#imagine her trying to infiltrate this psycho's mind

[scurriilous]

“  you can make me bleed all you want,  i’ll never scream for you.  ”

   Little Lamb of God ; be it silence or screaming, your Holy executioner cares not for the sounds you make, only the blood that he’ll harvest from your Atheist veins. Team 10 should have heeded their warning. Should have stayed put instead of seeking out vengeance. Now the HARBINGER OF PAIN had the girl cornered - her teammates no where to be found - carnivorous, bloodthirsty jaws slowly approaching and dripping with the need to appease his God of Death. 

  Hidan smiles. My, isn’t she brave. ❝ I’m gonna enjoy this . . . ❞ drawls his reply. Slowly. Like the manner in which he intends to sacrifice her. ❝ You brats have been a serious pain in my neck. ❞ Ever since it had been sliced off that is. Playing with these Leaf Nin had been entertaining up until that point. Needless to say they were due for DIVINE PUNISHMENT ; sensei be damned.

   ❝ So while Kakuzu takes care of your little boyfriends . . . ❞ lavender eyes, wild and dark, bore into her, admiring how her hair still falls perfectly in place despite the tiresome pursuit to this part of the woods. It looks soft. He wants to cake it with blood. Twirl it between his fingers. 

                                   ❝ You’re all mine. ❞

[one-piece-dumpster-fire]

Hi can i have a hcs of being the older sister of vivi killer drake and katakuri who is nice and compasionate please-Sarah

I'm sorry this took... embarrassingly long to complete. And I'm not gonna lie, it was rather difficult for me to come up with good headcanons for this request. I'm really not proud of this one, but... hopefully you'll like it at least a bit, dear ^^'

Having a kind older sister headcanon

Nefeltari Vivi

Vivi absolutely adores and looks up to you!

secretly, she wants to grow up to be just as much of an amazing and kind person as you are

however she can also be a bit of a brat and a little rebel from time to time; especially in her younger years she would often switch between wanting to be with you and wanting to be left alone in a matter of seconds

sometimes, when she's in an especially mischievious mood, she even goes as far as to hide from you on the palace grounds all day long

seeing how your mother died when you and your little sister were still pretty young, your dad Cobra was initially the one who tried to take on both parental roles and raise you to the best of his abilities; but since he's also the King of Alabasta and has a lot of responsibilities to take care of, it didn't quite work out in the long run. Thus you jumped in for him, taking on both a sisterly as well as a motherly role for Vivi as she was growing up

still, Cobra is extremely protective of his two girls and therefore you're rarely allowed to leave his sight or the palace. But that ain't stopping you from occasionally sneaking out in secret, and once Vivi is old enough to accompany you, you bring her along. Those little 'trips' later on fueled her desire to sneak out on her own and make friends with the other children in Alabasta

every evening, when it's time for bed, she sits down with you and proudly tells you about the things she did that day while you brush through her hair

although she's eager to share most of her hobbies and adventures with you, the one thing that Vivi is extremely cautious about is letting you meet her friends. Grown people aren't allowed in their club, so when she finally decides to introduce you to Koza and the rest, you have to promise not to tell anyone

you're the one person Vivi can confide in 100% and she knows that her secrets are always safe with you- even from Papa Cobra

so it's only natural that you were also the first person she told about her plans to infiltrate Baroque Works

and while Vivi is away on her secret mission, you make sure to help your little sis from the inside by delivering informations about the current situation in Alabasta. All while keeping up the facade of the good older princess who believes that Sir Crocodile is a hero, of course

when she finally comes back home with Luffy and the Strawhats, you do everything in your power to assist them in their plan to get the country back from the Warlord. With an all-out civil war right around the corner Vivi especially needs you as emotional support and counts on your wisdom to help with her decisions. You're her big sister after all, and if there's anyone she needs to have by her side while she's facing all of the coming chaos, it's you.

Killer

you know those rebellious teenagers that are always like "Moooom, don't tell me what to do!!!!"? That's Killer, but in little brother form

he definitely doesn't like being coddled or looked after. Yes, he gets into fights and danger regularly, but it's normal. He doesn't need you to chew him out for it every time

despite that, he really really does love you though. Hence why he's occasionaly pushing you away- as pirate he's living a dangerous life, and he doesn't want his nice and sweet big sister to get caught up in it

his way of showing apprecation for you has always been a bit unusual, even back when he was young. One time, when you were still living together, Killer tried to surprise you by cooking your favorite food for your birthday; but he ended up setting your house on fire instead, forcing you to move again

when you were still children you would occasionally babysit your little brother as well as his best bud Kid, and things often got out of control when you three were together

especially the little redhead seemed to be in a rather provocative mood whenever you were around. Sometimes Kid would declare that you'll be his woman one day, which always ticked off Killer and caused him to start fights with his friend

even to this day, Killer still tries to keep you away from Kid. He adores his friend and captain, but also really doesn't want him to try and get flirty with you... again. That's just all kinds of wrong

it's not just Kid though, no one else in the crew is allowed to comment on your looks/attricteveness/whatever either, or they'll have to deal with a pretty mad Killer

nowadays he's a lot more relaxed when it comes to you and your presence around the crew though. From time to time he still berates or tells you that you are too friendly for your own good, but deep down he's appreciative of your caring nature and how you always treated him with kindness

one thing that never really changed is Killer's desire to cook by your side and show off all the things he learned within the past few years

you're the only person he feels the need to impress and who's criticism actually matters to him even if he accepts it with a scoff

X Drake

although he's the younger sibling, Drake is actually the protective one. Because of your kind nature he's always afraid that someone might try to use you

he's pretty clingy as a kid, and it honestly doesn't change much as he's getting older

you were the one that took care of him after your father died, so naturally he's always been looking at you for guidance and comfort from a young age on

as a result you're the only person that can claim to know Drake 100%. He can't keep secrets from you either, sometimes it's even as if you know him better than he does

although he knows he can always come to you with his problems and secrets, Drake is pretty hesitant to do so. Scared that you might get dragged into his dangerous affairs, he heavy-hearted decides that it's for the best to keep you in the dark about his life as double-agent

although he feels a bit guilty to keep you in the dark about his affiliations, it does have some perks as well. Thanks to his job he was able to secure you a nice house in a calm (and most importantly, protected) living area that's close to his marine base

you could say it's his way of 'repaying' you for taking care of him for so long. Drake loves you and can't help but feel as if he's in your debt

as long as his job allows it he makes sure to visits you at least once or twice a month to make sure that you're doing good

during those visits he often thinks back to what your life used to be like when you were kids, and the mood quickly turns sober as he remembers his abusive father. That's usually when it's time for you to step in and change the topic

just ask Drake about his crushes or if there is a woman he's got his eyes on and he'll turn all sorts of red again lol

huh, maybe there is someone he's interested in. But he can't tell you because you'd probably just offer to help him win her over, which is bound to end in disaster...

instead of talking about his preferences when it comes to women he'd rather tell you about the new limited edition Germa action figure he managed to get his hands on! And boom- just like that, your little bro is in a better mood again

can you imagine how excited Drake would be to tell you about his encounter with Stealth Black tho...? You'd probably have to calm him down during the call so he won't hyperventilate lmao

Charlotte Katakuri

much like Killer, Katakuri also doesn't like being coddled

back when you were young and still sailing around with the family, it was usually your and Perospero's unofficial job to look after the younger siblings while Big Mom was doing... y'know, pirate stuff

most of the kids were doing fine under your watch, but Katakuri always had a strong tendency to get in trouble. You would often scold him for starting fights with others and tell him that he shouldn't pay any mind to whatever insults they throw at him; unfortunately though he hardly ever listened

and after the incident with Brûlée, he completely isolated himself from everyone- including you. He also felt a tinge of guilt for not listening to your advice, since it might have kept his sister from getting hurt

it takes years, almost decades until Katakuri feels ready to open up again- and if it wasn't for how compassionate you were and that you never judged or pressured him, it might have taken even longer

eventually he tries to mend your relationship by inviting you to one of his meriendas, where you finally get the chance to talk about everything

from there on out you two slowly get reacquainted with one another and become friends again

and this time, he actually listens to your advice and takes it to heart

Katakuri still keeps up the appearance of the strong and cold older brother around the other siblings, but when he's with you he's more relaxed and sometimes even okay with talking about his pent-up frustration

whenever he returns from a mission he checks in with Mama first (that's obligatory) and then gets some donuts, pays you a visit to see how you've been holding up during the days he was gone, and explains what he's been up to

he's always looking out for you and whenever Mama suggests that it's time for you to marry some crazy psycho for the sake of an alliance, Katakuri would do everything in his powers to help you convince her that it was a bad idea

frankly Katakuri respects you more than his own mother and is very glad to have someone who doesn't put him on a pedestral or holds him to some insanely high standards. It makes him feel a bit more... human.

[explosionshark]

31 the I cant keep kissing strangers one for jack/Miranda. U know, if u want to

I’m gonna cheat bc I remembered the prompt wrong and already wrote half of it in my head while I was showering, so

-

It’s years of experience, it’s meticulous and brutally honed control of her body, it’s her genetic predisposition to deceit and manipulation that keeps Miranda from reacting when her the alert pings, a brief series of flashes on the corner of her ocular overlay. S.O.S.

Dupont’s hand is on her thigh, just under the material of her dress, grip damp and too tight. He’s leaning in close, under the auspice of speaking into her ear in the crowded club, but she recognizes the clumsy excuse to peek down her dress for what it is. It takes every ounce of restraint not to shove him bodily away and rush straight for the rendezvous waypoint blinking on her display -- a maintenance closet beneath a stairwell at the back of the club. There’s a thrum of panic in Miranda’s chest that she squashes with a deep, subtle breath and a careful flick of her hair. She drags a teasing finger down Dupont’s chest as she leans back.

“Excuse me a moment,” she pitches her voice low, breathy, the way she knows he must be imagining it sounds in bed. She shoots him a smoldering look over her shoulder before she leaves, adding a bit of whine to her words. Desperate women are, to men like this, honey to flies. “Don’t go where I can’t find you.”

She’s careful as she slips into the crowd, gait controlled, face expertly molded into an expression annoyed enough to ward off potential interruption from men, yet still bland enough to fail to catch the interest of anyone watching.

It’s torture, keeping her pace unhurried as scenario after gruesome scenario of what could have gone wrong plays out in vivid detail. Jack wounded, bleeding out among the bleach bottles and filthy mops. A Cerberus trap, Jack captured, bait to lure her to the same fate. Dozens upon dozens of equally vivid, equally terrible possibilities conjured with each leisurely step, all laying the same accusation at her feet: Miranda’s mistake, with Jack paying the price.

Jack hadn’t been Miranda’s first choice.

Miranda’s list of trusted contacts is smaller than it’s ever been and shrinking by the day. Trusted and available? Smaller still.

She had wanted Shepard. Or, better yet, Kasumi. But Shepard was wrapped up on some affair on Tuchanka and Kasumi was running a different op for the Shadow Broker, out on the edges of the Terminus.

Jack had been an indulgence - and one that was proving to be foolish and selfish.

She was humanity’s strongest biotic and one of the most capable operators Miranda had ever known, but her strength lied in frontal assaults. Massive destruction, flamboyant, devastating attacks with lots of collateral damage. Not delicate infiltration missions like this.

She should have been safe with her students on Grissom Station, not here dying for Miranda’s cause, not--

--Grabbing Miranda roughly by the hips, slamming her back against the shelving unit along the wall hard enough to rattle the metal, laying the flat of her arm across Miranda’s chest, just under her neck, to pin her there.

“What do you think you’re doing?“ Miranda hisses. She can’t see any obvious injuries or damage to Jack in the dim light of the closet, not held in place like this. When she raises her hands to pat down Jack’s body there’s a flair of shimmering blue light in the air, and then the always disconcerting staticky sensation of stasis fields pinning them in place at her sides.

“What am I doing?” Jack huffs, fists still bunched in the material of Miranda’s dress. A shame - it had been nice. Expensive. She can feel the material ripping under the strain of Jack’s grip and despite everything, she finds it distantly erotic. “What the fuck are you doing?”

Miranda, for all of her considerable intellect, feels like she is at least three steps behind a conversation she doesn’t remember starting. She shakes her head, twisting as much as she can with her hands pinned. “Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m not fucking hurt,” Jack snaps, hips jolting forward to slam into Miranda’s rattling the shelf again. This time she hears the fabric of the dress rip in Jack’s hands, can’t contain the shiver it sends down her spine that Jack absolutely notices. “I’m fed up. I can’t keep watching you kiss strangers.”

Jealousy? Miranda doesn’t bother trying to hide her laugh. “If you’ll remember, my kissing a stranger was a key part of the plan you agreed to. I was supposed to be doing that while you were--”

“Keep him busy,” Jack growls, “You were supposed to keep him busy while I did all the hard work. You never told me your plan to distract the guy was to let him put his big stupid gorilla hands all over your--”

“Someone was taking their time ‘doing all the hard work,’“ Miranda sneers back. “I had to improvise. He was losing interest.”

“Hey, it’s your stupid hack module that wasn’t working,” Jack accuses.

Of course, at that exact moment, Miranda’s display pings again. The tracker she’d slipped into Dupont’s jacket shows him leaving the bar, headed for the elevator to his suite.

“Jack, let me go,” Miranda says quietly, urgently, and to her credit Jack does so immediately without arguing. “He’s on the move. I can try to head him off in the lobby, but-- Look, this is very important. Did you leave any evidence you were tampering with the safe or anything else in his room?”

“Uh, yeah,” Jack snorts. “I think he’s gonna notice his top secret Cerberus Reaper hacking plans are missing.”

“But you said the module--”

“Yeah, total crap. Useless. I just blasted the ever-loving shit out of the safe.”

“Jack.”

“Anyway, if he’s on the way up there he’s gonna notice uh. Pretty much right away. We should get out of here.”

“We should have been gone the moment you compromised the plan,” Miranda hisses, following Jack out of the closet, wincing at the sudden too-bright light of the hallway.

“Nag, nag, nag,” Jack drawls, throwing open the emergency exit door to the alley behind the hotel with a truly unnecessary flair of biotics.

“We went over the codes before we even got here,” Miranda reminds her. In the back of her mind, she’s counting down the seconds they have before Dupont realizes he’s been robbed, before he puts together she was involved, before he decides to come after them for the data (bad) or alert Cerberus to what happened (worse). She figures in how long it would take to stop running and strangle Jack in one of these dank Illium alleyways and realizes, regrettably, she can’t afford the slowdown. “There’s one for emergency exit, one for mission compromised, one for package acquired. Any of those would have done. S.O.S. is emergency only.”

“Well, it was an emergency, okay?” Jack says, stopping short at the curb while Miranda calls forth the skycar she’d arranged with a flick of her omin-tool.

“How so?” Miranda demands, shoving Jack into the back of the skycar first and clambering in gracelessly after her, ruined dress gaping open in the front. “This is coming out of your pay, by the way.”

“It was a pre-emergency--”

“That’s not a thing.”

“If his hand got any higher up your skirt I was gonna blow both of our covers by ripping his arms off in the middle of the bar.”

Miranda should still be mad -- furious -- that Jack had scared her so badly. Should be angry for the terribly botched mission as well, the absolute flouting of her discreet and effective plan.

But they’ve lived. Another day in a galaxy torn apart by war on multiple fronts, another day outmaneuvering the Illusive Man himself, another day Miranda gets to find herself in the company of this beautiful, blunt, maddening, impossible woman.

And they had gotten the data, despite everything. A success, however unconventional.

And if all she has to show for it is another burned identity and a ruined dress, Miranda finds she doesn’t mind as much as she might have in any other circumstance besides this -- in the backseat of a skycar with Jack, genuinely irritated to have seen someone else touching Miranda, a torn dress, the thrum of adrenaline still rushing through her veins.

“Never figured you for the jealous type, Jack,” Miranda says, relenting, twisting in the seat to pin Jack with a simmering look.

“Yeah, you did,” Jack mutters. “Were probably counting on it when you asked me to do this thing with you. Probably got off on it. Control freak.”

“Why would I do something like that?”

“Probably has something to do with you being an arrogant psycho that’s obsessed with keeping me under your thumb.”

Miranda pauses in the dark of the backseat and stares Jack down. She’s tense, pupils blown wide, breath coming in gradually quickening gasps.

Miranda has seen Jack scared and angry and hurt before. She’s seen her wound up tight on adrenaline, turned on to the point of recklessness too. Knows well enough the difference between the two to recognize this for what it is.

It’s that confidence that draws Miranda across the space between them, shrugging the straps of her dress down her shoulders in a movement that allows her to reach the zipper in the back and slide it down immediately after. Jack doesn’t move to stop her when Miranda drops a hand to Jack’s thigh, a more elegant parody of Dupont’s boorish groping earlier. The higher Miranda’s hand ventures, the further open Jack spreads her legs, nostrils flaring as Miranda leans in close, whispering into her ear at the same time as her hand slips past the waistband of Jack’s pants, to the soaked front of her underwear.

“Funny, Jack,” Miranda says, mockingly, stroking her slowly. She’ll draw this one out, as a lesson. “Under my thumb seems to be exactly the place you’re always so desperate to be.”

“Fuck,” Jack groans, a low hiss of air from between her clenched teeth.

Miranda grins in the dark. She’d been wrong, before. Jack had definitely been the right pick for this mission.

-

enjoy my work? wanna leave a tip?

ko-fi / cashapp

[hinatastinygiant]

Chapter One

Pairing: Atsumu Miya x Fem!Reader Infiltration Masterlist

"Answer the question."

Yamagata nods at you. The sound of your gun cocking fills the room as you push its muzzle against a short, black-haired man's head.

"I... I don't know!" he yelps to Yamagata. "Please, don't let that psycho bitch kill me!"

"Psycho bitch?" you whine. "That's a bit rude to say about the person holding a gun to your head."

"Enough, Y/N," Yamagata tells you. "Let's just bring him back with us."

"Fine," you sigh as you put away your gun.

After forcing your captive to follow you, you bring him to Shiratorizawa's central building. As you walk inside you see your friend Tendou running up to you, waving to you like the man you captured was invisible.

"Who ya got there?" he then asks as he finally observes the hostage.

"Hm, just some asshole who doesn't know how to answer questions properly," you shrug.

"Oh, I see," he laughs. "Well, hand him off to Ohira for a while. The boss says he's got something to tell everyone."

"Really? Okay, I'll be right there."

After getting rid of your hostage, you walk casually to the boss' office. There, you see him and a bunch of other members sitting around patiently. As you walk in, you notice the boss pay special attention to you. You don't mind it too much, you are probably the one they're waiting for anyway.

Once you find Tendou, you take a seat beside him. You then look around for your green-haired friend.

"Hey, where's Nori?" you ask him.

Nori Matsuno- your closest friend who is another member of the Shiratorizawa Gang. To you, the girl is easy to notice with her short green-hair and sharp golden eyes. But to others, she was practically invisible. It made her one of the best infiltrators of the group. She was the best at altering her appearance despite the fact that you were always able to tell when it was her in disguise.

"Nori?" he repeats as he looks around the room casually. "I'm not sure. Hey, Wakatoshi! Where's Matsuno?!"

The boss looks immediately startled at Tendou's question. However, you aren't sure if it's because he had called to the boss by his first name or for the question itself.

"Uh, um, ahem, I suppose I'll start this meeting then," Ushijima Wakatoshi, Shiratorizawa's boss, begins his speach. "The reason I wanted to talk to you all is because Nori Matsuno has been sent away on a long-term undercover mission and will not be around for awhile. That being said-"

Just then, Yamagata bursts through the door. "Sorry for interrupting, boss, but can I borrow you for a moment," he then turns his attention to you, "a-and Y/N."

"I bet it's that damn annoying ass hostage," you whisper to Tendou.

"Have fun," he drawls as he watches you stand up and follow the boss out of the room.

You soon enter the room where Yamagata and Ohira have your hostage tied to a chair. You roll your eyes at the fact that the two men have even let this fucker live for so long, you can't imagine what useful information he must have.

"Speak," Ohira says as he kicks the side of the chair.

"What do you want me to-"

"Hey!" you yell once you know what garbage the man is about to spit out. "Remember me? I can easily..."

You are then cut off by Ushijima putting his hand up to stop you.

"Fine," the captive spits, "All I know is that Sakusa is meeting up with Inarizaki gang."

Just then, the boss' face looks like it's about to explode off his body even though he's trying to remain cool. "When?" he asks.

"T-Tonight."

"Ohira," Ushijima turns away from the captive and looks to the leader of infiltration. "You and Y/N will be going undercover to monitor their meeting."

"Me?!" you can't help but let the question slip from your mouth. "I'm sorry, sir, but why me? I'm just an informant. I don't usually do that kind of stuff."

"You will be a fine infiltrator, Y/N, and it's perfect because Inarizaki does not know your face."

By that logic they don't know Yamagata's either. This is so unfair.

"Ohira," he then says after finishing his conversation with you, "Make sure you take care of her."

With that, Ohira accepts and bows to the boss. He notices your seething expression and grabs your hand to pull you out of the room before you do something that you'll end up regretting.

"Why does it have to be me?" you ask Ohira as the two of you walk together down the hall.

"How the hell should I know?" he laughs, "But it'll be easy. You don't need to do too much."

"Alright," you sigh. "Can I at least bring my pistol with me?"

"What kind of question is that," he smiles. "I'd be worried if you didn't."

"Oh, thank god," you let out a huge breath of relief after hearing the answer you wanted to here. As much as you don't want to admit it to the guys, your pistol makes you feel one hundred times safer. Lucky for you, you don't have to much of an issue pulling the trigger either.

Ohira then leads you to his office and tells you to sit and get comfortable. You plop down on his couch and pull out your phone as he takes a seat at his desk.

"So, uh, what are we waiting for?" you eventually ask after a few minutes of scrolling on your phone.

"Semi," he replies calmly.

"Right," you nod as though it was a perfection reasonable answer. Truth be told, though, you aren't exactly sure why you're waiting for Semi.

"Do you know what's up with Nori?" you then ask.

"No," he replies blankly. "Enough questions, you're so distracting."

"Geez," you pout as you get up and walk over to Ohira who's working on his computer. "What are you doing anyway?"

"Seriously, Y/N?!"

You squeak out a tiny apology before looking on to Ohira's computer. There, you see a bunch of numbers and statistics that make your brain want to quit working. But just then, Ohira's phone buzzes and you see an incoming text from Semi.

"He's ready," Ohira tells you. "Let's go."

Infiltration Masterlist

[rose-of-gabriel]

Pause (chapter 1)

Ao3 link

Tandy checks her watch for the third time in the last ten minutes and feels the dense atmosphere of the ship yard sink into her skin.  Her back is starting to ache from laying prone atop these industrial crates, but it gives her the perfect vantage point. From here, she can see both the main and the side entrance of the warehouse. This is where her newest lead brought her, and based on the obscene number of armed guards, her hunch had been right. Eventually the goal will be infiltration, but she needs to do more surveillance first.

It’s easy to lose sight of that goal, though, when the air is sticky and hot and her underwear is wedging in the worst possible way. Maybe she should have listened to Ty. Maybe this had been a bad idea. Then again, he doesn’t like anything about her Roxxon investigation. He said he didn’t want her to get hurt, didn’t want her obsessing over something that may never amount to anything.

“They covered up my dad’s death, Ty. They took everything from me.”

That’s all she ever had to say and he’d drop it. She knows why, knows he’s probably the only person in New Orleans who understands what she’s feeling.

Tandy shakes her head and tries to force Tyrone out of her mind. She checks her watch again. Ty said he was going to Evita’s at eight. She wonders if he’s still there, what they’re doing, and then remembers that she isn’t thinking about him and turns back to the warehouse.

There is a black van pulling out from the other side of the building. It stops briefly for an inspection from several guards, then exits through one of the many security gates. Tandy’s watched the same van make the same rounds the last three nights she’s come here. That has to be something, right? She decides yes, that is something, and that it’s enough for tonight. She is stiff and hungry and done hiding on top of this stupid storage unit.

Pulling her hood tighter, Tandy shimmies to the other end of the crate and swings her legs over the side. She uses the metal braces bolted to the crate’s side to gingerly climb down, her feet hitting the pavement without a sound. She creeps along the edge of the crate to get one more look at the warehouse. A figure is waiting for her, along with at least ten of his buddies dressed in the same dark uniforms.

“See something you like, Blondie?”

Tyrone forces himself not to look away from the screen, even as his palms begin to itch and his heart beats wildly. When the inevitable jump scare comes, he flinches away, gasping in what would become a scream if he were alone.

Evita laughs, turning her chin up smugly. “I didn’t take you for such a scaredy-cat.”

“I didn’t take you for someone who likes horror movies.” He shoots back.

She shrugs and settles deeper into his side. “I get too focused on the plot holes to be scared. Like take this guy.” She gestures to the protagonist onscreen. “He just heard his girlfriend screaming bloody murder. He followed the sound to the basement where the stairs are covered in blood.”

“Okay?”

“If he had any sense, this is when he’d call the cops. But no, he’s going to try and take this psycho on by himself.”

“It’s heroic. He’s trying to rescue his girl.”

“He’s trying to be macho. There’s no way he can take this on by himself.”

Tyrone wants to make a joke, but for some reason his thoughts drift to Tandy. She was planning that Roxxon stakeout tonight. He hopes she’s okay. Something crashes onscreen and he jumps again. Evita sniggers, her smile barely contained on her face. Tyrone tries to focus on that instead.

Tandy’s lungs are burning, her heart beating so fast it feels like she’s going to explode. She can still hear them behind her. Their boots pound against the concrete at a relentless pace that tells her they aren’t going to tire easily. She can’t outrun them. She needs to hide.

Without thinking, she draws a dagger from her palm and hurls it behind her. She can tell from their exclamations that it’s a shock, but they keep on her. She tries again and this time a piercing scream followed by a thud answers her. Dashing down another row of storage units, she makes some quick turns and spots an opening. In a split second she shimmies in between two crates. Her dark jeans and hoodie make her practically disappear into the shadows.

The sound of charging boots and shouting draws closer and closer. Tandy doesn’t breathe, doesn’t move a muscle as they blur past her. She waits for the noises to fade, so long that her legs begin to shake, then she inches her way out of the opening. Fingers dig into the back of her neck, yanking painfully on her hair. She doesn’t have time to dwell on it as her head collides with the metal crate.

Light explodes behind her eyes, not like when she uses her powers, but like her whole head’s turned to white noise. Everything begins to blur around her. The feeling of hands around her throat, the inability to take in air is all noted distantly, like it’s happening to someone else. Pushing through the haze is a voice telling her to fight – fight – and she clings to it. She curls her fist, feels the icy heat ignite in her palm, and thrusts it forward. There is a scream, a release, and suddenly she can breathe.

The world pitches sideways as she takes a step, then another. She clutches the edge of the storage unit for support. Her attacker lays in the fetal position, hands covering his bloodied face, moaning in pain, but she barely registers it. There’s light in her vision again and it takes her far too long to realize they’re flashlights.

“She’s over here!” Someone yells, but the figures coming toward her look more like monsters than humans.

She wretches herself away from the wall and runs.

Ty can’t really explain how he knows, only that he does and he needs to go, now. He nudges Evita and she moves out of his lap, scrunching her eyebrows at him. He searches frantically for his phone and sneakers, the feeling morphing into something almost painful.

“You okay?” Evita says, reaching for him.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m sorry. I just – I gotta go.”

“Again?” The softness of her voice makes him freeze and look her in the eyes. There’s a hint of a smile on her lips, almost resigned, but her eyes look sad. “Do your thing, babe.” She says with a wave of her hand.

Ty gives her an apologetic look, leaning in to cup her face as he kisses her. “You’re amazing.”

“I know.” She shoves him, her grin widening. “Now get out of here.”

“I’ll make it up to you!” He calls over his shoulder as he’s sprinting out the door.

He keeps running down the street as he unzips his backpack and pulls out Billy’s cloak. He’s fumbling to get it over his shoulders as he ducks onto a side street, beyond the reach of the street lights. The hood cuts off his peripheral vision, making it a little easier to focus.

Gotta find Tandy. Gotta find Tandy.

Shit, how does he do that? He’s never purposefully traveled somewhere he doesn’t know before. Will this even work?

Just think about Tandy. Think about her in trouble. Think about how she needs you.

He imagines her fighting for her life, faceless goons ganging up on her. The thought sends his heart racing, but when he cracks open his eyes, he hasn’t moved.

Get it together, Ty! She needs you!

He nearly growls in frustration, squeezing his eyes shut and curling his fists into his cloak.

Think about Tandy. Think about Tandy. Think about Tandy.

He thinks about her hair, of all things. Last he’d seen her, it had been braided into pigtails. The look was so juxtaposed by her devious personality; it’s almost funny. He thinks about the ratty sneakers that she always wears, the drawings on the toes he’s never close enough to make out. He thinks about her laugh, her smile; not the practiced smile she can throw on at the drop of a dime, her real smile. It’s always hesitant, like she’s surprised she still can.

The familiar wave of sensation washes over Tyrone and he lets it carry him. He’s floating weightlessly until his feet settle onto solid ground again. Salty air fills his lungs. He’s somewhere by the water. People are shouting somewhere in the distance. He opens his eyes and turns toward the sound.

Somethings crashes into him, pushing him back a few steps. They tumble to the ground with a groan of pain and Ty realizes with horror that it’s Tandy.

“Shit,” he spits as he kneels beside her, careful not to touch any exposed skin. “Tandy, what happened?”

She blinks at him slowly, clearly straining to focus on him. There’s blood in her hair and he has to stop himself from taking her face in his hands.

“Ty? How did...” she trails off, head turning lazily from side to side.

Shit, shit, shit.

“Come on,” he tries to hoist her up, his arm around her waist, “I’m getting you out of here.”

She leaning heavily against him, head bobbing as she fights of unconsciousness, when two men come around the corner in a sprint. They skid to a halt and raise their guns in a fluid motion that stops Tyrone’s heart. Without thinking, he throws himself around Tandy so that she’s shielded by his body, his cloak folding around them.

He hears the gunshots echo as his feet leave the ground and everything goes dark.

Tandy thinks she’s dead for a moment. She’s blind and weightless and she thinks it makes sense that this is what death feels like. A golden gate in the clouds with angels flying around always sounded like bullshit – not that heaven would want her, anyway.

In another moment she thinks she’s drowning. Dark waves lap against her body and her lungs scream for oxygen. Her feet touch down and she imagines it’s the ocean floor, then suddenly there is light and sound and air. She takes in as much as she can and nearly chokes.

Someone’s saying, “Hey, hey, hey. Tandy, it’s okay.” There’s a steadying presence around her waist, but her vision is still swimming. “Tandy, look at me.”

The weight moves to her shoulders, digging into her aching muscles and she grimaces. Ty’s face slowly comes into focus, his wide-eyes frantic.

He must not like what he sees. “Shit.” He looks around, locking onto something behind her. “We’re on Pryce Avenue. We’re not far from my house, come on.” His arm is around her again, pulling her forward. The motion makes her sick. He’s rambling now. “Don’t worry. It’s gonna be okay, just hang on.” Has he ever sounded this afraid? “My parents will be home. They’ll get you to a hospital.”

Something pushes through the grog in her mind: a red, pulsing danger sign.

“No.” The word sounds as if it’s clawed its way out of her.

Ty’s step falters. “What?”

“No hospital.” She strains, her fingers curling violently in his shirt. “Promise me, Ty. No hospital. Promise me.”

If he answers, she doesn’t catch it as the world fades out and a different darkness takes her.

[universal-kitty]

   So I’m thinking about Borderlands again... Listening to music used in Borderlands... So I thought, why not go for it again? Explain my SI in one, comprehensive post, make another tag-series out of it (to go with my BnHA Edition one), and make it easier on us all, huh?

   So here we go! Borderlands, the Self-Insert Edition! Featuring my SI, Rena “Gremlin” Marlow...and co.

Rena Marlow, a daughter of a brilliant scientist of their galaxy and a mother known- if lesser- by her photography of various planets and stars.

Brown hair parted down the middle with strands of brown hair that fall next to her face, in later years; in childhood, she just has fringe. Dark green eyes and wears glasses.

A happy, oblivious kid growing up. Liked to believe in fairytales, love at first sight, superstitions... A whole bunch of things. Very imaginative, in that sense.

Idolized her father. People seemed to adore him and knew him wherever he went. He spent long hours in his lab, making Rena daydream of all the cool things he was inventing back there. She was never allowed back there, usually, so she stuck to waiting around and staring at his lab door.

Eventually, he did invite her in, one day. Wanted help. The idea was so cool! Helping her dad with a project?! Wow!!! What cool thing would she get to work with?

...It wasn’t at all as pleasant as she’d hoped.

What he needed help with is all she’d ever know as “The Machine”. A smooth, pure white, helmet-looking contraption with lots of cords going into it, during the early days of her father hammering out the details of it.

It hurt then, too. Not being fully worked out, it tended to shock her a lot. Strapped down to a chair, she couldn’t go anywhere... Her father would carry her back to her room and- at some point- the process would begin again.

Carried on for a few months until it didn’t hurt anymore; it started...teaching her things. Suddenly, she knew all about oceanic life and could speak of it at a college level. Write her own studies on plant life. Her father was proud of her, The Machine didn’t hurt anymore, and even her often space-case mother praised her. It felt...amazing!!

Eventually the testing stopped, though. Her father brought in a guy to help and Rena was growing up, as the years passed.

In about junior high, she met a guy. Absolutely starstruck by him and settled on them being “soulmates” within a month or two... Not that it was just her saying this, mind you; her boyfriend certainly encouraged it.

Her friends were cautious, but supportive. Be chill, girl. Still a lot more in life, you know? Besides, considering who her dad is...?

Rena didn’t pay it much heed. Instead, more plans for the future! More dreams and secrets and quiet moments...

Well, until another few years later. Wandering the town at night, heading home...and spying that- just down the street- her supposed “boyfriend” was being sweet to some other girl, said he loved her, and kissed her.

It destroyed her. Her home life had never been stellar and she’d been hoping that with him...she’d be able to get out. They’d be a “happily ever after”.....

Rena instead decided to run away. That night. Get as far away from here as possible. Pack her bags, slip as much money and a little more as seemed necessary...and as a final knife to the back, steal The Machine.

It’s no secret it’s been killing other people, anyways. They can’t handle their minds being fed so much information, so it tends to backfire and rapidly destroy their mind... Rena’s never had that issue, though. Likely for growing with it as it evolved...so hers now.

Books it off-planet that night and goes as far as she dares within the next solar cycle or two.

Stays on another planet for a few months. Fakes an ID and goes to a local college... Who calls her out for being a daughter of Dr. Marlow anyways and practically sweeps her in with excitement.

Ends up acing everything far too easily, thanks to The Machine. But it all gives her a good starting point into the world ahead and a fancy piece of paper that basically says, “congrats, you understand what a Science is.”

At this point, understands: biological science (biology, zoology, oceanology), botany, geology, chemistry, ecology, and physics. And she’s just getting started!!!

Keeps running once more ‘til the funds are running low...and that’s when she finds Hyperion.

Initially joins under Tassiter, still recruiting people for Hyperion. He’s...doubtful of her true age, but accepts upon seeing what she can do when he allows her a trial run of things he wants to see done. Fast and experienced despite her face, he lets her join.

Enters R&D from that point on, at first as an on-hand assistant...before rising up to earn her own private lab and assisting with bigger and better projects. Rena proves herself worthy of it, and Hyperion bends a little to allow her, when possible.

It’s around this time, as they move into Helios and continue to set up, that an old crew hunts down Rena. They force her to accept their black-market deals or they report her back to her father... After all, they work for him, too, but are always lookin’ to cut a deal with the better side. Rena gives in.

The events of the Pre-Sequel go down. Rena largely keeps herself locked inside her dark laboratory, hiding away in one of her cabinets. It’s a terrifying, defining moment for her...and one that also helps survive the inevitable Jack takeover.

Honestly, that goes over like day to night for her. One minute, it’s still a “Tassiter” owned company, then before she knows it, Helios is complete and “Handsome Jack” owns the place. Well, okay then. Let her have her coffee as usual, oh Jack sir, and we’re all good.

Honestly, barely leaves her lab. Too much work going on. If not a Hyperion-issued project, then one of her own designs. She’s got a lot of room to work with and she’s gonna make the best of it, dammit!

Still manages to make a friend or two; meets Leah around this time. A very cheerful young woman who’s somehow dug ABBA out of their grave and is fond of “Dancing Queen.” Helps Rena keep in touch with her “feminine side” not that she sees much point to it...

They hang out a bit, anyways. It’s the only time Rena is guaranteed to sleep. Especially in a proper bed.

(Doesn’t sleep in the employee-issued rooms. Gives her paranoia of being alone; she’d rather be close to her work than stuck in a near-permanent panic attack.)

Her first pet project? Lizards. With a whole process of breaking down other key DNA sequences from other species. Why? Lizards....into dragons.

Silverstreak is her “main” partner. Silver dragon, with blue eyes. Incredibly bossy and sassy to the others; easy to assume their leadership position.

Other dragons include:

Apophis: Big male dragon, slightly bigger than Silver. Purple and gold scales, with four eyes total. An absolute jerk who tries to harass Silver, but they have none of it. Would kill a family for a cornchip, probably. And he doesn’t even like them!!

Dymri: Forest green dragon, with brown horns and a streak of fur down his back, with tufts on the bend of his forelegs and hind legs. Is now missing his left wing, due to Apophis ripping it nearly entirely off. (It ended up being amputated.)

Munda: Dymri’s mate. Ended up sprouting a lot more fur than he did, but in a more unusual color: green. Looks like a dappled forest with blue eyes and an attitude.

Poseidon: Blue, serpent dragon. Fairly big, though not as much as Apophis. Likes hanging out in water... That with his scale color, thus, the name.

Firestorm: A red, wyvern dragon. No arms, just wings, only hind legs. Red scales with bright green eyes. Truly a charmer.

Smokey: Firestorm’s mate. Dark scales that give off a black-grey color, which inspired her name. Red eyes. Has a tuft of fur at the end of her tail.

Sugar: Another female dragon named for her brown and cream-colored scales. Also a wyvern, with her hand-wings. Very sweet and friendly to anyone she meets. Small streaks of feathers from head to her tail.

Little Angel: One of the G2 dragons, along with three others of her nest. Has a broken horn on her right side. Black and white-splotched scales. A little trooper and totally not named after a certain siren...

.....Along with many more who are still unnamed to this date. From the first set (G1s) to the babies some pairs have had (G2s).

Cue the events of Borderlands, as Rena continues to raise dragons and serve Hyperion. Depending on who-what-where, this may be where some romances start their growth...but we’ll get to that later.

People continue to bother her. A nickname surfaces... “Gremlin.” Because she’s pretty short (at 5′2″ without her trademark heels), tends to be more active when most people would feel the need to sleep, and creeps around with a hunched back, more often than not. Truly, a gremlin among them.

Nothing really happens in this time period up ‘til BLands 2, in which Rena decides to perfectly time a trip to Pandora with a small group of scientists. Nobody’s really gotten personal with studying the Pandoran landscape, have they? So... Guess Rena will do it, then!

Only to find out why nobody has ever done that; raiders and bandits. Infiltrating the camp barely a week in.

Everyone is murdered. Rena escapes with the briefcase that holds The Machine, but is otherwise alone and stuck on Pandora.

Ends up trying to blend in, after a few weeks. There’s only so much an intelligent woman could do here...but how about one who acts like your typical psycho? Worth the shot, at least.

Slowly, the good scientist slips away into a woman masquerading madness while seeping into it, at the same time.

Pops is one of her first friends on Pandora. Someone she trusts...and a father figure to her. He’s a big man who knows hacking and coding, so she learns a bunch from him. They build robots together! It’s awesome.

From there, she gets introduced to this eye-guy waaaaaaayyyyy across the way over a call from Pops to that other guy. Rena ends up making him “Fly Boy” to do deliveries without leaving home.

Said guy looks out for Rena now, getting her new glasses whenever she breaks hers.

Made a few other bots in her time. One that only screamed “fuck” at the top of their lil’ volume, a fixed Claptrap unit with no sense of direction, and a bot named Sparky. But bandits destroyed him a few days into life. RIP, Sparky....

That nickname Helios gave her? Gremlin? Others call her that, now. All know of Gremlin!! ....Well, not all, but a lot.

Including Pyrotech and Meowzer. They run a small gang of bandits and are probably dating...? Gremlin still doesn’t know, either way, but she survived meeting them, so that’s cool.

Met another person who calls himself Scabbs. Largely because he’s got CIP (can’t feel pain; a marvel that he’s still alive when Pandora is your home planet) and so has a fair amount of scars and scratches... Ever since meeting up with Rena, she’s essentially adopted him and makes sure he’s got no life-threatening injuries.

Which is lowkey hilarious, considering Scabbs has made it 17 years without dying, so he’s not exactly in need of a parent, but... He likes Rena, so it’s cool.

Stocks up on weapons, clothes, and masks. All looted from dead bodies and washed up a little. Rena herself as taken to wearing a black tank top, torn up into a crop-top look, a Marauder jacket, and altered, brown pants. Has boots for shoes. Where she got ‘em, nobody knows.

Is stuck on Pandora all the way ‘til Tales... In which she tends to join up in an attempt to get back to Helios and get all of her shit back.

With that covering the basics... Let’s get down to the AUs, then the shipping verses after that, ey...?

AU 1- AI Rena: There’s two verses for this AU. (As long as this post already is.)

Verse 1: Rena owns the Wildlife Exploration Preserve shortly before the events of Tales. However, she didn’t realize one of her pet projects wasn’t bonding to her properly. While going in for feeding and check-ups, the beast killed her and activated a failsafe that resulted in an AI version of herself being activated.

Rhys, having no concept of safety, jabs a port into his head to try and get information on more pieces for Gortys. Just like a time before with Nakayama, Rhys instead downloads a whole ‘nother AI into his noggin.

Now he’s got an Asshole and a Know-It-All Scientist taking root in his skull. The good news is Rena is much nicer to him than HJack is. The bad news is the two bicker a lot because of it.

Where Jack is blue with yellow eyes, Rena is a green holo with- at first- light, green-yellow eyes. Over time, her eyes shift to yellow, however. Nobody is sure why, but Rhys and Rena agree to blame Jack for it. (Who is proud at her matching him, but less thrilled to be blamed for something he didn’t do... Intentionally.)

Lots of Rena snarking Jack. He can touch her, being another hologram like he is, but he can’t hurt her. Turns out her processing power comes from The Machine itself, so she can easily overpower his cruddy design from Nakayama.

Has a side path where she can enter a basic, non-perfect android body to reboot the systems at the Preserve, but later needs to transfer in another, more humanlike model to function better.

....HJack is not pleased with her upgrades, considering she’s getting the better end of the deal than he’s got. Rhys isn’t impressed with that tone, either. >:/

Verse 2: The Machine takes it’s toll on Rena. Her mind could better withstand it’s power, having being an unwilling subject in the early days of it’s development, but... Even her mind can’t keep this up forever.

It starts with forgetting her name. Won’t answer to Rena, but Gremlin works.

Forgetting her nickname.

Slowly, everything she’s ever learned starts going away. Bit by bit, losing what memories The Machine gave her. Rage sets in around here, recognizing her memory is no longer perfect and putting her into a panic of self-awareness.

Memories of people slip away now. Often cries for her ex or where her parents are.

Eventually is confined to bed, where her brain is failing to the point it can’t remember to continue to make the organs function. It’s around this point that she finally dies.

Her personality and memories were embedded into The Machine; her final goodbyes to friends and loved ones. Her AI keeps people from using it after her and requests that it be destroyed soon.

Just like in the first verse, her eyes start out a yellow-green. Then a yellow... If not destroyed, AI Rena’s eyes will sometimes flicker to red, showing how deeply the corruption has started effecting her.

Either way, The Machine will be unusable. Just as how Rena believed it should’ve been.

Siren AU: An AU in which Rena was instead born a Siren. She sports green tattoos on her right side and often made them glow when she was younger, for her amusement and not understanding who she was...or her powers.

Not that her parents helped any. Her mother was just completely confused and arguments over what to do with her were had a lot. Rena’s mother wanted to get her checked out at a hospital. Her father believed she truly was a Siren and wanted to experiment on her.

The arguments eventually drove Rena away and- living on Elpis at the time- Rena began the first dip into her powers: summoning her Siren wings (in a light green tinge) and flying away...off Elpis! Taking a trip to Pandora in order to hide from her fighting parents.

Phasecommand- Her main Siren ability. When executing, her eyes roll back and it summons Pandoran beasts/animals to her side to control and fight her enemies. However, any creatures that don’t disperse afterwards can be considered enemies to her allies or her, if she accidentally hurts one.

When using Eridium, her tattoos will change into more of a teal color and glow more.

Likes the idea of people, but prefers the animals and Guardians. People are too much for her to handle...

Somehow still summoned little dragons...? Is only ever seen with ones the size of cats or lizards, but it’s presumed that- like her main verse- they’ll one day mutate to full, dragon-of-legend glorious sizing.

Dragon AU: In one of two paths, with either Rena being one of the dragons of Eridian times OR having accidentally turned into one of her own dragons.

Either way, her dragon form typically looks a little something like this.

The first verse has her being more curious and prone to friendliness...but ready to snap if she senses ill intent. Still, tries to be optimistic, at least. Rests within a cave near one of the vaults.

About the size of a two-story home, if not a little bigger.

Rena speaks Eridian, but has the capacity to learn present day English, if given the time to learn.

The runes on her body allow her to safely use Eridium. By using it, her systems can filter it properly into a variety of uses, from specialized fire to shape-shifting!!

Verse two is just...Rena being done with this bullshit. All these years of science, for what? To be stuck as a dragon?!? The only useful thing that comes of this is not only does she now understand the world through a dragon’s eyes, but their language, as well.

Turns out, the language of the dragons is actually original Eridian and not whatever mumbo-jumbo you hear most present day speakers go for. It’s an interesting bit to learn, however it’s debatable if the cost was worth it.

(Will eventually return to normal with an understanding of Eridian, but I like just putting my SIs through nonsense, too.)

otp; Science and Violence (Rena/Jack): As literally pulled out of the RP @punk-opossum and I did a few months ago!! Cause I basically consider that “canon” for this ship, now.     (Okay, with a few bits I’ve added in, but LARGELY pulled from our RP.)

They’ve been around each other since the beginning, really. Rena oblivious and never noticing Jack, but he’s seen her around. Quiet, nerdy gal who bothers nobody and does her job. Is kinda cool, but no other opinions.

Then, we truck over to the events during Borderlands 2...and things get tossed around like pizza dough. [Note: Nisha and Angel are dead at this point.]

Starting with Jack bothering her workspace. Shooting her head of department and declaring her in charge of Literally Everything R&D now. Rena is just trying to fucking work, ohhhh my god.

Not only that, but Jack casually shoves the Destroyer project from Nakayama right into her hands, as well. Rena has never been more overwhelmed in her life....!

And that’s BEFORE all of the innuendos and Jack’s husky voice getting way too close to her ears!!

...So yeah, it definitely starts as what should’ve been a fling, but attachments get all sorts of muddled. Rena’s the sort of balance Jack finds himself craving and, well... He’s fucked, but giving her the little things she thought she lost when her ex cheated on her. So maybe...it’s okay?

Lots of Jack being thirsty while Rena’s trying to work. Or him being clingy when she wants to go back to work... Far as Jack’s concerned, his job is full of free time and is so boring without her around. However, Rena can actually prioritize her work and keep this company’s science division flowing, soooo.... Hmm.

Rena has the struggle of a lifetime, but she still ends up getting her trip to Pandora to do on-planet research...much to Jack’s paranoia and displeasure. (Which ends up being right on the money, despite his best efforts.)

Can’t believe Rena would be dead. They can’t find her body either, so like... Far as Jack’s concerned, she isn’t dead. Doesn’t mean he’s any more pleased or sane about the whole situation, though.

Jack goes full-tilt into madness, sending people hunting through Pandora to try and find Rena. Hilariously, they’re always close, but either she just left her camp or they pass right by her hiding spot.

They don’t find each other until a few years later, when Handsome Jack himself is personally tearing a town apart on Pandora, still engulfed in his hatred for the planet and presumably taking Rena from him.

He aims his gun at a kid, but freezes. Something about her little tanned face, dark brown hair, and...hetrochromatic eyes....has him frozen in his tracks. Then her mother comes running up, their eyes meet, and Jack nearly roars in realization.

She’s dirty as hell, hair messed up and toting new scars from Pandoran life, but that’s Rena...!! Who’s... Who’s the kid, though?

He nearly has another freakout at her assurance this little girl- Carina- is his daughter?????

He’d want to not believe it, but Rena consistently swears off having messed around with anyone else. Oh, and the fact Carina happens to have eyes like her papa. (But unlike his heterochromia, hers is central; a different color surrounding the pupil.)

With this, they kicked off most of Jack’s thoughts for the Warrior, instead Jack now focusing a large chunk of time for the fact Rena’s back, not dead, and was badass enough to raise and protect a baby on Pandora. Mother of the Year award?? Y’all know who it’s going to.

Carina ends up being Jack’s lil’ princess. The only reason she’s not a spoiled brat is cause Pandora does shit to ya and also Rena knows the limits of taking care of kids; so really, she’s mothering both Carina and Jack.

THOUGH BEFORE I FORGET!!! There is a subset of this verse where also Angel is alive, didn’t have to keep being treated like she was, and- while it was a bit late- still managed to get a better mother figure. Oh, and Carina still happens later in this same verse, so her mood improves even more to have a little sister.

...Jack is totally a little salty that Rena and Angel get on so well. He’s an ass, but does love his daughter, so he’s like a sulky cat, knocking stuff over and hovering around, hoping for attention and acknowledgement.

Rena keeps Jack in line those days, so...eventually Angel and her father get on a better foot than before and he’s very okay with everything and clingy to his family.

otp; Rulers of Pandora (Jack/Rena/Nisha): In which Jack and Nisha take in one of the local Hyperion nerds to spice things up... Only to decide, “naaahh, she’s a keeper.”

Took her into their fray around the early events of Borderlands. Where things are fun, but could be more fun... You know?

Jack’s seen Rena around before, but never gave her much thought... His mind is simply too here-and-there to keep notice for long when he’s trying to pick at more shallow aspects to bring in.

Nisha catches her eye, though, and decides she’s curious when Rena immediately looks away, blushing up a storm.

Turns out, Rena can’t handle Nisha. At all. Immediately turns into a klutz around her. Nisha finds it fucking hilarious and proceeds to drag her off to show Jack...who also realizes how hilariously awkward Rena is. They’ve taken her in, since.

Primarily still spends a lot of time up on Helios, but on occasion, will go down to Pandora to spend time with Nisha once HJack gives her Lynchwood.

Is definitely the little “pet” of the trio and is mercilessly teased by them for it, but anyone else messes with Rena? You’ve now got two of the six galaxies most lethal minds on your ass. Start running.

Nisha: I don’t like cute things. I kill cute things. Rena: cooing over some baby skag bc she’s an idiot Nisha: .........For fuck’s sake--

In other words, both Nish and Jack both soften up a bit for Rena. Which is a mistake for anyone else to see, cause while they’ll let their favorite nerd frolic in a field of baby animals, they’d still sooner shoot an annoying pest.

Nisha and Rena are the only ones to know about Jack’s true face under the mask. Nisha doesn’t really care, but Rena? Loves it.

Two Murderers and the Embodiment of Sunshine. That’s how you sum them up.

otp; love like fools (Rena/Rhys): I don’t know what Imma do with this anymore, but it exists as a verse, so I’m gonna heckin’ include it.

Met around the events of BLands/BLands 2. Rena had overworked herself on a project and was hiding in a break room. Cup of orange juice in hand and staring at it. Rhys couldn’t sleep, so he came in... They had an awkward conversation, but not much else.

Curious, Rhys starts stopping by the R&D department more and starts realizing the issue: she never takes a break or seems to get much rest. Work, work, work, day and night. Isn’t that exhausting??

So Rhys takes it on himself to get her food and drink. Mostly snacks, but whatever works. He also tries to ask about her projects, but it largely goes over his head when she starts doing her usual round of science talk.

He tries, though. So that’s nice.

His crush is obvious as shit as time keeps going on. Even his friends notice. Leah notices. Rena? Does not. She is oblivious as heck. Rest in pieces, Rhys.

Literally nothing happens there. Just Rhys doing his best to get Rena’s full attention with no luck. Right up to her eventual trip-and-trap to Pandora.

They don’t meet again ‘til the events of Tales! While wandering around the landscape, Rhys bumps into “Gremlin”, realizes she looks familiar and...

Rhys: ...Are you Rena? Dr. Marlow? Gremlin: Who...? WAIT A MINUTE!!! YOU?!? Rhys: Y-YEAH!!! YOU’RE ALIVE?!?

Everyone else is confused, but Rhys and Rena proceed to catch up. Meanwhile, HJack is making comments that are making Rhys’ face pink and trying to mentally shut the AI up before he says something embarrassing to Rena.

Which basically happens anyways, cause he excuses himself to walk away, thud his head into the caravan, then walk back trying to act like nothing happened. Where were we? #Concern from Rena.

She joins the troupe for fun times, being surprisingly okay when Rhys admits that HJack’s AI is like...inside his head. Just chillin’ there. Well, when not being usual Jack, but you know.

(In some variations of this, AI Jack was programmed to know Rena, so he’s twice as insufferable as usual. However, this isn’t often the case.)

It takes Rhys forever and plenty of nagging from HJack before he even tries to smooch Rena. And even when he does, it was still a terrible idea, cause Jack wouldn’t shut up. Thankfully, Rena’s still pretty chill about the whole thing.

Fiona and Sasha warm up to Rena over time, Vaughn’s heard about her from before, so they all pal up while Rhys has a crisis over HJack ruining his romantic life. It’s a nice break from freaking out around other people, at least.

Joins them on the trip to Helios. She needs to check up on her babies... It’s been so long....

An expert at sneak, a duck around cameras and back up to the old employee living quarters... It’s amazing what a brush, hot water, and a change of clothes can do for a person. (Gotta readjust to heels again, though.)

While Rhys and Fiona are taking over Helios to get the next piece for Gortys, Rena makes her way back to her lab. Not everyone is gone, but... A lot of the G1s have passed away and even a few G2s. Silver and Apophis stay strong, but have been slowly getting bigger in Rena’s absence.

Encourage the trope into an old, cleaned out nesting box and start figuring out her escape plan from there, trying to get in contact with Rhys and Fiona. Only for an eerily familiar voice to pour out around Helios...and announce Rhys the new leader of Hyperion?!

Shit. Shit, shit, shitshit- Now what? She didn’t think Rhys was gonna be in cahoots with Jack! I mean, yeah, he idolized the guy.... Jack embarrassed him a lot, but he still seem to think it was pretty neat...... Awh, hell. Still! Gotta get outta here!!

Ends up smoothly making her escape in a ship with some of her more friendly co-workers: Dan [the Man] (a pilot who used to fly HJack’s private ship; trans, demisexual with a preference for men who is a coffee addict) and Leah.

...And then Helios crashes not too long later. Dan is...less than impressed (internally freaking out, however) and Leah is basically having a panic attack.

Rena tries giving them advice for surviving on Pandora, but Dan later finds Atlas (now being rebooted by Rhys) and decides with Leah that they’ll join up.

SURPRISE, SURPRISE, Rhys owns the place. Dan is brought on as his personal pilot (”Sweet. So, where’s the coffee machines around here?”), Leah is hired for PR, Cassie (a blonde lesbian who’s only ever done secretary jobs most of her life) joins later as his secretary...and Rena? .....Shit, Atlas doesn’t really...have an R&D department, do they...?

Rena nervously points out that- if he finds the muscle, they could retake the Wildlife Exploitation Preserve. Take over, do some rebuilding and remodeling... Make it not only into Atlas’ new R&D, but also a way for Rena to continue her penchant of creating dubious creatures. Also because the dragons are only getting bigger as their generations continue.

Pyrotech and Meowzer decide to join in, along with Pops calling in a few favors. Bandits v. bandits to clean out the place and serve as muscle while WEP is getting remodeled. (Also, they’re getting paid, so other bandits looking for a handy buck hop on for the more beneficial side.)

Rena gets a new look to symbolize her Atlas change (a black, long cloak with a hexagon pattern on the inside, black tights, black heels, and an ombre, orange-red-to-yellow, turtleneck dress; hair is also pinned up)! Power couple of Atlas, basically everyone agrees. And kind of like in another verse, Rena keeps him in line....when he’s not having to do the same for her!!

Rhys: I’m not sure....making a monstrous, three-headed dog is a good idea, babe. Rena: I didn’t come here to make wimpy science, Rhys!! I came here to kick ass, take names, and do SCIENCE! But thank you for your opinion~ Rhys: ......oh no.

6-legged to 8-legged cats are realized under Rena’s flourishing arms. A three-headed dog. The dragons prosper and return to Pandora, honoring Rena as their Mother, as Silver- and later Apophis himself!!- have done.

She even creates an android in secret. Names them Aria and they have learning software. Everything about life, they must learn on their own. Starting with the Preserve, and then one day... Leaving home to formulate their own experiences.

Later in life, Rhys and Rena have a daughter, naming her Vela. (A reference to the trio of constellations that Carina is also a part of.)

Has about as much common sense for safety as her mother does. Rhys is terrified for her safety on the daily. Because of their lack of fear, Rhys tries to keep Vela with him at Atlas HQ more than at the preserve with Rena.

otp; nerdperion (Rhys/Rena/Vaughn): ...I mentioned it once. Then the idea snowballed from the initial idea and the “what ifs”.

Look, I can’t deny it. It’s the nerd trio that most only dream of. In their Hyperion days, you had the money man, middle manager, and the top scientist.

By the time of Tales, you have a bandit leader in his own right, an Altas CEO, and woman who is held back by only her set-in-stone morals.

Vaughn and Rena going on raids out on Pandora, protecting people and the Children of Helios. Perhaps even with the dragons as backup...?

Rhys constantly has to worry for these two dorks, but that’s why he has a steady wing in Atlas for healing stuff. A fair bit of research passed on from Rena, to be fair, but still.

Vaughn takes lessons from Rena how to ride beasts. Like dragons! Was it a good idea? Not really. But nobody got hurt, at least!!! And Rena also solidified the saddle designs for them, so that’s pretty cool, too.

Rhys is a little more boring on that side of the coin in the regard he’s mostly just running a company, but still. Vaughn helps out from time to time and Rena’s running the entire R&D division of Atlas, so.....

otp; scientific haikus (Rena/Zer0): In which my first crush from Tales lives on...and it’s a rather unlikely couple, honestly.

Starting right off the bat with the fact she never really knew about them until one of her Pandoran raids? They showed up to kill some people and then just kinda...disappeared.

That first meeting bothered Gremlin for weeks. Who?? Who????

Meeting them again...and again..... Never getting the courage to confront them out of fear. (What if they slice and dice her up, too?? She’s lived too long to get struck down now...) But despite that, she eagerly daydreams about the oddity...

Also, isn’t as sly as she thinks; Zer0′s been knowing, they’ve just been waiting for Gremlin to go first. Though, she hasn’t been...so that’s a bit of an issue.

Eventually, they make sure that their next target will be in an area they know Gremlin frequents. When she shows up...Zer0 finally gets the chance to introduce themselves.

Zer0: Finally, we meet / Finding you was difficult / My name is Zer0; pleased. Gremlin: .....Did... Are you speaking in haiku?! Zer0:  :) Gremlin: ...holy shit; nice.

They strike up an odd sort of friendship from there. Meetings become random again, though Zer0 takes time to listen. They actually are able to call her Rena in private which is...nice. Kinda easy to forget that was her name before the whole “stranded on Pandora” bit.

Zer0 ends up enabling her collecting habits, too; brings back not-too-bloody clothes and trinkets they find while out and about on jobs. She gains quite the collection, thanks to that!!

Actually wanted to offer assistance when Zer0 took on the Gortys hunt, but joined up only later on and... HOLY SHIT, HYPERION EMPLOYEES!!!

It’s wild, seeing familiar faces and talking about the past. Zer0 has...some concerns, but otherwise trusts the group with Rena.

This includes their plan to invade Helios, in order to get the final piece Gortys needs to access the Vault of the Traveler. They’re not thrilled about her involvement in the plan, but Rena still knows a lot about Helios and the Hyperion system. Her going with ensures things will go even more smoothly, so... Who are they to deny their crush friend from helping others?

....And then they hear it all went to shit. Though they showed up, trying to find Rena among the wreckage... There was no luck. They get upset over this for quite some time, but without a body... Zer0 keeps a metaphorical ear out. Won’t believe she’s dead yet. Not yet.

Eventually, when Rhys gets in contact with Zer0 for help with the vault, they meet up again. Rena is ecstatic to see him again- having since become the head of Atlas’ R&D and gone hunting to assist with this, too- and Zer0 is just happy to be right; she didn’t die back then after all...

Is surprisingly handsy from there on out, flashing the smile or heart emoticons, a hand on Rena’s waist, etc.

Everyone else catches on to Zer0′s affections far faster than Rena herself does, that’s for sure.

Rena: It’s nice... I’ve never really had a lot of platonic affection, you know? Fiona, sighing: N-No, that’s not... How do you not see what’s going on, here?? Rena: .........what? Everyone: s i g h s Rena: ????????

They do eventually ask her out when nearly everyone on the team has them to spare them the oblivious misery, cause- once again- Rena sure ain’t gonna do it.

Also cause Gortys has been trying to ask about them dating anyways, so-?? Just do it???

Zer0 still takes a while longer to get the right words to say that fit their haiku format, but the actual confession...? Well, at least it feels like the right note to end an adventure on; seeing her eyes light up, smile breaking free, and hugging the other tight around the waist was good. Great, even!

...Though with Fiona and Rhys temporarily disappeared...who runs Atlas?

Thankfully, Rena knows Cassie personally and has her and another person- Dan, a pilot for Rhys’ personal ship (and once worked under Handsome Jack, as well)- back her up on heading Atlas for a temporary period of time.

Zer0 sticks around for a time, just to make sure a mutiny doesn’t rise up and try to take Rena down. They only back off once her guard-friends from R&D make their way over... Again, just in case.

Zer0 goes back to work not long after that, though makes sure to visit more often. It not only makes them anxious to not know how Rena is doing (if she’s still alive), but also because they’ve started getting used to her touch. Touch starved? Zer0? ....A little.

Starts even exposing her face around her, Rena admits. What they look like? Well, pffftt, she’d never tell~!

otp; i ruv you (Rena/Timothy Lawrence): Oh, it started as a joke...then I was in too deep and now it’s never been better~

Thanks to both of them being workers under the Hyperion brand, they end up meeting sooner rather than later.

Much like Jack, Tim noticed Rena around: sitting in the Hub and people-watching, walking by her lab... Things like that. Didn’t pay too much mind, but then...he got hurt. On his face.

Rena, being the oldest lasting employee not killed off yet by Handsome Jack, is given the old papers for the build of Jack doubles and given some people to work with by HJack himself in order to fix up Tim right.

It’s love at first appointment; she’s gentle, knows what she’s doing, and eventually he’s looking back to the usual. The little smile she gives as he left? ...His heart was racing for an hour after, he swears by it.

He starts visiting her more, after that. Whether because he allowed himself to get hurt or it’s after a mission and he’s got some extra free time before his next one... He hurries to that lab of hers in order to chat.

Befriends the dragons she creates happily. Silver doesn’t bond to him in the same way, but they tolerate him and will let Tim hold them. It’s so cool!!!

Then Rena admitted to him one of her other projects...wanting to create multi-legged cats. Tim was thrilled at the trust, nervous over the project, but Rena assured all would be well. The dragons have done wonderfully, so that will go well, too!

He got the chance to kiss her when she was patching him up again. He’d tried to lean forward, but she stopped him a moment to finish up...then, shyly, asked if he wanted to try that again...? He lit up and they both got into a hasty, messy kiss that had them giggling in delight.

...With that, their unofficial dating started! (Which HJack quickly knew about and considered doing something to one of them to end it, but overall decided if any news got out, he’d actually take Rena as his own and make his doppelganger regret getting into a relationship behind Jack’s back; capiche? Tim nervously agreed.)

Still... Her move to Pandora made him nervous. Especially since his next assignment was on Elpis, so if anything happened...!

Rena kissed his cheek and assured him she’d be fine. It would be very in and out; no need for worry!

When even Jack was troubled by the report that came in later, Timothy was up in arms ready to shoot down some psychos.

HJack: Like, nobody reported her body. Which could be a sign she’s not dead? But it’s Pandora; who knows? Tim, sweating and shaking: Please...just fucking shut. Up.

Backtalking the boss is bold, but Tim is all kinds of done with this news and needs to ditch for Pandora in order to find Rena. HJack allows this more out of interest for the “game” than anything else.

Timothy ends up- more or less- a sort of permanent presence on Pandora while trying to find Rena. Doesn’t much notice or care when Jack’s insanity summons the Warrior...or when he’s taken down. Besides, people spook more easily to hear Handsome Jack died, but see his masked face even still on Timothy’s own.

Not getting answers on where Rena is...stresses him out, though. Makes him bitter, that maybe someone did kill her... He expresses his anger in a bit of murder and then sulks more over how this is turning him into a lesser Jack after all... Makes the guy almost sympathetic.

But with a few years passing, Atlas suddenly rises up out of the crashed ashes of Helios...and if Tim has any hope left for the lost Rena, might as well go there, right?

He scares the shit out of Rhys, walking in looking like Handsome Jack in the flesh. (Not even his secretary tried to stop him, looking like he did; dirty and murderous.)

...Though it’s actually just some resting bitch face and determination. Tim ends up explaining everything and Rhys even more hurriedly explains that she’s not dead!!! In fact, he just sent her over with a group of hired bandits to the WEP! She’s going...to be heading his new R&D department, you know...

Tim almost doesn’t want to hope, but he jolts out of there faster than Rhys or Cassie can stop him and is rushing to the Preserve in hopes to catch her there and maybe help out in the firefight.

Ends up finding her in a car just outside, all tanked up and safe as she directs everyone to where they need to go...but oh shit, handle that on your own for a bit; there’s a guy outside the car. She walks a little closer...and screeches, stumbling back.

Tim: No, no!! Rena!!! It’s me, it’s Ti- Jimothy!!!! It’s me, not Jack! Rena: ......Timothy?

She hesitantly lets him in and Tim at least proves that- despite his appearance- he is definitely not Jack by patting her over, realizing she’s alive, and then kissing her breathless.

Rena explains her situation having gone by “Gremlin” up to this point and pretending to be a psycho on occasion in order to live. The new friends she’s made up until that point. Tim tells her about the years he spent trying to find her, hoping she wasn’t dead.

As self-promised, he cuddles her in his lap for a little while longer, then kisses her again and joins the firefight outside to clear out the preserve.

Hyperion’s fallen, Atlas is a rising venture... Why not? Student loans sure don’t matter anymore.

He largely stays with Rena at R&D; her personal bodyguard and more-official-than-in-the-past boyfriend.

She also makes good on the multi-legged cats, as mentioned in the past. Tim decidedly loves them just as much- if not more- as regular cats.

ot3; ??? (Maya/Rena/Krieg): So hear me out... I will never learn. This will be neverending. I’m just as disappointed in me as you are. Also, Tumblr removing line breaks is the bane of my existence. Fuck this website. ANYWAYS!

Rena...met Krieg, first. In passing. He was a part of the slag experiments, Rena works R&D.... You hear about this sort of thing. She did, with her sharp ears and too-caring-attitude, despite working for the most monstrous corporation in the six galaxies.

Still, she was never able to help him or anyone else... Despite desperately wanting to. Despite catching his eyes once, guilt eating her up from the inside. (A pity-look from another one of them, Krieg used to think.)

They didn’t meet again until much later, during the events of Borderlands 2: Gremlin stuck on Pandora while Maya and Krieg were deadset on dethroning Handsome Jack. Y’know. Her old boss?

Krieg almost doesn’t recognize her when he’s out wandering, but it’s seeing her dirty face that strikes a chord in his sensible side. He remembers her! One of Hyperion’s own... What’s she doing out here? Alone and without company...?

Not that Krieg cares; seeing someone who was in any way involved with hurting him sends him into a fit of rage, trying to attack her with all he’s got! Rena dodges, not understanding...until she realizes who this psycho is...

It’s the worst first meeting- putting his first interaction with Maya in the dirt- as she eventually bursts into tears trying to apologize to him. It startles Krieg to stop, listening to her as she’s pitifully curled up in the dirt, hands up in a show of surrender, apologizing to...him.

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry I couldn’t help you back then!! I wanted to, I really did, but I... I couldn’t! I’m sorry, Krieg, I’m so, so sorry!!!!”

Maya returns to this scene unimpressed, giving a Look to Krieg before helping the still-sobbing Rena. They both take her back to her shambling little base...and Krieg stares at the coat on the wall. The last reminder of who she was...

It occurs to him, then, that they’re in a similar spot. He lost his mind to slag, becoming a psycho, his mind barely together...and Rena is losing her sense of self, too. Going by Gremlin to blend in, faking insanity to blend in...but how long of that before it all becomes too real? Before she changes for good, even without influences like he’d gotten...?

Maya is more than content to help and leave, but Krieg...feels guilty. It’s a rare show of clarity and kindness from the big guy...and that’s when Maya realizes she’s lost the battle before it’s even begun.

They do take down HJack eventually, but frequently stop by to check in on Rena from there on out. Krieg likes poking around and laying on the stolen mattress she has. Maya finds out she’s actually super smart...and it’s fun. It’s nice.

You grow to like- even love- Krieg for his lucid moments. Appreciating his more violent ones for the defense they provide, as well as the enemy-sweeping he can do. Her powers work well with his might.

Add Rena into the mix, it’s brains, balance, and brawn. It works out even better than Maya could’ve predicted....and yeah, she kinda ends up falling for the scientist, too. Would’ve never pegged herself as the polyamrous type, but... She and Krieg share the sentiments.

Rena and Krieg keep each other balanced. Maya doesn’t have time to baby anyone; she keeps going at her own pace. Anyone who wants to keep up has to pull their weight...but Rena is a natural nurturer. When she’s a little loopy, they use a language only they can really understand. (It takes Maya some time to adjust to.) When Krieg gets frustrated, she helps him through it. To get back in touch with his old self. It’s comforting. Very comforting.

Maya and Rena, on the other hand, share a lot of conversation about....anything and everything. Maya talks about her Siren powers and pieces of her life. Rena talks about her own life- a lot more openly- and the science she used to do on Hyperion. How proud she still is of those times. Maya’s endeared to those moments.

It also later comes in handy... When Maya needs to depart from Pandora to go back to Athenas some time later, wanting to further underside her Siren lineage. Pandora only answered so much, after all...

Won’t let Rena or Krieg join, but the two keep each other company in the meantime. Waiting for Maya to come back home.

[starlightasgardian]

Broken: Bucky Barnes x Reader

Summary: You and Bucky are in love. When a mission goes south, you are both captured by a sadistic psychopath who has Bucky’s trigger words and a desire to cause you pain. Guess what happens next...

Warnings: angst, violence, torture, etc.

Author’s note: hey guess what? This is my very first tumblr fanfic (I also created this account literally yesterday please don’t kill me) I REALLY wanted to read this but no one had written it yet, so I did. I hope you enjoy!

—————————————

Zhelaniye.

He threw his head back against the metal chair he was strapped to.

Rzhavyy.

He screamed.

Semnadtsat’.

He did everything in his power to attempt to break free. He thrashed and pulled and kicked and punched. But it was no use. They had him.

Rassvet.

He didn’t want to be the monster he knew he was about to become. He couldn’t bear the though of ever hurting you.

Pech’.

With every syllable he knew what was coming next.

Devyat’.

A sharp pain sent his head spinning while he cried out for you.

Dobroserdechnyy.

“Please don’t make me hurt her! I love her! I’ll do anything you want...anything...”

Vozvrashcheniye na rodinu.

It all became too much. He would never be able to live with himself if they made him kill you.

Odin.

Or hurt you, in all the ways he know you fear. He screamed. And screamed. And screamed. But it was no use.

Gruzovoy vagon.

It had been done. The Winter Soldier had woken up.

—————————————-

24 Hours Earlier

“It will be okay,” you said, stroking his cheek.

“It’s not me that I’m worried about,” he replied softly, a distant look in his eyes.

“You don’t have to babysit me, James. I know how to handle myself.”

“I don’t doubt it for a second darling. But I can’t help but feel something isn’t right...I just want you to be safe. And the only way for me to be sure of that is if you stay here.”

You had both been assigned a joint mission with Steve and Natasha. The job was fairly simple: infiltrate a top-secret government lab and steal a deadly virus before Hydra could. Easy, right? That is, assuming no other agents were in the building.

“I’ve been waiting for what feels like forever to finally get a chance to prove myself! I’m not giving this opportunity up because you have a bad feeling. I promise I’ll stay within eyesight of you the whole time, but don’t worry about me too much okay?”

He looked sad. “Okay darling, but don’t say I didn’t tell you so.”

Later that night, the four of you were all geared up and ready to go. Steve in his signature Captain America suit, Natasha in a slim black leather body suit (that inevitably had knives hidden everywhere), Bucky in his mask and armor, and you wearing a black suit made of a special material that kept your temperature normal. You flashed Bucky a quick look of what was underneath the collar: your favorite necklace, that he had given to you after your first battle. It held more sentimental value than he realized, however, because unbeknownst to him, that was the same night you realized you had feelings towards him. He gave you a rare smile, and your daydreams were interrupted when Steve started speaking.

“Alright, listen up. This mission is only intimidating if we make it out to be. Most Hydra agents are currently in Romania, but there’s bound to be a few keeping watch around here. The plan is to break in quietly and extract the briefcase, containing the virus, WITHOUT a fight. Try to make as little noise as possible. We’re going behind the government’s back here, but we have no choice. If Hydra gets a hold of it first, mass chaos will ensue and people will die. We do NOT need a repeat of Sokovia. Everyone understand?”

You all nodded. “Yes, sir” said Bucky with a sarcastic smirk.

Before you knew it, you were inside the lab, ready to extract. Your job was to sneak inside the ice chamber and grab the vials while the rest of the team surveyed the area and kept watch. You were undoubtedly the smallest of the four, so it was no question who would be squeezing into the tiny space. You peered in to the dark, freezing room, and saw exactly what you were looking for...right in the middle of the room.

It almost seemed too easy.

You knew something was wrong the moment you turned around. There stood Bucky, a panicked look in his eyes and a long gash down his face.

“What happened?!” You demanded to know.

“There’s...Hydra...in the building...” he was breathing quickly. You rushed over to him and put your hands on his shoulders.

“James...you’re going to be okay, it’s okay...” You tried soothing him like you did when he had nightmares, stroking his hair and holding him close to your body. He was shaking uncontrollably and sweat was dripping down from his neck. You could only imagine the fear coursing through him right now; this was his first time facing any Hydra agents since the last time he became the Winter Soldier.

An explosion rang out, and instinct kicked in. He pulled you back closer to the wall and prepared to fire his gun. Before you could do anything else, a sinister voice surrounded the room, talking through a loudspeaker of some sorts.

“Greetings, Sargeant Barnes and (Y/N). It’s a pleasure to have you here tonight. Did you really think you could outsmart me?”

He laughed a horrible, evil laugh.

“Captain America and Black Widow managed to escape me before I claimed them for myself. But that’s alright, because I only ever wanted the two of you anyway...oh what fun we’ll have! The games I could make you play...the agony and suffering I could cause you, with just a snap of my fingers..."

He snapped his fingers in the microphone for a dramatic effect. You flinched and Bucky held onto you tighter.

“You were a sargeant, right Mr. Barnes? Well that must mean you are good at following orders. Luckily for you, I have something specific in mind.”

In a heartbeat, three Hydra agents wearing dark masks stormed the room, and before you could even blink, you were pulled away from Bucky and there was a gun to your temple.

He didn’t let any emotion show, as he had been trained to do. But you knew he was in agony. If this was anyone else, he wouldn’t care, he would let them be shot and suffer the consequences later. But with you...Mystery Man had him under complete control without even realizing it yet.

“Good, good! Now that I have your attention, Sargeant, I want you to walk to the middle of the room and grab those lovely looking vials. You know, the ones you tried ever so desperately to keep out of our hands. Well I want you to do exactly the opposite! You heard me. Walk to the vials, and hand them to my nice friends over here.”

The agent with the gun on you pressed it tighter, making you gasp. Bucky didn’t move. You didn’t want him to. You prayed he wouldn’t dare sacrifice this for you. But you knew he would.

And he did.

When a second gun was put in your mouth, he did exactly as he was told with a look of rage and utter defeat. The virus now belonged to Hydra, and you had no idea what their intention with it was.

“Excellent job, Sargeant! Are you sure you haven’t done this before? The way he walks. Mmm mmm mmm. (Y/N), you are one lucky gal! Anyways, onto the next order of business. Will one of my friends pretty please hand Sargeant Barnes a gun? And I know what you’re thinking, ‘oh, he must be so stupid, handing a trained assassin a gun when you’ve just endangered the life of the person he loves most!’ Don’t get too trigger happy, Bucky, because if you hurt one of my men they’ll hurt her twice as bad. Can I call you Bucky? I feel that we’ve been too informal. Anyways, Bucky, James, Sargeant Barnes, whatever it is these days, I want you to take a gun and do EXACTLY as I say.”

He knew he had no choice. He walked over to you and took the gun that was being held in your mouth out carefully, avoiding the trigger. You could still feel the cold metal pressed against your forehead, causing you shivers, and hot tears began to form in your eyes. You knew what was coming next.

“Bravo! What a man. Go ahead and point it at her. Go on, go ahead! Don’t worry, I never said you had to shoot. But something tells me she’d feel much more comfortable if it was you pointing a gun at her than one of my men. And trust me, if you don’t...”

The man cocked his gun.

Bucky followed his orders.

With your boyfriend pointing a gun at your head and three angry Russians ready to pounce on you at any given moment, it was safe to say you were very uncomfortable regardless.

“Onto the next step: you’ll all walk with me now to the next room. Good, good, don’t think about taking that pretty little gun off her pretty little face until I say so Sarge, good, almost there...”

In the room you were ever so kindly escorted to, lay an operating table and a metal chair with restraints on it.

Your heart dropped in your chest. You didn’t think Bucky was breathing.

"Aaaaaaaaand viola! Here I am!” The Mystery Man stepped out into the light, to reveal a tall dark and handsome badass. Not that you thought so. Just stating facts. He had short hair slicked back with what looked like way too much hair gel, and he was wearing a business suit and shoes that looked like they were at LEAST six hundred dollars. He was six feet tall at the bare minimum and you wondered if he had an experiment done on him like Cap. All this stated, the man still terrified you.

"Hmm, I was going to tell you my true identity but I rather like ‘Mystery Man,’ so I think I’ll keep it.” He walked to face you and Bucky.

“How did you know that?” You ask blatantly.

“Why I can read minds, of course! But only when we’re touching. Of course it helps that these three men are all versions of me. Still counts as touching!” He flaunted with a smirk.

Great. A psycho mind reader who has multiple copies of himself is holding you hostage. Just another day at work, right?

You must have looked shocked. “I know, I know, it’s a lot to take in, but I promise we’ll have so much fun together! You don’t even WANT to know what Mr. Snarkypants is thinking over here. It’s rather disturbing...I don’t see how you two are compatible with each other. I guess they do say opposites attract.” Mystery Man said this as he was circling around the both of you like vultures. It was rather unsettling.

“You can put the gun down now, my friend. And my friends will do the same! We can all be one big happy family.”

Bucky’s first mistake was even CONSIDERING to bring you along on this mission. His second, was trying to save you from it.

As soon as he placed the gun gently on the ground, he made the split second decision to grab it as fast as he could and shoot at your attackers before they could move.

The plan would have worked perfectly, if he was using his own gun...and not one that shot blanks. You felt a look of horror cross your face.

“Well, well, well...I thought I could control you without all these unnecessary procedures, but I guess I was wrong. Fellas, it’s time for plan B!”

One second everything was fine. The next, Bucky is lunging towards you while the three agents attack him and three more come in through the door. Bucky is throwing punches left and right, using his metal arm to his advantage and probably breaking a few bones, trying to protect himself so he can protect you.

While you are frozen in the heat of battle, two of the original Mystery Man agents come after you with strong grips. You fight them off for a little while, but eventually it’s no use. They are definitely super soldiers and you are just an average human. Without too much of a fight, they drag you, kicking and screaming, to the operating table. You can’t see him, you don’t know where he is, and all your thoughts are consumed with Bucky. You get a couple of good kicks in, causing one of them to punch you in the gut. While you are breathless, they strap you down and put you in all of the constraints. They’re putting something metal near your head, in your mouth, forcing you to bite down and draw blood, and before you fully realize what’s happening you scream as loud as you ever have before as the jolt of electricity shocks you to your very core.

Bucky jerks his head towards you at the sound, but in that moment of distraction the four remaining men overpowered him.

“I hoped it would never come to this,” Mystery Man shouted, “but you have given me no choice! You cannot trust a man in love. He is loyal to one person and only one person. And that person...is you.” He leans down over you, sending chills down your spine. You can feel his breath on your cheek, and you want to be anywhere but here.

“If you fucking touch her one more time I swear to God I’ll kill you,” he spits, blood running down his chin. Bucky Barnes had never looked more terrifying in his life.

“Don’t worry, it won’t be me that’s touching her...” he pulled out a very familiar notebook and the fear you felt in that moment made your heart stop.

Bucky’s facade wore off and anyone could have read the emotion on his face. Terror. Complete and utter terror. “No...” he tried to take a step back but they were too strong. With a push forward, the love of your life fell to the ground. The men picked him back up and every step they took closer to the metal chair was a step closer to your worst nightmare.

“Please please please please please”

This was the first time you’d heard him beg. For anything. This was the weakest and the most vulnerable you have ever seen him, and the sight of it broke your heart. You started begging with him, begging to Mystery Man, begging to the agents, begging to God, that someone, anyone, could stop this. But it was pointless. No one could save you from what was about to happen. Not even Bucky.

[aion-rsa]

Shudder Boasts its Biggest Horror Movie and TV Line-Up Ever in April

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Shudder is pulling out all the shivery stops to commemorate the startling fact that we are exactly halfway to the most beloved date on any horror fan’s calendar, Halloween. Yes, that’s right, this month (April) is the six-month mark and the world’s scariest streaming outlet is celebrating with “Halfway to Halloween,” a massive slate of programming that begins on April 1 and continues throughout the rest of the month.

This is no April Fool’s joke (although we have some if you want). Shudder is rolling out a brand new batch of exclusive and/or original programming, including the second season of its acclaimed Creepshow series, the premiere of a new series of original short films called Deadhouse Dark, the highly anticipated sequel to its In Search of Darkness documentary, the return of The Last Drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs, and the 2021 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards.

But wait, the channel won’t let the first 30 of the next 180 days until Halloween pass without new movies to watch as well. In addition to thrilling new exclusives like Shudder original film The Banishing, Train to Busan: Peninsula and Boys from County Hell, brand new additions to the outlet’s ever-expanding international library include horror tales of both classic and recent vintage, including The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 2, Night of the Lepus, Housebound, Attack of the Demons, Horror Express, The Stepfather and more.

If you’re blown away by all this and want more horror, the “Halfway to Halloween” Hotline is for you. Every Friday in April from 3pm-4pm ET, Shudder subscribers are invited to call director of programming Samuel Zimmerman to discuss all things horror, from their favorite films of all time to which horror releases they’re looking forward to this year. Based on what you tell him, Zimmerman will offer customized viewing recommendations from Shudder’s film collection — a personally curated film festival direct from a foremost expert in the field.

If you’re not a Shudder subscriber yet, the best part is that the streamer is offering a special discounted rate (50% off!) to first-timers who sign up before April 22. So hurry up and subscribe now…before Halloween is here for real.

Here are some of the highlights of Shudder’s original and exclusive programming for April:

Creepshow, Season 2 – Premieres April 1 (Shudder Original Series)

The acclaimed anthology series created by Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead), based on the classic 1982 film from writer Stephen King and director George A. Romero, returns for a second season of scary and often hilarious tales of terror — a horror comic come to life. Monsters, murderers and supernatural apparitions will haunt a whole new slew of guest stars including Kevin Dillon, Josh McDermitt, Keith David, Molly Ringwald, Barbara Crampton, Justin Long and more, with new episodes premiering every Thursday.

The Power – Premieres April 8 (Shudder Exclusive Film)

In the tradition of classic British ghost stories comes this tale of terror set in London in the mid ‘70s. With the miners’ strikes resulting in electrical blackouts, a young nurse working a new job in a dilapidated hospital is plunged into darkness, and she’s pretty sure there’s a malevolent presence in there with her. Corinna Faith directs this Shudder exclusive starring Sanditon’s Rose Williams.

The Banishing – Premieres April 15 (Shudder Original Film)

British ghostliness abounds in this period haunted house movie which impressed critics when it screened at London’s FrightFest. Jessica Brown Findlay stars as a formerly “fallen” woman who moves into a sinister manor with her daughter and Vicar husband only to discover there are dark secrets within. John Lynch and Sean Harris provide strong support in this chiller from Triangle and Severance director Chris Smith.  

 The Last Drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs – Premieres April 16 (Shudder Original Series)

The world’s foremost expert on drive-in movies will be back for a third season of his wildly popular series, presenting horror double features as only he can pick them. Of course, Joe Bob will also give his thoughts on the films, their histories and their context and placement in horror movie history. Expect guests and other surprises too.

2021 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards – Premieres April 18 at 8pm ET/5pm PT (Exclusive Event)

Oscars: Schmoscars. The only awards horror hounds need are these top accolades from genre bible Fangoria. Shudder has partnered with Fango to stream this exclusive event which celebrates the greatest and goriest. Actor David Dastmalchian (Ant-Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, and soon to be seen as Polka-Dot Man in The Suicide Squad) hosts the awards. This year’s nominees include The Invisible Man, Freaky, Relic, and Possessor.

In Search of Darkness: Part II – Premieres April 26 (Shudder Exclusive Documentary)

Shudder’s epic documentary on 1980s horror cinema, In Search of Darkness, was such a hit that a sequel was deemed necessary. This one — more than four hours in length like its predecessor — dives even deeper into a crucial decade in the history of the genre, featuring interviews with icons like Robert Englund (A Nightmare on Elm Street), Nancy Allen (Dressed to Kill), Linnea Quigley (The Return of the Living Dead), and special effects legend Tom Savini (Friday the 13th), along with many new and returning faces.

In addition to all its original and exclusive programming, Shudder is adding a slew of great horror films both vintage and recent to its already impressive library. Among the highlights are:

Night of the Lepus (1972) – April 1

One of those classic cult films so “bad” that it ends up being “good,” this shocker focuses on Arizona ranchers who are trying to curb a population explosion of wild rabbits and end up instead with a swarm of giant, man-eating bunnies. Stuart Whitman, Janet Leigh (Psycho) and DeForest Kelley (Star Trek’s Dr. McCoy) are all on hand to battle the carnivorous cottontails.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) – April 1

Leatherface and his twisted family are back in this delirious sequel that plays things more for laughs than the original, but is still as gloriously insane. Directed again by Tobe Hooper, this one finds the cannibalistic Sawyer family holed up in the grounds of an abandoned amusement park, where they torment anyone who comes within their reach.

The Val Lewton Collection – April 2

Producer Val Lewton was a master of psychological horror — where what was unseen was more frightening than anything else — and Shudder is now showing seven of his classic, highly influential films: Cat People (1942), I Walked With A Zombie (1943), The Leopard Man (1943), The Seventh Victim (1943), Curse of the Cat People (1944), The Body Snatcher (1945) and Isle of the Dead (1945).

Alex de la Iglesia Double Feature – April 12

The twisted Spanish genius behind HBO Max’s recent series 30 Coins brings two of his early classics to Shudder: The Day of the Beast (a.k.a. El día de la Bestia, 1995), in which a priest, TV psychic and death metal record store clerk battle Satan and stave off the Apocalypse, and Dance with the Devil (a.k.a. Perdita Durango, 1997), in which Rosie Perez and Javier Bardem are a degenerate couple who deal in human sacrifices, kidnapping, murder and fetus trafficking.

The Stepfather (1987) – April 19

Directed by Joseph Ruben (The Good Son) and written by famed crime novelist Donald Westlake, this cult classic thriller stars Terry O’Quinn (Lost’s John Locke) as a serial killer who infiltrates himself into families, murders them, then changes his identity before moving on to his next target. Only this time, his new stepdaughter is suspicious of just who “Jerry Blake” really is.

Housebound (2014) – April 19

Imagine being stuck at home for months on end… Ok but imagine being stuck inside at your family home with your mum who is convinced there’s a ghost living there with you. This New Zealand horror comedy sees a young woman on house arrest start to believe her superstitious mother might actually be onto something – it’s the perfect mix of funny and scary and is packed with surprises.

The Similars (2015) – April 26

Eight strangers trapped at a bus depot on a rainy night start experiencing a very odd phenomenon in this excellent Mexican sci-fi horror which plays like an extended episode of The Twilight Zone. It’s weird, existential and black and white and has a wicked sense of humour along with a feeling of mounting dread. A hidden gem and an absolute must-watch.

Horror Express (1972) – April 29

Horror legends Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing star along with Telly Savalas in this fast-moving, eerie sci-fi/horror hybrid in which rival scientists and a crazed Russian captain attempt to defeat an ancient, mind-absorbing alien aboard the Trans-Siberian Express. This Spanish gem is one of the more underrated, underseen classics of 1970s Eurohorror, with an original premise and great work from its iconic stars.

Here’s the full Shudder “Halfway to Halloween” lineup for April:

Exclusive/Originals:

Creepshow, Season 2 – Premieres April 1, new episodes every Thursday (Shudder Original Series)

Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula – Premieres April 1 (Shudder Exclusive Film)

The Power – Premieres April 8 (Shudder Exclusive Film)

The Banishing – Premieres April 15 (Shudder Original Film)

The Last Drive-in with Joe Bob Briggs – Premieres April 16, new episodes every Friday (Shudder Original Series)

2021 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards – Premieres April 18 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT (Exclusive Event)

Boys from County Hell – Premieres April 22 (Shudder Exclusive Film)

In Search of Darkness: Part II – Premieres April 26 (Shudder Exclusive Documentary)

Deadhouse Dark – Premieres April 29 (Shudder Original Series)

New film library additions:

Night of the Lepus (1972) – April 1

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) – April 1

The Haunting of Julia (1977) – April 1

The Val Lewton Collection (1942-1945) – April 2

Zombie for Sale (2019) – April 5

Don’t Panic (1988) – April 5

Alex de la Iglesia Double Feature (1995-1997) – April 12

The McPherson Tape (1989) – April 12

The Stepfather (1987) – April 19

The Conspiracy (2012) – April 19

Housebound (2014) – April 19

Thale (2012) – April 19

Attack of the Demons (2019) – April 26

The Similars (2015) – April 26

The Diabolical (2015) – April 26

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Horror Express (1972) – April 29

The post Shudder Boasts its Biggest Horror Movie and TV Line-Up Ever in April appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[zaineashe]

so i just played my first session of The Sprawl, which is an Dungeon World style tabletop rpg set in a typical cyberpunk dystopia. 

One of the first things our DM did to make things interesting was have us each create our own mega-corporation. These corps were completely divorced from our characters, and we mainly used them as a vehicle for worldbuilding.

Everyone came up with such interesting ideas that it gave me a valid excuse to start fucking around w/ graphic design again. There are descriptions of each corp under the cut

 -- Damocles Orbital Trade & Security (by Zaine) :

A shipping, freighting and security company that has it’s roots in Old Earth. Run by the incredibly deadly and borderline psychotic CEO Stephanie Zhang, Damocles Orbital maintains a monopoly on intergalactic security by secretly funding intergalactic warfare. Damocles Orbital keeps their thumbs in a large number of shell companies, R&D divisions and journalism outlets. Ensuring that there is always enough threat, and that everybody always knows about it.

 -- V (by Nic) :

Operated by actual Cyber-Vampires. V is a secretive shadow organisation that manipulates social movements to suit their needs. If a government is overturned by it’s people, there is no doubt that V had a stake in their success. Agents of V will infiltrate revolutionary groups, assassinate & replace their leaders, and distribute mind numbing psycho-actives to the revolutionaries, turning a once righteous movement into an army of drones. Their secret “Hail Hydra” signal is the peace sign (a fist with two fingers up).

 -- Disney’s Media Sparks (by Marlee) : 

Yep, one of our mega-corporations is just Disney. Run and led by Walt Disney’s pickled brain in a jar. I’m glad some Old Earth shit doesn’t change. The only difference here is that, Disney owns all the media. News networks, political coverage, entertainment, magazines. If it’s hitting your eyeballs, chances are it was paid for with Disney money. The up-and-coming pop idol Media Sparks has become the new face of the corporation. She hasn’t aged a day in 70 years! If you want to see her perform live, you can sign up for a VR cortex-chip subscription, that can take you straight to the performance wherever you are! Remember to pay that subscription fee every month, or else the microchip we’ve embedded in your brain might sever your frontal lobe and turn you into a Disney-slave xo <3.

 -- The Dapper Hat’s Company (by Tegan) :

This one’s super fun. The Dapper Hats Company is a death-cult actually run by literally Cthulhu. Their base of operations is the nuclear husk of Old Earth (where i guess Cthulhu still is, like he wouldn’t be able to fit on a spaceship). The goal of The Dapper Hats Company is to travel the galaxy and give out their luxurious head wear to as many people who will take it. I’m not saying there’s an appendage of Cthulhu inside of every hat. I’m not saying that if you put one on the severed tentacle will dig it’s way into your brain and expose you to the dark Eldritch truth. What I’m saying is the hats look super snazzy try one you’ll love it.

 -- Enercom (by Pat) :

So Typhon Lancaster, founder of Enercom, was an aristocratic investor who decided to take a vacation to the Cyrus moon one cycle. What he found on that moon changed his life. A new mineral he named Typh, that turns out to be one of the galaxies most efficient fuel sources. What’s the best part? Something on this moon is making the mineral regenerate. He has no idea why, but whatever the quarries dig up simply reappears overnight. This is a miracle that Enercom has kept secret so that he can hike prices and establish a monopoly on the energy industry. Any and all electronics in the Sprawl are being powered by Enercom, and if you’re still using solar? Typhon will hire out a local gang to convince you.

 -- The Crown (by Iman, our DM) : 

A hardware and tech company, The Crown has faded into the background as the ‘Intel(c)’ of this world. If you’re using any kind of cybernetics, running any brand of OS, or piloting any breed of Mecha, you’re probably making use of Crown technology. They sell luxury cybernetics through their mainline, but outsource their chips and other tech to any and all willing buyers. The Crown also his it’s own privatised military force of cyber-enhanced super-soldiers called The Saints. The figureheads at the top of this company like to treat themselves as if they were a royal family. They make public appearances in long velvet gowns, and adorn themselves with monarch-style jewellery. I like to imagine their advertisements look like something out of a Magnum-brand ice cream commercial