#even though he was much older by the series' start he was more dependent on others because those self sufficiency instincts werent needed

[witchnordemon]

They sat with curiosity as Golden Guard replied to them, and slight confusion as they watched his ears do that thingy again, which only compounded when he started getting fidgety. Sometimes - rarely, really - Philip got a little twitchy-witchy when he was fibbing, but... there was nothing for Golden Guard to be fibbing about, right? So that didn't make any sense... urgh. They wished mortals weren't so confusing.

Oh. And now he was apologizing to him... and about something the Collector himself had felt before. Huh. He didn't know how to respond right, not really, but...

❝ ... lots of people don't like me asking a lot of questions, either. ❞ He offered quietly, unsure of why it was hard to get out, and even more unsure of why he couldn't seem to find any more words to say afterwards. He was especially grateful when the conversation shifted this time.

Embarrassment (at his assumption of Golden Guard asking something completely different than he really had) was quickly squashed by bafflement. ❝ The Boiling Sea? ❞ He repeated, incredulously. ❝ I've never heard of that. The Sparkling Sea was the sea all around the... you know, most of the land the Titans lived on... the Boiling Sea? ❞ He repeated yet again, as though he couldn't comprehend it, ❝ ...where are we? ❞ He asked, though he didn't give enough time for the Grimwalker to respond initially, as he quickly continued blurting out more of his stream of consciousness ❝ There's a whole 'nother sea out there, and you fell in it? ❞

They clasped a hand in their opposite palm and contemplated for a moment. A lot of mortals' planets had a sea, some planets even seemed to have lots of seas. They'd never heard of the Boiling Sea in all their free time on the Isles... which meant they must be really far away right now from where they'd been sealed away. Where on this planet could they even be?

Collector was (gladly) snapped out of his troubled pondering as Golden Guard started asking about Titans again. ❝ Oh, well - twenty to fiftyish years isn't a long time, and they're not big big yet, but they can go out and be okay if they want to, or need to. ❞ He clarified. ❝ Most don't need to or want to, because they're safer and happier with other Titans, but some of them do, and they're alright if they do. ❞ He shrugged. It wasn't a shocker to know he related to the Titans in many ways, and this was one of them - he was a lot younger than the other Collectors, and missed them a lot of the time, but... well, he had Philip, and now he had a friend in this new Grimwalker, so... he was okay.

❝ Most Titans start foraging when they're pretty young. It's like an.. an.. instick. ❞ They suggested, repeating what they vaguely remember hearing from years and years past. ❝ Most Titans can search for their own food as soon as they can walk on four legs, so... ❞ They looked back down at their hands, counting off a few fingers, ❝ ...two years... five years? ❞ They shrugged. ❝ They can't hunt yet, but they can find bugs and fruit and other stuff. ❞

He drummed his fingers against one another. ❝ ...Titans are really incredible, hardy critters. They can do so many amazing things all on their own from the time they're really little, even though they usually don't need to if they have a family group. But- but they still can if they have to, and that's so cool! A lot of the stuff they do is... it's just instickshual. ❞

His ears perked up, just a little, as the Collector confirmed that he in fact loved questions. Relief flooded through him. "Oh." He wasn't in trouble. He wasn't going to be in trouble, for asking too many questions or irrelevant questions. The Collector was enjoying his questions.

Which then made his ears dip down once again. He had ruined it. Oh, titan. Would they be annoyed at him for that? He pressed the side of the pen tight against his ankles and rubbed it up and down against them, something to deal with the anxiety that filled him.

He did not look at them as he quietly said, once more, "Sorry. I didn't mean to- People don't usually like me asking a lot of questions. I didn't mean to ruin things. The conversation was good." He'd liked it, a lot. It was fun. And then he'd ruined it.

This Philip guy really was losing out on not asking questions, though. The Collector knew so much. He would be an incredible resource of knowledge, and he was very willing to share it. Why not take advantage of that?

As they started to explain what a sea was, Valor looked up at them in offended bewilderment. "What? No, that wasn't- I know what a sea is, Collector. We're surrounded by one, and I've fallen into the Boiling Sea more than once. I've just- I've never heard of the Sparkling Sea before. Where is that?"

The explanation of why it was called the Sparkling Sea was interesting, though. "Don't all large bodies of water sparkle in the sunlight? Is it even more so than that?" It must have been, if staring at it when the sun was at its highest could blind you.

Hm. He no longer entirely felt he was going to lose it if he let go of his pen for too long, but that didn't mean he wanted to let go of it either. He'd have to find some other way to relieve the anxiety then, and those other ways would be way more obvious.

It was fine. He'd just. Constantly go over what the Collector told him so that he could remember it when he could write it down.

Their frown was something he assumed to be related to trying to remember how long it took for titans to become adults, or trying to do math related to it.

"Only twenty to fifty years?" He'd have expected longer, what with how small they started and how big they could get. Though the fact that they never stopped growing . . . That was fascinating. He wondered if they ever got too big for anything they could eat to properly sustain them. He wondered how long they tended to live. He wondered if dying of old age was synonymous with dying of starvation.

He did not ask the Collector these questions. He was still being careful about how many he asked at once, and he still had other, more pleasant questions. "How, um, how long would it take them to forage on their own? Not- Not leaving the nest on their own, but like . . . not needing others to find food for them."

[waynes-multiverse]

The Exit Strategy – Part 1

Summary: Russell is ready to hang it all up and retire, open up a brewery, and enjoy the rest of his civilian life. However, there's one important thing missing before he can take the big plunge. Luckily, he knows just the right person to help him find it.

Pairing: Russell Shaw x Female!Reader

Warnings: +18, language, mystery, a tinge of angst, humor & brotherly banter, one tiny surprise 🤓

Word Count: 5.8k

A/N: Happy holidays, guys! Enjoy 🎄❤️

Main Masterlist || Series Masterlist || Tag List

Part 1: This Is Not a Pipe

The heavy truck door slammed shut behind him as Russell slid into the passenger seat with an exhaustive sigh. Colter’s big pickup was parked right next to his beautiful Chevelle in that same old motel parking lot in Virginia.

Russell hadn’t moved – yet. Well, sort of. He’d been away on assignment in some frosty region for a couple of weeks. He wasn’t allowed to say where exactly he’d been, and he knew better than to put it into writing, so let’s just agree he was at the North Pole looking for Santa Claus.

He could’ve ended up anywhere he wanted once he touched ground in the States again, but a very appreciated phone call from a former colleague made the decision for him. Besides, Russell knew this particular motel well. The coffee was more than decent and got the job done, the owner and employees were nice, comforting, and, most of all, trustworthy, and there were always fresh towels.

“Extra fluffy for you, Mr. Russell,” Rosa, the maid, would say every morning with the brightest smile.

Oh, and they had a hot tub in the back…

“Thanks for coming, man,” Russell extended his greeting without glancing at his younger brother once. He could feel Colter’s scrutinizing eyes on him, though, drilling for answers. Granted, his request had been rather unusual, so Russell understood where his younger brother’s ever-frozen furrowed brow stemmed from.

Providing answers didn’t come easy for the older Shaw, however. In fact, it had always been sort of a problem for him – even in the past. Especially in the past. Russell never lied, but he did omit things. Important things. On purpose.

“Yeah, uh, sure,” Colter replied with a polite smile as he started the car and rolled out of the lot.

Ah, yes, politeness…

That was what they were at, although it was progressively improving. It was only the third time the brothers were seeing each other since they had reconnected. And while the last two encounters had given the Shaws some well-needed time to talk things out and build trust, Colter was still naturally wary of his estranged sibling. As was Russell.

“So, what’s this about? You were pretty vague on the phone. You in trouble?”

That finally caught Russell’s full attention. He quickly shook his head, causing his hair to fall into his face. “What? No! No… No trouble,” he swiftly assuaged his brother with a dismissive hand gesture and a lighthearted chuckle. “Just need your help tracking down an old friend of mine, is all.”

Colter quirked an eyebrow at that. “Another Army buddy of yours?”

“Uh, something like that, yeah,” Russell replied rather mysteriously and didn’t even try to conceal the fact that he was hiding something more behind his ambiguous answer. But Colter only intensified his stare at him and wouldn’t let go that easily. Russell knew that. After all, they were related.

Persistence was a Shaw family trait. Another survival skill, if you will.

But this time, Russell wasn’t hiding a big government secret (or maybe he was). No lives depended on this particular mission (or so he thought). He wasn’t protecting a client, a company, or even his dubious employer (but someone else). He wasn’t choked by an NDA or about to save someone in grave danger (as far as he knew).

No, if anything, it was the fact that Russell didn’t know how much he could or should share with his brother. They were related, yes. But, technically, they hadn’t seen each other in decades, so they weren’t just considered merely estranged but strangers. Russell had always been aware of that fact, and Colter was beginning to catch on.

Especially during this mission.

See, once upon a time, the two hadn’t been just brothers. After moving to the cabin, societal contacts became scarce for the siblings. All they had was them. They were friends. Best friends. Always competitive, but friends nonetheless.

How much did they really know about each other now, though? How much of the old was still there?

“So, who are we looking for? What’s the guy’s name?” Colter asked, suddenly eager as he jumped into gear. He had always been restless, even as a kid, which fondly reminded Russell of their childhood.

But how much was he still the Russell that Colter once knew?

Well, Russell, on the other hand, remained calm and ruffled a casual hand through his beard. “Well, she’s, uh–”

Eyebrow cocked, Colter snapped his head to the passenger seat where his brother started to squirm. “Oh… Oh, so it’s a she,” he emphasized with a small grin. “Now I think I get it.”

There it is. I knew it, Russell thought with an internal sigh. In order for this mission to work, he knew he had to reveal some things. Private things. Things about himself and his life. Going in, Russell knew he couldn’t ask Colter for help without giving him something.

Their father had loved tests (and so did you – but that’s another story…). Russell always thought it had been the professor in him. So, Russell saw this as a test as well.

Could he trust Colter? And more pressingly, considering some long held accusations of murder, did Colter trust him?

A clear of Russell’s throat cut right through Colter’s chuckle. And then, the eldest tried his best to give no reaction at all. “Yes, she’s a… woman, but hold your horses. It’s not what you think, okay?” Colter lifted his eyebrow once more, causing Russell to heave another exhaustive sigh. “Fine, alright? It’s exactly what you think.”

Well, close enough, Russell thought. He knew Colter couldn’t even possibly imagine the reality in his wildest dreams.

Usually, Russell was an expert in avoiding uncomfortable questions. He was a pro at ditching answers and keeping secrets, even under torture and duress. However, there was just something entirely unique about dodging questions posed by little brothers.

And Russell saw it as a perfect bonding opportunity. He wanted to fill the chasm between them that their father’s death had caused – once and for all. But he couldn’t lie and say he wasn’t walking around on eggshells most of the time – something that reminded him of you again.

Learning from past mistakes, Russell wanted Colter to experience the fun side of him. The one that brewed his own beer, cared too much about his car, and had weird tastes in food. He chose to leave out the rest – the dark stuff and the very best stuff, too.

After all, Russell was good at omitting things.

Colter chuckled triumphantly. “Does this mean you’re finally giving up on Reenie?”

Amused, Russell let out a snort. “Ha! You wish… First things first, alright? Let’s just see how this thing pans out. It’s kind of a long shot. You know that exit plan I told you about?”

“Yeah, you wanna open your own brewery, right?”

“Yeah, well, let’s just say in an ideal world this, uh, woman would be part of that exit,” Russell said and sounded purposely casual as if he didn’t care the mission was successful or not in the end, omitting yet another thing – he did care.

He cared a fucking lot.

“Really? Okay.” Colter scratched his jaw and gave his words some thought. Then he offered a small, yet kind, smile. Honestly, Russell didn’t know what he had expected. “But, you know, if you want me to find the future Mrs. Shaw, I’m gonna need more information to go on. A name, last address, or a-, uh, a picture, maybe?”

“Well, name’s not gonna help you much in this case.” Your first name might’ve been shareable intel, but your last name was of the highest classification. “Her last address that I know of was in Berlin. And while I do have one photo of her, it’s not meant for your eyes, brother,” Russell said with a firmly territorial look that still carried a mischievous twinkle, revealing the exact nature of the photograph to be indeed inappropriate.

Russell had one naughty photo, yes. But he had a whole giant box of others, too.

Colter’s eyebrows met above his nose as he licked his lips. Customarily, people gave him more details when they needed him to find someone. But then again, those people usually weren’t his brother. “Do you know anything about this woman? How long have you two dated?”

“Uhm… not that long,” Russell supplied with a clear of his throat before mumbling the rest of his answer, hoping his beard would swallow most of his words. “Ten years. Give or take…”

What is time anyway if nothing but a concept, right?

Colter blinked at him and almost steered the vehicle off-road before gripping the wheel a little tighter. “I’m sorry… Did you just say ten years?”

“Well, might be more like twelve,” he admitted finally. “Well, anyways, saw her last three years ago.”

“Wow, okay, uhm…” Colter became quiet for a moment, speechless probably, the tiny bits of information running on a loop through his mind. He figured his brother still had lived a life while they hadn’t been speaking. Of course he had. He just never thought about what that life might have entailed, aside from classified military operations. “So, you’ve dated a woman for twelve years…”

“Fourteen.”

“…haven’t seen her in three, and know basically nothing about her?”

Russell snorted a laugh. “Yeah, I know. Ridiculous… Not even sure the name she did give me was her real one,” he said. It was a joke. He did know the name. He knew everything there was to know about you. So, maybe he did lie – sometimes. “But it’s the job, you know? It’s-, uh, it’s complicated.”

That part was true. Truer than he could ever possibly describe in words.

“I guess so…” Colter sighed, and Russell could hear the growing frustration. “So, she does what you do?”

Russell nodded. “In a way, yeah…” And Colter knew what that answer meant – he couldn’t say more. Again. “But don’t worry. We won’t have to turn over every stone on the face of this planet. I have a general idea of where she lives these days,” Russell provided. “One of my, uh, associates was working a job with her not that long ago. That’s how I found out she’s back in the States.”

Colter nodded in acceptance, knowing it was no use to try and prod more answers out of his brother. “Alright. Guess that’s something. So, where are we headed to?”

Russell then flashed him a grin with newfound determination sparkling in his green eyes. “Falls Church.”

The short drive had remained quiet for the most part. Colter refrained from asking more questions, knowing he wouldn’t be able to get straight answers out of his older brother in one form or the other. To accentuate Colter’s assumption of receiving non-answers, Russell mostly stared out the window with an intensity that had Colter believe his brother was counting trees when, in fact, Russell was pondering what he would, could, or should tell Colter.

Of course, Colter could also always ask more questions about their elusive father, but he didn’t do that either. Sure, one could say he was curious. More than that even.

What did Russell really know about his death? Their mother? Their family? Their work?

Another time, he kept telling himself throughout whenever he stole glances at his long-lost sibling. It was too soon. What was the point when Russell was so clearly reluctant to share anything at all?

Thus, there was nothing left but silence among peaceful woods and dense foliage till Colter pulled his truck over curbside in the idyllic town center of Falls Church.

Patiently, he waited a moment for Russell to open the floor and tell them their next logical steps. He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel, blew raspberries, clicked his tongue, and waited and waited and waited…

Nothing.

If Colter didn’t know any better, he would’ve thought someone carved a lifeless wax statue out of his brother and planted it on his passenger seat. Russell’s entire body stood motionless, only a set of green eyes flickered alive every once in a while and swayed out the windshield in search of something – or someone.

“So, what’s the plan here?” Colter asked with a clear of his throat. “You just wanna stay here and wait till she accidentally runs across the street?” It was meant as a joke, but to Colter’s dismay, Russell remained dead serious.

“That’s exactly what we’re doing,” the older Shaw confirmed and squinted his eyes at the busy street. Again, he had omitted a few things. In his mind, Colter didn’t need to know why Russell knew to be in front of the post office at exactly 15:03 (UTC–4) on a Tuesday.

Colter snorted a laugh. “What? C’mon, that can’t be the plan… Do you know how many people live in Falls Church? Or in the general Washington metropolitan area? We could be here for days. Weeks even…” The younger Shaw then switched fully into work mode, grabbing his phone from the Bluetooth car mount. “We’re never gonna find her like this. You got a phone number, maybe?” But before Russell could answer, Colter replied himself, shaking his head at his own silliness. “What am I even asking? Of course you don’t.”

Russell only smirked at that. Restless, he thought again.

“What about an old one? Maybe even that would help. I could call Bobby, Reenie… You got anything? Nothing?” But the younger Shaw’s questions apparently stumbled upon deaf ears. “Russell? Russ? Are you even listening to me? I’m trying to help you here. You could at least–”

“Found her!”

Russell almost jumped out of the car as his voice rang with sheer excitement. His heart was beating a mile a minute when his emerald eyes landed on the target. It felt like the very first time all over again.

Granted, the first meeting didn’t go so smoothly – there had definitely been some bumps (all on his part). Then again, he expected this next meeting to go a little roughly too (again, all on him).

“Wait, what?!”

Russell downright beamed. “Told you this would work.”

Colter only scoffed under his breath, the familiar competitiveness crawling back to the surface. “Yeah, well, beginner’s luck, okay?”

One boot had nearly touched asphalt before Russell remembered this wasn’t a situation that required him to storm in guns a-blazing – not even covert. Gentle hands, he reminded himself and swiftly closed the car door again, falling back into his seat. His lungs deflated.

Colter, on the other hand, was more confused than ever. “What-, uh, what are you doing?” Half-amused, his brow furrowed a bit more. “If you’ve found her, go talk to her. Where is she? Who is it?”

Curiosity could only be contained for so long. Colter wanted to know who had been a part of his brother’s life for almost as long as he had. He felt this was a key piece of information that would cause the first domino to fall. And then, revelation after revelation about Russell’s past would unravel.

Basically, Colter was waiting for the big epiphany. No pressure.

Russell vehemently shook his head. “Can’t. At least not like this. I need more intel first. You need to find out her name, and then we need your guy Bobby to get onto this.”

And yet again, guess what? Yes, Russell was, indeed, omitting things.

“Me? Why me?” Colter blinked at him. Surprise, surprise…

“‘Cause, obviously, she’d recognize me,” Russell pointed out. Again, omission. Like he had explained earlier, it was a real problem…

Colter exhaled a deep sigh. “Okay, and I’m guessing you’re still not gonna tell me why we’re doing all of this, right?”

“Nope.”

“Yup, thought so.” Still not convinced, Colter narrowed his eyes at his clearly paranoid brother. Maybe paranoia ran in the family. Not to point fingers – he recognized it in himself, too. “Do we really need to go through all that trouble? I mean, you’ve known that woman for, what, fourteen years, you said? Isn’t that a little extreme… even for you?”

Fifteen, Russell corrected in his mind. Close to sixteen. Nineteen max.

“Just trust me, okay? It’s necessary,” Russell reassured, knowing those words bore some weight. Hurriedly (he was getting antsy – this was a time-sensitive issue), he pointed a finger out the window to the sidewalk across the street. “You see that woman walking into the post office? That’s her.”

“What, the brunette in the flowery dress with the golden cross necklace? That’s her?”

“Yup.”

“Wow, okay…” Surprised didn’t come close to explain how Colter felt. He had expected… different. His brow almost met his hairline, but he still tried his best to conceal his wonder – to no avail.

Suspiciously, Russell leaned back in his seat and assessed his brother’s demeanor with a small glare. “What?”

“Nothing.” Colter threw his hands up in surrender, swallowing. “Just… She doesn’t really seem like your type.”

Amused, Russell stifled a chuckle. “And what exactly do you think is my type, little brother?”

“I don’t know…”

“What, you think some nice Christian girl is too good for me?” Russell deadpanned. Admittedly, he enjoyed bantering with his little brother. It reminded him of what he had missed out on for years. This was what he had wanted and longed for since he had left the family at eighteen.

Well, “left” wasn’t really the right word for it now, was it? It implied a voluntary act, and his leaving wasn’t so voluntary.

“That is exactly what I’m saying,” Colter countered, laughing. “It’s just, you know… dental hygienist in a motel hot tub springs to mind.”

“Okay, alright… You done?” Russell huffed, shaking his head. He refrained from showing his honest amusement. “You’re gonna follow her in or not?”

“Alright, I’ll go,” Colter finally agreed somewhat enthusiastically and jumped out of the car, swiftly following the woman inside. After all, he was curiouser and curiouser…

Russell kept his eyes trained on his younger brother until Colter vanished inside the post office. Now, it was out of his hands, only hoping his little brother wouldn’t blow it. Chances were high he would. Not that Russell didn’t have some faith.

He just had more faith in you.

Colter spotted you picking up mail from a PO box and decided on a plan of action in a matter of seconds. After all, he was quick thinking on his feet and the best at what he did. That’s why he was here. That’s why Russell had picked him for the job, right?

As you made your way back to the door, Colter eloquently intercepted you without disturbing the crowd. Another thing he had learned from his father.

He bumped straight into your shoulder and almost tackled you to the ground by the sheer force of his sneak attack. The mail in your hands scattered to the tiled floor like autumn leaves, and as Colter bent down to help you pick it up, he took a peek at your name on a postcard.

“Oh my God, would you look at that… I’m so sorry, Miss–,” the younger Shaw apologized clumsily, “Nora Laurier.” He uttered your name with a suave smile as he handed you back your pile of letters. The flirt in his eyes, however, he only added for Russell as revenge for Reenie. “Beautiful name.”

Your hands lingered on the letters between you for a moment as you took in his features and tall stature. It left you with a strange haunting of familiarity.

“Thank you,” you finally said with a hint of a smile as he let go of the mail. “Be more careful next time.”

“I will. Sorry again.” Colter chuckled with blushed cheeks and watched you leave. He waited till you had passed the row of windows before exiting himself.

He was a good actor, too.

Antsy, Russell almost bit his lip bloody as he stared the post office down till a migraine began to form. God, what he wouldn’t pay for some X-ray vision and super-hearing. He could be downright Superman with that – and the hero always got the girl.

His heart dithered anew with longing as you walked out – it took his breath away. You always did that, and you did it well. But then, you stopped short for a mere second, which wouldn’t have caused a civilian to raise a single brow. But Russell did.

“Shit…” he mumbled in the silence of the truck and lowered himself down to the dashboard. He watched you reach for your phone in your purse and call someone as you headed down the street.

Eventually, you stopped three houses east and finished your call in the shade of a tree next to a busy (and noisy) bus station. Russell caught your eyes drifting back to the doors of the post office, though, just as his little brother walked out and jogged towards the car.

“Shit, shit, shit!” Russell ducked even further down, hitting his head in several places. “What did that knucklehead do?”

The driver’s door opened as Colter casually slipped inside. “Got a name,” he announced victoriously. Part of his happiness emanated from gathering yet another puzzle piece of his mysterious brother – meeting you. “She goes by Nora Laurier now… And she seems nice. Way too nice for you, actually…” As he drifted off, his eyes searched for the elder one before finding him almost kissing the floor mat. “Russ, uh… What-, uh, what are you doing down there?”

“What the hell did you do?” Russell’s tone was both snappy and frustrated.

“Whoa, what d’you mean what did I do?” Colter waved off defensively. “I did what you told me to do!”

“She made you!”

“She did not make me,” Colter brushed off with a laugh, quite confident of his own skill set. They’d had the same teacher. He would know if you had suspected anything.

“Then why did she wait and look after you, huh?” Russell pointed out in annoyance.

Colter’s lips itched to break a smile. He couldn’t help it. It was the perfect opportunity to teach his flirt of a brother a well-needed lesson. “Well, maybe I caught her eye… piqued her interest, you know?”

Russell cocked a brow from below, his stare lethal. “Did you flirt with her?”

Colter hesitated for a moment. Mostly for dramatic effect. “I-, uh… You told me to get her name. ‘Sides, I told you Reenie was off limits.”

“Oh, so this is about revenge? Very mature.” Russell frowned. “She still there?”

“Where?” Colter stretched himself a bit as he looked out the windshield.

“Tree. Bus station.”

An amused smile formed on Colter’s lips as he spotted you. “Oh, yeah. I see her. I don’t think she suspects anything. She’s not even loo-… No, uh, wait… Yup.”

“What?” Russell’s brows drew together as he rose a little from his crouched position.

“Yeah, she’s definitely looking over here.”

“Well, stop looking down,” Russell hissed through gritted teeth. After a deep breath, he spoke in a calmer, more advising tone, “Pretend I’m not here.”

“Trying to, trust me… Should I wave at her? Smile?”

“Are you nuts?! Just look ahead. Pretend you’re getting a phone call.”

Colter did as he was told and held his phone to his ear. “She’s still looking,” he informed with a pressed smile, barely moving his mouth when he spoke.

“Okay, what’s she doing now?”

“There’s a-, uh, there’s a car coming and pulling over by the bus station. Dark gray Audi A6. Virginia Plates. Yankee-Papa-Charlie-5824,” Colter said as Russell hauled a pen from his pocket and began to jot down the plate numbers on his left palm.

“Copy that.”

He’d memorize them anyway, but one could never be too safe. He could get a concussion in the next hour or so (most likely because of you), and then what?

“Okay, she’s getting in,” Colter narrated. “Driver’s in his late-thirties. Male. Glasses. Medium height. Medium build… I think you could take him,” he added with a teasing grin.

“Shut up,” Russell retorted. “Are they gone now?”

“Pulling away from the curb and… Yep, they’re gone. Headed south down the road,” Colter affirmed.

“Alright.” Russell popped back into his seat with a sigh and some sore muscles. He had been sure he’d heard a few bones crack while he’d been cowering down there. He might be finally getting too old for these missions. But that was part of the reason why he was here in the first place – retirement was calling. And Russell wanted to fill the chair next to him on the porch.

“You good?” Colter checked and choked the small laugh that wanted to escape upon the ruffled sight of his older brother.

“Yeah, go ahead and follow them. Just keep a low profile,” Russell instructed. “On our way, you might wanna call your op analyst, too. See what he can find out.”

“Alright,” Colter agreed somewhat reluctantly but still tailed the sedan. “You sure this is a good idea?”

“What d’you mean?” Russell said mindlessly, keeping his eyes focused on the target vehicle.

“Us… stalking your ex-girlfriend?” Colter noted with a cocked brow. “And her potentially new boyfriend?”

Russell only laughed at that. “We’re good. Trust me.”

Admittedly, though, a small part of him wondered (and worried) if this was all real. Maybe Nora Laurier wasn’t your real name, but it might be your actual new one – one you’d adopted as a safety precaution after you’d left it all behind. Maybe you had finally done it and retired, found a perfectly normal guy, and settled down – just without him.

Or:

Maybe you were still in the game, after all.

Russell was hoping it was the latter. Otherwise, he could probably expect a hefty restraining order in his future, but he wasn’t about to tell Colter that. Not until he knew for sure.

The Audi parked in front of an organic grocery store a few blocks down. Colter chose a spot across the parking lot, keeping a reasonable distance with the perfect view. Russell watched as you and Unnamed Man #1 sauntered into the store, an arm slung tightly around your waist and a smile on your face.

While on the phone with Bobby, Colter could tell that the sight of you in another man’s arms stung. “Okay, uh, thanks, Bobby.”

“What’d he say?” Russell fired as soon as Colter had removed the phone even just an inch from his ear.

“Uh, well, there’s some bad news,” Colter revealed hesitantly and licked his lips, not knowing how he was supposed to break his brother’s heart. “Bobby ran the plate number through the DMV. It’s registered to an Aiden Laurier.”

“Laurier?” Undeniably, Russell’s heart flinched at the connection. “Maybe a brother. Cousin…”

Or a colleague, Russell’s mind stubbornly added.

Colter bit his lower lip hard before he spoke, “They’ve been married for two years. I’m sorry, Russ.”

A hand comfortingly patted Russell’s shoulder. A part of him wanted to scream heavenward, but something else inside was gnawing on him.

He clicked his tongue. “No… No.” Sure, one could argue that denial was always the first step of grief. “No. No way she married sweater-vest John Mulaney over there.”

“I’m pretty sure she did. Bobby sent me the marriage certificate,” Colter countered and showed him the screenshot on his phone.

Russell glanced at it for a short second, not even bothering to waste more time on fake news. He shook his head. He knew better.

“Nah. I’m not buying it. You need to go in there and tell me what you see.” He sealed his words with an encouraging pat on the shoulder.

Colter exhaled deeply. “Russ, I-, uh, I think you need to let this go, man. You’re starting to… Never mind.”

“No. Go ahead. Say it,” Russell prompted with some thunder in his voice. “I’m reminding you of Dad, don’t I?”

Colter only twitched his shoulders. “I mean, yeah. A little.”

Russell’s head bobbed in thought before he met his little brother’s eyes. “You really don’t see it?”

“See what?”

“The post office, the road crew over there, the-, the fake documents?”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“C’mon… Just think about everything Dad taught us, huh?”

Was Colter really not getting it? Russell found that quite hard to believe. He had known his little brother to be as sharp as a whip. While Russell didn’t always have the nicest things to say about their father, he could admit the old man had prepared them well for life. Well, one life at least. This one.

The nomad life, the odd jobs that required them to have a particular set of skills like Liam Neeson.

Colter shook his head. “I have no clue what you’re talking about, Russell.”

Russell let out a sigh and leaned back in his seat. “Alright, if you don’t see it, you don’t see it.” A smirk twitched in the corners of his lips. “It’s your funeral, brother…”

With narrowed eyes, Colter pursed his lips. “Alright, just tell me one thing, okay?”

“You know I can’t tell you anything,” Russell reiterated and brushed his beard.

“I know. I know… It’s not that kinda question,” the younger Shaw reassured.

“Go ahead,” Russell relented and curiously looked at his brother.

Within a second, Russell could think of a million questions Colter might want to ask him, but this hadn’t been one of them:

“In the past three years, how many times have you thought about her? And I don’t just mean ‘crossed your mind’ every couple of months. I mean ‘seriously thought’ about her?”

“Hmm.” Russell pondered for a moment before replying, “Every damn day.”

It wasn’t a lie, no omission of anything, and Colter could tell. You were the first thought that popped into Russell’s still groggy mind when he woke up and the last one every night that fluttered across his weary eyelids. Obviously, he didn’t give Colter the soppy answer, though.

“Fine. I’ll go,” Colter softened his stance. “You owe me,” he added with a pointed finger before setting foot outside the car.

“I do owe you. Anything you want, brother,” Russell agreed with a broad grin. “How about we start with a full case of my homebrew, huh?”

Colter danced gracefully through the aisles, spying through canned goods and boxes of cereal. He watched you carefully select fruit with your husband, move through the dairy talking about “organic” and “locally sourced” till you landed on a few choices of toothpaste and finally strolled to the cash register.

Everything seemed boringly normal and ordinary. You chatted with the cashier. They handed you a coupon, which you slipped into your purse. Your husband paid with his credit card (which carried the same name matching the DMV records), and both of you left the store with two paper bags in your arms.

Once through the sliding glass doors, you stopped and turned to your husband. “Darn, honey, I think we forgot the milk.”

“You want me to grab it?”

“No, I’ll do it.”

“Okay, I’ll wait by the car and load the rest of the groceries.”

Now, Colter found that odd. He had watched you spent at least five minutes in the dairy aisle. How could you forget something as basic as milk?

As you hushed inside, your husband sauntered back to the car, and Colter followed you back in. You passed right by the dairy and, with a few looks that resembled a scan of your surroundings, you slipped past the door that led to the restrooms.

Waiting a beat, Colter went in after you. But you were long gone – just not to the restroom. An ‘Employee Only’ door that led to a dumpster alley outside was just falling shut.

Granted, Colter had a bad feeling about this. It was the same feeling he always got shortly before walking into a trap. In his defense, though, you were not a seven-foot-tall, 300-pound kind of guy. He wasn’t about to be ambushed by Shaquille O’Neal, which is probably why Colter didn’t find it necessary to pull his gun.

In hindsight, he should have.

The narrow alley was quiet and empty, except for some trash littering the ground around the dumpsters. It was closed-off, too, wedged between buildings with no view to the parking lot or nearby streets.

And then, something hit him. Or better yet: You hit him. With an elbow to the face and a stiff, flat palm to his throat, Colter stumbled forward before you gave him the final blow and knocked him off balance, tackling him to the ground.

Pressing his cheek into the rough and unforgiving surface of the asphalt, you jumped on him and restrained his arms tightly behind his back. While he squirmed to get out of your hold, he didn’t use as much brutal force as you expected he would.

“Shit,” he muttered below you, his voice muffled by the gravel. A light chuckle escaped him. “Okay, you got me.”

“Sounds about right,” you agreed with a smirk and tightened your grip on his arm.

Then, Colter heard a gun click above him. Hoping to see his brother, he looked up – only to find your husband with a weapon in hand as he stared down the barrel.

“Ah, I think you broke my nose,” the younger Shaw mumbled with a groan.

“Good. You’ve been following me. Why?” you prompted sternly. “Who are you? Who are you working for? Jafari? Mueller?”

“Listen, I-I think you’ve got the wrong idea. I’m not who you think I am,” Colter argued with a strained voice. What the hell had Russell gotten him into? “This is just a big misunderstanding.”

“Uh-huh.” You could only roll your eyes at that. How many times had you heard that line before?

“Let’s hood him. Get him to the Market,” your partner suggested. “We’ll see if he talks then.”

“No, really,” Colter insisted, growing a bit more uneasy. He had no idea what the Market was, but it didn’t sound pleasant. “You know my brother.”

“Who’s your brother?” With your elbow, you put more pressure on his back.

“Ow, alright…” Colter groaned once more as the pain intensified. “Looks kinda like me. Think two decades younger. He was in the Army, so probably didn’t have long hair and a beard. Uh, kind… green eyes? No? Doesn’t ring a bell?”

Colter watched your brow furrow in his periphery as he squinted upwards. He could see the gears starting to turn in your head. You just needed one final push to put all the puzzle pieces together.

“If it helps, my name is Colter. Colter Sh–”

“Shaw,” you shot like a missile. Your jaw plummeted to the ground, your heart springing right out with it. Your grip on the man caught between your thighs loosened, hearing Colter’s sigh of relief before you heard his voice.

“Hiya, sweetheart.”

Your head darted up, the man beneath you long forgotten. You swallowed as your eyes landed on an all too familiar face – even when it was covered by a bunch of hair that had never been there before. The heart-crushing smile was still the same as if it had been ripped straight from an old photograph you had of him.

“Russell?!”

Part 2: This Is a Russell Mission

Quite the entrance! Writing Russell reminded me somewhat of Plastic Hearts Dean (minus the addiction problems unless you count lying) because of all the wild overthinking 😂

If you enjoyed this story, then I'll gladly keep working on its prequel. Was a bit nervous to post this since I filled in some family history gaps myself 😅 I also dove into the books a little and added some things that kinda fit their "show" personalities.

Please let me know what you think and if you'd be interested in a young soldier!Russell series 😉🤍

TAGS:

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@agalliasi @yvonneeeee @hobby27 @iamsapphine @globetrotter28

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@deansimpalababy

[harfanfare]

I like to think that romance with Idia widely differs depending on the time you’ve been in a romantic relationship.

1. “Just started dating” stage.

If you're reading Idia fanfiction, there is an 80% chance this is the stage your relationship is on.

Idia is… treating you like a very precious stranger. He's on his toes and seeks your approval in whatever he's doing. He is going to great lengths to understand the theory of dating and your hobbies - so you can maybe share even more interests - but won’t really act on anything.

He’s constantly surprised by every romantic move you make and you have numerous occasions to adore his cherry blush and various puckles of hair igniting with pink and red. He stutters a lot and can’t focus on anything in your presence.

Idia will outright reject any suggestions for bolder moves. He’s unprepared, and although guilt is eating him from the inside, he is not up to anything you two weren’t doing as friends. Well, maybe handholding, kissing, and cuddling get a (hard) pass, but you are the only one initiating these things.

He will try his best to reciprocate effort, though.

2. “Have been dating for a while” stage.

It’s an interphase between two very different stages, so he’s a funny mix: a very shy outsider and a cocky genius at the same time.

Gaming sessions will be the centre of your couple's time. Idia regularly invites you to his dorm, sometimes even on spontaneous sessions when a new event comes up or he has found a new game that looks very cool. You share snacks, drinks, and clothes (read: you have unwritten permission to claim his blouses).

This boy would be dead without you and Ortho, and with that knowledge, you make it your mission to (somehow) tidy up his room, buy some cosmetics, healthier food, etc. If you are up to organizing a “self-care evening”, he will be hesitant at first but will be looking forward to it after a while, with some older anime. (I like to think it would be a magical girl series like Sailor Moon, Tokyo Mew Mew or Chobits, or some shoujo).

In exchange, he might construct some little gadgets (maybe anime-themed?) for you, helps you get the merch you want, and supports you in your games.

At this point, he doesn’t weigh his words much. He’s still easy to fluster, but he comes with comebacks right away. The most flirty he gets on the phone when it’s late at night and you are using a chat to talk, especially when you are not in the same room. 3. Long-term relationship stage.

He knows you are doomed to him and shamelessly takes advantage of that.

He has no claims against calling you in the middle of the night to watch him sharing his screen when he pulls for a character he wants to get in the gacha system. He believes your presence brings him luck, so he must have you when he does crucial things!

Idia disses your taste in fictional men. Sometimes, he reads the dialogues out loud from the otome games you play. He may alter them, which can make you either huff or laugh. If you read or write fanfiction, he might read them too, giving you an out loud commentary on some fragments and asking you if you are that desperate for dates so you are sending fanfiction to inspire him. If you say yes, he will hum and return to whatever he was doing before, but he might plan something out that you will preferably be able to do in his room.

Chatroom with him and Ortho is quite calm, almost polite, but your private chatroom with Idia is the most chaotic one you’ve ever been. You learned to not leave your phone openly if you don’t want to explain some inside joke with a layered backstory. An app you use to chat with Idia is the one your screen time is counted on most, and writing with Idia is your guilty pleasure.

If you are interested in IT, he might program you an app or something to help you with it! He will give you the best feedback ever, and although it may be harsh, the last thing he wants is to discourage you from learning further.

On one anniversary of your dating, he will gift you this kind of couple bracelet which lights up if the other person touches it. He created them himself. When he receives signals throughout the day, he thinks of them as a promise from you, that no distance can sever your bond.

If you bring up some serious talk, you will be bullied with memes. It’s Idia’s coping mechanism. He will plan his future with you, don’t worry, but wait for him to muster up the courage to get on one knee and ask the question.

[punkeropercyjackson]

🍫Zuko headcanons🍫

🍫Multiracial asian but mainly japanese ancestry.It's confirmed in one of the novel's there was a cultural unification in-universe so as a biracial latina,i'm taking this as mixed-coding

🍫Trans man who dosen't mind dipping his toes into femininity when asked(usually by Aang)but generally strongly perfers masculinity in his presentation.His egg cracked in his toddler years and due to his societal position,getting t and surgeries was very easy and his top surgery scars are dragon wing shaped

🍫Also sorry short king Zuko nation but i'm a 2nd tallest member of The Gaang Zuko truther.Katara is 6'7 and Zuko is 6'4(and goes without saying she uses it to tease him and calls him 'Squirt' and he sputters and yells at her every time)

🍫Autistic with anxiety,bpd,npd and ptsd.That no masking game rbf is iconic and he also has chronic pain and fatigue and uses a tricked up cane Sokka made him that's also a sword and goes with saying he's legally blind in his scar eye

🍫Tradgoth.Emo Zuko is fake and so is punk Zuko and grunge Zuko and literally any non-goth Zuko and i'm including poser goth Zuko.In a modern au he'd walk around looking like Spencer's ate him up then vomited him out into an empty grave he dug his own way out of Jason Todd style and a cunti maximus.He would also listen to death rock,Korn and breakcore,slander Hot Topic,encourage diy and online store shopping,play pirated horror games(and Animal Crossing),collect lost media items,do deepdive research into urban legends as a special interest,attend moshes,skateboard and do piercings for neighbourhood kids who ask him(including Aang🫶🏽)

🍫Fat/Dad bod.Give that guy some REAL thickness,none of that dehydrated bodybuilder bullshit.It was caused by him eating a lot more and a lot healthier,both from his healing arc with a new enviorment that's actually good for him and to sustain himself in training and Aang also has some chub going on but from the start of the series and he helps Zuko know there's nothing wrong with big builds and Zuko has pretty much no body insecurities as a result just like he does(it dispelling fears of resembling Ozai as he got older certainly didn't hurt)

🍫Katara and him are honorary siblings and she's his way cooler little sister figure and he's her older brother only she can bully 2:Electric Boogalo.I like to think they make matching friendship bracelets with eachother's aesthetics(so a sea themed one for Zuko and a gothic themed one for Katara)and Zuko convinces Katara to emotionally rely on him even if she'll never see him as a dad like Aang and Toph do and it eventually works

🍫He also is the reason she discovered cat cafes and she goes to them bi-monthly now as comfort and to unwind from all her constant activism.Zuko's a huge fan of cat cafes too and they were safe spaces for him pre-banishment and one of the first thing's he did when the war ended was go to one again.Whoever Zuko is dating is given cat cafe punch cards by him as one of the ultimate romantic gestures in his mind(he right though)

🍫Calls Aang 'My Sunshine',a nickname that fits his sunny personality but also to say he gave him the strength he needed to connect to his own power to save himself by bringing the sun back into his life in his hand,extended to him to give him a chance even when he was too caught up to see he had one.Less setimentally,he also calls him 'Mittens'

🍫Bites as affection,little nibbles or straight up enough for the other person to bleed depending on how cool they are with it.He asks and establishes consent first obvs even in the former cases

🍫Boba is the only kind of tea he likes.Don't @ me with 'he spit it out when Iroh invented it and had him try it',he was just surprised at the tapioca balls.His favorite flavors are brown sugar,cotton candy,funfetti,berrymix and oreo

🍫SUPER physically affectionate with Aang and it started one sided on his part but Zuko soon starting instigating it too instead of tolerating it to enjoying it about two years into their friendship.If he goes too long without an Aang hug he finds it upsetting and it pisses him off

🍫Very into gems,odd rocks,seashells,etc and has a secret stockpile in his room

🍫Pretty long hair,all the way down to his hips and perfers it out of his face,in a back of the head ponytail or half-up in a bun with the rest loose

🍫Always knew he was bi subconciously but didn't realize it until he was 16.He's that one tweet-'I'm probably a faggot x2 combo but i got a quest so idrc about that rn'

🍫Modern au Zuko is obsessed with PushPops.Don't question it,just know i'm right and may figure out a way to canonize them to core Atla

🍫Apologized to Azula and rebuilt a relathionship with her as soon as he released her from prison as The Gaaang were struck with how broken and not 'too far gone' she is.It took a long time and so much fucking work but The Fire Siblings finally felt comfortable seeing eachother as family and acting as not legit beefy but healthy siblings

🍫Has a voice tic where he constantly sounds angry and can't control it and he has to learn to tell people so they don't mistake it for lashing out at them

🍫Likes wearing long sleeves for that flap stim and drumming his fingers but to create a musical sound rather than for the sake it of as a stim too.Crushing stims are a Zuko trademark

🍫'Why does Zuko call you babygirl?''Aang,how about we just stop talking for a little while?' < every Zuko ship

🍫Dangly lemon quartz material dragon earrings

🍫Adores Choose Your Own Adventure comics and books!!He loves choosing his own destiny alright /lh /pos

[robin-the-enby]

Black butler Ciel with a older sister who rather spend more time reading, writing, spend time in her imagination, or her own self interests than run the company. She has her own business of running a successful book series.

Pairing: Ciel Phantomhive x older sister!reader Warnings: mentions of past trauma (not descriptive) A/N: Thank you very much for the ask and, as usual, I'm so sorry for the delay. If you don't mind, I decided to write this as headcanons. Also, the relationship between Ciel and the reader is strictly platonic. I have decided that I will not write romantic Ciel works anymore, because he's a child. And while I did have a crush on him when we were the same age, I have moved on and it would be highly inappropriate, I believe.

I think it's safe to say that you are very important to Ciel. You are his last living relative after all.

It doesn't matter if you're close or not. I don't think Ciel would appear to want to be close to anyone, even a relative. But that isn't really the case.

Now, he's definitely not clingy. He's self-sufficient, maybe a little too much. He definitelly doesn't need to rely on you.

But that doesn't mean he doesn't like to spend time with you. On the contrary. And since you are the quiet type, it makes spending time together much more comfortable for him.

He would be the type of person to do his own thing and let you do your own, just...in the same space. He could be sorting paperwork in his office, but you would be there as well, just a few meters away from him, scribbling down in a notebook on drawing in your sketchbook.

It's comfortable, it's quiet, and it means the world to him. If he looks past the age difference (and that little voice that tells him that maybe your roles should be exchanged), he almost feels normal. And that type of peace is very rare in his life, so he takes any and every chance to spend time with you like this.

It was very strange to him though, mostly at first, when he returned to the mansion. The way you are so different. He couldn't wrap his head around the fact that you have no interest in the family company, or that you rather spend time in your own head than in th real world.

He does get the appeal of that, it's just that he thinks it's...foolish. He is a logical person, who always thinks ahead, to rule out any possibility of others taking advantage of him again. If he submitted to the luxury of running away from the past that still haunts him, he would achieve nothing.

But the more time he spends with you and the more he integrates himself back into the regular world (as regular as it can be for him at least), he sees that you're many things, but not foolish. Yes, you're a dreamer, perhaps a bit naive, but not stupid.

In the end, he prouds himself to be your brother. You have a great imagination and sometimes you help him more than you could imagine. If he has a case to solve, you help give him an outside look into things from a perspective he could never even imagine.

He appreciates your art as well. It would depend on your style and whether or not you were spared the torture he went through to determine how much, but he definitely appreciates it and thinks it's beautiful. If your style is a form of self presentation, translation of your shared traumas and deepest feelings, he might like it just a smidge more.

When you present the idea of publishing your own book, he is definitely on board. He likes to read your stories anyway, he can't see why others wouldn't enjoy it. He would definitely help you find the best publisher and arrange the best deal for you (with a little help from Sebastian, if needed).

When your book becomes a hit in London and the readers as well as critics start asking for a sequel, he feels proud. Proud of himself, for helping you make your dream come true, but mostly proud of you. For not conforming to expectations of others, who would assume you'd take over the Phantomhive company, but instead following your dreams and working hard to make them come true. It is that kind of strength he really admires. But of course, he knows how the world works and so he thinks his help was neccesary (and would continue to be in the future).

In the end, you have sort of a symbiotic relationship. Whenever you need anything for your work, Ciel gets it for you. Art supplies, sketchbooks, he can get you anything and you best believe it'll be in the best quality as well. He also helps you make deals with potential publishers or anyone who is interested in your work, making sure no one tries to scam you and that you get the most benefits from your labour.

In return, he asks for nothing. You already give him everything he needs from you. Your company. He gladly takes on the task of managing the family business, if it means that you can still sit by him in his study, scribbling away, as if nothing in the world had ever gone wrong.

[theineffablesociety]

I'd like to plan a Good Omens meetup for Saturday October 19th, 2024. Poll below!

Edit: If you're looking for the Discord link, please message me!

We're currently looking at a hotel in Langhorne, PA that has a good bit of space. Just need to see about availability and cost.

For our immunocompromised and vulnerable fellow fans who plan to attend, we're going to include a masking policy in our event spaces and hallway/foyer outside those rooms. We'll have extras available.

All ages welcome; under 18 must attend with a guardian.

-

Start original message:

The Ineffable Society Meetup is a thought that's brewed in my brain since June 2023 when a bunch of local GO fans chanced to meet for the first time at the King of Prussia PA screening of series 2 episode 1 and 2.

It is time to stop brewing and let others contribute.

Here's my initial thoughts:

I'm willing to organize but not alone. We'll need to work together.

I live near Philadelphia, PA so this is the area I'm willing to do what needs doing primarily in Eastern PA, Central NJ, surrounding areas therein.

I'd want everyone attending to be 18 or older, please. I encourage those 17 and under to organize something together!

Taking suggestions for type of venues to host, think like a family reunion or larger.

I'm not interested in handling money, so would seek at least 2 people to oversee financials if that comes into play. (Finances might be needed to cover renting a space, any printed materials, little swag gifts.)

As mentioned, Saturday October 19th. Because it's close to the Earth's Birthday. :3

Afternoon through evening could be good. Maybe a 3 hour window on the small end; most of the day on the larger end. Will depend on location and on how many helpers step up.

Good Omens related fun: encouraging cosplay, script book readings, discussions, games, swaps. Maybe screening an episode together (there's copyright law to contend with here though). Depending on how much time we have together and space. Simplest plan would be an informal Good Omens afternoon mixer type.

If fewer than 12 people are interested:

We could just meetup at a restaurant that has a function room! (Not super ideal for allergies, as there's probably nowhere that's good for everyone. But does it in a pinch. And would probably not be a big up-front cost. Often there's a small room fee and then the assumption everyone will eat.)

If more than 12 up to 40 people are interested:

We might consider renting some conference rooms at a small hotel. (That does make it easier for people to find accommodations: already there! At a hotel! Downside is this will require chipping in.)

Any more than 40 people and uhhh... We'll figure it out.

WHAT I NEED TO KNOW FROM YOU

There will be more questions to follow, but most important one is below.

Please answer YES if you are:

A Good Omens fan

18 or older

In the Eastern PA to Central NJ area

Or are otherwise willing, able, and interested to go there

For transparency. A little about me:

I'm North (SeedsOfWinter). They/he.

Over the past two and a half decades, I've organized or been a member of organizations that planned meetups, game nights, reunions, and nerd events for friends and strangers alike.

I've been a Good Omens fan since June 2019. I run @rareomens. I am a mod for @ineffableeraszine and @bildadzine. I was a mod for the Our Side Zines, Pin Me Up 2, and many more. I was a founding admin for the LGBTQIA+ Fans of Good Omens groups.

I've been part of convention presentations for Good Omens at The Ineffable Con (virtual) and DragonCon (in-person, Atlanta GA). I love to organize fan photoshoots and meetups.

I know that any attempt at gathering people requires a team to make it happen; and that there's pitfalls and perils to all of it, especially when you're dealing with a bunch of possible strangers meeting for the first time! But the end result (you all getting a chance to connect together as fans) is feeling pretty worth it.

[jackchampiongf13]

“One hell of a Women.”

Word Count: 1.0k

Pairing: Neteyam Sully x fem!reader

Summary: Y/n has gone through lots of trauma in one lifetime. She gets mad at her one and only true love for risking his life in battle even though they aren’t even together yet.

A/n: I am seriously sorry for not posting anything for like weeks but school has been kicking my ass. Thank you so much for the support on my last post I love you all sm!! Also ik I said I would only ever write for Jack but I feel back into my obsession rabbit hole with Neteyam so I thought why not write a series(maybe depending how I feel) on it. Love you all❤️❤️😝🦃

————————————————————————— From a young age you were very mature. You were always silly, but oh so wise. When you were 4 your mother was killed by your father. You had witnessed this gruesome attack but still held deep love for your father. This made you stronger and a mighty warrior. In the village many people knew this, including Jake Sully.

Your mother came from the same background as Jake Sully. Making you very close to his children. Your mother had come with Jake and Norm and ended up falling in love with a Navi. This man turned against you and your own mother after being bribed by Miles Quaritch to have everything he has ever wanted. But he had to kill his mate. And you, but you survived which he did not know of. Thinking he erased his entire past he moved on and helped Miles with his plan to kill Jake Sully.

Since you had no one anymore Jake gladly stood up to care for you and convinced his mate Neytiri, who also was happy to be there for you because of how close the two were.

—————————————————————————

“You fucking dumbass!” You shouted. No shouted is not good enough to describe how loud you were being. “What you thought that was ok to do? Lo’ak you are a stupid moron who does not take orders!” You flick his head making him jump back out from being surprised in pain.

“I- look I’m sorry I jus-“ he starts to get out but you flick his head again. “Listen to me. You don’t get to say sorry or say anything!” You start to go off on him but then his brother jumps in “Look Y/n this is my fault it’s ok let’s just go back ok?” Neteyam says in a tempting voice making you want to listen. “You too! You say no you don’t egg him on you idiot. I mean god I know he doesn’t listen but jesus drag him by his ear!” Lo’aks ears go down as he can’t even look you in the eyes, but Neteyam can. And he is. Making you almost stop. But you can’t.

“I’m older than the both of you! I get to yell at the both of you for being idiots. 1, Lo’ak are you kidding me? You get to have a role in the battle but you always need more! Fucking more? 2, your father, YOUR CLAN LEADER gave you a role to follow but what do you do instead? You don’t listen! I don’t care if he’s your father and you don’t care if you get in trouble by him but I do! I’m in charge of your asses out there and if either of you get hurt I get shit for months.” Neteyam starts to smirk while looking at the both of you. He’s thinking Lo’ak deserves this big ass lecture.

“AND YOU! Don’t even start to smirk. Say no! No Lo’ak! I will not let you mess up everything and HARM so many other people because you are selfish!” You yell pushing your finger into his beautifully chiseled chest. He stands there listening respectfully like the gentleman he is. “Guys I’m sorry but what were you thinking?! You could have hurt yourself Lo’ak! You could have killed your brother too! And I know I’m this moment it may not seem like it but I love you both so deeply and don’t want to see you get hurt.”

They both smile at you and you roll your eyes and walk off pissed. But god so heavily in love with Neteyam.

“I don’t understand what you see in that women Neteyam.” Lo’ak says while looking at his brother watch you walk away.

“She’s one hell of a women and it does stuff to me” Lo’ak frowns.

“Get a room freak.” Neteyam frowns at this comment but can’t help just rethink everything thay just happened and smile the slightest bit.

—————————————————————————

Hours later you are in your tent just laying on your cot. You start to feel sorry and want to go apologize realizing you were way to harsh. Especially on Neteyam. It’s not like he can control his crazy brother.

Before you even know it your legs are taking you to your crushes tent. You begin to walk slowly but your heart begins to beat faster so you pick up your pace just to get this over with.

“Nete are you here?” You know hoping he’s not. “Yes come in!” He shouts back. Oh shit.

Walk in and smile and he smiles back. He looks into your gorgeous eyes but you quickly look away to much of a coward to look at him.

“What’s up? You’re not one to apologize you are way to stubborn.” You giggle knowing this is very true. “I know but I can’t help but not say sorry. I was being very selfish back there. I know Lo’ak never listens you couldn’t do anything about him.” You start to fiddle with your fingers but he stops you and makes you look him in the eyes. “Look love it’s ok I thought it was funny you going off on him. He totally deserved that and now he’s scared of you.” you laugh again.

“I am sorry Nete it was so rude of me.” He takes your hand in his “Love stop apologizing.” Your cheeks betray you and start to blush hard for the second time at the nickname.

“Nete, I-“ suddenly a scream is heard and next thing you know your running towards the mysterious noise.

[nerdieforpedro]

Empanadas and Chocolate

Part One of Foul Play Series

Javier Peña x Aria Davis (plus size female OC)

My entire masterlist and blog are for readers 18+ MDNI. I do not consent to my work being used in AI, recommended on TikTok, borrowed or plagiarized.

Summary: The meet cute between Javier Peña and Aria. The beginning of everything.

Warnings: Meet cute, adorable vibes, food, curioisity, (we’re safe this part - we had to start somewhere)

Word Count: a little over 1.8k

Notes: My smut fairy was gone for a very long time. Thanks to @magpiepills and a fic called "Aquarius" that she wrote that was all the right kinds of smutty filth, she inspired me to write this. It's from an old WIP I had started but never finished. Now it is in a completely different direction and one I like. She also beta read some (not the whole thing - gotta surprise her 😘). So here we are. Originally posted on A03.

Main Masterlist/ Javier Peña Masterlist

Together is what he told you. That you’d go on this journey together and help bring peace to an unsettled country. It’s been eight months and neither the government nor the American agencies involved in trying to take down Pablo Escobar were any closer to ending his reign. What did any of that mean for Aria?

Not much, just looking over the balcony of her small one bedroom apartment provided by the US embassy. Her fiance and her had decided on living separately since they were each entitled to their own places. It seemed like a weird idea at first, but the longer she stayed here, the more sense it made. She wouldn't have to hear him coming and going or worry when he would be home. He rarely was, only to have some mediocre sex, maybe sleep sometimes and leave again citing that he was needed back on the case. Aria sometimes was able to finish on her own, but increasingly she couldn’t even do that, getting tired in the middle of things and giving up to read a book, listen to some music and just sleep. Sleep was what she did best.

It was early yet and the sun was just cresting over the horizon, painting a golden pink across the sky, it was barely six in the morning. One positive for coming here, despite all the violence was the scenery, it was beautiful and so were the people, well those she had met. That was two. She sighed and entered her apartment readying herself for work and headed off to the embassy where she worked as an accountant along with four others in a small office. It was cramped but she got to know them well, all nice, sometimes a little too chatty. Her days were similar, rise, go to work, come home, sometimes see her fiance, fuck, sleep, repeat.

It was on a rare day off during the week where she decided to venture to her favorite little shop down the street. Here she didn’t wear the knee length shirt of buttoned up shirt that fit a little too tight, she could wear a flowing dress with sunflowers on it. It was a gift from an older woman a few doors down. She also often gave her rice, meat, vegetables and other foods, hence why her work clothes didn’t fit as well as they once did. Her build was stocky and dense from head to toe though she did have breasts that stuck out a bit farther than her belly and wide hips so that helped, but in her work clothes she was still self-conscious, she knew it hugged in all of the places good and bad. It was always a button down shirt and skirt. She could get away with a polo shirt or sweater depending on who was in the office but more often than not if their supervisor came in and they weren’t dressed appropriately it was a warning then could progress to a write up. So stupid.

Arriving at the shop, she spied her prizes, empanadas and chocolate cake. She went to order as another person placed theirs, a tall man whose skin had been kissed by the sun, wore dark aviator sunglasses, and had a thick head of hair with a mustache to match. He stood with his hands on his slim hips, a rose pink shirt on with medium wash jeans and what was likely a gun along his back. He was cracking a joke with the señora who ran the shop with her husband. The señora asked for her order again as she had lost her train of thought while looking him up and down.

Unfortunately, it turned out that the handsome stranger had taken the last piece of chocolate cake. Aria pouted but little could be done, she hoped he at least enjoyed it, maybe it was a reward to himself for something that happened that day or week? She just hoped he wasn’t the type to eat a few bites and dispose of it. Taking the three empanadas she ordered, she turned to leave as the señora pointed to her and said her name. Apparently, handsome sunglasses wanted to add empanadas to his order but didn’t tell señora when he got the cake. The accountant had the last of them. He walked over with a smile,

“Disculpe señorita (excuse me miss), could I buy one of the empanadas from you? I just need one.” He asked, almost pleading, how much did he need one? Aria raised a counter offer,

“If you’ll spit half of the cake with me, I’ll give you the empanada at no charge.” She raised a finger. He nodded and waved his hand toward one of the small tables with chairs outside where they could do the exchange. He pulled out her chair for her and Aria thanked him, he said there was no thanks needed, he should be thanking her. He’d been looking forward to the empanadas all week, the señora here makes the best ones. To that, she agreed and pulled out the bag with the rolled and fried goods. Señor brought them plates, some water and napkins, insisting that they eat here. Aria shook her head but aviators nodded and assured her he was alright with it as long as she was, that he would make for good company.

“Alright, let’s exchange and eat. Here.” She took one of the empanadas and placed it on the plate in front of pink shirt. He cut his chocolate cake in half and placed it on her plate.

“Here you go. We’re even.” He chuckled, quickly picking up his newly earned empanada and moaning as he took a bite. “Been thinking about these all day…” His eyes were closed as he chewed slowly, savoring the flavor of the onions, chicken, potatoes and peppers. Aria nodded as she watched his mouth, he smacked his lips before taking another bite and another moan left him. It wasn’t long before she wondered if she should be watching this, it felt like she was intruding on a private moment. She picked up water and downed a few gulps before biting into her own empanada, humming with the flavor.

“Mierda eso esta bien (Shit that’s good).”

Pink shirt had momentarily forgotten that he was sitting in public, with a woman no less. He cleared his throat and drank some sips of his water before muttering sorry to his table mate. She shook her head and told him that the lovely couple who owned the shop would be delighted to know he enjoyed the food that much, plus it was fun to watch him eat. Shaking his head, he asked her how long she had been coming to the little shop and in Columbia in general. Her accent sounded similar to his partner’s - American. She told him eight months in Columbia and six for the shop. It took her a few months to get acclimated at work and to the slower pace. She appeared to indicate that she was enjoying herself but there was a large part he knew she was leaving out: the ring on her left fourth finger. There could be a few reasons she could be leaving out that detail, none of them were good for him. She was definitely easy on the eyes, well scratch that. He found her gorgeous, her smile and laugh and the fair trade was definitely a bonus. He would at least let her know his name before they parted. The city of Bogotá seemed larger than it really was. He learned that she did accounting at the Embassy, he told her that he was with the police - didn’t think she really needed to know he was an agent.

“My name’s Javier, Javier Peña. What’s your’s Mrs?” He finally asked as the stood and disposed of their trash. Her warm smile faded with the question. Did that mean she really was married? Peña wasn’t really up for all the drama that came with that even if she did have hips he wanted to see from the back, a very different angle than he was looking at them now.

“No, no. I’m engaged. It’s…I’m engaged. “ Her nod told him she needed to be convinced she was in fact engaged. Usually engaged couples are supposed to be happy. Not that he wasn’t familiar with how that could burn horribly. It wasn’t his business, though he wondered. “My name is Aria Davis. It’s nice to meet you Javier. Thanks for the cake.” Her smile remained warm, he may see her around at the embassy though he didn’t recall ever meeting her before.

“I see. Well congratulations hermosa (beautiful). He’s a lucky man. Gracias for the empanadas. The señor here makes some of the best ones in Bogotá. I may see you if you come again, I’ll try not to take all the cake this time. I usually don’t eat sweets.” Peña explained, it was true he did not. He’s had another failed raid with no new information found and it would be a day that he forgot to get a new carton of cigarettes. He was on his way to go buy some when he noticed he was passing by señora Hernandez’s tienda (store) so he figured he’d stop in and get the food on the way. He hadn’t eaten all day, plus he’d been meaning to come all week. “Today didn’t go so well so I figured I’d get something on my way.” He paused. Did she walk here?

“Do you need a ride home, Aria?” He tilted his head in the direction of his car to which Aria shook her head.

“Oh no I live close by. Thank you though. I’m going home after this. Just going to relax a bit before work tomorrow.” Aria’s smile didn’t falter and Javier was curious, shouldn’t she be mentioning spending time with her fiancée? He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a bent card. He handed it to her and she took it reading it over, her eyes revealed her surprise but she didn’t mention that she’d heard of him. Aria assumed he didn’t want to talk about it.

“Here’s my card just in case. Bogotá is beautiful but can be dangerous. Call me if you need help okay?” The nod and grin that followed made her giggle. “I’ll come running and may speed a bit.” Javier cracked a small joke, it was a bad though but she didn’t seem to mind.

“I’ll remember that Javier. I do pretty well at staying out of trouble though.”

“Trouble has a way of finding people Aria.” Peña took a step closer and spoke in her ear. “Call me Javi. Stay safe hermosa.” With that he turned and walked to his car, getting in and waving to her before putting one hand on the steering wheel and driving off.

Aria was left standing with Javier’s lingering words and his breath on her ear. The food in her belly wasn’t the only thing heating it from within. Peña wasn’t wrong. Trouble had found her.

Part Two

Dipping their empanadas in chocolate for Javi to lick off 🍫: @syd-djarin @megamindsecretlair @soft-persephone @angelofsmalldeath-codeine @guelyury

@yorksgirl @indiegirlunited @readingiskeepingmegoing @fhatbhabiee @javierpena-inatacvest

[dolphingirl1234]

ok I'm back its peso this time

here is our tiny medic

the crown was the closest I could get to his goofy medic hat lmao we can use our imaginations

headcanons yaaaay:

16, joined the octonauts at 14

gender fluid

he/she/they depending on the day (usually its he but it changes occasionally) (I'm just gonna use he/him for this post)

either bi or aromantic I haven't decided yet

bro literally has purple eyes and they're completely natural. no contacts or anything he's just built different like that

his hair is a bit above shoulder length and sometimes he lets dashi play with it but mostly just has it in a really short ponytail

when he first joined the octonauts he was really intimidated by the captain and literally couldn't speak to him without trembling, but after a particularly hard mission barnacles told peso he was proud of him and he immediatly became peso's #1 Role Model

the gup e was made specifically for him, the dashboard is lower to the ground so it's easier for him to reach

he's from Chile, but specifically the part that is part of Antarctica

his whole family lived in Britain most of their lives and even though he grew up in Chile peso kind of adopted their accents

speaks fluent spanish

his massive family group chat which so much spam its crazy

has a whole collection of nice rocks he finds (penguins make nests out of rocks) even though he doesn't need to make a nest its just a habit lol

has severe anxiety but has learned how to manage it after it took over his entire life in med school

he is the youngest of the crew (not counting the vegimals) and he often compares himself to the others

kwazii is basically his older brother and he actually considers barnacles to be his dad. like no joke peso's real dad is dead and peso legitimately thinks of barnacles as his father

thinks barnacles' analogy "to be brave you have to be afraid first" is bullshit but he sees his point and it makes him feel better

he has a passion for mental health studies and he randomly starts spitting facts whenever someone does something than reminds him of a symptom of an illness

he's a great listener

he preens sometimes and kwazii cant get used to it he always thinks peso is stabbing himself

he flaps his wings when he's happy or excited

will stay up late studying medical textbooks to know more even though he literally graduated med school as a child prodigy at the age of 14

he is banned from watching medical dramas because he gets scared he's gonna have to deal with something like that but he watches them anyway and literally analyses everything they do in case he ever does have to do it

bro can swim SUPER fast if he wants to (he doesn't want to)

he likes board games and card games

he's completely obsessed with puzzles. the crew have to physically restrain him from buying them every time they go shopping

has like 23938 family members and at all together they have birthdays every single day of the year so Peso's mornings usually consist of checking his calender and calling like 4 relatives to wish them happy birthday

he wears a scarf most of the time bc its a comfort item and then he overheats and has to take it off and then he cries because he physically needs his scarf to survive but if he wears it he will overheat. its a whole thing

he likes existing. he just has fun yk.

after helping sharks many times in missions he realised how cool and not scary they are and asked shellington to teach him more about them and bro brought out a whole ass series of textbooks

he cries at least 4 times a day (pathetic in the best way possible 💪💪💪)

this man has called barnacles dad "accidentally" so many times

one time barnacles refused to sleep so Peso wrappe his eyes with bandages and tied him to his bed so he would sleep and barnacles had a heart attack in the morning when he woke up and couldn't see or move

he likes lemonade very much. he drinks it religiously its basically the same as water to him

has beef with the diet versions of anything bc he always used to get them bc they have less sugar but then sometimes told him instead of sugar they use other random chemicals and now he's pissed at the companies for lying to him

none of the other crew members ever remember to take their meds so peso asked tweak to make alarms on only the watches of the ones who take meds so they remember to do it

keeps everyones meds and any other medications in a locked cabinet in the sick bay bc the others sometimes joke about k!ll!ing themselves and he's paranoid

he will stand on 14 chairs, 3 boxes and 8 cups stacked on top of each other to reach something on the highest shelf instead of just asking the captain to get it for him (this has happened more than once)

I need to sleep I think my brain is forgetting how to form woords goodnight yallkdnf

[vintagenetwork]

All I've Ever Desired: Resurfaced Memories

2012!Leo x Fashion Model Reader

A/N: Hi tumblr! Okay, please bare with me because I'm a little new to this place, but I've been DYING to write this ongoing series. Hope you enjoy! :)

--------------------------------------------

You were a fashion model, he was a crime-fighting leader in blue. You and Leo shared a long past as friends back in highschool, hoping to grow even closer than ever. You were going abroad to Italy to pursue the dream of becoming a fashion designer, then return back to NYC just like you planned. Until one day you got separated from the family after the Krang took over New York, leaving the turtles to run to April’s farm house while you were nowhere to be found. Three years have passed, and an upcoming fashion show is taking place in the city. As advertisements covered the streets, Leo would've never believed the girl who stole his heart and disappeared would be starring the front covers.

Word count: 2.2k

Warnings: Angst, use of Y/N

--------------------------------------------

The sound of laughter rang through the cool night air, I watched my brothers sit in a circle as April walked toward them with a box of pizza in hand. We just had to celebrate another mission, I wasn’t too fond of being so out in the open though, especially with how loud Mikey was talking and the recent discovery last night. It was one thing to deal with the Krang, but now them working alongside the Footclan? Could’ve fooled me. “Always on the lookout, aren’t you, Blue?” Her voice chirped from behind. I could already see the smile painted on her face as her footsteps grew closer. “Someone’s gotta keep watch,” I muttered in response, leaning back against a wall. She sighed as she swung her legs over the edge of the rooftop. “You know I was against us coming back up here. We’re supposed to lay low, especially now that the Footclan is teaming up with the Krang.” “You worry too much, you know that?” She tilted her head back toward me, that smug smile still on her face. That damn smug smile. “I mean, there’s nothing wrong with that, but, if you keep this up you’re gonna start like, shedding your shell from stress-!” “Turtles don’t shed.” She huffed a laugh as she shook her head.

“Yes, they do. And what I’m trying to say is that you need to relax, Leo,” I watched her swing her legs back onto the rooftop, dusting her pants off before walking toward me.  “You and the gang deserve a break-! Besides, how many more times are you gonna get moments like this?” Our direction turned toward Mikey belching in Raph’s face, a visible vein throbbing on his forehead as he clenched his fists.

However, before I could make my way over to break up an upcoming fight, the sudden warmth that enveloped my hand caused me to freeze. 

“You’re an amazing older brother and leader,” Y/N continued, her fingers slipping in between mine. “They all look up to you, and they know they can depend on you. Even Raph. We’ll be ready when the Krang and Footclan come down our path. But for now, you need to take one shell of a break.” I felt my eyes roll to the back of my head at that last sentence, her laughter at the ridiculous pun cracking me a smile. 

“You’re gonna tell me all of that then ruin the moment for a stupid pun? Guess you can call me shell-shocked.” Now her eyes were rolling back as she tried to hide her smile.

“Hey-! If you guys still want your slice, you better hurry up before Mr. No-Manners downs it in the next three seconds!” Raph called out, headlocking Mikey to the ground as he chanted ‘uncle’ endlessly. Casey filmed the whole showcase, cackling like a witch as Donnie poked Raph with the end of his staff in hope to calm things down (things did not calm down). The two of us exchanged a small smile before walking back to join the rest of the group, my hand still clasping hers before we released hold. For a split second, it felt as if she didn’t want to let go just yet.

I didn’t either.

⇷^⇸

“Thanks for getting pizza this time, April,” You sighed, plopping next to her orange-haired friend in exhaustion. “I know how packed that stupid pizza parlor can get.” “No worries, I get my pay back when one of these four scare the hell outta those delivery guys on their little vespas,” She laughed in response, sliding the box toward you. “Speaking of vespas… are you gonna… you know?” You froze mid-bite at April, choking on the dough, tomato sauce, and cheese as the boys turned their attention to your coughing fit.

“I, uhm, I was hoping to… tell them a little later,” You squeaked in response. The sound of your nails digging into the styrofoam plate caused Donnie to raise a non-existent eyebrow, his brown eyes meeting Leo’s confused look.

“Is there something you wanna tell us, Y/N?” You jumped at Donnie’s question as you lifted your gaze from the plate. Now your look met everyone’s stares, including April’s supportive one. 

“Nope! Well… Not uh, really relevant until later this year,” You replied, biting the inside of your cheek.

“Oooooo! What’s happening later this year?” Mikey teased as he laid flat on his plastron. “You getting married~?” “WHAT?!” You and Leo screeched, Leo’s voice however, was much more high-pitched. As Leo looked away from the eyes on him, you scrambled to get your words together. “I am NOT getting married, Mikey. Let me make that clear to EVERYONE.” “So, if you aren’t getting married,” Casey started, freezing mid sentence at your glare.

“Then what’s happening ‘later this year?’” Raph finished, resting his arm on his knee. Now the spotlight turned back to you, silence along with the faint car honks leaving you to respond. You dug your fingers into your pants, trying to spill the words like a can of beans. This really was one shell of a situation. Heh, Leo would’ve loved that…Leo…

“April, Casey, and…uh, turtles,” You started, taking in a deep breath. Another few moments of silence passed as you felt your throat slowly starting to close up. But, you knew you had to get this over with, the weight will probably kill you at this point if you don't tell the truth. 

“I’m gonna be moving abroad for school in three months. I’ll be in Italy for college to become a designer. Fashion designer specifically.” As you paused for a moment, you saw the shocked faces of your friends before you. April gave your hand a gentle squeeze to continue.

“I… don’t know when I’ll be back specifically,” You dropped your head, staring at the leftover pizza crust. By now, Mikey would’ve snatched and stuffed it in his mouth, but from the sudden change in atmosphere, you understand why it’s still sitting on the plate. “And I would turn down the offer to go to school here-” “Then why won’t you?!” Casey blurred out as he sat up straight. “NYU is only, what,  a couple of blocks away? Wouldn’t it be cheaper to stay here and take whatever fashion class they had? You’ll probably be saving an arm and a leg flying over there AND renting a dorm-!” Even though none of them showed it, the brothers agreed in silence as they looked back at you for a response. “She’s going to Italy because she got a full scholarship, dingus,” April glared at his interruption. “If she could stay here she obviously would. But, it’s her life and her choices to make, not ours… even though… I wish I could convince you outta this somehow.” With a light hearted chuckle, April released your hand as she stood up, clenching her fists.

“I wasn’t planning on telling you guys yet, especially with everything going on but… I’m a little glad I got it done and over with. Probably would’ve hurt more if I told you later on anyways.” Your heart ached at the turtles’ stares, especially Leo’s. Just looking at his eyes spoke millions of words, his lips slightly agape as you looked away. But two words specifically rang in your head after reading his plea:

 Don’t go.

“WE’LL MISS YOUUUUUUUU~!” Mikey cried as he wrapped his arms around your neck, full on wailing into your shoulder. You chuckled softly as you patted the back of his shell trying to soothe the youngest brother. You were gonna miss the sewer murals you’ve worked on together…

“Hey hey, calm down, Mikey! It’s not like I’m leaving tomorrow!” You tried to brush it off, gently prying Mikey off you to look into his eyes. “We still have another good three months together, and you already know damn well we're gonna make the best of it.” “So you’ll finally try my homemade pizza-bite cereal and grand algae slushies?!” “Don’t push your luck.” “Worth a shot.”

“This was really unexpected, Y/N…” Donnie rubbed the back of his neck as he stood up. “B-but of course, we’ll wish the best for you in Italy! The architecture and landmarks there are astounding, especially with the history behind them. Uh, promise to send us photo cards?” “I promise I’m gonna call you guys everyday, Don,” You grinned as you offered a reassuring squeeze on his shoulder. “Maybe you can give me a history lesson about the country, or show me tips on how to survive over there.” Donnie’s sad expression wavered at your response, his smile growing as he patted the back of your hand.

“Hey, think about the positives-!” Raph said, resting his elbow on top of Mikey’s head. “She’ll be heading off to pursue her dreams and we finally have more room in the lair! No more listening to hair dryers early in the morning or her screwing up our missions somehow.” The group, especially Leo, all turned to glare at the him as he let out a chuckle. You did the same though, shaking your head as you laughed to yourself.

“Oh, I’m so gonna miss you, big guy,” You sighed, wrapping your arms around his neck. “I’ll make sure I’ll make Mikey find the best possible ways to annoy you in my honor…” Raph scoffed as he placed his hands on his sides, feeling the weight of your chin on his shoulder. “Promise me you’ll always take good care of the family…alright?” Within the silence, you smiled to yourself as you felt a hand gently pat your lower back in response.

“Three months away, so right when we graduate you’re kissing April and I goodbye?” Casey questioned as he leaned on his hockey stick. “Guess it’s back to good ol’ Red and I. Why’s it always the chicks that gotta leave?” Casey was immediately met with scolding from April, playfully smacking his head while he cowered and tried to shield himself.

You pulled your gaze away from April’s parenting instincts to turn to Leo, who just happened to be staring back at you. Stepping away from the group’s loud antics, you and the turtle stood infront of each other as the once melodic mood turned melancholic. 

“I was planning to tell you first, by the way,” You broke the silence, holding onto yourself as you tried to keep your composition. “Leo, please trust me when I searched for so many different ways to try and come to this outcome. And… Now the more I think of it, the more I’m starting to regret i-”You were cut off mid sentence, however, as a pair of hands held yours ever so gently. You remained quiet once Leo gave you a serious yet soft look. 

“Y/N, I don’t want you to be reluctant about your goals because of  us,” Leo started, his thumb softly brushing back and forth against the back of your hand. “Getting a scholarship is amazing, and I’m genuinely proud of you. You’ve made your choices and you have your dreams, so hurry up and chase them. Then, come back to us, alright?”

You felt water appear at your lash line, you thought you were gonna break down right then and there from the sweet words the turtle had to say. Quickly, you two hugged each other as tight as possible, faces burying into each others’ shoulders as you refused to let go. You were going to miss goofing off with Mikey, learning from Donnie, pissing off Raph, hanging out with Casey and April… but most of all you were going to miss your leader in blue.

“I’ll be back here before you guys know it,” You smiled, reluctantly pulling away from his grip. “Besides, three months to hang around with you guys? That’s more than enough time to have a Space Heroes marathon, no?” You could feel Leo’s smile  as he chuckled to himself, the two of you walking side by side back toward the group.

“More than enough time…” He repeated to himself. Maybe for once, life would treat him and his brothers right. They’ll get rid of any dangers lurking within the city, he’ll become a true leader, and he’ll spend as much time with his friends before they all go their separate ways.

.

.

.

But life isn’t always fair; it never was, in fact.

Krang everywhere. The skies were rolling with gray, not a pinch of sunlight shining down on the chaotic streets of NYC. The screams and wails of citizens grew louder as droids destroyed anything and everything in its path. One thing led to another, from April accidentally bringing a droid to the lair, to Leo and Splinter getting separated from the group, everything felt like a blur.

The gang was crowded in April’s apartment. Everyone was arguing on how to get out of the city, where to go and how to get there. It was quickly interrupted when a turtle in a blue mask flew through the window, shattered glass flying everywhere. Hearts dropped the moment he came crashing down onto the floor.

Leo swore he could’ve heard the desperate cries of his name as his vision faded in and out of view. Why couldn’t he move? Why couldn’t he get up and tell everyone that he’s okay and they had to find Master Splinter? 

Why couldn’t he be strong?

The last thing Leo remembered was his brothers laying him down in the back of a van, the engine humming as doors slammed shut. Then he heard a scream, punches flying and struggle depicted. The weight of his brothers on the car was lifted followed by more faint screaming and yelling. Some were of anguish, others were in anger and frustration. Their voices kept on repeating a name… your name.

Again, everything was a blur. After waking up after who knows how long, Raph explained to him about how they escaped to April’s old farmhouse and everything that happened… almost everything.

“As we were getting into the van, some special force group…” Donnie started, lowering his head toward the ground. “They saw us, and assumed we were the bad guys… or, something like that.” “She charged toward them as they started shooting at the van,” Raph sounded tired, he looked just as tired physically. “They didn’t aim at her, thankfully. But… they took her.” Leo nearly collapsed forward before April and Mikey helped him settle on the sofa, feeling more dizzy than ever. You’ve been taken? You’ve been in danger this whole time and here he was, unable to even stand up for more than five minutes. Fear overcame him, not only for Master Splinter or his family, but for you too. 

The moment they returned to New York, successfully defeating the Krang and reuniting with Master Splinter, everyone searched top to bottom. April broke into your apartment, but the paint on the walls crumbling off and trash scattered across the floor showed that no one has been here for a long time. Donnie tried calling your phone, your T-phone, emailing, even trying to get in contact with your parents to get word that you’re okay somehow. Defeat never felt heavier.

Everyone was drained, but the person taking it the hardest was Leo. Calling your phone just to listen to your voice on the voicemail, or dropping by your old apartment to collect anything special lying around. The night he found a picture of you on your vanity, he decided that was the last thing to grab before avoiding that building for the rest of his life. Now that beautiful photo of you was placed on the shelf in the dojo, resting next to the family portrait of Master Splinter and his first family. 

Eventually, time passed and life went by, yet things seemingly never changed within the family. Other than April and Casey starting a relationship together and his brothers still being the goofballs, you were nothing more than a memory. Crime in New York had dropped tremendously thanks to the gang, and for once, they could all finally live without any problems.

One night, however, everything would change. As the brothers got ready to cut their nightly patrol short due to an incoming storm, the four turtles hopped down a nearby fire escape. Leo watched Mikey step on the cold metal plate, but something distracted him, leading him to gasp wide and sway back and forth. “DUDES-!” Mikey yelled, catching his balance with the railing. “That billboard! Right over there! IS that-?!”

His brothers’ attention turned where he was pointing, focusing on a newly installed billboard in the distance. It was for one of those super fancy fashion brands, the bright gold font was almost eyestraining. It featured the title, “Bellezza Per Sempre’’ and a girl wearing a feather boa and black dress, smiling wide with her eyes shut. Leo froze in his tracks as he looked at the girl. No. It couldn’t be. 

His brothers called out his name as he leaped toward the billboard, but he ignored them. His focus was only on one thing as he grew closer and closer. Sliding across the rooftop adjacent to the advertisement, Leo ignored his burning lungs and shaky hands, he couldn’t believe it. It really was…

“Y/N…” Was all he managed to utter before the rain started falling from the night sky.

[cienie-isengardu]

Why Kuai Liang was not given his cryomancer power but fire?

After rewatching character intro dialogues from previous games, I think I figure out why Liu Kang changed Kuai Liang into Scorpion/pyromancer in his timeline and the reason is so he did to not have to deal with two cryomancers at the same time AND I’M SAYING IT ONLY HALF-JOKING.

If there are two things we can say about all cryomancers presented in games and old Mortal Kombat Conquest TV series is that they have a rocky relationship with authority and all of them are abrasive, straightforward and challenging, and yes, this applies to Kuai Liang too. He may grow up into wise, patient sage but he was as relentless, aggressive and stubborn in his quest to avenge Bi-Han as the other cryomancers were when dealing with people/situations they did not like or agreed with.

Generally speaking, cryomancers are those who are hard to keep on leash because of their independent streak.

Now, one may ask, but why change Kuai Liang and not Bi-Han, if Grandmaster Kuai Liang dedicated his life to protect Earthrealm while Bi-Han is the best known as evil Noob Saibot?

The thing is, Kuai Liang was loyal to Bi-Han (and Smoke) above everything else and only the devastating experiences like brother’s death, Cyber Initiative project and enslavement under Quan Chi’s magic - and born from it guilt - set him on the path of redemption. This is by no means a critique of Kuai Liang as in majority of “intercarnations” the younger Sub-Zero has the sense of honor from the start however it is personal tragedies that truly force him to face some harsh truth about his clan and his older brother to whom both he was deeply devoted. In a way we may say that Kuai Liang’s redemption arc is a reaction to experienced trauma.

Stripping him from devastating experiences of being changed into a killing machine (or losing best friend to C.I. Project, depending on timeline) and being a slave to dark magic would also strip Kuai Liang from the obstacles he needed to overcome to grow into a wise, patient Grandmaster and dedicated protector of Earthrealm. And in this universe Shang Tsung, Quan Chi and the dark nature of original Lin Kuei were - in theory - eliminated from happening, so Liu Kang would be left with a young, rash, stubborn cryomancer deeply devoted to his older brother above anything else.

And let’s no forget that this cryomancer last time without second thought ignored his superiors’ orders and went on the revenge quest in the name of fallen brother, openly putting family over his life-long oath to Lin Kuei, did not aid Sonya and dying Jax, then disturbed the Mortal Kombat Tournament held in Outworld by demanding from Emperor to bring him Bi-Han’s murderer straight to the Emperor’s face without any hint of respect, and generally, was hell-bent to find and kill Scorpion and all consequences be damned. The nightmare of what he did as Cyber Sub-Zero (MK9) was the first real shock that put him on a different path. But then even as traumatized by tragic events, older Kuai Liang still wasn’t blindly following others’ orders. As intro dialogues presented, he has no respect for whatever gods (he do though respect some godly immortals as individuals) and openly criticized or challenged Raiden’s authority in MK11:

Sub-Zero: You failed to protect Earthrealm. Raiden: Do you question my authority? Sub-Zero: I demand you renounce it.

or

Sub-Zero: I am grateful that you saved my life. Raiden: So why fight me, Grandmaster? Sub-Zero: To find out whether you are dark or light.

or

Sub-Zero: Do you serve humanity?  Raiden: And the Elder Gods, Sub-Zero.  Sub-Zero: One cannot serve two masters.

And now, strip Kuai Liang from trauma and who knows how much more stubborn and at odds with godly’s authority he would be?

Bi-Han though? When he stole Shinnok’s amulet [Sub-Zero: Mythologies], the action did not right away ruin his life. Raiden warned him about the possible destruction of Earthrealm and with it, Lin Kuei  and demanded to repair damage done, which Sub-Zero agreed to do.

Rayden: Do you realize what you've done?? Sub-Zero: I was just earning my living. Rayden: Your clan's ignorance and greed will cost this entire realm. You must now set things straight. Sub-Zero: Quan Chi could simply be a lunatic sorcerer. I've never heard of an elder god named Shinnok or of a place called the Netherealm. Rayden: Well, you'd better start believing in both, because you're going to the Netherealm and you're going to bring the amulet back.    We must act quickly. I have no dominion in the Netherealm... You are reality's only hope. Sub-Zero: I'll do it, Thunder God... but only because I have no choice.

Bi-Han risked his life and soul to save the whole realm from Shinnok - as Raiden said:  “The Netherealm is a place for lost souls. If you fail, your soul will join theirs… and so will the souls of this entire realm”, however it was Quan Chi who revealed the whole truth: "Don't you realize why Rayden sent you? The Netherealm is a place for evil beings. You could not exist here unless you were tainted with evil."

This knowledge affected Bi-Han yet he still returned to Lin Kuei. Whether he did that because of loyalty to Grandmaster or just for Kuai Liang’s sake is up to debate but what is important, he did not abandon his assassin profession. 

Now, I know that Mortal Kombat 9 (2011) does not dwell much into details and its story mode does not always follow logic in regard to fights each character participated in, yet during the Mortal Kombat Tournament Bi-Han must have changed sides otherwise his fight with Scorpion would make zero sense. Lin Kuei warriors were hired personally by Shang Tsung to kill Earthrealm Champions and the only reason for the sorcerer to allow for such a fight was if Bi-Han worked against him. 

(And if Bi-Han supported Raiden’s cause, Shang Tsung would have an actual reason to kill Cyrax after Lin Kuei warrior talked with Thunder God over Sub-Zero’s remains. As in, he was afraid another assassin could be persuaded into helping Earthrealm).

Those are two examples* in which Bi-Han prevented or tried to prevent upcoming danger - Shinnok’s return and Outworld’s Invasion (alternatively, he was trying to eliminate the danger of Quan Chi who broke contract by keeping Hanzo Hasashi / Shirai-Ryu as his Wraith, a reason on which Cyber Sektor refused to aid Netherrealm in MKX and Bi-Han’s goal just nicely worked with Raiden’s need). Sub-Zero risked his life for the safety of Earthrealm as he could died during task or be killed by Grandmaster for allying himself with Lin Kuei’s enemy (Raiden) - and Bi-Han did so even when thinking there was nothing wrong with assassining and thieving (“I was just earning my living.”)

This is not really about which brother has a better sense of honor - or duty, for that matter - as both have this sense in various source material. The difference is about the nature of their choices to protect Earthrealm.  Bi-Han’s decisions weren’t born from personal tragedy but from pragmatism as he understood that walking away from the problem wasn’t a wise choice. In contrast, Kuai Liang’s actions were a reaction to an already happened tragedy. In that sense Bi-Han, even as an assassin tainted with evil, acted to prevent bad things before those affected Earthrealm (his life/clan) while Kuai Liang tried to stop history from repeating itself.

Of course, Liu Kang as a mortal did not have any knowledge about Bi-Han's past but as his powers merged with Thunder God, he could gain an access to Raiden’s memories and opinion that affected his own judgment. Raiden praised Bi-Han at least twice for saving Earthrealm (Sub-Zero Mythologies and Mortal Kombat 9) and went so far to ask Scorpion to spare Sub-Zero’s life - granted, more to prevent creation of Noob Saibot he had vision of, but he was still angry at Scorpion in MK11 for breaking the promise

"Your word is worthless. At the tournament I trusted you to spare Bi-Han, and you betrayed me."

Raiden specifically calling Sub-Zero by his given name makes it sound much more personal compared to an actual scene from MK9:

"Spare Sub-Zero's life and I will request that the Elder Gods return the Shirai Ryu to the realm of mortals."

(Another thing to take into account is the age difference between Sub-Zero brothers. It is understandable that Kuai Liang looked up to Bi-Han, an older brother who was at the age of (most likely) 32 recognized as the most cunning Lin Kuei, while Bi-Han was not bound by the same idealization toward his younger sibling and maybe even felt it was his duty to take care of Kuai Liang.)

Bi-Han wasn’t the easiest person to work with, sure, but his cryomancer’s lack of social skills and abrasive nature did not get into the way of serving Earthrealm in an active way to prevent danger. Putting him as he was in different Lin Kuei - now dedicated to Earthrealm and duty bound to serve it - doesn’t sound that weird. 

But why change the element (ice) of one of the brothers at all?

Looking how crymancer Kuai Liang and MK1!Bi-Han actually shares the same independent streak and the “don’t let your loyalty stunt your growth” mindset, I think Original Younger Sub-Zero would have a much better understanding of current Bi-Han and could if not support him then at least understand his desire of breaking free from Liu Kang as alternative version of Kuai Liang in one of intro dialogues (MK11) outright would refuse aid Raiden, thinking Lin Kuei bleed enough for Earthrealm: 

Raiden: Earthrealm needs you, Sub-Zero. Sub-Zero: Enough Lin Kuei blood has been shed. Raiden: I ask only for your bravery. 

With the implication that current sibling’s mother was a fighter and she died (possibly in line of duty) before game events and how Bi-Han seems to be on much better terms with her (or generally, being more affected by Kitana & Mileena’s mother death than death of his own father), this Kuai Liang’s statement too could easily support Bi-Han’s desire to break from tradition of servitude and Lin Kuei dying for Earthrealm’s sake. 

The older and wiser version of Kuai Liang wouldn’t agree with abandoning duty to Earthrealm, but the young, rash, blindly devoted to his older brother version? Without traumatic events - that weren’t meant to happen - there wouldn’t be the needed impulse for Kuai Liang to look at his life, Bi-Han’s ambitions and clan from a different perspective.

Bi-Han mentioned in one of character intros that Lin Kuei use cryomancy since his ancestors settled in Arctika 

while Kuai Liang said pyromancy is closely kept family secret.

So cryomancy is something passed down from ancestors to modern days, while either in the past people controlling fire married into family and added mastery of this element to gene pool or the Lin Kuei/Kuai Liang’s family found a different way to control it and this is why they guard their secret.  To keep it as simple as possible, let’s agree that Kuai Liang had a 50% chance to inherit ice and the same chance to get fire. On one hand, it is easy to assume, well, if fire is part of his family legacy, then he simply get different gene pool from Bi-Han, why blame Liu Kang?

In Scorpion vs Liu Kang intro, Kuai Liang learned in previous timelines he was always Sub-Zero (cryomancer)

In Sub-Zero vs Geras intro, Bi-Han learned that Kuai Liang was not destined to be his enemy

(once again, considering how loyal cryomancer Kuai Liang was to brother, this statement sounds like admitting this change was against the design of the previous timelines)

and Bi-Han accused Liu Kang of turning his brother against him

but considering how little Kuai Liang interacted with Liu Kang in story mode before Bi-Han’s betrayal, this could be read as Sub-Zero learned or deduced somehow Kuai Liang’s ice powers were changed to fire abilities on Liu Kang’s decision. And from a certain perspective the accusation is true, as in both previous game timelines their brotherly conflict happened always after Bi-Han’s death and change into Noob Saibot.

So, Liu Kang’s choice to change Kuai Liang's power may be a safeguard in case Bi-Han’s corruption at some point still happened. By breaking the cryomancer bond that connected Bi-Han and Kuai Liang, he redirected Kuai Liang's constant devotion to brother into passion for tradition (father’s teaching that support Liu Kang’s case) while giving younger brother a control over element that naturally overcomes Bi-Han’s ice, as proved by previous timelines in which Scorpion’s fire kills Bi-Han.

(Personally I think the change of ice element backfired as it affected their sibling bond. An unfortunate side effect Liu Kang may not take into account. Bi-Han and Kuai Liang still consider each other as brothers and don't seem keen to allow others to get involved in their family matters as intro dialogues suggest but the way how quickly they turned against each other with intention to hurt is surprising. Yes, in previous timelines Kuai Liang and Noob fought frequently and Kuai had a lot of reasons to be angry at undead!Bi-Han but A) this was twisted by dark magic version of Bi-Han and B) Kuai Liang has never abandoned hope to save his brother as was seen in Armageddon [original timeline] and Mortal Kombat 11: Sub-Zero ending [alternate timeline]. But then again, this is a restart of their history and future additions to Mortal Kombat 1 may change that impression.)

Mind you, this is no slander against Liu Kang, as he proved to try his best at keeping realms at peace instead of ruling all realms with an iron fist, however as he himself admitted, he did interfere with some characters’ origin. Shang Tsung and Quan Chi are the best known examples as their on purpose were born to have meaningless life

I gave the sorcerers meaningless lives... They should have never gained power, let alone joined forces.

and as intro dialogues implies, it was his decision to orphan Tomas, presumably so he could join Lin Kuei (and Kuai Liang). As Liu Kang explained: “Being Keeper of Time means making many hard choices" and so I assume there was a reason why he decided to break the otherwise strong cryomantic bond between those two brothers and why it was Kuai Liang who got fire instead of ice, even if previous timelines prove he was great ally as Sub-Zero.

*The third example comes from old MK comics, "A Cold Day in Hell" [Mortal Kombat Tournament Edition II] in which Outword and Earthrealm teams were fighting to take Shao Kahn's Medallion. The rule? Who reaches the item first, wins.

The teams were busy fighting each other and as the narrative box said "there was one warrior who understood that this was not a group exercise. Just like Mortal Kombat, here there could be only a single winner" and so "Bi-Han" went ahead alone to finish the mission. Despite being burned alive by Scorpion's fire, he reached the medallion and saved Earthrealm:

and even Shao Kahn himself was impressed by "Bi-Han's" deeds:

It was a brave showing, mortal. Were it within me to do so... I would wish you a season of rest for your tortured soul...

In the same comics, two months after brother's death, "Kuai Liang" was attacked by his clan and in return denouced Lin Kuei as unworthy of the continued services of Sub-Zero

which brings me back to my point about Bi-Han's pragmatic choices to prevent danger vs Kuai Liang's decisions as a reaction to personal tragedy.

So yeah, out of my head I can name three separate examples in which Bi-Han risked his life (and in case of two events, got killed in the process) for Earthrealm's sake.

[draftsandrecs]

It's a bad idea, right?

Chapter 1: Soap and Suds

Pairing: Best-friends dad!Dark!Ari Levinson x College!Reader

Summary: Reader settles in at the lake house. And Ari is a panty stealer.

Word Count: 2,170

Warnings: 18+ (of course), age gap, non con voyeurism, masturbation, mention of dollplay and rape, eventual smut

Authors Note: I know it's been almost a month since I've updated. I apologize. I should be on schedule soon. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and series. Thank you to everyone who is reading!

The lake house reminds you of an Airbnb rather than a cozy quaint type that you’re used to. The house has a wrap around porch on both levels with multiple places to eat, tan, or relax. Tall and large windows create an open space complimenting the view. The two-story property sits on a few acres of land with beautiful trees surrounding it. Of course, a lake accompanies the house not too far from its front steps. Surprisingly the water isn’t as murky and green as you thought it would be. Instead, it’s clearer than most lakes and you can actually see what you’re stepping in.

Your bag hangs on your shoulder as you and Mia walk towards the house. You remind yourself to thank her with dinner or something for making this trip happen. You can’t remember the last time you gave yourself a break. Summers meant either working for any extra money or becoming a homebody until school started again.

“I told my dad to get us some mixers and wine so we wouldn’t have to go out much. I also gave him a list of food and snacks we like. But knowing him, he probably just grabbed whatever he thought we would like without looking at the list,” Mia looks at you as she rolls her eyes playfully. You tell her that you don’t care what’s in the kitchen as long as you have drinks on standby.

As you walk into the house with her, you’re greeted by her dad, Ari. You’ve always thought he was a handsome man, but it’s never been anything more than a passing thought. But now that you’re seeing him again, you begin to feel heat forming. Not just from your cheeks either. While you’ve had a few boyfriends and hook ups, Ari makes you feel different. His aura exudes a certain energy. You couldn’t figure out if was just because he’s an older man or if it was just his presence that made it seem that way. He seemed more rugged now but considering his past divorce and older age, it would make sense. His age and maturity, let alone experience, makes you wonder what it would be like with him.

“I’m glad that you guys made it safe. I know it’s a little out of the way,” said Ari said pulling you out of your thoughts. He was dressed in a casual manner, a grey cotton shirt paired with jeans.

“It was no problem, we made here in one piece, didn’t we Mi?” You look at Mia, both smiling at the small remark.

He gave you a small nod in appreciation as Mia spoke up.

“Yeah, it was okay. Though I wish you would’ve told me the driveway up here was hell. I was afraid of how steep it was.” You and Mia laugh at her comment. It was true though; the driveway is sort of steep since it sits on a hill. You had to remind her multiple times that her car wasn’t going to roll backwards as long as she kept driving forward.

Ari flashed a small smile replying, “I didn’t think to mention it, I apologize for that.” His eyes scanned over your figure. You felt somewhat out of place now that you’re in his presence with no bra. You’re sure that he could see the outline of your breasts even through the baggy t shirt. Depending on if he looked straight at your chest he might could even see your nipples.

And he could. Right as you walked through the door, he was able to see your breasts. It didn’t help that the house was cold and not too long into welcoming that your nipples became hard. Just like how his dick was about to be if he didn’t leave the conversation soon.

“Why don’t you show her to the guest room yeah? Take her to the one closest to my room, the ventilation system isn’t running properly in the other one, don’t know when I can get around to fixing it just yet.”  Ari’s comment made your heartbeat faster. Maybe you’d get a chance to play out your fantasy if you played your cards right. After all, no ones every turned you down before why would he be any different?

While it may seem like a coincidence or an innocent mishap that your rooms are beside one another, it was entirely fabricated for Ari’s plan. He patted himself on the back for the quick lie. There was no messed up air conditioning system. He just wanted to be closer to you so he could indulge on his desires and perversions without getting caught. The second he saw you he knew he had to have you. The kind innocent freshman now turned woman was creating a hunger inside him. He was already creating a mental list of things he was going to do to you. But for now, he would wait, even if it meant he had to endure an aching cock.

Mia shows you around the place, getting you used to the area. The first floor that you’re on is the main floor. Two bedrooms are closer to the kitchen while on the other side of the house, the other two bedrooms are adjacent to a large porch area. The second floor is used for a studio. It’s just a bedroom, bathroom, and washer and dryer. Mia mentions that Ari is planning to renovate it soon. Maybe into a work shop or something.

You and Mia arrive at the guest room after the tour is over. The bedroom is cozy with a dresser, large bed, nightstand, and of course an attached bathroom. You make a note that you’re glad to have brought your laptop since there was no tv in the bedroom.

“I hope you don’t mind being close to my dad. I didn’t know the air conditioner stopped working but I can sleep in the guest room, and you can take my room” Mia says happily.

“No, it’s all fine, I don’t mind anyway. I kind of look forward to being near a porch. You know me being a night owl, I will probably find myself out there more than in the actual bedroom.” You shoot her offer down as you put your bag onto the bed to unpack.

“Great then! I’ll let you unpack, and I’ll do the same. Let me know when you’re done so we can do something together then.” Says Mia as she happily walks out of the room.

A small sigh escapes your lips as you unzip your bag. You rummage through the duffel as you take out your laptop first. You place it on the nightstand to move it out of the way. You’re glad you brought the laptop even if it is a vacation. While you may not be on it a lot, considering there is not tv in the bedroom, it’ll do just fine when you need it.

 You gather your pajamas, toiletries, and hair products and sprawl them out on the bed. As you take your swimsuits out you thank yourself for picking out cute ones instead of just throwing your old ones in. You also thank yourself for the cute panties and (limited) bras you brought. You weren’t a huge bra wearer in the first place, especially in the summer, but a cute matching set never hurt anyone. Especially if it meant Ari could take if off you.

Throwing the pieces and other clothes in a drawer you move everything else to other compartments or in the bathroom. You debate if you should take a shower considering it is nighttime now and the drive made you feel tired. Maybe a shower will give you the energy you need.

Turning the faucet on and letting it run, you take off your clothes throwing them by your bag as a reminder to keep a dirty pile separate from clean clothes. You find a towel and hang it nearby as you get in with your body wash and other products in hand.

Ari was nearby. He kept his door open to make sure he knew when you came and went. He saw Mia go down for a nap not too long ago. Car drives always made her sleepy. This would give him time to check on you. But of course, nothing is ever an innocent gesture when it comes to Ari.

As if luck was on his side, he heard the shower begin to run. He waited a few minutes before he crept into your room. He looked around the area, analyzing the things you set up or put on the furniture. It wasn’t too long before his eyes landed on a pile of luck. More specifically your panties. Ari made sure to keep an ear out for you as he picked up the panties. Without hesitation he pressed the panties to his face. Breathing in your smell and a hint of laundry detergent you used made him harder than he already was. He began to rub himself from the outside of his jeans, imagining how pretty your pussy must look. Feel. Taste.

He found himself right outside the bathroom. Due to the layout, the shower was in the middle of the bathroom with the shower head facing away from the door. But even with the door cracked anyone could see in.  To Ari’s advantage it gave him a great view of your backside. The water cascaded down your shoulders and back creating soapy suds. It made him wonder how soft your ass would feel against his hardness. Combined with your wetness, the friction would make it easy to stick himself between your ass. Hands gripping your hips, back arching into him, his cock rubbing over both holes until it just slips in. He couldn’t wait any longer, he needed relief.

Ari began to unbutton his jeans. He didn’t waste time before he placed a hand into his underwear and tug at his hard cock. Precum had already stained his underwear and now made it easy to act as lube and pump himself. He started with slow strokes but with tight squeezes trying to replicate as close as possible what you might feel like. His breathing became a little harder as he watched you turn around and give him a full view of your body. Your breasts had a glistening look to them from the water that made him want to suck and pull at them as he pounded into you. Your nipples were just asking for attention that he would take care of when the time is right, he thought to himself.

He wrapped your panties around his cock continuing to pump into his hand. The feeling of your wetness was slick on his upper shaft and tip. Along with the soft material it began to drive him over the edge. He watched as your hands made their way down to your pussy. While he knew you were just washing yourself, he wanted to see you touch yourself. How you would play with your wet cunt, how many fingers you used. If you rubbed your little swollen clit or if you ignored the aching bud. With how wet your panties were already; he couldn’t imagine how wet you’d feel. How easy it would be to slip inside you. He was sure that your walls would grip him so perfectly unlike anyone before.

His strokes became more erratic as his thoughts became more perverse. You bent over to grab a product and your ass was in perfect line that he could see both holes. Your cunt looked inviting and just begging to be fucked. He wanted to stretch you out until you couldn’t take him anymore. He knew just from his size that he was bigger than most, but he’d make sure that you take all of him. He knew you could even if he had to force it to make it happen. He wouldn’t care if you wanted, needed him to stop. He wouldn’t anyways, not once he got a feel of you. Your pleads would fall on deaf ears. It would encourage him if anything. You would be his doll. His perfect doll that he would make a mold into being nothing more than his devoted cock slut. Your whimpers and moans would be hymns to him. Your body would be something he worshipped. You would be his to wreck beyond means.

That’s all he needed to cum. His semen painted the inside of the panties while some fell onto the floor. He couldn’t remember the last time he had cum so hard or fast. Without even catching his breath he rubbed the remaining cum into the floor, a small smile form as he imagined your bare feet walking over the sticky mess.

He was already in his room when he heard the shower turn off. He placed the panties in a random drawer as a trophy and for future use. He was just getting started.

[doorsclosingslowly]

thinking out loud about a bit of the Éowyn's Got a Band AU, which is mostly a series of éomer/gríma bdsm pwps with was too much background and plot. anyway. here be spoilers about backstory and central arc

@darol tagging you bc you've always listened to my au gríma rambles but no need to read if you don't wanna, love you

gríma wanted everything--- especially, money, rock star fame, adoration, love, once upon a time when he was younger and started hooking up with recent widower & current rising star théoden and then finagled his way into becoming théoden's band's manager, and then once another tragedy struck théoden and he adopted his teenage nephew and niece too, living fulltime either with théoden and the kids on the road (théodred is in the band but only a little older than éomer so gríma is asked to watch him too sometimes), or staying behind with éowyn and éomer in théoden's house for all intents and purposes the stepmom (as is my perpetual agenda, wicked stepmother gríma) except he's only the band manager. théoden never opens up about the relationship to anyone. [*] gríma encourages this because he thinks that it will gain him more leverage that he can use to make théoden launch gríma's music career.

which never happens. gríma's growing resentment towards théoden--- and during the course of trying to make the man beholden to him, gríma's home his money his life it all depends on théoden--- well, gríma used drugs casually while he was cruising before he met théoden but now he finds the White Wizard and gets *hooked*. and then gríma gets théodred hooked.

revenge, another scheme, something else--- even in the court room this never gets settled. and it ends in court, because théodred overdoses. gríma, who supplied the White Wizard, goes to jail for a long time. no one visits. why would they? they were all théoden's family and friends or théoden himself who dies of the grief.

fast forward! end backstory! we are now in the time of the pwp series. yadda yadda, gríma left prison more fucked up than he entered it and never found his sea legs, and it's winter now and cold and he found a flyer for éowyn's new band and goes in order to beg for money for a room for maybe a week it's so cold, éomer finds him first and that old attraction rears its head and so does éomer yearning the loss of all his family (éomer is in the course of trying to reconcile with his sister after another massive fight) and so he offers gríma his own spare room and sleeper sofa.

yadda yadda more parts i will write longform of éomer and or gríma working thru many issues through such media as cbd, 24/7 puppy play, watersports, control and trust and pain, etc etc

the flatshare works, though it's not balanced (insert parallels to gríma's relationship with théoden here) and gríma's severely depressed and éomer is lying to his therapist and famiy and friends but eh, swings and roundabouts.

éowyn visits. she sees: gríma, killer of her family, sleeping on the sofa, and calls the police. back to the holding cell for gríma.

éomer would not have admitted any of this under his own choice. but unlike théoden then, he's not a rock star with a family, he's a lonely man in a job he doesn't care much about bc it's not music but he couldn't follow in théoden's shoes, with a girlfriend he was never honest about in terms of his desirs and that he's been cheating on for months, and so he goes down to the station and blows up his old life and says: he was allowed on that sofa. he's my boyfriend. he's mine.

gríma's always committed all of himself to another. this time he's claimed back.

____

[*] éomer knows which is how the audience knows bc most of the series so far is planned in his pov. he knows bc he's 16 and fantasizing about punishing the git that his uncle's left him with, that mocking asshole who makes him do all his homework and latin too (while gríma doesn't even listen to éomer's presentations that he forced but does band manager stuff at the same time. prick.) éomer fantasizes about pushing the band manager slash nanny around and hurting him and he's very into it and then horrified, repeat, as he fails to come to terms with sexual sadism. and because he--- does not, and won't for a long time, conceive of that as a crush, he spies on gríma and finds out that théoden is fucking him. cue more guilt. all this is also why he never told éowyn that they were an item.

[zsakuva]

hello! i love your works a lot (andrew and zaros, especially). i'm a fledgling writer and i really am in love with how you flesh out the characters and the world building is absolutely insane. how do you do that exactly? any tips? please take me as an apprentice xd thank you and have a nice day! 🌸

Thank you!

I could talk for hours when it comes to world-building. It's something that's exciting, fun, yet challenging, and there have been plenty of times where I've lost myself to research and ideas.

The way to world-build is dependent on what the main goal is and how deep down the rabbit hole you want to jump. I, unfortunately, like to dive pretty deep because I want to mould the present time of the story to its past as seamlessly as possible. However, try not to let yourself wander too far or you'll get stuck (like I've done on countless occasions). It's great for the writer to have an arsenal of information, but the most critical detail is allowing the story to breathe.

OUR WORLD, MODERN TIMES

For characters in our world, it's much easier to focus on their backstory. I always build motivations through their personality and history; without them, characters become two-dimensional and boring.

I'll use Andrew as an example.

Andrew is the first-born son and an older twin. Due to how he was raised, this alone provides a blueprint that can shape his personality:

A sense of leadership by caring for his younger brother, coupled with more responsibility as the eldest and smartest son (according to his parents).

Setting an example that their parents accept.

But what happens when the younger twin resents being compared? What happens when he begins to rebel, and Andrew is stuck between wanting to console and comfort his younger brother, but also uphold the role of the dutiful first-born son that their parents desire?

There will be conflict in his decisions, and regrets that continue into his adult life. Asking 'what ifs' is an amazing way to flesh out scenarios with multiple outcomes!

And then, when his parents noticed how proficient he was in academia, pushed Andrew. In so doing, he was:

Forced to study, and found acceptance through excelling. This likely created his need for perfectionism that later bled into every aspect of his life. However, it also transformed into him feeling inadequate whenever he wasn't working which informs why he works so hard regardless of what he does.

Isolated for majority of his childhood and teenage years. This stunted him socially, and even though he was able to experience some because of his twin, the lack of bonding, long-lasting relationships, and the knowledge of working through hardships damaged his ability to do so in adulthood. Pair this with him attending classes for older students (who were likely envious of his intelligence), and that forms a distrust of befriending people older than him.

Andrew's beliefs are all informed by what he was taught, and his experiences. This is only a little of the world-building I've done with him, but I hope that gives you some inspiration on where to start with your own!

A WHOLE NEW WORLD

When it involves a world outside our own, it's more difficult (yet way more fun) to build. You have free reign because the world is your own! Go crazy with it!

Again, dependent on the characters you're writing, you can start with something that is intrinsically linked with them and expand from there. For Zaros, the location's history is especially important because of his status, who he's surrounded by, and the relationship he has with Earis. As a character who is knowledgeable about a plethora of things, that means he would use such information; and that also requires its existence in the world-building notes!

I won't give much more away as his series is still ongoing, but with any character, there will more often than not be a motivation behind what they do and say. You don't need to outline the events of every birthday and holiday and what not. It's the events in which conflict arises that impact and change a character to define who they are in the present moment.

This was longer than I expected, but I hope this helps with your writing! Good luck!

[seventeenlovesthree]

Digi Dynamic Shipping Game

Send me two names among the following 12 and I’ll write a short analysis post about them:

Taichi Yagami | Yamato Ishida | Sora Takenouchi | Koushirou Izumi | Mimi Tachikawa | Jyou Kidou | Takeru Takaishi | Hikari Yagami | Daisuke Motomiya | Miyako Inoue | Iori Hida | Ken Ichijouji | Meiko Mochizuki

Whether canon provides input on them or not.

If you're a fan of Digimon Adventure in any capacity or at least familiar with the series - regardless of what kind of media we're talking about -, you will stumble across these two. One could say that they're the face of the franchise, the bread and butter of various chunks of the plot, the center of merchandise - and they have been a juggernaut in the fandom since the very beginning, probably only rivaled (or complemented) by the likes of Takari and Koumi (and maybe Daiken, depending on what corners you look at). Whether you're "oldschool" like me and call them "Taito" (or "Yamachi") or part of the more modern fandom, you may prefer to call them Taiyama/Yamatai - you know them. And why wouldn't you with that HUGE focus on their framing?!

Taichi and Yamato are being paralleled and contrasted against each other throughout the course of the entire series: They're the protagonist and his (temporary) rival, different yet similar in various aspects, which causes them to continuously clash with each other. Starting off as the stereotypes of "brash and hotheaded" vs. "reasonably cool", there is an ongoing theme of miscommunication between them throughout the years - and even though their Digimon are usually the first to evolve to every single next stage, it's their conflicts with each other (and reconciliations) that challenge each other's Crest meanings the most. Yamato starts off perceiving Taichi as "too reckless and inconsiderate", challenging Taichi's sense of courage and responsibility, whereas Taichi tries to calm Yamato's aggressiveness down, making Yamato question his sense of friendship towards him and the group... They take their time to realize that they have much more in common than they initially thought - and that there are actually a lot of things they admire about the other, things they themselves lack. For example, they're both big brothers of younger siblings, both overprotective for very different reasons - but Yamato feeling incapable of being a good brother to Takeru like Taichi acts towards him at first is one of the reasons why Cherrymon is able to corrupt him temporarily, making him perceive Taichi as someone he needs to challenge and overcome.

But in the end, it's their bond to each other, their trust in the other that usually leads to victory; whether they let their siblings shoot arrows of love at them while they're holding hands to achieve the highest evolution level; whether they wait for the other to join a painful fight, because they know they can rely on each other; whether they get sucked through a computer to reach their partners simultaneously in the net to create the most iconic fusion in the entirety of Digimon; whether they gleefully bicker about how silly some of their fights were in the past, punching each other out of love and nostalgia; whether they start to question their own belief systems as they grow older, partly unable to communicate how much they believe in each other, so there is a lot of brooding and unspoken expectations, frustration and fondness between them; whether they mope about adulthood while being out for dinner and beer... It's the fact that, whenever they come together, putting their arguments aside to fight side by side, they're usually the reason why darkness won't succeed.

Long story short; they may have a contrasting/complementary theme going on most of the time - orange vs. blue, fire vs. ice -, but they do have a lot in common and develop a very close bond that lasts beyond adulthood. There may also be miscommunication between them here and there, but they trust and rely on each other greatly, they want to push each other to be better, a sense of "roughness yet softness" that shall never be underestimated.

Whether I think why and how they’d work.

As much as I can see the potential in everything I have pointed out above, I - personally - have always had a very hard time perceiving them through a romantic lense. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely see and understand the appeal, the trope this kind of ship is based on, the "constantly clashing off of each other, while being also completely ride or die for the other when the situation requires it". And whenever they are on good terms with each other, they are unstoppable - like I said, there is a sense of fondness and softness between them that is very intriguing. My biggest problem with that is that they keep falling back into old habits of miscommunication and that doesn't feel sustainable to me. Whenever you feel like they FINALLY got it, finally got over their differences and accept the other for who they are - there is another conflict (usually, but not exclusively, initiated by Yamato). Again, they're both not very good at using words towards each other (unless the situation is REALLY drastic), so either the harmonica has to do, or their fists...

For example, I like to point out how 02 already felt like some kind of logical honeymoon phase for them to me - and Kizuna kind of tried to pick that up again by showing that they were perfectly compatible going out for dinner without any serious disagreement between them. (Heck, even the Taiorato situation had NEVER been a "conflict" BETWEEN them, they had always been nothing but supportive of each other.)

But Tri was so heavy on making these two fail to communicate (for the sake of having a plot in the first place), that I am just asking myself how they would ever really be able to help each other grow OUTSIDE of world-saving contexts. They both suffer when they're at odds with each other, they don't enjoy it - Taichi always looks like a wounded puppy when Yamato gives him the cold shoulder and Yamato is so stuck in his Tsundere state, while being so unsure of himself, that he tends to be more verbally hurtful than he initially intended. He knows he "expects too much" of Taichi, he knows exactly why Taichi hesitates and has so many doubts - I'm pretty sure Yamato used to have the same doubts previously, I mean, he has punched them out of him before -, but he doesn't have the means to tell him.

My personal impression of Tri!Yamato is that he is so deep in the closet, that his love for Taichi (platonic, romantic, you name it!!!) could just burst out of him any minute now, but he absolutely doesn't know how to deal with that. So part of him rejects it - sometimes it bursts out of him violently, sometimes softly. He even offers Taichi that they may stop using Omegamon, because that would be "easier" for him - which sounds like the biggest "I know I can never have you and you probably don't want me anyway, and that's okay with me, I promise..." in the history of everything ever. And Taichi probably is subconsciously aware of that (somehow, even if he may not be able to fully process it), but isn't really able to act towards that either. (Heck, again, even Sora is aware of Yamato's feelings, but they all don't have the means to say it out loud! Hikari, Koushirou and Jyou hint at it at various points in Tri and the stageplay too, but it is never explicitly said...)

So in a sense, they feel like they're star-crossed lovers who aren't meant to be due to how they never find a way to actually cross the line. Like I said, Kizuna tries to show them being compatible - and it is true, they are close, but you get a feeling that there is always THAT ONE thing they cannot say. Taichi tries - but gets interrupted by SOMETHING or simply shies back. Yamato wants to - but gets unintentionally loud again and then the moment is over. They're both depressed to some degree by the time of Kizuna and both use the "Digimon duty" as escapism, as well as the moping-meet-ups to at least get out some steam. However, they are not able to pull each other out of that slump, they can't save each other unless they have to save the world as "Omegamon's enablers", because they're in too deep already...

Maybe in a Post-Beginning scenario where things are not at stake anymore, where they're reunited with their partners and back on track with their life paths, they could get another chance. Going on adventurous trips, playfully bickering again while everyone else shakes their heads at them like "Look at that old married couple again...", having fun, enjoying life. But if they just stay by themselves like that, kinda disconnected from the group and their true selves, it would feel more like "dysfunctional wound-licking" to me, with way too much pent-up frustration. And that is sad when you see all that love and ALL THAT potential...

Whether I’d prefer them as platonic or romantic ship.

I feel like I could have gone on about how they may play out, but in the end, while I can see all the potential outlined, I do prefer them to be platonic. It does feel like a tragic love story - and even if it kinda sounded like it, it isn't one-sided on Yamato's behalf either, there are mutual feelings involved, they just really have a tough time getting over their barriers and that's why I personally can't see them solving problems if they were in a long-term relationship. As mutually supportive friends who tend to have small arguments but reconcile eventually, always having each other's backs? HECK YEAH! I love the Yamataishirou friend group as well the, unfortunately, never fully explored Yamataikoura friend group and I love scenarios in which they tease each other about their crushes to others, but tl;dr: I prefer them to be platonic!

[braemjeorn]

i was calculating daewoong's age for a fic and there'll be some spoilers here so mind yourselves.

anyway let's get it. the hypothesis is that if he was 17 in that scene where he got beaten up (I don't think he would tolerate any more beating after 18, he'd fight back) and seojin was at least 5 blowing on his wounds cutely, they'd have a 12 years gap. or 13 if she was 4. which means, that considering seojin graduated college on track at 22 in the year 2022 and shin cha-il came at her second year of career, she's 24 and and daewoong is 36 during the series.

now daewoong's actor jin goo was 44 (b. 1980) during filming - which is also possible to be daewoong's age but considering seojin was at least 5 or 4 during that scene, it's too big of a gap. again, i don't think daewoong would tolerate anymore beating after 18. (he could be even younger in that scene, so the gap would be closer, but the keyword of the flashback was my highschool days and all.)

so this statement baffles me.

either someone is not considering things right in the script or mr yang was exaggerating his loyalty OR he did saw the 6/7 year old son of his CEO being bullied by his older brothers so often and just decided to defend him from then on, hence the claim. hilarious headcannon but very possible - and most touching. in this perspective, daewoong is easily in the hero/victim position and the brothers the villain, which is an interesting view (shounen arc much?) still hilarious, so i'll give you daewoong's pretty smile to entertain ourselves.

(honestly this all depends heavily on seojin's age because with the flashback scene and how she's a junior employee, i really don't think daewoong could be any older that 37. hardly. possible. that's my cake, eat it.)

talking about age again, i like to think that the gap between the older two and daewoong is more than a mere two-three years. even though they look like very mean college kids here.

but - gunwoong had two kids, right? the oldest at least 16 or 15 years old.

the son was wearing a jacket in the hospital scene (ep 2 i believe?) while his sister was in a uniform, it's possible to presume that he just started college, so 18 at most.

say that gunwoong got married in his late 20s - around 27, and had kids soon after. with that number, he'd passed away at… 42-ish. at least. but i think him and sewoong could be way older than that, because it's vewy reasonable to me that when the two were in early elementary years, 6 or 7 year olds, their emotionally distant dad just brings in a new woman after their mother passed with a baby in tow. without the right orientation that would have been a despicable prospect that the hate lasted years after. equally worse even if only daewoong comes to be raised in the house when their mother's alive because father wants to take responsibility for the bastard. same deal if there are no mothers around and just three brothers not knowing what to do with each other. no healthy emotional attendance or proper parent figure, plus the influence of how others might degrade daewoong's low birth, so they just—sewoong hated his guts and gunwoong only started to acknowledge daewoong a year before he died like—

he ended up rising above them all. damn king.