#like the most well known superhero is an alien

[creative-caramel-coffee]

The Spiders Sister - Chapter 1

Summary: Reader gets caught hiding out in the avengers tower. In the end it turns out for the best.

TW: non-sexual nudity, illness, fainting, swearing

Words: 4.1K

A/n: Super long first chapter

маленький паук – Little Spider

It defiantly wasn’t part of your life plan to be living with your bother again in your adulthood.

You had spent an excellent few months on your own having finally moved out of May Parker’s apartment, it had been perfect. Well … as perfect as life could be for a parker.

Then … you guessed it … parker luck struck again. There was a huge fight, one you had been itching to join but your brother, peter parker, had it covered. And since nobody knew that you sometimes wore the spider-man suit when peter wasn’t able to, it would all be over if two Spider-Man’s ended up fighting some of the weird aliens that had invaded New York.

You see, you and your brother had more in common than most siblings did. Peter parker had been bitten by a radioactive spider on a school trip as was known to a few people. But, at the same time, you had been eighteen and chaperoning the field trip.

When peter had snuck off to the side you had gone after him. When he was bitten, so were you.

But for now, you had decided to try and stay away from the superhero lifestyle. But when the itch came, peter lent you his suit so you could scratch it.

You had helped him refine his web-fluid and had your own web shooters as well as one of his old suits just in case. May knew about you and peter after finding out a while ago. However, peter and you had kept everything about your existence from the avengers so you could live a semi-normal life. At least for now.

But the day the avengers were fighting off the aliens, New York had taken some heavy damage. You had been running a small illustration business out of your apartment in queens. Your apartment … which was now levelled in the fight was gone. Along with your business.

Since you had moved out young, May only had one spare bedroom in her apartment which peter was occupying. Leaving the Parker’s with one option.

As peter had a room in the avenger's tower, you could stay there or with aunt may. Peter being Peter didn’t want to ask tony if he could stay in the tower for the unforeseeable future without arousing questions. So, you had been secretly living in the tower for about three days now.

Peter brought you food and had bribed Jarvis to keep your existence a secret. You had his old suit if you wanted to leave the tower, you could swing away instead of walking through the building and getting caught.

It was a pretty solid plan and it had been working pretty well. Until the day you got sick.

Peters' bedroom in the tower was on the floor with the other avengers, meaning you had to be somewhat quiet so Natasha, clint or the others didn’t find you. But it had begun to get colder out, and Peters old suit didn’t have a heater. It had been made before tony had found out spiders, including peter and yourself, can't thermoregulate. And swinging around New York without a heater in the nippy winter air had left you with a pretty nasty cold.

Unlike peter your powers didn’t give you super healing. In fact, your powers differed from peters in more ways than one. For one thing you had small fangs which you could retract, they didn’t do much, but they were cool, and peter was mildly jealous. Another thing was you had taken on aspects of jumping spiders as you could jump higher due to your super strength and some weird spider quality peter lacked.

Like peter the bit had given your excellent eyesight, increased metabolism, a lack of thermoregulation, the weird sticky thing, the spider sense and super strength and the allergy to peppermint. But due to sharing the suit anytime you went out as “Spider-Man” you had to refrain from using your own unique powers, so you didn’t give anything away.

The thermoregulating thing may have finally come back to bite you now that you were in peters old suit. After taking one of his patrols for him so he could finish his assignment and you could get out of his room in the tower, the cold had made you sick. Heres the thing about having a high metabolism when you don’t have an increased healing factor. It went one of two ways. Either you had flash colds which were taken care of quickly and at a much faster rate than the average human, or if it was stronger than your immune system, it was quickly made into a bigger problem than it should have been due to your body processing things faster and speeding up its strength.

Anytime this had happened in the past, due to not being able to go to a regular hospital, you had thanked the gods for May choosing a career in nursing. Though she had been able to treat you superficially with regular medicine and not anything made for super soldiers or spiders as that was a Bruce banner specialty that was unique to the tower's med bay. So, you often just had to ride it out and if things got really bad, peter would try and smuggle you some of his medicine out of the tower for you.

So, this is where you ended up. Curled up in Peters bed in the tower, stifling rough sounding coughs into his pillow and making a mental note to wash his sheets soon. You were doing your best to remain quiet and not alert either of the super spies to your presence or any of the other avengers. You thanked Thor that only you and peter had super hearing which meant you could usually tell if someone was in the halls.

Feeling miserable you buried yourself further into the sheets and shivered, it was so cold but in reality, you probably had a high fever. Your lungs let out a wheezing noise whenever you exhaled, and you were beginning to think maybe your asthma was back. Unlike peter you had not been so lucky as to have had it cured by the bite.

Your asthma puffer was one of the few things that survived your apartment being destroyed. As you laid in bed feeling awful you thought back to that day.

You thanked the gods you had been out at the time. You had gone to a coffee shop downtown with your sketchbook, laptop and usual things you took out, including a range of art supplies and of course your emergency puffer which peter had managed to smuggle out which had doses that worked with your metabolism.

You were broken from your daydreams as another harsh coughing fit wracked your body. From what you could hear nobody was in the halls, but you did your best to keep quiet regardless. The wheezing that trailed after each breath was getting worse and your lungs were feeling tight.

You had been trying to use the puffer sparingly so it didn’t run out because you didn’t know if and or when peter could get you another. But as drawing breath grew harder you made the executive call to use it. You rolled over in the bed and threw an arm down to fish around for your red backpack. Finding it you fiddled with the zip before your fingers wrapped around the cool plastic of the device. Tony being tony had insisted it have a Spiderman case thinking it was peters which ended up being rather ironic as it was fitting for you too.

You tried fruitlessly one last time to draw breath before achieving nothing but a crackling wheeze. Screw it. You uncapped the red lid and held it to your lips, propping yourself up on an elbow in an attempt to sit u straight to take it.

You exhaled and inhaled repeating it once more before drawing in a lungful of the super-medicine. Almost straight away you began to feel better. Your fast metabolism speeding up the medicines process.

Feeling like you could breathe again you replaced the cap and put it on the nightstand before curling up in the sheets again feeling cold still but also slightly damp from the thin layer of sweat that had been forming all morning.

You were dressed in spider-man pjs which had a thin t-shirt and long pants. You had considered getting up to grab one of peters hoodies to get warm or another blanket but the idea of standing up made your head spin.

You nestled back into the sheets and let your eyes fall shut despite it being almost midday. The curtains were drawn and so it didn’t bother you too much. You began to drift off into a semi-peaceful sleep broken by harsh coughing fits which were becoming harder to stifle in your half asleep and fevered state.

Meanwhile the avengers had just finished their morning training session, one which Peter had joined for once. Peter being Peter had barely broken a sweat and as a result had opted to hang out on the communal floor while everyone went o freshen up.

Stark had designed the tower well. With Peter’s bedroom being on the same floor as Natasha’s who was rather protective of her younger spider counterpart as well as Wanda’s, Yelena’s, Kate’s and a few spares. The rest of the avengers were a floor above.

At first peter had been a bit miffed about being on a floor of just girls but he ended up liking it a lot. And he had a second bedroom in the master suite with tony and Pepper which he proffered anyway. The one on the avenger's floor was more for if Tony and Pepper were away, and he wanted to be around the others.

Natasha was headed for her room after waving goodbye to peter who had settled down to watch more star-wars, when she paused in the hallway.

Retracing her steps she found herself stood outside peters bedroom door. Frowning she pressed an ear to the door and froze. Someone was inside and coughing. Knowing it wasn’t peter, nat carefully twisted the door handle.

Peter being peter had prepared for almost anything. As soon as Natasha had set foot inside peters room Jarvis had alerted peter of her presence.

Meanwhile Natasha peered into the dimly lit room. The lump in the bed was wriggling around and coughing. Nat was on high alert by now. She realised this person was ill but how had they managed to get in without Jarvis knowing? And why were they in peters bed?

She crossed the threshold and walked over to the bed. Taking note of the backpack on the floor and puffer on the bedside table as well as your spider-man pjs which had been a gag gift from Peter last Christmas.

Nat stood and observed for a second. Looking down at your flushed face which was burning with fever and the harsh coughs that were wracking your weak form.

Nat watched helplessly for a second unsure of how to deal with a sick intruder.

She hesitated before extending a hand to your forehead and feeling a very high fever. She sucked a breath. Despite being an intruder she had some ideas as to why you may have been here. Your likeness to peter wasn’t hard to spot. Yet. She was unsure.

Peeling of the blankets to get a better look at you, as she did you made a small noise of discontent and curled into a shaking ball still fever addled and half asleep.

Before she could continue the door opened and peter looked in.

“Uhh M-Ms Romanoff…” Peter said looking guilty as he stepped in and closed the door again.

“Peter, do you know who this is?” Natasha asked getting straight to the point. Peter hesitated and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Y-yes.” He said looking at your sick form with a frown.

“Peter.” She said crossing her arms. “Care to share whats going on?” Nat said as she headed for Peter’s bathroom.

“Um… She … she’s,, my sister.” Peter said unsurely. Natasha returned after a second and nodded. Now holding the first aid kit from peters bathroom in her arms.

“Anything else i should know?” She asked walking over to the bed and sitting down to rifle through the first aid kit.

“Petey?” You mumbled hearing his voice.

Peter seemed to break out of his trance and came to your side. “I’m here Y/n.” He said.

“‘S cold.” You mumbled making peter frown.

“Actually, I think she has a fever.” Nat said as she found what she was looking for, pulling out a thermometer from the kit.

Nat gently placed the thermometer under your tongue and turned to look at peter.

“Pete, you’re not in trouble but i need some more information.” Natasha said.

“This is Y/n. She’s, my sister. Her apartment was levelled in the last attack and so she’s been staying here ever since. She’s not a threat I promise.” Peter said almost tripping over his words in order to explain.

Before Nat could respond the thermometer beeped and she removed it to look at the small screen, drawing another round of coughs from you. Natasha rubbed your back with one hand while frowning at the screen.

“Peter… she should be dead. This says 106. There’s more isn’t there.” Nat said with some urgency as she began peeling the rest of the blankets off you in an attempt to cool you down.

“Ahh … yes. She had powers. Like mine. She … she wears the suit sometimes.” Peter said standing nearby and watching with a worried expression.

“Ok. So, she has spider powers? High metabolism, super strength, etc.” Nat said and Peter nodded. “Why hasn’t her healing fixed this?” Nat said feeling your forehead again.

“She doesn’t have it. Her powers differ slightly.” Peter explained as Nat cursed softly in Russian.

“Her fever’s still rising.” Nat said making a decision. “We need to cool her down fast before she gets too hot for her own good. Jarvis?” Natasha said and peter looked panicked for a second worried about more people finding out about you.

“Ms Romanoff-“ he started.

“Pete, we need to cool her down stat. I need some help.” She said and peter nodded still looking nervous. “Jarvis call wanda to Peter’s bedroom.” Nat said and peter relaxed slightly. Wanda was ok. She would be good for the situation.

“What are you going to do?” Peter asked.

“She needs a bath and I doubt you want to do that.” She said with a small smirk and Peter flushed for a second.

“Defiantly not.” He said shaking his head.

“Is there someone we can call? Someone who she’d be ok with dressing her once we cool her down. She may be sick but i don’t want to invade her privacy.” Nat said as she scooped you up from the bed and into her lap while they waited for wanda to arrive. You cough harshly again and wheezed making nat frown and look to peter.

“Asthma.” He said.

“Runs in the family huh?” She joked reaching over for the puffer on the bedside table.

“Uh… about that.” Peter said looking guilty. “Mine was cured by the bite. I need the puffers for her.” He said looking sheepish. Expecting Nat to be mad she grinned.

“You’re a good brother.” She said as she uncapped the device and pressed it to your lips.

“Exhale.” She instructed and by some small miracle you complied. When you went to inhale, she administered the medicine and told you to hold.

Recapping the device, she rubbed a hand up and down your arm. “Good job sweetie.” She said and felt you relax into her arms some more as you let out a breath.

The two sat in silence for another second before the door opened again and wanda slipped inside.

She was freshly showered, her hair damp and she smelt like jasmine and honey. She was dressed in a simple faded black t-shirt and grey track pants.

“Whats-“ she began before pausing, her eyes caught on you laid in Natashas lap half asleep.

“Wanda,” Nat said. “Meet Y/n. Peter’s older sister.” She said.

“Okay…” Wanda said looking lost before her expression morphed to concern as you coughed. “Is she ok?” Wanda asked.

“No. That’s why you’re here. Long story short, peter smuggled her into the tower, and she has spider powers and her fever is really high. We need to cool her down.” Nat said and wanda swallowed and nodded. “Peter?” Nat said turning to the younger parker.

“Yes?” He said looking up from where he had been studying his shoes closely.

“You never answered my question. Is there someone we can call to come and get her dressed after wanda and i bathe her?” Nat asked and peter blushed again and nodded.

“I can call May. It’s her day off.” He said and Nat nodded.

“You do that. Wanda and I will look after Y/n. We promise not to go further than her outer clothes.” She said and scooped you up into her arms. She headed for Peter’s bathroom with wanda trailing behind. You remained limp in her arms snuggled into her chest in an unconscious need for companionship.

Once the two redheads had you in the bathroom wanda looked at nat. “Now what?” She asked and Natasha smirked.

“Now we take her clothes off.” She said and gently she lifted your arms from where you were laid on the floor in her lap and pulled the spider-man t-shirt off over your head. Wanda blushed slightly at the sight of your red sports bra despite having seen Nat and herself train in about the same if not less clothes.

“You wanna help?” Nat asked with a grin that only served to make Wanda’s blush deepen. You squirmed slighting in Nat’s lap but stopped when she gently rubbed your arm after you buried your warm face into her stomach.

Wanda rolled her eyes in an attempt to feign nonchalance despite being way past that point.

She lifted her hands, and the familiar red glow of magic surrounded her hands. Her magic lifted your hips so Nat could slide off your pants. Wanda blushed again at the sight of your Black Widow boxers. Natasha however grinned at them finding it both adorable and very cute.

After a beat Wanda met Nat’s eyes again. “Now what?”

“We get her in the bath. She needs to be cooled down Asap.” Nat said hoisting you into her arms again as you wriggled, turning and grumbling into her chest.

“Not gonna lie she’s pretty cute.” Nat said and Wanda avoided her eyes as she used her magic to fill the bath with tepid water.

Natasha gently lowered you into the tub ignoring your whining protests and running her hands through your hair which seemed to calm you down as you relaxed again.

“So … now we wait?” Wanda guessed and Natasha nodded.

“Yep. Unless you really want to steal May’s job of getting her dressed again.” Nat teased making Wanda splutter slightly. “Im kidding.” Nat said. “I know what hot women do to your brain.” She winked and wanda slouched slightly.

After a second you grumbled and blearily opened your eyes, squinting at the two women.

“Peter is so dead.” You mumbled before letting your eyes drift shut again. There was a pause before wanda and nat both started laughing.

You groaned. “Peter!” You yelled before coughing again making Wanda and Nat frown. But before they could do anything the door opened to show a beat red peter with his hands covering his eyes.

“Yes?” He said in a small voice.

“When I get out of here, you’re dead.” You mumbled with a foggy glare sent in his direction.

“Hey. Peter did the right thing.” Another voice said from behind Peter.

“May?” You called. “Oh, wtf is going on right now.” You mumbled.

“Whats going on kiddo is that, once again, you failed to ask for help which landed you here.” May said entering the bathroom with a change of clothes.

“Nice to see you Ms Parker.” Nat said and wanda echoed.

“Please. Call me May. And thank you for looking after her.” May said and you groaned.

“I hate all of you.” You said hiding your face in your hands.

“Uh huh. Sure, you do.” May teased.

“It was no problem. Ms- May.” Wanda said. “We’ll wait in peters bedroom while you… yeah.” Wanda said before making a hasty retreat. Nat laughed and followed her out.

May gave you a disappointed frown once she had shut the door and turned back to you with a sigh.

“Honey.” She said.

“I know… I know.” You said still feeling like death but slightly less so. “Did the black widow and scarlet witch just really see me in my underpants?” You asked.

“Yes, and I serves you right for hiding illness … again!” She said as she came over, rolling up her sleeves and helping you out, practically holding all your weight for you as your head spun.

May frowned and guided you over to the covered toilet seat to dress you again.

Gently she began to towel you off and change you into fresh clothes.

“I can do it myself.” You whined but May shot you a look and you knew better than to challenge the angry Parker and you and peter had called her as kids when she was upset at you for something.

“Now, once you’re dressed you are going to thank those two for their kindness and your coming home with me.” May said.

“But-“ you began.

“No buts.” She said and helped you up, now fully dressed.

She helped you over to the door opening it despite still holding you up. The two of you shuffled into the room where Peter, Nat and Wanda were sat on Peter’s bed talking in hushed voices.

“Pete. I love you but I can hear everything you’re saying dumbass.” You said rolling your eyes and May lightly hit your arm.

“Right.” He said rubbing his neck. “Super hearing.” He nodded.

“I’ll add it to the list.” Nat grinned and you groaned before May jabbed you in the side and looked at the two girls.

You coughed at her actions making her frown but quickly got it under control for the sake of your already fragile image.

“Thank you, Wanda and Natasha, for helping me.” You said still leaning heavily on May. Now you had been standing for a bit the room began to spin. Your face went a shade paler making Natasha frown and stand. It was a split second before you stumbled, almost bringing May down with you in the process. Luckily strong arms wrapped around you, and you looked up into Nat’s pale green and worried eyes.

“Y/n?” You finally registered she was talking to you. “Y/n?” She asked again a little louder.

You let out a soft groan and she huffed. “Right. Up we go.” She said hoisting you into your arms and making the room spin again as you buried your face in her arm.

You felt her gently set you down on the bed and feel your forehead.

Distantly you heard May saying something along the lines of taking you home and the sound of Natasha arguing they were better equipped to help with your powers and sickness. May relented and you went back to dozing.

“What happened?” Peter asked from where he was stood by the door.

“Probably got too dizzy from standing up. Her body’s already trying to fight off sickness.” Natasha said and Wanda nodded.

“Peter? Don’t you have a super high metabolism?” Wanda asked.

“Yeah?” He said looking lost as May seemed to catch on.

“Y/n when did you last eat?” May asked and you groaned and buried your face in the pillow. “Well, that answers that.” May said rolling her eyes.

“Peter, do you have any of those energy bars that steve uses?” Wanda asked and peter nodded and headed for his bedside drawer.

He fished around and pulled out one of them and passed it to nat. She unwrapped it and shoved it into your hands.

“Eat.” She said and you made a groan of protest. “It’ll help.” She said in a softer tone.

“Fine.” You said sitting up against the headboard and nibbling on it slowly.

“Better.” Nat said and you frowned.

“You know you’re cute when you’re mad.” Wanda said looking surprised by her own words and blushing at Natasha’s knowing gaze.

“Get some rest маленький паук” Nat said once you had finished eating, and she begun to shepherd everyone out of the room.

PART 2

#wandanat x reader #spider reader #reader is peters sister #peter Parker #may Parker #aunt may #Natasha romanoff #wanda maximoff #sicfic #whump #fluff #comfort #marvel #wandanat #fanfic #wandanat comfort #wanda x natasha x reader #marvel fic #series #sick reader #sick r #fainting #passing out #fever #flu #enhanced reader #avengers #Bruce banner #black widow #Scarlett witch

[hana-no-seiiki]

Hi! Could I be ✨Anon? (Im not sure whats been taken already) I've been on a big Batfam kick these past few days and have a v indulgent request if it interests you.

Could I request something for a (gn) civilian reader who is friends w/ the Batfam, but recently got superpowers that are magical girl-esque? Neither of the parties knowing of the others Alter Egos. Here are some of my thought, but write the post however you'd like.

Reader was accidentally caught up in some commotion that involved stealing specialty cargo. One of them being an alien artifact, and reader uses it in desperation to save themselves. But now they have these sparkely, pretty, and showy powers that they never asked for. (And maybe a magical animal companion that insist they bring light and justice to Gotham)

Reader is reluctant to be a vigilante, but keeps finding themselves in situations to help people anyways.(Maybe its a side effect of being a magical girl) They end up fighting alongside the Batfam at some point, but they feel embarrassed to interact w/ them. Reader feels completely out of place with their colorful and over-the-top powers when next to the cool and brooding batfam.

Sorry if this idea is a bit out there, but ty for letting me be indulgent in your ask box 💕!!

NO CAUSE I FEEL THIS DYNAMIC SO MUCH.

I either have the friendliest vibe or the bitchiest vibe and no in between. Meaning that people either come to me for everything or think I’m a snob/will bite-

and sure non! i don’t really keep track of my anons nowadays so people can be whatever as long as it’s not listed in my pinned

BAT X MAGIC ✨

IN ANY CASE

I’m gonna mix Sailor Moon, Miraculous Ladybug and Onimai for my inspo with this ask if you don’t mind

Magical Girl/Boy/Person! Reader is really close friends with Tim and Damian. If there was one thing all three could agree on it’s that they loved superheroes in manga/comics.

And Reader? Boy did they adore the Batfam. There was just something about their dark, brooding aesthetic that they couldn’t get enough of.

So it was a tad bit ironic that they stumbled upon the most “girly”and “bright” power ever known to Gotham.

It didn’t help that your abilities had to be activated with cutely yelling things like “Sparkle Blast!” or “Smile Hurricane!”

I like to headcannon that you have a familiar or Kwami like creature that in exchange of keeping your identity magically hidden, absolutely bullies you by making the one above a requirement.

I headcannon that Damian has the PHATTEST crush on you. Like even moreso than the stalker, otaku Tim. Like he is just head over heels. You’re strong, you’re capable, you’re adorable?? But that mostly extends to just your magic persona rather than your real self. He’s super obvious about it to anyone but you too (similar to the og miraculous ladybug w/ felix instead of chat).

Tim is more interested on who tf you were. Like yes!!! Magical Person Hero!!! You were basically his childhood crushes incarnate!! But his inquisitive mind really needed to know who you were in order to calm himself down.

Jason is honestly a bit overwhelmed by your whole getup, but grows to love you the most in terms of how kind you are and how you help them even in the most dire of situations (not knowing that you were basically forced to)

He’s very much Tuxedo Mask type wherein he’d be very annoying to you when the disguises are off but an absolute Casanova with em on.

You and Dick are the most close when it comes to patrols and fighting. I feel like you, being the big fan you were, would make him look even more flashy and handsome during battle with sparkles and whatnot. I have a feeling he’d be the first to ask you out or fully romance you, as well as be the first to befriend you/contact you as a vigilante.

Bruce is definitely perplexed by how you always evade him in terms of your secret identity. It frustrates him to no end that whenever he gets close to finding out something either gets in his way or his mind just goes blank.

Once you explain how your magical persona works tho he’s pretty quick on the bandwagon, especially since he sees that his boys love you.

Also cause you look way too adorable to really be heinous.

…Right?

Once you break one of your familiar’s rules though, they do share your identity with the bats and well…

All hell breaks loose.

#yandere #yandere x reader #yandere x you #yandere imagine #yandere fic #yandere core #yandere batfam #batfam #yandere batfam x reader #batfam x reader #bruce wayne x reader #damian wayne x reader #jason todd x reader #tim drake x reader #dick grayson x reader #yandere damian wayne #yandere tim drake #yandere jason todd #yandere dick grayson #yandere damian wayne x reader #yandere tim drake x reader #yandere jason todd x reader #yandere dick grayson x reader #yandere bruce wayne #yandere bruce wayne x reader

[convolutedblasphemy]

Characters that are aroace according to me and several other people who have approved these headcanons. Explanation for who they are under the cut + brief summary of the source material because if you haven't consumed these yet, you should! (I need more people to talk about them with)

1. Toshinori Yagi: He's the main characters' mentor and No. 1 Hero in the anime and manga "My Hero Academia" which follows the story of Izuku Midoriya, a high school student who was born without powers in a world where about 80% of the population has superpowers, as he attends a prestigious hero academy to become a licensed superhero. Watch the show.

Aroace level: has never shown romantic or sexual attraction to anyone in canon, has however shown what I interpreted as sex repulsion on a few instances in bonus material. the aces in the fandom crowd around him. it's a popular headcanon.

2. Monkey D. Luffy: Protagonist of One Piece, which follows his very, very long journey across the world with his friends / pirate crew in order to find the One Piece, the most legendary pirate treasure, and become the pirate king. Watch the show.

Aroace level: basically as aroace as you can make a character without explicitly using the terminology. crap ton of evidence to support this both in the source material and in stuff the mangaka said. like genuinely, I consider Luffy an aroace protagonist.

3. Sampo Koski: A playable character in Hoyoverse's turn-based gacha game "Honkai: Star Rail" where a group of people travel on an intergalactic train to different worlds in order to get rid of the Stellarons, known as the "Cancer of All Worlds". He's a jester-type character who scams people. Play the game.

Aroace level: Personal Headcanon with no canon evidence but somehow the aroaces on Tumblr crowd around him.

4. Michael: A timeless being who oversees the neighborhood in which the show is set. The story follows Eleanor Shellstrop who falsely got sent to The Good Place (basically heaven) after she died and is now trying to learn to become a better person so she can stay there. Show is hilarious, teaches you about philosophy and has a lot of unexpected twists and turns! Watch the show.

Aroace level: Listen I do not know a single person, ace or not, who knew what "aroace" is and walked away from this show not under the impression that Michael is aroace. He's a very aroace character. You'll understand if you watch it.

5. Dr. Robotnik: Antagonist of the Sonic The Hedgehog movies. Watch them.

Aroace level: Do not come for me with this one because he gets shipped with his assistant and there's a lot of people saying they're undeniably gay and in love with each other but this is a character who's struggled with alienation a lot and openly mocks the average person's socially expected life; the headcanon basically writes itself.

6. 9th Doctor: Listen, I wouldn't know how to summarize Doctor Who even if I tried but it has time travel, aliens and chaos. Watch the show.

Aroace level: The Doctor in general is a very asexual character (even said by Matt Smith himself), and this one in particular just struck me as very aro as well. He kisses another character in the show but I did not register that as romantic at all...

7. Benjamin Linus: An antagonist (you will go back and forth between loathing his guts and loving him. also he gets beaten up a lot. like an almost comical amount) and pretty major character in "Lost", a show that follows the passengers of a plane crash after they landed on a mysterious, seemingly deserted island where strange things are happening. Watch the show, it's fantastic.

Aroace level: Personal Headcanon. Doesn't have a love interest or displays sexual attraction in a show where a lot of characters do. Singular attempt at romance looked more like display of his mental health issues than genuine romantic attraction.

8. JB Cox: A master thief who's simultaneously very cunning and also very stupid. Basically live action version of Sampo Koski. He's from the series "The Hardy Boys", which follows the teenage brothers Frank and Joe Hardy as they try to solve the mystery behind their mother's murder. Contains murder mystery, crime and secret societies. Watch the show, I have no one to talk about it with. Not a single person.

Aroace level: Not a singular display of romantic or sexual attraction but also he's the only notable character of his age group in this show. Lives in a secret hideout / apartment and spends his life breaking into buildings and stealing things for people who hire him. I cannot look at this man and imagine him as someone with a love life. I just can't.

#toshinori yagi #aroace #asexual #aromantic #aro #ace #monkey d. luffy #sampo koski #michael the good place #the good place michael #9th doctor #doctor who

[jesncin]

ABC / Half-indonesian/chinese half-english white-passing guy here, I really appreciate the amount of love and passion you(you both?) have put into the recent Superman stuff. I'm not personally that deeply a fan of DC, but being able to see characters that I share experiences with - written by people that are also like me - is a beautiful experience.

It's strange being mixed. I'm not quite either. I still feel like an alien intruding in on spaces I shouldn't be in, either way, but.. Clark does too, as does Ms. Liando. Thank you.

P.S; If/when Lois discovers Superman and Clark are one in the same, how would the dynamics shift, and how would it go? If you have any ideas on that.

Aaw thank you so much (indeed we both wrote and drew the comic)! I totally get it. Being mixed third culture kids ourselves, the concept of "belonging" to a community is a complicated one.

Well now I can't give that all away haha! I still have to cook the idea of Clark coming out to Lois as Superman in the oven for a lot longer before I'm ready to write it (mentally, it feels like a relationship milestone that they hit and not a story with themes quite yet), but here's what we're definitely not going to do:

Lois jumps off a building (or puts herself in danger) to force Clark to out himself before he's ready ❌

Lois smugly interrupts Clark before he comes out as Superman, showing off that she knew already ❌❌

Lois gets mad at Clark for keeping secrets ❌❌❌

Lois tries to harm Clark to prove he's Superman ❌❌❌❌

Lois Liando would understand as a fellow immigrant why Superman would hide himself and go by a different name. That's one of the things the Private Interview comic was about after all! They both had secret identities of their own, in different ways. Of course she's curious, but she does respect Superman not wanting to tell her that yet. I like to believe Liando has the emotional intelligence to understand that superheroes keep secret identities to protect people they care about on top of that. And the idea of Liando trying to out an immigrant before he's ready makes no sense to me.

At most I can say she'd feel complicated about it. The closest analogy I can think of is having a queer friend who you've known for years and are super tight with, but they only trusted to come out to you recently. Regardless of how good an ally you are, or if you're queer too, you'd feel complicated about it. Why did it take so long? Did you do something that made them doubt telling you until now? etc. It's important to me that Lois and Clark become really close and have known each other for years before he finally tells her. The slow burn of mutual trust ✅✅

#askjesncin #if I headed a Superman show the entire first season would be Lois and Clark being platonic work partners. no romance until S1 finale #it's the build up of mutual respect in a field they both share WITHOUT attraction in the equation. ✅✅ #i imagine the Private Interview is the first time they're both like ?? do I like him??? do I like her?? yeh I'm srs about slow burn

[lets-try-some-writing]

Heya! Hope you're doing well <3

So I have a world building question that I've been curious about for a while now, and I hope you're interested in answering; what would Cybertronian literature be like? Would they have fictional stories, or would it mostly be history texts and such?

If they did have fictional stories, I doubt they would have many, if any, romance books since they're obviously not a romantic species like humans. Would superhero stories with outliers be a thing? (Can't remember if outliers are viewed as bad or not). Would fantasy stories with like, Predacons be popular or would they be frowned upon with some mechs because of their history with them? (Looking at you, Kup and Autoway)

Hm, I wonder if stories with organic aliens would be a hit or not...

Considering how well Cybertron was doing before the war, I'd imagine their fiction stories weren't at the level and/or had the amount that are on Earth. Or would it have nothing to do with the state of Cybertron and more with that it was scoffed at?

My brain is just going wild with all the ways that this could turn out, but what I really, really want to know if they have fanfiction. Wait, would Orion write fanfiction??!! Dammit, Orion fangirling over a character has taken root in my brain

That wraps that whirlwind of an ask. Don't forget to not overwork yourself and stay hydrated! ❤️

Lore time?!?! Fantastic. So sorry its been *counts fingers* three to four months??? The writing vibe has been very picky as of late. Doing my best over here to answer asks from months back o(￣┰￣*)ゞ

━━━━━━ ⊙ ❖ ⊙ ━━━━━━━━━━━━ ⊙ ❖ ⊙

Literature on Cybertron is a curious thing. Culture varies wildly from city to city, but due to governmental influence everywhere, a large portion of the consumable literature on the datanet follows a certain structure. Information is highly controlled, and thus, only literature that supports or otherwise agrees with the government is allowed to exist on any public platform. Things that do not conform with the regulations put down are deleted immediately. Thus the literature that is deemed "safe" is often bland, preachy, or straight up propaganda. While Cybertron's population may have tolerated the Council due to a lack of fighting capability at the time, they also weren't fools. Not a spark enjoyed the aft kissing works produced by those who couldn't be bothered to be original.

Thus the underbelly of literature came into being, a hidden series of trade networks and secret websites created to keep the quality writing safe from the Council. Most of the hidden works consisted of data from all over the planet, the things that the Council kept hidden. Police reports, body cam videos, documents, records, trade reports, incident reports, historical documents struck from the records, information on mecha who "vanished", and so much more. Everything one could ever want information was was down there in the dark parts of the datanet. Such things always came with a price attached.

If one wanted data, it needed to be paid for. Shanix was too easy to track, and so instead information was traded. Data for data, knowledge for knowledge. It was in the darker parts of the datanet that the Archives collected much of their... more confidential information. Alpha Trion never tolerated the loss of critical information and there were whole groups under his control dedicated to collecting what he wanted from those who possessed the knowledge. There were entire wars online when it came to data, some that even resulted in doxing and death. The world was dangerous, and with the Council hunting for any and all information, literature was a prized resource reserved for those with the ability to trade for it. Orion and Soundwave both were very well oriented with the trading performed on the datanet. They were well known under their online tags and both maintained very active information broking circles up until the war began. Even then, both managed to keep weaseling data out of their sources up until Cybertron went dark.

Then of course there was the less professional corners of the darker parts of the datanet. Works of fiction were by no means unusual, but they were only produced by mecha with certain... tastes. Most were not lacking in imagination, but rather the ability to make their visions legible. The ability to properly produce a work of fiction was, more often than not, difficult for the average mech to do. Most works of fiction came from the middle castes or the upper lower castes. Higher caste bots were not allowed to write anything serious for fear of backlash, and the lower castes simply did not have the time more often than not. As such, only the highly biased middle castes had any ability to produce fiction at all.

Sci-fi did not exist as a genre, for quite obvious reasons. More often than not, what fiction came into being tended to fall into several categories which matched the desires of the middle castes. Courtly drama was a world renown and beloved genre. Every mech ran into a work in the genre at least once, and the themes usually revolved around the main character either climbing the social ladder to get into the higher castes or somehow evading their hold to achieve something. It was wish fulfillment at its finest, but the middle castes adored the genre as it satisfied the desires they had. Ratchet wrote one surprisingly well performing novel about climbing the ladder to become CMO. It was based off his own experiences, and while not exactly popular, medics everywhere all universally knew of his novel, although not a spark knew he wrote it.

The second biggest genre was rather specific, and it happened to be the caste change genre. Every bot wished they were something else for the most part. As such, there was a plethora of documents that focused around a mech from one caste either moving up or down the chain and having to adapt to the new way of life. The cultural differences around Cybertron played their part in the caste change genre as mecha from all over the planet learned from and wrote their novels. Many serious misconceptions came from the novels of that type, but it tended to create a sense of tolerance amongst the population more often than not. Even still, there were more than a few crimes committed due to rather ridiculous misunderstandings regarding local culture from individuals who only learned from novels. While not common knowledge, Starscream wrote an incredibly well received novel with completely made up cultural norms for Vos that were so widely accepted that grounders everywhere got arrested en mass until the government stepped in. Starscream has yet to stop finding it amusing.

The third most popular genre was the only one the lower castes could feasibly relate to, and it happened to be about police and murder mystery. The stories had no set formula, unlike the prior two popular genres. However they almost always involved the main character eliminating some scum of the Earth, uncovering a deep dark secret, or putting an end to a horrific criminal underworld. It was pure wish fulfillment from middle caste mecha who knew just enough to want to change things, but didn't have the guts to actually go out and take a stand. Jazz wrote his fair share of novels relating to the subject, one of which became so popular that he ended up changing his identity twice and faked his death once in order to escape any connection to it. He didn't learn until vorns later that his novel, which was based on a real mystery, had actually solved a well covered Council kept secret.

Lastly there was the religiously oriented works of fiction. The genre itself was incredibly niche due to the differing beliefs and delicate nature of faith on Cybertron. But the few who wrote for the subject were masters of their craft. Usually they were artist renditions of old tales, retellings of myth and legend, or even fictional takes on the lives of old Primes. Highly heretical in nature, very few stepped into the genre of Primacy related anything. The Council was always on the lookout for such novels, and thus those who wrote them were far more likely to vanish under mysterious circumstances. What novels were written often didn't last long. The only three novels that made it out alive amidst the harsh censoring happened to be a set of novels written by Orion Pax in collaboration with Senator Shockwave and a novel done by none other than D-16 himself. The three novels all showed urban legends and tales from all three castes and were beloved globally, even if every physical copy was destroyed on sight.

Orion, and later Optimus Prime largely forgot about his written work. Unbeknownst to him, Megatron has kept a copy of his work and the two other novels. He has no clue Optimus and Shockwave wrote them, but he adores them and have lovingly gone into English teacher mode more times than one could count to find the deeper meaning behind everything. Humanity's love for 1984, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Dante's Inferno is the level of adoration Megatron holds for the three novels on his shelf.

There were other stories of course. Fantasy novels set far into Cybertron's distant past made purely off imagination and globally mocked by those who lived long enough to see the early days of Cybertron. A genre akin to Romance that focused on companionship and starcrossed designs put in place by Primus. Strange tales made by those on Colony worlds going into depth on organics and their cultures. Heroic stories focusing around Primus's chosen and champions of the people. Underdog tales with Outliers coming out of hiding or breaking their bonds to be free and express themselves as they saw fit...

The stories were diverse, but all were hidden. Every mech read them, but none spoke of them aloud. Literature was the quiet universal culture of Cybertron prior to the war.

#transformers #maccadam #cybertronian worldbuilding #cybertronian culture #pre war cybertron #megatron #ratchet #jazz #optimus prime #orion pax #soundwave #shockwave #worldbuilding #this was fun to write #took forever to get to because I thought it would be hard #guess not

[stiffyck]

I’m just gonna drop an AU idea I has here.

So basically multiple characters from different universes and genres are somehow transported to this one, a la into the spiderverse. Shenanigans ensue.

Grian is a normal architecture student living in a one bedroom apartment. He has two siblings, Jimmy and Pearl, but they live on different parts of town. Portal opens up and out pops Hotguy “Hawkeye” or Scar from a stereotypical superhero movie. Claimed Grian as his sidekick and now acts as a wildly controversial vigilante in the city. Currently living on Grian’s couch and begged to keep a stray cat he found. He named her Jellie.

Mumbo is from a Victorian Age Vampire drama, and has really called off. He tried to do his usual routine of getting his prey, but all it got him was a kick to the groin and a face full of pepper spray. Grian found him starving in an alleyway and he is now living in Grian’s Closet. He is fascinated by the technology in this world and has a hobby of disassembling and reassembling any technology he comes across. Grain lost a toaster and the oven to his hobby.

Some more miscellaneous information :

Gem is a magical girl, and is ridiculously overpowered. She has the capacity to split a skyscraper in two and vaporize anything she comes across. She is currently roommates with Pearl.

Speaking of Impulse, he is a dragon from a fantasy game. He is actually quite chill when unprovoked and is currently working with and living with Skizz. Out of everyone, he’s the most chill about his current situation.

Etho… is a normal dude, he just dresses like a ninja 24/7. No one knows why.

Doc and Cub are from Scar’s universe as it’s titular villains. Doc can be defeated by cute shrubbery, the power of friendship, simply removing a screw from his inventions, or asking about his child.

Cub is more complicated, as he is currently possessed by an alien plant thing. He used to be very close to Scar, but Grian knows a difficult subject when he sees one and doesn’t press for more information.

Ren runs a logging business and ran into both Bdubs and Martyn, both from the same fantasy universe as Impulse. According to the both of them, he has a strong resemblance to their king and both sweared their undying loyalty to him. Both do not hesitate to attempt to Murder anything in their way.

Jimmy is just a coach as the local elementary school. Everyone wants him.

Tango is from a sci-fi drama, and was the engineer of several fleets of spaceships. He currently works as a normal engineer but is a bit hard to hide and control his literal flaming hair and completely red eyes. Pining after a certain coach.

Scott is from the same sci-fi drama as Tango, complete with literal starry eyes and hair, and has been here the longest. He is known as a wildly popular influencer and is well known throughout the city. Also moonlights as a thief. Friends with Jimmy.

OOOH I LOVE THIS YES

#asks #au rambles #hermitshipping #for the ranchers bit #i dont have any more to add to this but i love this

[jor-elthatendswell]

It's a well worn topic at this point but the imminent release of The Marvels has me thinking about how militaristic the Marvel Cinematic Universe is, with Monica Rambeau aka Photon, a habour patrol member in the comics, reimagined as a captain in the US Air Force.

She follows Hawkeye, who was changed from an argumentative former circus performer with a heart of gold (a character so staunchly against lethal force he once revoked his own wife's Avengers membership because she sort of, maybe, subconsciously allowed a villain to fall to his death) into a hard-nosed black ops assassin.

Sam Wilson/ Falcon made his celluloid debut as an army man with twin submachine guns attached to his wrists. It’s a far cry from his print counterpart’s introduction as a social worker by day who uses his skill at falconry to protect his neighbourhood.

If we allow the argument that modern cinema goers are accustomed to a sprinkling of realism to make their superheroes palatable (and it’s a strange argument really- why should realism be a desirable quality in summer blockbuster escapism?) then what actually constitutes “realism”.

Sure, a man who learnt uncanny skill with a bow and arrow growing up with a travelling show couldn’t possibly hold his own alongside Hulk or Thor in the real world (and, yes, there isn’t a Hulk or Thor in the real world; as I say, this is a strange argument), but if he learned those exact same skills in some kind of military context then that somehow passes the bar for realism? The sinister upshot is that these children’s heroes become more warlike just as, globally, they reach more children than ever before.

Increasing the realism of superhero stories only serves to make them problematic. DC Comics' Batman, who is the frequently subjected to “realistic” treatments, is the prime example. If, in real life, a billionaire tooled himself up with the best weapons and body armour money can buy and began dispensing violent “justice” with no accountability, then of course that wouldn’t be a good thing. If they wore a costume with pointy ears and started calling themselves “Batman” then of course we would question their sanity. But Batman isn’t real; it’s a story. Nobody thinks The Muppet Show advocates animal cruelty. Quite the opposite, if anything. ("Not unless they're watching it", as Waldolf once heckled) Yet if a filmmaker decides they’re going to make a “grounded and realistic” remake where Fozzy is played by a real live bear wearing a pork pie hat and spotty necktie, then that's a whole other story. Suspend your disbelief and superheroes are less like the police or army and more akin to volunteers and activists, doing what they can with what they have to improve the lives of those around them. Their actions take the form of crime fighting only because that’s what makes for exciting colourful adventure stories for children.

In the MCU, even Marvel’s poster boy, Spider-Man (another champion of non-lethal solutions, known for his compassion even to his enemies and who possesses an enduring appeal to young children) is given a literal sheen of the military-industrial complex in the form of “Stark Tech” armour, replete with military grade strike drones. Tony Stark even thought to equip his 15 year old protégé-cum-child soldier with an “Instant Kill Mode”. In a moment played for laughs in Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man rejects his on-board AI's attempt to activate this feature but seems untroubled that such an option exists and, indeed, come Avengers: Infinity War, he voluntarily deploys it. It’s not clear if Spidey actually does kill any of his alien adversaries, but it seems reasonable to assume that one doesn’t say “Activate Instant Kill Mode” without the intention of ending lives. Fans are expected to smile or applaud as Spider-Man says these words, recognising the call-back to Homecoming, rather than find it a gross misrepresentation of Marvel’s most beloved character or an alarming depiction of a children’s favourite.

The MCU Avengers as a whole are a US government “initiative “. The reluctant superheroes need to be cajoled into putting their differences aside for the greater good by army top brass Nick Fury. In a tweak from the source material, the ‘H' in Fury's organisation, SHIELD, stands for ‘Homeland’, making SHIELD as explicitly American venture as opposed to it being ostensibly intergovernmental in the comics.

There is a comic book precedent for this military take on Earth's Mightiest Heroes in the form of The Ultimates, a 2002 series by the British team of writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch. The Ultimates ,however, was satire. Millar was an unreformed lefty of the old school – someone who has boasted of voting Brexit for left-wing reasons, someone who once appeared on Russia Today as a guest of George Galloway. The Ultimates took swings at the gung ho jingoism of post 9/11 America. Captain America's “Surrender!!?? You think this letter on my head stands for France?“ is not supposed to be a badass one-liner, but rather a parody of the kind of things US media outlets were saying as Jacques Chirac proved less keen than Tony Blair to follow George Bush in bringing gunboat diplomacy to the Middle East. As Millar commentated at the time:

“The Ultimates is completely different because it's a character-driven piece and (something only a few people have noticed) my attempt as a left-wing writer to tell stories about an essentially right-wing concept and cast. It's very much the Anti-Authority, if you will. Captain America and so on are fully-paid members of the US military machine and this means a very different book and approach from a gang of slightly arrogrant, left-wing, superhuman utopians like The Authority ".

Wildstorm Comics' The Authority, which both Millar and Hitch worked on (although not together), was a precursor to Ultimates, featuring a team of similarly “any means necessary” heroes, albeit with a left-wing bent. The Ultimates does have something of The Authority’s utopian streak; Nick Fury and Tony Stark genuinely want to make the world a better place for everyone. It’s very idealistic – what if the head of the military and the biggest tech billionaire actually had the people’s best interests at heart? – and arguably closer to true superhero ethos (basically “with great power there must also come great responsibility “) than those characters more pragmatic MCU equivalents.

Yet, as Millar's one time writing partner Grant Morrison (who actually ghost-wrote at least one issue of The Authority under Miller’s name) observed in Morrison’s major nonfiction work, Supergods, the likes of The Authority, The Ultimates and, by extension, the MCU represent a “capitulation” to the view “that it was really only force and violence that got things done and not patient diplomacy, and that only soldiers and very rich people had the world figured out”. If the MCU is realistic, then it’s a sad indictment of the real world where the heroes are the ones with the best tech, the best guns and no compunction about using them.

Regardless of intent, The Ultimates left a door at Marvel’s “House of Ideas” just enough ajar to allow a malign notion to creep in: “These soldier superheroes are pretty cool. What If they were like that all the time? Wouldn’t they be more popular then”?

Certainly the navy SEAL aesthetic Bryan Hitch brought to the costumes (replacing the colourful tights and capes with pouches, straps and body armour) was soon adopted by superhero tv and film productions even pre-MCU. In fact, Hawkeye's journey from carny to commando mirrors the changes in superhero attire. Most famously, Superman's appearance with the red “overpants” derives from that of circus strongmen, but seeing any photography of early to mid 20th century carnival and circus performers makes it clear the early superhero creators had them in mind when they first put pencil to paper.

In an interview (found in Marvel Spotlight: Captain America, published in 2009) Hitch related how he showed an initial Ultimates drawing of Captain America with a machine gun to Grant Morrison, which Morrison then “described as the most obscene Captain America image [they’d] ever seen”. (NB: Morrison has since adopted gender neutral pronouns). Perhaps Morrison said this with glee, in on the joke with their friends, but in the years since, Cap with a gun became a common sight, even in family-friendly movies (where it was divorced from the irony of The Ultimates).

By a 2015 interview, Morrison lamented the fact that “the Avengers work for the government, and it's been like that since Mark [Millar] did The Ultimates” and said they were “bored with the idea that the best superheroes can represent is some aggressive version of the military. [...] They're supposed to be champions of the oppressed, they help ordinary people, they make things better for people. They don't prop up our grotesque, doddering culture of war and aggression”.

That same year Morrison introduced a new comic book superteam in the pages of The Multiversity. Pointedly the text likens this group, named “Justice Incarnate”, to a “cosmic neighbourhood watch” rather than any formal military or law-enforcement institution.

Millar himself reunited with his Authority collaborator Frank Quitely to create the comic Jupiter’s Legacy, which comes across in part as an apology for The Ultimates and all it begat. It concludes with the protagonists, Chloe Sampson and Eddie "Hutch" Hutchence taking up superhero mantles and promising not to make the moral compromises of their predecessors:

“No more bowing to authority and insitutions. No more deference to people in power”.

“There's a dignity in public service we mistook for old-fashioned, and a humility in having a secret identity, living among the people we protect.“

The Avengers, Marvel’s breakthrough billion dollar box office 2012 movie, by contrast, concludes with Iron Man dropping a nuclear bomb on the “Chitari”, an invading alien army and it seems likely this influenced Morrison’s comments on modern superhero stories.

In Supergods, Morrison

describes their childhood dread of nuclear weapons. The child of “ban the bomb” activists, the “gruesome hand-drawn images of how the world might look after a spirited thermonuclear missile exchange” which illustrated their parents anti-nuclear literature struck terror into the young Morrison. Therefore they seized upon superheroes as being an idea powerful enough to counteract – and overcome – the idea of the bomb.

“It’s not that I needed Superman to be “real,” I just needed him to be more real than the Idea of the Bomb that ravaged my dreams”.

Within the narrative of the movie, Iron Man takes the only option available to him to save New York. Destroying thousands of alien lives to save thousands of human ones. But The Avengers isn’t a documentary; the scriptwriters could have written a satisfying denouement which didn’t involve mass murder. They could at least have included some words of regret by the heroes over what it took to win, acknowledging that killing is not the ideal solution. Instead the Avengers trade banter and eat shawarma, collective conscious clear.

There is a moment in another Grant Morrison work, Final Crisis, which always brings the MCU to mind. In Final Crisis #3, drawn by JG Jones, (published in 2008, the same year the MCU began) “evil gods” from a higher plain of existence have been reincarnated on Earth. In order for the Justice League to counter this threat, a “draft for Superheroes” is implemented. Green Arrow (a Batman-a-like character who was subsequently reinvented to embody the countercultural sentiment of the late 1960s and has since served as the social conscious of the superhero set) responds to receiving his draft notice thusly:

“If anybody falls for this authoritarian, militaristic crap, it’ll prove I’m absolutely right about absolutely everything!... “

Cue the next page, where the drafted heroes have gathered en mass (including Green Arrow, impotently shaking his fist.)

Such an assemblage of characters in usually a triumphant moment in a summer "event" story, but here is framed as a sign that evil already has it’s hooks into reality. This world has fallen to the darkness and the superheroes who inhabit it are too morally compromised to realise it.

#the marvels #mcu #the avengers #grant morrison #mark millar #bryan hitch #the ultimates #marvel #dc comics #the authority #opinion #long form #comics #movies #superheroes #superhero #spider man #mcu critical #marvel critical #mcu criticism

[romancomicsnews]

8 Characters who should appear in Young Justice Season 5

Hoping and praying for another season of Young Justice is something I'm very used to.

After its initial cancelation way back in 2013, Young Justice was revived for a third season on DC Universe, DC's attempt at a streaming service, and lived past that to get a fourth season on HBO Max.

It is now under hiatus with no current plans at a fifth season.

I however will continue to remain hopeful for another season. Young Justice (with the exception of the Harley Quinn animated universe) is my favorite version of the DC Universe. With an exceptional voice cast, a focus on younger more relatable heroes, and a realistic political element to a superhero world, Young Justice cements itself not only as one of the best DC animated shows, but one of the best pieces of superhero media.

So while I have nothing but time until Warner Bros sees the gem that they have and give us a fifth season, I thought I'd pitch the characters I'd most like to see in the next season.

Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti, if you're reading this, know if you don't put these in, I trust the season will be great anyway.

But you know, consider it!

*Spoiler Warning for Every Season of Young Justice*

The Bad Boys of the Bat Family

Let's start with the obvious!

Jason Todd AKA The Red Hood has been teased ever since Season 2, and while has made a few appearances, we have yet to see the menace he can be to both Bruce and The Bat Family.

I particularly want his story to tie in with Tim, who has only been seen to be the loyal soldier to Bruce. This can be an opportunity to reflect upon the life, and how Bruce's trauma trickles down.

Another Bat pairing I'm itching to see is Damian Wayne and Nightwing. The blood son and the favorite son can lead to some fun comedic beats and a lot of tension for the team.

Whatever team they decide to position Damian on, it could lead to disaster. Damians presence can also lead to less trust amongst superheroes, as he is a known killer, and Robin is a pretty public title in the Young Justice universe.

The Forgotten Sidekick

Sometimes even sidekicks need sidekicks!

For those not in the know, Gear was an original character for the DCAU show Static Shock, Virgil's best friend Richie.

Using technology, including a robotic backpack and flying boots, he was simultaneously Virgil's guy in the chair and right hand man in the field.

Static has been on the show for multiple seasons, but really hasn't had much to do since season 2. Giving him a protege of his own while paying homage to what came before.

Speaking of what came before...

The Final Titans

Who doesn't want a Titans reunion?

In Season 3, Cyborg was introduced into the fold and Beast Boy was given a much more expanded role. Ever since, I've been waiting for the Daughter of Trigon and the Tamaranean Princess to arrive.

An episode where the 5 Titans meet for an impromptu mission would be a lot of fun, perhaps battling one of their classic villains like Brother Blood or Deathstoke!

In the long run, both characters fit very well into the already established universe.

Raven would make an interesting member of Zatanna's Sentinels of Magic, and Starfire would be right at home with Forager and Miss Martian as aliens on Earth.

Would it be fan wish fulfillment? Absolutely, but Young Justice has done it before. In Season 4, Razer of Green Lantern Animated Series was given one of the best episodes, continuing his arc to find Aya.

I'm not sure how you could get all these characters and one of the Robins together for a mission, but I'll leaving the writing up to the experts.

The Incompetent Time Traveler

We've had the Legion, we've had Bart, but we have yet to have a time traveler who has no idea what he's doing.

Enter: Booster Gold.

Booster Gold is a fan favorite character across comics and animated media. He is a failed football athlete in the 25th Century, who steals tech in the future to pretend to be a hero in our time.

The character is soon to enter James Gunn's DCU, and recently made his Arrowverse debut in Legends of Tomorrow, played by Donald Faison, right before the show got cancelled (I bring this up mainly because he deserved a shot at voicing him and it could be a fun nod).

Boosters interference with the timeline could lead him to the worlds only time traveling expert, Bart Allen, effectively making him the Outsiders responsibility.

The character also leaves the door open to potentially a big bad, and maybe even thee big bad of the season....

The Professor

Much like General Zod and the Kryptonians became an overarching threat for Season 4, making it a Superboy/Superman focused season, I think it's high time the Speedsters of the team have a new threat.

Professor Zoom or the Reverse Flash is Barry Allen's greatest enemy. Another future man of the 25th Century, Eobard Thawne was a brilliant scientist, so opposed with The Flash, he decided to become his greatest enemy to become part of the story.

Reverse Flash has quite a few similarities with Bart actually. Future speedster hoping to be a part of the story and change the timeline for "the better". It would be an interesting rivalry between them.

While I would like him as the big bad of the season, I understand we JUST did a time traveling menace

My potential pitch would be Reverse Flash needs access to our time now for a power source, something to bring his power to the next level. Something or someone with Speed Force to spare, making him a battery for Eobard. So I believe Reverse Flash has returned to the past to get...

The Prodigal Son

Did I write this piece just to pitch a Wally West return season?

Yes. Yes I did.

Young Justice has left just enough wiggle room for Wally to return. We never hear about his soul, we never found a body, and Wally has been trapped in the Speed Force in the comics before.

Most notably, The Speed Force has not been mentioned yet. Currently, I don't believe any speedsters actually know it exists.

Eobard showing them the speed force and releasing Wally to drain his power, only to be foiled by the team, would not only bring back Wally, it could make him the Fastest Man Alive.

Wally becoming the Flash could be his arc of the season, which I argue would’ve been his destiny if Bart didn’t save Barry’s life.

Giving us a Wally with a power boost, lost time and lost love could lead to a lot of drama and potential for storytelling.

And of course, an Artemis/Wally reunion is well in order.

Again, if none of these characters make an appearance in the next season, I’d still just be happy there’s a season at all.

But time will tell if I’m right.

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#young justice #save young justice #wally west #kid flash #the flash #reverse flash #eobard thawne #professor zoom #bart allen #raven dc #teen titans #starfire #booster gold #skeets #young Justice season 5 #red hood #nightwing #damian wayne #gear #static shock #dc titans #dc comics #the outsiders

[avengerscompound]

The Recruit - 36. You

The Recruit - An Avengers Fanfiction

Series Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Buy me a ☕ Character Pairing: Clint Barton x Bucky Barnes x Sharon Carter x Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanoff x Sam Wilson x F!Reader

Word Count: 3665

Warnings: smut (seven person bisexual orgy, oral sex, vaginal sex, anal sex, double vaginal penetration)

Synopsis:  When Sam Wilson is set up on a blind date, he doesn’t expect anything to come from it.  He is already in a relationship after all, and not just with one other person, but a whole group of them. You never expected to end up working for the Avengers let alone be dating six of them at the same time.  Now you’re balancing a new job, a new romance, new friends, and a secret that could destroy a lot of lives if it got out.  It’s a tricky balance to get right at the best of times, but when something happens to Steve Rogers it’s up to the people who love him most to get him back.

36. You

Getting to know Steve Rogers again was much easier than the first time around.  The thing was, in the version of Steve you had known, he was still in there.  It was just that before everything had been so extreme.  You’d had to walk on eggshells around him, not sure if saying or doing something would set off his anger or his sex drive.

Now those extremes were smoothed off.  He could still be very serious.  He could still give you a look that made you feel like a kid who had just gotten in trouble with their father, but you weren’t scared that you were going to ignite something dangerous in him.  More than that, when he was very serious or not playing around with you or the others, you felt safe to tease him about it.

Where his extremes had been smoothed off in one direction, there were parts of him that had been suppressed by the thing that was in him.  He was sweeter now.  More tender.  He had a quick wit and an adorable playful side.  You went very quickly from being hesitant and unsure if this was going to work, to well and truly in love with the man.

The others were right all along.  It was really hard not to love Steve Rogers.

There was a lot more going on in your life than just getting to know Steve.  For starters, you now had a new job as a full Avengers Agent.  You were a combat field agent, which meant that if the Avengers were called out to fight, you were usually right there along with them.  There were also smaller skirmishes that you could be called out to, things that didn’t need a Hulk or Iron Man, you’d be there.  Thankfully that kind of thing wasn’t an everyday occurrence, and you could go a week or more with nothing happening, but there had been things.  Sam and Bucky had taken a group out to deal with a group of domestic terrorists threatening to release a virus.  Natasha had word of the Red Room being up and running again, and you and a group of agents went to break that up.  Clint had taken a few people in to arrest people selling alien weapons to collectors in an illegal auction in the city.  The biggest sting you were part of in those early months was the one where the Avengers had found the H.Y.D.R.A. base where Steve had been headed the day he’d run.  There was more of that Black sludge in bulletproof glass cases.  It turned out to be some kind of alien creature that formed a symbiotic relationship with other lifeforms but altered their thoughts to be more feral and primal.  H.Y.D.R.A. had somehow reprogrammed their thoughts the way it had done to Bucky all those years ago. The creatures were now totally loyal to the organization.

Being a full agent meant you didn’t see all your old recruit friends as much.  Collins was in IT, Qadira worked in the infirmary (though she’d come out to the field on rotation with the other medics), and Jacqui was held back for more of the bigger superhero events. It was strange for them not all to be there, but you all made time for weekly drinks at Valhalla, and when something else came up with any of them, like weekend barbeques, drag shows, or parties, there was always an invitation for you.

Then there was the whole going public thing.  The group didn’t make any announcements.  No questions were answered outside of no comment, or not answering questions about personal lives.  So it wasn’t so much about going public, it was about not hiding.

It meant there was a lot of speculation about what was going on with the group when you all started going out together.  There were rumors about different pairings, about cheating, about break ups and make-ups. Occasionally there were fans in comments on articles that suggested the theory that maybe there was some level of polyamory going on, and on one of the more liberal press sites they mentioned the rumor about polyamory with some accompanying photos of different members of your polycule being publicly affectionate with each other as possible evidence.  But even that article was passed off as a joke.  A public wink with a cheeky ‘oh maybe, are they…?’ With a very clear, probably not but good for them if they are at the end.

So far the whole group had not gone out together on a date.  There had been pairs, and a couple of trios, and once Steve, Bucky, Sharon, and Natasha had stopped at a diner after dealing with something downtown, and had ended up in the gossip columns talking about their double date, but logistics and time had meant that all seven of you hadn’t been able to go anywhere all together.

Tonight, that had all changed.  A booking had been made and the group had gone out to do that one date that Steve had been waiting all these years to do.  You had all gone dancing.

It was the same club you had gone to with Sharon what felt like a whole lifetime ago now.  Everyone had dressed up.  Clint wore a three-piece suit in purple with a long gothic-looking jacket.  Sharon wore a white aline halter neck dress, with an asymmetrical skirt that had white tulle layered over the white satin.  Sam wore a very tailored red suit that hugged his silhouette.  The jacket had a wide blue satin collar and he’d worn a white band collar shirt under it.  Bucky wore head-to-toe black that came complete with suspenders and a fedora. Natasha wore a black capped sleeve, a line dress, with a peekaboo panel in dark red.  Steve had a real gangster look, in his dark blue three-piece suit with red pinstripes.  You were also in an a-line dress - blue with white polka dots and black neckline, halter strap, and sash around your waist.  Everyone had gone all out for the date, and the result was amazing.

You’d all eaten together, and then danced, pairing off and staying close to each other.  Given there was an odd number of you, pairing up meant there was a leftover.  At the start of the night, that meant that three people would sit out while four danced.  As the night progressed and drinks were had, everyone's inhibitions dropped and all seven of you danced at once, the extra person always being absorbed into one of the other pairs.

It was fun and frantic and it kept your heart rate up.  When Steve led you onto the dance floor, the song changed to a slow jazz number.  You wrapped your arms around his neck and he put his hands on your hips, and the two of you just started to sway with the song.  “Tonight has been so fun,” you said as you looked up into his eyes.

He smiled back down at you, his blue eyes soft and shimmering in the low lights of the dancefloor.  “It has been.  I’m so glad I waited to do this with all of you.”

You leaned your head against his shoulder for a moment, just enjoying the moment with him.  He wrapped his arms around you a little tighter, pressing his lips to your temple.  “Happy?” he asked.

You pulled back to look back up at him.  “I am so happy. I know what led to getting here wasn’t great, but I think even before I got here, some of the others wanted to stop hiding the relationship.  And now we’re not, I feel so much better.  I’m so excited to introduce you all to my family and friends outside the tower.  I love that we can do this.  What about you?”

Steve took a deep breath and hummed happily.  “I am happy.  I know we have detractors and people who think they get a say about who we get to love.  But I don’t care about what they say.  And you know what?  For every person who has said we’re sick or wrong, there have been two that are happy for us, or glad to see themselves represented by people like us.  And I love being able to go out with you all.  I do hate the attention we get, but I know that would happen no matter if I was monogamous or not.  I am really happy.”

You reached up and caressed his cheek.  Your heart felt full and you could feel his love and happiness radiating off of him. You hadn’t said those three little words to Steve yet. Now was the time. “I love you, Steve.”

He smiled and leaned in, resting his forehead against yours.  “I love you too.”

He kissed you, and you melted into it, pressing your whole body against his, letting yourself sink into the moment as the music washed over you.  He pulled back, just a little and brought his lips to your ear.  “I think it might be time to go home,” he whispered.

You grinned back at him. “I think you might be right,” you agreed.

It didn’t take too much to convince the rest of the group it was time to go home.  By the time you were back, anticipation was high.  As soon as the door closed behind you at Steve's apartment everyone started shedding their clothes.  They were left like a trail of breadcrumbs to the bedroom, each of you kissing and grabbing at each other on the way down the hall.

When you passed through the door, Sharon grabbed your hand and spun you into her arms.  Both of you were already down to your panties, and your breasts pushed up against each other.  She kissed you deeply and you moved with her as if you were dancing.  Around you, there was much of the same happening.  Clint was kissing Natasha as Bucky moved in closer behind her and kissed her neck, and Steve and Sam were kissing frantically and backed her toward the bed. 

You climbed up on the mattress and Sharon climbed up after you. You were mirroring each other.  When you pushed your thigh between her legs, she pushed hers between yours.  When you started to grind on her, she did the same to you.  When her fingers slipped into your panties and began to circle your clit, you pushed your hand into her panties.

The whole time the two of you kissed.  You had no idea what the others were doing, except that they were close to you because anytime they moved, it made the bed dip on either side of you.  Your whole attention was on Sharon.  The way her body felt against yours.  The way her fingers ran over your clit and pushed inside you.  The way her cunt clenched around your fingers and dripped down your wrist.  Your pulse raced and you felt so hot, it was like a wildfire had been set under your skin, burning you up from the inside out.

Her fingers pushed against your g-spot, dragging over it, as her thumb rubbed circles on your clit, and as it did, you did the same to her.  Closer and closer, she pulled you to the edge, and from the sound of her breathy moans, and the flutter of her cunt, you knew you were doing the same to her.  Almost as one, your orgasms hit, and the two of you cry out and shudder against each other.

You continued to kiss as your orgasms passed.  Gradually Sharon pulled back and grinned at you.  “Come on, let’s go see what everyone else is doing.”

Bucky and Clint were currently on their knees and kissing each other like they had something to prove.  While Natasha, Steve, and Sam were tangled together.  Sharon moved over to the group of three, as you crawled over to Bucky and Clint.

“Hey, beautiful,” Bucky said as you approached them.  “Want to be the meat in our sandwich?”

You laughed and pushed your panties down, and tossed them to the side. “Oh boy, when you put it like that, how can I resist?”

Clint started laughing and took your hand, laying back on the bed and guiding you on top of him.  You straddled his waist and he grabbed his cock and held it up as you sank onto it, both of you moaning as he filled you.  Bucky grabbed the lube from the side table and lubed up his cock.  On either side of you, Sharon was now pushing Sam on his back and climbing on top of him, while Natasha had gotten on all fours and Steve was fucking her from behind.  Clint pulled you down tight against him and the two of you began to kiss.  A moment later, the head of Bucky’s cock was pressed up against your entrance beside Clint’s, and he started to push in.

There was a sting and burn as he breached you, and you cried out and bucked your hips.

“You okay, honey?” Bucky asked.  He stopped pushing forward and began to rub your clit.  Right away, warmth started to coil through you, making that burn in your entrance go from pain to pleasure.

You nodded emphatically.  “Yes.  Keep going.  Fill me up.”

Bucky pushed in, stretching you out and filling you, and you mewled loudly.  When he was fully seated inside you, both men just stayed still, letting you adjust to the size of them.  You took the moment to glance around at the others, Sharon’s tits were bouncing rhythmically as she rode Sam, and Steve’s face was set in pure bliss while he thrust into Natasha from behind.

Seeing them all lost in their own pleasure set yours off more, and you moaned and clenched around Clint and Bucky’s cocks.  They both began to fuck you, their hips moving counter to each other, so when one pulled out, the other thrust in.  It was intense and it sent a hot current surging through your core.  It became hard to focus on anything else besides the two men.  You were vaguely aware of the other four, but what you could take in, only sent you spiralling to the edge even faster.  Bucky began to rub your clit and Clint leaned up and pulled one of your nipples into his mouth.

You couldn’t hold it together.  You arched back against Bucky, keening as your nails dug into Clint’s shoulders.  Bucky pinched your clit and it sent you rocketing over the edge, crying out as you came, your cunt squeezing tight around both men's cocks. 

Bucky thrust forward gritting his teeth and groaning as he tried to hold himself together, and Clint’s hips stuttered.  “Shit,” he gasped.  “Nearly took me over with you.”

You laughed breathlessly as your orgasm passed through you.  “Trying to hold out ‘til the end?”

“You know it, honey,” he said.

Bucky pulled out of you, and you slid off from the top of Clint and the two of you just lay there for a moment, catching your breath.

The others had taken their cue from you, breaking their pairs and moving to create new ones.  You crawled over to Natasha and she reached out to you, pulling you into a deep kiss.  Sam moved up behind you, running his hands up your back and kissing your shoulder. When you broke the kiss with Natasha and leaned back to kiss Sam, she lay back, spreading her legs in front of you.  Natasha played with her clit as she watched you and Sam kissing.  He kissed you deeply and tenderly.  You could taste Sharon’s cunt on his lips and you tried to suck off every last drop of her.

He pulled back and smiled at you.  “I think Natasha might want something from you.”

You laughed and stole one last kiss before dropping down between her legs.  She lifted her hips to meet you and grabbed your hair, pulling you down to her cunt.  “That’s a girl,” she praised.  “Get to work.”

You laughed and licked a stripe up her cunt, the tart, musky flavor of her arousal coating your tongue.  You both moaned and as you swirled your tongue around, tasting as much of her as you could, Sam pressed the head of his cock to your entrance and sunk into you.

In the position you were in, you had no idea what was going on around you.  You could barely even hear their moans with your head pinned between Natasha’s thighs.  You licked and sucked at Natasha’s cunt and Sam thrust into you from behind.  His hips snapped hard and fast, jolting you forward each time your bodies came together.

You were already so on the edge, that even just the hard slap of Sam’s hips as she shoved inside you was enough for your next orgasm to start to build.  Your cunt tingled and heat spread out through you, making your toes curl.  The worry that you’d end up coming far too fast, so you doubled down, focusing completely on Natasha.

You pulled her clit between your lips and suckled on it, as you shoved two of your fingers inside her.  She was so wet already that every time you thrust them in and out of her, it made a wet squelch.  You fucked her quickly with your fingers, your elbow pistoning as you shoved into her hard and fast.

The sounds she made were loud and animalistic and she started to hump your face and pull your hair.  It brought you even closer to the edge and you began to clench around Sam’s cock, your legs trembling.  It was hard to hold it together, and you decided the only thing you could do was try and bring Natasha on as fast as you could.

You curled your fingers and dug them into Natasha’s g-spot, and began to just hammer your fingertips against it as hard as you could as you sucked greedily on her clit.  At the same time, Sam started rubbing your clit.

It happened almost simultaneously.  Natasha’s cunt clenched around your fingers, she arched up off the bed, and her legs clamped around your head as she came, crying out loudly.  At the same time, your whole body seized up and you jerked forward as your own orgasm tore through you.  Sam kept thrusting but it became more erratic.

When Sam finally pulled out of you, you and Natasha just collapsed there, tangled together, breathing heavily.  Her fingers ran through your hair, and Sam rubbed your hip.  “You okay?” he asked.

“Mm-hmm,” you hummed.

The bed dipped on the side of you, and you looked up to see Steve looking down at you.  “You have one more in you?” he asked, holding out his hand to you.

You hummed and took his hand, letting him pull you up.  “Yeah.  I think I can do one more.”

He guided you up and sat back, crossing his legs lotus style.  You climbed into his lap and as you lowered yourself down, he guided his cock into you.  Even as large as he was, you were so wet and so turned on that he slid into you easily.  You moaned and wrapped your arms and legs around his waist.  His arms wrapped around you and one hand slid up to the back of your skull, pulling you into a deep kiss.  You moaned into his lips rocking your hips with him.

Around you, the others had split up again. Bucky was on his back holding onto Sam’s hips as the man rode him, his cock bouncing and slapping against Bucky’s stomach.  Natasha was on her back as Clint fucked her and Sharon rode her face.

You pulled back from the kiss and looked down into Steve’s eyes.  “This is the first time we’ve been together when it was just you,” you said in a breathless half-moan.

“And it’s the first time it’s been all seven of us,” he added.  “We better make it good.”

You smiled at him and cradled his cheeks.  “It’s already good.”

He kissed you again, passionately, his head tilted and his tongue dancing with yours.  You matched the passion and moved your hips with his.  It was so different than with the others, or even with him before.  The way Steve was with you was sensual and tender, but passionate and heated.  You weren’t being fucked, you were making love, and as you were brought closer and closer to your release, you started to feel overwhelmed with that feeling.  Your hands scrambled at his hair, curling in it and smoothing over it.  “Steve, I love you,” you babbled.  “I love you, Steve.”

“I love you too,” he replied breathlessly, holding your hips and snapping his up into you.

Your orgasm built, winding its way through you like vines around each of your muscles.  It peaked, and one after another they pulled tight, making you arch back in his arms as your orgasm took hold of you.  Steve wasn’t too far behind you, he bucked up hard as your cunt clenched around his cock, and he emptied inside you. 

You wrapped your hands around him and nuzzled into his cheek, your emotions feeling overwhelmed.  He held you close and pressed his lips to your temple. “It’s okay, honey.  I’ve got you.  I love you so much.”

Gradually, as everyone finished around you, the whole group squeezed themselves into the bed. You were feeling so much, and all of it was good.  You were happy, in love, and your future looked bright.  You’d managed to balance work, relationships, family, and friends.  There was no way of knowing what the future would hold, but there was one thing this year had taught you, you weren’t alone, and with all these people that loved you, you could face anything.

~ END ~

#avengers #marvel #avengers x reader #steve rogers #bucky barnes #sam wilson #sharon carter #natasha romanoff #clint barton #avengers fanfic #clint barton x bucky barnes x sharon carter x steve rogers x natasha romanoff x sam wilson x reader #reader insert #smut #polyamory #fanfic #fanfiction #steve rogers x reader #sharon carter x reader #sam wilson x reader #bucky barnes x reader #natasha romanoff x reader #clint barton x reader #the recruit

[espinosaurusrexex]

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠'𝐬 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰

one - the lonely diaries

BuckyBarnes x Female!Reader

summary: The battle with Thanos has left the Avengers scattered across the world. Y/N is lonely and in her grieve, she seeks out an old friend.

a/n: Please be aware that this is still a piece of fiction and I did not adapt all attributes of Westview or the characters into the story. The timeline is shifted as well but other than that, it should be fine. Also… the beginning is kinda lengthy but I promise it’s worth it so don’t give up midway please!

!Divider is mine. Please give credit when using!

word count: 4.9k

chapter warnings: mentions of characters' deaths, angst, reader being kinda lonely, a teeeeny bit of language, and a whole lot of uncertainty

✶ 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 | 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 | 𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 ☾

I would be super excited about some feedback or just general thoughts about it. It would mean and help me as a writer a lot and I always love interacting with you 💙

Life felt dull ever since Thanos had been defeated. Like a never-ending kids' carousel that had no exciting highs and lows. Just steady, boring sameness. Every day. 

Y/N had grown quite accustomed to this sameness once she had settled into the normal everyday escapades of her new non-Avenger life. Of course, sometimes she wished for some aliens to descend down to earth and stir up a little trouble. And sometimes she thought about doing what Peter did, which was basically strolling around the neighborhood in hopes of the tiniest robbery to feel that sense of purpose again, but then she remembered that it wouldn’t be the same. It would never be because so many people had been lost on the journey that lead her to this lonely apartment in the midst of Brooklyn. 

It was intriguing, though. Falling into a normal routine - as weird as it was for the former superhero. And she even thought of the silly idea, the future could hold a lot more than what she had now. She would lose herself in scenarios that seemed too good to be true, sometimes too crazy even. And as she stood by the kitchen sink, washing up some dishes and looking out the window into the ever-steady business of New York City, her mind began to wander again. This time, to a much calmer place. The Suburbs, and life as the cliche housewife, she would never be.

Maybe her kids would be coming home from school around this time, and she would be busy planting hydrangeas in the front yard of a pristine suburban family home until her husband would get back from work in a dark grey company car. Then she would be serving a home-cooked dinner that she claimed to have love as the secret ingredient and watch as her kids were bothered with the same questions about school she had always wished for when she was a child herself. 

It was weird to think about the life Y/N could have had if fate had not pushed her into the Red Room when she was ten years old. But she wasn’t complaining. She never would. The life she had lived so far had led her to meet the most amazing people she had ever known. And even though some of these people were gone now, she still reveled in the experiences and wisdom they had brought to her.

Like Natasha, who had taught her how to enjoy a little joke along the way of a strict and surveilled life. Or Tony, who made sure to always push her to excellence by her own choice - something she had not known before she became a part of the Avengers. Which was also something she had both of them to thank for. 

Y/N had been lost in the sudden feeling of freedom when Natasha destroyed the Red Room, a home they had both grown to despise while still living in it. And because of that ‘being nobody,’ a person not true to herself - because she simply didn’t know who herself truly was - she had found her way to Nat. Or Nat had found a way to her. It didn’t matter which way. Important was this: The day Natasha recruited her, Y/N’s life had changed for the better. 

She got to know what friends were. People she was not obliged to spend time with because there was no other place to be. And maybe it was the connection of the Widows that still had her drawn closest to the redhead, but that was by choice nevertheless. Natasha understood her deepest darkest fears, mainly because she shared some of them with her. And she was a cool, independent version of the person Y/N strived to be. She wanted that back then and now she was proud to have fulfilled her dream. 

Then Vision died and Y/N got a taste of the grief a person felt once they started to care. Vision had been a friend just like everyone else in the group of superheroes. And it broke her heart to see Wanda fall apart. She was a friend, too. Maybe even the closets right after Nat. 

When the Blip happened, Y/N was the one staying with Nat at the compound, growing closer if that was even possible. Natasha was like a sister to her. And they helped each other get over the losses Thanos was to blame for.

Then Natasha died and it was the worst thing that had ever happened to Y/N. She had thought seeing Vision die was bad. Well, this was a thousand quadruple times worse. Because Natasha had been Y/N’s only friend for a long time. The person that led her to everything great in life and when she died, everything felt bland. Like the world had been stripped of its colors and shapes and sounds and smells. Life was like a boring sad piece of unsalted bread that had been laying out for a day too long. She didn’t want to touch it, to experience it. 

And then Tony died and Y/N felt bad because she was not able to grieve him properly. All her feelings were drained. There were no tears left for Tony even though he deserved them all. By that time she had turned into that plain sad piece of bread for everyone around her, even though she tried not to be. 

It had been a rough time. And when the group slowly started to disassemble after Steve went to return the stones and decided to come back as an old man, Y/N was determined to work herself out of the steady misery she had gotten lost in ever since. So she moved out of the ruins and it helped to not be surrounded by constant reminders of the people she’d lost. But she still missed them so much that it hurt and prevented her from everyday life practices. Then she tried meditation, and well, that was a total flop because her apartment was squeezed between noise and business, which made it basically impossible to calm down. So she decided to try the opposite to calm. Y/N would start dancing and jamming out to music, or she would sing on the top of her lounges - so loud, that a neighbor had come up to complain. She would go out for runs in hopes of draining the energy that was otherwise used to mope. But these things didn’t distract her for long, and - even though it made her forget for the time being - the nights that followed felt even worse. Because she was not only grieving again, she was also exhausted.

Of course, some things stayed with her still. Y/N knew that it was impossible to remove such branding core memories from her mind but it took some time to realize that was okay. She didn’t need to forget about the losses she had endured just as much as she needed to hold onto the good moments that had made these losses so unbearable. 

One thing in particular that had not changed, was the ever-so-slight crush Y/N had developed on Bucky as he joined the Avengers. It was only a short timespan before he too disintegrated from the group after Thanos. Y/N had been there the day Steve returned as Grandpa Rogers and when they parted ways that night, it was the last time she had seen him. She knew he was still in the city. And she had tried to contact him after Steve died. To be there, as a friend. Because she knew he didn’t have a lot of those in New York. Bucky had called her back and they had talked for four hours that night. Just recalling memories and the few fun moments they shared. And it was as though they were back at the compound with everyone else, reminiscing the events of the day as they slowly welcomed the night. 

Y/N missed those moments especially. The smug look on Natasha’s face whenever Bucky talked to Y/N, or the excited glimmer in Wanda’s eyes whenever Bucky refilled Y/N’s cup. She had always been shipping them both, she had told her one night. And Y/N had wanted to punch Wanda for saying that in front of Bucky. He had just ignored it as he had turned away to talk to Steve or Sam but Y/N’s eyes had lingered on his frame for the remainder of the night, hoping and wishing for some form of reaction that told her that there was a slight possibility her feelings were reciprocated and it wasn’t just a farfetched dream to finally have him closer.

Maybe she would try to reach out to Bucky again. Not because she felt like he needed a friend, but because she did from time to time. And if her life had taught her anything until now, it was that it was fine to be a little selfish sometimes. It had only been a couple of months since everything went down, and even though Y/N felt like she had handled her emotions fairly well since then, there were times when they got the better of her. Like just a minute ago, when she had thought about a perfect wannabe life in the suburbs, and now? She was watching her tears mix with the dishwater in the sink. 

She decided to call him again that night. And when he picked up and told her that it was nice to hear her voice, her heart felt like exploding. The phone call wasn’t that long, but it did end up making her feel better. Bucky had suggested they’d meet the next day to catch up and Y/N had happily agreed.

So Y/N made her way to the meet-up spot they had decided on a day prior. And when she spotted Bucky patiently waiting on the sidewalk, she had to take a second to catch her breath.

There he stood, adorned in a black leather jacket and his hands buried in his pants pockets. Bucky had his head turned to the right, watching as a bike rode past him on the street. He had a new haircut, it was a lot shorter, but it looked good. He looked good. Though there was still a slight hunch in his posture and an everlasting tension he never seemed to shake. 

Y/N approached him, her hand clutching her purse strap and a tight-lipped smile on her face. Bucky was already looking at her when she came to a stop in front of him, mustering her as though he had to check her for any injuries. He looked gorgeous. The new haircut made his face brighter as it was not hiding behind the dark curtain of hair anymore. His eyes were somehow more piercing than she had remembered. Y/N wanted to reach out and stroke over his soft locks until they stood out in every direction. She couldn’t do that though.

There was a short moment of silence between the pair until Bucky finally broke a smile and Y/N wasn’t sure what to do to greet him. Could she hug him? Smile back? Everything was so uncertain. 

“How’ve you been?” He asked then, taking the contemplation away from her by opening up the conversation. His voice was different too. A lot calmer and freer in a way. She liked it.

“Oh, you know...” She trailed off and looked up at him. There was hurt burning in her eyes. She didn’t want to hide it from him but still didn’t say it out loud.

Bucky just nodded in response. Then he looked at the ground again. 

“You wanna walk?” Y/N suggested and the weight on her shoulders lightened once she saw Bucky relieve the tension in his by her idea. 

When they would talk on the phone, everything seemed so carefree and normal. Like two friends who frequently did so. Which was what they were. But having him here, right next to her, brought a long-forgotten nervousness back to her stomach. Why was it so different? They were friends, right? Y/N was sure of that actually. But she couldn’t deny that something was bothering her about this situation. She wanted to enjoy this time with him, but something almost felt as though she was scared to do so. After all, this meeting served a purpose. An occasion to get their minds off of the horrible past they shared. At least Y/N thought that was the reason. She wanted to see Bucky, too. She had missed him - missed the heart flutter she experienced in his presence. And maybe it was stupid to think that it would be exactly the same as several months ago, but a part of her still wanted, maybe even needed to know.

They both walked in silence for 10 minutes. Weaving their way through crowded New York City streets and Y/N took that as an excuse to not talk. It was too loud and they could barely walk next to each other because of that. But when they reached the walkway next to the water, everything calmed down around them. They picked up small talk, a subtle and slow approach to deeper conversations that seemed to be only reserved for late-night phone calls between the pair. But it was nice and Y/N reveled in seeing Bucky taking charge of his life again. He seemed to have come a long way from the reserved shell of a man he used to be at the beginning of their story. And even though Y/N had noticed changes ever since he was back with Steve, the years that had passed seemed to have only done him good.

After a while, Bucky stopped and leaned against the railing and Y/N did the same. The metal was cool under her hands.

“Have you been talking to any of the others lately?” Y/N asked lowly, as her heartbeat skipped. She really missed the way they would all hang out as a group. But once the big fight was over, everyone kind of went their separate ways and Y/N wouldn’t deny, that not hearing from them definitely hurt like hell. Of course, she was also concerned about Bucky’s well-being. She knew he had a tough time adjusting in the beginning so she just assumed that new situations were hard on him in general.

“I'm hanging out with Sam,” he said shrugging his shoulders. “I made a new friend called Zemo.” Was that a smile crinkling in the corner of his eyes? Y/N was glad he was happy. She wasn’t sure whether or not he wanted to get into detail about his relationships and she didn’t want to push. Though there was another question on the tip of her tongue.

“What about you? Have you visited Wanda yet?”

“Visited her? I haven’t talked to her in weeks.” Y/N’s chest tightened at the thought of her best friend. “I don’t even know where she is.” 

There was no particular reason why the girls had not been in contact, but it did bother Y/N. She had tried to call Wanda on several occasions in the beginning, but over time, she gave that up as well. Maybe Wanda needed some time to herself. Y/N could understand that now better than ever before. She was sure, however, that having a friend to talk to about their losses would benefit them both tremendously.

Bucky looked at her intently. “She’s in Westview.” A soft nod accompanied his statement. He had said it so easily as if that information were not impacting at all. As if it was a simple fact that everyone knew. Well, Y/N didn’t know and it made her heart jump once again.

“Westview,” she repeated in a whisper. Why did that ring a bell? Y/N was sure she’d never been to Westview before or heard of it for that matter. Or did she? “How do you know?” Her eyes swerved to Bucky with curiosity. She was wearing her thinking face now, and she knew that it must have looked a little off-putting because the brunette answered quickly.

“Uh- Zemo told me about a S.W.O.R.D. file. He gets his sources... I don’t know from where and I feel like I don’t wanna know either. But they are always trustworthy.”

“Why is she in a S.W.O.R.D. file?” 

“Apparently she created a town with perfect neighbors or something.” Again, he said it so casually. Meanwhile, a tornado broke loose in Y/N’s mind. 

“But how is that even possible?” Her look intensified with confusion, studying Bucky’s face as he looked at her with calmness through and through.

“She’s a witch, Y/N. How do you think it’s possible?” It wasn’t condescending, no. It was simply a statement, but Y/N did feel kind of offended. As if he was accusing her of not knowing her friends.

Y/N was silent. Of course, she knew that Wanda was powerful, but this seemed a little too crazy for her. She had always known her as this reserved woman, especially in crowds. She liked to analyze, stay back and watch - much like Bucky did. When they became friends, Y/N got to know her cheeky side. She experienced her teasing and enjoyed their late-night pillow talks. But most importantly, Y/N got to know Wanda as a very caring person. She liked to help and she liked to rule in fairness. Rational and somewhat normal - well, as normal as someone with mind-reading abilities could be. So yeah, Y/N didn’t know how she thought it was possible. 

Bucky didn’t say anything, either. He let Y/N collect herself and she was glad he did so. ‘A town with perfect neighbors,’ he had said. Y/N chuckled. She couldn’t imagine Wanda in the suburbs at all. It seemed as ridiculous as Y/N herself residing as a housewife and pursuing a perfectly normal life after everything they went through. Her laugh got caught in her throat though, as she thought about how unfair that assumption was. Wanda, just like Y/N, had the right to dream of that life just as much as everyone else. And she knew that Wanda wanted it, too. They had talked about it over late-night teacups in bed with Natasha, as they spilled their hopes and dreams of could-bes on the fuzzy blankets beneath them. 

Y/N’s chest warmed at the memory. And then her mind reminded her of how intriguing it was the day she imagined that life as well. The hydrangeas, the kids, the husband, the grey company car. 

She picked up her smile again and was glad to see it mirrored on Bucky’s lips.

“I kinda wanna see it now.” It was a silly thought. A desperate attempt to fulfill that unattainable wish of hers to forget about everything bad that had happened. An invite to escape with her to a world that seemed free of bad and evil. And Bucky probably knew that, too. His eyes watched over the sea as he leaned on the railing that separated them from the water.

“Yeah, it’s intriguing,” he answered absently, and Y/N wondered if he was revisiting similar dreams. A chuckle escaped his lips shortly after. “Could you imagine?” His eyes found their way back to her. “Me in the suburbs behind a white picket fence and all that?” There was amusement in his tone, but his eyes told Y/N that he was looking for an honest answer. Almost in search of consolation of some sort, they switched between hers.

“I think it’s definitely an interesting thing to consider.” That wasn’t a lie. By all means, she couldn’t imagine Bucky in a suburban environment just as much as she couldn’t for herself and Wanda, but it sure was a thought that made her heart skip a beat. Seeing him happy, all smiley and domestic with a family, maybe a cat. 

“I can see you there,” he interrupted her silent monologue, and only when Y/N’s eyebrows raised in question did he explain. “With a family, I mean. You always care so much. You’d be perfect for that kind of life.”

Bucky paused to wait for a reaction in her heart, but Y/N wasn’t able to reply. Bucky had thought about the suburbs and he had thought about Y/N in the suburbs. He could have thought about them together and that possibility alone made her stomach erupt with butterflies.

“You remind me of Natasha in that sense,” he continued a little quieter this time and Y/N’s heart tightened. Natasha always talked about children. She might have had a hard shell at first, but once you had cracked through her tough exterior, Natasha revealed a woman, who had dreams just like any other. But Natasha never got to experience a life beyond the superhero world, and because of that, Y/N didn’t think she would either.

“It would be nice, but it’s never gonna happen,” she stated grievingly. Her gaze wandered over the water, focusing on the sun reflecting off the surface. 

“Why not?"

“I- I don know. I don’t see it in my future.”

“Y/N,” Bucky spoke insistently as he gently grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her frame toward him. “One thing this life has taught me - and take this from the 106-year-old I am - is that you almost never see things coming.” He smiled but there was a deep hurt in his eyes when he fought to keep them steady.

Y/N just held his gaze for three heartbeats and then she leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his torso and nuzzling her face in his shoulder. Buck instantly responded, guiding his arms over her shoulders and pulling her tighter. 

That night, Y/N lay in her bed, her eyes wide open as she stared at the ceiling, revisiting the events of the day. There was no way she could go to sleep. Her head was spinning, her thoughts twirling around like a carousel: Westview. Wanda. Westview and Wanda. Wanda in Westview.

She had her fingers intertwined and resting on her stomach. Her pointer finger nervously tapped on the back of her hand. Wanda was in Westview, living her dream - her literal dream. And here Y/N was, after a day that was supposed to bring closure, anxiously twitching in her bed. Bucky had known about Westview. He had thought about Westview. Christ, he had thought about Y/N in Westview. Her heart picked up its pace again, her stomach indiscreetly bubbling with excitement. Bucky had thought about it all. 

It was weird. Y/N never imagined she would be in this position. At a point in her life where she didn't know what her next move would be. When she was a child, everything had been calculated for her. There were only rules to follow, and if she didn’t, there was punishment. So there really wasn’t an option for choice. Then she had joined the Avengers, and even though that life was definitely more deliberating than the one in the Red Room, she never worried about the future. She was a hero - an Avenger. And while she fought alongside the greatest saviors of her time, she never felt the need to consider what she would do if it were to end. She had found her forever home with a family that she learned to love. The hero life was her destiny, she fell into place when she joined it. 

And then, sudden as lightning and with the force of thunder, that life had ended. And it had taken purpose, stability, and safety with it. Y/N had been stripped bare of all responsibility and it was scary. The world was open for her, the future laid out as a blank page she was able to draw on with all the pens she desired. And yet, she felt lost and without inspiration.

When Bucky had mentioned Westview, a spark of hope had flared up in the dark. Westview: It seemed like the ultimate solution. A new place - new people. A change of scenery that had somehow helped Wanda distract from her grief... and her past. 

Then her thoughts went back to Bucky. He had agreed that it was intriguing to see. And that feeling hadn’t changed on Y/N’s part. He had painted a picture in her head she had thought about before. The housewife, the kids...

‘Me behind a white picket fence and all that,’ he had said. And now, after thinking about the conversation over and over again, Y/N couldn’t help but wish herself in those little words. ‘All that’ - a wife, a family. And slowly, but surely that blurry husband in the gray company car merged into the shape of a handsome brunette Super Soldier. 

She slid off the bed and reached for the phone on the nightstand almost mechanically. And before Y/N knew it, her finger had tapped on Bucky’s name in the contacts. She held the phone to her ear, her heart beating like a sledgehammer. Maybe she was nervous, or maybe it was excitement. She couldn’t tell. It just felt weird, like a constant tingle in her stomach that wouldn’t subside. 

Beeeeep

She had called him before and it wasn’t weird. She had called him before and she wasn’t scared. So why now? Maybe it was the decision she had lingering in her mind and the intention of pitching it to Bucky. And maybe it was the fear to hear him laugh about it or that she didn’t know what she would do if he did.

Beeeeep

For god's sake, what took him so long? Maybe this was a bad idea. A really really stupid idea. She shouldn’t be calling people at 4 in the morning. But this seemed different for some reason. Because Bucky was different. He wasn’t ‘people’. 

Beeeeep

Ok. This was definitely a sign. He was probably sleeping and couldn’t care less. Meanwhile, Y/N was sitting on the bedroom floor with her nerves running a marathon. She should hang up, she really should. When she was about to pull the phone from her ear to hover her thumb above the red button she hesitated. One more, she thought, and then she pressed the device to her ear again.

Beee- “Hello?” Oh shit, oh damn. She really wanted him to pick up but now that he had, she didn’t know what to say. Y/N’s heartbeat seemed to pick up an even faster pace and it felt like it was jumping right out of her chest. There was silence on her end of the line, mixing with the static that tingled between the two.

“Y/N?” His voice sounded groggy, heavy with sleep. She had woken him up. Another beat of since filled the air before her voice appeared, soft and careful. Y/N already felt bad for waking him, she didn’t want to aggravate him on top of that.

“Bucky?” Ruffling of sheets pushed through to her and then the soft thump of feet hitting the floor.

“Yeah?” It was muffled as if Bucky had his hand covering his mouth, but she could clearly hear the concern in his tone.

This was her last chance to back out of this incredibly impulsive idea. But somehow, her heart clung to the thought anchored in her mind, and it didn’t feel as though it would let go anytime soon. If this was a mistake, she would gladly let it happen. There was not much to lose, despite Bucky if he decided that she had turned batshit crazy. So maybe she shouldn’t take the risk. It was frustrating to wrangle her mind over the same thing again and again. She had played it safe so many times and it always didn’t turn out the way she wanted it to. Maybe this time she had to take a step in the opposite direction - a cautious, yet unexpected leap into the what-ifs of the universe. 

Y/N took a deep breath to collect herself. She had made a decision and she was determined to say it out loud. So with her eyes closed and an exhale, she said her next words with a steady voice. “I want to go to Westview.” Please don’t laugh. Please don’t, because if you do I can’t handle it.

Bucky didn’t answer, and the lack of background noises coming from his end made her anxiety skyrocket again. Did he hang up? Did he fall unconscious from her stupidity? It was nerve-racking. Y/N looked at the clock on her bedside table and watched the seconds tick by. Each one felt like an eternity with the accompanied silence filling her ears, but she wouldn’t dare take her phone away. He was there. She knew it - she felt it. If he would just say something, anything. Her foot began to nervously bounce up and down as her eyes fell from the clock to her hand that was anxiously clutching the hem of her shirt. Please say something. At this point, he could even laugh. Y/N didn’t care, she just needed a response, something that told her whether her decision was valid or not.

A sharp exhale eluded from the speaker and Y/N felt like she could finally breathe again. Another second of silence before Bucky spoke up, steady and confident.

“Then I’m coming with you.”

𝒏𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓

Wanna be added to the Taglist? (make sure to tell me if you want to be added for this series)

@not-another-fangirl @4buckyb @almosttoopizza @royalwritersoftheuniverses @circe143 @valkyrie418 @mirikusashes @noideawhyimdoingthislol @nikkitc0703

#megs imagines #everything’s better in westview #bucky barnes imagine #bucky angst #bucky barnes fluff #bucky x you #the winter soldier x you #bucky barnes x female reader #winter soldier imagine #bucky fluff #bucky imagine #james bucky barnes #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky x reader #bucky x y/n #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes angst #bucky barnes fic #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes #steve rogers imagine #captain america winter soldier

[brawltogethernow]

Who is your least favorite spider-man writer and artist and your most favorite artist and writer of spider-man?

Picking favorites feels surprisingly tricky, not because I can't but because Buscema edges out Romita on art but Conway edges out DeMatteis on writing (by dint of spending thirty straight years + 20 more off and on kicking my ass and how when he falls on his ass it remains fun for me), and these names next to each other are nothing. This is a stupid combination. Really highlights how superhero comics are made by teams and a single dude cannot guarantee quality if they're not vibing with the rest of the carpool. But if I'm picking a team the seventies beats the nineties, and it's sooo disingenuous to try to narrow down one pair of names when that era was Lee/Romita bleeding into Lee/Conway/Romita into Conway/Romita/Kane, also every few issues Mooney dips in to push the Peter having pretty eyelashes agenda and then leaves. Like some of the best art in this era had Kane doing pencils and Romita inking, and I like their combined style more than Romita penciling his own work if we're talking the period where he was still a full time illustrator, but I midkey dislike Kane's pencils inked by everybody else. I looked up who was illustrating 90's Web with Conway on scripts and it turns out the art I like best is a penciler and inker team and the quality takes a dive whenever either of them takes a month off and leaves the other one in a substitute's hands. You know! Team efforts! Anyway here are some iconic combinations in no order cherry picked to cut out overlap and sneak more people in.

Yes Please:

DeMatteis/Buscema

SSM #180

There's a rhythm to this team's work I've full stop never seen anywhere else.

Lee/Romita

ASM #83

The Vibe.

Conway/Andru

ASM #145

The number of times Gerry Conway has kicked my ass. u_u With Romita Sr. and Andru the most distinctive art trait is the faces - Andru's were never as doll-perfect as Romita's, and that's kind of the best thing about them?

Now guys I hate on the other hand. Way less complex. Debated whether to answer this because I try not to go on about who in the industry sucks at their job but this is not because I couldn't.

Please No:

Spencer/Otley

ASM (2018) #30

It should have been difficult to outdo the preceding run, but writing that was simultaneously nonsensical and insulting, deflated pacing where each issue achieved about as much as a single newspaper strip, a teeth-first art style where every face sports a pained grimace and the meandering composition always scores a D-, and the finishing touch of colors that I can only describe as Averaging Out to Oatmeal...combined to create some of the worst comics I've ever seen. Spencer and I appreciate so many of the same comics and his understanding of what makes them good is so poor that it's almost like receiving a personalized hate letter.

Slott/anybody

ASM #546

He can write well which just makes it worse. I don't even know where to start enumerating his crimes. Like do I just pick one anecdote? When there are so many?

Land (the porn trace guy)

Symbiote Spider-Man: Alien Reality #2 but I could have opened anything and found a bad traced yelling face

You know. The guy. Who traces from porn. That guy. He remains gainfully employed despite being known for this. Does he have dirt on an important executive?

Campbell (yes he watermarked the one on the left two separate times AFTER signing it)

ASM (2018) #2 variant, Renew Your Vows #11 variant

If you're distant from the recent comics scene it's hard to convey how omnipresent this guy is. He's like the comic sans of artists. After having the way he draws women ripped to shreds by social media over a decade ago, Campbell doubled down and has since then drawn hundreds of pinups of identical women in invisible high heels making the exact same face. Singlehandedly a huge factor in how people visualize MJ becoming "skinny carrot top with a pointy chin and freckles". He's proud of this.

#letting the negative explanations get longer because with the good ones i want people to go see what the hype is for themselves! #not with the bad ones lol. lmao. i'll take that bullet for you. #asks answered #anonymous #spiderman #marvel #spidey

[smartycvnt]

Super Lantern

Title: Super Lantern Pairing: Kara Danvers x Reader Summary: Y/n and Kara learn that they're a good team when they work together to send Sinestro back to his space prison. R WC: 561

Y/n couldn't remember the last time that she had spent time on Earth. That was Hal's planet, so she tended to stay away from it. Y/n's own planet had been destroyed and spending time on Earth reminded her of it. She thought it was bittersweet being there. She didn't want Earth to be destroyed, and so whenever she realized that Sinestro was making his way towards Earth, Y/n got there as soon as she could. That was how Y/n found herself in National City for the first time.

Everybody had heard of Superman and Metropolis, but fewer had heard of his cousin, Supergirl. Y/n found herself almost immediately transfixed by the blonde as she sped through the air chasing Sinestro. Y/n could see the path of destruction he was leaving and it disgusted her. She was quick to action in helping Supergirl. The two of them flew side by side next to each other without saying a word. Supergirl gave Y/n a small nod of appreciation just before Y/n sped ahead to help her cut him off. The two of them worked in tandem to contain Sinestro and his destruction. There would be massive damages, but it was better than having him run rampant through the streets.

"I've never seen you before," Kara stated. "Are you human?"

"No, but I will guard this planet like it was my own. You have picked a good resting place Kryptonian," Y/n said. Kara smiled and blushed a little at the compliment.

"You should spend some more time on Earth. Maybe I could show you around?" Kara asked hopefully.

"I would like that, but first, I need to take him back to Orm. There are a new set of crimes that he must pay for." Y/n tightened her grip on Sinestro's arm before she began floating up into the air. "You are welcome to escort him back with me. It did take the two of us to bring him down, it seems only fitting that we both present him to the council."

"I've never been to Orm," Kara reasoned. She joined Y/n and grabbed Sinestro's other arm as they set off into space. It had been a long time since Kara had gone that deep, but Y/n kept an eye on her. They were far away from Earth's sun on Orm, but Kara wouldn't have traded the experience for anything. She may have felt like any regular human, but the culture was absolutely fascinating. There were so many different alien races, ones that Kara had heard of, but never seen. Kara hadn't known what to expect from the trial, but it was over fairly quickly.

"You know, there are no Kryptonian lanterns," Y/n said. There was the feeling that she was trying to be casual about it, but the tone missed a little.

"I couldn't leave National City or my family, I just couldn't. There is always something new popping up," Kara told her. Y/n nodded in understanding.

"Well then it sounds like National City needs more help. A relocation to National City feels most fitting. Would you mind showing me around sometime?" Y/n asked. Kara smiled and nodded, genuinely happy about the prospect of having another superhero in the town with her. Especially one that she liked so much.

#my writing #supergirl x reader #supergirl #arrowverse x reader #arrowverse #kara danvers x reader #kara danvers

[true-blue-megamind]

I have a question. I don't know if this has been asked this before. Why does Roxanne fall for Megamind? I'm crazy happy they end up together but I still wonder why? Most people were scared of him until he saved the day. He kidnapped Roxanne all the time. She was super pissed at him for a while there. He's also not human. How does the whole attraction thing even work when you aren't the same species? Because, yeah, Megs is cool af, but an ET with blue skin and a big head probably wasn't the star of many Metro City girl's wet dreams. Maybe after he started the hero gig since people are just like that but not before. But Roxanne kind of flirted with him before he turned good or anything. So I guess she had to see something in him other people didn't. What do you think it was?

MEGAMIND FAN THEORY THURSDAY: Roxanne’s Attraction

Yes, I’m back again with another Megamind Fan Theory Thursday! Special thanks to this week’s anonymous contributor! I appreciate you, whoever you may be! I also want to express my sincere gratitude to all those who read, like, and reblog these posts… Knowing that you share the love for this fandom is the reason why I continue dedicating time, whenever possible, to researching and writing about these theories. This blog wouldn’t exist without you. Thank you!

If, however, you are that one individual who has inexplicably insisted upon reading two years' worth of articles about a film you still haven’t watched… I continue to have faith you’ll one day see the light. Or at least the movie. Hope springs eternal.

In the meantime: SPOILER WARNING!

We’re all human—at least, I assume most people reading this probably are—and that means we’re imperfect. One of the sadly common flaws of our species is a tendency to be rather judgmental, sometimes without just cause, and we certainly see that occurring in the film Megamind. After all, the alien genius was left to be raised in a high-security jail among presumably dangerous inmates simply due to his appearance and was pressured into supervillainy in part because he was different. Given that fact, along with the fear and ostracization many apparently showed him, there is reason to wonder exactly what first attracted Roxanne Ritchi to the blue man. After all, as today’s contributor pointed out, most humans, if asked to describe their perfect match, might not immediately default to “an alien with a large head and a complexion of a popular primary color, as a random nonspecific example.” Yet Roxanne is most certainly attracted to Megamind. Of course, many fan suggest that she must find him handsome—it’s doubtful she’d be in a romantic relationship with him by the end of the film if she thought him ugly—but they also contend that, given her disinterest in Metroman, the attraction must be more than physical. The question is: what qualities made her fall for him rather than an ordinary human or the supposedly perfect former Defender? Can fan theories shed any light? Let’s take a look!

Not Your Average Damsel

Some may be tempted to suggest that this is merely a typical case of the damsel falling for her rescuer. After all, that’s one of the common superhero tropes, isn’t it? Even Megamind himself, while talking to Titan after training, said that saving a lady was the way to her heart. The problem with this is that, in that particular instance, the blue man was completely and undeniably wrong. His love interest’s attraction had little or nothing to do with him whisking her out of Titan’s murderous clutches.

There are three reasons why fan theories rightfully dispute the concept of Megamind and Roxanne sharing a stereotypical hero/damsel romance. Firstly, the movie itself is well known for subverting superhero genre norms, and indeed that seems to have been one of the major themes of the narrative. Given how much effort was put into turning such conventions on their heads, sometimes even lampooning them, it’s extremely doubtful that the film’s creators would have suddenly adopted such stereotypes in this one case.

Secondly, there is Roxanne herself. This character is spunky, independent, and not easily cowed. During Megamind and Titan’s second fight, we see her holding a broken street sign, preparing to join in the fray. That’s a far cry from the expected behavior of a supposedly helpless damsel. Furthermore, despite being rescued by Metroman multiple times—hundreds, in fact, according to the prequel comic The Reign of Megamind—she states outright that they “were never a couple.” That alone clearly dismisses the idea of Roxanne swooning for the blue man simply because he rescues her. If she were the sort to do that, she would have fallen for Metroman as well—especially considering that most of the people around her apparently believed him to be Mr. Perfect.

The third and final reason is one we’ve touched on before. It bears repeating, however, as it truly puts the proverbial nail in the coffin of the Typical Damsel argument. As our contributor mentioned, Roxanne canonically was attracted to Megamind while he was still a supervillain. During the kidnapping scene, when the blue man draws close and practically purrs a vaguely suggestive line—“such… tricks won’t work on me”—in the reporter’s ear, rather than showing reluctance she asks him to “please talk slower.” Megamind, of course, responds by calling her “Temptress.” Tellingly, while she doesn’t acknowledge it, Roxanne also doesn’t object to the epithet. Fan theories suggest that this obviously indicates there was already attraction on both sides, although its extremely doubtful either would have ever acted upon it. (As a well-known television reporter, Roxanne may have been too well aware of the potential destruction of her career, and Megamind, despite having her at his mercy numerous times, was obviously too goodhearted to make a move without invitation. You can read more about the latter in Megamind and Masculinity.)

Smart is Hot

This, then, leaves us with the question of exactly what did attract Roxanne to Megamind. Does she simply have a thing for blue aliens, or is it something more than that? One fan theory suggests that the answer lies in a line that was cut from the final version of the screenplay. Initially, after telling Megamind, who was then disguised as Bernard, that Metroman had never been her type, she added that she’d always preferred brains over brawn. That is interesting because intelligence is certainly something the former supervillain has in abundance. In a previous Fan Theory Thursday post, Why Kidnap Roxanne, we explored the likelihood of Megamind’s clearly ingenious species being naturally attracted to intellect. The thing is that he may not have been the only one. Merriam-Webster defines the term sapiosexual as someone who experiences “sexual or romantic attraction to highly intelligent people.” As you can guess from the mere fact that this word exists, it is fully possible for some humans to possess this inborn predisposition. Many fans believe that Roxanne Ritchi is, indeed, a sapiosexual, and this may be one reason why she would fall head-over-heels for a super-genius, alien or otherwise. In fact, as discussed in How Smart is Megamind, the blue man may quite literally be the smartest person on Earth, making him extremely alluring to someone already attracted by brilliance.

Indeed, according to fan theories, several things about Roxanne’s character support this idea. She was originally imagined as an investigative reporter, so she’s obviously not stupid. She appears to dislike Hal not based upon his appearance but rather due to his lack of intelligence and his constant harassment. Perhaps the most telling evidence, however, comes from comparing her reactions to Megamind and his former nemesis. As mentioned before, Metroman is supposed to be most people’s idea of masculine perfection. Simply look at the way his fans, especially the female ones, behave during the opening of his museum. Add to this the fact that he is largely based on Superman and Elvis Presley—both of whom were, at one time, considered extremely handsome—and we can safely assume that Metroman is supposed to be some sort of Adonis. He’s also wealthy, famous, and powerful; three qualities that many people might consider great advantages in a potential boyfriend. Nonetheless, Roxanne Ritchi shows no interest at all in him.

Conversely, while dating Megamind in his guise as “Bernard,” the woman’s attention—and perhaps her heart—seem to be captured by his conversation, intellect, wit, and humor. She initially begins spending time with him because she believes him to possess expert knowledge concerning Megamind as well as enough intelligence to help her decipher the supervillain’s plan. She clearly enjoys having long conversations with him, laughing at his humorous stories, and reading books together in a library. Granted, the last was done for research purposes in the film, but the Bad Blue Brilliant comics show Megamind and Roxanne planning a date at a library after the blue man has become a hero. Obviously a shared love of books was something Roxanne liked about him. It appears that such traits attracted the reporter while riches and model-perfect looks couldn’t.

Of course, Roxanne rejects the former villain after she learns who he really is, but one Megamind fan theory suggests that that was almost certainly not because of him, but rather because of his actions. It makes sense. She is hurt and infuriated that he lied to her, and she makes her objections to some of his past behaviors known in no uncertain terms. However, when considering the charges she lays at his proverbial doorstep, it’s clear that what she cannot abide is his criminal behavior. She accuses him of murder, taking control of the city, and tricking her. Furthermore, she seems convinced that his only purpose in disguising himself was to toy with her emotions for his own sadistic amusement.

As the film progresses, however, she realizes that he did not actually kill Metroman and that he was sincere about their relationship. That, in turn, removes many of her objections and creates room for her love to grow once more. Indeed, when Megamind, obviously upset, mentions their breakup while they are driving to Metroman’s hideout, Roxanne briefly displays a sorrowful expression before apparently hardening her resolve and slamming on the breaks. (This was likely because she still thought the former villain guilty of murder.) Furthermore, during this unused clip cut from the final film, while taunting his captive, Titan refers to Megamind as Roxanne’s boyfriend, and she doesn’t correct him. Moments later, when he tells the woman to summon her hero, she doesn’t hesitate to issue a heartfelt plea to Megamind. When she sees the blue man make his grand entrance, the look on Roxanne’s face says clearly that she knew he would come. When she believes Megamind to be wounded, Roxanne weeps, and when he, at last, takes up the position of Defender, she kisses his cheek. It seems the woman has grown to trust and love the former Master of All Villainy.

It’s What’s Inside That Counts

Megamind’s intelligence is likely not the only reason Roxanne finds herself falling for him. Many fan theories suggest that his personality was also a driving factor. As mentioned before, he is funny and likable during their dates. When they ride bikes together, he’s clearly having fun, and that makes him fun to be around. While dining out, just before the kiss and the holowatch’s malfunction, he obviously charms her. Even before that, however, the blue man seems to display some very positive traits. His mourning his nemesis, laughing with Minion, and playing with the brainbots all evince a kind heart hidden beneath the black leather and spikes. That same trait continues to appear throughout the film. Later in the narrative, during Titan's attack, Megamind displays a concern for the people of Metro City despite those same people having ostracized him all his life. He is manifestly not as evil as he tries to appear. In fact, his treatment of his damsel offers further proof of this. While he has Roxanne tied up in his Lair as bait for Metroman, it becomes obvious that Megamind’s so-called doom devices have been carefully calibrated not to actually harm the woman, and she seems to know it as she shows no fear. She even seems to enjoy her situation sometimes. When Megamind makes a veiled Star Wars reference, Roxanne smirks as if she’s trying not to laugh.

Thus it appears extremely likely that, from the start of the movie, the reporter already knew Megamind was too good a person to actually hurt her and it seems she appreciated his geeky humor. This is hardly surprising. According to the prequel comic, The Reign of Megamind, he has had more than 600 failed plots and Roxanne has been his compulsory guest of honor for many of them. Consider how much time for interaction that must have afforded them before the cameras started rolling. Even if Roxanne was only awake for an average of half an hour before each actual battle began, that would still mean that she spent roughly 300 hours alone in Megamind and Minion’s company. To put it in perspective, that’s twelve-and-a-half days! It seems nearly impossible that Roxanne could spend the equivalent of nearly two weeks in Megamind’s company without some of his charm, kindness, and humor showing through. This is quite possibly another reason for her evident attraction.

That’s not all. As mentioned in the post What Sort of Hero Will Megamind Be, the blue man lists several qualities necessary for a Defender while discussing the topic in the Metroman Museum. Although he doesn’t seem to recognize it at the time, he actually displays all of them with the exception of his former adversary's DNA. Strength? The fact that Megamind breaks a saw on Titan’s face while punching him indicates that the former villain is far more physically powerful than he looks, and his ability to remain calm and think under extreme pressure suggests that he has serious willpower. Determination? Megamind talks about learning from his many defeats, and the simple fact that he continued to get up and try again after losing more than 600 times shows that he certainly doesn’t give up easily. Courage? The alien genius goes to Roxanne for help in finding Titan’s weakness rather than fleeing despite Titan’s attempt to kill him. Afterward he puts his life on the line to save Roxanne from the new villain—and that’s after facing a superpowered foe for years. Whatever else he may be, no one can argue that Megamind isn’t brave.

Finally, there’s also Megamind’s industriousness. Imagine how many inventions he must have constructed over the years… There would doubtlessly be hundreds! Everyone one of them had to be not only built but also designed and tested. How many hours of plans, calculations, schematics, calibrations, and labor go into each one? It's unclear, but what is certain is that, despite clearly knowing how to have fun, the blue man just as obviously understands the value of hard work. It’s doubtful that laziness is a vice he has ever suffered from.

So, why is Roxanne Ritchi attracted to Megamind? While we may never know how physically desirable she finds him—although fans speculate that, based on their relationship, she must find him handsome—the blue man possesses plenty of other beguiling virtues. Alien or not, Roxanne obviously finds his intelligence and personality too alluring to ignore, and as soon as he embraced goodness rather than behaving in destructive ways she could not condone, she gave him her heart. If you consider it, that really isn’t shocking at all. If any one of us were courted by a person who was smart, funny, courageous, kind, charming, hardworking, fun-loving, and strong, would we remain unaffected? Or would we, like the movie’s heroine, tumble head-over-heels into love? In the end, it’s little wonder that Roxanne fell for the new Defender of Metro City. It would have been more surprising if she hadn’t.

That concludes this week’s Fan Theory Thursday! I hope you enjoyed it!

#megamind #Megamind #megamind roxanne #megamind x roxanne #megarox #fan theories #fan theory #fan theory thursday #megamind fan theory #fictional characters #character analysis #meta #deep dive #dreamworks #megamind movie #attraction #sapiosexual #headcanon #headcanons #analysis #movie theory

[monsoon-of-art]

As promised, here is my Long Fiction piece with my Superheros!

"Two Wrongs do Make a Right"

It was generally accepted that Superheroes do not steal.

Superheroes have a verbal contract, as it were. Unstated by most but very well known; to protect their city and the people inside it. Methods and motives vary, but this rule kept things simple.

Dragonfly planned on breaking that rule.

She had never liked being conventional, truthfully. She didn’t work with cops, rarely worked with the local government. She didn’t have powers from the heavens or radioactive spills, and she certainly wasn’t rolling in cash right now. She protected her city and she protected her people, she just did it her own way.

And while she was skilled in hand-to-hand combat and all different kinds of technology, actually robbing a museum was beyond her normal capabilities.

So, here she was. Dragonfly in all of her neon glory, pacing on a rooftop. Her blue goggles only added to her insect-namesake, her thick curls trimmed short. “I just worry about the security. And the cameras. Security cameras.” she rambled. “Being physically seen robbing a museum wouldn’t be ideal.”

“Mhm. No. I imagine it would not be.”

With her was her partner; Clay. A being made of ever-shifting liquid earth, his voice often flat and monotone. Even now, as she nervously paced on the rooftops, he sat idly by, letting bits of himself drip onto the floor with a half-lidded expression.

“Dragonfly.” said Clay, his voice heavy like syrup. “I have never been inside a museum before. It cannot be that difficult. I think you are stressing yourself out. I will take care of the cameras.”

“I think it’s more the robbing- wait. Wait, you've never been? Holy shit, OK. When we’re done with this, I promise I’ll take you to a museum.” she said with a faint smile. “One with lots of hands-on stuff for you to play with.”

“I would very much enjoy that.” Despite the kind offer, Clay’s tone didn’t change. “I am still unhappy with the main part of your plan. Working with. Him.”

Right. Hayday.

Dragonfly and Clay didn’t have many people they could trust. Another terrible truth that came with the job. Dragonfly had no other living family, and Clay’s origins were a total mystery. Their flippant attitude with the local cops and government did them no favors.

And in a sea of criminals, smugglers, gangsters, mobsters, murders, aliens, eldritch beings, and whatever other nonsensical weirdos that had it out for the pair, Hayday was…an exception.

Hayday was a bit of an enigma. No delusions of grandeur, no plans for world domination. As far as Dragonfly and Clay could tell, he was just a dude who dressed up like a scarecrow to hide his identity and commit petty crimes.

“Yeah, yeah. I know you don’t.” Dragonfly sighed. “But please, give him a chance? It’s either Hayday or cops.”

Clay relented on this, if only slightly. “...I do not like cops. But I also do not like Him. The first time we met him-”

 “I believe in second chances.” She said, quietly. “Besides. We need him-”

“-Cuz ya don’t know how to pick locks.” Clambering up the fire escape to join them upon the roof was the man himself. In a striking contrast from Dragonfly's slick, modern look, Hayday looked like he stepped right out of a cornfield; dirty overalls, wide-brimmed stetson hat, a burlap mask that covered most of his face.

Clay stood, shoulders - or what could be generally considered shoulders given his anatomy - tense, brow furrowed. "You are late."

"In case ya haven't noticed, Clay-Dough, but we are currently on top of the museum? They don't exactly want people on the roof. D'ya know how hard it was to climb up here?" Hayday shot back. "Can we maybe meet up somewhere closer to ground level next time?"

"I hope there will not be a next time." Clay hissed, voice dangerously quiet. "And my name is Clay."

"The building schematics says this should be a maintenance entrance." Dragonfly brushed aside their comments with a brief explanation. She gestured to a locked door, no doubt guarding a stairwell. “It’s locked, and you’re the best lockpick we know.”

“You are the only lockpick we know.” Clay clarified.

Hayday looked between the locked door and the two. “Why not have Clay-Dough break down the door?”

“I could-” Clay began to say.

“No.” she said sharply. “I don’t want any real damage here. I want a quick in-and-out operation.”

“Operation? Don’t be so coy, now.” Hayday said with a sneer, rummaging in his pockets. “You’re stealin’. Stop actin’ high and mighty.”

Removing some thin tools from his pockets, Hayday gave the door a cursory glance. “Hm. I’m gonna guess a double cylinder deadbolt. Should be easy.”

Dragonfly and Clay couldn’t help but try and look over his shoulder, seeing slivers of silver tools inserted into the lock. If they focused, they could hear subtle clicks beneath the rumbling city ambiance.

A clank. Hayday pulled back, the door opening with him. “There.”

“How did you do that?” Clay demanded. “That took no time at all!”

Hayday gave him an unimpressed stare. “Ya ever hear the phrase ‘a magician never reveals his secrets’, Clay-Dough?”

“No. What does that mean?”

“It means ‘tough shit’.” Hayday turned to Dragonfly. “Right. Pay up. I helped ya, and now ya owe me-”

“We’re not done?” she said, tilting her head slowly at him. “You said you’d help, and we’re not done? This is only step one.”

Even with the burlap mask he was wearing, the confusion was clear on his face. “...care to run that by me again?”

“We asked for your help with taking the Dragon’s Eye Ruby, currently housed on the first floor of the museum. I got a tip that Snake Eyes planned on taking it, so Clay and I decided to take it before them-”

“And plant a fake, yeah, yeah. I got that part.” Hayday hissed, gesturing for Dragonfly to stop talking. “And I did help. I unlocked the door. What else do ya want me to do?”

“Help us take the ruby?” Clay offered. “You have experience, do you not?”

“I suppose. Experienced enough to know that I’ve already triggered the silent alarm.” he said with a wry smile. “Y’all got about twenty minutes. Thirty if traffic is bad - and let’s be honest, it always is.”

Clay’s form began bubbling like a pot of water. A rare flash of anger crept into his voice. “You knew this, but you did not tell us?!”

“Clay, cool it.” Dragonfly said, placing a hand on his ‘shoulder’, not caring for his goopy nature. “We won’t be that long, with any luck. Besides, we’re at stage two now, and that’s you.”

Taking a deep breath, Clay steadied himself. “Right. Right. I am sorry. I will go in and destroy the cameras.” He turned to Hayday, pointing at him. “If you try anything while I am away. You will regret it.”

Without another word, Clay completely melted. His humanoid form sloughing away like a warm candle, slithering through the door like a mud-covered snake.

Hayday waited a moment before turning to her. “I’ve done my part, Dragon. Pay up. I don’ wanna be here any longer than I have to.”

“Not until the job is done.” she replied. “Once the ruby is in my hand, I’ll give you what you want.”

He glowered at her. “Yer killin’ me, I hope ya know. What do ya want from me? Ya want me to hold yer hand the entire time? What’s yer angle?” His voice grew softer, more hesitant. “I didn’t think ya’d ever wanna see me again, after…”

“You tried to kill me?” she asked, looking up at him. He couldn’t look her in the eyes. She continued. “But you didn’t. That’s the key thing. You had the opportunity. But you said it yourself. You couldn’t.”

Finally, he met her gaze. “It’s…that’s just not who I am.”

“Who are you, then?”

He didn’t respond to that.

Her goggles lit up, the soft blue glow illuminating her dark face. A police report flashed on her heads-up display. “The cops are on their way.”

“Great! Great! Perfect!” Hayday began pacing. “What are ya gonna do about the rest of the security measures, dare I ask? The guards, the proximity alarm?”

“I’ve been carefully tracking the pattern of the security for several days now. If worst comes to worst, we can knock them out-”

“WE?!”

“- As for the proximity alarm, hopefully we’ll be gone by then. The cops are already coming, what are they gonna do? Send more?”

“YES?!”

Clay opened the door, gesturing for them. “The cameras have been destroyed. I have caused a distraction for the guards on the first floor-”

Dragonfly interrupted. “They’re still alive, though, right?”

He blinked at her. “Yes. My distraction caused no damage. As far as I am aware.”

“Clay-Dough, that is not reassurin’.” Hayday wheezed, sounding like a strange combination of a laugh and a choke.

“While normally I would question that statement to Hell and back, we’re really short on time here.” said Dragonfly, glancing back at the police report on her HUD. “The case with the Ruby should have a lock on it.”

She gave Hayday an expectant look. “Please?”

Hayday glared back. Clay glanced between the two of them, unsure which side to take.

"Fine. I'll stick around for now. But so help me, if there is even a whisper of trouble, I am gone. Understand?" Hayday finally said, his voice a quiet, strained hiss.

Dragonfly seemed pleased. "Thanks. We really appreciate it."

"I hold no strong feelings on this matter." Clay muttered. "Do not drag me into this."

"Ladies first." Hayday said with a wave of the hand, encouraging Dragonfly to take the lead.

She rolled her eyes at that, but stepped forward to enter, her faint glow of her goggles and gloves illuminating the dark stairwell. Clay followed, his footsteps quietly sloshing behind her. Hayday went last, closing the maintenance door behind them.

“What happens if Snake Eyes finds out?” Hayday whispered in the darkness of the maintenance tunnels. “He and I aren’t exactly on good speakin’ terms.”

“Why?” Clay twisted his neck like an owl to ask directly.

The man hesitated, fiddling with his hat. “I…erm, well, he offered me a job. I wasn’t able to do it, and I kinda…haven’t spoken to him since?”

An uncomfortable silence fell over them.

Snake Eyes had men in every little nook and cranny of the city. The fact that Hayday had managed to avoid them all was both impressive and concerning. You couldn’t just ‘not speak’ to Snake Eyes; not forever, at least.

“That was not smart of you.” Clay finally said, swiveling his head back to normal.

Dragonfly slowly opened the door to what looked like the storage area, wincing at the creaking metal. “This should be the first floor. Let’s go do the switcheroo, and then we can bail. Don’t touch anything.”

“She is referring to you.” Clay whispered, giving Hayday a look.

She nudged Clay with a grumble. “Be nice.”

“I’m not stupid.” Hayday shot back. “Most everythin’ will have a proximity sensor.”

The three of them stalked through the darkened museum, taking care to stick to the shadows when applicable. The displays seemed practically ghoulish in the low light, with some of the displays quite literally looming over them.

"I do not want to visit a museum anymore." Clay whispered.

The Dragon's Eye Ruby, being a new exhibit, was very prominently displayed. The gem itself was a brilliant gradient of reds, purples, and oranges, and about the size of a large fist. Right in the middle of the room, contained within a glass box. The bottom of the box had a lock on it.

"Hayday, can you please-" Dragonfly began to say.

But Hayday pushed past her before she could finish. "Yeah, yeah, I'm on it. But ya better be ready to make the switch. Once that proximity alarm goes off, it's going to be loud."

As he began carefully stepping closer, a loud boom shook the museum. The ground and walls shook, the various exhibits clinking and clattering in their cases.

"...Dragonfly." Hayday slowly turned to her. "When was the heist supposed to happen?"

"Not until tomorrow…" she slowly trailed off. "Shit."

While Dragonfly wanted their version of the heist to be as clean and neat as possible, Snake Eyes and his goons had no such qualms about collateral damage.

Sirens screamed throughout the museum. "I didn' do that!" Hayday yelped, stumbling backwards.

"They must have moved the heist date." Said Clay. "They are going to take the gemstone. I would also guess they will not allow us to leave-”

"Wait, wait! This is a great thing!" Dragonfly grabbed onto Clay's arm, fingers sinking ever-so-slightly into him. "We can just fight them here and now and really send Snake Eyes a message! With the three of us, I bet we could totally-"

"Hayday is leaving."

Dragonfly glanced over to where Clay was pointing, seeing Hayday already having picked the window lock and beginning to open it.

"H-Hey!" She called after him. "Don't go!"

"No! I told ya! I did NOT sign up for a fight! I was here to pick locks!" He snarled, already swinging one leg over the threshold to climb out. "Look. The job Snake Eyes gave me? Was to kill you. If his men see me with ya? I'm in for a world of hurt!"

"If we work together and scare them off, imagine the message that’ll send! With your help-"

"Ya still want my help?! Then take my advice. BUZZ OFF.  Yer not gonna win this fight, Dragon. Give up. Ya lost. If ya stay here, you’re gonna get killed."

Dragonfly stared at him for a moment, before her mild surprise twisted into a deep frown. “You knew this…and your first instinct was to get yourself out of danger? You were completely content in leaving Clay and I to die?”

There was an unpleasant silence that followed.

“W-Well. No. No.” he eventually stammered, trying very hard not to make eye contact. “I-I would’ve-”

Whatever he was trying to say, she didn’t let him finish. “You were! You were! You were going to ditch us to die! I get wanting to leave, and I get being hesitant to help, but you were fine with! With!” 

“N-Now just hold on-” Hayday had almost appeared to shrink into himself, partially trying to climb out the window and partially trying to put distance between him and Dragonfly.

She leaned in close, her voice a near hiss. “Earlier, I asked who you were. You’re a cowardly, spineless thief. And you may not like blood on your hands, but you certainly don’t mind it splattering your boots as you run.” 

Leaning a bit too far out the window in response to the verbal lashing, Hayday yelped as his hand slipped, and he promptly fell backwards out the window. There was a great clamor of noise - glass bottles, metal cans, crinkling of plastic and paper, the noises of trash. Even after everything, Dragonfly struggled to resist the urge to check on him, to make sure he wasn’t hurt.

She forced herself away from the window, turning to her partner. “Clay, I know this is silly to ask, but are you ready for a fight?”

“Yes. Yes. God, yes.” He answered, fists already raised. Then he thought for a moment. “Where is Hayday?”

"He left." Was all Dragonfly said. But Clay knew her tone of voice well enough to get the picture.

"Ah. I am not surprised. He is a criminal. All criminals are the same."

She felt like she should've disputed that. She instead settled on giving him a disapproving look.

Dragonfly had more important things to focus on right now. Such as the suspicious shuffling from the closed door just to their right.

"How many of them do you think there will be?" Clay whispered, fists raised.

"I'm going to guess six." She replied, turning on her combat gloves. When active, they could deliver a terrible electrical shock, usually just enough to stun. Even as the wielder, she could feel the familiar tingle run through her bones.  "You know how Snake Eyes loves his dice motifs."

"Ah. True."

The henchmen burst down the door not a moment sooner, some of them expressing surprise at the pair being there first. The rest of them merely gripped their weapons a little tighter.

Eight of them. She was a bit off on the numbers. Thank God none of them carried firearms, so sure that they wouldn't face any resistance, they had only brought crowbars. Of course crowbars still had the capacity to hurt, something that Dragonfly hoped to avoid.

(Clay, as far as she knew, seemed completely impervious to physical damage. The crowbars would just thunk into his body, leaving a strange indent, but nothing more.)

Living up to her namesake, Dragonfly was constantly moving. Darting across the room, looking for a weakness in their defenses to strike. The room was far too small to use her wings, but even without them she was quick. 

But even as they fought, they couldn’t keep track of all the crooks at the same time. In the corner of her eye, she could see one of the men start to pick the lock to the ruby’s case. “Clay!” she shouted, narrowly dodging a crowbar.

“Currently occupied!” Clay shouted back, grabbing two of the men by their collars to restrain them.

The man grabbed the ruby from the case, sirens screaming all the while. Upon seeing an opening. She shouted, “Clay! Take over! Like we practiced!” she said, thought for a half a second, then quickly added. “Do NOT kill anyone!”

She bolted as Clay lost all pretense of human form, shifting into tendrils to grab and disarm like a horrifying claymation octopus. She normally did not like leaving him alone in fights (especially like this), and not because she was worried for his safety. But seeing the thing she came here specifically to protect currently slipping from her fingers prompted her to temporarily disregard this concern.

Nearly slipping on the museum floors, Dragonfly chased after the crook with the ruby. “HEY! Stop right there!”

He did not stop. Dragonfly wasn’t sure what she expected.

She certainly wasn’t expecting the handle of a broom to swing from a doorway to beam the man in the face, knocking him to the ground. The ruby clattered to the floor, doing more damage to the floor than the actual gem itself.

Sliding to a stop by the groaning man currently slowly writhing on the floor, she looked to see who was holding the broomstick. And she was honestly surprised to see Hayday standing there, panting as if he had ran a mile.

“You came back-”

“WHY ARE YA STILL HERE?! What part of ‘If ya stay here you’ll get killed’ did not get through to ya?!”

Dragonfly blinked at him, baffled. “Because I don’t run from fights?”

Huffing, clearly not happy with that answer, Hayday gestured to the ruby with the broom. “Well, get the stupid gem and let’s split.”

“We may not need to.” she picked up the ruby with careful hands, holding the cold stone close to her chest. “If Clay managed to beat up the rest, we can simply say that we got here only moments after and stopped the robbery. The police and the news don’t need to know our original plan.”

“Lyin’ to authorities, breakin’ and enterin’, taking’gems from museums, are ya sure you’re a hero, Dragon?” Hayday asked with a lopsided grin.

Dragonfly did not answer, stiffly turning and starting to walk back.

“H-Hey! Hey!” he quickly gave chase. “Are ya mad? Yer mad. But I came back! Look. Look. I’m sorry. Really, I am!” Hayday said. Maybe it was the lack of the smarmy attitude that he had since the very beginning. But something about it sounded genuine to Dragonfly.

Genuine or not, his timing was poor. “Let’s have this talk when we’re not in a museum full of sirens with the police on their way, kay?”

“Good plan. Good plan.”

Returning to the room where the ruby was originally kept, Dragonfly and Hayday were met with men unconscious or in stages of stupor, lying around like ragdolls. “Holy shit.” Hayday quietly muttered. “Clearly ya didn’ need me-”

Clay reformed upon seeing Dragonfly, taking his human shape. “They are still alive. I have checked.” he quickly reassured her.

“That’s awesome!” she said, carefully returning the ruby to its place. “You’re making great progress in not doing that.”

A rare smile graced Clay’s face. However, the smile died almost immediately upon realizing Hayday had returned. “Oh. I was hoping you had left. For good.”

“Yer not gettin’ rid of me that that easy, Clay-Dough.”

The sirens of the museum proximity alarms were replaced with the sirens of police cars. “And now it’s time we leave!” Dragonfly said, placing the glass box over the gemstone. Finally, she placed a small, plastic dragonfly on-top.

“Do ya just carry those around?” asked Hayday.

“Ever heard of a calling card? Have some class.” she replied.

Once the plastic dragonfly was set in place, the three of them bolted for the maintenance stairs. And once on the roof, they kept running; traveling from rooftop to rooftop until the red and blue lights and police silence blended into the usual city rumble.

Dragonfly and Clay turned to Hayday, who was currently wheezing like he had just run a marathon, hands on his knees, almost doubled over.

“For someone so quick to flee. You do not have good stamina." Clay muttered.

“Why’d you even come back?” asked Dragonfly.

“Because-” he said between breaths, “Because I didn’ mean to leave ya.”

Dragonfly crossed her arms over her chest as Clay loomed behind her, the pair of them silently urging him to continue.

“It’s just.” he stood straight, kicking at the cement under his feet. “I’ve been workin’ solo for…years now. When shit started hittin’ the fan, I worked on instinct. And my instincts told me to hit the bricks. You two didn’ deserve that. ‘M sorry.”

“OK. Where is the rest of the apology?” Clay said slowly, eyes narrowing.

“...what else am I apologizin’ for?”

“Being a thief. Being a criminal. Attempted murder-” Clay began to list on his fingers.

Hayday sheepishly smiled, “Oh. Yeah, I ain’ apologizin’ for that.”

“I appreciate the apology.” said Dragonfly with a nod. “And I’m appreciative for the help. My plan wouldn’t have worked without you.” 

“It was an alright plan.” Hayday admitted. “I’m sure it would’ve gone off withouta hitch, if they didn’ move the date of their heist.”

Dragonfly snorted. “Yeah. ‘Moved the date’. Sure.”

Hayday paused. He opened his mouth, closed it again, thought for a moment, then finally managed to ask, “You…you knew they were coming today, didn’t ya?”

She smiled. “Course we did. We’re no rookies, we know what we’re doing.”

“So ya lied to me? Told me that they were coming another day, manufacturing all of this? For what? I don’t get it.”

“I told you why at the very beginning. I wanted to know who you are. A test of character.”

"I tried to convince her otherwise." Clay added, his voice slow and languid. "But I could not sway her."

Hayday stared at her, arms crossed over his chest, head tilted and mouth slightly agape. 

But she continued regardless. “I remember, when you tried to kill me. You were shaking so bad, you know. You said you couldn’t do it, and you vanished off into the night.”

“I think…” Dragonfly looked him up and down. “...you’re a good person. I think that deep down, underneath all the sarcasm and snark and everything. You are a good person.”

Hayday continued to stare. She wasn’t sure if it was confusion, or disbelief, or maybe she had just broken him. “You honestly think. That after everything. That I’m a good person?”

“Yeah.”

There was a moment of contemplative silence. She could see him working something out in his head. Then, with a deep, rumbling sigh, he reached into his pockets to pull out a jewel-laden necklace. “Here. I swiped it earlier, when ya weren’t lookin’. Take it before I change my mind.”

"I knew it." Clay hissed. "He is a thief. He will always be a thief."

"I gave the damn thing back, didn't I?" Hayday snapped. "I could've kept it!"

"You really shouldn't have taken this. Like. The entire point of asking you to help us was to prevent museum theft." She said, carefully taking the necklace from his hand.

"Ya didn't say I couldn't steal." He snapped his fingers. "That reminds me. You owe me. And I'd like to collect now."

Dragonfly sighed. "Clay. Wallet please."

Clay shoved a hand into his own body, not unlike how one would rummage through the mud to find a missing shoe. After a moment, he pulled a wallet from his chest. "Here."

The two silently traded, Clay inserting the necklace into his body for safekeeping as Dragonfly rummaged through her wallet.

(Hayday was silently disgusted by the entire exchange.)

She handed over a plastic card. He snatched it, proceeding to give it a confused look-over. With absolutely no emotion in his voice, he asked, "...is this a fifty dollar gift card to IHop."

"I enjoy their cinnamon roll pancakes." Clay said, confirming Hayday's question.

"You wanted payment. You never specified how. But if you don't want it-" Dragonfly reached over to take the card back.

But he quickly put the gift card in his pocket, "Nope, nope, mine now. In the future, I'd like something a bit more rewarding, mind."

Dragonfly beamed at him. "Next time, huh?"

Hayday paused, as if he only just realized what he said. "Look. We ain't friends. I ain't a good person. I'm only doin' this because I'm in a good mood. Got it?"

"Buuuuut?" She pressed.

He waved his hand dismissively. "...but I wouldn't be completely opposed to working with you two again. But in the future, don't lie to me, and I don't take gift cards."

She took his outstretched hand, giving it a firm shake, much to his confusion. "It's a deal!"

Dragonfly finished the handshake, glancing at Clay expectantly. But he just slowly shook his head. "We should be leaving. The police will be searching the area soon."

"Right, right!" Dragonfly chirped, her smile near infectious. "This was a good day! Tomorrow we'll return the necklace." 

Her backpack whirred to life, two pairs of neon blue wings forming from electrical components tucked inside. Clay had already left, using his semi-solid form to quickly dart off to another rooftop.

"I'll keep in contact." She told Hayday, wings buzzing as she lifted off the ground.

"I'm uh. Sorry for trying to kill ya." He shrugged. "Way back then."

"It's alright." She smiled. "I forgive you."

#Myocs #dragonfly #clay #hayday #neon hero

[natashasnoodle]

Silent Comforts | Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Masterlist | N.R Masterlist

Words: 2.4k

Summary: You'll be there for Natasha when she's struggling in silence.

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Natasha was a complicated woman. You never quite knew where you stood with her. Granted, you hadn't known her long, but there were some moments where you thought that there was the slightest possibility that you might be on the same wavelength and other times where it seemed as though she would rather eat a shoe than be near you.

Being the newbie on the team meant that by default you were going to be the one that everyone was the least warmed up to, you understood that, but the rest of the team tried to make you feel as included as they all did. And for the most part, you felt like you were fully part of the dysfunctional superhero family that the compound housed. But there was still someone who had not fully come around to the idea of your existence.

Natasha Romanoff.

If you were with the team mingling during group training or general activities like movie nights, she sent you small smiles and engaged in small talk if you ended up standing near each other, and the smiles that she smiled seemed genuine. They reached her eyes and made them sparkle. Though when you were alone with her, which was a rarity due to the way she avoided that situation like the plague, she ignored your entire being.

You would walk into the kitchen with a pep in your step, and your happiness tended to increase when you saw the redhead making herself a drink or a small snack in between meal times. You would grin and continue your walk forward, offering a happy greeting as you got your own beverage. Sometimes she would offer you some sort of annoyed grunt in response, or just ignore you completely. You would watch her walk out of the room with a frown on your face and your head tilted, not knowing why she was treating you like that when recently she had been talking to you about how well you are advancing in training and seeming to want to know you more personally.

It was confusion on a level that you had never felt before, and it always left a stinging pain in your chest. Natasha was an amazing person. She was strong, passionate about what she believed in, a hard worker, had a good sense of humour, and made you feel as though you were the only person in the room when she looked at you. It was hard not to fall for her. So when she made out that she hated you, it hurt. But she didn't seem to care when she saw your saddened expression before turning on her heels and making her exit.

It wasn't like you could confide in anyone about it either as no one else ever witnessed her actions, so they likely wouldn't believe you. You would be coined as the newbie who tried to create a rift with pre-established friendships. A homewrecker of sorts. You didn't want to be known as the Avengers homewrecker. So, during hangouts where you would normally talk to her in an enthusiastic manner, excited that she seemed to want to get to know you as much as you wanted to get to know her, you withdrew yourself.

You had probably been over the top, too overexcited; coming to the conclusion that you had been annoying, and who knows who else you had been annoying on the team and they were too polite to say so. The easiest option was to just barely talk. But due to your usual bubbly and bouncy nature that the team all grew to love, it was easy for them to see your change in behaviour, and it led to some concerned glances being thrown your way when you weren't looking. Including glances from Natasha.

She had been looking forward to games night as it was her opportunity to talk to you. With how she felt for you, one on one was far too scary for her, but she loved talking to you when there was a group, she was hoping to build up the courage to eventually talk to you when no one else was around. It was an alien feeling for Natasha and she didn't know how to interact with you, but her main focus that night was how even though you were offering small smiles during conversations with other people, your eyes were completely dull.

It went on for weeks, and no one had explicitly mentioned your change in behaviour to you, they all seemed perfectly happy still, so you just assumed that you had indeed been annoying and that this change in personality was a good thing. You weren't happy, you were far from it, but you were happy that your friends were happy, so you would be able to deal with it.

But you had completely withdrawn from Natasha, and she wasn't happy either. The way she felt for you was the first time she had ever felt that way before, and she had ruined it before she had even started it.

What she hadn't been aware of is that you had quickly become a safe space for her when in the compound, and she really couldn't understand why she couldn't have kept it that way. Even after just a few weeks of radio silence from you, she missed your calming aura that could settle any tidal wave that flowed through her, the way your smile made her feel like everything was going to be okay. It was all gone, and she only had herself to blame.

She holed herself away in her room more often than not as she became a captive of her own mind, spiralling as her mind took her on trips down memory lane all too often, the realisation that she was not built for simple comforts flashing before her eyes. Love wasn't a pleasure that she could divulge in, she didn't deserve it.

---

On a particularly quiet night in the compound, you decided to go out and explore. All of your paperwork had been finished early as you had managed to get into the zone in the evening and sped through all of your administrative tasks, so a nice stroll around parts of the compound that you had not visited yet sounded fun. It was a giant place, and you tended to stick to the block in which your room was situated, the training areas, and the common areas, having had not much time to get a grand tour of the rest.

With headphones on you allowed your feet to be guided by the quiet melodies. It wasn't the most exciting of grand tours as a lot of the hallways looked the same and were just full of office and meeting room doors which you couldn't care less about - until you would eventually need to know where one of those rooms were. But that was a problem that you could face on another day.

Though your interest was piqued when you accidentally stumbled across another residential block. Your block housed Tony, Vision, Thor for when he was on Earth, and yourself. It was quite a boring block in your opinion as Tony was always in his lab, Vision was Vision, and Thor lived on Asgard most of the time. Your roommates sucked to put it in layman's terms.

The new block that you had come across seemed lovely though. There were four doors like in your block, Wanda, Clint, Bruce, and Natasha. You gulped at seeing Natasha's name but pushed any thoughts out of your head and looked around. Three of the doors were blank, but Wanda had a red, wooden 'W' nailed to her door with a few small posters of various sitcoms and vinyl covers. It looked cute. There were also some small intricately detailed metal tables dotted around the block with potted plants on. Likely courtesy of Wanda too.

After looking around for a moment, you decided it best that you leave the area, but just as you reached out to yank open the thick metal doors that lined every hallway, you heard a crashing noise and then a muffled sob coming from one of the rooms. You froze on the spot and took your headphones off after pausing your music, letting them settle around your neck, thanking Thor that they were only on quietly in the first place.

The only issue now was that you didn't know which room it came from, though you did know it sounded like a feminine voice. You awkwardly walked forward with small strides and placed your ear against Wanda's door, hearing a small chuckle followed by an echo of audience member laughs. She was watching TV. By the process of elimination with your small group of options, this left Natasha.

Still under the inclination that she didn't like you, you were hesitant to knock on her door and check on her, but your mind was screaming at you to not leave her at a moment when she clearly needed someone. Your heart and breath began racing as you stared at the door, the proportions of the place looking as though they were growing and shrinking as your brain started spacing out in panic, it had been a while since you had been this anxious.

Quickly regaining control of the situation, you shook your head to try and rid yourself of any anxious thoughts and focused on walking towards the bedroom door. Your fist cautiously raised and hovered for a few moments before you knocked thrice. At first, there was no response, and you were about to walk away. Natasha was a guarded person, she would see you if she wanted to see you, besides, you were the last person that would be able to push her, she clearly didn't trust you.

But as you took a step back, the door opened a crack and you could see a small portion of her head peeking through the gap, but the eye that you could see clearly widened when she saw it was you standing there.

The sound of you clearing your throat could be heard when you realised that she wasn't going to talk first. "I heard a crashing sound and I just wanted to make sure you were okay". She was analysing you during and after you spoke, trying to figure out your motives and whether you were being genuine. Trying to figure out if you would think that she was weak.

After half a minute of contemplation on the redhead's side, she opened the door a smidge more and walked back over to her bed. Stepping through and closing the door behind you, you eyed up her room briefly. You had expected it to be bare, minimalistic, but it was in fact the opposite. It was cluttered, but in a neat way, in a Natasha way. There were books and notebooks carefully dotted around, stationary placed strategically, paintings hung on the wall, potted plants, and lots of trinkets that looked to be from various gift shops.

You smiled softly as you looked around, but your face dropped when you finally turned to Natasha who was sitting on the edge of her bed, spinning the rings on her fingers repetitively. Taking another step forward, you noticed that she flinched slightly, almost as if she had gotten lost in her own head again that quickly, and you reminded her that she had let you in.

Once you slowly reached her bed, you took a seat next to her, making sure to leave a large gap so as to not scare her off, and it was only when you looked at the room from this angle that you could see some things on a chest of drawers were thrown to the floor. You frowned and wondered what had caused the outburst, but you didn't dare make a sound whilst she was clearly needing to gather her thoughts first.

It was silent for ten minutes before she shuffled slightly in her seat, clearly feeling uncomfortable, and you didn't know if it was because of your presence, but she let you in so that meant that she may have wanted to see you, right?

Again you shook your head slightly to push irrelevant thoughts away and focus on the issue at hand. "Is there anything you want to talk about?", you spoke quietly and carefully, and as expected you didn't receive a verbal response, just a soft shake of the head. You nodded and pursed your lips in thought, "Do you want me to go?".

"No", she blurted out loudly and looked to you before looking at her lap again and speaking in a whisper, "I'd like you to stay".

You sent her a warm smile, even though she wasn't able to see it, "That's okay, we don't have to talk, we can just sit". She looked over to you in her peripheral and could see the outline of a smile, and that immediately sent a warm feeling through her chest. She visibly relaxed in your company, which relaxed you too. You had really missed her over the last few weeks, and though you weren't sure why she had been ignoring you, it was clear to you that she didn't hate you. Baby steps.

Your thoughts had been racing to the point where you hadn't realised that it had gotten late, and when looking at Natasha she looked to be getting tired. Her stature was faltering and her head kept dipping, trying to force herself to stay awake but not quite succeeding. Tiredness was washing over you too, so you tapped the gap in the bed in between you, causing her to snap her head towards you. You shuffled your body to be sitting up on the headboard, your legs extending on the bed and gestured with your head for her to climb up next to you.

She raised an eyebrow in response, debating whether or not to do so, but it was getting late and she was getting tired. So, she moved further up the bed towards you and lay down, placing an arm over your legs as you were still in an upright position. She let herself get comfortable, but tensed up when you brushed some stray baby hairs out of her face before relaxing into your hold more than she had before, prompting you to continue your ministrations, and in no time at all, she was out like a light.

That was the first good night's sleep Natasha had had in years, and it was all because she had you. Just you. No words needed to be said, she just needed a comforting presence, and you had that to offer and more. 

Sometimes silence can be comforting. 

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Taglist: @fxckmiup

Natasha Romanoff Taglist: @diaryoflife @unlady-like-12-25-36

#natasha romanoff x reader #natasha romanoff #natasha x reader #natasha romanoff fluff #natasha romanoff x you #black widow #natasha romanoff imagine #natasha romanoff angst #natasha romanoff x fem!reader #natasha romanoff x fem reader #natasha romanoff x female reader

[paragonrobits]

some fun facts about Spider-Man 2099:

He’s probably older as a character than you might think; he was first published in August 1992, and was created by Peter David (who is likely most well known among Marvel fans for, alongside Greg Pak, being the biggest contributor to some of the Hulk’s best stories)

He’s not a standalone character. Miguel O’hara is part of the Marvel 2099 sub-continuity, which can be best described as a cyberpunk dystopia spinning off after a bad future for the rest of the Marvel universe as a whole. It is very much in the model of a standard cyberpunk setting with corporations running the world into the ground and oppressing people in the name of profit. In this era, there have been no superheroes and most of them are remembered only as vague stories that people desperately want to believe in, or iconic folklore that people really behind.

In this regard, it may also be possible to view O’hara as a contrast to Spider-Punk, who also comes from a dystopia oppressed by corporations, though they ultimately have broadly opposite reactions to it.

Miguel is notable for having a great deal of differences from the ‘average’ Spider-Man incarnation, with a great deal of purely physical alterations that are otherwise not very typical in spider powers.

His best friend is an AI, whom was seen glimpsed at the end of Into The Spiderverse

He arguably has a very important role in Spider-Man history; while Miles Morales has definitely eclipsed his fame and become a part of the main Marvel universe, Miguel was significantly more popular than the other 2099 stories and remained fairly well known across comics at the time, which also ties into his cameo in Into The Spiderverse; he arguably had the most amount of importance as a Spider-Man legacy character before Miles, and was the most prominent non-Parker incarnation, even moreso than Mayday Parker.

There was a short-lived animated series called Spider-Man Unlimited that I always interpreted as an attempt to adapt aspects of Miguel O’Hara, though the most it has in common is that the suit Spider-Man wears in it looks an awful lot like Miguel’s look; its otherwise not very much like 2099 at all, besides a cyberpunk angle, and features a displaced Peter Parker.

There is likely some interesting angles in comparing and contrasting the respective settings of Miles’ original world (the Ultimate universe) and Miguel’s. Miguel is, as noted, fundamentally a cyberpunk character, and was technically one of the more positive characters in it, a true hero in a world of bleak despair amid corporate control; while there were other heroes, there weren’t enough, and things were bad enough that Doctor Doom popping up to take over the world made him seem like an anti-hero at worst. In contrast, Miles was one of the few purely positive figures in the Ultimate setting, which in its attempts to imitate the likes of the Authority often depicted classic Marvel heroes in horrific ways; the Hulk was often implied to be a sexually violent cannibal, Wolverine tried to sleep with an underage girl, Carol Danvers gets downright enthusiastic at the prospect of torturing an alien who had been her friend.. even Miles’ dad was an anti-mutant bigot. Miles himself, though, was a whole and genuine hero (if a reluctant one) who was one of the few truly noble people in the setting, so there’s an element in their conflict here.

#marvel #spider man 2099 #miguel o'hara #queued