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#Obadiah Archer
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Faith #3
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OBADIAH ARCHER from ARCHER AND ARMSTRONG (VALIANT COMICS)
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JUSTIFICATION:
"okay so literally her backstory involves being raised in a religious cult by fundies who believe everything is on purpose by "the evil marxist liberal democrat state" and yet...and yet. she finds out her parents are evil and worship a literal demon of greed and she freaks out and goes on a journey to find herself with armstrong, a literal mesopotamian god who's...kind of like marvel's thor, personality wise, and looks like an average hairy "cub" in gay parlance. armstrong, probably being bisexual, would sense that archer is some kind of trans girl egg and he would try to gently sway her into the direction of finding herself, safely away from her fundie cult leader parents, while teaching her about the lgbt community. i think if she realized she was trans it would help with a lot of internalized bigotry. plus, her current partner in valiant comics lore, faith herbert, is canonically bisexual spectrum/queer, and probably would be ready and willing to help archer explore her gender if need be." - @sunkern-plus
Reminder: Submissions are always open! Submit here!
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Mission: Improbable (2014) Reading Order is now live on Omniverse Comics Guide!
Obadiah Archer has gained way too much power, so Project Rising Spirit send Bloodshot and HARD Corps to take him down. Can Armstrong stay sober long enough to rescue Archer from PRS? And whose side is Bloodshot really on? MISSION: IMPROBABLE (2014) has been added to the Omniverse Comics Guide!  Find out what you need to read, in what order and what to pick up next!
More Valiant events to come as we build towards the first chunk of our VALIANT UNIVERSE READING ORDER!
As always for the latest podcasts, videos reading orders, reviews & news head over to Omniverse Comics Guide!
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hitchell-mope · 2 years
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MCU sword and sorcery au
This is a purely medieval setting like Narnia, the dragon prince or Warcraft. Mostly because I don’t want to clog up my modern fantasy/88 tag. Anyway. Let’s begin
The kingdom of California: oldest kingdom, technologically advanced and prosperous. Allied with Manhattan.
Anthony Stark. King
Virginia Stark. Queen.
Morgan Stark. Only child and heir
Peter Parker. Anthony’s ward and squire
Harley Keener. Anthony’s beneficiary and squire.
James Rhodes. Knight and Anthony’s best friend
Harold Hogan. Anthony’s bodyguard
May Hogan. Peter’s aunt and guardian. Virginia’s lady’s maid. Harold’s wife
Steven Stark. Anthony’s adoptive brother. Wanda’s husband.
Buchanan Stark. Anthony’s adoptive brother.
Bruce Banner. Court inventor. Cursed to be a wereorc.
Michelle Jones. Rhodes’s ward. Peter’s lover.
Edward Leeds. Bruce’s apprentice. Peter’s best friend
Carol Danvers. Anthony’s court mage.
Nicolas Fury. Anthony’s chief advisor.
Maria Hill. Captain of the army
The Kingdom of Manhattan: made up mostly of farmers and archers but still advanced and prosperous. Allied with California.
Clinton Barton. King.
Laura Barton. Queen
Cooper Barton. First born and heir
Lila Barton. Middle child.
Nathaniel Barton. Youngest child
Natasha Banner. Clinton’s adoptive sister. Captain of the army. Bruce’s wife
Wanda Rogers. Clinton’s ward and court mage. Stevens wife.
Pietro Maximoff. Clinton’s ward, Wanda’s twin brother and assistant.
Thomas Rogers. Wanda’s son. Inherited her magic. Steven’s stepson
William Rogers. Wanda’s son. Inherited her magic. Thomas’s twin brother. Steven’s stepson
Kate Bishop. Clinton’s ward and star archer.
Yelena Belova. Natasha’s long lost sister. Knight in training
Allies to the allied kingdoms: these people live on the border between California and Manhattan and have helped them both. Sometimes against their better judgment
Henry Pym. Inventor.
Janet Pym. Inventor. Henry’s wife
Scott Lang. Small time bandit. Ally to Steven Stark
Hope Lang. Inventor. Henry and Janet’s daughter. Scott’s second wife
James Paxton. Sheriff.
Margaret Paxton. James Paxton’s wife. Scott’s ex wife
Cassandra Lang. Scott and Maggie’s daughter
Stephen Strange. Healer. Sorcerer at Kamar-Taj.
Kingdom of Asgard and the Guardians: Asgard is a kingdom in the vast mountain ranges. The Guardians are a group of freelance mercenaries currently settled in the kingdom
Thor Odinson. King
Valkyrie Odinson. Queen
Loki Laufeyson. Frost Giant. Thor’s adoptive brother. And a constant pain in his side.
Sylvie Laufeydottir. Frost Giant. Loki’s literal other half and lover
Peter Quill. Half dark magus. Leader of the Guardians. Grew up as part of the marauding Ravagers before setting off on his own
Gamora Quill. Orc. Adoptive daughter of a warlord before she escaped. Fantastic warrior. Quill’s wife.
Drax. Troll. A great warrior and chieftain until his entire clan was wiped out. Now allied with Quill
Rocket. Used to be a regular human. But was cursed into the form of a sentient raccoon. Weapons expert
Groot. The spirit of a sentient tree. Rocket’s surrogate son
Mantis Quill. Half wood elf. Half dark magus. Peter Quill’s half sister. Drax’s adoptive daughter
Kraglin Obfonteri. Human. Quill’s adoptive brother in their old Ravagers clan
Nebula Obfenteri. Dark elf. Gamora’s adoptive sisters. Also escaped from Thanos a little while after her. Sees Anthony as a father figure. Kraglin’s wife.
The heretic hoard: criminals, murderers and villains working against the allied kingdoms
Thanos. Orc warlord. Kidnapped trained and abused Gamora and Nebula from a young age
Obadiah Stane. Anthony’s old regent. Uses his knowledge of the kingdom to help the hoard win
Quentin Beck. Dark magus. Anthonys former mage. Is the only one who’s ever come close to beating Parker in a fight.
Yon-Rogg. Carol’s former mentor who intentionally sabotaged her training to keep her under his thumb.
Agatha Harkness. Psychotic witch. Wanda’s nemesis.
Alexander Pearce. Former friend and ally of Nicholas Fury.
Mobius M Mobius. Loki and Sylvia’s former captor.
Eugene Thompson. Dark magus in training. Quentin’s protégé. Peter Parker’s old bully.
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mostrandomgallery · 2 years
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So I've been obsessed with Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes as of lately, and it hit me to try and draft out a concept for a Warriors-like game based on my gag story Justice! Excellence! Defense! Intelligence! (J.E.D.I.).
Also, I can't get the amazing OST outta my head.
It would be the same gameplay as both FE Warriors games (with the social aspect of Three Hopes). There would be differences in the weapons used, since there would be blasters and sniper rifles instead of axes, lances, bows, etc. (swords are still gonna be there, since nearly half the cast is armed with lightsabers). Faith and Reason Magic will still be there, but done slightly differently.
The "sword" (read: lightsaber) characters will all have "Magic" combat arts. If they are part of the J.E.D.I. Academy, they have access to Heal, Physic, Silence, Nosferatu, (mainly Faith abilities), and some Reason abilities such as Fire, Blizzard, Wind, and Sagittae abilities. Thunder and Miasma abilities are limited to the Sinister, Ignominious, Treacherous Haters (S.I.T.H.).
As an example, Anatole (a sword character) learns Fire, Bolganone, Ragnarok, Sagittae, Meteor, and Agnea's Arrow as his combat arts, while Obadiah (also a sword character) learns Blizzard and Fimbulvetr. Both can learn Heal, Physic, Nosferatu, and Aura.
Of course, characters will also have personal skills. Alexis, for example, will have an ability similar to Shez's ZR Button/Petra's B Button dodge/Byleth's "Divine Pulse".
Characters can fly in fighter planes and ride speeders, but will be weak to rifle snipers, much like Pegasus Knights and Wyvern Riders can be shot down by archers.
Characters will have support levels/conversations (C-B-A only), and some characters might gets special dialogue with A ranks for activities like chores and dining, and Warrior Specials. Some I have in mind are Obadiah & Anatole, Alexis & Barrie, Alexis & Rina, Anatole & Patrice, Lu & Barrie, Alexis & Patrice, Yo Fu & Mace, Preston & Alexis, Anatole & Alexis, Obadiah & Bail, Bail & Patrice, Patrice & Rina, Alexis & Alycia, Anya & The Tyrannical Tyrant, Regis & Colby, etc.
Of course, some characters will be NPCs such as Sidney. I mean, she could be playable, but...spoiler-related reasons prevent her from being playable.
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hachitv · 2 years
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Archer & Armstrong is a duo of adventurers in the Valiant Universe. "Archer" is Obadiah Archer, a young martial arts prodigy who escaped evil religious parents. "Armstrong" is Aram Anni-Padda, one of three immortal brothers along with the Eternal Warrior and the Timewalker. Archer tends to be uptight and naive due to his upbringing, while Armstrong is a loud-mouthed hedonist known for his heavy drinking and carousing. Their greatest enemy is The Sect, a secret religious conspiracy that has been pursuing Armstrong for countless generations. In the Acclaim Comics version of the team, the original Archer had died, and Armstrong was partnered with a brand-new character, LeMont Quirrel.For More Details: https://www.hachitv.com/comic_details.php?id=168
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geekcavepodcast · 2 years
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Archer & Armstrong Get New Comic Book Series
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Valiant Entertainment has announced the return of buddies Archer & Armstrong. Archer & Armstrong Forever hails from writer Steve Foxe, artist Marcio Fiorito, colorist Alex Guimarães, and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.
“When the carefree, hard-drinking, and immortal Aram Anni-Padda, a.k.a. Armstrong, seemingly loses his ability to heal from any wound and believes his days as an immortal are finally coming to an end, his young and optimistic best friend Obadiah Archer will travel the world in search of mythical artifacts to save his dear friend.” (Valiant Entertainment)
Archer & Armstrong Forever #1 goes on sale on May 4, 2022. The first issue will also have a 1:250 Burnt Wood Variant Cover...for reals.
(Image via Valiant Entertainment - Artwork for Archer & Armstrong Forever by Bernard Chang after Barry Windsor-Smith)
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comicsiswild · 3 years
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Faith (2016) #3
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jaysterg5 · 4 years
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A&A: The Adventures of Archer and Armstrong #4
Writer - Rafer Roberts
Pencils - David LaFuente
Cover - David LaFuente with Brian Reber
Everyone’s out of that bag!  But now Archer and Armstrong have to deal with a fully suped-up Bacchus who’s 50 feet tall, drunk as a skunk, and in control of an army of frat boys, sorority girls and drunken Santas!  No problem, right?
While not quite as funny as previous chapters, this issue still has some fun bits and great dialogue.  Trying to sober up a 50-foot goat-man is just so silly, it just pays off wonderfully! 
We get a nice wrap-up to Armstrong’s arc here as well when he finally gets to come to terms with how he’s treated his friends in the past.  It’s not often you get legitimate character development in a humor book, so that’s a nice touch.  I hope we continue to get that throughout the series.
A fun wrap-up to the freshman storyline.  Totally worth reading!
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yamamuramichi · 7 years
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2017. 05/04 fan art by yamamura Archer
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evilhorse · 7 years
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Archer and Armstrong #0
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billyarrowsmith · 7 years
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Fred Van Lente's Archer & Armstrong is so great.
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fllmetl · 7 years
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A&A- The Adventures of Archer & Armstrong #11
Writer: Rafer Roberts
Art: Mike Norton
Colors: Allen Passalaqua
Letters: Dave Sharpe
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blood 1 - Strange/Stark!Reader
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Relationship: Dr. Strange/Princess!Stark!Reader
Rating: M
Warnings: Adult Themes, eventual smut (like, wayyy down the line), adult language, implied sexual violence, general violence
Synopsis: Reader is the daughter of the legendary King Anthony Stark, Uniter of Lands, The Iron Defender, and leader of the realm. When the king disappears during battle, hope is lost and he is presumed dead.
When the late king’s uncle, Obadiah, takes the throne until your brother Peter is of age, he quickly arranges a marriage for you with a wicked king in a neighboring kingdom.
With the realms politics in question, and rumors of an upcoming siege to overthrow Peter’s rule before it starts, you quickly learn who is loyal to the crown and who is not.
Masterlist 
Chapter Playlist
1 - an empty grave
Cast:
The Royal House Stark:
King Obadiah Stark (Obadiah Stane)
King Anthony Stark (presumed dead)
Queen Virginia Stark (Pepper)
The Late Queen Alexandra Stark (your mother)
Princess Stark!Reader- you
Prince Peter Stark (Peter Parker)
Princess Morgan Stark
Knights:
Sir Samuel Wilson
Sir Steven Rogers
Sir Clinton Barton
Spellcasters/Master Sorcerers/Sorceresses:
Stephen Strange
Wanda Maximoff
Master Wong
Loyal to House Stark:
Natalia Romanoff (Natasha)- Assassin
James Barnes- her partner
Prince Thor- of Asgard, United with Stark’s kingdom
Prince Loki- of Asgard
Lady Brunhilde- of Asgard
Lady Sif- of Asgard
King T’Challa- of Wakanda
Princess Shuri- of Wakanda
(---) 
In a final twist of irony, the day of the funeral was bright and warm. 
You’d stood quietly while the priest recited his words, while candles were lit, while the Queen trembled silently next to you. You held Morgan’s hand, you listened while the choir sang, the ominous sound reverberating through your chest. 
The mourners in black whispered while the royal family walked up to an empty coffin. You touched the polished wood, fist tightening at your side. Pepper bowed her head, reciting a quiet prayer. 
How stupid. All of this was stupid. Praying to an empty box, crying over nothing. 
You kept your eyes down, lest you betray your own thoughts. Now wasn’t the time for rebellion. Not when your queen step-mother was relying so heavily on tradition and ritual to get through the day. It’d be borderline cruel to start antagonizing her in this way. 
No, you’d wait. 
Peter, your half-brother in blood but full brother in heart, touched your elbow, pulling you from your thoughts, and guiding you away from the coffin. He kept his eyes forward, expression stoic while he lead the family back to their positions in the massive cathedral. 
“They’ll pay for this,” he murmured low into your ear, as if reading your mind. The words were laced with a malice you’d never heard from the normally cheerful prince. 
You didn’t reply, instead you grabbed your younger brother’s hand and gave it a tight squeeze. A silent agreement. 
The attack had been a betrayal of one of the kingdom’s oldest allies, a neighboring kingdom ruled by someone your father had once trusted with his life. 
Apparently nothing was sacred anymore. 
The funeral ended somberly, mourners murmuring amongst each other, ladies fawning over Pepper, though the queen looked none too pleased with the attention. 
You searched the crowd for a pair of familiar of blue eyes, finding their owner tucked away from the crowd in a secluded corner. He was speaking quietly to the sorceress, Wanda, his eyes flicking up to meet your gaze. With a small nod, he signaled you over.
Weaving through the mass of people, you slipped into the conversation with Wanda regarding you, frowning in sympathy.
“I’m so sorry, your highness,” she whispered, bowing her head. “Your father was a good man, and an honest king. The realm is less for this loss.”
“Thank you,” your tone was colder than you’d intended, a reflection of the bitterness taking form within. Clearing your throat, you tried again, softer and more agreeable this time. “He truly was the best of us.”
Stephen sent Wanda a quick glance and the sorceress excused herself, parting the hall in a hurry.
“You’re angry,” he noted quietly. 
“Am I?” you hummed, quirking a brow up at your friend. “I thought I was supposed to be sad?”
“You’re allowed to be angry,” he replied, folding his hands behind his back. “It just means you understand the injustice of it all.”
“Peter wants revenge,” you stated, mimicking his motion and staring out at the sea of royals and court members. 
“Understandable,” he murmured. “I imagine a number of officials feel similarly.”
“He isn’t old enough to take the throne,” you supplied. “We can’t go to war without a seated leader.”
“It wouldn’t be the first time an heir succeeded in an unorthodox manner,” he noted before turning his head to look at you. “How are you, truly?”
You opened your mouth to reply, words catching in your throat. You felt hollow. You felt like you wanted to scream until you woke up from whatever nightmare you were caught in. Your heart felt like it had been ripped from your chest and stomped on. 
“I’m not certain,” you finally confessed, hands straining against each other behind your back. “Part of me wants to ride through the night and kill that traitor. The other wants to curl on the ground and fill the empty grave myself.”
He nodded in understanding.
“Grief is a powerful thing,” he replied softly, scanning the room before turning and giving you his full attention . “Would you like hide in the observatory a while?”
You looked up to him in surprise. The room was still full of mourners, citizens, and members of the court. Your duty would be to talk to everyone as they passed, pulling the burden off of Pepper.
“Can we?” you asked, voice cracking at the thought of having to converse any further.
Stephen gave you a mischievous smirk, nudging you toward a side door of the church. You followed his lead, slipping out of sight and tucking yourselves away from the crowds inside a small alcove. 
“They’ll want to focus on Peter and the queen anyway,” he noted casually, drawing up a portal with his fingers. “No point in dwelling. I’ll tell anyone who asks that you fainted from the stress and required immediate medical attention.”
“I’m sure they’ll all believe it,” you retorted with a matching grin, taking his hand and letting him help you through the portal with all of your heavy mourning apparel. 
The observatory had been a new addition to the palace after Stephen had arrived as its master sorcerer. Before, it’d been an abandoned archer’s tower, last used by the late king’s father, Howard, as a means of defense against the previously antagonistic kingdoms. 
After King Anthony had taken the throne and negotiated trade and peace treaties with the nearby kings, the reinforcements had largely been forgotten. 
Stephen had suggested it as an ideal place to study the cosmos above, and after some urging on your part, your father agreed to let the two of you repair the small space. When the foundation had been fixed to his specifications, Stephen added another enchantment to increase the size internally.
From there, the two of you worked to fill the space with objects of learning and interest. 
The walls had been lined with stacks of books, maps of the universe, and healing runes. Tables had been set with with all sorts of alchemical experiments, glowing amulets, and charmed quills. A small greenhouse had been established on one of the many turret balconies, where you helped tend to some medicinal herbs and enchanted florals. 
It was a place of peace and knowledge in a world of chaos and ignorance and in it, Stephen had taken the time to teach you the secrets of the universe. It was one of the few places you knew you truly could belong without judgement. 
“I’m not convinced this isn’t sabotage,” he stated once you were alone, the glowing orange portal snapping shut behind him. 
“What makes you say that?” you asked, lifting a book, flipping through a few pages in an attempt to distract yourself from his blunt words. You agreed there was some kind of malice involved in the attack, but sabotage suggested someone within the kingdom had betrayed your father. For such as honest and good your father was, your heart couldn’t handle such a reality.
“Whispers in the village,” he answered tersely. “Wanda was giving me her report when you approached. She is traveling to the next village over as we speak.”
“Rumlow betrayed his alliance,” you replied bitterly, refusing to look up from your book, though you couldn’t tell what the thing was about. Plants? Chaos magic? “What more is there to discover?”
“Why did he do it?” he asked. “What motivation does he have to sever one of the strongest military alliances in history?” 
“Greed? We’ve had a surprise in economic activity since the scholar agreement with Wakanda,” you guessed with a shrug. “This isn’t a smart man we’re dealing with. I’m met him once before. He’s ambitious and motivated, but not particularly clever.”
“Peter is almost of age, your father has prepared him for his new role thoroughly,” he continued, pacing the space. “It doesn’t make sense. Everyone is well aware he will be of age to take the throne in six months time, and now this just ensures his placement.”
“Not everything does,” you reminded him. “You taught me that. Or don’t you remember?”
You paused after a moment, peeking up from the book after letting his words settle.
“Maybe he plans to use Peter’s inexperience against him?” you suggested quietly. It wasn’t a pleasant thought, but even with the training and learning, Peter was a different person than your father, perhaps not in morals but certainly in other areas like strategy and planning. 
“I intend to get to the bottom of this,” he stated, his hand tightening at his side. You’d never seen Stephen so inflamed before. “At the very least, I can try to retrieve his body. Negotiate a dignified exchange.”
The words pierced your heart far more painfully than you’d anticipated, your hand gave a jerk and you dropped the book you’d been fidgeting with while he spoke. 
The mental image of your fathers head on a pike outside of Rumlow’s keep was enough to make you nauseous. 
“I’m sorry,” Stephen’s tone shifted at your reaction. “I’m getting ahead of myself.”
“Don’t apologize,” you assured him, clearing your throat and composing yourself. “You’re just doing your job. It’s why he trusted you to the position. You’re asking the questions that need to be asked.”
He watched you pluck the book off the ground and toss it on a nearby table with a low sigh. This was a precarious position he found himself in. 
On the one hand, he’d been appointed as the Master Sorcerer of this castle and this realm. He had an obligation to serve that role and ensure the safety of the kingdom’s inhabitants. Not to mention, his obligation as a peacekeeper in his position as Sorcerer Supreme at Kamar-Taj.
On the other, you were his dearest friend and companion, and the obvious hurt you were suffering made his other duties nearly impossible to focus on. It was no wonder Kamar-Taj frowned on intimate attachments, they did provide a distraction from the ambivalent roles sorcerers and sorceresses were bound to play. 
He wanted to serve as an unbiased judge in this troubling time, but his heart wanted him to seek justice and bring peace to your troubled mind. 
His eyes drifted to the telescope at the edge of the room and an idea hit him.
Perhaps a distraction was best for the time being? A small respite to pull away from the doom and gloom of the immediate future.
“Do you remember that star cluster I showed you last week?” he asked, hooking and arm over your shoulder and guiding you toward the window. “There’s a fascinating change that’s been occurring.”
It was still relatively bright out, though with the sun was just starting to dip over the horizon, there was enough darkness to point out the phenomena he’d discovered the night before. 
“Let me adjust-,” he tinkered with the measurements before signaling for you to lean in. “Do you see it?” 
“They’re changing color,” you noted with a small gasp of excitement. “That’s a promising omen, isn’t it?” 
Your expression had brightened considerably when you looked up at him. 
“It is,” he nodded. “The specific colors suggest a period of tranquility and prosperity after a short struggle.”
“Then maybe it isn’t all terrible,” you tried voicing optimistically. It sounded strange, like you still weren’t entirely convinced, but the evidence was clear before you. 
Stephen knew the stars never lied and had taught you as much over the time you’d spent together. 
You sighed sadly, giving the stars another peek and shaking your head when you pulled away. 
“I miss him,” you murmured, looking up at Stephen miserably. 
The sorcerer frowned sympathetically, before he moved toward you and pulled you into a tight embrace.
You pressed your cheek against his chest and allowed his arms to wrap around you. 
“I know,” he replied softly, resting his chin on your head. “Just know he loved you very much, and wouldn’t want to see you so hurt on his behalf."
That seemed to break something in you, and you buried your forehead into his chest, shaking with suppressed sobs and held back tears until finally you choked out a wave of emotions all at once.
He spent an hour sitting with you while you cried into his tunic, yelling about how angry you were to how miserable all of this made you feel. He listened, offering a handkerchief and when you started to calm down, summoned a fresh pot of herbal tea.
“We will find answers,” he stated, blowing gently over the steaming cup in his hand. 
“You sound so sure,” you noted with a bitter chuckle, eyes swollen and red from your tears.
“I’ve tampered with seeing the future from time to time,” he replied cheekily. “Perhaps I’ve had a vision?”
“And what did that vision show you?” you pressed, playing along with a ghost of a smile behind your own cup. 
“We win,” Stephen replied firmly, his expression falling serious.
“Doesn’t feel like it,” you confessed quietly. 
“Victory seldom does,” he watched you take a sip of your tea. You closed your eyes and relaxed your shoulders with the calming scent.
You opened your mouth to ask him a question when a knock at the observatory door broke the small spell of peace that’d fallen over the space.
“I’ve got it,” he gestured for you to stay seated, moving toward the door and slowly peeling it open. 
It wasn’t that he was overtly concerned for your safety, but given recent events, Stephen didn’t want to be lax in covering all possibilities. The world had gone mad and he wouldn’t put an assassin with a dagger outside the realm of potential visitors.
“Is the princess here?” Loki, Prince of Asgard, asked with a tone laced with annoyance upon Stephen’s appearance. 
“Loki?” you must have heard his voice and stood, setting your cup aside. “Stephen, let him in. It’s okay.”
With a glare at the prince, Stephen stepped aside and allowed the emerald clad royal through. 
He didn’t like outsiders in the observatory. Especially when you were around. 
It made him especially uneasy inviting another magic user inside, where they could potentially measure its wards and security for later aggression. 
“Peter mentioned you might be here,” Loki glanced around the room, arms folded behind his back. “I apologize if I’m intruding.”
That last part was directed toward Stephen with the smallest smirk. 
“No, it’s okay, we were just having tea,” you replied quickly, gesturing to the steaming pot on the table. “Could I make you a cup-?”
“No-,” he cut her off and cleared his throat apologetically. “I’ve come to say farewell. My father is ordering the borders to Asgard closed until Rumlow’s nation offers an explanation to this… tragedy.”
“I see,” your expression fell at the news. 
Certainly Asgard closing its borders was a worrisome sign. They were the kingdom’s greatest allies and largest trading partners. The effects of such a move would be felt for quite some time, both in security and in the local economy. 
“I’ll write,” he promised with a curt bow. “Don’t fall behind in your studies. I’ll be testing you the next time we meet.”
You smiled before he took your hand for a brief kiss on the knuckles. Rolling your eyes, you pulled away and threw your arms around his shoulder in a hug. 
“What a sad parting,” you laughed at his bewildered reaction. “And you’re going to kiss my knuckles like we haven’t known one another for years? On the day of my father’s funeral? Unacceptable.”
He barked out a small laugh, reciprocating the embrace with an arm before pulling away. 
“Stay safe,” he urged her before looking up at Stephen with a steely gaze. “Do well to keep her protected, Sorcerer.” 
“Always,” Stephen answered tersely, a little offended at the prince’s casual disregard for his abilities. He’d always kept you safe, and had absolutely no intention of letting that guard slip now. 
“Travel safely,” you called after him and he gave a final wave before pausing in the doorway when Stephen moved to close the door.
“Keep her close,” Loki warned quietly, the smirk disappearing completely. “There are whispers in the village of treachery and assassination. Do not let anyone have the opportunity to take advantage of the situation.”
“My associates are building wards around the castle and her quarters as we speak,” Stephen replied in agreement, a quick glance in your direction to ensure you weren’t listening. 
“The tea was a nice touch,” Loki noted with a hum. Stephen nodded curtly. 
The tea had a protection enchantment included in the mixture of herbs. Something small, but effective if you found yourself in danger without him, Wong, or Wanda nearby.
“Be well,” Stephen closed the door once Loki was out of sight, turning and finding you digging through his trunk of cloaks at the back of the room. “What are you doing?”
“I want to see Natalia and James,” you answered, pulling out a large blue cloak and holding it to your shoulders. 
“Absolutely not,” he crossed his arms. “Your father was just killed, possibly murdered. You’re not going to the village unprotected.”
“That’s why you’re coming,” you threw a crimson cloak in his direction, fastening the blue one over your shoulders. 
“Did you miss the part where I said murdered?” he asked in disbelief. 
“Then it’s a good think I’m friends with assassins,” you chimed back, pulling the hood of the cloak over your head. “They might be able to tell us something.”
“I’m sure Wanda and Wong have already talked to them,” he shot back, folding the cloak over is arm. “You should stay at the castle, at least for tonight.”
“You already know I’m going to go regardless,” you replied. 
“Because you’re a headstrong idiot,” he sighed, reluctantly pulling the cloak over is shoulders. “Who clearly has a death wish. What if your family comes looking for you?”
“They won’t,” you answered with a confident grin. “Mother is going to be with Morgan and Peter is going to lock himself away in the armory or training fields until the knights give up and make him retire to his chambers.”
“You’re so confident in your knowledge of the castle,” Stephen snorted, tying the cloak around him. 
“It’s what happens when you’re the eldest daughter of a king,” you replied, patting him on the shoulder. “You see everyone, but no one sees you.” 
“Poetic.”
“Also, you owe me an ale for enchanting my tea,” you quirked a brow toward him when he stammered back a response. “Didn’t think I would notice?”
“I’m losing my touch,” he sighed, waving a hand and summoning a bag of coin.
“No, you’re just turning into a fussy mother hen,” you grinned, the smile looking far more relieving than the grief he know you wore on the inside. “It’s endearing.”
Wha danger was a short outing for the evening? It was arguably safer in a crowd than alone in her chambers, especially while Wong was still working on the wards.
Besides, the assassins you’d found friendship in would do well to keep threats away as well.
And while Stephen pondered this thought, you were already part-way out of the room and headed toward one of the hidden passages in the hall. 
(---)
2 - a night at the pub
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jaysterg5 · 4 years
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A&A: The Adventures of Archer and Armstrong #3
Writer - Rafer Roberts
Pencils - David LaFuente
Cover - David LaFuente with Brian Reber
Variant Covers  - Kano and Ben Oliver
Mary-Maria and the boys have to fight their way past garbage monsters, goblins and lizard men trying to escape Armstrong’s magic satchel, and a drunken Archer isn’t much help.  But Bacchus has already gotten up into the world and has found a raging frat party to begin replenishing his power!
OK, I have to be honest, this issue had me rolling!  There were so many “laugh out loud” moments for me that I had to stop reading and just laugh! Roberts’s dialogue is so sharp and funny this issue!  I can’t say enough.  I’m more a “smile of appreciation,” or “small chuckle” kind of guy, but I was really laughing here!  
But under all the humor there’s a nice character arc for Armstrong as he starts to learn he’s made some mistakes in his past and hasn’t always treated his friends very well.  There’s a bit of a melancholy moment of realization for him. It’s a nice character beat for a 6000 year old guy!
LaFuente’s art continues to add to the humor and chaos of this series.  Truly a fun addition to the storytelling.  I occasionally find his layouts a bit confusing, but that’s usually tied to the nature of what’s happening on the page, so I just roll with it.
Great issue for anyone who needs a good laugh!
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boop-le-snoot · 3 years
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PARTY FAVOURS I CHAPTER 30
First time reader click here
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TRIGGER WARNING! This chapter is a horror movie. There's blood, gore and psychological horror elements. Lemme know if it was actually scary - I'm desensitized to this shit. This was written to come out on Halloween but I was too slow with writing.
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Wooden floor creaking behind me, I couldn't feel the cold of it, not even a single splinter piercing the arches of them, I ran like my life depended on it. The darkness behind me was alive; it breathed, pulsated, spreading along the walls of the hallway like mold. The hallway seemed to be endless.
As soon as I realized that, I noticed that it, in fact, did have an end and not a door was in sight; that quickly proved to br also just a trick of the eye - there were doors, the hallway was riddled with them, each one dark, identical and placed neatly about five feet apart. With shaking hands, I turned the knob, slamming the door behind me with a loud bang.
Panting, I let myself slide against the door, eyes closed, sheet landing in a puddle of white fabric on the floor around me. First five seconds passed quietly; then, a noise interrupted my panicked thinking and my eyes flew open as the scene in front of me produced more confusion.
The familiar scene of the pond behind my grandparents' stables, the poppies - a splash of blood red against the dull greens and browns - swaying in the breeze. A Dora the Explorer bucket hat and a six-year-old me, hair in pigtails, poking at a spot of moist soil with a large stick.
I knew where this was going yet I couldn't pull my eyes away from the scene that was going to unfold. A stallion my parents had recently bought, ill-tempered and moody, jumping over the low fence and galloping noisily right at mini-me. The terrified animal was screaming yet I was oblivious to it's distress, too busy trying to fish out earthworms out of the wet ground. Almost in slo-mo, mini-me noticed the running, screaming animal and bolted for safety, its hooves missing my little body barely by a feet.
I felt the cold water of the pond on my skin. It was dirty and blooming at the time, musky smell assaulting my senses, murky water choking the life out of both versions of me. In the distance, I noticed a much younger and slimmer dad sprinting full-speed towards the splashing child in the pond. He was screaming something and I leaned in, trying to hear him better.
The scene vanished into thin, wispy smoke. My head was once again clear and the suffocating dread and panic subsided, letting me take in several deep breaths and try to assess the situation calmly. I had survived that accident, even successfully overcame my fear of swimming later on.
Hands shaking and heart fluttering like a frightened bird, I recoiled from the locked door when it began to rattle, the noise deafening in the eerie quiet of the house.
The shadows were taunting me. Trapping me in my worst fears, making me relive my worst memories. The artifact needed something from me - what was it? I wondered, tucking the sheet in some semblance of a toga and standing up to explore the room. Save for a few outdated pieces of furniture, it was cold and empty, void of life. Nowhere to hide.
I paced the room, coming to a halt next to the heavy, thick velvet curtains. Expecting to see a window behind them, I was surprised with another old wooden door with a bent handle that had gathered an impressive layer of dust. With rattling behind me increasingly growing in volume, I had no other option but to press it down and quickly dart into the next dark room.
Clint. Lifeless eyes wide open, his body laying at my feet, sheet-white and rust coloured stains adorning his mouth, nails black and broken as if he'd been clawing at the dilapidated wooden floors. I backed away from him, further into the room - the archer's body began to move and tremble, tiny little gashes appearing on every inch of exposed skin. The thing that was breaking out of him glowed, pale blue and sickly.
"That's not..." I whispered to myself. "Clint is alive," As if I had been doused with cold water, the images of MAFS incident seeped into my mind, the what-ifs of my past actions weighing heavily and clouding my mind with guilt.
"Come on, we don't have much time," Steph's voice appeared behind my back, loud and out of nowhere. I was rightfully sceptical about the reality of him - while his face was the usual, tense expression of boredom, he stood differently. I couldn't describe the difference if I tried; it just felt wrong. Like a puzzle piece was missing.
"I don't think so, demon dude," Squaring my shoulders once again, I prepared myself for the inevitable pain.
"Who?" The copycat asked, faking concern surprisingly well. "It's the artifact. It's making you see things that aren't real," With a wave of his hand, the door flew open, exposing the hallway filled with the void that was chasing me previously.
"Oh what I saw was real alright," I countered, tilting my head to examine the entity. Unknowingly, it had given itself away - Stephen's magic always glowed gold and orange, in the sense that he wasn't like Loki - Strange's spells were always visible. "I'd rather you kill me then spread your vile disease beyond this... Space," With none of the bravery I actually had, bluff came surprisingly easy. Perhaps, I really was ready to die so my friends and family could live.
Not-Stephen tsked and grinned maliciously, once again waving his hands about. "Killing you? So barbaric and an absolute waste of potential." The shadows pushed something into the gaping hole of the doorway, something curled up in a fetal position and whimpering. The entity picked up the man by the shoulders, forcing him to kneel in front of it, teary baby browns staring back at me, wide with terror.
Tony. My feet took an involuntary step forward, where my Tony was trembling, whimpering in the creature's grasp, unseeing eyes looking straight forward. As if I wasn't there.
"Submit and I will let him go. Right now, he's relieving the worst memories of his life," The entity raised an eyebrow, a mock imitation of Stephen's expression. I could hear Tony mumbling faintly, something about his chest and Afghanistan and bombs and Obadiah.
It pissed me off. Firstly, how dare this wannabe-Pennywise, this LOST-fog-monster-reject to lay his filthy metaphysical fingers on my Tony. And secondly, for the sloppy intelligence job - I had been woken up by Tony's nightmares more than enough to know his biggest fear wasn't Afghanistan. It wasn't Obadiah and it wasn't Bucky killing his parents, it wasn't even the vast, consuming black emptiness of the space behind the wormhole.
Anger burning my throat, I lunged at not-Stephen with a bloodcurdling scream, feeling my nails dig into the cold, clammy flesh of the thing's throat. Taken by surprise, both of us stumbled, falling into the abyss of the hallway, me kicking and scratching and screaming all the way, fingers squeezing deeply into the lifeless imitation of flesh. His screams mixed with mine and Tony's into a shrieking cacophony.
The darkness was laughing, cackling, noise sharp like nails on a chalkboard. It hurt, but the thing's grip on me hurt even more. "He'll never love you like you expect him to. They don't care about you. The mage said he'd help you and now you're dying here, alone," Black smoke began leaking out of the impostor's mouth along with the words, both acrid and venomous.
My head was pounding as more and more of the stuff came into contact with my body. My vision swam, bordering on unconsciousness. "If I'm dying, I'm taking you with me, bitch," I screamed out, squeezing and squeezing and squeezing until I exploded together with my surroundings, in a short of white, blinding light.
And then, there was darkness. My limbs were once again filled with concrete, mouth dry and skin burning like I'd been branded with a hot iron.
I opened my eyes to the familiar sight of the room with the fireplace. The fire was roaring, crackling and and shooting noisy sparks, accompanied by heavy breathing to my left. Disregarding the nausea that followed my every movement, I hung my head over the side of the car coming to witness both sorcerers laying haphazardly on the floor, a thin river of blood seeping into the carpet from Wong's head.
Confused, disoriented and terrified, I called out for them, voice barely audible and terse. Had I been screaming?
The sorcerers' chests rose and fell rapidly; my panic subsided but not by much. I crawled out of the cot only to land ungracefully on my face, body refusing to cooperate and feeling about as well as after I'd ran a marathon. Inch by inch, I crawled over to the chair I had left my things on, fighting with my body for every movement I made.
Fumbling, l pulled out my phone and pressed the green call button on the one person one would call in this situation. My best friend.
"Yes, dear?" His baritone was tense but nonetheless calm.
"Help, some-something happened," I managed to say, no louder than a whisper. "Sanctum," I clarified, hearing a noise of things falling over and several distressed voices shouting in the background.
"I am coming, do not end the call," Loki replied immediately, barking out several commands I didn't quite catch. There were more noises of distress as I obediently stayed on the phone. "Darling, can you tell me what happened?"
"I- Killed?" I tried to articulate my thoughts, tongue becoming more and more uncooperative by the second.
"Oh my God, who's dead?!" I heard Bruce yell, probably, right in Loki's ear.
"The Thing," I clarified, hoping to calm him down.
Loki cursed in his native language, I heard him trying to wrestle the phone from someone - unsuccessfully so, I might say, as Tony's distraught voice was the next thing I heard. "Princess, listen to me. Are you okay? Where's Strange? We're gonna be there in 10 minutes. We're coming."
An avalanche of information for my overtaxed brain and aching body, I struggled to keep up with Tony's rambling and filtering out Loki's screeching in the background. So much noise. My head hurt. "No, Steph and Wong are down. Alive." I managed to convey the most important part, a terrified sob leaving my chest burning. "Please, talk," I begged Tony, not wanting to be left in that terrifying, consuming silence ever again.
And Tony talked. He babbled nonstop, things that I didn't really catch neither care about, having enough strength to give a hum of approval every few seconds or so. It appeared to be as calming to him as it was to me, I didn't hear any more complaints from the team, only brief increase in volume as one of them got closer to the phone. A part of me conceded I should've made at least one joke about being put on loudspeaker, however, my brain was exhausted.
Burnt out, rather. The emptiness settled in my bones, chilly, like the blood had been sucked out of me, making my body just a vessel for the darkness that stalked my nightmares. I dug my nails into the soft flesh of my bare thigh, feeling none of the pain, just the relief when blood seeped through the cuts, crimson and warm.
That's how they found me. Loki threw open the door, breaking one of the hinges, eyes immediately darting between me and the laying sorcerers, as he swiftly cast a bright golden spell on the room, warming us from the inside out. Carefully stepping over the two men, Loki kneeled in front of me, green eyes staring right into mine.
I heard cursing and thudding but all I could focus on was the shining emerald of Loki's eyes. "Oh, child," He whispered, reaching out with both arms to pull me into his chest. I couldn't have resisted even if I wanted to, my body was utterly drained of fight.
"What happened?" Tony asked, a hysterical pitch to his voice.
"I can assume there was a failsafe left behind by the artifact, it took out both sorcerers and attempted to finish the job it started," Loki spoke up, hand gently petting my hair, still clutching my limp body like I was dying. "She fought it off, I don't know how, but she fought it off. It has entered a dormant state again."
"What do you mean took them all out?" In his distress, Tony seemed to have lost all sensibility. "What happened to her?!" He was getting impatient, angry.
"With an artifact like that, it's a blessing they are still alive. It is ancient and unpredictable," Loki explained patiently, none of his usual vitriol present. "And she... You could say she was mind-raped," He stated, quieter.
I groaned in protest. Loki's spell of gold did what felt like a wonder: the light was slowly coming back into the room, into me, filling me with warmth I didn't know I could lack. "As if," I slurred. "As if that Pennywise wannabe could ever," My body was, nonetheless, exhausted. "I've swallowed more kids than he could ever," My eyelids dropped, the comforting noise of Tony's and Loki's combined chuckle amplifying the surplus of warmth within me.
Last thing I saw was Tony's watery smile, tears crinkling at the corners of his eyes as he lifted me from Loki's arms, hot rod red of his suit saturating the room with color. Feeling safe for the first time in what felt like forever, I let my eyes close voluntarily, a smile crawling onto my face. I was right. Tony was alright, it wasn't really him that was getting tortured in the nightmare-verse.
"What..." I heard Stephen croak from somewhere. "Baby?!" His voice raised a whole octave; Thor's fond chuckle followed the rustling of fabric and a few stronger choice words from the sorcerer as Loki briefed everyone on the situation at hand.
"How is she, Tones?" Bruce asked quietly from above me.
"Pretty out of it but on her way back to health," Tony replied with another watery laugh. "Cracking jokes and whatnot clownery."
Bruce exhaled in relief, stroking my face with the side of his fingers. It was almost palpable, the general atmosphere of respite in the room, the sudden free flow of oxygen to my lungs.
"I am so sorry," Stephen's whisper was more felt than heard by me; the spice of his cologne and copper of blood reached my nostrils, burning them, keeping the warmth from leaving my body ever again.
My fingers weakly held out to him, finally coming to grasp his more-than-usual shaking hand. "Not your fault," I breathed. "Persistent cursed box," Were my last words before my consciousness gave out. Sleep sweet sleep.
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