#valorant reckoning

[yelenaa-romanova]

So here are my (cluttered) thoughts about the cinematic because I'm hyped af and don't know who to talk to why not

Cypher didn't die!

Iso is so babygirl!

The sounds of the ingame util and abilities were so perfect I love easter eggs like this

Omen with the new gun looked so freaking cool like YESS

CYPHER DIDN'T DIE!

Animation was beautiful and on point as always, I especially enjoyed the shots with the location names, felt like a movie

About that, Riot, I'm waiting 👀

The shot that had SCATTER written across the scene with Omen pushing his former boss out of the window was pure perfection

Love how the animation style changed for the flashbacks

Viper is hot pretty and shady af but goddamn this woman could do things to me

Omen saying "I'll deliver it personally" in the end gave me chills and I need a separate video just about that

None of them died and they just kicked ass together and it made me very excited! I need more!!

Also I wonder if Brim and the other higher ups at VP know about Omen and Viper's shared history

I feel like shit is about to go down and I hope we get new voicelines about the new lore

[nikcov]

Reckoning Cinematic - Cluttered Theories and Thoughts

Obviously this contains spoilers for the Reckoning Cinematic, so be warned!

As a long time Omen and Cypher fan (where are the Cyphmen people at?) I was absolutely screaming whilst watching this cinematic. And as a big lore enjoyer, I have so many questions and theories.

First of all Viper. I loved to see the fragments of what happened to Omen before he become the wraith we know and love. And to be honest it's more of a drama than I imagined it to be. A widely accepted theory is that Viper was in love with or Omen and Viper were in some sort of relationship before it all happened. Even though we see Omen trying to murder Viper in the cinematic, this still can be true, or atleast for Viper.

In the cinematic we see that Omen is trapped in come sort of tube and a question I have is, why would she go through with trapping and ripping him into pieces unless there is something more? Killing would be so much easier, especially in the long run... I'm hoping we will get atleast some snippets of their conversation in the future.

So I have two theories for this. The first theory is based on some sort of platonic relationship between them/a one-sided crush. In the cinematic we see Omen wearing a hasmic suit (?). Why would he wear that to the assassination if he's nicknamed Ghost and probably incredibly stealthy? Maybe because he infiltrated Kingdom and won the trust of Sabrine to get close to her? Because I can't imagine why it would have such an impact on her (and eventually becoming Viper, with her dark comments and so) and remaining friends with Omen even after his assassination attempt, unless there is something else behind it. It would explain why she didn't kill him but did some sort of "hard reset" on Omen, but from the impression I get going drastically wrong (referencing to the voiceline from Viper to Sage: "Sage, you're the only one who can keep us alive. Don't fail us now like you failed me then." but the other ("Never, ever assume you can help me. You can't help me, you can't help them!") doesn't really aline with my theory because who is them?) and asking Sage to revive him making Omen who he is today. That brings me to the question, how does Viper know Sage?

The second theory is less relationship based. Basically Sabine made an expert out of Omen, ripping him appart thousands of times. This could already be the tripping point for Sabrine to become Viper, because she basically torturing a man and ending in something worse that death. Maybe calling him old friend is more sarcastic, but I don't think so, because another voiceline ("Joh- I mean, Omen. Keep yourself together, you're still needed.") suggests she does care about Omen, even before he became a wraith. So I think this is less plausible than my first theory.

Also why has Iso done a switcheroo on his former employer? I don't think Valorant would pay him more, maybe for the great ✨working atmosphere✨? Idk. I do like his supportiveness towards Omen. Maybe Iso also has an negative opinion towards them/experience with their ways of maintaining control?

So yea in conclusion, I thought the cinematic was very cool :)

Thank you for reading my bouncing ball brain ramble! If you have any theories of your own or any notes to mine, feel free to leave them :)

(A lot of kudos towards the animators, storyboarders, voice actors and everyone else that has worked on this Cinematic, it was brilliant)

[non-operator]

fucking love how we got to see how these guys might operate in a real mission instead of like, an in-game circumstance

Like, Omen being the main point of entry/attack with Cypher being in his own separate location and keeping an eye on more digital security while Sova stays outside to provide (ranged) support and also work as back-up if things start going wrong. And the fact that Cypher is the go-to if things start going wrong and Sova only jumps in to wreck shit if things are getting too tight.

And the fact that Iso was taken along, but does not participate. Was he just the Vulcan driver and arrived at the very end? Or was he just sitting in the Vulcan waiting, meaning that he was just not allowed to participate? I feel like that shows the degree of trust he has earned in VP?

[froggibus]

Reminiscence - Omen

Genre: hurt/comfort + fluff

Pairing: Omen x gn! reader

Word Count: 1.6k

Summary: after Omen returns from Indonesia, you find yourself questioning the nature of your relationship in light of his returning memories

CW: spoilers/allusions to Reckoning!! hurt/comfort, FWB type relationship, mentions of violence? talks of Omen's past, lots of reassurance

ive been playing valorant again and ive been do downbad for Omen its not even funny. this man lives in my head rent free 24/7 365...anyway val simps i noticed you're content starved and i am here to provide

Your nail cracks when you sink your teeth into your fingertip too hard. You rip your hand away from your mouth, shaking it around in the cold air to soothe the throbbing nail bed as you continue to pace around HQ. Your fingers are replaced by your bottom lip, your teeth desperate to sink into something, anything, to keep you grounded while you wait for the men to return.

It’s a near 10 hour flight from Indonesia back to HQ, and while Brimstone had told you to get some rest, you couldn’t fathom it. An overwhelming feeling that something was wrong had been hanging over your head the entire evening, and no matter what you did, you couldn’t shake it. 

Omen is anxious the entire flight back from Jakarta. His heart hammers against his ribcage and the flood of blurry memories is endless. All he can think of is how he’s going to confront Viper, what answers he’s going to beg her for. 

When they land back at HQ, it’s the middle of the night. Even after Sova, Iso and Cypher exit the dropship, Omen remains in his seat. Exhaustion radiates through him, shockwaves of pain from the machine he’d been forced in earlier still roll over his body.

You start to worry when only three men return from the hangar. Cypher and Iso are in good spirits, but there’s a sour look clouding Sova’s face. While the others return to their respective rooms, Sasha flops on the couch in front of you, his presence managing to stop your incessant pacing.

He waits until everyone is out of earshot before speaking. “Something happened,” he keeps his voice low, “with Omen.”

“Is he okay?”

“We had a close call, he’s still in one piece.” The archer sighs, “he didn’t speak to us about it, but his memories…he remembers something.”

You flinch. It was selfish, but you’d always feared the day Omen’s memory would return. Dreaded it, even. The man was never clear on the nature of your relationship, never clear on what he felt for you. You’d grant each other comfort when it was needed, and on some nights, much more than that. There was never a definition there, though, never any certainty.

Your feelings for him only grew with time but Omen remained as stoic as always. His lack of commitment left you painfully awaiting the day his memories would come back, when he’d remember he had a wife and kids, or some pretty supermodel girlfriend you could never compete with. You wanted to, but no matter how hard you tried, you couldn’t pull away.

Sova rises to his feet, squeezing your shoulder in reassurance. “You should rest.” 

You swallow and nod, waving him off as he retracts into the dark halls. You don’t rest, though. You plant yourself on the couch and continue to wait, your thoughts running laps around your mind. It’s nearly four in the morning before you hear the hangar door open and soft footsteps approach from down the hall.

You clench your hands tightly, nails digging into your palm. You’re not ready for this, you’ll never be ready for this. A part of you is tempted to retreat to your room, but then Omen is rounding the corner and you know it’s too late.

“Y/n?” He looks surprised to see you, “what are you doing awake?”

You force yourself to your feet, walking around the couch to face him. “I was waiting for you,” you say quietly.

Omen isn’t quite sure what to say to that—he’s never sure what to say to you. The love he feels for you is always outweighed by his fear of the past, the fear of himself, and he always finds himself retreating from his feelings.

“It’s late.”

Your heart drops to your stomach. It’s only two words, but it sounds an awful lot like a dismissal. A silent plea for you to go away. It’s two words, but it practically confirms the thoughts that have taunted you all night.

You hang your head and start to drag your feet to your room. You’re tempted to argue and stay put and force him to tell you what happened tonight, but what good would that do? 

Omen watches you walk away with a heavy heart. All he craves right now is your comfort, but it’s not fair to you, or to him, or to Viper. Until he can make sense of the things he’s learned, he can’t fathom putting that on you.

—

You get an hour of restless sleep before you’re woken up by a shout followed by  a door slamming. You jump to your feet, body swaying as you fight the black spots from standing up too quickly. When you finally gather your bearings, you see Omen standing in the corner of your room, eyes locked on you.

“Is something wrong?” You ask, still on alert from the sudden awakening.

The wraith shakes his head, finding his way to your bed as naturally as he would his own. He lets himself fall to the mattress. He hasn’t slept since before Indonesia and his argument with Viper has only tired him out more. You look at him with those soft eyes that slow his racing heart, and Omen knows he’s so gone. 

There’s a bitter taste on your tongue from how well he fits into your bed—into your life—but you manage to bite it back. You sink back into your bed next to him, careful to draw your knees into your chest so that you don’t accidentally touch him.

Your feelings from just hours ago still cloud over you, settling over your heart like a thick fog. “Did something happen? I heard a door slam.”

“I spoke to Viper,” he says simply, stretching his arms to fold them behind his head.

“And?”

“I got answers.”

A sigh passes through your lips. Typical Omen, granting you only short answers and curt glimpses into his life. Your eyes begin to tear up, your nose stinging with the impending threat of your emotions. You tilt your head back, desperately trying to keep calm.

“Y/n?”

You clench your jaw, continuing to stare at the ceiling. If you dare open your mouth, you know the floodgates will open.

“Did I—is something wrong?” He ghosts a hand over your hip, not quite touching you but letting you know he’s there.

“I—” Your voice breaks as soon as you try to speak, the tears finally bubbling over and starting to run down your face. You give up on trying to hide it, finally turning to look at him.

“Oh,” he says quietly, finally bringing his hand to grab your waist, the other one wiping your tears and cupping your wet cheek. 

“Why don’t you ever share your life with me? I feel like—like you don’t even like me. And now you remember everything and you’re gonna leave and go back to your life and—”

Omen cuts you off with a dry laugh. The sound is enough to shock you out of your meltdown, your breathing turning even without you even realizing. You stare at him curiously. What about this is funny?

When he speaks, his voice carries all the kindness in the world. “Do you really think I’d leave just because I remember my past? Y/n…”

The sad nod you offer him breaks his heart.

“Y/n,” he brushes his thumb beneath your eye to catch another tear. “My past is a monstrosity, I was a monstrosity…I don’t want to go back to that, ever.”

“But—”

“Ever.” He affirms.

You stare at him, admiring the delicacy he paints your skin with. You’ve shared soft moments with him before, but this is something entirely new, entirely different.

“You’re not a monstrosity,” you whisper. “You’re not your past.”

He leans against your shoulder, admiration clear in the gesture. It was only a day ago that he was placing a furious phone call to Brimstone on the jet home, uttering the same words you just spoke. Somehow, hearing it from you is more convincing than hearing it from himself.

It’s silent for only a moment before he says: “Getting back to what you said earlier.” 

“What?”

You hardly even remember what you said to him in the midst of your meltdown, the words now sounding foreign in your ears. 

“You think I don’t like you?”

“No, it’s not—you don’t need to…” you trail off awkwardly.

He pulls away from your shoulder and adjusts his grip on your face to force you to stare at him. “You said you feel like I don’t like you.”

“It’s not a big deal.”

“Y/n.”

His tone is serious and forces you to pause before you speak again. He still holds your jaw in his hand, keeping your gaze level with his. His fingertips are like fire against your skin.

“I’m only going to say this once.” He keeps that same serious tone. “The things I feel for you, they cannot be described with fondness, or admiration, or ‘like’. I don’t—I can’t” he corrects, “put it into words. But y/n, just know, it would take ripping me apart and scattering my atoms across time to get me to leave you.”

You melt. The former rigidness to your muscles, the proud set of your jaw—it all melts away. The butterflies in your stomach burst into your chest and leave you speechless. 

Omen presses a soft kiss to your cheek. “Are we clear?”

You nod.

“Good.”

Omen falls back onto your mattress, grabbing your hips to tug you down with him. You settle in against the side of his chest, your head nuzzled into the crook of his arm. Your body practically gives away heat, acting as his own personal radiator.

He sighs contentedly, the sleep he’s been delaying coming easily with you by his side.

(if you enjoy content like this, interactions go a long way! comments, likes & rbs are always greatly appreciated ^-^ !!)

masterlist

[tesb]

EPISODE 8 CINEMATIC: RECKONING "The truth... won't stay hidden forever."

[likesdoodling]

I know this might seem like a wild crossover, but so far as I'm concerned it makes perfect sense. >:D

[valorant-omen]

There will be a reckoning.

[x]

[tauindi]

tbh i don't think you can put an end to single-use plastics without also reckoning with capitalist + imperialist worker exploitation.

[cleavetheclover]

Okay so now that the Ep 8 Reckoning cinematic is out, I gotta say I ADORE IT (and my analysis may show up in a different post depending on whether I feel like typing it all out)

But unfortunately, the existence of the new canon material completely retcons everything I have in store for Omen in my fic Nighttime in Las Vegas.

Fuck!

I guess that’s what I deserve for planning a fic that would take 3 years to write for a fandom that is constantly updating…

In my defense, I did not plan for it to take that long while in the initial drafting stage 🤷‍♂️

and most of the time spent is because I insist on perfection before uploading which means writing two drafts of each chapter (trying to get better about this perfectionism thing but it’s really fuckin hard)

Anyway! My lamentations aside, what do I do?

See below break (no spoilers I promise)

Hi besties so you stuck with me! love u

So, the first option is just stick with Plan A and write what I had planned.

That plan included a certain Big Revelation for Omen’s origins that lined up well with canon material up until this cinematic. I really liked the headcannon/theory and was very excited to present it to the fandom until now, and have already put in a fair amount of foreshadowing/buildup for it in Ch 2 and 4. It would be a pain in the fucking ass to change/edit/remove/ etc existing content in the fic

On the other hand, I could try changing the future narrative of the fix to fit canon, but I think it would come out to be really fuckin ugly and messy storytelling, and I’m really not a fan of that (especially considering how much work I put in to maintain consistency in this work for Cypher’s storyline)

On a third option, I could just abandon the storyline with the Box or write scenes that significantly diminish its role in the story, but that feels like useless and spiteful retconning that I’m also not in the mood for

Which leaves me with Plan A. Write the story as is, and I’ll also put a little disclaimer about canon shit in the author notes and leave it at that.

I’m sorry if that’s not the answer you wanted, but I think that’s what’s best for myself and the work. If you have advice/support about this topic, I’d highly appreciate it! Comment here or DM me idc which lol

Much love to all <3

[zae-heeyyy]

Valor

Summary: Arthur takes you on one of his adventures. Pairing: Arthur Morgan x female!Reader Word Count: 1,760 Trigger Warning: Animal attack, angry-ish Arthur, violence Tags: mid- high honor Arthur, damsel in destress, fluff, and angst

a/n: Hey y'all! It's been a while since I posted because life is crazy right now. This is a request from @littlemistey. I'm paraphrasing from our convo, "Arthur x reader where the reader is saved by Arthur from almost being mauled by a cougar or a pack of wolves." Sketches are copied/cut from Arthur's journal. A classic "Arthur Morgan, please save me" trope. Thanks for reading!

Valor: Great courage in the face of danger, especially in battle. It denotes bravery and heroism, particularly in challenging or risky situations.

The bones in your wrists ached with the numbing weight of boredom as another morning of chores lumbered on. In, around, under, off. In, around, under, off. In, around, under, off. Intertwined pieces of yarn grew longer at your feet as the knitting cadence played in your head. You'd zoned out, daydreaming of anything more exciting than this.

A rhythmic clank of guns on a belt alerted you to your approaching burly cowboy.

You would've been glad to see him any other time, but your contempt for your chores and an odd hat on his head made you groan with irritation. A lit cigarette sat snug between his lips as he talked, muffling his speech.

"Why you sittin' here with your lip stuck out?" he asked, adjusting his belt and sitting beside you on a wooden crate. He tossed the cigarette away, leaned over to kiss the temple of your head, and placed a hand on the small of your back.

"Bored outta my mind," you complained. The sun reflected off a shiny decorative piece on his hat, making you squint. "And why are you wearing that stupid hat?"

"What?" he opened his hands out questioningly with a goofy grin stretched across his face. "A man keeps this camp afloat, and he can't even wear a nice hat without his lady callin' it stupid."  

You rolled your eyes and gestured to all the women in the camp, cleaning tables and guns, sewing, and helping with dinner.

"No, we keep this camp afloat while you men are out doing god knows what," you said, your stitches getting sloppier as your vexation grew. "I'm losing my mind here. Meanwhile, you come back with fancy trinkets, weird statues, emeralds, and crazy hats! You know, I think you do the robbing and hunting only sometimes, and when that's done, you're just out there playing around!"

You finally stopped knitting and turned to Arthur, whose playful grin had faltered into a thoughtful glance. You continued your monologue, "Ugh! I swear, if you don't get me outta here, I'm gonna stab Grimshaw through the eye with this needle!"

You held the sharp point inches away from Arthur's face, prompting him to snatch it from you. "Alright, easy there." He grabbed your hand in two of his gloved ones and glanced at it from under the brim of his hat, thinking for a long moment, "Fine, you can come with me long as nobody gets stabbed. Can't have a degenerate murderer loose in this camp, now, can we?"

Ignoring his sarcasm, you squealed excitedly and jumped up from your spot, pulling on Arthur's arm to make him stand, too.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," you said between the many kisses you laid on him. He stilled you with firm hands on your waist and chuckled.

"I reckon it won't be as exciting as you think, but I can't say no to you."

Within a few minutes, you were ready to go, aiming and checking the ammo on a varmint rifle that Arthur had given you.

"Met a strange feller, Algernon Wasp. He's a— he has— well, he— he's an artist, I guess; he's paying me to collect some stuff for his, uh, creations. Bird feathers, orchids, that kind of stuff. Would be faster with the two of us."

And that's how you found yourself in the swamps of Lemoyne with the varmint rifle slung over your shoulder as you swatted away mosquitoes and sweated your ass off. You were hot, thirsty, and worst of all, you'd only found four of the seven cigar orchids you needed.

Mud squelched under your feet as you followed behind Arthur; you spoke exasperatedly, "how much is this fool paying you for all this?"

Arthur had gone quieter as you'd gotten more frustrated over the hours. Both of you were starting to regret this decision.

"I don't know. Money is money," he said dismissively, his head on a swivel and eyes focused. You were bothered that he could so easily spot plants and always knew which direction to go, expecting you to keep pace with his long strides when mud weighed down your skirts, slowing you down. You knew it was irrational, but you were mad at him for dragging you out here despite your near begging.

The heat was getting to you, and you'd lost control of the filter from your brain to your mouth. Arthur was a few feet ahead when you started your mumbling, "goddamn swamps is no place for a lady. Gators, mud, bugs and—" You didn't get to finish your sentence before Arthur spun and made two giant steps toward you, jaw clenched.

"You got something to say?"

You crossed your arms, defiant. Arthur's reputation as a vicious intimidator didn't phase you, though. He wouldn't lay a finger on you; you both knew it. You rolled your eyes and said, "this is as boring as being back at camp, except I'm all dirty now."

He stepped closer into your space, his angry eyes searching yours. He spoke in a low volume that would scare anybody but you: "This is what you wanted, woman, so don't go gettin' mad at me because things ain't all neat and proper."

Were you frightened by him? No. Were your feelings hurt? Yes. You scoffed and nodded slowly while you spoke, "You're right. I'm gonna head to camp. I'll see you when you get back."

You didn't give him the chance to respond before you trudged in the other direction, clicking for your horse waiting nearby. Arthur watched you go until he lost sight of you in the overgrown vegetation.

Then you were on the road, your horse at a trot, when something in his line of vision spooked him. Before you could even react, you were bucked off, your head hitting the ground with a thud. Despite the pain, you knew better than to just lay there. Gators and snakes were everywhere, but only something notably terrifying would scare off your Andalusian. You took the rifle off your back, pointing it aimlessly all around, trying to focus your spinning vision on the threat beyond.

Before you could blink, a big cat took hold of your leg through your skirt. You shot wildly once, twice, then three times before the beast let go of you. Screaming at the top of your lungs, you scrambled backward as more bullets rang out from your low-caliber weapon. Hoping and praying, you squeezed the trigger one last time. Eyes closed, you prepared for the inevitable when a louder shot rang out somewhere near you.

When pain and death didn't come, you opened your eyes to see Arthur standing over you, concern distorting his face. Beads of sweat ran down his forehead, and he huffed, trying to catch his breath. His hands scoured every inch of you, searching for signs of bleeding. Panic started to set in again when you realized you couldn't feel anything; you held your breath as Arthur pulled up the hem of your dress, bracing for the worst.

You breathed a sigh of relief and let your head fall back onto the ground. The puncture was minor, no worse than a needle prick. Arthur stood, using his arm to wipe away the perspiration that had soaked him. Then his anger started up again.

"Can't go getting hurt like that, girl. Shouldn't've let you run off by yourself. If something happened to you, I'd—"

"Shut up, Arthur," you rose back up and tried to smile through your unease. "I'm fine, thanks to you."

He held out a hand to pull you back to your feet, then wrapped his arms around you tight. His heart hammered against his chest, and you could hear your blood rushing through your ears. Then you finally let yourself cry in the safety of all his bulk.

"I'm sorry, sweet girl; I'm sorry." Every shakey inhale, sob, and gasp from you ripped him apart from the inside out. He was supposed to be looking after you, always, but his hardheadedness and pride left you vulnerable. Killing was the one thing he knew he was good for, and to almost fail at the cost of your life made his insides rot with guilt.

He peeled you away from his chest and cupped your face, "I won't let anything else happen to you, ya' hear?" You nodded, and he wiped dirt and tears away from your cheek with a big thumb and brought you back into him, stroking the back of your head. After a long moment, he retrieved your horse, helped you, and then rode beside you the whole way back to camp.

The next day, you gladly did your chores while Arthur went on his adventures. You didn't complain in the comfort and safety of a shade tree and other skilled gunmen. You were sitting in his tent when Arthur returned in the evening, now wearing his regular gambler's hat and carrying another adorned with floral designs and a peacock feather.

He greeted you with a peck on your cheek, joined you on the cot, and talked through a crooked smile, "found the rest of those orchids today and gave 'em to Algernon. Took this instead of the money. Think he was happier with that trade, anyway."  

The closer you looked at the beautiful monstrosity, the more you had to fight off your reaction. It was undeniably unique, but you couldn't image anyone wearing it seriously.

"It's um—," You covered your mouth to stifle your giggle, but your quaking shoulders gave you away. To your relief, Arthur joined in your laugh and placed the hat atop your head.

"He tried to give it to me, made me try it on, but I figured it'd look better on you. Now we both got a crazy hat."

The idea of Arthur standing in front of a mirror in the hat with all his hardened features made you throw your head back in near hysterics.

"Well, I will cherish that image and this hat forever. Thank you." Arthur's face softened as your amusement died down, then morphed into a lamentable combination of worry and self-loathing. You recognized it all too well.  

He stroked your face with the back of his hand and spoke in a hushed tone, "I'm sorry, again, for letting you go off by yourself like that. I—"

You silenced him with your lips, pushing him onto his back and mounting him. Your new hat fell away along with his worry as you showed him just how appreciative you were.

[arthenaa]

ikaw at ikaw (only you) — mizu x f!reader

synopsis: 4 times your team lead chose you and 1 time you chose her.

content: modern!au, office romance, you and mizu are creatives, specifically in the character and concept design department in a very very famous gaming company (take a guess), she is your creative director and lead designer and you are the concept artist, 4+1 format, FLUFF, work relations, dynamic, and position might not be accurate, forgive me, this is basically just me projecting yet again.

a/n: this is requested by @andieperrie18 ! the answer shit isn't letting me edit my answer so ill be @-ing you here. TYSM FOR ENJOYING MY WORKS !! means a lot ... u also chose pasilyo 🥹🥹🥹🥹 sunkissed lola is the best

1.

Being part of the creatives team was a nightmare.

To tell you the truth, the position for a Concept Artist with a specialty in 2D design wasn't actually all that bad. The monthly benefits and wage were something you're quite lucky to receive considering the constant side eye other departments have with the admin's treatment of the artist employees. This was also your dream job—having had to play their games, specifically, VALORANT, left you in awe and gearing to apply once you were ready for an Internship. After your OJT course, you were accepted for a position in Character and Concept Design and are considered one of the team's most beloved artists (Your followers on Twitter reckon so).

In short, the work environment was great. A solid 15/10 experience—I mean how can you beat a company that caters not only to you as an artist but also as a player? Nothing can beat that feeling of satisfaction once you see your work displayed on various monitors all around the world.

It was more of ... the relationships and interactions with that work space environment that left you grasping at a chance to breathe.

People think you're overreacting but you think it's completely reasonable.

"Yes, you are overreacting."

Your face falls at Taigen's words—watching as he plays a round of unrated in the company's leisure space decked with state of the art PC builds that could definitely beat your poor touchscreen fridge with just a move of its mouse. You could hear the familiar voicelines of Jett from VALORANT as he uses the character's abilities to swiftly enter the site and take a hold of the defenders' positions.

Taigen is part of the Gaming Development Department in the VALORANT Team. He often does routine user gameplay checks and one of its perks is that you literally just have to play the game and get paid for it. You think its unfair but then again, its Taigen. He's always unfair.

"I think you're just saying that to be mean," You frowned, eyes trained on his face—the lights reflecting back on his stupid, stupid, clear-skinned face. Taigen rolls his eyes but not an ounce of his focus leaves the game.

"Being honest equals to being mean, got it." Taigen's voice comes out in a sarcastic tone. You kick a speck of dust on the cement floor, twirling in the gaming chair you're seated on.

"I just think its a reasonable thing to complain about!" You throw your hands in the air in an attempt to get him to look at your side of things. "You're completely unfazed because your team lead has the patience of a mother with 7 kids."

You hear the familiar cue of an ACE kill as Taigen hits a headshot on the last player. The game's interface shifts to the winner screen and finally, he turns to you, pulling his headphones off and giving his best deadpan stare.

"You're freaking out over Mizu sighing over your concept design proposal for Neon and overanalyzed even the way she drank her coffee because you're obsessed with her like that." Taigen arches his eyebrow to make the situation all the more ridiculous. Your mouth closes and opens like a fish out of water. "Am I right? Wait no, don't answer that. I know I am."

"What the fuck?" Your voice comes out in a desperate attempt of self-defence but it ultimately just sounds defeated. Taigen chuckles as he turns back to his monitor to take a look at the game stats.

"Look," Taigen tries to be empathetic but you're pretty sure this is just to get you off his back. The queue for competitive is already up and running. "As your friend, I say this with the love that I have for you and your works but please, Mizu is just one woman. If my mind process went like yours, I would've assumed Akemi hated my very existence and this is coming from someone who IS dating Akemi."

You purse your lips in thought as he raises his eyebrows in exaggeration. You're not exactly sure why you approached Taigen with this problem but he was the only familiar face that you saw after walking out of the meeting room in a hurry.

But then the question in this situation is who exactly is Mizu?

Well, there were a lot of things you could associate with the familiar blue-eyed director. Mizu is your boss—the creative director for Concept and Character design for the VALORANT team. She oversees character ideas, map visuals, detailing, and the final approval for character and asset ideation before it's sent for building in the 3D and VFX departments. She is your employer but you can also consider her your friend, albeit a highly respected one (she did the character design for Jett and Yoru).

It's not that you were obsessed—Taigen is wrong, he's always wrong—it was definitely because you respected her very much. Being a Riot Design Lead is basically fucking God. You create and give life to ideas. She's part of the original team that worked on the pre-release of VALORANT during its early stages and got to see the whole thing unfold. Something you wished to see back then but glad that you were able to become part of the journey despite being a few patches late.

You respected her enough to always want to be on her good side. I mean, who wouldn't? She's talented and very... youthful-looking and one of Riot's youngest leads, you honestly think that being worried over her approval like this is just a matter of respect and definitely NOT obsession.

"You're doing that thing where you space out and I have to assume that it's probably because of Mizu, yeah?" Taigen's voice intercepts your reprieve and suddenly, a curl of your eyebrows creates a look of annoyance on your face.

"I am not obssesed with Mizu," You reiterate, but this time with your mouth. "I just... respect her."

Taigen leans back on his gaming chair, nodding as if you just told him that he didn't need to double double-click everything.

"That's the most unbelievable shit I've heard today," Taigen finally replies with a scrunch of his nose. Your jaw falls open.

"I do not!"

"Do too."

"Do not."

"Do too!"

"Do fucking not—Stop it."

Taigen purses his lips, and makes a motion of zipping his mouth and shaking his head. You huff in anger. Taigen was never going to believe you.

Just as you were about to chastise him again for being mistaken, a knock on the glass doors notifies you of a new presence. You turn by instinct and your eyes widen in shock and probably, dread—who knows.

"There you are," Mizu's voice filters through your ears like classical music on a good Friday evening. You stammer slightly as she enters the area, eyes trained on you through those tinted orange specs. Mizu momentarily greets Taigen who only raises his hand in greeting before turning towards the screen (only you can see through your peripheral vision that this motherfucker is laughing). "I've been looking for you."

"You did?" Your voice comes off quiet. Mizu furrows her eyebrows.

"Uh, yeah?" She replies with a confused tone. "I had your concept design for Neon approved, it was more direct compared to Matt's. I wanted to tell you in person since you just bolted from the meeting room."

You fall silent at her words. She looks a bit concerned as you try to make sense of the information.

"You seem in shock—Are you okay?" Mizu asks, eyes glancing towards Taigen who looks at her before shrugging.

You feel your heart speed up. You momentarily calm yourself before finally responding. "Y-Yeah, sorry. Just didn't think that you'd approve it."

Mizu tilts her head like a fucking cat and you're quite sure you would drop dead then and there. "Why not? It's your work."

You're not sure what she means by that but a sudden shiver runs through your veins at her praise and suddenly your cheeks are flushing.

"Ah," You're voice fills in the silence, awkward and quiet. "Thank you?"

There's a pause of silence before Mizu chuckles. She heaves a breath before pulling the glass door open.

"I'll see you at my office, Y/N." She smiles. "Great work."

The silence further pushes you into the void as you and Taigen watch her exit and disappear into another hallway through the glass windows. Just as you were a few minutes ago, you lean forward to slouch over your knees, hands on your face as you meltdown from what just happened. You hear Taigen chuckle beside you.

"Give it a few more months and she'll give you a ring on your finger with a bent knee on the ground."

You sob into your hands as Taigen erupts in heaps of laughter.

Oh my fucking God.

2.

The release for Neon was a hit. An all-time new duelist originating from the Philippines, your concept design took off without a hitch. It's safe to say that your hard work paid off as you stood over the central common room—leisure areas decked with your coworkers trying out and celebrating the release. A sense of satisfaction fills you.

"I hear you spearheaded the design concept for Neon," A voice infiltrates your sense like a lure. You can't help but smile at its familiarity. Akemi wraps her arms around your waist, chin on your shoulder as she continues. "Marketing was thrilled with the positive response. Good job."

You turn around, her arms loosely accommodating you. "Akemi," you coo.

The girl grins wide and pulls you into a hug. You return the affection in a grander gesture of squeezing her tight against you.

Akemi's part of the Marketing Department for Riot. While she often creates publication material for VALORANT, she also has cross work with League of Legends for its various strategic releases (ie. KDA).

"I just want to say that I already predicted Neon would be a sure hit, it's your work after all," Akemi pulls away from the hug with a smug smile. She grabs your hands in hers, swinging them slowly. "Marketing it was like a breeze in the park."

You laugh softly at her enthusiasm. "You give me way too much credit."

Akemi rolls her eyes affectionately. "Humility is a disease—live a little."

You shake your head at her quips, opting to smile in response. A member of your team passes by, eyes widening in recognition of you before giving you a thumbs up. Akemi watches the interaction—eyes trained on that person's figure as they walked towards Mizu who was busy talking to other creative team leads. Your eyebrows furrow in confusion at her prolonged silence.

"Who are you—?" Your words trail off as you turn to look at what she's so focused on before turning back at the sight of Mizu. "Nevermind."

Akemi raises her eyebrow with an amused look on her face. "Taigen always has a penchant for exaggerating but I didn't think it was this bad?"

Your face falls at the information. "Taigen told you?"

Akemi gives you a 'duh' look—eyebrows raised and eyes half-lidded. "Taigen's a loose lock if you pry hard enough. He basically can never keep a secret."

You give her a deadpan stare before shifting in your position. Akemi crosses her arms over her chest as she eyes you up and down—filled to the brim with amusement. "I'm fine, stop making a big deal out of it."

"Uh huh," Akemi squints her eyes playfully. You could only glare back in response.

The loud cheering at the front catches your attention as resident workers, interns, and newbies alike begin to tune in at the commotion. Akemi and you move to the sidelines, eyebrows furrowed in confusion as you tried to find out what's happening.

"What's happening?" You ask the person to your front. He turns, eyes beaming with excitement.

"The creative director for C&C got pulled in a 1v1. They're playing against Beckham."

Your breath hitches at the information. Akemi nudges you with her elbow, overhearing the conversation. The two of you move to the side, finally getting a glimpse of the two team leads focused on a custom game of VALORANT. Your eyes zone in on familiar raven locks seated on the right monitor.

A live stream of their game is projected on the monitor up front and suddenly you feel sick from the amount of butterflies fluttering in your stomach.

She's playing Neon. The character you designed.

Oh God. You watched her take kill after kill, headshot after headshot as she sprinted across the map—zapping characters with Neon's electric abilities. You've never seen someone look so fucking hot playing an FPS game before. It's doing things to your brain.

Just as you expected, the winning banner appears on Mizu's screen and the C&C Team erupts in cheers. You become entranced at the sight—a few of your co-workers patting her on the back before she erupts in smiles and laughs. This is not healthy for your heart.

And just as you think the night couldn't get any better, one of the people from the Marketing departments begins stirring up an interview.

"What made you choose Neon on the character pick? You usually go for Sentinels, no?"

Your eyes meet and suddenly you could feel your heart skip a few beats. Mizu chuckles.

"Wanted to do a duelist around for a spin," Mizu replies. "The design and character visuals for Neon was amazing and I ought to pay the artist who did it a homage."

Suddenly all eyes are on you—some of them even "ooh-ing" for being praised by Mizu. You pale at the attention before doing a hesitant bow in gratitude.

Mizu pulls the headphones off her head and smiles. "Congrats, Y/N. Hope you liked the win."

You feel Akemi stir up beside you, chuckling at the interaction.

You're going to die. You can feel it and its all because of your boss.

3.

Okay, maybe admitting that you were a little bit obsessed and crushing over your employer was a bit overdue. You weren't exactly the type to parade your feelings around the office but if people were to zone in on you acting sheepish and awkward around Mizu, there was a 55% chance that you could tell based on that alone.

It wasn't like your admiration for Mizu started on a whim. As said countless and countless times, it had a foundation of respect until Mizu started trying to get to know and interact with you and those same feelings of admiration started to change. What else were you supposed to do? Mizu is a fucking all-in-one holiday basket—you didn't have it in you to resist the charms.

It also didn't help that over the past few days, Mizu seems to have her undivided attention on you. Showering you with praises, asking if you wanna spearhead a certain project, revel in your work—all that shit. It's messing with your productivity and mindset and that's not a good idea.

The Head Director for the VALORANT Team had decided to call a night out for drinking to reward the team for the positive feedback for the latest patch. You were quite thankful for the opportunity as this was a way for you to get a moment of rest from Mizu's constant attention. Not that you were complaining, it's just a little... too much.

You were seated at the far right booth of the restaurant, keeping to yourself as you watched Ringo and Taigen begin to have a debate about team composition. Akemi grumbles beside you, clearly not enjoying whatever the fuck these two were talking about.

"Look," Taigen holds his hands out in front of him, trying to make a point. "All I'm saying is if you keep putting DPS builds on your team comp, how in the hell will you be able to maximize their kit? Supports are there for a reason."

Ringo rolls his eyes. "It's called enjoying the game, Taigen. So what if I want to put dick 1, dick 2, and dick 3, together?"

Taigen's jaw drops. "Do you know how much skill point dependent they are? I'm even surprised you could bust a skill out." The raven haired man pauses before continuing with a face contorted in disgust. "And stop calling them dick 1,2,3? It's Dan Heng, Blade, and Jing Yuan."

"Of course you'd police that as well. You look like that fucking emoji." Ringo raises his prosthetic hand, imitating pushing up a pair of glasses. "Um, actually—"

"You are as annoying as my grandmother, do you know that?" Taigen snarls, eyes pulled into a glare. Your tall huggable co-worker only grins and bats his eyelashes.

You begin to tune out the two as Akemi excuses herself to take a cigarette break—already having enough of their banter. You eye the glass of beer in front of you, watching as the liquid sloshes around with each twirl of your wrist.

You had hoped to end the night with silence but alas, you can never get everything that you wanted. You feel a pair of eyes on you—direct and unashamed. Already having a feeling on who this was, you looked up and met the reflection of the ocean.

'You okay?' She mouths, concern overflowing her features. It's subtle enough for people to not notice her sudden shift of attention but enough for you to understand her. Your cheeks flush as you nod back with the same softness that she had thrown your way.

She nods in understanding, sending a soft smile your way before turning back towards her conversation with the Head. You hang your head down, wishing that the night would end faster so that you can finally have the moment of peace you have been wanting ever since this morning.

It was as if the world decided to cast hell upon you and revoked you of your rights to peace at the arrival of yet another problem.

"L/N!" The Head Director's voice encompassed the whole area—eyes turning towards him then at you in amusement. "You're one of the star employees and yet you haven't touched a single speck on that glass of yours!"

His hearty laughter follows—giggles and cheering from you co-workers following suite. You sweat drop, eyes darting to Taigen and Ringo who both looked away at your glare before turning towards the window where Akemi sends you a gracious thumbs up, a cigarette hanging from her lips. You groan.

"I-I'm fine," You wave your hand, laughing it off. Your eyes connect with Mizu, an unreadable look on her face as she takes a sip of her chosen beverage.

God decides to punish you more as the team lead beside Mizu chimes in. "Oh c'mon! You're a great asset to the company! I suggest drink up!"

One of your team members passes a full pint of beer as the others begin to urge you to drink up. You hadn't felt the intensity of peer pressure ever since your dance recital on 10th grade and that wasn't even as half bad as this. You weren't feeling on drinking yourself to death as well so trying to down a full pint of beer was a ticket for you to the afterlife (ie. you on your bed with puke all over the floors). The previous pint you had was enough.

You tried to decline as humbly as you could, afraid that this might be the instance that you could finally be fired off from Riot. You knew that if they kept pushing a 3rd more of their attempts that you'd probably give in for the sake of never doing this again but while the need hasn't yet arisen, you'll try fighting off the urge to be a people-pleaser.

Just as you finally begin to decline for the nth time, a hand emerges to your right—pushing the pint of beer in your co-worker's hands. The table falls silent. Your breath falters as the familiar scent of lavender and probably a hint of sunlight begins to seep in from behind you.

"Stop pressuring her like that," Mizu's voice sounds so close —your heart hammering off your chest. Your co-worker gives Mizu a sheepish smile.

"C'mon Mizu, let your team live a little!" The Head laughs once more before leaning forward with a smug smirk. "Unless you'll save this one yet again?"

There's a pause of silence as your co-workers darted between them—back and forth. You feel Mizu sigh behind you before her arms encase you against the table, one arm placed on the beside you each. Your breath hitches.

"Sorry," She mutters as she reaches for the pint. You stammer, turning towards her as you reach out to her wrist by instinct. Mizu blinks with her eyes wide open, suddenly surprised by your actions.

"Y-you don't have to!" You murmured, trying to keep your voice low. Mizu's eyes are unreadable. "You don't drink—!"

The woman chuckles before patting your hand and gently pulling herself off your grasp. "It's okay." She says.

You watch with stammering breath as she gulps the pint in one go, others cheering as she did. The Head claps.

"Didn't expect to see Mizu downing a beer today but here we are," The man bellows in laughter. Mizu chuckles, wiping the residue off her lips. You could only stare at her in shock.

Mizu glances down at you with a smile before patting your head then walking off. Your gaze trails on her and somehow the hammering within you becomes all the more intense.

Oh, Lord.

4.

It was supposed to just be a little game—a past time that the others decided to force you along. You really had no qualms joining games like this but if it concerns the people around you, especially in your work place, somehow you feel the risk of being outed for liking someone in you work space.

"If you guys wanted to date someone in the office, who'd you pick?" Ise leans forward, eyes squinted as she gives you and Akemi a smirk. The three of you were currently lounging in the cafeteria during you lunch break. There weren't many people present due an event going on in one of the building's sectors, so having a conversation like this somehow was less anxiety inducing.

"Taigen, unfortunately," Akemi deadpans. Ise rolls her eyes.

"I mean! Besides him," Ise whispers excitedly. "There's a newbie from marketing that looks cute but kinda quiet, maybe he's nice."

"You mean Takayoshi?" Akemi raises an eyebrow as she takes a sip of her tea. You glance back and forth between them.

"Is that his name?" Ise watches Akemi nod in response. "Well, I'll just have to go get his number then."

Akemi shakes her head at Ise's musings and you had hoped that the conversation would end there, but Ise suddenly turns to you with that mischievous look in her eye.

"What?" You whisper out, eyebrows furrowed in innocence. Akemi side glances you, the corners of her lips upturned in a smile. God, she was enjoying this too.

"What about you, Y/N?" Ise props her arm on the table, placing her cheek on her palm. "Got someone you're interested in?"

You avoid eye contact. "No."

Ise leans forward with a gasp. "You do!"

"I don't!" You reiterate with urgency. You turn to Akemi with a frantic stare. "Tell her I don't."

Ise turns to Akemi who smiles. "She doesn't."

"Bullshit." Ise deadpans. "The moment I'd believe Akemi with a smile on her face is the moment I'd die," Akemi flashes her middle finger at her to which Ise returns generously. Finally, the girl turns to you—chair scooted over to your right as she flashes you her doe eyes. "So? Who is it?"

You Akemi chuckle against her cup as you stammer in front of Ise. "I don't really like someone though?"

"Lies," Ise declares. "We might not be that close but you got that twitch in your eye that already tells me something. Who is it?"

"Ise," You plead, eyes darting around the space. Somehow, saying it out loud meant that you're solidifying the fact that you liked Mizu—an occurrence you'd like to keep to yourself as much as possible. You loved Ise, you really do. You worked with her hand in hand in bringing Neon to life (You worked on her design while she worked on the 3D build) and have become tremendously grateful for her critique and contributions to your work. But this, this was something else. You could feel your heart speed up as she started listing some names.

"Is it Beckham? That piece of shit always too full himself." Ise places a hand on her chin in thought. "Or Ringo? Nah, he's way too focused on content map-building."

There's a pause of silence before an 'aha!' look spreads through her face. You prayed that she would get it wrong but this is Ise we're talking about.

"Is it perhaps," Ise pauses, eyes darting all over your face. "Mizu—"

"What about me?"

The three of you tense, eyes darting behind you as you turn to find the familiar stance of your boss. She leans forward, a hand on the back of your chair as she gives the three of you a curious glance. You hadn't heard her at all, and something about Ise's frantic glance towards you says she didn't expect the same thing as well.

"W-we we're just listing people we found attractive," Ise laughs uncomfortably under Mizu's stare. The creative director glances at Akemi who raises an eyebrow at her. Somehow there was a silent conversation going on between the two that left you confused.

"Really?" Mizu asks, the ends of her words trailing off as she glances back at Ise. "Who said I was attractive?"

"It was Y/—"

"NO ONE!" You exclaimed, cutting Ise off with a jump. You flush under Mizu's wide gazed, surprised at your interference. Somehow, the way you said it implied that no one found her attractive at all, and that was way too wrong so you caught yourself before you delved into a pit of despair. "I mean, w-we haven't started and was just listing people off."

Mizu nods slowly in understanding, eyes examining your face for any slip-ups. You looked away from the intensity.

Ise finally saves your ass. "Yeah. What she said."

"What about you, Director?" Akemi chimes in from your left and both you and Ise turn to her with wide gazes. She simply smiles over her cup, face contorted in a mischievous look. You couldn't read Mizu at all. You had expected Akemi to drop it—after all, she wasn't even joining in on Ise's incessant need to know everything about everyone. "Who do you find the most attractive in this office, hm?"

You can feel Mizu shifting behind you before a chuckle pulls out from her lips. You turn towards her in curiosity as she flashes a smile towards you.

"I'd pick Y/N, of course,"

Huh?

Akemi rolls her eyes, somehow already expecting the answer. Your jaw drops at her response as Mizu turns to Ise who already has a knowing look on her face.

"She's just that reliable," Mizu looks back down towards you, those shades of blue peeking from her tinted glasses. She pinches your cheek in a flash before pulling away. "Cute too."

You turn away, afraid that the flush on your cheeks might've given you away.

"Anyways, I just dropped by to see what's happening outside the event," Mizu sighs, pushing her glasses back up the bridge of her nose. "I'll see you girls around."

Your interactions always end up one sided somehow. She gives and then leaves—resulting in you malfunctioning from whatever she's left for you to deal with.

Ise turns to you with a mischievous grin when Mizu finally turns the corner. "You and the Director huh?"

"Shut up, oh my God."

+1

"Why do you always do stuff like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like you're not leaving me any room to process the shit you do?"

Mizu lets out quiet laughs from beside you. 10:47 pm. Normally, work hours in the office end at about 9 but you've learned that staying late is where the good things happen.

"I literally just told you 'good job' the other day and you malfunctioned in front of me," Mizu giggles, leaning forward as she tapped you on the nose with the pen to her digital tablet. "And I heard everything by the way. Quite adorable of you to deny everything."

You flush under her affectionate gaze. "Everyone's so gossipy. You can't blame me."

Mizu turns her chair towards you, arms reach out to take a hold of your own before pulling them close to her side. You lean back at her sudden proximity.

"Well you can't blame me either when you're this adorable," Mizu grins. You furrow your eyebrows, finally leaning close as you cupped her cheeks within your palms.

"You even drank beer," You whisper, tone apologetic. "You don't even like alcohol."

Mizu leans into your touch. "And you don't like being pressured into something you don't want to do. I can sacrifice a little bit of something I don't like just for you."

You melt at her words, eyes darting over her softened features. "Thank you," You whisper, grateful.

"Anything for my girlfriend," Mizu teases. You roll your eyes before pulling her into a soft kiss. She kisses back instantly, hands gripping the arm chair as you take lead of the kiss. After a few pecks and chaste kisses here and there, you finally pull back—reveling in the soft flush across Mizu's cheeks.

"Also," You chime in. Mizu raises an eyebrow. "I was the one who pursued, not you. Correct that when they catch on."

Mizu chuckles at your words. "Right on. Akemi threatened me the other day, saying something like, 'I forbid you from dating Y/N Y/L/N, Mizu Tagawa!' Funniest shit, I've heard. If only she knew."

You pinch her cheeks, giggling at her words. "Of course, she's say that."

There's a pause of silence before Mizu turns to her work, a sketch of VALORANT's newest agent displayed on screen.

"Want to help me with the new guy?" She nudges towards the screen. "Heard he's French."

You turn to her monitor, dozens of details sketched on the edges with a version of her idea of the new agent. You grin, placing a kiss on her cheek.

"You could've just asked me to marry you." You tease. "Also, sure."

You turn towards the table and pulled her tablet towards you. Mizu scoffs as you take over her work.

"And if I actually did?"

"Sure, Mizu, sure."

"I'm serious!"

a/n: hey guys!!! this was so fun to write and honestly i was just inspired to do this request bc ive been drafting an office romance for mizu after the roommate thing. hope yall enjoyed ! if yall arent familiar with valorant, here are the agents mentioned or referenced (neon & chamber (french guy)). also mizu's last name is derived from master eiji's va! cary-hiroyuki tagawa!

[2700lagostas]

Sova in Valorant - "Reckoning" Episode 8 Cinematic

[reallybadlawyer]

RECKONING // Episode 8 Cinematic - VALORANT

headers from new valorant cinematic, viper, sova and cypher

highonhumans on twitter

[non-operator]

ajklsdjfalksdjflkjasdklfjAFJKLSDJFLKAJSDFLKAJSELKFDJ literally so happy about the new cinematic. Got to see my babygirl on screen 🥰

more thoughts under

but lorewise, I don't think we were given the hourglass organization's name yet? So I'll just be calling it Hourglass. From what I understood, Omen was sent to kill Viper/Sabine in order to "safeguard [their] secrets" and "keep the discovery of radianite from a world that wasn't ready". So presumably, Sabine had just discovered radianite and started messing with it; considering that her poison abilities are disabled when hit by Kay0's knife, she probably made her poison agent from radianite?

Then it must mean that Omen failing to assassinate her revealed radianite to the world, which was not what Hourglass wanted. This also means that Hourglass has known about radianite for a while, at least before the larger populace have known about it; it was one of the "secrets" that Omen used to safeguard. What were they even doing with it? And this organization must've been very powerful to keep the mining of such a resource a secret for so long.

But from the way the boss said "you became one of *them*", it looks like Hourglass doesn't look too kindly on radiants? Or at least separates humans from radiants. Or perhaps the "them" in question does not refer to radiants, but to Valorant Protocol. But if it's the former, was Hourglass trying to limit access to radianite in order to keep radiant population low (on top of having a monopoly of the world's biggest energy source ig)? Or if it's the former, they clearly have beef with VP did Hourglass already have a run-in with Valorant before somehow? But when Omen/Shrouded Step went after Sabine, it seems clear she was still working for Kingdom at the time; do they think Omen is working for Kingdom?

Next point: it doesn't look like the boss died? It could be them trying to keep gore/blood off-screen by not showing him splatter on the ground, but it kind of just looks like he vanishes before he even hits the ground? He also didn't seem too worried about falling, so maybe he knew he had an out? I don't think I heard a thud either, so I feel like we might see him again? Like, wild guess, but is the boss Thurston Wolf...? The developers/writers said that Breeze was a place of interest because of its connection to this Wolf guy and not because of radianite supply (or at least I think that's what was said). As far as I know, we haven't heard more about Thurston Wolf and the boss seems like the only person who seems important but also without a name to maybe be him?

[brandyllyn]

Silk from their soul (12)

The Ghoul / Cooper Howard x f!reader [no use of y/n]

Rated: T (reference to prior acts) Words: 1.2k Summary: "Thanks." "Anytime."

Series Masterlist My Masterlist

He ain’t got no right to feel hurt.

After he’d come harder than he had in a century, spilling his seed across those soft thighs of hers, he’d tried to kiss her. He knew better, but for some reason thought it might be different after.

She’d rejected him, of course.

Why wouldn’t she? She was all smooth skin and cool blood, and she’d made her stance on kisses abundantly clear. But after that ride he was certain she’d change her mind. 

He was a damned fool.

He needs to get away, to shimmy out of this hole they were trapped in and get his bearings again. Put some distance between them. The deathclaw was long gone, no reason to keep hiding.

Except…

Except she was still panting under him, round breasts pressed to his chest with each inhale. He hadn’t imagined how wet she was for him, the way she’d come apart on his cock�� nor had he imagined that other thing.

It was enough to drive a man to drink. 

Deciding discretion is the better part of valor he digs in his pocket, finding a scrap of cloth and using it to wipe the cum from her skin before it can begin to burn. “You’ll need a dose of Rad-Away,” he tells her and she turns back, blinking up at him in confusion for a moment before her lips part in a silent ‘o’.

“I didn’t even think about that.”

No she hadn’t, and she hadn’t considered that he was as liable to eat her as he was to fuck her once they were in those tight quarters. She’d trusted him implicitly, which was an idiotic thing to do.

“C’mon, let’s get out and see what’s going on.” He uses one hand to do up his trousers then slides past her, scooping his hat back up and glancing around. There’s footprints in the floor but no sign of any danger. He turns back to tell her as much but she’s already there, dress still pushed to her waist and looking like she’d just been ridden hard.

His mouth goes instantly dry.

She doesn’t meet his eye when she fusses with the straps of the dress and he steps forward without thinking, pulling one up and settling it on her shoulder with careful fingers. She shivers under his touch and he cups her neck, forcing her to look up at him.

“Why’d you do it?”

“I don’t know.”

It’s a terrible answer, one that gnaws at him as he steps away and fishes for his pack and gloves. He finds hers first, passing the bag her direction without a word. When he sets off again it’s parallel to the mountains they’re aiming for but she doesn’t say a word, keeping one step behind him.

The place he stops at for the night used to be a gas station, concrete on three sides with an easy vantage point from the front. They run off a mole rat and then he gives her the go ahead when she asks about a fire. The smell of roasted iguana fills the space while they sit silently across from each other.

“I wanted to.”

He cocks his head at her. They hadn’t exchanged more than three words in the last four hours.

“You asked why I… because I wanted to. Because I wanted you. Even though I shouldn’t.”

“Because I’m a ghoul,” he finishes for her with a scowl.

“Because I’m me and you’re…. you don’t know what I am.”

The bounty. He’d almost forgotten it. The poster was burning a hole in his pack and he’d all but decided to put off claiming it for at least a month. But she didn’t know that - didn’t know that he knew she was wanted by someone.

It was the perfect time to come clean - so of course he doesn’t. She continually surprised him and without knowing what her reaction was he wasn’t willing to risk it.

“I know you looked mighty pretty with my cock in you.” Her eyes fly to his and he grins, feeling himself warm when she laughs.

“It felt mighty pretty.”

That gets a laugh from him and he sets his hat aside and leans back against the rubble behind him. “Reckon it’s not what a filly imagines for her first time though, in the dirt like that.”

“You noticed.”

He snorts, “Damn hard not to.” 

Biting her lip she glances up at him from under long eyelashes before shaking her head. “You ever spent your whole life preparing to be one thing - only to realize you never really wanted it in the first place?”

He manages to keep his face impassive by a hairsbreadth. “I reckon I can imagine that.”

“I was… raised to be the perfect wife to someone. Be their partner, be only theirs… I never got to make any choices for myself. It was always someone else’s plan.” She pauses and stares down at her hands, “I never thought I would get to choose who my first time was with.”

“Don’t reckon you had much a choice as it was with my ass rutting on top of you.”

She gifts him with a wide smile, “Is that how you remember it?” When he doesn’t reply she continues, “If I’d told you no would you have stopped?”

“I like to think I would have but to be honest I don’t rightly know, hard to think when you’ve got a pair of tits in your face like that.”

The tension in the air breaks and she gives him a mock frown. “Excuse you, I believe it was your tits in my face.”

“And I seem to recall you were having a mite of trouble yourself with keeping your thoughts straight.”

You both break into soft laughter. Silence fills out the space for a few minutes, the only sounds the crackling of the fire.

“Thank you.”

He nearly chokes on his tongue. A dozen jokes leap to mind but she’s not meeting his eyes. He lets it sit before finally replying, “Anytime, darling.” The arch of her neck calls to him and he coughs suddenly, taking a hit of chem.

“I don’t think we should,” she says with a small frown. “It’s dangerous.”

“Shit, you take that Rad-Away yet?”

Her eyes go wide with panic and he pushes himself to his feet, squatting next to her and taking the pack she offers. She doesn’t hesitate to offer her arm, not flinching when he slides the needle in. He sets the meds above her head and flicks the tube until he’s satisfied it’s moving.

Oh, but those big bright eyes of hers are staring up at him like he hung the moon in the sky and he’s already forgotten what had him so irritated all afternoon.

“Thanks,” she says again.

“Anytime.”

He doesn’t move, hovering over her, and she doesn’t ask him to. After a moment she reaches up and tugs at his coat, pulling him to sit next to her and then leaning into his shoulder. A million different thoughts war within him before he does the thing he most wants, which is to wrap an arm around her and pull her against his side.

“Sleep,” he tells her. “I’ll wake you when it’s time.”

☢ ☢ ☢

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[hayatheauthor]

How to Pick The Perfect Weapon For Your Characters 

When you’re writing a novel every small element has its own purpose. From the lush setting to the intricate plot, each detail is carefully chosen to convey a message, evoke emotions, and immerse readers in the narrative. One such crucial element is the character's weapon. 

A character’s weapon is their best friend, sometimes even literally in cases like Magnus Chase. This seemingly insignificant tool can be a symbol of their essence, values, and role in the story. This is why it’s so essential to pick the right weapon!

As an author of both thriller and SFF, I decided to create a quick guide to help you learn how to pick the perfect weapon for your characters. 

Swords: The Symbol of Honor and Valor

Swords have long held a special place in the realm of storytelling. They are the embodiment of honor, valor, and the chivalric code. Whether it be thriller, action, or even romance, stories have sported brave princes and knights bearing swords from decades. Characters who wield a sword are perceived as strong, determined people with a willingness to make sacrifices for their cause. 

Some writers often associate swords with the main male protagonist, however, this weapon would be a great fit for any character who is perceived as a force to be reckoned with. The cliche prince on a horse with a shiny sword might paint a clear image, but don’t limit yourself to literary stereotypes.  

Types of Swords

Contrary to popular belief swords come in various shapes and sizes, each with its unique attributes. 

Longswords: These versatile weapons are known for their balance, allowing for precise strikes and powerful swings. Longswords are often associated with knights and heroes. These are the type of swords a typical prince would wield. 

Katanas: Elegant and deadly, katanas are the traditional swords of Japanese samurai. They represent discipline, precision, and the way of the warrior. Katanas are also often used by antagonists. 

Rapiers: Slim and agile, rapiers are the choice of swashbucklers and duelists. They symbolize finesse, quick thinking, and style in combat.

Ideal Characters

If you’re finding it difficult to decide whether or not your character should wield a sword, here are some personality traits and physical qualities to go off of: 

Courage: Swordsmen and swordswomen are brave, unafraid to confront danger directly.

Honor: They uphold a strong sense of morality and adhere to a code of ethics. However, this also applies to antagonistic characters who often fail to see the flaws in their ways. 

Chivalry: Sword-bearing characters display manners, respect, and hold themselves to high regard.

Physical Prowess: Proficiency in swordplay demands agility, strength, and dexterity, this usually comes with a fit if not lean physique. If your character is more of a brute then swords might not be the best pick for them. 

Examples in Literature

Throughout literary history, swords have been embraced by iconic characters. You have chivalrous heroes like the legendary King Arthur wielded the mythical sword Excalibur, a symbol of his destiny and nobility. However, there are also notable villains such as Luke Castellan from Percy Jackson. 

Luke’s character starts off as a minor protagonist who is akin to a mentor figure but he slowly turns into a major antagonist. Many people often associate swords with protagonists, however, they can also be used by powerful antagonists with a strong mindset who are determined to have their way. 

When crafting a character who wields a sword, consider these attributes and the symbolic weight that comes with this choice. Swords are not just weapons; they are embodiments of valor and the unwavering spirit of your characters. 

Daggers: The Stealthy and Cunning Choice

In the world of weaponry, daggers hold a unique allure. These swift blades are the embodiment of stealth, cunning, and the art of silent confrontation. When a character wields a dagger, it signifies their mastery of subtlety, their ability to navigate the shadows, and their readiness to strike with precision when the moment is ripe. 

Unlike swords, daggers have been used more uniquely throughout literature and are wielded by various character types. However, they are often associated with the sarcastic quick-witted characters or quiet calculative ones.

Types of Daggers

Daggers come in various forms, each tailored for a specific purpose:

Stilettos: A stiletto's slim, needle-like design is tailor-made for covert operations. It's the weapon of choice when subtlety and concealment are paramount, often associated with assassins and spies.

Dirks: Dirks are the Swiss Army knives of the dagger world. Their broad blades enable both offense and defense, making them versatile companions for characters who value adaptability.

Throwing Knives: Characters who wield throwing knives are the sharpshooters of the dagger realm. Their skill lies not just in close combat but in launching these deadly projectiles with uncanny accuracy.

Twin Daggers: Twin daggers, a pair of symmetrical blades, represent a double-edged approach to combat. Characters who favor this style emphasize agility, dual-wielding techniques, and the element of surprise.

Ideal Characters for Dagger-Wielding

Characters who favor daggers share a distinct set of traits and characteristics:

Stealth and Evasion: Dagger-wielding characters excel in the art of remaining unseen and slipping through the tightest of spots.

Cunning and Strategy: They rely on their wits, strategy, and clever tactics to outmaneuver opponents who might possess greater physical strength.

Resourcefulness: Daggers are versatile tools that require characters to adapt to their environment. Whether in a dimly lit alley or a sun-drenched courtyard, they use what's at hand to gain an advantage.

Quick Reflexes: In close combat, precision and agility are essential. Dagger-wielders are known for their ability to react swiftly to changing circumstances.

Examples in Literature

In the realm of literature, characters who master the art of daggers often exude enigma and resourcefulness. Unlike sword-wielders who are seen as flashy and bold, those who use daggers are capable of slinking through the shadows and using their weapon to sneakily complete their tasks.  

Arya Stark from George R.R. Martin's "Game of Thrones" series is a great example of this. Arya's journey is intrinsically tied to her slender dagger, Needle. It becomes an extension of herself, embodying her resilience and resourcefulness.

Another example would be the assassins in the "Assassin's Creed" series. These stealthy characters employ an array of daggers for precise and silent takedowns, epitomizing the cunning and agility associated with this weapon.

Crafting a character who wields a dagger opens up possibilities for intrigue, stealth, and the art of subterfuge.

Axes: The Brute Force of the Battlefield

Axes, with their sheer power and imposing presence, are the weapons of characters who favor raw strength and ferocity on the battlefield. These formidable tools are more than mere instruments of destruction; they symbolize the unyielding force that some characters bring to their quests and conflicts.

Unlike the other weapons listed in this blog post, axes are possibly the only weapon where I would advise you to go with the stereotypical ‘big, strong person’ image associated with this weapon. This is because axes are impossible to wield on a regular basis by someone who isn’t physically capable of handling their weight. 

Types of Axes

It is common knowledge that axes come in various forms, each designed for specific purposes, but here are the most common types of axes used in literature:

Battle-Axes: These massive, double-bladed weapons are designed for cleaving through armor and enemies alike. They are the embodiment of relentless strength and often used by the antagonist’s henchmen or guards.

Hatchets: Hatchets are compact, one-handed axes known for their versatility and practicality. They are often associated with survivalists and woodsmen.

Tomahawks: Tomahawks are single-handed axes with a historical significance, representing both tools and weapons for Native American characters.

Ideal Characters

As I mentioned above, there are certain traits associated with characters who use axes that you would be better off following. However, that is not to say you have to go along with the stereotype to the T. Think of characters like Hagrid, who fits the physical and mental requirements for an axe-wielder yet is portrayed as a loveable character. 

Some traits you should keep in mind to use as a reference point for axe-wielders are: 

Bravery: Axe-wielding characters are unflinchingly brave, charging headlong into battles without hesitation.

Ferocity: They are known for their unrestrained aggression and determination in combat. However, they can also be quiet and keep to themselves in daily life. 

Physical Might: Proficiency with axes demands exceptional strength and endurance.

Resilience: Axe-bearers can endure heavy blows and keep pressing forward.

Examples in Literature

In literature, characters who wield axes are often forces to be reckoned with. They’re those powerful characters that leave a lasting impact on your readers. Think of characters like Thor, Brienne of Tarth and Gimli. 

While this weapon is generally associated with magical beings like dwarves and giants you could also have fun with it. Maybe a hot-headed female elf prefers using an axe rather than swords and bows like her peers, or a princess could have picked up on how to use a hatchet while watching the guards train. 

Remember, axes represent not only power but also the indomitable will to face adversity head-on.

Bows and Arrows: Precision and Patience

In the realm of weaponry, few choices demand as much finesse and discipline as the bow and arrow. These elegant yet deadly weapons are the preferred tools of characters who value precision, patience, and the ability to engage their enemies from afar. As the arrow leaves the bowstring, it represents not only a physical projectile but also a testament to the archer's skill and the unwavering focus required for this art.

Types of Bows 

Archery encompasses a range of styles, each offering unique advantages and reflecting the character of the archer:

Longbows: Known for their simplicity and sheer power, longbows have been used by legendary archers throughout history. Drawing a longbow requires considerable strength and skill, making it the choice of archers who value raw force and accuracy.

Compound Bows: Modern archers often favor compound bows, which employ a system of pulleys and cables to provide mechanical advantage. This design makes them easier to draw and hold at full draw, ideal for hunters and those who value both accuracy and ease of use.

Recurve Bows: Recognized by their gracefully curved limbs, recurve bows store and release energy efficiently. These bows are versatile, often used in competitive archery where precision and consistency are paramount.

Crossbows: Crossbows are handheld devices that offer unique advantages, particularly in terms of precise aiming and ease of use. Archers who value accuracy and a quick reload often choose these weapons.

The Ideal Archer

Characters who become proficient with bows and arrows exhibit a distinctive set of attributes and skills:

Patience: Archers are masters of patience, waiting for the perfect moment to release their arrow, whether in the heat of battle or during a hunt.

Precision: They possess an uncanny aim, able to consistently strike distant targets with pinpoint accuracy.

Stealth: Archers can engage their enemies from a concealed vantage point, using the environment to their advantage.

Stamina: Drawing a bow requires not only finesse but also physical strength and endurance, especially when handling longbows.

Examples in Literature

In the world of literature, characters who master the art of archery often personify these traits:

Katniss Everdeen from Suzanne Collins' "The Hunger Games" series is the perfect example of a typical archer. Katniss's skill with a bow becomes a symbol of her survival and resilience in a dystopian world, her weapon is something she can rely on and trust. It isn’t as flashy or bold as some of the other characters’ weapons, however, her weapon’s, often-overlooked, proficiency helps her overcome her opponents. 

Another good example would be Legolas from J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Legolas, an elf archer, is renowned for his exceptional accuracy and agility, traits that make him a formidable member of the Fellowship.

When crafting a character who wields a bow and arrows, delve into their temperament, motivations, and the patience required for their style of combat. Bows and arrows represent not only precision but also the ability to strike with calculated efficiency from a distance.

Magical Weaponary: Enchanted Tools

Magical implements, imbued with mystic energy, are the tools of wizards, witches, and characters who harness the arcane forces of magic. These enchanted objects represent not only power but also the mastery of spells, incantations, and the unseen forces that shape their world.

Types of Magical Weaponary

Magical implements can take various forms, each with its unique properties and associations:

Wands: Wands are slender instruments often associated with precision spellcasting. The type of wood and core material can influence their magical properties.

Staffs: Staffs are longer and more robust than wands, often associated with wizards and sorcerers. They provide greater control over magic and are sometimes used as a support in physical combat.

Orbs: Enchanted orbs or crystals are used for scrying, divination, and channeling magical energy. They are linked to foresight, vision, and mystical insight.

Runestones: Characters who use runestones possess knowledge of ancient symbols and magical scripts. These stones are often used for inscriptions and rituals.

Amulets and Talismans: These enchanted jewelry pieces provide protective or augmentative effects to the wearer. They can be worn as necklaces, rings, or bracelets.

Ideal Characters

Characters who wield magical implements typically possess specific traits and qualities:

Magical Aptitude: Wielders of magical implements have an innate or learned mastery of magic, allowing them to cast spells and manipulate mystical forces.

Intellect: Magic is a craft that requires knowledge and intelligence, and characters with magical implements often excel in both.

Discipline: Effective spellcasting demands discipline and concentration, traits exhibited by wielders of magical tools.

Morality: The ethical choices made by characters with magical implements can impact their magical abilities and alignment.

Examples in Literature

Picking the right magical instrument for your character can either be very easy or difficult depending on the extent of magic bearers in your book. If your book is akin to Harry Potter you can simply pick one magical weaponry and assign it to a group of characters. Maybe your wizards and witches use wands while your warlocks use staffs. 

However, in a book like J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" series, where you have one specific magic bearer like Gandalf, you would have to pay more attention to the type of weapon you assign to your character. Gandalf's staff is not only a tool for his magical abilities but also a symbol of his wisdom and power. If you were to assign a wand to a character like Gandalf it wouldn’t have the same air of sagacity as a staff. 

Modern Firearms: Technology and Precision

Modern firearms represent a significant departure from traditional weapons, harnessing technology and precision to deliver deadly force with incredible efficiency. These weapons are the choice of characters in contemporary settings, from gritty crime dramas to action-packed thrillers.

Firearm Types

Modern firearms encompass a range of types, each tailored to specific purposes. I’m sure you can find a more detailed list anywhere online but here’s a quick list of the basic types. 

Handguns: Pistols and revolvers are compact, concealable, and ideal for close-quarters combat or self-defense. They require steady aim and quick reflexes.

Rifles: Rifles are versatile long-range weapons known for their accuracy and power. They are favored by marksmen, snipers, and characters who need to engage distant targets.

Shotguns: Shotguns deliver a spread of pellets, making them devastating at close range. They are often used in home defense scenarios and for hunting.

Automatic and Semi-Automatic Firearms: These firearms offer rapid-fire capabilities, making them suitable for characters facing multiple adversaries or engaging in intense gunfights.

Ideal Characters

Characters who wield modern firearms possess specific attributes and training:

Firearm Proficiency: Proficient characters are well-trained in firearm use, understanding safety, reloading, and maintenance.

Mental Toughness: They must maintain composure under pressure, as firearms can be unforgiving in high-stress situations.

Training and Experience: Characters may have military or law enforcement backgrounds or undergo specialized firearm training.

Mindset: The choice to use firearms can reflect a character's willingness to employ lethal force when necessary.

Examples in Literature

In literature, characters who wield modern firearms are often found in genres like crime fiction, espionage thrillers, and action-adventure novels:

Jesper Fahey from Leigh Bardugo's "Six of Crows" is a sharpshooter with a passion for firearms. He brings a unique blend of humor, charm, and unerring accuracy to the crew of skilled criminals known as the Dregs. Armed with his trusty revolvers, Jesper showcases not only his prowess with firearms but also his quick thinking in high-stakes situations.

Jesper's character reflects the complexities of using firearms in a gritty, high-risk world. His marksmanship skills not only contribute to the crew's endeavors but also serve as a storytelling element, illustrating the fine line between life and death in their dangerous heists.

I think he’s a great example of the type of character readers would typically associate with loud flashy firearms. 

Unconventional Weapons: Creativity and Surprise

unconventional weapons are like hidden treasures waiting to be unearthed. They offer writers a canvas upon which to paint unique and memorable characters. These characters don't just march to the beat of their own drum; they make their own drumsticks, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Whips, Chains, and Musical Instruments

When you think of weapons, whips and chains might not be the first things that come to mind. Yet, in the hands of a skilled writer, they become symbols of precision, control, and the unexpected. A whip's crack can be as powerful as any gunshot, and the rattle of chains can send shivers down spines. And what about musical instruments? 

The sweet melody of a flute can lull enemies into a false sense of security before revealing its true potential as a weapon. Writers have the freedom to explore these unconventional choices, creating characters who surprise, enthrall, and captivate readers.

Creativity Knows No Bounds

Unconventional weapons are a playground for creativity. Writers can let their imaginations soar, crafting characters who wield items that defy convention. Whether it's a character fashioning a weapon from the environment or turning a seemingly mundane object into a deadly tool, the possibilities are endless. 

Want your hero to use a bouquet of roses as a weapon? Go for it. How about a character who wields a garden gnome like a hammer? Let your creativity run wild. Rachel Elizabeth Dare threw a hairbrush at a titan, Alice uses a flamingo as a croquet mallet. When it comes to unconventional weapons, you really don’t have any limits. 

I hope this blog on How to Pick The Perfect Weapon For Your Characters will help you in your writing journey. Be sure to comment any tips of your own to help your fellow authors prosper, and follow my blog for new blog updates every Monday and Thursday.  

Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks? 

Are you an author looking for writing tips and tricks to better your manuscript? Or do you want to learn about how to get a literary agent, get published and properly market your book? Consider checking out the rest of Haya’s book blog where I post writing and publishing tips for authors every Monday and Thursday! And don’t forget to head over to my TikTok and Instagram profiles @hayatheauthor to learn more about my WIP and writing journey!