#staying up till 3…i did do it but at what cost

[littleplantfreak]

still not done with the fic but ive made good (some) progress 😤

[tourturestarradio]

𝐒𝐄𝐀 𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆

Pairing: Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Nami (more added later) x Mermaid reader!

Prompt: After your family jewels were stolen you were determined to get them back joining you closest friend Monkey D. Luffy on his adventure to become the king of the pirates.

Warnings: none, this follows the live action!!

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 Part 4 Part 5

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮

⋆｡°✩ ┊         ┊       ┊   ┊    ┊        ┊               ┊         ┊       ┊   ┊   ˚★⋆｡˚  ⋆ ┊         ┊       ┊   ⋆                                                                                                         ┊         ┊       ★⋆ ┊ ◦ ★⋆      ┊ .  ˚            ˚★

𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐍𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒 Y/n stayed focused on them making sure not to ruin the design, it was daytime and Nami was looking at the map to the grandline "that's strange..." she mutters, Y/n looked back "hey Nami!" Nami raised her head "what?" Y/n held her hand up "like my nails?" she asked excitedly.

Nami stared at her "it's alright..." Y/n frowned before perking up "you look cute in your glasses!" Nami paused for a moment before staring back down at her map.

Zoro exited the small room "hey um Nami, your toilets busted" Nami head shot up "we don't have a toilet." Zoro paused "oh...well something is leaking back there" getting up Nami hurried into the room shutting the door behind her.

"Zoro! Zoro! like my nails?" she held up her hand showing off the design, Zoro tilted his head "looks cool" Y/n huffed annoyed by their lack of reaction before returning to decorating her nails.

Luffy nudged Y/n "Luffy! be careful! you almost messed me up" he was sitting next to her "what do you think of the name Straw hat crew? got a nice ring to it don't you think?" Y/n nodded happily "I like it-" nudging him softly with her elbow she smirked "-Captain" Luffy could feel his heart thump a little faster as his face grew red.

Laughing Y/n knew just how flustered Luffy got when she called him that, it was a little odd to her but she didn't question it.

Grabbing her bag she dug through it "look at these glass bottles I found!" Luffy watched as she pulled out three oddly shaped bottles.

He tilted his head "what are those for?" he questioned, Y/n took the corck out of each of the bottles "to collect ocean water." Luffy tilted his head "why?" Y/n dipped one of the bottles under the water "well just in case I need it so I don't die, and what if we run into another devil fruit user? throw some of this on them and we'll have nothing to worry about."

Luffy grinned "so smart!" Y/n filled up each bottle before popping the cork back into them making sure they were tightly shut.

Zoro stared at Buggy's wanted poster "wow, he was worth 15 million berry..." Y/n awed "wow that's a lot..." Y/n stood up as Nami walked over "well we're not going to be here for very long, turns out syrup village is known for its ship building." Luffy perked up "what are we waiting for then?" Luffy walked away, Nami following him, Zoro ripped the wanted poster down muttering "stupid clown"

Y/n chuckled and walked away as did Zoro.

"Wait till I get my hands on that rubber hose little runt, and the dumb fish face, no body make fun of Buggy the clown!" Buggy sneered rummaging through the different crates.

That was until he heard a noise behind him, turning around he saw a fishman standing in his spotlight "oh great another one of you fish faces...."

The fishman spoke "Buggy the clown. Arlong wanted a word with you." Buggy scoffed turning away "well you can tell Arlong I said "I don't take requests."

Y/n and the others walked around looking at all the different ships, "look at them all..." Luffy smirked looking around. Zoro asked the important question "how much do these even cost?" Nami spoke "if you have to ask you probably can't afford it."

Y/n trailed behind them still wanting to look at all the interesting boats. Nami glanced over at Luffy "look we're gonna need something a little less flashy if we want to sneak out of here." she stated, Luffy stopped and looked over at her "you want to steal a ship?" Nami looked at him as if it was obvious.

Crossing her arms she spoke "how else did you expect us to get one?" dosing out Y/n played with her hair until Zoro called out to her "Y/n come on" she blinked and followed them "sorry."

He looked at her questioningly "what's up with you spacing out all the time?" Y/n apologized "I just have a lot on my brain sometimes" she muttered, her fins glowing out of embarrassment.

Zoro shrugged and kept walking, somehow they had managed to lose Luffy "where did he go?" Nami sighed "hopefully he's not causing trouble." Y/n nodded in agreement.

Walking around Y/n spotted him standing next to very large ship with a goat's head in the front "there you are!" she called out hurrying over to him.

Y/n stared at the ship in awe "wow...she's gorgeous..." she muttered, Luffy called out "guys! I found it! I found our ship, and this guy will sell it to us!" he smiled.

Y/n looked at the male he had dark brown skin and a brown scarf tied around his head holding back his hair, he was very handsome.

The male looked confused "o-oh um what..uh" Luffy nodded "yep we'll take it!" the man shook his head "technically she's not for sale" Y/n frowned, as did Luffy "I mean technically i'm not a salesman..." Y/n only 'oh'ed' at his words.

Nami held her hands on her hips "well do you even work here?" Y/n cocked her head to the side "hm.."

He looked at the rest of them "of course I do, I'm the chief technician in charge of ​encrustation removal and aviary waste eradication." Y/n and Luffy both grew confused at his big words.

Zoro dumped it down "he scrubs barnacles and cleans bird shit" Y/n and Luffy both "ooohhh" at his words.

Y/n sighed "well that's not much help." he quickly cut in "wait, wait, wait, I can help you." he began "the owner of this ship just happens to be my closest friend." Y/n smiled "that's great!" Nami raised a suspicious brow "you're friends with the owner of this ship...?"

He nodded, "not just this one, but the whole shipyard" Y/n grew excited "wow! really! that's so cool!" the male smiled at Y/n "I know right" Y/n bounced up and down "let's go meet her! she sounds awesome!" the male chuckled "alright i'll take you guys to her, I'm sure you can strike a deal with her" he stated.

He walked away "follow me." Y/n and the others followed behind him Luffy and Y/n giggling like children. Nami and Zoro watched from behind them "just a like." Nami sighed, "no wonder they're best friends." Zoro muttered

────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆──

Luffy looked in awe at the house "wow i've never seen a house this big before..." he stated, Y/n walked around "so pretty..." she muttered, "all of this just for one person?" she questioned, the male looked over "well no she lives here with her butler and a few other staff." he stated.

Y/n looked at the flowers "so pretty! Zoro! look!" picking up one of the flowers from the pond she showed it to him, he didn't look to impressed but he found her excitement cute so he humored her a bit "it's pretty, it kinda matches with your skin" the color did match with her clashing skin tones.

Nami slapped his arm, he looked at her confused "don't say that. she might think you're making fun of her...condition" she whisper shouted to him, Zoro blinked "oh...Y/n I didn't mean it like that-" Y/n chuckled shaking her head "I know what you meant it's okay" she stated putting the flower back in the pond.

She walked ahead of them to catch up with Luffy, "see she was fine with it." Nami rolled her eyes "just. be mindful of what you say. who knows what's going on inside that head of hers"

Luffy asked "hey so if you're always welcomed here why do we have to go around the back?" Y/n nodded in agreement, the male stumbled over his words "u-uh well I never use the front entrance, this is more of a VIP entrance."

Y/n couldn't care less about what they were talking about, she only had a big interest in the garden looking over all the different colored flowers and nicely cut garden hedges.

That was until the male stopped "ya'know there's a more exclusive entrance back this way!" Y/n spotted two people one of them was a round man with an odd haircut, while there was a girl with blue hair.

He tossed a knife towards the male "now what the hell are you doing here Usopp?" Y/n leaned closer to Luffy "they don't seem very happy to see him."

The male dubbed as Usopp chuckled nervously "Buchi, buddy, uh Kaya is expecting me." Buchi grabbed Usopp glaring at him "another one of your lies...you're not welcomed here you know that." Usopp tilted his head "I know nothing of the sort. uh I'm here to give Kaya an extra special gift."

Buchi looked as if he was about to say something rude when a polite voice called out to him "Usopp!" the four of the five of the looked over seeing a blonde girl with a pink dress, she held onto the arm of her butler.

"What a wonderful surprise" she smiled, Y/n and the others watch the interaction between the two "Kaya! happy birthday" she looked a little shocked "you remembered."

Y/n pouted looking at Luffy "you never remembered my birthday" he snapped his head over "yes I do!" Y/n dead panned "when's my birthday?" she questioned, he stopped for a second as if he was deep in thought. Y/n sighed "wow some best friend you are." Luffy grabbed her shoulders "I remember I just wasn't expecting that question!"

Y/n laughed "i'm kidding Luf!" she stated patting his head, he let out a sigh of relief "oh...don't do that! that wasn't funny!" Y/n only laughed harder covering her mouth, Luffy let go of her shaking his head.

Usopp pointed behind him "I brought my crew!" Y/n cocked her head to the side as Luffy blinked "is he talking about us?" Kaya lightly waved towards them "nice to meet you! you all must stay for dinner!" she insisted.

Luffy perked up at the mentions of food, as did Y/n "I am kinda of hungry now that you mention it" Luffy smiled "alright when do we eat?" her butler scoffed "you don't. Not dressed like that." Y/n looked down at her clothes wondering what was wrong with them?

Was it too revealing?

Klahadore turned his attention to the girl with blue hair "Sham. show Usopp and his friends to the guest suites. you will bathe and change before dinner" Y/n held her hand up to her nose sniffing, 'well I do smell the seawater so reasonable' she shrugged.

Following the blue haired girl walked past Kaya whispering "happy birthday" to her, Kaya smiled and nodded "thank you" as she walked past Klahadore stared at Y/n intensely. Even though it creeped her out she gave him a polite smile, he looked her up and down as if he was analyzing her.

But that was soon cut short when Zoro stepped in blocking his view "watch where you're staring" he muttered to him before Zoro kept walking staying close to Y/n. Nami watched with a tiny smirk.

Luffy flipped through the different clothes "so many options! what should I wear?" Nami looked back at him "anything you want. when are you going to get the opportunity to wear things this nice?" stepping out from behind a cover up thing (I totally did NOT forget what those are called) she had on a blue and black dress.

"Well what do you think?" she asked Luffy "well, you look like Nami" he shrugged, she sighed "I'll just ask Y/n...wait where is Y/n?" Zoro walked past before stopping Luffy greeting him "Zoro! what you gonna wear?" he asked, Zoro looked around the room "something black."

Luffy looked around "hey Zoro have you seen Y/n?" he asked, Zoro shook his head "nope maybe she's still in the bath" he shrugged. Luffy sighed "i'm gonna go look for her" he stood up leaving the room. Zoro watched him go "hopefully that butler isn't around her." As Nami flipped through the clothes she decided to tease him a a bit.

Looking back she smirked "why? you scared he's gonna steal her from you?" Zoro scoffed "no, I just don't like the way he was looking at her." Nami chuckled "my point exactly." Zoro rolled his eyes muttering "whatever..."

Luffy walked through the large house back to the bathrooms, without thinking he opened the door "Y/n you in here-oh!" Y/n was peacefully soaking in the warm water her tossed back. The water graciously stopped right before it showed off her entire chest.

Opening her eyes she squealed "Luffy!" his cheeks flared up as he quickly shut the door yelling "Sorry!" he hurried back to the room. "did you find her?" Nami asked, Luffy nodded silently his cheeks still burning red.

Zoro stared at him "somethings telling me he saw something he shouldn't have." Nami nodded in agreement.

☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮ ★ ☆☆ ★ ✮

A/n: Can you tell who my favorite character is?

Tag List: @luuffyswife @ghostlyworld @valen-yamyam16 @juhdoche

[my-corneroftheworld]

Child without love

Summary: Namor finds a marine biologist with the powers to control water and deep knowledge of the sea and is intrigued.

Word count: 1,1k

Tags: Smut in later chapters (no minors allowed), "water-bender" reader x Namor after the events from Wakanda forever, possessive Namor, mutant reader, talk of climate change, asphyxiation, the deep sea being a bit scary, war, violence, harsh language, Wakanda forever spoilers, the usage of y/n, afab reader

Ps. if you read the preview before you can start reading after the divider. I barely made any changes other than grammar-related and wording. If you want more chapters I would greatly appreciate some constructive criticism in the comments

Masterlist

Chapter 1

I couldn’t bring myself to look him in the eyes. "You can't just go behind my back like that! There are set rules and hierarchies that keep our organization running smoothly!" Adeoye yelled while he was walking frantically back and forth. He never could handle stress well. " You're little outburst may have cost us our one shot to get the right people's attention!"

I want to say I'm sorry and that it was rude and petty of me. But I couldn't because I did what I thought was right. They have ignored our every attempt to better their policies and today's presentation only opened my eyes to how blissfully ignorant they allowed themselves to be. He stopped his pacing and rubbed his eyes under his big ill-fitting glasses.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" he asked abrasively. I knew that he wasn't really angry at me. He was frustrated with everything. The board director's nonchalant attitude, the over-looming doom of the deadline we've got in 2 months and my little outburst were certainly not making things better.

"No" I answered.

"Well if that's the case then you give me no choice other than to suspend you for 2 weeks" he sighed. I wasn't surprised. Cussing out the board due to their lack of ethical consideration whilst ignoring every warning I and others have worked tirelessly on proving wasn't really considered to be professional. " I understand," I say solemnly and start picking up my notes. 5 years of studying and 3 years of diligent work have come to this, being pushed aside so that rich people can profit off of dangerous means at the cost of the health of our seas. And having no power to change anything

I drove home in silence, with nothing but the wind from the window creek as my companion. I think I'll have to practice today to let off some steam. After arriving and leaving my notes by the kitchen counter, I changed into my swimsuit and went down to the beach. Moving here was mainly so I could get to work within 15 minutes but having the sea outside my back door has definitely changed my life. I never liked using my powers in front of others. Mutants aren't really welcome unless they're wearing suits and have fancy names. So there aren't many moments where I can use them to their fullest extent. When I do I feel at home. I feel free of everything. My worries and concerns are washed away.

Once I reach the water I breathe in and allow myself to feel its pull. Imitating the waves with my hands till it starts to imitate me, following my every command. I slowly start walking in allowing myself to be surrounded then I dive keeping the water from reaching my face and requiring no movements though I still haven’t passed 5 minutes at a time. Maybe I’ll make it at 6 today. I decide to explore a little further than usual, seeing what I can find on the sea floor and cleaning up small things that shouldn’t be there.

It was then I noticed it. The entity that has been watching me from afar. It barely moved and I couldn’t really make out its shape. But I knew it was looking at me and it stayed completely still. I was scared. My bubble was slowly shrinking so I began to slowly make my way back to shore. As soon as I did the shadow got closer and closer which made me anxious to reach land. I finally burst into the sea, gasping for air. I lay down on the beach, trying to catch my breath then a voice called out.

“Who are you?”

______________________________________________________________

I quickly turned around and faced what seemed to be a man. Out of panic, I summoned water at my side and launched it at him with full force. He then began to levitate and dodge my advance with.. wings attached to his feet? Shocked I ceased fire and looked at him again. He was otherworldly. His dark eyes stared at me with a hint of confusion and irritation. His hair was a dark brown and wet from the swim, framing his face ever so slightly. The sunset made his warm terra-cotta skin glow along with his pearls and gold accessories. He was beautifully serene, like straight out of a dream. If I didn't know any better I would’ve thought that he was a god. As I scanned his body so did he with mine before stopping at my eyes demanding an answer to his question.

“Who are you?” He asked again urgently, stepping closer to my frame. I tried to move back as a response.

“I- I’m y/n l/n.” 

“That is not what I meant. I mean where are you from? Are there more of you?” 

“I’m from here. I’m not sure what you mean by more of me” I answered hesitantly. Why is he asking all these questions? I mean from the looks of he’s most definitely some kind of mutant. He’s a bit too good of a swimmer to think otherwise. Not to mention the literal full-functioning wings at his feet.

“More who can manipulate water.” he clearifies. 

“No.. I mean none that I know of” I say and start rising slowly from the ground. “Who are you?.. Are you perhaps like me?” I have never met another mutant before. Let alone someone connected to water. Hope starts swelling up. Maybe..just maybe I am not alone. 

“No I am not like you. As for who I am it is not for you to know.” He says bluntly. And just like that my sliver of hope is gone. “Then what do you want?” I ask while noticing he’s pointed ears adorned with what seemed to be jade earrings.

“That is yet to be decided.” He begins circling me around slowly. “There are threats that are making it hard for me to perform my duties and your power, though meager, may develop into what I need to avoid any more...complications.” 

Duties? Complications? What the hell is he talking about? He studied my face, assessing it possibly looking for a way to find out what I was thinking. Does he work for the government? Is that it? I’ve heard of mutant agents who were forced to do sketchy shit that higher-ups didn't want to be associated with. 

“Sorry, I’m not interested. Though I am grateful for the consideration to recruit me, I have my own “duties” to attend to.” After voicing my intentions I decided it was best to leave. As soon as I turned around I heard him say. “I’m afraid I cannot take no as an answer” and before I could react, everything went dark and my last thought was how warm he felt in his arms as he took me back to the sea.

[seeminglydark]

tips for a broke punk trying to make diy patches like your “Useless Patch” patch!

So the current Useless patch I have at cons is hand screenprinted by me, but screenprinting does have an initial cost and i think not the best option for a broke punk who is looking to just make a couple of patches. There are so many ways to make patches, but heres what I did when i first started. Get some good 'ol wax paper you can get at the grocery store. and some cheapo acrylic paint, any kind will do, those little bottles you can get anywhere, and one of those spongy brushes. if you are too broke for spongy brush, (they are cheaper at the hardware store than the craft store often time btw) you can use a regular dish sponge or even a folded napkin, you just wanna be able to dab the paint.

get a piece of paper and draw your design on it, you wanna be careful with letters that have enclose spaces like O's and R's, i actually suggest if youre using this method the easiest 'font' to use is the basic punk stencil, which is actually literally just a grade school stencil. you dont need to buy a set, you can look at a reference and draw it or print it out if you have access to a printer and paper (library might help if you dont!) these are the letter type im talking about. Sorry for all these shitty google images lmao. ANYWAY.

grab a razor or an xacto knife and cut the letters out of your wax paper, wax side down, be careful obviously, helps to put a flat piece of cardboard underneath and you can tape it down to keep it in place if you want. once you have your design all cut out you can place it on your piece of fabric. with the wax side down on the piece you plan to paint, run the iron over it. itll stick! neat! now you can grab your paint and use some method (i really like the dab with a sponge brush, dish sponge or papertowel method myself) and paint in your stenciled letters. dont let it dry between coats, layer it up till its a nice solid white or whatever color youre using, let it get slightly tacky but not dry and peel your wax paper off. the design should now be painted on your fabric! hurray! let it dry and the next day, press your iron over it to heat set it and voila! diy cheapo patch. its not going to be perfect, there will be bleeding in your edges, if that bothers you, you can fix it with black (or whatever color your fabric is) paint. either way doesnt matter, punk can be messy. I've made lots of patches this way, heres a pic of the recent ones, the Punks Respect Pronoun patch is the one ive done most with this method, it has the stencil letters i was talking about so it stays in one piece without me having to piece it together. for the record i am totally fine with people making Useless Patch, and if someone does, I'd love to see it! And obligatory shop shill, i will have my own versions of both these patches in my store soon when I get some time! I'm sorry I dont have pics for the process, next time I do it, ill take some and post them <3

Thanks for the Q!

[nyasiaaaaa]

In the Bleak Mid-Winter

Pairing: Thomas Shelby x Fem reader (Nurse)  Fem reader x Arthur ( platonic) Fem reader x John( platonic )

Summary: This is a story about two people who become constants in each others lives, and eventually fall for each. While one learns to love again, the other learns the cost of loving a man like him. 

Word count: 3.5k

Warnings: Cursing, blood, death, , drinking, alcohol, talks of war, guns, murder, Tommy Shelby, ( If I missed anything or you think something should be added please tell me.) ( Also Y/N is on dick, IDKY she acts like this)

A/N: part 1 takes place during season two, part 2/3 season 3 and 4/5/6 season 4. This is a Slow burn there will be smut eventually. 

Part 1  Part 2    Part 4   Part 5  part 6

*****************************

It was early, though you didn't know how early; sunlight filled the room slowly, and you heard birds chirping in the distance. You were still on the floor, but your position had changed slightly. Tommy was now lying to your right on his side with his head in your lap, and your legs were stretched out in front of you with one hand on your lap and the other playing with his hair. Neither of you had to gone to sleep; even though Tommy's eyes were closed, you knew he wasn't asleep. 

You didn't know how long you had been laying there, and honestly, your body was aching, but you were going to stay till he was ready to get up. 

It wasn't long after the sun completely filled the room that Tommy got up without a word or a glance in your direction. He walked to the bathroom that was in the room and shut the door, locking it. 

You stood up and stretched, then you stood there debating whether to wait for him or leave. He needs space, right?  

Yeah— he needed space; you decided to leave and go check on Gracie's body to make sure she was ready to be transported. You headed towards the nurses' station, hoping to get an update. 

As you approached the station, you were glad to see a nurse you knew and liked.

"Hey Jackie," your voice fell flat as you slightly smiled. 

"Hi, you OK. " 

"Yeah, just tired. Uh, did Grace's body get taken care of? Is it all stitched up and down in the morgue?" 

"Yeah, and one of the other doctors had to stitch her up. Dr. Brown's hands weren't the steadiest between the Whiskey and Grace dying on his watch. And now the board wants to do an investigation," she said and smacked her teeth. 

"I had told them— I told the board that Dr. Brown was a drunk and that It was only a matter of time before someone got killed." You had pushed the papers on the counter in frustration before resting your arms on it and placing your head in your hands. "Maybe— I don't know." 

You had been too caught up in your emotions to notice that your friend had gone silent. You didn't notice till someone cleared their throat behind you; slowly, you raised your head to see your friend frozen in fear. 

You turned around and saw Tommy standing behind you; he cleared his throat again before licking his lip and then running his cigarette across them. He placed it in his mouth, lit it, and took a long drag, all while his eyes remained on the floor. 

Pulling the cig from his lip, he lifted his head to look at you. 

His eyes looked different; they were darker, and they looked.... empty.

"I'll send someone for Grace," he said before turning and leaving the hospital. 

You watched him as he walked away from you. You wanted to say something, but what could you say? 

You just watched him walk away till he was out of your sight. 

You were sick, you knew about Dr.Brown, and you never said anything, and now Tommy Kn-

Wait

Tommy had just heard you admit that you knew Dr.Brown was a drunk, and you never told him, and now Grace was dead because of him. 

Because of you. 

You fell back, but Jackie caught you; people around you asked questions, but you couldn't hear them, let alone see them, as your vision started to get blurry and your chest tightened.

Tommy was going to kill you, no doubt about it. 

*******************************

You had yet to die; you were so sure that by nightfall, you would be in a shallow grave right next to Dr.Brown. But surprisingly, you and Dr.Brown were still alive, and it had been one week since Grace's death. 

For the first couple of days after Grace's death, you had been slightly paranoid, constantly checking your surroundings on the lookout for Tommy or any peaky man. But after a week of not seeing anyone, you started to calm down.

Everything had been quiet and slow. It didn't feel right, like the calm before the storm. 

You had been sitting at the nurse's station doing paperwork when a fellow nurse came up to you and told you that you had been requested to exam room one. 

You were petrified.

You got up slowly from your chair. Your legs had a slight shake to them as you walked. Had he done this on purpose? Did he wait you out just to kill you when you least expected it? Your breath started to come out shaky, and you started feeling light-headed. You looked at the wall, counting down the exam rooms as you walked. It was like the universe was laughing at you, giving you your very own count down to your death, 5….4….3….2…1.

You stood in front of exam room one. 

It was time. 

You couldn't move, your arms felt glued to your side, you couldn't move them, you couldn't open the curtain.  

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath.

On three, you would go in.

One 

Two 

Three 

You didn't move, not an inch. 

You felt like screaming; you brought your hands up to your mouth to keep you from making a sound.  

Your face suddenly felt cold and wet; you reached up to touch your cheek; it was tears you were crying. 

You couldn't do this. Maybe you could run away; you did have an Aunt in America somewhere, you think. You could-

The curtain was pulled back, and in front of you stood John and Arthur. 

You started to back up, and your tears flowed more freely. 

"No, no, no, Please," you sob out. 

Arthur said your name as he reached for you, but you flinched away and continued to back up until you hit a wall.

You were trapped; there was nowhere you could run, so you just slid down the wall and curled into yourself.

"Calm down, will you? I don't know what you think is going on, but we need your help," John said 

You raised your head out of your knees and looked up to John before looking over at Arthur. 

"It's true here; take my hand," he said, reaching his hand out to you; you hesitated but eventually took it. He helped you up to your feet, guided you into the exam room, and closed the curtains behind y'all.

"What do you need?" your voice was strained, and you kept sniffing.

 Arthur took out his handkerchief, handing it to you; you took it and wiped your face.

The two shared a look before Arthur spoke up, "Tommy wants the doctor dead, the one who worked on Grace." 

You were confused. If they weren't here to kill you, then what did they want, and why are they telling you this.

"OK, what does that have to do with me?" 

"The Doctor isn't taking any visitors or new patients. He's keeping himself locked up, and we're having difficulty getting to him. We need your help. Tommy said you would know how to help." John was blunt, and while Arthur stood, there was a look on his face that you could quite read. You had heard that the Doctor locked himself up in his office days ago, so it made sense that they couldn't reach him. 

You had assumed Tommy was talking about taking the Doctor down the hall you snuck him out of. It made sense; they could snatch him as soon as he walked out the door, he wouldn't suspect a thing, and there would be no witness. It's not like anyone would snitch anyway. 

You didn't take a second to think about it cause there was nothing to think about. You had no choice but to help them, so you said, "OK, follow me." 

You lead them to the hallway and out the door; you tell them your plan and tell them to wait there for you. Once they understood, you left them and headed towards Dr. Brown's office. 

You walked fast. There was no reason to drag this out.

You arrived at his office and jiggled the handle, but it was locked, so you reached up and knocked.

"Doctor, it me open up. It's me, Dr.Brown; open up." 

 You heard footsteps approach the door, then a lock turn; he peeked out the door slightly before shutting it again. You were confused and about to knock again when you heard stuff being moved around. He must've barricaded himself inside, not taking any risk. 

You waited, and soon, he came to the door again and opened it; he pulled you inside before closing the door and locking it again.

It smelled like shit, 

you looked around; the room was a mess; the trash cans were overfilled, spilling onto the floor, papers were everywhere, and furniture was tossed around. You turned back to look at the Doctor, who was already looking at you. He looked like he had been rolling around dirty; his clothes and hair were all messed up, and his eyes were bloodshot. He looked like he hadn't slept in days. 

You felt bad for what you were about to do.

"They're here, Tommy, Arthur, John. They're all here. They're looking for you." You tried to sound panicked so he would believe you.

He started to pace around the floor and ran his finger through his hair. "What—here—no, no." He stopped and turned to look at you. "Why are you here, you with them? You here to kill me, please, please don't. I'm a good guy; you know I'm a good guy." Tears fell down his face as he got on his knees in front of you and begged. 

You felt your eyes start to water; you couldn't do this; you panicked and turned your back towards him. 

You closed your eyes and calmed yourself down. 

You turned back to face him and hoped he wouldn't read into what just happened. 

"Get up; I'm not here to kill you; I'm here to help you." 

"What"

"If I was with them, they would have come through the doors instead of me. Now Get Up!" 

He looked at you briefly, got up, grabbed some cash from his desk, and met you at the door.

"OK, we'll have to be quick; they could be anywhere. I will let you out on the south side, and after that, you're on your own." He nodded at you, tears still falling from his eyes.

You quickly opened the door before you could stop yourself. You pretended to check if the coast was clear before telling him to follow you. 

Your walk to the south end of the hospital felt so slow but fast at the same time. You were approaching the final stretch of hallway, the door was in your sight, and you picked your pace up, 

you just wanted to get this over with.

"Thank you so much. I had prayed for a way out, and in came you." 

His words caused you to let a few tears sip; you quickly wiped them and reached out to open the door.

As soon as the both of y'all were out the door and it closed, Arthur and John came around from the wall. You heard him panic but kept walking straight. He yelled your name as he begged for his life, 

that only made you walk even faster. 

You passed Arthur and John, but you didn't look them in the eye; you couldn't. 

You heard the gun cock, and that's when his begging ended, and he started saying prayers.

"By The Order Of The Peaky Blinders" 

Then the gun went off.

You jumped, frightened, and quickened your pace.

You walked to the front of the building and into the hospital. You walked up to the nurses' station and grabbed your things. Some other nurses were there, and you told them you weren't feeling well and would be out for a few days. You didn't wait to hear their response and rushed home. 

When you got home, you immediately went and showered; you felt dirty. You were in there for over an hour, and you kept soaping up and washing it off over and over again. No matter how hard you scrubbed, you still felt like there was blood on you. 

When you finally got out of the shower, your skin was sore, and you were tired. You were too tired to even put clothes on; you hopped on your bed in your towel and balled yourself up real tight. 

At the angle you were lying at, you could see yourself in the mirror; you just looked at yourself. 

It wasn't like you were looking at a completely different person; you knew it was you. It wasn't a stranger in the mirror. It was just a different version of you that you hadn't seen since the war. 

A version you didn't want coming back. 

************************************

It had been a month since you saw Tommy and a few weeks since the Dr.Brown thing. 

You had taken a week off to handle your emotions; it was your first week back, and you were doing fine. You weren't your happiest self, but you spoke when you were spoken to, ate with everyone else, and even laughed at people's jokes. 

Was any of it genuine? No, but you are all about faking it till you make it. 

You had also been trying to write a letter to Tommy. It will say how you are genuinely grateful for everything that he has done, but you can't do this anymore. You would back pay him in rent when you could, but for now, if he could stop the protection detail and send his men to get fixed up, you would greatly appreciate it. 

You were having a hard time sounding stern. You had to make sure he understood that you couldn't do this anymore; you couldn't keep a man like him in your life, 

cause it was starting to cost you.

You were chewing on your pencil as you stared down at the letter you had written. The paper was smudged, and eraser pieces were everywhere.

 You had glanced up the clock to check the time; it was late, a quarter to midnight. You were working a night shift at the hospital; it wasn't bad. It was a chill night, pretty quiet. 

You stood up about to get a snack when you heard a tire screech outside; you peeked around the corner and saw a car in the ambulance bay; it must have been pretty serious if someone had driven here instead of calling an ambulance. You started walking towards the door of the bay when they suddenly burst open; a young lady yelled as she fell back. 

"Help, please, someone help."

You rushed over to help her, and that's when you realized the woman was Ada and the man she was holding in her arms was 

Tommy. 

"Ada, what happened?" You grabbed Tommy off her and signed for her to stand up; together, you both lifted him on a gurney and rushed him to an exam room.

"I don't know, h-he said," She was struggling to speak as she cried, "he said he had a cracked skull, concussion, internal bleed, and something about hemorrhaging." 

You looked at her, confused; if he had all that, he would be dead right now; he should be dead. You placed Tommy in a room and started to look him over; he was severely injured. 

"OK, Ada, look at me." You grabbed her arm tightly to get her attention. "I needed you to run towards the hospital's front desk and tell them that I need help. OK, say my name and tell them I need a neurosurgeon to come." She looked at you, hesitant to leave Tommy 

"Please, Ada, I can only do so much." 

She nodded and took off. You put gloves on before assessing Tommy. 

He had bruised ribs and a dark purple stomach; he might have been right about the internal bleeding; you went up to check his pupil reacting, and you grabbed his head softly, turning it up toward you before flashing your light. One eye was blown, but the other was good. 

He was in serious trouble; the likelihood of him dying outweighed the possibility of him not.

You were about to walk away to grab some gauze when someone grabbed your wrist; you tuned in and saw Tommy blinking; you rushed over and stood over him.

"Tommy, hey, can you see me? Can you hear me? You are in the hospital. Everything's going to be OK." He let out grunts of noise, not making any sense.

"Shhh, it's OK. Don't speak, please; you might hurt yourself."

"G-Grace " 

You immediately got nervous; if he was seeing Grace, he didn't have much time left.

"Tommy, no, it's me, hey, it's me." You grabbed his face in your hands and made him look at you. 

He whispered your name.

"Yeah, Tommy, it's me." Tears had been falling from your face, but you didn't notice until you tasted them. 

"Yo- You h-hav-e to P-ull me out." 

"What?" You reached up to wipe your tears; you were so confused.

"Pu-ll me out." That time, he spoke just above a whisper, but you still heard him and were still confused.

The Doctor then rushed in and quickly assessed Tommy; Ada stood behind in the distance. 

You stayed next to Tommy; you held his hand instead of his head, out of the Doctor's way. 

Before you knew it, other nurses had pushed the wheels into a moving position. They were about to take off towards the surgery room. You jogged alongside them to the room.

"It's going to be OK, Tommy; they're going to take good care of you, OK?" You squeezed his hand for reassurance.

"In t-he-" 

"What, what did you say?" You leaned closer to his face to hear him better.

"In the Bleak Mid-winter" 

You had reached the surgical room and let his hand go; you didn't want to put up a fight; this wasn't your specialty. You knew you would only delay his care if you fought to be in the room when you weren't needed. 

You had slowly walked back to the ER; your mind raced so fast you couldn't keep up.

You had heard that before; you didn't know where, but you were sure you'd heard "In a bleak mid-winter" before. And not at church but in a way Tommy just said, in a "final good-bye" kind of way 

You were so confused and so caught up in your thoughts that you didn't even realize that you had made it back to the ER. Once you pushed through the door, you were immediately rushed by Tommy's family, who asked you a million questions. 

You backed up a bit before speaking.

"I don't know anything. I don't know if he will live or die. I don't know the extent of his injuries. All I know is that he's in good hands; this Doctor is the best in the county. " 

Even though no one seemed satisfied with your answer, they all backed off. You had decided to lead them to the same private room they were in before to await Tommy's fait. You had been waiting no longer than 20 minutes when a nurse came in; you had all gotten a bit nervous, someone coming in so soon. 

He had to be dead. 

He wasn't, though, and the nurse had just come to gather some information about Tommy.

Ada helped, and you stared off, trying to remember. You weren't listening to them, but she said something that caught your attention.

"What did you say?" You asked Ada; you had pushed yourself slightly out of your seat to get closer to her and hear her properly.

"I said Tommy was a tunneler in the war and had been in a Tunnel collapse." 

You nodded your head slowly as you sat back down, 

"In a bleak mid-winter," you whispered as you slowly remembered where you had heard that before; your head was starting to hurt as the memories came rushing back in. 

It all started to make sense now, from your first in contour, the way he looked at you, and why he trusted you so quick without even knowing you, not only with his life but with his men, Grace, and his son. The reason he pays your rent and the reason you have a protection detail. 

You never understood it before; you never understood how you made such an impression on Tommy after one night or why he made you a constant in his life.

But now you understand, this isn't the first time you met Tommy.

You met him all those years ago when you dug him out of the dirt, brought him back, and saved his life. 

That's what he meant with Grace, how you saved him but couldn't save her.

He knew who you were this whole time, yet he didn't say anything.

Why didn't he say anything? 

[roseapov]

Debt

Kalim Al-Asim x GN!Reader

Tw: mentions of obsession, guilt tripping, manipulation, status difference, forced marriage, debt, money difference

Povtober 2023, Day 7 [Masterlist]

It was only you, and him, Kalim Al-Asim. Together under the starry sky, on his flying carpet on your first date as a newly formed couple.

You simply adored this sunshine, his presence always managed to make you feel better. His smile always makes all your worries fade away, like they were never there.

Kalim also loved your presence, your smile always seemed to make this sun shine even brighter. He cherished you and every moment he spent with you, like they were all sacred. They all were already sacred for him anyway. He would be more than happy to live through them with you again and again, till the end of the time.

He still remembers how he confessed to you, 3 months after your first meeting in the halls. He threw a huge party, one that Scarabia dorm had never seen before, way grander than all of the previous ones combined.

Kalim knew you loved him, and yet even then he couldn't stop himself from doubting it. To ensure himself in your feelings for him, for his comfort and satisfaction? He doesn't know anymore, but what he knows is that when you're wearing and using things he bought you, he finally feels at peace, his gifts like a mark of your belonging to him.

His gifts contained everything. If u did desire so, he could've given you a whole castle bigger than all of NRC put together, all for yourself! And the only thing you have to do to get it, is to ask. You have so much power over him and you don't even realize it.

But Kalim is way smarter than people give him credit for, after all being an heir to an insanely wealthy family is no joke. He consciously builds in you the feeling of debt, like you own everything you have to him. Which is mainly true anyway.

Guilt tripping you to stay with him, but not making it obvious, may as well become his speciality, especially with how terrifyingly good he is at it.

Look, your loving boyfriend bought you new golden jewelry! How much did it cost? You can't afford it? Don't worry, that's a gift for you! His perfect payment is you at his side, besides you don't plan on leaving him, right?

And if you ever did want to leave him, then what's gonna happen with you? All the money he spent on you, how you're gonna pay it back? It's not like he cares much about money in the first place, but if it means making you stay with him then he will use all of his privileges and status differences between the both of you for all it's worth.

After all he did spend some enormous amount of money on you, and he would never regret any thaumark spent on you, but you don't have to know about it.

But considering it is you, who has this debt then hmm.. Let him think. How about marrying him? Then all of your debt will be forgiven, it is a very generous offer, is it not?

After all, after taking the last name Asim, the money spent on you will come back to the Asim family, will it not? It's like your debt was never there!

I hope this fic was to your liking and I haven't messed this up! Don't be afraid to criticize my work and help me to improve❤️ ps. I love this work so much, perfect spontaneous idea❤️

~roseapov

[daradiostarzz]

Okay Hiii me back!! Time to talk about Book Enzo (Honestly the best iteration of Enzo) and an insight on him because I feel people look at book Enzo so one noted and it's very frustrating to watch so okay.

Context: The Book was where Nicky's friends were mostly introduced (This was during a time when SN wasn't considered part of the lore so no Finch, no Ivan and no Delroy and Leader, Brave and Detective were separate cause like Maritza and Enzo were hinted to be dark skinned mexicans) Enzo in the books was also very different in the two books.

Yes he IS a nerd he HAS nerd qualities but he was also had a very sharp tongue and will opp out of a conversation when Aaron is brought in as a topic. And book 2 is where Enzo stole alot of the show cause of his arc and turnaround and also his argument with Nick in chapter 7 and the iconic:

"Have fun alone." While Jackson 5 is blasting in the bg

He also did something somewhat of a prick move which was: ditching Nick & Maritza to instead hang with kids whom he had zero platonic compatibility with and allowing them to walk all over him (Like them giving him an embarrassing nickname) and though in the end of the book he does have a turn around and make up with Nick. Alot of people by that time see Enzo as a prick/mean girl/idk whatever u wanna call him. Ik 14 year old me did at the time till I reread it and started to be charmed and eventually now I usually tend to defend some of his actions of book 1-2 (3 I'll tab in a bit l8r)

Okay, let's start w the easy one which is Enzo telling Nick off in chapter 7 about staying away from Maritza & Trinny: In book 1 Enzo told Nick "Oh btw your neighbor cornered my sister and told her about her dead friend flying" and to which Nick then met up with Maritza irl by book 2 and the two shared a bond over them losing a close friend while amidst Nick falling out w Enzo. So let's go back to that first sentence in blue: imagine a friend of yours is friends with someone who the adult figure in their life said something pretty horrifying to a family member, to which you tell them about it & instead of that friend backing off that friend with the scummy adult figure they instead put your family member risking their life for investigating on that scummy adult figure behind your back cause they thought you simply just want to hide behind your tail and not confront the situation, and mind you. You and the friend are both 12.

Now let me say this: Yes it was somewhat scummy for Enzo to try and avoid it at all costs especially when Maritza was hurt he did not take into consideration her feelings BUT the situation could've been bad had Maritza been closed off to the topic about her two dear friends & being thrust into foregoing to investigate a man who said creepy shit to you by someone you kinda met through your brother. Yeah, Enzo HAD a reason for what he said about Nick staying away from Trinity and Maritza two people who he not only cares about but HAS HISTORY. I love Nick but it is stupidly dangerous how he set up 2 other kids to investigate with him and doesn't think of how DANGEROUS that is especially since in the books it is HEAVILY IMPLIED THEODORE ABUSES AARON.

This isn't a case of unreliable narration or the author forgot to add it in it's a case where the POV doesn't understand why the character feels like that way, it's Nick POV at the end of the day he doesn't have all the answers but it's hinted.

They're meant to be a parallel to their own fathers' how-to approach to an article on Theodore except switched on its heads. So yeah how do you expect a bunch of 12-year-olds to react to someone being kidnapped?

Aaron & Enzo: Okay in general this is something I always kept in mind about the books especially cause this was intended by the author:

Enzo and (the rest of the kids too not just him.) Are meant to be flawed so it's not a surprise personally he doesn't want to be affiliated with something as macabre as Lucy's death or the Petersons anymore and is again trying to cope (He's 12 his mind is at the end of the day still developing) but it just doesn't work. My only complaint was I wished we could've seen a scene where Enzo realizes Ruben and Seth didn't care for him. But with what we have I much rather have it be implied through Enzo not making it to the basketball team and finally Enzo and Nick making up and going to Miguel for help. Nick & Enzo CARE about the people they love they unfortunately butt heads over how to approach it with Enzo wanting Nick to do nothing while Nick wants Enzo to do something. They don't HATE each other I do not understand where that is coming from especially cause Nick was so quick to forgive Enzo even wanting to hug him like... They care for each other, they just clashed about how to approach a very heavy situation that will likely get police involved.

And as for Enzo falling out with Aaron, obviously, it's the Maritza situation I want to irritate though that yes Aaron isn't at fault Enzo probably with the influence of Miguel shaped his mindset that Aaron and Mya are people he should stay away from in order not to be sucked in by Theodore's toxicity (Cause that book they were all 10 and had brains that soak up like a sponge)

Okay time to talk generally about book 3: It's a very weak book that forces the characters to be written out of a plot for the final scene which was planned out. And though yes Enzo abandoned Nick (with like also Trinity and Maritza)

Oh right I totally forgot HNVR exist despite how book 3 seems to have written them not wanting to do with anything w Nick! let's all actively pretend book 3 never existed:

Okay, I'll try my only defense for him in book 3 is: Everyone was written stupidly for a forced conflict but I think cause as a reader I was desensitized to Enzo being mean it doesn't come off as left field for me as Trinity and Maritza also he was the last one to opp which again says alot. Also HNVR says otherwise let's pretend they realize how stupid they were and then wanted to apologize only for Nick to be missing let's say that (or pretend book 3 never exist)

So yes this is my gushing about the book Enzo and why I believe he's the most well-written character in the books and what I think alot of people tend to miss out... I wish Enzo was more studied on like this on the same levels as Ted tbh lol

I love these four... I will talk about these four... Please let me talk about their book versions of them so bad you have no idea how much I will go the 7 seas to defend them like a soccer mom.

[pseudowho]

Hello Haitch!! Hope you doing well 💞💞💞

First off, I wanted to say that I LOVED your analysis on Nanami’s dislike for working but also still doing overtime. Not only did it just make sense, it also felt so real and relatable to me. I’m not the type of person to procrastinate. My checklist is there so I can get my work done and when I’m finally free of responsibilities, I can actually enjoy my break. But sadly work for now is unending, and I found my past self pulling a Nanami Kento staying up till who-knows-how-late just to finish… only this week’s assignments when there will be more next week?? at the cost of my energy, mental health, back pain??

And if I remember correctly, there was this one post you made about why you love Nanami: the rage, the fiery, passionate anger! *chef’s kiss.* The part where I fell for Nanami (I fell hard) was that he was able to, like you said, redirect it to a purpose of altruism. Somehow, Nanami makes some good out of it in a merciless, parasitical (as Mr. Haitch said) system. It’s not revolutionary systemic change, but it is certainly enough to have an impact on the people he cares about. I think that’s the perfect amount for Nanami. That just makes him even more human and precious to me 🥺

I also want to bring up the things that Nanami does for himself too. Like what we talked about earlier, he found value in helping others not just for them but also for himself! Also, I think he definitely upped his self-care game, and we do love a man who can take care of himself. Probably the most obvious indication of this is how he set clear work-life boundaries in his schedule. He will not work past 6:00 unless he has to. This would probably allow him to enjoy the rest of his evening off, as he should. It is even more pronounced how being a jujutsu sorcerer means you don’t know when your time might end. I’m just glad that Nanami was able to at least have the time to read that one book in a peaceful cafe we saw in the first season opening. I also think that the same concept applies in real life too. We deserve to enjoy the limited time we have on earth because even if we are working for the possible future of no more work, it is not certain that we’ll even make it.

Yaga said something to Yuuji when he first got accepted to Jujutsu High. Sorcerers will die regretting something in their life. That just stuck with me for throughout the entire show. Nanami’s scene emphasized his regrets of not being able to go to Malaysia where he can finally live a simple, unburdened life. I never really cried hard for a show or a movie, until that scene… Yeah, so I had to take the following day off and go take a nap on the beach just lying in the sun just thinking about Nanami…

———- (covering two asks in one) ———-

May I possibly convince you that perhaps some classical music is worthwhile? The ones that make me swoon and melt and sigh while daydreaming. Not bach, not mozart, not beethoven…

But specifically the romantic era. And even in there you have to do a bit more digging.

Just the first minute and if you like it, then that’s awesome! if not, that’s cool too!

- Rachmaninoff’s symphony no. 2, movement 3 (Adagio)

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QNRxHyZDU-Q&pp=ygUecmFjaG1hbmlub2ZmIHN5bXBob255IDIgYWRhZ2lv

*sighs dreamily because yes.* I think a large majority of classical music is hard to enjoy for me too. It will either make me fall asleep or it is super busy and complicated, not good to listen to while doing work… but there are certain pieces that I’ll just always go back to.

Moving on, it makes me wonder… what types of music do you listen to? Opinions on the JJK opening and ending songs? What type of music wouldn Nanami listen to? Did you know Nanami has a theme song??

Ah, I just wanted to say that you’re literally the reason why I downloaded tumblr just to like all your posts and follow you. It’s the first fandom I’ve ever interacted with, and I never could’ve imagined how exciting and insightful it could be to be a part of it 💗💗💗

I honestly love your addition to this analysis! I agree with all of it.

r.e. the self care, I think it adds an extra layer of tragedy to his life; as soon as he began to open himself up to experiencing joy, and permitting himself to be happy before this self-imposed 'retirement' age, he died before getting into his stride.

See, with Nanami's MalaysiaPlan™️, I view it as largely metaphorical over totally literal. I think he fundamentally was overworked, stressed and overpressured, and 'Malaysia' simply meant 'running away from it all'. I think that if he hadn't died, and his self-care had continued to gain trajectory as Kento found a way to ensure a good work-life balance, I think 'Malaysia' may well have slipped away; he would no longer need to run away, in order to find peace and enjoyment in life. Therefore, dying before 'Malaysia' simply meant he died before achieving his true goal; to be content in life. Which is desperately fucking sad. A truly, miserably, horribly sad end for a wonderfully three-dimensional character.

In the AU that is. In the Haitchverse, he's alive, and coming home to his loving wife, and teaching Yuuji how to be a man.

I will always give more music a go. Ultimately, I've recognised that I'm quite a Maximalist with decor and music; more is better. I'm into metal with a lot going on, any music which has extensive layers, I tend to go for your more passionate, angsty songs as well. This is where classical loses me; despite being ostensibly a work of art, which I can appreciate...it's just instrumental. It leaves me lacking. It's a meal with no main course. I get to the end and I'm still hungry.

I like Bad Omens, Babymetal, lots of J-rock, K-pop, lots of other pieces from various metal artists. Bigger is better for me, r.e. music, unless it's an exquisitely crafted understated piece in a minor key, that hits every fine note with devastating melancholy accuracy.

I did know Nanami has a theme song! The thing that makes me laugh hardest about it, is that I think he'd find his theme song annoying.

Now I genuinely do HC Kento as a metal enthusiast, and really not in a self-project-y way. Hear me out.

Metal contains most of the truest, rawest proclamations of the world's ills of any other music genre, in my opinion. Behind the roaring line beautiful lyrics speaking out against the tortured of the system, and the woes of life. Listening to it is surprisingly upbeat; it's like being seen for feeling the world is a twisted place.

I tend to find Metal attracts a lot of quietly sensitive men, who are outwardly stoic but internally a maelstrom. With the very classic 'emo' haircut as a teenager, that was very much the remit of the emo/metal kids, I think it suits him well.

The Eve's second JJK opening is my favourite. Honestly one of my favourite of all time. Lost in Paradise is my favourite end theme.

Last but not least: I truly cannot believe you downloaded Tumblr just to like my stuff. I do not deserve such a beautifully targeted compliment. You're a sweetheart. Genuinely. Thank you.

Love,

-- Haitch xxx

[the-doomed-witch]

21 with wanda x reader with wanda being insecure about her body after having the twins and is insecure about her stretch marks and all that but reader reassures she’s perfect and kisses them

✦ When You’re With Me, No Judgement

Wanda Maximoff x GenderNeutral!Reader

Prompt:

21. Having your lover list everything they’re insecure about, and responding with gentle caresses, kisses, and compliments about those areas

Warnings: 18+ MDNI (general), fluff, bodily insecurities (specifically post-pregnancy), not proofread

Author’s Note: hello anon, sorry that your request took quite a while, i have been having some stuff going on so yeah :( but this request made me so happy, thank you very much! i hope i did your request justice <3 (let’s just say this is an AU where agatha doesn’t mess w the twins🥲)

Masterlist

YOU ARE NOT PERMITTED TO REPOST OR COPY MY WORK.

— ✦ —

“Wanda! What a pleasure! Your sons look perfectly healthy for an outing today. Why don’t you take them out to the beach?”

Wanda's face gets tense. “No Agatha, I think they’re just fine at home. Besides, they might even eat up the sand. It isn’t safe.”

“You haven’t even stepped out since you gave birth to them. Are you sure you don’t need a nice day out? You could go out with Y/N, and I can take care of Tommy and Billy.”

“Thank you, but it’s really fine by me. I’m too exhausted anyways. I would rather prefer having some sleep.”

“At your service madam. I’m gonna take care of the babies today, you can have a day to rest all by yourself” Agatha concluded the conversation, not allowing Wanda to deny her.

You heard the entire conversation and felt quite unsure about Wanda’s new obsession with staying home at all costs. For the first few months, you thought they were just hormones, but it was starting to get concerning. Besides, Wanda and you had your special memories related to the beach.

Once Wanda packed all the important stuff for Billy and Tommy, and sent off Agatha for the afternoon, you grab her by the waist. “Hey, sweetheart.”

“I’m sorry detka I don’t feel quite… well right now. My head is really fuzzy. I’m really sorry Y/N.” And she walks away. You immediately sense something has been on her mind since the past few weeks.

You find her upstairs, in the bedroom. She was laying on the bed, tilted to the other side, clutching her body close. You go and lay down next to her, hugging her from behind. “Penny for your thoughts, my love?”

“I don’t feel like talking right now Y/N.”

“Tell me what’s wrong Wanda. I’m sure we can work it out, it’ll get better!”

“No Y/N. I tried everything, but nothing has been effective or helpful in the slightest.” She turns towards you, burying her head in your embrace. “It’s okay, baby. You can talk to me, you know you can.” you rub her back to give her some comfort.

“I can’t- Y/N, giving birth to the boys has given me stretch marks. Lots of them. All over my body. Stomach, thighs, arms. I just cannot wear anything that shows my body even a little bit. I’ve been so insecure!”

“Oh baby, it’s okay. Stretch marks are normal. Don’t let their standards define you. I don’t want to force you to feel beautiful all the time. But feel like you are yourself. These marks - they prove how loving of a mother you are, how you carried the babies for months, took care of them.”

“You’re right, I know that you are. But I cannot stop feeling so left out. My body has bloated and I feel so uncomfortable about it.” She breaks a sob and it makes you want to cry. You stop yourself from doing so, because you feel the need to help Wanda feel better first.

“Take off your shirt, will you, love? Can I see them?”

For a moment, she hesitates, but takes off her multiple layers of shirts, till she’s wearing only her bra. You look at her with deep affection in your eyes. The stretch marks don’t change the fact that she’s a sight for the sore eyes, not that they carry any negative effects.

You let her lie down on the bed again, and climb on the top of her. Holding her hands in your hand, you softly ask her, “Tell me all the places where you cannot love yourself, and I will extol them for you.” and kiss her hands.

She pulls you down for an intense kiss. The emotions were much more raw than the moment you both were having.

Leaving a trail down her outline, you reach the waist. “You are extraordinary, Wanda. I love you so much.” You begin planting kisses on her stretch marks, telling her how powerful they make her look. Wanda’s eyes shut themselves, her breathing strained. You can feel her anxiety lingering under you, so you place a warm hand on her chest to help her calm down.

She holds you gently by your nape and kisses you again, leaving no scope for breathing this time. “Thank you detka, you make me happy in ways I cannot even imagine telling you. I love you endlessly.”

[sgt-scottymoreau]

Solutions - CIAJ

Summary: After being badly injured in their last fight, Soap found himself at the lowest point of his life. He lives, but at what cost? His friends refused to give up on him. There must by a way for him to pilot again and Scotty is willing to do everything for it.

Warning: None

Words: 4.7k // Part 1 - Part 3 // AO3 // Masterlist

A/N: The lore on how the whole recruiting, training and all of that is complete but also vague. So I tried to figure something out, especially that I feel that Uprising did give us more into that aspect, however we do not speak of this sequel (actors were amazing, writing... ooof) and I'm more focusing on the first movie aesthetic anyway.

When pilots came back alive, it was always a relief. When they died during the fight, it was mourning and a pinch to the heart. This was the reality, black and white. One or the other, no in between, no uncertainty. Unless you were Soap.

The ticking of the clock was annoying. Ghost was sitting in the chair at the request of Price who couldn’t handle seeing him walk back and forth in the last two hours. His leg didn’t stop bouncing. Arms crossed on his chest, back sank deep in the curve of the furniture, his mind couldn’t rest. Ever since Soap had been loaded and transported back to the Shatterdome he had been by his side. Once they wheeled him in the operation room, he was stopped and forced in this stupid waiting room. If he doesn't make it, Ghost will kill him himself.

The news only reached her much later. She was on standby waiting for Bravo Tanker to come back, only to be told that this would take longer than expected. When Scotty asked why, no one had a clear answer yet, only that the Jaeger had been badly damaged and it needed to be towed back to base. Then when Price and Gaz came back and were out of their Conn-Pod, she wasn’t able to reach for them. Only now, two hours after the rumors and whispers that something really wrong happened did she have more. Soap was hanging somewhere between life and death on the operating table. Hearing this, she dropped everything, not caring when her chief engineer called her to come back. She ran fast through the crowd, pressed against the wall to pass anyone who couldn’t move out of the way, stopping just in time before being hit by a lift fork. A few sharp turns and she found herself in the waiting room. All three men lifted their heads towards her; she was out of breath, face red, messy hair. “How is he?” 

“Still in there.” Ghost pointed to the hallway to lead to the trauma room. “He is still fucking in there!”

“Easy, Simon.” Price gestured to him to take a breath. “He is a tough lad, he will make it.”

“What if he doesn’t?”

“Don’t say this!” Her voice bounced on the walls with such force it surprised everyone. Fists clenched, eyes watering, she was clearly upset. Scotty wiped away the tears before they could fall down and took a breath. “What happened back there?”

Ghost sighed. She was right, he couldn’t be a pessimist now. Not when Johnny needed him. “Kaiju was a sharp bastard. Literally. He breached the hull and after that it happened so fast. Soap hit his helmet on a broken rod which broke his helmet. He was still being shaken around afterward and his head hit the door lock. I don’t know more than he was bleeding badly.”

Injury to the head would be a death sentence no matter the outcome of the surgery. If he survived, there was a high chance he would never be able to pilot ever again. For a ranger, this was the same as being dead. They waited together another hour till Scotty proposed to Gaz and Price to take a rest, they would keep them updated on the situation. They just went through a fight. The two men first almost refused, but considered the offer to go to the mess hall and grab something to eat for themselves and Ghost. Who knows how long he will stay here. Scotty took a seat next to Ghost and rested her hand on his. Maybe she was stepping out of bound with this, but it was a normal gesture to show that she was there for him, right? His hand rotated and his fingers closed around hers, squeezing softly. She was surprised but kept her composure. Scotty never took him for the kind of man to appreciate physical touch in public. Unless it came from Soap. The way she caught them looking at each other here and there or coming back from deployment. It was so soft and obvious. Yet here she was holding his hand, butterflies in her stomach, cheeks gently burning. She mentally slapped herself to have such feelings while the situation was far from being anything but cute. 

Ghost’s head was slowly falling on his chest, yet he jerked back up every time he felt himself go. The J-tech noticed. “When was the last time you slept?”

“It doesn’t matter. I have to stay awake, for Johnny…” 

“It's almost midnight, Ghost. You trained all day, you came back from a stressful fight, now Soap, your body is at its limit. Rest a little, I’ll stay up and wake you if anything happens.”

“Promise?” She nodded. The ranger repositioned himself in his seat and let all his worries go. All of that without ever letting go of her hand. Ten minutes later he was silently snoring, head on her shoulder. Scotty stayed so still, they looked like statues. She wouldn’t dare disturb his sleep. Price and Gaz eventually came back, seeing the peaceful scene. As stealthy as they could, they sat in the chairs next to Scotty and they waited.

Another hour passed before a nurse finally came to see them. Her body was stiff, fatigue on the edge of her eyes, but she kept her promise. She carefully shook Ghost who woke up instantly, fully aware. His hand gripped tighter around hers, he feared the verdict. The nurse took off her mask and declared with a smile that Soap had made it through. He was in a room, still sleeping. They gave him some painkillers and sedatives to make sure he wouldn’t wake up till another few hours. At least he would wake up in the morning or around that time. Everyone could breathe easily and not worry about anything anymore. Ghost let go of Scotty asking if it was possible to see Soap. The nurse was more than glad to bring him to the room, she asked the other three if they would like to join, but Price replied for everyone saying that they needed some rest. Knowing that Soap will live was enough to appease their mind. 

That night, Scotty didn’t get much sleep. Old nightmares resurfaced, thinking of Soap, the hand holding with Ghost, the future work load of fixing their Jaeger. Her mind was restless, a turmoil of emotions, till early morning. Resigned to go on with the day with just a few hours of sleep, she first headed back to the infirmary wing. The day shift nurse kindly showed her the way to the room. Without a noise, she pushed the door. It was calm, beside the steady beeping from the machine. The light was shyly coming through the curtains. She stepped further in. Ghost was sleeping half crouched on the side of the bed, hand holding Soap’s. They were so peaceful like this. Soap’s head was wrapped in bandage, lucky for him the doctors also saved his mohawk. His head moved slowly, eyes opening like he woke up from the worst hangover ever. Well it wasn’t too far from it; despite the painkiller there was a headache annoying him. He stretched causing Ghost to wake up and do the same. His back was painful.

“Morning boys.” Scotty smiled. She leaned on the end of the bed. “How are you?”

“Like I have been hit by a truck.” Soap’s voice was hoarse. “I don’t know what happened, except being tossed around like a bloody ragdoll.” The other two laughed.

“I’m sure Ghost can put you up to speed once you will be back on your feet.”

“You bet. Then I can get back up there and kick some kaiju’s arses again!”

Three days later, Soap was released and with the worst news he could have ever thought. A few brain scans showed very weak connections, lesions and other remnants of his injuries. According to the doctor, there wasn’t much that could be done except hoping for the best and resting a little longer. So far, the diagnosis was Soap would never be able to drift ever again. Definitely not in his current state, even things healed it was fifty fifty chance. He was devastated. For a few days, he refused to leave his quarters. Not even to eat, train, spend time with friends. Piloting was everything to him, being forever grounded felt like he failed the world. He failed Ghost. The Scotsman was forbidden to even approach the simulator, it was this bad. Doctor insisted that he rest another month before taking new scans and judge the situation from there. 

Ghost couldn’t bear to see him like this. Deep, it broke him, but on the surface he had to show that he was there for him no matter what. For the first two weeks he stayed by his side as much as he could to not let him dwell further in his depression. After that, the ex-lieutenant decided to be more assertive with Soap. Forced him to get out of bed and at least walk around the Shatterdome. It seemed to improve his mood to not be confined to a small room 24/7. However it was obvious that Soap didn’t like the pity the others were giving him. Then again what he called pity was simply people worried for him, some. In the third week, he started training again with  very light and short sessions. Overall, Soap was trying his best to keep going.

But. When the end of the month showed around the corner, it was time to see how his brain was doing. Again the doctor didn’t look optimistic with the result. There was some healing, but it was far too weak to allow him yet. Soap was glad to hear there was improvement, but he was eager to return to the field to pilot again. For him and Ghost. Ghost had been most of his time also on standby. Only if it was judged that Bravo Tanker was needed, then either Gaz or Price would be his co-pilot. Otherwise, he remained at base. 

During that previous month, Scotty showed herself to be a good friend. Just like Ghost it was painful to see Soap who was normally such an optimistic, jovial and full of life person take a sudden turn. She understood this pain well however. She knew how it felt to lose everything yet be alive. That was her drive to make sure he would get back on his feet. She tried her best to change his mind once he was finally out of his cave and it seemed to work. Ghost also found someone to confide himself about how he felt. It took him a while, till one day he just blurred out all that he had on his heart without realizing. Scotty listened till he was done, never interrupting him. It was probably something he needed and she wasn’t going to stop him. He did start to understand what Soap saw in her all these months prior. In a sense, she reminds him a lot of him. When they told her about the new verdict, Scotty felt like she had to do something more. There was a solution somewhere that could help him.

They were at the table, eating their meal, talking of everything and nothing. Scotty was scribbling mindlessly on a piece of paper. ‘‘What are you doing?’’ Soap wondered.

‘‘Nothing�� just trying to figure something out.’’ Her eyes never lifted from the paper. 

‘‘Take it easy Camille. It’s alright.’’

‘‘The acceptance phase.’’ Ghost nodded, ‘‘He made peace with all that happened.’’

‘‘Not exactly. I’m still going to do anything to pilot, but if nothing come up, yes I’ll fully accept my faith.’’

Scotty remained silent, always focusing on her paper. There were a few sketches of different Jaeger’s parts. The neural handshake system, notes on the Drift. She even started to write down some Jaeger’s names that were well known. Cherno Alpha, Coyote Tango, Striker Eureka, Tacit Ronin, Crimson Typhoon… Her pen dropped. That’s it! Her hands slammed on the table, both men jumped off their seats. Her eyes were wide open, glimmered with hope and a big smile on her face.

‘‘I found it! How didn't I think of this before! Obviously!’’ 

‘‘What is it?’’ Soap returned the same enthusiasm she had. 

‘‘Crimson Typhoon! You know of her, right? She is piloted by the Wei Tang triplets. Triplets! Her Conn-Pod has been built and accommodated for three pilots!’’

Ghost and Soap looked at each other. They understood what she meant, but how exactly this was supposed to help. ‘‘Simple, and this is all theoretical, but the current neural handshake system is too much for Soap. That seems to be the consensus. What if we integrated a third pilot? Someone to lessen the load and pressure! This is why we have two pilots in the first place! I don’t know if in practice it could work, but it’s worth the shot!’’

They looked at her like she just said the crazier thing in the world. But the smile on her face grew contagious. Soap jumped over the table to reach her, at the surprise of everyone, with a laugh so loud and grabbed her in a thigh hug, spinning her. Ghost smiled at the scene, the most he had seen him happy in a month. Scotty begged him not to have high hopes. In theory, it was plausible. In practice, it was much more complicated than that. First, came the technical part. Bravo Tanker’s Conn-Pod would have to be completely stripped down from the inside and reworked. This would be a design challenge in itself. That is if they had all the resources at disposition without problem. They could recycle old parts but this would also be a gamble. Second, the logistics. Doing such work means that the Jaeger will be ‘out of order’ for a while, could the Marshal accept to only work with four of them? Then again, at the moment, Kaijus seemed to be less frequent in the area. Maybe they could have the time. Last point, the most important of all, the third pilot. They would have to look for someone who was compatible, however with Soap barely allowed to approach anything remotely connected to the Drift, this would be complicated. Someone could easily be ok with Ghost but be overthrown by Soap. Although this step could easily be done while the J-techs worked on the new version of the cockpit. Time will be saved here. All of that if the Marshal and chief engineer accepted the idea. 

The chief engineer might approve of it, with some uncertainty. It was a colossal work. He had the crew and the time, that wasn’t a problem. He would have to think carefully about how to fit such a system, compare notes with the Chinese Jaeger to see how it works and to which extent it can be modified. 

The Marshal was the hardest to convince that this was their best solution. If he really cared about Soap and his skills, it was something to try. But the time consuming task and money wise didn’t sit well. It was a lot to bet on. What if after all of this Soap still couldn’t handle the load and be left in a worse condition? Training and simulation were different from the real thing. In a safe area, Ghost and Soap could find their third and it could work perfectly. Once in the Jaeger, it all crumbles down to a disaster. 

Price, who has known the man since his day in the army, also felt concerned about this. He was on the same side as the marshal. The risks weren’t zero, they were unknown. It made the situation very uncertain and he wasn’t sure if he could afford to see another pilot, especially close as Soap, die. That he voiced clearly when the three of them brought the idea to every concerned party. 

It took a lot of convincing and eventually the project was greenlit. At one condition; Soap had to show a better health improvement before anything will be done. In the meantime, the chief engineer would sketch possible new environments for the cockpit. With this in mind, Soap was definitely filled with a more optimistic outcome. He wouldn’t push himself too hard, but he was definitely going to prove that he can pilot again. 

Two weeks later, they started the tryouts for a possible third teammate. All new cadets were tested on different levels. Because of his restraints, Soap mostly focused on the physical ones. Fencing, wrestling and other martial arts. If they could anticipate his moves, then there was a chance. Ghost was on the Drift compatible part. Spending a lot of hours in the simulator. It was draining and despite him being able to keep his memories and emotions under control, he was faced with cadets who made him sick, literally, with how little control they had over theirs. Nausea was second nature now. If one cadet passed with one of the men, they were sent to the others and very few were able to pass then. It only amplified the fear that indeed; someone was compatible with one but not the other. They were very different after all. 

Because it was her idea, Scotty was almost in charge of the project. She was no engineer per se, just the mechanic who would fix the broken things. But she was capable of building as well, reading the specs and knowing exactly what was needed and where. More importantly, she took all of it to heart. They had not stripped the head yet. In the last two weeks they had come down to two schematics and refitting. These designs could both work, the difference was in the material needed. One proposed a more easy and fast option by reusing old tech or second hand material from broken Jaegers, the reliability was less however. The second design was more reliable with newer components but harder to get the materials. Mark-5 were fairly new on the market, their parts were more costly to acquire. Scotty spent a lot of extra hours to figure out a way to make both options work. They aimed for the reliable option, but a backup was welcome. Or even eventually mix both if needed. When she wasn’t working on this, she was helping the other Jaegers' crews. Working on these sometimes gave her a break and be able to come up with other ideas or solutions when they encountered an issue. In all, Scotty didn’t have much time for herself in the last weeks. Something she began to crave a lot. She had spent the last month almost seeing Soap and Ghost every day and now they barely had time. They would catch each other in the hallways, the mess hall and that was it. They had a busy schedule. When they had, Soap was so drained he only wanted to rest. She missed her friends. 

With all this going on, Scotty dared to do something she had not done in a year. Before the accident, the Kwoon Combat room was her heaven. The place she would go to find herself again, relax, to be at home. After a well deserved shower, she dressed in comfortable clothes and headed to the room. It was late at night, Rangers were not training, barely anyone roaming in the whole place unless it was night shifts. In the room, Scotty found herself alone in silence. The ventilation was barely audible as well. She removed her shoes and socks, feeling the mat’s fabric on her skin. A sensation she had not felt in a year. She remembered the sparring session with her old co-pilot. The number of times he sent her flying on the ground and vice versa. The helping hand they gave each to get up, the laughter, the connection. She shivered when bad memories replaced her happy ones. Her eyes opened again and she shook her head. She didn’t want to think about this now, she wanted to get rid of all the turmoil inside her. Wooden poles were stored in the barrel, without a second thought she grabbed one. Even the varnished pole felt familiar under her touch. She positioned herself in her usual starting stance. She struck the air, shifting in her next stance. It was like picking up a bike after years; you never truly forget how to do it. Practicing alone never gave the same result as against someone, but it disciplined the force you would input in the weapon. The point of this exercise when in the team was rarely to hit the others. If Scotty had to compare, it would be to force your opponent into a checkmate. You don’t hit, but the position of your pole was definitely stopped in a way that showed you won. But obviously there was time, she was left with bruises from a hit. Can’t prevent everything. 

She pivoted the pole on the top of her back and spinned around, striking another hit in the emptiness. Her heart was beating fast from the exercise. She didn’t know for how long she had been at it, but it must have been a while. As she pivoted, now facing the entrance of the room, Scotty saw him. Arms crossed on his chest, leaning on the door frame, a mischievous smile on his face. Soap whistled. “You know your art for a mechanic.”

“H-how long have you been watching?” Her cheeks turned red.

“Long enough to know you did not learn it in one night. So, how come?” He crossed the distance and planted himself in arm range. He was curious to know what would be her answer. 

Scotty turned on her heel to go drop the pole back in the barrel. “An old friend taught me, long ago.”

Soap’s hand closed on hers, always holding the pole. He forced her to turn around again, this time their faces were much closer. He could make out every detail of her brown eyes, her features, messy braid and loose hairs sticking to her face under the sweat. Before he lost himself more into her gaze, he made her spin once more opposite of him and his free hand went to grab a pole as well. He showed off a little by spinning it in his hand, then around him and took a relaxed stance. “There’s more than that and I want to see.”

“There’s nothing to see. I know a few basic stan-”

“Cut the crap, sweetheart. Your stance, your body, everything says otherwise.”

“Oh? You think you have figured me out, MacTavish?” 

“I’m sure I do. Come on, show me.” He changed his stance to a more defensive one. So he was expecting her to strike first. Scotty took a more offensive stance, yet had her own defense if he chose to strike. Soap analyzed her and figured out she would attack his left side. He parried the first strike, using the opportunity of her being open to go for one. The pole stopped at her stomach. “1-0.”

Not even changing positions, she rotated her pole, knocking Soap’s away. With another swift movement, Scotty landed her blow just above his head. “1-1.” She smirked. Soap returned the sentiment. He went more offensive, attacking on all sides and she blocked everyone, except one that stopped just at her thigh.

“2-1. Not bad.” They continued their dance, instinctively able to counter the other by a fraction of seconds. Their eyes never let go of the other. Never did they look at the other weapon, instead focusing on the body. The language, the betrayal of one muscle, the small move to the left or right. If they had started the combat without a word, they weren’t afraid to let a few grunts here and there now. They had picked up in intensity. For a moment, the world around them had disappeared. No worries, no injuries, no problems. 

“4-3!” Scotty breathed heavily, her pole light hitting his side. Soap grinned, switching his pole to the other hand before she even realized it. He extended it, placing it right behind her right knee. He dove, held it strongly making her lose balance. Scotty fell backwards, her back hitting the mat roughly. With another quick move, Soap straightened, placed his foot on her arm and had her completely blocked under him. 

He leaned a little closer despite the awkward position. “4-4, sweetheart.” Heart pounding in her ears, Scotty suddenly felt more vulnerable than she ever was. This was the most physical she had been since they met, so close, the most skin to skin contact and… oh did she liked it. His chest was rising rapidly while he steadied his breath. He looked at her under him; in the same messy state as him, obviously flustered. Breathtaking. But there was something more; the unspoken connection, he felt it, but did she? The ex-SAS member loosened his grip and helped her stand up. “No way a simple J-Tech can fight this way. What’s your secret?” 

Her eyes watched him and darted away. The sudden mood change Soap noticed on her face worried him. Scotty walked to put away the wooden pole, grabbed her shoes and started to dress up again. “I… I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I won’t push, then. But, tell me I’m not the only one who noticed?”

Scotty lifted her head. She bit the inside of her cheek unsure what to reply. Of course she did. However she was not going to… she didn’t want to go any further in that direction. It was clear as the sky; they had a chance to be Drift compatible. They predicted each other's movements with ease the whole time. To both, it felt like the exact connection they had with their co-pilot. The same familiar feeling of being in each other's head. “You are not…” She glanced away quickly. It took a lot to admit this and she refused to face him. “But I don’t want to talk about it. Not now, please.”

Soap cleaned up his things and accepted her demands. Something was bothering her and she wasn’t ready to talk yet. He suggested walking her back to her quarter, but she refused. Scotty needed time to process what happened, she needed to be alone. The Scotsman watched her walk away. He knew he had done nothing wrong, but did he? Was it something he said? Was it the fight? Instead of dwelling on it, he quickly made his way back to his own quarters. 

Ghost was on the bed, finishing the chapter of his book, ready to call it night, when the door opened and closed quickly followed by the bed tilting to the side as Soap jumped on it. “What is it?” His eyes never left the page.

“I think I found our third co-pilot!” Soap pushed the book down so his partner could look him in the eyes. Ghost sighed. By the smile that was on his face and the glimmer of hope in his eyes, it must be someone he knew. 

“This late at night? Outside of tryout hours? Johnny…”

“I’m good! I didn’t over exercise myself, like the doc prescribed. Relax Simon… Well I did go for a little late night sparring session.” The glare he received from Ghost didn’t phase him. “Scotty!”

“She is a J-Tech, how the hell could she know anything about piloting?”

“I don’t know, all I know is we sparred in the Kwoon and… God! That was amazing!” He retold everything that happened with such admiration in his tone. Ghost watched him as he did. Oh, it was more than finding their third pilot, Soap had fallen for her. Ghost shook his head with a smile. “She is hiding something, and I’ll find out what it is.”

“Don’t push her too much. Johnny?”

“Hm?”

“If you ever overdo it again, I’ll kick your arse. Now get some rest, sunshine.”

[dextixer]

RWBY: Arrowfell review - An autopsy of an overpriced dissapointment.

RWBY as an IP has not had a good run with their video games since the show inception. While some games definitely gained popularity amongst the FNDM like Amity Arena. None of them have stayed for long, either being discontinued in the case of the online games or simply, not being played in the case of the single player ones. RWBY: Arrowfell is no exception, despite the game being produced by another studio. With this review i would like to talk about it more in-depth after playing it and talk about why it failed.

Did it fail?

First things first. I have to answer the simple question of "Did RWBY: Arrowfell actually fail?". Yeah. It did. While no EXACT data can be gathered due to it not being publically shared, one only needs to look at places like achievement tracking websites of Xbox, Playstation and Steam one can find that only around 500 people in each of these got an achievement for opening up a chest, something that you can do in the first 5 minutes of the game. Even if we agree to be generous and say that 5k people bought the game (Which is more than double the people that got the erliest achievement in game).

That ammounts to 5000 x 30 - 150 000 - Euro earnings.

The game was first teased in 2021-07-09. But considering that the footage of it was already presented it most likely was already being developed for around maybe half a year to 3 months. So let us be generous and say that it was started to get produced in 2021-04-09. It was released in 2022-11-15. Around 19 months of production.

Some of you might ask, why is that important? Well, because with estimating the time of production we can try to estimate how much money was spent making the game, at least at the lower end. By using employee wages. I live in Lithuania, mandated minimum here is 800 Euros per month.

For 1 employee to be paid wages for the entire production period costs around - 15k Euros.

WayForward has a studio of over 50 people. Even if all of them were not working on the game the entirety of the time. If even 10 people did. Which is a low estimate. That alone would suck up all of the earnings the game made.

All of this is guesswork of course. And NO company will share information on whether or not their game did badly (They will only share good news). But even with doubling the numbers that we can see, well. It aint looking good. Of course, its always possible that Way Forward locked a single person in a shed till they made the entire game.

So yeah. As far as i can see. It failed. And at best MAYBE made small profit if RT game them additional funding or money and ArcSystems did not pay for the entire thing themselves.

Price sets expectations

So, now that we are done examining the cadaver, let us speak on what killed it. And what killed it... Is first of all. The price. The quality of a game matters, but at the end of the day, expectations for that quality are set by the price.

Arrowfell costs 30 Euros. For a sidescroller that is an above average price. Most modern sidescrollers the type of Arrowfell cost between 20-25 Euros. Blasphemous - 25 Euros. Hollowknight 15 Euros. Shovel Knight - 15 Euros. Dead Cells - 25 Euros.

The reason i listed these games is for comparison. A 5-10 Euro increase in price might not seem like much, until one considers the differences between these games. The games i listed are considered to be the BEST of the best of modern sidescrollers. They were part of the sidescroller rennesaince that the video games industry experienced not a long time ago, and each of them boasted MANY welcome features. Be it amazing storytelling and boss battles or massive replayability.

Arrowfell cost more than them. And yet... It broke no new ground. In fact, it broke no ground at all. It released as quiet as a whisper with only really RWBY fans knowing and talking about it. As far as the sidescrolling genre goes, Arrowfell gave nothing to it.

It would be one thing if Arrowfell was comparable to the games i listed before. But it simply isnt. Which of course, leads me to the next point.

Simplistic Gameplay

Arrowfells gameplay is not worth 30 Euros. The games i listed before have very responsive combat systems, different weapons, characters, various upgrades that change the way that the game is played etc. The combat in them feels crisp, and the boss battles can even come close to those of Dark Souls in terms of both difficulty and spectacle.

Arrowfells combat is simply... Its Boring. There are basically no differences between the playable characters besides their special abilities. They all feel like the same character. That is bad enough, but there is also another problem. The game has no dodge/block button. Something that MOST combat games have figured out long ago. The only character that has a dodge is Ruby, and thus, for the most part, she is the only truly playable character in the game.

An enemy only has to TOUCH your hitbox. Not with an attack. Just with their HITBOX and you will take damage. You doing damage also does NOT stagger them, so you are forced to either hit and run or hope to god that you will kill the enemy before it attacks.

Some people have complained that playing this game is difficult. I thought it was simply them being bad at the game. But that is not the case. After playing the game myself, the reason why this game is so difficult is because its combat is simply shit. It has no mechanics that would be expected of a sidescrolling game. Enemies getting staggered on hit is something that was figured out in the EIGHTIES. Most of the game also has barely any verticality to speak of except in SOME cases like boss battles. So dont expect to easily jump over most enemies either.

You also have a ranged attack. A ranged attack that drains your health and does half the damage that your melle attacks do... Think about it, in a game about RWBY, the place of the "Its also a gun meme" you are disincentivized to use your GUN attack because it activelly drains your health.

But WAIT, THERE IS MORE! Dont worry trooper, you have 3 health bars to help you deal with the shitty combat system. EXCEPT that once you lose ONE bar it does not fully regenerate and instead leaves you on LESS than half HP.

But heeeey, RWBY has an upgrade system! You can upgrade your characters! That must be exciting! It must be new powers!? Maybe new weapons!? No. Its all percentage increases. You can increase damage/health/gun/health recovery. Thats it..... Yeah... Thats it... Cookie clicker has more exciting upgrades.

Simplicity in video games CAN be a benefit. Shovel knight is a relatively simple game for example. Yes, it has its own quirks, but it gives you TOOLS to deal with your opponents.

RWBY Arrowfell is simplistic to the point of making combat not only boring, but also frustratingly bad. I have unironically seen flash games with better combat systems.

Its boring, its unimaginative. It lacks the BASICS of proper combat systems (dodge/block), and the 4 characters you can choose from might as well be one, because their ONLY difference is their specials.

Flash Graphics

The gameplay is bad. Okay, so, is the game at least pretty? No. No it is not. While the backgrounds can look pretty nice, the design of the in-game characters and platforms feels like babys first game on mario maker. Its very cartoony but not in a stylized way. Its very... Functional. You can understand what the character is, what the background is. But none of it looks good because, once again, there is no stylization to the game. Its all simply functional. And quite frankly, when this kind of game has to compete with games like Blasphemous and Hollow Knight? That just wont cut it. But words in this case simply cannot cut it. So instead, i will let pictures speak for themselves.

Can you see the difference? Where Hollowknight and Blasphemous both are stylized and look AMAZING in their own ways. Arrowfell looks like a pre-fabricated 3d mess. Its looks like plastic. Can you see just how DIFFERENT the goliath looks textured in comparison to everything else?

The RT animated cutscenes, in my opinion, while good, do not save this mess of an artstyle considering this is what you will see most of the game.

Sound Design

I like RWBY music. I truly do, at least the Early RWBY until it all became practically the same. The sound design in the game is fine. It doesnt grate on the ears. Different situations have appropriate soundtracks. Its nothing special in my opinion, its more RWBY. But thats quite frankly fine with me.

Story

I have already written a few threads about the story of Arowfell. To summarize, the story is very simplistic. It follows team RWBY first mission after they got their huntsmen licenses in V7. They go around Atlas investigating Grimm attacks and weird Grimm attracting equipment which came from a defunct Atlas military base, Arrowfell. Most of the new characters presented in the game are inconsequential and barely appear in the game. Like team BRIR. The story is functional, but no more than that.

As far as my other threads on the topic.

A) This is a thread i made about weird characterizations of team RWBY - LINK

B) This is a thread i made about the writing of Hanlon Fifestone - LINK

Conclussion

RWBY Arowfell is an overpriced sidescroller game that offers nothing new to the genre at large and is of IMMENSELLY lower quality, artistically and gameplay wise than any of its cheaper contemporaries. Even for RWBY fans, i would never recommend this game. Watch the story on Youtube, and spend your money on any of the other titles i have listed in this thread, some of them are even on sale.

[therealgchu]

WIP Wednesday - Seven Days

today's WIP sneak peek is actually for chapter 5. i'm kind stuck on a section in chapter 4, so there's delay. it's one of those funny things where i've gotten about 1/2 of chapter 5 written, 3/4 of chapter 6, and chapter 7 is done. just this one little section in chapter 4 is giving me fits.

friday will see Iris published as part of the To the Shore shorts. it's a gonna be spicy.

tagging the coemancers! show 'em if you got 'em!

if you want to read Seven Days from the beginning, it's over here.

my other works are also here.

the sneak peek goes down hard

content warning: attempted murder, mentions of suicide. this might be triggering, so the entire thing is under the cut.

This time, his hands found their mark - his left hand gripping her tank top, and right hand around her throat. With all his strength he squeezed her neck. She was so small that his hand easily fit around her neck. It was just a matter of closing that gap between his thumb and middle finger…

All the while she didn’t move or speak. Her eyes were closed and she hung limply in his hands. At no point did she struggle. Her face started turning purple, yet she still didn’t move. “I can’t do it, I can’t kill someone in cold blood,” he grunted, releasing her. She dropped like a ragdoll and lay there, unmoving for several minutes. He backed away from the bars, staring at her unmoving body. He finally heard her taking deep, gasping breaths, and rolled over. After another couple minutes, she managed to get on her hands and knees. She got herself to a sitting position, and rubbed her neck.

“It’s probably a good thing you didn’t kill me,” she whispered in a raspy voice. “When Starborn are killed, we, and everything on us, are dissolved into stardust. The key to your cell is in my pocket.”

“Did you plan this?” he asked weakly.

“No, and it wouldn’t have mattered, anyway. Your release would have only been delayed. I have orders in place. It just would have taken longer.”

“How much longer?”

“Only a few hours, maybe a day”

“Oh.” Sam crawled back to the side of the bed and sat with his back against it. He looked at his hands, but felt numb. After some time had passed, he asked, “Why didn’t you fight back?”

The woman was sitting in the same place where he’d dropped her. She didn’t respond immediately, but was also looking at her hands. “I was kinda hoping you’d succeed,” she finally answered.

“You know, you could do that yourself, and then I wouldn’t feel like such shit.”

“I’ve tried. I chicken out in the end. It’s why I keep going through the Unity.”

For some reason, what she said affected him more than anything else in the last five days. He felt tears start falling. “Is that all there is to this? Is that how it ends for us? Go through the Unity and become a monster like you?”

“You could always choose not to go.”

“I could, but,” he paused, and hung his head low in shame, “you were right about me. I don’t think I could escape the lure of seeing the multiverse. Despite the cost.” He stood up and faced the bars. “Even now, part of my mind is wondering what’s out there, what new worlds, new mysteries. And, I want to see it. I’d wait till Cora was grown up, but I’d still go. I know I would.”

She nodded.

“And, I hate myself for feeling that way. Look at you,” he motioned, “you could have had a chance. You could have fought for Cora. You could have stayed. But, you chose this. And, I gotta wonder, if the same thing happened to me, if I lost everything like you did, would I choose the same?

“God help me, but I think I would,” he said, answering his own question. “If I had your background, yeah, I would,” he ended softly. After a long pause, he whispered, “Maybe we’re not so different after all.”

[my-corneroftheworld]

Child without love

Chapter 1 is now available ;)

Preview

I couldn’t bring myself to look him in the eyes. "You can't just go behind my back like that! There are set rules and hierarchies that keep our organization running smoothly!" Adeoye yelled while he was walking frantically back and forth. He never could handle stress well. " You're little outburst may have cost us our one shot to get the right people's attention!"

I want to say I'm sorry and that it was rude and petty of me. But I couldn't because I did what I thought was right. They have ignored our every attempt to better their policies and today's presentation only opened my eyes to how blissfully ignorant they allowed themselves to be. He stopped his pacing and rubbed his eyes under his big ill-fitting glasses.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" he asked abrasively. I knew that he wasn't really angry at me. He was frustrated with everything. The board director's nonchalant attitude, the over-looming doom of the deadline we've got in 2 months and my little outburst were certainly not making things better.

"No" I answered.

"Well if that's the case then you give me no choice other than to suspend you for 2 weeks" he sighed. I wasn't surprised. Cussing out the board due to their lack of ethical consideration whilst ignoring every warning I and others have worked tirelessly on proving wasn't really considered to be professional. " I understand," I say solemnly and start picking up my notes. 5 years of studying and 3 years of diligent work have come to this, being pushed aside so that rich people can profit off of dangerous means at the cost of the health of our seas. And having no power to change anything

I drove home in silence, with nothing but the wind from the window creek as my companion. I think I'll have to practice today to let off some steam. After arriving and leaving my notes by the kitchen counter, I changed into my swimsuit and went down to the beach. Moving here was mainly so I could get to work within 15 minutes but having the sea outside my back door has definitely changed my life. I never liked using my powers in front of others. Mutants aren't really welcome unless they're wearing suits and have fancy names. So there aren't many moments where I can use them to their fullest extent. When I do I feel at home. I feel free of everything. My worries and concerns are washed away.

Once I reach the water I breathe in and allow myself to feel its pull. Imitating the waves with my hands till it starts to imitate me, following my every command. I slowly start walking in allowing myself to be surrounded then I dive keeping the water from reaching face requires no movements any more though I still haven’t past 5 minutes at a time. Maybe I’ll make it at 6 today. I decide to explore a little further than usual, seeing what I can find at the see floor and cleaning up small things that shouldn’t be there.

It was then I noticed it. The entity that has been watching me from afar. It barely moved and I couldn’t really make out it’s shape. But I knew it was looking at me and it staying completely still. I was scared. My bubble was slowly shrinking so I began to slowly make my way back to shore. As soon as I did the shadow got closer and closer which made me anxious to reach land. I finally burst of the sea, gasping for air. I layed down on the beach, trying to catch my breath then I voice called out.

“Who are you?”

[the-stars-in-between]

Conclusion after my first Whumptober participation: 11 stories. Not too bad, more than I expected, but the moment I realized I was allowed to sleep instead of continuing to write it was over for me. Overall it was a fun experience — for me, not for the characters — and the prompts gave me ideas I never would have thought of without it, so thank you @whumptober.

However! I will finish this challenge whether it is finishing the stories I already started or those that are not yet written. I am not giving up. My goal is to finish by the end of January considering that I have a big break for Christmas but nothing is guaranteed.

I leave you now the links of the stories that are already posted and I will update each time I post a new story.

DAY 1 & DAY 19: Every Day You Fight Like You're Running Out Of Time (Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester)

Sam gets lost in the forest. This action has consequences.

No. 1: RACE AGAINST THE CLOCK Search Party | Panic Attack | "If only we could hold on.” (Icysami x Renegaderr, Strangers.)

No. 19: BLOOD TRAIL Abandoned Cabin | One Way Out | "Is there anybody alive out there?" (Bruce Springsteen, Radio Nowhere)

Luffy relives the worst day of his life, over and over again.

DAY 2: Again. (Monkey D. Luffy)

No. 2: ALTERNATIVE  Time Loop

Dean is going to die, Sam doesn't know what to think about it.

DAY 3: Did You Bring Me Some Pie? (Sam Winchester)

No. 3: SET UP FOR FAILURE Fingerprints | Wrongfully Arrested | "I warned you."

Law can't escape, even in his dreams. Especially in his dreams.

DAY 4: A Good Night's Sleep (Trafalgar D. Water Law)

No. 4: HALLUCINATIONS Hypnosis | Sensory Deprivation | “You're still alive in my head.” (Billy Lockett, More)

Luffy can stretch and stretch, but he can't escape his pain.

DAY 5: If My Pain Will Stretch That Far (Monkey D. Luffy)

No. 5: SUNBURN Healing Salve | Heatstroke | "If my pain will stretch that far." (Lottery Winners, Burning House)

Bobby is bleeding out, but family doesn't end in blood.

DAY 6: Blood On The Car Seats (Bobby Singer)

No. 6: NOT REALIZING THEY'RE INJURED Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms | Healed Wrong | "It's not my blood."

The heart of a demon, willingly given, is a powerful weapon for the one who wields it.

DAY 7: The Heart of a Demon (Crowley)

No. 7: ONLY FOR EMERGENCIES Unconventional Weapon | Magic with a Cost | "It's us or them."

Zoro can't sleep, ghosts come to keep him company.

DAY 8: Nightmares Don't Sleep (Roronoa Zoro)

No. 8: SLEEP DEPRIVATION Isolation Chamber | Forced to Stay Awake | "Leave the lights on." (Coldplay, Midnight)

Castiel is learning to be human. It hurts. In more ways than one.

DAY 10: Did It Hurt When You Fell From Heaven? (Castiel)

No. 10: BLOW TO THE HEAD Slurred Words | Passing Out from Pain | "I can't think straight."

No. 11: SEEING DOUBLE Convenience Store | Loneliness | “Leave no trace behind, like you don't even exist.” (Taylor Swift, Illicit Affairs)

DAY 11: Fade Away Into The Sunset (Sam Winchester)

No. 12: STARVATION Underground Caverns | Cannibalism | "Just a little more."

DAY 12: (Nico Robin)

The end of a crew. The end of a legend.

DAY 13: Till Death Do Us Part (Straw Hat Pirates)

No. 13: TEAM AS A FAMILY Familial Curse | Multiple Whumpees | "Death will do us part." (Set It Off, Partner's In Crime)

No. 14: LEFT FOR DEAD Hunting Gear | Blackmail | “Because I want you to know what it feels like to be haunted” (tiLLie, kooL aiD mAn)

DAY 14: (Shanks)

The cycle repeats itself.

DAY 15: The Father's Mistakes Fall on the Son's Shoulders (Dean Winchester, Jack Kline)

No. 15: CHILDHOOD TRAUMA Painful Hug | Moment of Clarity | "I did good, right?"

No. 16: NECROSIS Swamp | Wound Cleaning | "No, I can't feel anything."

DAY 16: Where Dreams Go To Die (Sanji)

No. 17: NOWHERE ELSE TO GO Ruined Map | Shipwrecked | "We had a good run."

DAY 17: In the Dark You Can't Tell Ink and Blood Apart (Nami)

No. 18: REVENGE Unreliable Narrator | Loss of Identity | “I see what's mine and take it.” (Panic! at the Disco, Emperor's New Clothes)

DAY 18: (Sabo)

No. 20: EMOTIONAL ANGST Shoulder to Cry On | Giving Permission to Die | "It's not your fault."

DAY 20: (Charlie Bradbury)

No. 21: BODY HORROR Body Horror | Tattoo Gun | Spirit Possession | “Let the bedsheet soak up the tears.” (Apparat feat. Soap & Skin, Goodbye)

DAY 21: D.E.A.T.H. (Trafalgar D. Water Law)

No. 22: BLEEDING THROUGH BANDAGES Tourniquet | Reopening Wounds | "Oh that's not good."

DAY 22: (Jack Kline)

No. 9: OBSESSION Broken Window | Bruises | “Frame me up on the wall, just to keep me out of trouble.” (Fall Out Boy, Irresistible) No. 23: FORCED CHOICE Public Display | Broken Pedestal | "I'm doing this for you."

DAY 23 (+DAY 9): The Hand That Saves Is The Same As The Hand That Wounds (Gabriel)

No. 24: RADIATION POISONING Collapsed Building | Equipment Failure | “I never knew daylight could be so violent.” (Florence + The Machine, No Light, No Light)

DAY 24: Embracing the Sun (Portgas D. Ace)

No. 25: SURGERY Stitches | Being Monitored | "It's for your own good."

DAY 25: Grit Your Teeth, Everything Will Be Fine (Sam Winchester)

No. 26: NIGHTMARES Breakfast Table | Parting Words of Regret | “I'm haunted by the lies that I have loved, the actions I have hated.” (Poe, Haunted)

DAY 26: (Claire Novak)

No. 27: VOICELESS Laboratory | Muzzled | “I have no mouth and I must scream.”

DAY 27: EX-FL02 (Portgas D. Ace)

No. 29: FATIGUE Labyrinth | Burnout | "Who said you could rest?"

DAY 29: Run Rabbit, Run (Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester)

No. 30: RECOVERY Hospital Bed | Holding Back Tears | "What have I done?" No. 28: ALTERNATIVE  No-Holds-Barred Beatdown

DAY 30 (+DAY 28): When the Sun Dies, the Stars Go With It (Portgas D. Ace, Sabo)

No. 31: ASKING FOR HELP Therapy | Making Amends | "I'm alive, I'm just not well." (Elliot Lee, Alive, Not Well.)

DAY 31: The Hardest Things To Say (Dean Winchester)

[wack-ashimself]

Since I can not legally say 'in a free country' the words "I want to kill the USA president*" I will say this:

I hope every billionaire dies. And I don't care: I hope it's a drawn out (but not long), excruciating, impossible to cure, they are immobile AND incapable of communicating, death. LET THEM GOD DAMN SUFFER 10000x over what they have done to humanity. Maybe for their next couple lifetimes till the lesson sticks.

I hope every person who took or is taking bribes a billionaire dies. Legal or not (cuz it isn't moral any time). Same way they did.

I hope everyone who supports billionaires dies. Quickly. Idiots don't deserve to suffer.

Because I, myself, and millions of others are probably gonna starve to death due to billionaires. So if I die, I want ALLLLLL THOSE MOTHER FUCKERS TO DIE WITH ME.

So I heard they were requiring work requirements for food stamps. NOW. RIGHT NOW. During one of the largest unemployment times in ALL USA HISTORY, AND during what is now called the 'silent depression' which has been PROVEN WORSE than the great depression!

WHICH IS INSANE.

I have never in my life thought 'we should make the poorest most vulnerable PROVE they are poor, and EARN their FEW benefits.' NEVER ONCE. And I have had some dark, cruel, sick thoughts thru my life. BUT NEVER THAT.

Maybe cuz I grew up poor. Maybe cuz I had poor friends. Or maybe we are born on a shared planet, AND OWE NO ONE FOR THAT. NO ONE. Not a single god damn person owns this planet but we pay rent to them, cuz we were CONNED into believing it.

Anyways, they require EIGHTY HOURS A MONTH. Or you're disqualified**.

And either you have to have a job job (that, btw, YOU CAN NEVER QUIT. Seriously. It says that! You have to have a GREAT reason for leaving. FORCED LABOR. AND you can NEVER volunteer to take less than 30 hours a week if you got more than that. WTF?!)

You can VOLUNTEER for FREE work. So in other words, DO NOT GET PAID, but, get enough money in a month from food stamps for about....3 weeks. I have NEVER ONCE in my life had food stamps last the whole month. Not even when I was in CA 10 years ago. Indentured servitude, anyone?

OR you can do work training programs thru the state, to teach you USELESS SKILLS that fucking high school should have taught you. Again, UNPAID.

So 2 of the ways they want you to work is to work for free, never getting beyond just to QUALIFY getting enough food from food stamps for a couple weeks. GENIUS! <fucking morons>

But 80 hours. Mandatory. Every single month. (Btw, isn't that cutting into the BEST times of the days for me to apply for and interview for jobs? IDIOTS!)

Hey-I don't mind applying for jobs, interviews, and telling you all about them. I got tons of proof I am trying to get into the work force. I am trying to make an effort. I like security, go figure.

But I have been unemployed OVER TWO YEARS. Only THREE INTERVIEWS in those 2 years. NO JOB OFFER YET. Closest I got was a job interview requiring a covid jab, and there's no god damn way in hell you're forcing me to do something to my body in order for a job. FUCK OFF. MY BODY, MY RULES. Other they wanted me to sign an arbitration agreement, which ALWAYS FUCKS THE EMPLOYEE. It is NEVER to your advantage; they were created so LEGALLY you can't sue your employer. THAT IS IT. Seriously; look into it.

I would already be DEAD, not exaggerating, if not for the food stamp program I have right now.

So now I have to apply for ANY job, take ANY job, and have to stay there till I die or I won't get food? Never moving up? Never earning more money (cuz the second I do, I LOSE food stamps, costing me even more money?)

Even if I am mistreated to the point I am suicidal?

I genuinely would rather die than enable this evil abusive system. Sincerely.

But I'm not going to do so without a fight. And maybe taking out a billionaire or so with me. Cuz it doesn't matter how much power, protection, and secrecy they have. With enough time, thought, and planning, one bullet isn't that hard to meet it's target. Ha....and if you're smart enough, it's food poisoning anyways. They're SO fucking arrogant, they forget who makes their food and does all their work for them. <And if they get paranoid enough, they'll just quit eating and starve to death, like me.> ;)

They're pushing me to the edge, and I swear, I don't push back. I bring them down the cliff with me...if only so they can't do it to another.

So let's do this. Let's see who blinks. I have NOTHING to lose; you have EVERYTHING to lose, rich bitches.

*I promise, like they want to make homelessness illegal, and they made that solider who lit himself on fire an 'enemy' cuz he believed in anarchy (which SIMPLY means NO RULERS), they will start arresting anyone anti state. Which is ironic: if I was in jail, I'd be promised more food and shelter security, FOR FREE, paid for by the taxpayers (and costing them SUBSTANTIALLY more), than if I remained in my current situation. Oh, and don't forget, largest for profit prison population used as SLAVES. So they gain 2 ways: state pays them to imprison them THEN they get to use them as cheap labor. THIS IS AN EVIL GOD DAMN SYSTEM.

**Again, if I just went out, and knocked up ANY random woman, and she gave birth, I would be promised food stamps, no work, instantly. Love that catch. Bring a child into the world you can't afford, and we'll feed YOU. But if not, starve to death if you can't find work***. Every single thing is broken.

***This just made me realize...if you were working even...70 hours a month, they would require you to volunteer for another 10 to get food stamps. What if the volunteer work only occurs the same hours you're at your job? Jesus fuck, did NO ONE think this thru in ANY way!? It always fucking gets worse...

<Do you think even a billionaire does 80 hours a month in work? FUCK NO. But we BAIL THEM OUT every god damn time.>

[notsopersonalcharlie]

Hotshot Part 5 - Second Chance

Aaron Hotchner x Fem!Army!OC - Angsty Fluff

tags: @rousethemouse @hotchgan​ @hotchnerxo​ @chaoticconnoisseurgiver​

Warnings: swearing, mentions of being shot, I think thats it.

Notes: You know I have 0 consistency but I do have a vision and that vision was cheesy as fuck. Photo from a post by @slytherqueern and this is what I imagine him looking like in literally all the flashbacks Enjoy!

Part 1 here - Part 2 here - Part 3 here - Part 4 here

Willow smiled at her phone when it buzzed. She was looking at a photo of Aaron and Jack from a few weeks ago. It felt like it had been a lifetime and also no time at all since she met Aaron again. In reality it had only been seven months.

"Hey Hotshot."

"Are you ever going to give that up?"

"No, what's up?" Aaron looked at the ring one last time before putting it in his jacket pocket.

"Ready for our surprise date?"

"Of course I am. Always ready for our dates, Aaron." He couldn't help but smile.

"I'm leaving right now." Willow set the phone down and looked in her closet. She hadn't thought about what to wear and he hadn't really given her an idea of what the event was. Jeans and a shirt were probably alright, maybe a sweater since the spring chill hadn't vanished yet. A frown set it when she looked in the back of her closet, pushing her uniforms out of the way. A familiar navy gown was gathering dust against the back wall. She'd only ever gotten to wear it the one time. She couldn't even have imagined looking at it seven months ago, much less touch it.

"Aaron, what are you talking about." He had always worn his emotions on his sleeve, maybe just to her but she could always see them, especially in his big brown eyes.

"Willow, I joined the military to go to law school, you knew this. I need to go now."

"But Aaron, I..." She regretted everything now, waiting till after they deployed to get married, all the time that had passed with the ring she was wearing now.

"Please, I have to. I know you want to stay, but I can't. That doesn't mean we have to-"

"Have it. You'll need it to pay for your degree." He was speechless now, watching the diamond ring fall into the palm of his hand that had been outstretched to take her hand. Willow felt like a coward when she walked away, hot tears on her cheeks as she stormed back into the busy ballroom. Some of the sniper squad were still seated and when she sat down one of their wives touched her arm.

"Sweetie, are you okay?" Willow shook her head, lifting up her left hand without a word and stifling a sob as her friend pulled her into her arms.

"Grey, grab our stuff come on." She helped Willow up, her husband trailing with all their things as Willow tried to keep her crying under the radar.

Willow forced the thought away. She hadn't ever felt like that since that night, maybe because she had avoided it at all cost, moving from war zone to night watch over and over until no one knew where she was or how to talk to her. But now she had Aaron.

Willow jumped remembering she was trying to get dressed, and opted for a black and white sweater before grabbing her phone and a jacket and running out the door. Aaron was already waiting.

"What did you forget I was coming?" he joked. She smiled, leaning over to kiss him before fastening her seatbelt.

"I got distracted. So where are we going?"

"You are so terrible with surprises," Aaron laughed, pulling away from the curb. He had gotten sentimental, and he knew he couldn't recreate exactly his first proposal, but he could get pretty darn close on the harbor by the water.

"You are too."

"What did you get distracted by?" Willow took Aaron's hand, which was resting on her thigh, and squeezed it before saying, "I was thinking about when you left. And I guess when I did, and how I shouldn't have given that ring back." Aaron's heart was beating too fast now, and he pulled over just a few blocks from where she lived.

"Is this where we're going?" She asked, looking out onto the city block.

"No... No I... Willow, there's more to that story. On that night." She frowned and looked at him.

"After you and Carly went outside Greyson found me. I was just sitting on the back of my pickup and he asked me what happened."

"Hotchner, what the fuck, man?" Aaron could tell he was mad just based on the face that he used his actual last name. He was slow to lift his head out of his hands.

"I have to go to law school, Grey. I joined the Army so I could do that and I've put it off long enough."

"You weren't fucking putting it off. You were in love, you were doing what the two of you needed. It's not too late, you can make this work. You can stay together." Aaron was shaking his head, he hadn't ever cried in front of the squad, not even after his first kill or when Willow had gotten shot when he was still stateside. Now he couldn't stop the tears. Law school was all he had ever wanted before he met her.

"It's too late. I have to go." Grey grabbed his shoulders, forcing Aaron to look him in the eye.

"Aaron, you can go over there right now and ask for her back. Ask to make it work, but this is your only chance man. You only get one chance."

"I regretted not getting up then, but I really hope Grey was wrong. I really hope this is my second chance." Willow stared at the ring Aaron was holding out to her. It was the same one. She could see the small knick in the band where it always rubbed against the shitty metal on the door handle of Aaron's blue pickup. It carried so many memories of them. And she had always assumed he just sold it.

"Of course. You better not screw it up, hotshot."