#lukas kazemi

[painful-pooch]

Captain Down

The time for waiting is over! Here is the debut to the Hostage Arc! I hope this is a fun little chapter to start things off with. Please enjoy!

Part 2 (An Impromptu Farewell)

Bru Bru tag list: @cpt-winters, @redd956, @straight-to-the-pain, @technom0ose, @actress4him, @whumperofworlds, @i-eat-worlds, @inscrutable-shadow, @gala1981, @thethistlegirl, @ocean-blue-whump, @noirineverysense, @steelandblood, @crash-bump-bring-the-whump

CWs: military whump, war, gunshot wounds, blood, injury, bombing and explosions, gunfire, death of random soldiers

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“Do you have your eyes on the target, Kieran?” Bruno asks, leaning against the wall, huffing from the quarter mile sprint he just had to do after he was spotted. He tilts his head back, groaning while the heavy gear he has on makes him sweat unbelievable amounts. He doesn’t have time to wipe the sweat dripping from his brow or nose, his fingerless gloves gripping his weapon tightly. It wasn’t even a terrible run, but with the sun burning them from above, it makes it more unbearable to even be out. A mission is still a mission, however, and it makes the man even more committed to getting the job done. “Kieran, you better not be napping on me. Respond.”

He hears the crackling of a mic coming to life, followed by a sarcastic, “You know, Bruno, it’s kind of hard to find a target when a bunch of Tangos (targets) are all after your ass. Give me a minute.” Kieran has a smart mouth on him, but that’s what you get when the Navy has to give away one of their best SEAL operators, especially one so skilled with a sniper.  

“A minute? Wow… seems like you are losing your edge, Navy boy,” Valdemar’s voice comes in, gravely like an Army Sergeant’s voice would be after screaming nonstop. A chuckle or two later, he continues, “I am surprised Bruno over there can even run as fast as he did. Fuck, he left a cute little plume of dust in his way. How are the joints doing, old man? I think I could hear them creaking all the way over here. No wonder everyone was on you.”

Bruno can’t help but growl back playfully into the mic, “Valdemar, you damn asshole. Shut your mouth unless you have something important to say. What have I said about keeping the channel clear of any unnecessary bullshit? Keep your vest on, your ears clear, your eyes open, your head on a swivel, and your mouth shut.” 

Kieran’s humming is all Valdemar gets in response from the prideful Naval operator, instead Miranda’s voice coming in. “Leave Kieran alone, Val. The man has better eyesight than your Army ass. Shit, give me a second-“ the sounds of gunfire and a thud on the ground made Bruno’s heart pound loudly in his ears. 

“Miranda,” he breathes out, taking a moment to check his surroundings. She was always so ballsy and trying to prove her worth on the team. It doesn’t matter how many times they all told her, she just has to work unbelievably hard while putting her own life at risk. It came with the territory and the occupation. They are the ones making the real changes in the world, and yet their names will never be entered into the pantheon of the greats. 

They are destined to remain in the shadows and only be seen by the select few that were granted the right and clearance to even know who they were. Out of the entire military, they are the small crew that felt like a real family. They ate out together, lived together, laughed together, cried together, and so many other things. They have his back and he will make sure they are safe in return while offering them the best leadership he can impose.

He can’t deny that Miranda is good at her job, but his worry keeps rising until she laughs, “Damn, the bastard almost had me. Kieran, what’s the sitrep (situation report)?”  

Bruno sighs to himself, his helmet digging into the bricks of the building he is using as cover. He takes a chance to peek around the corner, but the whizzing of bullets launched his way forces him to take cover once again, the next volley of them chipping away at the corner of the building. “Fuck! Okay… just breathe. You have been in these predicaments before. Come on Kieran…” He doesn’t bother saying anything into the comms, waiting for his sniper expert to handle the mess.  

“Sitrep isn’t too great, guys. They are holed up real good at their vantage point. I know where they are at, but I can’t take the shot without giving away my position. I can move and get a better angle at them. Guidance, Bruno?”

Shit. That’s not the answer Bruno needed, but it is what it is. He clears his mind of all the noise around him, trying to get to the part of his head where he can think out of a problem. He’s a sitting duck where he is at, but maybe he can get lucky. “From where you saw them firing, do you think I could mask my location with smoke?”

“What the hell are you thinking of, Bruno?”

He can’t help but smirk in response, a small weight off his chest when he laughs, “You heard me, Kieran. Can I use smoke or do you think a flash bang can do the trick? I am trying to get to the next few buildings but I need your help.” While he is waiting, he takes his canteen of water, taking a swig to then spit out the dirt and dust coating his mouth before finally drinking a few gulps. He needs to be hydrated if he’s going to really be doing something half crazy.

“Bruno,” Miranda calls out from the comms, “I really hope you aren’t about to pull your usual stunt of risking your life. Maybe just sit tight and call Lukas in for an airstrike, yeah?”

“That’s a lot of gall coming from the girl that plays with explosives and death on a daily basis. Also, I am not wasting a good airstrike on just me. Kieran, you better give me an answer or I am going to get fucked real good by the tangos,” Bruno huffs back, reaching into his pouch to grab a smoke grenade just in case. 

“Alright. I got it. Bruno, I need you to throw the smoke as close to them as you can. Then use the thermal scope and pick out a few. I can handle some of them too to take the heat off. Other than that, I don’t see another way out. What’s the verdict, Sir?” Kieran sounds like he played out a few scenarios and picked the one with the best outcome. That’s what he needed from the man.

Bruno flips the switch on his assault rifle’s scope, seeing the blue haze on it to show it’s on. “Perfect. On my mark, Kieran.” He closes his eyes, taking a deep breath and getting his body ready to react fast. He takes off the pin from the ‘nade, counting off, “One. Two. Mark.” He rolls around the corner, throwing the smoke grenade as it sends out a smoke screen to obscure everyone’s vision. There’s a gunfight going crazy now, Bruno on the ground firing away at all the blips coming into view on thermal, the blasting sounds from the mountain near them giving away Kieran’s position, whether he liked it or not. 

He can hear shuffling over the comms, Kieran’s voice quick and short. “Position compromised. Running two klicks eastbound. Approximate time to wait ten mikes. Copy?”

Valdemar grunts back, “Copy, Kieran. I’ll be the closest to you once you’re there. We have a few more people here than we thought. Possible intel miscount, Bruno. What now?”

He just finally got to cover, the barrel of his rifle turning to a reddish hue from the heat building up. Bruno barely has a chance to breathe when the news comes in and his eyebrows furrow. “Wait… The count shouldn’t be off. This was validated plenty of times via the NSA, STRATCOM, and the folks over in DC. Oscar, what the fuck is going on?” He busts his way into the building, aiming around and clearing the vicinity prior to making his run up the steps in the stairwell, getting to the fifth floor and getting into a rundown office. He better make his nest now, flipping a desk on its back to press up against a window, using it as both cover and a thing to lean back on, his eyes on the door to the stairwell in case anyone followed him. “Oscar, I need something, now.”

There is frantic typing he can hear, and that is never a good sign. He sets up his gear where he needs to, taking the chance to wipe the sweat and dirt off his face, his eyes on the tablet he has set out. There’s a grid map showing his position in relation to the others and where the main target, who is the main reason why they are there, is. He keeps his composure though, waiting for Oscar to explain himself and the faulty data compiled from multiple three letter agencies. 

“Sir… something isn't right. There's more movement from the enemy. ISR (intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance) operations are alluding to a possible betrayal," Oscar breathes out, the clicking and typing starting up again. It's so quiet now, almost as though a pin could drop.

The waves are crashing in Bruno's head now, the man needing to come up with a solution. His options are either to continue pursuing the main target or fall back and go back to the drawing board. He stares up at the ceiling, his eyes tracing the fallen wires while he attempts to strategize. With that, he glances back down at the tablet and with a gruff mutter, he announces, "We aren't letting these people get away with what they've done. They've killed too many innocent people. If I let them slip through my fingers again, I'm going to lose my shit."

"Alright, Captain America, so what's your plan?" Miranda shoots at him, and he can feel as though she's staring right at him, even if she's so far away.

Bruno snaps his fingers and goes to type in the tablet, each tap another step closer to the end goal. "The plan is to aim a barrage right down the middle of their forces. Force them to split up and we rip through them like nothing. Lukas, can you handle helping us out from up there?"

The voice of the young and cookies pilot Bruno's ever heard of comes through the earpiece, "Oh I can handle just about anything, Bru Bru. General Kane got me a nice Reaper MQ-9 drone for Christmas. Have you seen what that baby can do? I'm talking about Hellfire missiles and whatever other toys I requested. What are the coordinates?"

Bruno manages a small grin and laugh, the corner of his lip rising. He remembers what it was like to be a real fighter pilot, and he knows how long Lukas has been working towards becoming a drone pilot as well. "Good. I'm sending them over now. Fire when ready. Those in quadrants three and four need to take cover."

He puts the tablet away the second he's done sending the location, taking a few more to drink away some of his water and prepare for the long haul as they won't be making it back for dinner. Things seem to be going his way and then his earpiece screeches in his ear. He jumps in surprise and rips it out, grumbling about stupid technology before placing it in his pocket, replacing it with the backup headset. It takes about another minute or so, but yet he hasn't heard the sound of explosions or missiles. "Did I miss anything?"

What Oscar comes through with doesn't sit well with him: "Sir? Nothing happened, but Lukas is having some trouble from his end getting the coordinates, but he just got them. Thank you for revising them for him."

There are alarm bells ringing, and his heart starts to pound to the drums of War. He scrambles to his feet and starts running towards the stairwell, his voice rushed and full of worry. "I didn't revise a damn thing. I sent him the right thing already. Oscar? Lukas? What the fuck is goi-" 

The blast cuts him off as he holds onto the railing, barely keeping himself from tumbling down them. His eyes widen when looking back at the office, now engulfed in flames. That missile was aimed right on him, and he can hear the whirring of the drone closing in again and he returns to his attempt to make it out of the building, concrete pieces and debris falling on him. "Stop the airstrike!" He roars in retaliation, reaching the ground floor of the building.

The door is blocked from the other side and he's attempting to bash through it, but it refuses to budge no matter how hard he tries. No one is on the comms anymore, and he feels as though everything is falling apart around him. His eyes are now darting around the building, seeing the stress of the bombardments cracking the walls, the lines zigzagging to the ceiling.

"Of fuck," he huffs, realizing that if he doesn’t get out soon enough, the building is going to collapse right on top of him. To hell with the mission and to hell with the comms being down; this is survival. He turns away from the door and runs down the hall, coming to a halt when he sees a window inside a room flooded with fire. “You gotta be kidding me.” The building shakes again from the next blast, and it forces Bruno to grit his teeth, his own fire burning inside of him. He’s not ready to die yet; not to a building. It’s not a fitting end for a man like him. “Here goes nothing.” He locks the rifle to the chest plate’s hooks, ripping his pistol from the side holster. He aims it straight and true and pulls the trigger, launching the bullet right through the window, shattering it upon impact.

He jumps over the flaming debris of the desks and fallen file cabinets, thankful that he has enough gear on to keep him from getting too burned, the sweat now freely flowing down his face. Still rushing to the window, the final blast hits the floor above him, parts of the ceiling crumbling down just as he vaults through the broken mirror, not bothered by the glass cutting away at his uniform and face. The stinging from the sweat, fire, and glass just pushes him over the edge, and he catches himself on the dirt floor, coughing. Just in time to see the drone pass by him one more time, but nothing comes from it thank the heavens. 

He stands up and moves away from the building, his heart still pounding away in his chest. Hiding away in one of the alleys, he groans and wipes away at the slick red coming from his face. “Someone. Better. Have. An. Explanation.”

His comms are only returning static until finally there is a voice beside his own: “Sir, I think there's enemy interference. Someone is trying to get in and find our locations. I am trying to scramble the signal, but they got a hold of you. I don’t know about the others.”

Bruno tenses up at that and it hits him that someone ratted on them. No one should have known they were there. No one should have prepared reinforcements so quickly. No one should have tried to murder him with his own drone. It was a trap, and he had to get everyone out before things could get any worse. “Everyone, head to the second emergency rendezvous point. We have been compromised. If there are signs of adversaries there, make it to the third point. Move it!” He reholsters his pistol and rearms himself with his trusted rifle, treading along.

When he makes it to a major street, something doesn’t feel right to Bruno. It’s this weird feeling someone gets when they are in a room, but they can sense another person in there. It only gets worse the closer he is to the edge of the alley. He has to sprint across as fast as he can, and so that’s what he does. He dashes as fast as his legs can carry him and the extra hundred or so pounds of gear… and that’s the second an immense searing pain hits him right in the calf, making the man fall to the ground. Only then does he hear the crack and boom from the sniper rifle. He just got hit, and he’s still in the open. He forces his body to act fast, pushing himself to get to cover, his back leaning against the wall. They know where he is. It’s only a matter of time. He rips off his helmet and looks down to see the damage. His right leg is the one that feels as though there’s a small fire inside of the gunshot wound, blood already seeping through his fatigues. 

“Hit. I’ve been hit,” he groans, but there’s nothing on his comms again. He reaches into his shoulder pocket, pulling out a small pouch. Using his teeth, he tears open the sterile tourniquet, reminding himself of the steps Khrystyna taught him. He gets the belt strapped and then using the stick on the tourniquet, he begins to twist it, cutting off his blood flow. The pain is getting worse, the man clenching his jaw so hard when he cuts away at his pants to find the wound. 

To his dismay, he sees both an open and exit wound, and he takes a deep breath. “Okay… there’s a big ass hole in your leg. Time to pack it. Dammit, why me? Move faster…” He rolls up the cut fabric, rolling it up and proceeding to bite down on it before he takes the gauze from the first aid kit he had, shoving it into his wound without waiting. He screams into the fabric, the back of his head digging into the wall to distract himself. He wants to cry, but he instead just pounds at the ground with his free hand. Just as he’s done, he can hear the sound of someone rustling near him. He takes his pistol with one hand, his body trembling from the shock and anger ripping through him. Waiting for the person to come around the corner from his left, he doesn’t catch the person to his right rounding the corner and firing into his side. Bruno gasps and turns quick enough to fire a few rounds into that soldier, returning his attention to the one he had initially heard, taking them down as well when the opening presents itself. 

His breathing is ragged, his hand reaching to where he felt the slap of a bullet. Wincing, he pulls his hand back to see that there’s now a bullet lodged in him, finding the one part of his torso that wasn’t shielded by the vest, plates, and gear. It’s getting hard to breathe, and he stares up at the sky in search of an answer to his problem. It takes him a few minutes to patch up, getting up while using the wall to lean against, limping his way towards his team. The corners of his view are blurring and turning to black, almost like the beginning of tunnel vision. He trips over some broken stone and slabs of brick, screaming silently when one of the pieces digs right into his side. Struggling to his hands and knees, his head snaps up when the one person he couldn’t have near him speaks. 

“Bruno?!” 

Khrystyna runs up to him and helps him sit against the wall, her eyes so calm and yet her voice is full of worry. “Hey, you are going to be okay. We are really close to where we need to be. I need you to tell me what’s wrong and what you need me to do, Sir?”

Bruno isn’t fully there. His mind is on the fact that this entire time, he was leaving specks of blood and a trail for his enemies to follow. If he dies, and they find him, they are going to take Khrystyna and do the most awful things to her. If he doesn’t die and they both get caught, they will use her against him, and he would be responsible for her dying due to his loyalty to secrecy.  Even though she is one of the strongest women he knows, she won’t be able to carry him the entire way, and he’s only getting weaker by the minute. The answer was there the whole time.

He knows what he has to do, and so when he coughs up a bit of blood, he reaches over to take Khrystyna’s pistol, aiming it at her with tears in his eyes. “You need to get away from me right now if you know what’s good for you.”

[painful-pooch]

@ocean-blue-whump is this not a Lukas or a Marlow thing lmao

Whump Prompt

“God, would you just shut up?”

“Oh, so first you ask me to tell you everything I know about my team and secret plans and NOW you want me to shut up? Kind of confusing, not gonna lie, you see-”

[jodyedgarus]

The Most Promising Players In The NBA Draft According To My Computer

We usually don’t release our CARMELO NBA projections until after the NBA draft. But this year, in an effort to procrastinate from other modelling-related tasks,9 I finished them a little early. We’ll publish the complete set of CARMELO projections later this month, but with the draft scheduled for Thursday night, I wanted to share the system’s take on the best NCAA prospects.

Our methodology for CARMELO is pretty much the same as last year, with only minor tweaks. It works by identifying statistically comparable players — for instance, John Wall is currently similar to Detroit Pistons Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas and to Deron Williams. For NBA veterans, we use a database of player statistics since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976, and for rookies, we use a database of NCAA statistics since 2002, adjusted for pace and opponent strength, as provided to us by ESPN Stats & Information Group. The rookie projections also account for — indeed, heavily emphasize — where in the draft each player was selected. Because the 2018 draft hasn’t taken place yet, we can’t use that variable to evaluate this year’s prospects, so for now I’ve used scouting rankings for both current and historical players.10

As I said, the changes from last year’s model are pretty minor, but one of them is potentially relevant in the context of this year’s draft, which is heavy on big men, including traditional centers such as Arizona’s Deandre Ayton. As ESPN’s Kevin Pelton has found, it’s become easier in recent seasons for teams to find once-desirable big men on the waiver wire or available for the minimum salary; the former All-Star center Roy Hibbert, who didn’t play at all in the NBA last year, is one perfect example. After evaluating the performance of players on minimum salaries over the past four years, we now use position-based replacement levels,11 which reflect that it takes a little bit more for big men to generate surplus value in the NBA than it does for guards and wings.

One last important warning: This list does not include projections for European players (so no Luka Doncic) or for other players who did not play NCAA basketball for some reason. Also, since Michael Porter Jr. played in only three NCAA games as a result of injury, we don’t project him on the basis of his NCAA statistics.12

At any rate, here goes: The top prospects as projected by CARMELO, non-Doncic, non-Porter edition. Players are ranked by their projected wins above replacement over their first seven NBA seasons:

‘Stats + Scouts’ CARMELO projections for 2018 NBA draft

Not including European players or Michael Porter Jr.

Player Scout Rank Age on 2/1/19 Pos. WAR THRU 2025 Top Comps 1 Deandre Ayton 1 20.5 C 24.6 Jahlil Okafor, Greg Oden, Anthony Davis 2 Marvin Bagley III 5 19.9 C 19.0 Lauri Markkanen, Kevin Love, Derrick Favors 3 Jaren Jackson Jr. 4 19.4 C 18.6 Marquese Chriss, Derrick Favors, Noah Vonleh 4 Mohamed Bamba 3 20.7 C 15.8 Nerlens Noel, Ben Simmons, Michael Beasley 5 Wendell Carter Jr. 7 19.8 C 14.9 Noah Vonleh, Marquese Chriss, Derrick Favors 6 Trae Young 8 20.4 PG 14.3 Dennis Smith Jr., Brandon Knight, Mike Conley 7 Kevin Knox 9 19.5 PF 12.8 Tobias Harris, Thaddeus Young, Julius Randle 8 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 10 20.6 SG 11.9 DeMar DeRozan, Jamal Murray, Alec Burks 9 Collin Sexton 11 20.1 PG 11.8 Tyus Jones, Dennis Smith Jr., Malik Monk 10 Zhaire Smith 16 19.7 SF 11.5 Malik Beasley, Xavier Henry, Justise Winslow 11 Mikal Bridges 14 22.4 SF 10.8 Jimmy Butler, Nik Stauskas, John Jenkins 12 Kevin Huerter 20 20.4 SG 9.8 Jeremy Lamb, Alec Burks, Gary Harris 13 Miles Bridges 15 20.9 PF 8.6 TJ Warren, Ryan Anderson, Bobby Portis 14 Robert Williams 12 21.3 C 8.3 Cole Aldrich, Bobby Portis, Marreese Speights 15 Lonnie Walker IV 13 20.1 SG 7.2 Jrue Holiday, Austin Rivers, Avery Bradley 16 Troy Brown 18 19.5 SG 7.1 James Young, Archie Goodwin, Austin Rivers 17 Josh Okogie 25 20.4 SG 6.8 Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Gary Harris, Jordan Adams 18 Jerome Robinson 17 21.9 PG 6.2 R.J. Hunter, Dominique Jones, Allen Crabbe 19 Aaron Holiday 22 22.3 PG 5.2 Demetrius Jackson, Reggie Jackson, Jimmer Fredette 20 Jalen Brunson 35 22.4 PG 4.7 John Jenkins, Michael Frazier II, Ty Lawson 21 Donte DiVincenzo 26 22.0 PG 4.5 Willie Warren, Tyler Dorsey, Doron Lamb 22 Gary Trent Jr. 39 20.0 SG 4.3 Rashad Vaughn, James Young, Javaris Crittenton 23 De’Anthony Melton 24 20.7 SG 4.1 Javaris Crittenton, Eric Bledsoe, Zach LaVine 24 Jacob Evans 30 21.6 SF 3.6 Dillon Brooks, Tim Hardaway Jr., Gerald Henderson 25 Grayson Allen 27 23.3 SG 3.6 Jimmer Fredette, Denzel Valentine, Nolan Smith 26 Moritz Wagner 36 21.8 C 3.4 Derrick Brown, Thomas Bryant, Marreese Speights 27 Khyri Thomas 31 22.7 SG 3.2 Jodie Meeks, Wayne Ellington, L.J. Peak 28 Landry Shamet 49 21.9 PG 3.1 Tyler Dorsey, Michael Frazier II, John Jenkins 29 Shake Milton 40 22.3 SG 3.0 Olivier Hanlan, Tyler Harvey, Allen Crabbe 30 Melvin Frazier 32 22.4 SF 2.2 Tony Snell, Dillon Brooks, Jordan Crawford 31 Chimezie Metu 45 21.9 C 2.2 Richaun Holmes, Justin Harper, Drew Gordon 32 Rawle Alkins 48 21.3 SG 2.2 Travis Leslie, Jared Cunningham, Aaron Harrison 33 Keita Bates-Diop 29 23.0 PF 2.0 Justin Harper, Quincy Pondexter, Trevor Booker 34 Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk 59 21.6 SG 1.9 L.J. Peak, Jared Cunningham, Andre Roberson 35 Bruce Brown Jr. 28 22.5 SG 1.9 Jamaal Franklin, Marcus Thornton, Will Barton 36 Malik Newman 47 21.9 SG 1.8 Jordan Crawford, Jared Cunningham, Edmond Sumner 37 Jevon Carter 34 23.4 PG 1.8 Demetri McCamey, Deonte Burton, Ben Uzoh 38 Omari Spellman 43 21.5 PF 1.7 Ben Bentil, Jarell Martin, Samardo Samuels 39 Devonte’ Graham 44 23.9 PG 1.6 Frank Mason III, Joe Young, Yogi Ferrell 40 Tony Carr 54 21.3 PG 1.6 Nick Calathes, Terrico White, Andrew Harrison 41 Ray Spalding 52 21.9 PF 1.6 Hollis Thompson, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ashley 42 Hamidou Diallo 37 20.5 SG 1.5 Avery Bradley, Josh Selby, Kobi Simmons 43 Chandler Hutchison 33 22.8 SF 1.5 Glen Rice Jr., C.J. Leslie, Jermaine Taylor 44 Vince Edwards 65 22.8 PF 1.3 Solomon Hill, Matt Howard, Jake Layman 45 Trevon Duval 53 20.5 PG 1.2 Cory Joseph, Dejounte Murray, Avery Bradley 46 Allonzo Trier 62 23.0 SG 1.2 Tyler Harvey, James Blackmon Jr., Khalif Wyatt 47 Keenan Evans 72 22.4 PG 1.1 Marcus Denmon, Derrick Marks, Rasheed Sulaimon 48 Bonzie Colson 68 23.1 PF 1.0 Perry Ellis, Branden Dawson, Matt Howard 49 Justin Jackson 41 22.0 PF 1.0 Ben Bentil, Vince Hunter, Tony Mitchell 50 Kevin Hervey 46 22.6 SF 1.0 Draymond Green, C.J. Leslie, Akil Mitchell 51 Brandon McCoy 64 20.6 C 0.7 Greg Smith, Kosta Koufos, Jordan Williams 52 Dakota Mathias 75 23.6 SG 0.7 Dez Wells, Thomas Walkup, Ron Baker 53 Yante Maten 88 22.5 PF 0.7 Brandon Costner, Rick Jackson, Marqus Blakely 54 Gary Clark 57 24.2 PF 0.6 Arsalan Kazemi, Melvin Ejim, Jaron Blossomgame 55 Kostas Antetokounmpo 58 20.7 SF 0.4 Chris Walker, Grant Jerrett, Derrick Jones Jr. 56 Devon Hall 51 23.6 SG 0.4 Jermaine Taylor, Lamar Patterson, MarShon Brooks 57 Alize Johnson 61 22.8 PF 0.4 Malcolm Thomas, Eric Griffin, Khem Birch 58 Kenrich Williams 63 24.2 PF 0.3 Jaron Blossomgame, Michael Gbinije, Kris Joseph 59 DJ Hogg 60 22.4 PF 0.3 DeAndre Daniels, Cameron Moore, J.P. Tokoto 60 Isaac Haas 73 23.3 C 0.3 Dexter Pittman, Justin Hamilton, Trevor Thompson 61 Jarred Vanderbilt 56 19.8 SF 0.3 Grant Jerrett, Jereme Richmond, Ioannis Papapetrou 62 Theo Pinson 70 23.2 SG 0.2 Durrell Summers, Jajuan Johnson, Peter Jok 63 Doral Moore 86 22.0 C 0.2 Dexter Pittman, Chinemelu Elonu, Josh Harrellson 64 Jaylen Barford 92 23.0 SG 0.2 Dwayne Bacon, James Blackmon Jr., Sonny Weems 65 George King 71 25.0 SF 0.1 Elgin Cook, Jamel Artis, Andy Rautins 66 MiKyle McIntosh 81 24.5 PF -0.2 Herb Pope, Taylor Griffin, Robert Dozier

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One thing you see is that CARMELO is extremely deferential to the scout rankings — more so than other systems that use similar data, such as Pelton’s system or the Stats & Info system. Both CARMELO and the scouts have Ayton as the No. 1 pick, for example. The order of the big men listed just after Ayton is slightly different — CARMELO prefers Duke’s Marvin Bagley III and Michigan State’s Jaren Jackson Jr. to Texas’s Mohamed Bamba — but these differences are minor. As both an empirical and a philosophical matter, we think it’s hard to beat the consensus rankings of NBA scouts and franchises. NBA teams are smart these days: Many of them have projection systems that are at least as sophisticated as CARMELO, plus they have lots of other information that we can’t possibly account for. So if CARMELO disagrees with the consensus of NBA teams, we don’t necessarily want to take CARMELO’s side of the bet.

With that said, there are a few differences. CARMELO puts a lot of emphasis on a player’s age; it’s relevant, for instance, that Jackson is more than a full year younger than fellow freshman Bamba. The counterpoint to this is that older players can sometimes help a team now, even if they have less upside. For instance, Mikal Bridges, who played three seasons at Villanova, is one of just three players who project to have a positive WAR in 2018-19. (The others are Ayton and Bamba; Doncic would probably also qualify if we projected him.) And Duke senior Grayson Allen has the fifth-best projection for 2018-19 even though he rates as just the 25th-best long-term prospect.

We can get a better sense for where CARMELO differs from the scouts by taking the scouting rankings out of the system and running “pure stats” projections instead. (Note that these projections still account for a player’s height, weight, position and age, in addition to his NCAA statistics.) Again, we would not recommend that NBA teams draft players on the basis of the list, but it helps to reveal how CARMELO “thinks”:

‘Pure stats’ CARMELO projections for 2018 NBA draft

Not including European players or Michael Porter Jr.

Player Scout Rank Age on 2/1/19 Pos. WAR THRU 2025 Top Comps 1 Marvin Bagley III 5 19.9 C 15.0 Anthony Davis, Lauri Markkanen, Kevin Love 2 Zhaire Smith 16 19.7 SF 14.2 Justise Winslow, Malik Beasley, Malik Monk 3 Jaren Jackson Jr. 4 19.4 C 12.5 Diamond Stone, Karl-Anthony Towns, Marquese Chriss 4 Wendell Carter Jr. 7 19.8 C 12.3 Derrick Favors, Diamond Stone, Greg Oden 5 Deandre Ayton 1 20.5 C 11.6 Jahlil Okafor, Kevin Love, Lauri Markkanen 6 Kevin Huerter 20 20.4 SG 11.5 Alec Burks, Jeremy Lamb, Gary Harris 7 Kevin Knox 9 19.5 PF 11.5 James Young, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Kevon Looney 8 Trae Young 8 20.4 PG 11.0 Dennis Smith Jr., Mike Conley, Brandon Knight 9 Collin Sexton 11 20.1 PG 11.0 Derrick Rose, De’Aaron Fox, Mike Conley 10 Gary Trent Jr. 39 20.0 SG 10.3 DeMar DeRozan, Bradley Beal, Andrew Wiggins 11 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 10 20.6 SG 9.8 D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, John Wall 12 Troy Brown 18 19.5 SG 9.6 Rashad Vaughn, James Young, Thaddeus Young 13 Josh Okogie 25 20.4 SG 9.3 Gary Harris, Marcus Smart, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 14 Miles Bridges 15 20.9 PF 7.6 Caleb Swanigan, Ivan Rabb, Gordon Hayward 15 Mohamed Bamba 3 20.7 C 7.3 Meyers Leonard, JJ Hickson, Lauri Markkanen 16 Landry Shamet 49 21.9 PG 7.2 Tyler Dorsey, Luke Kennard, Doron Lamb 17 Lonnie Walker IV 13 20.1 SG 6.9 Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans, Russell Westbrook 18 Mikal Bridges 14 22.4 SF 6.7 Quincy Acy, Derrick Brown, John Jenkins 19 Jalen Brunson 35 22.4 PG 6.3 Ty Lawson, Demetrius Jackson, John Jenkins 20 De’Anthony Melton 24 20.7 SG 5.9 Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans 21 Robert Williams 12 21.3 C 5.9 Marreese Speights, Caleb Swanigan, Cole Aldrich 22 Moritz Wagner 36 21.8 C 5.5 Jakob Poeltl, Cole Aldrich, Derrick Brown 23 Brandon McCoy 64 20.6 C 5.5 Meyers Leonard, Brook Lopez, Kosta Koufos 24 Rawle Alkins 48 21.3 SG 5.3 Donovan Mitchell, Aaron Harrison, Elliot Williams 25 Donte DiVincenzo 26 22.0 PG 5.3 Tyler Dorsey, Jodie Meeks, Victor Oladipo 26 Trevon Duval 53 20.5 PG 5.2 Avery Bradley, Cory Joseph, Marquis Teague 27 Shake Milton 40 22.3 SG 5.0 Tyler Harvey, Olivier Hanlan, James Anderson 28 Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk 59 21.6 SG 4.9 L.J. Peak, Jared Cunningham, Wayne Ellington 29 Tony Carr 54 21.3 PG 4.9 Darius Morris, Malcolm Lee, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 30 Jerome Robinson 17 21.9 PG 4.8 Armon Johnson, Allen Crabbe, R.J. Hunter 31 Aaron Holiday 22 22.3 PG 4.8 Demetrius Jackson, Stephen Curry, Isaiah Canaan 32 Jacob Evans 30 21.6 SF 4.6 Andre Roberson, L.J. Peak, Jared Cunningham 33 Omari Spellman 43 21.5 PF 4.4 Anthony Bennett, Samardo Samuels, Ben Bentil 34 Chimezie Metu 45 21.9 C 4.4 Damian Jones, Richaun Holmes, Brandon Ashley 35 Jarred Vanderbilt 56 19.8 SF 4.2 Grant Jerrett, Jereme Richmond, Daequan Cook 36 Malik Newman 47 21.9 SG 4.2 Jordan Crawford, Jeff Teague, Jared Cunningham 37 Hamidou Diallo 37 20.5 SG 4.0 Kobi Simmons, Lance Stephenson, Avery Bradley 38 Khyri Thomas 31 22.7 SG 3.9 Khalif Wyatt, James Blackmon Jr., Jodie Meeks 39 Keenan Evans 72 22.4 PG 3.8 Tyshawn Taylor, Marcus Denmon, Derrick Marks 40 Ray Spalding 52 21.9 PF 3.8 Brandon Ashley, Marcus Morris, Ed Davis 41 Allonzo Trier 62 23.0 SG 3.6 James Blackmon Jr., Tyler Harvey, Khalif Wyatt 42 Doral Moore 86 22.0 C 3.5 Dexter Pittman, Byron Mullens, Mitch McGary 43 Vince Edwards 65 22.8 PF 3.4 Matt Howard, Solomon Hill, Trevor Booker 44 Kostas Antetokounmpo 58 20.7 SF 3.4 Chris Walker, Grant Jerrett, Skal Labissiere 45 Grayson Allen 27 23.3 SG 3.3 Buddy Hield, Pat Connaughton, Joe Harris 46 Yante Maten 88 22.5 PF 3.2 Rick Jackson, Brandon Costner, Joel Bolomboy 47 Bonzie Colson 68 23.1 PF 3.1 Matt Howard, Perry Ellis, Branden Dawson 48 Melvin Frazier 32 22.4 SF 2.9 Andre Roberson, K.J. McDaniels, Tony Snell 49 Dakota Mathias 75 23.6 SG 2.6 Dez Wells, Thomas Walkup, Marcus Denmon 50 Devonte’ Graham 44 23.9 PG 2.5 Kendall Williams, Aaron Craft, Yogi Ferrell 51 Justin Jackson 41 22.0 PF 2.4 Vince Hunter, Ben Bentil, Tony Mitchell 52 Bruce Brown Jr. 28 22.5 SG 2.4 Jamaal Franklin, Sonny Weems, Marcus Thornton 53 Jevon Carter 34 23.4 PG 2.1 Demetri McCamey, T.J. Williams, Keith Appling 54 Kevin Hervey 46 22.6 SF 2.0 Stanley Robinson, Rodney Williams, Draymond Green 55 Keita Bates-Diop 29 23.0 PF 2.0 Brandon Costner, Robert Carter Jr., Branden Dawson 56 Jaylen Barford 92 23.0 SG 2.0 Marcus Thornton, Jordan Crawford, Jodie Meeks 57 Chandler Hutchison 33 22.8 SF 1.9 Scotty Hopson, Landry Fields, Stanley Robinson 58 Alize Johnson 61 22.8 PF 1.7 Eric Griffin, Malcolm Thomas, Khem Birch 59 DJ Hogg 60 22.4 PF 1.6 Cameron Moore, John Henson, Joe Alexander 60 Gary Clark 57 24.2 PF 1.5 Arsalan Kazemi, Melvin Ejim, Elias Harris 61 Isaac Haas 73 23.3 C 1.4 Dexter Pittman, Brian Zoubek, Festus Ezeli 62 Theo Pinson 70 23.2 SG 1.3 Durrell Summers, Jajuan Johnson, Peter Jok 63 Kenrich Williams 63 24.2 PF 1.3 Jaron Blossomgame, Taj Gibson, Michael Gbinije 64 Devon Hall 51 23.6 SG 1.2 Peter Jok, Jermaine Taylor, Lamar Patterson 65 George King 71 25.0 SF 0.5 Jamel Artis, Elgin Cook, Gilbert Brown 66 MiKyle McIntosh 81 24.5 PF 0.2 Jackie Carmichael, Herb Pope, Lazar Hayward

Show more rows

On a pure stats basis, Bagley rates as the top pick, somewhat ahead of Ayton. CARMELO sees the two players as being highly similar — they share many of the same comparables — but Bagley is half a year younger, and he posted his stats against tougher competition at Duke than Ayton did at Arizona. College statistics don’t do a good job of accounting for defense, and there are concerns about Bagley’s defense, but the same is true for Ayton. My point is not necessarily that teams should draft Bagley over Ayton — I’d defer to the scouts who say Ayton has more upside. But I do think it’s probably more of a crapshoot than most fans assume.

There’s a similar dynamic between the top point guards in the draft, Oklahoma’s Trae Young and Alabama’s Collin Sexton. The scouts have Young ranked slightly higher, but CARMELO sees them has very comparable players on the basis of their statistics. It’s true that Young scored more points per game than Sexton (27.4 versus 19.2), but that’s because the Sooners played at a faster pace, and Young played more minutes and used a larger share of his team’s possessions — all factors that aren’t particularly predictive of success at an NBA level.

CARMELO also sometimes like guys who played non-starring roles on good teams, such as Kentucky’s Kevin Knox and Duke’s Gary Trent Jr. These players don’t necessarily post hugely impressive raw statistics, in part because they have to share the ball with a lot of other talented players. But they look better when evaluated on an efficiency basis and adjusted for strength of competition.

Finally, there are a few true “computer picks” — guys who didn’t have great scouting pedigrees coming out of high school but who had impressive NCAA seasons. These include Texas Tech’s Zhaire Smith and Maryland’s Kevin Huerter, both of whom are reportedly rising on NBA teams’ draft boards.

from News About Sports https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-most-promising-players-in-the-nba-draft-according-to-my-computer/

[painful-pooch]

🥞 for Miranda!!

🥞Oh no your OC has been captured by the enemy. How well would that go for them?

You know... I was going to answer this in Izzy words, but Miranda is being too loud, so you can have her right now lmao

"How well would it go for the captors? Oh, it would go to shit for them so fast that they wouldn't know what hit them. Bruno says I have a smart mouth and a bad attitude, and that flight attendent of a man actually tolerates my existence. Do you think my captors would get my mercy?" She asks, leaning in and raising an eyebrow at the camera, to which in the background, Bruno's voice can be heard.

"Fuck, you got her monologuing... You are so f-"

"Captain America, did you get asked this question? No, so shush your Nutella hole and let me answer this."

"Nutella hole? You know what, crayon muncher? Go ahead. Tell them what you want and I will go without you to McDonald's because Lukas keeps complaining to me he hasn't eaten all day."

"Uh huh... ANYWAYS. Yeah, I would fuck them up so much. They would need to gag me and I can take a punch or slap, so they aren't shutting me up anytime soon. Waterboarding? Call that a spa experience with a dash of drowning. Whipping? Pfft. Child's play. Oh they want to electrocute me? Shocker. Yeah, they are so fucked if they are unlucky enough to be locked in a room with me, even if I am the bound one. Ask anyone. If you bite me, I am biting back so much harder."

[painful-pooch]

😇 🍎 and 🍕 for Bruno!

😇How did they come to discover their favorite weapon?

Bruno holds up his VP9 pistol, showing off the beautiful work on it, from the laser engravings along the barrel and the sleek design. "This? I think one time I was stuck in a jungle trying to take down a drug lord and I ended up in some river. If I recall correctly, my rifle ended up getting separated from me, and all I had was this bad boy. I had 2 clips of 17 bullets and roughly 27 ruffians looking for me. Needless to say, this saved my life and honestly, it suits me; underestimated yet can pack one hell of a punch."

🍎 Rate OC crankiness from 1-10

Bruno glares at the camera and he grumbles, "I am not cranky one damn bit, and whoever told you I am cranky is lying."

Lukas is seek peeking around the corner and shoots a nerf gun right at Bruno's head, to which the large man stands up and roars, "BOY I WILL MAKE YOU RUN UNTIL YOUR LEGS ARE JELLY!"

"The answer is 17!" Lukas laughs, sprinting down the hall and Bruno follows after him.

🍕What does your OC tend to eat on a regular basis? Perfumery?

Bruno leans back and scratches at his scruff, humming. "On a regular basis? Let's see... Well I am a growing man and I burn too many calories for my own good, so I mostly try to have a protein like steak or fish, a starch like fries... Don't laugh at me, but I may have a slight addiction to nutella."

Valdemar scoffs off camera and walks into view, holding a Walmart bag and showing the contents of it: Over 10 jars of Nutella and pretzel sticks. "So what in the fuck is this? I thought you were going to size down on the nutella shit, Captain America?"

Bruno tries to snatch the bag back, but fails, crossing his arms like a scolded child. "I did size down, and it is the one time in the day I don't get pestered or reminded that I have to deal with your antics."

"Uh huh... love you too, Captain Bru Bru."

"I am going to kill you."

"Then you can't have Nutella."

"Damn you."

[painful-pooch]

Thank you @whump-in-the-moonlight for the tag!!

BEAUTIFUL

"Hope you like running with a bullet in you," he murmured before holding his breath, pulling the trigger smoothly, holding it down as the sound of the blast echoed.

So did the scream and explicitives that came from the target. They fell over and held onto their calf that was most likely dribbling blood at a steady rate. Levi stood up and hooked his rifle to his back, yawning and taking his time walking from his high point to where his target was. He hoped that his target would take that time to try and run away so that his hunt wouldn't be over yet.

To his extreme delight, his target wasn't there, but oh how they left their essence of life in the snow, the red such a stark contrast to the beautiful white of the frozen landscape. With his target injured, Levi could see the tracks they were leaving behind. Droplets of crimson were littered all over the ground and he chuckled, "I think you are hurt, no? Good on you for making this fun! I'll be sure to keep you."

UGLY

There is something about the sight of blood that makes Levi's own crimson boil to a dangerous level. It makes him have such wonderful thoughts that to others, would be seen as positively ugly and horrendous. All he wants to do was make her scream until it died away to sobbing and begging.

Having power over another person always has its perks, and for Levi, it is simply worth all the hassle and trouble. He has the money to pay off the police and the charm to convince anyone to come into his cabin. The only thing was that once you were in the clutches of the greatest predator, there is no way out. You have to play this ugly game of cat and mouse, and your life was truly on the line, unlike how it was in grade-school.

TRAP

Lukas didn't want to put Saber in danger, but he was always getting searched for; he was always going to be the cause of her pain. He loves her more than anything, but he couldn't promise her that he would live long enough for them to grow to be old friends.

He knew there was going to be a trap waiting for him, especially when he realized his plane had most likely been tampered with.

And he fell in that damn web and she's going to be worried sick about him. He pulled himself up from the mud and groaned loudly, seeing the stick that had impaled his shoulder. Oh wonderful. He could honestly make a joke about how he can be a stick figure, but the jokes would have to wait.

FREE

Fear gripped his heart. He would be in the open, but this was the one time he would get to enjoy such a miracle like that. Paw after paw, Cassiel broke past the treeline and observed to ensure he was safe.

Silence besides the wind and the natural sounds of the forest and meadow. He was safe…

He was a free wolf and he ran like never before, his large body tumbling through the tall grass and letting everything around him carry him to another height. This feeling was a drug to him and he was drunk off of the sheer magnificence of the wild. He saw that there was a small hill, almost like a high vantage point in the center.

Reaching there and sitting down, he tilted his head when he saw the sun paint the sky in purples and oranges. A sunset. It was probably the most beautiful thing he had ever witnessed, his tail wagging when he stared in awe at the marvel.

~~~

I would absolutely love to tag @whumperofworlds, @winedark-whump, and @redwingedwhump for this! Your words are FEAR, BEG, SHATTER, and HAPPY

Word Find Tag

I was tagged by @i-can-even-burn-salad to find Sign, Refuse, Grief, and Bear - tysm!!

Sign

“Does anyone have a map?” Nell shouted. Seeing only shaking heads and averted gazes, she cursed. She opened her mouth, but only another, defeated curse escaped as buckets of freezing rain started pouring out of the sky, drenching her and the others almost immediately. Lightning flashed and Ridgely jumped, spreading his arms out and herding everyone but Nell under the cover of the trees. They disappeared, the only sign of them still existing being the slushing of their boots on whatever the mushy forest ground was made of.

Refuse

“Salem,” Aoife croaked, looking at how Salem shook—barely able to keep herself upright—with what could only be concern. “Please rest … you’ve … more than deserved it.” Every word seemed to take more effort than Aoife could give, and Salem promptly refused the offer.

“Look at who’s talking,” she said, brushing a sweaty strand of hair out of Aoife’s face, her heart leaping at the tiny hint of a smile that crossed Aoife’s exhausted features. She was still alive. There was still a chance. Things would be okay.

Grief

There had been many moments of grief in Nell’s past. It was unfortunate, she mused drunkenly, that she had been chosen to suffer so much. The death of her grandmother, the disappearance of her father, leaving her lover behind…  All that, and yet here she sat, feeling like she’s never truly felt grief before.

Bear (I genuinely didn’t expect myself to have written about an actual bear, but here we are lmao)

“Of course. I deserve to suffer … right.” Aoife crumpled, letting her head roll to one side. Again, she stared at the door of the tent, wishing for something to happen. A bear, perhaps, come to rip everyone to pieces. Or Salem, fully healthy and ready to run and take Aoife with her. That would never happen.

~

I’m going to tag @pretty-writing-things @painful-pooch and whoever else would like to join!

Your words are Beautiful, Ugly, Trap, and Free :D

[painful-pooch]

🗝 for Lukas?

I gotchu!!! Enjoy this image as it has to do with another ask in my inbox that I will try my best to get to soon enough lmao!

Bruno/Task Force Masterlist (coming soon)

~~~

Lukas grins down at the key you just handed him, reaching into his breast pocket to reveal a flask. As he is unscrewing the top, he speaks, his voice smooth and his movements calculated. “I guess I haven’t told anyone this before, but I never wanted to join the military.” He leans back in his seat, taking a quick swig from his flask and relaxing in the chair, letting the alcohol do its magic on him. “Yeah, it wasn’t my choice to go to the Air Force Academy. My dad, Major General Kazemi, pulled a few strings and before I knew it, I was supposed to go to that blasted school and learn how to ‘get my shit together’,” he mutters, using air quotations.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love being a pilot, but I really wanted to be a private pilot and live a life of excitement. I want to go around the world and see how it would affect me. Maybe I could grow into someone I can be proud of and be a good role model for my two younger siblings. But nooooo, I have to follow my dad’s footprints and become some General one day.” He laughs at that and runs his hand through his hair, rolling his eyes. “I am so much better as a con artist or something like that. It’s sad that my commanding officer treats me more like a real dad should than my own father.”

“That’s a little too depressing for this, huh?” He asks, snickering and he swirls his flask. “I guess another truth about me is that I always prank my commanding officer. There’s a video that we got of me putting a bunch of chili powder and cayenne into Bruno’s coffee one morning, and his face was so red, we thought he was going to blow up,” Lukas laughs harder, tilting his head back and remembering each moment of that day. “You should have been there to see this man sprint to the sink and spray so much water in his mouth before charging at the fridge to look for milk. Best day of my damn life, honestly.”

[painful-pooch]

🌹 For anyone!!

🌹They are lonely/missing home. What do they do?

I am going to answer this for Lukas since he has been on my mind recently.

"When I miss home?" Lukas asks, tapping his chin while trying to think of an answer to that. "I don't really miss living back at my childhood home. I honestly feel happy staying away from my Dad, General Kazemi." He shrugs and pulls out a ziploc with oreos in it, popping one in his mouth. "Even though I don't miss him or my home much, I do miss my siblings, Keira and Farhad. Keira is barely in highschool and Farhad is in the third grade. I don't care how much younger they are than me, I love them to death and I would do anything for them. I hope that they can actually go down a path *they* get to choose, and not one they are forced to tread." He laughs a little and the camera pans to see him smiling over at Sebastian.

"This guy has been my best friend for so long, so whenever I am lonely and I can't sneak a facetime to my siblings, Sebastian comes to the rescue."

Sebastian smiles back and puts an arm around Lukas' shoulders, ruffling his hair and shaking him a bit. "Lukas needs so much affection that I barely have time to myself. He's one hell of a handful, but I can't deny I love him and I always thank him for being his silly self. Where else did you think he got that sense of humor from?"

[painful-pooch]

🍎 -Rate OC crankiness from 1 - 10

🥽 - Has your OC ever gotten in trouble with their military? If so how did that go?

🥞 - Oh no your OC has been captured by the enemy. How well would that go for them?

💌 - Is your OC the conventional type of solider usually seen? Or are they breaking the norms?

For Oscar!

🍎 -Rate OC crankiness from 1 - 10

Oscar looks up from his Nintendo 3DS, turning his head to stare at Lukas poking at his forehead. "Are you annoyed yet, Oscar? Come on... you have to want to like smack me or something! There is no way you are impervious to my tricks," Lukas whines, poking Oscar faster.

Oscar raises an eyebrow and focuses back at the camera, a deadpan expression on his face. "I think you have your answer there." He goes back to playing Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones and smiles when Lukas throws his hands up in frustration.

"This is bulllllllllllshittttttt! Wait, I have a better idea," Lukas chuckles, standing up and calling out, "Oh Bru Bruuuuuu! I found your secret stash of Nutella!"

Oscar sighs and sinks into the couch. "I rarely get cranky unless someone touches my chess boards or videogames without telling me."

🥽 - Has your OC ever gotten in trouble with their military? If so how did that go?

Oscar blushes at the question and he rubs his hands against his jeans to get rid of the clamminess he is feeling. "Well, I did get in trouble one time, but it wasn't because I did anything bad. It was whenever I would have to do an open ranks inspection and there would be someone right in my face and trying to tell me I wasn't properly wearing the uniform. They tried to quiz me on some basic knowledge questions about who the Commander was for my squadron athe time." He picks his eyes up to look at the camera before diverting his attention to the floor.

"They told me that I better keep my eyes on them, but instead, I told them if they were going to chew me out for small issues with my uniform, then they should uhm... look at the toothpaste on their lapel, their scuffed dress shoes, a crooked ribbon rack, and an obviously not ironed shirt. I had to do night shifts for a whole month. It was *awesome* because no one was there to annoy me."

🥞 - Oh no your OC has been captured by the enemy. How well would that go for them?

Oscar can't make it too long when captured just because the enemy would exploit every single weakness he has. He can't handle the constant shouting, the unwarrented touching, the bright lights on him for hours, and the lack of his insomnia medications. He wouldn't have access to the tools he uses to keep himself grounded like a fidget toy or a chess piece. I would give it about two weeks before he just goes purely silent. Oh yeah, that's another thing about Oscar I haven't shown yet; if he is stressed beyond his limits or he is too triggered, he goes fully silent and keeps his eyes shut. He would much rather be in a quiet and dark place than a room with his torturers.

💌 - Is your OC the conventional type of solider usually seen? Or are they breaking the norms?

Oscar wasn't like the soldiers people see in the media. I based Oscar off the people I have met in the Intelligence community and how much they differed from those who were in the Infantry or in a more Special Operations type environment. He is very quiet, shy, engrossed in his work and hyperfixations, and he isn't built for combat at all. He cried when he fired a pistol/rifle for the first time when he joined the Air Force and he broke down when Bruno tried to show him how to use weapons that were too loud.

Believe it or not, there are a lot of people in the military with undiagnosed Autism/ADHD/OCD/PTSD/ETC and Oscar is one of the characters I wanted to use to portray those attributes. They break the norms in the fact that they didn't stay in the military past one enlistment, as most media suggests that foks stay in for twenty years. Oscar is allowed to feel weak, vulnerable, and meek even after being in the military; having been a prior service military member doesn't mean someone is always brave, courageous, strong, or blood-thirsty. Oscar is one of the few characters I have that really remind me that the military is filed with all sorts of people and that's what makes military whump so fun for me.

[painful-pooch]

I wouldn't mind getting asks for these haha.

Oddly Specific Ask Game about Militaristic OCs

🐈 - If your OC was an animal what animal would that be? (If already animalistic, what kinda human would they be?)

💗 - Drafted, enlisted, volunteered? C'mon give me the gist!

🌹 - They're lonely/missing home. What do they do?

💎 - On a scale of 1 to 10 how likely is your OC to desert, or defect?

🧡 - Your OC has retired. Do they talk about their experience or leave it behind perfusely?

🦊 - Would people be rooting for or wishing death for your OC online because of the war?

✨️ - Has your OC ever been sent out on humanitarian efforts?

💥 - A witch has turned your OC into a militaristic vehicle. What vehicle would that be?

😇 - How did they come to discover their favorite weapon?

💧 - Is your OC anti-war in some sort of way?

💚 - What is the inspiration(s) or real world equivalent behind their military uniform/combat gear?

🍎 -Rate OC crankiness from 1 - 10

🍕 - What does your OC tend to eat on a regular basis?perfumery?

🥽 - Has your OC ever gotten in trouble with their military? If so how did that go?

🤡 - What is someone most likely to steal of your OC's person dead or alive?

🔮 - What is your OC's rank?

🙏 - How many violations do they have for the Geneva convention?

🥞 - Oh no your OC has been captured by the enemy. How well would that go for them?

🎀 - If your OC has killed someone how did they react to their first kill?

🍳 - How military humor is their humor?

💌 - Is your OC the conventional type of solider usually seen? Or are they breaking the norms?

🎱 - How would they react to being able to go home?

[painful-pooch]

🎀 Bruno

🎱 Oscar

🧡 Khrystyna

💚 Everyone

🎀 If your OC has killed somonehow did they react to their first kill?

Bruno sighs a bit and rubs his forehead. "It was a long time ago that I killed the first person trying to kill me. I don't tell many people about it, honestly, since it was just a time in my life where I felt lost and free all at the same time. I used to be a pilot in the Air Force. Fighter Pilot. I was beyond happy that I would get to cross the skies in that metal bird; feel like a king in the sky. All until that one fateful night where I was getting fired at by an enemy pilot. It was so dark, you couldn't really see what was going on.." He trails off and stares up to the right corner, his hands clenching.

"I had realized that in my pursuit to feel free, I would have to pay the price in blood, be it my own or theirs. I did a few evasive maneuvers and... and I pulled the trigger until I knew for a fact no one would survive that. They crashed and I could finally see because of the flames. I had to take leave for two weeks and just try to relax. I was forced to talk to a Chaplain and make sure I wasn't traumatized. Once you take one life, it haunts you. I think I said my two cents."

🎱 How would they react to being able to go home?

Oscar is playing with his miniature chess board, rocking back and forth with a gentle smile on his face. "I love my abuelita and I wouldn't mind going back to see her in Puerto Rico. I think a lot of them do miss me, but they are always happy to hear that I am making friends here and that my military family loves me." He flashes an appreciative look over at his teammates off camera, who all have their thumbs up for him. "I have two homes. One here, and one in Puerto Rico. As long as I am at one of those places, then I am so happy."

🧡 Your OC has retired. Do they talk about their experience or leave it behind profusely.

Khrystyna muses over her answer, peeking over at Kieran, who is sitting a little to close to you, threatening you silently if you upset Khrystyna. "Kieran... be nice to the cameraperson, please?"

A low and gruff voice replies back, "Fine."

"Thank you. Now, where were we? Oh! Well, while I do have a lot of fond memories of my experiences as a pararescuewoman, I do think there are certain events that are better left in the ground, so to speak. I loved my job. The motto 'so that others may live' resonates deeply within me. I know that I made a positive change in many people's lives, keeping them safe so that they may go home to their families. I don't mind talking about those moments. The moments where I failed are a learning point for me, but I never want to revisit those days and sully the memories of the countless people I couldn't save."

💚 What is the inspiration(s) or real world equivelent behind their military uniform/combat gear

I would gladly ask for you to look them up so you can see them for yourself, so if you are curious, here you go!

Bruno: US Air Force OCPs and dress blues

Lukas: US Air Force pickle suit (the green flight suit)

Miranda: US Marine fatigues/dress blues

Valdemar: US Army OCPs and dress blues

Khrystyna: US Air Force OCPS/PJ uniform (pararescue jumpers)

Oscar: No longer in the air force, so civilian clothes like a button up with some nice slacks/dress shoes. Otherwise wears US Air Force OCPs

Kieran: US Navy fatigues and dress blues, SEAL gear

Sebastian: US Air Force pickle suit (the green flight suit)

[painful-pooch]

The Start of a Dream Team

So after the long wait, it's finally here! I hope you enjoy this!

I did try to incorporate some camraderie and good old fashioned bickering between the branches that you will see here. This is a fun fictional team that I plan to whump hopefully with your help.

I'd like to give a big shout out to @ocean-blue-whump , @whumperofworlds , and @straight-to-the-pain for really giving me the courage for this.

TW: Some shit talking between people and threats of torture/hazing

Word count: 4k

"You have a month to find yourself a team, Stenberg. By the time your time is up, I want to see a folder on my desk by then or I'll have you on the worst detail I can give you. Don't think because you're a Captain that I can't make your life miserable. Am I understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am. I'll get on that ASAP."

3 WEEKS LATER

Vibrant blue eyes stare at the figure in the mirror, Bruno running his hand through his copper brown hair with gel so his hair can be more presentable. It doesn't take long for him to get into what he considered regulation, minus the fact that he is starting to grow out a beard. He is told that sooner or later, he would have to stop trying to keep in touch with the regulations on grooming if he is going to be on missions where he needs to blend in.

He fixes the collar of his uniform, running his thumb along the edges of it to make sure it doesn't look fucked up. Watchful eyes scan his uniform from the mirror, ensuring that the velcro name tapes, rank, flag, unit patch, and anything else he has on looks clean and professional.

He barely glances at the clock and sees the time. It's 0545. They all had better be up or I will make them pay.

It took him roughly three weeks to find everyone he needed on the team, back ups and replacements being chosen as well, but not notified. This is more of a need to know basis, and he can't risk the premise of the task force to be figured out by anyone without the proper clearance.

He knows that some of those he picked will need more work than others. The task force is a combination of those of different branches and ranks, both enlisted and officers. He was given only a few slots, until he proved himself.

It wasn't an easy choice, but he managed to find most of what he wanted from his team after going through a list of what he thought was necessary for success.

Without waiting another moment, Bruno walked out of his room, looking down the hallway to see only a few people standing by in their respective service's uniform.

Wonderful. Time to see who I need to wake up.

Bruno stood in front of a female Marine Officer, his eyes on her name tape, rank, and then her green eyes. "Lieutenant Ryker?" He asks, and to his surprise, she raises an eyebrow.

"I thought you could read, Chair Force? You're all the brainiacs of the military, you tell me."

She… Did she really just go there?

His disbelief gives her enough time to tilt her head questioningly. "Did I already make the walking computer blue screen?"

Bruno huffs and stares her down. "If I didn't know better, someone didn't get to have her favorite crayons for breakfast. What color would you like today, hmmm? Oh sorry, let me make this easier: you want Cherry or Blueberry?"

Lieutenant Ryker glares at him in subtle rage. It gives Bruno enough time to remind himself about sifting through some of the files for a few nights prior to this, hers coming to mind.

Miranda Zane Ryker. Marine. Commissioned after a few years on Active Duty as an EOD Marine (explosives ordnance disposal). Did a couple of tours around the world and is well versed in most explosives and how to properly dispose of them, earning the respect of her platoon and unit. Confident beyond the definition of the word. Known to be… I suppose it's wit? Probably has some issues with me already. Don't we all?

Snickering is heard beside them, which makes both Bruno and Miranda shoot daggers towards the sound. The man looks like a damn viking with the beard and all, but he has three large scars going down the side of his face, as if a wild animal had slashed him.

“Is there something you want to add, Staff Sergeant Ackermann?”

“I would have thought the Army would have taken out every bit of happiness from you fucks,” Miranda mutters under her breath.

Sergeant Ackermann keeps his grin on his face and rolls his eyes. “Ah yes, because let’s not forget to mess with the enlisted bastard. Look, Blue Falcon and Devil Dog, I am just a humble little Sergeant here to actually get shit done. Also you two are so going to kiss at some point.”

Miranda scoffs and rolls her eyes. “Yeah, as if I would even want to kiss the military’s version of a nerd. Not my type anyways.”

“We are not going to kiss, Sergeant Ackermann!” Bruno roars in annoyance, growing more upset with the amusement that never left the Army Sergeant’s face.

Valdemar Frey Ackermann. Army. Enlisted after being given the option between prison time or an enlistment within the armed forces. Has shown exceptional potential after a few tours and was picked to be a drill instructor. Turns it down instead to go special forces and teach SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Escape) school for the best of the best. Has a knack for heavy weapons and is known to be an… ‘admirable’ man. More like an asshole… We all are, honestly, who am I joking…

Valdemar winks and looks around the hallway, staring at a door without anyone beside it. “Yeah yeah, sure. Who’s missing here?”

Miranda stays quiet and Bruno’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion, wondering who is missing. “I’ll figure that out here in a few minutes. Why? Are you going to help with anything?”

“Oh, don’t you worry your pretty officer bars, Captain Stenberg. I’ll whip some people in shape. Just tell me who it is in there in a bit. We still have… three other people to go through here?” Valdemar beckons to the others standing by to be accounted for.

A sigh comes from Bruno; he was more than aware that he is going to be dealing with some members that haven’t truly been pushed to their boundaries yet, but he has to start somewhere. Soon enough, the missing members will be addressed. He focuses his attention on the next person he walks up to.

The man barely locks eyes with him for a second and stares back at the floor, almost wanting to take a step back from Bruno. He seems out of his element and rather than even say a word, he pulls out his wallet and shows his CAC (Common Access Card). Bruno almost feels bad for scaring the man, but he doesn’t push it much and reads over the card.

Oscar Franco Cortez. Retired Air Force. Civilian contracted with the NSA (National Security Administration). Used to be in intel if I recall and made it to the rank of Staff Sergeant and is now a GS-7 (rank for civilian members). Already has Top Secret clearance and is renowned for his work. Studious and has a Bachelor’s degree, working on his Master’s. Known to stick to his own, but gets his work done way before the deadline, surpassing the objective. I’ll have to talk to him one on one soon enough.

“Thank you, Mr. Cortez. If you’d like, can I call you Oscar to make you feel better?” Bruno asks, trying to see some facial movement in the man.

Oscar shakes his head and finally utters a few words. “No, but thank you. Can I go?”

Bruno is blinking and glances at Valdemar and Miranda, who both raise their hands and shake their heads to deny helping him with Oscar. He is on his own, which isn’t really out of the norm, but he pinches the bridge of his nose in slight annoyance. “How about this, Mr. Cortez… Let’s all get to, at the bare minimum, get to know one another’s name, and then you can go. And no, the rest of you are not going anywhere.”

Oscar nods his head and peeks a glance upwards, his pale blue eyes locked with Bruno’s. “Oscar. You can say Oscar, Captain.”

A small smile is forming on the Captain’s usually stoic face and he clears his throat. “Right. Well then, Oscar, just stand by until you at least know who you will be working with.”

With that being said, Bruno walks up to the female Airman standing before him, her eyes straight and her demeanor more serious. Surprisingly, he thinks that she may be the most serious of them all. “Senior Airman Paszek?”

Senior Airman Paszek adjusts her gaze to meet Bruno’s ever-so observant eyes. He can tell she’s ready to take any order he gives her, but he waits for her response. “Yes, Sir. Good morning. Is there anything I need to do for in processing? I can grab a copy of my orders and anything else you need.”

Bruno stifles back a laugh and shakes his head. “No need to worry about that. I’ll handle everything when it comes to the support squadrons and finance. This will be your duty location and I’ll explain everything else once I’ve finished accountability. Also, you can relax. This isn’t anything like Pararescue training as of right now.”

“Oh. Thank you, Sir.” Her shoulders relax more and she glances around the hallway to take a better look at her team. That or she is also keeping an eye out for anything that may jump out to surprise her. She waves at Miranda, who waves back at her with a smile until Bruno fixes his gaze on her, which is met back with a deadpan look.

Rather than deal with Miranda’s bullshit, he’s trying to remember some key parts of Khrystyna’s file to test himself on memorizing each member of his team.

Khystyna Zofia Paszek. Air Force. Joined at the age of seventeen and a half and graduated basic training just a few months shy of eighteen. She opted in for PJ (pararescue jumper) training and is one of the first women to actually make it through the whole thing without tapping out or getting a single strike on her record. She may be young… I think she’s old enough to drink by now, but I do think she will gain more experience and be able to keep up with the fast pace we will set up. She seems to be worried about setting a good first impression, but she’s going to be fine.

“Well, Paszek, I think you are going to enjoy the challenge I will throw at you later on. Be ready for it and make sure to not let anyone fall behind. Got it?” He questions her, a small smile on his own face to be more warm and trusting. He is beyond pleased to see her eyes flash with a sense of excitement and a desire to make things happen.

He runs a hand through his hair, making note that he is almost done with the hardest part when it comes to making a team: getting to know everyone and figuring out as quickly as possible if this is the team he wants to work with and make history from within the shadows.

The last man he sees in the hallway immediately throws him off. He is wearing his Navy working uniform and his demeanor is colder than ice. Bruno doesn’t like it, but the man speaks up before he can do anything. “Petty Officer First Class Ashton, Sir. Is there a reason I was removed from my previous team?”

Bruno holds his gaze with Petty Officer Ashton and he answers without even wavering, “Because you are needed here. I’d be careful with whatever comes from your mouth. I have the authority to pull you from any team I want. I don’t care if you are from the Rangers or SEALs. Your service is to this country, whether you agree or not. Am I understood? That goes for the rest of you. I am the only thing standing in your way from that door to leave. I see worth in you all and dammit, I will make it happen.” He takes the moment to look around, the rest of the team almost standing straighter and nodding in agreement.

Petty Officer Ashton seems to have let his pride get hurt in the process and he has anger in his eyes. Good. “Yes, I understand, Captain. Are you going to tell us what we are all doing here or are you going to be as cryptic as ever before?”

“Once I get everyone accounted for, I can better explain things. Is that a fair answer to you?” Bruno is about five seconds away from making this man work until he drops.

Kieran Reeves Ashton. Navy. God, I hate the Navy… He enlisted as a Naval Aircrewman for Helicopters. He went the SEALs route, and since then, he has been their dedicated long-range combatant. Codename is ‘Strider’. Excellent marksmanship skills using a sniper rifle and has the skills needed to stay hidden and not be seen unless he wants to be seen. Has had issues in the past with fellow teammates over a variety of issues, from personality clashing to just arguing over who is the most skilled. I’ll keep an eye on him, but he is the best of the best. I can work with that. I hope.

“Yeah that’s fair… I think I still hear snoring in that room?” Kieran observes, pointing over at the room across from him and Bruno.

Bruno plays all the names in his head and he realizes there are still two members he hasn’t fully met yet. He groans and sighs, staring at the door and wondering what he should do about it. Then again… He could use Valdemar. He is, after all, an instructor.

“Sergeant Ackermann?”

“Yes? Do you need my services now?” Bruno doesn’t need to even look over to see that Valdemar is already smirking.

“Yep. We are looking for Lieutenants Kazemi and Chevalier. Use any means possible to get them out here in under three minutes or I will have you mop a sidewalk when it’s raining outside, make you cut the fucking grass with a sewing kit scissors, or make you paint rocks outside in the hot blistering sun. Is that motivation enough, Sergeant Ackermann?”

Valdemar chuckles and winks at Miranda. “Watch this Army boy get shit done,” he jokes, heading into his room for a moment. Silence is all that can be heard until the water turns on for about a minute.

“Any minute now, Sergeant!” Bruno is counting down the seconds.

“You rush too much, Captain. Perfection takes about a minute, a wet towel, and a pitcher of cold shower water. Brought to you by good ol’ Valdemar.” Valdemar appears once more with the items he listed and Bruno quickly steps in front of him, grabbing the wet towel.

“I don’t think hazing my two pilots by waterboarding them is acceptable. You can douse them in water, but they aren’t in SERE right now. Try not to be too harsh on them. I need them in one piece.” Bruno’s voice leaves no room for arguing or trying to skirt around it, giving Valdemar a taste of a more serious leader.

“Oooooh, well look at that. The Captain America over here has a command voice,” Miranda laughs, smiling so brightly at Bruno.

“I don’t have time for your lip, *Marine*,” Bruno grumbles and gives her a stern look, taking his eyes off Valdemar.

Valdemar scoffs and raises his free hand, walking around Bruno. “That’s okay. They will be fine. I won’t waterboard them, but they are going to wake up for me.” With that, he gently turns the handle to the room and throws the door wide open. “Rise and shine!” He shouts, going to one of the beds and ripping the sheets back, dousing one of the Lieutenants in cold water.

“What the- OH FUCK COLD COLD COLD!” One screams, scrambling out of bed and gasping, holding onto their wet shirt that’s clinging onto their skin. “What t-t-time is it?” He asks, his teeth chattering as he looks up at Bruno, soft turquoise eyes that show Bruno how tired he is.

“It’s time for you to wake up. Where’s your roommate?” Valdemar answers, sifting through the room to see a neatly made bed with a note on it. He picks it up and reads out loud, “Hey Buddy, I am heading out to go on a run and grabs us some food. I should be back by the time formation starts. I hope you actually wake up on time for once. From your one and only Sebastian, Sebastian… Wow, he re-”

“They,” the young Lieutenant coughed, “They are non-binary. But you can also use ‘he’. Just letting you know.”

Valdemar blinked and raised an eyebrow. “Right… Got it. Now why the fuck aren’t they here? Well first off, get off the floor, stand at ease, and tell the Captain here why your sorry ass was off asleep? Move!” He commands, grabbing the Lieutenant and getting him standing up, the poor man shivering. 

Lukas Ashraf Kazemi. Air Force. Commissioned through the Air Force Academy with a Bachelor’s in Aeronautical Engineering and a Minor in Farsi. Has been flying planes since a young age and earned his pilot’s license at the age of sixteen. Has some of the highest scores on the pilot exam and is already an Ace (a pilot who has downed 5 enemy planes) at his age. Callsign is ‘Tomcat’. His father is a Major General in the Air Force as well, but that’s more trivia than a reason to be here. He is known to be full of life but also can get the job done. I have high expectations for him.

Lukas focuses on Bruno and mumbles, “Sorry, Sir. Lieutenant Kazemi here. I got here pretty late last night and I thought my alarm would wake me up. Could you do me a favor?”

Valdemar’s eyes widen. “Who the fuck said you can ask for-”

“That’s enough, Sergeant Ackermann. What’s the favor, Lieutenant Kazemi?”

Lukas smirks up and peeks a glance at Valdemar. “Mind keeping the Army dog on a leash. My face is too pretty to get bruised up.”

My expectations may be tested here…

Valdemar huffs in exasperation and crosses his arms. “Oh, just you wait…”

Bruno rubs his face and groans, “It’s so damn early to be dealing with this. You need to behave. The both of you. I swear, I haven’t gotten to know much about you all, but so far I know you like waterboarding and this one likes his pretty little face. We are getting far from the objective though. Can you call up Lieutenant Chevalier? They really need to be here, and don’t you both think for a moment I am excusing your tardiness. I’ll make you both run laps until you drop.”

Valdemar’s jaw drops in shock and Lukas cuts him off quickly. “Yep! I can call them up. I don’t think they went that far, honestly.” He walks over to grab his phone, calling who Bruno can only hope is Lieutenant Chevalier.

Then they all hear it. 

The ring tone of a phone going off… With a rendition of the song “Never Gonna Give You Up”, but it goes like ‘Never gonna hang you up, never gonna voicemail you’. 

Laughter is erupting from the hallway, and Valdemar, Lukas, and Bruno both look over at the doorway to see what Bruno is sure is the missing link to it all. 

Sebastian Dario Chevalier. Air Force. Commissioned as an Officer in the Air Force Academy just like Lukas. They were both in the same class from what their records say. They have a Major in Military & Strategic Studies and a Minor in Philosophy. They, along with Lukas, both are Aces within their rights, but they have experience in flying helicopters as well. Callsign is ‘Icarus’. They have an extraordinary sense of teamwork and family, always motivating others and carrying themselves with a pride that most people didn’t carry. They are known for always having a good time and keeping Lukas in check. They may be able to help me with the general atmosphere, but they are definitely going to drive me up a wall, huh?

Sebastian is grinning, two coffees in hand and a small paper bag. “So it seems like Lukas forgot his alarm again? I was here trying to give my wingman here some good bagels and he goes off and gets himself in trouble. Tsk tsk,” they tut with the brightest smile Bruno has ever seen. It is about to blind him. 

Valdemar grabs both of the coffees from Sebastian, taking a sip from one. “Hey, Oscar, you like coffee?” He asks, peeking out of the room while Sebastian is in shock and awe. 

“My coffee!”

“No. Mine and Oscar’s. There you go, bud. Enjoy it. No need to say anything,” Valdemar laughs, passing the cup to a very quiet Oscar who raises his cup in an almost thank you sort of manner. 

Bruno clears his throat and catches the attention of Sebastian. “You were late. I want both of you in your damn PT (Physical Training) gear when this is over. You’ll be running until I say you are done. I’ll assume you got the idea, considering you seem like you have your life a little bit more together than Pretty Boy over here.”

Sebastian snickers and nods his head, tossing the bag to Lukas. “Of course, Sir. I’ll make sure we are both on the track within ten minutes of the meeting being over. If not, you can kick us out of a plane while tied up.”

Bruno can feel his smile grow and he rolls his eyes. “Sure, uhuh. Don’t tempt me or Sergeant Ackermann over here. He seems like a damn sadist, almost five seconds away from waterboarding poor Lieutenant Kazemi over here.”

“Oh yeah, don’t remind me. I’ll get Mr. Pretty Face soon for ruining the fun,” Valdemar laughs and keeps drinking the coffee. “I will put you all through my own version of SERE training.”

I don’t doubt that… It would be good training, honestly.

“Alright, all of you in the hallway, now!” Bruno calls out, clapping his hands to get everyone back out. 

Bruno takes a moment to look around at his team, from judging eyes to eyes that already show respect. “Well, before I start this up, my name is Captain Bruno Christiansen Stenberg, and I’ll be the team leader for this task force. With how the world is right now, it was decided that there should be a dedicated force set up in place to handle the jobs that some would consider ‘black ops’ or ‘unauthorized use of force’. That being said, a lot will be asked from each and every one of you, perhaps more than you could ever think possible. You will all be pushed past the breaking point, but as long as I live and as long as I draw breath, I won’t let you all down.”

All of their faces vary from excitement to slight fear, but Bruno has something that he needed from the very beginning: their attention and their honor. 

Valdemar raises his hand. “So what are we going to be called, Captain?”

Lukas grins and offers a suggestion. “How about ‘The Dream Team’?”

Sebastian holds back a laugh. “I kind of like that.”

Miranda keeps a steady gaze on Bruno and for a second, Bruno can swear he sees a small hint of high regard. “Maybe for now, we can be that, but I am sure we already have an official title.”

Oscar, surprisingly, speaks up. “Dream Team.”

Kieran rolls his eyes and leans back against the wall. “I don’t care what we are called as long as it isn’t something stupid.”

Khystyna smiles and points at Lukas. “That’s not a bad idea.”

“Then there we have it. For our own amusement, we’ll go by ‘The Dream Team’,” Bruno agrees, crossing his arms and feeling good about it all. 

Maybe he can do this.

No…

He has to. 

[painful-pooch]

A Saber Without Her Pilot

Whumptober 2022 (@whumptober)

No. 13 CAN’T MAKE AN OMELETTE WITHOUT BREAKING A FEW LEGS Fracture | Dislocation | “Are you here to break me out?” No. 18 LET’S BREAK THE ICE “Just get it over with.” | Treading Water | “Take my coat.”

Prev: A Pilot's Golden Rule

Taglist:@actress4him, @whumper-in-training, @ocean-blue-whump, @for-the-love-of-angst, @thethistlegirl, @gottawhump, @whumperofworlds, @poc-whump, @whumpawoman, @hopepetal , and @winedark-whump

CW: BBU Verse, mentions of being owned, lady whump, dislocation

Saber is walking down the hall with Bianca at the safe house, both women laughing about the stories they have about Lukas. “One time, Lukas was sleeping in the back with Timmy the Pilot Pillow, and I remember him waking up and asking who was flying the plane before realizing it was me,” Saber chuckles, smiling at Bianca, who is now doubling over from the laughter taking over.

“Oh, that’s too hilarious, even for him,” Bianca says after finally catching her breath. “Lukas is one hell of a guy, Saber. I am glad you are around him. He’s such a goofball and at the same time, he’s a softie. You are bringing out the best in him, and I couldn’t be happier.”

Saber almost tilts her head and stares in confusion. “Wait, I bring out the best in him? It always feels like he is always showing me new things about myself. All I want to do is protect him. I don’t know what I would do if he…” She trails off unable to finish the unimaginable thought of losing him.

There’s no way I can see a world without him in it. He’s been showing me a world I never knew existed since he saved me. The least I can do is save him, too. He’s my best friend.

Bianca frowns softly, holding Saber’s shoulder. “You are the only reason he’s even trying to make an effort to stay. He’s been drinking less, which I never thought was a possibility before you showed up. Everything he’s done up to now has been for you, Saber. Losing Sebastian killed him, but you brought him back to life. He has a purpose again.”

Saber is dumbfounded at the concept of Lukas, her idiot, being so righteous; to the point that he would sacrifice himself for her. “No. He can’t give himself up for me. Why would he even do that for someone- something- like me?!”

“Because he loves you.”

ONE MONTH LATER

“Count to five seconds and pull the strap. When you land, let your body roll with gravity. I’ll find you.”

Saber hugs Lukas tightly and shakes her head. “I can’t just leave you…”

I made a promise to myself. I’ll stay.

“I know, Sabes… I am not giving you that choice.”

By the time Saber can register those words in her mind, she is shoved out the plane, screaming Lukas’ name while being pelted by the hail in the darkness.

NO! Okay, think think think. One, two, three, four, five!

She grabs the strap Lukas told her to pull and yanked it as hard as she could, feeling her pack open from the top and releasing the parachute. She stares above her, trying to find the plane. When she can see the blinking red and green lights of the wings, she’s praying to the universe to save the idiot pilot inside of the plane. “Please, Lukas, get out of there,” she begs, her heart lurching when a gust of wind obscures her vision, switching her focus to stabilizing her descent.

By the time she sees it again, she is horrified to see it disappearing from her view, hiding behind the forested mountain. And then…

A loud explosion and a ball of flame flies up and she screams silently, her heart wrenched from her.

No, it can’t be. Not Lukas. Not my Lukas! No, no no no no no!

Tears fall, following the rain and hail to the ground as the owner of said tears tries to find her bearing. She can’t believe that he is gone. She must be certain. She doesn’t want to be alone again. She just came to love the freedom she was gifted by the depressed pilot that just popped magically into her life.

She needs him. She is going to live for him. She’s hopeful that he is alive. Only time will tell. For now, she has to focus on landing properly like Lukas told her, but she couldn’t remember exactly what she needed to do with her body. The ground is approaching faster than she is expecting, and she braces herself for the landing and puts her feet out.

Something doesn’t go right as her foot catches onto the grass and the force of her body hitting the ground makes her see a blinding white light in the darkness, holding back her scream. She detaches herself from the parachute, her chest heaving from the excruciating pain in her lower half. Upon further examination, she can see visible swelling and deformity of her knee joint. It looks misaligned and any movement of her leg sends a spiking shard of pain through her body.

“Fuck… fucking hell, it hurts,” she groans to herself, leaning back a little on her forearms to take a deep breath. She only has a few options, but all of the ones that gives her the best chance of reuniting with her idiot pilot friend would require her to relocate her knee back into place. She recalls some of the training that Faraday and Farkas had given her about dislocations, grimacing at even needing to remember their words, especially during a time she had a collar around her throat. “Just get it over with.”

Saber holds her breath, extending her leg out in front of her, ensuring her toes are pointed toward the sky. She can’t keep herself from screaming in agony when she lifts her leg as high as she can and forces her knee to bend in and out until she hears an audible pop. Falling back with a thud and allowing he world to pelt at her pained body with hail, she cries softly, wishing that Lukas were there with her.

She doesn’t know how long time passes before eventually picking herself up, hauling her emergency kit onto her back and seeing how her relocated knee is doing. Even though she can walk on it, she can feel something is off, almost like the joint itself is unstable and on the verge of dislocating once more.

Well shit. Lukas would have probably made a joke about this is why he flies all the time, or how he can probably still run on a broken leg. I really hope you are okay… Time to find you, dumbass.

She picks heading off in the direction where the plane had made its untimely descent to the Earth, each step worrying her greatly about whether or not she will face the excruciating pain of her leg giving out or something that her heart can’t truly contemplate.

He’s not gone. I’d know if he’s gone… right? Isn’t that something best friends have? Some untold power of friendship? No, Saber… This is real life. This isn’t some fictional story written by some depressed twenty something year old sitting behind their computer while crying about their mortal woes. I even sound like him in my thoughts…

Saber brushes the thought away when she approaches a river rushing by her, her eyes scanning the darkness for anything that could be used as a bridge. She was thankful at the very least that her clip-on flashlight was helping her out a bit, but alas, she would have to go through the river the old-fashioned way. The good thing about the survival pack she has is that it is waterproof, but her clothes aren’t.

With a reluctant huff and a promise that she is going to smack Lukas when she finds him, she leaps into the freezing river, shock kicking in. She shakes her head vigorously and keeps swimming towards the riverbank, treading through the dark waters of the river. She can barely feel her legs and arms, blaming it on the fact that her adrenaline rush from the parachuting has finally worn off. She wants to close her eyes and let the darkness take her.

But Lukas wouldn’t want that, and that is why Saber bites the inside of her cheek harshly. The sharp prick of pain along with the taste of copper in her mouth wakes her up again and she grabs onto the root of an overgrown tree that is a bit farther downstream than from where she started. She gets to the top of the small embankment and sits on a fallen log, shivering like crazy and sifting through her pack to find something to warm her up, thankful to at least using a small hand towel to wipe away at her face.

She hears rustling behind her, and she scrambles up quickly, smiling in the direction the sound is coming from. “Lukas?” She calls out, her hope growing.

But as quickly as the light at the end of the tunnel was approaching, something ruins it, and her smile fades. “Oh no…”

[painful-pooch]

They honestly are gonna take over the world lmao

~~~

CW: mild mentions of alcoholism/alcoholic tendencies

Lukas can't fully remember what happened the night prior. Well... more like he remembered downing about three or four Bacardis before getting in he cockpit of his plane and flying off to the coast. The famous saying of 'one Bacardi, two Barcardi, three Bacardi, fly' seems pretty vivid in his mind. He can't recall which came first; the thunderstorm he flew into or the way everything was spinning.

He sees he's on the ground and it's morning, groaning from the impending hangover that's going to make him hate his bad habit. He's still in his USAF issued flight suit and he forces the door beside him looked pretty fucked up. "Oh come on... okay, let's see..." He leans back and kicks the door so hard, it flies (haha pun) open, and he emerges, tearing off the helmet he has on and letting his eyes accustom to the lighting.

Looking around, he realizes he's so fucked; he can't recognize anything around him. His radios and GPS systems were down in the plane, so there was no way to really tell where he is. His hands go to his hips, sighing and grumbling, "Yeah, I am so fucked. So so so very fucked."

He sure as hell wasn't expecting a fellow twink to welcome him, especially a twink with a blade, but they look really nice and cute. Lukas smirks back, rubbing the back of his neck and laughing. "Heya there, man. You're not here to kill me right? I really hope not, but let me introduce myself. I'm First Lieutenant Lukas Kazemi, but you can call me Lukas." He holds his hand out in hopes the cute man will take his own, smiling warmly at him. "Do you mind telling me where I am at? From your appearance, I might be at some LARP (live action role playing) event in the forest or a Comic Con."

Lukas meeting Keme o.o

They gonna terrorize the world with their BS 😆

_____

Keme jumped upon hearing a loud crash near his home. He paused for a second, as if registering the noise. What was that? He never heard of anything like that before.

He rushed towards his door, pocketing his dagger along the way. When he opened it, he stood in astonishment from what he was seeing.

A plane--if he recalled from the Record Keeper world--was on the ground, smoke rising from it. The vehicle was severely damaged--bits and pieces of debris from it had fell off, and the entrance to inside the plane was bent.

The door suddenly opened, and Keme immediately raised his dagger, ready to fight the intruder. However, he relaxed somewhat when a man stumbled out of it. The man pulled off his helmet, before shaking his head to free his hair from the enclosed space.

"...Uh..." Keme asked, having no idea what to say to this person. What should he even do? His clothing was completely different from Keme's, so he was definitely from a foreign land. But he appeared to be harmless. Lost, more so.

With his dagger still in his hand, he approached the man. "Uh. Hey!" He greeted with a small smile.

[painful-pooch]

A Pilot's Golden Rule: Protect Saber

Whumptober 2022 (@whumptober)

No. 12 WHAT COULD GO WRONG “Mayday, mayday!” | Cave In | Rusty Nail

No. 14 DIE A HERO OR LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO BECOME A VILLAIN Desperate Measures | Failed Escape | “I’ll be right behind you.”

Next: A Saber Without Her Pilot

Taglist: @actress4him, @whumper-in-training, @ocean-blue-whump, @for-the-love-of-angst, @thethistlegirl, @gottawhump, @whumperofworlds, @poc-whump, @hopepetal , and @winedark-whump

This is definitely set later in their story, so please don't get mad at me <3

CW: Set in the BBU (There is really no mentions of it, but the story is set in that universe), plane troubles, angst, emotional whump

What started off as a beautiful and sunny day has now turned into a pilot’s worst nightmare: a terrible storm at night with slight hail. But Lukas isn’t concerned at least one bit. He’s smiling over at Saber, who has her arms crossed over her chest while staring out of the plane with an uneasiness that Lukas can sense. “Saaaaaaaber, don’t worry a single bit. This plane is an engineering marvel and is going to get us to where we need to go. Come on, look at me. Who’s the best pilot in the world?” He asks in a sing song voice, nudging her playfully.

Saber rolls her eyes and stifles back a laugh, her beautiful eyes a nice contrast to the hellish weather outside the safety of the plane. “Hands down it’s Timmy the Pilot Pillow, Lukas. He’s always there to get us out of your messes.”

“My messes??? Saber, I feel so attacked right now,” he scoffs, a hand on his chest feigning offense. “How dare you think Timmy is better than me? I can get us through anything. I am a magic pilot.” He grabs the control wheel with both hands, attempting to get the plane through the latest turbulence moment. The sound of hail striking the plane’s wings and windows begin to worry Lukas, but he will do whatever it takes to not let Saber know it.

This isn’t good at all. I can barely see anything. My instruments are the only thing working for me right now. Doesn’t seem like anything is off, but this is a bust. Just a few more hours before we get to the safe house Bianca helped secure or us.

“A magic pilot and a crazy idiot… But I suppose if I didn’t meet you, I would still be a…” She trails off and a blush barely changes the pigment of her tanned cheeks. “You know what I mean.”

Lukas turns his head to focus on Saber more, trying to convey a softer look. “I know what you mean, but don’t think about it like that. You aren’t that. You are so much better, Sabes. I swear. I don’t know if I would be here without you, honestly.” He winks at her and aims a cliché finger gun at her. “Someone’s got to keep my ass from dying.”

“Tell me about it, Lukas. You are something else,” Saber finally laughs with such a melodic yet rougher voice. It’s probably one of the best sounds Lukas has heard. “Someone must keep you from drinking yourself to death too. Bianca called you an alcoholic.”

“Bianca calls me a lot of things. ‘Alcoholic’ is practically synonymous to ‘Gorgeous’, ‘Genius’, ‘Mad Lad’, and ‘Extraordinary’. What can I say, Sabes? I am one badass pilot.” He’s smirking like an idiot, but he can’t keep himself from laughing.

“She told me you would say something like that. Good thing I gave her those water bottles you said were filled with apple juice.”

“….”

“What?”

“Those were filled with Jack Daniels and some others had Captain Morgan in them…”

“Oh well, Lukas. I got you those sports drinks with… electricity in them?”

“I am 100% sure you mean electrolytes.”

Saber is blushing hard and pulls up the hood of the sweat jacket Lukas gave her. “Shut up…”

Lukas is laughing harder than ever, but then he catches something in the corner of his eye: a blinking light next to the oil gauge. It’s critically low and that drives a shot of fear through the pilot of which he can’t hide. “Oh no… Saber, go to the back and grab the two back packs.”

“What’s wrong?” She asks, trying to figure out what is going on when the plane makes an unharmonious sound, the engine gurgling and yearning for oil.

Lukas clenches his jaw, and he looks over to the side of the plane. With a flashlight he pulls out, he aims it out there and he can catch the faint look of the damage on the plane’s wings.

This isn’t good. Not one bit. Fuck… Fucking fuck… Okay, Lukas. This is going to be fine. Keep Saber safe. That’s all that matters right now. I shouldn’t have flown in this weather. Sebastian, if you are watching this, I hope you don’t hate me too much.

“Lukas??? Talk to me!” Saber jolts him back from his deep hyperfocus, his heart racing too fast. “I got the back packs. What now?”

“Put one of them on, Saber. Go on, don’t worry about a thing. I just need you to listen to me: If I open the door, I need you to jump out. You are going to pull this hard as soon as you are safe to do so,” he explains, holding the red strap that would release the parachute. “I am going to take us lower and try to make it easier.” He puts on his headset and flips to the emergency channel for pilots, taking a deep breath.

“Why does this sound like you aren’t coming with me?” Saber asks, her voice wavering with fear.

“Mayday, Mayday, this is Tomcat 444. Position unknown, airspeed approximately 132 knots, altitude 4023 feet and lowering, plane has run out of oil, engine is failing, and I am unable to land safely due to little to no visibility. All stations, send search and rescue. Will conduct an evac of at least one passenger.” Lukas can’t look at her. He’s staring out at the darkness, the plane’s controls getting harder to keep normalized. “I promise that I’ll be right behind you, Saber. Just put it on and let me make sure you are safe.”

She’s tearing up and she does what’s asked of her, slipping on the parachute and clipping it in the right spots. “You are scaring me. Don’t do what I think you are going to do.”

“And what would that be, Saber? That I make you get out safely and I crash my plane? Nah… You are my top priority right now. I am going to make sure you never go back to where I found you.”

“Why, Lukas? Why do you care so much???”

Lukas stands up and uses some straps to keep the plane going straight, checking over Saber’s parachute and tightening some loose ones over her thighs and chest. “Why?” He repeats, holding her shoulders and kissing her forehead with a gentle smile, the scenario occurring around them only a blur. “Because that’s what we do for the people that we love, Sabes. Now… I think it’s time I send you off, okay?” He leads her over to the side of the plane, unlatching the door and pushing it open, the roaring sounds of the weather in combination with the failing engines taking over. “Count to five seconds and pull the strap. When you land, let your body roll with gravity. I’ll find you.”

Saber hugs Lukas tightly and shakes her head. “I can’t just leave you…”

“I know, Sabes… I am not giving you that choice.” He grabs her by the front of her parachute, and he shoves her out of the plane, her scream of betrayal haunting him as he put on his own parachute. He runs to the front of the plane, putting the headset back on.

“All stations, all stations, all stations… This is Tomcat 444… Seems like I am in a fucked up little situation with crashing my plane and all. Just wanted to add something in for those non-emergency stations looking for me. You can try to find me, but if you dare touch my partner in righteous crime, you better believe I am gonna kick your ass. Maybe I’ll die and maybe I won’t. You’ll just have to find out later. Just don’t hit my pretty face. Tomcat 444 signing off for a while,” Lukas laughs into the headset, setting it to the side and pushing the nose lower. He pulls himself using the seats to the door, staring out into the darkness.

“Saber, don’t kill me…” He mutters, jumping out with a scream into the dark abyss, hoping that his parachute actually works.

[painful-pooch]

So the time is approximately 12:33 am.

I have work in like 6 hours and I also get to tell my boss I'm going in for another surgery....

But, I have come to the realization that Sebastian Chevalier is most likely a monster fucker... and 100% they find it funny when people realize that.

Like I can already see Lukas just walking in on them reading some romance novel between a human and some monster and being like "Is this what you do in your free time?????"

Sebastian 100% saying something like "Yeah, fam, I love monsters. You ever think to yourself how monsters even get out there? They get screamed at for being different and for being themselves. Also, they are pretty fucking cute. I'd gladly date some monster."