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aces-to-apples · 1 year

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Frankly I think Alistair being mildly shitty to that mage in Ostagar seems pretty in-character for the guy he is before the massive, life-altering trauma that is the Ostagar massacre wherein he sees all of his Grey Warden comrades, his beloved mentor/father figure, and his beloathed half-brother/convenient-target-of-projection absolutely torn to shreds by literal Thedas boogeymen. IIRC Morrigan and Flemeth both comment on his wack behavior after Ostagar and then by the time we get to Lothering Alistair just fully surrenders any and all responsibility (and, frankly, agency) to the player's Warden for the foreseeable future. It can then take anywhere from a couple IRL hours to the entire second act of the game for him to retake almost any amount of it back. And depending on the player's choices in dialogue, and especially whether or not they choose to romance him, we may only see flashes of that guy we met at Ostagar before he potentially morphs into almost someone else entirely (hardened!King!Alistair). All that to say, I don't actually think it's a useful criticism of "characterization" to bring up Alistair's glibness as compared to his behavior in the majority of the game because from where I'm standing (looking directly at his snottiness about Cailan, his complaints about being assigned to the Tower of Ishal, his Templar-esque focusing on Morrigan and Flemeth being apostates, his generally pretty brusque manner with the Warden recruits) it seems fairly in-line with the rest of his behavior at Ostagar.

#like seriously he's a bit of a dick (more than what becomes usual) while at ostagar #before his world is shattered and his brain (and personality) is completely rearranged by seeing everyone important to him slaughtered #he clings so hard to the warden as a lifeline that he kind of goes full-on fawning mode for a little bit there #just giving up the reins completely and following orders as (imo) a method of coping with massive loss and trauma #throughout the course of the game he recovers somewhat and goes back to being kind of a dick #and/or growing up pretty extensively and becoming a much better and more tolerant person as a whole #but the idea of him being a dick to a mage because he's being moved around like a chess piece rather than a person #by someone who should NOT have the authority to do that and that fuckin ANNOYS him and then this dude's getting all up in his face about it #as if this was HIS decision and then being accused of harassing this random ass dude he could not give less of a fuck about for funsies #and thus him going full obnoxious shithead teenager about it is somehow OUT of character?? for ALISTAIR??? wack #like nah bro i know we all love ali but our vision is being obscured by that love and also how sweet he is in a romance #just being besties with him unlocks an incredible amount of unfiltered BITCHINESS that is fully in-line with ostagar!alistair's shenanigans #dragon age: origins #alistair theirin #by apples #da meta #anyway there's been disk horse on my dash for the last couple days and this is my take on it

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flufflecat · 9 months

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Got to stolen century in my relisten and started tearing up at work because of magnus carving the duck. Just me in the back room, crying over the dish sink for normal reasons.

#the adventure zone #taz balance #taz #it gets me every time #I was anticipating that scene all shift #and wanted to leave before I got to it bc I knew I would start crying and didn't want to cry at work ahfkahfkka #unfortunately I had to stay an hour and a half late bc yayyy labor day #I also started tearing up at merle with the church of fungston. for some reason.#merle has never really made me that emotional before but I guess now in my old age I'm more struck by his love of life #i understand you better now merle. as a twenty-something I really see the appeal in being able to love life despite the hardships #(this is a joke. I am almost 24 and do not think I'm old)#(I do find merles brand of optimism very good nowadays though. I also have a zest for life and a need to complain about things)#I managed to not cry at the lup and Barry duet though which I am quite proud of #probably bc I spent like half an hour watching lup animatics last night and got my tears out then #I'm having a normal time #normal as hell #most people probably cry over podcasts at their grocery store job #I think that's a standard experience #especially when those podcasts are from 7 years ago and you're still not over them #standard #fluffle talks

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anistarrose · 1 month

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anyways welcome to the 1,877th day of me being abnormal about Barry Bluejeans and the 1,865th day of me specifically being abnormal about him in clear public view on this blog. it absolutely will happen again and I do not feel remorse

#it didn't fit in the last post but when he refers to possession as “unfortunate collateral damage” it's just like #he simultaneously does not use that term lightly AND is especially sensitive to the concept of it. because of the relics #barry is a pragmatist who is so goddamn tired of being in a narrative that requires his pragmatism #and tired of living with the consequences of his pragmatism #fucked up middle aged man of all time actually. how CAN i be normal about him #i forgot i listened to his resurrection on valentine's day 2019 btw. that could explain some things #taz #taz balance #taz balance spoilers #barry bluejeans

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mayday396 · 5 months

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I remember when I was growing up I had this Fanfic Idea but I was never able to write about it and it was about Oceanus hearing about Poseidon's abandonment of Percy and Sally and not taking responsibility, he was so pissed about it that even though he reluctantly joined Kronos's side of the War, he never once tries to hurt Percy or his friends.He tests them but never hurt them.

The Entire AU is completely identical to the PJO series, it is just that Oceanus consistently spends quality time with Percy, Annabeth, Grover then eventually other Demigods too, being the best Titan Uncle who despite being on the Enemy's side gives them Battle tips and high key proud of them if they beat them.

#pjo #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson fanfiction #fanfic ideas #pjo oceanus #percy jackson oceanus #oceanus #greek mythology #in the fanfic I specifically remember a scene I planned out where percy wonders if they could give an offering to Oceanus and Annabeth #advises against it because the gods and all #percy being percy says “fuck that” and does it anyway then a cutaway scene happens where Oceanus is treating his wounds and suddenly smell #the offering and he was so confused because who and why would anyone give offering to him specifically especially in this day and age #the scene would get called back to in this AU's version of “the last olympian” and badly wounded Oceanus sits with Percy on the beach #and percy vaguely mentions he did the whole offering thing and oceanus didn't catch that at first then there is this cute moment where #oceanus being so confused on why he would do that

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britneyshakespeare · 7 months

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dallon weekes has a portrait that ages for him in his attic like dorian gray but it also still looks pretty good because he doesn't really do anything wrong

#text post #dallon weekes #stream what love by i dont know how but they found me #seriously ive been a fan of him for a full decade now. man does NOT age #i remember thinking he was old when i was like 14 bc he was in his thirties... boy #42 is still not old but he doesnt look a day older from the first time i saw him #WHAT is his skincare routine #also. yeah ive been listening to his music again (old and new) bc of idkhow's drama being in the news #IM SORRY DALLON THAT YOUVE NEVER HAD A BAND LAST DESPITE DOING NOTHING TO CAUSE THE BREAKUPS LOL #kaily told me ryan seaman was kicked out before reading about it and was like 'oh thats kinda ironic dallon would kick someone outof a band #HE STOLE 26 THOUSAND DOLL HAIRS??????? HOLY FUCK #stream the brobecks stream idkhow and stream all the boys from the nicotine ep by panic! at the disco #oh wait you cant bc br*ndon never put that song on streaming services #despite it being the one of the best twtltrtd era songs... dallon wrote it!#i love dallon weekes he is so handsome and talented

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moregraceful · 15 days

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someone cold emailed me to ask if i was going to a writer's conference in los angeles and was putting together a panel or caucus for queer poets or if i knew anyone who was...buddy you are severely overestimating how much i network with other poets (i don't) and how often i attend writer's conferences (never) 😭

#''do you know of any other poets going'' no?? bc i hate networking with other poets????#LIKE ARE THEY LESS ANNOYING THAN WHEN I WAS 23? IDK? MAYBE?#i feel like most things these days are less annoying than when i was 23 #or maybe i'm just better equipped to deal with annoying things than when i was 23 #yesterday i was talking to someone about my ethos wrt a class i ran last fall and he stopped me in the middle and was like #you're amazing. that class was a hot mess and you still had fun and found the good in it #like no i'm not amazing. i'm just in my thirties and it takes a lot more than other people's mental health crises to throw me off my game #he was pretty ticked off in the fall when i told him the like depth of crisis multiple students were in bc he thought i should have told hi #i was like idk it did not occur to me to ask for help. he was like you're doing daily check ins to make sure your students are eating??#idk!! it didn't bother ME my job was just to make sure they were still alive! i mean my job was actually to teach liberation theology but #like i was not good at that. but i DO know how to be annoying until people feel less like killing themselves and more like killing me #anyway all that to say i can't wait to see how much less bothered i am in my 40s #i hope i have reached such a state of zen by age 50 that my spirit is unruffled by anything and anyone #i hope i float through life in a fine mist of okayness #someone says ''oh my god kasper my life is falling to pieces'' and i say ok 👍 we can get through this together👍#what was this post about??? oh right networking #good networking: librarians bc you just go ''is your manager batshit insane'' and they go THIS PLACE MAKES ME SUICIDAL #and then you're friends for life #bad networking: poets (when i was 23) because all they do is name drop (when i was 23) and expect you to have opinions (i don't)#this post is wildly overconfident in my zen considering i'm so bored of being unemployed that i keep looking at teamworkonline #bhawks are hiring for a social media manager btw. imagine having that kind of access to mr 🥺. i'd literally only do paid advertising #to gay men #i'm not applying bc social media management would actually break my sobriety i am pretty sure #but imagine having connor bedard at your disposal and being like ok kid. we r gonna catfish some gays into caring about the bhawks #basically what i do with the cuda blog lol #ok ok ok i'm done. posting. goodbye. livejournal mode de-activate #fresno oilers.txt

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buildoblivionthenwewilltalk · 10 months

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See, the thing about Crowley living in his car in s2 is that I left the s1 finale with the impression that both of them finished their lunch, staggered their way back to the book shop (gently sloshed) and spent the night getting absolutely hammered. Like drain the wine cellar, night on the town, capital-P Pissed.

It’s all a bit ‘rambunctious’, as a fussy and well read angel might say.

Crowley wakes up on Aziraphale’s sofa a week later - covered in a blanket, various papers and a copy of the Sunday times.

A pot of tea’s just finished steeping, there’s cake in the tin. Somewhere across the shop, a tartan-clad figure hums (rather untunefully) to himself as he pours over a crackled hardback book.

If you asked Crowley, it’s all quite civilised, if a tad “country living magazine”. A little gauche. A bit twee - not really his ‘style’.

But he doesn’t reach for his glasses, or pat his jacket for his keys.

After all, he thinks, stretching what’s probably the correct number of limbs and reaching out for a bone china cup, why on Her green earth would he ever want to leave?

#is this fic? I think it’s fic #sorry the image just hit me like a truck because why would they not be together?#I just can’t imagine a scenario at the end of s1 where they finish that last day with ‘goodbye’#I’m not saying there’d be a dramatic confession or domestic romantic bliss #I just can’t see them not being in eachothers space now they haven’t got heaven and hell down their necks #like I just see crowley conking out and aziraphale just making space for him in his little life like he’s always been there #they carry on as normal but just together #let them cohabit PLEASE #also it’s just very - middle aged?#old man nap on the sofa while another putters about with their hobby #tea on the go #maybe the radios on?#something I like about their s1 relationship is it feels very ‘mature’#like in a settled ‘we’re old hats at this’ kind of way #there’s more insecurity and drama between them than in the book #but it’s nice to think of an understated moment where they both go ‘oh we could just do this forever actually’#and be content in it #good omens #good omens 2 #aziraphale #crowley #ineffable husbands #if this is already a fic someone wrote please send it to me!!!!!!#spoilers

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somethingoriginal127 · 1 year

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the treatment of a young justin bieber and in turn my inability to see him as the enemy:

keeping my trend of just talking and giving my 2 cents on trending topics, in the matter of rich, cis white men being exposed as a literal scum of the earth people i am never moved or surprised. (i also don’t usually care bc it’s normally someone i was not a fan of before they were exposed for heinous behavior)

however i have never been able to shake my sympathy, understanding, and hesitance to write off the musician that is justin bieber. i just always feel as though there’s so much he deals with behind the scenes that we’ll never know about. that’s true of anyone famous but the reason i say this is because of the amount of documentaries this man has where they barely skim the surface of what he endured in the industry. the stuff they choose to discuss doesn’t even scratch the surface of even things we saw happen on live television

(early sexualization of a child, SA, SH, etc.)

his entire brand since he was 15 was also to essentially be a “boyfriend” to all his fans and the minute he dropped the persona because he wasn’t feeling up to being touched/groped/kissed/screamed at for the day he was in turn CRUCIFIED in the media for being a heinous human. which has always been so odd to me? like the media/general public has some sort of claim or ownership of his body since he was a developing child. it’s gross and it’s been like that since his formative years. (that has to be ridiculously damaging)

*update* i’m reading this back to make sure i articulated my thoughts in the way i wanted and i’m now angrier about his treatment then when i first typed it. bc why isn’t his body allowed to be his and why is he a villain for setting boundaries? bc he’s a boy? that’s actually is so disturbing to me the longer i sit with it. (no seriously i want you to think abt how physically and mentally he lost like all body autonomy at 14. and he has never gotten it back in all honesty.)

also him having a drug problem in (2014?) i think and knocking on deaths door at (18/19? years old) visibly deteriorating and reacting to his lifestyle/trauma he was given too young, adult celebs took to twitter to call him names and attack him when he was clearly a child (yes child idc that he was 18) crying for help was also extremely odd to me. laughing at the traumatized kid having a downward spiral and evidently no reliable adults in his life left a bad taste in my mouth, even then.

maybe it’s the blind items i keep seeing about his alleged SA or the clips of it happening from grown women in talk shows, or because the open discussion about his sex life/sexual preferences/when he was only 15 and growing up watching the general public use him (A KID) as a punching bag/toy for their own enjoyment gives me so much sympathy and is why i’ve always given him grace. it’s also worth noting those who are respected in hollywood and are close to him speak extremely highly of him which also makes me pause to think he’s not nearly as heinous as the media has always liked to paint him.

not to mention that interview he did with zane lowe ?? where he talks about wanting to protect billie eilish from what he endured in the industry because “he wouldn’t wish that upon anybody” and then starts to sort of crumple in on himself when speaking about it like he can’t even recount what he’s been through without it having a visible effect is SO sad/scary to me. that whole interview was very strange and sort of haunting actually.

to this day small things he does/says are blown up to insane headlines to make him look like he’s on some tirade and then you watch the clips with these insane titles and it’s just the man asking to be left alone for a little while ? he just seems like a deeply traumatized/cut individual to me.

i hate long post w no pictures or gifs so this is what justin bieber looks like if you didn’t know !😃

(i think everyone who’s had the internet longer than a week could identify this man in a line up of white men but i digress😭)

but that could just be because i witnessed his growing up in my lifetime so it feels closer than most lmao idk. it’s very possible i wouldn’t be as sympathetic if i didn’t watch him get broken down in real time.

#but hey maybe i’m wrong and he’s just scum #who knows these days #justin bieber #pop culture #child stars #child stardom #pop music #the only cis white male you’ll catch me defending like this😭#and i MEAN that lmao #watching him go from having fun being famous #to visibly hating life is sad to me idk #i find celeb culture interesting #and his upbringing specifically has had me curious from a very young age #also the rumor he’s getting britney treatment😬#i almost wish scooter never plucked him up #but that’s not totally true bc he rlly is a phenomenal performer #last thing i’m gonna add i think lmao #he’s also been the target of SO many fake stories ??#like at this point (ik he has done some shitty things i mean he’s been famous for over a decade #) i can’t even tell what he’s actually done and hasn’t #because they genuinely have been printing *proven* fake stories about him FOR YEARS #and he doesn’t even set anyone straight #he just minds his business usually

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fingertipsmp3 · 9 months

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I love the sims 2 because it will completely wreck your shit right when you’re least expecting it

#i’ll set the scene for you: i’m doing the prosperity challenge (basically a challenge where you create a number of completely randomised #families and you play them in rotation. rules vary but generally the goal is to make all your sims as successful as possible #and it’s meant to add some variety and drama to the game)#so i’ve played through the first four families which were all some variation of either grandparents or teenagers looking after kids #just because that’s how my rolls fell. so i got to the last house which was just one adult man and i was like okay.#i JUST need an heir out of him. just ONE. and things were going great! he already had a boyfriend (the random uncle of the first family #i played realllly liked him and i was like ‘this might as well happen’) so i had them try for baby. then his dream job (slacker lol)#came up in the newspaper on the FIRST DAY and he kept getting promoted! i also had him adopt a stray dog i thought was cute #his pregnancy went unbelievably well. he only passed out while eating one time. i allowed myself to be lulled into a false sense of security #and then mans ✨WOKE UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT AND GAVE BIRTH TO QUADRUPLETS✨#look this is honestly on me for downloading the triplets and quads mod. i don’t even know why i do it. just for the risk factor?#regardless there was only a 3% chance for this and yet it STILL happened. on the first birth in the neighbourhood no less!!!!!#bear in mind this man is living in a 2 bedroom starter home; has one paycheque (GROCERY STORE CLERK) AND he’s just spent a bunch of money #on his new dog. and we can’t exactly sell the dog’s stuff because it’s essentials #i managed to find the money for 4 cribs and a nanny fucking Somehow. and then carnage ensued #i don’t think this man bathed for 3 days. i got the dog a job and then realised it got weekends off so wouldn’t be going #aging them all up into toddlers aged ME. i think they’re technically classified as some being a day older than the others but idc #i’ll rectify it at the next birthday. or at one of their birthdays anyway #it was just SO messy. next rotation should be better though??? i had him marry the kids’ other father (who is an elder so will probably be #around approximately 5 minutes) who bought in exactly £5 but at least there’s an extra person to change diapers and get bottles #i see a lot of nannies in these kids’ future i fear #personal

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phoenix-flamed · 5 months

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Me, staring longingly at my Quintus blog now that Phoenix showed me his lorebook entry......

#Out of the Flames #holy shit my headcanon age for him actually ended up being his canonical age?!#and my headcanon that he was planning to retire in the near future #and was looking forward to spending the rest of his days peacefully at The Victor's Spoils #actually holds weight because apparently Quintus canonically would frequently remark #that he's past his prime as a soldier #And fjhfhjdb LOOK I JUST. WAAAAAAAAHHHHH the last time this happened was when a certain #purple-haired gremlin was revealed to be a BRD when my Shade Hyth headcanon had always been that he was a BRD

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bangcakes · 28 days

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#personal #lmao around this time last year i decided to give up on him n LMAO girl if only you knew #i should have just talked to him but djdjjdjdjd idk it felt weird. but he even like. complained one time that we didnt talk all summer #like LMAO..... bro its two ways. u could have messaged me too xjdjjdjdjdj #tho to be fair i think he did show up to a dinner but i wasnt there bc i had just had wisdom tooth surgery n was 1. blown up like a balloon #and 2. so high on pain meds i couldnt function JFJDJJDJDJDJDJ #n e way whatever jdjdjdjd im just laughing at myself bc how did this man become my closest friend from college Zhfnnddnnd #our relationship is so weird. not in a bad way but in an unexpected way #we sat beside each other an entire semester n never talked til the last day like thats so FUNNY IDK #i even said to him that time. bc we were talkin in the hallway n went to sit for the exam n sat in our regular spots of being one seat awa #y and i was like... you know its so funny that we sat beside each other all semester and only talked today #and he was like.... hahha yeah #i was gonna introduce myself but it felt so stupid JDJJDJDJD #i didnt even know his name LMAO #i had him narrowed down to 2 names. bc he was one of like 2 guys that Always showed up in another class' zoom #and LOL i was right. he WAS one of those 2 shjdjsjsj #n e way. then the next sem came n i didnt know whether to say hi to him or not bc we talked ONCE #and i was still wearing my mask at this point and so id try to smile at him with my eyes but never got a response HDNJDJD and so i got soooo #annoyed with him. and even more so bc i kept making friends with ppl and they KNEW HIM??? and i was like WHO IS THIS????#then one time he came up to me n my friends before class n we just talked and i was like o lmao this annoyance im having??? its a big ole #crush BDNNDNDND #and in community college its hard to like. know ppls ages and that day i found out he was 2 years younger so i was like o ok 26 n 28 isnt #bad at all #but thinking back.... first things we exchanged that time was age and i think he was also trying to fish for whether i was single bc he was #talkin about this other guy havin a baby n a wife n i was like o wow !! i didnt know!!#jdjxjdjdjdk god when he found out my age he was like... oh i never would have guessed you were older. you look young ZFHJDJDJDJDJD #oh so you were Looking is that right HJXJXJXJZJZJ GOD LMAO #i look back on so many moments n im like oh duh... he must be interested #but for me its like. i will literally more easily believe literally any other theory so i thought he just liked one of my friends Zhjxjx #ya i dont think so anymorem but i thought that up until like mid january HDHXJJXJDDJJDJ

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nightwingshero · 1 year

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❝ you don’t understand. i need you safe. not because i don’t think you can handle yourself but because i can’t focus on anything else if there’s even the smallest possibility you’re in danger. ❞ -> for wren x leon <3

This prompt was honestly so perfect for them! Thank you so much! I had so much fun writing this and I love them so much.

It was mostly the screaming that made standing there hard, but it didn’t matter, that was secondary. Women and children cried to themselves as I gently pushed their shoulders, urging them along and guiding them to the safe zone as fathers, husbands, and brothers did their best to stay strong. “Nobody panic, just keep moving! We have a safe zone for quarantine set up just over there! Medics will be around to assess you! Food and water will be handed out!” After everything I had seen over the last few years, after everything that happened in Raccoon City, I thought I would be used to it by now, but I didn’t. It wasn’t easier, it never got easier. A woman passed and gripped my hand tightly as I tried to point her in the right direction, but she just sobbed and smiled, thanking me and praying in a language that I didn’t quite understand. All I could do was offer her a reassuring squeeze of her hand in return and gently guide her back to the crowd. “Stay with the crowd, you’re safe now!”

No one replies, I don’t think any of them understand me, but they got the idea enough to go where we needed them. Exhaustion threatened to overcome me, but I forced it down. We had been at this for hours. The outbreak was thankfully limited to a specific area, but that didn’t make it any less heartbreaking to watch, no less traumatic. Some days were harder than others where I was thrown back into my 21-year-old self, frightened and alone, running around a city full of the walking dead. Not entirely alone, I reminded myself, allowing the thought of him comfort me as much as the situation would allow.

I say nothing as Alex appears at my right, standing just behind my shoulder and watching as the last of the stragglers finally stumble into the arms of waiting TerraSave volunteers, all prepared to help those in need. Alex let out a low whistle at the number of people that had been evacuated, but I knew the casualties far outweighed the survivors. They usually did. Eager to shove that thought aside, I finally speak.

“Claire moves fast.”

Alex glanced at me, her dark eyes looking me over carefully. “She doesn’t hesitate to jump to the rescue. It’s one of the reasons I love her. Such a hero. I think she might save us all one day.” I didn’t ignore the way her voice became soft at the mention of her girlfriend, which was so contradictory towards how roughed up she was—grime and blood painting her tan skin too easily.

“Chris?”

“Not sure. Last I heard he was with Jill, but I’m not sure if they’re gonna show up here. Something came up with Imogen.” Another glance from her as I let out a scoff, the redhead immediately making me want to strangle her without her even being present. Sometimes I wondered just how much I could get away with if she ever mysteriously disappeared. “I heard that an agent was sent in. That your boy we should be expecting?”

I tried swallowing, but the arid air seemed to make it impossible. Everything felt so dry even as the sun began to set. It wasn’t that I didn’t know the answer, it was the fact that I knew that answer and it made me even more nervous. I was used to jumping between the Redfields—helping Chris where he needed and offering counseling where Claire wanted to offer it. Alex joked often about how I didn’t know how to stand still, but I was just eager to use every skill I had.

It also made the lonely nights less frequent when he was gone.

“Ah shit, there he is.” Alex called in surprise, her voice taking a lighter tone as her hands rested on her hips. Sure enough, Leon appeared from the crowd with one of the military officers in charge of the security and keeping those things from getting an inch out of the perimeter they had set up. He didn’t look too different than any other time I had seen him, his usual blue shirt with the same damn pants. The leather jacket was a bit new though, not that I exactly minded. Alex sighed. “Does he ever like…change it up? Like, I’m pretty fucking sure he’s had the same damn haircut since I’ve met him. Guess if it works, why fix it?” As if hearing her, Leon’s attention shifted and finally landed on us. The soldier he was talking to said something else, but Leon just nodded without even looking at him before he started walking towards us. Another heavy exhale escaped from Alex. “This is soooo not the double date I had imagined.”

I fight the urge to tell her to fuck off, not when she helped get my mind off things. Alex was a lot of things and dependable was one of them. You could always rely on her to have your back or to joke at the most inappropriate times—sometimes it made me want to hit her, other times it made me want to hug her. As Leon finally came close, his eyes never quite leaving me, I was thankful that Alex stayed. “Leon.”

“Wren.” He breathed out and I almost lost it right then. It had been a while since we had seen each other, one of the longer stints, and it was the constant reminder of the situation—and Alex—that kept the tremble out of my voice and my knees from giving out completely. “I thought you were working with Dr. Spencer.”

“Ainsley is working on something with Rebecca. Carlos volunteered to stay behind—”

Alex snorted. “He practically begged. So whipped—”

“Then we got the call about this.” I finished as I gestured back towards the small town in the middle of nowhere. “We got the call, Chris couldn’t make it out, I guess. Alex and I are here, Claire just got here with TerraSave.”

“Yeah I just saw her.” Leon replied as he looked back, his thumb gesturing over his shoulder. “Seems she’s got her hands a bit full.”

“A bit.” I tried to offer him a smile, but it didn’t quite meet my eyes. This wasn’t the way I wanted us to see each other again. Leon shuffled and crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes glancing at Alex. Taking the hint, she cleared her throat and smiled at me.

“Right, so I think my lovely lady is waiting for me to swoop in and make her life easier by giving her someone she can order around.” She backed away while doing awkward finger guns. “If you need me, radio me.” I gave her a quick nod before turning to Leon.

“They debriefed you.” It wasn’t a question, but he answered anyway.

��They did.” Taking a deep breath, I turn and look back at the town we had just come back from. There were soldiers walking the perimeter, everyone on the lookout just in case. “I have to go in, there’s something I’m ordered to retrieve.”

My head whipped around. “Something here? What?”

“That’s classified—”

“Classified, right.” We finished the sentence at the same time as I nodded. It wasn’t that I was bitter about it, I understood—it wasn’t something I was a stranger to. Glancing towards the town, my heart grew heavy. “Its…just like Raccoon City, huh? Every time we do something good, it’s great. But then…history repeats itself and we’re thrown right back there…” I trailed off with the memories threatening to take over completely. Leon was silent for a moment and as the silence grew tense, I decided to brush it off. “Well…that’s fine. You don’t have to tell me. I’m assuming you’re ready to go?” I barely gave him a chance to nod, I knew him well enough. He didn’t come here totally unprepared. It was a battle to tell him that most of the time, things never went the way we wanted when it came to that. The mission to retrieve Ashley was more than proof of that, but I wasn’t eager to bring that up. “That’s fine. I can grab some ammo and supplies; I’ll go with you. Let me—”

Leon reached out and grabbed my arm gently, stopping me before I could take a full step from him. I frowned as he leaned forward a bit, whispering to me even though it was barely audible with the chaos around us. “No. You should stay here.”

“What?”

“You came here to help Claire, right? Stay and help her.”

I scoffed lightly, almost amused by his words as I gently stepped out of his hold. “I came here to help, period. Now, let me help you.” Leon just shook his head and my brow furrowed. “Why? You know I have your back.”

“I know that.”

“Then what’s the problem? I’m just as good at fighting, Leon. I may not be able to just roundhouse kick someone in the face the way you can, but what I lack in that, I make up in shooting zombies in the face or throwing knives. I’m sure you remember I’m a very good aim with a shotgun.” I argued, throwing in the fond memory of how we met to try and loosen him up, trying to convince him it was fine—I was fine.

He looked away for a moment and shook his head. “I know—Its not about that, Wren.”

“Then what’s it about?” I asked, stepping closer to press him. “C’mon. We’ve worked together before, we do that rather well, if memory serves me right.”

“I said it wasn’t about that—”

“And we’re partners, remember?” I asked, putting up my pinky with a small smile, hoping it hid the hurt or the way my heart was starting to twist in an uncomfortable manner. Leon just looked down at me, his blue eyes full of emotion, and as the seconds passed, I waited but he didn’t lift his pinky. My chest twisted even more as my smile fell, something so small impacted me so greatly as I searched his face, my tightening from the confusion and hurt. “Leon?” This wasn’t what I was expecting. I swallowed as my heart pounded, begging for some sort of answer. I waited for a sarcastic joke, some stupid one liner he’d throw my way that would make me roll my eyes or just tease him right back—flirty and fun banter to keep the dark away. But none of that happened. I clenched my fists tightly as I looked at him fiercely. “Partners. I am coming with you, Leon.”

“No, you’re not. I can’t take you with me, I—just please, stay here. Claire needs the help—”

“You need the help!” I hissed and pointed towards the town. “You need me in there with you. I can fight, Leon. You know I can—”

“Its not about that, Wren.” He repeated earnestly, but I wasn’t having it.

“Then tell me what it’s about Leon, because from where I’m standing, it doesn’t make any fucking sense.”

“You don’t understand.” Leon took a step closer as his voice became full of emotion, his fingers digging into his chest as he continued. “I need you safe. Not because I don’t think you can handle yourself but because I can’t focus on anything else if there’s even the smallest possibility you’re in danger.”

I blinked and stumbled back half a step, not sure exactly how to feel as his words wrapped around my mind and began to truly sink in. Shaking my head in what almost felt like denial, or just not quite understanding the way he seemed to believe, I breathed out in disbelief. “I—Leon, nothing has changed—”

“Everything has changed.” He cut me off as he closed what little distance, I had put between us, and his hands began to cradle my face. “Everything.” I just shook my head more. “Since…fuck, since the beginning. Since we had to fight our way through the city, since…what came after that. Then I thought I lost you, only to run into in that damn village…everything is different.”

“I had your back in all of that.” I insisted, a lump forming in my throat as I gripped his arms tightly, my thumbs rubbing reassuring circles. “We got through all of it fine, we can do this together. We always do.”

“There won’t be a second where I won’t be worried about you, where I could make a mistake because I can’t help but make sure you’re okay.”

“And if you leave me here? How do you think I will feel? Constantly worried, not knowing if you’re getting out alive and wondering if me not going is the very thing that ensures that you don’t?”

Leon jerked back slightly as if he was shocked by the words, but it didn’t last long. “I trust you with my life, but I need you to trust me with it, too. Its…I need you to just sit out on this one.” I go to protest, but he quickly shakes his head as his thumb gently caresses my bottom lip, and I keep silent as he continues. “I just…I know what’s in there, Wren, and I just…need you here.”

“I…I fight all the time, Leon. I work with Chris…” It’s a feeble attempt at this point, we both know it, but he respects it all the same.

“If there’s anyone here that I trust with my life completely, it’s you. Of course it’s you. But fighting in Spain…scared the shit out of me. Just this once, please…just stay.” Leon softly pleaded as he pressed his forehead against mine. “For me.”

The tears were hard to fight when I replied, my voice thick with them. “You better come back, or I’ll kick your ass, Leon Kennedy.” His laugh was more of a sigh of relief as he kissed my forehead.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.” Pulling away, I glared at him through teary eyes.

“I mean it. If something happens to you, Alex and I are going to drag you out so I can kill you myself.”

“Fair enough.” He offered a slight smile as he raised his pinky. “It’s a promise?” Glaring at him for a few more seconds, I finally wrapped my pinky around his.

“I hate you for this.”

For the first time since he showed his face, he offered his smug smirk, chasing away the heaviness between us. “We both know I’m good at making it up to you. See you soon.” I swallowed the lump in my throat, but my chest continued to ache as he disappeared.

I turned and began to make my way into the quarantine zone, intent on making sure I was so busy that I wouldn’t allow myself to think, and as I spotted and headed towards Alex and Claire, I couldn’t help but mutter to myself. "Just had to fall for the fucking cop.”

#oc: wren blake #leon kennedy #x: my little dark age #the last line was a struggle for me #but honestly i love the idea that wren still gives leon shit #because she still hates cops #but leon also doesn't let her forget she was charmed by the rookie cop on his first day #overall tho its so hard for either of them to watch the other fight alone #but leon is very right in this because they're both focus so much on each other when they fight together #but honestly this is probably a thing that only happens once or twice #because wren can't stand being left behind #and not knowing is far more worse #resident evil 4 #resident evil oc

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