#ryder - elias.

[tiganas]

[brokehorrorfan]

Lost Souls will be released on Blu-ray on September 19 via Scream Factory. The 2000 horror movie is directed by cinematographer Janusz Kaminski (Saving Private Ryan, Schindler's List).

Winona Ryder and Ben Chaplin star with Philip Baker Hall, Elias Koteas, Sarah Wynter, and John Hurt. Pierce Gardner (Dan in Real Life) wrote the script.

Special features are listed below.

Special features:

Audio commentary by director Janusz Kaminski and director of photography Mauro Fiore

Deleted scenes with optional commentary

Theatrical trailer

For 2,000 years, he has feasted on pain, sown the seeds of chaos … and waited. But now, the Devil will take human form and plunge humanity into eternal darkness – unless one woman can stop him. Maya Larkin (Winona Ryder) must race against time and all the forces of evil to convince a born skeptic (Ben Chaplin) that he's the unwitting, chosen pawn in a shocking satanic conspiracy that will end the world as we know it.

Pre-order Lost Souls.

[lcsingmyhead]

@thegreatwcr​​ 

— who: Ryder & Elias  — where: the Clubhouse

It’s been almost a full year since he moved and Ryder wasn’t fully used to the minor differences in this charter to the other. But one thing never changed, and that was the clubhouse. Through the weird stagnant moments of moving, unpacking his house, seeing Becky and almost repacking and moving back out of sheer embarrassment, the clubhouse was a respite. He’s spent most of his free time there as of late - even sometimes bringing his laptop to work on the sticky bar top. Especially now, with his birthday on the horizon, Ryder didn’t want to be alone with his thoughts. Which is why he was here today. Checking flights for holiday travel to see if he could surprise his little sister back in Olympus when he heard the door behind him open. 

It was a weekday afternoon and only a handful of people have been in here before or after their shifts at work, but since lunch just ended he was a little surprised to hear someone else in the room that’s been empty for an hour. Raising an eyebrow at the club VP, the one that helped him through the transfer process, the historian gave him a halfhearted wave. “Hey -- what brings you here? Forget to hang your stocking or something?” Nodding to the wall where mini stockings with puffy paint were hanging - a sirens weekend art project. “I’m pretty sure I saw Bill walkin around shovin condoms in them earlier. You want a drink?”

[beneathoaktrees]

@fclseconfidence

The anticipation continues to heat up before the Games. It's his eleventh so it's nothing significant, if he's honest. But this is just another year under his belt so in the next few years he can be appointed Head Gamemaker. It's nearly time for the retirement to be announced for the current, considering the Quell. While it'd been a good lesson to show the nation, it hadn't been the most interesting Games of all time-- and it should've been. Watching the suffering of Victors and Mentors should've been the thing that broke the will of the nation, and yet, all they got was a sad sob story of a Victor. It was something of a joke within the Gamemakers. Those who thought that the Head of the Gamemakers had done his job and those who thought he should've been infected with trackerjacker venom and hung by his toes for all to see.

Elias is of the latter category; he's waiting for the place to become his. He's well-known, wealthy, handsome, and powerful, what more could he ask for as he walks around yet another Capitol Games kick-off party. Another Capitol member chuckles next to him, talking to who he recognizes as the Mentor of One. "Just so you know, he knows no secrets," Elias points out about the Captiol man. "He got fired from his place as a producer and is only here because he gives everyone a laugh. He's like a jester for us."

[hannahhook7744]

Can you do a whole "Encanto Next Gen as Vines/ Incorrect Quotes" post? That'd be really funny lol

Character Guide:

(Children of Isabela Rojas Madrigal and Bubo Marquez):

Miguel Melchor Marquez Madrigal Jr/Smiley/MJ. 

Zoey Alejandra Marquez Madrigal.

Arlo Emo Marquez Madrigal.

Avila Brisa Marquez Madrigal.

(Children of Antonio Espinosa Madrigal):

Giovanni Refugio Espinosa Madrigal. 

(Children of Mirabel Rojas Madrigal and Miguel Rivera):

Vera Coco Rivera Madrigal.

Renata Imelda Rivera Madrigal.

Mariana Isabela Luisa Rivera Madrigal.

Marisol Carmela Victoria Rivera Madrigal.

Marcelo Héctor Rivera Madrigal.

(Camilo Espinosa Madrigal and Mina Prepon):

Carlos Manuel Madrigal Prepon.

José Lorenzo Madrigal Prepon.

Hugo Jerónimo Madrigal Prepon.

Sofia Azucena Madrigal Prepon.

Amelia Sadia Madrigal Prepon.

(Children of Dolores Espinosa Madrigal and Mariano Guzmán):

Ligera Juana Guzman Madrigal.

Oscar Candelario Guzmán Madrigal.

Elmira Dorila Guzman Madrigal.

Leta Pepa Guzmán Madrigal.

Princesa Rosetta Guzmán Madrigal.

Fuega Alba Guzmán Madrigal.

Juan Félix Guzmán Madrigal.

Javier Gabriel Guzmán Madrigal. 

(Children of Luisa Rojas Madrigal and Ryder Nattura):

Tito Krsitoff Nattura Madrigal.

Emilia Lydia Nattura Madrigal.

Amada Honeymaren Nattura Madrigal.

Silvia Julieta Nattura Madrigal.

Belinda Petra Nattura Madrigal.

(Children of Bruno Madrigal):

Cesare Bartholomew Colmcille Madrigal Botero (Formerly Frollo).

Cornel Thomas Howard Sebastian Madrigal Botero (Formerly Frollo and Formerly Gaskit). 

Cyriacus Ignatius Vladmir Madrigal Botero (Formerly Frollo).

Richard 'Rick' Perseus Madrigal Botero (Formerly Ratcliffe).

Claudine Esther-Mary Agnes Dymphna Madrigal Botero (Formerly Frollo). 

Rachel Anneliese Madrigal Botero (Formerly Ratcliffe).

Rory Elias Madrigal Botero (Formerly Ratcliffe).

Glendale ‘Glenn’ Hazel Gothel (soon to be Madrigal). 

Mason Primethorn Gothel (soon to be Madrigal). 

Magnolia ‘Gigi’ Marguerite Gothel (soon to be Madrigal). 

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

Hugo *falls through ceiling* 

Giovanni, not even phased: Hi Hugo.

Hugo, laying on a pile of rubble—his head resting on the floor, completely: Hi Giovanni. 

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

Hugo, quieter: That hurt.

Cesare: Hey I'm back from the market—WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!

Cyriacus, standing in the center of a strangely neat pentagram drawn on Casita's floors and holding a melting candle in one hand, and a book in another: You told me to satanize the house! 

Cesare: Sanitize! I said sanitize! Clean this up before Abuela and the padre get here!

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

Princesa: You can trust me! Let's not forget who pulled you out of that river when you were 12!

Fuega: Let's not forget who pushed me in. 

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

Miguel Jr *jumps from the second balcony of Casita in a bubble shield, bounces, and breaks something*

Arlo, on his last fucking straw: THIS IS WHY MOM DOESN'T FUCKING LOVE YOU!

Camilo *laughs loudly off screen*

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

Arlo: Here’s a fun Christmas idea. We hang mistletoe, but instead of kissing, you have to FIGHT whoever else is under it.

Zoey: Arlo no.

Miguel Jr: Mistlefoe.

Zoey: Please stop encouraging him.

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

Arlo: I trust Zoey.

Miguel Jr: You think they know what they're doing?

Arlo: I wouldn't go that far.

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

Arlo: Oscar! My face is on fire!

Oscar: Arlo! Are you ok?!

Arlo: Oh yes, I'm fine. I just said that to make sure you'd come in here quickly.

Oscar: But your face is on fire.

Arlo: Yes. It's much faster than shaving.

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

Oscar: Please, I'm begging you, go to a doctor.

Arlo: I'm sorry is this OUR stab wound? Stay out of it.

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

Arlo: Listen, I can explain…

Zoey: You’re making $500 and you’re only gonna pay me $100?

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

Miguel Jr: You’re getting 100 dollars? I’m getting $20!

Avila: You guys are getting paid?

Marcelo: Ma'am, this is a Wendy’s.

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

Someone random: Wow, are you guys twins?

Marisol *stares at Mariana*

Mariana *stares back*

Marisol and Mariana *scream  in sync* YOU STOLE MY FACE!  *runs away in opposite directions*

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

Hugo: Marcelo, how are those chicken strips?

Marcelo, looking at Hugo's blackened chicken strips: F%#K YA CHICKEN STRIPS.....F%#K ya chicken strips!

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

Rick: You fight like my sister!

José, being a smart ass: I've fought your sister, that's a compliment!

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

Princesa: There is no better feeling than someone playing with your hair. Or running her fingers down your back—

Leta: Unless you thought you were alone.

Oscar: And now, the weather.

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

Renata: Get a real job! And some pants!

Marcelo, who was just walking past: annnnd that's enough of this game. 

Vera, grumbling: I am wearing pants. You just have a stupid power.

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

Five year old Sofia *running around during the family barbecue, something shiny in her hands*

Camilo, drink in hand: what you got there, Sof?

Five year old Sofia *smilingly widely* A KNIFE! *runs off*

Camilo *spits out his drink, drops it, and rubs after her* NO!

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

Tito, 15 years old: Yo, how much money do you have?

Amada, 5 years old: 69 cents.

 Tito: AYE, you know what that means?

Amada, sad: I don't have enough money for chicken nuggets.

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

Miguel Jr: Hurricane Katrina? More like Hurricane Tortilla *throws tortilla into Marcelo’s face on accident*

Marcelo, as the tortilla slides slowly down his face: I hate you.

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

Claudine: AHH! Stahhp. I coulda dropped mah croissant.

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

Mason: Mothertrucker, dude, that hurt like a buttcheek on a stick.

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

Cesare: Glendale, can you read number 23 for the class?

Glenn: No, I cannot.... What up? I'm Glenn, I'm 19 and I never fucking learned how to read.

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

Fuega, trying to come out to Ligera: Hey, I'm lesbian.

Ligera, having stayed up all night making shadow puppets with her friends: I thought you were Colombian.

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

Juan: WHAT ARE THOSEEEEE?

Javier: THEY are my crocs!

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

Belinda:  In my defense, I was left unsupervised.

Elmira: Wasn't Silvia with you?

Silvia: In my defense, I was also left unsupervised.

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

Rachel, not in the least bit sorry: I think we're gonna have to kill this guy, Cornel.

Cornel, soberly: Damn. 

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

Emilia: You have to apologize to the town!

Oscar: Fine. 'Unfuck you' or whatever.

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

Carlos: WHOEVER THREW THAT PAPER, YOUR MOM'S A HOE!

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

Amelia, shoots up in bed in the middle of the night: Oh my god, they were roommates.

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

Rory: This Bitch Empty, YEET! *Throws bottle*

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

Gigi: Mason stop...Mason stop...You're gonna get in trouble. Mason.

[bitchinbarzal]

Like it’s Penny’s biggest competition so everyone is in town her parents, siblings, her uncles and cousins came in town, Ellen and Jim, and the Pettersons everyone is there. And Penny’s in the middle of her routine and she gets really dizzy and she falls and breaks her ankle maybe she gets a concussion too. Everyone is freaking out. And when they get to the hospital they realize Penny hasn’t been eating. She’s been starving herself because her boyfriend told her she needs to lose weight. And Quinn and Elias are the most angry because those are both of her dads. Everyone is ready to to murder toxic boyfriend. But that’s also when everyone realizes she’s not ok. She’s mentally and physically exhausted.

The nurse has never seen a waiting room so full.

Penny’s mom was the only one allowed in the room so she went in to see her daughter, spoke with her doctor and came back out to report to the family.

When she emerged from the room everyone noticed her face covered in tears

“What’s happening?” Quinn asks, taking his wife into his arms.

“She- she’s not been eating? She wouldn’t speak to me but her doctor said the psychiatrist spoke to her and she’s malnourished, she said something about her boyfriend made her do it?”

She felt Quinn tense up and everyone else in the room got uncomfortable looking around at one another.

Everyone knew they didn’t like her boyfriend already but what they heard made their blood boil.

Her parents are crying, trying to make sense of what is being said.

In the silence Milo stands up, brushing his hands on his jeans

“Well if nobody else is gonna…” and walks towards the exit. On a typical day Luke and his wife would’ve stopped their son from acting on anger. He was six and a half foot tall and built of pure muscle.

Ryder, Otis and Ozzy all stood up too. Following behind the Hughes boy.

With her parents so upset and confused Mrs Pettersson took it upon herself to coordinate everything with the doctors.

“She’s just our little girl”

“We’re all behind her, she’ll be ok”

[acronym-chaos]

Phantom (Minecraft) Inspired ID Pack

[PT: Phantom (Minecraft) Inspired ID Pack]

[ID: A purple thin line diivder shaded at the bottom. End ID].

Names

[PT: Names].

Adrian, Aiden, Alaric, Aria, Ash, Asher, Astrid, Aurora, Bram, Calypso, Casper, Celeste, Ciaran, Corvus, Dahlia, Damien, Darius, Dorian, Echo, Eirwen, Elara, Elias, Elysia, Ember, Erebus, Faye, Felix, Fenris, Finn, Gideon, Haze, Hunter, Ingrid, Iris, Jett, Juno, Kai, Kane, Kiera, Lark, Leif, Lila, Lucian, Luna, Lyra, Magnus, Mara, Marlow, Niamh, Nyx, Oberon, Ophelia, Orion, Pandora, Persephone, Phoenix, Raine, Raven, Rook, Rowan, Ryder, Selene, Shade, Skye, Soren, Storm, Sylas, Talon, Thalassa, Thorne,, Veda, Vesper, Willow, Wraith, Xander, Zephyr, Zephyrine, Zora

Pronouns

[PT: Pronouns].

Ae / Air / Airs; Astra / Astral / Astrals; Bat / Bat / Bats; Clo / Cloud / Clouds; Dark / Dark / Darks; Dusk / Dusk / Dusks; Ethe / Ether / Ethers; Gho / Ghost / Ghosts; Gloo / Gloom / Glooms; Hau / Haunt / Haunts; Mist / Mist / Mists; Moon / Moon / Moons; Ni / Night / Nights; Noct / Noct / Nocts; Phan / Phantom / Phantoms; Shade / Shade / Shades; Shade / Shadow / Shadows; Sky / Sky / Skies; Spir / Spirit / Spirits; Star / Star / Stars; Sto / Storm / Storms; Twi / Twilight / Twilights; Veil / Veil / Veils; Wind / Wind / Winds; Wisp / Wisp / Wisps

Titles

[PT: Titles].

A Ghostly Specter, A Haunting Presence, A Nocturnal Flyer, A Silent Stalker, A Wraith of the Night, The Dark Avenger, The Dusk Dweller, The Ethereal Entity, The Ghostly Menace, The Haunting Phantom, The Moonlit Terror, The Nocturnal Menace, The Shadowy Apparition, The Skybound Haunter, The Spectral Being, The Starry Wraith, The Veil Wanderer, The Wisp of Night, [Pronoun] From the Night, [Pronoun] Who Flies in the Dark, [Pronoun] Who Haunts the Skies, [Pronoun] Who Hunts by Moonlight, [Pronoun] Who Lurks in Shadows

[ID: A purple thin line divider shaded at the bottom. End ID].

Made for @rwuffles' 700 followers event!

Day 2: least favorite video game character (sorry for all Phantom lovers out there, i dont hate it but its definitely bottom tier)

Also tagging @pronoun-arc @id-pack-archive

[pikapeppa]

OC Name Meanings

Thank you so much for the tag @elveny! Your answers were so good and thoughtful that I feel like mine are going to be so dumb in comparison LMAO.

Rules: Search and post the meaning of your OC’s name (if you made their name up or they go by a nickname, post an explanation of how it came to you)! bonus if you can find something for their last name too.

*********

All right [cracks knuckles] I'll start from the top.

Mass Effect (original trilogy): Commander Adriana Shepard. I named her after my husband because he introduced me to the game. NOT VERY ORIGINAL, but named with love? 🤣

Mass Effect Andromeda: Mara Ryder. I honestly cannot remember why I chose this name for her. Vibes, probably? I often just pick a name that "feels" right...

Dragon Age Inquisition: okay, I made up sooo many fucking Lavellans, and when I first started writing, most of them were just named after Game of Thrones characters. This includes Elia, Arya, and Lyanna.

(By now, you may have noticed that all my OCs have names ending in "a". I do like names ending in "a." I am consistent that way. 😂)

Athera Lavellan is the DA:I OC whose name is the most thought-out. I borrowed it from FenxShiral's Elvhen book of names, and it means 'part of a dream', which thematically tied into her romance with Abelas.

But then there's Tamaris, which is another name that I chose because of vibes (it "felt right"). I will admit that I know someone named Tamaris and I love the name, but I was also surprised to find that this is coincidentally a name from FenxShiral's name dictionary - a fact that I used in my fic of her and Felassan.

Dragon Age 2: Rynne Hawke. Her name was also chosen for vibes; 'Rynne' struck me as a kind of fun, playful name. I think in-world, she is named after a great-aunt. (It's been a while since I revisited her, I think this is the lore. 🤣)

Dragon Age Origins: Yara Mahariel. BACK TO THE TRIED AND TRUE METHOD OF USING GAME OF THRONES NAMES. 🤣💀

Baldur's Gate 3: my main Tav is Eilaena Valderol, aka Brynn Bladetongue. THIS WAS THE NAME I THOUGHT ABOUT THE MOST. Her birth name, Eilaena, is a drow name broadly inspired by the goddess Eilistraee. Her last name is her mother's name, which I used a D&D name generator to come up with. Her criminal alias, Brynn , was borrowed from an adventurer she admired who was a regular at the theater-tavern where she grew up. 'Bladetongue' is a stagename-like surname that she came up with; in her words, it's masturbatory (flattering herself for her silver tongue), and she likes the alliteration. She's half-wood elf/half-drow, and she purposely gave herself a human-sounding alias to fuck with people LOL.

My other BG3 OC is Tavanah. I liked the idea of using the default "non-special" name of 'Tav', but making it special by having her romance, Rolan, be the only one who calls her by her full name.

Tagging forward: once again, to genuinely anyone who wants to play!!! But let's start with @seabirdsong @iamcayc @novarunestone @elinorbard @crackinglamb @johaerys-writes @alyssalenko @vorchagirl @hollyand-writes

[authorlaurawinter]

2, 9, 15, 21, 25, 43

2. Pantser or plotter - both! I plot big scenes to hit but the stuff in between is pantsed

9. Current WIP - the crown of fractured darkness, book 3 in the smoke and shadow series

15. Deal with writers block - usually I try to do some au scenes with my characters just to stay in their heads. Or I’ll reread a favorite book

21. Favorite characters to write - Orion (new character), Brela, Serill, Elias from my smoke and shadow series. Kiya and Ryder from my blue star series

25. Favorite part of writing - getting to a scene where the characters take over and tell me things about themselves that I didn’t know before.

43. What to do when characters don’t follow the outline - let them! I’m a very character driven writer so I love when they decide that certain things need to go differently than what I planned. If I didn’t listen, the story would feel forced and not genuine. I’d much rather readjust the plan than make them stick to an outline.

Thank you!!

[omegaremix]

Summer 2000 Mixtape.

Bustah Rhymes f. Raekwon & Ghostface Killah & Roc Marciano “The Heist”

Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz “This Cold World”

Phat Kat “Dedication To The Suckers”

Aboriginals, The “Number Theory”

De La Soul f. Redman “Oooh”

Royce Da 5’9” “Boom”

Guiro f. DJ Spinna “Solevision”

Dilated Peoples “Work The Angles” RMX

Slum Village “Raise It Up”

Kool G Rap & RZA “Cakes”

Ruff Ryders f. Snoop Dogg & Scarface & Jadakiss & Yung Wun “World War III”

Planet Asia & Talib Kweli “Don’t Let Up”

Yak Ballz “Nasty Or Nice”

M.O.P. “Ante Up”

Slum Village “Climax (Girl Shit)”

Mack 10 f. E-40 “Can’t Stop”

Big L “Holdin’ It Down”

Barber Shop Emcees “Money, Music, And Women”

Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes “Aspirations”

Galt McDermott “Ripped Apart By Metal Explosions”

Les McCann “Valarta”

Richard “Groove” Holmes “Onsaya Joy”

Bob James “Caribbean Nights”

Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes “Expansions”

Steve Davis “It’s All Because She’s Gone”

Mahavishnu Orchestra “Resolution”

Randy Crawford “Street Life”

Earth, Wind & Fire “Brazilian Rhyme (Beijo Interlude)”

Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes “Colors Of The Rainbow”

Andreas Ammer & FM Einheit Sensation Death

Damage Manual “Sunset Gun”

Apoptygma Berzerk “Eclipse”

Front Line Assembly “Fatalist” (Rhys Fulber RMX)

Subconscious label Wild Planet

Caspar Brotzmann & FM Einheit Merry Christmas

Assemblage 23 “Bi-Polar”

Invisible label Drug Test Volume I

Andreas Ammer & FM Einheit Deutsche Krieger

Christoph De Babalon If You’re Into It I’m Out Of It

DJ Rap “It’s Good To Be Alive” (Deep Dish RMX)

Stereolab “Metronomic Underground” (Wagon Christ RMX)

Primal Scream “Kill All Hippies”

Squarepusher “Tequila Fish”

Hanin Elias In Flames 1994-1999

Underworld “Bruce Lee”

Genaside “The Genaside Will Not Be Televised”

Kraftwerk “Expo 2000”

Squarepusher “Central Line”

southpacific Constance

Harry Pussy Ride A Dove

Relapse Records label Japanese / American Noise Treaty

[rhikasa]

For the OC soup

F, R, K

Thanks for the ask, anon! ♥️

Florence Evergreen is Cassius' wife and the mother of Sireva. She grew up with three siblings: an older brother and two younger sisters. She is a kind and headstrong woman who often serves as the voice of reason to her husband, especially on matters pertaining to his wavering relationship with his little brother, Izaya.

Kaelin Elias Harper was the third son and last born child of his family; all his siblings viewed him as the "baby" of the family. A known animal shifter (like most members of House Harper), he was capable of turning into a golden falcon. He served as a guard to his cousin Avalynn upon her marriage to Prince Kyllen, and later on served as her son's guard and mentor. He played a pivotal role in the reclamation of the Fayburian throne from the Mirian empire.

Rhistel Lathan Ryder was Bemere, Alexander, and Keya's father. He served as a guard to the Mirian royal family and was a good friend to Prince Radan. He was an only child and grew up to be a kind and gentle man, though his parents’ emotional distance caused him to struggle at times when connecting to his own children.

[ OC Alphabet Soup ]

[pronoun-checks]

; hullo, hope you're well !! Can I have names similar to Myles pleasee ?? Preferably masculine or androgynous :D

; and also can I get a pronoun check w the name Raye and the pronouns separately fang / fangs / fangself, thing / things / thingself, paw / paws / pawself and voi / void / voids / voidself ?? Preferably w nonhuman terminology !!

Sure thing!

Miles

Milo

Ryder

Tyler

Wyatt

Lyle

Silas

Levi

Leon

Elias

Ives

Ames

Jude

Julian

Felix

Niles/Nile

Giles

Mirles

Miro

Wait a second, is that Raye? I think I see Raye over there! Do you see fang? Fang’s the being sitting by fangself with fangs headphones on. I wonder what fang’s listening to? Anyway, you’ve met Raye before, right? No? Well, you’ll have to meet thing sometime; I think you’d get along nicely with thing. I’ve only spoken with thing once or twice, but thing seems pretty neat! Oh, you don’t see paw? Paw’s the creature sitting by pawself in the brown chair over there. I think the bag under paws chair is paws, but it might not be paws. Do you see void now? Yep, that’s Raye! Oh, hey! I think voi’s looking this way now! Is voi waving at us? Yeah, I’m pretty sure voi’s waving at us. Do you want to go meet Raye? Sure, let’s go say hi to void! Hey, Raye!

[selfsabotaqe]

just to get a little bit of structure back into my life, under the cut you’ll find a  list of my drafts  that i’ll be working through for the next while. any writing partners are welcome to check  &  let me know if i’ve missed any replies over the past days or weeks. if you think i might have missed anything, please don’t hesitate to lmk because i probably have. i’ll be continuing  all threads  that are stated in this post  &  intend to get through them in the next weeks or so. if you notice anything on here you’ve lost muse for, please don’t fret to tell me. we could drop the thread, or i’d always be down to start something new  &  would be happy to write that for you instead  😌 if we write together  &  your threads / username aren’t on this list, it means i am currently presuming i’ve already replied to our threads. but if you come across this post  &  do remember me owing you, let me know as well and i’ll add it here!

@erstwhles. rosalind  &  gabriel nathaniel  &  lale

@lilacwiine. felice  &  drew maya  &  amara malee  &  lale

@gcldcnhour. adora  &  tba  (closed starter reply) knox  &  zoe knox  &  zoe  (second thread) ophelia  &  lachlan gen  &  devrim miriam  &  marisol violet  &  ethan

@inkiidreams. yaritza  &  merve aurelia  &  robin olivia  &  lachlan nova  &  lais

@chronicsunshincs. levi  &  emre

@evcrlasting. ryan  &  aera vanessa  &  cem

@invcntions. ryder  &  kiran toby  &  nadiye jackson  &  dominic dawson  &  teresa lincoln  &  soren closed starter for royal plot we discussed noah  &  emre koa  &  beau

@gardenwalls. rhys  &  nazli mei li  &  fabien

@orbicularia. giselle  &  nikolai sienna  &  julia isaak  &  mariana dylan  &  daphne nora  &  elliott

@fearhidden. henry  &  genevieve ravi  &  leyla

@springbreezc. mick  &  nia mariama  &  leo

@bittersage. adrian  &  leo

@seolinah. hanna  &  wren

@womansound. georgie  &  fabien hayden  &  luna natalie  &  landon

@ofdamnation. elias  &  lainey

@tinkrbell. isabella  &  leo

@turkishdclights. liam  &  tba  (carmela fc) zara  &  aera

@neveraftcr. romy  &  addie starter with song kang fc

@vacationeyes. forest  &  jude frankie  &  emre gus  &  devrim grayson  &  luca tyson  &  xavier

@wutheringdevotion. ginny  &  rowan oliver  &  lachlan monique  &  meera jonah  &  tba  (closed starter reply)

@bextibellicosi. ana  &  tba  (closed starter reply)

@trcasures. iris  &  addie franz  &  aera

@sunstvne. vimala  &  kiran closed starter reply for tony constantin  &  santiago

@silvrmoon. melody  &  tba  (closed starter reply) milo  &  tba  (closed starter reply) kai  &  max  (closed starter reply)

[thechaosmuses]

Below the cut you'll find a list of my TVDU muses along with their face claims (more info about each oc muse will be up soon but if you have any questions in the meantime don't be afraid to pm me, I have info on Google Docs for all of them.)

Total Muses; 111 Newest Member; Matias Garcia Added; 1/29/24

(Quick note: all families are in order of oldest to youngest; and a few of the Mikaelson's (Cyrus, Willow, and Tobias) are all honorary/adopted Mikaelson's, not children of Mikael and Esther.) Freya Celeste Mikaelson... portrayed by Riley Voelkel Elijah Daniel Mikaelson... portrayed by Daniel Gillies Elizabeth Haven Mikaelson... portrayed by Zoey Deutch Roman Ryker Mikaelson... portrayed by Alex Pettyfer Erik Flynn Mikaelson... portrayed by Joseph Morgan Kareena Dawn Mikaleson... portrayed by Melissa Benoist Niklaus Ryder Mikaelson... portrayed by Joseph Morgan Thyra Selene Mikaleson... portrayed by Selena Gomez Kolton Nathaniel Mikaelson... portrayed by Nathaniel Buzolic Karsyn Devyn Mikaelson... portrayed by Vanessa Hudgens Mateo Maxwell Mikaelson... portrayed by Keegan Allen Serenity Faye Mikaelson... portrayed by Dianna Agron Sawyer Finch Mikaelson... portrayed by Kristen Stewart Henrik Alexander Mikaelson... portrayed by Andrew Garfield Aurelia Nova Mikaelson... portrayed by Madelyn Cline Felix Ares Mikaelson... portrayed by Jamie Campbell Bower Willow Luna Mikaelson... portrayed by Maia Mitchell Tobias Floyd Mikaelson... portrayed by Grant Gustin Hope Andrea Mikaelson... portrayed by Danielle Rose Russell

Malachai Silas Parker... portrayed by Chris Wood Zephyr Raven Parker... portrayed by Froy Gutierrez Zariyah Dove Parker... portrayed by Sabrina Carpenter Kennedy Taylor Parker... portrayed by Taylor Swift Myles Zane Parker... portrayed by Ross Lynch Mariana Joy Parker... portrayed by Noah Cyrus Olivia Mae Parker... portrayed by Penelope Mitchell Paisley Juniper Parker... portrayed by Katherine McNamara

Silas Xavier Salvatore... portrayed by Paul Wesley Braeden Talia Salvatore... portrayed by Florence Pugh Holden Atlas Salvatore... portrayed by Colin O'Donoghue Damon Luca Salvatore... portrayed by Ian Somerhalder Ezra Grant Salvatore... portrayed by Hero Fiennes-Tiffin Stefan Lance Salvatore... portrayed by Paul Wesley Liberty Faye Salvatore... portrayed by Brenna D’Amico

Jensen Graham Gilbert... portrayed by Jamie Dornan Easton Reed Gilbert... portrayed by Matthew Gray Gubler Jesse Jonathan Gilbert... portrayed by Julian Morris Elias Rhodes Gilbert... portrayed by Dylan O'Brien Jeremiah Steven Gilbert... portrayed by Steven R. McQueen Jazmyn Sophia Gilbert... portrayed by Jenna Coleman

Atlas Rowan Petrova... portrayed by Dylan O'Brien Titus Izaiah Petrova... portrayed by Dylan O'Brien Katherine Maria Pierce... portrayed by Nina Dobrev Kamen Maverick Pierce... portrayed by Dylan O'Brien Natalie Adrianna Pierce... portrayed by Lily Collins

Qetsiyah Zione Bennett... portrayed by Janina Gavankar Eleanor Marie Bennett... portrayed by Zendaya Coleman Salem Elijah Bennett... portrayed by Jordan Fisher Gabriel Graham Gustin... portrayed by Chuku Modu Bonnie Sheila Bennett... portrayed by Kat Graham Belladonna Sharie Bennett... portrayed by Vanessa Morgan

Marcel Leon Gerard... portrayed by Charles Michael Davis Hayley Jane Marshall... portrayed by Phoebe Tonkin Seraphina Rose Ward... portrayed by Madelaine Petsch Theodore Joseph Brickenden... portrayed by Timothee Chalamet  Kaia Asherah Halloran... portrayed by Odette Annable Elizabeth Anne Forbes... portrayed by Marguerite MacIntyre Carter William Forbes... portrayed by Charlie Hunnam Josette Olivia Saltzman... portrayed by Kaylee Bryant Ryan Nicholas Clarke... portrayed by Nick Fink Landon Maxwell Kirby... portrayed by Aria Shahghasemi Aurora Violet De Martel... portrayed by Rebecca Breeds Cameron Myles Lawrence... portrayed by Lucas Bravo Aiden Matthew Lawrence... portrayed by Colin Woodell Jameson Tyler Rosza... portrayed by Tyler Posey Tatum Jaxson Lockwood... portrayed by Morgan Evans Tyler James Lockwood... portrayed by Michael Trevino Tatiana Jade Lockwood... portrayed by Adelaide Kane Taylor Jacob Lockwood... portrayed by Taylor Launter Axel Madden Hughes... portrayed by Cody Saintgnue Ashton Malik Hughes... portrayed by Cody Christian Alexia Rae Branson... portrayed by Arielle Kebbel Sebastian Sawyer Sharpe... portrayed by Aaron Taylor-Johnson Niall Nash Novak... portrayed by Ryan Kelley Montgomery Felix Langston... portrayed by Jedidiah Goodacre Sebastian Killian Jones... portrayed by Thomas Doherty Milton Gabriel Greasley... portrayed by Quincy Fouse Ophelia Esme Lovell... portrayed by Gage Golightly Sapphire Lee McGuire... portrayed by Jennifer Love Hewitt Rami Calder McGuire... portrayed by Kit Harington Benjamin James Kenson... portrayed by Zane Phillips Warren Jaxon Kingsley... portrayed by Ricky Whittle Jeremiah Michael Kenner... portrayed by Michael Vlamis Cecilia Jaklyn Labonair... portrayed by Camila Mendes Rosemary Belle Whitlock... portrayed by Sophie Turner Hadley Kamryn Fuller... portrayed by Sofia Carson Kamryn Avery Marshall... portrayed by Katherine Langford Lorenzo James St. John... portrayed by Michael Malarkey Lorella Diane St. John... portrayed by Gal Gadot Andrew Kolton Rogers... portrayed by Louis Tomlinson Vincent Keith Griffith... portrayed by Yusuf Gatewood Sean Kieran O'Connell... portrayed by Matt Kabus Lucien Maverick Castle... portrayed by Andrew Lees Blair Lilith Walsh... portrayed by Kristine Froseth Zachariah Cole Norwood... portrayed by Oliver Stark Matthias Lucien Delacour... portrayed by Jonah Hauer-King Matias Camilo Garcia... portrayed by Danny Ramirez

Crossover/Genderbent Muses

Cyrus Boyd Mikaelson... portrayed by Cody Kearsley (spn to tvdu) Harmony Iris Johnson... portrayed by Shay Mitchell (tw to tvdu) Chandler Matthew Rawlins... portrayed by Charlie Gillespie (tw to tvdu) Mckenna Stella Parker... portrayed by Katherine Langford (genderbent kai parker)

Test Muses

Dorian Lee Williams... portrayed by Demetrius Bridges Sophie Danielle Deveraux... portrayed by Daniella Pineda Monique Marie Deveraux... portrayed by Yasmine Al-Bustami Evangeline Amaya Sinclair... portrayed by Maisie Richardson-Sellers Inadu Tayen Labonair... portrayed by Blu Farias Hunt Rafael Alexander Waithe... portrayed by Peyton Alex Smith Finch Taylor Tarrayo... portrayed by Courtney Bandeko Cleo Ada Sowande... portrayed by Omono Okojie Penelope Eden Park... portrayed by Lulu Antariksa Jade Ivy Young... portrayed by Giorgia Whigham

[red-riding-wood]

Heroes - Chapter 1

Chpt. 2 , Masterlist

Pairing: Sgt. Elias Grodin x Original Female Character (Alexis Ryder)

Summary: He is king, and she is queen. He smokes, and she is mean. Tomorrow, death may take them, but today, they are heroes. A story about love, war, courage, and the duality of man -- inspired by the David Bowie song, "Heroes".

Fandoms: Platoon (1986), Cherry (2021) -- I pull Tom Holland's character in but that's literally it WARNINGS: graphic violence and gore, language In future chapters: explicit sexual content, graphic torture, attempted sexual assault, language

DISCLAIMER: This story is fictional, but based on the U.S. war against Afghanistan. I have done my best to portray it and the military accurately, but there may be some mistakes. I apologize if this is the case. As the author, I also do not take any political stance on the themes in this book. The characters' thoughts, statements, etc. are of their own. Notes: Alexis/Alexa/Alex = "defender of man, defender of humankind, defender/protector"

Thirty minutes ago, my world had been music. My world had been peace, in a land ridden with war. My world had been a chopper’s deck, rumbling beneath my boots, and jagged mountain peaks soaring past windows like seagulls on a bright, blue horizon. My world had been ignorance, had been the world of someone who’d never had a bullet whiz past their jaw or watch a man’s intestines spill from his spasming body.

The psychedelic notes of David Bowie’s “Heroes" weren’t playing past my noise-cancelling headphones anymore. The air didn’t smell fresh and pure with pine. Now, the gurgling groans and howls of agony laced themselves like venomous demons through pine trees spattered by crimson, and the air reeked of the foul tang of blood and viscera.

My nose was buried in my sleeve, sucking in the scent of my uniform only to pant it back out against the cotton nylon. It was hot, stale, and even smelled faintly of the bile that had risen to the back of my throat.

My chest rose and fell with difficulty, my tactical rig suddenly digging into my ribcage past my plate carrier, both suddenly feeling heavier than they had back in the chopper.

My knees trembled, as did the fingers that were curled around the barrel of my M-4 carbine, not wishing to use it, but knowing that I might have to again at any moment. Just as my breath, it was hot around my fingers, having discharged only a minute or so prior. If I removed my nose from my sleeve and brought it to the barrel, I would still be able to smell the nitroglycerin. 

“Alex, listen to me. You’re okay. You’re having an anxiety attack,” the man beside me told me, his hand resting gently on my heaving shoulder. “I get these all the time. You’re gonna be okay. Alex, look at me.”

That man went by the nickname “Cherry”, which was a word that the military assigned new recruits. What his real name was, I’d never found out, but we’d spent a lot of time together in basic training. He was maybe a year younger than me, barely past the age of eighteen. His eyes, like mine, still shone with that naivety that I’d never seen in anyone who’d been deployed during their service.

I sucked in another breath of stale air through the fabric of my sleeve, and rolled my head from my arm to look him in those wide, dark eyes. His gloves were bloodied, staining the fabric of my uniform where his hand eased my shoulder.

“Alex, I need to tend to the wounded,” he told me, blood-speckled jaw moving urgently and his own chest rising and falling with fervor. “But you’re gonna be okay.”

Cherry was a medic. He was gentle, caring. But he was also a soldier, one who knew his duties and his purpose. And as much as I felt I needed him, he couldn’t stay by my side. I’d gotten through this firefight with merely a few scrapes from the elements – the jagged rocks and the bark of fallen branches – but there were members of my platoon that were far less fortunate than I’d been.

He gave my shoulder a squeeze with those bloodied gloves, and I nodded at him, still wordless in my response, still swallowing back bile at that tang of iron and viscera that invaded my senses.

And then he was gone.

Gaze now fixed down on the grass beneath my boots, I began to mouth the lyrics to the song I’d been listening to a half-hour ago. Soundless, at first, my lungs still held captive by my anxiety. I traced the barrel of my gun with my fingers, tapping them, contorting them, as if composing the beautiful notes with my fingertips.

And slowly, as sound began to form from my sour, bile-tinged tongue, and my breath began to ease in my chest with the raucous beating of my heart, my fingers trembled a little less, and things like the sun that filtered through the boughs of the trees or the birds that resumed their song along their branches began to slowly trickle back into my mind.

“Ryder!” My name was called, ripped through the air with deep, monstrous baritones like a gunshot, and I flinched.

I knew before I looked to the man that the caller of my name was my squad leader, Sergeant Barnes.

Barnes was perhaps the most intimidating, most dangerous man I had met. The right half of his face was ravaged and sewn together, a hideous scar reaching across an already-deathly glare, a stoic expression framed by strong, broad features.

Barnes was the type of man who drove his soldiers to the very end of their wits, and forced them to walk its treacherous wire. He didn’t allow for grovelling, or snivelling, or a moment of hesitation or fear in the face of danger. I wasn’t even sure if he had fears.

Barnes was also the type of man who scoffed at those like Cherry; he was the type of man whose vocabulary didn’t include words like compassion or empathy. He was hardened, cold, unforgiving, and his purpose he made clear: to push his troops to their limits and to keep them alive, so that they could kill those responsible for 9/11, for the deaths of countless Americans, like that of my father.

Though I agreed with him on few things, there were many times that I also realized I needed to be more like Barnes. That I needed to be stronger, less afraid, that I needed to be the hero my parents would have wanted.

Back in that chopper, I’d felt like a hero.

But now, broken and fearful, and flinching at the sound of my own name, darting my eyes back down to the ground to avoid his hardened gaze, I realized I was the farthest thing from one.

“Yes, Sergeant Barnes?” My voice came out softer, quieter than I would have liked, a quiver to my tone.

“What in the hell is wrong with you, Private?” He demanded, his strides bringing him to an uncomfortable proximity to me. When he came to a stop, towering over me, glaring at me from those cold, blue eyes, he let his rifle fall from its position over his chest to rest the butt of it against the earth, fingers curling around it not out of desperation like mine, but out of fury, his knuckles turning white.

“My soldiers are dyin’, and you’re sittin’ here without so much as a scratch on ya, keeled over like you’re still in your mother’s goddamn womb,” he said to me, Texas cadence lilting his words.

A pang, at the mention of my mother, shot through my chest, but I forced my gaze to meet his, forced my body to remain still, obedient, taking the verbal punishment in submission but not showing weakness.

“Get yourself together, Ryder,” he said. “Or I will. And you won’t like that too much.”

I nodded, swallowing a cruel knot in my throat. “Yes, sir.”

“And that medic, you’re distractin’ him from his duties. In fact, I don’t think I ever seen you two not joined at the hip. I’m gonna get him transferred to A Squad.”

Panic bubbled up from my chest, but I swallowed it back down. Cherry was my only friend here. He was the person I’d been leaning on all through basic, all through those moments where I’d felt like this had been a mistake, that I should’ve quit, faked a suicide attempt so I’d get sent back on the grounds of being psychologically unfit.

And Barnes was going to take him away. And there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. Protest, and I would be punished. Ask questions, and I would be punished. This wasn’t school where you got a call home to your parents and a sternly-worded letter; this was the army, and you weren’t allowed to fuck up, because it could cost lives, and you certainly weren’t allowed to question authority – especially Barnes’ authority – because if you did, they’d make your life more of a hell than it already was.

So I merely nodded, complied.

“It won’t happen again, Sergeant,” I said numbly.

“It’d better not, Ryder. You’re already enough of a liability. Now get off your sorry ass and go patrol the perimeter. There could still be hostiles on our position, and I need you coverin’ the west treeline.” Barnes lifted a finger to point in the direction of the forest, which was all wild, untamed wood. Behind every aspen, every bough, every bush, could’ve been an al-Qaeda or Taliban soldier, creeping through the brush with an AK and a death wish.

“Yes, sir,” I said, and forced myself onto wobbling legs, ignoring the surge of nausea in my gut and bringing the stock of my rifle back to my chest.

At least, patrolling the temporary perimeter we’d set meant I was just a bit farther from the cries of the wounded soldiers and the dampness of blood against petals of grass.

But it also meant that if there was another ambush, that I’d be one of the first to get a bullet through my skull.

“Hey,” another man’s voice called to me from my six, nearly as deep in tone as Barnes’ but far lighter in expression.

I turned a head over my shoulder. It was Sergeant Elias Grodin, the leader of Two Alpha.

Though I’d never really spoken with him, I knew from how he interacted with Barnes and from what the others said about him that he was much friendlier, much more forgiving. And he disagreed with Barnes on practically everything, would always make it known. He seemed to be the one person who had the guts to stand up to him. Not even the platoon’s lieutenant, Wolfe, dared question Barnes.

Our platoon consisted of four squads: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta.

Unfortunately, I had been assigned to Bravo Squad, which was led by Barnes, and filled with men who were equally as deplorable and crass – perhaps even worse, because they seemed to take joy in their scathing insults and their awful jeers and their sexist remarks.

“I heard Barnes giving you a hard time back there,” Elias said to me. “Try not to take it to heart. Everyone’s a mess after their first firefight.”

Immediately, my gaze darted from him to the trees around me, back to where Barnes had disappeared likely to torment his other soldiers. Though he was far less kind than Elias, his company scared me less merely because I had no idea what my squad leader would do to me if he found me talking with his arch-nemesis. I already wasn’t exactly his favourite member of the infantry.

“Thank you, Sergeant Grodin,” I said, stiffly, as I continued walking the perimeter.

He had caught up in stride alongside me now, so that I had to switch the positioning of my rifle to point at the ground before me, and he was blocking my eyesight of the carnage that the al-Qaeda had caused. But I wanted more than anything for him to leave me be.

Elias chuffed out a laugh, eyes glittering with a mirth that was rare to see in a line of work like this. Though they were as blue as Barnes’, they were brighter, warmer, more full of life somehow despite his own years of experience in the war.

“I told ya, Ryder, it’s Elias,” he said to me.

Everyone called him that. But I was so accustomed to using every formality in the book that I’d forgotten.

“Sorry, sir,” I said. But I didn’t call him by his name; I didn’t want to open up that personal connection, that informal basis. Every survival instinct told me to keep as much physical and emotional distance I could from the man.

Elias examined me for a moment from blue eyes and mousy lashes that were teased by the locks of earthy-brown hair that fell around his headband. He scarcely ever wore his helmet; I’d noticed this about him from my observations, though I’d never had the opportunity to ask him why.

And then, he said, with the hint of frustration in his tone, “I told Barnes that he shouldn’t be sendin’ out the new recruits to lock down the perimeter. But he thinks throwing ya in the deep end is gonna somehow make ya into a goddamn Navy SEAL.”

Neither of the staff sergeants from Alpha and Bravo kept their thoughts hidden about the other. Almost everything negative I heard out of Barnes’ mouth was “Elias this”, “Elias that”, like he was a perpetual thorn in his side.

And almost any time I’d ever heard Elias speak with Barnes or that fuck-head O’Neill who never stood by anything he said, he’d always have a sarcastic insult or two to throw at them.

I let Elias rant in silence, the only noise coming from me being the soft landing of my boots against the grass, the occasional snap of a twig that I failed to avoid.

And then he said to me, the frustration ebbing from his tone, “Wanted to come check in on ya, make sure you’re doin’ alright.”

I met his gaze for a moment – just that, a moment –, nearly let myself get lost in the softness of his eyes in contrast to Barnes’.

“I’m alright,” I told him, giving an anxious nod and forcing the tight line of my mouth to curve upward. “I don’t need to be checked in on. But… thank you, sir.”

One of his brows shot up, and he chuffed out another laugh, his lips stretching wide and pulling into a toothy grin. Now that I thought of it, I’d never seen Barnes so much as smile.

“Well, alright,” Elias said almost amusedly, and then added, “And you can cut it out with the ‘sir’ bullshit too, yeah? I ain’t on a power-trip.”

Though I knew he wasn’t like Barnes, or O’Neill, or my drill instructor, he was asking me to work out one of the laws that had been ingrained so deeply in me during basic that even if I wanted to, I didn’t think I could go back on.

I nodded again, and said, “Thanks, Elias.”

And I glanced again, fearfully, over his shoulder.

Elias’ grin faded, falling from expressive cheekbones as his blue eyes scoured my own features, studying me with an intensity that made me feel so exposed, as if he could read my fears, my weaknesses, with only a glimpse of those glittering optics.

 “You sure you’re alright?” he asked me.

Just leave, before Barnes sees us and yells at me again, I thought, each stride we made against the forest floor heightening my anxiety.

“Yes,” I said, from partially-gritted teeth. “Really, I’m okay.”

He didn’t believe me; that much was obvious. That blue gaze raked again across my face before finally he said, “If you say so, Private.” A quick glance at our surroundings, and then, “Good luck.”

And then he was gone, too, but I managed to breathe a sigh of relief that had built in my chest.

---

My eyes remained trained on every stalk of wood, every bush that seemed like it might be obscuring a threat. My senses were alert, listening to the sounds of the forest, inhaling once more the pine and the fresh, summer grass. Sweat clung heavy to my forehead, and I rubbed a hand across my brow, jostling my helmet. It caused my uniform to cling to my armpits, my sides. Even my khakis were sticking like cling-wrap to my damp calves.

I swatted a fly from my neck, hissing in frustration. The summers here, even in the alpines, were sweltering with dry heat, and it only encouraged the insects. Though I didn’t envy the soldiers that had been deployed in the lower valleys, it was still far from the comfort of home.

As my attention fixed back on the forest, I noticed a movement from behind one of the bushes, and my body tensed, heart picking up in my chest.

I rose the barrel of my rifle immediately, pointing it at the bush and trying to even my quickened breath.

A hand that had wrapped around some of the brambles to pull them aside stilled, and a dark eye peered at me in petrification.

“Hey,” I said, fear causing my tone to come out harsher, louder than I had intended. “U.S. military. Hands up, now. Out from behind there, now.”

I held my finger above the trigger, though it twitched, itching to lower. I didn’t know if this native was armed, or if he was the only one. I didn’t know if, in the next series of seconds, if I’d end up like one of the guys back at the ambush site, blood and organs spilling from my abdomen or my brains splattered against the trunk of a tree.

Slowly, hands raised, the man stood and stepped out from behind the bush, along with a woman and who appeared to be his son, based off of their age. A colourful turban was wrapped around the skull of each man, while the woman wore a black burqa that covered everything but dark, fearful eyes.

The older man uttered something in his native language to me.

I scanned each of them, but they didn’t appear to be armed. Still, that didn’t mean they weren’t hiding a pistol or a knife under their layers of ornate cloth.

“Sergeant Barnes!” I called over my shoulder. I was close enough to the ambush site that I would hopefully be heard. Us grunts didn’t carry radios on us. “I’ve got some civvies over here!”

It wasn’t long before Barnes showed up, along with a couple more of his men, Bunny and Junior. But my finger was tense above my trigger the entire time.

“Search them,” Barnes ordered us, and we got to work patting down the Afghanis.

The older man said something to us again, and Bunny sneered at him. “Keep your pussy mouth shut, old man. Or I’ll shoot your tongue off.” He yanked at the pockets of the man’s clothing, tearing a hole in his shawl.

I eyed Bunny warily. He was another one of the new recruits, picked out by Barnes likely because he didn’t trust Elias with conditioning us properly. And out of everyone in my squad, Bunny was the most liberal with what he said and did.

And even though I didn’t like the Afghan any more than the other soldiers, even I thought that his comment was perhaps unnecessarily far.

Barnes said nothing.

When we’d finished checking them for weapons, he ordered us to escort them back to the ambush site, where he would decide what to do with them. Elias and his squad had gone scouting ahead before we’d move forward, so that we wouldn’t get caught in another hairy situation. However, the translator, Lerner, had gone with them.

The barrel of my gun remained pointed at the back of one of the Afghanis the entire walk there, of which Bunny and Junior spent shoving the three of them forward impatiently. No matter how much they quickened their paces, it wasn’t enough for the two young men.

We waited several minutes for Two Alpha to return, and I was allowed to sit again, resting my aching legs by dangling them from the log of a fallen tree. Every muscle in my body ached from the tension that had built up from the firefight, tension that not even hours of running and scaling obstacles had prepared me for.

Bunny, Junior, and a couple others were shoving the prisoners around, roughing them up a little and cackling, grinning like children who’d just found new toys.

Barnes watched over them silently, checking his watch every so often.

Wolfe had traipsed over, exchanged a few tense words with the sergeant, but had quickly decided to leave him alone. I couldn’t help but notice the flicker of uncertainty in his eye when he walked away, gaze flicking to the prisoners but never intervening.

No one fucked with Barnes.

Blood was starting to form on the jaw of the older Afghan man, one of his eyelids blackened and bruised, when Barnes gave his watch a final check and then stood, gathering all of us around.

“We’re wasting our time here, playing babysitter,” he announced. “Elias might not be back for another fifteen, and by that time, we might have another ambush on our hands.”

A few of the men murmured in agreement.

I stayed quiet.

“We don’t know if they’re al-Qaeda,” Barnes stated. “We don’t know if they’ve got IEDs set up for us. We don’t know if they’re gonna go cryin’ back to their village about us and send more troops. If we let ‘em go, there’s a chance that could happen. And I won’t risk any one o’ you like that.”

“I say we waste ‘em,” Bunny piped up, and I looked to him in surprise. I knew already that he got away with a lot, because he marched to Barnes’ fife, but this was bold, even for him.

But Barnes didn’t chastise him, or even acknowledge him. Instead, those cold, blue eyes locked on me, and I froze, a chill running down the length of my sweat-slicked spine.

“Ryder,” he said. “You do the honours.”

[anime-amazing]

Characters That I Roleplay As

Ocs

Male

Genshin

Jing Li

Tian Yu

Willow

Bai yunjun

Gods

Viserion (god of dragons)

Adonis (god of Sun)

Qyhthos (god of fertility)

Iros (god of beauty)

Syreus (god of ocean)

Santios (god of healing)

Elementals

Isa

Flame

Ashton (nicknamed Ash guard of earth)

Vincent (prince of light)

Lucian (prince of dark)

Chu Zhao

Elves

Prince Faelearn Yelqin

Prince Voron Vocaryn

Calen (marinas overprotective brother)

Venvyn Alvodroth (Drow)

Aragon

Earendil

Xue jing

Ethuil

Althidon larxina

Demons

Xander

Azazel

Achlys

Ammon

Vizeth

Agthas

Kasdeya

Rastreth

Sargoth

Xylon

Angels

Seraph

Angel

Raziel

Zerachiel

Elyon

Wolves

Spirit

Zander

Snow

Aztec

Versum

Rune

Virion

Sunshine

Edward

Vampires

Alaric

Orpheus

Maverick

Viscardi

Valentine

Vladislav

Salem

Louis

Lestat

Victor Mukami

Dracula

aethelfrith

Magnus

Atlantians (merpeople)

Prince Zayden

Prince Varun

Marinus

Katsumi

Pirates

blackstone Beatly Ashley

Shapeshifter

Aaron

Human

Ryder

Daiyu Zhan (clumsy doctor)

Asher

Alex (ex dragon hunter)

Aharon (Egyptian prince)

Ezequiel

Feng Liang (blind)

Zayne deschenel

Leroy

Xaio Zhang

Lingyun

Fenhua

Wyatt

Xue (prince)

Chen shi

Asclein

Jace shoenheight

Kitsune (Demon fox, Nine tailed Fox)

Takehiko

Hitoshi

Tao Yan

Darius

Kyusashi

Satoshi

Hiroyuki

Akira

Kenshin

Toshiyuki

Yazuma

Takayuki

Kitsunetsuki

Dragon

King Rhaegal

Brenton

Arman

Valryon

Scylla

Alduin

Mage

Alatar

Elven Mage

Zamir

Merlin

Butlers

Alexander

Leoniodas

Knight

Anthony

Jing Yan

Stolas

Cairo

Snakes

Rebel

Vahli

White tiger

Ninja

Expriments

Cyrus -

Kaikya - 732

Raven

Aderyn

Pegisus

Kai

Sheep

Yong Zheng

Alien

Azan

Azrallor

Cats

Fuwafuwa

Katoro

Karl

Faries

Aldric

Kelpie

Reed

Vistas

Centour

Ajilios

Cireon

Acasachus

Seasons

Prince Zhaleh (prince of winter)

Zhan(spring prince)

Pheonix

Meilin

Snow fox

Vixen

Living statues

Aiden

Khai (aiden when human)

Immortals

Meng yin

Uknown

Dr karter

Jingyu (loves mirrors)

Li Jing

Alucard

Vincent

Julian

Vulcan

Weishing

Haru

Yuki

Lin

Hale

Fu jia

Yi Ming

Lai Zheng

Elias

Deer

Ayal

Avalon

Seal

Dai Tou

Tengu

Xavai Tagan

Hybrid

Viscardi Lycaon

Dolls

Avery

Samurai

Zander

Azuma Kaneie

Disabled

Chu zhen

Haoxuan

Siren

Zachary Shard

Yotun/frost giant

Njemag Lokison

Bunny

Angel

Royal scribe

Haoyu

Cultivators

Jiang Yuxuan

Prince

Fu Ming

Norwegian water spirit

Airon

Female

Demons

Victoria

Aria

Cordelia

Dragon

Random female dragon

Ex dragon queen

Elves

Marina (Light/Drow elf hybrid)

Scarlett

Princesses

Cassandra

Rose

Camille

Anastasia

Aegnor

Vampire

Tatiana

Marcelene

Lenora

Horses

Shadow

Dolls

Anastasia

Angels

Angelica

Mermaids

Calista

Human

Evelyn

Stella

Akari

Centour

Astilea

Wolf

Ashina

Elemental

Harper (zeleahs mother)

Gods

Willow

Kitsune

Sakura

Hybrids

Ira

Bunnys

Fulki

Ciltivators

Lan Shu

Gods

Ophelia

Siren

Sereirena Vocaryn

Other

Silas

Azriel