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poetrysmackdown · 5 months

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some informal thoughts

hello! hope the holiday season has been kind to all of you. and i hope all my jewish followers had a lovely hanukkah! anyways, since i said a few months ago that i’d pick poetry smackdown back up sometime around this time of year, i thought i should make a post. the gist of it is that i’m still quite busy, i have a break that’s about three weeks shorter than I was planning on, and i don’t currently have the mental bandwidth required to read, contemplate, and sort through poem submissions in a way that does justice to them, even if i were to recruit some friends to help out. since running a tournament format requires at least five weeks of continued engagement once it’s underway, and since i’m not at capacity to offer that right now due to the change in my schedule, i’m gonna have to bow out for now. sad bc i was looking forward to it!

my hope is that i’ll have some more time over the summer to hunker down with it, in which case you’ll be hearing from me. it’ll frankly depend on the kind of job i land in for the summer, but i find that my unemployed spirit can typically keep me doing stupid shit regardless of workload...to a point. i don’t want to make any promises because i don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up just to let them down again LOL. i do admit the amount of exposure the first tournament got has made me feel like more of a perfectionist this time around, doubly because i don’t feel that i’m very suited to being a public online presence (even a relatively quite small one)—i’m bad enough at responding to emails for my own real life responsibilities, let alone tumblr asks for the silly responsibilities i invent for myself lol. that’s not to say i no longer want to do it, or i don’t enjoy it, or even that i don’t feel capable of making a really interesting bracket—just that if i am working to put something new together, and if people are taking the time to submit poems they care about, then i don’t want to half-ass it.

my second admission is something like this. I made the original bracket as a celebration of poetry and our relationships to it. yes it was silly and competitive, and the poems were very tumblr, but still, celebration was the intention—I wanted to have conversations about poetry. I stand by the bracket format as a fun and valuable way to foster conversations about poetry, but truthfully, the poems i’m wanting to have conversations about right now—the poems that we should be talking about right now—are ones that i'm not comfortable putting in a bracket. I reblogged The Baffler’s Poems from Palestine collection on here earlier, and Najwan Darwish’s “Who Remembers The Armenians?”, which I still often find repeating through my head when I'm traveling from one place to another, walking home or riding the bus. I came across this beautiful thread recently where people have been translating Dr. Refaat Alareer’s “If I Must Die” into their own languages (this just makes my translator's heart sing!!!!!!). @havingapoemwithyou has been posting some great poems from and for Palestine as well—check out their tag here.

There's always more to add, and I'll be posting more on here as I come across it, but that's what I feel anyone should be focusing on right now when it comes to poetry. i think poetry can be an escape but it should never be a distraction. does that make sense? i wouldn't be against doing a one-off poll here or there, but it feels weird to be making a tournament for poetry right now, or anytime soon. i feel like what free time i have right now is still best utilized helping my friends with organizing in the real world. and god, a bit off-topic but while I'm talking, fuck poetry foundation—I have so much respect for all the poets keeping up the boycott, because while i think it's a simple decision, it's not always an easy one (Aurielle Lucier discussed that here).

anyways, if you read all of this, thank you for your time!! I could go on and on, but really this was just meant to be a message telling y'all that there won't be another tournament for a while lol. even so i'll be trying to use this small silly platform as best i can until palestine is free because that's the absolute least i can do.

#not a poll #also i'm closing my ask box for now because i know i don't have the bandwidth to answer anything rn. sorry :(#but feel free to reply here with your thoughts and any resources and i'll do my best to respond #or even messages might be fine. something about the ask format just gives me anxiety sometimes lmao #cannot stress this enough i am so so so bad at responding to things #even when i want to or enjoy doing it

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yelenasdiary · 1 year

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The Third Widow || Power & Control

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff X Fem! Belova! Reader.

Summary: Y/n Belova is the younger biological sister of Yelena Belova and the adoptive sister of Natasha Romanoff. Saved from Red Room by Melina & Alexei she now must adjust to a new normal. Going to school, recovering, and finding love in the eyes of another troubled teen, Wanda Maximoff. All while General Dreykov has his eyes set on claiming back what he calls his most powerful ‘widow’.

Notes: Flashbacks are bold, italic and start with ‘~’ | Written in second person. |

Translations: Убить Белова (Kill Belova),

AC: Small time jumps through this chapter, not many but just a few to get the ball moving again.

The Third Widow Masterlist

Melina, Alexei, Yelena and the other Widows arrived back at Melina's home for a must needed rest. Yelena checks the house through and through before letting anybody inside. "She was here" she looked to Melina, as the Alexei got everybody comfortable. "How do you know?" she whispered not wanting to worry the others.

"Her bedroom door was opened, and her sketch book opened on her bed. I have to go find her" Yelena hands Melina the dust vile, "I need to bring her back so we can free her like we did the others" she adds. "Yelena, stay first, you need rest as well" Melina suggests as she places the vile safely in the inside pocket of her suit.

"She's out there and she needs rest as well. I'll be back, I'm just going to go back and search for her"

"You can't! S.H.E.I.L.D will be all over that place and I doubt she would be there. Give it a few days and we will all go looking, okay"

Yelena sighed in frustration, but she knew Melina was right and you wouldn't be stupid enough to stick around. She took herself upstairs to the room she once called her own, Melina leaving it exactly how she left it. The photo of you and her in Red Room many years ago sat by her bedside table but it didn't bring her the same joy it once did.

Meanwhile, you were busy finding a safe place to lay low and gather yourself, work out what was next for you. Finding an abandoned, run-down warehouse that still had a power connection seemed to be the perfect place for shelter while avoiding not only S.H.E.I.L.D but also the Avengers. Even with Dreykov dead, his voice ran through your mind like a hamster on its wheel. Repeating your mission over and over, "Убить Белова" along with a split-second flash of her mug shot in your mind. "Убить Белова" again and again wasn't convincing you of completing the mission, not even to avenge him. A state of confusion from what you found at Melina's house was what stopped you from overreacting. Instead you made yourself comfortable with the limited resources you had and tried to shake Dreykov's voice running laps in your head.

As the weeks went on, you couldn't forget the last words that Dreykov had ever said to you about the mission that was yet to be completed started to take over your mind set. Even with Dreykov dead, he still had some control over your thoughts, feelings, and actions. The warehouse seemed to be a perfect hide out as you watched Melina's house from a safe distance throughout the day. Watching and listening the best you could to the conversations that traveled around the home.

"I still don't have any leads to where she could be!" Yelena said as she followed Melina out to the pig's pen. "We will find a lead when things settle down and we hear from Natasha" Melina replied before filling the pig's water with fresh water. "We don't know when we'll hear from Natasha!" Yelena argued in frustration.

"I know you want to find her, I do too but with everything in the air still, we need to be smart about this"

"She's out there! Alone! She doesn't have a place to go back too!" Yelena snapped, "if you won't help me, I'll find somebody who will!" she added before storming off. Her words making your heart feel like it was breaking lightly. You watched as the blonde stormed back inside the familiar building while Melina stayed attending to the pigs.

Yelena thought about seeking help from Wanda in hopes maybe she'd be the one to draw you out of finding or at least find her some sort of clue as to where you might be. Given the way they'd been towards each other since your kidnapping, Yelena wasn't exactly sure if Wanda would be open to the idea. She even thought about asking Kate for extra help but struggled to put her issues with Kate aside, knowing how much she hurt her when she left.

"Give her time" Alexei placed a hand on Yelena's shoulder, "she'll come around" he adds. "What time do we have?! Y/n is missing and none of you give a shit!" Yelena spat, her built up hurt and anger showing its colors. "If you were Y/n, where would you go?" Alexei asked while looking into Yelena's green eyes, "I've already done that, I've got to all the places I thought she'd go, I've been back to the sight and there was nothing! It's like she just vanished" Yelena explained, her frown now becoming more of a headache, "She's still under Dreykov's control, even dead and he has her hidden!" She adds, shrugging off Alexei's hand from her shoulder. Alexie didn't want to anger Yelena anymore but just like Melina, he had no answers to give the young blonde in front of him. The only thing he could do was assure her that you'd be found and when that happens, you'd be safe once again.

——

For you, trying to connect the dots between what you knew, heard, and were told was starting to take its toll. As you sat alone in the dark with dimmed light most of the time while your mind tried to work out what was going on. With no memory of anything besides Red Room, you couldn't remember anything that would be any help to you and now the only person you needed, the person you relied on was dead. Taking his secrets and the answers to your endless questions with him.

The power Dreykov held over you, even dead was beyond you. His voice running through your mind now with things you didn't care to remember, making you think about the last time you saw him, the last thing he ever said too you but more importantly, the last mission he gave you, "Убить Белова". Maybe if you carried out that mission it would make the voice in your head stop but what purpose would you have if that mission was carried out and you did in fact kill Yelena.

Natasha was able to get the Avengers back together with minor difficulties, she didn't mention too much about the events that took place with Red Room and reuniting with Yelena. All they knew was that General Dreykov was dead, and that Red Room was finally taken down. Clint of course knew the details of everything that had happened, Natasha telling him everything down to the depts of her deepest feelings. Feelings about how much she truly missed you and wished she, Yelena, Melina and Alexei could've saved you. Clint offered his hand in giving her and Yelena help in tracking you down.

Clint and Natasha worked off the records in tracking you down, but it seemed harder than Natasha thought. Even though she was trained in Red Room and had to think smarter than she already was. Clint could see the strain the stress was causing her, the frustration but he knew Natasha better than anymore. She would find you, one way or another.

"She's still in Ohio" Clint entered Natasha's room while she was catching up on late minute mission reports. "What?" She looked at him confused; her mind completely focused on the screen in front of her. Clint plugged the USB hard drive into her laptop, taking control of the device, pulling up street CCTV footage of a woman he believes to be you as you walked around a street market in black jeans, runners and a black hoodie. "How can you tell it's her? You never met her" Natasha frowns while watching the footage.

"Just wait" Clint says, pushing the laptop more in front of Natasha again. She watched from different angles as you walked by stalls Natasha noticed the skilled pick pocketing skills you'd gained, swiping purses and wallets from passing people, "Watch right there!" Clint paused the footage, "Tell me this isn't her" he adds before pressing play once again. You were stopped in your tracks by a poster print of Black Widow, picking it up slowly to study the image. "This doesn't prove that it's her, Clint" Natasha looked up at him with a raised brow.

"Look, I had Lewis follow her through the market and she was able to pick her up on some other CCTV footage" Clint explained, "when was this taken?" Natasha asked while watching the footage. "Just over a week ago" Clint replied with a disappointed sigh. Natasha looked at her closest friend and saw that he was trying his best to help, "What else did you find?" she asked him. It didn't take any longer before Natasha believed that it was you, watching as you easily moved your way through the crowded market and down the main road before disappearing down the back alleys.

"What do you think?" Clint asked when the footage stopped, Natasha lent back in her chair with a train of thought before looking up at Clint, "I have to go home" she replied.

----

"Убить Белова"

Dreykov's voice echoed through your mind as you made modifications to your poor handgun that you brought of a young male on the street only a few days earlier. News traveled quickly around Ohio that multiple people were reporting their bank cards and cash stolen while shopping although the police had no leads that they could go on, even if they did, you weren't bothered. You'd watched Melina and Alexei's house until you'd made up your mind, the only way to get Dreykov's voice out of your head was to carry out the mission until successful, kill Belova.

Once the handgun was completed, you placed it in the large black carry bag along with the rest of your equipment that you'd mustered over the week. Different types of grenades, two handguns equipped with silencers, a rifle for long range that also was modified with a silencer and a better sight ranger, an SMG, night vision googles, plenty of ammunition and of course, melee weapons. As for a suit, ripping apart your widow suit and coming up with a design of your own, taking note of what you hated most about the original black suit and replacing it with something you thought was better.

"I thought you might want to see this" one of the young males you'd paid to help you acquire your equipment placed his mobile phone in front of you.

"GUYS!! BLACK WIDOW JUST CAME INTO MY DADS STORE!!"

Read the social media post causing a cold smile forming on your lips, "Does this change anything?" The young man asked. Without as much as a light chuckle you walked over to your safe, another item the man collected for you, punched in your code and grabbed the left-over large clicks of money before tossing it over to him. "Take it, share it and get out of here" you said looking him in the eyes. He tossed it back and shook his head, "Take it as rent or whatever" he replied.

"Rent?" you asked with a frown.

"We want to stay. We don't care what it is you do, but" the man paused for a moment and let out a sigh, "we haven't had a roof over our head in so long, one that doesn't get us soaked through the winter. We'll stay out of your way, we'll do our thing, we'll keep paying you money to let us stay" he explained. You'd picked him and his friends off the street, paid them generously for their services and told them as long as you needed their help, they could stay at the warehouse. "Please, we have done everything you've asked us to do and we haven't said a single word to the police or anybody" his begging only made you shake your head in reply.

"Get out of here, you can't stay" you tossed the money back to him and grabbed your suit, "you won't win" he said, stopping you in your tracks before turning to face him again, "What?" you questioned. "Killing Black Widow, that's what you're doing, right? I saw the same symbol on your suit before you cut it up" he explained, "she's a part of the avengers, they have been saving the world for years and you're just one person" he adds. Chuckling at his words, you took a few steps closer to him, enough to see the nervous sweat drops stream from his forehead, "she is no widow, you know nothing" you replied in a low tone, "I don't want to see you again or your friends, now get out of here" you added staring into his brown eyes. After searching your eyes, he realized you were serious, "Fine" he mumbled as he turned his back to you, "don't forget your money" you said before walking away.

----

Melina opened the door slightly shocked to see Natasha standing on the other side, "Natasha if I knew you were coming, I would've made dinner" she greeted her, "I wish it was a friendly call in" Nat sighed, "is Yelena staying here?" She asked. "She is but she's not here at the moment, she hasn't stopped looking for Y/n since Red Room was destroyed" Melina explained., "That's why I'm here" Natasha looked at Melina, "Y/n is here in Ohio, and I know how to find her" she adds with a promising tone. "You best come inside then, have a drink" Melina opened the door wider.

The two walked into the kitchen, Melina pouring them a shot of vodka each before she asked any questions. "Where's Alexei?" Natasha asked as she looked around slightly. "He's out, he worries about Yelena so whenever she goes wondering, he follows" the reply sounded almost disappointing, "Anyway, what do you know?" Melina asked to shift the topic.

Natasha downed the shot of vodka then looked back at Melina. "When I spoke with Dreykov he mentioned that Y/n mission was to kill Yelena. When I saw her, she had no idea who I was, he spoke to her as if she was a pet. Now that Dreykov is dead, she has nowhere to go and she's still under his control, I think she might come for Yelena" Natasha explained as Melina poured the two of them another shot. "Then we do what we have done with all the other Widow's" Melina replied as if Nat's thoughts didn't faze her, "Yelena has been looking for her non-stop, how did you find her?" she added before downing her second shot.

"CCTV footage, those headlines you keep seeing about people reporting their bank cards and wallets getting stole, it's her and she was very sly with how she's done it. She needs that money for something, it's not just food and clothes. I think you need to bring both Yelena and Alexei back so we can talk about this. From what Dreykov said, I have a feeling Y/n is going to be a lot harder to free than the others" Natasha explained.

"They could be gone for days; I don't know where they are. My job is to stay here and make more of that counteragent gas"

"When did they leave?"

"Yesterday morning, they have been running around in circles with no leads. Tell me you're not going to promise Yelena something you can't keep, Natalia" Melina screwed the lid back on the vodka bottle as Natasha looked at her differently at the sound of a name she hasn't heard in a long time. "I've learnt never to make promises" Natasha replied.

After waiting only a few short hours, Yelena and Alexei returned. Yelena was furious that Alexei had been keeping an eye on the assassin from a distance, but that anger was quickly forgotten about once Natasha had explained everything to the three of them in greater detail, even showing the CCTV footage.

"I want to keep this between us until she is freed!" Yelena spoke up, looking at Natasha. "Well, actually, I've already spoken to Wanda" Natasha replied, "we could use her if anything and besides, she already knows Y/n probably better than the four of us" she added knowing her comment would hurt Yelena, but it was the truth. Wanda was the one who had spent the most time with you before Dreykov had claimed you back.

"Is Wanda here?" Yelena asked.

"She's on her way. She had some things to deal with first"

----

"Would you like me to come with you?" Vision asked as Wanda packed a bag, not caring what she'd placed inside just as long as it had spare clothes and anything else she may need. "No, honey" she replied without even looking up at Vision. "Wanda, please" he begged taking a few steps closer to her and placing a hand on top of hers. Wanda closed her eyes just for a second before she turned and looked Vision in the eyes knowing she'd have to finally tell him about the lost love she once knew.

"It's important that you stay" she said, taking his hand into hers, "This isn't anything to do with the team, it's something that Natasha and I need to deal with" she explained hoping she could answer any questions he had when she'd return. "I don't understand what is so important that can't be shared with me, is it Natasha's business?" Vision asked knowing that if it were Natasha's business than he would not bother to ask anything more. "It is her business just as much as it is mine" Wanda replied as she sat on the edge of the bed and looked up at her now lover.

"Natasha as a younger sister, not Yelena. She doesn't speak about her and nor do I, I'm not sure why…I guess we just found it easier to not. I met Y/n when she was freed from the Widow program" Wanda smiled softly to herself at the first memory she had of you, "She was young, confused and just wanted to do good. Yelena introduced her to Kate and I one day at school and for some reason I was so curious about her, I'd never looked at anybody as long as I looked at her. I knew it made her uncomfortable, but she came around eventually…long story short, she was taken again, and we haven't been able to find her" Wanda added as she wiped the tears building in her eyes, "now Natasha think she's found her and with what I can do…I need to be there"

Vision sat down beside Wanda and once again took her hand into his, stroking her knuckles with his thumb. "I'm sensing there was more to this Y/n" he spoke in a lightening tone to brighten the mood a little, it caused Wanda to chuckle lightly as she turned to face him, "A lot more" she said with a broken smile.

"You loved her?" Vision asked, not in a demanding tone but just to confirm his own questions.

Wanda's eyes dropped to her lap as more tears filled her eyes, "I never got the chance too" she spoke, "we were only teenagers, but I saw something special in her" Wanda added she began to look up at Vision again, "I don't mean to hurt you Vis and I should've told you a lot sooner but I –"

"Wanda, it's okay" Vision butted in, "I've always thought there was something you didn't want to share with me. I couldn't make you share it but I knew one day you would" he assured her, bringing a hand up to gently wipe her tears, "she is important to you"

"But so are you Vis"

"I will wait for you, at the compound. When you return, we'll work this out but right now, you are needed elsewhere" he smiled softly even though he knew the outcome of the relationship before the words left his mouth. "A-are you sure?" Wanda asked, her heart breaking for a man she loved but knew she couldn't love forever. Vision nodded before placing a soft kiss on Wanda's lips, the last kiss he knew they'd share.

----

Once Wanda had arrived at Melina and Alexei's house, they all began to come up with a game plan on what to do next. Wanda expressed that she'd only use her magic if absolutely need be and agreed to refill your mind with the memories you had before being taken. Yelena didn't admit it but nothing had scared her more than knowing her own sister was coming after her with no memory of the sisterly bond they shared, Natasha could see it clear in Yelena's eyes as if she'd shared the unspoken worry with her once before.

Melina got to work immediately to make more of the counteragent gas that would be used on you to finally free you once and for all and Alexei, well, he did what Alexei always did, focused on the mission.

#wanda maximoff #natasha romanoff #yelena belova #black widow #the third widow #fanfiction #marvel #wanda maximoff x reader #natasha romanoff x reader #yelena belova x reader #melina vostokoff #alexei shostakov

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santaswiftie · 1 year

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Hello swifties! 'Tis the damn season and after the chaotic mayhem we've had against ticketmaster, I thought it would be great to have a loving christmas all together! (regardless of your religion) I'm probably not the first one doing this and I know that there're secret santa events for creators every year. But a lot of people are left out because they don't know how to make gifs/graphics, so this is your chance to shine and share love to someone selflessly!

How does it work?

I will send you an ask from this account asking if you are interested in participating and I'll follow you if so.

Then, you will enter the list and once all the participants have been selected, I will do a raffle and each couple will be randomly selected. edit to add: you have until Friday, 9th Dec to think about it and reply or reblog the post saying you're in! Then I'll close the list.

When I have the results, I'll send you another message with the blog that you got, which you shouldn't reveal or tell anyone about!

From that moment (most likely, 11th Dec) you will have until January 6 to prepare your gift.

Once you've done it, send it to me via ask, submit or message here along with the name of the blog you got (you can also include it in the gift), a caption and everything else you'd like to include. I'll post them all on January 6 on this blog.

This way we keep the gift anonymous for a longer time, so that the blog in question sees your gift and tries to figure out who made it. Then it's up to you when/if to reveal your identity!

But I don't create content, what can I do?

Everything is possible! If you can't create gifs/graphics, anything that you think would make the other person happy! Poems, playlists, resources, packs, recs, pictures, crafts, hand drawings… even material gifts or money (if the person you've got agrees with that). You can anonymously ask said blog what their interests are (if you don't know them enough) or if they would be okay with sharing their adress, but alwways remember to be discreet!

If you'd like to participate but you haven't got an ask from me, you can directly contact me or reblog this post and I'll automatically add you to the list!

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask and I'll reply to you as soon as possible! If you reblog this post, I'll assume you want to participate, so please clarify in the tags if you're in or it's just a signal boost! Thank you and Merry Christmas! 💝

#taylor swift #my following list is public so you can see the blogs that already joined in!#santa swiftie speaks

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rythyme · 1 year

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Hello

First of all, I wanna say I got into dndads because of you and that got me into the dnd rabbit hole. I have always been interested in worldbuilding and the imaginary people in my head. I thought about writing books but I could never think of the end of a story. This has given me a possible structure to put them in. In DnD the story doesn't have to end. Thank you for that.

Previously you had posted or reblogged free dnd 5e resources, books. Or if you know any blogs that are helpful for beginner DMs, please recommend them.

If you can't find the post please ignore this.

Thank you for leading me down this wonderful path.

hi there!!! i'm so so thrilled to see this, and i'm honored to have introduced you to one of my favorite pastimes!! 🥹 dndads is such a fun podcast too - i always recommend it to anyone, dnd players or otherwise lol.

as for resources, here's what i have!

i do have a google drive link with all the official wizard of the coast books and pdfs (including 5e players handbooks, etc) but i will direct message those to you separately since it's, you know. wizards of the coast. (others can also feel free to message me for them)

here are a bunch of character sheet organized by character class

here's a super handy cheat sheet to remind you of everything that can be done on a turn

here's a folder with a bunch of unofficial fan-made resources - this includes pre-made mini campaigns and adventure modules, which i've used a lot. you can take one and modify it however much you need to fit your story. there's also a bunch of DM resources like random item generators, loot tables, puzzles, etc.

donjon random generators & map builders are the BEST for quickly creating encounters that are balanced, mapped, and full of loot

here's a random npc generator i've used a lot - perfect for when a player decides they want to know the entire life story of a shop keeper that didn't exist 2 seconds ago

medieval fantasy city generator is literally the most fun city / town / village map builder i've found

fantasy world map generator is also great if you've got a larger world to work on, you can do political maps, terrain, war maps, climate maps, p much anything all in one

aaaaand those are all the big ones i use most often! i usually use Trello to organize my DM notes and Roll20 to play with my friends virtually. if you need anything else specific feel free to reply here or send me a DM and I'll see what I've got :)

#while I was writing this up i realized it may be helpful to other ppl - so that's why i answered publicly instead of privately #hope that's ok!#will still dm u the books #dnd #dungeons and dragons #ttrpg #dnd resources #dm resources #reference

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darling-i-read-it · 1 year

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A Good Story

Harry Gardner x fem!reader

Word Count: 3.1k

Warnings: slow burn affair, general creepy vibes ig? Lol, mentions of grief, harry being kinda shity but that’s what you’re here for <3

Author’s Note: I felt like I should've maybe written more for this but I thought the ominous ending was kinda cool!! Lemme know what you think and I hope you enjoy <3

Requested by anon, Hello again, dear. Hope I'm not being a bother. I was the Anon with the Harry request from earlier and I can't thank you enough for taking the time to reply, that means the world to me 💗 The idea I had is for Harry x fem Reader who's an aspiring but struggling director. Their platonic relationship quickly derails into a full-blown affair. Feel free to take complete liberty of the plot and write it I'm any way you'd like. Andsty, fluffy, nsfw etc, anything you feel like, I know I'll love it regardless. Thank you for your kindness and for gracing us Finn lovers with your wonderful works ❤

I don’t own these characters. They belong to author/director/creator

(not my gif)

You had heard about Provincetown. You saw the guide books, the summer town that was only alive when the clouds moved aside to allow for the sun to touch the ground. Any beach town could be interesting in that sense, that it’s beautiful and secluded and inspiring. But that wasn’t what compelled you to come. It was the whispers that bled out from the town. There’s a certain charm in small town secrets that only rotate within the city lines. There’s something else entirely to be said about the small town secrets that reach through the online forums, the cities surrounding them.

You heard about it through a bar you frequented. Frequented might be a strong word. A bar you went to on occasion when writers block hit you hard and you couldn't’ look at another camera. There were secrets about the people there, those who came when it wasn’t sunny any longer, those who stayed and silently sucked up the resources around them.

You arrived in Provincetown a week after Harry Gardner and his family. You moved in right next to him, down the street in a smaller house. You were keenly aware you had gotten it for a killer deal. Something was wrong with this town and it might just be the inspiration you needed to really push past being an ‘aspiring’ director and being a ‘successful’ one.

“Lots of newbies,” Austin Sommers announced. He leaned back in his chair at the Muse, a local bar. You were trying to get your feet on the ground still by searching for a place to work while you figured things out. You figured trying the bar first would be helpful.

You heard Austin speak but didn’t know the words were directed at you. You gazed at the menu, reading off the special board. The lack of routine in your days was throwing you off. Even if there was no job here, you needed a drink.

“I said,'' Austin tried again, “lots of newbies.” He walked up to the bar stool and sat down beside where you were standing. You turned to him, realizing that he had been speaking to you.

“What do you mean?”

“Well you’re new. I’ve never seen you here before. Just a week ago a new family moved in. This is gonna become a real stellar town if we keep bringing in the riff raff.” His voice was surprisingly not judgemental. You pursed your lips, deciding to ignore him. You looked to the bartender who gave you a gentle smile.

“Hi! Are you guys hiring?”

“Oh not another bartender,” Austin murmured. “You’re not here to write?” The bartender gave Austin a narrow look.

“Not right now. But I know there’s a place down the road that is. I can give you the address if you want?” He was cleaning glasses, waning past the long nights when little people came in.

“That would be great actually.”

“It’s a little bookstore. It’s not very busy but the owner's wife just passed away or something and they need someone to clean the shop when he can’t.”

“That’s awful.”

“Well his loss is your gain,” the bartender murmured. He turned around to grab a piece of paper. Austin leaned against the counter.

“Pretty brutal huh?” You finally turned to look at him. The haircut didn’t suit him but you liked his striped shirt and long necklace.

“Can I help you with something?”

“I’m just giving you a warning sweetheart. From one person to another, this is not the town you wanna stay in.” You narrowed your eyes at him, trying to read if he was joking or not.

“The brochures say it really lightens up in the summer.”

“It’s not the summer isn’t it?”

He unnerved you with his ominous warnings so you turned back to the bartender. He handed you a piece of paper.

“Where are you staying?” the man asked. Austin leaned in intently but you didn’t feel comfortable giving your address and street to either men.

“Around,” you promised.

“You should meet up with the family that just moved in. Maybe you could help each other.”

“Are you by yourself?” Austin pursued. You gave him a narrow look.

“Who’s the family?”

“Gardner’s. On the water, in the south part of town.” You nodded. You had no intention of seeking them out but wanted to leave this conversation.

“Thank you for the place.” The bartender nodded. Austin looked disappointed but you didn’t feel too bad. You backed away and then walked out, sad you hadn’t gotten your drink.

You ended up going to the bookshop and the man didn’t even require a resume. He mumbled something about opiate addicts taking away all of the good workers in this town and he needed new blood anyway. You guessed he was still mourning his wife but he didn’t mention her.

And that is where you met Harry Gardner for the first time.

You were busy rearranging some shelves that had been well used when he came in. The bartender wasn’t lying when he said the place wasn’t busy. You were lucky to have twenty customers your entire shift. But it paid the bills while you worked up some inspiration.

You heard the bell ring and the door swing open with a gust of wind. You stood up, putting on a smile to greet whoever it was. You peeked around a shelf and saw his curious gaze. You walked around it, carrying a stack of books in your arms.

“Good morning!” you said with a smile. “How can I help you?”

He met your eyes softly. He was unmistakably handsome with hair falling over his face in strands.

“Hi! I was just coming to browse,” he said. You nodded.

“Well I’ll be around if you need anything.”

He turned into a small section. You turned back to your shelf and started to put the books back. You had gentle music playing on the speaker by the counter. You returned to it in case he needed anything. He came out from between some stacks, already holding something.

“Do you like it here?” he questioned. “The job, I mean.” It was sudden but you shrugged.

“I just moved here last week,” you admitted. “But so far so good.” His eyes lit up. He had been looking at the books before but now you had his full attention.

“Me too. Well, two weeks ago,” he said. You raised an eyebrow.

“You wouldn't’ happen to be a Gardner would you?” He eyed you suspiciously.

“How do you know that?” “Word travels fast. Some guy at the Muse mentioned your family.” He nodded slowly.

“That tracks.” You shrugged. He approached the counter. He set down an old used copy of a book you had never heard of. “My names Harry.”

“Y/N,” you offered. “How are you liking the surprisingly dreary town of Province?” He smiled slyly.

“So far not great. Have you run into any of the addicts yet?”

“I’ve not ran into any, no.”

“I recommend not.” He looked tired. “My wife and daughter ran into one when they were on a walk the first day we were here.”

“Not good?” “No, no it wasn’t.” You nodded, shivering. Drug addiction was no joke. It was a disease but it was dangerous. It was hard not to be scared sometimes. “What are you doing out here?”

“I am a director. Aspiring. I was hoping for some inspiration. So far I’ve found a lot of cold beaches and weird people.” He chuckled knowingly.

“I’m actually a writer myself. I’m trying to get out the pilot episode of a script, that's why we came out here.” You raised an eyebrow.

“Intrigue. What kind of things do you write about Harry Gardner?”

“All kinds of things,” he promised. “Whatever I feel like.”

“A true writer.” You smiled gently. He met it with the same generosity. He wasn’t sure if it was because of certain circumstances but he liked you regardless. “What are you reading?”

“I don’t know yet. Cover looked nice and I need to read something.”

“You didn’t bring any books?”

“My wife doesn’t really like clutter,” he admitted. Your eyes went wide.

“Brave of her.” You rung up the book. “$9.55 for you today.” He handed you his card. He tried not to think of what Doris would say to him, spending money on something they didn’t really need, especially with money being tight. He’d like to think he’s worked hard enough for a small treat and a nice conversation. “Want your receipt?”

“No, that's okay.”

“Well it was nice to meet you Harry.” He grabbed his book.

“It was nice to meet you too.”

He was smiling as he left. You were left wondering how much he liked his wife.

There was not enough to do in Provincetown. You could go to the bar filled with weirdos. You could take a walk and run into someone who looked like they were from Nosferatu. Or you could daydream about the guy who you saw walking down the street sometimes and wonder how he was doing.

Harry came back only once after that and it was a normal interaction. You were fine with it being just that. Normal. You would admire him and his family from afar, wondering what it looked like inside of his house. You had no actual intentions of ‘seducing him’ or whatever the shitty mom dramas were doing. You let yourself feel feelings but also didn’t actively seek them out.

That was until he came back a third time and asked you to get lunch. He explained that he wanted to pick your brain about the ideas you had and you were all too happy to take your break. He took you to a small diner nearby on the small strip of businesses.

You sat by the window, watching as a couple of cars drove by.

“So you came from New York?” you questioned. He nodded. “What’s that like?”

“About as you expect,” he admitted.

“Broadway every Sunday? Seeing the Statue of Liberty from your window? Eating hot dogs for breakfast?”

“Okay maybe not that,” he said, laughing. You laughed with him.

“Alright then give me something Harry. I only have such a long break.”

“I’ve never been to Broadway,” he started. “There are so many people. It’s kind of shocking walking around here and being alone.”

“It’s eerie.”

“It is.” He shrugged. He was leaning forward, his hands wrapped around his cup. “This whole town is eerie.” You nodded. You glanced out the window. It was a cloudy day. You were getting used to them.

“It feels so…hidden. Like it’s gonna eat itself whole.” You shook your head. “How’s your family adjusting?” He glanced down and then back up again.

“Not great.”

“No?”

“Doris…Doris doesn’t like it here,” he admitted. “But it’s helping my writing so much.”

“What does Doris do?”

“Interior design.”

“Is she good at it?” He gave you a dumb look.

“She’s my wife.”

“That’s not what I asked.” He didn’t answer, which was an answer. You nodded slowly, thinking about all the interior design places she could do here. There weren't a lot that came to mind. “How’s the kid?”

“Alma is…she’s a lot.” He shook his head. “You should probably be getting back.” You nodded. You should probably get back.”

“I haven’t finished my fries,” you complained. “Couple more minutes. Sorry I brought them up.” He shook his head.

“It’s okay. It just kind of feels like another life.”

You hummed in agreement as you ate a fry.

“You need to get out more Harry Garnder.” He chuckled.

“Alright alright.” You leaned back in your chair. “Do you write?”

“Sometimes but mostly I just visualize,” you admitted. “But I need to start somewhere.” He nodded.

“I guess I do the opposite.”

“Don’t you visualize to write?”

“I guess so. I guess you’re right.” He smiled.

“You got anything I could read?”

“I don’t think you’d like them,” he admitted. You raised an eyebrow.

“How do you know what I’d like?” you accused. His smile remained but there was a sly tug at his lips.

“I don’t. You’re right.”

“Lesson number one. I’m always right.”

You and Harry frequented the small diner a couple of times in the following weeks. The meet ups became less courtesy and more nefarious in nature. You already had the vibe from him that he had ill intentions and you had never turned him down. It was just nice to talk to him. He never did anything. He showed no physical inclination of anything, never crossing the imaginary boundaries. But the topics got deeper and more nuanced. Conversations about life, writing, themes. Questions about things he hadn't talked about in years. Things that you promised yourself you would keep close to your chest.

Until that one winter night. You usually get lunch during your breaks but slowly the times had gotten later. It was nothing said out loud. It was all habit at that point, never questioning the ordeal until it was over. What were you to him? What was he to you?

It was cold, as it often was. He was wearing a thick black jacket, his cheeks a rosy red. You were also bundled up in your typical choice of coverings. You sat across from him, the air in the diner fluid with the weather outside.

It was dinner time. He should be with his family, you thought and then disregarded it.

“Where does Doris think you are?” you asked after ordering. You were both still wearing copious amounts of layers to combat the freezing temperatures.

“The bar,” he explained. “I’ll probably go there afterwards,” he admitted. You pursed your lips.

“Frequent the Muse?”

“I try not to, unless it makes an alibi.”

“That sounds like you’re planning my murder Harry,” you joked. He smiled slyly. He had a cup of coffee in his hands he wasn’t drinking. You wondered if it was more of a hand warmer.

“Trust me, you’re the only thing keeping me sane right now.”

Admissions like that confused you. His actions never seemed to follow through with his words.

“What, you haven’t made more friends here yet?”

“I don’t have time.”

“You could always cancel one of our lunches.”

“No,” he said, far too quickly.

“I won’t be offended Har.” He shook his head. His eyes were stagnant down at the steaming cup.

“I like seeing you.” He said that like it was an illicit affair. You shook your head.

“I like seeing you too. You need to branch out.”

“You’re not my mother,” he quipped but it felt more defeated. “I’m sorry.” He shivered as the door opened. The bell rang, indicating a customer, and in with them came the cold. “It’s freezing. You aren’t wearing enough layers.”

‘You’re wearing just one,” you told him.

“Alright, the usuals…” Your waitress interrupted the train of thought and put down your food. The warmth of it was nice. It was odd to you that you had a usual. You were a small town girl now, even if you didn’t believe it yourself.

“Thank you so much.”

“Thank you.”

You and Harry’s voices overlapped in gratitude as you looked down at your plate. The sun was setting.

“She doesn’t mind you don’t stay for dinner?” you asked because you didn’t know what else to do but push.

“No,” he admitted. He didn’t talk about her much. He talked about his sixth grade trauma but never the wife and child. Was it guilt? Disinterested? Or just general indifference? “Can you sit over here? Maybe we could share some warmth.” You didn’t make a face or anything. You got up and sat on his side.

You brought your plate over and took a bite, like everything was normal. The sides of your bodies were flush. You had touched him before but not so much at once. He glanced at you.

“Thank you,” he breathed.

“Anytime,” you promised. You swallowed your bite and looked up at him. Your eyes were so close. You could practically see his train of thought. The small diner, the married man, the same booth.

“This is quite cliche isn’t it?” he questioned. He leaned against the wall but he was still touching you.

“Yes, yes it is.” You moved your food around. “But I think cliches are used for a reason. They’re such a generalized feeling but have lost their meaning. Isn’t that sad?”

“It is.”

Kiss me, you thought. There would never be another time like this one. He wanted to do it and he couldn’t hold back much longer, you knew it. You looked at him through your lashes, begging him silently.

When he did kiss you, you wondered if he had read your mind. That’s how well he seemed to know you. The kiss was gentle and unassuming. No one would guess the emotions lying within. You grabbed his hand, holding it. This didn’t even feel like public. This felt like your own personal world, like the one you could have had before everything was so different. Before things were so wrong.

When he pulled away he had no sense of regret over his eyes. You accepted it, the guilt, to come quickly. It was like he had temporary amnesia for the whole life he led. To the reason he was here.

“This would make a good story,” he whispered, laughing gently. You rolled your eyes at the break of the moment.

“Yes. It would.”

#harry gardner x reader #harry gardner imagines #harry gardner x fem!reader #american horror story imagines #american horror story fanfiction

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awetistic-things · 2 years

Note

I was talking to my friend online today and like. I got to thinking—and I also just realized another thing too but I'll get to that—that like.

My friend said my experiences are typical to me. I've always been the way I am. But I was thinking, if I have a neurodivergency, how much of "me" is "me" and how will I change if I ever get diagnosed? How will the way I view myself change?

And like. The thing I just realized is, I'm pretty sure I've got some sorta ADHD. My mom has it and one of my brothers has it, so there's some close family history of it. But I'm not stereotypically hyperactive. I'm AFAB and most of my "hyperactivity" is my mind will *not* slow tf down. I've literally had sleeping problems for years because of it. I'm twenty now, and I've had issues falling asleep for as long as I can possibly remember.

So that's one thing. Another thing is... I might be autistic? But the one thing holding me back from being "sure" is that I have little to no sensory issues and I'm not *always* uncertain about social situations. Am I awkward and prefer not to speak if I don't know what to say (which is almost all the time)? Yes. Do I sometimes struggle determining tone or other people's emotions? Yes. I feel like if i had more sensory issues then I might be "sure" I'm autistic, because I just constantly feel so out of place in social situations and I have no clue why.

(I'm adding this here after I've written everything else because, surprise surprise, I had Another Thought). How can I know if I'm masking, if i am neurodiverse? I interact the same way with my family that I do with strangers, except I'm more comfortable with my family. But with my friends, I can ask about their tone. I can ask if they were being sarcastic. I can ask millions (not literally) of follow up questions and it is so damn helpful. But I don't do that with my family and i feel.... "small" when I do that at work. So I try not to ask them a lot of questions and it really does not help at all because then I'm just left confused and anxious because I don't know what to do because I didn't ask for clarification from them because I didn't want to seem like a burden or like I couldn't think for myself or like i was, for lack of a better term, "stupid."

But also I've been shy my entire life. Super quiet. And I'm also *very* soft-spoken so that doesn't help at all. I have a total of like six or seven friends and they're literally all neurodivergent. I get along with them. I feel safe with them. They know me. I relate to them and they often relate to me too. Five of them have ADHD, two have autism for sure and another one suspect it, just like me.

And also like. How... can I know, like, what someone who doesn't have ADHD or autism experiences? Do I compare my experiences with those accounts?

Ugh. I'm tired and I have a headache. Sorry if this is rambling. I suspect I have ADHD and that... might help my paragraphs to be all funky and long, so, sorry about that.

Any advice is appreciated, but not necessary if you don't feel like giving any. This goes for any replies too, if you wanna share your thoughts, please feel free to because I am Very Very Confused.

Sorry for the super long post. Thank you for reading and thank you if you decide to give any advice. Like I said, it's not necessary.

okay i’m gonna break down my answers one at a time, but also here’s a link to a really helpful article on autism and adhd if you wanna check it out :) (child mind institute is my personal favorite)

now for the “how will my view of myself change after a diagnose” i’m not sure personally speaking because i’ve yet to be diagnosed. but once i decided to research autism, i initially felt like a fraud and thought i was desperate to be somebody other than myself. however, the more involved i got in the community, the more confident i became. so, i suggest looking up some reddit answers maybe on people who got diagnosed and their experiences. but also to do a lot of research, because that could definitely answer a lot of your questions (just searching up “autism” “adhd” or “comorbidity between adhd and autism”)

sensory issues are a big thing with autism, but comorbidity (how different disorders interact with eachother) can maybe explain some of that. then again, if you mask a lot (unintentionally) you can become unaware of a lot of autistic traits which could lead to a lot of your confusion

sleeping is a big problem for people with autism and/or adhd (pretty sure it’s an issue for neurodiverse people in general) here’s an article for autism and adhd about sleeping problems:

unintentional masking can lead to a lot of “oh i know social cues” or “i’m just an introvert” so doing a deep dive, comparing autistic traits and your own, can really help with that. also, some autistic people can become better at tone, social cues, etc. over time, especially if they don’t know they’re autistic

not knowing if you’re masking or not is definitely a neurodiverse experience. it’s really hard to figure it out, but becoming more involved in the community (i suggest adhd and autistic spaces) can help you see relatability with other people and have a lot of “oh! i thought that was just a me thing!” i understand what you mean about not wanting to come across as “stupid” (asking for clarification is never a “stupid” thing to do and it’s good that you do that), and becoming more confident in yourself and essentially knowing that you’re not “stupid” you just need some help, and that’s okay

asking neurotypicals what their experiences are like is not something i have ever tried, mainly because growing up all i heard and saw was the neurotypical experience. i personally think it’s more important to talk to your neurodiverse friends and seek out that reliability. i think figuring out if you’re neurodiverse is mainly “let’s evaluate how i’m “different”” rather than “let’s evaluate how i’m “normal””)

i appreciate all the questions and feel free to dm me if you want to talk more :) /gen

#autism #autistic #actually autistic #asd #autism spectrum disorder #autistic things #on the spectrum #autistic problems #autism problems #autism resources #autism masking #autistic masking #masking #adhd masking #adhd #attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

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insomniac-jay · 3 years

Text

I Refuse

Rating: Teen

Warnings: Swearing

Aizawa calls a meeting between all the Pro Heroes present at the Sports Festival, desperate to find one that'll take in Bakugo. (Sorta anti Bakugo but not really bc the focus is more on Aizawa than him)

"Here you go, ladies."

Pro Heroine Queen Amazonia handed her two newest interns, Setsuna Tokage and Yui Kodai, their applications with a smile on her face. "Feel free to contact me or my team if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, alright?" she said.

"Uh-huh!" Setsuna gave her a thumbs up.

"Excellent. See you ladies next week. Bye."

"Bye." Queen Amazonia smiled and watched the two walk off. She knew that she was going to turn those into to great heroines and she couldn't wait for some hands on training with them. The ringing of her phone pulled her from her thoughts and she answered.

"Hello?"

"Howdy, Merida." She recognized the voice on the other end as Starlight Ranger's, especially with the cowboy vernacular and Southern accent. "What's up, Dolly?"

"'Raserhead called us into a meeting. I think it's about one of his students." Starlight Ranger replied. A slight sigh left Queen Amazonia's mouth. She was hoping to get back to the agency and prepare for her interns to come in next week but that would have to be put on hold. "I'm coming." she said before hanging up. A big huff left her mouth as she walked towards the meeting room. To her surprised, there were other Pro Heroes outside.

"What's going on?" she touched the shoulder of fellow Pro Hero Hellcat. The other shrugged and pulled out a cigarette.

Inside, Aizawa was glaring daggers at Yarite, U.A.'s external resources admin. "I'm telling you, Aizawa! No one wants him!" he yelled. "Stop these mindless actions and just accept that!" Aizawa slammed his hand on the desk. "There must be someone who does!"

Yarite sighed and rubbed his temples. "Aizawa, any sane hero knows that he would damage their reputation just by them even looking at him." he said. "Please, just-"

"No! Shut up!" Aizawa yelled.

Yarite sighed and grabbed his belongings. This was a useless conversation to have and he didn't get paid enough to sit up and argue with his coworker. Once gone, the other Pro Heroes came in and sat down. "What the fuck is this about, Eraserhead?" Phoenix Knight asked in a rather vulgar tone, which was unusual for him.

"I called this meeting to discuss your picks for interns." Aizawa said. "You seemed to have picked everyone else but a certain student of mine: Bakugo Katsuki." Several heroes grimaced while others rolled their eyes. "As per policy of our school, I urge one of you to take him under your wing."

"No. I won't." Madam Magic said. "Listen, Eraserhead, I know you don't give two shits about your reputation, but I do. I need my career as an entertainer. It's the only way I can earn a living because God forbid you pay female Pro Heroes enough to make a solid living." She stood up and began walking towards the door.

"Madam Magic, don't you dare walk out that door!" Aizawa shouted. Madam Magic turned to him with raised eyebrows. "When did you become my father? Last time I checked, I needed my sponsors to help me pay for my new apartment. Your rowdy student will leave me homeless and struggling to make ends meet." She opened the door and slammed it as she walked out.

"Magic's right, Eraserhead." Power InOut said as he also stood up. "I can't really have a brat like that working for me. Sorry but I'm really not." He, too, walked out of the meeting.

One by one, all the heroes rejected him and left until it was only him left. All he could see was red and he began trashing the meeting room. "Fuck all of you! I'll prove you all wrong!"

Walking past the room was Miss Parker and Polarmare. "I guess they told him what we already knew they were going to tell him." Polarmare said.

"Of course they were." Miss Parker said. "He's gonna have to scramble to find him an internship or else that's his paycheck."

Polarmare chuckled slightly. "I'd love to see that."

@calciumcryptid @floof-ghostie @ozepica @elflynns-horde-of-stuff

#jay's writings #jay's bnha ocs

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euphoricdumpsterfire · 3 years

Text

It Was Enchanting To Meet You (Edmund Pevensie x Mutant! Fem Reader)

Chapter VI: Winter Strikes

Summary: Agatha Harkness reveals more about Y/N's past, and snow starts falling in the middle of summer which brings a huge concern for the Narnians.

Masterlist

Word Count: 1323

Warnings: I don’t think there’s any real warnings except for maybe an animal turning into an inanimate object. However if I’m forgetting anything, feel free to let me know.

A/N: I’m sorry I couldn’t upload last week, I had a bunch of school work to do and I still do lol. This will be the only chapter for this week, and the next one will be uploaded next week. Enjoy! :)

"Wha- How?!"

"I'll explain everything once you and your prince charming come in." Agatha said, moving out of the doorway to make room.

"It's king." Edmund said,

"I'm sorry?" Agatha raised an eyebrow,

"I'm not a prince. I'm a king." He replied,

Agatha cackled once more, "My apologies... Your highness. But please do come in, I have a lot of explaining to do." She said. Edmund turned his head to look at Y/N, she nods as a go sign and the both of them went inside.

The cottage was dark, the purple wallpaper was worn out and pieces of it were sticking out. Then there was a small table with a purple tablecloth over it and what sat on top was a crystal ball. “So how exactly do you know me?” Y/N asked,

“Well," Agatha grabbed two teacups and poured hot tea, "I had always looked after you ever since you were a young child. I even had to pretend to be a babysitter so I can watch you up close until you were three years old!" She chuckled as she served the tea to Y/N and Edmund.

“Then how come I don’t remember you?” Y/N asked, not accepting the tea,

“Your parents grew suspicious of me so I had to do a little spell to make them forget everything, including you. Now drink up, you two must’ve been exhausted fighting off those mermaids.” Agatha gestured her hand towards the tea, Edmund hesitantly took a sip however Y/N still refused and continued to ask her more questions.

“Why did you do all of that in the first place?” She asked. Agatha sighed and sat down on a purple velvet chair that matched her dress.

“Aslan isn’t the only one who knows all of the prophecies.” She said, she flicked her wrist and a purple light lingered across the room and summoned a book.

“How’d you know about Aslan?” Edmund asked,

“I know every single magical person across the multiverse. Thanks to this book.” Agatha replied and pointed at the book that seemed to glow with orange light. “This…” She paused to open up the book, “Is the Darkhold. It contains every spell, charm, and prophecy beyond every normal witch or wizard’s knowledge.” She explained as she flipped through the pages. “One prophecy stated that a young witch capable of great power will travel across different worlds to take down an evil witch.”

“The White Witch..” Y/N muttered, her eyebrows furrowed and looked back at Agatha, “Great power sounds like it’s over exaggerated.” She said,

“Oh, but it’s not,” Agatha stood up and walked towards Y/N, “You are a nexus being Y/N.”

"What's that?" Y/N asked

"A being capable of seeing and traveling into other realities. Each world has their own nexus being, and if there's two in one world," Agatha scoffed, "Well that's a problem."

"Then who's the nexus being in our world?" Edmund asked,

"Look at you prince charming! Asking the right questions,"

"It's king." Edmund repeated, but Agatha simply rolled her eyes.

"As I was about to explain... Jadis or the White Witch is the nexus being of this world,and the moment she rises again she’ll come back stronger than ever so you must prepare.” Agatha warned,

“But how? I literally don’t know magic or spells! I just know how to move things with my mind and attack without touching a person!” Y/N exclaimed, now realizing how much bigger this prophecy was.

“That’s why I’m here dear!” Agatha said as she tucked a loose hair behind Y/N’s ear, “I’m here to help you hone this great power you’re destined to have.” She smiled, Y/N smiled back now convinced that Agatha seemed to have good intentions. The moment was interrupted by a gust of cold wind that came from the window. Edmund stood up and went to the window as he stuck his hand out, snow fell to his fingertips and his face shriveled in worry.

He looked up at the two ladies and said, “It’s snowing…”

“Wait, I thought it was currently summer?” Y/N questioned, Agatha’s face was now covered in fear.

“She’s almost here.” Agatha said.

Y/N’s eyes widened, Agatha’s statement shook her to the core. The White Witch was coming, and soon enough, she’ll have to face her biggest nightmare.

“We need to go back to the castle and inform everyone.” Edmund said, Y/N stood up and was ready to leave.

“Agatha you should come with us.” She said, Agatha slightly shook her head,

“I can’t. The White Witch must not find out about me.” She answered,

“But I thought you’re supposed to help me? She could be looking for me now and I’m still not prepared!” Y/N’s voice was shaking in fear, she wished this was only a dream, another terrible nightmare.

“I might not be physically with you to help but,” Agatha grabbed a book from the bookshelf and handed it to her, “This grimoire will help you learn everything that you need to learn.” Y/N ran her fingers across the cover and looked back up to Agatha,

“Will I ever see you again?” She asked,

“Only time will tell, now go.” Agatha said. Edmund and Y/N made their way out of the cottage, but before she could leave, Y/N looked back and mouthed ‘thank you’. The two of them ran quickly to find their horses and rode back to the castle as Agatha’s cottage slowly faded away into purple dust.

Once they had arrived at the castle, the two ran to the throne room and saw Susan having a conversation with Mr. and Mrs. Beaver.

“Ed, Y/N, any news about the cottage?” She asked,

“Forget the cottage, it started snowing.” Edmund replied, still panting and trying to catch his breath. Susan stood up, confused with what her brother had said, she looked at Y/N.

“It’s true, she’s coming.” Y/N said. Mr. and Mrs. Beaver gasped, seconds later Mrs. Beaver fainted due to shock and fear. Susan immediately ordered someone to aid Mrs. Beaver, and asked another guard to spread an announcement for the people of Narnia.

“Tell the people to stock up on food and resources, after that, tell them to not get out of their homes until the winter is gone for good.” The guard immediately did Susan’s orders while Lucy eventually caught up with everything that had happened so far.

“We should all rest right now, tomorrow we start preparing.” Susan said and everyone went to their own chambers to get rest.

Later that night, Y/N sat on her bed flipping through the grimoire and practicing spells. While she was reading, a ladybug crawling on the canopy curtain caught her eye. She looked back on the page and then back again at the ladybug that was now staying still. With a twirl of her fingers, blue light swirled around the air as it approached the ladybug. Suddenly, it turned into a red feather, with black spots resembling the ladybug. Y/N let it fall to the ground as she continued to learn more spells.

Time passed by, and Y/N’s eyes felt heavier and heavier. She yawned and read through one more paragraph before she closed the book and wrapped herself up in her blanket and closed her eyes. She then heard a faint voice humming the lullaby that she always sung, a smile formed on her lips knowing who it was and eventually fell into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, deep into the forest, everything was already covered in snow. A mist of cold air danced into the night sky and formed a large castle made of ice. Inside, by the throne made of ice, there stood a woman dressed in white fur and flurries of snow formed into a crown on her head. The white witch was finally back.

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dumbass-mha-simp · 3 years

Text

Hawks x Reader: Bad Idea

Another self indulgent Hawks fic that I've literally had in my notes for months. He lives in my head rent free along with my other 22 fake boyfriend's because I'm ✨mentally unstable.✨ It is a song fic tho, Bad Idea ft. Shiloh Dynasty https://youtu.be/kH9hJnT7KkE

youtube

Tw: food, depression, Hawks is honestly just feeling it bro- same dude,

Word count: almost 2k? I think

Requests are open! Honestly I'm probably terrible but the only things I can think to write are those imaginary situations I put myself in

(Y/L/N)- your last name

(Y/N)- your name

Thoughts or emphasized talk are in italics

Also idk why but I imagine he removes his feathers to shower since they probably need different cleaning conditions and also they just seem like a hassle in showers.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Here he was, the number two prohero. Everyone assumed his life was perfect, anything he wanted served on a gold platter. He felt the guilt creep up into him.

I should be thankful. The thoughts ate away at his mind in the rare seconds he got alone. You shouldn't be so selfish. So annoying. So insufferable.

Takami pushed these thoughts back. "No one needs to know how you think, Keigo." He whispers out to himself in his office.

He scrawled at paper work, trying to not let the self depreciating thoughts feast away on his mind. Unfortunately for him, different thoughts came up.

His best friend, Rumi had this friend. (Y/L/N). Smart, attractive, sometimes a little rough around the edges, but amazing. He found his mind wandering to them all too often.

They were mostly unknown, despite their insanely strong quirk. They preferred to stay out of the lime-light, through that irritable exterior sat overwhelming anxiety and shyness. But they always denied it.

He stopped himself as he realized he's spent 10 minutes only thinking of them, a friend. Yeah right.

He lazily walked out of the office waving to all his employees as he made his way outside. His eyes slowly dragged to the darkly faded blue sky, dusted in clouds. Cold, tired, aching. Just how he felt.

He took a slow brisk flight to his house, feeling the wind bash his face and the air flow through his feathers. He gently placed a foot on the metal railing of his balcony, taking a deep step to the ground and opening the door.

The emptiness rung through his apartment like a blaring siren. You have everything. How can you still want more?

The voices in his head screamed and clawed their way out. You're nobody. No one ever loved you. You're so alone. You're nothing but a tool to the commission. You're actual character is useless.

He shed his coat, boots, and pants. Looking to himself in the mirror as he removed most of his feathers. He looked exhausted as he stumbled into the shower, numbly.

The next ten minutes seemed to elude him when he wondered how much time has gone by of him staring at the shower wall blankly.

He dried off a bit then looked around his kitchen for something to eat. Have I eaten today? The buzz and light of his phone on the counter startled him.

"Hey, Hawks." A single, simple message from (Y/L/N). Okay don't panic.

"What's up?" He replied swiftly.

"I had this feeling something was wrong and wanted to check up on you."

"Why would you think that?" He tried to play it off like it wasn't true without actually lying.

"I'm not sure. Do you maybe wanna join me?" You asked.

"Where?"

"Well, every once in awhile when I need a break I go and stargaze with a night picnic. It helps me relax, and if you think it might help I'd want to. I can tell something's off." You were always so convincing. It felt like you weren't too nosy or snoopy but you understood.

"Text me where to be and when?" He let out a gentle smile at his phone.

"The dollar store on 4th in 10 minutes? So we can choose some snacks together?"

"I'll be there."

Did Takami think any problems where going to be solved with some food in the dark? No. But would he skip the opportunity to be with you, to find out how he really felt when it was just you two? Absolutely not.

He landed down on the broken pavement outside of the old dollar store, scanning around to see you.

"Boo!" A bump from behind had him flinching to see the sound as you stood behind him giggling. "Got ya."

"Very funny (Y/L/N) the most amazing trick yet." He rolled his eyes with a slight smile.

"C'mon let's go grab a bunch of terrible snacks and call it a picnic, bird brain."

You two walked into the store and walked a large circle around it, choosing chips and candy and drinks at your leisure. Once you got to the counter, he fights you to his wallet.

"It's my picnic."

"And I'm the very special guest who was so generously invited. I'm paying." He grins as you pout at him.

Grabbing the bags you placed them in the back seat as you offered passenger side to him.

"I don't like cars."

"Why not?"

"Cramps my wings."

You look at him with the biggest puppy eyes you can manage. "You already agreed to keep me company and pay for the snacks, let me do something for you?"

"Fine, but only cause you're pouting kid."

He gently sits in your passenger seat as you strap yourself in and turn the car on. The car hums and the music playing softly on the radio are the only things heard. The peace feeling too good to break.

Once you pull your car up into the parking lot of a small park and grab your bags, you begin leading him to your usual place.

"Hold these." You hand him the bags as you jump and climb up on top of a big metal container. You peer over the side with big eyes and a smile as you say to him, "now hand me the bags and do what I did!"

He looks at you with a wide smirk before simply flying up to join you. "Or you can do it the cheater's way." You pouted and bumped his shoulder.

"It's not cheating, it's using my resources." He says with a triumphant smirk.

"Your cheating resources." You pull out your gummy candies and started eating as you leaned back till you were laying down.

"Do you like the stars, Hawks?" You say like your sleep talking, staring into the night sky.

"Keigo." He shifts to lay down about a foot away from you. "You can call me, Keigo. And... I don't think I've ever taken time to look at the stars."

"No sneaking out away from parents to sit on vans and stargaze? Or watching the sunrise with a partner while eating fast food?"

"What kinda date is sitting in a car for hours staring at the sky and eating?" He laughs.

"Ah one that never really happened, he just said he would. But never mind that repressed shit." A sad laugh forces itself out as you stare between the stars.

"Was he cute?" He tried to sound funny but it came out more sympathetic.

"Sometimes," you laugh with him. "But he had really nice hands."

"Hands? That's an odd thing to find attractive." He turned his head over to look at you as your eyes seemed to burn holes in the dark milky blue sky.

He continued laughing with you about this guy but couldn't help an overwhelming feeling of jealousy. Who was he? Did he look anything like him? Was this recent?

"Keigo?" A voice snapped at his train or thought, "Yes, (Y/L/N)?" He replied rushed.

"Do you want your mini cookies?" You ask looking to him with the bag.

"Oh, yeah. Thanks." He mentions grabbing the bag from your finger tips.

He ate his cookies and thought as you seemed either lost in your head, or lost in the stars.

Loving you would be selfish. As such a high ranking hero, he's made a target for himself and anyone around him. He's broken down, can't feel. You obviously have other people on your mind. Someone like you wouldn't be single long.

"When did he leave?" He blurts out without thinking. Maybe it's a sore subject-

"Long ago." You look lost, your eyes searching and wandering but never grabbing hold of exactly where you should be. "Why?" Well I guess if I'm gonna start prying might as well go all the way.

"He thought that maybe he could love me. But now that's just ridiculous," you laugh coldly. "Who would love me?"

"Falling in love with you seems like a really bad idea. But not on your part." He whispers into the wind, hoping it'll carry his words away from you.

"What do you mean?" You look completely confused, almost scattered.

"You're quiet, and I'm someone who puts a spotlight on practically anyone around me. You'd constantly be put in danger. Plus I'm arrogant and cocky, nothing at all like you." He acted like he could see the stars as you could. He stared into them finding any way he could to avoid your eyes.

"You could get hurt or I could annoy you." He whispers.

"I had no idea you felt that way, Keigo." You whisper back, shock keeping your voice quiet.

His eyes burned holes into the night sky, he felt he shouldn't look at you. The mental image of you already wouldn't go away.

"You wanna know something, Keigo? I can read people like books, I can read stars like stories, and I can read in-between lines like they were in bold font. But, you always catch me off guard. Reading you is like a mystery novel. Sometimes intense, sometimes peaceful, but always keeping me wondering." You smile into the stars, you can tell he desperately doesn't want to see your eyes. "You're always leaving everyone on the edge of their seat, and when you leave you can't stop thinking of the next time you'll come. What you'll bring."

"I....I don't think I understand (Y/L/N)-" Keigo's soon cut off.

"(Y/N)"

"Well, (Y/N)- I don't think I understand." He tries to sit up and look at you.

"You catch me off guard, something about you speaks to me in ways I know you never actually would. I can see it, the way you stumble or hesitate. I can tell somethings scared you into silence." You've never had much chance to talk about the ways you analyze people, you wanted to tell him how you could tell the way he acted wasn't always good.

"I think you might be reading too much into this, kid." He tries to intervene.

"I get if you don't want to tell me." You stared up at the stars, waiting for him to do the same. "You see there?" You pointed to a star. "That's a constellation."

"They just look like stars." He seemed a bit disappointed that he couldn't see stars the way you did, with such knowledge and wonder in your eyes.

"That's cause they are," you giggled to him, "it's not like I can actually see the pictures either."

"You.. you can't?" He looked to you confused but slightly hopeful, how could they look at them but not see too?

"That's the whole point, Keigo. It's being able to see what's not really there. Sometimes I stare into the sky hoping to see any semblance of hope, but that's not how it is. You have to teach yourself to look at what could be there." He stared to you, a small content smile graced your face. You were beautiful.

"(Y/N)?"

"Yes?"

"Maybe, loving you isn't such a bad idea.." he looked remorseful, staring into the stars. Maybe he could see it too one day.

"What do you mean?" You glace to him.

"You see so much, you can read and see the things I want to see. I want to learn, (Y/N). I want to see how you do."

The smile on your face spread.

"I'd love to show you."

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echo-three-one · 3 years

Text

Chapter 40

THE ROAD SO FAR

It's not that hard to say goodbye. But it's really sad for the notable few who enjoyed it.

The SIXth Ship

"Alex"

Sierra Leone, Africa

"Echo 3 - 1 to Hunter One One. We have confirmed the presence of a suspected SAM Turret. Advising not to deploy air support until it's down, over." Alex muttered over the radio as he lowered his scope.

"Copy that, Three One. We'll stand by for your go signal." Roach replied as Alex signaled his team to move forward, covering Alpha Team's six.

"This place is suspiciously quiet." Price muttered over comms.

"It's 5 am. Bad guys probably needed sleep too." Alex commented, scoping on what's head of Team Alpha.

"Well, I want Volt awake, so I could beat Nero's location out of him." Price spat.

"Guardhouse on the east. Single guard, fast asleep."Alex shot his suppressed rifle as the guard dropped to the ground.

"Good Night."

"I'm hearing an engine starting on our east." Soap whispered as Alex turned his scope east. There was indeed a truck load of food arriving at their base.

"Civilian delivery truck." Alex warned.

"Let him pass. He'll notice the dead guard and run." Price predicted and it actually happened as the innocent driver sped off away from the base.

"How long till he calls the cops?" Alex asked.

"Never. France already bribed the guy." Soap answered.

"What?" Alex was puzzled.

"Welcome to Africa." Soap chuckled and they hid into the supply truck while Price drove inside.

"Alright, we're in. Soap and France should plant charges on SAMs and Comms. Once their alarm rings we light things up." Price ordered as Alex's team advanced and circled the perimeter, protecting the gates.

"Where could Volt be hiding?" Alex asked.

"Could be anywhere. This base has lots of buildings." Rocket replied not far behind him.

"There are also six ships by the dock. He could be in one of those." Royce added.

"Alpha Team, we've got movement on your six. Looks like they're looking for their supply drop. They're by the truck and unloading their supplies." Alex warned as the three remained quiet.

"Tango by the guard house down." Rocket confirmed his kill as the body dropped on the ground.

"They're about to discover their dead allies. Prepare for the alarm!" Alex roared as their alarm system activated, dozens of troops from their camps emerged carrying weapons.

"Shit! I'm taking sniper fire by the rooftops!" Soap yelled over comms. Bravo team immediately turned their sights to the rooftops and took down the snipers with ease.

"There's no sign of Volt here. He must've woken up early. Rendezvous with me by the tower." Price muttered.

"Sir. This is Meat from Charlie Team. We've confirmed movement on the docks. No positive ID of Volt yet."

"Copy that meat. Proceeding to the docks." Price said as gunfire echoed through his comms.

"Seeing multiple reinforcements from the gate!" Alex alerted as they attempted to shoot down armored cars loaded with more enemies.

"Alex! This area is compromised!" One of his allies suggested as smoke started to cover their forest.

"Shit! We'll have to meet up with them inside! Change to assault weapons and advance to the gate. You two cover our six using thermals." The two nodded as Alex switched to his assault rifle, advancing towards the gate, taking down reinforcements as they arrived.

"Price? Soap? France? Sitrep?" He roared through comms as his team was now barraged with heavy fire as they hid for cover.

"This is Bravo Six. I made my way inside the last ship. Looks like he's trying to escape. France and Soap are by the docks taking heavy fire. I'll handle Volt from here. You hold out for extraction. It looked like we didn't have a choice." Price said.

Alex felt the heat of the explosion as the ground shook. Soap had detonated the charges they set and help was on the way.

"Roach!" Soap sounded hurt.

"Way ahead of you!" Roach said as the air support bombarded the base with grenade shells, blasting every enemy away as the ground troops recovered.

"Reloading for another round. Stand by." He said as the plane circled back.

"Okay team! Their numbers have reduced. Let's finish this." Alex informed his bravo team as they finished off the remaining waves of enemies, which were too resourceful as they also had attack hyenas, something they didn't expect.

"These dogs are furious!" One commented as they entered the gates, securing the whole base or what's left of it, for valuable intel.

"Echo Three One to Actual. Jack, it looked like they cleaned this place already."

"Actual to Three One. Looks like it. I guess their getaway ship had all his latest work."

"Charlie team found a way to follow them. Bravo team resume recon on the five ships." Jack commanded and the rest followed

"Copy that, Actual. Proceeding towards the ships with caution." Alex replied as they carefully pressed deeper into the base toward the pier. Alex wondered how many piers and ships had been involved on his missions. Looks like Nero doesn't trust air travel.

The ships were rusted and broken, but the components inside were new stacks of equipment possibly used for his bomb making.

"This sly guy hides his stuff inside these rusty ships." Alex reported, his voice echoed around the ship.

"We're all clear, Alex. This ship is empty of tangos." One of his allies reported.

"So are the other ones." Another one reported.

"We found the rest of Alpha team by the pier. Looks like Soap's injured." Said another.

"Copy that. Stay frosty. We have no visual of the entrance so reinforcements might arrive." Alex replied to everyone.

"Roger that." The rest of his team replied in unison. Roach's Air support chopper hovered ahead of them and followed the getaway ship, providing support to Capt. Price. Charlie team had borrowed some small boats to aid in Volt's capture.

"It's all up to him now." Alex muttered as they resumed securing the enemy base.

"So, how was your day?" Samantha smiled, slipping herself inside the covers as she lay down beside Alex. The tired man huffed out a sigh and looked at her beautiful girlfriend, whose eyes were staring at him longingly. It's been almost a month since the task force was created and they were on separate beds, but Alex always makes sure he sleeps over every time he's free.

"Oh, you know. The other kind of usual. We beat information out of Nero's bomb maker today." He said in an interesting tone.

"I know beating people is wrong, but when you've been played with by these kinds of people, it's kind of pleasant to the ears." She chuckled, her hand gliding on his arms and looked for his hands.

"Yeah. I'll never stop doing it until they get a taste of their medicine." Alex breathed and looked at Samantha. Her eyes that once looked blank and lost now looked happy. It was tragic how she just wanted to live a normal life but had everything taken away from her.

"What would you do when this is all over?" She asked, questioning his last statement.

"Well, I could finally take you out on a nice date. Maybe say hi to your dad or something." he blurted, making Samantha's eyes widen in surprise.

"Aww.." She smiled as she leaned in for a kiss, while Alex slowly lifted her so that she's now lying on top of him.

"Why is it that every kiss feels so different." She mused as she leaned for another one.

"Maybe because my love for you grows stronger every second?" He replied.

"Haha. You're funny." She said sarcastically.

"That I am." He grinned as they rolled over, giggling at whatever they were doing.

"I love you, Samantha." Alex whispered in the sexiest way that he could resulting to Samantha actually giggling in disbelief.

"I love you too, Alex." She replied.

"Now, go to sleep. I want you well rested for your work tomorrow." She added as she turned the lamp off. Alex groaned like a kid who doesn't want to go to bed yet.

"How can I sleep, when even in the dark, I could still see your pretty face." He whispered as Samantha laughed.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, mister." She said as she turned back, letting Alex hug her from behind. She always loved his warm embrace beside him, a feeling of security amidst all the times that she'd been kidnapped.

The next morning, Alex came back to the base after breakfast with Samantha. It has been a while since he had that and thought that it wouldn't hurt to go late once in a while.

"Where have you been?" Roach asked as soon as he got to the base.

"I overslept." he lied as Roach scoffed.

"You? Hahaha. Nice try. I know full well that no matter what happens you always wake up at the exact time." Roach laughed.

"Why? Is there something wrong with Volt?" Alex pressed on to the main topic at hand.

"The guy had a little fight. But he actually talked."

"Yeah? About what? Nero's location?"

"No. And This isn't like the official thing, it's just rumors. Price slept at the infirmary today and hasn't woken up yet. So the news is that his EMP tech is now capable of killing humans on a set radius."

"Shit." Alex hissed.

"I know. It could launch anywhere anytime and no one could hide from it. A whole new kind of killing weapon." Roach wondered, making them worry about what Nero's about to do.

"Volt better get talking soon."

"Yeah. He better." Roach approved with an encouraging voice.

Later that afternoon the whole 141 was briefed about a message sent from Nero himself. Thousands of humans, civilians and soldiers alike, were nuked just outside the American capital.

The blast didn't do much damage to infrastructure but machines and humans suffered more than ever. Some were able to withstand the mental damage while some were left in a trance state. Some who already had some form of mental problems suffered horribly and dropped dead on the streets.

It was estimated that about half a million people were affected as the nuke exploded by the ocean. Some say this was a miscalculation and others speculated that this was Nero's warning shot.

America had raised itself on high alert, any time Nero's troops would charge on American soil ignoring all authorities who wanted to stop him. This was it. His plan finally came to fruition.

As for the task force, they have located the main signal of the nuke's control. A place somewhere in Cuba. Alex and Jack knew this place was once visited by older CIA SAD members and rumors had it that one of their Black Ops comrades died there. It once housed the reverse engineered Greenlight nuke. Alex never told anyone in 141 about this as history would tend to repeat itself. He hoped that this was not the case.

This would be the lead that the rest of the task force will be focusing on. As the war rages, Alex was sure that the following days would be the toughest so, while waiting for any potential final lead and orders from above, they spent the rest of their time training for the final showdown against Nero.

Optional Chapter : The Fall of the Capital - Pvt. Ramirez

Next Chapter : FIVE Seconds

Notification Squad my Beloved

@enderio @samatedeansbroccoli @smokeywhalee @ricinbach @bumblingbee1 @whimsywispsblog

#alex echo 3 1 #john soap mactavish #horrayfic #codmw #john price #gary roach sanderson #whateverittakes

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pixie88 · 3 years

Text

The Naughty Teacher

A/N: Those who play Lovelink know Marco Bottazzi. He currently grey, I miss him so decided to do another FF continuing from the last! He makes it hard not to fall for him while he sets you up with his best friend. Let me know if you would like to be tagged or untagged!

Find my other Marco Bottazzi FF HERE on my masterlist under Lovelink - One shots. Along with my Rory Bear & Shopping Trip (Rory O’Brien), Tattoo Artist to Businessman (Blake Bailey) & Photogenic (Dominic Wright) FF.

Comments always welcome!

Word count: 1754

WARNINGS: ⚠️ NSFW & Fluffy fluff.

Disclaimer: Characters are property of Lovelink.

Pairings: Marco X MC - Naomi

Enjoy!

We have been on three more dates since our date where he cooked dinner for me. We haven't done any more than a kiss, flirt in person, and via text until last night.

He had texted me just after he'd had a shower, which turned into sexting. Now I'm sexually frustrated, but he's working today and has his mom's birthday meal tonight, which he wanted me to go with him, but I thought it was too soon after he split with Sally.

His parents probably wouldn't take our relationship seriously considering he has only just broken up with her just 3 weeks ago.

*1 New Message from Marco Bottazzi on Lovelink*

[Hey gorgeous, Are you ok? What you up to? I can't stop thinking about our sexting session. I blush each time I think about it. xx]

[Hiya, I'm great thank you. What about you? I'm enjoying my day off all cozy in bed reading a book. How is work? I was thinking about re-reading the messages actually. x]

[I'm now blushing at the thought of you re-reading those messages.....touching yourself! I'm in the middle of class texting you under the table while my students are doing a pop quiz. xx]

[Touching myself wishing it was you! Maybe I shouldn't be telling you this considering you are at school. Naughty teacher! Maybe you could pop by after your Mom's birthday meal tonight? x]

[GOD! I agree, as currently, I can't get up from my desk without displaying the situation in my pants right now. I would love to but I have some papers to grade. What about tomorrow night? xx]

[Opps! haha. Look forward to it! x]

[Slowly going thank god. Lunch in 35 minutes. Sort out the details later. I can't wait either xx]

This gives me an idea.

~*~*~*~

40 minutes later, my knuckles knock on the cold wooden door, I hear movement on the other side, then the door opens before he has time to say anything I speak.

"Mr. Bottazzi, I'm here for my appointment to talk about Kyle's grades"

He looks confused, then notices Mrs. Norris who escorted me to his classroom.

"Oh yes! Sorry, I forgot that was today. Please come in," He says as moves away from the doorway to let me into the classroom. Mrs. Norris smiles and leaves us to it.

Marco closes the door I'm just about to speak and he puts his finger to his lips to shh me. We hear Mrs. Norris's heels tap along the wooden floor fading further and further away.

"Naomi, What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you"

"Why did you say you were a parent?" He asks.

"I didn't, I said I was an Aunt and Kyle's Mom sent me because she couldn't make the meeting herself"

"How did you know there was a Kyle here?" he asks.

"I saw Mrs. Norris putting in names on the computer of children who are in today I didn't give his last name. Just in case. Don't you like my resourcefulness?" I wink.

"You do know I can never bring to any work party's now!" He smirks.

"Well, at least while Mrs. Norris is here!" I wink. I turn to look around his classroom.

"So, you wanted to see me?" he asks.

I turn back to him "Yeah, How long is your lunch break?"

He looks at the clock "I have 47 minutes left" he smiles.

I walk towards the door and flip the lock. I turn back to him with my back pressed against the door.

He knows exactly what I'm thinking "Naomi, as much as I want to we can't!"

"Why?" I ask.

"This is my place of work. If we get caught I'd lose my job"

"How would anyone know? The door is locked. Unless anyone else has a key?" I smirk.

"Well, the only other person with a key is the janitor. Who is on lunch at the moment" I can see he's fighting with himself, but before I could react his lips claim mine.

His body pressed against mine, his tongue parts my lips as it dances with mine.

His hand comes under my thigh and lifts up one of my legs, his hips are pushing into mine and I can feel his hard member against my throbbing core.

His lips move to my pulse line and up to my ear "I'm going to be in so much trouble if we get caught!" he whispers.

"Maybe we should stop?" I ask.

"Too late now. I don't think I can stop!" he nips my ear lobe before his lips crash to mine as he is lifting my other thigh and I wrap my legs around him.

He carries me across the room, I have no idea where we are going until I feel him set me down. He swipes whatever is behind me, he pulls away a little "I've always wanted to do that!" he says.

I let out a small giggle.

His hand glides up my thigh under my dress until he reaches my centre and brushes against it. "Lay back!" he demands.

I do as he says, he lifts up my legs and places my feet on the desk. His hands come under my dress again, he grasps the waistband of my underwear and pulls it down until their discarded. He lays small kisses on the inside of my thigh trailing towards my core.

"You'll have to keep quiet Naomi!" I feel his breath against me before his tongue parts my folds and lap at my centre.

I bite my lip to keep myself quiet. He spreads my legs and starts to work against my clit. My hand tangles in his hair, my hips buck up, I'm finding it hard to not moan aloud. "Ohh, Marco!" I whisper.

I feel him smirk against me "That is my new favourite noise," he whispers against me.

I pull myself up, jump off the desk, and start to unbuckle his belt.

"Naomi, what are you....." he's cut off by me freeing him and wrapping my hand around the base of him. I circled my tongue around his tip, and he groans, "Fuck...baby!"

I take him in fully, run my tongue along him from the base all to the tip. I gently graze my teeth gently as I draw him out, his hand clutches my hair, and he moves me to his own rhythm.

"Naomi...that feels so.....God!" he whispers.

He begins to move his hips faster. He groans louder, he pulls me up and crashes his lips to mine. His kiss is more urgent, he lifts me up onto the desk again.

"In my bag, there's a condom," I tell him.

He picks up my bag off the floor and finds it.

He grips the foil packet between his teeth, tears it out, and rolls it over his hard member.

He kisses me again as he runs along my centre before pushing past my entrance. Filling me. I grasp his hair and moan against his lips.

"Harder" Marco's thrusts become harder, he draws out slowly until the tip is just inside me then he thrust back in faster and harder.

"Oh god! Yes!" I moan.

The desk moves with us each time he thrusts into me.

"Wow, this is a hundred times better than I could ever imagine" he whispers against my ear.

I move my lips to his jawline, his stubble is rough against my lips, I move to his neck and he catches his breath.

I love having this effect on him. He lifts my chin to kiss my lips as he pushes me to lay back onto the oak desk. He climbs onto the desk with me and speeds up his movements. His lips move to my pulse line and gently nips.

I'm close to the edge, I hold on to him a little bit tighter "Marco...YES!" I moan a little too loud as I fall over the edge.

He groans, his thrust becomes faster then I feel him hit his own peak as he moans are muffled out against my neck.

We lay like this for a few minutes to catch our breath.

He lifts up to look at me, I smile, "Do I get an A+ Mr. Bottazzi?" I ask.

He laughs, "Actually, you need to retake this test, but at another time and in a few different positions!" He winks.

"Well, I'm more than willing to do anything to get my grades up!"

He laughs again "Ok, this is getting a bit weird now!" He says as he pulls out of me and gets off the desk.

He picks up my underwear and hands it to me before he glances at the clock. "I only have 10 minutes before my next class"

"Kicking me out Mr. Bottazzi?" I ask jokingly.

"I wish you could stay but obviously that's not possible, but if the offer is still there I'd love to see you tonight?"

"I thought you had papers to grade?" I ask.

"I do! But I'd rather see you. Plus, I can grade them in my classes in the morning or at lunch"

"Like I'm going to pass up the opportunity to get an action replay of that! Without having to be quiet" I wink.

His cheeks glow red "Or holding back," he smirks.

"Mr. Bottazzi, were you holding out on me?" I ask.

He just winks.

I smile, "I better go. I'll see you tonight?"

He pulls me to him and cups my face before placing a small kiss on my lips. "Can't wait!"

I start to leave "See you later then," I say as I leave the classroom.

I'm walking home when I hear my phone.

*1 New Message from Marco Bottazzi on Lovelink*

[I can't believe we did that! Does this mean I get your actual number now? I did give you mine last week xx]

I reply in a normal text instead of through the app.

[I didn't think you had it in you Mr. Bottazzi! You surprised me! Of course, and this is it! x]

*1 New Message from Marco <3*

[You seem to bring out a side of me, I never knew I had! So, does this mean we are deleting the app? I finally have your number!! ;) xx]

[Well, Mr. Bottazzi now we are on texting territory I no longer have use for the app ;) x]

*1 New Message from Marco <3*

[Me either deleting it as we speak. Looking forward to tonight! xx]

[Deleted already. Believe me, I am too! See you later x]

@khoicesbyk

#marco bottazzi #marco smut #lovelink #ludia lovelink #ludia #smut #lovelink smut

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fireynovacat · 6 years

Text

When I See You Again (I'll Tell You All About It)

A/N: Whoo-hoo! This is probably my longest fic ever and the first one for the Life-Link Universe. If you have any questions, feel free to ask! Anyway, there are some hints at what happened, but the next fic will be about Ezra and Dume. Sorry, I can’t figure out how to do cuts and the formatting’s probably awful. Enjoy! ~Five Days Post-Endor~ In some ways Sabine did miss the Ghost, she hadn’t been back much since she decided to stay on Lothal. She had returned for the final battle, the final push against the Empire. In some ways the warrior couldn’t process the Empire being defeated. It had been in power for almost all her life and she couldn’t remember a time before it. She stretched and shut off the holo-map, she had her next steps planned out. Now she had to tell everybody, it was time to bring Ezra home. She slipped from her old room out into the familiar hall, automatically her feet took her to the galley. Hera was sitting at the table, sipping caf from reading through reports, Zeb was moving around the kitchen cooking, Alex was sitting in the old woven chair reading something, probably a report, and Rex was holding Jacen and telling him a story. Sabine couldn’t help but smile when she heard the tail end of it, “...and your older brother, being the Jedi he is, convinced the old clankers to fight the Empire.” This resulted in a quite giggle from the child. “There ya are!” Zeb said, turning around with bowls of thick stew balanced on a tray. He set it down on the table and Hera smiled and set her work aside, “Thank you, Zeb.” Everybody took a bowl and settled down to eat. A few bites in, she announced, “I’m going to find Ezra. I’ve narrowed down some planets and areas based on hyperspace lanes and trajectories. I think if we work in teams we-” “Sabine!” Hera interrupted harshly, “It’s useless! Ezra is dead!” “Actually we don’t know that,” Alex chimed in from over his soup bowl, “Ezra is quite resourceful and a survivor.” “No,” and now the Twi’lek looked a combination of sad, hurt, and angry, “he was dying from the moment Kanan died.” Silence reigned for a few heartbeats while they processed the revelation. “Hera, what do you mean?” Sabine had rarely seen Zeb this quiet and subdued. “Ezra and Kanan shared a Life-Link. I-I don’t know much, Kanan told me most of what he knew about them.” She looked up from her lap, “You know that Force Sensitives can’t be alone, right? Well, a Life-Link is very grounding and beneficial to the Linkmates, but it’s also dangerous. Linkmates become dependant on each other for that grounding they need, they’re stronger, but it comes at a cost. T-they can’t be grounded by anybody else, if one dies…” the pilot fiddled with her sleeves, “the other one follows shortly afterward.” Sabine sat in shock, before her rage and grief boiled back to the surface. She slammed her hands down and everybody jumped, “Why didn’t you tell us earlier? Why did you all keep this from us?” She nearly screamed, “You let us all hold on to false hope! This was vital information and you didn’t tell us!” “Sabine, I’m sorry. I thought -” Hera began. “You thought. Oh, you thought keeping this from us was a good thing! You let Ezra do all that Force stuff, knowing that IT WAS ACTIVELY KILLING HIM!” Jacen was now pressed firmly against Rex with a distressed look on his face. Hera stood up and left the room at practically a run. They sat in pained silence for what felt like eternity, until finally Rex broke the silence, “Ezra knew he was dying, that’s the only thing that makes sense. Except for his last message, he didn’t say a final goodbye. He said he couldn’t wait to come back. That doesn’t sound like somebody about to die.” It was a tiny sliver of hope, but she was willing to cling to that. ~One year Post-Endor~ Sabine was surprised when she received the call from Hera she was half tempted to decline the call. However, she steeled herself and flicked on the comm. She didn’t talk, but Hera started in, “I want to invite you on a rescue mission.” The Mandalorian raised an eyebrow, but let Hera continue. “One of our informants disappeared, leaving only a distress signal. I want,” she sighed, “I want you to come help us find them. I know you’re angry at me and you have every right to be, but I want to do this. To try and fix this.” Sabine was silent for a minute and she thought it through. “I’ll come if Zeb, Alex, and Rex come along.” Hera looked relieved and happy, “I’m sending you the coordinates to roundevue with the Ghost and the Starcatcher. I’ll see you soon.” The connection was cut and Sabine was left with her thoughts. A rescue mission for a Rebellion Informant. Odd, weren’t most of those recalled? There were still some small pockets of the Imperial forces, but not enough to warrant an informant. Unless there was something else going on. There must be something that Hera wasn’t telling her or Hera didn’t even know. If somebody was deep undercover they must be after a big problem. She threw her extra supplies into her bag and hit the button to take the elevator to the bottom of the old comm tower. The Starbird stood ready for her and in a few minutes she was in space again. The roundevue was in orbit over Naboo. Sabine docked with the Starcatcher frigate and exited her ship. A soldier was waiting for her, “Commander Wren, follow me, please. Admiral Syndulla is waiting for you.” Sabine raised an eyebrow, but followed the man anyway. ‘You couldn’t come meet me yourself, Hera?’ She was mildly miffed Hera hadn’t come for her, but she supposed they were still on thin ice. When they arrived in the war room Hera was already looking at a layout map of some building, Zeb was talking in a low voice with Alex, and Rex was standing across the holotable from Hera keeping the projection under a scrutinizing gaze. ---------- The lack of resistance was unexpected. Not that Sabine was actually complaining, she just thought there would be more if this agent was so deeply undercover there would be more soldiers. She turned down the hallway and came to a stop at a door. She opened up the panel and rewired the lock. The door slid open with a quiet *woosh* and she stepped in. There was no need to adjust to the darkness, her helmet automatically did that for her. Sabine stopped short on the threshold of the cell. Understating it? Unexpected. In actual terms? Completely and utterly shocking. The figure in the cell was sitting on the bench, leaning against the wall. He was dressed in a tattered uniform an obvious blaster wound to his left side. But, Sabine would recognize that face and blue hair anywhere. Ezra Bridger was alive. Sabine flicked on her comm, nearly breathless, “I found the informant. I need help, he’s injured.” “On my way.” Zeb’s reply was short and punctuated. The Mandalorian rushed forward, “Ezra? Ezra can you hear me?” She reached out to check his pulse and he jumped a little at her touch. Blue eyes locked on to her hazily. “What?!” Both flinched at Zeb’s sudden voice. “That can’t be Ezra!” “Zeb, we don’t have time. Grab him!” Suddenly, the wall to her right wavered and a huge white Loth-wolf leapt through. It locked on to Ezra and shoved past Sabine to gently nuzzle him. “What is that doing here?” Zeb asked. The white-furred beast turned to stare at them and then moved back, allowing Zeb to step forward and scoop Ezra up. The human groaned quietly, but otherwise didn’t protest. They turned and charged out of the cell. “Hera, fire up. We’re coming in hot!” The Imperials stood no chance, as the wolf tossed them like rag dolls. They rushed past Rex and Kallus up into the Ghost. “Hera, go!” The ship shuddered as they barreled through the defenses and out into space. Zeb laid Ezra out on the floor of the bay. He had two blaster wounds; one to the gut and one to his left shin. The Loth-wolf crouched down to gently press its nose against Ezra’s scarred cheek. Alex dropped into a crouch. He pulled out the scissors and cut away the fabric from around wounds. “I don’t know how much longer he’ll last. He might die.” The comm came back online, “We’re docking.” ----------------- Ezra considered going back to sleep. Hera was trying to drill Dume, which was hilarious considering that Dume couldn’t fully verbalize. ‘Haha, stop laughing and YOU try.’ Ezra groaned and pushed himself up, ignoring the dull ache in his abdominal region and his left leg. The ache meant that he was nearly healed , but the faint pain might last a little while longer. “Ugh, well, I blew my cover, but whatever.” It took less then a second for Hera to swing around. “Ezra! How are you alive? Where is Kanan?!” Ezra yelped in surprise and as the world winked out around him and the Ghost’s galley burst into view all he could think was, ‘Kriff it. I thought I finally had control over that.’ He was sitting on the table and a young kid with green hair had stopped eating a bowl of ice cream to stare at him. “Erm, hello?” The kid stared at him for a moment and then replied with, “So, you’re Ezra?” “Yes, I am.” “Could you get off the table? You can have some ice cream.” Ezra grinned and slipped of the table before grabbing a spoon and taking the offered ice cream. “You seem pretty relaxed about me appearing out of nowhere. What’s your name?” The boy, who appeared about six, shrugged. “You are supposed to be dead and I’m Jacen.” “Fair point, kid.” -------------- “Toolld youuu.” The wolf grumbled. “I didn’t think you meant jump in that way.” --------------- They had moved to the Ghost’s main cargo hold to talk. Ezra was sitting on one of the crates with a blanket wrapped around him and nibbling on a ration bar. The huge Loth-wolf sat right behind him resting it's large head on top of Ezra's. He was leaning back against the beast’s chest and the end of it’s tail resting in his lap. “Why can't we talk in the galley?” Hera asked. Ezra gave a small grin, “Because Achal here is being clingy again. Do you honestly think he would fit?” The wolf huffed almost annoyed and swatted it's fluffy tail against Ezra's side. Ezra snickered, “You have more questions.” Hera took a deep breathe, “How are you alive? You should be dead.” Ezra raised an eyebrow, “The shooting or Kanan dying? Because those are two different questions.” Hera rushed in barely after he finished, “You should have been dead for five years now. How are you alive? *If you're alive then where is Kanan?*” Sabine could see the tiny finch. It was small, but otherwise Ezra looked unaffected. “After the purgill dropped out of hyperspace I was dying. Achal found me and created a Link to save my life. Kanan is gone Hera and he can't come back. And before you ask, apparently being Linked to a Force Wolf means teleporting and quicker healing.” The young man grinned at them, “Blame him.” He said gesturing up at the wolf. Achal rolled his eyes and snorted. Ezra was lying and Sabine knew this. That's not how Links worked. Which meant that either Kanan was alive or Kanan and Achal were the same thing. She wasn't going to address that openly, Ezra wouldn't lie without reason. Then Rex chimed in, “What was your reasoning for not telling us you were alive?” Ezra turned his head to look at the veteran, which was hilarious since the wolf's head turned with his. “Long story short? Palpatine knew who I was and was out to get me. I couldn't come back until he was gone or that Sith would have come for you. I did it to protect you.” This did not soothe Hera, “You didn't think to contact us? At least let us know you were alive?” The Twi’lek nearly shouted and the Lothal native pulled back in surprise with a slight look of shame. Achal growled and lifted his left leg and placed the paw in front of Ezra, so that he was nearly tucked under the wolf. “Hey! I'm fine!” He said, trying to free himself. “I'm sorry, but I couldn't risk anybody knowing I was alive, but I'm here now, aren't I?” Sabine smiled, “It's good to have you back.” Ezra grinned, “Let's go back to Lothal, I haven't been home in a while.” Sure, there were new adjustments to be made, but one of their own was home; and that, made everything a little better.

#Life-Linked AU #SWR AU #SWR Fic #Ezra Bridger #Dume #Hera Syndulla #Kallus #Sabine Wren #Garazeb Orrelious #Rex #Jacen Syndulla #Post-Finale #hints of a queerplatonic relationship #this au is both sweet and angsty

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checanty · 6 years

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Hi! I studied illustration and graduated this year, now I'm trying to get my foot into the professional illustration and character design world. My work goes more into the spooky and pulp art direction, I'm also quite introverted and have social anxiety and you seem like an introvert too. I just wanted to ask how you deal with interacting (mails, phone calls) with clients and I'll glady take any tip how to find clients in general and to network. I just feel like I don't really know how to start.

Hi there! Yes, I’m an introvert as well. And socially anxious. All that stuff you’re mentioning right there sends a shiver down my spine. So let me tell you about how I deal with it ...

But let me tell you, we are not uncommon in the art community! Back in school I was warned being an artist would be twice as hard because I’m horrible at selling myself (ok my work, but the lines blur nowadays.) and it made me feel terrified of the future. There was safety in knowing I could always work on my craft and get better at it, but I’d never been able to figure out to be that outgoing person I thought I needed to be. (My whole time at school was pretty much people telling me ‘you’re good, but you’re quiet, so you’ll never be good enough. Over. and over. and I never managed to change and it fucked me up good.)But, as I said, lots of illustration folks are introverts and a lot deal with anxiety issues. It’s good if you can find a forum of working pros (facebook groups, etc) that talk openly about problems they face, so you can realize once and for all you’re not the odd one out and a bunch of the people you admire and thought had it all figured out have been hiding and crying in hotel rooms, too, if that one convention that was supposed to be life changing turned out to be too much to handle.Also, praise the internet! There are basically no phone calls to make! Writing e-mails … well, that one gets easier! You end up having to write about similar things a lot of the time and learn some go to phrases (if you are very clever you can write and save some template mails, e.g. for what your quotes are, things people ask you a lot in interviews, etc. to save some time!) and start caring less about every mail to be perfect. It also gets easier to weed out the mails that are worth an afternoon of composing and which are not.When e-mails are especially scary and I have a lot of emotions and feel I need to answer without much delay, I boil my reply down to the essentials. What is the person actually asking? People often write a lot, but really they only ask: Are you interested in this? Are you available?So I just answer something like: Hey XYZ, thank you so much for reaching out! I’d love to be part of the project. Could you please fill me in on the details?I sometimes feel bad basically ignoring 80 % of an e-mail, but often it’s simply not relevant at the time. Just make sure you *do* filter out the important information/questions. (Asking for details when the e-mail is filled with everything you need to know doesn’t make sense. But quite often people try to gauge interest to see if they need to continue looking before they take the time to delve deeper into it.)If people ask you for a quote, feel free to simply ask them for their budget in return. My e-mailing solution is usually keeping it polite and to the point. The simpler the better.I used to not write simple ‘thank you!’ or ‘got it!’ e-mails and write only when I had something I felt was worthy contributing because I didn’t want to disturb the busy people I was working with, but I noticed people did it to me and it’s just nice for them to know the e-mail got through and all. And it really doesn’t disturb most people. So I do it now.Generally, for a lot of e-mailing questions and art business questions in general I can only recommend checking out @dearartdirector where you have a bunch of art directors answering your questions. Make sure to see what they have answered already before asking away! They’ve already covered A LOT. It’s a super valuable resource and I have some of their answers, especially for e-mail communication, saved in my favourites here on Tumblr for reference.Oh and let yourself some slack. There’s a learning curve. Sometimes having WRITTEN that scary e-mail is the most important part. Just get the ball rolling. There’ll be so many mails more … and if you need to do a silly dance after sending a scary email, do it. Nobody’s judging. Unless you have a cat.So, phone calls. They usually don’t happen. If people want to call and it’s for a book cover or something similar tell them no and that you’d rather have all the information in writing. Which is better anyways. For your records and because it’s much harder to misunderstand or forget something typed. Now, I’ve had phone calls happening this year for my tv work. Sometimes it’s quicker to receive feedback and explanations ‘in person’ and people call. They’ll ask up front though and you can set a date/time. Nowadays you can usually opt for Skype, too, which was possible with one team I worked with, which I was very grateful for. Skype is for some reason easier for me than phone calls, probably because I feel more in control having the screen in front of me and being able to see other people’s expressions, gestures.Before the first call I was still incredibly nervous. Chattering teeth nervous. I couldn’t concentrate the whole effing day. But the job paid well enough that I could risk deciding to tackle nothing besides the call that day. (I made other plany for the day, but nothing important and I was fully aware I’d most likely end up not doing it. It was more a gentle … when you feel up to it, draw. But if you need to watch 4 hours of Netflix and then spend an hour writing down your worst fears to get through this that is absolutely FINE.) I know myself by now. Stuff like this will keep me from being functional for the whole day, so I won’t force myself to be it despite it all. Keeping it easy, prepare what I can, most of all deep breathing.The calls got less anxiety inducing with every time and I even started to look forward to them because the team was lovely to work with and I loved the job. (And it felt so professional! Like. Yes, fill me in on the news. I got this covered. Expect sketches in a hour. Expect final on your desk tomorrow.) So know what you can expect of yourself, don’t bring yourself down. You’re good at other stuff. I’m great at working by myself for a long time and it makes me grow fast as an artist. I’m not good at phone calls. One of these things is MUCH more important to find work.Nevertheless, I had to do an actual phone calls with another team. It was horrible. The people were perfectly sweet, but that phone was basically gliding through my sweaty fingers. Make sure to get all the important info in writing even if they’ve explained things to you on the phone. Even if you took notes. even if you’re afraid they’ll think you didn’t listen to them. Or are stupid. Better safe than sorry. I once didn’t catch that other people having a meeting was meant as a deadline for me which ended in one very relaxed evening and one panicked all-nighter to make it in time. So rather than do that write a ‘thanks for the talk, can you confirm this info I noted down, thank you’ e-mail. Especially when you’re like me and a part of your brain just shuts down when on the phone. (On the phone I can forget my name and birthday.)Finding clients … well most clients have found me. I’ve e-mailed some art directors I’d like to work with (find that address, Write ‘Hello, I’m an illustrator, would love to work with you some time, here’s a link to my portfolio. Maybe add 2-3 (low res) jpgs.) and sent out postcards, but I’m not good at doing that regularly and most jobs come from people finding my work on the internet. So submit your work to blogs and magazines (e.g. illustration age), be active on social media. Put your e-mail address somewhere where people can find it easily. I’ve actually had some good job inquiries from people who’ve found my work on Behance. I update that portfolio maybe twice a year, so it doesn’t take as much effort as Facebook or similar sites.Oh this got quite lengthy. There’s a cup of tea getting cold somewhere …Seriously, check out that Dear Art Director blog. It is invaluable info, no matter which part of the industry you want to work in.

#ask #loooong #it's edited now but still not very structured

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echo-three-one · 3 years

Text

Chapter 44

The Road so Far

Lay your weary head to rest

Don't you cry no more...

The TWO of us, together

Alex

Hotel Lustig, Prague, Czech Republic

"Thank you, Kid." Alex saw Jack's mouth move as their eyes met. His eyes which were once filled with determination and optimism were now screaming for help and desperation. He felt like Jack didn't have any other choice. He had to do what needed to be done.

"Nooo!" Alex forced himself to get up as his possible last words weren't the ones he wanted to hear. Not here. Not now. He wanted to see him carrying a possible child. He wanted to still be a part of his life.

Alex had been assigned under Jack's supervision since he was moved to the CIA. It was Jack's optimism and dedication to responsibility that made him who he was today. He was a great mentor and Alex almost considered him as a father figure.

Even in the most inhumane situations, Alex had thrived to succeed in his missions and he owes it all to Jack. The man was a treasure trove of skills and knowledge and Alex was one of the lucky few whom he had imparted it with. He remembered how Jack saved them both in Brazil, buying them more time evading capture.

But there was one thing that Jack would have regretted before going. It was to meet his son. He'd probably be 20 by now but he was afraid to ever show up out of the blue. His divorce with his ex-wife was quite tragic. Because he had to do it just to keep them safe. That's why Jack was always reluctant about him and Samantha. He would never want the same thing to happen to him.

So in the absence of a son, he channeled his fatherly attitude towards Alex, and Alex admittedly hated it when he's being called a kid despite his age. But as time went by and they kept on being assigned together, he had grown accustomed to it and it kinda grew on him.

In a split second, Alex remembered all the times they've been together. All the almost impossible missions they finished, all the times they thought they were goners but somehow they escaped it. All those things were soon to become memories to tell the people who will miss him.

A tear fell on Alex's eyes as he forced himself to get up and catch up on the two as they dove down three flights, ignoring the searing pain from the helicopter blast. He grabbed on to the ledge as he saw Jack and Nero, huddled together, followed by a burst of light with a loud booming sound just before they hit the ground.

A black burnmark was the only thing left on the ground as the place was blotched with a mix of debris and blood. Pieces of both of their clothes were everywhere as the smoke from the explosion dissipated.

The war was over, with Nero gone, his troops will surely retreat. But it cost one important person. A soul for a soul.

Alex couldn't feel himself as his whole body froze while looking at the aftermath of the explosion. He was trained to withstand any feeling but this was too much for him. He hadn't realized how loss hurts until he was able to see for it himself. It was devastating.

"Didn't realize it'd end this way." Price said.

"We were too caught up with Nero, we didn't realize the possibility of him being alive." he added.

"No." Alex finally said, it was hard for him to say as he could feel his heart on his throat.

"His eyes. It looked hopeless. It was the only way…" He said to them, frowning.

"What do you mean?" Roach said, extending an arm on his back for emotional support.

"He's the hopeful type. If he sees a good way out, you could see it in his eyes. What he did was the only choice he could think of." Alex sighed as the resistance team started to signal their victory. The city was cleared from Nero.

"He sacrificed his life because he had no other choice." He breathed, standing up and looking at the sky.

"I'll never forget you, Jack. Thanks for everything." he whispered, honoring his mentor and father figure.

The aftermath of Nero wasn't on the news. It was all just a story on how Prague was free from the militia groups that invaded their city as Alex turned it off and closed his eyes.

"How are you holding up?" Samantha plopped down beside him, leaning on his shoulders. Alex inhaled and looked for her hand, wrapping it against his and kissing it.

"Still devastated." He whispered as Samantha turned to him and looked at him straight in the eye.

"Jack wouldn't want to see you like that, you know." Her eyes were watery, but she was trying her best not to cry.

"You too…" he attempted to make her smile but they both ended up hugging each other for emotional support.

"Maybe he'll accept this every once in a while. The man would want to feel missed too." he whispered as they both curled up and let their emotions out.

The next day, it was back to usual at 141 except things were a little bit formal. With everyone in their black funeral attire, they gathered by the small park to honor a hero's sacrifice.

Alex stood by the podium and looked at the notable few people who attended. They were all familiar as Jack was always keen to introduce him to anyone he knows albeit professionally or casually.

"When I met Jack, my first impression of him was a stereotypical angry old man. Some of you may have thought of it like this toward Captain Price, no offense" he said as the crowd laughed a little, looking at the British captain.

"But once you get to know him, he's actually one of the best persons you'll ever meet. Every day felt like a school day. He might not point it out, but every move he made was a lesson in life. The man knew a lot of things that were vital for surviving this world. I once referred to him as a treasure trove of information." Everyone muttered their thoughts and nodded in agreement.

"He taught me how to stay positive even in the most trying times and how every decision is vital. He taught me how to think outside the box and utilize every resource you have, something that I admittedly didn't master but I'm always trying and he kept on telling me that there was no harm in trying. That's when I realized how lucky I was to be with him as my Commanding Officer."

"The man saved me multiple times and I owe him a lot for that. I'm actually blaming myself for his loss but the way he looked at me before he jumped was telling me that I shouldn't blame myself and neither should anyone. He told me once that when he goes, he doesn't want anyone to worry about him, as he'd probably be swimming in the clouds drinking unlimited liquor. And that's what he was looking forward to." Another chuckle from the crowd.

"So, for us who would not accept his death. He would want us to think that wherever he is right now, he's having a blast and we shouldn't be worrying about him." He smiled at the crowd as he stepped out of the podium and went back to the seat beside Samantha, hugging her before they both sat down. The ceremony continued with a few more words from Jack's closest friend.

Later that afternoon, Alex preferred to stay with Jack one last time before going home. He still had a few more moments to relive, and the rest of the squad, including the girls, were more than okay to join him.

"Hey guys. Thanks for waiting for me." Alex muttered as Samantha quickly joined him, locking her arm on his. It looked like everyone was also doing it with their partners.

"You guys should wear suits more often. But I'm not wishing for another funeral, okay?" Maxine said as the group chuckled.

"I used to wear these all the time. I look good at it, right France?" Soap nudged his girlfriend, making France blush uncontrollably.

"Yeah fine. You do." She replied nonchalantly. But everyone knows she's more than smitten.

"Now that this is over, what's next for us?" Roach asked the group, as they collectively shot an 'I don't know' look.

"Well. It's obviously an R and R for us." France said, proudly citing one of 141's rules.

"R and R?" Maxine asked.

"It means Rest and Recreation." Roach was quick to reply.

Alex looked at Samantha with a smile. R and R

sounded perfect.

"I'm actually finishing my psych exam tomorrow." France stated.

"I'll go with her for a check up as well. That nasty fall still bothered me." Soap added, holding on to France's waist and pulling it close to him.

"Well, looks like everyone's got plans." Roach grinned, looking at Maxine, suggesting that they had something for themselves as well.

Next Chapter : Epilogue - ONE's Sacrifice

Notification Squad my Beloved

@enderio @smokeywhalee @samatedeansbroccoli @ricinbach @bumblingbee1 @whimsywispsblog

#alex echo 3 1 #john soap mactavish #horrayfic #john price #gary roach sanderson #whateverittakes

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