who is never even pictured lol. It's a compromise with editors for "daring" to show a minority lead)

In that sense, having characters of color, having women characters who aren't pigeonholed into "women's roles" etc are choices that today are taken for granted. It's fun to point out the silliest Tomino names for example, but it's far better than ethnic homogeneity. And make no mistake, representation is a good thing! I just hold a higher bar for productions that have the benefit of less scrutiny. If my understanding is correct, absolutely no toy sponsors or TV execs back in the day would've pushed for more POC in Gundam but the studio did anyways! Whereas I assume such a thing was a given at sunrise today, not out of anti-racism goodness nessessarily (Shaddiq was done SO dirty) but because it's generally profitable to avoid ruffling too many feathers, as well as to target as wide a demographic as possible. And in this day and age with high-speed internet, quick translation, vast supply chains for producing and and disseminating merch, etc, "wide audience" means an international one. "Representation" is incentivized, not nessessary a choice made against a status quo.

This is all obvious and fun to parse if you're aware of the socioeconomic context in which media is made, questions like "who is the audience? Who is the producer? How is this being made and why?" show a more objective picture of it all. I'm not here to beef w other fans who feel less alone when there's someone like them on the screen, I want people to think About media more is all. If you find Sulemio meaningful, I'm not going to take that from you, as WLW are in fact good. I'm just painfully aware that someone somewhere was calculating, financially, if an onscreen lesbian marriage would be profitable or not (Gundam and other big anime IP are federally subsidized by the 'Cool Japan Initiative' iirc) and the choice to be less gay than possible (and promised, imo) was made, maliciously or not, to bow to the wishes of a conservative, misogynistic nation-state.

#sorry for the lack of sources this got massive quick #i was intending to talk abt gender politics in gwitch vs zeta but thats an even bigger topic lol #abs blabs

[countryhumans-drawerist]

"Why do you like me?" (Amephil Story)

Hello, here to show you my self made story, it's still on its preliminary stages, so I apologize for the spelling mistakes! Please correct and give out constructive criticism, thank you!

America paced through the front door with agitation of whomever it is to come, and he was absolutely dreading it, but don't let him deter it from the fact it was a necessary sacrifice. He snorted, all of this was sounding itself to be an awful narration of a story if he were to ask. He then shuffled in place, unable to stay long as his anxiety still shook him to have that of an adverse effect.

He preferred the USA, as it is more specifically referring to him, and nobody else is mistaken in the process of his name being called, yet to the insistence of completely everybody except him, had decided by whatever council of fate had blessed(read: cursed) him with the title of America for their excuse was simply, they have gotten used to the designatory leaving their lips with the thought behind their eyelids was his imaginary self in their self-reflective perspectives, oftentimes an exposure of how they perceive people and interpret their behavior.

So now he was stuck with the blasted entitlement that wasn't his namesake.

Screw this, he would've internally thought so himself, as for once he realizes not twice, nor thrice, but abundantly amount of times the extent that they tend to overshadow himself and somewhat find the semblance and the audacity that HE is the one who manages to be stereotypically overconfident and with the zeal and zest for life that is bigger than his being, and from where they caught or found that kind of personality in him was a wonder.

"USA?" And then a breath of fresh air was by an instant, intermittently fed through his lungs when he turned to look up and - was greeted by a too familiar face, very familiar in fact. He would've bolted his way outside the building if only she weren't, blocking the godforsaken doorway.

Philippines, now where were they? Ah right, recalling the moments of who made them the standing intimidating gal at least for him, what led to them becoming a cat and mouse dynamic asked by the dismay of nobody? He'll deliver and answer it just fine without anyone backing him up, the Philippines had picked up on his own lonesome, whether it was because she was an extrovert who empathized what it was like and misdirected the scene entirely in their head from the assumption that he was, utterly and cripplingly cut off from company in purpose, or a sympathetic compassionate individual who wants to heal him from his presumed butthurt feelings.

He wasn't, he can attest, he was tired of the people's demands over his head that were looming on the top wherein it could drop anytime soon and he would be a shell of who he is due to the sheer magnitude of stress they're willing to put him up with to fix their own dilemmas and issues they've presented, you'd think they'd be the one to do it, but no... they still rely on him and never once they thought to be independent, and so he snapped. Luckily that abated their prying influences and attention for a temporary while, which he then diverts his last dredges of energy to make an escape from the crowds to intake the reward for peace, from what he heard so and so was a rarity in his country nowadays.

Returning to the case of the Philippines of whom he doesn't understand nor care to find out what goes in her head. Secretly though, he wouldn't lie he was a bit, only just a bit oddly curious to earn himself the knowledge of what keeps her on her toes, so that she can be avoided altogether, and to his admittance, her thoughts on him, and her outlook on life. It was a normal interest, believe him, anyone asks the question once in a while. There is a strange delight in deeply comprehending the things that unfold in you when you know the motivations and context behind it, to you, it all made sense down to the very inch, etched in there, that it served a purpose.

Philippines opened her mouth, probably taking advantage over the silence of the previous incursion and distracted look he kept, "So, what are you doing?" Is that all she was going to ask?

And here he thought - oh no, she opted for more words instead, he should've left it at nothing, but fine, let's hear it then, he derisively suggested inward, holding the urge to roll his eyes. He didn't mean to be less than amicable but lately since the incident of USA/America which could've been avoided overall if they had just listened to his pleas, that fell into deaf ears, then he would've been in a lighter mood than he is currently. There's also the affair that was related to his own behavior, which he was scolded for, and he was following through his activities with no worries at all! What warranted such a reprimand? His actions weren't even anything remotely like they represented he was doing at all! But of course, information that he hid, that they don't know, won't know, strikes again. He almost regrets keeping confidential matters, almost.

Sensing his emotions acutely, because there's no other explanation for how she figured that out, "You're thinking about your name, aren't you?" He froze on the spot, he panicked, though figuring out showing it on his expression would catch her gotcha points, so he settled to a blank look that was convincing even to himself.

"What makes you think that?" 'Okay USA, I think you need to tone/bog down on your convincing display of irritation', he chided internally. He also thought this hit two birds if she were to expound on the concern, had flowed in a similar wavelength and went through the same conclusions as him.

She answered casually with a, "People were talking about it, and I caught wind of what they said... are you really all that?" She couldn't hold back a twitch in her smile, what did she find so funny about the situation?

Her eyes widened, as his gaze turned hostile, "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to offend - it's been a long time since I last talked to you..." She huffed, looking longingly at the side before snapping when she realize she was reminiscing the lost memories. At least she had the propriety to look sheepish enough for her actions. He thought everybody else dropped the pretense ball ever since freedom was in store, being advocated for, arguably he wasn't inserting a commentary, it was just his honest feelings about the circumstances. It isn't that he isn't considering his people, the opposite actually, he was ashamed to know that this is where they led astray to, a hill they'd die on, with the loss of their emotional faculties because it overflowed with shame that it collapsed. But he understands, and he hates the truth he understands, and deeply so when your independence is wrenched away from you and you aren't in control. 

He can say that United Kingdom wasn't without his faults, and nothing will ever retract the hurt that was once forcefully inflicted to him. This was one of them.

"It was to my notice that my cognizance of the information that we haven't been in speaking terms lately was on top shape," USA bit out, having to suppress a smirk when a flinch from her was caught in his eye, it was of minimal effort to have someone grasp his insinuations, goes to show that there are people who don't take things for face value, even if tempted or sorely suggested to.

"You'd think they'd contain themselves to their own bubbles rather than, shuffle messages over something unrelated to their case, they're clearly that bored if not even that can satisfy their thirst for drama, whatever happens in the meetings, it is their right to listen in or not, and they chose to prioritize lesser information, the joke is on them." He added, mockingly punctuating each point, as a billboard to a mad scientist does, lest she accuses him of not answering her other statements.

Philippines pursed her lips, as if daring to argue, nevertheless, her resolve was admirable, as all she gave was a restrained judgement that ran course through her countenance. Despite this, he felt the bubbling weight of her pressurecooker of emotions that she was holding and bottling up, switching  aspects of her character in her disposition, contorting to various impressions of sentiments she wished to convey, ranging from disillusionment to irritation. The painfully obvious twitches in her eyes, as clear as day, brought forth signs of tension and stress marring her features, painting her older than she actually is. It was nearly as amusing as her vocalized remarks, and readily as foolish. If he were a lesser man, he would've called it adorable. Luckily, he wasn't that kind of man.

"Don't you have anything nice to say about anybody?" Oops, I guess she couldn't handle herself, what a silly girl. He had spoken too soon, he advised himself to tone down on the positivity, he can't expect everyone else to hold themselves hostage. He must be in a terribly condescending mood, honestly, now he wants to test the waters of what makes her tic. A lightbulb went above his head, and there he determined a plan, so he leaned forward, inches away from her face, putting a show of the biggest shit eating grin he could muster before delivering the blow of, "It must be so hard for you to be such a Ms. Nice girl, you're winning it, should I give you a reward for your good behavior?" Wait, the long pause. He couldn't believe his ears on what he muttered, that was... so -

"America!" Both of them shot from their head, craning their neck simultaneously at the intruding visitor, if anyone were to picture them, they would seem exactly like a deer in headlights. What a pair they make, he groaned, not. He mutely excuses himself his presence over the room, leaving the Philippines to deal with the aftermath of the encounter alone, accompanied by their discordant thoughts that was left by the day's escalations of events, that was coincidentally cut off before it could even be processed by both of the parties. Abstenmindedly, as his lidded eyes trailed on the back, from where his head can reach the turn, there she stood, he entertained the notion that they would've - no, could've been a close companion in another life. (What halts you from the principle of friendship in this life, then?)

#amephil #countryhumans #btw I don't tumblr fanfiction so first time #no basis stuff sorry

[thesoftestofpetals]

Happy Sunday Ask-A-Thon, week 4 for @ask-a-thon . How did you come up with The Curse Of Athena? What made you want to write that specific idea/wip?

Hello! Thank you for the ask! I think this is actually the first time I've ever been asked this (in general, not just on Tumblr), so uh.. prepare for a super long reply-

So, TCoA is.. a bit of a mess when it comes to how I came up with it. It's a mesh of other stories, but mainly 2/3 of the first original stories I ever wrote: Undying and an abandoned (for now, at least) project called Soul. However, it also takes on some characteristics of various books I read around that time, as well as prompts.

I'll explain each influence individually, that way this (hopefully) doesn't become one long wall of text.

Undying:

Okay, so Undying is the biggest influence here, since I was still writing it around the time that I came up with TCoA. TSOP was just beginning at this point, so it wasn't as big of an influence as it would've been if TCoA had come later.

The main things that came from this one are:

ITALIAN INFLUENCE!!

The magic system

Immortals (very minimal in TCoA)

The Italian influence comes through the most though, as this was a time when I was kind of revisiting some of my Italian family and traditions. As a result, TCoA begins in modern Italy (the MCs of UD are both Italian and immortal, however that story takes place in the USA).

The magic system is the second biggest thing taken from / inspired by UD. Later on in TCoA, the mágos use energy-based magic, which is a slightly altered version of how Modern Magic works in UD.

Finally, immortals! A common feature of my stories, TCoA also has a few immortal characters. However, unlike other stories I've written, there's only one: Athena herself. Technically all of the deities are also immortal, but they don't play too big of a role overall.

Soul:

I'm pretty sure this was like.. my first original story ever. I never finished it, but it was based around soulmates and those various prompts on how they meet and such. I'm sure you probably know the ones I mean. Anyways, from this one, I altered the idea of soulmates from this book and used it in TCoA instead. Kind of as a way to keep this story alive, but also because soulmates would give TCoA so much more drama.

Books:

The main book that I took some VERY loose inspiration from for TCoA was Kingdom of the Wicked. This was moreso what solidified my decisions on the Italian influence and magic inclusion than anything else and, overall, didn't play a super big role? But it did help me pick a setting and plan out how the mágos would operate a bit more!

Prompts:

Okay, so I no longer have the exact prompts that inspired me, but I do remember that one had something to do with a weeping angel, which is where the 'curse' part of the title comes in. This didn't play a huge role either, but it did give me ideas for how to create the overall conflict of the story.

Mythology:

This one is probably the most self-explanatory of them all. I've always loved both Greek and Roman mythology (as well as others) and found it interesting how they're so similar at the base level, but can have.. wildly different interpretations of the same myths in some cases. TCoA includes both the Greek and Roman sides of a few popular myths and kind of addresses those differences. Basically, it's my way to make a more modern / magical realism version of myths without being Percy Jackson 2.0.

Overall, the creation of TCoA was.. a long and difficult process. But ultimately I'm super happy with how it turned out and, aside from TSOP, it's probably the story I'm the proudest of due to the research, detail, and world building that went into its creation. I learned a lot and had a ton of fun writing it! :D

#tcoa #ask #asks

[hotchscvm]

thank u, next (ft. loki)

Warnings: angst, swearing, jealousy, mentions of sex

Word count: 4.5k

Summary: A new team member in the group shakes things up for the super soldier.

Or: In which Steve casts you aside for a Carter only to regret his decision when he sees you with the God of Mischief.

"Yeet."

Swiveling your chair, you saw the empty pint of ice cream hit garbage can, bouncing off the rim and dropping on the floor with a light thump. You looked at Tony, shaking your head. "You've been hanging out with Peter too much."

"Why, thank you." Tony replied, smirking at you. "So, tell me, you sexy vixen, how do you feel with Thor bringing Loki? You were quiet during the whole argument that almost ended with Barton ripping out his eye."

You shrugged, the heels Tony had bought earlier drawing your attention to your feet. "I'm fine. I don't really care, I mean, I wasn't with you guys when New York happened so I don't really think I get to have an opinion about whether the mind-controlled God of Lies gets a spot in the team."

"You realize your on the team, right? I'm pretty sure your opinion matters especially with the mass murderer joining." Tony replied, accidentally hitting himself with the candy cane in his hands. "I really thought you were going to side with Cap on this one. You always do."

It wasn't a secret that Steve Rogers wasn't completely on board with the plan. That was pushing it; in other words: Steve Rogers despised the plan. If he could kill it, he would've. When Thor had proposed the plan to bring Loki on the team (a punishment from Odin himself)—trying to convince everyone he was "good" now—less than a handful had let him continue speaking. The rest wanted to riot. You had just sat there, a smirk on your face as you watched the six of them fight with each other while Fury shook his head, looking like a disappointed father.

When everyone had came to an agreement on Loki's trial period, there had been pages of rules on what he was restricted on doing including magic and stabbing. Of course, it was very specific so even the God of Mischief couldn't find a loophole. Maybe he could if he tried, which he probably will.

Clicking your tongue, you shrugged, ignoring the little pang in your chest. "Not on this. I'm smart enough to see that there's more reward than risk to have Loki on the team. For example: he's not bad to look at."

Tony choked on his candy cane, coughing up a large piece. With wide eyes, he studied you in silence, trying to figure out if you had been joking. "Are you serious? We should bring you to Helen so you can get your head checked. There's a chance you might have a concussion from the last mission."

"You have eyes, you can see how regal he is despite not genuinely being born royal. And those cheekbones..." you trailed off, biting your lip at Loki's handsome features. Tony raised an eyebrow, slowly shaking his head. "Not that his perfect bone structure justifies all the people he's killed. I'm just very observant being an avenger and all."

"Uh-huh, yeah, yeah, yeah, sure." Tony mumbled, leaning back on his chair, his eyes narrowing after your confession. "Ms. Natalia Romanoff didn't get the chance to tell me what happened between you and old Capsicle."

Rolling your eyes, you spun around in your chair, facing away from the nosy billionaire. "There's not that much to tell. We talked, we liked each other, then the sun came up and reality set in as the form of Sharon Carter. It didn't take long for him to ditch me to go for Peggy's niece. Anyways, been there, done that. People change."

"You're not the same girl I met." Tony stated. "On that note, Rogers' old brain is still defrosting and he's getting older so I don't think he knows how stupid he is...yet."

"And I'm not going to wait for him to find out." you muttered, a loud sound coming from the big yard. Looking through the garage window, you saw the blinding light before two figures in different colored capes appeared, the blinding light ruining the fresh-cut grass. Beaming at Tony, you got up. "Want to plan a party with me?"

"You say that like I'd have the ability to say no. Tonight?" Tony replied, grinning at thought of loud electronic dance music and booze.

Getting up, the stilettos clicked on the floor, your perfect pedicure peeking through the hole. Smiling, you walked towards the door. "Well, we are in the presence of two Gods. I think it's only fair we celebrate like it."

"I'm putting Party in the USA on the track-list!"

Rushing to the lawn where the rest of the team gathered, your mood was lightened by the sight of the golden haired retriever in disguised as a jacked God. Ignoring the others, you threw yourself at Thor, the God of Thunder catching you, arms tightening around your body. You let out a breathless laugh, momentarily forgetting your idiotic plan to avoid Steve. "Thor!"

Thor guffawed, lifting you off the ground, shouting your name in glee before letting you breathe again. "My favorite avenger! Miss me?"

"Duh." you responded, glancing at Loki, who had magically changed into an all-black suit, his shoulder length raven-colored hair slicked back. His eyes narrowed slightly at the team who had defeated him. He looked even better in person. "So, that's Loki."

Natasha spoke up before either Asgardian could. She stepped closer, observing him with you. "Not sure. He isn't as smug as before—"

"And he's missing those horrendous reindeer horns he was wearing." Clint chimed in, crossing his arms. His hate for Loki—which had increased when he found out the man who once controlled him was coming to the team—was almost as deep as Steve's. "He looks like a witch in that black suit."

Thor snickered, releasing Loki from the handcuffs that held him. "As you all know, my adopted brother's punishment from Father is to help Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Loki understands all the rules, and he will so follow them accordingly. Isn't that right, brother?"

Loki rolled his eyes, sighing before reluctantly nodding. "Yes, I will."

"Let me make this clear, Loki." Steve stepped up, Sharon right behind him, face composed. You had to fight the urge to roll your eyes at the couple. "If you break one rule, no matter how small, you will be sent back to Asgard and face Odin's alternate punishment. Just so you're clear, we won't hesitate to send you back."

The God of Mischief smirked, feeling smug knowing he could push the super soldier's buttons. "Of course, Captain. I wouldn't dream of breaking the rules enforced."

Everyone could sense the sarcasm and mockery in his voice, all of them tensing. Thor sighed, clapping his brother on the back, the force making Loki take a steps forward. "Come on, brother. I'll show you your quarters before you get punched by Lady Natasha."

Without waiting for Loki to answer, Thor practically pulled Loki's arm off, pulling him towards the building, crossing the ruined lawn that Tony would bitch about later. Everyone followed them, staying a few feet back, wary of the new team member. You noticed Steve stealing glances at you, quickly moving away from Sharon's side and made his way to you.

Without being too obvious, you squeezed your way between Bruce and Natasha, snaking your arms between there's, hoping it would give Steve the impression not to talk to you. Ever. Natasha threw you a sympathetic smile, squeezing your wrist while Bruce raised an eyebrow, clearly confused.

Thor continued talking about the new compound, leading his brother to the entrance while pointing out installments that would've seemed impressive to a simple "midgardian."

He might've unconsciously murdered people but he kinda thicc.

At that exact moment, Loki turned around, his piercing blue eyes meeting yours. His smirk grew, glancing between you and Steve before turning back. It had been so quick that you weren't sure it even happened. The group scattered as soon as they stepped a foot inside; Bruce heading to the lab, Steve following him while Sharon split and headed up to Medbay, Natasha hitting the gym with Clint, leaving you alone with Thor and Loki.

Unfortunately, Thor's room had been across yours, the empty room next to yours becoming Loki's so both a spy and a god could keep an eye on the trickster. Both Tony and Steve had fought on that, Steve concerned about your safety while Tony argued back, telling him you could keep yourself safe. If not, Thor was there. That had angered you; Steve didn't think you were capable of fighting off Loki if it came to it, and that made you roll your eyes at him, exiting the room.

"...and this will be your quarters. Decorate it any way you want, just no magic." Thor continued, reaching the area of your rooms. It was a big arc, the area looking like a semi-circle with three doors spaced evenly out. "My chambers is across Lady Y/N's, so we won't have any problems. She's a smart one, brother. Anything else to add, Sunshine?"

You ignored the nickname, eyes narrowing at the black-suited man. "There's a party tonight 'celebrating' the addition to the team. It starts at 8 so don't be late or else Tony will have your head. Also, if you wake me up before seven in the morning, watch your back 'cause I hold grudges."

Giving Thor a smile, you head to your room, closing the door with a sigh. On the other side, you heard Loki chuckle once. "I like her."

"She's serious. She almost ripped my heart out the one time I accidentally woke her from her slumber." Thor added, the clap on his brother's back loud. "Get ready for the party, Loki."

Loki had been forced in his room by his brother, the door closing after him. He listened carefully, hearing you plop on your bed. He bit back a smirk, a plan unfolding in his brain. With a swift gesture of a finger, the room had been decorated, the hideous white theme changing into an exact copy of Loki's bedroom in Asgard.

The day went by fast as you wasted it away planning the party with Tony, who had, in no way, helped. You had ran off to your room once the people Tony had hired came, setting up everything in the main room. As you walked to the three-bedroom wing, you saw Steve rocking back and forth in front of your door, his hands in his pocket while Thor gushed about his flying hammer.

Relief washed over his face as soon as he spotted you, and you almost turned around, wishing you had gone to Natasha's room to get ready.

Steve called out your name, abruptly ending his conversation with Thor. As you walked closer, you could see the concern etched on his face. "Hey, are you okay?"

Thor watched your reaction, your face fighting the urge to make a face at America's sweetheart. Maneuvering your body, you slid between the two men to get to your room. "I'm fun-fucking-tastic. Thor, remind Loki about the party. I didn't spend the whole day with Tony for Loki to miss his own party."

"I'll be there, darling." Loki chimed in, his head poking out of his bedroom. Everyone turned to look at him, seeing the not-so-subtle wink he gave you.

Ignoring Steve's clenched fists, you moved past them, entering your room. Before closing the door, you said, "Tony requests the presence of all three of you, by the way. There's no way you're getting out of this. See you at 8!"

With a sighed of relief, you closed the door in Steve's face, the loud slam cutting off whatever he was about to interject. He could talk to Sharon about whatever shit he was dealing with, the girl he chose. You were no longer someone he could vent to after the shit he pulled, leading you on before leaving for Sharon Carter. It was then that you came to the decision to not love so easily.

Getting ready for the party took longer than you thought it would, the hot shower burning your skin to the point your skin started to redden. Your mind wandered to Loki, curios about the wink. Maybe it was his way of messing with people, a loophole that had not been included in the agreement. Realizing how inappropriate it was to think about the God while showering, you quickly turned the water off and stepped out.

Knowing Natasha, she's be disappointed if you didn't dress up like your inner slut, the one that got fucked up in Tokyo, and the petty hoe who would do everything to make Steve Rogers regret his decision. Well, you weren't going to let your sestra down.

The sultry, tight red dress was almost too short to be considered decent. With it's low cropped top, your tits we're begging for attention, the bra non-existent. Your new motto: protect the city, free the titties. The matching red stilettos would've been a pain if you hadn't started wearing them so early in your life. You let your hair down, running hand through it before slapping some natural makeup on your face, trying not to look desperate for attention.

It was around 8:15 when you finally finished, already exhausted by the amount of work you had to put on for others, but mostly for yourself. Either Tony or Natasha would come barreling through your door if you were going to be any later. Rushing, you took a quick look in the mirror before opening your door, nearly bumping into the God of Mischief.

He was dressed in a black buttoned-downed dress shirt with matching dress pants. Like before, his hair was slicked back, the shoulder length, raven hair looking silky and sexy. You both eye each other, eyes appreciating the sight in front of them. It wasn't until you finally met his eyes that he cleared his throat, a smug smile covering half his face.

"Would you mind accompanying me to the party, Lady Y/N? My brother is an idiot and cannot give a proper tour with his minuscule organ that he calls a brain. As of that, I do not know where this celebration is held." Loki explained, holding out his arm, waiting for you to take it. He raised an eyebrow while you hesitated. "If not, I could just follow you and everyone would assume I'm planning to have your head."

"Jesus Christ, you and Thor are so fucking dramatic." you grumbled, taking Loki's arm, your arm snaking around his. "Must run in the family, huh?"

"I'm adopted."

"I don't care."

Loki darkly chuckled, feeling your warm body against his, letting himself grow closer, enough that he could feel more of you but not enough that you would've noticed. "I sincerely hope you don't take this the wrong way, but you look rather ravishing, darling."

"Have you ever thought of cutting your hair?" you replied, loving the way Loki's smug expression wavered—probably expecting a compliment—before composing himself. "You'd look less like Johnny Depp from Pirates of the Caribbean."

"I don't understand." Loki said, leading you towards the elevator. For someone who claimed they didn't know where they were headed, he had the sense of knowing where everything was.

You waved the pop culture reference away, pushing the elevator button. "You wouldn't. Is Thor already at the party?"

"I'm quite positive."

The rest of the walk to the main room was quiet, neither of you making small talk as you led him. More like, he led you. You were suspicious he had stayed back and faked not knowing the compound in order to mess with you. But you waved that thought away, focus on getting distracting yourself from Steve.

You could hear the party before seeing it, the big room had been half full, not too much, not too little, yet you had been surprised considering how extra Tony could be. Letting go of Loki's arm, you walked to the bar where Natasha was sipping a glass of whiskey, ignoring the rest of the party. She pulled out a bottle of gin as you arrived, raising an eyebrow at your accompanied date.

"Before you say anything, he didn't know where the party was so he asked me to guide him. Nicely if I might add." you said, pushing back the bottle, settling on a bottle of water instead.

Natasha smirked, watching Loki interact with his brother, a frown deepening on his face. "He knows where everything is, Thor gave him the whole tour while you were with Tony. Can't believe you took the bait."

"Ugh." you grumbled, wishing you could forget about tomorrow and drown your problems in alcohol but the last hangover nearly killed you.

"Stevie doesn't look to happy with you showing up with Loki." Natasha noticed, the smirk widening as she watched Steve's glare grew more lethal as Loki's grin got bigger. "This is so much better than America's Next Top Models fails. Do you wanna bet that one of them will punch the other before the party is over?"

"Daddy, chill." you mimicked, turning to see how enraged old Capsicle is. But with the blonde besides him, looking up him in both wonder and worry, he had no right to be angry at Loki for attending a party that had been thrown for him, despite the many people he murdered—while being controlled. "He can't seriously still be sour about Loki joining."

The redhead giggled, a little drunk from the amount of alcohol she already consumed. "I don't think that's what he's so broody about, not anymore at least. He was smiling until he saw you on Loki's arm."

"Ain't my fault he chose Peggy's niece over me, meaning he doesn't get to be jealous whether Loki is my date or a walker for these killer stilettos." you muttered, secretly loving and hating the jealousy that oozed out of Steve Rogers. Even his blonde date had noticed. "Look at these heels, aren't they gorgeous?"

"Almost as gorgeous as you." Natasha replied, winking just before she drowned the rest of her drink. She winced a little at the taste.

"How many of those have you had?" you wondered, eyeing the spy. After the worst hangover of both your lives, Natasha had made you swear to never let her get that drunk again. Although with the rate she was going, you feared you had been too late.

She shrugged, taking your bottle of water. "Four. Oh, look, here comes Steve."

Before you could ditch, Steve leaned against the counter, his blue buttoned down shirt matching his blue eyes. Natasha not-so-subtly walked to the other side of the bar, motioning for Bruce to keep her company, although knowing her, she'd listen to every word.

"Rogers," you greeted coldly, looking everywhere but him. He tensed at your cold greeting, the frown looking permanently pressed on his face. "Enjoying the party?"

"Yeah."

Lie.

"Good."

You sat there for a good two minutes before he cleared his throat, shifting his weight nervously from one foot onto the other. Steve coughed in his fist. "So...living near Loki isn't too much trouble, is it? He causing any trouble, yet?"

"Sweet as an angel." you replied sarcastically, wishing you were anywhere but here. Loki caught your eye, raising a hand to wave and the group that had been brave enough to be near him, gasped in shock, the noises audible across the room. Their reactions made you chuckle.

Steve cleared his throat, this time louder. "Would you like to dance?"

"Ask your girlfriend." you fired back, satisfied by the hurt on his face. After the stunt he pulled, leading you on only to stomp of your heart, you wanted to be selfish and make him suffer just a little bit. Thankful, Loki came to your rescue.

Ignoring Steve, he held out his arm once again, a smile playing on his lips as he took in the tense situation between you and Steve. But before he could utter a single word, Sharon decided it was the perfect time to come looking for Steve. She assessed the situation, awkwardly noting Loki's presence.

"Er, hello." Sharon said, standing in false bravery. She wouldn't admit it, but she was afraid of the God of Mischief.

Loki gave her a curt nod and held out a hand to you instead, easily fitting yours in his. He murmured your name, softly kissing your knuckles. "Would you like to dance? This is the first song that came on that has not made me want to tear my ears off."

"Why, yes, I would." you agreed with a grin, moving your body close to Loki as you reached the unofficial dance floor, everyone's eyes on the both of you, with shock and slight fear. You would've cackled at their reactions—and it looked like Loki wanted to, too—if you hadn't been raised with manners. "Thank you."

Loki raised an eyebrow, surprised by the words. "For what, if I may ask?"

"Saving me back there. I don't need that kind of drama in my life. Not anymore." you explained, drinking in the warmth of his arm wrapping around your waist as you both slowly swayed to the slow song.

The raven-haired God smiled—not the smug smirk he wore, but a genuine one that Thor hadn't seen his brother wear for a few years now. "My pleasure. A lady like you deserves someone who'll give her his undivided attention. Any suitor would be lucky to have a tenth of your attention."

A coping mechanism: you rolled your eyes but you couldn't help the small smile that forced itself on you lips. You bit it back, hoping no one had noticed.

Loki had. And he meant every word he said.

By the end of the night, you found yourself naked, against the wall and legs wrapped around Loki's waist. Lips crashed against one another, soft kisses trailing down necks, leaving little love marks that would surely be dark. But at the moment, you didn't care. Not when Loki whispered sweet nothings in your ear as he took you from behind, above, underneath, and even on the side. You had both been teasing each other at the party and now you had given in, no matter the consequences.

—

Annoyed Steve had missed the date he had asked you on, you walked up to his room, heels clicking. You had waited for him for over two hours, texted him and getting no replies, leaving the restaurant with the humiliation of being stood up.

But as you neared his door, you heard crying. But it wasn't Steve. Peeking inside, you saw Sharon. Pretty, talented Sharon. Her eyes were red, tears steaming down her cheeks while Steve hugged her shoulders, resting his chin on her head as he comforted her. Jealousy and hurt knocked the breath out of you.

You waited.

And waited.

And it happened. Leaning in slowly, he kissed her. Softly, like he had kissed you. And she kissed him back, finding comfort in the kiss.

Heart breaking in two, you left, leaving the door open. The couple broke their kiss long enough to see you walk away through the slit of the door. Steve hung just head, feeling terrible. But Sharon had helped him as he had. This time, they hadn't stopped at kissing, forgetting the girl who had her heart broken by the man who claimed he would never hurt her.

Steve knew it was over between you two, but he could focus his attention on caring as much as he wanted to when Sharon kept kissing him. He did try to apologize only to learn you had went to visit Thor in Asgard, leaving him to feel sorry for himself and his decisions. Yet, he still found temporary comfort in Sharon's arms.

—

You woke to the warmth of Loki's arms around you. Opening your eyes, you found yourself tangled limbs with the God of Lies, your hair a mess, a hand over his chest and a leg over his waist. Your cheek rested on the crook of his neck, fitting perfectly as if he was made for you.

"Good morning." Loki whispered, stroking your hair with one hand, the other softly massaging your thigh. "Sleep well?"

Nuzzling into his neck, you snorted at the irony. "Don't know, considering we didn't do much sleeping."

Loki chuckled, pressing a soft kiss on your head. "Touché. It would only be fair of me to apologize for the love marks I left on your soft skin last night. Forgive me but I could not help myself."

Gasping, you jumped up, looking at the vanity mirror across your bed to find your collarbone, neck, and the top of your breast covered in Loki's hickeys. He looked rather proud of himself than sorry. "Loki!"

"Please note my apologies are genuine when they are directed towards you. Although, I have to admit, I'm quite proud of myself. It's my best art." Loki announced, bringing himself up on his elbows, eyes ravaging your naked flesh, littered with his marks.

Noticing the difference between your bodies, you quickly turned around to see the reflections had been right; Loki's body remained unmarked. "I swear to god I left hickeys and bite marks all over you last night."

"You tried but got rather mad when my skin healed itself." Loki explained, pulling you back in his warm arms. The soft gesture surprised you, the whole situation coming into light. You had slept with Thor's murderous brother. Loki read your thoughts. "Don't be like that, love. What what I can remember, you enjoyed yourself last night quite immensely. If it will make you feel better, I can show all the love bites you made the night before."

Thankful you hadn't drank anything last night, you had been so happy to not wake up with a hangover and Loki. Turning to face him, you raise an eyebrow. "What?"

With a smirk, his chest gleamed green for a second before it uncovered layers and layers of hickeys, and reddening bite marks. It was identical to yours. You gasped in shocked while Loki stared at you in amusement, his arms tightening. "You did a little bit of damage. I'm proud."

"Holy shit—" you were cut off by Thor and Steve bursting into your room, the sudden motion making you cover up your naked chest with a shriek. The two men's jaws dropped as they took in the scene, Loki's bare chest covered with the evidence from last night, his arms wrapped around you while you stared at them with wide eyes. "Knock, goddamnit!"

Both of them stood in silence, their brains not processing what was in front of them. Steve's eyes had mirrored yours from when you caught him kissing Sharon, eyes watering, you could see his heart breaking just by making eye contact. But at that moment, you couldn't find yourself to care, not with Loki's arms around you.

"What—" Thor began.

Loki smirked, kissing your bare shoulder. "Hello, brother."

next >

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