#my parents would do this btw bc my sister was a picky eater | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thecloserkin · 5 years

Text

fic rec: if wishes were horses, we would rule the world by epicureanEmpath

fandom: Marvel

pairing: Pietro Maximoff/Wanda Maximoff

word count: 35k

Is it canon: Yes

Is it explicit: No

Is it endgame: Yes

Is it shippable: Yes

This fic was written in 2013 (Avengers: Age of Ultron saw theatrical release in 2015) and thus is not MCU canon-compliant. Pietro and Wanda Maximoff are mutants. “They have superpowers” is the one detail that all the comics and movies agree on, and usually those innate talents are enhanced by torture/experimentation. The premise of this story is that they were not born mutants—or rather, that Wanda was born with the power to alter reality through “wishes” and in a moment of weakness she grants Pietro’s entreaty to “make me faster than anyone else.” I wish he was like me, she thinks, and to her sorrow she dooms them both to the inevitable fate of mutants in this fallen world. Unleashing a wish, you see, is kind of like firing a revolver. The recoil from her wish lands Pietro in the hospital and the twins, eventually, in Herr Doktor’s laboratory as experimental subjects/victims.

What this fic does superbly is depict powerlessness as the defining quality of childhood:

In that moment Wanda saw that nothing she could say would convince Mother of the truth.

And make no mistake, they are children, they spend 5x more time thinking about ice cream than sex, and the cruelest thing Herr Doktor does is take away five years of their childhood. FIVE YEARS. That’s like, a third of their lives. It’s cruel that at first their parents disbelieve their claims re: superpowers; then when the twins are fucking kidnapped by Nazis and locked up as human lab rats, their parents don’t even coming looking for them—Mother and Father have swallowed the lie that Pietro and Wanda ran off. Adopted children do, sometimes. Man do you guys remember what it’s like to be a kid? Like a really small kid and you’re playing with a toy and someone comes along and makes you stop doing what you were doing and force you to, idk, eat broccoli instead? There is a convincing case to be made that this is why so many children are “picky eaters,” btw—because food is the one arena where they can exert some modicum of control over their lives. Sorry my point was that children are generally in a pretty powerless position, and that’s why Wanda’s newfound abilities are so gamechanging when they first manifest. Later, Wanda blames those same abilities for her captivity:

She hated her power most of all. Without it they would have gone on being Wanda and Pietro. Cookie dough ice cream whenever they could pinch it. Summers spent languid by the pool or buried hip deep in literature (for Pietro) and poetry (for Wanda)….Now Wanda barely remembered what a book smelled like. She couldn't recall the feel of the breeze, or a shirt's cotton caress on her skin. Only those few brief visits with Pietro had kept her anchored to herself. When she lost all hope and sought death in her soul, she could remember the brush of his hand in her hair and keep going, just for another minute, another hour, another day.

90% of the soul-crushing toll of her captivity lies in her separation from Pietro. At one point Herr Doctor promises her an hour alone with Pietro if she passes a test. A whole hour, she thinks—unheard of. But it’s all part of the test:

Herr Doktor had given no guidelines, laid down no rules. He never did. Wanda might perform perfectly throughout the meeting and still be denied that hour. All depended on the whim of Herr Doktor.

This is actually a tried-and-true strategy employed by those in authority against subjugated populations everywhere: keep ‘em guessing; set no firm rules that might be challenged or appealed; make them hang on your every whim, make them study your moods and concentrate all their energies on anticipating your displeasure.

“How did you say you keep control again? Suppressants?” “I have her brother too,” Herr Doktor said. He tipped Wanda's chin up with almost paternal care. “They are so fond of one another.”

The slimiest word in that sentence is paternal tbh. He feels paternal towards the twins, he’s just a benevolent parental figure hahaha NO. Ok so one day Pietro kisses Wanda during one of their brief visitations:

“Tomorrow,” Herr Doktor said, struggling to maintain calm, “he will be castrated. We cannot have you breeding little monsters, can we?” “If you touch him,” Wanda said, “I will wish you dead on the spot. How is the old heart doing, hm?” “My men have orders to shoot him if anything happens to me.” “If they shoot him, I will wish myself dead and be rid of this place – and you – either way.” His Adam's apple bobbed. She had him, for now.

Checkmate. You cannot win a game of chicken against someone who has nothing to lose, and Wanda’s only hostage to fortune is Pietro. If anything ever happens to Pietro all bets are off and Wanda becomes a loose canon.

They effect their escape!!! But the trauma of five years’ captivity is not so easily sloughed off. For one thing, they’re still minors but they can’t go back to their parents. They have no money, no job, nobody to turn to:

she almost wanted the sea to swallow her just so they could stop running. Herr Doktor would never find them at the bottom of the ocean.

Wanda missed colour … Wanda still dreamed in colour. And the colour was red.

This hurts so much. It’s a hard fic to read, not because there’s any graphic depictions of violence, but because the most effective form of torture is mental, and the whole story is limited-POV Wanda and we are really deep in her head and she is fucking petrified even after they break out of Herr Doktor’s lab. Here they are on the run and Wanda’s rediscovering something banal after being treated as subhuman for so long:

In the bottom drawer she found a compartment full of small, round black bundles. She tipped her head to one side and looked at them for a long time, unable to think what they were for. Finally she picked one up and pulled it apart. All at once the word came back to her. She had utterly forgotten about socks.

SOCKS she forgot about socks ohmygod it’s not like a lab rat would get to wear socks. The biggest casualty of their captivity is that Wanda store of trust in humanity is depleted. She feels like the society that allows somebody like Herr Doctor to exist is complicit in her and Pietro’s torture, and she ain’t wrong:

And yet the man below them was innocent. The man with the pickles, the police officers, the father, all of them were innocent in their ignorance. Herr Doktor had deceived them as thoroughly as he had deceived Wanda. How many times had Herr Doktor gone out to the store in those five years? How could the cashier have known, just by looking at those patronly eyes, that here was a madman who kept children bound like slaves in his laboratory?

She trusts Pietro and that’s it. Everybody else can go to hell. Pietro buys her a necklace!!! Well he steals her a necklace (they sneak into Wal-marts right before closing and sleep there at night), a delicate gold chain with a garnet bc Wanda’s all about repping the color RED in this story and I am here for it. There is something about brothers giving their sisters jewelry that hits all my buttons. I think because there is a social norm about men buying jewelry for the important women in their lives, including not just romantic partners but mothers and daughters too, so buying jewelry for your sister is technically unremarkable but it’s all about the context. One of my favorite scenes in Tabitha Suzuma’s Forbidden was when he scraped together the money from tutoring to buy her a surprise Christmas present and it was an engraved bracelet. Giving a woman in your life a really nice piece of jewelry is A Statement, but is it a statement of “I love you platonically” or “I love you and you’re my soulmate”? Am I the only one who is soft for this ambiguity?

ANYWAY Charles and Erik stumble on the twins so they are going to be taken into the bosom of the mutant community and they are going to be just fine.

#fic rec #maxicest #pietro x wanda

35 notes · View notes

nux-morbid-art · 7 years

Text

fallout oc questionnaire

in case anyone wanted a metric assload of info abt max mostly doing this for my benefit

Which Fallout game are they from? fallout 4

Which faction(s) did they join and which did they destroy? Why? Max initially joins the brotherhood and becomes a dedicated railroad heavy post blind betrayal. He cant stomach the thought of destroying the brotherhood, bc of the squires on board and a fair amount of allies within their ranks. Instead he enlists the help of the minutemen to maintain peace btw the 3 factions, eventually the brotherhood leave as the minutemen grow stronger

What is their S.P.E.C.I.A.L.? S: 4 P:5 C:8 I:10 A:7 L: 1

Give us a summary of their backstory. a rowdy teenager always in trouble, comes from a large extended family, low-middle class, pulled into the high school-to-military pipe. Spent his military career just trying to survive, trained field medic. Eldest of 3 siblings, has one younger brother and sister.

What’s their full name and does it have a meaning? Do they have any nicknames and how did they get em? Maxwell Ortiz, named after his grandfather who he was very close to. Called Vulture in high school for his looks and morbid sense of humor, earns “Mad Dog Max” in the military

What’s their sexual, romantic, and gender orientation? Do they feel comfortable telling other people? Bisexual, Biromantic, Transgender male He doesnt try to hide who he is, but he doesn’t volunteer the information either.

Do they have any mental illnesses? How do they cope? Max has bipolar depression and PTSD pre-war, and it doesnt exaclty get better after he thaws out Moslty he tries to keep busy. He deals w sensory overload by finding a small, quiet place to curl up and rest, favorite sensory stims for staying calm and focused are soft textures. he carries a small keychain stuffed animal he found in his pocket, and collects scraps of nice fabric and teddy bears. he’ll also run his hands thru his hair. he has an oral fixation and if he’s not occupied w a cigarrette he finds something to chew on, bites his nails, chews his fingers, picks at his skin too.

Do they have any medical conditions? Is medicine/ treatment available for them? Max loathes doctors, his only regular visit is to refill testosterone.

How much do they care about their outer appearance? What’s their “beauty routine”? How often do they shower/ bathe? Max neglects his appearance and hygiene and needs to be reminded to take care of himself. He loses weight and muscle mass quickly, noticing it can trigger dysphoria.

What do they fear the most? He will tell you hes already lived through his worst fear, losing Maria and his entire family, but ultimately, he fears being alone and becoming a bad person.

Their biggest flaw? Do they recognize it as a flaw? --ill get back to this one

What are they most insecure about? relationships w other people. he feels like trouble follows him and hurts the people he cares about, like hes the source of their misery and he cant figure out why they let him stay.

What Wasteland threat do they fear the most? (ex. Deathclaws, super mutants, raiders) Max fears nothing. Bring it on

What’s their zodiac sign or which one do you think they relate to the most? What are their placements (if you know them)? (ex. Aries sun, Taurus moon, Aquarius Venus) Scorpio

What’s their Myers–Briggs Type? (ex. ENTP, ISFJ) ---ill get back to this one

What Harry Potter house would they be in? (ex. Gryffindor, Ravenclaw) probably slytherin

Which Pokemon Go team would they choose? (ex. Instinct, Valor, Mystic) instinct, he would love taking care of eggs and raising baby pokemon

Out of the nine forms of intelligence (rhythmic, spatial, linguistic, mathematical, kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalistic, and existential) which one(s) are they really good at and which one(s) is(are) their weakest? best: rhythmic, spatial, naturalistic worst: intrapersonal, linguistic

What natural alignment are they? (ex. Lawful Good, Chaotic Evil) chaotic good

Do they have any hobbies? What are they? Max likes to play music, he’s decent w quitar, keyboard, and drums other than that he enjoys taking things apart and tinkering.

Do they have a favorite holiday? How do they celebrate it? He used to be rather fond of Easter, for family traditions. Food, family, kids running around and playing.

What’s their favorite season? Spring for sure, it brings relief from the worst of his depression

Do they have a temper or are they level headed? Hairpin temper, ready to fight at any trespass

Do they express their emotions freely or hide their true feelings? express freely but it takes him a while to figure out what they are.

Are they a leader or a follower? He will say hes no leader but takes the role naturally when he has to work in a group.

How do they come off to others? What first impression do they usually make? comes off as rather cold and aloof.

Do they prefer to travel alone or with company? Who have they traveled with if any? Current companion if any? prefers company by alot. he’s usually w danse, the two are joined at the hip. he also enjoys being w deacon, preston, and maccready. he gets along well w piper and curie. i’m not sure if he’d ever find cait, but he’d fall ass over teakettle for her. i’m not sure if he’d ever travel w most of the other companions.

Would you describe them as selfless or selfish? Does it depend on the situation? He’s pretty selfless, he cant stand suffering and will do his best to correct it. High empathy.

What do they find most attractive in others? Name at least one psychological and physical trait. (doesn’t have to be romantic attraction) Kindness, honesty, and humor. Physically, he has a weakness for full, round asses and nice thighs, hands that reveal secrets about their owners

Do they flirt often? How easily do they fall in love? its rare for him to be comfortable enough to be flirty, but when he is he’s damn good at it. he does fall quickly but takes a long time to understand the feelings for what they are.

What’s their love life like? Are they interested in anyone or in a relationship? Mostly monogamous relationship w Danse

Do they prefer to solve things diplomatically or using violence? He gives diplomacy a chance, but he’s not good at it. breaking noses is easier.

What is their combat style? What range do they prefer? Do they sneak? medium-close range, horrible at stealth. uses explosives and fire to confuse enemies and funnel them to his longer range combat partner, good at making a lane for snipers

What weapon(s) do they always carry with them? laser rifle, small pistol and a sidearm, and several combat knives kept razor sharp

Their most prized possession? a small collection of photos and holotapes codsworth preserved. he has a family photo of him, maria, his parents, and siblings w their children all together the tapes are mixes of pre-war rock n roll made by maria.

Their thoughts on power armor? ugh, if i really have to.

Favorite armor/ outfit? light, armored jackets, t-shirt, and jeans

How’s their aim? Do their hands shake while pointing a gun? he’s a pretty decent shot, but not spectacular. steady hands.

What are their thoughts on having to kill on a daily bases in order to survive? Does it take a toll on them? Or do they shake it off rather easily? He becomes numb to it. it comes creeping up on him on Bad nights, and thats where the fear of becoming an evil person comes in.

Thoughts on death if any? (ex. Fear it, accept it) “I am not allowed to die. I have people that need help.” He is very tired, lots of thoughts wishing for death, to rest. Tries to survive, but. He doesn’t really want to.

Do they move around a lot or prefer to have a place to call home? Both, eventually calls Railroad HQ and Diamond City home, but never stays in one place for long.

What’s their favorite location? gonna be cheesy: in Danse’s arms

Their opinions on ghouls, feral and not feral? Not feral: theyre just people. they didnt choose this. they’ve survived unknowable pain, and deserve respect and understanding. feral: killing them is mercy. he feels that they must have suffered greatly in becoming feral, and their bodies are probably still incredibly painful to live in, resulting in their aggression.

Do they scavenge for their supplies or simply buy them? both, also a big fan of trading. “whos fuckin idea was it to use bottlecaps of all the goddam-”

Are they the type to get distracted and go off to an unknown nearby location or do they stay on track? Stay on track, but very curious and enjoys exploring. will note locations to scavenge later if he cant get to them right away

How do they sleep? Are they picky about where and how or can they sleep basically anywhere? Max likes a tight, secure place to sleep. he’s usually between and wall and danse. if he feels like he’s in a fairly safe location, getting to sleep is easy, tho he startles awake rather easily and has night terrors. if someone tries to wake him suddenly, like with a loud noise or grabbing and shaking him, they are very likely to get hurt.

What’s their favorite radio station and song? (post-apocalypse) Atom bomb baby, uranium fever, and rocket 69

What’s their favorite post-apocalyptic food? Are they a picky eater? Do they know how to cook? favorite: sweets, candy, and mutfruit Not a picky eater, but he usually doesnt have much of an appetite either. He eats what hes given, usually without thinking about it or really tasting it He has a fair amount of knowledge and skill in the kitchen, being always at his mothers’ heels in everything domestic. he loves his parents and was always eager to help.

What’s their favorite beverage? Do they drink alcohol? he’s rather fond of quantum for the nastalgia and energy-drink buzz, enjoys alcohol, likes beer, will drink whatever hes handed, if given a choice he likes whisky and nuka cola.

Do they have any tag skills? --ill come back to this

Anything they like to collect? (ex. Unique weapons, Bobbleheads) comic books, magazines, any printed media toys and stuffed animals, fabric that feels nice.

Are they good at disarming traps or do they constantly miss them? always walking into them. if he does notice one before hand he’s pretty bad at disarming them, he usually just tries to set them off from a safe distance.

#max #massive text wall ahoy #fallout oc #fallout oc questionnaire

4 notes · View notes