#guess the future really is bright if we ebb with the flow

[petri808]

Day 11 @flufftober “sweet tooth” TakaRitsu . Just tooth ache fluff kind of Drabble.

It’s their first vacation trip as a married couple, and Masamune wants to make it so memorable, that his husband will always remember the time they spent together. Of course, in Japan it’s not a legal marriage, but now that Ritsu is added to his family registrar, Ritsu Onodera is now legally, Ritsu Takano… Oof, just thinking about it still gives Masamune goosebumps. Everything they’ve gone through to get to this point is in the past, and now their future is looking bright. Two successful men in the publishing world, who will one day take over Onodera Publishing, but for today, all that awaits is sand, sea, and a little paddle boarding in Anaeho’omalu Bay in Waikoloa, Hawaii.

The six day, five night honeymoon trip is a collective gift from both sets of parents to give the young couple a little relaxation before starting their fresh beginning. Many tourists choose Oahu island because of it’s wider array of things to do, but considering Ritsu and Masamune come from he city, a city vacation is a the least enticing idea. Therefore, Waikoloa on the west side of the Big Island of Hawaii was chosen for it’s warm climate, and natural beauty— A place where life moves at a relaxing, slower pace that ebbs and flows like the waves on the islands sandy shores.

At the Waikoloa Marriott, Masamune and Ritsu are checked into an oceanside suite on the top floor that overlooks Anaeho’omalu Bay. It’s a pretty typical hotel with it’s pool, bar, restaurant, a salon and small gym, but what makes it special is it’s ties to the local culture. In ancient Hawaii, the local islanders would use the natural landscape of some bays to create what is referred to today as aquaculture ponds and fisheries. By adding rocks and wooden slatted gates, they would entice young fish to swim through the gate by providing abundant food sources, so by the time they try to leave, they’re too big to get through the slats anymore. The shoreline of the hotel features a renovated pond so tourists can see this amazing technique up close. It then stretches out into a mile or so long white sand beach where vendors rent out surfboards, kayaks, and paddle boards.

Around 4 pm, Masamune convinces Ritsu to go out with him on a tandem paddle board as long as he can sit while Masamune does all the paddling for them. It’s September, so the air is still fairly warm despite moving towards autumn. Plus, they didn’t plan to stay out too long.

“The sunset will look the same whether from our balcony or the beach, so I don’t understand why you want to be on a board in the middle of the bay.” Ritsu complains.

“Well,” Masamune counters, “the balcony is not really romantic and the beach has other people. This way, we can relax without distractions.”

“Guess that’s true” Ritsu relents as he sits down in the center of the board.

After kissing his husbands forehead, Masamune stands up and pushes away from the sand with the help of the vendor staff. Thankfully, the weather is on their side with very little wind to stir up the waves. For about twenty or thirty minutes, he paddles against the tide to get them past the break-point in the waves maybe two-hundred yards off-shore. It may not seem so far when you’re just looking out over the water, but when the waves are working against you, and you’re trying hard not to lose balance, it takes time to travel such a distance. But finally, they reach a point where it feels like the tide is no longer pulling too strongly and they can relax, just floating and bobbing surrounded by the deep blue sea. Masamune sits down behind with Ritsu between his stretched out legs, then passes the paddle forward to Ritsu to hold in front of them.

“What do you think?” Masamune asks Ritsu as he wraps his arms around the man. “Isn’t it so much more relaxing like this?”

Ritsu shifts back against his husbands chest. “Okay, I’ll admit it kind of is… Even the way the water is shimmering from the sunset is cool.”

Masamune sighs happily in his contented win. “Boy, the pictures of Hawaii’s sunsets don’t do it enough justice. They’re mostly red and oranges in the photos, but who knew they came with pinks and purples too!”

“I can imagine some of my clients immediately seeing these sunsets and breaking out their colored pens,” Ritsu chuckles and sighs too with a smile. “They’d look amazing with watercolors.” He turns his head so he can see Masamune better. “Thank you for bringing me out here.”

Over the gentle pitter-patter sounds of the water lapping against the fiberglass board, light whooshing of the trade winds, and occasional seabirds flying above, a sense of pure euphoria drowns out the conch shells roar in their ears. There’s a crinkling and tinge of moist shine in Masamune’s eyes as he smiles and leans in, placing a pressure-laden, long-lasting kiss on his husbands lips. “No,” his voice grows fervent, “thank you, for being here with me.”

What a perfect way to end their day.

#flufftober 2023 #takaritsu #sekai ichi hatsukoi #takano x onodera #ritsu onodera #takano masamune #ritsu takano #married life #unedited #the photo is of anaehoomalu bay

[djwellsted]

‘the future is bright if we ebb with the flow’

#critical role #fjord #fjord tough #caduceus clay #wildmother #the wildmother #my art #so like #lore for this piece #i did this in one sitting listening to live well by palace on loop #it was just a dumb lil sketch thing #and i think it’s probably my most well know piece now! #which is neat! but there was not much effort in it initially #i dont see the appeal u know but thats like #how art works! #it was nothing like my style then and it’s nothing like my style now #but its pretty cool! #guess the future really is bright if we ebb with the flow

[link4eva]

Kiro’s Satisfaction Date Translation (完满之约) [CN] Part 2/2

Hey, y’all! Here is the second half of Kiro’s Satisfaction Date! Thanks so much for your paitence. You can find the first half of the translation here! The call that comes with this date can be found here!

I don’t actually know any Chinese so this translation was done through the power of Google Translate.

This translation contains spoilers for Kiro’s 2021 Birthday Date in the CN server. So if you wish to not be spoiled, please don’t look below the cut. There is a R&S to go along with this date which has been translated by the lovely @keliosyfan​ . I’ll put the link to it here! I definitely recommend reading that first before reading this date.

Hope you enjoy!~

*Spoilers for future content below!*

MC: Home? Didn’t you live in a dorm? Wait, is that your boat?!

Kiro: To be precise, it was a gift to myself when I was fourteen, a “boathouse”.

I followed Kiro and walked across the long wooden bridge, watching him open the cabin door and walk me in with some held-back joy.

Kiro: It’s been a long time. Your other master is here.

He tapped on the wall of the boat lightly, as if saying hello.

(Cut to the inside of the boat)

I followed his gaze and looked around. It seemed to be more like a small room than a cabin.

The sofa and TV are inviting, bright and warm in the sun.

The entire cabin was almost spotlessly clean and looked very cherished.

MC: Amazing….

Kiro: This is my first gift to myself. 

Kiro: This was nothing like when I first bought it. It used to be very shabby and not as spacious.

Kiro: Later, after all the constant modifications that I did, it became what it is now.

MC: Then you must have gone out to sea with it, right?

Kiro: Of course! We have been to many places together for so many years. I even thought about going to Antarctica with it.

Kiro: However, it can’t be said that there were no hardships. 

Kiro sat on the deck of the boat, his fluffy blond hair bathed in the sun, glittering with the light.

MC: Why did you give yourself this gift?

Kiro: Because I always feel that with it, I can go anywhere. 

Kiro: Even the sea can’t stop me. 

Kiro opened his arms, facing the vast, expansive ocean, turning his head to look at me.

Kiro: At that time, I often practiced piano alone here.

Kiro: I like the sunset here very much. Back then, I thought the sunset here in California was the most beautiful.

Kiro: Every time I stand on the beach, this boat, sunset and sea are my exclusive listeners.

Kiro: I always feel that they are growing up with me.

MC: Now you have one more exclusive audience member. 

I smiled and pointed towards myself.

MC: May I have this honour?

Kiro was stunned but then raised an extremely gorgeous smile. He bowed slightly to me like a gentleman.

Kiro: My pleasure. 

[Fourth Part]

When we were standing on the beach, Kiro picked up his violin.

Kiro: What song do you want to listen to?

MC: Anything is good.

Kiro: Then….

On the other side where the sea and sky meet, the gentle sunset does not want to miss this extremely tender tone. 

Accompanied by the ebb and flow of the rolling tide, a soft and lonely melody softly sounded.

This is the second time I’ve heard this song today.

It was a little different from this morning. At this moment, Kiro’s face was accompanied by a faint smile and the bright sun shone on him enthusiastically. His whole figure seemed to be shining.

Some distant and lonely notes seemed so gentle at this moment. It was as if time stretched out a soft hand and gently stroked the top of my head.

Kiro: This piece is actually not perfect.

MC: But it sounds nice.

MC: Although it sounds lonely, it is a melody written by 14-year-old Kiro. I like it very much.

Kiro: Because it is sincere?

MC: Because I heard your voice.

The setting sun struck our shadows long. The sea breeze passed by as if time could secretly forget us.

I seem to see a more real Kiro, with a gaze into the past, hiding all the words that cannot be said in the melody.

Kiro: My 14-year-old self would be very happy if you heard this melody in the future.

Kiro: Happy as I am now. 

In a soft warm glow, Kiro’s performance was over. And this day is about to end.

MC: Are these all your past wishes?

Kiro looked into my eyes, a little restrained and a little cautious, and shook his head.

Kiro: Actually, there is a fourth thing.

Kiro: When I wrote this melody, I didn’t want it to be just a violin melody.

Kiro: I tried many times but I couldn’t write the accompanying piano chords.

Kiro: I have no way to leave it to others to write.

Kiro: After so long, I had to leave it alone.

Kiro: So I….

I put my index finger on Kiro’s mouth, interrupting his somewhat bewildered speech, and mysteriously raised his hand.

MC: Kiro, do you believe that there really is a heart and soul in this world? 

(Cut to observation deck)

By the time we rushed to the observation deck of the building, it was almost ten o’clock.

I heard that Kiro’s violin competition was here.

Under the transparent glass, everything in the city is in sight. The lights and the stars are connected together, like countless sparkles.

In the darkness, I walked in with the birthday cake I had prepared a long time ago. Kiro was obviously surprised.

Kiro: When did you…. 

MC: This is actually the birthday event I had prepared in advance.

MC: But I didn’t expect to come here so late.

While Kiro was in a daze, I put a birthday hat on his head.

MC: Happy birthday, Kiro!

I picked up the little cake that was lit with a candle, the sparks from the candle wrapped around us.

And this candlelight between Kiro and I was the brightest among all the sparks. All the tenderness and joy in his eyes were illuminated at a glance.

Kiro: Thank you, MC.

MC: Okay, birthday star, time to make a wish!

At my reminder, Kiro closed his eyes and pressed his hands together in front of his forehead.

After a long time, he slowly opened his eyes and blew out the candle in front of him.

MC: Now it’s gift time!

I bowed to him formally, walked to the piano in the observation deck and solemnly opened the piano cover. I placed a sheet with four bears on it on top.

Kiro: Is this your gift? 

I smiled and raised my head, looking at Kiro with a surprised look on his face, suddenly feeling relieved.

At first, I was a little scared, worried that this gift would ruin his piece.

 But now, I’m not afraid of anything. I just want to convey to him what I want to give him the most.

MC: You must have guessed it, come and give it a try. You can’t say no!

Kiro stood still, not knowing what to do.

Finally, he moved, took out his violin and put it on his shoulder.

However, he held onto the handle with his fingertips, shaking slightly.

Kiro took a deep breath, lifted the bow, and gently brought the notes to life.

And I also followed my poorly-written score and played along.

Kiro: What do you think of this?

MC: Actually, I don’t know how to write any music. I was so worried about what special gift I can give you.

MC: Until I heard this song you played in a video.

MC: I was wondering if I could use it as my gift.

Kiro: It must have taken a lot of effort. 

MC: A little bit more than usual?

Some lonely notes, accompanied by the piano seem to give it softer support.

People in this world are always lonely, but as long as two people are together even in the loneliest of times, they can accompany each other silently.

The important thing is that there is always someone willing to share the loneliness together.

MC: Kiro, do you like this gift?

Kiro: Can I say this is the best gift I have ever received? 

MC: What about my previous gift?

Kiro: They are the best.

Kiro closed his eyes as if he was listening to the music of the ensemble, or something else.

Kiro: Thank you, Miss Chips.  

The short ensemble was over. He held the violin and stood among the lights.

Kiro: Actually, I have been thinking about the meaning of birthdays.

Kiro: The first year, I think it was all the lonely times that made the first birthday with you so special.

Kiro: The second year, you said that the birthday was happy, and I will be especially happy any day in the future.

Kiro: But this year, I have a different answer.

MC: What is it?

In the sky full of stars and lights, Kiro seemed to be standing in the brightest place.

Kiro: People always grow up. Every birthday you have to tell yourself that you have grown up. You have to learn to understand and accept certain things.

Kiro: I have had many regrets in the past, and I have many reluctances.

Kiro: I tell myself every time, it’s over. Although I will miss it, I know it cannot be undone. 

In Kiro’s soft eyes, I seemed to see a lot of reminiscing and the reconciliation that I had to make.  

As a person grows up, it seems that the fragments of their heart will always be scattered.

We always feel that regret is necessary on the way to growth, so we just look back but will not stay.

Many people say that when we grow up, we will find that we are always using today’s time to make up for ourselves in the past.

This is growth.

Kiro: But you are different. You accompanied me and helped me pick up all the things that were secretly hidden by me, piece by piece, and put them back together. 

Kiro: What I cannot do alone or what I am about to forget, because of your existence, I no longer need to deliberately conceal myself.

Kiro: I don’t need to abandon any part of myself.

Kiro walked to my side in the starlight.

The lights glimmered behind him as if Kiro slowly lit himself up in every dull time in the past.

Kiro: MC, you found me. 

[END]

#mr love queen's choice #mr love #mr love game #mr love kiro #mlqc kiro #mlqc spoilers #mr love dream date #kira #date translation #THIS DATE IS EVERYTHING!! #SO BEAUTIFUL #THE AMOUNT OF TIMES I HAD TO GRAB MY PILLOW AND SCREAM INTO IT CUZ I COULDN'T HANDLE THE SWEETNESS #I love you so much Kiro omg

[certifiedskywalker]

Academic Misgivings (Part Five) - Peter Parker

You and Peter Parker aren’t friends, but you’re not entirely enemies either. You don’t like him but he always tries to be nice to you. He has everything you’ve ever wanted and you’ll do anything to show him that you can make it on your own. But can you?

Thanks for following this series so far! This is where the story REALLY picks up! Remember, 250 notes for the next part! Have a fun read!

PART ONE / PART TWO / PART THREE / PART FOUR / 

“So you found your sweatshirt, that’s good!” You pried your eyes away from the library doors to meet Peter’s. There was a glint in his brown eyes as he took in your form: green fabric hugged your shoulders and, due to the larger size, the sleeves hung around your fingers. You couldn’t help the heat that raged on your cheeks under his gaze and silently cursed yourself for it. You had to stay objective. 

“Yeah, I guess I just misplaced it,” you lied and added a smile for good measure. To avoid further questions, you turned your eyes to the bright, linoleum floor. The sight of the odd colors had become a signature sign of academic decathlon practices after school. 

“That’s good,” Peter replied, “it looks good on you, I see why you like it.” You dared to meet Peter’s eyes once more and saw your worst fears within them. 

You tried to think of everything Peter had, everything he had beat you to or at, to catch to hold on to that feeling of jealousy that drove you to teaming up with Flash. Peter had everything you had ever wanted and he had barely batted an eye while you were forced to watch from the sidelines as he climbed to success. You wanted to crest that hill, win that prize for yourself. So the thought, the twinge of maybe, maybe you wanted to climb with him and no longer against him, terrified you. 

“Uh, I, how are you feeling, after Chicago and everything?” Peter asked as he must have sensed that your silence had stretched on for far too long. You snuck a glance at him and when you saw only sincere concern on his features you felt a pang of betrayal about your masked scheming. Yet, you answered him anyway.

“I’ve been better,” you replied as you pushed away thoughts about the mission Flash had created for you. Peter nodded and you felt awash in understanding.

 “I-I know this might sound ...strange but, “I think that Spiderman is a bit creepy…”

“Wha-I, what? He, like ...saved you?” You smiled at Peter as he stammered out his question. When his shocked eyes found your features, you tore your gaze away. 

“He did, it’s just that…” you glanced around to make sure no one was listening in, “he was also the one that gave me my sweatshirt back.” Your admittance didn’t seemed to sink in for Peter right away. His thick brows furrowed together and the tips of his ears turned red.

“That’s uh ...is it creepy? It sounds like he’s just trying to be n-nice, right?”

“I guess so, it was just,” you frowned, “I wish he had given it to me in person.” Peter stopped, his sneakers squeaked as he halted behind you. You turned and looked at him only to find hints of worry on his features.

“Wouldn’t that have been ...worse? Like,” Peter met your eyes, “you would want to talk to him?” You couldn’t help the laugh that sounded out from your throat. 

“You can be so dense sometimes, Parker,” you sighed but before Peter could grasp that it was more of a jab than joke, you continued. “How else am I supposed to thank him?”

“I mean...he...he probably doesn’t want to risk you finding out who he is.” You bit the inside of your cheek at Peter’s words and nodded.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right, “ you said through slightly gritted teeth. You hated to admit such a thing. As much as you needed to get close to Peter for sabotage purposes, you hated the thought of further inflating his ego. Yet, with that kind, signature smile, MJ’s words echoed in your head: ‘The quiet nerd that stutters when he tries to talk to you? You think he’s arrogant?’

“I could uh ...if you write him a letter I could give it to-to Mr. Stark and he could give it to him, maybe. They know each other and…” Peter scratched the back of his neck as you watched him struggle to piece his words together. You felt your face warm at the sight and a feeling of jealousy bubbled up to swallow the shyness that threatened to overtake you. 

You shook your head and put on your best glare. “Yeah, yeah, Parker, I know. You have connections. No need to flaunt them.”

“No, no I’m serious, Y/N. Write him something and I can give it to him.” You narrowed your eyes at him in a poor attempt to mask the giddiness that rose up your throat and pulled at your lips. Peter began to walk again as you remained quiet in thought. The scent of whatever cologne he wore muddled your senses as he walked past and, quickly after, you fell into step beside him.

“Sorry, I...thank you,” Peter peered at you as you spoke and you could see a slight tiredness in his eyes. Before you could have pressed him about it, he spoke up.

“You don’t have to thank me,” he said with a shy smile, “you can tutor me.” Your eyes must have widened to the size of globes because Peter’s bashfulness fell away into worry. “I mean, you don’t have to, but I talked to Mr. Harrington and he’s worried about me falling behind like I did first semester with the internship and everything and-”

“You want me to tutor you?” Peter nodded and his brown eyes scanned over your face as if he could sense your every microreaction. You bit the inside of your cheek and felt yourself begin to flounder. Peter had asked you to tutor him, you! “Why not-”

“You’re like the smartest girl I know,” Peter admitted and pink rose to his cheeks. “I-I just, I want to let people know they can trust me. That I won’t let the team down and if you help me...people trust you with the team so...” He just had to make everything harder didn’t he? He couldn’t just revel in his achievements, rub them in your face, and make scheming against him, hating him, all the more justified. No, instead, he was asking you for help and your heart spoke before you mind even had the chance to think.

“Okay.”

“Okay? Really? Thank you, Y/N, really, thank you for doing this. With this and the intern-”

“It’s no problem. Tomorrow after school? We could meet and study,” you said, unable to stand the thought of having to hear him rattle on about Mr. Stark.

“Oh, y-yeah, yeah, here, you can put your number in my phone” You watched him unlock his phone and was able to catch the first digit of his pass code. ‘5’, you thought to yourself; one number closer to knocking Peter out of your way. The smile he gave you as he gave you his phone almost had you regretting the thought.

You nervously glanced around the school corridor to make sure no lingering students could take note of the exchange. Luckily, the only ones that stayed in the school after hours were band kids and those on the academic decathlon team. Everyone on said team were all inside the library, most likely waiting for you and Peter. Quickly, you entered your number in Peter’s phone before you handed it back to him. 

“Thanks, again, Y/N,” Peter said with a sweet smile. You nodded and reached for the handle on the library door.

“Sure, Parker,” you muttered but Peter must have heard it as you walked into the stuffy room where the team sat idle for he spoke up again.

“Oh, and, Y/N?” You held the door open and turned to Peter with an indignant sigh. 

“Yes?”

“Don’t forget the note,” he quipped before he entered the library before you with a smile. As he passed by, you couldn’t help but smile too. 

The next morning seemed to drag on for much too long. Free reading days in English class when you read much too far ahead were often boring. Luckily, you had a task to fill the time. You leaned towards you bag and pulled out a notebook. The quiet of the room only made the clicking and scribbling of your pen as loud as a guitar plugged into an amp. 

Shyly, you began to rough out a letter to Spiderman. It felt demeaning, like a child writing a note to Santa Claus in the hopes of gifts; only you wanted to gift him with gratitude. As you noted the similarities between Spiderman and the jolly fellow, you picked up on the squeak of a desk chair. With rosy cheeks, you looked up and met MJ’s curious eyes. 

“What are you writing?” Her voice is in a low whisper, but one still loud enough where you looked around the room in worry. When you saw no one seemed to have heard, you turned back to face MJ.

“A letter,” you replied, hoping that your vague answer would be enough to ebb MJ’s interest. However, you should have known better. You cryptic answer only intensified her curiosity. Seemingly without a care of getting caught, MJ leaned closer. 

“About? To who?” MJ’s questions seemed to echo through the graveyard-quiet classroom. “Is it like one of those letter to your future self things?”

“No,” you snapped in a whisper that felt much too loud for the setting. “It’s….” you leaned in closer, “a letter to Spiderman.” The explanation didn’t seemed to have shocked MJ, or prompt a fit of laughter from her either. Instead she gave you a quizzical look. 

“Why are you writing to someone who’s on the team?”

“Because I don’t know who he is,” you countered and MJ gave you a knowing look.

“C’mon Y/N, I’m like eighty-five percent sure it’s Pe-

“Ladies!” Ms. Lauren’s voice rang over MJ’s and you looked up apologetically. You mouthed a ‘sorry’ in her direction and focused back on your letter. 

“It’s obviously Peter,” MJ muttered, just loud enough for you to hear. You gave her a sad glance one that she returned with a shrug. You wished you had her confidence when it came to such wild ideas. Some part of you believed her, her logic flowed more than any algebraic equation you had the displeasure of proving. Yet, when you mind drifted to Peter, you couldn’t agree. If he was Spiderman that would set yet another, this one seemingly unreachable, goal for you. He simply couldn’t be that perfect.

Just as you were about to ask MJ if she believed Peter could even be capable of being a superhero, the bell rang. While the rest of your English packed up, you sat with your eyes glued on the paper before you. You scribbled out the ‘To Spiderman’ greeting and with a renewed sense of wonder wrote ‘To whoever is behind the mask’. That was who, in reality, you were writing to. The person, not Spiderman. 

“Alright team, good work today,” Mr. Harrington said but the smile on his face did not match the tiredness of his tone. You were setting up your papers for the tutoring session you had with Peter  when you saw Mr. Harrington pulled him aside. Peter had been late again, thanks to whatever Flash was doing behind the scenes. When he had stumbled into the library with reddened cheeks, Flash had winked in your direction with not an ounce of shame. 

The way Mr. Harrington had his hands on his hips as he talked with Peter had you feeling a pang of guilt. You could no longer deny that sense of shame that gripped you tight as you drifted off to sleep most nights. Nightmare of falling and Peter’s sad face had become your heart’s roommate ever since you had returned from the trip. 

Just as quickly as you dared to admit the thought, you would pushed it down all the more swiftly; in the same fashion you tore your eyes away from Peter when Mr. Harrington dismissed him. With a frown on his features, Peter took a seat across from you.

“Are…” you began to ask if he was okay but shook your head. “Are you ready?”

“Y-Yeah, thanks again,” Peter said quietly. You could see in his distant eyes that he was still caught up in whatever Mr. Harrington had said to him. 

“Really, don’t thank me,” you said as you took your seat. More regret for you scheming was not something you needed on your plate. “Do you want to start with a particular subject?”

“I think I’m okay with science and math,” Peter thought aloud, which made your heart sink. Of course he felt confident in those subjects; he was a Stark Industries intern. Why did he want you to tutor him when he could just ask Tony Stark questions? “How about English? I struggle with trivia on authors a lot.”

“Alright,” you sighed through gritted teeth. 

“Are you okay?” Peter asked and you cursed yourself for letting your anger poke through you facade. Your mind was still in a tail-spin, rattled by MJ’s theory about Spiderman. It didn’t help you were so close to who she believed had saved you from certain death. 

“Yeah,” you lied, “just thinking about a project.”

“The one in European history? I can help you with that if you want,” Peter’s suggestion settled into your bones that screamed at you to tell him the truth. Tell him that you hated how you hated him and how much you wanted to be like him; or with him. Instead, you opened up your studying material and shook your head.

“It’s alright, thanks, though, Peter.” 

You dared to meet his gaze and found it was a mistake. His once distant brown eyes were bright now with the exchange, a loose smile on his lips. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, you fired off a question. 

“This author was a renowned hunter and fisherman. He explored those interests through the character Santiago in which of his great works?”

Peter’s eyes widened and for the first time in your life you saw a flash of fear cross over his face. “Uh...it’s...Hemingway?”

“You don’t seem very sure,” you teased, unable to hide your amusement. Peter smiled bashfully and shook his head.

“That’s why you’re my tutor,” he fired back. His playful attitude sent heat to your cheeks which you did you best to mask as you looked down into the book of trivia.

“You’re right,” you admitted, “but you hesitated. You have to be quick.”

“That’s hard for me, in the English sections,” Peter gushed, “and current events.”

“Oh, for those, just make sure to read the paper or follow a bunch of news accounts online,” you explained, as if it were common knowledge. “It’s a good way to stay updated and some articles about celebrities help in the pop culture section.”

“Oh cool, I-I’ll do that,” Peter said with a smile.

“I did always find it odd that an academic decathlon team should know John Wayne’s filmography.”

“Or George Lucas’ intergalactic universe,” Peter chimed in and you laughed. You laughed. Peter Parker made you laugh and, in the moment, you didn’t care. The plan was scrapped in that stretch of seconds

“It was fun though,” you said once you had caught your breath, “watching those movies instead of practicing. Best week of practice by far.”

“Yeah,” Peter hummed fondly, “except if Flash decides to throw popcorn at your head.” That drop of joy spilled from your spirit at the mention of Flash, but Peter didn’t seem to have noticed the slight frown that spread across your features. “Is this...I think this is the longest we’ve talked. Like...ever.”

“I think so too.” You swallowed the dread that bubbled up your throat and turned back towards the book. “After becoming the most notable Romanticism poet of his time, this great writer died of tuberculosis in 1821.”

“Lord Byron,” Peter said, not a beat missed. You quirked a brow at him and his face fell. “Not Lord Byron then?”

“John Keats,” you corrected and Peter sighed. He looked tired, more so than usual. Something about how vulnerable he looked stirred within you. You bit the inside of your cheek and stifled the questions you truly wanted to ask.

“Do you know any of this stuff? Like the authors and their works?” You looked up and nodded. “Can I ...test you?”

“Uh, sure,” you said, your voice faltered as you passed the book over to Peter. He flipped to a different page. The sudden nervousness at the idea of Peter putting your knowledge to the test dissipated when he squinted his eyes at the page. His nose crinkled as he searched for question and you felt your heart swell. “You look like you need glasses.”

Peter looked up at your jab with a shy smile before he glanced back to the book preached atop the library table. “Yeah, I probably do.”

“You’d be the one to make glasses look good,” you thought aloud. Peter looked up again with red cheeks and you felt your own face go hot. “In like a nerdy way, you know. The glasses wouldn’t wear you like they do with some other people.”

“Thanks?” Peter managed to spit out the word, that sounded more like a question, through some soft laughter. You wanted to explain yourself, add more words to the pile of your growing embarrassment, but luckily, Peter found a question. “Some could argue his essay published prior to the American Revolution attributed to Washington’s success in war. Who is the author?”

“Thomas Paine,” you answered quickly, “hit me with a hard one.” Peter’s eyes were bright with awe and you felt a wave of heat wash over you despite the ceiling fan above. 

“Um... okay, how about, her first successful work was originally published under her husband’s name in 1818.”

“Mary Shelley, although there is only loose proof that Percy had his name on the novel when it was first published.” Peter raised his eyebrows and pushed the book back towards you. With a smile, you picked it up and flicked back to the prior page. 

“I’m glad you’re my tutor,” Peter expressed with a heavy breath. You looked up from the gathered textbook questions and met Peter’s eyes. You saw a glimmer dance across his face, a ray of light that filtered in from the windows around you. With the strange light, shadow lines dashed across his face like a spider’s web. The sight distracted you and you let Peter’s compliment hang in the air around you. 

MJ’s words pounded in your skull and you wondered if Peter could hear them as they echoed out through your ears. Peter was right there, sat before you and literally asking for questions. The intrigue was too hard to resistance. For science, you thought to yourself, just for science.

“Okay...this next one is ...what do you think about Spiderman?” 

“What?” Peter’s brows furrowed and you wondered if you had gone too far. This was a tutoring session after all, not some personal hour.

“Sorry that was stupid, I-”

“No, no, it wasn’t stupid,” Peter said and waved his hands. “I mean he saved you, so I think he’s pretty...neat.”

“Neat? You call a kids first art project neat,” you scoffed and Peter stifled a smile. 

“I guess it’s just...people compare him to Iron Man other think he’s like the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. He can’t win really. I think all he wants to do is save people, like you.” Peter’s eyes met yours and you felt your heart as it began to hammer in your chest. The glint in the pools in his eyes whispered some inaudible truth to you, one that some part of you hungered to hear. 

But then reality pulled the blinds from your eyes and you remembered that this was all an act. The fact you had asked him such a question was going to get yourself in too deep to act with an objective mind. You needed to stay focused, for the plan, to get Flash the passcode into Peter’s phone. That was the plan; so why did it make you sick to think about it?

“I guess you would know,” you swallowed hard, “knowing him and all.” Peter’s face contorted for a second, lines in his face read as confusion and only served to confuse you.

“O-oh, yeah, I guess I would,” he said quickly and he let out a nervous little laugh. “Speaking of, do you uh, the note?”

“Yeah, here, hold on.” You began to rifle through you book bag until your fingers brushed against your smaller notebook. You flopped it on the table and pulled at the letter that took up a page and a half. “It’s not my best work but-”

“It’s not for a grade, Y/N,” Peter soothed and you felt his fingers brush against your own as he grabbed the sheet. The touch was light but still there enough that you had to fight a shiver that threatened to show your cards. Perhaps you were already in too deep. 

“Yeah,” you said softly, “you’re right.” Peter was right, you realized, he just felt right and you hated that. You hated how easy it was to talk with him, to laugh with him. Jealousy had taken root with you for so long, confused with affection, and now, speaking to Peter, had come untangled. The knot in your stomach undone, you felt ill with regret. 

“Hey, Y/N?”

“Yeah?” You met his gaze and Peter swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing as evidence. 

“Do you-”

“The library will be closing in five minutes.” You nearly jumped out of your seat at the sound of the librarian’s voice. He was a nice man, who wore a different bow tie everyday, but when you’re not expecting him to intervene in your tutoring session, the kind demeanor is twisted. “Oh, hi Peter.”

“Hi, Mr. Ribald,” Peter greeted and the epiphany you had sunk back into the depths of your heart. Sure, it was easy to be around Peter, especially because, in his presence, you were invisible. While Peter and Mr. Ribald exchanged comic book recommendations, you packed up your things. Peter soon took note and bid the chatty librarian goodbye. 

As you shoved your trivia book in you bag, Peter eyed you. You met his gaze and raised your brows in question.

“Yes? What?” The one word questions came out much too harsh and Peter frowned.

“He didn’t...have you met Mr. Ribald?”

“Yes,” you drawled as you zipped up your bag, “I spend almost all my free time here.”

“Then why didn’t he say ‘hi’ to you?” You flung your bag over your shoulder and stared at the boy before you. His annoying naivety was back and in full force.

“Because he saw you first,” you snapped coldly. You hear Peter whisper you name sadly, but it’s so pitiful you pretend not to hear it. Instead you start towards the library door but stop when you hear Peter as he trailed behind you. “Peter, I don’t-”

“Let me walk you home,” Peter babbled, “it’s the least I can do with everything. Please?” His eyes were pleading and, once again, that momentary bliss of just being overwhelmed you. You acquiesced when you held the door open for him. With a kind look, Peter trailed behind you and walked with you out of the school. 

The way home was filled with silence for the most part as you muddled over the back and forth of your own emotions. One moment, you felt dirty, wrong for wanting to grab for everything Peter had in anyway possible and, instead, wanted to just melt into him. He was kind, after all, there was no denying that, even if his guilelessness got in the way of it. Yet, in another moment, you wanted to see him gone, as if the sight of him nauseated you despite how lovely his brown eyes looked when they were on you. 

“So you live close by the school? That’s cool,” you turned to glance at Peter as he spoke. Those eyes of his already on you made you flush in silence. “I have to take the subway to the school. It’s right off of the fourth stop.”

“You live with your Aunt, right?” The image of the woman embracing him after the team returned from Chicago played in your mind. 

“Yeah, I do. May’s the best,” Peter said happily and you could feel the affection he held towards his aunt. “She took me in without a second thought. That’s family, right?”

You bit the inside of your cheek and mumbled in response. Peter picked up on your sore attitude for, when you glanced at him, his face was crestfallen. 

“Right,” you said clearly this time, “family.”

“So do you live with-”

“This is me,” you said quickly and gestured to the rather decrepit looking apartment building. The lack of light at dusk did little make the complex’s facade welcoming. 

“It looks...homey,” Peter drawled as he took in the sight. You couldn’t help but snicker and shake your head at his poor attempt of comfort. “That obvious?”

“I’ve lived there my entire life,” you explained, “it’s never felt like home once.” As the words left your mouth, you realized how sad it sounded. Your smile died and Peter’s expression softened. You cleared your throat, “so uh, I should…”

“How about we study in that cafe across from school next time?” You raised a brow at Peter’s suggestion. “It stays open longer than the library at school so we could get more done.”

As long as you don’t ask stupid questions that make you feel stupid things, you thought to yourself before nodding. “Alright, that sounds good.”

“Ok, awesome,” Peter concurred with a grin. He had the kind of smile that popstars wrote songs about, a thought that made you cringe and melt at the same time. “I guess...uh ...have a good night, Y/N.”

“You too, Peter,” you said as he started to walk backgrounds down the street, that smile still facing you with all it’s fancy. “Goodnight.”

You didn’t want to drag out the farewell any further so you darted towards the entrance of your apartment building, not even sparing a second to look for any oncoming traffic. Luckily, the street was quiet and you were ascending the stairs in no time. Like the roads lining it, the apartments were eerily quiet. Even the lock on your door was silent as you used the key.

Not even the door creaked as you stepped inside. No one was home, again. When you slammed the door behind you, it was the sole sound that filled your ears. That, and the pounding of your heart as you realized your feelings towards Peter Parker were far more complicated than you had originally thought.

#AMfic #academic misgivings #peter parker #peter parker x reader #peter parker imagine #peter parker imagines #peter parker fanfic #peter parker fanfiction #tony stark #avengers #mj #michelle jones #zendaya #tom holland #marvel #marvel imagine #marvel imagines #marvel fanfic #marvel fanfiction #marvel mcu #mcu #spiderman #spiderman homcoming #spiderman ffh #spiderman far from home #ned leeds #spiderman imagine #spiderman imagines #spiderman x reader #spiderman fanfic

[givlianas]

     hey THOTS , it’s lola ! as promised , here’s giuliana , aka gi , aka gbaby , aka honor roll horse girl — we stan ! i have the shortest attention span in the world , so please hit me up on discord to plot at 𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖑 𝖈𝖑𝖔𝖜𝖓 𝖌𝖎𝖗𝖑 𝖘𝖍𝖎𝖙#3103 ! you can also react to this with a ♡ and i’ll hit you up !

ʻ   /   let  me  introduce  you  to  a  prized  member  of  our   equestrian team & honors society   ,   giuliana ‘ g ’ clemonte .  this   cisfemale  scorpio   has  been  a  student  at  our  institution for   eleven years  and  is  currently  a  twenty-one year  old   junior .   through  the  halls ,   she  has   always  reminded  me  of   natasha liu bordizzo  ,   but  there  is  always  more  than  meets  the  eye ,   like  the  fact  that  she’s been selling the stock her father put aside for her to a business rival .  coral  cape  has  made  their  future  just  as  bright  as  their  smile ,   i  assure  you .  ʼ     (  muse three ,  lola ,  twenty-one ,  est ,  she / her   )

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐒

full name : giuliana mae clemonte. nicknames : gi , giu , lia , liana , gigi , jujubee , gbaby. age : twenty-one. date of birth : november 14 , 1998. place of birth : rome , italy. sun sign : scorpio. gender : cisgender female. pronouns : she / her / hers. passports : american , italian , chinese. languages : english , italian , chinese. education : st . stephen’s school in rome ( until age ten ) and cape coral international school. major : sociology ( currently pre-law ). clubs : equestrian team , honor society.

𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘

     giuliana’s a daugher of china and italy , with roots tracing back to BLUE BLOOD on either side. her mother’s side traces back through generations of businesspeople and entrepreneurs , who built china’s economy. her father’s side traces back through generations of engineers and architects , who built many of the major cities of italy. her golden pedigree came with a certain amount of EXPECTATIONS , which her tiger parents were clear about with her from a young age. she was born in rome , and instantly sent off to the st . stephen’s boarding school when it came time for her to begin her schooling.

     meanwhile , business began booming in the united states for both sides of the clemonte clan , who made the move over to portland , leaving behind their daughter to finish her studies. at age ten , giuliana finally reunited with her parents and was THRUST into a wildly different school system. the change was enough to make the girl’s head spin , all while instilling in her adaptability and a love for OBSERVING others’ facial expressions , mannerisms and their general attitude around others. it’s something she’s kept to this day. 

     though wealth has played a large part in her upbringing and the environment she’s grown up in , giuliana’s grown quite DISILLUSIONED of it. she’s seen the damage her parents and their businesses have left in their wake ( the collapse of the new residence building being one of them ! ) and doesn’t quite understand how they’re able to just throw money at the problem and walk away. as her secret suggests , she’s slowly but surely inching away from what her family has built , and hopes her career will be enough to sustain her once she spits out the silver spoon that was put in her mouth when she was born.

𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐈𝐍 𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐇

𝐢. 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

TRACK 01 ▶ PANG by CAROLINE POLACHEK.

there's a look in your eyes when you're hungry for me it's a beautiful knife cutting right where the fear should be     

     this one’s a direct reference to giuliana and axel’s relationship. though their modus operandi is being ON AND OFF , a relationship peppered by petty fights , tears and short-lived breaks , no part of giuliana is truly ready to let axel go. their mental connection , their shared interests , their morals and values , their sex life — it’s all too good for her to let go of. this particular song really gives a sense of how fiercely she feels for him , how deeply he’s engrained in her being.

TRACK 02 ▶ ORDINARY SUPERSTAR by RINA SAWAYAMA.

because i'm just an ordinary superstar so far but always hanging where you are

     this one pertains to giuliana’s relationship with status , money and the lineage she was born into. though her last name opens doors , gets her a certain level of eduction and leads to a fair few people turning their heads or craning their necks , it’s something she still very much WRESTLES with. she’s obviously thankful for the immense privilege her wealth and background offer her on a regular basis ( hello ?! who wouldn’t ? ), but the scrutiny and the fabricated kindness and friendships that come from it are things she could very well do without.

TRACK 03 ▶ NAVY BLUE by CHARLOTTE LAWRENCE.

we got delusions of a grand oblivion we're only happy when we're higher than the sun

     this one ties more into the stereotypical aspects of being tied to wealth. the partying , the smoking , the drinking , the drugs — the small things that make the lives of the children at cape coral a little smoother. giuliana’s not particularly attracted to drugs , loud music , velvet ropes and faded neon signs , but has been known to partake occasionally , when everything becomes a little too intense to deal with and her brain needs a short BREAK from overthinking and overanalyzing.

𝐢𝐢. 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐬 

     like the true OBSERVER  she is , giuliana’s always been a social chameleon. her personality ebbs and flows based on the company she keeps , her eyes always careful to pick up on others’ emotions and body language. it’s how she’s been able to read past what her parents have told her over the years. in an environment where labels are quickly affixed , it’s what has kept her ahead of the curve and has allowed for her classmates , friends and anyone else in her orbit to be kept guessing.

     this , in turn , has led to one label sticking ( on and off , truth be told ): the MANIC PIXIE DREAM GIRL. after all , who wouldn’t want to be , hang around or date the mysteriously quiet girl with the golden pedigree and platinum family tree ? the one who always seems to have the most eccentric fun fact to recount during classroom ice-breakers , the one whose holiday destinations rival all others’ , the one no one can seem to ever get an accurate read on. part of her loves to have fun with the attention and whispers that come with this label , but another ( truthfully , larger ) part is conflicted with what this means for her and what that makes her come across as.

     ultimately though , if there’s anything anyone should know about giuliana clemonte , it’s that she’s a SEEKER and is driven by a need to know and understand the world and people around her. her actions , though not always meant to generate good , are always guided by her moral compass. she comes from a blue blood family and was given a silver spoon at a young age , but very much does not fit in the cookie cutter rich kid stereotype. she’s quick to point out the wasteful ways in which her family and those around her spend , and tries to keep her life as normal as she can ( though things like art , expensive wine , quality italian leather goods and lush fabrics are all things she’s thankful her lifestyle allows her to have ). 

𝐢𝐢𝐢. 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫

SOME FUN FACTS !

though her name doesn’t make it all that obvious , giuliana is of CHINESE-ITALIAN descent ( the former on her mother’s side and the latter on her father’s side )

she’s a very fast reader , and absorbs an impressive amount of the information she reads — if you’ve watched suits , she’s like michael ross : everything she understands , she remembers forever

her luxury vices are italian leather shoes , earrings , art and good food ( cars ? private jets ? clothes ? expensive hair and makeup artists ? useless spends in her eyes )

she collects all of the letters she’s ever received and will spend evenings spreading them out on her bedroom floor and re-reading them quietly ( chocolate readily available or glass of wine in hand ) when she needs to re-center herself

she’s gotten many , many nicknames over the years ( gi , giu , lia , liana , gigi , jujubee , to cite a few ) but true friends know to call her gi

     you can find a ( work in progress , because i’m a perfectionist about these ) pinterest board for giuliana HERE !

𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

     give me STRONG FEMALE FRIENDSHIPS that are basically platonic soulmate relationships , with comfort and trust so strong that nothing could ever break them apart ( carla and lu , but without the murder and arguments ? ) 

     give me a SQUAD with late night wine drinking , nights spent out on beaches skinny dipping and laughing until it hurts , large group hugs when things aren’t so good , promises to always have each others’ backs and inside jokes that no one else will ever understand. 

     give me an UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIP with a boy she was convinced she hated , but now realizes she’s so similar too ( they’re both shitty , and it’s fine ! ) and will insult to cope. 

     give me ONE NIGHT STANDS and HOOKUPS she uses to attempt to get over axel , with heated kisses in stairwells and hallways and labored breaths in semi-public places.

     give me ANGRY SCHOLARSHIP KIDS who can’t stand her connection to the collapse of a building and with whom she’ll clash , all while knowing that they’re right and that her family should pay the price of their actions.

     give me someone gi SMOKES WITH on the roof of her home , to get away from it all. she has her head on their shoulder and smoke dancing out of her mouth , counting down the minutes until she feels light enough to start pouring her soul out.

     give me CHILDHOOD FRIENDSHIPS with people who first saw baby gi , fresh out of italy , with a strong accent and doe-eyed confusion over schedules , classroom locations and the like. they’ve stuck by each other for years , and maybe knowing each other that well has been good or maybe it’s dangerous that they know so much.

   give me ANYTHING YOU WANT ! i honestly love in-depth , thought-out plots and would love , love , love to brainstorm and think through things with all of you !

#❪ ⋅ ◆ ⋆ — ❛ out of character ❜ ❫ #capecoral:intro

[katabasiss]

D I V I N E    D U S T

@endymions title exchange for @acheloides

There was dust on her hand, etching it’s way between the crevices: coating her nails. Gold for the sunflowers she adored, gold for her hair in soft light, gold for tint of her cheeks. She rubbed the dust within her palm absentmindedly. Her hands were dry. There wasn’t much to do about that she decided - she had much to do, too much to do. There were preparations to be made, people to talk to - mothers to comfort.

An empty bed to lay beside.

No. This was her job. She could fix this, make it better - rid her dry, dry hands of this putrid dust.

She recalled the moment it happened. The slow decline of the flower her lover had held. Her sharp features, softer as they collapsed under a wave of gold. A hand reaching for her, eyes desperate, mouth -

No. There was too much to do. She couldn’t. She didn’t have time to think; to cry, to mourn, to plead.

She rubbed at her palm again and looked up in contemplation. She had a plan - a solid plan, she thought. It would fix this. All of this. It had to. As she scraped her thumb against her palm for the third time, she stood up and began to jog along the barren corridors. There would be no more ‘dust’. Everything would go back to normal.

Her heels bellowed along the marble that adorned floor, a chill residing from them that coated her bones. As her destination rose in her peripheral vision, feet rouge from the force exerted, she curled up her hair - the black locks tightly forming a braided crown. Yes, she thought, this would do nicely. Her hands flung up but this time to meet the harsh jutting rocks she was quickly approaching. They scraped harshly against the sides, rocks digging their way into her palm. Her dust coated hands now torn at the edges. She lifted a hand up –

-and began to climb. Continued to climb, even as her thighs burned, even as sweat dripped down her eyes, even as the skin on her feet cracked: until she could see the top. Until jagged stone turned to long forgotten fields of cracked wheat, until the blackened landscape turned a dirty blue mulled with dull greys.

When her now bloodied hands felt that dry crackle of yellowed grass oppose to jagged rock, she cried a breath, arms straining under the weight of pulling herself up, collapsing underneath her and she slowly found the energy to turn when a voice above made itself known.

“Who the fuck are you and what are you doing in my blasted field?”

She looked up and noted a man drawn with wrinkles around each corner with hair as grey as the clouds gathering above. Still laying on the ground – rubbing her palm absentmindedly with her ring finger, she looked up and met the man’s gaze -

“They call me Hades. I’ve come to save my wife”

The old man, who later introduced himself half reluctantly as Henry, somehow affectionately short for Harold he grumbled - had clearly taken pity on her, Hades thought as they slowly trekked through acres of dry dust. Her foot shuffled and kicked up dust - she watched as it halfheartedly flew away with child-like effort as the faint breeze grasped desperately for it like a mother and an escaping toddler. Why? Hades pondered - perhaps it was because of the state of her hair? the rips in her dress? Maybe the sheer lack of shoes took him by surprise?

“Where are you taking me?” Hades inquired, curiosity crawling out of her tightly locked lips.

“Home. To my wife.”

“Why? Why with me?”

“Why?”, Henry scoffed, “Because I just met a batshit crazy lady out in my bleeding field claiming to be the God of death and dressed to the bloody nines as my late grandma would’ve – bless her soul. If my wife would’ve find out an’ I didn’t help yah? I’d be in the doghouse.”

Hades paused for half a step and frowned. She wasn’t particularly dressed any differently than how she did last time she was on this plane – she had kept up with the height of fashion then. A blue ankle-length dress, tightly upkept hair: nothing excessive. But then, Hades supposed - rubbing her palm, mortals do have an exceptionally short life-time; more often than not fleeting and unused. She would know best after all. She remembered the stacks of death records piled up, the ink still present and smudged on the edge of her hand even now.

She tilted her head in inclination of a nod but then noted the emphasis Henry had put on the word ‘God’.

“Why does everyone assume I am a male?” She asked, a hint of bitterness poisoning her words and relying her thoughts on the, if she did say so, rather sexist presumption.

“You mean why does everyone assume the Greek god of death in mythology is a guy?”

“That’s exactly what I said” Hades puzzled. She drew in half a breath and reluctantly with a wince and her hand half held out in a reassuring position questioned, “Do you perhaps need hearing aids? Forgive me for asking of course”.

“Jesus fucking Christ”

“I…think you’d find that to be rather impossible considering Jesus and Christ are in fact, the same person”

Henry sighed. “Look kid, you really wanna know? It’s just how it is, I don’t know why okay?”

Hades grumbled, “that doesn’t seem very fair”

“Yeah life isn’t kid.” She supposed that was fair. Life was cruel in a way no one would ever claim had they not seen the serenity of death. Life was awfully lonely, Hades thought. “What you doing here anyway?”

“I told you. I’m here to save my wife.”

“Yeah? Course you are. Bet she’s Persephone too eh?” Hades frowned, mortals often didn’t know them – perhaps this man was a deity in disguise? a demi-god perhaps? The days the Hellenic ruled were long gone. Her brothers and sisters left to merely grasp on the edges of their domains, to cry only a whisper of power.

She began to study the man more in-depth - a microscopic focus. His veins red apparent with blood, different from the ichor gold within her own. He was aged and whilst kind-looking, not in an overly graceful manor thanks to the perpetual frown painted on the corner of his lips. No. This man was no God, no higher power.

“How did you know?” She quizzed.

“Don’t take a genius does it?”

How awfully vague.

“Look up ahead kid. That’s my house.”

In line with where Henry pointed and buried beneath rows of corn, with a half-caved roof was indeed, a quaint little house. A cottage really, if Hades was to be pedantic. It had faint walls, stripped and deprived of any colour thanks to the iron regime of the molten heat and a little weather vane stationary and much too heavy for what little breeze there was outside.

Once inside, Hades found the outside had little reflection on the interior – the walls painted in a multitude of colours ranging from green and blue to yellow; the carpets thick and full, and the atmosphere warm but in a kindly way that was barren and devoid in the heat outside.

“Henry?” the voice was squeaked and nasally in that way only a  southern American accent could achieve. When the voice emerged it came from a woman – small and hunched with tightly permed dark locks and dressed in bright pink loose garments.

“We’ve got a guest. Said she’s called Hades – three guesses as to what her wife’s called?”

“Henry!” the woman reprimanded as she walked closer. She held out a hand, “You can call me Lisa dear. What can we do for?”

“I – I came to – to err” Hades coughed, the shock and novelty wearing off of the petite woman’s hand outstretched before her nose, “I came to find a way to help my wife”

“What’s wrong with her dear?”

She wasn’t sure what to say. The dealings of the God’s were not the concern of mortals. But, Hades thought, there was no one else. What good were the dealings of the God’s staying separate from those of mortals when there were a lack of God’s to have said dealings?

“I don’t know” she whispered rubbing her palm, “she turned to dust”.

“Dust?” Henry cut in, “How can a –“ he sighed between words, “- a god, of all things, turn to dust?”

She hesitantly sat down on the loved blue sofa, opposite from where Henry and Lisa sat – slouched and leaned forward respectively.

“There are…not many things that can fell one of our calibre.  Many have tried, and all have failed – from Kronus, to Death, to even one another. But one thing that we are all mortal to: is belief.”

“Belief?”

“It is the one thing that holds us together – it was belief that created us, and belief that shall end us. It is the rising waves, the oppressive heat, the dawn of a new day and the dusk of another. It will outlive us all – including immortals.”

“So belief? That’s what’s wrong with your wife – err Persephone?”

“The days of the Hellenic are long gone” Hades shrugged, “too few know and invoke her name. She has been…replaced by others.”

“Yeah – there’s a reason it’s mythology” Henry scoffed. Lisa swatted her hand at his chest and glared.

“Fine. If you’re really Hades then lass, then how – how are you not, what was it? Dust?”

“Whilst we are all privy to the ebb and flow of belief, there are – things that cannot die. Time, death, war – all are forever. We are the past, present and we will be the future. There is something – wrong, with this world. Mortals have begun to play our role, to play God. They control weather – springtime is no longer present; crops fail to harvest; the stars lack their shine and bright glow. Love is seen as a burden; this world is built on the ideals of success being the only thing worthwhile. When I talk about belief, on one hand, I do indeed mean, the worship invoked in our names – the candles lit for our sakes. But, a name forgotten is quickly traded for another. Our domains? What we control? That is where the belief needs to be centred. If there is no belief in love – where does that go? Love must disappear.”

Silence knelt its presence in their conversation, all that could be heard was the slow battering of dust against the panels of the house.

“So, let me get this straight dear,” Lisa began, her eyes darting slighting towards her husband but a smile in the direction of Hades, “It’s not the belief in – in your wife, Persephone that is – that presumably killed her is it? It’s the belief in – what is she the Goddess of again dear?”

“err springtime?” Henry questioned in response.

“Yes. It’s that the belief in springtime is gone?”

“In a way” Hades sighed, “It’s – springtime is deemed a fact of this world. It cannot be believed in or against, it just is. It’s that springtime has seized to exist in a way,” she rubbed her palm, “Humans, they – I don’t, don’t know the term for it – global warming I think?  They have done something, none the less, and – springtime, autumn – fall whatever you call it, it is no more.”

“Global warming – killed a Goddess?” Henry stated incredulously.

“Global warming, killed springtime and with it – “ Hades retorted, “my wife. Yes.”

Silence had now begun to stand, looming over the group and pulling itself up by grasping on their tongues. Lisa coughed, quickly biting the hand that restricted her and forcing the silence to retreat.

“Would you – would anyone like any tea?”.

Hades smiled up at her and nodded, “Please”

“Right we go then dear, I’ll be right back” She said, smiling back with cracked lips tinted a pale crimson.

“So what was your grand plan then lass?” Henry questioned, “You said you’d come to save your wife. How you gonna do that? Fight fist the God of Global warming?”

“There is no God of Global warming”

“No –“ Henry said in an odd voice that Hades couldn’t discern, “Just one of Death”

Hades frowned, not in response to his statement but rather to his question. ”I don’t know in all honesty. I – I thought maybe I’d go around, try to reinforce belief, rally whatever of us there are left together for one cause.”

“So you’re becoming an environmental activist?” Henry drawled.

“What’s this?” Lisa cut in, precariously balancing a tray of overflowing mugs – milky tea tracing the sides as she shuffled slowly forward. Hades stood up to help but was quickly shot down with mutterings of “No no no dear – you just stay there.”

“Hades here wants to become an environmental activist”

“That’s not what I said” Hades frowned, “I want to rally the troops so to speak, inspire belief- see who’s left. Thought I’d take a car and drive, it can’t be that difficult can it?”

“What rallying the troops?”

“No. Driving”

“Your whole plan resides on you driving around and you don’t even know how?” Henry questioned incredulously

“Well then, isn’t it lucky you do dear” Lisa stated, with a pointed smile towards Henry. They participated in a staring match for what seemed like hours, neither folding nor laying their cards down on the rickety table in front.

“Guess it’s a good thing you got a taxi driver then kid,” Henry drawled bitterly, running a thumb around the rim of his mug, “where’s the first stop?”

Hades brought her own cracked mug to her honey-stained lips and took a sip, tasting the bitter tea swirling with thick milk. She didn’t know who was alive, still around even. But she was death, riches, the underworld - if she was still around, what were the chances he would be? They had to go to the most vile, black-hearted place around; if he was to be anywhere – if he was even alive, it would be there.

“Vinton, Iowa”

//

The first thought Hades had when she saw Henry stutter the mangled car from the worn garage was, “this is how an immortal dies”. It was a pale blue, perhaps once a rich cobalt now whitened with sun damage and scabbed at every nook and cranny. It groaned a pitiful noise when Henry drifted towards Hades – or at least attempted to. The car seemed to miss its mark by about 5 meters, leaving Hades to half jog towards the passenger door.

“I think this is older then I am” she said, ducking her head hesitantly in the car to sit down.

Henry snorted, “Bessie’s perfectly well and fit, don’t be a wimp lass”. Hades turned to him, looking sceptical.

“She looks like she’d fall apart going below the speed limit”

Henry glared at her in response and was quick to remind her just who it was who was driving her “ass around”. Naturally with that reminder, she shut up and instead turned to the battered radio player and began fiddling with its knobs. Henry slapped her hand away.

“If you gonna be annoying, you can get out right now”

“So you want to sit in silence with nothing but my company for hours?”

Henry seemed to think better on this and whilst still glaring at her lifted his own hand to the radio, turning to the first station that didn’t bellow out an ear-splitting crackle.

As they drove through the fields of wheat and grass, Hades mind was stuck on Persephone. She knew she was doing the right thing but in all honesty, she had no idea if it would work or not. She – she just didn’t know. What if she failed? What if –

Her thoughts were disturbed by Henry turning down the radio to a silent whisper and asking, “So why Iowa of all places?”

“If I truly want to rally the troops so to speak, I need a leader. I’m all well and good but – I’m not exactly known for my social skills, so to speak that is”

“Can’t see why” Henry cut in, his tone sarcastic and as dry as the river of heat embracing the car. Hades glared at him, she may not have much interaction with mortals – that was more Thanatos’ realm, but she occasionally still knew sarcasm when it hit her.

“Yes well, the fact stands, I’m not the best person for this job.”

“So who is?”

“Who better to lead troops then the God of war. I want Ares.”

“Ares. You think you’re gonna find Ares, the God of war of all things, in an unremarkable little town in Iowa”

“It is more often than not, the unremarkable that is the remarkable. You just have to remember to look. You can find the most brutal anger in the plainest of people, the most embracing love in the ordinary. The extraordinary are only that because that is all they have. The ordinary? The unremarkable as you say? In my experience, they have always been the jack of all trades, skilled in a multitude of ways that extraordinary simply cannot comprehend.”

“Some would say the Gods, if they were real that is, were extraordinary. How you feel about that?”

“Immortals are not without their flaws” Hades scoffed, “my brother Zeus is cruel. Does horrible things to those around him; Poseidon with a temper that can fell cities to their knees – myself even, an apathy at times that scares even my wife. No one is exempt – even the Gods.”

Silence once again made itself know – how kind of their old friend Hades thought. Henry coughed, apparently unsure of what to say.

“Neat”.

Hades snorted, an ugly coughing escaped Henry is response.

“Is that what your laugh sounds like?”

Her eyes widened, and her hand shot up towards her mouth as her cheeks blushed a deep crimson.

“Shut up”

Henry laughed, his own laugh a loud, racketing bellow that came deep from within.

“No no no, I didn’t mean it like that lass. It’s perfectly fine. It’s just you don’t tend to think of the so-called deity of death laughing”

“I mean technically, Thanatos is the God of death – I’m just – I just have the underworld.” Hades stuttered out “Oh and – and money”

Henry’s laugh continued as the landscape blurred past them – yellow turning green with pine, the road now a grey tarmac rather than dusty paths.

When they finally reached Iowa, they were greeted by a titled sign and clear skies – silence befell them.

“What are you doing?” Hades asked as Henry indicated to turn into a half-empty car park lined with blocked, grey scale buildings.

“You can’t go out or around like that lass”

“Like what?”

“Like you been holed up all your life in a tower with your grandmother as your only company” Henry scoffed.

“I like these clothes” Hades said, running her hand down the bottom of her dress, feeling the scruff of the blue linen on her hand.

“And you’ll find more clothes you like”

“You don’t have to do this” she said as he chugged the car to a stop after taking what she could only assume was five hours to park.

“Oh I’m not doing this for you lass,” Henry laughed before putting on a mimicry of a higher pitched voice, “I refuse to be seen in public with you looking like that”                     

“I don’t – I don’t understand”

He sighed getting out of the car, “Doesn’t matter anyway lass. Come on – any thoughts on what you’d like?”

“Clothes” she dragged out, still largely unsure as to what exactly was happening.

“Oh fucking hell – no shit sherlock” Henry replied, more to himself then to her.

“Who is sherlock? Do we need him? Can he help?”

As they walked into the store, limonium flooring slapped underneath her heels and reflected the clinical bright lights.

“Go nuts kid, I’ll out here if you wanna show off your outfits”

“What do I pick?”

“Whatever you think is neat”

Naturally, this was a horrible idea. The first look Hades picked was an attack of colour – a pastel ankle length skirt paired with a purple flower blouse and black Velcro trainers. She thought it looked great; the first out of Henry’s mouth however was a harsh, “No”.

The next outfit was potentially a bit blander, she thought. A blue strappy shirt with flared trousers and a dull green cloak. One again however, she was rejected with a quick “no” and an incredulous “How did you even find that?!”.

Finally, disheartened and frustrated with the constant rejections, she decided to simply copy what she did last time she was on this plane and mimick others. The girl to her left was wearing an oversized beige jacket, a jumper and what appeared to be rolled up trousers accompanied with boots. That would do nicely, Hades thought.

As she slowly drew back the changing room curtain once again, she carefully watched Henry’s features and was relieved to be met with an, admittedly, disinterested thumbs up.

Once they left it was back on the road to Vinton, Iowa. Well no, first they stopped at the drive through starbucks but then – it was back on the road to Vinton, Iowa.

As Henry parked the car in a barren car park, Hades watched the town – the people who turned their heads towards the car and greeted them with stares cased in fire and masked with southern hospitality.

“Quaint” Henry mummered under his breath, “So where exactly do we find the God of war?”

Hades frowned, sniffing the air as they stepped out of the car before pointing due east. “That way”.

“You sure?”

She glared back at Henry who like a solider on a battlefield, held up his hands in surrender. As they walked towards their destination, Hades found herself remiss in the fact there was no dirt to kick up. The tarmac coated in a thin layer of dirty water instead and she found herself in response watching the puddles cling to Henry’s shoe like a dribble of spit as he walked in front of her.

“Turn left” Hades said to Henry who was a few steps ahead of her and they soon found themselves face to face with a suburban estate, doors and walls the same colour – the same lawn repeated again and again.

“The God of war is in a suburban estate?” Henry dragged out.

“They have a lot of pent of anger” Hades responded. As they walked to a nondescript doorstep, Hades peaked inside the window and noted how the regimented white yellowed into sepia tones – giving way to the apparent secrets hidden behind a pure facade. She slowly pressed a hand towards the door and with a creek it opened, revealing blood stained wall paper pealing at the edges and an isolated sofa chair with its back to the door illuminated by only a faint glow of the tv screen in front.

“Ares” Hades began

“Been awhile” the figure replied, smoke misting from the corners of his lips and drenching the room in thick tobacco.

Hades hummed in response, it had been a while she supposed but in regards to the life span of an immortal? “Only a century or so” she mollified, her tone gentle yet hesitant in nature. In the dim light, she could see Ares draw in another breath of smoke and exhale slowly – his brown hair, once the rival of Adonis now drooping and low, cut into his cheekbones as he did so.

“I remember,” he responded scornfully, “in any place there is enough war, there is death walking alongside him”

Henry, who had been silent until now chose this moment to speak up – “I thought you were saying you two were friendly?”

Hades opened her mouth to respond but Ares quickly beat her to the punch, “War and death are always friendly –“ he tilted his head as if in contemplation before quickly huffing out a laugh, “as are riches and war. Always have been. Always will be.”

Hades took a step forward, her boot crunching over the rotted floorboards below. “We need your help” she sighed, cutting straight to the point.

“Help?” Ares huffed, “the fuck you want me for?”

“Look at the place Ares”, she snorted, making a move to turn on the light and in doing so, allowing it to become apparent to the trio just how desolate the place was. As she slowly ran her fingers over the coarse fabric of his chair she whispered, “What is war without love? What’s the point?”, until she was squatting, face to face against Ares. “We can help you. We can bring her back.”

“Yeah? Why should I believe you? After last time and what happened?” he huffed before continuing, “I never got that weapon back”

“Because Persephone is gone”. It was the first time she’d ever said it aloud. Aloud and with clarity. Amidst the fire and smoke wrapping itself around her throat, a deep chill made itself known in her bones, tracing the insides of skin and curling along her veins.

“Really gone huh?”

Hades nodded, rubbing her palms on her knees and revelling in the sweat that dampened them. She had never sweat before, and she thought absentmindedly ‘what did that mean for her?’

“You got a plan?”

She smirked, meeting his gunpowder dark eyes, “Don’t I always?”

#gonna be honest i wrote this on like the first day in a rush and then promptly forgot about it hsakhfkls #so like it's kinda shit and badly written but i hope you like it! #plus ngl half the reason i didn't develop the writing further is because it sparked my wip djkdjdk so i should really be saying thanks #endystitleexchange #title exchange

[lazulifoster]

An Unexpected Visitor (Loki X Reader) Part 2

Prompt: Sex by The 1975, Million Dollar Man by Lana Del Rey, and If I Never See Your Face Again by Maroon 5 feat Rihanna

Pairing: Loki x Reader

Warnings: Swearing; angst; arguing; mild sexual content

Word Count: 3k+

A/N: Inspiration from my Spotify Playlist again lol I think I say this every time I post something but sorry if its a slow burn, I actually have a lot of ideas for this fic but I like a slow build ;) Hope you enjoy part 2 if there are typos, from the bottom of my heart, my bad :)

Brief Summary: Loki and you dated back in college before he up and vanished. You have moved on with your life, even started a family, but an unexpected visitor makes his way back into your life.

||5 years earlier||

“Shall I compare thee to a summers day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate.” “Loki…” “Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, but bears it out, even to the edge of doom.”

Loki.” “…by heaven, I think my love as rare as any she belied with false compare.” “LOKI!  I’m going to fail this quiz if you don’t shut up and quit reciting Shakespeare!” “Oh, hush, love. There is no reason to study, anyway. You know all the answers already.”

“I just want to double check and make sure. Because last time this happened, I practically failed my quiz.” “I seriously doubt you’re capable of failure, Y/N. Besides, your beauty alone deserves to be glorified at every waking moment.” “ Oh pleeease, your flattery won't work this time.” “Won’t it?” Loki leaned in close to me, placing gentle kisses along my neck, causing my will to study to wane dramatically.

Loki then pushed my notes and books of my bed, and we both rapidly undressed, making me completely forget about my upcoming quiz.

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

“You better start fucking explaining yourself, Loki!”

I began a feeble attempt to reel in the myriad of thoughts flooding my mind. My emotions were a chaotic blend of utter confusion and absolute joy. Loki was here, in the flesh; holding me, kissing me, and telling me we belonged together.

I had pictured this moment so many times over the years, and nothing was happening like I had imagined it. But as much as I missed Loki and secretly yearned for his over the years, reality slowly crept in. Loki was gone far too long to go without explaining himself. I needed answers. Lots of answers.

“My love, I promise you, I will explain everything, but this is hardly the time or place—” “Oh no, no, I am not playing games with you Loki! The “time and place” is right now! You’re the one who left and decided to just randomly show up out of nowhere!” My voice cracked, and I forced myself to hold back more tears, annoyed at myself for getting emotional again.

“I need to know what happened to you, Loki. You owe me that much.”

I could see Loki felt guilty. I knew that behind his devil-may-care attitude and playful demeanor he felt awful for deserting me. I started to feel sorry for getting heated with him again. The Loki I knew would never just leave without a legitimate reason. But suspicious thoughts kept lurking in my head. He’s just trying to manipulate you. I shook the feeling aside, I already had too much to think about. I reached up and rubbed my hand through his beautiful black hair.

“I’m sorry, Loki. I’m just—I don’t know, there is a lot to take in.”

Loki gave a slight grin, placing both of his hands on my waist.

“As much as I’d love to chat with you about everything that's happened, darling, your mum has prepared something for dinner that smells absolutely delicious, and it would be a shame to let all her hard work go to waste.”

I gave a slight chuckle. Loki was right. If I wanted to know the full story, it would be best to wait till my parents and ex weren’t around. Also, I hadn’t eaten all my food at the restaurant with David, so I was actually quite hungry as well.

“Fine. But this isn’t over.” I reminded Loki. He nodded and leaned forward and gave me a soft peck on my forehead before both of us walked in the house. Neither my mom, dad, or David noticed Loki had ever left; still speaking with his illusion.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” Mom asked suspiciously

“Oh yeah—um—no I didn’t.” I stumbled over my words like a nervous school girl. Keep it together.

Rachel waddled up to me babbling what sounded like, “Mama.” She wasn’t really speaking yet, but her little attempts always made me so proud. I picked her up off the floor, and she looked around at us five adults standing around talking. Rachel’s eyes met Loki’s, to which Loki made a silly face at Rachel, causing her to laugh loudly. The brief moment between them made me and my parents chuckle. Seeing Loki interact with Rachel made my heart melt; it was almost too adorable for me to handle. The sweet moment ended abruptly however when I looked over at David and saw an irritated scowl cross his face. Knowing David’s temper, I cleared my throat to break the building tension.

“So…what did you make for dinner, mom?” “Oh, just some roast chicken with mash potatoes and Brussel sprouts, nothing fancy.”

“A regular feast, I cannot wait to try, Mrs. Y/L/N.” Loki smiled

“Well, come on in the dining room then, we don’t want the food getting cold.” Mom began ushering us to the dinner table.

“I already ate,” David interjected.

Mom, still walking away, yelled behind her, “Well I guess you can go home then, David.”

My dad laughed from the dining room at my mom’s sassy comment, making David looked at me and whispered, “What the hell?”

"It’s ok, we’ll talk later. I’ll text you.”

David gave me an annoyed look but decided it would be better to leave before he left my parent's good graces entirely. David gave Rachel a quick kiss goodbye and made a quiet exit.

When David left, all of us inadvertently let out a collective sigh of relief.

“Finally got him out of here, goodness gracious,” Dad grumbled.

“Dad, can we not…”

“I just want a relaxing family dinner with all of, it’s been too long.” Mom was beaming. Sometimes I wondered if mom loved Loki more than I do.

Did.

My mind was still an absolute whirlwind. Barely an hour ago, David and I were at dinner, talking about our daughter’s future and reconsidering where our relationship stood. Then I see Loki’s car in my parent's driveway with his stupid “God of Mischief” vanity plates, next thing I know were kissing, uprooting so many feelings I had pushed down over the last 3 years; and now Loki was eating dinner at my house like we had years ago. My emotions were a constant ebb and flow or fury, and affection One moment, I suppressed every urge I had to cause a scene and demand answers from Loki. The next, I wanted Loki to take me in his arms again and to pick up where we had left off. I still couldn’t comprehend how someone who I spent almost every day with since I was 18 to just suddenly vanished. I mean, I knew about Loki being a god. I knew about his brother, Asgard, and the Avengers. I didn’t know everything, but he had told me bits and pieces and opened up to me over the years. I also knew he would have to leave occasionally concerning “family squabbles” and things concerning the Avengers, but he would always let me know ahead of time and would even send his illusion to check in on me.

The leading theory I had settled on for Loki leaving was I thought I scared him off because of the last conversation we had. Petty, I know, but I couldn’t think of anything else it could possibly be.

I remembered every detail about our last conversation, probably because I played the moment repeatedly, trying to figure out what went wrong.

It was almost the end of the semester. Loki and I were in a local coffee shop, close enough to the college to walk, but not close enough where it was bombarded by other collegians studying for finals. Loki was actually helping me study for my other classes besides literature. I was studying for a freshman world geography class, an easy elective I took to boost my GPA. We had both ordered our drinks (Loki drank an Italian roast, black, and I had a cortado.)

While he was helping me study the countries of the Eastern Hemisphere, I looked up at him.

“Do you think you’ll ever get married? Or have kids?”

While Loki took a sip of his coffee, his eyes quickly shifted to me.

“I mean, one day. I’m not saying to me—or anything—um, I was just curious. Plus I’m bored of studying.” I gave an awkward laugh, trying to hide my cheeks turning a bright shade of crimson.

Loki bit his lip and tilted his head up and looked off in the distance. I felt like I could actually see wheels turning in his head. Then he spoke.

“I honestly cannot answer that.”

“Oh…”

“Well, I don’t know, truthfully. Marriage seems so, arbitrary to me. Especially, as a god, time means nothing to me, but to Midgardians, time is so precious, so you decide one person to spend that time with until your dying breath. So if I were to marry an Asgardian, I would be tied to them for possibly, millennia. And if I was to marry a Midgardian, they will have already lived a quarter of their life. I’ve been alive far too long and have learned there is no point in getting attached to something I cannot keep.”

He spoke so matter-of-factly that it almost brought me to tears. Was that all I was to him? A mere mortal with 25% of my life over. I felt foolish for thinking I could be more to him than a Midgardian “friend with benefits.”

Pretending not to be hurt, however, I nodded nonchalantly as I listened to his rant and took a sip of my drink. He continued.

“I could see myself having children though, one day.”

“So you can’t see yourself getting married, but you can see yourself having children? Alrighty then.” I laughed, accidentally letting my hurt feelings slip into my reply.

“Do you see a problem with that, love?”

“No, not at all, to each his own. So kids huh?” He looked at me and gave me a rueful grin. 

“I would love to give my children the childhood I always craved.”

I gave a sympathetic groan and reached out for his arm and gave him a gentle squeeze. I didn’t want to press the issue further. I knew how sensitive he was about the subject. After a few moments, Loki spoke again, looking directly into my eyes.

“Did you ask me that, because I am someone you would want to marry?”

My eyes inadvertently widened and swallowed a little harder than necessary. I felt a little uneasy because Loki refused to break eye contact with me.

“Honestly, Loki…” I felt instant nausea from my nerves.

“Yes?”

“You are someone I want to marry. Why wouldn’t I? You’re amazing, you’re well read, you’re kind, but more importantly, you’re my best friend, of course, you’re someone I would want to fucking marry! I don’t care if I’ve ‘lived a quarter of my life’ already if you love someone you choose to love them no matter what!” I spoke a little louder than I intended too because a few coffee shop patrons turned their heads toward our table.

Loki chuckled at my obvious embarrassment. I gave an awkward half-smile and placed my hands on my face as if trying to wipe away my blushing cheeks. Loki grinned at me and brushed a few strands of hair away from my face before he spoke again.

“Well, darling, I am very flattered.” He placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. “Now how about we get back to studying? You need to do well on your exam.”

The quick change of subject confused me for a second before I agreed with him and I began to study for my exam again. After a while, I was ready to go call it a day. Loki offered to give me a ride home, but I initially declined and told him I’d walk; partly because that day was uncharacteristically mild for winter and I wanted to enjoy the lovely weather; also I was extremely embarrassed about the conversation we had inside the coffee shop. But Loki insisted that he take me home and I, not in a mood to argue, I caved. The car ride was awkward, neither of us said anything the whole trip which generally wouldn’t be all that unusual, but because the conversation did not go as planned on my part, I felt that maybe I had crossed the line. When Loki finally reached my driveway, he parked his car and looked at me.

“Y/n, I want to apologize if what I said hurt you. Please don’t misunderstand me, I care for you deeply. I may not know what the future holds but what I know for certain is that you belong to me, and I belong to you, no matter what happens.”

I smiled at him, exhaling a breath I held in the whole car ride; thankful for his reassurance. Loki and I never had any labels in our relationship which was alright for the most part because I knew he cared for me, but every once in a while it was nice to hear him tell me how he felt. Even if he did think marriage was just a quirky Midgardian tradition. But one part of what he said caught me off guard: ‘No matter what happens’”? What does that mean? Ultimately, I shook it off as me being too analytical and leaned in to kiss Loki.

“I love you too, Loki.”

I stepped out of his car and waved back at him, “See you tomorrow!”

He waved back at me and drove off. That was the last time I saw or spoke to Loki.

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

Dinner with Loki and my parents went as well as expected. The meal mom prepared was delicious, Rachel only threw half of her food on the floor, and mom and dad bombarded Loki with questions.

“So where have you been, Loki? We were starting to worry about ya.” Dad said, giving Loki a pat on his back.

“I have been rather busy with work, I’ve done a little bit of traveling, and also spending time with my family.”

I rolled my eyes. I swear to god he better not lie to me like that when he accounts for the last few years.

“Well, it’s good to have you back, Sweetheart.” Mom cut in, “Will we see more of you?”

Loki looked over at me when he answered, “Yes indeed. I’m not going anywhere as long as I can help it.”

I rolled my eyes again, trying to hide the smile forming on my lips.

Once dinner was over, leftovers and dishes put away, My parents said their “goodnights” and left for bed. I also excused myself for a brief moment, needing to get Rachel ready for bed. Before I carried Rachel to her room, Loki reached for Rachel’s little hand, “Goodnight little love, thank you for showing me all your toys this evening.” Rachel babbled incoherently and gave Loki a smile showing all the teeth she had.

“I think somebody likes you” I smirked, “Say ‘thank you Loki for playing with me’”

Rachel babbled again while Loki lowered himself to her eye level, giving her his undivided attention.

“Well, it was my pleasure, Rachel. Have pleasant dreams.”

I  left and tucked Rachel into her little bed, and she fell asleep shortly after. As she slept, I stared at her for a moment before heading back to the living room. I thought about how adorable Loki was with my daughter. Interacting with children seemingly came so naturally to him. I also wished that David would be the same way with Rachel. He was a great father in that he worked hard to provide for her, but that was the only way David showed he loved her, especially after we parted ways. David wouldn’t play with her, and would hardly make time to spend time alone with her. He blamed work for not being around Rachel as often as he should. David worked for his father’s law firm. Influential attorneys defending the most guilty and the richest. I know Rachel was far too young to understand the nuances of a father/daughter relationship, but whenever David would walk past her or halfheartedly acknowledge her, I could see in her little eyes, that it hurt her.

I made my way back to the living room and saw Loki sitting on the couch, waiting for me. He stood when I re-entered the room and made his way toward me.

“I should probably get going, I know we could all use a restful nights sleep.”

“We still need to talk—”

“I haven’t forgotten,” Loki gently interrupted, “Why don’t we meet in the morning for breakfast, we can go anywhere you want to go.”

“Well, my parents can’t watch Rachel tomorrow, they both have something they have to go to, so if we go anywhere, Rachel will have to come.”

Loki’s face lit up, “That sounds delightful! We shall make a day out of it then.” His hand reached down placed his palm on my face like he had earlier. This time I didn’t swat him away, instead, I wrapped my arms around him. I missed feeling his body against mine. Loki pulled me in closer and rested his chin on top of my head.

Sadly we were interrupted by my phone vibrating. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and saw a text from David reading: Hey, we need to finish talking when you get a chance. We couldn’t with that guy hanging around. Text me back ASAP.

I groaned. Loki peaked at David’s message and scoffed,“‘That guy’? Charming.”

“You have no idea,” I replied, more to myself than Loki.

Loki’s face turned concerned, “What do you mean?”

“Ugh, he’s just—sometimes he’s a dick, but otherwise he’s alright. He makes sure Rachel is taken care of, so that’s all I care about.” Giving me a dubious look, I reassured Loki that I was fine and that David was just annoying sometimes. Reaching for my hand, Loki made his way toward the front door.

“Well, I better go, love. I look forward to spending the day with you and Rachel.” Loki pulled me close and kissed me on the lips before closing the door behind him. I peeked out the front window and saw him stoop down into his car, rev his engine, and drive off. What have you been up to, Loki Odinson?

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

David, back at his penthouse apartment, reclined in his Eames chair, sipping away at bourbon and fiddled with his phone. He had searched the name “Loki Odinson” over and over on Google but only found references to Norse Mythology.

Who the fuck is this guy?

David exited his Google Search and began scrolling through his contact list until he found the name, Darren. He pressed the call icon and waited for him to answer.

“Hey David, you’re up late.” “Darren. I have a favor to ask.” “Anything Chief, what do you need?” “I need you to look into someone for me, the name: ‘Loki Odinson.’”

“You got it, boss. I’ll see what I can find.”

Darren ended the call, and David went to his iPhone photo album. He scrolled through his pictures until he found an old picture of Y/N.

This stupid bitch better be careful. She’s gonna get her heart broken all over again.

Taglist: 

@imasultforlokiandspencerreid 

@crescent-night

@portietomednalynn

#loki x reader #loki x you #loki odinson #loki friggason #loki laufeyson #marvel mcu #loki smut #marvel #loki #loki fandom #avengers #latenight #loki fanfic #tom hiddleston

[summertimeflame]

VanInktober Day 17, Hope

This is my first time posting anything like this, but I love Vanitas and I really, really wanted to be a part of VanInktober! 

I hope that for my first time writing in years, this turned out alright. I’ve seen a lot of darkness for Vanitas, so I decided to write something warm. He might also seem out of character at moments, but I guess this could be considered an Alternate Universe? Hope you like it, @vaninktober

It wasn't uncommon for Vanitas to find himself in these types of situations-confused, lost, and maybe just a little too warm. Even after finally trading in his skin suit for more comfortable attire and tossing his helmet aside, he was still far too hot. He wiped sweat off his brow, honeyed amber eyes taking in the scenery. Warm sand underneath his feet, bright blue sky, and the sound of the Ocean. He took a deep breath, wondering for the millionth time what he was doing here. As Vanitas shielded his eyes from the relentless light of the sun, he was able to see the brilliant blue of the water more clearly. It was then that he was reminded of his purpose here; and a certain memory was brought to the surface.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   

Vanitas had done everything Master Xehanort ordered without fail. He led Ventus away, he aided in corrupting Terra, he had threatened Aqua. He performed his tasks coldly and cruelly, but Vanitas had a secret. A soft ache that arose whenever he laid eyes on his other half. He would play a hand in making Ventus’ life miserable...but then he would feel the pain himself. It was a cruel form of torture...One he couldn’t understand how to stop-save for the plan his Master held.

When he trespassed aboard a ship in the Deep Space, Vanitas stopped merely to check on the progress of events. He did not expect to come across a little blue alien, who came falling out of a vent in the ceiling and landed right on him. Vanitas stumbled before quickly recovering and looking around.

''What....are you?''  The dark-haired boy almost mistook him for one of his Unversed. The little alien looked confused, tilting his head.

''Ven?'' The alien cocked his head the other way. Vanitas tightened his fists, glaring. So, even inter-dimensional beings knew his connection with his annoying counterpart.

''No. I am nothing like Ventus.''

''Smell....same.'' The alien commented. Vanitas could have punched him.

''Well, too bad for you. That loser isn't going to be around much longer. And neither am I.'' He turns. The little blue alien was fast, skittering between his legs and coming to a halt in front of him.

''No hurt Ven!'' It spoke with indignation, snarling.

''If you're going to stand in my way, then you'll pay the price as well.'' Vanitas summoned his keyblade.

''Why...?'' It was a sudden question that threw Vanitas for a loop.

''Why...?'' The angry boy paused for a moment.

''Ven is friend. You friend, too?'' The alien tilted his head.

''No, I'm not someone who can have friends. That's not my purpose. I just want to achieve my destiny and go back where I belong.'' Vanitas shook his head. Those were things Xehanort had beaten into him over and over again...he didn't have time for this. So...why couldn't he turn away?

''Pur...pose?'' The alien looked up at him for a moment. Before Vanitas could say anything, a loud noise resounded from behind them.

''Aha! I've finally found you!'' A much larger alien burst through the door. He was large, with peach and plum coloration. Vanitas was confused, and knew better than to meddle in the affairs of other worlds. It might interfere with the Master's plan. The small alien spit and screeched before taking off into a nearby pipe. The peach colored alien that had just bust in made a desperate grab, but missed.

''Why won't you just hold still??'' He groaned loudly. Vanitas watched with slight amusement, finding himself curious.

''What's so important about that creature, anyway?'' He asked. The alien turned to him, looking rattled.

''Another strange prisoner. Are you here to try and tame him, too? Well, I tell you! He will not listen! He only has one purpose! To destroy! Your attempts at reaching him are useless.'' He laughs loudly.

''...Destroy?'' Vanitas found that incredibly odd. 

''Yes! He is a furry little abomination! You are wasting your time!'' Vanitas' blood ran cold for a moment. Abomination. That word brought back many painful memories. A few Unversed flowed from him, racing away to wreak havoc among the ship.

''You....You are the source of these creatures? Very interesting...'' He scratches his chin thoughtfully. There was silence for a moment, before Vanitas took a deep breath and decided to ask the question that had been bubbling inside of him.

''You say people were trying to tame him....He was...friendly to me. Do you really think their attempts weren't successful....?'' His grip tightened on his key blade.

''I....I do not understand it. He is acting against his programming. He was created with the mind of a machine....his only instinct is to destroy everything he touches. But...I saw him cradling some sort of charm. Perhaps is not impossible....'' The scientist sighed a bit, looking disappointed.

''...I'm also an abomination. Does that mean...I could go against my programming?'' Vanitas stared at his hands, the helmet dissolving. The boy behind the mask looked at the alien Scientist in front of him. He seemed almost desperate.

''If it is possible for Experiment 626 to be gentle towards something and make 'friends'....anything is possible.''

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

Vanitas never forgot that day. Even as he attempted to forge the X-Blade. Halfway through, he gave up and let Ventus take the final blow, destroying the blade and their chance at merging. He didn't know that Xehanort had other plans for him, however. That turned out to be alright, because the old coot never once suspected he would betray him. Even with all of that ability to predict the future-it turns out Xehanort couldn't predict Vanitas going against his design. In the end, the second Keyblade war did not result in Kingdom Hearts...and it did not result in Ventus and Vanitas becoming whole. It was a fact that Vanitas had a hard time dealing with at first. Until he began to realize that as his emotions evolved and changed, so did his Unversed. The things that were once negative began evaporating. The darkness in his fragmented heart had slowly began to ebb. The amber eyed boy had long since learned that he would always be darkness. It would always exist within him more strongly than in others. But he was learning to control it, and learning to weave his thoughts in a different direction-something Xehanort had conveniently never told him.

Just as Vanitas was getting lost to his thoughts, a familiar chiming rang clear through the air. He looks down, touching the star fastened at his waist. Black with red faded tips, his Wayfinder had been a thank you gift from Aqua. She had been reluctant to associate with him at first (understandably so). However, once he had nearly given his life for Ventus during the war, she slowly began to warm up to the idea of not hating him. It was a start, at least. Vanitas could hear Ven's voice reaching to his heart, something they had recently discovered was possible.

Did you find him yet? He sounded excited. What could Vanitas expect from his childlike other half?

No. I've got to be close.

Don't forget to tell him Ven said hi!

Oh, please. If I forgot, you'd scream it into my head until I absolutely had to.

You know me too well. He could practically see Ven's dorky grin. What a loser.

I am you, Blondie. Talk to you in a minute. My wayfinder's onto something.

Alright, alright. Vanitas could hear the pout in Ven's voice. He shook his head softly, watching as the wayfinder glowed a brilliant blue. He followed the charm, letting it lead him like a glowing compass. Farther down the beach he went, until he arrived at a slightly sandy path. It was beaten down, as if vehicles passed through here often. The wayfinder nearly tugged him onward, and Vanitas bit his lip. What if he didn't remember? What if this whole thing had been a wild goose chase? Negative thoughts swallowed him for a moment, and it took all of his strength to keep an Unversed from forming.

The raven-haired boy followed the path diligently, his fragmented heart thumping hard in his chest. Only when he stood before a mint colored home did the wayfinder finally cease its incessant glowing.

Vanitas breathed deeply, gritting his teeth and knocking on the door. He certainly wasn't expecting a young girl to open the door. She had to be about the same age Ventus had been when they were first split apart.

''Hello! I've never seen you around here. You look like a vampire. Are you a vampire? I won't tell.''  The dark-haired girl whispered secretively.

''Ah....'' How should he even respond to that?

''Hey, Uncle Jumba! This guy at the front door looks suspicious! Is he one of your weird space friends?'' The girl shouted suddenly.

''Ah, wait...!'' Vanitas tried to stop her, incredibly confused. A moment later, he was glad he didn't stop her. Almost instantly, he recognized the scientist from Deep Space. What was he doing here in this weird little world?

''Bah, go away! We do not want what you are selling...!'' Jumba shook a fist.

''Wait...Don't you recognize me....? I know it's been years, but...'' Vanitas asked simply, unsure how to do this. Jumba squints, before his eyes widen.

''From the ship! It has been so long! You look...much less evil! Is good look for you!'' Jumba claps, grinning.

''Thank you. Um...I actually....''

''Stop. I know what you are here for.''

''You...do?''

''Yes! You have come to thank me! Well, no need to worry! I was just giving advice.'' Jumba waves his hand dismissively.

''Ah...Actually...I came because I've been looking for that little blue alien...''

''Experiment 626?'' The Scientist looked deflated.

''Yes...'' Vanitas nods, still feeling a little nervous.

''You want to see Stitch?'' The little girl tilts her head in a very familiar manner that makes Vanitas' heart feel fleeting warmth.

''Um...yes?'' He nods. This trip was much more confusing than he thought it would be.

''Follow me. He's probably being a psychopath around here somewhere.'' She leads Vanitas inside. In the living room alone, he could see the experiment's life covering the walls. Photographs of him with this girl were everywhere. Seeing this, he couldn't help but smile.

''Lilo, I think he is in kitchen. Making lunch, perhaps?''

''Oh, good idea!'' She tugs Vanitas to the kitchen by his arm. He takes his time looking around as he follows this weird girl. It was only moments before he came face to face with Experiment 626 once more. Vanitas would never forget the look on the little blue alien's face when he saw him.

''Ven!'' He cries out, leaping from the stool he had been using to gain access to the sink. Vanitas can't help but laugh as he was bombarded with an arm full of alien.

''Not Ven. My name...is Vanitas. Ventus is my...brother.'' Vanitas settles, lifting 626 up to look at him better. They both had changed so much...in appearance and personality. Each one spent minutes studying the other. It was during that time that the dark-haired boy felt something he hadn't in a while. Tears.

''Van-ee-tahs. Vanitas!'' Stitch clapped his claws together gleefully.

''Yes...Yes...and Ven says hello...''

''You didn't hurt Ven?''

''No....turns out that everyone was wrong about me...including myself.'' Vanitas wipes his eyes, setting the little creature down.

''Why you look for Stitch...?''

''I had to thank you....you gave me something when I needed it most....so, I'm giving you something, too.'' He reaches inside the bag he brought with him, pulling out another wayfinder. The points on this star alternated between light blue and dark blue. Stitch lit up, taking the charm and nuzzling it.

''Thank you! Thank you!!'' The little creature jumped up and down with joy.

''Of course...and thank you....''

''What did Stitch give you...?'' The blue alien turned his perceptive eyes to Vanitas. Golden eyes couldn't conceal a few more tears, and the boy whispered one word.

''Hope.''

#vaninktober #kingdom hearts #vanitas #prompts #i hope this turned out okay

[foolscapper]

Exploding Head Syndrome: A MCU Post-IW Fanfic | Ch. 2

(READ IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER.)

Nebula is the next person Quill sees, and god is he glad to see her — something that would've been insane to think a couple of years ago, when she was murderous and... okay, well, she's still murderous, but it's not towards the Guardians. And that's a good enough bridge to make them something more, something good (he used to mentally consider her a... sister-in-law, but now the thought makes him want to shoot someone who'd deserve it in the face, because he can't think about that kind of shit right now). She lands the Benatar on Titan's uneven soil about three hours after they all wake up, which is really nice, because Quill had absolutely no plans on how to get off this shit-heap of a planet.

Nebula's not a hugger, and Quill wouldn't dare try it, but there's a relief and understanding when she steps out into the oppressive, humid air and their eyes meet.

The kid — Little Pete — is sitting beside Mantis on a smoothed piece of metal that probably used to be a chunk of ship, one of his hands sitting limply against his thigh while Dr. Strange holds the other between his scarred fingers. He's quietly trying to assess the rhythm of his heartbeat through the thin skin of his wrist; he ends up having to move to Peter's neck, because the Iron Spider suit doesn't leave room for accurate readings. The spider kid is pliable all the while, blinking lazily every ten or fifteen seconds while the good doctor is adamant about putting his PhD to use — the PhD in actual doctoring, and the fake one he's got in the mystic arts. Quill hates to watch it, honestly, because — because part of it feels like it's on him. He freaked out, he ruined the plan, he lost control (Ego's face overlaps Thanos' — "I had to, I did what I had to, it broke my heart to put that tumor in her head-"), and now they're awake after two freaking years of nothing, and this kid is sitting here like a victim of wartime with no trace of self in his eyes.

"I've seen such a look before," Drax says, arms folded. "Many times, on warriors.”

Peter makes a soft sound of acknowledgement in his throat. "... How long does it take to come out of it?" Drax glances at him, more somber than he's been in Quill's company in a long time. "There is no measurement for such suffering." And isn't that just the reply Quill was hoping for? No, no it absolutely wasn't, and he thins his lips in helplessness at the scene. Mantis has obviously found some kind of emphatic kinship with the boy, and she leans in and listens to Strange's clinical ramblings with intense focus. Her hand ghosts Peter's, just grazing the skin, as if she's trying to keep him from fading further and further away. Little Pete had saved her, when Thanos threw her. In the end it didn't matter for any of them, but that's not the point — the point is, the kid threw himself into danger every chance he got, to make sure none of them died. Crumbling into nothing doesn't change that. He had his heart and head in the game, and... Quill closes his eyes, headache pulsing. "I'm sorry, guys. For freaking out, for fucking up, I just—" "There's no point in apologizing," Strange cuts him off, not coldly, but not warmly, a sort of fact-of-matter reply that belies no blame. "It was what was supposed to happen. This was our sole victory, the only future that could have possibly worked." "Okay, cool, but just because something's fated to happen doesn't mean it wasn't a stupid move," Quill mumbles.  Mantis says with cooled sorrow, "It was for Gamora." Nebula's hands turn to fists at her sides and Quill swallows a lump in his throat, the name immediately raising goosebumps, sinking his stomach, burning his eyes. Dances on terraces and battles scattered across the galaxy like stardust and — and promises that Quill never got to fulfill, promises for things that never would be. The loss is another in a long list that leaves scar tissue, thick keloid nightmares, on his heart. He'll survive, like usual. But he won't like it. Rough and worn, he mutters, "... Yeah." And that's all that has to be said among them about that particular topic, right now. The next step is finding Thor, because it'll help them find Rocket and Groot, and then... he's not sure. But what he does know is that they've got a doctor and a kid who needs to get back to earth, pronto. And Quill is not about to ditch these two on some godforsaken planet. "You two come with us, and we'll get you to Earth in no time," he finally says. "That would be appreciated." Strange nods. "There's little I can do for the boy here." "Can you tell what's wrong with him?" Mantis asks. Strange looks at Little Pete, pressing a hand to his forehead, to his temple. It's surprisingly gentle and careful; Quill doesn't remember doctors being nearly so kind, but to be fair, every doctor became 'the asshole who couldn't fix my mom' at some point. They might as well have grown fangs and claws. Strange says at last, "I'm not completely sure, but if I had to fathom a guess... I imagine it's not something grounded in anything medical. The soul stone might have had something to do with it — it's the portion of the gauntlet that would have no doubt carried out the ebb and flow of our spirits through the astral plane." "Oh," Quill quiets for a moment. "Oh, shit. Yeah. I remember..." "You remember?" Strange's brows raise.  "Y-yeah. I remember a little bit. Like, being dragged back through... something. It was bright, too bright to really see anything. But there were a lot of voices, but I could make out the ones close to me — like, um. I heard Drax and Mantis. And then I heard... the kid... I dunno. Maybe?" "I don't remember anything of the sort," Drax grumbles. "It's probably because of the 50% of him that isn't stupid," Strange says, and Quill flatly ignores him to continue talking. "Right. Anyway. I remember, I was..." He stops, squinting as if it'll all just come back into focus. And to his credit, the memory is a little less foggy. He can see Peter's wide eyes looking back at him in a veil of orange-tinted mist, but the teenager was staring at him like a deer in the headlights, his body refusing to crumble into thousands of blinding particles like everyone else's already had. Or maybe... Peter was refusing to let his body crumble. "I was reaching my hand out — for him... to try and get him to get a move on, I guess..." He extends his hand toward the teenager's still figure, sitting in front of him. He doesn't move or react, predictably, but the picture in his head is enough. "... He said it was hurting." Quill's voice is soft and sympathetic, as he looks at the dirt etching the lines of his palm. "He just kept getting further and further away, and it was so bright, and there were so many people pushing me back... I couldn't follow. I don't remember anything before or after, though. Just... that." Strange nods as a contemplative silence falls over the star lord, and then looks to Mantis. "... Can you feel anything at all, when you touch him?" Her hands wrap around Peter's palm, squeezing. "I have not felt anything in some time, now." Quill has a feeling the kid's not coming back, either. Not like them. But there's no point in dawdling, and Strange stands Little Pete up (the name's catching on) and helps walk him toward the ship with easy steps. It's weird to see something so shell-like move, shambling like a corpse from an old zombie flick — he watched Night of the Living Dead with his mom and couldn't sleep alone for a week straight, and now he feels that same uneasy clench in his chest, which isn't really fair to Pete. The ship is as they'd left it, funnily enough; Nebula hadn't changed a single thing about the set-up. Maybe it's because she needs so little to function, she doesn't bother upsetting the ecosystem. But Quill likes to think she wanted to keep it nice and familiar and cozy for them, when they came back. "What now?" she says, glancing at him.  "First, I'm gonna make a few calls to earth," he says, buckling in for take-off. "Then you're gonna tell me everything that happened since we dusted.

Make no mistake, Stephen Strange did not enjoy being the hard-ass with a mission. He did not enjoy going toe-to-toe with Stark like some kind of alpha dogfight, because he knew that at the end of the day, they both had wanted the same thing, essentially: peace, safety, a world — a universe — that is defended and safeguarded from the worst of what was out there. Their ideas for doing so were different, mind, but their hearts were at the same board meeting. And make no mistake, though Strange was willing to lose comrades in this and choose the stone over Stark or the boy, it didn't mean his heart didn't ache for the kid who had been dragged into all of this. Looking at him now, lost somewhere he couldn't reach, was igniting every surgeon's nerve in his body. This wasn't something an operating table could fix, and the shaking hands digging through the Benatar's medical supplies could do little other than make sure he was physically alright. Mantis can't do anything other than hover, and Strange doesn't mind the company, however odd the young woman was. The antenna on her head and her coal-black, full eyes were far less jarring to him than her awkward social mannerisms, and he spends some of his time in-between checking up on Peter Parker to talk to her about anything that came to mind: answers about earth, about his powers, cleared up confusions on where handshakes originated from. She's a good spirit who has her heart in the right place, so he can see why she gravitated towards Peter's side. "I managed to get in contact with this place, uh — Wakanda?" Quill calls back from over his shoulder. "They're the only bozos down there with decent reception, go figure. They're playing a game of telephone with me and Stark right now, and I guess Groot and Rocket are safe, but they're already back in New York City with a bunch of those Avengers guys." "Thor's Avengers," Mantis says cheerfully, as Stephen turns his attention back to Parker. It's a bit cold in the medical area, so he nudges his cloak until it gets the hint and leaves him, to curl around Peter's shoulders. As he sits near the unresponsive boy with little else to do but wait, he glances back to Mantis with interest he'd kept at bay until a more appropriate time. "So you're an empath." She looks at him, eyes dark and rounded with something close to innocence. It's not a common sight, around such weathered fighters, and her movements are slow and non-threatening as she considers his words. "That is correct... I feel feelings. I can sense things, sometimes." "You knew when people were dying," he responds with kinder cadence. "I suppose I did... there was a feeling of... despair. It was distant, but it grew and grew before..." "I see." "I wish I was able to do more. I was not very much use, when we were fighting Thanos. I felt helpless, with my abilities as they are. And now... Little Peter... I just sit and listen for his fear or pain, but nothing has happened since Titan. It feels like I should be able to do something, but I cannot." Quill's head turns just slightly from the pilot's seat. Strange sees that he's listening, solemn. But the answer is easy, however, and Strange replies with little room for doubt, "Don't disparage yourself, Mantis. Your powers are both unique and important, even in times of war... Listening to someone's heart is one of the most powerful things anyone can do." She smiles, before her eyes are drawn to his oddly marked hands. "May I?" He offers his trembling palm upward without fear of baring anything he wouldn't otherwise, and she takes it, enveloping his knuckles in soft, warm hands; they've seen little manual labor, if any at all, and he supposes that makes sense. Her master, from what little she told him in the last few hours, sounds like someone no being should ever have to endure. Her antennas glow softly in the cool colors of the interior ship; in the corner of his eye, he sees Quill turning more fully to watch them. She says, eyes closed, "You are calm, but worried. And you are reminiscing... fondly of someone, but they're gone now. They inspire you to stay determined, though." Strange smirks a little, the hand in his not calloused, and yet so familiar now. "I think she would have liked you a lot." "I hope so! I would be happy to make new friends, like I have today. You and the Iron Man, and — and Little Peter." Little Peter does not so much as twitch. "If only there was a way to bring him back to himself," Drax says, chewing loudly on food rations; Strange is not a fan of the texture. Bit too chalky. The muscular warrior squints at Peter, then looks to Strange like he's perhaps found a solution to the whole problem. "Would he react if I suplexed him?" "You are not suplexing anybody!" Quill blurts, standing up from his chair to wander over.  "I am just trying to help!" Drax complains, hands out in front of him. "He's very durable!" "You're not suplexing a catatonic teenager," Strange says tiredly, pinching the bridge of his nose. The Ancient One is laughing at him from somewhere out there in the cosmos, he's almost sure of it. Meanwhile Quill nudges passed Drax with a roll of his eyes, turning his full attention on Parker's expressionless face, on his prone, iron-gloved hands. The annoyance left over from Drax fizzles as he studies the other Pete. Then he sighs through his nose, looking at the kid with a smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. "These guys, am I right? I bet you're sick of this whole trip by now." It takes Strange a moment to recognize Quill's efforts as he sits crouched in front of Parker, but he appreciates them. "Hang in there, kid... It's gonna be a kinda long ride to Earth, and between you and me, space can get kind of boring the more you float through it. Especially on a road trip." He fidgets with a decently crafted pair of headphones he'd retrieved from the captain's chair, and the others fall silent as he slips them over Peter's boyish ears, Mr. Blue Sky muffled as it plays; it's a gentle sort of moment that Strange finds rare and difficult to ascribe feelings to, watching the small crew huddle with some semblance of hope and optimism for someone who may very well be completely lost to fate. Perhaps he'd had too fast of a knee-jerk reaction to the Guardians of the Galaxy, after all. Not an hour and a few Paul Anka songs later, Peter Parker is curled up in his seat, swaddled in a determined red cloak and, one could only hope, listening to the distant melody of earth and all he's left behind.

#peter parker #peter quill #mcu #marvel #stephen strange #mantis (marvel) #drax the destroyer #nebula (marvel) #mcu fanfic #infinity war #ehsfanfic #fanfiction #mymcufanfic #marvel fanfic

[oosteven-universe]

Test #1

Test #1 Vault Comics 2019 Written by Christopher Sebela Illustrated by Jen Hickman Coloured by Harry Saxon Lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou     Aleph Null is a lot of things: An orphan, a human guinea pig undergoing medical tests for cash, a bodyhacker, a hardcore future junkie, and a corporate asset. But now, Aleph is on the run from their old life, in search of a mythical, Midwestern town named Laurelwood—where they’re test-marketing the future with tech that can’t possibly exist yet, and won’t for decades.     Here is the thing I never know what I am going to experience when Christopher is writing a new book. I’d love to spend time with him getting a better glimpse at what goes on his head and I could just imagine the pillow talk. This is a tad barmy but then that’s always the best stories and we all know that’s true. The opening is where you’ll figure out right off the bat that something isn’t right here. Aleph is introduced in a rather unique and different way and I actually like the fact that he/she/they got a ride from a trucker and didn’t have to put out for it.     That is the other thing we notice, we aren’t sure who or what Aleph is, not gender wise anyway and that’s intriguing in and of itself. The ambiguity there is something that can be played with in ways we’ve yet to see done and I am excited for it. I have to say that there are a few things that are in this issue that really caught my attention in some very positive ways. Aleph’s own narration and then the computerised version of the repo report. Both of these were able to convey quite a bit of information that is invaluable to how we as the reader will find ourselves able to relate to Aleph better.     I love the way that this book is structured. The ebb & flow of how information is released and how we see the plot & story development along with it’s pacing and then add the character development and how we see it all come together is extremely well done. Christopher really does have this amazing skill set and talent at his disposal and he knows how to best utilise them. This makes it incredibly enjoyable for a myriad of reason including but not limited to keeping us guessing with every page.     Oh Jen pulls out all the stops for this one as well. I have seen her work before and just by looking at this I wouldn’t have pegged is as her style. There is something fresh and different in what I am seeing here. The linework has both this rough and gruff and clean and crisp moments and the varying weights are utilised so extremely well that all of it just kind creates a new kind of perfect storm. I like the composition in the panels with close ups, stellar utilisation of backgrounds not to mention the angles and perspective which also goes along with how we see the page layouts showcase her rather stupendous eye for storytelling. ​     I have been a fan of Harry’s colouring and it’s great to see him on book like this one. There are a lot of different colours, schemes and tones happening here and which makes it crazy difficult. Harry has the technology, he has the capability to be better than he was before, smarter, faster stronger, but has the skills and I love seeing them in play here. The mood and tone of the book is beautifully demonstrated with bright or muted colour. The effective way that gradation is utilised through light sources that also create highlights, shading and shadows.     The next time someone asks for a recommendation on what to read, don’t even hesitate and tell them Test! And I’m telling you to read it too because this is crazier than a shit-house rat and that’s precisely why you are going to fall in love with it. Amazing writing and interior artwork from these folks make me want more and more right now. Vault and their line of Science Fiction, from straight up to horror and everything else in between, is where you really need to go for comics that can rival the classics themselves.

#comic books #comics reviews #vault comics #christopher sebela #jen hickman

[skrisiloff]

Here’s what CEOs said on this week’s earnings calls

Each week we read dozens of transcripts from earnings calls and presentations as part of our investment process. Below is a weekly post which contains some of the most important quotes about the economy and industry trends from those transcripts. Click here to receive these posts weekly via email.

Earnings season began to slow back down this week. Most of the important companies have now reported, so this week’s post draws heavily from a handful of calls. The economic picture remains unchanged. There’s still a lot of optimism, but fundamentally GDP growth has been anemic and policymakers haven’t come through on promises.

Among the quotes are two interesting blocks. One is from Charlie Ergen of Dish. He implies that internet companies are seeing more than their fair share of profits from connectivity and that telecom companies (the distributors that make the internet possible) will fight back. Ergen has an ulterior motive in saying this. He owns a large chunk of wireless spectrum and may be trying to get one of those internet companies (Amazon?) to think about buying him.

The other interesting block is from David Seaton of Fluor. He points out that construction markets have never really gotten back to prior peaks. He is optimistic about infrastructure spending though. Even without a large stimulus bill, American infrastructure is probably overdue for some heavy investment.

The Macro Outlook:

Most people are feeling pretty good

“I feel pretty good about the global economy right now. We’ve already experienced, as you’ve seen in our orders the last couple of quarters, this is pretty good activity right now and we look for it to continue.” –Parker Hannifin CEO Tom Williams (Industrial Components)

The original reasons for optimism haven’t materialized but it’s better to be lucky than right

“I guess this is a case of better lucky than right. We expected the market to go up but for different reasons. We thought it would be based on generally positive growth oriented policies enacted by the administration, lower taxes, infrastructure spending, healthcare, reform et cetera, none of these things transpired. But what has transpired has been kind of global synchronized economic growth and a very accommodative global monetary structure. So, I’m happy with the outcome the reason for it was different from what we anticipated, but we’ll take it.” –Third Point CEO Dan Loeb (Hedge Fund)

Profits have rebounded but GDP growth has been anemic

“I think GDP probably is still a better reference point for assessing demand than corporate profits are. Obviously, they’re both averages of lots of economic activity and lots of participants in the economy. But GDP is a broader measure. Obviously, GDP has been quite anemic.” –Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson (Hotels)

Washington is gridlocked

“So one of the frustrations I see, and this is kind of a political commentary…there’s 2,200…candidates have to go through Senate approval. I think the last count was 55. And you’ve got people like Elaine Chao in transportation. You’ve got Rick Perry in energy, Rex in State. These people that we know and know well are sitting there twiddling their thumbs, so to speak, because we haven’t been able – the government hasn’t been able to give their team. So I think that is why you saw things screech to a halt. And I don’t see a whole lot of improvement until that phenomenon is behind us and the efforts that the administration are putting forth in terms of the regulatory reform actually see light of day. A lot of good intent, a lot of good thought and strategies to people that I’ve talked to, including the folks I just mentioned, but until we get those things, done you’re not going to see these permits that are absolutely necessary to go forward actually awarded.” –Fluor CEO David Seaton (Engineering)

But don’t under-estimate the optimism

“Don’t under-appreciate the optimism, which still seems to exist in the market and in corporate America these days. And compare it to the point of view last August, September, and October, you’re talking about a pre-election time. I think there was not a sort of robust optimism. Economy seemed to be producing, again, fairly anemic GDP growth. And I think in some respects, while that fairly anemic GDP growth has continued into 2017, there is still some optimism. You can see it reflected in certainly the equities markets and other places.” –Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson (Hotels)

Inventories are still low

“we are continuing to see a very strong business environment for our products worldwide…Our bookings rate in the June quarter was extremely strong. Our inventories at Microchip as well as at the distributors are towards the low end of the normal range.” –Microchip CEO Steve Sanghi (Semiconductors)

There’s some modest restocking taking place

“On the distribution level, I would say there is some modest restock taking place. There’s been a surge in activity and I have North America mostly in mind when I make that comment.” –Parker Hannifin COO Lee Banks (Industrial Components)

Radical price transparency makes it harder to have inflation

” we’re nearly 80% [occupied] for the full quarter, which is a pretty impressive kind of number. And so, you would expect a little bit more pricing movement. But…you’ve got to remember that we have thousands of franchisees who are pricing their own hotels on a day-to-day basis. And it is a market with radical transparency in pricing. And that may have some impact on our ability to move rates in this cycle compared to prior cycles.” –Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson (Hotels)

Consumer:

Disney is ready to go head to head with Netflix

“It’s been clear to us for a while with the future of this industry will be forged by direct relationships between content creators and consumers…we’re accelerating our strategy to be at the forefront of this transformation…With this strategic shift, we’ll end our distribution agreement with Netflix for subscription streaming of new releases beginning with the 2019 calendar-year theatrical slate.” –Disney CEO Bob Iger (Media)

No other studio gets Netflix’s multiple

“we have Netflix envy, and we try to present our results in a way to give you the ability to value us on an equivalent metric. So we’ll leave the valuation to you guys. We’ll post the results and you tell us what it’s worth.” –CBS CFO Joseph Ianniello (Media)

Food companies are struggling

“clearly not everything went our way in the first half. Canada, India and commodity cost in United States are just a few examples” –Kraft Heinz CEO Bernardo Hees (Packaged Food)

“we’re experiencing a decline in our base volume greater than our previous expectations…Volume softness continues to weigh on the broader food industry.” –Dean Foods CEO Ralph Scozzafava (Dairy)

Technology:

Charlie Ergen made a good point about the relative strength of telecom and internet companies

The $500B tech companies all depend on connectivity

“I think Amazon is one of those $500 billion companies that probably have to think about connectivity in their future…their cloud business doesn’t work unless it’s connected.” –Dish CEO Charlie Ergen (Wireless Spectrum Owner)

That connectivity may not always be as cheap as it is today

“I think everybody in – the really big companies have always assumed there’s going to be a connectivity network out there that they can piggyback off of. And I think that if net neutrality rules get more define…you’re not going to be quite as confident of that in the future.” –Dish CEO Charlie Ergen (Wireless Spectrum Owner)

The telecom companies aren’t going to let the internet companies make all the money

“You can’t have all the profits going to three or four companies and have the guys that are – the companies that are providing them the raw material to make that money, not get wake up one day and get a little smarter…at some point, all the money going one direction, a lot of people are enabling that.” –Dish CEO Charlie Ergen (Wireless Spectrum Owner)

The balance of power always shifts between content and distribution

“They’re going to wake up and say maybe they should get – I’ve been through this business long enough to know that the money ebbs and flows between distribution and content. It’s probably going to continue to do that today. And a lot of the content companies, probably the distribution guys, probably are going to be in position to get a more of it. Then it may go the other direction.” –Dish CEO Charlie Ergen (Wireless Spectrum Owner)

Industrials:

Construction markets have never fully rebounded

“the current market environment is perhaps the worst I’ve seen in my 30-plus years. The market has contracted since 2014. The good news is that we’re starting to see prospects come back in some of our end markets including mining” –Fluor CEO David Seaton (Engineering)

Infrastructure spending is one brightening spot

“I feel pretty good about infrastructure and what’s going to happen. I would caution though…there is no such thing as a shovel-ready project. But what I’m very eager to see is that at least the dialogue is around…toll roads, bridges, ports, airports…But I believe that our infrastructure group will continue to be a bright spot” –Fluor CEO David Seaton (Engineering)

Infrastructure projects definitely suffer from the regulatory environment

“I think the capital is there. I agree with you 100%. I think the problem is, you got to look at the Purple Line in Baltimore. Project passed all the hurdles environmentally, financially, everything else and then the regulatory environment slowed it down and actually stopped it for a while. So even though the capital is ready, some of the projects, I think, are at least to a point where you get to that next stage. I think the regulatory reform that the government is talking about has to come through before the timing of those things actually improve. And I’d put pipelines in that category.” –Fluor CEO David Seaton (Engineering)

Full transcripts can be found at www.seekingalpha.com

#$DISH #$DIS #$mar #$FLR #$DF #$KHC #$CBS #$MCHP