#how did the rat come into existence? don't worry about it

[qiu-yan]

under his hat jiggy has a rat controlling him just like in ratatouille. the rat is also one of jin guangshan's bastards

[theresatzu]

Blue Lock characters and the way they protect you - Part 1

Starring: Isagi, Kunigami & Rin

Prompt: You're at a party, and you're getting bothered by some guy.

Warnings: Slight harassment, curse words & Isagi Yoichi's colourful vocabulary

Isagi Yoichi

Insults the person and their whole bloodline

Normally, Isagi Yoichi was a calm, put together guy.

But when he's passionate about something, his whole personality does a 180.

And when the people he loves are in danger... well that's enough for him to flip the switch.

"So, what's a beauty like you doing here all alone?"

"I'm not alone now, unfortunately." You sighed, putting on an air of indifference as your eyes drifted away, while looking for a mop of deep blue hair and a sparkling smile.

Unluckily for you, you were met with a self-assured grin and an arrogant set of eyes, which looked you up and down, the lewd intention obvious in his half-lidded gaze.

The guy stepped closer to you. Consequently, your heart hammered faster, your hands turning clammy as you shuffled into your spot.

Your eyes frantically scanned the room, but Isagi did not emerge from whatever interview he had to intent.

What's taking him so long?

Your lips twitched in irritation as he leaned in, his filthy breath wafting against your face.

"Alright. That's enough." You snapped, while you gave the guy a harsh shove.

The guy's eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.

"Come now, there's no need to act so emotional, let me calm you dow--"

"I think you should calm your tiny ass dick down, before I'll cut it off and shove it down your nasty throat, you filthy schmuck." A harsh voice interjected.

The guy's eyes widened, shocked at the vile use of language, a contrast to the relief that pooled into your chest as a warm, familiar presence reassuringly appeared beside you.

Isagi gently draped his jacket over your shoulders, glaring at the guy, who had been leeringly eyeing them.

Though, when Isagi turned to you, the frustration melted from his face, instead replaced by a heartfelt expression.

His eyes were soft, as he gazed into your eyes, a hint of worry in his irridescent irises.

Seemingly completely having forgotten about the guy's existence, Isagi's eyes were only on you, concernedly looking for any signs of distress.

His hand caressed your cheek, the gesture light and tender, making you instinctively lean into his touch.

He momentarily leaned his forehead against yours, the scent of cinnamon coating your senses.

"I'm sorry for leaving you alone, love." He murmured. "You don't deserve to be treated this way." At that, his right hand momentarily clenched together, the only indication of his rising frustration.

You smiled weakly, his genuine tone enough to make your knees feel weak and your brain to turn into mush.

"And as for you," Isagi spat, turning to the guy, his voice taking on a harsh and biting tone.

His eyes flashed with enmity, as he glared at the guy.

"I suggest you should shut the fuck up," Isagi sneered, stepping forwards as he pushed himself into the other guy's space.

"Don't think you'll get away with your shitty ass behaviour. Didn't your mother teach you how to treat women, or were you raised by the troll under the bridge? Well," Isagi looked him up and down, his lips downturned.

"You certainly look like you've grown up there. You look like a goddamm rat with your lanky ass hair and your shite posture."

At Isagi's harsh words, the guy was ostensibly taken aback, his hands raised up in the air, as his eyes widened in surprise. "Hey now, I didn't mean it, come on, it's not so deep--"

"Not so deep?" Isagi scoffed, crossing his arms. Yeah, his arms definitely didn't look great in that suit. No, nope. Mhm. Isagi rolled his eyes. Sassily. "Can you believe this guy? Tch."

At Isagi's affronted look, warmth spread throughout your body at the realisation that he was doing this all for you.

However, right now, you were attracting a lot of attention, onlookers and bystanders gaping at the altercation escalating.

However, Isagi seemed far from done, on the contrary, he seemed even more worked-up by now.

He fumed, "I wonder how you even got the audacity and the guts to even approach someone, knowing you look like you emerged from the the trash can yourself, you shitty ass piece--"

"Okay, Yoi, let's go." You chuckled, placing a hand on his arm as mirth coloured your voice, deciding that you'd have to end this interaction before it would actually get you permanently banned from the party.

"Wah, huh?" Isagi pivoted on his spot, but st your amused look, he nodded. "Okay, whatever you want, love."

A grin flitted across your face, eliciting a small, heart-fluttering smile from Isagi. You hooked your arm through his, as you pressed against his side, relishing in the way how his touch alone could simultaneously make your heart speed up and feel at rest.

While you were leaving, neither of you was aware of the utter befuddlement you left in your wake.

One moment, Isagi had turned into a vicious, cursing menace, and the next into a caring, sweet boyfriend.

It was suffice to say that the crowd was shocked into a stunned silence.

Normally, Isagi was a calm and put together guy.

But when he's passionate about something, his whole personality does a 180.

And when the people he loves are in danger... well that's enough for him to flip the switch.

And well, as his eyes squinted at you affectionately as you loudly complained about that absolute asshole, it went without saying that you were definitely part of that category.

Kunigami Reinsuke

Being protective and physical

Kunigami Reinsuke is someone who fiercely loves his significant other. His love burns bright, and he would do anything to see a smile on your face.

But the contrary is true, too. He would do anything within his power to prevent a frown from appearing on your disposition.

You traced your wineglass, impatiently waiting until Kunigami would return from where he was dragged away for some interview.

"Well, well, a rare gem like you can hardly be found anywhere, I'd like to study such an exceptional being like you."

A sleazy guy came up from behind you, uncomfortably close.

Your nose scrunched in disgust at the way how he blatantly put you down as some object.

Nevertheless, your composure remained polite, as you stiffly replied, "no thank you. I'm fine."

The guy chuckled. "You sure are, darling. Why don't we leave this boring party?" His eyes were sly as he eyed you up and down.

You scoffed, thorougly disgusted. "Again, no thanks." And with that, you turned on your heel, briskly marching away.

However, you were obstructed from fleeing the vicinity, as the guy's grimy fingers clasped around your wrist.

Your head span towards him, a scowl flitting over your features. "What do you think you're doing? You insane fuck--"

Though, your words were cut off, as the guy yanked your arm until you were chest to chest with him, noses mere inches apart.

His hand settled onto your middle, hands possessively splayed across your side. You snarled, "What the hell--"

A split second later, three things happened all at once.

Firstly, the guy's nose was punched. He let out a yowling groan as he clutched his nose, blood peering out between his fingers as he staggered a few steps back.

Secondly, you were pushed behind a broad-shouldered body, effectively shielded from the blood sprouting from the guy's face.

And thirdly, the broad-shouldered body was Kunigami, who looked absolutely, raging furious.

"She said no, did she not?" Kunigami said in a low, threatening voice, his features tight.

The guy, who was still clutching his nose, yelled out, "What the hell, man?! What's fucking wrong with you?!"

Kunigami's jaw tensed. "Look, I'll give you one chance to leave, mostly unscathed. I'd suggest you take it."

The guy let out a disbelieving guffaw. "What? Are you saying I'm at fault?" He pointed at you, "She provoked me! That shameless bitch--"

Kunigami did not hesitate.

He did not hesitate when he swung a fist.

He did not hesitate to break the guy's nose.

A sickening crunch filled the ambience, followed by a vocarious scream and a lot of cursing.

"You fucking piece of shit." Kunigami cursed, fiercely pouncing onto the man and decking his face.

The guy fell on the ground due to the force of all the hits, but Kunigami threw himself onto him until they landed on the ground in a flurry of blurry limbs.

Kunigami would've probably punched him unconscious if it weren't for the people separating him with great difficulty from the moaning guy on the ground.

While his arms were straining to struggle himself free, he was forcibly dragged away until he was standing next to you, nose bleeding and sporting a few bruises. But despite being injured, he still looked like he was out for blood.

However, his fierce look didn't deter you. You turned on him, features heavy with worry.

"Kuni, are you okay?" You anxiously eyed him, chewing your lip. You winced at the bruise already blooming above his eyebrow.

Kunigami's eyes widened until they softened imperceptibly. "I'm fine." He said curtly. "Are you?" He eyes roamed his face.

You let out a weary sigh. It really was typical for him to worry about others when he was the one who had been fighting.

"You're bleeding."

"You should see the other guy."

You shook your head, disbelievingly. Grabbing a tissue from a nearby table, you dabbed the blood splatters from his face, pulling your lip slightly.

"Pretty."

"Huh? What did you say?"

The tips of Kunigami's ears turned a suspicious red. "Nothing." He mumbled.

Now it was your turn for a flush to overtake your face.

"I... see. Let's get you patched up, alright?" You placed a hand on his arm, pulling him along.

He widened his eyes in surprise but silently obliged.

As you walked away, you chuckled lightly until it turned into a full-blown delighted laugh.

Kunigami stared at the upturned corners of your lips for a moment, heartbeat pounding in his chest.

Was it a weird thing to say that he felt more exhilarated knowing he was the one who put that smile on your face than beating someone up?

Itoshi Rin

Full on death glare coupled with intimidation

Itoshi Rin is the kind of guy who'd look down on people who don't know any basic manners.

Normally, he'd brush it off, or quietly murmur "lukewarm" underneath his breath. And then proceed on with his day.

But rarely, he'd take personal offence. It was actually difficult to hurt him. He was quite apathetic and aloof.

But that was him. And you were you.

And when it came to you, that façade of indifference easily shattered, because an insult to you, was an insult to him.

"Hey, pretty. Would you like a drink, and perhaps my number?" A hand slithered its way around your middle, a stinking breath that was heavily coated with alcohol hit your cheek.

Your lips twitched. However, you managed to keep your facial features neutral. Barely.

Hopefully, feigned ignorance would do the trick.

"Ah, playing the hard game." The guy clacked his tongue, but you stared straight ahead, set on ignoring him.

The guy scoffed, portraying his brief irritation, before it was replaced with an appaling attempt at a flirtatious tone.

He then leaned in closer, his hip bumping against yours. You stiffened, hand curling tight around your wineglass.

"Why are you so uptight?" The guy continued in that filthy saccharine demeanour of his. "Maybe I should... loosen you up a little..."

At his cryptic tone, you finally turned to him, confused. A slimy grin overtook his lips, the only warning preceding to him stepping deeply into your personal space, hand snaking its way on the lower end of your back.

Surprised, you let out a snarl, skin burning uncomfortably where he was touching you.

"I can already feel you loosen up, baby. Perfect for me." He muttered, leaning in closer and closer, his fingers inching lower and lower--

"What do you think you're doing, you lukewarm chimp?"

Itoshi Rin stepped from behind you, his eyes deceptively inflectionless, an imposing air of authority about him.

"Rin..." You said faintly, relief evident in your voice.

Rin didn't turn around, but the soft touch of his fingers momentarily touching your arm was reassuring.

However, there was no trace of softness in his voice when he spoke to the guy, towering over him due to his height.

The guy shrank in on himself, intimidated by the fierce, cold look in Rin's eyes, yet he still had the gall to open his mouth.

"What's your problem man? She your girlfriend or something?"

He said jokingly, but his voice trembled and his hands were fidgeting.

"Future wife." Rin deadpanned, leaning down until he was effectively glaring into the guy's eyes.

"Oh. Uhm. Look man, I didn't mean it like that, I swear! She was the one who threw herself on me! Maybe you should reign in your crazy little girlfriend, and--"

One moment, the guy was practically cowering before Rin.

The next? He was pushed against the wall, feet dangling a good few centimetres above the ground.

Rin's gaze could only be described as murderous. His shoulders were tense as his arms easily uplifted the guy by his shoulders.

The guy's face turned pale, his mouth hanging wide open.

"Listen up, you dumb donkey. Get it into your thick skull that you are utter trash next to me. Don't even think about hitting on my girlfriend. You got that, you half-baked idiot?"

The guy let out an embarrassing squeak. You had to cover your mouth to stifle the chuckle, threatening to fall off your lips.

By now, the whole commotion had attracted quite the amount of attention, and you felt almost envious that this side of Rin was put on display for anyone to see, rather than being kept for yourself.

Because the fiery, bone-chilling look in Rin's eyes, the protective stance to keep you apart from the grimy guy, and the way how he so easily lifted the other up, as if he weren't any more than a sack of potatoes, was honest to god, goddamn attractive.

Rin scoffed as his eyes narrowed, then, he unceremoniously let go of the guy, calmly walking away towards you.

The guy landed with a harsh thud before he scrambled away.

"Hey. Don't look at him." Rin called out to you. His fingers then gently curled around your wrist, tugging you along, away from the party.

You turned your hand, clasping your fingers with his. A smile broke out on your face.

"So, future wife, huh?"

"... shut up."

If Rin's other hand momentarily disappeared in his pocket, encircling a small box, you didn't mention it.

And if a giddy, hopeful laugh left your lips, Rin didn't mention that either.

[the-voldsoy]

Alrighty it is almost the end of the year so, in no particular order, here are podcasts I recommend of the ones I've listened to this year! (let me tell you picking favourites for this was So hard) (Unfortunately I can't just do all of them because there are almost 50)

Hello From The Hallowoods: The world ended, but we're still here, and shit's weird. (Has made me cry; even the trees are queer; my comfort show<3)

Camp Here And There: Good morning campers! The time is 7:63AM and Cabin Magpie Moth has spontaneously combusted! Whichever one of you little woodworms can put it out first can come get a puffy sticker from me in the Nurses Cabin! (Is it a horror? Is it a comedy? I don't know, you'd have to check to be sure)

Wooden Overcoats: Funn Funerals used to be the only funeral parlor on the island. It isn't anymore. (Sitcom, the main characters are the most miserable wet cats you ever did see)

Re: Dracula: Maybe this year, they'll be okay. Maybe this year they'll all live. Maybe this year he won't go, and she'll be alright.

Magnus Protocol: TMA's louder, bolder, less serious younger sibling.

The Silt Verses: Oh boy. Let me tell you, you will look at crabs differently after this. (WET horror, genuinely the best pod I've ever heard)

Archive 81: Dan, a newly hired archivist, has to listen to and catalogue a set of old audio tapes. The tapes contain interviews conducted by someone Dan has never heard of. Dan is in an isolated bunker in the middle of the woods. Surely nothing will happen to our dear friend Dan. (What is it with archivists and getting snatched by The Horrors? Ignore the tv show it doesn't exist)

Red Valley: Just a couple of guys with an interest in research station Red Valley, whose focus was cryonics. It's completely defunct now. I wonder what happened. (Ethics? What's that?)

Woe.Begone: Some say it's about time-travel, some say it's about keeping yourself and those close to you alive, some say it's about online safety. All can agree on one point: What the fuck why are there cowboys now

Midnight Burger: Midnight Burger is a time-travelling, dimension-spanning diner. Dunno how it works or where it's going next. We open at six! (The episodes are an hour long minimum but it's worth it. Comedy sci-fi, lighthearted fun :)

Old Gods of Appalachia: The Appalachians are spooky y'all. (The narrator's voice is so comforting in this, it feels like campfire stories)

Dreamboy: Went into this pod being told it was made by the people who made WTNV and absolutely no other information. Let me tell you I did not expect the main character to tell us that he got a hard-on in the first episode. (The most sexually explicit pod I've listened to)

The White Vault: Nice little trip to Svalbard to check on the remote research station, surely nothing will go wrong :) (Holy Fucking Shit What Is That) (Recommend 1st season especially to The Thing (1982) enjoyers)

Camlann: Ever wished that you were apart of Welsh folklore or Arthurian legends? Or perhaps some of the last people left on Earth? No? Ah well, you'll pick it up soon enough. (Three idiots and a dog in Wales, fighting for their lives)

Breaker Whiskey: Imagine. Being the only person on earth. Just you. Just you, and someone on the radio. Just you, the radio, and a woman you absolutely do NOT have sexual tension with. (This one looks really long because it has 260+ episodes, but they're like 4 minutes long each so it's not really)

Ethics Town: Don't worry about it. (Cannot recommend enough, it is a mindfuck)

Tell No Tales: What if ghosts were a thing that could infest a place, like rats or roaches or mold? What if it was your job to exterminate them? And the million-pound question, do ghosts deserve rights? (I am waiting so so patiently for the rest of s2)

Remnants: You wake up in a place you recognise. You have always been there. You have no idea where you are. You see a stranger's life. You recognise them. You knew them once, you think. Discard or reshelve? You don't know what that means. It does not matter. Discard or reshelve, that is the question. (I am going insane over this pod)

Not Quite Dead: Vampires! Alfie is an overworked A&E nurse who does not have time for this shit. Unfortunately, he does not have a choice in this matter. (A really interesting take on vampirism, going into the biology. It is fascinating, and an exciting story)

Travelling Light: Space Quaker! Listen to the Traveller tell you about every new planet and civilisation they visit. Whattttt noooo they don't have a crush on one of their crew members what are you taaaalking abouttttt (Very comforting pod, beauty in the mundane in a way? But not mundane because yk. Aliens)

Someone Just Like You: Brilliant horror, just really well written. I don't even have words for it. So far there are only 6 episodes and the concepts/plots of each seem cheesy, but my GOD the execution.

The Bright Sessions: People with powers get therapy! Thank God, they need it so bad. (I love one particular antagonist so much, I need to put him in a microwave)

Poe: Evermore: It wasn't until I started this that I realised that Edgar Allen Poe would have had a Boston-ish accent. Reallyyy interesting story of his life, and I keep getting jumpscared by VAs I recognise. Faulkner Silt Verses what are you doing here.

Witherburn After School News: Your school radio host getting WAY more involved in the news than they should. Really hope they're still breathing. Love the folklore section though!

Before The Tone: Voicemails from someone who just got a job they probably shouldn't have. (Brilliant idea for the format, and great execution)

I Am In Eskew: What if you were trapped? What if you had a home, a wife and a child? What if they aren't real? Are you sure? Go and check. What if your city tried to kill you? What if it loved you very much, more than anyone else? (Horror but the narrator is the saddest wettest man you've ever heard)

Sherlock & Co: Modern day Sherlock Holmes, and John Watson is a true crime podcaster. Dear God I did not think it would be as compelling as it is.

[serra-says]

you have it all. you are Fabian Aramais Seacaster, son of Bill Seacaster and Hallariel Seacaster, greatest pirate and fencer in the world, respectively. your parents were great, and they set you up to have a great life. it doesn't matter that you are two years older than all the other kids in your grade, and that there would therefore be a natural, social discrepancy between you and your classmates that would disadvantage you in making friends, because you spent two years adventuring around with your father, who loves you, and tells you so.

it doesn't matter that you get hurt, sometimes, by the hands of your father - he is, after all, only doing it for your own benefit, to help you get better and tougher. he means well, and says he loves you, and thus that must be true.

your mother loves you too, and she tells you so when she leaves you on your own for a year. she announces to the world how much she loves her son, and you revel in it because now everyone knows it, and maybe that will make it true. you can forget about the years spent without her, the years she focused so much on forgetting the world existed that she forgot to remember she had a child. once she did, though, she said she loved him, and see? his mother is great.

you are Fabian Seacaster, raised in a noisy household filled with rowdy pirates and sea shanties, with parties and all-nighters, with gunshots and sword-slashes and music booming. it doesn't matter that you now live alone - the entire school comes over to hang out at your place, and if you put on a podcast, a show, throw a study session or a party or ask the pirates in the barrels to sing you a song, then the silence doesn't feel like it'll take over and crush you beneath its empty fist.

the halls are big enough that there's not even an echo, barely the sound of your own breathing, and that's fine. if you keep showing up, if you keep dancing and smiling and partying people will keep coming over, and they'll choose you over and over and over again, and it won't matter that your father chose not to bail you out of jail and instead left you there for weeks. it won't matter that your mother didn't choose to remember you existed, and once you made sure that she did, chose to start a new family without you. these kids will choose you. you will give them every reason to.

you are Fabian. you have incredible friends, saved the world multiple times, you're the most popular boy in school and are Maximum Legend. you are so lucky. your father is dead. your mother doesn't think about you. your house was on fire, then hurled through the sky. your friends joke about setting it on fire again, and trigger your fears of rats, and laugh as you worry about your mother's new child, but it's all in good faith. they don't mean anything by it.

you have enough money to last you for a lifetime. if you withdraw it now, most goes to the person who traumatised you and became your sworn nemesis. it's good, though - your parents are doing this to ensure you are financially responsible. they love you. they care about you. they haven't looked at you in weeks. there's a lot of visitors to Hallariel and Gilear's room. your friends congratulate them. the hallway to your bedroom remains quiet, unwalked. you check if you have accidentally activated the ghost tattoo again, the fourth time today. the silence stretches on.

you are Fabian Aramais Seacaster, and you are so lucky. you turn on your music as loud as you can to break the quietude, and you are so grateful. you are rich, and popular. your parents love you. your life rules 90% of the time. and the more people say it, believe it, the truer it gets, you've learned. that's how faith works. you choose to believe it.

[writersdrug]

Ghost x Reader x Konig: I Don't Need You (Ch. 10)

<- Previous - Next ->

Summary: Thankfully, things have been resolved between you and Konig. You start to settle in more with your team, and Roze shares a few thoughts with you over a smoke. The memories are still there, but just like the winter around you, they're cold and unwelcoming. You and Konig open up to each other a bit more, more than you had ever opened up to anyone.

WARNINGS: implications of masturbation, cursing, angst (if you squint?), plot building, graphic depictions of animal torture and death (PLEASE CONSIDER ALL WARNINGS BEFORE READING THIS, I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MEDIA YOU CONSUME thank you kindly)

Notes: Yes! Hello! I exist!! I've been in a slump, and I really do apologize for that. Many of you have been very patient with me and I love and appreciate you all for it! I had to intake as much CoD literature as I could in the past few weeks to get me motivated, which helped a LOT (not to mention I discovered no fewer than ten works that currently have a hold on my heart). But it's here! I forced myself to write over half of the following chapter so that it would be less daunting to finish up. I also plan to make a wip post for yall, just to share will everyone what goes on in my rat brain.

This was edited at 3 am (god it's 4 am now, i just saw that), so if there are any grammatical or spelling errors you have my full consent to call me out on it! Please enjoy!

(sidenote, I completely didn't research how old you need to be to become a navy SEAL, so reader's age is a bit inaccurate in regards to that. pls ignore lol)

(last sidenote then you can read, does anyone have tips for customizing the layout of their fics? I see so many cool ways to style the font and cute banners and errything but I have no idea how nor what to do)

- - - -

The sky hung low with a blanket of gray. It looked like it was about to snow, although the threat was soon dismissed when noon came around and there wasn’t a single flake. The air was cold and dry, forcing me to zip my jacket up all the way and tuck my nose into the collar. I blew steady, warm breaths into my jacket and tried to soak up the heat into my bones.

It was as if the incident had never happened.

Konig and I ended up driving to the liquor store, which was a blessing, since I had run out of Yeungling (and I didn’t understand enough Turkish to converse with the clerk, nor did I have any of the appropriate money – Konig was graced with both of those necessities). We talked like there had never been a week and a half of silence between us. He talked about how he had nearly forced Ridgeback to drag me out of my room and into the common area, “… but it would have been too early for that.” He commented. That, and I would have rather died.

So life went on as normal: dreary, aside from shooting people and getting shot at. Nonetheless, it was normal, and there was a peace to be found in that.

I leaned against the building to the training room, with Roze to my left. I had intended to come out and soak up whatever natural light I could – when I saw her standing there, possibly trying to do the same, I felt the instinct to play it off as if I was just leaving the building. But she cocked her head in a greeting, and a part of me took an interest in her worry-free aura. Out of everyone, she always seemed to be the least-stressed person in the room, even in the middle of a warzone. It was the balm to my anxious mind that I never knew I needed, but gratefully stood by.

We remained together in a comfortable silence (one I would most definitely would not have been comfortable with a while ago), staring ahead, watching the indecisiveness of the brooding clouds above. I wondered what the rest of the world was doing – if they might have been as calm and carefree as us, or if they were in some kind of peril, and the horrors of it were blocked out by the clouds.

I was drawn back to the present when I heard the click click click of Roze’s lighter. I turned my head and watched as she shielded the weak flame from the wind, lighting the cigarette that hung loosely from her lips.

“You smoke?” I asked.

“Sure do.” She replied nonchalantly. “Want one?” she extended her pack of cigarettes towards me.

I glanced at the box, feeling a sour taste in my mouth.

I lay on my stomach, my muscles still twitching and shaking as I tried to even out my breaths. Ghost had tossed a thin blanket over my lower half. I hadn’t even moved from the position he had ruthlessly fucked me in – my body ached too much to even try, and my mind was still recovering from the past hour.

I watch Ghost as he reclined next to me, pushing the bottom of his mask up to place a cigarette between his lips. It was the first time I had seen any part of his face all day. He grabbed his lighter from the pocket of his pants that were discarded on the floor, lighting the end of the cigarette and inhaling. He tossed the lighter back down to the floor as he tilted his head back, exhaling a long stream of smoke. I watched it swirl in the lamplight, settling in a cloud around us. He continued puffing, staring at the wall across from the bed as I lay beside him, although I felt worlds away from him.

He'd started off the night with a mountain of stress from a mission gone sideways. Instead of the usual slow build, where he would run his hands under my shirt and kiss my lips slowly and tenderly – he had walked in and immediately demanded I remove my clothes while he began stripping out of his. I had assumed tonight was going to be a passionate one, until he threw me onto my stomach and shoved my face into the pillows. It wasn’t the first time he’d been rough with me, but it wasn’t just rough – it felt dehumanizing. An hour of constant, merciless thrusts, and a hand around my neck that restricted both my blood flow and my oxygen, and I had fallen into a state of shock.

But, in the end, I was happy to be caged in by him again.

I was happy.

He turned his eyes towards me, seeming to sense that something was off. He exhaled another puff of smoke. “Everythin’ alright?” he asked, completely void of any genuine concern.

I met his eyes with my own. I felt like I shouldn’t have to answer the question, and it stirred up a bitterness in me. But I didn’t feel like arguing with him, and I certainly didn’t want him to leave – so I nodded my head, slowly blinking my eyes. “Just tired.”

He hummed and faced the wall again. He brought one of his knees up and rested his arm against it. “Want a smoke?” he asked, still looking away.

I shook my head as much as the pillow beneath me would allow. “No.” I replied.

He sighed disappointedly. Apparently, my lack of enthusiasm after being used like an old fucktoy was irking him.

To be fair, I never spoke up about how I felt.

He grunted and rose from his position, snuffing out his cigarette in the ashtray by my bed, and picking up his clothes and pulling them on. My heart ached slightly as I watched him slide his shirt over his torso. I felt the threat of tears sting in my eyes as I wished his hands were holding me instead, keeping me warm and grounded. He pulled his jeans on and fastened them, buckling his belt rather quickly; and all while he faced away from me.

“Well, I know you probably need some alone time.” He muttered, sliding the skull attachment over his mask. “So I’ll get going. I’ll see you around.”

He grabbed his tactical vest and jacket and slung them over his shoulder. He paused by the door. “Thanks for tonight.” He mumbled, before finally leaving the room and softly closing the door behind him.

My eyes lingered on the ashtray with the half-smoked cigarette. A thin trail of smoke plumed into the air – I wanted to throw the tray across the room and shatter it. But it was Ghost’s, so I couldn’t; I couldn’t regardless, because it was a piece of him that remained with me, even when he left.

That, and the smell of smoke.

“Nah, I’m good.” I replied, facing the cold, empty base ahead of me.

“Good.” She said, pinching the cigarette and blowing a stream of smoke. “Stay that way. Did you know these bastards give you cancer?”

I chuckled into the collar of my jacket. “Do they, now?”

She hummed affirmatively, sucking another breath in through the cancerous bastard. “Who would’ve thought…”

We fell back into silence. I continued watching the stillness of the base, trying to see if the sky would follow through with its promise to fall. Now that my free time wasn’t spent holed up in my room, it somehow felt like there were fewer ways to spend it. With another mission on the horizon – a simple recon, yet dauntingly close to a heavily-guarded compound – no one was out and about when they usually were. Finding Roze outside and seemingly not worried was usual, however, and a warm sight, compared to how the rest of the team was on edge. Even Askel seemed grumpier than most days.

I hadn’t been seeking out someone to spend time with, no… that I would never do (or admit). But talking to a familiar face provided a comfort I had grown to need over the past couple of months. And, frankly, I felt like Konig might be getting tired of how much I ran to him when I craved social interaction. Though he had never said anything about it, I felt like I needed to branch out to other team members than just my Colonel. One might think I was trying to kiss his ass (I knew the accusation had already crossed Juno’s mind, but the young soldier was good at holding his tongue – when Konig was around, at least).

“You ever think about how ‘little girl’ you would react to this?” Roze asked, and I turned to face her. She had her nose scrunched, and a tinge of pink dusted over her cold cheeks. “Guns, war, no playdates or days at the beach…”

I sighed. “Probably would have cried.” I replied, allowing my freezing nose to poke over the collar of my jacket. “Especially if I had known that being a princess now adays meant spending more time worrying about becoming a hostage than anything else.”

Roze chuckled. “It’s a good thing we didn’t know then.” Her face was mostly blank, but I thought I noticed a hint of bitterness in the way her gaze landed on the ground. I watched her flick her cigarette with a bit more aggression than usual. “I would’ve tried to convince my entire family to run away to Scotland, live in hiding and pretend the rest of the world was a dream.”

“Scotland?” I asked. Soap’s cocky grin and heavy Scottish accent stirred in my mind, but it felt like nothing more than a small cloud of dust.

“Yeah – heard it’s fucking gorgeous over there.” She waved her cigarette in no particular direction. “Now, I don’t know how peaceful it is in terms of politics and war, but it’s pretty spacious. Simple, too. I feel like if I talked about throwing all my shit away and becoming a fisherman for a living, I wouldn’t get people trying to talk me out of it like I would in the States.” She took another drag, and laughed out the smoke.

“Fisherman?”

“Yeah.” She chuckled, a hardened smile gracing her lips. “I don’t know why it sounds so appealing… it just does.”

I hummed and looked back out at the compound. I wondered about Roze’s past; she had never said or done anything to indicate that it was particularly rough, as it was for the majority of us (us – I still wasn’t used to including myself, but it was becoming more of a habit each time), but the weariness in her eyes when she spoke about her younger self made me question what that girl had been through. Maybe it was just nostalgia. A yen for simpler times. Roze seemed to appreciate the simple things in life.

“You know Askel goes ice fishing?” she said suddenly.

I smiled underneath my jacket. “Seems like something he would do.”

“Every winter.” She continued. She dropped her cigarette to the floor and crushed it into the gravel. “He takes about three weeks of leave, if we’re lucky enough to get it, and goes to Norway. Sits on a frozen lake for hours a day, just waiting for a fish.”

“You make it sound like he’s never caught one.” I point out, my eyes lingering on the cigarette.

She shrugged her shoulders. “So does he. Every time I ask him what he caught, he just laughs. Says he’s never expects to get a bite.”

I closed my eyes and hummed in response. It was easy to picture the scene – Askel, sitting on a thick layer of ice, nursing the hoppy beers that he and Konig loved so much and waiting for a fish to bite. I wondered if he even bothered to reel the line in when he did catch something. Or if he even went fishing at all. Maybe he just went out there to get a sense of peace, to pretend that war and death didn’t exist.

The motion of thick, heavy snowflakes falling from the sky caught my attention. They landed on the skin of my nose, resisting the warmth for a few moments, before they eventually melted into trickles of water. A sudden gust of wind blew a flurry of them towards us, making the both of us flinch.

Maybe fishing doesn’t sound too bad.

- - - -

The shooting range was mostly silent, save for the occasional conversation between me and Konig. The lights were low, easily illuminating the gunpowder and dust swirling in the air. Konig and I stared at the paper target as we analyzed my shots. A few hit dead center, although most of them were clustered around the lower left of the bullseye. My lips were pursed into a scowl as I glared at my sub-par aim – it wasn’t typically so awful, but of course it was while Konig had been watching.

“Eh, are you sure you didn’t lie on your paperwork about being a sniper?” Konig asked as he stood behind my left shoulder, taking the target from my hands and looking at it closely. “You weren’t even ten yards from it. This is very poor marksmanship.”

I scowled in embarrassment, taking my pistol to the counter and pulling out the mag. “Rough day.” I answered bluntly as I started packing more bullets into the small compartment. It wasn’t a lie – I had barely gotten any sleep the night before. I was in the middle of a rather interesting dream involving me and Ghost, until my alarm woke me up before anything of importance happened.

“Very bad…” he mumbled to himself. I clicked my tongue in annoyance.

“Y’know…” I grumbled, loading the mag back into the gun and shoving it in my holster, “I don’t like stereotyping, but the boot really does fit you.” I walked past him and out into the hallway, not waiting for him to follow.

“Hmm?” he made an indignant noise, momentarily stuck in his spot, before he came jogging after me. “What does that mean? What stereotype?”

I chuckled. “Haven’t you ever how Germans are extremely blunt?” I asked.

“Austrian.” He retorted. “Do I need to brand that onto my face for you?”

“Wouldn’t do me much good, with the mask ‘n all.” I replied.

He laughed – rather snorted, as usual – “Ah, you’re right. Maybe I am blunt – just as much as you are defensive.”

I stopped at the end of the hall, right in front of the exit. “Defe-“ I turned on my heel to scowl at him. “I am not defensive! Where did you get that idea?!”

He stopped behind me, his eyes widening. He gestured an open palm in my direction. “This.”

I huffed, turning back around to punch the door open. The snow from earlier that day had ceased, blanketing the base in a thin layer of white. The moon seemed that much brighter against the crystalized ground, and the yellow lights scattered across the compound made parts of the snow look like sandy dunes. My nose tingled from the nip of the chilly air, and I pulled my jacket tighter around my body as the door fell shut behind me and Konig.

“Well, what am I supposed to say when you call me defensive?”

“You could agree.”

“But I don’t.”

“Which proves my point.”

I huffed in frustration, despite the smirk curling on the edges of my lips. “So, either I have to agree with you, whether I really do or don’t, or you’ve corralled me into a paradox.”

I can practically hear the gears turning in his head. “A what?”

“A paradox, like a – y’know, never mind. It’s too difficult to explain.” I let him fall in step next to me, although he was the one who needed to slow down to match my pace. “We can just agree to disagree, how’s that?”

“Agreed.” He nodded, and I chuckled. “It won’t change the fact that I’m right, you know.” He added.

I bit my lip and tried to keep my smile from growing ridiculously larger. I looked up at him and patted his shoulder – he looked down at me, and the corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled back. A stray, reddish-brown curl poked through the side of his balaclava, and I found the miniscule detail warming my heart through the cold air. He felt real, and in this moment, too human for this kind of life.

“Why did you choose the military?” I asked, turning back to look at the ground as we walked.

He hummed. “Isn’t that every boy’s dream?”

“Well, yes – but most of the time, it never becomes more than that.” I responded.

He shoved his hands into his pockets, mimicking my own position. “I’m not really sure what made me push so much for it. I almost didn’t make it, for obvious reasons.”

I chuckled. “Size does matter, huh?”

He looked down at me with a deadpan gaze, one that I refused to meet. “It almost did, in a bad way. And I almost backed out before they could be the ones to turn me away. But, of course, they knew they would find some use for my size – so they took me in.”

“And what did they do with you?” I asked, looking back at him.

“A ‘human battering ram,’ as my superiors had so nicely called it.” He framed the description with his hands in the air, as if it had been written on a plaque. I laughed and looked back down at my feet.

“Seriously?” I asked. “So they just had you breaking down doors, and then what?”

Konig laughed with me. “Well, I still had a gun, so I was able to shoot, thank goodness. And I had a bit more gear so I wouldn’t break my bones against the doors – I still dislocated my shoulder a few times, however…” he rolled his left shoulder, as if there was still a lingering pain from how often he had thrown himself at doors. “It was actually during a period of recovery when I proved that I could still be a sniper. My shoulder was still healing, so I had to give up being a battering ram for a while. I was sat with Horangi on the side of the mountain to give him cover. Of course, he was ambushed – he had to fight the Arschgiege right when we were given the order to shoot, so I had to take position behind the gun.” I noticed that his chest was puffed out a bit from pride. “That really knocked their pants off.”

I chuckled, choosing to ignore the inaccuracy of his phrase. “Did it now?”

“It did.” He replied, then looked at the ground. “For a moment. I got a good earful for overstepping boundaries that day, but it’s what ultimately landed me here – so I’m grateful for it.”

I nodded and hummed. “What was Horangi picked for?”

Konig shrugged, his hands now back in his pockets. “He never said what he and Commander had spoken about in his office. But, even if he wasn’t chosen – I like to think we come as a package. If I go, he goes, if he doesn’t, I don’t.”

I felt my heart warm at his words. The memory of how Juno had described Konig couldn’t be farther from my mind. It almost felt like I was talking to someone I briefly crossed paths with in my youth – not a war criminal, not the bloody and stiff soldier who had stepped onto the heli after our first mission. I envied his ability to separate his work stress from the time he had in between missions.

“Why did you decide to join?” He asked, catching me off guard.

It was only fair that I opened up to him, since he was so willing to do the same. Always the one to go first, too. But I had to be careful. I didn’t want this to turn into a pity party, and I didn’t want to dig anything up that I had worked so hard to bury deep beneath my subconscious.

“I was… a weird kid. Like you.” I said, making Konig scoff and roll his eyes. “Looking back now, I hate my younger self. I was so sensitive to what people thought about me, and I just wanted to be independent and strong. I wanted to be a ‘different girl.’” I gritted out the words that left a sour taste in my mouth. “I think I just wanted attention at first – of course, when I heard how everyone said they hated how annoying teenage girls were, and how gullible and weak they were, it just – it made me change. I wanted to prove everyone wrong, it wasn’t just about being different anymore. So, as soon as I turned old enough, I enlisted. Didn’t get to Navy SEAL right away, of course… but I joined every program I was allowed in until I could submit my application.���

I sighed, then chuckled. “Thought my family would say they were proud, that I was successful, that I was doing a good job… they were just angry. Said I was throwing my life away for business that didn’t involve our country.” I opened my mouth to say more, but I ended up scoffing and closing it once again. I felt like I had shared enough.

I looked at Konig, expecting him to acknowledge what I said. “That’s how the story goes…” he would say. But, when I met his gaze, I only saw concern. His brow was creased with what I imagined was pity, and my stomach churned. It was the exact opposite of the reaction I had hoped for. I only wanted to share stories with him, and now it was… this.

“I think you made the right choices.” He said, and I looked away.

“You don’t need to make me feel better, Konig. I appreciate it, but-“

“I’m not just trying to make you feel better.” He said, his accent slightly thicker from his exasperation. “You’re good at what you do. Your parents are just probably worried for you, and they don’t know how to show it.”

I bit down on my tongue, my eyes settling on the building in front of us with a hard expression. If only.

“Maybe that’s it.” I muttered, hoping he would drop the subject. He seemed to understand, and turned to look ahead with a disappointed sigh. My heart sank the tiniest bit at the sound, and I internally scolded myself. Still a people-pleaser, apparently.

We continued walking in silence, the buzz of the lights above us mimicking the static of a communication system that had been severed in a time where it was needed most. The edge of the barracks appeared into our view, just around the corner of the arsenal sheds that stood between us and our destination. I continued to stare at the ground, pretending to watch my steps and try to not slip on the snowy asphalt. My heart twisted with each second of silence that sat thickly between us. It wasn’t technically a fight, but somehow, it felt worse. It felt like the first time I had pissed him off, the first time we had spoken to each other – and god, did I already hate myself for the way I had acted towards him during those first few weeks. I didn’t want to drive another wedge between us, not after the ones that had already been worked back out.

I exhaled heavily through my nose. “Sorry.” I mumbled quietly, but loud enough that I knew it reached his ears. “Sensitive topics.”

He flitted his eyes in my direction, but didn’t bother to move his head. He sighed, and I nearly jolted when I felt his wide hand on my upper back. It rubbed back and forth, and it took me an embarrassingly long time to realize that he was comforting me. Or, trying to, at least.

“I know.” He said, and his hand rested on my shoulder. “I’m sorry for pushing you.”

I didn’t know how to respond. I was stuck on the feeling of the roughness of his palm, which I could gleam through the fabric of my jacket. How his fingers squeezed gently and released twice. There was no hidden meaning, no forced contact or any kind of attempt to put context into the touch. It was… natural. Warm, comforting, and it spoke a thousand words that I wouldn’t have been able to stomach if he had said them. It broke past my self-hatred and walls of ‘don’t be weak’ that I would have used as my defense if he had tried to verbally convey any sort of consolation. It was the first time I didn’t feel awkward about being so close to him, let alone when he was touching me. I wondered if he did this on purpose, or if he had no idea what he was doing at all.

I let myself stand nearer to him, almost tucked under his arm. I looked up and smiled as genuinely as I could – not that it was hard for me, but because I wanted to make sure that he really knew how much I appreciated the gesture. Although, if he knew that this simple act of comfort would pierce through my outer shell, was it really necessary?

“Thank you, Konig.” I said.

He looked down at me and smiled. That damn smile. I wondered how much more refreshing it would be when he wasn’t wearing his mask. It was already too much for my soul to bear when it was just the crinkling in his eyes that I could see.

“Anytime, Bonnie.” He replied, patting my shoulder before tucking his hand back into his pocket. I grieved minimally at the loss of the touch, but I was happy for what it was. “And I mean it. Anytime you need to talk – or not talk, and do that empty staring that you do – just come find me.”

I quirked an eyebrow in his direction. “Anytime?” I asked amusedly.

“Mhm!” Konig replied, his eyes on the ground as he watched his steps. Then, the realization hit him, and his eyes went wide with panic. “Oh- well, eh- I guess, not anytime-“

“You gonna tell me when?” I joked, and he laughed. “You need an open/closed sign on your door.” I jogged ahead, trying to reach the door to the barracks before he did.

“How about this?” he called out, and I could hear the grin behind his mask. “I’ll nail a chalkboard to my door, and if I’m busy, I’ll draw a stick guy jerking off in his bed!”

My cheeks burned after I heard him. “No!” I shrieked, laughing nervously. “You’ll traumatize Juno!” I quickly tried to pin this on someone other than me.

“Juno, hah?” Konig teased, and I had half a mind to run into the building and leave him on the quad. “I don’t care about him. Kid needs to be traumatized.”

I laughed and threw my head back, turning the corner around the arsenal shed. “That’s not very-“

Immediately, my heart leapt into my throat, and I gasped. Konig nearly ran into my back as he skidded to a halt.

Sick, sick, what the fuck, I feel sick-

“Stimmt etwas nicht?” he asked, concerned. “What- oh, scheisse-“

We both stared at the bird on the ground. A crow from the looks of it, though it was hard to even decipher that it was a bird in the first place, due to the state it was in. Its belly had been cut open, entrails and bloody bits pulled from the abdomen and strewn to either side of the bird. Its wings were stretched to their full capacity and most likely beyond it, crushed and missing a large number of feathers. Both of the legs appeared to have been ripped off and tossed to the left of the crow. Its beak was the worst of it all: pried open, the jaw probably broken from how wide it was spread. A haunting look of terror in the crow’s red, glossy eyes made a violent shiver run up my spine.

I exhaled shakily, my eyes still glued to the horror. “Holy shit – what the-“

Konig quickly walked around me and knelt in front of the crow. I shifted to look over his shoulder, still fearfully curious, but he held a hand out behind him, urging me to stay in place. With his other hand, he pulled at one of the bird’s wings, stiff and heavy. Whether it was frozen from the cold, or this was the effects from rigor mortis, I couldn’t tell.

“How – did a fucking fox do that?!” I asked. Are there even foxes in this area? How the hell did one get on base?

“Nein.” Konig replied, still looking at the corpse. His gaze fell upon it with a sense of… familiarity, maybe? “Not a fox, no.”

“Then what? It – whatever it was didn’t even eat-“

“I’ll take care of this.” Was all Konig said. He stood up and marched past me – I was barely able to catch a glimpse of his furious expression. His eyes were hard and narrow, and as he walked away, I noticed that his shoulders were tense and his hands were balled into fists. I didn’t dare say anything to him; he almost looked the same way he did after our first mission together, except this time, his anger seemed to be directed at something, instead of just a post-mission adrenaline high.

“I’ll see you later.” He said over his shoulder. There was an obvious fury to his words, and although I knew it wasn’t intended towards me, it still made me freeze where I stood – almost as if I might anger him more simply by taking a step after him.

Whatever it is… I thought, watching him disappear into the compound, he’s sorting it out. I can take care of myself. Although, with such an abrupt and tense departure, I was at a loss on what to do next. I looked back at the bird; its terrified eyes locked onto the sky above it, frozen in its last wish to fly away from whatever horror it endured.

A shiver ran up my spine, prompting me to look away.

- - - -

Taglist: @igotmajordaddyissues @princekonig @vixionix @v3lv3tvampir3 @theoneandonlykymberlee @luvvnightingalee @dillybuggg @sun-joo @perfectus-in-morte @evilive @satakingslime @comfortless

Please let me know if you would like to be added to the taglist!

[all-pacas]

idk if you've talked about chase's vogler arc but i just finished season 1 of house.

i find it interesting how he was so willing to let house hate him, foreman and cameron lose what little respect they had for him, just to hold on to the semblance of safety that he found in diagnostics.

or maybe he can accept being disliked because he never really knew what it was like to be loved/respected anyways.

To be honest, I think there's a temptation to overread this: I've fallen into this trap too. I think you're absolutely right that Chase was willing to put "staying in Diagnostics" above all else, even House's liking about him, but…

Chase was always the lowest in the Diagnostics totem pole, and especially when Vogler showed up: Foreman was blatantly House's favorite, and we're also in the middle of the Cameron crush arc; regardless of whether House reciprocated (which he did, at least vaguely), we also know from Chase's mouth that Chase believes House loves her, whether romantically or as his favorite. He didn't have a lot of standing to lose: it isn't that House dislikes Chase, but he's the lowest on the ladder. If someone is getting fired, it's Chase.

We also don't really know if Chase thought he'd get caught: Vogler, at least at first, tries to make it seem like a random nurse ratted to him. He actually has a pretty abrupt switch from denying his involvement to admitting it outright; he tries to keep his ratting hidden for a good while. In that light, I don't know he was worrying much about Foreman and Cameron's respect — Foreman already hated him, and Cameron actually keeps trying to defend him/deny he's the leak for a pretty long time, and we don't hear about a grudge.

House also is largely okay with what Chase did, after the initial burst of annoyance: as he tells Cameron in Control and Wilson in Kids, he wanted Chase to protect his job. Chase protected his job. House can appreciate a certain amount of ruthlessness, and we see in later seasons he does not care for apathy or employees who have their minds/priorities elsewhere (Taub in S5 and 13 in S8 as examples). Chase… wants to be there. Even at the cost of respect. (And that makes me, in turn, wonder how House felt about Cameron quitting in the Vogler arc, hmm.)

Really, Chase gets off pretty lightly. Foreman already hated him, House is annoyed for a while but then moves on, Cameron doesn't seem to mind one way or another — I'm sure "off screen" she would have been annoyed, but call it a benefit of their existing friendship.

I also don't know that I'd say Chase can accept being disliked. You're absolutely right that respect and love are kind of new to him, but he carries himself with the confidence of someone who tends to assume he belongs in any given situation: he's outgoing, unafraid to flirt or shoot his shot with women, socially adept even if he's a bit more standoffish than he seems. Chase isn't used to being loved, but he's very used to being liked. We actually see in S1's Poison that he is hilariously offended when a patient doesn't like him; he really does seem to assume he's a likeable, charming guy. This also comes back around in S6's Private Lives, where he's genuinely upset to learn women prefer his looks to his personality: Chase, the dork, actually does seem to think of himself as a friendly and likeable fella. He doesn't want to lose that image of himself. He took a risk to save his job, got in over his head, and managed to get out unscathed. It wasn't his smartest plan, but I don't think it was a reflection of his self worth, either.

[sofasoap]

Little Beard

Pairing: Johnny “Soap” MacTavish x F!Reader

Summary: After being apart from your wonderful boyfriend for six months, he comes back with a surprise.

Warning : M themed. Suggestive. hints of smut. Not beta'ed. Semi crack. A/N: I am sure all of us who loves Soap also love his wonderful beard from his OG days. At least I do.

Part 4 of Little Bear series Masterlist

“JOHN……ny???”

Two men turned around. If it wasn’t for the almost non-existing mohawk, you probably would have mistaken your boyfriend for Captain Price. 

“Bonnie bear!!” Striding towards you before scoping you up into his arms into a bear hug. “You made it!” 

“I wouldn’t miss it in the world… but.. What the hell is this??!!” you gaped, while caressing his full mutton chop. 

Six months. It’s the longest time both of you have been apart since the start of the relationship. Oh how you missed him. There was minimal contact. The only reason you knew him and the team was still alive was through Laswell ( Only because Johnny begged her and she has a soft spot for the youngsters of the team ). You don’t know how you would have coped without her constant update and reassurances. While you are glad to have them safe back in your arm, you begin to wonder what has happened during the mission. 

“You like it?” Nuzzling his face in the crook of your neck, he whispered. “I thought something different, for a change.” 

“Are you sure you boys haven’t been on the set of ‘Cast Away’ instead of a save-the-world mission??”  You laughed as you felt the tickle of his beard on your neck. “Oh! You are growing a rat tail too..” 

Glancing over his shoulder, you see Gaz sporting a not quite a full unkempt beard and equally messy curly hair, although you couldn’t see Simon’s face, a few strands of overgrown hair is peeking out from both eye holes and the back of his balaclava, and somehow Price has magically kept his mutton chop immaculate. You almost wonder if he has signed a secret pact with an unknown entity to keep his facial hair in tiptop shape and keep the boys alive during the missions. 

Pulling away a little, he gives you a playful smacking kiss on the lip, “Falling head over heels for me again?” 

You laughed as you lightly slapped his chest, you have to admit on more than one occasion you have imagined what it will be like for Johnny to have a full grown mutton chop, how it will feel when he goes down on….

“What are you thinking now little teddy bear? I can hear your brain churning.” Leaning back into you as he dropped into a whisper, “You having naughty thoughts?” Damn, he knows you too well. 

“Don’t worry, once we get back to the accommodation.. I will make up for all the lost time by taking care of ya…” he smirked. He proceeded to yell towards the boys, “Hey, I think we will give tonight’s gathering a miss, I have important business to take care of.” 

“You mean taking care of your girlfriend’s needs?” Simon perked up all of sudden.

“Oh my gosh Simon!!” You swear if someone put a kettle on top of your head now, you can boil the water in an instant. Of all people, you did not expect it from him. You seriously need to have a talk with Mini to reign her husband’s mouth. 

“You know it! See you tomorrow instead!” Soap replied, unashamed about what his plan with you for the evening was to be, while waving goodbye to his teammates and half dragging you towards the car, eagerly. And sure enough, he proceed to you the best head in your life. As always. With his new mutton chop. Again, and again. the overgrown hair made it easy to grab onto too.

“.. Had a good time? UGH!”

“ Gaz. Behave. And you too SIMON. Don't you DARE open your mouth” 

I am a firm believer Price has made a pact with the devil to keep his mutton chop immaculate at all time.

@a-small-writer-in-a-big-world

@kaplerrr

@homicidal-slvt

@floral-force @okayyadriana @deadbranch @cumikering @siilvan

@random-thot-generator

@random0lover @devcica @jynxmirage @nrdmssgs

[the-well-of-dreamfullness]

Hera Hwang's past // OS

Title : brain damage

Notes : this OS tells a bit of the backstory of my MC, Hera Hwang ; i thought it'd be good to share it if i want to keep posting about her. however, i am currently writing a long fanfiction about Hera's life at Hogwarts in which we slowly discover her past between some fights with the ashwinders and flirts with Poppy Sweeting. if you rather discover her past in a fanfiction, don't read this OS !

also, english isn’t my first language, please remember that when you read ! and a big thank you to my amazing best friend @little-big-boo-and-a-rat who beta read this when i wrote it in the middle of the night months ago <3

-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•-

What a strange thing it is, to wake up with no past.

When your mind is foggy after a long nap or a particularly restorative night's sleep, memories quickly come flooding back. First you become aware of the pain in the back of your neck, caused by the uncomfortable position you've assumed in your sleep ; then you remember how you went to bed, the last thing you did before that and the things you have to do now. It's fast, you barely notice it. And above all, there's no need to really remember who you are, because it's a knowledge that never left you, that's as natural to you as breathing, that you don't pay attention to anymore.

But when she wakes up, nothing comes at all.

The first thing she sees is the sky. She contemplates it for a long time, mind empty, not even noticing this emptiness. After what could be hours, a bird starts singing, somewhere around her, and it's like this melody reminds her of her own existence, reminds her that she's somewhere, that she's someone - and that she doesn't know where nor even who.

She straightens up, sits down. Next to her is the sea. It's beautiful. Grand, clear, deep. She doesn't recognize it.

It doesn’t worry her at first. Paying attention to the present is hard when your mind is devoid of any past. Minutes pass without any thought.

A bizarre feeling appears in her stomach, begins to dig into it.

Where is she ?

Where is she, where is she ?

Years later, when telling this story to Sebastian, she'll say that it was as if she had just been born. As if she had no life before that beach. As if she had appeared here as a kid, with no story to tell. It is the best way she'll ever be able to explain it.

Fear slowly grows inside her. Even that fear, she cannot explain it. She isn’t able to explain anything. She just knows something isn’t right.

Where is she, where is she ? Who is she ?

How long does she stay here, trying to search her mind, trying to remember her name, how she got there, where she should go now ? That, she'll never be able to tell. Perhaps hours again. Perhaps all of this happened in less than a minute. She doesn't move, looking all around her, trying to find someone or something that could help her memories to come back while a deep, sharp fear runs into her entire insides now.

Until her last day on earth, she will be afraid of the void, the black hole she saw in her head that day. She'll hold on to her memories, even the saddest ones, playing them in her mind like a movie, to make sure it never comes back. Whatever happens, she doesn't want to be empty ever again.

At some point she starts crying. She discovers the sound of her own voice.

It was terrifying, she’ll tell Poppy. It was terrifying because I knew I was somewhere the day before, the hour before, and I couldn’t remember it. It’s a bit like… like when you have a melody stuck in the head but cannot remember its title. You know you know it, you know it must be somewhere in your head, but cannot bring your brain to remember it…

Soon, it's not the only thing she hears ; someone is coming, alerted by her cries.

The young woman asks her who she is, why is she crying, where are her parents. There is something reassuring in the softness of her voice, but the child has no answers to give.

I don't know.

She lets herself be taken to the small village, breathing heavily. In every house, she tries to recognize hers, but all she sees is the void.

They ask her a lot of questions, and she answers the same thing to all of them.

I don't know. I don't know. I don't know.

I don't remember anything.

People look at her strangely. It will take her years to understand that it was her white hair taking them aback. The hair of the devil, Mr Pryor once will tell her. Hair that makes me think of the stars ! will exclaim Amit with a smile.

I've learned later that my story sort of became a local legend in this village, she'll tell Ominis.. People talk about me to tourists and stuff. Everyone apparently finds it fascinating.

Well, I see that's your thing, then, he'll joke.

Eventually an adult with glasses (she doesn't notice if it's a man or a woman) sits next to her and says that they've found something in her coat. A necklace with a name on it.

"It's probably your name. Do you want to know it ? It's a very pretty name."

Now that I think of it, she'll tell Professor Fig, they had a really sweet voice. It was probably a woman.

She nods.

Her name is Hera Hwang.

You should try to sleep, they tell her after a while, we're taking care of everything, we'll find your parents, or give you a nice new home. But she's too scared of the void to sleep, too scared of waking up with no memories again.

People come and go, in their impeccable uniforms, sometimes smiling at her or giving her candies. They can never truly hide how odd they find her appearance, or how curious they are to know what happened to her.

There's apparently a small crowd of curious inhabitants in front of the office, because an angry woman keeps going outside to yell at them to leave, that it's not a show, that a kid's suffering isn’t something to entertain themselves with. Later, when thinking about this moment, Hera will feel grateful for that.

Probably because there is nothing else to inspect, someone decides to inspect the necklace a bit more, finds out there is a year written on it, on the edge of the empty medallion. It's so small that it's easy to miss it.

I think it's the year she was born, they say. That's when Hera learns that she is ten years old.

Ten years forgotten, ten years lost.

She falls asleep despite her efforts not to. They wake her up hours later to tell her she's going to go to the orphanage until they find her family, understand what happened to her, and she nearly cries of relief when she realizes that she remembers everything that happened since she opened her eyes next to the sea.

"It's a good place for children, you'll see"

She doesn't reply. She doesn't care.

The orphanage was so boring, she'll tell Natty. It's like they want you to have nothing to do but think about how miserable your life is.

What did you do after that ? They all ask.

After that, she tries everyday for years to remember her past, to remember something, to remember at least a small detail. Her mother's name, her father’s eyes, her favourite toy's color. She looks at every tree, every rock, every flower, every face to see if they ring a bell in her brain.

But nothing never comes. Today still, she'll tell them all, nothing comes. The Pryors arrived (hm! angrily groans Sebastian) and I kept trying to remember. Professor Fig arrived, and I keep trying to remember. But nothing never comes.

It's as if she had just been born.

[puffyducks]

DCRC Week #26

Alright folks today we're reading PKNA #21: Tyrannic!!! and um totally unrelated question but do you guys remember the Pangea Project?

Shoutout to the PBI for inviting PK for a meeting and not telling a single one of their security guards that he would be showing up, it really demonstrates the efforts of a highly efficient organization that DEFINITELY knows how to communicate with itself and can be trusted with our public safety!

babygirl

you guys he is so SMALL I can't get over it

Oh don't worry pal, I have READ Earthquake (this is the part where the camera cuts to me holding a big foam finger and wearing an oversized t-shirt that says "#1 PKNA #4 Earthquake fan")

lol he is SO fucking grumpy that they wanted Uno, I can't help but giggle

Seriously Uno we REALLY need to have a talk about how to cheer people up cause this is not it 😭

Donald I'm sorry that you're feeling insecure over losing to the most highly advanced and intelligent piece of technology ever created but also you were fighting a losing battle to begin with

am I supposed to take this guy seriously cause he has a fuckin rat tail at the back of his head

"just a scientific project" come on bro be fr 😭 you were going to obliterate millions of people

PANGEA PROJECT WE ARE SO FUCKING BACK BABY!!! ROUND 2 THE WEST COAST WILL FALL!!! 💯🔥

I gotta say "Frostville" is like. The least menacing name I could think of for an evil enemy base. It sounds like a quaint little winter village not the place where we plot to make the west sink underwater.

Also-- did I miss the part where PK told the PBI about Uno being an AI? Cause I know he usually tries to keep it a secret but at this point I have a hard time keeping track of who knows what about Uno existing

he might be stupit

WEREN'T YOU JUST COMPLAINING EARLIER THAT THEY WANTED UNO'S HELP INSTEAD OF YOURS??? Careful what you wish for kids now his ass is getting sent to the arctic

Love that Donald doesn't even have a mask anymore in this uniform he's just wearing like... blue eyeliner

Ok how does Fairfax ALSO know about Uno I swear to god there was no reason for him to figure that out

YEAHHHHHHHHH wait I mean NOOOOOOOOOOO

How does bro STILL think he's doing a good thing here, did he miss the part where the super evil government of evil bad people pulled up like "hey we like your research because it is evil and bad"?? He's still just here like yayy I'm gonna save the planet :) NO YOU'RE NOT

hey is that a guy frozen in an iceberg on the right there or-

What is his problem why does he have so much beef with California? I mean Calisota.

No yeah literally what reason did they have to let him go they were trying to shoot him in the face like 3 minutes ago

OKAY WAIT that's cute this ending is cute. And I guess we're just fully okay with the PBI knowing Uno exists and now having a photo of his face in their records...

Would you guys hate me if I skipped reading the Burton La Valle bonus comic this week cause god. I do not care about Burton La Valle 😭 I tried to be strong I'm sorry but also I don't think anyone else cares either so... nothing of value was lost. Bring back Trip.

ANYWAYS I like this comic! And it might be entirely because I really like Earthquake and this is just a sequel to that story but STILL!!! I will say that I feel that Fairfax gets pretty watered down here (and for the rest of the series) and he's never quite as interesting as he was in Earthquake when he was convinced he was working for the greater good. Like yeah, in this story he still sort of thinks he's doing the right thing, but he's also just fully given in to being a bad guy. We lose some of the nuance he had before but I do like seeing him again. I don't really care about Belgravia but I do think it's funny that one of PK's enemies is just An Entire Country.

And hey now that I think about it, isn't it kinda funny that this story is about a submarine named Tyrannic that starts rapidly sinking underwater and losing pressure? Y'know it calls to mind a certain other recently famous submarine that might've had a really similar sounding name... maybe something to do with that giant boat that famously sunk y'know like maybe li-

[sisislair]

More from the relisten/re read of tgcf! More of my running thoughts than any in depth meta this time.

Starting from around right after the Lang Qianqiu failed duel and him getting turned into a doll.

God. Thank you for coming to my defense. But I don't need it, because my self worth is that low.

Ah Qi rong you beautiful rat bastard.

Coffin mention!!!

Xie Lian's very complicated feelings about Qi rong

Aughhhh the way Hua Cheng talks Xie Lian through the aftermath. No one could have done any better. It's not your fault, and you've been punished more than enough.

Xie Lian truly is king of self blame.

Hua Cheng says no thought crimes!!! Fuck Xie Lian is so scared that Hua Cheng is putting him on a pedestal like Qi rong and lang qianqing did, and that he'll be just as disappointed when he inevitably fails to live up to their standards for him. He hates to disappoint so badly. Hua Cheng, actually just you existing is enough to keep me going, no matter what your true self is. Xie Lian: 🥺

Also Xie Lian: all right that was a little sus, you have got to be someone from my past

Shi Qingxuan truly is bestie!!! Coming to rescue her friend! Apologizing for burning down the Manor! Hua Cheng and shi Qingxuan immediately falling into the bit together! Xie Lian seeing through everyone's act as usual lol. Shi Qingxuan is such a good friend! I see you're on a date, I got you hoe.

Fuck I hate Jun Wu. Making his favor of Xie Lian obvious, which only serves to alienate him further and feel indebted to Jun Wu. Him fucking digging at Xie Lian about his tendency to fuck things up.

Ahhhhh Xie Lian visiting his parents. He is both so old and so young.

Something about how qi rong is one of the only people who can pull out Xie Lian's worst traits. He truly does understand him, if only his worst parts.

Fuck young Xie Lian is so bright and happy. You see his sense of humor shine here with his planned grand entrance to the parade, but without the darker edge it will take on later in his life. Poor Feng Xin and mu Qing(especially my Qing), they're obviously worried their going to be blamed for whatever fucking shenanigans Xie Lian is pulling. Exasperated fondness at its best.

[rcedge]

I will always support TLJ hate because I was a huge Luke Skywalker fan and I feel like they destroyed his character and then just killed him off at the end :( I gave up on the franchise after that. The whole discourse around that movie was so strange too. After TFA everybody was speculating about who Rey's parents were and I loved the theory that Luke was her father and Kylo was her cousin and they'd all been tragically separated somehow (very Wars of the Roses in space, the daughter of the son versus the son of the daughter). And then with TLJ the director was like 'um actually Rey being a Skywalker by blood would be totally elitist and you can be force sensitive without being related to an existing character ya know'. And then in ROS they randomly made her the granddaughter of Palpatine lol. And I haven't even mentioned the way that they treated characters like Finn. What an absolute mess!

I could not agree with you more ESPECIALLY on the luke front like you're telling me the guy who saw good in his planet-exploding dad tried to kill his nephew for being emo? Come on man. he's literally the titular hope in a new hope. you're telling me he just rebuilt the jedi order exactly how it was? COME ON MANNNNN!!!!!!

with rey i personally never really gave any mind to who her parents were but i thought the assertion that it would be elitist or whatever to make her related to the skywalkers was very bizarre considering that the whole of star wars is ostensibly the story of the skywalker family Rey's story in general just suffered badly from everybody having completely different ideas of what they wanted to do and so she never developed like any kind of interesting personality or connections to anyone beyond kylo which was kind of stupid as fuck cus her relationship in the fist film with finn was fun and i think if they actually gave us the functional trio of finn rey and poe it could have been a fun dnymaic but what ever we need that rat kylo fsr

the palpatine shit is hands down the most bizarre thing like i remember sitting in the theater and just blurting out "What the fuck?" that movie was genuinely so bad i started crying and i tried to leave but the people i was with at the time would not let me lol which was fair movie tickets are kind of too expensive to waste even if it feels like your soul being scraped out with some kind of blunt object

re: finn and poe this actually bothers me so much like even beyond a shipping thing obviously cus Seriously what was the deal with any of that. i think we can all agree that finn should have been force sensitive (thus taking care of rian johnson's stupid ass worry about skywalker only force sensitive characters or whatever the fuck) instead of giving him a completely Nothing plot in the most Nothing plot movie of all time wherein nothing gets accomplished by anyone this has beentalked about by better and more intelligent people than me

what i don't see talked a lot about is what they did to poe like he was completely in the right for not trusting laura dern's stupid fuck character holdo or whatever her fuck ass name was like would YOU???? it was so frustrating like sitting there like Wait but hes right you are completely suspicious how the hell was he supposed to know you had some grand master plan if you are refusing to tell the people under your command even the ones that are quite high up literally nothing . fuck was i glad when she did suicide .

also i forget if this was in tlj or tros cus frankly they all kind of blend together in a river of piss and shit at this point but making poe a drug trafficker was crazyyyyy. your single hispanic character in a mainline star wars film and you completely retcon his backstory from Son of rebels that worked with leia -> drug dealer is fucking crazy like are you serious LOL i hate those fucking films so much bro

oh also i hate the porgs and i was glad when chewbacca tried to eat one cus i hated them i hated them i hated them die die die die

[seneon]

𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐖𝐍'𝐒 𝐅𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐈𝐍 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄

a grave has never looked so messy before. has an itchy hand dug it up? anyway, when one walks past the uneasy grave, they will come across a large tomb, far larger than the other. what could lie in such a grave? only a large creature seeking for love.

LANCE X FEMALE! READER 🎬 tw: shit father, gore + needles. A/N — the third piece. this is not for the weak stomachs btw. and lance is a beautiful frankenstein don't worry LOL

creating a creature from the pieces of different human parts and piecing them back together is not what a particular man had in mind. his intention was to create something to discover the secrets of life and death. or something.

but on accident with some missteps, he created a monster. a tall, large monster with the features supposedly of a monster, but out came a beautiful giant. with the longing feeling of affection.

since . . .

his creator did not like him one bit.

lance, a creation of a monster that existed for such a ridiculous reason with no other purposes in life. a beautiful giant, made to be a rat of the lab. a creation left in the dark, abandoned very soon by his very own creator.

what was so wrong about lance? what went wrong? isn't he beautiful? isn't that what his creator pictured in his theory-obsessed mind?

the creature lived in solitude for months. his organs does not work. he could survive an eternity without food or water, perhaps he could even survive in extreme changes of weather. either way, he would be a beauty in those weather.

lance looked at himself in the mirror left behind by his creator. it wouldn't even fit his entire body. he was simply too large to fit in the frame. all he could see was an angelic face with a poorly stitched body. he could see weird substances oozing out from those stitches, and they weren't even blood.

at least, to lance. not until a man arrived at the abandoned facility along with his beautiful daughter. they seek to help or 'complete' the experiment that the creator of lance had left behind. as told by mr. l/n, he introduced himself as the partner of his creator. maybe mr. l/n could give lance a new purpose in life.

"i am going to sew you properly," you said, preparing your tools to sew the loose stitches on lance, the beautiful monster. "ready?"

the monster nodded, watching as you carefully poke the needle into his unfeeling skin and started tightening the stitching, replacing some with new stitches so he would look way better. lance's eyes never left you, your focus, and he took notice of how your hair falls to the front as you work on his hands.

without noticing, his hands made its way to brush your hair behind your ears, causing you to look up. was it fear that he saw in your eyes? no. it isn't. your fingers weren't shaking at all. it couldn't be. it was sorrow and hatred all alone, no found fear.

lance fell in love with a human girl who first stitched his arms the moment he knew of her.

your father saw that it was so, then came a genius idea that sparked his mind and motivation. in continuing a project that his old friend had left alone. the man let the monster understand what it was like to be human. he treated lance like a human boy, teaching him life and emotions. and feelings. he sparked an attraction in lance's heart, all of it feeling towards you.

"i want y/n to be my companion."

lance said.

that was all it needed for your father's final tool to be put to use after months of shaping the creature into a perfect human monster. all he needed was for lance to utter those few words and he will be putting you to use.

tool.

tool.

tool.

all this time, that was all you were to your father. a mere tool to be used for the completion of a monster and a new era. you were simply just a draft that was almost forgotten.

your last memories were of your father hitting you over and over again, strapping you to an examination bed before injecting you with a drug. a drug that would be the last pain you will ever feel in your entire life.

when y/n opened her eyes, lance felt his face lit up at the sight of his new companion. a beauty, same as him, a creature. so beautiful, that he wouldn't dare touch her just in case she crumbles from his harsh hands.

there the forgotten soul of y/n lies in a renewed body of female monster, created to be the companion of lance the beautiful monster. with mind and heart belonging to a real girl. she is to sew every loose stitches in lance's limbs and to tend to his needs.

y/n is to be a frankenstein creation's lover.

© SENEON OCT 12th 2023 | 3rd PIECE OF S. GRAVEYARD.

grave two 🪦 spooktober graveyard series | NEXT

[cairavende]

Worm Arc 12 thoughts:

Brian needs to watch the Barbie movie holy shit! (I understand the story takes place in 2011 and the movie doesn't exist there)

Just like, fuck get off Taylor's back. She is playing it too safe but also being too aggressive. Moving too fast but also not being aggressive enough! AHHHHHHHH!

Seriously, nearly every time Brian showed up in this arc I was yelling at him. Dude. Just back off.

Skitter fucking just, killing thousands of rats in a few minutes is absolutely terrifying. God I love her.

Hookwolf is a dick. I can't believe everyone else went along with him and gave the Travelers and the Undersiders shitty choices like that. I mean that's not true, I can believe it I'm just mad.

I legit forgot Imp existed until Tattletale mentioned leaving her at the meeting as a spy. I love how the way her power works combined with the writing style means she just disappears for the readers as well.

Loved seeing more of the Travelers and more Noelle. Excited to learn more about her (I don't have great feelings about her long term situation though).

Jack is such a fucking POSER oh my god!

He just. He thinks he's so cool. But he's not. Fucking "this is not an exit" reference and shit.

He is Tobey Maguire Spider-Man from Spider-Man 3. Just thinks he is the coolest shit. Everyone just has to accept it cause he got fancy knife powers.

Tattletale just fucking full confidence fucking with the Nine while standing right in front of them. She clearly knew it was high risk but she took it and she got results, spoiling Jacks plan with Cheri and shit.

That said, AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! MY BABY SOMEBODY HELP MY BABY! AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! (Ok she's not like, my baby, that's Taylor. But she's still my baby.)

LOOK AT MY FUCKING DAUGHTER! FUCKING LOOK AT HER! HOW MANY PEOPLE DID SHE SAVE FROM SHATTERBIRD? HUNDREDS? THOUSANDS? SHE IS AMAZING!

She fucking needs therapy though. Saves more people than anyone else could have and is mad because she didn't do enough. God damn Taylor love yourself!

Danny is fine. Besides, he had warning so any injures are basically his fault. Git gud Danny. (Ok look that's a little unfair, but he messed up pretty bad with raising my daughter so I'm allowed to be a little unfair to him I think.)

And look at my daughter again! She goes and organizes people to help the wounded. Takes charge. Gets a cool butch lady that might never show up again to help. I hope she does show up again though.

AND THEN FUCKING MANNEQUIN! AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

After he showed up I said "I don't know how the fuck she's gonna do it, but my daughter is gonna kick your ass". And then like a few paragraphs later I read "I have no idea how the fuck I’m going to do it but I’m going to make you regret that." This made me both happy - fun to say something and have Taylor say almost the same thing - and worried - cause when I said I didn't know how she was going to do it I kinda hoped she had a plan.

But then she fucking does it! She kicks his ass. She steals his arm. SHE RIPS HIS HEAD OFF! GOD DAMN! THAT'S MY FUCKING KID!

I do think she should hire the buff burly guy who helped her rip Mannequin's head off. He clearly has motivation and would be loyal. And maybe I want to see him more. For reasons.

But anyway she fucking wrecks Mannequin, makes him look like he lost a fight with a paint store. Just fucking clowned on him. She is so good.

Then the next day Brian comes in and fully focuses on how stupid it was to fight Mannequin, not really praising that she won or asking if she needs medical help. God damn bud!

But I loved how a fuck ton of people were like "Oh shit she beat Mannequin! I want to work for her." She's going to be so fucking famous soon.

Interlude 1 - Jack is a poser again. Sucks to be the Merchants, can't say I'll miss them. Jack trying to sound all clever with his carrot and sticks thing, but most of what he lists for the other Nine is really obvious. And he misses some stuff as well. Poser. I could lead the Nine better than him (not that I would lead the Nine, just that if I did I would be better than Jack).

Interlude 2 - God damn this is a doozy. Shit ton of Cauldron lore. Battery backstory. Assault backstory. I made a "now kith" joke when they fought for the very first time cause I didn't realize who they were yet. It was supposed to be a joke. I did not want them to end up together. They should not be together. Legend should not have allowed Assault to be on Battery's team. He was a bit of a dick for that. So much Cauldron lore though. I can't put it all here.

[chibichibisha]

Reflection Ruesday!

I was tagged by @becausedragonage on this Reflection Ruesday! in wich you go find a draft or a wip and share it with others. It made me think of my own Dragon Age fic draft that I never posted and thought, why not?

This piece is about my male mage Amell (in a setting where he is not destined to be a warden, but still survives his harrowing) talking to Jowan about his strange dynamic with certain templar. Cause yes, I'm one of those pushing the bisexual Cullen agenda. This serves as an introduction of a long fic series about his personal journey in the main plotline.

If you wante to do the same with yours, feel tagged!

-------

"Is it true!? Are you going under your Harrowing today?"

Jowan's voice never sounded as alarmed before as he stormed in the library, even considering he was a rather easily excitable guy. Amell just could smirk a little at his direction, as sitting at the library's table as he were, not because he was particularly looking forward to the rite itself, but because he knew the smug display would annoy his fellow apprentice. And it did.

"C'mon. Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I'm sorry."

"No, you are not." 

Amell snorted while crossing his arms and looking at his half disappointed friend. He was actually right about it but he said it as if Amell didn't care about his poor wounded feelings.

"Don't be like that. I thought it would be better this way, seeing how you came at me the moment you knew."

"Well, duh- it's your Harrowing! You are going to become an Enchanter. You know, the most important thing for a mage here?" His explanation came with a hand gesture like he needed to probe his point. Amell almost found him annoyingly endearing, but he always refrained from telling him that if he didn't want Jowan to keep complaining for three days straight about how mean Amell was for mocking him.

"Well" Amell continued, not giving much attention to Jowan's words "you are the one that kept disappearing for entire days and still didn't tell me what on Andraste's breath are you doing. Should I worry?"

"Uh. No." 

Jowan looked away for a moment. Suspicious.

"Oh. Good. Because we are best friends, right? And you wouldn't lie to your poor good friend Daylen, right?"

"Stop that, you rat. And that's… private."

Amell arched a brow and an inquisitive gaze told Jowan he had to explain himself better.

"I already told you! I met someone, okay? But I can't tell more or she would get in trouble."

Ah, so it was that. In that case he had no interest in knowing what a pair of lovebirds did in their romantic escapes. Technically he could actually ask for more details, since Jowan really liked to talk about her, always in a very ethereal, dreamy way, but Amell would rather be completely ignorant about his friend's love life. Even less if it was with a girl.

"Okay. I mean, as long as she exists."

"You are the worst, you know that?" Jowan complained, so Amell offered a friendly apology. "Just for the record: she does. She is smart, and sweet and possibly the love of my life, I'm sure of it. But of course it's not something you would understand, given your history."

"I swear if you are going to talk about Anders again I'm going to throw you a fireball next time I'm practicing and call it an unfortunate accident."

The sole mention of that name could make him groan in ashamed, almost physical pain and Jowan knew it. Too well in fact. Good thing that guy bailed out of the Tower again, not sure which attempt number was it already, but with a bit of luck, the bastard wouldn't come back this time. If only.

"No, the templar. I was going to say the templar, but glad it's still effective. You really have a death wish, huh?"

Well, it could look like that, but it wasn't the case. For the most part. It wasn't like he was specifically looking for it, but it was really hard to miss when other apprentices gossiped about this in his presence, the "Cullen has a crush on you!" or when Amell encountered said templar passing at the hallways and he stuttered even trying to greet the mage.

That guy, a head full of blonde curls and the warmest brown eyes Amell ever saw. Turning coy, but gazing every time he saw the mage heading out from the small chantry room. He was adorable.

"I didn't do anything. Cullen is a new recruit that happens to like me. It also happens that he is actually very cute and I like that."

"You have horrible taste." Jowan was exasperated, he sighed. Then he intently lowered his voice, and spoke in a hushed tone. "Recruit or not, he is a templar. To mingle with other mages is a thing, but those jerks are here just to use any excuse to get rid of us, and then say it was necessary."

"I know, I know." Amell couldn't help but roll his eyes. 

Definitely not the first time Jowan mentioned this to him, and wouldn't be the last. He liked to pretend it was because Amell was too laid back about this "mingle" thing, but the reason behind this insistence was actually because Jowan cared for him more than he wanted to admit. 

"Look, I also heard those stories: the careless mage hunted and betrayed by their lover. But you don't have to worry. After all, he is not the Knight-Commander or that idiot of Carroll. And it's not like something will happen anyway, he is an honest one. Every time I try to talk to him he turns all red and runs away. It's amusing but I'm starting to feel bad about him."

"Enticing. But I really didn't want to have that mental image."

"Well, now you'll have to live with it." Amell laughed. "If you excuse me, I have to find Finn before preparing myself. Don't get in trouble while I'm busy, you hear me?"

If Jowan complained, Amell couldn't hear him clearly, maybe because he was already getting up from the table he was sitting on and making his way to the door. 

[yellowspiralbound]

Since season 3 of The Witcher Netflix comes out tomorrow...here are some of my concerns on adaptation from this season onward. Potential spoilers for the future seasons and definite spoilers for the books. Long post ahead.

The Hansa's Dynamic

I am so worried about how the Hansa is going to be handled in the show. Like shaking in my boots terrified. The showrunners already really messed up Dandelion & Geralt's dynamic...and that's one of the easier dynamics present in the Hansa imo. The dynamic is already going to be screwy because Cahir is a middle aged man and not a petulant teenager if he's present in the Hansa at all (though I think he will be since Emhyr called him and Fringilla out at the end of s2).

Emhyr as a Character

Speaking of Emhyr...I think they might attempt to give him a redemption arc, and I cannot emphasize how bad of an idea that is. They're going to retcon the whole "wanting to impregnate Ciri" bit, which I have mixed feelings on. Like yes, on one hand that's fucking gross but on the other hand, that bit is in there to show how fucked up Emhyr is and why Geralt needs to get to Ciri so quickly; it adds a sense of urgency to the Hansa's travels. If I see Emhyr sympathizers on my dash after this season I will lose my fucking mind.

Milva's Pregnancy & Related Scenes

I suspect that Milva's pregnancy is going to be cut entirely or play up the rest of the Hansa's concern for her as a weird "men think they can control women's bodies" thing which Milva will have to fight with them about so the show can be appropriately pro-choice without exploring any of the pro-choice nuance the books bring up. I can just see Regis talking to the guys about it being turned into a "the father deserves a say in a woman's choice to abort" scenario instead of the "I will give this woman her abortion regardless of what you all think about that (and I've made that VERY clear) but I think she's making this choice because she believes you all will abandon her/not support her if she wants to keep this baby and someone needs to make sure that she knows that won't happen" scenario that it actually is. This is also plays into my concerns about the Hansa's dynamic as changing that scene changes it irreparably.

Characterizing Nilfgaard as a Nation

Right now I feel like the show could go one of two ways 1) Nilfgaard is wrong in everything it does or 2) Nilfgaard is right in everything it does (if Emhyr gets a redemption arc). The show has already made a show of the Northern Realms' racism, which is book accurate mind you, but I fear this will translate to a sort of "Nilfgaard is the better nation as its less racist" scenario. While Nilfgaard is better in that aspect and a few others, it is still a militant slave nation. Nilfgaard and the Northern Realms both have their evils and their virtues; that's a big point in the books and the games. Neither nation is 100% good or 100% bad - they're just nations. I don't think the show will be able to handle that kind of nuance.

Jaskier & Radovid...

Apparently, Radovid is supposed to be one of Jask's love interests this season. Radovid is a massive racist, a war criminal, and a teenager. I'm sure all of that's going to be retconned but for fuck's sake just make a new character if you're going to age up and completely change the personality and insanity of an existing one. Important note: I am 1000% in support of queer Jask. I have never shipped that man with a woman in my life (even in the books and games) but for the love of God why did his LI have to be fucking RADOVID??

Mistle & the Rats

If they make Ciri and Mistle a love story, I am going to be disappointed but not surprised. Let me be clear: Mistle is a rapist and an abuser. I suspect they will change that to shoehorn in a queer relationship (even though Triss and Philippa are RIGHT THERE if they want a semi-canon wlw couple). The Rats as a whole are definitely going to be made into more robinhood-like characters because God forbid a main character like Ciri is morally grey or does questionable/bad things.

Geralt's Disability

If this season ends with the Vilgefortz and Geralt fight, as I suspect it might, Geralt will be disabled permanently by the end of this season. The dryads do not fix it. Magic does not fix it. Geralt becomes disabled and stays disabled. His disability becomes a hindrance during the books and the reader actively sees him grapple with the fallout of this. I do not trust this show to handle that - especially with how much more closed off Geralt is in the show compared to the books. If I had to guess, Geralt's disability will be handwaved away or mentioned in passing and never actually shown to impact him which is not cool.

[anjumzm]

Midsummer Night

A Legacy of Gods Fanfic

JerCes Daughter x LanMia Son

Chapter 17

Theodore Sokolov King

I could feel it in the air, adrenaline and excitement forged together. Tonight, as per my plan, would be the night I'd pull the rug from that rat Abazi’s feet. And then I'd get back to much more important tasks, like planning my dinner date with the little bird. Since it was crucial for me to make my move today, I'd had to postpone my date. That rat would pay dearly for ruining my me time with Aanya.

Gods, why can't I stop thinking about the damn girl? It's not like she's the only girl in London or the entire world.

But she's definitely the only one you have eyes for.

True. Even I couldn't deny the fact that I've never been this invested in anyone before. I had no patience to deal with the emotions that came with people, and eventually, the disappointment on their faces when they realized that I'm as unmoving as a stone when it comes to things like anger, despair, grief, or anything. I just couldn't bring myself to... feel. But for the first time, I felt. That day in my office, I'd felt desire and desperation to own something, and I wished to feel it over and over again. Somehow the Volkov princess had managed to imprint herself on me, and the worst part was she didn't realize it yet. No one did. Except for my Dad, because he was like me, and there's no way one can hide something from him. He's the prototype, after all. I'm a mere copy.

Speak of the Devil. My phone rang with my Dad's name on the notification bar.

"Quite a day to cause mayhem, isn't it?" his voice, as always, calm yet imposing.

"You're right, and I plan to please," I replied, a smirk tugging at my lips.

"As expected, Son. I always knew my genes were superior. Time you proved it to everyone. But be careful, Abazi is not as daft as you think him to be, and neither is Jeremy's son. I hope you've planned this through."

"You know me, Dad. After all, you're the author of whatever I am."

"True, but do let me know if you need help."

"Sure thing."

"Be safe, Son."

I smiled, knowing very well how Dad didn't show emotions often. But his actions always spoke to us. He loved me and Gina in his own way, but Mom—his entire existence was tied to her, to the point that he'd burn the world to keep her safe.

I gathered my gun, a gift from Grandpa Kyle, and headed to the SUV. "Pasha, is everything in place?"

"All good, Boss. We're waiting for your orders," Pasha replied through the phone.

"Good. This cannot go wrong, Pasha. I hope you understand."

"Sure, Boss. You need not worry; we're well prepared."

"Forward our location to Aaron Volkov. We'll be meeting halfway. Hopefully, things go smoothly with dialogue and without guns and fists."

I cut the call. Time for some action.

We met halfway as per our plan. As usual, Aaron had a scowl on his face. My soon-to-be brother-in-law didn't like the fact that we were working together, that he had to take my help.

"Lovely day, isn't it, brother-in-law?" I greeted him with a smirk.

"Stop calling me that, you psycho. I won't shy away from turning your good day into a bad one," Aaron snapped.

"Always the pleasant one. Remind me to team up with Caleb for adventures next time; he's the more intelligent of you guys, after all."

"Keep my family out of your business, King. You won't like the consequences."

"Not possible. After all, your sister is my business and by extension, so is her family."

"You little shi—" Aaron lunged, throwing a punch.

I sidestepped, catching his hand midway. "Let's continue this sweet talk some other day. I'm sure we have pressing matters at hand, don't you think?"

Aaron glared at me, yanking his hand back. "Lead the way."

Inside the warehouse, the air was thick with tension. Abazi stood in the center, surrounded by his men, a smug grin on his face.

"Theodore King and Aaron Volkov, to what do I owe this pleasure?" Abazi drawled, appearing confused, yet offering us a polite smile. He knew he was outmatched.

I cut to the chase. "We’re here for the Black Book you stole from the Volkovs."

"Black Book? What black book? I have no idea what you're talking about."

Before I could respond, the doors behind us creaked open. Two of my men dragged in Alexei, bruised and beaten. Alexei, my planted spy, was about to play his part.

"Boss, this guy was trying to run," one of my men announced, shoving Alexei forward.

Alexei fell to his knees, looking up at us with feigned fear. "Please, don’t hurt me. I was only following orders."

Aaron stepped forward, his patience wearing thin. "What orders? Where’s the book?"

Alexei hesitated, his eyes darting to Abazi before settling back on Aaron. "Abazi had me keep the Black Book hidden. He didn't want anyone to know its location."

Abazi’s expression shifted from smug to shock. "What? That’s a lie! I don’t have your book, Aaron. Theodore King, you fucking bastard..." He moved forward to punch me, but Aaron caught him by his collar.

Abazi’s men stepped forward, raising their guns, but they were outnumbered. Our men slipped behind them, putting them all at gunpoint.

Aaron motioned one of his men forward. He came up and bound Abazi.

"Aaron, what the fuck? We're allies, remember? What's going on?"

"You dare cross us. You've become emboldened, haven't you? What did you think, hmm? That you would blackmail us and we'd bend to your whims as and when you please? You forgot that we're the Volkovs, and gods damn me if I let a rat like you challenge us."

"Aaron, you're—" Aaron backhanded him.

"Shhh....Don't talk. The more you keep quiet, the better." He called Alexei forward. His men punched him in the gut, making him drop to his knees. "Where's the book, and I warn you, do not lie. My patience has already run thin."

"It's in his basement. I kept it there myself on Boss’s orders."

"What?? What orders are you talking about, Alexei, you piece of shit! I'll kill you!" Abazi shouted, struggling against his bonds.

And while all this drama was going on, all I could think about was how good Aanya looks in black, how her eyes shine whenever she feels she's made her point in a conversation, or how her and Aaron's hair are the same shade. They have the same eye shape,but their similarities end there; he looks like a wild bull while my birdie looks ethereal.

Priorities.

Before Aaron killed Abazi and my spy Alexei, I stepped in. "Alexei, was that your name? Now, you said that the book's in the basement, and how you personally kept it there. My men here will search the entire place, and if what you say is wrong, I'll leave your fate in Mr. Volkov's hands here."

"Please don't kill me, I'm telling the truth."

What a performance. Remind me to pay him double the sum.

Just when I was about to order my men, Aaron stopped me and signaled his men to look around the basement. "I still don't trust you or your men, King."

"Ouch. I'm hurt," I mockingly put my hand on my heart.

As expected, soon enough, one of Aaron's men came out with the book in his hand.

"Boss. We found this."

"Abazi, you motherfucker!" Aaron all but choked the guy. Before he could kill him, I intervened.

"Now, now, he needs to be alive, if only to appear before the Bratva and give up the southern port's control to you."

"What makes you thi—" Before the rat could even complete his sentence, Aaron kicked him in the face.

"Listen here, you piece of shit, and listen carefully. You'll kiss our bloody feet if  I ask you to. You see, I literally hold your life in my hands. So during the next Bratva meet, you'll appear all calm and collected and give up the southern ports control to us. If not, trust me, I'd kill you, and when I'm done, not even your loved ones would be able to recognize you. Oh, and don't you dare try to outsmart me. I have eyes and ears everywhere. One wrong move and I'll shoot you between the eyes."

Abazi coughed and spat blood out. "Okay, okay. I'll do as you want. So leave me the fuck alone."

As Aaron and the Volkovs departed, I lingered behind. Abazi, now free of his bindings, approached me, his eyes burning with hatred.

"You think you’ve won, Theo? This isn’t over. I'll hit you where it hurts the most," Abazi spat.

I laughed coldly. "Weak men have weaknesses, Abazi. I don’t."

Abazi’s eyes gleamed with malice. "You don't have a weakness that I know of yet, but you will. And when you do, I'll be sure to exploit it just as you did today. I hope this little stunt was worth it."

I stepped closer, my voice a dangerous whisper. "Try it, and you'll regret it. Remember, this was me playing nice."

With that, I turned on my heel, leaving Abazi to stew in his defeat. As I walked away, my mind raced with thoughts of the future and the new threats that loomed on the horizon. But for now, I had secured my place and protected my interests, and that was a victory worth savoring. King style.