#Pest Control Charges | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

bonny-kookoo · 11 months ago

Text

Jungkook

𝐄𝖝𝖊𝖈𝖚𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖊𝖗 | Teaser

When second chances are wasted, there's only one thing left to do.

Tags/Warnings: Dystopian AU, Werewolf AU, Alpha!Jungkook, Omega!Reader, Angst, Some fluff, romance but he's a bit weird about it pls let him cook he's awkward okay, Violence, crime and.. bad stuff.

-> Masterlist

There is no taglist for this fic.

A/N: oh look another werewolf fic oops. BTW if you do not like any of the tags or the trailer doesnt vibe with you, don't read the story. I literally have tons of other content for you instead. Thanks.

⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅ ── ⋅ ⋅

“Do you think that people can change?”

No. Jungkook does not believe that people have the ability to shed their dark desires once they've shown their ugly faces to the world. Once someone has lost control over themselves and their inner demons even just once, it’s over. A wolf's inner beast set free won’t be tamed again, by anyone. There is no coming back from that- and a crime committed has to be punished, especially when there’s not even any effort put into areas trying to redeem one’s self. second chances should always be valued highly if given-

Because everyone has to face judgement for their actions, and if those second chances are wasted, he is the man who will execute the fitting punishment.

Jungkook doesn't believe in second chances.

A man who’s laid his hand on his wife will never truly change his mind and put the shackles onto himself after the line has been crossed. A cheating spouse will not suddenly become loyal as a dog again just because they realize the hurt they’ve caused. A murderer can’t give back the life they’ve taken even if they desperately want to. A young wolf lost to a frenzy can’t gain back their sanity with the snap of a finger.

He is part of the new world’s law.

Violence is the punishment put on people who can’t seem to keep themselves in check even after second chances. Violence is the final answer to the worst of the worst, the people who will never change.

Violence is the thing that changes people- from being alive to no longer being a threat to anyone ever again.

To Jungkook, these people are like maggots, infesting the cities and homes of families who just want to exist and live. Jungkook is the pest control, he removes those insects, cleans out the infestations.

Saves potential victims.

“I didn’t do anything!” the man slurs a little, alcohol in his veins causing him to visibly struggle with his bodily functions, even if he wants to desperately be sober in this moment. You’re sitting in the corner still, watching, well aware not to interfere with a man sent by the people in charge of the wolf’s law to carry out the final judgement.

“Evasion. Armed robbery, twice. Domestic abuse, twice. Attempted kidnap of a child while intoxicated.” Jungkook lists, having memorized what this person is being accused of- or rather yet, has already been judged for in the past. “You’ve shown that you do not aim to change.” He says, not even looking at you once. Instead, he just walks closer, like a predator, staring down his prey. “And now, keeping an omega hostage? Not exactly the actions of a man innocent.”

“I-“ the man tries, but he doesn’t get far with his words. “-There’s- nothing happened- Tell him! Nothing happened, right-?” He asks you, who’s staring him down.

Jungkook looks at you as well now, awaiting your answer.

You’ve got a life in your hands.

Your lips part, but you can’t speak- when suddenly, the man moves again, lifts his hand as he steps towards you, ready to intimidate you into answering if needed- but Jungkook is faster, having seen enough. Even if nothing happened- yet- surely if he was to leave, you’d be another body found. “Where- where are you taking me?” the man begs to know, unable to really go against the hand that holds the back of his head by the hair, fingers tightly dug into the locks to have a secure hold on him as he drags him into a corner or the small, run down house.

In this moment, Jungkook looks like a different person to you. There’s no trace of the man who just wants to help others. The hands that force this stranger to his knees aren’t the same that helped you stand earlier that day, hold gentle and without any intention to hurt. Those eyes are dark as coal, like two black voids swallowing any reflection whole.

“I'll take you straight to hell, where you belong.” Jungkook simply answers the man, before he lets go-

And takes out his gun, to fire the first shot of many.

#bts imagine #bts fanfic #bts fic #jungkook imagine #jeon jungkook x reader #jeon jungkook imagine #bts jungkook imagine #bts jungkook fanfic #jungkook x reader #bts jungkook x reader #jeon jungkook imagines #jungkook imagines #jeon jungkook fanfic #bts jeon jungkook imagine #bts jeon jungkook x reader

431 notes · View notes

orbital-inclination · 8 months ago

Text

Moltendreams - Error Sans Alias - Static Pronouns: he/him, they/them Personality: Petty, holds a mean grudge, Big Tsundere, Complete Shut-in, Quick Tempered and Moody, fanatic with his interests, externally aggressive when in actuality he is quite shy. An absolute troll. His favorite passtime is messing with others. Paradoxically touch starved and suffers from haphephobia. Reckless with his own well being.

This variant of Error is capable of both love and compassion, he just hides it under a grumpy exterior and several layers of denial and self-destructive dogma. Other Notes:

Reluctant to harm Papyrus directly, though Static can't articulate why, and will generally avoid encounters Papyrus in any given AU.

Had a good relationship with his dad/W.D Gaster, actually.

Relates to "pest" pets; rats, mice, snakes, spiders, beetles, he loves them all.

Would have a pet rat of his own if he wasn't afraid of it shocking itself by chewing on his wires.

His favorite kind of chocolate is mixed with a hazelnut filling.

Views Frisk as a younger sibling.

Into Parkour.

-More Info undercut! -

Abilities: Static uses wire instead of string. Wire and summoned attacks can and do hold an electric charge. His presence alone messes with electronic devices. Residents of a particular AU may get a few minutes or seconds of warning as sweaters get staticy, computer screens glitch out, and anything with a battery spontaneously dies or gets super charged. By creating a circle of alternating RED and CYAN bones, Static creates a sort of reverse faraday cage. While Static can produce electricity, he can't directly control the voltage. He can only hope to direct it. The voltage of a charge is directly influenced by his emotional state. If you touch him, you will find his clothes zappy with static. Do NOT attempt to fight him in humid or watery environments for, hopefully, obvious reasons.

About: Static originates from a pre-Pacifist timeline that was followed by a looping Genocide Route. Through repetitive iterations, and an escalating instability in the timeline, the monsters of the underground began to recall events they didn't witness and memories they shouldn't recall.

Working together, Static, at that point still Sans, and Alphys were able to pin point the root cause of their timeline's instability. They made a plan to save the underground and separate Frisk from the Anomaly but when it came time to execute their plan something went catastrophically wrong. As a result Sans was torn from reality, and caught in the space in-between. Eventually, he escaped but not unscathed. Static has vague conflicting memories of his past, and to this day, questions if any of it was real. He can't find his original AU and secretly fears it may have been the first world he destroyed. He is still looking for it.

Outcode Politics: Static views all outcodes the same way he views every iteration of the original timeline that even slightly deviates: as glitches to be terminated. Bugs in the code he needs to hammer out before it all goes to hell. Static believes that by destroying deviating timelines and AUs, he is preserving the stability of the original. He is “saving’’ it from corruption by trimming the branches back. Despite his position as the self proclaimed Destroyer, Static is not above biases and making exceptions.

Static includes himself on his long list of glitches in the code to be terminated. Static has a different view on the Spirits of Creation that Fable/Ink does. (Spirits of Creation are the in-universe term and stand-in for the creator of an AU). He calls them eldritch parasites. Abominations that should be avoided at all costs. And absolutely should not be encouraged or interacted with. Though he won't admit it out loud, Static is terrified of them. OG Error @.LoverofPiggies/CrayonQueen) Moltendreams @.me Edit: he has been named! Edit 2: revised his profile a bit

#moltendreams!au #MoltenDreams!error #error sans #error!sans #errortale #utmv #utmv au #underverse #underverse au #undertale #undertale aus #undertale au #my art #the gober the gremlin the most problem child of all problem children #finding a color palette for this guy was tough

230 notes · View notes

aoioozora · 25 days ago

Text

The Ghosts as Civilians

Headcanons I have of the Ghosts if they weren't in the military; what jobs they'd have, hobbies, and whatnot. Enjoy :)

Logan Walker

It's generally agreed upon that Logan would spend his teenage years skateboarding and surfing since he's a Cali boy, and I can see it being true

As for jobs, I think he'd not prefer a desk job but work that can get his hands dirty like construction or carpentry or something of that sort. Blue collar boy.

He'd enjoy sitting in his room playing video games on a Gameboy or a 3DS as a young boy, and when he's older I think he'd enjoy a Playstation.

He'd totally be a night owl.

I think he'd be the best cook out of the Walkers and would be in charge of the Walker household meals, which he complains a lot about but secretly enjoys doing

David 'Hesh' Walker

Also a skateboarder but I think he'd lean more on surfing

I can totally see Hesh being an athlete! Like a basketball player because of his build and height.

Imagine him playing streetball though. And then getting drafted into the NBA. Oooh drool.

Early bird. Would love the early morning hours for surfing or playing ball.

His indoor hobbies would be playing video games with Logan and reading detective novels.

Elias 'Scarecrow' Walker

He'd work your average 9-5 white collar job but dream of retiring and working on a garden and carpentry projects, perhaps making bird feeders and building furniture

He'd collect all his pieces of wood for "later use".

Besides carpentry, his other hobby would be nagging his sons to do something else other than playing videogames.

He'd love board games and card games and would always try to get his sons to play with him (but they don't like to because he always wins)

Buys a bouquet of flowers every year on his late wife's birthday and on their wedding day; keeping up the tradition

Keegan P. Russ

I'm a bit torn on what he would work as because I can see him working both in construction and a 9-5. I think he'd be quite flexible in that way. Jack of all trades, master of none. His CV is filled with his experience in a variety of jobs

He never really struck me as someone with a lot of hobbies since he probably had a rough early life and have no time for those things

If he had any hobby at all, I think he'd enjoy taking photos of sunsets, the sky at the grocery store, or any sight he finds unique and interesting.

I feel like he would keep a journal, jotting down bullet points of his day and little notes of what he feels.

Thomas Merrick

For some reason I like to think of him as working in a restaurant as a chef. He just gives me that vibe

He'd enjoy the fast paced environment.

I don't know how well he cooks, but he sure looks like he'd make a mean burger

He would enjoy night walks down quiet streets and if he had a dog, he'd walk the dog too.

He'd also enjoy watching videos of blacksmiths forging knives, swords, hammers and the like

Alex 'Ajax' Johnson

I think he'd totally be a barista in an old timey café.

On the side, he'd be building an online presence for himself on YouTube

He would be very into fashion, I feel, making content like Parker York Smith. He'd be the most fashionable of the Ghosts.

Avid reader. Has a whole wall in his apartment that's a shelf filled with books.

Kick

Computer boy works a computer job. I think he'd get into a security related job, maybe even get a job in the FBI if he's lucky

And when he's not working, he's streaming his video games

He would love attending comedy night shows and sit right up front, hoping to be asked something by the comedian. He'd enjoy a witty back-and-forth.

[Bonus] Gabriel Rorke

He'd be in a biker gang, I know it. He has the vibe

Otherwise he'd be in the pest control or extermination business, or maybe even something to do with landscaping

LOVES barbecues and invites the Walkers often to eat with him

Very outdoors man. He'd love camping and hiking

Religiously goes to the gym six times a week. He thrives off of physical activity!

70 notes · View notes

rxzennia · 1 month ago

Text

smile for the camera

– requested.

✎𓂃 chase you down until you love me. allusions to violence, creepy behavior (stalking, filming without consent, etc.), overall dark content. aventurine, my baby boy, when will i finally e6 you ;;;;;;; bronya came home ;;;;;;;; surely next time ;;;;;;;;; how will i pull sunday now ;;;;;; (oops forgot to post this yesterday)

aventurine.

the shining star on stage, the man as sweet as honey, the apple of your eye–

the object of your obsession.

every time you see him on stage, your heart beats so hard that you thought you'd go into cardiac arrest

if only he'd look your way for even one second…!

unfortunately, no, he doesn't know you

but you know him better than anyone <3

on top of the merch collection you own as a dutiful fan, you also have a bunch of private stuff

less than appropriate photos, a literal wall full of them.

they're even made into polaroids and all! look at how devoted you are <3

you're proud to say that you've seen more than the average fanatical fan

(which, you know, isn't something you really should be proud about…)

but yeah! you're pretty famous in a certain fan circle!

that said, your collection is mostly private. mostly.

especially the more intimate recordings, you would die before you let anyone else see them

"thank you again for agreeing to appear in our variety show," you say, standing up and offering him a handshake, "i'll be responsible for your publicity where our station is involved. i think we'll be seeing each other often."

aventurine watches you with suspicious eyes – he doesn't trust reporters, any of them – as he takes a sip of his iced latte. "the pleasure is all mine," he replies with a friendly smile, taking your hand firmly, "i look forward to working with you."

lies. all lies.

his smile is fake. faker than the acrylic nails on your colleagues.

(at least he smiled at you)

but you understand, don't you?

to you, he's the brightest sun who lights up your world

but to him, you're just another face in the crowd of journalists following him around

another pesky camera trying to intrude on his personal life

and all you want to do is just whisk him away from this sea of reporters

rid him of all the pests

but you can't. not yet, anyways.

it hurts

it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts

then again, what's love without a little bit of pain?

you can take it, right? it's all just temporary!

everything will be worth it once you wriggle your way into his good graces!

oh, aeons above, you can hardly control yourself when filming begins. aventurine, looking all dolled up and perfect as he acts according to the script, laughing and jabbing at his fellow actors.

it takes all of your willpower to not excuse yourself to the bathroom every half an hour. shit, aventurine looks so hot when he's annoyed… not that he isn't always hot; the mere sight of him is enough to drive you crazy. aah, you're about to turn into mush just by working with him… how will you survive getting even closer to him?

you'll try, of course you will, but any kind of physical closeness with him just has your legs giving out in the best ways possible – ways that recording him in his own home just can't compare. aventurine must be some kind of wizard, having you under his spell like this without even knowing you, having you more than happy to remove the bothersome drones surrounding him without expecting anything in return except maybe another look in your direction.

indeed, the number of paparazzi tailing him has been decreasing(?)

he sure feels like there are less eyes on him(?)

is he tripping, or is he tripping

since when did these crazy stalkers know when to quit????

but it is true! he is seeing less of them around????

how????? no amount of money he's burned has managed to get rid of them????

wait, you did say that you'll be in charge of him where the variety show is concerned

…this isn't your doing, is it?

surely not. your agency is nowhere big enough to fund any sort of legal action against all of them

let alone catching all the obsessed freaks on the internet

but it's nagging at him! something is very fucking wrong here!

he had some private investigators look into them (and you), but they came up with nothing

not much, anyway

the relentless journalists who were borderline intruding on his private life all resigned willingly…?

the stubborn delusional fans had stopped sending him rigged gifts…?

and they're telling him you've only been involved in legitimate reporting and administration…?

maybe you really aren't up to anything horrid, aventurine thinks, as he proceeded to have another group of investigators look into you, and they've turned up with nothing, too.

you're not a bad person, either, just a little awkward. as formal as you are, aventurine can see that you're flustered to be around him. a fan, perhaps? he's worked with many of his fans before, and it's far from uncommon to have one or two staff slightly nervous.

it's not like he minds, as long as it doesn't affect your ability to do your job. and you're really good at yours, making sure every episode of the show is a success and every promotion in-between is executed flawlessly. you've also made sure no unauthorized filming happened during shooting, including during transport to and from the venue where fans would often gather, which is extremely rare. no wonder he soon started to seek you out to promote his comebacks and fan-events.

was acquiring friendship with the aventurine supposed to be this easy???

you're almost scared, with how he approached you first and offered you a position out of nowhere and told you that he liked the way you handled things

well, okay, you were hoping for something, but you didn't think he'd just come and give it to you

but you're not about to complain

it's one massive step closer to the pretty star who lights up your world

you're careful with how you interact with him, you can't have him getting bad vibes from you now!

you must not fumble the bag, you hear?!

as you'd already known, it isn't hard to become friends when you work together often

what is hard is the next step

you're more than happy to take your time

there are many more reporters you'd prefer to never see again

would doing pest control gain you some favor? maybe?

oh, why does it matter – you were going to do it, anyway

maybe sneak your way into his heart while you're at it

live in his head rent free type shit

took you a painstakingly long while, but you've finally managed to cultivate something more than friends with aventurine!

for the first time, you're inviting him over to your place! oh, no, you're going dizzy at the mere idea of aventurine stepping foot into your space. you can't wait, aeons, your stomach feels odd–

sorry chat i ran out of ideas but i didn't want to say "time skip"

and i'd have to declare this piece 18+ if i were to go any further on your excitement

you spent the entire morning putting away anything that could possibly incriminate you

including locking down a lot of rooms

you didn't even know you had bought this many hidden cameras…

anyways, into the drawer they go

the doorbell rings, and you quickly tidy yourself up before opening the door with a bashful little smile

today is the day you're going to confess to him!

he doesn't need to know any of the things you've done, or the lengths you've gone for him

but… if he just so happens to see how crazy you are for him…

you won't mind, in fact, you might even prefer it

then he won't take his eyes off you, even if his gaze will be tainted with fear

it's okay – you've long known that this love that you harbor isn't really "love" in the traditional sense

what you really need is his attention on you, you want to be his world, be on his mind, occupy his every waking moment with thoughts of you

it doesn't matter if he doesn't love you back right away

if you have to give this feeling a name…

"obsession"

but anyway, so you've also set something up that would lead him to one particular room

one of the tamer ones, if you will

because even you don't believe you should show anyone the other ones

(you've done the unspeakable *wink wink* in so many of them, holy shit)

you want him to see the depths of your love for him, how fervently you worship him

perhaps even the most debauched desires he amplifies in you

like i said, if i go any further, this will become nsfw

you'll see if curiosity kills the cat today; it's okay if it doesn't

either way, you'll be bagging this man

oh, is today your lucky day?

it appears that aventurine will be fucking around and finding out!

"what the fuck!?" aventurine starts, really taking in the wall filled with pictures and screenshots of text messages, threaded together by red strings and scribbles in crimson lipstick, and holy shit is that blood on the floor–

he shouldn't have believed you, shouldn't have tried to pry, shouldn't have let curiosity get the best of him. had he learned nothing from being an idol? people can't be trusted, paparazzi are the worst, and crazy fans are out to get him. and guess what? you're the craziest fan of them all. "you're sick."

"i know." you wrap your arms around him, a lazy grin tugging at your lips – you've got your precious little star right where you want him, and you're never going to let him go. ever. "but what can i do? my heart beats so fast that i thought i'd die… i love you so much…"

you pull him close, and aventurine can feel your heart thumping loudly against his back, the twisted affection you harbor for him overflowing and almost tangible. "you make me sick, baby," you purr, arms locking him in place, "so sick for you."

"don't call me 'baby'!" he tries to push you away, but you grab his hands and hold him ever tighter, like you want to crawl inside his skin and consume him inside out. "let me go!"

"ah, ah, don't do that." you warn with a firm squeeze on his wrists. "just be good and shine," you giggle, leaning in for a chaste kiss on his cheek, "i'll make sure you get all the attention and none of the stalking… except from me, of course."

wait, when did that camera get here!? and who set it up on a tripod!? fuck, you were the real danger all along!?

you turn him around and pull his lips wide with a gentle tug. against the backdrop of your wall of love and devotion, aventurine is still suspicious of you, but that's alright. now that you have him, there are countless more chances for you to convince him. many more opportunities for you to irrevocably intertwine your existence with his, to have him to acknowledge you.

"3, 2, 1… smile for the camera!"

#honkai star rail #honkai star rail x reader #aventurine x reader #aventurine #ares on demand

67 notes · View notes

whateverisbeautiful · 5 months ago

Text

♥️Reveling in Richonne - TOWL

#28: The Big Reveal (1.04)

gif cred: @nat111love

The second TOWL was announced in 2022 my first thought was - I’m so excited to see Rick and Michonne together again 🤩. And my immediate second thought was - we’re finally going to see Michonne tell Rick about RJ. 🥹

Rick learning that he and Michonne had a baby just like he wanted on their last day together was atop my list of most anticipated moments in TOWL. And I couldn’t have been more glad that Danai was in charge of the episode where the highly anticipated RJ reveal occurs. The big reveal happened in a way that completely shocked me but it was extremely well done 👏🏽...

What I so respect about Danai writing this episode is that she made it clear they aren’t doing mawkish surface-level trauma. TOWL proposed Rick had chosen to die while still being alive, which would do some serious damage to his psyche. And Michonne has also gone through the fire these last seven or so years. So this episode was unafraid to really go there and explore what raw, authentic, heartbreaking trauma looks like no matter how painful it is to watch.

It wasn’t until TOWL episode 3 that I realized the odds are very high that the big RJ reveal is going to come in the midst of Richonne conflict. Beforehand, I had pictured 1000 scenarios of how Michonne would tell Rick about RJ and in my head it was always going to be revealed in a moment where they’re in a good space because I’m so used to them rarely having internal conflict between them.

I believe Danai said one thing that might surprise viewers with TOWL is the Richonne conflict. And I remember hearing that and being like 'bring on the conflict' cuz it’ll be interesting to explore and I had the utmost confidence that Richonne would come out on top of any conflict. My one thing going into it was just as long as neither of them hit below the belt.

(and tbh I wasn’t worried that Michonne was going to say anything below the belt…but that Sergeant Major Grimes on the other hand. He had me a little worried lol. Before this episode aired, I said the one thing that would be most below the belt to me is if Rick at all suggests Michonne made a bad choice for coming to look for him, which…

So after that steamy eye contact moment with the PRB, Michonne walks over to the bookshelf and I love the way she can take control with just her presence alone. Like her just walking around examining what books this place has had me feeling like 'Rick, you’re in danger friend' because Michonne has something cooking right now. Idk what, but I knew she was getting ready to let it all out with how calm and composed she was being. 😅

gif cred: @ricksmarlene

Again, you’d never guess that just moments before she had yanked the two of them out of a helicopter. And this calmness in itself sorta adds to her crazy lol.

Michonne spots the Beverly Cleary children's book 'Ramona the Pest' and smiles as she says, “This was one of my favs growing up. This little girl listening to her own rhythm, free-spirited, just like Judith.”

I love how she’s thinking about her daughter and knows her daughter will like the same book as her cuz that’s her mini-me, both following their own rhythm. Also, I just love how the Grimes family are readers. 🥰📚

gif cred: @nerd4music

Rick looks at her, quietly listening, and I feel like the man is still sorta reeling from everything that's going on. But also it has to hit him hearing a bit more about his daughter and who she’s become right now.

Plus, this made me think about how one of the last things Rick did with Judith was read her a book. 🥲

I also love that Rick gets to see Michonne’s love for Judith in this moment. Like you can tell Michonne never goes a day without thinking about her kids and she wants to be able to talk about them.

There’s also something a little hilarious about this to me, because Rick literally just tried to end things between them not too long ago, and Michonne’s casual energy now is really like...

She knows he didn’t mean that breakup mess. 👌🏽

So Michonne continues, “I loved her so much I thought I was meant to be a writer for a while there. Judith’s gonna love this” Spoken like a mother. 🥰 And I love how Michonne’s face always lights up when reflecting on her kids.

Then we get more insight into Michonne's life from before which I’m always here for when she says, “I thought I was a computer scientist myself once too. Then art history. Then creative writing again. Then I dropped out.” First off, yes versatile queen. 👏🏽😋 Second; I love knowing she studied creative writing. She’s just like me for real. 😊

I also always wonder if perhaps the dropping out might've been impacted by/coincided with the passing of her mother, just cuz I remember she mentioned Joycelyn being there for her when she lost her mom and it seems like Joycelyn was mostly around during college. Idk. 🤷🏽‍♀️

But Michonne styduing art history also makes perfect sense considering TWD hinted at her penchant for art a few different times.

Then Michonne reveals she really was going somewhere with all that college majors talk when she turns to Rick and says, “You’ve become a bit of a creative writer these days.” And then she stares him down in a way that makes it clear Rick is all the way in the dog house.

gif cred: @figmentof

This is another reason I so badly wanted Rick to have kept all the letters he wrote her because he actually was writing her some pretty beautiful poetic stuff in those. But it makes sense that Michonne would be upset over one of the only notes she got to see in the getaway boat.

gif cred: @figmentof

I’m glad Michonne now gets to address exactly how she felt about that whole getaway ploy Rick tried to pull after she hadn't verbally addressed it in ep 3. It’s her turn to talk and I’m here for it. 👌🏽

She says, “That note in the getaway boat?…Poetry.” And the delivery of that line is just classic. I love it. Like so many moments in episode 4, this line and delivery was stuck in my head for awhile. 😋

gif cred: @figmentof

And the way Rick is looking at her after she says that.🤭 Issa husband. A husband who knows he's in hot water too lol.

Another reason I love this ep so much is because they are so completely married. Like this really is scenes from a marriage and I love this exploration of Richonne specifically as husband and wife, even in a fight.

I know Rick was truly being sincere with the note on the getaway boat but still, that was not a move he should have ever thought was going to sit right with Michonne ‘I Don’t Leave People Behind’ Grimes.

It’s interesting that Michonne hones in on the writing aspect of Rick's getaway ploy. I feel like it’s because she’s thinking - did he really think that if he wrote something nice enough I could just leave him here knowing good and well he's alive and needs my help? No amount of poetic words would convince her to just leave Rick trapped here. She knows he knows better than that.

gif cred: @figmentof

Then, it's definitely giving married when Michonne grabs a journal and pen and says, “Oh here. Why don’t you give another masterpiece for your children?”

Now y’all, my jaw dropped when I realized we’re doing this right now. 😦

Like I thought I was gonna see the RJ reveal coming but in a great turn of events Michonne just gets right into it, talking as if Rick already knew he has multiple living children.

gif cred: @figmentof

This is of course news to him and the second she says 'children,' Rick looks like that’s the only word now ringing through his brain.

gif cred: @figmentof

I feel like he’s quickly putting it together since he could already sense that Michonne had something big to tell him about their immediate family in ep 2.

gif cred: @figmentof

Michonne goes onto say, “Because I’m not going to be the one to tell them that I found their father and he sent me away and chose not to come home to them.”

I’m glad she said that because that was my thought last episode too. Like what was she supposed to tell the kids after finding out their dad is alive but won’t be coming home to them ever?

gif cred: @figmentof

Rick proves that there really is one word going through his mind right now as he asks, “Children?”

gif cred: @figmentof

And then Michonne uncrosses her arms, sucks her teeth, and walks past him seemingly realizing this isn’t the way she wanted to do this reveal. But at this point, she couldn’t really put it off any longer with the way Rick stayed trying to get her to leave before she even gets the chance to tell him.

gif cred: @likeafantasy

Rick turns to her and says, “You said 'children.'” And I know he’s very eager and anxious to know what that’s about because he hasn’t heard he has more than one living child in over 8 years.

gif cred: @likeafantasy

Michonne sighs and then she turns to look at her children’s father. And as she prepares to tell Rick this big news, I love how 'Mother Nature' wanted to get involved with a thunderous drum roll before she says it. Both real-life Mother Nature and fictional Mother Nature are Richonners. They know when Richonne is about to have a milestone and they want to be a part of it, what can I say. 😋

So after the thunder drumroll, Michonne finally tells Rick about RJ by saying, “His name is Rick.” 🥲

I love that that’s the way she says it. 😭 It immediately tells Rick that this boy is theirs and he’s his namesake.

And then they cut to Rick who quickly looks down taking in this shocking news as Michonne says, “We call him RJ.”

Seeing a shot of Rick while hearing Michonne say 'RJ' just felt surreal. We finally arrived at this point of Rick learning about RJ after wanting to see this for 6 years. 🙌🏽🥹

gif cred: @nat111love

Rick silently reacts and then looks up at Michonne when she tells him, “I was pregnant when the bridge happened.” I loved hearing that.😭 She finally got to tell the one person she most wanted to tell that she was pregnant.

And the one who got her pregnant is definitely letting this big news sink in as he remains quiet and appears to both have a million thoughts racing through his head while also feeling like time is standing still from this huge news.

gif cred: @nat111love

And then Michonne makes me want to cry when she emotionally says, “He’s…he’s almost 8.” 🥺

In this moment I just see the mom who loves and misses her son so much and is pained to think about how she’s missed a year of his life and how Rick has missed all 7 years of his life.

I feel like the way she says this, it's clear that she feels for her and Rick that they’re not with RJ right now and she feels for her baby boy who she knows misses her too.

gif cred: @nat111love

And then she looks at Rick awaiting his initial response to this lifechanging news.

There have always been two parts of the anticipation regarding the RJ reveal - How would Michonne tell him & how would Rick react. And well now we saw how Michonne told him about their son so it was time to see how Rick would respond. 😬

First, Rick responds by taking this breath which, again, breathing very much tells the story in this episode and has its own little arc. His breath here feels like this is, as I suspected, overwhelming for him on all fronts.

Like you can just see how bittersweet and more prominently how overwhelming/stressful this is to Rick. He already feels like a failure for losing the face of his first son and it’s almost like learning of his second son means the risk of another family member to let down and lose.

And he also now knows he wasn't able to be there for Michonne while she had their baby and that he's not just missed out on years of raising his daughter but his son too. It's a lot. 😓

gif cred: @nat111love

On top of that, learning of RJ means there's instantly another person now added to who Rick longs to protect. So after looking down seemingly struggling to compute all this, Rick looks up and shocks me completely when he just reaches out his hand and says, “You need to give me the PRB.”

gif cred: @nat111love

Y’all...🙃. When I tell you I yelled "What?!" at the exact same time Michonne did. Truly...

gif cred: @nat111love

Of all the ways I pictured Rick first responding to the RJ news I never once had Rick having no verbal acknowledgment of his son on my bingo card. This was wild and admittedly had me wanting to fight despite being able to empathize with why Rick might be responding like this.

Michonne says, “What? I just told you you have a son. I don’t know who you are anymore!” And girl, me neither. Like I’m so sorry I hope I don’t sound ridiculous but I don’t know who this man is.

It made me sad that this was his response cuz you only get one time to learn you have a baby and his first verbal response is still about needing the PRB so he can call the CRM and try to get Michonne home without him. Again...

Rick says, “I’m trying to keep you and them alive. You need to give it to me.” And one; I do like how quickly RJ becomes a part of who he’s trying to protect. At the same time I was like - Rick, you didn’t even know your son was included in this ‘them’ until seconds ago, don’t you want to address that a lot more??? (And he does, but he can't let himself go there just yet).

Two; you know this is not our Rick when he’s telling Michonne ‘you need to give it to me’ like Rick is more of the ‘I’m giving it to them, are you gonna let me?’ type and rarely ever just tells Michonne what she needs to do. But again he’s so convinced that this PRB is part of the solution to protecting his family that he’s become one-track-minded. He wants what’s best for his family and he thinks this is how to do it but it’s blinding him to how very hurtful he’s being to his wife right now.

Rick saying he needs the PRB is his way of showing he's more convinced than ever that sending Michonne home and him staying behind is the way it has to be. We know from his note in the getaway boat that he already felt Judith needed her mom even if she never gets to have her dad in her life, and now knowing they have a little boy out there - Rick seems to be immediately deciding that their son needs their mom even if he never has his dad in his life as well.

So Rick is determined to do anything to get Michonne back to their kids. Immediately believing the three of them need each other in their lives more than they need him, and that his role must be to protect them from afar.

He's not yet able to acknowledge the absolute joy of having a son with the love of his life or be curious about what his little boy might be like and look like. After already losing the image of one son, to begin to imagine the image of another son - knowing how quickly it can all be taken away, knowing that even the images of the ones you love most can fade, is too raw of a pain.

And I also think that the good parts of the news that he has a son, are parts Rick doesn't even feel he deserves to enjoy since he feels he died a 'failure' at getting home to his girls and now his son too. 🥺

So instead keeping his family alive is the only thing Rick can let himself think about. And he's terrified that he could be the reason his wife, son, and daughter's lives are in jeopardy, hence him having a response rooted so deeply in fear.

As the conflict continues, Michonne wants to address more of Rick's audacity from episode 3 when she frustratedly says, “What did you say? ‘Everything we have is broken’? After saying that we were going to get away.” One; I like how she says 'what did you say?' and then proceeds to give a direct quote of what he said. Richonne stays remembering each other's every word. 😋

And also two; I love that she addresses this because this is how much whiplash this man is causing her. Rick went from promising her multiple times that they’d get away together to saying everything they had is broken. Crazy work.

Michonne points at him and passionately says, “I don’t know what game you’re playing, Rick” and I love that she says that too because while Rick is the one man Michonne will defer to when necessary, she’s also never one to play with and so she’s like look these Crazy-Offs and reindeer games need to stop immediately. Especially cuz Rick was fast approaching his final strike imo.

Rick says, “You have no idea who we’re dealing with. You need to give it to me!” After experiencing several thwarted escape attempts it’s clear Rick is pretty convinced that escaping is impossible.

gif cred: @ricksmarlene

Honestly, I’m very here for this whole yelling Richonne moment. 👌🏽We haven’t really seen them like this before but even in this heated moment, it’s clear this fight is between two people who passionately love each other. And the acting is A1. 👏🏽🔥

Also, this is another way we know Rick and Michonne's relationship is special and different, because Lori stayed wanting Rick to fight back with her but he wouldn't. But with Michonne, what they have is worth the fight and the fighting to him.

I love when Michonne claps and says, “Raising our kids. Believing you were alive and you were…with them!”

One; just hearing her say ‘our kids’ is great. Mom and dad for real. 🥰And I love that she gets to express how she feels in all the fullness of her emotion. It’s such a welcomed thing to see. 🙌🏽 This also shows how comfortable she is with Rick to be this vulnerably expressive. I always love the little hand movements she does too. She’s just cool in everything she does to me. 😋

And Danai also has a great yelling voice too. It’s rare to hear Michonne yell but I was here for it, even tho I of course don’t relish seeing Michonne upset and hurting.

That ‘with them!’ part always hits me. Because underneath the anger I hear the hurt. This hurt over the fact that for years she was raising their kids, holding onto her belief in Rick and meanwhile the CRM got to have him when she would have given anything for Rick to be with her and their family. Yet another reason she and I hate the CRM.

And when Rick hears this, he then breaks my entire heart when he earnestly says, “You think I didn’t want to be with you? I tri- I tried everything!” 😭💔 Andy killed that delivery. 👏🏽 The high-pitched breathiness of it - the sincerity is palpable.

And I love that he says “be with you.” He tried everything he could in the hopes of being with Michonne. When he says 'I tried everything,' I genuinely felt the weight of everything he’s tried and the toll it’s taken on him.

In this fight, Rick and Michonne both get some insight into how the other has spent the last eight years. Michonne has spent it raising their kids and believing he was alive. Rick has spent it wanting to be with Michonne and trying everything to get home to her and their family.

And then Michonne’s teary-eyed response after Rick says he tried everything. 😢 This episode did such a good job of conveying Richonne’s love - including the pain they feel over being without each other's love for so long.

Like they both have spent almost eight years longing to be with each other, starved of the love only the other can give them, living with a soulmate-sized hole in their heart. And now here they are - in the same building but not yet on the same page. 😔

They just have to talk some things through to fully find their center with each other again. (Well talk things through and make love some things through. 😌)

Rick says, “We need to go back.” And then because this stellar episode has a bit of everything we get some comedy as the thermostat says, “Your preferred temperature will be reached in one minute” and then Rick takes out all his frustration on the system as he yells, “Where is that thing!?” like he’s ready to box a temperature controller lol.

gif cred: @figmentof

And the way Michonne looks at him like she’s thinking this country boy is doing the most. 😂 I like how Rick knows he can’t be that on ten with Michonne so he only raises his voice to this level with the thermostat.

The temp controller really was a clever device to use within the episode and the temperature really will rise as Richonne dives further into this fight.

I was very curious how the rest of this episode would play out now that Rick officially knows what we've longed for him to know which is that he and Michonne have a son together. And Danai continues to craft a fascinating exploration of Richonne as this conflict continues. 🥺👌🏽

#richonne #towl #reveling in richonne #1.04 #RIR (28)#the ones who live #twd towl #michonne grimes #rick grimes #rick x michonne #twol #michonne #rick and michonne #twd: the ones who live #twd #richonnefandom

105 notes · View notes

revive-the-fandom · 5 months ago

Text

The Dragon Hunters

First, to cover everything we learned of the Hunters excluding Johann's involvement:

The Hunters have been around for "generations" which according to wiki is 20 - 30 years per generation, making the hunters at least 40 years old, likely older. We know this because Ingar Ingerman's techniques have been used by Hunters for "generations".

(The fact that Fishlegs is unaware of Ingar's existence implies that he was either ancient, and "generations" refers to great-great grandparents or older, or that Fishleg's family broke away and purposefully forgot/didn't teach/lied to their children of their true family origin)

This age of the Hunters was also implied by Viggo, whose grandfather is mentioned as being either Hunter or Hunter adjacent many times in the series. Him playing as the Marauder and not the Viking Chief in Maces and Talons also suggests that he was a Hunter.

Making the age of the Dragon Hunters closer to 80 years. This is calculated using the average age for Httyd Vikings having children being 25 (Valka was 20, Stoick was 30 their average is 25, Hiccup and Astrid were both 25 when Zephyr was born) + Ryker and Viggo (the youngest known generation) being at least 30 or older.

This also makes Viggo a nepo baby/inheritor of the Hunter's legacy/throne/chiefdom etc rather than simply the best tactition there (this is of course, ignoring that Ryker is actually first in line as it seems that until RTTE he was happy for Viggo to take charge, possibly even waiving his claim for Viggo - or in a less happy circumstance, was forced to waive the chiefdom by his parents/grandfather).

as for the dragon eye:

it's belonged to Viggo's tribe for centuries, and Viggo feels slighted by the loss of it. So we know that this is personal to Viggo's family/tribe regardless as to whether Viggo's tribe is the Dragon Hunters, is what became the Dragon Hunters, or if it was only the ancestors of a few Dragon Hunters (Ryker and Viggo).

This brings the possible age of the Hunters up to 200 - 300 years, as long as Berk has been settled/fighting Dragons. Or this is just their origin, when Viggo's clan settling in the region before becoming full blown Hunters.

we also know that Viggo knows the ins and outs of the Dragon Eye's construction, more so than even Ryker.

so it's possible that this information was passed down through the leadership of the Hunters, or more specifically, to the inheritor of Viggo's tribe's chiefdom. Both suggest that Viggo's grandfather may have been the one to impart this knowledge onto Viggo, as we also have the implication that Viggo inherited his intelligence (and love for Maces and Talons) from his grandfather.

The Dragon Eye going missing also seems to imply that the Hunters were felled/disbanded/forced into exile at some point, and Viggo and Ryker are only just now restoring them from the ground up - possibly in their grandfather's name. This is also where ym headcanon that Viggo at least used to live in/grew up in York/Jorvik comes from, as it would explain his english accent (ok, in the context of the show.. not real life as this accent wouldnt exist).

we also get a little insight into why the Hunters had this dark age/disbandment through Viggo's fall from power - the Grimborn's have no loyalty/regard for others and a short violent temper:

and viggo's focus on only his own pride

which is more than likely what killed them - the people rising up or abandoning them. which is technically what happened to Viggo, both through Ryker's betrayal, and the Hunters leaving him for dead.

Ryker's betrayal makes more sense when considering that he was the people's man.

the Hunter's purpose, why they exist as a group, is to earn money. there is also additional themes of conquering the unconquerable, power and control, and genuine service to a people threatened by beasts.

The Hunters may have originally formed as a warrior group that worked as a sort of pest control, their methods for dragon killing are better and more refined than any other villain we see in the series, including the movies and grimmel as the movie villains seem more interested and successful in capturing and forcing dragons into a slave army than they ever are in killing anything.

the Hunters may then have begun using, or even spearheaded the use of dragon parts in clothing, materials, weapons etc. which might have earned them more money than pest control, leading to them using auctions and markets as their primary source of income.

their use of dragon root seems to be standard knowledge + practicality as Berk knows what dragon root is they just didn't refine it or use it in the same way.

their ships are confusing as they're mulltihull ships that are more in line with what Drago sails than what the vikings sail. this is confusing as Drago's ships are destinctive because he comes from elsewhere in the world and has travelled far to reach Berk. the Hunters ships seem to be stolen from Drago's fleet. perhaps suggesting a raid or battle, or even defection - but this doesnt fit with Krogan's arrival and their attitude towards their "buyer" (Drago).

To me the ships seem to be a bit of an oversight. an inconsistency that wasnt supposed to be thought about because they were just recycling assets (in the same way that Ryker is a recycled Drago design).

so s4 ends with the death of the Hunters in Shell Shocked: Viggo and Ryker are fighting each other and the majority of the Hunters have fled to Ryker's side (he is the people's man after all). Ryker is killed, viggo is injured presumed dead, the Hunters are all but destroyed (again)

months go by and Krogan gathers up the remnants of the Hunters and forces them (penalty of death) to become his flyers.

Krogan's motivations are to bring success to Drago, in rtte's instance this seems to be through providing a Bewilderbeast for Drago.

Krogan seems to have thought that the Hunters are his best bet for finding a bewilderbeast, or gathering the resources to do it himself. He's known as a big buyer by Viggo and Ryker, so has only met them briefly if at all. He seems to have scoped out the Hunters in Auction Heroes and Midnight Scrum and decided that Viggo and Ryker are below him.

Krogan then apporaches Viggo and explains how he's usurped the Hunters and trained his flyers.

Krogan then offers Viggo the resources to recover the Dragon Eye from the volcano so that Viggo can keep ahold of his tribal artefact and potentially rebuild his empire, in return for his help in finding and capturing the King of Dragons/Bewilderbeast. Krogan gets access to Viggo's intelligence, and Viggo gets access to Krogan's resources.

Viggo's motivation seems to remain power, wealth and pride.

Viggo and Krogan crucially neglect to follow Ryker's example, they don't care for their men or armies, which ultimately leads to their downfall yet again:

Viggo obviously has his epiphany moment where his worldview is flipped and he learns to respect dragons, perhaps as a reflection on his relationship with his brother, and how his brother chose companionship and loyalty over wealth and power.

Krogan's armies are repeatedly defeated via their singetails not being loyal to the flyers.

Viggo dies as part of his redemption and Krogan is murdered for not realising his.

which explains the Hunters and everything we know about them excluding Johann. but now lets add Johann into the picture:

given all we know of the Hunters and the implications from Viggo that he inherited the leader position or revitalised it, it's unlikely that Johann was the "true" leader or secretly the leader of the Hunters. That position remains with Viggo and Ryker.

and we know that Krogan is both working for Drago and has usurped the Hunters through force. so Johann has no part in that either.

Johann himself says that he's paying them, so there's no loyalty to him outside of money.

there's so many issues with Johann so let's just start with his statements in In Plain Sight

Johann reveals his motivation is to find the King of Dragons which he believes is the key to his wealth and power

so all Johann wants is power and money, which he thinks the King of Dragons will get him. it's unclear if Johann plans to sell the bewilderbeast to Krogan (who gives it to Drago) or if he's oblivious to Krogan's motivations and just thinks he's there for the gold he's paying him.

I think it might be the latter because in King of Dragons Krogan betrays him twice, attempting to kill him. first by not warning him to dodge the bewilderbeasts ice, and then by stealing the egg and fleeing and leaving Johann to fight the bewilderbeast and hiccup and toothless alone.

Johann claims to have been working against the riders since Breakneck Bog

which happens in the first ever season, Riders of Berk, and is only Johann's second appearance, which I believe is an oversight from the writers as his first appearance 8 episodes prior had him sell poisonous flowers to Mildew who poisoned the dragons on Berk. was he not also behind that? that was actually much more villainous than Breakneck bog as he spent that episode begging them not to go there, stranded at sea, and then he loses all of his wares and gold.

this tirade against the Riders is more suspicous as his third appearance has him sneak the Berkians onto Outcast Island to rescue Hiccup.

his fourth has him stuck in a frozen sea, rescued by Hiccup and Toothless and then stranded on Berk with the speed stingers until the ice thaws.

his fifth has him sell smokebreath infested metal to Berk from Dagur. which, again, is more villainous that Breakneck Bog as it destroys Berk's armoury and comes directly from Dagur.

Johann also facilitated Dagur's escape, but, once again got stranded at sea. it makes you wonder just how good of a swimmer he is to have this much trust in his plans to incorporate getting stranded this many times.

these two I have less complaints about in the "bad plan" department but they do cause some bumps with the "when did Johann ally the Hunters" question.

His speech to Hiccup, mentioning Breakneck Bog, suggests that he's been involved since Riders of Berk, when they were 15 - 16 yros. but his reaction to Viggo and Viggo's reaction to him in Last Auction Heroes is extremely weird if this is true:

theres no need for any of these theatrics if they're in league with each other. if they are in league with each other here then Viggo should either be expecting Johann, and understand that the Riders are likely plotting something. or he should have some sort of communication with Johann that suggests they know each other, or that Johann can't talk freely else he'll blow his cover.

the way this scene in Auction Heroes plays out makes it seem as though Viggo has no idea who Johann is, and that Johann is still playing the long game by being deep undercover.

so when did Johann and Viggo actually join up?

I believe Dagur joined sometime around Have Dragon Will Travel as that's when he gets the dragon proof metal, which is associated with the Hunters alone.

Heather likely joined soon after.

but Johann doesn't seem to start acting suspicious or in league with the Hunters until s5, in Sandbusted. as his last appearance in s4 is Dire Straits, where he is the only survivor and near victim of the submarriper.

if he was in league with the Hunters at this point, why would he sail directly over the submapripper, planted specifically by the Hunters. if he was in league he could have just watched from a distance to check it was working, or have the Hunters themselves check.

Sandbusted has him send the Riders on a mission to find what's killing the merchants (sandbuster) which could easily be a trap set by him to separate the riders and get them killed off (hiccup specifically).

Dawn of Destruction has him separate Hiccup and Astrid from the Riders and the Edge immediately before the flyers attack. which also works perfectly fine for someone in league with them.

everything in s5 works towards the plot twist that Johann is secretly working with Viggo and Krogan. so it seems most likely that Johann joined between s4 and s5, after Ryker's death and the Hunters disbandment. He may even have paid Krogan to build the flyers and recruit Viggo to help him track down the King of Dragons.

He would need Krogan to bring skill and ruthlessness and to be a leader more interested in the results than the game. Viggo to bring his knowledge, experience and most importantly the Dragon Eye to track down the King of Dragons.

This would explain why Johann seems so out of the loop in Dire Straits and Auction Heroes, as he wouldn't have been allied or privy to the Hunter's plans. and he would still be undercover from Viggo and the Hunters as a whole.

His actions prior to this, such as Riders, Defenders, and Have Dragon Will Travel were likely his own plans, independent of anyone else's influence (and yes, i still think they're stupid plans as he ends up stranded at sea, losing massive swaths of his wealth which we have established is his entire motivation, and needed rescues from dragons a fucking lot).

the outlier here that I struggle to fit in is Edge of Disaster, as he pulls the Riders away from the Edge right as the Hunters attack. this happens in s2, long before he theoretically join in s5.

my best guess is that the Hunters, possibly with Dagur or Heather's help, were trying to use Johann as a distraction. Johann, being intelligent and hating the Riders might have seen this opportunity and "fallen" for the Hunter's trap/distraction - this might have involved the Hunters herding him towards the Dragon Nest.

However, this doesn't explain why Johann wouldn't blame the Hunters for forcing him into the Dragon's path, as it would take the blame/suspicion off of him for writing to Hiccup that he was under attack by the Hunters.

so to recap:

the Hunters likely evolved from Viggo and Ryker's clan, they may have stolen their multihull ship design from a section of Drago's army at some point. the Dragon Eye was created and their grandfather likely held a chief/leader position before the original Hunters were destroyed, likely because of the Grimborn's lack of loyalty to their crew and/or family. The Dragon Eye was lost and the Hunters disbanded, Viggo and Ryker ending up miles from home, possibly Jorvik.

Viggo and Ryker re-establish the Hunters, with Ryker giving Viggo the leadership role. They pick up allies in the Archipelago, Dagur most predominantly, followed by Heather, who recount to them that the Dragon Eye has been found and is being held by the Riders.

Viggo and Ryker then begin their war with the Riders, but Viggo falls into the same trap his ancestors did and forgets to value his crew or family. Ryker usurps the Hunters with the crew's support, but it ends in disaster and Ryker is killed, the Dragon Eye lost and Viggo injured.

Johann realises the potential of the Hunters now that they've disbanded and pays Krogan to recruit Viggo to use the Dragon Eye and rebuild the Hunters (under Krogan's command) to find and sell the King of Dragons.

or at least, that's the best that I can understand the Hunters?

#httyd #rtte #dragon hunters #viggo grimborn #ryker grimborn #trader johann #krogan

88 notes · View notes

steelbonded · 5 months ago

Text

Forced Integration (2)

Stewart lay helplessly on the street, pinned down by the boots of four officers from the New Republic. The soft rumble of an engine broke the early morning silence, growing louder until it screeched to a halt at Stewart’s position. It was a military truck, still in its original olive-green color but with the flag of the New Republic hastily stickered over the flag of the country Stewart had pledged his allegiance to. He used to drive these trucks in and out of the base, but this time, he knew he would be transported into the base and would never leave.

The ignition was turned off, and a soldier, garmented in the standard jet-black uniform of the Steelbound Republic, stepped out of the vehicle and saluted the lieutenant in charge of the operation.

“Private AO 9323 reporting, sir! The truck to transport the deserter back to base for re-education, sir!”

“Very well,” said the lieutenant. “Prep the pest for transport.”

Stewart felt two boots release from his knee and neck. With precise coordination, the two officers stood beside him, their rifles pointed directly at Stewart to ensure any questionable movement would be met with lead.

“Secured,” one of them reported.

The third officer released his boot and proceeded to secure Stewart’s hands behind his back with zip ties. Finally, the last boot pinning him down was released, and the two officers grabbed his shoulders and roughly pulled him to his feet, their grip on his arms firm and unyielding. Stewart winced in pain as he was forced to stand, his legs shaky from exhaustion. He glanced around, his eyes finally able to see his captors clearly for the first time.

His captors exuded an aura of menace and authority, their jet-black uniforms accentuating their muscular frames. Every piece of their gear was meticulously maintained, from the advanced helmets with reflective visors that obscured their eyes to the tactical vests bristling with ammunition and weapons. Their sleek, blackened body armor added to their intimidating presence, giving them an almost robotic appearance. Each one of them was nearly identical, except for their numbered name tags.

Their faces were partially hidden by black balaclava, with only their cold, calculating eyes visible, staring down at Stewart. These eyes, devoid of empathy, were all that remained of their humanity. The soldiers' postures were rigid and controlled, every movement deliberate, as if they had been trained for years to perfection. They exuded an air of ruthlessness, ready to follow orders without question, no matter how brutal.

Stewart kept staring at one of the officers, DF 9203. His eyes looked like those of someone he knew in his previous life. The distinctive scar on the top left corner of his eyelid could not conceal his true identity, even underneath the balaclava. It was Sergeant Fischer, his officer before the fall of his nation. Only his voice would serve as confirmation of his former identity. How could he betray his country and serve in the enemy’s forces?

A forceful hit to his back by the butt of a gun from DF 9203 snapped Stewart back to reality. “What the fuck are you looking at, pest?” he barked, his voice carrying the same unremarkable low octave pitch as the lieutenant's. Stewart couldn’t be sure if it was Sergeant Fischer.

“Sorry, sergeant,” Stewart accidentally blurted out.

Another blow to his back followed. “Respect fucken authority, maggot. I am a fucken sergeant, and you are a piece of uneducated pest. Speak only when spoken to.”

“Be fucken grateful the Republic is offering you a second chance,” barked another officer with a similar voice.

“Gentlemen!” came a voice from the other end. It was the lieutenant, and all the officers stood at attention. “He hasn’t seen our ways yet. He will soon be an unwavering defender of the Republic like yourselves, gentlemen.” He made a faint smile toward Stewart. “Order has been established, gents.”

The military truck rumbled back to life, its engine settling into a menacing growl. The back of the truck was open, revealing a steel cage-like structure. Stewart was pushed forward, stumbling slightly as the officers guided him toward the truck.

“DF 9203 and NC 9326, secure the asset back to base.”

“Yes, sir,” both replied immediately.

With that, the cage door was closed, and the truck began to move. Stewart’s fate was sealed as he was sent back to the base for re-education.

#recuitment #soldier #military #the state

87 notes · View notes