#f!dep/faith seed

[outranks]

let's take a chance on happiness

somewhat belated birthday bash fic for @deputy-dianablack!! I had a lot of fun writing with your Deputy!! I hope you enjoy this ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ 

(and thank you so much to @edensgay for organizing everything!!)

pairing: OC Deputy Diana Black & Faith Seed

Lately Diana has been having problems with flowers, and for the first time since she arrived in Hope County it’s not the Bliss. Every time she’s in or around the Henbane she finds flowers where there should be no flowers. A gardenia in her car when she went to meet her friends at the 8-bit, daisies left scattered around the house she’d decided to crash in for the night, and now dandelions braided into Boomer’s collar. It’s not harmful, exactly, it’s just confusing and Diana isn’t sure what to make of it. If it only happened once or twice she could pass it off as a coincidence, but she’s pretty sure that someone wants her attention.

She’s just not sure who.

“Hey boy,” she says, crouching down to check Boomer for any clues that may have been left behind. “Who gave you these flower, huh? Can you lead me to them?”

Boomer barks and wags his tail happily, but doesn’t solve the mystery of the flowers.

Diana scritches at his ears anyway. “Aww, you’re a good boy, aren’t you? Yes you are! And you’re going to help me figure this out, right? Right! You are!”

“Are you—” someone clears their throat behind her. “Are you talking to the dog?”

Diana startles and loses her balance, toppling backward onto the ground with a yelp. “Faith?” It definitely looks like Faith, though Diana doesn’t trust anything in the Henbane to be what it appears.

“Have you thought more on walking the path?” Faith asks, stepping forward to help Diana get back on her feet. She’s solid, for once, and her skin is warm to the touch. She’s real. “There is a place for you here in the Project.”

“Right.” Diana brushes the dirt from her clothes, more than a little confused. On the one hand, Faith is much less unnerving than her brothers, but on the other hand she’s been having a very weird few days and now Faith is visiting her in person. “Um, no thank you,” she says. She’d prefer not to kill anyone, all things considered. At least not on the orders of Joseph Seed. She’s only met the man once at the church and it definitely wasn’t a great first meeting.

Faith hums, rocking back on her heels. “You would be welcome here.”

“Sure, yeah,” Diana shrugs, swaying to the side when Boomer bumps her legs as he runs circles around her and Faith.

“Your dog has dandelions in its collar.”

“Yeah,” Diana says, “weird, right?”

Faith frowns. “You think so?”

“Yes?” Diana shrugs again, feeling a little awkward standing out in the open, having a conversation with Faith who she is only mostly sure isn’t a hallucination. “It’s sweet, I think, but I don’t know how they got there.”

Faith rolls her shoulder back, meeting her eyes. “Maybe it means something.”

“Like a threat?”

“No,” Faith sighs, “something else.”

“Oh.” Diana looks from Boomer’s collar, then to Faith, and back to the dandelions starting to come loose from the braid. “Maybe they just thought Boomer would look pretty.”

“Maybe,” Faith says, looking off to the side where a group of Resistance fighters are walking on the road, getting closer and closer to seeing them. “You will see, soon enough.” She steps back, disappearing into a cloud of Bliss, leaving Diana and Boomer staring at the empty spot where Faith used to be.

“Was that a threat?” Diana is now much less sure that she hasn’t been hallucinating the entire time.

*

After that she starts finding red rose petals around places of interest for her, specifically. They’re scattered at shrines, on walkways leading to outposts she’s yet to take, and on one memorable occasion they were filling a boat she sank accidentally. It’s possible that it’s meaningless or meant for some other purpose, but it all feels very pointed. Like someone is leaving behind rose petals just for her.

And it is a little romantic, even if she still doesn’t understand it.

“Have you noticed there are a lot of rose petals around lately?” Sharky asks, kicking a few up into the air. “That’s weird, right? I’m not just imagining things and there have been rose petals her the whole time that I just haven’t noticed?”

Diana plucks one off the ground and examines it. “No, they’re definitely new.”

“You think Faith is changing from Bliss to roses?”

Which is a fair question, given the excess of roses they’re currently wading through, but there are still Bliss fields as far as the eye can see. “Maybe they’re mutant roses,” she says, because that’s always a possibility that should be considered in the Henbane. “Some kind of hybrid flower.”

Sharky groans, stepping away from the trail of petals. “God I hope you’re wrong, I’ve had enough of drugged flowers to last me the rest of my natural life.”

“Yeah.” Diana tosses the petal into the air and watches as it flutters back to the ground.

“The roses have not been modified,” Faith says. “The Bliss is more than we need already.”

“Oh God,” Sharky says, jumping and clutching at his heart. “These hallucinations get more real every time.”

Diana frowns and narrows her eyes. “I don’t think she’s a hallucination.”

Faith smiles pleasantly, and picks up a few rose petals of her own.

Sharky takes a step back, gesturing with his thumb over his shoulder. “Then I’ll uh— I’ll be over there,” he says. “Shout if you need me or an assload of fire.”

“Got it,” Diana says, waving him off before she gives her full attention to Faith. “Are you—” following me, she thinks to ask and then reconsiders when she remembers that of course the Seeds are all keeping tabs on her. “Do you want something?” And will Diana be able to avoid jumping off the damn statue again, because that was enough of heart stopping adventure the first time.

“You’ve noticed the roses?”

Diana nods. They’re everywhere how could she miss them? “Are they a problem?” If they are, will she be expected to solve it? Last she checked, she still worked for the Resistance.

Faith sighs deeply. “The petals mean something.”

“Oh.” Diana can’t even begin to guess at what kind of message someone is trying to send by leaving them all over the Henbane. She had thought it was directed at her, but now she’s starting to wonder if it’s not some message to Faith regarding her Bliss plants. “That’s… bad?” She’s just guessing here and she doesn’t have a lot to work with.

“You think it’s bad?”

“Is it good?”

“They’re red rose petals.”

Diana is more confused than she was before, but now she thinks she’s also arguing with Faith which is both amusing and deeply concerning. There are definitely rules about having casual conversations with the enemy. “Do red rose petals mean something important?”

Faith sighs again and drops the petals she’s holding. “Yes,” she says, “it means subtlety isn’t working.”

“What does…” Diana asks herself because Faith has disappeared again, leaving her alone with a cloud of Bliss and Sharky singing to himself off in the distance.

*

The next time Diana finds flowers where no flowers should be is when she’s alone in the Henbane and a rabbit runs across her path. Except the rabbit has antlers and a string of flowers woven through them. At least, she thinks that’s what she’s seeing, but she’s been spending a lot of time around the Bliss lately and there’s always the possibility that it’s all going to her head. Still, she decides to follow the strange rabbit, just in case.

“Do you know what white violets mean?” Faith asks, perched on an abandoned ATV hidden in the woods.

The rabbit stops at her feet, seemingly unafraid of this one particular human, before it hops away into the tall grass.

Diana stops walking, frowning at the spot where the rabbit hopped out of view. “That did have antlers right?”

Faith shrugs and climbs off of the ATV, walking closer to Diana. “The violets mean take a chance,” she says. “Be happy.”

“Oh.” Diana isn’t sure how to respond to that, but it occurs to her, for the first time, that Faith might be the one sending the flowers. To her. Which would explain a lot and it’s a little embarrassing that she somehow hadn’t noticed until a rabbit with antlers was brought into the mix. Who else could orchestrate that besides Faith? “Are you giving me flowers?”

“Yes,” Faith says.

“Why?”

Faith looks off to the side for a moment, like she’s considering what she wants to say, before she takes a slow, deep breath. “If I had told you that I was interested in you, how would you have reacted?”

“I don’t know,” Diana says. She still doesn’t know how to react to any of this. Sure, the flowers are nice, but they seem unnecessarily complicated. Which is pretty standard for the Seeds, actually. They are the most dramatic family in the county. “Positively?”

“I wanted you to understand that my intentions were pure.”

Diana still doesn’t know what any of the other flowers mean, and pure intentions definitely weren’t the signal she was picking up, but it is the most effort anyone has ever gone to for her attention. It’s kind of nice. “Oh, okay, well—”

“I don’t expect anything from you in return,” Faith says, stepping closer again.

“That’s— that’s good, I don’t really have anything for you.” Though Diana pats at her pockets to check, just in case.

“Your attention,” Faith says, “your friendship?”

There’s a strong possibility that Faith means something more than friendship, but Diana is exactly opposed to the idea. She doesn’t want to fight for Joseph Seed, however she does want to know what Faith has in mind. She wants to know what their future will be if she agrees. “Yes,” she says. “Okay.”

“Will you come with me?” Faith holds out her hand. “I want to show you what we can have, together.”

Diana hesitates for just a moment. There are a lot of reasons to be wary of the Seeds and a lot of reasons to back out now while she still can. There are also a handful of reasons and ton of flowers, given to her by Faith, that say should should keep going and see where this path will lead her.

She takes Faith’s hand in her own. “Let’s go.”

[foofygoldfish]

so

if anyone knows any good faith/original female character or jess/ofc (or jess/grace or jess/mary may, or... yeah) fics

lemme know? 👀

[shan282-ao3]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Far Cry 5 Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Female Deputy | Judge/Faith Seed Characters: Female Deputy | Judge (Far Cry), Faith Seed, Original Female Character(s) Additional Tags: Fluff, Pure Unadulterated Fluff, Idiots in Love, Angst, just a bit Series: Part 3 of The Harbinger

Summary:

Who was she to deny the Siren?

[satanwritesfanfiction]

Jacob seed x f!deputy | Ukiyo || smut

Title: Ukiyo

Ship: Jacob Seed x F!deputy

Pronouns: Female for dep

Triggers: Smut, some references to choking if you squint. Like literally, your eyes are basically closed by how hard you squint. Some violence but not worse than canon, literally the least amount of violence. A fleeting reference to his scars, One-second screen time only. I think that's it fam.

Characters: f!deputy , Jacob Seed

Wordcount: 3200

a/n: This is the first one I'm doing for FC5 and getting back into writing, not very happy with it but thought I'd post it anyway.

***

The air was getting cold as night was approaching, it hadn't been as warm as of late,  as winter was crawling ever closer.

Jacob watched as his soldiers' pressure washed the cages, most with the hostages still in them. It was another tactic to break them. No food would take their muscle, they would be barely able to resist as the water hit them and when it was done, the cold would settle, and at that stage, they would either beg to be his or beg for death.

Jacob had watched, arms crossed over his chest like always. He liked seeing the transformation by his hands but Rook, she was different. He knew from the way she still defiantly glared at anyone who had come to her cage, sometimes he swore she physically growled. She was a wild animal waiting to sink her teeth into anyone she could get to.

He also noticed that she had been less aggressive with him, listening when he spoke and immediately taking the food he offered but perhaps that was because he had last spoken to her when she still had hope in her eyes and not rage. Those were early days, he wondered if she'd still be the same.

Most of the batch that had arrived with her had already died. She was shivering and she knew she would be next if things didn't change. The end was growing closer for her but she'd die before she'd submit.

Jacob had watched her through the CCTV footage that night, watching her shake almost in time with the trees around the compound. She had been in that cage the longest. She was strong, she had such potential but she was so defiant and didn't want to see the truth even if it was plainly laid out before her. He was going to have to change tactics. She didn't scare as easily and most likely wasn't going to survive the night which was unfortunate, Joseph wasn't going to be happy about it.

Jacob sighed as he walked down to the cages. Only a few men were patrolling since the next batch was only coming in tomorrow, the deputy was in no shape to take on an army as she was shaking in the cold. She was no threat.

She looked almost vulnerable in this state. Arms clutched around her arms, turning white from the intensity. Perhaps she had gone numb at this point and the pain didn't matter or she used to pain to be able to feel something other than the cold she must be feeling. Her eyes were shut tightly and she was sitting on her knees, her breath making grey puffs of clouds in the night air. He could see her clothing had not yet been dried completely by nightfall and her skin was turning an odd grey color.

Jacob opened the cage and entered, the deputy hyper-alert from shutting down her other senses, turned quickly,  fear covered her body. What more could he do with her, she wasn't even sure she could survive another trial, especially in this state, he surely had to know that or perhaps that was the endgame.

He towered over her with an intensity she had only ever experienced with him. She knew what he was capable of and wasn't the type of person who needed to prove his strength to know he possessed it.

He had grabbed her arm harshly and dragged her to her feet. "Come on." Was the only words he spoke as he started dragging her out of the cage.

She naturally protested as he dragged her along. She didn't want to wake up next to a trail of dead bodies again and then suddenly he was holding her by the nape of her neck, a knife pressed threateningly against her skin as his eyes bore into her own.

"Joseph may want you alive but I won't hesitate."

An odd sensation ran up her spine, so close to danger and she knew it would come to drag her away depending on her action. The fight left her body as she looking into those piercing blue eyes, even under the veil of the night they shone down at her. She could hear her heartbeat. One. Two. Three. Before he removed the knife from her skin, leaving a small indentation behind.

"Good girl." He spoke as he took hold of her arm again and led her inside the building.

Once in his office, he had pushed her into a chair unceremoniously and she stayed, rubbing at her arms as the feeling returned. She looked around in curiosity as well as an escape route but she'd have to bide her time it seems as nothing of value had been near her not that she'd expect anything less from Jacob.

"You have potential, deputy." He stated as he sat on the edge of the desk. "Why do you waste it on those people. They don't deserve it and neither can they appreciate it."

Rook stayed quiet as she looked at him. That's one thing he always had an ability to do, make her feel like he's the only one that really appreciates her talents. The way he'd say she was weak but compliment her so effortlessly when she showed promise, she craved those words and she hated herself for it.

Jacob sighed as he placed his knife on the table beside him. What would it take to get a rise out of her, some sort of reaction. He could only reason with her if he knew what she was thinking.

"What is it you think you'll accomplish by standing in our way. The collapse is coming whether you stop us or not. You stand for the weak which in turn makes you weak. They never make good pillars."

"You think them weak because they never learned that the world is a harsh, cruel place. That's not how it works, Jacob." She spoke for the first time in days. Her voice cracked and felt unfamiliar to her ears. "You thought me weak if I recall correctly and now you'd argue I have potential."

"You've proven yourself to be worthy," Jacob stated, not wanting to linger on the fact that he had been sized her up wrong the first time he saw her.  Her figure was timid and small but she was a wildfire just waiting to be let loose on the world. She could do so much if she was willing.

"Worthy of what?" She continued, rage starting to boil at her center. "To be one of Joseph's children? Worthy enough to kill innocent people who never wanted any part of this?" She ground her teeth into a snarl. "I would rather die. "

Jacob chuckled and it took Rook aback a bit. He stood from the desk and bent over her, taking her chin between his fingers while the other supported himself on the armrest. "It's sweet how you think you have a choice, sweetheart."

Rook's heartbeat quickened at his close proximity. His intensity seemed to drown out all else at times and she looked up at him, suddenly hyper-aware of her breath going in and out of her chest. He was so close and a shiver went up to her spine at the pet name. She should hate it admittedly but some part of her was drawn to this, to him.

She didn't know why she could hate him from afar but the moment his attention was on her she became so pliable, so in awe of the air that surrounded him. His touch on her chin almost intoxicating. His fingers were rough and she knew he was too. He didn't quite get the concept of subtility she reckoned.

She pressed forth, in a quick motion, her lips latching onto his and at the exact moment of contact, she knew she had made a mistake. She couldn't believe what she had done, she was afraid of his reaction. Hoped in the rejection he would at least assume it's an evasion tactic. She was always quick to action but not very intelligent about it, jumping headfirst without considering the consequences.

Jacob pulled back after the initial shock, his eyes trying to read her face. She seemed scared. His brows furrowed as he took the information in. She was treading the opposite line, the enemy and even with Joseph's faith in her he could not trust her.  This had to be some sort of trick, he should not press this further. He knew these things, but just as he had pulled back, he had pushed forward now. Her lips had felt so soft against his own, so unlike any of their previous interactions and at that moment it didn't seem like she hated him, almost seemed like she didn't feel disgust towards him.

His hand came to rest at the nape of her neck as he pressed their lips together again. He was slow, cautious. Perhaps it was a lapse in judgment, maybe a way to shut him up, maybe there was regret but he couldn't sense as much when she moved her lips against his own.

She was walking on ice that was waiting to crack, she knew that, but was it wrong of her to want for it to consume her when he was right there with her? Was it wrong of her to want to be dragged under?

Her hands fisted around the material of his jacket, a part of her said she could use this to her advantage for an escape but the part of her that was intoxicated by his being drowned out every level headed comment she could make.

His tongue entered beyond her lips and she was lost. Her skin was on fire and she was seeking it out. His hand moved to the side of her neck and his thumb pressed slightly on her trachea. She felt vulnerable knowing it would be so easy for him to remove her from the equation. She knew that he knew that's what he should do. She had been nothing but a problem to him from the very start and now her life was being held in his hands, still breathing only because he willed it so.

Moments later he removed his hand and she noticed how she liked lingering on the edge of danger. Perhaps that's why she was intoxicated, always lingering on the edge with him.

His hands hooked under her thighs and he made the seemingly effortless move of lifting her and carrying her towards his desk, one hand roughly clearing the table before placing her on it.

She bit into her lip as she looked up at him, anticipation beginning to build within her. This was wrong, he was the enemy, this was very wrong to want. The voice repeated but she elected to ignore it since her desire drowned out the noise and was screaming for him to take her.

His lips latched onto her neck, his teeth grazing over the skin. Rook angled her head so he would have more space to play as her hand combed through his short hair. She closed her eyes and focused on where his lips were on her. His hands roamed over her thighs, over her hips, and then she felt her shirt being unbuttoned. It all felt so agonizingly slow and she wished he would just rip it from her hot skin all the while thinking how she'd regret every moment as it played through her head at a later time.

When he removed the article of clothing he pulled away to regard her. She blushed a soft shade of pink and pathetically pawed at his jacket and to her, it seemed like he had taken pity on her when he removed it, like he'd given her something in return for what he had taken just moments ago.

She then grabbed the hem of his shirt but he grabbed her hand and there was a moment of hesitation as eyes stared into each other, weighing the options. Whether she was even worth the momentary lapse in judgment.

He closed his eyes momentarily and let go, an act so quickly over she almost didn't notice the brief moment of vulnerability. She pulled the shirt from his body and her eyes laid upon his chest. Scars and burn marks laid scattered. Her hand softly touched his chest, it looked so painful even now and as she looked at him, he looked ready to shut her in that cage again. She wasn't worth seeing this part of him. All the sacrifices he made. She wouldn't be able to appreciate them as h had appreciated hers.

She stood and pressed herself to him, lips attaching hungrily to his. Her arms snaking around his neck. It was the only thing she could do, her words wouldn't mean anything to him, there weren't even enough words to explain how she felt and none of it would make any difference.

Jacob was relieved she hadn't made a big deal of it. He didn't want her pity and his previous run-ins in a similar situation he had left them appalled and it angered him, but she.. she still wanted him. She still kissed him as fervently as before she took notice of the markings.

He unbuttoned the front of her jeans and his hands snaked into the confines, roughly and sloppily he moved. Impatient. His rough fingers ran across her slit and he could feel how aroused she already was. If there was any doubt in his mind that she didn't want this, it was all out the window now.

She gasped and let a small moan fall when he touched her. It was small and fleeting when he removed his hand from her pants and placed his finger into his mouth as he looked down on her and groaned. She bit her lip and noticed the indentation growing in his own pants.

There was a quick movement, one she hadn't been expecting in the tranquil moment. He had taken her hips and turned her around, pressing her chest on the desk. He pulled her pants down and she tried as best she could to look behind her with her body on the desk. She didn't dare move from where he had placed her.

She heard the unmistakable sound of a belt buckle and the material of his jeans before a harsh slap reverberated from her left butt cheek. She gasped at the contact and she spread her legs a little wider, as much as she could with her jeans hanging around her knees.

She felt him teasing at her entrance, sticking himself in her juices as he ran his cock up and down her slit.

"Jacob.." she bit into her lip. This was all but a gentle interaction, not quite how she fantasized about things. Nonetheless, she didn't quite expect much more from someone like him, and yet with all these thoughts roaming her mind, she just wanted him within her, for him to use her as he will.

"Ask me nicely."

She bit into her lip and closed her eyes. She didn't want to admit it, admit she thought about him, admit she wanted him buried inside her, wanted him to take control of her and use her. She didn't want him to know how much she wanted this but she knew it was the way to what she needed right now.

"Jacob, please.."

The answer seemed to suffice as she felt him push into her. She half expected him to roughly thrust into her all the way but to hr surprise h pushed into her slowly as she'd allow, waiting for her body to adjust when he was buried in her to the hilt.  

"Fuck." He groaned as he held her hips to him, bruisingly she felt his fingers curl around her hips.

Rook pulled a bit and pushed back when the pain subsided, eliciting a deep groan from him mingled with her own moan.

"Shit.." she heard him breathe before he slammed into her. Over and over she felt him hit deep within her with a pace that made her dizzy. The front of her legs hit the desk and she could hear it move every so often. Moans fell from her lips unchecked as she lay there, exposed and so very full. She never wanted to end, the way he knew just how to angle his hips to make her cry out for him. The thoughts of whether or not someone heard her, had disappeared from her mind before she had a chance to even fully develop them. All she knew was the ecstasy being pushed into her time and time again.

Jacob looked at her, the way his cock disappeared within her, the way she took him without any protest, the way she called out to him. She was especially beautiful at this moment. His right hand moved from the spot where he was clutching her hips and tangled it within her soft hair, pulling her body back and eliciting another scream as he used it to slam deeper into her.

He could feel she was getting close with her walls fluttering around him. He leaned down, pressing a kiss between her shoulder blades before he spoke to her, his voice low and demanding.

"Come for me, baby. Let me feel you."

Rook felt her world fell apart with a nickname so unfamiliar yet he said it so easily. Her body fell into oblivion as she came. Her walls clenched around him tightly but he didn't stop pushing into her. She screamed something that vaguely sounded like his name but she couldn't be sure as she saw white and the utter bliss coursed through her veins unchecked.

Moments later Jacob gave an animalistic groan and came inside her, ribbon after ribbon of his hot seed coated her walls and he stayed like that for a few seconds, catching his breath before pulling out and watching as both of their pleasure ran down her leg.

They were both breathing heavy and she had stayed where he placed her for a while as she tried to find her way back to herself.

He had pulled her up by snaking a hand around her middle and turned her to face him. It seemed almost sweet as he placed a strand of hair behind her ear but she knew better than to put any stake in that. Her cheeks were flushed and she was still breathing heavy, swaying a bit on her feet.

She looked at him, wondering what he was thinking. Would he put her back in the cage now or try to convince her to accept her fate or perhaps he would just end her here and now, not that she'd mind, his next words to her would surely break any illusion that she might've had about what just occurred.

"If you could only accept the truth, this wouldn't be so hard " Jacob sighed. "You defy me at every turn except when you're under me." A small smirk ghosted over his features.

He took a breath and placed her on the desk, pulling his pants up and burying himself from her sight.

"Let's get you cleaned up and we'll continue the conversation I was trying to have with you before and this time you won't escape it so easily."

[pretend-writer]

Moonlight (Jacob Seed x reader)

Summary: There was a turn of events when Deputy Y/N hunts Jacob Seed into the cabin to kill him. 

Pairing: Jacob Seed x reader

Title Reference: Moonlight x Ariana Grande

Word Count: 959 words

Warning: mention of murder and cult, mention of sex, mini-smut

✤  ·  ✤  ·  ✤  ·  ✤  ·  ✤

The time finally came, the day that I get to take down our very own Jacob Seed. He's been terrorizing Hope County for too long and it was about time he was punished for everything he's done.

Sneaking into the dark and quiet cabin, I saw Jacob going through a stash. He was so occupied, this was going to be an easy kill.

Or so I thought

'What are you doing here and how did you find this cabin?' His deep voice startled me, thinking I had a chance to get him before he noticed me.

'How did you know I was here?'

Jacob turned and took one look at me, then went back to digging into his stash. 'Your perfume, I smell it.'

‘Wow, I’m flattered.’ I crossed my arms, ‘What do you got there?’

‘None of your business, princess. Now get lost.’

I chuckled, ‘Oh no, no. I want in on whatever you have your hands on.’

Jacob rolled his eyes as he shook his head. He finally turned around, grabbing the stash tightly in his hand. ‘What makes you think I’m going to share this with you considering that you came here to kill me?’

‘You either willingly hand it over or I’m going to kill you for it. Either way, it’s a win-win situation for me.’ I smiled sarcastically.

‘That’s cute, Dep. You think you can kill me?’

Reaching for his arm, I twisted his arm behind him and kicked the back of his knee which caused Jacob to fall onto the floor. Sitting on his back, I tightly held his hand then snatched the stash from him. ‘You were saying?’

With his face against the floor, he laughed. ‘Congratulation, except you didn’t kill me. Unless you’re actually don’t want to kill me.’

‘I’ve dreamed of killing you from the moment I step foot on Hope County. Don’t be a narcissist.’

‘You and your little crew are trying to get rid of Joseph, John, me and Faith. Yet, you keep ending up with me.’

‘Trying to get rid of one Seed at a time and you just happen to be the first on the list.’

Jacob lightly laughed under his breath. ‘I beg to differ. Not going to lie, you’re pretty tough. If you wanted me dead, you would’ve already killed me a long time ago.’

I never understand how he had such a big ego. I did not do anything to make him special, the Seed siblings were such a joke. Rolling my eyes, I got off of Jacob. ‘I can’t do this, I’ll come kill you some other day. This stash is good for tonight.’

‘See, you just proved my point.’ He said as he got up and patted the dust off of his clothes.

‘Shut up, Jacob. I’ll see you whenever.’ I waved him goodbye, walking my way out the door.

Before I exited out of the cabin, Jacob took my hand and pulled me in. Cornering me against the wall, he smirked. ‘You think I’m going to let you get away?’

'Look who's obsessed now.' I bit my lip and snatched my hand away from him. 'I think the real question is why haven't you killed me?'

He leaned closer, pressing me against the wall where I had no where to go. 'You're interesting, haven't felt a thrill from someone for a long time. Plus I like how you smell.'

'Are you really hitting on me now? Eldest Seed getting a little soft now?'

'Oh, I am definitely not soft right now.' His joke made me roll my eyes. Jacob leaned in and whispered, 'Don't act like you don't want it.'

'I don't.'

'Such a liar.' He raised his eyebrows, his cockiness was getting to him and it was pissing me off. 'John says your sin is wrath but I personally think it's between pride and lust. Guess we will find out soon enough.'

Crossing my arms, I was able to have Jacob back up a little bit. He barely budged but it at least it was something. 'You're unbelievable, you know that?'

'And yet you're still not killing me.' Jacob grabbed my chin, leaning in as he pressed his lips on mine.

My eyes widened and quickly, I scooted my head to the side. Jacob stared at me as I tried to catch my breath and slow down my racing heart. This was definitely not what I had imagine we'd do when I stepped foot into this cabin a few minutes ago.

Jacob Seed was not someone I'd want to be with, considering the damage and the torture that he had done to the citizens of Hope County. I was supposed to save them from him and his siblings. All of the feelings that I had was wrong but it felt so right.

'Just stop being a hero already.' Jacob pressed his body onto me, it was as if he read whatever was going on in my mind. I hated it so much, I couldn't stand that he made me feel so vulnerable.

Without hesitation this time, I crashed my lips and kissed him. It was like all of the sexual tension that we had in the past was finally being relieved.

In between the sloppy kisses, he grabbed my butt and carried me as I wrapped my legs around his waist. He gently put me down on the floor, hovering over me without breaking the kiss.

'Wait.' I breathed heavily, it was fascinating how long we went without taking a break at all. 'Are we seriously going to continue on the floor when there's a bedroom next door?'

'Are you f-' Jacob looked at me and then rolled his eyes, picking me back up. 'You're such a fucking princess.'

[western-writer]

New Beginnings

Fandom: Far Cry 5

Warnings: mentions of killing one's self, slight language, slight descriptions of death, and mentions of death itself

Summary: When the Resistance accidentally almost gets the Deputy killed, members take a step back to evaluate their actions. When Dep finally wakes, she's troubled about her health and is unsure how to move on with life.

A/n: this isn't edited but I've been working on this one for a really long time and I honestly love how it turned out so enjoy!

The stillness and lack of gun power in the air made some residents of Hope County question if yesterday's events actually happened.

Mary May stands behind the bar, leaned on the counter and being supported by a single arm. The other arm is occupied with the task of bringing her drink to her lips so she can nurse the strong beverage. Her eyes are glossy. Her mind is off in a distant place. She wishes nothing more than to leave.

The rising sun's light leaks into the bar as the door opens and disappears as the door shuts. Pastor Jerome Jefferies enters, sharing a forlorn look with Mary May. He strides toward her and takes a seat on a barstool.

"Penny for your thoughts," Jerome murmurs, pouring himself a glass of the dark liquid.

Mary May inhales sharply before breaking her gaze on a barstool scratch on the wooden floor.

"Was yesterday actually real or did I just have an incredibly vivid, terrible dream?" She pushes herself up on the counter, now leaning on the heel of her hand.

"Unfortunately, all too real," Jerome responds regretfully.

Mary May sighs. Blood on her hand catches her eye and she jumps, pained by the sight. Pastor Jerome catches this and follows her eyes.

"You should wash that off," he advises.

Nodding slowly, Mary May takes a wet wash rag from the counter and wipes her hands off and then tosses the rag into the trash. For that one, she thinks, it's best to just throw away.

She runs both hands over her face, muttering a question to Pastor Jerome. "Why'd we do it? Why the HELL did we do it?"

"People do some stupid things when they're scared," he answers. "That doesn't make it right, but it makes us human."

"I wish humans weren't so stupid," Mary May says angrily.

Laying in a bed in a coma is Rook. Beside her is a very, very angry Kim Rye. She told the Resistance it was a bad idea. She told them to trust the Deputy. They didn't listen and it almost cost Rook her life. It still might.

Her husband, Nick, enters the room and stands in the doorway meekly. He knows he's part of the reason Rook is where she is, and he doesn't know if Kim will ever forgive him for his part.

"How's she doin'?" he questions.

Kim responds without looking at him. "Still pretty fucking lifeless, Nick. She's being kept alive by machines."

He stares at Rook, at where he knows the bullets pierced her body. He wants to say something else. He should say something else, but he can't bring himself to. His chest aches, ridden with guilt.

"If she doesn't wake up..." Kim starts to say before taking a breath to calm herself. "If she doesn't wake up, Nick... I will NEVER forgive you. Do you understand that?"

Nick sighs. "I understand. I won't forgive myself either."

Sharky hadn't slept all night. The image of Rook's unmoving body in a pool of her own blood is burned into his brain. Everytime he shut his eyes he saw it, almost like it was tattooed on the inside of his eye lids. He was stupid and he knew it. Rook always made the right call when it came down to it. What made him think this time would be any different? He couldn't bring himself to trust the cult to keep their word, and in turn, that meant he didn't trust Rook.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," he mutters to himself, pacing his trailer. The words rolled out of his mouth over and over until he couldn't bare to talk anymore.

"Goddammit, Shark," he cusses himself. "You really fucked it this time."

He couldn't pull himself out of his dread long enough to go see her. He isn't sure if he even wants to see her in the first place. Seeing her like that... he's not sure he'll be able to bounce back from it, especially if Rook doesn't make it.

An ear piercing scream rips through the air, giving the echoing sound of the gun shot that just fired a run for it's money. A collective gasp and stunned scream comes from bystanders as the unarmed follower drops to her knees, blood spurting from the bullet hole in her neck. Nick's plane flies over them, dropping bombs uncomfortably close to them, which sends everyone into a panic.

Rook dives into cover as the cult begins to return fire. She's weaponless which makes her helpless. Frantically, Rook looks around, hoping to find a discarded weapon. Her eyes land on one not far from her, dropped on the ground presumably by the now dead body next to it. She waits until an opening and makes a break for the weapon, but she falls short when a large boot comes into contact with her face. The force of the kick knocks her onto her back and she peers up at the culprit.

"Was this a set up!?" the Chosen member in front of Rook screams at her. This particular Chosen happened to have a gun, and was now pointing it right at Rook.

"No! No! Of course not!" Rook shouts back, trying desperately to be heard over the gunfire. She looks around, hoping to see Joseph somewhere, but, of course, Joseph is no where to be found. She cusses to herself, knowing he would believe her when she said this was not her idea.

"Awfully convenient," he remarks, rounding on her like a predator stalks it's prey. Her heart is pounding in her chest as she watches the barrel of the gun circle her.

Gunfire around them seemed to cease as the only thing Rook could hear was the sound of his boots hitting the ground. Then, three gun shots fire off and the world goes silent. Two bullet land themselves in Rook's chest and the third in the head of the cultist that just shot Rook.

The fight lasted no more than a few minutes before the cultist got his hands on Rook, yet claimed many lives, starting with the unarmed cultist and potentially ending with Rook.

Rook had laid in her own blood for almost thirty seconds before someone came to her aid. Mary May was quick to put press on the wounds. Eventually, under Joseph's order, his doctor's rushed her away for emergency surgery. The rest of them were left at the battle site, wondering if Rook would pull through.

"I knew it was a bad idea," Eli mumbled, unsure if anyone was listening. "You all were so angry when I said not to participate and look what happened!"

The Whitetails in front of Eli cringe at his loud voice. They're now thankful they didn't participate in the bloodbath that might take the Deputy away.

"You were right, Eli," Wheaty responds. "I'm sorry for ever doubting you."

"Eli, come on. You have to admit that we had absolutely no reason to believe that the cult would really back down if we did."

"You're right, Tammy. We had no reason to trust the cult, but we had every reason to trust Dep. Look at all she's done for us, at everything she's been through because of the cult. She just wanted peace and the rest of them couldn't let her have that."

Silence falls over the small crowd and Eli sighs, setting his bow down on the table.

"I'm going to see her. I advise that you all just stay here."

Standing outside the room, Eli hears multiple voices and comes to the conclusion that one of them belongs to Kim Rye. She hasn't left Rook's side since she came here.

"Thank you... for, you know, taking care of her."

"Of course," another female voice responds. It sounds familiar to Eli but he can't quite place it. After a pause and a heavy sigh, Eli enters the room. He finds Kim sitting in a chair beside the bed, Faith Seed administering medicine. Kim turns and sees Eli. She stands up and walks over to hug him quickly.

"Thank you for coming," Kim says to him. Eli nods to her and then Faith.

"Faith," he says, nodding his head as if he's tipping a hat. "How's she doin'?"

"She's making progress," Faith responds. "She was lucky that both bullets didn't kill her on impact. These bullets could've easily hit her heart. It would've been over before it started."

Eli sighs and pulls up a chair, sitting beside Kim.

"All we can do is keep her comfortable and keep infection from setting in. The machines will do the rest until her body can take over."

"When do you think that will be?"

"We can't be sure, if I'm being honest. Maybe she'll just wake up."

Kim smiles sadly. "I'll never forget her rolling up to the airstrip in Nick's plane like she owned the place. That's how I knew she was different than the rest. That's the moment I was sure she was our hope." Kim glances at Eli, then back at Rook. "Have you talked to any of the Resistance?"

"Not besides my Whitetails. Have you?"

"Just Nick."

"I wonder how the others are coping..."

"I imagine not well," Faith pipes up. "Everyone I talk to talks so highly of her, even some followers. She's a force to be reckoned with, I know that first hand." Faith smiles a bit before it falls. "Can I ask you both something?"

"Sure," Eli and Kim respond.

"Would both have been satisfied with a peace treaty? Like, actually satisfied or would you have rathered to eradicate us but settled for peace?"

It takes the two of them a minute to respond. Eventually Kim speaks up.

"If I'm being honest, I wasn't pleased with it at first. It was only after talking to Dep about a lot did I come around to being at peace with the idea."

"Same here. It definitely took a lot of contemplating, but at the end of the day, I came around thanks to Dep."

"Why? You both spoke so openly about wishing death on my family. What changed?"

Kim and Eli share a look before Kim answers for the both of them. "I think both Eli and I can agree that it was seeing what this fight was doing to Dep. She was constantly anxious and paranoid. She didn't sleep and when she did the nightmares made it pointless. The weight of the county was on her shoulders and it wasn't fair. If living peacefully with you all meant Dep would finally have peace, it was worth it."

A small smile makes it way onto Faith's lips. "I think in a different life her and I could've been friends..."

Footsteps behind them pull the three of them out of their conversation to look behind them. Walking up the hallway is Deputy Pratt followed closely by Jacob Seed. Pratt's eyes go wide when he sees her.

"W-w-what happened to her?" he questions, moving to stand beside her bed.

"Shot," Jacob answers gruffly.

"How?" Pratt responds.

"While trying to discuss a peace treaty with Eden's Gate," Faith answers before Jacob can, effectively silencing whatever insensitive answer Jacob had.

Jacob rolls his eyes at her, leaning against the doorframe.

"What happened to the person that did this?" Staci asks, looking around at everyone.

"I dealt with him personally," Jacob answers coldly.

Staci looks away from Jacob and back to Rook. He hoped she'd never have to be in this position.

Days went by and the worry through out the county intensified. Rook wasn't showing any signs of waking up anytime soon. Finally, after ten days and being in a coma she opened her eyes at 2:37 AM. Beside her still in a restless sleep was Kim Rye. Kim's eyes shot open the moment she sensed Rook being awake.

"Oh, my God, Deputy!" Kim exclaimed, jumping up and running to her. "I'm gonna take this tube out of your mouth, okay?" Rook nods back slightly and very carefully Kim pulls the tube out of her throat.

Rook groans, looking at her bandaged body and fighting the rasp in her throat to say something. She can't find the words but Kim knows exactly what she's trying to say.

"You-you were shot, Deputy. Point blank in the chest twice. While you were trying to negotiate peace." Kim chokes up a little bit, overwhelmed by happiness.

Rook's eyes dart around the ceiling as so many questions bounce in her head.

"I'll explain more later, but right now we need to get you checked out. We have to make sure you haven't sustained any serious damage besides the obvious." Kim puts her hand on Rook's shoulder before turning to walk out of the room. She stops before exiting and turns back to Rook. "It's good to see you awake, Deputy. We were -I was - starting to wonder if you'd ever wake up."

Two weeks after waking up Rook was ready to sit up. After two months she was standing, something they feared she may never do again, and only a month after that she was walking again with help.

Many people around the county came to her aid, offering to help her with whatever she needed. They did a great job at keeping her occupied and entertained. When she was well enough, many would take her for short car rides around the county, and Nick even took her up in his plane once.

Dep had almost no memory of that day. She remembers laying on the ground with a gun in her face and then waking up in the hospital bed. Kim, though, took the liberty of filling her in, explaining what the Resistance did. At first Rook was angry. She was so angry that they doubted her so much that they took such drastic measures. But she saw the guilt the carried when they'd visit her. She could hear it in their words and see it in their actions. They were trying so hard to make it up to her.

Eventually, Rook was able to let go of her anger towards them and be able to understand why they did it. While it doesn't excuse their actions, it certainly helped Rook understand. Her understanding was what led her to forgiving.

Talk of a peace agreement began to circle the county when Rook made an off hand comment about intending to follow through with that once she was fully recovered. Though true, Rook was worried about her health. While the bullets missed her heart, she sustained damage to her lungs and spinal cord. Rook doesn't vocalize these fears until a night where Jacob was tasked with watching her overnight.

She sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the floor when Jacob entered with dinner for them both. He sets the bag down next to her and takes a seat beside the bed. She reaches for it, opening it.

"Chicken tenders, fuck yeah," she says, pulling the food out of the bag.

Jacob props his feet up on the chair beside him and takes a bit of his burger. Rook slowly eats her food.

"So, you still wanna go through with a peace agreement, huh?"

Rook looks up at him cautiously, surprised that he's making conversation.

"I would like to, yes," Rook answers.

Jacob grunts a reply. He was never a fan of the idea of surrender. But Joseph said it's what God wants, and what Joseph says, goes.

"I wouldn't expect you to like the idea, Jacob. But the amount of relief I felt when Joseph agreed was astronomical. Like a huge weight off my shoulders."

Jacob looks up at her. She's staring at the floor again.

"I guess my relief wasn't long lived." She takes a long, ragged breath and takes another bite.

"You know," he starts. "When I first saw you in that church, my expectations for you were so low, but you proved me wrong."

"I don't think that counts of a compliment, Jake."

Jacob rolls his eyes. "It's not supposed to be one. I was just sayin'."

Rook sighs and carefully slides back, moving to lay on the bed. She tries to move her leg without using her hands. Jacob watches her for a second before she gives up and uses her hands to lift each leg onto the bed. She leans back, staring right at the ceiling. She glances at him and he can tell that something is on her mind. He recognizes the look.

"Spill it," he demands. "Something's bothering you. Spill it."

"Like you care," Rook responds.

"I don't," Jacob snaps back. "But if I have to deal with that fuckin' look on your face all night, I'll kill myself."

Rook sighs, looking down at her legs. "I'm worried about my health, Jacob. The bullets damaged a lung and my spinal cord."

Jacob stares at her.

"The fact that I have any feeling in my legs is a miracle... but I may never be able to walk without assistance ever again. And even if I can, my bad lung will make it nearly impossible to do anything ever again. I probably won't be able to work at all, let alone go back to being a cop."

"Why'd you wanna go back to your job after everything?"

Rook smiles a bit. "I've never felt like I belong more than when I'm in that uniform. And now I'm not even 30 and my career is over. I felt so... content being able to help people and now that chance is gone. Early retirement here I come."

"You're afraid that you'll never have a purpose again, right?"

Rook stops before slowly nodding.

Jacob sits there calmly and Rook continues to ramble on and he actually listens. He surprised at all the information she reveals to him. He never would've guessed that all that had been going on inside her head. Finally, she pauses and Jacob decides to interject.

"You've got something goin' for you, Deputy. More than I ever did when I was discharged from the army."

Rook stops, looking at him and wondering where this is going. "And what would that be, Jacob?"

Jacob sighs, leaning back in his chair. "You've got a whole county dedicated to you, Dep. That's more than I can say for myself. I was a mess before Joseph found me. But these people... they won't let that happen to you. I know they won't. They feel too guilty and care about you too much. You'll find your purpose, Dep. It'll just take a little time."

Rook is stunned by Jacob's words, and so is Jacob himself. But the words are burned into her brain whether she wants them to be or not.

Rook heals more and begins to become more mobile. As she promised, she follows through with the peace agreement and the whole county shows up to witness history. Only when she's standing there in front of all the people she had fought for and fought against does she finally understand the meaning of Jacob's words. She doesn't need to be a cop to help people. She's helping them right now. She's bringing peace to their home.

It takes some time after peace settled in the county for things to go back to normal. Rook, being tired of staying at home doing nothing began to search for jobs she could do with her limited mobility and damaged lung. It was difficult and after a while she began to lose hope. Then, out of no where she received a letter from Jacob explaining to her to per the peace agreement, he was converting the Vet's Center back to an actual sanctuary for lost and broken veterans that need help getting back on their feet. In the letter, Jacob offers her a management position, claiming her to be the best person for the job that he knows. He understands that the job might a little bit demanding for her given her health, but he's willing to work with her on it if she agrees.

Rook is floored by this surprisingly kind gesture and she takes the job on the spot.

Working along side Jacob like this, she learns so much more about him and his family that she never would've learned otherwise.

One day, while they're working, Jacob admits to her that he was the one that killed the person that shot her.

"I didn't even think about it. We arrived to the chaos and when I saw him shoot you I just... acted."

"You saved my life that day, Jacob. Who knows how many more times he would've shot me."

Jacob nods, almost dismissively, but now she just knows that's how he is. Somehow, in a round a bought sort of way, they became friends. They all did. Resistance members were now actively helping members of Eden's Gate with random projects and visa versa. None of the ever thought that this would come from a truce, but they all agree that it feels good to have a new beginning. It feels good to feel safe again. And that's all thanks to Rook.

[ao3feed-farcry]

by BrokenBranch

Y/N, Juinor Deputy and the trigger of the end of the world is tired. Tired of running, fighting.. she is a tool for the resistance and the cult.

After reading a certain book her mind had been torn between two worlds. Could she bring peace to Hope County?

Words: 1206, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: FarCry5, Farcry, Farcry New Dawn

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M

Characters: Joseph Seed, John Seed, Jacob Seed, Faith Seed, Pastor Jerome, Nick Rye, Kim Rye, Sharky, Hurk, Mary May, Sherrif Whitehorse, Deputy Hudson, Staci Pratt, Deputy Pratt, Peggies - Character, Misc characters - Character, npcs

Relationships: joseph seed x reader, Female Deputy | Judge & Joseph Seed, Female Deputy x Joseph Seed

Additional Tags: Romance, Drama, Peace, Switching Sides, Bringing peace to hope county, judges, Wolves, jacob has a crush on the dep, Fluff, Mention of smut, slight nsfw, Making Out, Abandonment, Pain, anguish, End of the World, Pregnancy, love hate relationship, Rejection

[grumpyhedgehogs]

The Judgement of Petals

Summary: The Judge leaves flowers for various citizens of Hope County. Secrets are brought to light. 

Part 2: Here Part 3: Here

Notes:

I just love that the Judge will go pick flowers if your player is idle long enough. My sweet summer child. 

One important thing about this fic is that I went with the headcanon that nobody actually knows for sure that it’s Dep behind the mask, but some people have suspicions. Because you can’t tell me that Grace and Sharky and the Ryes wouldn’t go in guns blazing to get Dep back. 

Also: SPOILERS! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DON’T READ IF YOU HAVEN’T FINISHED THE GAME. (Also, I just kinda handpicked the parts of all the endings that I felt went with the story. Ah, the powers of fic writing.)

@sadyeehawmp3 asked me to tag them, so here you go! Hope you enjoy and angst and fluff!

“They speak only one language- that of violence.”

~

The Father

After it was all over- the twins dead, Hope County saved, the Father neutralized- after everything, the Captain wasn’t surprised to find the Judge had simply disappeared into thin air. They had knelt next to Joseph for a long time at the end; Captain could hear their sobs but couldn’t tell whether they were of sorrow or relief- but they did speak of some unknowable grief. Captain had turned away, paced a few yards, and left them to it. They deserved to collect their thoughts, if only for a moment.

When the Captain turned back, arm already up to gesture that they could both return to Hope County, that they were both free from whatever hell they had fallen into, the Judge was gone. In their wake, they had left three small purple flowers. They were cut too early, barely blooming, and speckled with dirt and ash. They looked bedraggled and flattened, as if the Judge had smothered them into their coat for safekeeping- which they probably did.

The Captain recognized them as petunias.

They were left there, to rot or to burn with the body of the Father. The Captain had a vague hope that the wind would carry the petals away before the flames reached them.

~

Jerome

It had been three or four weeks since the end of the conflict, and to Jerome it seemed as if he was even busier than before the war with the Highwaymen ended. He was needed from one end of the county to another, day in and day out, working to help refugees, go on supply runs, shore up defenses, provide faith and council to the hopeless- whatever the people needed, Jerome was determined to provide.

But he was hesitant more so now than ever to call these people his flock. He’d been burned one too many times he supposed. It never helped to get too attached to many in a place such as their world.

These thoughts, these anxieties-what if something else happens? One thing after another, who’s to say there won’t come someone else- someone worse that Joseph Seed and the Twins put together, we never catch a break do we- combined with the storm brewing that night had him wide awake. He sat quietly watching the rain lash at the muddied yard beyond his porch. There was a fire dying in the grate behind him- he could hear the fading crackles of the last bits of wood. Soon it would just be embers.

He must have been more tired than he realized- maybe the rain or the dying fire had lulled him into a doze, maybe he had been sleepwalking and had only dreamed that he had gotten up, maybe this was still a dream- he couldn't settle on a believable explanation for not seeing who left the bouquet on the top step of his porch.

Jerome jolted in his seat, heart pounding hard enough to break his ribs. The rain had gotten even worse now, mixing with the dark to make a gloom that was impenetrable. There was no way he could catch whoever had done it.

He approached cautiously, thoughts of Faith Seed flickering behind his eyes, but none of the blossoms on the worn wooden floorboards looked a thing like the Bliss.

The bouquet was obviously made by an amateur; the blooms weren’t full- some of them were too young or too old, there were torn petals and browning edges, most of the flowers looked like they’d been drowned in all the rain, and pollen blurted out onto the toe of his boot when he went to nudge them. It was all held together with a rough piece of twine, threaded with another unknown purple flower.

Jerome bent closer, hand on his holster, afraid to inhale in case he did in fact have another Faith on his hands. But he recognized irises when he saw them. Bluebells -the low hanging flowers missing a few blossoms, as if they were pulled off the stem hastily- were there too.

It wasn’t until he showed Nana the bouquet later the next (same? Jerome really needed to catch up on his sleep) morning that he found out the two flowers he didn’t know were called bittersweet and magnolias. The one in the twine was verbana.

“What does it mean?” He asked her, rubbing the back of his scalp irritably. He was unused to feeling flustered by plants.

“Means someone out there thinks very highly of you son,” Nana quipped flippantly. “Magnolia and bittersweet, those are nobility and truth, respectively, ya see, and bluebells are humility. Verbana’s a strange inclusion though- usually means ‘pray for me.’ Guess they know you’re a pastor. But the iris, now that’s the interesting one.”

“It is? Why?”

She tipped her head back, blew out a big breath and pushed her glasses up her sweaty nose. The storm had blown away in the early hours and now Jerome could already feel a sunburn starting across the tops of his shoulders. “Means a couple a things, depending on who gives em- faith, hope, those are probably the meanings this one’s going for. Wisdom and valor, too, I suppose. If somebody you know gave ‘em to you they can mean that your friendship means a lot too. Who’s the lucky lady?”

“Nobody,” Jerome hastened to answer. He shook his head in bewilderment, staring at the wilting flowers in his palm. Something deep in his gut flickered with warmth. There was a nagging at the back of his mind. “I didn’t see who left it.”

“Hm,” Nana rejoined. She shrugged. “Captain said the Judge left flowers for the Father at the end. Petunias.”

“You think the Judge is giving out bouquets?” Jerome couldn’t really wrap his head around such an imposing figure slogging through the storm in the middle of the night to give him flowers. But there were rumors…

Nick had said that when he saw their eyes there was something familiar-

“You see anybody else picking flowers these days?” She had a point there. “Besides, if it is the Judge, they think a hell of a lot more of you than the Father.”

“Wh- that’s not true. They loved the Father. They followed him everywhere. Captain said they grieved when he died.”

Nana’s glare was so sharp and hot he had to drop his eyes. “They cried all right- lots of reasons for people to cry, and not any of them very good these days. But the flowers say something different about those two than your image of their relationship, Jerome. Petunias- they’re something you leave an enemy. Most of the time, at least. Anger, resentment- only good thing they mean is not losing hope.”

Jerome didn’t have anything to say to that. Nana huffed and walked away from him, shaking her head.

In the next few weeks he was on high alert; every crack of a twig and patter of rain outside his door was greeted with attentive eyes. If it was the Judge- if what Nick thought was true-

But he never saw anyone.

(He kept the flowers until they browned and cracked and crumbled away.)

~

Kim

Kim had already talked about the petunias with the Captain- they had seemed agitated, upset ever since the Judge disappeared after they helped take down Joseph. Kim wasn’t sure what surprised her more; that the Judge really turned on the Father they loved so much, or that the Captain was so torn up about them leaving without saying goodbye.

Nana had also let slip that Jerome had received an odd gift from out of the blue a week ago, but she hadn’t thought much of it. Jerome was an attractive man and a compassionate one at that- it wouldn’t surprise her if he had more than a few admirers around Hope County.  

Her flowers showed up on the kitchen table in the early morning.

Kim had been the first one awake; that in and of itself was a startling feat, given that Carmina was wont to be up at the “ass-crack of dawn” as her father put it. She’d decided to have an actual breakfast ready for her daughter and husband today; no cereal bars or stale bread crap for them today.

The kitchen was cool and welcoming in the soft morning light. Kim loved this time of day; everything seemed quiet and peaceful. The world was for the taking and Kim wasn’t going to waste the chance.

She’d opened the back door, propped the screen ajar to get some nice air flow and gone into the pantry to check their stores. Her fringe brushed into her eyes. As Kim lifted an absent hand to stroke the strands out of the way, she heard that faulty floorboard two feet inside the back door creak.

She froze.

There was silence. Her fingers twitched to her gun. Birds were singing outside the window.

There was a rustle of fabric. Kim pulled her gun. It caught on the calluses of her palms, slipping in her sweat. Should she call out to Nick? Take whoever it was on her own? How much time did she have?

There was another shuffle. The same floorboard creaked. She breathed in, breathed out.

“Hands up,” she shouted, twisting around the corner, gun up, trigger finger itchy. Kim only caught a glimpse of the tails of a long coat whipping out of sight around the screen door.

There was a thump from upstairs, feet on the landing. “Mom?”

It took Kim a second to see the bouquet. It sat innocently before her chair at the table. The twine was tied in a lopsided bow.

The confusion Nana had mentioned Jerome expressed suddenly started to make sense.

“I’m fine honey,” Kim called back while holstering her weapon tentatively, knowing that wouldn’t assuage Carmina’s worries in the slightest. “Just- thought I saw somebody. It’s nothing. Go back to sleep.”

She had to take a few more minutes to calm her daughter down enough to go back to resting, but once she did, Kim snatched up the bundle. Just like Nana had mentioned with Jerome’s flowers, not a single Bliss blossom was in sight. They were all flowers Kim knew were native to Hope County, all ones Carmina herself had picked for her mother when she was little.

There was a book on flowers somewhere on their bookshelf; Kim remembered thinking it could tell them about which ones were good to eat before promptly forgetting it was there when she put it down.

She found it after a few minutes of scrambling, in which she tried to be as quiet as possible for the house’s sleeping occupants. It was old and dusty, pages yellowed and crinkled with water damage. It took even longer to find all the right flowers inside.

Camomile she recognized from the front of the box of tea; apparently they were for relaxation now, but the old meaning was “energy in the face of adversity.” Some 19th century bullshit.

Red poppies, like the ones that grew outside their home, meant “remembrance.” (Something twisted in Kim’s chest.)

Blue violets meant “faithfulness” or “watchfulness”; the book suggested that the sender was either saying they would watch out for the receiver until death, or that the sender believed that the receiver was a symbol of faithfulness. White zinnia was supposedly for “goodness,” and white heather meant “protection.”

But the last blooms, the ones that it took Kim the longest to define, were purple hyacinths.

“Pleading for forgiveness,” Kim murmured aloud, and the knot in her chest moved to her throat.

She showed Nick the bouquet; he’d already heard from Nana who the old woman thought was giving out flowers and Kim knew who Nick thought the Judge was. She didn’t say anything, just slid him the book across the breakfast table after Carmina had blown out the door to “get shit done.”

He sat silently for a few minutes but Kim knew when he got to the hyacinths. Nick shoved the text away, pushed his hat back on his head and placed his face in worn hands. Kim couldn’t think to say anything- what was there to say that would make this better? She just sat with her husband, held him around the shoulders, and stared at the crudely put together gesture on the table. The flowers were as ragged as Nana had mentioned Jerome’s were. The twine was obviously pulled off of a larger rope. It looked like a child had made it.

(Kim put it in a vase on her bedside table and woke every morning for the next week afraid it would be gone when she looked over. She didn't want to think what they’d do once the flowers died.)

~

Hurk

Blade showed up holding a bouquet out to his father with a note declaiming Hurk as the recipient. His son and cousin had been down at the river, hoping to catch something edible and not canned to eat for dinner. When Hurk jerked around to stare accusingly at Sharky, he simply shook his head.

“Kid went to take a piss in the woods and says he stopped to draw some shit in the dirt or something. Said a nice stranger from the trees gave him that and a cool stick to play with.”

“You think it was the Judge?” Hurk asked uneasily. If Blade’s mother found out how near to the Judge their son had been, he would be in deep shit.

Sharky’s face was uncharacteristically stony. “Kid said they didn’t say nothin’.”

“Nick says- do you really think it could be them?”

Sharky paused before he shrugged. The Dep was always a rough topic with him, just like they were with Nick: talking about a man’s only friend who died horribly did that.

“It was a pretty cool stick,” Sharky admitted.

Hurk gulped and nodded. He pried the flowers gently out of his son’s hand and dropped a kiss on the top of Blade’s head. Sharky motioned to Blade to help him get the fish he had thrown over his shoulder to the kitchens. Hurk held out a hand to stop him.

“How am I supposed to know what the fuck any of these mean? Kim said they might be important but I know fuck all about flowers, man.”

Sharky smirked a little and nodded at the note with Hurk’s name on it. “Think they made it easy on you, idiot.”

Hurk scowled at his cousin but flipped open the note, which was really a piece of notebook paper folded in half. He hardly registered Sharky herding Blade away once he stared matching the names and descriptions to the petals.

The handwriting was sloppy and jagged, trailing off and leaving punctures through the paper in places as if the person writing wasn’t used to holding a pen. Hurk read it all anyway. And then he read it again, just in case he missed something. His stomach was sinking.

Red tulip- Loyalty. Weird start, but okay. He guessed he was pretty loyal to his family.

Daffodils- New beginnings. Was the Judge talking about Blade? Probably. Hurk hadn’t exactly been quiet about his excitement about being a father.

Red Gladiolus- Strength, integrity. What the hell did integrity mean again?  

Buttercups- childishness. Which, okay, that was fair he guessed.

Coreopsis- Always cheerful. Hurk swallowed thickly at that: Dep had liked him for his sense of humor.

Red/Yellow Zinnia- In memory of an absent friend.

That one threw him for a loop. Who was missing? A lot of people these days, but Hurk flashed on how torn up Kim Rye had seemed that day she muttered something about her own flowers dying, how Jerome had seemed pale for weeks, how Sharky and Nick were unable to speak from anger when they saw the Captain with that stupid old deputy outfit they’d found and donned on a lark. Yeah, okay. Maybe Hope County was missing someone pretty damn important.

The bouquet itself wasn’t tied with anything but a few other flowers; these were long stemmed yellow flowers, keeping in theme with the colors of the bouquet itself. Hurk flipped the paper over and found one last line down at the bottom of the page like he wasn’t really supposed to find it.

Rue- Regret, sorrow, repentance. You were a good friend.

“Well,” Hurk said aloud. He was hoarse; it hurt to speak. “Fuck.”

He stopped thinking Sharky and Nick were crazy after that.

He kept Blade close the next few days because while he missed them something awful like hell was he gonna let his son anywhere near somebody who’d been brainwashed for years on end by Joseph fucking Seed. That didn’t mean that he didn’t try to look out for anybody living in the woods. Sometimes Hurk thought he saw somebody moving on the edges of his vision when he was out there, but there was no one whenever he turned.

(He kept the flowers on the windowsill- he couldn’t take care of them for shit and his throat felt tight every time he realized that the only thing he had left of his friend would die in a day or two, but he just- he wanted them to know. To see. He is loyal, damn it. He is.)

~

Sharky

The Dep and Sharky were good friends. They were best friends.

He didn’t feel at all put-off that he hadn’t received a bunch of stupid flowers from the Judge. Nope. Nuh-uh. They didn’t even know that the Judge and Dep were the same person, really. The Judge could just be some weirdo in a mask with personal space issues. He didn't care if he didn’t get a bunch of plants from some stalker psycho killer. Zero jealousy here. Zip. Zilch. Nada.

“Oh fuck yeah!” Sharky pumped his fist in the air when he saw the stupid not at all long awaited bouquet sitting on the hood of his truck. The same notebook paper as Hurk’s bunch lay folded underneath the plants, so that the hot metal was buffered from melting the petals too easily. The heat wave was continuing, though, and the flowers were already looking more than a little worse for wear. He snapped them up eagerly and shoved his way into the truck before he allowed himself to read it. His hands were shaking.

His name- Charlemagne Victor Boshaw IV, not his nickname- was printed sloppily on the outside. (They remembered how to spell my name!)

On the inside, his note looked pretty much like Hurk’s.

Morning Glory- affection. Don’t make any jokes.

White clover- Thinking of you. Seriously, no jokes.

Purple Carnation- changeable, whimsical.  His mood swings weren’t that bad, come on.

Baby’s Breath- purity of heart. Okay, that one wasn’t really true.

Azalea- Take care of yourself for me. NOT that way.

Viscaria- Invitation to dance. We disco-ed pretty good, huh?

Then, at the bottom, it was signed with a shaky smiley face. It looked like they’d tried to cross it out a few times, but he could still make it out.

Hurk had told him about his note, and there was still at least one flower he didn’t know the name of. His heart beat too fast in his mouth. This part was gonna suck.

Sure enough, there were three more lines on the back.

Aloe- grief.

Love-lies-bleeding- hopelessness.

Don’t try to find me, friend. Please.

“Oh, like hell,” Sharky snarled at the paper. He crumpled it in his overeager grip, but just as quickly smoothed it back out. His friend- his only friend.

They weren’t dead.

“Hang on in there, Dep,” Sharky muttered, starting up the truck. The engine whined, rumbled, and turned over. He’d have to take a detour; Nick Rye would want to know about this.

He’d keep looking however fucking long it took. The Dep couldn’t honestly expect to reappear having obviously been fucked up by Joseph Seed for years, turn on the fucker at the last second and then get away with just sending fucking flowers, could they? They couldn't really think he’d leave them out in the cold without putting up a good Goddamn fight.

“You just hang on in there, buddy. We’re gonna getcha home safe.”

(He kept the flowers in a loop of the same twine that tied them together hanging from his rear view mirror. They dried and crumpled in on themselves in record time, but he didn't mind. When they started to lose their smell Sharky dug out an old air-freshener from the glove box. It was all good.)

~

Grace

Grace had Nana explain her flowers to her when they came.

She knew that she might get some; hell, if Hurk radioed in to say he got a bouquet she sure as shit better get one if the Judge really was who they thought they were. God, this would all be a lot easier if the Judge could talk. If Grace could see. If the world hadn't gone to hell in a handbasket.

“If, if, if.” She had no time for “if” these days.

The flowers smelled pungent; they must have picked the ones they did so she could find them in the dark. They were on her window ledge when she woke up in the morning. Grace was less worried about the Judge wandering around her land in the dark of the night than she thought she'd be. (she still closed the window.)

Nana took her hands and placed her fingers on the petals as she explained them. Grace kept her touch as delicate as she could; she could imagine it was almost as if she were touching the Dep’s face instead of dying vegetation this way.

Who knew being blind bred loneliness?

“Black-eyed susans,” Nana helped Grace finger the thin, long petals, soft like silk. “They’re bright yellow, in pretty good shape. The Judge is getting better at picking flowers.”

“What do they mean?”

“For you? Justice, most likely. Now these next, with the wide petals? Those are geraniums, pinkish-white, they mean determination, or refinement I guess, but I think it’s the former. These layered ones are chrysanthemums, white and purple, so let’s see, that’d be...truth and honesty.”

“This is-” Grace felt the next stem, her fingernail accidentally slicing into it. “Isn’t this a dandelion? I can feel the- the fluffy bit.”

Nana snorted a laugh. “Yes ma’am it is. They mean overcoming hardship.”

Grace’s mouth went dry. God damn them. They could still get to her, and they didn’t even have to give a rousing speech to do it this time.

Where the hell were they?

“What’s this tying it together, Nana? It’s not rope.” whatever it was, there were crinkles in it like the Judge (Dep?) had tried to do something fancy with it but gave up halfway through. The knot itself was double or triple tied. It was probably cutting into the stems too much. Grace guessed the Judge moved around a lot on a daily basis; they probably wanted to make sure the bunch all stayed together.

“That’s ivy, dear. Feel the leaves? Don’t worry, I’ll bet the Judge made sure it wasn’t the poisonous type. It’s got some wormwood woven in, too. That’s the pokey bits.”

“Why ivy? Why wormwood?”

Nana sighed softly. “Ivy means endurance, faithfulness. It’s good for you, kiddo. But wormwood-”

Grace had heard from Jerome that not all the flowers were- she’d heard about this part. “What?”

“It means absence and bitter sorrow. The absolute worst kind, you know? The kind you don’t really come back from.”

Damn it. Damn them.

“I don’t believe them,” Grace decided suddenly. She wanted to slam the flowers down, to run away from this- how dare they put this on her? How could they just say something like this and not face the consequences?

(Her heart was squeezing too tight, wrung out like a sponge. How could they not come to me?)

“Kid-”

“No, I don’t believe it.” Grace thinned her lips, narrowed unseeing eyes towards where she knew the breeze came in the open window. She hoped they saw her. “I can't believe that. They’re coming back. By God, I'll drag them back kicking and screaming if I have to.”

(She took apart the bouquet carefully and kept everything- ivy, wormwood and all. She dried the flowers and put them all in separate books on her shelf for safe keeping. They’d stay there until she could figure out how to catch the idiot and smack some sense into them. Maybe the flowers would still stay after that. Maybe always.)

~

Nick

Nick didn’t care how long it took. He didn't care who thought he was right, who thought he was wrong, or who thought he was crazy. He’d known from the start, from the day the bombs dropped, from the day that the Dep took care of them when Carmina was coming. He knew the Dep was gonna survive. If anyone could make it through hell and back with a funny one-liner and a lopsided grin, it’d be the Dep.

He’d seen them when they were following the Captain through the countryside a few times. Something about the way they held their bow, shifted their feet, deliberated silently whenever they took a shot- it was familiar. At first Nick thought maybe he was remembering Jess Black but that wasn’t it. Actually, he didn't start putting it together until he unsuccessfully tried to get the Judge to talk to him outside his home.

The Captain had been busy and left the Judge standing awkwardly by the porch. Nick had offered them a seat, nervous around someone with no discernable eyes, but was met with silence.

That was the first clue.

“Hey, you all right in there?” He’d ventured uneasily. The Judge (the Deputy, it was Dep, he knew they couldn’t be dead, the tough son of a bitch!) hadn’t answered, simply tipped their head in just the right way and-

“Holy shit,” Nick could remember exclaiming. The Judge had shuffled back a step and he’d scrambled to recover. “Sorry, I- you remind me of-”

He never got to finish, though, because the Judge had veritably sprinted across the camp to where the Captain was beckoning for them. They’d been careful not to come near the Ryes ever since. Nick wasn’t sure how to take that.

Sure, he knew, but Nick sure as hell didn't know what to do about the fact that he knew. Everyone else- even Kim- didn’t seem to understand. They thought it was wishful thinking.

But Nick knew. He knew.

So when he caught the Judge stealthily sneaking a bunch of flowers into his barn, he didn't yell or attack.

“Ya know, you could just come in for a beer, man.” He leaned against the doorjamb, trying to appear casual. The Dep had always been skittish, and that was before a madman had locked them in with him for seven years.

The Judge whirled so fast he winced in sympathy for their back. The flowers scattered a few petals. Nick raised his hands in alarm; the Judge was panting- nearly wheezing- behind their mask.

“Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya.” He wondered if he should step inside. The Judge was darting looks over their shoulder to the nearest exit. Nick would either have to get real good at negotiation real fast, or he’d lose his only chance. “Heard you were making house calls, thought I’d check it out for myself.”

They didn’t seem pleased with that. They took two steps to the right and one back. Nick tried to step forward, but only succeeded in making the Judge leap back so far they slammed into the opposite wall. “Hey, hey, no worries, man, I’m not gonna hurt you- stop!”

They lunged to the side, towards the open barn door and Nick hurtled forward too, catching them around the elbow.

“Hey, stop okay- I know that’s you, Dep!” They stilled for only a moment, but Nick thought- stupidly, maybe- that he’d won. “It’s okay, you can come in now. It’s over- you and Cap killed Seed-”

The Judge turned and shoved him back with the hand holding the bouquet. Nick probably could have done more to stop them, but between the fact that he didn’t actually want to cause violence, and the fact that the Judge took his free hand and curled it over the flowers, he was left standing stupidly gaping, in an empty barn as they ran.

Nick Rye was never one to take shit lying down though, and he was hot on the Dep’s heels a second later. (Maybe chasing them around Hope County didn’t say “hey, it’s super safe now and I promise I won’t hurt you like the crazy guy you were locked up with for years on end,” but he was flying by the seat of his pants here.)

They’d cleared half of the yard by the time he was done tripping over his own feet, but Nick was gaining fast, and the Dep still had a fence to clear before the woodline started.

“Dep,” He screamed; his lungs felt like they were about to give out. He really was getting old. “Goddamnit Dep, stop running!”

They did not stop running.

The dirt was dry and cracked in the yard but the grass was still dewy from early that morning, and Nick saw them slip a little when they got to the fence. The entrance was actually on the other side of the barn but they probably didn’t think they could cut around the barn fast enough to get away. He could have caught them from a side entrance to the barn if they’d done that. Dep had always been too smart for their own good.

Nick lurched forward, heart dropping to the pit of his stomach, unsure of whether he was lunging to help Dep up or excited that their slip gave him a few seconds to catch up and make them stay.

But the Judge righted themselves easily and flung a hand out in his direction. Nick was lower to the ground, hand out already to try to help them up, and the dirt that flew out of their palm struck him square in the face.

“Augh!”

He twisted sideways, lost his footing and slammed his shoulder hard into the ground. It was the first time the Judge (or Dep) had ever done something to harm him.

“Fucking hell, Dep,” He called, ignoring how raw his throat felt. Dust coated his tongue. “Christ, would you just listen?”

The fence jangled. Boots hit the ground. They were getting away.

He managed to regain his sight after a moment, although tears trailed down his temples. He was having a hard time not coughing up a lung. But when he raised his head feebly, the Judge hadn't disappeared into the darkness of the forest. They were standing stock still, head tilted to that same fucking angle as always, watching him through the fence.

For a long moment, they held each other’s eyes. Nick’s shoulder ached something awful.

Finally, his hip and knee told him they wouldn’t stand being dug into the dirt any longer. He rolled over onto all fours and slowly, painfully, hauled himself up.

“That was a shitty trick, man.”

The Judge shifted on their feet, took a step back. They let out a concerned grunt. Nick decided to think it was concerned, anyway. He chuckled lightly and dusted his hands off on his jeans. “Nah, I’m good. Just the joints- they don’t work exactly like they used to, is all.”

The Judge took another step back and joined their hands together at their middle, making sharp, small movements with them. It took a second for it to register with Nick.

“Aw hell, don’t get so worried,” Nick reassured them, rubbing the back of his neck. It was never easy dealing with a nervous Dep. “Ya didn’t hurt me- stop wringing your hands man, you’re freakin’ me out.”

Another grunt. The Judge gestured to the house.

Nick perked up. “Hey, yeah, I’ll go in- but you gotta come with me, okay?”

They shook their head so vigorously there was an audibly crack. Another step back, and they pointed to the ground, then Nick and finally themselves.

“I’m tellin’ you, you didn’t hurt me. You can come in, Dep. You can come on home.”

The noise they let out was as close to a wail as anything Nick had ever heard; it bubbled forth from somewhere deep and warbled in the air. The pitch grew and grew for agonizing moments before the Judge dropped their head in their hands, shaking, and cut themselves off.

It was the worst thing he’d ever heard.

“Hey,” he soothed quietly, shifting forward an inch. He held out his hands, palms out, and tried to make himself as non threatening as possible. “Hey, it’s okay, see? You’re oka-”

The Dep jerked their head up towards him and Nick froze. He was still holding the bedraggled remains of his flowers in his dirt covered right hand. They seemed to zero in on the torn blossoms, and they let out a low-pitched sob behind that damn mask. Their hands clutched the sides of their head for a moment, squeezing violently.

Then the Judge turned and sprinted for the forest. They were gone in seconds.

“Shit.” He muttered, pulling his cap off and running his hand through his hair. “Fuck. Shit. I fucked that up.”

Kim was kind enough to only glare a little when he presented the torn up blossoms and grumbled out the details. She thumped the book down in his lap and stormed off to the kitchen. That was fair enough he guessed.

Nick wrote the meanings out this time- he knew Kim hated that her flowers had died months ago. He’d caught her flipping through the book just to read the same descriptions over and over again. She did it when she couldn't sleep.

Myrtle meant love or affection, and peonies wished the receiving party a happy marriage or life. Snowdrops meant hope. Bells of Ireland, which took him forever to find, were meant to tell him good luck in life. Pine needles, which were threaded through the stems, could mean either hope or pity. Nick hoped it wasn't the latter.

The last flower was something called a rainflower. It didn't look very intimidating, but Nick’s throat still closed when he read the description.

Rainflower- often taken to mean “I must atone for my sins, I will never forget you.”

“Goddamnit Dep.” He pushed shaking fingers through his hair again and tugged, letting the burning in his scalp turn his thoughts from the burning in his eyes. “Why can't you just, for once, let someone help you?”

(He put the flowers in the same vase Kim had- she hadn't moved it from their bedside table. Maybe she’d been waiting for his turn. Maybe she’d just been hoping that if the vase stayed, the Dep would have to come back and give them more flowers to fill it. Nick knew that’s what he’d been naive enough to wish for.)

~

Carmina

Carmina found them paying unexpected respects at Rush’s grave. There had not been any sightings of them, hide nor hair, since her father tried to convince them to come back.

They were still wearing that thick, furred coat even in the heat. Summer was in full swing. She worried about heat stroke.

(Heat stroke wouldn't matter if she couldn’t get them to listen. They’d die of exposure or bears or starvation if they didn’t quit this stupid running schtick.)

“Deputy,” Carmina called softly, letting her footfalls sound louder than they usually did. She wasn't eager to get shot full of arrows because the person her parents told her so much about got jumpy.

The Deputy was standing over Rush’s grave silently in the fading light. She couldn’t see their hands- they were standing with their arms held in front of them, maybe clasping their hands. She didn’t know if they ever prayed.

They stiffened at her voice but didn’t turn. They didn’t run.

“Deputy, we all know that’s you in there.” She inched forward cautiously, as if the person in front of her was the scared child, not her. They shook their head and made a rasping groan of denial.

“Yes, you are.” Carmina admonished gently. “You’re not the Judge. You’re not anything he made you.”

The Deputy looked at her then and Carmina’s heart clenched tight. Their mask was covered in grime, caked in dirt and blood. There were cracks and fissure in the material (was it wood? Plastic? She could never get close enough to tell). Their neck was stained with what was either tear-tracks or sweat. Maybe both. Their jacket was spattered with gore and stank to high heaven- the Dep probably hadn’t bathed in at least a few days, simply hunting and foraging and picking flowers instead. They were holding a few lilies- flowers for a grave.

One of the lenses in the mask was missing. Through the hole it created Carmina could finally see one bright eye. It blinked at her. The Deputy shook their head.

“He’s gone,” Carmina stepped even closer. They didn’t move. She risked a hand on their bicep; she could feel them trembling. “It’s over. You made sure of that.”

With her other hand, Carmina pressed the bunch of flowers she’d brought into the Deputy’s palms.

“Rose leaves say you can hope,” Carmina explained gently- unneeded, to be sure, but she had the idea that if she stopped talking the Dep might just book it. “And tea roses say we’ll never forget you. Stock, for the bonds of affection and to remind you you’ll always be with us. Star of Bethlehem for “reconciliation.” White jasmine for “sweet love,” and goldenrod for “encouragement.” And finally-”

She pulled one stem from the rest and reached to tuck it, safe and sound, into the hood and behind the Deputy’s ear. “White daisies: for rebirth.”

The Deputy moaned quietly and dropped their head. Their shoulders quaked as they sobbed weakly behind the mask. Carmina held them lightly, carefully, against her shoulder. She turned her head to speak directly into their ear. “It’s okay now, Dep. It’s time to come in from the cold. It’s time to come home.”

[farcryfuckmeup]

I Can’t Live With Myself

so uh turns out i posted this on my archive but i never did here, so here’s a jacob thing i did a while ago for all you tumblr kids :) this was a request done by @hopecountylovin​ (sorry if i did post this and im retagging you, my tumblr shows i didnt and im a confused noodle)

My masterlist has all my other drabbles, requests, headcanons and matchups

JACOB SEED X FEM DEP: soft jacob seed x f!deputy in a bunker after the collapse ft. hurt/comfort TW: SOME PTSD, MINOR VIOLENCE

---

The day the world ended was one the Deputy had never expected to come, and if it had, she assumed she would have long passed from this Earth. Scientists talked about the Sun dying far in the future and extinction that had wiped out 95% of all life on Earth 250 million years ago. Both of those events were so far from the current point in time that it was hard to imagine what the world would have been like if it ended again. If the universe decided to push it’s own “reset” button.

She’d often think on the things she’d do differently if she’d known the sky would catch on fire, a bright blue replaced by searing orange and smoke. Would she have spent it with her friends? Would she have visited her parents one last time?

Four years ago she hated the Project. She hated how violent they were, how they forced people to join them. But most of all she’d hated the Seeds. All four of them. John’s ego had irritated her endlessly, Faith acted like a child most of the time. Deputy had never been fond of religion so it irked her how preachy Joseph was, but it was easy to ignore. Jacob, on the other hand, was almost a mix of all three. He had a temper that was either slow to burn or quick to blow. He was confident in his abilities to the point he thought he couldn’t be bested. All he talked about was his stupid mantra. Train, Hunt, Kill, Sacrifice. Cull the Herd. Cull the Weak. Over and over and over.

Now everything was different. Jacob had saved the deputy when the Collapse had arrived. She’d been injured and he’d carried her to safety. Despite his beliefs, which would’ve told him to let the deputy die, he’d risked his life to save her. Dep had stopped trying to kill him on account of that, but she’d kept her shitty comments coming. Over time though, the hatred began to ebb. She no longer thought he was a monster. Just a person trying to save the world the best he knew how.

The guilt had crept up on her. Frequent thoughts of loved ones had turned infrequent. Her passive attitude towards the Project had turned into a participant one. She went to sermons Jacob held, she trained. Hell, she’d even follow him around so that she could learn from him. They’d started to share an unspoken bond. They respected each other beyond comprehension.

Deputy was plagued by night terrors, especially as of late. They varied from the deaths of her friends and family to the deaths of the Seeds. Her own demise was a recurring topic, too.

Suddenly, she was being shaken, and her knee-jerk reaction was to survive. A fair amount of cultists had stumbled across a sleeping Deputy while she had been resting around Hope County. This wasn’t going to be her first time fighting someone off while she was still waking up.

“Deputy, stand down. I said…stand…down.” Her hands were around someone’s throat, but her brain wouldn’t process the face in front of her so she could identify it. She was practically feral. Hands were gripping her forearms, trying to pry her off, so she squeezed tighter with a snarl on her lips.

Then her eyes found a sea of blue, the skin around it peppered with burn scars and pockmarks. She froze, no longer squeezing the man’s throat but unable to let go either.

“Oh my god.”

“Let go of my neck. Now, Deputy.” Jacob’s voice was quiet but demanding.

“I’m…I’m so sorry.” Her fingers hesitantly unwound themselves from Jacob’s throat, then clasped each other as tightly as possible. “It was-I was-I didn’t mean to.”

“The world was going to implode on itself sooner or later.” His voice was gruff with sleep, but also probably from nearly being suffocated.

“I just…I think I did the right thing. I want to do the right thing now. I-I-you say you’ve forgiven me but I can’t forgive myself. I don’t know if I did the right thing anymore and I don’t understand.” Dep’s voice shook as she explained her nightmares yet again. Jacob had started asking about them when they had started keeping not only him but some of the other followers awake as well.

Dep lifted her eyes to look at Jacob, and it was only then she’d realized that Jacob wasn’t in his usual attire. She’d seen him in different versions of it, but he always wore his camo jacket, a t-shirt, jeans, and boots. But right now he was in a red tank-top and sweatpants. There were more scars and the like along his arms, some disappearing under the fabric of his shirt and onto his chest.

“I’ve had ‘nough of this, pup. C’mon.” His gaze softened a bit as what she said processed in his head. He couldn’t dispute her claims that she was in the wrong, he couldn’t assure her she’d done the right thing. To him, she hadn’t. She’d gone against Joseph, who often radioed Jacob to ask about the flock and the deputy. But Jacob had started to see over the years that what had happened wasn’t unforgivable. That the Deputy deserved a chance to redeem herself. So he tried to help calm her down whenever he felt it was warranted.

Jacob wrapped his hand around the deputy’s arm, pulling her from her bedroom. It was only a few doors down from Jacob’s which would explain how he’d known she was having another nightmare. She must’ve been screaming again. Some of the cultists had been complaining about it, saying that they were screams only a sinner could scream. Jacob would give them a stern glare, one he’d even broken the arm of.

“Where are we going?” She asked as she let Jacob pull her. Her voice was still a bit shaky, the images from her dream burned into the back of her eyelids.

“To get some half-decent sleep.” He mumbled, his other hand running through his hair before he shoved open his own bedroom door.

The deputy had never been in it before, but she was taken aback. It matched Jacob perfectly, but the layout had clearly been designed by John. The furniture was either made of wood or steel, sometimes even both. It was simplistic, but there were some minor details that didn’t sit right with the deputy. Like the antlers with Bliss flowers above the doorway. She doubted Jacob was fond of it either.

“Go on.” Jacob gently pushed the deputy towards his wooden-framed bed. In any other situation, she probably would’ve blushed. Every so often, Dep would go turn into an unraveled mess. Jacob would give her something to do to distract her, but if it was really bad, he’d order his followers to leave whatever room they were in and just sit in silence with her.

Dep climbed onto Jacob’s bed with trepidation, but her knees sunk into the memory foam, so she struggled a bit. He pulled back the covers as he got in himself, and the deputy rested her head on one of two pillows. Jacob took the other one.

They’d never been this close before. A hand on her shoulder here, a touch to his elbow there. The most intimate thing he’d done was put his hand on the small of her back when one of the members of the flock was insulting the deputy. She’d been on the verge of breaking down with guilt until she’d felt his hand through her shirt.

Jacob and Dep were both laying on their backs, staring at the ceiling. They were close enough to feel each others’ body heat from under the blankets. Being around him had helped calm her, just like it always did. As she’d started to drift back off to sleep, the deputy felt Jacob’s calloused fingers curl around her own.

She didn’t know how long they’d slept, as time often was distorted when there was no sun or moon to tell the time of day. When she awoke, however, her body was warm. Almost too warm, but it was comfortable.

Dep tried to roll over as she often did in her sleep and when she woke up, but she was stuck. She was curled into a ball, and a pair of arms were wrapped around her. One was on the back of her head and the other was around her waist, holding her to their chest.

She didn’t need to open her eyes to realize who it was. He smelled familiar. He felt familiar. The Deputy shifted again to get comfier, and couldn’t help but smile to herself as Jacob held her.

[deputy-sarah-sux]

I’m accepting headcanons and requests!!!

That’s right folks! You heard it here first! Straight from the horse’s mouth! I’m taking headcanons and requests!

I’ll take almost any kind of headcanons, NSFW included. However, no non-con, dub-con, incest, adult/minor headcanons will be accepted.

For requests, I’ll do generic things. Example: John Seed/reader, Jacob Seed/f!dep, Joseph Seed/m!dep, Sharky/Faith, etc. For more in-depth requests such as the inclusion of your specific oc, I will be opening up my commissions soon so you can check those out if you’re interested. I’ll be posting about that later this week (it’s written out I’m just going over the details before I post it). No non-con, dub-con, incest, adult/minor requests will be accepted.

I’m also accepting headcanons and requests for other fandoms on my other side blogs:

@iwannabeacowboy-baybee​ for Red Dead related headcanons/requests

@lil-miss-wanderer​​ for Fallout related headcanons/requests

@jackdaw-not-morrigan​​ for Assassin’s Creed related headcanons/requests

@sluttysneakthief​​ for Skyrim related headcanons/requests

@shan282-ao3​​ for DC, Marvel, Witcher, Mandalorian, Vampyr, and Preacher related headcanons/requests

[unfairaddiction]

Sharky x F!Rook

Follow Dep and Sharky as they go from strangers to enemies to best friends to lovers. Idk how long Eden's Gate was in Hope County, but it sounds like they were there for awhile and I imagine in the beginning people didn't really mind there presence.

And I just like the idea of the Dep being kind of involved with the Project and just being in the dark about their activities.

You know she went to the local high school

Probably one of those kids that didn't belong in a group.

She was one of those kids that floated around from group to group.

Still an overall good kid, not really in the party scene and not really a rule breaker.

Sharky was always getting into trouble and wasn't a great student.

The Deputy was and they ran in completely different circles.

Didn't stop the Dep from having a major crush on him in high school though.

Rook always felt like she was missing out, and Sharky was, in her mind, living his best life and she wasn't.

Sharky probably didn't even know rook existed, if he did he always figured she was one of the goody two shoes, not really his type.

Sharky remembers the first time he actually saw rook tho.

He was running from the cops after he lit a fire somewhere nearby and Rook was probably studying outside.

He had nowhere to go but into the tree she was sitting under, and the wide eyed look she was giving him told him there was no way she hadn't seen him.

He scrambled into the tree, fully prepared to fight from his perch.

The cops came sprinting around the corner as Sharky settled into his tree, getting pinecones ready to hurl at the cops.

"Rook!" Everyone knows everyone in Hope County. "Did Boshaw come this way?"

Sharky never thought that a good nerd like Rook would ever lie to the police.

"He ran that way!" Rook cried and pointed deeper into the woods.

Cue the Deputy's giving chase because Rook would NEVER LIE.

So Sharky takes her out as a 'thanks for not turning me in' and she has her first drink, shitty moonshine, sitting on the hood of Sharky's rusty pickup,that has her laughing too loud and has her stumbling over her words.

Its funny to see Rook, who is usually so put together, drunk off her ass.

Sharky sees her in that moment, that she's just as lonely as he is, and for a minute he doesn't feel so alone.

"I jussssst sssseee you laughing and you-you've got people ya-you know ?" Rook rambles. "I don't have people. I-I've got a f-fu-future, I've got no time for people. That's what my dad say-says anyway."

Sharky's a little drunk too, and he kisses her while she rambles, and there's some fumbled over the shirt action.

Sharky's mouth though, finds a way to cock block himself.

"I always thought you were kind of a nerd, you know, you're actually kinda hot in the right light." And it really wasn't what he meant to say.

And Rook recoils almost instantly, and she's hurt, and the alchohol only makes it worse, so runs away into the Montana wilderness.

Rook really should be smarter than that, but she's drunk and her feelings are hurt so she runs.

Sharky feels bad and he really planned on running after her but a the self doubt tells him to just leave her alone and that he needs to sleep off the moonshine.

Rook makes it to the road, and she doesn't WANT to hitchhike, but she can barely walk straight and she can't go home when she's drunk.

Her parents would not be pleased, and she knows her father might hit her and her mom would give her that disapproving look.

So she walks along the, mostly, deserted road, not expecting anyone to come by.

She's met Joseph Seed a couple of times, but she's only met John in passing.

John offers to drive her home, because he can see she's drunk.

And she's a talkative drunk so she tells him that she can't and she's afraid of what her parents will do.

And John is sympathetic, or at least he appears to be, because he's been there, and he sees the perfect recruitment opportunity here.

So he let's Rook stay the night at the ranch to sleep it off, provided she agree to some volunteer work for the church.

It's not a bad deal all things considered, her parents wouldn't be looking for her in the morning, they wouldn't be surprised if she 'left early' for school, and she knows they aren't worried about her now since her phone isn't going off, so she goes with John.

When Rook is in her right mind she tells herself how stupid it was to trust John, a man she barely knows.

Luckily for her, this is before the cult is torturing people enough to be a known fact.

Her parents are fairly religious, not go to church every week religious more like quote the bible when its convenient and going to services on Christmas and Easter.

So they are thrilled when she gets involved with the church.

Sharky feels bad and he wants to apologize but now Rook is always surrounded by the kids whose parents are in Eden's Gate.

Eden's Gate is really what sets Rook on the path to being a Deputy.

Joseph who always seems to know everything essentially tells her what she should do, and Rook who desperately wants to belong somewhere does what he says.

She's a teenager and Joseph is the first person whose like 'hey, u don't ACTUALLY have to be perfect all the time its ur intentions that matter'

So Eden's Gate becomes a home away from home for her, because she may not really belong among the overzealous believers and she can't really be herself but they come when she calls, and they ask her how she's doing.

She doesn't talk about that night with Sharky though, she told John when she was still drunk and crying but he hasn't brought it up.

She still misses that connection she had with him but she's decided that it was probably the alchohol and not a real thing.

Sharky drops out of school and Rook graduates, top of her class, and she joins the sheriff's department.

She and Sharky work on opposite sides of the law.

Rook is the only one that can bring Sharky in without Sharky putting up too much of a fight.

He's still kind of a jerk to her and the more she arrests him the more aggressive he is.

"You the big bad law now? You think you're so much better than me? Just cause you've got that degree don't mean you're better than me."

Sharky never brings up that time she helped him escape from the lawmen chasing him.

She asks him why once.

"I ain't no snitch. You helped me out, I repaid the favor. We're square." And that was the last time they ever talked about it.

Rook isn't as involved with the church anymore, but she still answers when John/Jacob/Faith/Joseph call.

When things go to shit and Rook recruits Sharky they become begrudging allies against the cult.

"I thought you were like sucking John's dick, I don't blame you he's kind of hot, I get it."

"Shut the fuck up Boshaw."

They slowly become friends, because they actually have a lot in common.

We see their friendship in game, and I can easily see it turning into something more romantic.

Because let's be honest, Sharky likes to joke and flirt with Rook, and Rook maybe starts to think that Sharky was the friend she needed.

Eden's Gate helped her when she was young, but she was pressured to join this group that ended up being this cult.

And Sharky feels bad about pushing her away because she could have been this amazing influence on his life, at the time.

He especially feels bad because she never would have been involved with Eden's Gate if he had her back that night instead of letting her run into the wilderness.

But, you know they forgive each other and they become crime fighting buds and they have this beautiful relationship based on trust and mutual respect for each other and their experiences.

That got long lol, this has been in my drafts forever but I wanted to post it cause I like the idea of it, I'm just a bad writer.

[outranks]

F!Dep/Joseph, "Can I do your hair?" Please? (:

are you ready for some REAL DUMB FLUFF?? bc that’s. that’s what I’ve got. I hope you like it ❤️❤️😭

There are a lot of problems in Hope County, not least of which is nearly everything, but for Rook the one thing that’s always a special kind of annoying is the lack of easily found foods. A granola bar would be amazing, or a little bag of pretzels. Two weeks earlier she had found some questionable, but still edible, cheese crackers that she’s been hoarding like a small, greedy dragon. The little packs are her most prized possession.

She’s digging around in her bag, coming to the sad realisation that she doesn’t have a single scrap of food with her, when the ground she’s walking on disappears from under her and she trips all the way down a decently sized hill and lands in a patch of bright, sparkling Bliss.

“Fuck,” Rook groans, pushing herself up and feeling a sharp, cold spike of pain shoot through her ankle. “Ow, fuck, fuck, okay, fuck.” She isn’t sure where her bag landed, and she definitely can’t see it through all the Bliss. Which means no radio to call for help.

And definitely no snacks.

Rook drops back onto the dirt, resigned to living out the rest of her life in this exact spot.

“Rook?” Faith asks, bending over her with a look of shimmering concern. ”Are you alright?”

“Begone, specter.” Rook waves her arm at Faith, hitting her on the leg. “How the— how did you get her?”

“I’ve been following you.”

Rook isn’t sure how to take that, and just as unsure if she wants an explanation. “Do you do that often?”

Faith shrugs. “Should I call Joseph?”

“No,” Rook says. “I live here now.”

“I’m going to call Joseph.”

Rook closes her eyes, waving off Faith, and when she opens them again Joseph is there, looking down at her with concern. Either she fell asleep or he’s learned how to teleport, and maybe it’s the Bliss in her head but that doesn’t seem entirely unreasonable. “Hey, you,” she says, reaching out for him. “I was out of food and then I fell.”

“Faith said as much,” Joseph says. “She was concerned about leaving you in the Bliss too long.”

“The flowers are my new friends and this is my home.” Rook spreads her arms wide to indicate the patch of Bliss and the dirt she’s laying on.

Joseph’s expression turns confused, then concerned, then slips into a soft fondness she’s growing used to. “Can you walk?”

“Nope, that’s why I’ve made this my home.”

“Of course,” Joseph murmurs, then scoops her up into his arms so quickly that her head spins with it. Or possibly that’s the Bliss. “I’ll have a doctor meet us at the compound.”

Rook presses her face to Joseph’s neck, breathing in the scent of his skin and the expensive body wash he used that she knows John buys in bulk. It’s comforting, grounding in a way, cutting through some of the sugary-sweet Bliss. “My hero,” she says. “My— my guy. My hero guy.” They pass by Faith who looks like she’s desperately trying not to laugh. “Bye, Faith, thank you for saving my life! You’re my favorite Seed, but don’t tell anyone.”

“I won’t.” Faith promises.

Joseph sighs so hard Rook can feel it.

“Bye, Faith,” Rook calls again as she and Joseph approach a sedately painted blue car without even a hint of the Eden’s Gate logo on the side. “Ah, the stealth car.”

“It— yes,” Joseph says, “the stealth car.”

There’s a Peggie standing by the open back door doing his very best to pretend he’s not listening and doesn’t see the Father carrying the cult’s number one enemy in a bridal carry. The poor guy looks ready to faint which makes Rook feel a little bad.

“Don’t worry,” she says, patting the Peggie on the shoulder before Joseph gets her into the back seat. “It’s okay, I won’t blow up this car. This is the stealth car.” The Peggie doesn’t look any better and Rook just has to assume that’s the guy’s natural state. Pale, wide-eyed, and terrified.

What a way to live.

Once she’s inside Rook stays sitting only long enough for Joseph to climb in beside her before she lays down with her head pillowed in his lap. “Can I do your hair? I could curl it, or maybe a french braid? Something fun to inspire the faithful.”

The Peggie makes a sad, strangled noise as he slides into the driver’s seat and starts the engine.

“Later,” Joseph says, “I’ll let you do whatever you want with my hair.”

Rook nods, agreeing to his terms momentarily. “I was being heroic, you know.”

“Were you?”

“I was saving a baby.”

Joseph hums thoughtfully.

“From a bear.” Rook knocks against the back of the driver’s seat. “You hear that? Make sure you tell the story of how I saved a baby from a bear.” The Peggie makes that same sad, strangled noise which she takes as confirmation.

“That is heroic,” Joseph says.

Rook reaches for him, dragging him down into a kiss and using the opportunity to untie his hair. It’s silky soft, slipping through her fingers as she smiles against Joseph’s lips. “You said I could play with your it,” she reminds him, deciding she’s going to make him keep is loose later when they’re somewhere more comfortable. “I like you like this.”

Joseph sits up, plucking the hair tie from her fingers. “I said you could play with it later,” he says, trying for a serious tone in spite of the way his mouth pulls up at the corners.

“Fine,” Rook sighs, stretching out as much as she can in the cramped car, and closes her eyes. “Will you cook dinner for me so I don’t starve and die?”

“Of course.”

“You’re my favorite Seed,” Rook says, “but don’t tell anyone.”

[radiojamming]

I hope this is an ok request prompt! It is sweltering, miserable day and sun is basically a blazing ball of f-you. The bugs are eating poor, sweaty Dep alive as they watch their latest car sink into the river after being, rudely, chased off road by a bunch of hairy, smelly people screaming "Sinner" at them for 7th time today. They lose their cool and basically tells the entire Seed family on open radio to suck their ass and collectively drags them all- no one is safe from their verbal WRATH.

i’m still a little bit ehhhhh on my delivery here but i hope u like it!! :D

- - -

It’s been a Day, capital D and all. The dash thermometer on the truck had been reading eighty in the morning, and ninety-two before some stupid balaclava-clad cultist stepped into the road, flailing and proselytizing in heat stroke gibberish, effectively causing Rook to veer right into the Henbane. 

The mosquitoes have been setting records for size and quantity alone, and Rook thinks that they might be tainted with Bliss, effectively making them Judge mosquitoes. Crashing into the river seems to have riled them up, and the stink of dead cultists frying like eggs on asphalt isn’t helping anything. Rook calmly looks at one cultist, twisted up like a pretzel under a heat lamp, salted with gravel and dirt. Then, they hear a metallic groan to their right, and turn to watch their 2012 Kimberlite list even further into the river.

Mere seconds after watching the right tail light of their pick-up disappear under the Henbane’s waterline, Rook quietly slaps a mosquito on their neck, takes in a deep breath, and promptly loses it.

They unclip their radio from their belt, watching a vulture already start its happy rotations over the scene. 

“Deputy to the entire fuckin’ Seed family,” Rook says, trying to keep their voice steady. Another Judge mosquito lands on the back of their hand as they talk, and Rook swears its weird little eyes are glowing red. 

There’s a soft series of static clicks on the speaker before they hear Joseph’s deceptively calm and soft voice. “Deputy,” he says, with paternal warmth slathered on his tone like it’s been applied with a butter knife. “How can we help–”

“Oh, no. No formalities here, Father,” Rook starts. Their blood pressure is already doing something interesting, and hopefully the Judge mosquito explodes from it. “I’m filing a few complaints, buddy.”

Silence. Hopefully it’s the stunned kind.

“Proceed,” says one of the brothers, but it’s so strained and muffled that it’s impossible to tell who.

“Alright, I’ll proceed. I’m gonna proceed to say that right now, I am sunburnt, I am sweating, I’m standing in front of the Henbane, watching the eleventh car I’ve owned pulling a goddamn Titanic move because one of Jacob’s fuckin’ turkeys just stepped out in front of me and I don’t know if I drove off the road because I was surprised or because I hydroplaned on goddamn blood because there’s so much out here!” Rook rants. “And I don’t know if you chuckleheads noticed, but there are shitloads of mosquitoes out here. Maybe you missed a golden opportunity, because they’re Blissed, and probably the only thing that might be worse than a Blissed mosquito is if you had fuckin’ Judge wasps.”

Someone clears their throat. It might be Jacob. 

“Oh! And Jacob! Since I have you on the line, let me just say it’s been real fuckin’ peachy hanging out up here! I love the fact that I can’t even listen to the oldies station because you’ve gotten some childhood hang-ups on the Platters or some shit! You know what, I don’t even want to know how you got caught on that. You’re like some James Bond villain.”

“Deputy–” comes Jacob’s voice. It’s got some kind of warning in it, but Rook is too hot and exhausted and furious to care.

“No. No, don’t you Deputy me!” they snarl. “I go from one region to the next, and it’s wolves or airplanes or half-naked people screaming at me, tryin’ to kill me, whatever. Do you know how many times I almost died on Faith’s Pilgrimage? I thought the point of it was to join your cult, but I legit had a bomb dropped on me before I even got to the fifth station. That’s just shitty advertising!”

Faith interrupts with a very soft, “I didn’t know you were doing it.”

“For fuck’s sake, Tinkerbell! They don’t tell people to wait on the Appalachian Trail and try n’ shoot every backpacker that trots down a hill!”

She doesn’t respond, and the silence almost feels sheepish. John might mutter something soothing to her, but it’s hard to hear over the blood rushing in Rook’s ears. 

“And John!” Rook suddenly cuts in, hardly noticing the Judge mosquito has nearly tripled in size. “Oh, boy. I’ve got one hell of a subpoena for you.”

“…Oh?”

“First of all, you are the last person I would ever hire to be my lawyer,” Rook says accusingly. “And secondly, I have no fuckin’ clue if you wanna flirt with me or string me up like a pinata. Like, was that silo a fuckin’ creepy sex dungeon? Because that was a shitload of latex, which probably means you have a shitload of problems. But I kinda figured that when I met you.”

Joseph sounds like he tries to intercede on his mollified family’s behalf, but Rook’s on him faster than a horsefly on a moose rear. “No. Noooo, Manbun McMurphy. You don’t even get a say in this. You have been jerkin’ my chain from one end of this county to another. Like, did y’all learn nothing in the 90s? Cults are bad. Cult leaders in stupid glasses usually end up very wrong and very dead. And you know what? Manbuns are going to be the mullets of our era! We’re gonna look back on ‘em in thirty years and be absolutely mortified that anyone did that to their hair. Ya just look like you got ejected from an indie coffee shop job interview.”

Joseph says something that sounds like ‘it keeps the hair out of my face’, albeit very quiet and a little frustrated. 

The second tail light slips under the water, and the Judge mosquito is about full to bursting. Two more vultures have appeared, and Rook feels a drop of sweat snake down the divot of their spine. 

“In short, fuck you guys. Fuck your cult. Fuck the fact that sometimes I think y’all are hot one second, and then you either stab me, drug me, drown me, condition me, or just generally toss me around like some big cosmic hackey sack. Over and goddamn out,” Rook says with finality before tossing their radio right into the river. 

[foofygoldfish]

ship tag meme thing! :D i was tagged by @johnathot-seed, i’m tagging @themysteriouslou, @thatjessopgirl, @chloe-gayzer, @teamhawkeye aaaaand anyone else who wants to do this?

1. First ship you ever wrote fic for: oh my god don’t judge me but - kaiba and joey from yu-gi-oh (i was 11 shhhhh)

2. Ship you write the most now: Faith and Alice!

3. Ship you read the most now: .....f!dep and faith, mostly. i’ve been in a fic reading slump

4. Newest ship: chlodine, and i know nothing about uncharted lmao

5. Rare ship you wanna read more of: can i say f!dep faith

6. Your taboo ship: ....I don’t have one? I have notps but most of my ships are pretty healthy relationships

7. They never met in canon ship: pretty much any of my oc/canon ships? also shinn/hinata (woo crossover ships)

8. Your unexpected ship: ;lkasdjf once again, faith/alice - alice was supposed to be with jess, then she decided against that

9. The ship you always forget to give love to: Piper/Reyna - my Fallout 4 oc

10. Ship your OC with a canon character (if applicable): listen that’s all i do

11. Ship you’re embarrassed to ship: none??? I mean, there’s things i’ve shipped in the past that are kinda cringey....

12. Your most romantic ship: like, they’re the most romantic? listen i’m going to keep saying faith/alice i’m sorry ;alksdjf

13. Your sexiest ship: ....uh. maybe piper and reyna? or willow and rush

14. Your most tragic ship: remember when i said i’d keep saying faith/alice? lmao. canon isn’t nice to them, or willow and rush.

15. A ship you want more content for: all of them. but nooOOoooo most of them are oc ships so i have to write it myself lol

[kanisrussell]

Salted Earth part 1

Title: Salted Earth

Word count: 2196

Relationship: F!Deputy and John Seed, Jacob Seed and F!OC

Rating: T

Summary: The collapse happens sooner than expected, and leaves Junior Deputy with John Seed in his bunker. How will the next 7 years play out? 

The small town of Fall’s end was way too quiet. Olivia had been summoned here, by John Seed himself none-the-less. She moved silently through the back valleys of the city in an attempt to get the drop on the gucci monster. She could hear the church bells ringing in the distance, calling for her to come forward. She checked her pistol, the loyal sidearm that had gotten her so far. The magazine was full, and ready to go.

“Hey, stay safe, you hear? John Seed is royally pissed with you. So you better watch your back, don’t let them corner you.” Dutch advised over the radio.

“I know what I’m doing.” Olivia swiftly replied as she came up to the church. Woah she thought, as she observed the crows nailed to the door of the church. She debated with herself about how she should approach the situation at hand.

Finally, she did as she always did. She confronted it head on. She stepped up the church steps and grabbed the handle of the door. Just as soon as she opened the door, she was greeted with stock of a firearm. The cultist hit her hard, enough to make her vision blurry and make her body go limp. She drifted in and out of consciousness.

She woke up to a sight she definitely did not want to see. A boot planted firmly on her collarbone, it belonged to a cultist who pointed their rifle point blank at her face. Suddenly, a strange sting feeling nipping at her chest. She looked away from the rifle and saw the face of John Seed himself, busy with his own work. She grabbed his arm, while grunting at the sting.

“I wouldn’t do that. Haven’t you ever heard that tattoos are permanent? If you want this look good when you are old, then I would suggest lying still. I want to get this right.” John suggested and looked deep in to her eyes. With the fear that it could turn out worse for her, she obliged to let him finish his work.

“Very good. Once the sin is exposed, we can work towards absolving it. That’s what you want, isn’t it deputy?” John asked with a very cocky voice. Sounding way too smug.  

She tried to wiggle herself free, but the cultists had been firm in her grip on her. She felt the sting of the tattoo gun, and cursed herself for being stupid enough to take the front door on the way in. She hoped for some sort of miracle, anything that could bring her out of this misery. Whatever higher being that was in power must have found it funny to escalate things.

The sound of the sirens going off was enough to make John Seed stop his tattooing, he looked around confused, and, to her credit, Olivia did try to take advantage of the situation. But the cultist’s boot was unyielding, they didn’t move unless told to do so. John’s radio went off, buzzing with several different people trying to reach him.

“Brother! It is happening. Get to the gate as fast as your can. Prepare for God’s righteous fury” It was Joseph’s voice that echoed throughout the small church. John’s expression kept changing with each passing second, but at last, he laughed. He laughed like a madman. Olivia looked confused.

“Well Deputy, seems like we will have to continue this at the bunker. It’s a shame, but the Father’s word finally became true, as I knew they would.” He smiled, and gestured for his guards to wrap things up. Olivia was quickly placed in handcuffs, and forced to walk outside with a gun at the back of her head.

Jerking her cuff in a futile attempt to break free, the deputy tried to make her capture and escort as hard as possible for the cult. She was also 95% certain that the Seeds had been fucking with her, that there was no collapse, that the sirens were nothing more than an attempt to scare them. She tried to kick back at the cultist’s leg, but was unsuccessful in doing so.

That was, of course, until she stepped outside. A loud bang caught her attention, and blinded her instantly. Her mind was working on full drive to figure out what had just happened. Her mind couldn’t accept the truth Eden’s gate had been filling her and everyone else with. There was no way that a bomb just went off, had there? Olivia looked over at John, and saw probably the biggest smirk she had ever seen in her life planted on his face. There was confusion, just as there was silence. No one said anything, the world had suddenly stopped.

Mary May, Pastor Jerome and Nick were suddenly gone, she got scared. Had they left her behind? Had they been killed? The cultists were busy almost cheering in a sick way. The world they hated had ended, the world they wanted had arrived. Olivia realized this was a chance to escape, a chance to escape to a bunker where she could ride it out with Nick and the others. The cultists were not looking, they were too busy… Celebrating?

Olivia took the chance, took the opportunity. Her hands might have been cuffed behind the back, but as long as her legs were free, she could run like hell. Run until whatever was happening was gone. It had to be a lie, it had to be a dream of some sort… Or a bliss hallucination… Perhaps Faith had finally fried her mind?

But, as it turned out, nothing of it mattered. Just as she tried to run off, John grabbed her shoulder roughly. Her mind threw caution to the wind and used whatever strength was left in her body to yank herself free. John’s grip did not yield to her efforts however. “LET ME GO SHITHEAD!” She yelled, and tried to kick him with her legs.

“My my my… Deputy, you are really owning up to that wrath.” He laughed as he forced her on the ground. “Let’s take this to the gate.” John ordered with a smirk as he forced the deputy in to the back of the white pick up truck. She didn’t make it easy for him, every step of the way to the pick up truck she fought, she dug her heels in, she spitted in his face. She looked around desperately for any of her friends, or anyone who could help her.

But, John was firm in his quest. He almost dragged her by her ponytail, forcing her into the pick up. But he was in denial if he thought she was done there. She continued to resist, and she would resist to the end of time itself. She kicked the driver’s seat in an attempt to stop it, to make it crash. She was not going back to the bunker.

John’s radio came to life again. “Brother, are you alright?” It was the first time Olivia ever had heard worry in Jacob’s voice, The first time she had heard actual human emotion from the man.

“Yes, I’m transporting the dep-yuu-tee to my gate.” He almost sings it, with a smile covering half his lower face.

“Good, the Father settled in Faith’s gate. But, he’ll take the tunnel to your gate soon… If you can keep the deputy on ice until then.” Jacob replied, back to the usual commanding voice.

“Not to worry, I do believe our deputy wants to catch up with Hudson. She won’t be going anywhere.” John remarked as he leaned back in his seat, despite the driver going 110 miles through the back roads of Holland valley in order to get to the bunker in time. Olivia went limp as she heard Hudson being name dropped… What had happened to her? What will happen to her? Now, fear finally began to settle in.

Suddenly, the world was on fire, and it all seemed to real to her. Suddenly, she felt hopeless. It all seemed way too real. She had stopped her fighting, and slowly felt tears threatening to spill over. She forced them back down, she would not give him the satisfaction.

What about Nick, Kim and their baby? What about Eli and the whitetails? What about the sheriff and the prison? What about all the people she had helped, and those who had helped her? She didn’t know, and she was afraid of being in the unknown. There were so many things running through her brain.

While her mind ran deeper into the rabbit hole, they had pulled up to John’s gate. She didn’t fight, but she didn’t fully comply. She simply… She was simply lost in her own world. She only heard snippets of what being said. But the damning thing? She heard the bunker door close behind her. It felt like an Exclamation mark, somehow a chapter ended with a closure she didn’t want.

She didn’t do anything, she couldn’t think, she almost couldn’t breathe. How could the air feel so… tight? Like no matter how much she breathed, she could never fill her lungs up. She had to be dreamed, this was just a horrible nightmare. She would wake up, and she would be fine.

She thought of many things, she thought of her parents, her sister. She hoped they were safe back in Iowa. That was a fly over state, right? No one cared to nuke that… Right? Then again… Montana was not densely populated, and had no strategic value. Oh god… What if it was God’s fire that had cleansed the earth?

No… Joseph was a mad man, he had simply read between the lines, he had simply seen the news. There was no way in hell. She tried to rationalize it, tried to find meaning where… Where there might not be any. She was guided down, they descended deep within the bunker. She could feel John’s hand on her shoulder, slowly pushed her forward. Her mind began to come back in to reality, and saw the bunker in complete chaos. She didn’t want to admit it, but…

She was scared. She really was. She was once again placed in a chair within the red room. John had seen the mistake the last time she was there, and had now upgraded to stationary chair. Her hands were still cuffed behind her. John was whistling as he prepared the room for something. She had already atoned… Right? He had already violated her skin, what more did he want?

She should slap herself, this was John Seed she was dealing with. The man had build a career on wanting more. His entire operation in Holland Valley had been built on greed. The man was like… The opposite of what Eden’s gate stood for.

“Well, Deputy. Here we are.” John said as he leaned up against his tool table. Olivia wanted nothing more than to break free from her chains and punch the smug smile straight off John Seed’s face. But, she kept quiet, she kept eye contact. She would not let him win, not this easily.

“I must admit, the collapse came sooner than I expected. But, as always, the father keeps his word. How does it feel?” John asked, his voice was mocking in every sense of the word.

“Fuck you.” Olivia snarled as she kept trying to yank her free. “You fuckers got lucky. Let me out NOW!” She felt the fury built up inside her, and with all her might, she used that power to break free. But, she underestimated stainless steel. John laughed again, with that horrible voice of his.

“7 years, Deputy. We’ll have all the time in the world to get to know each other. Don’t worry-” John leaned in real close to her face. “-You will atone, and when the doors finally open, you will be worthy of the New Eden we will be building together.” John whispered into her ears. She headbutted him, and granted him a bloody nose in the process.

His expression turned into full fury. He locked his hands around her throat, and tightened his grip. “How many times do I have to tell you, DEPUTY? You will confess! YOU WILL ATONE! And...” He calmed down a bit. “-And you will walk through the gate with us, Hudson too.” He smirked. Olivia remained quiet.

“The Father will come, and you better be ready for him. He is the one that deemed you worthy in the first place. But, in the mean time, I think there is one matter we left unattended.” John mentioned as he went back to the tool table. He picked up a knife and slowly sharpened the knife in question. He whistled creepily throughout the process.

“So… Let’s get to work.” He smiled as he walked over to Olivia, and ripped the top part of her shirt off. “If you had welcomed Eden’s gate into your heart, then we wouldn’t have to do this.” John explained while looking deeply into her eyes. “But, I’m sure this will change your tune.” He smiled as he began to peel at the skin.

She screamed.

[direwombat]

That anon again. Thank you for listening to my rambling. And if it matters any, Joseph gets plenty of chances to Suffer during my dep's canon. Because we're (plural because this is all from an RP verse my best friend and I have where she plays Joseph and a 'John fucker' GFH while I play my dep and John) bitches like that and can't let the Seed boys get away with being the worst without suffering for it. (1/?)

A major theme of Joe and Dep's relationship is 'be careful what you wish for' since he spends a good early portion of things wanting to change her to fit his whims (for her 'own good' of course), but oops, he gets attached to who she is but by the time he realizes it, his actions are already responsible for her having begun to change for the worse. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes, Joseph. Now suffer. And I'm rambling again, but I had another question to ask. Two actually.

First: how did you first get comfortable with sharing Syb with the rest of tumblr? I ask because part of me is tempted to do this with my Dep, but the other part of me is scared of being perceived and judged for my dep, my interpretations of characters, etc. Two: With Augustine becoming Faith, did Joseph specifically pull this to punish Syb? Because I'm getting big 'you took my family member, now I take yours' vibes. And it sounds about right and petty and fucked up enough for Joe. (3/3)

f;lakdjfaldfkj that's TOTALLY FAIR i sure as hell don't let jacob off easy either fal;dfjkadf

and OOF well...to answer question 1: i've been shouting about my ocs into the void of the internet for the past several years (got started in the dragon age fandom, moved to the general dnd fandom, and ended up here) having friends already on tumblr/in the fandom space to share ideas and bounce off of certainly helps. it's for sure scary!, but tbh? the more you talk about them the more curious people will get. at least that's been my experience. and then of course, engaging with other people who have their own ocs, rb-ing their art/fic/sending asks for ask games and prompt lists are a great way to kind of find your place in the fandom/community and make friends! And to address your fear of being judged for your dep/interpretations of characters, i'll just say this: fandom would be boring if everyone had the exact same interpretation of the characters and it's ok to disagree with an interpretation as long as you're not a dick about it, yk? And, just like people irl, everyone's deputy is different and adds to the fandom!

my advice: do whatever you feel most comfortable doing. make your characters in picrews and do those uquizes! I normally open tag, so if you see one from me that you like! tag me! this includes wip wednesdays/whenevers too if you ever feel brave enough to share any writing you have! BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, you are your oc's number one fan! if (god forbid, and i've never seen this happen personally) someone doesn't like them and has the gall, the sheer audacity to say that to your face? block them. have fun with your oc is what i'm getting at. they're your little barbie/bratz/whatever doll that inspires the most nostalgia for you. we're all just playing little games, telling little stories and dressing up our personal blorbos however we want. :)

as for question 2:

ahh.. poor sweet Augustine. So, Augustine is a park ranger who was on duty at the Whitetails Ranger Station the night of the Reaping and was injured in a pretty nasty fall. One of his coworkers (another oc, Shaw) is one of Jacob's Chosen (who spent a lot of time undercover as a civilian), and after hearing that the Deputy escaped, he essentially lets Jacob know that they have a piece of leverage against her. He's sent to Joseph to heal, where he's very subtley and slowly indoctrinated into the cult. He keeps Augustine hidden from Syb and he also keeps it secret that Syb is the one causing misery to the Cult/newfound family Augustine has found himself welcomed into (as much as he and syb love each other, they're not perfect and uh...there are some abandonment issues there). anyway, i'm still kind of ironing out the details of it all, but essentially, after john and faith are neutralized (john dead and faith/rachel safe and getting clean) jacob and joseph are like, "alright, time to use our secret weapon." Syb knows they have Augustine at this point, but she's under the impression that he's a prisoner, not a member of the cult.

So they meet up on neutral ground (i'm thinking tanami island) only instead of a loving and wholesome reunion, Syb finds out that her brother drank the kool-aid and Augustine finds out that his sister is the one causing the "unnecessary" violence plaguing the Project (which also, Joseph is very careful to shield Augustine from the actual violence, and paints the Project as a much more peaceful organization than it actually is). Anyway, cult tactics win over in Augustine's head and he turns against Syb, and given the power vacuum in the Henbane and his *ahem* closeness to Joseph, he's offered the mantle of Herald/Brother Faith. And. Yeah. It's definitely a method to punish/break Syb, and it's also a way to reward Augustine for his loyalty. Even she wouldn't kill or arrest her own brother. That reunion with her brother is the beginning of Syb's breaking point, and everything after that is just her slipping into misery, helplessness, and despair. everything about this is exploitative as hell :)