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blurredcolour · 3 months

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Take These Broken Wings

Dick Winters x Enlisted!Unnamed Female OC/Reader

Trapped behind his desk, Dick finds out the unthinkable has happened to the woman he cares about. Now he has to deal with the consequences; first as her commanding officer and then as the man who loves her.

Warnings: MAJOR Canon Divergence, Angst, Implied Sexual Assault, Descriptions of OC/Reader Injuries, Discussion of Retaliatory Violence, Gentleman's Agreement Not To Prosecute, Period Specific Ideas about Honor and Protection of Women, PTSD, Weapons, Language, Inevitable Historical and Military Inaccuracies, Mature/Explicit Themes - 18+ ONLY.

Author's Note: Self-indulgent canon divergence with little explanation ahead, read at your own risk. Because of the sensitive nature of this fic, I chose to write it in the third person but only a nickname is used so it can be read as a reader fic. This is a work of fiction based off the portrayal by the actors in the HBO series. I hold nothing but respect for the real life individuals referenced within, particularly the Red Devils in this case!

Special Note: Dearest tag list, I have chosen not to tag any of you because this is so wildly different than my usual fics, I just wasn't sure who would want to read it.

Word Count: 4148

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October 17, 1944 – Schoonderlogt, Holland

It had never been his intention to fall in love with her. With any of the female paratroopers in the 506th, for that matter. But like the slow erosion of a river carving a new path through bare rock, she had ever so gradually hollowed out a place for herself in his heart until all at once he realized he could not live without her. Of course, if one were to ask her, she fell in love with Dick Winters the first day they met in Toccoa, Georgia, sun scorching their skin, blazing his hair copper – or so she liked to remind him often.

His realization had not come until he’d found her halfway up a tree in Normandy, tangled in the lines of her parachute, desperately trying to slice herself free before she was discovered by enemy troops. The sheer panic he had felt as his mind flooded with all the possible ways he could have lost her that night had only served to drive home how deeply he cared for Peaches. Dick didn’t often use the nickname that Nix had bestowed on her; a nickname born of some sordid adventure involving cans of peaches that he’d decided he’d rather not know about. But he did love the way it made her nose crinkle when he slipped it into their stolen moments together. Moments that were becoming harder and harder to find now that he had been placed in charge of 2nd Battalion.

Several pages being laid on his desk by Zielinski tore Dick out of his inner musings and he lifted his pen to add his signature to the line where his Orderly pointed expectantly. Sink had assured him the paperwork would be ‘nothing to sweat’ but Dick was certainly sweating it now. The call of Nixon’s voice as he came up the stairs was a welcome reprieve from the rapidly multiplying stacks of paper on his desk, something that his friend seemed only too happy to point out.

Dick could only feel envy, mixed with trepidation and a certain amount of helplessness, as Heyliger informed him Operation Pegasus was preparing to launch in a matter of hours and he remained trapped in his combination office and bedroom in the attic. As the pair of them made their way down the stairs and out of the requisitioned farmhouse, Dick looked up from his typewriter once more as he heard Nixon’s bright greeting.

“Hey there Peaches, you’ve got something on your face.”

“Very funny Captain. Lieutenant.” He heard her voice reply and did his best not to grin.

“Zielenski, could you go grab a new box of pencils from the storeroom? It’s going to be a long night.” Dick swallowed, doing his best to come up with an excuse for two minutes alone with her, five if he was lucky.

“Yes, sir.” There was a note of confusion in the man’s voice but thankfully he complied, hustling down the stairs.

There was a moment of silence before he heard the door shut followed by the sound of her jump boots scuffing up the worn wooden steps, grinning as she was startled to find him waiting for her at the top of the stairs.

“And here I was thinking I’d surprise you…Who was that?” She glanced back towards the door, and he sighed, shaking his head.

“Don’t worry about it, how’re you feeling about this thing?” He asked softly, taking her hands in his.

“Should be fine, Moose picked mostly people who can swim, the Canadians are nice. That Colonel Dobie sure is handsome.” She teased lightly, lacing her fingers with his.

Despite her teasing tone, Dick still felt a little annoyed at the comment, particularly given the fact that the man was free to swim the river in reconnaissance and join the operation that night while he was a glorified paper pusher.

“Too bad for him I like ‘em tall as a stalk of corn and copper as a penny.” She leaned in to press her lips to his and Dick felt his eyes fall shut, tension that he’d been carrying for hours slowly ebbing from his body.

She pulled back with a soft smile before frowning apologetically. “Sorry my love I got grease paint on you.” She licked her thumb and swiped at his cheek like he was a grubby toddler, and he could not help the broad grin that stretched his features even as he felt his cheeks heat up at the term of endearment she’d only recently begun to use.

“I’ll get it in a moment, Peaches.” He muttered, glancing around to ensure they were still alone before sliding an arm around her waist to pull her close, kissing her soundly. “Be safe out there…don’t do anything I wouldn’t do…”

“Oh, like run across a field toward two companies of SS by myself?” She narrowed her eyes at him, and he pressed his lips together, still able to hear every word of her displeasure at being left behind for the agonizing seconds it took for the red smoke signal to appear.

“Especially that.” He muttered, clearing his throat and taking a step back as he heard the door open at the bottom of the stairs.

She quickly grabbed her handkerchief and soaked it with water from her canteen, passing it to him so he could scrub at his face, hopefully removing all evidence of their interlude.

“Pencils sir.” Zielenski held out the box proudly and she raised an eyebrow, introducing herself warmly to the Orderly.

“That’ll be all, Sergeant, good luck out there.”

“Thank you sir, appreciate your time.” She replied smoothly, looking completely unaffected while Dick was very aware of the residual heat in his face.

Dick took his time opening the box, watching her back as she slowly descended out of sight until the door closed shut behind her. Sinking into his chair he submitted himself to another few hours of pointing and signing with his Orderly before sending the boy to bed, peering out his window hopefully when a great ruckus arose from one of the barns out back.

Glancing at his watch to confirm it was nearly 0200, he smiled a little to himself as everything seemed to have gone off alright. Rain drops began to sporadically strike the windowpane before the clouds opened into a steady, driving rain. Dick dropped the curtain with a sigh, the room filled with the rhythmic sound of water striking the roof and rolling off the eaves. It was dangerously tempting to lay his head down on his desk and give in to the heaviness in his eyelids, to allow himself to be lulled to sleep. Shaking himself physically, he turned back to yet another report and began striking the keys of his typewriter with a vengeance, hoping to keep himself awake with the racket.

Dick was just spooling a fresh page into place when Nixon was suddenly hurrying up the stairs, followed by Colonel Dobie himself. Both men were wet as drowned rats, but it was the seriousness of their faces that pulled Dick to his feet immediately, securing the pencil from between his teeth into his fist.

“Dick, you remember Colonel Dobie.”

“Yeah…yeah I do…” He replied slowly, trying to ignore the feeling of a sword dangling over their heads as he waited for them to tell him what was going on.

“Terribly sorry to barge in at such a late hour but I wanted to inform you of this incident personally. Well, incidents more precisely. It appears that one of our men, a Holman from Yorkshire, has been severely beaten by a couple of your men from Easy in retaliation for his attack on one of your female soldiers.”

Dick nodded once as he processed the news, heartrate picking up immediately. There were a total of twenty-seven women in 2nd Battalion, but given that it had been only Easy involved in Pegasus, that narrowed it down to a possible nine, of which just a handful had been chosen for the operation. Dick merely had to glance at Nixon to confirm his worst fear. Peaches.

He didn’t realize how tight his grip on the pencil in his hand had grown until the wooden object snapped in two.

“I am willing to consider the matter settled and in need of no further action. The man in question will be returned to England and assigned to some menial duty once he recovers from his injuries.” Dobie continued.

“That will take some time?” Dick asked calmly, despite the searing rage he felt rushing through him.

“Your men were thorough, Captain.” The Colonel replied, grimly.

Dick stood there a moment, eyeing an ink stain that had seeped into the wooden desk top while he was refilling his pen, considering. A beating and unpleasant assignment as punishment for heaven knows what the man had inflicted on her. But to demand more formal proceedings would immediately require testimonies and punishments for the men who had taken it upon themselves to defend her honor. He closed his eyes a moment, vision immediately flooded with her smiling face on one of the blissful outings they had enjoyed during their furlough in England. Forcefully setting the image aside, despite the way it wrenched at his heart to do so, he nodded again. If only to save her further pain.

“Agreed.” Dick offered his hand, Colonel Dobie sealing their agreement with a firm handshake.

Dobie turned to shake Nixon’s hand as well before seeing himself out, Dick waiting until he heard the door close before he spoke again. Two questions on the tip of his tongue, two men inside him, warring for dominance. To his dismay, he had to allow the Battalion’s commanding officer to speak first.

“Who are our vigilantes?”

“Martin and Randleman.” Nixon replied, sitting on one of the folding chairs at the small table in the corner with a heavy sigh. “Moose has them downstairs if you want to talk to them.”

“Yeah. Show them up.”

Nixon leveraged himself out of the chair and was halfway across the attic before he suddenly turned back. “She put that can of peaches in Parkes’ footlocker.”

Dick eyed his friend in confusion, the information seeming utterly irrelevant to their current situation until he suddenly remembered one of Sobel’s impromptu barracks inspections back in Toccoa.

“That dumb bastard wouldn’t leave the women in her squad alone, so she planted it there to get him in trouble – never expected him to get thrown out entirely.” Nixon sighed heavily.

“Where is she?” Dick asked quickly, the words almost melding together in his haste to get them out of his mouth.

“Johnny thinks she’s holed up in the supply barn, I’ll find out.” Nixon replied with a frown and Dick nodded silently, muscles of his jaw clenching almost painfully as he clung to the last vestiges of his focus.

He tossed the broken halves of the pencil onto the desk, frowning at the mess of lead on his palm and pulled the handkerchief from his pocket, frown deepening at the smudges of grease paint there from her face. He clenched the fabric between his fingers as Moose entered the office followed by a hard-faced Martin and a typically laidback Randleman.

“What happened?” He asked plainly, eyeing them expectantly.

Moose stood off to the side, watching Martin and Randleman exchange a look.

“Don’t all talk at once…” Dick prodded calmly, and Martin turned back to him.

“Bull and I were on our way out of the celebration, wanted to beat the rain and get back to our quarters – didn’t work out. Ran into Peaches as we got around the corner of the building. She looked like hell, roughed up, wouldn’t tell me what happened.”

“She just ran, not like her at all, sir.” Randleman chimed in.

“And then that bastard from the Devils, or whatever they call themselves, came around the corner looking all pleased with himself. Adjusting his pants.”

“Knuckles busted up.” Came Randleman’s addition once more.

“Anyway,” Martin continued after a sharp nod of agreement, “it didn’t take a genius to put two and two together.”

Dick exhaled a slow, measured breath. “I can appreciate why you both did what you did. Next time, and we can only hope we never have to have this conversation again, bring him to Moose, to me. We have systems in place, alright?”

“Sir.”

“Yes, sir.”

“All that said…well done.” Dick said with quiet emphasis, letting his pride and gratitude burn brightly in his gaze. “And you’re both on latrine duty for the next two weeks.” He tacked on because he really had no choice but to punish them.

A pair of smirking salutes was the only response before Moose ushered them out. Dick waited until the count of twenty before sliding the suspenders of his OD pants onto his shoulders, shrugging into his jacket and clapping on his helmet. Grabbing his M1 and flashlight, he quickly made his way down the stairs and out into the persistent deluge toward the supply barn, nearly slamming into Nixon on the way.

“Follow me.” His friend nodded and continued to lead the way, nodding to Liebgott who was standing guard at the door, soaked to the skin.

“Joe.” Dick greeted him, noting the way he had his collar turned up obscuring half his face. The way his hands were shoved deep into his pockets.

It easily could have been in an attempt to protect himself against the elements, but Dick also knew Liebgott was the sort of man to never let anything go unanswered and if he was standing out here in the rain, he was surely more involved than anyone was letting on.

“Peaches is in there, sir. Doc Roe tried to help her, she wouldn’t let him touch her. Thought I’d make sure no one bothered her until she was ready.”

“Good thinking.” Dick swallowed.

He ought to press further, ferret out the truth of Liebgott’s involvement, but standing just outside where she was hiding, the other half of him was very much in charge now – wanting nothing more than to throw the door open and charge in. But by the sounds of it, that approach would be quite unwelcome.

“Why don’t you go warm up for a bit, we’ll take a turn.” Nixon said to Liebgott who looked between the pair of them before nodding in return.

“Thanks, sir.” He agreed, glancing back toward the barn once before jogging off into the night.

Dick waited until they were well and truly alone before slowly opening the door, stepping into the dim space, sliding his helmet from his head. The sound of footsteps retreating into the far corner behind crates of supplies drew his attention and he took a slow breath, calling her name softly.

“It’s me. Dick. I’m here to check on you.”

There was a soft, smothered sound and he clenched his fists, keeping his progress gradual and measured, trying not to make any sudden movements or noises to startle her. As he reached the rear of the barn, he rounded a stack of crates and his heart clenched painfully as his eyes fell on her wedged between a few bundles of blankets and sacks of something it was too dark to read the labels of. Her knees were hugged tightly to her chest, M1 tucked into the crook of her elbow as she eyed him warily in the dark.

Her normally tidy hair was in disarray, and the side of her face that he could see sported a gash across her eyebrow. He took another step closer, the air shuddering from his lungs as she flinched away, pressing tightly into the wall behind her, revealing her split lower lip, the swelling along her left cheekbone, the barely-dried tear tracks on her face.

Dick had never seen her shy away from anything since the day they’d met – not the obstacle course, the rifle range, Currahee, or jumping out of a C-47. For his proximity to garner such a reaction from her felt very much as though she had torn his heart from his breast and stomped it beneath her heel.

Sinking slowly into a crouch, he swallowed before speaking just above a whisper. “Peaches…”

The look of disgust, whether it was at the nickname or at herself – perhaps both, mixed with horror that crossed her face had Dick seriously considering if he had enough time to find Holman before his trip back to England and land a few blows himself. He gently corrected it with her name, teeth grinding together audibly in his skull as she turned her head to the side revealing small knicks at her throat. He’d held her at knife point.

“They’ve already found him. Some of the boys took justice into their own hands, but his superiors know now too.” He tried to reassure her, let her know he was no longer out there, no longer a threat to her.

Dick’s eyes dropped to follow the movement of her fingers as she picked at the torn ends of her nails, several cuts visible on her hands as well. Knowing her she’d probably put up a hell of a fight.

“P–” He stopped himself before he accidentally used the offensive nickname again. “…please you’re hurt. Can I clean you up?” He asked, voice trembling with the emotions he was desperately trying to keep at bay for her sake as he shifted forward onto his knees.

She shook her head violently in response, hugging her limbs tighter to her body, which hadn’t even seemed a possibility until it was done. Dick swallowed painfully, carefully laying his rifle and helmet down on the wooden floor beside him, sitting back on his heels.

“I love you.” He blinked rapidly at the gathering dampness in his eyelashes. “No matter what’s happened, I will always love you. I’m not going anywhere.”

She eyed him skeptically, no words passing between them for a long while. The sound of the persistent rain outside pounding against the roof filled the barn, drowning out the sound of their breathing, until she opened her mouth to speak at last.

“I froze.” She whispered, tone thick with self-loathing as she released her grip on her M1, laying it down beside his before sealing her palm over her mouth.

She began to shake with sobs so ferocious that no sound passed her throat, rendering the smothering effect of her hand unnecessary. Dick felt his heart shatter as he automatically reached for her, wanting nothing more than to pull her close and soothe some of her pain. Her repeated aversion to his touch, however, came flooding back and he froze, arms outstretched and aching to hold her, but wanting to respect her wishes.

The feeling of her body colliding with his chest as she launched herself into his arms punched the air from his lungs for several reasons, nearly sending him toppling over backwards with the force of it. Dick’s arms quickly gathered her onto his lap, one hand rubbing along her spine as her strangled sobs soaked his jacket, her hands clutching at him in return.

“You survived, my love.” He whispered against her hair, deciding he really ought to call her that in kind. It was only fitting for it was exactly how he felt. “You did what you had to do to survive in that moment. Please forgive yourself.”

He felt her shift against his sternum, the shudders wracking her body gradually slowing as she took deeper and deeper breaths, sniffling and wiping at her face carefully.

“Who did you have to yell at?” She murmured wetly, peering up at him cautiously.

“Martin and Randleman. Fairly certain Liebgott is somehow involved as well.” Dick replied softly, fighting back the urge to stroke her face. One step at a time – being allowed to hold her would more than suffice for now.

She sniffed. “Johnny must have figured it out first. I couldn’t even come up with a plausible lie I just…ran away from him outside the party…” Her eyes lowered in shame before she sat up slowly, Dick biting back a frown at the barely concealed wince that crossed her features.

“Nix is outside keeping watch. Can I take you back to CP? Get you cleaned up?” He swallowed, really wanting her to allow Roe to look her over but doubting that would be an option.

She looked to him, eyes suddenly wide with the terror of realization. “Oh god Dick, what if I catch something or…wind up pregnant…oh fuck…” Her face began to crumple, and Dick swallowed, quickly cupping her uninjured cheek hoping to startle her out of that train of thought.

As she jumped and looked to him sharply, he apologized gently. “My love, we don’t know if any of those things will happen. Hopefully they won’t, but no matter what comes next, we’re going to face it together.”

“But Dick I’m–”

“Don’t go and say something melodramatic, now. You’re the woman I love and something horrible has been done to you. It doesn’t change who you are to me.” He replied firmly, swallowing as she stared at him startled for a moment, before nodding slowly. “Now I’m taking you to CP and we’re getting you cleaned up, ok?”

“Should I salute you, Captain?” She raised an eyebrow before wincing and restoring her face to a neutral expression.

He felt his cheeks redden, a sure sign that things would some day return back to normal. That the woman he loved was still with him, she just needed a lot of care right now and he was more than happy to provide it. “That won’t be necessary, Sergeant.” He replied and tried not to smirk as she scoffed slightly in surprise before shifting to her feet slowly.

Dick passed her rifle to her before grabbing his own, rising to his feet and sliding his helmet on his head. He offered his hand to her, swallowing back his sigh of relief as she laced her battered fingers through his and followed him out through the maze of supplies to where Nixon was still waiting in the rain.

“Christ, Peaches…” He breathed when she came into view and Dick shot him a sharp look, trying, too late, to stop him using the nickname.

“Son-of-a-bitch ruined the nickname, Nix. I trust you to come up with a new one.” She sighed, sounding positively exhausted, and Nixon nodded quickly in reply.

“Noted. You sure you’re alright?” He asked softly and she shook her head.

“No. But someday, maybe.” She replied honestly and Nixon nodded empathetically as Dick squeezed her hand gently.

“Let’s get out of this rain.” He led the three of them back into the farmhouse, taking her straight to the washroom where he filled the basin with water. “Help or no?”

She paused a moment, staring at her reflection in the cracked mirror left behind by the home’s original owners and Dick waited patiently until she turned back to him. “I can do it.” She replied softly and he nodded, closing the door to wait in the hall.

Nixon shuffled by carrying his pillow and Dick raised an eyebrow. “Give her my bed, I’ll take your crappy little cot.” He muttered, making his way to the attic before he even had the chance to reply.

The ghost of a smile crossed his lips as he leaned his head back against the wall, thoroughly spent by the events of the day, knowing he’d have to be up in just a few hours to face the rest of the paperwork on his desk.

“Dick?” Her soft voice startled him, making him realize he’d actually fallen asleep standing up, for just a moment.

Her lips twitched slightly with a hint of amusement, and he smiled slightly in return, nodding as she looked more herself despite the still-fresh injuries.

“This way.” He offered his hand and led her towards Nixon’s room, gesturing at the bed. “Gift from Lew.”

Her face softened, eyes glistening suddenly, reminding Dick just how fragile she still was. “Where is he sleeping?”

“Attic.”

“Then you need a bed too…” She replied as she crawled onto the mattress, sighing at the softness of the bedding.

“Oh, the floor is fine I…”

“Please hold me.” Her voice was small, her request simple and one that he did not need to hear twice to honor.

He unlaced his boots and removed his outer layers before crawling in with her, letting her curl up against him before sliding his arm around her carefully. “Comfortable?” He asked in a hushed voice.

“Very.” She replied sleepily and he allowed himself to drift, listening to the rise and fall of her breath, letting sleep nibble at the edges of his consciousness.

“Dick?” She whispered and he snuffled awake quickly.

“Yeah?”

“Does it smell like pee in here?”

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Band of Brothers Masterlist

#dick winters x reader #dick winters x oc #dick winters imagines #dick winters imagine #band of brothers x reader #band of brothers fic #band of brothers imagines #band of brothers imagine #band of brothers #tw sa implied #tw assault #tw sa

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mixelation · 10 months

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notes about how fuinjutsu works in plasticity, with some minor spoilers ig

*Fuinjutsu conceptually mirrors how a jutsu would work in a body; they are near universally circular because humans pull from a chakra 'core.'

*Fuinjutsu can therefore (theoretically) mimic any non-elemental ninjutsu and vice-versa. However, some jutsu are considered easier to do by hand and some are easier to do with the assist from paper (because seals help twist your chakra in unnatural ways). A lot of high-powered complicated justu started as fuinjutsu and were adapted to hand-signs later because hand-signs are more convenient for battle.

*Advantages of fuinjutsu:

A trained, steady hand can pull off more complicated jutsu than the user could "by hand" without needing insane Tsunade-level control

Sometimes jutsu take a very long time to execute. Fuinjutsu can shave time off the execution part (even if preparing your seal could take hours of prep time)

You can set up a seal and then walk away

You can easily pass a technique between people for reuse and without having to make sure everyone has specific training (such as a storage scroll!)

Cuts down in variation between jutsu -- very important for research, medical stuff, exploding tags, etc

Most villages have developed a decent number of "plug and chug" seals-- basic barriers, basic exploding tags, etc to make mass production/use by rando ninja without specific training easier

*Disadvantages:

Prep time: even basic bitch seals take minutes to draw (and bigger ones can take HOURS) AND even a small mistake could make it useless or, like, explode. It's not practical for most combat situations, so either you have to carry around a bunch of pre-drawn seals, or you need a way to distract an enemy for however long to make your seal.

Tools requirement: you don't need special paper and ink for fuinjutsu, but it definitely makes it easier, and most ninja don't even know you can free-hand carve a seal into someone's skin as long as you do the right modifications. So for most people, even if you get the rest of your team to distract an opponent while you draw a seal, environmental factors (temperature making ink run, uneven surfaces, limited paper/ink, wrong sized brush on hand, etc) decrease fuinjutsu usefulness.

Takes a lot of time and effort to learn to the degree you can start making your own jutsu, and unlike a lot of other jutsu training, it's very academic in a way that's not necessarily going to help other ninja skills. Most ninja know enough to copy a basic seal, and one COULD argue that in-depth fuinjutsu knowledge corresponds to in-depth knowledge of chakra, but it's not worth it for most ninja

Complexity vs chakra trade-off: the more complex a seal, the more chakra-heavy it is. This can be mitigated by requiring the user to modifying their chakra themselves WITHIN the seal. So in order to do the truly insane techniques with fuinjutsu, you either have to be a chakra powerhouse (or have other ninja do the technique with you) or have very good chakra control, which immediately shoves fuinjutsu into the "not worth it" category for most people

*For Tori, my concept is she sort of..... just breaks a lot of the "rules"/assumptions? Like, because of the circumstances she's been honing her skills in and because she literally can't do jutsu any other way (and also because people have neglected to tell her she shouldn't be doing this), she's been working very hard on nixing the "tools" requirement. And also (here's the spoilery part) she's ramping up to getting really into using non-humans as her chakra source, to nix the complexity vs chakra trade-off. yeah it takes more math to use tree chakra but also in a forest that means basically unlimited chakra

i really want to mirror that last part with her telling orochimaru about how most biological advances in our world is just hijacking other organism's evolutionary adaptations, because it sort of gives an explanation for why her way of thinking is different enough she comes up with alternate solutions............ i don't really like when SIs come up with some new revolutionary thing and they're just like "oh, i guess i'm just the first person to do this because i'm really smart /shrug" and there's NO reasoning for why some equally smart person hasn't already come up with it >.> Tori's attitude towards the natural world is "yeah, if bacteria naturally clipping out pieces of virus genomes leads to human gene editing techniques, why WOULDN'T i be able to hijack someone else's chakra?" which is very different from the attitudes we see in canon, aside from whatever senjutsu is (so like, what se's doing has a BASIS in what other have done, but it's considered very niche sage stuff)

reborn au kushina, watching tori do something with a tree in a time of great need: oh no. ooooh no. oh no

#fic: plasticity

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hangmansgbaby · 1 year

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H_NGM_N | part 2 | J.Seresin

MIAMI

Summary: a last minute ejection leads to Jake being in the medical wing and a worried y/n pleading her way into the room with the help of the Dagger squad. When asked for an explanation for what happened, Jake and Y/n enter the most

Pairings: Jake Seresin x reader

Warnings: terrible descriptions of panic attacks and nightmares, mentions of death

Notes: based off the theory of how Jake got his callsign. Pt 3 is in the works.

Word count: 1.2k

“Where is he?”

“Ma’am, you need to calm down.”

“Lieutenant Jacob Seresin. He ejected from his jet not that long ago.” Y/n recites to the nurse.

“And who are you?”

Coyote jumps in trying to help. “His girlfriend and emergency contact.”

“Sir unless we called her we can’t…”

“I was on base when it happened, its why I’m already here. Please.”

“Y/n!” Phoenix runs through the front doors with the entire squadron behind her.

“Nix! They wont let me back there.”

“Are you kidding?!”

“Lieutenants I need you all to calm down.”

“She was a guest of ours on base, let her back.” Maverick tells the nurse.

“Yes sir.” The nurse answers before pulling up the room number. “Only Captain Mitchell and the emergency contact can go back. He’s in room 10.”

Y/n sprinted down the hallway towards the room, Maverick walking behind her.

“Oh my god, Jake.” She gasped as she ran to his bed side.

“I’m okay babe.”

“Sure you are.” She scoffed, fingers gently grazing the bruise along his shoulders while the other hand brushed through his once perfectly styled hair.

“Who called you? Coyote?”

“I was dropping off your lunch. Was about to leave when he came running out.” Y/n sighs.

“Hey Hangman, how are you?”

“I’m feeling alright. Ready to get out of here.” Jake chuckles, pulling y/n’s hand away from his shoulder when she applies slightly too much pressure.

“You wanna explain what happened out there.” Jake looks up at y/n before shaking his head. “Look Hangman, something happened out there and I need to know.”

“Nothing happened. It was just an engine failure, Maverick.”

“I know engine failures, Seresin. That was no failure.”

“It was nothing Mav.”

“Was it about Miami?” Y/n asks softly and Jake’s attention turns back to her.

“What?”

“Mav can we have a minute?” Y/n asks, not meeting either of the men’s eyes. Maverick nods as he exits the room.

“Who told you about Mi?”

“So I wasn’t imagining it?” Y/n asks. “Who is she?”

“Was.” Jake almost whispers.

“What?”

“She was my girlfriend and my backseater. Back when I first joined the Navy.” Jake told her.

“And the nightmares?”

“Day she died, right in front of me.”

“Oh…”

“It was the day I got my confirmed kill.”

“Jake…”

“Can we talk about this when we get home?” Jake looks his girlfriend in the eyes, silently pleading for her to drop the subject.

“Yea… yea of course.”

Both y/n and Jake were quiet for the rest of the day. Even on the drive from medical that night when Jake was finally released. They had gone through their normal routines without uttering another word. Y/n knew it was tough to think about such a traumatic day, but if it was affecting him at work, it would be more dangerous than him having a couple nightmares at home.

“Jake.” Y/n calls from her side of the bed, Jake had yet to join her from the bathroom. “You okay?”

Jake stumbles out of the bathroom, dropping his clothes into the hamper and setting his phone on its charger on the bedside table.

“Baby?”

“I’m gonna go sleep on the couch tonight.” When Jake finally said something to her, y/n wasn’t expecting that to come out of her boyfriend’s mouth.

“Jake—“

“Not tonight, sweetheart.” He grabs his pillow and walks around the bed. “Get some sleep.” He kisses her head and makes his way downstairs.

Of course, y/n didn’t get any sleep that night. She stayed up most of the night waiting for his nightmares to start, and when they did, she was right downstairs to soothe him back to sleep. And she did this again the next night, and the next, and the next. For an entire week.

Every night she’d watch her boyfriend grab his pillow. Every night he’d kiss her on the head and he’d recite the same line. Get some sleep. And every night y/n would stay up, wait for his cries and soothe him to sleep before returning to her bed and crying herself to sleep.

Then every morning she’d hear the shuffle of Jake getting ready for work, dropping his pillow on the still neatly made half. He’d kiss her head again before leaving for the day. As soon as she heard his truck drive off, y/n was reaching over to grab his pillow and crying as she held it.

She was woken hours later by her phone ringing.

“Hello?” She answers not looking at the caller ID.

“He’s on his way home.”

“What?”

“Maverick ordered Hangman a psych eval after last week and Jake isn’t happy about it. Did you guys talk?”

“Jake hasn’t talked to me in a week, Nix. Why did Mav get a psych eval?”

“Cause Hangman crashed a jet during a training exercise for a life or death mission, y/n. We all know that wasn’t any old engine failure.”

“You guys don’t think he…”

“No!” Phoenix interrupts. “No, but he’s not %okay y/n.”

“What am I supposed to do if he won’t talk to me Nix?”

“Just be careful with him.”

Before y/n could answer, she heard the front door slam. “He’s home, I’ll text you later.” Y/n got up and made her way down stairs where Jake was untying his boots. “Hey babe, how was work?” Leaning against the archway to the kitchen, y/n watches as Jake drops his things. “Jake?”

“Not right now, y/n.”

“No!” Y/n stops him. “No more of the not right nows or not tonights. Its been a week Jake! A week since your said anything beyond those 2 phrases! I can’t keep doing this!”

“What do you want from me?”

“I just want you to talk to me! I just wanna know whats going through your head!”

“My head? You wanna know whats going on with me?!” Jake walks closer to her. “Everyday I get in my jet and everyday I hear Miami’s voice, telling me its gonna be good flight and that everything is gonna be okay. And every night I hear screams as our jet crashed.” Jake sighs as he turns away from her. “But then I come home and I see you. And you worry and question and try to help me and all I do is feel bad because I can only think about Mi.”

“Jake you’ve been through a trauma. I know its—“

“No! You don’t know… You don’t know what its like because I won’t let you!” Jake shouts.

“Then let me! Let me help you!” Y/n cries.

“You can’t help because you aren’t her!”

Air catches in y/n’s throat. Instead of responding, y/n chokes back her tears and walks up to her bedroom, leaving Jake downstairs. She pulls out her suitcase and tosses some of her belongings in. She drags the bag right by Jake who still stands in the entryway.

“Where are you going?” Jake questions when he hears the wheels of her bag.

“I’m gonna go stay at Nat’s until I can get a flight home.” Y/n answers, slipping on her shoes.

“You are home, y/n.”

“No.” She chokes out. “Not anymore.”

#jake seresin x reader #jake hangman seresin x reader #jake hangman x reader #jake hangman seresin #hangman top gun #top gun maverick #top gun #top gun x reader #top gun fanfiction #top gun maverick imagine

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imhereformr · 3 months

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Tag game: Tag nine (9) people you want to get to know better

Tagged by: @florelia12

Three Ships:

(Why have I just forgotten every show I've seen or book I've read???)

Musa/Riven (Winx Club): I don't think this needs an explanation...

Ben/Leslie (Parks and Rec): I love you and I like you. I mean, come on! There's nothing I love more than a healthy couple (we all know that's a lie cause my #1 ship is Musa and Riven but, like, stfu) that genuinely like each other and respect each other.

Mickey/Ian (Shameless): Me again, proving that I am a hypocrite with my so-called love of healthy relationships while actively LOVING dysfunction. I just love Mickey and I love how much he and Ian love each other. (I also love that Mickey became a groom-zilla - as a wedding professional that one made me laugh a lot). I cried when Mickey showed up as Ian's cell mate. Legitimately, cried 😭😭

First Ship:

Sakura/Tomoyo (Cardcaptors): Now, I watched the American version as a kid where they named Tomoyo MADISON??? and had her very much less in love with Sakura. That being said, I still shipped it. (And yet it still took me 25 years to figure out that I'm not straight?)

Last Song:

Penthouse by Kelsea Ballerini

My girl was ROBBED at the Grammys. Rolling up the welcome mat deserved the best country album award. That shit had me feeling and crying like I was going through a divorce too (I am in a healthy, happy relationship). I listened to 70000 minutes of Taylor Swift last year and yet 4/5 of my top songs on Spotify were from this album.

Last Movie:

My friends and I (try) to do a monthly movie-night where every month gets a theme, then we suggest movies and vote on a winner. We haven't been able to get everyone together since September so we watched our October movie 2 weeks ago... Bring It On: Cheer Or Die. It was awful.

Currently Reading:

Sabriel by Garth Nix. I just got Terciel & Elinor, so I have to reread the whole series. I've read this series 3 times. I highly recommend.

Currently Watching:

...Should be watching Winx Club. Am actually rewatching Brooklyn 99.

Currently Drinking:

Water.

Currently Craving:

Would absolutely kill for cream of broccoli soup rn. With some nice warm baguette.

Tagging: holy shit i gotta think of people... @duchessodette @redhairedgirl95 @onehellofakathy @valtors-bitch @anotsosecretdreamer @charmixpower @skylaryozora @sunacousins @krissykakesss

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the-nerdy-fangirl · 2 years

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#time for crab #crab #tumblr #crabs #image desc added #my first time doing alt text let me know if I need to change them #i just was another person reblog this as no id #IS THE ID IN THE ALT TEXT OR NOT I MOSTLY USE MOVILE BUT I DID PUT THEM #5k #10k #this looks like it might become an accursed 20k post #cursed 20k #ok i don’t care abiut this post anymorw bye #nix explanation

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ladyjuquia · 9 months

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F/GO Fan-Servant Introduction: Loreley

All 4 Ascensions drawn by @glacescup ! Thank you so much again for bringing all my ideas 1:1 to life!)

She is a Rider-Class Servant originating from Germany - Known through many poems & ballads (one appears on Fate/Stay Night HF)!

Design Explanations are also in the Post!

All the Ascensions show her different states that happened in her life. It re-tells the poems. While of course there are many different versions of the poem, I just go with the most known ones!

Here are some Design Explanations:

•Ascension 1:

Loreley was known as a Beautiful Woman, so beautiful people believed her to be a witch. This is her, still full of joy & happiness. I wanted her to look country sided, the herbs in the basket are for cooking & medicine, but people might confuse it for potion making.

•Ascension 2:

When her sweet heart „betrayed her“ (there are many interpretations) she actually wanted to end it and asked the priest for help. In one Version she has to visit the Court of Köln to be judged upon. However in every Version, the Bishop or Priest tales Pitty on her. While people still believed that she is a witch he couldn’t bring himself to give her the death penalty. So he sent her to a Monastery. She should spend her life there as a nun. This is supposed to show her grieving for her sweet heart as well as being in front of the judge.

•Ascension 3:

After her Death Loreley became a Myth. People still hear her singing. She is believed to be a Nixe, a being similar to a Mermaid or a Sirene. At night she sings for herself at top of the Loreley (the Rock with the same name). This design was a mix out of my own Fantasy I had of her when I was younger, since I grew up near her place and knew her legend. Mystic and Beautiful, the once so bright Loreley is now pale and yet still so beautiful that in one Tale even the Devil fell in love with her.

•Ascension 4:

Legends say that Sailors see a blonde woman in a beautiful dress on top of the Rock, combing her hair. Loreley is still a Nixe, but the Moonlight shines on her and gives the Illusion of her once old self. The Veils also add to the illusion of her wearing a dress. This is also based on many paintings and how they depict her.

This Post is mainly to introduce her Artwork and what the thoughts behind it were, I will make a separate post for Skills and Noble Phantasm in the near future since I am still debating on things!

#fate grand order #fgo #fate go #fgo fanservant #fanservant #fate Grand Order fanservant #fatego fanservant #juquia Talks #loreley

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highfantasy-soul · 2 months

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NATLA - Episode 1: Aang (4/4)

[Masterlist of my NATLA thoughts]

An explanation of what I'm doing here and my history with ATLA.

Of course, full spoilers ahead.

Aang gives himself up once he realizes the fire benders have no issues harming the village, showing how he's willing to try a different angle to fighting - having no intention of staying locked up, but rather getting the fire nation away from his new friends - keeping true to the animated series.

I love the talk he and Iroh have where Iroh is very careful to say 'some believe' and gives alternative reasonings for this war - reasons that are explained in later books in the animated version, but does a good job at showing new viewers that the fire nation isn't just a flat-manically evil villain: they're just like real-world colonist nations that don’t see themselves as the bad guy even while they're doing objectively evil things.

I also enjoy him stealing Zuko's journal - I like giving Aang something to work with rather than having him just be at a loss in this brand new world with no info to go off of.

A lot of people feel that, especially the first part of book 1 in the animated series was a bit aimless - they don’t even go to Kyoshi island for Avatar reasons, they do it to ride the giant koi fish. This is compounded by the fact that the only goal they have is to reach the northern water tribe so Aang can learn waterbending, but along the way, they don’t really have a goal.

This way, they have another goal while they're traveling - figure out the Avatar state and what the Avatar is supposed to do, exactly - it gives the characters information to work off of rather than just wandering around - something that can work in episodic shows that are 20 episodes a season, but needs to be a bit more focused when there's not space to give each character moment/theme/lesson a full episode.

Sokka immediately turning over command to another villager while Katara is trying to convince him they need to go after Aang was so pitch perfect it was insane. It was just as great of characterization as when they had Sokka on board to rescue Aang in the animated show, but I love the addition of Sokka turning over his command instead of just inviting Katara into the canoe.

I like how they changed Aang going into the avatar state after falling from Zuko's ship to him being caught by Katara and Sokka as they come to rescue him, and just like in the animated version, Katara helping out with her waterbending. In the animated show, she showed her power by breaking apart the iceberg, in this one, she shows her power by stopping Zuko's fireball with a comparable amount of waterbending.

I think that, since we conclude this episode with the third episode of the animated version, having Aang go into the Avatar state twice in a row would make the second time feel cheaper, like it's super easy for him to get into it and show the control he did messing up Zuko's ship.

In the animated show, there was a whole episode separating the instances of the Avatar state - in the live-action, that would have been like, 10 minutes tops between them (plus him going into the Avatar state at the beginning to create the iceberg - so three times in one episode is a bit excessive), so I think the choice to nix him Avataring in the water and focus on him assuming it as he's overcome with grief and rage at the death of the airbenders was a good choice.

Speaking of the episode 3 content: while I do miss Aang's denial that anything happened to the Air Nomads and him trying to act like everything is fine and just playing his games at the temple, I can understand why they didn't have the time to drag out his denial and just jumped right to how the loss of the Air Nomads affected him.

Honestly, it doesn’t make much sense for Aang to be so sure that his friends - especially Gyatzo - are still alive after 100 years like he does in the cartoon. It's some hard-core denial he's in and I can see why that just wouldn't land in live-action over the course of a single episode.

Episode one had a LOT to set up and solidify and I think it did a great job. Of course, long form media will be able to take it's time with stuff and add different dimensions, so I'm very glad they exchanged his denial with us actually getting to spend more time with Gyatzo.

Starting with him and Aang at the beginning and bookending the episode with his assurance to Aang that he's going to be a good avatar and he'll always be his friend was a great way to show how important Gyatzo was to Aang - something we don't actually get so much in the animated version.

Deepening that connection and having the memory of Gyatzo pull Aang from the Avatar state, I feel like is much more earned than if Katara had done it like she did in the show.

In the animated version, we had 3 episodes of Katara interacting with Aang - and even though it was still really just the same amount of time they had together in both versions, our minds trick us into thinking she'd known Aang for longer due to three vs one episodes. Honestly, her talking Aang down in the animated version is a bit unearned and I can see why they changed it to be Gyatzo here.

I think it hits harder and makes more sense that it's in the finale that Katara is the one able to bring Aang back after he's merged with the ocean spirit - they've built a real connection and so before, it was Aang's connection to his past that brought him back, in the finale, it's his connection to his present and a possible future that does.

These are all fantastic ways to really show that the Avatar is both of this world and beyond - when in the Avatar state, they must be tethered somehow to the mortal plane or they'll get lost in their spiritual essence.

And then finally, to the 'goal' of the story: Aang needs to master all elements so he can bring an end to the war and bring balance back to the world.

Pretty much the same as the show, but they get to the meat and potatoes of the story a bit quicker - there's not exactly a ticking clock yet, and I think that's ok since in the animated series, with all the 'side quests' the gaang does, it can feel a bit…like they aren't really too concerned about ending the war soon. It's not until season 3 that the timeline really starts to affect the story - and only in some episodes. Keeping that aspect out of it for now, I think is a perfectly ok choice.

Intercutting Aang's speech about how we never know how important something is to us until we lose it with Zuko was a great choice - really setting up how the two of them are mirrors for each other

For Zuko and Iroh - I love how Zuko has a whole Avatar red-string wall! And a diary (sorry, notebook) where he's been studying and gathering all the info he can about Avatars, really perfect characterization right there.

I do wish they'd included Iroh talking about the breath of firebending, not the muscles, during Zuko's practice, but alas. Iroh is really the only character I'm still ruminating on - he feels the farthest from his animated counterpart, but I'm not mad at it. I just have a very, very, very specific version of Iroh I have solidified in my brain that, obviously, no one can replicate, so it's just something that I have to accept.

I guess the best way to put it is that this Iroh feels a bit more…casually intense than the animated version. The animated version always felt like he was relaxed at all times, very drunken master esque, and only in a few moments did we see that there was a lot more going on beneath the surface he wasn't showing us - in the live-action, I felt that simmering tension beneath the surface much more often than I did in the animated show.

Zuko's anger and obsessive need to capture the Avatar is shown so clearly in every scene he's in and, as he was the most interesting part of the animated series, it's no surprise he's the most interesting one in the live-action too.

His story and character just gives you so much to chew on and watch as he grows and changes so it's really no contest - where the other characters have pretty straight forward character motivations/arcs that don't really change through all three seasons, Zuko has the most going on and the most winding path, so yeah, every moment with him is so juicy

The opening of episode 2 with his tantrum and him screaming 'HE RAN' just shows how much the writers GET him - our pathetic cringe-fail loser angry boy <3

So that's my overview of episode 1 of the live action! I thought it was pretty strong, though as I've seen the animated a whole lot, the emphasis on exposition did drag it just a bit for me. Not because I thought the exposition was bad or unnecessary, but just because I, personally, already knew the stuff. Honestly, the stuff that deviated from the animated version was the best for me: the entire opening, Sokka and Katara's convo on the canoe, Sokka giving control to another villager to go save Aang, and Gyatzo - all of Gyatzo.

I think it did a phenomenal job at setting up the world, the stakes, and the characters - creating a super solid foundation to jump off of in the next episodes where the timeline of events from the OG show will be played with and altered. A solid foundation helps smooth the transition for us OG fans to see how many individual episode plotlines can be woven into a single episode.

#atla #natla #netflix avatar #avatar the last airbender #media analysis

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transkingcobra · 1 month

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Okay I got this idea while trying to sleep last night and then proceeded to write most of it until 3am instead of just noting it rip

Finished this scenario and I actually mostly like it for not having written in ages and I never feel like I capture others’ characters correctly

Halsin x m!named!Tav

(x2 but mainly focusing on one in this)

Diex finds himself jealous and then proceeds to panic about it. Halsin snaps him out of it and talks him through it.

Mainly angst I guess, ‘tis sfw, moment of jealousy not aimed at other current partner if that matters to anyone, anxiety/panic attack, going nonverbal for a bit, I think that is everything?

A little background/explanation before the lil fic because I know I’ve shared not a damn thing about these two but it should be completely skippable, just know that Diex is a changeling in his tiefling persona to start this. If you’re confused you can always go back to read it after and/or send asks, was trying to keep it short I’m already rambling

Background info:

First and foremost, Nix and Diex are changeling brothers who both fell for Halsin. I want to emphasize there is nothing between the brothers other than being brothers, no incest, they do not share Halsin in those moments.

Nix (ranger) is mute and solely communicates via signs or writing (I think I wrote it understandably but the quotes that are italicized are signed). Diex (druid) is with him 99% of the time so he’ll translate signing to spoken language for ease/speed of communication to others.

They’re technically not “Tavs” as in neither of them is the leader and they’re not worm-wielders, another bean is in the “Tav position” but I didn’t even mention him in this. They were hanging out to help out with the tieflings in the grove (as their tiefling personas) before joining the group.

Context for slight mention of their past, Diex was on the run for 10 years where both brothers were completely alone before finally finding each other again.

The brothers usually use their tiefling personas to travel with the group since that is the one the party knows and met them in, and drop it at camp since they prefer to just be themselves.

I think that is all but let me know if something feels missing?

————

Today was a prep day, everybody gathering potions and ammunitions, sharpening weapons, preparing spells. Halsin and Diex wandered vendor stalls together in the city, looking for anything the others had need of. The two became lost in their own worlds and drifted a few stalls apart before the changeling started to notice a woman’s obnoxious flirting.

“I’ll bet those strong hands of yours can do far more than that.” The woman’s advances earned an amused hum from the man she had her sights on. Wait. Diex lifted his gaze and turned to where the voices had come from and, sure enough, there she was standing and staring at Halsin. He didn’t hear anything else that was said; his feet took him over to his bear immediately. Arms wrapped around Halsin’s waist, Diex flashed the woman a dirty look, made worse by his morphing face but angled so the much taller druid couldn’t see.

“Well, I should uh, be getting home!” The woman grew visibly uncomfortable at his show and left in a hurry. He didn’t move, just watched her leave as his tiefling tail swayed behind him.

“Diex?” Halsin’s voice is all it takes to snap the clingy changeling out of it. He’s suddenly out of his head and in the market again, clung to his large elf. Embarrassment and shame hit him like a tidal wave. Halsin isn’t only his.

His arms fell away from the other druid and he took a step back, not sure he wanted to look Halsin in the face.

“I- I am so sorry- …Halsin I-“

“Calm, my heart. I am not angry.” A gentle hand found Diex’s chin and lifted his gaze. Halsin’s face was that of gentle concern, not anger, although Diex wasn’t sure if that was better at the moment. “Are you alright?”

“I…” He couldn’t hold the eye contact anymore, couldn’t form words, and suddenly he realized his heart felt like it was ready to escape his chest. He wanted to run, but he knew he couldn’t. Or well, shouldn’t. Not this time. He wasn’t doing that again. Not again…

The caress on his chin left only to take his hand with a gentle squeeze.

“Let us go back to the tavern.”

Diex nodded silently in response, letting Halsin guide him through the city. His mind spun like a hurricane only to crash and fall completely blank, then spin again.

Halsin was being calm, gentle, concerned even. Yet, Diex had just gone against what he had agreed to, to let the bear roam. He acted a clingy, possessive teen to their first love. Well… Halsin was his first, but he’s no kid. He should’ve known better. Been better. Halsin didn’t deserve to deal with this. Diex should’ve just said no before. Let Nix lie with Halsin in camp alone. The quiet brother was more level-headed. Mature. He thought before he acted, didn’t make stupid mistakes. Some days Diex still wasn’t quite used to living around so many people, but Nix adapted well. He lived the way he hunted, patiently with no missteps. Yes, he should’ve just said no. The minor ache of losing a crush would’ve been far more manageable than what was going to happen when they made it back to the tavern.

The Elfsong… Diex’s stomach twisted as they entered the establishment. The noise of the tavern’s crowd barely felt like it reached his ears. The stairs felt like far too many to climb yet not nearly enough to keep him away from what was to come. The common area around the main fireplace and hallway felt like he had only taken two steps before they made it to the room Halsin was using. The one he usually shared with one or both of the changelings. Diex heard the door close and felt it in his heart. He dropped his tiefling persona and stood feeling bare in front of Halsin.

The room felt suffocating. The first moments felt like hours. Every fiber of his being wanted to run again. To leave the room, the tavern, the city, the people behind. Instead, two strong hands found his shoulders, gentle but steady, and a low voice brought him back to himself.

“My love, you’re shaking…”

Halsin was right; Diex had been so wrapped up in his own thoughts he didn’t notice how unsteady he was. Did the others see? Was anybody even there as they passed the common area to get to the room? Was Nix there? Although the shaking wouldn’t have made a difference for Nix, the two knew each other far too well. The elder brother would have known something was wrong anyway.

Halsin gently sat them both down, holding Diex close but gently enough he could pull away easily. They had fought countless foes on this journey and had more than a few terrifying encounters. Diex had never flinched at those dangers yet here he was a near mess and panicked.

“My love, speak to me…” Hands left Diex as Halsin signed a broken “Please, what are you thinking?”

Bless Halsin, the man had taken up learning as many signs as he could during their travels and the brokenness pulled Diex a little more out of his own head.

“I’m stupid.” Diex couldn’t remember teaching that sign, Halsin is far too kind to need use of it, but maybe Nix did for whatever reason. The larger druid wiped a newly fallen tear from the changeling’s cheek before signing a request for Diex to spell the word he signed. “…stupid.” His voice cracked and was barely a whisper.

“I disagree.” A warm kiss graced the pale man’s head. “But you do have yourself worked up terribly, so when you are able I hope we can talk about where your mind is right now.”

By the gods, how can a man be so gentle? Diex leaned into Halsin’s chest, letting himself be held once more.

“I just… sorry I chased her off.” A low hum rumbled in Halsin’s chest.

“I am not angry, my heart. And I was not returning her advances.” A chuckle lightly shook them. “You and Nix keep me very occupied in that regard.” Diex couldn’t help the faintest hint of a smile start to form on his lips, but it quickly faded.

“…but if you did? Want to…return them? And I ruined it…” As much as he was certain it was over, Halsin felt safe. He curled himself into the bear, wrapping his arms around Halsin’s waist.

“I would still not be angry.” Halsin’s answer was soft, steady. Patient.

“But I-! We agreed that-“ Calloused fingertips hushed Diex’s onslaught of worry. He finally lifted his gaze to meet Halsin’s, those hazel eyes obviously choosing his next words.

“Nix told me I was his first in every way, and that I was more than likely yours as well. I do not expect either of you to know exactly how you are going to feel and react to a new lover. Nor do I expect you to hold yourself to that agreement should you discover it doesn’t work for you. But, I do, however, expect and ask you to be honest with yourself and with me.” Halsin’s hand lowered to caress the changeling’s cheek. “I do not wish to see you so worried. I would not want to lose you as a partner, but I would hate to see you go against your nature for me. If you ever find this does not work for you, please say so.”

“I…” For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Diex’s mind was calm. Halsin’s words comforted him but those eyes soothed his very soul. He was allowed the space to just be. Love and learn, wherever that took him. “Thank you.” He realized he’d honestly not put much thought into sharing Halsin beyond his brother, or even beyond the tadpole party just outside the door. Gods know they’d each bed him in the right situation. Though, now he’d really need to consider Halsin with a complete stranger, however odd a thought that felt to him at the moment. But he didn’t have to figure it all out immediately.

Diex stared into those gorgeous eyes a moment longer before pressing his lips to Halsin’s, soft and knowing, a promise he’d keep. Halsin gently rubbed a thumb over the pale cheek.

“Your eyes are beautiful.” Halsin spoke with a sense of gentle awe, and the comment caught Diex so off guard that he felt a blush rise to his cheeks. His eyes were beautiful? They were but a blank slate; Halsin’s eyes were beautiful. The way they glimmered as he chuckled only proved the point even more.

“What?” Diex huffed half a laugh, not seeing what his bear found funny now.

“Your eyes turned hazel. Mine, I presume?” Oh. Well, if he wasn’t visibly blushing before, his face was red now, quickly turning away and actively dismissing his unintended eye color.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to.” It’s been a long time since he’s morphed unintentionally, and never had he mimicked someone, even purposefully.

“You’ve nothing to apologize for, my heart.”

“Gods… that’s twice today I’ve felt like a child.”

“Perhaps I could read you a bedtime story and tuck you in tonight?” Halsin chuckled as he teased, although something in Diex said the bear would do so if he genuinely asked.

“No! If you must read someone to sleep with bedtime stories, I’ll sleep alone and let Nix have you to himself tonight.”

They laughed and held each other close. Halsin was content Diex had settled back into himself, reassured in his arms.

There was a knock at the door, a pattern familiar only to Diex. He returned it tapping on the wooden floor, loud enough for Nix to hear outside. The ranger walked in, closing the door behind him before sitting next to the druid pretzel.

“I didn’t interrupt, did I? Are you alright? The expressions the two of you had got Karlach pacing.” Ah, so they did see. Diex habitually released Halsin to sign his response.

“Yeah, I’m good now. Do I have to let Karlach squeeze me so she doesn’t burn down the Elfsong?” The younger changeling’s smile and soft chuckle at the thought seemed to relieve Nix of some concern.

“It wouldn’t hurt. Well, maybe a little for you. Maybe wildshape first.” The two druids laughed at Nix’s idea, who let out his own amused breath.

The three of them eventually joined the rest of the party for dinner. Karlach got her hug, of course, after much assurance that Diex was fine. Most of them were confused about what she was even concerned over, much to his relief. He knew Shadowheart and Astarion could be nosy, but even they let it drop when he said it was between him and Halsin. Although, Nix’s blank stare from behind his younger brother may have pushed them to stay quiet.

The three would talk more later, if not just the brothers. Nix might have advice for how he’s been navigating the relationship. Then again, he may not know what he’s doing either. But that was for later. Right now, he had good food to enjoy and even better company to enjoy it with.

————

I hope Halsin felt like Halsin, I never feel like I write characters correctly anyway and trying to write about a relationship where one of them literally says that word is “unfamiliar to [his] lips” feels weird, but also a friendship is a relationship so 🤷‍♂️ and some shit just felt weird using any words, fanfic wiggle room I guess. Hope I did him justice in any case lol.

I do wanna write/draw more about these guys, funny enough I have more ideas about Nix with Halsin than Diex, but the writing demons possessed me for this specific idea last night lmao. Their dynamics are fun in my head plus the idea of exploring the brothers running into another changeling who is very not nice and everything they avoid being is something I wanna do as well cough even if orin has bs abilities for a changeling cough Nix was my first dnd character I made without help and a few years later played his brother, while now bringing them into bg3 has been living in my head rent free lol

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andordean · 2 months

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Embarrassing Personal Ask Game

@tigerlyla-of-metinna has a tag game going (sorry friend for not doing the other games you tagged me in, I literally played three videogames in the last decade 🙈😂) about embarrassing crushes, only I personally don't think any of mine are embarrassing. They're all quality. Anyway.

"We are going to talk about obsessions CRUSHES! Name 3 (celebrity crush, fictional/ cartoon/ videogame crush, and your current crush (may be real or not). And please give a brief (or lengthy) explanation or backstory."

Celebrity crush:

The one and only Pedro Pascal. The most adorable Muppet, by all accounts a wholesome human being, I want to see him slay in everything he touches and live his best life. Obsessed with him ever since Oberyn Martell sluttily sauntered through the room. (The Curse of the Beard, exhibit A.)

Videogame crush:

Surprise surprise: Ciri in TW3. The chokehold she's had on me since 2015 has loosened a bit (sniffle), but hasn't disappeared.

Disliked her in the books, her game version rewired my brain. If said brain, inspiration and energy allows, will write her snogging hot people of the continent till she lets go of me fully (hope it never happens).

Current crush:

Someone said in thirsty tags that once Asian men embrace beards it's over for the white guys, and between the recent examples of Dev Patel and Justin Chien, that person cannot be more right.

What can I say. The Curse of the Beard, exhibit B. Presenting: Justin Chien in "The Brothers Sun":

Honourable mentions: the prickly baby, the golden retriever wife, and the Curse of the Beard, exhibit C.

Tagging (no pressure, this is me waving hi): @jikanet-tanaka @starlight-and-thunder @kuwdora @keyrousse @poetikat @witch-and-her-witcher @nibi-nix @nikita-not-nikola @just-a-dot @justanotherdmdammit @lemurianstarship @otemporaetmores @alynnl

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bratshaws · 1 year

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through the hourglass 54. brb x oc

a/n: Nix and Rooster are like siblings and they fight as such.

pairing: plus size!oc x rooster

warnings: kinda suggestive???? it's rooster so I think it's to be expected HAH

goodness gracious (pls read this one to know more what this fic is about!!)

chapter

1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13/14/15/16/17/18/19/20/21/22/23/24/25/26/27/28/29/30/31/32/33/34/35/36/37/38/39/40/41/42/43/44/45/46/47/48/49/50/51/52/53

(pls let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!! )

taglist: @mirandastuckinthe80s @roosterschanelslut @wiipes @lcahwriter @shrimping-for-all @gretagerwigsmuse @frenchtoastix

@lizzie-rdj @fanboyluvr @atarmychick007 @comebacktoearthpls

@peachiicherries @mak-32 @lizziespidiepridie @roosterswifey @ollyoxenfrees @piceous21 @sqrlgrl22 @hofficoffi @lexhalstead3 @lorilane33 @legendarydreamersharkparty @luckyladycreator2

@emilybradshaw @j-6o @louisahale @leobabbyyy @kulicny @winter-run @ktjmac @graciereads @bigpoppajes @taytaylala12

@caitsymichelle13 @becks-things @caatheeriinee07 @dhwanishah09 @jesfreedark @katiemcrae @lilmonstrjedi @hobiismyhopeu

There were very rare times the whole Dagger Squad had lunch together, but today was one of those days. He wasn’t complaining, as much as he talked shit about his friends jokingly, he liked them. They were his family after all, they were his groomsmen and Beatrice’s bridesmaids…and they were all assholes that he held dearly in his heart.

So having them sitting down with him and Mav was great, they all talked about random topics until the subject of Nicole came up. And since he loved talking about Nicole, his whole demeanor lit up the second his daughter’s name popped up.

“Look at you,” Phoenix smirks, sipping her juice, “A full on girl dad.”

“Honestly,I always thought Rooster would be a girl dad.” Fanboy adds, taking a bite of his sandwich.

Rooster crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back on his seat to give his friends a look, “How so?”

Fanboy blinks at him, then shrugs, “I dunno, you kinda remind me of my brother when he had my niece. I guess that’s why.”

What a great explanation. But Rooster just chuckled softly, shaking his head with his eyebrows up, “Alright…well, since you guys asked, Nikki is fine.” he smiles, “She’s…getting bigger every day and God she has so much hair on her head. Bea thinks we’ll be able to put it in pigtails soon.” and it was the cutest thought in his mind. Honestly thinking about his daughter was always welcome.

That and thinking about Beatrice helped as well.

“And how’s Bea?” Halo asks, ripping the plastic wrap that kept her chocolate muffin fresh and soft, “We saw her at the bar but we didn’t talk to her too much.”

“She’s fine.” he hesitated in elaborating that she wasn’t feeling the greatest these past weeks, “It’s not easy,but she’s fine. She’s doing a great job.” and his voice goes soft every time he talks about her. It was so endearing that no one else was surprised, some actually rolled their eyes once he started speaking.

“Of course she is,”Payback smirks, gesturing at Rooster with his soda can, “If the stupid look in your face is any answer, she’s doing pretty fine.”

Rooster just chuckles, because well,he’s right isn’t he? He’s pretty stupid for her, in any way or another, there’s no one who could make his massive frame melt into a goop of love and adoration like Beatrice does.

Which is why he was so vocal about her cousins acting up, being stupid to her, being mean and rude without a reason. Beatrice was worth the fight, if there was any. He hoped it wouldn’t go that far, especially because her parents might join the celebration as well… but they should be prepared in any case.

“Maybe I’m not that subtle.” He shrugs “Not that I’d want to be, you know,” and the almost expected.”uh-huh” coming from the others only made him laugh, until he felt his phone vibrate.

Bradley wasn’t worried when Beatrice messaged him, she always did and honestly he was waiting for it a lot more that morning because he wanted to know what her siblings said. So when she finally texted him, he stopped eating to check his phone, smiling at her little greeting before she started speaking.

Bea (12:14)

Hi Roos!Good morning! I hope you are having a good lunch! I talked to the others and they aren’t happy with this situation either. Mikey,Marina and Leo are coming with us to the triplets’ place.

Roos (12:15)

Hey gorgeous, good morning. My lunch is pretty good :) also I’m glad to hear that everyone else is just fed up with them as much as we are. I feel like this was a long time coming, huh?

Bea (12:16)

It was! Well, I just hope everything goes well. They are so annoying Roos. Not even GUI managed to calm everyone down like usual…it was really funny. But besides that, well, that’s what happened. And so we will go there and, you know, do something about it.

It was adroable how she sometimes rambled even in text, it honestly filled his heart with even more warmth than before. As he typed to Beatrice, the Dagger Squad watched, as in watched him intensely, even slowing their chewing to pay even more attention.

Rooster looked up from his phone with his brow up, then frowned, flicking his gaze back down.

Roos (12:18)

Gorgeous, can I give you a call? There are some people who don’t know about personal space.

Bea (12:18)

Personal space??...Oh!You mean the guys? Sure thing! Haha

He stands to his feet, letting out a quiet ‘excuse me’ as he walks away from the table, he was done eating anyway, already pressing the quick dial as he gets far enough from the group, ignoring the teasing sounds they threw his way with an eyeroll.

He leans his shoulder against the wall, far from where the Squad was, and waits for her to pick up. “Hi,Roos!” he’s smiling as he hears her voice, there was no way this woman wasn’t aware of how much she affected him, there was no way, “At a safe distance?”

“Yes,ma’am.” he looks back to where the group was, now too busy talking amongst themselves to pay attention to him, “Safe indeed…anyway, what else happened? Anything else you wanna tell me?”

“Well,as I said the others are going too, they are all tired of the triplets doing this. And they do this to us only you know? Our other cousins just hate them but they have never called them or did any of the bullshit they are doing right now.” She moves around a bit and he smiles more when he hears Nicole’s gentle noises in the background. “Marina thinks it’s petty…but it’s not petty is it?”

“...It is a bit petty,gorgeous.”

“Oh.”

“But sometimes it’s what has to be done.” he reassures her, turning his wedding ring on his finger with his thumb as he says, “Did you guys plan anything that I should be let in on?”

“Huh?Oh! Thanks for reminding me,well,so, my aunt’s house is a beach house, it’s pretty big and that's all…uh…I don’t know, it’s big. Michael suggested we show up dressed the best, literally pull out whatever expensive stuff we have inside the closets to visit them. Of course they’ll try to say they are the best or whatever, but we can have the upper hand…in a way.”

“That’s fair,” he chuckles, “I wouldn’t mind it. I have some stuff saved up.”

“I know you do…I really like that royal blue suit you have…and the um, the yellow flowers shirt.”

“...oh?” Amazing how easy it was to notice how flustered she got, even through the phone, “Is that right?”

“Y-Yeah,I mean…it’s nice and it’s um…it’s nice.”

Bradley licks his lips before speaking, shaking his head with amusement, “Whatever you want, gorgeous. I can wear that…maybe, just the shirt if it’s too hot.” he murmured, keeping his voice low to prevent any officer from hearing it, “Keep it unbuttoned just how you like it.”

If Beatrice was drinking something, she choked, then coughed quietly, with gentle cursing leaving her lips in whispers, “I-I wouldn’t mind that.” a few more coughs “I…I wouldn’t at all.”

“Mmm…” he sounds way too pleased with himself, “What about you? Any outfit in mind?”

“Honestly, no,I might take a look and see what I can get? I know there is some stuff I have saved up and all…I just,well,I don’t know. There are some summer dresses that could be fancy,right?”

“I love when you wear those dresses,” he whispers just so she could hear, “Reminds me of the first time I saw you wearing one…remember? At Nat’s place?”

“...you mean at the barbecue after I got drunk?”

“You weren’t drunk, you were adorably buzzed.” he remembers how her cheeks were flushed, how her eyes were glazed yet focusing just on him, “And you tried to make me wear your ring.”

“...I did?”

“Yes, baby, don’t you remember? You held my finger up and tried to put it on, but my fingers were too big.”

Beatrice was silent on the other end, but he could hear her inhaling to speak for a few seconds, “I…I don’t remember that…but um…well, you do have big fingers.” and his mouth curled up into a smirk at the stammering, “And…big hands.”

“Baby…” he warns quietly, “You know there’s only so much you can say when I’m not home…who knows what’s going to happen once I get there?”

“Hah, well…I mean…would you be opposed to it?”

God help him, she was going to end him one of these days, “...never, gorgeous.” he replies huskily, rubbing his thumb nail against the paint on the wall, the small crack flaking under his touch, “But we have to take Nikki to your parents tonight too, so, maybe…something quick?”

“Rooster.”

“What? You know I would love it.”

He could almost feel her blush through the phone, her soft embarrassed giggle muffled by a hand as she walked around the house, “I’ll think about that.” she says finally, “Oh! Another thing, Marcus called.”

“Marcus?”

“Mhm!He’s in Greece but he wanted to congratulate us on Nikki and um, you know, everything else.” she explains, he hears the sound of Jolene’s claws clicking behind her as she walked - amazing how he could figure out which dog it was just by their walking - “And…well, he asked if I wanted to do another photoshoot.”

Bradley blinked, stopping messing with the wall to lean his back against it, digging one of his hands into his pants pocket, “Really?” she hums positively, “Huh, well, what do you think then?”

“I don’t know…I mean, it’d be nice,I like Marcus–”

“I like him too,especially when he makes bikinis for you that I can enjoy~”

“You are terrible,” she laughs again, humming at the end of her sentence “It’s just…I don’t know,I’m a mom now, I’d have to check the ‘Nikki Schedule’.”

Bradley blinked, still spinning his wedding ring on his finger, licking his lips before speaking, “What’s bothering you about it? I can hear it in your voice.”

She groans like a child that was just caught grabbing something she shouldn’t have, “I don’t know,I’m still…having thoughts about my body,I want to…go back to my old size,I guess.”

“Baby…listen, I love you regardless, you know that right?” he asks and she hums again, agreeing with his words, “Thing is, if appearance is the main issue, you know Marcus wouldn’t think that’s enough reason considering your first photoshoot was based because of your body…your very, very nice, soft body…” he trailed off, brain filling with thoughts and images that he shouldn’t have now, “...I’m getting distracted, but if you fear you aren’t going to do good because of that…gorgeous.”

“I know,I’m overreacting…but I’ll have to think about it.”

“Did he say what this new photoshoot will be for?Maybe…another set of bikinis?”

Beatrice laughs in the other line, the sound of Nicole’s mobile adding in the background, “I don’t know, he just said it’ll be based on Greek Goddesses and such…”

“Well, don’t you have some Greek descent too? Maybe it’s right up your alley.” he knows she’s still worried, so he just softens his tone, “Gorgeous, whatever you want to do,I’ll support it. If you don’t want to do it, you don’t have to.”

“I know,Roos.” comes her gentle reply “And I appreciate it so much. You always support me a lot…and you always ask for my opinion and…yeah…”

“Well,I love you for starters.” its his laughed reply, his chest bubbling with emotion, she really made him feel like a teenager again and he loved it, “And I love seeing you happy, opening up to me…and so on. I just want you to be okay.”

Her silence should be worrying, but he hears the soft huffed laugh that leaves through her nostrils, amusement, adoration with a hint of disbelief almost, “I am okay. I am more than okay. I have you.”

Rooster drops his head with the phone still on his ear, flushed just the tiniest bit, “I’ll have you know that made me blush.” he says, feeling his cheeks warm up ,”And that you’re getting better every day at it, pretty girl.”

“I aim to be the best.” she giggles “Oh, is it time for you to go back yet?”

He blinks, “I don’t know, is it?” he didn’t even notice, but when he looks back to where the squad was, he sees that only Nat was left, holding the arm that had her watch, tapping the screen repeatedly with an amused grin, “...well…I think it is.”

“It’s okay…” a pause “Was it Nat that showed you the time?”

“Oh,hey, come on. Rude, it’s not like I can’t do it.” he laughs though, walking back to where the female pilot was ,”Yeah, it was her.”

“Tell her hi for me!” God, her voice was so sweet, she was so sweet. He missed her so much already. “And well, have a good day. I’ll see you later?”

“You know it,gorgeous…I love you.”

“I love you too! Bye Roos! Nikki says bye too!”

He pulls the phone back,ending the call and sliding it into his pocket only to see Nat’s amused eyes, her arms crossed over her bust, “What?” she just raises her arms in defense, walking alongside him out of the cafeteria, “Don’t judge me.”

“Who says I’m judging? It’s adorable.” she smiles, then nudges his shoulder, “Those Schiavonis…they can latch on you like nothing else.”

Bradley smirks down at her, seeing how Nat’s eyes soften as she recalls something in the back of her mind, “How’s Umberto?”

“He’s great.” she says sweetly, “We talked yesterday…he’s going to be deployed in a couple days…I met his family by the way.”

“Did you?”

“Yeah, his dad took us on his yacht.” Rooster couldn’t help but chuckle after she said that, “It was really fun…I like him.”

“Obviously.” it was something she said to him every time he mentioned Beatrice and it felt so good to say it to her. Nat just rolled her eyes, playfully shoving his shoulder as the two walked along. Deployment…strange, he wasn’t thinking about it but since Nat mentioned Umberto…he had to admit he was nervous about going.

For obvious reasons, but especially about leaving Beatrice and Nikki alone. Beatrice is still getting better from her postpartum depression, there were bouts of sadness in her that she refused to tell him, he knew…he just didn’t want her to feel alone in there,alone with Nikki, even if she had others surrounding her and helping her, it wasn’t something he could get out of his mind.

He didn’t know when they’d be deployed again, maybe it was for the best, but he knew he had to mentally prepare himself when he did leave. Because he missed Beatrice before, but now? Now he misses Bea and Nikki.

Maybe he shouldn’t worry so much, especially because of anticipation.He should let things go by, worry when it was time to worry.

“...Rooster?” Nat’s questioning tone snaps him back into reality, when he turns to face her he sees her brown going up, “Everything okay?”

“Everything is fine.” he tells her, “I’m just thinking about some things.”

“...okay?”

Of course she wouldn’t let it go, so he sighs out tiredly, “I’m thinking how it’ll be when I get deployed again, it’ll be…weird. I just want Bea to be okay with Nikki when I’m gone.” he explains, and when Nat asks him why she wouldn’t be, he just says, “I don’t know, it’s just something I’ve been thinking, it’ll be a lot of stress.”

“Well, she won’t be alone right?”

Bradley sighs through his nose, “No, but still-”

“Ah…I see.” Nat’s amused grin leaves him confused, “Your daughter has you in her little hand just like Bea did, obviously. That’s why.”

…well,she wasn’t wrong.

So he just huffs out a laugh, shoving Nat gently to the side only to receive a punch to the arm. He unfortunately forgot how powerful her punches were and immediately winced, recoiling further away from, rubbing his sore arm, “She’ll be fine,Rooster.” she is just giving him a look, one that said ‘you are worrying too much’ “She’d want you to trust her with that.”

“I do.”

“Then don’t worry so much. You are still in Cali.” she gestures to their surroundings, “Worry when you are about to leave…plus, I’m sure Bea would appreciate that too.”

“...yeah, you are right.” his arm still hurt, “Also, don’t punch me again.”

“No promises.”

#bradley rooster bradshaw #rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x oc #top gun maverick #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw x female reader #bradley bradshaw x named reader

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