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#andy the scythian
luminarai · 5 months
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several people suggested the old guard and fettuccine the cat and then I saw this old tweet and this just happened
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begaydocrime-nickyjoe · 6 months
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Some sleepyheads for @theartguard lottery event!
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We were challenged by a randomly selected pose, character (for me it was Andy) and color palette. I maybe cheated a bit by also adding Joe and Nicky, but once I started, I couldn't stop myself 😂
Make sure to also check out the other amazing artists who did the event!
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headcanonthings · 6 months
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Nile: Let's play a game. Name one thing that you can't live without. Andy: Quynh. Quynn: Andromache. Joe: Nicky. Nicky: Pasta. Nicky: Wait, Joe what did you say? Joe: I said you! Nicky: Can I change my answer? Booker: No.
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romancingromanoff · 6 months
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Second Death
Andromache the Scythian x f!reader
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I decided to create a series for Andromache (my beloved). Here’s part 1, part 2, and part 3
Summary: Your first mission does not go according to plan
TW: Violence, major character death, somewhat descriptive gore, getting shot in the face, head explosions (kinda), ANGST
Words: around 3,000
A/N: Aside from being very difficult for me to write, this is probably the darkest I've ever gotten in terms of physical violence. So, uh, Happy Halloween I guess?
The plan was based off Buenos Aires 1822 (not 1922 as you had incorrectly assumed at first) which was a reference you obviously didn’t understand but was being explained to you in the most hectic way possible.
“Wait, so Nicky was decapitated-”
“Half decapitated. I didn’t actually die!”
“But you were quite light-headed for the rest of the day, my dear.” Joe feigned concern, brushing the back of his hand across his partner’s forehead and smiling like a fool.
Your leader was having none of it.
“Can we be serious please?” Immediately, the entire group’s focus shifted back to the Scythian. She certainly wasn’t going to admit it but she was apprehensive with this being your first mission. For months, you’d been doing nothing but training and begging her to let you in on the action until she was finally forced to give in. The instinct to keep you safe gnawed at Andy while it became increasingly difficult to ignore how your desire to prove your worth would only continue to grow. She recognized the same frustrations in a much younger version of herself and remembered how reckless it drove her to be.
“I’d rather we didn’t repeat that portion this time, agreed?”
You all nodded.
They laid out all the details about the traffickers and the group of people you were meant to rescue. It was an estimated 25-40 women and older girls being smuggled through for undoubtedly unpleasant purposes Andy didn’t get too detailed with. She, Joe, and Nico planned to storm the ship when it completely docked and most of the crew was on land retrieving supplies and weapons. That would leave only a few guards standing between them and the captives, who were most likely being held somewhere below deck. Once they find them, you and Booker would bring in the truck to help get everyone out. It sounded simple enough, but the fact that it was meant to go off without a hitch somehow doubled the amount of pressure you were applying to yourself. They had all done this at least once before, so if things went south then it was all because of you.
A few hours passed and you sat next to Booker in the passenger seat of the truck parked a couple of meters away from the ship and near a loading dock. With the engine off it was starting to get increasingly cold, but you didn’t even mind the chill at that point. You needed to be as alert as possible for what was to come.
Booker clearly sensed your apprehension. “It’s okay to be nervous, we’re not going to let anything bad happen to you.” He kept his voice low and his eyes glued on the dock entrance while you tried to do the same. 
Your mind was wrapped up in much bigger concerns. “I’m not worried about that. What if something goes wrong because of me? If I get hurt then so be it, I just don’t want to endanger anyone else when their lives and freedom are at stake.”
“You’ll be fine. Trust your training and lean on your team if you need help. That’s what we’re here for.” He offered you an encouraging smile that you attempted to return the best you could, yet you also wished he wouldn’t look at you with so much sympathy all of the time. As much as you appreciated everything they had done for you, you longed to show the others that you were capable of carrying your own weight and didn’t need someone to hold your hand constantly.
The two of you settled into a silence that was occasionally filled with a comment or two about nothing in particular. It didn’t do much to settle your nerves. You watched as dozens of muscular men left in packs, each one armed with at least a pistol that Booker taught you how to spot. He translated some of the French he could hear them speaking, which was mostly crude, misogynistic banter that made your jaw clench up.
“Good to know that men are pigs in basically all cultures,” you murmured mostly to yourself and tried to get your jaw to relax. Surprisingly, it earned you a gratifying laugh from the Frenchman and you were relieved when he didn’t take your comment too personally. 
“For the most part, I don’t disagree.”
“How will Andy and the others know when all of them have left?” You changed the subject upon the realization that the rest of the guard was hidden somewhere no one would see them, not even you. It was still difficult to imagine they had a better scouting position than the near-direct view you did.
“Don’t worry, they’ll know,” Booker assured you in a slightly amused tone. Some secrets were still too complicated for you to know about yet, you supposed.
Almost a half hour later, three heads eventually peered up through the shadows and Andy, Joe, and Nico lifted themselves up onto the ship. Perfectly lit by hues of the full moon, they danced towards their destination, the sheer coordination and skill reminding you of just how experienced they were. With Andy leading the pack, they silently began making their way up the vessel as a single unit. No words or other body gestures needed to be shared when they occupied the same hive mind. The group only came to a stop when they reached a door and huddled around it, trying to listen for anyone that might be on the other side. When you assumed everything was clear, Andy swiftly kicked it open and entered with her gun aimed and ready. 
Not even a minute after all three filed in, the sound of a gunshot suddenly shook you. You immediately turned to Booker, whose face gave away the slightest look of concern at the noise. This must not have happened in Buenos Aires. No more gunshots followed, thank goodness, but there were sounds of a struggle going on below deck which had the two of you on high alert. You prayed that nobody else close by could hear the commotion.
Things began to steer away from the original plan when Joe emerged from below far before he should have, struggling to keep another figure under control as he held their arms in a twisted position behind their back while continuing to firmly push them forward. Even in the dark, you could just make out how young the kid appeared to be. He couldn’t have been older than 16 and you assumed his reason for being on the ship was because he had an older relative in the crew. You relaxed when you realized that meant how unlikely it was that he’d be trained in how to fight. Joe would definitely keep from harming him unless he absolutely had to. Stupidly, you also forgot about how reckless young boys can be.
Everything fell apart in a mere matter of seconds. As he appeared to calm down, Joe eased up on the grip he held the boy with and he it didn’t seem like he would move at first. But in an instant, the scraggly kid darted from his grasp and sprinted around a corner and out of your line of sight to the completely opposite side of the ship. Booker reached for the door handle as a precaution while the rest of his body remained seated. A bead of sweat rolled down your neck despite the chill in the air and the gradual understanding that Book might be preparing to leave you on your own stilled your body completely. All of the careful planning you had fought to carefully commit to memory melted into mush.
Your thoughts were interrupted by a high-pitched whistle that rang through the air and your eyes quickly followed a bright red light travel up into the sky before it burst into a large display of lights and smoke. Time seemed to slow down and your heart sped up. Of course, if there wasn’t going to be another pistol going off, it had to be a goddamn flare gun. Yelling, alarmed Frenchmen could then be heard scrambling towards the dock and Booker cursed under his breath.
“Stay here, I’ll go help the others!” Booker leaped out of the vehicle, throwing the keys which hit your petrified figure. Part of you wanted to speak up and stop him but you could only squeak out an indecipherable sound of concern seconds after he was gone. Looking back at the ship, you caught sight of Nico peeking his head out from the door they entered through. He exited with a determined look on his face and was followed by a line of women. You itched at your sweating palms when twenty women or so had piled out and there was still no sign of Andy. 
The men hurrying in from the opposite direction quickly diverted your attention. Squinting your eyes, you were able to spot a figure in the distance headed straight towards your vehicle. You nearly panicked but caught yourself, uncertain if you were dealing with the traffickers or possibly random dock workers that had been alarmed by the flare and merely wanted to check out the situation. Either way, you decided it was still too risky to start up the engine just yet. At least, you told yourself the others probably wouldn’t want you to give away your position.
That’s when you noticed a faint movement in your side mirror. A tuft of matted blonde curls belonging to a distressed woman’s face peeked over the top of one of the crates not to far behind you. She must’ve spotted something concerning, because her eyes went wider than a trapped mouse’s and she disappeared back down, ultimately causing the crates to shake. You ground your back teeth together and prayed it was only you who had seen her. But then right on cue, the blinding glow of a flashlight landed directly over the area where the woman was hiding. The man you had spotted only moments before, his flashlight lit up a devious grin on his face that urged you to hold in your breath. He even sounded like the devil when he spoke. It didn’t take a high level French skills to tell that he began goading the poor woman like it was some sadistic game to him. 
He approached the crates ever so slowly, savoring the anticipation which laid before whatever unspeakable plans he had for his victim. It then occurred to you that she was most likely paralyzed with the same fear that had struck you.
And yet, she was the one currently being hunted while you were poised to sit and watch it unfold. You, protected by both your position and inexplicable gift of immortality. None of it seemed remotely fair and your body began to stir at the simple thought.
“Under no circumstances should you be engaging in combat,” Andy had firmly laid down the law several times leading up to this day. You’d never wanted to disobey anything she said so passionately before and here it felt like you scarcely had no other option but to go against something she forbade. 
The adrenaline rushing through your veins threw your body into action before you could debate any further. Barely aware of the forces taking hold of you, you tumbled out of the door and landed directly behind the attacker who continued to stalk forward towards the woman’s hiding place. He slowly began to raise his gun, something with barrels much longer than your forearms, and it was like you didn’t have the time to properly assess whatever danger lie at the other end. You just didn’t want it pointing at her.
Without a hint of hesitation, you drove foot into the back of the man’s left knee and he immediately crumbled down to about a third of his height. You were ready for him with your knife once his face spun around and an overpowering sense of rage guided your arm to make a clean cut from just below his right eyebrow, across the bridge of his nose, and finally through the center of his left eye. 
Something solid and heavy smacked the front of your head and you could hear the woman behind you scream in horror before everything went black.
Horrific violence was nothing if not a sheer constant to Andy. She had both experienced and caused enough to fill the oceans with blood, yet nothing made her seethe with rage more than watching yours spill from your head like a geyser. A thousand lifetimes stained with death could not have prepared her for the sight of your limp body hitting the ground, to which there was no question as to whether or not you were dead. Even if you had been wearing some type of protective head gear, a shotgun firing within five inches of your face would have been fatal. 
She was usually a pro at keeping her emotions under control until the mission was completed and never steered away from the plan without first calculating the absolute best course of action. The other teammates she had and the terrified group of women she was meant to protect called upon her to uphold her position as the leader, a task she had shouldered over a million times before despite whatever her personal feelings demanded. Absolutely none of that mattered now. Getting to you, killing that bastard, and wrapping you up in your arms became the only course of action she was capable of taking. 
Her first priority was taking out the son of a bitch that dared to touch you before anyone else got hurt. She handed off the little girl she had been carrying to Nico before barreling over a crate and launching herself over the side of the ship, rolling smoothly to break her fall when she hit the the dock. 
Despite how fast she ran, she seemed to move at a cursedly slow pace. She was still too quick for the man, his blood leaking from the fresh gash you had tore across his face, to notice her. He didn’t even get a chance to run before the warrior drove her labrys straight into the already-open wound. Andy could only revel in the brief taste of satisfaction for a moment before her emotions began swarming once again, the anger she had held for that man was now aimed solely at herself.
“Booker, get her into the back!” She barked at the Frenchman to take care of the hostage still hiding while rushing over to where your body collapsed. Up close, the sight was even more gruesome as blood, flesh, and bone were splattered all across what used to be your face. It would have been generous to call what was left of everything above your neck a simple stump. She knew she needed to get you out of there fast but hated to leave behind any parts of your head that might have been salvageable. Even saving something like an ear or significant chunk of your skull could aid in speeding up the healing process. She knew it would be excruciatingly painful for you to grow back yourself. 
She desperately grabbed at fistful of what she hoped was your brain before scooping you up in her arms. It was the fact that you were so much lighter than usual which made her wince, though she couldn’t help but be somewhat relieved when it meant it allowed her to run faster on her feet. Cautious yet quick, Andy made a beeline for the passenger’s seat of the truck and cradled your body in her arms while you continued to bleed out. It wasn’t a sight she wanted any of the hostages to witness and it’s not like she was letting go of you anytime soon anyway. 
“Drive!” One word was all she needed to command whomever was at the steering wheel to get out of there as fast as possible. It didn’t even occur to her to look up and check to see who she was sitting next to, as she immediately began trying to pick up any movement in your chest or a sign of a pulse in your wrist, anything that indicated the resurrection process was in motion.
“Please, please, come back to me,” she pleaded as your warm blood began to pool across her lap.
“Give her a second.” She realized it was Booker currently driving. “It’s only her second time and will probably take longer than expected.”
The women they had freed were now crammed together once again, only this time being in the back of a dark loading truck as it sped through the dead of night was probably far more merciful than them being forced to witness the transformation you were currently undergoing. Andy, however, couldn’t tear a single string of her attention away from you throughout the entire process. 
Each noise you made followed by the eventual cries of her name from your lips, once your mouth and airways had completely reformed, tore at Andromache deeper and deeper, in ways that no physical pain she had ever endured could compare. She bit down on her tongue till it was bloody as you repetitively squeezed her hand throughout the entire process. The same ones you often used to delicately recreate precious moments on paper broke more than a few of her bones. But Andy barely noticed and didn’t have the capacity to care. All she was focused on was you.
For the first time in centuries, the Scythian invoked the words of an ancient prayer and resurrected a long dead language as she tried to soothe your pain. She stopped believing in a higher power a long time ago but couldn’t shake the truth that repeating those words made her feel anchored to something even larger than her life or her immortality. There wasn’t anything she wouldn’t try if it might possibly bring you a sense of comfort, which she actually prayed may happen. 
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i love all of the Old Guard equally. Andy, Nicky, Joe, Nile and... *looks at smudged writing on hand* Bummer
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farahtissaiamyloves · 2 months
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Are your requests on? If so could I request something with Andromache? I love her and there’s not enough fanfiction out there with her
-Ara
Capture
Andromache of Scythia x reader
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Note: I know that I've been gone for months. However, I've been preparing for the most important examinations of my life, and it's been really stressful for me. I hope you enjoy this and thanks again to Ara for the amazing request.
You were looking out of the only window of your room - more like a cell, but you had come to accept that long ago.
You considered yourself lucky - what they did to Quynh was by far worse from what was happening to you.
At least that's what you had convinced yourself.
Dying again and again, only to be brought back to life to die once again deep down the sea, was horrible.
However, being captured for (you had lost count) something more than 4 centuries was even more horrific.
You missed your best friend, of course you did, but the emptiness that washed over you at your wife's absence was something else.
You and Andy were the first immortal warriors. She had found you pretty quickly. You hadn't even understood when you died or what the weird dreams were before she sat you down and explained.
You hadn't been apart ever since. Spending every single day next to her was a privilege and a gift.
You learned so many things from her. After all, Andromache had already been alive for 300 years.
After spending a s couple of decades traveling around the world with her as your only company, it came to no surprise for neither of you when you ended up sleeping together one night.
And that night proved to be the beginning of the most wonderful thing that ever happened to both of your lives.
You loved every second of it.
You being wrapped in her arms while she was kissing the top of your head or you caressing her naked, extremely soft skin as she was wrapping a blanket around the two of you; Andy couldn't have her beloved baby catch a cold.
You teared up recalling your wife. Your beloved wife.
You wrapped your hands around your legs and pushed them against your chest.
You missed her.
You missed her so much.
After 5000 years and a couple of centuries, you were finally divided.
You looked up as you saw the door opening.
A paramedic came in with a huge needle.
Here we go again.
꧁☾︎❥︎☽︎꧂
Andy looked at the only building standing in the area. The only building among a plethora of trees and all kinds of plants.
" Alright, Joe, remind us one last time what we are her for. " Andy spoke.
" We are here to save all the girls/women those people experiment on. We don't know more, including the number of either the victims or the security agents, which means that caution is strongly recommended. " The man pointed out.
The rest of the team nodded, listening carefully.
Little did they know about who the real guinea pig was.
꧁☾︎❥︎☽︎꧂
They killed, killed, and killed once again.
They found countless of the latest laboratory equipment, yet no girl or woman asking for their help.
The team knew that it wasn't a trap.
No trap would have been equipped with so many tools costing millions.
Andy was growing more and more frustrated.
For a human with that much of an experience, she should have caught on by now.
" Guys, I think I found it. " Nicky whispered, pointing with his gun at the only door of the corridor at their right.
They as silently as they could run to it. The door did look like a cell. A bulletproof door with a password was always placed to hide something important, and the group came to this very same building for something important.
If they weren't able to free any innocents, they could at least learn what the fuck was happening there to put a stop to it.
Joe placed some light explosives on the door, telling everybody to buck off, which they were more than eager to do.
He pushed the button and a loud sound was heard, shortly followed by the sound of the door falling on the floor.
The team immediately raised their weapons and entered the room, shouting that they were armed.
Nile, who was the first to get in, quickly scanned the whole room and announced to everybody what they could already see with their bare eyes. " It's empty. "
Realizing that it was just a simple bedroom, the team was to turn away until Nicky pointed at the bed. " I think someone's sleeping there. "
" Don't be ridiculous. Wouldn't have they heard the explosives ? " Nile jumped in.
" Not if they were dragged. Guys, I think we found our victim. " Andy spoke slowly, walking to the bed.
She noticed that the person was fully covered by the blanket, so she slowly pulled it off only to freeze midway.
Andy knew that sleeping face.
Truth be told, she knew it better than her own face.
She had traced it countless of times with her fingertips.
She had seen all kinds of emotions on that face.
" A-Andy ? Is something wrong ? " Nile inquired, feeling beyond confused with the leader's teared up face.
" Shhhhh. "
Nile turned to look at both Joe and Nicky, giving her stern glances.
" What ? " She asked again, unable to understand where her wrongdoing was.
" Oh my love. I thought you were dead. " Andy whispered, kissing the top of your head.
She, then, turned to the couple. " Me and Nile are going to get her to the safe house. You make sure to clear everybody out and destroy this place. Nobody should know anything concerning our immortality. Was I clear ? "
" Yes, boss. "
" Good. "
꧁☾︎❥︎☽︎꧂
You slowly opened your eyes.
Sleeping under the influence of whatever drugs they were giving you had the luck and the curse of having no dreams.
You blinked, taking in your surroundings.
No.
Not again.
You hated when they were changing your room because that meant that they had given you strong enough medication to sleep for days.
Suddenly feeling unwell, you instinctively placed a hand on top of your head, and with the other, you pulled the blanket to cover you completely.
" You've already slept for at least 10 hours, I recommend waking up, eating something, and walking around for a while. " Suddenly, a voice interrupted your thoughts.
Your blood froze for a whole second, thinking that your wife just talked to you.
However, you knew better. Drugs have side effects. They made sure you knew each and every single one.
You didn't move - not even to look, still remembering how heartbroken you had been the last time you did - and closed your eyes to sleep.
" Darling, did you hear me ? " Andy made her voice sweeter, waiting for you to move and see her sitting on the armchair near the bed.
Andromache waited a couple of minutes to watch the lack of reaction. Maybe your hearing had been impacted, or maybe you were still hazy due to being drugged the day prior.
The woman sighed, sitting up.
" Sleep well, sweating. " She wished kissing the top of the blanket - where your forehead was.
꧁☾︎❥︎☽︎꧂
You were frozen on the spot. Your mind running a million miles per second.
In the back of your mind you registered her steps and the door opening and closing.
You felt it. You felt her lips through the blanket.
Your wife was here.
She rescued you.
You teared up, unable to resist.
Your wife came for you.
She hadn't forgotten about you.
She still loved you.
Your hand reached the other pillow of the bed. Slowly, as you were still slightly hazy from your sleep, you moved your head on top of it.
It was her.
Her smell.
She had you sleep on her bed.
How long had it been since you shared one.
You immediately wrapped your hands around it and pulled Andy's pillow onto your chest.
You loved her so, so much.
However, still being under the influence of the drug, you quickly fell asleep once again.
This time with your beautiful wife on your mind.
꧁☾︎❥︎☽︎꧂
Andromache came back into the room after a couple of hours.
She had to make sure that everything was taken care of as well as cook you some food.
Andy quietly set the tray down at the bedside table and looked at you.
A smile formed on her face as she noticed your figure wrapped around her pillow.
" Darling, you have to wake up. " She whispered with her sweetest voice next yo your ear.
You whined and turned your face away from her, burying your face in her pillow.
Andromache gently shook your shoulder while leaving small kisses wherever she could reach, mainly your shoulder.
You opened your eyes, slowly turning to face your one and true love, the very person to whom you have devoted yourself for a couple of thousand years.
Still feeling dizzy, you sleepily smiled at her as you reached to caress her cheek. " Morning. " Your voice was way too harsh than your normal one, as you realized you had probably spent a day without a single drop of water.
Andy kissed your forehead lovingly. She brought a cup of water to your lips and propelled you to drink some.
You happily did as Andy wanted you to, too dizzy to oppose her (not that you would have, you were quite thirsty).
As Andromache placed the cup of water back to its place, you took the chance to wrap your hands around her waist and bury your head in her neck.
Your wife chuckled at your adorable reaction and embraced you back, pulling your body closer to her.
" God, I thought you were dead. " She whispered, continuing washing your body with kisses.
" I... " You stopped midsentence, not sure about how what you intended to say would sound to her.
Andy gently messaged your sculp, silently propelling you to talk to her.
You took a deep breath as you turned to look at her with teary eyes. " I wish I was... "
Andy took your face in her arms. " No. No. Don't you dare ever say that. "
You shook your head, casting your gaze downward. " But, it's true. "
" If you had died, my love, we would have never reunited, would we ? " Andromache countered.
You hesitantly looked upward, at her beautiful striking eyes. " It was torture. "
Your wife gave you a sad smile. " I know. I know... But the important thing is that you are here, in my arms, safe and sound. "
You nodded reciprocating the gesture. " Indeed. "
" And just like back then.... We have all the time in the world to do whatever we please. " Andy's smile widened as her eyes narrowed meaningfully.
You laughed a little, wondering how could a single person delete 400 years of torture, but then again.
That person was your beloved wife.
Your Andy.
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ineffablyendless · 8 months
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i watched the Old Guard yesterday bc I was interested (it was very good) and I wanted to give Hob Gadling, my blorbo, some immortal friends in my head and after wathing a couple of times and puttering about the fandom I came to the conclusion that Hob would make the Guards uncomfortable.
Not least bc his circumstances are different in the ways that matter (its will to live per century, and he can die whenever he'd like) but bc Hob doesnt have the sense if martyrdom the rest of them do. They never chose their immortality; they do the best they can with it.
Hob DID choose his immortality. He CONTINUES to choose it. He RELISHES in it.
Already that marks him as different, by core of faith and belief. Men like Hob are dangerous; bc people who deeply enjoy life, enjoy immortality on the scale he does without much regard for what it means are the kind of people who would kill for it. Whatever it takes. He can and will and HAS left things and people behind for the sake of it. If it took killing a man once a century he would have done it. Hes done worse. Theres always someone out there who deserves to die, by mercy of themself or others.
Hob is CONSTANTLY compared to the Corinthian by the sheer apetite for life; his own and others.
Thats bound to make the Guards uncomfortable. It would probably explain how Andy would prefer not to have him in her ranks. Hes too dangerous, and hes not a good person. His motivations are not something she understands, and definitely not something she trusts.
Theres a fanfic premise in there somewhere
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so, the job guys...
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cora-devil · 10 months
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Finally finished Charlize Theron's drawing!
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luminarai · 2 years
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the beginning // the end
prints here. inspiration under the cut
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arctic monkeys - 505 // florence and the machine - kiss with a fist // warsan shire - under their breath, someone said. // richard siken - saying your names // the wombats - be your shadow // hozier - shrike
(reference photos found on pinterest. unfortunately I can’t find any of the og photographers for those, even when I’ve reverse image searched them.)
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headcanonthings · 3 months
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Nile: Joe is the dad friend Joe: I am not Andy: You made me write my name on the tag in my jacket Joe: I didn't want you to lose it- oh, now I hear it
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sunsetcurveauto · 10 months
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Your presence is foreign...Who are you, who are you?
TOG x Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda - Andy, "Thinking, Tangling Shadows"
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romancingromanoff · 1 year
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This is a Life
Andy of Scythia x f!reader
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Summary: You end up escaping an arranged marriage set up by your abusive mother in a strange way.
TW: Verbal/physical child abuse (child is now over 18 but it is implied that it has been going on for some time), arranged/forced marriage, 1950′s typical homophobia, somewhat graphic death/injuries, accidental suicide?
Words: 4225
A/N: Hello I am alive! I’ve been wanting to get back into writing recently and I’ve  been disappointed by the lack of Andy x reader content on here so here’s my contribution. More marvel stuff is in the works starting with Thena from Eternals!
“It’s my life!”
“And you are my daughter! You will do this if you wish to remain a part of this family!”
“I told you I won’t marry him!”
A cold hand hits your left cheek.
You were fighting with your mother yet again as the two of you had constantly done for the past 23 years, which was way too long for you to still be living under her roof according to societal standards. While you were inclined to agree, being forced to marry a man in six weeks was not how you wanted to escape.
On paper, you supposed Nicholas Turner was the perfect match, basically everything you could ever ask for in a husband. His wealth certainly appealed to your mother, though he was also kind and considerate with a pleasant looking face others might find attractive.
Unlike those that had briefly tried to court you in the past, what really set Nicholas apart was that he seemed to truly care for you and respect your opinions. There certainly weren’t very many men like him in the 1950’s who didn’t immediately insult your intelligence or worth as a member of the lesser sex.
Not too far into your relationship was when you were finally forced to come to terms with a fear that had been looming over you since your teenage years. It had been easy to tell yourself you were still normal when all the suitors you rejected were immature little boys with stunted emotional development and only seemed to be interested in your body. You could tell yourself that no woman would ever settle for such disrespect in a lifelong partner.
However, you knew there was no denying that Nick was everything you should ever want in a man. You waited for those butterflies you had heard about from your friends to fill you whenever he asked to hold your hand or guide you by the arm for a stroll. But those bubbling feelings of love never came no matter how much you tried to force them. And if they couldn’t show up for Nick, you knew that no man could summon them at all.
The only person that had ever excited you in that way was another girl a few grades above you in school. She tutored you in math for two summers and lived just down the street. You had never felt so drawn to anyone else before.
“I have three brothers so it’s nice that we can spend some time together, just us girls,” she had said. You couldn’t agree more.
As your friendship grew, rumors about her older brother being a… sexual degenerate spread throughout the neighborhood and your mother quickly forbade you from ever speaking to anyone in her family again. The last time you’d heard about your friend was when her parents had thrown her brother out of the house and cut all contact with him.
No part of you wanted to believe that your friend had agreed with their actions but what if she had? What would she say if she were to ever find out about your true feelings for her? She would surely be just as disgusted as your mother.
“Yes. You. Will. You think this is your life? Well I gave it to you and I can just as easily take it away!”
You weren’t too certain about that after the strange events that took place the day before. Another argument with your mother turned violent and she started throwing some of her empty bottles at you. Although none of them hit their target, one flew through the back window and caused glass to shatter everywhere.
After cleaning up inside the house, you made your way outside to assess whatever damage certainly awaited you there. What you hadn’t been expecting to find was that one of the bottles hit a poor baby bunny not too far from the window. Falling on your knees in front of it, it pained you to watch as its small body twitched only a few times before ultimately turning as still as stone. The thought of leaving it there for other animals to pick on or carelessly throwing it in the trash didn’t seem right to you, so with a sigh you decided to find a shovel and dig it a small grave. It’s not like you were in a rush to face your mother so soon anyway.
The shed with the gardening tools hadn’t been organized since the warmer months. Coughing at the cloud of dust that immediately filled your lungs as the door squeaked open, you blindly staggered in the direction of the shovel, trying to feel for it with your hands, when your foot found a rake that was lying on the ground. The wooden pole smacked you dead in the middle of your face, forcing you to fly back like in one of those children’s cartoons that often played before the main films at the cinema. It sounded like a tornado was tearing through the shed.
All you could feel was pain spreading throughout your body. There was no doubt that your skull had cracked open as a gooey warmth began to soak your hair and pool down your neck. A sharp object also seemed to be lodged in your middle area and it quickly became difficult to breath or even remember what life was like before this agony.
You almost tried to call for help, hoping that your mother might at least be decent enough not to wish for your death, but something about that idea stopped you. What would she even be saving you from exactly? You knew you were dying as a strange numbness began to take over all your senses, yet a part of you seemed to be at peace with what was to come.
Lying about who you were for the rest of your life was worse than a death sentence in its own way. Maybe this could be your mercy if happiness was never attainable for someone like you. Maybe this was for the best.
There was absolute darkness and a sense of peace that seemed to stretch on forever. Suddenly, all of that shattered as oxygen forcefully filled your lungs. Something inexplicable had brought you back.
While your body still ached, a quick assessment helped you conclude that your injuries had healed almost miraculously. Your skull was awfully bloody but definitely smooth and in one piece. Slowly sitting up, you discovered that a long pair of garden shears is what had impaled your abdomen where you were certain a few of your vital organs must have been torn.
You were covered in both dried blood and newly formed skin with no idea how any of it was possible. The only thing you could think of doing was running back into the house to wash yourself off.
Darkness had covered the sky by then and you knew your mother must have been asleep by that point. Initially that made you feel relieved that you could dodge any questions she had until morning. However, as you scrubbed the leftover blood and sweat from your body, the fact that she must not have been concerned at all dawned on you. You had died out in the shed and where had she been?
“No, you don’t get to hurt me anymore!” You shook your head and stood your ground with a newfound sense of power only coming back from the dead could have given you. “You don’t get to control me like I’m your puppet! I’m not going to marry him or anyone else you try to push on me either. I’ve known this for a long time and I think you have too. But I can’t because I’m–”
“NO! No, I will not hear this nonsense again! I have things from the store I need to pick up and I expect all of this sudden change in attitude to be over when I get back. Or I will be beating you everyday until it’s your husband’s problem!”
Somehow her words managed to hurt you more than any physical attack could. You tried your best to hold in your tears as she gathered her purse and keys before slamming the front door behind her, but your eyes began stinging just as you retreated to your bedroom. This time, your instincts were successfully able to guide you on where to step.
You don’t know how long you stood there, disassociating and losing track of the time as you urged yourself not to cry.
A hand landed on your shoulder and caused an instinctive shudder to roll through your body. “Please, don’t!” You whimpered at the contact which you expected came from your mother.
“I’m not here to hurt you. But I need you to trust me.”
You turned and your eyes shot up. The speaker of the voice was unlike any other person you had ever seen. Her hair was cut extremely short, like the style Audrey Hepburn was known for, but with no makeup or bold lip color she appeared more boyish. She was also very tall for a woman, about as tall as some men you knew, though it didn’t scare you to stand beside her like it would with them. It was subtle, but sometimes you felt like they relied on their height advantage to make sure you were on a lower peg than them.
This woman was different with the way she assessed you with a lack of judgment. Something told you that she was worried about scaring you, not wanting to come off like she was sizing you up. You could see it in her eyes and god were they gorgeous. They were a mesmerizing shade that made you believe you were seeing the color for the very first time. You would gladly let the woman hypnotize you with those glowing pools of green.
“Who are you?” Your voice shook even though you could sense she didn’t wish to harm you.
She kept her voice calm and steady. “My name is Andromache of Scythia. But you can call me Andy.”
Andy? Andy. Hearing the name caused something to resurface in your mind. Not quite a song or a memory but something you had definitely heard recently. A man had been screaming that name as you felt him die.
“I’ve seen you before. I dreamed you were trying to save a man. A friend. Two other people were there as well. You were all surrounded. You were dying.”
“There are five of us now, including you, and we all do the same thing. We die and come back. And I know you probably have a lot of questions, which I promise I can answer, but you need to pack some clothes and come with me now.”
“Go with you? Where?”
You had been on a rollercoaster once as a child. It was a tall wooden one with a large loop that initially made you change your mind about riding it. That was before your mother informed you she had already bought your tickets and wasn’t about to let the money go to waste. The fear rose within your stomach with every inch the giant wooden coffin you rode in crept higher and higher into the domain of the clouds and birds. Every voice in your head screamed that you weren’t supposed to be here. A part of you was so terrified that you considered reaching for your mother’s hand. As if she would comfort you.
But then you finally made it to the top. All you could think about as you saw the sun setting on the horizon was how badly you wished you could chase it. And then you did. The ride dropped and your fears dissipated as laughter escaped from your body instead. For the first time ever, you could taste a sense of freedom.
That’s what it felt like when Andy reached for your chin and gently brushed the back of two of her other fingers against the cheek most recently marked by your mother. You weren’t entirely sure what the future looked like with her, yet you were eager to find out and explore all the possibilities opening up before you. No one had ever held you with such tenderness and care while also making you feel protected and safe. You watched as the woman’s eyes flickered from your cheek to your slightly parted lips before she withdrew her touch. It left you feeling empty.
“The woman that hurts you will be coming back any minute now,” she announces quickly before she starts darting around your room. She pulls out a suitcase from your closet and stares at you expectantly, like she needed you to move as if the house was on fire. “We need to leave before that happens.”
“My mother? She’s done terrible things but she’s still my mother. I can’t just leave without letting her know.”
“What’s your name?” Andy asks you. You tell her.
“Y/N, please listen to me,” she sets the suitcase down on your bed before taking your hands into hers. A part of your soul leaves your body right then and there. “Individuals like your mother have hurt you your entire life when you should have been protected. I’m so sorry no one stood up for you before. You didn’t deserve any of that. But now even more people that want to harm you are going to be on our trail as soon as they find out who and what you are. Now that I’ve found you, I can protect you. Me and the other three guys on our team. So please, come with me so that I can keep you safe.”
“Y/N?! Come help me!” Your mother’s shrill voice rings through the house.
“Pack quickly, I’ll hold her off,” Andy urgently reaches for something in her pocket which is when you realize she’s had a knife on her this whole time. Your eyes go wide.
“Wait! Please don’t hurt her! I’ll go with you but you can’t hurt her. That’s my only condition, I swear.”
You haven’t known her for long. You wish you could spend the next hundred years studying her face and getting to know everything there is to know about her. But somehow, you can still tell that something breaks inside her because of your pleading. She holds your gaze for the shortest eternity before nodding back at you.
“Okay,” she promises. You can tell she’s going to be true to her word. “But you have to follow my lead. When I say we need to leave, we leave.”
“Okay.”
You scramble to pack the most important things that come to your mind. A family picture of you, your mother, and your sister. The bracelet that your grandmother gave you. Your drawing notepad. It’s not too difficult to decide what clothes you bring as you have no real attachment to any specific pieces.
Echoes of your mother marching down the hall cause you to freeze up instantly. There’s one last thing you need to grab and of course it has to be in the trickiest place to get to.
“There’s a box of letters under the rug and the floorboard right here. Can you please get it? I’ll talk to her.” Andy nods before you dart out a small crack in your door and quickly close it behind you. It brings you face to face with your warden and the only obstacle that stands in your way of escape.
“What are you doing in there? I expect you to help me bring in my bags from the car. Are you going deaf or do I need to slap some more sense into you?”
“I’m leaving,” you manage to blurt out before fear stops you from changing your mind.
“You’re what?”
“I’m leaving. I’m not marrying Nicholas. I can’t and I won’t.”
“This again? How much longer will you insist on acting like a petulant child? I demand you stop this nonsense at once!”
“No. I’m leaving and you won’t get to control my life anymore.”
A look that you can only describe as amused appears on the woman’s face as she gives you a scoff. “Oh really? And where do you think you’ll go with no car or money to your name? I know you’re nervous about the wedding but-”
“I will never marry him or any other man either!” This was the first time you had ever raised your voice this loud and it was having quite the effect on both of you. The woman in front of you was completely stunned at your change in demeanor, her eyes wide and mouth slightly agape.
“I’m not like you! And I’m tired of pretending to be someone I’m not. For so long, I’ve tried to feel the way I know I’m supposed to feel about boys but I simply can’t. And I think a part of me has always known that I’m-”
The swift sound of a crack silences you, though you don’t exactly register the pain straight away like normal. You bring a finger to your lower lip and it comes black with a droplet of blood. A second later, you touch the same spot and it’s completely healed.
“Silence! You’ll shut your mouth right this instant if you know what’s good for you. These ideas of… of perverse behavior aren’t you. You’re obviously ill and need to see a doctor immediately.”
“No mother, I-” You’re interrupted once again, although this time as your bedroom door swings open you aren’t scared of being struck or hurt. Andy’s presence alone means you are protected.
“Your items are secure. We need to leave now,” she takes a firm hold of your waist and pulls you closer to her body. From the threatening look she’s throwing at your mother you can tell that your presence is the only thing keeping the much taller and stronger woman from breaking out into a fight. Although, calling it that felt entirely wrong as it implied your mother would be able to stand a chance at winning.
“Excuse me?” The older woman spat like she had nearly swallowed a fly. “Who is-... Who do you think you are and how dare you come into my house!”
“Lady, all you need to know is that I’m the one that’s going to be doing what you’ve failed to do and actually protect your daughter from now on. Unless you want this to get violent, I would suggest stepping out of our way.”
No one had ever spoken to your mother that way and had anyone but Andy been foolish enough to yell at her,  you would be worrying for their safety. But even after five minutes of knowing her, it was clear that Andy wasn’t easily swayed by a few empty threats.
“I–... Oh, now I understand everything completely. You must be the one that has corrupted my daughter with these wicked thoughts! Y/N, you can’t possibly believe this… this stranger intends to do anything but manipulate you! Whatever feelings you think you may have for her are wrong and can be corrected. I don’t want you to end up like this disgusting degenerate!”
“Don’t you dare call her that!” Your anger spikes hearing the venom in her words. Andy may or may not be immune to them but that doesn’t mean you can’t be offended on her behalf. “She actually respects me and treats me like a human being!”
“So what? Your plan is to run away together and go where? Do what? You are nothing without me and you know it! Since you were born-”
An involuntary scream leaves your body as the taller woman moves like a flash of light. Before she can even process anything, your mother falls to the floor into an unconscious slump at your feet.
“Oh my God.” It seems almost impossible to tear your eyes away from the sight before you. You’ve never seen someone so… still. Then it dawns on you that she might be…
“She’s just unconscious,” Andy cups your face in her hands and you’re forced to look at her, ”I promise. She’ll be fine but we have to go now.”
Nodding, the two of you set off like there’s still someone on your trail. For a few seconds you’re able to look back at your mother one last time. The woman that gave birth to you. Raised you. Hit you. Broke you. She’ll never be able to hurt you again.
You breathe a barely audible “goodbye” to her, wondering where you’ll be by the time she wakes up. There’s the tiniest twinge of guilt at the thought of her actually missing you when she does, yet with every step you make towards your new future you yearn to speed up.
Andy guides you straight to the front door and outside into the rain. The two of you don’t stop until you reach a car around the corner that she unlocks for you. Your body is cold and numb, which the other woman immediately notices and she tries to drape your body with a thin blanket from the backseat after she starts the engine. You doubted that this car had any heating but couldn’t care too much about that.
“Thank you,” you’re able to mutter. “I’m sorry she… about those things she said.”
“Y/N, you have nothing to apologize for. You are in no way responsible for her actions.”
You could get used to hearing Andy say your name like that. She had a way of saying it that reminded you how it was your very own. How you were your own person.
“No, I do, Andy. At least let me say this for my own peace. You got dragged into something that should have stayed between us and she made some wrongful assumptions about you. You are completely right to feel offended or upset with me. And now that you know that I’m… Well, it seems you know more about me than almost anyone else. What I mean to say is that I understand if you’re disgusted by me.”
Much to your surprise, the brunette calmy pulled the car over to stop on the side of the road so that she could better face you. Fear that she might ask you to get out flickered in your heart for a second, but then she carefully took your hand into her own, holding it so tenderly.
“Y/N, everything that I said in there still stands. I care about you and I want to protect you. And for the record, not that anyone else’s opinion but your own matters, I see nothing wrong with you. You love the way you love, that’s nothing to be ashamed about. You deserve all the happiness the world can give you, which is what I’m willing to fight for.”
The buildup of emotions from the past 24 hours combined with the softness in her words is enough to strip you of your very last defenses. Your vision blurs, though the slight stinging in your eyes is admittedly therapeutic. Andy, however, only grows more concerned for you based on the look on her face.
“No, no, I’m okay,” you promise her and crack a smile. “It’s just strange to have someone that cares about me. The real me, I mean. There must be some way I can repay you for everything.”
She analyzed you with such curiosity that it’s impossible to tell what sort of thoughts are running through her head. Her other hand slowly moves to move a stray hair from your face. You doubt she meant for the contact to feel so intimate, yet you relish in the tiny sprinkles of touch she gives you.
Andy releases a deep sigh. “You don’t have to repay me for anything. We’re a team now and that means we take care of each other.”
Of course you had forgotten there was a team, meaning there were more of you she must have been referencing aside from yourself. It felt stupid to think she could have felt differently about you after knowing each other for less than a day. And what were the chances she would even see you in that way?
“Right,” you struggle to wipe the tears from your face. “I guess I should learn about the others then. When will we be introduced?”
“Soon, I promise.” Andy goes to restart the car and you notice her chuckle as she begins to speed up to get back on the road. “I think you’ll really like them, actually. We all have a lot in common so there’s no chance they won’t immediately like you like I do.”
You swear that you almost died for a second time from a heart attack.
“You mean besides being able to come back from the dead?” You tried to play it cool, hoping she wouldn’t notice how nervous you suddenly were.
“Actually, yes. It’s about a three hour drive from here so you can get some sleep if you want. I know you must be exhausted.”
You can’t really protest when a yawn immediately escapes after the mere mention of a nap. So you drift away, driving off toward your new life, with Andy’s hand safely cradling yours.
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bodgei · 11 months
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So Andy's line art is done!
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Too scared to let go
Andromache the Scythian x reader
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After waking up because of Nile dreaming about Quynh.
You were sat in silence hearing the boys explaining to the young woman who that woman was.
When the talk ended, silence washed over you.
Until footsteps were heard.
You all turned to see your wife appearing in the doorway.
She looked at you for a second before focusing on Nile and propelling her to walk outside with her.
You all sat in front of the TV to watch the match when suddenly the door exploded next to you.
And everything went black.
꧁☾︎❥︎☽︎꧂
Nile and Andy froze hearing the explosion. They exchanged a worried glance.
Andy pulled out her gun and motioned to Nile to stay close behind her.
The women walked in silence with great carefulness.
They entered the room which they left a couple of minutes ago.
Andy's eyes widened seeing your dead body on the floor.
Yes, she noticed that Booker was sitting on the armchair, dead as well. And that Nicky and Joe had vanished.
But, you were more important.
She run to you. Took you in her hands.
" Darling ? Darling, please wake up. " Andromache begged as she shook your dead body.
You didn't move, the wound wasn't bleeding out either, though.
Andy wanted to cry.
She hated when this was happening.
When you were laying dead in her arms.
Tears run down her cheeks.
Tears that she felt unable to hold.
She lost two of her men. And the other two members of her small fireteam were both dead.
Out of the blue, a shaken breath was taken followed by a cough.
The boss looked up at Booker.
Andy let out a relieved sigh. At least one of the four was fine.
Her crying eyes left him to fall on her wife, again.
Your chest wasn't moving.
Your eyes were gating at the nothingness.
Your stomach and half of your face was far more destroyed than just burned.
" Darling. " Andy whispered resting her face on your neck.
There was no response from you.
Nile started doubting that you were to come back, totally ignoring the lack of blood.
A clear indication that your gift was still working.
Your lungs finally decided to work drawing a weak and shaky breath.
꧁☾︎❥︎☽︎꧂
You slowly opened your eyes. Your head was pounding.
You felt someone's hands wrapped around your weak frame.
Your eyes trailed down, still trying to adjust to the lights, or the absence of it.
You weren't quite sure yet.
You looked at the body shielding yours.
" Andy ? " You whispered.
Your wife slightly pulled away to look into your eyes.
The woman who was hugging you like her life depended on it, pulled slightly back to look at you.
" My love. " Any kissed your forehead before returning to her previous position.
There was no way she was going to leave you in this state to kill the bastards who did this to you before making sure that you were alright.
You wrapped your hands around her in a failed attempt to comfort her.
" Andy. " You spoke trying to grab her attention.
Andromache didn't respond, instead she buried her face in your hair smelling whatever remained of the sweet, strawberry scent of your shampoo.
" Andy. I'm healing. " You insisted. " I gonna be fine. " You patted her shoulder.
" Besides, your hold is too strong... I can't breathe. " You added.
You wife immediately pulled away. Andy would have never wanted to be the reason of you being suffocated or hurt.
You smiled at her as you caressed her cheek. " See ? I'm not leaving any time soon. "
Andy nodded sighing in relief. " Yes... "
The warrior's eyes inspected the damage which was slowly healing.
She then turned to inspect Booker as well. 
He seemed in a slightly better condition than you, but still too weak to walk or move around.
Too weak to join her in her hunt.
Andy's eyes fell down on you again. Your chest was coming up and down rapidly.
" Darling, I have to go. You, Booker and Nile stay here and wait for my signal. " She said.
You nodded your head before slipping your hand down, on her neck.
Andy, who was your wife for more than a couple of centuries, understood immediately what you wanted.
The love of your life, bent her head down and pressed her lips on yours.
You kissed her back, smiling in the kiss. 
Andromache mimicked your expression and licked your bottom lip.
You opened your mouth to let her tongue explore it but Andromache pulled apart locking eye contact with you.
" We will continue this later, now, stay like this until you are completely healed. " She told you and stood up.
You whined in complain but didn't comment on this.
The idea of Andy going out there to avenge you being too appealing to be ignored.
Andromache entered her killing mode as she left the room leaving you alone with Nile and Booker.
Both of them had witnessed your heated make out session.
Nile watched as the woman who brought her there was walking out of their little refuge.
" Wow... that was hot. "
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lady-of-the-spirit · 3 months
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Joe: How did you even get in here?
Andy: Joan's window. Or, as I like to call it, "Andy's door".
Joan: I’m closing the window.
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