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hizashis-lil-bunbun · 3 years

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The Silent Auction- (Hizashi Yamada X Fem!Reader)

This is my contribution to the Citrus Dome Auction Collab! Hizashi is honestly one of my favorite characters to write for and it’s a crime I don’t use him more.

Word Count: ~8.5k

Contains: smut, pet names, unprotected sex, creampie, DDLG (if you squint)

Banner by @ladyshinigami

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“I can’t believe this.” You sigh for the umpteenth time, twisting this way and that to look at yourself in the bathroom mirror. You’re wearing a rich, black, floor-length gown with a high slit up one side and just the right amount of ruching to tastefully accentuate your curves. It was truly a miracle that it fit without the need for alterations, considering you’d had to buy the thing in a rush. Hell, you’d barely glanced at the price tag before slapping down your company credit card, viewing it as a bit of karmic justice for your boss’ callous, last-minute assignment. Sure being a sidekick of Endeavor’s (even a minor one) had its perks, but that didn’t make him any less of a nightmare to work for. As you struggled with the miniscule clasp on your necklace, you replayed this morning’s events in your head.

“The Heroes Gala?” You’d questioned, cocking your head in confusion and earning an irritated groan from the Flame Hero.

“Surely you’ve heard of it.” He’d snarked, the flames that ring his face seeming to flare in annoyance. “The Commission holds it once a year as a way to celebrate our achievements in hero society today and raise money for future endeavors. Dignitaries and heroes from all over the country– the world really– are expected to attend.”

“I’m aware of that, sir.” You’d chirped back, straightening up to make up for your lapse in decorum. “I’m just confused by what this has to do with me.”

If looks could kill, the glare he’d shot you would have put you in a coffin.

“Unfortunately, I’ve been called away on an urgent mission and can’t make it to the gala this year. But since I am the Number One Hero, my agency must provide some form of representation. That’s where you come in.”

Your eyes went wide at that, heart jumping into your throat as the gravity of the situation sank in. As far as your job was concerned, Endeavor’s word was law. There was no bargaining or substitution to be made. He didn’t even wait for a response before continuing.

“Your role for this event is simple: smile, wave, and maybe bid on a few of the auction items as a show of good faith. If you win something, fine. Just make sure it’s nothing… distasteful.”

You were tempted to question the noticeable shudder that ran through him as spat out the final word. But the careless wave of his hand was the signal for you to bow and leave, giving you no room for queries. However, just as you were about to walk out the door, he decided to toss some parting remarks your way.

“Make sure to wear something appropriate. It is a black tie event, after all. And one of my other sidekicks will be escorting you this evening. Call it insurance to make sure you don’t do anything to embarrass me.”

“Asshole.” You hiss under your breath, successfully hooking the clasp shut and putting a few loose hairs back in place. “What does he think I’m going to do? Get wasted and swing from the chandelier?”

Still muttering a litany of colorful curses, you march to the edge of your bed and plop down to slip into the matching stilettos you’d picked out during your brief shopping trip. Shoes like these were normally well out of your comfort zone (not to mention your price range), but you weren’t the one paying for them. Call them compensation for sacrificing one of your precious nights off. Once they were on, you stood up from the bed and carefully made your way over to the full length mirror in the corner of the room. You smooth down the fabric of your dress, picking away a few stray pieces of lint and checking for any “embarrassing” blemishes or stains. But everything is almost irritatingly perfect, not a stitch out of place. You’re about to launch into another tirade against Endeavor when your work phone chimes from it’s spot on the nightstand. No doubt it’s your “escort” (you refused to call him a date) texting to let you know he was coming to get you. Or worse, already here.

“No turning back now.”

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

“This is it.” You hear Endeavor’s other sidekick grunt, forcing you to snap out of your daydreaming and look towards him. You hadn’t batted an eye when you stepped out of your apartment to find Endeavor had sent a limo, driven by one of his fleet of personal chauffeurs, to pick you up. He did have a knack for flashing his wealth and status whenever possible. What did surprise you was his choice of escort for the evening: a man by the name of Buru (or Taurus if you were to use his hero name). Buru was a fair bit older than you, sporting a pair of bull horns and hooves, and corded with so much muscle it was a wonder how he managed to squeeze into a tux. You seem positively miniscule compared to his hulking frame, making you look like a rather odd couple. The driver pulls up to the curbside, quickly putting the limo in park before getting out to hold the door open for you. He courteously extends a hand to you, which you graciously accept before snagging your evening clutch from the seat beside you. You gracefully step out of the vehicle and onto an honest-to-god red carpet leading towards one of the glitziest hotels in the heart of Tokyo, blinking in the wake of what feels like a hundred camera bulbs flashing around you. Reporters and cameramen are clamoring to snap pictures of the various celebrities and heroes, asking questions that run the gamut from classy to trashy.

Buru plods around the limo to join you by your side, giving you a subtle nod to signal that it’s time to start walking. You set off down the plush runway, walking with more confidence than you felt as reporters peppered you and Buru with questions about your relationship to the Number One Hero. Evidently they’d been tipped off regarding Endeavor’s absence. Buru remained stone-faced, his long strides quickly outstripping your much more delicate steps.

“So much for being an escort.” You think, deciding to pick up the pace so as to not be left behind. And that decision quickly reveals itself to be a terrible mistake. Your pencil thin heel catches on a hidden snag in the carpet, causing your ankle to twist and buckle beneath you. You’re thrown off balance, teetering wildly before plummeting headlong towards the carpeted pavement. But before you can fall flat on your face, a set of strong, slender hands wrap themselves around your torso and pull you upwards, your back coming in contact with your savior’s chest.

“Woah there, little listener!” A familiar voice trills in your ear, their hands releasing you once you’re back on stable footing. “You almost took one helluva stage dive! You good?”

You turn over your shoulder to find a smiling face, framed by outrageous orange sunglasses and a well-trimmed mustache. Hypnotic, emerald eyes seem to sparkle back at you and his long blond hair is tied up in a messy, half-bun. You know this man. Everyone in Tokyo with a radio knows him: Present Mic, the Voice Hero.

“Thanks, Present Mic.” You mumble, an embarrassed blush rising on your cheeks. It was bad enough you’d stumbled in front of the press; the incessant clicking and flashing of cameras was reminding you of that. But to be saved by another hero on top of it… it was a little too much. However, the blonde doesn’t seem to care, giving a hearty laugh and clapping a hand on your shoulder good-naturedly.

“Don’t mention it, baby!” He chortles, winking in a way that would seem forced or cheesy coming from anyone else. “Always happy to help. Besides, it doesn’t seem like your boyfriend is too keen on stickin’ around.”

“Boyfriend?” You ask, cocking your head before remembering who you came with. You blush an even deeper shade of red, sure your face is about to burst into flames akin to your employer’s own. “Oh! No, no, no! He’s not my boyfriend. We just work together at the agency.”

“No kiddin’?” Mic says, his grin spreading impossibly wider before straightening up and offering an arm to you. “In that case, how ‘bout I lend you a hand until we get inside? No offense but those heels ya got on seem closer to stilts than kicks, ya dig?

While his radio slang is a bit confusing, you can’t help but find it a little endearing. With a sheepish nod, you grab a hold of his jacket-clad forearm and allow him to smoothly lead you down the remainder of the red carpet. He’s in full ‘Present Mic mode” as you walk together, all winning smiles and carefree waves as the press peppers him with questions.

“Mic who are you wearing this evening?”

“Present Mic! What’s the name of your damsel in distress?

“Mic! Is it true you’re involved in a scandalous affair with fellow Pro, Eraserhead?”

He lets their shameless inquiries roll off of him like water off a duck’s back, only blowing a dramatic kiss to the crowd before you both disappear behind the front doors. Once inside the lobby, Mic walks you over to one of three elevators, ushering you inside with a crush of other gala-goers once the doors open. It’s a short ride up to the venue space, and you can’t help but gasp when the elevator doors open onto an immaculately decorated ballroom. Every wall and archway is decorated with banners in the Hero Commission's signature black and gold colors, festooned with matching sprays of floral arrangements. There’s a live band somewhere in the room, playing soft jazz in the background to create an elegant atmosphere for the evening. But most impressive of all is the view; the farthest wall is made up entirely of floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a panoramic view of the Tokyo skyline. The sun is just starting to dip below the horizon, washing the room in an amber light that gives everyone a coppery glow. You’re so spellbound by the scene before you that Mic’s low whistle causes you to jump slightly. How long has he had his arm draped over your shoulders? Come to think of it, when had you slipped your own arm around his waist?

“Damn.” He breathes, carefully walking out of the elevators with you in tow. “This place is bitchin’. So much cooler than last year’s venue.”

“Is that so?” You say, your head swiveling around as a waiter breezes past you with a tray of finger foods. You don’t notice the way Mic watches you, nor do you see the crooked smile that crosses over his face as your tongue darts out to wet your lips.

“Oh yeah.” He says, leading you away from the elevators and further into the crowd. “Last year the Commission rented out some–”

“Mic!” A deep voice calls above the steady thrum of conversation, cutting him off. An equally deep, if not more irritated voice calls out your own name simultaneously. The two of you look in opposite directions, the blonde towards a pair of dark-haired individuals waving him over and you towards your forgotten escort. Buru is fuming, smoke practically pouring out of his ears as he marches towards you.

“Where were you?” He growls while grabbing the hand closest to him and pulling you away from Mic harshly. “You’re not supposed to leave my side. Boss’ orders!”

“Stop it Buru!” You snap, yanking your hand out of his grip. “If you didn’t want me to leave your side, maybe you should have waited for me back on the red carpet. I nearly fell and busted my ass thanks to you! If Present Mic hadn’t been there–”

“No excuses.” Buru snaps back, “I shouldn’t have to wait around because you can’t keep up. We’re Mr. Todoroki’s sidekicks, so try to act like it!”

“Todoroki?” You hear the blonde hero echo behind you, “As in Enji Todoroki? Endeavor?”

You wince at Mic’s words, grateful your back is turned to him at the moment. Endeavor may be a hero, but being associated with him didn’t evoke a lot of warm, fuzzy feelings in folks. And many tended to react poorly when they found out who you worked for. With a dejected sigh, you turn back towards Mic, ignoring the way Buru impatiently stamps his hooves behind you.

“Yes, that’s right.” You say glumly, putting up your mask of professionalism. “I’m one of Endeavor’s sidekicks. He was called away on urgent business and sent me and my associate here to represent him and his agency. Forgive me for not telling you earlier.”

You offer a quick, apologetic bow, hoping to slink away as quickly as possible. But to your surprise, Mic doesn’t scoff, jeer, or even try to suck up to you for favors. He laughs. Not in a cruel or condescending way, but a real, mirthful laugh, infectious to the point you feel your own tension ease slightly.

“So that’s why I didn’t recognize ya!” He chortles, smacking his palm to his forehead. “Although it’s not too surprising. That dude cycles through more sidekicks than a jukebox does music.”

The nonchalant way he insults your boss causes your mask to slip and you let loose a giggle of your own. Buru, on the other hand, is clearly not amused.

“How dare you insult the Number One Hero!” He roars, stepping forward to point a scathing finger at Mic. “Endeavor is twice- no, three times the hero you could ever hope to be!”

“Woah, woah, woah! Take it easy, dude!” Mic says, putting his hands up before shooting you another playful wink. “All I meant was I definitely would have remembered meeting a pretty little thing like your partner here.”

You find yourself blushing and batting your eyelashes at him, returning his obvious attempts at flirting in a more surreptitious manner. Buru just places one broad hand on your shoulder, giving Mic a derisive snort before he starts to drag you away.

“You’re not worth the effort.” He huffs, “Just stay away.”

You can’t resist adding one more match to the fire of Buru’s rage, looking over your shoulder and belting out a cheerful, “It was nice meeting you!”

“See ya around!” The blonde calls back, giving you a chipper wave before disappearing into the throng. Buru leads you to a table at the far end of the room, set with fine crystal stemware and gold place settings. He stiffly pulls out a chair for you, allowing you to sit down before taking up residence beside you. You’re amazed the flimsy looking things can support any weight at all, much less the mountain of horned muscle currently glowering at you. He crosses his arms and leans back with a grunt.

“So… now what?” You ask, absentmindedly fiddling with the gold napkin ring in front of you.

“You stay put.” He commands, “No leaving my sight for any reason.”

“You’re joking right? Do you seriously expect me to sit here with you all night?”

Buru doesn’t answer, instead turning his glare onto the crowd. You groan and flop forwards to rest your elbows on the table, opting to occupy your time with people watching. The ballroom is crawling with high-profile attendees: pros and sidekicks, politicians and CEO’s, celebrities and VIP’s. All of them with money, power, and prestige oozing out of their pores. You watch as the tuxedo-clad waitstaff scurry amongst the party-goers, offering up trays of hors d'oeuvres and honey-colored champagne. Every once a while, one of them makes their way over to your table with some delicious little morsel to offer. And in your famished state, the already excellently prepared food tastes like heaven. But when a server carrying a tray of champagne comes by to offer you a glass, Buru grabs your wrist before you can partake and rudely waves the poor girl off.

“What the hell was that for?” You hiss, rubbing at your now sore wrist.

“No alcohol. You’ve embarrassed me and Endeavor enough as it is.”

That does it. You can deal with villains, Endeavor, even your parents if necessary. But this “personal babysitter” schtick has gone far enough. You stand up from the table with a huff, swiftly moving out of Buru’s reach before he can grab you again.

“Sit down!”

“No! I have to go to the bathroom. Can I at least do that?”

“I’ll accompany you.”

“Like hell you will! I’m a grown woman. I can go to the bathroom by myself without getting in trouble.”

Buru narrows his eyes and scowls deeply at you. You stare him down, refusing to back down from this fight. After a few tense moments, he relaxes slightly and gives a curt nod.

“You have ten minutes.”

You grab your clutch, turn on your heel and march off into the fray, doing your best to avoid stepping on other people with your dagger sharp heels. As you make your way across the crowded dance floor, you begin to recognize the more popular Pro Heroes among the sea of faces. Some of them you’d had the privilege of meeting personally, like Hawks and Miruko, both of whom were currently surrounded by fans and admirers. Others you’d only seen on TV or in newspaper clippings, but that didn’t make them any less impressive. In fact, you were too busy watching Fatgum scarf down a whole tray of artisanal onigiri by himself to notice a certain blonde standing in your way until it was too late. You bumped right into him, bouncing off with an embarrassed “I’m so sorry!” before coming eye-to-eye with those striking green whorls again.

“Oh hey, it’s you!” Mic exclaims, grinning down at you like he hasn’t seen you in ages. “No need to be sorry, baby. This thing’s a rental anyways!”

“But you’re all wet now.” You say, watching him while he wipes the remains of his spilled champagne off his tux jacket. “I can pay for the cleaning fees if necessary. I wasn’t looking where I was going.”

“Honey, trust me. There are worse things to be covered in than free champagne. I’ve been to enough of these gigs to know!”

You giggle and open your mouth to respond, but are cut off by a velvety voice coming from your left.

“Is this the little songbird you were telling us about, Zashi?’

You turn to find one of Present Mic’s companions from earlier, a dark-haired woman sipping her own drink and watching your exchange. She’s dressed in a skintight, scarlet gown with a neckline that plunges almost to her navel. A matching pair of horn-rimmed spectacles are perched on her nose, framing her striking cerulean eyes. Even without their signature harness and flogger, you recognize her as Miss Midnight.

“Yup! She’s the one!” Present Mic confirms, casually slinging his arm back around your shoulders. “What’d I tell ya? Pretty cute, right?”

The R-Rated Hero turns her gaze on you at his words, the sultry look in her eyes causing your stomach to flip a little. Seriously, it should be illegal for anyone to look that sexy.

“Very cute.” She assesses with a nod, “Zashi says you work for Endeavor, yes?”

“Y-yeah.” You fumble, slightly flustered and tongue-tied in the face of her scandalous beauty. “I’m one of his sidekicks.”

“I’m sorry.” Midnight quips back, her lack of manners shocking you slightly. But judging by the booze-bitten blush on her cheeks, you suppose the liquid courage in her system is to blame. “I know he’s the Number One Hero, but I’ve been his colleague long enough to realize how intense he can be. He must have you on a pretty short leash, huh?”

“I’ll say!” Mic chimes in, “He sent along some “nanny cow” of a sidekick to watch her all night. Speakin’ of which, how’d you manage to shake him?”

“Well…”

You glance back in the direction you came from, only for your face to drain of all color as you see a tell-tale pair of horns bobbing up and down amongst the crowd. Hizashi follows your line of sight and instantly sees the danger. Quick as anything, his arm snakes around your midriff and he turns to Midnight for assistance.

“Hey Nemuri, I got a gig for ya. See that guy with the horns? Big, mean, and ugly lookin’? Think you can distract him for a few minutes?”

“No problem!” She chirps without hesitation, tipping back the rest of her brightly colored cocktail before readjusting the neckline of her dress. It makes you wonder how much cleavage someone can possibly show before it crosses the line into pornographic. You’re too busy looking over your shoulder for Buru to notice the subtle wink that passes between the two heroes. And then Hizashi is moving, seamlessly flitting through the crowd and keeping you firmly glued to his side as you duck and weave around the other guests. You have to admit the speed at which he navigates the crowded space is impressive as he heads for one of the darkened archways lining the walls. Soon the crowd thins out and you reluctantly pry yourself out from under Mic’s arm to get your bearings. He’s lead you into a dimly-lit, side hallway, with tables and doorways lining the farthest walls. The din of party conversation and music is more muffled now, making you feel like you’re in a state of limbo.

“Where are we?”

“Silent auction.” Mic answers plainly, “Figured I’d take you somewhere quieter while we let Midnight do her thing.”

“And what exactly is her ‘thing?” You ask skeptically, wandering over to one of the display tables to check out the wares.

“You’ll see.” He says with a smirk, silently following behind you with his hands in his pockets. There are miniature spotlights shining down on the auction items, with slips of paper and pens for people to write in their bids. All the prizes are exceedingly lavish, from baskets overflowing with expensive spirits and goodies to exotic trips around the world. And the bids themselves leave your head spinning, shocked and a little sickened by the amount of money being casually thrown around.

“I’m sorry, the minimum bid for this is how much?” You scoff, pointing at the high price tag on what appears to be a singular bottle of wine. Mic leans over your shoulder to read the number himself, letting out a low whistle.

“Must be some good stuff.” He says with a smirk.

“I’m totally bidding on it.”

“You’re kiddin’ right? Last I checked, sidekicks don’t make that kind of bank, even if they do work for the Number One Pro. What are ya, some kind of secret billionaire princess?”

“Sadly no.” You say, digging into your evening bag to pull out a sleek, black card. “But I’m not the one who’s paying. And Endeavor did say to bid on a few items, ‘as a show of good faith.”

You end your sentence on a terrible impression of the Flame Hero, earning another snicker from the blonde as you place your bid. The pair of you wander the auction area for a while, gawking at the ludicrous prices and talking quietly. Or at least, as quietly as the blonde can manage. You fall into easy conversation, mainly discussing work in the hero world and Mic’s teaching career. Present Mic, or Hizashi as he prefers to be called, is a surprisingly eloquent speaker and his high-energy demeanor ensures there’s never a lull in the conversation. It’s honestly refreshing after dealing with the snooty, intense people you’re used to at the agency. Not to mention, he has no qualms about encouraging you to be a little mischievous when it comes to spending your boss’ money.

“How ‘bout that one?” He says, gesturing to a particularly gaudy piece of abstract art. “I think that would look rad on the big man’s mantlepiece, yeah?”

You giggle and lightly push against his arm, as mild punishment for his goofiness.

“No way. Endeavor specifically said to not bid on something too ‘distasteful.’ And I’m pretty sure that thing is towing the line. What’s it even supposed to be?”

“It kinda looks like All Might.” Hizashi offers, “If you stand really far away and squint. I don’t really know much about fine art. But I do know ‘distasteful’ and I’m tellin’ ya now, this aint it baby.”

“And what would you qualify as distasteful?”

A grin that can only be likened to the Cheshire Cat spreads across Hizashi’s handsome face.

“I’ll show you.” He says, extending a hand to you. You grab a hold and allow him to guide you towards one of the doors along the wall. As you get closer, you realize there are small placards inscribed with a number on each of the handles. Hizashi is currently leading you to a door marked with the number seventeen, opening it for you and allowing you to step inside ahead of him. You find yourself in a much smaller room, washed in the same dim lighting as the rest of the auction area. It’s just big enough for two people to stand inside (three if they’re thin), and the oak paneling and cramped quarters almost remind you of a confessional booth. But there’s no man of the cloth here; instead there’s a screen set into the farthest wall and a small, black button resting on a shallow shelf below it. The screen only displays a three-digit number, every so often flashing red before going back to the number.

“What the hell?” You breathe while stepping farther into the room, allowing Hizashi to squeeze in behind you.

“Welcome to the main event of the Heroes Gala.” He says, closing the door. “The Anonymous Auction.”

“The Anonymous Auction?” You parrot back quizzically, turning around to face the blonde.

“You’re aware that most of the Commission's funding comes from public taxes, yeah?” He asks, waiting for your nod before continuing. “Well taxpayer dollars can only go so far. Especially when hero and villain activity has only gone up over time. Rebuildin’ a city you just smashed like an old record ain't cheap you know.”

He pauses to jerk one thumb behind him.

“That’s why they started holdin’ auctions– this whole gala, really– in the first place. It’s all just a fancy way to supplement the Commission’s budget. And due to the popularity of the auctions, they started offering some more… exclusive items in recent years.”

“What do you mean by exclusive?”

Hizashi gives you another playful smirk, looking at you over the rim of his sunglasses.

“You’re a smart girl. What do you think it means?”

He steps a little closer to you and places his hands on your waist for emphasis, thumbing small circles at the swell of your hips. You unconsciously lean into his touch and your eyes flutter closed for a moment before snapping open once more, realization crashing over you like a tidal wave.

“You mean like sex stuff!?” You squeak bluntly, earning a laugh from the Voice Hero.

“Well not all of it! But there have been some bizarre and kinda risqué items up for sale in the past.”

“Such as?”

“Well, I know for a fact that Nemuri donates a part of her “collection” to the auction every year.” Hizashi states, putting air quotes around the term. “And rumor has it that last year All Might auctioned off a pair of his underwear. I don’t know about that one, but if that’s true, then it explains how UA paid for it’s new training grounds and why the staff got a nice Christmas bonus.”

You can’t help but giggle at the thought of some snobby billionaire drooling over a pair of All Might’s underwear. Maybe they’d had them framed, mounted on the wall like a hunting trophy. You’re too caught up in your ridiculous daydreaming to realize Hizashi has stepped even closer to you, not until you can feel his hands sliding a little further down your sides and a little farther behind you. You’re now chest to chest, breathing in tandem as he leans down to speak directly into your ear.

“So now that we’re in here… what do you say we play a little game?”

His voice is low and smooth, audial honey dripping into your brain. Your breath unconsciously catches in your throat as your body moves of its own accord to press closer to him. The energy between you is shifting palpably, from friendly strangers to something much more intimate and heavy. The room feels like it’s heating up and your dress suddenly feels much too snug.

“What kind of game?” You murmur back, a delicious shiver running down your spine when he hums in response.

“How ‘bout the quiet game?” He says, his bristly mustache tickling your cheek when he speaks. “But we’ll make it a little more interesting.”

You can feel him begin to gently push against you, forcing you to walk backwards until you feel the top of your tailbone bump into the low shelf. Hizashi’s hands never leave your body, roaming lower to finally settle on the plush curve of your ass. If anybody else was doing this, you’d have kneed them in the jewels and run for the nearest exit by now. But for some reason, you trust Hizashi. You want Hizashi. And if the steady throbbing in your core is any indication, you need Hizashi.

“Here’s the deal, babygirl.” He says, lifting his head to rest his forehead against your own. You can’t help the way your thighs tense at the pet name, something that definitely doesn't go unnoticed by the Voice Hero. “You’re going to try and stay as quiet as possible. And every time you get too noisy, you’re going to press that little button.”

His eyes flit over to the device in question before locking back on yours.

“That button raises your bid on whatever item is currently up for grabs. So the less noise you make, the less bids you make. And you wouldn’t want to end up winning something distasteful, yeah?”

You subtly shake your head and crack a small smile at his joke, bringing your hands up to rest on his clothed pecs. You’re surprised to feel powerful muscles rippling underneath his rented dress shirt, along with the heat rolling off of his body and the steady thrum of his heartbeat. Clearly that rented tux is doing nothing for his figure.

“Well what are you going to do?” You tease, running your hands up the plane of his chest and underneath the jacket to grip his broad shoulders. “Seems like I’m the only one playing this game of yours.”

One of his hands leaves your ass to hook a finger under your chin, forcing your head to tilt upwards. He gives you a sinfully wicked grin.

“Oh but that’s the best part, baby. I’m going to try and make you scream.”

Suddenly his lips are crashing into yours, sloppily at first but soon smoothing out into a steady push and pull. He takes your bottom lip between his teeth, biting gently before letting it spring back into place. You sigh into his mouth, a sound eagerly returned by the hero. Your nails dig into his shoulders, bunching the fabric of his shirt as he deepens the kiss. There’s tenderness in the kiss to be sure, but also a fierce dominance that has you fighting against the moans rising in your throat. Hizashi uses the shelf behind you to force and arch into your back before kissing his way down the sensitive column of your throat. He licks and sucks at your pulse point, not hard enough to leave marks but enough to remind you that he’s in control. You tuck your bottom lip between your teeth, even going so far as to clap a hand over your mouth when he gives a particularly sharp nip. He clicks his tongue against your skin, bringing up his free hand to pull yours away.

“Ah ah ah. No cheating, baby.” He says, moving farther down your chest until his chin rests between the supple swell of your breasts. “If you try to put yourself on mute again you’ll have to press that button regardless. Ya dig?”

You nod and he releases your hand, allowing you to curl your arm around and place it at the base of his neck. Pleased with your compliance, Hizashi hooks his thumbs under the straps of your dress and gently shrugs them off. The top half of your gown falls away, pooling around your waist as your breasts are fully exposed to the open air. They pebble and peak instantly, despite the perceived heat in the room, and you feel Hizashi’s hum of appreciation rumble through your sternum. His hands come up to cup them, indulging in their full weight and supple give as he squeezes them lightly. His head dips down to kiss your right breast, ghosting over the pert bud of your nipple as he places featherlight kisses around the areola. It’s maddening, far too light and teasing for your liking. The hand on the back of his neck suddenly fists in his hair and you pull him closer to you, squishing his nose against the pliant flesh.

“Damn baby. Feelin’ needy already, huh?” He chuckles against you, pulling away slightly to look up at you through half-lidded, golden lashes. You whine softly, still pulling his head closer to your body. Hizashi resumes fondling your breasts, taking one nipple into his mouth while using his thumb and forefinger to toy with the other. His tongue swirls around the sensitive nub, every deft twirl and brush mirrored by his fingers. It’s a blissful sensation, heating licking across your nerves and shooting straight to your core. Suddenly, he gives a particularly hard suck and pinch, pulling an involuntary gasp from you. You can feel his smug grin before you even look at him, and he pulls off your nipple with a soft pop.

“Strike one, princess. You know what you have to do.”

“I thought you said no cheating.” You whine, feeling the fresh slick coating your panties and relishing the lingering sting emanating from your nipples.

“It’s not cheating, it’s part of the game. Your job is to stay quiet, my job is to break the silence. Now are you going to play by the rules or not?”

You look over at the seemingly innocent button and furrow your brow. It’s only just dawned on you now that you have no idea what you’d be bidding on and a bolt of panic shoots through you. What if it was a piece from Nemuri’s collection? Or something worse! Hizashi, seeming to sense your trepidation, briefly raises his head up to plant a soothing kiss to your temple.

“Hey, we can stop if you wanna.” He says, removing his hands from your breasts to cup your cheeks. “You don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with. I’m not gonna push ya.”

Your eyes bounce between the little black button and Hizashi’s face, biting your lip in your moment of indecision. It was a gamble for sure, a gamble that could easily cost you your job should you end up winning. But then again… how much humiliation and strain had your nightmare of a boss put you through in the past year? The past month? The past 24 hours? Taking a deep breath, you tentatively press the button, the screen behind you flashing green to signal the successful placement of your bid. Hizashi smiles down at you, impressed with your boldness.

“Fuck it.” You breathe, stretching up to press a chaste kiss against his lips. “I’m all in.”

Hizashi returns the kiss with interest before fully sinking to his knees, running one hand up the slit of your dress to rest on your exposed thigh.

“Okay then, baby.” He purrs, “I need you to spread your legs a little more for me. Lemme see what we’re workin’ with down here, yeah?”

You willingly comply, widening your stance as Hizashi sweeps the bottom half of the dress out of the way and tucks it behind you. The black, lacy thong you’d picked out for the occasion is soaked through, your essence already starting to coat your inner thighs. Hizashi runs one finger up your barely clothed slit, whistling when he feels how damp they are.

“Damn baby.” He breathes, almost like he’s in awe. “These are fucking ruined.”

You resume biting your lip when you feel two of his fingers hook underneath the material and pull it to the side, fighting against the urge to close your legs.

“Such a pretty girl…” Hizashi coos against you, planting a soft kiss to your right thigh before resting his head against it. “Everything about you is pretty.”

You can’t stop the blush that rises to your cheeks at the whispered praise, nor help the way your cunt clenches around nothing. It certainly doesn’t go unnoticed by the blonde as he leans in closer, using his thumbs to gingerly pry your labia apart. He looks up at you hungrily, pupils blown wide with desire as he tongue darts out to wet his lips.

“Hold on tight, baby.”

Hizashi uses the flat of his tongue to lick a hot stripe up your slit, letting out a low, filthy moan at the taste. You realize now why he gave you a warning. He’s using his quirk to amplify his moans tenfold, turning his mouth and tongue into the most attentive sex toy on Earth. The vibrations send shockwaves of pleasure coursing through your body, clouding your senses with desire. Whatever restraint the hero possessed dissolves the moment he tastes you, as he latches on to your rapidly swelling clit and sucks roughly. You gasp at the new sensation, hips unconsciously bucking to force his face further into you. He hums and willingly obeys your body’s command, replacing his mouth with a heavy thumb and delving his tongue between your folds to lap at your quivering entrance. The increase in intensity causes your thighs squeeze together, caging in the hero’s head as he dutifully tongue-fucks you. You can already feel an orgasm mounting deep in your core, his earlier teasing and stimulation paying off in spades. But his tongue isn’t enough, even with his quirk.

“M-More!” You cry out, unable to quell your pleading voice. “I need more. Need to cum. Please let me cum!”

Hizashi pinches the back of your thigh, a silent reminder for you to follow through with the rules of the game. With a groan you bring your hand down on the button, ignoring the flashing screen as you grind your hips down onto his face. But just when you’re about to tip over the edge, he pulls away from you, breathing heavily and his face coated in your sticky juices. You whimper at the loss of contact, but his hands keep your thighs spread apart to deny you the friction you seek.

“Good girl.” He pants, still swirling his thumb over your aching pearl. “So good for me, baby.”

“Then why’d you stop?” You softly moan, tears of frustration pricking at the corners of your eyes. You’d been so close.

“Because,” he says, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “The only way I want you to cum is on my cock.”

Before you can fully register his words, he grabs you by the hips and flips you around, pulling your dress up and bunching it in one fist. Your panties are roughly yanked down around your ankles and you have to brace yourself against the shelf as you feel the hard bulge of Hizashi’s pants rub against your bared ass. A sharp smack to one cheek causes you to yelp, and a quick smack to the other forces you to bring your hand down on the button.

“Cheater.” You pant, earning a dark chuckle for the man behind you.

“Name-calling are we now, baby? Just for that, you don’t get to cum until I say so. Understood?”

You nod quickly, glancing behind you when you feel him start to fiddle with his belt and zipper. Your eyes widen when you see his painfully erect cock spring free: long, thick, and with a silver ring adorning the reddened tip. He gives the length a few short pumps, coaxing out a pearly bead of precum that quickly winds its way around the Prince Albert piercing.

“I think someone likes what she sees.” He says coyly, flicking one finger against the metal for emphasis. “Ever been with a pierced guy before?”

You shake your head and Mic smirks.

“Then trust me. You’re gonna love this, babygirl.”

He lines the head up with your entrance and starts to slowly push into you, the initial stretch causing you to hiss in pain. But the burn soon melts into pleasure as Hizashi buries himself to the hilt, bottoming out with a grunt of his own. You can feel the metal ring bumping against your cervix already, a low moan escaping when he gives a few shallow thrusts.

“Good girl. Takin’ me so well. So tight and perfect.” He mutters breathlessly, voice barely above a whisper. The praise makes you whimper and clamp down on his cock, earning a moan of pleasure from Hizashi. He starts to move in earnest, pumping in and out of you at a steady pace. Each forward thrust pushes your face closer to the wall, your breasts brushing back and forth across the cool wooden shelf and stimulating your pebbled nipples.Your mind is floating in a haze of hedonistic bliss as the air around you fills with the sounds of slapping skin and the scent of sex. You can already feel your orgasm racing towards you at a breakneck speed, the coil in your belly tightening with each thrust. Hizashi suddenly sinks his teeth into your right shoulder with a an almost feral growl, blunted teeth nearly piercing the skin. You squeal at the brilliant pain, only to feel his tongue lave over the forming welts, soothing them. You automatically bring your hand down on the button and his pace quickens in response, rewarding you by maneuvering his hips until he finds the spot that makes your vision go white and your mind go blank.

“Th-th-there!” You sputter out, smacking the button before instinctually backing into him. You don’t give a damn about your boss or the money anymore. All you can focus on right now is chasing your own mind-numbing pleasure. He gives a hum of acknowledgement and straightens up, angling his thrusts to hit that spot every time. He can feel the way your walls flutter and shiver, right on the edge of release.

“That’s it, babygirl.” He grunts, licking the pad of his fingers before reaching below your bodies to find your clit. Slender digits rubs tight circles on the swollen bead, the rough touch making you almost sob in relief. “Cum for me. Cum all over my cock!”

It’s a demand, one that your body is more than ready to obey. With one final circle of his thumb, the pressure snaps and you cry out in toe-curling ecstasy. It feels like your entire body locks up from the intensity of your orgasm and Hizashi gives a cry of his own when he feels the way your pussy clamps down on him like a vise. He forgoes gentleness in favor of animalistic rutting, gripping your hips to set a brutal and unforgiving pace. His cockhead and piercing continually slam into your g-spot and cervix, lengthening your own orgasm to an almost unbearable extent.

“Shit.” He curses, pistoning into you like a rabbit while his balls slap against your clit. “I’m fuckin’ close. Where do you want it?”

“Cum in me!” You wail, the game forgotten as fireworks explode behind your eyes. “Please! Hizashi! I need it.”

Hearing you beg so sweetly for him snaps what little composure he had left. Hizashi lets loose a guttural howl and after a few harsh thrusts, his hips stutter to a halt. You can feel his cock pulsing deep within you, filling you up with rope after rope of thick, white seed. He stays inside you for a moment, breathing heavily and feeling the way your velvety walls throb around his length. Your body feels hot and heavy, head swimming as you gradually come down from the high. Eventually, Present Mic pulls his spent dick from your abused hole, pausing to admire the way his cum oozes out and drips onto the wood floor before pulling your panties back up. Your legs might as well be made of jelly for how useful they are right now, wobbling on your stilettos as you hold onto the shelf for dear life.

“That…” You pant, “That was good. So good.”

“Yeah?” Hizashi says behind you, tucking himself back into his trousers before smoothing one hand up and down your exposed back. His gentle touch causes goosebumps to rise on your skin, your nerves still overly sensitive.

“Yeah.” You breathe, “I needed that.”

Hizashi smirks and leans down to pepper kisses along your shoulder blades, basking in the afterglow alongside you. You practically melt under his affections, never wanting this tender, warm feeling to end.

“Can you stand?” He asks after a few minutes and you weakly nod. Carefully, he helps you stand upright, brushing a few stray pieces of hair behind your ear while you fix your dress and cover your chest once more. Hizashi then moves to fix his own half-bun, smirking at the way you’re dreamily looking up at him.

“Hey space cadet.” He teases, tapping the tip of your nose with one finger. “Come back to Earth for me, will ya? We better get outta here before your nanny cow calls the cops. Or worse, Endeavor.”

You blink slowly and hum in agreement, lazily looking over at the button one last time. And then you freeze. A new message is scrolling across the screen:

Congratulations! You have won lot #114. Please collect your prize.

“Oh my god…” You whisper, feeling your blissful headspace drown under an icy wave of fear. “Oh my god, NO! What the fuck did I just do?”

“Hm?” Hizashi turns to the screen and it’s too-cheerful message. “Oh! Well wouldja look at that?”

“Why are you being so calm about this!?” You shriek, grabbing him by the lapels of the tuxedo and frantically shaking him. “My boss is going to kill me! I have no idea what I– what he just bought! It could be a dildo in the shape of All Might’s dick for all I know!”

“Hey, hey! Chill out, baby!” Hizashi says, placing both hands on your shoulders to steady you. “Just breathe for me, okay? Nice and slow. You didn’t buy anything like that, I promise.”

“How do you know?” You squeak, trying not to hyperventilate.

“Because I know exactly what they were auctioning off with that lot number.”

“Then spare me the dramatics and spit it out, Hizashi! What did I just win!?”

“... Me.”

The world seems to stop for a moment as you stare up at Hizashi’s sheepish face. You open and close your mouth like a goldfish, your overloaded brain trying to find the right words to say. It settles on a neanderthalic, “Huh?”

“You won me.” He repeats, “Well not forever anyways. Just for 24 hours.”

“I don’t understand. Are you trying to be funny?”

“I’m dead serious, baby! The Anonymous Auction doesn’t just offer material stuff. People can bid on and win “dates” with Pro Heroes. The more popular the Pro, the more money comes in. I volunteered to do it this year since a couple of my buddies did it last year.”

You blink slowly, allowing your panicky brain to process this new information.

“So… is that why you brought me here? Because you knew it was time for the bidding to start on your date?”

“I swear, I had no idea.” Hizashi says, crossing an X over his heart for emphasis. “I just wanted a chance to talk to you more and get ya away from that creep of a partner you came with. It was honestly just a lucky coincidence.”

“And the quiet game?”

“I came up with that on the fly when I saw my lot number on the screen. But I didn’t expect you to actually win the auction. And if you don’t wanna go through with this because of your boss or me, then I totally get it. You can always defer to the second highest bidder. That kinda thing happens all the time.”

You step back from Hizashi and turn away, muttering a quick, “Give me a minute.”

Looking past the insanity of the situation, you had to admit you were a little impressed, even grateful, for Hizashi’s scheme. He’d saved you from dealing with Buru, at least for a little while, and made sure you had a fun time doing it. And besides, it’s not like you weren’t attracted to the man. Sure he was loud and goofy, but he was also sweet and charismatic. Not to mention a damn good lay.

“... Okay.” You say after a few moments of thought, snapping your attention back to Hizashi. “Here’s what I want to do.”

You hold up one finger.

“First of all, I want to find a bathroom and get myself cleaned up. This is a nice dress and I don’t want it to get stained, if you catch my drift.”

Hizashi nods in understanding. You put up a second finger.

“Secondly, I’m absolutely starving. So I want to get some water and food. And maybe a glass of champagne.”

Hizashi cracks a smile at that, giving a chuckle of “You got it, baby.”

“And finally,” You say, stepping forward to grab Hizashi by the front of his jacket and pull him in for a kiss. “I want to collect my prize.”

#hizashi yamada #hizashi x reader #bnha #mha #bnha x reader #hizashi yamada x reader smut #mha x reader #citrus dome collab

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danlusional · 4 years

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02 - for old time’s sake

book: Ride or Die: A Bad Boy Romance pairing: Colt Kaneko x f!MC (Holly Turner) rating: PG-13 (is it really im not sure) word count: 1,598 words

note: All characters are owned by Pixelberry and Choices. dedicated to the Colt Kaneko advocate that got me replay the book and saw the Light @cryinginthebackseat. I was aiming for angsty(?) but it’s my curse that I could only write fluff with a tinge of angst.

There was only one week between graduation and her big trip to the East Coast.

That week was filled with witness interviews, packing, and trying to cool down the tension between her and her dad. Her body never stopped going places, despite her mind staying in mostly one topic of her every waking moment. It hasn’t been easy trying to go back to the pace before all the shenanigans happened.

She was trying to be the ‘normal’ Holly, the one that she was trying to get her dad accustomed to. By night, after her father left for work, she slipped into the driver seat of her car and took off for a ride around the city. It felt nothing like the adrenaline rush she felt during the jobs with Mercy Park Crew, but she knew there wouldn’t be anything like it anymore.

Sometimes during her drives, she was tempted to see the remnants of the garage and the short-lived dual life she led. There was also a tug in her heart, a hope that she would spot him hanging around the area.

Colt did say he wouldn’t go anywhere, during that last conversation they had a few blocks away from Jason’s house. Under the dimmed stars in L.A night sky, she thought she wanted to leave her dreams of Langston behind, to make their dream came true. But, Holly knew throwing the one thing she worked so hard for her whole life wouldn’t bring their future together to come faster.

It was the evening before her big move when she suddenly got a text from an unknown number in the midst of packing. The second her eyes landed on the message, she knew it was him.

“One last jump for old time’s sake?”

That was all it said.

With her dad gone to work earlier than usual, Holly was in the clear to just leave and meet Colt. She abandoned all leftover packing and took off in her car. There was no second-guessing, no thoughts; her whole body ran on instinct. She wanted to - needed to - see him. When it came to Colt and the crew, she knew there could be no ‘next time’.

Her car zoomed down the highway, only passing a few cars along the way until she got to the spot, his spot. Her heart leaped into her throat when she saw his white motorcycle parked there, just like when they first came here together. Was it really him? It couldn’t have been a trap but after everything, Holly grew some skepticism and caution to every single thing in her life.

He was still in his usual get up as he sat with his back facing her, watching the purple sky with the silhouette of sea birds flying at the distance. There was no more sunset, only the wind, and sound of waves crashing far beneath the cliff.

“Took you long enough to reach out.”, she broke the silence aside from the whistling wind. “I thought you found someone else to run the world with.”

Colt looked over his shoulder to her with the smirk she now knew all too well. “I know I have the looks but have more faith in me, sweetheart.”

Holly rolled her eyes before she took her place next to him. She was prepared for the aches or the overwhelming sadness of seeing him in the flesh once more, especially with the clock ticking away. Instead, she was greeted by a calm and blissful feeling. “One more night before I leave.”, she announced with her eyes still locked towards the darkening horizon.

“Still can’t convince you to stay, huh?”, he replied with a subtle side glance to her. “I’d like to see how long you can live your normal life there when you know you can do so much more.”

“I know I can stay. I know I can do anything and everything… With you, here.”, she finally turned her head to face him, meeting his eyes. “But I still wanna do this one thing for myself. I worked so hard for it… and it’ll be a waste if I at least don’t give it a chance.”

Colt only nodded without showing little to no emotions on his face but with him quietly reaching for her hand, it was the only reply Holly needed. She tangled their fingers together and planted a soft kiss on each of his knuckles before pressing her cheek against the back of his hand. The moment felt so domestic, so calm, which was a change of scene for the pair. It almost felt weird for her, in a welcomed sense.

“I know we talked about the uncertainty of a future in our situation… but we also talked about how you and I would make such a power couple.”, he chuckled, quiet enough that it didn’t sound like one. “This doesn’t have to end here, Holly.”

She looked at him once more with her brows knitted in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Fine, you don’t want to stay in the city. You want to live out your university dream even though I wager you’d only last a year or two—“, his words were cut off by her laughter and a playful push on his shoulder, “but I’ll find you. I’ll always do, just like what I did today.”

“What does this mean… for us?”

That question put silence between them. It was obvious he didn’t really have a solid answer for her but she didn’t really mind. They were in love and that was it. “I don’t want this to end and I know neither do you. Fuck the feds, or any other crews that are going to come for us.”

“We answer to no one.”, the smile bloomed on her face with tears welling in her eyes. “Am I still going to be your driver?”

“Forever, remember?”, he cracked a smile and just let his words wafted into the cool night air. All the feelings she felt in that moment couldn’t be expressed by her words alone, so she leaned in, pressing a searing kiss onto his lips.

It was almost like they were two pieces of magnets, clasping together in all the right places. Colt pulled her to his lap for her to straddle him, her arms wrapping around his neck. There was no more space between them for now before she had to put thousands of miles in less than 24 hours. The kiss left both of them breathless but neither wanted to stop. Holly gasped between kisses, moaning his name softly against his own lips while his fingers twined around her hair, almost desperate like she was going to disappear any second.

The kiss lasted a while and they pulled away, quietly catching their breaths with their foreheads touching. There were a million and one things Holly wanted to say to him, but she knew words would fail her. So did Colt. They didn’t need to really say anything aside from the look they gave to each other.

“I’ll wait. I’ll find you. When you’re back, you’ll see how great I become.”, he whispered with his hands underneath her shirt, trailing her bare sides. His callused fingers were so gentle, they left goosebumps on her skin. Holly wanted to memorised how they felt, how he felt for all those times away.

“I love you now… and I’m sure that can only be improved then.”, she cupped his face in her hands while her eyes tried to scan every detail she could see. There was only the moonlight to help her but it was enough. She wanted to remember everything about him. “Now, how about that jump?”

He smirked and gave her one last kiss before they stood up from their spot, stripping down to only their underwear. Just like their first time here. Holly turned around and stepped towards the cliff edge, looking down at the dark water below. The jump seemed scarier than their last excursion, with lack of lighting and bigger waves, but once she clasped her hand with Colt’s, she knew she could do it. They could.

“On three?”, he tugged her a few steps back for the run and tightened his hold of her hand. She looked at him and nodded with a small smile on her face. “One… Two…”

“Three!”, Holly squealed and ran at the cue, together with him. Nothing could stop them now, nothing would. They leaped off the cliff and in a fleeting moment, she felt that freedom once more. There was no more fear about her move, no more loose ends or need for closure. Everything settled.

Once they crashed into the water, she swam up to the surface almost at the same time as Colt. He immediately pulled her into his embrace, tucked a wet strand of hair behind her ear as he laughed off his adrenaline. “Can’t believe I’m really letting you go, daredevil.”

“You’ll never lose me. See it as me, studying, so I can be an even smarter sidekick for our world domination.”

“You’re more than a sidekick.”, he said, so earnestly, that Holly could only reply with a kiss. Even with the waves around them and the whole ocean in front of them, she knew they could survive it all. After all, they had danced with the devil and teased death in the short span of time they were side by side. “I love you.”

She smiled and let their lips touched as she whispered it back for him. “I love you too.”

#ride or die #ride or die: a bad boy romance #colt kaneko #colt x mc #playchoices #pixelberry #playchoices ride or die #idk what tags to use anymore so feel free to suggest #the feels are real people

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soreylohuh · 6 years

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Tagged by my dearly beloveds @reylohasmyheart and @yeah--me--too who I love and adore like the treasures they both are!!!!

Rules: Answer these 10 Star Wars-related questions and tag your favorite Reylo blogs to join in!

1) Who is your favorite Star Wars character of the new trilogy? (excluding Rey and Kylo)

I love Finn, I want to wrap him up in a blanket and never let anything bad happen to him ever. I love Rose, but I kind of am her, and it feels like cheating to pick someone that I (really, really) am.

So I’ll say Poe, for the sake of being Cool and Different and a Rebel and because no one can have the same opinions as the crowd and still be a Cool (TM) person, right???? I love Poe because he’s the person who’s always jumping headfirst into things, and he shares that with Rey. He’s good and he’s kind but it’s mixed with this bubbly joyful personality and a die-hard need to do the Right Thing even if he has to give his life for it. I mean he has the typical protagonist “I-must-be-a-hero-and-that-means-whatever-the-cost-we’ll-win” problem but I have faith that he’s growing out of it!!! good job actual husband!!!

basically tldr Poe is the Leslie Knope of the trilogy and Finn is his Ann Perkins standing to the side face-palming and enacting the vine that’s like “Oh what’s that you have?” “a KNIFE” *screams* “NOOO!!!!”

2) If you had a lightsaber what color would it be?

I WOULD have a purple lightsaber because I AM Samuel L. Jackson and I WOULD convince George Lucas to give it to me

3) What is/are your favorite quote(s) from a Star Wars movie?

I have very Specific feelings about “Father, I won’t leave you” because I have a hidden tangle of feelings on the Luke who won’t give up on anyone else but himself

so obviously I also love “No one’s ever really gone” because I’m one of those terrible rays of sunshine who can’t give up on people long after they’re gone

and also “If you live long enough, you see the same eyes in different people” is so strangely powerful to me!!! when the trailer first came out for TFA I used to think about that quote for months on endddd, I don’t even know why it strikes me so much!! I would love beyond words to see more of Maz but that will probably never happen sadly!

and finally I adore the “We’re all fine- h-how are you?” scene from A New Hope b/c it sums up all the reasons I would die for Han Solo, most of them being he would reply “thanks you too” to someone giving him his movie ticket/lunch

4) Do you think Kylo/Ben will survive episode IX?

I DO believe he’ll survive!! maybe that’s just my love for him talking, but I want so terribly and horribly for him to have the chance to really live. I desperately want the trilogy to resolve in a way that gives us not just hope, but closure for all of the people whose lives got so tangled up and torn apart before they ever got to live properly- most of all Padme. I have a poetry-ish snippet about her and Ben that I keep thinking about but not finishing but it illustrates my point so:

since i was a child, there were always voices in my head they weep, and they weep and sometimes, just sometimes they sound like the voice of a woman who died before she was allowed to live and she tells me, “don’t ever give up fighting them, child”

5) What are your top 3 favorite Star Wars films?

I have a weird soft spot for Empire Strikes Back, and has anything ever filled your heart with so much love as the closing scenes of Return of the Jedi??? there’s a bonfire and ghosts smiling at one another and everyone’s together and everyone’s alright!!!

ALSO obviously The Last Jedi but that goes without saying almost.

6) Which droid would you most like to own/have as your sidekick on intergalactic adventures?

@rewritethestarwars is 1000% right about K-2SO. I would spend the rest of my life laughing at what he has to say!!!! Good!!!

7) Which Jedi master would you most like to train under: Luke, Yoda, Qui-Gon or Obi-Wan?

I kind of am Luke (reader: again??? Eden, why are you all of these characters at once?? me: I DON’T KNOW I’M SORRY) so I don’t know if he could train me properly and I like being able to love Yoda and if he went to sleep while I was talking to him I would kind of hate him!! jk but really tho

so Emma’s also right about Obi-Wan. He’s also the most Human (TM) of all the masters, so I would be okay with arguing with him, as would inevitably happen when you are with someone all the time.

8) What is your favorite scene featuring Rey and Kylo?

i MEAN!!!! the hut-hand-holding scene is maybe my favorite moment in the series ever?????? look Rey is there and she’s 100000% been ugly crying for the past two (2) hours and her hair’s all wet and she’s coming down with a cold from being in the water so much in the past week and she’s in the depths of despair and all her walls are tumbling down with a crash

meanwhile Ben is looking up at her with his heart in his eyes and it’s so gentle and TENDER and they hold hands so that they’re not alone lemme just die already

9) What order did you initially see the saga films in?

I saw all of the original six when I was quite young so I’m not quite sure. I saw all of the original trilogy in my freshman year of high school though, and that’s when I really fell in love! And then in recent memory, I’ve seen all of the recent releases in theaters with Rey buns cause I’m like that. :))))

10) What is your ideal ending for Reylo in Episode IX?

Happiness. That’s all I care about. HAPPINESS FOR EVERYONE!!!

i mean if I’m being real with you I want Rey/Ben to stand in a field of yellow flowers and hold each other but that’s probably asking for too much

but Maria is right and MARRIAGE is the only right answer!!!!

everyone’s done this already but do it if ya wanna chicklets

#i have to overexplain every choice i make and it's annoying but ANYWAY

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tyrantisterror · 7 years

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Bonus: More Buffy Characters I’d Ruin

I had to cut myself off while writing my How I’d Ruin It: Buffy the Vampire Slayer article because it was almost 10pm and I still hadn’t finished, but goddam if there aren’t more Buffy characters I wanted to talk about, so here’s the “deleted scenes” for the article.

Anya: Introduced as a monster of the week (specifically a demon), Anya was demoted by her bosses to a mere mortal human after she was defeated, and went on to be a recurring cast member. Anya had a delightfully warped outlook, since she really wasn’t accustomed to human society and as such didn’t understand many social taboos. While she could be blunt and callous, she meant well, and was a good ally. Unfortunately, she was also written to be Xander’s love interest, and most of her plots were built around him. Worse, the rest of the characters kind of treated her like shit, regarding her with annoyance at best and outright hostility at worst.

Since my reboot is a bit kinder to monsters in general, we’d go a different way here. Instead of being annoyed by Anya, the group would all actively try to rehabilitate her – their end goal is coexistence with the supernatural, after all, and Anya could be instrumental in that. Though it takes a while and is often frustrating, they make progress, and Anya eventually learns the value of humanity and in turn becomes an essential ally. Especially once her powers start coming back…

Tara: Introduced as Willow’s first female love interest, Tara was a young witch whose family told her (and all her female family members) that women in her family would become demons on their twenty first birthday, and thus had to be hidden away to keep from incurring the wrath of the outside world. This was resolved in one episode, and afterwards Tara had little to do except be Willow’s girlfriend. The writers later killed her off for drama because they had nothing else for her to do.

But, I mean, c’mon! A young woman raised by an abusive and misogynistic family goes to college, discovers witchcraft AND her own homosexuality, and then rebels against her family despite being told that doing so will reveal her true inhuman nature? Surely that has potential for more than just one episode of focus! Let Willow and Tara have solo adventures! Get her involved in helping the rest of the cast! Shit, you know what, given our reboot’s stance on monsters, let’s make the family’s threat true – maybe she IS part demon. Demons rebel against authority, and some authority needs to be rebelled against. Tara has the potential for interesting and awesome plots – plots about how being different from what is normal doesn’t have to be a cause of shame, but can instead be literally empowering. Let’s make it happen.

Jenny Calendar: Jenny Calendar was introduced as the high school computer teacher, and also a “technopagan,” i.e. a witch who incorporates modern technology into magic, rather than remaining in the past. That is such a badass concept that it’s a damn shame they never did anything with it. Instead, Jenny became Giles’ love interest, and then was revealed to be part of the Roma family that cursed Angel to have a soul, which is treated as a betrayal for some reason. Then Angelus kills her so Giles can feel sad.

Again, there’s so much lost potential here! Given that this reboot is playing up both the magic AND technology expertise with Willow, Jenny could easily find stuff to do as Willow’s mentor, and making a mix of magic and technology more of a thing could also allow for a lot of weird and fun monster plotlines that they would be key in solving. Having a strong, adult female role model would also be good for, like, all of the main characters – Buffy’s mom can’t fill the role entirely since she needs to be out of the loop for plot reasons.

Kendra: The first time Buffy died and came back to life resulted in another Slayer getting called into being, violating the “there can only be one Slayer” rule after a grand total of one season. Kendra is one of the few black characters in Buffy who gets more than one line, AND she’s a Slayer, AND she’s from Africa! There’s a lot of potential there! Sadly, she was kind of, well, boring, and her case wasn’t helped by the fact that the writers clearly didn’t do a whole lot of research into any of the various countries and cultures in Africa, resulting in a character that’s pretty stereotypical.

But that potential though! Let’s have the reboot violate the “only one slayer exists at a time” rule right from the get go – instead, there are many slayers, albeit still very few (definitely under 100). Each would be the hero of their own story, and there could be fun stories where we get glimpses of the different types of supernatural threats on other parts of the globe. We could explore how different Watchers work with their respective Slayers, comparing Giles and Buffy to others while also examining the problems with the Watchers Council (and perhaps showing that more Slayers than just Buffy realize they’re getting a raw deal here). The potential is so great!

Faith: As mentioned in the article proper, Faith is Buffy’s evil opposite, the rogue Slayer who became a villain. Faith loves fuckin’ and killin’, and the show makes it very clear that both of those interests are the reason she’s evil – everyone seems to go out of their way to slut shame Faith, to the point where “evil” and “skanky” are both treated as her defining attributes, each equally vilified. While Buffy has a fairly normal middle class life (despite being in a single parent household and, y’know, a vampire slayer), Faith grew up poor in an abusive environment, and has overall had a hard life. She is very clearly a troubled person before she turns full villain, and her character arc is primarily focused on her envy of Buffy’s life. She rants repeatedly about how often she is unfavorably compared to Buffy, and one of her evil schemes involves swapping bodies with Buffy to escape punishment for her actions.

The fact that Faith is positioned as Buffy’s evil opposite because her life situation sucks is, well, problematic, and the slut shaming piled on top of that definitely doesn’t help. However, since we inverted Buffy for this reboot, why not invert Faith as well?

Reboot Faith comes from a ridiculously rich family, is valedictorian at her school, and treats vampire slaying as an unfortunate responsibility rather than an adventure. She’s a brutally efficient yet utterly merciless Slayer. In her mind, she’s an exterminator, not a hero who saves civilians and certainly not someone who wants to find a peaceful solution to the humans vs. monsters conflict. As far as she’s concerned, supernatural creatures threaten humanity just by existing, and the conflict can only end with one side’s total destruction. She is essentially every negative implication of a typical “Human slays monsters” story condensed into one character – a proper opposite for Reboot Buffy’s open minded rough housing party girl monster fighter.

Forrest Gates: “Who the fuck is Forrest?” you may be asking. Working for the same government monster task force as Riley Finn, Forrest was essentially Riley’s sidekick and foil. He was both Riley’s second in command and best friend, and he stuck with the government when Riley rebelled to be with Buffy. Being a foil, his personality deliberately contrasts with Riley’s: while Riley is straight laced, soft spoken, and “nice” in a bland “I’m not vocally racist but I still voted for Trump” sort of way, Forrest is hot blooded, individualistic, outspoken, sarcastic, and sometimes deeply cynical. If you were to guess which of the two would rebel when they learned their government employers were up to shady shit, you’d guess Forrest – which I suppose makes it an interesting twist that he stays while rule-abidin’ Riley goes rogue.

Forrest doesn’t develop more than that, and when I first saw the series I wrote him off as just what he was written to be: Riley’s foil. Upon rewatching the series this year, though, I noticed something: Forrest is, well, interesting. He’s far more analytical and aware than Riley. He’s got better lines, he’s got a good sense of humor, and he brings a wild sort of energy to every scene he’s in. He’s got more vocal interest in and chemistry with Buffy than Riley did before they hooked up (not a hard feat, to be fair – Riley has all the romantic energy of two week old mashed potatoes). And, yeah, he seems much more believable as the army guy who would spot the flaws in his organization and go rogue. Let’s make Forrest the Initiative Agent who switches sides and goes with our heroes. It verges into crackfic territory, sure, but that’s what How I’d Ruin It is all about.

Harmony: Starting as “Cordellia except without the depth,” Harmony was just a Mean Girl stereotype until she became a vampire. Then she evolved into something slightly more complex: Harmony was a woefully ineffective villain, a ditz who was not cut out for causing evil that everyone, good and evil alike, made fun of. She also became an abuse victim, which might have been poignant if the show didn’t spend all the rest of her screen time making fun of her for being dumb, shallow, and promiscuous.

I have a noted soft spot for affable and ineffectual villain characters, and I think Harmony could play a valuable role in my heretical reboot’s approach to monsters. Harmony would be the rare person who actually improved upon becoming a vampire, as her death and rebirth as a monster helps her realize how bullshit all her high school clique nonsense was. At the same time, she’s grossed out by the whole “eating people” thing, and her general cluelessness actually gives her a unique perspective that other vampires and monsters lack – Harmony, in her own simple way, could note the pragmatism of not eating people, since no one’s gonna stake you for buying blood from a butcher. When grander villains rope her into their schemes, they quickly find she’s more of a hindrance than a help. She’d be the loveable rogue of the story – not quite a hero, but never a true villain either.

And maybe we could explore toxic relationships with someone who isn’t quite so cartoonish.

“Angel”: While the core of Angel’s character – being the only vampire with a soul and the guilt that comes with – doesn’t work in the reboot’s setting, that doesn’t mean we can’t have him altogether. Reboot Angel would take a page from his spinoff and make him a vampire Private Detective, and one of the first vampires Buffy meets that is inarguable a decent person. He helps the helpless, gets his blood from non-human animals in a human way, and is generally a good person despite being a vampire. In this take, Angel wouldn’t be a love interest – ‘cause even when he’s not evil, there’s a creep factor to the whole “vampire with a body that’s in its mid 20’s dating a 16 year old” thing, and also because it would be kind of funny to me for a vampire to rebuke the interests of a young vulnerable woman, since, y’know, that’s the opposite of what vampires usually do. Buffy’s crush would, painfully for her, be unrequited.

“Angelus”: In the original show, Angel lost his soul and became the evil Angelus when he and Buffy bumped uglies in the figurative way instead of the literal way they usually do. It’s one of the more clever results of the show’s “All monsters are metaphors” approach – a guy seems nice until he sleeps with you, then he turns evil. That’s a really good way to use a monster story as a metaphor for a real problem young women face.

But.

There is a crucial difference between the figurative meaning of this plot and the LITERAL events of it, and that difference rests in the guy’s autonomy. Angel has NO CHOICE in the matter – he has no control of his actions, no agency in the horror that follows. His soul is magically removed by the coitus, and the evil done by Angelus is the responsibility of the vampire spirit that now runs his body. The only one who has agency here is Buffy – the person who, in the real life problem this situation is an allegory for, should be the VICTIM of the resulting abuse. Women get blamed for making men abusive a LOT – “she was asking for it” and all that bullshit. And here we have a monster plot that literally makes the victimized woman the only person in the relationship who has agency in causing the abuse that follows – she literally removed his soul by sleeping with him. It’s not an unintended thing, either – some of the characters call Buffy “rash” and “careless” for sleeping with Angel, and taken within the show’s general opinion that girls who sleep with men before marriage are bad, it’s not something we can ignore.

Still, there’s a good idea beneath the awful execution. We just need to tweak it.

So our “Angelus” would begin as a decent guy who dates one of our young female characters – maybe Buffy, maybe Willow, maybe Cordelia, we’ve got options here. He seems nice at first – he’s got sort of a bad boy thing going on and he’s a bit older than is normal, but whatever doubts he inspires are quickly dissuaded by the help he offers the group and his general kindness. He might be broody and angsty from time to time, but any red flags he sends are easy to write off. Until he sleeps with the girl in question.

Then, quite literally, he turns into a monster. Up till this point the audience would be lead to believe he’s human, but no, he reveals his true colors as something inhuman and heartless – perhaps something much worse than a vampire. The personality change is as drastic as the physical, and our heroes quickly learn that all his “kindness” before was a ruse. He is nothing more than cruel and sadistic predator, and one that needs to be put down.

Vampires as a whole: Buffy’s take on vampires is one of my least favorite in fiction, since they’re basically just strong guys with sharp teeth, weird eyes, Klingon bumps, and often an inexplicable knowledge of martial arts. Like most post-Anne Rice vampires, they’re very simple so as to avoid being “goofy” – no transformation, hypnosis, etc. My preference is for the “goofy” stuff though – turning into mist, or a giant bat, traveling on moonlight, commanding legions of rats, all that good Bram Stoker shit. I also love some of the weird folkloric takes on vampires, like the ones with multiple hearts and other weird shit.

Borrowing a page from my own fictional universe, the vampires in my Buffy reboot would be weird and varied. There would be multiple breeds, and even within those there’s a lot of individual variation. While some vampires are stronger than others, ALL would be significant threats. We’d be going for quality over quantity – while Buffy has less vampires to fight in this reboot, the ones she does slay take a lot of work to kill. So, in short – vampires by way of Stoker rather than Rice.

#buffy the vampire slayer

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fight-me-boi · 6 years

Text

This Could Be The Start of Something Greater.

~Short character drabbles about the twenty six members of the team. Takes place at different times through out he yj!universe. For @runningwitches . Happy Holidays. There’s a little under 4700 words tucked under the read more. I’m sorry this is so late I restarted this several times and still wasn’t satisfied, and then I got sick. Anyway. Again, I’m sorry it’s late.~

B01-Nightwing

Dick loved the circus, he was taught by his mom and his aunt with his friends. John kept calling him squirt. His dad kept saying John’s attitude would keep him that height forever. The center pole was the second best place to be in the world, following the air. He was Robin. He was destined to fly.

And nothing was better than hearing the crowd’s oh’s and ah’s of the crowd as he flipped through the air and performed. Nothing beat that feeling, he was loved by his family and by the crowd. He wouldn’t give anything to change it, they weren’t rich in possession but they were rich where it mattered.

“Oh, do be careful, Robin.” Mary said loud enough for her voice to carry through the tent, she was watching her son on the trapeze with her brother in law. Dick waved down at her as John put an arm around her comfortingly.

“Come on Mary, Rich wouldn’t drop him.” John’s easy grin dropped for a second,”At least, I don’t think.”

Mary glared at him,”Don’t even joke about that Giovanni. He is little. I know you and your brother have some twisted sense of humor but if he drops our son I drop him. Understand?”

John looked nervous but nodded enthusiastically,”Yes, ma’am.”

Jack walked up beside his adopted son,”Did your wife just threaten to knock your brother out?”

“Yep,” John shot Jack a mischievous grin,” What a woman.”

“With any luck John, Dick won’t inherit Mary’s temper, or he’ll at least have your smile to hide it behind.”

Dick shot down the ladder into his dad’s arms,”Didya see? Was I good?”

John lifted his son up in front of him,”Amazing, spectacular. You might be the best out of us one day, Dick.”

Dick laughed and hugged his dad.

B02-Aqualad

Kaldur knew he was one of the best fighters in his rank, if not the best. Even his magic was weapons based. His water bearers could become sabers, a mace a sledge hammer. He was proud of the fact that he was elected leader of the team, Robin would have become a good leader but he was too young, not used to working in a group compared to working with Batman.

He was heartbroken when Tula died, and when Garth went back to Atlantis. Nightwing had barely finished his undercover mission, had barely started grieving for his brother. But Nightwing was ready to be the leader, Kaldur was going to step away but finding out that his father was Black Manta meant that he needed not just time to think but time didn’t grant him that. He decided to go undercover instead giving himself a polite amount of distance from the team but able to watch over them and see them work well under Nightwing, help the “chess pieces” move to their proper location.

B03-Kid Flash

He officially had the coolest uncle ever. Not only did he fight crime as a CSI, he was the Flash. How many people could say that. He had to be his uncle’s partner. Batman had Robin, and Green Arrow had Speedy the Flash needed a sidekick, and what better than his nephew?

What’s the worst that could happen, he was a chemistry genius, and had access to all the chemicals and his uncles meticulous notes. He could recreate the experiment and then Uncle Barry would have to take him on, he’d have super powers too.

B04-Superboy

Connor loved the farm. He could lay in the sun for hours. He couldn’t fly, but it wasn’t that great and Clark wouldn’t admit it but Connor was capable of beating him. He didn’t want to be Superman anymore, and he couldn’t be a normal guy, constantly looking 16. He only looked like Clark from a distance as well. He couldn’t be Superman.

Connor liked not having to worry about missions of helping his parents around the farm,”Pa? Anything else you’d like me to do before I head back to Happy Harbor?”

“No, just enjoy yourself and give Megan a kiss from me and your ma.”

Connor laughed,”Will do. She’ll want to stop by to cook for you guys and get some more recipes from Ma.”

“She’s always welcomed.”

B05-Miss Martian

She didn’t understand what Connor’s issue was, they were bad guys. They had made their decision to be bad and they needed the information for the mission. It didn’t matter.

Connor wasn’t going to tell she had faith in him, if they had all the information Troia would be here, Jason and Tula would be alive and Garth and Kaldur wouldn’t have left the team.

She didn’t like what she was doing but she was doing it for the betterment of the world, doing the hard work to make the defensive look in Nightwing’s eyes to disappear. She’d be willing to lose some sleep to make sure they all lived to see another day. She’d be willing to compromise her ideals to help the team, it was worth it for them.

B06-Red Arrow

Roy liked the kid, he was hilarious. The jokes were stupid but the timing was impeccable. Gotham sucked ass and he was definantly going to kill Oliver for leaving him here even if it was for a day, why did Gotham’s arsonist have to fly. Robin was sitting next to him, surrounded by smoldering debris, giggling,”Cash is going to lose his mind.”

“Why?” Roy said pulling Robin to his feet.

The police car turned the corner and a man emerged from the cop car,”Why does our arsonist have to fly?“

“Because Gotham hates you, Cash.”

“Robin, any idea where he or Batman went?”

“No, Lynns bolted and Bats went after him. Our plan kinda went up in flames.” Roy snorted as Robin was staring at Cash with a shit eating grin, and Cash looked like he’d rather be dealing with Batman himself instead of the sidekicks.

B07-Artemis

Artemis belonged on the team, she didn’t care what Roy said. He was barely even there most of the time. He did not get to say what she was capable of or what her place on the team actually was. She spent her whole life fighting, fighting Jade, her father, the bad guys before she joined the team and the new bad guys with the team and Green Arrow. She belonged on this team she earned her damn spot, she wasn’t going to let some pompous brat who wore tights and a Robin Hood hat tell her that she didn’t belong. She got enough of that crap at school without him weighing in.

Her Dad couldn’t be more wrong the rest of the team liked her, who cared what Wally thought she sure as hell didn’t. He was just mad that she apparently scared off Red Arrow but if his masculinity was so fragile that he couldn’t handle a girl taking the place of the archer on the team, he wouldn’t be able to handle being a hero. She couldn’t understand what her sister saw in Roy he was a stubborn hardass, but then again Jade was most likely certifiable.

The team didn’t care who she was related to in the long term. Right?

B08-Zatanna

Zatanna missed her father, there was no other way of putting it. She wanted her dad back. There was that British Warlock that she met while traveling that said there might have been a way to get the Helmet of Fate. She didn’t give up on saving him when she found out what removing the helmet from her father would entail, she just accepted that maybe she couldn’t. Constantine was right most of the time but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.

She didn’t know why Dick wanted to stay with the team even though they were all offered spots on the Justice League. But then again people rarely knew what ran through a Bat’s brain. She decided to join the league because she didn’t want to operate from the shadows forever, she wanted to be able to help more people then she could on the team. She’d always have a soft spot for the team and would be willing to help in whatever manner they needed. But a physical glamour charm was a strange request who wore a mask or sunglasses so much she almost forgot that he had blue eyes.

B09-Rocket

Amistad loved Lian, he was a little upset that he was no longer the baby, but he took to being Lian’s “big brother” quite well.

He was often seen trying to make Lian smile, or trying to be helpful around the Watchtower. He was only three years old and kept trying to help Batman fix the tech around the tower. The team adored the unofficial team mascots and protected them.

Hell their babysitter was basically a guarantee that Deathstroke wouldn’t mess with them unless he was hired to and even then Jericho has some stories about what happens if you messed with someone under Deathstroke’s protection.

B10-Tempest

He couldn’t be there anymore, he had to leave. Nightwing And Troia left after Robin died. He got to leave, he needed to go back to Atlantis on find himself again away from the team, away from the surface. Away from everyone, even King Orin and Queen Mera.

The woman he loved died, sacrificed herself to save the world. He got to be angry about that, because if he wasn’t where would he be? Like Nightwing who went disappeared for a year and then never got closer because he’d come back and Robin had been replaced? Troia who ran back to Themyscira after Jason died and wasn’t coming back? He was going to rejoin the team, he just needed a little time to himself and that wasn’t such a bad thing.

B11-Aquagirl

Tula understood why Kaldur loved the surface world and the people who dwelled on it, they were resilient and capable of so much on their own. Curious as well. The little Robin would stare when she, Garth and Kaldur would use their water magic, utterly fascinated with how it worked.

Tula never regretted joining the team, learning about the world, the culture, the different types of magic. She was the most talented in that aspect out of the three of them and studying surface world magic helped grow her abilities.

Queen Mera was often adamant that all stories of the gods had grains of truth within them and you had to be able to divine the truth from fiction, from hyperbole. This story about the alien Tiamat and the Babylonian demigod Marduk was interesting but it felt like something was missing, the fact that Marduk was introduced to the pantheon of gods posthumously promoted more research. She would ask John Constantine or the Lord of Order, Nabu, about it.

B12-Troia

Troia couldn’t handle being on the team after Robin died. Before then it felt like a game, in the back of her mind she knew it wasn’t but after seeing Jason’s body the gravity of what they did, what they were doing became much more real and all she wanted to do was go home to her mom. She loved Jason as if he was her own flesh and blood, she was his big sister and Dick was her best friend. She felt awful about leaving him but she couldn’t work above a memorial to her baby, she knew Dick understood when he left as well.

When she returned to Themyscira she practically threw herself back into her mother’s arms crying about him. Diana talked about humans being good and just. Where was the goodness in that? The justness? The man that killed him could barely be called a man. Jason was a child, he didn’t deserve that.

B13-Robin II

Jason hated the pitying and distrustful looks from the league and the team. They weren’t from Gotham, none of them have been the little guy, no one had know what he’d seen. Batman didn’t live in Gotham he spent the day in his mansion, Superman was a pompous goody two shoes from Kansas, he wouldn’t know how to Gotham. Crime Alley, Jason did. He stole the wheels of the Batmobile. He survived Crime Alley by himself for years before Bruce came along, he just had his wits, no armour, no training from around the world, no tech, just him. Jason did just fine without anyone. He didn’t need the team, or Nightwing, or Batman, you can’t count on anybody.

“Jason, you can do better. Dick does this easily. He doesn’t need to hit as hard.” Bruce said watching Jason hit the mannequin hard enough to snap bone.

“I’m not him, Okay!” Jason said snapped at Bruce,”I’ve done pretty well by myself, I sure as hell don’t need you to tell me what I am doing wrong.”

Jason stormed out of the Batcave and hunkered down against the wind, it was a long walk back to Gotham. He couldn’t be there anymore, the manor wasn’t his home.

B14-Lieutenant Marvel

It was odd being able to walk again. Especially knowing the cost, his grandfather comatose, and him a superhero. He got along well with Billy, the guy was his best friend but god was this stressful.

He didn’t want to worry about coming home alive every time he went on a mission maybe Billy thought he was indestructible and that was well and good but Freddy has had his back broken and been helpless and he doesn’t want to go back to that ever.

B15-Sergeant Marvel

She didn’t get why Billy liked this, it was dangerous and scary and she didn’t like the fact that there was the chance that one of them wouldn’t come home. She was 13 she couldn’t handle the responsibility of the team on her shoulders.

She hated abandoning the team but she wanted to come back when she was older, more responsible, more capable of losing someone. According to the young Robin, he was her age, how cool was that? Anyway she was getting side tracked, he said that losing people didn’t get easier. It didn’t matter if you were 7 and it was your mom or if you were an adult and lost your friend. Losing people sucked and Mary wasn’t prepared for that.

B16-Batgirl

Barbara knew that her dad didn’t necessarily approve of her being on the team, but after realizing grounding her wasn’t going to work, he decided that Batman did a nice job of protecting her since she started. He still thought that dating Dick was the dumbest thing she could do, but he wasn’t home half the time and she was an adult.

She was still mad at Dick for lying to her about Artemis, about Kaldur. What she didn’t expect was for Dick to drunk dial her secure line from his phone and explain everything. That he was going to go back undercover, fake his death let Azrael be Batman for a bit, help Kaldur, keep Artemis and Wally out of it. She was supposed to be his contact. Artemis decided to go after knocking some sense into him.

”She, she said it’d be less painful. We couldn’t lose another-” Dick already sounded near tears as his breath hitched but his voice now made Barbara’s heart clench,”Jason. We couldn’t lose a bat. She’d retired it wouldn’t be as painful for the new members, and Tim he’d be alone. No Robins.”

His voice sounded like cracking ice,”You should delete my number. I understand if you never want to see me again.”

Barbara didn’t delete his number but stopped by his apartment and unlocked the door, coughing reflexively from the dust that had gathered over the 6 months that he was Batman, Nightwing and team leader. She didn’t stay very long but rearranged his photos so the photo of Catherine was no longer next to the Graysons but next to Jason like she was looking at him, the photo of her and her dad was switched with the photo of a blonde boy with a mass of curly hair and an Asian girl with silver hair with their arms around Dick smiling.

B17-Bumblebee

One of her best friends was superhero. That was so cool. And she got offered an internship under Dr. Raymond Palmer! The Atom! She would get to be a superhero and study under one of the best minds in molecular physics. She was so excited. She couldn’t wait. But for a superhero uniform, like that Nightwing guy said, go with your gut. It’s usually right.

Bumblebee wasn’t a bad idea, she’d been playing with the idea since Dr. Palmer offered to teach her. Wings, the independent mobility would help when she was smaller. The energy pulses or “stingers” could be used offensively and being able to shrink would help with espionage like the team was meant to do.

B18-Lagoon Boy

La'gaan didn’t know how to feel on the team, he was the only Atlantean on the team. Kaldur left, he was a regular fish out of water. He needed to prove himself. Show them that he was better than Kaldur, not a replacement. Especially Miss Martian. She was really pretty, and had a nice laugh.

The more time La’gaan spent on the surface world the more he felt out of place. He couldn’t spend time with the team without hiding how he looked he didn’t blend in as easily as Kaldur did or was able to shapeshift like Miss Martian or Garfield could. He just was there, and it was trying hard to find his place on his team besides just the water guy.

B19-Beast Boy

M’gann was really upset about something and she wasn’t talking to him about it. Maybe it was something to do with getting kidnapped by Deathstroke and he was a lot scarier than Sportsmaster. La'gaan said he was a lot faster than Sportsmaster and stronger too. When M’gann got kidnapped and La’gaan broke his leg. Lagaan said that Deathstroke said something more chilling then Sportsmaster ever could,”Now I hate to see any poor animal in pain, but you aren’t on the Light’s list. How about a little anesthetic for the pain?”

Nightwing, Dick, said he was lucky to be alive and to just have a broken leg with a few bruises. La’gaan kept arguing with Nightwing about going to save M’gann, while Nightwing remained adamant about doing things his way, Gar couldn’t help but to agree with La’gaan, that was his sister, and he needed to get her back safely.

B20-Robin III

Nightwing and Robin were gone, Jason died. Tim knew that much, it was all over the news. Bruce Wayne’s ward Jason Todd murdered in Ethiopia by the Joker. Nightwing stopped patrol with Batman after that and Dick stopped going outside, stopped being seen around Gotham altogether. People at Gotham Academy said that he had a mental breakdown or tried to kill himself. Tim knew better, knew that Nightwing, Dick, left for a reason he wouldn’t just abandon Batman.

So Tim waited for months but he watched as Batman began to deteriorate. Read the stories about the criminals begging to be takening straight to Blackgate just don’t let Batman get at them. Then Tim had to act, Batman was going to kill someone or get himself killed. So Tim broke into the batcave, and offered to make himself Robin, he was denied. Then he followed Batman in a homemade Robin costume, telling Batman he needed a Robin and Tim was willing to fill that role for the time being, just until Nightwing came back.

B21-Wonder Girl

She was on the team! How cool was that! Nightwing was her boss, and he was so nice. A little sad and guilty but really nice. Anyway, back to the real point, she was related to Wonder woman, not like cousins or her mom married Wonder Woman’s brother or something. Her dad was Zeus, making her Wonder Woman’s little sister.

Kiran was going to be so jealous when she heard about it. She got to fight bad guys while her mother explored ruins. She met Superman. This is officially the best day ever. And Batgirl. The Batgirl, the only way this could get any better is if she met Robin. The first sidekick, the best one in her opinion.

B22-Blue Beetle III

Jaime thought the team was so cool, real live super heroes to help him use his powers. He was a little disappointed that he didn’t have someone familiar with the scarab like the previous Blue Beetle.

Everyone on the team was really nice but it felt like the senior members where hiding something. Besides the whole secret identity thing. Khaji Da said that you could tell what people were hiding by cold reading them but to Jaime that seemed like a bigger invasion of privacy then having an annoying bug trapped to your spine. “Jaime Reyes, our partnership can be seen as symbiotic.”

“Yes, because I have an annoying little voice second guessing my every move.”

“I do not second guess, I analyze and offer alternative courses of action. Take another look at the Red Arrow and the Nightwing. They seem to be arguing something.”

Nightwing seemed to be switching apathy and frustration, Red Arrow seemed to be concerned and had Nightwing sort of boxed in, he wasn't touching the younger vigilante but he wasn’t letting him escape either. Nightwing eventually pushed Red Arrow away from him, and Jaime caught the last part of the conversation,”I feel bad because of what I did not who it was done too. Batman should have left it alone, it’s my guilty conscience not his.”

B23-Impulse/Kid Flash II

It was terrible, the future, having to scavenge for parts, for food. One of the reasons he talked so much was because the two men that he worked with bordered nonverbal. The blonde was mute due to the large scar that crossed his throat, the one who wore a helmet would speak but hated to show his face so he wore a mask of poly-carbonate. They were built by the Hood when he saw that Bart was having trouble using his speed, so he based them off Kid Flash’s old lenses. Bart was going to go back to the past before the Reach invaded to prevent this future, his grandfather dying started this whole mess. If he saved Barry Allen he saved the world. Neutron was the chronal expert in the operation. The Hood was the engineer and tactician. The mute guy was the best scavenger and could find out any information you wanted, no one knew how or wanted to know how.

Hood looked up from the meal he scavenged for Bart,”You sure about this, kid? If what Nathaniel says is true. You won’t be coming back. If you are successful this time line will cease.”

The mute came back carrying the pieces of what’s going to be the time machine’s energy source, and looked at Bart expectantly,”I’m fine with it. This really isn’t a future worth coming back to.”

“Ain’t that the truth?” Hood let out a hysterical laugh,”Hey, Jericho you got some blood on your collar.”

The mute made some motions with his hands, the Hood’s tone was mocking,”Oh, it’s not yours. That’s reassuring. Well it was a pleasure working with ya.”

Jericho motioned to Hood, his version of agreeing, Bart shook their hands,”May we meet again in the past. In the future and the life after that.”

B24-Guardian

Mal finally understood what Nightwing meant. The rush, the feeling of adrenaline coursing through your veins, the feeling that you were doing good. It was addicting.

When he first joined the team he wasn’t wearing the Guardian helm, he helped Nightwing run missions and coordinate communications between the team members. Finding out that the guy with the big blue bird on his chest was the first Robin, the first sidekick. The reason there was a team.

If it wasn’t for him who knew what would have happened, the team might not have existed. Connor might not have come to Rhode Island, he wouldn’t know about M’gann. He may not have been still together with Karen.

Mal didn’t have many regrets since he met Connor and M’gann but one of them was not picking up a suit sooner.

B25-Arsenal

The audacity of Nightwing to kick him off the team after he rescued everybody. He's just so infuriating, he belonged on that team his clone was placed n that team. He earned his spot, more than the rogue Blue Beetle did, or the time traveler impulse. Where did Nightwing get the authority of telling him what to do? He was just one of Batman’s apprentices. Hell Robin had been in the game longer then he had, and yet there he was differing to him, like NIghtwing was the alpha dog.

“I can’t believe him.” Arsenal said storming into Red arrow’s apartment.

“Can’t believe who?” Red Arrow looked up from holding Lian in a Nightwing onesie, Arsenal could not escape the guy. What made him so great anyway?

“Nightwing, he kicked me off the team.”

Red Arrow sighed,”What happened?”

“Blue Beetle turned on us so I opened the airlock, and he started to take us out. Superboy provided a distraction so I could escape.” Arsenal sat down on the couch as Red shifted Lian so she was laying on his chest,”What’s his deal anyway? He seems to have it out for me after we went to Smallville.”

Roy pursed his lips,”Was Robin in any danger on the Warworld? In Smallville?”

“No, I had it under control.” Arsenal said crossing his arm.

Roy rolled his eyes at the moody teenager on his couch, he knew why Nightwing kicked him off the team. He didn’t want to get Tim killed like Jason, even though the only person you could blame for Jason’s death was the Joker, ”Nightwing’s brother died. He blames himself. He doesn’t let Robin be put in danger and when he is, he’ll remove that threat or protect Robin anyway possible.”

“Robin’s been around for 10 years, he can handle himself. Nightwing doesn't need to interfere.”

“Nightwing’s nineteen and buried his brother before he could vote, hell the Robin you know is the third one. Nightwing was the first. Part of him will always be that scared little kid, he didn’t mean any harm by it. He's trying to protect his family.”

“I didn’t know.” Arsenal said, feeling a little sorry.

“Most people don’t. They think there were only two, and it’s gotten to the point where it’s easier for Nightwing not to mention the second one. He’ll come around just let him mellow out.”

B26-Static

Virgil joined the team because what else would he do with his powers. Black Lightning offered to train him and he was excited about that. This team was full of skilled people who would have his back at the expense of him having theirs.

He liked the team, sure he was a little bristly toward Nightwing after he fired Arsenal but he hung out with the older vigilante and he was always willing to give advice or training, and Arsenal said he was Robin, the first Robin. How cool was that?

“Hey Nightwing?” Nightwing looked up from his tablet and Nightwing did not look thrilled at what was going on on the screen,”Oh am I bugging you?”

“Nah just discussing how to best piss off an assassin, what’s up?” Nightwing said turning the tablet off.

“You think you could teach me how to fight?” Virgil saw how Nightwing fought he had a lot of skills, and if he was Robin he was used to fighting people bigger and more dangerous than him.

“Of course, lesson 1. There is no dirty tricks.” Nightwing stood up and stretched,”Lesson 2 and Robin taught me this, if someone is bigger than you hit fast. You hit hard. Then run as far away as you can.”

“Wait, Robin who’s dating Cassie?”

Nightwing’s easygoing grin faltered, but then he shrugged,”Could have been Troia, black hair pain in my side. Who knows?”

#yjsecretsanta #young justice #Nightwing #hes in most #my writing #fanfiction #secret santa #gifts #fan fic #Roy harper #dick grayson

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everythingchoices · 7 years

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Those Who Have Built and Broken Us Part One (JakexMC)

Author’s Note: This is part one of my entry for #ChoicesCreates Week 18. Thank you to the super talented @kittenmusicals for hosting this week and the wonderful @hollyashton for everything she does here!

Characters: Jake, Marissa (MC)

Pairing: JakexMC

Word Count: 1360

Book: Endless Summer

Prompt: “We are made of all those who have built and broken us”

Summary: This is set 5 years after the gang is rescued from LaHuerta. Quinn has passed and everyone wants to meet with Jake and Marissa (MC) in Costa Rica. Jake struggles over his feelings for everyone.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Jake mumbles to himself, rubbing his smooth face with his open palm as he views himself in the bathroom mirror.

He’s forgotten how strong his jawline is when it’s not disguised under three months worth of facial growth. He knows she prefers her favorite pilot to be clean shaven, hence the mound of dark brown chin hairs amassed at the bottom of the white porcelain sink. Gently he turns the ornate handle to the left, instant hot water quickly rinsing the basin free of the residue left from his shave. He amusingly watches the water slowly circle, creating a mini whirlpool before quickly disappearing down the drain.

It’s amazing how little things like a draining sink bring back instant memories of LaHuerta for Jake. This happens a lot since they were all rescued from their endless summer five years ago. Sometimes when he smells summer BBQs or tailgate cookouts the delicious aromas bring him back there, sitting poolside, watching Raj create mouth watering smells from his hibachi. Raj’s infectious smile and constant upbeat attitude makes that island mercifully more tolerable, more real. He is the one true person, the one genuine human being who never plays games about his feelings or intentions. You always know where Raj stands and Jake admires him mightily for that.

A mention of Hartfeld University in a passing newspaper’s headline or a blurb he skims on Yahoo brings back snapshots in his often liquored mind of Sean and Craig: Captain America and his faithful sidekick. His petty arguments and pissing contests with Sean are often pointless and counterproductive, but they amuse him immensely. He misses the macho, testosterone laden banter and camaraderie he always enjoyed when he was in the military. He misses friendship and male bonding. He misses the feelings of being a part of something. He’ll never admit that to Sean. Or Craig. Craig is just a horse for the group anyways. If something needs to be tackled, smashed, then cursed at, Craig is the man. That always brings a smile to Jake’s face. He’ll do anything for Craig though. .

When he’s forced to watch one of those annoying makeup beauty ads or computer spots before opening an app, the commercials often bring thoughts of Michelle and Zahra. Maybelline always reminds him of a made up movie star. She creates a mask out of her stunning beauty, hiding behind a role, disguising an insecure, lonely girl who longs to be accepted and loved. She masters the art of deflection and defense mechanisms. She doesn’t fool Jake, though. He sees the real Michelle and he wishes he could tell her she’s good enough. That’s not him, however. He will never tell her that.

Zahra always amazes the flyboy with her quick wit and technical mind. Watching her hack systems and bypass circuits and software is like admiring a maestro gracefully stroke the ivory keys of a grand piano, producing a masterpiece that’s pleasing to the senses. He always enjoys his late night drunken conversations with her, each bitching about life and love, sin and good intentions. They never tell anyone about these moments; not even Marissa. This is their secret. He always finds her feisty attitude and warped views attractive. In another time he might entertain the thought of pursuing her more. But he’s already fallen in love with Marissa, and she’s all he wants. Zahra has Craig, and that’s all she wants. Yet Jake occasionally wonders what if, a faint smile usually on his face as he files thoughts like these away for the next deja vu moment.

Jake can’t help but think of Grace every time he reads a story about Roarke Industries, mainly because of her relationship with Aleister. He didn’t get to know Grace that well during their time on LaHuerta, but he always remembers her smile and the glow in her deep, intense eyes. Especially when Aleister is around her. He respects the fact she tolerates, somehow manages feelings of love, for his spoiled rich ass. To him Grace and Aleister are one in the same. He still misses her all the same.

Jake looks back up, catching his reflection in the mirror. His deep ocean blue eyes have dulled some with age. The small wrinkles gradually forming around the corner of his mouth are small reminders of father time as well. He still considers himself attractive, a catch to the ladies. “This is as good as it gets,” he whispers to his reflection. “But Marissa still adores me,” he adds, a loving beam in his eyes

He adjusts his dogtags around his neck, the metal clanking against his bare chest. The biggest reminder of the strangest and altering time of his life shares this small bungalow with him. They both live discreetly but quietly and comfortably in a nondescript village in southern Costa Rica. Five years later he’s still shocked that she followed him here. He tries to talk her out of this decision. He tries to remind her she has college, a future ahead of her, a job and kids and a house with a white picket fence. She has all the goals and dreams of a smart, beautiful, brave young woman, goals and dreams that every other person wants to achieve. A life that Jake can never provide, not as a wanted man. “I’m not like other people,” is her response, but Jake already knows this.

Marissa is the first woman to steal his breath, making it difficult to concentrate when he kisses her neck, the smell of strawberries from her silky soft hair overloading his senses, or when she mischievously bites his bottom lip before releasing a kiss. She’s the first woman to send his stomach in frenzied flip flops when he watches her sleep, barely keeping the urge to caress her dark olive skin or stroke her long chestnut brown hair to himself. She’s the first woman he truly respects and admires. Her loyalty and ferocious, almost obsessive need to help those she loves is so enduring to him.

Somehow she continues to keep in contact with everyone from the island. He’s probably better off not knowing how. Jake really appreciates Marissa communicating with the gang for him. None of them have any idea how much they mean to him. They have no clue how much they helped heal him, how much all of them helped him love and trust again. Especially Marissa. He admires and feels bad for her about Diego. For some reason he stopped all contact with everyone after their rescue. She never complains or speaks poorly of her best friend, even though Jake can tell the absence of her childhood confidant is tearing her up inside, but she never speaks poorly of him. She never gives up in Diego. She never gives up on anyone.

After one last look in the mirror, Jake washes his rough and calloused hands and drives then quickly on the green and yellow hand towel dangling off the metal bar next to the sink. He runs his hands through his shoulder length brown hair, his mind heavy with thought and emotions. When Marissa tells him of Quinn’s passing a massive lump immediately forms in his throat. His eyes begin to sting as he tries desperately to keep tears from rolling down his cheeks. The smell of chocolate chip cookies usually reminded him of Quinn. She loves to bake and Jake believes it was therapeutic for her. She always saves the first cookie for him, as if that particular cookie is the best of the batch. He doesn’t know why she does this, but it always makes him feel warm, wanted, and thought of. He misses her fiery red hair and childish, innocent smile.

Marissa is the first woman to make Jake cry. The news of someone’s death, especially someone he cares about like Quinn, is hard for him to process. When Marissa shares with him that everyone he risked his life for on an unknown enchanted island, wants to return the favor and cone see him here for a memorial and a reunion, the pilot breaks down in his girlfriend’s arms.

#mc x jake #endless summer #endless summer 2 #playchoices #choicescreates #endless summer fanfic #choices fanfiction #choices #choices stories you play #choices fandom #choices pixelberry

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luluvonv · 7 years

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Reasons to love Kurtis Trent

OUR BELOVED DEMON HUNTER AND LUX VERITATIS WARRIOR HAS HIS 45th 46th BIRTHDAY TODAY!

(Just a little warning: You won’t see anything non-Kurtis related today on my dash. Today it’s gonna be just about him.)

I never have enough of this man, seriously. There are only few characters that had such impact on me.This freaking man has charmed me 14 years ago and he’s never stopped to do so with every replaying of AoD or with every release of some new info about him.

To celebrate Kurtis’ awesomeness, I decided to write down some reasons why I love him. It would be so nice if this post would spread a bit and each Kurtis fan would throw one or two things what they like about him. There is so many people bashing him and I just want him to be appreciated. Because he deserved better.

He became a major part in TR universe, he was important, he wasn’t just a simple secondary character. He was a sidekick, a second protagonist. Without him the AoD storyline would be vague. After AoD, there’s no TR without him - and no Lara. He deserved so much better. So to honour this perfectly written and stunning, unforgettable character, here I list my reasons why I love him to guts.

1. HOW MYSTERIOUS HE IS

First he’s just a random guy sitting in a corner of a shabby café, reading his newspaper and drinking red wine. Then he becomes to be an irritating stalker, always step ahead, confusing us as a pro. At Louvre, he shows himself as a bad boy, opponent, dangerous individual, self-confident, cheeky and flirty - which confuses us even more. Then he simply charms us with his self-sacrifice towards Lara, throwing all his planned and desired revenge out of window, just to save her… And still we know so little about him. Everything is simply intriguing and mysterious with him, his whole past is just amazing and enigmatic… Pro writing this is.

I love characters like that - you don’t like or even hate them at first, they start to get under your skin slowly but surely, and you end up loving them to the bones.

2. HIS BACKGROUND

We got so little info about him when AoD was released, yet it was totally clear he wasn’t just a random character. Even without knowing there was so much planned for him, one just has to see that for a secondary character he was pretty developed - which means he was important to the plot and without him it wouldn’t be complete. He even appears in credits at the beginning of the game - featuring Kurtis Trent. His name is there right after Lara’s.

And even if some people try to deny all this - he was the first character to be playable next to Lara and that’s speaks for itself. I dare to say that he was more developed than Lara herself. The details of the Order, his powers, focus on his past and motives… and now, with release of all the information about his spin-off game Bloodline, one cannot deny his importance - they not only wanted him to be a major part in TR universe; they created his own universe. He was a key character.

I totally love the things Core people planned for him in the spin-off. Yet just the AoD game is enough to get to like him and be fascinated by him. Bless the day Murti Schofield created him. His telekinetic powers are mindblowing. The Farsee ability. The ability of controlling his trademark Chirugai weapon by his mind, him being connected with it…. You never know when the strike comes from his part, you cannot be possibly prepared for that if you’re not a mind reader. Kurtis himself is pretty tough and dangerous bloke and with Chirugai and his other powers he just gets into a whole new level.

3. HIS BEHAVIOUR AND PERSONALITY

From the little things you can pick in AoD - or now even Bloodline like him eating peanuts :) - to the major characteristic attributes, Kurtis is intriguing. His effort to escape from an ancient Order, being a soldier in Foreign Legion and then a mercenary, just to get back to the hated status of Lux Veritatis - because faith you know - it all affected him deeply. He is fearless, tough, patient, discreet, secretive, suspicious, severe, careful, persistent; he possesses incredible self-control … and he is a really good actor because behind all these cool and bad-ass qualities he showed he has a soft spot when sacrificing for Lara. Also, his sense of humour, his salty comments and sarcastic remarks are just priceless.

4. HIS IMPACT ON LARA AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP

Never ever has any man behaved so cheekily towards Lara as him. And if any man did behave like this, Lara has never let him to get away with it - until Kurtis appeared. We got to explore Lara in a totally new way. There was something big happening between them and it doesn’t matter what it was - whether you see it as a sexual spark, romantic affection or just some kind of needed alliance, their chemistry is undeniable. For me it was totally evident it wasn’t just simple partnership - there was an immense, gripping and sparkling tention and sexual attraction between those two. I consider people denying their special bond as totally ignorant or blind. Lara voluntarily collaborated with him, she was blatantly flirty, mindlessly risky, she gave up the hard-to-get painting in exchange of his life - a life of a stranger - without a blink of an eye. He was her opponent yet something in him made her to join the forces with him.

He’s tempting and secretive and Lara as an extremely curious individual just cannot resist. Moreover he is not just a pretty face. He is smart. Like really smart. He is no dummy and that’s what makes him so different from all the men Lara has encountered. His inteligence is one of the main factors drawing Lara to him. He just knows how to tease and annoy her; he is the only one who managed to do so and making Lara enjoing it.

5. HOW ALIKE HE WAS TO LARA

Both don’t give a shit about others, both confident, they understood each other without words, both ambitious, determined, enigmatic, both having interesting and tough-as-hell past, both so competetive, especially with each other, both loners… They were made for each other. As Murti himself said, they were a match created in heaven.

6. HIS ICY, MEZMERIZING, PIERCING, BEAUTIFUL BLUE EYES - no comment!

7. HIS VOICE - I’d like to thank the casting team for choosing Eric Loren to voice Kurtis because it was spot on in every aspect. The way Eric works with his voice to deliver the right feels and mood is just perfect. His deep, resolute, confident yet calm level of voice just adds to Kurtis’ mysterious attitude. And yes, it’s sexy as hell. Eric’s voice is the last cherry on top that made Kurtis so irresistible.

8. HIS GOATEE AND STUBBLE, HIS WHOLE APPEREANCE - please, do not let me start talking about this. I’m just a simple weak woman whose legs go numb when it comes to certain men. ;) I want to keep this post available even to those whose blog is not open to nsfw or sensitive topics.

(this rule, however, doesn’t apply to the comment section ajajajajaja)

9. HE BROUGHT A NEW DIRECTION TO TOMB RAIDER AND A NEW VIEW ON THE SUPERNATURAL

TR became more energic thanks to him. It wasn’t just about Lara finding an artifact and saving a world. It brings me again to the fact how much he changed Lara’s attitude, behaviour, decisions. He changed the whole course of events. It wasn’t just what Lara wanted. Moreover, he brought a new supernatural flow to it, he was unique with all his background, yet he still was human. He wasn’t invincible as it would usually be with characters possessing supernational powers.

10. FOR THE FIRST TIME I CARED ABOUT SOMEONE ELSE APART FROM LARA

Previously, it was always only about Lara. In AoD, it has changed. I wasn’t even that affected by Werner’s death as by the fact Kurtis was deadly wounded and, even though we know he survived, we didn’t get to see more of him again. When playing previous stories, I didn’t care how many times a certain character appears on the screen. With Kurtis it wasn’t like that, I kept wondering where he’d pop out again.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KURTIS!

#reasons to love kurtis trent #happy birthday kurtis #you magnificent beast #you are the best freaking character #in love with this bastard for 14 years now #kurtis trent #demon hunter #lux veritatis #the warrior #the only suitable partner for lara #tomb raider #the angel of darkness #traod #aod #my ultimate crush #than you murti schofield #thank you core design

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chiimei · 7 years

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A New Path - Chapter 15

Whoops, I updated this a day too late. (/n\) Thanks for waiting patiently for this new chapter! I will try to go back to my old schedule since summer holiday would begin soon for me. At least my exams ended. xD Now I have a question for my lovely readers. Do you wish to see more LadyNoir, Adrienette or both interactions in the future? c: You can also leave in my askbox or in this post if you wish to see more of another character, for example Juleka, Nino, Sabrina, etc. Well, for now, enjoy reading~

Short Story Summary: The akumatized villains are getting stronger. Ladybug and Chat Noir are no longer able to protect Paris on their own, there’s a need for a new hero. And that would be Nathaniel, the new fox hero in town.

C.1 | C.2 | C.3 | C.4 | C.5 | C.6 | C.7 | C.8 | C.9 | C.10 | C.11 | C.12 | C.13 | C.14 |

FF | AO3

Her eyes enlarged as she watched her right leg slowly disappear into thin air. Slowly with her trembling hand, she reached forward, where her leg was supposed to be. She waved it around, hoping that her leg only became invisible. However, she sensed nothing.

Suddenly she felt like her respiration was being cut off. She gasped for air, breathing in and out, in and out, but not a whiff entered her lungs. Her respiration only became more rapid, shallower as her heart started to race at an enormous speed. She kept waving her hand through the spot where her leg had been, as if she didn't want to accept the truth.

"Chloé. Look at me. Look at me, Chloé."

Nathaniel went down on one knee and leaned in. He wanted Chloé to face him and not pay attention at her vanished leg. His lips curled upwards, turning into a soft smile. Even though he looked composed, he was feeling horrible. It was all his fault that Chloé had to deal with this after all. He still wondered why she would even protect him, but that could wait. For now, he had to calm Chloé down. First, her respiration needed to be stable again.

"Chloé, take a deep breath. In… Out… In… Out…"

It was only when Nathaniel knelt in front of her, she gazed at him. Somehow just looking at him smiling like that made her feel safer. She listened to his gentle voice and inhaled and exhaled with his mantra, which made her respiration slower.

"It will be alright, Chloé. The heroes of Paris will come and save the day. Once Truth Seeker is defeated, your leg will return. For now, let's go to a safer place, okay?"

He held out his hand so Chloé could grab it. However, before that happened, he could hear her mumbling something. He leaned closer to her and tilted his head to the side.

"What did you say, Chloé?"

"I said… thanks."

Chloé avoided his eyes while she grabbed his hand. She tried to stand up, but even with support, it was hard to stand up on one foot. She wasn't used to standing up, having only one leg to support her after all. It was very heavy, even though her weight wasn't high, for her left leg it felt like her weight doubled as she was trying to stand up with Nathaniel's help. She felt quite ashamed to be in this situation, even more when she needed to rely on someone else. However, she was still thankful for his support.

Nathaniel pulled Chloé towards him and chuckled. Seems like Chloé still couldn't properly be thankful to someone. Not that he minds getting those kind of thanks, it was quite… a cute part regarding her. However, the curve on his lips turned upside down. His eyes narrowed slightly as he let Chloé lean on him, so it would be less tiring for her to stand on one leg.

"I… should actually be the one thanking you, Chloé. Thank you for taking the shot for me… and I'm sorry."

Because of him she's the one suffering now. As a hero, this hurts his pride a lot. He couldn't even properly protect someone, instead, someone he would never expect to shield him, safeguarded his person!

"You better be thankful. I expect you treating me to something nice next time, to make up for this. I do hope Ladybug, Vulpino and that sidekick will be here soon. I already miss my leg."

"Though this isn't so bad either…" She thought as she leaned a bit more in to Nathaniel's chest. She was glad that he was there to help her out and didn't leave her alone or. For now, she only hoped for the heroes to arrive. She had faith in them, they will save the day and everything would turn back to normal. If she kept thinking this way, she'd feel much calmer. She shouldn't panic again, not like she was the one who could make that choice though. Her body just reacted on the sudden fear she'd undergo, even if she told herself to calm down, it wouldn't work. Much goes on in her mind, which made her especially restless. Even though this was the first time she experienced such a panic attack, she honestly hoped it would be the last.

Besides that, what should she do now? She couldn't lie anymore. Only thinking about experiencing that torture again made her body shiver. However, she got Nath with her now. Even though, if he wouldn't be here, she wouldn't need to talk so there would be no reason whatsoever to lie. But she would be totally lost if he wasn't staying by her side. Just realizing how thankful she truly was with him being there made her heart skip. It felt weird. Her heart belonged to Adrien, so why did she feel like she was experiencing the same thing with Nathaniel? Although they were starting to get along, she still disliked him. Mostly whenever he made fun of her. She hated that stupid smirk he got, him being all confident around her. She disliked how he talks back to her and most of all, she despised that he loves Marinette and how he talks about her. So, she loathed a lot of things about him. There was no way she would fall for him. Adrien was the one in her heart after all.

While Chloé was in her own world, Nathaniel was texting Marinette about the Akuma attack. Unfortunately, he didn't know how to contact Chat Noir, but when Ladybug is in town, so is Chat. Maybe they already noticed the attack, since there was so much commotion. Besides that, he was quite annoyed about the fact that Chloé saw his friend as just a sidekick instead of a great hero. Just hearing her referencing Chat Noir that way made his eyebrow twitch.

"You know, Chat Noir isn't Ladybug's sidekick or whatever. He's a hero himself, a great one even. So, don't belittle him. If you had to depreciate someone, then choose Vulpino. He's new to the team after all. He would be more likely to become a sidekick. If you don't treat Vulpino as a sidekick, then you shouldn't do that to Chat either… Anyways, wouldn't it be better for you to head home? It's dangerous out here!"

There was no time to argue about something like this. Chloé should call her driver to take her back home. If she would leave, not only would that be safer for her, but he would be able to transform as well. For now, he must try his best to protect this citizen one way or another in his civilian form. He wonders if Chat or Marinette were once in such situations as well. What did they do then?

"I don't want to. Just let me sit down on that chair there."

Chloé pointed towards the outdoor seating space from the ice-cream parlor they visited just a while ago. There it was again, her ordering tone. Nathaniel slightly rolled with his eyes and walked with her towards the chair, well, she was hopping towards it.

"Why? It's way too dangerous for you to stay here."

Even though he didn't think this to be a good idea, he still helped her to sit down. He glanced around to check the whereabouts of that akumatized villain. She was no longer floating in front of the Eiffel Tower. At least, he couldn't see it from where he was standing now.

"I'm staying here. End of story."

Chloé crossed her arms and appeared determined about her choice. She knew it was dangerous here, but there was someone she wanted to see, no matter what.

"Come on Chloé, don't be so stubborn. I can carry you home if I must. Why do you even want to stay here?"

Nathaniel couldn't leave her, nor could he leave any person in such state. It was either leaving Chloé or not defeating Truth Seeker. Well, since Chloé saved him, he had no other choice but to stay by her side. He would be a jerk if he just left her like this after all.

"That's none of your business, tomato head."

She wasn't lying, she just avoided answering the question and kept the answer for herself. That wouldn't count as lying, right? She didn't want Nathaniel to know why she wanted to stay in this dangerous zone so badly, it would be quite embarrassing to tell him. Who knows, maybe he would even judge her, though he had no right to do so. Besides, how dangerous could it be here? The chances that they would run into Truth Seeker again are slim. Yet, she had been pretty unlucky lately, so who knows. The only thing she could do was hoping for the villain not showing up.

While hoping Truth Seeker wouldn't appear, there she was, behind Nathaniel, her feet just inches above the ground. Her appearance was very weird as the colors of her clothes and hair seemed to change every second, from light to dark and back. She was holding one finger up and moved it from left to right, while she held her other hand on her elbow and shook her head with a smug expression.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I can sense someone is hiding something~"

Right after she told that, Chloé felt something aching in her chest. It suddenly started to feel so heavy, so painful. The exact same feeling she got from the first time. But why? She didn't lie this time, so why did she feel this pain again? What did she do to deserve this?

"Oh my, seems like I forgot to mention something. You can't keep secrets either, unless you want to suffer~ Keeping secrets is the same as lying after all!"

Her eyes suddenly glowed red again, as if she remembered something that made her furious. She glared at the guy standing next to the blonde and looked at his chest.

"It seems like I didn't hit you, boy. Are you a liar, someone who holds many secrets or are you a rare one? An honest on-."

"For Vulpino! I want to see him again! That's why I want to stay!"

With squeezed eyes, Chloé breathed out in exhaustion as if she used up the last bit of her energy. Not noticing at all she interrupted the villain. She didn't want to experience this ordeal once more. She'd rather disappear altogether or shut her mouth forever if she could avoid this agony. She didn't even have the time to feel embarrassed, not that she cared by now. She was just relieved that the excruciating pain lifted away. This time her only other leg disappeared…

She quickly averted her eyes, not wanting to watch her leg vanish. She had to stay calm. She was sure the heroes will come and bring her legs back. She examined the sky for them and implored that she'd do anything to get her legs back or actually survive this predicament without any more suffering. She would try to become kind and stop being mean to anyone. Well, if they deserved it.

Nathaniel turned around, taken by surprise on what Chloé had shouted. So, she wanted to see Vulpino so badly? Gosh, if only he could duplicate himself now, then she might be able to leave. Wait… If Ladybug and Chat would arrive and distract Truth Seeker and Chloé. He could turn into Vulpino and make a replica of himself as Nathaniel! Chloé wouldn't be suspicious about his identity if that ever would arise, since she would see both of himself. Once he had taken Chloé out of danger, he would be able to save the day as well!

Truth Seeker was in no way pleased with the interruption, but she would let it slide for now. That red-haired boy seemed to be distracted by it, now she got a chance to hit him with her feather. Every liar should suffer, without any exceptions.

"Hold it right there, Truth Seeker!"

She tilted her head up, in the direction of the female voice. She saw a girl in red and black polka-dots, next to her a black clad cat like guy. The only ones they could be were of course Paris's heroes. She smirked at this pleasant surprise.

"Well well well, look what the cat dragged in~!"

She chuckled at her own joke, forgetting the redhead. Finally, she could repay Hawk Moth for giving her this marvelous power. She will get their miraculous and at the same time reveal who they truly are! In her mind, she could hear him laughing alongside with her. After their laugh, he'd order her to get their miraculous and of course would she obey.

"Let's reveal who you truly are! Even the greatest heroes could be liars!"

She raised her voice while her eyes widened, making her pupils appear small. Her eyes gave of this dangerous red glow, but a different kind than when she was furious. That smile, those eyes, her expression alarmed everyone to back away from her as she acquired the appearance of a madwoman. She flew upwards and spread her wings out at the same time extending her arms. The feathers floated around her, pointing their quills towards the heroes. Once she stretched one of her arms forward, the feathers dashed to their targets at tremendous speed.

"Hey! I'm not lion! I'm a cat!"

Chat yelled, sounding as if he was offended by it while he was spinning his staff at high speed, so it would become his shield against those feathers. Obviously, he tried to be funny, but his lady didn't seem so fond of his pun as she glared at him and gave that look of "Not now, Chat". She sighed and concentrated on the fight again.

Ladybug observed the surroundings while spinning her yo-yo as a shield. She noticed that beyond their enemy, Nathaniel and Chloé were in this mess too. Even though she disliked Chloé, she felt a bit bad for her being in such a predicament. Though she felt even more pity for Nathaniel having to take care of Chloé and not being able to transform into his hero form at all.

"There has to be something I can do to help him… If we keep up like this, we might never defeat Truth Seeker."

Ladybug looked around, trying to think of a way to let Nathaniel run away, without making it seem suspicious. Maybe someone should bring Chloé to a safer place, so Nathaniel would have a higher chance to escape and change into Vulpino. With his fox fire, he might be able to recover everyone's state. His blue fire heals people or returns everything back to their original state after all. At least, that was what she understood from that fire incident last time.

"Chat, take Chloé to a safe place! I will handle this."

"Are you sure, my lady? Shouldn't we wait for Vulpino instead? This akumatized villain seems to be too strong to be handled alone by yourself. And what about Na- that red haired guy?"

Even though they saved Nathaniel once, he never mentioned his name, right? So, it would be weird if Chat would use his name, as if he knew him. Besides that, even though Nathaniel was capable of running away, he would still be in danger. Shouldn't he save both Chloé and Nathaniel instead? Though that might be difficult. How can he carry Chloé properly when she didn't have any legs?

"Should you two really worry about someone else instead of yourself~?"

Truth Seeker cackled like an evil queen, making the heroes hackles rise all over their body. She was no longer shooting those feathers from a single place. No, this time she flew in a circle around the heroes at full speed so they would have a harder time defending themselves. They would get hit without any doubt, it was just a matter of time now.

He had to go now! This was his chance while the akumatized villain was busy with the heroes. He hoped they'd be able to hold out. This villain proved to be tough. However, with his illusions, he could trick her with some duplicates. For now, he had to leave and take Chloé with him. He sure was glad that they arrived on time, just before he got hit by that Truth feather or worse.

"Chloé, we really need to go now."

He whispered while glaring sternly at Chloé. Even though he was flattered that she wanted to see Vulpino, he could not let her stay outside and in this danger zone. She shouldn't be selfish in this situation.

Now, how should he carry her? Both her legs disappeared, so he couldn't carry her with his hand under her thighs. Maybe he should attempt a piggyback? He should give that a try. It might be difficult or heavy. Maybe not too heavy since she obviously lost some weight when her legs disappeared.

"Chloé, wrap your arms around my neck. I will take you somewhere safe. And no buts. I'm sure you will see Vulpino another time, it's not like it's that rare to see him."

He squatted down and turned his back to her. He cannot let her endanger herself again because of him. Besides, maybe he could heal her as Vulpino with his Fox Fire. For now, he will leave her inside some building and let Vulpino pick her up or something. Yeah, that sounded like a legit plan.

"...Fine." Chloé pouted.

She wished she could see Vulpino, but he didn't seem to be here yet. She sighed slightly as she wrapped her arms around Nathaniel and leaned on his back. There was something about this situation which made her heart beat faster. She actually wanted to get off his back, as she was afraid he might feel her heartbeat going like crazy.

"Hold tight."

He leaned further forward running towards another building a few meters away. He went inside a bookstore and watched around, it was empty by now. The people probably ran away when they heard the screams. However, being here would be the safest option to not getting hit. Unless she followed them in.

"Wait here, I will check how the situation is now."

Part of this bookstore was luckily also a café, so he was able to find a seat fast. He gently put her down on a couch and gazed out the window. There must be some backstreet he could hide to transform.

"Well, I don't have much of a choice, do I? Besides, wouldn't it be safer for you to stay here and wait with me for Ladybug to solve everything. You haven't been hit yet."

"Ah, don't worry about me. I will be quick. I just want to make sure if I could bring you all the way back to the hotel."

He smiled gently and quickly ran out the door. Next to the bookstore seemed to be an alley. Chloé had her back to the window, so she couldn't see where he would go. She hopefully trusts him completely by now. He wishes she didn't think he'd left her behind and ran away by himself like some coward.

Before transforming, he examined the surroundings, just in case someone might be hiding there. Who knows. In this situation, people could be seeking refuge almost everywhere. It was so confusing with everyone running and screaming.

"Is it safe now?"

Inarii popped his head out of his pocket and once Nathaniel nodded, he flew in front of the redhead. He spent most of this whole day in that pocket. He had to admit, he was totally bored while he could do nothing in there. He did notice somethings regarding Chloé though.

"We need to be quick! Inarii, transform me!"

[ Next Chapter ]

(Beta by @chatlovingshipper and Tjikicew - AO3 )

#miraculous ladybug #nathaniel kurtzberg #chloe bourgeois #chlonath #adrien agreste chat noir #marinette dupain cheng #ml fanfiction #A New Path #Vulpino

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aion-rsa · 6 years

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Captain America: The First Avenger - Complete Marvel Universe Easter Eggs and Comic References Guide

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Check out our complete guide to every single Marvel Universe reference in Captain America: The First Avenger.

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Feature

Books

Mike Cecchini

Captain America

Jul 3, 2018

Marvel

Jack Kirby

You could almost consider Captain America: The First Avenger to be the birth of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we've come to know it. The 2011 Joe Johnston film wasn't the first Marvel movie, nor was it the first to bring in elements from upcoming projects (The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man 2 both beat it to the punch). But it is the one that does the most heavy lifting in terms of world-building for the Marvel Universe, and some of its scenes have taken on more weight recently, thanks to projects like the Agent Carter TV series, not to mention its two sequels, The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War, and let's not forget Avengers: Infinity War.

It's really amazing just how much Marvel lore this movie contains, and how faithful it is, at least in spirit, to the very first Captain America story, too. So join us as we overanalyze as much of Captain America: The First Avenger as we possibly can...

Just to get this out of the way right up front, our primary players in this movie, Captain America and the Red Skull were both introduced in Captain America Comics #1 in 1940. They were created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Perhaps you've heard of them.

- The framing sequence of the movie, which deals with the discovery and revival of Captain America has its roots in a number of places. For starters, Cap was revived in Avengers #4 (1964) by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. As you might have guessed, in the comic book Marvel Universe, the Avengers had formed while Cap was presumed dead, and they were the ones who discovered his frozen body and revived him.

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Here, it's SHIELD who are tasked with reviving Captain America, which makes sense, as they're the ones who end up forming the Avengers in the first place. But that's not the amusing thing...

- The crash site being found by a "Russian oil team" however, kind of mirrors a less celebrated piece of Captain America history. In the infamous 1990 Cannon Films movie (a flick that I kind of have a soft spot for, but that's an article for another time), where there was absolutely no such thing as a "Marvel Cinematic Universe," it was a German oil team who found the Capcicle. I'd like to think this was an intentional nod, but it probably wasn't.

- This film also marks the first official appearance of Hydra in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Hydra first appeared in Strange Tales #135 in 1965, and like most awesome things in these movies, was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

The thing is, the Hydra of the comics was never really a WWII-era organization. It was, however, always a post-Nazi one, led by Wolfgang Von Strucker (remember him from the opening moments of Avengers: Age of Ultron?) and it did get some support from the Red Skull. But the idea of Johann Schmidt as the founder of Hydra is an invention strictly for the movies.

We'll talk a little more about ol' Johann Schmidt/The Red Skull in a few minutes...

- The Tesseract is not only "the jewel of Odin's treasure room" (and that connection to Thor and Thor: The Dark World really doesn't need any additional explanation, does it?), it's one of the Infinity Stones (specifically, the space gem), the series of Maguffins that has linked the Marvel Cinematic Universe together.

But in the comics...

...the Tesseract was something known as "The Cosmic Cube" (it was the '60s, yo), and it was a purely technological, not magical or alien piece of superhero headache inducingness. It's general, all-purpose ability to "warp reality" is more or less in place throughout its comic book history, though, and the Red Skull has shown a fondness for it on more than one occasion...always to his undoing.

- The ties to the Thor movies don't end with that line about Odin's treasure room, however. You can see the seeds of Thor: Ragnarok hinted at here. The tesseract is stashed in a wall sculpture of Yggdrasil, "the world tree," and the serpent (whose eye holds the key to unlocking the tesseract's hiding place) is Jormungandr, the serpent that Thor does battle with during the Asgardian end of days.

- Even though Hitler's real life obsession with the occult is well documented, I'd like to think that Skull's line about how "the Fuhrer digs for trinkets in the desert" is a reference to the events of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Captain America: The First Avenger director Joe Johnston worked on the Raiders production (as did legendary Marvel artist Jim Steranko). Marvel also published a comic adaptation of that classic film, as well as The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones comic book series.

See related

Captain America: Civil War - Complete Marvel Universe Easter Eggs and References Guide

A Movie Fan's Guide to Captain America Comics

In other words, if you want to believe that Indiana Jones is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, be my guest...Disney owns him, anyway.

- Scenes of a pre-Cap Steve Rogers getting outraged about the Nazis while watching newsreel footage in a movie theater are staples of any expanded telling of his origin, but especially in the criminally overlooked mini-series, The Adventures of Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty by Fabian Nicieza and Kevin Maguire.

- Bucky Barnes is a drastically different character from any of his comic book incarnations. Initially first appearing in the pages of Captain America Comics #1, he was a typical "kid sidekick" of the era, complete with Robin-esque domino mask. Bucky Barnes was adopted by the guys at Camp Lehigh after his father died in combat. It was later revealed that the teenaged boy was an accomplished sniper and field agent...but again, none of that is in play here.

Buy Captain America: The First Avenger on Blu-ray on Amazon

The idea of Steve and Bucky having a friendship that predates their military days was introduced (like many elements of the Marvel Cinematic Universe) in the pages of Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch's The Ultimates. There, Bucky was a photographer, but he also helped keep Steve from getting his ass kicked in the streets of Brooklyn in their youth. The tables, of course, were turned once Cap took the super soldier cure.

- The "Modern Marvels" title of the World's Fair exhibition needs no explanation, but note "Phineas Horton's Synthetic Man." That's the original Human Torch you're seeing in that tube. He's an android who bursts into flame, and he graced the cover of Marvel Comics #1 in 1939.

A Golden Age Human Torch movie would be amazing, but it might take some gymnastics to get that name on film, given that 20th Century Fox owns the rights to "the Human Torch" with the Fantastic Four movies.

Torch's big nemesis was Namor, the Sub-Mariner, a character whose movie rights might be tied up at Universal. But if any of this is ever resolved, well...we need to see these two go head to head on screen.

- While this isn't the first appearance in the movies of Howard Stark, it is the first time we meet him as a young man played by Dominic Cooper (he was played by John Slattery in Iron Man 2).

The red car that Howard Stark fails to levitate seems to be a precursor to Phil Coulson's beloved flying red hot rod "Lola" on Agents of SHIELD. The red color might indicate a fondness for red that manifests in Tony Stark's armor. Howard is using "reversion" technology to try and levitate this, while Tony famously uses "repulsors" in the Iron Man armor.

- Not a comic book easter egg, but yes, that's Jenna "Clara Oswin Oswald" Coleman as one of Bucky and Steve's dates. If you'd like to consider this a side adventure of "the Impossible Girl" through time in order to make Doctor Who part of Marvel continuity, I won't stop you.

- Aside from the fact that Stanley Tucci is just delightful as Professor Abraham Erskine, the character has an interesting little history, too. In that very first Captain America origin story, he was referred to as "Josef Reinstein" (which probably rhymes with the most famous scientist of the era). It was later revealed that "Reinstein" was an alias used to protect the good doctor from his Nazi pursuers.

We'll talk a little more about this version of Dr. Erskine when we get into the Red Skull's entry in a few minutes...

- While the big screen Steve Rogers is a Brooklyn boy, in the comics, he was born on New York City's Lower East Side...the same mean streets that helped mold his co-creator, Jack Kirby, into the force of nature that he was. Incidentally, the story that Steve gives about his parents dying roughly lines up with what we know in the comics, although his mother died of pneumonia, not TB, there.

Arnim Zola first appeared in Captain America #208 (1977) during Jack Kirby's incredibly wild return to Marvel. When we first meet Arnim Zola in the Red Skull's lab, his face is distorted through a weird lens. It's a reference to Arnim Zola's rather distinctive Jack Kirby design, which...ummm...you'd better see for yourself:

Crazy, right? Anyway, we see some of Zola's next evolution in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Also, if you squint, you can spot designs for his robotic body in the blueprints in the laboratory.

- In that lab, Red Skull can be seen looking at a book that shows an old-fashioned illustration of the Norse "nine realms," one of which is "our" world, Midgard, and of course, there is Asgard.

- Peggy Carter first appeared in Tales of Suspense #77 (1966) and was created by (who else?) Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Trust us, the Peggy Carter of the screen is a much more interesting character than the Peggy Carter of the page. Needless to say, the original Peggy Carter is an important part of Cap's history, even if she wasn't always quite the badass that Hayley Atwell gave us. We have much more on Peggy's comic history right here, if you're interested.

- Enlisted douchebag Gilmore Hodge appeared in that excellent Cap origin story I mentioned above, The Adventures of Captain America. In that series, it was revealed that Steve was part of a program of guys who competed for the role. The Hodge of the comics was even more insufferable than the jerk on screen, if you can believe that.

- Sgt. Duffy is a favorite of mine, mostly because he's played to such perfection by Damon Driver. Duffy dates back to Cap's first appearance in Captain America Comics #1. Part of Steve Rogers' cover when he was at Camp Lehigh had to be that he was kind of a big, dumb, lummox...and thus, poor Sgt. Duffy, who wasn't in on the truth often found his blood pressure rising because of Rogers and his "goldbricking."

- Colonel Chester Phillips didn't make his way into the comics until the 1965 re-telling of Captain America's origin in the pages of Tales of Suspense #65. Needless to say, Tommy Lee Jones is more fun on screen than the comic book version of Phillips ever was on the page. His little speech about "super soldiers" to the folks at Camp Lehigh refers to how Captain America was referred to in his early days, and the name of the serum that would grant him his abilities.

Colonel Phillips eventually became General Phillips, because you're goddamn right he did.

- Now is as good a time as any to talk about the super soldier serum, the Red Skull's origin, and this movie's ties to the less beloved 1990 Captain America movie. The idea that the man who gives Captain America his powers first devised a serum (under duress) is something borrowed, intentionally or otherwise, from Albert Pyun's 1990 Captain America flick. The imperfect serum is what ultimately turned the Red Skull into, well, a red skull.

That wasn't always the case, though...

- In the comics, Schmidt was just an evil young man who Hitler chose to be his representation of the Reich's "values." There was no super soldier serum involved, and for most of his career, he simply wore a mask...his face wasn't actually a red skull. That came later.

Anyway, back to Cap's origin...

- The origin sequence with Steve Rogers' transformation is a nearly perfect translation of the original Joe Simon/Jack Kirby story. From the car pulling up at the antique shop (it was a "curio shop" in 1940...same thing), to the old lady ready to blow you away if you give the wrong countersign. She even looks like the character who appeared in just a handful of panels back then.

By the way, the fact that they managed to sneak the words "vita-rays" into a movie released in 2011 provides me endless amounts of joy. There are few things that scream "golden age superhero origin story" like "vita-rays." I could use some vita-rays, come to think of it.

Also, that's Richard "Thorin Oakenshield" Armitage as Heinz Kruger, another character from Cap's first appearance. In the comics, Cap beats the hell out of Heinz before accidentally knocking him into the machinery which electrocutes him. Whether that's less gruesome than a cyanide pill or not is entirely up to you to decide.

- The scene of Steve having his blood taken so that the government could try and duplicate the super soldier serum made sense in the context of the movie at the time, as Cap was always "the only one of his kind" because of the murder of Dr. Erskine. But after watching Agent Carter season one, this scene carries a whole lot more weight, doesn't it?

- There's a moment here when the SSR is told that all their focus is going to be put into fighting Hydra. So, with one line, we get the origin of the SHIELD vs. Hydra struggle. Holy moley, this movie got a lot done, didn't it?

This next bit isn't from the comics, but it's too cool not to point out...

- Steve's desire to fight in the war and the government's efforts to keep him stateside as a symbol of heroism parallels the story of a real life World War II hero, Marine Corps Sgt. John Basilone. Basilone was awarded the Medal of Honor after some nearly superhuman acts of heroism in combat at Guadalcanal. After that, he was sent back to the States to raise money for the war effort. Basilone was determined to help win the war in a more hands-on fashion, and requested they send him back overseas. He was killed in action (after sending a good stack of enemies to meet their maker) at Iwo Jima.

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Basilone's story was told on the HBO series The Pacific, where he was played by John Seda. It's a good watch.

- The costume that Cap wears during his war bond effort is a perfectly comic book accurate version of the classic Captain America costume (right down to the original shield...the round, more offensively minded shield didn't come around until Captain America Comics #2). It says an awful lot about Chris Evans' physique that he can actually make this look good, and he probably would have been just as effective wearing this throughout the movie. But here's the thing...

It's a little ill-fitting, isn't it? And there wasn't any spandex in 1942. In fact...

...it looks more than a little bit like the version of the costume worn by Dick Purcell in the 1944 Captain America movie serial from Republic Pictures.

There's moments where it appears they're filming a Captain America movie serial during this montage, too. Considering that the Republic Pictures serial had almost nothing to do with the character from the comics beyond the costume (he was District Attorney Grant Gardner, not Steve Rogers), I'd like to imagine that's what they're filming here: a fictionalized version of the "real" Steve Rogers' non adventures.

- The bit with Cap socking Hitler on the jaw is taken straight from the cover of Captain America Comics #1. Remember when I said that thing probably hit the stands in late 1940? It was nearly a year before the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and the US got formally involved in World War II. So that comic showed Cap socking a foreign dictator back when there was war being waged in Europe, but the USA was still a year away from involvement. As a result, the earliest Captain America comic book adventures featured him taking on saboteurs stateside.

This probably explains why they moved the movie's timeline forward to 1942-1943 rather than the comic book Cap's early days of 1940-1941...it makes more sense for this movie to take place at a time when the US was already well embroiled in Europe.

- Oh, and Cap is selling war bonds. You know where else Cap sold war bonds? On the covers of various Marvel/Timely publications in the '40s. It's what all the superheroes did!

- The Howling Commandos have a rich comic book history all their own. These were the guys led by Nick Fury in World War II...in comics that didn't appear until the '60s. They were created by (wait for it) Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and first appeared in the appropriately titled Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #1 in 1963.

There are some notable characters in the big screen version of the Howlers, though. Dum Dum Dugan, of course, has been hanging around the Marvel Universe forever, and has been Nick Fury's right hand man in SHIELD many times. Gabriel Jones grandson is Antoine Triplett , who showed up for awhile on Agents of SHIELD.

Oh, and Kenneth Choi, who plays Commando Jim Morita here, shows up in Spider-Man: Homecoming as the principal of Peter's school, and the grandson of the character he plays in this very movie!

We wrote much more about the individual Howling Commandos and their comic book origins in our guide to Agent Carter Season 1, which you can read right here.

- Also note that the British demolitions expert, James Montgomery Falsworth, in the comics had a costumed identity as Union Jack. Falsworth's inclusion is a nod to the superhero team known as The Invaders, who operated during World War II. Their ranks included Union Jack, Captain America, the original Human Torch, and Namor.

- While Stan Lee does have a cameo here, please remember: he did not have anything to do with Captain America's creation. Cap was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. However, Mr. Lee did write a good stack of my favorite Captain America stories in the mid-60s, and he was the writer on Avengers #4, the comic that brought Cap into the "modern" Marvel Universe (all with Cap's co-creator Kirby).

In fact, the only characters in this movie that Lee had any hand in actually creating are Peggy Carter, the Howling Commandos, and Nick Fury.

- Yes, that's Game of Thrones' Natalie Dormer leading Cap astray. Your eyes do not deceive you.

- During Bucky's adventures with the Howling Commandos, we see his proficiency with a sniper rifle, something that obviously comes in handy during his future as a brainwashed cybernetic assassin in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. In the original comics, Bucky was a more traditional "kid sidekick" type, like a more combat ready Robin.

But Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting took elements of Bucky's history (he always seemed proficient with a rifle, he spoke a bunch of different languages) and foregrounded that as they retold Cap's origins in the early 2000s. Why would Bucky be so effective with firearms and languages if he wasn't actually a highly trained operative, right? It's these things that helped lead to the whole "Winter Soldier" badassness.

- Bucky's "death" however, differs dramatically from the comics. The comic book version of these events saw Bucky and Cap trying to disarm a heavily armed drone. Cap falls off (into the Arctic...you can guess the rest) and Bucky got blown into sidekick mcnuggets. Or so we thought for about 40 years, until Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting brought him back as the Winter Soldier. Either way, as he does in the film, Cap held himself responsible for his pal's death.

The villain they were trying to take down at the time was Baron Zemo, not the Red Skull, and he ended up appearing in Captain America: Civil War, where he was played by Daniel Bruhl.

- Oh, and when Cap begins his assault on Hydra HQ, he plants his shield on the front of his motorcycle. That's something that Reb Brown did in the not exactly awesome Captain America TV movies from the 1970s.

Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments and I'll add 'em in here!

Mike Cecchini was almost born on the Fourth of July. Shoot roman candles at him on Twitter.

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