#this then wraps back around to OP's point of what are the choices they have what is the quality of life they will now face and when we look

[werewolfcave]

tags by @bumblebeerror

"Cinderpelt should've been a warrior, cats can function perfectly fine with 3 legs" "Jayfeather could've been a warrior, blind cats navigate well with their other senses" "Briarlight could've gone on patrols, have you seen how well cats with paralyzed legs get around?" OK but that's not the point at all. Let's stop talking about that. It doesn't matter if it's technically true. The books present us with these situations where we, as readers, are meant to understand that these characters are unable to fulfill the same duties that their able bodied Clanmates can, regardless of the accuracy to real cat biology. The lens we need to use to examine disability in Warriors isn't "can they function like abled cats?" It's "If they can't function like abled cats, what are their choices and what does their quality of life look like? How are they treated?" Because that's where the real issues are.

[diejager]

Nooo but there is something about the monster au where there is a casual mention from her that she won't live as long as them (I assume monsters/hybrids are longer lived plus she is a lot more likely to die on mission), like she probably just jokes about it offhandedly and it sends all of them feral because... no? Absolutely not? Insulting. Ridiculous. Not happening.

Cue ultimate clinginess, all rushing to be more intimate because the thought of her not being around is abhorrent. Soap maybe losing it a bit going off on a line of thought about how he could mate her right? Would it be awful if there was a way for her to be a wolf shifter?

I AM GOING TO LOSE MY MIND

Change cw: mention of turning, mention of death, joking about death, tell me if I missed any.

All options are on the table at this point, death had always been something that loomed over them like a shadow, the veil and sickle of death following you wherever you went. You’ve had more than one reminder of your short life, your vulnerability as a human, weak and tender skin, short lives and a delicate body. There were so many things in the world that could pose a possible danger to you and they hated that.

You lived shorter lives than most monsters or hybrids, you grew sick and frail whereas hybrids could fight any viral infections or diseases, you didn’t have thicker skin despite all the extra layers of protective gear and you were a target of many for your choice of career. They were reminded of you mortality whenever you get hurt, blood painting your skin with a strong, metallic odour.

And it didn’t help that you’d often joke about it, throwing offhanded comments that made their hackles raise, body tense and mind brewing with what ifs scenario that has them tearing their hair from the root. While some monsters were more solitary than others, all of them were possessive of what they deemed their family —pack.

Ghost and König stuck closer during training, a tall, imposing figure behind you that acted as a guard dog to ward away anyone they deemed a danger. Soap and Horangi hung around you in the rec room, either laying on you or clinging to you, putting a show of ownership over you. Rudy and Alejandro, the ever active couple, were always finding you around the base, striking up a conversation and wrapping their arms around you. Gaz would was the cuddliest of the group, finding time outside of his busy to snuggle up against you and cover you with his wings, pulling you to sleep on his shoulder. Price, the man with the most authority in the TF made sure that you were always with someone on every Op, having someone to back you up in the most dire situation.

Every visit to the medic made them wild, it brought them closer to desperate measures. Would it be so bad to turn you in one? Would it be so bad to let Soap bite you during the full moon, his bite infecting you with his power: thicker skin, sturdier build, longer lifespan and better sense? The only draw backs were the higher wildness, near feral during full moons and a competitive mindset over the possessiveness and brattiness of a young werewolf.

Would it be so bad to make you return as a wraith? While Ghost learned to control his powers alone, the pain and emotions building up in his body without any way of letting it out, you had him, you wouldn’t be alone with the resurrection. He didn’t want you to feel the terror and agony by yourself —he didn’t want you to know how it felt to die and come back.

Would it be so bad to have a vampire turn you into one without becoming a thrall? You couldn’t walk in the sun, something you told them you enjoyed, you’d be restrained to specific activities and you wouldn’t like that, being limited by the sun. Granted, there were solutions to that, but none very comfortable.

They knew you were aware of your mortality, made fun of it and laughed as it this was your last day, but you didn’t fear death, you only feared leaving them. You were open to their thoughts, listening to their ideas and options with a neutral expression, but you didn’t reject the idea of turning you. That was a good thing, a step forward in their mind.

Now all that needed to do was to let you decide which path you wanted to walk.

tag list: @craxy-person @crowbird @dead-cipher @iwannabealocalcryptid @iizx7y @mxtokko @yeetusspagheetus @capricorn-anon @perfectus-in-morte @sae1kie @yeoldedumbslut @tallmanlover @distracteddragoness @vxnilla-hxrddrugs @konigsblog @havoc973 @angelcakes-22 @cassiecasluciluce @ramadiiiisme @ramblingsofachaoticthinker @ki-cant-spel

[dark-konohagakure2]

If the requests are still open, can you write obsessive Anbu!Itachi breaking into the house of his civilian crush (f) just to record her being passionate with her actual bf and then use the tape to blackmail her into secretly getting with him instead? 👀

tw: noncon, stalking anbu!Itachi, voyeurism, blackmail, blowjobs, facials, nonconsensusal photography, threats, yandere, victim blaming, stalking, power imbalance

All characters depicted are 18+

Itachi is nothing but grateful for his promotion to the role of captain on the Anbu Black Ops, it is both an honor and a great responsibility, one which allows him to keep close eye on and protect those dear to him, such as his village, his younger brother, and his future girlfriend.

Of course doesn't know that she's going to be his girlfriend very soon, but he does, but there is one annoying little problem standing in his way, her current so-called 'boyfriend'. Itachi can't wrap his head around why she would deign to be involved with someone so painfully average. He isn't as smart, powerful, or handsome as Itachi, and if what Itachi has seen through her window in the late hours or the night is true; he's certainly not as good in bed as Itachi.

It enrages Itachi to no end that his beloved has already lost her virginity to such an inferior man. While a pacifist at heart, Itachi would love nothing more than to show that whelp what never ending terror is, to make him pay for stealing Itachi's property, but the Uchiha holds back on his more vengeful urges, instead deciding to rectify the situation with a little bit of negotiation.

Itachi has fancied himself as a something of a photographer lately, being a part of the Anbu he needs to occasionally snap photo's for evidence, or in more insidious cases: blackmail. He doesn't delight in blackmailing people, especially not the object of his affections, but her infidelity has left him with little choice but to go to these measures, and he'll be sure to chide her for being such a bad girl as he shows her all the photos he's collected.

"Don't be so dramatic now, you should have known better than to keep your curtains open like that. I can make these photos go away, if you just get on your knees, that is..."

Itachi is still resentful of the fact that he didn't get to fuck her pussy before that pitiful excuses of a lover of her's, but he's able to look on the bright side of things; at least he gets to fuck her throat first. In all of his time spent stalking the couple, he's only seen them have plain old penis in vagina sex, how utterly boring. Since he's getting her throat first, he's going to make an impression on it, one that will render her throat so sore that she won't be able to talk without thinking about him.

He'll force his cock in and out of her mouth at a pace that is nearly impossible for her to adjust to, his balls slapping against her chin as he claims her throat as his personal cocksleeve. Part of him, the more malicious part of him, wants to snap a photo of her choking on his cock and send it to her worthless boyfriend, but he holds back for the time being. After all, what's the point of blackmail if he can't hold it over her head for as long as possible?

He'll draw it out as long as possible, wanting to savor the feeling of deflowering his beloved's throat, so he'll use every last ounce of his endurance to hold back his climax for as long as he can. When Itachi finally does finish, he'll cum all over her face, leaving her face and mouth reeking of his cock, he hopes that her boyfriend is able to taste it next time he kisses her.

He's glad that they were finally able to consummate their relationship, even if she wasn't even aware that they had any sort of relationship, but regardless of her playing coy like the silly girl she is, he'll make sure that she knows that her status as his fucktoy girlfriend is now official, whether she likes it or not.

"Good girl... I'm sure that pitiful boyfriend of yours has never fucked you that good... Speaking of him, I don't think you want to hang around him anymore, unless you want your parents seeing these pictures..."

Itachi is glad that he was able to establish a relationship with her, although it is more unconventional than he originally planned, but regardless of the means, he's still able to have his girlfriend all to himself now, and that's how it's going to stay if she values her reputation.

[novamariestark]

Uncovered

Summary: When your potential targets get apprehended abroad, you and Alden have to take their place and things take an interesting turn

Warnings: 🔞 piv (unprotected), fingering, oral (f receiving), undercover couple, age gap, pet name (daddy), and most likely poorly written smut 😂🔞 [it's 2am rn so prob some errors but I really wanted to post it. Will edit later today 😂]

Word count: 2426

Fandom: NCIS

Pairing: Alden Parker x reader

You were cursed. You were sure of it. You couldn’t believe what was happening. And you were sure Nick and Jess had something to do with it.

Since your two potential targets were being detained at Athens International Airport, your chances of catching your killer were now slim to none. It was by chance you came across this couple, finding flight information in the killer’s suspected hideout. You decided that you would tail them from the airport and stakeout their house but now that plan is useless.

When all hope seemed to be lost, Nick said a string of words that are dangerous coming out of his mouth, “I have an idea,”

And it was dangerous. For him. Because after this op was over, you were going to murder him.

That idea? You and Parker, who also was subject of your pining for the past seven months, had to go undercover as that couple. Why? Because Nick insisted that you two were perfect, because you were young and Alden was “old” as he said, earning a subtle glare from him. That was bad enough. But at the very last moment, Nick decided to give you a little extra insight to this couple. They were very sexually active.

So not only did you have to pretend to be a married couple but apparently you had to pretend to be an incredibly horny married couple.

Slow and painful, Nick. You’re death with be slow and painful.

Of course, you wouldn’t have a problem “pretending” to be horny when your fake husband looked like he was like a portrait come to life, every line and angle of his face meticulously crafted to mesmerize you.

And to make things worse. It was believed that the killer had some high-tech shit. Things that helped him hear and see things going on in his targets places.

You weren’t looking forward to the fact that you were going to be so close to the man who you were head over heels for but still so far. This was going to be torture and you knew it the second you walked through the front door of your new house.

In the car on the way there, you discussed how you were going to communicate whilst in the house, deciding on either text or paper.

It was awkward the moment that front door closed. Hopefully the killer would chalk it off as jet-lag but neither you nor Alden knew what to do. Neither of you wanted to push the boundaries despite the fact that at some point you were going to have to and it wasn’t like you could have an in depth conversation about it. It was something you wanted to discuss in the car, but you just couldn't bring yourself to.

Your phone buzzed, you reached into your pocket and the screen immediately lit up with Alden’s name.

‘You sure you’re up for this?’

You typed a quick reply, ‘Don’t have much of a choice,’

You gave him a quick nod before walking into the kitchen to make some coffee, “You want some coffee, babe?” you called to him, suddenly a pair of arms wrapped around your waist and a pair of lip latched themselves onto your neck and in an instant, you were turned on.

“Coffee can wait, sweetheart,” he told you as his lips moved to your shoulder, his crotch slight grinding over your ass. You couldn’t lie. You wished this was real, but it wasn’t. He was just pretending. His hands trailed further up to cup your breasts, you arched your back, pressing your ass further into his crotch. God how much you wanted it to be real.

One hand moved to grip your thigh. From any other angle, it’d look like his hand was exactly where you wanted it. But it wasn’t. But you still had to pretend it was.

You weren’t the only getting turned on. The sounds you were making although, he thought you were faking them, were so beautiful to him. He wanted to hear that sound on repeat, just constantly. And more importantly, he wanted to be the reason for those pretty little sounds.

All too soon it came to an end. Although, it may have been a blessing in disguise. You were just being tortured of what could be. This continued for the next few days. You were beginning to think that the killer wasn’t there but still. You were also hoping that whilst you were dealing with this torture, the team was actually making some kind of breakthrough so this could end. But no. nothing.

Over those few days, the shows you two put on got hotter and longer. It was literally too much for you to handle and you were literally aching. Desperate for any kind of release.

You were set for another round later that night in your shared bedroom but you couldn’t. the moment he wrapped his arms around you and you felt him start to grind against you, you pushed him away. He was confused. Did he hurt you?

“What? You okay?” he whispered, his fingers gently dance on your shoulder but every touch set your skin on fire. You shrugged his hand off and you felt it fall to the bed behind you.

“I can’t,” you cried softly, “It’s too much,”

“What’s too much, sweetheart?”

“This, I-I can’t,”

“It’ll be over soon,” he sighed. You wiped your tears. You could hear sadness in his voice, as though he thought that you were disgusted to be in bed with him. To be near him. You turned over to face him, he gave you a sad smile when he saw your face. You shuffled closer to him. You had no idea where the confidence was coming from. You couldn’t believe what came out of your mouth.

“Please touch me,”

He was confused, you had literally just pushed him away, but soon realisation hit him. You wanted him to touch you for real. Not pretend like you had been doing this entire time. He reached his hand out but hesitated, “Are you sure?”

You nodded, “Please,” you begged again, it came out as a cry as the ache became increasingly aggressive.

He let his fingers run through your hair and down your neck. You skin felt so soft under his rough fingertips, he ran them down your arm and onto your breast. You moaned, your back arching to push them closer to him. He gently squeezed your nipple over the thin fabric of your vest, feeling the hard nub of flesh between his fingers. He moved his hand to your other breast, cupping it in his palm and massaging it softly.

You whimpered as he continued to tease your sensitive nipples. It was a though your veins were on fire, every touch sending a wave of pleasure through your body. He had barely touched you, yet you felt as though you were already on the edge.

His hand slid down your clothed stomach and down to you tiny shorts, which had been driving him insane, especially since you didn’t wear underwear underneath them so he could see the perfect outline of your ass and your pussy. Not that you knew that. You hadn’t even thought about it.

You could feel yourself getting wetter as his fingers just slip though the waistband of her shorts, and she felt her skin heat up in anticipation. You wanted him to keep going, to explore further down your body. But he stopped, teasing the flesh just beneath it. You squeezed your thighs together, wanting, needing any kind of friction. You grabbed his forearm, your eyes pleading with him not to tease you. He got the message.

“Okay, baby. Lie back,” you did as you were told, you rolled onto your back, his hand still tucked in your waistband. Your legs automatically spread apart. His hands began to slide further down until he felt the wetness on your lips. You gasped as his fingers touch your clit. His fingers begin to circle the swollen bud, slowly. You moaned and lifted your hips, pushing yourself further into his hand.

The moment he slid his finger inside of you, your body reacted to his touch. The walls of your tightness began to clench around him, as if inviting him in further. His fingers moved slowly in and out, teasing you in a way that made you crave his touch even more. He curled his finger inside you, moving it slowly in and out. He slipped another finger inside you, curling them together. You cried out, bucking your hips into his hand again. His fingers began to move faster, sliding in and out of you with perfect precision.

You whined as he removed his fingers, you turned to say something to him, but he pushed himself off the mattress and climbed between your legs. He gripped your shorts with both hands, “Now these are just in the way,” he said, before he slid them off your legs and threw them God knows where. Without giving you time to apprehend what was happening, his tongue replaced his fingers. His tongue worked its magic, bringing sensations of pleasure to every corner of you. He licked and sucked and nibbled until you felt yourself trembling from sheer pleasure. His tongue suddenly felt thicker, almost licking inside of your curves, pushing, teasing and seeking out the secret places.

Your body shook with pleasure as you let out a loud, guttural moan. Everything felt so good as his tongue, fingers, and mouth moved in sync. His soft lips sucking and licking your most sensitive areas. You felt so close, and then he slid two fingers back inside of you, curling them in just the right way, sending a million different sensations coursing through your body. Your hips began to thrust harder and faster against his face as he picked up the pace and you felt yourself nearing your climax. Your breathing becoming more and more ragged, and you could feel your walls tightening around his fingers pushing you closer and closer to the edge. You griped his hair tightly as you came and your body shuddered in pleasure, your orgasm crashing over you with a total force unlike anything you had ever experienced before.

He removed his fingers from you your juices flowing down them and brought them to his lips, his tongue darted out to taste you on his fingertips, “Hmm, delicious baby,” you moaned at the sight. He chucked and leant down, his face hovered above yours. He placed a gentle kiss on your lips. You could taste yourself on his lips and it only turned you on even more, “you feeling better baby?” he asked. You shook your head, “No? Does baby need more?” he asked, his thumb grazed your bottom lip, you took it into your mouth as you nodded.

“Please fuck me,” you begged. He did not need to be told twice. He stood up from the bed and began to strip. You didn’t tear your eyes away, instead you watched intently as more skin was revealed. You didn’t realise you were biting your lip until the taste of metal hit your tongue.

He was now completely naked, his cock standing proudly erect. He climbed back onto the bed and in between her legs. He rubbed his cock along your pussy lips, teasing you. You whimpered and tried to push yourself towards him, but he held you still.

“Please,” you pleaded. He ignored you and continued to move his cock up and down your slit, coating himself in your juices. He looked down at you, watching you writhe beneath him.

He placed the tip of his cock against your entrance. You opened your mouth to plead again but he silenced you, placing his hand over your mouth. He pushed his cock into you, inch by inch. You screamed into his palm as he stretched you. He paused when he was halfway in, letting you adjust to his size. When you stopped screaming, he thrusted his entire length into you.

You cried out, your nails digging into his shoulder. He pulled his cock almost all the way out before slamming it back into you. You threw your head back, a symphony of moans falling from your lips. Alden buried his head in your neck, wanting to be even closer to you.

“Fuck, daddy. Feels so good,” you moaned, your brain was mush and you couldn’t think straight. Alden immediately stopped his movements. You swore you felt all color drain from your face, ��I’m so-“

“What did you just call me?” he asked. You wanted to crawl under a rock and die. Why did you say that? Was he completely grossed out? Your thoughts are cut off when you feel him bite your collarbone, “Say it again, baby,”

“Feels so good, daddy,” you giggled, he groaned and lifted his head from your neck. He sat up, his cock leaving you for a moment, you whine at the sudden emptiness.

“Turn over,” he ordered, you did as you were told. You flipped onto your stomach with your ass in the air, your pussy ready and dripping for him.

He smiled, sliding his cock into you. He grabbed your hips, his fingertips digging into the flesh. He slammed himself into you, the sudden intrusion made you lurch forward, your face hitting the pillow below you. He moved faster, each thrust deeper, harder, quicker. You felt your whole body shudder uncontrollably as he drove into you again and again. You curled your toes and cried out, your screams muffled by the pillow.

“Fuck, daddy. So close,”

“I know you are, baby,” he said as he pounded you harder, his balls slapping against your slit, increasing the pleasure. He felt you were about to cum, he was right there with you, “Cum for me, baby,”

And you did, it hit you like a brick wall. With one last thrust a string of curses along with your name fell from his lips as he exploded, spilling his seed inside you. He fell to the bed next to you, pulling you tightly into his chest.

“Thank you,” you whispered, your eyes heavy as sleep called to you. You curled yourself onto his chest, his arms protectively around you.

He kissed your forehead, “When this is over baby, I’m taking you to dinner,”

You fell asleep with a smile on your face. This undercover op wasn’t that bad after all. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll let Nick live.

[levi-libido]

Escaping Karma

{ A post-rumbling Levi Fanfic concept }

Read time: 25-30mins

Captain Levi, Commander Armin, Mikasa, Jean, and Connie meet Lieutenant Karma and her special ops soldiers; Torrent, Echo, Atlas, and Pyre, who’s already waiting for them atop a high cliff overlooking the Great Forest of the Republic of Eldis. The scene is calm and tranquil, with a soft breeze quietly rustling through the trees. Both members of this new formed alliance approach each other, an air of anticipation permeating the gathering.

"You guys made it!!" Pyre exclaims excitedly, his short spiked orange hair moves with his energy. "Who's gonna be on your team?"

"Teams?" Mikasa responds, puzzled.

He nods, "Yeah! We said our Red Team will be me, Atlas, and Torrent. So now you guys gotta choose your three!"

Jean interjects skeptically, "Wait, so we’re playing some kind of sport here?" Him and Connie exchange suspicious glances. Captain Levi remains silent, leaning against a tree, his gaze intently fixed on Lt Karma.

Echo chimes in, "Well, I'm not playing tonight so I’ll just explain the rules and look pretty doing the countdown." She flips her golden, blonde hair and sashays to the cliff's edge, pointing out, "Now listen up. Each team will jump from here and race through the forest." Her voice echoes slightly as she slowly traces her finger through the night air. "The first to grab their team’s flag from those trees," she points to the small, red and blue triangle silhouettes in the distance, "… wins the game."

"Jump... from here?" Connie asks cautiously, peering down at the darkness below. "Down to that forest?"

Levi’s eyes remain locked on Karma as she subtly begins walking towards the back of both groups.

"Duh. Why do you think we told you to bring your ODM gear!?" Pyre grinned, revealing faint dimples.

Despite the reassurance, Connie’s anxiety only heightens. These soldiers appear utterly unfazed. Jean wraps an arm around Connie’s shoulder for comfort, "Well, we got two Ackermans over here, so obviously they should make up our team…" He then pulls Connie next to Mikasa and Levi. "… And you too, bro! You’re definitely the fastest of us all." he adds encouragingly. Connie begins to smile, slightly blushing as he rubs the back of his neck.

"No," Levi says bluntly from his corner. Both Connie and Jean turn to look at him, surprised by his response. "You serious, Captain?!”. Levi’s gaze shifts away, uninterested in elaborating. They began to form a huddle, leaving space for their Captain, who stares at them, confused and unmoving. "We never do this," he remarks, rolling his eyes with his arms crossed.

After a few moments, he sighs, finally giving in and reluctantly joining them. Commander Armin speaks up, with a determined look in his eye, "Hold on, Captain! I think this would actually be a smart strategy. It’s kind of a way to show how strong we are and everything we will contribute to this new alliance. Plus you guys can see what they can do from close range." Jean and Connie nod in agreement. "YEAH!"

The huddle now looks at him with pleading eyes. It’s clear he would rather not participate in the game, but since his team begged him to, he has no choice. Mikasa smiles slightly, being a team player as she joins Connie and Levi in gearing up. They notice this new gear, a gift from the Republic, is much easier. It allows the user to snap the chest and leg buckles together much faster with one click.

Levi’s expression remains stoic as he adjusts his gear, still sneaking glances at Karma, standing by herself, observing them all silently from the distance. She’s too quiet… He joins Mikasa and Connie to wait for the countdown.

Echo repeats the teams as she points for them to line up side by side, standing between them. "Okay, so now we officially have Team Red: Atlas, Torrent, and Pyre," she announces, then turns to face the other. "And Team Blue: Captain Levi, Mikasa, and Connie."

They all line up on their respective sides a few feet behind her as she calls out the names of each team. Levi stands in the center of their team, his gaze forward. Connie stands to one side of him, and Mikasa on the other, all geared up and ready.

"Oh yeah! There’s one teeny, tiny, thing I forgot to mention... DO NOT let Lt catch you... or you’re OUT!" Echo spins forward and raises her black and white flag in the air above her. Atlas and Pyre quietly laugh mischievously. Mikasa and Connie both look at Levi, confused. Something’s not right here…

The mention of Lieutenant Karma quickly grabs the attention of the Blue Team. Levi specifically notices the Red team’s unspoken cues as they look back at her, who is stretching a few meters away without any gear, smirking at him. The moment he sees her smile, his brows furrow as his interest deepens. She’s clearly enjoying his attention.

Connie finally speaks up, pointing back, “Wait, guys she’s not wearing any-”

"GOOOOO!!!" At her signal, the Red Team, already primed for action, bolts with exaggerated terror. Echo's voice isn't just loud—it's unnaturally piercing. The Blue Team all wince at her sound, using their hands to protect the eardrums.

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!" Pyre yells, laughing as he takes off and disappears off the cliff with Atlas and Torrent beside him. Levi, Mikasa, and Connie, are momentarily stunned by the ringing in their ears. Damn. They all shake their heads to quickly recover. Spurred by the sudden rush, they too utilize the running start and launch off the cliff after the Red Team with the ODM gear whirring through the night air, down, down into the abyss of the forest.

Armin and Jean watch from above with excitement and concern, covering their numb ears still feeling the effects of Echo’s signal. They peer down observing both teams get swallowed up into the night.

After giving them a brief head start, Lieutenant Karma runs and jumps off the cliff with a graceful flip and speed, her long, silver hair flowing behind her. Levi turns back to watch her dive until something snatches her into the darkness of the trees above him. Huh?

Caught off guard after losing sight of her, Levi now faces the unexpected scene unfolding in front of him. The forest ahead turns into a sporadic blur as they watch the Red Team descend into mania.

Pyre, the youngest and most exuberant of the Red Team, is the first to reveal his secret. Retracting both steel wires, he releases the triggers, balls his hands into steaming fists, and bursts ahead with his lower body lighting up into a bright, sudden flare, “Woooooohooooo!!” He leaves a trail of sparks and embers, startling Connie, who yelps in surprise, "What the—!" Levi and Mikasa are too stunned to speak as they try to focus on dodging more trees.

"DID THAT KID JUST SHOOT FIRE OUT OF HIS ARMS, MIKASA?!" Connie points ahead at the zooming fireball as he trails behind them.

The mute soldier Atlas, at least quiet until now, slams into the forest floor and proceeds by foot. Using his massive arms and shoulders, as if powered by monstrous strength, Atlas barrels through the denser parts of the forest like a rampaging train. Creeek-BOOM! Creeek-BOOM! He forcefully knocks aside large trees, grunting with the effort. The trunks crack and topple with booming crashes, each one clears his path further, allowing him to gain even more momentum.

Their attention then turns to Torrent, whose wires shoot him above the treetops and into the sky. With a disturbing contortion, his arms grotesquely elongate and morph into giant, feathered limbs. The transformation allows him to soar and dive through the air with predatory ferocity, cutting through the wind as he gains rapid speed, flying ahead of the others.

The chaos unfolds, and the Blue Team is dumbfounded. Flying tree branches and swirling leaves from the destruction create new obstacles, pelting them from ahead. "AGH-WHAT THE HELL?! THESE GUYS ARE FREAKS, MAN!!" Connie begins to slow down as it becomes more difficult to dodge the aftermath.

“CAPTAIN, ARE YOU SEEING THIS?!" Connie shouts, searching for Levi’s reaction. "I have eyes, Connie!" Levi yells over the loud rampage, his tone sounds more annoyed than anything.

Creeeek-BOOM!

As his team slows, gawking at the Red Team, he swoops past them to grab their attention. "Keep moving!" Captain Levi orders. His voice is sharp and authoritative, but there's a hint of nervousness hidden underneath the surface.

"But- But-" Connie studders.

Mikasa picks up the pace, "Come on, Connie!" The moment of urgency is enough to jolt Connie out of his daze, and they quickly follow Levi’s lead straight into the mayhem.

Realizing he was distracted, Levi looks up just in time to see Lieutenant Karma soar right past them. In a moment that seems to unfold in slow motion, she swings close to him…their eyes locking in a fleeting, intense gaze…before she accelerates again, hurtling towards the Red Team.

As they near the flags, Karma's full capabilities are revealed. It’s her hair. It’s behaving like a living entity, shooting out and extending, much like ODM gear, but with a life of its own. It twists and swings her body through the trees with astonishing precision and fluidity. Her movements are seamless, her body moving with unnatural grace and speed.

“Look at her…” Mikasa whispers to herself, her expression a mix of awe and fear as she sees how effectively Karma moves through the trees. Levi remains silent as he observes her in action, his mouth slightly parted, studying the movement of her hair as she approaches the Red Team members, determined to take them down. His composed demeanor has now completely vanished; his body tenses up.

"HOW THE HELL IS SHE DOING THAT?!" Connie yells from behind, his voice laced with shock and disbelief.

"I don't think they're going to hurt us! It's still a game, remember!" Mikasa replies, trying to calm her team amidst the confusion.

Levi blinks at the sound of her voice, his gaze now focused on his team. He looks back at her and nods, acknowledging her point. Connie, still struggling to keep up, watches Karma in shock, unable to hide his astonishment.

"They don't seem like a threat for now, so just focus on the objective!" Captain Levi’s tone now commands with unwavering confidence and his eyes narrow, "Get that flag!"

The Blue Team presses on, trying to overtake the now faltering Red Team. "HEY, COME ON! NO FAIR, LT!" Pyre protests as he attempts to steer away from her, realizing that he is her first target. His fiery arms suddenly sizzle out when her hair whips around him, binding them tightly behind his back. With precise and swift motion, she swings him into a bush, where he lands with a loud crash. Without missing a beat, she swings down to the ground to tap him into elimination. Once she detaches from him, she propels herself back into the trees. He’s out.

A section of her hair whips above the treetops, swiftly grabbing Torrent by his ankle and yanking him down. His back slams against a tree trunk with a bone-jarring thud. Karma doesn't hesitate; she quickly wraps layers of her hair around the tree and his entire body, immobilizing him from his shoulders down. Torrent grunts from the impact, completely captured by the constricting strands. Karma swings up to the tree with grace and taps his exposed shoulder. He’s out.

Creeeek-BOOM!!

Down below, Atlas still bombards through the forest trees. Karma's two high ponytails extend like additional limbs, wrapping around her forearms to enhance her strength. She uses this amplified power to get a grip on his legs and abdomen tightly. She clenches her teeth as she pulls him back with immense force, struggling to slow him down. Determined, she shoots out additional strands of hair to tangle between his legs, finally exploiting the moment to trip him. Caught off guard, Atlas stumbles and crashes to the ground with a thunderous impact. Breathing heavy from the effort, Karma swings by and taps his back. He’s out.

They watch in disbelief and amazement as she takes down each member of the Red Team, each eliminated one after the other. As soon as the last Red Team member is out, she flips upside down in midair, facing the Blue Team, who are now approaching the flags. Her expression is smirking, radiating arrogance. She’s already won, embodying the confidence of someone who knew the outcome from the start.

"Holy shit, holy shittt! WE'RE NEXT!" Connie yells, watching as she swings towards him at high speed. Despite his panic, he manages to evade her initial attack by ducking behind a tree. However, another whip of her hair quickly encircles him from behind, creating a barrier he can't escape. She taps him and moves on.

Mikasa gasps at the loss of Connie. She and Captain Levi are the last standing from the Blue Team. He looks at her when she reaches beside him. They exchange a brief, unspoken nod and accelerate, moving with perfect synchronization. They’ve survived way worse. The Ackermans put up their strongest fight yet, utilizing their gear and gas to the fullest. They manage to dodge and weave through her attempts giving her some competition.

Karma smiles at the challenge, her eyes sparking with excitement. Despite the threat from her hair, she fails to capture them. She constantly swipes through the air, just inches from their agile forms. Hm, they’re good.

As they approach the blue flag, Levi feels a sneaky, sliver of hair slowly coil around the ankle of his boot while he glides through the air. He’s caught. His momentum slows down as the grip tightens, causing him to tumble onto the forrest ground, kicking up a cloud of dirt. He coughs from the dust, and looks ahead to see Mikasa get tugged back by the straps of her harness. She’s swiftly dragged upwards and left hanging from a tree.

"MIKASA!" Levi shouts, extending his arms instinctively in a split-second reaction. "JUMP!" He reaches out both hands, forming a platform.

Without hesitation, Mikasa unclicks her gear by the chest and legs, falling to the ground before Karma can reach her. She sprints towards him, her movements become a blur. With a fluid motion, she leaps off the palms of Levi's outstretched hands as he shoots her into the air. Both her hands are outstretched above her, reaching desperately towards the glistening blue flag.

Levi watches the scene in slow motion. Mikasa's outstretched hands are just inches away from victory. Suddenly, he feels a small tap on his shoulder— he’s out. A mighty gust of wind rushes past him as Karma soars towards Mikasa. With a quick whip, her hair wraps around Mikasa’s outstretched wrists and yanks her backward, pinning her to a tree. With one single swoop, she taps her, swings up to grab the flags, and flips up onto the tree, holding both of them triumphantly above her head.

Levi's jaw is still parted as he watches Karma relish her victory from above. He hears the sound of someone landing behind him—it's Armin and Jean. The looks on their faces show they are just as stunned as he is. "You good, Captain?" Jean asks, his concern evident as his eyes dart between Levi and Lt Karma. “We tailed you guys the whole time. We saw everything…”

Armin kneels down and examines the material wrapped around Levi's boot. The thick, layered, silver hair strands seem more transparent up close. He taps on it with his knuckles. Clink-clink. "This definitely isn't human hair..." his voice trails off, hinting at a deeper realization. Levi looked down to see the hardened, crystal-like material attached to his boot.

Suddenly, the "hair" around Levi's ankle began to dissipate, evaporating into the air in a mist of smoky steam. Jean reached down, helping him to his feet. "I knew it," Levi murmured, his gaze dropping to the ground with frustration. Armin watched, his throat tightening as he saw the anger building up in Captain Levi.

The three of them began to make their way towards the base of the tree where Karma was still perched. All Red Team members stood there, defeated. Echo was with them as well. Mikasa and Connie were also waiting, but they kept their distance from the Red Team. They’re obviously wary after witnessing everything that just happened during the race.

Levi, Jean, and Armin approached them, their expressions mixed with concern. The air was tense. "Are you hurt?" He immediately questions them. They both shook their heads, surprised that no one was injured. Connie dusts the dirt off his pants and mutters, “A little dirty but..”

As Lieutenant Karma finally jumps to the ground, Captain Levi wastes no time. He flew towards her in a blur, slamming her into the tree by the throat forcefully. The flags tumble into the dirt.

"Hey!" Pyre feels himself heating up as makes two fists, he begins to step towards them, the rest of her unit quick to move as well. Lt Karma raises one hand to calm her soldiers before they can intervene. With her other hand, she grips Levi's wrist, still pressed against her throat. She gazes down at him unflinching, with her back pinned in the air, shoved against the tree trunk.

"What do you think this is, huh? Some kind of sick joke?" Levi demands, the edge in his voice cutting through the night air. His voice is deep, filled with a fury that makes his voice nearly unrecognizable.

The sudden reactions from her freak of nature soldiers only fuels the frustration behind his anger, unafraid of whatever they might do to him. He’ll kill them all if necessary. Meanwhile, their leader’s demeanor despite the intense situation is unexpected, her confidence almost intimidating in a way, even as she reaches her second hand to secure her grip around his wrist.

The silence is deafening. Nobody moves. Connie and Jean’s eyes widen. Mikasa and Armin aren’t surprised by the Captain’s reaction. Armin steps forward to defend him, "Steam from the skin… hardening material that resembles hair… the animal transformation, superhuman strength... What's going on here??" he asks aloud, finally vocalizing the pieces he's been putting together. Although he was a bystander, he carefully observed everything that went down during the race.

"Are you Titans?" Levi finally says aloud, clarifying Armin’s suspicions, "Is that what this is? Should we eliminate you right now? Talk!" He demands, pressing deeper into Karma's throat, his expression blazing with a mix of anger and desperation.

“Titans…” Mikasa's voice trails off. Her mind flooded with thoughts of Eren, her fallen lover and the one who was responsible for wiping out the majority of humanity. In the end, he was able to get rid of the titans completely, ultimately saving Paradis and preventing war.

Karma coughs slightly but remains eerily calm. Both her hands still grasp Levi's arm. Her eye contact doesn’t move—unafraid yet understanding. The tension is heavy; even the night seems to hold its breath. She’s not fighting back.

"NO!! Let her explain, damn it!" Pyre shouts, his youthful voice cracking under the strain. "You don’t understand, none of you do! We’re not what you think!"

Pyre's sudden outburst causes everyone to shift their attention over to him.

Levi’s gaze flickers between Karma’s calm expression and Pyre's desperate one. His grip loosens, but he doesn't step back. "I said, explain.”

Her unfazed composure remains. However, he doesn't budge either, upholding his grip and awaiting her response.

"No… We are not Titans. Not in the way you think anyways.” she began, her voice slightly struggles. “What you saw tonight... We were made this way. Experimented on, to be weapons—And not by our choice..." She pauses as her eyes darken with a mix of pain and resolve. “Our DNA was altered into a hybrid mutation using Titan genes. That way, we could possess their powerful abilities but we're still human, and still in control…” she looks up at the soldiers from Paradis. “We're not monsters.” The look in her eyes only validates the truth of her explanation.

With hesitation, Levi releases her completely, stepping back to process the information. His expression is unreadable, but the anger has subsided. His guard remains while his gaze falls to the forest floor. "Experiments," he repeats slowly, trying to make sense of it all.

Karma's boots catches herself on the ground, steadying as she leans back against the tree after she’s dropped. She clears her throat and takes a deep breath, her voice regaining strength. “Yes, experiments," she confirms. She tugs down at her pleated skirt and rubs her neck where Levi’s grip had been. Her soldiers rush over to her side, making sure she’s okay.

“After enlisting in the military special ops, we were chosen for our skills, ‘cause we were the strongest of our units.” Karma’s voice gains a more serious tone. “But none of us knew the full extent of what we were signing up for.” She’s not afraid of revealing the details of the past or the experiments done on her and her comrades. They’re our allies now, they deserve to know.

Armin, ever the peacemaker, steps forward and gently places a hand on Levi’s shoulder, his presence calming. "Let's hear them out, Captain. There's more at stake here."

As the soldiers from the Republic of Eldis spoke, the soldiers from Paradis listened. They built a campfire and sat around it, allowing them to speak their truth.

Mikasa speaks up now, showing more concern and sorrow in her tone. “So... so you’re telling me that everything Eren did… that he died, for nothing? Why eliminate Titans from existence if people were just going to recreate weaponized, human versions of them anyway??” Her eyes were stuck on the flickering light from fire, searching for answers.

Karma attracts Mikasa’s gaze from across the fire, her expression softening. "Eren Jaeger gave us a path to follow, a purpose beyond being mere weapons," she says, her voice firm yet gentle. “When the Rumbling reached the Republic of Eldis, we saved lives—many lives because of our abilities. That day, we found meaning in our existence. We aren’t just mutants; we are still soldiers, here to protect people.”

Connie, sitting beside Mikasa, adds with his usual directness, "Yeah? Well what about creating more like you? Isn’t that something we need to worry about?" His question voices a concern that hangs heavy over the group.

“We were the only ones who survived the experiments,” Torrent cuts in, shaking his head. His voice was filled with thoughts of the traumatic past.

The flames cast a warm glow on their faces against the cool night. Echo adds on, "That’s because some kids couldn’t handle the trauma from the experiments and killed themselves.” She gently laid her hand on Atlas sitting beside her. “That’s when Atlas stopped talking… after the first trial when we had to be the single survivor in our different basic training squadrons..” Atlas lowered his eyes and looked away from the fire reliving the painful memories. “Even after some made it all the way to the medical trial for DNA merging. A lot of them couldn’t handle it…” her voice trailed off.

"What exactly do you guys mean by 'DNA merging'?”Armin questioned, seeking more specifics about the experiments.

“And how the hell did you guys even get the Titan DNA in the first place??” Jean added, looking around at the group. None of this makes sense.

Torrent nods, ready to explain. "Nobody knows how the Republic retrieved the DNA samples. But what we do know is how the doctors performed countless failed trials on recruited young soldiers until the DNA merging process was finally perfected. Eventually, they discovered five soldiers whose bodies could actually withstand these hybrid mutations." He paused and instinctively reached behind to touch the nape of his neck. "During these intense procedures, our spinal fluid was injected with extracted Titan genes. They discovered they can harness the powers without losing our humanity." He’s clearly the brains of their squad, similar to Armin.

He cleared his throat and stood up on his feet. "I received the Beast Titan's DNA, so I can morph my body parts into those of any animal I can think of, as long as I understand their anatomical structure well enough to transform accurately," He looks down at his hands as he tries to speak confidently.

Levi’s eyebrows furrow with disgust.

Torrent’s gaze falls upon Atlas and he speaks up for him. “Atlas here, was injected with the Armored Titan’s DNA.” He slowly stood up at the sound of his name, “With his strong, muscular build and super strength, he’s the most powerful of us all. He can even harden specific parts of his skin too.” Atlas nods quietly, confirming the truth in his comrade’s words.

Pyre shoots up to his feet pointing to his chest, “And iiii was the only soldier who could handle the heat from the Colossal Titan!” He pumps his fists in the air, sparring with an imaginary foe. “I can pretty much destroy all enemies with my fire. Pretty badass huh?” He flashes his charming grin, his dimples more obvious from the firelight glow. He’s trying to lighten the mood.

Echo stands up, brushing the dirt off her skirt. "By the way, I never apologized for kinda damaging your eardrums earlier, but I promise I tried to tone it down," she explains with a sheepish laugh. "They gave me the Female Titan's DNA, so the supersonic frequency of my scream is a bit.. overwhelming for the average human ear. Sorry about that." She shrugs, twirling a golden strand of her hair around her finger.

Lieutenant Karma is the last to stand. “I’m sure you all have made your assumptions by now, but just to be clear; my hair is made of the same material as the War Hammer Titan.” She grabs one of the ends of her silver ponytails and observes it in her hands. “I can use it for offense and defense, so to me, carrying weapons are unnecessary.”

Levi watches her closely. He could feel his expression soften as she casually explained her strength. She’s being more humble than she should be. Based on her performance in the race, he understands why her comrades hold her in such high regard—her skills speak for themselves. She crosses her arms as her and her unit gaze down upon the others still sitting around the fire.

“We soldiers chose not to end our lives because we believed we could still do good.” Karma added looking directly at Levi, her eyes steady. "That’s why we fight everyday. Not just to live, but to make sure our lives mean something. All we ask is for you to put your faith in us."

As the fire crackles, the group settles into an uneasy but necessary truce.

Mikasa stares into the flames, reflecting on Lt Karma's words, finding a bitter echo of Eren’s own struggles and beliefs in them. Jean and Connie exchange looks, their attitudes softened into a deep silence.

Commander Armin stands, and his crew do the same, “I’m sorry..” Everyone’s attention falls on him as he interrupts the silence. “I’m sorry you guys had to go through that… But this is definitely important intel. I get why, strategically, your General wouldn’t want to reveal this info to our alliance right away, but still…”

Torrent responds. “General Varrick has his reasons. But let’s be honest, I doubt your leadership would’ve even considered an alliance with the Republic if they knew about the ‘monstrous titan hybrid mutant soldiers’.” He waved his hands around as he emphasized this mocking title. He has a good point.

The campfire starts to die down, casting long shadows across the forest floor. Lt Karma speaks, although she’s shorter than the others, her commanding presence is undeniable, even in the dim light. "Atlas, Pyre, lead our guests to their barracks. It’s late." she says, her voice carrying the weight of authority. They nod firmly. “Yes Lieutenant.” Pyre responds respectfully.

“Follow me guys!” he urges the group. He and Atlas lead the way as the others begin to follow them. The mood shifts as Armin, Mikasa, Jean, and Connie all are slightly amused while listening to Pyre blabber on about how great the guest barracks are. However, they can’t help but be lost in their thoughts about everything they just learned. Echo and Torrent walk beside them, blending into the group.

Despite everything, the sense of unity has begun to form. They’re all one unit now.

Captain Levi slows his pace, taking in the sight of Lieutenant Karma ahead of him. Her flowing, silver hair reflects the moonlight shining down on her, giving it an ethereal glow. He looks away. Despite his usual guarded attitude, he struggles internally to show his remorse for the confrontation that happened earlier. He’s not the type to show vulnerability at all.

Sensing his hesitation behind the group, Karma slows down for him to catch up. She suddenly turns to face him, and steps closer, effectively invading his personal space. Her proximity is unexpected, and she looks up at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Her eye contact is unwavering and intentional.

"Next time you want to put your hands on me Captain... ask first," she teases, her tone light but pointed. "Maybe you won’t get rejected.” Her eyes slowly roam over him up and down, leaning in, causing him to feel a bit flustered. Taken aback by her boldness and humor, he could feel his face getting warm.

For a moment, he's at a loss for words, his usual quick responses dulled from being caught off guard. He looks to the side away from her. He replies with a hint of his usual snark and pride, "I regret nothing."

With a smirk, she spins, and confidently strides away leaving a lingering effect on Levi as he remains standing alone in the cool night air behind the group. Her smile and her teasing words still swirling in his head. Next time you want to put your hands on me Captain…

He blinks, and proceeds to catch up with them. With few people being able to truly unsettle him, he can't help but feel a slight fascination as he thinks back on what just happened, the hint of unexpected flirtation.

[lerya-fanfic]

OP x Reader Exchange

Hi, @worldsgreatestswordsmanswife I did the pinch hit for your piece (sorry it’s so late) for the @onepiece-reader-exchange 

I really hope you like it :D 

“You know that getting hurt like this isn’t going to help him in the end, you know.”

Bartolomeo looks up at you, his eyes twinkling, despite the wounds he was sporting, “But I made a difference for Luffy-senpai.”

You roll your eyes, knowing that no matter what you say right now it’s never going to be enough to convince Barto of something else. You knew that when you started this, when you asked him to join his crew and travel the world with all of them.

“I know that, but it was just for a festival, there was no need for you to go all out like this.”

Grinning widely as he settled his hands on your hips, Barto pulled you closer, “Ah, but Y/N, Luffy-senpai even thanked me at the end of it all. It was the best day ever!”

You roll your eyes, “Even better than when you met me?”

This had him denying that, trying to come back on his words as you stood there and looked on as he only managed to say the wrong things.

“Relax, I’m just teasing you.”

The huff you get just makes you giggle, you love that Barto is so easily riled up. But then again, he does love with all his heart. You hadn’t cared for Mugiwara no Luffy in any way before then, but Barto made you warm up to the man who was going to be the Pirate King. He was admirable so that was something, and never said no to a party or a festival.

“I still don’t think you should have gone all out like that, love.”

Barto’s eyes started to sparkle in the way they always did when you called him a pet name, it was adorable that a man like this. Someone known as a fierce pirate could be this sweet at times too. 

“Now, sit still while I take care of these wounds.”

When he tries to argue, you stare at him, “No matter what, there is no need for you to walk around wounded. Let me take care of them and we can go back to enjoying the festival.”

It’s like it takes you saying that before he noticed the yukata you’re wearing. The green and red complimented Barto’s hair and normal choice of clothing. Done so especially as you knew the man wasn’t about to wear something else.

“You’re wearing that?”

Tilting up an eyebrow, you brush some antiseptic over a wound on his brow before you nod, “I am.”

The way he swallows as his eyes roam over you is enough to tell you that he is really liking this. Grinning softly, you like the way this makes you feel. He always makes you feel like you’re special, like you’re the only one in the world. But when you take care to dress up it comes to the forefront even more, his eyes trailing over you almost as if not wanting to miss any detail or any second of the time spent together.

“There, that should do it.”

Taking away the cotton ball with the antiseptic on it, you’re happy that you covered all the wounds. Putting a bandage on some of them that appeared to be even deeper than you expected. 

He was on his feet and grasping your hand in his, “Y/N, let’s go and enjoy the festival!”

Laughing, you let him pull you along. You had been looking forward to this too, a festival especially one like this was always so much fun to experience. On the winning side as they were, there were chances that they would get some amazing moments without needing to spend too much money. Barto, for all that he was true to his cause, didn’t have the smartest crew, or the most money-minded either.

Shaking your head to get those thoughts out of your head, you allow yourself to enjoy the moment. To have this, to enjoy the evening.

The evening had been great, Barto had seemed as excited as a child to walk over the festival area looking over the stands with you and ooh’ing and aah’ing at the appropriate times when you pointed something out. 

It was a pleasurable evening, to say the least, almost as if you were the only ones in the world. It was nice, and made you enjoy the moments even more.

A hesitant arm wrapping around your waist had you leaning into his side, grinning as his form dwarfed yours, “This is nice.”

His beaming smile let butterflies go wild in your stomach, “I’m glad you like it, Y/N, I didn’t know you would want to go with me.”

Blinking at that, you stop walking to turn him towards you, “Why wouldn’t I?”

He shrugged, “Dunno, there are other people out there I’m sure that would have loved to take you.”

The way his eyes narrow makes it clear that he thinks about Cavendish, even if you told him time and time again that you didn’t want anything to do with the blond ponce, it seemed that this was one part that Barto couldn’t shake so easily.

Sighing, you take a hold of his hands, “Barto, I crossed a sea to find you, to tell you that I wanted to sail with you. Why do you think I would give that all up for some ponce that I don’t care about.”

He shrugged again, making you huff, pulling yourself up to your full height and even taller by going on your tip-toes. Planting your hands on his shoulders before you’re making him look at you as you press your lips together.

Pulling back, you grin, “There is no one else I would want to do that, but you, Barto.”

It seems he needs a moment to process that, but when he does, you yelp as he grasps your waist to pull you close, pressing your lips together once more. Making you sigh into the kiss before you rest your head on his chest when you separate.

“Believe me now?”

He nods, his arms possessive laying on your waist again as you walk through the rest of the festival. Giddy by the way he takes you along and makes you feel so very safe and wanted. It’s more than you could ever ask for.

[chibivesicle]

Trigun Stampede - Episode 11 - July not go boom just yet

Another Saturday is upon us and episode 11 of Trigun Stampede dropped this morning.  I may have procrastinated a bit on watching it since I’d been binging Psycho-Pass season 1 and was more interested in how that show was gonna end before watching another episode of Stampede (Thanks Merdo for that suggestion).  It definitely reminded me that a lot of series have issues with world building, but I was more critical of Psycho-Pass not having the discussion of Hobbes or Locke among their philosophical debates than some late world building that would have been stronger if they’d not kept so many clues subtle but that would be a whole ‘nother meta and I’m not looking to add Psycho-Pass to my current backlog. I have two asks I’m still sitting on, I’ve decided I’ll write them after Stampede wraps so if you’d be patient to wait a few more weeks, I’d greatly appreciate that. Episode 11 doesn’t have a cold open and instead starts with the OP.  Our action returns to Meryl and her Derringer with a whopping two bullets to fire.   She is quickly able to find Wolfwood strolling through the hall and she called out to him addressing him as just ‘undertaker’.  She asks him where Vash is.

Of course, having completed his likely useless contract, he replies that isn’t his business anymore.  Their interaction is one of her trying to get an answer from him and he just avoids it by joking around.  Meryl kicks him in the shin and we get an oddly placed comedic moment from him before they go their separate ways.  Well, this was not what I had wanted to see happen.  Meryl knows she has little fighting power and she needed to recruit Wolfwood to come with her. The only remaining option is that she will have guilted him enough that he’ll feel like he has to come back and help.  Wolfwood looks at his empty pack of smokes and the action turns to Vash in the giant vat/tank.

Vash tries to struggle as Knives gracefully swims before him.  He uses his knives to hold Vash into place and complete a sort of connection with him.  We can see lots of blue plants in the tank as well in their closed form.  Conrad watches from a control room as he’s monitoring the progress of the connection between the two brothers.

At this point, the mechanics of what is happening are pretty far off of the manga if someone is looking for this to be cannon compliant.  In the manga, Knives had realized he could fuse with other plants and he at one point in time did attempt to fuse with Vash but failed since Vash wasn’t too keen on that option.

One of the key points of Knives plan to fuse with the other plants was to continue to keep his identity separate from them so that he could enact his own will while the rest of the plants were unable to exercise their own choices.

It appears that Stampede is taking this in a very different direction.  Meryl is able to find the location where Conrad is.  I’m sarcastically going to note that they must have very well labeled signage.  She clearly followed the signs that said, ‘crazy science control room’ this way.  She tries to threaten Conrad but can neither shoot him nor can she shoot through the tank.  Conrad is clear to note it bulletproof, but I’m certain it likely can’t withstand Wolfwood’s upgraded laser beam potential.

We get info dumping about the plants from Conrad.  The body of the plants are only a fraction of their true form and that they are linked to another dimension.

This is very briefly mentioned in ‘98 as the beings beyond our outside of time and also discussed in the manga.   However, in this case they are really focusing on Vash’s ability to make a gate between the two locations.  Hence the previous comments about sacrificing one of the twins, likely was about Vash being able to be used as a portal.

Conrad than explains that the difference between plants and independents like Vash and Knives is that the brothers have souls while plants do not.  Honestly, based on what I read from the manga, I never interpreted that plants to be soulless more that they were contained by their basic plant nature/biology.  We saw from the plant point of view and the fact that Vash knew each and every plant personally, implied that they were individuals but trapped in their role.  That’s how Knives lost, the plants stopped supporting him and it gave Vash the chance to take him on even footing.

Anyhoo, in this version, Conrad wants to find the core of the plants so that they can have souls and become all independent.  We know that would be a problem since humanity would die on the planet without regular plants.

The rest of the episode will flip back and forth between what Meryl sees on the outside and what Vash sees on the inside of his mind while Knives tries to make sure he’s most useful to open that gate to that core.

Thus, this becomes another both flashback and conversation between Vash and Knives through Vash’s memories.  It starts with the recent flashback where Knives said he would make sure they’d free their brethren.  Yet, Vash tries to state that humans abuse plants because they crashed on the planet and it was their fault this entire situation exists.  Of course when you are villain like Knives, that’s beside the point.

Meryl argues with Conrad that plant independence is the only answer since humanity is slowly killing itself on the planet anyways.  So his plan is to use Vash’s gate to allow all the plants to come into awareness and become independent dooming the planet to death.

Wolfwood then wanders off to find Roberto’s body to take his pack of cigarettes.  He really needed a smoke.  He takes a drag off the cigarette after thanking Roberto and thinks to himself that “Gotta make a choice, huh.” meaning he’s thinking about doing something.

It may have taken him seven months in the manga, but Wolfwood was able to rescue Vash from Knives on his giant ark of havoc.  It is clear that Wolfwood is going to do something to rescue Vash since he’s mulling it over.  Since his showdown with Livio is incomplete, I guess he won’t die in the next episode either.  Unless Livio happens to pop up, but I don’t think we have time for that.

The action then returns to Vash’s mind as Knives tries to synchronize himself with him.  Vash runs into the children he was unable to save as Rosa’s voice tells him to leave this town.  This is pretty typical hero mental gaslighting.  Knives appears becoming Wolfwood and shoots Rollo/Monev the Gale who becomes geranium flowers.

Knives steps forward to tell him he’s no hero, he’s a coward who can see people die.  Only then does Vash even realize he’s in a sort of dream state since his hand is normal.  He then determines that he needs to find the exit and runs which makes sense for him.  However, no matter where he runs, Nai is able to find him and when he’s at the crash memory a young Nai tells him to just forget about Meryl and Roberto.

Meryl and Roberto become flowers as well and Vash can’t recall who they are.  Knives pushes Vash’s loss as everything begins to turn into flowers in his distorted memories.

At the same time in the real world, branches continue to grow out from Vash and start to spread outside of the tank.  Knives assures Conrad it is okay as Meryl panics.  We see Vash in a desert sandstorm struggling when he is able to catch a single red petal in his hand as child Nai declares that Vash should unleash his powers and they can remake the world. 

With that Vash is able to change the landscape to the garden of his past and Nai stands across from him.  When we return to it, Vash is now looking at Rem under a tree with flowers all around and petals in the air.  This is very much like the dreams that Vash had in the ‘98 anime when he’d have discussions with Rem.

Petals block our view of Vash looking at her in shock before he becomes a child and runs to her to embrace her.  Meanwhile,  Nai also in child form refers to her as ‘that woman’. 

The syncing is stalled at ~90% and Conrad is there to info dump and tell us that the question of whether it is a love of humanity or love for a younger brother will determine the fate of the planet.  Though, Knives form of love is quite twisted from the start.

There is the map for the break and then it returns to the July MPs at a noodle stand on the night shift since the Humanoid Typhoon is on the loose.  Not like they are working all that hard after the one guy shot Vash and they didn’t bother to chase them?  I think the only point of this was so that people can say that Vash is in July before we get the zoom out to see that Vash’s tree branches are growing all over the place.  The somewhat restrained neon lights of the city and again the fairly empty streets seem a bit odd.

This must be the set up for a future time skip.  The July MPs say that they are on patrol for Vash.  Therefore, when the city is destroyed the rumors will link that fact with Vash and not anyone else. This then returns to Meryl yelling at Vash to wake up while avoiding his growing roots in vain.  I give you some credit for trying but this is beyond your control Meryl.  Not quite sure how much this is serving the plot.

We return to Vash’s memory of his time with Rem and Nai as they discuss her favorite flower.  They have their typical bickering and it is clear that Rem wants to protect them and is trying to instill certain behaviors in them so that when the rest of the people wake up, they will appear to be human.  Interestingly, she already knows about Nai’s abilities while Vash is very human. This goes back to the party where Nai sulks that he doesn’t need to eat anything.

This scene allows for us to see that Rem told them that she loves them and cares about them.  Vash is able to freeze that moment and ask Knives if he did not feel that love, but instead we get a foreboding looking door for him to enter.  Which, he does have to step through.

This is going to be our Tessla flashback scene as indicated by the flower placed there by Rem.

This setup is a symptomatic of Studio Orange’s approach to Stampede.  They got it close but missed the mark - or in this case - the meaning.  This version sticks with the red germanium.  This flower was chosen by Rem because it symbolizes strength and determination.  It was how she motivated herself to become involved in Project Seeds and keep her own goals.  Vash adopted that as well into his determination to not kill.

In the manga, the flower that she leaves for Tessla is not her own favorite flower but one reflecting the loss of an innocent life.  She chose to use a [white] lily instead which is linked to rebirth and purity.  Both of these are valid to apply to Tessla, she was a pure virgin birthed being and deserved a better fate than to be a simple test subject, tortured to death.  The manga shows that there was no respect shown for Tessla when she was alive or in death besides Rem’s lily for her.

If Studio Orange weren’t so intent on making their own mark on Trigun, they would have just copied the original here, and it would have kept the original meaning. 

Yet, now by shifting the flower symbolism it does not make sense since they didn’t stop to understand the meaning.  Especially when Yasuhiro Nightow clearly uses flowers symbolically in his works.  Or the studio takes his use of flowers and then expands upon it.  Studio Bones took the red geraniums from Trigun and made sure they were in Blood Blockade Battlefront for both Klaus and Leo; two characters who are driven by determination and overcome obstacles.  They even took it further in the episode ‘Day In Day Out’ adding in additional flower symbolism for Steven that wasn’t in the original manga.  Ellen shows up to his dinner party with a bouquet of yellow lilies which are a common thank you gift and are supposed to be happy.  However, as his entire group of ‘normal’ friends were all there to betray him, the anime altered the scene where he leaves the frozen people to be dealt with in his living room.  The manga has him burying his face in his hand as he slouches forward while in the anime they chose to have him take a single yellow lily from the vase and he hands it to the nameless subordinate.

Additionally, the entire confrontation scene shows the vase full of yellow lilies from every angle demonstrating that these lilies are the negative meaning of their color - that they represent falsehood and the entire group of friends were lying to him from the start. 

But, I’ve settled on my opinion that Studio Orange doesn’t want to do their homework on things like these.  If Rem’s favorite flower is her favorite flower, well, it applies in all situations.

Like in the manga, Nai and Vash are able to hack into the database and reveal all of the information of Tessla.  In this case now, her dissected body is - still alive?  So, that is how he was able to absorb her eyeball.

The twins scream in horror as Rem comes to comfort them.  We don’t have time to show Vash’s arc where he tries to commit suicide and ends up injuring Rem severely before snapping back to it and saves her.  Instead, it switches to another conversation between young Vash and Nai where Nai is reading the Bible.  This is where they decided to get his whole sinner language in Stampede from.  In contrast in the manga, Knives formed his opinion through a study of human history and how it is stuck in a cycle of violence and not learning from our mistakes.

The flashback ends with Knives telling Vash that all of this is to protect him from humans.

This then leads to Vash stating that everything is his fault b/c this is why Knives crashed the ships.  It was all for him, his current adult form says.  And with the gaslighting complete, Vash’s mind breaks from his safe space.

The Vash tree is expanding out all over the place, Meryl is trapped under a branch or root while the city attempts to shoot it. 

Knives keeps pushing Vash as he tries to hold onto his memory of Rem.  Of course Knives is going to blame Rem for everything!  She’s the reason things didn’t work out they way the should have.  That meddling woman!

Stampede continues to make female characters weak and one dimensional and we still haven’t gotten her philosophy why you can’t take another life.  More that Vash’s mother obsession which was much more prominent in the anime and manga is finally dropped in here and of course falls flat.  Being cliche, it is Knives who cuts off Rem’s head which breaks him completely.  His memories are lost and he turns black/dark brown.

Knives rejoices in his success!  He’s finally gotten his brother back from the evil clutches of women who are decent motherly figures.  Wow.  Good job Knives.  The portal then opens behind Vash to the next dimension as dark purple flowers bloom all over Vash’s branches as the plant takes over the entire city of July.

We also see the plants open their own sepals (I mean they aren’t actually sepals but best term I can think at the moment) and they are all plugged into Vash via their belly buttons and they also look pregnant?  Did Knives just have Vash impregnate all of the plants?  Whaattt?

Or is he going to give them a soul through a sort of umbilical cord and birth out independent plants from the regular plants?

And with Knives reading of the Bible he’s referencing Armageddon for humanity and the end of the human world.  Glad to see Knives would have been a keener at Sunday School.

Knives enters the other dimension to touch its core (you dirty bastard) and the giant plant becomes a giant humanoid plant form that at the end of the episode looks like it is going to stand up and walk away to continue his destruction of humanity.  And the episode ends!

Quick thoughts on this episode

1.) The weird pacing continues and I’m not a fan of how frequently they go back and forth.  I get that they want to give us a sense of urgency but it feels like the conversations are almost too disjointed and it would be better to let them have some space.  It would have been better to have the entire sequence of Vash and Knives at most, interrupted once by what was going on between Meryl and Conrad.  If you could even call it an interaction, it was more Conrad info dumping and Meryl being distressed and unable to do anything.

2.) Breaking Vash’s mind is remarkably easy.  Compared to the anime or manga, Vash is mentally a lot stronger than the Stampede version.  Again, this is for the sake of time and not good storytelling or narrative structure.  He was like a lamb led in for the slaughter based on his behaviors so we aren’t surprised.  More that he’s been gaslight by Knives when they were together and still falls victim to it.  Knives notes how he has to be cute and pet like to survive with humans, but we have rarely seen any silly behavior from him since he’s just been a sad boi, passively falling into Knives path set out for him.  All in all it is hard to see the mental strength and tenacity in Vash at this point in time.  Certainly, Luida and Brad say it and tell it to Wolfwood but we don’t get to see him act on it.

3.) Knives has made a giant Ent from Vash opening the portal and connecting with the blue plants.  Is this thing going to walk to the next city to destroy it?  I take it the control room where Conrad and Meryl are as well as whatever hallway Wolfwood are in are still a part of the main body.  What on earth is going to happen with all those red plants?  There is only one episode left and it feels like it too will be rushed and end on a cliffhanger.

4.) Stampede checks the bare minimum of “I read the manga” boxes at the surface level but not beyond that.  Characters and names are dropped along with technology but everything is trapped in the sci fi demo mode.  I guess this episode is supposed to match the scene when Knives tries to absorb Vash into him and fails in the manga . . . but Knives seems so much more powerful.  Previous examples of times when Knives forced Vash into using his angel arm only removed his memory from that time but he didn’t lose anything else.  Now, it seems like Knives just went in and blocked all those memories.  The power imbalance was always a part of the manga with Vash settling on being a gunslinger but this is just so much more.  Vash never stood a chance in this version.

Characters:

1.) Vash is trapped and we still don’t get how he learned his moral backing from Rem yet.  He’s even black and almost frozen like the plants that Knives has as statues.

2.) Knives is very successful and is gonna go touch that core.  I’m going to guess the core bites back at him?  Or the core only wants to be touched by someone like Vash with a pure morality?

3.) Meryl was useless.  She’s trapped under a branch and could only try to cry out at Vash.  Hopefully her run in with Wolfwood will spur him to action since there is no Milly or Vash to make him more engaged.

4.) Conrad will die reaching his mad scientist goals.  Since Knives prevented him from dying as opposed to killing him.

5.) Wolfwood might be feeling conflicted.  With Knives in the other dimension, I’m not sure how he can do much of anything unless he laser cuts the giant tank and everything spills out?  I was surprised he didn’t make a move in this episode as well.

All in all this is too compressed together and no build up or delivery.  Just lots of action all the time and never enough for the story to breathe.  I don’t have much else to say, but I’m not surprised at this point.  Episode twelve has a lot to cover or cram in, but the paradoxical pacing will happen again.

[captainjacklyn]

Tired.

"Orchidia?" Jeanne looked around the office, wondering where the former seemed to be until she finally spotted her sitting on the far side of the room, Lady Orchidia had her head in her hands, her presence exceptionally silent. Though she immediately looked up at the sound of her boss' voice, ready to yell and shout every insult known to men, despite the clear traces of exhaustion plaguing her expression, she attempted to hide it all under her anger. Her rage.

Lady Orchidia scowled. Brows furrowing, irritation rising by the second before suddenly fading as quickly as it appeared.

Huh. Seems like a headache.

"Shut up, I don't wanna deal with you today..." Fair point. Jeanne could only rub the back of her neck, contemplating her choices before settling on removing her suit's jacket and walking over to the other woman's side to drape said clothing over her shoulders.

Lady Orchidia didn't respond. She just buried her head in her knees. An action so strangely out of character for someone who was created after the image of a noble woman. Jeanne would've left it at that if she didn't catch her croak out a small: "I fucking hate you..."

"Wouldn't be the first time you told me-" "Shut up." She snapped.

Message received.

The brunette dropped into the spot beside LADY ORCHIDIA! Would you stop? I know who you are, darling... Orchidia whose frown didn't soften. "Everyone has their long days..." Jeanne spoke up, trying to look at the blonde who was just rubbing her temples. "I'm just tired."

Despite her next words, She wrapped the jacket more tightly around herself. "What, you're just gonna coddle me like I'm some upset child now?" The statement earned a sigh from Jeanne who pulled Orchidia towards her side by wrapping her arm around her shoulders. "Just let me take care of you for once..."

It's the least I can do.

She let out a huff, crossing her arms. But her actions betrayed her impression as she leaned against her shoulder ever so slightly. "You work too hard." Jeanne continued, causing Orchidia to protest. "Who else will? The garden doesn't run itself, not when its own creator doesn't do shit! Fuck..." She interrupted herself before the ache could get anymore worse.

Gently.

"I know." Lady Orchidia needed rest, but she was a stubborn woman, defiance itself was all in her nature. However the lack of sleep had taken its toll, and combined with the comfort of her embrace, it was awfully hard to find the energy to argue.

...Long day...

Thought so.

It never changed anyways. Going home like this. Returning to a lover who she knew hated her for something out of her reach. One who despised her for always leaving, for having no choice, for being who she was. A part of something else. A small, fading puzzle piece in contrast to her importance within Orchidia's heart. What a cruel joke.

Too beaten by fatigue. The flares of resentment dulled significantly within Orchidia's dark grey irises, the sheer numbness of it all, she wasn't going to take anymore. Not when she could no longer carry so much. And the way she couldn't muster a single quip, her vulnerability offered a once in a lifetime occasion to wordlessly share grievances. Stuck here together.

Let's-

Just leave it.

Delicate fingers gently brushed against Jeanne's jaw, she thought nothing of it before momentarily surprising her with the full warmth of her palm tenderly cupping her face. In the moment she knew not to look her in the eye. She knew not to ruin this instance, a reminiscence of the past long gone.

Jeanne's own hand moving to hold the side of Orchidia's bearing without any exchange.

Their foreheads pressed together, breaths mixing and lips so close yet so far, with neither of them having the energy or acceptance to listen. What a farce, how long has it even been since either of them pretended to be teenagers in love? Did they ever behave in such a way? Seems like her memory was beginning to fail...

Jeanne eventually fell silent, unable to resume their conversation as she opted to hold her lover. To prolong this moment. Just for a little bit more. Please.

[prey-4-me]

Strange Preferences - Pt XI

Prey Predator x fem!reader

A choice is presented to you

Amishta - name, meaning fearless, limitless

Tenahpu - Comanche/nʉmʉ tekwapʉ  word for man

Pabi - Comanche/nʉmʉ tekwapʉ  word for elder brother

Kiande Amedha - Yautja word for xenomorphs (hard meat)

ʉ puni u - Comanche/nʉmʉ tekwapʉ for ‘he sees you’

***

You watched in abject terror as they grappled, the thing snapping at Pabi and thrashing its tail around. You snapped out of it after a moment, and looked around for your gun. Maybe you could help.

The thing’s piercing shriek shook your thoughts loose. Your head snapped to the source of the sound. Pabi had mounted it and was in the process of wrapping his powerful thighs around its neck. It was biting and screaming, tail flailing. Finally Pabi succeeded; he grabbed the thing’s head and twisted his body sharply. The thing’s neck wrenched into an unnatural position. There was a loud cracking sound. Pabi quickly disentangled himself from it as it fell to the ground in a heap.

He pounced on you. “Hurt?” His growl was urgent.

“No, no,” you stammered, shaking your head. You questioned him, “Tenahpu?”

He growled softly. “With great beassst.”

Trembling, you asked, “Where?”

He stood, pointing to the right. Nodding hurriedly, you looked again for your gun. Spotting it, you quickly lunged to grab it. Pabi growled, watching you. Trembling so badly it was hard to work the parts, you reloaded your weapon. Standing, you looked up at Pabi. “Thank you.”

He made a nonplussed grumble, but didn’t speak. Taking a big breath in, you held it for a moment. Exhaling, you tried to remember you were a fighter. You were a hunter too. You took off, nodding a final time at Pabi. He grumbled gently, worried.

You stalked forward, around a corner. Knowing Pabi was somewhat around made you feel better. But you couldn’t rely on him. You strained your ears, listening for the sounds of battle. Nothing again. You forged on, flipping through your different visions to scan for danger.

The trip down the hall was somewhat anticlimactic. Only the oppressive heat and humidity were with you. Continuing, your heart beat remained a constant thud in your ears. You worried you wouldn’t be able to hear one of the great beasts over it.

You came to a fork in the corridor. Hesitating, you started to panic. What if you chose wrong? What if you chose right? You strained to hear anything, dread filling your entire body. Finally choosing, you headed down the larger of the two.

After awhile, you detected a stench. The further you went, the worse it became, to the point it was nearly intoxicating. You stopped to collect yourself. After vomiting a bit, you reaffixed your mask and carried on.

You froze. You flipped through your vision and stopped on the one for hard meat. Yes. You had been right; there it was. It was flattened against the wall ahead on your right. Facing away from you, it wasn’t moving. Was it sleeping? You stopped again. Nearly holding your breath, you waited.

What to do? You couldn’t turn back. Not in this place. The heat made you dizzy as you tried to form a plan. Shooting it once would only anger it. You had learned that.

You looked up. The ceiling was ridged, slimy. You looked to the left. More of the same. You’d just have to walk past it. It seemed asleep. It was probably fine. Without stopping to consider it too much, you inched forward. You continued slowly, so as to not make a sound or disturb anything. You watched you feet on the ground. The thing didn’t react. You continued your flight from it, trudging painfully slowly through the slime. When it was gone from your peripheral vision, you took very large, deliberate steps away from it. You halted and turned around. Shaking, you looked at the place it should be.

It was still there. Sighing in relief, you kept going. At some point it would wake up. You flipped slowly through your different eyesights again, looking for danger. Back to nothing but the extreme heat and smell. After a few more minutes, the way opened up ahead. You were in a little room. Strange leathery egg-shaped growths were rooted to the ground. Werethey eggs? Feeling nervous in their presence, you continued through the hot, thick air. You wove your way through them slowly. Mist seeped around your feet. You heard a gentle hiss. Strong arms wrapped around you and the hissing grew louder. You screamed.

Fighting it, you kicked and kept up the noise making. It didn’t matter. It squeezed you, tighter and tighter. Its noxious smell enveloped you. Your vision blackened and you stopped struggling.

***

Taabe stood before you.

“Am I dead?” You tried to ask, but found you couldn’t speak.

He gave a wry look, but similarly didn’t talk. He held out his hands. They were clasped shut. Curious, you took a step forward. He opened his hands very carefully, as if he had a live animal. He held a broken arrow.

“ʉnha hina nikwai?” The question was formed in your mind.

“To avenge you!” You tried to shout. Taabe dropped the feathered end of the arrow at your feet. The side with the arrowhead he handed to you. You looked down at it. It was your gun. Gasping, you dropped it.

Taabe smiled. He grabbed your shoulders to convey his happiness. You cried, not understanding. Soft clicking sounded behind you. Taabe took a step back, dropping his arms. He looked content.

You looked down at the gun. It was the sharpened stone you had used to try to cut Tenahpu. “ʉ puni u.”

***

You woke groggily. You realized slowly and with growing horror you couldn’t move. At all. You couldn’t even turn your head. Thankfully, your mask was set to night vision. You looked around frantically, trying not to hyperventilate. Directly in front of you was one of the egg things. You noticed one of the monsters sitting, watching over you. Something bad was about to happen. You wriggled, to no effect. Heart pounding in your ears, you screamed for help. It couldn’t hurt.

You waited. The thing waited. Time passed dreadfully slowly. You became aware of soft clicking. Tenahpu. You recognized his voice. Crying, you called to him. The thing didn’t move. You saw movement and looked down. The egg thing had opened at the top. Your eyes widened. What was about to ha— something flew out of it at your face. Tenahpu leapt in front of you, grabbing whatever it was. The great beast screamed angrily, a piercing sound.

Tenahpu shot his arrows at it, hitting it in its long head. Hot blood spurted dangerously from the wounds. Roaring, he threw a net over it. It started to cut into the hard meat, sizzling as the hot blood disintegrated it. Temporarily trapped, the thing shrieked.

Tenahpu turned to you with long blades extended from his wrist. Hurriedly, he cut into the substance that was restraining you. Managing to slice off a piece, he grabbed part of it and pulled with all his considerable strength. All the while the net disintegrated and the thing prepared for a battle. The piece he was pulling on cracked and came away. Tossing it into the beast, he turned back and grabbed you. He pulled you from the wall, then dropped you, roaring in pain.

The thing was free. It had slashed his arm with its sharp tail. You scrambled away from the fight. Turning, you reached for your gun. The two beasts fought each other with immense power. The hard meat snapped at Tenahpu’s scarred mask. It hooked a finger under his mask and managed to tear it off. Tenahpu roared ferociously and shoved it away from himself. The two separated, giving you equally good shots at both. Mouths open, they both roared blood curdling screams. Your eyes widened in realization. “This is as far as you go,” you thought. You took your opportunity and fired.

@coolninjavoid @eclecticpatrolroadlawyer

[goingmorry]

[One Piece Headcanons] OP Boys -> when some guy asks them if you're single

Part One | Part Two

Characters: Luffy, Sabo, Killer, Shanks, Mihawk

Tags: reader-insert, gender-neutral reader, overprotective, possessive, jealousy, violence

Author’s Note: Thanks for all the likes and reblogs. I appreciate all the love! 💖

MONKEY D. LUFFY

Easily gets distracted. The guy asks about you, and all Luffy can think about at that moment is spending time with you.

The question doesn't process in his head until the man asks it several times.

And even then, Luffy misunderstands.

He doesn't mean to make the other guy jealous, but he so does.

"You're their Captain, right?" the man addresses the straw hat pirate.

"Yup! I'm Luffy, the man who will become the Pirate King!"

"Right... I was wondering, y'know, as their captain... Are you aware if they have a special someone?"

"They? Oh - they're amazing, aren't they!" Luffy compliments you, ignoring the man's question, "I'm actually supposed to be helping them with their training! Maybe I should do that right now, huh?"

"No - That's not what I asked. I mean, do you know if they have a special someone?" The man attempts to steer the conversation back to his intended topic.

"Special... someone?" Luffy's eyebrows furrow in confusion before comprehension sets in, "Ah, I get it! Their crew! Their crew is special to them!"

The man looks at Luffy in disbelief, "No! That's not what I meant-"

Before the guy can get his point across, Luffy extends his rubber arms to fling himself across the island, directly crashing into your unsuspecting body.

"Luffy - what!?" you shout in surprise.

Luffy responds by wrapping his arms around you in a full-body hug, his signature 'shishishi' laughter ringing in your ears.

From across the island, the man observes your exchange with the straw hat pirate, disappointment and jealousy etched into his face.

SABO

He’s an absolute troll.

Messes with the guy by pretending to be clueless.

Ends up acting like a seemingly psychotic, overly possessive boyfriend. He's not. Trust him.

"Are they what now?" Sabo fights off the smile threatening to spill from his lips.

"Are they single?" the man repeats for the third time.

"Sorry, I can't hear you," Sabo motions to his ear, giving it a gentle tap, "I have trouble hearing. Can you please repeat that?"

The man's eyes soften in pity as he repeats the same question for the fourth time.

"Is who single?" Sabo asks again, appearing to make every effort to understand the guy's question.

The man clarifies another time. But before he can tell the blond Revolutionary to forget about it, Sabo perks up in feign recognition.

"Oh! Are they single?"

"Yes! You got it," the man exclaims, satisfied that his question finally got through.

Sabo taps his chin in thought, "Not that I know. Though I heard rumors that the guy they're with is a really fearsome man. Not someone you want to mess with."

The guy deflates at Sabo's response, "Are they now? They a pirate or a Marine... or something?"

"Mmm... Something like that," Sabo's fingers tap against the table in front of him, gloved hands obscuring the flames beneath his fingertips, "Ever heard of the Revolutionaries?"

The man nods in acknowledgment. "Rumors and the like. Never seen them myself, though."

"Same here," Sabo says absentmindedly. He motions for the other guy to lend him an ear, leaning over for a whisper.

"I would watch myself if I were you. Don't want to anger a group of strangers you don't know much about."

The man flinches away at Sabo's warning - or threat; the man wasn't sure. Sabo gives him a friendly smile in return, convincing the other guy that it may have just been a well-meaning warning between two close friends.

"G-gotcha. Thanks," the guy abruptly stands up, motioning toward the exit, "I better get going."

"It was nice to meet you, friend," Sabo calls out, his friendly smile morphing into a sinister one at the man's retreating figure.

KILLER

The definition of cool, calm, and collected.

Immediately becomes suspicious of the other man for asking about you.

Puts-thinking-cap-on.gif.

What does this strange man want with you? Why did he ask Killer in particular? What would this man do if you were already taken? Would he still try to pursue you?

Spends some time pondering but concludes that action needs to be taken.

Investigates your unwanted suitor and discover their malicious intentions.

In the end, Killer's cautiousness pays off.

Any chance they're single?

"..."

The Supernova's silence disturbs the other man, his eyes settling on the crowded room in makeshift comfort.

The sound of a gruff voice startles the guy into focus, body twitching in anxiety when he looks into the Massacre Soldier's expressionless mask.

"I don't know them," Killer says with finality.

It was impossible to read the Supernova's true disposition. His body appeared relaxed enough; arms splayed out in front of him in a civil manner. If it weren't for Killer's daunting presence and notoriety, the man would think that this blond-haired guy was your average pirate. For now, he had no choice but to conclude that Killer was telling the truth.

"Okay... Never mind then," the man awkwardly responds, leaving the tavern in displeasure.

- - - - - - - - - -

A masked figure looms over the inn you were resting at, sharp blades glinting under the moonlight. The Massacre Soldier himself was on guard tonight, eyes trained on the familiar body of the man who disturbed his peace earlier in the night.

Before your unwanted suitor can enter the lodge, Killer pulls him by the lapels, swiftly dragging the man into the back of the building - out of sight from prying eyes.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Killer says, muscled arms encircling the man's throat in warning.

The man clutches at the knife tucked underneath his coat and wildly swings his weapon at his assailant.

With little effort, Killer disarms and knocks out his opponent, searching the man's unconscious body for clues to his motive. Killer pulls out a slip of paper from the man's pocket and unfolds it. There's no mistaking it - a copy of your bounty poster - the price of your head neatly printed underneath your name.

"Tsk, should've known you were up to no good."

Another body to add to the Massacre Soldier's list.

SHANKS

Proud boyfriend™ alert.

He loves to gush about you. The fact that someone recognizes how beautiful and amazing you are - he's thrilled.

Shank's constant praise of you begins to wear down on the guy; he gets the message that the red-haired pirate is implying - to leave you alone.

Shanks flashes a lazy grin at the man beside him; attention renewed at the mention of your name. "Gorgeous brain and body, what's not to love, aye?"

Your potential suitor nods in agreement.

Shanks looks past the man and makes eye contact with you. You were happily conversing with his crew, enjoying their company at the local tavern while in town to replenish some supplies for the upcoming journey.

The red-haired pirate winks in your direction, and you fluster under his flirty gaze. Shank's eyes twinkle in amusement at your shy demeanor.

The man across from Shanks looks back and forth between you and the red-haired pirate; his mouth opens and closes at the implication of your relationship.

"That one's mine," Shanks answers the man's unspoken question, waving over the barkeeper for another round of drinks, "But I'd love to tell you more about them."

DRACULE MIHAWK

The only classy one.

Doesn't take offense to the question, doesn't beat around the bush, and doesn't threaten the other guy for asking about your relationship status.

If the other man has bad intentions, Mihawk will know. And he will take action.

His entire being is enough to intimidate most people, after all.

A-are they single?

Mihawk casts an uninterested glance at the man standing a few feet away from him.

Nowadays, there were only a handful of people who dared approach the World's Greatest Swordsman - the Marines and Shanks.

Rumors were circulating that the former Warlord had been traveling the seas with you - that the normally lone-wolf pirate had acquired a companion to accompany him in his seafaring journey.

Oh, how clueless they were.

"Yes, we're in a relationship. Them and I," Mihawk states, taking a refined sip from his wineglass.

"I-I see. Thank you," the man bows before briskly running in the opposite direction, away from the black-haired pirate's piercing golden eyes.

The next day, Big News Morgan publishes your relationship with the infamous pirate for all the world to read.

Mihawk's eyes widen imperceptibly at the newspaper clutched in his hands.

Maybe this is for the best, he thinks. If there's anyone who can keep you safe, it's him.

[tricksters-captain]

Bucky Barnes Imagines - Some Sunny Day Part 1

AN: My Marvel obsession has been lying dormant since Endgame finished but Wandavision and Falcon and Winter Soldier have brought it back to life.... This is going to be a series based off the show. Kind of like my ‘Oh Dear’ fic, it’s the series with an added characters and story lines. 

Summary: Before the Blip, you and Bucky were close. After you both returning and Tony’s funeral, you decided to go back to your home town to spend time with your family. When duty calls, you return.  

In this chapter: You reunite with Sam and Bucky (Based on S1 EP2)

Pairing(s): Bucky Barnes x Fem!Reader, Sam Wilson x Platonic!Reader

Word Count: 6,883

Warnings: Spoilers for episode 2, strong language, violence. 

You and Bucky had always been close. 

You were close with Steve before Bucky joined the avengers and you fought on Steve’s side during the small civil war between the avengers. 

Steve was your best friend and Sam always knew how to make you smile but there was something about Bucky that was different to the rest of the avengers. 

You had spent some time in Wakanda with Bucky at Steve’s request and you two had always fought side by side and it crushed Steve when you both taken during the blip and he wasn't. 

When you returned, you were thrust back into battle almost immediately. The final fight against Thanos which resulted in you losing Tony and then Steve. 

Nothing seemed to matter except the fact you had been gone for 5 whole years. You had missed 5 whole years with your friends and family. They had changed whilst you were gone and you came back the same as you left.

When Steve returned the infinity stones, he hadn’t given you warning that he wasn’t coming back the same age he was going in but he had warned Bucky. They had spoken about it before apparently and after everything, you felt kind of betrayed. 

You knew you’d never understand Steve’s choice but it was his choice. You were just upset Bucky didn’t warn you. 

You returned to your home town after that day. 

You returned to find some people had changed and some hadn’t but you knew you wanted to be around and spend time with them. 

After all the years fighting for the avengers and only calling every once in a blue moon. It seemed to finally dawn on you that you should spend time with them whilst you still could. 

However, that only lasted around 6 months before you found yourself answering a phone call from Sam. 

You were at a birthday party for one of your old school friend’s daughters when you felt your phone go off. 

You put down one of the little girls who had be asking you a hundred questions about being apart of the avengers and excused yourself from the party. 

“Tell me why I got an awful feeling when I saw your caller ID come up on my phone.” You answered, folding your free hand under your arm as you leant against the wall. 

“It’s cause your subconscious is reminding you about that one time you said no when I asked you out on a date and you regret that now.”  Sam’s voice instantly made you crack a smile. 

“Or maybe it’s because every time I get a call from you it’s to do with the world ending or something worse.” You shot back. 

“It’s good to hear your voice too.” Sam chuckled at your comment before he had responded. 

“So what’s going on? I haven’t heard much from you in months.” You asked. 

“That’s around the time you up and left us for the old way of living.” Sam reminded you that you were the one that decided to go cold agent and return home. 

“There isn’t anything wrong with a little quiet.” You told him as you looked back through the window to the children that were the opposite of quiet. 

“No there isn't.” Sam agreed, “However, I got a situation here at the moment that I could really use your help with.”

“I guess it’s a bit bigger than the usual military op or you wouldn’t be calling?” You frowned. You were in the loop enough to know Sam had been apart of the airforce these past 6 months and had been taking part in frequent missions but nothing that concerned you. 

“I’m sending you over the details now. I’d appreciate it if you could come.” Sam sent you through a file and you pulled your phone away from your ear to open it. 

“You don’t need to convince me, Sam. I’ll be there since I know you wouldn’t ask unless it was serious.” You answered honestly. 

“Guess I’ll be seeing you soon then.” You could practically hear Sam’s smirk through the phone.

“Depends how quick I can get a bag together and your jet can get me to you.” You told him as you picked up your jacket from the coat rack. 

“Well it’s no Red Wing but it’s pretty fast.” Sam stated. “Oh and (Y/n)... You haven’t seen the news in the past hour or so, have you?”

“No? Why?” You frowned at the hesitation in Sam’s voice. 

“Just... take a look.” Sam told you before you ended the call. 

You opened up the news on your phone and what you saw made your mouth go dry and your stomach drop. 

‘JOHN WALKER; NEW CAPTAIN AMERICA’

You felt an anger rise up in you as you watched the wannabe waltz onto screen with Steve’s shield in his paws. 

When Sam gave up the shield, you didn’t know how to feel at first but now... now you weren’t surprised Sam didn’t elaborate on what he wanted you to see.

You said your apologies and your goodbyes pretty swiftly and you had already stashed an emergency bag ready to go under your bed so you were soon on your way.

It didn’t take terribly long to get to the air base where Sam was waiting for you. 

“Who the hell is this guy and why is he calling himself the new Captain America?” 

“Nice to see you too.” Sam wasn’t surprised at the attitude once you stepped off the plane.

“Sam, first you call me up to help deal with this wannabe terrorist group and now I just find out that Steve’s shield, which you gave up, is being held by some wannabe superhero.” You dumped your bag on the floor as you closed the gap between you and Sam.

“Trust me, I’m not happy about it either and I knew nothin about it but we have bigger fish to fry right now so can we cut the dramatic and get to actually saying hello?” Sam stared down at you with his hands on his hips. 

You sighed and gave in.

You wrapped your arms around the man and hugged him warmly.

“I’m sorry. I just––”

“–I know.” Sam didn’t need your apology. He understood how you were feeling. You both loved Steve so much. 

“Miss (Y/N)(Y/L/N), it’s a pleasure to meet you.” A voice brought your attention away from Sam to a man approaching you both. 

“(Y/n), Torres. Torres, (Y/n).” Sam introduced you to the uniformed man and you shook his hand politely. 

“Nice to meet you.” You weren’t sure if you had gotten used to the way most civilians looked at you after you became apart of the avengers. When you joined you didn’t realise becoming famous would be apart of the gig.

“I’m sorry to interrupt but Miss (Y/L/N) has to come with me to get logged into the clearance system and sort out a couple things.” Torres pointed over his shoulder as he explained. 

“And by that he means sign an autograph for his kid sister.” Sam teased the man. 

“What?” Torres’ cheeks tinged pink. “No!”

“It’s alright. Lead the way.” You picked up your bag and sent a quick smile to Sam before turning back to Torres. “Oh and you can call me (Y/n) by the way.” 

It didn’t take too long for Torres to fill you in on Sam’s plan for the mission as he logged in a few details so you could have clearance around the airbase. 

You did end up signing an autograph after a little tiptoeing around the question and then by the time you walked back out into the open you spotted someone you hadn’t expected to see. 

It was Bucky. 

“Looking good for a senior citizen.” You spoke up as you approached Sam and Bucky. 

Bucky had his back to you but the sound of your voice soon paused his conversation with Sam and he spun around. 

“Hey Buck.” You smiled but you couldn’t help but feel slightly nervous. “Long time no see.” 

“(Y/n).” Bucky stepped forward and wrapped his arms around you. 

You chuckled at his tight embrace but hugged him back just as tight all the same. 

“You, uh, you look good.” Bucky cleared his throat as he pulled away from you. 

“If you’ll excuse us, Casanova, we got places to be.” Sam tried to pull you away from Bucky but Bucky only followed. 

“I’m coming with you.” Bucky announced. 

“No, you’re not!” Sam argued. 

You hadn’t missed the men’s bickering...

In spite of Sam’s protest, Bucky ended up on the flight anyway. 

“So how’s it been away from the Avengers?” Bucky asked you as you both prepared for the mission.

Sam was up with Torres in the cockpit so you and Bucky were alone for the first time since you saw each other.

“It’s been okay. Spending time at home. Doing non-hero regular folk stuff.” You chuckled weakly as you pulled off your sweater. Bucky’s eyes fell to your chest as you had only wore a vest underneath. You felt your cheeks burn as you pretended not to notice.

“Uh, same.” Bucky cleared his throat before he spoke.. “Been strange without you around.”

“Buck, you know I needed time away from everything. From Sam, from you... After Steve, I...” You let your words drop away. 

There was a short silence before Bucky decided to change the subject.

“I’ve been seeing a therapist. Court mandated. She’s got me doing this whole redemption thing. Contacting people in my past. Making things right.” 

“And how’s that going for you?” You couldn’t help but smirk slightly at the idea of Bucky forcing himself to face his past at the request of a therapist. 

“Well I have three rules I’m meant to stick to and let’s say I’m not exactly following them closely.” Bucky admitted as he folded his hoodie.

“Does your therapist know that?” You cocked an eyebrow at the man with a light amused expression.

“What do you think.” Bucky smirked back at you.

“Be careful. I might tell on you.” You sighed playfully. 

“You’re actually on the list.” Bucky suddenly confessed. “I wanted to make things right after...” Bucky paused for a moment. “...After Steve. I should have warned you. Should have told you the truth.” 

“Bucky.” You stopped him. “It’s okay. Steve made a choice and he chose to talk to you about it. You’re his best friend and the only other person on the team who could’ve really understood why he did what he did. I’m not holding it against you.” 

“I’m still sorry.” Bucky looked you in the eyes as he spoke, “You were with him for so long when I wasn’t around. You should’ve got a real warning.” 

“Thanks Buck.” You pressed your lips into a brief sad smile before looking down at your boots. 

“I’ve really missed you, (Y/n).” Bucky uttered. 

“I really missed you too.” You stopped tying your lace to look up at the man. 

His short hair had really revealed his face and you couldn’t help but notice every part of it. The lines by his eyes when he smiled, the curve of his lips, the shadow that was just coming on.

You straightened up and stepped towards the man. 

“I like the new haircut by the way.” You reached up and let your fingers brush the top of his forehead. “Makes you look almost like a civilian.” 

Bucky couldn’t help but feel his body tense under your touch. 

“You look tired though.” You let your hand drop down to his cheek. “Not been sleeping well?”

Bucky forced himself to move away from your touch.

“Bad dreams.” Bucky murmured. 

“I figured therapy might have been helping you with those.” You frowned, “I remember sharing wake up duty with Steve like it was yesterday.”

“Every time it was your turn you’d make hot coco.” Bucky reminded you. It brought back images of you and Bucky sat in a small kitchen drinking hot chocolate that you had made despite Bucky’s insisting that he didn’t want any. 

“Seems like a lifetime ago.” You smiled but the memories only made you feel dismal. It seemed those were simpler times. Steve was still around, at least. 

Bucky handed you your jacket in the silence and you took it gratefully.

“I’m not interrupting something, am I?” Sam said rather loudly as he climbed down the ladder. 

“No, we were just getting ready which is what you should be doing.” You picked up Sam’s bag and tossed it to him which he caught effortlessly. “I’m going to check a few things with Torres. Try not to kill each other whilst I’m gone.” 

Bucky watched you climb the ladder up to the cockpit and Sam watched Bucky. 

“I’ll never understand why you won’t just shoot your shot with the girl.” Sam shook his head as he opened his duffle. 

“Shoot my what?” Bucky glared over at the man with confusion clear in his eyes. 

“Your shot, man. (Y/n) has clearly been in love with you since Steve dragged your ass onto the team. What she sees in you compared to this, I’ll never understand but she clearly sees something.” Sam had gestured to himself when he spoke but Bucky just rolled his eyes. 

“Maybe instead of talking about (Y/n), you should actually tell me what the plan is?” Bucky suggested as he zipped up his jacket securely. 

“How about you stop avoiding your feelings?” Sam retorted which made Bucky shut up and sit down. 

“I’m not avoiding my feelings.” Bucky grumbled as he glared at the man. 

“Yeah right.” Sam scoffed, shaking his head as he started to change. 

You didn’t return to the boys until you were approaching the drop off. 

“(Y/n), you’ll be out first.” Torres explained as you put in your ear piece, trying your hardest to ignore Bucky and Sam starring daggers at each other behind you. 

“Great. See you on the ground, fellas.” You jumped from the aircraft just as you heard Bucky ask what the plan was in your earpiece. 

You had to jump earlier then the men since you were approaching the building from another angle but that didn’t mean you couldn’t hear them bicker still on the aircraft. 

When you reached the warehouse, you remained hidden in the trees. You watched several people start to load two trucks with large boxes. 

“You’re doing the staring thing again. They’re in there.” You heard Sam’s voice in your earpiece. He must have been talking to Bucky inside the warehouse. 

“Where’s the guy?” Bucky asked. 

“I don’t know. I think they’re smuggling weapons, though.” Sam responded before you could. 

“Well, I think you could be right.” Bucky agreed with a passive aggressive tone. “But there’s only one way to find out. I see a clear path. I say we take it.”

“We’re not assassins.” Sam argued with Bucky.

“I’ll see you inside or not.” Bucky must've walked away from what you could hear. 

“Hey, come on, man. I’m just messing with you! Come back.” You could practically see Sam’s smile in your head.

“If you guys are done, I have a visual on the targets. They’re loading up two red trucks.”

“We’re moving up now.” Bucky replied to you. 

“Look at you. All stealthy.” Sam was teasing him. “A little time in Wakanda and you come out White Panther.”

“It’s actually White Wolf.” Bucky corrected him and Sam’s reaction almost made you laugh out loud. 

You tried to move closer to the trucks to see exactly what was going inside but it was risky with the group constantly checking around them. 

“All right, I’m inside. Therefore, way ahead of you. It’s not great, but very doable.” Bucky’s voice came up again. “Hello. How are you?” Bucky sounded irritated. Sam must've snuck up on him. 

“Good. What did I miss? Nothing.” Sam whispered back. 

“All right, let’s go.” Bucky commanded but Sam stopped him. 

“No, wait.”

“I got a vibranium arm. I can take them.” Bucky held up his arm as he fought against Sam’s halt.

“And I can fly. Who gives a shit?” Sam muttered. “Wait. I want to see where they’re going.”

“Guys I may not be in the same location as you but I can hear everything you’re saying so quick the arguing” You whispered lowly as you kept your eyes trained on the trucks. 

You tried to zone out the boys bickering as you crept forward. A crashing noise from inside the warehouse made you jump back and hide as the flash smasher members all stopped and looked. 

“Be careful.” You hissed at the both of them.

“It wasn’t my fault.” Bucky tried to defend himself but frankly you didn't care. The trucks were staring to close up and their engines switched on. 

You watched the people pile into the trucks and you dived over, taking hold of the backdoors and clinging on. 

“They have a hostage.” Sam told you as the trucks drove off with you attached. 

“Then get moving.” You commanded. You pulled open the door you were hanging to and opened it. 

“No sight of a hostage in here.” You informed Sam as you looked around. “Just boxes of vaccines.” 

“I found her.” Bucky must've gotten inside the other truck. “Hi. You okay?” Bucky’s voice was then followed by a crashing sound. 

However, you had your own problems... 

You heard a loud bang behind you and you turned to see two men at the end of the truck. They both had masks on. 

“Cute masks.” You taunted them before they charged at you. 

You threw three knives at them, two managed to hit one of the men in the thigh and chest but the second man had knocked the third one away. 

You went to attack the uninjured one first as he drew closer, you punched him but he was strong. He didn’t even flinch. 

You felt a small panic in your chest as you started to fight. He was taking moves that would usually floor someone like he was being attacked by a pillow. 

You managed to get him to the ground by wrapping your thighs around his neck and flipping him over you before you threw another knife at the injured soldier. He seemed to retreat, climbing out of the truck and onto the roof. 

“Could use some back up, Sam!” You called out as you followed. 

You climbed up onto the roof and the first soldier chased after you. The injured one grabbed hold of Bucky along with a third guy and so you were left with the big one. 

You heard Redwing shooting at the roof before you saw it but a redheaded female smashed it in half like it was but a plastic toy. 

With that, Sam finally swooped in and started throwing punches. 

He was thrown to the other roof as you continued to fight your own battle. You were getting tired and his punches seemed to only be getting stronger and more painful each time.

You pulled out another knife but he grabbed your wrist and squeezed. You couldn’t help but cry out at the pressure, you dropped it before he could break your wrist. 

Then suddenly a helicopter appeared from what seemed like nowhere. Cap’s shield bounced off one of Sam’s attackers as two new bodies joined the fight. 

The distraction allowed you to kick your attacker off the truck and start to help Bucky. 

“Sam, John Walker; Captain America.” 

“Lemar Hoskins.”

“Looks like you guys could use some help.” Walker and his sidekick introduced themselves. 

 A surge of rage from the introduction of ‘Captain America’ helped you regain some adrenaline. You turned and started to fight once again. 

You let yourself become distracted as Bucky fell from the side of the truck which allowed one of the guys to send you off the truck too.

Sam was quick to fall back with his suit and grab you before you hit the concrete road. However, the impact of him grabbing you did leave you winded. 

“Bucky.” You wheezed as the man settled you on the side of the road. 

Sam flew up and chased after the trucks. 

You took a moment, wincing at your aching body before you rose to your feet and took off in their direction. 

You couldn’t catch up to the trucks but it didn’t take long to find Bucky and Sam once you spotted they were both coming out of a field. 

“If someone told me I’d be fighting a whole bunch of super soldiers today I would’ve wore my nice pants.” You stated as you approached the two men.

“We knew they were strong but not like this.” Sam defended himself from your anger. 

“One of those guys took a knife to the chest and could still walk away.” You threw your arms up as you informed him. This was so much worse than the documents had described. 

“It’s going to take a lot more than just a knife to stop these guys.” Bucky’s eyes seemed to carry a storm as he thought. 

“How can this be possible? I thought the super soldier serum was gone. What happened in Siberia was supposed to have put an end to it all.” You remembered the failed super soldiers as clear as day. 

“We know about as much as you, (Y/n). Unless you tried to, you know, your weird seeing thing?” Sam asked.

“No. It takes it out of me and I can’t do it whilst I’m trying to fight for my life so.” You shook your head as you walked beside the men. Whilst you weren’t as powerful as some of the Avengers, you were a great assassin like Natasha Romanoff. Your talent was your knife throwing but under all the training and all the knowledge, there was a gift. A gift you’d had since birth.

If you touched someone, you could see their entire past, everything they had experienced up until that moment. It really drained you of your energy and over the years you trained yourself so that you could switch it on and off so it didn’t happen every time you touched someone but when you did use it, it usually required a lie down afterwards. 

“Sorry about Redwing.” Bucky spoke up after a moment of silence. 

“No, you’re not.” Sam rolled his eyes at the fake apology before asking: “What’s going on in that big cyborg brain of yours?”

“It’s computing.” Bucky grumbled. 

“You know what? I can actually see it. I can see the gears turning. Oh, they’re malfunctioning, shutting down. Yep, they’re on fire.” Sam couldn’t help but make fun of Bucky which only made you walk ahead of the men. You weren’t in the mood for this.

“We gotta figure out where the serum’s coming from.” You said to stop their silliness. 

“Yeah. And how in the hell after 80 years are there eight Super Soldiers runnin’ loose?” Sam agreed with you just as a transport vehicle began to pull up along side him. 

“So that didn’t go as planned, huh?” John Walker’s voice penetrated the space like a foul smelling fart. 

He opened the truck’s door to allow you all to hop in but you all ignored him. 

“Alright. Let’s keep going.” He told the driver before directing his attention back to you. “Look, at least we know what we’re up against now, huh? And we’re pretty sure it’s one of the Big Three, so…”

"Aliens, androids, or wizards?” Sam spoke up just to prove to Bucky that others knew of the ‘Big Three.’

“Pretty sure.” Walker nodded.

“There’s no such thing as wizards.” Bucky exclaimed which made you cock an eyebrow at the man. You clearly missed a conversation here. 

“Then it’s aliens, or androids.” Walker shrugged as if it were obvious.

“––Or Super Soldiers.” Sam added. 

“Shit. Super Soldiers, for real?” Walker’s colleague responded with the reaction you just about expected. 

“Yeah.” Sam confirmed. 

“Wow. All right, well, then we gotta work together.” Walker’s eyebrows rose as he spoke. 

“That’s not happening.” Bucky declared.

“I think we stand a much better chance if we all just––”

“––Just ’cause you carry that shield, it doesn’t mean you’re Captain America.” Bucky cut Walker short and you were grateful for it. The man was making your head ache. 

“Look, I’ve done the work, okay?” Walker sighed. 

“You ever jump on top of a grenade?” Bucky shot back but he wasn't met with the answer he wanted. 

“Yeah. Actually, I have. Four times. It’s a thing I do with my helmet. It’s a reinforced helmet. It’s a long story, but, any… Look, it’s 20 miles to the airport. You guys need a ride.” Walker got his driver to stop. “Get in.” 

You looked back at Sam and Bucky. You hadn’t said anything yet which Sam thought was a record of yours. You chose to give in and climbed into the truck with Bucky and Sam since your body was already aching from the previous fight. 

“Okay, so we’ve got eight Super Soldiers on a bulk supply run. Why?” Walker asked, his eye on you as you sat in between Bucky and Sam. 

“They say their mission is to get things back to the way it was during the Blip. Maybe they’re just trying to help.” Sam told Walker what he knew. 

“They had a funny way of showing it.” Bucky grimaced as a bruise on his face started to form. 

“That serum doesn’t exactly have a great track record. No offence.” Walker looked over at Bucky as he hinted at the winter soldier. 

“We need to figure out where they’re going.” You wanted to shift the attention away from Bucky. 

“She speaks? I have to admit I was starting to wonder.” Walker smiled at you which only made you want to punch him even more than you already did.  

“How’d you track ’em here? The Flag Smashers?” Sam could tell you were a second away from decking the new Captain America and hopping ship so carried on the conversation. 

“Uh, no, we didn’t track them, we tracked you, uh, through Redwing.” Hoskins notified Sam. 

“You hacked my tech?” Sam was beyond irritated at this point. 

“Sorry. It’s not exactly hacking. It’s government property. Kind of the government.” Walker laughed as he gestured to himself. “Does he always just stare like that?” He stopped laughing under Bucky’s stare. 

“You get used to it.” Sam muttered. 

“Okay, look, you know, things have gotten kind of, uh––”

“––Chaotic.”Hoskins helped Walker find the word. 

“Yeah.” Walker cleared his throat. “The GRC, they’re doing the best they can to get things up and running smoothly, post Blip.”

“Reactivating citizenship, social security, healthcare. Basically just managing resources for the refugees who were displaced by the return.” Hoskins tried filling you in as if you hadn't heard about it before. The GRC propaganda was plastered across all the cities in America. 

“The Global Repatriation Council does all that. We understand but why exactly are you two here?” You questioned, cocking your head towards Walker. 

“Well, they provide the resources and we keep things stable.” Hoskins replied first.

“Yeah, violent revolutionaries aren’t usually good for anyone’s cause.” Walker added on. 

“Usually said by the people with the resources.” Sam smirked at the men. 

“Well, we got a lot of resources. If you guys, if you joined up with us, we could––”

“––No.” Bucky shut Walker down immediately. 

“I got mad respect for both of y’all. But you were getting your asses kicked till we showed up.” Hoskins wasn’t helping the situation. 

“Who are you?” Bucky asked genuinely. 

“Lemar Hoskins.” Hoskins introduced himself once again. 

“Look, I see a guy hanging out of a helicopter in tactical gear, I need a lot more than Lemar Hoskins.” Sam backed Bucky up on that one. A name was nothing in this situation.

“I’m Battlestar. John’s partner.” Hoskins nodded towards Walker and you couldn't stop the smile that spread across your lips when Bucky responded. 

“Battlestar? Stop the car!” Bucky called up ahead. 

The car slowed as it pulled into a bus stop. Bucky pushed open the door and you followed. You couldn't stand sitting in front of that man in that uniform another second longer. 

"Look, I… I get it, okay? I get the attitude, I do. You didn’t think that the shield was gonna end up here. I get it, Bucky. And I’m… “ Walker turned back to Sam. “I’m not trying to be Steve. I’m not trying to replace Steve. I’m just trying to be the best Captain America I can be. That’s it. It’d be a whole lot easier if I had Cap’s wingmen on my side.” 

Sam scoffed at Walker’s choice of words. Wingmen? He really had the audacity. 

“It’s always that last line.” Sam jumped out of the vehicle and followed you and Bucky. 

Once back on the aircraft you stripped of your weapons and jacket. 

Sam and Bucky did the same. 

You sat down on your seat and rested your head back against the wall. You needed an ice bath. Your muscles were screaming at you. 

“You alright?” Sam asked Bucky as he sat, his eyes locked on the floor. 

You opened your eyes to look over at the men. 

“Let’s take the shield, Sam. Let’s take the shield and do this ourselves.” Bucky sounded pretty decided. 

“We can’t just run up on the man, beat him up, and take it. Do you remember what happened the last time we stole it?” Sam sat up slowly as he furrowed his brow at the idea.

“Maybe.” Bucky grumbled. 

“I’ll help you in case you forgot.” Sam proclaimed, “Sharon was branded enemy of the state, and Steve and I were on the run for two years. I don’t know about you, but I don’t wanna live the rest of my life la vida loca. We just got our ass handed to us by Super Soldiers, and we got nothing.” 

Even though you did spend some time in Wakanda under protection from their government, there was a period where you were on the run with Steve and Sam and it wasn’t fun. Being pardoned after the fight against Thanos was one of the best things that happened to you; it’s what allowed you to go home. 

“Not entirely true.” Bucky pushed himself onto his feet. “There is someone that you should meet.” 

Bucky’s eyes met yours and you knew who he was talking about. 

You had seen Bucky's past. Everyone of Bucky’s memories. You had seen all the death and the pain and the fighting. You had seen the Winter Soldier and pre-world war Bucky and you had suffered for it for some time. Nightmares used to plague you but you had managed to block most stuff from your mind over the years. Especially the Winter Soldier memories because that wasn’t really Bucky; that was a weapon made by Hydra. 

You had been forced by the team to check his memories to see if he really had bombed the UN but you couldn't choose how far you looked back, you gift made you see everything from the earliest childhood memory up to that moment. 

You stood and approached Bucky.

“Are you sure about this?” You whispered, taking hold of Bucky’s forearm as you pulled him to one side.

“He should know.” Bucky’s eyes seemed so sure. You dropped your hand down from his arm to his hand and gave it a squeeze. 

“Alright then.” You pressed your lips into a thin line as you accepted his choice. 

Soon enough the route was changed and the plane turned. 

“Will you come?” Bucky asked as the door to the plane opened. 

“I’ll wait here but call me if you need me.” You didn’t feel like seeing Isaiah. Some of the time if something from Bucky’s past showed up it could trigger his memories in your own head which you didn’t particularly enjoy. 

“Alright.” Bucky sighed but left without you. 

Only a short while later you had received a phone call from Sam. 

“Hello?” You answered. 

“It’s Bucky. He’s been arrested. There was a warrant out for his arrest.” Sam informed you. 

“Why?” You were confused. Bucky had been pardoned like the rest of you for his crimes and his warrant wiped. 

“He missed his therapy session or something. I’m heading back to your, we gotta go get him out.” Sam hung up pretty quickly. 

“Why didn’t you tell anyone about the super solider?” Sam asked you as you made your way to the station. 

“I only knew because I’ve been inside Bucky’s head but if I listed off every single person Bucky has fought or killed or wronged it would take me a while.” You hated admitting that but the Winter Soldier had done a lot of damage. 

“But this was a black super soldier who rotted behind bars for years! Being experimented on like a lab rat whilst Steve sat in the ice and Bucky ran around playing secret assassin!” Sam was angry and you understood why. 

“I didn’t know he was in prison. I only knew of him as the guy Bucky fought in Goyang and lost. I figured if Bucky wanted him found then he would say. It’s not my place, they’re not my memories.” You tried to defend yourself but you knew Sam would never understand your logic. 

“How can I trust you if you’re sitting on information like that?” Sam catechised you. 

“Because you’ve trusted me for years. I say what needs to be said and if it isn't useful to us at the time then I don’t bring it up. I have so much inside of here from people that aren’t even around more. When I go inside someone’s head the memories don’t just go away. Sometimes it’s hard to tell who’s memories I’m thinking of when I look back on things. I block what I can and deal with what I can’t.” You stopped Sam in the hallway as you snapped. You couldn’t believe he was questioning whether he could trust you or not after everything. 

“I know it can be hard for you. I can’t imagine what its like but there are some things more important than others and Isaiah. Isaiah is one of them.” Sam’s words just made you turn and head to the desk. 

You tried to get as much information about Bucky but all they instructed you to do was sit and wait. 

“Sam?” A woman approached you and Sam. You lifted your head up at the sound of her voice. “I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Dr. Raynor. I’m James’s therapist.” 

You shook hands with the woman and introduced yourself. 

“I’ve heard some about you too.” Dr. Raynor smiled as she greeted you. 

“Thank you for getting him out.” Sam thanked her as he shook her hand but she only furrowed her brow. 

“That was not me.” She told you both. 

“Christina!” You didn’t need super hearing to recognise that voice. “Good to see you again!” Walker was signing autographs as he entered the station. 

“You gotta be kidding me. You know him?” Sam only said what you were thinking. 

“Yeah, we did some field ops back in the day.” Dr Raynor looked between Sam and Walker. 

“I heard you were working with Bucky, so I thought I’d step in.” Walker approached her which made you stepped back. “Bucky’s not gonna be following a strict schedule any longer.”

“We haven’t finished our work. Who authorized this?” Dr Raynor protested. 

“Um…” Walker pointed to himself. You felt a fire flare inside of you. “He’s too valuable of an asset to have tied up. Just do whatever you got to do with him, then send him off to me. Got some unfinished business, him and I.”

Walker then pointed to you and Sam. 

“You too, Wilson. (Y/l/n). I’ll be outside.” Walker backed away, sending a wink in your direction. 

You felt Sam take hold of your wrist quickly before you could even take the chance to lunge forward. 

“Breathe.” Sam told you. “We’ll deal with that asshole later.” 

Bucky was allowed through and Dr Raynor approached him immediately.

“James, condition of your release, session now. You too, Sam.” She insisted as she headed back towards the cells from which Bucky had just come from. 

“That’s okay. I’ll be out here with (Y/n).” Sam brushed off the offer except it wasn’t an offer. 

“That wasn’t a request.” Dr Rayor warned him. 

You pushed the man forward. 

“Quicker you’re in, quicker you’re out.” You told him. 

“Why doesn’t she want you?” Sam pouted. 

“Get moving before I get bored and decide to use John Walker out there as my new punching bag. Get myself in trouble.” You tried to make the man laugh but failed. He only groaned and dragged himself inside. 

It didn’t take long for Sam to storm out of there who was swiftly followed by Bucky. 

“Hey, you okay?” You asked Sam as he returned to you. 

“Peachy.” He sneered.

You sighed and followed both men outside. 

“Well, I feel better.” Sam announced once you were all finally outside. 

“I feel awful.” Bucky muttered which made you want to take his hand but you refrained as a siren drew your attention over to Walker and his buddy. 

“Gentlemen. Lady. Good to see you again.” Walker had a smile on that you wanted to wipe clean off. “ Look, if we divide ourselves, we don’t stand a chance, you guys know that.” 

“Well do you have anything that’s actually useful?” You folded your arms across your chest as you closed in on the men.  

"Well, the leader’s name’s Karli Morgenthau. We’ve been targeting civilians who’ve been helping Karli move from place to place.” Walker started. 

“They geotagged a location, then scrambled the signal. But our satellites have found their symbol popping up in various displaced communities all across Central and Eastern Europe.” Hoskins continued. 

“We think she’s taking the medicine she just stole to one of these camps.” Walker finished. 

“Well, there are hundreds of those all over the planet since the Blip. So I guess you’ll have to look real hard.” Bucky’s glowered at the man as he leant on the cop car. 

“Good thing I have 20/20 vision, huh?” Walker smirked as he snapped back. 

“Where is she now, Walker? Do you know?” Bucky rose his voice. 

“No, we don’t know, Bucky. It’s only a matter of time before we find out.” Walker rose his voice also. 

“Things are really intense for you, aren’t they, Walker?” Bucky was being cocky. You had to stop yourself from finding it amusing. 

“Take it easy. Look, Walker’s right. It is imperative that we find them and stop them. But you guys have rules of engagement and all kind of authorizations you have to get. We’re free agents. We’re more flexible. So it wouldn’t make sense for us to work with you.” Sam interrupted and seemed to clear the air a little. You took his last words as a chance to leave but Walker wasn’t done.

“A word of advice, then.” Walker stopped you all. “Stay the hell out of my way.”

You watched the two men walk away. Your jaw clenching together to stop you from saying something you’d regret. 

“Come on.” Sam urged you on and you forced yourself to walk away. 

Once you were far enough from the station Sam asked you both what you were thinking. 

“Well, I know what we have to do. When Isaiah said ‘my people’...” Bucky was the one of out you both to speak first. 

“Oh, don’t take that to heart. That’s not what he meant.” Sam began. 

“No, he meant HYDRA. HYDRA used to be my people.” Bucky corrected him. 

“Not a chance.” You shook your head, putting your foot down. 

“Walker doesn’t have any leads.” Bucky claimed. 

“Bucky, I know where you’re going with this and I’m saying no.” You couldn’t believe he was even suggesting it. 

“He knows all of HYDRA’s secrets.” Bucky tried to reason with you. 

“Don’t you remember Siberia?” Sam also knew exactly what Bucky meant. 

Bucky nodded. 

“So you’re just gonna go sit in a room with this guy?” Sam stared at Bucky with a mixture of shock and concern. 

“Yes.” Bucky was hesitant to answer which only made you hate this idea even more. 

“Okay, then.” Sam sighed. “We’re gonna go see Zemo.” 

“No! No, we aren’t not going to see Zemo!” You demanded causing both the boys to stop. 

“(Y/n), it’s different now.” Bucky declared. 

“It’s the only lead we got.” Sam was actually on Bucky’s side. 

“What? And you think he’s just gonna help us like that?” You scoffed out of disbelief. 

“We have to try.” Bucky started to walk again. 

“I trust this guy about as far as I can throw him, Buck!” You exasperated. 

“That’s more than me.” Sam murmured but you chose to ignore it. 

“(Y/n). We’re going.” Bucky wasn't arguing anymore. It was going to happen. 

(PART 2 HERE)

Bucky Barnes Tags

@florencxs​ @mystictimetravelcolor​ @yourphotographyteen16​ @shannon-posts​​ @darkbluenovember @sexwithhiddlesbatch​

[zahri-melitor]

#op i trust you but can i also get some sources#i am interested (from @ccain)

Oh god, where do I start. A lot of this is just...general knowledge or stuff that pops out when you look at a timeline of how the stories going on shake out.

It is very, very clear when you look at how the storyline started, Devin Grayson pitched a 'break the cutie' plot. She spends 18 months carefully making everything go wrong in Dick's life, and then presumably intended for him to come out the other side stronger and more committed to The Mission.

I'm going to compare this again against Red Robin #1-12, which is a compact and successful example of this sort of storyline. RR #1-4 is Tim Hits Rock Bottom. The events of the past 5 years or so finally catch up with him and Tim Breaks. He yells at people he's close to, pushes everyone away, and goes on the run. RR #5-8 is Tim swimming around going 'well I've given in to my Worst Impulses, Am I Evil?' and flirting with Doing Wrong. RR #9-12 is the resolution - Tim realises he still has people who love him and rely on him, he goes to heroically save Bruce's loved ones, and gets a moment of pure sweet resolution hugging Dick in the Cave.

Devin Grayson's whump plot for Dick essentially runs from #71-95, and then from #107-116. She desperately tries to wrap it up in #117 but it's halfhearted at best. The intervening 11 issues (almost a YEAR) in the middle there, #96-106, consists of: 3 issues of War Games, one issue post-War Games that is essentially just the fallout and new status quo being explained to Dick (because he was unconscious during the final parts of War Games), Nightwing #100 (which is about long term stories and doesn't bother to seriously get back to the plot as it's essentially a stand alone issue), and then #101-106, which are Nightwing: Year One, written by Chuck Dixon.

As a writer, Devin Grayson essentially had no choice about anything that happened in that year. Her plot got put on hold for two other stories. It also got put on ice at the worst possible moment: right as Dick hit rock bottom in #93, and let Tarantula shoot Blockbuster. #94-95 mostly consist of Dick wandering around in a daze, probably dissociating from the horror of what he's just let happen, while Catalina tries to marry Dick.

In Red Robin terms, imagine if after RR #4, as Tim is lying there bleeding to death, the plot got put on hold for 11 months while Tim had to go back to Gotham for Blackest Night (instead of those issues just happening as separate tie ins), followed by another writer getting to spend 6 months recapping A Lonely Place of Dying. Imagine what that would do to the story's pacing.

Once Devin gets control of her story back, in issue #107, she launches into the Mob Arc. I like the Mob Arc, being #107-112. It's the equivalent of RR #5-8. Dick's decides that he's a Terrible Person, so he's punishing himself working as an enforcer for the mob. He's also simultaneously remembering what it's like to be part of a family, with a father who cares about you and a little sibling to protect. This is the upswing. It's where Dick is supposed to start recovering, and working out that he's not Evil.

Unfortunately for everyone concerned, the plotting of Infinite Crisis is underway at this point, and Dan Didio wants to kill off a character to seal This Is Really Serious. He wants to do a Barry sacrifice. Didio picks Dick, for a variety of reasons that have been explained many different ways over the years, but that essentially boil down to "Didio saw Dick, as a legacy character, as superfluous". He wasn't Batman OR Robin, but he used to be Robin. People would care but it wouldn't disrupt things that much. Here's a very basic explanation from Didio - there have been a LOT more details leaked over the years.

Didio got it very, very, very wrong. His writer's room for Infinite Crisis essentially staged a coup and forced Didio to accept that killing Dick Grayson would result in half the writers walking/resigning, including iirc Geoff Johns and Marv Wolfman. Geoff Johns was the lead writer for Infinite Crisis. People cared very much about Dick. They swapped his death out for Kon's instead (and the swap came very very late - Infinite Crisis is written as if Dick's about to die, they swapped out pages at the last minute).

BECAUSE Dick was now fated to die during Infinite Crisis, Devin got told to wrap her story up. Nightwing was ending issue #117. She segued over into the Slade plot (which probably was her next intended move anyway - Dick training Rose would be the shock that brought him back out of his moping over being evil), but only gets 3 issues of this, including one where Roy gets to yell at Dick about What Are You Doing??? Slade's also simultaneously part of the Evil Plot going on in Infinite Crisis, and since Dick's dying anyway, the event writers decide to drop Chemo on Bludhaven, to again ramp up the drama and sacrifice. If Dick's dead they don't need the city, plus Devin Grayson had already killed off the majority of characters people cared about there anyway (Batgirl is already scheduled to end at the same time too, and moving Robin back to Gotham was the long term plan anyway).

Standing in the ruins of Bludhaven, in issue #116, Dick finally, finally reaches where RR #9-12 should start. He gets back into the blue fingerstripes and mourns his dead.

Unfortunately for everyone, this resolution arc gets exactly one issue, #117. Dick finally gets to tell Bruce what happened to Blockbuster (which if events hadn't intervened, was more likely to have happened back around #99 or so, or maybe a little later), and he gets engaged to Babs because he's about to die and that was his little treat for getting offed (this is similar to how Steph got to be Robin because she was going to die in War Games. You get a little treat because you're about to be dead).

Unfortunately for Devin Grayson, this level of resolution is about as popular as burnt toast. Didio is shaking up writers for most titles anyway in the aftermath of Infinite Crisis - the point of One Year Later is that they can set up fresh teams on all the books. Devin is off Nightwing, never having got to resolve her plot.

And also, because the last two years of storytelling on Nightwing have been approximately as popular as a root canal with the fans (due to, as I noted, the main plot spending a year in a holding pattern, followed by 11 issues that never fully got back on track after that disruption, as they also got completely thrown for a mess again by Infinite Crisis), Devin Grayson is essentially out the door at DC as well.

I've seen books still be successful around this level of editorial fuckery. But it takes skill, talent and a lot of luck, and Devin Grayson didn't have the trifecta.

(You want an example of a book that survived this level of nonsense? Marc Andreyko's run on Manhunter. Which got cancelled TWICE and then finished up as a back-up in Streets of Gotham. And even that won the lottery several times)

Since I’m once again thinking about it, Devin Grayson really had the worst luck in the world for her whump storyline.

Sure I’m certain it would never have ranked up there with people’s favourites, but I’d love to have seen what her original pitch for the resolution of the storyline was. Presumably the depression-almost-marriage, then Dick runs off and joins the mob, then we finally get a comfort arc where he realises he’s NOT that person and reconciles with the family.

Instead: 9 of the following 13 issues to Nightwing #93 were out of Devin’s control (War Games then Nightwing Year One), she gets her mob arc up only to be informed Dick will be getting sacrificed in Infinite Crisis, and she diverts over to the half done Slade story because nothing really matters at this point, hey? Editorial drops Chemo on Blüdhaven because Dick’s dying anyway, we can sacrifice his city for drama, only for the rebellion to save Dick AFTER PAGES ARE TURNED IN.

I know everyone dislikes #93 and why they feel that way, but it’s also basically the last point for the subsequent two years where Devin had any control over the course of the title, at the end of which she was removed. #94&95 are the start of Dick’s reaction. She gets to write #100 and ONE proper story arc in after this point: the mob arc #107-112. Everything else is scraped together transitions or preempted or someone else’s story.

If her story hadn’t been disrupted for an ENTIRE YEAR at its lowest point by intervening events, so that fans had given up on getting any sort of catharsis out of the whump and had turned on Devin, I can see a world where people enjoy Devin Grayson’s run as ‘the one where Dick gets to go off the rails’. It’d be his Red Robin - known to be Dick not acting normally, but with the fun that yeah, that was DESERVED, and Dick came out the other side solid.

But we don’t live in that world, and instead we live in the world where fans spent an entire year in a holding pattern at Dick’s lowest point, and just gave up caring. The narrative was set. This was The Worst Story (until the subsequent two Worst Stories came about)

[the-iceni-bitch]

Territory Getting Hotter

Pairing: Carol Danvers x enhanced!Fem Reader

Words: ~2.9k

Summary: You’ve made another mess for the Avengers and they find out about your relationship with Captain Danvers

Warnings: explicit language, explicit sexual content (fe receiving oral sex, use of toys, squirting, overstimulation, light dom aspects), mentions of canon level violence, SMUT!!!! 18+ ONLY!!!!

A/N: I love these two!!! Dom!Carol is it you guys, wow. Also, reader is such a massive pain in the ass and I love her for it, I can’t wait to piss off every single Avenger with her antics.

Check out my masterlist and join my taglist here!

You beamed at Carol when she walked into the kitchen, still bleary eyed from sleep as she stretched and ran a hand through her hair.

“Hey babe!” You grinned at her. “Guess who made pancakes?”

“You’re the best sweetie.” She murmured, wrapping around your back and nuzzling into your hair. “We’ll make a housewife out of you yet.”

You laughed as she moved to pour herself some coffee when there was a sudden pounding on the front door.

“Danvers!!” A low voice shouted through the door. “Open up, its Rogers!!”

“Shit!” She hissed, looking around frantically as she tried to find someplace to stash you.

“Would you relax?” You said as you rolled your eyes at her. “He has to find out sometime.”

“Yeah, but not today! He already sounds pissed. One second!!” She shouted back, throwing on some sweats. “Just find somewhere to hide, I don’t feel like dealing with this today.”

She moved to open the door as you shook your head at her, weighing your hiding place options.

“Hey Steve, what’s up?” She said, nonchalantly as she let him inside.

“What’s up? Have you watched the news yet this morning?” He seethed as he stormed into the kitchen.

“Oh no. What did she do?” Carol said, taking a deep breath and cursing you in her head for whatever shit storm you’d started now.

“I can’t even talk about it, I’m so mad.” He growled, moving to pour himself a cup of coffee without even asking. “Even Stark was pissed, and he’s usually pretty lenient.”

“Uh-huh.” Carol said as she chewed on her lip and nibbled on a piece of bacon.

“She managed to drag Thor into it, too. We may have to move her to a full time handler, one that she can’t corrupt.” He said, starting to calm down a little bit. “We’re having a meeting about it in 30 minutes, just wanted you to be prepared. How would you feel about taking her on?”

Carol heard a snort from somewhere in the apartment and did her best not to whip around to find you. Unfortunately Steve heard it to with his damn super soldier hearing.

“What was that?” He hissed, his eyes darting all over the quarters.

“Uh, my smoke alarm’s been acting up.” Carol muttered, trying to usher him out the door. “I’ll think about it, see you soon!”

She slammed the door closed and started searching for you.

“What the fuck did you do, baby?” She asked, scanning the apartment for you.

“Y’know, I think I’m gonna leave that for a surprise.” She heard from above her head and shot her gaze upwards.

You had somehow managed to wedge yourself into a tiny corner in the ceiling of the hallway leading to her bedroom. She was giving you a disapproving look as you dropped to the floor with a grunt and grinned at her.

“You think you can handle me babe?” You said as you moved to the bedroom to get dressed.

——————————————————————————

The two of you were sitting across from each other in the conference room half an hour later, trying to act like you didn’t fuck each other’s brains out every chance you got.

Or, at least Carol was. You were sliding your foot up the inside of her leg as she glared murderously at you and you just grinned like an idiot. She shook her head at you and turned to look at the giant screen where Tony was pulling up the surveillance footage as the rest of the team gave you exasperated glances.

“Oh, here we go, we’re getting to the good part.” Tony said, giving you a meaningful look as he slowed the footage down. “Now who’s this guy you just punched in the face and then threw across the club like a rag doll?”

“I think that’s the Duke of Edinburgh.” You said with a shrug, leaning back in your chair.

“No, that’s the Duke of Sussex, y’know, the queen’s nephew.” Nat said as she took a long drink of her coffee, looking exhausted.

“Oh shit, really?” You said, still grinning like an idiot. “Whoops.”

“And wait, here’s where Point Break blows all the lights in the club, which he says was your idea, so the two of you can make a run for it.” Stark said when the video suddenly went black.

“We weren’t making a run for it, we were pursuing our suspect.” You said, staring daggers at Thor as he tried to sink into his chair.

“Uh-huh, and did you catch your suspect?” Steve said through gritted teeth.

“Yeah, he’s in holding right now.” You said with a shrug.

“What?! Why wasn’t that in your report?” Rogers said as he started to dig through the pile of paperwork in front of him.

“I haven’t completed the report yet, Captain Rogers.” You said lightly. “I made sure to update Captain Danvers though.”

“Let’s not get off track, this is about you assaulting a member of the royal family.” Tony said as he tried to redirect the conversation.

“He assaulted me first! He grabbed my ass and made some very ungentlemanly comments about what he would do if he got me in his car.” You said, pouting as you rested your head on your hands.

“He did grab her ass, Stark. I saw it.” Thor piped up before Rogers shot him a look and he went back to inspecting his coffee.

“So you threw him? That seems like a bit of an overreaction.” Tony said with an uncomfortable shrug.

“It’s a reflex, Stark.” You said, your eyes rolling back in your head as the other women frowned at him. “Sorry, I don’t think putting up with sexual harassment is in my job description.”

“Ok, ok fine. Nat, is there anyway you can spin this?” Stark said, turning to Romanoff as she let out a deep sigh.

“Yeah, the man is a pretty notorious dog, shouldn’t be too hard.” She muttered.

“Great! Excellent meeting team, see y’all at the next one!” You said, starting to stand up before Steve turned his attention to you.

“No, we still need to discuss your recklessness, Y/L/N.” He seethed, shooting you a scowl that you returned with a mocking air that had Carol trying to hold back a snort. “I’ve thought about it a lot and I think the best course is to have you under more direct supervision. I considered splitting up you and Odinson but I feel like that would just spread the chaos around after how much you’ve corrupted him.”

You shot a grin and a wink at Thor that he returned as the two of you finally relaxed, but Steve was still talking.

“So, Danvers is going to be accompanying you on your missions now. I feel like her levelheaded attitude is just what’s needed to keep you two in line.” He said with a satisfied smirk.

“Uh, you sure Danvers is the best choice there, Cap?” Tony said whole Nat snickered into her coffee.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t she be?” Steve said as he looked around at everyone’s amused expressions with confusion.

“They’re fucking each other Steve.” Nat said nonchalantly, sending Steve into a spluttering fit as you started cackling and Carol just rolled her eyes and groaned.

“What?!” Rogers roared, his eyes moving frantically between you and Carol as you grinned at him like an idiot. “How long has this been happening?”

“Six months.” Carol said resignedly, taking a gulp of coffee as she shrugged uncomfortably. “Didn’t really feel like dealing with the paperwork.”

“Si... six months?” Steve groaned, burying his face in his hands. “And you didn’t think that might be a conflict of interest?”

“Don’t worry Cap, Danvers is quite the disciplinarian.” You said with a wicked grin as you waggled your eyebrows suggestively.

Carol growled at you and gave you a meaningful look, and you just rolled your eyes at her before leaning back on your chair and propping your boots on the conference table.

“Well... shit.” Steve sighed, running his palm over his face in exasperation. “I guess Bucky can probably oversee some of your ops, and I’ll take over the rest of them. What?”

You and Thor both groaned at that, rolling your eyes at each other.

“Just, Barnes? Could you pick a bigger stick in the mud?” You said with a shrug. “I mean, we get it dude. You were tortured by evil scientists for years who turned you into a mindless killing machine, who wasn’t? And, I love you Steve, but do you even drink?”

“Ok, we’re gonna head out now.” Carol said as she frowned at you, stepping between you and Steve before a real fight broke out. “Guess we’ll report to HR as soon as we can.”

“Uh-huh.” Rogers mumbled, pouting a little as she ushered you out of the room.

Nat followed after the two of you lazily, shaking her head at Steve and Tony as Stark and Thor tried to assure the Captain that he was loads of fun to be around and a blast at all their parties.

“Congrats again you two.” She said with a grin as she split down a different hallway to her own quarters.

“Thanks Nat! You ever gonna tell him about you and Wilson?” You yelled after her, laughing when she flipped you off over her shoulder. “Told ya they knew, babe.”

“Yeah.” She mumbled before grinning at you. “So, you beat up a royal?”

“Shit. In my defense, I didn’t know he was a royal until after I threw him.” You said, following her down the hall back to her apartment. “I thought he was just a smarmy asshole.”

“That’s the problem, sweetheart.” She purred over her shoulder. “You never consider the consequences of your actions.”

“That’s all I think about, babe.” You said with a wicked grin as you waited for her to open the door.

“And now you’re dragging poor Thor into your messes.” She tutted, shaking her head at you as she closed the door and stripped off her jacket. “If I didn’t know better I’d think you had a little crush on that himbo.”

“If you didn’t know better?” You beamed at her, starting to unbutton your jeans and step out of your boots. “Honey, he’s a literal god. I have a massive crush on him.”

“Oh, are you trying to make me jealous?” She ripped off her tank top and threw it aside. “Cuz I’m already pissed at you.”

“Yeah? What’re you gonna do about it?”

She stepped forward and gripped your jaw tightly, smashing her mouth to yours as she started steering you towards the bedroom. You yelped when she tossed you on the bed, grinning as she climbed on top of you.

“You’re such a bad girl.” She growled at you, ripping your bra off in one quick motion.

You screamed when she slapped your tit harshly, the stinging sensation warming your chest while she bent to open the top drawer of the nightstand.

“I am. I’m fucking horrible.” You gasped as she rifled around. “What are you doing?”

She grinned at you as she straightened back up, holding a set of extra shiny looking restraints.

“These are vibranium.” She cooed as she grabbed your wrists and dragged them above your head, hooking them through the headboard as you panted underneath her. “I stole them from R and D, and there’s no way even you can break out of them.”

“Yeah, we’ll see.” You said around a smirk, giving your hands a test yank and nodding appreciatively as Carol shackled each of your feet to the opposing bedposts.

She bit her lip as she stared at you, your legs spread wide over the bed and making your back arch. You moaned as she tore off your panties and slapped your pussy, your muscles twitching as arousal seeped out of you.

“Mmm, you look so good like this.” She mumbled, sliding down until she was laying between your thighs. “Can’t decide whether I should edge you all night or make you come so many times you forget your own name.”

She ran her tongue over your slit in a heavy stripe and you let out a shriek as you came as soon as she reached your clit. She pressed your hips into the mattress as she lashed her tongue against your bundle of nerves, making your legs quiver with the strain of your orgasm.

“Looks like you made my decision for me.” She grinned at you before diving back in.

Her tongue swirled through your folds expertly, sucking your lips into your mouth and humming against you as your pussy started clenching around nothing. She wrapped her lips around your clit and you came again with a sob as your limbs pulled against the restraints, your body trying to arch off the bed.

She shoved her tongue inside you and you screamed as another orgasm crashed over you when her teeth brushed against your tiny bundle of nerves. Carol kept curling her tongue inside you as you vibrated underneath her, moaning as your release flowed into her mouth and soaked her chin.

“Fuck, Carol!” You whined as she sat up between your legs and lightly ran her fingers over your inner thighs. “That was almost too much.”

“Oh, we’re not done yet.” She smirked as she watched you panting underneath her, reaching for the bedside table again while you squirmed.

“Hey!” you exclaimed as she pulled out a massive dildo from the drawer of toys. “Is that my stormbreaker? I’ve been looking for that!”

“Yeah, well I wanted to see what all the fuss was about.” She murmured before dragging the length on the thing through your slick coated folds, making you keen. “Did you know this thing comes with a thruster?”

“Yeah, why do you think I bought it?” You teased before your eyes rolled back in your head as she shoved it inside you.

She started fucking you with the toy at a punishing pace, grinning as you came apart like putty in her hands. Tears started leaking down your cheeks when she turned the vibrating function on and angled it so it was teasing against your clit with each push.

You whined as she bent over you and wrapped her lips around your nipple and swirled her tongue around it. She grinned against your chest as you tried to arch into her mouth, your restraints still holding you in place.

“Mmm, you gonna come again baby?” She muttered, nipping at the curve of your breast as your body started twitching, your release looming over you as you sobbed wordlessly. “Do it, you look so pretty when you fall apart.”

She twisted her wrist and you shrieked as your pussy fluttered wildly, your release leaking out around the dildo and pooling on her sheets. Your cried as she kept fucking you through it, wet sloshing sounds filling her bedroom as the toy slid in and out of you easily.

You let out an inhuman wail when she turned on the thruster and you felt the tip of the toy punch you in the cervix, coming again immediately as your body writhed wildly.

“Shit, I see why you love this thing.” She smirked as she kissed her way up your chest, still shoving the toy into your overworked cunt as your body went lax, your head polling to the side and drool leaking from the corner of your mouth. “You think about Thor fucking you when you use this, babe? Maybe I should bring him in here to fuck you stupid while I watch, would you like that?”

You just mumbled stupidly as your body shook with another orgasm, sinking into the bed in your fucked out state. Her slap snapped you out of it, making you take in a sharp breath as your brain rebooted.

“I asked you a question.” She growled as she twisted the toy again and you let out a low moan.

“I feel like this might be a trap.” You gasped as she palmed at your breast and laid down against your shoulder, still thrusting the toy into you viciously.

“That sounds like a yes to me.” She purred, nuzzling into your neck as she gave the toy a final push.

You screamed as she pulled it out of you suddenly, your release squirting out of you in a violent rush. Your body thrashed violently with the power of your orgasm and Carol cursed as you snapped her headboard and bedposts, the bed frame shuddering before one of the legs gave out and it sank to the floor with a crash.

“Holy fuck, you ok?” She asked, sitting up and grinning at you as she assessed the damage you’d caused.

“Yeah.” You said, swallowing thickly as you moved your limbs with a groan. “At least we know the cuffs work! Sorry about your bed.”

“Don’t worry about it.” She murmured, grabbing the key and unlocking the restraints before pulling you back against her chest. “We’ll just use yours I guess.”

“Are you gonna move in with me? I think that may give Rogers an aneurysm.”

“He’ll get over it.” She shrugged as you nuzzled into her chest. “Now, how do you think we should approach Thor?”

“What?! You were serious?”

——————————————————————————

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[ray-ray-writings]

Seeing Red-Technoblade

This is a Techno x gn!reader in the dreamsmp! I hope you enjoy!

Check out my masterlist here!

This is extremely different from what happens in cannon lol. 

TW: Fighting and descriptions of blood and gore. Techno literally slices up four people. There is nothing too NSFW but Techno and Y/N do take a shower together, but nothing really sexual happens, it’s just a shower shared by two peeps that love each other. 

When Y/N gets kidnapped by the Butcher Army to lure their boyfriend to L’Manberg, Technoblade sees red and is willing to do anything to get them back… Anything.

Techno’s POV

It was quiet around the house… Too quiet. Normally, I would always be able to hear Y/N moving around or singing randomly, but there was nothing. “Y/N?” I called out, hoping to get some form of response from them. Silence. “Love?” I tried once more, moving around hoping to find them. Nothing. 

A pounding on my front door startled me out of my focus. Maybe that was them! Why would they be knocking though, they live here… I swung the door open and was greeted with the sight of my father, who seemed to be out of breath, on my front step. “Dadza?” I questioned in confusion, “What are you doing here?” “They have them,” He breathed. I felt my blood run cold and my heart stop at his words. “What?” “They have them… The Butcher Army has Y/N,” He rushed out, taking a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. “They gave me this note to give to you.” I snatched the piece of paper from my fathers hands and quickly scanned the words scrawled on the parchment. 

“Technoblade, something of yours seems to have fallen into our possession. If you want them back safely, we suggest you come to L’Manberg and turn yourself into us. If you follow our orders, no harm will come to Y/N. But if you refuse, there will be hell to pay and your partner will take the full front of it. Signed, The Butcher Army.” 

I felt my blood boil at the words written on the piece of paper. How dare they? How dare they threaten my Y/N? Coming after me is one thing. But going for my innocent partner, that’s crossing a line. “Stay here,” I barked at my father before storming out of the house. Luckily, I had all of my OP armor and weapons on me considering I was in the nether doing… things… Doesn’t matter. Point is, I quickly saddled up my trusty horse Carl and immediately began galloping off to L’Manberg. 

Carl seemed to sense my urgancing because the trip took half the amount of time that it normally does. Once I was in the vicinity, I hopped off of Carl and tied him up just far enough away so that no one would be able to see him. I rushed up the Prime Path to the center of L’Manberg and was sick to my stomach at what I found. Y/N, my Y/N was trapped in a small cage with a tall tower built next to it, an anvil looming over the cage. Rage filled every inch of my body as their bloodshot eyes met mine. 

“Techno!” I heard them whisper in relief. “Technoblade!” I heard another voice call. I turned slowly and found Tubbo, Ranboo, Fundy, and Quackity standing in the ‘area’ as well dressed in bloody aprons, sick smiles on their faces. “I knew you would make the right choice” Tubbo claimed, everyone taking a few steps forward. “I’m here. Let Y/N go.” I hissed, my teeth clenched tightly. “Oh we will. But only after you comply, get in the cage.” Quackity demanded, motioning to the second cage next to Y/N. “That wasn’t the deal. That wasn’t what was in your note.” “Well we’ve changed our minds.” 

All of the rage that had built up in my body finally overpowered me. I quickly reeled my fist back and punched the nearest person near me, which just so happened to be Fundy. He reeled back due to the force of the punch. For a moment, the other three froze but then immediately snapped into action. I pulled out my shield and my axe as they charged forward at me. I easily blocked their attacks while dealing out my own damage. I moved with ease, taking very little damage as my axe and sword seemed to slice through the four boys with ease, their dark red blood coating my weapons. 

One by one they all fell at my hand, each of the death notifications popped up on my right arm. I stood there, taking deep breaths as I calmed myself down from what had just happened. “Techno!” my partner’s voice called out from behind me. My head snapped over to the cage and I sprinted over to it. Taking one swing with my pickaxe, the iron bars broke and Y/N was released from their prison. I hesitated before hugging them, not sure if they were willing to hug me while I was covered in blood. Y/N had no hesitations, immediately after the bars broke their arms were wrapped around me and they were crying in my chest. My arms wrapped around them, hugging them tightly to my chest and pressing a kiss to the top of their head. 

“Let’s go home,” I murmured into their hair. I felt them nod under my head. I pulled away from them and grabbed their hand and led them to where I left Carl. I helped them get on the horse before I hopped on behind them. I wrapped my arms around them and grabbed the reins. Y/N leaned back into my chest and I moved so that my head rested on their shoulder. I gave Carl a soft kick before he began to trot back towards our home. 

Carl knew where to go once our house came into view. Once in the stable, I pulled myself from Y/N to get off my beloved horse before helping Y/N off as well. I quickly desaddled Carl before giving him a few pats and a golden carrot. I grabbed Y/N’s hand and led them into the house. 

“Oh god! I’m so glad you’re alright! What happened to you guys?” My father questioned as soon as we walked in the house. I let out a small growl in frustration. I love my father but right now I just wanted to spend time with my partner. “I’ll explain later Dadza. Can you just leave us alone right now?” I tried to ask politely, but it probably came out a little more rude than I meant it to. Phil seemed to understand though because he only gave me a soft smile before nodding. He quickly made his way to our front door, “I’ll be over tomorrow then?” He questioned. “Sounds good dad. I’ll see you then.” I responded shortly. “Bye Philza” Y/N murmured with a small wave. Philza gave them another soft smile, waving back, “Bye Y/N. I’ll see you two tomorrow.” And he was gone. 

“Let’s go get cleaned up, yeah?” I offered to Y/N softly. They simply nodded with a small smile. I led them to the bathroom and turned on the shower. I helped them undress before unrobing myself as well. Together, the two of us got in the warm water. The deep crimson began running off of our bodies and down the drain. I helped Y/N wash their hair and in return they helped me wash mine. We helped each other wash our bodies as well, making sure to get all of the dried blood off of our red stained skin. As I washed, I wrapped my arms around their middle and just held them tightly to my chest. Their arms snaked up and wrapped around my neck, one of their hands resting gently in my pink hair and they began to play with it softly. 

We stood there together for quite a while, just enjoying the warm water as it washed over our bodies. As the dirt and grime fell from our bodies, the rage and the tension fell from my body inside. Y/N seemed to always have this effect on me. Whenever I could feel myself growing angry and the voices in my head scream for blood, Y/N simply has to look at me and the voices fall silent. They’re my eye of the hurricane. 

A chill ran up my back as I noticed the water had finally gone cold. Pulling away from Y/N, I quickly turned off the water and got out of the shower, offering my hand to my partner and helping them out as well. I pulled a couple towels out of our cabinet before slowly and gently dragging the towel over Y/N’s body, drying them off. I finished drying their body and quickly dried mine as well. 

We moved to our bedroom to get clothes. Y/N moved to go to their dresser, but my hand found their wrist causing them to stop. “No. Here.” I uttered walking to my own dresser and pulling out some of my more comfortable clothes. Y/N had no objections. They took the clothes and quickly dressed. After getting dressed myself, I turned and was awestruck at the sight. Obviously I’m bigger than Y/N and so my clothes are a lot bigger as well. The sight of my partner draped in my clothes caused my heart to hammer in my chest. 

“You are the most beautiful sight anyone could ever lay their eyes upon,” I murmured, staring deeply at Y/N. They turned and met my eyes, their cheeks blushed a bright red at my compliments. “You’re too sweet,” they squeaked, trying to turn away and hide their face. I took a few steps forward before reaching forward and cupping their cheek, turning their head to face me. “No need to hide from me darling. I know you better than anyone has known you. I love you so much,” I hummed, staring in their eyes. Their cheeks seemed to burn brighter but they nuzzled their cheek into my palm, “I love you too… Can we go to sleep now?” I let out a small chuckle, “Of course we can love.” 

Together we crawled into bed. I opened my arms and Y/N immediately crawled into my arms, snuggling their face into my chest. I pulled them as close to my body as I could. I heard Y/N let out a content sigh as we laid there. “I’m so sorry that happened today, love.” I spoke, breaking the silence. I felt their shoulders rise and fall as they shrugged, “It happens. I wasn’t too worried. I know you’ll always be there to save me.” Y/N mumbled sleepily in my chest. I tilted my head down and pressed a sweet kiss to the top of their head. “That I will, love. That I will.” 

I never know how to end things lol. I hope you enjoyed! If you did please be sure to leave a like!

[gatoplanet]

Allison and Klaus interaction that combines banter and ~*feelings*~. Your choice what age they are.

“So, this Ray,” says the lump of brother on Allison’s couch, “where’d he come from, huh?”

Allison waits until Klaus looks up, and points at him. “Don’t even think about it.”

“Aww, c’mon.” Klaus flops a hand through the air, lets it drop back onto the cushion in front of him. “I thought the boyfriend stealing days were behind us.”

“Behind you. I never stole anybody’s boyfriend.”

“And stealing is - is such a strong word. I would characterize it as borrowing.”

Allison takes a long, healing sip of vodka lemonade. “You didn’t keep any of them, I’ll grant you that.”

“And neither did you! Good for you, kick those assholes to the curb.”

Klaus’s shoulder is in leg range of Allison’s armchair, if she scoots forward a little and leans into it. She gets one hit in before he catches on and hauls himself off in the other direction.

“No, no,” he says, “you two’re - you’re all loved up. I just figure, you know, might be back on the market soon, if you can get me a tour of the hot husband factory.”

“None of your disciples gonna make the cut?”

Klaus snorts, tilts his glass back to get the splash left over at the bottom. It’s one of Ray’s mother’s glasses, the nice ones they get down for family. “They’re sweet, I guess, but, I mean. S’not really me they know, is it?”

“Not like Ray knows me, either. That’s sort of the problem.”

“Trouble in paradise?”

“What, him not coming home last night didn’t clue you in?”

“C’mere.”

Klaus holds his arms open, waves his hands around until Allison gets up and joins him on the couch. He tugs her into his chest and props his chin up on her head. He’s wearing one of her shirts, because of course he is, and it makes him smell like her house. Like part of her life.

“Fix it,” Klaus says. “You gotta, he’s way better than Pat.”

“Oh my god, Klaus.”

“Seriously, I should’ve done one more borrow for old time’s sake, saved you a world of hurt.”

Allison swats at Klaus’s arms where they’re wrapped around her shoulders. “This is why you weren’t invited to my wedding.”

“You didn’t invite me? I thought I just didn’t get the letter, what with not having an address at the time.”

“You didn’t miss much, honestly. A bunch of photo ops.”

“I saw an article at the clinic. You look better over on the mantle.”

“Yeah.” Allison can see the photo from pretty much anywhere in the room. She put it there because it’s nice to look at. Even now, it’s nice. “This one was fun.”

“The sixties did right by us, huh? Who would’ve thought?”

“Only one thing missing.”

“Mm.” Klaus gives her a little squeeze. “Does he know about her?”

“He, um.” Allison swallows. “He knows I had a baby. And that I lost her.”

“What’s he think of that?”

“He thinks - he thinks I’m brave. That I went through that alone.”

Klaus extracts one of his bony gangly arms and grabs the vodka bottle off the rug. “Can I ask you something?”

“Shoot.”

“Did you, you know.” He twists the top off one handed, takes a drink, smacks his lips. “Did you work your magic on him?”

“Nope.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Well, then, see? The man actually likes you, for some reason. You’ll figure it out.”

Allison plucks the bottle from Klaus’s hand. It stings going down, in a nice, sinus-clearing way. She puts the bottle back on the floor, out of Klaus’s reach. “Thanks, Klaus.”

“And if you don’t, you send him my way, deal?”

“Yeah, okay,” she says. “Deal.”

[eb3yr]

Wow the reblogs are wild.

Big fat chunk of words incoming (new keyboard, wanted to type a bit, sue me)

I’m not on the side of OP, first off. OP’s wrong and they’re going about it the wrong way. I’m not on the side of the spanner in the reblogs who used those tags, either.

The thing about veganism is that this:

Is the definition pretty much everyone’s familiar with. No amount of “well veganism is actually about this, and not that” in some obscure reblogs on a social media platform that isn’t particularly well-trodden compared to others is going to change that.

Being in-your-face “you’re wrong!” towards people when you’re trying to change their mind is going to do the opposite of what you want. This goes for OP and some of the people in the reblogs. And being a twat in the tags just makes people stop listening to you altogether (going for the person from the first pic).

Here’s the deal: Veganism has pros and cons. To some it’s viable, whether that’s because of accessibility to vegan products, whether there’s an economical factor in play, whether they have dietary needs, etc. To some it isn’t viable to lead a fully vegan lifestyle. Some people just don’t want to because of personal choice, and that’s fine!

Attacking people for not wanting to follow a lifestyle they may not want to, or be able to, is just going to make them more resistant to your intended message. We don’t want that! We want what’s best for the environment first and foremost, and we need to focus on that.

Instead of going “Stop using animal products altogether!”, maybe start off with trying to raise awareness about the difference in carbon footprints of various different animal products. Beef and lamb are very bad, pork isn’t great, chicken isn’t as bad, eggs even less so. Provide resources!  https://www.pawprint.eco/eco-blog/carbon-footprint-meat-lovers is a short and easy-to-digest blog post you could share around.

Target arguments instead of the person arguing them. Find some sources to solidly rebut them, or at least good talking points that aren’t hard to wrap your head around. I saw someone mention soil erosion with farming - that’s a very valid point that can be swung in favour either way. Soil erosion and degradation is a concern that needs to be addressed for sustainable farming. However, animals need to be fed. A lot of land is used to grow the food that feeds the animals that produce the products you use. Meat is a one-time thing per animal, so it’s particularly bad, as opposed to something like eggs, of which many can be produced by one chicken, but every animal needs to be fed, and that’s a larger volume of food going in than what you’re getting out of them.

If you can convince someone to check the packaging of the meat they’re buying to see if it’s produced locally, or at least in their country, rather than it being lamb imported all the way from New Zealand to Europe for example, then that’s a win! Far less food miles, that’s good for the planet!

If you can convince someone to drop beef and lamb in favour of pork, fish and chicken, that’s also a win! If you can convince someone to have a vegetarian or vegan meal once a week, and give them some links to wonderful meals, you just cut down their meat consumption by 14% in one go!

It’s never black and white. At the end of the day, you need to respect people’s choices, and you need to go about all this in a more considerate manner.

I’m not vegan, but my cousin is and everyone in my family supports him in that. He’s helped family members with reducing meat consumption, and made some really tasty suggestions. I also used to study Geography back when I was doing my GCSEs, so I’m by no means an expert but I’m familiar with some of the big issues surrounding food production. There’s plenty of good reasons to try and be more aware of what foods and products you’re consuming, but it’s ultimately your choice.

“There is no reason for everyone not to go vegan!”

Yes, there are, you just refuse to listen to them.