#still lots more to gif from this panel & other footage

[jackarthurdavenport]

Some of my lovely friends asked to show how I do my blending, so here is a very long tutorial! I will explain how to:

Blend GIFs with lots of movement

Blend three or more GIFs on one canvas

You will need:

Any version of Photoshop with a timeline

Basic-intermediate knowledge of GIF making (including cropping, how to use adjustment layers for color correction, applying layer masks, and placing multiple GIFs on one canvas)

Since the way I blend depends on the footage I'm able to work with, I often end up going in a different direction than I first planned. So this isn't a strict step-by-step guide that can be applied to everything you make. These are just some tips!

Read the rest under the cut.

TERMINOLOGY:

(Pretty sure you already know this but I will be repeating these a lot here, so just in case!)

Highlights & Shadows - The highlights are the brightest parts of the image. The shadows are the darkest parts. Remember that just because it's bright doesn't mean it's actually white, and just because it's dark doesn't mean it's actually black!

Negative Space - This refers to empty space around your subject. When there's negative space, it's easier to spot the focal point of the image.

BLENDING GIFS WITH LOTS OF MOVEMENT

Number of GIFs: 2 Main GIF: Closeup of Sam (“big!Sam”) Secondary GIF: Sam flying (“flying!Sam”)

STEP 1: Find the right scenes Since the subject of the secondary GIF is much smaller and basically cuts across the frame, it’s important (but not always essential!) that the main GIF has less movement and a decent amount of negative space.

STEP 2: Make your individual GIFs Make your GIFs like how you usually do (Important: Remember that your GIFs need to have the same number of frames). When it’s time to crop, it’s best to have the two files opened in Photoshop at the same time so you can compare them against each other. It’s absolutely fine for them to overlap because that’s the whole point! The secondary GIF has Sam flying in from the top left to the bottom right, so I cropped the main GIF with him off-center so there would be space to see flying!Sam.

Now we have these two GIFs:

STEP 3: Combine your GIFs Place the secondary GIF over the main one and adjust the blend mode. Setting the blend mode to Screen usually works, but in this case, this is how it looks:

As you can see, the highlights in the main GIF are obscuring flying!Sam in the first frames. You can only see him clearly when he’s flying over big!Sam’s face. This is because the shadows on the top GIF will lighten and/or disappear against the highlights of the bottom GIF when set to Screen. It would be too complicated to fix this with a brush (which we will get to later) because of the movement in the secondary GIF, so instead I set the blending mode to Multiply, which is the opposite of Screen. Now here is the GIF:

We can now see flying!Sam. But the blue of the sky is now a pseudo-filter over big!Sam’s face up until the last frames. So I applied a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer over the secondary GIF to remove those colors. The sky in the GIF is made up of cyans and blues, so I dragged those sliders down to -100. Here is how it looks now:

STEP 4: Erase the bits you don’t want So that big!Sam’s face isn’t covered by flying!Sam’s wings and that pesky airplane up top, we have to use a brush to erase those parts. In the Layers panel, make sure your GIF layers (in this case, groups/folders) are selected and click the Add Layer Mask button. A little rectangle next to the layer/group name will show up like so:

Then in the Tools panel, click the Brush tool, pick a soft brush and set the size to around 180-210px. The larger the brush, the softer the look. I learned this from Becca (@inejz-ghafa) who made an amazing tutorial a while back (will link it in the source at the bottom)! Adjust the brush size if you have to.

Now click on the little rectangle layer mask of the group you want to erase (in this case, the secondary GIF). When you do this, the Foreground and Background Colors buttons in the Tools panel will revert to the default black and white.

Painting with black will erase and painting with white will undo the erasure. So I erased the airplane and the bits of the wings covering his face. I didn’t erase the parts that overlap with his uniform, just to keep the effect of flying!Sam zooming across the GIF. And here is our finished product:

BLENDING THREE OR MORE GIFS ON ONE CANVAS

We will be working with these two GIFs since they use different techniques:

STEP 1: Compose your image Find the scenes you want to put in your GIF and choose which of those is the most important. Once you've decided on that, you can build the rest of the elements around it.

Sam's GIF: Multiple Exposure Effect

Number of GIFs: 3 Main GIF: Bloodied shield Secondary GIF: Closeup of Sam Tertiary GIF: Bucky with the shield

STEP 2: Make your individual GIFs Since the shield is the most important part, I made it the largest GIF and cropped it close to emphasize the star and the blood. I made Sam's GIF the same size, but cropped it with his face off-center so that the star wouldn't completely cover his face. Again, it's totally fine for the images to overlap! The tertiary GIF is the least important so I cropped it smaller. To determine the size of that GIF compared to the shield, I made the Rulers visible (View > Rulers; or Ctrl+R) then clicked the top ruler and dragged down to create a guide to where I wanted the smaller GIF to end. Then I measured from the bottom of the GIF up to the guide to determine the height of the smaller GIF. (Tip: It's better to make the tertiary GIF too large than too small. That way, you have more to work with. So size it larger than it will appear on the final GIF.)

This is only a stylistic choice for this particular set, but I removed the blue from the shield and set the tertiary GIF to black and white, so that the only notable colors in the GIF are red, black and white. Varying up the coloring of each GIF (i.e. color vs. monochrome) adds some spice to the image, so play around with these different styles if you like!

Here are our three GIFs:

STEP 3: Combine your GIFs At first, I made the main GIF of the shield the bottom GIF. Then I placed the secondary GIF over it and set the blend mode to Screen, but found that it lacked depth. So I switched them and made the Sam GIF the bottom GIF (blend mode: Pass Through) and placed the shield GIF (blend mode: Screen) over it. And this is what I got:

Notice how the window behind Sam on the left side is distracting? It also partially obscures the star. So I went back to Sam’s GIF, created a New Layer and painted over the window with a black brush. Now here is our GIF:

This is just my personal preference, but I wanted the area around the star to be a solid black rather than gray, so this time I created a New Layer over the shield GIF and applied a layer of black with the Paint Bucket tool, setting the blend mode to Soft Light. Now we’re done with the main and secondary GIFs:

Now let’s add the last GIF:

STEP 4: Erase the bits you don’t want Lastly, I erased the warehouse rafters over Sam’s face and a bit of his shirt and the warehouse floor on the bottom right corner using Layer Masks and a soft brush (like in the first tutorial). And we’re done!

Bucky's GIF: Silhouette Effect

Number of GIFs: 3 Main GIF: Bucky holding the notebook Secondary GIF: View of the sunrise from the boat Tertiary GIF: Sam and Bucky walking away

STEP 2: Make your individual GIFs To achieve this silhouette effect, the main GIF needs to have a clear focal point, which means it’s better to have negative space around the subject and for there to be minimal movement. In this case, the subject is made up of Bucky’s hands, notebook, and part of his shirt; and there’s some movement but we can still work with that. The other two GIFs will then be placed “inside” the subject. Because the negative space in the main GIF consists of highlights, I chose a secondary GIF which emphasized the shadows. For the smallest GIF, I used a guide like in the previous tutorial to measure its size.

We have these three GIFs:

STEP 3: Combine your GIFs Place the secondary GIF over the main one. In my case, I didn’t measure it right so I had to nudge the top GIF a bit to the right to fit it inside the silhouette. The important thing is that the edge of the secondary GIF should not overlap with the silhouette itself, or else the illusion “breaks.”

Now let’s add the third GIF:

STEP 4: Erase the bits you don’t want For this GIF, there’s a lot we need to erase! Using Layer Masks and a soft brush again, erase the parts of the secondary GIF that extend beyond the silhouette. It’s entirely based on personal preference if you want to keep some parts of the secondary GIF outside the silhouette (like I did here) or if you want them completely removed. And for the small GIF, erase the edges for it to blend with the secondary GIF while also staying within the silhouette of the main one.

Now here is our finished GIF:

And that’s it! If you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading. I hope this was useful! Remember, there is no definitive way to blend GIFs, so keep experimenting. And don’t be afraid to make mistakes either, because we learn a lot from those. Happy Photoshop-ing!

- Elle

#completeresources #allresources #blending tutorial #photoshop tutorial #userpavi #tusergabriela #usersae #userrex #usertk #supervalcsi #usernums #userringo #userkraina #usersmile #tuserlouise #usersof #mine #my tutorials

[lokiodinsonofasgard000]

My Rum

Note: I took inspiration from a post made by @padmoonyfeorge of Reader having a bit of a Jack Sparrow personality. Although it isn't exactly what the post was asking for I did try to keep the concept in mind.

I do hope you all enjoy it, I had a lot of fun writing the concept.

“You are all probably wondering as to why have you all gathered here” Nick Fury spoke as he threw a large file on the round metal table that held the S.H.E.I.L.D insignia “when I tell you I want no complaints, no stupid question or I swear I will blow a fuse”

The team of avengers gave each other a look by stayed quiet, Fury walked over to some panels and started to tap on them as some holographic screens popped up showing photos and still videos waiting to be pressed play

“We have intel that say this individual, (Name) (Last Name) has been taken” he paused as the group started to read through some of the physical files and looking through it “She is notoriously known to have sticky fingers-”

Thor lifted a hand as if to say something but Fury sent a warning glare and asked if it was a stupid question, Loki who had quietly stood by his brother pulled his hand down giving him a look to say ‘keep your words to yourself’

“As I was saying, (Name) sticky fingers are infamously known to steal and weasel her way out of trouble” Fury popped up some security footage;

(Name) was at a bar of a popular underground chain of weapon, and drug trafficking. She was using her sexual appeal to get drinks as she seemed to analyze her surroundings. Looking up she smiled seeing the camera and gave a wave. Through the night she was drink slowly getting drunk her strut being messier as she stumbled slightly, from a distance there was a group of men conversing about business in a corner booth. The woman went back to the bar and ordered a round of shots to be sent to the men in the corner booth; the music was too loud but (Name) made a point to a sketchy group of men that were at the end of the bar.

The bartender gave the rounds of shots most commonly known as ‘blow jobs’ and the business men grew in rage as they stalked over to the sketchy men at the end of the bar. (Name) grabbed her scotch on the rocks and drank as she walked away as a fight broke out.

when the bar tender attempted to break up the fight and get security (Name) took her chance grabbing a tip jar behind the bar and dumping it in her purse. Walking away she downed her drink and made her way past a hall but stopped seeing the door to the cellar, and then she went in and wasn’t see after that.

Fury flipped to the alley camera and (Name) was seen with two bottles of old red win and a bottle of yellow rum. She walked out and a van came up and she stumbled in with a look of glee on her face.

“Why are we capturing a thief for? Isn’t that a job for the Police force?” Loki asked out with an arch of a brow

“Well our intel has said that in the past month (Name) had been taken with suspicion on planning a scheme against the S.H.E.I.L.D, so we need her captured and interrogated. We believe if she was taken a month ago, she is most likely working with them now” Fury warned them

“and why is that?” asked Steve “I mean for all we know she could be dead or being kept against her will”

“Mr Rodgers, she is notorious in getting out of tight situations…” agent Hill chirped up as she walked in “she had at least 40 wanted warrants by the police force in almost all 50 states”

“Impressive” came out from Loki lips as he smirked looking at more of her files now intrigued by her.

***

Time went on and they gathered some info on where she could be kept, they scoped out her many hideouts and hangouts even talked to her old crew who left her once she was taken, claiming to be ‘keeping to the code’. After some bribing, they managed to get the few suspects that may have taken (Name) almost two months back.

There was a few names that were not heard of to the Avengers. But they were glad there was no talk of HYDRA, which was a relief.

(Name) was in a room her hands cuffed behind her as she sat there. The room was so quiet that the ring of silence was driving her insane. She was tired but whenever she tried to sleep a man would come in throwing water on her to wake her up, she was interrogated non-stop occasionally being hit when she became too much with her snarky comments.

Sure she could of grabbed a bobby pin and paper clip from her back pocket and pick the lock on the simple cuffs but she was intrigued that the Avengers had caught wind of her whereabouts, (Name) was simply wanting for them to show up.

Just as she was about to close her eyes a man walked in and stood in front of her grabbed her face which jolted her to wake up but her surprised expression turned into a cheeky smile in a taunting way

“We have word that the Avengers have found us…you said you had no alliances with them” snarled the man shoving her head back and walking away from her

“Easy there tiger, almost got me a whiplash there” she chuckled as she looked at the man “but, I will say that I don’t have alliances with them. But I am wanted in almost all 50 states, and I’ve been radio silent and gone without a trace”

“But you’re just a thief, a pathetic petty criminal” hissed the man

“A criminal no less, but you forget I still what I want not what others wants” she smirked “so whatever it is you wanted to me steal for you, over my dead body”

“I might take that offer (Name)-” he started to pull out a gun

“Sir! They found us!” yelled a guard as they slammed the door open.

The Man took the library to save his own neck and leave (Name) tied up in the room. She started to call out to be let out only to receive no answer with a few swears she started to pick her lock.

The Avengers started move in by taking out some men and guards that had opened fire on them; Tony had asked Jarvis to run a scan through the building to find sight of (Name), as they waited for the scan detected Jarvis was going to conclude that (Name) most likely left the build. Until he stopped mid announcement to say she was making her way to the back exit

“Loki go out back” Tony called out so Loki could teleport and get her faster than the others who were still occupied with fighting.

-

-

(Name) locked picked the door to get outback as the fight raged on; with a small celebration as she got it opened, she had gun fire trying to hit her. She flinched and moved away from the door and running away into a side room that was leading to the basement. She panicked looking around as she saw a high window that was just big enough for her fit through. She grabbed some rumble from the floor and threw it at the window.

Loki heard the glass break and made his way to see a woman in shambles shimming out clawing at grass. Loki waited ‘till she was standing to shoot her with an energy blast sending her across and knocking the window out of her, he walked up to her as she gasped with wide eyes

“Bugger…That hurt” she managed out before Loki came to view “…well you got me”

Loki stared at the moment with an arched brow as she held her hand up, he grabbed her form her shirt and pulled her up as he informed the team through an intercom earpiece that was more costumed to over the time he had joined the Avengers

“(Name) has been detained, ready when you are” Loki spoke as he grabbed some cuffs

“Kinky” (Name) mentioned with a smirk but yelped when Loki yanked her arms behind her back “easy love, I like it rough but my arms have been behind my back for about a month or so-”

“Two months…you’ve been gone for two months” Loki cut in

“Well then, easy with the goods” she smirked as Loki started to get annoyed with her comments “I’m pretty good with my hand, if you catch my drift”

-

-

(Name) once again found themselves back in an interrogation room but at least her hands were in from of her, which was a heaven sent for her aching and stiff shoulders. She looked to the one-way mirror and called out

“Can I please get a drink. I’m dying here” (Name) called out “straight run would be nice or even scotch and make it a triple shot”

The avengers were in the room looking at her in shock by her attitude, but Tony decided that he was going to talk to her, and Loki wanted to accompany him to be someone some one who could let Tony know if she was lying or not which Tony agreed with.

The two walked in and Tony gave her the drink she practically order, Loki stayed standing and Tony sat down throwing his legs up as he snacked on some blue berries

“So (Name)…How did you find yourself getting ‘captured’?” Tony asked munching away

“Wrong place at the wrong time pissed drunk” (Name) smirked drinking her rum “mmm Cuban rum… mmm now we are talking”

Loki frowned as her mind seemed almost empty of Thoughts only to be ignited by the taste of her beverage, only then did he hear her thoughts of the delight of her rum

“and what did they want?” Tony asked “I mean I doubt they liked your company given the cut and bruises”

“They just don’t appreciate my charm” she laughed as her body was sober for the longest time being in captivity that she was becoming a lightweight

“Lady (Name) he asked you a question” Loki interjected with annoyance

“Mmmm? Oh yes!” she said giving a nod and another sip “well you see, love. They wanted me to steal something for them, I said no, they beat me up. They come back and ask again, I say no, more beatings and this went on for two months almost; from what I’m told. I heard conversations about you guys snooping around looking for me, hey got scared. I waited until you found me and whoop de do, we are here. I’m cuffed, you’re interrogating me and I’m here drinking a beautiful Cuban rum”

“Oh come on (Name). What did they want you to steal?” Tony not buying her ‘lie’

“I don’t know” she smirked as she leaned back in her seat “those detail seem more of a blur to me”

“…” Loki frowned as her thoughts became hazy the more, she drank, and she wasn’t even attempting to recall her memories “Tony I can’t get a read”

“Come on (Name) help us out here. What were you planning with these guys? Money, weapons, drugs even?” Tony asked

“Told ya already chief, it’s a blur what the first week” she laughed “I think? I don’t know”

“Loki do you think you could you know” Tony asked slapping a hand to his forehead.

Before (Name) could grasp what was going on she felt a cold hand on her forehead as her eyes rolled back as a gasp came out from her lips, her drink shattered on the floor.

Loki could make out the memories the moment she was taken, beaten then saved and up to date. They were a little hazy, but he was able to tap into her thoughts whilst forcing her to relive the memories. Loki saw how she resisted against them when hey pressed her to give into their proposition; steal shield weapons to return to Hydra. Loki was about to assume she was lying until the vision of (Name) declining and head butting the person; I would rather die than steal something for HYDRA, I have my morals and I am highly against genocide and killing.

Loki dwelled longer as she heard the conversations of the Avengers catching lead on them, Tony’s voice was muffled as Loki searched more and once he found she was speaking the truth he felt a kick to his gut bringing him away from his search. Loki smacked onto the one-way mirror with a gasp as he was in her mind too long; Tony had an arm out with the forearm amour of his ironman suite ready and aimed at her.

(Name) was panting heavily but cried out when she saw her drink smashed and split on the floor

“MY RUM!!”

“Loki you good?” Tony asked as the Asgardian gave a nod

“You were telling the truth” He panted heavily “well partly…”

Tony looked at him to continue “She…she remembers what they were asking her… they wanted to steal S.H.E.I.L.D weapons that used to belong to HYDRA… she refused the offer”

“Yeah I tend to tell the truth a lot” she mentioned as she looked at them

“…my poor rum. Wait for the Avengers they said…It’ll be fun they said… they’ll treat you better they said… all lies” she muttered and looked at her once beverage “…My poor rum”

#loki odinson #loki laufeyson #loki x reader #x reader #avengers #mcu #marvel loki #avenger loki #thief reader #loki #fanfic #loki fanfiction

[comicbooksidecharacter]

Hiraeth [Part 31]

Bucky Barnes X OC (Amelia Stone)

Hiraeth: (n.) “longing or deep yearning for a place, time, feeling or person long gone; or that never was.”

Summary: After being shot, the reader gets to meet Bucky... again.

For a moment she thought of turning around and walking away, but her mind didn't accept it. Firstly, she needed answers. This was an important part of the mission, and she couldn't miss the opportunity. Secondly, she was worried the team might have the same lead. It was a bit childish, but she wanted to solve this herself.

Bucky was let in fairly easily, maybe because he could look extremely dangerous when need be, and he could make them believe he belonged there. The penguin-like man eyed his up and down and let him through. Now that Bucky had gone in, she couldn't. She was already expecting a resistance to her presence, but if word spread that a woman was there who very much didn't belong, it could get her Bucky's attention. This was the last thing she wanted.

She decided to walk away and into the small alleyway on the right side of the building. It was dark and smelled absolutely revolting; owing to the presence of four dumpsters. She could easily see a window, covered so thickly with grime that only the broken panel let any light through. The first attempt to climb shot an excruciating pain through her shoulder. Unwilling to stop, she stepped on a dumpster, and using her abilities, caused it to hover a few centimeters above the ground, just enough that she could climb in.

There was a ring like structure at the center of the hall. It smelled worse than it did in the parking lot. Only one big spotlight fell on the “ring”, which looked poorly put-together. A man had approached her, but she gave him her cash to stay quiet.

"Hey", she said, approaching one of the guards, "I am looking for a man."

The guard observed her stature and waved her off with his hand, not wanting to miss the fight.

"Andrusha..."

"There is no Andrusha", the guard dismissed, which was true. She just made that name up to look genuine. She made up a fake story, showed him fake photos prepared solely for this reason; a daughter looking for her father, and used some cash. He wasn’t that bright and told her to go through the “kitchen” door and turn right to a double door.

Everything on this side of the building was so still and quiet that she suspected more than half of the rooms to be empty.

The double doors mentioned, though, did little to shield the sounds coming from the inside. A man was talking, more like moaning, in Russian, and there was a female voice. She felt bad, but it was urgent. She knocked the door, the "activity" continued, but upon knocking again it stopped.

Кто там? ... Кто там? he repeated. (Who is it?)

"I heard they give private lessons for jiujitsu here", she replied in Russian, "Brazlian Jiujitsu."

No sound came from the other side of the door, that raised an alarm. She could imagine the man motion the woman in bed to be quiet as he loaded his gun. Out of fear, she formed a force field as big as the door, so that any bullet would be stopped.

The door opened unceremoniously. The man in front of her was Tall, with black hair, hazel eyes and a 1960 tattoo on the left side of the neck.

"I was waiting," he drawled in a perfect southern accent. Many words were not exchanged, and he only gave her a brown file, which she was quick to take and put under her hoodie. He also told her that he would call her from a phone booth and tell her where to meet next, to discuss things in detail.

She wanted to ask him something, but something caught his attention, he looked to the right side of the woman he was kind of sleeping with, there was a huge monitor with live footage of CCTV cameras. Someone had just made his way up the stairs; she followed his gaze and recognized him immediately. Bucky.

"I'm going. See you later. Continue what you were doing, or he'll be suspicious. Don't tell him I was here. bye," she said hurriedly and raced towards his window. Much to his surprise, she jumped off the pane, landing safely on the fire escape staircase which she had torn off another building with her powers.

As soon as she landed on the street, she ran towards the darkest corners she could see, to no be found. She was still puzzled why Bucky was there.

Things didn't seem so great, though; the streets were so silent that she easily noticed there were some footsteps behind her. Was it Bucky? She continued walking in the dark, refusing to turn around to lose pace. To make things worse for pursuit, she motioned for the street lights to turn off as well, the sound of the steps changed signaling confusion.

 The most convenient way to her motel now went through a detour that, she had no choice but to go there. She couldn't fight, her arm didn't allow it, and she didn't want to lose the file. How she wished humans had more metal in them. Maybe it was fear, but she became aware of the pain once again, maybe the adrenaline had washed off. Her heart pounded when she heard that there were multiple steps behind her. She started running.

As soon as she sped through, however, she felt a strong jolt to her body as an a hand reached out and grabbed her, circling her waist and pulling her back forcefully. Before she could protest, she felt a hand place itself on her mouth. The coldness of the other arm was the second to follow.

"Be quiet", the voice nearly rendered her legs powerless. A sense of fear and nervous relief took over her when she heard Bucky's voice. She wanted to avoid him, but he had seized her; it was still better somehow because she suddenly felt very safe. She let her head fall back and rest against Bucky's chest as she tried to calm her breath.

The men, five of them, came out of the detour and looked around. Bucky moved farther in the dark pulling Amelia along. She put her hand on his and tried to pull it way, but he didn't budge.

"Don't move, you idiot!" he whispered again. The men were gone farther ahead, and he let her go.

"Let's go," he announced and didn't leave her wrist until she brought him to her aboding place.

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

Bucky slammed the door shut, so hard that she felt it could fall off the hinges. The lights flickered on and he looked around. She was too busy with her arm to notice how appalled he was by the state of this establishment. The walls were empty. There was only one sofa that served as a bed, because he could see a comforter on it. His jaw clenched. 

“What are you doing here?”, she asked him, finally turning around. 

“I should ask you that”, he retorted. “What is all this?”

“How were... wait, why were you there?”, she ignored his question knowingly, slapping the file on the small table.

“Again. I should ask you that”, he replied. 

She sighed in frustration. She was happy to see him but it was kind of annoying.

“Well”, he asked, raising his brows, “Are you going to answer me?” 

She didn’t answer. Instead, she just turned from him and walked to the window. He grabbed her arm and spun her around. 

“I’m not leaving until I have answers. What were you doing in a place like that? As far as I remember you were off the mission, what’s the point of all this?”

“Bucky”, she said, wanting to ignore him, ‘Please just leave. It’s complicated.”

Bucky’s hand was reluctant to let her go. “I have time.”

“It’s not important”, she said, trying to move her hand away from his grip. He only tightened his grip and pulled her a bit close. 

“Amy”, he said, “I am not in the mood to listen to your excuses. I want answers tonight. What were you doing there? Why are you running like this?"

._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._._.

Taglist:

#bucky #Bucky Barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes imagines #Sebastian Stan #sebastian stan imagines #sebastian stan imagine #sebastian stan x reader #Winter Soldier #winter soldier oneshot #winter soldier imagine #winter soldier x reader #Avengers #avengers imagines #avengers imagine #avengers scenario #hiraeth part 31 #hiraeth

[spacesuitsforemergency]

The Rise Of Iron Maiden

Chapter 5: The Return of Iron Maiden

Word Count: 2.9k

Originally Requested by: @amateurwriterbigdreamer

Previous Chapter: Failure to Launch

Next Chapter: Whatever it Takes

A/N: hope y’all don’t mind it from Tye’s POV, it just adds to the story and develops his character. Y/N gets her character arc going too towards the end.

5 YEARS LATER

•

Tye sighed in boredom as he wandered around the halls of the Avengers Compound, his home for 8 years now. He was 21 now, legally an adult. He could’ve gotten his own place 3 years ago, but he felt he would truly be alone if he did that. You lived with your parents and younger sister in the countryside, your dad wanting to isolate you from the hero life. This meant Tye hadn’t seen you for almost two years now, his only friend left was taken from him. He knew Tony didn’t mean any harm, he just wanted his daughter safe, but it still confused him.

Tye was always confused these days. He lived with Natasha Romanoff at the Compound, the only one left that was willing to stay with him. Clint had disappeared off the face of the planet, despite not being taken in the Snap. Tye was lost without his own best friend, Jaime Reyes. Jaime and him stuck together no matter what, and Tye never knew what to do without him. He was confused, on why the world seemed to take everything away from him. His mother, his father, his grandpa, his best friends, his team, his mentors...

“...Will you find out where he's going next?” Natasha asks holographic Rhodey. Tye realized he walked into the meeting room, where Natasha was having her weekly check in with the other teams.

“Nat...” Rhodey trailed off.

“Please.” She took a shaky breath.

“...okay...” Rhodey nodded, saw Tye, then cut off his side of the connection.

Nat started to cry miserably, and Tye didn’t know whether to make his presence known or just leave. He decided on the latter, turning to walk out silently.

“Tye?”

Tye winced, feeling like he was intruding. He turned slowly, a pang of sadness stinging through him when he saw the sorrow in Natasha’s eyes.

“Nat, Uh...Sorry, I didn’t mean to just barge in-“

“It’s okay.” She chuckled, wiping her eyes. “You want some dinner?”

“Uh...no, I’m good.” Tye shook his head, seeing the half eaten PB&J on her desk. “See you’re eating healthy.”

“Oh, what’s the point of keeping up a proper diet anyways?” She laughed, despite the few tears rolling down her face.

“Good point.” He cracked a grin, which she rarely saw the young man do. “So...anything bad happening anywhere?”

“No. Everything seems under control.” Nat shook her head. “Why? You worried about something?”

“It’s nothing, mom.” Tye shook his head. When he didn’t get any response, he looked up from staring at the floor, seeing Natasha staring in surprise at him. “What?”

“You called me mom.” She said, the shock evident in her voice.

“I did? Oh...uh...sorry, I didn’t mean to it just kinda-“ he started to awkwardly walk away.

“No no no!” She stood up, clearing her throat and a smile spreading across her face. “It Uh...you think of me as a mom?”

“I mean...yeah.” Tye mumbled, embarrassed. He wasn’t used to letting his emotions or thoughts be exposed like this. “You practically raised me ever since I got...stuck here. I’ve always looked up to you.”

“That...really?” She smiled wider, tears running down her face again.

“Oh don’t cry! This is sappy enough as it is!” Tye grumbled as Natasha laughed at his reaction. She rounded the desk and pulled him into a hug, Tye stiffening at first. He eventually grew comfortable enough to hug her back, feeling safe in her arms. It reminded him of his mother’s hugs, but somehow Natasha’s were more...genuine. Loving. It was nice. Something Tye wasn’t used to.

“I’ll tell you a secret, kid.” She ruffled his hair as she pulled back. “I’ve always wanted a son, and I am so happy you’re the one.”

“Okay, that’s enough love and affection for one night, Nat.” Tye shuddered, making her laugh again.

“Don’t you mean mom?” She teased.

The mother and son (sort of) whipped around when a hologram popped up, seeing footage of what looked to be a security camera.

“Oh! Hi. Hi! Is anyone home? This is Scott Lang. We met a few years ago, at the airport? In Germany? I got really big, and I had my mask on. You wouldn't recognize me.” Scott Lang, AKA Ant Man waved at the camera.

“Is this an old message?” Tye asked.

“It’s the front gate.” Nat stared in disbelief.

“Ant Man? Ant Man, I know you know that. I need to talk to you guys.” Scott shouted.

Nat typed a few things into a control panel, and the door opened. Scott looked between the camera and the door for a moment before finally letting himself in. Scott found his way to where they were standing, in complete shock. Scott Lang was supposed to be dust right now, along with half the universe.

“Scott? Are you okay?” Tye asked the man, now nervously pacing.

“Yeah. Fine. So you do know me? Or are you just going with the name I gave you?” Scott asked.

“No uh, my friends broke into your house a few years ago. Before the Snap, remember a guy in a spider suit and another in a beetle suit?”

“Right! The Bug Squad!” Scott smiled excitedly. “That was so cool.”

“Scott, focus.”

“Right. Have you guys studied Quantum Physics?”

“Only to make conversation.” Nat said, though neither guy could tell if she was joking.

“Sorry, no.” Tye pursed his lips.

“Alright. So... five years ago, right before Thanos, I was in a place called the Quantum Realm. The Quantum Realm is like its own microscopic universe. To get in there, you have to be incredibly small. Hope, she's my...She was my...She was supposed to pull me out. And then Thanos happened, and I got stuck in there.” Scott explained.

“I’m sorry, that must’ve been a long five years.” Nat said.

“Yeah, but that's just it. It wasn't. For me, it was five hours.” Scott shook his head rapidly. Tye looked at his mom, bewildered.

“See, the rules of the Quantum Realm aren't like they are up here. Everything is unpredictable. Is that anybody's sandwich? I'm starving.” Scott asked, already shoving half of it into his mouth.

“Scott, what are you talking about?” Tye asked, crossing his arms.

“What I'm saying is, time works differently in the Quantum Realm. The only problem is right now, we don't have a way to navigate it. But what if we did? I can't stop thinking about it. What if, we could somehow control the chaos, and we could navigate it? What if there was a way to enter the Quantum Realm at a certain point in time but then exit at another point in time? Like... Like before Thanos.” Scott slowly explained, motioning wildly with his hands.

“Wait, are you talking about a time machine? Like from Back to the Future?” Tye raised his eyebrows.

“No. No, of course not. No, not a time machine. It's more like a... Yeah, a time machine. I know it's crazy. But I can't stop thinking about it. There's gotta be some way...There's gotta be...some w... it's crazy.” Scott rambled.

“Scott, I get e-mails from a raccoon, so nothing sounds crazy anymore.” Natasha scoffed.

“So who do we need to talk to about this?” Scott asked them. Nat and Tye exchanged glances again, both knowing the answer.

•

You tapped your fingers impatiently on your windowsill, looking out the window of your bedroom.

You had received a text from Tye Longshadow for the first time in months, and they were coming to your house. You were sworn to secrecy, so that your dad couldn’t prepare for the attack. You were anxious, wanting to see them so bad.

Your dad had isolated you from anything that had to do with being Iron Maiden. That included a lot of people in your life. You were mad at your dad, for taking you away from what little you had left. You missed Tye, you missed Natasha and Steve, and Rhodey and Dr. Banner. Thor and Clint, even though they weren’t really around anymore. Even Nebula and the rude raccoon. You were forbidden from putting on the Iron Maiden suit, and you didn’t know why you listened to him. You were an adult, you could make your own decisions. Plus, you’d never listened to him before. Maybe you listened this time because the guilt of not listening before the Snap dragged you down. But it also dragged you down as a person. You weren’t as happy or sarcastic anymore, you’d lost the classic Stark Charm™️.

You looked at the photos on your window sill, smiling sadly as you reminisced about what felt like your past life. One photo was you and your team after your first official Avengers permitted mission, all beat up and tired, sitting at a pizza booth. The other was of you and Peter in middle school, holding the first prize ribbon of the science fair. The last was of you and Eduardo, the love of your life. Peter had snuck a picture of you two sitting across from each other at a diner, smiling and looking into each other’s eyes. Your fingers were intertwined in the picture, and all you wanted to do was feel his hand in yours again. To hear his voice in person, not just from old videos. To smell the scent of his fancy cologne. To look into his beautiful, big brown eyes. To feel his lips on yours...

You look up when you see a black Audi pull into your driveway, and you bolt downstairs. Your mother was thankfully working in her office, so you didn’t get scolded for running in the house. You ran down the gravel pathway, passed your dad and little sister, running to your last friend standing. He let you hug him, and to your surprise he hugged you back.

“Good to see you.” You say as you pull away from Tye.

“Yeah, you too.” He nodded.

“You still wear a headband, I see.” You grin teasingly.

“You still haven’t gotten taller, I see.” He retorted.

•

“Now, we know what it sounds like...” Scott trailed off after the heroes explained their (currently) hypothetical plan to you and Tony.

“Tony, Y/N, after everything you've seen, is anything really impossible?” Steve asked. He knew you had taken up your time studying everything, following your father’s footsteps.

“Quantum fluctuation messes with the Planck Scale, which then triggers the Deutsch Proposition.” You mumble, lost in thought.

“Can we agree on that?” Tony asked his fellow Avengers. They all look at each other, clueless. “In Layman's terms, it means you're not coming home.”

“I did.” Scott shrugged as Tony handed them drinks.

“No, you accidentally survived. It's a billion to one cosmic fluke. And now you wanna pull off a...What do you call it?”

“A time heist?” Scott suggested, a goofy grin on his face.

“Yeah, a time heist. Of course, why didn't we think of this before? Oh, because it's laughable? Because it's a pipedream?” Your dad scoffed.

“The Stones are in the past. We can go back and get them.” Tye explained.

“We can snap our own fingers. We can bring everyone back.” Natasha added.

“Or screw it up worse than he already has, right?” Tony raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t believe we would.” Steve said confidentially.

“Gotta say, sometimes I miss that giddy optimism. However, high hopes won't help if there's no logical, tangible way for me to safely execute said time heist. I believe the most likely outcome would be our collective demise.” Tony ranted.

“Not if we strictly follow the rules of time travel. That means no talking to our past selves, no betting on sporting events-“ Tye listed.

“I'm gonna stop you right there, Tye. Are you seriously telling me that your plan to save the universe is based on Back To The Future?” Tony asked his ex-mentee. “God, I’m gone for a couple years and you start saying stupid shit like this?”

“...no.” Him and Scott mumbled in unison.

“Good. You had me worried there. 'Cause that'd be horse shit. That's not how quantum physics works.”

“Tony...We have to take a stand.” Natasha tried to persuade him.

“We did stand. And yet, here we are.”

“I know you got a lot on the line. You got a wife, daughters. But I lost someone very important to me. A lot of people did.” Scott said desperately. “And now, now we have a chance to bring her back. To bring everyone back. And you're telling me that won't even...”

“That's right, Scott, I won't even. I have kids.”

As if on cue, Morgan runs out onto the porch, your dad picking her up.

“Mommy told me to come and save you.” She said shyly, weary of the new faces.

“Good job. I'm saved.” Tony kisses her on the head as he picked her up, before turning back to the heroes. “I wish you'd come here to ask me something else. Anything else. Honestly, I...I missed you guys, it was...Oh, and table's set for seven.”

“Tony, I get it. And I'm happy for you, I really am. But this is a second chance.” Steve tried to reason with him.

“I got my second chance right here, Cap. I can't roll the dice again. If you don't talk shop, you can stay for lunch.” Tony said, and it stung when he didn’t point to you too. You watch him leave, ignoring his orders to come inside.

“I’m in.” You tell them.

“Won’t your dad...?” Natasha trailed off.

“He’s not in control of me.” You shook your head. “If there’s even the slightest chance this will work, I’m in.”

“It’ll definitely work if we have a Stark with us.” Scott grinned.

“Glad to have you back, Iron Maiden.” Steve pat your shoulder.

You smile, not hearing yourself be referred to by that name in such a long time. It made your heart fill with pride, and fueled your determination.

“Y/N Stark.” Tony said from the doorway.

“Don’t leave without me.” You tell them, glaring at your father as you push past him.

“Y/N, where are you going?” Your dad demanded.

“With them.” You spat as he follows you upstairs. “I’m going to try. Unlike you, I have hope.”

“It’s not that I don’t have hope. I just can’t risk any of this.” Tony insisted.

“Any of what? What kind of life is this, dad? Sure it’s great for you, but did you ever stop to look at it from my perspective?” You ask as you grab a bag from under your bed, tossing your photos from the windowsill into it.

“All I’ve ever done is protect you.” Your dad says through his teeth. “Why are you doing this? To get back at me?”

“No dad! I’m doing this because I want everyone back! This is my chance to save everyone! It’s my fault Thanos did this in the first place! If I was stronger, Eduardo would still be here! Peter! Jaime! Bucky! Wanda! The Guardians! Doctor Strange! Sam! Don’t you care about any of them?”

“Of course I care about them! But I care about my family more!”

“They’re my family!” You yell at him, the frustration that you’ve been bottling up for years finally pouring out.

“So that’s it?” Your dad scoffs and shakes his head in disappointment. “What if you screw this up? Huh? What if you make things worse. You’re willing to risk your mother’s life? Your little sisters, for your boyfriend?”

“You know what? Yes.” You snap, zipping your bag up and tossing it over your shoulder. “Not just for him. For everyone. For my life. I want my life back, and apparently that’s something you can’t give me.”

You storm out of your room and down the stairs, seeing Morgan sitting at the table, eating lunch. She grins when she sees you, looking at your bag.

“Where are you going?” She asked as you walked over and kneeled next to her seat.

“I’m gonna go see some old friends for a little bit. Think you can hold down the fort around here?” You ask her.

“Yeah.” She smiled.

“Are you sure? It’s gonna be tough without me.” You tease her. “You’re gonna have to make sure daddy does the laundry right, you know how he always mixes up the soaps. And you have to make sure to save daddy from mommy’s scolding. Think you can take it, soldier?”

“I can take it.” She nodded happily.

“Alright.” You hug her. “Love you, kiddo. See ya later.”

“Bye.” She waved at you until you shut the door, and walked down to the car with the others.

“Iron Maiden and Apache Chief, back again.” Tye fist bumped you.

“Iron Maidens back in the game!” You cheer happily.

“He’s scared.” Natasha said to Steve and Scott.

“He’s not wrong.” Steve shrugged.

“Yeah, but I mean, what are we gonna do? We need him. I mean, we managed one Stark, but we need both. No offense, Ms. Tony Starks Daughter. What, are we gonna stop?” Scott rambled nervously.

“No, I wanna do it right. We're gonna need a really big brain.” Steve shook his head.

“Bigger than his?”

#the rise of iron maiden #eduardo dorado jr x stark! reader #tye longshadow #natasha romanoff #scott lang #steve rogers #tony stark #morgan stark #pepper potts #avengers endgame #marvel #request #young justice #peter parker #spiderman #jaime reyes #blue beetle

[thgfanficinspo]

New chapter of my Odesta fic is up - please read!

(FINNICK)

They summon me, Blight, Cashmere, and Enobaria to an interview with Caesar Flickerman to discuss what happened with our tributes yesterday. They wanted Johanna to be on the panel, but she’s hung over and Caesar can’t stand her in general, so Blight takes over. I’d prefer Enobaria be replace, too – ideally by Lyme, but she’s too sympathetic for these blood-and-gore interviews. She doesn’t play up her victor persona.

I’m hung over, too, but there’s no getting out of this, especially after Snow cut me a break last night. Somes brings me some sort of concoction to calm my stomach after I barf in the kitchen sink. He’s one of those people that isn’t bothered by vomit at all, and I wonder if it has something to do with his life before he was an Avox. I know the ones from District 3 are usually electricians or techies; District 6 ones work in garages, doing repairs on trams and cars. I know the ones from the Capitol are usually servants, forced to wait on their former peers so they never forget their new status. 

I down the drink in one go and hand him back the empty glass. “Is this what you make for Broadsea?”

He nods.

“Does it work?”

He bobbles his head in a way that I think means, Not really or Sometimes.

“Fantastic.”

My stylist keeps quiet again. She’s usually very chatty and I usually don’t mind, but it was a rough night. And a rough morning.

When she’s done “sprucing me up” – a phrase Johanna taught me – I thank her and promise to be in a better mood next time.

She puckers her lips, which have been surgically altered to form a heart shape, and gives me a disproving look. “Mm-hmm.”

I like her much better than the last one.

I’m the third to arrive after Cashmere and Enobaria. Caesar greets me with an oversized smile and a handshake. “Finnick! Wonderful to see you as always. How have you been?”

I put on my best smile. “Can’t complain. And you?”

“Wonderful. Wonderful, wonderful! I was just telling Cashmere here how exciting these Games are already.” He leans forward slightly and lowers his voice as if to tell me a secret. “Between you and me, I was a little disappointed with the lack of action last year.”

“I think Timothy would disagree,” I say.

Cashmere whips out a few of her beloved blackberry cigarettes and offers them around. “Want one?”

“Sure.” I pluck one from her outstretched hand.

“Thank you, but I’m afraid blackberry isn’t my flavor,” says Caesar.

Enobaria spits, “I don’t smoke.”

Blight shows up out of breath. “Sorry. Overslept.”

We settle in around the table as Caesar starts his vocal warmups. I put out my cigarette as makeup artists apply an extra layer of powder to Blight’s sweaty forehead.

“I saw a kitten eating chicken in the kitchen.” Caesar over-pronounces each word. “I slit the sheet, the sheet I slit, and on the slitted sheet I sit.”

“Could we get some coffee maybe?” I ask no one in particular.

One of the production assistants comes bounding over with a huge mug. “Sugar, sir?”

“Yes. Lots of sugar.”

“Can I get a water?” Blight asks.

The assistant smiles politely, but the look in her eyes suggests she wants to smack him. “Of course.” How dare he interrupt her conversation with the illustrious Finnick Odair? She could be the woman to finally make that philanderer settle down! But now she’ll never know because some idiot wanted water.

“Betty bought some butter, but, said she, the butter’s bitter. If I put the butter in my batter, it will make my batter bitter.”

Cashmere lights another cigarette which we share. We take turns dragging and blowing out ribbons of pale purple smoke. Cashmere can blow out perfect blackberry-scented rings. I can't eat blackberries anymore because they remind me of Cashmere, of her cigarettes, of the way she tastes when we're forced to kiss.

“But a bit of better butter will make my bitter batter better. So Betty bought the better butter, better than the bitter butter, put it in her batter, and made her bitter batter better. It was better Betty bought some better butter.”

The assistant gives me and Blight our beverages as the director counts down. “Five. Four. Three. Two. One.” He points at Caesar to let him know he’s live.

“Good morning, Panem!” Caesar begins. “Yesterday, we witnessed the first major showdown between tributes following the bloodbath. Career tribute Piers Whitaker of District Four died trying to protect his counterpart, Annie Cresta, from his Career allies. Annie wounded Gad Centaury of District Seven, leaving his allies no choice but to kill him. Let’s take a look at that footage one more time.”

I concentrate on drinking my coffee while they play the clip.

Caesar directs the first question to me. “Now Finnick, I think what everyone at home is wondering – what do you make of Annie Cresta’s actions? I must say I was surprised. She didn’t strike me as being capable of such . . . violence.” He probably wanted to say savagery or barbarism but the whole thing is savage and barbaric. Needed to come up with a different word. “As her mentor, can you offer us any insight?”

This would be a great question for Johanna, who played the weakling when she was in the arena at first, but shocked the world with her violent attacks on the other tributes.

“You never know what someone is capable of until you put them in a situation like that,” I say. “I think that since we made it through those situations, victors know ourselves better than most.”

Caesar is nodding his head as he listens intently. “Mm-hmm.” He turns to Enobaria and asks her what she thinks of that statement.

Enobaria is a psycho but somehow doesn’t even make my list of the top five worst victors. What really puts me off about her is her teeth. In the final battle of her Games, she was pinned down by a boy twice her size and couldn’t move her arms or legs. The only weapon she had was her teeth, which she used to tear his neck wide open. That doesn’t bother me: she did what she had to do to survive. What does bother me is the fact that she had her teeth filed into fangs as an homage. I don’t know if she did it because she thought it would be a funny or if she plans to weaponize them again in the future.

“I agree,” she says to Caesar. “And I think all of our tributes are starting to understand who they are after this.”

“Oh, certainly. But what I want to know –” he puts his fingertips on the table and leans forward a bit “– is what do we think of Annie defeating Gad like that? Blight, any thoughts?”

Blight’s right in the middle of gulping down orange juice when Caesar asks the question so Cashmere answers instead. “Caesar, there’s always a longshot in the Games, and they always get farther than we expect. If you ask me, I think Gad was a bit too confident in his abilities.”

“There’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance,” Caesar says. “Don’t you think so?” he asks me with a chuckle.

“Me? Caesar, I wouldn’t know anything about that.” I flash a shmoozy smile at him.

“Finnick, so saucy!” Caesar’s oversized teeth steal the show when he opens his mouth to chuckle.

I excuse myself to the bathroom, where I vomit up Somes’s tonic and everything I’ve eaten in the last three days. I’m washing my mouth out over the sink when one of the televisions in the bathroom – they have televisions in nearly every room – cuts to a shot of Annie Cresta opening her eyes.

(ANNIE)

I’m on the docks. I know that because I’m wet and I’m all nestled up in ropes. And I can smell the wetness. The water against the concrete edge of the port. I don’t like that smell. I don’t like it anymore.

My eyelids are heavy. There’s gunk in the corners the way there is sometimes when somebody wakes me up in the middle of the night. But it’s not the night. I don’t think it is. The air at night feels difference from this. The air at home feels different from this. So do the ropes on the dock.

I make my eyes open. I’m not on the dock by the water. There is no dock and there is no water. Concrete and rain and vines and the vines have me all tangled up and I don’t know where I am.

I know I should stand. Should walk. I’m not supposed to stay here but I can’t remember why.

Sit up. But my head hurts. Let’s go back to bed. No, no. Can’t do that. Get up up up. Gonna fall back down – no, hang onto the vines that feel like rigging and don’t fall down again, Annie!

My mother, she butchered me My father, he ate –

Silver thing floats down and lands at my feet. Parachute. A gift! I open it up as fast as I can but it’s nothing, just the cannister itself. A water bottle! I can use it for water.

But I had a water bottle. I just had it I just had it it was just I was just –

Can’t breathe. Hands on me squeezing me squeezing my neck and Piers is screaming and my thumbs are in his eyes and I look down at my hands and there’s jelly on them but not jam-jelly it’s jelly from the eyes from his eyes from his eyes from his eyes and Piers is screaming and I cover my ears to block out the sound but there’s still jelly on my hands and it gets on my face and in my hair and I try to clean it clean it but it won’t go away I try to scrape it off on a concrete wall and I scrape my skin off too.

My mother, she butchered me My father, he ate me My sister, little Ann-Marie She gathered up the bones of me

And tied them in a silken cloth to lay under the juniper            Tweet, tweet! What a pretty bird am I!

(FINNICK)

There are bruises across her neck in the shape of Gad’s hands where he choked her. it looks excruciatingly painful. The damage is enough that I doubt she’d even be able to swallow a sip of water.

I wince when she begins to sing, partially because of how painful it must be and partially because it’s – well, terrifying. Her squeaky, scratchy voice sends chills down my spine.

My mother, she butchered me My father, he ate me My sister, little Ann-Marie She gathered up the bones of me

And tied them in a silken cloth to lay under the juniper            Tweet, tweet! What a pretty bird am I!

She abruptly covers her ears like she’s trying to block out a sound, but the microphones in the arena don’t pick anything up. She tears her hands away and looks down at them. They’re still stained with blood.

“No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.” She starts clawing at her own hands like she’s trying to peel something off – the blood, probably. When that doesn’t work, she presses her palms into a nearby cinderblock and drags her hands down it so hard that she scrapes off some of her skin and smears blood on the block.

My mother, she butchered me My father, he ate me My sister, little Ann-Marie She gathered up the bones of me

And tied them in a silken cloth to lay under the juniper            Tweet, tweet! What a pretty bird am I!

She lies back down among the vines and curls in on herself.

There’s a knock at the bathroom door. “Mr. Odair?” It sounds like the production assistant from before. “They want you on stage.” I don’t respond. “Mr. Odair? Are you in there?”

I shut my eyes and sigh. “Yeah, I’ll be right there.”

Blight and the others are leaving just as I come back to the stage. Caesar is looking at the monitor on the desk in front of him with a very strange expression. I know we’re not being recorded when I sit down and he asks me, “What on earth is she doing?”

“Singing, I guess.”

The song ends and Annie burrows into her little nest and falls asleep again. Caesar lets me go after we establish that the song is an old nursery rhyme and Annie’s in shock, and that there are nine far more interesting tributes to focus on, like the ailing tribute from District 2 or the boy from District 10 who captures and eats small mutts.

Maybe when Annie wakes up she’ll be normal again.

#The Hunger Games #finnick #finnick odair #finnick x annie #finnick imagine #odesta #Annie Cresta #catching fire #mockingjay #imagine #fanfiction #fanfic #story #ao3 #ao3fic #archive of our own #prequel fic #president snow #Katniss #katniss everdeen #Peeta #peeta mellark #gale #suzanne collins #francis lawrence #fluff #angst #fandom #ballad of Songbirds and Snakes #Panem

[oliverm-wsc]

Game Research

Castle Crashers

I managed to get a free demo version of this game on steam so I could try it out. Despite it being a demo, the game still had lots to offer. Castle Crashers is a 2D action-adventure game developed by The Behemoth and released in 2008. It can be played by yourself or with up to 4 friends. There is lots of content but the general goal is to defend your kingdom, fight off enemies and save your princess.

Gameplay

Your character is a knight who has many different attack styles. As you level up, more attacks get unlocked. Initially, the only attacks I could perform were close range - a swing from above or a swing from the side. However, after killing a specific enemy I unlocked a bow which allowed for further distance combat although it didn't deal much damage compared to melee attacks. There are also health powerups throughout the game which appear in the form of foods such as bananas, pears or cherries. Some foods give more health than others.

HUDs/UIs

The ingame HUD is built up of a few things. The player's health is a red bar, mana (magic) is in a blue bar. I expect weapons that require mana appear outside of the demo version. XP and level are also displayed. Experience is gained by progression and killing enemies/bosses. You can also pick up coins throughout the game which can also be seen on the HUD, these are used to purchase items from shops. Items you can buy vary from health potions to lightning bolts.

When you attack an enemy, the damage you deal pops up on the screen. For a split second the text appears really big before scaling down and disappearing. If you get a critical hit you'll know about it - a large text bubble will appear on screen saying 'CRIT'. This comic-style feature really adds to the level of action in the game. These sort of effects would definitely be something I would include in my game if I added enemies, I think it would match the cartoonish feel of my game very well.

Bosses

During my time playing the demo, I encountered a boss fight. The boss was called War Machine - a kart with the face of what looked like a bull on the front of it. It had a few ways of attacking the player, my favourite being the cannon balls it shoots out. The cannonballs target is marked with a red cross, they track the player so you have to be moving around to avoid them. I like this a lot because having to move around and be alert during a boss fight makes it much more interactive and enjoyable, and stops you from getting bored. The machine will also summon barbarians which you have to kill, but they aren't very tough.

Cuphead

Cuphead is a classic run and gun game developed by Studio MDHR on Unity. The game was inspired by the rubber hose style of animation used by old school cartoons. It gets its name from the way the characters' limbs move and their how arms and legs resemble a rubber hose.

Max Fleischer

Max Fleischer was an American animator, inventor and producer. He was originally born in Poland but he immigrated to the US where he served as the head of Fleischer Studios. Fleischer was also responsible for bringing attention to rubber hose animation in the 1930s. He brought comic characters such as Betty Boop, Popeye and Superman to the movie screen. He was also responsible for several technological innovations, one of which being the rotoscope.

Rotoscoping is an animation technique that traces over footage, frame by frame, to produce realistic movements. This originated with Fleischer's rotoscope, where animators would project images onto a glass panel and trace over them. Eventually computers replaced this device, but it still keeps its name.

Eadweard Muybridge was one of Fleischer's predecessors, his work appeared in the late 19th century in the form of chronophotography - a technique from the Victorian era used to capture a number of phases of movements. His first published work was 'The Horse In Motion' which was a series of photographs of a running horse.

Plot

Inkwell Isle is home to Cuphead and his brother Mugman who live under the watchful eye of Elder Kettle. The brothers enter the Devil's Casino against the elder's warnings and start playing craps (a gambling game). They go on a winning streak and the Devil himself offers to raise the stakes, but the brothers' souls will be taken if they lose. Devil ends up winning and Cuphead begs for mercy, but they make a deal. The brothers then go around different worlds completing the devil's questline and eventually end up fighting him in the final battle.

Gameplay

Cuphead's gameplay is about continuous boss fights. The boss fights include 3 tiers of difficulty - simple, normal and expert. Defeating every boss in normal mode is required to complete the game, and expert mode is unlocked upon completion. Different bosses have different settings - you could end up fighting a boss in a side-scroller aeroplane map. Weapons and abilities can be unlocked by collecting coins from all over the world and spending them at shops.

Style

Cuphead's aesthetic is very old-fashioned in that all of the designs, including the level backgrounds, were originally designed by hand. In addition to this, the soundtracks are all composed by an orchestra.

There are lots of character designs which I think are very creative. Even something as basic as a potato is made into a boss and just looks fantastic. In the gif below, the boss shoots dirt balls out of its mouth and its arms get pushed back which makes it look much more realistic. The game's animations utilize the 'Squash and stretch' principle very well in things such as the character's facial expressions. We can also see the use of particles when the players hit the ground after jumping, and when the boss shoots out its dirt balls.

In this next gif, the boss (Cagney Carnation) is in the form of a flower, hence the level name Floral Fury. In one of its attacks, the innermost part of the flower shoots out and becomes massive. If you play close attention you can see the nose wiggles up and down. Little things like these are seen in loads of animations throughout the game and I think it makes it so much better - it adds to the cartoon feel.