#i have no motivation to keep going honestly

[scribbledghost]

Oh gosh, angsty idea I just need to ask... how do you Simon reacts to civilian!reader being captured?? And how do you think Simon reacts when reuniting with reader after rescuing them (b/c my brain won't accept any other ending than Simon and reader reuniting.) BTW, my brain didn't really have a particular version of Simon in mind while writing this... so you can picture fem!Simon, neighbor!Simon, etc. while responding :))))

It's been a minute since we've checked in on Neighbor!Simon, so let's do that, hm?

His first call is to Price when he finds your front door ajar and your house in disarray. He knows calling the cops would be next to useless, especially since it doesn't take a genius to piece together the kidnappers' motive - to get under Simon's skin, and lead him to them.

It takes all his resources to find you, including Price and Laswell pulling strings on his behalf. The 141 take on your rescue mission personally, though they're very much alone here. There is no backup, the military wasn't going to expend such resources rescuing a single average civilian.

Simon turns into a machine. He doesn't eat. He doesn't sleep. He only focuses on finding you and using whatever scraps of breadcrumbs he can in order to do so. He gets testy with the team. Any bit of lightheartedness from Soap or Gaz quickly gets crushed under Simon's heel. No time for jokes, not when you're out there somewhere, being put through god knows what.

His mind often wanders to Mexico. To Roba. Simon Riley is not a praying man, but he bends his own rule just this once. Not only to beg for your safe return, but to also plead that wherever you are (and whoever has you) is kinder to you than Roba was to him.

When they track you down, Simon is quick to start barking orders. Normally, Price would put him in his place, but he allows Simon to take the lead on this one. Simon has come too far to not be the one that rescues you. He makes quick work of whatever misguided group thought they could stand up to him; he leaves behind a trail of bodies with no remorse, and personally carries you out of the building and to a waiting helo.

Truthfully, I see him being completely devastated by guilt. Whoever took you did it to get back at him, and they found you by finding him. In his mind, it's the same scenario with his family all over again - someone he loves got hurt, and though he wasn't directly to blame, he can't deny that you would have been safe if he hadn't come into your life.

You wake up in a hospital bed some time later to see Simon sitting at your bedside, leg bouncing and arms crossed as he stares into space.

He all but freezes when you softly call for him, head snapping to you as he launches towards you. At first, he doesn't speak. The only thing he says is a soft "I'm so sorry" as he gently touches your cheek. He's a steady presence in the following days, making sure you're well taken care of, helping you when you start to get up and moving again.

Honestly, I think he might wrestle with himself a little bit here. Part of him wants to vanish; to leave you, move away, and break all ties with you in an effort to keep you safe. Sure, he'd spend the rest of his life thinking of you and yearning to have you back, but at least without any connection to him, you'd be free of the risk of this happening again.

And part of him wants the opposite. He wants you close, wants to keep an eye on you, wants to never leave your side. The risk would still be there, but he knows he'd be able to protect you better and he knows he'd be better-equipped to find you if anything were to happen.

In the end, he settles for the latter. And maybe he starts talking about condensing your two homes into one.

#simon ghost riley #simon riley x reader #simon riley x you #simon ghost x reader #simon ghost riley x reader #ghost x reader #ghost scribbles #neighbor simon

[vodika-vibes]

Since Fives is a really good investigator (evident with him finding about Order 66), can I request an x reader fic where he investigates a string of heists involving Jedi artefacts committed by the reader, who is a flirty master thief, and he tries to pursue her across Coruscant to bring her to justice?

Knew You Were Trouble

Summary: When ancient artifacts start vanishing from the Jedi Temple, stolen from right under the noses of both the archivists and the Jedi Guardians, Fives decides to investigate.

Pairing: Pre ARC Trooper Fives x Thief F!Reader

Word Count: 2484

Warnings: Reader is described as having a feminine body, and wearing makeup. Reader is given the codename Shadow for ease.

Tagging: @trixie2023 @n0vqni @imabeautifulbutterfly

A/N: Sorry that this took so long! I've had it sitting open in a Doc for days, but I finally got an idea! Reader's outfit is similar to this outfit from Persona 5 Royal. Though without the weapons. There may be a part two of this, if I ever get the motivation.

“General Nu-”

“Master,” The older woman corrects, as she glances at Fives out of the corner of her eye, and then turns back to her work, “What can I help you with, Corporal?”

“I think a holocron is missing.” Fives replies as he looks at the open spot on the shelf. There’s some discoloration, as though something had been sitting there for a long time.

The older woman hurries over and glances at the spot, a severe frown on her lips. She stares at the spot for a moment, and then releases a heavy sigh. “Again?”

“Ma’am?”

Jocasta Nu shoots him a severe look, and Fives fights the urge to quail under her glare, “How are you at investigations, Corporal?”

“...decent enough, I suppose.”

“Good, follow me.” The older woman leads him through the archives until she reaches her desk, and then she turns a monitor towards him, and she navigates to a file of saved videos, “Watch. This was recorded 5 months ago.”

Fives focuses on the screen.

It’s security footage of the Archives, and he watches as someone, a woman based on her body shape, slips in a window.

She’s dressed oddly, almost in a leotard, with thigh high boots, a long overcoat, and a sharp looking domino mask covering the upper part of her face hiding her features from the camera.

She locks her gaze on the camera and presses a finger against her lips, as if shushing someone, and the camera feed goes fuzzy.

“This next one was taken three weeks after that.”

The monitor flickers, and then there’s an image of the same woman opening one of the vaults before the feed cuts out.

“And last night.”

The monitor changes one more time, and the exact same person, dressed exactly the same, is shown blatantly taking a holocron from the shelf, before she, again, disconnects the cameras.

Fives pulls away from the monitor and focuses his gaze on General Nu, “The same person has broken in three times-”

“She’s broken in a grand total of a dozen times…we’ve only caught her on camera thrice.” General Nu corrects.

“...and the Temple Guard haven’t done anything?”

“They are of the opinion that she doesn’t exist.” The older woman scowls, “Honestly, I don’t even know why she’s targeting us. It’s not like we keep gems on hand.”

“You keep knowledge on hand though. And to some people, that’s worth more than all the gems in the galaxy.” Fives points out.

The woman bristles and then her shoulders slump, “Yes. I know. I want you to try and find her and bring her to justice.”

Fives exhales through his teeth, “With all due respect, ma’am. I’m due to ship out with the 501st tomorrow-”

“I’ll handle it. Will you help?”

Nervously Fives rubs the back of his neck, and then he sighs, “Yeah, alright. Assuming you can get permission, I’ll help. Do you have any evidence for me to go on?”

Master Nu smiles, it’s a sharp little thing and for a moment Fives wonders why she isn’t in charge of the war effort. “The holocron she stole has a tracking chip inside it. And, since holocrons can only be opened by force sensitives, it means she couldn’t have removed it.”

“Why didn’t you tell the Temple Guard about it?”

“Because, again, they don’t believe she actually exists.” General Nu presses a small datapad into his hand, “Here, this is what you need to track the holocron.”

“Thanks.”

“I’ll let you know what the Council says about your deployment.”

“Thanks for that too,” Fives replies as he powers the device on and waits for it to scan for the tracking fob that it’s keyed to. As soon as the screen lights up, he grabs his helmet and pulls it on and leaves the archives.

The fob is located in a warehouse only a short speeder ride away from the temple. 

And a quick search of the net tells him that the Warehouse is supposed to be abandoned. A deeper search of the net tells him that the warehouse was slated for demolition several years ago, but it just never happened.

“We have arrived at your destination.” The taxi droid chirps, “Thank you for your patronage.” Fives steps out of the speeder and glances at the datapad one more time.

“Seven warehouses,” He murmurs, zooming in a little bit, “I’m looking for building A-2478/23.” The speeder zips off while he’s not paying attention to it, not that he minds, really.

Fives wasn’t planning on returning to the temple right away anyway.

He glances at the datapad one more time, and then looks up and around. The buildings have to be labeled, right?

Ah! There, the closest building, is A-2475/23.

So odds are on the left side and evens would be on the right, assuming that this place is designed with any sort of logic. He jogs over to the first building on the right until he’s able to see the white letters on the side of the building.

A-2474/23.

So two down then.

The warehouse he’s looking for is a little more rundown than the other ones. Boarded up windows, rust replacing the green paint in places, leaking pipes…

And yet-

Fives moves to where the door is located, his eyes narrowing. The lights over the door are new. The broken windows are broken in such a way that it looks intentional. The doorknob on the door is also new, all of the rust is painted on.

He walks over to a rusty patch and he tugs off his glove to touch the rust with his bare fingers. It’s not real. 

Someone has gone to great lengths to make this place look like it’s been condemned. 

He walks over to the door and lightly touches the doorknob. How long has it been since he’s seen a building using a door like this, rather than the more mechanized ones that are seen everywhere.

Clever.

If he wasn’t looking for something out of place, he’d likely think that this building was ancient and wouldn’t give it a second thought.

Luckily, he’s smarter than the average bear, so to speak.

He pulls his hand away from the doorknob and pulls his glove back on. There’s no way he’s going through the front door. That’s just asking for trouble. 

He circles the warehouse, thoughtfully. Considering all of his options.

Opening the bay doors isn’t an option, he’d never get them open on his own from the outside. The ground floor windows are also out, anyone inside would see him immediately.

His gaze lands on the fire escape. Like the rest of the building, the ladder doesn’t look like it would carry the weight of a small child, let alone a man full grown. 

However, Fives has already seen evidence of someone going out of their way to try and make this place look more dangerous than it is. So he walks over to the ladder and jumps up to grab the bottom most rung.

Fives hangs there for a moment, waiting, and when the fire escape doesn’t dissolve under his weight, or even shake, he feels comfortable hoisting himself up to the fire door.

The door looks rusted beyond belief, and Fives is sure that it’s all fake rust. But he’s not so stupid to try and touch the door. Fire doors are notoriously sensitive, he remembers that from ARC Training.

So he ignores the door, and instead jumps up to grab the ledge of the roof, and he pulls himself up to the ledge.

A quick survey tells him that there aren’t any sensors on the roof, and he huffs out a quiet laugh, “You’d think that a thief would put sensors on the roof.” He mumbles to himself as he steps onto the gravel roof.

A second quick glance around leads Fives to side-step the roof access door, a door that he’s sure is rigged to an alarm, to crouch next to a window. And this, right here, is all of the proof that he needs that everything about the building is a facade. 

These windows are brand new, and made from blaster proof material. A material that Fives knows was only invented in the last few years.

He can’t see through the windows, not well at least, but he is able to see that there isn’t any movement on the upper walkways. So carefully, very carefully, making sure that none of the windows are wired, he opens one.

One final check that he’s not going to land on anyone, Fives drops into the warehouse, making sure that the window is closed behind him.

Silently he moves from the wall to peer down into the main part of the warehouse. 

There, sitting on a table, is the holocron that was missing. Well, presumably. There are a lot of holocrons on the table. 

On another table are some statues. Some books actually made of flimsy are lined up on another table.

There’s an entire shelf filled with weapons of all types.

And there, pacing between the tables, is a Devaronian man. Fives isn’t able to see the look on his face, and, even more clearly, he’s not the actual thief.

A contractor, perhaps?

Maybe the thief was hired by him to acquire all of these things…though Fives can’t think of a reason why. There’s nothing in common between any of these items that he can see, save for the fact that they’re old.

He scans the warehouse one more time, and then movement catches his eye.

There, perched on a wooden crate, is the thief.

Without her mask.

Fives’ immediate thought was that someone as pretty as her should probably be making a living as a model or an actress or something, not living as a master thief. His second thought is that she’s far too young to have stolen all of the things in the warehouse.

“My darling Shadow,” The man is speaking to Shadow, the thief, and Fives pulls himself out of his thoughts, “You’re so talented.”

“Yes,” She agrees, her voice light, “I am.”

“You’re almost as good as your father.” He continues.

“My father never managed to get into the Jedi Temple. I managed it 12 times in the last year.” Shadow replies, sounding bored out of her mind as she examines her gloves, “But please, do continue telling me how talented my father was.”

Her contractor opens his mouth to say something, and then hesitates, “My dear,” he finally says, condescendingly, “No one is as good as you think you are.”

The young woman lifts her head to say something, and then she pauses, her gaze sliding to the upper walkways. Her gaze locks onto his face, and she smiles, slow and pretty. “We have company.”

The Devaronian jerks, “What? Where!?” He spins around and looks up, and Fives, knowing that he’s been busted, moves a little more into the light. “Kriff! It’s the GAR!” The man yelps, before he shoves all of the holocrons into a bag and sprints away.

Shadow, however, doesn’t bother to run. Instead, she smoothly gets to her feet and pulls her mask on. “‘Won’t you step into my parlor?’ said the spider to the fly?” She coos.

It’s a trap. It’s clearly a trap.

But Fives can’t help but smirk, as he leans over the railing, “Does that make you the spider in this scenario, Miss Shadow?”

“Why don’t you come down and find out, little soldier boy.”

He should go after the contractor. He should. That would be the smart thing to do.

But no one’s ever accused him of being smart.

So Fives grips the railing, and he jumps over the edge.

A quick activation of his jetpack allows him to land lightly on his feet only a few feet away from her. “I’ve come to reclaim the items you took from the Jedi temple.” Fives announces.

Her red painted lips turn up, “Have you? How do you intend to do that?”

“I already caught you.” Fives points out.

She laughs, it’s a pretty sound, “Sweetheart, I haven’t been caught.”

“Yet.”

“Oh, you do think highly of yourself, don’t you?” She murmurs. Her eyes, the only part of her upper face not hidden by her mask, sweep down his body, “Of course, I suppose you have every reason to.”

“You could make this easy on both of us and just turn yourself in.”

“Now, why would I do that?”

“You clearly recognize that I’m an ARC Trooper.”

Her smile widens, “The best of the GAR…on the battlefield. And this, darling, is hardly a battlefield.”

Fives sighs, “You’re going to make me catch you, aren’t you?”

She scans him once more, “Well, I’m always happy to submit to a man in armor-” Fives inhales sharply, and he can feel his face heating under his helmet, “But you haven’t made me submit yet.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“So you’re going to let me go? How nice of you~”

“I didn’t say that.”

Her smile doesn’t waver as she moves. Fives curses, she’s faster than she looks, especially for someone wearing heels that high.

Then she’s right in his space. His helmet lifts, just a little, and warm lips press against his jaw. “Catch me if you can, handsome.” Then she’s gone, balanced on the rafters of the warehouse and smiling down at him, “I’ll let you have the stuff in the warehouse, as a treat.”

It takes him a moment to gather his thoughts, “Let?” He rasps.

Her smile is pretty, “Let. After all, you found me didn’t you. Think of it as…incentive to keep looking for me.”

“If everything is here, then why would I do that?”

She produces a datacron from under her jacket, “I like information, sweetheart. And so, over the last dozen visits to the temple, I made copies of every bit of information that I could. And I have it right here.”

Kriff.

Double kriff.

If that information gets out-

There’s a flash of pink as she licks her lower lip, “Are you motivated yet?”

“Well, I guess I don’t have a choice, do I?” Fives’ jaw clenches, “I am going to catch you.”

“I look forward to it, handsome.” And then she really is gone, out the same window that he entered through.

Slowly, shakily, Fives comms General Nu, “I found…a lot. But the thief got away.” He says as soon as she answers.

“How much is a lot?”

Fives looks around the massive warehouse filled with stolen objects, “A whole warehouse full.” He pauses, “There’s more, too.”

“Tell me when I arrive. You and your…twin…have officially been transferred to me.” General Nu says, “I hope he’s as good an investigator as you.”

The comm cuts off and Fives looks around with a sigh. Well, he never really wanted to fight in a war anyway.

#star wars #tcw #star wars au #arc trooper fives x reader #fives x reader #star wars fanfiction #x reader fanfiction #f!reader fic #answered asks

[cookiesupplier]

Every Rose Has Its Thorns - Part Thirty-Eight

pairing: Ricky Olson x ofc x Chris 'Motionless' Cerulli

warnings/tropes: slow burn, soulmates, strangers to enemies to lovers, betrayal, angst, fluff, smut, language, online bullying, panic attacks, stalking, mental health issues, conspiracy theories.

summary: In a world where soulmates inexplicably receive a tattoo that will match that of their soulmate the moment they turn eighteen years old, being famous and covered in very visible tattoos can make finding your true soulmate a questionable fate. For everyone involved.

author’s note: I'm struggling with my health, so motivation and writers block is hitting me, but, trying to keep up a little, enjoy!

To read from the beginning, check out the Masterlist Here!

tags: @tearfallpixie @cncohshit @jordynyingling0219 @faceless-mirror @nyxthedestroyerofworlds @wild-child-7747 @witchyweeb34 @black-damask1999 @jilliemiw86 @ilovesamkiszka @lyschko666 @lacktoesandtoddlerants @bngurngheart @collapsedglasshouses @laurpartyprogram @sunsshinesunny @malerieee @talialovesmiw @shilohrosechicken @thatchickwiththecamera @tamtam-elizabeth

Tag List is Open, please let me know if you would like to be added to it or in general.

What the hell was happening?!?

Chris was staring at his phone and trying not to freak out. Breath, just breath. What was he going to tall Ricky and Talia? This, this was, this was… what the hell was this? Let's be real, he didn’t know what to tell Ricky and Talia because he had no idea what the fuck this was himself! It wasn’t just beyond confusing. It was insane! Forget about not using that word because of the sensitive issue about the fact both Talia and himself had been committed, he had been trying to be careful about saying, thinking it.. But push come to shove, right now, this felt utterly insane. A man he had been getting to know for years, that he had had intense philosophical conversations with, conversations that changed how he saw the soulmate bonds completely at times, just seemed to completely, what.. What the fuck?

Nothing made sense about what had just happened. Micah wouldn’t have turned on him, because that was what it felt like, Micah turning on him almost, somehow, just, a little bit. Or was that all in his head, was he over thinking this? Was, was he just imagining things here? Was he paranoid in that phone call because of the changes with his tattoo and reading too much in what had just happened? Maybe Micah was having a bad day. Still, what was wrong, what was happening? Why couldn’t he call that number anymore, this was all just so very, deranged.

“Hey Chris, have you heard back from that scientist guy yet? Because I was just think-”

Rick walking into the kitchen he stopped in his tracks taking one look at him, maybe it was the look on his face, or the fact he had been in the middle of making his lunch and had stopped cold, and it was all out on the counter forgotten. Something very unlike Chris. Leaving food out and risking it spoiling when he had to deal with enough finding decent vegan food in the past, and literally taught himself to cook to make his own, Chris didn’t just randomly leave food out. Ricky knew that, everyone that knew Chris well enough knew that.

“Okay, what’s wrong?”

Shit shit shit.. But honestly, Rick already had second thoughts about the scientists with his insistence on the testing elements, that much was obvious, and was getting the worst feeling now.. What was he supposed to say to him? Chris looking over at him after a moment, he swallowed, he didn’t know what to say, what could he say, that the hope he had for some answers had just gone down the drain.

Yes, they could wait and see if these tattoos could work themselves out on their own, but what if they didn’t? Would they be living with these effects for the rest of their lives? How would that work, at any moment it could affect them. Any moment, after what Ricky said he’d felt just from Chris kissing Talia, imagine Talia being in the middle of a tattoo and feeling him kissing Ricky out of the blue. That could have massive ramifications for her, and her client. 

“I, ah, heard from Micah, my scientist fr- guy.”

He wasn’t sure, were they friends right now, it made him feel sick to question it, when Chris trusted someone enough to call them his friend, it took a lot these days after everything. So to question it now, that hurt, and he hated himself just a little bit for it.

“Oh yeah? I'm guessing, from the look on your face, the news wasn’t great.”

Chris frowned, his brow furrowed slightly as he stared at Ricky for a moment, trying to figure out what to say, how to explain that conversation when he didn’t even know he could explain it to himself. So he decided to just say that, he didn’t know.

“I don’t know what it was. He got, cagey.”

“Cagey? What do you mean?”

Chris sighed, back to how to explain, start from the top he guessed.

“Well, I didn’t want to tell him about Talia, or you, because I didn’t want to risk anyone getting pulled into anything, so I spun a story about random soulmate stupid theories, and started sprouting off different random theories. All different ones, bits and pieces from other theories Rick, throwing this one into the mix. I didn’t even mention tattoos causing strange sensations, just changing, after, well, a soulmate died. Instantly this guy I’ve been talking to for years, that I’ve sent Christmas cards to, even birthday cards to his kids, starts getting fucking weird and cagey.” As he explained it, Chris went from being worried to actually being annoyed. Because, what the hell, what was going on?!

“Considering I was sufficiently freaked out by the time he was asking me if it was my tattoo that was changing, there was absolutely no way I was telling him, I hesitated. I might as well have screamed yes at the top of my lungs, of course.”

“Of course.”

“Now I feel completely fucked because then it got even creepier when he goes.”

Chris imitates a low raspy faux villian voice, they both know how good he is at changing his voice, it sounded nothing like Micah, but that was not the point of why he was using it. He just wanted to be anything but himself right then.

“Chris, whatever you do, don’t call this number again, I’ll be in touch. and then just hangs the hell up. What Ricky, what? Next thing I know, you're walking in. I trusted this man, what, what am I supposed to do, what if, shit, what if there is some conspiracy-”

“Hey, I’m the conspiracy-nut here, leave that job to me.”

Chris couldn’t help rolling his eyes at that with a scoff.

“This isn’t the time to joke Rick, I’m scared, my tattoo is changing, and someone I thought I could trust to ultimately listen and help me figure out what is happening to me eventually just-”

“Hey, hey,”

Swallowing, feeling Ricky’s hand on his arm.

“You know, whatever happens, I’m not going anywhere.”

Ricky squeezed his fingers around Chris’ arm. There was no way he was going to walk away from Chris dealing with this, not now, not ever, not even if Talia wanted to go home. She might be his original soulmate, but Chris was his best friend, and he’d already been through hell and back. Besides, while he couldn’t guarantee it, not by a long shot, he didn’t think Talia was the kind of person that would just talk away. Not if Chris really needed her. Yes, it was just a tattoo to most people, but theirs was affecting them on an entirely different level, he was sure if anyone could appreciate that, Talia could after what they’d already gone through. What she’d already been through. Considering Talia for that matter, 

“Would you like me to call Talia, we can disc-”

Before he even finished what he was saying, just thinking that they could talk about what they wanted to do from here, Chris’ phone suddenly alerted them to a message, causing the taller man to startle out of nowhere. They were really going to have to do something about Chris stress level. He had always been a perfectionist, but he was not dealing with any of this very well, and Ricky was starting to get worried about him going over the edge from all of this.

“For the love of-”

Waiting while Chris checked the message, a groan coming from the man.

“Well, that’s just the icing on the cake, look at this.”

Chris practically shoved his phone over to Ricky for him to take.

“It’s a message, from Micah, it's an unknown number, but that’s how he signs off all his texts.”

“Okay.”

Well, that, was curious. Considering the only part of the message that made any sense whatsoever was the end where Micah had signed it off according to Chris, it was interesting to say the least. The rest was some kind of jargon, the entire thing was written in some kind of code, letters, numbers, and for the life of him, there was something familiar about it. 

“Do you have a notepad and pen anywhere?”

Rick wanted to write this message long hand so he could work it out other than on the tiny little screen of the phone. Obviously, it had to be something that Micah thought that Chris might be able to figure out, or at least, hoped he would be able to find a way to be able to. If he wanted him to at all. Chris could be right, it could be a conspiracy, this could just be a wild goose chase that they were about to be sent on. There might be every chance that Ricky was about to jump down the rabbit hole pointlessly, or, alternatively, Chris had a friend that was trying to actually help him, and was honestly trying to warn him away. Ricky, while had been very pessimistic lately for Chris’ sake, was willing to hope on the latter.

At the very least, he wanted to know what this damn message meant.

Even if it was just a rabbit hole.

With Chris handing over a pen and notebook, Ricky sat down at the kitchen table while the singer went back to work on finishing making lunch, only this time he set to making something for both of them. Ricky sat there, muttering to himself over the numbers, and letters, working through the different combinations, and possibilities, and while he could be going online to look up different cyphers for codes, he didn’t want to risk it. This wasn’t some random puzzle, this was Chris’ life, this was their life, and if he couldn’t figure it out, then what was the point of the code at all?

Having finished their lunch, and multiple cups of coffee, Ricky was looking at Chris suddenly, blinking…

“Could it be that simple?”

Murmuring to himself, and ripped yet another piece of paper from the notebook and scrunched it up and tossed it to the bin.

He missed.

Again.

The utterance however seemed to have gotten Chris’ attention, looking up from his phone that he had been looking over. Ricky hadn’t been paying attention to what the other had been doing, just engrossed in the message.

“What is it?”

“Just a minute.”

Ricky was already scribbling away furiously on the fresh page of the notepad, a whole new set of the figures as he glanced back to the code that he’d written out cleanly still beside him on the table. So far it was working, so far, the new page, it was making sense. So far, it really was that simple, and he was kicking himself for having not considered it before. Of course, Micah being a scientist, he’d gone for that side for, idiot. Sighing, he shouldn’t have been focusing on the science, he should have been thinking like Chris, like himself, like a musician.

“He has sent instructions, basically, buy a burner phone, call this number, and only call it at a certain time of day.” Ricky flipped the paper around so that Chris could read what the message had said,

“And a warning, not to talk to anyone else about your tattoo changing.”

Looking down at the scrawled message on the paper. So Micah was trying to help him, that, terrified him even more, that someone out there could be out to get him. Maybe not just him, but what if they came for Talia and Rick too for being connected to him now? 

“Shit.”

Reading over the message that Micah sent for him, so he guessed he was going to have to go buy a burner phone. 

“Looks like I’ve got a trip to the store ahead of me.”

Glancing at his watch,

“And about an hour before the first chance to call, I’m going to go now.”

He was not going to waste time. Chris wanted to find out what the hell was going on here, why Micah had suddenly started freaking out on him, otherwise he was going to be a mess all night and he knew it.

“I don’t think I can handle another day of spy games.”

Standing up from the table, he didn’t trust just sending someone else to grab a phone for him when it came to this. Chris swallowed as he glanced at Rick when he immediately followed suit, standing right alongside him.

“I’m coming with you. Don’t look at me like that, Talia is safe at Vinny’s, and if anyone is at risk from whatever the hell could be going on, on the other end of that phone call, it's mostly you, Chris. So I’m not letting you out of my sight until we know what's happening.”

Chris sighed,

“Alright, but I’m driving, Road Kill.”

Smirking as Ricky rolled his eyes, he was never letting that go.

Dividers by @saradika-graphics

#motionless in white #miw #ricky olson #ricky olson fanfiction #original female character #soulmates #fanfiction #miw band #soulmate au #ricky olson fanfic #chris motionless #chris cerulli #chris cerulli fanfic #fic: every rose has its thorns

[discet]

I read your post arguing that Marcy in Amphibia having a poor homelife is 'key to making her compelling and sympathetic as a protagonist.' But wouldn't it weaken Marcy's arc if that was the case?

I know you're positioning the argument from the angle of Marcy as a protagonist and not a supporting character as she was in canon, but Marcy having bad parents...kind of diminishes the dramatic impact of her decision to steal the box. Because it was Marcy's choice to steal the box and trick her friends. Having her actions be rationalized with 'actually, she wouldn't have done that if she wasn't living with crappy parents' cheapens that. It becomes less about Marcy making a selfish choice born out of understandable fear, and more about making excuses for her.

Marcy wasn't exactly conspiring to make her situation in Amphibia 'permanent', either. Judging by the wording in True Colors, what Marcy wanted was for her friends keep using the box to go on adventures throughout the multiverse. She seemed okay charging the box to return to Earth, so long as she knew she had an 'out' from having to actually deal with being physically distant from Anne and Sasha. Her overriding fear, at all times, was losing her best and only friends, and that alone is a totally sympathetic and understandable motivation.

I know you acknowledged having bad parents doesn't make Marcy's actions justified, and I understand why Marcy's homelife came off as poor to you, given the almost non-existent details we get from canon about Marcy's parents. But honestly, I think it makes for a stronger arc if, rather than somebody's bad choices stemming from being a victim of somebody else, said someone has to accept the fact that they alone are responsible for what they do. To quote another blogger on this site, being the sole person responsible for your shortcomings also means that you are the only one to blame for your gains, too.

Eh, agree to disagree Anon.

wouldn't it[making Marcy's homelife bad] weaken Marcy's arc if that was the case?

No, not really. I think that it along with her codependency with her friends provides a clear motivation for her actions. It provides a great deal of contrast to explore against Anne and Sasha's home lives. It also gives a different approach to explore in an Isekai protagonist.

Often Isekai either has a focus on returning to the original world (Anne for example) or has no way home and the protagonist is forced to embrace their new world. I wanted to explore a protagonist who has the option and wants to make the choice to stay in their new world without it being an escapist power fantasy.

Another big part of her arc in AWIW is breaking her out of her escapist mindset by mid season 1.

I won't disagree that it gives her a different character arc, but I don't think it weakens it.

Marcy having bad parents...kind of diminishes the dramatic impact of her decision to steal the box.(...)It becomes less about Marcy making a selfish choice born out of understandable fear, and more about making excuses for her.

Disagree. I think that it complicates it. It gives Marcy the justification to run from her home, but in no way justifies her tricking Anne or Sasha into coming with her.

Marcy wasn't exactly conspiring to make her situation in Amphibia 'permanent', either.

I mean, always adventuring is not functionally different from being in Amphibia permanently. And the True Colors page in the journal makes it pretty clear that she had no intention of ever going home. IIRC in pages she also implies that she didn't intent to have Anne or Sasha go home either, she wanted them all to stay together. So I think this is kind of a semantic argument

But honestly, I think it makes for a stronger arc if, rather than somebody's bad choices stemming from being a victim of somebody else, said someone has to accept the fact that they alone are responsible for what they do.

I mean, motivations do not happen in a vacuum. Anne having good parents isn't any more of default position that shapes her world view. One in four children in the US experience neglect or abuse in their lifetime. I don't think positioning character as having a motivation coming from that background suddenly makes their whole arc weaker.

The context of Marcy's parents being bad contextualizes Marcy's actions in AWIW, but does not excuse them. It makes both her decision to run away and desperation to protect her friendship with Anne and Sasha make sense.

I came from a good family, and like Marcy, had a lot of trouble making friends growing up. I had one really good friend outside my family who was a fairly popular extrovert. If I would have had to move, I would have been heartbroken to leave my friend, but I wouldn't have run away cause I also loved my family and would be just as hurt to leave them as my friend.

The idea that I would sooner runaway, kidnap my friend, and then half a year later would double down on that decision and conspire to permanently separate from my family is completely unrelatable to me. I would have missed my family terribly, like I did my first year of college.

IMO Marcy's character kind of breaks down if her homelife isn't at least a little complicated. Her actions just don't match up with it.

I read your post arguing that Marcy in Amphibia having a poor homelife is 'key to making her compelling and sympathetic as a protagonist.'

I would agree that this was an overstatement though. There can obviously be a lot of ways to interpret a character and make a compelling story with them. It was an essential component for me personally to build the most compelling story I could, but others mileage may vary.

#awiw #amphibia #Marcy wu #aaa

[57sfinest]

calling harry a “can opener” was SUCH a good play for so many reasons i think about it every day.

in the context of his work, it makes him a tool. as many people have pointed out, including martin luiga, part of the hdb tragedy is that he simply cannot leave the force, and his superiors know that and are using it to their advantage. no matter what happens, even if harry hated every nanosecond of every bit of the work and wanted to leave, he can’t and won’t leave. they can leverage anything they want against him and then reel him back in with a facade of kindness when they “allow” him to keep his job, as long as he does what they want him to. the 41st knows he has this inexplicable talent with people and they use him for it. he’s a cop: that talent can be used in so many awful ways, to push so many different agendas. and they won’t even be his own. a can opener has no particular desire to open a can, aside from maybe the satisfaction of fulfilling a purpose. a can opener has no agency, it’s just a tool for someone else to use to get what they want. and he’s learned to be okay with being used as long as it means he gets to stay. his complacency with this system makes him guilty even if he’s also being harmed by it.

but in the context of his personal life you kind of... flip it. the people around him are going to be opened up whether they want to be or not, and it’s terrible for his relationships. it’s shown that the questions, the prying- the can-opening- it’s become inextricable from who he is as a person. it’s like he doesn’t know how else to communicate, except it’s hardly communication when you’re just ripping people open. he’s invasive as all hell, although whether he means to be is debatable. he’s the kind of person that wants to take things apart to see what makes them tick. he dissects people, but really that’s too delicate of a word for what he does; if he doesn’t get what he wants right up front, he’ll abandon all subtlety and go for brute force. if he can’t get your screws loose he’ll just smash you on the ground and pick through your pieces until he’s satisfied, and if what he did to you isn’t fixable? oh well, there are other cans to open. 

and he’ll use it for personal gain: we already know he is (was?) manipulative. once he knows how you operate, he knows how to make you keep him. he can yell or he can cry; he can threaten you or he can threaten himself; he can be completely suffocating or he can withdraw completely; he can be an incorrigible liar or brutally honest; he can present himself as a threat or a joke or a talent. he’s a chimera- that’s why he’s got this inexplicable magnetism, even when people know they shouldn’t like or trust him. fidelity of character means nothing to him. he’ll be whatever he needs to be as long as it gets him what he wants. the can-opening is just his way in.

#disco elysium #harry du bois #and it works on us the audience as well! #look at how many different versions of harry there are out there. each tailored to our individual preferences #we exaggerate and minimize his traits according to what we want to see. he's can-opening us too! #it's just like. of course his job will frame the can opening as a positive thing #but it's honestly one of his worst traits. or at least it is when he doesn't keep it in check #there's nothing wrong with wanting to understand people but the way he goes about it is harmful to everyone including himself #he's doing it because he has ulterior motives like 99.999998% of the time #this is mostly about pre-martinaise harry but i have no doubts that post-martinaise harry can go right back to this btw #a lot of us prefer to think of harry as drastically improving after martinaise which is great and i'd like to hope he does but. #it's also good to consider the overwhelming possibility that he will go right back to being a total shithead #and that may be completely unintentionally! which almost makes it worse! #ALSO. this is part of why kim makes a very good foil #for the most part kim will stonewall anything he doesn't feel like sharing #harry needs to respect boundaries and by god does kim have a lot of those (affectionate) #HOWEVER kim is definitely susceptible to the can opening as well #wait okay i have another post idea. #anyway thanks for reading. as always feel free to add and share thoughts! #kiwipost #hdb meta

[peony-pearl]

GOD!!! I love Iroh

#honestly they could have made his character darker in canon #let him have killed dragons #let people ask why he only stopped the siege after HIS son died #let Zuko in S1 get tired of Iroh's dicking around and scream at him that he's not taking capturing the Avatar seriously so Zuko can go home #and Iroh can't tell him that yeah he doesn't want to go home because he's depressed af #but also acting silly is an easier way to keep Zuko away from Ozai #AND it keeps Iroh away from the Fire Nation #so yeah he's being selfish but it's keeping Zuko safe #I wish Iroh and Azula could have had more one on one moments #I wish he could lament that Azula is going down the same path as him but Azula is too proud to see #that she could lose everything and be as much of 'a loser' like him #Yes there will still be the tension #Iroh will still encourage Zuko with moves that Azula doesn't know if it motivates him #because if Zuko loses faith he WILL get his dumb ass captured and hauled home in chains #Iroh has lost one child he will not lose another #but then let him realize he could be damning Azula all the same #but the more he tries to talk to her the more he sees himself and his pride and ego and he cannot get to her in a way that won't jeopardize #his and Zuko's safety #so he must focus solely on himself and Zuko and getting to BSS #there's more I could say but I think I have enough here lmao

[seventh-district]

#there is a Severe lack of gif sets for Dermot Kennedy music videos on this site #come ON tumblr this used to be The Place To Go for gifsets! what happened! #like for real am i not looking well enough or is it really a wasteland out there in those tags #for such popular music i am shocked i cannot find one (1) gifset for this video #got me out here posting the link to the video like a fool #i should get back into learning to make gifs but oh boy it is time consuming and i don’t have the time!! #anyways. wow dredging up old reblogs /And/ posting music videos?? i’m being Extra annoying on the dash tonite #it’s a bad night okay gimme a break. let me be cringe #anyways anyways. rewatching this & crying for the millionth time again for no particular reason :))) #there are many reasons that Dermot has been my most listened-to artist for 3 of the last 4 years #many many many reasons. many beautiful songs. but this video alone is enough reason honestly #one of the most important things to me of all time. on the list of stuff too impactful for casual consumption #it always gives me motivation to keep pushing and fighting for myself #the song alone is great but the video frames it in such a light that just.. means a whole lot to me #hence me being extra Extra™️ and posting the video instead of my usual just rambling abt lyrics and stuff #dermot kennedy #Power Over Me #music stuff #video #Seven’s Favorites #Youtube

[lyxchen]

I'm listening to the audiobook of a book I had to read for school and that I now need for my final exam and honestly it's making me so angry. Like I don't like the book at all, I don't like the characters I don't like the descriptions and I don't like how it's written and it makes me want to throw my phone against the wall!!!

#it's like red hot anger i'm feeling truely #not a lot of things get me this angry but damn this book does it #it has some good parts but then all of a sudden the autor starts describing the most useless shit like how the wall is painted or that some #dog is peeing on the floor and i just can't #i can not #this fucking book i hate having to read it so much!!! #and the main character is so naive and not in a sweet way but in a what are you even doing do you not know how the world works?? kinda way #and it's pissing me off #like i don't care if other people like the book they can read it if they want to but why the fuck do i have to read it??? #i could also talk about how it deals with a subject that is somehow brought up in a lot of books that i have to read for school But instead #of really talking about and showing the subject all these books just talk around it from an outside perspective #hhhhhhh #i am so glad when this is over honestly my attention span is so small already how do these people genuinely think i can read a book i #don't like when i don't even have enough motivation in me to read a book i Do like #anyways #all i wanted to say is that it's very strange to feel the actual need to throw your phone against a wall #but this book has got me to that point and yeah #i'm going to stop listening to that audiobook now because i'd like to keep my phone thank you very much

[pyrriax]

one day i will stop being afraid of getting hounded for writing something that is less pretty and more just. raw.

#haunted ecosystem #how do i describe what i mean by this. something about the Vibe and taking a less amicable approach to things. #also i might just start. posting shit. who cares if i spoil what technically happens later in the AU. if it gets me motivated then like. #honestly. #also i need to stop being afraid to write sequel/world continuations #i want to write more in the world i set up with asomatous because i think there's more there to explore #also forgive me being pretty bad about updates recently. life hit me with a brick and then i decided playing minecraft was important #(its escapism okay. and fic writing is escapism but also kind of reserved for when im having Emotions. because im shit at that) #i keep telling myself im going to work on prompt fills for some bingo cards i got and then being a coward about it #honestly i might post some anon fics (it'll probably be temporary as anon) and just know people will probably recognize my style #idk im a little afraid of this fandom and i wish i wasnt pvnjdk its probably because im Late to a lot of this and not a stream/VOD watcher #anyways biting this off here #that is not a phrase people use. #its 4:32am give me a break

[cicidraws]

the hatred i have for plastic bowls

#like yeah theyre cheap and you have what you have #but god i hate how they keep the smell of what was in it before or even the color of sauces /seasonings #it makes all motivation to cook anything or wash anything go down the toilet honestly nowadays #esp if its the type of plastic that melts after so many soups have been in it #its def worth it to get nicer bowls esp microwave safe bowls that arent made of plastic #thats just me though #plastic bowls have other uses aswell though

[mynameisbillandimaheadcase]

,

#there are nicer weys to tell someone the need to go take a shower that you know yelling at them that they stink and it is unpleasant to be #around them #like just yelling at me that i need to go shower literally doesn't motivate me to #especially bc i was planning on doing it on Monday bc i had already showered yesterday #maybe she could have sed to me : hey you took a shower yesterday but still smell like sweat ( is everything okay) #the answer is no #i am on vacation but i am so fucking stressed i keep sweating bc of it #but she just wanted to yell at me so i guess it doesn't matter #she is angry and as always i am her punching bag #i told her that the magnifying glass made no difference since i can already see the flowers clearly i get yelled at #i tell her that i prefer to stey home and do hw i get yelled at #i didn't do my hw bc she made me go out i get yelled at #and after all that i get out of the shower and she asked me if i want to let her blowdry my hair like nothing happened #no ofc i don't want #to #i just had a breakdown on the shower that she triggerd i h*rt myself and i am now in pain bc of that #i don't want you anywhere near me #i honestly feel like i am going insane #how can she do that to me #and i literally ahave no proof except that i go on record mode anytime she speaks but it's always her word against mine #i am pretty sure in a few hours i will be blaming myself for everything #one moment she screams at me and the other she pretends that nothing happened #but yeah i am sure i am just making it up #/s

[yuridovewing]

doesnt matter much bc idk how much content ill make for it anyways but i am so conflicted on whether i want the hawkleaf au to be in my hypothetical rewrite or not. because like i like the idea for that au because the melodrama gets pumped up even more and i love the whole "oh theyre firestar and tigerstars grandchildren.... but not the ones you think" thing, and how it makes the secret even more devastating, but also like. where the hell does that leave the windclan soap opera

#i mean feathertail lives in my au but i never liked feathercrow and even tho im aging up most of the cast #i still dont feel like pairing them up #so much of the interesting stuff you can do with crowfeather by leaning into him being a shitty guy is only possible if you keep #feathercrow and leafcrow #i want to keep breezepelt as a potential antagonist that eventually gets better but like again. SO much of that is rooted in leafcrow #i dont mind not seeing the windclan stuff as much bc hawkleaf would focus on the thunderclan consequences #as the only one in riverclan who'd care is mothwing who. honestly would probably already know #leopardstar and mistystar would probably hate that but leopard kicks the bucket soon after anyways #and tbh mistystar is so inconsistently written i just have no clue how to write her #maybe she hates it but shuts up when the brothers get exiled #ooooo maybe for an extra bit of nastiness riverclan grabs this whole thing and goes ''and this is why you cant take in loners'' #and clan xenophobia only grows all that more powerful #anyways back to crow. i feel like since hes still going on the journey he should still be more involved afterwards #i like my initial idea i rambled about on main where hes still a shitty person but its less motivated by manpain #and more motivated by windclans civil war and perhaps that whole event made him turn against thunderclan #i soooorta want to do a thing similar to the po12 au where the other clans have prophecy cats? #but probably not bc the three's powers are seen as curses from the dark forest after the secret gets out #altho if i did do that then hmmm how would the other prophecy cats besides thunderclan react to all this #rewrite

[chatter-by-the-fountain]

"Hm, I don't exactly regret that many choices. Sure there's guilt built up in there, a lot of it... and it doesn't get easy to deal with. But I can't see myself doing anything in a different way. It... wouldn't make sense for me to do it."

"But... I don't suppose you see yourself as free of any mistakes, do you?"

"That's... obviously not. I know I did awful things. I left people behind I shouldn't have, didn't lend a hand, didn't risk all that I could for them. I wish I hadn't done that, but I know the situation was hopeless."

"Was it really?"

"No offense but are you asking about me or yourself?"

"Well, if you think you could have done better, then you should have, that seems logical. But... I know that has no effect on you now, if I go by your words. I wish I could think the same way— perhaps not, actually. If it was truly hopeless then I would not have been able to do anything and I would feel no guilt, because I know there was no choice. But here we are, knowing fully well our mistakes. How can you just let it be? Did it really matter or was it just whatever was supposed to be the right thing? Was it worth it to just not do it?"

"Enough. You're going too far with this. So, listen well. I'm not saying that I don't see anything wrong with what I did —and didn't do— in the past. I'm also not saying making those choices was easy and I'm not saying I don't ever think of scenarios were things turned out better. So stop that. And maybe consider that all of that applies to you as well, right? That you also didn't do the right thing, you know it now, and the only difference right now seems to be that I am not on the verge of collapsing by thinking about it."

"Where are you going with this?"

"I... dream about this a lot. Sometimes you don't even need to be asleep. It repeats when you least expect it, sometimes a few details are different, it always ends the same. Anyways, I know what I feel about the whole ordeal. Those are my thoughts, my feelings. I also know that I wasn't stupid either, I had reasons, however bad they may sound now, that made me take certain paths. And the main thing is: I know that all of it is in the past and no matter how much i wish I could change things, I can't. But I am here, today, talking to you, and tomorrow I will be elsewhere. What I can say for sure, is that now, in better circumstances, I can do better."

"Sure you could say that to feel better. But I... don't know what I must do. I could never compensate people for some of my actions. And... I know there are those who will always be affected by them."

"Can you do something for those people?"

"I don't know... I won't get forgiveness. It's fine but it still burns. I could do other things but I think I've broken some things for good."

"Maybe. But will you find a way to sleep tonight?"

"I have to."

"Yeah I guess. I can't say you will ever be able to do enough to compensate, maybe that part will always stink. But between doing something and just crawling and drowning on your guilt, the latter isn't gonna help. So if you can do better now, then do it."

"This doesn't feel like a resolution."

"Of course it isn't, but at least you're not stuck in the past anymore."

"Do you think others feel the same way? About their mistakes?"

"Hah, do they deal with it like you or I do? i don't know. But do they deal with something in the world we live in? Yeah, and that's their own mess to deal with. But I guess you can share some thoughts with me too. Look at it from the bright side, you didn't do anything to me, personally. You don't have to hide. And we may have a thing or two in common to make it even better, maybe even be allies."

"After all, we live in the same world together."

"Sure... that's a pretty broad way to put it, but it works for now. Let's rest, I think it's a good spot to stop for now."

"I suppose."

#my writing #fran ocs #night whispers #honestly i dont think their conversation ever gets easier #but eventually someone has to eat or sleep and reslize that the world is simply what's right there #and concrete actions will come easier for them #guilt #this is... a scene that's in my mind rn #though i wouldn't know where in context i would put it #anyways i think guilt is a big theme rn #these two have... done some shit #im more sure of the second speaker's actions #the first are a bit more vague #i know some of what that character did but not to who #and what the chances to fix things are #that character's deal trascends that guilt anyways #in the present day the goal is to find motivations to keep going #and dealing with being responsible for others

[raveartts]

only when I'm at my sleepiest must I get the urge to get out all my painting supplies and make an entire painting

#it's midnight and I can barely keep my eyes open #but I wanna paint #I honestly don't even think I could make a sketch I'm happy with rn though #but I won't have the motivation to paint tomorrow probably.... #so maybe I should #.. but... sleepy #and I always imagine painting in my head and it will go well #but then I actually paint #and I remember that I HATE PAINTING #and everything sucks and nothing works how I want it to #and I will end up crying and sobbing because the art looks like trash #and the more I try and fix it the worse it gets #rave ramblees #....hhhhhhhhhh goodnight I guess #maybe I'll remember to paint tomorrow #because I'll actually have free time for once :D

[onika-t-maraj]

…

#i have had my cats since 2008 and i think this is finally the end for her #she is drinking so much water and she’s been meowing her weird little meow at night for me to turn the sink on #and let her drink running water #that’s supposed to be a sign of kidney disease #she’s going to the vet on sunday but I’m worried if she’ll make it that far #she can’t sit still for too long #i honestly don’t know what I’ll do when she’s gone #she was never really my cat but she became it out of necessity #my mom didn’t want to keep her after we became homeless and tried to give her away #and I didn’t think that was fair so I made it my mission to care for her and do all the things she deserved #making sure she was cared for became my motivation all those years ago to start a savings account and find a place of my own #it took so long but I finally did it in 2021 and now it feels like it’s too late #I wonder if she ever enjoyed being here with me #versus the years she was living with my husband’s family; they adore her so much and became cat people because of her #even now I’m crying thinking about it #my husband is sympathetic but it feels like he’s ready to let her go #this place will be so lonely without her little face

[talesfromthebandgeekmafia]

just found out it’s a national holiday HAPPY TENTH BIRTHDAY NIGHT VALE!!!!

#TEN YEARS!!!! #THATS AMAZING!!! #I stopped keeping up after five but I still go back to those early episodes #and i always think on them so fondly #i honestly should just go and listen to all of it at some point #i just never seem to have the motivation #maybe someday when it finally finishes #years one and two are in my heart especially #the second you hear Cecil rambling about that dog park you fall in love instantly #it’s one of those shows man that just sticks with you it’s so unique and lovely #the first time you hear it it’s strange and sometimes horrifying #but every time after it feels like coming home #it’s always a delight when I see the latest random tidbit of news about Cecilos cross my dash #everyone should listen to it WTNV is a must for anyone who either loves podcasts or has a tumblr #i absolutely adore it congratulations to Night Vale on ten years #all hail the glow cloud #wtnv