#[I have one title left to go on overwatch and I only want it because it’s a digimon reference. but frankly right now something that stupid | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

76istracersdad · 8 months

Text

plants - 3.2k words, incomplete

ft. a lot of jack comparing himself to lena and feeling guilty about it, speculation about the slipstream & overwatch's involvement in it, and government coverups

hi all - i figured i'd start posting some of the fic i've written over the years to make this a better archive. note - none of these are complete :(

this one is titled just "plants" and was written late 2020. i think i was aiming for an overarching theme of perennials vs annual plants (ie ones that last and ones that die to put it bluntly) thus some of the plant based commentary.

only change i've made is cassidy's name.

Lena Oxton is, by far, the best candidate for the Slipstream. Her test scores are perfect across the board, her commanding officers give glowing reviews of her abilities and all mention her natural aptitude for taking on challenges, and leadership abilities that shine despite her position as a non-commissioned officer. Despite the flight program not technically being under Jack Morrison’s command, he is currently the highest ranking officer in Switzerland right now, and Director Petras wants to give this ace pilot a warm welcome. And neither he nor Ana Amari, his second-in-command and the woman sitting directly to his right, know anything about this mysterious pilot.

“They didn’t even give us her age,” Ana comments idly, legs crossed at the ankles and fingers tapping on the table. “She could be older than you, Jack.”

“I thought you said that was impossible?” Jack tosses back, smirking a bit despite the uncomfortable situation they’re both in. First meetings in any military-esque organization are rarely actually first impressions, due to the personnel files stored on anyone who’s ever so much as sneezed on a recruiter. He runs a hand through his grey hair, thinning and receding at the front. Ana’s has gone grey as well. Gabe, the lucky bastard, is the only one out of the three of them to even have a hint of his original hair color left, and he shaves most of it off and sticks a beanie on top just to spite them.

Jack’s pulled out of his musings by the sound of a knock on the office door, and he and Ana stand up straight. “Come on in,” Jack says, a little unprofessional and hits the button to open the door.

Lena Oxton is, in fact, not older than Jack or Ana. Ana stiffens a bit next to Jack when she sees the younger girl, smiling wide and walking confidently in RAF service dress, two chevrons on her arms denoting corporal rank. Her hat is tucked underneath her arm, and the sergeant who walked her here nods and salutes to Jack. Jack nods back at him, and he takes his leave. It’s a meeting just between the corporal and Overwatch, after all.

“Good morning Strike-Commander Morrison, Captain Amari,” Lena Oxton says, maybe out of turn but her eagerness and the sharp salute she gives them, all with a cheerful grin on her face, makes Jack let it go.

“At ease, Corporal,” Jack says, waving his hand and motioning towards a chair across the table from him and Ana. Ana is still silent next to him, and it’s only from years of service together does he know that she’s silently furious. He hasn’t let himself feel any anger yet, and instead pulls a notepad out from underneath the limited files he has on Oxton. Clicking his pen once, he gives her a small smile and says, “I have to say, you’re not exactly who we were expecting.”

Lena smiles wider, back straight but legs kicking in the seat a bit. “I get that a lot,” she admits, tilting her head. Her hair is short, obviously growing back out from a buzzcut, and is already beginning to show signs of wildness. It makes Jack wonder how recently she got out of basic training.

Ana’s one step ahead of him as she asks, “When did you become a corporal?”

“Earlier this year,” Lena answers. Ana frowns, and Lena’s posture becomes nervous, looking between Ana’s own displeased face and Jack’s clearly shocked one. “They streamlined me, sir, they said because of natural aptitude. I’m far from the youngest enlisted.”

“How old are you?” Jack asks, a bit afraid of the answer. The RAF would know better than to send them a child. Cassidy was strictly kept off the battlefield and not given an official position until six months after he turned eighteen, all at Reyes’ hand. Even then, it made them all uneasy. Jack and Gabe knew too much about being selected for a special program when they were too young to understand everything that was going on behind the scenes, blinded by patriotism and the concept of being special. They were eighteen then, too.

“Eighteen, sir, as of a few months ago,” Lena replies, grin gone and face now matching the solemn feeling of the room, although she doesn’t seem to understand it. She looks as if she wants to argue for her case, prove her worthiness, tell them to give her a chance and let her show her skills, thinking they might reject her because of naivety. Neither of them doubt her skills, though, and neither does Director Petras, who all but ordered Jack to approve this girl for the Slipstream.

The rest of the interview goes normally, with Oxton thanking them effusively when Jack tells her the position is hers. Jack knows this was all orchestrated over their heads when she tells him the RAF already shipped her belongings over to Zurich. They insist on walking Oxton over to her new quarters, where her room is designated by a fresh new nameplate and a singular cardboard box on the desk inside.

“Wicked,” she says, looking around the room, and then turning back to them and saluting crisply. “I’ll do my best here, Strike-Commander, Captain!” She promises, and Jack just nods and gives her a thin smile as he and Ana walk away. It’s not until they’re in Jack’s office again does Ana speak.

“She’s younger than Fareeha when she left home, for goodness’ sake!” Ana yells, Jack sitting in the office chair and looking thoughtfully at the personnel files. Mysteriously, they only showed up when Jack had approved Oxton for the Slipstream position. Ana reads them over his shoulder, flipping the page before he finishes, making him look up at her, annoyed.

“Listen to this. Lena Oxton, age eighteen. Applied for the Royal Air Force when she was fifteen, Jack. Fifteen. Enlisted as early as she possibly could.”

Jack rubs at his eyes tiredly, already resigned to the whole situation. Petras already strong armed everyone into it, and it seems like he has the backing of the United Kingdom.

“I know that, Jack.” Was he speaking out loud? “What I’m saying is, she’s maybe not the youngest person to ever be drafted for Overwatch, she is the youngest one enlisted on base right now.” Ana frowns, sitting down on the desk across from Jack and sighing. “I just don’t like it.”

“Me neither. But it seems like it's gone above our heads, again,” Jack grumbles, running a hand through his hair again and leaning back in the chair. “Best we can do is offer a support system. Maybe introduce her to Cassidy.”

The conversation switches to a less disheartening topic, from the new recruit to old friends and their new updates. After an hour or so, Ana excuses herself to go to dinner, chiding Jack lightly and reminding him to eat. After threatening to set Angela on him, she leaves, the door shutting quietly behind her. Jack gathers up Lena Oxton’s scattered files and reviews them again, this time without Ana grabbing the papers out of his hands.

The majority of it is test results in more detail, seemingly to justify choosing Oxton over a more experienced candidate. They even included her high school transcript, which shows a fairly average student before it stops abruptly, replaced with military academy grades. It shouldn’t surprise him. The United Kingdom had increased their recruitment rates for the Omnic Crisis and continued to take on new recruits after it ended.

At the very end of the file are photos from various points of Oxton’s career. The most recent was only taken a few days ago, Oxton giving a half-smile at the camera. The oldest two are most striking, however. They seem to show a before-and-after: in the before, Lena Oxton scowls at the camera, head half-shaved and hair dyed white. The after shows her, still scowling, in a military academy uniform with a nearly-bare head. The pictures give him more insight into Oxton than any of her official records do.

Jack makes a note to himself to talk to Lena Oxton before she leaves the base for the Slipstream project.

Of course, he never gets that opportunity. It isn’t until a week after the Slipstream incident that Jack gets to read the report. One pilot missing in action. One teleportation matrix currently being searched for. The scientists note that the chances of finding the matrix are likely, due to the magnetic fields or whatever the technobabble is, but that the fate of Lena Oxton is completely unknown.

“It’s none of your concern, Commander Morrison,” Director Petras tells him over the phone. “Research and development isn’t your jurisdiction.”

Jack grits his teeth. “I understand that, Director.”

“Great. I know I don’t need to remind you that the Slipstream project is highly classified. As such, our official stance is that there was no experimental flight program, no test flights, and no missing pilots. Understand?”

Jack stays silent as he thinks. He thinks about a twenty year-old young man laying in a hospital bed in a classified military hospital. He thinks about the way the injections made him feel like he was burning from the inside out. He thinks about seeing doctors wheeling covered bodies to the morgue, whispering about another failed subject. He thinks about being told to never speak of it again.

“Of course, Director,” Jack says, and the phone line goes dead.

He hasn’t forgotten the lifeless bodies in the beds next to him. He doubts he’ll forget Lena Oxton, either.

They recover Slipstream’s flight recorder two weeks after the crash, one week after the gag order is placed. In the audio recorded by the cockpit voice recorder, Lena Oxton speaks clearly and confidently, reporting all signals normal.

“Order received,” she says, her voice tinny. “Activating teleportation matrix in fifteen seconds.” And then, almost too quiet for the recorder to pick up, Oxton says, “This ought to be fun!”

A few moments pass before Oxton speaks up again and announces the activation of the teleportation matrix. Harsh static follows, and the recording ends.

Morrison isn’t sure if the hint of a scream before the static is real or just his guilty conscience.

Lena Oxton was never a part of Overwatch, officially, so Jack Morrison has no flags to place over caskets and no next of kin to inform - not that Oxton had any, he remembers grimly.

There were no flags or ceremony for Soldier: 75, the teenager in the bed next to him who cried out in the night, whose bed was empty when Soldier: 76 woke up in the morning. Jack hadn’t even known his name. He hadn’t even thought of him for decades.

That night, when he sleeps, he dreams of the soldier enhancement program for the first time in years. In his dreams, Lena Oxton is wheeled out of Jack’s room, her still body covered by a white sheet. The doctors tell him not to think about it, tell him that the bed next to him was always empty. The doctors tell him to forget.

Ana brings it up first, when they’re sitting alone in his office. Jack has his hands folded and pressed against his face. Someone who didn’t know him would assume he was praying.

“We failed her,” Ana says. Jack doesn’t look up. “What are you going to do about it, Jack?”

“There’s nothing I can do,” Jack replies without looking up. “She accepted the position. She knew the risks. This is what happens in war.”

“I know that. It doesn’t make it any less wrong,” Ana retorts. She’s been a soldier longer than he has. There’s another long pause.

“After I had Fareeha, I fought so she wouldn’t have to,” Ana says. “I thought that she could grow up in a time of peace. I hoped that she would become something - anything besides a soldier. I failed her too.”

“Fareeha made her own decision. She knew the risks. This is what happens in war, Ana -” Jack repeats, but Ana cuts him off.

“What war, Jack? What war are we fighting?” Ana stands and moves to leave. “The Crisis is over. You and I and Gabe each have the medals to prove it. So why are our kids soldiers?” She hesitates by the door. “We failed them, Jack.”

The door slides shut behind her.

Lena Oxton doesn’t let any of them forget her.

The Slipstream’s teleportation matrix is found after months of searching, with some reclusive new signals expert named Winston apparently being the one to pinpoint its location. Within a week of its return, the scientists note chronal anomalies surrounding it and place it in an asymptotically timelike chamber in the Swiss base specially designed during the beginning of the Slipstream experiments.

Jack takes a moment to scrub at his eyes, squints at the page, and skims over the next few dozen lines of equations. He respects the scientists, but he wishes he knew how to ask them to dumb their reports down without coming across as dismissive. He flips the page and begins to skim over the paragraphs when he reads:

Upon reactivation of the chamber, the pilot previously assumed killed in action, Lena Oxton - callsign Tracer - reappeared, though she exhibited many anomalies that could not completely be contained by the chamber.

Five more pages of analysis follow. The report concludes by stating that Dr. Ziegler and the scientist from earlier, Winston, have been assigned to her case.

Jack goes back and rereads the paragraph. He rereads it again.

“Athena, where is the, ah, asymptomatic timelike chamber?” He asks out loud.

“The asymptotic time chamber is located on level 2B, wing E,” Athena replies.

Jack sprints the entire way there.

---

They make her speak at his funeral in Arlington.

He’s watching from a distance, hacked into some security livestream via drone, less than a mile from the actual thing. All the old heroes of Overwatch, the ones alive, anyways, are gathering around his grave. The sun is shining brightly. He can see Reinhardt sweating in his old Overwatch formal dress. Jack Morrison’s glad it doesn’t rain for his funeral, because it would just be another nail in the empty coffin.

Lena’s been made to speak. It makes sense that they would - the funeral is popularized by the media, with Overwatch’s downfall and the scandals that led up to the explosion, why wouldn’t it be? He wonders where she’s going after the Petras Act, the heroic law that saves the world from any other superheroes trying to do good and fucking up the planet more than it already is, goes into effect. For now, she’s still the golden child, the posterboy of Overwatch, for better or for worse. He’s read his own slander. He can’t bring himself to read anyone else’s.

“He was an excellent commander.” A goddamn lie. He couldn’t run a military company for his life. Maybe he was charismatic enough on the field, enough of a solid figure in a rapidly shifting war-torn field, to be considered for Strike-Commander, but it blew up in his face. He touches the lesions that are just starting to heal, ugly stripes breaking his facial features. Blew up in his face, alright.

Lena’s never sounded ungenuine in her life. She quips advice sometimes, to whoever she feels needs it at the moment, never sounding haughty or out of line. Even now, when she’s spouting lies that he’s sorry she believes, she has the conviction of someone announcing the sky is blue and the grass is green. “He was a mentor to me, personally, after the Slipstream Incident. I could have gone back to civilian life, but he inspired me. I wanted to make the world a better place. Jack Morrison helped me learn how it could be done.”

He tunes out. Stays on the drone’s line for hours, waiting for anyone to say anything about Gabe. He’s not sure why he cares so much. Morbid curiosity? Looking for revenge? Nothing interesting turns up until it’s late into the night, and the motion-activated camera has been off for hours. Its night vision spins on quickly, and Jack sits up, studying the footage.

There’s a small figure standing in front of his gravestone, a baggy hoodie barely concealing the light of a chronal accelerator. Lena’s changed out of her formalwear and is back in front of Jack’s grave, obviously trying to stay hidden. The drone picks up every word she says, and though he can’t see her face, the tears are obvious in her voice.

“I hate you,” Lena says, voice shaky as she lowers herself to sit on the ground. “...I don’t mean that. I hate...I don’t know what I hate. But I hate this situation, and I hate Director Petras, and,” her voice cracks, but she continues, “I hate that you’re gone.” Silence for a few more moments as she picks at the grass around his grave, then picks up the flowers someone had left there and inspects them. “You would’ve hated these,” she says. “This is an annual. One year and it’s gone.” She picks at the petals absentmindedly, voice still thick. “Y’know, I’m coming up on my first year as an active field agent. Streamlined me so fast, people seem to think I’ve been here for years. I think being new is the only thing that’s keeping me from being demonized in the news, like you.” Jack shakes his head. He deserves what they’re saying about him, and more. But he can’t tell Lena that. She drops the flower and stares ahead at the gravestone, not saying anymore for a few more minutes, just crying quietly to herself. Sometimes she starts to say something, but breaks off. It’s not until a car pulls up to the road nearby, and Angela comes out, pausing by the car door as Lena whips around to look at her.

“Listen, C’mander…” Lena begins again, standing up and tugging the hoodie firmer around herself. “I told you about my shit family and all, but, ah.” Jack watches Angela walking closer, his own throat growing tight at the words coming out of Lena’s mouth. He doesn’t want to hear them. Doesn’t want to disappoint anyone else.

She says them anyways. “In the end, I had a pretty good one. I don’t think tossing pulse bombs at me to teach me not to drop them counts as catch in the park, but what the hell would I know?” Lena shifts where she stands, digging a heel into the dirt. “For what it’s worth...I would have liked to call you dad.” The last bit comes out almost silent, almost too quiet for the drone to capture and almost too quiet for anyone but a supersoldier to hear. Angela comes up to Lena and wraps her in a hug, and Lena loses it again, crying into her shoulder.

“Oh, liebling,” she says, guiding Lena away from the gravestone after pausing for a moment at it. “Come back to the hotel room. Winston’s worried sick about you.”

Jack shuts off his connection to the drone, heading out of Arlington through the shadows.

It takes him months to locate Lena, find where she’s settling into civilian life. With the networking today, it hardly takes any time at all to pick out some perennials and have them sent to her apartment. The hardest part, he thinks, as he clicks the anonymous option, was not having them sent with the message, ‘to my daughter.’

#overwatch #soldier 76 #tracer

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vaalthus · 3 years

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Remthalas Theory/Sort of Analysis: The All-Seeing Idiot God, The Dreaming Chaos, The Path of Omniscience. Oh and like potential Lore Spoilers maybe.

With the conclusion of the Reckoning War, and having bared witnessed to Remthalas’ actions, I believe we have a better idea of what our aquatic Dreamfarer desires and intends not only for themselves but for the inhabitants of Lore as well.

We already know that Remthalas believes that the only way to achieve freedom, to dream, is to not be shackled. To not live out the dreams or whims of others. Unfortunately, this boils down to the lesson Remthalas got out of the idea is that people should not tie themselves down by basic laws or morals people tend to follow. Otherwise, the endless possibilities provided by true freedom are not possible.

This a concept that he has clearly taken to his very core given how angrily or impulsively he’ll react should he feel someone is ordering him around or someone else shirking their freedom in his point of view as demonstrated when he rebuked Notha twice for commanding him and when he killed Mr. Nameless/Twinkles.

So that’s it then, right? Remthalas is just an anarchist drunk on freedom? Wanting all of Lore to break their shackles and live out their own dreams never minding once of those around them, right? Well yes, but there is I think a bit more going on here.

I found a few things concerning about Remthalas in our fight with either Notha or Uaanta. One, is that he found the Avatars more interesting in their reduced orb state. Secondly, he didn’t appear to want to destroy them. Thirdly, is that regardless of who we chose to side with, Rem finds us interesting either way. Fourth, and most concerning is that he only found Uaanta truly fascinating if she merged with the Avatars. Lastly, and most revealing was his desire to see all the events unfold regardless of what the outcome was and then simply bounce when a conclusion was reached.

The reason why I find him being able to see Uaanta as a truly fascinating player in this conflict is to be some cause for concern is that being ‘interesting’ to Remthalas seems to, at first, amount to being someone that can bring about his idea of freedom, freedom from the balance the Avatars imposed. Characters like the Hero and I imagine Notha when he first met her and was introduced to her ideology. However, if this is the case, why find Uaanta interesting? She after all plans to shepherd away the very entities responsible for the very concept that resulted in his abandonment and have shackled so many others and their dreams. Why find someone who still intends to be devoted to the Avatars to be a person of interest then? Are they not still choosing to wear their shackles? To ignore their own dreams in the favor of the dreams of others.

The answer I think is simple. In the end, it was just less about Remthalas serving his ultimate plan and Remthalas wanting a show. Remthalas has always long been aware of our capacity to come out on top over our opponents, including his own fellow members. Why would he suspect there was any possibility we would lose to our dear friend or even Notha? He didn’t because he knew we would win, but how can he enjoy the play if all the actors aren’t putting in effort for their roles. After all, are you satisfied by the just the ending of a movie or the passionate performances that it took to get there?

You see I believe Remthalas revealed what he plans for us and Lore all the way back when we first met in the Ex Somniis Fabula or The Story of Dreams quest. In his introduction, Remthalas posits the question of whether he’d be able to alter reality if the entities only referred to as “They” dreamed instead of just slumbering. With quite the determined, if not a bit demented, expression on his face I might add. There’s also one other feature to this and it’s the fact that Remthalas points out that we’re in his dream, or perhaps more accurately his dream space, and that it’s basically just a blank white box. (There are also the blue glowing circles on his robes that could symbolize having multiple eyes to see which are only visible when he’s in his dream form, but it could also just represent Kathool’s eyes so who knows) This is ultimately his domain and by the looks of it he can bring anyone into it and determine what is experienced within this tiny space. What the viewer sees could amount to anything but what they ultimately stand is just the box, the blank canvas. Here, Remthalas controls reality, what goes on in the ‘bigger picture’ so to speak. Here, Remthalas is as close to a god as anyone else that can control their own dreams.

What I’m getting at here is that Remthalas doesn’t just want freedom he wants to see possibilities and the process it takes to getting to an outcome. What he wants is to dream and for everyone else to be the actors in his never-ending play of entertainment. To see the big picture change from one point to the other. These are details that I think were touched on when he mentioned that he enjoyed the dreams of children because of their ability to imagine possibilities to fill in gaps left behind by a world they are still very new to. Or when he appeared genuinely disheartened at the idea that he was not at rest. Or when he finds dreams to be not interesting enough when pointing out that Voyna can only ever dream of dragons due to her trauma with them. Or even when we fought him in the dream to save Sally and he noted that our dream was “Fierce, but one dimensional” Or the rather basic nature, in comparison to whatever else he wanted to show us, of Notha’s backstory and memories.

What he wants is for Lore to be his dream. To fit all of existence in that little box of his and to watch things go wild. Which is why I called him ‘Idiot God’ because if true then Remthalas is basically trying to become Azathoth, the Blind-Idiot God from the Lovecraftian Mythos who created the entire universe in that series by simply dreaming, and who will kill it if he ever wakes up. A character/concept I still believe was being referenced when Remthalas asked what would happen if “they” woke up and questioned if the world would stop existing if “they” did. However, unlike Azathoth, Remthalas intends to be aware of all that happens when he finally dreams.

Azathoth is not the only eldritch god that Rem appears to share similarities with and to be honest it the one that makes him perhaps the most untrustworthy. The god I’m referring to of course is Nyarlathotep: The Crawling Chaos, The Dweller in Darkness, The Haunter of the Dark. These are just a few titles of Nyarlathotep, but I believe they would fit Remthalas for the similarities they share with the Outer God. For one thing is how both Remthalas and Nyarlathotep communicate through dreams to any of their unaware victims and pass on information that might shatter their world view. Furthermore, much like Nyarlathotep, Remthalas seems take more enjoyment in the dreams of others being messed with in a way that is typically nightmarish in nature. The most important similarity here of course is that both entities are more driven by spreading chaos and madness through people as opposed to their utter annihilation like other eldritch gods such as Cthulu. The reason for this is because in the case of both characters, I believe in Rem’s case anyway, their enemies isn’t so much other people but rather boredom, in addition to their own stagnation.

An interesting contrast I just thought about between them however is how Nyarlathotep and Remthalas spread chaos. As mentioned, Nyarlathotep does so through dreams by revealing, in typical Lovecraftian cosmic horror fashion, how utterly pointless the lives of his victims are in the face of the sheer overwhelming forces at play in the infinite and unknown universe and how they should just succumb to madness and/or become one of his followers, to amuse himself. Remthalas kind of does something similar when he suggests that morals and the lives people are currently living don’t hold much weight in the face of the grander schemes and roles of the Avatars.

However, unlike Nyarla, Remthalas would do this so that others cast off their rules, still to amuse himself with the chaos that would thrive from that but in his view, they’d be getting something out of it. A sort of “You and everything you’ve known don’t matter so succumb to despair and madness and entertain me” vs “You and everything you’ve known don’t really matter so do what you want and entertain me” Chaos vs Chaos but different philosophies on how to get it.

The connections that can be drawn to other well known eldritch entities does make me wonder if when we see Remthalas next he might be trying to elevate his power on the material plane to that of the Primordials (Kathool, Uthuluc (probably not Uthuluc out of all of them to be honest), The Witness, Sciuridaehotep, the latter of which is just a Nyarlathotep reference) or is somehow going to get them involved in some way when his plans really start to get under way. If he does somehow involve Kathool in what he intends to pull off I imagine we might see Aquella again given that she’s supposed to overwatch his bedtime and I think it would fit to have a water take on another that was devoted to Kathool. I’d suspect she, or potentially another water elf, could reveal more of in-depth info on Remthalas’ servitude to the Avatars and later Kathool.

This brings us to the question of course of how exactly Rem plans to pull this all off. Obviously, we fit into those plans. However, with what just happened with the Avatars now being out of the picture and Myalos also being out of commission, what’s the next step? Where does he take us from there? The answer goes back to those “They” entities being referenced. Remthalas has brought them up, but he wasn’t the only one I believe. Celeritas mentioned them once when Sinnoncence made his move. I believe, I’m certain, that our dear Big Daddy named dropped them for us a long time ago.

The one and only Aequilibria, the true gods of existence who are said to be slumbering even now. How Remthalas intends on exerting power over these beings is unknowable, but it would appear the best time to do so before they awake once more.

Which brings us to the Hero and the interest Rem has taken in them. It is clear the main reason that Remthalas has taken an interest in us is because of how capable we were in comparison to Uaanta at the time he was scouting us both out. We are an invested tool…and yet. I cannot help but wonder if Remthalas continued engrossment of us isn’t just because he knows we’ll be useful to his plans but also because Remthalas is straight up looking for a plus one when his plan would be theoretically completed. He did offer us to see where the currents of existence could take us.

After all, why look at and enjoy multiple paintings in a vacuum or go to the movies by yourself when you can have someone watch it all with you. Then again, as I mentioned earlier, he could simply be viewing us as just another tool to pull off his plans and that is join the others later once everything falls in place

All of what I stated is more speculation than anything but if any of it’s true then we are in for a ride.

#dragonfable #Remthalas #primordials #Aequilibria #Watch everything I just said be uber wrong #Blind idiot God #Crawling Chaos #Lovecraft parallels #Was MrNameless trapping everyone in a tiny dimension he controlled foreshadowing to what Remthalas plans?#Dreamfarer #The never ending dream #If Remthalas does attempt to use the Aequilibria then perhaps we won't even see him again for awhile.#The eyes Mason what do they mean!?!?!?!?#It's made of fear and nightmares y'all #What if Remthalas tries to do his thing and Sciuridaehotep straight up tells him No #Boom crisis averted #Remthalas is our villian #But he couldn't care at all about using Draco #What forces are at work here #More to a prophecy #He refuses to respect Lock and Key because they can not entertain his dreams #Tools can only follow a patter in his eyes #And that's boring #Same thing with Myalos #Uaanta did something new #Aquella return?#The dreams were dark #df lore #df spoilers #I am now imagining Remthalas sitting on a couch and watching people run around screaming through a window because he moved a stone

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elianas-cozycorner · 4 years

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𝓜𝓲𝓭𝓷𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓯𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼

Title: “Midnight Confessions”

Author’s Note: One of the final three (3) requests I have from 2018, this particular scenario is something I’ve wanted to write for a while. I absolutely love this plot device, no matter how cliché or overused it may be. I hope you guys enjoy this and have as much fun reading it as I did writing it. To the anonymous requester, I hope you see this. I really wanted to bring justice to your idea, even if it’s more than two years late.

Request: “Could u possibly do something where the reader and McCree share a bed on a mission (or maybe they just get hurt and r resting) and McCree lays w/ them n stuff and while they’re “sleeping” he confesses his love and that he’s scared to love but it turns out they heard the whole thing ? if not that’s fine, thank u! I love ur writing!” - Anon

Rating/Pairing:

Jesse McCree/Reader

Fluff & Brief Angst; GA (General Audiences)

2nd Person, Gender Neutral

Warnings: None.

Word Count: 2.2k | Added a “read more” due to the length.

When operations go wrong, there’s little that can be done to reverse the initial mistake. Not only are lives put on the line, but so too are relationships and the foundations of friendship. Being under constant fire, unable to reach backup or safety, really wears down the body and mind. Though some may find a thrill in it, eventually that too wears away.

In your case, you had been pinned down for nearly an hour. Though your position had been defensible, it was on track to becoming more of a hazard than anything else. It wasn’t clear who was to blame for the mishap, everything having happened so fast, but one moment the team you were apart of was working together and the next you were alone with Jesse McCree.

Sighing, you pressed your back to a stone wall. It was one of the only walls that sheltered you from the flying bullets and sniper fire. Jesse was crouched across from you, trying his best to peer around the corner for the next viable bit of cover.

You picked up your earpiece, taking it from the place it had fallen when you had run for cover. Quickly bringing up two of your fingers, you activated the line. “Commander? Commander are you there?”

Jesse spared you a glance, worry in his eyes as he took in your features, before turning back to make sure no one had advanced on your position. There was a faint crackle of static before your attempt at communication was answered.

“I’m here, agent.” Reyes’ voice was rough and you could hear the noise of gunfire through his link. “What’s your status?”

You knew that he could hear the gunfire on your end as you answered. “We’re pinned down, I don’t think McCree and I will be able to get to you.”

Reyes cursed under his breath before answering. “Everyone’s on board. We’re ready to get the hell out of here. This aircraft has taken too much damage for us to wait any longer. We’ll give you as much cover as possible, but you two are gonna have to get yourselves out of there. Figure out how to get somewhere safe, you know the drill, agent.”

McCree, whose communications system was linked to yours, nodded. You could see he was too focused to give a verbal answer, so you kept speaking. “Copy that. We’re ready when you are.”

__________

“We’ll keep in touch, agent.” The words ran through your head over and over again, even opened the door in front of you.

After Reyes had provided enough aerial cover for you and McCree to get to safety, you had both gone to the nearest safe house. Each assignment Blackwatch, or Overwatch, gave its agents was well thought out and discussed. Drop sites that were busy had cheap motels or hostels listed in their information packets, or predetermined safe houses when the locations were more secluded. In this case, it was a secluded safe house. The information sheet you had pulled up earlier made mention of a stocked kitchen, running water, and first aid supplies. What it had failed to tell you was how small the place would be.

It was practically a one room flat in the form of a cabin. Half walls separated the less private rooms, with only the bedroom and bathroom having proper privacy. The rooms were cold, the thermostat untouched for a long time, but it would do.

Flicking on a light switch, you watched as the florescent bulbs lit up the kitchenet and living space nearest the door. A deep sigh escaped you as you finally allowed your body to relax, dropping the small bag on your shoulder near the door. “Well, Cowboy, this is home for the next 48 hours.”

The brunette man behind you had the decency not to laugh as he made his way past you. “Seems so, sugar. You can take the bathroom first, I’ll take a look ‘n’ find somethin’ for-”

“Us to change into. I know. You talked about showering and getting your wounds dressed the entire way here, Jesse.” You said, smiling despite the pain of your split lip, as you went to find bath supplies.

“Wasn’t aware I talked so much.” He laughed, shaking his head and making his way to the bedroom.

“You always talk, Jesse.” You were already halfway into the bathroom, a towel in hand, when you heard him laugh in reply.

You took your time removing your armor and torn, military grade suit. It wasn’t often that you came out of a skirmish so battered, so the shock didn’t fully register until you’d locked yourself in the room alone. Sighing, you focused on getting out of you clothes and tried to ignore the sounds of bullets echoing in your head. It was more painful a process than you’d expected, as you’d gotten grazed by more bullets and scraped by more gravel than you cared to admit.

Just as you let out a hiss, there came a knock on the bathroom door. You heard Jesse’s spurs jangle before he spoke. “You alright, darlin’? I left some clothes out on a chair here.”

You called out, “Just fine, Jesse! Thank you, I’ll grab them on my way out.”

“Sure thing.” He smiled as he spoke, and though you couldn’t see it, you could hear it in voice.

It made you smile as well, knowing you had your best friend looking out for you. The longer you thought about Jesse and his kindness, his thoughtful but flirty nature, the more your cheeks reddened and stomach fluttered. You’d harbored feelings for the modern gunslinger for a long time, nearly as long as you’d been friends. It was something you kept to yourself, mainly because of Blackwatch’s strict dating guidelines for its agents. Stepping into the shower, you knew the next 48 hours would be tough to get through.

_________

Stepping out of the shower, wrapped in a towel, you found yourself staring directly at the bare chest of your cowboy partner. “Jesse.”

“Darlin’.” The smile on his face grew, becoming a large smirk, as he noticed the blush across your face. “Clothes are over there. Mind gettin’ out o’ the way? Man’s got to shower just as much as the next person.”

You shook your head, blinking quickly as you looked back at his face. “You’re the one in my way, Jesse.”

Chuckling, he stepped aside and let you grab the clothes before heading into the bathroom. The image of his bare chest replayed in your mind as you dressed, despite you having seen him that way before. Jesse was built well, sturdy and muscular. His body had definition and flexed with strength when he moved. Slim, muscled, and padded in just the right places, you’d say. Attractive. That’s what it was. Jesse had an attractive body and personality.

Perhaps that’s why you’d spent so long harboring feelings for him, when you could have tried getting over it. Jesse was a good man, though he had his flaws, and he was always kind to you. He had been your first friend in Blackwatch, your first confidant. You’d been thick as thieves for the longest time, attached at the hip. You’d known him for so long, that it hadn’t been a surprise to you that you found his body similarly attractive. It had been painful to watch him go through relationships and flings, wishing one day he would chose you and stay.

Sighing, you tried to get rid of those intrusive thoughts by taking care of your injuries. Knowing Jesse McCree so well also meant knowing his trouble with commitment and genuine emotion. He got scared, you could easily tell, and pushed people away when they got close. He may have been worth it, worth the bumps in the road, but no one else knew him enough to know that. Not like you did.

Clink. Clink. Clink. Your thoughts were interrupted by McCree coming out of the shower, fully dressed, and fiddling with his peacekeeper. He seemed to have taken care of his flesh wounds while in the bathroom, a couple bandages visible beneath the black shirt he wore. His damp hair stuck to his forehead, no hat on his head, and accentuated the small cut running down his temple.

He barely looked up as he stopped in the doorway. “Darlin’-”, He started.

You shook your head, standing to take his pistol from his grip. “Let me look at that cut, Jesse.”

Looking up at you, he gave you a gentle smile. “No need, darlin’, it’s not very deep. Ought to heal like a charm.”

“No, sir, can’t have that getting infected now. Besides,” You glanced at the only, small bed in the room and then at the couch just beyond the doorway to the room. “We can talk about sleeping arrangements as I do.”

Wordlessly, he sat at the edge of the bed and let you get to work. “You know, that couch is old.”

“Mhm,” You focused on your task, making sure to pay attention to his words nonetheless. “It’ll likely be a back killer.”

“Absolutely. Reckon I should take it.” He moved his head a little, wincing at the pressure you put against the cut.

“I have the better back, Jess.”

“Sure, but we wanna keep it that way. ‘Sides, I wouldn’t be much o’ a gentleman if I let you take it, would I?” His comment made you laugh and he smiled at you, glad to see you so happy.

“Stuck in the West again? Acts of chivalry are rare nowadays, Jess.” You said and pulled your hands away from his face, finished with your work.

“We could share.” His suggestion threw you off, especially when you saw he wasn’t joking.

“You sure?” Your voice was a little nervous as you spoke, something he picked up on.

“As the day I was born. Only if you’re comfortable, darlin’.”

“Yeah. Okay,” You smiled, helping him to his feet.

________

Jesse was wide awake, his thoughts running a mile an hour. On his back, he could feel where your back met his side, he could feel each even breath you took. He didn’t have any reason to suspect you were awake. You lay facing away from him, eyelids heavy, breath even, and mind somewhere else. He assumed you’d fallen asleep.

With a soft sigh, he pulled his hands from behind his head and turned around. He tried his best not to wake you, keeping his chest from being flush against your back. He tried his best to keep his hands from touching you, but couldn’t help it when he reached up to brush some hair out of your face. It caught your attention, but you didn’t move, too sleepy to care. You just listened as he sighed once more and shifted just a little closer.

“Darlin’,” He whispered. “I’ve gotten ‘round to thinkin’...”

He paused, almost as if trying to convince himself to stop talking. “I’ve been thinkin’, and I can’t live without you. I’m scared. I’ve loved you for so long now but I’m jus’ so afraid. I could’ve lost you today. I don’t know what went wrong, I don’t want that fear of not knowing in my heart, but I ain’t strong enough to tell you-”

He took a deep, steadying breath before reaching out to you. He wrapped his arm around your waist and, carefully so as to not ‘wake’ you, pulled you completely into him. “Look at me. Confessin’ in the dark while you sleep, not hearin’ a word. It’s pathetic. Truth is, no matter how much I try, I can’t seem to say the words to your face. I want to look at you and say it, I want to keep you close, but I’m a coward. I’ve never been the type of man to commit to no one like that. I don’t think I’m the kind of man to love like that. Never have been. But damn, darlin’, if I can’t help wantin’ that with you. Want to keep you safe, by my side, always, but... but I ain’t the type of man worthy of you like that...”

He trailed off and you, now wide awake, could feel small drops of water hit the back of your neck. Jesse McCree, the strong, charming cowboy was crying. It broke your heart, so much so that all the words you’d thought to say to him left your mind. He was so worth it, so much more than he gave himself credit for, and you loved him. Just as he was.

Turning around, you watched his face mold from sorrow into shock. He tried speaking, but you didn’t give him the chance, “Darlin’-”

Your lips met his before he could utter any more words. It was a soft, emotional kiss that tasted of salt. His tears fell harder, and you only pulled away to hug him closer. Wrapping your arms around him and locking your legs together, you didn’t have to say much to get him to hear you.

“You are my everything, Jesse. I’ve always loved you.”

#overwatch fanfic #overwatch #fanfiction #fanfic #overwatch x reader #overwatch/reader #mccree x reader #jesse mccree #mccree #overwatch mccree #blackwatch mccree #fluff #friends to lovers #confession #sharing a bed

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feather-dancer · 3 years

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Tales of Arcadia Fanfic Recommendations - Part 5

Can you believe we’re here again? I certainly can’t, five fanfic recommend lists is getting a bit on the silly side and yet here we are! This one started building within 24 hours of the last one and it seems about the right time to chuck it into the wilds for peeps to enjoy.

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4

If at all interested in my own writing you can find it here!

General Trollhunters

Falling in the black - Jim had accepted his fate the moment he began pouring out the elixir Merlin made into the bathtub, all that was left now was to go through with it and hope he was doing the right thing.

Night of the CreepSlayerz - Morgana was defeated and the Trollhunter left Arcadia with many of it’s former residents in search of a brand new Heartstone thus the protection of the town fell to those left behind. It is not quiet though, far from it in fact, for in the fallen Market an evil yet stirs with a siren’s song...

and in the dark i can hear your heartbeat - It’s a long trip to New Jersey and for the only human not the easiest on her feet, still she has Jim with her. Jilaire fluff.

Champion - Angor ponders over what became of the troll he once was after he was forced into servitude by the Pale Lady.

A Mutually Beneficial Relationship - By chance, Angor Rot meets the Trollhunter Tellad-Urr.

General Wizards

A wizards associate - A lovely little tale of how Archie and Douxie possibly met for the first time. You never know what your kindness might produce.

Saudade - There was always gonna be an After when the Order had been temporarily beaten back and the successor to Merlin was forced to flee to keep Nari safe but this was never going to be an easy thing to bear. Follows multiple characters including stop offs with Jim n Co. and Zoe picking up the pieces of suddenly not being in the same town as her centuries long best friend. Does eventually go Zouxie!

Eye of the Hurricane - A lost moment after arriving at Hex tech, Douxie goes to take a breather and is given the chance to chat to Zoe, freshen up and wonder what on earth they’re gonna do now Jim has been captured. Zouxie fluff.

A Bit of Simple Magic - Technically before Wizards but since it has a couple mentions directly from Wizards I’m popping it here. This is shameless Zouxie fluff based on Teny’s artwork and I am HERE for it.

afterimage - An unusual one. A popular take is that certainly Skrael and Bellroc might have been human before becoming what we know them as now and this is a little bit of dabbling with young Bells who is figuring out they don’t appreciate gender nor long hair with the expectations it brings very much.

When You Least Expect - Panic attacks can happen to anybody and if Wizards had anything to say, Douxie has an awful lot of material should one be triggered.

Cantus In Memoriam - Some mercies are gifted like a blessing but to the hands that take it, it's a lie they need more than anything. The Arcane Order has lost, it’s true, but Douxie will take no joy in ending their long vigil.

alight - I may be a tiny bit biased here because there’s a reference to Ghost!AU but you know what screw it the author is great and deserves the love. Jim wants to go back to his second life, the one he thought would have been forever before he was revived into softer flesh but there is no guarantee he will be the same as he was then. Sometimes the possible comforts are worth the leap of faith it will take to get there.

Jim the Baby-Handed - Jim is home again, human and there is no getting around how things have shifted in his absence. Sometimes however, all you need to do is ask.

Stricklake

Strange Treasures - There is an aftermath to everything, even the Eternal Night and one that leaves Barbara wondering how she stands in it and particularly with regards to a certain changeling adrift himself who had once upon a time tried to kill her son.

The Only Constant - If Walter was offered the chance access his human appearance again after the Eternal Night, would he do it for her despite it would literally be walking into the unknown?

Tumblr Drabbles - He loves Barbara, he truly does, but after everything he had done to the final insult of Angor Rot coming for his own life and in turn threatening her in the process perhaps walking away is for the best. A broken heart in exchange for her life. The second one is an entirely different and is almost innocent Strickmar fluff, almost.

Alternate Universe

Another Dark Prince (Working Title) - Fate can be a strange thing sometimes. Gunmar could have escaped the Darklands far sooner but in lacking the army to go forth with his conquest is relegated to the shadows with his son and the changelings minding them whilst seeking the reopening on the Bridge for the third time. Following this thought further, perhaps a fatal accident could have led to the death of Barbara and a five year old Jim swept into the arms of a troll he would kill in another life on a promise to the deceased to keep him safe. Wouldn’t that have been a thing?

Arcane Blight - Another horror fic! There is something rather unsettling going on in Arcadia, one that contains no trolls in the conventional sense but doesn’t stop them being here, and the household the Lakes moved into seems to be treated with fear and distrust. That said there is the chance it’s more the location that’s the issue particularly with a school existing in fear of a certain ginger haired lad...

Mohs Scale - The fantastic Don't Listen to Kafka series got a new update! Sometimes you just want to help out your bestie who is going through very weird changes as his body is slowly becoming less and less human by giving him a pedicure.

Eternal Night - Gunmar was defeated at the Eternal Night but did not die, no he survived blinded and bound in chains by the mercy of the formerly human Trollhunter. Beware, even the presumed subdued still have their teeth.

Amnesia - Jim is in a blue body that cannot be quite right but he doesn’t know why, found half drowned by trolls and taking into their care. Cut off from those who might have known his old life and flung into a new strange one without his memories this boy is in for a ride while he tries to piece back together anything that makes sense.

Hope Dies Last - Nari said they would rip his soul to shreds if they caught him during her rescue from the Order’s stronghold, she spoke a very nearly fatal truth.

Fear of Fears - An AU of an AU in a sense, an alternate take of the fabulous Sunshine series and somewhat darker as the situation that starts far more innocently rapidly spirals out of control when Jim attempts to sneak out for Halloween but even then nobody could have expected the result. Heed the warnings in the tags they’re there for a reason.

Moirai - There is a danger when you take up the Skathe-Hrün that you may gain the attentions of eyes you would much rather did not and in Claire’s case, it is the notice of the assassin Angor Rot.

He lay dreaming - A follow up in a sense to the above, sometimes on rare occasions Angor by choice or not begins to dream.

The Pursuit of Stone; A Chance Meeting - Another part of the highly recommended The Heart of Janus series that has lore threads spread far and wide, a fine example both of why I adore Sam in his chaotic... Samness and another beat in the story of Otto Scaarbach’s rise to Grand Commandant in that even in the most unlikely places you may still find an ally, a future tool to be ultilised.

The OP in the very second of typing this had a sudden realisation that when the author sees this post will no doubt start laughing for. It’s for a good reason tho, promise.

The completely unrelated to this fandom fic

hell calls hell - This Overwatch R76 fic is an absolute bruiser of a read set in an alternate universe of royalty and political intrigue that I started reading blind and... Could not stop. The summary simply is A trained assassin sent to kill an emperor and his son encounters more than he bargained for and while true, does not do justice for the sheer amount of world building bursting from every seam being as much part of the plot as the very fabric the entire thing is soaked in.

#trollhunters #Wizards #ToAWizards #Tales of Arcadia

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ozzdog12 · 3 years

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2020 Top 7 (and 1)

2020 am I right? We saw an insane amount of games come out and 2 brand new consoles. What a wild and weird year for gaming, and life in general. In case you are relatively new here, and to be honest that would be completely fair considering I don't post very often on Tumblr anymore, every year going on the last 4 years (on here) I have done a Top 7 (& 1) for my favorite videogames of the year. Check out 2019, 2018, & 2017. What’s wild, as I look back on my list of games that I’ve completed and played, only maybe 10 came out this year. 2020 was a huge backlog year.

Lets get on with the ‘And 1!”

Favorite Game that Didn’t Come out in 2020: Control (PS4)

Control may very well have been my 2019 Game of the Year, had I played it in 2019. I LOVED Control. I wanted to play it in 2019, but initial reports that it was a little rough on base consoles put me off until it was fixed. And Holy smokes what an insanely fun and trippy game once I finally started it. I knew within the first 20 minutes this was going to be the shit when I went down a hall, walked into a room and talked to the “janitor” left out a door behind him and the entire building had shifted. I’ve always liked Remedy games, but from a distance. Max Payne 1&2 and Alan Wake all oozed with weirdness and intrigue, but never enough for me to finish them. I missed out on Quantum Break. The story is Control is just the right amount of mind f*!$ for me and builds a universe I didn’t know I needed. It take some time to piece everything together, then everything just clicks. The game does have a weird difficulty spike when fighting bosses and the checkpoints were too far apart at times, but those were later patched. I spent an insane amount of time within the Federal Bureau of Control building and even more time after that with the Foundation and AWE DLC and it STILL wasn’t enough. I wanted more. Outside of Prey, I can’t think of another game that stuck in my brain more after I’d finished it. Control is absolutely a MUST PLAY title. In a world where everything sort’ve feels similar, Control stands out of the crowd.

Number 7: Astro’s Playroom (PS5)

I never thought in my wildest dreams that a game I had almost zero interest in playing would end up on my list of favorite games this year. Astro’s Playroom is being labeled as a ‘Tech demo’ but that feels like an insult to what it is. It’s a full fledged game and its free! I’ve paid more for less. A charming little platformer that lives and breathes the history of the Playstation. So many cool Easter eggs and references. It certainly centers its gameplay around the DualSense controller and everything it can do, but at its core, its a completely approachable and forgiving 3D platformer. I played it just to see what it was about, next thing i knew I had completed all the levels and wanted to further explore all the nooks and crannies within the game. I wanted to see everything the game had to offer and I had an absolute blast doing so. Makes me kinda wish I’d played the previous game on PSVR (I’d have to have a PSVR too)

Number 6: Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS5)

Another quality title, albeit a spin-off, from Insomniac to add to their Spider Man universe. Gameplay felt obviously like Spider-Man, but Miles has unique abilities that made the game feel different enough, especially the cloak and stealth. I enjoyed the fact that it was short and concise. The issue with most ‘open-world’ games is that they are entirely too bloated with unnecessary filler content (I’ll get to that in a later game), something I felt the first game suffered from, but I also understand why they are there. However I could’ve use one or two more story missions to help flesh out some characters, but it wasn’t required and didn’t change my opinion one way or the other. My one BIG gripe was with Miles himself. He is an extremely smart young kid, but so incredibly naïve. Peter Parker tells him the one thing he SHOULD NOT do is tell people he is Spider-Man. I get it, that’s part of his growth, but Miles thinks he can just solve his problems by revealing his identity and it almost certainly never works out.

Number 5: The Last of Us: Part 2 (PS4)

The Last of Us Part 2 may be the most polarizing game in the history of the medium, but for the absolute wrong reasons. I’m in the minority that I very much enjoyed my experience with TLOU2, quite a bit actually. Its better in every single way over its predecessor, except the overall story. There are plenty of fair criticisms to be had about the story and various things within the game itself, but I thought the gameplay was so tight and crunchy. There were genuine moments of suspense and terror that I felt that no other game has ever given me. The entire hospital section (2nd time) was so susensful, I had to put my controller down to gther myself. Some of my favorite moments in the series I experienced with a character I wasn’t overly fond of. How many games can do that? The Last of Us Part 2 was meant to invoke emotion, not necessarily joy. I think that's what people lost along the way. Say what you will about the direction Naughty Dog has taken over the years, but you would be hard pressed to find a studio that makes games graphically better than they do. Yes, I know about their crunch culture, but this is not a place for that. I will say, the game was a tad bit too long, which is not something it typically say for a single player, narrative driven game. The pacing and the way the story was told wasn’t my favorite, but I respect what it was trying to do, even if it failed in some aspect of that, I finished the game within the week it was released. Something I RARELY ever do. I’m a father and I related with Joel a lot in TLOU, but I also recognized how wrong he was. There is a lesson to be learned. Your actions always have consequences and while he was doing what he thought was the right thing, it wasn’t his choice to make, and in doing so set up a series of events that were entirely avoidable, but again, that’s the point isn’t it?

Number 4: Grindstone (Switch)

I’m counting this as a 2020 game since it just came to the Switch this year ( less than a month ago) but its not the first time I’ve played it. Grindstone was the only reason I kept my Apple Arcade subscription and when I let it lapse, there was a void I just couldn’t fill. I bought Puzzle Quest on Switch but it just wasn't the same. Its THE perfect game for bite sized play, even though in its addictive nature, you’ll clear a few levels and an hour has passed before you know it. It has the perfect amount of depth that most ‘match’ games don't. You have different weapons, items, and outfits w/perks to use and experiment with to keep it fresh. I went months without playing my Switch and when this was announced in August, I couldn’t wait! Sadly, I had to wait 3 months, but since then I have spent so much time on the Switch. It gave me a reason to play it again. The art style and humour is great. The variety of enemies and challenge is just right. I can’t recommend it enough. Seriously, check this game out!

Number 3: Doom Eternal (Xbox One)

I will be the first to tell you, I did not like Doom (2016). I found it extremely boring and trite. I understood what Doom(2016) was doing and it succeeded, maybe too much. Nostalgia is a helluva thing. So in saying that, I was mildly interested in Doom Eternal. Doom Eternal is nothing like 2016 outside of it being a Doom game that connects to the rest of them (& also being a sequel to 2016). The mechanics are drastically different with more platforming (for better or worse). Eternal is challenging, at times very hard, especially early on. Eternal has no respect for its players, in a weirdly good way. It laughs at how you’ve played FPS before this one and WILL MAKE you play it its way, not your way. Yes, you point and shoot, but ammo is scare and you MUST use everything in your arsenal. No more using just 2 guns for the whole game. The enemies are relentless. Sometimes you have to pause and take a breath after a battle because you go a 100 mph for the whole fight. You have to continuously move or you die. There is an enticing rhythm to it. I categorize Eternal as ‘Blood Ballet’. Its a game where when your feeling it, much like a rhythm game, you get in the zone and there is no stopping demons from getting slayed. Surprisingly, unlike most games in the genre, it seemed to get easier (sans one extremely frustrating platforming section late in the game) the longer you played it. Was that a testament that I ‘learned’ the Eternal way or it truly did get easier? I don’t know, but the final Boss(es) were....easy.. I had more problems and deaths within the first 4 hours than I did the final 8-9 hours. The multiplayer was also surprisingly fun. The older I get, the less interested I am in multiplayer, but I found myself coming back for more for a good month or so.

Number 2: Gears Tactics (Xbox One)

As 2020 comes to a close, I came to a stunning realization. I might be a bigger Gears of War fan than I had previously thought. Don’t get me wrong. I love Gears, but I seem to love Gears more than I thought. I'm way more invested into the lore than I recall. Anyways, Gears Tactics is everything XCOM 2 SHOULD’VE been. Not only does Gears Tactics utilize the Overwatch action, its makes it EXTREMELY important. The story revolves around the father of Kait Diaz, Gabe and a ragtag group of mostly random soldiers to take down Ukkon. Anyone who is remotely interested in the Gears universe will love the story and references. The gameplay is just so damn satisfying. The bosses are very challenging and different. I actually had to change my strategy to finish the final boss. I experimented with a totally different style of class and was rewarded for it. The post game stuff is also aplenty. This game scratched a VERY specific itch for me and I’m itchy to jump back in. I’m glad this came to Xbox One because I’m current computer could not run it.

Number 1: Ghost of Tsushima (PS4)

I have a very odd relationship with massive open world games. I love them, but I get very burnt out on them. They all have a relatively same-y formula and are often populated with bloat. GoT does have some of that but to its advantage, its not very populated, in a good way. One of the things that I really appreciated about GoT and its side quest is most of them felt meaningful. The thing that really stood out to me about GoT is the absolutely satisfying combat. It just feels SO GOOD. It requires timing and patience. There are different fighting styles for different enemies and even the armor you wear is more than just cosmetic. The combat is so fun and satisfying that I was immediately excited when they announced Legends, a multiplayer add on, for free. Its so much fun and is a blast to play with a group of friends. I’m sporadically still playing the Legends mode. I initially wanted to play the game in ‘Kurosawa’ mode but I am glad I didn’t because the game, even on the PS4 is stunning, and on the upgrade on PS5 is jaw-droppingly smooth. I did play the entire game in Japanese with English subtitles. I still don't know what Jin’s English voice sounds like. GoT does a good job a drip feeding you new abilities and things to keep things fresh. I love stealth and once I unlocked it, I spent the majority of every battle taking out as many enemies as I could while in stealth mode. Ghost of Tsushima does a lot of things very well, that the few things it doesn’t can be easily overlooked.

#videogames #control #grindstone #tlou #doom eternal #gears tactics #ghost of tsushima #ps4 #ps5 #xbox one #switch #nintendo switch #playstation4 #GOTY #spiderman #astro playroom

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bangtanloverboys · 4 years

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hot boxed // ksj & jjk

summary - you and your stoner boyfriend are having a movie night when you get interrupted by a pleasant surprise

pairing - stoner!jin x gender neutral stoner!reader x friend!jungkook

genre - fluff

word count - 2.2k

warnings - marijuana usage, kissing, kinda poly stuff

author’s note - happy 420, this was just an idea in my head that i wanted to bust out real quick. it was gonna get saucy but i stopped it bc saucy stuff while high isn’t consent and i am lazy lol. might make a second part?? idk maybe. also reader is gender neutral in this, no pronouns used babey (also the veloci-pastor is a real movie)

“Guess what I got, babe!” You hear Jin call out as he entered your shared apartment.

“It better be dish soap because we’ve been out for three days!” You answer back, causing him to not respond. “From your resound silence, I’ll guess you didn’t get dish soap.” You laugh as you hear him make his way over to your room where you’re currently finishing up on a small project for your English class.

“Yeah, sorry about that. But I think what I got will help you forgive me.” Jin said, wrapping an arm around your shoulder and with his other hand holding up a tiny baggie with 2 neatly rolled joints.

You gasp and turn around to look at him. “You didn’t!”

“Oh I did!” He smiled as you jumped from your seat to press your lips to his. “You wanna smoke right now or later?”

Jin is the one who got you into smoking about 2 years ago; you were at a party and while everyone was getting drunk and dancing, you started to wander around the house looking for someplace quiet to cool down when you came across him and his best friend Min Yoongi smoking a joint. You’ve never smoked before but were always curious as to what it was like and decided to give it a shot. Now here you are, a stoner plus one stoner best friend turned roommate turned boyfriend.

You take a quick glance at the clock and see that it’s a little after 6 pm, being the perfect time to chill and maybe order pizza while you smoke. “You’re so lucky I just finished my project, or I’d kill you.” You quickly shut your laptop and gather yourself to go sit over on the bed and wait as Jin went over to the bedside table where he pulled out the lighter and ashtray.

Jin sat across from you and pulled a joint from the baggie, placing it between his lips to light it. He pulled in for a good few seconds before pulling the j from his mouth and blowing the smoke out from his plush lips. He passed it to you and you followed suit, only holding it in a bit longer before blowing out through your nose. Jin chuckled as you did so, kissing your nose once the smoke cleared from your face. “Cute.” He muttered.

The two of you took a couple more hits before stopping for Jin to order a pizza and for you to browse through Netflix for a weird movie. This was tradition for the two of you: you’d get high, order in, and watch the strangest movie you could find on a streaming service. By the time Jin got back, you picked out the Veloci-Pastor, which the title itself made you cackle. About 15 minutes into the movie, the doorbell rang and you got up assuming it was the pizza.

Jin’s wallet in hand, you open the door and you see none other than Jungkook. You’re confused for a moment, and let out a giggle before straightening yourself to greet him.

“Hey, Jungkook! What brings you here?” You lean against the door frame. Needless to say you aren’t disappointed to see the pizza hasn’t arrived yet, but it’s still a pleasant surprise to see the cute younger man on your doorstep.

“Hi Y/N. . . is Jin-hyung here? He invited me over to play Overwatch earlier?” He nervously ran his fingers through his dark hair.

You stick your tongue in your cheek; Jin must’ve forgotten. Usually soon as he gets his hands on weed, he rushes home and forgets any plans he might’ve made earlier that day. Usually it’s just stuff with Yoongi or Namjoon, both of which know and understand how his train of thought works. But this is sweet little Jungkookie, you can’t bear to tell him Jin forgot because he wanted to smoke.

“Shit, Jinnie must’ve forgotten cause we just started a movie and ordered pizza. . .” The look of disappointment in his eyes hurts you down to your very soul. It was like stepping on a bunny.

“Oh, uh, sorry to-”

“But you can come join us if you want.” You quickly cut him off, and he gives you a look. You and Jungkook weren’t really that close as he was with Jin, but you always thought he was kinda cute and Jin always had high praises of him (You joked he had a crush on him to which he didn’t deny). So the look of shock on Jungkook’s face upon your invitation wasn’t at all insulting.

“I-Is that okay? I’m not intruding or anything?” You could see the tips of Jungkook’s ears turn red and you just laughed as you grabbed him by the arm, pulling him into the apartment. You hoped to God that the scented candles you left burning cancelled out the potent smell of weed as you led Jungkook back to your room; where Jin was lounging on the bed, scrolling through his phone.

“At long last! Pizza time-” Soon as Jin’s eyes were pulled from his screen and on the taller figure next to you, you saw his face change from confusion to a look of guilt. “Oh shit! Kook, I’m so sorry. I completely blanked on our game time today, I’m-”

“Baby, it’s alright. I figured, so I invited him to stay with us for a bit.” You explained to your boyfriend as he looked between you two and gave a shrug.

“Yeah, that’s perfect. My two favorite people, let’s do this thing.” Jin patted the bedside next to him and you shoved Jungkook for him to sit down next to him. You lay down on the other side of Jungkook so now he’s sandwiched between the two of you.

The thing is about you and Jin when you’re high, you’re both a bit more touchy feely. Mainly with each other, but also with other people (the amount of times your smoke sessions with Yoongi end in cuddles and cheek kisses outrageous). Jungkook on the other hand, you’ve never really been around much so you don’t know how he’ll take to you being cuddly with him. He might be more comfortable with Jin maybe, seeing as they’ve been friends longer but that would leave you out and you hated being a third wheel in cuddle sessions.

You’re pulled from your thoughts as the door knocks again and this time it’s definitely the pizza. Jin volunteers to go get it, leaving you and Jungkook sitting awkwardly side by side.

“Uh, I don’t mean to ask but um. . . are the two of you. . .you know. . .” the mimics holding a joint to his lips and you can’t help but laugh at the way he asked. You quickly stop when you see how nervous he is.

“Oh, sorry. . . yeah, we smoked not that long ago. Hope that isn’t too much of a problem?” Jungkook has to be chill with weed seeing how quite a handful of the people he hangs out with do smoke weed, but Jin’s never mentioned smoking with Jungkook.

“Oh not at all, actually uh. . .this is gonna seem stupid but I would like to try?” He looks at you with big curious eyes. Of all the things you thought he was gonna say, this was not one of them.

“Uh, sure! Let me just get the stuff real quick.” You clamber over Jungkook and grab the lighter and joint before now settling yourself directly across from him on the bed, sitting criss cross. “You need a demonstration?” He gives a quick nod and watches you intently as you place the joint between your lips and lighting it. You give a quick pull and blow out, making sure not to blow smoke directly into Jungkook’s face.

You hand the joint over to him and he follows suit, he pulls a bit too hard though as he’s blowing out he starts to cough. As if he was summoned; Jin bursts through the door, pizza in hand and concerned. “What’s going on?” He asked as he rushed to the side of his friend.

“Jungkook wanted to try and take a hit and he ended up pulling too fast.” You say as you rubbed Jungkook’s back, trying to help sooth him as the coughing slowly stops. Jin takes the joint from him and places it back on the ashtray and grabs your bottle of water sitting on the desk.

“Here Kookie, drink this.” Jin instructs and Jungkook follows suit, gulping down water to ease the burn in his throat. “Y/N, why didn’t you wait for me? I wanted to see Jungkookie’s first hit. You took his smoking virginity without me.” He frowned and both you and Jungkook laughed at that statement.

“You feeling better?” You ask the younger, eyeing him as he takes deep breaths.

“Yeah, thank you.” He nodded slightly to you. “Can I try again?”

“You nearly cough a lung out and you want to try again?” You’re baffled by his quick recovery and urge to try again. “Are you sure?”

He gave a nod, but before he could answer Jin started to speak. “Baby. . .why don’t you show him how I first helped you. . .” You felt your face turn red at the thought of how Jin helped you take your first hit.

“Jinnie. . . I don’t know if he’ll be comfortable with it.” You look over to Jungkook who has a look of confusion drawn over his face. “Would you be okay with me shotgunning it to you?” You ask him.

“I uh, don’t know what that is but I trust you, whatever it is.”

You open your mouth to try and explain it, but Jin cut you off saying just do it and he hands you the j and lighter once again. You tell him to sit back a bit and soon as he’s back far enough, you swing your leg over his. Sitting in his lap, you watch as his face starts to turn pink, but he doesn’t protest. He doesn’t seem to know where to put his hands but soon settles on your hips.

“Open your mouth,” you instruct and he follows. “When I breathe out, breathe in. Okay?” He gives you another nod and watches as you place the joint back between your lips and light it. You pull in for a second and then with your free hand, you place your hand on Jungkook’s jaw and pull him closer. With your lips centimeters apart, you blow out into his mouth. As instructed, he breathes in as you exhale and you can feel his grip on your hips tighten ever so slightly. Once you pull away, you’re damn sure both of your faces are beet red.

“Fuuuck, that was so hot.” Jin groans from behind the two of you.

“Jinnie. . .” You mutter as you try to peel yourself off of Jungkook, but his grip hasn’t let off. You look at him and he almost seems frozen in shock.

“Look at little Jungkookie,” Jin chuckled as he sat beside the two of you, “cat got your tongue?” You both watch as he nodded his head in confirmation. You watch as your boyfriend runs his fingers through Jungkook’s hair, then turns his head to look at him. “You feel good?” He gives another nod, to which Jin responds with a kiss to his cheek. “Y/N made you feel good?” He whispered into his ear.

Instantaneously, both you and Jungkook freeze. What on Earth was Jin going with this? You watch as the elder, presses his lips to Jungkook’s ears again and whisper something you don’t hear. Jungkook looks back to you and gulps before asking, “Can-can I kiss you?”

Your eyes shot to Jin, who gives you a small nod of encouragement. You give a nod but Jin interrupts.

“Use your words, sweetheart.”

“Yes, you can kiss me.” You say breathlessly. Jungkook then presses a quick kiss to your lips then pulls away just as quick.

“Come on, baby boy. You can do better than that.” Jin teases as he presses kisses to the side of Jungkook’s face and neck.

This time, you guide his lips back to yours and softly kiss him. It takes a moment before he starts to return the kiss, his lips soft against yours. You kiss for a few more seconds before pulling away.

“Good. . . now, let’s eat this pizza and finish the movie, okay?” Now it’s the both of you that nod. Jungkook finally releases his grip on you and you slide over to sit beside him.

Jin instructs the two of you to settle back up amongst the pillows while he gets plates for the pizza. Jungkook is still seated in the middle and he looks a bit more at ease then he was earlier.

“Jungkookie?” He turns to you. “Would it be okay if we cuddle. . .?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Come here.” He said as he pulled you closer to him, you pressed your face against his chest and felt the warmth of his embrace as Jin returned with plates.

Seeing the two of you snuggled up next to each other, he puts the plates on top of the pizza box and seats himself on the other side of Jungkook. Jin wraps his arms around the both of you and pulls the two of you closer to him.

You hear faintly as the movie starts to play again in the background and Jin pressed a kiss to Kookie’s cheek and he followed suit by pressing one to your forehead. Whatever that was going on at this moment, didn’t really matter. You were happy and comfortable in the arms of two guys who cared for you.

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crimson-of-the-earth · 2 years

Text

I posted 4,255 times in 2021

17 posts created (0%)

4238 posts reblogged (100%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 249.3 posts.

I added 864 tags in 2021

#aew - 187 posts

#all elite wrestling - 186 posts

#hannibal - 92 posts

#aew dynamite - 76 posts

#kenny omega - 59 posts

#aew memes - 57 posts

#aew meme - 57 posts

#overwatch - 51 posts

#adam page - 50 posts

#wwe - 49 posts

Longest Tag: 74 characters

#there's my mom who calls all her students what translates as 'my children'

My Top Posts in 2021

KRIS IS PART OF BEST FRIENDS! I’M-

8 notes • Posted 2021-04-08 08:56:01 GMT

Hook offering Dante Martin his chips is a wholesome moment I never knew I needed

11 notes • Posted 2021-11-13 09:37:54 GMT

OKAY BUT, KENNY READING A BOOK TO A GROUP OF KIDS WAS ADORABLE AND I WANNA SEE MORE OF IT

21 notes • Posted 2021-02-18 12:33:24 GMT

Adam Page in AEW (A Deep Dive)

WARNING: This contains mentions of g**lighting, m**ipulation and being left behind and forgotten. If you feel that this will be triggering or too much for you, please do not proceed. I’m wishing you good physical, mental and emotional health and safety.

Adam Page has been through a lot throughout the past few months in AEW. Feeling like he doesn’t belong in his friend group, feeling overshadowed by his friends and being ignored and brushed aside when expressing all this.

Even his tag team partner, the only person he trusted in said friend group, dismissed his concerns and kept telling him that everything’s fine when it’s clearly not.

Then having a person/group of people in his ear and gaslighting him into thinking that his friends never cared about him and they never will, convincing him that he doesn’t need them. When it all came crashing down, everyone pinned the blame on him for destroying their friendship while the people who gaslit him raise their hands in innocence, leaving him to bear all the guilt and anger his friends threw at him.

When the Bucks told him that he “was good enough the entire time”, he realized how much they actually cared but it’s too late to reconcile at that point. He’d lost their trust and they kicked him out of the Elite.

Finally, his best friend starts to doubt him when he says that he’s trying to make it all better, thinking that he’s actually the person his manipulators made him look to be. When they lost the titles, Adam trusted and looked to Kenny for comfort and support but Kenny had enough, literally and metaphorically letting Adam fall, Now Adam is defeated and alone, in more ways than one.

He starts coping unhealthily because he’s made to think that it’s all his fault, that he’s the only one to blame for the friendship falling to pieces, for the destruction of the Elite. He was looked at as the person who tore the Elite from the inside and, in a way, he was but he was manipulated into thinking that he didn’t belong there so he lashed out to try and leave but ended up destroying everything.

Now look at him: Alone and finding difficulty in trusting new people. Not wanting to be associated with anyone and everyone, while being reminded by people (The commentary team) about his success with his former friends.

So in a way, he’s still being overshadowed by them. His success cannot be mentioned without mentioning other people. When people talk about him, they talk about the Bucks, then they go on to mention that they’re the current AEW tag champions. (titles that both he and Kenny held on to.) Speaking of Kenny, Adam’s run with Kenny is one of the first people remember him for.

They broke the record for longest tag title reign and were practically unstoppable. When they separated and Adam found out that Kenny inserted himself into the AEW Championship tournament, he was shocked and had to get off commentary (this was during an episode of Dark) to get himself in the tournament as well.

When Adam was in a singles match, (against John Silver, I believe) Kenny was on commentary and refused to talk about or even look at Adam during his entrance. Kenny would dodge questions about his run with Page or quickly shut the conversation down. After Adam wins his match, Kenny quickly leaves while Adam excitedly looks to the commentary booth to see Kenny’s reaction.

Except he wasn’t there and he’s left to celebrate in the ring alone.

Kenny then goes on to win against Adam in the Finals at Full Gear, yet another moment that tells him that he still cannot win one over his friends. Kenny goes on to win (or steal, depending on your take on it) the AEW championship title from Mox.

Even as recently as Beach Break, while teaming with Matt Hardy he was repeatedly told that Matt had no ulterior motives and that he only wanted to help. But Adam’s suspicions were confirmed when Matt tags himself in to get the physical pinfall, effectively using Adam to get a win for himself.

So looking at everything, the message is clear to Adam:

Every single one of his friends became successful when they dropped him, giving him the impression that he was weighing them down and that they’re better off without him.

He’s having trouble trusting new people because the last time he did, he was manipulated into turning his back on his friends and being left in the dust. The last time he trusted someone, they let him fall without so much as a second glance.

So what does he do, aside from drinking to cope?

He distances himself, convinces himself that he doesn’t need help, doesn’t need friends, or anyone because he’s afraid of being gaslit, manipulated, betrayed, doubted, overshadowed, ignored and forgotten. He’s convinced that the entire cycle will happen again if he was to trust another person.

In my opinion, all of this is why we sympathize with Adam. Most of us can look at his struggles and think ‘huh, that seems familiar’ or ‘I know what that feels like’, because most of us have gone through that.

Take away all the wrestling elements, and it’s a story that almost everyone can relate to. Most of us have had thoughts that we don’t belong in our respective groups/circles, and some of us have either left or been kicked out.

While others were befriended by snakes in the grass and manipulated into thinking that our friends were/are betraying us and that we should get out of the friendship before they could do so.

And everyone who sympathizes with Adam want to see how his story ends. If it’s going to end the same as theirs or otherwise, we’ll still root for him and cheer him on. We’ll keep watching because we want to see what happens next, we want to see any development to his story, good or bad.

Because his journey and upcoming redemption is something we all experience/will experience and we love to see someone we relate to succeed and overcome their hurdles, especially if those hurdles are familiar to us.

I, for one, am excited to see what will happen next. And props to AEW for writing his story the way they have.

24 notes • Posted 2021-02-04 13:00:11 GMT

59 notes • Posted 2021-01-14 09:16:16 GMT

Get your Tumblr 2021 Year in Review →

#my 2021 tumblr year in review #I really have a lot of time on my hands huh?#your tumblr year in review #Damn

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kinsbin · 3 years

Text

One Hot Proposal - KaiCree

Title: One Hot Proposal Ship: Kai ‘Gaia’ / Jesse McCree (SI x Canon) Word Count: 2176

Me? Finally marrying Jesse McCree? More likely than you think! I just wanted to write how our proposal went out ;w;

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The motel room was hotter than either of them would have liked. It's poorly insulated space allowed all of the outdoors' humid weather to seep through the cracks of the broken walls and weakened plaster. The pale yellow of the boxy room was all but sweating through the peels on its wallpaper as the ceiling fan droned on uselessly in a monotone hum. Kai had grown used to the weather in the southwest, their body almost preferring its intense heat t the chill of the Pacific Northwest or the unpredictable shakiness of the Midwest. Yet even this heat wave was proving unbearable in the utmost unpleasant of ways.

Their skin felt like it was sticking to their bones. Their sweat might as well have been rivers running through the dry cracks and ashy edges of their ashy body. Every breath felt like breathing down the barrel of a freshly fired gun, the heat overwhelming in their lungs as they exhaled a long, annoyed groan of pain in an effort to remove some of the pressure building in their bare chest. Their shirt had been foregone long ago in the presence of the ungodly heat, their body only clad in a pair of small gym shorts that barely hiked themselves around the meat of their thighs. Their short hair stuck to the back of their neck and - oh god - shaving their whole head sounded like the most ideal thing in the world at that moment.

As they contemplated the modification of their own body for the sake of cooling off, the motel door was pushed open, a familiar knocking warning them as to just who it was who was entering. Turning their head, they watched as Jesse McCree wiped his own sweat ridden forehead off with the hem of his button down shirt as it clung to his form with desperate, humid stickiness.

"Ice just about melted halfway to the damn room." He muttered as he threw a medium sized bag at the bed Kai was resting on. Kai scrambled to grab it, the immediate cool of the plastic a welcome change to their current temperature. Without thinking about it, they pulled open the bag of ice and plunged their hand into it, the immediate cooling sensation drawing a hefty and adoring sigh from their lips as their muscles relaxed in the pleasantness. They just barely registered the sound of the mini fridge door opening, the sound of clanking glass a distant echo compared to the euphoria of melting ice around their arm. They pulled a few of the cubes out and dropped them onto the back of their neck, shivering as the ice melted and dripped cold water down their bare back.

Another cold sensation pressed into their arm, making Kai startled and turn towards the offending object. A single beer caught their gaze as Jesse waited for them to accept his offering. The cap had been popped off already, the hissing sound of alcohol permeating the otherwise quiet white noise of the room around them. With a smile to their lips, Kai accepted the offering and pressed the cold glass to their lips, swinging their head back to take a much needed, refreshing gulp of the bitter tasting liquid. It burned their throat and left the taste of piss in the back of their palette, but fuck if it wasn't the best damn thing that they had tasted in the days that the two of them had been stuck in this dumbass heat wave.

Jesse took a seat at their side, his weight making the bed groan and bend in his direction as he took a chug of his own icy beer, a satisfied groan leaving his lips as he did so. Kai watched as he put the bottle to the side in favor of shrugging off the offending fabric of his shirt, its coiling threads far too conductive to the heat surrounding them. They pressed their bottle of beer to their forehead, rolling it in an effort to replace the sweat with condensation on their face as they offered over the bag of ice towards their lover with a smirk.

"I'm telling you," Kai teased, "Mei said that watchpoint down in the North Pole was still functioning if we ever wanted to head over and use it."

"Sounds like a dream, darlin'," Jesse chuckled in return, his human hand grabbing a fistful of ice to dump along his neck while his metal one held the bottle of beer firmly between its fingertips, "Just me, you, and a hundred miles of ice on either side of us."

"God, don't describe that," Kai groaned, "It's making me hotter."

"Ain't possible," Jesse declared, "You're already hot as can be."

Kai couldn't help the bubble of laughter that echoed through their mouth as they leaned on the other's side, their shoulders touching together. The sweat of their skin acted as a glue to keep them that way for a moment, sticky and unpleasant for a few seconds but manageable because - well - it was them that was doing it. Jesse could not stop his arm from going around Kai's shoulders and bringing them in closer, a sloppy kiss placed on the top of their head as he smiled. They touched their cold beer bottle to his chest in return, making his own laugh chortle through the edges of his kiss.

"How much longer are we staying here?" Kai wondered as they pulled away from Jesse enough to take another sip of their beer, "We already have enough evidence that the guy we've been tailing is working with Talon. Shouldn't we just report to 76 and be done with it? I miss our air conditioned base."

"I did call him," Jesse's voice bordered on annoyed as he spoke, "and he told me that Talon's doubled air patrol guard in this area in suspicion of Overwatch activity so, until they get us new landing coordinates to haul our asses to, we're stuck in Dallas."

"Fuck that!" Kai declared with an angry huff, "We're so using the company card to order takeout tonight."

"Who do you think paid for the ice and these beers?"

Kai grinned at the other with a fond expression. Jesse could only admire just how handsome they were like this; even with their hair stuck in tendrils around their forehead with sweat and their bare chest softened with glittering perspiration, they were by far the most amazing thing he had laid eyes on. From the day that they met to the years that followed afterwards, Jesse couldn't recall a time where he didn't enjoy their company. He didn't want to recall a time where he did not have them at his side.

Those were dark days without them. They had their dark days too, but then they had found each other hadn't they?

Yeah...

Jesse blinked down at Kai, as if realizing something for the first time. The look did not go unnoticed by the other's observant and empathetic gazes. Kai's brow furrowed in return, their body shifting slightly to face the cowboy better as they tilted their head. They asked their question only after grabbing another handful of ice and pressing it to the back of their bare neck, the edges of water streaming down their shoulder and making wet spots on the hotel room sheets as they did so:

"What's up, Cowboy?"

Jesse took his time in responding, taking another drink of his beer and leaning back on one arm against the bed as he swirled the liquid in the glass before him. He watched as it danced on the sides of the amber glass, glimmering in the light that dared peek through the drawn blackout curtains.

"I was just thinkin..."

"About?"

"...Hey, would you wanna get married?"

Kai - who had been in mid sip of their beer - spit across the room in shock. The spray of their alcohol decorated the carpet on the floor in front of them as they choked in surprise, leaning forward to push the liquid from their lungs as their mind rushed to formulate a response somehow. Jesse watched them struggle to regain their composure, his hand reaching up to gently pat at their back in an effort to help them expel the beer from their esophagus. Kai's hand came up in a gesture of 'one second' as they finally cleared the burning in their throat. Tears had formulated in their eyes as they whipped their head around with a gaze of complete disbelief.

"I'm sorry, would I what now!?"

"Get married," Jesse repeated, "To... Me."

His hand rose up and rubbed at the back of his neck, the lackadaisical confidence he had in asking suddenly dissipating at the look they had given him.

"Never mind. It was a stupid idea. I don't know why I-"

"No! No you don't, hey," Kai reached out and grabbed at Jesse's leg with a raise of their brow, "I wasn't saying 'no', I was asking what... brought it on is all. I... Marriage? You wanted to get married."

"Well, yeah."

"To me?"

"Who else?"

"Plenty of other people," Kai laughed incredulously, "I... Jesse... would you be ready for something like that?"

"Would you?"

Kai shot him a pointed look, making the other sigh and throw his hand up as he assured them he understood.

"Look, I know what we got ain't the most 'normal' of relationships. We ain't ever gonna be the type to settle down or stay in one place for too long... But... I love you, Kai, and if there's any chance I can make that love last for as long as damn possible then - shoot- I want to do it. 'Sides, maybe one day we will get out of all of this Overwatch business... and we could settle down somewhere nice, ya know? If you ever want to."

Jesse paused and reached out, finding their hand in his own and giving it a solid squeeze as he licked his lips.

"I just know that there ain't ever gonna be another person as perfect for me as you."

Kai felt the redness of their blush creep up into their cheeks. It warmed the back of their neck and the tips of their ears as Jesse's confession fell with little filter through to their ears. To hear him think so much of them made their heart swell with a love they couldn't possibly begin to describe. It just made them... happy. Happier than anything had made them in their life and - God - it was all they could do not to start crying amongst the heat that was already pooling around them from the day's temperature. So instead they smiled, bright and excited and happy as they gave a tentative nod in his direction.

"...Alright, Jesse McCree... I'll marry you."

Jesse's grin grew wider than they had ever seen it. His face turned bright with blush and happiness as he leaned forward with a hoot of delight, wrapping Kai up in his arms and pulling them into his lap. Kai yelped as they tried to steady their beer glass in one of their hands, only to be interrupted when McCree's lips came crashing down on theirs with eager neediness. They grinned into the kiss as they returned it, the both of them tasting of alcohol and sweat as they sealed their proposal together with it like a letter.

"How do you want to do this?" Kai wondered as they separated. Jesse shrugged and leaned forward to kiss their neck instead, humming into their skin as his arms kept themselves firmly around them.

"Don't care. We should get it done quick, though. If that's what ya want, at least."

"Yeah, that's fine," Kai agreed with a tinge of thought to their words, "I don't want a big ceremony or anything like that... Hey, we could probably just find one of those elopement chapels here right? We'd have to do the paperwork for it all when we get back to Overwatch since we can't exactly give people our names and addresses 'round here but-"

"Fine by me," Jesse mumbled, nipping their skin gently, "So long as we get to celebrate the Honeymoon sooner than later~."

Kai rolled their eyes with a laugh, hitting his shoulder as he grinned up at them. They couldn't help the softness in their gaze as they ran their hands through Jesse's hair, pushing the locks back and watching them reappear in front of his face messily as they did so. Jesse smiled bright up at them, all blushes and puppy dog eyes of adoration as the held them on his lap close. Kai sighed with contentment as they leaned forward, kissing him one last, long and good time for good measure.

"I love you, Jesse McCree."

Jesse's grip grew tighter as they spoke, his nose nuzzling their own as he hummed.

"I love you too, honeysuckle. I always will."

Marriage or not, Kai thought, that answer was really all that they needed.

#kinley writes #kaicree #self ship #self insert #self shipping #si x canon #oc x canon #selfship

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allycryz · 3 years

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Nerys Eluned: Canon Jobs

Background

Nerys spent her childhood with a community of Duskwight in the South Shroud until she was twelve. Her parents moved first to the Central Shroud, later to the East. Prior to ARR, she had never left the Shroud.

Her father handled her academic education with a bent towards reading and history. Her mother took on the more practical subjects: how to hunt, forage, stay out of trouble; where the Duskwight could move freely and where they should avoid.

There were always chores and odd jobs for children, especially needed when they left the relative safety net of The Cavern in the South. By her fifteenth nameday, this turned into steady work. She excelled in mostly physical jobs for merchants, farms, and outposts.

Nerys off-and-on entertained the idea of becoming a soldier, but never felt called enough to take steps. Once she reached her 20s, she had two main goals: make enough gil to live and to have fun when she wasn’t working. Nerys broke up her share of bar fights and dealt with fending bandits off merchant caravans, so again the idea of being a soldier or Adventurer came up.

The catalyst is a rough break-up that also ends a lot of her friendships. It is not that becoming an adventurer is a solution to any of the problems she faced. But in the wake of this big change, she took a long look at everything and decided she wanted something new. That leads her to Gridania and the Lancer’s Guild.

Disciple of War and Magic

Lancer/Dragoon

Meta Note

FFXIV is my first MMORPG. Prior, I have always been primarily a “solo play on my own at my own pace” kinda gal. But my friend said it was really fun and I love the FF franchise, so there I went. I wasn’t sure what class to do, was thinking Fighter until I learned it was a tank class.

My only other major online game experience was Overwatch where I was a Lucio main. That was a rarity for me: I tend to have a tougher time with caster/support classes and prefer playing as a rogue or sniper in most games. As rogue wasn’t an option, I asked my friend what she thought and she suggested Dragoon.

There were three options in Gridania: Conjurer, Archer, Lancer. Although Nerys later tried her hand at the other two, Lancer appealed her as someone who wasn’t afraid to get into the thick of things.

She ended up taking well to it and her fellow guild members. The guild was very much “here are a few techniques, go out there and figure it out” which matched up with her way of doing things.

Nerys is still processing everything that happened with Foulques of the Mist; angry with his choices while also understanding what he went through as a fellow Duskwight. It is a bit of a relief when Alberic becomes her new mentor and she can get away from everything. Not to mention: Coerthas is a place she has always wanted to go to. Her father’s lessons included their sweeping history as well as their poetry and stories.

Of course, things go sideways almost immediately. The Eye chooses her as the second Azure Dragoon and her first encounter with Estinien is anything but friendly. Things settle on that front for awhile and her primary concerns become the Primals and Garlemald. And having a small foothold in Coerthas is a boon when she, Cid, and Alphinaud travel there in search of the airship.

When Estinien suggest they partner together, she is hesitant given their previous encounters but feels drawn to help him. She agrees. That all comes crashing down after Nidhogg reveals to Estinien how Alberic’s actions lead to the loss of his family. Nerys has to step in to fend him off. The next time she sees him is in the Intercessory with Aymeric. Though he assures her he is not there to fight, she is on her guard.

She never expects that Ishgard will become the place she calls home. Nor that she and Estinien will become friends and then something more, eventually becoming lovers after he rescues her from Elidibus-Zenos. But it does and they do, and even when they both give up the title of Azure Dragoon, she feels called to protect and serve her adopted homeland. For the sake of the Fortemps and Aymeric and Lucia and Hilda and Ysayle, but also for people like Alberic, Estinien, and Heustienne who made her the warrior she is today.

Note About Armor: Nerys has her preferred aesthetics and the traditional Dragoon armor doesn’t quite fit. She prefers her own style and her concession is armor that pays tribute to the heritage of the position without being an exact copy (pictured, not her only armor set in canon or meta-wise).

That said, she is aware of when statements need to be made. Nerys isn’t a political creature in the way Aymeric and Alphinaud are but she understands that politics are a part of everything.

For certain missions and meetings she garbs herself in the traditional manner: needing to remind the Alliance of her strong ties to Ishgard, making the Heaven’s Ward realise how badly they erred in imprisoning Aymeric when both Azure Dragoons show up.

Meta Note:

Once I got to Level 15, I joined...all the Guilds in Gridania. And for a while worked on leveling Archer, Conjurer, and Rogue while also making progress with Lancer/Dragoon and MSQ. Eventually I switched gears because I wasn’t progressing fast enough in the story and focused almost exclusively on Dragoon.

For story purposes, Rogue doesn’t quite fit into Nerys’ story though I think Thancred has definitely introduced her to that crew.

Archer

Archer never quite suited Nerys, as someone who prefers to get close to the action. She does have a great deal of respect for her fellow guild members and Lewin; and she remembers what she learned when ranged combat is needed.

Conjurer

Nerys’ aether control as a Dragoon is excellent. But for whatever reason, she could not quite translate those skills to conjury.

She kept on for some time because in her mind, a good warrior would have healing skills at her disposal. Eventually, a conversation with E-Sumi-Yan brought her to accept that she might better serve others in a different way.

What she did gain was an affinity for the element of air, likely tied to her role as a Lancer/Dragoon. This becomes vital when she saves Haurchefant at The Vault, although it does not go as well as she would have liked.

(She also had a foray with the Arcanist’s Guild that was about as long as Tataru’s.)

Meta Note:

Disciple of Hand/Land: I have levels unlocked in all the DoH/DoL, the following four make the most canon sense and are the ones I have progressed in the most.

That said, canonically she dabbles in everything because she is naturally curious and wants to be self-sufficient in all things. Most of the guilds know her. The following four know her the best and it’s where most of her focus has gone.

Disciple of the Land

Botanist

Nerys was drawn to the Botanists’ Guild because of her upbringing. She knew much of the Shroud and its treasures already. What she found–as she became an adventurer–was that these skills help immensely on the road.

It’s also a centering profession. Nerys needs activity to bring her out of her own mind, especially as responsibilities and dangers pile on. She can go lose herself in nature, either for her own needs or on commission (and often both).

Having grown up foraging ingredients to cook with, her Botanist career also ties into Culinarian role.

Disciple of the Hand

Culnarian

Nerys grew up cooking alongside her mother, so she had a base of knowledge going into the guild. Still, through Lyngsath and the rest she discovers a whole world of new ingredients, recipes, and techniques.

As a hunter and a Botanist, there is no end to the new ingredients she find to experiment with.

Leatherworker

Nerys fell into leatherworking when she was scoping out all the guilds in Gridania (around the time she took up with the Archers and Conjurers).

It stuck for a few reasons: the resources were fairly easy to come by from her hunts; it is another centering activity; and she is a bit of a clotheshorse. If she has to wear specific gear as a Dragoon, she can add her own pretty details to the leather pieces.

Weaver

This is a culmination of the other jobs: uses resources from other things she does (botany, hunting, and leatherworking), a craft that pulls all her focus into one thing, and satisfies her clotheshorse desires. She knows she can put pretty details into her everyday armor/gear and make more formal clothes that make her feel good.

(Whenever she is dealing with A Thing, she will get her hair done. Of course she needs clothes that work with the new look, even if it’s a temporary updo.)

When it comes to leatherworking and weaving, there a plus to taking guild commissions: it has to be perfect and meticulous and good quality but it is not on the level of say...if you fail this task, a primal will temper all these innocents. Nerys is drawn to help people but it's nice to do that for something that is not saving the world. (Of course when she makes any type of armor or working clothes, she is sure to make them well so they protect the wearer.)

She is not advanced enough to make her own gowns for formal events held by the city-states or the Ishgardian High Houses. One day she would like to be able to do so. Until then, Eorzea has plenty of dressmakers ready to help.

Outfit Note: I ended up choosing a mix of the Scion and Best Man’s clothing, thinking of how you can never go wrong with a suit. It’s crisp, always in style, and she looks great in it!

#nerys eluned #duskwight elezen #duskwight warrior of light #elezen #dragoon warrior of light #ffxiv #dragoon #botanist #weaver #leatherworker #culinarian #long post #ally writes

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talesfromthepayload · 4 years

Text

The Fall (Part Three)

A/N: Soooooo I really decided to just post this part because I was sick of staring at it. There’s going to be a lot of world building used, considering there’s not a whole lot to go off of. You might also notice some video game logic bent to fit more properly into the world. Again, this work is entirely self indulgent, and I pulled a lot of inspiration from Tony Stark. Also, again, this work will have romantic themes with three different characters before the inevitable split in the story, where you’re welcome to read whichever ending you so desire.

Jack had a lot to think about.

Being the Strike Commander of Overwatch, most days he didn’t even have time to ponder his own thoughts. Ana had suggested he take more time to himself, but he couldn’t justify just up and leaving for hours at a time, so he made his compromise in the form of you. He would be training you in the mornings, which might not sound like a break to most, but it was a step in the right direction.

The base was mostly quiet around this time, nearly five in the morning, and it was far more relaxing than the normal chatter and conversation that echoed through the halls during the day. He let out a sigh, stretching his stiff muscles in preparation. He hadn’t been getting enough sleep lately, but he knew that neither had Gabriel.

Thoughts of his friend brought a frown to his face. The two of them had always had their own opinions, but lately they’d been at each other’s throats. He should try to schedule something so they could relax and have a normal friendship for one night.

“Please tell me training comes with breakfast?” Your voice was lower than normal, filled with sleep still, but the bags under your eyes told him you didn’t get much of it.

“I’m guessing you didn’t sleep much?” He inquired, though he knew the answer.

You shook your head, lifting your arms wide into the air as you stretched. You were in the standard issue Overwatch sweatpants, same as him, but instead of wearing the shirt that went with it, you were in just a sports bra. Your wrist housed that same little watch device you were wearing the previous day.

“Never been one for sleep,” you admitted, though there was a decidedly haunted look in your eyes.

It surprised him, if he were being honest. You seemed so young, like the world hadn’t left you scarred yet, but the look you held just then made a different statement. Once again, he found himself wishing to know more.

“Gabriel wasn’t too hard on you, was he?” He joked, hoping to lighten the mood.

One corner of your lips curled up.

“If anything I was too hard on him,” you laughed.

Jack definitely didn’t doubt that. You were quick witted, and he had one hell of a feeling that you didn’t take any shit from Gabe.

“I figured we’d start with a lesson in rank and etiquette,” he said after a short pause, leading you towards a more comfortable, and private, lounge. “Then we’ll start on physical training.”

“Well, Strike Commander,” you emphasized the title, “I’m a quick study.”

He breathed out a laugh.

“I don’t doubt it.” He took a seat opposite you and powered up his holopad so you could see the information as well. “How well do you know the chain of command?”

You leaned back, letting yourself relax comfortably before bothering to answer.

“Not at all,” you replied, shrugging. Then, with a mischievous twinkle, you added: “We could make it a tad more interesting.”

He didn’t shoot down your idea right away, but left it open ended for you to continue if you so chose. You did.

“Every question I answer correctly, I get to ask you one.”

There was a challenge in the gentle furrow of your brow, and boy did he want to rise to it.

“Fine,” he conceded, “But you have to answer too.”

You sucked in a breath and chewed on your lip thoughtfully, an action that was way too tantalizing for the early morning.

“Okay, deal.”

“Overwatch chain of command,” he restated, “What is it?”

There was a hint of that Strike Commander voice back into his tone, but he was surprisingly playful.

“Strike Commander,” you answered, pausing thoughtfully.

“Is that all you’ve got?” He asked after a momentary pause.

You held your hands up in surrender.

“I’m trying to remember from when I was looking at everyone’s files,” you muttered almost unconsciously.

He made a noise, one of both surprise and indignance.

“You shouldn’t make a habit of hacking into the database.”

The smile that took over your lips could only be defined as sultry. You looked up from beneath your lashes, quirking a brow.

“I suggest better security then.”

He opened his mouth to retort, though with what he wasn’t entirely sure. You beat him to it.

“Next are the commanders, then the heads of fields, captains, and lieutenants.”

He closed his lips, offering a grunt of affirmation and not commenting as he awaited your question. You didn’t make him wait for long.

“Where are you from?” The question was basic and straightforward.

He was genuinely surprised by the one you chose. Most people would delve further into his personal life, or even his career. Instead, you went for a question that was fairly easy to find the answer to on your own.

“Indiana,” he replied, leaning forward to meet your stare. “You’re telling me you hacked into Overwatch and found all of our secret operations but not my birthplace?”

You released a breath, splaying your hands out as you did so.

“I looked at files on Overwatch and Blackwatch, but I figured I’d rather learn personal details from the man himself.”

He ran his tongue along his teeth. It was so hard to decipher you. Despite having more information than most people, and far more than you should’ve, you kept personal details private.

“What about you?”

Your eyes crinkled up the smallest bit, and he knew you were reliving fond memories in your mind’s eye. He often romanticized memories of his home too, even though deep down he knew he’d never be happy there again.

“Massachusetts,” you relented, meeting his gaze with something less intense and more playful. “Right outside of Boston.”

“Long way from home,” he commented. He wasn’t sure what he expected, but he couldn’t really imagine you being the kind of person that was content to stay in one place.

“You’re one to talk,” you shot back, a soft laugh warming the air around you.

“Overwatch divisions?” He questioned, trying not the uplifting tunes of your laughter linger for too long.

You were back to pulling your lip into your mouth as you thought. Jack nearly pinched himself at the thoughts running through his mind at such an innocent gesture. Gabriel had been right about one thing: he needed to loosen up and get laid. He was getting wound up way too easily.

“Engineering,” you started gently, “Medical, strike teams, and…” you dragged the word out with a dramatic wink, “covert ops.”

He nodded, fighting back the smirk that threatened to appear.

It was odd, having someone who wasn’t already familiar with the inner workings of Overwatch converse with him. Almost everyone he talked to nowadays were overly interested in every small facet of Overwatch.

“Why Overwatch?”

Your question was simple, but there was a genuine curiosity in your eyes. He swallowed, and despite better judgment telling him he should stick to the same story he always did, he found himself talking.

“I wanted to help people,” he said, voice faraway as he remembered the early days of the Omnic Crisis.

He was so young then, naive of how the world worked, just wanting to make a difference. It was his duty, as well as his privilege to help those who needed it. Until it wasn’t.

“And then there was nothing else.” It was a hard admission, and he couldn’t quite meet your eyes. “War was all I knew, so I kept fighting. Never stopped.”

There was a weight that rested itself upon his shoulders, the whole world throwing itself in his hands.

A smaller, warmer weight settled upon his hand, and his shining blue eyes moved up to meet your gaze. There was a sort of understanding passing between the two of you, and he couldn’t quite grasp why. Nothing in your file suggested that you should be a kindred spirit, but the look in your eyes made him very aware of the fact that you were.

“Your turn,” he reminded you gently, making no move to pull his hand away.

You relaxed into the contact as you thought about your answer. The roguish looks and troublesome smiles faded. There was something so much deeper that caused you such pain, yet he couldn’t decode it.

“My dad used to be my hero.” The suddenness of your voice after a long period of silence nearly startled him. “He was special ops for the US Army, 151st.”

“Battle of New York,” Jack muttered, the name ringing a bell.

You nodded gently.

During the Omnic Crisis, there had been many different locations hit. The United States were lucky enough to be spared in most places, but it hit New York City hard. For six weeks the city was unreachable. Many people thought it’d never be recovered, but one division of soldiers managed to sweep through and reclaim the city in three nights. Jack had met a few of the members involved, even recruited some, but a great deal of them ended up sacrificing their lives.

They were war heroes.

More confusion came with your statement. Why in the world would you keep something like that off of your record?

“I wanted to be just like him,” you continued, “Or at least someone he would be proud of.”

“Where is he?”

It was all Jack could ask. He didn’t know you well enough to try and delve further into the past. A safe option, he realized.

“Dead.”

There was a bitterness on your tongue, like the words themselves were poison. Despite the questions he wanted to ask, he didn’t. It was something you’d tell him later, or not at all, but not something he could demand.

“I thought basic training was like,” you gestured vaguely in the air around you, finally removing your hand from his, “exercise.”

The frown that had wanted to show at the loss of contact was replaced with a wry grin.

“It is,” he conceded, “but you also need to know procedures. Do you even know who to salute?”

The morning carried on in much the same manner. He had learned a lot of small details about the person you were through your answers, but it was very obvious that you kept a lot close to your chest. He did his best not to pry, and you respected the unspoken boundary as well.

Even through the strenuous fitness regime that Jack had laid out for you, you continued with the playful attitude. It was very obvious that you were winded, and exhausted, but the joviality never faded.

As the few hours he’d carved out of the day to focus on your training came to an end, he found himself looking forward to the next one.

You, however, were not.

Yes, spending time with Jack had been nice. He was good company. You’d found yourself really warming up to him, just as you had to a few others in the facility already. The conversations came easily, and despite the big reputation, he was a genuine man.

You didn’t like all of the running he made you do though.

Sure, you understood it was necessary and all that, but the man was built like a friggin truck and he expected you to keep up. Your wit wasn’t lost to exhaustion, and the jokes were a never ending stream of thinly veiled complaints.

Still, after you finished, you gave him a sweet smile and a promise you’d be back there bright and early the next day.

As soon as you were free from your morning obligation, you nearly sprinted to the cafeteria. It was still early enough for some recruits to be just getting their breakfast, and you hopped in line with them. If your sudden appearance made them question anything, they didn’t voice it. Once you piled your plate with as much food as you could hope to eat, you found a familiar silhouette tucked far into the back corner of the room.

Deciding it was your best option, you took a seat at the same table.

“Sorry for attacking you,” you tried, sheepishly.

The man leveled you with a stare. He wasn’t eating, just waiting, and it seemed you interrupted his time to do so. He didn’t look particularly hostile, but was in no way friendly either.

“Likewise,” was his short reply.

You decided it wasn’t anything personal and began digging into your food, letting silence permeate the air between the two of you. Genji was his name, if you remembered correctly. (And you most certainly did. You were a genius, after all.) He was another Blackwatch agent. When you’d been snooping around Overwatch’s files, you’d found a fair bit of data in regards to his cybernetic enhancements.

You’d made it about halfway through your meal when a low whistle sounded right by your ear.

“Fancy meetin’ you here,” the smooth drawl of Jesse McCree practically vibrated through his chest.

“Morning, cowboy,” you greeted, a smile finding its place on your lips.

He sat beside you with his own mountain of food, looking positively delighted to have found you when he did.

“So darlin’,” the look he gave you was anything but innocent, “What brings you to Blackwatch?”

“My genius intellect and devilish charm,” you quipped, adding a wink to lament the idea.

McCree’s laugh was hearty and loud. He laughed with his whole body, and you found it absolutely infectious.

“Are you joining us for trainin’ today?”

He looked hopeful, and before you could grant him with an answer, another body sat itself at the table.

“She doesn’t have much of a choice in the matter,” the voice grumbled, belonging to one tired looking commander.

You clicked your mouth shut with a sheepish smile.

“Guess Gabe answered that one for me,” you relented, toying with your watch.

“How come she doesn’t get in trouble for not calling you by your rank?” McCree whined, stabbing his fork extra hard into his breakfast.

“She will,” Gabriel promised darkly.

“Kinky,” you practically purred, leaning forward to meet his eyes.

Once more, Jesse laughed. His arm slung across your back as he pulled you into him.

“I think you and I are gonna get along just fine, darlin’.”

You stuck your tongue out at him, pulling away to regain some amount of dignity.

“I’m never going to have time to finish my thesis,” you complained, taking a final bite of your food.

Your eyes had been far too big for your mouth, and there was no way in hell you could finish it.

“I thought you finished your degree already,” Gabriel asked with a raised brow.

“Well,” you drawled excitedly, “Yes and no.”

“Yes and no?” McCree echoed, bumping your shoulder.

“I have three PhDs, I’m just working on my fourth.”

“That wasn��t on your file,” Gabriel grunted.

“Holy hell,” McCree commented.

Even Genji looked a fair bit surprised. Your question of education had always been a bit of a touchy subject. Truth be told, you’d only stayed in school for as long as you had and continued your education because you didn’t know what you wanted to do. Before the offer of Overwatch, nothing felt particularly fulfilling.

“We all have our hobbies,” you flashed a smile, tucking your downtrodden thoughts into the back of your mind.

“Does that mean I get to see the suit?” Jesse inquired, brows waggling.

Your gaze moved from Jesse to Genji. Genji feigned disinterest, but you could see the way he angled his body closer, like he was invested in the conversation even if he didn’t want to be. Then you looked at Gabriel. He was all hard edges and stern looks.

“Oh, honey,” the smile tugging at your lips was downright sinful, and two of the three men before you drank it in, “You can’t handle it.”

McCree practically snorted, clapping his hand on your back as he did so. Gabriel, however, held your gaze, brows raised in a challenge you weren’t quite sure you posed.

“What about you, six shooter,” you patted the holster Jesse kept his gun in, “You sure you don’t want an upgrade?”

“Peacekeeper is as good as it gets,” he stated proudly.

You puffed out a breath. By your standards, his precious gun was a fair bit outdated. You wanted to help Overwatch in every facet, but you had a feeling that too many of them were attached to their current weaponry to accept an upgrade.

“And you,” you nodded your head towards Gabriel, then added as an afterthought, “sir?”

His eyes flashed at your use of the title, though you couldn’t quite place whether it was annoyance or amusement. You decided the latter from the wry smile that pulled at his lips.

“Impress me,” he muttered, “and then we’ll talk.”

His voice was low, almost as if concerned others were listening in, yet oddly comforting. You turned to the last member of the Blackwatch trio with a hopeful plea.

“Ninja boy?”

“I have my own weapons.”

You didn’t miss the hint of aggression in his tone, nor did you miss the sharp look Gabriel shot him. A bit of a spitfire, then. You wondered why, or even who he was, really. Despite having access to every single one of Overwatch’s secrets at your disposal, you didn’t care to use the information to learn about the people you surrounded yourself with. If they wanted to tell you something, they would, otherwise they were free to their own privacy.

“Maybe I should go see Torbjorn again today,” you suggested to Gabriel. “He would appreciate my offer.”

Gabriel scoffed.

The day prior, Gabriel had actually taken you on the tour he promised. You’d been wide eyed running through the facility, taking in everything they had to offer. Few places impressed you as much as the engineering labs. You could spend your whole lifetime there and never be bored. Torbjorn Lindholm, as well as his friend Reinhardt Wilhelm, had been there to greet you. They were very friendly, and very receptive of the ideas you shared in the short time you had before Gabriel dragged you off to continue familiarizing yourself with the base.

“You’d never leave,” he commented dryly.

You waggled your brows.

“Is that such a bad thing?”

“Ya couldn’t see my charming face anymore,” Jesse gave you a smolder that you were sure had swayed the hearts and minds of many people before you.

He was met with a leisure shrug and flick of your wrist.

“Oh no, how would I ever survive that?” You drawled sarcastically.

The cowboy in front of you looked offended, and the expression he was toying with was somewhere between childish and affronted.

“Let’s get to training before you hurt his ego more,” Gabriel chuckled lowly, ushering the three of you out of the cafeteria.

You used the short walk to the Blackwatch training facility as an opportunity to scope out more of the base, as well as the little group you walked with. Gabriel walked with a stance that demanded respect, and you could tell he got it from the salutes of recruits you walked by. McCree moved confidently, but lazily. He looked like he had all the time in the world, and knew damn well nobody would tell him otherwise.

Genji was more guarded. You didn’t miss the way his eyes flit to the various people in the hall. He was on edge, like everyone was a threat. Your heart went out to him then, because you had a good feeling something happened to make him so jaded and cautious.

The amount of people lingering nearby dwindled the closer you got to the Blackwatch facility. There was nobody at your actual destination, and a part of you was thankful for the quiet. It was easier for you to concentrate.

The training facility itself was large, four towering walls enclosing a space with maneuverable terrain. A massive window spanned one side, overlooking a portion of the quieter side of the Swiss base. The rising sun lit the room with warm rays, highlighting the various training bots that could be used.

“Jack’s going to be doing your standard weapons training,” Gabriel mentioned as Jesse and Genji spread out on the mats, obviously familiar with the area. “I figured you’d be more comfortable if you worked on the suit with us.”

You hummed noncommittally, wide eyes scanning the vast expanse of the training room. You’d never been afforded a luxury quite like this. Your excitement wasn’t far off the levels it’d been upon your discovery of the engineering labs. The university had been backing your research during your time there, but they had a pretty strict budget. Overwatch, it seemed, didn’t.

“If that’s all it takes to amaze you, darlin’, you should see my-”

McCree was abruptly interrupted by a quick strike from Genji. The cyborg ninja held nothing back either, nearly taking the cowboy off his feet in one hit.

Jesse was fast to defend himself, the two of them passing blows back and forth.

“Quite a team you got, commander.”

You said it with as much cheek as you could, and you didn’t miss the raised brow of one Gabriel Reyes. That grumpy exterior of his really wasn’t fooling you one bit.

“Ready for round two?” He asked in reply, not waiting for you as he assumed a fighting stance.

You smirked, pressing the button on your watch to activate your suit. The nanotech crawled up and down your arm, encompassing your body with a sleek titanium layer as it did so. The helmet dropped and clicked into place, lighting up with the information from your self made UI.

Genji and McCree had stopped sparring to investigate as you resumed a more defensive position.

“Again?” Gabriel huffed.

“She looks cooler than you,” McCree mentioned to Genji, elbowing him as he did so.

Your eyes swivelled towards the pair just in time to see Genji shove him to the side. An error in judgement on your part, as Gabriel took the momentary distraction to rush in.

Sparring with the commander of Blackwatch wasn’t something you would consider fun in any sense. He was undeniably strong, unbelievably fast, and he played dirty. Despite you being suited up, you were still fairly evenly matched without the use of the repulsor beams.

It was both frustrating and refreshing.

On one hand, you did want an opportunity to show off a bit. Your suits were some of the most important work you’d ever done, and they were impressive. Getting beaten repeatedly by Gabriel Reyes did not make them look remotely advanced.

On the other, it did give you a chance to really evaluate some improvements in hand-to-hand: both for yourself and the suit.

Eventually, however, you couldn’t take the repeated failures. You were ready to go out on a win, so naturally, you played dirtier.

As you lunged forward, you disengaged the back of the suit, allowing the armor to fly towards the commander. You, during the engagement, slipped behind him and moved in for the attack. Unfortunately, Gabriel Reyes was much smarter than you gave him credit for.

“I’m not falling for that twice,” he deadpanned, turning to meet your blow.

You stepped back in surprise, exhaling in relief when the titanium arm of your suit stopped his fist short.

Upon your departure as the primary pilot, the UI you designed took over the controls. It used a complex processing system to determine attack patterns and defenses that best supported you. Though the technology was something you’d only recently begun to tinker with, it had advanced a great deal, and was actively engaging Reyes.

Some might call it cheating when you, too, joined in the spar, but you called it fair. He was a super soldier after all, and he’d had decades of training in all different types of fighting.

“You really are Blackwatch material,” Gabriel conceded, backing off from the suit.

He watched with open curiosity as the nanotech dissolved back into the form of your watch, leaving nothing in its absence.

“I am pretty impressive,” you agreed, stretching out as you did so.

Gabriel didn’t look particularly pleased with you, despite claiming you were “Blackwatch material”.

“You hesitate too much,” he finally commented, leveling you with a serious stare.

You cocked your head to the side.

“Hesitate?” You repeated, not quite sure what he was insinuating. As far as you were concerned, you’d given him a run for his money.

“Hesitate,” he said another time, confirming you heard him correctly. “It’s kill or be killed on the field, and you’re spending far too long deciding on how to strike.”

The amusement slipped from your face as his eyes darkened. Surely he didn’t mean…?

“Blackwatch doesn’t really…” You paused, the furrow in your brow growing. “I mean, you guys aren’t assassins, right?”

Your gaze had moved from the tense commander to the two Blackwatch agents, hoping they’d laugh it off and say it was a joke. Overwatch wasn’t a judge, jury, and executioner. Surely, even something as off the grid as Blackwatch wouldn’t actually be killing people, right? The files you’d read had never mentioned killing.

McCree rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, puffing a breath through his teeth. Genji, however, remained unmoving by your suggestion.

“It’s a choice we have to make sometimes,” Gabriel grunted, not sounding particularly pleased with the action, but not really seeming guilty either.

Your entire body turned towards him.

“So you-you what? You want me to kill someone?”

You’d nearly stumbled over the word ‘kill’ like it was poison itself, and not just a long list of words you’d become familiar with in your life.

“You need to be prepared to,” he warned, not bothering to sugarcoat it.

Realistically, you knew combat was going to be a necessity if you decided to join. But fighting in a war was a little different than murdering in cold blood. Blackwatch was supposed to be the intel collectors. They were the undercover operations, not the assassins.

“I’m not,” you paused, spitting the word out, “killing anybody.”

“Hey now,” Jesse interrupted, cutting off the commander before he had a chance to interject. “Why don’t I show you some of the places our old antisocial, stick-in-the-mud commander doesn’t know about?”

You opened your mouth to vent your frustrations, but McCree beat you to it.

“Could be good for you, gettin’ a chance to really find your feet here.”

Your pride wanted you to speak up, but you weren’t entirely sure what you would say. An argument was obviously not on the table, as Gabriel had been rather blunt. He wasn’t the person to talk to about that particular topic, so you decided it best if you shelf the subject for the moment.

Perhaps Jack would be the better person to talk to about it.

You clenched your jaw and nodded your head, excusing yourself from the room to follow the click of Jesse’s spurs. You weren’t quite sure where he was taking you, and you didn’t bother to ask him.

Had you made the right decision by jumping headlong into an organization you didn’t know nearly as much about as you thought you did?

Even if you had, you weren’t going to let your oversight slide so easily.

Your frown went unnoticed as McCree pointed out every room and their function as you passed.

Tonight, you decided, you would find every dirty secret Overwatch had ever tried to hide. Good or bad, you needed to know just what the hell you’d gotten yourself into.

#soldier 76 x reader #jesse mccree x reader #reaper x reader #gabriel reyes x reader #jack morrison x reader #jack morrison imagine #soldier 76 imagine #jesse mccree imagine #reaper imagine #gabriel reyes imagine #overwatch imagine #overwatch x reader #this is gonna be a wild ride #so strap in kiddos #because we're going on an emotional rollercoaster

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vyther16 · 4 years

Text

Breathe

whumptober 2020; day 13: breathe in, breathe out

glossary, with definitions to the best of my non-chinese understanding. tangjie - older female cousin on dad's side xiaojie - lady, lit little big sister gongzi - young master xiao - little

a/n

I recommend reading the work this is inspired by, "Why need we stay together day and night" by the lovely JianghuChild on Ao3. It has Shen-xiaojie being a soft-hearted badass and still getting to be in love with Yan Bingyun. If you have no patience for that, then all you need to know is Shen-xiaojie is pretending to be a cousin of the Fan sibs (Fan Sisi is her name), the entire capital thinks yby killed Fan Xian in a trauma-induced breakdown, and Fan Ruoruo started a spy ring of all the ladies in the capital to take down corrupt and womanizing officials and protect all the women in the capital.

this is not a fully fleshed out idea yet; it is a single scene that i wrote for this prompt, and that has a full au surrounding it that only i know right now. it will be expanded on eventually. maybe around thanksgiving, when I have less school to deal with.

Shen-xiaojie’s name is Shen Wan’er, in accordance with the novel (that I haven’t read lol)

~start~

Yan Bingyun stares at the inconspicuous note folded in his newly washed robes. There is no sender on the outside.

He remembers Shen--Fan Sisi’s note, the only contact he’s had with her since that night. It had appeared in the same way, and Yan Bingyun has an idea of how they have managed to pass by his extensive protections. He considers dismissing his maids and hiring a whole new household, but that would require too much explanation, and far too much time besides.

True to her word, Fan Sisi has not contacted him since that afternoon two months ago. He’s seen her with Fan Ruoruo and sometimes Fan Sizhe. She’s visited Lin Wan’er and Ye Ling’er often, and she has tea with a collection of high society women every week. She’s done well for herself, here in DaQing. He smothers the small spark of pride he feels at that, because she isn’t his, was never going to be his, and he can afford even less with her than he can with even a courtesan.

Not, that is, that he would ever want a courtesan, even if his traitorous heart didn’t belong to one woman alone.

He brushes his fingers over the note, feeling the quality of the paper. It’s the same stock as the note from Fan Sisi, all those months ago. He unfolds it slowly.

The characters are small and neat, lacking the small flair Fan Sisi always puts on the last stroke. He doesn’t recognize them.

He reads the note.

Meet me at the westernmost bridge tomorrow at dusk. If you do not, your monthly trips out of the city will not remain secret much longer.

Yan Bingyun’s breath catches in his throat. Someone knows .

“Gongzi, ” the hooded figure greets.

Yan Bingyun inclines his head, keeping his hands out in the open. He has an idea of who sent him the note, but that just makes him more aware of the dangers. The daggers in his sleeves and boot are a small comfort, the steel warmed by close proximity to his skin. The blood from the tiny knicks left behind by the unsheathed blades is difficult to see on the black robes he has taken to wearing, which is fortunate.

He has had rather enough of white robes to last him a lifetime.

The figure draws back her hood.

“ Xiaojie, ” Yan Bingyun says.

Fan Ruoruo smiles, a dangerous thing that hides itself behind dainty gestures and even daintier words.

“Why have you called me? They say I killed your brother.” He knows he didn't kill Fan Xian, but Fan Ruoruo has no reason to know that.

“Yet you disappear every month like clockwork, to a secluded cabin in the woods nearby. A cabin where you sometimes meet with Beiqi’s Shengnu. A cabin where you’re keeping my brother.”

Yan Bingyun’s breath stutters. He lets his dagger slip out of his sleeve.

“ Xiao- Yan- gongzi, the only reason I haven’t turned you in yet is because tangjie vouched for you. But tangjie has gone missing.”

Yan Bingyun staggers back.

They know about Fan Xian. Shen Wan'er is missing. Haitang Duoduo has been seen. Fan Xian is in danger again. Shen Wan'er has vanished. Haitang will be caught as a traitor. Fan Xian might be killed for real this time. Shen Wan'er has been discovered. Haitang will be killed.

Yan Bingyun breathes out, a shuddering sound that grates on his ears for the weakness it reveals.

Then he lurches forward, pressing his dagger to Fan Ruoruo’s throat. “You can’t tell anyone he’s alive. You can’t. The Second Prince will kill more than just Fan Xian if our deception is found out.”

“The Second Prince?” Fan Ruoruo chokes out, pushing futilely against Yan Bingyun’s weight.

Yan Bingyun steps back, hands shaking. There’s a thin line of blood on Fan Ruoruo’s neck. “Of course. He’s the one who asked me to kill Fan Xian.” He hesitates, then adds, “And the one who threatened Fan Sizhe as well.”

Fan Ruoruo’s eyes go wide. “That’s why he welcomed you back so quickly. We wondered.”

“Does anyone else know about Fan Xian?” Yan Bingyun gets out. His breathing is too fast, the way it gets sometimes. He rubs his thumb along the hilt of his dagger. Forward, breathe in. Back, breathe out. Repeat. Breathe in, forward. Breathe out, backwards.

“Only my people,” Fan Ruoruo says.

Forward, breathe in. “Who are your people?” Back, breathe out. Fan Ruoruo wouldn’t jeopardize her brother’s safety. Fan Xian is safe for now.

“Shadows.” Fan Ruoruo smiles, knife-sharp.

“They won’t tell the royal family? Or the director?” He presses. Forward, breathe in.

“The royal family and the director are terrified of us. But they don’t know who we are.”

Back, breathe out. Yan Bingyun pushes past the bone-deep terror for Fan Xian, for Shen Wan'er, for even Haitang Duoduo.

“The spy ring. The one that topples corrupt officials. You’re the ringleader?”

Fan Ruoruo’s grin widens. “Very good, Yan Bingyun. How very clever of you.” He's reminded starkly of Fan Xian, in the hours after his rescue, praising him for putting together dots a child could connect.

“If you can find all those things about the ministers, why do you need my help?” Forward, breathe in.

“Shen Wan'er is missing. She was taken from her room two days ago, and we have not seen her since. My people have looked, but we cannot find her. You have the unique privilege of being both Overwatch Council and someone we are willing to deal with, if absolutely necessary.”

Back, breathe out. “Shen- xiaojie made it quite clear how she felt about me the last time we saw each other,” Yan Bingyun says, squashing the emotions that claw their way up his throat at the thought of Shen Wan'er.

“Tangjie is a fugitive from Beiqi. You know this as well as I do. I fear the Overwatch Council has found out. They won’t care that she is merely the younger sister of a disgraced and dead lord, who doesn’t know any state secrets.”

Yan Bingyun knows what the Overwatch Council will do to her in hopes of getting information. He rubs his thumb over the hilt of his dagger again. "Do you have a plan?"

Fan Ruoruo draws her hood back up, hiding her face in shadows. "Of course."

~fin~

a/n

recall, if you will, that this is merely a scene from an unpublished au. do not at me about things that are not canon compliant or about ooc-ness, bc there are things that happen to these characters to make every action they take mostly in character. I will add a chapter to this directing to the finished fic this is from when I eventually finish writing it, but that probably won't be until late next month at the earliest. it will probably be around thanksgiving and/or christmas, when I have breaks from school

i didn't bother with a fancy title for this one, since it's not a fully fleshed out scene or idea, soooooooooo..............

ao3 link in the reblog to my main; reblogs>likes

#whumptober 2020 #no.13 #breathe in breathe out #qing yu nian #joy of life #yan bingyun #fan ruoruo #fic #fanfiction #tw:#panic attack #torture #paranoia #breathe au

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dimigex · 4 years

Note

21: One kiss limit. Reaper76

Reyes wiped a smear of blood from his mouth and ignored the sting of pain that it brought. He glanced up at the camera in the corner of the room, its red light blinking in a steady rhythm. This wasn’t the first time that Gabriel had been locked in an interrogation room. He peered at the two-way mirror, wondering who stood on the other side. Had the orders to seize him come from Ana, Jack, or someone higher up in the food chain? Gabe didn’t know, and honestly he didn’t care.

The men who had dragged him here could have come from anywhere. Well, anywhere except Blackwatch. Reyes knew his soldiers as well as he knew himself. He would have been surprised to find that the order came from Jack, despite the man’s seething anger the last time that Gabe had seen him. The soldiers that dragged him from bed had made it clear that they weren’t above excessive force.

Reyes hadn’t made it easy on them, at least. His right eye had started to swell, reducing his vision by half. The girl that gave him that had gotten lucky with her elbow, mostly because he was surprised to see a female in the squad sent to bring him in. He’d fought with and against both genders and held no illusions that women could be as deadly as men. But, he’d expected the body mass that grabbed him to belong to a male. A comment along those lines had earned him the busted lip as well.

Running his tongue across the wound, Reyes tasted blood a second time. He focused on the details around him: the coppery tang in his mouth, the blinking red light, the chill of the stainless steel beneath his finger tips. He forced his heartbeat to slow and curved his lips into an unaffected sneer. If they wanted to paint him a villain, he’d be damned if he didn’t give them the performance of a lifetime.

The door handle jiggled, giving Reyes three seconds of warning. He tensed, considering making a break for it, then relaxed. Whomever had put him here sent six heavies to bring him in, even if he made it through the door, it would be guarded. He would only be playing into their hands to try and run. It would be better to bide his time and see what this farce was about.

The man that stepped through the door made Gabriel’s heart stumble in his chest. Jack wore the white and blue of Strike Commander, the conforming armor making him seem larger than life. He carried a datapad in one hand but he didn’t glance down at the device, laying it on the table. He didn’t bother looking at Gabriel either, his eyes bored into a spot above his head as the door clicked shut behind him.

The silence dragged on for several long seconds. Gabriel wondered what the hell he’d done this time. Finally, when no answer was forthcoming, he cleared his throat. “Jack? What’s this–”

“Strike Commander Morrison,” the blond snarled, voice icy steel and disdain. “Try to get at least one thing right, could you?”

Reyes sneered. So, it was going to be like that was it? He didn’t bother repeating the title of his one time lover. That distinction had caused enough problems already. Gabriel crossed his arms over his chest and held his silence. Jack rounded, facing him for the first time. His blue eyes were hard, unreadable. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

“It would be nice to know you want me to say,” Reyes shot back, anger bubbling up too easily. It had been weeks since he’d talked to Jack beyond feigned cordiality. A month or longer since he’d had anything but cold stares and angry distance. Like Gabe were a problem the precious Strike Commander didn’t have time to deal with. Despite his desire to be unaffected, Gabe’s rage bubbled. “Maybe some clue as to why you dragged me here in the first place?”

Jack’s gaze slid across Gabriel’s face, pausing momentarily on the swollen lip and eye. He shook his head sharply and activated the datapad. The screen behind him lit up with a map of Rialto. Jack scrolled through the images. Headline after headline about the abuse of Overwatch, questions about who watched the watchdog, and power corrupting even the best intents flew across the screen that the words started to blur together. Then came the photographs, pictures from Antonio’s manor, the shattered glass and broken body. Images from Rome, older missions that Reyes had almost forgotten about.

Jack continued scrolling until Reyes felt an itch between his shoulder blades; he waited for the inevitable dagger. He knew what Jack wanted, what Jack needed, but he couldn’t carry those ghosts. Reyes grinned. “So?”

The datapad hit the table so hard that the screen cracked and the television images vanished. “Your flippant remarks aren’t going to save you this time. Do you really think you’re above the laws we made?”

“Yes,” Reyes answered, snorting under his breath. “You’re the one that opted for plausible deniability, not me.”

Gabriel should have seen the movement, noticed the snap of a coil wound too tight, but his face hitting the table still surprised him. It reopened the flow of blood from his lip, made his eye sting, and knocked the breath from his lungs. He splayed his fingers on the table and pushed himself back. Reyes made himself grin. “Look at that, even Boyscout can get his hands dirty when he’s angry enough.”

Jack slammed a fist into the table, making it tremble against the bolts holding it to the floor. The sound echoed between them, and his next words were emotionless ice. “You’re going to give me the answers I want, one way or another.”

Without looking at Reyes, Jack walked to the corner of the room and activated the biometric panel. The machine beeped when he placed his palm on it, then leaned closer so it could scan the pattern of his iris. The two way mirror across the room turned black, and the red light on the camera stopped. Reyes started to speak but Jack held up one finger, eyes glued to the analog clock above the door. Then, he nodded. “We have two minutes.“

"What the fuck–”

Reyes barely got the words out before Jack was beside him. One hand fell on his shoulder, the other came to brush his cheek. “I’m sorry. I had to make it convincing.”

“Well, you fucking convinced me,” Gabe seethed, jerking away from the touch. “What the hell?"

Jack withdrew his hand and glanced at the clock a second time. "They won’t tell me what they plan to charge you with. I barely got access; they’re afraid I’m compromised.”

The pieces fell into place with a resounding click. Shit. Gabe tipped his head to look up at the blond. “So, I’ll take the fall, and you’ll keep your pristine reputation."

"We have one minute left together, and you want to waste it arguing,” Jack grumbled, rolling his eyes. “Ana and I are doing everything we can, but Overwatch doesn’t have the pull it used to.”

Gabriel grunted without answering. The disastrous missions that Jack had thrown in his face were the main reason Overwatch had fallen from grace. Jack reached out a second time. “I didn’t know they planned to take you until it was over.”

Reyes turned away from the almost caress, anger burning his chest. “Don’t act like you care. You’ve hardly looked at me if–"

"Dammit, you’re all I see,” Jack hissed, hauling Gabe to his feet by the front of his shirt. “Do you have any idea what I risked turning off that monitoring, coming here in the first place? They’re waiting for me to mess up so they can drag all of Overwatch down with you."

"Then, let it burn.” Gabe growled. He saw the pain flash across Jack’s face and almost felt bad for the sharp words. Almost.

Jack sighed and scrubbed through his hair. “We don’t have time for this. Just remember, no matter what happens, I’ll get you out."

Gabe wanted to ask for more information, but irresistible pressure dragged him forward. His chest hit Jack’s, their lips meshed together, and the world spun. He had no idea how long of their two minutes Jack saved for that kiss, but it was worth every bruise on his battered face.

The hand in Gabe’s shirt shoved him back into the chair seconds almost at the same time as the door opened. Jack picked up the busted datapad and turned away. He nodded toward the stranger. "He’s all yours.”

#Dimi Answers #Thanks for the Ask #Cinlat #Overwatch #Reaper76 #Kiss Prompts #Jack Morrison #Gabriel Reyes #Angst I guess #Maybe a little fluff

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asirensrambles · 4 years

Text

Drying Out

You are sent to re-recruit Jesse McCree for recalled Overwatch. He is in no place to do so when you first find him. Time can change things though.

"Your redemption is not in the bottom of a bottle," you told Jesse McCree.

He turned towards you sloppily, somehow managing to not slosh the whiskey out of his glass.

"Who the hell said I was lookin' for redemption?" McCree downed the rest of his glass, turned back to the bar, and ordered a new one.

You stared at him for a few more moments, taking in his posture, drink of choice, and expressions. Satisfied you gave a quick nod, and left the bar. McCree wasn't looking for redemption, not yet. Right now, all he wanted to do was wallow and mope. If that was the case, there was no place for him in the underground Overwatch network. The day would come, but today was not that day.

----------

A few months later found you in another bar, half a country away from the first. Going in, it wasn't hard to spot McCree. Even well on his way to sloshed, there was still a presence to him the other drunks didn't have. You walked up to him and squeezed your way between two patrons.

"What are you looking for now, Agent McCree?" you asked. He froze at your use of the title "agent." Slowly, he put the beer bottle down on the bar counter. "Who the hell are you?" he asked.

You smiled wryly, "We met in bar in Arizona once, Agent McCree. Not sure you remember that meeting though. Fairly certain you were most of the way through more than a bottle of whiskey then."

McCree squinted at you, trying to place your face.

"You look vaguely familiar. Maybe we met, but I've met a lot of strange folks in bars," he gulped down the rest of his almost full beer bottle, "and cut the agent shit. Haven't been one of those since the only good thing in my life went to hell." McCree slammed the bottle down on the bar and turned to fully face you. The heat and anger in his eyes took you aback, but you didn't let it phase you. "Now what the hell do you want?"

"It's not about what I want, but what you want," you responded. "I told you once that your redemption wasn't in the bottom of a bottle, you told me you weren't looking for redemption," -you shrugged, "just picking up that conversation. What is it you're looking for then?"

The fire in his eyes died out, McCree's entire body seemed to slump. He turned back to the bar, ordering another beer. "Hell if I know," he said. "Maybe I am looking for redemption, but I haven't been able to find it anywhere I've looked."

"Penance, perhaps?" you offered. "A way to make up for all the wrongs you believe you have committed."

McCree gave you a long look, then turned his attention back to his beer. It became clear to you the conversation was over. You reached into your pocket and pulled one of your business cards out. It only had your name and number.

"If you figure out what you're looking for, or want some help climbing out of that bottle, give me a call," you placed your card on the counter next to his bottle and left.

----------

There were reports of a rogue cowboy vigilante attacking a train. When the train pulled into the station, you were one of the first people to question the passengers. What did the cowboy look like, what did he do, what happened? Their answers didn't surprise you too much. It looked like McCree had climbed his way out of the bottle on his own. You were proud of him, but still concerned. Having an organization was dangerous because you could be found out and jailed. Being a solo rogue was dangerous because it got you killed.

Then again, if he was looking for penance rather than redemption, there was a good chance he wasn't too concerned about what happened to him. Maybe McCree didn't care, but other agents did. Much to your surprise, you also cared about what happened to him. You'd read his redacted personnel file as part of the assignment to re-recruit him. It had made an impression on you. Everything he'd done since coming to Overwatch, then going over to Blackwatch seemed to be to atone for his time in Deadlock. Making the switch from Overwatch to Blackwatch seemed to be his way of trying to watch out for his fellow agents. By taking the more dangerous, messier assignments, it kept them from having to do it. Dirtying his hands so no one else had to.

You could only hope you'd find him in time before he found himself drowning in blood with no way to swim to shore.

--------

The phone ringing on your nightstand jolted you awake. It was the little black flip phone you used for Overwatch business, the only time you'd had a phone on anything other than vibrate or do not disturb over night. You fumbled for it, but managed to flip it open,

"Hello?" you mumbled, still trying to wake up.

"I reckon you aren't stateside anymore," McCree's voice drawled over the line. You bolted upright in bed. You were awake now.

"I might not be," you said, "or maybe I was just taking a nap. What can I do for you?"

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. You held your breath, worried that McCree might hang up at any moment. Finally, he broke the silence.

"You told me my redemption wasn't in the bottom of a bottle. I'm not so sure I'm lookin' for redemption though. Not so sure I could ever find it even if I wanted to," he paused again. You heard him inhale deeply, "Last time we talked, you mentioned somethin' else though, somethin’ about makin' up for what I've done."

"Penance," you offered.

"Yeah, that," McCree said. "I think I might be able to find somethin' like that with the people you're workin' with."

You smiled softly, "I'll send you details for a rendezvous to get the process started. Welcome back, Jesse McCree."

#jesse mccree #gen jesse mccree #overwatch reader insert #overwatch fic #my writing

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whatzaoverwatch · 4 years

Text

The Reaper of the Opera Chapter 9: The Man Behind the Mask

Time for some backstories! It’s going to be a lot different than the original story so take this as you will.

First Prev Next

Nighttime/Managers Office

The group had made themselves to the managers office. Taking in the previous events as much as they could. Genji sat by your side while Hanzo remained close by. You remained quiet with your hand upon your collarbone, tracing where the ring once rested. Trying to ease yourself from the return of the man that haunted you. Lucio had been reading the book he was give of the performance they were forced into. The confusion on his face was evident on how much he wasn’t a fan of the work. Hana left in a rather distress situation by his side, mumbling to him every now and again with a few saddened sobs. Fareeha and Jesse remained by Anas side while she was sat down before everyone else. A tea freshly made for anyone to take part of. Reinhardt and Torbjorn sat at their assigned desks to take in the situation. The smallest of the group rather determined to figure this whole thing out.

“Alright Ana, we want to hear everything,” Torbjorn demanded, a lot more bitter than he was before, “who exactly is this Reaper and what does he want with this company?”

Ana took a sip from her tea, taking a second to have herself composed. Clearly uneasy with herself in this situation. Her eye scanning the room to take in their rather tense expressions. Her sight fixated on you before she finally spoke.

“When the Overwatch Opera Company had opened its doors, the public only knew of one owner: Jack Morrison. But there was another who had a say on the theatres creation. His name was Gabriel Reyes.”

Jesse’s brows furrowed by the name. A hand over his metallic arm in silence. Looks around the room were seen by the unfamiliar name. Fareeha looked to her mother as if she had remembered something.

“He was that costume designer from years ago. The one you always told me about.” Fareeha spoke, feeling Ana place a hand over her own.

“You were so young habibti, he was there the day that you were born. He and Jack became your godfathers. Always making your most beautiful dresses,” She recalled, almost imagining the little girl that was so eager to see the shows long ago, “But he was more than that, he took care of the backstage, assisted with the performances, helped build and finance the theatre from scratch. Even took in Jesse so many years ago as an assistant.”

“We don’t need to go into that detail mam.” Jesse was quick to speak up, the memories still too raw in his head to have brought up. Ana nodding in understanding.

“My point is: he was a huge asset to the creation of this theatre. If anything, he was just as much of an owner as Jack was.”

“How come we hadn’t heard about him? I never saw his name in any of the articles I had read.” Reinhardt questioned, taking a teacup for himself to have a drink. Ana rested her cup to the side, her face softening at the memories.

“When we were opening the building, we were only allow to give the manager title to one person. He thought it’d be more suited for Jack to bring in the younger folk. He was happy that Jack took on the title while he took in the behind the scenes work. However, the glory of the opening didn’t last,” She confessed, her hands now folded in her lap, “We were not selling the tickets as well as we did at the opening. Tastes changed overtime on what the public wanted to see. Trying to please the more modern attendees with some new work. Nothing was ever enough. Jack and Gabriel had argued about whether to keep with tradition or aim to please the newer generation. Gabriel wanted to try some of his own creations, but they would’ve never impressed the critics. What was truly the downfall was the incident.”

“Incident?” Reinhardt perked up, gasping at a sudden realization, “You mean the stage accident which caused the entire theatre to burn down years ago? Many lives were lost that day.”

“The very one,” Ana stated, her head lowering at the memory, “A broken fuse caused the entire stage to go up in flames. Gabriel insisted he checked everything, but I found himself becoming distracted from his work. Jack and I tried to rescue as many as we could. Unfortunately, we couldn’t save everyone, and Gabriel was left behind in the building. Not a single trace of him could be found. We suffered greatly from that tragedy, losing money and our former supporters thought that it was a great risk to uphold the company. Having to rely on wealthy patrons and the community for support.”

“Our father included,” Hanzo recalled, having the attention upon the two brothers, “He was well known in preserving classic art. Part of his fortune would always be given to the theatre. Even [Name]s father contributed to that cause.”

Having you remember your father taking you to the theatre, drawing you into the passion for music in the first place. The theatre was also where you had met Genji long ago. An act of kindness and charity was what started all of this in the first place. Feeling Genjis hand over yours, your fingers curled around his in comfort.

“Sojiro and [Names Father] adored the company, they had wished for you three to take part of the company someday. I suppose it was fate for you two to return after all of these years.” Ana claimed, looking over to you and Genji. Torbjorn grunted to clear the attention away.

“As much as anyone wants to hear the history, I very much want to know about the present. Unless you are meaning to tell us that this Gabriel Reyes came back from the dead and became the Reaper.” Torbjorn wondered, scratching his beard while Ana looked to him with certainty.

“That is exactly what I mean to tell you,” The air hanging thick around everyone. Jesse lowly cursed while the others exchanged glances, “I thought for so long that he was dead. Jack and I even held a memorial. We lost a great man and a dear friend. It wasn’t until he had visited us one fateful night. We thought it was all a dream, but he made certain that it was real. He wasn’t the joyful, charismatic man that he once was. He was angry, cold, and cruel. Blaming us for leaving him behind to become what he was. Thinking that we had forgotten about him. All of him, body and mind, were taken in that fire.”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Fareeha demanded, looking to her mother for any reason to hold such a secret. Ana turned to her daughter with a saddened look.

“He knew us too well Fareeha. He wasn’t afraid to take what we loved most. He would’ve come after you, he threatened to take Vincent from Jack. Telling us never to speak of him, letting his memory be held without his presence. He made us break the bonds of our loved ones. Sam left because of how much I pushed him away,” Ghosting over her left ring finger, a faint mark to where a wedding ring once rested. Grimacing at what occurred, she covered her face to compose herself, “Jack no longer wanted to be held responsible for him, so he gave up his manager position. He told me how he wanted to find peace. It hurt to see my friend drinking away when he had lost Vincent. When he left that day months ago, I knew Gabriel had gotten to him.”

“Why didn’t you leave?” Reinhardt asked, broken in his words as he knew the burdens that the older woman had to carry. Ana lifted her head, drawing her attention towards you.

“When I took in [Name] after her fathers passing, I had every notion of taking her and Fareeha with me,” You lifted her gaze to see the pain in your mentors eye, “But Gabriel heard [Name] sing. Wanting to know about the siren that echoed in his mind. He wanted her to become what he couldn’t. He instructed that I take her in as a student, while he would train her voice. At first, I believed that it was out of spite, to take in another that I cherished. But then I learned the truth.”

“That is?” Torbjorn asked, seeing the two of you give each other a silent stare. It was you who had spoken up to answer.

“He fell in love with me.”

Genji looked down at you with shock. Everyone having their eyes on you now as the pieces were put together. He had devoted himself to train you and take you away for so long. His words started to make sense on how he wished to not be forgotten. You are his only chance of escaping that isolation that he found himself in. You weren’t sure what he truly hid behind the mask, but it was enough to enrage him when you tried to look. The anger terrified you, now you found justification for his fury. Genji squeezed your hand once more with a hint of pain in his eyes. His emotions were not seen from you as Ana spoke once more.

“I began to see the old Gabriel again whenever he listened to your voice. Somehow you managed to bring that side of him, even if he no longer wanted to be seen,” Ana spoke with a frown, “I don’t expect your forgiveness, I have placed you and everyone else in great danger with this secret. I never wanted him to take it this far, but I fear on what he will do if we stray from his orders again.”

“So, if you had told any of us, none of this wouldn’t have happened?” Jesse asked, voice cold as his focus was on his arm. Ana turned to him, hearing the sour infliction in his voice. She tried to reach over to him for comfort, knowing Gabriel raised him like a son.

“Jesse-“

He quickly got up from his seat, denying any of the sympathy from Ana. Spinning around with a look of anger in his eyes.

“Reyes always had something to hide. This whole time he tried to raise me better than anyone else, trying to teach me to be better than I thought myself as. Even trying to save my ass during the fire all those years ago and here he is turning against his words?” He spat, pacing back ant forth before he slammed his fist against the desk, “The damn bastard is playing us all! We are nothing but a fucking show to him. I say you take us to where he is, and we settle this now.”

“McCree, he knows this theatre more than any of us,” Reinhardt stated, looking to Ana for any hope, “If he has been watching over us, then he has every intention of having a back up plan if we don’t listen.”

“Then we play his game,” Genji finally spoke, everyone's eyes now on the younger Shimada as he rose from his seat. Even you were curious on that suggestion, “All he wants is for his show to go on, right? Then let us give him the show.”

“What??” The two managers shouted in unison. Rising from their seats in disbelief of his words.

“Are you really sure you want to do this show? It’s already messed up from what I am reading. He really is living in the olden days.” Lucio piped up, placing the book down with a huff.

“Whether the show is successful or not, he wants it to be heard. The only way he will know if his piece is being played is if he is attending it himself,” Turning to Hanzo, he placed his hands on the sides of his arms, “We conceal the theatre, guarding it with our men at every corner. The moment he makes his appearance, we strike him down.”

Hanzo furrowed his brows from Genjis plan, only to find himself invested on the idea. The managers exchanging glances to find themselves giving into the plot as well. Fareeha was left to comfort Ana for that moment. McCree pointed to Genji with a smirk.

“I like the way you think, we corner him like the damn rat he is.” He stated.

“Finally, a good idea for once. We will do whatever we can to keep the place locked up tight.” Torbjorn agreed with crossed arms. Reinhardt raises his hand as if the ask a question.

“And what of the audience? Won’t they feel uncomfortable with the amount of guards around them?” Reinhardt pondered, trying to find some sense in the idea. Genji turned to the two men, thinking upon it with a hum.

“We will proclaim it as part of the show. Theatre these days always include audience interaction. It’s a cheap but cunning gimmick to hide what is really going on,” He plotted, pacing back and forth in thought, “so long as [Name] takes the lead role, he will come to see her. We can have everyone set up an-“

“No!”

You made your voice heard, rising from your seat in exasperation. His plan being withered into your brain, shaking your head on how it will plan out.

“Can’t you see that’s what he wants? He wants me, he wants me to sing for him,” Approaching Genji, you stepped in front of him in fear, “If you give him what he wants he will win. I won’t do it!”

“Oh great, NOW she doesn’t want to sing,” Hana huffed from her corner, wagging her finger at you with a glare, “You know that most of this is your fault. All because he wanted some pretty face new girl to show me up. Why don’t you actually play along and do what he says. In fact, why don’t we let him take her so he doesn’t have to bother us anymore?”

“Hana!” Lucio turned to her, having you shrivel up with guilt at those words. Hana not regretting her words from the bitterness she felt from Reapers insults.

You placed your hands over your head as you could hear the whispers once more. This was your fault. As Ana had said, he was drawn to you by your singing. All the pieces fell together so perfectly. If only you had shut away the voices. If only you weren’t a fool to be deceived by his songs. The angel of music your father made you believe would come for you. Shutting your eyes tightly, only to feel Genjis hands over yours.

“[Name], don’t listen to Hana. I don’t intend for him to take you away. We just need to follow his instructions.” Hearing Genjis words, you stepped away from him quickly.

“So, I am to be bait?” You whimpered, seeing the regret in his eyes, “Genji, you said me that you would protect me from him. That is what you promised me! What if your plan fails? What if he already knows what is going on? He will take me again! I will never be able to escape him. I can’t do this...I won’t!”

“[Name]…” He went to reach for you, causing you to smack his hand away. The action leaving everyone drawn back. Everything you had repressed began to crumble down before you. Tears building in your eyes, shaking uncontrollably before heading to the door.

“I need to be alone!” You cried, pushing past Hanzo and slamming the door behind you. Genji went towards the door, calling to you in distress.

“[Name] wait!” Halted by Hanzo, he gave him a stern expression.

“Leave her be, Genji.” He instructed his younger brother, watching his concern be directed towards the doorway.

“You ask too much of her,” Ana spoke, turning with a frown, “She is right, he may very well know of this plan.”

“So long as you remain here and not speak about it.” Jesse glare at the older woman sternly. Receiving the same cold look in return.

“Do you wish to imprison me? If you think I am some tattle tale then you are wrong. How long do you intend on keeping me here?” Watching as McCrees arm rested on the desk before her, a subtle reminder of what had happened.

“Only until all of this blows over. No offense but my trust in you right now isn’t in your favour mam,” Leaning against the desk, he points at the brothers with determination, “We will follow the plan, just make sure [Name] is prepared to take her place.”

“Understood.” Hanzo nodded, leaving Genji to worry about you in the meantime. Reinhardt slumped back into his seat, rubbing his head with a sigh.

“So, the show must go on.”

To be continued

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meloncholor · 4 years

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Writing Masterlist (4/7/2020 Update)

Blog Exclusive

Trevor, You’re an Idiot - Trevor and Sypha try and name their first child.

Christmas Memories (Part 1) - (Prompt) A fluffy story about Trevor, Adrian, and my Bloodborne character name Ezio giving each other simple presents for Christmas and talking about their lonely past.

Reading - Trevor Reading over Sypha’s shoulder to annoy her.

Come to Bed - Sypha is an early riser and Trevor is a lazy boi; Sypha snores and it sounds like purring

Please Put Me Down - Trevor can speak french; Sypha gets injured and Trevor has to carry her

Remembrance - Trevor opens up to Sypha emotionally.

Mi Oso - Sypha tries to teach Trevor Spanish

Dog Days - Sypha brings in a stray German Shepard because it’s scruffy and soft and it reminds her of Trevor.

Magic Spider - Trevor and Sypha have to decide who kills the spider.

Birthday With the Dirty Boy - Trevor’s birthday.

Star Children - Sypha and Trevor looking at the stars.

Winter’s Bounty - Trevor makes a cloak like his for Sypha.

Your Laugh is Funny - Sypha is ticklish.

Goodbye, I Guess - Trevor visits his parents’ graves with Alucard and Sypha.

Castlevania Mafia AU - Just what the title says.

Osito - Trevor asks why Sypha calls him that.

Birthday Girl - Trevor celebrates Sypha’s Birthday

Finish - Carmilla and Godbrand hate s*x. (Lemon)

In Bed Alone - Trevor isn’t feeling great.

A First - Elinore’s first words.

Singer - Trevor asks Sypha to sing for him.

Destino - Trevor likes Sypha’s singing.

Castlevania Warmup #1 - Elinore goes hunting.

House Call - Lisa treats a young Trevor.

How Lovely to See You Again - Vlad greets his wife (reader) when she gets home.

It’s Alright, I’m Here - You wake from a nightmare and Trevor comforts you.

Training Pains - The Belmont kids train together

No Matter the Cost - Vlad would do anything for you.

All for You - Reader and Vlad spend some quality time together.

Archive of Our Own

General

Warm - Trevor and Sypha share a moment by the fire. (Lemon)

A Snowy Relief - Sypha and Trevor have fun in the snow

Thunderstorm Blues - Sypha gets hurt by a night creature, Trevor is left to watch over her

An Unexpected Fortune - Trevor and Sypha have to share one bed at an inn. (Lemon)

A Few Drinks Together - Sypha insists on coming with Trevor to the bar. (Lemon)

A Cottage In The Woods - Alucard pays a visit to the Belmonts after a long time away.

You’re a Mean One, Ms. Carmilla - Carmilla calls on Hector when she’s bored (Lemon) (TW: R*pe/Non-con)

One Lie -Trevor nearly drinks himself into a coma

Old Friends - Trefor visits the new home of Leon Belmont

Castlevania 2185 - The gang breaks into Vlad Inc.

The Hanged Man’s Prize - You are hired by the famous crime lord Vlad Tepes, and his interests start to reach far beyond the scope of your duties. (Lemon)(Incomplete)

Hidden Charms - Alucard likes SOME things about Trevor. (Incomplete)

Grace - Trevor saves you from a witch-burning and you are left with the aftermath of what you’ve seen.

Indulgences - Trevor is a filthy dirt man who only functions on spite, even when it’s to his detriment. Alucard fixes this.

Fifty Shades of Carmilla - Hector and Carmilla have a tit for tat relationship

I’m Waiting, My Lord - Trevor Belmont is the only son of the poor noble house Belmont, he's invited into the service of King Vladimir Tepes after the death of his ailing wife and is assigned to be the retainer of Prince Adrian along with the court magician Sypha Belnades, and the Prince has plans of his own for his personal knight.

People Watching (Complete) - You and Vlad have a falling out.

Belinda and Leandra Belmont - Exploring Trevor’s parentage

Light Reading - Sypha finds a book on vagina spells.

Mother Dearest - Sypha finds a journal on Trevor’s Grandmother.

Blog Exclusives

Tone Deaf - Kyoka/Bakugo AU where they’re musicians

Seeing Stars - BNHA boys smoking weed and girls dropping acid.

Dancing Queen - Todomomo trying to learn to salsa dance.

I Didn’t Know - All Might forces Endeavor to reconnect with his family.

Torment - Students find a bottle of Aizawa’s scotch.

An Early Morning - Emi and Aizawa’s morning with Kiwa.

Please Stop Asking Me - Emi is the first to push for kids.

Bakugo’s Lament - Bakugo explains why he didn’t become a villain.

Unpolished Kiribaku Warmup - The family goes shopping.

BNHA Kyoka/Kaminari Warmup - They’re hanging out.

Little Wonders - Ochako and Izuku in their home.

Parent-Teacher Conference - Emi and Aizawa are asked to come to Kiwa’s school.

Save Me - All Might almost drowning, based on the scene from Aladdin.

A Forgotten Memory - Enji and Yagi before everything changed.

Archive of Our Own

Two Bros in a Hot Tub and They’re Definitely Gay - Kirishima visits the number 2 hero Bakugo in his expensive home (Lemon)

Mom Swap - Katsuki and Izuku switch moms, that’s it.

Mom - Mitsuki visits her son in the hospital

Tired - She hasn’t seen Shoto in a while

Is this a Porno? - Izuku doesn’t think Mei has a medical degree… (Lemon)

Holding a Vigil - Momo waits for Shoto

Alice in Wonderland - Izuku has conflicted feelings when he sees Hitoshi at a strip club. (Lemon)

A Memory Preserved - Toshinori and Enji have passed their times in the limelight, it’s time for them to finally talk about what happened.

A Knight’s Honor - Fantasy AU; Bakugo and Midoriya spar.

Blog Exclusives

Spoken through Pen Strokes - Charthur fluff.

Just a Little Bit Longer - Jovier Fluff.

Sunny Days (Part One) - Charthur Fluff

Happy Valentine’s Day Arthur - Albert pays a visit.

What Once Was - Arthur finding out about his ex-wife and son.

Dance With Me - Dutch asks Hosea to Dance.

Charthur Warmup - Pure Fluff.

Wasted Opportunity - John is an idiot.

Again? - John can’t sleep.

You’re Always A Party - Sean and Karen go on a date.

Archive of Our Own

Two Sides of the Same Coin - Albert Mason is a fool.

She’s All I’ve Got - Hosea has to save Dutch from her brothers.

Soaked to the Bone - John takes Javier fishing.

Starry-Eyed - Arthur gets distracted while Charles is tracking animals.

Blog Exclusives

Anwar and Nadia Warmup - Nadia tries serving traditional Haitian food.

Muriel and Lillian Short - She likes playing in his hair.

Trouble in Paradise - Lucio isn’t paying enough attention to Ophelia.

Noise - Lillian has a panic attack.

Another Warmup - Avina has trinkets Asra’s never seen.

Dandelion Bouquet - Julian gets an idea.

Archive of our Own

General

Mala - Lillian takes Muriel to her favorite shop, and then she meets a new friend.

A Short Reprieve - Lucio and Ophelia are late for a banquet.

Here in the Garden - Julian has to walk through the woods to get home, and on his way intrigues the interest of the woman who makes her home there.

Arcana Thirst

Let My Love Adorn You - Ophelia’s sanctuary is invaded. (Lemon)

Greeting the Sun - Anwar and Nadia spend the morning together. (Lemon)

Deviating Divination - Avina gets home late with her supplies. (Lemon)

Sanctuary - Lillian wants to give something to Muriel. (Lemon)

Be My Muse - Donovan is having an art block, Julian helps. (Lemon)

I Missed Your Warmth - Monica comes to visit Portia during a snowstorm. (Lemon)

A Nightmare’s Only Cure - Nadia has a nightmare. (Lemon)

Archive of Our Own

A Lone Sword - Alistair and Leliana have a short conversation about their leader. (Dragon Age)

Sharing - Sten wants to give the Warden a small gift for returning his sword. (Dragon Age)

Gift of a Sword - Valmiro finds out what Kadan means (Incomplete)(Dragon Age)

Romantic Philistine - Catria and Lukas sneak away from camp (Fire Emblem: Echoes)

Shhh… - Python and Forsyth forgot to be quiet. (Fire Emblem: Echoes)(Lemon)

Apples - Catria and Lukas share breakfast. (Fire Emblem: Echoes)

Black Wine and Good Times - Genji is escaping the mansion for at least a little while, he meets a stranger in a bar. (Overwatch)

Missing You - Genji finds out Jesse is coming home. (Overwatch)

Sickness - Carol is a bit unsettled when she couldn’t grant wishes for a period of time, she goes to Strange for help. (MCU)

The Entrance - Grim is waiting in jail, he gets saved by an elf and he really likes what he sees (Kingdoms of Amalur)

It Was You All Along - Geralt has to rediscover feelings after the jinn takes some away. (The Witcher)

Secret Stash - Shane is invited to a barn party. (Stardew Valley)

Spoils of Conquest - Sawyer just wants Max and Felix to get along.(Outer Worlds)

The Quietest Nights - Forsyth realizes he might miss Python. (Fire Emblem)

The Witch Who Set This Flame (Personal Favorite) - Tulma, an Altmer from a farm near Ivarstead, is contacted by the Thalmor to be an inside source on the happenings of Ulfric Stormcloak. Things don't go as planned and the Dragonborn will get justice.

Blog Exclusives

Another Geralt/Dandelion Warmup - Shameless fluff (The Witcher)

Final Defiance - Geralt fights a crudok. (The Witcher)

Spookfest 2019

Halloween Prompt #1 - Ophelia and Lucio go for a walk.

Halloween Prompt #2 - Donovan gives an autumn gift to Julian.

Halloween Prompt #3 - Symone and Elinore freak out over losing a grimoire.

Halloween Prompt #4 - Lillian has a bad habit of bringing home animals.

Halloween Prompt #5 - Izuku and Bakugo go to a haunted location.

Halloween Prompt #6 - Emi surprises Kiwa

Halloween Prompt #7 - Avina gets flustered.

Halloween Prompt #8 - Charles and Arthur go hunting.

Halloween Prompt #9 - Sam tricks Dean and Cas

Halloween Prompt #10 - Dean doesn’t realize what he’s done. (TW: Gore).

Thanksgiving 2019

Thanksgiving Prompt #1 - Anwar and Nadia Short

Thanksgiving Prompt #2 - Trevor and his Mother

Thanksgiving Prompt #3 - Elinore, Elias, and Symone Belmont

Thanksgiving Prompt #4 - Avina and Asra

Thanksgiving Prompt #5 - Clair doesn’t like eating flour.

Thanksgiving Prompt #6 - Ophelia and Lucio

Thanksgiving Prompt #8 - Leandra and Belinda

Thanksgiving Prompt #9 - Dean and Cas

Thanksgiving Prompt #10 - Geralt and Dandelion

Christmas 2019

Feliz Navidad a Los Muertos - Javier is missing what used to be his home.

Winterfest Prompt #1 - Jaskier has a habit of predicting things.

Winterfest Prompt #2 - Nadia and Anwar curl up in front of the fireplace.

Winterfest Prompt #3 - Lillian brings gifts for everyone.

Winterfest Prompt #4 - Bakugo returns home to a surprise.

Winterfest Prompt #5 - Arthur is running from bounty hunters.

Winterfest Prompt #6 - Emi and Shouta are just trying to take a picture

Winterfest Prompt #7 - Monica and Portia are baking some cookies.

Winterfest Prompt #8 - Trevor is doing something a little out of the ordinary.

Winterfest Prompt #9 - Alm has an idea to take Celica away.

Winterfest Prompt #10 - Geralt doesn’t want to ice skate with Jaskier.

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