#cop did something to fire chief
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Firefighter Friends
Requested Here! This was requested as a part 2, but I made it a prequel to Firefighters: Friend or Foe!
Pairing: Tim Bradford x fem!shy!wife!firefighter!reader (these keep getting longer)
Summary: After you become a firefighter, your friends convince you to make a funny video. Tim walks in while you're filming and finds a new reason to tease you.
Warnings: fluffy fluff! OC firefighter Jay flirts with Lucy, mentions of pregnancy at the end.
Word Count: 1.9k+ words
Picture from Pinterest (the look on his face when he finds his wife filming the video)
“You can’t hide forever. I’ll figure out what you’re lying about eventually.”
Huffing, you press your face closer to Tim’s neck. His arms are around you, so you know he’s just trying to tease you, but you’re not sure how to tell him.
“If you don’t love me anymore, just say so,” Tim continues.
“I got a new job,” you whisper.
“What?” Tim asks, gently pushing you away to look at you. “When? Where?”
“I got a new job; I’ve been working on it for a while. Just… didn’t know how to tell you I guess.”
“How long is ‘a while’?”
You mumble your answer, looking down so Tim can’t hear you. He taps a knuckle under your chin, his eyes steady on you.
“A few years.”
“Why didn’t you tell me? That’s amazing! It’s amazing, right?”
“You won’t think so.”
Tim raises your left hand, pointing to the wedding ring on your finger. “This means I’m amazed by everything you do.”
“Stop,” you plead. “I’ve been working toward becoming a firefighter.”
“Did Darry put you up to this? I knew he was a bad example,” Tim replies.
“Tim, I’ve been… I seriously want to be a firefighter. To do some good.”
“Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t meant it like that. Tell me more?”
Tim nudges his hand between your cheek and shoulder, attempting to ease your shyness and encourage you to stop hiding from him. You shrug your other shoulder, leaning toward Tim.
“I finished training a few weeks ago, passed the qualifications and everything, but there weren’t any openings,” you begin. “Until Darry’s chief retired and one of his team members got promoted.”
“And you took his job? Well done.”
“You’re not going to leave me now that I’m a firefighter?” you ask softly.
“Are you kidding? If I can make you this shy just by being your husband, imagine the possibilities when we’re rivals at work.”
You groan, attempting to climb off Tim’s lap, but he holds you in place, laughing as you turn away. Becoming a firefighter, accomplishing one of your dreams, is a big deal, but you’re already starting to regret it.
“I’ll ask Bailey for pointers,” you murmur.
“Sure, you will.”
✯✯✯✯✯
“LAPD’s meeting us there,” Jay announces as the fire engine turns out of the station. “Bank robbery gone wrong and a fire broke out.”
“Where’s the bank? Please tell me it’s in Mid-Wilshire,” Darry replies, glancing at you.
“It is…” Jay pauses to check the map before finishing, “in Mid-Wilshire.”
“He’s not going to be there,” you tell Darry. “And stop.”
“But it’s fun!” Darry and Jay cheer together.
Darry and Jay are two of your best friends. They’ve been by your side through everything, and now that you are a firefighter, you like knowing that they have your back. Despite their constant teasing and efforts to make you shy, they support you in everything, and when you’re in your turnout gear, they are your equals. But not a moment before.
“I know you think Tim is hot,” Darry begins.
“Think?” Jay scoffs.
“But the goal is to put out the actual fire. Need you to remember that.”
Darry bumps his fist against your shoulder, but you look toward the window. If Tim is there, you will do your job and then deal with him. Most people don’t view running into their spouses as something to be dealt with; most people aren’t married to Tim Bradford, having to spend every moment fighting not to let him get to you. You love him, and he loves you, but your shyness is an invitation to him.
“Maybe you should just ignore him,” Jay recommends. “Like the dirty, no-good cop he is.”
“The day this one can ignore Tim Bradford is the day I-“
“We’re here,” you interrupt. “Sorry for this conversation to end, though,” you add.
“It’d be nice if she was as shy with us as she is with the husband,” Darry tells Jay.
“Hey, I’m Officer Lucy Chen. We were the first responders.” She looks over at you and smiles.
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Officer Chen,” Jay replies, smiling as he leans against the truck.
“You’re blocking the hose, Jay,” you tell him, gently pushing him out of the way.
“Maybe we could talk after then.”
“Sure,” Lucy answers with a laugh. “Fire takes precedence though, right?”
“One would think,” you grunt, pulling the hose toward Darry.
The fire roars and Jay jumps to action, helping the rest of your team put it out. All bank employees and customers were out before you arrived, so saving the building and the block is your priority. Keeping your eyes away from the crowd to avoid finding Tim is included in that, of course.
✯✯✯✯✯
“No way!” Lucy exclaims when she sees Jay take off his helmet. “I follow you on TikTok!”
“You’re kidding,” Jay replies. “Do you have a favorite dance? I’m trying to convince my friends to do one in turnout gear, but they won’t.”
“I’ve been trying to get Officer Bradford to dance with me, but he threatens to get me fired every time I ask!”
“Oh, I know someone who can convince Bradford.”
“Jay!” Tim yells. “Do not bring my wife into this!”
You shake your head as Tim approaches you, his eyes roaming over you to ensure everything is okay.
“Wait, that’s his wife?” Lucy asks behind you.
“Boot! Find something to do.” Tim watches her leave, then turns back to you and smiles. “Maybe there is a future for firefighters.”
“I’ll see you at home tonight?” you ask, changing the subject.
“Not if you keep up the shy act and can’t look me in the eye.”
Dipping your chin, you ignore Tim’s chuckle. He hugs you quickly, whispering a half-true apology before returning to his shop.
“We need to get back to the station now,” Jay calls. “It’s urgent.”
You climb into the truck beside Darry, but Jay won’t give any additional information.
✯✯✯✯✯
“What was so urgent?” Darry asks.
“No, keep the gear on,” Jay says as you begin unhooking your coat. “We need to do this.”
He raises his phone, showing a video of three people dancing together.
“You made us rush back here to dance with you?” Darry asks.
“Not just dance, no. Our video will be way better. I think we dance in a few clips, then play with the hoses, just show the internet how cool firefighters are.”
“Uh, I’m out,” you interrupt. “Being on camera isn’t my thing.”
“Keep the helmet on,” Jay answers with a shrug.
“Jay,” Darry sighs, rubbing his hand over his jaw. “This is the only good idea you may ever have. I’m in. She is too.”
“Excuse me?” you ask, but they begin planning what to do rather than looping you in.
“And we turn the lights on, of course,” Jay adds.
“Oh, yes!”
“Guys!” you yell. “What do you want me to do?”
✯✯✯✯✯
Tim rolls his head to the side, cracking his neck as he climbs into his truck. He looks at the clock and smiles when he realizes he has time to surprise you before you leave the fire station. He drives to the station but freezes when he walks inside.
The interior lights are off except for the lights on the engines. Two of them are parked side by side, and there’s music playing. What really catches Tim’s attention is the firefighters dancing and playing jump rope in the flashing lights.
✯✯✯✯✯
Jay turns on his music, and you begin dancing and playing with him and Darry while his phone records everything. His official instructions were, “Have fun! I’ll edit it later.”
As you climb onto Darry and Jay’s backs, topping a pyramid, you feel like someone is watching you, but you’re having so much fun that you don’t stop. Darry says your name as he picks up one end of the hose. Jay swings the other end, and you rush to stand between them, jumping over the hose every time it skims the floor.
“Dance break!” Jay yells, lining up behind you and Darry for a choreographed dance.
They grab your arms at the end, and you jump, kicking your feet up before swinging back. You giggle as the music ends, leaning over to catch your breath. A slow clapping brings your attention back up.
“Wow,” Tim calls slowly, leaning against a fire truck. “That was… something.”
“What are you doing here?” you ask softly, standing straight.
Jay and Darry remove their helmets, but you keep yours on to hide the embarrassed look on your face and the heat rising in your cheeks.
“Enjoy the show? We usually charge extra for cops, but the first visit’s free,” Jay teases, ending the video on his phone.
Tim nods slowly, his eyes still on you. “Are you gonna take the helmet off?”
You shake your head, pressing your gloved palms against your thighs.
“Do I need to come take it off?”
Shaking your head harder, you step backward. Tim looks at Darry, who shrugs before nodding. Tim takes a few long steps toward you, placing his palms under the sides of your helmet before lifting it over your head and tossing it to his left.
“Thank you,” Jay says as he catches the helmet.
“That was the cutest thing I have ever seen,” Tim says quietly, smiling as he holds your face toward him.
“Shut up,” you whisper.
“I came to surprise you before taking you home, but you surprised me.”
“Tim.”
Tim says your name, shaking his head. He points toward the locker room, and you drop your head to go change. You roll your eyes when you hear him start laughing.
As you exit the locker room, Tim is lying on the floor with Jay’s phone in his hand. He’s laughing so hard he can barely breathe, and Jay and Darry are leaning against the fire truck in a similar state.
“I’m quitting,” you call loudly.
Tim laughs louder at your bold claim, rolling to look at you. He copies one of your dance moves as he stands, reaching out for you. You miss him throughout the day, and that’s the only reason you accept his hug.
“I hate all of you,” you mumble against his shoulder.
“I’m sending the video to Lucy before I post it,” Jay announces.
“I’m moving to a foreign country and getting a nicer husband.”
“You don’t mean that,” Tim whispers in your ear.
“No, I don’t. As long as Jay doesn’t send you the TikTok link.”
“I did one better!” Jay yells. “I sent him the uncut original!”
You practically fall into Tim’s arms as you pretend to cry. Tim catches you, though he laughs the entire time he tells you how much he loves you.
✯✯ 8 Months Later ✯✯
You’ve been sitting in the same spot since you got home from your doctor’s appointment. Tim will be home soon, but you haven’t decided how to tell him. The door opens, and you look up, hoping to know when the time is right.
“Hey, we just got Darry’s wedding invite,” Tim says, tossing the envelope toward you. When he sees your face, he asks, “Are you okay?”
You swallow rather than answer, handing him the small printout. The ultrasound changes everything, including your job, but as Tim’s smile grows and he pulls you into his arms, you know you can handle all of it with Tim at your side.
#tim bradford x reader#shy!reader#tim bradford fluff#tim bradford imagine#tim bradford the rookie#tim bradford#the rookie#fem!reader#requests#team shy!
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Humiliating the Cop
The University Officer at my college is always riding my ass for "bullying." Apparently some wimps went crying to him after I teased them around. Now he's constantly watching me. The dude needs to chill, and I'm gonna make him!
All it'll take is a confrontation with my handy hypnotic pendant. One look at the gem dripping down my neck and his mind will be ripe the picking!
"Yo, Officer!" I call his attention and march right up to the goody-two-shoes. He looks just as high-and-mighty as ever.
"Something going on?" he gives me a disapproving glare, "You causing trouble again?"
"Wouldn't dream of it, big guy," I pull the pendant out of my shirt, "Just wanted to show my favorite piggy something."
He grimaces and opens his mouth, but before he can deliver his comeback, his eyes catch sight of the glowing jewel on my neck. The tension in his body relaxes while his jaw drops open. He looks like a brain dead idiot, but that just means he's ready for some instructions.
I start to explain his new job to him. Things are going to be different around here. This cop's not going to be the high-and-mighty enforcer of justice he used to be, and there's nothing he can do but nod his head dumbly and agree!
A week later I catch sight of the cop carrying a bucket of soapy water down the hall. Some nerd I'm intimidating squeals for his help.
The officer just shakes his head, "Sorry, I'm busy right now. I have to go scrub graffiti off a stall in the men's room."
"That's my art, piggy. You like what I spray painted in there?" I chuckle.
"Oh, it was very well done," he answered quickly, searching my eyes for approval, "I didn't realize it was yours, sir. I'll just leave it alone."
The dweeb I have pinned against the wall is dumbfounded and asks again for some help before I interrupt, "Jesus, tell this kid to just shut up and hand over his lunch."
The cop nods and turns a stern face to my victim, "Son, be quiet and give him what he wants, now."
After handing over his packed meal, the student scurries away. I obviously had the officer wrapped around my mean finger. I used him to help me bully a few other kids throughout the rest of the week. I even had him vandalize the principal's car for me, but I wanted him to fall a little further from grace..
Most of the cafeteria snickered quietly behind the officer's back. I put him in another trance that morning, telling him that his new responsibilities as campus security was to "Mop up the messes before anyone else can."
He spent all day running around the hallways with a mop and bucket. During lunch, I knocked the food out of everyone's hands and enjoyed watching him crawl behind as he struggled to keep up with each new mess.
By the end of the day, a few of the more outgoing football jocks had joined in on teasing the man.
"Yo, officer," the athlete chuckled, as he poured a soda out onto the floor.
"Yes, sir?"
I have him calling everyone 'sir,' now. He's basically lower than everyone on the totem pole now. Even still, I thought he could drop lower...
After a quick discussion with the police chief, I had him fired from the department. Don't worry though! I got him a job as a janitor at the school. He works for free, but at least he's got something to do all day.
Using the hypnotic pendant, I essentially took over his life. I had the police chief hire me in the cop's place. I moved into the man's lovely home, and acquainted myself with his beautiful wife. After, introducing her to my glowing necklace, she quickly realized that I was a million times better than her disgusting husband.
He still sees her every once in awhile when he comes over to clean the place, but he's not allowed to speak to women anymore. She only talks to him when she's criticizing his janitorial capabilities, anyway.
I've got to say that I'm a much better officer than that annoying prick ever was. At least, I have a lot more fun using the uniform than he ever did. Call me sadistic, but I'm still thinking of ways to bring the guy down a peg...
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Imagine If Zuko Had…
Just imagine if Zuko had messed up. Imagine he had acted just a little too much like Ozai and recognized his mistake.
Imagine if in response, he abdicated the throne in disgrace and ran off to live in the woods alone. Completely isolated.
His relationship with his wife? Failed. His daughter? Estranged. His uncle, sisters, mother, etc? All gone from his life.
He spent years of his adult life into old age alone in the woods away from anyone who cared about him and ashamed of how terribly he had failed as Fire Lord.
Would anyone consider this a good ending for Zuko? Let alone a happy one? Would Zuko cracking jokes or saying he’s fine this way convince you? Or would it seem like he’s trying to justify the way he’s wasted his life in solitude and disgrace?
If that all sounds horribly unfair to you, then why is it okay for Toph?
Because Toph Did…
Toph in ATLA has a very clear motivation for running away from home and joining Aang’s group. Her family stifled her and kept her isolated from the world. All she longed for was freedom and for a family that loved and accepted her as she was.
In the comics, she extrapolates upon this further, talking about how traumatizing it was to be captured in a tiny metal cage. How much she feared being forced to be something she’s not, being imprisoned and having more pressure and pain applied to her to try to change her by force. And worst of all, she feared becoming like her parents and passing on that same pressure and pain to others.
So why in the world was her fate in LOK the very thing she feared most?
As Police Chief, her very role is locking people away and trying to force them to behave differently. At times applying pressure and pain to force conformity. Imprisonment is an inextricable part of her job.
And she betrays her own convictions this way to what end?
Her relationships all fall apart and her daughters feel neglected due to the demands of the job. Toph finds herself re-enacting exactly what she told Zuko hurt her most about her parents: “They gave me everything except their love”.
Only to eventually find herself in a situation where she must choose between the stifling rules of her job or throw her daughter into this same system of punishment to try and change her by force. So she chooses her daughter, selectively not applying the law; an act of corruption and nepotism. As such, she resigns in disgrace, ashamed of her actions.
She is estranged from both of her daughters. She is alone and isolated. She lives in the swamp like a hermit. Away from the world. With no one to accept her as she is.
How in the world does anyone justify this as a fair or happy ending for Toph? When I see people celebrating cop Toph or swamp Toph, making memes about how badass she is or calling other fans idiots for pointing out how terrible of a writing choice this is for her character, it really makes me wonder if these fans don’t really care about Toph as a character at all beyond the aesthetics of how cool she can be.
And that makes me really sad because the same is clearly not true for characters like Zuko.
Entire dissertations are written about Zuko’s wants and needs vs his experiences in the world.
When it comes to Toph? She gets boiled down to “she likes to knock heads and boss other people around.”
Even by Bryke themselves.
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I NEED TO HEAR ABOUT STATION 141. PLEASE. for a friend definitely not for me thinking about how fucking FINEEE good they would be.
「✰」 ━━ STATION 141
RATING PG-13 - Parents strongly cautioned [ Content warnings : light cursing, depictions of a vehicle accident, fires, mentions of injuries, references to and depictions of smoking, peer pressure (?), depiction of a house fire, mentions of and references to 9/11, implications to alcoholism, brief mentions of guilt and insecurity ]
SYNOPSIS Character explorations for the members of Task Force 141 in the case that they opted towards working for the fire department instead of the military, expanding on what the roles they play are, their backgrounds before pursuing the profession, and a few headcanons, here and there.
WORD COUNT 4.9k
Station!141
Firefighters are known for being dorks and pranksters outside of their profession when they’re trying to relax and ease the tension that comes with the job, and Station 141 is no different. Gaz and Soap are the resident pranksters, of course, and perhaps that comes with being the youngest out of anyone employed at the station. But, unfortunately, that leaves Price and Ghost to deal with their tormentation, both the acts and the aftermath of it.
Soap and Gaz do simpler, more tame pranks. Something like dumping water over someone’s head, pieing someone in the face when their backs are turned, or if they’re dozing off, switching the salt and the sugar—that kind of stuff. Simple, annoying pranks—those are elementary. Ghost and Price are evil when it comes to pranking, or, more accurately, getting people at people for pranking them. They’ve replaced the water in the ice cube trays with hotdog water, put cling wrap over the toilet bowl, replaced shampoo with hair dye, and done other things that you wouldn’t even dream of. The two of them get really creative with it.
Gaz very quickly stopped pranking the two after Ghost snuck into his house and hid those really loud alarm clocks with the bells everywhere, setting forty of them up to go off in the middle of the night. When they went off, he screamed so loudly that he swore he had a heart attack because of it. Soap’s a masochist, though, and he keeps on pranking the both of them without any sign of stopping. He’s never able to one-up Ghost or Price, though, that’s for certain. It’s a challenge for him, though, and it’s fun (sometimes, not often, though).
Granted, most firefighters already do this, but making fun of, taunting, and mocking cops is a given, and the 141 boys are no different. Soap hooked a donut onto a fishing line once, positioning himself on top of the firetruck, staying hidden, and dangling it above a cop when they were visiting the station one time. They locked onto it quickly. Another time, he did the same sort of thing but left a donut on the floor attached to a fishing line, pulling it closer towards him any time a cop tried to come close to it. Also, plain and simple: making pig sounds.
They do have a fire dog of their own at the station, actually! And, of course, ever the classic choice, it’s a Dalmatian. In terms of technicality, it’s the Chief’s dog, given that he bought the thing... but, ever the generous man, he allowed the station to adopt the dog as their own. They all fought over the name for days, with some individuals actually getting heated about the matter. Price eventually got sick of it, went down to a pet store, and printed out a tag for the pup, a circular tag that reads the name ‘Ozzie’ with the station’s address printed on the back. Nobody argues against it.
Soap isn’t the biggest fan of dogs as is, but Ozzie loves him, trailing after him and following his lead without hesitation, the others often joking about how the animal played his shadow better than his own did. Ozzie’s the only dog he likes, but he won’t admit it aloud, giving the dog a playful rub on the head here and there when someone’s around and roughhousing and playing freely with him when they’re alone. Gaz and Price are unabashed in their affection for the canine (Price has bought everything for this dog, he swears it), while Ghost is more or less neutral about his presence, but he won’t deny him a good rub behind the ears if he barks enough.
Let’s spend a moment talking about and appreciating the uniforms that firefighters wear, yeah? Station wear is typically worn around all the time, even under their PPE uniforms when out on calls. It consists of a short or long-sleeved button-up shirt, sometimes as simple as a t-shirt, which is navy blue in color and often sports the insignia of the department or the station or something of the like or any relevant patches. They’re matched with navy blue or black pants, giving the whole outfit a formal yet equally comfortable look.
As for PPE uniforms, the bunker pants are held up by a set of suspenders and matching jacket, often being either black or tan in color with long yellow or red reflective strips stretched out along the fabric at the chest, waist, shoulders, wrists, shins, back, and legs, with knee pads visible from the front of the uniform. The color can depend on either the rank the firefighter holds or, simply, what’s in stock.
But, just to state it, each and every one of the boys within the station looks good in their uniforms. They fit snugly in just the right places and loosely in others, especially the station wear—not to say the PPE doesn’t do the same, but rather, it looks good in the sense that we can all appreciate a man in uniform, now can’t we? PPE uniforms are designed to not fit snugly, providing more mobility that way, and they’re rather bulky. This, however, doesn’t at all negate the fact that the men within Station 141 look fuckin’ good in them.
As a matter of fact, the boys often get a lot of people who come up and flirt with them shamelessly. Sometimes, it can be a bit of a nuisance, with civilians watching from the sidelines as they respond to a call, making flirtatious and lustful remarks—it's distracting, in more negative ways than positive, in complete honesty. Though, when they’re off duty, maybe dressed in a tee with the station’s logo, they can be entertained.
Gaz was shell-shocked the first time he was flirted with by someone for nothing more than his profession (and, honestly, it pissed him off a little, but he wouldn’t say that aloud), and he was turned into a confused, awkward mess, trying to get himself out of the interaction. Soap will entertain them as much as his attention can handle, but after that? He’s giving polite nods and hums here and there, but he isn’t listening all that much. Ghost just tells people he’s married, even though he isn't—he isn’t all that fond of getting flirted with on the basis of solely his job, much like Gaz. Price, honestly? He could care less. Have at him.
One of the scariest moments that the station went through where one of the boys lives’ were at stake was in the case of a methanol fire that had broken out on the highway as a result of a crash. A car had run head-on into a truck that carried a methanol chemical tank, which had been damaged and spilled. Nothing bad happened until the car involved in the accident caught fire, lighting the methanol and causing an invisible flame to spread. While all of the boys were on scene, Gaz was busy helping one of the civilians out of their car from the wreck when the fire started.
Obviously, immediately, he jumped away from the civilians, not wanting to catch them on fire too—they didn’t, thankfully—but Gaz was left screaming and yelling for help as the fire began to burn through his PPE equipment. Ghost put out the flame with a CO2 ABC extinguisher, realizing what the cause was immediately, but Gaz still suffered through some heavy burns along his back, legs, and arms and rushed to the hospital sooner after being put out.
The first time Soap tried to go down the fire pole during the fire academy, he sprained his ankle, not knowing how to descend it properly and just shooting straight down onto his foot. He was fine, thankfully, but nobody ever let him live it down. Ghost tells him to be careful with this big, smug grin spread out across his face anytime Soap rushes through the fire house to go towards the fire pole to descend the floors (he flips him off each and every time, rightfully so).
Price tries to call out sick every time he thinks it’s going to rain. For anyone who knows anything about first responders, it’s that they hate it when it rains. It’s a guarantee for more accidents, more calls, and, put simply, more work. Price has been working long enough in the field to know this, so he just so happens to catch the cold or the flu any time he sees it’s going to downpour—unless, of course, someone calls in sick before him and he can’t get out of work, or if he fails to check the weather. He’s pissed off for the rest of the day, and he makes it everyone’s problem.
Soap is the one who's driving the truck, obviously, with Price sitting in the passenger’s seat. Behind Soap sits Ghost, and Gaz sits across from him. It’s lively whenever they go on calls together; most of the conversation in the truck is devoted to work, but there are more than a few occasions when they’ll just talk comfortably together. Especially on the rides back to the station from calls, usually when it’s getting late at night. That’s when the most heartfelt conversations happen.
Overall? A dorky yet hardworking group of firefighters dedicated to their professions, sharing a bond like no other.
Firefighter!Price
He, of course, plays the role of ‘Captain’ at the station, primarily due to the fact that this role does actually exist as a role within the profession; while I would have made him the ‘Chief’, the ‘Captain’ plays a way more present role as the commander of a company and overseeing the daily operations of a station. Chiefs, typically, only supervise and view the situation as is, not often actually being a part of the process of resolving an incident.
Firefighter!Price, who, contrary to popular belief, does not, in fact, smoke. It’s not as if he’s prohibited from smoking, per se, especially given that around 13.6 percent of firefighters smoke, but it’s more of a moral thing for him—his job is to fight fires, and cigarettes and other smoking materials make up a huge percentage of top fire causes, so it seems, to him, like a stupid decision to make to smoke. Also, it would affect his ability to do his job, and it just looks bad to have someone that people are supposed to look up to doing something like that, so he doesn’t.
Firefighter!Price, who, okay, yes, has smoked a cigarette and cigar at one point in his life, maybe once or twice, or a few more times than that, but never consistently. It’s not a habit that he has or ever indulges in, only having ever taken part in it thanks to a friend or two offering him a cigarette or cigar, outstretched hands taunting him, and teasing “c'mon, one puff ain’t gonna kill ya’, mate”, to which he relents. He hates the taste of cigarettes, and he refuses to go anywhere near one again, but he can entertain a cigar around the right company.
Initially, he had intended on joining the military straight out of secondary school; however, a few months before he intended on joining, he bore witness to a violent house fire within his neighborhood. The house had been completely engulfed in flames, with smoke pluming into the sky and the flames spreading to a few nearby houses. He watched on with awe as the fire department showed up with swiftness and took care of the situation with ease, resulting in no casualties whatsoever.
Although, yes, the job was far from being a proper equivalent to the military, it still provided a similar sense of fulfillment, and he would still be protecting innocents. (On a morbid note, his life would still be consistently on the line and threatened.) Thus, he joined the profession when he was around nineteen, working as a volunteer firefighter for a few years before eventually taking on the job full-time. He’s worked with numerous different stations and companies for the past ten years, give or take a few, and he’s made a number of different connections throughout different departments.
Firefighter!Price, who toys with his suspenders when he’s clad in uniform like it’s a second job. It’s an unconscious habit he’s developed with the elastic straps, and there’s a certain progression it follows—it's like clockwork. It’ll start off with him simply hooking his thumbs into the belt loops of the trousers of his bunker gear, holding himself there comfortably as he stands and walks around the station—casual, if anything. But then, it slowly starts to progress further, with his hands wandering, his fingers gently trailing up and down the straps, and his calloused fingers brushing over the material in a repetitive up-and-down motion.
Firefighter!Price, who holds onto his suspenders near his chest in a loose grip, his thumbs grazing back and forth over them, pulling them not even an inch away from his chest, just holding them there. That is, of course, before he starts to snap the elastic against his chest, gently or not, it doesn’t matter; the sound muffled by the fabric of his shirt as he repeats the action over and over and over again—it's something to do with his hands; he’s restless, and who can blame him?
Firefighter!Price, whose natural scent is simply smoke, the acrid redolence of sulfur clinging to his skin like a parasite, a second skin that he’s come to call his own. No matter how many times he washes his clothes until they start to fade into a lighter shade, no matter how many times he scrubs his skin until it blotches into harsh, raw, red patches, that scent still clings to him. It’s, in a sense, becoming a part of him, molding in with his natural musk effortlessly until it becomes it, a scent identifiable to him, whether that’s for better or for worse, he wouldn’t know.
Firefighter!Ghost
Again, of course, Ghost plays the role of ‘Lieutenant’ at the station, which is a role that falls directly under ‘Captain’, leaving him tasked with typical daily operations, readying their crew for emergency situations, and supervising the Engine or Rescue Company and the personnel within it, reporting directly to the Fire Captain or Chief, acting as a temporary captain, should they be absent from a scene.
Firefighter!Ghost, who kids absolutely adore. He can come off scary and intimidating, sure, given the fact that he’s, put simply, a huge guy, not to mention the balaclava he often sports that conceals his identity. But kids still think he’s the coolest guy in the whole world. Being a firefighter already has its own charms; several kids are asking him about his profession and how their dream job is to become a firefighter when they grow up, like him. He’s a bit awkward, unsure of how to respond to all of the compliments and praise, but takes it in stride.
Firefighter!Ghost, who has to deal with the fact that nearly every kid he comes across adores him, soon decides to just embrace it, honking the horn on the engine any time he passes by kids who wave at him or whose eyes light up when they see the truck, relishing in the way they let out loud, excited yells. Whenever kids come by the station, either for field trips or to simply ask if they can have a tour, he takes up the task of touring them around, lifting each and every one into the truck, watching as they giggle, laugh, and smile so brightly at him.
A close friend of his who became a firefighter from secondary school was the one who eventually got him into the field, the friend in question having joined a little more than half a year after the two of them had graduated, though he didn’t immediately and solely join due to his friend’s encouragement. He still worked as an apprentice butcher for nearly two years after graduating at a local grocery store; that job kept up most of his focus, though instead of joining the military after September 11th, he chose to join the fire department.
(Because the fire department played such a large role in this event, I thought it would match more appropriately than him joining the military, like his background states in his biography.)
His friend was the one to tell him everything he needed to have before joining: his certifications, his license, his CPAT, et cetera. He completed each task without any hesitation or reluctance, and he was even willing to get a degree in Fire Science if it meant he would get into the profession. He passed the academy with ease and, soon after, was offered a volunteer position working at the same station his friend was positioned at, transferring, unfortunately, without him to Station 141 a year and a half later, though the two still keep in touch regularly.
Firefighter!Ghost, who comes back to the station after a long day of rough calls, be it mentally or physically grueling, likely both, hops off the truck with deep, guttural breaths, beginning to strip himself of his PPE as he makes his way towards the locker rooms, hanging and folding everything up, his SCBA first, then his helmet, then his bunker gear, before he finally tears off his balaclava—his hair’s completely damp with sweat, beads dripping down his face, splayed across his forehead messily, letting out an exhausted sigh, running a hand through his hair, slicking the blond strands back across his skull.
Firefighter!Ghost, who takes a seat on one of the benches in the locker room, leans over with his elbows on his knees, his hands falling limp in the space between them, his back slumped over, and his shoulders dropped. His station wear is stained with sweat; the skin around his eyes and across the bridge of his nose darkened from the smoke that had penetrated through, dirt clinging to his body like a second skin. His suspenders hang off around his waist lazily, clinking against the bench as he shuffles around, letting out a long, drawn-out groan before standing and moving to rid himself of the day’s events with a well-deserved shower.
Firefighter!Ghost, whose vice falls to liquor. It’s nothing close to an excessive extent, but it’s enough to take the edge off and ease his mind from the horrors that come with the profession. It's a heavy task to fulfill, and having worked in the field for so long, enough so that he’s become an officer, that means he’s seen his fair share of shit, so who can blame him? After a particularly rough day, he’ll take a seat in the common room or his dorm, hand gripped tightly around the neck of a bottle of Bourbon, mask pulled up to his nose, drinking until his head spins and he can’t think. He'll wake up with a hangover that bashes against his skull, wash his face, and prepare himself for the day, only to repeat this cycle over and over again—maybe it is a bit excessive.
Firefighter!Soap
In a more unique aspect, Soap, instead of simply being a firefighter, works as a Firefighter Engineer, his primary focus being directed towards maintaining and driving firefighting vehicles and performing maintenance tasks on the vehicles. Though, still, he does play his role as a firefighter all the same, his specialized position not interfering or making it so that he has to do one or the other. He’s still put in his time to become a firefighter and accomplish the tasks that come with the profession, and he does his job well; all it is is that he plays a specialized role in addition to that fact.
Firefighter!Soap, whose dorm is positively filled with the drawings and doodles he’s received personally when he and his crew visit local primary schools to teach them about fire safety and how to properly act during a fire drill, spends a significant amount of time telling the kids all about their careers and what they do, giving them a tour of the truck and everything. And, by the end of the day, three or four separate kids had given him drawings they had made of him and his crew. One little girl in particular gifts her drawing to him, and it’s just of him and her, holding hands, his mohawk overexaggerated, with a message written out sloppily, stating, 'I want to be just like you when I grow up!!!’.
Firefighter!Soap, who tapes each drawing he receives to the mirror in his dorm, the one he gets ready in front of each and every day without fail, fingers gently grazing over the different people within the pictures, each messy stroke of crayon, colored pencil, and washable marker. It’s a reminder to him of why he does what he does. Of why he puts his life on the line each and every day without fail. When the job gets tough and unbearable, the weight of it laying heavy on his shoulders, guilt and insecurity eating up at him, he looks at the drawings, memorizing them, committing every detail to memory—he has to make those kids proud by keeping on. And so he does.
He dropped out of university to become a firefighter. He initially majored in the field of Military Technologies and Applied Sciences, specializing in the fields of Explosive Ordinance and Bomb Disposal, but after spending nearly five semesters in school, he concluded that the field and higher education weren’t something he was willing to pursue. So, he applied to become a firefighter when he was twenty-one, spending the first year and a half working towards getting his EMT certification and taking his CPAT, already having his driver’s license, and spending the next six months in the fire academy before he was eventually employed as a volunteer firefighter.
He spent the next two years working as a volunteer firefighter, not yet deciding to take on the role of a full-time firefighter, given he had a bit of apprehension and worries about taking on the job for longer hours. However, it was soon after he first became a volunteer firefighter that he learned about the career path of a firefighter engineer, which garnered his interest, which eventually led him down the path of driver training before ending up with the position and taking on the job full-time.
Firefighter!Soap, who can’t even help the way his muscles flex as he works, which is most visible when he’s in his station wear—that short-sleeved button-up shirt hugging onto his biceps with ease, his pants holding onto his thighs snugly—it's the perfect combination of loose and tight. It leaves nothing and everything up for the imagination to think of. Especially when he’s sweating through his top, the fabric clings to his skin like a glove, showing off every inch of him without shame.
Firefighter!Soap, who is so unconscious of how strong he actually is, regularly wearing equipment that can weigh up to seventy-five pounds (34.01 kilograms), not to mention the weight of the hose and the pressure it exudes, the way he has to control it, or all of the other equipment he uses while on the job. Because he’s so unaware of it, this just leads to him picking up some of the heaviest things—people, too—and acting as if they were nothing, because, to his credit, it isn’t anything to him.
Firefighter!Soap, who is an earlier riser. He wakes up the earliest of anyone who works at the station, being the first one to arrive at work if he’s sleeping off site. He tidies up what he sees, maybe goes out and grabs some coffee or pastries for his co-workers, and just relaxes and basks in the silence of the station—that is, before the others begin to arrive, of course. If he’s sleeping on site? Same thing. The only difference is that he doesn’t have to rush around like he typically would; driving to work takes up the most of his time, so he can work at his leisure if he's already at the station.
Firefighter!Gaz
Gaz, arguably the coolest of them all (it’s not an arguable statement whatsoever; it’s just a fact), gets the job, plain and simple, of just being a firefighter. Responding to emergency calls, performing search and rescues, providing aid with traffic accidents, and educating the public on fire safety are just some of the tasks he completes each and every day. The job is both physically and mentally grueling. Yes, the horrors that can come with the job are unlike any other, but god, is it such a rewarding profession to be able to see the direct result of your actions
Firefighter!Gaz, who actually really enjoys having new recruits shadow under him their first few months on the job. Even in meeting them for the first time, he has such a welcoming and warm personality, not at all shy to introduce himself, how long he’s been working in the field, the ups and downs of the job—everything! He spends a lot of time getting to know the recruit, not just in a professional sense but a personal one, too, and it fosters such an accepting environment that the recruit can become comfortable in, which is the whole goal!
Firefighter!Gaz, who can be stern sometimes when it comes to teaching newer recruits, but those occasions come far and few between, favoring a gentler, kinder approach of encouragement and redirecting and teaching the recruits on how to properly hook up the truck to a hydrant or operate the pressure controls for the water on the truck as opposed to yelling and barking out orders with a firm strictness. The Chief typically sends all of the new recruits over to Gaz for this exact reason, and, as you might have guessed, these recruits become professionals in no time.
Unlike the others, Gaz actually had the intention of joining the fire department since he was young. He was one of those little boys who had a number of different toy trucks and cars and played with them obsessively, and his favorites were the firefighter trucks. His dream of becoming a firefighter was solidified when they came to his primary school one day. One of the firefighters present gifted him one of those crappy plastic helmets, letting him sit in the truck and telling him everything he wanted to know.
From that point onwards, he dedicated himself to becoming a firefighter, spending years getting himself into the ideal physical shape required for the job, taking medical and health courses throughout secondary school to prepare himself for the EMT training program he’d apply to take once he turned eighteen, obtaining his license as quickly as possible—he's devoted to the career path, and he fully intends to push every ounce of his being into fulfilling the role to the best of his abilities, and then some. The day he graduates from the fire academy, in addition to actually receiving an offer to join a station as a volunteer firefighter, he swears up and down, is single-handedly the best day of his life.
Firefighter!Gaz, who's almost always the first one to rush inside a burning building, given that it’s still structurally stable and will remain that way for the duration of time that he’s inside, holds a hatchet in both hands, firmly grasped, kicking the front door inwards before making his way through the interior. He’s completely composed, not an inch of doubt taunting him as he sweeps the area, finding civilians and immediately working to usher them out of the building, barking orders in a way where it sounds less like a command, so softer and so much more filled with care. He can easily sling anyone over his shoulder, hold them in his arms, or lift them on his back if need be, rough grunts resounding from him, strained at times from both the heat and the weight of carrying another human being.
Firefighter!Gaz, who doesn't ever complain or tell the other person to move and fend for themselves, because that’s his job, and he’ll be damned if he doesn’t fulfill it to the fullest. Given he doesn’t have any civilians to worry about, he’s rushing through flames, heat nipping at his PPE, trying its hardest to penetrate the fabric, failing while he comes out of the building, fire trailing after him, smoke and dirt caking his body beneath his uniform, and labored breaths wracking his body. All he can do is rip off his SCBA when he's at a safe distance from the smoke, mask off, sweat dripping down his skin, soak his hair, and kick his head back as he breathes the smell of anything but smoke.
Firefighter!Gaz, who always walks around the station in his bunker gear, is ready to go at a moment's notice. He's rarely seen in something as simple as his station wear, complaining that the uniform is unnecessary to be seen in if he’s going to change into his bunker gear anyway. In reality, the weight of the gear is comforting to him—it's heavy, yes, and can leave him sweating until he’s certain he’s drenched if he’s in it for too long—but the weight, feel, smell, and overall “vibe” of the bunker gear is something he’s spent his whole life dreaming of. Why be out of it if he’s dedicated his life to becoming the person to wear it?
#call of duty x reader#call of duty#ghost#simon riley#ghost x reader#simon riley x reader#captain john price#price x reader#john price#captain price#price#captain price x reader#captain john price x reader#john price x reader#john mactavish x reader#john mactavish#gaz x reader#kyle garrick x reader#gaz#kyle garrick#task force 141 x reader#tf 141 x reader#task force 141#tf 141#cod x reader#cod#141 x reader#141#soap x reader#soap
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Mystery Man
Written for Lin Beifong's Week (Day 3: Gossip at the RCPD)
‘Mind your business, keep your job’ was a rule Mako had followed devoutly since his days running numbers for the Triple Threats as a child. But even he had to admit he was curious.
You see, on Monday morning, a courier delivered a bouquet of fire lilies to the station. The floral arrangement was walked right up to the chief’s office and remained on the side of her desk for the rest of the day.
This was truly significant because Chief Beifong’s office was markedly bare, devoid of the trinkets and family photos nearly all the cops left on their desks.
“Who do you think they’re from?” Meilin asked once she returned to the bullpen after submitting a report to the chief.
“That’s above my paygrade,” Mako said, barely glancing up from his paperwork. “Yours too.”
“You’re probably right,” she replied, leaning against his desk. “It’s strange, though, to imagine the chief with a boyfriend.”
On Tuesday, the flowers were gone, but when he went into Beifong’s office to get her approval to launch an investigation, the room smelled of expensive Fire Nation cigars. The scent was vaguely familiar, something from a lifetime ago. He felt his brow furrow as he tried to remember where he recognized it from.
“Is there something else you need, Mako?” she asked when he paused before leaving her space.
“Uh, no,” he said, scratching the back of his head. “I just didn’t know you smoked.”
“It’s a habit that keeps coming back.” The chief’s expression twitched into something like a smile, but it was gone as soon as he blinked. “My advice is never start.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he said, and then left, finally placing where he encountered the smell of those exact cigars when he sat down at his desk. It was back when he was learning to bend lightning on the rooftops and in the alleyways of the Dragon Flats.
On Wednesday, for the first time since Mako joined the force, Chief Beifong actually left work early.
“I have an appointment,” she said with a noncommittal wave as she made her way out. “Hold down the fort.”
“An appointment?” Meilin said, once the brass doors shut behind the chief. “More like a date.”
“I haven’t seen her like this since she was a rookie,” said Old Patel, the unit chief of the organized crime division, who’d been a cop since Toph Beifong led the force. “Wearing perfume, going on lunch dates.”
“Who has a lunch date?” Bolin asked as he and Opal approached.
“No one,” Mako said. “Why are you here?”
“Rude!” Bolin said. “After Opal and I came all this way to pick you up for Asami’s kickback.”
Mako sighed, rubbing his forehead. “That was today?”
“Yeah, now who’s on a lunch date?” he asked, feeding off of the potential for gossip, as always. “Anyone I know?”
“Chief Beifong and her mystery man,” Meilin said.
“Lin’s dating?” Bolin asked.
“We don’t know that,” Mako said.
“He sent her flowers on Monday, cigars on Tuesday, and now she left early for a lunch date,” Meilin said, counting off each clue on a finger.
“Ooh, this is getting good.” Bolin rubbed his hands together, grinning from ear to ear. “Hey, Opal, Lin’s your aunt. Did she say anything?”
The airbender simply inspected her nails instead of responding.
“Hey, no secrets!” Bolin said, pouting.
“It’s not my business to tell,” she replied.
Later that day, at Asami’s get together, Bolin made the whole friend group aware of Lin’s potential dating situation.
“Come on, we have a detective, a genius, and an avatar in the house. Someone’s got to be able to figure this out.”
“Trust me, you’ll never guess it,” Opal told him. “Not in a million years.”
Something in her inflection returned Mako’s mind to the cigars—expensive, imported. He’d only ever known one person who smoked them.
“You think he makes her happy?” Mako asked.
She smiled. “I definitely do.”
“That’s good enough for me,” he said. “Now can we please stop talking about this and go eat?”
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||•~All Too much~•||
Dick Grayson (Nightwing) x reader
*not my gif
Warnings: Child death, gunshots, hostage, panic attack
Word count: 1.9k
====================================
Dick has moved to Bludhaven and has become a cop, your partner, you are the best negotiator in the precinct that means you and Dick get the most stressful jobs. One day a job goes wrong, how will you handle it? Will you crumble? Will anyone be there to pick up the pieces?
====================================
"Grayson! L/n! Hostage, gunpoint. 8 19th street, apartment 22, units need backup! And a negotiator.” Your chief steps out of his office and yells at you and Dick, you look at each other and jump up from your desk. Dick grabs his jacket off of the desk and you both start rushing out of the building towards the car.
“You know being your partner sucks L/n.”
“Wow Dick thanks.” you buckle your seat belt as Dick reverses the car.
“No I’m serious.” Flipping the lights and siren on the car speeds out of the lot, “I mean you being the best negotiator Bludhaven has means you and by association, me, get the most stressful jobs.” Dick rants as he drives towards the address.
“Sorry that I’m good at my job??” Dick pulls up to the street and slows down to park behind a line of other police vehicles.
You open the door and step out just as the car stops. You find the officers already there have a megaphone and are yelling to let the hostage go.
You run towards them and grab the closest officer and turn him to face you with an irritated expression.
“Details.” You demand, as Dick walks up behind you and recognition flashes over his face. Without hesitation he starts listing off things.
“Nick Douglas, 47, we bused him for position of illicit substances and armed robbery about a month ago, just broke out and is holding a hostage at gun point.”
“He just walked into a random apartment and pulled a gun out on someone?” Dick asked prompting more details,
“Uh no sorry Sir, this is his apartment.” The officer babbles.
“So then who is the hostage??” you ask.
“His daughter. 12, Lilian Douglas. She was home alone when he came back, neighbours called it in.”
“Jesus Christ.” Dick says running his hand through his hair.
You walk over to the officer with the megaphone and take it out of his hand.
“Nick! Can you come to the window please? We just need proof of life and we can arrange something okay?” you look up to the window as the curtain is pulled over to one side and Lilian in standing there, shaking with puffy red eyes from crying. Nick soon appears behind her and slides the window up just enough for him to shout down.
You glance of at Dick and he shakes his head, he is using his daughter as a shield, if anyone fired, they would hit Lilian.
“Okay Nick we are going to come up okay?”
“NO! He grabs Lilian and steps away from the window.
“OKAY! Okay! Just me alright? How about that? Just me goes up?” he looks down at all of the officers and nods slowly.
“Just you!”
You place the megaphone in an officer’s hand and walk towards the entrance. As Nick steps back into the apartment.
“Y/n!” Dick runs up behind you and grabs your arm. You turn to look at him.
“Dick this is kinda time sensitive-“
“You know the drill.” He places a radio into the back of your belt.
“It’s not the drill it’s your drill.” If things get bad, turn on the radio. Then he knows if he needs to step in.
“Yeah well how many times has my drill saved your ass?”
“Fine okay I have to go.”
“I know just be careful.” He lets you go, you flash him a smile.
“I’m always careful Grayson.”
“Careful my ass…” he whispers under his breath.
As you climb the stairs your heart races. No matter how many times you did this, it was stressful, someone’s life, a child’s life, was in your hands.
You reach the apartment.
“Nick, its me, can you open the door?”
You hear a click and the doorknob twisting before the door is pulled open. Nick is standing in front of you with the gun still on Lilian.
“Are you armed?” he yells at you.
“Nick please stay calm. Yes, I’m armed.”
“Please help me…” Lilian is crying begging you to help her.
“It’s going to be okay.” You aren’t sure who you are directing that comment at.
“Give me your weapons.” Nick demands.
“I can’t do that Nick.”
“GIVE ME YOUR DAMN WEAPONS! OR I’LL SHOOT HER. I WANT YOUR WEAPONS!”
“Okay. Alright. Here.” You hold one hand up and the other goes to your hip, pulling your gun out of its holder, you bring your hand back more and flip on the radio. You raise your hand up before lowering your body to the floor never letting your eyes leave his. You stand back up.
“Okay. Nick hey just put the gun down okay? We can do this peacefully. Just put the gun down and let Lilian go.”
“No.” he pulls Lilian further into the apartment.
“You did this for a reason, what do you want Nick?”
“I want to leave. Drop all the charges and we can all leave okay? How’s that sound?”
“We can’t do that Nick… Maybe we can cut your sentence down, but we can’t give you a free pass.” You speak calmly with your hands up, Nick switches between pointing his gun at you and at Lilian. Lilian is standing there shaking and crying mumbling to her father begging him not to hurt her.
“If I don’t get out of here free, she doesn’t get out at all-“
“NICK DON’T-“
BANG
Seconds after the gun goes off there is a thud and Lilian drops to the floor. You try to hold back a scream and you look up to him, he is ready to pull the trigger again, this time the gun is aimed at you, you drop to the ground and move behind a wall. You can hear yelling about the gun fire outside and hear footsteps pounding up the stairs as Nick starts to fire his gun at the wall. You throw yourself away from the wall and put your hands in front of your body trying to shield it from any bullets.
You see six officers rush up the stairs and open fire at him, suddenly all the noise stops and there is only ringing in your ears. You feel a hand on your shoulder, you flinch away, your head shoots up to see Dick, your body relaxes as he helps you to your feet.
“You hurt?” he questions in a stern voice. You shake your head and whisper no.
“Let’s get you out of here.”
Dick’s hand rests on you hip and the other on your shoulder, as you walk down the stairs you turn your head looking into the apartment, looking at the scene made you tear up and turn your head onto Dick’s shoulder.
There is an ambulance waiting outside of the building, Dick leads you to it and sits you down in the back.
“I’m fine…” You insist as the medics check you.
You look up and see the Chief walking over, you stand shaking.
“L/n sit down!” you do.
“You are going to take the rest of the week off okay?”
“Chief I’m oka-“
“Rest of the week off and when you come back if you think you need a psychological evaluation after that week you go get one.”
“Sir I really think she should-“Dick cuts in looking very worried.
“Miss L/n has seen a lot of cases like this and has managed to recover just fine. If she thinks she needs one she will come talk to me. Correct Miss L/n?”
You look up and nod. “Yes Sir. I understand.”
“Good. Get Grayson to take you home.”
After a silent car ride to your apartment, Dick walks up with you and asks if you want him to stay. You insist you are fine and just need to be alone. He unwillingly leaves.
∞∞
“If I don’t get out of here free, she doesn’t get out at all-“
“NICK DON’T-“
BANG
“NO!” you jolt awake gasping, tears run down your checks. You push yourself into a sitting position on your bed and rest your head in your hands, trying to take calming breaths. After a few minutes you take a deep breath and lean your head back onto your headboard with your eyes closed. You look over to your nightstand and your clock reads 12:17am.
Before you can stop yourself, memories from todays events run through your mind and they bring you to tears.
It only gets worse, you are struggling to breath and as much as you try to calm yourself down it doesn't help, your heart races and you start sweating. You reach a shaky hand over to you phone, yank the charger out and press call.
"Hello? Grayson." It sounded like he was wide awake but you didn't question it.
You struggle to form words, all that comes out is strained crying.
"Y/n?? What's wrong?? What's happening?"
"H...el...p."
"Okay hey, shh it's okay what's happening?"
"P...an...ick..attac..." At this point you are only trying to suck air into your lungs.
"Okay. Alright. I'm coming over right now okay? Just stay on the phone with me." You hear a car door slam and a engine start up.
"Y/n I need you to breath."
Wow I wish I had thought of that.
"Deep breath in." You take a shaky breath.
"And let it out." You exhale trying to calm down.
Dick repeats this for almost 3 minutes until you can breath again.
"I'm almost there." He says softly
"You live like ten minutes away how are you 'almost here'??" You frown.
"I... may or may not have broken a few... speed limits." He chuckles.
∞∞
You hear a knock on your door, you stand and move slowly to the door.
"Hey Dick..." As soon as you open the door he engulfs you in a hug. You are a bit shocked.
"You scared the shit out of me..." He pulls back and you walk into the living room.
"I'm sorry..." You sit down on your couch and look absent-mindedly look out the window.
"Y/n talk to me." He sits next to you and puts a hand in your shoulder.
"She's dead... And it's my fault..." You look at him with tears threatening to spill out, again.
"Y/n don't. It isn't your fault-"
"It is! I could have done better I should have done it different! She would be alive if I had done more! She would have had a future, a life and now she is just...gone..."
Dick pulls you against him, you wrap your arms around his neck and just cry, you rest your head on his chest and sit there sobbing. He moves his head and places his chin on your head.
Dick spends almost 20 minutes just holding you and whispering reassurances to you before you have exhausted your tears.
Neither of you move, you both sit there, holding each other.
"I'm sorry..."
He moves his head and looks down at you.
"Why are you sorry??" He pulls back and looks at you.
"Sorry I woke you up in the middle of the night... And made you drive here... And that you saw me being this pathetic...and for this." You move forward and kiss him, he doesn't pull away instead he kisses back, not a heated kiss, a soft gentle, sweet kiss.
He pulls away bed he places his hands on your face and makes you look at him.
"You are not pathetic. You're human. It's okay to need someone. I'm happy the someone you chose was me. I would gladly get woken up every night and drive here to comfort you. And that. Was amazing. Honestly I'm about to be the pathetic one but I have been wanting to do that since the first time we worked together."
You laugh and pull him closer.
"My hero."
He laughs too.
"I'm whatever you need. Whenever you need me."
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Tag list:
#dick grayson#dick grayson x female!reader#dick grayson x y/n#dick grayson x you#batfam fic#batfam imagine#batfam#batman#nightwing#nightwing x reader#nightwing x y/n#nightwing x you
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This headcanon for Baker Reader and Ari might or might not happened.
One day, early in the morning, she gets a call from someone who lives near her bakery and is a good friend. Person tells her that something is going on in her bakery - people moving stuff around, carrying big boxes. It doesn't look like a robbery, but her friend wanted to check if it is normal and planned thing. Reader rushes to her bakery and finds out that all of her kitchen equipment was replaced by new, very expensive ones. The guy who obviously in charge of this whole mess tells her that everything is okay and shows her documents where she clearly sees her signature.
'That mad bastard forged my signature!'
Ari has been waiting for that call. What he didn't expect is hearing his lovely baker swearing like a sailor, calling him a mad bastard. Because now, the only day she let herself have a day off, she will spend entire day in her bakery trying to figure out how all of the new stuff works, and she needs to call all of her employees and ask them to come to work, because they obviously need to learn too. And he also better come up with 'an excuse' for tax office (idk how it called in US or Canada) which will help her explain how did she get the money for this upgrade. And also, he is in some much trouble for forging her signature because she will definitely call the cops to get his ass. He doesn't have time to respond, because she hanges up the phone before he could do that. But it's okay. She doesn't know that he knows a lot of people, could easily solve any problem she might have with his surprise. But now he need some time for himself - because that phone call was intense session of dirty talk.
This! This this this!!!
Ari planned well ahead of time to have her out of the bakery and relaxing at a spa day—allocating the clubs’ girls to distract her so he could give her everything she deserves
Only someone squeals and she rushes back to the bakery to see everything old being taken out and new things being taken in. After finding out that Ari did everything for her, gifted her everything, she calls him in a rage and reams him out over the phone cursing and raging at him
Ari is both pleased to see his sweethearts’ aggression and attitude, her fire turns her on like no else, and while she’s enjoying cursing him like a sailor, Ari is fully prepared to take a moment to himself once she hangs up
Of course she threatens to call the police on him, because damn him, but Ari has connections. A certain chief of police will fully understand Ari’s intentions and get him off the hook, and any further repercussions from Ari’s girl will surely be dealt with in his bed
All in all, Ari is unapologetic about the whole situation and promises that he will never again break in to her cafe—because Jake’s girl gave him a key 😏
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The Chief’s Daughter
Summary: It had been six years since your father left you behind in New York. However, now that your mother was gone, you had no choice but to drive to Hawkins to find him. That's where you meet Billy Hargrove, who turns your life upside down... literally.
Pairing: Billy Hargrove x Fem!Reader
Word Count: 3.4k
Warnings: language, mentions of past alcohol abuse
Chapter 21-
The kids were quick to fill Lucas in on everything he had missed over the past 24 hours while the rest of you stood inside the cabin, not knowing what to do next.
You were cursed by Vecna... there was nothing you could do.
"This is Robin, does anyone copy?" A voice crackled through the walkie talkie.
Dustin grabbed his own walkie from his backpack before you had the chance to grab El's off the table and respond to Robin.
"Please tell me, you guys found something."
"We sure did, Nancy's a genius. Vecna's first victims date back all the way to 1959. Her shot in the dark was a bullseye."
Wait, Vecna had been killing people in the 50s?
"Okay, that's totally bonkers." Dustin replied, seeming just as shocked. "What else do you have?"
"A lot. We're back at Nancy's house. You guys need to get here and we can explain everything."
"Copy that, we'll be there soon. Over and out."
Dustin lowered the walkie from his mouth and turned to the rest of you before motioning towards the door, but you shook your head.
"Eddie is wanted by every cop in town. We can't just go driving through Hawkins to the Wheelers house." You pointed out.
"You guys should go. See what Nancy and Robin found, I'll just hang out here in this... luxurious cabin." Eddie responded, looking up at the hole in the roof as he spoke before glancing back at you with a smile.
"You sure?" You asked hesitantly, not wanting to leave him alone after everything you guys had been through.
He nodded, "absolutely. At least this way I can continue to pace without California over there threatening to break my legs."
Billy rolled his eyes causing Eddie to grin before you picked up your father's shotgun and walked over to him.
"You know how to use this?"
"You're not serious?" Eddie deadpanned, staring at the gun in your hand like it was a bomb about to explode.
"I'm not leaving you here alone without protection. Look, it's easy. It's fully loaded, so all you need to do is flip the safety switch like this." You explained, flicking the safety off to demonstrate. "Once you see that red dot, the gun will shoot when you pull the trigger. If the safety is on, it won't fire. Understand?"
"Not really." Eddie admitted.
"Just remember to flick the safety off before using it and then just point and squeeze the trigger. That red dot means the safety is off. Red means dead, got it?"
"Red means dead." He repeated and you nodded before holding the gun out towards him. "I'd rather just run away from any monsters than try and fight."
"Just take the gun, Munson. She won't leave unless you take it, we both know how stubborn she is." Billy spoke up from across the room causing Eddie to sigh before he took the weapon from you.
"We'll be back soon." Dustin tried to reassure.
"Just find a way to stop Vecna before it gets her." Eddie replied, glancing at the others who all instantly nodded.
Billy stepped forward and rested his hand on your shoulder almost protectively, "he ain't getting her. We're killing that son of a bitch."
You smiled softly at his words, but you knew he couldn't guarantee that. Vecna had cursed you and it was just a matter of time before he killed you like Chrissy and Fred.
Steve drove everyone to the Wheelers house in his Beamer. Billy reluctantly left the Camaro behind in case Eddie needed it for an emergency and before long, you were all crammed downstairs in the Wheeler's basement while Nancy and Robin explained everything they found out at the library.
Victor Creel.
Vecna had cursed him back in the 50s and killed his wife and children, but somehow Victor had survived. That was the gist of what Nancy and Robin had discovered.
Victor had survived, but was thrown into the Pennhurst Asylum when he tried to tell people what happened. Why or how he had survived Vecna was a question that needed to be answered.
Tomorrow Nancy and Robin were going to go to Pennhurst disguised as psychology students. They were going to try and get an interview with Victor and hopefully find out how he escaped Vecna.
After the plan was made, you all crashed in Nancy's basement. The kids were sprawled out over the beanbags on the floor while Steve and Robin took the two single seater couches. Nancy had made sure there were enough spare blankets and pillows for everyone before she disappeared upstairs to her own room.
You and Billy had claimed the long couch as your bed for the night. It was a little small, but Billy grabbed one of the blankets and laid down on his side before you laid down too and he pulled your body into his, your back against his chest. He draped the blanket over your bodies and wrapped his arms around you, holding you tightly as you closed your eyes and tried to sleep.
The kids fell asleep almost instantly, exhausted after such a long day. You kind of envied their ability to just sleep easily, wishing you could just close your eyes and instantly fall asleep. But you have been laying there with your eyes closed for a good 20 minutes now and you weren't any closer to falling asleep than when you first closed them.
Billy was the same. He had always struggled with sleeping, even back before the whole Mind Flayer thing. He was a light sleeper, years of living under Neil's roof had his body trained to wake up the slightest sound.
The muscles in Billy's arms that were wrapped around you were tense and a dead giveaway that he was still awake right now. He was too pent up and worried to sleep.
"Hey, Hargrove?" Steve called out quietly from across the room, breaking the silence.
"What?" Billy whispered back, keeping his voice low not wanting to wake you or the kids, despite the fact that you were definitely not asleep, but he didn't know that.
"Are you awake?"
"Who the fuck do you think said what?"
You could practically hear Steve roll his eyes at that, but you kept your own eyes closed still trying to fall asleep as the two of them had a quiet conversation.
"How's California?" Steve randomly asked.
"It's the middle of the fucking night and you're asking me about California?"
"It's the middle of fucking night and neither of us can sleep, so yeah, I'm asking you about California."
Billy let out a soft huff from behind you, but he didn't say anything for a few long seconds as he thought about home.
"It's beautiful. Got golden beaches that stretch for miles. The brightest, bluest water you'll ever see with seven-foot waves braking on the surface. The people there are nicer, food is better, weed is a little more expensive, but don't tell Munson I said that, otherwise the asshole will jack up his prices."
Steve chuckled softly, "it sounds like a nice place."
Billy hummed in agreement, but didn't say anything else and the silence stretched on for a few minutes before Steve continued to talk.
"I didn't know you and Eddie were friends."
"You jealous, pretty boy?"
"Just surprised. You guys never spoke or interacted much at school." Steve pointed out.
"Neither did you and Buckley. She your new girlfriend?"
Steve scoffed, "Robin and I are just friends."
"So, you still got a thing for Wheeler then."
"What? No, no, I don't. Nance and I are ancient history." Steve said defensively, raising his voice a little before lowering it back to a whisper. "I don't have a thing for her."
"Whatever you say, amigo."
"Jesus Christ. You're still annoying, you know?"
"It's part of my charm." Billy responded sarcastically causing Steve to sigh.
You felt yourself starting to drift off to sleep. Something about Billy's quiet gruff voice behind you that made you feel relaxed and safe in his arms. However, you became wide awake the second Steve mentioned your name.
"How's Y/N doing? We know Vecna feeds off peoples past trauma and... well, El's been keeping in contact with the kids, and she says that Y/N is shutting herself off."
Billy's arms tightened around you ever so slightly, almost protectively. You felt as if you shouldn't be listening in on their conversation. They thought you were asleep, you shouldn't be listening.
"I don't know what to do, man." Billy eventually said with a deep sigh. "She acts like she's fine and that nothing's wrong, but I know she's lying. Her and Hopper never had a great relationship, but they were working on it and his death has torn her apart. I-I don't know how to help her."
"Y/N is honestly the strongest girl I know. She'll get through this." Steve reassured, but you felt Billy shake his head.
"I know she's strong. Hell, she was the only one who could save my ass against the Mind Flayer, but what if I can't save her from Vecna?"
His voice sounded so raw, so vulnerable, so unlike the Billy Hargrove that rolled into Hawkins last year with his cocky grin and loud car. He had grown and changed so much since then, but you hated hearing him sound so sad, especially since you were the reason for it.
"We will. We will find a way to stop Vecna, we always do." Steve insisted.
You liked his confidence, but you knew it was fake. None of you knew how to stop Vecna. Nobody had even seen Vecna, so how were you meant to stop him if you couldn't locate him?
"What if we can't?" Billy asked, emotion thick in his voice. "I can't lose her, Harrington."
"You won't, man."
"You don't know that." Billy snapped, before he sucked in a shallow shaky breath. "I-I can't- I won't lose her."
"Nancy and Robin will talk to Victor Creel in the morning. They'll find out how he survived Vecna and then Y/N can too. In the meantime, try and get some sleep, man."
Billy sighed, "thanks, Harrington."
"Did Billy Hargrove just say thank you? Man, it really must be the end of the world." Steve joked causing Billy to snort softly in amusement.
"Would you two dinguses shut up. I'm trying to sleep." Robin mumbled from across the room.
"Shit, sorry. Night, Hargrove." Steve whispered.
"Night, Harrington."
-
You woke up before anyone else.
The lamp by the coffee table was still turned on, lighting up the room as you looked around. Either nobody could be bothered getting up and turning the lamp off, or nobody wanted to sleep in the dark and honestly, you understood both.
A couple of the kids were snoring softly from their beanbags. Steve and Robin still passed out across the room. Sometime during the night, Billy had shifted in his sleep and was now laying on his back with one arm still wrapped around you.
You laid there for a few minutes savouring the feeling of warm comfort in Billy's arms before you carefully untangled yourself from him and stood up from the couch.
Billy mumbled something softly in his sleep causing you to freeze, fearing you had woken him, but he just rolled over and continued to sleep.
You stepped over and around the kids in their beanbags before you reached the small desk across the room and sat down with a deep sigh.
The clock on the wall said it was just past five in the morning. Today was the day you were meant to die. It's what happened with Chrissy, then with Fred and now, your time was nearly up.
There were pieces of paper and an old mug full of pens and pencils on the desk in front of you and suddenly you got an idea.
The next few hours were spent writing goodbye letters to the people you cared about. It was easier to write your feelings and say goodbye to them through written words, rather than actually saying it out loud.
Slowly, the others began to wake up one by one and before long, Nancy came downstairs to grab Robin and the two of them left to go and try talk to Victor Creel.
You remained at the desk and continued to write while Billy and Steve sat with the kids bored out of their brains. Dustin and Lucas at least found some comic books to read helping them pass the time, but Steve, Billy and Max were so bored that they were tossing a baseball backwards and forwards, not knowing what else to do.
Once you tucked the final goodbye letter in its envelope, you stood up and walked across the room to the others. Max caught the baseball and was about to throw it to Billy but saw you and quickly put it down in her lap.
"These are for you guys, don't open them yet." You said, handing the kids their letters and giving Steve his which he took with a confused expression before you turned to Billy and held his letter out.
He stared at the envelope cautiously, but lifted his hand to take it before you gave Max three extra letters, "can you give these to El, Will and Jonathan?"
The girl nodded, taking the other letters before looking up at you. "What are these for?"
"It's, uh, it's a fail-safe. For after... if things don't work out."
Billy's bright blue eyes shot up from the envelope in his hands and locked with yours with an alarmed look.
"Whoa, wait, no. Y/N, things are going to work out-"
"No. Billy, I love you, but I don't need you to reassure me and tell me it's all gonna work out. Because people have been telling me that my entire life and it's almost never true. It's never true." You responded before taking a deep breath and shaking your head. "I mean, of course this asshole curses me. I should've seen that one coming."
Billy was still staring at you, a million different emotions washing over his face. He didn't say anything, and sighed, running his fingers through his hair as he looked down at the letter in his hands helplessly.
You glanced over at the coffee table where Dustin's walkie talkie was sitting and picked it up before turning towards the kid.
"If we go to East Hawkins, will this still reach Pennhurst?"
Dustin nodded, "of course. Yeah."
"Wait, why are we talking about East Hawkins?" Steve asked in confusion, staring at you before glancing at the kids and he quickly shook his head. "No. No. No."
"We're going." You stated, glancing down at the remaining letter in your hand.
"Yeah, that's a no. I'm not driving you anywhere, not with that Vecna creep on the loose." Steve said, but you were already walking up the stairs of the basement, Billy and Max quickly following without arguing, but Dustin and Lucas hung back with Steve.
"Baby, why do you need to go to East Hawkins?" Billy asked worriedly, clearly not liking the idea either.
"I... it's stupid. But, I want to see my dad's grave... I want to talk to him."
Billy's expression softened and he simply nodded, not putting up a fight about it and instead grabbing your hand, lacing your fingers together as you walked out the house.
"Y/N, Y/N! Seriously, I'm not joking. I'm not driving you anywhere." Steve shouted, jogging out the door behind you.
"Harrington, if you think I'm going to spend what is likely the last day of my life in Nancy fucking Wheeler's basement, then you're out of your mind."
You continued walking until you reached his Beamer and pulled on the door handle, but it was locked. Typical.
Billy was right, you should've taken the Camaro and left Steve's car with Eddie instead.
"Open the door." You instructed, turning to face Steve who was just staring at you like you were crazy.
"Uh, no."
"Either you open this door or Billy will take the keys from you and we'll leave your ass here. Up to you."
Taking that as his cue, Billy took a step forward with his arms folded across his chest and Steve looked between the two of you with an unamused expression.
"You aren't changing her mind, we both know it. Just open the damn door, Harrington." Billy ordered.
Steve just stared at you before he shook his head with a scoff and fished the keys out his pocket. "Henderson, that super walkie of yours better reach Pennhurst."
The car ride to the cemetery was long, awkward and silent. But, eventually Steve pulled up by the gate and you quickly climbed out the car, grabbing your fathers letter before closing the door behind you.
"Y/N?" Billy called out, getting out the car too.
You sighed and turned back towards him, "Billy, please, just wait in the car."
He shook his head and jogged the remaining distance towards you before he stopped and stared at you worriedly.
"I told you, I'm fine." You insisted, but it was clear that he didn't buy it. "I mean, as fine as someone who's hurtling towards a gruesome death can be."
"Baby, you know you can talk to me, right?"
"Yeah, I know that." You replied with a smile that you knew didn't quite reach your eyes.
"Okay, then why do you keep pushing me away? Ever since... ever since Starcourt, you've been pushing me away and now this..." He trailed off, pulling out the letter from his jacket pocket. "I don't need a letter. I don't want a fucking letter. Just talk to me. I'm right here."
You stared at him for a moment trying to figure out what to say to that. There was so much you wanted to say to him, so much that you needed to say, but you had no idea how to. That's why you wrote the letters, talking about it was too hard.
"Just wait in the car, this won't be long." You eventually said, ignoring the hurt look that washed over him before you turned and began to walk through the cemetery.
It wasn't hard to find your father's grave. You ran your fingers over the top of the headstone, brushing off the stray leaves and dirt that had gathered on top before you sat down in front of it.
'IN LOVING MEMORY OF
CHIEF JAMES "JIM" HOPPER
U.S. ARMY - VIETNAM
HAWKINS POLICE DEPARTMENT
END OF WATCH JULY 4 1985'
You stared at his gravestone reading the words that you had read a thousand times before. But it never made it any easier. You opened the letter in your hands, ignoring the way it began to tremble before you started to read.
"Dear Hopper, I don't know if you can even hear this. Two years ago, I would have said, 'that's ridiculous, impossible.' But that was before I found out about alternate dimensions and monsters, so... I'm just going to stop assuming that I know anything. So, uh, it looks like I'm going to die today, so I wanted to tell you something while I still can."
You paused for a second, taking in a deep breath before continuing.
"I hate you for the childhood I had. I hate you for your impatience. Your anger issues. Your alcohol addiction. I hate you for abandoning me. For leaving me behind after Sara died and adopting a new daughter when you couldn't even be there for me. I hate you for being yelled at. For all the kitchen cabinet doors you slammed. I hate you for not wanting me. For being ashamed of me. I hate you for all the anger I feel deep inside..."
You chewed your bottom lip, eyes welling up with tears.
"I have spent years being angry at you. Hating you. But, you know what I hate the most? I hate you for dying before I had the chance to say that I forgive you. Of course, I forgive you. I forgive you, Dad. For all of it. Everything... I hoped one day we could start over. You, me, El. I hoped that we could be like a real family. Like a real father and daughter, but I know that's stupid. You hated me. I hated you. But, I thought that maybe... maybe we could try again."
Silent tears were now falling down your face. You took in a sharp shaky breath and wiped them away with your free hand, but they were instantly replaced with fresh ones. You looked back down at the letter, your tears dripping onto the paper, smudging the ink.
"But-but, that's not what happened... for a while I tried to be happy. Normal. Joyce moved her boys and El to California, so Billy and I followed... I tried. I really tried to be normal, but I think maybe a part of me died in Starcourt too. And I haven't told anyone this. I-I just can't. But, I had to tell you before it's too late. If you can even hear this... I really hope that you can. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Dad. Love, your shitty eldest daughter, Y/N."
Your eyes blurred with tears as you folded the letter back up and tucked it inside the envelope.
The sky above you suddenly turned dark. The bright blue sky and shining sun, completely gone.
You glanced around in confusion, taking in the dark stormy clouds and thick fog that was settling over the cemetery before the all too familiar chimes of a clock filled the air.
Oh, this was not good.
-
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#Billy Hargrove#billy hargrove fanfiction#billy hargove x reader#billy hargrove x you#stranger things#stranger things fanfic#dacre montgomery#jim hopper#david harbour#steve harrington#eddie munson
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Why Toph Becoming a Cop Both Makes and Doesn’t Make Sense, and a Potential Fix
Most people loathe the fact that Toph canonically not only becomes a cop, but also becomes a corrupt cop who abuses her authority to protect her criminal younger daughter.
This is because, beyond claims of copaganda, people argue that it is out of character for someone like Toph, whose character is about flaunting authority and doing what she wants, to take a position of authority such as Republic City's Chief of Police.
However, I don't think there was a problem with Toph becoming a cop since I think Toph's issue with authority wasn't its existence per se, but instead the fact that she wasn’t the main authority figure, or one of the main authority figures, and therefore had to submit to someone else’s authority, even when doing so wasn't agreeable to her.
This is why Toph hated the way her parents sheltered her, enjoyed scamming people, and expressed verbal chagrin at Katara's mothering while at the same time enjoying being Aang's earthbending teacher to the point that she eventually opened her own metalbending academy, missed Sokka's leadership when he was training with Piandao, and admitted to Sokka that she did like Katara's mothering when she thought Katara was nowhere to be found.
Moreover, unlike the real world, policing in Avatar's world does not have the same negative history as in places like the United States, where policing arose out of slave-catching paroles.
In addition, it is highly likely that as Toph grew older, she wished to channel her need to fight and put bad guys down in a socially responsible way considering for better or worse she is associated with the Gaang, who are composed of several world leaders.
Therefore, if she could have met those needs by, for example, starting an underground bending fighting ring or becoming a bounty hunter, she wouldn’t.
Not when she deeply cares for her friends, even if she doesn’t show it, and therefore would never do something that would have the potential to seriously negatively impact them.
Also, considering she is a business partner with her dad in Earthen Fire Industries, and therefore makes frequent visits to Cranefish Town/Republic City, she would be acutely aware of not only of tensions between immigrants from the other three remaining nations, but also of the rising tensions between benders and non-benders as technology threatens uproot benders’ favored position in society.
Especially since she helped the Gaang in Imbalance take down a group of bending supremacist luddites who destroyed factories in Cranefish Town such as the one owned by Earthen Fire Industries.
So, taking all of the above into consideration and the fact that Toph is a simple person who doesn’t like complexity, it is easy to see a scenario where Aang and the United Republic Council, which would include Sokka, coming up to her and asking her and her metalbending students to help police the increasingly chaotic Republic City, with her as the Chief of Police, and her agreeing to do.
However, I think where Toph becoming a police officer fails is in the execution of her deciding to leave.
Because whether she quit due to realizing that covering up Suyin's crimes made her unfit to lead like Lin says, or because she quit due to realizing that no matter how many bad guys she put away, she wasn’t making a real difference in her own worlds, none of them are consistent with her character arc of learning to care for and trust in others, as well as the world at large.
Hence, why I think people would not have a problem with Toph becoming a cop if her reason for quitting wasn’t due to personal corruption or becoming a jaded cynic, but instead because she realized that being a cop was not the best to stop bad guys and help her friends, and therefore quit so she could take direct action that she couldn’t take as a cop.
For example, you could have Toph in the early years of her tenure as Republic City's Chief of Police, after a bunch of apprehended thieves say they were pushed to criminality because they never received any reparations from the Fire Nation, and therefore lacked the means to make an honest living considering the dilapidated state of their home towns due to the War, go on a countrywide trip across the Earth Kingdom to see what is going on in regards to reparation payments.
And during her trip, have her find out that the nobility and various government officials have been embezzling the payments and keeping it for themselves and their friends and family.
And then, after getting as many of them arrested, but finding out to her horror that without putting an end to the institution of nobility, or more generally, without giving the masses political and economic power, they will always get taken advantage of, have her tender her resignation and spend the rest of her life as an earthbending teacher who uses her wealth and political connections to help those the Earth Kingdom government can't or won’t while also advocating for and promoting democracy.
“Ok, what you said makes sense. But what if Toph becoming a cop and then quitting due to being corrupt or becoming jaded was a deliberate choice on the part of the writers? Because several characters in the franchise such as Azula and Yun have negative character arcs in which they become worse people over time.”
“And even someone like Aang, the purest person in the original show, has a negative arc when it comes to his kids: engaging in parental favoritism and putting too much pressure on his youngest, airbending child Tenzin.”
“So why can’t Toph being a cop who eventually quits due to corruption or cynicism be part of a negative character arc: namely, how her refusal to grow as a person, as well as her refusal to acknowledge that the world isn’t as simple as she wished it was until she was an old lady, not only harmed her, but also her family and the world at large?”
Because Azula, Yun, and Aang’s negative character arcs are consistent with their characters and logically flow from what was previously established about them.
Azula was a golden child who was raised to believe that fear and manipulation was the only way to gain loyal friends and family and choose to pursue her father’s love over her mother’s love, only to learn too late that using fear and manipulation on your friends and family is liable to turn them against you, especially when you the leading agent of a tyrannical, genocidal monarchy, and that her father never loved her, only what she could do for him.
Yun was raised to believe that he was the Avatar, only to learn shortly before being left for dead, or worse, to a nasty spirit by his father figure that he was not the Avatar, but instead his servant/friend.
Aang engaging in parental favoritism makes sense when you realize that only airbenders could continue the Air Nomad race and culture.
Therefore, so long as him and Katara, a waterbender with non-bending parents, choose to engage in a monogamous relationship, Aang would have to favor any airbending child(ren) over any non-airbending child(ren) in order to make sure airbending and Air Nomad culture would not go extinct with his passing.
Moreover, he would have to relentlessly drill said airbending child(ren), even if the pressure to succeed would end up tormenting them for the rest of their lives, because the fate of a bending art and nation would literally rest on their back(s).
Meanwhile, Toph, someone whose arc in the original show was learning to care for and trust in others and the world at large, became a corrupt cop and/or a jaded cynic because….?
So to sum up, I don't think Toph becoming a cop is out of character for her since she never had a problem with authority, only submitting to it.
However, the problem with her becoming a cop is due to her quitting after abusing her power to protect Suyin after she not only committed several crimes, but also attacked her older sister who was trying to arrest her and her criminal associates.
This is because it spits in the face of Toph learning to care about her friends since her abusing her power does no favors to the Gaang trying to maintain peace in Republic City, or the world at large.
But Toph learning that being a cop is not the best way to help her friends and the world because you can’t punch or jail the concept of evil away before then taking steps to try and get at the root of why people commit crimes through direct action and utilizing her immense political and social capital, would turn her becoming a cop from something that was inconsistent with her character arc of learning to care for and trust in others and the world at large into something consistent with said arc, therefore fixing the issue with her becoming a cop.
#toph#atla comics#atla#tlok#toph meta#atla meta#tlok meta#tlok critical#justanotherthrowaway1950meta
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Like His Costume?
This is my kid, Tommy, and he's so excited to be Trick-or-Treating. He might seem a bit old, but that's just because he's wearing the city's Fire Chief as his costume. He's always dreamed of being a firefighter when he grows up. Just look how happy he is in that body!
I discovered my son's powers for astral projection a few months ago, and he's been jumping from body to body ever since. I tried to restrict when and who he's allowed to jump into, but it's not easy raising a little superhero.
"Mom!" Tommy whines with the fireman's surprisingly gravelly voice, "Hurry up and get the picture! I want to keep Trick-or-treating!"
I shake my head and snap the picture quickly before my baby gallops away to the nearest house. He nearly trips over the firefighter's heavy feet as he races up the steps. Tommy's been wearing that man all day and he still hasn't gotten used to the body or the clunky uniform. It's adorable.
"Trick-or-Treat!" he grins eagerly.
The couple behind the door recoil from the grown man holding out his bag of candy, but they ultimately relent and drop some chocolate in. Tommy licks his lips and runs off to the next house.
"Tommy! Don't go so fast," I call, "And say thank you next time!"
He runs the fireman's body from house to house to collect candy as fast as possible. It's a good thing my kid has so much energy because I don't know how those guys are supposed to run around in those heavy suits all day long.
"Mom, I'm hot," he complains, shuffling back in my direction.
"Better get used to it if you want to be a firefighter, young man," I chuckle back.
"I don't think I want to, anymore," he pouts.
Before I can add anything else, Tommy's eyes light up. I can practically see the lightbulb appear over his head. I turn towards what's caught his eye and see a police officer directing the traffic at the intersection.
"Tommy, don't!" I stiffly demand.
...but Tommy's already gone. The firefighter's mind is free once again, leaving the man looking confused and rubbing his forehead. He groans something to me about not knowing where he is, but I snatch my son's candy bag from his hands and stomp away.
"Thanks for grabbing my candy, mom," Tommy squeals cheerfully inside the cop.
"Tommy, you know you're not supposed to jump bodies without telling me!"
The officer's childish grin falters, and his eyes roll in annoyance. Tommy's already getting so rebellious!
"Did you just roll your eyes at me, mister!" I raise my voice.
"No," the officer's broad shoulders curl up defensively.
I let Tommy visit a few more houses wearing the police officer. Everyone who comes to the door is more than a little confused by the grown cop begging for candy on their doorstep, but they give him candy without hesitation. I suppose they aren't willing to question the authority of the uniform.
"Alright, buddy," I call, "Time to go home."
"One more house?" he whines, stomping the officer's shiny boot on the sidewalk.
I insist and grab his hand, leading him back home. He pouts the whole way back, but his face lights up when he sees his father's car pulling in the driveway.
When, my husband steps out, I notice his exhausted face from a long day at the office. He locks eyes with me and is about to say hello when his expression warps into one of juvenile delight.
"Daddy's home!" my husband suddenly sings, dropping his briefcase to clap his hands.
"Tommy!" I scold, "You know your father's body is off limits! How many times to I have to tell you?"
I grab the bag of candy from the stunned policeman and drag my husband's body all the way into the house. This is the fifth time this week he's been possessed by Tommy. I hate seeing my man acting like a child, but he's always been Tommy's favorite person to jump into.
I thought letting the kid stretch his legs in a couple other bodies would make him cool down but I guess not. I slump onto the couch for a moment to think, catching a glimpse of Tommy already stuffing his father's mouth with all the Halloween candy he'd gotten.
"Tommy stop! You're going to give your dad a tummy ache!"
Tommy rolls his eyes and leaves his dad's body. My husband gasps as he regains control over himself. His tired expression returns as he looks up from the candy, chocolate smeared across his cheeks. He stands and let's out a long sigh. I can tell he's getting tired of this happening over and over again.
If raising Tommy is their hard now, how difficult it will be when he gets older?
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Thicker than blood - ch. 22
Aaaand the angst is coming. Be prepared...
Lorcan and Elide were in the chief’s car and on their way to a pub. The man had texted her in the afternoon with a plan and she had sent him her home address. He was nervous. He like Elide and wanted to try and pursue something, but although he was very old he had to admit that his experience in relationships was very lacking. Truth was, he never bothered with one. So at over 500 years old he was now debating how to act on a date.
“We are going to human pub that still allows vampires in. Emrys doesn’t care about Hamel’s rules,” he explained while concentrating on the road “His pub is well known to be a safe haven for both species. And he serves amazing beer.”
“I trust you, chief.”
They arrived at their destination not long after. Lorcan parked and then together they walked to the pub, side by side with a little bit of distance between them. Lorcan felt awkward and also nervous but for different reasons. It was not the best of times for an outing. He just hoped to be able to keep Elide safe.
Once inside the pub, Emrys welcomed them and greeted the chief. He and his men would go and have a night out at that pub. He was not a stranger.
“How’s business?”
“People are scared. And not just the humans.”
Lorcan nodded and ordered some beer for both and together they walked to a quiet area of the locale.
“This is nice.”
Lorcan agreed “it’s a nice pub. The guys and I come here a lot,” he cleared his throat “or we used to, when things were easier.”
They both took a sip of their beer and let the silence linger.
“Pathology is an interesting career. What made you choose it?”
Elide took another sip “I was in med school and doing my pathology rotation and got hooked on it,” she explained “My teacher made it sound like the best route ever. The idea of being able to understand and study diseases in a different way fascinated me. Then I did a few shift on a morgue and loved it,” she paused “I liked investigating the causes of a person’s death. I know it sounds morbid, but it’s the dead equivalent of solving a crime.”
Lorcan smiled timidly “That is a nice way to put and…” he drank from his glass “you do help us solve crimes. Without autopsies we would not be able to solve a lot of the murders.”
“And you?” She smiled “Why a cop?”
“I used to be a body guard for a very long time. I used to serve under some of the ancient families,” he explained her “then when, after the great fire, the paranormal unit was created I applied and I slowly rose to the ranks.”
“Any interesting family?”
Lorcan nodded “I was Orlon Galathynius’ head of security.”
“No way.”
He nodded “When after the fire he created the paranormal unit he told me to join it and do what I did best for the greater good.”
Elide was about to reply when they heard a commotion and then screams. Lorcan stood and pushed Elide aside in a protective gesture.
He ran to Emrys and saw a band of vampires at the entrance of the pub. Newborns.
“You need to leave,” he walked closer towering over them “This is a safe pub.”
One of the new vampires walked to him snarling “move, it’s dinner time.”
Lorcan moved his imposing body in front of him “I told you to get out.”
It was a matter of seconds and chaos erupted. The new vampires had started attacking all the humans. Lorcan jumped into action “Emrys, evacuate everyone.”
The owner nodded and started to ferry humans to safety. Lorcan was relieved when he saw a few vampires help taking out the humans and other joining him in dealing with the scum that had just dared to trash his last oasis of peace.
“Elide, call Rowan!” He shouted at her and his heart sank when she neutralised a vampire. Gods, the image turned him on all of a sudden.
The chief shook his head and went back to his job. A new vampire bit him hard on his shoulder but he kept his fight on until he heard familiar voices. He relaxed when he saw his men and the rest of the paranormal unit.
He left his men to finish their work and ran to Elide who had taken outside the last few patrons.
When she spotted him coming out of the back of the pub holding his bleeding arms she ran to him, her hands on his face “are you okay?”
He nodded “How’s everyone?”
Elide showed him the small crowd. The paramedics were tending to some humans “Just a few bites but everyone is safe,” she caressed his face “the vampires in the pub helped take everyone to safety.”
Lorcan sighed. Maybe there was some hope still. He saw those vampires go around and help with the injured humans. He went to them and thanked them one by one.
It was half an hour later when Rowan and his team joined him.
“So, your date turned rowdy?”
“Shut up Whitethorn.”
“Get that arm looked at.”
Lorcan snorted “I am fine.”
Rowan smirked “so, you and Elide, eh?”
“Don’t worry, I will leave the status of married man to you.”
Rowan smiled. Lorcan had finally admitted that he knew too. His friends knew already and teased him about it. Lorcan had always pretended not knowing.
“Just be nice to her. She is friend with Aelin and my wife is very protective of her friends.”
“Is Emrys ok?”
Lorcan nodded “a few of the vampires helped him to take the humans to safety while others fought with me.
“Looks like there is still hope.”
“Maybe we can bring them to our side, and I don’t mean the paranormal unit. I mean help us to spread the idea that we are not all bad.”
Rowan chuckled “look at you, Elide really did a number.”
“Shut up, Whitethorn.”
Vaughan reached them a moment later “we caught only two of the vamps who attacked the club. The guys and I are taking them to the precinct and see if we can wiggle some info out of them.”
*
Maeve was furiously pacing her studio. Two men kneeled in front of her.
“We are sorry our queen.”
Maeve groaned loudly “you failed me, and do you know what I do to those who fail me?”
“We are sorry, the paranormal unit showed up and all the vampires in the pub started helping the humans.”
The woman shouted in frustration “you should have killed them all.”
“We bit a few but it was not enough to transform them.”
Maeve sat down on her chair and went silent. Then a grin spread on her face “I think I know of a way to make thing more interesting…”
*
It was many hour later when Rowan finally managed to get back to the mountains. The whole night had been hell and now all he wanted was to be back with Aelin. He hoped she was fine. Her parents were both heavily worried just as he was.
He knew the Galathynius were still awake but he just ran to Aelin. He would report to Rhoe later on. The man had become very interested in what was happening and they had spent time discussing things. All of a sudden Aelin’s father was not scary anymore.
He ran to their room and once in, he spotted Aelin on the balcony, watching the snow fall. She had a blanket around her, and her long hair unbound.
As he stepped in, she did not move, as if she had not noticed him.
“Aelin?”
She still gave him her back and a deep sense of worry started to grow in him.
“Ae?”
She finally turned and the woman in front of him was not his wife. Her eyes were dull, her face gaunt and he could see the remain of tears on her cheeks. His instincts were telling him to run to her and comfort her, but somehow he stopped himself.
“Why are you here?” Her voice was lifeless and flat and many red flags appeared in his head.
“I am back home after my shift.”
She turned again.
Now he knew there was something really wrong with his mate.
“Go back to your house, agent.”
“Excuse me?”
She turned with a brisk movement “I said get the fuck out of this house, agent. Do I need to spell it out for you?” There was so much anger in her words and he could not understand what was happening.
“No. I am not leaving you.”
With a feline movement she reached for the collar of his shirt and pushed him against the wall “I do not need you. I do not want you. I hate being married to you. So get the hell out of this house and disappear from my life.”
“Aelin, what’s happening?”
She let his collar go and walked away “It was a mistake. Us. I used you.” Her voice cold and detached “I do not love you.”
Rowan listened to her speak and could not believe. What he had felt from her was real. The bond did not lie. The heart vein did not lie. So what was happening?
“If this is a plot to get rid of me because you still feel guilty it will not work,” he spat back. He was not giving up on her, “I wanted this. Us. I love you.”
Aelin lifted her head and stared at the stars “No, you don’t. It’s just the bond. This is not real love.”
He took a step closer and placed a hand on her waist craving a bit of contact but she jumped and turned abruptly “do not touch me like that.”
“Aelin…”
“I used you as a blood bag. You have been handy. But I used you.”
“I did it to save you, I wanted to help you, Aelin. I did it willingly.”
“Well, agent, you are free of your obligations,” she added without looking at him “I will find a way to snap the bond and you will be free of me. Go back to your own life and forget about me.”
He grabbed her wrist and turned her around “you can’t be serious.”
“I am.” There was no light, no hope in her eyes. The woman who had stolen his heart was gone. In her place an emotionless shell.
“I can’t do that.”
She shrugged “I don’t care. I do no want to be married to you.”
Rowan felt sick. Felt like could not breathe as pain spread through him. He had been an idiot to believe this might work. He was such a fool. Of course she had lied. But while his heart broke, at the same time he was scared for the woman in front of him. She was not okay. How could he even consider leaving her?
“Fine.”
“Pack your stuff and disappear.”
Rowan walked to the closet and quickly threw all of his clothes in his duffel bag. Did a quick tour of the room and collected all of his belongings. Aelin had gone back on the balcony, ignoring him completely. Once he was done he dumped the bag in the middle of the room and stood “I don’t know what is happening to you, but this is not the woman I fell in love with. I will follow your wish and leave you alone, but know this Aelin, for me it was real.”
He grabbed his bag and backed while still keeping an eye on her. Once at the door he opened and stood there looking at Aelin, while his soul screamed in pain. He whispered a soft I love you and finally forced himself to leave the room.
Evalin intercepted him at his car.
“Where are you going?”
“Aelin made her wishes clear. She doesn’t need me anymore, so I am leaving.”
The woman started crying “Rowan, please don’t…”
He placed his hands on her shoulders “I can’t force her to be with me if she doesn’t want me. I am not that kind of man.” His stare went up to where he knew her room was.
“She loves you.”
“No, the woman in there made it very clear she doesn’t.”
Evalin felt like screaming “she is giving up on you because she thinks she is just a burden. She tried to convince me and Rhoe to leave her too. She is not well.”
Rowan sighed “maybe some times apart will help.” He was terrified. Rhoe had no blood for her and without him she could not feed. He wanted to scream. Then, resigned, he just threw his duffel bag in the car “look after her for me, please. I love her, but going away is all I can do right now.”
Evalin stared at Rowan jump in the car and drove away and desperation engulfed her.
*
Aelin watched Rowan from her balcony. She followed him to his car and saw him speak to her mother. Her hand went to her heart where the bond with him pulsated fiercely. Telling him all of those harsh words had been soul destroying but she was trying to keep him safe. Being with her was wrong. Seeing his dejected face had been heart-rending. She loved him, probably more than life itself. He made her happy. He was her strength, her rock. He really had been the best thing that had happened to her in a long time. And now she was alone.
As the car disappeared from view Aelin slid on the cold floor and started crying heavily and felt her heart break slowly “I am so sorry…. I love you, Rowan. Please be safe, my love.”
TAGS:
@rowaelinismyotp @swankii-art-teacher @whimsicallyreading @elentiyawhitethorn @aelin-bitch-queen @bruiseonthefaceofhumanity @mis-lil-red @thegreyj @sailorsassley @leiawritesstories @clairec79 @morganofthewildfire @sv0430 @heartless--aromantic @autumnbabylon @rowanaelinn @backtobl4ck @susumaus98 @gracie-rosee @mybloodrunsblue @tanvee1231 @avenrebekah @whoever-you-choose-to-love @theywillnotsingforme @universallytreepost @black-daisy-water @goddess-aelin @whispers-in-the-darkest-heart @lovely-dove-zee
#rowaelin fanfic#aelin x rowan#rowaelin fanfiction#rowaelin#vampires#vampires au#elorcan#aelin galathynius
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The One-[Jay Halstead X Matt Casey]
Chapter 9- You Love You More
Link to other chapters
Elle’s POV
“Why is he back here” I said. “He complained to the Brass about Chief Boden” Kelly said. “You’ve got to be kidding me” I said. “It’s ridiculous I agree” Matt said. “He’s so selfish” I said. “You liked him remember” Kelly said.
“I guess I was blinded” I said. “Apparently” Matt said. “Casey” I said he laughed. “He likes to pick on you umm I need you to check your gear” Kelly said. “Alright” I said walking over to my gear.
I looked through my gear. Jimmy then walked over. Of course he wanted something from me. What else was new.
“So they still have you here” Jimmy said. “You see unlike you I worked my ass off to get in my position” I said. “Huh you know I did too my daddy wasn’t some big cop” Jimmy said. “My father didn’t hand me this position like everyone here I earned it god your an ass” I said standing up.
“You liked it remember” Jimmy said. “Borelli you were just a phase in my life” I said. “Is that why your hanging out with that detective Halstead right his brother is a doctor” Jimmy said. “My love life doesn’t concern you” I said setting my boots by the truck.
“Guys problem” Matt said. “No problem here Jimmy just forgot his place isn’t that right Candidate” I said. “Right” Jimmy said walking away. “Elena you have a visitor” Connie said. “I’m coming” I said. I walked into the firehouse. Jay was there with lunch and a single rose.
“Awee well thank you” I said. “I was around and I knew you were telling me about that little diner” Jay said. “Your the best” I said kissing him. “I was hoping we could eat lunch together” Jay said.
SQUAD 3. TRUCK 81. AMBULANCE 61: CAR ACCIDENT MULTIPLE VEHICLES
“That’s my que we can do dinner” I said. “I’ll hold you to that Elle” Jay said. “I’ll be there” I said. “Be safe” he said kissing me. “Always” I said.
We arrived at the scene a car had hit a truck carrying propane tanks. Which was already on fire. Jimmy was trying to get out of line already.
“Voight grab the jaws” Kelly said. “Got it” I said grabbing them from the truck. “We gotta get these guys” I heard Jimmy say. I ran back over to Kelly. “Borelli no” Matt said. “Come on seriously they need help” Jimmy said.
He ran to the truck it was about to explode. I ran over and grabbed him as it exploded but he had gotten burnt badly. I put out the fire on his jacket.
“Jimmy” I said looking at him. His face was burnt. “Medic” I yelled with tears in my eyes. “I’m coming” Brett said as Gabby followed. “Jimmy stay with us ok” I said crying. “Elena your burned on your neck” Gabby said. “Just worry about him ok” I said yelling at her.
The took him to the hospital.
“Elena go with them ok get checked out we got this” Kelly said. “Right” I said getting in the truck. They worked on him. I held his hand the whole way. It was stupid of me to still care about someone who hurt me. But I did I cared a lot.
We arrived at the hospital they took him into ICU. Will took care of the burn on my neck.
“Is Jimmy gonna be ok” I said as he cleaned the area were my burn is. “I can’t say right now Elena but your lucky you didn’t get badly burned” Will said. “You didn’t call Jay did you” I said. He put the bandage on. “I did Elena” Will said. “Am I all set” I said.
“Yes your fine just make sure you keep it wrapped and clean” Will said. I walked over to everyone else. I sat by Matt. “You ok” Matt said. “I think I’ll be fine I just” I said. “Elle thank god your ok” Jay said I ran over and hugged him.
“I’m here it’s ok” Jay said hugging me tightly. “I .. I know I didn’t think but” I said crying. “Shhh come here” Jay said we sat in the waiting room. I rested my head on his shoulder as he had his arm around me. He made me feel so safe with him.
We waited for any news about Jimmy. I hated waiting here. The doctor finally came out. I got up and walked over.
“Good news is he’s alive and ok bad news is his right eye was completely damaged and we couldn’t, do anything” the doctor said. “Anything else” I said. “Your Elena the one who saved him right” he said. “Yeah” I said.
“He kept trying to say Elle he wants to see you” he said. “Can I” I asked. “Go ahead” he said. I walked into the room. He was in a full body cast and on oxygen so he could breathe. I sat next to the bed in the chair.
I pulled it closer to be next to him.
“I’m sorry.. I feel like such a complete jerk” I said tearing up. “Jimmy I should’ve helped you save your brother.. this is on me” I said. He moved his hand over and I held it. He squeezed it tightly. “But I’m so glad your ok now I don’t know what I would’ve done” I said.
He looked at me. A tear rolled out of his eye.
“Maybe in another life we could’ve been friends or together even” I said sighing. “But I guess what I’m trying to say is sorry” I said. He looked at me. “Elle his family is here” Will said. “I’ll let you see them” I said getting up.
I walked out and Will pulled me aside.
“You saved his life if you hadn’t grabbed him he’d be dead right now Elle don’t beat yourself up” Will said. “I just feel like it’s my fault” I said. “He’s a hothead you know that” Will said. “I know” I said. “And take care of those burns you’ll be good to work tomorrow” Will said.
“You got it” I said. “Well I’m gonna go talk to his sister in law about everything” Will said. “Alright thanks will” I said. I walked back out. Everyone looked at me. “So” Brett said. “He’s awake” I said.
(A/N:y’all won’t like me for this next part ik it wasn’t in the show)
Lights then went off near Jimmy’s room. My heart snuck.
“Dr.Halstead me need you” Jimmy’s sister yelled. “What’s happening” I said. “Elena I’m gonna need you to wait right here” Nat said. “Please tell me what’s going on” I said. “No I can’t do that” she said. “Why can’t you I don’t understand” I said tearing up. “Elena let’s take a walk” Ethan said.
“Why can’t I see him tell me” I said yelling. “Jay can you escort her outside please” Ethan said. “Come on” Jay said. “Before you do can I borrow you” Ethan said. Kim watched me while Ethan talked to Jay. “Come with me” Jay said.
“Jay what’s going on” I said. “Let’s get some air” Jay said. He walked me outside by the ambulance entrance. “What can’t you tell me inside” I said. “Elena” Jay said. “Jay what I don’t understand” I said. “Elle.. I’m sorry” Jay said cupping my cheek.
“What do you mean … Will said he was hopeful” I said tearing up. “… he didn’t make it” Jay said. “No” I said pacing back and forth. “There’s nothing they could’ve done the burns affected his lungs” Jay said. “It’s all my fault” I said. “No it’s not” Jay said.
“But… I” I said crying Jay hugged me tightly. “I’m here” he said rubbing my back. “I can’t” I said. “I’m sorry” he said kissing my forehead. “I was just talking to him” I said through tears. “Baby I’m so sorry” Jay said.
“Elena” Brett said walking over. “Brett” I said hugging her. “It’s not your fault ok” Brett said hugging me. “But it feels like it is” I said. “I know” Brett said. “Anything I can do” Kelly asked walking over to us.
“I just need a couple days” I said. “That’s fine I can get coverage” Kelly said. “Thanks” I said. “Boden wants to set up something at the house” Matt said. “I’d help” I said. “Jay can I talk to you” Dad said. “Yeah sure” Jay said.
Jays POV
I walked over to talk with Hank. Elle was talking with Matt and Kelly. So I knew she’d be fine for now. He pulled me aside so she couldn’t see us.
“What’s going on” I asked. “I need you to keep a close eye on her” Hank said. “Like on shift I can call her” I said. “No Jay I need you to stay with her while she’s off” Hank said. “She wouldn’t do anything” I said.
“After her mother died she got into alcohol and made a lot of bad choices Jay” Hank said. “Like what” I asked. “The only reason I let her be a firefighter is because she promised to stay away from alcohol” Hank said.
“You want me to keep an eye on her” I asked. “I do Jay I don’t wanna lose her too and I don’t want her, throwing her career away” Hank said.
Elle’s POV
Jay walked back over to me. Everyone kinda left to go home. Jay and I walked to his car.
“Want me to take you back to the fire department to get your stuff” Jay said. I just looked at the ground sadly. “Elle” Jay said. “It’s.. all my fault” I said crying. He hugged me. “No it’s not I promise you” Jay said kissing my head. “Let’s go home ok” Jay said.
The ride back to his apartment was quite. Just me looking out the window. Wondering what I could’ve done to prevent this. We walked up to the apartment and went in.
“I think I’m just gonna go shower” I said. “Alright just be careful of the burn you know” Jay said. “I know” I said. “I’ll be out here if you need me” Jay said with a soft smile.
I showered and just sat on the floor of the shower crying. I heard the door open. I knew it was Jay.
“Elle I don’t wanna be weird or anything” Jay said outside the shower curtain. “I’m fine” I said standing up the peak out of the shower curtain. “You aren’t alone you know” Jay said. I turned off the shower and grabbed the towel.
“I know I’m not” I said. “I just worry about you” Jay said cupping my cheek. “I’ll be fine can I get dressed or” I said. “Yeah” Jay said leaving. I got dressed and went out into the living room. Jay was cooking something in the kitchen.
I walked over.
“Are you making dinner Halstead” I said. “Yes for once I am” Jay said. I hugged him from behind. “Thank you” I said. He turned around still holding me. “I’ll always look after you Elena” Jay said I kissed him. “I appreciate that” I said he kissed my cheek.
“Alright let’s eat something” Jay said. “It better be good or your fired” I said. “Oh trust me it is” Jay said with a smile.
#chicago fire#fanfic#jay halstead#jay halstead x reader#chicago pd#chicago fire fanfic#matt casey#jimmy borrelli#jesse spencer#jesse lee soffer#chicagopd#firehouse 51#hank voight
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If you like Leon S. Kennedy as a Resident Evil character, NEVER watch Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City. This is the one RE media that I've watched that I actually, genuinely hate.
They took one of the most iconic characters and turned him into a useless joke:
- His introduction as a character is him asleep at a diner, in full uniform as a cop. This gives the impression that he's lazy or not put together.
- His relationship with the other officers is that they make fun of him and he doesn't do anything about it. He comes off as non-confrontational and the fact that he doesn't seem to have anything to look forward to relationship-wise with his fellow officers makes them dying later not all that sad.
- His backstory is that he shot someone in the ass at his last job and now he's been transferred because his dad is some important higher-up in the force. This, again, makes him into a huge joke and makes him sound completely incompetent.
- After again being made fun of and also called stupid, he goes to do his job at the front desk (shows even less experience) and falls asleep AGAIN. And this time, a truck literally explodes right at the door in front of him and he doesn't. Wake. Up. He only wakes up after the zombified truck driver, who is ON FIRE runs up to him and almost grabs him. WHY???
- They have a scene where Claire and Leon are in the armory and he picks up a shotgun and doesn't even know how to cock it. Claire takes it from him, does it herself, and hands him a bulletproof vest instead. This dude went through police training and can't do a basic task that an untrained person can typically figure out.
- Every time something happens he freaks out and has to be helped by someone else (see: him not shooting a zombie and Claire having to do it for him).
- He says that he doesn't know why he became a cop. In the game, he says that he became a cop because he wanted to help people. How am I supposed to like him as a character when he shows no motivation for anything? He's just kinda there
- The ONLY useful thing he does is grab a rocket launcher and kill a mutated William Birkin at the very end of the movie.
This isn't even getting into all the other things about the movie that sucks. Why did they decide to write it so that RE1 and 2 take place at the same time when RE2 and 3 already do? Why is Chief Irons the most lame character ever and not even remotely evil? Why did they have to write that Chris has a crush on Jill and Jill has a crush on Wesker?
The only good things I can say about this movie is that it was actually pretty cool that the RPD actually looked like it does in the game and they had the four keys from it as well as quite a few other references like that. Also their explanation for why the STARS members and Leon (all in the police force) aren't infected is actually kinda neat. If only they'd put more effort into writing a good script.
OH YEAH ALSO!!! They're planning to make a sequel and I think that's hilarious because what game could they possibly adapt in that case? They can't do the third one because they already showed what Jill was doing during the Raccoon City Incident in that movie and there's no way I can imagine the Leon from that universe ever going through what he does in Resident Evil 4. I guess they could do CODE: Veronica or something but I'm sure it'd be a dumpster fire no matter which game they try to adapt next.
#resident evil#resident evil 2#resident evil: welcome to raccoon city#kill it with fire#leon s. kennedy#leon kennedy
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Okay ykw I’m making a post. Very sorry about this because a) the adhdo5 blog is where I sit on the porch and shoot the shit and you shouldn’t come to me for news and b) I am very tired right now and can’t think very well so you’ll have to bear with me. I am NOT editing this shit so if it has typos or I sound incoherent very sorry again maybe you can like decipher it with your comrades or w/e
Long post; tl;dr at bottom
So I’ve seen posts going around about the Ohio train derailment. This is good and fine in itself. This is a serious issue that should be discussed and absolutely an environmental disaster, BUT there r some serious framing issues going on and while there’s other posts that discuss this better than I can or am interested in doing, I’d like to address one specific thing as kind of a microcosm/example
So there’s a version of the post going around where a commenter links some articles and pulls relevant quotes from them. Most seriously they pull this quote
While vinyl chloride itself is a carcinogen, the burning of the chemical, which releases hydrogen chloride and phosgene, can be immediately lethal. Phosgene, a highly toxic, colorless gas with a strong odor, was notoriously used as a weapon during World War I.
Now, that’s a scary fucking quote. That shit is frightening and it is a true assessment of the risk of vinyl chloride leaks. Put it in context of the earlier post, which is going on about a supposed media blackout and claims of mass death of pets etc., and claims that police blew up the tanks, and it evokes a truly terrifying image of these tanks being detonated carelessly and possibly leading to deaths.
But try on for size the literal first sentence of this article: (emphasis added)
The toxins that burned in the wreckage of the train derailment in Ohio had the potential to be deadly if officials did not order evacuations in the region, experts told ABC News.
And from an article from CNN: (emphasis added)
The wreckage burned for days, threatening a widespread, deadly explosion before crews Monday managed controlled detonations [...]
Workers used small charges to blow a tiny hole in five rail cars carrying vinyl chloride. The hazardous substance spilled into a trench, where it was burned away. [...]
Analysts have been conducting air monitoring and sampling over the last 24 hours in the East Palestine area, James Justice, a representative of the United States Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday.
"All of the readings we've been recording in the community have been at normal concentrations, normal backgrounds, which you find in almost any community," he said, and that's "what led to the fire chief lifting the evacuations today."
And a few paragraphs down in the very article the first quote is from:
A release from a vinyl chloride tank car creates a dangerous situation. The chemical, which is a gas at ambient temperature, is shipped in pressurized tank cars. “If you have a release, it vaporizes and it’s extremely flammable,” Kreuz says.
This is a completely different picture. Don’t get me wrong -- shit is still awful. It’s a dangerous situation that DID kill some beasts this IS a bad thing this IS a policy failure that it happened
But the tanks were detonated by professionals so that the fumes would be concentrated in one area that they could give evac orders for, and those evac orders have since been lifted because said controlled burn went off as planned. If they’d let it escape or explode by itself, the phosphene etc would likely still have been released, but in a way that would be way harder to Give Evac Orders For
Officials etc can still suck and be bad. It’s not like this is over or a solved issue. But this was not the cops. This was the EPA. This was people whose job is to deal with environmental catastrophes (which AGAIN this WAS). There are people who are trying to get third party tests done! Fair enough! But this is NOT something that people are left completely alone with
So what IS an issue here specifically? Where do we point scrutiny?
This is my biggest issue with that first quote pull; the text block immediately after it is possibly the most widely relevant thing in the article. Here’s a slightly longer quote: (emphasis added)
While vinyl chloride itself is a carcinogen, the burning of the chemical, which releases hydrogen chloride and phosgene, can be immediately lethal. Phosgene, a highly toxic, colorless gas with a strong odor, was notoriously used as a weapon during World War I.
The accident raises questions about safe rail transportation of vinyl chloride, a chemical that is predominantly converted to polyvinyl chloride on the site where it is produced. It also shines a light on general rail safety—the accident was the third freight train derailment in Ohio since last October.
I mean, in hindsight it’s clear -- this was a rail accident. But losing oneself in panic about the chemical spill itself being not dealt with or dealt with worse can cause one to lose focus. I know I certainly did until I looked .2mm further into the situation and found that paragraph, and then the focus Did become clear: remember the rail strikes? Hey, how are those going?
It’s extremely easy to get lost in panic and conspiracy-adjacent thought, especially because officials are extremely frequently bad at their jobs, because cops DO do stupid shit like this, because these are extant problems. But it’s also easy to get paralyzed by a nebulous fear of bad actors in the government and lose sight of the immediate issue that these chemical spills happen in general, that they happen because of something wrong with our rail system, etc.
This probably isn’t the One Secret Key to this, either, and there’s probably uglier nuances to the response, but it’s important to keep an eye out for this propensity in ourselves for panic, for catastrophizing, and to think about what and whom that benefits, to get a clearer view to see how one can genuinely help and if this is a thing to which you can afford to lend your concern, what you can do about it yourself. Be careful. Be conscientious about what you allow to take space in your brain and how much good it does you and the world really. Watch out for these kinds of nasty rhetorical traps, these kinds of framing subtleties that can vastly color how you see a situation
Now I am NOT trying to say that OP or commenter did that on purpose or out of malice. I think it’s very likely that they themselves panicked to some degree, quoted and reported on what caught their eye, etc.. I’m ALSO absolutely not saying that they or people who saw these quotes are stupid or gullible. I am Thirdly not trying to say at all I’m an authority on this part of the situation. My intent with this and what I hope anyone who read this far takes away from this is that this was, intentionally or more likely not, there’s been a rhetorical issue in how people are discussing this situation, and it’s one that can vastly increase distress and decrease efficacy of diagnosing the problem for people who ARE involved
Anyway
TL;DR (because god do I talk so much it’s the ADHD)
train carrying some very toxic shit derailed in Ohio
posts going around rn where OP talks about the tanks being exploded in a way that misleads people about the operation
some additions feature a commenter pulling a very frightening quote about those fumes
the truth is that it was a controlled burn done by professionals so the toxic shit wouldn’t catch fire and release horrible fumes in random residential areas
it was under evac order
it was successful and the evac order was since lifted
this is really bad but catastrophizing helps no one
REHAUL THE US RAIL SYSTEM NOW
support rail workers and if you have some dollars to spare maybe go see if anyone affected by the evacuations has a Ko-fi
#anyone wanting 2 talk 2 me about this uhhhhhhh probably don't I have no interest in getting involved in#[checks notes] Ohio explosion discourse#everything I had of value to say I just said (and then some) if you want more information read the links and then do proper research yourse#lf#I have a god damn headache#good fucking night. Thank you
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@hawkinsjournalist is visiting Forest Hills
Billy had only been awake for a few weeks now. His dad left town which also meant leaving Max and Susan behind, apparently. It had been a kind of relief but also a deep sadness to know the man had so easily left them all behind because his son may have wound up in a coma for the rest of his life after the “fire.”
Fire. Yeah, right. He’s not crazy and he’s not fucking stupid, no matter what Max thinks. He remembers the monster, the voice in his head, the visions. Hell, he’s still fucking hearing and seeing things but at least he has control of his body this time. Billy’s never letting go of that ever again if he can help it. But he knows Max is somehow involved, along with the chief of police and his kid, the Byers family, the Wheeler kids, the Sinclair kids, Steve, that girl he worked with, and that kid Henderson. None of them have told him what the fuck happened to him and he thinks it’s more than a little unfair considering his near death for them.
Then he has trouble sleeping one night. Keeps hearing the clock until he gets his Walkman out and starts blaring his Jimi Hendrix tape. It’s the only thing that makes it go away for a bit. It doesn’t stop the lights from flickering and keeping him awake, staring. Waiting. And in the morning he hears the cops as soon as they come. A kid from the high school got murdered in Eddie’s trailer. The blonde watches the proceedings in silence, smoking a cigarette while he scratches at the scars on his hands. He may not know Eddie too well but he knows the guy isn’t freak enough to kill some cheerleader. And the lights flickering like they did last night have him convinced something is up.
If it is, then he knows the nerd brigade will involve themselves soon. All Billy has to do is sit and wait.
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I'll never forget:
Was working as a surveyor at the time. My crew chief and I were headed to a job site right across the Hudson, in eyesight of the WTC.
En route to the site, we were listening to the radio in the truck when reports came through of the first tower being hit. Someone from inside the first tower managed to call the radio station:
"It's really smoky, and hard to breathe (a cacophony of noises of people in the background of the call could be heard), but we're doing okay, otherwise."
Little did they know.
My crew chief, an otherwise mean, racist piece of shit, showed a moment of softness. Tears flowed from his eyes, with a look of complete confusion and bewilderment on his face.
"I don't understand. There must be some sort of mistake or something..", he said.
I only responded with a side eye to his comment, thinking to myself, "I know better, there's something more to this."
My suspicion was confirmed once the second tower got hit.
We were a tunnel away from our job site, a tunnel that was blocked by a police cruiser, the cop doing his best to redirect traffic. Seemed like every surrounding public service was running thin.
My crew chief asked the cop, "Can we get through? Our job site is on the other side of this tunnel."
"No one's getting through but EMS, Fire, police and FBI.", the cop responded.
We were stuck, traffic was bumper to bumper, and there was no way to communicate to HQ that we were ok.
I noticed that the cops' flares were about to die out, so I told my crew chief that if we're going to be stuck here, might as well help the cop with traffic. So we pulled our truck out of traffic on to a median, and pulled our cones out to put them in place of the flares the cop put out, and helped him redirect traffic as best as we could.
A woman drove up to me with a look of fear and worry on her face.
She asked me, "Is there another way to get into the city? My husband works in the tower, and I need to make sure he's ok."
"I'm sorry, the only ways to get in from here are the Lincoln tunnel, and the GW bridge, and both of the are closed. I'm sorry.", I responded.
We were there for 3-4 hours before traffic started to lighten up (overstatement), we packed up our cones and drove back to HQ. Both towers were gone by then.
When we got back, the rest of the employees at the surveying firm were relieved to see that we were safe. When I got home, I cleaned up, then rode my bike to a friend's house, to find that my other friends were already gathered, rolling up trees.
We all looked at each other, silent, then suddenly said, almost in unison, "State of emergency."
I smoked so much that day. For weeks, I could see the smoke coming from ground zero from my bedroom window.
Once my crew chief and I were cleared to go back to our job site...the taste/smell of blood and metal in the air was unshakable. Similar to the taste of putting a 9V battery on your tongue.
I'll never forget.
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