#the ''are we playing tag'' moment is specially?? odd?

[rayhantochtli]

Arven and N during and after the latest pokemas storyline

[roguishcat]

A sound judgement

Thank you so much @pursuitseternal for your request and for giving me this prompt (Magistrate Astarion AU, where he was never turned)! This was an absolute delight to write, even if it took me a while to actually get done. Hope you enjoy it!

Excerpt:

And this was when Astarion remembered that he was, in fact, the law and you had no choice but to obey him. A small voice in the back of his mind chose to remind him how badly this could backfire. Astarion chose not to heed the warnings of said voice and immediately began plotting.

Word count: 5.1k

Pairing: Astarion x female Reader

Tags: some suggestive themes, Astarion being a menace to society, Astarion being a brat, fluff, tooth-rotting fluff

❤️Love it? Hate it? Tell me what you think! ❤️

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The afternoon sunlight brushed warmly against your cheek as you enjoyed a rare moment of peace. Instead of running around Baldur's Gate, fixing buildings, helping those in need, the Hero of the Gate for once decided to read a newspaper in a park. Something quite mundane for some, a rare luxury for you.

You were not slacking. But you have come to realise that in your bid to please everyone you would soon completely burn out. Which is why you didn’t feel a smidge of guilt when you found yourself going to Bloomridge park instead of the Upper City.

Not having to make any decisions and just simply be for an hour felt absolutely heavenly. Children played, the members of the book club gossiped, and couples whispered among themselves. This was exactly what you loved about this city. No matter how much havoc was wrought, Baldur's Gate healed rapidly and would soon be back to its former glory.

You cast your eyes over the articles in the newspaper. Nothing special, thank the gods. Just silly gossip and the like. You quickly looked through it and gave a happy sigh. No news was always good news in your books!

Yet, no matter how pleasant this little break was, you were well aware that your assistance was needed at ten odd locations today. It was time to get back to work.

Getting up, you looked at the newspaper in your hands and decided that perhaps someone would enjoy reading it. Afterall, there was hardly any reason for you to take the paper with you. And leaving it behind would probably save some poor apprentice a copper. Thus assured that you were doing no harm, you folded the newspaper up neatly and set it down on the park bench for another to enjoy.

Just as you were about to walk away, you heard someone clear their throat loudly.

"What do you think you are doing?"

It was one of the Fists. You didn't recognise him. Perhaps it was a new recruit, seeing as otherwise he would have known who you were.

"Excuse me?"

"You are littering," he stated, pointing to the newspaper with an accusatory finger.

Ah, so a simple misunderstanding.

"I am not littering,” you smiled pleasantly, in spite of feeling that it was rather strange of the Fist to worry about something as inconsequential as litter out of all things. “Just thought someone else might enjoy reading the paper now that I'm done with it."

The Fist did not look impressed by your explanation. In fact, if anything he seemed even more set in his belief that a heinous crime was being committed in broad daylight.

"I am arresting you for littering in a public garden," he seemed to think about it for a moment. "And for arguing with a city guard."

"I've hardly said any-"

"Resisting arrest, are we?" he drawled, making your mouth tighten as you bit back a snarky retort.

"No, I will come with you willingly," you grumbled.

Perhaps if you played along for a bit, you could talk to someone of a higher rank. Saying anything to an overly eager guard who was obstinately sticking to his accusations would just attract onlookers.

"Good. The judge is waiting for your arrival."

"What? What do you mean judge?" you frowned. What business did any judge have looking into misdemeanours and especially something like littering?

"His Honor Judge Ancunín is waiting for you. Don't dawdle. It's rude to keep him waiting."

Suddenly all of this made sense. You ground your teeth and followed the Fist. Of course it was Astarion! That ass!

"Oh, trust me. Him waiting for me will be the least of his worries once I see him."

You felt that you had every right to be annoyed at Astarion. No scratch that. You had every right to be livid and spitting fire! Because this was the fourth time that bastard got you arrested in a little more than a month! And every single bloody time if was for something dumb and trivial. You had no idea how Astarion managed to do it, how he knew exactly where you would be, and how he convinced those Fists that he was to be the judge handling your case.

That stupid, stupid ass!

He couldn’t just come by the tavern and talk to you like someone normal. No, he needed a show of power, especially with him being promoted to judge in high court! Because apparently this was how Astarion got his kicks nowadays. He needed for you to be near forcibly escorted to the courtroom and thrown at his feet. Preferably pleading for mercy and asking him if there was any way that you could make it up to him.

You scowled. The whole scenario just sounded like the plot of some cheap, third-rate smutty novel one would pick up at Sharess'. But if he thought that you would cower before him, that elf had another thing coming!

On the other side of the city, Astarion Ancunín was drumming his fingers against some book he was supposedly reading. Astarion was in a foul mood. It's been several months since the defeat of the Absolute. He and the merry band that defeated the cultists were celebrated just as you deserved for about a tenday, and then went back to your lives. Halsin was immediately off with his wagonfuls of brats, Gale returned to Waterdeep, Shadowheart went to live with her parents in the countryside, Wyll and Karlach waged war in Avernus whilst Lae’zel sought to overthrow Vlaakith. In short, everyone left the city except you and Astarion. Well, Jaheira and Minsc were probably about, but he didn’t care about them enough to check.

For a while, Astarion enjoyed the privileges that came with the title of Savior of Baldur's Gate. The fame had him moving up the ranks with impressive speed until he was promoted from magistrate to judge. No more minor cases! Oh no, he was in the big leagues now. And he was so, so bored.

Astarion could hardly believe that this dull, bureaucratic crap was all he did for years until he got tadpoled. And in the past, he enjoyed it well enough. But having experienced the thrill of adventure, the rush of adrenalin, the drama and the fun of travelling, he could not fathom sitting at a desk for the rest of his long, long life.

Which was when he realised that the only acceptable source of entertainment was you. Except getting to you was easier said than done. Everyone wanted your time and, being the annoyingly selfless creature that you were, it was near impossible to find any window of opportunity and see you for longer than a few minutes. And by the gods Astarion wanted to.

You two shared a couple passionate encounters when you were on the road and decided that you were better of as friends. Well, at least you decided that. Astarion was not quite on board with the whole platonic thing, but with death literally being around every corner, he begrudgingly agreed that a budding romance was the last thing you both needed at the time.

And this was how the two of you became friends. Except Astarion wanted more, so much more. And herein lay the problem. He never in the past had to woo anyone. His good looks and roguish charms were generally enough to have everyone chasing after him. An interested look and a smirk would often be enough for his potential lovers to drop their pants fast.

But this tactic, if one could really call it that, didn’t actually work on you. And he tried showing his interest. Astarion invited you on outings and to parties. Afterall, there were soiree aplenty where he his resplendent beauty would definitely be reason enough for you to want to sneak away and spend some quality time in some secluded alcove. Except yoh would actually have to turn up for that to happen.

Not deterred, Astarion tried sending you gifts and you sent him something equally pleasant back. Which he interpreted as 'thanks for the present, but not for the interest'. This had him gritting his teeth in annoyance but surprisingly not giving up.

Because he wanted, and craved and yearned. He wanted nothing more than sequester you in his rooms and not allow you to leave for weeks. Or until he felt that he fucked that whole ‘friendship’ idea out of your mind.

And this was when Astarion remembered that he was, in fact, the law and you had no choice but to obey him. A small voice in the back of his mind chose to remind him how badly this could backfire. Astarion chose not to heed the warnings of said voice and immediately began plotting.

So he abused his power in every way, had you arrested time and time again, dragged through the city and thrown into prison to await his judgement. You should have been flattered really that he went to all that trouble simply to arrange a meeting. Honestly, most wanted nothing more than to have a passing glance from him, when you had the entirety of his attention!

Except something seemed different this time. When you walked into the courtroom and levelled him with a look previously reserved for your enemies, Astarion wondered if perhaps his plan was not quite as foolproof as he had thought.

But it was too late to back out. He assumed a sort of casually reclining bored noble position and waited for the Fist to read out what you were being charged with.

It was a surprisingly long list. Perhaps Astarion should have chosen a less zealous guard.

As each wrongdoing was reported to him, Astarion couldn’t help but worry about the way your face darkened by the minute as your eyes shot daggers. He was quite sure that it would have been actual steel piercing his flesh by now if it weren’t for all those witnesses.  

“Enough,” he lifted his arm with an imperious look, making the Fist pause, only half-done with his report.

“Your Honor?”

“I see that this matter does indeed require my special attention. Yet, seeing as this is the Hero of the Gate,” he paused for dramatic effect noting with annoyance that this seemed to have the desired effect only on the scribe, the Fist and whatever staff were about rather than you, “I may be persuaded to lift the charges.”

“How generous of you…. Your Honor,” you said in a reverent tone that contradicted your face expression.

Astarion gulped, to his confusion feeling both concerned and aroused.

"Well,” he cleared his throat and shifted in his seat, “I am nothing but generous."

"Of course. And earnest too!" you nodded. “Why, I am sure that your impartial perspective will allow you to deliver an objective verdict-"

"You forget yourself!” Astarion cut you off abruptly. He rather enjoyed your insolence, but appearances had to be kept up. “Justice should be a harsh lesson. To make sure that no such offense occurs in the future. I ought to administer the punishment where you stand. Make an example of you."

"Well, what are you waiting for, your Honour?” You leaned forward slightly and lowered your voice. “Punish me as you see fit."

Astarion thanked every god he could think of at that moment that he was required to wear loose fitting robes. Because he was already half-mast and carrying on with this conversation would eventually make his problem rather obvious to all present. That would be the Fist, the mages, the scribe, and whoever else was milling about that he generally did not notice. Wholly unacceptable.

"Do follow me, no guards required, thank you."

"But- but your Honor!” the Fist stammered, clutching the report to his chest. “What if she tries to assault you!"

"Trust me, I am perfectly capable of handling this one."

He pretended not to notice you rolling your eyes, motioning for you to follow as he started for his office.

You made your way down the long, winding halls, quite sure that you would be lost if it wasn’t for Astarion. Every now and then the surface of the walls would ripple, and a clerk would emerge from the depths of a secret passage and shuffle past, head bowed and curling in on themselves, only to sink into the opposite wall. If you were to press your fingertips against the surface, you were sure that you would find solid stone.

The narrow hallway widened and you walked into what appeared to be the archive, shelves filled with scrolls, stone tablets and books. A veritable cornucopia of every kind of crime carefully recorded and catalogued over centuries. You scowled as you thought of how your supposedly atrocious crimes were among the entries.

You walked up two flights of stairs and finally reached the door to what seemed to be Astarion’s office. The elf opened the door and stood aside, letting you walk in first. You scoffed and pushed past him, making a show of flicking your hair in his face. Astarion drew back a little with a grin, anticipating you doing something so childish.

The door clicked closed behind you and immediately magic hummed to life.

"Arcane Lock? Really?" you arched an eyebrow.

 "Just so we don't get disturbed, dearest."

Your eyes followed Astarion as he walked around his desk and sat in the beautifully upholstered chair. Just like everything else in his office, it looked eye-wateringly expensive and imported.

"How may I help you on this fine day?" he motioned for you to take a seat on the other side of the desk.

"How may you-"

You cut yourself off and took a few deep breaths before you said something terse that would get thrown into prison. Again. You took a seat, noticing immediately that your chair looked much less comfortable. Trust Astarion to make his company squirm in their seats.

"Astarion, I think-"

"Your Honor," he corrected you with a smirk.

"Fine, whatever! Tell me, oh great Judge Ancunín, ignoring the abuse of power, the made up charges and you potentially bribing the city guard into arresting me, what are you actually hoping to get out of this, hm?"

Astarion took off his glasses and started polishing them with careful, unhurried movements. Outwardly he was the epitome of calm and grace, the one in charge. Inwardly, however, he didn’t have a clue what to do now that he had your full, undivided attention.

Because eloquence in the courtroom apparently did not translate into eloquence with you. Astarion was kind of hoping that you would just somehow fall into his arms and then the two of you would forget about the battle of wits in favour of something far more engaging. But apparently you wanted a real, honest answer. And that would be tricky seeing as he didn’t know how to put what he felt into words.

The silence stretched, tensions high, your patience almost at its end.

"Do you know what? Fine,” you spat, narrowing your eyes at him. “Don't answer that. It was stupid of me to think that you would treat me as a friend. I'm just going to pay a fine or whatever else I have to do and be out of your hair. You obviously have better things to do around here than talk to my lowly self."

"I never wanted to be your friend,” he interjected, looking uncharacteristically nervous.

"Well," you cleared your throat, annoyed at yourself for feeling hurt by his words. "You've made that plenty obvious."

Understanding that you misinterpreted his words, Astarion quickly grasped your sleeve as you prepared to rise.

"I- I am not sure exactly what I want,” he frowned, looking down at the polished wood of his desk.  “I have very little experience of wanting to be around others for the sake of enjoying their company. Getting acquainted with someone was always done with one purpose in mind, to climb the social ladder until I came out on top," he gave a little high-pitched laugh, running his fingers through his hair to brush it back.

"So when it comes to you, my dear, the last thing I want is to be your friend,” he took a deep breath, letting go of your sleeve to interlace his fingers to stop himself from fidgeting. “I have never wanted to be just friends with anyone less in my life.”

“And I don't know what you are to me,” he took a breath to summon the courage to carry on. “But when I look at you, I ache. We are good together. There is a potential for... something wonderful,” he did look up then, eyes locking with yours. “And I want to find out what that is, if you want that too."

You were stunned, momentarily speechless. Looking at him as if you were seeing him properly for the first time. Because it has been so long since you've seen that raw, earnest expression on his face. Body language filling in whatever blanks that were left behind by words.

"Oh hells, say something," he pleaded and put his hands on top of yours.

And then you were in his lap and your lips were on his, because you would be lying to yourself if you did anything but kiss him at that moment.

"You are still an ass," were the first words out of your mouth when you broke apart.

"Yes, dear," he kissed you jaw and then down your neck.

"I can't believe you had me arrested!"

"And I probably will again if you take days to answer my letters or otherwise ignore me," Astarion was already done with the ties of your outer clothing, discarding them by throwing them carelessly somewhere behind you.

"Do you know how embarrassing it was to be escorted to the courthouse? I bet newspapers will have a field day with this!"

"And any journalist who writes a word about this will be brought before me."

You tried to get his robes off him but were having trouble with the diamond encrusted broach holding the cravat in place.

"Argh, why do you insist on decorating yourself with all of these useless baubles!"

"Well, someone has to support the local businesses. You do your bit to see Baldur's Gate restored, I do mine."

"Oh, shut up," you laughed, finally getting a glimpse of his chest and running your hands down soft skin with a sigh.

"Feeling happier dear?"

You felt a breeze on your shoulders and then Astarion's hands cupped your breasts.

"No, I'm still annoyed at you."

"Well then I must double my efforts."

Clerks scuttled about the endless, winding halls, each wanting to impress their superiors.

A loud thump was heard, and a tremor reverberated throughout the building, making the panes of glass zing in protests.

A young human clerk gasped, "What in the hells is going on?"

"Judge Ancunín is questioning the Hero of Baldur's Gate," another replied with a yawn, seemingly not worried.

"This sounded bad, do you think he will need a hand?"

"What, ya mean since his own hands are full?"

The other clerks tittered, picking up scrolls and putting them back on the shelves.

"Oi, stop being mean to the newbie!" someone called from a distance.

"Or be even more of an ass and let him barge in, that would be even more entertaining," a tiefling chortled without looking up from his scroll.

"So, no one is in danger?" He said slowly, not really sure whether he was meant to ignore whatever was going on during an interrogation.

"Nope, in fact, I'm pretty sure that next couple of days are going to be easy," the tiefling took another scroll and added it to the pile in front of him.

Another tremor went through the building, making an ink pot fall off the desk.

"What do you think is going on there?" the young clerk whispered to the co-worker that seemed fairly friendly, unlike the rest.

"Aw crap, don't tell me that no one explained the birds and the bees to you yet?"

"Oh. Oh!" He gasped, a blush dusting his cheeks as realisation set in.

A halfling carrying thick tomes past his desk stage-whispered to no one in particular, "This one is not the sharpest quill, right?"

"Shit! Code Arsehole! Judge Buttershed is in our wing!"

An elf burst in, every head turning in his direction. The clerks stopped laughing, one hurrying down the hall towards Judge Ancunín’s office whilst the rest got to work with impressive speed.

"Why are you even covering for Judge Ancunín?"

The tiefling rolled his eyes at the newbie but graciously chose to reply.

"Because in spite of his eccentric ways and borderline obsession with the Hero of the Gate, he is the best we've had in years! Do you want to have to rewrite all your scrolls because your handwriting is neither here nor there?"

"Gods, do you remember the 'no use of magic above Level 1 in governmental buildings’?"

"Pft, that was nothing,” a handsome elf with long hair put up in a severe, tight chignon scoffed. “I heard they used to have gremishkas just to make sure no one used magic on site.”

"He's here!"

Most would not understand what the commotion was even about. To a casual observer, Judge Buttershed would appear fairly unremarkable. Just a short, portly man with a sweaty face and capricious expression whose spectacles were woefully unfashionable even a century ago. His whole demeanour screamed that he disliked everyone in this room immensely and could not wait to go back to his wing, where according to him things were still done the right way, and settle into his chair in his office.

"I heard that Ancunín was late for court yesterday. Again. Although, judging by the disorder I see here,” he boomed, a little spittle flying forth, “this is of little surprise. Therefore, I feel it is my duty to give him a stern talk."

"Considering his status, your Honour, is that wise?”

Judge Buttershed looked down his nose at the half-elf who dared contradict him.

“Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do? I will make sure to fire you first once Ancunín is out of here,” he pointed a fat finger at the clerk.

Expecting to see fear and reverence in forest-green eyes and finding neither, he cursed under his breath and made his way down the hall, muttering to himself and shooting hard looks at whoever happened to cross his path.

Thus assured that he was doing the only thing that would save Baldur’s Gate judicial system from collapse, Buttershed burst through the doors, all righteous anger, ready to deliver his judgement. Only to find his rival and the Hero of the Gate sipping tea, engaged in amicable conversation.

“Oh? To what do I owe the honour Buttershed?” Astarion quirked a brow. “What was important enough for you to barge into my office without making an appointment with my secretary?”

“Don’t you dare talk to me that way, you- you- charlatan! You know full well that you have no business sullying these halls with your disgusting presence!”

“Astarion? Who is this? I will make sure to mention him the next time I pay a visit to Duke Ravengard,” your voice was pleasant enough but the look you levelled the intruder with spoke volumes. “In fact, I was going to call on Ulder tomorrow. Luckily, with us being old friends and all, I hardly need to bother to make an appointment!”

Judge Buttershed was defeated, and he knew it. Whilst he was prepared to take on Ancunín, feeling that he could successfully make a case and prove that the elf committed professional misconducts, the Supreme Marshall of the Flaming Fists was not someone to trifle with. Bidding his farewells to you only, he left the room in a flurry of silk and barely concealed complaints muttered under his breath.

“Now, my dear. That was most impressive,” Astarion purred, taking a sip of tea.

“I don’t know what you mean,” you shrugged, picking out a particularly scrumptious-looking biscuit and happily crunching on it. And then selecting one more, wondering if Astarion would mind terribly if you took the rest with you.

“I mean, you accuse yours truly, saying that I abuse my power. But are you any better?” he set his cup aside to place a kiss on the corner of your lips, your cheek and under your jaw. “It’s nice to know that the heroes are as bad as the rest of us.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Astarion,” you popped the biscuit into your mouth with a smile. “Now then, I must leave. Seeing as I missed most of my appointments for today and have to reschedule, don’t expect to see me for a while.”

His hands tightened round your middle, head resting in the crook of your neck.

“Must you leave?”

“For now. But I will make sure to come by in the next few days or so, okay? I miss you when I’m not around you,” you admitted, looking at him from underneath long lashes. “But there is so much to be done still… I feel selfish. For feeling so happy.”

Ah. And that was your most vexing quality that he exploited so readily when you first started travelling together. Your damnable selflessness. He loved you for it. He hated that you extended it to others.

Astarion sighed into your shoulder and withdrew. You felt the absence of his warmth so acutely that it took all your willpower to turn around and walk out of his door at that moment.

Astarion got you arrested on five more occasions before he finally summoned the courage to ask you to move in with him. Not for any particular reason. You were barely home as it was, so did it really matter which space you cluttered up with your armour and such? Which corner you tossed your boots in at the end of a long, tiring day?

Astarion, of course, being quite meticulous, made sure to organise your things for you. He began by colour-coding your undergarments drawer. To which he got a mixed response, considering he expected nothing but enthusiasm and gratitude.

A year into you living together, Astarion tossed a book onto your shared bed with a self-satisfied smirk.

“Dearest, I got you this. Considering you might not have enough reading material.”

“The ‘Court of Love’? Let me guess, you saw the title of this smutty little number and just couldn’t pass by?”

“Something like that. Would you indulge me by reading out a passage or two whilst I get ready to retire for the night?”

You narrowed your eyes. Something seemed off.

“What are you up to, Astarion?”

“My love! Your suspicions wound me!” Astarion crawled onto the bed and leaned against the bedframe.

You didn’t trust him for one second, but decided to play along for now, being a little curious yourself.

“The culprit was dragged in front of the magistrate. Her heavy breasts heaving with every laboured breath, nipples erect and pointing in his direction… Oh gods, this is terrible!” you chortled, making yourself comfortable and putting your head on Astarion’s bare chest.

“Isn’t it? Go on then, I want to hear what happens next,” he grinned, twirling a strand of your hair around his long fingers.

You giggled and turned the page.

“The magistrate rose in one swift movement, his eyes flashing and muscles flexing. He moved slowly, a predator circling his prey. Her eyes followed him, heart hammering as he breasts rose and fell with every breath, her nipples-  What is with this writer and nipples?” you rolled your eyes.

“Hot, isn’t it?”

Astarion was clearly having a whale of a time, though he seemed to be familiar with the text, his attention directed at you, as if wanting to make sure he caught every reaction, every expression.

“Are the nipples meant to be moving around so much? They could be out there directing foot traffic! I’m guessing that you picked this up at Sharess’?”

“Indeed, I did! And who are you to judge the quality of this book!” Astarion said with an air of a mother defending her child. “I’ll have you know, it was sold out in hours! I worked hard to get my hands on this copy!”

Then something clicked in your mind. You read the next two pages quickly.

“Magistrate Arunin and the Hero of the Coast? Astarion, is this based on us?” you looked at the cover at the book to check the name of the author. And sure enough, it was the Fist that arrested you for littering and then two more times after that.

“I’m going to kill him!” you growled, throwing the book on the floor. “And I don’t mean that in a cutesy way. I mean I will literally run my sword through him,” you pushed against Astarion’s chest. The elf gripped you tighter to stop you from leaving, as you were clearly intent on making good on your promise in spite of the late hour.

“Being a slave to the quill is truly a dangerous profession these days,” Astarion laughed, flipping you over and manoeuvring you so swiftly that you felt a little dizzy until he had you pinned against the bed.

“Now, whilst that murderous glint in your eyes is truly fetching, I think our energies would be better spent on each other rather than on some writer. Besides,” he went on, popping button after button open and pulling your shirt open slowly, fingers trailing along your skin, “I hear that he is planning on writing a sequel. And I find myself eager to read what depraved adventures the magistrate and the hero will get up to.”

Your words of outrage were quickly cut of by insistent lips as Astarion kissed you, tongue darting out through the smallest opening in his mouth to coax your own to open. And then there was no more talking, just groans and sighs, and gasps and moans.

As night bled into morning and you were fast asleep, Astarion congratulated himself on his usual practical sagacity, as once again his sound judgement resulted in an outcome most pleasant. Perhaps you were not keen on his brilliant plan at first, but you had no reasons to complain about his ways of going about getting what he wanted now.

And thus assured that he was always right, Astarion pulled you closer and closed his eyes, allowing himself to rest.

💖 Tag list 💖:

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[ikeoji-subs]

Zettai BL Ni Naru Sekai VS Zettai BL Ni Naritakunai Otoko 2024 - Episode 5 Eng Sub

VS THE START OF A ROMANCE and VS HELPING

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translation notes:

About “naresome”

As tends to happen when translating Japanese, this is one of those words that don’t exist in English. Its literal translation is “the start of a romance.” So, while we’ve chosen to translate it as “get together,” it would be more accurate to give a more extensive explanation. It is a noun that specifically refers to the moment that love begins. So when we’re talking about “naresome” we’re talking about the thing or situation that triggered the romantic relationship or romantic feelings.–Snow

about casting Tominaga Yuya as a guy who gets busy when it rains

I think this is another tokusatsu Easter egg. Tominaga Yuya, who plays Jouji in the “Vs. The Start of a Relationship” chapter, was also on Avataro Sentai DonBrothers, a Super Sentai series that ran from 2022 to 2023. His character, Sonoi, was the agent of a culture from another plane of existence whose members feed off of the brainwaves of human beings. At first, he and his associates Sonoza and Sononi were enemies of the DonBrothers, but they eventually joined forces with the Sentai. A big reason this happened was that Sonoi had a special connection to the leader of the DonBrothers, Momoi Tarou. Their relationship reads as pretty darned queer to a lot of viewers, myself included.

Momoi Tarou and Sonoi bonding, before they found out they were nemeses

Many JBL fans know Higuchi Kouhei from My Personal Weatherman/Taikan Yoho, in which he played the titular meteorologist, Segasaki. Part of the premise of that series is that at the start of the story, Higuchi’s character only has sex with his partner on sunny days. Jouji, Tominaga’s Zettai BL character, does the opposite: he and his “sex friend” only do it on rainy days. 

Basically, the writers of Zettai BL 3 have made Higuchi’s toku boyfriend’s story into a reverse Taikan Yoho situation. What are the odds that’s just a coincidence?–Towel

Also, he gets his own “Zettai BL” title card moment (and he’s the only one out of the secondary cast who get to have that).–Snow

That’s right!

I’m going to put this in context a little because I’ve given a lot of thought (probably too much) to who’s been featured in the opening credits of the different Zettai BL seasons. For every season of the show so far, Inukai Atsuhiro has had four other actors perform with him in the opening theme dance number. (All of whom also get a crack at some of those title card moments.) For two seasons, three of the four spots were taken up by Yutaro (Ayato), Shiono Akihisa (Toujou), and Itou Asahi (Kikuchi). The fourth spot was taken up by different actors in the first two seasons. It was the guy who played the attractive dude from the goukon in the first season, and it was Izuka Kenta, who played Kikuchi’s ex Igarashi, in the second. 

This time around, I had hoped that Sekoguchi Ryo would take the fourth spot, because he’s my blorbo and of course I wanted to see him in a retro dance number (boy was that wish ever granted!). But I hadn’t expected Shiono not to appear this time. Maybe there were specific reasons for this, like a scheduling conflict or an injury. It’s not like Shiono appears less in season 3 than he did in the others, so that’s not the reason. It’s hard to say. But in that context, it seems even more significant that they gave a spot to Tominaga Yuya. We don’t know the reasons for this. But it’s possible they featured him more heavily in this way because of his tokusatsu backstory and the inside joke it allowed them to make.–Towel

about “pudding relationship” and “prince and princess”

This part was tricky to translate. As you might have noticed by this point, Mob likes to make puns. In Japanese, pudding is written as “purin” and it is used to refer to pudding as well as custard. Mob goes on to follow with “prince and princess”, which in Japanese are pronounced as “purinsu” and “purinsesu”. In here, there’s wordplay with these similar sounding words and the image of the ToujouAyato couple.–Snow  

about “cuteness overload”

Japanese is a language that uses a lot of onomatopoeia. There’s 4 types, iirc: animal sounds, object sounds (like rain, creaking and the like), things that don’t make noise (smiles, stares, silence, etc), verbs turned onomatopoeia (I unfortunately cannot remember this properly but it was something like that). In this case, Mob says “Kyun ga tomaranai” (which literally means “the kyun can’t be stopped”). “Kyun” is an onomatopoeic word to refer to a “momentary tightening of one's chest caused by powerful feelings,” usually tied to a romantic context but not exclusively. Taking this into account, we thought “cuteness overload” might be the closest expression in English.–Snow

It’s worth noting that Mob is also saying “kyun” right after the “cuteness overload” line. I really thought at first that he was saying “cute,” since it sounds so similar, it would make a lot of sense contextually, and English loan words are so common in Japanese. But no, it was “kyun.” There was no way we could get across the meaning of “kyun” in one or two syllables of English, so we went with “adorbs,” which is just another word for “cute,” but at least it has a cutesy pronunciation that steps it up a notch.–Towel

about bouhan buzzers (16:06)

The translation note shown onscreen during this scene reads: “a bouhan buzzer is a security gadget carried by Japanese schoolchildren.” We did our best to summarize the meaning of this term briefly, so that it would be readable in the amount of time it was possible for us to keep that caption onscreen. But here’s a longer explanation for those who might be curious. 

It took a while for me to understand what these things were. At first I pictured something like a hand buzzer–the kind that people used to use to prank people. But it’s nothing like that. They’re sometimes referred to as “personal security alarms.” They’re little doodads that you can clip onto a backpack or carry in your pocket, and if you activate them (the most common mechanism for which seems to be pulling some kind of tab or string), they make some form of alarm-type sound. I found a video, below, that shows someone activating two different types of buzzers, showing the sound they make. 

These two make the same sort of beeping/chirping noises you’d associate with an alarm protecting a car or the entrance to a building–not really a “buzzing” sound, or anything that resembles the sound Mr. Cheerleader makes in this scene. But maybe there are other types that are more buzz-like, or sound more like the sound our buddy is imitating. 

According to some things I read when I looked these up, children often play with their bouhan buzzers, making it somewhat less likely that people will be on alert when they hear them go off. I don’t think I could have resisted setting off a gadget like this if I’d had one as a child. They seem to be available with all sorts of characters on them and in all sorts of colors and shapes, which is cool but might make them seem even more toy-like. 

From what I’ve seen, these things are most commonly used by children, but adults sometimes use them too. If you look for them for sale online, there are more adult-looking versions available (say, a rose-gold blob instead of something with cute characters on it–though of course, adults might want those too). One listing I saw advertised that they’re useful for kids, women, and the elderly.–Towel

Tag list: @absolutebl @bengiyo @c1nto @come-back-serotonin @lurkingshan @my-rose-tinted-glasses @porridgefeast @sorry-bonebag @twig-tea @wen-kexing-apologist

[vacayisland]

@!; Together. (That's all we need) Trollex / reader . . . art/writing trade with @greaser-wolf

"Tag list"! @storydays @chamille-trash @valvalentine69 @starzwithapen @ykvlanq @apieceofcathair3 @kitthefanfickat @cyb3r-st4r @esterphobic @nevaeh-jasso

ꨄ︎. You honestly wonder how you got here sometimes. It was an odd situation, on the way on how all the stars aligned to create a perfect path for you and Trollex. For as long as you could remember you were friends with him, and later Synth. For as long as you two remember it was a 'us against the world' type of friendship, where you all did the stupidest things together and managed to get away with it (most of the time). You remembered those days all too well, where you three would play at the edge of the reef and race to see who could get to the center first. Where you guys would ponder on ways to get that ever so special dessert of the Techno tribe, not even being able to name it yet. Where life was fun and exciting, a lot less working and a lot less everything in your face.

ꨄ︎. And sure, life is still like that, but everything seemed to turn upon it's head a few years ago; well, five years ago to be exact, when Trollex first told you that he loved you. Then two years later when you guys got married. You never had expected to become a ruler of the Techno Trolls, as you always knew the 'crown' would go to Trollex (by blood).

ꨄ︎. And adjusting to a new life was always hard, especially when it meant into the life of royalty, yet you both managed to stick through it together. Trollex showed you to ropes, explained some costumes, and walked you through everything. He still does, even after all these years,, and that's what makes you hesitant. You both have finally settled down, the reef is in such a serine state of calm (even after sending ambassadors over to the Pop Troll Village) that you didn't want to disturb the waters. No, no it was too soon for that to happen, way too soon!

ꨄ︎. But then again, Trollex deserved to know what was happening! You've both faced everything and anything together so keeping him out of the dark would be a first and probably will educe more anxiety than what you were feeling right now!

ꨄ︎. But waiting a little bit couldn't hurt, right? The thought echoed in your mind as you stared at yourself through a mirror, your eyebrows frowning as you noticed one of the two eggs peaking out from your hair. You would reach up and attempted to cover the egg again, a million thoughts racing through your mind. This would be the hardest part, to tell Trollex about his eggs. How do you even tell your husband about such a thing? Sure, you've been dreaming about this since a year into your relationship with him, yet the moment has come at one of weirdest times that it made you feel a little sick. Surely, Trollex would want kids- his kids! You've seen the way he's acted around the younger Techno Trolls, always so caring and goofy, it's what made you want to have kids in the first place. But-

ꨄ︎. But, but, but, but, BUT! Ugh that stupid word is ringing in your head too much lately, like it always does. It's what Synth liked to call my irrational word, as irrational thoughts always steamed from the word 'but'.

ꨄ︎. Irrational thoughts that were proven irrational time and time again... So I shouldn't listen to those thoughts! At least, that's what Synth would say and Synth is not here right now so I have to just think Synth to be able to have some sort of support. Just thing W.W.S.D.: What Would Synth Do? Which, in hindsight is really bad for most situations because the answer would be rave-

ꨄ︎. A RAVE!

ꨄ︎. Trollex will be DJing at a rave later today and had asked you to be his plus one, which wasn't surprising seeing as you are his wife (but a little goofy upon thinking how there's really no Techno Troll not invited to a rave; But you got a cute date with you husband so he could ask you, so that's a win). But, besides that, maybe you could tell Trollex during the rave? It would be the most low pressure situation, if you forget there are countless of eyes on you both up by the turn tables, but Trollex will be in a good mood. So telling him shouldn't be that stressful?

ꨄ︎. But you could ruin the rave by telling him there; Such as what if he doesn't want the kid and then completely stops in his DJing to stare at you in shock? Then what if he recoils back and slams into the turn tables, causing records to scratch and...

ꨄ︎. Maybe you should go see a therapist... but not now. Right now you had to figure out how to tell your Husband about the eggs that are literally growing in your hair!

ꨄ︎. Ha, no pressure!.. right?

ꨄ︎. Maybe you could have tried harder to tell Trollex about his children during the rave, or maybe you could have done better in masking your nerves during the whole party. You hadn't noticed how badly this was all getting to you despite the countless of Trolls who came up to you, asking if you were alright. One of those Trolls being your husband! He seemed extra worried about your sour attituded during the rave, noticing how you sat off to the side with a scrunched face. He knew that face, he knew it all too well; It was your pensive face, the face you only scrunch when you're in deep contemplation about something. And it worried him to see that you weren't partying like you usually were, as raves usually got you out of your pensive moods. It's what he usually did to help you shake out all the bad feelings, even if you two were at home and all you did was play music and dance around together. So if music wasn't helping than something was wrong. Really, really wrong.

ꨄ︎. And as your husband, Trollex was determined to figure out what it was to be able to help you! With having to pry it out of you.

ꨄ︎. "Alright alright!" Trollex's voice over took the blaring music as he turned it down, purposefully so he could be heard. The Techno Trolls on the floor would turn and face him, if they weren't already, confused on what was happening. The rave had just started! No way it was already over. But Trollex continued, "Don't worry, I'm just passin' off the booth to a good friend of mine and you guys can get right back to partying. I just wanted to introduce DJ Cupcake!" Trollex exclaimed, gesturing to one of his closest friends (out side of Synth and You) as they sawm up to the turn tables. He would nod, giving them a fist bump, before turning back to the Trolls. It wasn't common for Trollex to part from a rave, though it wasn't exactly uncommon either. So while there was questioning looks, no one bothered to ask Trollex about his sudden departure. They just hoped he would be alright. Funny, considering how he was hoping you were alright.

ꨄ︎. "Trollex, you didn't have to leave the rave because of me!" You would pull your wrists away from Trollex's hands as you two got home, causing him to whip around, startled. You hadn't realized the edge in your tone, nor how loud you had shouted at him so he would take a moment and stop! You didn't mean to, but you needed him to listen. "Starfish-" Trollex would start, hands drawing close to himself as he tried to formulate his words. "I was just worried, you seemed..." "You better not say moody, Trollex!" You snapped crossing your arms as you felt your body become rather on edge. Your brain was on edge. Trollex didn't know but during his rush to get you to your home, in privacy to talk, he had almost knocked out one of the eggs from his hair. Granted, you shouldn't be mad at him for that, seeing as he didn't know they even existed yet. But you couldn't help it! To think Trollex could be so reckless with young lives, it made you bitter despite your reasonable thoughts. "No, no! I wasn't going to say that at all... you just seemed pensive! Like in a seriously deep train of thought and we both know that's usually not good." Trollex backtracked, trying to save himself from your accusation. His face would scrunch a little, noticing how you shot daggers at him and how stiff your body was before you exhaled, allowing it to relax.

ꨄ︎. This only made Trollex alarmed, as he's never seen you like this before. Sure, he's seen you when you were pensive, in deep spiraling thought, but not when like this. This? This was something different.

ꨄ︎. But that didn't make you any less you and he wasn't going to run away from this problem because you were acting differently than what he was used to. Something was wrong, he had to be the husband you needed him to be right now; You needed a shoulder to lean on. And that's what he's going to give you!

ꨄ︎. Gently, as to not startle you or cause you to tense up again, Trollex would reach out and place his hands on your shoulders. He made sure you were comfortable with his touch first, then he slowly guided the two of you to sit on the floor. He didn't want to move to the couch or your shared bedroom, just encase. He needed to be gentle with you right now. "Hey, love, is... everything okay?" He would asked, being weary of his tone; He tried to keep it was soothing and gentle as possible, watching your body language for anything he could pick up on. Anything that would give him a hint as to what you're thinking. No matter how long it took, he would sit here with you until everything was okay again. You were his world, as he knew he was yours, and there was nothing he wouldn't do to make you feel better. As he expected, though, he didn't receive an answer straight away. And he was okay with that. He was glad you trusted him enough to lean your head against his shoulder and allow him to wrap his arms around your waist, silently comforting you through touch. That was something cheesy to be thankful for, especially after three years of marriage, but he was. It gave him some reassurance.

ꨄ︎. You two would sit on that floor, cuddled up in each other's arms, for what felt like (and what was) hours until you would tell Trollex what was bothering you. But Trollex didn't mind. His eyes would glance back at you upon hearing your small sigh, a relieving sound to his ears (as he knew you've come to terms with opening up with him). Trollex would softly rub your back, comfortingly drawing circles, as a silent encouragement. He watched as you chewed over how you were going to formulate your words for a few minutes before he heard your voice. "Trollex.. I have something to tell you." You would mumble out.

ꨄ︎. And he wasn't going to lie, that one sentence made his heart both flip and drop at the same time.

ꨄ︎. "You can tell me anything, you know that, right?" Though Trollex wouldn't tell you that, knowing you already had a lot on your plate. You would probably know later, anyways, when you two look back at this and laugh at it. "I kind of know I should have told you as soon as I found out," You would start, not helping with Trollex's nerves. He felt as you would squeeze your arms around his chest, and he would do the same in turn to your waist. "But I didn't want to ruin anything, with the reef suddenly being so calm after the Rock trolls attacked and Trollstopia starting and..." Your voice would trail off, to which Trollex would pick up, "Hey, hey.. you know it never matters what is happening out in the reef, yeah? Sure, Yeah, I'm their leader but that doesn't mean you're my second priority, Starfish. I'm here for you, okay?" You would nod your head against Trollex's shoulder, staying silent for a few more minutes. Was there any easy way to tell him? Should you just drop the bomb on him now? There wasn't getting around it anyways, so it would be best to be up front, right?

ꨄ︎. "Trollex.. we're having twins."

ꨄ︎. You would squeeze your eyes shut upon telling him, waiting for his reaction. It was the one thing that you were fearing, the one reason you were so scared to tell him about the twins, and now it was something you would have to come to face with. Though, after a minute of complete silence from Trollex, you couldn't help but fear for the worst. "Love?.." Your voice was shaky as you carefully leaned away from his shoulder to catch a look at his face; You needed to know what he was feeling, what was happening, was he freaking out like you had or was he disgusted or?!- You couldn't even see his face before Trollex shot his hands up to cup your cheeks, no longer holding your waist. The sudden movement caught off guard, even more so when Trollex face sudden came closer to yours than you remembered it being. Yet... he had the brightened grin on his face, and you swore his eyes were stars as he stared in to yours. "Tell me that again." He would whisper, the excitement pouring out of him from the truck load. You couldn't help but stifle a giggle, glad he was taking this news so well but also counting his request as slightly strange. Either way, you indulged him. "Trollex, honey, we're having twins..?"

ꨄ︎. You had seen Trollex overly excited before, hell even bouncing off the walls, but his over joyous attituded right now was something that bested all those times easily. You would watch as he was literally throwing fist bumps in the air, zipping around like a little guppy high on sugar while gushing all about how he wanted to be a dad. You were sure, if he could, Trollex would be shouting "I'm a father!" to the whole Techno Village despite not having seen his two eggs yet. "Honey, is this what you were worried for?" He would asked through his excitement, taking your hands to help you off the floor. You would giggle as he picked you up by the waist and began to twirl you around, his grin (which you adored so much) never leaving. "I'm sorry, I thought I made it so clear to you that I wanted a family! You don't understand how long I've waited to be able to have kids with you, and now you're telling me we have twins?? It's like a dream come true for a guy like me!" You couldn't help but laugh, your hands firmly on Trollex's shoulders so you wouldn't fall. All the worried you had gathered were quickly filtering out as Trollex pulled you close for a hug, unable to contain all the emotions that bounced out of him. "Honey, you haven't even met the eggs!" You would shout through your laughter, only knowing that Trollex would grow even more excited upon actually seeing his eggs.

ꨄ︎. And you were right. Despite being careful with them, making sure they wouldn't break and they were properly being heated, Trollex was even more esthetic about being a dad he could barely keep it to himself! You had to basically hold him hostage inside your home so he wouldn't shout to the world "I'M A DAD!", as you would like some privilege in having the two kids be a secret for at least a little. But, that then meant you had to deal with his excitement alone. A sacrifice you were willing to make. You would giggle and laugh every time Trollex hugged and cuddled you, nuzzling his head against your shoulder or neck or cheek, exclaiming how he was so lucky; Lucky not only to have kids, but that you were also their parent and you were his and he could not picture his life with anyone else!

ꨄ︎. It took a good few hours before his excitement would wear off, not fully, but to a manageable amount. By that time, you both were laying in your bed with the eggs in between you two. Trollex was just admiring them, like they were the most precious thing in his life, and you couldn't help but smile as you watched him. You weren't sure how you managed to get this lucky, but you were sure thanking everyone who managed to make it happen.

@!; BONUS LITTLE SNIPPETS (things that didn't make it into the full story as well as some 'after math')

ꨄ︎. One of the babies were named Starr, after 'Starfish', and the other was named Pier. Trollex literally adores these kids so much, if you don't stop him he (and his parents) will spoil them rotten while teaching them out to be good people?? You trusted Trollex's parents, you didn't even need to question their ways (seeing how great of a man Trollex ways), but you did have to put a restriction on how much they did spoil Starr and Pier. Mostly you had to restrict Trollex.

ꨄ︎. Trollex and you have a jar of baby names! You had forgotten you two had set up a jar to place slips with baby names in them so when you two did have kids, it would be easy to pick out names. Trollex brought out the jar not even two days after he met the eggs, claiming how they needed names! He couldn't keep calling them eggs and eggie. You two saved the names you didn't pick, took out the two you did, and saved the jar encase you had more kids.

ꨄ︎. Trollex couldn't go two weeks before he spilled the news! You were even surprised that you managed to tell his and your families, and Synth, before he gushed about being a dad while DJing at a rave. Funny, it was the one rave you didn't go to because you were going to spend time with your family! You weren't mad at him, you found it cute how excited he was about being a dad, but it was surely confusing when random Trolls began congratulating you. (He did tell you as soon as he found you and apologize for slipping up :( )

ꨄ︎. No one could buy your babies anything because Trollex was on it first! Man was working on the nursery no less than a week to two after he first bet the eggs, asking for your input and all. He would let you help, but nothing too straining because you were holding the babies in your hair. Literally built the crib and room from the ground up by himself, with you helping where you could. Though the next day his and your parents would come over, asking if there's anything they could help with to pitch in for the baby. As soon as the words nursery left their lips, Trollex just had to show them the room!! Their jaws were on the floor, literally. Didn't expect the nursey to be done so soon. Trollex was very proud of himself.

ꨄ︎. The type of dad to go all out for any holiday, even mothers/fathers day for you! And in turn you do it right back. Y'alls house is so festive and cozy and fun.

ꨄ︎. Synth is like an Uncle to the kids, despite not being blood related to you or Trollex. But not all family had to be blood related, and you had to explain this to the two when they realized that Synth is just a really good friend. Family is chosen, not forced.

ꨄ︎. Overall, he's such a fun and goofy dad!! Will do anything to protect you and the kids. You guys are always his number one priority!

.ᐟ this work is published and owned by @vacayisland. please do not plagiarize, copy, or steal this work; like, reblogs, and saves are appreciated :D

[the-bottom-of-the-abyss]

siren song - chapter 3

previous chapter: chapter 2

next chapter: chapter 4

A/N: This is a little dialogue heavy and mostly mission focused. I really want to make it as immersive as possible! I'm like fighting with the taglist rn in getting it to tag everyone properly. If it doesn't notify you just message me and I'll see if there's a broken link in my Excel sheet somewhere! Thank you for all the love on this series!! I makes me so happy!!

Siren

29 August 2022

1915, Mexican Special Forces base, Las Almas

“We got a hit on Hassan’s location. He’s being stashed in a cartel safehouse not far from your current location.”

Maps pinpointing a safehouse appeared behind a picture Hassan as Laswell’s voice rang out in the dark room, the only source of light being the projector.

You stood out some compared to the rest of the room; while everyone else sported tactical gear, you were still in your outfit from earlier with an addition: you wore a jacket that was about three sizes too big on your frame and smelled of gun-oil and pine-scented body wash. You looked like a kid playing dress up in their parents clothes with it reaching your mid-thigh and sleeves being longer than your arms.

You stood next to the jacket’s owner, Ghost, as Laswell and the General went over tomorrow’s plan. Of course, once you caught up to him after your impromptu “conversation,” neither of you mentioned what occurred.

Seemed to be a running theme. 

“Ghost, Soap, Siren, and Mexican Special Forces will hit the safehouse tomorrow afternoon. Phillip Graves and his Shadow PMC will be on standby for air support. I’ll leave you to rest and prepare. We need to get Hassan.”

—

While everyone filed out of the room, Alejandro gestured for you to stay. Both Soap and Ghost gave you a look but you waved them on ahead.

“Siren,” he started. “I’m not sure if anyone else will say it, but you did good today, hermana. Others may not understand, but I know what it’s like to give everything for the sake of what is right.” In that moment, the dark look in his eyes made him seem ten years older than what he was. It was clear just by his demeanor that he had been through a lot, had to give up a lot to get to where he was now. “You gave us more than just Hassan. Things that we normally wouldn’t be able to get our hands on.”

“I’m glad,” you said, not really knowing what else to say. Did you say you were suprised but then again you weren’t? On one hand, you were used to discussing your exploits freely with Laswell and Shepherd, and before them, your previous superiors. On the other, you knew this was very different than what the others were used to when it came to gathering intel; likely it seemed very odd that someone would voluntarily let bad men get close in the most intimate way possible for any reason, regardless of importance. You had your reasons though, not that anyone besides a handful knew them.

“Let me show you to your room with Soap and Ghost.”

—

He brought you to a small room that held three cots. Soap sat on the far left one while the far right one had what you assumed to be Ghost’s stuff on it. Alejandro left to go brief his men on tomorrow’s plan while you sat down your stuff on the middle bed and turned to face Soap.

“Where’s Ghost?”

“In the shower,” Soap replied.

“Good. I think he’s a little mad at me.” 

“Nah,” Soap said. “He was just concerned.” You could tell he wasn’t really looking at you, instead training his eyes anywhere but you. Since Soap didn’t say anything more on that topic, you decided to breach the subject of your mission.

“Thanks for having my back.”

“O’ course,” he replied. Again, his answer was short and you decided that you should probably just address the elephant in the room.

“You’re allowed to look at me, Soap. And you can talk about what you saw. I’m sure it’s not your everyday idea of intelligence gathering.”

He nodded and finally looked at you in the eyes.

“I just,” he started. “I don’t want to be like them. I’m sure when you’re like that, men stare at you like you’re a piece of meat. I don’t want to make you feel like I don’t view you as equal because of what you do. You’re part of the team now, Siren.”

You gave him a small smile. “That’s very considerate, Soap, really. But I promise, it really does not bother me. I choose to do this work, and I don’t want you to feel awkward with me. Trust me, you’re not like them. None of you are.”

Just as you finished your sentiment, Ghost walked in. You slid the jacket off of your shoulders and handed it to him.

“Thanks,” you said not waiting for a reply before grabbing your things to shower. You did not want to open up the can of worms that was your mission with him, not when you needed to prepare for tomorrow. You could trade smart remarks and barbs another day.

“No one will give you trouble?” Soap asked, likely referencing your outfit, now on display once more.

“If they did, they would regret it,” you said, showing off your still bloody knife from earlier with a sacchrine smile.

---

Siren

30 August 2022

0930, En route to cartel safehouse, Las Almas

You sat squished in between Soap and Ghost with Rodolfo driving and Alejandro in the passanger seat on the way to the safehouse. You were on the way to hopefully capture Hassan and secure any missles still in his hands. Before you could get very far, you saw Soap reach for his gun.

“White truck, four armed in the back.”

“Hey—tranquilo,” Alejandro said, turning his upper body to face Soap. “Easy—that’s normal here. Guns on the street is jurisdiction of the police.”

“Where are the police?” you asked.

“Well, Las Almas has a very serious problem,” he began, looking at you in the rearview mirror. “There are few here to uphold the law. And many of those who resist corruption… Disappear.”

“What about the military?” countered Soap.

“Well, because we are well trained, soldiers are recruited by the narcos…”

“Why not you?” Ghost’s voice rang out from beside you.

Alejandro gave a shrug. “We grew up here. They call us Los Vaqueros… Cowboys. We love this place. And we will die fighting for it.” All you could think about was the brief conversation you had with Alejandro last night. It was clear he really did care for Las Almas. And would die for it as well.

As you continued to drive, you saw a cart with balloons and sweets serving families but with a twist: a cartel member in a skull balaclava holding a rifle was with them, interacting with them. 

“Kids, guns and balloons… that’s a new one,” Soap said, giving both Ghost and you a troubled glance.

“Narcos use generosity to win over the people,” Alejandro said in explanation.

“Even the children?” 

“Especially the children…” said Rodolfo, glancing at the three of you in the rearview.

Not even a few minutes later, you drove past another disturbing sight, one that made Rodolfo stop the car as you all looked on. An older blue pickup truck had a white sheet covered in spanish taped onto the bed of the truck. Under it lied two bodies covered with a cloth of the same mantra, their blood staining the cobblestone underneath. From the blood alone you could tell these deaths were not due to a simple bullet to the head. 

 “What’s on those sheets?” Soap asked.

“Narcomantas…” Alejandro said, a haunted look in his eyes.

“Cartel cloths,” explained Rodolfo.

“Messages from El Sin Nombre. Warnings, marking territory,” Alejandro shook his head. “Our streets are laced with death.” 

“Who’s Sin Nombre?” Ghost asked. 

“El Sin Nombre,” Alejandro corrected. “The Nameless… The leader of the Las Almas cartel.”

“Where can we find him?” Soap asked with a subtle threat in his tone.

“You can’t. No one knows who he is,” As Alejandro spoke, you drove past a mural to El Sin Nombre, along with the Las Almas cartel symbol: a rose with two crossed daggers. That same symbol was tattooed on Miguel’s arm along with the rest of his friends. “But he is everywhere, and this is a challenge,” Alejandro then chuckled and looked at his partner. “But Los Vaqueros like challenges.”

A beat passed before Rodolfo spoke up. “With your mask, you will fit in well here, Ghost.” Ghost looked at Rodolfo in the mirror while Soap made a hand gesture to not talk about it. You mainly just watched the exchange but couldn’t help to harden your gaze slightly at the remark; it doesn’t take a genius to infer that Ghost wore his mask for a reason.

“Hey, easy…” Alejandro told Rodolfo before directing him to avoid the roadblock ahead. “Checkpoint. It’s the army. Turn right, we’ll go around.” Rodolfo nodded and turned down a side street.

“Why?” Soap asked.

“Some troops are in the pocket of El Sin Nombre. Like I told you, he is everywhere. The info on the narco’s phone showed the cartel is hiding Hassan in the village across the river. Let’s hope he’s still there.”

You continued driving out of the main hub in Las Almas with everyone left in their thoughts as the smooth stone turned to well-driven backroads. 

You were thinking about last night. The thrill of the game, the satisfaction at getting people to believe your new personality. How you wore so many masks that not many knew the real one, not even you sometimes. 

But at least you weren’t the only one that wore a mask. Maybe you wore them for different reasons but you both still hid behind them just the same.

---

Siren 

30 August 2022

1000, Cartel safehouse, Las Almas

The car slowed down, the gravel underneath the tires causing you to jerk into both Ghost and Soap. Rodolfo had stopped the car at what looked like a small handful of houses, all hidden between trees.

“Team leaders, circle up on me,” you heard Alejandro say as he exited the car. All of you followed in suit and gathered your weapons. You carried a sniper rifle with a bit harder of a punch, the LA-B 330, and a VEL 46, a submachine gun that was quick to fire and could take down enemies fast in close combat.

You all then gathered around Alejandro to hear what he had to say.

As some of his other teanm passed you, some took a daring glance at Ghost, who now sported sunglasses over his mask. Luckily for them, none commented, not even in Spanish.

“Weapons hot, Vaqueros.”

“Where are they holding Hassan?” As Soap asked, Rodolfo and Alejandro exchanged a fist bump before Rodolfo departed, leading his own group of men.

“White two-story building. Back of town,” Alejandro told Soap. Alejandro lead you, Ghost, Soap and two of his men, Rodriguez and Sanchez, to a solid gate with the connecting archway being made of pieced-together cobblestone.

As you stood outside of the gate beside Soap, Alejandro whispered something in Spanish to his radio, likely telling them to stand by.

Then he counted down from three and Ghost flung open the door for Alejandro to enter, gun drawn, followed by Ghost, Soap, you, then Rodriguez and Sanchez.

“Clear. Move,” Alejandro ordered.

“Civillians?” you asked. It didn’t seem like it was strictly a drug manufactoring hub. There were soccer balls, grills, and gardens around some of the houses, things that were more indicative of families than narcos.

“Gone,” Alejandro replied. “Cartel took over. It’s a hideout now.” You passed two abandoned houses before coming upon a gate like the first one.

“Good place to keep Hassan,” Soap commented.  

Just before Ghost opened the gate you could hear voices on the other side. 

As Alejandro entered, he radioed to his men to his team to move in while he fired at one of three members. You used your SMG to take out one while Soap took out another.

“They’re down,” Alejandro said. “Push up.”

You moved forward and turned a corner. Bullets were fired towards your team from the end, and you all returned fire, taking down the two men shooting at you.

“Clear,” you said after those two were killed.

“Secure this house, then we go for Hassan,” Alejandro told the five of you.

“Cartel will move him fast,” Ghost cautioned.

“Then we move faster.”

Voices from inside the house could be heard; there was no way they did not hear the gunfire being exchanged.

“Heads up, they’re ready. Take the door, Soap.” 

Soap opened the door, revealing a darkened interior. You didn’t have to search for anyone long because as soon as Soap was about to turn down the hall, you hear, “Muere, hijo de-“ before being cut off by gunfire.

“Doorway, right side,” you told Soap. He swung his rifle into the side room which was clear of any hostiles.

“Hassan could be anywhere…” Alejandro said.

Before Soap could check the next room, shots were already fired from within, the muzzle flash illuminating the room. Soap shot through the door and nothing else could be seen or heard.

“Room clear,” he said.

“Good shots, hermano.” 

“No sign of Hassan,” you commented.

“Not yet,” Alejandro replied.

The six of you pushed into the living room. It seemed like a cozy space, once upon a time. A red, well-used couch sat in front of a TV and the connected kitchen had white tile that contrasted with the dark, wood cabinets. It looked like a family home.

Apparently, you weren’t the only one who thought so.

“What happened to the families here?” Soap asked.

“The cartel brings violence, so they leave,” Alejandro said. “Get ready to move.”

Just as Soap went to open the door, Alejandro stopped him. “Stand by…”

He radioed some of his men, with the only word you could translate being smoke.

A hissing noise filled the air as a heavy mist could be seen falling outside the windows.

“Where’s your family, Alejandro?” Soap asked.

“Soap!” you chastised. He gave you a look that was like, “What? It was just a question.”

Alejandro nodded at you and looked back to Soap. “I keep that a secret, hermano… To protect them.”

Ghost, ever the tactition, said, “We have concealment.” 

This earned an affirmative nod from Alejandro who then said, “Let’s move. On me.”

You followed him out the door and into the smoke. The house in front of you was two stories, white, with three bay windows. An abandoned red, yellow, and blue toy tricycle laid in the yard, the image causing a pang in your heart. 

“This is where they were hiding Hassan. Expect resistance,” Alejandro said. He then radioed to the other team your location.

“¡Vamos, vamos!”

Sanchez shot off the lock and Alejandro rolled a flash grenade in, letting it go off before entering. Shots were exchanged almost immediately; Alejandro took out a few, leaving the rest for you, Soap, and Ghost.

You took out one who was firing through a door before yelling out, “Clear!”

“Clear!” Alejandro confirmed. “No Hassan.”

“Second deck,” Ghost ordered.

“Si. Vamos. Let’s move upstairs and get Hassan.”

You followed Alejandro and Ghost up the stairs while Soap and Rodriguez came up last. As they reached the turn in the stairs, someone began shooting at them. Ghost quickly got rid of the threat before moving to the side of a doorway.

“If Hassan’s here, he’s in this room,” Alejandro said, gesturing with his head to the doorway Ghost stood at. Two cartel members fired at the five of you but stood little chance with five soldiers with automatic weapons aiming for them.

“Move in. Secure the room. I’ll cover,” Alejandro said once the bullets stopped coming from the room. You made your way through, stepping over one of the bodies in order to check the bathroom. You flung the door open and let out a breath when it was empty. “Clear. No Hassan.”

Alejandro radioed to his men that Hasssan was not in the building and Rodolfo seemed to confirm that he had gotten the message.

A desk was sat near a window and it had what looked to be an open backpack, a beer, a plate, and a binder that Ghost was now flipping through.

Alejandro heaved a sigh. “They must’ve moved him.”

“When?” Soap questioned, walking up to stand beside you and Ghost.

“Recently.”

Before you could chime in, Ghost pointed at a flag above the desk. It was a vibrant blue with a yellow symbol on it. It depicted a hand gripping an assault weapon in a fist in front of a world symbol. On it was text you couldn’t decipher but you didn’t need a translation to recognize the flag.

“Quds Force. That’s his flag,” Ghost said.

“He was here,” Alejandro said.

“Siren’s intel was good,” Soap concluded.

Before you could make a comment on it, Rodolfo’s voice came in urgently over the radio. Whatever he said caused Alejandro to curse.

“¡Mierda!”

He rushed to the bay windows facing the village entrance, causing you all to follow.

“What is it?” Ghost asked.

“The army,” Alejandro said ominously.

“We got reinforcements,” Soap said. However by Alejandro’s tone and subsequent orders to his men, you had a feeling this wasn’t an aid in your search for Hassan.

“Negative,” Alejandro said, confirming your suspicions.

“What’re we doin’?” Ghost asked quietly, kneeling in front of the wall between two of the windows. You took a place beside him, looking out the same window as Soap while Alejandro looked took the other side of the window Ghost was peeking through.

“Covering my men,” Alejandro answered. “Once they’re clear, we fall back.”

“You want us to engage with the fucking Mexican Army?” Soap asked, incredulously.

“No, carnal. These troops are paid by the cartel. They’re helping the cartel protect Hassan.”

You saw a couple cars drive into the village. You switched to your rifle to look through the scope at the approaching forces.

“Hold your fire,” Alejandro ordered. “We’ll dig in until my men are clear.”

“Multiple vehicles… Troop transports. Light-armor,” Ghost noted.

A beat passed. “Hold fire,” Alejandro repeated. “Let them get close.”

Then, a Mexican Army officer yelled, prompting Alejandro to say, “Weapons free!”

Bullets rained down into the house, causing the windows to break. You took aim with your scope and shot a few, only to find they didn’t go down in one shot like they should have. 

“Shit! They’re armored!” You yelled, trying to take some of them down but it was taking far more bullets than you were used to.

“Target the helmets! They’re weak!” 

You did, still annoyed that it was taking two shots to take them down. However, it was much less than the five to shoot them in the chest.

“They’re using shields!” Ghost yelled as he leaned out of cover to take aim at soldiers coming in the gate. 

“Semtex out!” You pulled out a Semtex from your tactical vest and chucked it at a combat shield; it luckily stuck and you watched it go off, taking out nearby soldiers as well as the one holding the shield.

“Nice throw!” Ghost yelled over all the noise.

“Thanks!” you yelled back, giving him a grin that seemed out of place with your surroundings.

Rodolfo’s voice came through Alejandro’s radio but you were too occupied to try and listen.

“Okay! My men are clear!” Alejandro yelled.

“Then we need to move!” Soap replied, narrowly, throwing a frag out the window.

“Fall back! This way!” Just as Alejandro ordered it, a canister was thrown into the room, an orange smoke erupting and causing you all to cough. 

“Tear gas!” you choke out. Tears came out of your eyes unwillingly and you felt like your lungs were burning. It was all you could do to keep moving one foot in front of the other without falling to the ground to catch your breath.

Alejandro broke a window in the back of the room and you all stumbled over and jumped out after him. Still coughing a little, you followed him as he ran through a break in the cobblestone wall acting as a fence around the village.

“Army’s right behind us!” You heard Soap yell from behind you.

Rodriguez replied to him in Spanish while Alejandro yelled out orders.

“Down the hill! We’ll lose them in the mountains! Fan out and stay close!”

Gunshots went off like fireworks behind you as you ran, doing all you can not to trip on the rocky terrain.

“¿La vieja rute?” Rodriguez yelled.

“Straight to the bridge!” Alejandro told him. A second later, a bullet hit Rodriguez, causing him to fall and roll to the bottom of the decline.

“Rodriguez!” Alejandro called out.

“Army’s on us!” you called out.

“Cover! Cover!” Alejandro gestured to the giant rocks along the path to crouch behind.

“Get to cover and return fire!” Ghost echoed.

You took out one after another with your rifle, pausing only to rechamber and reload. Distantly you could hear Alejandro talking to Rodriguez who was thankfully good enough to stand and get into cover. It seemed the bullet hit him in the backplate, saving him.

And just as you were about to remark that you were glad he was okay, you heard Rodriguez yell out, “Shit-! Sanchez is down!” 

You glanced to your right and a couple yards from you Sanchez was face down, blood pooling around where he was hit in the head. He looked so young earlier, about 20 years old.

Apparently, you took a second too long because Soap yelled for you. “Siren! Gotta focus!”

You nodded and put any thoughts of sympathy in the back of your head. He was right; focus was integral to survival; you knew that all too well.

The number of soldiers shooting at you trickled down to none after a few minutes of firing nonstop.

“Are we clear?” Soap asked.

“For now,” Alejandro said, sparing a glance at Sanchez’s body. “We gotta move! Go!”

“You know these trails?” Soap asked as you all began running down another hill, a smaller part of the large mountain you were currently near the top of.

“Very well, but so does the army,” Alejandro answered.

“We can’t hold off an army. We need extraction,” Ghost said.

Alejandro ordered for Rodriguez to call for exfil but before he could, shots were fired, hitting the tree trucks and rocks beside you.

“Contact!” Ghost yelled, running behind a large rock and gesturing for the rest of you to the same.

“All guns, hold here—take cover,” Alejandro said, peeking around the side of the rock to look at the above ridge you just ran from.

“Ghost, Soap, Siren, behind the rocks.”

Soldiers from the Mexican Army appeared at the top of the hill, raining gunfire on the rocks you all used for cover.

Distantly you heard Alejandro speak. “We suppress by fire, then we advance. ¡Disparen! Light them up-!” Then to Rodriguez, he told him, “Rodriguez, get comms up!”

As you shot anyone who appeared in your crosshairs, you heard Rodriguez attempting to hail Control with no success.

Between Alejandro, Soap, Ghost, and you, you had all taken out the immediate threat but knew it wasn’t over yet.

“We clear?” Ghost asked.

“For now,” Alejandro told him. “There’ll be more. Vamos.” Alejandro ran down more of the hill with the rest of you following. Dust was being kicked up due to all the foot traffic and you could feel clumps of grass getting caught in the tread of your boots.

“Any word from Rodolfo?” you asked both Mexican Special Forces officers. 

“No—we lost comms,” Rodriguez told you, his response eliciting a curse from his commanding officer.

“Puta… Let’s keep it moving. Through here.”

“Your man get the call out?” Ghost asked, referring to the request for extraction.

“Let’s hope so,” Alejandro offered, having no real way at this point of knowing what got through.

“What’s the plan?” Your fellow Sergeant questioned.

“There’s a bridge at the river,” Alejandro informed. “Extraction will be there.”

As if bullets weren’t enough, a rocket launcher shot, barely missing the five of you and exploded into a tree some distance in front of your team. 

“Contact! RPG!” Ghost yelled.

“On the ridge!” Alejandro called out, causing you to quickly take aim there, needing to get rid of the guy controlling it. While you could survive a bullet or two, a propelled grenade was a whole other ordeal.

You lined up the shot, took a quick breath, and pulled the trigger, getting a headshot and taking him out instantly. “RPG’s down!”

More gunfire was exchanged, with soldiers now just throwing regular grenades at the five of you, causing you to have to throw yourself out of the way at times.

Finally, those men were taken out as well.

“Anyone hit?” Alejandro called out.

“Negative!” Ghost replied.

“Good to go!” Soap added.

“I’m good!” you told him.

“Copy. On me!” Alejandro ordered, running down a much narrower part of the mountain.

He stopped at a ledge with a gap of ten feet or so between it and the next. “We’ll have to jump here!”

“Can we make that?” Soap questioned, not sounding convinced.

“Hasta la muerta, hermano,” Alejandro said before running and jumping onto the ledge and sliding down the smooth rock to the next ledge. Ghost went next, landing on his back a little harder than Alejandro but still making it. Soap went and then you did, making sure you got a running start before leaping. The breath got pushed out of your chest when your back hit the ground but at least you made it.

“Pinche cabrones aren’t far behind.” You were up fairly high, able to see a whole forest below from the rocky mountain you currently stood on.

“Where to, Alejandro?” Soap asked him.

“Soap push forward. Rodriguez, keep working the radio, rest o’ you watch for snipers.” 

Alejandro directed Soap where to go while you scanned the cliffside from where you came for any soldiers.

“Got anything?” Ghost asked. You shook your head at him while Alejandro replied to him.

“They’re out there… believe me…”

As you looked, Rodriguez still tried to get signal but the effort was fruitless.

“We need to get to the river…” Alejandro said in response to the lack of radio contact.

“Found it!” Soap yelled out. All of you followed him but before you could get very far, you could hear blades whirring, indicative of only one thing.

“Escucha… You hear that?” 

“Incoming heli…” you muttered. Just what you all needed.

“Si. Get to a firing position. We’ll take them by surprise.”

“Which way to the bridge?” Ghost questioned.

“Straight ahead. Past the helo. They’ll try to cut us off.”

“We’ll have to go through them,” Soap chimed in. You took cover behind large rocks once again and waited for soldiers to get closer.

“Weapons free!” you heard Alejandro command.

You peaked out and shot whoever you could see. Most came in through a bottle-necked opening but the others got smart once their comrades had been shot down. They fanned in from the sides as well, causing you all to have to take the out quickly before they attempted an all-out flank.

Another RPG was shot, but just like last time, you took them out quickly, allowing the team to focus on just shooting instead of worrying about being blown up.

A few minutes later a symphony of “Clear!” came from the five of you, allowing Alejandro to give his next order.

“Up the ridge! The bridge isn’t far! They may position shooters out here. Watch your backs.”

You all moved up, cresting the top of the hill and seeing a waterfall flowing from the top of a mountain in the distance. If this weren’t a true life and death experience, it would be painstakingly beautiful.

“There’s the bridge.” Alejandro pointed down to a bridge over a river at the base of the mountain.

“No visual on extraction,” you told him, looking with the scope on your LA-B 330.

“Comms didn’t get through. Hijo de puta…” Rodriguez said, muttering the last part.

“We’ll radio when we’re down there,” Alejandro assured. “This way.”

You continued to jump down ledges with Alejandro cautioning to watch your footing. Rodriguez seemingly agreed, saying something about it being dangerous.

“You know your way,” Ghost observed.

“We used to cut school and play here,” Alejandro told the four of you.

“Until the cartels moved in?” Soap asked after landing on a lower ledge.

“Exactly. The narcos changed everything.”

As you all continued moving along the mountain side, a bullet struck the wall next to you, making you jerk back.

“Sniper!” Ghost yelled. “Move!”

Rodriguez followed by Soap then you attempted to make your way to Alejandro and Ghost, both of whom already made it past the part where you had to hug the wall and take small sidesteps to make it across.

In front of Soap, a bullet hit Rodriguez right in the chest, causing him to fall forward and off the edge, tumbling down the steep cliff. If the bullet didn’t kill him, the fall would have.

“Rodriguez!” Alejandro yelled. A second later he informed the remaining three of you, “Sniper’s down!”

“Bloody good shot, mate!” you heard Ghost praise. Soap and you followed behind the other two listening as the Mexican Army could be heard looking for you.

“Army’s still trailing us,” Soap said.

“We’ll gain some ground!” Alejandro replied before jumping down to a ledge below. You jumped as well after Ghost, cursing when the impact hurt much more than you were expecting. As you followed the Colonel and your own Lieutenant, your heart dropped into your stomach. 

Ghost then echoed your concerns to Alejandro. “You lead us to a dead end, mate.”

“We jump from here!” Alejandro said, leaping off. “Don’t lose your weapons!”

“Oh fuck,” you whispered, looking down at the height currently between you and the water. You weren’t necessarily afraid of heights. You had been to the top of many buildings before and you were no stranger to skydiving. However, you did have a fear of falling without any protection, which you assumed was a fear every human had.

Except Ghost apparently with the way he was talking.

“Your turn, Sergeant!” he told Soap. Soap hesitated for a second before running and leaping off, clutching the straps holding his guns to him.

“Siren, you’re up!” Ghost said looking at you. After a second of hesitation he addressed you again. “Siren, we stay here, we’re dead! Now jump!”

Honestly, you were going to jump but apparently it wasn’t quick enough for Ghost because he grabbed your hand in his.

“Hold onto your weapons, Sergeant!” 

He backed up with you and you both ran off the edge, jumping off hand in hand. You were probably squeezing his hand half to death but you weren’t thinking about that. You were thinking of the air rushing past you and how quickly you were falling to the water and how all your bones could break if you landed slightly behind the water.

You closed your eyes before you got too close to the ground. Luckily, instead of rocks, you felt cold water wash over you. The force with which you hit the water caused your hand to be pulled away from Ghost’s. Not that it mattered; both of your hands were occupied swimming upwards.

You took a gasping breath when your breached the surface. 

“You good, hermanos?” you heard Alejandro say, though it wasn’t as clear due to the water still in your ears.

“Affirm,” Ghost said from beside you.

“Soap?”

“Breathing.”

“Siren?”

“Alive,” you confirmed.

You looked over to Ghost to find him already glancing at you. You nodded to him in thanks before turning your attention to Alejandro’s orders.

“Move down river to the bridge. Use rocks for cover,” Then he spoke into his radio. “All stations, this is Victor 0-1—How copy?”

To your surprise, the radio crackled to life, an American accent coming through, although broken up.

“-dow 1! Do you—?  -ay again, -o you re—?”

“Radio’s picking up somethin’,” Soap commented.

“Sounds American,” you added. You suspected it was the PMC group but couldn’t know for sure until you got confirmation.

Gunshots started to hit the rocks you were behind as the Mexican Army stood on the other side of the river. 

“Here they come. Weapons free!” the Colonel ordered.

“Contact front!” Ghost yelled.

You used your SMG to shoot back but it was difficult; the current was stronger than you had expected and it was a struggle to shoot straight and stay behind cover.

“Army reinforcements rolling in!” Alejandro yelled. “Keep pushing up the river!”

You dove under the water to avoid being seen and tried to move quickly to the next rock. Like before, you all exchanged fire for a few minutes before being ordered by Alejandro to move up. And again, you dove under, this time to get under a large tree trunk that spanned the width of the river.

“Enemy vehicles! Right bank!” you heard Ghost yell, his voice a little distorted from you being underwater.

You came back to the surface behind another rock in the middle of the river. Not only was it hard to shoot but you were beginning to run low on ammo as well.

“The river’s slowing us down, mate!” Ghost yelled to Alejandro.

“It gets shallow up ahead,” Alejandro cautioned. “Swim up! Keep moving!”

Now you could see the bridge that you did above. However, it wasn’t empty.

“Vehicles on the bridge!” Ghost called out.

“They’re not ours!” the Colonel replied. “Fuck—! It’s the army!”

“Get to cover!” Your Lieutenant ordered.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” you muttered, trying your best to return fire, but it was becoming increasingly clear this was turning into a disastrous situation.

“We have to hold here and get extraction,” Alejandro said, narrowly missing a bullet by leaning more towards the rock you were all behind.

Soap continued to shoot and yelled out his frustration. “We can’t do shite against that armor!” 

Before the four of you were overrun, which looked to have been coming up soon, the radio crackled to life once more.

“This is Shadow-1! Engaging the bridge north of your position. Danger close!”

“Who the hell is that?” Alejandro asked.

“Commander Graves,” Ghost answered, “Shadow company. They’re with us.”

Shots came from the air, pelting down on the bridge, causing you to feel relief well up within you.

“Shadow-1, Bravo 0-7!” Ghost hailed. “Good shots! Fire for effect!”

Before long, the entire bridge collapsed, unable to take all the firepower aimed at it.

“All stations, no enemy movement detected. You’re clear. It’s good to see you boys and girl.”

“Likewise, mate,” Ghost told him.

“This way!” Alejandro ran out of the river and into the side forest.

“Graves, we’ve located a vehicle for exfil,” Ghost informed him, following behind you.

“Roger that. Be advised, we got a possible hit on Hassan, two klicks north of your position.”

“That’s cartel land. They have a compound there,” Alejandro commented as you all made your way to a camo-covered pickup truck.

“Load in!” Ghost commanded.

“I’ll drive!” Alejandro said, getting into the driver’s seat while Soap got in the passenger’s side, leaving you and Ghost the backseat.

“You guys good to roll up Hassan with some fire from the sky?”

“Let’s wrap this fucker up, Graves,” Soap replied.

“Solid copy. We are pushing to the target di-rectly. Shadow-1 out.”

Taglist:

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[applbottmjeens]

WEST COAST YOUTH

tags: toxic and jealous phillip graves as usual, MW2!Era, Peak Gremlin Anna, This mf is sexist and kind of a douche, hates this girl but also wants 2 smooch her so bad just date a man tbh, Phillip Marshall Graves you're too old to be acting like this, Anna has 0 self preservation skills, This man does not treat her good

summary: The beginning of something addicting- Phillip doesn't want Anna talking to other men and deals with it like a man. (The worst way.)

Goddamn Californian girls.

West coast, liberal, chatty, young things. Usually hated their guts, but goddamn this one was just persistent.

Being annoying was her love language. And like a child or a nest of wasps, the more you reacted, the more she acted up. Somehow, against all odds, she made this into a charming trait.

She's a pretty girl in a job full of men. He hates how hyper aware of it he is now. Of how many other guys she spends her time with other than him.

He wasn't special was he? This was how she was with every guy..Right?

She calls Ghost, “Spooky” and punches his arm as thanks. She randomly sings club songs with Soap and asks him for piggyback rides. She pesters her Captain with questions over call like she pesters him. And for a girl who claims to hate this Sergeant Garrick, they sure do text a lot.

He wished she chose to stay in the Shadow Company. He could watch over her more then- keep a closer eye. Have the authority to tell these other goons to stay away from her.

But when Laswell called- she couldn't say no. She “owed her too much” she said.

They weren’t anything. Not officially. There was no labels, nothing telling them that they couldn’t fuck other people or anything. But dang it- if he didn't hate it when she gave another man those fuck me eyes. When they were together, they belonged to each other. What happened when they were apart for work was none of the others business. That was the rule.

She didn't seem to mind. Free spirited, California girl like her was just someone to occupy his time, right?

This wasn't love. He was too old for shit like that. He had his chance and blew it in a bitter, bitter divorce and his firstborn son being raised by some Governor chump. He didn't love her. And while he was certain she was pretty head over heels for him, she wasn't pushing for much.

He didn't think too much of it till he saw how much she and MacTavish got along. Messing up eachother's hair. Constantly talking to one another-

It's driving him nuts. Seeing how she laughs at his jokes as if the man she actually wants to be around isn't right there.

She walks into the room after talking to Soap, and smiles when she sees Phillip pouring himself some coffee.

"You two sure talk alot." He mentions.

"Same MOS kinda. We talk all the time." She answers, leaning on the counter by him, arms crossed.

Phillip can't take it. He bites the bullet and asks her directly. “Is there anything going on between you and MacTavish?”

Anna makes a face and snorts. “...Ew. No. Also if there was, it wouldn't be any of your business-”

“Annie.”

“Stop calling me that. I'm not a child.” She sneered. She never got around to that nickname. But he's not kidding around.

"Then stop actin' like one and listen t'me." He says firmly. He puts his coffee mug down and moves towards the smaller woman, forcing her to turn and face him.

“I don't. Want you. Flirting with other men. You understand?” Graves’ grip on her arms tightened. “...Just me.”

Anna doesn't speak for a moment. “You askin' me for a commitment?” She blinks in disbelief.

“I'm asking you not to make a fool outta me.”

She scoffs and shakes her head.“...I'm not gonna roll my stops for a guy who ain't even my man. Don't play with me, Phillip.”

She rolls her eyes like the goddamn brat she is. Does he really have to spell it out for her?

Phillip speaks low, his hands moving to her waist. “Well I am your man.”

“Wait-”

“We're together now.” He states firmly. Her usually mischievous eyes are wide and surprised. Gosh, that was cute. He'd caught her off guard.

“Wait-...Don't I get a say in this?” He cuts her off with a kiss. She melts into his arms, breathless when he finally pulls away, eyes blinking in dizzy disbelief.

“...Any more stupid questions?”

Her cheeks are still flushed. “...N-no?...I think?”

He loved shutting her up. And now he had her all to himself, and nobody could take that from him.

Well except maybe HR. But he had his way around that too.

He was keeping her. Consequences be damned...

[daughter-of-melpomene]

Odd asks from this game for Anastasia?

Ooooh, thank you so much for this!! Also gonna tag the other Hunger Games moots, @luucypevensie, @ginevrastilinski-ocs, @dancingsunflowers-ocs, and @endless-oc-creations!! <3 (Also gonna put some of these under a cut because there are a lot of answers.)

Do they believe in ghosts? Have they ever experienced anything unexplained?

She didn’t believe in ghosts before becoming a victor, but now she definitely does. Although she’s never experienced anything supernatural firsthand, it’s hard for her not to imagine that the ghosts of the tributes she killed are still around, unable to move on because she took their lives so brutally, haunting her every step.

What’s their favorite dessert or candy?

She never had much of a taste for sweets as a child - she wasn’t really allowed to eat any once she started her tribute training, anyway - but after the rebellion’s over and Peeta starts teaching her to bake, she develops a big sweet tooth for all kinds of cookies.

Do they like spending holidays alone, with family, or at parties with friends?

There aren’t a lot of holidays in Panem anyway, but as a child she was pretty much forced to spend any special occasions at big parties with all of her parents’ politician friends. After becoming a victor, she preferred to spend all of her time alone no matter what day it was, not really believing that she deserved the comfort of being around other people, but after the Capitol is defeated and she settles into a quiet life with Katniss and Peeta, she definitely likes to spend every moment she can with them, including special days.

Do they like corn mazes, hay rides, or apple picking, or any other autumn activities?

Most of these aren’t really designated fun activities in Panem, but after settling into domestic life with her partners, she definitely find that she loves to go apple picking every season. It’s just a fun, quiet, calm way to spend time with her partners, and besides that she finds there are few better things than taking the first bite of a perfectly ripe apple.

Have they ever played a spooky game, like Bloody Mary or used a Ouija board?

I don’t really think they’d have those kinds of things in the Hunger Games universe, but if we imagine a modern AU, then she probably would have tried the Bloody Mary game once as a child, just for fun, and been disappointed when nothing happened.

If they suddenly had a whole day free to themselves, what would they do with it?

I don’t really think she’d want to do anything by herself - she’s spent enough time alone and suffering, and thus wants to spend every moment with the people she’s come to love. She’d probably spend the day helping Peeta with any cooking or baking that needed to be done, doing chores around the house, maybe going to visit Haymitch and Effie if she can, and preferably ending the day by curling up in front of a fire with her partners and falling asleep to the sounds of their breathing.

Would they rather trick-or-treat or hand out candy to children?

If we imagine a modern AU where Halloween and trick-or-treating was still around, she’d probably prefer handing out the candy. It would do her good to be able to give something sweet to some children, and see them happy and laughing and innocent.

Have they ever dressed up for Halloween? What’s their favorite costume?

Given that Halloween doesn’t really exist in the Hunger Games universe, she wouldn’t have ever dressed up for it, but even if it did, I don’t really think she’d be big on dressing up for it anyway.

What do they think about pranks?

She’s not opposed to them as a thing, but she probably wouldn’t pull any of her own unless someone else convinced her to, and she will absolutely eviscerate you if you try to pull one that could potentially trigger someone who might have trauma.

What would be their plan or weapon of choice in a zombie apocalypse or alien invasion?

Thankfully victors of the Hunger Games would be uniquely qualified for a zombie apocalypse because of their experience with survival skills, so Anastasia’s plan would be for her, Katniss, and Peeta to find some other former victors if they could and band together to rescue other survivors and eventually find a place for shelter where they could be safe and easily fend off any kind of invaders. And her weapon of choice, of course, would be her double knives, likely paired with a bow and arrows or a spear of some sort for fights where she can’t be too close to her opponent.

What role would they be in a horror movie (final girl, the jock, etc.)?

I mean… there is definitely a non-zero chance that she’d be the killer. But if she wasn’t, then Anastasia is one hundred percent final girl material.

What’s their craft of choice (sewing, painting, etc.)?

She takes up a form of sewing as it relates to first aid during the rebellion, but even afterwards she definitely finds that she really likes doing it just to keep herself calm and give her hands something to do. After she, Katniss, and Peeta settle into their lives after the rebellion, she definitely becomes the go-to clothing mender in their household.

autumn-inspired oc questions!!

[mlm-writer]

Strangers (Yuqi x GN!Reader)

Pairing: Song Yuqi x Gender Neutral Reader Rating: General Audiences Words: 1108 POV: First Summary: You meet by chance and go on a date. Note: Saw this prompt and just had to do something with it. Tags: idol!Yuqi, meet cute, kissing, movie date, not proofread, fluff and angst

She smiled at me, like any stranger would. There was something odd about meeting someone famous in a place you never expected them to be. It is like your brain just refuses to believe that your idols also exist outside your screen, so I just smiled back at her, like I would do to any nice girl smiling at me. “Woah, your smile is so pretty,” she exclaimed. It only widened my smile and there was nothing I could do to stop myself from hiding my mouth behind my hand. I could feel the red gather in my cheeks. “No, no, don’t be shy, I’m sorry,” she laughed as she waved at my face, trying to get me to remove my hand without touching me. 

“What happened to hello? How are you? My name is…?” I joked, trying to cope with the situation of a gorgeous woman complimenting me so openly. She did not quite seem to get the meme. With those cute, wide eyes, she stared at me, that beautiful smile still plastered on her face. She seemed to think my words over and then offered me her hand. 

“Hello, how are you? My name is Yuqi.” I squinted my eyes at her. Then it all clicked. My anxiety rose high in my chest. I took her hand, shaking it rapidly as I gave her my own name. I couldn’t understand why she was talking to me out of all people. Was it my smile? Surely that wasn’t that special. “I’m off to see a movie on my own. Maybe you want to join me?” I just nodded dumbly, before she dragged me to the theatre I knew was only a street or two away. The short walk was like a brief interview where she asked for my age and where I was from. I did not need to ask any of those questions in return. I had a feeling she knew why. I asked how her week was instead. She complained of long hours and needing some distance from her co-workers sometimes. 

She paid for the tickets before I could offer to. I wanted to get us a big popcorn, but her diet wouldn’t allow it. It was the first time I went to the cinema without getting popcorn. In the dark of the theatre, I could not focus on the explosions on screen, not with Yuqi’s delicate hand resting on mine. I turned my hand so I could hold hers. Our fingers locked together. A little later she tugged me closer so she could place her head on my shoulder. 

When the inevitable moment came when the muscular main character got the girl, I turned my head to look at Yuqi, only to find out she was looking at me already. Her eyes flickered down to my lips and I understood immediately. We leaned in, lips meeting timidly. My internal organs made backflips as her grip on my hand tightened, as if she didn’t want me to ever leave her. I felt flushed and hot all over in spite of the theatre’s aircon being in a perfect working state. My free hand came around to hold the woman next to me by the shoulder. I squeezed the muscle, letting her know I did not want her to move away either. 

I didn’t know how long our lips were gliding against one another, but it was long enough for the next scene to play and we both jumped out of the kiss when another loud explosion echoed through the room. We stared at each other, wide eyes. Our gazes locked together for a few seconds, until we simultaneously started giggling. We tried to muffle the laughter that shook our bodies, but every time our eyes met, the giggles started all over again. The rest of the movie was filled with stolen kisses, whenever someone was caught staring. 

We exited the cinema hand-in-hand. The mall in which it was located was already abandoned. We took the long route through the marble-floored building, exchanging thoughts on the movie while swinging our locked hands back and forth. When we were finally at the ground floor, she pulled me aside between a pillar and a wall. “I like you a lot,” she whispered against my lips. I smiled against her lips and wrapped my arms around her. 

“I like you too, probably even more than you like me,”  I replied, before closing the distance between our lips. This kiss was different from all those we shared in the theatre. The butterflies still assaulted my stomach as she wrapped her arms around me and tenderly kissed me with a desperation hidden in every movement of her soft lips against mine. Dread pulled at my heartstrings as I started to feel like she was kissing me goodbye. I held her tighter, as if that would prevent her eventual departure, but when she started to push, I could not find it in me to force her to stay. 

Our bodies no longer touched as she stepped back. If that kiss was not telling enough, the look she now had in her eyes was. I already started wondering if I did something wrong. “Why?” I almost whispered, a crack in my voice betraying how close I was to crying. I just got her and there she stood, ready to leave. 

Yuqi forced a smile on her face. “You know what I do for work.” I nodded. “There is no place for…” She pointed between us, before putting her hands in her jacket. A deep breath and her fake smile almost seemed real. “Perhaps another life,” she mused. 

I took a deep breath and nodded. “Perhaps,” I repeated, trying to process this unbelievable heartbreak. This was all it took, huh? One compliment to make me follow like a puppy. One movie to make me wonder what those lips taste like. One kiss to make me fall in love. A dozen more to prepare my heart to be broken. “So you just wanted a one-date relationship?” 

She shrugged. “Is it so wrong to want the things you cannot have?” I shrugged too. I guess I understood where she was coming from. Just one date to make her feel like she lived a normal life. “I’ll leave first then.” I followed her two steps around the corner and watched her walk up to those big glass doors. She already had pushed one open when she paused and twisted her body to wave at me one last time. Just like she entered my life earlier today, she was leaving now. She smiled at me, like any stranger would. 

[echoweaver]

15 Questions from Mutuals

@oasislandingresident, @hazely-sims, @danjaley, @anamoon63, and @olomayasims tagged me in this meme. This is the first time I’ve been able to actually do it! Thanks. I feel loved. It feels good to be included.

​ Are you named after anyone? My great-grandmother, father’s father’s mother. She and my great-grandfather were immigrants from Hungary. I have have a picture of her holding me as an infant. I’m sorry I didn’t get to know her.

When was the last time you cried? I cry all the dang time. I find it more notable when I haven’t cried recently -- when putting our cats down, despite me being the one person in the family who was tracking their health in detail and really worrying about their quality of life. I’m also the one who made the call and coordinated the final vet visit. There’s stuff in there about my personality that I’m pondering.

I guess the last time I really cried it out was over gender politics, if you would believe it. My wife is trans. The horrible state of conservative oppression toward trans people right now is terrifying. OTOH, I think that enemy has led trans advocacy to be less nuanced rather than more. The complex landscape of gender, sex, and safety is often trivialized, and people get hurt. When I can’t jump on the bandwagon, I feel like a traitor to my wife. I wish there could be more thoughtfulness and compassion and nuance, but with the wave of vicious anti-trans laws and rhetoric, I appreciate why it doesn’t feel like there’s space for it.

Do you have kids? One bio-daughter, age 12. We wanted to have another and couldn’t. Then we tried to adopt from foster care, which ended up being a miserable 5-year rabbithole that led nowhere. OTOH, we have a found-daughter who entered our life through the side door as our girl’s babysitter when she was young. It’s an odd family, and we’re still figuring it out, but it’s ours.

Do you use sarcasm a lot? I think of myself as fairly snarky, but actually sarcasm not that much.

What sports do you play/have you played? I got into really physical stuff late-ish, close to 30. I got into weight-lifting and cardio rhythm games. No team stuff. Later, I took up figure skating when my kid was 4 and taking lessons. I love it. I think I could have been really good if I’d found it when I was younger, but I’m very YOLO about this stuff. If I’m going to be a figure skater in middle age, so be it. Convenient classes for adults were canceled during the pandemic, though, and I haven’t built up the momentum to return. I’m settling for a lower-hanging fruit at the moment and taking up Tai Chi.

What’s the first thing you notice about other people? I don’t know exactly what it is, but I get a sense of how easy it is to relax around someone.

Scary movies or happy endings? Those aren’t mutually exclusive. I like being scared, but not so much the jump-scare, blood-and-gore way. Definitely happy endings though. I’m only much into dark endings when my life is stress-free, and I don’t remember when that last happened.

Any special talents? I’m good at looking at a problem from all angles. I think this is objectively a good thing, but it’s also a pain in the butt because I can’t turn it off.

Where were you born? New Jersey, USA. Grew up in Indiana, just north of Indianapolis.

What are your hobbies? Dur. I knit, edit movies, mod video games, write fiction (sims and other), scuba dive, play board games, downhill ski, do amateur carpentry. I did some glassblowing in my 20s, and I’m finally getting a chance to take lessons! I do not specialize well. I also played the viola as a serious amateur. I bought a guitar and am going to try to learn to play so that I can sing and accompany myself.

Do you have any pets? One cat, down from 3 cats. Also one corn snake.

How tall are you? 5′4″ or 162 cm.

Fave subject in school? History, I think?

Dream job? I’m not sure all the stuff I’d want to do in a career can be digested down to 1 job. I’m pretty close to it at the moment, though. I write educational software on a small very family-like team at a university. Sometimes I fantasize about quitting and doing something with game modding that could somehow be profitable, but I’m sure if that were actually possible, I’d end up hating it because my hobby would then be my job.

Eye color? I have the exact eye color @zosa95 described in her reply to this meme.

It feels good to be tagged, but I still have this weirdo anxiety about tagging people. Plus this has mostly made the rounds. I’ll try @withlovefromayre, @declaration-of-dramas

[antimonyandthyme]

Tagged by the lovely @badboy-george and @rosyjuly for the 20 questions for fic writers game, thank you! <33

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

62!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

196,925

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently it's only F1, but I've written for a bunch of anime fandoms like Haikyuu! and Daiya no Ace (even in anime I can't escape sports) and Naruto of course. And some movie ones like Tenet. And some random others. Like the Epic 7 and Fire Emblem game.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Cloud That Settles (sewis), then If You Don't Play, You'll Never Win (lestappen), then Treading Softly in My Head (martian), then All the Miles We Have to Shed (martian), then Shutter Speed (martian). Special mention to the sixth in line But I Exist to Serve the Master, which I think was the first fic up on ao3 for The Gentlemen (2019) fandom kekekeke.

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

Yes, absolutely. I have a backlog at the moment which I feel a little guilty about because I want anyone who's commented to know their words and thoughts are so beloved to me, and sometimes when someone leaves a wonderfully thoughtful comment it takes me ages to respond because I want to respond in kind.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Spring Cleaning (maxiel) or this prosenna tumblr ficlet

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Hmm. Looking through my fics I realize they often end on a very happy, resolved, or hopeful note. It'd be tough for me to choose the happiest. Maybe Down in the Depths We Make Our Home (sebchal pacific rim au), just for how complete it felt at the end.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not in the traditional sense, like I hate your writing! kind of thing. I've had some odd comments that I genuinely think weren't meant to be mean but have made me question some aspects of my writing, and I've learned to take those in stride. I'm also very very lucky to be surrounded by beloved people who have everlasting patience for my huehuehues.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Kekekeke. Y E S. I love doing so. I'm not sure I can describe what kind, I'm into so many flavours. The really, really horny kind? *me scrolling through my ao3* Oh wow yes the really, really, really horny kind.

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I have not! Only AUs at the moment. The craziest AU I've ever thought of was probably an F1 Chainsaw Man AU.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't believe so!

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! I've had If You Don't Play, You'll Never Win and Melt Your Aches and Call This Home (a baseball anime fic) translated into Chinese. Reading them has been a delight and a lesson all in one!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but I am in talks with... some beloved people...

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

All time! Hmm. Hmm! Naruto/Sasuke my og pairing probably. But Martian and Sebmick are right up there too.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Huehuehue. I have a bunch languishing in my drafts at the moment. Rosquez, seb4seb, sebastidan wips are most in danger because my interest in them crests super hard one day and wanes the next. *sees a gif* *is inspired* *sees a gif of something else* *forgets*

16. What are your writing strengths?

Narrative voicing I think? A very clear, defining character arc. I've been told the porn's pretty good too, while being very emotional.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Long fic. Ah, geez. There are so many stories in my head that could only be done justice if I had the patience to take my time with it, put in the hours, put in the words, put in the work. But I'm very easily distracted by shiny things unfortunately. I also worry I write the characters the same across fics. Like my Sebs, I worry that he's getting a little too consistent and predictable even in vastly different works.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I probably wouldn't, I would worry too much about whether I got the nuances and grammar and structure and voicing right.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Probably Naruto?

20. Favourite fic you’ve written?

This changes depends on the day you ask. At the moment it's actually my prosenna tumblr fics, which upon every reread I find myself liking more. (The real fave fave fic is something I chatficced with @rosyjuly that I hope will one day see the light of day)

No pressure tagging if you'd like to play! @sebrrari @effervescentdragon @ayceeofspades @loveisworry @wewentcarracing

[roguishcat]

Snippet Monday

❤️Thank you very much for tagging me @ghost-of-a-dream-girl, @busy-baker and @xxnashiraxx! ❤️

This is something I've started working on for the 300 followers celebration for @pursuitseternal - a Magistrate Astarion x Reader one-shot where Astarion was never turned! Such a brilliant idea, thank you so much!

So, basically this has all the events of BG3 but Astarion is an elf. And the one-shot takes place post-game. So far, I think I have a general idea of what I'm going to write, so hopefully this is something along the lines of what you would like it to be!

The afternoon sunlight brushed warmly against your cheek as you enjoyed a rare moment of peace. Instead of running around Baldur's Gate, fixing buildings, helping those in need, the Hero of the Gate for once decided to read a newspaper in a park. Something quite mundane for some, a rare luxury for you.

You were not slacking. But you have come to realise that in your bid to please everyone you would soon completely burn out. Which is why you didn’t feel a smidge of guilt when you found yourself going to Bloomridge park instead of the Upper City.

Not having to make any decisions and just simply be for an hour felt absolutely heavenly. Children played, the members of the book club gossiped, and couples whispered among themselves. This was exactly what you loved about this city. No matter how much havoc was wrought, Baldur's Gate healed rapidly and would soon be back to its former glory.

You cast your eyes over the articles in the newspaper. Nothing special, thank the gods. Just silly gossip and the like. You quickly looked through it and gave a happy sigh. No news was always good news in your books!

Yet, no matter how pleasant this little break was, you were well aware that your assistance was needed at ten odd locations today. It was time to get back to work.

Getting up, you looked at the newspaper in your hands and decided that perhaps someone would enjoy reading it. Afterall, there was hardly any reason for you to take the paper with you. And leaving it behind would probably save some poor student a copper. Thus assured that you were doing no harm, you folded the newspaper up neatly and set it down on the park bench for another to enjoy.

Just as you were about to walk away, you heard someone clear their throat loudly.

"What do you think you are doing?"

It was one of the Fists. You didn't recognise him. Perhaps it was a new recruit, seeing as otherwise he would have known who you were.

"Excuse me?"

"You are littering," he stated, pointing to the newspaper with an accusatory finger.

Ah, so a simple misunderstanding.

"I am not littering,” you smiled pleasantly, in spite of feeling that it was rather strange of the Fist to worry about something as inconsequential as litter out of all things. “Just thought someone else might enjoy reading the paper now that I'm done with it."

The Fist did not look impressed by your explanation. In fact, if anything he seemed even more set in his belief that a heinous crime was being committed in broad daylight.

"I am arresting you for littering in a public garden," he seemed to think about it for a moment. "And for arguing with a city guard."

"I've hardly said any-"

"Resisting arrest, are we?" he drawled, making your mouth tighten as you bit back a snarky retort.

"No, I will come with you willingly," you grumbled.

Perhaps if you played along for a bit, you could talk to someone of a higher rank. Saying anything to an overly eager guard who was obstinately sticking to his accusations would just attract onlookers.

"Good. The judge is waiting for your arrival."

"What? What do you mean judge?" you frowned. What business did any judge have looking into misdemeanours and especially something like littering?

"His Honor judge Ancunín is waiting for you. Don't dawdle. It's rude to keep him waiting."

Suddenly all of this made sense. You ground your teeth and followed the Fist. Of course it was Astarion! That ass!

"Oh, trust me. Him waiting for me will be the least of his worries once I see him."

He couldn’t just come by the tavern and talk to you like someone normal. No, he needed a show of power, especially with him being promoted to judge in high court! Because apparently this was how Astarion got his kicks nowadays. He needed for you to be near forcibly escorted to the courtroom and thrown at his feet. Preferably pleading for mercy and asking him if there was any way that you could make it up to him.

You scowled. The whole scenario just sounded like the plot of some cheap, third-rate smutty novel one would pick up at Sharess'. But if he thought that he you would cower before him, that elf had another thing coming!

No pressure tags: @clazberryk, @inkymoonbunny,

@preciouslittlebhaalbae, @lanafofana, @marlowethebard,

@honeybee-bard, @fangbangerghoul

[thomas-mvller]

I was tagged by Lise, Lin and Ander (aka @acrazybayernfan , @thommi-tomate and @miasanmuller) to do this veeeery interesting tag game! thank you all 🤗

What's your top 10 most memorable bayern matches?

In no particular order:

8 - 2 vs Barcelona: I mean, pretty self explanatory. It was like our 7 - 1 in brasil 2014.

5 - 1 vs Wolfsburg: literally who would've thought we'd witness a literal world record happen in front of our very own eyes in less than TEN MINUTES? that was absurd but in a good way! till this day i feel bad for vfl's keeper to the point i remember his name JAJAJJA

1 - 0 vs PSG: i was going through some stuff around that time (and believe it or not it wasn't because of the pandemic or anything related to it) so i was really not with my head in the game sort of speak, i literally watched the match in zombie mode until the goal happened and there i woke up a little and then when the match ended i bursted out crying JAJAJJA, it was like the perfect occasion to release emotions and it literally brightened my day, it was just what i needed that moment!

4 - 2 vs Juventus: i legit have this match downloaded on my laptop, in fact i watched it fairly recently! it's just the fact that we literally had ALL THE ODDS against our favor, losing during 90 minutes only for thomas to score literally on stoppage time AND THEN secure the match in less than two minutes? that was WILD! probably the most memorable in my book.

2 - 1 vs Köln: look, for the sake of transparency i didn't watch the match when it happened. It's not that i lost hope but rather they played very early and i prioritized my sleeping time 😂 but idk how effective that was since i slept like shit knowing deep down this was the title defining match going neck to neck against the bees nonetheless! but surprisingly i woke up just when both matches ended and i remember asking here "WHAT HAPPENED" and someone said "we won bundes!!" and then seeing the dash's reaction and finding out we won during the last minute + the bees blew it.... my jaw hit the floor omg.

4 - 0 vs Chicago Fire: I know this was a friendly but it was Bastian's farewell match and dude..... it was so emotional. Seeing him cry his heart out in a dim light stadium where everyone were cheering on him while a spotlight focused on him was just too heartwarming. Seeing club legends retire is never easy so i hope that doesn't happen ANY TIME SOON 😭

2 - 1 vs Dortmund: now this one is extra special because at the time i was familiar with bayern thanks to mr bavaria but i wasn't exactly a die hard "must watch every match" kind of fan, it was more of a casual thing and i remember coming back from school or something, turning on the tv and i swear to GOTH literally thirty seconds later robben scored and i was so confused about everything until the match ended and i was like "oh, they won a trophy, that's nice :))".......it was later when i realized the importance of the entire thing 🤪

vs Villareal: now i know this sounds weird but like, there hasn't been a day where i don't question myself "how the everloving fuck did we lose against them?". ALL THEY DID was make all eleven players defend their area, that's literally it.... AND YET WE COULDN'T BEAT THEM! I AM STILL DUMBFOUNDED AND CAN'T GET OVER IT.

1 - 3 vs Liverpool: once again.... i know this is odd given bayern lost...... but these are my two favorite teams of all time. I remember when it was announced both teams were playing against each other i felt personally attacked, i literally couldn't decide who to cheer on, every goal felt bad, every attack felt bad, and seeing how bayern lost in horrible fashion it was like... i couldn't even celebrate for lfc, i was in neutral mode and it was wild. At least it eventually led lfc to win ucl but still, it was 180+ minutes of double tension 😵‍💫

7 - 2 vs Tottenham: honestly how can you forget this one? it was absurd! serge came out for blood that day, against the sp*rs nonetheless!!!! i know we always joke about bayern destroying london teams but this was just unexpected, right now i feel like rewatching 😂

I'm pretty sure i'm missing one or two matches that shook me to the core, but i guess these will do rn. It was fun!

Tagging people from my latest bayern gifset because i know everyone has been tagged already so feel free to ignore this if so: @fabioquartararhoe @probayern @chelleisamazing @youknowitsworthfightingfor @dieclownschaft @gxtzeizm @uncoolfc @fcbalding @shrimpeon @be-lucky-again @colorsofmyseason @angry-pinscher @miss-i-ship-it and whoever wants to do this! just say i tagged you and you're it! :D

[the-broken-pen]

15 Questions (Adelie edition)

Thank you @oh-no-another-idea for the tag! This was so fun! I got like, kind of carried away…

Cat settled across from her on the rooftop, grinning, copying her to sit half crossed legged, one foot dangling off the edge. The city was a hundred stories below, and quiet under the wind.

She ran a hand through her hand. “Get on with it, then.”

He grinned wider.

Are you named after anyone?

“You don’t even know my name, she pointed out.”

He watched, expectant.

“I couldn’t tell you,” she admitted.

Cat squinted slightly. “Your mother?”

Adelie shrugged one shoulder.

“She’s not exactly capable of answering that.”

“Odd way to describe someone who’s dead.”

She shot him a look, and he raised his hands as if backing off. He pantomimed writing something a journal, nodding his head.

She was going to shove him off the roof.

When was the last time you cried?

“I don’t cry.”

Cat scoffed. “Now that’s a lie. You cried last week.”

“You stole a can of tear gas off a riot cop and threw it at me.”

“Right, but there were tears.”

She expected him to move on, but he didn’t, eyeing her expectantly.

She grimaced.

“Two days ago.”

“Training?”

“Yeah.”

He hummed, writing on air once more.

Do you have kids?

“Cat, I’m seventeen.”

“Hey now Sunshine, I don’t judge life choices.”

“I’m pretty sure you judge all of my life choices.”

“Not true. I just find the heroism boring.”

“Thanks, Cat.”

Do you use sarcasm?

“I don’t know, do you?”

Cat grinned.

“I’m asking the questions.”

“Good for you.”

“Sunshine—“

“I love you.”

He blinked at her for a moment.

“For a hero, you’re quite vicious, you know that?”

This time, she grinned. “Why do you think the media wants us to be a couple, hm?”

What's the first thing you notice about people?

“Generally wether or not they’re trying to kill me.”

“How boring.”

“Sorry, next time I’ll focus on their hair so they have a nice opportunity to stab me.”

Cat put a hand to his chest as if wounded.

“I only tried to stab you once.”

“How kind of you,” she said drily.

What's your eye color?

At this, she paused.

“I’m…not sure.”

Cat stilled, too.

“You don’t know what color your eyes are?”

She tipped her head, trying for nonchalance as her mouth went dry.

“Not everyone is as obsessed with themself as you are, Cat.”

He said nothing for a moment.

“Green,” his voice was rough. He pulled out his imaginary paper again, avoiding her face. “Your eyes are green.”

Scary or happy endings?

“I don’t like any endings.”

“Not even the happy ones?”

“Those aren’t real.”

He sighed. “I hate your father.”

“Well yeah, he’s a superhero, you’re a villain. That’s the whole point.”

“That’s not why.”

“Cat,” she said lowly, and once again, he dropped it.

Any special talents?

Her fingertips began to glow slightly, and she had to shake her hand to make them stop. Cat watched, amused.

“Trouble?”

“None, thanks,” she said breezily, and he laughed.

“So, the light…”

“It’s energy.”

“From…”

“My hatred for you.”

He batted his eyes.

“Awww, you’re so sweet”

“You’ve got three seconds before I push you off this roof.”

Where were you born?

“Probably here. Kind of attached to the city.”

“All work no play.”

“I find great joy in throwing you through walls, thank you.”

He winced slightly.

What are your hobbies?

“Saving people.”

“Not a hobby.”

“What are you, the hobby police?”

He shrugged. “I could be. You don’t know.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Punching you.”

“That’s also under the umbrella of saving people. What, do you not knit or something.”

“Do you think I have time for knitting?”

He nodded sagely. “There’s always time for knitting.”

She groaned. “Truce Sundays. That’s my hobby.”

“Your hobby is eating junk food once a week on top of a skyscraper where we are forbidden from murdering one another.”

“Yep.”

Have you any pets?

She looked at him, and he frowned at her.

“I don’t count.”

“Aww, but Cat—“

“I’ll throw you off this roof right now—“

“Well, now who’s the mean one—“

“Literally it’s always been me, I’m the villain—“

“Someone’s throwing a hissy fit—“

“Genuinely go get hit by a rocket launcher or something—“

“I survived the last time that happened so really—“

“I hate you.”

“Ditto,” she said, but they were both smiling.

What sports do you play/have played?

“Volleyball.”

Cat looked like he was prepared to tell her heroism wasn’t a sport, and stopped, mouth half open.

“What?”

“Volleyball,” she said with amusement.

“You play volleyball,” he repeated, slightly stunned.

“Good for the reflexes.”

“Uh huh,” his brow furrowed. “Volleyball.”

“You know, with the net—“

“I know what volleyball is Sunshine.”

How tall are you?

“Why would I know that?”

“I mean, I can tell you right now that you’re short.”

“Oh fuck you—“

“Like 5 feet 4 inches MAX.”

“You’re an asshole.”

“And according to the media, you’re dating me.”

“For fucks sake will you let that go.”

He smirked.

“Have I finally brought the cursing out of you?”

“Fuck you.”

He laughed, delighted.

Favorite subject in school?

“Fighting.”

“Not a subject.”

“English.”

“Good job, you picked a normal people school subject.”

“You say that like you weren’t also raised by a powered person.”

“Well yeah but mine isn’t a douche—“

“Cat.”

“Fine, fine.”

Dream job?

“I’m doing it.”

Cat put down his imaginary paper, face serious.

“Sunshine.”

“Cat,” she mimicked.

“This cannot be your dream job.”

“I help people,” she defended. His brow wrinkled.

“No, you almost die.”

“But I help them,” she repeated, and he shook his head.

“Being a superhero shouldn’t be anyone’s dream.”

“And being a super villain should be?”

He lowered his gaze to the city.

“I didn’t say it was.”

She paused, frowning.

“But you’re—“

“You’re not the interviewer, Sunshine,” he interrupted.

She pursed her lips.

“You can’t just say something like that—“

“I can and I will.”

He looked to her, and that smile was back again.

“How many news articles do you think they’ll publish this week about us dating. Superhero’s daughter and supervillain’s son, star crossed lovers!”

“If I’m lucky, none,” she said.

He stood up, and winked at her.

“The only time you get lucky is when you see my face.”

“Cat—“ she cursed, and he laughed as he vanished in a snap of shadow.

Alrighty, time for tags! (No pressure of course) @jay-avian @imaginativemind29new @clairelsonao3

[questforgalas]

Nina's Special, Secret, Vacation City (An Uncle!Batch AU)

Summary: Tech gets to have play time with his niece

Notes: Tech girlies, come get your fluff serving :) Nina is named after CT-99

Ner ka'ra = my star

WC: 1k

Tags: Uncle!Tech, nothin but fluff. Tech interacting with a toddler should be a tag of its own, AU - order 66 didn’t happen

Tay's Masterlist

On AO3

Building blocks covered the table, scattered from corner to corner, not an inch of grey to be seen. Tech’s lower back was tensing from being bent for so long, but Nina’s small play table didn’t offer him many options for comfortable positions. It was no matter. The task at hand was more important than some minor discomfort. The block metropolis in front of him was steadily growing, and he was doing his best to keep up with the steady stream of orders coming from his current commander.

“Red block please.”

“Green please.”

“Ok, 3 spokes please.”

“No Unka Tech, blue one not red one!”

“My mistake, ner ka’ra. Here is the blue block. That should be sufficient for the luxury pool.” Big green eyes looked expectantly at him with a steady hand outstretched waiting for him to hand her the block. Once the brick hit her palm, the youngling returned to carefully constructing the imaginary pool on the far side of the complex.

As Tech watched his niece, he made a note to craft a new bandana for her next time he had a moment. There were many traits the toddler in front of him shared with her father, but the most telling was her mane of curly brown hair that became more unruly every day and she was currently trying, but failing, to keep out of her eyes while she constructed her vision. Those bright green eyes though, those were uniquely hers. They were also a tool used on her uncles frequently because even at the early age of 3, she had them figured out.

Tech had made his way to Hunter’s family’s apartment two hours ago after being asked by Hunter’s partner to stop by to look over the recent diagnostics from their family ship since they were apparently giving some odd readings. After giving the diagnostics a once over and promising to see to the ship personally tomorrow, he’d remained in the apartment, idly chatting with Hunter’s partner. While they were talking, Hunter returned with Nina from whatever errand they’d been running, and the quiet apartment was quickly disrupted.

“Unka Tech! Unka Tech!” Nina screeched as she ran into Tech’s arms as soon as she saw him at the kitchen counter. “Unka Tech we went to the market and ran away from the monster but we escaped and Dada got me a big fruit and I ate it.”

“Wow ner ka’ra. That is a fascinating tale. I theorize that it was, in fact, a Meiloorun fruit?” Tech inquired. Nina gasped, her eyes going wide.

“How did you know?”

“The pink stains around your lips are a good indicator,” Tech explained. He playfully poked her nose as he spoke, causing the youngling to fall into a fit of giggles.

“I’d like to circle back to the ‘ran away from the monster’ part, please,” Hunter’s partner gave him a pointed look, clearly concerned at this not-so-minor tidbit not being addressed. A chuckle rumbled from Hunter’s chest.

“Nothing to worry about cyar’ika. A loth cat jumped out from an alley and surprised her. She then decided it was a monster,” he explained.

“Unka Tech, come play with me. I have new blocks to build with!” The full power of Nina’s eyes met Tech’s, and he knew he was powerless to refuse. That was an hour ago, and the two of them had made impressive progress building Nina’s “secret, special, vacation city” for her family. The complex included a pool, houses for everyone, a play set that took up half the space, and a shooting range so “Unka Crossy can do the blasty thing”.

Tech diligently built as he was instructed, and he’d give suggestions on building placement to maximize space and allow the complex to run at top efficiency, each received enthusiastically by the youngling. She was young, but she had started to show interest in activities like tinkering and building which Tech jumped on as soon as Hunter mentioned it to him. Admittedly, Nina’s designs weren’t always what he expected, nor were they engineering marvels, but he’d subtly make his adjustments, making sure to not lose the integrity of her build. Her proud smile after she completed a project never failed to squeeze his heart.

“Finished!” Nina yelled once the pool was complete.

“Excellent job, ad’ika. This city is a beacon in the galaxy,” Tech complimented.

“What’s a be- beac-beacon?” The young girl’s determined look had been replaced with confusion as she sounded out the word.

“A beacon is a light used as a signal. They are used to convey messages or feelings. This city, for example, might be called a ‘beacon of hope’ as it demonstrates a life full of happiness and health.” Nina listened to Tech’s explanation, face full of wonder as she took in the information, but something caught in her thoughts because Tech watched as her eyebrows furrowed and nose scrunched in concentration. Patiently, he waited, remaining seated while the youngling worked out what was swirling in her head. At last, she spoke.

“Are you happy, Unka Tech?” Nina looked up at him from her position on the floor as she asked. The sudden change of subject caught Tech off guard for just a moment, but as Nina continued gazing up at him, he felt a small smile appear on his lips.

“Of course, ner ka’ra. I’m always happy when I’m with you,” He reached out to tip up her chin so her eyes met his, and he answered honestly. His reward was a toothy smile, and then he was jolted back as tiny arms were thrown around his neck and a small body crashed into him. Once the shock war off, Tech wrapped his arms around her, holding her as close to him as he could.  

“I’m happy too, Unka Tech. Thank you for playing with me. I love you!” she said, nuzzled into his neck. Tech was still unsure if he’d ever want children of his own in the future, but moments like this with his little star certainly made the desire hard to deny.

“I love you too, ad’ika. Now, shall we show your parents your handiwork?”

[rurpleplayssims]

15 Questions for 15 Mutuals!

Are you named after anyone? Not that I'm aware of. My mum just really liked the name and after the three days of hell labour, my dad had no say in my naming! 🤣 I am the eldest of my siblings.

When was the last time you cried? I cry a lot but thankfully it's been a while. Define crying too - as in bawling my eyes out? - that's been ages. If it's me tearing up with emotion, then it was a couple of days ago when I went to Liverpool. The city is decked out with blue and yellow EVERYWHERE because it's hosting Eurovision on behalf of Ukraine, and it's quite touching to see.

Do you have kids? No. I would never rule out having kids but currently, my younger brothers (15 years younger) fulfil my maternal instincts at the moment.

Do you use sarcasm a lot? I go off on mini-rants (at myself) and I probably slip into sarcasm.

What sports do you play/have played? l hated my PE classes at school despite being good at it. I never wanted to do extra sports, so I was not on any teams.

What’s the first thing you notice about other people? A sense of who they are, and if any 'odd' behaviour is down to nervous energy or not. It's a skill that's useful in my public-facing job. I always strive to be as friendly as possible as I remember vividly how nerve-wracking it can be in new places/situations. You need someone there to reassure you.

Eye colour? This is starting to sound like a security test! 🤣 I have hazel eyes.

Scary movies or happy endings? Hate scary stuff. My imagination is far too vivid and if I get creeped out by something, it's in my head for WEEKS afterwards, and I value a good night's sleep! I prefer happy endings.

Any special talents? Umm...I'm not sure. I'd say my best skill is writing but I'm not the best of the best either. Might be me being modest, you all can be the judge. I'd like to be better regardless, another trait of being my own editor as well.

Where were you born? London, UK.

What are your hobbies? Writing, gaming, walking, listening to audiobooks and baking cakes.

Do you have any pets? No. We had dogs when I was younger. I want to have my own dog someday, but I can't in my current home and it's also not the right time for such a commitment (emotionally and logistically).

How tall are you? Errr....5"5...I think? Average height for a woman my age.

Favourite subject in school? Religious Studies when I was at school. We learnt about Buddhism and then had various ethical questions to decide what the Buddhist perspective on the ethics would be. It was my best GCSE result as well. However, looking back , I'd say my favourite class was English, for obvious reasons.

Dream Job? Being a published author, who is moderately successful. I'd hate to be 'famous', but it'd be great if writing could be my main income.

Anybody who wants to do this can consider themselves tagged! Thank you @timberllania for the tag!

[kb-amnewt]

Movies are my JAM!

The wonderful and beautiful @return-of-miss-mgm tagged me in a recent post, and I've decided to follow suit. The following are 9 movies that really meant something to me. My list of movies goes on and on, but here's some that stood out at the time.

Evil Dead 2 was one of the first horror movies I really remember watching. It's been one of my favorites for a long time to the point where I've listened to the commentary multiple times. It really set itself apart by appealing to my sense of humor, and including a level of derangement I rarely see in films since.

Godzilla vs Megalon is an absolute classic of a Godzilla movie. The showa era of Godzilla films is definitely a favorite with their weird story-lines and their occasional 4th wall breaking moments. This one holds a special place though as being on my son and I watch together frequently. Plus it features Jet Jaguar, a fan created hero for this specific film.

Singin' in the Rain makes my list as one of my favorite musicals ever. Gene Kelly was a marvel in his own right and this roll was a perfect fit and he got surrounded by talented costars. The whole movie just makes me feel good and makes me want to dance. Plus I can sing along to the whole darn thing.

Spirited Away was my fist Hayao Miazaki movie. I think it is a beautiful and stunning movie just as much as the first time I saw it. I think the story is sweet and weird. The world it painted was strange and whimsical while also having its dangers. I've since learned that most Studio Ghibli films have the same effect, but still, this was my introduction to a great collection.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind just hits super hard on my interest in aliens. As with most Steven Spielberg films it was kind-of a big deal what with the budget he normally works with. The fact that so much of the movie is done with practical effects really drives home how much better it is to be creative with whats available. It's one of the reasons I wanted to get into special effects in the first place. (along with the evil dead movies) Also you get to watch Richard Dreyfuss go absolutely bonkers for a solid hour and a half.

Tremors 2: Aftershocks made me not want to walk off the bike path behind my house for fear of getting devoured. Eventually it turned into a comfort movie that I would play it on my laptop to help me fall asleep, which I can admit it could be seen as a little odd as this installment in the franchise introduced the shriekers, which I would not describe as comforting to hear. Again, lots of practical effects as well as a very entertaining Michael Gross.

Little Shop of Horrors is again one of those top tier musicals for me. I can sing the whole movie. It's a fun, weirdly dark story wrapped up in a delightfully uncanny package. The baddies get their comeuppance via a hungry meat-eating plant voiced by Levi Stubbs. The special effects are mind boggling and the choreography leave nothings to be desired. Put simply, I love this movie.

Labyrinth to me is not just a great movie. I am incapable of thinking of this movie without also thinking of my wife. We've both loved this movies since before we met and now it's something we can experience and enjoy together. The day our son asked us to watch it together was one of our favorite experiences together. We've since seen some of the puppets, props, and costumes in person. The combined work of David Bowie, Jennifer Connelly, Jim Henson and his team made a piece of art that has brought my family closer together. (And like that I've made myself cry a little)

Scream was another favorite of mine when it came to the horror/thriller genre. Obviously at this point I know whodunit, but there's still enough substance there where I can watch it time and time again. It puts so many tropes on blast while following many of those very same tropes to a T. Upon re-watching you find that it frequently tells you exactly whats happening or about to happen without you realizing it. The cast was great, the cinematography was on point, and I've had a thing for Drew Barrymore since I was in high school.

All in all I have varied taste when it comes to films. I tend to bounce around from kaiju films, to musicals, to horror, and back to light-hearted animation. I have far to many favorite movies to count but these 9 should hopefully give some insight into what helped form my love of the art of cinema. I'm curious what some mutuals might have in there lists so hopefully I can look forward to what, @drgoblins @fat-tea-fat @kolkhozmilf or @transfatfemme @bigfatbuck @brendakthedonutgirl @the-grove and @chubote have in mind. Of course anyone is welcome to give it a go, I don't always remember everyone who's following me back.

Thank you for coming to my post, I hope I'm not bothering anyone by tagging them. This list was in no particular order.