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justwearthegoddamncardigan · 1 year

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Hi! Is there any chance you could write a Newt x Female reader they both have a crush on each other but are too scared to admit it so Y/n starts avoiding Newt, then Newt is like concerned, and Minho is all like, "You idiot, can't you tell that she likes you?" And then some sort of cute confession? It's okay if you don't want to write it, though! Thanks!

Hello! This is so cute, thanks for requesting ❤️ Hope you enjoy!

Strawberry Kisses

Newt x fem!reader

Set during tmr (movieverse)

Warnings: language, a single sex joke

"Hey," greets Newt, sliding into the bench beside you.

"Morning," you respond. "Did you tell Fry about the strawberries yesterday?"

"Yep," he says with a grin. "It's perfect. Box'll come up with sugar soon, so we can make jam when they're ripe."

He pushes a bit of bacon onto your plate, because for some inane reason, he hates it.

"Jam?" Minho sits down across from you, ears perked up at the rare sweet.

You laugh a little. "Yeah, the strawberries actually grew properly for once."

You work in the gardens with Newt, and you often work on planting and harvesting the more delicate fruits and plants.

It's a little frustrating sometimes when they don't grow well in the Glade environment, but it's always a huge reward when you get to pick the rare fruits.

When you're done with breakfast, you go off to work with Newt.

And that's where your dilemma begins.

For months, you've managed to keep your feelings under wraps, but your tiny crush has somehow evolved into this huge thing.

It used to be okay. You could pretend your feelings were just trivial, and you could act like there was nothing between you and Newt.

But lately it's been so hard. There's an ache in your chest every time you see him, aching to get closer, to pull him in and kiss that smile.

You've pictured confessing your feelings a thousand times, but you've always been too scared of being rejected.

Which leaves you here.

Maybe it would be better if your jobs weren't so close, but instead you work side by side with him every day.

"Y/n, you alright?"

You startle as you realise you've been staring at him while thinking, and quickly shake yourself out of your thoughts.

"Yeah, 'm fine." You busy yourself with plucking some tomatoes.

As you finish clearing out the low ones, you reach up to grab the ones near the top of the vine.

Newt chuckles as you huff, unable to get to them, and you roll your eyes at his laugh.

"Here, I got 'em."

He steps closer, reaching up over you to pick the high tomatoes, leaving you about eye level with his neck.

You realise the two of you are dangerously close together.

Jesus, pull yourself together Y/n.

He looks up in frustration at the highest ones, clearly unaware of your current inner turmoil.

"We can get the stepladder-" you start, but then he reaches up again, this time stretching up onto his toes to reach.

You stop breathing when he rests a hand on your shoulder for balance.

"Got them," he says with a grin, and when he steps back down you're practically nose to nose.

Your eyes flicker down to his lips.

Shuck.

You take a huge step back, grabbing the basket of tomatoes. "Great, um. I'm gonna take these to Frypan."

"What, now?"

"Yep, now," you turn and powerwalk away, eyes facing straight ahead, not looking back.

⭒----⭒

You lay awake that night, thinking about everything with you and Newt.

This crush is starting to affect your life.

Not just cause of potentially embarrassing situations, but it hurts too, liking someone and not being able to do anything about it.

So you decide to distance yourself a little, give yourself some space to breathe, and maybe get over your crush.

You wake up the next day, practically at sunrise, and get an early breakfast.

It's actually kinda nice.

There aren't that many people up, just Frypan in the kitchens and Minho and Ben preparing for the morning run.

Minho looks up in surprise as he sees you.

"Y/n, you're up early."

"Yeah," you say. "Just- trying out this new thing."

"A waking up early thing?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep."

He shrugs. "Alright, good for you I guess."

When you see the other Gladers start to rise, you move into the gardens to start work early.

You watch from a distance as Newt wakes up and goes to the breakfast table.

After a while, he starts looking around a little, seemingly confused.

Is he looking for you?

You give yourself a mental shake, and tear your gaze away from him.

The whole point was to stop thinking about him, for shuck's sake.

You work for a solid ten minutes until a voice rings out behind you.

"Y/n!" Newt walks into the gardens. "Missed you at breakfast."

You nod. "I was here," you say shortly.

"Right. Well, since you weren't there, I had to eat bacon today. Still tastes like salty paper."

He cracks a smile, probably expecting you to jokingly condemn his aversion to bacon, as you normally do.

"You could probably tell Frypan not to give it to you," you say, speaking casually as you force yourself to turn away, facing your back to him.

"I- yeah, I guess."

The silence you usually fill with chatting and laughing stretches uncomfortably.

"Hey, I think Zart wanted someone to clear weeds over there," you say, pointing to a crop across on the other side of the farm.

"Oh, right. I can ask someone else to do that, if you want help here."

"I should be fine," you tell him.

He nods and steps away awkwardly. "Okay, I'll go... do that."

⭒----⭒

The next few days are full of interactions like that.

You avoid him at meals as much as you can, and when you can't, you make sure you're never sitting too near.

Minho's been sandwiched between the two of you on multiple occasions.

You also plan your free time away from his, but you tend to fail at being subtle about it.

When he gets back from his break, you end your shift, feeling his confused and slightly hurt expressions punch you in the gut.

"Y/n." You feel a nudge in your leg under the table.

You look up at Minho, who's looking at you with a thoughtful expression.

You raise your eyebrows. "What is it?"

"Have you been avoiding Newt?"

You shift uncomfortably in your seat. "Of course not, why would you think that?"

"Well, you're here, right now, instead of being with him in the gardens."

"I'm just... on my break. And hey, why can't I see you? We're friends."

"You can see me. And yeah, we're friends. But you spend way more time with me than you do with Newt."

"I get the feeling you're trying to friend-dump me," you say, aiming for levity as Minho strays worryingly close to the truth.

"Y/n." Minho leans forward, looking you in the eye. "You're crushing on Newt so much you literally have to run away and hide in the Runner's hut every single day."

You fumble for words for a second, then give up on hiding it.

"Shuck," you groan. "Am I obvious?"

"Not at all."

"Really?"

"With the way you're acting around him right now, I wouldn't even think the two of you are friends."

You sigh, dropping your face into your hands.

"I just don't know what to do."

"Ask him out," says Minho, like it's obvious.

His grin turns teasing as he continues. "Tell him you love him. Kiss him right on the lips. Take him into a hut and make sweet sweet love to him."

You level Minho with a deadly glare.

He rolls his eyes. "Literally anything but stay in here with me moping over his dumb ass."

You shake your head, standing up. "I'm going back to work."

"Which means Newt's on break now, is he?"

You bite your lip. "He is."

You hear Minho sigh as you leave. "Idiots, both of you."

⭒----⭒

You meet Newt halfway on the way back to the gardens.

"Hey," he says, giving you a smile.

That smile. That smile is probably about half the reason you're doing this whole space and distance thing.

"Hi," you respond.

"I think the strawberries are about ready to be picked. D'you want help? I can come along, if you like?"

"Aren't you on break?" you ask.

"Technically, yes, but-"

"We're meant to stay on schedule," you say, as if he isn't second in command of the glade and also absolutely meticulous about sticking to plans.

He blinks in surprise, and this time he's definitely hurt. Fuck, now you're just being a bitch.

You let out a sigh as he steps back. "Newt, wait. I'm sorry. Just... there's a lot on my mind right now, and I was looking for some alone time." It's a half-truth.

He nods. "It's- it's okay. Go on, if the strawberries are done by today we'll have jam tomorrow."

You send him a weak smile and move to the gardens.

⭒----⭒

As you go to your shift, Newt walks over to the Runner's hut, entering and immediately slumping down into a chair.

"Alright, what's this about then?" asks Minho, as though he doesn't know exactly what's happening.

Newt hesitates. "...have you talked to Y/n recently? Is she alright?"

"She's okay..." says Minho slowly, waiting to hear what Newt says.

Newt looks down at his hands. "She's so distant lately. We never talk. I don't know what happened. Do you think it's something I did?"

"Newt, man, you look like an actual kicked puppy right now. I can't even have fun with this."

Newt frowns. "What are you talking about?"

Minho rolls his eyes. "You're both idiots, seriously. Look, can't you tell she likes you?"

"What?" Newt's eyes jump up to Minho.

"She's been avoiding you cause she likes you, you dumb shank. You're both so blindly in love you can't see that the other likes you back."

"She- she likes me?"

"Just go talk to her, Newt. Put everyone out of their misery."

⭒----⭒

Newt waits for the next day to talk to you.

You're sitting in a secluded clearing, just having a peaceful break as you listen to a small stream trickling nearby.

You turn as you hear footsteps crunching through the grass behind you.

Newt gives you a smile when he sees you, waving and looking slightly... nervous?.

Weird.

"Hi," he says, sitting down beside you. "Frypan told me he's made the jam. Do you... wanna come try it with me?"

You send him a small smile, but shake your head. "Thanks, but I might go later. You can go now though, if you don't want to wait."

"It's alright. Do you want some company?"

The yes is on the tip of your tongue. You just want to lean your head on his shoulder and tell him how you feel.

But what if he doesn't like you back? What is he doesn't even want to be friends after?

You stand, dusting yourself off. "I think I'm just gonna go-"

Newt stands abruptly, catching your hand and tugging you back as you turn to leave.

"No, okay? No. Just please, don't go for once."

"Newt..."

"Listen, I've been... I just- Oh, shuck it."

He pulls you back in and kisses you.

Your eyes flutter closed automatically, and you step closer, feeling his arm tighten around your waist as you kiss back.

You blink your eyes open as he pulls back slowly, and you just blurt out the first thing that comes to mind.

"Did you already have the jam?"

He blinks in surprise, then blushes. "I- yeah, I was at the kitchens just before. ...sorry."

You grin up at him, gliding a hand through his hair. He blush blooms fully, and you decide that it's your life goal to make him blush as much as possible.

"Why would you be sorry? I like strawberries."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. But I didn't really get a good taste..."

He grins at you, and you decide that it's also your life goal to make him smile as much as possible.

"I guess you should have another try then," he says.

You kiss him again, this time harder, letting your tongue sweep past his lips.

"Newt," you say between kisses.

"Mm?"

"Sorry I kept pulling away," you whisper.

He breaks the kiss gently, smoothing his thumb across your cheek and resting his forehead on yours.

"It's okay. I think I get what was happening." He presses another kiss to your lips, this time soft and slow.

"Thank you. I really like you, in case you didn't get that yet."

He smiles against your lips. "I really like you too, Y/n."

I actually made myself smile so much with this fic, especially near the end. It was so fun to write :))

I love these cause Newt x reader with Minho as a supportive bestie is one of my favourite things to write, so thank you anon ❤❤

Also, hope you like strawberries, cause I wrote the first conversation and then just ran with it.

#the maze runner #tmr newt #newt x you #newt x reader #tmr newt x reader #my writing

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starlightandfairies · 1 month

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Ok ok I really love you! That's the last request hahaha I don't wanna annoy you ❤️ I had this somehow cute idea where you've fallen in love with him but he doesn't know and one time you get a little drunk with the girls, later deciding to grab a taxi to the Mikaelson house. Klaus is the one letting you in but Elijah already felt your presence and tries to keep you safe around Klaus, or as you start playing with their swords and stuff. Klaus watches with amusement at his brother taking care of a human girl and makes a comment like "better keep her before I do", and that wakes something in Elijah that he takes you to his room, just to keep you safe. You end up cuddled on top of him, admitting your love to him before falling asleep. He also realizes that he has feelings for you, but he decides to tell you properly in the morning when you wake up 😊😙

Description: A drunken reader leads to playful chaos between the Mikaelson brothers and feelings being revealed.

Warnings: she/her pronouns, drunkness, fluff, swearing

*Requests are open, please send through as many requests as you want, check my character list and requesting rules.*

Thank you so again for requesting! No! You're not annoying me! I'm really enjoying getting requests so don't feel bad! I hope you also enjoy this one!

Key: Y/N = Your Name, POV = Point of view

Word Count: 1,156

First Person's POV

Girls' night out was amazing, I haven't had a night like this in ages, away from all the drama and finally able to just relax with the girls and just be us. I knew I was getting tipsy, I could feel my giggles becoming more and more prominent than normal. The girls were going home, so I decided to head towards the Mikaelson house, I stood on the street hailing a taxi and stumbled into the vehicle once it arrived. I asked to be taken to the address, the walk to the porch of the Mikaelson resident seemed like an incredible challenge, I'm sure that to an outsider I just looked like a fawn learning to walk but I felt as if I was climbing Mount Everest.

I giggled to myself as I fell against the door, I sucked in a breath, trying to pull myself together as I knocked waiting for someone to answer. I was surprised when it was Niklaus, I waved almost childishly, smiling brightly at the Hybrid who clearly seemed amused by my current state.

In all honesty, I have no clue how I ended up sword-fighting with Niklaus, however, somehow this is where we ended up. Sword fighting in the parlour. I highly recommend it, however, do take care. I grinned brightly seeing Elijah walking forward with his usual look of concern plastered on his face, however, once he was at my side he smiled.

"Good evening, Y/n, I didn't realise you'd be joining us."

"Spur of the moment type thing." I turned my attention back to Niklaus, continuing our little sword fight, I jumped as Elijah used his speed to appear in front of me, I grinned excitedly but quickly pouted as he took the sword off of me.

"How about instead you sit with me, and tell me all about your night?" The pout faded away, I nodded in agreement, sitting on the sofa with him and instantly began rambling on about every little detail that went on tonight. I'm sure I shared details I wouldn't typically share in normal conversation, my filter was non-existent and oh, how I know that if I could watch myself right I would wish for it badly.

"Am I okay to take my shoes off?" I questioned glancing down to the hells that were now becoming painful and unwanted. Elijah nodded, though, after watching my struggle he lightly took my hands and proceeded to continue to charm me with his gorgeous smile that drew me in the first time I saw him.

"May I help you?" I nodded, frustrated with my inability to undo the damn straps on my shoes, Elijah kindly took my shoes off for me and rested them to the side. The vampire stared at me for a good minute, assessing my needs and whatever else that was needed to be assessed.

"I'll be right back, I'll get you some water." I threw my arms around him, giggling happily, thanking him and plopped back into the couch. I waited patiently for both vampires to return, I fiddled with my hands, staring at everything in the room and running my finger over my lips making odd sounds just for the sake of it.

Elijah's POV

I began pouring some water, and getting some things prepared for Y/n knowing that in the morning the hangover would come, I wanted her to be okay and wanted her to be safe. So I was quite glad that Niklaus chose to follow instead of causing more havoc with Y/n.

"You know, brother, you better sweep her up before I do." His smirk and words struck a chord. He knew of my feelings, Niklaus knew that I would do anything for her and knew that he would follow through on his words. I made my way back to the living room, stopping in my tracks seeing her laying upside down on the couch, he head on the floor and her legs dangling over the backrest of the sofa.

I bit back the smile dying to show, I sat beside her, smiling as she waved happily and awkwardly twisted and turned trying to get back into an upright position. I took her hands, smiling as she rested her head on my shoulder and that gorgeous smile just permanetly stuck on her lips.

"Come with me, will you, please?" Y/n nodded, taking my hand and following me to my room. I handed her the glass of water, watching as she plopped onto my bed finishing the glass of water within a gulp and began curling up underneath the blankets.

'Would you lay with me, please? I couldn't refuse, I nodded and kicked off my shoes and rested besides her. I wrapped my arms around her as she began to lay upon me, her eyes were fluttering open and shut her words escaping in a mumble.

"I love you, Elijah. I really love you. Like a lot. Super a lot." Before I could even deny anything, I could feel her swiftly fall asleep, I didn't want to disturb her, I didn't want this moment to end. I knew that in this moment I wanted to confess my feelings for her, so I thought it would be best to do so in the morning.

First Person's POV

As the light shined into the room, I knew my headache would be a bitch to deal with, I pushed myself up into a sitting positon in the boat. I stretched briefly, jumping slightly to see Elijah walking into the room with a glass of water and a packet of painkillers.

"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you." I whispered, sipping the water and taling the painkillers. Elijah sat on the bed besides me, I rested my head on his shoulder and began sharing my apology.

"I'm so sorry, was I a complete mess?"

"No, not at all."

"You're a liar." I whispered.

"You were just really giggly and silly. You told me you loved me- I don't know how much of that was true..."

"That was true, I meant that." I confirmed, seeing there was no point in denying the fact that I loved him. Elijah sat in silence for a good moment, I could feeel my heart halt for a second fearing that his reaction cold be poor and that he would react in a way that ruin our friendship.

"I love you too." He whispered, his eyes focused on me, I glanced to him surprised and shocked about the outcome of the confession. I smiled pushing myself up and grabbed ahold of his face. Looking to see if the noble vampire was lying to me, he grabbed my hands, his look gentle and comforting. I knew just then that it wasn't a lie and that this was all true.

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decolonize-the-left · 4 months

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Anyway, I really like the work The Last Poet is doing on tt to help the strike that Bisan called for. If you missed the post about it here's the gist:

TLP a person on tt who relies on mutual aid to survive. As such, when Bisan called for a strike they had the knowledge of how to organize mutual aid. They used that skillset to help employed ppl who wanted to strike but did not have unions/money to do it. She got some of her other friends who had also built trust on the app to help and they worked together to support these ppl.

And what they did was organize fundraising for 30+ people and as of 2 hours ago, they're only $800 away from their 19k goal

I would like to do something similar next time a credible strike is called for.

I will need help keeping things organized as I'm not that kind of ND so I'm also inviting others to help me or to do this yourselves if you are more capable.

Further this is Tumblr and not tt so it's gonna be a little different.

How it works (generally):

Figure out who wants to help coordinate, who can communicate with a lot of people, to write/explain posts, to track goals on a spreadsheet, rational decision making, etc. Then figure out your collective reach and abilities (like how many people you can all raise money for) and apply them where they fit best. These are your Organizers.

The aid: funds for people who can't afford to strike.

People in need of aid will make their own posts that the Social Media Team then boosts.

As you might be concerned, boosting everyone might inhibit anyone from meeting their goal. So focusing on a select few would is best to help ppl meet their goals. Then we can move on to the next person/batch of people. Organizers need to determine who the Social Media Team should focus on first (fcfs is usually fair) and make sure it's communicated clearly who those specific people are.

The Social Media Team team can be anyone with a social media acct but large blogs should definitely be sought out to participate here. The goal of the Social Media Team is to reach Supporters, people who will donate and/or boost further. Absolutely share and boost on other platforms. As TLP explains: there is no shortage of people who are willing to part with their wealth for a good cause, we just gotta find them

Constant communication between people getting aid and organizers is key so that goals are being properly reported and updated on posts.

The way TLP has it set up: large donations go to organizers who then split the money evenly between the people being boosted. Smaller amounts can be directly donated. Any amount donated needs to be reported to organizers so that it can be tracked properly. When the goal is met, they move to the next person until everyone is helped.

When everyone is helped you can all decide to help more people (if you are able/still have spoons to repeat the process) or you can rest up before it's time to do it again.

And before y'all tell me I can't:

Yes the fuck I can actually, so jot that down.

Who is with me? If we start organizing now and growing our little Tumblr pods then the next strike that comes around it'll be more effective cuz more people will be able to participate. More effective is the goal, right?

Spread this post too. I am not (and don't want to be) the only person doing this. If you're able, please start up something similar within your own circle. We will reach more people and be able to help more people if more people are organizing this kind of work.

If you ALREADY make mut aid posts or share don*tion posts, this is the same thing. Just a bigger, more organized scale. It's really not that scary. And just cuz I'm posting this on Tumblr, that doesn't mean you can't create your own effort on Twitter or insta or whatever. Everyone should be doing this everywhere if you ask me.

Also we could practice this by coordinating with people who currently have mut-aid posts up. Just saying ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ we could learn how to be more effective while helping each other at the same time.

So if you wanna be involved or get involved then reblog this. Share it somewhere else. Make your own post about it. Just share it. Consider this the first post that needs to be boosted are you part of the team or not?

Also I feel like we'd find each other way easier if we used a specific hashtag for this decentralized global strike fundraising so leave some suggestions in the replies ⬇️

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the-bottom-of-the-abyss · 1 year

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siren song - chapter 3

previous chapter: chapter 2

next chapter: chapter 4

A/N: This is a little dialogue heavy and mostly mission focused. I really want to make it as immersive as possible! I'm like fighting with the taglist rn in getting it to tag everyone properly. If it doesn't notify you just message me and I'll see if there's a broken link in my Excel sheet somewhere! Thank you for all the love on this series!! I makes me so happy!!

Siren

29 August 2022

1915, Mexican Special Forces base, Las Almas

“We got a hit on Hassan’s location. He’s being stashed in a cartel safehouse not far from your current location.”

Maps pinpointing a safehouse appeared behind a picture Hassan as Laswell’s voice rang out in the dark room, the only source of light being the projector.

You stood out some compared to the rest of the room; while everyone else sported tactical gear, you were still in your outfit from earlier with an addition: you wore a jacket that was about three sizes too big on your frame and smelled of gun-oil and pine-scented body wash. You looked like a kid playing dress up in their parents clothes with it reaching your mid-thigh and sleeves being longer than your arms.

You stood next to the jacket’s owner, Ghost, as Laswell and the General went over tomorrow’s plan. Of course, once you caught up to him after your impromptu “conversation,” neither of you mentioned what occurred.

Seemed to be a running theme.

“Ghost, Soap, Siren, and Mexican Special Forces will hit the safehouse tomorrow afternoon. Phillip Graves and his Shadow PMC will be on standby for air support. I’ll leave you to rest and prepare. We need to get Hassan.”

—

While everyone filed out of the room, Alejandro gestured for you to stay. Both Soap and Ghost gave you a look but you waved them on ahead.

“Siren,” he started. “I’m not sure if anyone else will say it, but you did good today, hermana. Others may not understand, but I know what it’s like to give everything for the sake of what is right.” In that moment, the dark look in his eyes made him seem ten years older than what he was. It was clear just by his demeanor that he had been through a lot, had to give up a lot to get to where he was now. “You gave us more than just Hassan. Things that we normally wouldn’t be able to get our hands on.”

“I’m glad,” you said, not really knowing what else to say. Did you say you were suprised but then again you weren’t? On one hand, you were used to discussing your exploits freely with Laswell and Shepherd, and before them, your previous superiors. On the other, you knew this was very different than what the others were used to when it came to gathering intel; likely it seemed very odd that someone would voluntarily let bad men get close in the most intimate way possible for any reason, regardless of importance. You had your reasons though, not that anyone besides a handful knew them.

“Let me show you to your room with Soap and Ghost.”

—

He brought you to a small room that held three cots. Soap sat on the far left one while the far right one had what you assumed to be Ghost’s stuff on it. Alejandro left to go brief his men on tomorrow’s plan while you sat down your stuff on the middle bed and turned to face Soap.

“Where’s Ghost?”

“In the shower,” Soap replied.

“Good. I think he’s a little mad at me.”

“Nah,” Soap said. “He was just concerned.” You could tell he wasn’t really looking at you, instead training his eyes anywhere but you. Since Soap didn’t say anything more on that topic, you decided to breach the subject of your mission.

“Thanks for having my back.”

“O’ course,” he replied. Again, his answer was short and you decided that you should probably just address the elephant in the room.

“You’re allowed to look at me, Soap. And you can talk about what you saw. I’m sure it’s not your everyday idea of intelligence gathering.”

He nodded and finally looked at you in the eyes.

“I just,” he started. “I don’t want to be like them. I’m sure when you’re like that, men stare at you like you’re a piece of meat. I don’t want to make you feel like I don’t view you as equal because of what you do. You’re part of the team now, Siren.”

You gave him a small smile. “That’s very considerate, Soap, really. But I promise, it really does not bother me. I choose to do this work, and I don’t want you to feel awkward with me. Trust me, you’re not like them. None of you are.”

Just as you finished your sentiment, Ghost walked in. You slid the jacket off of your shoulders and handed it to him.

“Thanks,” you said not waiting for a reply before grabbing your things to shower. You did not want to open up the can of worms that was your mission with him, not when you needed to prepare for tomorrow. You could trade smart remarks and barbs another day.

“No one will give you trouble?” Soap asked, likely referencing your outfit, now on display once more.

“If they did, they would regret it,” you said, showing off your still bloody knife from earlier with a sacchrine smile.

---

Siren

30 August 2022

0930, En route to cartel safehouse, Las Almas

You sat squished in between Soap and Ghost with Rodolfo driving and Alejandro in the passanger seat on the way to the safehouse. You were on the way to hopefully capture Hassan and secure any missles still in his hands. Before you could get very far, you saw Soap reach for his gun.

“White truck, four armed in the back.”

“Hey—tranquilo,” Alejandro said, turning his upper body to face Soap. “Easy—that’s normal here. Guns on the street is jurisdiction of the police.”

“Where are the police?” you asked.

“Well, Las Almas has a very serious problem,” he began, looking at you in the rearview mirror. “There are few here to uphold the law. And many of those who resist corruption… Disappear.”

“What about the military?” countered Soap.

“Well, because we are well trained, soldiers are recruited by the narcos…”

“Why not you?” Ghost’s voice rang out from beside you.

Alejandro gave a shrug. “We grew up here. They call us Los Vaqueros… Cowboys. We love this place. And we will die fighting for it.” All you could think about was the brief conversation you had with Alejandro last night. It was clear he really did care for Las Almas. And would die for it as well.

As you continued to drive, you saw a cart with balloons and sweets serving families but with a twist: a cartel member in a skull balaclava holding a rifle was with them, interacting with them.

“Kids, guns and balloons… that’s a new one,” Soap said, giving both Ghost and you a troubled glance.

“Narcos use generosity to win over the people,” Alejandro said in explanation.

“Even the children?”

“Especially the children…” said Rodolfo, glancing at the three of you in the rearview.

Not even a few minutes later, you drove past another disturbing sight, one that made Rodolfo stop the car as you all looked on. An older blue pickup truck had a white sheet covered in spanish taped onto the bed of the truck. Under it lied two bodies covered with a cloth of the same mantra, their blood staining the cobblestone underneath. From the blood alone you could tell these deaths were not due to a simple bullet to the head.

“What’s on those sheets?” Soap asked.

“Narcomantas…” Alejandro said, a haunted look in his eyes.

“Cartel cloths,” explained Rodolfo.

“Messages from El Sin Nombre. Warnings, marking territory,” Alejandro shook his head. “Our streets are laced with death.”

“Who’s Sin Nombre?” Ghost asked.

“El Sin Nombre,” Alejandro corrected. “The Nameless… The leader of the Las Almas cartel.”

“Where can we find him?” Soap asked with a subtle threat in his tone.

“You can’t. No one knows who he is,” As Alejandro spoke, you drove past a mural to El Sin Nombre, along with the Las Almas cartel symbol: a rose with two crossed daggers. That same symbol was tattooed on Miguel’s arm along with the rest of his friends. “But he is everywhere, and this is a challenge,” Alejandro then chuckled and looked at his partner. “But Los Vaqueros like challenges.”

A beat passed before Rodolfo spoke up. “With your mask, you will fit in well here, Ghost.” Ghost looked at Rodolfo in the mirror while Soap made a hand gesture to not talk about it. You mainly just watched the exchange but couldn’t help to harden your gaze slightly at the remark; it doesn’t take a genius to infer that Ghost wore his mask for a reason.

“Hey, easy…” Alejandro told Rodolfo before directing him to avoid the roadblock ahead. “Checkpoint. It’s the army. Turn right, we’ll go around.” Rodolfo nodded and turned down a side street.

“Why?” Soap asked.

“Some troops are in the pocket of El Sin Nombre. Like I told you, he is everywhere. The info on the narco’s phone showed the cartel is hiding Hassan in the village across the river. Let’s hope he’s still there.”

You continued driving out of the main hub in Las Almas with everyone left in their thoughts as the smooth stone turned to well-driven backroads.

You were thinking about last night. The thrill of the game, the satisfaction at getting people to believe your new personality. How you wore so many masks that not many knew the real one, not even you sometimes.

But at least you weren’t the only one that wore a mask. Maybe you wore them for different reasons but you both still hid behind them just the same.

---

Siren

30 August 2022

1000, Cartel safehouse, Las Almas

The car slowed down, the gravel underneath the tires causing you to jerk into both Ghost and Soap. Rodolfo had stopped the car at what looked like a small handful of houses, all hidden between trees.

“Team leaders, circle up on me,” you heard Alejandro say as he exited the car. All of you followed in suit and gathered your weapons. You carried a sniper rifle with a bit harder of a punch, the LA-B 330, and a VEL 46, a submachine gun that was quick to fire and could take down enemies fast in close combat.

You all then gathered around Alejandro to hear what he had to say.

As some of his other teanm passed you, some took a daring glance at Ghost, who now sported sunglasses over his mask. Luckily for them, none commented, not even in Spanish.

“Weapons hot, Vaqueros.”

“Where are they holding Hassan?” As Soap asked, Rodolfo and Alejandro exchanged a fist bump before Rodolfo departed, leading his own group of men.

“White two-story building. Back of town,” Alejandro told Soap. Alejandro lead you, Ghost, Soap and two of his men, Rodriguez and Sanchez, to a solid gate with the connecting archway being made of pieced-together cobblestone.

As you stood outside of the gate beside Soap, Alejandro whispered something in Spanish to his radio, likely telling them to stand by.

Then he counted down from three and Ghost flung open the door for Alejandro to enter, gun drawn, followed by Ghost, Soap, you, then Rodriguez and Sanchez.

“Clear. Move,” Alejandro ordered.

“Civillians?” you asked. It didn’t seem like it was strictly a drug manufactoring hub. There were soccer balls, grills, and gardens around some of the houses, things that were more indicative of families than narcos.

“Gone,” Alejandro replied. “Cartel took over. It’s a hideout now.” You passed two abandoned houses before coming upon a gate like the first one.

“Good place to keep Hassan,” Soap commented.

Just before Ghost opened the gate you could hear voices on the other side.

As Alejandro entered, he radioed to his men to his team to move in while he fired at one of three members. You used your SMG to take out one while Soap took out another.

“They’re down,” Alejandro said. “Push up.”

You moved forward and turned a corner. Bullets were fired towards your team from the end, and you all returned fire, taking down the two men shooting at you.

“Clear,” you said after those two were killed.

“Secure this house, then we go for Hassan,” Alejandro told the five of you.

“Cartel will move him fast,” Ghost cautioned.

“Then we move faster.”

Voices from inside the house could be heard; there was no way they did not hear the gunfire being exchanged.

“Heads up, they’re ready. Take the door, Soap.”

Soap opened the door, revealing a darkened interior. You didn’t have to search for anyone long because as soon as Soap was about to turn down the hall, you hear, “Muere, hijo de-“ before being cut off by gunfire.

“Doorway, right side,” you told Soap. He swung his rifle into the side room which was clear of any hostiles.

“Hassan could be anywhere…” Alejandro said.

Before Soap could check the next room, shots were already fired from within, the muzzle flash illuminating the room. Soap shot through the door and nothing else could be seen or heard.

“Room clear,” he said.

“Good shots, hermano.”

“No sign of Hassan,” you commented.

“Not yet,” Alejandro replied.

The six of you pushed into the living room. It seemed like a cozy space, once upon a time. A red, well-used couch sat in front of a TV and the connected kitchen had white tile that contrasted with the dark, wood cabinets. It looked like a family home.

Apparently, you weren’t the only one who thought so.

“What happened to the families here?” Soap asked.

“The cartel brings violence, so they leave,” Alejandro said. “Get ready to move.”

Just as Soap went to open the door, Alejandro stopped him. “Stand by…”

He radioed some of his men, with the only word you could translate being smoke.

A hissing noise filled the air as a heavy mist could be seen falling outside the windows.

“Where’s your family, Alejandro?” Soap asked.

“Soap!” you chastised. He gave you a look that was like, “What? It was just a question.”

Alejandro nodded at you and looked back to Soap. “I keep that a secret, hermano… To protect them.”

Ghost, ever the tactition, said, “We have concealment.”

This earned an affirmative nod from Alejandro who then said, “Let’s move. On me.”

You followed him out the door and into the smoke. The house in front of you was two stories, white, with three bay windows. An abandoned red, yellow, and blue toy tricycle laid in the yard, the image causing a pang in your heart.

“This is where they were hiding Hassan. Expect resistance,” Alejandro said. He then radioed to the other team your location.

“¡Vamos, vamos!”

Sanchez shot off the lock and Alejandro rolled a flash grenade in, letting it go off before entering. Shots were exchanged almost immediately; Alejandro took out a few, leaving the rest for you, Soap, and Ghost.

You took out one who was firing through a door before yelling out, “Clear!”

“Clear!” Alejandro confirmed. “No Hassan.”

“Second deck,” Ghost ordered.

“Si. Vamos. Let’s move upstairs and get Hassan.”

You followed Alejandro and Ghost up the stairs while Soap and Rodriguez came up last. As they reached the turn in the stairs, someone began shooting at them. Ghost quickly got rid of the threat before moving to the side of a doorway.

“If Hassan’s here, he’s in this room,” Alejandro said, gesturing with his head to the doorway Ghost stood at. Two cartel members fired at the five of you but stood little chance with five soldiers with automatic weapons aiming for them.

“Move in. Secure the room. I’ll cover,” Alejandro said once the bullets stopped coming from the room. You made your way through, stepping over one of the bodies in order to check the bathroom. You flung the door open and let out a breath when it was empty. “Clear. No Hassan.”

Alejandro radioed to his men that Hasssan was not in the building and Rodolfo seemed to confirm that he had gotten the message.

A desk was sat near a window and it had what looked to be an open backpack, a beer, a plate, and a binder that Ghost was now flipping through.

Alejandro heaved a sigh. “They must’ve moved him.”

“When?” Soap questioned, walking up to stand beside you and Ghost.

“Recently.”

Before you could chime in, Ghost pointed at a flag above the desk. It was a vibrant blue with a yellow symbol on it. It depicted a hand gripping an assault weapon in a fist in front of a world symbol. On it was text you couldn’t decipher but you didn’t need a translation to recognize the flag.

“Quds Force. That’s his flag,” Ghost said.

“He was here,” Alejandro said.

“Siren’s intel was good,” Soap concluded.

Before you could make a comment on it, Rodolfo’s voice came in urgently over the radio. Whatever he said caused Alejandro to curse.

“¡Mierda!”

He rushed to the bay windows facing the village entrance, causing you all to follow.

“What is it?” Ghost asked.

“The army,” Alejandro said ominously.

“We got reinforcements,” Soap said. However by Alejandro’s tone and subsequent orders to his men, you had a feeling this wasn’t an aid in your search for Hassan.

“Negative,” Alejandro said, confirming your suspicions.

“What’re we doin’?” Ghost asked quietly, kneeling in front of the wall between two of the windows. You took a place beside him, looking out the same window as Soap while Alejandro looked took the other side of the window Ghost was peeking through.

“Covering my men,” Alejandro answered. “Once they’re clear, we fall back.”

“You want us to engage with the fucking Mexican Army?” Soap asked, incredulously.

“No, carnal. These troops are paid by the cartel. They’re helping the cartel protect Hassan.”

You saw a couple cars drive into the village. You switched to your rifle to look through the scope at the approaching forces.

“Hold your fire,” Alejandro ordered. “We’ll dig in until my men are clear.”

“Multiple vehicles… Troop transports. Light-armor,” Ghost noted.

A beat passed. “Hold fire,” Alejandro repeated. “Let them get close.”

Then, a Mexican Army officer yelled, prompting Alejandro to say, “Weapons free!”

Bullets rained down into the house, causing the windows to break. You took aim with your scope and shot a few, only to find they didn’t go down in one shot like they should have.

“Shit! They’re armored!” You yelled, trying to take some of them down but it was taking far more bullets than you were used to.

“Target the helmets! They’re weak!”

You did, still annoyed that it was taking two shots to take them down. However, it was much less than the five to shoot them in the chest.

“They’re using shields!” Ghost yelled as he leaned out of cover to take aim at soldiers coming in the gate.

“Semtex out!” You pulled out a Semtex from your tactical vest and chucked it at a combat shield; it luckily stuck and you watched it go off, taking out nearby soldiers as well as the one holding the shield.

“Nice throw!” Ghost yelled over all the noise.

“Thanks!” you yelled back, giving him a grin that seemed out of place with your surroundings.

Rodolfo’s voice came through Alejandro’s radio but you were too occupied to try and listen.

“Okay! My men are clear!” Alejandro yelled.

“Then we need to move!” Soap replied, narrowly, throwing a frag out the window.

“Fall back! This way!” Just as Alejandro ordered it, a canister was thrown into the room, an orange smoke erupting and causing you all to cough.

“Tear gas!” you choke out. Tears came out of your eyes unwillingly and you felt like your lungs were burning. It was all you could do to keep moving one foot in front of the other without falling to the ground to catch your breath.

Alejandro broke a window in the back of the room and you all stumbled over and jumped out after him. Still coughing a little, you followed him as he ran through a break in the cobblestone wall acting as a fence around the village.

“Army’s right behind us!” You heard Soap yell from behind you.

Rodriguez replied to him in Spanish while Alejandro yelled out orders.

“Down the hill! We’ll lose them in the mountains! Fan out and stay close!”

Gunshots went off like fireworks behind you as you ran, doing all you can not to trip on the rocky terrain.

“¿La vieja rute?” Rodriguez yelled.

“Straight to the bridge!” Alejandro told him. A second later, a bullet hit Rodriguez, causing him to fall and roll to the bottom of the decline.

“Rodriguez!” Alejandro called out.

“Army’s on us!” you called out.

“Cover! Cover!” Alejandro gestured to the giant rocks along the path to crouch behind.

“Get to cover and return fire!” Ghost echoed.

You took out one after another with your rifle, pausing only to rechamber and reload. Distantly you could hear Alejandro talking to Rodriguez who was thankfully good enough to stand and get into cover. It seemed the bullet hit him in the backplate, saving him.

And just as you were about to remark that you were glad he was okay, you heard Rodriguez yell out, “Shit-! Sanchez is down!”

You glanced to your right and a couple yards from you Sanchez was face down, blood pooling around where he was hit in the head. He looked so young earlier, about 20 years old.

Apparently, you took a second too long because Soap yelled for you. “Siren! Gotta focus!”

You nodded and put any thoughts of sympathy in the back of your head. He was right; focus was integral to survival; you knew that all too well.

The number of soldiers shooting at you trickled down to none after a few minutes of firing nonstop.

“Are we clear?” Soap asked.

“For now,” Alejandro said, sparing a glance at Sanchez’s body. “We gotta move! Go!”

“You know these trails?” Soap asked as you all began running down another hill, a smaller part of the large mountain you were currently near the top of.

“Very well, but so does the army,” Alejandro answered.

“We can’t hold off an army. We need extraction,” Ghost said.

Alejandro ordered for Rodriguez to call for exfil but before he could, shots were fired, hitting the tree trucks and rocks beside you.

“Contact!” Ghost yelled, running behind a large rock and gesturing for the rest of you to the same.

“All guns, hold here—take cover,” Alejandro said, peeking around the side of the rock to look at the above ridge you just ran from.

“Ghost, Soap, Siren, behind the rocks.”

Soldiers from the Mexican Army appeared at the top of the hill, raining gunfire on the rocks you all used for cover.

Distantly you heard Alejandro speak. “We suppress by fire, then we advance. ¡Disparen! Light them up-!” Then to Rodriguez, he told him, “Rodriguez, get comms up!”

As you shot anyone who appeared in your crosshairs, you heard Rodriguez attempting to hail Control with no success.

Between Alejandro, Soap, Ghost, and you, you had all taken out the immediate threat but knew it wasn’t over yet.

“We clear?” Ghost asked.

“For now,” Alejandro told him. “There’ll be more. Vamos.” Alejandro ran down more of the hill with the rest of you following. Dust was being kicked up due to all the foot traffic and you could feel clumps of grass getting caught in the tread of your boots.

“Any word from Rodolfo?” you asked both Mexican Special Forces officers.

“No—we lost comms,” Rodriguez told you, his response eliciting a curse from his commanding officer.

“Puta… Let’s keep it moving. Through here.”

“Your man get the call out?” Ghost asked, referring to the request for extraction.

“Let’s hope so,” Alejandro offered, having no real way at this point of knowing what got through.

“What’s the plan?” Your fellow Sergeant questioned.

“There’s a bridge at the river,” Alejandro informed. “Extraction will be there.”

As if bullets weren’t enough, a rocket launcher shot, barely missing the five of you and exploded into a tree some distance in front of your team.

“Contact! RPG!” Ghost yelled.

“On the ridge!” Alejandro called out, causing you to quickly take aim there, needing to get rid of the guy controlling it. While you could survive a bullet or two, a propelled grenade was a whole other ordeal.

You lined up the shot, took a quick breath, and pulled the trigger, getting a headshot and taking him out instantly. “RPG’s down!”

More gunfire was exchanged, with soldiers now just throwing regular grenades at the five of you, causing you to have to throw yourself out of the way at times.

Finally, those men were taken out as well.

“Anyone hit?” Alejandro called out.

“Negative!” Ghost replied.

“Good to go!” Soap added.

“I’m good!” you told him.

“Copy. On me!” Alejandro ordered, running down a much narrower part of the mountain.

He stopped at a ledge with a gap of ten feet or so between it and the next. “We’ll have to jump here!”

“Can we make that?” Soap questioned, not sounding convinced.

“Hasta la muerta, hermano,” Alejandro said before running and jumping onto the ledge and sliding down the smooth rock to the next ledge. Ghost went next, landing on his back a little harder than Alejandro but still making it. Soap went and then you did, making sure you got a running start before leaping. The breath got pushed out of your chest when your back hit the ground but at least you made it.

“Pinche cabrones aren’t far behind.” You were up fairly high, able to see a whole forest below from the rocky mountain you currently stood on.

“Where to, Alejandro?” Soap asked him.

“Soap push forward. Rodriguez, keep working the radio, rest o’ you watch for snipers.”

Alejandro directed Soap where to go while you scanned the cliffside from where you came for any soldiers.

“Got anything?” Ghost asked. You shook your head at him while Alejandro replied to him.

“They’re out there… believe me…”

As you looked, Rodriguez still tried to get signal but the effort was fruitless.

“We need to get to the river…” Alejandro said in response to the lack of radio contact.

“Found it!” Soap yelled out. All of you followed him but before you could get very far, you could hear blades whirring, indicative of only one thing.

“Escucha… You hear that?”

“Incoming heli…” you muttered. Just what you all needed.

“Si. Get to a firing position. We’ll take them by surprise.”

“Which way to the bridge?” Ghost questioned.

“Straight ahead. Past the helo. They’ll try to cut us off.”

“We’ll have to go through them,” Soap chimed in. You took cover behind large rocks once again and waited for soldiers to get closer.

“Weapons free!” you heard Alejandro command.

You peaked out and shot whoever you could see. Most came in through a bottle-necked opening but the others got smart once their comrades had been shot down. They fanned in from the sides as well, causing you all to have to take the out quickly before they attempted an all-out flank.

Another RPG was shot, but just like last time, you took them out quickly, allowing the team to focus on just shooting instead of worrying about being blown up.

A few minutes later a symphony of “Clear!” came from the five of you, allowing Alejandro to give his next order.

“Up the ridge! The bridge isn’t far! They may position shooters out here. Watch your backs.”

You all moved up, cresting the top of the hill and seeing a waterfall flowing from the top of a mountain in the distance. If this weren’t a true life and death experience, it would be painstakingly beautiful.

“There’s the bridge.” Alejandro pointed down to a bridge over a river at the base of the mountain.

“No visual on extraction,” you told him, looking with the scope on your LA-B 330.

“Comms didn’t get through. Hijo de puta…” Rodriguez said, muttering the last part.

“We’ll radio when we’re down there,” Alejandro assured. “This way.”

You continued to jump down ledges with Alejandro cautioning to watch your footing. Rodriguez seemingly agreed, saying something about it being dangerous.

“You know your way,” Ghost observed.

“We used to cut school and play here,” Alejandro told the four of you.

“Until the cartels moved in?” Soap asked after landing on a lower ledge.

“Exactly. The narcos changed everything.”

As you all continued moving along the mountain side, a bullet struck the wall next to you, making you jerk back.

“Sniper!” Ghost yelled. “Move!”

Rodriguez followed by Soap then you attempted to make your way to Alejandro and Ghost, both of whom already made it past the part where you had to hug the wall and take small sidesteps to make it across.

In front of Soap, a bullet hit Rodriguez right in the chest, causing him to fall forward and off the edge, tumbling down the steep cliff. If the bullet didn’t kill him, the fall would have.

“Rodriguez!” Alejandro yelled. A second later he informed the remaining three of you, “Sniper’s down!”

“Bloody good shot, mate!” you heard Ghost praise. Soap and you followed behind the other two listening as the Mexican Army could be heard looking for you.

“Army’s still trailing us,” Soap said.

“We’ll gain some ground!” Alejandro replied before jumping down to a ledge below. You jumped as well after Ghost, cursing when the impact hurt much more than you were expecting. As you followed the Colonel and your own Lieutenant, your heart dropped into your stomach.

Ghost then echoed your concerns to Alejandro. “You lead us to a dead end, mate.”

“We jump from here!” Alejandro said, leaping off. “Don’t lose your weapons!”

“Oh fuck,” you whispered, looking down at the height currently between you and the water. You weren’t necessarily afraid of heights. You had been to the top of many buildings before and you were no stranger to skydiving. However, you did have a fear of falling without any protection, which you assumed was a fear every human had.

Except Ghost apparently with the way he was talking.

“Your turn, Sergeant!” he told Soap. Soap hesitated for a second before running and leaping off, clutching the straps holding his guns to him.

“Siren, you’re up!” Ghost said looking at you. After a second of hesitation he addressed you again. “Siren, we stay here, we’re dead! Now jump!”

Honestly, you were going to jump but apparently it wasn’t quick enough for Ghost because he grabbed your hand in his.

“Hold onto your weapons, Sergeant!”

He backed up with you and you both ran off the edge, jumping off hand in hand. You were probably squeezing his hand half to death but you weren’t thinking about that. You were thinking of the air rushing past you and how quickly you were falling to the water and how all your bones could break if you landed slightly behind the water.

You closed your eyes before you got too close to the ground. Luckily, instead of rocks, you felt cold water wash over you. The force with which you hit the water caused your hand to be pulled away from Ghost’s. Not that it mattered; both of your hands were occupied swimming upwards.

You took a gasping breath when your breached the surface.

“You good, hermanos?” you heard Alejandro say, though it wasn’t as clear due to the water still in your ears.

“Affirm,” Ghost said from beside you.

“Soap?”

“Breathing.”

“Siren?”

“Alive,” you confirmed.

You looked over to Ghost to find him already glancing at you. You nodded to him in thanks before turning your attention to Alejandro’s orders.

“Move down river to the bridge. Use rocks for cover,” Then he spoke into his radio. “All stations, this is Victor 0-1—How copy?”

To your surprise, the radio crackled to life, an American accent coming through, although broken up.

“-dow 1! Do you—? -ay again, -o you re—?”

“Radio’s picking up somethin’,” Soap commented.

“Sounds American,” you added. You suspected it was the PMC group but couldn’t know for sure until you got confirmation.

Gunshots started to hit the rocks you were behind as the Mexican Army stood on the other side of the river.

“Here they come. Weapons free!” the Colonel ordered.

“Contact front!” Ghost yelled.

You used your SMG to shoot back but it was difficult; the current was stronger than you had expected and it was a struggle to shoot straight and stay behind cover.

“Army reinforcements rolling in!” Alejandro yelled. “Keep pushing up the river!”

You dove under the water to avoid being seen and tried to move quickly to the next rock. Like before, you all exchanged fire for a few minutes before being ordered by Alejandro to move up. And again, you dove under, this time to get under a large tree trunk that spanned the width of the river.

“Enemy vehicles! Right bank!” you heard Ghost yell, his voice a little distorted from you being underwater.

You came back to the surface behind another rock in the middle of the river. Not only was it hard to shoot but you were beginning to run low on ammo as well.

“The river’s slowing us down, mate!” Ghost yelled to Alejandro.

“It gets shallow up ahead,” Alejandro cautioned. “Swim up! Keep moving!”

Now you could see the bridge that you did above. However, it wasn’t empty.

“Vehicles on the bridge!” Ghost called out.

“They’re not ours!” the Colonel replied. “Fuck—! It’s the army!”

“Get to cover!” Your Lieutenant ordered.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” you muttered, trying your best to return fire, but it was becoming increasingly clear this was turning into a disastrous situation.

“We have to hold here and get extraction,” Alejandro said, narrowly missing a bullet by leaning more towards the rock you were all behind.

Soap continued to shoot and yelled out his frustration. “We can’t do shite against that armor!”

Before the four of you were overrun, which looked to have been coming up soon, the radio crackled to life once more.

“This is Shadow-1! Engaging the bridge north of your position. Danger close!”

“Who the hell is that?” Alejandro asked.

“Commander Graves,” Ghost answered, “Shadow company. They’re with us.”

Shots came from the air, pelting down on the bridge, causing you to feel relief well up within you.

“Shadow-1, Bravo 0-7!” Ghost hailed. “Good shots! Fire for effect!”

Before long, the entire bridge collapsed, unable to take all the firepower aimed at it.

“All stations, no enemy movement detected. You’re clear. It’s good to see you boys and girl.”

“Likewise, mate,” Ghost told him.

“This way!” Alejandro ran out of the river and into the side forest.

“Graves, we’ve located a vehicle for exfil,” Ghost informed him, following behind you.

“Roger that. Be advised, we got a possible hit on Hassan, two klicks north of your position.”

“That’s cartel land. They have a compound there,” Alejandro commented as you all made your way to a camo-covered pickup truck.

“Load in!” Ghost commanded.

“I’ll drive!” Alejandro said, getting into the driver’s seat while Soap got in the passenger’s side, leaving you and Ghost the backseat.

“You guys good to roll up Hassan with some fire from the sky?”

“Let’s wrap this fucker up, Graves,” Soap replied.

“Solid copy. We are pushing to the target di-rectly. Shadow-1 out.”

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#simon ghost riley x you #simon ghost riley smut #simon ghost riley #simon riley x reader #simon riley #cod mw22 #ghost #ghostface #ghost x reader #ghost x you

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script-a-world · 1 month

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hello! i'm currently building a world for a wild west themed ttrpg. the continent the game takes place in is a desert that's been cursed to be isolated from the rest of the world—no one can go in, no one can go out. anyone that tries to escape finds themselves lost in an endless expanse of sand. but i digress, anyways! the main issue of this continent (isolation aside) is the fact that it has no access to water at all. how people hydrate is through this fruit which has a liquid inside that the people can drink. think of a coconut but it can grow properly in a desert since it's magic.

i'd just like to know if there's any sort of worldbuilding advice or questions that could help me explore this idea in a more meaningful way? i already have some of the logistics of how this sort of thing could be distributed in a world like this but i want it to be more grounded. magic exists in this world so that can help explain some things but i want to be careful not to make it so wishy-washy, y'know? thanks so much!

Tex: Even the largest of deserts have an end, be it another biome or a body of water because the continent can only be so large across a planet. Aside from that, clouds will not inherently respect anyone’s boundary on where they can move as part of the water cycle and the natural unevenness of terrain means that water will eventually pool up somewhere, creating oases. Mountains, perhaps, may slow the movement of humidity in the air, but unless you’re willing to make a very, very, very large volcano that’s dead enough and large enough to accumulate sand (which in that instance would be more akin to volcanic ash and as sharp as ground glass), water will still naturally get in and settle into bodies of water. Accordingly, the “wild west” only existed because of the rapid development of trains and railroad lines, so even historically they were not actually isolated - merely delayed, in terms of what they were able to ship. By 1900, someone could travel from the East Coast of the US to the West Coast in approximately a week, depending on the route. If fresh food is packed well (say, seafood in ice), it wouldn’t even spoil for the duration of that journey. For desert flora that can act as reservoirs of water, the Saguaro cactus is a very good example of this (Wikipedia), as are many types of melons (Wikipedia).

Feral: The biggest concern historically, including during the Wild West, in desert climates was not getting hydration for the people but for the horses. Horses drink 5 to 10 gallons (20 to 40 liters) of water a day. Humans need 0.5 to 0.8 gallons (2-3 liters). Although humans/player characters of whichever races you’re using can probably get by with the sources of hydration Tex mentioned, but if they have mounts, there’s going to be a problem. With a ttrpg, this could just be flavor or it could be an actual resource mechanic. To make it more on the believable side, I would recommend wells being a thing. Maybe in towns or along common routes. Also keep in mind, fruits that provide hydration do not spontaneously create water; they absorb it, so there must be water somewhere, somehow.

Wootzel: If this magic fruit is legitimately the only source of drinkable water, does that also apply to whatever other plants that grow? Are all animals in this area dependent on the fruit as well? Are people having to break the fruits over their crops?

I’m taking a wild guesstimation that if EVERYTHING that needs water has to get it via this fruit because there’s almost no ground water and no precipitation, then 80% or more of the plants growing in this area are the plant that bears this fruit. Or can other plants draw water from the ground in some way (but is it not accessible via digging or drilling a well or whatever because magic curse?), and it’s just fauna that have to drink via fruit?

Do the fruits or their liquid spoil easily, or at all? Do they ferment and become alcoholic? Do the local jackrabbits get drunk on them like deer with apples, and stumble around the desert at night?

What else is in the fruit-liquid? Is it just as functional a source of hydration as water, or are there any other substances in it that the body needs to process out… maybe via the kidneys… resulting in needing to drink more of this liquid than one would need to drink water?

Does evaporating this fruit liquid and trapping/condensating the resulting water work well enough if someone needed plain water for wound care, baby care, or whatever else?

How does anyone bathe?

Are many conflicts involving control of these fruit and the plant they grow on, since having that resource cut off is quickly deadly? Meaning, even if the conflict wasn’t originally about fruit-control, someone burns down someone else’s orchard and now that’s the main focus? Or is this stuff so prevalent that you could try to kill it and it just starts growing back from a crazy tap root the next day?

You have a premise that’s not highly plausible, and it would probably make life rough and precarious for the people and animals who live in this area, but it’s not impossible for human ingenuity to figure out how to make it work anyway. If you choose to keep your water-fruit as the only source of hydration, life is going to look QUITE different in this area.

Addy: I've got a couple thoughts, some are more rambly than others. The first question I've got is no water at all vs no water that's suitable for humans. There's a fair amount of difference in what those will imply for plant and animal life.

Most deserts have some amount of life, after all. Lizards, insects, jackrabbits, cacti, scrub brush, aloe very and other succulents, snakes, birds, foxes, dogs, etc - those all need water to survive. That water might be deep underground, it could be rare rainfall, it could be occasional floods (like what causes arroyos), it could be all sorts of things.

And what about horses? If you've got a wild west setting, horses (or similar mounted animals) and cattle are staples of that kind of setting. What do they drink? Horses need lots of water, especially if they're exercising. What do they eat? No water means no grass, no scrub, nothing to eat. Even if you're riding giant lizards, those lizards gotta drink.

So either this fruit (what season does it grow in?) is cultivated en masse for liquid extraction, or there is some other source of water that's cursed to kill sentient creatures, so you've got stuff that animals can drink but people can't. Still have the plant cultivated en masse, but you've got some more flexibility on it. Your people will need to bring their own water along, but they can stop by rest areas, etc to let their animals drink.

Either way, farms are going to be absolutely crucial logistical standpoints in this setting. Cattle can move themselves (which makes them easy(ish) to steal), but plants need careful tending in an unmoving place. I'm seeing some kind of fortified settlement, where you've got the water farms heavily defended by whatever militia/military forces you've got in the area (having some kind of control system over the water would make it easier to manage people to your desires), with towns surrounding them.

If you've got a strong magic setup, maybe the plants grow best over certain ley lines/underground magical "currents," so you've got isolated strongholds

The strongholds have a heavy amount of control over their local area, since they're the ones who have the ability to produce the fruit on the scale required, but trying to transport that water raises issues of thievery. So once you get outside, say, half a day's ride, you run into logistical issues + thievery problems. That's about 15-20 miles if it's flat, or 10-15 miles if it's hilly, by horseback. A covered wagon can cover ~8-20 miles per day, so that lines up pretty well with a day's distance for a shipment of water.

And then, outside of those strongholds, you can get smaller crops of water-fruit, but not much. You could get bandit outposts that focus on raiding water (or that have their own secret ley line water nexus growing spot), so as to keep them outside of the law. If you have scrub that animals can eat (even if the groundwater would poison humans), then that also frees up a lot of possibilities for stuff like cattle rustling, since you'd be able to actually keep the cattle watered at watering holes.

That's one way to do it, and sort of the general trend I could see happening (people need water to live, whoever controls the water controls the people). If there's no water, at all, besides what's produced by this one plant, this plant better grow really easily, or else there's nothing around to live off of. Also, if it's a fruit, then the harvest season would be a big deal.

#anonymous #biome #climate #desert

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ikranwings · 1 year

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What’s meant to be

Chapter two: making camp

Song for the book:

youtube

Na’vi is in blue.

Sounding it out is pink.

Authors note: I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I’m so excited for the story!

Warnings: deception? Nothing bad just Miles being an ass.

Chapter dedication: @villiansimpqueen I had to put up another one because this person right here truly helped me get back into writing again and I appreciate it! You guys should definitely check out their writing as well! They currently have 2 miles Quaritch stories up!

Miles had not given Tilor his full name and it was something she had caught onto almost instantly.However that could be for many reasons. He could have assumed his own name was far to complicating to pronounce for her just as he Seemingly could not pronounce all of her own. Either way it was something that would come around in due time. No matter how many secrets one person had they always seemed to come to light in the end. It was just the way things were and no one could ever stop that.

Tilor had given him her canteen in order to rehydrate. She had no idea how long he had been laying there before she had spotted him and dehydration on the plains was not something to be messed with. They were roughly a couple hours from her clans current resting place as she had been sent off scouting earlier on that day. There was no way in miles current state that they would be moving very fast when it came to travel. At the very least they would both have to stay the night, practically out in the open to the world around them. Since he was one of the sky people it would more than likely take them a little longer to get back. Tilor had yet to know if the man before him had ever sat atop a pa’li before or not. Something she could figure out tomorrow as it wasn’t her main concern at the present moment.

Even then she still have yet to decide if she was just going to leave him there the next morning or take him along with her. He was one of the sky people after all and she was entirely unsure of how to proceed. Tilor had decided to take the night to think things over. Talk to him more just to see where he stood in the order of things. There had to be a reason she had come across him, It simply could not be by chance. Everything happens for a reason and that was something she truly believed. Ewya had lined up their paths and it was up to her to decipher why.

—

“ You must stand.. and we must move to make camp for the night. “ It would be safer for them, Miles already made enough noise to alert the surrounding area of their presence. While there wasn’t anything inherently dangerous out there she just had a strong feeling it would be smarter to move. Tilor had long since packed her things back up. Putting it all back within the woven saddle bags so she would have her arms free in order to help him stand if need be. It would be dark soon and she preferred to get a move on while they had the chance. She herself had no problem traveling in the dark on her own. But with an injured man who didn’t know how to fend for himself it would be quite difficult. Not only would she have to look out for herself but him as well.

“ Why is there something wrong with where we’re at now? “ Miles was finally able to sit himself up properly without having to use his hands to brace behind himself. His strength was returning however he did have to take it easy and Tilor would see to that. Despite being told to stand he waited for her answer. He saw no danger in the immediate area nor did he hear anything aside from the sway of the wind through the grassy plains around them. Perhaps it would be wise to listen to her for the time being and not snap at her. The woman before him knew this area a whole lot better than he did, that was for damn sure. Being stuck with someone who knew the area was for the best in his opinion. Plus she wasn't so bad to be around, really she was kind of cute. Not that he wanted to admit that out loud at the moment. He wasn't in this to find love, he had a job to do.

“ For food.. and cover. “ Tilor pointed above the to the open sky, if it were to rain right now they would both be entirely drenched from head to toe. Setting up a proper place to stay the night was their only option. They weren't far off from one of the many massive trees that littered the plains of Pandora. It wouldn't be hard for the two of them to set up camp underneath one of them for the night. Keep the two of them from being exposed to the brunt of the elements around them. “ We are due for tompa,rain soon… “

Stepping over to Miles she held out her hand, allowing him to take the chance to grab ahold of hers. Offering him the chance to trust her as she truly meant no harm to him in any way. The man before her had to trust her in order to get out of the scenario he was in. There was no way he could survive on the Plains alone and get back to Bridgehead with absolutely no help. It was just not possible for him and even he knew that. “Come, I will help you. “

The look of skepticism was still quite evident as he reluctantly accepted Tilors help. However it was the easiest way for him to get up without stumbling backwards and thoroughly embarrassing himself. In his opinion he already had his ego bruised enough for the day, “ This wont become a habit i'm telling you that right now.” It was as if he was trying to assert some dominance over the situation which in reality was not working. THat much was made clear by the soft laugh his comment drew out of the woman before him. She was amused? How the hell was she not at the very least concerned about the man she was going to be traveling with, it simply did not make a lick of sense to him. Really all it did was intrigue him more about the mysterious woman that had found him lying there unconscious, and all she wanted to do was help him out? This sort of care was new to him and he wasn't entirely sure how he felt about that.

Miles was now on his feet being led to Tilors Pa’li,taking his hand and carefully guiding it to the animal's shoulder. Only moving once she was positive that he had caught on to the fact that she wanted him to have a firm but steady grip on its shoulder. Her own hand moving to the leed that was tied securely around its face, the woven harness made for the utmost comfort of the animal. “ Hold here, this Paysyul(water lilly. ). She will keep you steady as we walk. “

“ Pay..s..y.ul.. Is that right? “ His pronunciation was entirely off but it did sound similar to what Tilor had told him. However he was trying, still trying as his son had already started teaching him at least a month prior. His understanding of it had gotten better, sure but his pronunciation of it was absolutely horrible. It was definitely something he had to work on over time. As long as Miles put his mind to it he would improve, he just needed a patient teacher.

His attempts at the language and the way he seemed to genuinely want to learn led Tilor to believe that the attitude he was trying to give her was merely a front. Made to make himself look and appear frightening to others when in reality it was to cover how out of place he was. How dazed and confused he was, not to mention a bit concerned as to whether or not the Rda and bridgehead were going to allow him to continue his mission after his return to them. Technically he had failed not once but twice in two completely different life times, he wanted this chance to really prove himself.

“ Pai sue el.. Say it slowly first, then put it together. It will help you. “ He didn't ask for her to teach him and yet here she was trying to help him along only when he made attempts at the words she had spoken. Tilor even made the effort to walk him through it properly and not speak down to him as if he was a child despite his attitude towards her so far. That did not however stop her from telling him exactly when he was acting like a child.

“P..aysyu..Better? What does that even mean anyway. “ Yes it was the animals name but Miles wanted to know the meaning, The translation behind it as in truth he had no clue what he was saying. This woman couldn’t tell him anything and he wouldn’t know if it was the exact translation unless he tried it on someone else.

“Yes, much better than before. “A smile appeared on Tilors face at his second attempt.She had to admit, Miles seemed to be a quick learner or at the very least showed the initiative to try. Perhaps Ewya sent this man to her in order to teach him the ways of the Na’vi people. Teach him that the ways of the sky people was not the only path out there for him to take. That if he truly wanted, Miles could be accepted as one of the people,a part of Eywa.

——

Camp was set up underneath one of the trees they had set out for. Walking beside the Pa’li had ensured their little journey wasn’t slowed. A small fire was set up in order to keep the two of them warm throughout the night. A small fire with low flames meant to only give off heat would be for the best. Draw less attention to them in the long run and hopefully lead a peaceful evening.

Once the fire was going Tilor returned to her Pa’li, carefully sliding the woven saddle bags off of its hips and over one of her shoulders. Carrying it back with her as she sat down in front of the fire beside him. Now sliding the bags off of her shoulder in order to open one of them. Food she had gathered and wrapped up earlier on was pulled out in order for the two of them to share.Handing one to him she then spoke up to explain. “ This is Niktsyey.. Food wrap, meant to preserve what is inside for journeys. “

“ Nik.. Niktsyey. “ Miles repeated her words as he watched her unwrap her own food from the tightly wrapped leaves. Carefully digging in as she ate simply to ensure that none of it would fall and go to waste. The contents of his small packaged meal didn't taste all that bad. In fact it was quite pleasant to have something fresh to finally eat after the events that had unfolded earlier on in the day. If she only knew what he did , if only she heard of the horrors he had allowed to happen. What he had done before coming into this body and after. Miles could only assume that their meeting would have been far different, perhaps she might have even killed him.

“ That's good… “His pronunciation with different words seem to vary, almost as if someone had already started teaching him the language before he inevitably ended up in her care. If he was willing then she would teach him more, there was no harm in that. She then pointed to the leaves that head wrapped the food they were now eating. “It is edible,the leaves..good for you as well. '' Tilor had made a point to take a bite out of them as well to prove that what she was telling him was true. Everything was usable, created in order to ensure that nothing was to go to waste. She was taught from a very young age and everything in life had meaning. What ever wasn’t used is given back to Ewya, given back to the world around them as what they use is but a gift given to them by their great mother.

An eyebrow raised as he looked from the food in his hands to the woman sitting beside him. He was skeptical at best however she did bite a piece off of hers just to prove her point. So really it couldn’t hurt to try it, it seemed as though she was genuinely trying to help him. Why? He didn’t quite understand. Most people didn’t really give a damn about others unless they were a doctor and they were being paid for it. It didn’t occur to him that the Na’vi didn’t expect payment of any sort when it came to helping someone in need. It didn't occur to him that not every good deed was done in order for a favor to be cashed in later on. Miles ripped off a pice of the leaf wrapping, shoving it in his mouth as Tilor watched him expectantly for some sort of reaction to the food. A slow nod was given as he mulled the taste of it over for a moment, “ It tastes salty.. Not bad but what's it called?. “

“ Rumut, The leaves are naturally salty. It makes a good Tsyey, snack.. i think. “ Tilor had to have gone to one of the schools the RDA had made for the natives in order to learn the English language. There was no way she hadn’t, especially with how fluently she was able to speak it. Only it confused him seeing as how the RDA never reached out to the Na’vi that were out this far. Miles felt as though asking her now of all times was to soon, he had to earn her trust and asking to many questions like that to soon would not make it easy.

–

The two of them had finished off their meals for the night. Tilor was taking the time to sit by the fire for a few moments longer before she was going to settle down for the night. she truly hoped that she was doing the right thing. Hoped that what she had chosen to do when coming across miles in the grass unconscious wasn’t going to be a mistake. The poor woman had already had enough heart break from the sky people as it was. She didn’t want to bring more of that around.

“ Tilor? “

Miles had spoken up in order to get her attention, there was no telling how long he had tried but the snap in his voice seemed to hint to her that it had been at the very least a few tries. However she rolled her eyes and ignored how impatient he was when it came to getting an answer.

“Yes? “Tilting her head she awaited an answer in return. Whatever his question was to be she could only assume it was important. At the very least important to him in that given moment.

“ I want to learn, will you teach me? “

The confusion was quite evident on her face, wasn’t she already teaching him how to speak Na’vi? Such a silly question to ask of her when it was already something they seemingly had established.

“I have been already, it takes time. “

She didn’t understand his question frustratingly enough for him. still he wanted to get something out of this he had to at the very least try and remain calm.

“No, will you teach me to be Na’vi. “ to be able to think like them, learn their ways so to speak he should theoretically be able to find a way to go after Jake. Achieve his mission and not disappoint those that have given him a new life. Learning the ways of the people on Pandora was a tactical advantage he wanted. Not only that it seem to mean he would have more time around the woman before him. More time to figure out why she was such a mystery to him when she really shouldn’t be.

“I will teach you Miles, but you must be willing. “

@milknhonies

@villiansimpqueen

@drinking-tea-and-be-obsessed

@peachymemoriess

@blossom618

@bitchykittenconnoisseur

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@philophobianprincess

#avatar 2 #avatar #avatar: the way of water #avatar the way of water #avatar quaritch #miles quaritch #ikran #navi quaritch #miles quaritch smut #navi #recom miles quaritch #miles quaritch x oc #what’s meant to be #Tilor #Youtube

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mrsreginagold · 17 days

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Fic: Restless

Fandom: Ready or Not x Saw VI (Crossover)

Pairing: William Easton x Grace Le Domas (Willace)

Rating: R

Spoilers: Takes place in an AU, as William yet again survived his test and met Grace at some point. She isn’t fully aware of what he’s been through.

Summary: William’s restless nature worries Grace.

Author's Note: This is my second attempt to figure out what kind of universe and plot line works for this very random couple that I now ship incredibly hard. Most would agree that watching Will's ending in Saw VI is heartbreaking, but if he were to survive I know there would be a certain amount of trauma for him to process. Having Grace help and comfort him just felt like the right course. And she gets the added benefit of a really attractive man wanting to thank her afterwards which she absolutely does not mind.

Restless

The gentle rustle of cotton sheets was what alerted Grace Le Domas to William Easton exiting their bed. While it wasn’t unusual for him to wake in the middle of the night, she was admittedly touched that he took extra care not to disturb her.

At the same time – the consistency worried her. She knew that he was able to function on less sleep than she did, but it wasn’t exactly a healthy habit.

Resolved to help him in whatever way that she could, Grace threw back the covers, rose, and grabbed a thin robe to pull over her pajamas. She padded on bare feet through the hallway until she spotted William standing in the kitchen, waiting for the electric kettle to finish boiling some water, presumably for a cup of tea.

“Baby, you should be resting,” she strolled in, securing the robe around her midsection before curling her arms around his waist – embracing him from behind. “You have that interview tomorrow, remember?”

His response was a quiet sigh and to lean back into her. “Sorry, love, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

William’s voice – already a resonant baritone – was rougher with exhaustion, and despite her innocent intentions, Grace was unable to quell the pool of liquid warmth that gathered at her core.

Biting back a moan at the effect he had over her, she instead pressed a feather-light kiss to his nape. “You have nothing to apologize for, but I can’t help being concerned. This has been going on for months and it’s not good for you.”

“I know that. I’ve been trying, but the insomnia is really tough to shake,” he twisted around to face her, and she visibly winced at seeing how dark the circles under his eyes were getting.

“God, you look exhausted,” she muttered, reaching up to push some loose strands of hair out of his line of vision. “Though I like this longer style on you.”

The corners of his mouth quirked into a brief smile. “You were the one who suggested it.”

“And I’m glad I did because it makes you look rakish,” she stood on tiptoe to kiss him properly, relieved when he pulled her closer on instinct.

It was easy to lose herself in William’s arms, allowing the world around them to disappear into a cloudy haze while passion took over. However, distraction wasn’t what he currently needed, so she pulled back. “Make your tea, and let’s sit for a while and talk. Maybe we can get to the bottom of why you aren’t sleeping.”

“And here I was hoping that some tiring lovemaking was in the equation,” he teased.

She rolled her eyes, but an affectionate smile crossed her lips. “It still can be, but first: we should figure out what’s happening.”

They relocated to the living room with their tea in hand and nestled together on the couch.

“Tell me about what started this,” she invited, taking a slow sip of her drink.

He sunk further into the plush cushions. “It’s been going on since before we met, actually. Since…” he shuddered at the memory that emerged, unbidden. “Since my test.”

Grace pursed her lips. She knew only the basic details of what William had been through. “I know you don’t like unearthing those memories, but maybe talking about the experience would help.”

“Are you sure? It’s pretty horrifying.”

She rubbed over the back of her left hand, which bore the scars from her own harrowing experience only a few years ago. “I think I can handle it.”

He hesitated for another moment before quietly launching into his tale.

Grace listened with growing alarm as William described, in great detail, the challenges that he had faced. While she was aware that Jigsaw’s traps were terrible, painful experiences, learning that they were also personal in many ways – tailored to the chosen victim – left her aghast.

The most terrifying aspect, though, was the knowledge that he might not have made it due to sheer circumstance.

“Wait, so – you’re telling me that the entire time, it wasn’t even really your test? And if that mother and son hadn’t shown mercy, you’d have been killed?!”

“Yes.”

“Then what was the point of testing you in the first place?!”

Her companion fell silent, his head drooping.

Her heart clenched when she heard her lover begin to cry. “That’s the part that I keep asking myself. What was the point? Do I even deserve to be here or was it just dumb luck?!”

Immediately she slid over to give him a hug, running her fingers soothingly through his hair and pressing light kisses to his forehead. “Of course, you deserve to be here, Will.”

“Sometimes, I wonder.” he sniffled and then buried his head further into her shoulder.

She allowed him a proper sob, wondering if he had ever given himself leave to break, even in private moments. “Hey. Baby, look at me.”

He hesitated but did as she asked.

Tenderly, she swiped away the tears that ran down his handsome face. “William Easton: you are caring, thoughtful, and a good man, despite your past. Even when you were helping run a shady insurance agency, you took the time to meet with clients face to face and at least attempt to help them. Then, after all that Jigsaw put you through – you learned. You changed, and you brought down the very company that gave you success in the first place. I’d say that you’ve atoned and then some. So yes – you deserve to be here. You deserved to pass that test. And above all, you deserve love. My love,” she clarified. “Will, I love you so goddamned much, please don’t ever think that you aren’t worth it.”

A heavy silence hung in the air while he studied her, those eyes of his searching her own in a manner that made her wonder if he could gaze directly into her soul.

Without warning, William lunged, his mouth capturing her own in a searing, passion-filled kiss that sent them toppling back onto the couch from the intensity of it.

Unbidden, Grace moaned, her legs tangling around his when he settled on top of her. Their bodies always seemed to fit exactly – two puzzle pieces crafted solely for each other.

He pulled back to give her air, nuzzling her nose with his before murmuring: “I love you too. Thank you for thinking me worthy.”

In the past – she might have scoffed at the platitude, but there was something hidden in the sea of blue she often found herself lost in that told her how much he meant it.

She reached up, tracing a light pattern over his cheek, and replied. “You are, Will. Always.”

He ducked his head, claiming her lips in another kiss that was sweeter this time, reclining her back against the plush cushions and deftly undoing the knot in her robe so it fell open.

Smirking against his mouth, she surged up and pushed him back into a sitting position, shucking the garment off and straddling him in the span of a few moments.

They kissed again, fervently, with Grace tugging playfully at his tee-shirt until he lifted his arms so she could whisk it over his head.

Her hands immediately rushed to his bare chest, sliding down through the hair that dusted it before lingering at the drawstring waistband of his sleep pants.

He arced his hips to assist her in their removal, grinning between heated kisses. “You’re overdressed.”

“Easily fixed,” she mumbled, shimmying halfway out of her nightgown so her bare skin could brush along his.

He helped her with the rest, until they were both completely naked and he twisted to bear her back under him.

She raked her nails over a remarkably toned torso, sliding one long leg against his before hitching it over his hip, drawing their nude forms even closer together.

He didn’t need further invitation and joined them with a fluid movement, the air soon filled with their mingled cries as they drove each other to completion.

A while later…

“It hasn’t escaped my attention that we’re very partial to this couch,” William stated, his words slightly muffled from where his head was pillowed against Grace’s chest.

“We are, aren’t we?” she couldn’t help a chuckle, stroking through his hair, which had been lovingly mussed in their exertions.

“Between this and the shower, I’d say that the bed itself has been horribly neglected.” He shifted so he could peer down at her. “We should probably do something about that.”

“Maybe get a better mattress?” she suggested, running her hands slowly up and down his chest. “I mean, it could help with the sleep issue.”

“That’s going to be less of a problem from now on,” he admitted, touching his forehead to hers. “As long as you’re next to me, I can rest.”

“Provided there’s thorough, tiring sex beforehand?” she joked.

“Not necessary but appreciated.” He laughed, which made his features light up in a way she hadn’t seen in a while. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight.

“I meant it earlier…you’re always worthy of my love, Will.”

“I know that Gracie,” he leaned in, kissing her gratefully. “I know.”

And judging from how eager he was to prove that fact – she had little doubt in the sincerity.

The End

#william easton x grace le domas #will x grace #willace #mine #mrsreginagold #fanfiction #peter outerbridge #this went on a path of fluff-angst-heat-then fluff again #i don't even know at this point #i'm just glad they're healing each other

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theshelbyslimited · 2 years

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a sudden thought (john shelby x reader)

gif credit to: @peakyblindersxx

note: a few days ago, I was struck w sudden and incredibly random inspiration and this john blurb/fic is the result of it. I am FARRR from a fanfic writer, I'm barely even a writer at this point but I couldn't let this inspiration go to waste whilst it was presenting itself.

note no.2: this is just a silly random fic so please don't take it too seriously. I cannot explain why I wrote it but I hope at least one person enjoys it.

warning: there is more than likely going to be grammatical errors and it may seem very 'wordy' in parts, I am not someone who is good at writing short sentences so please be gentle with me 🙈

I also want to thank @runnning-outof-time for letting me send this random fic to her for feedback, I appreciate you endlessly for it and I feel so honoured to have even been able to share my own 'work' with one of my favourite fanfic writers on this platform ❤️

John had just returned from a two-week long business trip with his brothers; therefore, you were cherishing having your other half back at your side at last. You currently sat side by side on the sofa, his right arm wrapped around your shoulders, his hand subconsciously caressing the slither of skin that could be felt atop your shoulder. There was no need for conversation in that moment, as you were both content to simply enjoy each other’s presence and the temporary silence that filled your home whilst the kids were still at Polly’s. A sudden thought struck you, prompting you to flicker your gaze up towards your husband’s restful face as he allowed his eyes to slide shut just for a moment.

“Would you still love me if I were a worm?” you speak aloud without any second thought or consideration. John’s eyebrows were suddenly raised so high, you became worried they may fly off his forehead and into the unknown, "what are you going on about love? What worm? Where is it?” John asked you, in a tone that voiced the confusion his face was expressing at your random questioning about a worm. “No, you idiot, there's no worm anywhere. I was asking, would you still love me if I were a worm?" you thought, perhaps, that if you put emphasis on the question that you were proposing to your husband, that his confusion would be erased, and he may actually give you an answer to it. Unfortunately, this is the John Shelby we are talking about here. Although your man most definitely possesses a certain intelligence when it comes to creating jokes or riddles that leave you hugging your aching stomach from laughter, he is most definitely not the sharpest tool in the shed (you still love him regardless). “Why would you want to be a worm for you numpty? Are you okay? Did something happen while I was away Y/N? You can tell me love, honestly” John asked, voice filled with worry. It seemed, he had gone from being confused to feeling concerned, wondering if maybe this was your way of conveying that something was weighing on your mind, and you needed his attention. You had to let out a laugh at John’s questioning of your current state, even if your heart was immensely warmed by his concern. Engulfing his left hand between your palms, you sat yourself up properly and turned to give your husband the entirety of your attention, “John, nothing’s happened yeah? Everything is completely fine. Just please answer the question, will you?" Perplexed by your need for an answer to such an absurd question, your husband brought his right hand down from behind you and laced it with your currently joint hands. With eyes filled with bemusement and adoration, John leaned forward, quickly placing a kiss upon your forehead and nose before saying, “If you insist. Yes, my dearly beloved Y/N, I would still love you if you were a worm, okay?"

Your face lit up like the night sky on the 4th of July and as your scrunched eyes met the crystalized orbs of your John, you both could not help but let out a shared laugh at the utter randomness of the conversation that just took place. “I love you John Shelby, forever and always” you say as you lean forward to kiss your husband, oh the things that man has to put up with when it comes to your random thoughts and questions. Returning the kiss, John bites down on your bottom lip before pulling back to gaze over your features and smirking to himself, “I love you too, worm." Oh, how John was never going to let you forget this conversation, even when you are both grey and old.

let me also tag some of my favourite fic writers bc y'all all inspire me to 'try' and write fic even half as brilliant as yours: @look-at-the-soul @zablife @notyour-valentine @gilmoreslorelai @retromafia @madame-wilsonn @gypsy-girl-08 @queenshelby @padfootdaredmetoo @christinasyellowflowers @cillspropertea (feel free to flip me ask if you wish to be removed).

#ch: john shelby.#tv: peaky blinders.#theshelbyslimited.#john shelby imagine #john shelby fanfic #john shelby x reader #john shelby blurb #peaky blinders fanfic #peaky blinders x reader #john shelby #peaky blinders #peaky blinders imagine

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you-poopin · 1 year

Text

Have this fanfic I handwrote in a madness at work the other day. I'm on mobile so I can't do Read More, I'm sorry! You can check out the fic on my AO3 here!

********

Keyleth should've known that something was wrong when Trinket didn't budge from his spot beside Vex's chair to greet her as she walked into the dining room. As much as Trinket loved Vex, he always greeted everyone, expecting a scratch or a pat, but all he did was turn his head towards Keyleth.

"Good morning, everyone." Keyleth greeted warmly, finding a spot next to Percy. There was an empty chair shoved in the corner of the room where it had been for months no one had used it or moved it. And it made the druid sad to look, so she just didn't.

"Morning Key," Percy said, sparing a second for a smile before going back to whatever he was sketching.

But no one else spoke. Vex smiled at Keyleth over Percy's hunched over form and then went immediately back to petting the bear who seemed like he'd rather sit in her lap. Pike was poking at eggs with a fork, looking miserable with a very confused Scanlan holding her hand on one side and Grog sending her concerned side-long glances at her from the other.

When Keyleth met Scanlan's eyes, all he did was shrug.

"What's wrong, Pike?" Keyleth asked.

"Migraine, I think," Pike replied as rare as it was for their Healer to be under the weather, it happened on occasion. Everyone was being quiet out of respect for Pike, it seemed.

"Have you managed to eat anything at all, dear?" Vex asked Pike, who only shook her head in response.

Vex was about to continue, but Scanlan spoke first "That's rich coming from you, Vex."

"Shush," Vex replied, standing carefully and walking around the table to Pike. She did so with as much grace as she could considering her current state, Trinket was just behind. Vex hadn't been able to eat properly for months due to her pregnancy, which made Percy fuss over her something fierce.

"Go back to bed, Pike." Vex said soothingly, gently touching the gnome's forehead to check for a fever.

"But I-"

"Nothing is going to happen today, dear. Go get some rest."

Pike sighed.

"Scanlan-" Vex started.

"On it," he interrupted helping Pike out of the room.

Despite living close by, the gnomes and Grog had been staying in the manor for the last week as Vex was nearing the end of her pregnancy and wanted to be close, so Pike could help out, and they could all support their friends. Keyleth had come to support as well.

Keyleth watched Vex carefully and just barely caught her friend's grimace, putting her on high alert. Vex's eyes darted around the table, as if checking to see if anyone saw, and when she saw Keyleth's concerned expression, mouthed a very firm "no".

Keyleth raised an eyebrow and made a move to grab a glass of juice from in front of her when Vex suddenly gasped and grabbed at Trinket with one hand and the table with the other.

Percy, as doting and worried about his wife as he was, didn't notice at the moment, and neither did Grog, who was eating, but Keyleth did.

"Don't you dare," Vex mouthed Keyleth in a very frightening way.

Keyleth ignored her "Percy," she said.

Nothing.

"Percival!"

Percy, startled, accidentally drew a squiggle on his paper. "Gods, Keyleth, what?"

The redhead only pointed at a stormy-looking vex with Trinket's nose pressed against her stomach.

"I'm fine" Vex lied, using her bear to hold herself steady.

"Vex'ahlia, you are so obviously lying right now. I know you better than that." Percy said, fully abandoning his work to scramble beside her. "Is it-?"

"Gods, I hope not." Vex muttered. "If it hurts this much now, I don't want to experience it later."

Percy looked around the room. "Where's Pike?"

"Scanlan took her back to bed. She's not feeling well," Keyleth said, standing up as well.

"Which is why I didn't say anything. I didn't want to upset her." Vex said, leaning against Percy, who had wrapped his arms around her.

"You cannot put off labor until it's convenient, Vex." Percy said, exasperated. "Come on, love, we'll find someone else. Trinket, help me get her back to the room."

Trinked made a noise of agreement and helped Percy take Vex from the room, leaving Keyleth standing there.

Grog looked then. "Where'd Vex and Percy go?"

Keyleth smiled a bit and chuckled. "Vex is going to have the baby soon."

"Have it do what?"

Keyleth laughed and sat down. "Oh Grog"

***

Surprisingly, the rest of the day was extremely boring. Keyleth had spent most of the day bouncing between helping Grog and Scanlan worry over Pike and helping Vex keep Percy from pacing a hole in the floor.

The worst that had happened was when Vex admitted that they had to tell the others, and that poor Pike would be devastated.

Vex had sent Percy to go break the news and Keyleth took his spot holding her hand, talking about anything they could think of. The midwife was unbothered by Vex's slow progression, citing it a first child commonality.

Percy had returned, looking sad. "Pike is still miserable, poor thing. According to Scanlan, she's been sick twice since this morning. She didn't even try to get up when I told her. She just cried. It's bad. I feel awful."

"Percival has a heart," Vex teased, though sad herself. "Poor dear. Today of all days."

Percy sighed, pointedly ignoring his wife. "Scanlan is genuinely worried over her. It is... oddly sweet." He said, sitting back beside Vex.

Vex dropped her head to his shoulder and he looped his arm around her and started trading circles on her upper arm. And it was only then that Keyleth had realized how tired Vex was, and she politely excused herself to allow her to rest as much as she could.

The rest of the day, Keyleth stayed to herself for the most part, only checking on her friends a few times.

And then after checking on the expecting parents and Vex telling her to try to get some sleep sometime after 10 at night, Keyleth found herself in her room unable to sleep.

It wasn't fair.

He should be here. He should be fussing over his sister. He should be.

But he wasn't.

And the very thought made Keyleth's eyes sting. It just wasn't fair.

Her hands tangled in her hair and she pulled a little, closing her eyes, trying to feel anything but that cold, empty sadness that had settled in her chest.

"Don't pull on your hair, love I quite like it on your head," said a too familiar voice. "Let me help you." Familiar hands carefully untwisted auburn strands from fingers. "There's nothing to worry about KiKi. They're safe. Get some rest."

A soft kiss to her forehead and then Keyleth sat up with a start. She had been dreaming.

But she felt oddly comforted.

She rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked to the window.

Still black as ink. Still night.

She was preparing to lay back down when a few sharp knocks sounded from her door.

She nearly tripped over herself running for it. Who was in trouble? Her heart raced as she opened the door.

"Percy! Oh my Gods, what's

Wrong? Is Vex-?"

Percy looked exhausted and teary, but waved his hand dismissively. "She's fine. She asked me to wake you. She wanted you to be the first to meet your niece."

"Niece?" Keyleth breathed. A girl.

Percy nodded.

"My niece?"

"Of course," Percy replied softly.

Keyleth couldn't hold back her tears as she pulled Percy into a hug, which he returned.

"She's perfect." Percy whispered. "And Vex did so well, and… and the baby is absolutely perfect."

"I can't wait to meet her." Keyleth replied, pulling away. "Now, are you going to introduce me to your daughter?"

Percy smiled so brightly, the hallway glowed. He led her toVex and the baby.

***

Trinket was standing guard right inside the door and greeted Keyleth with a happy chuff.

"Good boy, Trinket." Keyleth cooed, scratching his head. Keyleth knew that bear hadn't left his girl's side.

"Sorry to wake you, darling." said an absolutely exhausted Vex from where she was sitting on her bed.

"No, no. Don't be. I was… awake actually." Keyleth replied, hesitating just inside the doorway as Percy returned to his previously held spot beside Vex on the bed.

Vex laughed. "It's alright, Keyleth. Come closer."

And so she did.

She walked right up to Vex's side, where her friend was cradling an impossibly small bundle of blankets and peered inside. Keyleth took one look at the baby and burst into tears.

"She's beautiful," Keyleth gushed. "Congratulations."

Vex and Percy could only smile, as they were teary as well.

When the tears slowed, Keyleth asked if they had chosen a name.

Vex held the bundle out to Keyleth.

"I can hold her?" Keyleth squeaked nervously.

"Of course," the new parents said in unison.

With shaky hands, Keyleth took the infant from Vex.

"Vesper Elaina, meet your Auntie Keyleth." Vex whispered.

Keyleth could only stare at the baby. She was perfect, truly. And it was such an honor to be the first to meet her. To be her aunt.

The baby stirred a bit and opened her eyes.

"Hi little one," Keyleth whispered. "It's so nice to meet you. I… promise I'll... I'll help keep you safe always. I love you so much already."

Vesper's eyes drifted closed again and Keyleth rocked her a bit.

Vesper would likely be the closest thing to a child of her own she would ever have. She had accepted that months ago. The only person she could ever see herself starting a family with was gone. It hurt.

Being Vesper's Auntie Keyleth was just as important of a job as being a mother. And it certainly wouldn't help anyone by being sad about never being a mother herself when she could simply love little Vesper twice as much.

It takes a village to raise a child, after all, and Keyleth was ready to be a part of Vex and Percy's village.

And she knew he'd be proud of her, of them. All of them.

And somehow, that made it okay.

#critical role #campaign 1 #vox machina #fanfic #my fanfic #Keyleth #vex'ahlia #percy x vex #percival fredrickstein von musel klossowski de rolo iii

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mha-shiz · 11 days

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Paranormal Liberation Front

The Liberation army would be the merging and collaboration of three groups, the LOV, the Shihie Hisaikai, and the Meta Liberation Army.

The Hisaikai and the Liberation army, quite quickly had disagreements on the basis of how their opinion of quirks worked. The new head, Izuku, put that to ease quickly.

"The world that they are makeing is pure anarchy. But, I've agreed for us to join because it would be truely equal. Quirks shall be bosterd, and the quirkless won't have to be delighted to helpess civilians, of they wish to last long"

It was quick to show that on the end, the goal that they desire is one in the same.

"What are you continueing from your predecessor?"

"Well, I've stopped the human trafficking, letting those we have held go with money to return to their lives, but I've stayed in the drug trade. If you wondering about the quirkless bullets, I have consent and found a humane way to continue makeing them properly."

"What was done before?" Someone chipped in

"That wouldn't be of your concern. I've released some more of the bullets into the underground. They should be longer lasting, if not permanent."

Izuku hummed and handed a box of bullets to Shigaraki and Re:Destro. Re:Destro looked at them curiously.

"So these simple things can take away the quirk of anyone who is at the end of it. Perfect for the world we are planing, but what if one of us gets shot"

"I knew you would ask that"

A twelve year old girl stepped up "that's where I come in."

"A child?"

"The only one who can reverse the effects to our current knowledge."

Looking at the child, it was clear she had been trough hell. Maybe one of the people from the human trafficking? Clearly loyal to Midoriya due to her staying with him.

Doctor seemed quite excited and was about to speak.

"She will not be going into your hands DOCTOR. AFO and Shigaraki may trust you, I do not." Izuku quietly glared at the man "you may have access to the quirks of the rest of my members. They should prove useful."

"Why not?"

"Because then you can't just throw me away"

There was silence for a moment. Before Shigaraki nodded.

"Alright then. We shall start planing everything then."

And so, Shigaraki shared his plan with the information gathered.

Lutenants:

All the ones in cannon plus

Izuku Midoriya: Tactics along side Twice. The two work well together since they have known eachother the longest out of the outside villains

Hari Kurono: Support, along side Sponner and Mr. Compress. He is able to be cordial with them.

Relationships:

Izuku and Re:Destro: Izuku kind of despizes the man, but is able to pretend that he is just indifferent, while Redestro admires him for the work that he has done while being qurikless. They don't often debate with one another, but when it does happen it's one of the most calm and information debates out there

Chrono and AFO: as the residential father figures. They distrust one another. Chono does respect the chain of command and dosent speak of his distrust of AFO willy nilly, just to Midoriya and those he knows won't gossip. AFO knows Kruono dosent trust him, he finds this quite amusing,

AFO and Izuku: due to Kurono, Izuku dosent have trust in AFO. While AFO, is quite interested in Izuku, and wishes that he was the one who had found the boy, he would've made for an interesting successor if something happend to Shigaraki. He has offered Izuku a quirk witch he took offense to

Toga and Eri: Toga looked at Eri and just said, this is my sister now. They do alot of girly things, they do include Twice and Izuku too. Eri goes to Toga if she needs help with AFAB stuff and Tiga happily helps her out. (Izuku dosent know much about that stuff)

Chrono, Compress, and Spinner: as the leaders of the Support division they need to get along on some level, and they really do. The three sit over tea and talk about their experiences and how it's gotten them to where they are.

Kruono and Eri: by this time, their relationship has improved from the cold disinterest of before, so a uncle and niece sort of way. They rarely show affection towards the other, but Kruono has his loyalties on Izuku and so, since he treats Eri with kindness, he shall too. Eri has gotten some cat things from Kruono because he figured out that she likes cats. They won't ever be close like their relationship with Izuku, but it wasn't as bad as before either

Izuku and Hawks: Hawks trying to slip on in as a doubble agent, upset izuku because he brought someone along. Someone that he messed up in bringing along, he may have played along if HE wasn't there. Izuku often stepped in the way of Hawk's plans, afterall, he did his research. But, Hawks also did some light research too. Whenever the two had interacted and conversed it was a mask of friendliness, Hawks wants to save the kid, he knew Bakugo does too.

#bnha #boku no hero academia #mha #my hero academia #yakuza deku

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hobbit-in-kuroshitsuji · 2 years

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~ reaper vulnerability HC ~

I can't get this out of my head today, so I'm gonna spend some minutes writing some quick drabbles for my current two fave reapers 🙈 (and also sneakily introduce two OCs of mine I suppose!)

William

William closed the door behind him, and let out a breath. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he felt utter relief flow through him to be home. Of course, William would never in a million years allow himself to not do his work properly, nor would he let himself get distracted and let tiredness bring his performance down...

But that had been a pretty awful day, and the overtime had only made it worse.

Hearing footsteps approach from down the hall made him put on a neutral face and straighten back up. Pretending he had been doing nothing more but take his coat off and store his bag where it belonged, William turned to find Arabella walk over with a smile.

"Can't believe they gave you overtime," Arabella commented. "I missed you."

Her hand reached out to him, and William fought against the feelings this gesture brought on. There was something in the relief of being home, of the day being over, that stirred something within him from a long forgotten past, a trauma of mortality's long days...

But his brain wouldn't let the memories spring forth, so he couldn't address them nor make them go away.

He just felt... sad.

Stressed.

Tired.

And Arabella... was a light among a darkness he feared would consume him. So he knew that when he took a step forwards, reaching out his own hand to her... well... he knew he wouldn't be able to let go.

The couple had come up with this greeting themselves. William leaned down to allow her to place her fingertips on the side of his frames, whilst he did the same for her. A vulnerable position to be in for a reaper, as it was so easy for their glasses to be taken off then, leaving them blind and incapable of fighting back. To some, to those in love, it was a gesture meant to briefly show trust and allow closeness. Arabella usually leaned in to touch her forehead against his too, but that was only in private.

That day, the normal, gentle, greeting between the two was exactly what William needed... and he didn't want it to stop. It allowed him to focus on something other than his day. It allowed him... to relax.

So when she went to pull away after only a few seconds, which normally was just the right amount of closeness for William... William followed along so her forehead and fingers could not leave his form.

Surprised, considering she was doing this quickly to respect William's boundaries and issues with touch, Arabella stared at him with parted lips of confusion - then worry.

He breathed out a shaky breath, closed his eyes, and even placed his hand on her waist to bring her even closer.

"Will-"

"No..." he whispered. "Just... Stay close tonight, please."

"Always, big guy," she whispered back, heart concerned for him, but loving and trusting him enough that after he was soothed, he would tell her what was wrong... and she would do whatever it took to help him.

Ronald

Ronald watched her laugh at one of his stories. He would usually join her, share in the joy of relaxing together after one of his shifts... But this time, all he could do was admire her.

She was relaxed. Happy.

Because of him.

Calming, her body's joy drew her closer to him; closer to the source of her happiness. Arms reached out to him, and he watched as she curled up against his side. Resting her chin on his chest, she looked up at him, pupils dilated whilst she admired his features.

Mmmm.... this was what he enjoyed the most. Her clear attraction to him, her pure admiration of him... He leaned down to capture her lips, but instead she parted hers in a question: "Will you still love me? When... when I'm not young anymore. Not... not beautiful anymore."

He blinked in confusion. Had Avery not just noticed his pure admiration for her? Was she truly not aware of the fact that all he needed from her to feel in love, was her attention... her smile...

"Why are you asking me that?" Ronald captured her hand in his, intertwining their fingers and letting them rest on his chest.

"I realised you won't age... When I was younger, and I'd see you at work..." Her sentence died out, but Ronald gave her some time to find her words, squeezing her hand for comfort. "When I saw you at my mother's funeral, you looked the same. When I saw you as a child, you did too. You do not age."

Her eyes looked away from his face. "Why would you love me if I am twice your age?"

"Hun, you realize I'm probably twice your age already, right?" he chuckled.

Her frown did not disappear. So... he tried a different tactic.

He lifted her hand up to his glasses.

He pressed her fingertips against the frames of his spectacles, and closed his eyes. There was a milisecond of fear, then it all faded away into pure, blissful, trust.

"Aye... Ronald? What are you doing?" she asked. When he opened his eyes, he found her staring at him with a quirked brow.

"I told you we can't see without our glasses, right?" Ronald asked.

She nodded her head, still frowning.

He pressed her fingerstips tighter against his frames. "Well, you'd be the only mortal... the only person I'd let this close to my biggest weakness." He smiled down at her. "That's not changing just because you age a little. You're still you when you're older., darling. I'll still love you."

The words' meaning slowly registered within Avery, who hoisted herself up to sit in his lap, knees on either side of his hips. His eyes watched her behind those glasses, hands resting on her waist with no intention of letting go of her.

Avery kept her fingers on his frames whilst his hands roamed the warmth between her legs. Two individuals from different realms holding each other, and touching the other in their individually most intimate of parts... intertwining to show their honest love for each other despite such vast differences.

also, this is the moment where I got my headcanon from 🤭 the animators had no right making that so romantic, just saying

tagging @starfruit-arts because I mention I'd write this to them ❤️💜

#kuroshitsuji #black butler #OVA #william t spears #headcanon #reaper headcanon #reaper hcs #ronald knox #fic #drabble #grell sutcliff #my headcanons

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hresvelged · 3 months

Note

strands of white reflect the sun. petite form arrays in bold: black and crimson. when nel looks on her from across the covered corridors of the courtyard, it is as though time had never passed. she supposes in some ways, it had not. edelgard in conversation with her classmates, too distant to be heard, only a pantomime of soundless postures and gestures.

it appears there had been some truth to those who claimed that fódlan would cheat death — still, it does not make it any less of a relief to see the little emperor whole. as though the corpse lying upon the barren ground as they had discussed the true way forward could have merely been said to be sleeping.

sure and paced strides take her across before she considers whether to approach or leave them be, an instinct within her lulling her forward to ascertain the real. ( witnessing one rise from death, standing far at a distance, summons too many ill memories like bubbles of mold and acid, floating to the surface. in another time and place, her jaws could easily have pierced the skull of adrestia's emperor in place of elusia's queen. it was not such an unbelievable thing. )

perhaps this is why she so cherishes those for whom that reality remains still distant and untrue. obscured from foresight. safe — from the carnage and loss that would bring them there.

"little emperor. a moment."

her classmates have dispersed; she catches her at the rare juncture of lingering and departure.

"how are you feeling." a quick study nevertheless. "it is good to see you well."

and, nearly imperceptibly, the edge of scarlet softens. "i enjoyed the conversation we had earlier, and the chance to hear of your ambition. i should like to continue it when able, in calmer surroundings. perhaps over tea, or a meal."

Life breathes through pink lips and eyes of determined lilacs as if they never threatened to dim in the first place; The sheer oddities of Fódlan's current state brings even the defeated back to near perfect form. She stands, and she continues on. Her words heed her classmate's calls, sharing knowledge of new and old. The crest of flames' fire continues to burn, inching her ever closer to her goals. It obeys her; listens to her. She's already seen and felt its betrayal.

The familiarity of Nel's voice cuts away the idle chatter and brings forth her attention with her head held high: "Indeed. I've taken proper care of myself, rest assured." Even if memories of darkness flicker behind eyes of steel, such must remain hers alone. Her memory sustains the imagery of that infirmary, piling on to a list of scratched misfortunes. She blinks once, then twice. To dwell is to place ridicule on her very being. She will not do that. Now, she continues ever forward.

"I feel the same," she echoes with a smile of her own. "I was able to learn more about you, as well. I'm pleased we had the opportunity, circumstances aside— I'd like to continue the conversation, myself." There is a lightness to her words, if only to tear away the emperor visage she constantly wears to show the girl that is Edelgard. "And, I wished to properly thank you. Your concern was duly noted. In fact.." Gesturing behind her, she adds, "When we do continue, tell me your favorite tea. I'll have it prepared."

#( asks )#nelithic #oo the comparison to the fell xenologue stuff.. weeps

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3rdsday · 2 years

Text

Sapphire Blues AU: Rise!Leo adjusting to being in the 2012 universe

What's this? I wrote something for Sapphire Blues, the AU I wasn't planning to write anything for, rather than the wips I've currently got? Yeah.

2.7k words

“Trauma,” Not Donnie explained, “can cause things such as personality changes, memory loss, and confusion.”

It had been three days since Leo had woken up in a body that wasn’t his, surrounded by three mutant turtles who claimed to be his brothers. In that time, he’d had this conversation with the Donnie impostor more times than he could remember.

“Look, even if I was traumatized, I know that I’m not experiencing any of those things,” he insisted.

“Or you just think that’s the case.”

Leo groaned in frustration. If he hadn’t been so startled when he had first woken, he would have taken the time to think through how he reacted to, apparently, ending up in an entirely different reality. But instead, he had freaked out at the presence of strangers and the fact that he was injured, and now his faux brothers thought he was crazy. Because of course they did.

The turtle calling himself Donnie patted his shoulder. “I know this isn’t easy for you, Leo, but you’ll get better. Plus, I have some good news!” He smiled brightly, as if anything he could say other than I can send you home would help. “As long as it doesn’t aggravate your pain too much, I think you’re ready to try walking around today!”

Okay, maybe Leo had been too hasty to say that nothing would help. It did lift his spirits somewhat. He’d been stuck in this stupid bed for three days, and before that he had woken up in a bathtub of all places, and he was ready to move around. He immediately sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, wincing when his right knee let out a stronger jolt of pain than he’d expected.

“Oh, hold on!” Donnie rushed out of the room and returned moments later with a pair of crutches, which were shoved into Leo’s hands. “I want you to use these until you’ve gotten more strength back and we’ve ensured that your injuries are all healing properly.”

Leo rolled his eyes as he used the crutches to help himself to his feet, wincing slightly as his knee bothered him once more. “What are you, my doctor or something?”

“Uh, yes?”

Huh. So, Donnie took care of the medical stuff in this reality? That sounded like a horrible decision. Is that why he woke up in a bathtub? Sudden concern for the wellbeing of his brothers’ counterparts washed over him, but it wasn’t like there was anything he could do about it.

Instead, he focused on the task at hand. He knew that he was on the second floor of the building, so he would need to walk downstairs if he actually wanted to go anywhere. He took the first steps slowly out of caution, but quickly realized that he wouldn’t be able to go faster even if he wanted to; his muscles had atrophied from the apparent three-month long coma he’d been in. Not to mention the fact that this wasn't his body was an issue. His limbs weren't proportioned the same, and his center of gravity was off. And to top it all off, the pain in his knee, which was growing more annoying by the second.

The medic side of him knew that the continued pain was a cause for concern. The rest of the injuries that the alternate version of him had suffered had healed up nicely, but his knee was still causing trouble. That meant that there was a chance that something more severe—or even permanent—had occurred. He’d try to examine it later; right now he was just anxious about his renewed mobility.

“Don’t go too fast!” Donnie called, his voice high and strained as Leo reached the exit of the room. A hand gripped his arm and Leo forced himself not to shrug it off.

He smirked at Donnie. “What, are you worried you’ll have to stick me in a bathtub again?” he teased, but felt guilty when guilt flashed in those strange red eyes.

“I didn’t know what else to do,” Donnie admitted, looking down at the floor. “It’s not like I could bring you to a hospital, and all of my medical equipment had to be left behind…”

“Hey, don’t be like that. You kept me alive, right?”

Donnie shrugged, but Leo’s words didn’t seem to cheer him up at all. He felt bad; this wasn’t his brother, but he still didn’t want to upset the guy. “Just don’t fall down the stairs,” Donnie told him, still not looking up.

Leo wanted to comfort the turtle, but he had no idea how to go about it, or if it was even his place. He wasn’t his brother. Instead, he turned his attention to the task ahead of him: getting down the stairs without dying. He shifted his weight to his better leg and positioned the crutches carefully on the first step before carefully moving one foot, and then the other, down. One down, only… fifteen or so to go.

He hated this.

After he made it about a third of the way, a voice came from below. “Is Leo up?” He couldn’t place it immediately although he knew it was one of his brothers’ doubles, which was confirmed to be the case when a short turtle in a red bandana stepped into view near the bottom of the stairs.

Okay, maybe that was unfair. This reality’s version of Raph wasn’t that short, at least not compared to Leo’s counterpart as far as he could tell. But when he was used to a Raph that towered over him, it made this smaller, grumpier version seem hilariously small.

There was a scowl on his face, which Leo had quickly realized was standard for him, but once he made eye contact with the person he assumed to be his brother, it eased slightly, replaced with a very brief flash of relief, so quick that Leo almost missed it. “Hey there,” he called down and gave a little wave.

“So, Doctor Donnie decided to release you from your imprisonment?”

Leo snorted. “I think I must have annoyed him so much that he gave up on keeping me there.”

“You’re usually the best one about bedrest,” Donnie muttered to himself as he descended slowly behind Leo, braced as if ready to catch him at any moment. “And it wasn’t imprisonment. You’ve been in a coma for months; you couldn’t just get back to your regular routine immediately after waking up!”

“It sure felt like imprisonment,” Leo snarked back.

“Imprisonment where you had your every need tended to?” Raph raised an eyeridge. “You asked me to read a book to you. The Leo I know would be far too prideful to ask for that.”

I’m not the Leo you know, he wanted to reply, but kept silent. He reached the bottom step and Raph moved forward seemingly unintentionally, hesitating a moment only a foot or two in front of Leo, then giving him a gentle punch (that was more of a light push than anything) on the arm. “Nice to see you moving around again.”

Leo sighed dramatically. “I know, right? It’s been awful being stuck in bed all the time!”

Raph and Donnie exchanged a look, one which Leo had realized meant that he had behaved in a way that was very different from their brother, and they were concerned about him. Which was beyond annoying, but it wasn’t like he could do anything about it. At least, not without them thinking he was even more crazy. He mentally added not dramatic to his list of things he knew about his counterpart.

Honestly, his counterpart sounded boring. One of his favorite activities was training, he followed a strict daily routine and became irritable when it was thrown off, and was constantly the voice of reason for his brothers. Where was the fun in that? Leo was very much a “go with the flow” type of person. He did what he wanted, when he wanted to, and the idea of his entire day being planned out seemed exhausting and restricting. Yet somehow it worked for his counterpart, so there had to be something appealing to it. Leo just had no idea what that was.

“Alright, I think that’s enough moving around for now,” Donnie said as he led Leo into the living room and motioned for him to take a seat on the couch. “Rest for a bit, and then we can see about going outside.”

“I’ll go get the others,” Raph called over his shoulder as he left the room.

Right. The others. Mikey, of course, but also April and Casey. Casey seemed pretty similar to Casey Jr. from Leo’s world, not that he’d had much time to learn about the future dweller. Personality-wise, he would probably get along well with Cassandra, but he also seemed somewhat subdued compared to her, although that could just be a result of the current circumstances. April, on the other hand, had completely mystified Leo. Not only was she white, for some reason, but all of his April’s personality seemed to be gone. He couldn’t get a read on this April. Her personality seemed muted, which once again could be a result of the circumstances, but he had no way of telling.

Speaking of the circumstances, he felt bad for his family’s counterparts in this universe. Apparently, their New York City had been completely taken over by the Kraang, and their Splinter was presumed dead. They had to flee while Leo was unconscious, and were now hiding out upstate while Leo recovered with no plans on how they would fight back if they returned to the city.

It had distressed Leo a lot to hear their tale, and he worried about his own family. Had they survived the Kraang? One was dead, and the other should be locked in the prison dimension, but that’s where Leo should also be right now. He had somehow escaped, even if it was to a different reality… he didn’t want to think about the possibility of the Kraang escaping. And what about the third one, that had been on the planet’s surface?

Was his family okay?

Were they…?

He shook his head and forced those thoughts away as Donnie turned on some kind of weird TV show about a barbarian guy. It was alright, he supposed. He wasn’t really watching it, his mind drifting until the door opened.

“Leo!” He looked over to see the alternate Mikey grinning and flying towards him, and Leo braced himself for a hug. The freckled turtle wrapped his arms tight around Leo, ignoring Donnie’s cries to be careful not to hurt him.

He hadn’t had long to get to know these other turtles, but so far Mikey was his favorite. The orange turtle was the most similar to his counterpart in Leo’s universe so far, and he had a brighter energy to him that was a nice change of pace from the gloom that seemed to follow the rest of the group. “Hey there, Mikester,” he greeted, returning the smile.

“Mikester’s a new one!”

Leo shrugged, looking over at the other two new arrivals, April and Casey.

“How you feeling, Leo?” Casey asked.

“Like I got thrown through a window,” he answered with a snicker. Mikey and Casey laughed too, but the others frowned.

“Not funny Leo,” Raph muttered, and, okay, maybe using the fact that his counterpart was thrown through a window for humor wasn’t the best idea. But come on, the guy was thrown through a window. That seemed like something straight out of a comedy sketch, right? At least pick a less cliché way to get injured!

April cleared her throat. “Well, I’m glad to see you seem to be in the mood for joking. And you’re all in one piece and moving around again, which almost feels like a miracle,” she admitted.

“Yeah, it was starting to feel like you’d never wake up,” Casey added.

The energy in the room was definitely not cheerful, so Leo decided to try to lighten things back up. “Psh, you really think that something like that would keep me down? No faith in your fearless leader, huh?”

“I believed in you!” Mikey declared. After he’d released Leo from his hug, he had sat next to him on the couch and snuggled into his side. Leo found that he didn’t mind it as much as he would have thought, and affectionately patted Mikey on the head.

Raph crossed his arms. “Yeah, well, I didn’t think it would keep you down, but it was still…”

“Scary?” Donnie added, and Raph nodded slightly.

“Aww, you guys were worried about me,” Leo teased, and was rewarded with Raph’s face turning red. He’d figured out quickly that these versions of his brothers (save for Mikey) were more reluctant to admit to caring about each other than his own brothers. While that made him feel things for these turtles that he wasn’t sure he wanted to examine, it was nonetheless funny to get Raph worked up about it.

“I wasn’t worried about you!” said turtle shouted. “I just thought you looked stupid in that fucking tub!”

“Raph, language,” Donnie said half-heartedly.

Leo smirked. “If you weren’t worried, why did you spend three months sitting by that ‘fucking tub’ then?”

Multiple pairs of eyes went wide. “L-Leo!” Donnie cried. “Since when do you say swear words?!”

Leo shrugged. “About the same time that Raph got worried about me.”

Oh, it was too easy with this guy. Raph literally growled and pulled out his sai, moving as if to lunge at Leo, but stopped by Casey, who wrapped an arm around him. “Woah, calm down man! Leo’s still hurt!”

“Let me go, Jones!” Raph struggled. Leo figured that if he truly wanted to, he could escape Casey’s grasp with ease, which was how he knew he hadn’t gone too far with the teasing. “I swear, the second Donnie clears you to start training again, I’m gonna kick your ass you smug piece of shit!”

“Looking forward to it,” Leo said plainly.

“Guys!” Donnie shouted. “Calm down!”

Leo shot him a grin. “I’m perfectly calm, see?”

Donnie sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Am I really going to have to tell you to stop provoking Raph? You’re normally the one telling the rest of us not to do that!”

“But it’s so funny!”

The room broke into chaos again as Raph protested those words. It took several moments and the efforts of both Casey and Donnie to calm Raph down, but eventually everyone settled into their seats, an unspoken decision for them to all watch the TV show together.

It was nice. Not the show, the show was pretty awful, but hanging out with this group of strangers who were so different from his family, but in many ways the same.

Despite the promise that he’d get a chance to go outside, Leo found himself drifting off. It was too comfortable on the couch, where he was able to move his body into a better position than the one that the old mattress had forced him into (and that was saying nothing of the bathtub). Somehow, being around these people made him relax, and he couldn’t tell if it was because of the other Leo’s body reacting to their presence, or his own mind equating them to his family, which had always been a comfort to him. It was nice, he decided. He missed his home, his brothers, his dad, April… he hoped they were all okay, and that he would somehow find a way home, and to his own body, but he couldn’t help but let his eyes drift closed as the sound of Crognard faded into the background.

Before he fully lost himself to unconsciousness, though, he heard low voices from around him.

“Do you think he’s okay?”

“I don’t know. I want him to be, but he was acting so different from himself…”

“Maybe he actually is a completely different person, like he was saying.”

“Don’t be silly, Mikey. How would that even be possible?”

“I don’t know, why don’t we ask him?”

There was a pause, then the voices continued.

“He went through something traumatic. We just need to be here to support him, and eventually he’ll… well, maybe he won’t go back to the way he was, but he’ll be okay.”

“I dunno, Donnie. His hug felt different.”

“Because his body is stiff, or you were imagining things. Mikey, encouraging his delusions is probably not helpful, okay? I still need to do more research, but for now…”

“I know, I know.”

The voices faded again, and Leo found that he couldn’t keep his hold on consciousness any longer. He drifted off, wanting nothing more than to later wake up and open his eyes in his own body, in his own room, with his own family surrounding him.

#rottmnt #tmnt 2012 #tmnt #sapphire blues au #will i write the counterpart to this/2012!leo adjusting to being in rise?#perhaps. but i make no promises #i write whatever i have the inspiration to write at that moment

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