#like all man-spider transformations this is temporary | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

astroph1les · 7 months

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all in a day’s work [h.c]

summary: being spider-woman is going pretty well for hazel. that is until you notice these cuts and bruises appearing on her skin. she’s just a little clumsy, though, right?

pairing: hazel callahan x fem!reader

contains: mature language and content, shower sex (very little detail), spider!hazel, mentions of hazel’s transformation since becoming spider-woman, slight violence, cannabis mention, mentions of the avengers events, josie is hazel’s guy in the chair.

word count: 4.4K

a/n: it’s here. i’m beyond excited for you guys to read this short series. it’s going to be a four parter, uploading each part every week for the month of october. thank you and enjoy <3

one | two | three | four

Hazel hated criminals.

The ones who stole purses from innocent old ladies who were just trying to buy groceries. The ones who harass and assault women for rejecting them. Or in this special Brooklyn norm, a guy who had hotwired a BMW who was now involved in a high speed chase with four cop cars and a special hero following him.

Normally, she would be more than pleased to arrive at the scene. On any other day, she wouldn’t have promised to meet her girlfriend — sweet and patient you — at the bodega that your uncle owned. But some dumbass just had to hotwire a car when she had to meet you in an hour.

Hazel swung in between buildings, following the sirens of the police cars and the map inside of her mask, her eyes darting from car to car to find the one that was described. A dark purple BMW speeding down Tillary Street, turning down Gold Street. Once she had spotted the vehicle, she launched herself faster in the vicinity before landing on a U-Haul truck that was a few cars behind the BMW.

This guy was swerving and weaving through cars like a maniac as Brooklyn’s finest were hot on his trail. Hazel shook her hands out as a nerve-releaser, her gloved hands stretching in and out. She then sprinted across the top of the truck before launching a web at a tall building to maneuver her way onto the back of the BMW.

The breeze felt nice, though, after swinging around for so long. Her hands were gripping onto the sides of the vehicle to keep her balance.

“Excuse me, sir!” She tapped on the back window, waving a hand to get his attention.

The man’s eyes flickered to his rear-view mirror, eyes visibly widening at the sight of Spider-Woman hanging from the back of the stolen car. His response was to step on the gas. Hazel groaned as her lower stomach thumped onto the trunk, but quickly regained her posture as she hoisted herself onto her feet.

“Incoming text from honey with the white heart emoji and bee emoji,” Karen told Hazel, her Siri-like voice echoing in her ears. “Are we still on for sandwiches, babe? Semi-colon. Parenthesis.”

Hazel smiled at the message from you as she crawled to the top of the vehicle, mentally pumping her fist at the sight of the sunroof. The man had left it wide open. So he was an idiot in many ways. Hazel slipped in quickly, her bottom landing in the backseat. She’d tell Karen to reply as soon as she finishes with this nuisance.

“C’mon, dude, high-speed chase? What? Was stealing an old lady’s purse too cliche?” Hazel quipped with a cheeky attitude.

The man didn’t say a word but instead attempted to throw a punch in the backseat, letting out grunts of annoyance. Hazel blocked every swing with a sigh, wondering why the hell he was even trying.

“You know, you’d punch way better if you weren’t driving, sir.”

As the man continued to speed between cars, Hazel stares up ahead to see an empty alleyway in an upcoming street. She needed to get him off of the street so that innocent people wouldn’t be in the way of danger.

Hazel shoots a web at the man's eyes. He grunts at the sticky feeling and temporary blindness, releasing the wheel entirely. Hazel reaches over from the backseat, hands gripping onto the wheel to turn sharply into the deserted alley. She mutters a string of curses as the side of the car scrapes against the brick building.

She’ll tell Mr. Stark about billing that to the owner later.

Cars honked and came to a sudden halt at her illegal moves but the car was now in the alley, away from the public. She releases the wheel to quickly crawl out of the open sun-roof. Mid-way out, she feels the glass begin to close on her torso.

Hazel groans out at the squeezing pressure and looks down into the car to see that the man had hit the sunroof button on the roof of the interior. One of his hands gripped onto her spandex covered calf, trying to tug her back down.

“I have a girlfriend, dude. Let go,” Hazel grunted, wriggling in his grasp.

Hazel threw her foot back into his chest and jaw before jumping up and out of the car. She landed on a metal fire escape balcony. From that distance, she shot multiple webs at the end of the alleyway, creating a makeshift trap for the car to run into. Her wrists were beginning to ache but she kept her movements flowing, releasing the web as he was reaching the end. The car hit the large web with a loud thump but had stopped, which is what Hazel was aiming for.

The thief had stepped out of the car and began to book it.

“Karen, send a text back to honey reading,” Hazel stood on the fire escape and walked on the side of the building as she aimed a web at the man. The substance wrapped around his legs causing him to trip and hit the ground. “Of course. See you soon. With two x’s and o’s.”

“I am sending the text to honey.” Karen alerted Hazel to her mask.

Hazel swung over to land right next to the criminal's head, tilting her body to the side to grin at his scraped up face. She knew he couldn’t see her shit-eating grin but it brought her some sort of badass feeling. Like an ‘I-just-did-that-shit’ feeling.

“The cops will take care of you so if you’ll excuse me,” she shot her web around his wrist to keep him down and held them behind his back. “I have to see my girl.”

The man grunted loudly to which Hazel responded with a: “Bye, Mr. Criminal!” as she launches herself out of the alley and around the corner of the building.

You were browsing the shelf of snacks and candies in your uncle’s bodega. You had just gotten off your shift at the Build-A-Bear in the mall and you were absolutely starving. The array of chips and gummies made your stomach grumble, sighing as you were waiting patiently for Hazel to arrive.

Her Stark internship had consumed a lot of her time lately. Of course, you were incredibly happy and proud of her to be working under Tony Stark: a billionaire industrialist, inventor, and the Iron-Man.

You didn’t mean to seem clingy, but you missed her when she was gone.

“Bee, here you go.” You hear a voice coming from behind the counter.

There stood your uncle with your turkey club sandwich wrapped — no tomatoes. You let out a groan of relief as you walked up to the counter to take it from him. You reach into your tote to grab a five dollar bill.

“Bee, you’re not paying.” He began to walk around to avoid you giving him cash.

“Uncle Karter, take it now. I’ll hop over this counter and shove into the register,” your threat was playful, but you meant every word.

“You’re hungry so I’m giving you food. It’s just like having lunch at home.” Your uncle insisted as he pointed at you, resting his arms on the glass display of the different kinds of sandwiches and deli meat he had to offer.

You sigh, giving him a wary look. Yes, he was your uncle, but you felt guilty just being handed sandwiches that you could easily pay for. You have a job. Your uncle wouldn’t let you pay, though, so you reluctantly slip the dollar bill into your bag.

“Thank you,” you give him a small smile before taking a bite of the fresh sandwich.

“It’s nothing, kiddo.” The man shakes his head as his eyes flicker behind him at the front door. The bell rings and he jerks his head to whoever was walking in. “Your little girlfriend is here.”

You whip your head around mid-bite to see Hazel panting as if she had run here with a wide, charming smile. Her hands were holding something behind her back as she approached you happily with her brown broken-in leather backpack over one shoulder, her keys that were clasped onto a loop of her jeans jangling loudly.

“Hey,” she breathes out, her gaze flickering between both of your eyes. Hazel raises her hand to wave at your uncle. “Hi, sir.”

“Hazel, I told you to call me Karter. None of that ‘sir’ shit, dude. I’m 36, not 50.” Your uncle replied teasingly, causing you to chuckle. Hazel nodded, muttering a ‘right’. Her eyes locked with yours as your uncle began to attend to the other customers.

“How was it today?” You tilt your head as you take another bite of your sandwich.

Hazel shrugged her shoulders, scoffing out. “Boring science shit but it was good. New scientist named Dr. Connors that Mr. Stark introduced me to.”

You deadpan at her, nodding your head. Sure, the subject wasn’t your favorite but you always wanted to hear about Hazel’s day. You brushed off the short response as you swallow that bite of your sandwich.

“Okay, well, that’s good. What are you hiding?” You try to peer over her shoulder but she only leans to the same side as you.

“Grabbed something for you on the way here.” Hazel beams as she pulls out the present from behind her back.

It was a small bouquet of an array of flowers for this time of the year. It was fall in New York, so the array of white roses and yellow sunflowers brightened up your mood. Forest Hills blossomed during the chilly season; a beautiful orange hue washed over the neighborhood in Queens as the decaying leaves fell from the tree branches.

Your eyes softened at the simple yet sweet gesture. Hazel grinned awkwardly, hoping you loved them.

Ever since you two had started dating half a year ago, Hazel has always felt like she had to be the best girlfriend she could. You were her first girlfriend and she was absolutely crazy about you, as you were about her.

Other people haven’t been the kindest to you and she knew that. Lying and cheating were a main factor as you’ve told her.

The guilt ached in her chest everyday having to lie to you about being Spider-Woman. You were her entire world. Tony insisted it was for the best if she didn’t want anything to happen to you.

“You are too sweet, I swear. Thank you, baby,” you lean in close to kiss her lips quickly and take the bouquet in your free hand.

Hazel flushed so easily, making your smile widen. It was a good feeling to see after so many months that she still got flustered when you kissed her.

“It’s nothing. You deserve it.” Hazel replied as if it was something you should know.

You don’t respond to that, only blushing like Hazel was moments ago. You sniff the soft flowery scent for a moment before taking another bite of your sandwich.

“You wanna head to mine?” You offer with a flirty smile.

“Uh, yeah, sure.” Hazel nodded, eyes warily darting to your uncle who was occupied with his line of customers that appeared out of the blue.

“He’ll be here for hours. C’mon,” you loop your arm around hers. “Bye, Uncle Karter. See you later.”

Your uncle simply waves his hand mid-conversation with the middle aged woman in front of him. Hazel leaned into your touch for a second before letting herself get dragged out of the bodega by you.

A fresh autumn breeze brushed against her, hitting her pale skin. You leaned your head on her shoulder as you talked about all the adorable children that had come into the Build-A-Bear.

Hazel loved these small moments with you. Well, she loved every moment but little things like this clouded her brain when she wasn’t focused on keeping her identity a secret. Watching your eyes light up when you spoke about how happy these children looked when you handed them their bear made her heart grow tenfold.

When the two of you had arrived at you and your uncle's apartment, you reached into your bag to grab the house keys.

“You hungry?” You ask as your sliding the key into the slot.

Hazel shook her head, placing a hand over her stomach. “I’m okay. Thank you, though, honey.”

You place a gentle kiss at her cheek as if to tell her that you asked her questions like that to show that you cared. You frowned, though, as you noticed a bruise and cut on her top lip that you hadn’t really seen before.

Hazel noticed you paused and furrowed her brows.

“What is it?” She whipped her head around to see if there were any potential threats. She was tempted to check her watch that Tony had given her to get Karen to scan the area.

“Babe, did you hit your lip?” You raised a hand to graze over the reddening area.

Hazel’s eyes widened once she realized what you were talking about. Earlier this morning, Hazel had a guy hit the butt of his gun at her face when she had dealt with a smoke shop robbery. She actually got free weed from the guy working the register which she plans to give to PJ.

“Oh, yeah. May was opening a cabinet up top and it hit me straight in the lip. I kind of forgot about it.” Hazel easily lied through her teeth, letting you caress the outline of her lips.

“It doesn’t hurt, right?” You ask her softly, eyes flickering up to her freckled under eyes.

Hazel shook her head with a hum, her smile growing as she admired your worried features. You looked away with a flushed grin as you pushed open the front door. The faint aroma of pumpkin and cinnamon filled Hazel’s nose, warmth filling her chest.

It wasn’t the largest apartment but it was home to you. You and uncle didn’t need much more than this.

“How is May?” You asked as you hung your keys on one of the Smurfs wall mounted key hooks that you had found at a thrift store.

“She’s good. Working at the hospital right now so she’s hoping that‘ll pay well.” Hazel explains as she traces the knick knacks on the shelf’s in the living room.

You can’t help but smile at the thought of Hazel’s Aunt May. She really was one of the kindest women you’ve ever met. May had a tendency to call you her ‘future daughter in law’ in front of Hazel just to tease the girl, watching her cheeks and tips of her ears flush a deep red.

“That’s good. I don’t want her overworking herself, though.” You sigh as you set your bag down next to the arm of the couch.

“Yeah, me neither.” Hazel sighed. “So, what did you wanna do?”

You hum in thought, bringing your single braid from behind your head to over your shoulder. You began to untangle the twisted hair as you thought about what activities you and Hazel could do now that she was free.

A certain idea came to mind.

“Well, I do need to shower so,” you say nonchalantly, hoping Hazel would get the hint.

“Oh, okay. Yeah, I can wait out here. Take your time, honey.” Hazel nodded and went over to take a seat on the couch.

You stared at her grabbing the remote for the TV, turning it on and flicking through the channels. You release your hair to allow it to sit on your shoulders, waiting patiently for Hazel to realize.

“Oh, do you wanna watch Foot Loose when you get out of the shower?” Hazel’s gaze floated back to you.

Her excitement to watch the movie dropped when she noticed you tilting your head and looking at her like that. You had only given her that look when you were insinuating something sensual. Your body was swaying back and forth as your smile grew when she set down the remote.

“Sorry. I didn’t— I thought you meant by yourself.” Hazel rushed out as she turned off the TV, chuckling nervously.

“At first, yeah. But, hey, we’re conserving water if we shower together and you know I’m all about keeping the Earth green.”

Hazel couldn’t help but nod, standing up to walk up to you. “That— yeah. That’s true. Conserving water conserves energy that reduces greenhouse gas pollution.”

Her brain shouldn’t have turned you on as much as it did.

“Yeah? What else does it do?” Your fingers hook onto her belt loops, tugging her closer into your body.

Hazel allowed you to manhandle her as she would truthfully let you do anything to her. She knew how much her ability to retain and cite facts turned you on. It was obvious by how you were drinking her in like you could devour her.

“It can… oh, protect aquatic life and extend water supply to areas that lack and ensure agricultural production to thrive.” Hazel rambled out, her flush growing as your thumbs brushed past her hip bone.

“Oh, those poor sea creatures.” You frown, smacking your lips.

“Don’t you need to shower?” Hazel asked, suddenly overwhelmed with impatience.

Your smile only grew, a giggle falling from your lips. You intertwine your hands with Hazel’s as you hurriedly walk over to your small bathroom. Hazel made sure to remove her watch and set it down on the porcelain sink, not wanting any sort of message from Tony to interrupt her time with you.

You turn to shut the door and turn the lock with a ‘click’. Hazel is caught off guard by you removing your work shirt, blushing at the sight of you in your bra. She felt like such a virgin. She’s seen you naked at this point and still was a flustered mess around you.

“Can’t take a shower with clothes, Haze.” You raised your brows as you were unbuttoning your pants.

“Maybe I can. I can do laundry that way.” Hazel quipped back with a chuckle.

Nonetheless, she began to slip off her sweater. You walk over to her, hooking your fingers underneath the thick fabric to help her. Her sports bra came into view as you tugged the sweater up and off, tossing it onto the blue and white tiled ground.

You both messily kissed, clanking teeth from how rushed your movements were. Soft laughter released from you as you removed the rest of your clothing and underwear, Hazel following by copying your actions.

Hazel hoisted you up with ease by your plush thighs, causing you to let out a yelp at the sudden movement. You lazily kissed her jaw as you held onto her neck, listening to her soft hums as she stepped into the shower. You never understood how all of a sudden, Hazel had this strength and toned body. You’d never seen her hit the gym once since you’ve been together.

Not that you were complaining. Just confused.

“Alright, let me down,” you hum against her skin, “I really do have to shower.”

“I’ll, uh, help.” Hazel offered as she released her grasp from your thighs, carefully watching you step onto the tiled ground.

You simply give her a soft kiss, whispering a ‘thank you’ onto her lips. Hazel hums back before grabbing the hydrating shampoo from the shelf. You turned on the shower, letting out a soft ‘fuck’ at the cold water. You hurriedly turn the knob to the red ‘H’ symbol, leaning back into Hazel’s body.

Once the stream of water began to heat up, Hazel squirted out the correct amount of shampoo into her palms. She massaged the product to your scalp as you tilt your head back with a sigh. Her fingers work into your scalp, sending you into a domestic bliss.

“That feels so good.” You practically moan as Hazel continues with the shampooing.

Hazel chuckles with a blush, leaning down to press a gentle kiss onto your naked shoulder. Your mind practically turns to mush but you force yourself to continue the rest of your routine.

You and Hazel bathed each other after a few heated kisses. That’s all. (You had gone down on her and she fingered you until you came twice.) She had told you how much you resembled a beautiful Renaissance painting with every curve and dip of your body. The words squeezed at your heart, feeling yourself fall more and more in love with her — if that was even possible.

Now freshly bathed and spent from the day, you and Hazel settle down, remaining in just underwear with an oversized tee. The sun had been long gone — the only light source being the city lights from outside of your bedroom window. You were cuddled up in your bed on your sides Hazel was running one hand up and down the fresh and lotion-covered skin of your arm as you twirled her wet hair around your fingers.

“I wanna stay here forever.” You yawn and rub at your bare face.

“Yeah?” Hazel hummed.

You nod with a chuckle. “Oh, yeah. If I didn’t have to work or worry about stuff like the apocalypse and aliens taking over, I would stay here forever.”

“Aliens?” Hazel’s brows arched at your words, chuckling along with you.

“Well, I mean, you saw what happened with Avengers in the city a few years ago. That was terrifying, you know?” You mutter, zoning out as the memory flooded back into your mind.

You had been just a few streets down when Loki had sent an army of aliens down onto the city. Who knows what could’ve happened if you had been just one more street closer to the destruction.

Hazel only nodded because how can you forget an event like that? Lives were lost and changed forever. Hazel, at the time, was just like you; a normal girl in the city just trying to live day by day. She wasn’t able to save people as she could now.

“Let’s just… lay here a-and not think about that, honey. Okay?” Hazel whispered as she tried to reassure you while reassuring her own scattered mind.

“Okay. I’m sorry.” You whispered back with a self-deprecating chuckle as you felt that you had ruined the mood.

Hazel shook her head as she moved her hand from caressing your arm to cupping your bare cheek.

“No, no, no, it’s okay. I just don’t want you to worry about all that stuff that hasn’t happened.”

Hypocrite, Hazel’s mind echoed after she had continued to utter soft and kind words to you. That’s all she ever did. Worrying about the unknown or stuff she couldn't control.

You ultimately felt your worries fade for the time being. Hazel caresses the length of your back until your heavy eyes shut, allowing sleep to take over. Not too long after Hazel knew that you were sound asleep, she did the same.

Hazel was awakened by the sound of a loud alarm echoing throughout the space of the room. She had shot up quickly from the bed, looking down at her watch to see it was a call from Josie — her only friend from Stark Industries.

Hazel checked the time to see it was 7:04 in the morning; way too early to be calling her. She glanced at you tangled up in your bed sheets next to her, mouth slightly hung open as you were knocked out. She carefully got up from the mattress, trodding over to the bathroom to get some privacy.

Hazel groaned at her reflection, her hair a tousled mess and her shirt half-way off of her shoulders. She reluctantly answered the call on the watch, squinting her eyes as Josie came into view.

“Hi Hazel!” Her cheery voice threw her off guard.

“It’s seven in the morning, Josie.” Hazel grumbled, trying to fix her hair.

“That didn't sound like a ‘oh, good morning, Josie’ so I’ll pretend you said that.” Josie quipped back, adjusting herself in her cubicle. “Anyways, Mr. Stark told me to call you because he needs you here, like, immediately.”

Hazel’s eyes shot open. “Wait really?”

Josie hums as she types something on her laptop that was lighting up her screen. “He said in his email, and i quote: ‘call Underoos and get her here immediately. No’ and this is in all caps ‘questions’.”

Hazel rolled her eyes at the nickname. Within the first few days of working under Tony, the nickname came to mind and never left. As much as she wanted to stay in bed with you, she knew she had to see whatever Tony needed her there for. She scrunched up her nose and yawned, nodding and scratching the back of her head.

“I’ll be there soon. Probably 10-20 minutes.” Hazel stretches her free arm, releasing some tension in her biceps and upper back.

“Alright, cool. Oh, wait,” Josie muttered as she stopped typing on her keyboard, leaning back into her roller chair. “Ah, shit. Son of a bitch, dude.”

“What?” Hazel responded as she was about to leave the bathroom so she could hang up.

“No, nothing. I lost at Solitaire against Happy.” Josie shook her head, groaning before typing again on the laptop.

Hazel furrowed her brows before hanging up with a: ‘See you soon’. The last thing she heard was Josie angrily typing as she whispered: ‘Filthy cheater’.

Josie took Solitaire extremely personally.

Hazel slowly crept out of the bathroom as she had forgotten that your Uncle Karter was now home, if not, awake. She tiptoed back into your room, grabbing her bag from the small carpet strawberry right next to your bed. You had adjusted once again in your sleep, snuggling into the plush of your pillow.

You were a fidgety sleeper but she found it adorable. Watching over you right now almost made her stay but she couldn't risk Tony being angry with her. She quickly changed into her suit, walking over to your window to unlock it and crack it open.

Taking one more glance at your unconscious body, Hazel tugged her mask over her face before she shot a web out of the window at a building across the street. She threw her bag over her shoulder as she swung to the apartment building next door all the way to the Stark Tower.

Mid-way there, she suddenly remembered that she didn’t leave a note for you like she usually would when she left so suddenly. She brushed it off and told herself she’d send you a text as soon as she left.

Nothing to worry about.

Right?

taglist: @imjustapearl @seethesin @matchamilkislover @beabeebrie @curiousshifter101 @uraesthete @fictionalcharacterspecialist @c4llahansgirl @maggiecc @fruitysnackysmain @crvptidgf <33

#hazel callahan #bottoms movie #hazel callahan x reader #bottoms 2023 #ruby cruz #hazel callahan x you #spider hazel #spider woman #hazel callahan fic

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zapreportsblog · 10 months

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In Love With The Same Cat

➥ summary : There’s no Spider-Man without the Black Cat just like there’s no Black Cat without Spider-Man. But what if we had a multiverse dimensional traveling jewelry stealing burglar Black Cat (try saying that seven times fast aye) that traveled across dimensions not only stealing the worlds finest jewels but also the hearts of four unlucky, or lucky depending on how you see it Spider-Man’s and Spider-Women’s hearts.

➥ chapter 2: Rising from the Ashes

➥ Warning, this chapter contains themes of sexual assault and may be seen as a sensitive topic for some

The dusk settled as (y/n) hurriedly made her way back from the store for her father. It was an ordinary evening from the outside eye-a quiet neighborhood, an unassuming street. Little did (y/n) know that her life was about to take a devastating turn.

As she walked briskly, a drunken figure stumbled out from the shadows-Blake, a college guy who appeared to be barely capable of standing. In a moment of sheer terror, (y/n) froze as Blake forced himself upon her in a violent and aggressive manner.

Time seemed to stand still as her world shattered.

Shaking and broken-hearted, (y/n) gathered all her panic and fear and sprinted home as fast as her legs could carry her. With every step, the weight of the assault bore down on her, leaving her feeling utterly helpless. Unbeknownst to her, her father, Walter, had been waiting anxiously for her arrival.

Upon seeing her tear-streaked face, Walter's initial concern turned to uncontainable rage. But it wasn't directed toward (y/n); it was an overwhelming fury aimed squarely at himself. His mind raced, blaming his decision to send her out alone at such a late hour. He regretted that he couldn't prevent this tragedy from befalling his precious daughter.

Walter enveloped (y/n) in his arms, providing a temporary respite from the pain that engulfed her.

Tears formed in his eyes, unshed rivulets of guilt and paternal anguish. "I'm so sorry, (y/n)," he managed to say through a choked voice, "I failed you as a father to protect you."

But Walter's remorse only fueled (y/n)'s determination. Amidst the devastation that had shattered her innocence, a glimmer of something harder and resolute sparked within her. She made a silent promise to herself that she would never again be a victim. This unspeakable tragedy would not define her.

With newfound conviction, (y/n) embarked on a journey of healing and self-empowerment. She sought solace within the world of martial arts, learning the art of self-defense and honing her agility and strength. The training was both physically and mentally demanding, pushing her beyond her limits.

Through sweat-soaked exertion, (y/n) discovered her own inner strength. Each punch and kick became an outlet for her frustration, an avenue for the reclamation of her identity. No longer would she be defined solely by the horrific assault she endured. Instead, she would redefine herself as a warrior-a survivor.

Days melded into weeks, and weeks into months as (y/n)'s training intensified. She delved deeper into the realms of martial arts and acrobatics, learning to balance grace and power, fear and courage. The memories of that fateful night served as her unwavering motivation, propelling her forward when doubt threatened to consume her.

Meanwhile, Walter, tormented by guilt, sought help through therapy and support groups. He sought solace alongside other parents who had gone through similar experiences. In these sessions, he learned to forgive himself, understanding that he could not have predicted or prevented the assault. His love for (y/n) remained steadfast, solidifying their bond even further.

As time passed, (y/n) found herself evolving not only physically but also emotionally. The rage that once consumed her transformed into a desire for justice-not just for herself, but for all survivors. Empowered by her own resilience, she dedicated herself to raising awareness and championing the cause of sexual assault survivors.

Her ultimate goal, however, extended far beyond seeking justice through legal means. Her burning desire became clear-to confront her assailant face to face, to make him taste the fear that he had inflicted upon her. It was a dark and vengeful purpose that brewed within her. Although Walter grappled with the morality of it all, he couldn't extinguish his daughter's unyielding resolve.

In the depths of the night, within the walls of solitude, (y/n) harnessed her anger and pain, channeling them into calculating focus. Every move she made and every technique she mastered became part of an elaborate plan to bring her assailant to justice. The act of physically subduing him, though tempting, was not her true aim. The aim, instead, was to confront him with her newfound strength and resilience, to show him that his actions could not break her spirit.

As Chapter 2 concludes, the stage is set for (y/n) to embark on a dangerous path. Her training has elevated her from a vulnerable victim to a fierce warrior, and her determination to confront her assailant burns brighter than a thousand suns.

However, the question remains: Will vengeance heal her wounds, or will it consume her entirely?

#In Love With The Same Cat #In Love With The Same Cat series #spiderverse x reader #spiderman into the spiderverse #spider gang #x reader #x reader series #ghost spider x reader #ghost spider #spider punk #spider punk x reader #miles morales x reader #miles morales #hobie brown x reader #Hobie brown #pavitr x reader #pavitr prabhakar #pavitr prabhakar x reader #spider gwen

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thenightling · 2 years

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Weapons that work against vampires

Garlic - Traditional. This has its roots in folklore. It is likely that garlic was believed to work against vampires since consuming garlic actually helps with some blood related conditions. For this medical reason garlic is sold in pill form in many pharmacies. Eating raw garlic can help build up the blood. Garlic comes up a lot in vampire fiction as a weakness.

All plants of the Allium variety - This would not just include garlic but also plants like onion and leaks. Spider-man the animated series (from 1994) suggested this as a weakness during the Morbius arc that introduced the cartoon version of the comic book character, Blade: The Vampire Hunter (before the Wesley Snipes movie).

Wild roses - in Eastern European folklore putting wild roses on a vampire’s grave could keep the vampire from rising. This came up in the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, and Dracula: The Series (1990s version).

Roses - Similar to wild roses. This worked in Fright Night: Part 2 (1988 film). Roses also work against the demon Mephistopheles (Also known as Mephisto) in Goethe’s Faust Part 2. The demon Mephistopheles appeared in silent film The Haunted Castle, in which he was shown taking the form of a bat. Interestingly enough, that particular silent film was from 1897, the same year the Dracula novel was published.

Vervain / Verbena - Vervain (also known as Verbena) In the TV show Vampire Diaries Vervain is as effective against vampires as garlic is in most lore. In fact a tea made from vervain is said to protect a human from the hypnotic power of the vampire.

Paprika - One young-adult vampire short story from the 1990s suggested that Paprika might actually work as a weakness of vampires.

Hawthorn - in the film Satanic Rites of Dracula, a hawthorn bush kills Dracula.

Yew - For some reason a stake made of yew wood is supposed to be particularly effective against vampires in some folklore.

Holly - A stake made of holly was meant to be very effective on vampires, perhaps because of it’s association with Christmas. Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol even has Scrooge snarkily suggest people who say Merry Christmas should be buried with a stake of holy through their heart.

Poppy plant / Poppy seeds - In Eastern European folklore vampires tend to be (What we today call) obsessive compulsive, with the need to untie knots and count small objects, particularly grain, sand, and seeds. For some reason they seem to favor poppy seeds in particular. This comes up in the 1990s Dracula: The series, and Dracula 2 (the direct to video sequel to Dracula 2000).

The Poppy flower is also sacred to the Roman Dream deity Morpheus. As vampires usually do not sleep (except for the daytime rest which is more like a temporary death without the decaying) and often do not usually dream, Morpheus, the lord of dreams, and things sacred to him, may be seen as an enemy or weakness of the vampire. In some myths Morpheus is also the son of Hypnos, from whom we get hypnosis, which is a common power for vampires. This would make the vampire beholdant to Hypnos, and by extension innately respectful toward his children, including Morpheus.

Wood - In Fred Saberhagen’s Dracula books any weapon made of wood (Particularly a stake to the heart) works to seriously harm or even kill a vampire. Fred Saberhagen’s Dracula books suggest the reason wood works as a weapon against vampires (or rather weapons made of wood) is because like the vampire, wood is something that was once alive and then transformed into something else, much like the vampire, himself. Silver - Some people (and media) mistakenly think silver only works on werewolves and not vampires but straight into the late nineteenth century it was believed that when a werewolf died he’d come back as a vampire. And because of this there was an overlap with the weaknesses of vampires and werewolves. Weapons made of silver can do harm to a vampire or werewolf and in some lore even burn them.

Iron - In old Western European folklore iron was a weapon useful against most supernatural creatures, especially faeries. Anne Rice later made iron the one weapon that would render a vampire unable to use his psychic powers if the vampire happened to be restrained with iron or trapped in an iron plated room.

Some eighteenth century werewolf stories, predating the common use of silver, also had iron as a weakness and as already mentioned, up until the late nineteenth century it was commonly believed that werewolves come back as vampires after they die. Witcher fans may have noticed the protagonist carries swords made of iron and silver for this reason of fighting different breeds of monster, including different types of vampires.

Wolfsbane - Wolfsbane (also called aconite with monkshood as a term to specifically identify its flower). As vampires can turn into wolves in stories like Dracula and Fright Night (original 1985 version) it seemed to make sense to some writers to turn a plant known literally as “Wolf’s poison” as a weapon against both werewolves and vampires. Please note though, wolfsbane is highly toxic to ordinary humans too. Wolfsbane works against Dracula and Renfield (who was apparently a half vampire or turning into a vampire in this particular adaptation) in the 1931 film version of Dracula. It wards them off just as effectively as garlic.

Mirrors - Vampires are not harmed by mirrors but characters like Dracula do not cast a reflection. One explanation for this is that are not of the living world or waking world and belong to neither and that’s why mirrors cannot reflect them. Another theory has to do with the silver backing in older mirrors. This particular reasoning has caused some film makers to use the idea that vampires do not show up on camera even though there is no actual folklore to support this. Because of modern fiction like Buffy The Vampire Slayer many modern vampire fiction readers and writers have mistakenly taken this weakness to mean a vampire has no soul, that the mirror reflects the soul.

In traditional vampire folklore, vampires always had souls. You destroyed the vampire’s body to free the soul from the torment of being trapped as a vampire. The Dracula novel even suggested that Dracula’s soul was saved and at peace since most of his evil was the result of being doomed to be a vampire. The heroes were even relieved by the look of peace on his face when they killed him.

In Fred Saberhagen’s Dracula novels, Dracula found a way around this weakness by replacing his home’s mirrors with flat screen TVs with hidden cameras so he essentially used “Smart mirrors” to by pass not casting a reflection since in these books he did show up on digital camera.

Many modern vampire novels ignore this weakness, including Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles.

Sunlight - Annoyingly irrational hatred of the Twilight franchise caused the popularity of the phrase “Vampires don’t sparkle! They burn!” But that’s not even really true. The first time vampires burned in the sun was in the silent film Nosferatu. It didn’t even come up in the Universal Dracula movies until the sequels. That’s right. The 1931 Dracula movie starring Bela Lugosi never mentions burning in the sun.

In the original Dracula novel and the original Carmilla novel, the vampires were nocturnal. They were weaker by day, could not shapeshift by day, were naturally more tired by day, but they did not burn in day light.

Though Dracula and Carmilla, and vampires in their lore, can move about by day lots of modern fiction has vampires burn in the sunlight. I do not think that the fact that they can go out in moonlight is a problem, nor does it make the burning in the sun silly. Moonlight is highly defused daylight. You cannot get a sun burn or develop skin cancer from moonlight either. Sunlight is a weakness for many supernatural creatures and even gets mentioned as a potential weakness of certain spirits in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream before Oberon dismisses it, making it clear that he and other fae can venture out in daylight just fine.

In Steven Moffat’s mini-series version of Dracula, the character convinced himself that sunlight would hurt him, but it turned out to be a psychosomatic response. Fred Saberhagen had similarly suggested in his Dracula novels that the vampiric aversion to symbols of faith is also psychosomatic since the vampire is powerfully psychic they can accidentally pick up on the beliefs of the person trying to use the religious symbol against them and the belief can be so strong as to have a physical response.

In Forever Knight the symbol of Ra (Sun God) was used to trap Divia, a child vampire, for thousands of years. It is unclear if it is because the symbol is related to the sun or because of religious faith that the symbol worked against her. In Forever Knight there is a bit of an overlap since they associated the cross as a symbol of light and goodness, so like with the sun, any symbol of light worked against vampires.

Human food -Though some vampire fiction let vampires eat normal human food “for the fun of it” or drink human beverages like alcoholic drinks, traditionally vampires only consume blood and burn all the components of the blood. This is why most vampires in fiction do not product waste (urinate or defecate). Because vampires bodies are designed for the burning of all that they ingest in the blood, their bodies have no means of processing human flood and need a way to expel it. As a result we have vampire fiction where the vampire must vomit out any attempt to consume human flood. This is true in the What we do in the Shadows TV show and the novel and film Let the Right One In as well as Fred Saberhagen’s Dracula books. Anne Rice’s vampires cannot consume human food either.

The need to drink blood - In some vampire lore the vampire will just grow very weak, hungry, and even feral, and animalistic if they go too long without feeding, or are badly injured. Often in vampire fiction if a vampire is badly injured his first instinct will be to feed as that will speed the healing. It will immediately stir the hunger.

In Anne Rice’s fiction if the vampire abstains from feeding he will grow weak, thin, and fall into a hibernation-like state until he is roused.

In Bram Stoker’s Dracula the vampire will start to age if he does not feed and he will appear to be a quite old and frail human and he can have this form indefinitely. Once the vampire properly feeds he will revert to the age he was at the time he died or even younger and he will be much stronger. There is a whole song number about this in Frank Wildhorn’s Dracula The Musical. The song is Fresh Blood (Called Blut in Dracula das musical). This is why Dracula is first seen as a very old man, and later as a man in his mid-forties in the novel by Bram Stoker as well as many film versions. Going by the notion that Dracula was Vladislaus Drakulya of Wallachia AKA Vlad the III AKA Vlad the Impaler, that would mean his usual age (when feeding properly) would be about forty five or forty six years old, the age Vlad was when he died / would have become a vampire, but when not feeding he could look quite old.

The rules for how often a vampire has to feed, how much he has to drink during that feeding, and if animal blood will suffice, varies from fiction to fiction. Often the vampire can survive on the blood of other mammals besides humans but human blood is preferred. Sometimes the vampire can take little drinks without killing.

Feeding does not necessarily mean the victim will become a vampire. In many vampire fictions the vampire has to feed on the human and then feed the human the vampire’s own blood in return as to work the change, and most victims actually just die if the vampire drinks enough of the blood. This is true in Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles, Fred Saberhagen’s Dracula books, the TV show Forever Knight, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and other vampire fictions.

One trend in vampire fiction I do not like is the idea that he vampire could actually die if he goes too long without feeding or that the illness the vampire had before he was turned will return. American Horror story: Hotel, and the movie Morbius (not the actual comics) used this version of the lore.

To me it is almost as annoying as the idea that vampire teeth are straws. They usually are not straws in traditional vampire lore. The fangs are to open the artery of the victim and then the vampire draws back the fangs as the lips form a seal over the wounds. And they just drink. If the fangs were “straws” the blood would go directly into the vampire’s skull. There would be no time for taste, or digestive tract satisfaction, which is a major compulsion in urges to hunt for most predators. Even though both drink blood, vampires are not mosquitos.

A scientific study confirmed that the reason many carnivores prefer humans to other meat (once they’ve tasted human) is because our diet is so rich in sodium. This would account for some vampire fiction having the vampires greatly prefer the taste of human blood and sometimes describes the animal blood as bland and weak.

In some vampire fiction the blood has to be virginal. This was mostly done as a joke for comedies, poking fun of the idea that real adult virgins today are quite rare. There is no real basis in lore behind it other than some magical beliefs that the purity of virgin blood can restore vitality. And this may have been the belief of Elizabeth Bathory who bathed in human blood to try to retain her youth and beauty.

The anime Hellsing used the lore that victim has to be a virgin in order to turn into a vampire but since the main protagonist is just Dracula using the name Alucard (Dracula spelt backward) this does not really hold up under scrutiny. Hellsing uses the Vlad the Impaler backstory and Vlad was no virgin. He married twice and had children before he died and would have become the famous vampire.

Drinking Dead blood - The line “Never drink from the dead lest the death take you down with it” in the 1994 film version of Anne Rice’s Interview with the vampire lead to a shift in popular culture where people assumed drinking dead blood would kill a vampire. This lead to it working to kill a vampire in the show Supernatural. The irony is dead blood has never actually killed a vampire in any of Anne Rice’s stories. It just makes them sick because the blood is no longer being oxygenated and is growing cold and stagnant. Lestat described the effect as a “rolling delirium.” So this one is more likely to make a vampire nauseous and dizzy instead of actually killing them except in fictions written by people who watched the Interview with the vampire movie and weren’t paying enough attention. In general though, it is safe to say, vampires do prefer living blood.

Religious objects / Symbols of faith Part A (General) - Some people have mistakenly used this weakness as proof that vampires are Satanic or demons. In reality, symbols of faith were often used in lore to protect against any monster.

Also contrary to some obnoxious, modern vampire fiction, i.e. Van Helsing (2004 film), Dracula 2000, Dracula: The Dark Prince (Not to be confused with Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula), vampire fiction does NOT necessarily confirm Catholicism as the one true religion.

Fred Saberhagen’s Dracula books presented the notion that a vampire’s aversion to symbols of faith was psychosomatic. Because vampires are highly psychic beings they can sometimes pick up the thoughts of the person trying to fight or ward them off. If the belief is strong enough, the vampire starts to believe it too and it manifests with a physical response (i.e. the vampire being burnt by a cross or communion wafer). This means the effectiveness of the religious object has more to do with the human’s beliefs than the vampire’s.

This theory seems to be true in the 1985 film Fright Night where Jerry Dandridge mockingly says “You have to have faith for that to work on me, Mr. Vincent!” Later (and in the Fright Night tie-in comics) Peter Vincent confirms “This time I have faith!”

Though Hollywood most commonly falls back of symbols of the Catholic faith because of the novel Dracula (i.e. crosses, crucifix, holy water, communion wafers...) because of the suggestion that it has to do with the faith of the human, all religions have to be considered as potential weapons against vampires.

Anne Rice’s vampires are immune to all symbols of faith except if they convince each other to avoid them. In the novel The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice, the vampire known as Armand had a coven (read: cult) under the cemetery of Les Innocents in Paris. The coven was known as The Children of Darkness and they were convinced that they served Satan. As a result they assumed they would be struck by lightning if they entered a church and that crosses and crucifixes could ward them off. Lestat made them realize they had been mislead by Armand and that these symbols had no power over them except if they let them. In the 2006 Lestat musical this was all covered in the song “To Live like this.” (Note: as with most of the musical The San Francisco version of the song is better).

In some Hebrew vampire stories a Star of David is effective instead of a cross.

An Ancient Egyptian symbol of Ra (the sun God) kept the vampire Divia trapped in her tomb for over two thousand years in the TV show Forever Knight. Though I already mentioned poppy flowers and poppy seeds, I’ll just drop here the reminder that part of why poppy seeds in particular might trigger a vampire’s obsessive compulsion could be because of the flower’s association with Morpheus (Lord of Dreams). They are his sacred flower and in many vampire stories (including Twilight) vampires either do not usually sleep or do not usually dream, thus making an entity like Morpheus particularly powerful against vampires where you might expect him to be weak against such a being instead. One theory could be because Morpheus is the son of Hypnos, from whom we get hypnosis, a common vampiric power. This might make the vampire innately respectful of Hypnos and his children, including Morpheus.

Symbols of Faith: Part B: The Pentacle - In The Dresden Files novels by Jim Butcher, Harry Dresden uses a pentacle amulet to ward off vampires as the pentacle (five pointed star within the circle) is where his faith lies. This again ties to the theory that the faith of the religious symbol has to belong to the person it is protecting and not actually the faith of the vampire.

As with the overlap with wolfsbane and silver, this could tie into the fact that in The Wolfman (1941 film), the pentacle could ward off the werewolf. In some lore the pentacle appeared as a birth mark somewhere on a werewolf. In The Wolfman the pentacle also appeared on the next victim of the werewolf, that only the werewolf-himself, could see, as a warning. This happened in both The Wolfman and the TV show Dark Shadows. The pentacle also worked to keep the werewolf from the tavern The Slaughtered Lamb in An American Werewolf in London. In both The Wolfman and the TV show Dark Shadows the pentacle (when worn as a pendant) could also prevent a werewolf from taking their wolf form. In Goethe’s Faust, the pentacle (called the drudenfuss) is the only symbol that could hurt or even trap the demon Mephistopheles.

Needing homeland soil to rest - In some vampire fiction such as Dracula, the vampire needs soil from the land that he came from to rest. In some lore this is the soil from where he was born (while human) such as Fred Saberhagen’s Dracula books. The vampire needs the soil in order to properly rest. Some stories have it be that it has to be the soil from the land where the vampire first “Died” or was turned into a vampire. Sometime the land of birth and death are one and the same. In Dracula and one episode of Dark Shadows, the vampire could not rest without having some homeland soil.

This actually started as a loophole in the Dracula novel by Bram Stoker. According to the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker, vampires have to return to their grave in order to properly rest. Dracula found a loophole to this rule by taking his homeland soil with him, lining the soil in the boxes he’d rest in by day. He did not actually sleep in a coffin. It was a man-sized box or crate with soil from his homeland inside it.

Considering the rule Dracula was loopholing was a rule about the vampire having to return to his grave, one can easily assume that Bram Stoker’s intention was to have the rule be about the place where the vampire was first buried / turned into a vampire.

Sexual intimacy - Because vampires reproduce through an exchange of blood in both Dracula and Anne Rice’s vampire Chronicles, Anne Rice does not allow her vampires to be able to have traditional human sexual relationships. In her novel Tale of the Body thief the ability to make love is one of the things that tempts Lestat to temporarily switch bodies with a mortal. In a later Vampire Chronicle it’s pseudoscience that allows Lestat to make love as a man, temporarily, and create a human Lestat-clone, named Victor. Yeah, the later Vampire Chronicles get weird, much weirder than that, by the way.

Though it’s common for vampires not to be able to have sex because the reproductive organs do not work and they find intimacy by blood exchange, there are some vampire stories and lore where vampires can and do have sexual relationships and even have children. This is where the concept of the dhampir, half-vampire child, comes from.

Not every victim becomes a vampire. In most lore the person has to drink the blood of the vampire that fed on him in order to turn into a vampire. If a vampire fed every night and each victim became a vampire and they fed every night, you’d have the population double nightly. Within a month the world would be vampires. The Pyramid Scheme from Hell. That is why I never was a fan of the lore that every victim might become a vampire too.

Connection to the first vampire - In Anne Rice’s The Vampire Chronicles all the vampires nearly died when Akasha (the first vampire) died in The Queen of the damned. Many years later Anne Rice retconned this to say that the other vampires would not actually stay dead, they would have just experienced her death with her. In the 2006 TV movie version of Dracula starring Marc Warren, Dracula felt it when Lucy died. In Fred Saberhagen’s Dracula books, that versio of Dracula also felt it when other vampires died. He was not actually the first vampire though. He just had a connection with those particular vampires.

In Fright Night (1985 film) and Lost Boys (the 1987 film) if you killed a vampire’s maker before the new vampire can have a first kill, the new vampire will revert to being human.

Sometimes in vampire fiction if you kill the first vampire, all other vampires will die.

Following a magical ritual that puts a blood-line connection to the test, Harry Dresden was able to kill the entire Red Court vampires in The Dresden Files novels except for two that may have survived in the realm of Faerie.

In some lore, however, there are times when a new vampire is created without having been turned by another vampire before him. This can happen after a particularly violent death (like ghosts with unfinished business), a magical transformation into a vampire, or when the vampire simply has no clue why he didn’t die and convinces himself that it was a “transition of will” that he refused to die such as with Dracula in Fred Saberhagen’s Dracula books.

Dracula in Fred Saberhagen’s Dracula books did not know how he became a vampire. He convinced himself that he refused to die but there are lots of hints that he could have become a vampire through a number of means. For starters, he was violently murdered, then those loyal to him stole back his severed head (letting the Turks take a decoy head of someone else who recently died) and burned his head and body (Slowly healing and re-attaching) at a crossroads. In these books the characters of Radu (Dracula’s own brother) and Constantia (a Roma vampire) both think Dracula lies about having not been turned into a vampire by another vampire in order to make himself seem special. But if he really was never made by another vampire that does make him different from all other vampires in his own book series. He is not the first vampire but every other vampire in that series was turned by another vampire before them, trailing back to a never-revealed first vampire.

Needing an invitation to enter a home - Annoyingly I’ve seen fantasy role playing gamers (and even the movie What we do in The Shadows) mistakenly suggest that vampires cannot enter any building without an invitation. This is not true. In folklore a vampire could easily enter a public place like an inn or hospital. The vampire just could not enter someone’s home without an invitation. One of my favorite modern expansions of this lore is from True Blood where vampires can be de-invited into a home and an invisible force, almost like a wind, will shove the vampire out if the invitation is revoked. Sometimes I get annoyed with people mistakenly thinking vampires having blood tears was invented in True Blood when in reality it was a thing in Anne Rice’s Vampire Chronicles, and before that, Hammer’s Dracula has Risen from the Grave movie, but the de-invitation and its effect may have originated with True Blood and the books it originated from and I appreciate that.

The conclusion here, folks... (looking over the herbs alone) Dracula just has seasonal allergies...

#Vampire #Vampires #Dracula #Bram Stoker #Bram Stoker's Dracula #Daily Dracula

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applesofdaventry · 9 months

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Eagle Feathers and Dreaming Weather

or; an alternate game over.

Or or: The fowllacy of man.

Special thanks to @goddessoftechnology for encouraging mine antics :)

The thing was. ...The thing was, was that flying, flying ever so high up into the sky was near addicting to him. Up there, it was as though all of his worries could float away into the clouds. Up there, Manannan couldn’t get him. Of course, he would have to go back down eventually, but he could pretend, for a little while, couldn’t he? The wizard had been going on longer and longer trips, so he felt safe going on this flight around Llewdor, the longest he’s done yet.

As he descended on the thermals back towards the manor, back towards where he was just a slave, amounting to nothing. He thought longingly of the next opportunity he would have to go on an outing. He was so close to figuring out that cat cookie. He had the missing page, and all he was missing was a mandrake root. He would have to try looking eastward on his next journey. His eyesight as an eagle, too, was much sharper than when he was a man. He looked down at the manor as he approached. There was someone standing there, on the little foot path made by the treading of feet over long long years between the house and the chicken pen. It was Manannan. He had a look of utter fury on his face. Gwydion tried to fly away, but couldn’t. Manannan roared something in pure fury, he couldn’t understand it amongst the panicked beating of his heart. Manannan raised his arms… and then something hit him.

The eagle screeched in panic. It was falling, but, it managed to get its wings back under control. There was a robed figure below it who was rubbing his hands in satisfaction. Weirdo. The eagle winged away. Something told it to go east. It did so.

There was a massive spider, and the eagle felt something like disgust so it took the spider and threw it into the ocean. When it returned to look for more spiders it saw another robed figure. She said something to it. It screeched at her. She looked impossibly sad before saying something else and then it hurt. It hurt, it tried to scream. It couldn’t. It tried to say the words to turn back. Nothing happened. He screeched in fear, in pain. The lady said something again, frantic. He couldn’t turn back why couldn’t he turn back. Thinking was hard, and listening harder, and why couldn’t he turn back? The spell was temporary the book said so. If he doesn’t transform back into himself, the spell would wear off after some time. He can’t turn himself back. Maybe he has to wait? But thinking of that brought dread, deeper and starker than any of the pain. The lady was still speaking to him. Why? He tried to listen.

“… Daventry…” The only word he could make out was Daventry. What was Daventry? Was it a kind of prey? No, no he was a person not a bird. Was Daventry a place? That sounded right but why Daventry?

He tried the counterspell again. Eagle begone, myself, return! It hurt. He was puffed up, as big as he could be. He felt smaller. He was scared. The lady was gone. Daventry. Daventry. What was he doing before this? He was doing… magic. He was collecting ingredients. What was he collecting? A small feather, a tuft of fur… an unusually smooth stone, dried mistletoe… the ocean. Mud. Lard and cactus and mandrake. They were used for something… he couldn’t remember. He started repeating these in his mind. It still hurt. There was a big ship underneath him now. He landed on the tallest part. A man screamed and tried to chase him away. He bit the man. The man left him alone, after that. He then slept. It was not peaceful. But it was not a nightmare. He wasn’t in pain in it, but there was fire. Fire as far as he could see. There was a puddle of clear water, almost the last in the land. He needed a spoonful of mud. But there were no spoons.

When he awoke, it was to the man from earlier glowering at him. He screeched and left. The man shook his fist at him and yelled something, another weird person. He didn’t matter though, he definitely wasn’t a Daventry. He flew east, or maybe west, he wasn’t sure. But there was now an island below him, it had plant life tangled and gnarled but rich in substance. Maybe he could figure out what a Daventry was there. He perched himself in a tree to survey the area. It still hurt. There was a small field of rocks, though none were smooth or of unusual color. There were other, smaller birds, and he could see a snake lying in wait. He settled in to birdwatch, there was no hurry, and he could run over the important things again while watching the snake watch a rabbit.

#kings quest #kings quest fic #alexander kq #Bird Time AU #that'll work for now :)#oh and this is quite angsty #just a heads up :)#and (again) special thanks to the wonderful lovely 10/10 Vee #for listening to my rambling about this and encouraging it #don't worry this fic will have a happy ending #eventually #:)

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sociallyawkwardfoxwriter · 2 years

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Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Archive Warning: Major Character Death Category: M/M Fandom: Critical Role (Web Series) Relationships: Orym/Dorian Storm, Orym/Will | Orym’s Spouse (Critical Role) Characters: Orym (Critical Role), Dorian Storm, Laudna (Critical Role), Ashton Greymoore, Will | Orym’s Spouse (Critical Role), Derrig (Critical Role), Imogen Temult, Fearne Calloway, Lolth the Spider Queen (Critical Role), Chetney Pock O'Pea Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Dark Souls (Video Game) Fusion, Alternate Universe - Evil, Corruption, Canon-Typical Violence, Blood, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Last Moments, Goodbyes, Angst, Major Character Injury, Impersonation, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Asphyxiation, Hostage Situations, Hurt/Comfort, Temporary Character Death, Nightmares, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Mind Control, Panic Attacks, Anxiety, Dissociation, Panic Collections: Whumptober 2022

Summary: Collection of prompt fills for Whumptober 2022 with specific tags listed at the beginning of each chapter.

Day 13. Dislocation

Relationships: None

Characters: Orym, Ashton

Tags: Mind Control, Canon-Typical Violence, Major Character Injury, Hurt/Comfort

Chapter Preview

It seemed like, for once, everything would go as smoothly as they had planned it, then it all fell apart because of a small vase. One little bump into the table it sat on was all it took to send it tumbling to the wooden floor. There hadn't been any hope of catching it before it shattered into dozens of pieces in a loud crash that immediately drew the attention of their target.

In the precious seconds immediately following the vase breaking, Ashton launched forward in a rage with every intention of bringing their hammer down hard on the man's head. Before it could connect, he suddenly disappeared from the chair and reappeared on the opposite end of the room. Ashton yanked their hammer out of the ruined chair with a growl, then turned to face The Weaver, clearly determined to finish what he started. They didn't get more than a couple steps before coming to an abrupt halt-hammer still lifted and body tense.

#whumptober2022 #no.13 #dislocation #critical role #fanfic #mind control #canon typical violence #major character injury #hurt/comfort #orym #ashton greymoore

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ao3feed-birdflash · 1 month

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#IFTTT #fanfic #dick grayson #wally west #dickwally #birdflash

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runimanio · 4 months

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2024 Game Clear #4 Mega Man X: Command Mission

This is an interesting one, a tradition turn based Mega Man X RPG that has much to love, but also leaves me wanting in a lot of way. Perhaps because this is the final X series game I needed to play it also left me thinking about the storytelling & characterization of the X series so this will probably be a long one

The story here is that a maverick named Epsilon has formed a army aptly named the Rebellion Army to occupy Giga City and form a reploid supremist state and now the Maverick Hunters must intervene! If your familiar with the X series this will sound extremely in line with the general plotline the action games tended to have & it's clear that the developers really wanted to translate as much stuff and mechanics from those games into a RPG format (there's even a boss rush teleport room at the end!)

That thinking creates a pretty neat battle system but being so loyal to the plot structure of the main series X really does the story of a RPG & the new charters a disservice, you could very easily cut this 20 hour game into a standard X platformer & lose very little of the actual meat.

X and Zero are fully in their deadly serious mode that they've been in in for the late series X games, gone are Zero's days of confidently giving a thumbs up we're full broody edge lord & X is in cop mode at all time which is a shame since this could've been a great way to really explore these two in more depths then normally allowed.

I liked the new characters but they don't really get anything to do here, after their recruitment there character arc is pretty much done & i'm pretty sure Spider aside, the other 3 maybe talked to Zero & Axel maybe once throughout the entire game. I wish I could tell you anything about Marino or Cinnamon other then what written on the tin. Massimo is a brute struggling to live up to his mentor name, Marino is a thief who unexpectedly finds herself embroiled into the conflicted, Cinnamon is a living blacksmith forge i guess? And Spider is a bounty hunter who's later actions makes me question his early actions. They all have a lot of potential they're just unserved.

Let's move on to a lighter note for a bit, This battle system is pretty cool, it uses a turn system similar to the Digimon Story games (it's probably comes from something older but I'm blanking lol) where you can see the upcoming order of who moves first & even have your unit act multiple times before your enemy can under the right circumstances, two buttons can be equipped with special weapons that use Weapon Energy to fire and can be used before taking your action for the turn. Instead of healing items you have sub tanks you can collect and fill that you can pull from for healing.

Action Trigger are essentially limit breaks where you use all your weapon energy & play a little mini game for a big attack, its a little repetitive and i don't love doing a Mario Party style stick rotation for Cinnamon's heal trigger but it's fine & everyone has a hyper mode which is a temporary transformation that massively buffs the character or even in some cases change out their weapons and Action Triggers, X and Zero have secret unlockable Hyper modes that are super OP and fun to use.

It's a really fun and unique system & I do appreciate that I never really felt I need to grind but it can get pretty old when your binging through the game since enemy can feel pretty spongy and the encounter rate sometimes can a little aggressive where I'll get out of a battle and slightly adjust myself to get my barring again only to be thrown back into a battle immediately but sometimes i would go several rooms without any encounters so it probably varies.

And when you get lost the constant battles can be grating & getting lost can be easy as the entire game looks like this

All the stages feel like I'm exploring a bunker with almost entire game being made up of narrow hallways, even Giga City the city in the sky kinda just feels like another a bunker also slight tangent about the game's world it's funny that even in this RPG the X world is devoid onscreen humans, I don't know what Sigma and all the other Mavricks are complaining about, seems like the humans are doing a great job leaving reploids alone!

It probably sounds like I really didn't like the game but I did ultimately enjoy the game but I just see so much untapped potential in this game, these characters & this world, I can imagine a version of this game were Massimo has a longer character arc struggling with feeling like he's failing to honor the mantle, Maybe Marino learning to believe in the cause, More of Cinnamon learning what she wants to do beside just being a actual tool for people to use. My mind races with possibilities with this world & I only got a fraction of what I would've liked.

I truly wish it got a sequel because this is a very solid base to build on & really Mega Man has always been an iterative franchise but in hindsight of all the baggage the next generation would bring, the mega man recession of the late aughts, & Inafune gaining more power within Capcom & apparently hating the idea of a X RPG to begin with Command Mission was probably made at the last possible moment it could've been made.

Anyway here's some random thought to end off on

recontextualizing Axl's A Trans ability into summons is very cool

Everyone in the city getting new dialogue as the story progresses is neat

Cinnamon's design uses the red cross logo so this game is a violation of the Geneva Convention

I'm not really sure why they needed this to take place in 22XX causing it to have no place in the timeline due to the Zero games also taking place then other than maybe wanting to remove themselves from the earth is damaged after X5 continuity idk

This version of Ultimate Armor is crazy, X ain't playing around anymore no way Dr. Light signed off on this lol

After her chapter Marino never vocally speaks again for the rest of the game, she didn't deserve to be done like that.

Absolute Zero is very cool

Shout out to my friend Talion for gifting this to me for Christmas, thanks buddy!

#Runi's Gamelogs 2024 #mega man x command mission #megaman x #rockman #command mission #mega man x #mega man

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tawneybel · 2 years

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Note: Ten favorite monsters, part six. Part five. The spider horse from The Brothers Grimm is also an interesting monster, because aside from being an impossible hybrid it also acts as a storage vessel and we have no idea what its actual diet is.

Maybe I should include more literary monsters in future lists? The problem is that they don’t all have illustrations. :(

1. Mycelium from Ben 10

Fungi are more closely related to animals than plants, so it’s a little odd Wildvine could communicate with the Mycelium but Ben couldn’t.

I like how it’s a fungal monster not based on a mushroom. (It does have walking mushroom minions, though.) And like the Martians from War of the Worlds, the Mycelium is defeated by a mundane solution. In this case, athlete’s foot powder.

2. Gingerbread Man from The Brothers Grimm

Gingermud Man? I didn’t like this movie. “The Gingerbread Man” wasn’t even collected by Jacob and Wilhelm. Face stealing reimaginings of folktale pastries are cool, though.

3. Errour from The Faerie Queene

Serpentine brood mama. After she’s slaughtered in self-defense by the Redcrosse Knight, Errour’s hatchlings consume her blood to the point of bursting.

4. Adorea from Franken Fran

Her face is a mass of tendrils and she’s designed to store stolen organs so she has zippers all over her body. The full panel shows her organ collection.

5. Corpse Weeper from Made in Abyss

Any creature that mimics human speech to lure in prey is scary AF and I respect it. (The color scheme and third eye make it even cooler.) They don’t look like parrots or mynahs or any mimicking bird I can think of. The facial structure makes me think of a cartoon rodent or mustelid.

6. Unown from Pokémon 3: The Movie

The only official Pokémon media I’ve finished aside from a few episodes are Time out for Torchic, Pokémon: The First Movie, Pokémon Detective Pikachu, and this movie. I liked Spell of the Unown because it’s basically a portal fantasy with cute monsters. The title characters are a living alphabet colony that grants wishes.

The franchise was super popular pretty much everywhere it is today. Even though I wasn’t into the anime, my childhood favorite was Vulpix. ‘Cause I like dogs and you could get Pokémon stickers from one of those grocery store vending machines.

7. Floop’s Fooglies from Spy Kids

They’re actually people who have been forcibly transformed into grotesque, but technically kid-friendly monsters. (Thankfully, it was only temporary.)

8-10. werecats

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Poor Hermione. Animal shapeshifting is just for Animagi, eh? (Or for rare instances of forced ferretification.) I love the entire concept of the Polyjuice Potion. Moste Potente Potions is only available in the school library’s spooky Restricted Section. The brewing process is like a less complicated Powder of Life. It’s used by heroic and villainous character alike.

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island: The backstory is interesting. Simone and Lena are the only survivors of a feline worshipping sect. They then decide to live in a house made from pirate ship wood, adopt a bunch of cats, and utilize dark magic to become psychic vampires. They also offered ferryman Jacques immortality in exchange for transporting prey. Their only mistake was not making Beau their tomcat.

Sleepwalkers: More energy vampires! Two of their defining traits are mother-son mating and feeding off female virgins. (The in/cest was probably inspired by Cat People 1982.) Those customs should turn me away from sleepwalkers, but other “napcat” traits are interesting. Their archnemesis is the housecat, they have a Sphynx-esque form, and possess invisibility.

Note: The irony of Rowling being openly transmisogynist after writing an entire book centered around her boy hero and his boy bestie sharing the girls’ room with two girls has been noted by others before me.

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lunameimei · 3 years

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Good Chloe AU?

I apologize in advance for google translate.

Like many of you, I like to develop my own ideas based on the canon story. So here's my version of the Miraculous world where Chloe gets Ladybug Miraculous and becomes a superhero - La Coccinelle.

Long post!

I find the canon Ladybug costume very boring. In addition to the colors in the suit, there is nothing from a ladybug. Whereas Cat Noir has a cat's tail, ears and eyes. Mayura has blue skin! Why is that?? I think it would be logical if, depending on the level of kwami's strength, the person's appearance also changed. Therefore, I think Ladybug and Cat Noir should change more than others. So I changed Chloe's hair color when she's a superhero. (Yes, it's a little bit, but I'm very bad at design concepts :D)

I added a raincoat to the suit so that La Coccinelle can float in the air and land softly when dropped. (Yes, it's more like a flying squirrel. But the ability to fly is still too cool an ability in my opinion. Plus, I really love when the main characters jump on roofs like a Spider-man <з). Also, the Chloe mask is just a drawing on the face, because during "flights" she uses her glasses (like real pilots??). The color of the costume is also a reference to a real ladybug, which has a black head, black abdomen and legs, white eyes, red elytra and golden wings (the inner part of the cloak). The suit also has pockets!

I also thought about making Chloe a yellow ladybug (ladybird beetle). Maybe kwami, when received by the owner, can appear with a different color? But for now I stopped at the red version, because it's more recognizable. And I didn't change Chloe's clothes too much, because it's weird to dress her in red, like a ladybug. Yes, Chloe wears yellow and looks like a bee in color, but Marinette in canon does not look like a ladybug and does not wear red with black spots?? So no.

Among other things, I like to add my own ideas, headcanons and interpret the story differently. So, for example, in this AU, during the transformation, the characters become literally huge (Giant Woman lets go).

Also a little about AU itself. Chloe has not been to France for several years and during this time she has changed a lot (psychotherapy is good). However, due to a series of accidents, misunderstandings and prejudice in the eyes of her classmates, Chloe is the same selfish and arrogant girl. Having received Miraculous, Chloe decides that it will be easier for her to hide her secret superhero life if she is the complete opposite of La Coccinelle to those around her. Therefore, the girl avoids her classmates and behaves deliberately arrogantly.

Especially fun in this AU was to represent the events of the canon series, where Chloe was the culprit for the appearance of akuma. For example, in "Reflekta", Chloe could really insist on standing next to Adrien. And when Juleka went to the toilet, Chloe moved away to take a break from her classmates and get support from Tikki. Due to the broken toilet door, Juleka also does not have time for the photo, and classmates think that it was Chloe who locked the girl on purpose. (Because due to the fact that Juleka did not come, Chloe was still put next to Adrien or something like that). Etc.

Damn she looks older here

I have more ideas for this AU (and a lot of drama ha-ha), but I'm afraid that even the text above will not be read and it will be difficult to understand due to poor English. So for now I will post one post on this AU and I will be glad to receive your feedback!

As for Chat Noir (yes, his superhero name will be that, because, you know, France?) and the rest, I love Adrien and have not thought about changing his role yet. But I would give Marinette a temporary Miraculous mouse. (Not bees!) And I would make "two teams" of temporary superheroes. Whom Adrien chose: Nino, Alya, Marinette. And who did Chloe choose: Luka, Kagami and Sabrina (with a Miraculous dog, as in canon, maybe?).

That's all for now, thank you for your attention and have a nice day!

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monaisme · 3 years

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One Week Later - Chapter One

This is the sequel to my one-shot, “The Battle”

He had drifted in and out of the consciousness for the first five days-- which he guessed, after the fact, had been a blessing.

His transformation, which had taken three days the first time 'round, still hadn't quite finished seven days later.

He was trying to be patient but, well, it would’ve been nice to sleep all the way through to the end. It seemed he was destined to suffer fits and jags of pain and spontaneous naps to recover from them. It hurt... and it sucked.

Dr. Cho couldn't be 100% certain as she hadn't been around after the bite, but she'd felt safe in assuming that the prolonged change had to do with all of Peter's injuries from both Titan all those years ago and the battle in Upstate New York. The concussion had been pretty significant, according to the doctor. Multiple scans had been taken to keep track of that healing, seeing as he'd been so out of it from the worst of the fever. The broken ribs still had a ways to go towards knitting back together but he could inhale just a little deeper before it hurt so that was a win. And there was no need for stitches for the deeper stab wounds—Mr. Stark’s nanoparticles were taking care of that. The dislocated shoulder, however, still required surgery.

Correction. Another surgery. Peter looked up at the clock on the wall... in about thirty minutes.

Arthroscopic surgery had apparently been performed on the second day after the battle, once all of the other wounded had been tended to, not that Peter remembered much from those first five days. Tendons and cartilage had been damaged to the point that Dr. Cho was certain it needed intervention so she'd done her medical magic per Spider-Man protocols, being as non-invasive as possible, knowing that Peter's body could do the rest-- except that it hadn't.

It had been quite the gong show, in fact—his fever had spiked along with his blood pressure and all sorts of bad things had Dr. Cho plus Mr. Stark and all the rest worried out of their minds.

... but he was definitely on the mend now.

Really.

Peter fussed at his hospital gown nervously and wondered, not for the first time, if maybe he still had some dust stuck somewhere in him-- gumming up the works like Uncle Ben used to say when their old '97 Pontiac Firefly would stall again and again and again-- or something like that. He couldn't be sure, but yeah, he was definitely curious about it.

"Knock, knock!" The rapping of knuckles against the door frame pulled Peter from his commiserating. "Guess what surprise the most super-amazing best mentor on the planet got for his currently boo-booed Spider-mentee?" Mr. Stark grinned big and slid into the med bay room.

Peter tried to think of something he’d wanted, then brightened immediately as hope flared. He looked to the man and then at the doorway Mr. Stark had just vacated. "Is May here?!" He asked eagerly. He repressed the flinch of pain as he struggled to sit up in the bed. "Did Dr. Strange finally get May here? May?!" He called out.

Peter was too busy trying to look around Mr. Stark to notice the look of regret flashing across his face before he could school it into something more sympathetic. “I’m sorry, kid.” He stepped up to the bed and moved to help Peter lay back down. “I should have been more thoughtful.“ He pulled the blankets back up to the boy’s neck and tucked him in tight. “One of the wizards was willing to make a pit stop and grabbed you a sandwich from Delmar’s before coming back to Wakanda. It came back hot so I’ve got it hiding away in one of the kitchen’s fancy stasis units and is ready for you as soon as you get the all clear from Dr. Cho to eat after they take care of...” Mr. Stark waved toward Peter’s shoulder, “that.”

Peter flushed with embarrassment. “Oh, I’m sorry, Mr. Stark, I just thought that...” He trailed off, and sighed. “It’s not that I’m not grateful, Mr. Stark, I promise! It’s just that everyone else has family being brought over and I’m sure that everyone is really busy, I only hoped that...” His eyes glistened with tears he was trying so hard to not let fall. He used his arm to brush the wetness away. “I’m just being a baby. Sorry.”

He had tried to tamp down the jealousy he’d felt when Mr. Barton had popped by to introduce himself properly and had gushed about how amazing it was to see his wife and kids after the last five years—not that he could wrap his brain around that bit of information yet, but still—

Where was May?

Mr. Stark interrupted his wandering thoughts with the brushing of his hand against Peter’s cheek. “You’re not being a baby, so stop talking that way. You’re allowed to miss her, and once this is all over and you get the all clear to leave the med bay, we’ll get you to our temporary quarters so you can have a good, long video call with her, okay?” Mr. Stark moved to run his fingers through Peter’s hair, then leaned forward, “Don’t tell anyone I said this,” He whispered conspiratorially, “But the tech here is incredible. When everything is settled, we may need to set up a play date between you and Shuri.” He gave a wink and straightened up as he noticed one of the nurses enter the room with a rolling cart full of medical supplies.

The nurse smiled kindly at the two heroes and then focused on Peter. “I’m glad that you’re awake. Dr. Cho has asked me to get final prep out of the way.” She snapped on a pair of gloves and starting pulling out supplies for an IV. “She’d prefer a new line so we can keep you on the IV nutrients during the procedure,” She assessed his still slinged arm, then moved down the bed to uncover his leg. “I think we’ll do a little reorganizing so we can just get this done quickly and be off. The surgical suite is ready for you, so if you’re good, we can get this show on the road and get you on the mend.”

Peter blanched and looked to Mr. Stark with sheer terror on his face. Being unconscious and having surgery was easy, this was a whole other kettle of fish. “Um...” He struggled to not panic. “Mr. Stark?” His breathing started to pick up.

Both the nurse and Mr. Stark picked up on the cues right away. Mr. Stark grabbed the boy’s good hand in support and gave the nurse a quick look. She backed out of the room without another word and closed the door behind her.

“Hey, hey, kiddo. You’re okay,” Mr. Stark soothed. “Why don’t you take a deep breath me, yeah?” He pulled in an exaggerated breath. “In...” and then blew it out with just as much effort. “... and out.”

Peter tried, then flinched, grunted, and then shifted to try and relieve the pain that flared in his ribs even as his anxiety ramped up and he struggled to catch his breath.

“Oh, shit! Sorry, sweetheart. Sorry!” His hands fluttered around Peter, trying to find something to fix. Mr. Stark looked to be on the edge of his own panic attack but Peter could do nothing. Then Mr. Stark lit up as he apparently came up with another idea. “Okay, kid, this is gonna seem weird, but let’s keep those breaths quick and short, okay?” And then the man was demonstrating, “He-he-he-he-hooo. He-he-he-he-hooo.” Mr. Stark squeezed Peter’s hand in assurance.

Peter tried to emulate him, and after a couple of minutes of lost rhythms and wiped away tears, Peter was calm enough that he felt safe speaking again, “Sorry, Mr. Stark, I...” He dried he cheeks again, “I don’t know where that came from. “It’s not like this is the first time I’ve had to have something fixed and all... I just...”

Mr. Stark smiled down fondly at the boy, “Maybe not, but you’re far from home and your hot aunt isn’t down the hall waiting to chew you out for doing something stupid enough to require surgery—and honestly, we’ve had a pretty shitty week, if you don’t mind my saying. I mean, I’ll be forever grateful that you’re back,” and Mr. Stark leaned over to plant a big ol’ kiss on Peter’s forehead as he said it, “but we fought a literal battle over my demolished compound, you were gone for five years, you were hurt, your powers are out of whack, you are currently situated on a different continent altogether, and the world doesn’t seem to remember that we deserve a little down time after battling for the fate of half a universe.” He ran his fingers through Peter’s hair. “We’re allowed to be stressed, and if it comes out in a pre-surgery freak-out, then so be it.”

Peter chuckled, being mindful of his ribs. “Yeah, I guess. And—um, thanks, by the way for the, uh... the breathing thing.” He was confused though, “Can I ask a dumb question? Was that a breathing exercise for women in labor?”

A blush tinged Mr. Stark’s cheeks and he rubbed at the back of his neck in apparent discomfort. “Yeah, Pete, it is, but it worked so no teasin’ the old man about it, got it?!” He pointed a finger at the boy in the bed. “You were hurting and I couldn’t think of anything to help with the broken ribs and all. Short breaths made sense and it just came to me.” He laughed low to himself, “I think it was pretty ingenious, if you ask me.”

Peter blushed, himself. “I guess it was. I’m curious to know how you’d know—“

A knock on the door interrupted his question. “Hello?” Dr. Cho opened the door and peeked her head into the room. “I’m sorry for intruding, but we’ve only got the surgical suite and staff for an allotted period of time and...“ She trailed off.

Mr. Stark looked at Peter, cocking an eyebrow in question.

Peter hesitated, then nodded ‘yes.’

Mr. Stark smiled at him then gave his still gripped hand another assuring squeeze. “He’s good to go, Helen.” He finally looked towards the doctor. “But you’ve got to hurry this up. The kid has a date with the #5—extra pickles and squished really flat, and we’d like to get that to him before someone in the kitchen realizes we’re hiding the best sandwich in Queens and absconds with it.”

Peter snort-laughed then closed his eyes to the nurse as she re-entered the room to do her prep. He didn’t want to be rude, he just couldn’t...

Ah, shit! He knew it was coming before it hit, and then—

She waited patiently for him as the pain zinged up his spine, causing him to arch off the bed and whimper as he waited for the episode to pass. She simply stepped away from the bed so Mr. Stark could come close enough to whisper words of encouragement.

“You’ve got this, kid.”

“It’s gonna pass.”

“I’m so, so sorry...”

This episode lasted only a few minutes, but it left Peter exhausted, like always. After taking a second to pull himself together, he gave the nurse the go ahead with a nod and closed his eyes again—trying to ignore the sounds of movement and the poking and prodding at his foot.

“A little pinch.” The nurse whispered, and then there was more than a little pinch, but the second line was in. “Good job.” On what, he didn’t know, but it was done and Peter worked to keep himself from jumping off the table.

Dr. Cho came to his bedside again, “Well, Peter, I’m hoping that we can get everything sorted this last time and give your transformation a chance to finish the job without having to worry about all of this extra work.” She winked playfully at him. “And then I can start doing my regular job of putting you back together with all of the standard superhero stuff. Does that sound like a plan to you?”

He understood that she was trying to put him at ease, and it would have worked, but something was niggling at the back of his brain and he couldn’t understand what was going on. He ignored it. “Sure. Let’s do this,” he replied.

Giving a nod to the nurse on his opposite side, Dr. Cho released the break on his bed and they started moving him toward the door.

“Wait!” Peter shouted in renewed panic. “Mr. Stark?!”

He popped back into view, having kept out of the way as he was sorted. “I’m here, baby. You’re safe.” He bumped the nurse out of the way and took her place as they moved down the hallway.

He tried to look brave, but—“Could you...?”

Mr. Stark didn’t look to anyone for permission. He just answered. “I’ll go with you as far as I can, okay?”

Peter could have cried from relief, but remained strong as he nodded. “Okay. Yeah, okay.” He blinked away the moisture in his eyes and exhaled, “Uh, thanks.”

Mr. Stark ruffled his hair. “You never have to thank me, sweetheart. Do you understand?”

Peter smiled, tentative, “I guess?”

Mr. Stark huffed in frustration. “You guess? We’ll need to have a chat over that sandwich later, okay?”

By this point, they’d managed to find their way to the surgical suite. They parked the bed and Dr. Cho disappeared inside the room for a second.

Peter was about to ask if maybe she’d changed her mind about everything when she popped back out and tossed a surgical cap, mask, and gown at Mr. Stark. “Put that on, and then touch nothing, but Peter once we’re in. If you behave, you can stay with him until he’s asleep, okay?”

Mr. Stark nodded and immediately put on the gown while Dr. Cho entered the room again. He hesitated with the cap though. “No one appreciates the effort I make to look this good,” he complained. “Seriously.” He shook his head and looked down at Peter as he placed the mask on his face. “The things I do for you, kid.”

Peter grinned at that, and for a moment he could imagine they were back in the lab at the compound and it was just the two of them being idiots while blowing crap up. “You do it because you love me,” he teased.

If they’d been back at the lab, Mr. Stark would have made a crack about doing this to keep Peter from turning to the dark side, or from working for the competition, or anything other than what he’d really said—“Yeah, kid. I really do.”

And THAT was the moment Peter realized that something had shifted in the five years. He’d heard the ‘sweetheart’ and maybe even the ‘baby’ but...

Another nurse came out of the room to address them. “Okay, we’re going in now. Once we enter the room, we’ll transfer you to a different gurney and tuck this bed away for you to use later. The room is sterile and will remain that way if everyone does what they’re supposed to do.” The nurse looked directly at Mr. Stark. “I am to remind you, sir, that you can ask Princess Shuri about the tech and sterilization methods later and that—and this is a quote from Dr. Cho—“you’d better be good, Tony, or you will be out on your ass faster than you can say ‘nanoparticle.’”

Mr. Stark barked a laugh at that and raised his right hand. “I promise I will be a good boy.”

The nurse seemed to believe him so they worked together to pull the bed through the doors and into the chill of the surgical suite. Peter would have been impressed if he wasn’t suddenly terrified.

Peter couldn’t suppress the shiver as he felt the cold press in on him and he thought again about running away—somewhere warm and vibrant and Mr. Stark could come and then—he was being transferred to a metal table, just as cold as the room.

Mr. Stark came into view again, and was again running fingers through his hair in comfort. His heart was in his throat and he couldn’t speak.

“You’ll feel a little chill here, Peter,” Dr. Cho was talking to him as someone off to the side started injecting an anaesthetic into the IV line.

He felt it as it entered his system, the mix of standard and enhanced drugs because his body didn’t know what the heck it was doing anymore, and then whatever bits of Spider-Man that were fighting to come through did exactly that. Even as his thoughts tried to soften, he battled and ached to come back from the nothingness that was trying to catch hold of him again. His eyes flew open. He couldn’t go again! His drug weakened limbs felt weighted but still fought against gentle hands pressing him to the table, yet he tensed with anticipation of them flaking and floating off into the aether—“NO!” He couldn’t do it again, and his panic flared one last time as the anaesthetist gave one last push. “stop—“ he slurred. “don’—wanna go, ms’r star—“ Tears streamed down his temples and he finally gave up as he whispered, “’m—‘m sorry—“

Peter fell limp against the table—

And didn’t see Mr. Stark, as he stood over him, tried to comfort him—wept for him.

Peter also didn’t see the glare on Mr. Stark’s tear stained face as he looked at a paled Dr. Cho. “You get in. You fix it. You get out. Got it?”

Peter didn’t see her nod in agreement and start barking out orders to the medical staff in the room.

And Peter didn’t see Mr. Stark lean over to kiss his forehead and then step back into a quiet corner, deciding to not leave the boy’s side unless they dragged him forcibly from the room.

#fanfiction #IronDad and SpiderSon #Avengers: Endgame #Non-compliant #a03 fanfic #OBlossom

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Venom: Let There Be Carnage – The Comics History of the Symbiote Rivalry

https://ift.tt/3APMTrk

Something that impresses me with a superhero movie like Venom is when it doesn’t rush directly into the expected villain. When there are four different Fantastic Four movies, and they’re all about emphasizing Dr. Doom, it’s a breath of fresh air when, say, Man of Steel only makes an Easter egg reference to Lex Luthor instead of going directly for that confrontation. The MCU Spider-Man has yet to meet an Osborn, guys like Thanos and Darkseid started out as ominous benefactors, and the existence of Heath Ledger Joker was merely a cliffhanger tease in Batman Begins.

Much like how the Justice League movie decided to take its time by giving us Steppenwolf of all people, the first Venom movie had Carlton Drake (who hasn’t appeared in the comics since the early 9’0s) and Riot (the most forgettable of all of Venom’s comic children). By letting Venom build himself up on his own, flanked by some rather mundane villains, it gave more meaning to Cletus Kasady showing up in the post-credits. Carnage, Venom’s main villain, gets more fanfare by appearing in the sequel where our hero is fully formed.

Since Carnage’s first appearance in 1992, the idea has always been to make a darker, scarier Venom. Venom was a villain at the time, sure, but he was also on the border of becoming more. Outside of his personal delusions and anger issues, he still claimed that he wanted to help the innocent and punish the guilty. Even when he was able to accept that Spider-Man was good, they couldn’t co-exist due to their different natures as vigilantes. Carnage was simpler because he was full-on evil and had no potential for redemption. He was something so sinister and malevolent that both Spider-Man and Venom knew it was worth it to put aside their differences and take this creep down.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage has hyped Carnage up as being out of Venom’s league and that was the initial push of the character. Over time, the two became roughly equals as Carnage became the go-to bad guy for Venom to punch.

So let’s take a look at the history of Venom vs. Carnage. For the sake of simplicity, I’m going to define “Venom” and “Carnage” as characters wearing their respective symbiotes (excluding Peter Parker), or the symbiotes themselves. I’m not going to count Eddie Brock as Toxin, or Flash Thompson as Agent Anti-Venom or whatever.

Carnage’s Debut

Not counting cameos and build-up, Carnage’s first major appearance was in Amazing Spider-Man #361, starting off a three-parter. Spider-Man came to realize that he wasn’t enough to stop Carnage and he was going to need help. Specifically, he was going to need Venom. This was an awkward decision as Venom was at the time living his best life on an empty island, thinking that he had succeeded in killing Spider-Man.

Once Venom fully understood the situation, he accepted the temporary alliance. In the very first Venom vs. Carnage confrontation, Venom and Spider-Man tackled Carnage, got slammed into each other, then thrown into opposite walls. Carnage then caused a distraction by putting a baby in danger so he could escape. While he was dominant in that very brief scuffle, he still needed to run off, so I’m calling this a draw.

The handicap match continued into the last issue of the arc at a rock concert. In one-on-one exchanges, Carnage had Venom’s number, but Spider-Man was always there for the save. Spider-Man was able to use the sonics from the amplifiers to take out both of them. Technically a draw again, but it’s also a situation where Carnage regularly kicked the shit out of Venom and Venom only survived because he had help.

Maxium Carnage

Insert your Green Jelly cassettes and press play because it’s time for Carnage’s big ’90s crossover story. After the previous story’s popularity, Marvel decided to add more heroes, more villains, and make the whole thing a whopping 14 issues!

As Venom was a San Francisco vigilante at the time, he flew to New York to stop Carnage’s reign of terror. The first fight wasn’t even shown, as after the reveal that Carnage had Shriek and Doppelganger on his side, it cut away. A brutalized Venom was later found passing out while knocking on Peter and MJ’s door.

As Maximum Carnage was filled with so much filler and extra characters, there were various fight scenes of a group of heroes brawling with a group of villains. Venom and Carnage talked smack a lot, but nothing much ever really happened in terms of fighting. The story finally kicked into gear when Venom used a stolen sonic gun and blasted Carnage while Firestar assisted with her microwave blasts. This would have done the job, but Spider-Man got in the way and Shriek simply cut Cletus’ face open, causing his symbiote to respawn and bring him back to 100 percent health. Carnage and Shriek overwhelmed Venom and carried him off, along with the sonic gun.

Venom spent several issues being tortured until coming up with the plan to sneak some of the symbiote into the sonic gun so that Carnage would splatter Venom with more Venom. He punched Carnage down and escaped with gusto, hiding the fact that he was in no condition to fight.

It isn’t until the last issue that we FINALLY got a real Venom vs. Carnage fight. Venom was physically busted a bit, but Carnage was mentally busted. The heroes hit him with some MaGuffin device that caused him to be haunted by those who screwed him up in life. Venom pretty much just kicked Carnage’s ass around the city while Carnage tried in vain to escape. Every now and then, Spider-Man would appear and go, “B-b-but Eddie! Killing is wrong!” for the sake of giving Carnage a second wind.

Eventually, Venom punched Carnage so hard that Carnage’s brain ghosts went away. Knowing Carnage was more of a threat this way, Venom tackled him into a transformer. After the explosion, Cletus was knocked out and Venom got to weakly sneak away. Hey, good for him!

Venom: Carnage Unleashed

Venom was so popular that we got Carnage. Carnage’s initial storyline was so popular that we got Maximum Carnage. Maximum Carnage was so popular that we got a Maximum Carnage video game. Then we got Venom: Carnage Unleashed, a comic based on the popularity of the Maximum Carnage video game. It…wasn’t all too popular.

Still, it did give us the rarely used plot device that symbiotes can travel through phone lines and the internet! Symbiotes really are like pre-Crisis Superman where you can give them whatever power and people will just go with it no matter how ridiculous. As Carnage escaped from Ravencroft and commandeered a security tank, Venom eventually caught up with him and they had a fight on a runaway vehicle through traffic. Carnage eventually won when Venom got slammed by an oncoming train.

Their final battle here is a big pile of “That’s not how any of this works!” The two characters send symbiote tendrils into the internet, which were rendered on the Times Square big screen as the two brawled in cyberspace. Venom destroyed a nearby heatsink, which blasted both and knocked them out of the internet.

Carnage was ready for another go, but his kidnapped psychiatrist set him on fire and caused him to fall out a window. Venom reached through the phone lines and out the window to catch the falling Cletus because dying is WHAT HE WANTS. Which… no, that’s not true at all. Hell, even in Maximum Carnage, Cletus was freaked out about the possibility of dying.

Venom: On Trial

So there was a big Spider-Man/Scarlet Spider/Venom team-up called Planet of the Symbiotes that culminated in a 40-foot-tall Carnage, but there was never a specific Venom vs. Carnage moment, so I won’t go into it. Venom’s ’90s antihero run did have a storyline where Eddie was arrested and put on trial for all of his many crimes. Cletus Kasady was brought in as a star witness, which was an invitation for him to freak out and go on a killing rampage. I mean, seriously, guys. Come on. You should know better.

This story went all-in on Venom wrecking Carnage. Again, Spider-Man would interrupt and give Carnage a chance to turn things around. This time though, Venom decided to ride the wave by sneaking away while Spider-Man and Daredevil took on Carnage. Realizing that the two didn’t have a chance, Venom picked up a couple syringes filled with dopamine blocker and sprung into action. He smacked Carnage around, injected the blocker into his neck, and watched as the symbiote retracted into Cletus’ body.

Venom Triumphant

Howard Mackie wrote Spider-Man comics for a long while and he had an annoying tendency when it came to storytelling. He would come up with an interesting, if nonsensical, idea that would shake up the status quo, but instead of following up on that and using it to tell an actual story, he would just forget about it and move to the next idea that popped into his head. He was one of the main reasons why the Spider-Man Clone Saga was such a mess.

In the 10th issue of Peter Parker, Spider-Man, Venom broke into the prison where Carnage was being held. Despite the legion of heavily armed guards with flamethrowers and sonic guns, Venom killed them all so quickly that the artist didn’t even show it. Cletus, for some reason, figured Venom was trying to break him out of prison, but instead Venom was there to absorb the Carnage symbiote. Carnage barely put up a fight. Pieces of the symbiote were on him, but he didn’t fully transform or try to defend himself. Venom simply pulled the symbiote off of him and ate it, becoming stronger.

After this issue, there was barely any follow-up to this.

Venom vs. Carnage

This miniseries came out at a really weird time for those involved. Carnage was just a couple months away from being torn in half by the Sentry and being written out of comics for years. Venom was appearing in Marvel Knights Spider-Man where Eddie Brock got rid of the symbiote and it bounced around to different hosts until landing on Mac Gargan. Meanwhile there was a Venom ongoing that was more about a symbiote clone where Eddie Brock only appeared for a couple late issues.

In other words, in the Venom vs. Carnage miniseries by Peter Milligan and Clayton Crain, even the creative team had no idea who Venom’s host was supposed to be. Luckily, the story wasn’t about Venom or Carnage, but a new character who would quickly fall into obscurity anyway.

Venom and Carnage swung around New York City, giving the exposition. The Carnage symbiote was pregnant and Venom was explaining that there was nothing to do to stop the creature from going into labor. Venom was all about protecting the new spawn while Carnage wanted to destroy it, immediately. Carnage got the better of Venom by flinging him into the distance. Regardless, the explosive birth wore out Carnage so much that he could only plant the baby onto a nearby cop and escape to rest up.

When the two had a rematch, Venom was there to save the baby symbiote (Toxin) and its host (Pat Mulligan). As if getting revenge for that Carnage Unleashed story, Venom brought the fight to the subway and pushed Carnage into an oncoming train.

And… that’s really all the Venom vs. Carnage we get in Venom vs. Carnage! Once Venom sees that Toxin is a good guy and capable of kicking Carnage’s ass, he gets afraid of Toxin befriending Spider-Man and decides to team up with Carnage for once.

Carnage, USA

Carnage returned from his maiming at the hands of the Sentry, albeit without a bottom half. By then, a lot had happened with Venom. The symbiote was removed from Mac Gargan and joined with war hero Flash Thompson. Agent Venom went on to join the Secret Avengers.

Carnage, USA told the story of Cletus expanding his symbiote to overtake an entire town in the middle of nowhere. When various heroes went to oppose him, the Carnage symbiote ended up taking over Captain America, Wolverine, Hawkeye, and the Thing. When gaining a moment of clarity, Cap called in Agent Venom for help.

Movies

Venom 2 Trailer Breakdown – All the Marvel and Carnage References

By Gavin Jasper

Comics

Venom: Who is Carnage?

By Gavin Jasper

In their first meeting, Agent Venom easily took down Carnage with some explosive projectiles that came with sonic shrapnel. Then when getting ready for the kill – say it with me everyone – Spider-Man got in his face and went, “No! Don’t kill!” Carnage recovered, and overwhelmed Venom with his army of Carnage’d heroes. Then another obscure symbiote hero, Scorn, popped in to run Venom and Carnage over with a bulldozer and bring them into a facility that would blast their symbiotes off the hosts.

While Cletus and Flash had a fight based around the novelty that both were legless, the Venom symbiote latched onto a gorilla and ran for its life against an entire zoo full of animals with the Carnage symbiote. After almost being taken down by a Carnage lion (Spider-Man with the save), the gorilla returned to Flash and gave him the power to bring Cletus into custody.

As for the town-wide Carnage symbiote, most of it was taken out by an airstrike.

Minimum Carnage

Following up on Agent Venom, he had his own team-up arc with Scarlet Spider (Kaine) with the fun dynamic of a Venom who doesn’t want to kill and a Spider-Man who does. The two chased Carnage into the Microverse, where Carnage was able to create an army of symbiote clones. While Agent Venom was able to decapitate Carnage, the villain had attained some level of power where his body is more overall fluid and animated. In this case, Carnage could just reattach his head with no problem.

Although Flash had sedated his own symbiote and lacked the monstrous advantage, he was able to wipe out a bunch of the clones by amplifying his own inner sorrow outward through the Venom symbiote. Strangely, that’s not the first time Venom was able to do that. What’s left of Carnage slinked away, cackling.

Carnage and the clones returned to Earth and Voltron’d themselves into a giant Carnage. As Carnage tried to devour Agent Venom, Venom shoved a sonic grenade down Carnage’s throat and let the blast do the rest, taking out the enlarged Carnage symbiote almost completely. In the aftermath, Scarlet Spider jabbed one of his claws through Cletus’ eye and lobotomized him.

Venomverse

Venomverse is about a series of Venom hosts from different realities coming together to fight beings called Poisons. Under normal circumstances, Poisons are harmless. If one of them makes physical contact with a symbiote and its host, it transforms them into a nigh-unbeatable crystal-like creature with the Poison in control. By this point, Eddie Brock was Venom again and joined with all sorts of random symbiote heroes to the point that he came off as just a regular dude.

With their back against the wall, Eddie came up with an idea. They brought in Carnage from an alternate universe as a ringer. At first, Carnage fought against the Venoms, but they were reluctant to fight back. Once he saw the Poisons and understood that the Venoms wanted him to kill an army of twisted superheroes, he gladly joined their ranks. He just let them know that once he was done with the Poisons, he’d kill them next.

He ended up being a huge help, especially since the Poisons had a hard time bonding to the Carnage symbiote. Carnage died in an explosion fighting Poisons alongside Poison Deadpool (who was able to bypass his Poison’s mental control).

There was a sequel to this called Venomized where the Poisons returned and tried to invade Earth. They kidnapped Cletus, forced him to bond to an alternate universe Venom, and then bonded that to a Poison. While he was referred to as “Carnage” at times, the Carnage symbiote was never involved, so I’m going to skip this one.

But where was the Carnage symbiote during all of this?

The Red Goblin

At one point, Norman Osborn became the host for Carnage to give us a climactic villain to finish off Dan Slott’s lengthy run on Amazing Spider-Man. Knowing that Spider-Man was out of his league, J. Jonah Jameson decided to fight fire with fire by calling up Eddie Brock and blackmailing him into aiding Spider-Man. This led to a brief fight of Spider-Man, Venom, and repulsor-wielding Mary Jane against the Red Goblin.

Venom and Red Goblin brawled for a bit, but Red Goblin appeared to be immune to the usual symbiote weaknesses, so only Venom took damage. While he got some hits in, Eddie was too exhausted to continue. Instead he offered the symbiote to Spider-Man to give him the extra boost. This brief team-up allowed the two vigilante enemies to finally bury their lengthy rivalry.

Absolute Carnage

Now we get to Donny Cates’ bonkers run on Venom. Cletus had been resurrected and turned back into Carnage via a bunch of cultists who worshipped Knull, God of Symbiotes. Carnage then started going around eating the spines of those who were once host to a symbiote, getting stronger by the meal. Dark Carnage first fought Venom in a subway and easily overpowered him. Still, Venom got the win by grabbing onto the third rail while holding onto Dark Carnage. It was enough to knock Carnage loopy while Venom could get away and seek out help.

Venom and Spider-Man sought out Norman Osborn (who believed himself to be Cletus Kasady after the Red Goblin episode) and were ambushed by an army of inmates possessed by Carnage symbiotes. Overwhelmed, the two heroes broke through a wall and swung off into the night.

Venom got involved in another big fight against an army of Carnages and could have killed Osborn, but instead chose to save a wounded Mac Gargan nearby and brought him to safety. The Venom symbiote wasn’t happy with this and later left Eddie for Bruce Banner, giving us a fight between Venom Hulk and Dark Carnage. This turned out to be a dire choice, as Dark Carnage tore into Hulk’s brain, caused him to shrink back to Banner, then ate his spine. Carnage was stronger than ever.

Meanwhile, mad scientist the Maker had a machine that took the “symbiote codex” stuff Carnage was looking for out of former hosts without the nasty “tearing out their spinal column” part. Eddie unleashed the codex collection onto himself, turning him into a more powerful version of Venom. As he took on Cletus one last time, Carnage made note that Venom was screwed no matter what. Either Carnage killed and ate Eddie’s son Dylan or Eddie killed Carnage, which would wake up Knull and drive him to Earth.

Venom summoned the Necrosword to cut through Carnage, destroying him once and for all. For a time, at least.

Prelude to Knull

Wouldn’t you know it, killing Dark Carnage caused Eddie to absorb the Carnage symbiote into himself. Soon he was separated from Venom and stuck on an island while being bonded against his will to the Carnage symbiote. Dylan was able to remotely control the Venom symbiote and transformed it into a giant Venom T-rex. Like it wasn’t even bonding onto a dinosaur or anything. It was just the size and shape of a tyrannosaurus just because.

Eddie and Dylan had a dreamlike meeting in their minds while Carnage Eddie chopped down at the Venom dino. Eventually, the power of familial love was enough to overpower the Carnage symbiote and blow it up. Eddie rejoined with the Venom symbiote, and a little piece of Carnage latched onto a nearby shark to swim off and fight another day.

Okay, then! Phew! Going by every Venom vs. Carnage fight, I’ve judged them so that there have been six draws, eight victories for Carnage, and nine victories for Venom.

Congratulations, black ooze. Here’s hoping your red offspring doesn’t turn the tide at the box office.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage will be released in theaters on Oct. 1.

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renaerys · 3 years

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PPG One-Shot: You Going to Todd’s? (Brick/Blossom)

My Powerpufftober fic! Still rocking the high school AU for this, so consider it a part 5 to the Shooketh, Not Stirred series. As always, can be read alone, but happens in the same universe as part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4. This is also posted on my AO3.

Summary: Brick and Blossom go on a Halloween scavenger hunt. It sucks.

xxx

Blossom checked her watch for the fourth time in ten minutes. It was already a quarter past 9 p.m., her Frankentini was going flat in its plastic neon martini glass, and she was starting to regret coming to Todd’s overhyped Halloween party at all.

“Oh, hey Blossom,” said Harry Pitt, ferrying three bright glasses of the same watered down mixed drink Blossom was too preoccupied to enjoy. “You hanging out?”

Blossom smiled politely. “Hi, Harry. Just waiting for someone.”

Harry’s extra padded shoulders slumped in his pinstripe mafia boss costume. “Oh, let me guess.”

Blossom frowned, a reply on the tip of her tongue, but she bit it when precisely at that moment, Brick stormed through the front door like he was running from a zombie horde and desperate for a weapon. Todd himself spread his arms with a “What, your hairdresser keep you late?” and was almost mowed down with a cursory “Shut up, Todd.” Curiously, Brick made a beeline for the unpopulated second floor. He didn’t even see the other high school Seniors who barely dodged his path. Todd grimaced in his fake vampire fangs and chugged the rest of his beer. “Cool, catch up with you later, bruh!” he said, but no one was listening.

“Sorry, I have to go.” Blossom didn’t have time to feel bad about Harry’s dejected sigh as she ditched her drink and followed Brick upstairs. The Spotify Halloween playlist booming in the speakers faded to a low bass din as Blossom rounded the corner in the upstairs hallway. “Brick?” she called, a little annoyed.

No text, no call. He could have at least told her he’d be late so she could have timed her arrival better. With a mouthful of grievances and a heart full of him, she pushed open the lighted bathroom door at the end of the dark hall. “Brick, did you hear me calling—”

A fluttery and spine-chilling laugh slithered past the crack in the door and sank into her flesh like a snake bite. It arrested her where she stood halfway over the threshold, shackled in the throes of a very specific terror she could never forget.

Brick stood at the pedestal sink, his fingers attempting to fuse with the porcelain as he gripped it hard enough to crack and stared with manic focus at the mirror. All around them, the lyrical voice reverberated:

“Poor, angry boy, there’s yet no end to your suffering! For this next task, I want you on your knees groveling. Hide your tears And sharpen your shears— To save your brothers, make me a true offering.”

Brick snarled at his reflection, as if his demon might appear there in the mirror to throttle. But there was only him in the glass, furious and frothing under his red hoodie. “You have to be fucking kidding me.”

It took only a moment for Blossom to shake her stupor as instinct and training took over. “Brick,” she said, crossing the small bathroom to touch him.

Red eyes narrowed at her approach until the moment he recognized her beneath her smeared costume lipstick and dark eyeliner. “Blossom?” he rasped. His surprise made sense when she caught a glimpse of her own reflection in the mirror. Crop tops, fake bloodstains, and fishnets weren’t her normal style, but in a parallel nightmare universe perhaps they could have been.

The blushing eighteen-year-old boy in him went straight for her midriff, but his distress stayed his hand. “Fuck.” He rubbed his eyes.

“What’s going on?” she demanded.

“Nothing, just— Let me get in there.” He reached around her to pull open one of the drawers next to the sink in search of something.

“It’s not nothing.”

He didn’t answer as shut the drawer and checked the one below it.

“Brick, hey. You could have called me—”

With a snarl, he slammed the drawer closed and glared at her. “I was a little busy.”

“Talking to Him?” Blossom held his glare like a hand grenade with her thumb through the pin, ready to pull. “I’d never forget that repulsive lilt. Tell me what’s going on.”

He chickened out of answering her and dove for the drawers on the other side of the sink, where he found what he’d been looking for. Blossom barely had time to question the large scissors he’d pulled out before his hood was down and his man bun toppled into the sink with all the finality of a guillotined head.

Blossom gasped. “Brick!”

Somber as a corpse, he fished out his shorn bundle of hair from the sink, and Blossom watched as it burst into flame in his palm. Smoke curled through his fingers and rose high above them in an angry, red miasma. Its stink was saccharine and brought tears to Blossom’s eyes.

And then, it moved. In swirling, bloody tendrils, it slithered through the cracks above the bathroom door and down the hall as though it had a destination in mind.

“Oh, shit.” Brick dashed after it, and Blossom dashed after him down the stairs. His hand was hot in hers when she caught it and yanked him back. The split second in which their eyes met was an eon of understanding, bone-deep and cauldron-brewed. He looked like he’d seen a ghost. He looked like he needed a friend.

“I’m coming with you,” she said.

“Blossom,” he tried to argue.

“I’m coming with you.”

“Blossom, hey babe, wanna flip some cups on my team?” Todd sidled up to Blossom with a stack of solo cups. Then he noticed Brick’s serrated haircut. “Buddy, what the shit happened to your hair?”

“Please go away,” Blossom said at the same time as Brick said, “Choke on my dick.”

She grimaced at Brick’s vulgarity, but Todd took a step back. Before he could snap back, he noticed the red smoke wafting through his house out the open window. “Oh shit, fire?”

“There’s a fire?!” someone else exclaimed, and panic ensued.

Blossom was about to intervene when Brick snatched her hand and dragged out the front door. “Where did it go?” he said, squinting in the dark.

Blossom swallowed her instinct to calm down her fellow partygoers (there was no fire, they’d be fine, surely…) and looked around for the demonic smoke. “There! It’s heading east.” She rose into the air to fly after it, but paused when she noticed Brick hadn’t followed her. Instead, he jogged down Todd’s cul-de-sac toward the main road. “What are you—hey!”

She landed on the ground in front of him, cutting off his dash. He tried to go around her, but she easily blocked him. It was like he wasn’t even trying to move past her, unless…

“You’re powerless,” she said.

That was the wrong thing to say. “It’s just a temporary setback,” he said in the same choke-on-my-dick tone he usually reserved for Todd.

When he tried to get around Blossom again, she put her booted foot down and cracked the asphalt. He didn’t try to pass her again. “I’m not going to ask you again.” Then, more gently: “Please, let me help you.”

The last of Brick’s petulant pride dissolved to ashes just like his ruined hair she knew he loved, and yet he’d viciously cut it off anyway. Hesitant, yet stubbornly determined, he held her gaze. “It’s Him. He’s fucking with me. Sapped my powers and said my brothers and I will pay the ultimate price unless I solve this idiotic scavenger hunt by midnight.”

“…Wow.”

“Yeah, so it’s not like I have much of a choice.”

Blossom cupped his cheek. His chopped hair was not a total disaster, but it needed cleaning up. All that time he’d spent growing it out again…

Brick sucked in a sharp breath at her tender touch. He was as rigid as a pole, gritting his teeth hard enough to shatter. Blossom’s gaze hardened, and an old but fierce fire ignited in her Super-powered veins. “We’ll beat Him’s game. I promise you. Nothing’s going to happen to you or your brothers.”

Brick let his eyes fall closed as he touched his hand to hers, and that was probably the most intimacy she was going to get out of him in the middle of a murder-y scavenger hunt on Halloween. Maybe after they booted Him back to whatever pit he’d been living in all these years she could salvage what should have been a fun, romantic date with her sort-of boyfriend.

Blossom cleared her throat. “So, evil limericks?”

Brick just groaned from the bottom of his tortured soul. He took her hand and led the way after the demonic smoke before they could lose its trail. The smoke led them to Townsville High School a few blocks from Todd’s, specifically to the annual haunted house experience the Senior class spearheaded every year. Plenty of students dressed in their ghoulish finery crowded in the lawn socializing and lining up to take a turn through the haunted house.

Bubbles was on duty as part of the social committee in charge of managing the exhibit. When she spotted Brick and Blossom headed for the cafeteria door that had been transformed into the haunted house’s black-curtained foyer, she bounced over to them. “Hey, I didn’t expect to see you guys here tonight! I thought you were going to Todd’s. Wait, Brick, did you cut your hair?”

“It’s a long story,” Blossom said.

“Whoa! Slow down. You can’t go inside without a costume.” Bubbles blocked Brick’s single-minded steamroll inside after the last of the curling, red smoke slithered past.

“Bubbles, move,” Brick spat.

“No way. You can be a party pooper at Todd’s all you like, but you’re not bringing any of that into my super scary haunted house that I spent all day decorating.”

“I swear to god—”

“Bubbles, do you have any eye liner?” Blossom interrupted before Brick could say something to her sister she would make him regret for the rest of his life.

Bubbles, dressed in glam trash Powerpunk solidarity with her sisters for the night in fishnets and glitter, grinned as she dug in the pockets of her spider web-patterned black tutu. “Great idea, Blossom! C’mere, you.”

“What—hey!” Brick was literally powerless to stop Bubbles from manhandling him into a quick makeover. “There, it’s purr-fect!”

Despite the possibility of Brick’s gruesome end by satanic evisceration looming at the end of the night, Blossom could not help but laugh at the cute nose and whiskers that transformed Brick from grumpy boy to grumpy cat.

The flash on Bubbles’ phone went off.

“Hey!” Brick was redder in the face than his ruined hair.

Bubbles preened as she easily danced out of Brick’s reach before he could nab her phone and delete the evidence. “You look so cute!”

Brick turned to Blossom as his final saving grace, but there were tears in her eyes as she tried to pull herself together. “I’m so sorry, but she’s totally right. You look very cute right now.”

“Fuck this,” he grumbled, bright as a tomato as he shoved past a floating Bubbles and stormed inside the haunted house.

“Oh no—Brick, wait!” Blossom tried to tone down her giggles as she ran after him. “Bubbles, come on, this is actually serious.”

The sisters headed inside to a spooky banshee screams playlist past Ms. Keane’s bubbling cauldron and the football team zombified in a cardboard graveyard, until finally Mr. Green welcomed them to the final stop with a frightful flourish. “Step on up, boys and girls. See your future, if you dare. Mwahahahaha!”

Brick took one look at the over-eager demon teacher and tried to leave. “Maybe I should just let Him kill me while I have some dignity left.”

Blossom caught up to him and slipped her hand in his before he could turn back. The sobering reminder of why they were even here sent a chill all the way to her fingers, and she squeezed his hand in what she hoped was reassurance. “I’m not letting that happen.”

“What’s going on?” Bubbles asked, peering around Blossom’s shoulder.

But Blossom was too preoccupied by the unnatural red smoke swirling around the final, purple-draped room and its sole occupant: Robin Snyder in a truly rocking dead fortune teller costume. “Come in, come in! Let the spirits foretell your Halloween future!”

Bubbles giggled and skipped inside. She planted a very loud, very adorable kiss on Robin’s head.

“Bubbles, what’re you doing in here? You’re supposed to be on welcome duty!” Robin complained, but she reached for Bubbles’ hand and pulled her down into the chair next to her.

“I wanted to see you, obviously!”

Brick’s hand in Blossom’s squeezed uncomfortably tight, and she soon realized why: the red smoke had descended upon the ouija board set up on Robin’s table and absorbed inside it. Bubbles and Robin did not seem to notice it at all.

“All right, let’s get this shit over with,” Brick said, taking one of the empty seats across the table.

“Wow, such enthusiasm,” Robin said flatly.

Blossom took a seat next to Brick and asked their costumed host, “How does this work?”

“It’s a séance. We’ll ask the spirits what we want to know, and the board will do the rest. Everybody put a hand on the planchette.”

The moment everyone’s hands touched the plastic planchette, red smoke bubbled up from beneath it and swirled around them. In a panic, Robin tried to pull away, but found that she couldn’t. Everyone’s hands were stuck to the planchette.

“What—” Bubbles sputtered, but Him’s cotton candy creep show voice slithered from the smoke and stole her breath:

“This clue is not for the fainthearted: Unearth your next destination uncharted. Absent any confession, To the board pose your question And divine who among you just farted!”

“What the hell was that?!” Robin said at the same time as Bubbles wailed, “Oh nooooo!”

Before Blossom could respond to Robin’s very reasonable question, her arm was yanked across the board still stuck to the planchette: “B”.

Brick’s smoky cat-eyes were wide and slightly manic as he looked at Blossom, and she looked at him. She flushed so badly that she nearly swallowed her own tongue to say, “It wasn’t me!”

“Well, it sure as shit wasn’t me,” he shot back. And then, understanding dawning, they both looked across the table.

“Bubbles?” Blossom said.

“I DON’T WANT TO PLAY THIS GAME ANYMORE!” she screeched.

“Bubbles definitely farted,” Brick deadpanned. He dragged the planchette and everyone’s hands still stuck to it toward the “U” and then back to the “B” until the board spelled out Bubbles’ name. As soon as the planchette settled on the “S”, it released everyone’s hands in time for the heady, red smoke to engulf the board entirely.

Bubbles, distraught, shot out of her chair and covered her eyes in shame.

“Hey, it’s okay,” Robin tried to coax her back down from the high corner she’d flown to. “Come on down from there—Bubbles, really, I can’t even smell anything!”

“You’re just saying that because you love me!” Bubbles complained.

“Oh my god,” Blossom said, too preoccupied with the board to worry about her sister’s mortification. “Is that—”

“A map of the city?” Brick finished her sentence.

The ouija board was transformed into a mini map of Townsville, if a preschooler had drawn it in crayon.

“Here we are at THS.” Blossom pointed her finger to a collection of buildings scribbled in blue crayon. “And here…” She followed a crosshatch path to the edge of the map where a horned, red, devil face sticker grinned up at her. “The cemetery.”

Brick stood up so fast his chair fell over. He stood there for half a second, his face screwed up, and then: “Goddamnit!”

He’d forgotten he couldn’t fly.

“I can carry you.” Blossom held out her hand.

“Is everything okay in here? Robin, the next group is waiting.” Mr. Green poked his horned head through the thick drapes and sniffled. “Ew, what’s that smell?”

“Oh my god!” Bubbles turned beet red and disappeared in a flash of blue, knocking down the rest of the chairs and Brick too, if Blossom hadn’t caught his elbow before he could break his nose on the tiled floor.

“Bubbles! Sorry, Mr. Green.” Robin dashed after her.

“Wait just a minute—”

In the chaos, Blossom let Brick slip out of her grip, and he stormed out the opposite door back outside.

“What are you doing?” Blossom asked when he stopped at the sidewalk.

“Calling a Lyft.”

“I just said I can fly us both.”

“Hard pass.”

Blossom crossed her arms over her chest. “What’s wrong with it? Flying would be faster, and it’s free.”

“I’m not letting you carry me like some damsel in distress.”

“Honestly, Brick. There’s a demon threatening to kill you and you’re worried about your masculinity?”

“No, I mean—look, this isn’t your problem, okay?”

“You did not just say that to me.”

He scowled so deeply that it should have given her pause, but the painted whiskers somewhat ruined his menace. He clenched his phone hard enough to crack if he’d still had his powers. “I didn’t mean it like I don’t want you here.”

Blossom materialized inches from his face in an unnecessary display of power that nonetheless felt fantastic. “That’s better.”

Brick flushed, but not from anger. When she slipped her hand over his, he eased his grip and relinquished his abused phone.

“That’s better,” she said again, more honey than venom this time.

Like hell was she going to send him off to his possible doom alone, powerless and with a really bad haircut painted like a cat.

“Blossom, I’m—”

Her kiss shut him up, and with it any further excuses to go it alone. And despite his increasingly desperate situation, he kissed her back like he’d never get the chance to again.

A car horn honked. “Hey, are you Brick?” asked an older guy in a Honda Civic with a fuzzy, pink mustache attached to the front bumper.

Brick very briefly broke their make-out session to reply, “No,” and then tightened his arms around Blossom’s waist and got right back to it.

The Lyft driver squinted between the profile picture on his phone and Brick. “Wait, really?”

“Never heard of the guy,” he mumbled against her lips, proving that if she wanted to get something done, she’d have to do it herself.

Blossom rolled her eyes and removed his hands from her. Before he could do anything about it, she hoisted him onto her back and hooked her arms under his knees. “Come on, let’s go thwart your imminent murder.”

The Lyft driver watched them take off in a blur of pink. “Goddamn teenagers.”

He canceled the Lyft order and left Brick a one star rating, which was probably fair.

xxx

When Blossom touched down near the entrance to the graveyard, it was back to business. “How much time do we have?”

Brick checked his phone. “About an hour and a half.”

She jogged to keep up with his longer stride as they made their way deeper into the graveyard. “Okay, that’s plenty of time to figure this out.”

A peal of laughter stopped them in their tracks on the gravel path for the split second it took them both to recognize that particular manic cadence.

“Butch,” Blossom said at the same time as Brick said, “Motherfucker.”

Beyond a small hill near the base of a huge oak tree, Brick’s brothers, Buttercup, and Mike Believe sat among the granite tombstones with a pillowcase full of candy passing a joint around. Buttercup had just blown a smoke ring in the shape of a star.

“Bitch, I’m too stoned for this fucking tongue witchcraft,” Butch said. He made an appropriately chilling sight all in black with his face painted black and white in the design of a skull.

“Hey, can you blow a heart?” Boomer asked.

“You sap.” But Buttercup took another drag and hopped off the tombstone she’d been sitting on. Moonlight glinted off the spikes on her black leather jacket as she reeled back and blew three perfect, concentric hearts from her red-painted lips.

Boomer sat up from his place under Mike’s arm and snapped a picture on his phone. “You officially have the greatest special power out of all of us, no contest.”

Mike laughed and accepted the joint when Buttercup passed it to him. “I’m gonna have to agree with that one.”

“That’s because you’re one hundred percent whipped,” Butch said.

Mike shrugged. “Eh.”

“Buttercup.” Blossom approached her sister. “You’re smoking here? What if someone catches you?”

“Somebody just did,” Boomer said under his breath.

“Damn, Blossom, you girls doing a three-way theme tonight?” Butch slipped off the tombstone he’d been draped over to admire her fishnets and then Buttercup’s matching set. “I like it.”

“Give me that.” Brick took the joint from Mike and snuffed it out under his foot.

“Whoa, whoa,” Mike said. He stood up, and at his full height in a 1920s-style adventurer’s costume, he was a Sight™ to behold, if Blossom was being completely honest.

“Brick, what’s the matter?” Boomer peered around Mike in his homemade mummy costume. “And why the hell are you wearing cat makeup?”

“Oh shit, he is,” Buttercup said with a snort.

Before Brick could lose his temper, Blossom said, “Brick, the clue. We don’t have all night.”

“What clue?” Boomer asked. He peered at them seriously. “What’re you two doing here, anyway?”

“Yeah, I thought you were going to Todd’s,” Mike said.

“Todd’s parties blow,” Buttercup said.

Blossom ignored them. “Something about unearthing a destination uncharted. What could it mean…?”

Brick made for quite the adorable pensive cat as he considered. He seemed to come to the answer at the same time as Blossom.

“No,” Blossom said. “There’s no way.”

“We’re going to have to,” Brick said. “What else could it mean?”

“It’s extremely illegal.”

“Yeah, well, I’m fucking cursed!”

“We can’t dig up a bunch of graves!”

“Wow, so that’s what that creepy limerick meant?” Robin approached the group with Bubbles looking windblown and totally ready to get her hands dirty digging up some goddamned graves.

“Bubbles,” Blossom said. “Look, I’m sorry about before—”

“This is Him’s doing,” Bubbles said flatly. “I recognized the voice when I calmed down and we followed you here. Just tell me what the plan is.”

“Did you say Him?” Boomer said soberly.

Buttercup put her hands up. “Okay, what the fuck is going on?”

Brick pulled down his hoodie and revealed his ridiculous haircut. “This is what the fuck’s going on.”

Boomer looked close to tears at the sight of Brick’s mangled hair.

“Him cursed Brick, and we have to solve a scavenger hunt before midnight or he and his brothers will pay the ultimate price,” Blossom said.

“The ultimate price?” Mike said, aghast.

“What the fuck.” Butch advanced on Brick. “What bullshit did you get us into this time—”

Blossom materialized in between Brick and Butch before the latter could carry out whatever violence he intended. She tapped him hard on the chest, and he stumbled back, probably too stoned to hold his normal balance against her Super strength. “Not today, Butch. Him took Brick’s powers.”

“Shit,” Boomer said. Blue sparks jumped in between his toilet paper-wrapped fists. “Okay, what’s the plan?”

Blossom looked to Brick, who was clearly outnumbered and they both knew it. With a groan, he ran his hands through what was left of his poor hair. “We’ll split up,” he said.

“And do what?” Buttercup said.

“Somewhere here, there’s bound to be a clue left by Him. I know that’s not a lot to go on, but it’s all we’ve got right now,” Blossom said. “Split up and cover as much ground as possible.”

“And what are we looking for?” Robin asked.

“Red smoke, demonic laughter, a general feeling of imminent disembowelment,” Brick said.

Bubbles cracked her knuckles and tightened her pigtails. “The usual, then.”

“Fuckin’ right.” Butch began to crackle with pent up green power.

With four other Supers plus Mike and Robin helping cover ground, Blossom hoped they could at least glean some inkling of what Him’s last clue meant. She stayed with Brick since he didn’t have his powers anymore, and together they wandered deeper into the graveyard. Lampposts along the gravel path cast a saturnine glow amidst the trees, fey and eerie on this most eerie of nights.

“Blossom,” Brick said softly. “If we don’t figure this out before midnight—”

“We will,” Blossom said.

He stopped, and Blossom turned to look back at him. Even powerless, there was a presence in his red eyes, beyond mortal and brimming with fire. Even as enemies, even when she couldn’t stand to breathe the same air as him, she had recognized that counterpoint in him, that tranquil confidence that there was nothing in this world he couldn’t overcome. It was a part of him and no one, not even Him, could take it away.

“But if we don’t,” he pressed.

Blossom’s throat wrenched to see him so calm. Not much scared Brick, not truly, but his softness spoke volumes here where only ghosts could hear them. Go, his eyes entreated her, forget about me and go before it gets you too.

She marched up to him and placed her hand on his chest. Ice froze her breath to mist as her anger clawed its way out of her, and she let him see it. “Then Hell will tremble to watch me drag you back out.”

Brick said nothing. He slipped his hand over hers and curled his fingers. Even now, he was far warmer than anyone she had ever known, and she clung to that certainty.

“Come on,” Blossom said, pulling him along after her. “Let’s solve this so we can go home.”

They followed the floating lamp lights east. Fog gathered at their feet, heavy and strange, but Brick held her hand, and secretly she was grateful not to be alone in such a creepy place. When a laughter they both wished they didn’t recognize reached them on the wind, Blossom’s heart leaped into her throat and she took off running with Brick hot on her heels.

The cachinnation petered out when they came across a man in a grey uniform and hat with a flashlight. “Hey, what’re you kids doing here?”

“We were just—” Blossom began.

“Enough,” Brick said, stepping forward. He put an arm out to block Blossom’s path. “I know it’s you.”

“Brick,” Blossom said.

“Son, I don’t know what you mean,” the graveyard worker said.

Brick ignored him. “I played your shitty game. This is the end. Stop hiding behind that pathetic mask and show yourself.”

The portly graveyard worker dropped his flashlight with a heavy crunch on the gravel. Watery, blue eyes bled to baleful red, and his pasty cheeks stretched to accommodate a smile far too wide for his human face. A low chuckle built deep in his chest like termites in a kicked mound, bubbling up through his throat to bursting.

“H͓̼̯ḭ̠̣d͜i̞᷊̯᷂͜n̨͇͟g̤̱͓,̼͎ a̮m̱̪̫͚͢ I̤̜̗?̨̞ T̨̳̻̜h͚̟̖̜͢a͖̻̠̜͇t̨̹ s͖i̹ṃp̨̟͈͕͢ļy̢͔͜ w̨̱o͈̜̟̠͟n̹̮̖’̳̝t̮ d̪̟̪̝o̹̠.͕̫̙̩”

The booming, sinister voice came from that mouth full of teeth, but it seemed to grow out of Blossom’s bones. She felt it in her lungs, her fingertips, as a tingle on her lips Brick had kissed. And she remembered he was vulnerable, under attack by this very thing standing before them now masquerading in a meat sack.

Well, screw that.

Blossom lowered Brick’s wrist and stepped around him. No matter how hard he pushed against her, he was no match for her power—power she leaked now like gasoline fumes hungry for a spark. The gravel at her feet froze, and her eyes faded to ghastly pink as she faced her childhood nightmare. “Hello, demon,” she said.

“Y̹o̬͟u̢̡̳.”

The lampposts flickered and popped, plunging the earthly ossuary into chilling shadows, but Blossom did not fear the cold. Her fists frosted over as she clenched them, and her step summoned an ice floe in the gravel that bridged the crevasse between her and the coward who dared to haunt Brick and his brothers on her watch.

“Well?” she said. “I’m waiting.”

His meat sack shrank back. This was no child Him was taunting, but a fully realized Super who was no longer afraid of his mind games. He closed that heinous mouth and cleared his throat with a dainty, sausage-fingered hand over his heart, and recited in Him’s more lyrical pitch:

“You’ve served all night at my gracious pleasure. Now the final test to determine your true measure: Find the lady who slumbers In her crypt sunk in umber. X marks the location of my precious treasure.”

No sooner had Him given them their last absurd clue than the graveyard worker seized and fell to his knees. Blossom dashed to catch him before he could injure himself. The man coughed and wheezed as if he’d held his breath for too long.

“What in tarnation…?” he muttered, dazed.

“Sir, you had a dizzy spell. You’re all right now,” Blossom said, clinically calm as she discreetly checked him for signs of blood or other wounds. She found none. “Maybe you should take a break.”

“Who… Hey, you kids shouldn’t be here!”

Brick growled and grabbed Blossom’s elbow to haul her back up. “Let’s go.”

“Take it easy, sir,” Blossom said, and let Brick drag her along before the man could think to call security on them.

When they were out of earshot, Brick whirled on her like he was about to get scary, but she held up a hand for silence.

“Before you get mad, I was just trying to—”

His kiss was not as unexpected as she once may have thought it would be. Feverish, frantic, like a boy about to die in twenty-odd minutes, sure, but not unexpected. “Fuck, Blossom,” he panted when they parted for a breath.

Blossom’s heart swelled at his raw emotion on full display, as rare as it was true, and she almost lost herself in it. But they had work yet to do. She tucked his too-long bangs behind his ear.

“So, a lady who slumbers,” she said. “I’m guessing it’s a special statue.”

“A crypt sunk in umber,” Brick said, licking his lips. “A mausoleum, maybe.”

“That narrows it down, for sure. Must be older if it’s sinking.”

“I saw a map of the cemetery at the entrance.”

Blossom grinned and put her fist in the air. She fired a pink blaster that lit up the night sky and would summon their siblings soon. “Let’s check it out.”

He didn’t complain this time when she carried him on her back for a speedy trip back to the entrance and a quick check of the map. There were four mausoleums in the cemetery.

“Found something, Leader Girl?” Buttercup, Butch, Bubbles, and Robin were the first to catch up to the Reds, and Blossom filled them in just as Boomer returned with Mike.

“Four mausoleums? Sounds like we need to split up again,” Mike said.

“If you find anything, send a signal,” Brick said.

Chance. Brick’s and his brothers’ lives were up to the one-in-four chance that they would find the right crypt. All around them, Him’s lollipop laughter followed them like a demented poltergeist.

“This isn’t it!” Brick slammed a fist against the innermost tomb in their chosen mausoleum. “There’s nothing here.”

Blossom was about to respond to that when a bright, blue spark crackled in the air. Boomer and Mike had found something. “Hurry!”

The mausoleum Boomer and Mike had picked was guarded by a lichen-infested statue of a woman with angel wings in a bed of grassless, brown soil, so dark it could have been umber in daylight. Bubbles, Robin, and the Greens arrived soon after Blossom and Brick charged inside.

“Check it out.” Boomer indicated the innermost tomb carved with two crossed sabers.

“X marks the spot,” Mike said grimly. “Oh crap, it’s almost midnight!”

“Move!” Brick tried to push the crypt open, but it was too heavy for him, so Blossom helped. The heavy stone slab groaned when she pushed it, and a plume of foul, red smoke burst from the opening.

Him’s maniacal laughter rose with the smoke that swirled on the domed ceiling and opened two glowing eyes and a cheshire smile. “My my, cutting it a bit close, aren’t you?”

Bubbles shoved her phone at the unholy miasma. “It’s midnight! We beat your stupid deadline, see?”

“Bubbles, please don’t antagonize the ancient evil,” Robin whispered nervously.

“Technically, Blossom met the deadline since Brick was too weak to open the tomb,” Him crooned.

“You took my powers!” Brick said.

Him’s sinister smile fell. “Oh…did I? My bad. Here you go.”

The red smoke converged on Brick and passed through him with the force of a sword through the gut, and he collapsed to his knees in a circle of fire, gagging. Bubbles and Boomer were lightning fast as they swept Robin and Mike as far away from the conflagration as possible.

“Butch, shield!” Blossom commanded, and Buttercup shoved him so hard he tripped and crashed against his own hastily-erected shield bubble. It contained the explosion of power well enough to keep the mausoleum standing.

“Tsk tsk tsk, this won’t do. All I wanted was to play a little father-son game with you, and you had to drag your girlfriend into it. Parenting is so hard these days. I’ll just have to teach you boys a lesson.”

Blossom’s heart twisted. If Him was truly serious about killing Brick and his brothers, he would have to go through her first.

“Like hell,” Buttercup spat, her fists glowing green.

Brick got to his feet groggily. He looked like he just survived a bad case of seasickness.

Him burst out laughing. “Choice words, Buttercup. Now boys, time to pay the ultimate price!”

The tomb lid slid to the ground on unseen forces, revealing the horror within. Blossom readied her pink blasters, and her sisters did the same. Brick took one look in there and recoiled. “What the fuck—”

When no hellspawn burst from the tomb to attack, Blossom approached and peered over the edge. Inside were hundreds of polaroids of young children in dresses with their hair styled as they posed like Victorian paintings. Blossom reached for one.

Buttercup burst out laughing. “Holy shit, is this you?!” She had two polaroids in her hands as she flapped them in Butch’s face.

“Give me those!” Butch snarled.

“Wow,” Robin said, torn between hysteria and horror as she gawked at a picture of six-year-old Butch with bunny clips in his hair wearing a frilly white dress. “Wait until my therapist hears about this.”

In the picture Blossom had selected, Brick’s hair was expertly braided over his shoulder as he sat on a stone throne surrounded by candelabras and horned skulls in a flowing, white dress. He did not look happy to be there. He looked even less happy to behold this childhood shame years later.

“I burned those,” he said in a voice from beyond the grave to no one in particular.

“I made copies!” Him sang. “And now, all of Townsville will get to see you in your pageantry finest!”

“I’m gonna fucking kill you!” Butch screeched as Buttercup took off flying with a fistful of polaroids laughing her ass off. “Get back here!”

“You know, I think I look pretty cute in these, actually,” Boomer said.

Mike laughed. “Yeah, you totally do.”

“This is what you meant by paying the ultimate price?” Blossom asked the incorporeal demon head floating above them.

Him grinned. “Why, of course. Oh! You didn’t think I would murder my own sons, did you?”

The sinister glint in those yellow eyes told a very different story, one that may have ended poorly if she hadn’t forced Brick to involve her in whatever was going on.

Or maybe Him was just bored of his perpetual existence in a hellish void where a cute photoshoot with his re-spawned Super sons was the most exciting thing that had happened in a millennium, and he was feeling nostalgic.

The tomb erupted in flames all of a sudden when Brick breathed fire over all the polaroids.

Bubbles gasped. “Brick! Those were a work of art, how could you?!”

Brick glared at her with glowing, red eyes. “We’re never speaking of this again. Give me those.” He snatched the photos Robin was holding and burned them too.

Blossom hastily pocketed the picture she’d nabbed of baby Brick before he could notice.

Him disappeared in a swirl of smoke and laughter. “Happy Halloween! Remember to brush your teeth…”

“I can’t believe I came all the way here for this,” Robin said. “Literally, the weirdest shit is always happening to you guys. Can we just have a normal Halloween, like, one time? Just once?”

Boomer laughed. “Tall order, Robin.”

A loud explosion outside told Blossom the Greens’ fighting was going too far, as usual.

“Brick? What’re you doing?” Blossom asked as she and the others followed him outside.

“Helping Butch destroy the evidence your sister stole.” He took off in a blaze of red.

“What a killjoy,” Bubbles pouted.

Blossom bit her lip and revealed her pilfered polaroid. Bubbles’ smile turned downright sinister as she greedily snatched it. “Blossom, I love you.”

“That’s for emergencies only. I mean it, or he’ll kill me.”

Boomer threw an arm around her shoulders and grinned. “Nah, he’d never turn on his girlfriend.”

Bubbles gasped. “Oh my gosh, you’re right!”

Blossom flushed. “But we’re not exactly—”

“Him said it, so it’s gotta be official by now,” Boomer teased.

“Ooh, true. There’s nothing more official than a primordial force of chaos acknowledging your relationship status,” Mike said.

“Hey, you damn kids! You’re not supposed to be here!” shouted the no-longer-possessed groundskeeper from before. He had a shovel that he shook at Brick, Butch, and Buttercup locked in a game of cat and mouse as the brothers tried to reclaim the evidence of their dignity.

“Time to go,” Blossom said.

“Hey, party at Todd’s?” Mike asked.

“Great idea!” Bubbles chirped as she gave Robin a leg up onto her back.

As Blossom found herself back at the same party where she’d begun the night on the sofa next to Buttercup regaling everyone who would listen with the story of Butch’s child beauty pageant past (sans evidence because Brick had managed to burn it, unfortunately), she found her gaze drawn back to Brick. He was up getting them drinks, his haircut cleaned up thanks to Boomer, snickering at something Mike had said.

“Blossom, where are you going?” Bubbles asked when she got up.

“Just going to talk to Brick,” she said. “Officially.”

Bubbles lit up and grabbed the nearest hand to crush her feelings into, which happened to be Butch’s. “What the—ow, woman, let go!”

Brick saw her coming and stared at her growing smile like the baffled teenager he was underneath it all. With all their friends’ eyes on her, she walked right up to him and kissed him in front of everyone.

Let them see, she thought. Let anyone who was watching and biding their time to strike see, and let them try.

Lyrical laughter echoed somewhere on the edges of hearing over their friends’ laudatory cheers and loud calls for celebratory shots, but Blossom tuned it out as she smiled into her kiss.

xxx

Like Boomer, I am a sap who loves a happy ending. Reds are finally official in this AU?! Took us long enough. Also, I always saw Him as this weird dichotomy of ancient murder-y evil and chaotic good mom. I feel like trolling the Boys would be a favorite past time of his. Might write more Him in the future and explore that more.

Happy Halloween y’all. Get spooky, and stay safe!

#Powerpuff Girls #Blossick #Reds #Blossom #Brick #powerpuff girls fanfic #powerpufftober #powerpufftober 2020 #february fic prompts #ppg shook

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rebecaca · 3 years

Text

always | eijirou kirishima

pairing: eijirou x reader

contains: fluff to angst to fluff, sfw

!songfic¡ song: always by panic at the disco

=====

when the world gets too heavy, put it on my back. i'll be your levy.

for as long as you can remember, had you been in any danger, eijirou was the first person you called out for. though you'd never admit to it, your parents never let you forget about how when you were seven, there was a spider in your room and you screamed for eijirou to come help.

his helping hand was always available to you, whether it be pulling you back to your feet after tripping in a puddle or lending you his umbrella on rainy days, even if that meant getting soaked himself.

you are taking me apart like bad glue on a get-well card.

puppy love. being in elementary school, dating wasn't really something you could call your relationship with eijirou, but friends wouldn't exactly fit either. zoning out in class thinking about how he pushed you on the swings and how he always let you hide in hide-n-seek wasn't an uncommon occurrence. twirling your pen around your fingers, dreamy (e/c) stared out the window and your mind was anywhere but lessons.

it was always you falling for me, now there's always time calling for me. i'm the light blinking at the end of the road, blink back to let me know.

as your last year of middle school came to end, it became almost worrisome how much eijirou stressed over his own quirk and his UA application. you were always more than willing to provide genuine words of encouragement, but as time went on, he seemed to become immune to them. as time went on, he spent less and less time talking to you and more time training and working out. as time went on, you became a memory to him.

i'm a fly that's trapped in a web, but i'm thinking that my spider's dead.

chasing after eijirou was a game that was rigged from the start. the summer after eighth grade, communication with him was scarce and practically impossible. you began growing accustomed to "read" and "seen", and even managed to make yourself believe that these were good things. at least he was opening your messages, right? at least that meant he was safe? that summer was spent with restless nights and puffy eyes, and the the insidious feeling of loneliness creeping up on you. "wait for me," he'd always tell you. but waiting on him felt like staring at a casket, waiting for the corpse to sit back up and tell everyone it's all going to be okay. saying it out loud was too painful to bear, but it was becoming increasingly obvious that eijirou had moved on from you.

lonely, lonely little life, i could kid myself in thinking that i'm fine.

as the cold weather set in, it found a way to seep into your body and mind. some may call it foolish, letting losing a childhood friend affect your mental state this severely. but eijirou wasn't just a childhood friend; you loved him. finding new companions wasn't hard at all, but no matter how much you tried, you couldn't bring yourself to have romantic feelings for anyone. eijirou had consumed so much of your heart that when he faded out of your life, it seemed that he took it with him. any flash of long, black hair that caught the corner of your eye made your heart skip a beat, only to be overwhelmed with disappointment when the face was anything but familiar.

it was always you falling for me, now there's always time calling for me. i'm the light blinking at the end of the road,

heartache, or rather lack of feeling at all in your heart turned out to be temporary. of course, you accepted the fact that you would never be able to love anyone else the way you loved eijirou. but quick, shallow-rooted relationships were a fun pass time. high school went by in a blur, and by the time you walked the stage with your cap and gown, eijirou was but an afterthought. ultimately, your focus was your future. a career in medicine awaited you, and you stopped for no one. sure, on nights where you snuck your parents' alcohol into your room and made stupid decisions, his bright eyed smile brought tears down your cheeks. but that was in your drunken stupor. you had bigger things to worry about now.

blink back to let me know that i'm skin and bone, just a cane and a rusty throne.

off-balance footsteps echoed through the dim alleyway as the drunk pre-med stumbled home. being intoxicated and alone in a big city was far from safe or smart, but your shitty friends had ditched you after a long night at the bar. "it's okay, i'm not that drunk. i'll be fine. i just need to make it home," you repeated to yourself, words slurring into a mess only you could understand. after using the rough brick walls of buildings for support, blisters formed on your palms and your stomach turned every which way, causing you to stop dead in your tracks before vomiting on the ground the contents of everything you'd consumed in the past day. in the midst of your hurling, a hand tapped cautiously on your shoulder before offering you support. in any other situation, this would've startled you and caused you to jump back out of reflex, but the alcohol flowing through your body dulled your senses and you didn't even notice it at first. with a final cough, the bile had successfully exited your body and you stood back up straight to look at the person who'd lent you brace. eyes still not adjusted to the dark, you could make out a boy around your age, with spiky red hair and...a hero costume? his face presented a sympathetic smile that was only slightly twisted with disgust. you couldn't blame him, though, for you'd just thrown up all over yourself. as his gaze lingered on you for a second longer, a noticeable change in demeanor rocked his body. the smile transformed into pure shock, leaving his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide. confused, you knit your brows together and muttered, "huh?" he drew his hand back and thought hard on what to say, initially being at a total loss of words.

"is, um, is your name (y/n)?" he questioned. his voice was warm, not raising any red flags in your mind despite his knowing your name.

"yes, i-i mean, no? how do you know my name?" your words were shaky and slurred, but being in the presence of a man whilst you were drunk subconsciously pulled your mind closer to sobriety. the man's expression softened, and a small smile returned to his features.

"oh, you probably don't recognize me. but i'm a pro hero, so you don't have anything to worry about. let's get you home."

the last thing you remember before passing out was allowing him to take you home, and him removing your shoes and jewelry before placing you down on the couch. his eyes lingered on your figure for a quick minute before he silently slipped out the door, leaving you confused yet thankful.

oh the castle's under siege, but the sign outside says, "leave me alone."

your heartbeat sounded like a hummingbird from how fast it pounded against your chest. your hands cupped the warm mug sitting on the table as your eyes darted around the cafe, hoping to see tufts of red hair make their way through the door. after being walked home by that pro hero, you woke up to a note on your coffee table with a phone number and a message that read, "call me when you get the chance. please." it was strange, definitely. but he practically steered you out of harms way while you were in a vulnerable state, so you kind of owed him one. the chiming sound of the door's bells snapped you out of your thoughts and your gaze caught on the man who walked through the door. bingo. once he caught sight of you, he wasted no time sitting in the seat across from you. he was still wearing a hero costume, so apparently he was legit. he opened his mouth to speak but failed to find anything to say, instead settling on fiddling with his thumbs and looking down at the table. a small sigh escaped your lips as you realized you'd have to make the first move.

"thanks for walking me home last night. i appreciate it, really. but why did you ask to meet me here?"

he stared down for a few moments more before raising his head to look at you, and for a split second you swore his eyes were glossed with tears.

"do you remember me..? at all?"

his words caught you off guard, but you studied his features, trying to entertain the idea that you might know him. as both of your gazes met, your heart practically stopped. a pit dropped in your stomach and your hands started shaking. is it..? no, it couldn't be. he'd forgotten about you. but those eyes...

"e-eijirou..?" your voice cracked.

his face twisted into a sad smile and he nodded, and that was enough to send tears flooding down your face as you stared at the light of your childhood. a hand flew to your mouth, trying to conceal your sobs in the busy cafe. you tried to speak, but any words that attempted to come out got caught in the back of the throat. eijirou reached a hand across the table, and you hesitantly took it. the feeling of his skin against yours after all these years was like electricity, his touch that once grounded and rooted you to earth now made you feel like you were walking a tightrope.

"let's, uh, go back to my place, maybe? and talk? but i understand if you'd rather not-"

you didn't need to be told twice. you stood up and pulled him from his seat, and taking the hint he led you out the door and to his car. he opened the door for you and sat down, still completely shaken by the fact that he'd somehow found his way back into your life.

eijirou entered the other side and started the car, and the silence between the both of you brewed a tension thicker than oil.

"so, um, what are you doing now? like for a job, or college i mean." his voice cut through the air like a knife, and sent shivers down your spine at the realness of it all.

"i'm a premed student." you replied, slightly more composed than earlier. eijirou nodded in response, pleasantly surprised.

"what kind of doctor do you want to be?" he asked.

you looked over at him for a second, smiling softly at his curiosity. his voice, body, and even hair had all undergone drastic changes, but his personality seemed to remain the same. some things never change.

"pediatrics."

he nodded once more in response, and you chuckled under your breath.

"do you know what that means?"

and with that, the heaviness in the atmosphere lifted. he let out a nervous laugh and shook his head no.

"nope, not a clue."

you smiled down at your lap.

"pediatrics means children. i'm going to be a doctor for children." eijirou had never been the brightest.

his eyes softened and sent a smile of admiration your way. your heart fluttered and a warmness grew in your cheeks. he was just as beautiful as you remembered.

idle chatter occupied the rest of the car ride back to his house. while you were busy studying to be a doctor, he had been in the streets fighting villains and saving lives, and his home reflected that. being a pro hero must have great pay, because with your part time job as a receptionist, you could barely afford a small one bedroom apartment.

"wow...we're literally both twenty two, how are able to afford this??" you joked. he laughed while parking the car and got out before you to open your door once again. you were proud of him for turning out to be a gentleman; the guys at your college could never, you'd be lucky if they even texted you after hookups. leading you to the front door, he held it open and beckoned you inside, and you looked around at the living room. the inside wasn't very fancy, it was more so cozy and your shoulders relaxed as your senses were overwhelmed with his scent. he closed the door behind him and sat down on the sofa, you following suit while continuing to let your eyes wander around his home. he looked at you nervously, unsure of what you were going to say.

"i...i'm sorry." he muttered. your gaze met his once again and you let out a deep breath. it was nice reuniting with him, but you knew that sooner or later it would have to be brought up how he abandoned you.

"sorry for what?" your tone was sharp, dissimilar to your nervous and timid voice from the car ride. you turned your body to face him, and he lowered his eyes out of shame. his cheeks were tinted with red as he didn't even attempt to make eye contact.

"i got so caught up with becoming stronger that i didn't make time for you, a-and once i got into UA, it felt like i had no free time to meet up...but i know that's not an excuse."

you closed your eyes and swallowed, trying with everything in you to remain cool and level-headed. but when he choked out a teary-eyed, "i'm sorry", you couldn't hold it in anymore. your cheeks were already soaked as you lunged at him, wrapping your arms around his torso for dear life. he encased your frame in a tight embrace, burying his face into the crook of your neck. the two of you stayed like that for a moment, sobbing like babies. you were the first to pull back, but you still kept two hands on his waist.

"please, be honest with me eijirou. if you don't plan on keeping me in your life, we should just say our goodbyes right now and i'll leave, because i-i don't think i can handle you walking out on me again."

your words caught him off guard and he took in a soft gasp.

"what are you talking about, (y/n)? of course i want to keep you in my life. i know i made a horrible mistake, and i don't think a million apologies would ever be enough to fix that. but i wouldn't have brought you here if i didn't want to keep you by my side..."

he paused.

"i love you, (y/n). i always have, i never stopped loving you."

it was always you falling for me, now there's always time calling for me. i'm the light blinking at the end of the road, blink back to let me know.

as a little girl, you'd always dreamed of walking down the aisle with eijirou standing at the altar waiting for you, but never in a million years could you imagine all the events that would happen in between. that was in the past, though. arm linked with your father's, you slowly walked down the aisle while butterflies danced in your stomach. eijirou stood at the altar, looking unbelievably handsome in his black suit. tears rolled down his face as he watched you, in utter disbelief at how beautiful you looked and how amazingly lucky he was to be with you. once you were finally stood across from him, you both read your vows and placed the rings on each other's fingers. the deep voice of the preacher hit you like a train as he announced, "i now pronounce you man and wife."

your lips eagerly found their way to his as applause and "aww"s rang out from the family and friends who'd been invited.

blink back to let me know (it was always you.)

as eijirou stared into the darkness of the bedroom, he felt nothing but content and peace. with his beautiful wife clinging onto his right side and his four year old daughter asleep on his chest, no amount of joy he had ever felt in life could compare to this. all of his best days put together couldn't even come close. as his eyelids grew heavy and he drifted to sleep, one thought and one thought only occupied his mind.

it was always you.

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mthofferings2020 · 4 years

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nostalgicatsea

See nostalgicatsea’s existing works here and here.

Preferred contact methods: Tumblr: nostalgicatsea Twitter: nostalgicatsea Discord: nostalgicatsea#5251

Preferred organizations: - Equal Justice Initiative - Ghetto Film School - National Immigration Law Center - St. Jude Children's Research Hospital - World Central Kitchen (See the list of approved organizations here)

Will create works that contain: Tropes/elements: character studies, angst, soulmates, slow burn, mutual or one-sided pining, self-sacrifice, amnesia, time travel, reincarnation, fake relationship, relationship of convenience, hurt/comfort, de-aging, dream world, presumed dead, temporary or permanent death, post-breakup, getting together, getting back together, post-Infinity War to post-Endgame, substance abuse and recovery, grief/mourning, parental/child and mentor/mentee relationships, friendship over the years, Tony’s family issues, dark Steve, pre-serum Steve AUs: canon-divergent (I like sticking to canon as much as possible, though), mafia/gangster, magic, sports, non-powered, high school or college, supernatural, horror, sci-fi, etc. I love AUs! For writing, I tend to focus on one specific moment or a series of small moments, feelings, and relationships more than action-packed plots.

Will not create works that contain: I’m up for most things except some extreme kinks, incest, mpreg, infidelity, adult/minor romantic relationships, and partner abuse in a ship. I don’t have any triggers. If you want me to elaborate on my do-not-wants or have a trope, kink, or plot point that you’re not sure I’ll be okay with, please contact me beforehand. Betaing: A/B/O, D/S, OOC, PWPs, OCs, self-inserts, tooth-rotting fluff without plot, Darcy-centric fics, unbalanced CW plots. I’m not that fond of coffeeshop, apocalypse, zombie, and vampire AUs, but I can help with them Writing: A/B/O, D/S, poly, comedy, complicated plots, crack, 100% pure fluff/domestic plots, kidfic (unless it’s canon), AUs that require a lot of specific knowledge (e.g., historical AUs or military AUs), reality TV AU, zombie AU, animal transformation, unbalanced CW plots, Hydra Steve

-- Fic or Other Writing --

Auction ID: 1280

Will create works for the following relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark - AvAc, MCU, Noir Bucky Barnes/Sam Wilson - MCU James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark - MCU Carol Danvers/Maria Rambeau - MCU James "Rhodey" Rhodes/Sam Wilson - MCU Nebula & Tony Stark - MCU Steve Rogers & Natasha Romanov - MCU Natasha Romanov & Tony Stark - MCU Carol Danvers & Nick Fury - MCU Nick Fury & Maria Rambeau - MCU

Work Description: This fic will probably be 1.5–3k. It’s possible that it may end up longer (this was the case with my Stony Trumps Hate and MTH 2018 fics), but I can’t make any promises. It might take me a while to finish it as I’m slow at writing and RL keeps me busy, so please keep that in mind when bidding. MCU is my usual playground overall, but for Steve/Tony specifically, I’ve written Noir and AvAc too. I'm very interested in writing canon-compliant fics or fics set in canon, especially ones that act like snapshots of the characters at a specific time in their lives or a character/relationship study, but I do love AUs as well. I would appreciate it if you gave me several prompts, both general and specific, to choose from as that will increase the likelihood of the story being finished faster and lessen the likelihood of me getting writer’s block. If you have any questions of what I will and won’t write, don’t hesitate to reach out to me!

Ratings: Gen, Teen

CLICK HERE TO BID ON THIS WORK

-- Beta Service --

Auction ID: 2104

Will create works for the following relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark - Any Universe Bucky Barnes/Sam Wilson - MCU Carol Danvers/Maria Rambeau - MCU James "Rhodey" Rhodes/Sam Wilson - MCU Iron Man fandom any gen - 616, AvAc, MCU Captain America fandom any gen - 616, AvAc, MCU Avengers fandom any gen - 616, AvAc, EMH, MCU Captain Marvel fandom any gen - MCU Black Panther fandom any gen - MCU Nick Fury/Alexander Pierce - MCU

Work Description: I can help with SPaG/copyediting, pacing, sentence structure, continuity, and America-picking, and I particularly love discussing characterization, world building, plot, and character development. I love character and relationship studies and contemplative pieces that dive deeply into who the characters are and how they feel, but I also like plots that tackle serious issues or big canon points, complex plots, and plots with multiple layers/levels. Turnaround depends on fic length and my schedule. I’m relatively fast, but if something comes up, I’ll let you know immediately. If you need references, I’ve betaed and acted as a sounding board for several writers such as aslightstep, captainshellhead/vibraniumstark, gil-estel, Kiyaar, laireshi, Sineala, and Woad. Notes on relationships: I’m willing to beta some ships along with gen/platonic ones for the fandoms listed above. Notes on characters: There are some characters whom I’m not that fond of or interested in (for example, Darcy Lewis). I’m open to betaing almost anything, provided they follow my wants/DNWs, even with characters I’m less keen about/don’t care for, but feel free to contact me if you have questions about this. Notes on universes: For 616 and Ults, I’ll only do an AU or a story that doesn’t rely heavily on canon events. I’ve only watched a handful of AA episodes. I’m open to Noir, AvAc, 3490, EMH, AA, and 1872 for Steve/Tony as well.

Ratings: Gen, Teen, Mature

CLICK HERE TO BID ON THIS WORK

-- Digital Work --

Auction ID: 3039

Will create works for the following relationships: Steve Rogers/Tony Stark - Any Universe Iron Man fandom any gen - 616, AvAc, EMH, MCU, Noir Captain America fandom any gen - 616, AvAc, EMH, MCU Avengers fandom any gen - 616, 1872, AvAc, EMH, MCU Spider-Man fandom any gen - MCU, SM:ITS Black Panther fandom any gen - MCU Thor fandom any gen - MCU Captain Marvel fandom any gen - 616, MCU Agent Carter fandom any gen - MCU Luke Cage fandom any gen - MCU

Work Description: Examples: - https://nostalgicatsea.tumblr.com/tagged/my-graphics - http://nostalgicatsea.tumblr.com/post/172978178409/leaving-promises-against-your-skin-186k-soulmate I’m offering a moodboard for a character(s) or a fic of your choice (no NSFW shots) according to the theme or tone you want. I’m up for all gen and most ships for the fandoms listed above with a few exceptions. If you have any questions, please contact me! You’ll get your moodboard in 1–3 weeks, depending on whether I need to read a fic or not and how packed my schedule is. If the winning bid reaches $20, I'll make two moodboards. For every $10 after that, I'll throw in an extra moodboard.

Ratings: Gen, Teen, Mature

CLICK HERE TO BID ON THIS WORK

The auction runs from October 18 (12 AM ET) to October 24 (11:59:59 PM ET). Visit marveltrumpshate.com during Auction Week to view all of our auctions and to place your bids!

#nostalgicatsea #auction: fic #auction: beta #auction: digital #mth 2020

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majingojira · 4 years

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Spider-Man Real-Time Aging Timeline

I’ve been asked to get on my crazy again with this, this time for Spider-Man. Well, here goes and boy, this is about to get WEIRD! A lot of this IS based on Spider-Man: Life Story, so if you are wondering about something, refer to that.

Because there’s a LOT of Spider-Man events out there, I couldn’t include them all without going totally nuts. If you have a question about them, ask! Though beware, “The writers made that up” is a possible explanation. 1946 - Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson, Jessica Drew, Luke Cage, “Flash” Thompson, and Gwen Stacy born. 1947 - Peter’s Parents die under somewhat mysterious circumstances. His Aunt May and Uncle Ben Parker take him in.

1950 - Julia Carpenter born. 1962 - Peter Parker, 16 years old, invents a quick-drying temporary adhesive with properties similar to spider silk as an entry in a science fair (with hopes of catching someone’s eye to sell the invention to in order to aid his aunt and uncle). Unfortunately, one of the other entries was a might volatile and explodes. Peter is caught in the blast radius and injured. Worse, while on the ground an escaped Tarantula bites his hand in its panic. Peter recovers, but the incident was quite traumatic, and he associated everything that followed with that spider.

When he recovers, he finds himself stronger, faster, and tougher than he was before, and more ‘aware’ of his surroundings. Worse, he was ‘seeing’ things before they happened. He doesn’t know what to do with these abilities at first but is inspired by seeing the masked wrestler El Santo perform on TV. He hits on the idea of fighting for money with a masked identity. It goes rather well, but we know how this song and dance goes by now.

After his, he invents gloves and boots to better help him climb across surfaces, as well as web-shooters for ranged entrapment. He soon figured out web-swinging from there. And thus, Spider-Man was born! But what did cause his powers to awaken? It goes back a few hundred years. One of the greatest swordsmen of all time was a man named Zatoichi. Upon learning of this man, one of the greatest criminal masterminds of all time (Fu Manchu) attempted to re-create this man’s skills. This eventually led to the creation of the Nanjin, a sect of Warrior Monks who ritually blinded themselves to “See With the Heart”. Over time, The Devil Doctor did his best to be eugenic about the subject, but random mutation is going to random. Peter Parker his the jackpot with his genes. Upon suffering a horrendous injury, an epigenetic response kicked in and he became as they were--more in fact with an enhanced musculature and reaction time on top of it. How strong is he? Well, starting out, he was a very athletic human, far more so for his size and weight. After fighting and working out for a few years, he could give some species of vampire a go without much problem. Especially with his “spider-sense”.

And yes, Daredevil is a trained Nanjin. Obviously.

Also, this year, Jessica Drew is the only survivor of a car crash into a chemical truck that kills her family. With no one to watch her, she is kidnapped and experimented on by HYDRA. 1962-1966 - Many of Spider-Man’s classic rogues appear in this timeframe. Notable oddities about them based on what people assume are as follows: Vulture’s ‘flight harness’ was based on the old Doc Savage designed Rocket Pack, most famously employed by the Rocketeer (Cliff Seacord) back in the Late 30s/Early 40s; Otto Octavius is a Cthulhu Cultist; The Sandman is a person who absorbed a juvenile Founder/Changeling and gained some semblance of their shapeshifting abilities; The Lizard is likely tied to the experiments which created the “Alligator Man” of Bayou Landing (The Alligator People); Electro is one of several known “Electrical Mutants” -- people who were born with an electro-kinetic ability.

1964 - Norman Osborn becomes the Green Goblin.

1965 - Peter Parker meets Mary Jane Watson and Gwen Stacy.

1966 - Flash Thompson goes to Vietnam.

1969 - The death of George Stacy, Gwen Stacy’s Father.

1972 - Giant-Size Spider-Man #2 - Spider-Man and Shang-Chi team up against Shang’s Father, Fu Manchu.

Peter Parker marries Gwen Stacy. 1973 - Giant-Size Spide-Man #1 - Spider-Man tangles with (a) Dracula.

1974 - Giant-Size Spider-Man #3 - Spider-Man helps resolve a case started by Doc Savage in 1934.

Flash Thompson comes back from Vietnam with a wife, Sha-Shan Nguyen-Thompson, but without his legs.

Jessica Drew escapes Hydra’s indoctrination and tries to make headway as a hero on her own as “Spider-Woman”. It does not go well.

1975 - Marvel Team-Up #36-37 - Spider-Man meets Frankenstein’s Monster. Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man - Spider-Man is tricked into fighting the legendary Superman by the machinations of Otto Octavius and Lex Luthor. They eventually team up and stop the malcontents. 1976 - Jessica Drew decides to re-invent herself as the heroine “Jewel” since her powers really have very little to do with Spiders. 1977 - Professor Miles Warren’s plan of making Gwen Stacy his own via “cloning” is exposed by the ‘new’ Green Goblin, Harry Osborn. Unfortunately, tat technology is over a decade away, and his “Clone” is more “Human Meat Puppet” and rather horrifying. In the conflagration/confrontation, he and Gwen Stacy are killed. Harry Osborn disappears for a time... Mary Jane Watson-Osborn and Peter Parker comfort each other over their mutual losses.

Jessica Drew finds herself under the thrall of a mind-mage known as “The Purple Man.” The thrall is eventually broken, but though she manages to recover, it leaves scars.

1978 - Marvel Team-Up #79 - Thanks to a mystical malady, Spider-Man battles Kulan Gath, and things could have ended up badly for him, if not for the revelation that Mary-Jane Watson was a descendant of Red Sonja of Hyrkania. Touching an artifact allowed the She-Devil to manifest in the present and aid Spider-Man in taking down her ancient foe.

Spider-Man first encounters the blind seer Madame Web.

Birth of Samuel Thompson to Flash and Sha-Shan Thompson.

Jessica Drew takes up two new identities, Knightress (for about 5 minutes) and Jessica Jones to distance herself from what happened.

1980 - Marvel Treasury Edition #28 - Spider-Man manages to accidentally thwart the plans of Doctor Doom, to turn the monster known as Parasite into a massive energy storage device after it drained the life force from the Hulk, Superman, and Wonder Woman.

Secret War - Spider-Man is one of the many people invited to this decade’s Mortal Kombat tournament. Unfortunately for Shao Khan, so is Superman (Clark Kent), and he utterly wrecks the event, making the whole thing a wash, forcing Shao Khan to wait another decade to continue his win streak. The monstrous being known as “Venom” follows Spider-Man from Outworld. One of the people taken in by this is a survivor of “The Shop”, Julia Carpenter. Taking a cue from Spider-Man, she dubs herself Spider-Woman (II).

Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson marry.

Mattie Franklin born.

1981 - Marvel Team-Up #111-112 - Spider-Man has a time-traveling adventure featuring King Kull, battling against Valusian Serpent-Men. Marvel Team-Up Annual #5 - Spider-Man has more adventures with the Serpent-Men and their ancient enemies, Kull and Conan.

1982 - The monster “Venom” reveals himself. Its first host is Eddie Brock.

May “Mayday” Parker is born.

1983 - The Venom creature spawns, creating the horror known as Carnage. It goes on to spawn more Symbiotes. Jessica Jones has a child with Luke Cage (Daniel Cage) and later marries him. 1984 - Spider-Man and Batman: Disordered Minds - Spider-Man and Batman (III) team-up.

Kraven’s Last Hunt occurs.

Cindy Moon, the grandaughter of Flash Thompson, born.

1985 - Batman/Spider-Man - Batman and Spider-Man team up once again.

1988 - Anya Corazon born.

1990 - Julia Carpenter retires as Spider-Woman, Madame Web begins recruiting her as a replacement for herself.

1991 - Richard Wentworth jr., the descendant of the pulp-era anti-hero known as The Spider takes to the streets, and takes umbrage with the ‘pretender’ that is Peter Parker. He and Peter clash several times over the next few years, and the comic industry uses the presence of a ‘second Spider” to inflate the “Clone Saga” to ridiculous levels.

Thanks to developments from InGen being stolen when the company was liquidated in 1990, Efforts to Clone Spider-Man go forward under multiple groups. The results are nicknamed “Kaine” but artificial again technology doesn’t exist, so it wouldn’t bear fruit for many years.

1993 - May Parker Sr. passes away.

1995 - Richard Wentworth jr. goes to more volatile places around the world to sate his bloodlust.

Miles Morales born.

1996 - Gwen Stacy (II), niece of Gwen Stacy (via Gabriel Stacy) is born.

Mattie Franklin, a half-demon with arachnid affinities decided to become “Spider-Woman”. Her desire to prove herself causes quite a few problems.

1998 - Mayday Parker has her first outing as Spider-Girl under her parent's noses. After a few of these outings, she catches Mattie Franklin’s attention, who challenges her to a “Title Fight.” Mattie loses and chooses to go by “The Scarlet Spider” for a time afterward.

Benjamin Parker is born to Peter and Mary Jane Parker.

Cindy Moon is identified by the Nanjin and is kidnapped for ‘training’ by them. She ends up with a similar condition to Peter Parker.

2000 - Peter Parker retires from being Spider-Man and working Biotech to become a teacher at his old High School. Mayday Parker takes over properly as Spider-Girl.

2003 - Anya Corazon is kidnapped by the tattered remains of the organization known as Shocker and partly transformed into a quasi-magical cyborg super-soldier by them. She is rescued before she could be brainwashed by Kamen Rider (Kamen Rider Spirits). She takes her new ‘gift’ and becomes known as “Arana”, though people often call her “The Other Spider-Girl” to both her and Mayday’s annoyance.

2004 - Mattie Franklin dies battling drug-runners.

2005 - Samuel Thompson becomes bonded to the “Venom” Symbiot (or a facsimile thereof) by the U.S. Government. Dubbed “Agent Venom” he works with them as he furthers his military career.

Julia Carpenter takes over formally as Madame Web on the original’s passing.

2009 - Miles Morales is bitten by a spider carrying an attempt to create a retroviral payload to make Nanjin Adepts. He nearly dies from the venom, but it works -- with an added perk or two.

2011 - Miles Morales becomes Spider-Man with Peter and May’s blessings.

Kaine Parker reveals his existence to Peter, but more out of obligation, as he’d rather be left alone. He is not, thanks to mystical shenanigans. Even moving to Huston doesn’t help in that regard. He dubs himself “The Scarlet Spider”.

2012 - Cindy Moon escapes the Nanjin order and goes to “Spider-Man” to help. Mayday Parker does her best to get her settled after over a decade in isolation.

2013 - The “Ghost Spider” appears, and is eventually revealed to be Gwen Stacy (II), niece and namesake of the Gwen Stacy Peter knew. She is ‘accepted’ by the family, but has been through quite a lot and is often chastised for making bad decisions.

2018 - Miles Morales has his mind swapped with that of the extremely aged Otto Octavius via a dark ritual.

2019 - Miles Morales is freed of Otto’s domination of his mind. However, the Grand-Nephew of Otto Octavius (name currently unknown) begins causing him problems, dubbing himself the “Superior Spider-Man.”

#Spider-Man #Chronology #Timeline #Peter Parker #Mary Jane Watson #Crossover #Crossover Timeline #Miles Morales #Anya Corazon #Cindy Moon #Kaine Parker #Jessica Drew #Jessica Jones #Gwen Stacy #Ghost Spider #Julia Carpenter

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