#or invent something to help you win
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LOOK AT THE SILLIES THEY'RE PLAYING BASEBALL
#gravity falls#chibi tiny tales#mabel pines#dipper pines#stan pines#rambles#i can imagine Stan being the tough coach to Dipper#teaching his niece and nephew cheating tactics#if Ford was there he'd overanalyze everything#or invent something to help you win#its 2 am i should stop
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It all started because of a school project, technically two projects, while it wasn't a world ending threat they set of a change reaction that lead to startling discoveries.
Mr Lancer had given the class the task of looking through their pasts and finding an life changing event that helped shape them into the person that were today and writing about that event.
It was a ten page essay (they were allowed to go over that limit) the more details the better and if you had something from that event to show (such as photos or keepsakes or really anything) you were awarded extra credit.
Danny's choice of event was the school field trip to a nearby museum he went on when he was seven, the space exhibit they had was what sparked his love for the stars and kick-started his dreams of being an astronaut.
It wasn't like he had any other choice (he doubted mister Lancer would accept 'my death' as a good life changing event)
He knew that he had photos of the field trip somewhere with all the other photos taken throughout his life, he just had to find them.
And after digging through thousands of boxes and piles of discarded inventions he handled with care (in case they blew up) he found them tucked inside an old photo album covered in green stains that sat on top of a bookshelf.
Opening the book caused all the pictures to fall into his lap, it seems like his parents didn't get around to actually adding them to the book, Danny resigned himself to spending the rest of his day shifting through old photos.
It wasn't all bad though, he found pictures of when Sam still had blonde hair and wore pink and of that time Tucker wrote an 'I love you' on his parents cars with their keys and many other embarrassing photos.
A treasure trove of blackmail material.
He finally found the picture he was looking for.
All of the kids who are now students of Casper high stood in front of an old building each proudly holding up something they bought in the gift shop (Danny had bought a book on planets that had long ago fallen apart)
It was a normal photo.
And yet, something seemed off.
Sam and Tucker were there with him in between them, Dash was there too.
Along with Kwan, Mikey, Paulina, Valerie, and all the others.
And yet, something was missing.
Then it hit him.
Wes wasn't there.
Danny could've sworn that he had been on that trip, but the more he thought about it the less he was sure.
He couldn't actually remember Wes being there and Danny remembered nearly everything about that trip.
'Maybe he was sick or something?' It was the most logical thing he could think of to explain the other absence, that and his parents not wanting him to go for some reason.
Mystery solved he pushed it to the back of his mind , he had an essay to finish.
Still, it stuck with him.
-----------------------------
The next school project Lencer gave them was one with assigned partners.
Danny got Wes who, despite not being Sam or Tucker, was leagues better then Dash and he'd take that as a win.
Wes had insisted on studying at his house so he could, and Danny quotes "Keep an eye on you Fenton"
Danny could practically feel the hidden cameras burning a hole into him while he stood in front of the Weston's door, waiting for him to go ghost for whatever reason.
Jokes on him though, Danny asked all the ghosts to leave him along for this month with the promise of giving them a head start the next time they caused trouble, so really Wes was just wasting his time.
"This way." Wes said already heading inside without caring if Danny followed.
Being the first time he had ever been in Wes's home Danny looked at everything and anything.
It was a fairly normal home, not like Danny's which had an anti-ghost defense system or Sam's super rich house.
But more like Tuckers
One of the things that drew his attention was the pictures that lined the walls.
There were so many.
Some with Wes and his mom, some with just him, some with just his mom, and some with people Danny didn't recognise.
But there were no baby photos.
The only pictures Danny could find of a young Wes seemed to be from when he was eight? Nine?
And nothing before.
'Maybe they were put away in storage' Danny guessed, but it still made his brain itch.
He remembered looking at old school photos and not finding any sign of a young Wes at all, he didn't even remember Wes coming to school any time before the year Danny turned eight.
And in a small town where everyone knew everyone that really wasn't possible.
'Maybe they moved here and lost a lot of stuff' Which would explain a lot, well no harm in asking. "Did you loss a lot when you moved here?"
Wes stopped walking and turned around to give him a look that asked if he was insane. "I've lived here my whole life, Fenton."
Danny froze, that couldn't be right, he'd remember that.
Something was wrong.
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Tim Drake sat in front of the bat computer as the rest of his family patrolled.
He had one monitor displaying the other bats locations while all the other monitors were used to show him files, or rather the lack there of.
Wayne Enterprises had tournaments held for schools and the prize was an all express paid trip to Gotham and tour of WE and surrounding areas, Tim could think of way better prizes that weren't visiting the crime capital of the world but that wasn't the point.
What was the point was that every time there was a winner Tim preformed a routine background check on students and staff (and by routine he means learn their whole live story) just in case anyone happened to be trained assassins set to kill one of them, stranger things have happened.
Wes Weston was one such student whose background Tim had to check.
And he found nothing.
Sure, there were hospital and school documents from age eight and upwards, but other then that nothing.
There was no birth certificate, no evidence of him attending daycare, nothing.
It was as if Wes did not exist before he was eight years old.
And perhaps the most interesting thing.
Amy Weston was listed as Wes's biological mother, DNA even said as much, and yet Amy's medical file said that she had never been pregnant and also had no siblings that could've been Wes's parent.
And yet Wes existed, appearing one day as if he had always been there.
Was it cloning? Aliens? Magic? A changeling? Someone creating false information to hide the truth?
It was a mystery, and mysteries had always been Tim's Kryptonite.
#dpxdc#dcxdp#dp x dc#dc x dp#danny phantom#is wes a tulpa? a changling? a clone?#who knows#but tim is going to find out
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What is this? I thought this girl was weaker than me. How can this be? No one else in the crew stands a chance against this girl's powers. And I declared I was the one who could do something about her. I thought this was my chance to help them out. And right when I said that this happens...it's over. I'm done. I can't win against this. It was too much for me to handle. I shouldn't have thought I could really help...Help!
This whole speech is such a beautiful continuation on the character development that started in Enies Lobby. Usopp took the lesson he learned there, that there are certain things that only he can do in the crew, and decided to face Perona alone. But it's hard! Harder than he thought possible! He still needs to reach down into the heroic persona he invented in order to get back up and keep fighting. He's still in 'fake it till you make it' mode, but once he's able to do what he originally thought was possible by defeating Perona, he'll leave the mask behind for good. The lesson will be fully learned, and he'll be able to fully become the person he once had to pretend to be.
#opbackgrounds#one piece#ch465#themes threads and throughlines#character development#usopp#The sogeking mask without the nose bandages looks so weird
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pick a picture; your next soul lesson
pile 1 -> pile 2 -> pile 3
disclaimer; this is a general reading! these messages may not fit everyone. please take what resonates and leave the rest.
「pile one」
[the lesson]
pleasure (cb: temperance, queen of pentacles rv)
the next soul lesson that you will experience is that you are meant to open yourself up to the good things in life. while i was channeling your energy, i was overcome with an overwhelming feeling of anxiety and stress - i think that is your current energy. there is a message that you're lacking balance in your life; all work and no fun. you may have a tendency to overwork yourself but don't necessarily reap the benefits of what you earn.
[what you are meant to learn]
life is meant to be enjoyed, not endured. you are meant to find the balance between work and play - but right now, you're being encouraged to focus on fun!
[advice]
creativity, invention
indulge in creative outlets. whatever you are called to - music, art, writing - do not worry about if the product is not perfect. simply focus on creating!
if this reading resonated with you, please consider leaving a tip!
「pile two」
[the lesson]
self-esteem (cb: nine of cups rv, six of wands rv)
your next soul lesson is rebuilding your self-esteem. i think there was a recent event in your past where you suffered from a significant loss or failure. regardless of what it was, it significantly impacted the way you view yourself. i keep hearing the words "ego death." you may have lost sight of what you wanted to do in life or simply just suffered from a loss of confidence in yourself because of this event.
[what you are meant to learn]
you are meant to learn that outside opinions do not matter. trust yourself; relying on others for validation or approval will only leave you feeling empty when they are not willing to shower you with it. stand up for yourself and your beliefs - you are not meant to abandon yourself in favor of winning the approval of others.
[advice]
grace (cb: the hierophant rv, queen of wands)
it's okay to go against the grain. you're meant to stand out and shine; do not let others dim your light. i heard "give yourself grace." feel your feelings, but do not let doubt or shame consume you. oftentimes when people are openly judgemental, they are simply jealous that they can't be as open and confident as others are.
if this reading resonated with you, please consider leaving a tip!
「pile three」
[the lesson]
deprivation (cb: nine of cups, death rv)
i think that there is something that you are ignoring in your life. i get a strong feeling that you are putting up a confident facade that everything is okay in your life - almost like if you keep telling that to others, you will eventually believe it too. i think you are depriving yourself of feeling your feelings and consequently, you are prolonging this cycle in your life. while i was trying to channel your energy, i kept getting distracted by random things. i believe you may be filling your time with countless distractions since you are afraid or unwilling to be alone with your thoughts. i see an image of someone scrolling on their phone while simultaneously watching T.V., as well as someone blaring music through their headphones to drown out their thoughts.
[what you are meant to learn]
invention (cb: six of wands rv, four of swords)
your next soul lesson is that you are meant to allow yourself to rest and feel your emotions. you cannot move past this pain or failure by simply ignoring it. pain demands to be felt, it will not disappear until you acknowledge it. although this isn't the advice section, your guides/universe/spirit are encouraging you to use your preferred creative outlet to express these emotions.
[advice]
devotion
you're being called to spend time in nature. connect back with the earth and take in the natural beauty of the world. it will help.
if this reading resonated with you, please consider leaving a tip!
tarot decks used in this reading: ask your guides oracle deck, and the linestrider tarot.
#tarotblr#tarot reading#tarot readings#pick a pile#pac#pick a card reading#detailed pac#tarot#divination#cartomancy#pick an image#pick a photo#tarot pick a pile#free tarot#oracle reading#intuitive readings#free tarot reading#pac tarot#pick a card readings
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I haven't seen the movie yet but I hope they include my favourite thing from the book, which is Coriolanus Snow doesn't take a single action the entire time that a woman doesn't explicitly tell him to take.
What were some of the wins in the Coriolanus Snow political playbook?
-He was the only mentor that met his tribute early and built an actual relationship with them, which gave him a huge advantage over the other mentors who couldn't even get a name or birthdate out of their tribute.
-He was able to get a reporter to interview his tribute multiple times, gaining screen time and notoriety.
-His stardom rose when he attempted to save the Crane girl and was seen on camera looking heroic, calling for a medic.
-He wrote the proposal on the sponsorship system and basically invented the idea of sponsors, ranking and gambling that sustained the games for 75 years.
And guess what? Not a SINGLE one of those was his idea😭
TIGRESS tells him to go down to the train station that day, says that Lucy Gray is probably scared and vulnerable, his grandmother gives him a rose from her garden to take, and Tigress explicitly tells him to get on Lucy's good side because her trust will be a valuable thing.
LUCY GRAY tells snow to stop freaking out and freezing at the zoo! Because he just stands there, camera shy, terrified about messing up his reputation and she tells him to 'Own it' and act like any mistake he ever makes is a chance for a Performance, it is a chance to gain more power. SHE drags him over to the reporter and banters with the people of the capital, teaching him a lesson about being in front of the press that he will use for his entire Presidency.
Snow prides himself on looking rich even though his family is in in ruin and it is TIGRESS who helps them achieve this. The careful image he maintains, is maintained by HER, working her hands to the bone to make his clothes look new, their reputation stay untarnished.
The sponsors? The idea to bring food to tributes so they don't starve before they can even compete?? It's LUCY GRAY'S idea!! She suggests it on screen, she invents the idea of a Victor as an Idol, she sings and does fan meet and greets and asks for people to bring her a sweet thing if they can. And then Snow goes and repeats that in class and it's credited as a profitable Academy idea and not hers.
There's a thousand moments like this! Of Snow letting all his smarts and tactics fail him, and Lucy Gray hissing the answer in his ear to get him to act. And he's praised as a hero after this, as the only person who did something in an emergency!
And after all this, our unreliable narrator heads home at the end of the day like, ah I really did that. Snow lands on top once again, that was for sure my idea.
Featured the girl? You featured the girl snow? In her own plan that she did while you stood there frozen and anxious😭So generous.
Truly he's an absolute doofus, he's a silly little boy with Light Yagami energy, any mettle he gains as a Political Mastermind later on is due to the strategy and empathy of the women he's surrounded himself with
#it is so interesting though to read about manipulation from a narrator who's Unaware he's being manipulated#his professors- the game maker - Lucy#all influencing him to do things and he's just there like I am in total control for sure#oh coryo#you fool#hunger games#the ballad of songbirds and snakes#coriolanus snow#president snow#lucy gray#lucy gray baird#tigress#books#movies
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They meet your foreign parents
Warning:English is not my first language
Summary:The reader is from another country and their parents ask them to meet their boyfriend
Manjiro Sano/Keisuke Baji/Ken Ryuguji
Mikey
When your parents told you to come in your native country for meet your boyfriend you were a bit nervous
Mikey knows the basic English so if you parents knows English too is a win
But if your parents doesn't understand English you are going to be an interpreter for them
You told to Mikey if he could go on a little vacation with you
<<mh? Where?>>
<<my parents want to see you>>
Mikey didn't get upset when you told him
He accepted obviously
Now the two of you are in front of your parents' house
<<everything will be fine>>
You don't know how Mikey can be so relaxing in this situation
Your mom ask alot of questions to Mikey
You told her, before you two coming, that Mikey loves sweet things
So your mom made a sweet dessert from your country
Mikey really appreciate it
<<what's the name of this dessert?>>
<<it's *Name Dessert*>> you told him
He ask you eventually if you can cooked it for him When you two return to Japan
Baji
Panick!
This boy knows something in English yeah
But he doesn't know how to have a conversation!
It's get worse if your parents doesn't speak English at all
he literally dressed up in a suit and tie just to make a good impression to your parents
When you two arrived in your country
Baji started looking around
<<you don't have Peyoung Yakisoba?>>
<<nope, we have other thing Keisuke, for example *Name food* it's typical food from here>>
When the two of you arrived at your parents' house they welcome the two of you
as you expected you ended up being the interpreter of your parents and your boyfriend
In the end it wasn't that bad
Your parents like him
you sure didn't tell them about the various messes he made
like burning down a car
Draken
When you tell him that you parents want to meet him he seems calm
But he actually panick inside of himself
He knows how to have a conversation in English
But if your parents doesn't speak English is okay because this guy ask you to teach him something in your language
but he is also scared about his appearance
surely his temple tattoo doesn't help
but it was too late now you two were in front of your parents' house
Your parents look at him
they didn't imagine it like this at all
<<uhm...Mom! Dad! This is my boyfriend>> you present him in your native language
Your parents ask alot of questions to your poor boyfriend
Sometime he understands what your parents says and responded correctly to them
<<you speak pretty well our language>> your father compliments him
If your parents speak English
He don't have any problem
He probably don't speak so well yeah
But your parents understand him so
and if your father loves motorcycles
Draken and your father spend hours talking about motorcycles, even inventing a new language to understand each other
#tokyo revengers#tokyo revengers x reader#tokyo rev headcanons#tokyo revengers mikey#manjiro sano#mikey x reader#mikey headcanon#sano mikey manjiro#tokrev manjiro#sano manjiro x reader#manjiro headcanons#draken#draken x reader#tokyo revengers draken#draken headcanons#ken ryuguji#baji headcanons#keisuke baji x reader#baji x reader#baji keisuke x reader#baji keisuke#tokyo revengers headcanons
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Okay hear me out. Imagine a story where a scientist is leading a tour of kids through his lab, showing off all the inventions that will hopefully one day help humanity! In this tour is his son, who is very excited to be with his dad at his job, while also technically going to school? Win Win!! His dad has been a bit overprotective of him, but he sort of enjoys the attention. Although he isn’t too keen on his classmates who bully (perhaps one of the bullies is his brother or something) him for it, still poking and teasing him during the tour.
After awhile the dad shows off a portal machine which can open a portal to a whole new world, or at least that’s what they think it leads to anyway. The lab hasn’t fully tested it and is making a robot to send in first. The kids all ask if they can see it and the science team agrees as long as no one goes over the rails towards the portal, cause it seems to have a suction. (You can see where this is going I bet) The science team flips on the machine and the portal lights up, and while everyone is distracted the bully decides to have some fun, whispering into the Scientist kid’s ear something like “Maybe you’ll see your mom over there” or “Perhaps I should just take out trash like you. You’re just wasting dad’s time anyway” before the kid can really process what happens he is pushed over the rail into the portal, disappearing. The machine shuts off with a clunk and the dad is pissed. He is shouting at the bully about how stupid that was and how they have no idea if it’s even life sustainable on the other side! A guard nearby says that the kid is in real serious trouble for so many reasons, only for the dad to chime in that the bully better hope his kid is alive cause if he isn’t, he’ll get a murder charge. The bully explains he didn’t mean to only for most of the class saying that the bully always does this and one student even repeats what he said before he pushed the kid in. They decide to end the tour early and send everyone home, while the bully is escorted out by the guards and won’t be going home soon.
The science team asks what they’re gonna do and the dad says they’re gonna make something. Perhaps a suit or vehicle so that he can go into the portal and find his son. The team nods and quickly gets to work, they know it’ll take more than a few weeks, but maybe if they are lucky the kid will be okay, and maybe they can get it done faster.
Meanwhile, the kid flies through the portal and lands on a soft ground. Panicking he sits up and looks around, only to notice he’s on a huge bed. The portal sent him to a world that was way bigger than his own. Fear strikes him as he realizes where there is a big bed, there’s a big person. He’s right when he looks over across the room and sees a huge person sitting at a desk mumbling to themself. He’s frozen in fear and can’t move, even when the person swings around from their chair and walks over to their bed only to pause and stare at him.
The giant just stared at him, confused as to why there is a tiny child in their bed. They swear they didn’t put them there and are about to say something when the kid just burst out crying and the giant panicked. They quickly kneel by their bed and try to hush the child and tell them that it’s okay. The child keeps sobbing and soft hiccups can be heard, but eventually the kid quiets down a bit. The giant carefully asks how the kid got there, and the boy answers between sobs. The giant listens and the boy eventually bursts into tears again, crying out that they want their dad. The giant gently scoops them up, and holds them close saying “hey, hey, it’s going to be alright. You said your dad was a scientist…sooo he must have seen you get pushed in. I bet he’s trying to get back to you, he just has to figure out how to.” The kid sniffles and asks if the giant really believes that and they nod. They then reassure the kid that they won’t hurt them and that they’ll watch and care for them, until their dad comes to save them. The boy nods and the giant pauses and asks if he likes movies. The boy says yes and that he likes action like movies. The giant then decides that maybe they could watch a movie, to help the boy calm down, they’ll even let the kid choose the movie. He gets a little excited over this and the two of them go and do exactly that. Through this we learn that the worlds are almost identical, but some things are changed like Superman is Aceman, and Ice Cream is Frost Gel. All still the same thing, just named differently, which both the giant and boy find amusing.
The boy stays with the giant for little over a week, getting used to the large surroundings and the movements of the giant. The giant provides a small house to the boy, made of a box and Legos, which the boy had fun playing with and designing that part of the little home. In the other world the dad and his team finally finished the suit. It was built to survive space, acid, lava, and other possibilities. It had a backpack built into the back that held food rations, weapons, tools, and other things for survival. There was also the case, which contained all the parts for a small return portal back home. Which had been tested multiple times….just not cross dimensionally. The suit also had a built in camera that would send live video feed back to the team while the dad, who wanted to be the one who went through, was over there looking for his son. He’d also do some science stuff, like take samples and explore a bit.
The day finally arrives and the dad walks through the portal. He finds himself behind a large plush wall, and he starts to walk around it when he hears booming voices. Meanwhile the giant is laying in bed scrolling through their phone. The kid is sleeping in their little house for a quick nap. Then out of the corner of their eye they see something move out from behind their pillow. The dad looks up and catches the giant’s eye glancing at him. He freezes, and then grabs a weapon from the bag. This causes the giant to freak out and quickly flop out of their bed and onto the floor. The dad runs over and, using the mic in his suit, shouts “WHERE IS HE?!?!?” The giant, confused as hell, asks that the “crazy living action figure dude” please put down the weapon, while also asking what he means. The dad just shouts “IF YOU DID ANYTHING TO HIM I SWEAR I’LL..” the threat falls from his lips as the giant rises above him and cautiously walks over to the little house. They open the top and reach in, carefully waking the boy up and whispering that they have a surprise. The dad, still in a fighting stance, watches as the giant approaches with something in their hands. He’s about to fight, when the giant opens their hands and reveals his son, causing him to freeze. The boy pauses, not recognizing him cause of the suit, but once the dad rips the helmet off, the kid jumps off the giants hand and rushes to embrace his dad.
Both the kid and the dad just tightly hold onto each other as the giant just smiles softly, watching them. They then comment how much of a strong and loving dad the kid has and how the dad has such a brave and smart son. They both look up at the giant, who gives them a sweet smile. The dad explains they can go back home and the son is excited to tell his dad everything he learned about the place. The giant asks if there is anything they can do to help, which the dad asks if there is a safe place to setup a portal device somewhere that isn’t, well, a bed. The giant nods, and offers their hand to the pair. The son quickly hops on and the dad, carefully steps on after a bit of encouragement from his son. The giant takes them to their desk and says they can set it up in the free space near the wall.
After some time the portal is up and running and the dad has some samples, including a hair from the giant, and the small pair is ready to go home. The giant remarks that they’ll probably be seeing more of the tiny people, but says that they are welcome to visit. The boy hugs the giants hand and thanks them for taking care of them. The dad also thanks them for watching over his son, and says that he’s glad that the giant was the one to find his son. They take their leave and the story comes out in their world about what happens. The bully is still charged for some things, mostly messing with official government science stuff, but everything seems fine in the end. Plus the boy made an amazing friend, and the dad found someone he can trust to watch his son.
Anyway, basically what if a portal led to a giant world similar to our own, but it was discovered because some kids decided to mess with a kid. Resulting in the kid getting lost in that world, having to wait to be found or find a way back themself?
#g/t#gt#gianttiny#giant/tiny#giant tiny#g/t idea#g/t ideas#g/t thoughts#g/t thought#g/t story idea#I think it would be interesting to find a whole new world filled with giants#although if I found a tiny crying child in my bed I’d probably freak out#I’d have to calm them down and try and figure out how they got here and whether or not they were always tiny#it would be 100% worse if they happened to be from the same universe and the portal just shrunk them and sent them somewhere random#especially if you see the missing posters and think ‘wait I have them…how am I gonna explain their size?!?!?’#but if they’re from another world it’s more ‘oh okay. just smaller universe..okay okay…let’s figure out dimension travel then…I guess!!!’#either way I’d comfort them and definitely help or try and help them get back home#I’d just make sure that they were okay and watch over them…go all mama bear mode I guess haha#also sorry this got long and is basically a short story written shorter…a shrunken story hehehe
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FINALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Propaganda Under the Cut:
Ponyo:
determined 5yo girls are more powerful than god
PONYO!!!!
As a child i did not even realize this was a little merm adaptation, but it really reads. She is sooo strange and other worldly and the movie absolutely captures that dreamlike fairy tale vibe
Ponyo a roughly five-year-old magical goldfish who can transform into a frog-type thing and a human girl. She's the eldest daughter of the literal goddess of the sea and a former human sailor given immortality. She falls in love with the five-year-old boy who cares for her and is thrilled to explore his ordinary yet magical world. She's bouncy, exuberant, and joyful. She loves ham. She doesn't have to give up her voice.
ponyo ponyo ponyo little fishie in the sea!
Little fishy
THEY LOVE HAM
Bug:
Their a bug that falls in love with a human they rescue and becomes human, but even when they don't get to keep their human body, they still get to be with their love. It's a sci-fi fairytale musical.
Little Mermaid meets Starship Troopers musical starring awesome puppets and the most trans coded main character ever. Please. Please vote Bug Starship I love him. Go watch Kick it Up a Notch from Starship. Go watch Status Quo from Starship. You will understand.
He's a bug and he lives in space on a bug planet but he really wants to be a starship ranger which you can only be if you are a human and then one day a spaceship lands on his planet and so he goes to an evil bug called Pincer who then helps him become a human. And Bug falls in love with a human on the spaceship and it's very sweet. The musical and storyline are based on the little mermaid story, the creators themselves called it "the little mermaid but in space". Bug wanting to be a human/a starship ranger and achieving that and falling in love with a human is very much like the little mermaid
Starship is a musical that can only be described as The Little Mermaid meets Starship Troopers. It follows Bug, an alien bug who dreams of being a Starship Ranger, a galactic explorer/soldier, but the rigid confines of bug society keeps him trapped in a job he hates. He reaches a Starship Ranger named February from the hive and immediately falls in love with her. In order to be with her and pursue his dream, he makes a deal with a giant scorpion named Pincer who through sci-fi bs gives him a human body. Near the end of the second act he sacrifices his human body and returns to his bug body, and saves the day and wins February's heart. It's truly the ultimate Little Mermaid. He has multiple songs, and his bug body is portrayed by a puppet!! Vote for Bug!!
“It's a big, big, universe So many dimensions And unanswered questions Not to mention Life What an invention Life There's no choice involved in what you are given One mind, one voice, one body to live in It's a short, small thing we lead With so much potential Pointless or essential Which one can I be? Where do I fit? Where do I stand? Who are they to say what I am? And how can I stay inside this awful world I know? I need a way out I need an escape I'd rather be dead than to live in this place I wish that something or someone could just take it all away Someone take me away” dear god….. can anybody hear me…. (song from starship)
They are the purest little mermaid adaptation done in the most unuque way. An alien insect gets turned into a human, a race he has always loved and admired, to be with the woman he fell in love with. Also just a great musical.
Bug's whole arc is so so in tune with that of the little mermaid. He is an alien who has fallen in love with humanity through a crashed spaceship and trades his place in the hive for a chance to be with both with the human he's falling for and to be a Starship Ranger. He body swaps with human in a cryogenic pod! It's literally sci-fi Little Mermaid!
Don't stick to the status quo and pick the fairy tale!! it's what HE would want!!!
#ponyo#studio ghibli#bug#starship#team starkid#starship by team starkid#the little mermaid#little mermaid#poll tournament#poll bracket#character polls#polls#fairytale#fairy tale#tournament finals#finals#round 6#the little merpoll
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If you’re trying to get yourself out of the purity culture mindset of even touching or thinking about “bad” things corrupts people and you’re still Christian or at least still believe in God in some capacity my advice to you is to remind yourself that
A) God is not your judgemental aunt. They see everything and therefore probably have a pretty good understanding of things like harm reduction and how the human brain works considering They invented it. Yours and other people’s involuntary thoughts and coping mechanisms aren’t the enemy winning they’re part of being human and if anything knowing the thoughts you have shouldn’t be acted on is a good sign about your personal character.
B) Certain things you’ve been taught are harmful either aren’t harmful or aren’t as harmful if precautions are taken. Premarital sex is the classic example. Traditionally abstinence was the only reliable way to prevent STIs and unwanted pregnancies but we’ve got the technology now to reduce the chance of that stuff significantly. Besides, if you like it and are being careful and respecting your partners it’s very likely no harm at all will come of it. If you cause no harm on purpose, that’s not a sin. That’s just using what He gave you to have a good time. And even if it was a sin His whole deal is forgiveness. This doesn’t just apply to sex either. Watching media that depicts “immoral” acts, doing drugs, and many other things can be done safely or at least have their impact minimized. Follow your best judgement on these things and when appropriate try to guide people around you to reduce harm in their own lives as well, but don’t try to dictate for them what right and wrong is in their own lives.
C) God basically is the entire universe. They can’t be harmed or destroyed by human action. The universe isn’t a tug of war between God and evil. God made the rope. You or anyone else making mistakes, having a difficult time forgiving someone, sinning, having weird or nasty thoughts from time to time, or doing or making something that blurs the lines between morality or immorality can’t hurt God or the universe. She’s too big for that. And forgiveness and mercy are kind of Her whole thing. One mistake or even many isn’t an earth shattering event. You’ll be okay.
Basically what you need to remember when trying to train yourself out of this mindset of purity culture and never doing anything bad ever is that you need to work to make your default assumption that you’re trying your best, so is everyone else, and judging whether or not something is actually harmful isn’t always a clear cut and easy thing. God understands nuance. They gave us humor as a gift to cope with the struggles of the world. Learning a bit of flexibility with yourself and others isn’t always easy, but you can do it. Rethink your knee jerk reactions. Pray about it if that helps you, and most importantly be kind with yourself and others who are on this same journey. It takes time to unlearn some harmful attitudes you may have been taught. And that’s okay. You’re doing fine.
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I WANNA SEE MEGATRON’S DAUGHTER GOING TO TFE! I wanna see another Megatron being her father figure
Maybe the terrans would be their new siblings when their in that universe as well :3
I got a lot of similar request like this, so, they will all be combined in this one.
Hope you enjoy!
Megatron's daughter with opposite personality meeting the Maltos
SFW, Platonic, Familial, Cybertronain reader
TFP/TFE
The Terrans were in the sub lab waiting for Wheeljack to introduce them to his latest build.
A mini groundbrigde for smaller travels.
They started up the machine.
The machine whirling to life.
“Hmmm… got to admit this is a first. Wheeljack’s invention hasn’t caught on fire yet.”--Elita
Wheeljack puffs his chassis a bit in pride.
The portal starts malfunctioning.
“I take that back.”--Elita
“EVERYONE GET DOWN!”--Wheeljack
A figure gets shot out the portal and flies straight into the wall behind everyone.
Everyone winces when the figure slides down the wall and lands face first on the floor.
Buddy groans as she feels some servo help her stand up.
Nightshade and Hashtag go to the bot and help them to their pedes.
“Are you all right? You took quite a fall.”--Nightshade
Buddy blinks looking at the green bot and the larger purple bot.
“Umm… thank you? You guys have been the first to ask me—”--Buddy
Buddy zeroes in on Megatron in the room.
Twitch notices the bot staring at Megatron.
“Oh! This is Megatron! He’s might not look like it but his a good guy!”--Twitch
Buddy raises her optics a bit.
“Good guy?”--Buddy
“He changed during the war.”--Bumblebee
Buddy looks at Bumblebee and walks up to him.
“Bee? You can talk in this universe?”--Buddy
“I can what in what?”--Bumblebee
Buddy takes a deep vent.
“To make this short. I’m from another universe, I got sent here through random portals that keep bringing me to different dimension of sorts, and now I’m going to be here until another one arrives in a couple of days—Oh Primus! Wheeljack what do you have on your face plate! Wait, getting off topic. Am I missing something… Is your war over?”--Buddy
“Yes, ummm…”--Optimus
“Oh! Yeah, my name! I’m Buddy.”--Buddy
“Buddy?”--Everyone
“Yep. That’s the name my father gave me.”--Buddy
“Who’s your dad!?”--Twitch
Thrash pulls Twitch back a bit.
“Looks like we’re going to have a house guest.”--Alex
Buddy did keep some distance between her and Megatron in the beginning before ruling out this Megatron was one of the good Megatron’s.
Buddy nearly faints realizing these Terrans were younger than her.
She immediately assumes the role of oldest of the youngest group.
Buddy was extremely protective of Bumblebee hearing his voice.
Anyone who made a remotely offensive comment about his talking was met with a glare.
The Terrans want to know everything about Buddy’s universe.
Buddy is extremely light on the details.
“We have a small team of Autobots on Earth and a slightly larger group of Decepticon’s.”--Buddy
“What do you do for fun?”--Jawbreaker
“Fun? Like watch indoor movies?”--Buddy
“What about driving around?”--Hashtag
“Umm I don’t really get out much. I’m in charge of decoding relics and texts.”--Buddy
“Relics? Why?”--Nightshade
“What about flying with your Megatron?”--Twitch
Buddy subconsciously makes herself a bit smaller.
“He… We…”--Buddy
“Don’t you guys hang out?”--Twitch
“They don’t hang out.”--Elita
“And how do you know?”--Hashtag
“That’s because her war hasn’t ended, am I correct?”--Megatron
Buddy gives a nod.
The Terrans feel for Buddy.
“The war still going on?”--Jawbreaker
“Yeah…”--Buddy
“Why hasn’t your Megatron done anything for peace yet?”--Robbie
“Because my Megatron can’t be reasoned with. He either wins the war or no one is going to win. And he is willing to hurt anyone he can to keep the war going.”--Buddy
“That can’t be true!”--Twitch
Buddy nods silently.
“Hey Buddy? I’ve notice you haven’t talked about your parents… are they…?”--Nightshade
“No… my father is still alive.”--Buddy
Then that’s good news right?”--Jawbreaker
“Who’s your Dad?”--Mo
Dot and Alex step in.
“Kids I think that’s enough for today.”--Dot
“No, no its fine Mr. and Mrs. Malto. The subject on my father is… difficult to say the least.”--Buddy
“Take your time Buddy. We’re ready when you are.”--Alex
Buddy takes in a deep vent.
“My father is Megatron.”--Buddy
It’s silent.
The Terrans immediately jump to defend their Megatron telling her that he is a good guy now.
Even Bumblebee offered his words on it.
Buddy told them that she believed it, truly.
Any Megatron that was willing to work with Optimus was a good Megatron in her book.
As the days go on Buddy becomes more and more comfortable around the small family the Maltos created.
Buddy is simply blown away by some of the bots and cons around.
She never would have thought there would be a universe where things looked to be so peaceful. Truly a dream.
The Terrans offer to teach Buddy games and even joins in Bumblebee’s exercises.
Buddy also gets into a sparing match with the yellow bot.
It was a pretty close draw with Buddy losing because she saw Fluffy ears.
But there does come a time when Buddy does open up a bit about her past with her Megatron.
“Did your Megatron ever… hurt you?”--Megatron
Buddy nodded, not trusting her voice.
Even after so much talking about the subject, it still made her chock up on tears.
“Was it…”--Optimus
“It was bad yes. I was moved to the Autobots for my own safety after he came back the… I don’t even remember which time he disappeared leaving me in charge again.”--Buddy
“You were in charge of the Cons? Why not stop the war then?”—Megatron
“I never got in contact with my Optimus before he came back. But things are definitely much better now. Not the best but a bit better.”--Buddy
Megatron looks at Buddy for a second and slowly pats her helm.
She just smiles at him sadly.
“I know you feel guilty. But its not your fault. None of it is.”--Buddy
“I’m only sorry to never have had the pleasure of meeting you in this lifetime.”--Megatron
“Maybe you will… or maybe in a way you have.”--Buddy
Buddy and the others look at the Terrans goofing off in the pasture.
Soon enough, the portal comes back.
There are so many hugs for Buddy and open invite to come back.
Buddy is dubbed ‘The Cousin from another universe’.
Buddy wears this with pride.
Nightshade already promises to find a way to get a portal to her universe safely.
“Good-bye everyone!”--Buddy
“Bye Cuz!”--Twitch
In TFP…
Buddy shoots out of the portal straight into Bulkhead’s back.
“…At least it isn’t a wall this time…?”--Buddy
#transformers x reader#maccadam#bot buddy#tfp#tfp x reader#tfp x platonic reader#tf earthspark#transformers earthspark#tfe x platonic reader
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Mean Daddy Pt.2
Logan Syverson x Reader (You)
Word Count: 1k
Warning: Mean!Sy, established relationship, pussy spanking, aftercare turns into foreplay(?), oral (implied), a whole lot of teasing, fluff.
Summary: Your mean daddy comes home ... and you're in for the night :]
A/N: For the record, I'm not sorry at all for the cliffhanger (and stretching this short fic into three parts...) @gummydummy19 :3
Find Part 1 here
This isn’t exactly what you had planned for tonight.
Well, technically you did plan for some spicy evening events, but you did not expect Sy to make changes to the timetable plan, and spend all afternoon and evening on your bed.
… eh, spending all day on you.
And the worst part is, you have passed out twice now, and except for bathroom breaks and snack breaks, Sy hasn’t stopped playing the game he invented, which has the name “How many times can you cum”.
Spoiler alert, you’ve both lost count, but that doesn’t stop him from playing.
The clock strikes nine, and you feel there’s not one good bone in your body.
Thankfully, it’s another snack break.
While munching on apple slices that Sy cut for you, you’ve turned on your laptop for a show called Family Feud. Basically, the show interviewed random 100 people on the street with some questions, and came back with the top six answers. Whichever team answers more, wins.
It’s less exciting, compared to the detective/murder ones you often enjoy, but this is what Sy needs, something light and funny, instead of the sound of gunshots that would make his body tense up.
“Young man,” the show host Steve Harvey asks, “Name something your girlfriend would do to your face.”
The shy boy on the screen covers his twitching lips with his fist, “Uh… I’m gonna say sit on it.”
The audience on the screen roars out laughter, while you can’t help but giggle simultaneously.
A light squeeze of your tummy dials your giggling down, having you remember the large beefcake wrapping around you with his thick arms and legs.
“C’mon, Sy, you can’t tell me that’s not funny.” You burst out a new fit of giggles, tugging on his bearded chin, without turning around, “Besides,” You try your best to cross your legs discreetly, not getting his attention that your pussy is dripping again, because, for Christ’s sake, your lady parts have been through literal Hell tonight, “it’s not like we haven’t tried it before.”
“Hmm.” Is his grumbling reply.
You let out an exhale of relief. It’s not your fault that your mind is filled with pure filth of how he used to bury his head between your thighs…
The show Family Feud goes on, but you allow the jests and laughs to slip by your ear, since your brain is occupied with porn, and wet your lips when you can almost feel his beard leaving a burn that would remain for days…
The calloused hand moves from your belly to your tits, weighing them in his palm.
Sy’s low timbre ghosts your ears, “Penny for your thoughts, sugar.”
Your pebbled peak rolls under his fingers involuntarily. No word comes out of your mouth except for a small whimper. God, you want him to eat you out, pin you down with one hand over your stomach and one hand groping your tits, swinging your legs over his broad shoulders, bringing you to the edge of ecstasy as you chant his name like a prayer.
“Want to grind on my face?” He proposes with his sinful lips, circling one hand painfully close to your weeping core, while flicking your nipple with the other. “Be a good little slut and ride Daddy like you were told to?”
“Uh-Uh-huh.” You nod eagerly. Your pussy feels raw and used, as if someone (Sy) has set fire to it, yet you could not resist the temptation of reaching your limit once again – what can you say, you never learn from the pain.
Sy admires your ruined body for a brief second, cupping your mound with his palm. You buck your hip to meet his fingers, but to your frustration, he holds his position without wavering, neither meeting your silent plea nor denying it. “Shit,” a sly smile hangs on the corner of his lips, “that desperate, huh? Fucking my hand like that? Poor baby.”
“Sy,” you whimper, struggling in his tightened grip, begging him with your teary eyes, “want you to kiss it and make it better, please Daddy.”
“Aww,” he coos softly, kissing the top of your head, “I like the sound of that.”
Smug bastard.
“Use your big-girl words, darlin’.” Sy traces a bead of sweat that disappears between your tits. His hand glides down your body, sneaking it under your thigh before pulling them wide open, earning a surprised squeal from your lips.
“Want t-to ride your face, Daddy.” You stutter as he lowers his head to kiss the carotid artery on the side of your neck, your fingers dig into his veiny arms that hold your thigh, “Want-ah!”
“What’s the matter, darlin’?” He feigns his curiosity, pretending he has no idea that he has just smacked your sensitive bundle of nerves, “Cat got your tongue? Can’t hear you though,” Sy smacks your pussy again, making you nearly jump from his embrace, “Don’ really know what you’re talking about, sugar.”
The harshness of the slaps adds to the numbness and the sting of your ruined hole, coating his hand with a shin of juices, which he wipes on the side of your thigh, glistening with the evidence of the betrayal of your body, even when it still hurts from the overstimulation during previous hours.
“Daddy,” you whine in embarrassment and a tinge of desperation, “Daddy, pleaaase.”
Sy chuckles behind you, manoeuvring himself to your front, pressing a bit harder on your stomach to have you lie down. Kissing both of your thighs, he spreads them wider than before – wide enough to fit a grown man and his shoulders in between – and trails a line of soft pecks on your lower abdomen, and finally, on your quivering pussy.
“Better make those pretty noises for me, darlin’,” Sy whispers while nibbling on your skin, lifting your thighs onto his shoulders - his favorite position. His tone drips a hint of darkness, both a threat and a promise, shooting a shiver down your spine, “If you ain’t screaming, you ain’t creaming.”
#captain syverson x you#captain syverson x reader#captain syverson smut#captain sy x reader#captain syverson#captain syverson fanfiction#sand castle#captain syverson fluff#captain syverson fic
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3 + 1 - sidney crosby
notes: i hope you guys like this, first fic for 'it's the most wonderful time of the year', had lots of fun making this!!
likes are good, reblogs are better <3
part of naqia's end of the year celly!
gif not mine
i. (1994)
you'd known sidney your entire life. one of the first memories you had with him was fighting him for the last hockey stick in the store.
well, it wasn't the last hockey stick. but it was the last one of all the types you used to play. it just so happened to be the only one sidney used.
after a game of rock, paper, scissors (you won), sidney got mad and demanded a best of three. maybe it was the defiant look in his eyes at only seven years old, but you decided he could have the stick.
"are you sure?" he asked, now looking hesitant about taking the stick.
you nodded, "i'm sure. they'll get one of the sticks i use in a few days. you can have this one. i'll just steal my brother's stick until then."
sidney grinned, "thanks, y/n."
you smiled back at him, feeling the start of a friendship. you'd lived near him your entire life, but you'd only begun talking to him because of hockey.
"just don't forget to send me a card when you go to one of your tourneys," you told him.
you and sidney laughed over that, before heading back home with your parents. it was after this day that you began to say hi to each other in the halls of school, that you decided to pair up for projects, that you became friends.
over the two months it took until christmas morning, you forgot about what you'd told him. but sidney didn't forget his promise.
and it was on december twenty fifth, that you received a post card in the mail from some place in quebec. a seven year old sidney had tried his best to make the letters look pretty, writing on the side, 'merry christmas, and thanks for the hockey stick, y/n. it helped me win!'
you peered in the envelope, finding a picture of sidney hoisting his giant hockey trophy. you smiled at that.
even though he was so far away, it felt like you were celebrating christmas together.
--
ii. (2004)
'sidney patrick crosby, you have got to be kidding me! you have a huge hotel, you're in finland, and you've got some of the best people with you. and yet, you're saying you wished you were here playing pond with the rest of us? you're crazy. anyways, make sure you score a goal or something, and have lots of fun! honestly, not scoring is fine if you have fun. good luck at the world juniors! i'll be cheering you on from back home :))'
you signed off the letter, sealing it and placing it to the side to deliver later.
at seventeen years old, sidney had become the only under-18 player at this year's world junior tournament for team canada. it was a thing to celebrate, but sidney was upset he would be missing the town's annual christmas pond hockey game.
you and him had played together on the same team for the last nine years, winning every time. this was the first time he wouldn't be here to help your team defend the title.
but that was okay, you thought as you packed up your christmas gear and made your way to the pond.
because sidney was going to play on your t.v. tomorrow, at the national level. it was his first time playing for canada, and you knew he was excited for that.
he just wasn't a fan of missing the small things.
it was why he'd began sending you letters and post cards as he moved around for tournaments and hockey games. they were cute souvenirs, and you didn't mind sending him a letter back.
you just wished he could've been here to celebrate christmas with the rest of you.
--
iii. (2009 - pretend ft was invented a year earlier)
"merry christmas, love."
you smiled, "merry christmas sid."
sidney adjusted his phone, fixing the facetime so you could see him better. you laughed as he struggled for a minute, finally getting a proper angle.
"don't move!" you said. "there, perfect. now your entire face is on my screen."
he laughed as he shook his head to himself.
the two of you had been friends for thirteen years before he worked up the courage to ask you out. and for the last two years of your relationship had been amazing. there were ups, like seeing him win the stanley cup, and there were downs, like seeing him take some uncalled for hits.
but you were happy. and so was sid.
the two of you had planned to celebrate christmas together in pittsburgh, until a family emergency had you coming back to nova scotia last minute.
everything turned out fine, but it was just too late to get a ticket back to pittsburgh.
even so, you and sid had found a way to work around that.
the two of you spent most of the day on the phone with each other, talking and laughing together. it wasn't what either of you had planned, but you made it enjoyable.
it was a great christmas.
--
iv. (2012)
"sidney, will you get down here already?"
"i'm coming, i'm coming," he called from upstairs.
you sighed, waiting for your husband to get up and get downstairs. christmas morning was the one morning you were happy to get out of bed, but it was also the one morning sid wanted to sleep in.
sam, sidney's dog, came down the stairs, curling around by the christmas tree as he waited for sid with you.
a few minutes passed before sidney made his way downstairs, eyes half closed but a sleepy smile plastered on his face to greet you.
"good morning, love," he pressed a kiss to your forehead. "merry christmas."
"merry christmas," you smiled, pressed a kiss to his jaw. "we eating breakfast first or presents first?"
"mmm, breakfast," sid decided.
"i knew you were going to say that," you laughed, pulling him along to the kitchen.
you'd already prepared breakfast before he came down. some eggs, sausage and bread. it was a good way to pass the time as you waited for sid to get downstairs.
the two of you took your seats, laughing as you ate breakfast and discussed how far you'd gone in life together.
"you almost tripped on the ice," he reminded you.
"no one told me i had to go out on the ice after you guys won," you argued. "i was so excited over you guys winning the stanley cup, i didn't even notice i was being ushered to the ice until i took my first step."
sid laughed as the two of you slowly made your way to the living room.
"here, open my present first," he said, rummaging under the tree to pull out a long, rectangular box.
the two of you had started the tradition of opening all of your sentimental gifts before the other cute ones. and even though you wanted to go first this year, you supposed it was alright if sid got this one.
you unwrapped the box, pulling out a familiar hockey stick. one that you'd given sidney eighteen years ago.
"oh my god," you muttered, tears building up in your eyes.
"i found it in my parent's garage last summer," he shrugged a little. "i remembered how badly you wanted it. and even though it's too small now, i thought you'd like the memory."
"i love it," you grinned, wiping the corners of your eyes. "it's absolutely perfect. i'm putting this up next to that picture of you holding up the trophy."
sid laughed at your response, pressing a kiss to your forehead.
"you can do whatever you like with it."
you put the stick to the side, your hands slightly shaky as you grabbed another, much smaller, box. "here. now open my present."
sid took the box from your hands, unwrapping it and opening it. he stared at the contents of the box, unable to form a sentence as he looked between the box and you.
"you -- this -- seriously?" his eyes shined as he stared at you.
you nodded, feeling the tears build up yourself. "we're having a baby."
sid laughed, pulling you in for a hug. "oh my god, this is amazing. a baby, you and me."
the two of you held each other that day, celebrating christmas together.
#naqia's end of the year celly!#naqia writes!#sidney crosby#sidney crosby blurb#sidney crosby imagine#sidney crosby fic#sidney crosby imagines#sidney crosby blurbs#sidney crosby fics#sidney crosby x reader#pittsburgh penguins#pittsburgh penguins imagines#pittsburgh penguins x reader#hockey one shot#hockey fic#hockey#nhl one shot#nhl hockey#nhl imagine#nhl fic
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As it Comes Back to Me
Natasha Romanoff x WinterSoldier!Reader
Summary: Your whole life you'd been living for a mission, whether it be protecting your family or fighting just to see the next sunrise. If you didn’t slow down though, you stood to lose someone you couldn’t live without.
Takes place during the events of Captain America: Civil War.
Word Count: 8,000
A/N: I spent way too much time writing this instead of studying for class.
“Hey kids,” you said, walking up to wrap your arms around Steve and Bucky. You’d just been promoted to Major and had been sent back to the states to escort a fresh round of recruits to the front. There was a big event tonight though which begged for your attention. Howard Stark was showing some new invention or other of his. You’d never been too interested in what the scientists had to say, but there would be plenty of girls out looking to be asked to a dance.
Steve, your little brother–both in age and stature–looked less than thrilled at your return. “What’s wrong, buddy?” You asked, shaking his shoulder.
“It’s not fair,” he protested, shrugging out of your embrace. “I should be heading out with you and Buck tomorrow. I want to fight. I know I can help.” You felt for Steve. If it was him and Bucky standing in uniform and not you, you’re sure you’d be missing out on a whole lot.
“I know, I know. I’m sure you’d give them Nazis real cause to turn and run,” you said, knowing he wouldn’t be able to hold a rifle properly.
“Yeah,” Bucky added. “Ya know you should’ve seen him earlier today. Fought off some punk in an alleyway with a trash can lid. Kicked his ass real good if you ask me.”
“Bucky,” Steve said. “Ya said you wouldn’t tell.”
“Oh, right. Sorry, what I meant to say was that Steve got beat up and I had to come rescue him.” The soon to be sergeant ruffled your brother’s hair.
“No, I know what you’re really upset about is that I’m stealing your boy here,” you said, nodding at Bucky.
“Yeah, yeah, enough. Now come on, I wanna get a good look at the car. All the posters were sayin’ Stark could make it fly.” Steve began to weave his way through the crowd, giving you no choice but to follow.
“I’m worried about leaving him here all alone, ya know?” Bucky said, a crease forming between his brow.
“He’s tough, and he’s smart. Always has been, you know that. Honestly, if they should be sendin’ anyone to fight they should be sendin’ him instead of us. But spirit’s not gonna win a fight, ya gotta back it up with somethin’. Point is, he’ll be fine on his own. Maybe if we’re lucky when we get back he’ll have found himself a nice girl to care for.” You smirked at Bucky.
He ignored the jab as he waved at a group of nice looking girls. You waved too, flashing a smile and admiring the way their skirts fit. “Hey girls!” He shouted. As they made their way through the bustling crowd, he turned to you again. “I just worry about him. I care about him a lot and I can see how torn up he is about us gettin’ to go when he can’t.” A frown appeared to dim the light on his face. “What if he does something stupid while we’re off?”
You clapped him on the shoulder and said, “You worry too much Barnes. You ought to save some of that for the war.”
Giggling, the girls–the names of which Bucky had supplied earlier and which you had promptly forgotten–siddled up. The one nearest to you was a brunette with a yellow skirt and a white flower in her hair. She took your hand and pulled you right up to the front row. “Come on soldier, the show is startin’.”
You smiled and let yourself get lost among the din and the spectacle.
From beside you, Steve waved at you and said your name.
He said your name again, and again. You finally tore your gaze away from the TV monitor mounted in the corner of the room. Steve was much, much bigger now; even taller than you. You were still adjusting to the change. Although he still had the same kind gaze that came with naturally always wanting to do what was right, and believing others wanted the same. You wondered if you had been like that once too.
“We need to get him out of there,” he said. Your gaze flicked back over to the security footage that showed Bucky restrained in a mobile holding unit reinforced with metal supports and bullet proof glass. You had thought he was dead, and turns out Steve had thought the both of you were long gone. And apparently, fate wasn’t done with any of you yet. Bucky looked drastically different. His hair had grown out to his chin and he had lost the boyish swagger and proud glimmer in his eyes. But beneath the bulk and hardened exterior you still saw your friend.
“I know. Something doesn’t feel right about this,” you said. A year ago you had been similarly detained. But you were held in the Avengers Compound and were surrounded by friendly faces. The people here were not so sympathetic. You could feel the passing judgment not just on the Winter Soldier, but on you as well.
“Maybe we could talk to Tony again,” Steve said.
From his seat across the table Sam shook his head. “Did you not just hear him tell us he was fully committed to kissing the government’s ass? Steve, I understand this whole ‘peace at all costs’ approach, but I have a feeling we’re not going to get our way by talking this time.”
“Sam’s right,” you said, mouth twisting into a defeated frown. Through the glass wall of the office you were sitting in you watched a certain Avenger weave her way through the crowded room. You were torn, but Natasha had made her choice. “We’re going to have to consider punching our way out of this one. I got off lucky, but things are different now. The whole world is watching what will happen to him. Compromise isn’t an option anymore.”
Hands on his hips, Steve sighed. “Well, we aren’t going to be able to grab him and get out of here. And we need our gear back if we have any hopes of not getting locked up in a real cell.”
As if sensing your staring, Natasha looked over. Quickly you averted your eyes and suddenly found the tabletop very interesting. But you knew she had caught you. Just a couple of weeks ago you had been spending your mornings going out on runs with her and your evenings watching her try and fail to play chef. She could go on for hours talking about the world and bringing you up to speed. You didn’t know what was more interesting; that the world had turned upside down or the way her voice sounded as she helped you make sense of it all.
And you both enjoyed the newfound freedom neither of you believed you’d ever see nor deserved. You had thought you knew her well enough to predict which side of the so-called Sokovia Accords she would be on. Turned out maybe you didn’t.
Sharon Carter walked into the sound proofed room, hopefully bringing more news. She seemed to have a soft spot for Steve, and you and Sam by extension. She was also the only person here that seemed to want to communicate with the three of you.
On the screen a man sat down at a table across from Bucky. He shuffled some papers around and faced your friend as if in conversation. You stood with your hands braced on the table and watched intently. A glove covered the shiny metal of your right hand. Under your sleeve, the flexible steel plating melded with flesh just below your elbow.
You knew visual without audio would only get you so far, but you’d be damned if you could figure out how to turn it on.
“The receipt for your gear,” Sharon said, handing a slip of paper to Sam.
He took one look at it and scoffed. “Bird costume? Come on.”
“I didn’t write it,” she said, trying to hide a faint smile. Now was not the time for jokes. Noticing the attention on the TV screen she pushed some buttons on a control panel and the audio switched on.
The camera showed a modestly dressed middle-aged man. “I’m not here to judge you,” he told Bucky. “I just want to ask you a few questions. Do you know where you are, James?.” He glanced down at his notes and removed his glasses amicably. From another angle, part of the screen detailed an uncomfortably close profile of Bucky’s face. After a moment of silence, he went on. “I can’t help you if you don’t talk to me, James.”
“My name is Bucky,” he answered, still not making eye contact with the man.
“Who is that man?” You asked, wary of the stranger who was supposedly the only person authorized to make contact with the Winter Soldier.
“He’s a psychologist sent by the United Nations just to conduct a primary evaluation. I’m not familiar with him personally,” Sharon said.
Steve studied the blurry photograph of Bucky that had been taken after he set the bomb off in Vienna. “Why would the Task Force release this photo to begin with?”
“Get the word out, involve as many eyes as we can?” Sharon supplied.
“Right. It’s a good way to flush a guy out of hiding. Set off a bomb, get your picture taken. Get seven billion people looking for the Winter Soldier.” You could see the gears in his brain turning. Steve had always been the intuitive one.
“You’re saying someone framed him to find him,” Sharon said, catching on.
Sam spoke up, unsure of where your brother was going. “Steve, we looked for the guy for two years and found nothing.”
“Sam has a point,” you said. You were all too familiar with the Winter Soldier program. If you didn’t want to be found, you had the ability to make yourself dead to the world. “We were trained to blend in, to hide in plain sight. Even if he had to run, no one man would ever be able to find him.”
“We didn’t bomb the UN. That turns a lot of heads,” Steve asserted.
“Yeah, but to your point,” Sharon said, nodding at you. “That doesn’t guarantee that whoever framed him would get him. It guarantees that we would.”
“Yeah,” Steve breathed.
So there was a mole in the government, and he was probably in the building. Your gaze narrowed and you watched the people milling about outside your little bubble with a new suspicion. Whoever it was was obviously already ten steps ahead, you would have to wait until he made his next move. Beside you Sam stood from his seat, eyes similarly flicking from the screen to the windows and back. Steve looked like a racehorse ready to spring from its stall.
From the corner of the room, the conversation continued on through the speakers, even if no one was paying much attention any longer. “Tell me, Bucky. You’ve seen a great deal, haven’t you?” The man asked.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“You fear that…if you open your mouth, the horrors might never stop. Don’t worry.”
The CIA agent, Captain America, the Falcon, and the Wolf Spider were too busy looking for a threat aimed at themselves to notice what was going on before them.
In the secured, private room five levels below the surface, Helmut Zemo received a message on his phone. A package of his had been delivered. Looking up, he wiped the false pretenses of innocence from his face. “We only have to talk about one.”
For a moment the room was plunged in darkness before emergency lights bathed the building in a red glow. The monitor with the video footage remained black. You looked at Sam. Now was your chance.
Steve looked to Sharon and she spoke without hesitation. “Sub-level five, east wing.”
No sooner than she had finished were the three of you bolting from the office and back the way you had been escorted in. You flew down the stairwell, concerned only for Bucky and getting to him before it was too late. But even super soldiers could only descend a dozen floors so fast. Heart racing, you jumped down the last flight, only to be met with a sign on the wall that read ‘Sub-Level 5; West.’
Without pause you pushed through the nearest doorway and wound your way through the maze of hallways. “This way!” Sam shouted. You and Steve rounded on your heels and went sprinting after him down a narrow corridor that served as a connection between the two wings of the building. The soft glow of emergency lighting lit the way, but between flashes the basement levels were pitch black. In the final stretch you overtook him and spilled out into another landing.
The doors to the room on your right were destroyed. A dozen guards lay spread out on the floor unconscious. The chamber was completely silent, but you doubted the chase truly ended here. You knelt and checked the pulse of the agent at your feet. He was alive.
“Help me. Help,” a voice cried out from further in the room. You picked up a discarded pistol and tucked it into the back of your waistband.
Steve was closer to the man than you and wasted no time picking him up and pinning him against the wall by his jacket collar. “Get up.” You’d never heard him sound so furious. “Who are you? What do you want?”
“To see an empire fall,” the man replied vaguely. After staring down Steve he turned to face you with the gleam of a predator in his eyes.Your heart pounded in your chest.
“Steve, we need to find Bucky,” you said.
The echo of footsteps rang down the hall as Sam caught up. Right as he stepped through the door Bucky came lunging out of the shadows, metal fist swinging for Sam’s face. Sam ducked just in time to avoid getting his teeth knocked out. Instead, a fist-sized chunk of the concrete wall blew away into pulverized chunks. But by the time he righted himself Bucky had already launched another attack. This time he grabbed him by the jaw and threw him all the way across the room to crash into the holding unit. The impact was enough to knock him out cold.
Steve looked torn between chasing after Bucky, checking on Sam, and further interrogating the psychologist.
“Go,” you said, nodding toward Bucky. “I got him.”
Steve launched himself at Bucky and pushed him back out into the hall.
You pulled the gun and trained it on the guilty party. Outside the exaggerated sound of two super soldiers fighting reverberated back to you. The shuffle of quick footwork followed by the concerning crash of a metal fist colliding with a wall at inhuman speed.
“Your name. Now,” you demanded.
“My full title is Baron Helmut Zemo. But I think the more important question is, who are you?”
The brawl in the hallway had stopped, and the renewed silence made you uneasy. “Enough with the games.” You flicked the pistol toward the exit. “Move. I’m taking you upstairs.”
He began to pick his way slowly across the room. “Okay, you’ve got me beat. But I just need to know one thing. Steve seems to think you’ve miraculously been returned to him the same as before he became Captain America.” It bothered you, how Zemo felt he had the right to use your brother’s name. “Show me what you hide from them, Wolf Spider. Show me who you really are.”
“Shut up,” you said, annoyed with his riddled speech. But before you could make another move, Bucky came ramming back into the holding room, kicking right at your stomach. The impact forced you to take a knee and as you scrambled to stand up, Zemo pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and began to speak. “Мрамор.”
Even over the rushes of blood pumping through your veins and the stomp of Bucky’s boots on the ground, you still heard it. Like a heat-seeking missile the word wormed its way into your brain and you faltered.
Panic seized you. You needed to get to Zemo. “Bucky, stop!” You yelled, desperate for any way to get around him for even a second. As you tried to stand he planted a foot and your chest and pushed you to the floor. The air left your lungs in a gust as your back slammed into the cement. The gun went flying from your grip and skittering across the floor. “Dick move, Barnes,” you said in a strained whisper.
“Восемь,” Zemo said, sounding closer now even though you couldn’t see him. You clamped your hands over your ears and screamed. Taking a chance you bashed your metal fist into Bucky’s knee and charged for Zemo. “Жжение.” His voice sent you careening off course as if repelled by his words. Fighting for any last scrap of control you punched the wall until your knuckles left bloody streaks. You counted back from ten in your head, jaw clenched so tight it was close to shattering.
Your defenses broken, Bucky reengaged the fight. You scrambled, narrowly blocking his punches from beating your face in and counting you out. You reassessed and went on the offensive. You’d have to take him out before going for his handler.
Easier said than done.
“Рекрут.” You fought even harder, even as a fog crept up the back of your mind. Where was Steve?
“Снегопад.” Another nail in the coffin. He landed a punch to your face and a deep split opened on your cheek. You barely felt the blood run down to your chin.
“Пять.” You managed to land a right hook on Bucky’s weak side. You capitalized on the small victory. Seizing him by the shoulders you grappled with him for a moment before sweeping his leg from under him. He fell with a thud and you lined up a kick to the side of his head. You’d apologize later.
“Увядший.” The Wolf Spider crawled up the back of your spine, jaws gnashing at your brain for control. Your attention slipped for a fraction of a second. But that was all the time the Winter Soldier needed. He seized your ankle and pulled you to the ground. Before you could get your bearings he clamped his fist around your neck and threw you against the wall.
“послушный.” The Soldier rammed his knee into your stomach and you doubled over in an attempt to suck air back into your lungs. The room spun and the lights blurred together. A male Sokovian accented voice was all you could hear above the ringing in your ears.
An arm snaked around your throat from behind and forced you to stand.
“An impressive attempt to be sure. But I’ve found that dogs can always be tamed.”
A fading voice in the back of your mind yelled at you to fight. Halfheartedly you tried to twist out of the Soldier’s hold.
“Одиннадцать.” A dam had cemented itself and separated you from your body.
“Пекин.” Your breathing became even and you looked to the man before you for instruction.
“Солдат?” He asked.
“Я готов отвечать.”
—
Natasha Romanoff walked through the chaos-ridden office, catching up to Tony Stark. Your swift absence hadn’t escaped her notice. She had almost chased after you herself. She’d desperately been wanting to talk to you since the Accords had been dropped in the team’s lap, but you had made yourself scarce since. She could tell that her decision had upset you, even if you were as unlikely to tell her so as you were to turn your back on Steve and Bucky.
“Please tell me you brought a suit,” she said. Because a fight against three super soldiers would be much easier won with a trick of their own.
“Sure did,” the Iron Man replied. “It’s a lovely Tom Ford, three-piece, two-button.” He stopped his nervous rant. “I’m an active-duty non-combatant.” Fancy speak for the government not being comfortable with his access to the greatest weapon’s system on the planet.
Sharon Carter ran up to them, an earpiece providing information Natasha nor Tony were privy to. “Follow me,” she told them.
They made their way downstairs onto the ground level. “The Winter Soldier has been unleashed,” Agent Carter said. “He’s on this floor in the lobby, probably trying to escape.”
“That’s a no-can-do from Agent Ross. We need a plan. Nat?” Tony looked expectantly toward the Black Widow.
“Why is it always up to me?” She asked, even as a plan formed in her mind.
“Because everyone knows my job is to look good and provide charity for you free loaders.”
Natasha narrowed her gaze at Tony’s watch. “Which outfit is that a part of?”
“It is as practical as it is fashionable. Glasses too,” he said.
“Tony, you’ll come up on him from behind. Get his attention, and try to disarm him if you can. Carter and I will be right behind.”
“I don’t remember volunteering to be the bait, Romanoff.”
Natasha motioned for Sharon and they picked their way around the edge of the sun-lit lobby. Civilian workers fleeing for their lives rushed around them in a current, but the women stood as solid as stone. The sound of combat reached her ears before she was able to see into the main lobby. A metal fist pounded against flesh and man after man crumpled to the floor. The snap of a bone being broken and the subsequent screams.
Natasha rounded the corner into the foyer just as a terrible supersonic blast flooded the area. Tony had stunned the attacker if only for a moment. To her horror it wasn’t Barnes standing there, but you. She couldn’t see your face as you moved to pummel Tony, but she knew what she’d see. A figure of a ghost from the Red Room flashed before her eyes.
A gunshot shook her out of her stupor and she ran after Sharon into the fray. You elbowed Tony in the face before punching him in the gut hard enough to send him flying into a table several feet away.
Before you could finish the job Sharon ran at you, forcing you to block a kick and a jab. You wound up an answering punch that would’ve cracked her sternum but she ducked away and you missed. As you recovered, Natasha lodged a knee into your stomach before crouching down to jab you in the groin. She didn’t want to fight you, but she would. All it took was one look into your eyes to separate the Wolf Spider from the person she knew you were.
Sharon landed a roundhouse kick to the head but as she wound up for a second assault you caught her leg and hurled her down onto a table. The legs broke underneath with a clatter.
As you were turned around, Natasha took the opportunity to seize you from behind and flip herself up onto your shoulders. With anyone else she would’ve been able to floor them from this position. But the Wolf Spider intimately knew all of the Black Widow’s moves. All those years ago, you had taught her much of the combat she still used today.
She rained down blows on your head as you crossed the lobby. She grunted as she threw her fists down over and over in a vain attempt to get you to drop her. Instead you carried her to a table and slammed her down. Before she could recover, you clamped your hand around her neck and choked her out.
Scrabbling at your metal forearm, Natasha’s face burned red. She felt her windpipe being crushed under your grip. But even under the eclipse of death’s shadow, the scariest thing was what they’d done to you. She knew you’d tear yourself up about it later, and worse she knew no one here would understand.
On the verge of passing out, she managed one last choked whisper. “You could at least recognize me.” Maybe, as Natasha’s heart was shattered in two, she could pass some of that anguish onto you.
If anything you only squeezed harder and she felt the strength waste away from her muscles.
Seemingly out of nowhere you were shoved off of her. She gasped and pulled as much air in as she could through her bruised throat. All she could manage was to stare up at the ceiling and blink away the spots from her vision.
Rallying, Natasha pushed herself up and saw Tony standing over you with his mechanical gloved hand extended. She coughed and asked, “How?”
You were on your knees, hands clamped tightly over your ears and fingers digging into the back of your head.
“Lucky guess,” Tony said. “Think of it like a dog whistle, but for super soldiers. And also like blow your head off levels of loud. Had to estimate the frequency after getting beaten half to death. But it looks like I’ve outwitted the killing machine.”
Natasha was frozen. You’d just about suffocated her, but a large part of her still wanted to yell at Tony and tell him to cut it out. “Does it hurt?”
“Well, it’s no symphony, I can tell you that.”
She threw a glare in his direction.
“I don’t know. Ballpark? Somewhere between a migraine and an ice pick through the ear.”
A dozen more security personnel came flooding in. They rounded in a circle around you and half of them readied their guns. The rest assaulted you with tasers. You fell to the floor in a series of violent spasms and Natasha looked away.
“Let’s get this one ready for transport,” one barked.
“Natasha, are you okay?” Tony asked.
“I’m fine,” she said, voice still raw.
“That psycho almost killed you.” He always got assertive when he was worried. “You see, this is why we need the Accords. To keep chaos from breaking out in refuges of peace for godsake.”
Natasha looked back at where your limp body was being dragged away. She wished she could go back to before any of this started. She was terrified that she had missed her chance to tell you how she felt. “He’s not a psycho.”
“Then you and I have very different definitions of the word.”
“Stark.” The disappointed voice of Secretary Ross called.
“We have the Wolf Spider in custody sir.” Tony adjusted his tie.
“And Barnes, Wilson, and the other Rogers are all in the wind. One out of four is three less than I expected of you.”
But Natasha had had enough of Thadeus Ross for a lifetime. She walked away wishing that you were by her side instead. Isolated from the beaurucrats and politicians and the bridge with Steve having been thoroughly burned, she felt lost. All around her the pieces of the life she had worked so hard to build lay scattered. The overwhelming urge to hit something surged. How did she get here?
—
You sat by Natasha under a tree in the forest behind the Avengers’ Compound. The chirping birds and the rustle of wind through the leaves were the only sounds that broke the silence out here. Everything at the compound was a blur of light and rush of movement all the time. You couldn’t get two seconds without someone needing something from you. So you had developed the habit of sneaking out and picking a random direction to pass an afternoon.
Natasha had a book in her hands. Today her hair was pulled back in a braid and thrown over her shoulder. You liked when she put it up because you could see her face more clearly.
“He talked a lot about the past, and I gathered that he wanted to recover something, some idea of himself perhaps, that had gone into loving Daisy,” she read. You ran your hand through the grass and dirt absentmindedly. “Are you listening?”
“Yeah, of course.” You had been listening, but not to what she said, but how she spoke it. “It’s just I’ve read Gatsby before. Jay is a dreamer, but he still loses everything. It’s not fair. He didn’t know any better but to follow his heart.”
“That’s not how I see it,” she replied. “Listen. ‘His life had been confused and disordered since then, but if he could once return to a certain starting place and go over it all slowly, he could find out what that thing was’.” She shifted closer, leg almost bumping your own. Uncomfortable with the proximity bordering on affection you subtly moved away. “Jay is chasing a life that he can no longer have. And in the process he ruins himself, and the woman he loves. He should’ve known better.”
Overhead the branches had become indistinguishable from one another and instead blended together as one entrapment. The fading orange glow cast by the setting sun reminded you to start heading back. The woods would be near impossible to navigate without the light. You stood and reached a hand out to help Natasha up. She grasped it tightly and instead pulled you down to her.
“You should’ve known better.” A haunted despair paled her features.
“What?”
The crack of fracturing bones echoed throughout the lonely clearing and Natasha cried out. Your hand had begun to squeeze hers tight enough to crush it. You willed yourself to let go but your stubborn metal fist refused to obey.
“You destroy everything you love, even if you never say the words out loud.”
A bullet hole slowly materialized in the middle of her forehead. Blood seeped down her face and she smiled a bloody smile.
“You should’ve stayed dead.”
You jerked yourself awake with a gasp. The dream faded from your mind almost immediately, as had the once before where you’d been stuck in a cave, and the one before that where you’d slaughtered an entire family.
You took a second to examine the unfamiliar environment. The cell you were in was bright and clean, and the camera assured there was no privacy. Across from you was an identical unit. In fact, the entire room was just an octagon of prison cells.
You rubbed at your face, only for the movement to be followed by a metallic clanking. Both of your wrists were manacled with thick iron cuffs which were anchored to the wall with a chain. Your left wrist was chaffed and dried blood coated your hand. Alarm surged through you.
No, you would rather die than play prisoner and puppet for anyone else again.
You stood up, suddenly feeling claustrophobic. But when you tried to step away from the wall you were yanked back, not by your wrists, but by a chain around your neck. Coughing, you fell back against the wall and pulled at the tight restraint. All you succeeded in doing was irritating the inflamed skin underneath.
“Hey buddy, are you okay?”
You snapped your attention to the voice. You didn’t recognize the guy who had spoken, but the man in the cell next to him looked familiar. Your head throbbed as you tried to remember. He had short brown hair and sat hunched over on a bench, just watching.
“Fine,” you said. Your voice sounded about as shitty as the rest of your body felt. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Scott. You actually don’t know me cause we haven’t met, but I fought with your brother. He’s a really nice guy. Of course you know that.” You shot him a glare. “You know what, I’m just going to shut up now.”
Confusion spun your battered brain around even further. Your brother. You had a brother named Steve. Steve was small so you had to–wait, that wasn’t quite right. Steve’s strength had caught up to the size of his will. He was a soldier. The Soldier. Солдат. A fresh pang wracked your head. No. A captain. Captain America.
The room felt cold but your hand was clammy. Sweat dampened your hair as if you had caught a fever. You squeezed your eyes shut. Why were these lights so damn bright? Where were you?
“Hey, what’s going on? I can’t see into the cell. Is he back?”
You knew that voice. You trusted it as well as you may trust anyone. If only you could think harder. You opened your eyes and again saw the familiar-looking man. The name came to you this time. “Clint,” you said.
Hope cleared some of the melancholic fog that had marred his features.
“Where are we? What happened? Where’s Steve?”
When he spoke, it was reserved, but you could tell he was holding back. “Steve called me. The Avengers fought. Some of them are picking up the mess. The rest of us landed our asses in here. You though…you were already here when they brought us in. I wish I could tell you why.”
“It’s Sam,” the man in the unit directly to the right of yours said. He banged on the wall for effect. “You were with me and Steve back in Berlin. Bucky was controlled and he went after us. He knocked me out and by the time I woke everyone was gone. I met up with Steve and Bucky outside, but you were gone. I’m sorry. If we would have known…”
“It’ll come back eventually.” Even if you could barely remember your own name now, somehow you knew this. The memories always came back, especially the bad ones.
“I should tell you, this isn’t the first time you’ve woken up,” Clint said. Scott looked away. “The first two times you didn’t say anything or acknowledge us. You just pulled away as hard as you could until you made yourself pass out.”
“Great,” you muttered under your breath. So they had all received a front row view of the mindless monster you were. “What is this place, anyway?”
“They call it the Raft. It’s an American prison unit that they dropped into the middle of the Atlantic.” Barton’s voice had taken on an undercurrent of anger. “It’s where they stick the worst of the worst.”
“Is anyone else here?” You asked.
“Wanda. Probably. I don’t know, they put her in a separate transport.” Your heart dropped. Why would they bring her into this? She was just a kid. And with her powers, you could only imagine what they were doing to keep her locked up.
You didn’t ask if there was a plan. The atmosphere here wasn’t exactly revolutionary. You drew your knees up to your chest and rested as best as you could.
Sometime later–you were sure the room had been built to be purposefully disorienting–the door slid open with a whir. In walked Tony Stark, his left arm in a sling and sporting a terrible black eye.
Clint stood up and began to slowclap, finally finding a target to take his anger out on. “The Futurist, gentlemen! The Futurist is here! He sees all! He sknows what’s best for you, whether you like it or not.”
The goading worked, drawing Tony’s attention away from you. “Give me a break, Barton. I had no idea they would put you here. Come on.”
He spit on the ground in defiance. “Yeah, well, you knew they’d put us somewhere, Tony.”
“Yeah, but not some super-max floating ocean pokey.” Stark gestured at the barred cells, gaze catching on you for a moment. “You know, this place is for maniacs. This is a place for…”
“Criminals?” Clint walked closer to the glass of his cage. “Criminals, Tony. Think that’s the word you’re looking for. Right?” The two estranged teammates stood eye to eye. “That didn’t used to mean me. Or Sam, or Wanda. But here we are.” A long time ago that didn’t used to mean you either.
“Because you broke the law.”
“Yeah.”
“I didn’t make you.”
Clint turned his back on Tony. “La, la, la, la, la…”
“Alright, you’re all grown up, you got a wife and kids. I don’t understand, why didn’t you think about them before you chose the wrong side?” Realizing he wasn’t going to get anywhere with Clint he walked away.
Barton rounded on him. “You gotta watch your back with this guy. There’s a chance he’s gonna break it,” he said, slamming on the glass.
“Hank Pym always said, you never can trust a Stark,” Scott said with as much menace in his voice as he could conjure. You wondered how a civilian like him had gotten wrapped up in this fight.
“Who are you?” Stark walked right past him and onto Sam’s unit.
“Come on, man.”
“How’s Rhodes?” Wilson asked, not as willing to bite as Clint had been.
“They’re flying him to Columbia Medical tomrrow. So…fingers crossed. What do you need? They feed you yet?”
You couldn’t see Sam from your cell, but you hoped that he’d tell Stark off too.
“You’re the good cop now?” He asked sarcastically.
“I’m just the guy who needs to know where Steve went.”
“Well, you better go get a bad cop, because you’re gonna have to go Mark Fuhrman on my ass to get information out of me.”
Stark messed with his watch. “Oh, I just knocked the ‘A’ out of their ‘AV’. We got about thirty seconds before they realize it’s not their equipment.” You looked up at the security camera in the corner of your cell. Could he really do that? “Just look,” he went on. “Because that is the fellow who was supposed to interrogate Barnes.” A little picture of a clearly dead man appeared out of thin air. “Clealy, I made a mistake. Sam, I was wrong.”
“That’s a first.”
“Cap is definitely off the reservation but he’s about to need all the help he can get. We don’t know each other very well. You don’t have to…”
“Hey, it’s alright,” Sam interrupted. You wished you were in his eyeline so you could shake your head no in silent protest. But you didn’t have the energy or mental capacity to pick a verbal fight right now so you stayed quiet. “Look, I’ll tell you…but you have to go alone and as a friend.”
“Easy.”
Sam spoke so quietly you were sure without super hearing you wouldn’t have heard. “They went to an old Soviet-HYDRA bunker in Siberia. The fake doctor is going to unleash five more Winter Soldiers.”
“Okay. Wilson, I won’t forget this,” he said with fake malice in his voice to impress the cameras.
He turned to you next. “Rogers.” He saluted. Shame burned your face. You felt like a wild animal on display. And Tony Stark’s presence wasn’t exactly a comforting one since you presumed he was largely at fault for the team’s current predicament. “You’re not going to go all Terminator on me again, are you?”
You stared at him blankly, not moving from your place on the floor in the middle of the cell.
“Really? Nothing. I just came up with that one. Any messages from you to your brother I can deliver when I find him?”
“Tell him after all this he needs to get his ass as far from trouble as possible. Tell him I’m right where I should be.”
“How about I just say you’ll send him a postcard?” He quipped, walking away.
“Stark,” you called. “Lay a hand on Steve and I will find you.”
He didn’t turn back, but he gave a thumbs up on his way out.
—
You don’t think you could ever tire of the view before you. For most of your life you never believed you’d travel outside New York City, but here you were on the other side of the world. The waters below the ship were as blue and clean as great artists imagined in their scenes. The current lapped gently at the hull and you let the sound wash through you. Ahead, snow-capped mountains rose into the cloudy sky. The buildings and streets you were so used to being surrounded by in the city were replaced by miles of undisturbed woodland. The sky was overcast, but calm for now. Mist hung in the air and clung to your jacket. Maybe it would storm later, maybe it wouldn’t. You found peace in the apprehension.
“Hey,” Natasha said. You hadn’t heard her come up. She joined you at the railing and pushed a phone into the water.
“How’s the Good Secretary?”
“I’ve got him chasing his tail in D.C. We are officially in the wind.”
Steve and Natasha had broken you out of the Raft three days ago. Since then you’d decided to split up while the heat died down. He had wanted you to go with him, but you couldn’t look at your brother without feeling crushed by six decades worth of guilt. You still thought he would be safer without you, but you couldn’t escape the disappointed look on his face. Hurting him was like kicking a little puppy.
“Steve would love this place,” you said. Natasha took in the view while you admired her. Her hair was down and flowed past her shoulders. The wind blew strands of it about in a way that told you God indeed played favorites. “He loved to draw. And he was damn good at it too. Kid used to draw everything. Our old apartment, back alleys, the sky. He wouldn’t know what to do if he saw all of this.”
“You’re worried about him.”
“Really? Was I being that obvious?” You were tired, but you smiled anyway.
“The first time I met Steve he couldn’t make heads or tails of the shirt on his back, much less anything else humanity had changed. Yesterday, he was piloting the most advanced jet on the planet. Sounds like he’s the same resilient kid you grew up with. Except now he can throw a man a couple dozen yards.”
“I think he could literally be invincible and I’d still worry,” you admitted.
“I think that’s how family is supposed to work. And if it helps, he’s got Sam to watch his back.”
“Why did you volunteer to come with me?” You asked. You bit your lip nervously and scanned the grayish-blue horizon. “I almost killed you. I mean I would have killed you if Stark hadn’t…” You’d opened Pandora’s Box and couldn’t stop all of the guilt from pouring out. “And all those years ago in the Red Room, what I did to you. Why don’t you hate me?”
“Because I know who you really are. And that wasn’t you. Never was.” She said it so fervently that you almost believed her.
“But that’s just the thing. It was me. All of that blood is on my hands. If something happened to you, that would be on me.” And I don’t think I would survive without you. You left the rest unsaid, but it hung in the air just out of reach. “All he had to do was say the goddamn words and I lost it.”
“And you came back.” You found your mind wandering off into the mountains afar. “Hey look at me.” She laid a hand on your shoulder and brought you back from your reverie. Her warm breath fanned across your cheek. “You’re okay. We’re okay.”
“I can’t shake this feeling, Nat.” You heaved a shuddering breath. “That horrible voice is always in the back of my head. I’m so scared that one day it’ll drown me out.” Your eyes hurt from the force of holding back tears. “Please don’t let it drown me.”
Natasha wrapped her arms around you in a supportive hug. “I’ll never give up on you,” she said. “You can always come back to me.” You cautiously hugged her back and draped yourself over her. You concentrated on what was around you. The smell of the sea-salted air, the warmth of her body, the churn of the boat's engine.
You let her go and cleared your throat, rubbing harshly at your eyes. “Me too,” you said. “I mean, I’m here for you. ‘Til kingdom come.” You’d always fight for her. Truth is you had been for a long time now, you just didn’t realize it.
“You’re not the only one who’s done unspeakable things,” she whispered, as if preoccupied with reliving some awful memory. You weren’t the only one with demons intent on ruining any scrap of peace.
“Aren’t we quite the pair?” You inspected her hoodie and all of its familiarity. “Is that my sweatshirt?”
“No,” she lied, even as she messed with the ends of the sleeves that went well past her hands.
“Mhm. So did you bring any of my clothes for me or…?”
“I didn’t know if I was ever going to see you again,” Natasha said. Her voice was shaky with frustration and pent-up anxiety. “I was so worried. I thought that this would be all I had left to remember you by. I kept thinking that we would get into the Raft and you wouldn’t be there.”
“I’m sorry,” you said. The week and a half you were locked up for you hadn’t thought about where she might be. You told yourself you were too preoccupied with Steve and Bucky to otherwise focus. But you knew to think about Natasha was to admit you cared deeply for her. That was a battle you weren’t ready to surrender. “I didn’t know.” But maybe now was the time to lay down arms.
“That’s right you didn’t know. You didn’t think. That’s the problem you think you’re invincible and you run headfirst into danger time and time again.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“Except it’s not just you anymore, Rogers. There are people that care about you and how you act affects them. When you make a stupid move it’s not just you who suffers the consequences.” Her voice cracked under the weight of the words.
“I can’t just sit around when something goes bad. You can’t ask me to do that.” You had so much time, so many lives to make up for. And that came about by means of action.
“I thought that you were dead. Don’t you understand that?” Natasha’s eyes were full of sorrow and accusation. Your cheeks flushed and you stared into the icy waters. She had every right to be mad. “When they dragged you away I was sure they were going to execute you. Again.”
The reference stung. When the Red Room found out you’d broken your programming they’d practically beaten you to death in front of Natasha before shipping you back to HYDRA. The scars still burned in your dreams.
An apology formed on your lips. “I know,” she said. The bitterness had burned itself out of her tone. What was left you couldn’t describe. A profound understanding, edges brightened by the hope of a fresh start.
An unspoken something lingered in the cool morning air.
Natasha grabbed your gloved hand and intertwined her fingers with yours. She leaned over and rested her head on your shoulder. A warmth bloomed in your chest.
You thought that, just maybe, you’d found where you were supposed to be.
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The mindset of Light Side in Star Wars
This frame is possibly the clearest image of how Jedi win their fights.
But lets start from the beggining.
Recently it hit me how little of the actual force is in the Original trilogy of Star Wars. Let's see first movie:
Ben firstly makes his iconic "These aren't the droids you are looking for"
Luke stops the bolts while covering eyes
Vader chokes snarky admiral
Ben feels the destruction of Alderran
Ben's body dissappears
Luke shots down the death star
No flashy effects. No jumping, no pushing people around. Up until a finale, it seems Force is nothing special, trickery of sort, something to overlook. Until it proves Vader right: "The ability to destroy a planet is insignificant next to the power of the Force." and destroys the said Death Star, exploiting the very weakness that, althought the weakness in theory (planted intentionally according to new canon) shouldn't really be an issue, as it required miracle to work. And Force brought the miracle.
That's how Luke destroyed the Death Star, marking his first highlight of his road to become the Greatest Jedi in the Galaxy. But how would Sith come about destroying the Death Star?
Well, I say, if there was another Sith in the Galaxy, that dude would probably gather resorces and slaves and build his own Death Star, but bigger and deadlier. Or looked around Sith teaching and spells to become strong enough to crush it with his mind. Because that's how Sith mind works. "Unlimited POWER!!!" is their goal. When they see someone opposing them, they thing how to overpower them.
The Dark Side is "easier, quicker, more tempting". Because it's natural. Because Luke does exacly that, when he trains. He focuses on his strenght. Because his goal is to defeat the powerfull Empire. So he needs to become powerfull himself. And that is an invitation for dark side to enter the mind. The same way it entered the mind of his father.
Anakin wanted to gather enough power to save those he loves. And because he was also wronged by Jedi enough times not to trust them with his pet parrot if he had one, he was open to other advice. Don't get me wrong, power is sometimes an answer. But it should never be a goal.
That's the mindset Luke enters his fight with Vader. And he can't do a crap. The Dark Lord is to powerfull to overcome with strenght.
Jedi don't do that. Jedi deals with issues. Jedi helps others out. And in the process they learn and make friends. That's what Jedi wins with. Patience, wisdom and allies, not with power.
Every greatest victory of Jedi over Sith or any other villain is about Jedi bringing the miracules to life. Jedi always win when dark seems the darkest. Because that's when pride of villains comes full circle. Small things left behind gather together, teaching of mentors, friends and happy coincidences combined create the victory for good guys.
When Obi-Wan cut's Maul with a sword Sith forgot was lying there.
When He cuts his former apprentice legs off, because Anakin couldn't accept, that even he isn't all-powerfull.
When Ezra brings Purgils to fight, the one thing all-knowing, genius strategist had no way of predicting.
When Luke managed to break thru the mask of hate, inspiring his father to do the right thing in the most crucial moment in Star Wars history.
When on Endor, army of Empire fall under the invasion of literall teddy bears.
When Kanan, with no fear to cloud his mind, focused on simple tast of defeating Inquisitor, realised the sword that striked so much fear for how inventive it seemed, turned out to be extremely vulnerable.
Jedi don't gather strenght. And Jedi story is definitelly not about gathering the power of spirits or whatever to enhance the hero into overpowering the villain in the final showdown. Jedi win by performing small miracles here and there, patiently waiting for evil to dig it's own grave and then giving it just a little push with help of friends they made on their way.
That is the story of The Jedi, the greatest heroes Galaxy Far Away ever saw.
#star wars#original trilogy#star wars prequels#star wars original trilogy#star wars rebels#kanan jarrus#ezra bridger#luke skywalker#darth vader#why star wars are the best#jedi#return of the jedi#the force#light side
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FUN IS LOGICAL | HC
senku x gn!reader
set in ishigami village + volleyball player reader + fluff + light angst + light humor
as we know, senku isn’t very… sporty… fit… mm
“I’M DONE!” he heaves as he lays flat on the ground.
you huff, “we haven’t even started a match! all we’ve done is teach you the stances and-“
you go quiet when you know he isn’t even listening, his body is literally still as a dead body.
with a defeated, glum sigh, you walk away, teasingly walking over him to who knows where.
for certain, he’ll go back to his blueprints and try to please everyone except you.
first he saves ruri, then works night and day to prove how good his intellect is. it’s tiring, being on the side line.
speaking of side lines, you missed doing everything in your power to not have the ball go there.
you missed the thrill of running around, tensing your muscles for the ball’s impact and making up strategies to win
you sigh at the fond memory.
“so,” you jolt at someone’s voice, not having realized you were sitting on a rock and staring into space.
“kohaku,” you say with a gentle smile, not really in the mood to talk to anyone.
“what’s wrong? you seem pretty defeated, did you fight with senku?”
“hm? no, no we didn’t fight,” you shake your head.
“then?”
you turn to stare at her, fondly. “i don’t know man-“
“i’m a woman!”
“-i just miss playing volleyball. the thrill of it all. scraping your knees, your elbows when you fall from saving the ball. knocking into a groupmate and just… spending hours playing with friends… being competitive… i miss that.”
“volleyball…” kohaku mumbles, “is a game? sounds like a battle.”
you laugh, “almost! a battle to win and.. ah man,”
“woman.”
“i miss it.” you say, staring up into the sky. “i ask senku for just a moment…” you frown, “he has his own thing, something he loves. i don’t mind helping him, i know this is the best for humanity but, i just wish i had volleyball as my escape again.”
kohaku frowns, “what’s stopping you?”
you give her a look, “i don’t really have anyone to play with, senku made this ball for me and just gave it to me like he’s trying to get rid of a child.”
“that’s rude.”
“i guess,” you shrug.
“i still don’t get how you to are together,” she says honestly.
you smile, “me neither.”
she sees you sigh, looking anywhere with a saddened smile. “you know,” she starts, “while everyone appreciates the new things senku is showing and providing us, there’s no harm in learning games. after all, it’s something someone invented, right? something for people to also enjoy?”
you stare at her, surprised at this. “well.. yes-“
“then teach us! there’s lot’s of people in the village that would love a good competition! i’m sure sure of us warriors would be up for it!”
“are you serious?” you asks, heart racing with excitement.
“duh.”
and you stand up, following her back to the village. you see senku once more in his little world, a world you barely fit in.
but that’s okay, you’re looking forward to something more.
“volleyball!” you hear kohaku yell, “i dare you all to learn it and play!”
“hey, don’t force them-“ you try.
“it’s a game!” she grins.
“we have responsibilities, kohaku,” one of the warriors said.
“we could take a break,” another one says, “it’s pretty quiet today. “plus, games bring on challenges, no?” he asks you.
“well, yes. absolutely.” you smile, hoping you could at least round up four people.
“i’m down for a challenge!” another pipes up.
and soon, you got your six people, you and kohaku included. it was enough for you.
they were pretty good at listening and executing the practices and the stances. before long, they were ready to play.
it was so exiting, you’re pretty sure you were smiling the whole time, but your face doesn’t hurt.
what made you feel even better was that everyone else was enjoying it! two rounds later and a crowd started to form, mostly kids and teens but there was cheering and clapping.
you were soaring. and your team won.
“alright! guys! it’s getting dark!” gen says with a clap.
“that was great!” you laughed, drenched in sweat.
“water,” kohaku gasped.
“get your water over here please,” gen yells.
“good game guys! y’all learned fast!” you said as everyone ran towards gen.
“or you’re good at teaching,” senku’s voice came from behind.
you tensed, unsure whether to be petty or forgive him for his lack of attention and affection.
“maybe,” you end up saying. you don’t pay him more mind as you try to walk over to gen.
“here,” senku says, grabbing your arm with one hand and the other shoves water in your face.
“oh,” you take it awkwardly. “thanks.”
he stares at you before furiously wiping his hand on his coat.
you spit out the water you were gulping down. “you’re still disgusted with my sweat!?”
he makes a face, “why wouldn’t i be? you’re so sweaty!”
“senku, no one told you to touch me!”
“well i wanted to!” he pauses, “plus, we’re dating.”
“yet you still hate when i’m sweaty.”
“it’s unhygienic.”
you rolls you eyes. and the two of you are enveloped in a slightly stiff silence.
“it’s been a while since i’ve seen you like that.”
“three thousand seven hundred years.” you say casually as you gulp down the rest of the water.
he stares at you, a look you can’t quite decipher. “yeah.” he scratches his neck, looking away. “i’ve always liked seeing you play.” he pauses, “i hope you had fun.”
you stare at him for a second. then you smile, “i did.”
“sorry i suck at that. i know you’re upset.”
“it’s fine, guess it’s just been so long since i’ve seen you that i really wanted to spend time with you.”
“can’t fault you for that.” he says, sparing you a glance. he almost seems ashamed.
“you hungry?” you ask.
he’s about to shake his head but he remembers he hasn’t eaten all day. instead, worked and every now and then watched you play.
as he watched you eye a food cart, he remembers how the two of you would eat at one after school, especially after your practices.
with a smile, he nods and takes your hand, which you grin at.
#dr stone#dr stone x reader#senku headcanons#senku ishigami#senku x reader#senku x y/n#anime headcanons#dr stone oneshots#anime oneshot#dr stone imagine#senku imagine#senku x you#dr stone gen asagiri#dr stone kohaku
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BENDING HORIZONS IS DONE!
my local group is done!!! short descriptions r below cut!!!! im so so excited guys omg. please ask abt them [also pls rb this took ages and im rlly proud of them!] toyhouse link here that also has full individual images!!! point out ur faves! im so excited to present them to you all [please like them please like them please l- /lh]
without further ado, here we go! in seniority [and image] order
Plunging Flows of Ash [PFA] - he/him [woman!!]
He’s definitely winning his senior of the cycle award! He’s been pretty depressed and poorly functioning from the jump, but would often rely on his partner, Sparks, for help and support. When she’s in her darkest hour, and his privileges as senior are needed, he consistently fails to deliver despite her constant aid in return… and after the mass ascension, he just falls off the face of the earth, sleeping through his own depression even as his dysfunctional group desperately needs him. The catalyst for everything- as he fractured his group in two with his actions and fails to rise to their needs, and he has a chronic inability to accept his own wrongdoings and the fact things have changed.
Associated Slugcat: The Colorburst
Countless Swirling Sparks [CSS] - she/any
Well known among iterators for her many, many methods of iteration and other inventions, Sparks was built with an unusually large [and haphazard] structure that she uses to its full advantage. Always with countless screens pulled up around her, always on some project, eating up her own escapism. She was failed by her creators long ago, but is so desperate to see her fellow iterators happy she keeps pushing on. In lieu of Ash, she has risen to a faux senior status - though lacking any powers to enforce her position. Only about half of the group [Ochre, Chimes, and Aurora] answer to her with any respect of authority- she has not been able to reach the others. Her resentment for her situation with her former lover is festering, and may explode violently once things go awry…
Associated Slugcat: The Brainiac
Erupting Maw [EM] - she/her
She’s fucking crazy!!! Worshiped as a god by her colony, she has not coped with their loss well. Originally seeking to replace the void left by their departure, she created purposed organisms to inhabit her city and later her can… but watching them rip eachother apart was simply so much more cathartic. She has full control! Her ego and disdain for other iterators as lowly in comparison only grows. Over the cycles, her can has become notorious for having some of the most deadly creatures. She’s an expert of bioengineering… but is the danger in seeking her aid worth it?
Associated Slugcat: The Gladiator
Budding Ochre Opportunities [BOO] - she/flor
Based on solarpunk aesthetics, flors city and can truly is a delight! With a colony full of roof gardens and brilliant colors, she herself has taken to turning her puppet chamber into a garden. Kind and compassionate, though cutting and assertive, she has made peace with her situation as an iterator and is just trying to live a good life. As flor adds to flors collection, she doesn’t consider any of it may posit a danger to her structure. But she would be at peace with that, too, if it were to occur. The only question is if those who care about her, such as her dearest Chimes, would be.
Associated Slugcat: The Recon
Resonant Chimes [RC] - he/him
He’s really just chilling, hanging out. No secret problems here, no deep-seated depression over the loss of his colony that he hangs onto, no karma flowers being poured into his puppet coolant just to feel something, none of that! Collecting music, friends with slugcats and scavs alike, having a good time. He’s surprisingly intelligent and has his morals more sorted than just about anyone here, but he’s held back by general apathy and his losses. Maybe, so many cycles detached from their creators, he won’t have to worry about losing anyone again. As long as he drinks the tea, he doesn’t have to think about it, and can pull himself closer to those below who left him.
Associated Slugcat: The Gardener
Reaching for Caged Starlight [RCS] - she/it/ast
Frustrated endlessly, as most iterators are, by being locked in a box, she’s determined to put an end to this. Not by ascension, though. She’s determined to free them from their cans- allow an escape from this maze. Ast wants to remove the puppet from the umbilical, in a manner where they don’t lose themself completely. Much easier said than done! Its undoing, however, is its cautious and methodical nature. She is too light on her feet to simply dare and cut the wire, let alone having the experience to snap the mechanical arm entrapping her. But, she has all the time in the world, and she will one day see the stars they made her mocking name after. They’ll all see. Ast will get there, by any cost necessary, even if her fellow iterators are disposable to this goal.
Associated Slugcat: The Seamstress
A Glittering Aurora [AGA] - she/he
Need some gossip? He’s your guy, all right! She burns her endless time away on global chats, basking in the amusement and the knowledge. A bit of a nuisance to her own local group, as she simply can not keep a secret, but… what happens when technology degrades, the message board is silent, he no longer can block out his circumstances,,, and the drama reaches a bit too close to home?
Associated Slugcat: The Copycat
Wandering Whispers [WW] - they/them
A very quiet, lonely iterator, Whispers strays to themself. Only allowed to speak to their fellow iterators for shipments, or, occasionally, their senior for guidance, there were few connections for them besides to the one who vanished off the face of the earth. With their personality thoroughly destroyed by the iron fist of their colony, they simply… quietly observe. But they may hear something they’re not supposed to, and, desperate for a replacement for their mentor, lead themself astray. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and they will glimpse the void in the end and take the plunge.
Associated Slugcat: The Mercy
#my art#rain world#rain world oc#rainworld#rw iterator#rw oc#rain world iterator#iterator oc#oc tag: plunging flows of ash#oc tag: countless swirling sparks#oc tag: erupting maw#oc tag: budding ochre opportunities#oc tag: resonant chimes#oc tag: reaching for caged starlight#oc tag: a glittering aurora#oc tag: wandering whispers#ill probably make chibi / simplified refs of them just for ease but. yaknow ! im done im fucking done i need a break#story tag: bending horizons
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