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#not sure how much of this is actually clea

someone-wrote-here21 · 4 months

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How the Kamaboko squad helps you when you're sick

My headcanons on how I think the Kamoboko squad would take care of you when you get sick.

Posted on ao3 in my Demon Slayer Oneshots/Headcannons book!

Requests are always open/welcomed!

Enjoy :)

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■ Tanjiro

- Being the oldest of his family, Tanjiro has a lot of experience taking care of people as he has helped his mother with taking care of his siblings, especially when they're sick.

- If you're the type of person that tries to keep working and denies that you're sick (even if it's pretty obvious), he will hover over you and make sure you stop and rest.

- This dude will be bringing you healthy meals in bed, making sure you drink enough fluids, and cuddle you, all until you feel better.

If you're the vomiting type of sick, Tanjiro will hold your hair back for you (if it's long) while you puke it all out in the toilet.

- If you don't like taking medicine, then you bet Tanjiro's gonna be using some of the tricks he used to get his younger siblings to take their medicine on you.

- He will try to be by your side to help you get better as much as possible, but not so much that you feel smothered.

■ Kanao

- Being the younger sister of Shinobu and having lots of experience taking care of people in the Butterfly Estate, you know for sure she knows what she's doing.

- Kanao will be bringing you medicine and healthy meals that are specially made for when someone is sick.

- When taking care of you, she will be somewhat strict, but only if you're proving to be difficult and not taking the medicine or refusing to rest.

- If you're the vomiting type of sick, Kanao will help you when you're puking it out and will clean you up without batting an eye. If you feel bad about it afterwards, she'll reassure you with a smile and tell you that it doesn't bother her as long as you get better.

- Kanao won't hover by your side, but will keep tabs on how you're feeling and periodically check on you take sure you're okay.

- If you want her to stay by your side though, she will and you'll both just cuddle and/or she'll read to you.

- I also feel like she'll probably get you to take some vitamins after you've gotten better to improve your immune system and make sure you have less of a chance of getting sick again.

■ Zenitsu

- I don't think Zenitsu has a lot of experience taking care of other people but I do know that he will try his best to make sure you get better quickly.

- With his super hearing, he'll probably hear that your sick before you actually tell him. He can also tell if it's just a cold or if it's a fever by your heart rate, not just by taking your temperature.

- This boy will dot on you until you feel better. Want food? He'll get it for you. Feel headachy? He'll get you a cool towel for your forehead.

- Even though he himself hates taking medicine, Zenitsu will persuade you to take it, while complaining with you on how bad it tastes. (He may or may not have asked Tanjiro on how to trick you into taking the medicine, shhh)

- Zenitsu will be by your side all the time to make sure you're doing okay, if you need him for anything, basically smothering you in his worry and wanting to be by your side when you get better.

- He is definitely asking Tanjiro for advice on how to care for you though, because even though he's inexperienced in taking care of others, he really wants to do his best for you and want you to get better.

■ Nezuko

- Now with Nezuko being a demon, she can't really take care of you during the day, but when night comes she's doing all she can for you.

- Being the eldest after Tanjiro means she too had helped take care of the younger siblings and knows just what to do when someone is sick.

- She'll change the cool towel on your forehead for you, make sure you have water to keep hydrated, and monitor your condition throughout the night.

- If you wake up to go puke, Nezuko will be by your side helping you, and will help clean you up with gentle care too.

- If you're having trouble sleeping, then Nezuko'll cuddle you as you sleep and/or hum you to sleep with a lullaby, staying awake to make sure you get your rest and to make sure she gets back into her box before dawn breaks.

■ Inosuke

- This boy has never taken care of someone else when they're sick, being raised by boars in the mountains and all. That doesn't mean that he doesn't know how to in his own way though.

- Being raised in the mountains, I'm sure Inosuke has some homeopathic remedies that he used instead of regular medicines.

- He won't be actively taking care of you but will bring you little gifts to make you feel better like acorns or really pretty rocks he found.

- Inosuke will also eat with you in your bed if you can't really move that much without feeling nauseous. And if you get headaches then he'll be slightly quieter when around you and won't yell as often.

- Inosuke will check up on you sometimes to see if you're getting better but if you ask him about it he'll make up an excuse saying he's just trying to make sure his minion is ready to fight him yet.

- When you recover, Inosuke will definitely challenge you to a fight to make sure you're still strong enough to be one of his minions. (His way of making sure you're actually okay and feeling better.)

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kallie-den · 2 months

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Marital Aid Ch. 2

When Isabella's first round of conditioning doesn't produce the desired result, Clea decides to kick things up a notch

This story was a commission from one of my patrons! Thank you very much to Myles_EXVS for their kind support

If you enjoy my work and are looking for more, or you want to support me, I strongly encourage you to check out my Patreon! I write erotica full-time, which means I need your patronage to keep creating, and my Patrons also get benefits like early access to my stories, extra stories, and the ability to vote on what I write next! So, if that sounds good to you, head over and join the couple hundred patrons I already have :)

---

As soon as Isabella saw Clea come into her office in the morning, she knew it was going to be a very, very difficult day.

Ever since last night, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her secretary. She wasn’t sure what had happened, exactly. It had just struck her, suddenly, as she was closing up and heading home after watching Clea’s music video.

Isabella was a lesbian. She was a lesbian, and she was attracted to Clea.

It was an unbelievable, unthinkable, world-shattering revelation, and yet it hadn’t occurred to Isabella to question it. It was the kind of thing she just knew. It was like the words themselves had been etched into her soul; a sacred set of commandments Isabella had just stumbled upon in a moment of clarity.

She was a lesbian and she could only orgasm with women. She didn’t like men. She was attracted to Clea. She couldn’t resist Clea.

All evening and all morning, those thoughts and feelings had sat uneasily within Isabella. What was she going to do? She was a lesbian who disliked men - but she was married to one. She had promised her life to her husband, and it was a promise she’d always intended to keep. But if Isabella remained faithful to him, what room did that leave for her own happiness and fulfillment?

Certainly, sexual fulfillment was a forlorn hope. Things hadn’t been going well in that department anyway; now, Isabella couldn’t even stand the thought of spending a night with her husband. There was just no way she could ever orgasm with a man.

And her dreams of a family had never seemed further away.

But those concerns, however important, were relatively distant. A far more pressing issue was how Isabella was going to handle the beautiful young woman who had just stepped into her office.

“Good morning, Isabella!” Clea said in a bright, friendly voice. She came bearing gifts - Isabella’s regular morning cup of coffee, and a pastry to go with it.

“G-good morning.” Isabella cringed at herself as she immediately tripped over her words. She’d been bracing herself for this moment all morning. Clearly, it hadn’t helped. “Um… how’s it going?”

“It’s going just fine,” Clea replied as placed the coffee cup down on Isabella’s desk. “Thank you!”

She was smiling. That was the part that was truly unfair. The bright, warm, gorgeous smile on Clea’s face was like a sunrise. There was simply no way Isabella could have prepared herself for it, or for the way it made her heart pound. Clea was so pretty and so hot. How could a lesbian like Isabella resist her charms?

But that was exactly the problem. She had to. Isabella wasn’t just married. She was also Clea’s boss, and was years her senior. There were a dozen reasons why the attraction Isabella felt was wildly inappropriate. No matter what, Isabella couldn’t let her feelings show. That would be an HR disaster waiting to happen.

“So,” Clea piped up. “Did you get a chance to check out that meditation music video I gave you last night?”

“I did!” Isabella replied eagerly. “I tried it before I left the office last night, and… wow, it was amazing. I was so relaxed, I can barely remember what happened!”

“Oh, that’s wonderful.” A strange, creeping grin dawned on Clea’s face. “I’m so pleased.”

“I… actually watched it again after I got home,” Isabella confessed. “A bunch more times. I even gave it another watch this morning before I came in to work. God, it just really hit the spot. Thank you so much for that, Clea.”

“Don’t mention it,” Clea told her. Her smile was brighter than ever. “I’m just glad you’ve been getting a lot of use out of it.”

Her voice was just as strange as her grin. Isabella figured it was natural to feel satisfied about someone liking a gift that you made for them, but Clea’s demeanor hinted at a deep pleasure that went far beyond that. It wasn’t just satisfaction.

It was anticipation.

“Oh, hey, Isabella,” Clea said suddenly. Her eyes were shining. “I wanted to ask. How do I look today?”

“How do you…?” Isabella blinked, and then fell silent as she lost herself in staring at her secretary.

Clea, standing on the far side of Isabella’s desk, was wearing a perfectly normal outfit. She was dressed professionally, as usual, in a simple, white, button-up blouse and a pair of smart, black pants. It was the kind of outfit nobody would ever look twice at in an office setting.

But for Isabella, it was spellbinding.

Time slowed to a halt as her eyes traveled slowly over Clea’s form. All she could think about was how well the outfit suited her. It made her seem so confident, so trustworthy, so professional - a perfect worker, despite her youth. The white of her blouse made her red hair appear all the more vibrant, like rich, autumn leaves against a pale sky. Then Isabella’s thoughts turned in a far more carnal direction and, even though she knew she should try, she couldn’t stop thinking about the toned, feminine, athletic body underneath those clothes. It made her body burn. She couldn’t believe she’d hadn’t thought about Clea this way before.

“Isabella?” Clea prompted.

At that moment, Isabella realized that time hadn’t slowed to a halt at all. She’d just lapsed into silence as she stared at her young secretary for several very long seconds. The older woman’s cheeks turned bright red.

“Y-you look, um, amazing,” she blurted out. “Or, no, I mean, not… you look… normal? Not that you don’t look amazing. It’s just that, um, well, you uh, normally look amazing.”

“Thank you!” Clea gigged, and Isabella thanked her lucky stars that her secretary seemed to find her near-incoherence charming instead of cringe-worthy. “But that’s not really what I meant. Do you think this outfit is appropriate for the workplace?”

Isabella’s brow furrowed. “Well, of course. Why wouldn’t it be?”

“I’m just not sure.” Clea tapped a finger to the corner of her mouth in a thoughtful gesture. Her eyes, though, were alight with mischief. “It’s going to be warm today. I might feel like I need to do… this.”

Isabella’s mouth went dry as she watched Clea reach down and undo one of the buttons on her blouse. Immediately, the closely-fitting garment sprung open at the collar.

“Oh,” Isabella breathed.

Clea didn’t stop there. She undid another button, and the top of her blouse opened wide enough to expose her cleavage.

That was the end of any semblance of decorum or rational thought for Isabella. Her gaze locked on to the new region of pale, exposed skin and she started breathing hard. Suddenly, she didn’t care about how ridiculous it was to be staring at a younger woman’s chest like this. She didn’t care how inappropriately she was behaving. She just wanted to go on looking. Fuck, it was good to be a lesbian.

When Clea reached up to adjust her hair, her blouse shifted far enough to expose her bra, just for a fraction of a second. It was black and lacy. Isabella thought she was going to pass out.

“What do you think?” Clea asked insistently. She was acting like she hadn’t noticed how hopeless Isabella had become, but her grin suggested she was anything but oblivious. “Too much?”

“I… nnn…” Isabella was so far beyond words. She was even beyond rational thought. But in the face of Clea’s question, she had to try and muster something. “W-well… um… I g-guess…” She winced at the way her voice cracked. “I-I guess it… maybe… could be a l-little much.”

She wasn’t sure what to say. But on some level, she knew she didn’t want all the men in the office to see Clea like this. This view should be just for lesbians.

“Aww.” Clea pouted. It was so adorable, Isabella almost teared up. “That’s a shame. But doesn’t it look good on me? I really want to wear it like this.”

Isabella’s resolve snapped like a twig. “I-I mean, it’s not too much at all!” she blurted out. “It’s p-perfect. Just let me know if HR gives you any trouble about it. I can talk to them.”

She just couldn’t resist Clea.

Clea immediately changed tack again. Her ever-widening grin made it clear how much fun she was having, and Isabella didn’t have it in her to be angry.

“Are you sure?” Isabella’s breath caught in her throat as Clea suddenly bent over her desk at the waist, practically shoving her cleavage into the older woman’s face. “Take a closer look. I really need an informed opinion.”

Isabella simply whimpered. She could feel herself overheating. She wasn’t sure how much of this she could take. She was just such a lesbian, and she was so attracted to Clea. Her mind was blank. She couldn’t tell Clea to back off. She couldn’t look away. She was helpless.

“What do you think?” Clea’s voice dropped, becoming a proud, aroused purr. “Is this appropriate, boss?”

“I… c-can’t… uh… I don’t…” Isabella trailed off. All she could do was drool incoherently.

Clea leaned in even closer. “You know, if you wanted to, you could undo another button,” she whispered.

Isabella’s eyes bulged. She looked up at Clea pleadingly.

“It’s up to you,” Clea told her. Her breathy, sultry voice was like music. “All you need to do is reach out and touch me. I’m giving you permission, Isabella. Whatever you want.”

Isabella’s mind was melting down. She couldn’t think. She just needed. One of her hands lifted itself from her lap, and started reaching out hesitantly towards Clea. She couldn’t help herself. This was what she wanted. Wasn’t it?

But, at the last moment, she froze. Something deep inside her began to clunk back into life and reassert itself. What did she want? She wasn’t sure, but the question demanded consideration. Her desires were a swirling, contradictory mess. She wanted Clea, yes. She wanted Clea so much. But she also wanted to remain faithful to her husband, no matter what. Her wedding vows had once meant everything to her. If she touched Clea now, they were broken, and there was no going back.

It was a sobering thought, and as it dragged Isabella back into some semblance of clarity, other doubts reared their ugly heads. She was Clea’s boss. That was another line to consider. Despite how eager she seemed, Isabella didn’t really know what Clea wanted. She would hate to make her secretary uncomfortable, to say nothing of what would happen if Clea went straight to HR. And what if someone saw?

Isabella couldn’t do this. No matter how much she wanted to, she couldn’t. She was nothing more than Clea’s boss, and it needed to stay that way.

But what was she going to do? Isabella couldn’t resist Clea, and she couldn’t bring herself to turn her down to her face. She just needed this situation to stop, so she could get a better handle on whatever was happening with her.

In the end, she chose cowardice.

“I-I need to go to the bathroom,” Isabella announced in an uncharacteristic, strained, high-pitched voice.

She bolted to her feet so fast she almost tipped over her chair and, before Clea could recover from her shock, Isabella fled out of her office.

***

“And that’s how it always goes!”

Clea groaned as she finished her story and slammed her empty drink down on the bar. Sitting next to her, her friend Bruna offered a sympathetic smile.

“You mean… she always needs to go to the bathroom?” Bruna joked. “Maybe your boss should get that checked out.”

“No.” Clea flashed her an annoyed look. “I mean, whenever the mood is just right between us, something happens. No - Isabella makes something happen. She suddenly has a meeting, or needs to take a call, or needs me to go do something. Or she deliberately misunderstands the way I’m flirting with her. I don’t get it. I know what she wants. She knows what she wants. Why won’t she just say ‘yes’?”

Bruna reached across to squeeze her shoulder. Clea sagged, but accepted the sympathy with a grateful nod. She badly needed it. It had been like that with Isabella all week, and getting to blow off some steam at Bruna’s bar was the only consolation the weekend offered.

At least it was a nice place to throw back some drinks and pass the time. After a whole work week of spending time around straight people in an office, getting to come and hang out in a dyke bar was a breath of fresh air for Clea. Plus, the bar itself was getting better and better every time she came. Bruna had started investing in some major renovations. Evidently, the heiress she’d hooked using Clea’s hypnosis technology was paying serious dividends, both figuratively and literally.

“OK, but I don’t understand,” Bruna said. “You made it so she can’t resist you, right? So, why not be a little more forceful? Take the lead. Kiss her. Fuck her. Whatever. You know she’ll be into it.”

“That’s…” Clea sighed. “I don’t know. I guess I could. But that’s just not exactly what I wanted between us. I… I don’t want to feel like I’m forcing her. I want it to be mutual. I want her to show me how much she wants me. You know?”

Bruna pursed her lips and looked at Clea deadpan. “You know that you’re mind-controlling her, right?”

Clea bent over and planted her forehead on the bar. “I know. But I still love her.”

“Girl…” Bruna sighed reproachfully. “OK, let’s look at this differently. What if you could be a lot more forceful, but you could also be sure that was exactly what your boss wanted?”

Clea tilted her head to look up at her friend. “Explain.”

“You’re already in her head, right?” Bruna grinned wickedly. “All you need to do is make her a complete and total submissive.”

Clea pursed her lips. “I don’t know…” she said slowly. “I still want her to be Isabella. To be my Isabella. I’ve seen her at work. She’s anything but submissive.”

“Maybe in the office,” Bruna countered, “but who knows what she’s like at home? It might not be as much of a change as you think. But more importantly, I think that if you don’t do this, you’re never going to get what you want.”

Clea’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Bruna nodded. “You need to think about it from her perspective. She wants you and she can’t resist you, so why won’t she cross that last line? From what you’ve told me, it sounds like she’s hung up on something. Her marriage. Her vows. Her sense of fidelity. Something like that.”

Clea nodded in agreement. Isabella was one of the most faithful and trustworthy people she’d ever met. It was part of what she loved about her.

“That means you’ve got two choices,” Bruna continued. “You could change that part of her personality - but in that case, she really would be a different person.”

“No way,” Clea said firmly. “I won’t do that.”

“Or,” Bruna went on, nodding. “You can give her something she cares about even more: a bond with you. And, speaking from experience, nothing is more powerful than dominance and submission.”

“Huh.” Clea stared down into her empty class. “That… does make a certain amount of sense.”

“Plus.” Bruna leaned in conspiratorially. She spoke low and slowly, letting the rhythm of her words paint a picture. “I’ve heard the way you wax lyrical about her. You can’t tell me you don’t want her between your legs, staring up at you with an adoring, obedient look in her eyes as she does exactly what you want.”

She let out a filthy laugh as Clea’s cheeks turned visibly red even in the dim light of the bar. Eventually, the redheaded nodded.

“I’ll think about it,” she said. But both of them could tell that her mind was already made up.

***

Isabella shuffled nervously from foot to foot as she stood on Clea’s doorstep, waiting for her secretary to open the door. Being here felt wrong. It felt like a sin. She had spent the entire week trying to keep her chemistry with Clea under control. As much as it pained her, she had decided she needed to spend as little time with her secretary as possible. She was Clea’s boss. It was the only decent thing she could do.

And yet here she was, dressed up nicely, waiting outside Clea’s apartment on a Saturday night.

Clea had called her and asked her to come over for dinner. A girls’ night. Isabella had tried to refuse, but Clea had been very, very insistent.

Isabella couldn’t resist Clea.

Being dressed up was even less excusable. Isabella’s vanity had simply gotten the better of her. She couldn’t stand not trying her hardest to look good in front of Clea. She was wearing her finest dress, and her hair and makeup were immaculate. It was desperately embarrassing. She’d left her house looking like she was sneaking out to have an affair. She’d felt like that, too.

Of course, her husband hadn’t even noticed.

“Isabella!” Clea greeted her warmly as she opened the door. “Please, come on in.”

Isabella nodded gratefully, and tried not to blush as she stepped across the threshold. She was immediately flustered - not just because of how amazing Clea looked, but because of the memory of what had happened the last time she was here.

“You have a lovely place here,” she said, figuring it was best to address the awkwardness head-on. “I hope I’ll be able to appreciate it better this time.”

“I hope so too.” Clea laughed. “And I’ll try and make it nicer for you this time. As I told you last week, you’re always welcome. Plus, I thought that having someone cook you dinner might be a nice way to relax and get a break from everything.”

Isabella could only nod again. Clea was so wonderful. Her stomach was full of butterflies. She was trying very hard not to make this into something it wasn’t, but her head was already full of fantasies.

It didn’t get any easier when Clea led her through into her living room, and Isabella saw the scene her secretary had prepared for her.

The room was dim and intimate, lit only by a dozen or so tall candles that had been placed carefully around the space. In the center of the room was a table, set nicely with plates and cutlery. Quiet music was playing through Clea’s speakers, setting an easy, sensual mood. In the middle of the table, there was a bottle of wine and a couple of glasses, and the divine scent of wonderful cooking wafted through from the kitchen.

This was, unmistakably, something romantic.

“C-Clea,” Isabella gasped. “This is…”

“It’s not too much, is it?” Clea asked hopefully. “I wanted things to be nice for us.”

Her optimistic smile set Isabella’s heart fluttering. “N-no. It’s perfect. I love it.”

She really did. That was the problem. Thinking about sharing a romantic meal with Clea was making Isabella’s heart beat fast with excitement. She was trying her hardest to keep herself tethered to earth. Maybe Clea didn’t mean anything by this. Maybe she was reading too much into it. That had to be all it was. It had to be.

“Please, make yourself at home,” Clea said, gesturing to her couch, up against one wall. “And let me get you something to drink.”

As Isabella watched, Clea opened the bottle of wine and started to pour it into the glasses. Just watching her was flustering. Isabella found herself focused on Clea’s swift, deft hands as she worked the corkscrew, and her measured precision as she poured. Once she caught herself, she groaned softly. She was hopeless. She needed to get a grip on herself.

But she couldn’t help it. She was a lesbian, and she was so very attracted to Clea.

“I’m afraid I need to finish up in the kitchen.” Clea handed Isabella her glass of red wine. “Our food won’t be ready for a little while longer.”

“Of course.” After taking a sip, Isabella set the glass down on the coffee table and rose to her feet again. “Let me come and help you! It’s the least I can do. I know my way around a kitchen, I promise.”

“Absolutely not,” Clea replied, with surprising firmness. “I won’t hear of it. You’re my guest! And you deserve to relax.”

“Oh, OK.” Isabella was a little disappointed - in part, embarrassingly, because she simply wanted to stay close to Clea.

“And actually,” Clea added, smiling. “I have something else you can do while you’re waiting.”

“Sure.” Isabella was surprised, but not displeased. “I’m happy to help.”

“Not help,” Clea clarified. “It’s more of a gift, actually.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a phone, along with a pair of earbuds. “I’ve made you another music video.”

Isabella’s eyes widened slightly. She was grateful, of course. If this one was anything like as relaxing as the first, she was going to get a great deal of use out of it. But did Clea really expect her to listen to it here? Right now? Meditation seemed like such a private activity. Doing it around another person, especially the secretary she had an unbearable crush on, seemed awkward. Not just awkward. Vulnerable. Way too vulnerable.

“Wow, thank you!” Isabella replied, hoping to defuse the issue. “That’s amazing, I’ve been listening to the first one a lot. I’ll check this one out as soon as I get home.”

“No, no,” Clea said, in that same, firm voice that sent shivers down Isabella’s spine. “Not later. It’s for right now, while I finish cooking dinner.”

Isabella glanced down at the phone uncertainly. She could see that a video was already loaded up and ready to play. For some reason, it made her nervous. So did the way Clea was behaving. She didn’t know how to deal with her when she was so insistent. Something about it turned her legs to jelly.

“I… I…” Isabella struggled. “I’m… not sure that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?” Clea demanded.

Isabella felt beads of sweat on her forehead. She couldn’t put into words what she truly felt - that for some reason, watching Clea’s music video right now would be a very, very bad idea. “Um… w-well, I think… it might not work. I-I’m not sure I’ll be able to relax properly.”

“Don’t worry,” Clea told her, with a certain smugness. “It’ll work.”

“R-right. Great.” Isabella could feel herself crumbling. She couldn’t resist. “But… um… but…”

She tried to step away, over to the window, hoping for a little room to think. Clea was merciless. She just kept moving with her, standing even closer than before. When Isabella stumbled backward, Clea advanced on her again, and before she knew what was happening, Isabella was trapped against the wall with Clea right up against her, so close their bodies were practically touching.

“I promise,” Clea said breathily. “This one’s even better than the first. You’ll love it.”

For some reason, that was part of what Isabella was so anxious about.

“G-g-good.” With Clea this close to her, Isabella couldn’t think. “Amazing, a-actually.”

Clea just nodded. She was grinning, too. Grinning the same grin Isabella had seen on her so often this past week.

“So,” Clea said, “you should watch it. Right now. Here.”

Before Isabella could say anything more, Clea reached up and started nestling the earbuds into Isabella’s ears. Being touched by her, even like that, made Isabella’s body burn with a shocking, shameful heat.

She knew she should stop this. She knew she should push Clea away. This wasn’t normal. Why couldn’t she stand up for herself? Why couldn’t she so much as refuse Clea properly? Instead, all she could think about was how to make Clea happy. She found herself yearning for the pleased smile she would see on her secretary’s face when she finally, inevitably gave in.

Isabella couldn’t resist Clea.

And so she didn’t resist when Clea held up her phone for Isabella to look at, and pressed ‘play’ on the music video.

The screen came to life, and within an instant it was spinning and unfolding with all the patterns and colors Isabella had already become so intimately familiar with. Her ears filled with low, humming, binaural tones that flowed into a soporific melody. Already, Isabella could feel her vision narrowing until the little screen of Clea’s phone became her whole world. The spinning, kaleidoscopic colors felt like they were bleeding over its edges, surrounding her, lapping at her like waves on a shore.

She was hypnotized. And it took just seconds. It didn’t matter that she was standing up. She just froze in place like a wax statue, moving only to breathe.

At first, she made a concerted effort to remain alert and clear-headed. She tried to tell herself that here, around Clea, she needed to stay awake. Anything else was too mortifyingly inappropriate to even consider. But even that single, simple goal, fixed firmly in her mind, didn’t protect Isabella. She was simply too vulnerable now. After a long week of constantly using the first music video, she had already conditioned her mind to succumb effortlessly to Clea’s techniques. Try as she might, she couldn’t help falling into a deep, deep trance.

And soon, even that little, hopeful rebellion was a forgotten dream. By the time Clea’s video started broadcasting fresh, new mantras into Isabella’s brain, she was too deeply entranced to do anything but unconditionally accept them into her psyche.

You are a lesbian, Isabella.

That was easy. It prompted no resistance or cognitive dissonance. Isabella had already accepted and internalized that completely. She was a lesbian. She always had been. But almost immediately, the mantra changed.

You are a submissive lesbian.

Isabella twitched a little. It was a deceptively large change. She was a lesbian, yes, but a submissive lesbian? What did that mean? Isabella had never once considered herself to be a submissive anything.

And yet she was. She was a submissive lesbian. She knew that now. It was beyond question.

And so, her mind started to search for rationalizations. What about the way Clea had been bossing her around just now? Why hadn’t Isabella put her foot down about it? Why had she just tripped over her words, and ended up meekly obeying?

Was it because, deep down, she’d been enjoying it?

Isabella’s first response to that notion was to reject it outright. But it had its hooks in her, and as time passed, she found herself dwelling on it more and more.

Didn’t it make sense? She wasn’t just a submissive, she was a submissive lesbian. And Clea was the person she had a huge crush on. It stood to reason that Clea would be the person she wanted to obey. It was the clearest way to make sense of what she’d just learned about herself. Sure, it was strange that she’d been so oblivious to it until just now, but given how long it had taken her to realize she was a lesbian, it wasn’t exactly unprecedented.

Isabella was starting to accept it. She was a submissive lesbian.

Obeying Clea makes you feel good.

This mantra made Isabella stir too, but not out of shock. It fit perfectly alongside what she’d already accepted, after all. Instead, what made her stir was the memory of what had just happened, when Clea had pushed her against the wall and made her watch the music video.

That experience was suddenly cast in a new light. It wasn’t shocking or confusing. It was hot. Really, really hot.

Isabella squeezed her legs together half-consciously as sudden arousal washed over her. A delayed response, she figured. She couldn’t believe how good it had felt to do what she was told.

She was a submissive lesbian, and obeying Clea made her feel good.

Clea knows what’s best for you.

This, too, deepened the new, submissive part of herself Isabella had just discovered. Clea knew what was best for her, and so it was only natural to be submissive towards her. Clea knew what was best for her, and so it was only natural that obeying her felt good. Strangely, nothing about that was surprising. Isabella could think of countless times when Clea, as her secretary, had anticipated her requests or made perfect suggestions. Yes, clearly Clea knew best.

As a submissive lesbian, Isabella was so grateful her crush knew what was best for her.

It was a little embarrassing that a woman so much younger than her knew what was best for her. But not unpleasantly so. Instead, for a submissive lesbian like Isabella, that was another exciting dimension of the fantasy.

You crave sexual contact with Clea.

Even though she was deeply hypnotized, Isabella’s lips parted slightly and she let out a low, needy moan. She’d already known that. She was a lesbian, after all, and she was incredibly attracted to Clea. But her awareness of her own desire redoubled. She couldn’t believe how worked up she was. Isabella’s libido had never flared like this before - certainly not with her husband.

She wanted Clea to touch her. Just thinking about little things, like Clea’s hand on her arm, right now, was dizzying. But that was the least of her desires. She wanted to Clea to kiss her. She wanted Clea to undress her. She was a submissive lesbian. She wanted Clea to dominate her. To mark her body. To grab her, to push her around.

Isabella was so wet.

And then the last mantra came.

You are in love with Clea.

That hit Isabella like a thunderbolt. But how could she deny it? She was a lesbian. She was attracted to Clea. She loved obeying Clea. Clea knew what was best for her, and she constantly craved Clea’s touch.

What was all that, if not some kind of love?

“I’ll let that sink in while I finish cooking,” Clea said out loud, knowing Isabella couldn’t really hear her.

With a smile on her face, she reached for Isabella’s hand and lifted it, pressing the phone into her hand and holding it up close to her face like she was posing a mannequin. She knew Isabella wouldn’t move. She had no will of her own right now. She was merely an empty vessel, in which new desires were taking form.

Clea left Isabella to keep hypnotizing herself, and went into the kitchen to finish their romantic meal.

***

Before Isabella knew quite what was happening, she found herself sitting at Clea’s dining table as her secretary was serving up their home-cooked meal. It didn’t occur to her to ask why she’d slipped into such a daze, or what had happened in the intervening time. She soon had much, much more pressing issues occupying her mind.

The meal was delicious. Clea was obviously a talented cook - as if Isabella needed another reason to be head-over-heels for her. But throughout the meal, Isabella was beset by strange urges that were proving more and more difficult to suppress. Whenever Clea’s wine glass was empty, Isabella immediately poured her another. She kept a close eye on Clea and made sure her every need was met at once. Salt and pepper? A fresh napkin? Some water? Isabella was eager to provide. Once they were done eating, she cleared the table herself, and instinctively started washing and tidying away everything that had been used.

She couldn’t help it. Isabella was a submissive lesbian, and it felt so very good to serve.

Isabella wanted to hold back. She knew the way she was behaving wasn’t normal. She was going too far for a guest. But the allure of obedient service was too strong, and she had never felt better than when she was scurrying about, carrying, and cleaning for her secretary. Every little act of service sent a fresh shock of pleasure through her body, one that was wickedly sinful and shameful.

Indulging her fetish like this around Clea was so wrong. But the way Clea looked at her, smirking over her glass, eyes shining with delight, made her feel like Clea knew and approved of what was going on. That was its own kind of titillation.

And all night, Isabella had been struggling not to call her ‘mistress’.

Eventually, once everything was cleaned and tidied away, Clea, relaxing on her couch, summoned Isabella to her side. Isabella walked over to her, looking down demurely, arms folded neatly in front of her, with a certain excitement filling her belly.

“Thank you for taking care of everything,” Clea said kindly.

Isabella’s breath caught in her throat. “Of c-course.” She bowed her head. “It’s the least I can do.”

“Sit.”

Clea said that with an amused smile. She was stretched out, leaving no space next to her on the couch, and perhaps that was why she gestured to the floor in front of her. That had to be why, Isabella told herself as her heart started to pound. Nothing more.

Nonetheless, she obediently sank to her knees on the ground in front of Clea.

“Thank you for taking care of everything,” Clea said. “Good girl.”

Isabella’s eyes flew wide. She couldn’t believe what she’d just heard. The praise hit her like a physical force and she whimpered as her head was utterly, hopelessly scrambled of all clear thought. Hearing that was the greatest possible pleasure. The ultimate validation.

“T-t-thank you,” she managed eventually. Now it was even more of a struggle not to add ‘mistress’.

Clea smiled down at her knowingly. “Have you enjoyed yourself tonight, Isabella?”

“Yes,” Isabella replied immediately. There was absolutely no doubt about that. If anything, she’d enjoyed herself a little too much.

“But,” Clea pressed, “you’re not completely satisfied. Are you?”

Isabella’s heart skipped a beat. She knew. Clea knew. That was horrifying, but Isabella couldn’t bring herself to hide anything. “No.”

“In that case,” Clea told her, “I want you to tell me what it is that you want, right now. Tell me, completely truthfully, what you need to be satisfied.”

It was a command, and so Isabella had to obey. She needed to obey Clea. It felt so good. Her submissive nature overrode even her embarrassment. The only difficulty was in figuring out what to say. There were so many things she was craving. So many things she longed for. How was she to pick?

But when she looked up at Clea - at the woman she loved - her gaze settled on Clea’s lips, and an answer came.

“I want you to kiss me,” Isabella confessed, blushing.

Clea licked her lips. “That’s a very good answer.”

Isabella couldn’t believe her luck as Clea bent down towards her, lips prepared for a kiss. As their bodies touched, the need that had been mounting in her body all evening finally overflowed. She melted into the kiss and let Clea claim her, and as she did, she came.

“Fuck,” Clea panted when she pulled back. “I can’t believe how long I’ve waited for this.”

“Me too,” Isabella moaned, shivering from her orgasm. The pleasure was overwhelming.

Clea reached down and wrapped her hand around the back of Isabella’s neck. “But now you’re mine.”

Isabella just nodded. There was no question of it. She was Clea’s. She loved being Clea’s.

She didn’t care that she was betraying her husband. She didn’t care that she was having an affair. This was more important.

Clea pulled her in, and the two of them started kissing again. They didn’t stop until the sun rose.

---

I would like to express my gratitude for the generosity of all those who support me on Patreon, and to give a special thanks to the following patrons in particular for their exceptional support:

Artemis, Chloe, Grillfan65, The Secret Subject, Morriel, Dex, orangesya, Red, dmtph, Queenfisher, MegatronTarantulas, Vanessa, Madeline, BTYOR, Sarah, Mattilda, Emily Queen of sloths, ntad, Shadows exile, Abigail, Hypnogirl_Stephanie_, Jade, mintyasleep, ZephanyZephZeph, Michael, Be_Be, Tasteful Ardour, Chris, Dennis, paxDulcetGirl, Full Blown Marxism, Morder, S, Brendon, Drone 8315, Jack the Monkey, Jim, Erin, HannahSolaria, Christopher, hellenberg, Kay, Miss_Praxis, Violet, Noct, Charlotte, Faun, BrinnShea, B, Foridin, Jennifer, EepyTimeTea, Slifer274, Roxxie, Phoenix, Ivy, Jim, Sebastian, Joseph, Yaoups, Thomas, Liz, naivetynkohan, Basic dev, SuperJellyFrogEx, night, Katie, Lily, spyrocyndersam13, zzzz, Mal, Jose, Bouncyrou, Anonymous, ravenfan, Bacon Man, Nimapode, Melody, Selina, NuclearBoarhead, Kunoichiru, Friday, FemKUltra, Z!, Flluffie, Maxence, Ash, Artemis, Geckonator, TheRealG, Anonymous, hypnoenby, Bob

#story #Marital Aid

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thebibliomancer · 15 days

Text

Earth X #8

May, stop being in space! You need your oxygens!

Earth X: it’s a Bad Future and it is a mess.

Uatu the Watcher has been blinded and he kidnapped Aaron to be his seeing eye robot. Uatu has bullied and dehumanized Aaron into deleting his own personality.

There’s been a mass empowering event which mutated all of humanity. At first it seemed like it was Reed Richard’s fault but doubt has been raised.

A psychic brat called the Skull has arrived in New New York with an army of thousands of mind controlled people.

Bruce Banner came to Sorcerer Supreme Clea for help contacting dead Mar-Vell. But Clea turns out to be in league with Loki and traps Thor and Hulk in in the Realm of Death.

Everything is apparently the Celestials’ mysterious plan for Earth or alternatively events are off the rails and happening 200 years sooner than they’re supposed to.

Earth X has so much stuff going on. So many subplots. And yet if it was a conspiracy board, all the yarn would connect to the Celestials.

I’ve commented before that Earth X takes the chaotic, kitchen sink Marvel universe and tries to tie it all into the Celestials.

A few issues back, Uatu explained that the Asgardians weren’t gods, they were shapeshifting empathic aliens who looked like Norse mythology because people expected them too.

It wasn’t an explanation I particularly liked.

Then, last issue, it was explained that the Hulk’s various personas were only a result of the Celestial seed in Bruce absorbing more and more gamma and had nothing to do with Bruce’s mental health.

This also I didn’t particularly like.

Now Earth X goes in a similarly weird direction by claiming that Peter Parker’s trademark crushing guilt and responsibility complex are also part of the Celestial plan.

Uatu doesn’t finish explaining how the hell this makes sense because he notices Aaron ask a follow-up question… which means Aaron didn’t erase his own personality!

Yay, Aaron! It would have been a bummer for him to undergo identity death for Uatu’s jerk ass.

In fact, Aaron was pretending to be an emotionless robot because he suspected that Uatu wouldn’t reveal the true secrets behind everything as long as he could still second guess them.

So now he knows (almost) everything. And he is furious.

Aaron Stack: “Who knows, maybe man’s every vice and every hunger can be traced to the Celestials. Maybe the Celestials’ manipulation of mankind’s evolution was in actuality a step down. The fall of man. You’ve damned them, Uatu. You and your Celestial Host. I guess this doesn’t surprise me. You’ve set yourself up as God. So you have the power to damn. But do you have the power to save? Could you redeem what you’ve set out to curse? You could. I know it. But you just don’t want to bother with it. You’d rather sit. And watch.”

John Jameson, moon werewolf astronaut, wanders into the Watcher’s home and right into an argument between Uatu and Aaron.

Which is good because it gives Aaron someone else to talk to when Uatu goes to sulk.

Also, somebody to narrate to. John wants to warn Earth about a scary something approaching from space but Aaron runs through the subplot list to show how everything is a mess and nobody is really available to deal with space invaders.

Captain America uses the Lockjaw teleporter (which I guess he borrowed from Reed) to warp right into Tony’s self-quarantine. Freaking Tony the hell out with fears of contamination.

Cap tries to warn Tony about the Skull’s huge army reaching New New York but Tony is sure the Iron Avengers have it handled.

(They don’t. They’ve been destroyed by the Skull’s army)

The Skull also has his forces wipe out the Hyda. Hmm, I really thought the mind control squid would be more important to the plot. I included it in every recap.

The Skull is confronted by Cop Luke Cage (who I also thought would be more important to the plot after he had that scene with Peter Parker in issue 1) and is irreverent and horrible as ever.

He’s the worst. I love him as a villain.

Meanwhile, Reed and Ben walk the streets. Ben has an emotional breakthrough all by himself while Reed is completely engrossed in his own subplot and doesn’t notice Ben is talking to him.

He altered Cerebro to find Inhumans instead of mutants so he could find the missing Inhuman Prince but everyone on the streets is pinging as Inhuman.

At the same time, in Latveria, Luna starts spontaneously undergoing terrigenesis, the Inhuman transformation process. Which should only happen in the presence of the terrigen mist.

Which finally solves the mystery of the mass empowering event. It wasn’t an explosion at the vibranium radio tower. The entire world has been exposed to terrigen mist!

Somehow. We don’t know how. And the Inhumans seem surprised to realize that this is the case.

Over in the Sanctum Sanctorum, Clea gloats to a captive blind child Bruce but is surprised by Hulk and Thor escaping the Realm of Death with the help of ghost Strange.

She asks for Loki’s help but he’s bailed on her. Obviously.

So Clea decides to explode New New York out of spite but Thor transports her and him to Asgard, knowing Loki will prevent him from coming back.

With the Sorcerer Supreme and Thor out of his way, Loki gloats Earth is his.

Still not sure how this fits into everything else going on.

I’m not sure if Cap found any help from Tony but he moves onto Russia.

Currently ruled by Colossus.

There was a bit in an earlier appendix about how due to the mass empowering event, former superheroes were asked to take leadership positions since they were used to leading those with powers.

It hasn’t come up so I forgot about it but here we are with President? King? Secretary? Colossus.

Colossus doesn’t want to get involved because Russia is the breadbasket of the world and he needs to protect it. But Cap points out that the Skull won’t stop at the ocean. He’ll make his way to Russia eventually and he’s a dumb kid who treats this like a game. He won’t think about controlling people to do agriculture.

(If that’s the case, the Celestial plan for Earth must come about really soon after the Skull. Or at least depending on whether that’s been derailed or not by the terrigen jumping the gun by two hundred years. But my thought is, if the Skull is part of the plan, you can’t have much time between him taking over the world and whatever the Celestials need Earth for. Because the kid isn’t going to bother keeping civilization going.)

Back in New New York, Peter continues to try to convince May not to do anything. She just tells him to grow up and jumps into action against the Skull’s army without a plan.

The Skull sends Iron Maiden to confront May Venom. Iron Maiden begs May to withdraw before the Skull takes control of her but May doesn’t listen.

May beats Iron Maiden with a little asphyxiation and then immediately falls under the Skull’s control.

His creepy, creepy control.

Away from the action, Peter is at a loss for what to do now. He contemplates a Peter Parker Spider-Man costume he sees in a shop window but walks away very “Spider-Man No More” ish.

I guess Peter’s identity is out.

The appendix has a bit where John Jameson asks after his father. Aaron tells him that Jonah has himself locked up in the Daily Bugle building, the paper having gone out of business when it was revealed Spider-Man had been taking Spider-Man pictures all along. Jonah also keeps Jack Russell Werewolf By Night locked up with him, under the belief he’s werewolf astronaut John, since NASA lied to John and didn’t tell Jonah his son was going to the Moon.

Phew.

And the issue ends with the Skull and his top peeps cornering President Norman Osborn in his office.

Unless this goes in a completely unexpected direction, I also thought President Osborn would be more important to the plot than he was.

Was he just a Bad Future signifier? Things are so bad, Norman Osborn is president, but also he’s not really important?

Odd.

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tyrannuspitch · 5 months

Text

thinking about jotun culture again

as it currently stands my headcanon on why the jotuns we see (all adult men + warriors) are wearing very little is that it's basically posturing, which is expected of warriors specifically, and even then probably not 24/7.

it's not clear exactly how impervious jotuns are to the cold. a lot of people assume that abandoned jotun babies would die of the cold, but it's not actually stated - they might be left to starve. and even if they are, we're still talking about babies, often ones already judged as "weak", so... your average jotun adult might have basically no lower limit on the cold they can endure.

and if that were the case, there wouldn't be much reason for them to wear clothing at all. after all, there are plenty of real life cultures where the traditional clothing is as little or less than we see on mcu jotuns, or nothing at all, because the climate is such that it just isn't necessary.

but if jotun's practical need for clothing is zero, and their everyday clothing is minimal but not zero... then why wear it? modesty taboos, sure - but where do those taboos start? i'm not an expert on these things at all, but i kind of feel like they have to be outside influence...? and if jotunheim and asgard do have a long and closely intertwined relationship, as they do in my headcanon, then that's a possibility...

but we should also consider the armour. mcu jotuns don't just wear little clothing - they wear little armour. they have a sort of short, fitted, armoured skirt/kilt, and then high status warriors like laufey have tiny, decoratively arranged metal pieces over the arms, torso and head that are probably better described as jewellery than as armour.

deliberately making yourself vulnerable can be an effective intimidation technique. it's not very tactical, though, and if it were a new idea it would probably cause panic/loss of trust... which suggests it's deeply engrained in jotun culture. it's not, for example, the jotuns getting desperate after the war and their subsequent isolation left them with a total dearth of resources to make armour with.

and then. there's the fact that the jotun warriors we see aren't only minimally clothed or armoured - they're also all completely hairless.

we know jotuns grow hair. loki in his jotun form keeps all his hair, including eyebrows. but the jotuns raised on jotunheim have neither. all jotuns, including loki, are also beardless, in contrast to the norm for asgardian men.

i've seen it suggested that loki doesn't have a beard because he can't grow one, possibly because jotuns in general can't grow them. but then why the hair, and why the eyebrows? i think it's actually the opposite - both loki and other jotuns choose to shave their beards.

(and incidentally - surely the presence of any hair, from an evolutionary perspective, suggests that they aren't actually 100% impervious to the cold...)

i think, for most jotuns, it's part of their male gender role, and a point of pride, to have as little protecting them from the cold / the elements / harm in general as possible. no armour, no warm clothing, not even their own hair. they actively choose to remove even what naturally occurs - perhaps symbolically linked to actively choosing to face the dangers of battle for their people?

it might sound odd on the surface to say that removing a "male" characteristic like a beard is a male gender role, but there's plenty of real-world precedent. iirc, ancient rome was pretty strictly (socially) anti-beard and thought shaving was a sign of Civilisation. and modern europe has emulated this at various points, although we're not currently strict about it.

which gives jotun men an interesting possible perspective on asgardian men. having hair on their heads could be seen as weak and feminine. but having hair on their faces could, potentially, be seen as barbaric, animalistic, and hypermasculine in a threatening way...

and on the flipside - i think asgardians probably find clean-shaven men intimidating, because they look like enemies such as jotuns and dark elves. but then they're simultaneously being cast as powerful, probably hypermasculine "beasts", and as womanly, and therefore weak...

and in fact, beyond connotations, thor actually canonically views jotuns simultaneously as super powerful monsters who could overrun asgard any day now, and as cowards.

and of course, if we remember half of what's going on with loki... often "weakness" and "cowardice" and "effeminacy" are pretty clearly seen as threatening in and of themselves, even while people claim the opposite...

so. demonisation for contradictory things at the exact same time. the enemy is both weak and strong. this is a very common part of bigotry, but it's always kind of psychologically fascinating to me.

#space viking tag #meta #th: ethnicity #the: worldbuilding #th: gender + sexuality #long post #god this is rambly. this has twists and turns. whatever it's my blog #also. i'm Extremely Aware that there are Stereotypes and Coding in how jotuns dress in canon #but tbh. since they're value neutral things. i feel like you can unproblematise most of it by just. giving it depth and internal logic...?#like. treating people like people. who do things for actual reasons #idk. i'm just musing here

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scarlet--wiccan · 8 months

Note

Are you keeping up on the CoC (lol) story? The recent installment had some chaos magic lore (ig? Who knows if any of it will stick) it also seemed to be the first one to sort of fit the title

lmao yes, I have been. If anybody doesn't know, we're talking about Contest of Chaos, which is a crossover event that is currently running across several series.

I haven't posted much about CoC (hah!) because there honestly just hasn't been much plot development. The story kicked off with the Scarlet Witch Annual, which I really enjoyed-- I'd been frustrated with Agatha's recent turnabout, but Orlando nailed her characterization and set a really good tone for her relationship with Wanda. The trick Agatha uses to sneak past Wanda's defenses and steal Chthon's heart was clever, and it got me excited for whatever was coming next.

Gagged him a bit, for sure.

The following issues, however, have been kind of a snooze. We know that Agatha is attempting to use Chthon's heart to craft a new Darkhold, but we don't know why. She's also gathering an army of mind-controlled heroes... but we don't know what that's about, either. Spidey, Jessica Jones, and Clea Strange are investigating the situation, but they haven't actually turned up any info yet. It's been mostly questions, almost no answers.

Here's what we do know, so far--

Clea states that chaos magic is a natural, primordial force. It's a fundamental part of reality and a vital part of all magic. This is more or less in-line with the established understanding of chaos magic from previous comics.

Early witches learned how to control chaos magic and bound it within the earth in order to maintain balance, and prevent entropy. This is oddly similar the established lore around Chthon, but it's being played as a completely separate chain of events.

The natural barriers which confine chaos magic are eroding. Clea suggests that this may have been caused by the climate crisis, which is interesting, but I'm curious if it has anything to do with Wanda's recent actions.

Agatha is harvesting chaos magic and using it in her schemes. Again, we don't know how, exactly, she's accomplishing this.

We do know that she's able to coalesce ambient chaos magic into crystals, which she calls "etsium." The crystals distort time and space, and in the Moon Knight Annual, they are able to reflect all possbile realities, which is very similar to Wanda and Billy's Nexus powers.

My guess is that Agatha wants to use her new Darkhold to once again seal away the errosive chaos magic and restore balance, and that she is gathering heroes to act as her version of the Darkhold Defenders-- the ancient warriors who once bound Chthon in Other-Realm-- in order to achieve her goal. We still don't know how exactly Chthon fits into this newly established lore about chaos magic, or how Wanda's actions with the original Darkhold fit into this chaos-magic-climate-crisis. Only time will tell, but I don't think we're gonna get any real answers until the finale of this event, which will be the Avengers Annual, out September 27.

#contest of chaos #agatha harkness #chaos magic

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curiousgalacticsoul · 2 years

Text

To all the CleaStrange fans out there, I, on behalf of palmerstrange nation, genuinely wish to convey something :

1. We are not hating Clea at all ! (some exceptions might be there) because we know she's an important part of Stephen's life in the comics. All we're saying is if mcu wanted Clea, they should've introduced her since Doctor Strange (2016) and shouldn't have shown Christine at all then. Now there's the emotional turmoil of who he'll end up with, hurting either one of the fandom for sure (cleaphen or palmerstrange).

2. I read an interpretations of my earlier post by a CleaStrange fan re-quoting my opinions such as 'mcu shouldn't introduce clea NOW' & 'stephen's in love with christine NOW' & 'cleaphen won't make sense NOW' etc & saying these are selfish statements. I think the writer forgot to write 'now' in their post & didn't realise its importance here. I used 'now' to emphasize that we respect whatever happened in the comics, but in MCU they've shown palmerstrange to be such a soulful & beautiful couple (not our fault) that NOW it won't make sense to make Clea a love interest of Strange.

3. Ever wondered what happens during book adaptions to movies? When movies are made based on/inspired by a book? The makers have the creative freedom to alter or modify the story as per their vision. They either portray the plot word by word, or modify it entirely for movie version.

4. This is exactly what MCU is doing with their movies (& series) with respect to the comics. MCU is not a mirror reflection of the comics. Eg. many more Avengers were part of 2012 NY battle against Loki in the comics, but mcu focused it on the original 6! Same was the case with Ultron battle & fight against Thanos.

5. Now, the people who've entered the world of MCU with Iron Man (2008) without ever reading the comics (like me) will watch every mcu project with a fresh eye & open mind, whereas comic readers will have some prejudices & expectations ready in mind while watching mcu stuff. It's natural, I 'm not blaming them (happens with me too when I watch a movie whose original book I've read priorly). Not knowing the whole story beforehand gives us the advantage of going with the flow, seeing, thinking & feeling the events, the characters, their bonding with each other etc, without unconsciously comparing it to the books/comics.

6. Also, MCU makes movies as much as for non comic readers as for comic readers, so they give everything a fresh start. Not necessarily everything has to be from the comics, some characters might be missing, some might be new.

7. One might be surprised to know that there are many comic readers who absolutely love Clea in the comics but also are mature enough to understand how important Christine is to Stephen in mcu & hence desparately want Palmerstrange in mcu.

8. Even we're upset with mcu actually that they left Palmerstrange hanging onto the cliff all these years. Either they could've saved it or didn't show it at all, that is, either don't show Christine at all or make Palmerstrange official

So, yeah, the conclusion is :

a) we don't hate clea

b) we would've loved to love Clea as well had she been introduced earlier in mcu, in place of Christine

c) as we're non comic readers, we solely depend on mcu for its beauty, story, characters & not the complexity of the comic plot line. So please understand why we say that we love palmerstrange. Because we see it without any prior expectation in mind, without any baggage of the past, just the way characters are shown & see the core human nature in them, as mcu wants to show them to non comic readers.

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screechthemighty · 1 year

Text

Didn't wait for an answer, here's a selection of the funniest random observations I made while reading a terrifying amount of Moon Knight last year:

Werewolf by Night #32:

I shouldn't be shocked seeing how I'm starting on the 32nd issue of an obscure comics character but I have. Zero clue what's going on.

"I've never been celibate when it comes to curiosity" why would you phrase it like that.

"Out to do my job and collect my bread" *thinks of the meme and tries not to scream-laugh in public*

Marvel Spotlight #28

This dude is really calling himself Conquer Lord and has an alligator pit, comics are WILD

Marvel Two-in-One #52

...he...he tried to kill me with a forklift...

Moon Knight #1

Marlene get it together damn

Okay no but actually Marc immediately getting up, rambling cryptic nonsense, stealing a cloak off a statue, and then running to kill a guy is so on brand.

Moon Knight #4:

"The flash blinded me!!" smug matt murdock laughter

Moon Knight 6:

"I don't much like Marc Spector" the more things change etc. etc. etc.

"Kill the Americans" *frenchie voice* EXCUSE YOU-

Moon Knight 7:

WE HAVE THE MUSTACHE LADIES AND GENTS, WE HAVE THE MUSTACHE

"Speaking of your precious pretty boy millionaire" JAKE PLEASE LMAOOO

Moon Knight 10:

Ah yes, a mental breakdown while soaking wet...classic.

"Emotionally turbulent public chauffeur" I am ONLY calling Jake that from now on

PLEASE NOT HIM ALAS POOR YORICK-ING ON A GARGOYLE...

Moon Knight 12:

What in the Russian Sleep Experiment is going on here on this day

Moon Knight 16:

Invoking Diana and Charles aged very badly lmao

Moon Knight 22:

How many car crashes has Frenchie been in this run?? Like three or four by now????

Moon Knight 27:

"What's the going price for a cop" JACOB LOCKLEY LMAO

NOT THE KINGPIN, MATT WHERE ARE YOU

"The Kingpin can wait until another day" *muffled matt voice* NO PLEASE HE'S YOUR PROBLEM NOW COME BACK

Moon Knight 28:

"If you're lucky, you don't wake for a week" PRETTY sure that's called a coma

"You both deserve a kiss" I can promise you, Khonshu does not

Moon Knight 34:

0/10 they made Gena cry

Moon Knight 35:

"The man's determination is both inspiring and frightening." That's it, that's the system.

Moon Knight 37:

"Bottled up hostility and fists, fists, fists." That's why you're not allowed to hang out with Daredevil

Fist of Khonshu 4:

I hate that this version of the mask has lips

Fist of Khonshu 6:

This run was kind of ass, full offense.

West Coast Avengers Collection:

Wait why are they putting Tony in a special tank for the suit...just take the suit???

PLEASE NOT CLEA FLIRTING WITH BEN FRANKLIN

Moon Knight doesn't show up until almost 80% of the way through, I want my money back.

"The Temple of Khonshu" ABOUT TIME YOU SHOWED UP, YOU STUPID PIGEON

"Time has split in seven" please stop splitting time...

West Coast Avengers 31-37:

Marc voice: sorry babe, just dissociating and chatting with my moon god

I'm sorry, Doctor Doom Norted a boy?????

Marc: I have a plan *immediately gets beamed in the head by a mace* Tigra: Is...is that the plan?????

WAIT HE'S BEEN POSSESSED BY KHONSHU THIS WHOLE TIME???

Everyone: wow, ain't love grand Bobbi: I'm divorcing Clint

Marc Spector: Moon Knight 9

Okay as much as I like unkillable Marc, it is a little funny when he's walking around complaining about his ribs

Amazing Spider-Man 353-358

Midnight really does look like Eren Jaegar and it's distracting

Did Frank. Did Frank really just risk blowing his cover to make a pun.

Daken: Dark Wolverine 15:

"The fact that I may collapse any second from blood loss begs to differ" Marc I am begging you to get to a hospital.

Moon Knight (2014) - Wood Edition:

Marc showing up looking homeless with a dusting of his own blood = SO ON BRAND

AND THEN IMMEDIATELY GETTING HIS ASS KICKED Marc, never change

MARC SPECTOR HAVING A NORMAL ONE

Moon Knight (2016) - Lemire Edition:

FINALLY BACK BABY LET'S GO

I'm sorry but the fact that this IS all in Marc's head and he's remember his friends with such fondness is...I'm emo...

"I'm nothing without my friends, Gena" screaming crying frothing at the mouth etc.

"Maybe my job was just to get us here. Give you a chance to rest." SCREAMING. CRYING. ETC. ETC.

Absolutely hate that his "dying" thoughts are of his friends, Lemire I'm coming for you personally

"I'll see Gena. She'll know what to do." tries not to scream in public

"That's a very specific lead, Crawley" all of his leads are like that my dude

Steven just watching Anput bite that dude's throat like "oof sucks for that guy. anyway-"

Moon Knight (2017) - Suffering in the Bemis Run:

Oh she is about to make this so much worse.

OH YOU MADE IT SO MUCH WORSE

"The inspector holmes of kung fu madmen" what am I READING, what YEAR IS IT???

"Marc Spector can be overly confident" that's the first correct thing you've said all issue, dude

I don't like the use of "psychopath" as an insult but someone (presumably Steven or Jake but MAYBE Khonshu) putting Marlene in his phone as "let it go" IS pretty funny [Note from present me: My theory for this is that it was Steven, since as of the Mackay run only Marc and Jake still seem to have strong feelings for her.]

Kicking his flaming pants onto Sun King was definitely not beneath him. That's extremely on brand.

Guys I'm tired...

Doctor Strange Damnation:

"In, but out of his mind" oh this is already gonna get exhausting

"Try not to kill any of them. That means you, Knight" HI, HELLO, BLADE IS LITERALLY RIGHT THERE, JOHNNY BURNS PEOPLES' SOULS OUT, WHY ARE YOU SINGLING HIM OUT???

I'M NOT GONNA READ GHOST RIDER TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE SHUT UP

Avengers: Age of Khonshu (oh boy):

Thor with baby! Thor with baby!!

"Consorting with moon wizards" STILL NOT THE WEIRDEST THING HE'S EVER DONE

"quivering chicken-god" HEY only we're allowed to call him that! (there is something weirdly wholesome about Marc taking the lead, though)

I've only had Robbie Reyes for five seconds but I'd commit a felony for him

YOU'RE ARRESTING KHONSHU???? YOU CAN'T ARREST KHONSHU???????

Okay update, I guess Thor can arrest Khonshu. I hope they go for the punishment of having Loki throw birdseed at him for the next couple thousand years.

T'Challa: You should join up with us now that we're done fighting. Marc, thinking about how everyone called him crazy BEFORE he did some dumb boneheaded shit, and how much worse it'll be now that he beat up Thor: Y'know what i'm GOOD, THANKS-

Moon Knight - MacKay Edition:

VAMPIRE MLM, TRULY THE FACE OF EVIL

Man, Marc is just trying to turn a new leaf, help some people, and people REALLY CANNOT JUST LEAVE HIM ALONE, HUH...militant atheists on one hand, religious extremists on the other, my dude needs a NAP

"You lost me at 'destroy our enemies' but I appreciate the effort" Reese I'd die for you I hope you know that

"And that makes us brothers" Marc this is why you've gotta start hanging out with Jake and Steven again, every other brother you've had has sucked lmao

"You know I can see in the dark, right?" "You know I can't, right?" D&D parties with the token human be like-

#screech reads moon knight #that sure was a time in my life #these aren't even all the random notes I took just the funny ones I had saved in a notes app

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stewardofningishzida · 4 months

Text

Stephen Strange Meta-Fic Sequel - Chapter 13: We’ve Come to Bargain!

*Cheesy announcer voice* Stephen’s having yet another showdown with the Dread Dormammu! How will he outwit the warlord this time? Stay tuned!

TRIGGER WARNING: Language, scary situations, anxiety

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

Chapter 13: We’ve Come to Bargain

*We retreat to our quarters. However, the anxiety is beginning to mount again. I’m trying to keep my cool, but it’s bubbling back up to the surface. I take a few slow, deep breaths in an attempt to stay calm.*

Me (to Trix and Prettywitch, nervous): I know we’re supposed to have faith in Stephen, but this fight is gonna be gnarly. Like, probably one of the worst ones he’s ever been in since he barely has any backup. Plus, no do-overs…I…I just don’t know, guys. I’m trying to stay cool, but this is bad. I’m not really worried about us, per say. I’m worried about him and our friends and families.

Trix (trying to be confident): If anyone can do it, it’s Stephen. We’ve done everything we can to help him out including going to Dark Dimension and stealing Dormammu’s shit. Stephen defeated him with the time stone before, but he didn’t have us and he didn’t have all this help.

Prettywitch: Exactly! The only other thing we could do is maybe siphon our magic power and give it to Stephen temporarily, but I don’t know how much of a boost that’d be to an adept magic user like himself.

*I think this over, still shuffling anxiously.*

Me (nodding quietly): Anything is better than nothing. I’m willing to give him as much as I can. Even if I end up passing out for a while. Anything that could possibly give him more of an advantage. I’ll set an alarm for 15 minutes before he’s about to leave so we regain a bit of energy from some food and sleep before giving. Does this sound reasonable, guys? *I’m serious.*

Trix: Makes sense to me. If the fight is happening in our home, might as well give him our universe’s magic!

Prettywitch: Wait, really!? Holy shit! I didn’t think you guys would go for it- (She stops herself.) You know what? I’m rambling. I’m in.

*I set my phone alarm and turn it on max volume to make sure we can give energy in time.*

Me: Then let’s do this. We’ll have a quick meal and get some rest. When the alarm rings, we give Stephen everything we can muster.

Trix: Gotcha. *She kinda hesitates* But can we sleep in the same room? I honestly don’t think I’ll go down easily otherwise.

Me: That’s fine. I’m kinda too nervous to decently fall asleep anyway. Maybe some company will help.

*We head to the mess hall for a quick bite to eat and then settle into one of our dorm rooms to rest.*

*Meanwhile, Stephen pores over the stolen tomes and analyzes the relics intensely. He concentrates as hard as he can and occasionally gets help from Wong. Some of the language is so obscure or arcane that he struggles. He’s beginning to get frustrated since he has such limited time. The sorcerer can feel the time crunch getting more and more intense.*

*Clea is also pouring over spellwork, knowing the differences between magic in different dimensions. Still, she can’t help looking over at Stephen from time to time, smiling at how intensely he’s studying. Until she snaps out of it, anyway. Then she goes off to find a relic that may suit her. ANY relic. This is war, afterall.*

Stephen (hissing under his breath): Even the diagrams in some of these pages make no damn sense…*He’s trying to figure it out, stressing about getting everything ready in time.*

Clea: *She hears Stephen’s frustration and slowly walks over to him.* Stephen? Are you alright?

Stephen (quietly, slowly mounting): I need to figure this out. Now. Otherwise, this is a massive waste of time. This might be the key to defeating Dormammu and I can’t even decipher a simple diagram! *He isn’t actually shouting, but the frustration is highly evident in his tone.* Can you make any sense of this? *He shows Clea the book, hoping that she might know something.*

Clea: *She skims the book.* Some of this I can make out. *She comes over to his side.* It’s written in very old code used by the Faltines. Some of this was taught to me when I was young, so I should have some idea of how to translate this.

*They begin to make some progress in that particular book, giving them both hope. Though the next one is written in some extradimensional language that neither of them have any clue about. Is it even language? Diagrams? It’s a confused mish-mash of what is barely even recognizable as script. Stephen goggles at the new material and cradles his head in his hands. His head is beginning to hurt.*

Wong (having re-emerged from the sickbay): Move over, Strange. Let me see. *He steps in to help. Wong manages to get them through more of the seemingly ageless spellbooks. Though there are still some significant gaps remaining. They did, at least, get through around 90% of the material. However, now, they’re all stumped.*

Stephen (grim): We’re running out of time. Most of it is useful now, but the most critical parts…*He gives a venomous glare at the baffling whatever-passes-as-texts. At this point, he’s approaching the end of his rope. They’re so close to the right material, which makes this even more maddening. A vein throbs in his temple.*

Wong: Compose yourself. We will not get any further if you lose patience.

*Stephen looks at Wong.*

Stephen: We only have one chance at this and I have to be on the girls’ Earth within 3 hours before Dormammu consumes and destroys everything there. How can I possibly be calm?!

Clea: *She gets up.* You can be calm. Because you must. You are Doctor Strange, the man who sees all possibilities and outcomes.

*He looks at Clea wearily.*

Stephen (grim): Not anymore. I don’t have the Time Stone anymore. It has been destroyed. I have limited foresight. Far more limited without the Stone. I…am merely along for the ride now, so to speak. *She can hear the hopelessness starting to seep back in.*

Clea: I wasn’t talking about the stone, Stephen. *She walks towards him slowly.* I thought what you did was brilliant, but it wasn’t the stone that impressed me, it was you. Your bravery, your cleverness, your resolve in the face of an impossible outcome and see it through to the end knowing it might not work. Even knowing the pain it might bring you. That’s the Doctor Strange you are, the Doctor Strange I know exists in you.

*He sighs.*

Stephen (resigned): Clea, that’s very sweet of you, but your uncle knows all of my tricks from last time. This was supposed to help me find something new to outwit him…

Clea: And it will! My uncle may be powerful but he is not invincible; there has to be a way we can defeat him.

*He glares back at the stack of books again, as though it had gravely insulted the three of them.*

Clea: *She takes his hands in hers.* Stephen, why don’t we divide the books among ourselves? I’ve seen how fast of a study you are, I have no doubt you will understand the dialect in those books.

Stephen (flatly): Very well. We shall divide the books and I will also attempt to apply whatever compatible spells I can to the new relics.

*They split up the books and get back to work. It’s an hour-long slog, but Wong, Clea, and Stephen manage to get another 5% of the tomes translated. There are a dozen or so pages left, but they leave everyone stumped. The final spells are incomplete despite the group’s best efforts.*

Ancient One (appearing out of nowhere): You’ll find that these last portions were specifically inverted and mirrored then translated as to confuse anyone who wished to do harm to Dormammu finding these works. It is a convoluted system but Dormammu was always a bit of a diva. *she floats closer to the group, frowning at the diagrams*

Clea: He DID!? *She pouts.* THAT JERK!!!

*Stephen is startled. Wong seems to have expected her to pull something like this. Then again, he did know The Ancient One far longer than Stephen.*

Stephen: So, you can help us translate this? *He looks at her hopefully.*

Ancient One (smiling at him): Of course. I’m sure between the four of us we can figure this out. Three sorcerer supremes and probably one of the most competent and powerful of the Faltines I have ever heard of.

*He seems to be reassured and the group gets back to work, finally finishing their translation of the books. They immediately get to enchanting the remaining relics. It’s arduous work, but it does get done with about half an hour to spare.*

Stephen (grateful to the group of sorcerers): Thank you.

*Wong nods in acknowledgement and gives a small, approving grunt.*

Clea: It was no problem at all, Stephen. I’m just glad you’re feeling better, now.

Ancient One: Of course.

*Stephen and Wong get ready for battle. They hear a distant alarm go off and they soon see the girls jogging over to them.*

Me (panting slightly): Before you guys leave, here. Please. Take our energy since it’s compatible with our universe’s magic. Any advantage you guys can possibly get.

Stephen (taken aback): You three planned this again? This is the second time in a day. You’ll all lose consciousness.

Me: We’re willing to do it. Fainting’s the only real penalty for us here. So…Are you okay with us donating more of our energy?

Trix: Plus if we’re unconscious here from safely giving you a power boost, we won’t be over there fighting and distracting you because you’re worried. *She smiles sadly at him*

Prettywitch: Yeah. We don’t mind, honestly. Besides, sometimes there’s no other way. You know?

*He looks at us for a while with a mix of concern and gratitude. There’s also a lot of worry in his face, but he shakes his head slightly, as though banishing it for now. At least in an attempt to comfort us.*

Stephen: Very well, but let’s go to the mats over there so you won’t be hurt.

*We make our way to some of the mats still laid out for combat training. Then, the girls proceed with the ritual and give Stephen as much energy as we can muster before we all pass out. I’ve pushed so hard that I can’t even astral-project.*

Ancient One: I will guard them while you face Dormammu. There is no safer place for them to be right now, Stephen. Take their willing sacrifices and gifts of concern and save their world.

*Stephen can feel our energy surging into him. He’s energized and takes The Ancient One’s word to heart.*

Stephen: Okay. I will. *He’s more determined than ever.*

Wong: Then let us go. I will open the portal. Clea, ready?

Clea: *She cracks her knuckles.* I was ready an hour ago. Let’s do this.

*Wong nods and proceeds to open the portal to our world. The three sorcerers are armed to the teeth and bristling with magical energy.*

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

*Our universe’s energy has begun to practically vibrate with the influx of Dark Dimension energy flowing through the rift that Dormammu created. A rippling fog of reddish-purple magic spills forth and ebbs through the countless ranks of Mindless Ones all standing at attention, awaiting their master’s orders. In the meantime, there are also numerous platoons of our military forces, complete with tanks, soldiers, and various weaponry; not that they would do any good against such powerful magical enemies. The tension throughout the scene is palpable, with such a depth of eerie silence that one could hear a fly buzzing from a block away. Stephen steps forward to confront his old nemesis.*

Stephen (with hardened resolve): Dormammu, we’ve come to bargain.

*The fog grows, almost appearing like a tornado as it spins and erupts into the sky. Lightning strikes haphazardly and thunder roars as Dormammu appears, nearly as large as Stephen once encountered him. The sky turns green as the weather shifts. The ruler of the Dark Dimension growls, furious at his enemy reappearing when he expected him least.*

Dormammu: We already have a bargain, sorcerer. *The being snarls, reminded of his past failure* I have stuck to the terms of your agreement.

Stephen (firm): I’ve come to make an additional bargain. This world is also protected.

Dormammu: I was merciful once, Strange. I will not be a second time. Tell me, what world might I be allowed to conquer next if you believe yourself powerful enough to command me? *The large face made out of Faltine flames sneers, his entire focus on the Sorcerer Supreme* This universe is but a speck, only just flickering into being. Surely there are more important places you would be more invested in?

Stephen (stone-faced): I could say the same to you. Stand down and retreat with your forces back to the Dark Dimension. Now.

Dormammu (furious): You will not command me, sorcerer. We both know that I can kill you instantly if I so choose. I have granted you mercy once before and I will do so now if you leave and this universe falls under my rule.

Stephen (glaring): No.

Dormammu (grinning menacingly): So be it then, sorcerer.

*With a guttural yell, Dormammu commands the mindless ones to advance upon Earth. And shoots a barrage of fireballs at Stephen*

*Wong and Clea immediately spring into action.*

*Wong casts a massive shield, forcing the tide of Mindless Ones back as Clea uses an opposite spell to turn the fireballs into ice sculptures that crash onto the paved road. The US military forces proceed to open fire on the interdimensional beings, though to no avail. Instead, Wong works on boxing the entities in while Clea forms several shields around the US military and their vehicles.*

*Stephen quickly casts Shield of the Seraphim, defending himself from the onslaught of fire.*

*Immediately following the fire, familiar crystalline shards begin to shower down on Stephen and everything around him*

*Several stray soldiers fall victim to the shards. Meanwhile, the Cloak lifts Stephen into the air, both sorcerer and relic remembering the last time where Dormammu used the shards as a distraction before impaling the sorcerer from below. He then telekinetically stops the crystal shower momentarily before firing them right back at the Dread Dormammu in a volley of chaotic spikes.*

*Dormammu snarls and the shards explode into a conjured shield of flames. While they fight above, more and more mindless ones pour onto earth along with a strange fog similar to Dormammu’s. As it begins to roll over the bodies of the fallen soldiers from Earth, they slowly transform into new Mindless Ones, crawling up and staggering towards their former allies.*

*There are several cries of alarm from the ranks and sounds of gunfire as they attempt to counter what just happened. Meanwhile, Stephen’s eyes glow green with magic as he builds up a new spell and casts it, with a massive blast radius erupting around him. The still-forming new Mindless Ones drop down limply as the others begin to slow their advancement, almost freezing in place. They seem to be almost crippled by whatever previously-unseen spell that Stephen just released. It creates a veritable traffic jam at the portal, preventing more Mindless Ones from emerging.*

*Dormammu frowns down at the Sorcerer Supreme.*

Dormammu: You…are not supposed to know that spell. *He grows angrier* No matter, even if there was a traitor in my kingdom, they will die knowing that you failed in your latest bargain. You are lacking your infinity stone, sorcerer. Time is not your ally.

*Dormammu launches another attack, the storm growing around him is suddenly absorbed into the mass that is Dormammu. In taking more energy from this universe, he begins to understand the power that this new type of magic brings. He immediately uses the storm to summon tornadoes and harsh thunderstorms, not caring if it takes out his own army as long as it kills Stephen Strange.*

*Several bolts proceed to “go rogue” and begin to strike Dormammu repeatedly. Then, a booming voice resonates throughout the atmosphere, echoing through to the very souls of the mortals inhabiting this land.*

Voice (enraged): WHO DARES TO INTRUDE UPON MIDGARD?!

*Our universe’s Thor appears in a massive flash of lightning in front of the various armies. He looks beyond normal levels of fury.*

Dormammu (confused): You are not a sorcerer, and yet you possess this new magic. Similar to the sorcerer… *Dormammu’s face changes as he comes to a realization and stares down at Stephen* You want this world for yourself and have already taken magic from this place and dare tell me I cannot do so? *Two giant hands made out of fire appear as Dormammu becomes angry enough to start becoming more…hands on. The Dread Dormammu casually smacks Thor out of the air before focusing on Stephen*

*Stephen uses the unexpected distraction to launch a counterattack of his own and uses the Icy Tendrils of Ikthalon to bind Dormammu’s fiery hands together. He hears Dormammu’s retort, but refuses to give the warlord any potential “fuel” with a response.*

*Meanwhile, Thor goes flying and slams into the ground. He’s still. At least for now.*

*Dormammu uses his bound hands to smash into Stephen like a wrecking ball. Meanwhile, the Mindless Ones have finally recovered enough to continue their assault*

*Before the massive hands can hit him, Stephen conjures a protective ball of enormous spikes made of dark energy. Another “new trick” with a potentially painful result.*

*Dormammu surprisingly reacts with a yell of surprise as the spikes actually harm him. With a glare, the warlord uses the surprise to draw in more ambient energy and dispels the bindings*

Dormammu (enraged): How did you enter my Keep? Who betrayed the Dread Dormammu? I will kill them using the singed and broken remains of your corpse for even considering to defy me.

*Stephen stubbornly remains silent as he works on his next counterspell.*

Clea: I dare, Uncle!

Dormammu (whipping around to face her): Of course. My defiant niece, determined till the end. I have been merciful to your insolence for too long. *He draws back to attack her*

Clea: *She throws up a shield.* Do your worst!

Dormammu (smirking): With pleasure, niece. *He unleashes a large wave of pure energy at Clea as well as her allies to try and drown them out in power*

*Clea holds the wave back, even struggling a bit before throwing it back at her uncle. She takes on her Faltine form and flies towards him, ready to fight.*

*Wong looks at Clea for a second, as though subtly approving of her actions, before resuming his work on corralling the army of Mindless Ones while Dormammu is distracted.*

*Dormammu decides to cheat and instead absorbs her Faltine energy, using it to throw her crashing into the roof of a nearby house. Luckily she isn’t harmed.*

Clea: You cheat!

Dormammu: It’s not cheating in a real fight, not that you would know, niece. *He begins to absorb more and more ambient energy from this new universe and he begins to shift in color with his flames turning from red, to blue, to white*

*Stephen notices Dormammu drawing in more energy from this world and decides to throw yet another twist. Remembering the runes from the girls’ time fighting Agatha, he suddenly launches himself in a flight pattern around Dormammu, dredging up massive boulders around the warlord in a seemingly random pattern. Then, he concentrates and casts the Images of Ikonn. Each duplicate of Stephen proceeds to carve runes on the boulders, staying on specific sides of them, before a purple aura begins to form a barrier around Dormammu.*

*Meanwhile, on the ground, our Thor is unconscious from Dormammu’s swat. In a burst of green magic, a dark haired figure appears next to the unconscious god. They roll their eyes at Thor before snapping their fingers and the two disappear in another burst of green magic. Dormammu is too focused on Stephen to notice the gods or the forming barrier and continues to try and swipe at him*

*The runes’ barrier fully activates once the inscriptions are complete. A wall of purple magic encloses the warlord. Stephen stays slightly out of reach just in case and watches his handiwork and Dormammu intently.*

*The Warlord goes to attack using more fire only to be caught off guard as nothing happens. He tries again and has the same results. After exhausting a number of spells and all of them fail, he snarls and turns to the sorcerer*

Dormammu (angry but almost concerned): WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME, SORCERER?

Stephen: *He shrugs, but with a cunning expression on his face.* Surely, nothing so strong as to cause an immensely powerful being such as yourself any pause. *He sneers.*

*Dormammu roars in rage and the image of Dormammu ripples before turning into smoke that condenses down to a more…human size. This smaller version of Dormammu is still a force to be reckoned with, but around the same height as Stephen. His head and hands are still engulfed in flames but his eyes and mouth are still visible on his face as he glares at the sorcerer*

Dormammu (still angry but trying to be civil): Even without my magic I can defeat you easily, but I will…show restraint and offer you a challenge. No magic, and the winner gets this universe. First to yield loses.

Stephen: Very well. I accept your challenge. The loser will not harm and/or influence anyone and/or anything in this universe by any means, nor will they or any of their allies set foot here again. Do you accept these terms?

*The warlord studies Stephen for a moment before nodding*

Dormammu: I accept. *He begins to walk, circling around Stephen* Three rounds. You are able to call the end of a round at any time however yielding means the battle is over. Whoever is unable to continue at the end of the third, loses. Summon your weapon.

*Despite his inability to use spells, Dormammu summons a large broadsword made out of Space Shards. He walks a few paces away before turning back to Stephen suddenly with a wide grin on his face*

*Stephen summons and wields the Pincers of Power, a familiar and formidable weapon to Dormammu. He watches the warlord intently, coolly assessing each move.*

*Dormammu begins to circle the sorcerer, gauging what he thinks Stephen might be able to do. This is truly the first one on one between them on equal footing as it were. Finally, he lunges at Stephen’s back with incredible speed*

*Stephen feels the breeze as Dormammu makes his move and quickly dodges out of the way, giving Dormammu a shove to add to the being’s momentum so he will be thrown off-balance.*

*Dormammu trips ever so slightly but quickly regains balance to launch another jab at him.*

*Stephen dodges and uses Dormammu’s close proximity to trap the warlord’s sword-wielding hand in one of the Pincers. He starts to twist in an attempt to force Dormammu to drop his weapon.*

*Dormammu uses the momentum to trade the sword to his other free hand and manages to get a swipe in at Stephen as he almost dances out of the hold but is still stuck by the pincer.*

*Stephen grunts in pain, but tries to yank Dormammu with the Pincer. Failing that, he detaches it and jumps out of reach. It seems he isn’t as adept at hand-to-hand combat.*

*Dormammu smirks as he gets the first blow. He immediately dives right back into the battle, watching closely for any weaknesses as he begins a flurry of swipes at the sorcerer.*

*Stephen continues to dodge and does his best to stay out of reach. When he sees a pause in Dormammu’s volley, he bluffs a charge before jumping back again.*

*The warlord grins as he continues to push forward, growing more confident as his opponent keeps retreating. His attacks become quicker as he pushes harder to finish Stephen off quickly.*

*Stephen retreats a bit more before suddenly ducking under Dormammu’s attacking arms and locking a pincer around his opponent’s ankle. He yanks. Hard. All the while, his other hand locks Dormammu’s knee so he cannot steady himself.*

*Dormammu’s eyes widen as he suddenly careens face first into the floor, his momentum getting the best of him after Stephen redirected it. He growls as he attempts to push himself up.*

*Clea sees an entrance and streaks towards her Uncle ready for Round Two.*

Stephen (urgent): Clea! The duel! Go back and help Wong or our agreement will be rendered unusable!

Clea: *She understands and nods.* Right! *She flies back down towards Wong.*

*Wong is currently starting to struggle with holding back the horde of Mindless Ones by himself. The older sorcerer has used far too much energy for one day and it’s starting to show.*

*While Stephen is distracted by Clea, Dormammu begins to try and shove Stephen off of him to stand*

*Stephen moves his free Pincer up to lock around Dormammu’s wrist as he tries to get up. While doing this, the sorcerer strategically places his knee right on the base of Dormammu’s neck and applies enough pressure from his bodyweight to prevent the warlord from getting up, but not enough to choke him. Stephen then detaches the other Pincer from Dormammu’s ankle in the meantime and starts to drag the trapped wrist towards the other. He’s making a capture move while attempting to hold Dormammu down.*

Dormammu (grunting): You cannot defeat me, sorcerer. I am superior.

*Stephen is focused on keeping Dormammu down and restraining him to end the fight. Then, he notices a shift in the ambient energy and looks up at the runes.*

*Hairline fractures are beginning to form along the walls that are engraved with the runes. Dormammu is still struggling against Stephen’s hold, but something is clearly diverting his attention*

Stephen (sneering): I take it that this duel is no longer one of honor, Dormammu. *He’s calling the warlord out for his attempt at cheating.*

Dormammu (distracted but smug): Your honor will mean nothing when you are dead and this universe is mine. *He grunts and shimmies, trying to get out of the hold and the cracks on the summoned walls grow larger*

*Stephen tightens his hold and puts more weight on the pressure point he’s using on the base of Dormammu’s neck, both to keep Dormammu down and to cause just enough pain to break his concentration. Meanwhile, knowing that the runes are all that is keeping the warlord’s powers in check, Stephen has no choice but to focus on maintaining the walls. It has come down to a battle of pure willpower.*

*Dormammu finally gives up physically struggling and suddenly goes limp before pouring all of his energy into trying to break down the walls. The sudden onslaught is fierce and even Dormammu’s Faltine form begins to flicker out*

*Stephen closes the Pincers of Power on Dormammu’s wrists, binding his hands together behind the warlord’s back. Then, he fully focuses on the barrier himself. Thanks to the girls’ energy, he’s still able to resist Dormammu’s attempts. Though just barely. He quickly begins to chant another counterspell, to fully activate the Pincers and seal away Dormammu’s ability to cast spells.*

*Finally, finally, with one last weak push at the barriers, Dormammu falls completely limp and his fully depowered*

Dormammu (exhausted but angry): I……yield.

Stephen (firm): Very well. Hold to your agreement. Take back your forces and leave this universe and mine. Never come back. You and your allies will not harm and/or influence anyone and/or anything in this universe by any means, nor will you or any of your allies set foot here again. Do that, and I will release you from the Pincers the moment you fully retreat to your dimension.

*Clea meanwhile, is staring at him starry-eyed. She can’t help thinking he’s wonderful.*

Dormammu (begrudgingly): I will hold to this agreement, sorcerer, so long as I never see you again. *He glares up at Clea* And you, niece, are banished. If you step into my domain, you will be executed for treason. Immediately.

Clea: *She shrugs.* Fine.

*Stephen silently allows Dormammu to get up and watches him leave, ordering his army to retreat. He follows the warlord through the portal only to release Dormammu from his restraints before going back to rejoin Wong and Clea, a look of fatigued relief on his face.*

Stephen (genuine, to both of them): Thank you.

Wong: It is simply part of our work. *Though he looks even more drained than Stephen at this point.*

Clea: It was my pleasure. *She looks a bit sad now that her Uncle’s gone.*

*Stephen awkwardly places his hand gently on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.*

Clea: *She looks up and smiles at him, sadly.* Thank you…

Stephen (offering condolences, feeling guilty that he dragged her into this): …I’m sorry that you were banished. If you need anything, then I’ll do my best to help you.

Clea: No! Don’t be. I am sad that I can no longer return to my home…But I’m also glad that I helped you, Stephen.

*Wong nudges Stephen, who was digesting this information. He silently remembers what it was like being homeless. Wong’s nudge brings him back to the present.*

Stephen: …Erm…You could always stay with us at Kamar-Taj. Otherwise, I have a room in my Sanctum. Whichever is more comfortable for you.

Wong: Strange may not be blessed with proper social skills, but he is more than hospitable. I can assure you that he will see to whatever you may need. *He subtly gives Stephen a look that says to behave and treat her well. Stephen meets his mentor’s eyes with a slightly withering expression.*

Clea: I’d like to stay with you if I may, Stephen!...I mean, I do believe I will have access to all types of magic I can learn here. Or even learn to call my friends in the Dark Dimension.

Stephen (awkward, but doing his best to be polite): Very well. I will show you around the Sanctum momentarily. After checking on the girls.

Wong: I doubt that they will be awake yet. It seems that they gave all of their remaining energy to you.

*Stephen shifts his weight slightly, concerned.*

Wong (blunt, but reassuring): We will check on them. Come on.

*He opens a portal back to Kamar-Taj.*

***To be continued***

#doctor strange fanfiction #doctor strange #doctor strange meta fic #doctor stephen strange #multi author #dr stephen strange #stephen strange #marvel #wong #clea strange #dormammu #clea

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xxskycrystalxx · 2 years

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DS:MOM Thoughts [heavy spoilers beware]

I’m literally still processing the movie but here are just some jumbled thoughts of mine. (mostly of palmerstrange)

1. Defender Strange... you will be missed.

2. When I saw Stephen watching Christine get married in the trailer I thought yes, this is absolutely saddening and nothing could be worse than that (in terms of palmerstrange). Little did I know that that was only a fraction of how much harder Stephen took it in the movie. I mean just seeing him there and talking to Christine and wishing that things had went differently literally BROKE ME. Right person wrong time tbh.

3. America Chavez is amazing. The way people are hating both her and the actress is horrible and shouldn’t be condoned. She’s a great character and I can’t wait to see more of her in future movies/shows. Love how she and Strange really bonded, it was heartwarming. Makes me even sadder about him and Peter.

4. WONGGGGGGGGG THE OGGGGGGGGGG ; I had worries that they’d kill him off but he’s alright and being iconic as per usual.

5. Wanda. Dear Wanda. She was an absolute menace in the movie lol and I mean it literally. We knew she was as powerful as Sorcerer Supreme and just in general but damnnnnnnnnnn. I was legitimately terrified of her at certain points. I get why she became like that, I mean everyone should know. I feel for her I really do, but damn. Also... I’m pretty sure she’s not dead :)

6. Not Stephen’s significant memory being the one with him and Christine having dinner and Christine giving him THE watch. *crying in palmerstrange feels*

7. THE ILLUMANTI!!!!!!!! I was expecting the others (especially Professor X since we heard him in the trailer and Captain Carter as well as Monica Rambeau being Captain Marvel) but what really made me internally scream and pump my fists in the air was John Krasinski as Reed Richards. He was the perfect fan casting as him and I’m literally over the moon seeing him in the suit/character. I’m expecting him to come back in the new F4 movie and when he does I will literally lose it. Actually I’d lose it even more if they cast Emily Blunt as Sue Richards. Besides that, it was quite gruesome and sad that the heroes of that world were killed off so easily and brutally like holy crap. RIP

8. The music fight between the two Strange’s was just absolute *chef’s kiss.*

9. “I love you. I love you in every universe. It’s not that I don’t want to care for someone, or have someone care for me, it’s just -- I get scared.” *cue the sobbing* I lost it when Stephen said this, absolutely lost it. I will never EVER climb out of the Palmerstrange hole I’ve dug for myself after this. I just can’t. Then the way 838-Christine caressed his face like Christine did in the sacred timeline in the first movie..... that was it for me. Rachel and Benedict. You guys destroyed me, but I’m entirely grateful for it. The fact that in every universe Palmerstrange were a thing but could never get the endgame they deserved hurts me sm that just thinking about them makes me want to cry forever. WHAT DID THEY DO TO BE TREATED LIKE THIS????????!!!!! On sidenote: I want someone to love me in every universe too....

10. The watch. THE WATCH. Seeing the watch Christine gave Stephen now will just be giving me trauma and heartbreak. I do like the fact that at the end they had Stephen fix the watch and put it away as a sign of him moving on. I mean there was always going to be a point where he moved on. I’m happy for him. But ofc, my sad Palmerstrange heart always had hoped for a happy ending for them. It is what it is now.

11. They introduced Clea [pretty sure that’s her in the first end credits although the casting is not my favorite] so she’ll be a very important character in the next film (or whatever else she’ll be in) and will most likely be Stephen’s love interest [since yes they are married in the comics.... Clea Strange....], I don’t hate her. I’m looking forward to what her character will bring, but it doesn’t mean I’ve recovered from Palmerstrange and that Rachel/Christine should not be in future films. If they want to erase her when Clea comes in, sorry that’s not it. I won’t have it. If they can’t be a thing anymore fine, but at least let her still be in Stephen’s life as a close friend, a confidante even. It’s the least that could be done at this point.

12. No cap but all the multiverse stuff made my head spin lol, but that sequence where Stephen and America were going through all the universes’ was really cool though, props to Marvel for that.

13. Marvel really made me wait like 20 minutes to see the second end-credits scene and then proceeded to troll everyone by showing us that pizza-donut thing seller guy finally stop punching himself in the face. Thanks for that Marvel.

Overall really great movie, I had a great time being in the theaters and watching it (seeing as how I haven’t been to the theaters ever since COVID started), absolute stellar performances from the whole cast, love them all!!! I have more rambles/thoughts about the movie but I think I’ll stop here and spare anyone who reads this from anymore lol.

#doctor strange #doctor strange multiverse of madness #doctor strange: multiverse of madness #stephen strange #dr strange #dsmom spoilers #doctor strange multiverse of madness spoilers #palmerstrange #marvel #mcu #christine palmer #wanda maximoff #wong #america chavez #my thoughts

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valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn · 2 years

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MCU could be so much more. I get why over saturation is so tiring to so many, but honestly I don't think even that has to be a problem. Marvel comics has been around for over 60s years and certain characters are even older there's a reason why they have endured so long. I don't think the MCU allows it's properties enough individuality and I don't think enough writers let their characters just take a moment and develop

Agreed. It seems characterization has been relegated to the back seat for some reason and now they do the bare minimum and the interactions between the characters are one or two lines that get the message across then they move on to something else. They care more about joining the dots than showing how a character goes from A to B.

Like Stephen's fear in MoM, for instance. He says he's afraid to Christine, then her 838 variant tells him to overcome that fear and in the post-credit scene he says to Clea he's no longer afraid. It's all so superficial! What do these writers think, that traumas disappear once you mention them? If only! Did they explore why he's feeling that way? They sure did, with two lines about Donna. Two.

If you need to remove two fights in order to include that, then you do it. If you need to dial down on the shocks and the cameos... then do so.

They did the same with Bucky in TFATWS, they wanted to take a traumatized character and in the end show him happy and living with the Wilsons, so once you reach ep6 he's with them smiling and goofing around but you have no clue how he got there. Or worse, they show you his character visiting the families and re-traumatizing himself in a quick 30-second sequence that didn't even show the actual conversations and then act like that action was healing for him. Come on, man.

Not everything is bad though and I do think they tried to do something different with Eternals, and I wonder just how much power did Chloe Zhao truly have. I know many directors have complained that they don't have enough time to work on the movies and Sam Raimi said this year that certain things in the films are decided by the higher ups and can't be changed by anyone, and directors are kind of forced to navigate through that.

You'd think having an interconnected universe is to blame for all that but... is it connected though? The Loki series has no effect on any series or movies after it, the same could be said about WandaVision because Wanda's character was completely retconned for MoM, and Hawkeye + TFATWS + Moon Knight are irrelevant for the rest of the universe. It's not connected at all.

Quick edit to say they did nail Moon Knight and what's funny about that is they took off the suit for a couple eps, the fights were a second thought and the focus was on the characterization and Marc's pain and past. So they can do it, they still got it.

#mcu salt

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doctorofmagic · 2 years

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Hi! Your blog is super cool and I wanted to ask: you have a lovely guide for people to read Stephen's comics, and you've also told us your favourite Wong or Clea or other stories. But, I also see like all of us there were stories you disliked or thought was badly written: will you ever consider making a list of comics to avoid if someone loves Stephen, or maybe just list some stuff you hated off the top of your head if that's too much work?

Hello!! Thank you so much for your kind words!

Oh my Vshanti, that's actually an excellent idea! I do have tons of stories I do not like and, while this is obviously my perspective and opinions, people can always feel free to read them or not.

Stephen has a relative consistency but sometimes, just sometimes, the stories are really really really bad. I'll make a list stating the reasons for sure!

1 - Doctor Strange v2 - Master of the Mystic Arts #50-53

Although I'm always eager to read stories in which Nightmare looks for Stephen's help, this one here is... not good enough. First, because of Morgana Blessing. I've made some posts on her and why I have many reasons to dislike her, but in here, it gets to the point of past lives and I dunno, it feels problematic to say the least... Also this is the reason why Clea left (and v2 overall is basically Clea feeling insecure about her powers and her relationship with Stephen, which is boring and uninteresting). The next issue (#54) will show how Stephen is dependent on Clea, and it's a good chapter, but I'd skip the ones with Morgana.

2 - Strange Tales v2

Yes. The whole run. The last issues of Doctor Strange v2 are bad enough due to the way Stephen's downfall towards dark magic is portrayed, but Strange Tales v2 takes the cake. He "kills" a man, he lies to Victoria and steals her powers, he becomes Kaluu's apprentice, he loses an eye (?) and becomes a diva (?) god, then he dies and is resurrected. I don't mind Stephen falling into a darker path, but only when it's well-written (as in, Hickman's New Avengers). This is not it.

3 - Doctor Strange - Sorcerer Supreme #60-90

It's the 90's. But I have far more reasons to dislike these stories. The moment Salomé strikes is the moment everything good about the lore so far goes down like a lead balloon. Imei is killed off (and later used as a tool to put Wong against Stephen), Clea leaves to lead the rebellion, Stephen’s self is split into three and lastly, the story I hate the most, Mordo gaslighting Stephen since he was just a kid, which leads him to consume alcohol (something that I’ll gladly ignore, especially in current runs).

4 - Uncanny Origins #12

This is the only, and I repeat, ONLY story in Stephen’s entire chronology in which Eugene is portrayed as an abusive father. And I don’t agree with that because what leads Stephen to become a cold man is Donna’s death. Eugene hardly appears in stories so it’s kinda odd to read that he was a terrible father, especially when Stephen talks to his family’s "ghosts” about how much he misses them and Eugene is there as well.

5 - Witches #1-4

I just dislike Stephen’s patronizing and arrogant portrayal in this, especially towards Topaz and Jennifer. It feels almost as if he was sexist.

6 - Avengers v1 #502-503; House of M #1-8

We can just all agree that HoM is a bad portrayal for 1) women; 2) WOC and 3) women struggling with mental health. I’ve talked about this before so I’m just summing it all up. Besides, Stephens lack of empathy while a doctor is just... yikes.

7 - X-Statix Presents - Deadgirl #1-5

This book isn’t bad for Stephen but it is really problematic in some senses (as in, a sexist black man falling in love with a racist white woman :S), not to mention TAO being used as a villain here. It’s not entirely canon (but it also it is because Deadgirl is working at Strange Academy so Idk). Anyways, pass.

8 - Fearless Defenders #9

You’d just know I’d add this story. It’s just bad and it pretty much ruins Stephen’s character by portraying him as a cheater and generally a sexist piece of garbage. It’s not only Stephen, tho. Cullen Bunn did that to all men involved with the female protagonists ew.

9 - Doctor Strange v5 #1-20

The reasons are all listed on my pinned post.

10 - Empyre - X-Men #1; #4

I really hate how Stephen was portrayed here, especially when it comes to his relationship with Wanda.

11 - Strange Academy

I’m just so done with this book. I don’t even have the strength anymore to explain why it’s so bad. I’m tired.

12 - Captain Marvel v10 #27-30

I really like Stranvers but the way Stephen was used as a fling only for Carol to rekindle her relationship with Rhodes was disgusting, not to mention how they ended up in bad terms. BIG YIKES. Plus the blatant BAIT on the covers.

EDIT

I forgot Defenders v4 as a whole, so you see how much I appreciate it *sarcasm*

13 - Defenders v4

Everything but the art sucks in this book, from Stephen’s portrayal to the story itself. Don’t waste your time (and that comes from someone who loves Norrin and Stephen interacting!!)

(dis)honorable mention: Death of Doctor Strange - Bloodstone. Stephen doesn’t appear but it’s just bad for him. Really bad.

Aaaaand this is basically the stories I dislike the most. I’ll certainly add more in the future, but let’s hope it’s not a habit /rip

#how can the sorcerer supreme be of assistance?#ask #doctor strange #stephen strange #do not read list #marvel comics

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sirwow · 1 year

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Part 3 to A New Light the first FK story, 2nd part can be found here.

Az n Laz begin their winter break after Laz helped Az barely pass his classes after not doing any work for 2 months. Laz insists on going to the flying park more but Az eventually snaps a bit at Laz saying he can’t or his dad who’s home for winter break would be absolutely pissed. This is news to Laz and asks why. Az explains how his dad had some drama and now he hates all scouts with a burning passion and if he knew Az wanted to be one it would ruin their already strained relationship. Laz tries to convince Az that’s not fair but Az just pushes it off and suggests going to the arcades instead. Az is obviously getting annoyed again so Laz agrees to.

Later in the month after Christmas, Az excitedly tells Laz of the up and coming Blue moon festival and if Laz was planning on coming this year. Laz clams up a bit and admits he’s never actually been much to Azazel’s surprise. Az takes this in stride though and convinces Laz to come with him for his very first time so they could do all the activities together. Lazarus is nervous when he gets inside and is a bit lost in the crowd but gets picked up quickly by Azazel to play carnival games together. While taking a small break together on a nearby perch and eating cotton candy together an announcement from the fair speakers announces in a crackled voice that the Flying Duos Derby was open for sign up and would start in 1 hour.

Once the announcement ends Az excitedly talks about the yearly duos derby to Laz and how even arc angel Michael would be in the first race and watch the rest. But once he remittances on when he was in the race he stops himself from mentioning who he raced with and just sighs mumbling about he guesses he just has to watch this year. Laz meekly speaks up though and suggests maybe he could be Azazel’s partner this year but says it’s okay if he doesn’t want to since he is so new to this whole scout thing. Azazel jumps at the idea though and pulls Laz across the festival to sign up for a duo’s slot. Lazarus and Az while waiting for the races to start practice a bit outside the fair but quickly becomes obvious Lazarus is shaking and nervous. Az stops when he notices and grabs him by the shoulders asking what’s the matter. Laz is shaken now that the crowd around the derby was growing so large and was scared he would screw up infront of everyone, setting in stone that he was weak as everyone tells him. Az shakes him out of it and encourages him he can never know if he never tries.

Both join up into the group around the makeshift flying stadium as Duke comes up to introduce Michael to the first race as the yearly guest. The first race begins with Michael going against The Lamb and Gabriel but wins as he does most years. Az n Laz are called aside as the elementary kids go out and begin to put on their gear. Laz gets the shakes again but elbows him with a smile to go through with it. Once they’re all lining up for the relay Laz gets bumped harshly by an annoyed Angel who starts to talk to Az. This is Cassiel and sneers at Azazel if his new fledgling friend is so much better that he could leave him behind. Az just tells Laz to ignore him and they all ready up to start the race.

Despite his nerves Lazarus pulls through during the race and during the last lap is in the lead. Cassiel behind him realizes this and his anger and jealousy takes him and kicks Lazarus out of the air and into the cold mud below. Whistles are blown and a moment after Cassiel takes pleasure in Lazarus’s flailing he’s quickly taken off by his dad Michael who’s rather embarrassed. Az flies down to Lazarus to help him out of the mud and make sure he’s alright. Laz says he’s ok but it’s clear he’s embarrassed and doing his best not to cry while covered in mud. Az takes him into the lockers to clean him off and save him from any more stares. Laz cleans off but doesn’t speak much outside of yes and no making Az rather anxious he screwed up convincing Laz into this. Luckily both are called out and surprised with the 1st place award as both had actually out lapped the other contestants during said race and were given the award as Cassiel and his brother were disqualified.

Laz’s mood was made much better after this and the two went to enjoy the festival feast. Laz notices someone watching from the shadows but when they made eye contact they ran off so Laz brushed it off. Az brings up Laz to a old building roof top near by to watch the fireworks after eating but once they begin something seems the matter with Lazarus. Too nervous to ask directly Az brings up the idea of seeing the Moonblooms near by and Laz quietly agrees.

Lazarus follows Azazel slowly to a large glowing field of flowers and both sit down and watch the bright blue moon and stars above. Az is still nervous as Laz is quiet as ever but before he can talk he realizes Lazarus is crying. He sits up and asks what’s the matter and Laz just breaks a bit, nervously laughing and saying sorry. Lazarus explains it was all just so much and he’s sorry for not talking before about it. Azazel says it’s alright but Laz also begins to explain what else was on his mind. The whole situation, especially hearing and seeing the fireworks just reminded him of all the times he sat from his house window watching from afar since he never had a parent or even his sister around to take him. His tears were a combination of joy and sadness that he was only now getting to experience this. Az comforts Laz the best he can and eventually promises Laz he’ll always be here to come with him and when Laz asks really Az promises. Laz hugs Az thanking him and both eventually stand up to head home for the night.

Wowza that was long but this is the last part of this story! Next up is Cain and fair warning it’s much much more intense then these two silly goobers. As usual questions about anything are always allowed, cheers!

#tboi #tboi au #forgotten keys #tboi lazarus #tboi azazel #tboi writing #heho my little silly best friends

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hairstevington · 2 years

Text

“Well, this is new…”

Steve x Eddie (realizing feelings, some good ole gay panic)

***Spoilers for Volume 1!!

Ao3 Link

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

“So…ya come here often?” Eddie said as he walked side by side with Steve. He couldn’t believe any of this was happening. It was a completely normal week, and then….He tried not to think about Chrissy, but he was sure that image would never leave him. And now here he was, diving headfirst into a fucking lake and fighting some sort of demon bats in the Upside Down with Nancy Wheeler and Steve Harrington. It was madness. Absolute goddamn madness. He’d always been the freak, the weirdo. Steve and Nancy were the popular kids, the ones with normal lives. And yet here they were, facing atrocities Eddie had never dreamed of, barely phased. In the Upside Down, Eddie wasn’t a freak. He was just a guy, scared out of his mind.

“Ha, only once before this. But I always was dying to come back.” Steve remarked, dryly.

“Well, I can see why.” Eddie said, kicking a rock out of his way as he continued walking. Maybe it was silly, being so cavalier, but Eddie had always used humor to cope with trauma. Everything around him was so dark, he couldn’t help but try to make it lighter. “So, when did this all start?” He asked, gesturing to everything around him.

“Uh, I don’t know. Junior year. It’s not something I seek out, I just kinda keep getting thrown into it.” Steve responded.

“I never pegged you as such a badass, Harrington.” Eddie teased, leaning in towards Steve and grinning.

“First of all, ouch.” Steve started, flipping a lock of hair out of his eye. Eddie smirked in response. “Secondly, blame Dustin.”

“Dustin?!” Eddie repeated, chuckling lightly. “What did that little shrimp do?” Steve thought about this.

“Let’s see. He raised a demodog in his bedroom in order to impress a girl, got us locked in an underground Russian spy base, and generally just keeps getting himself into trouble.”

“What an idiot.” Eddie joked. It all sounded ridiculous, but nothing could shock him anymore.

“Yeah, but he’s my idiot.” Steve replied, smiling. “That kid’s too smart for his own good. He’s gonna rule the world someday, I swear.”

“Yeah, probably.” Eddie agreed. He’d grown fond of Dustin since he joined Hellfire. He took Eddie seriously, and treated him like an actual person instead of a freak. “At least the dog part sounds nice.”

“It wasn’t.” Steve assured. He paused, arranging his hands into a big imaginary box - side to side, then up and down. “This big. Lots of teeth. No face.” He explained, wincing. The movement of his arms had irritated the wound in his abdomen.

“Shit, you ok?” Eddie asked, concerned. Steve nodded, but clutched his side. “Can I see?”

Eddie peeled back the fabric covering Steve’s lower stomach. Yep. That was a chunk taken out for sure. “Damn.” Eddie announced.

“How bad?” Steve asked. He’d never been injured by one of the creatures from the Upside Down before, and as much as he tried to keep his cool, there was only so much he could take. Robin constantly reminding him of rabies also did not help.

“Uh, I’ve seen worse.” Eddie responded, not admitting that he’d only seen worse in movies. “It’s just your six pack is now more of a five pack.” He teased.

Steve scoffed, playfully. “Still more than you.”

“C’mon now, you don’t know that.” Eddie winked at Steve, then knelt down in front of him to get a closer look. Huh. Steve was not prepared to be thinking about Eddie Munson without a shirt on today. In some ways it was more alarming than everything else that was going on. Steve hadn’t really had a guy friend his own age since Tommy, the asshole he ditched sophomore year. Still, seeing Eddie kneel in front of him made him feel differently than he’d expect. Was the bite in his side making his stomach feel this way?

Eddie looked underneath the makeshift bandage. It was hard to tell exactly what was going on, considering it was dark all around him and the wound was covered in blood. He wished he had something to clean it with. Even if there was water around, Eddie didn’t trust anything from this place to be any sort of sterile. “You could spit on it.” He suggested. Steve looked down at Eddie, still perched on the ground in front of him.

“I’m sorry, what?” Steve responded. Eddie couldn’t tell if he was annoyed or amused.

“I heard somewhere that spit is a natural antiseptic. Makes you heal faster or something.” Eddie said. He knew he’d heard this before, he’d just personally never tried it.

“How am I supposed to…? How much saliva do you think I have???” Steve sputtered incredulously. Eddie was almost certain now they were joking around. It was all so crazy, everything about this situation. Eddie burst out laughing, and Steve followed suit. They allowed themselves to laugh for a few moments before Steve stopped to clutch his side again. With his other hand he reached out to Eddie, who gripped it firmly to pull himself up. Eddie jumped to his feet, stumbling for a second trying to regain his balance. Steve instinctively reached out to grab Eddie’s arms on both sides, stabilizing him. “You good?”

Eddie nodded. “Yeah, sorry. Just a little light headed.” He looked into Steve’s eyes. He was kind of beautiful actually. I mean, the guy had just been through hell, and he still looked like a movie star. Steve was a little younger than Eddie, but he was still always jealous of him in high school. There was just something about him. Probably the hair. But now, Eddie had found that Steve was genuinely a cool person too. God dammit.

“Yeah, you’re telling me.” Steve agreed. His hands lingered on Eddie for a few moments more than they needed to. He wasn’t expecting Eddie’s arms to be so…muscular.

“Hey, shitbirds! Catch up, maybe?” Robin’s voice echoed from afar. Neither Steve nor Eddie realized how long they’d been standing there in place. Nancy and Robin were way up ahead, waiting.

Steve dropped his hands. “Right, yeah. We should keep walking.” He told Eddie. “We’re coming!” He called to the girls.

#eddie munson #st4 vol2 #stranger things 4 #dustin henderson #robin buckley #st4 #steve harrington #stranger things #stranger things fanfiction #joe keery #joseph quinn #steddie #steve x eddie #steve harrington x eddie munson #me #writing #st4 spoilers

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alpineshepherdbadboy · 2 years

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for the character ask meme, Ignacio Varga ofc!

my little dude!

Favorite thing about them: i love the his relationship with power and control. the whole reason he shot himself was because the last few seasons have revolved around him becoming increasingly powerless, but he’s never actually powerless. he just has power he’s unwilling to wield. he got himself into a lower-middle management cartel position on his own. he wasn’t offered anything— when he wanted something, he’d go behind the back of his erratically violent boss to get it. that’s where season one nacho’s power came from. and when that little fiefdom of power is threatened, he gets tuco locked up. he takes on more power in tuco’s absence without too much protest until he realizes his newfound power has a condition: his father. he then tries to shed his power, but that paradoxically only brings him more power. the more powerful he is, the less powerful he feels. he’s a prisoner to his own upward mobility. lastly: i also like how much of a bitch he is.

Least thing about them: as beautiful i think nacho’s completed story is, i was a little disappointed with how the show (or perhaps more specifically michael mando— sorry mr. mando i think you’re an incredible actor) ended up painting him as him as a hero. this is why i’ve taken to calling him a folk hero rather than a hero— he belongs in the echelon of greedy, deceitful, and violent men who managed to harvest something truly beautiful out of their lives. in his final episodes, i wish we could have been reminded of the ambitious and self-interested man we met in season one. the incredible death he died was not in spite of the man he was. because that man is the one who carried him to that lovely death.

Three things i have in common with them: we’re both 5’ 5” (or at least i like to imagine nacho is), we both have an appreciation for gold jewelry, and we both are perhaps a bit too cautious of people.

Three things i don’t have in common with them: i would have finished that glass of $1400 cognac, i will never be as butch as him no matter how hard i try, and i have better taste in art. okay? can we talk about how fucking ugly nacho’s interior design is? it’s not that i don’t like minimalism— i love minimalism, but i love real minimalism. nacho’s house is bullshit. those two fucking pieces that are made up of extruded triangles or whatever? i hate those! they do nothing for the space!!! minimalism can only exist when nothing can be added or taken away, and to evaluate that tenant the minimalist object, wether that be a home or sculpture or painting, must be evaluated within the environment it inhabits. nacho’s home is a hastily curated collection of disparate parts that make a sickly whole. the car painting/print could be nice if the installation weren’t garbage. hire some fucking art handlers dude. no regard for space! that living room makes me wish nacho shot himself sooner! the only nice place in his house is the dining area where he spoke with his dad (was this also where they had the poker game? 👀)

Favorite line: either “i’d rather get some shut eye” (that line is just so heartbreaking to me) or his entire “here’s how i got s msn’s skull stuck in me” speech from s2.

brotp: for realsies? nacho and domingo. for funsies? nacho and jo. for fantasies? nacho and kim. (i’ll say this again: they are on the same journey, just headed in opposite directions).

notp: no one really? i mean, i’d be down for anything really. nacho/lyle from los pollos? arguing about whether mr. fring is a nice man? sure! nacho/howard? sounds like a hoot! nacho/chuck’s lesbian doctor, the good dr. clea duvall? all nacho has to do is throw on a cheerleading uniform and you’ve got mu favorite feel good movie!

otp: wouldn’t it be funny if i didn’t say lacho?

Random Headcanon: he never learned to cook because after his mom died, his dad tried to keep him in a sort of suspended childhood. manuel took up all the cooking his wife used to do and wouldn’t dare let nacho help bc he didn’t ever want nacho to feel like he had to take care of him.

Unpopular Opinion: idk if this is actually unpopular, but his relationship with amber and jo is disgusting. i love nacho, i love the relationship as a story element, i think it reveals a lot of very nuanced things about him as a character, and i even think it’s pretty hot. but he knows exactly what role he plays in there lives and arguably never shows a hint of remorse about that. he exploits their addiction and other dependencies because he’s lonely or because he’s maintaining an image or because it’s more convenient than any real human relationship or all of the above. they’re certainly using him, but look at scenes like when he poured out a puzzle for jo— the woman who’s drug habit he indulged to the point where he had to treat her like a child for interrupting his soccer game. (talk about a strange relationship with power). it’s never fully addressed in story how unconscionable that really is, but i don’t necessarily thinks it had to be. i got it. i just wished it felt like more audience members recognize the malleability of nacho’s morals.

Song i associate with them: field commander cohen by leonard cohen.

Favorite picture:

#thank you for the ask!#maybe you can figure out where exactly my sobriety floated away!#ask #tracksuitjimmy #nacho varga

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those-celestial-bodies · 2 years

Text

DSITMOM Spoilers

Much happier with the use of magic this time around. The notes scene was cool!

While Wanda's magic never really gets any more complicated than magic beams, I'm cool with it. It still felt more dynamic.

I loved the twins in this, I was really moved by how much I could see Wanda missed them and was devastated by their loss

CLEA CLEA CLEA CLEA CLEA

LOVE the casting! Over the moon to see Charlize as Clea!!!

I don't think anyone was shafted here. I think it's still Strange's movie, it still clearly gave him room to grow and change and learn about himself. He never got insulted by the story or sidelined for another character.

I think it was quite smart of them to tap into the fact Strange's presence in the MCU has been, to date, "maybe I shouldn't, but I'm always right so I will anyway".

Xochitl was great, definitely leaves you excited to see more from her. Not sure how I feel about her learning magic, but I guess for her character and how they're treating her powers, it works for her to have a secondary powerset

Those Billy and Tommy reliefs at Darkhold Castle, huh? We didn't get to see Tommy's up close, but he did have one

There was a lot of Wanda in the opening logo thing! Her ascending as Scarlet Witch, her and her family in their Incredibles moment (my fave), and her vs Thanos in the main logo! I didn't see a Vision specific one, which is too bad because he was, for awhile, the last figure you could see in the logo

The lack of musical themes carrying over from WandaVision makes me sad. :( It slots in perfectly with Elfman's style too! Why :(

I am fine with Christine in general, but I don't think she ever really elevates herself over "Stephen's love interest"

I quite liked Krasinski as Reed. I know the fanon version of Reed is that he's just a mega asshole all the time but he's really not. He's quite a bit warmer than people give him credit for, and I think Krasinski nailed that. Loved that he mentioned children--Valeria deserves to be there.

Soooo can Wanda depower all Captain Marvels? I assume because the power is Infinity Stone based?

The XTAS theme playing makes me wonder if that was literally meant to be the animated version's Xavier? I don't think so, right? Wanda does actually exist in that universe as Magneto's daughter. I would have KILLED to have him bring that up!!

I think I've said before that I like Wanda in the horror genre in general, and this whole thing backed me up about it.

I'm glad they distanced themselves a bit from runes. I think they're kind of lame, sorry.

I ended up liking the costume more than I thought I would! It looked quite good in motion, the flowiness of the fabric paid off. Less plasticky than the WV one (although I like the WV sleeves more).

I honestly wonder if, next we see Wanda, she's not going to be the amnesiac bride of Doctor Doom. There's something so funny about that, but the timing does check out.

I guess it's good they didn't cast the teen Billy and Tommy yet, since we're probably a bit of a ways off from seeing them.

#dsitmom spoilers #doctor strange #wanda maximoff #scarlet witch

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