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canonicallyobserving911 · 2 months ago

Text

Several Sentences Sunday

Fanonwriter2023 on AO3

Where CANON and FANON collide!

FANON FanFic: Buddie Multi-Chapter - “I’m still in love with you but... I needed to learn how to love myself too!”

Chapter 33 will be posted soon!

This is an EPIC LOVE STORY!

Currently 32 chapters completed: 1.485M Words; Rated: Mature

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I'm excited to finish writing Chapter 33 because at the end of Chapter 32, Buck and Eddie got the call from Angelo, the real estate agent in San Gimignano, Italy regarding the house they bid on back in December and they were informed the builder accepted it. Later that evening, they told their found family at the 118 about it and they had a lot of questions including if they were going to immediately relocate to Italy.

Eddie explained they wouldn't do it right away but he included a caveat that if Buck or Chris say they're ready to go, they would pack up and leave, no questions asked. They still haven't told the Diazes yet and they haven't told Margaret and Phillip either. Will they tell them in the next chapter? Also, in Chapter 31, Buck and Bobby agreed to have a conversation at a later date regarding Buck's meeting with Captain Mehta and the job offer he got from Captain Clarke at the 115. Will they have that meeting in Chapter 33? 👀

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Here’s a snippet from Chapter 33 of a conversation Buck and Eddie are having on FaceTime.

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It’s 11:07PM and Buck’s lying in bed staring at the ceiling. As memories of the conversation that he had earlier today flow to the front of his mind like a tidal wave, he becomes frustrated all over again because the words he exchanged with his captain, mentor and father figure reached a level they hadn’t been at since 2019 right before he filed the lawsuit. Even though he’s not planning to file another one, he is thinking about the appointment he scheduled for tomorrow and he wonders how it will go.

He’s deep in thought when his phone starts ringing and after he grabs it off the nightstand, he checks the display, sees it’s a FaceTime call from Eddie and he tries to adjust his facial expression.

After he inhales and slowly exhales, he slides his finger across the screen and greets, “Hey babe?”

“Hey, amore mio. How are you and Chris doing?”

“Uh… we’re ok. Chris is in bed and we finished all his Algebra homework after we made it home and guess what?”

Eddie’s smile widens because he loves it when his husband asks him that. “What?”

“For dinner we cooked buttery Ritz cracker chicken with baby potatoes and broccoli.”

“Hmm, that sounds tasty. Did you or Chris find the recipe?”

He shares a small smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Um, we both did. After we looked in the fridge, we saw the chicken breasts we ordered and the potatoes, so we entered the ingredients into Google Chrome and searched for a recipe. It was the first one to pop up.”

His husband’s sad eyes and his sullen tone causes him to furrow his eyebrows because he can tell something’s wrong. He looks directly into the camera and asks, “Amore mio, is everything, ok?”

He sighs, sits up in bed and leans his back against the headboard. Once he positions the phone in front of his face again, he replies, “Babe, we can talk about it later because you’re at work and…”

“Buck, I’m going to stop you right there because you know nothing and no one is more important to me than you and Chris.” He bites his bottom lip in anticipation of asking the question that’s on the tip of his tongue. “Are you feeling, ok? You’re not having any chest pains, are you?”

He shakes his head no but when he sees and hears Eddie gasp, he quickly explains, “I’m ok…” but he trails off and lowers his head.

Since Eddie’s working a 24-hour shift and he still has more than 6 hours left before it ends, he doesn't want to worry him. Also, it’s late and there’s a lot he wants to say but he’s not even sure where to begin. Instead of trying to decide, he lifts his head, looks into the camera and asks, “Babe, when you get home in the morning, I know you’re going to be tired and you’ll want to get some sleep but uh… will you go to The Food Network with me after I finish my call with Edward?”

“Of course, I will and you know you don’t even have to ask.”

Buck nods his head in response and after a couple of seconds, he replies, “Thanks babe. I uh... called Lindsey Brown, the executive producer for the cooking show “All About Pasta” and she said she was glad I called because Emeril’s in L.A. until Saturday and she scheduled time for us to eat lunch with them so we can talk about their offer for me to be the new host of the show.”

Eddie nods but he’s worried about him and he figures something happened when he talked with Bobby earlier today. He cautiously asks, “Does tomorrow’s appointment have anything to do with your meeting with Bobby?”

“It does.”

“Do you want to talk about it? I’m in the loft by myself and I can put my AirPods in?”

He nods and replies, “I do…” but he trails off when he hears the alarm sound. He looks into the camera and explains, “That’s ok, babe, we’ll talk about it after you get some sleep in the morning.”

“Buck, I can come home…”

“We’ll talk in the morning after you wake up. I love you and be careful, ok?”

What is Eddie going to say next? 😉

Is he going to leave work? 🤷🏽‍♀️

What happened between Buck and Bobby? 🙃

Why did Buck call The Food Network about that job offer to host that TV show? 👀

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Fic Summary: Months after Buck and Eddie were hit by the same lightning strike; they’re still struggling with the aftermath of it. But before they make their love confessions, they’ll spend time getting to know themselves as individuals first. Eddie learns to enjoy the simple things in life as he participates in activities on his own and with new friends while Buck learns the rest of the 31-year-old deep dark family secret about his conception and birth. Their journey to forever is still a work in progress but once they finally admit they’re in love with each other, everything that follows their love confessions will be cataclysmic.

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Chapter Summaries

Chapter 1 - Eddie makes a new friend while Buck receives devastating news regarding the sperm donation he made for Connor and Kameron.

Chapter 2 - Buck does a lot of research to learn more about the abnormalities found in his red blood cells and Eddie starts a new therapy journey that’s all about him and not the traumas he’s experienced.

Chapter 3 - After more than a month, Buck and Eddie finally spend time together outside of work but it doesn’t end well and they part with a lot of uncertainty regarding their places in each other’s lives.

Chapter 4 - Eddie has a few realizations about his life which causes him to consider moving back to El Paso, TX while Buck continues to be reminded of his past which causes him to take an impromptu road trip across America.

Chapter 5 - Both Buck and Eddie have difficult conversations with their parents and Buck finally learns the truth behind the reason why his mother despised him while Eddie finally tells his mother about the way she tries to control him.

Chapter 6 - More than two weeks after Buck pushed Eddie away after suggesting they needed a break; Eddie decides to try again. Eddie’s there for Buck when he’s at his worst just like Buck was there for him when he was at his worst and he won’t let Buck give up.

Chapter 7 - After Buck’s mental breakdown, Eddie has his back the same way Buck had his when he had his own breakdown more than a year ago. They share several vulnerable and emotionally intimate moments with one another and they begin to realize their small, sweet and caring gestures matter just as much if not more than any grand gesture ever could because these are the foundations of a long-lasting love relationship.

Chapter 8 - Buck, Eddie and Chris all have their own therapists and during their sessions, they reflect on their pasts while they’re in the present so they can prepare for their future together as a family.

Chapter 9 - Buck and Eddie are there for each other when Buck has to testify as a witness during the trial. But by the end of it, they’ll both realize their individual and shared traumas are going to keep resurfacing until they talk about them, deal with the fact that they’re in love with one another and face the fact that they can’t live without each other.

Chapter 10 - As Buck and Eddie finally begin to confront their past traumas, they realize how much they need each other to fill in the gaps of their memories. Additionally, the universe screams at them for what appears to be the one hundredth time so Buck can realize he doesn’t have to ‘find it’ because he already ‘made it’ and Eddie’s reminded tomorrow isn’t promised and he doesn’t have to die alone if he doesn’t want to.

Chapter 11 - A “virga” or dry thunderstorm is in the forecast but once the rain starts, the thunderstorm happening outside won’t be able to match the storm brewing inside between Buck and Eddie. It’s the universe’s final scream and when the tumultuous winds begin to blow, they’ll have one last chance to hold onto everything they’ve built over the last six years or they’ll lose it all forever.

Chapter 12 - Buck and Eddie have always shared a deep physical attraction and an emotional intimacy that’s unmatched but now that they’re in a relationship, they’re learning how to navigate the romantic intimacy they’ve been waiting for six years to explore. The love they have for each other is a once in a lifetime, soulmate, love of their lives type of love that transcends space and time.

Chapter 13 - While navigating the newness of their romantic relationship, Buck and Eddie take advantage of every moment they spend together. As their individual lives, people from their pasts, time constraints and the possibility of losing each other again make attempts to interrupt and interfere with their journey to forever, they love, care for, support and hold onto each other even tighter to withstand it all.

Chapter 14 - Buck and Eddie can see the lights at the end of the tunnels regarding the results of Buck’s Cancer Screening along with everything else they’re dealing with. But are the lights they see exits to the tunnels or are they headlights on different runaway trains that are speeding towards them in an effort to interrupt their forever?

Chapter 15 - Buck and Eddie have known they were exactly who the other one wanted in a partner since they met six years ago when they agreed to have each other’s backs. They’re in a romantic relationship, they’re both preparing to ask the other one to spend forever with them and by the end of the seventh week into their relationship, together they will plan their most important and greatest adventure for their future.

Chapter 16 - As Buck and Eddie begin to prepare for their marriage ceremony that will take place in Rome, Italy in December 2023, they start planning their first international adventure as a romantic couple. Even though Chris is still the only person they’ve told about their relationship, several people who know them have already witnessed the love they share and as the days continue, others will witness it too.

Chapter 17 - As Buck and Eddie get closer to departing Los Angeles for their international adventure, a moment in time will remind them; life is fragile, tomorrow isn’t promised and every second of everyday should be cherished because everything can change in an instant. The result of that realization will cause them to hold onto each other even more.

Chapter 18 - As Buck, Eddie and Chris prepare for family gatherings before and during the Thanksgiving holiday, the “Santa Ana Winds” start to blow and all sorts of expected and unexpected familial drama ensues.

Chapter 19 - As Buck and Eddie get closer to their wedding day, the universe begins to align everything so that some of their parent and children's relationships are strengthened while others come to an abrupt end.

Chapter 20 - With only 14 days remaining until Buck, Eddie and Chris depart Los Angeles, CA traveling to Rome, Italy, for their first family adventure, an early morning conversation about “tying up loose ends” helps Buck and Eddie realize there are still several things left unfinished on their ‘To Do’ lists. The question is will there be enough time to complete all of them?

Chapter 21 - Buck, Eddie and Chris are finalizing their ‘To Do’ Lists, double checking their itineraries and packing their suitcases in preparation for their trip to Europe so they can board their flight that departs Los Angeles, CA on Friday, December 15, 2023 at 3:25PM.

Chapter 22 - While Buck, Eddie and Chris spend the first 8 days of their European family adventure in Italy, their primary reason for going will be fulfilled as well as several others they hadn’t considered or anticipated.

Chapter 23 - As the Diaz Family continues their Italian family adventure, they’ll say, “Ciao” or hello and goodbye to a lot of things almost immediately after they become an official and legal family.

Chapter 24 - After Buck, Eddie and Chris arrive in London, England on December 24th; the Diazes immediately start preparing to spend their first family Christmas together. During their stay, each of them will hear a few choice words that will be the life raft to get them home to complete their searches to be seen and to be found.

Chapter 25 - After spending more than two weeks in Europe, Eddie, Buck and Chris are back in Los Angeles and they’re getting ready to attend Maddie and Chimney’s New Year’s Eve party. During the event, they have plans to make two surprise announcements but the question is, who’s really going to be surprised, the Diaz family or their found family at the 118?

Chapter 26 - Buck and Eddie are once again faced with their greatest fear of losing each other but this time it could be permanent and if it is, then they won’t be able to spend the rest of their lives together.

Chapter 27 - After Buck resumes therapy, he’ll continue to face the fact that he “DIED” in March 2023 and during those sessions, he’ll learn about the 7 stages of grief. As he continues his healing journey, Eddie will be right by his side just like he promised and the Diaz family will start to deal with their three minutes and seventeen seconds loss as a family.

Chapter 28 - Two years ago, Eddie was asked, “What are you afraid of?”; twice, once by Frank and once by Buck but he only answered one of them without deflecting. Since that time, he’s been to therapy and him and Buck got married but the question resurfaces when Frank asks Buck the same question and Buck asks it of Eddie for the second time. However, when Buck asks, his reasoning will be about something else entirely.

Chapter 29 - After Buck and Eddie have an emotionally intimate conversation regarding their dreams, they make several decisions that will affect their future. When everything falls into place, they’ll realize one of those decisions will result in them no longer being work partners.

Chapter 30 - In 2018, Buck and Eddie met at the 118 and after some initial apprehensions on Buck’s part, they became work partners and they agreed to have each other’s backs. It’s been more than 6 ½ years, a lot’s happened, they got married in December 2023 and they have the family they both chose. With Eddie leaving the 118 in 3 months and Buck getting closer to moving past his grief, what will him losing his work partner mean for him?

Chapter 31 - As Buck’s life hangs in the balance from what’s suspected to be another bradycardia event, Eddie’s by his bedside, their son is being cared for by relatives and their found family is in the waiting room. During this time, many questions will surface that could possibly lead to the truth but will everything be revealed before it’s too late?

Chapter 32 - On January 2, 2024, the figurative skies over the Diaz family became gray and filled with storm clouds. Buck’s recent trauma, Chris’ school project and Eddie’s paramedic studies combined with the attack on Buck’s life, all those things contributed to the grief they’ve been experiencing. However, as the middle of February approaches, will the dark clouds dissipate so blue skies can return?

Chapter 33 - Will be posted soon.

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Read chapters 1-32 are available on AO3.

Continue reading on AO3

Chapter 33 will be posted soon.

#buddie #eddie diaz #evan buckley #christopher diaz #the buckley diaz family #buckley diaz family #The Diaz Family #buddie fanfic #ao3 fanfic #911 fanfic #Fanonwriter2023 on AO3 #“I'm still in love with you but... I needed to learn how to love myself too!”#Chapter 33 will be posted soon.#Several Sentences Sunday #buddie wip #Buddie multi-chapter fic

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aduckinpain · 1 year ago

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The Ice and The Snow

(can't melt with each other near)

Tags: Loscar, Logan Sargeant centered, Logan Sargeant Character Analysis, Hurt/Comfort, Rookies handling their first year as mirrors of each other, Happy Ending, That one radio in Qatar with James Vowel, Las Vegas 2023 Grand Prix, the consequences of Qatar haven't left yet

Word Count: 2.7k

This work is also on AO3 under user roianamustang (me).

Eyes would blink open. Body wrapped in a soft, fuzzy blanket. The air cold, but the atmosphere warm. Winter had always felt special, with its holidays, weather, and new year resolutions.

With the snow. Gentle snowflakes descend slowly. Each one has intricate and unique details. Yet each one still falls down. Depending on where they land, they either melt, or they pile up. Stacked on top of each other, invincible to the human eye when they stand alone, but wondrous when they form their patchworks. It’s almost as if a needle is being thread, linking each one with the other.

But this link never happens so delicately. The snow's weight pushes on itself, causing it to get packed. The pressure never leaves, it just unifies them.

Living in Florida gets everyone accumulated to heat and humidity, so when winter starts knocking on windows, it is rare that the package that arrives with it, is made of fluffy whiteness.

But snow can get deadly. It is slippery and wet. It builds up and always keeps on tumbling. It drags along everything in its path. It pulls.

An avalanche is a large amount of ice, snow, and rock falling down a slope, such as a hill or mountain.

With 2023 starting, Logan felt like he was hit by an avalanche with no ground to stop him. He was stuck under layers of freezing temperatures. Tremors and shivers were expected. Ice involuntarily and unknowingly scraping his skin.

And he was trying so, so hard. He kept digging and pushing around. But he’s been there for some time. He can’t find a way out. He can’t see the light.

Which way is up and which way is down?

Please. I promise I can do this.

Being the first American to win an FIA Karting World Championship title since 1978, is a fact that Logan keeps close to his heart. Lets it rest there, coil around. Reassure.

Entering in 2015, opened up new pathways and a clear goal to aim for. So the years continued. Full throttle.

The snow kept falling. Piling up.

Snowmen were created, snowball fights were won. And in 2016, as a newly entered Formula 4 driver, he met Ice.

The ice was immovable and quiet, yet intimidating. Somehow it has always been there, yet it just showed up.

The title was won with him standing as a solid third in the championship ranking. He was closer to the cold than to the trophies.

Soon enough in 2018, Logan wasn’t achieving podiums anymore. He was achieving wins. The high was exhilarating, the slower he fell from each cloud, the more he appreciated the crisp, fresh air. But the clouds kept rising and without him noticing, the pressure was increasing. His ice left for a bit. He missed his comfort. After all, the cold keeps the snow from melting.

2019 was a year full of points and disappointments, but Logan didn’t let that deter him. His path was now drawn and he’d entered it with purple sectors. The wind had picked up a bit, kept changing the trajectory of the flakes, but the destination was clear.

In 2020 the ice returned stronger than ever. The snow solidified with no chances of melting and plummeted to results. He ended up third in the championship. A result he added to the coil around his heart. His glacier won the championship, but the snow would catch up.

I promise you James, I will finish this race.

You have my word.

In 2021 Logan decided to take one more year of Formula 3, in hopes of achieving more, of having a more assured future. His ice felt like verglas, further away and much thinner.

While he had ranked lower than the first time in the championship, a majority of the team's points were won by him alone. He’d worn his gloves and slowly packed the snow together.

Still, when he received the news of Williams' support, he could not believe it., it came as a surprise. Things were looking good, he was excited. A good F2 season would give him more chances to fulfill his dream, his goal, his future.

He exited Prema’s building, while entering William’s and felt like a rime. Excited and cold, from the rapid freezing of the water around him. He wasn’t alone. Other drivers were there, his teammate was there, but most importantly, the snow touched its ice.

Oscar Piastri was an iceberg . Logan had never met someone quieter. But Oscar didn’t have to act loud, he was loud. His presence screamed hard-work and talent. A champion in F3, that people still underestimated. People seemed to warm up to him with a bit of time, but no one could deny the ruthless gleam in his eyes. Oscar didn’t just come for a win or a road to F1. Oscar was here to be champion.

So the hail picked up the pace. He couldn’t be beaten easily. He’d make it a challenge.

The snow cascaded down, each day with a new speed, with a greater intent. Pieces of ice were caught in its plunge.

Oscar became an intricate part of Logan’s life. Whether he liked it or not the videos and the activities brought them together. The ice kept the snow cold. Logan felt safe, calm.

The boys spent time together playing on their PlayStations, looking at each other’s simulator results and laughing at jokes with the team. Nothing, however, could beat their quiet nights.

Being with Oscar made Logan feel serene, if he didn’t want to talk, they just wouldn’t talk. If he wanted to rant, Oscar Piastri and those stupid big brown eyes of his would cling onto every sentence, every word. Logan felt listened to. He felt important. Sheltered, guarded.

When he was with Oscar, the wind fell silent, the snow fell slowly, softly. It never melted. It got cradled.

Oscar was the Champion of the 2021 F2 season, and no matter how annoyed Logan wanted to be, the pride surging through his chest overwhelmed him. Logan was second anyways, he’d bind for his time. The only thing that this season’s results assured him, was that the snow and its ice would meet again.

This time in F1. This time competing in their dream.

So while Oscar awaited his turn as a reserve driver for Alpine, Logan went through another season. This time with an ultimatum. If he managed to receive the correct amount points necessary for a Super License, his next year would be in a Formula 1 car, alongside Alexander Albon.

Coming fourth in the championship allowed him to get his license. What more could he want in life?

During this season however, his ice wasn’t there. Now usually, that would be okay, however the few times they called, texted or even met up, Oscar would seem dim, tired, unsure. Not physically, no. He felt defeated, confused. Alpine had promised him a lot of things yet, there he stood, jobless, dreamless. So this time Logan packed the snow, made a fort, an igloo, anything to protect the ice.

This is maybe, why he was so surprised when Oscar called him at 1 AM one night, something he doesn’t like to do generally, only to tell him the news.

@OscarPiastri

I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year.

8:00 PM · Aug 2, 2022

44.2K Reposts 50.7K Quotes 386K Likes 4,282 Bookmarks

Next year, his ice will be orange.

Next year, his ice will have his snow.

The year started and while Sargeant realistically knew the potential of a Williams car, it still overwhelmed him. Or underwhelmed him.

It whelmed him.

Getting used to an F1 car was different. The step from F2 to F1 was supposed to be gradual, seamless. It was neither of those.

Every race was a disappointment. At first he had hopes, he’d get used to the car or the car would be good enough to at least go near points. The longer time went on, the more he yearned, the more he lost. Disappointment coursed through his veins.

He was tired.

At himself.

While at the beginning he could reason with the prospect that he was a rookie and looked at Oscar who was going through the same thing, albeit with more drama, that could not be an excuse anymore after the summer break.

The ice was growing.

The snow was melting.

The avalanche was nosediving.

I will show you I can do this, please. I promise you I will.

Each weekend felt like the shards of ice were slipping away from his fingers, or digging deep into the blizzard. Logan started growing quiet, reluctant. He’d seen the jokes, laughed with some even, but what got to him was the comments.

This year, F2 drivers were chosen to drive an F1 car as a test. They got good results.

This year, Liam Lawson, his past teammate, stepped foot in an F1 car, passed Yuki Tsunoda, got points and beat Max Verstappen to Q3.

This year, after the summer break, Oscar Piastri was breaking records and expectations alike. He was loved more by the second and gradually carved his way into being McLaren’s greatest choice and Alpine’s greatest failure.

This year, Logan Sargeant was consistent. For a full season, he had managed to accumulate no points and be outqualified by his teammate in every race.

His seat was being wasted. All the years of hard work and achievements, reduced to water. Melted.

It all plunged in Qatar.

Any time someone bothered to use his face on social media, it tended to be followed by two things.

What the fuck is a kilometer, a joke which he had to admit, at first was funny.

And the eagle.

The eagle was supposed to represent the USA. His home, his safe space. He was supposed to represent where he came from. Give it meaning and value in this sport. Yet at every moment that passed, he felt two sharp talons digging onto his shoulders. Blood dripped down. The weight of this apex predator was bringing him to his knees. He was melting. He sank.

He didn’t ask for this. He just wanted people to be proud.

He just wanted Oscar to be his equal.

He missed Oscar.

He didn’t deserve Oscar.

Logan had given up on setting expectations for himself a long time ago, so the Grand Prix started and he went along with the flow.

Entering the car, he remembers making a joke about the weather. After all, Qatar was known for its intense heat. But nothing could prepare him. Nothing could prepare anyone.

Sweat dripped down his face, fogged up his helmet, sticking each strand of hair to his balaclava. Maybe it wasn’t the fog, because with a sudden jolt, Logan realized his vision was getting blurry. The content in his stomach had been swirling around for some time now, a sensation which only aided to his growing discomfort. Every muscle ached. He could feel every tendon tense in his body. There was a weight pushing down on him. Packing him up.

Every turn he could feel the effects of the G-force. It felt intensified, worse. His hands shook around the steering wheel. He was scared for a moment. He blinked.

He opened his eyes again.

He had blacked out. For a moment sure, but he had blacked out in a car going over 250 km/h.

Lap: 23/57 SAR: 1’29.298

Sargeant: I’m feeling pretty sick. I’ll be alright.

Jego: Okay. Zhou 1.5 behind. Focus on your lap times.

Lap: 26/57 SAR: 1’34.588

Sargeant: I’m not feeling well at all.

Jego: Okay, understood. Are you happy to continue, question?

Sergeant: Yeah.

Lap: 27/57 SAR: 1’53.468

Jego: Are you feeling okay? Are you happy to continue, question?

Sargeant: Let’s keep going.

Jego: Okay.

Sergeant: I feel like I might throw up.

Lap: 32/57 SAR: 1’28.230

Sargeant: I’m not doing well, mate. Fucking hell.

Jego: Can you continue?

Lap: 33/57 SAR: 1’28.804

Vowles: Logan, you’ve fought a brave day, but let’s bring it in and call it a day. Let’s look after you.

Sargeant: James, I promise you I can do this.

Vowles: Alright, I’ll leave it to you, buddy.

Sargeant: You have my word

Lap: 39/57 SAR: 1’29.587

Sergeant: I don’t feel well man.

Jego: Are you retiring, mate? Please confirm.

Sergeant: I don’t know.

Jego: If you’re feeling unwell, you retire. Your call, buddy. Doing opposite to Hulkenberg otherwise, opposite to Hulkenberg otherwise.

Lap: 40/57 SAR: 1’51.661

Jego: Racing Bottas on pit exit. You’re the one making the call if you want to retire or not, Logan. There’s no shame in retiring if you’re feeling unwell.

Sergeant: Yeah, I need to stop. I’m stopping. I’m stopping.

Jego: Okay. Okay. Okay. We will stop. Box, box, retiring the car.

He doesn’t remember much after that.

He remembers anger, sadness, frustration and hands keeping him upright. Getting out of the car was a struggle. He could finally breathe.

He turned his head to one of the TVs in the garage and saw a blurry orange passing by.

He let go.

He came to for a moment, only to see bright lights and white walls. Slowly rising, he managed to sit upright. The room swiveled, or maybe he did.

He felt dehydrated.

James Vowel entered the room, and for the first time that day, Logan broke down.

He didn't need water to cry. He had melted.

Oscar’s sprint win and second podium and Logan’s fifth DNF. Things to be celebrated, obviously.

Oscar is not a party person, but having a legendary weekend is bound to make any man break character. That is why Logan refrained from texting him. Closed his phone.

He went back on an old promise. He was having a hard time, sure, but he wasn’t going to let it soil Oscar’s success. He deserved it.

At least that’s what he was trying to convince himself with.

The phone's screen lit up the darkened room. He typed.

You have a new message.

LS: Hey

Oscar Piastri picked up his jacket, bid goodbyes and left.

Wrapped under the covers, Logan didn’t even hear the knocking. What brought him back to reality, is his phone suddenly ringing and shaking the bed.

‘Open the door, mate.’ Logan blanked for a bit, got up, wore his slippers and opened the door. Hands shaking. Exhaling

Oscar Piastri in the flesh was standing before him, remarkably less drunk than he had anticipated.

An eyebrow was raised and he moved out of the way.

Before he realized, he felt the wood of the bed frame dig into his back. On his left, stood an iceberg.

In the quiet.

His mind so loud, he didn’t even hear Oscar the second time he spoke, call out to him.

To be honest, he didn’t think he had more in him, yet the tears flowing down his cheeks were adamant to prove him wrong.

Each breath that escaped him was held in cold hands, protected.

As if he knew everything, Oscar reassured. Whispered.

No, it wasn’t his fault.

No, he wasn’t bothering him.

No, it’s completely normal and fair to feel what he’s feeling with everything that is happening.

Never, ever assume his opinions. Of course he wanted to be there.

Because Logan was a priority. He held importance.

He was important.

The snow froze to a comfortable temperature. Its ice was encased around him.

Las Vegas.

The land of the lucky, impulsive and very, very bright and shiny lights.

Finally at home.

He’d done better these past few races. Even got points in Austin. By pure luck, sure, but points were points and Logan was not complaining. And this track was new to everyone.

And according to everyone, loved by no one.

People's expectations were all over the place.

Friday came and went. Their tyres destroyed, even in a low grip track.

Saturday came. Saturday did not leave.

Qualifying.

P6 and P7.

With Sainz’ penalty, P5 and P6.

Logan was P6.

James was proud.

Alex was proud.

Oscar went up to him immediately, proud.

Logan was proud.

It may be a small step, but the avalanche had stopped and the clouds were liberating the snowflakes. Small and new, still unique, still falling. Landing on top of soft ice. The sun shined but nothing melted.

Logan smiled.

-End-

Please note that no matter how much I am writing here, it is all artistic speculation of what Logan himself has decided to show the world. Do not forget that these drivers are real people.

A short analysis yay:

The obvious things first, Logan is the Snow and Oscar is the Ice.

Verglas, a thin coating of ice or frozen rain on an exposed surface.

Rime, frost formed on cold objects by the rapid freezing of water vapor in cloud or fog.

The eagle is the vague legacy the America has put on Logan's shoulders and he feels like he is failing it.

The Qatar radio is completely accurate as I thought it displayed accurately how hopeless Logan sounded and probably felt

His future may be unsure, but for now things are improving.

This piece is 2,777 words I felt like that is a great omen to Las Vegas

I got emotionally attached to an american and I have no excuse besides that he actually sounds so sweet. He's just so.....american you get put off by it.

Honestly, I think this may be my weakest one. Be it because of the lack of Logan content online or just wanting to hug the dude, I needed to write something but I can't say I am the proudest. However I have decided that if it took time to write then I will post anything.

Thank you so much for reading! It would mean a lot if I managed to get some reposts, comments or liked!

If you like this, I have written more stories that can be found on my Formula 1 masterlist. Including: Lestappen and Landoscar with more to come. If it manages to spark your interest, please go support those as well!

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demaparbat-hp · 3 months ago

Note

Do you have an AO3? And are you writing your Kyoshi Warrior!Zuko AU? Bc it is currently living in my brain and not paying a PENNY

Hello! As a matter of fact, I do have an AO3 account. You can find my fics For The Spirits, To Hesitate, Letters To Home, and Soundless there.

It's in my plans to write the Kyoshi Warriors AU! I just haven't done it yet, since I've been focusing on my art and writing For The Spirits. If someone else would like to write a fic for the Kyoshi Warriors AU, go ahead! I'd love to read it!

On another note, while I haven't finished or posted a fic for the Kyoshi Warriors AU yet, that doesn't mean I haven't started writing it... Like...last year or something—but it still counts!

Here's a little snippet for you ❤️

Katara's new favorite color was green. There was green everywhere in the Earth Kingdom. Gran Gran had told them about her travels many, many times (which is probably the reason nobody ever messed with her, to be honest) but there was nothing like actually seeing it for herself. Green leaves, green grass, green eyes, green landscapes, green clothing—green everything. It was novelty! And thus green became her new favorite color. Katara could spend the entire day leaning over the edge of Appa's saddle, watching the green expanse of earth pass by as they flew above dozens of tiny islands spreckled on the sea. They had stopped by a few of them, already. Appa hadn't flown in over one hundred years so he tired easily, Aang was desperate for some fresh fruit, vegetables, or anything that wasn't seal jerky, and Sokka had almost thrown himself out of the saddle twice due to bathroom emergencies caused by said seal jerky. So Katara did have the chance to marvel at all the green. She'd just like that chance again, thank you very much. "Katara! My pants!" Katara huffed, rolled her eyes, and turned back to her sewing. Sokka had been insufferable for hours. Days, really, but if he kept going like that, Aang might just have to use airbending to cushion a very nasty fall. It wasn't Katara's fault Sokka tore his pants jumping into the saddle—he should be the one sewing, not her! But would he listen? Oh, no. Sewing, after all, was women's job, something only women could do, thus something a manly-man-warrior like Sokka couldn't possibly bother with. Next time, Katara would throw Sokka's pants at his face and tell him to mend them himself. "I'm freezing, Katara!" Her eye twitched. Green, think of green. "Katara!" She was about to snap at Sokka when Aang—bless his heart—interrupted the incoming rant. "Guys! Look over there!"

#dema answers #zutara #kyoshi warriors au #Sokka's gonna get yelled at soon don't worry #Five guesses on what Aang wants to show them #Clue—it's an island *wink wink*

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mcrdvcks · 6 months ago

Text

Down Bad - Chapter 1

Chapter Summary: Amina finds herself meeting The Bad Batch as she accompanies Rex to Ord Mantell. After deciding to watch the group for any adverse effects after removing their chips, circumstances cause her to overstay her welcome.

Word Count: 9.0k+

Pairing: Hunter x fem!Jedi Original Character

Notes: hello! so this is my first time using tumblr (at least, posting on tumblr), but i decided i wanted to try my hand at posting on here instead of just ao3. i have a few other series that haven't been transferred from ao3 yet, but if you would like to check it out, you can find the link on my masterlist! <3

Series Masterlist → Chapter 2

AO3 Link For Chapter

Times were tough, tougher than they had been in the last 3 years. With the empire taking over, and the Jedi being hunted down, now was certainly not the best time to be alive.

Amina got out of the ship, making sure it was properly locked and secured before making her way to where Rex was, at Cid’s place.

She was finishing up a few mechanical issues and damages they sustained, and it was a relaxing activity. But it also made her think about Anakin and Tatooine. Life was easier when they were slave children, and while she’s glad to have made it off of that planet all those years ago, maybe life wouldn’t be so difficult now.

Or so depressing.

She pulled the hood over her head, her dark brown hair now dyed an auburn color to try to hide who she was.

Amina Skywalker, a Jedi- formal Jedi.

She walked into the small rundown shop, watching as Rex kneeled down in front of a small girl. “I’ve met many clones in my time, but never one like you.”

The girl stepped forward, moving closer to Rex. “You’re a generation one.”

“Now how’d you know that?”

“From the lines on your face.” The girl stated.

Rex chuckled, and looked back to the other 4 clones, “yeah, I guess I’ve been around.”

“You got that right.” the larger clone said, before groaning and holding the right side of his head. “Tech, I need one of those med patches.

Tech responded, “you used the last one.”

Rex stood up as Amina walked further into the room, “what’s wrong?” He asked.

“Nothing. It’s just a headache.”

“Which are becoming more frequent.” One of the 4 other clones said.

Amina tilted her head, realizing that it was Echo, one of the 501’s clones, who Anakin, Rex, and some other clones had rescued.

“Is that so?” Rex said slowly, his hand slowly reaching down to his holster.

“If you’re concerned about the so-called inhibitor chips, don’t be. Our deviant nature appears to have impeded their functionality. Except in Crosshair.

Amina reached for her gun underneath her poncho, as Rex became more cautious, “you’re telling me you haven’t removed your chips?”

“No, not yet.”

Rex moved his poncho away from his holster, his hand hovering over his blaster.

The clone in the bandana stood up from the stool, “Rex?”

“Those chips make you a threat to everyone around you. Even her. You’re all ticking time bombs.” Rex said, angling himself into an attack position.

“Take it easy, Captain.” Bandana said, holding his hand out.

“What’s in your head is more dangerous than you can imagine. I’ve seen what happens when the chip activates, and I don’t want to bury any more of our brothers. Trust me. It is not something you can control. I couldn’t. It’s a risk you do not want to take.”

Bandana’s eyes widened, before looking down at the young girl. “How do you suggest we get them out?”

Rex moved his hand away from his holster, “good question. I’ll be in touch.” He walked out of the place while Amina followed silently. Better to not say anything now to those clones, just in case they recognize her and try to shoot her down.

---

Amina tapped her foot on the ground as they waited for the Bad Batch to arrive. She didn’t like this, didn’t want to risk getting shot again by clones who want to kill her.

But Rex said he trusted them, and that only helped relieve her tension slightly.

Soon, the Bad Batch’s ship landed as Rex and Amina walked over, with Rex wearing his armor and holding his helmet underneath his left arm, and Amina still wearing her black poncho.

Bandana, or Hunter as Rex told her, walked up to Rex first, shaking his hand.

“Right on time.” Rex said.

“How’s a junk planet gonna help us?” Wrecker asked.

The young girl came up to Amina and looked up at her. Amina kneeled down to the girl’s height. “Are you a friend of Rex?” She asked.

Amina nodded, and slowly pulled her hood off her head, revealing her face to the young girl. "I am," she confirmed, offering a warm smile.

The girl's eyes widened in surprise, and she took a step back. "You're... Amina Skywalker?" she whispered, awe evident in her voice.

Amina’s eyes widened, “Yes. And you are Omega.”

Omega nodded slowly, still processing the revelation. "I've heard stories about you. About your brother, too." Her gaze flickered between Amina and Rex, curiosity and uncertainty mingling in her expression.

Amina offered Omega a reassuring smile. "Well, not all stories are true, but I'm here now. And it's nice to finally meet you, Omega."

Omega returned the smile tentatively before glancing at Rex. "Why didn't you tell us she was coming?" she asked, her voice a mixture of confusion and accusation.

Rex sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It was... complicated," he admitted. "But she's here to help."

Hunter, the leader of the Bad Batch, approached the group, his sharp gaze assessing Amina with caution. "I hope you know what you're doing, Rex," he said gruffly.

Rex nodded solemnly. "I do. And I trust her."

Amina crossed her arms, “I should be asking you all that question. Because as far as I’m concerned you might just shoot me at any time.”

Rex looked over at her, “well, that’s what we’re here to take care of.”

Amina slowly brought her gaze away from the 4 clones and over to Rex, stiffly nodding. Rex nodded back, “follow me.” he said, putting on his helmet.

They walked on an abandoned starship as Rex spoke up as they got to the edge of it, “Bracca may not be much to look at, but it has exactly what we need. I had my inhibitor chip taken out on a Jedi cruiser just like that. That’s where we’re heading.”

Wrecker spoke up loudly, “then why’d we land all the way over here?”

Hunter motioned quickly, “everyone down.”

Everyone got down, watching a small ship in the distance, “that’s why.” Rex said.

“It’s the Scrapper Guild.” Tech said.

“They control this entire planet. We need to keep out of sight from their patrols.” Rex gestured with two fingers, “let’s move.”

The group made their way into the destroyed cruiser, with Amina staying in the back of the group, and Rex and Echo at the front.

They made their way through the wreckage and jumped up onto one of the intact starship’s ledges.

“Whoa.” Omega whispered. “It’s much bigger up close.”

They started walking over a piece of metal that acted as a bridge over a small pool of water. “This is an original Venator-class ship from the first batch off the line.” Rex told Omega.

“First off the line, huh? Just like you, Rex.” Wrecker added.

Amina followed behind Hunter and Tech as the two of them stopped. Hunter looked at the water.

“What is it?” Tech asked.

Hunter looked at the water for a few moments more before continuing on, “stay above the waterline.”

The group walked over a small bar of metal before finally entering the damaged starship.

“The last time I was aboard one of these it didn’t end so well.” Rex said, shining his flashlight as they walked through the crowded hallway, filled with damaged pieces of the ship.

“If the inhibitor chip isn’t something you can control, how’d you get yours out?” Echo asked.

“I… had help.” Rex replied.

Amina nodded to herself, Rex told her how Ahsoka was the one who practically saved Rex, taking out his inhibitor chip after Order 66 went through.

She shuddered to herself, telling herself to stop thinking about it otherwise she’d go down a rabbit hole of emotions and memories.

Rex suddenly stopped as a splashing sound was heard. “The medical bay’s at the other end. Wrecker, grab that cable.”

Wrecker kneeled down and held part of the cable, “this? W-why? W-w-what are you gonna do with it?”

They set up the cable as Rex, Echo, Tech, Hunter, and now Omega climbed the line. “Nicely done.” Rex told Omega, as she landed on her feet.

“You’re up, Wrecker.” Hunter said into the comms.

“Uh… yeah, my head doesn’t hurt anymore. I’m fine. You guys go without me.” Wrecker said, backing up slowly from the ledge.

“You can do it. Just keep your eyes on the cable.” Omega called out.

Wrecker groaned, before finally grabbing onto the cable and crawling underneath it. The line clicked, as it dipped down. The line clicked again. “That was close.” Wrecker said, before the line broke off, and fell straight down.

“Wrecker!” Rex yelled.

Everyone looked down, as Wrecker hung from the line, only because his foot got tangled.

“Are you all right?” Rex called.

“No! Smells awful down here!” Wrecker yelled back.

The light Omega was shining helped them see a large moving figure in the green water. “What’s that?” Omega asked.

“Wrecker, start climbing.” Hunter said.

“Why?” Wrecker nervously asked.

“Hurry!” Omega yelled.

A tentacle grabbed Wrecker’s body, bringing the line further down, until Wrecker was quickly brought into the water.

“Wrecker!” Omega yelled once again.

“Grab the cable. Get him up.” Hunter said.

Wrecker got pulled out of the water slightly as he cut the tentacle that held him. Wrecker slowly started to climb as Rex, Hunter, and Tech started to pull the line. “Faster! Pull faster!” Wrecker yelled.

The creature got ahold of Wrecker once more, with one tentacle on each of his legs. “Whoa, whoa!” Wrecker yelled.

Wrecker was pulled underneath the water as the three fell to the ground, since Wrecker wasn’t holding onto the cable anymore.

“Wrecker!” Rex called out, as they looked at the water, searching for bubbles or any sign of life. The water slowly bubbled as Wrecker grabbed onto the cable.

“Pull!” Omega yelled.

They started to pull up as Echo started to shoot the creature. Soon, the creature went back into the water and Wrecker was pulled up, with Rex helping him onto the ledge.

“Makes you miss battling clankers, doesn’t it?” Rex asked.

Wrecker groaned, “yeah.” He slowly got up as the group made their way down the hall and Amina finally jumped across the water and caught up.

Rex and Tech lifted the door as everyone entered and looked around the med bay. “This will do nicely.” Rex said.

“I would no longer call this medical bay a sterile environment.” Tech stated.

“Do you prefer to use the facility on Kamino?” Rex asked.

“This will do nicely.” Tech said.

Echo set down his helmet, “I’ll calibrate the surgical pod.” The power turned on, the pod lighting up.

“Time to get scanned, Wrecker.” Tech said.

“Let’s get this over with.”

Tech placed the metal piece on Wrecker’s head as he looked at his datapad. Hunter and Omega walked to the other side of the room as Hunter put some of their things on the ground.

Amina stood next to Echo as he worked with the surgical pod. He shortly glanced up at her and then back down, “how are you doing? With… everything?”

She sighed, “fine, I guess.”

“Do you know what happened to your brother?”

Amina quickly turned her head to face him before trying to put on a neutral face. “As far as I know, he died on Coruscant.”

The memories of the burning Jedi temple, along with the 501st attacking her, leading up to her and Padmé going to Mustafar as she watched Anakin burn on the shore with Obi-Wan standing over him. She lost her brother that day, even if he’s still alive, wreaking havoc on the galaxy.

Amina only knows he’s alive due to a few of her sources and a gut feeling. He’s out there somewhere, a pawn in Palpatine’s game.

Echo nodded, sensing she didn’t want to talk about her brother before moving on, “what about Blu?”

She looked down, “I don’t know.” Blu was her clone commando, and since she worked frequently with Anakin and Obi-Wan during the Clone War, most of their clones knew each other. “I was on Coruscant when Order 66 went through. I think Blu was on Pluvekk.”

Amina softly nudged him, “I’m sorry that you had to go through what you did. I never saw you after what happened at the Citadel.”

Echo looked down for a moment, his expression somber. "It was a difficult time for all of us," he admitted quietly. "After the Citadel, I... well, I wasn't the same. It took a lot to come to terms with everything that happened."

Amina nodded, understanding all too well the weight of the past. "It changed us all," she said softly. "But we're still here, aren't we? Trying to make sense of it all."

Echo glanced up at her, a hint of gratitude in his eyes. "Yeah, we are," he agreed. "And we're lucky to have each other."

Before Amina could respond, Tech’s data pad beeped, “I think I found something. Ninety degrees from his right orbital floor, below the parietal and temporal intersection- ”

Wrecker growled, as he took off the metal piece from his head, shoving it into Tech’s chest, “get that away from me.”

Omega leaned in closer to Wrecker before looking back towards everyone else, “something’s not right.”

“We need to speed this up.” Rex said.

Echo tapped a few more buttons on the control panel as it turned on.

“You boys got lucky. Very few clones were immune to the effects of Order 66. It’s… rare.”

Hunter looked over at Rex, “when the regs attacked the Jedi on Kaller, we didn’t understand why.” Hunter, Rex, Omega, and Amina walked to the back of the room, “we couldn’t save the general, but at least we helped the Padawan escape.”

Amina felt the energy in the room shift as Wrecker started to pick Tech off the ground, “you’re in direct violation of Order 66.” He threw Tech into a wall and picked up a blaster.

“Wrecker?” Omega cautiously asked.

Rex quickly took his blaster out of his holster, shooting a stun blast. But Wrecker hit the gun out of Rex’s hand before it hit him.

Rex, Amina, Hunter, and Omega ducked behind a crate as Echo grabbed a sheet of metal and ducked with them.

“He’ll destroy the equipment if we don’t get him out of here.” Echo said.

“You’re all traitors.” Wrecker yelled, still shooting his blaster in their direction.

“We’ll draw him out. Omega, stay with Tech.” Hunter said. He quickly stood up and threw a large container at Wrecker.

Hunter, Echo, Rex, and Amina ran out of the med bay. Her and Rex hid behind a piece of metal sticking out of the walls of the corridor. They waited for Wrecker to come out when Rex turned to her, “you need to get out of here.”

Amina whispered, “are you insane?”

“Go, general. I’ll contact you on comms when he’s subdued.” Amina glared at him as he continued, “do you even have your lightsaber.”

“No. I left it on the ship. It’s a hazard to have it on me.”

“More than enough reason for you to go.”

Amina looked at Rex before sighing, “fine. But you owe me Captain.” she said, quietly walking off and finding a place to hide. She knows Rex means well, so for now she’ll stay hidden.

From her vantage point, she could hear the echoes of blaster fire and the distant shouts of her comrades. Rex had insisted she leave, but every fiber of her being screamed at her to stay, to fight alongside him. But she knew he was right. Her presence would only complicate things further. So, she gritted her teeth and waited, her hand trembling as she clutched her blaster tightly.

Minutes felt like hours as she strained to pick up any sound that might indicate the outcome of the confrontation. She felt a wave of fear come over her, the source of it close by. Amina rounded the corner hearing distant talking.

“But, Wrecker, I’m your friend.”

“Good soldiers follow orders.”

Amina lifted her blaster and shot a stun bolt at Wrecker as he fell to the ground. Rex quickly came to Amina’s side.

She shrugged in response, “when have I ever followed orders, Captain?” Rex shook his head as she walked into the room and kneeled down next to Omega, “hey, are you alright?”

Omega nodded slowly, “I… think so.”

Amina helped Omega to her feet, offering her a reassuring smile. "Let's get you out of here," she said gently.

Omega nodded, her eyes still wide with fear. "Thank you," she whispered, clinging to Amina's hand as they walked towards the med bay.

---

Wrecker was placed in the pod as Tech worked on the control pad to take out his inhibitor chip.

“Is it supposed to take this long?” Echo asked.

“I’m not sure. I’ve never been on this end of it.” Rex replied.

A few seconds later Tech announced that the procedure was complete. The bed was moved out of the pod as Omega walked over and lightly pushed Wrecker. “Wrecker.” She moved him again, “Wrecker! He should be awake by now.” Omega looked over at Tech.

“He is alive, but his vitals have not stabilized. We won’t know more until he regains consciousness.”

Everyone glanced at each other as Rex and Hunter walked to the back of the room. “This could be a while. Why don’t you take Omega topside and get some air?” Rex asked Hunter.

“No.” Omega said firmly, as the two turned towards her, “I’m staying until he wakes up.”

Amina raised an eyebrow at Omega, impressed by her firm stance as Omega pulled a chair closer to the pod and sat down.

Everyone found a place to sit as they waited for Wrecker to wake up. Amina sat outside in the hall, force levitating a small metal ball she kept with her.

It was something Padmé had gifted to her, saying it would help with her anxiety and boredom. She remembered scoffing at Padmé telling her about anxiety, she was a Jedi, and a Jedi cannot have emotions clouding their judgement.

But, she and Anakin never followed along with the rules and customs of the Jedi.

“He’s awake!” Omega yelled.

Amina walked into the med bay as did Rex who was leaning against the door frame. “Oh. You made it.” Tech said.

“Welcome back.” Hunter told Wrecker, his hand on his shoulder.

“One chip down. Three to go. Who’s next?” Rex held the metal headpiece as he looked at the rest of the guys.

---

Amina and Rex decided it was best for her to stay with the Bad Batch for a little while longer, only until they are alright from the procedure. But, in the time they conducted it, Amina quietly made her way back to Rex’s ship and retrieved her lightsaber.

She held it in her hand, its weight familiar. She let out a sigh, before hooking it to her belt and making her way back.

“Stay out of trouble.”

“Funny. I was gonna say the same to you.”

Amina hopped on the cruiser ledge, both Hunter and Rex glancing over at her. “Where did you go?” Rex asked.

She shrugged, “getting my lightsaber. Don’t worry about me Captain, I’ve made it this far.”

Rex rolled his eyes before putting his helmet on, “yeah, that’s a surprise.”

Amina shook her head and patted Rex’s shoulder before going back into the cruiser and to the med bay.

---

"It's going to be alright, Padme," Amina said, her voice steady despite the chaos unfolding around them. She shared a glance with Obi-Wan, their eyes communicating a mixture of concern and determination as Padme let out another agonized scream.

Obi-Wan placed a reassuring hand on Padme's forehead, his expression focused. "Just a little longer, Padme. You're doing great," he encouraged.

Padme's grip on Amina's hand tightened, her breath coming in ragged gasps as she fought through the pain. "I can't do this," she whispered, her voice laced with exhaustion and fear.

Amina squeezed Padme's hand gently, offering her a small, reassuring smile. "Yes, you can," she said firmly, her tone leaving no room for doubt. "You're the strongest person I know, Padme. You can do anything."

Padme smiled at her, barely recognizable because she started to scream once again. Soon, a baby started to cry as the medical droid briefly showed the baby to Padme.

“Luke.” Padme said, as the medical droid handed the baby to Obi-Wan and he held the young boy closer to Padme. She brushed a finger on his cheek, “oh, Luke.”

The labor continued, and a few moments later, the droid held another baby.

“It’s a girl.” Obi-Wan said.

“Leia.” Padme said, almost sadly.

Amina grabbed the baby from the medical droid, holding the girl and moving to Padme’s left side.

Padme glanced at Amina, and then back at Obi-Wan, “there’s good in him.” She took multiple deep breaths, “I know. I know there’s… still- ” Padme took one last breath before her head tilted to the side. Luke started to cry louder, as if sensing his mother died right in front of him.

Amina took a shaky breath, willing the tears to stay back as she looked down at Leia. She knew, deep down, that she may never see them again. The twins were her only connection to Anakin, and she just knew that they would be taken away from her for their safety.

And she was right.

---

Her comm beeped, taking Amina out of her mediation, “Hunter, we’ve got company.” Tech said.

“Is it more scrappers?” Hunter replied.

“No, it’s the Empire.”

Amina made her way to the deck, where Tech, Hunter, and Omega were. Hunter looked out the window with a pair of binoculars and sighed, “it’s Crosshair, all right.”

“He won’t be able to detect us. I’m blocking their scanners.” Tech replied, waving his data pad.

“That won’t stop him. Come on.” They ran out of the deck and to Echo and Wrecker, who had old bombs and weapons.

“How many troopers we talking about?” Echo asked.

“Three attack shuttles’ worth.” Tech replied quickly.

“We already got what we came for. Let’s get to the Marauder.” Wrecker said, holding two large items on his back.

“They’re already on board the cruiser. We need a covert way out.” Hunter said.

“They’ll do a forward-to-aft sweep. We can alternate corridors. Come on.” Echo replied.

They made their way through the corridors, with Hunter and Echo at the head of the group. “Talk to me, Tech.” Hunter said.

“I’m trying to tap into the regs’ comms so we can monitor their movements.” They heard faint banging as Hunter closed his fist, turning to the left.

“Someone’s coming.” Hunter said quickly, as they walked backwards to hide behind the wall. They waited as the troopers passed right in front of them, walking away without noticing the group.

Tech’s data pad beeped, “I’m in.”

“All squads.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Push the targets towards the hangar. We’ll pin them down.”

“Roger that.”

Omega stepped forward, “aren’t we headed to the hangar?”

“Not anymore.” Hunter responded, “we’ll cut through the artillery deck.”

They made their way to the artillery deck, void of any life. Tech and Wrecker looked out of the open spot in the wall. Outside where they were was only a large pit filled with the wreckage of other ships.

“Uh… Okay, I’m not going out that way.” Wrecker said.

The door banged open, “there they are.”

Hunter was at the ready quickly, pointing his blaster at the troopers as everyone else followed along. Amina quickly pulled her hood over her head and pointed her blaster as well.

“Stand down.” A trooper in grey gear said, holding a large automatic blaster.

Another door opened from the other side of them, showing more troopers in grey gear. “Tapping our comms to track our movements? So predictable.” Crosshair said.

Wrecker scoffed, “nice to see you too, Crosshair.”

Tech spoke quietly to Echo, “Echo, scomp in and reroute reserve power to the cannons.”

“If these cannons fire, this whole deck will collapse.”

“Exactly.” Tech responded.

“Look at you all, scavenging like rats. How pathetic.” Crosshair hissed.

“Why come after us?” Hunter inquired.

“You’re traitors.” Crosshair motioned for a few troopers to move into position.

Hunter, Omega, and Amina took a quick glance behind them as Amina gently placed a hand on Omega’s shoulder, guiding her to behind her on her left side.

“Done.” Echo said.

“Crosshair, wake up. You’re being controlled by an inhibitor chip.” Hunter said.

Omega moved in front of Amina and spoke loudly, “he’s telling the truth. The Kaminoans put chips in all the clones. Remember what I told you in the brig? You can’t help it.”

Crosshair took a small step in response, as Hunter moved in front of Omega. “Aim for the kid.” Crosshair ordered.

Hunter pushed Omega into Amina as Amina guided Omega back behind her. “Your issue’s with me, not her.”

“Hurry up.” Wrecker whispered.

“Systems online in three, two, one.” Tech said.

“I suggest you drop your weapon.” Crosshair spoke, at the same time as Tech.

A cannon fired causing troopers to fall backwards. Hunter shot at the troopers behind them, “go!”

Metal started to fall from the ceiling as Amina and Hunter shot at as many as they could, with Omega joining in with her energy crossbow.

“Look out!” Hunter yelled, as he grabbed Omega and brought them to the ground.

Tech, Wrecker, Echo, and Amina ran out of the way before metal fell on top of them. They all got up and started to run to the door, when a trooper with a flamethrower stood in front of them. The group pointed their blasters as the trooper turned on the flamethrower.

“Whoa!” Wrecker said, before grunting and throwing one of the large bombs at the trooper, knocking them out. “Direct hit. Yeah!”

They made their way out of the artillery deck and to the ion engine chamber, getting onto the small ledges on the wall.

Hunter went out first, followed by Echo, Tech, Omega, Amina, and then Wrecker, who stood in the doorway. “The ion engine chamber? Why’d you bring us here?” Wrecker asked Tech.

“Because this is our alternate egress off the cruiser.”

Wrecker groaned, “I don’t even know what that means.”

They all kept their backs to the wall, in order to not fall down into the chamber as Omega turned to Amina. “Why don’t you use your lightsaber?”

Amina glanced over at Tech, who was a bit further ahead of the two of them, and Wrecker, who was a little bit behind since he was carrying the carton of explosives. "Because it makes me and everyone else a risk," she replied to Omega's question, her voice calm but firm.

Omega nodded, understanding dawning in her eyes. "But you're a Jedi. Shouldn't you use it to protect us?"

Amina sighed, her gaze drifting to the floor briefly before returning to Omega's earnest expression. "Being a Jedi isn't just about using a lightsaber. It's about knowing when not to use it, too. Sometimes, the best way to protect others is by not drawing attention to yourself."

Omega nodded slowly, absorbing Amina's words. "So, it's like being invisible, but still being there to help when needed?"

Amina smiled, impressed by Omega's insight. "Exactly. It's about finding the balance between action and restraint. And since I’m skilled in other areas, using my lightsaber is the last resort.”

They made it to a part of the engine chamber where they had to slide down a circular path. Hunter went down first, followed by Echo, and Tech.

“We’re almost there. A little further.” Hunter said, as Omega and then Amina slid down.

“I didn’t think you meant we’d be escaping through the engine.” Echo looked over at Tech.

“I could not have been clearer.” Tech retorted.

“Whoa, I’ve never been inside an ion engine before.” Omega said, looking around the engine shining her flashlight around.

“It’d be weirder if you had.” Wrecker panted out, still carrying the crate of explosives.

“These chambers are quite the engineering marvel.” Tech said, as they climbed up part of the engine, “this blast primer coating is capable of withstand- ”

Wrecker shoved Tech off the ledge, “no one cares! Keep movin’.”

The group had made it to the end of the engine, the darkness of the outside shrouding them.

“Well? Now what?” Wrecker asked.

Tech climbed onto the ledge Hunter was on to get a better look outside when a blaster shot hit right next to him.

“Try again, Hunter.” Crosshair yelled. “I told you before, you’re surrounded.”

“Double back.” Hunter ordered, as they made their way down the engine. Then, a loud rumbling was heard all around them, making them stop.

“What is that?” Omega asked.

“Sounds like the engine’s coming online.” Hunter replied from above. “But that’s not possible, right?”

Tech took out his data pad, “technically, it is. I restored the ship’s main power core when I accessed the central system, which means the engines can be activated.

Another loud rumble was heard the engine starting to shake, “Crosshair wouldn’t do that, would he?” Omega asked.

Echo placed his hand on one of the pieces of metal, “how much time do we have?”

“I estimate less than two minutes.” Tech answered.

A blue light started to emerge from the ion engine as Omega looked around, “what do we do?”

Wrecker turned around excitedly, “uh, what about Plan 7?”

Echo shared a look with Hunter, “Plan 7 has nothing to do with this situation whatsoever.”

“Well- well you think of something?” Wrecker said, taking the crate of explosives off of his back.

“Can we use the explosives from the armory to disable the engine?” Hunter asked.

“It won’t cause a large enough reaction to affect the thermal chamber. But if we place a series of charges around this cone, we may be able to break away from the cylinder while destabilizing the core.” Tech responded.

“Break away? You mean fall? All the way down?” Omega asked, a hint of fear in her voice.

“It’s that or be incinerated.” Echo looked over at Omega.

“Everyone take an explosive. Tech, Omega, we’ll do the middle, Amina can do the top.”

She nodded, as everyone grabbed one explosive and Amina grabbed two, force jumping to the top to place each one.

The engine came on, “everybody, get down!” Wrecker said, before pressing the detonator.

As the explosive charges detonated, sending shockwaves reverberating through the engine, the Bad Batch braced themselves for the impending chaos. Metal groaned and screeched as the cylinder housing the ion engine began to break away from the rest of the ship.

Everyone fell down, as Tech yelled out, “hold on!” Then, once they had separated from the engine, they began to fall, as everyone grabbed onto something. The part of the engine hit the ground, before tipping and falling again, breaking in half.

“Hunter, we landed on the port side. What’s your status?” Echo asked Hunter through comms.

“We’re by the engine, and we’ve got company. Meet back at the Marauder.”

Echo nodded, as he looked around. Wrecker and Tech were next to him, but Amina was nowhere to be seen.

“Amina!?” Echo called out.

“Over here!” She yelled out. Somehow, whether luck or karma, a piece of metal landed through her right ankle, leaving her trapped on the ground.

It didn't feel bad right now, but it could just be the adrenaline. Or, the fact that she's had much worse injuries. Amina gritted her teeth, trying to push past the initial shock of having a piece of metal pinning her ankle to the ground. She glanced around, taking in her surroundings. The wreckage of the engine was strewn all around her, metal debris and sparks filling the air.

"Echo, I'm pinned down!" Amina called out, her voice strained with pain.

Echo hurried over, followed closely by Wrecker and Tech. They skidded to a stop beside her, their eyes widening at the sight of the metal impaling her ankle.

"We need to get her out of there," Echo said, his voice urgent.

Wrecker moved forward, his massive frame casting a shadow over Amina. "Hold still, kid. This is gonna hurt."

Amina nodded, bracing herself as Wrecker reached down and gripped the piece of metal. With a grunt of effort, he pulled it free. Echo and Tech quickly moved in to support her as Wrecker tossed the metal aside.

“Ouch.” She responded, as the two helped her stand up. Amina looked up at Tech and Wrecker who stood by each other, as she leaned on Echo. “It’s honestly not that bad.”

"You sure you're okay?" Echo asked, his voice soft.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Amina replied, trying to sound more confident than she felt. She didn't want to worry Echo or anyone else unnecessarily. "Just a scratch."

Echo didn't look convinced, but he nodded, choosing not to push the issue for now. Instead, he turned his attention to their surroundings.

"We need to find a way back to the Marauder," he said, scanning the wreckage of the engine. "Tech, any idea how far we are from it?"

Tech pulled out his datapad and began analyzing their location. "It's about a kilometer to the west," he reported after a moment. "We'll have to navigate through the wreckage to get there."

Wrecker cracked his knuckles, a grin spreading across his face. "Sounds like fun."

Amina couldn't help but roll her eyes at Wrecker's enthusiasm for danger. "Let's just get moving before Crosshair and his goons show up again."

With Tech leading the way, they started picking their way through the twisted metal and debris of the engine wreckage. Amina winced as she put weight on her injured ankle, but she pushed through the pain, determined not to slow them down.

As they made their way through the wreckage, Amina found herself falling into step beside Echo. He glanced down at her, his expression still worried.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked again, his voice low.

Amina nodded, offering him a reassuring smile. "I told you, I'm fine. Just a little sore." She shook her head, reminiscing. “One time, me and Blu were flying to Hecaya and Separatists shot us down. I ended up with two pieces of metal to the gut.” She let out a small laugh, “Anakin wasn’t happy.”

She trailed off, gulping. The smell of burning skin, Anakin’s cries of pain, and his yellow eyes burned into her mind.

Amina wanted to remember the good parts, how whenever she and Anakin had a rotation off, they would go flying around Coruscant. Then, they would go to Padme’s apartment and eat dinner together, finishing the night with tea.

She would end up going back to her room in the Temple, but usually Anakin would stay with Padme.

She wanted, more than anything, to remember those good times, and not Anakin looking at her with thinly veiled anger. He was her older brother, they grew up together, were slaves together, then brought to the Jedi together.

But she couldn’t get his last day out of her head, no matter how hard she tried.

And it’s not like she could talk to anyone, the only people who know are Padme, Obi-Wan, Yoda, and herself.

Padme’s dead, and Obi-Wan and Yoda are in hiding, leaving her with brewing emotions she doesn’t not what to do with. She was trained to bury them inside of her because that’s the Jedi way.

But the Jedi were flawed, so how can she still abide by their rules and teachings?

Now, as she walked beside Echo, she couldn't help but wonder if she was destined to follow in Anakin's footsteps. Was she doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past, to let her emotions consume her until there was nothing left but darkness?

She knew Master Windu and even Master Yoda were as wary of her as they were of Anakin. She was reckless, headstrong, and had too many emotions. At least, that’s what they said.

But yet, out of all of the Jedi out there, she was one of the few survivors. At least she had that on Master Windu.

They made their way up the ledge, the Marauder right in front of them when they saw Hunter laying on the ground.

Amina made her way on the ship as Echo leaned down over Hunter, “Hunter. Wake up.”

“What happened? Where’s Omega?” Wrecker asked, holding his own blaster and Omega’s crossbow.

“He was shot in the chest plate.” Echo added.

“We have to get him on board.” Tech said, looking through Hunter’s visor.

“Incoming!” Wrecker announced, shooting at the troopers.

“Got him. Let’s get out of here!” Echo said.

“Go, go, go!” Wrecker kept shooting at the troopers as Echo helped Hunter onto the ship.

Amina powered up the ship and once the doors closed, flew up and away. Tech glanced over at Amina, who sat in the pilot’s chair. She gestured for Tech to sit in the co-pilot’s chair as blasts flew nearby.

One similarity between her and her brother was that they were both great pilots. Or, as Obi-Wan said, reckless pilots who might give him a heart attack one day.

As she maneuvered the Marauder through the chaos of the battle, Amina couldn't help but feel a rush of adrenaline coursing through her veins. Flying was where she felt most alive, where she could forget about her troubles and just focus on the moment.

Tech glanced over at Amina from the co-pilot's chair, his brow furrowed with concern. "Are you sure you're up for this? Your ankle- "

“I don’t need my feet to fly.” She said, as Hunter and Echo came into the cockpit.

“Any sign of that bounty hunter?” Hunter asked.

“The only vessel in our scanner is Crosshair’s and he is right on top of us.” Tech responded.

“It’s getting hot back here!” Wrecker yelled from the back as he manned the guns.

“Prepping to jump.” Amina said.

“Not without Omega.” Hunter said, turning to face her and Tech.

“The bounty hunter who took her is long gone. We’ll have no chance of finding them if Crosshair shoots us down.” Echo responded.

“Rear deflector shields are failing.” Tech said, as Amina continued to fly the ship.

Hunter let out a sigh before giving in. “Make the jump.”

Amina pressed a few buttons before pushing the lever up, as the Marauder went into hyperspace. After a few moments, she let Tech take over as she went to find a med kit on the ship.

Her patch work wouldn’t be great, but she had to stop the bleeding somehow. This is the one time she wishes it was a blaster shot or a lightsaber injury since it cauterizes the wound, but she’s found herself to be unlucky since everything went down.

Echo went through the computer they had on the ship, “your description of the bounty hunter is a match to one from the Republic’s files.”

“That’s him.” Hunter said, coming up behind the chair Echo was seated at.

“Cad Bane.”

Amina’s head snapped up, as she shakily stood up and walked over to the computer where Hunter, Echo, and Wrecker were.

She looked at his picture, “we had a lot of run-ins with him during the war.”

Echo continued, “he was responsible for attempting to abduct Chancellor Palpatine.”

Amina felt her blood run cold. She never wanted to hear his name again, but that was impossible since he was the Emperor and a Sith lord.

“First the bounty hunter on Pantora and now this guy? Why are they after the kid?” Wrecker asked.

“Because she is more valuable than we realized.” Tech announced, coming out of the cockpit.

“What do you mean?” Hunter looked over at Tech, who was looking at his data pad.

“I further analyzed Omega’s genetic profile and discovered she has pure, first-generation DNA.”

“Whoa!” Wrecker said, as Echo stood up. “Wait. W-w-what does that mean?”

“All clones were created from a host named Jango Fett. While our genetic structure was modified for growth acceleration and obedience, Omega is a pure genetic replication.”

“How many clones like that exist?” Hunter asked.

“To my knowledge there’s only one other. A male clone code-named Alpha, later referred to as Boba. Since he disappeared at the start of the war, that makes Omega the sole living source of Fett’s raw genetic material.”

“If she’s vital to the Kaminoans’ cloning operation, they must have put the bounty on her.” Echo added, looking over at Hunter.

“So how do we find this bounty hunter?” Wrecker asked.

“Tech, check with Cid. See if her contacts know anything. We’ll keep monitoring comms.” Hunter said.

---

Amina took off the bandages she put on not too long ago and grabbed new ones. She didn’t want to waste the bacta patches the group had, so settled for bandages around her ankle, hoping that eventually, the bleeding would stop.

Echo walked through the hall and into the cockpit, “yeah. Cid knows all about Bane but not how to find him. She said we’re on our own.”

Hunter pressed a few more buttons when a faint voice sounded out.

“Come in. Come in.”

Hunter and Echo turned their chairs to face each other, “Anyone?” Omega’s voice asked again.

Wrecker got up quickly, “Omega!”

“Omega, are you there? Omega!” Hunter asked quickly.

“It’s long-range. I’ll try to boost the signal.” Echo answered.

“Is anyone there?”

“Omega, do you copy?” Hunter asked.

“Hunter? I’m here. I got away, but you have to hurry.”

“Where are you?”

“I… I-I don’t know where I am.”

“Hang on, kid. We’re coming for ya!” Wrecker yelled out.

Echo sighed, “the signal’s too weak to establish a direct connection trace.”

Tech stepped closer to Echo, “Omega, we need a relay of your position. Try to create a power surge. Can you find a panel nearby?”

“There’s one by a door. It looks like the ones on Tipoca City.”

“That’s good. First, see if you can activate it.”

“It worked. Now what should I do?”

“Next you will need to reroute the circuits to overload the main grid.” After a few seconds of no response, Tech called Omega’s name, “Omega? Do you copy?”

“Let me go!”

“I still can’t get a good read.”

“Hunter, I need you!”

Hunter pushed Tech as he stepped closer to Echo, “Omega! Omega!”

They looked around, suspecting that something happened to Omega’s comms. A few moments later, Echo looked behind him, “I think I’ve got her. She’s in the Lido system.”

“Where in the Lido system?” Wrecker asked.

“I’m pinpointing the exact coordinates. Hang on!” They flew downwards until going back into hyperspace.

Quickly, they flew onto the planet and searched the skies until finding an escape pod flying. Tech and Echo quickly connected the pod to the Marauder. Wrecker opened the hatch, “Omega! Are you in there?”

“Wrecker!” Omega climbed up the ladder with her handcuffed hands until Wrecker pulled her up.

“Aw! Good to have you back, kid.” Wrecker said, holding her up in the air before setting her down and hugging her.

After Wrecker let her go, she took a quick glance at Hunter before leaning into him. Hunter hissed quietly, his chest bandaged from the shot, before kneeling down and placing his hands on her shoulders. “Are you okay, Omega? Are you hurt?”

Omega sniffled, “why is this happening? Why are the Kaminoans after me?”

Echo rubbed the side of his neck, “Hunter, you have to tell her.”

Omega glanced back at Echo before turning back to Hunter. “You’re valuable to them. More than all the other clones. Even more than us. You’re different.”

“Different? How?”

---

She held her lightsaber up, her blue contrasting with the red of Vader’s. She grunted, “An- Anakin!”

Vader's mechanical breathing filled the air, a haunting reminder of the man he once was. Amina's heart pounded in her chest as she faced him, the weight of their shared past hanging heavy between them.

“Anakin is dead.” Vader said, swinging his lightsaber as Amina blocked it with hers.

“I know you’re in there, Ani. I know there’s still good in you.”

He swung his lightsaber again, as Amina blocked up, turning around and backing up.

"You were a Jedi, Anakin. You wer- are my brother," she said, her voice breaking with emotion. "And I refuse to believe that you're lost to me forever."

An intense energy crackled in the air as Vader raised his lightsaber, the crimson blade humming with malevolence. Amina held her own lightsaber steady, the familiar weight of it grounding her in the midst of her turmoil.

"I am no longer Anakin Skywalker," Vader replied, his voice cold and detached. "That name holds no meaning for me now."

Amina's heart sank at his words, but she refused to back down. She knew there was still goodness buried deep within him, waiting to be reignited.

"Anakin, please," she pleaded, her voice barely above a whisper. "I know you're still in there. I can feel it."

Vader's masked visage betrayed no emotion as he advanced towards her, his every step echoing with the weight of their shared history.

"You cling to false hope, sister," he said, his voice dripping with scorn. "The Jedi are gone, and so is the man you once knew."

Amina's grip tightened on her lightsaber, her resolve steeling against the onslaught of doubt and despair. She refused to believe that her brother was lost to her forever, no matter how dire the circumstances seemed.

“And soon, you will be gone too.”

As Vader swung his blade towards her, Amina met it with her own, before he pushed her to the ground, her lightsaber rolling away from her and his at her neck.

He raised his hand as she closed her eyes and heard the swing of a mechanical arm-

Amina rose up from the floor of the Marauder, wincing at the pressure she put on her ankle. She tried to calm her breathing and her racing heart as she leaned against the wall.

Was Anakin really Darth Vader? Were her assumptions right?

She ran a hand down her face and clutched her right wrist where a bracelet sat. Her and Anakin made matching ones when they were first brought to the Temple. It was a simple rope bracelet with a small japor snippet.

As she pondered the implications of her dream, a soft voice broke through the silence, pulling her back to the present moment. Hunter and Omega stood before her, concern etched into their features as Hunter watched her with gentle eyes.

"General, are you alright?" he asked, his voice soft and soothing.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, though her voice held a hint of uncertainty. "Just... had a bad dream, is all." Amina toyed with her bracelet, holding the japor snippet.

Hunter's brow furrowed slightly, his gaze lingering on her for a moment longer before he nodded. "Nightmares can be rough," he said softly, his tone understanding. "If you need to talk about it, I'm here."

Amina's smile softened at his offer of support. Despite only knowing him for a short time, she found herself appreciating his kindness and empathy. "Thanks, Sergeant," she murmured, grateful for his presence.

Omega, standing beside Hunter, looked between the two of them, a curious expression on her face. "Are you okay?" she asked, her voice hesitant.

Amina gave her a small smile, “yeah, why?”

“You have… red on your ankle.”

Amina leaned over her legs, looking at her ankle, the bandages seeped with blood once again. “Oh, it’s nothing. Just need to put more bandages on it.”

She took off the bandages as Omega hissed quietly, since the rest of the group was asleep, “that doesn’t look okay.”

Amina shrugged, “it’ll be fine, a piece of metal with through it. Looks worse than what it is.”

Omega looked up at Hunter, “can you look at it?”

Amina opened her mouth when Omega looked back at her with big wide eyes. She let out a sigh, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “Fine,” she relented, her voice resigned.

Hunter nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. “Of course, Omega. Let’s take a look at it.”

Omega’s face lit up with relief as she stepped aside to give Hunter space to examine Amina’s ankle. She sat down next to Amina as Hunter quickly went away to get the med kit.

Amina sighed, feeling a mix of gratitude and frustration. She wasn't used to letting others take care of her, especially not someone she had only just met like Hunter. But her ankle was throbbing, and she knew she needed help if she wanted to be able to walk properly again.

Hunter returned with the med kit, kneeling down beside Amina and Omega. He opened the kit and began to clean the wound gently, his movements careful and precise. Amina tried to suppress a flinch as he touched the tender skin around her ankle, but Hunter noticed her discomfort.

"Sorry," he murmured, his voice low. "I'll try to be more gentle."

Amina shook her head, offering him a small smile. "It's okay. It's not your fault."

Omega looked over at Amina, lightly tugging her arm. “Are you going to be staying with us now? Or are you going to go back with Rex?”

Omega's question hung in the air, drawing Amina out of her thoughts. She glanced down at the young girl, her brow furrowing slightly as she considered her response.

"I... I'm not sure yet," Amina admitted, her voice quiet. "I haven't really thought about it."

Omega's eyes widened in surprise, her expression hopeful. "But you could stay with us, right?" she asked, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

Amina's heart clenched at the earnestness in Omega's voice. She wasn’t quite sure where she belonged anymore. Before it was with Anakin and Shmi on Tatooine, then the Jedi and her master Be Pa'dor, and now no one.

"I... I'll think about it," Amina said finally, offering Omega a small smile. "But for now, I'll stick around. At least until I figure out what to do next."

Omega's eyes brightened with relief at Amina's words, a grateful smile spreading across her face. "That's great!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement. "I'm glad you're staying with us." Omega wrapped her arms around Amina’s waist as she hugged the young girl back.

“Looks like that metal rod went completely through the ankle.” Hunter spoke up.

Amina winced as she glanced down at her injured ankle, the throbbing pain intensifying with Hunter's observation. She took a deep breath, trying to push aside the discomfort as she focused on the task at hand.

Hunter rummaged through the med kit, his brow furrowed in concentration as he searched for the necessary supplies. "We'll need to clean the wound thoroughly and apply some bacta patches to promote healing," he said, his voice matter-of-fact.

“You don’t have to use the bacta patches. I know they’re hard to come by now and I don’t want to waste them on this.”

Hunter paused, considering Amina's words. He glanced down at the med kit in his hands, the bacta patches glinting in the dim light of the Marauder. Amina's concern for conserving their limited medical supplies touched something within him, a reminder of the harsh realities they faced in their line of work.

"Are you sure?" Hunter asked, his voice gentle as he looked up at Amina. "Your ankle looks pretty bad. We don't want it to get infected."

Amina nodded, her expression resolute despite the pain etched on her features. "I'm sure. We need to save those bacta patches for emergencies. This... this isn't an emergency."

Hunter studied her for a moment, his gaze searching her face for any sign of hesitation. But Amina met his eyes steadily, her determination unwavering.

"Alright," Hunter said finally, his tone conceding to Amina's wishes. "We'll clean the wound as best we can and bandage it up. But if it starts to get worse, you let me know, understood?"

Amina nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Got it, Sergeant."

With that settled, Hunter set to work, carefully cleaning and bandaging Amina's injured ankle. Amina gritted her teeth against the pain, her jaw clenched as she fought to keep still. But Hunter's touch was gentle, his movements precise as he tended to her injury.

Once he had finished bandaging her ankle, Hunter sat back on his heels, a satisfied expression on his face. "There," he said, his voice soft. "All done."

Amina flexed her ankle experimentally, testing the range of motion. The pain had dulled to a throbbing ache, but she could tell that Hunter's ministrations had helped.

"Thank you, Hunter," she said, meeting his eyes with a grateful smile. "I appreciate it."

Hunter returned her smile, “anytime," he replied, his voice quiet. "Just... take it easy on that ankle, alright? We don't want you making it worse."

Amina nodded, a playful glint in her eyes. "Don't worry, Sergeant. I'll try not to do any more acrobatics for a while."

Hunter chuckled, the sound warm and comforting. "Good. We wouldn't want to have to carry you around everywhere."

As they shared a laugh, Amina felt a sense of camaraderie settle between them, a bond forged in the midst of danger and uncertainty.

She looked over at Omega, who had fallen asleep leaning against her, her head resting on her shoulder. It reminded her of when she would lean against Anakin when they were younger, or even when her and Ahsoka would sleep with their heads on each other’s shoulders during battles.

As Hunter put the medical supplies back into the box and into the compartment on the ship, he came back to Omega still sleeping on Amina’s shoulder and Amina’s head on the young girl’s.

#tbb hunter #tbb hunter x oc #hunter tbb x oc #the bad batch fanfiction #tbb hunter x fem!jedi #hunter x fem!jedi #sergeant hunter x oc #tbb hunter x reader #tbb hunter x amina skywalker

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beautifulsnake2162020 · 2 months ago

Text

We have it all (Hualian adopted daughter fanfic) Chapter 4

Gif by shiruba-tsuki

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. I only do this for fun.

Premise: Not long after comforting a bullied girl named Meng Ai, Hua Cheng and Xie Lian find themselves adopting her and together they form a family they didn't know they had needed for awhile.

Story/Genre tags: Slice of life-ish (mainly), Family focused, Hua Cheng's houses finally become homes, there may be an overarching story but that's not the focus, Hualian being parents, Fengqing being uncles, Lang Qianqiu falling in love with someone who was raised by the Xianle squad, technically post-canon (though I haven't read the books so if there are some ooc moments please forgive me).

AO3 Link

Chapter 1, Chapter 2 , Chapter 3

Follower tags: @anonimgato1507

CW: If you are sensitive to things involving blood (it will just be discussed not shown), self-harm or self-harm adjacent things (discussed not shown) and potentially the dark side of things please proceed with caution.

Chapter 4

"Aiai, have you finished your dinner?"

"Yes mama."

"Okay, wash-up and prepare for bed."

"But mama it is still early. The sun just went down." Meng Ai whined as she helped clean the dishes.

"If you wash-up early I'll give you something."

"Oh what is it?"

"Wash-up first." Meng Ai knew that tone well enough to know that her mother did not allow any disobedience from her right now. There must be something happening tonight that she's not allowed to know about if she's being made to go to bed early.

And it must be so terrible that even her mother is scared.

She's a good girl, she doesn't want to cause her anymore pain. It's why she never told her or her father about the bullying children. She pretends not to know that they are worried about something. Something involving her going missing. She doesn't know what it is but ever since she met Hua Cheng and Xie Lian she wants to tell her that everything is going to be okay.

But she has something in her mind and has been watching the new soldiers put up protections around the shrine. So she'll just be a good girl and do as she says.

"Our soldiers have made preparations, they'll inform us when they arrive."

"I've also made a barrier around the shrine. So as long as you both stay inside you'll be fine."

"Thank you General Nan Yang and General Xuan Zhen. Have you two eaten dinner yet?"

"Oh we don't need to eat-"

"Meng Ai will wonder why you two haven't eaten yet but still have plenty of energy."

"Eh, she already knows we're not mortals." Mu Qing says non-chalantly.

"I insist Generals, think of it as my offering of gratitude to both of you. It will also save me time from repeating the story multiple times when the time we have is uncertain. Especially tonight."

"Hmm" Feng Xin takes one last look at the protections that they've placed and the positions of their soldiers.

"We've done all that we can. We're just waiting for them to show up."

"And if they show up while we are having dinner?"

"You know, our scouts are going to immediately run inside and get us. Might as well be comfortable while we still can."

"Excellent." Mu Qing follows the priestess inside. After taking one last look and running a few checks with his second-in-command Feng Xin follows them inside.

Thankfully, her cooking was a lot better than Xie Lian's.

"Hmm, maybe I should convince her to be in charge of cooking for Dianxie's temple."

"You'll have to ask permission from Xiwangmu."

"And?"

"You really are an idiot if you think Xiwangmu is going to give one of her oracles to you just because you like her cooking."

"I could use an oracle. None of my followers have that gift."

"You're supposed to give it to them you bone-head. But maybe that's all for the best since they all think the only gift you're capable of giving is D-"

"DON'T. Not now."

Mu Qing couldn't help but chuckle.

"What's so funny Fu Yao?" Meng Ai asks as her mother helps settle her in the bed.

"I'm just reminded of a mistake with massive consequences involving Nan Feng's God, Nan Yang."

"You don't have to tell her that!"

"Huh?"

"You'll find out when you're older Aiai." She herself chuckles a bit as she makes sure that Meng Ai is settled in the bed before she goes back to the kitchen area and returns with two dishes.

"Aiai asked me to ask you two which among these is the best flavor for her birthday moon cake."

"Because I can only have one flavor each year!"

"She couldn't decide between Lotus Paste and Red Bean filling. So I made a few experiments. This dish-" she puts it on the table between them.

"Has three with Lotus Paste and Three with Red Bean filling. And this dish -" She places the second dish beside the first, this time closer to Feng Xin.

"Has variations of both. Two of them with exactly half of each, Two of them with more Lotus and a touch of the red bean, and the last two are more of the red bean paste and a touch of the lotus paste."

"Can't we have all three?"

"You can't have three birthdays in one year Aiai."

"Please."

"You can get the other two if you can buy the ingredients with your own money."

"Aw." Her frustrated expression was so endearing that it made both generals laugh.

"Don't worry Meng Ai, we'll take this decision very seriously." Feng Xin says as he takes a large bite out of a red bean filled moon cake.

"We better be invited to the party."

"Of course you are Fu Yao. Both of you, and Hua Cheng and Xie Lian."

"Speaking of birthdays, here is one of your first presents." Meng Ai is given a book to her delight.

"Is this a new story mama?"

"Yes, a rare new story. Would you like me to read it to you?"

"Yes please."

______________________________________________________________

"Don't worry your Holiness, I made sure to make a few detours before going to the temple."

"Thank you Meng Zhiyuan, while we serve the Goddess who has power over life and death, I'm afraid we will need the assistance and protection of a nearby martial God if anything should happen."

Those were the last couple of things Xie Lian and Hua Cheng heard before the priest exits from a private dining area. He bows before both of them as he makes his leave.

"Good evening, Ji Huifan." He looks up at them as he hears Hua Cheng call him by the name he had thought long dead. But here on front of him was the couple the Great Mother had showed to be the best option to raise and protect Meng Ai. He just needed to do his best to convince them.

Meng Ai was innocent of the crimes he and his family had done. His sins should not deprive her of the chance to live.

"There's no need to be nervous Ji Huifan. We just want to know a few things." Xie Lian says in a calming voice.

"Of course, what would you like to know?"

"Start from the beginning." Hua Cheng says firmly.

______________________________________________________________

"Long ago, there was a beautiful Goddess named Chenxi, who loved dwelling in a place where many cultures met. She was a scholar with a natural curiosity to know more about the world beyond the lands she and her family were worshipped in. For it is well known that Gods cannot go into lands where they are neither worshipped or known."

"Why mama?"

"Gods need worshippers for them to dwell anywhere. And if they cannot have worshippers, they must at least be known by people to still have power. It is why whenever a new temple is built dedicated to a God, that God is happy."

"Oh."

"Chenxi loved meeting new Gods from other cultures. This place was the further most spot she could dwell in without depriving herself of the power of her worshippers or scholars. One day, a bright mortal man named Hou Lijie entered into her city as a scholar, and the two fell in love. But Chenxi's heart was heavy for she was born as a Goddess, and the love between a Goddess and a mortal almost always do not end well."

"Why?"

"Because the mortal almost always dies first."

"Oh." Her mother gives her a sympathetic smile.

"It's perfectly fine if you don't understand it now. Sometimes things only get clearer the older we get." In her periphery she could see that the two Generals were also paying close attention as they were snacking on the mooncakes she gave them.

"For their love to bear fruit, either they must both be mortal or both must be immortal. Chenxi asked her parents if she could give Hou Lijie a peach of immortality, for it is easier to make her beloved immortal than to make herself mortal."

"I thought the opposite would be easier."

"Aiai, the mortality that Chenxi must face isn't in the form of an avatar but her entire being. To become mortal is to enter the uncertainty of the cyle of Life, Death, and Rebirth. Chenxi cannot choose what face she will have, what body she will inhabit, or even where she will be born. And Hou Lijie loved her for who she was and she didn't want to change that."

"Hmm so what happened?" Feng Xin asks now curious and intrigued.

"Her parents refused, but Chenxi loved Hou Lijie so much that she snuck inside the orchard of her parents and gathered several peaches that granted immortality. She knew that Hou Lijie loved his family and would be upset if he were to leave them. She came to dwell in his home bearing the peaches, only to discover that her beloved had already passed. She realized then that the reason why her parents did not want to give her the peaches was because Hou Lijie was already dead. His family gathered because they were grieving. And then she realized her mistake as the family of her beloved surrounded and trapped her."

______________________________________________________________

"After they trapped her, in their grief of not wanting to lose anyone else, they gobbled up the peaches of immortality amongst themselves. But they didn't realize that it is only because of Chenxi's love for Hou Lijie that the peaches still had their power in a place where their power as Gods are not as potent. Chenxi's love was a spell on her own, and the moment she became frightened and trapped by that family, the power of the peaches was darkened."

"Darkened how?" Xie Lian asks as he took mental notes of the story.

"The peaches will still give them immortality, that is not something Chenxi could change. Normally when a peach of immortality is fed on whomever consumes it will become ethereal and more enlightened. But in this case, the family members who have eaten the peaches...while they are still immortal the curse is that only the life of anyone frightened, or in pain will satisfy them. But even then, that satisfaction will not last long and it only leads to more suffering. I...I think I don't need to say out loud what my family used to do."

Seeing that Hua Cheng and Xie Lian nodded he gathered himself for a bit to continue. He may not be able to read their expressions but no matter what they think of him he just needs to keep reminding himself that this was for his daughter.

"One of my relatives soon realized that we cannot continue to live in a place wherein our cursed immortality was present to anyone who was smart enough. So as we continued these blood rituals to keep our temporary satisfaction, we worked extremely hard to make Fu Dao into a prosperous kingdom. A kingdom's royal family doesn't need to make frequent public appearances, and only those we most trusted would know our secret. It would be easy enough to be isolated from everyone else and to hide that another effect of the curse is that all members who have partaken in it will be infertile."

"Let me guess, because when you're mortal in order to continue being on this earth you need to reproduce to pass on the family line."

"And that is no longer necessary or a concern when you are immortal. Is that right?"

"Yes, Xie Lian, you both are. I've never really liked consuming blood and when I was grown enough I endeavored to study magic of various kinds to try to find a cure for our suffering. I got tired of everyone of us taking turns to rule the Kingdom when all I wanted was to be free from our suffering."

"May I ask Ji Huifan, how did you manage to keep up appearances for so long?" Xie Lian in curiosity.

"We still continue to age - why we do I don't fully understand, but at some point those who appear elderly will take three times the amount of our regular consumption and they would be rejuvenated back into their forms as children. That's how we kept the public thinking that there were different generations ruling in our family."

"I see, but then how were you able to have a daughter?"

"I fell in love. Jing Mei was the first person who loves all parts of me and is stubborn enough to join me in my quest to find a way to remove this curse. Since she was an adept at the time she arranged for my family and I to consult an oracle asking for the cure to our suffering."

_____________________________________________________________

"What did the oracle say?" Mu Qing asks finding himself intrigued by the story. He and Feng Xin had since moved their stools closer to Jing Mei and Meng Ai. Meng Ai had since fallen asleep and Jing Mei had touched a pressure point to ensure that she would remain that way for awhile. This is the part of the story that she isn't ready to hear yet.

"Blood for blood, blood that you take will be cured by the blood that you give."

"Ominous."

"It is General Nan Yang. But I also don't blame my Goddess for giving that as a punishment. It is her daughter whom they have trapped, kept imprisoned, and tortured."

"Why didn't they just release her? They already had immortality although it is cursed." Mu Qing asks as he starts theorizing in his head. Jing Mei gives a sigh of frustration.

"I also don't know why. But after the oracle gave this answer things got worse for Chenxi. Bocheng, the patriarch of the family began interpreting it in a gruesome way. Before then, Chenxi was merely imprisoned and given the bare minimum to keep her satiated. Probably to make sure she isn't strong enough to give them another curse. After the oracle's answer to what would free them from their suffering, Bocheng began draining her of blood, feeding her blood to whomever the intended victims were before they were consumed in the family blood ritual. The worse part was because she is immortal, she too cannot be free from suffering and will carry this trauma for the rest of her immortal life."

"Fuck"

"I know. When I learned of this, I gave Ji Huifen, Meng Ai's father an ultimatum. He could continue to blindly join his family and the depraved acts they did; but in doing so I am going to completely cut ties with him and take the path of cultivation through abstinence. Or he could marry me under the blessings of Xiwangmu and get the freedom he had sought for."

There was a mutual relief shared in the telepathic bond as they both realized that Meng Ai's very existence was proof that her father had changed.

"But my Goddess loved me and did not make it easy for him. Before she allowed us to be married, she gave him two tasks. Cure himself of the curse, and free Chenxi. Obviously his grandfather's interpretation did not cure anything but merely made their relief last longer. He managed to free Chenxi and I personally nursed her back to health. In gratitude she clarified what her mother demanded from them to cure them from their suffering."

"Which was?"

______________________________________________________________

"An offering of my own blood. I won't tell you the details but Chenxi explained that by refusing to grieve we have tainted the nourishment of the peaches of immortality. It was why the more blood we consumed the shorter our relief lasted with each successive one. Had we dwelled with the discomfort of the loved one we all lost, had we learned to let go, the seemingly insatiable hunger for the lives of others while painful would also go away. But because a lot of the blood that now flows in our veins are from the blood of our victims, it is only cured by pouring them out." He takes a drink from his cup to refresh himself.

"And so I did, on front of Jing Mei, on front of all of Xiwangmu's priests and priestesses, and on front of Chenxi. They all witnessed both my blood and my grief finally pouring out." He doesn't need to see them to know that they are probably horrified. Hou Lijie while technically a cousin was more of a big brother and one of his best friends. When Hou Lijie fell in love with Chenxi he could now admit that he was jealous and didn't want to lose someone so dear to him.

Only for death to have claimed him first before Chenxi ever did.

And so he joined in the family in imprisoning and torturing her thinking that she was the cause of his death.

"The next time I woke up I no longer felt the underlying thirst to consume blood. And not long after Jing Mei and I were married with Chenxi present. I was excited to share the news with them, to tell them that I now understand the words of the oracle and that there was hope. Sure I was mortal again, but after centuries of being immortal and being satiated only with the thirst for blood drained when the victims were in fear and in pain...it was a relief that I had never thought possible. The opportunity came when it was time for another blood ritual to take place. What better time to tell them of the solution? Xiwangmu through her powers prevented me from being physically there. And it was on that night that I discovered that they had been spying on me but now they somehow believe that the cure for all of them would be to sacrifice Meng Ai, the first new life in our family in centuries. Under Xiwangmu's protection I tried to tell them and explain to them what the cure was. Then I was branded as a traitor. And so gathering everything I could, I took my family and fled from Fu Dao."

"You changed your name to Meng Zhiyuan to cover your tracks."

"More to extend my life by a little bit. When Meng Ai was born, Jiang Mei had a vision of the three of us dead. Or more specifically that she and I were dead and my grandfather personally skinning her and letting her blood pour out on Xiwangmu's altar. We panicked and Xiwangmu herself came into our dreams."

______________________________________________________________

"What did she say?"

"That as long as one parent is dead and one parent was alive, she would be safe from that cursed family." Jing Mei stood up and brushed a stray strand of hair that was covering Meng Ai's left eye. She presses a kiss to her forehead before she makes her way to her satchel.

"Chenxi knew us well enough that we wouldn't want Meng Ai to grow up with only one parent. And clarified that being a parent does not mean that there is necessarily a blood relation. So we began praying to her mother to help us find a loophole, even if it means we will only have her for the first few years of her life. Meng Ai deserves to live life to the fullest, and if it means that someone else will be her parents then so be it. After we've been fleeing from place to place Xiwangmu lead us to Hu village and told us that she has found a solution but nothing is certain yet. Then recently when Meng Ai went missing and we were worried. Xiwangmu then showed us that she was with Hua Cheng and Xie Lian. Then everything made sense."

From her bag she brings out two thicker books. And hands each one to each General.

"These copies contain the more extensive version of the story that Ji Huifen and I have personally written. I don't know how much time we have left with her - but when you feel that she is ready to know the actual story, have her read this."

"Two copies?" Feng Xin asks as Mu Qing carefully stores one magically.

"The other copy is for Hua Cheng and Xie Lian. Hopefully, if Ji Huifen is still alive, he would be able to convince them to take her in. The sooner she's with them, the safer she'll be."

"General Nan Yang." A soldier enters as Feng Xin stores the other copy magically.

"It's starting. They're using some sort of cloaking magic."

"We'll be there." He nods to Mu Qing as he makes his way out.

"Thank you again Jing Mei. Just stay inside and don't come out until we get both of you." It was obvious to him how much she and her husband loves Meng Ai. So much that they would sacrifice their life with her to ensure that she lived life to the fullest.

It reminded him of his own mother.

Filled with newfound determination he headed out and joined the ensuing battle.

AN: Wow consecutive chapters in one week! That's a personal record for me. I hope the dark subject matter and triggering potential elements weren't too painful.

Chenxi - Morning sunlight

Hou - Lord/Nobleman, Li Jie - To reason

Jing - Bright, Mei - flower (Confession: I just picked Mei because it was one of the more common female names)

Meng - Dream, Zhiyuan - Distant Ambition

#We have it all #Chapter 4 #Hualian #Hua Cheng x Xie lian #Xie Lian x Hua Cheng #Fengqing #Feng Xin #feng xin x mu qing #Mu qing #Hua Cheng #Xie Lian #tgcf #Heaven official's blessing #fanfiction #fanfic

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adamruz · 10 months ago

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Together

Summary: Post 1022 fic or the hospital scene that we didn't get.

Words: 951

AO3 link

"Hey, any news yet?" Kim asked Trudy on the phone while Hailey drove her back to the hospital.

"Nothing yet. Did you find Callum?"

Just hearing his name caused so much pain as he was the reason she was a nervous wreck right now, waiting on news to see if Adam was even going to make it through surgery. "Yeah and as much as it hurt me, I kept him and Samantha safe just like I promised. Voight is taking them back to the district right now and Richard is dead. Hailey and I are on our way over."

Hailey dropped Kim off at the hospital’s main entrance and she ran towards the waiting room. Trudy was standing in the exact same place that she left her in. The woman had a hard exterior, but deep down she cared about her officers and she was never going to abandon one of her own at a time like this.

"Anything?” Kim anxiously asked as she tried to catch her breath.

"Still nothing. I know you know how stubborn Adam is and with how much he loves you and Makayla, he’s going to fight like hell.”

"I know, I know." Kim answered quietly as tears started to fall from her face.

It had been a few more hours and after Voight and Kevin both arrived to join the crowd in the waiting room before Adam’s doctor emerged from the blank doors Kim had been staring at nonstop. It was almost as if she couldn’t believe her eyes, but Kevin softly nudged her, solidifying that it was actually real.

"Kev, he's going to make it right? I can’t…"

Kevin cut her off before she could finish, "Burgess don’t even finish that sentence. That boy has been in love with you almost since the first day you met so there ain't no way his stubborn ass is going to go out that easily." She gave him a friendly jab with her elbow, but she had to admit that he was right.

“His partner, right?” the doctor pointed towards Kim.

She wanted to answer with the truth that they were so much more than that, but now was not the time for her to confess everything about her and Adam’s relationship and how they were back together. She stood up and muttered “yes,” and everyone in the room could hear how nervous she was. “How is he?”

“Officer Ruzek is out of surgery and I believe he’ll make a full recovery. He lost a lot of blood, but he made it here quickly and no major organs were hit. He does have a few bruised ribs and that will honestly probably be causing most of his pain.”

Kim let out the breath she didn’t realize she was holding ever since the doctor appeared. "Oh thank goodness. Can I see him?"

“Yes, but he’s not fully awake right now and once he is, he still might go in and out of sleep for a few hours.” Kim nodded and the doctor had a nurse lead her up to his room.

She peered through the window outside of his room, trying to grasp what was going on. She walked in and moved the chair over quietly to his bed and thought to herself - how in the world did he do this so many times while she was on the other end. Adam woke up a few times throughout the night and she got to see his big brown eyes, but nothing longer than a minute or two.

Not really sure at how much time had passed since she fell asleep with her head on his bed, she felt Adam stirring and looked up to see him opening his eyes. He immediately reached for the breathing tube and Kim put her hand up to stop him.

"Hey sleepyhead."

Adam attempted to smile, but then realized that caused too much pain and just grumbled out a “hi” instead.

“How are you feeling?”

“Like shit. I’ve been better. How's Mack?"

"She's good, I haven't told her anything about you yet though. Trudy's with her now."

"Oh those two will get into a lot of trouble. And you?” He reached out to place his hand on top of hers.

"Adam," she responded, shaking her head at him asking her this while he was just shot and lying in a hospital bed.

"Kim. I'm fine, I’m alive. How are you doing?"

"I'm better now, but I was scared out of my mind. I don't know how you've been able to be on this side of things so many times before and kept it together." He attempted to reach out to her cheek to wipe the tears away that started rolling down her face, but the stretching aggravated his ribs too much.

"Well I don't know if anyone would say I kept it together,” Adam answered while Kim let out a small giggle after a very tough day. "But I did it because I love you," he finished.

Without any hesitation, Kim responded, "I love you too. But we really need to stop meeting each other in the hospital." She reached up and kissed his forehead.

“Deal.” A few moments of silence had passed before Adam tightened his grip on Kim’s hand. “Hey, I'm sorry.”

“What, why are you sorry? You were just doing your job, Adam, and something unfortunate happened that was completely not your fault.”

“I know, but I never should have put you through that while you're still processing your own trauma.”

She placed her other hand on top of his. “We got through that and we'll get through this too…together.”

Adam forced a smile through the pain and repeated “together.”

#adam ruzek #kim burgess #chicago pd #burzek #lexi.writes #chicago pd fic #burzek fic

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tailsbeth-writes · 7 months ago

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Saw the open tag from @taste-thewaste on this! This took me down memory lane a bit 🥲

How many works do you have on ao3?

What's your total ao3 word count?

138,797

What fandoms do you write for?

Red, White & Royal Blue mostly but I'm happy to write Heartstopper and og Skam.

I've written for Riverdale, Teen Wolf, Skam France, Wtfock, Druck, Skam Italia & Shadowhunters in the past.

Top five fics by kudos:

Digital Love Letters (RWRB)

i try hard to get back inside your arms alive (RWRB) - and particularly insane as I posted this last week! 🥰)

Right Kind of Wrong (Riverdale)

your heart is your masterpiece (RWRB)

a frightening magic I cling to (RWRB)

Do you respond to comments?

Yes! They make my day, I screenshot my faves. I also love when someone finds a fic that has lots of chapters & I get a flurry of comments 🤌🏻

What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Tricky, I don't usually finish on angst. Echo (Wtfock) follows on from a very horrendous part of the show or Season 5 - Magnus (Skam) never got finished so it's been left in the midst of angst.

What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Most of them end on a happy note but Love, Henry (RWRB) is probably the happiest.

Do you get hate on fics?

I think there was a little back when I started in Riverdale but I think it more anger on their part for a topic I could have written more sensibly I suppose? I've had critique on fics now but never hate.

Do you write smut?

I've written it one time years ago & it felt weird. I loooove writing foreplay though! But I've not ventured into smut in my current fandoms. That might be something I do though, my bigender Alex fic might go into that if there's sequel.

Craziest crossover:

I've only done one and it was a Riverdale meets Teen Wolf, it was a Christmas special and they had to help reunite Santa with his reindeer. While I haven't watched Riverdale for ages, I'm still really proud of that fic!

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No, thankfully!

Have you ever had a fic translated?

No, I'd love that though 😄

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No but I'd absolutely love to collab this year, in the RWRB fandom in particular y'all are so talented 🥲

All time favorite ship?

Firstprince (RWRB) probably. Wilmon (Young Royals) is a close second atm, I'd love to write some YR fics soon. I'm still a massive Yousana (Skam) and Davenzi (Druck) shipper too. Oh and Nathan/Annalise/Gabriel (TBSATDH) - can't remember the ship name! That show got cancelled too soon & it was basically like a fix it for the books.

What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have a Teen Wolf reader insert fic with a pregnancy story line that I left on a huge cliffhanger but frustrates me but not enough to motivate to finish it. I also have my Skam season 5 - Magnus fic that I'd love to finish one day but I haven't found the plan I made for it originally.

What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue and character voice I think?

What are your writing weaknesses?

Plotting? I'm good at writing scenes but writing a longer storyline in fanfic is something I struggle with.

Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

If you can do it, go for it! I wish I could incorporate more Spanish in my RWRB fics but alas I only got French or German at my school, I only stuck with French. Maybe I'll brush up & add some in for Henry (RWRB) or Nick (Heartstopper).

First fandom you wrote in?

Riverdale, I haven't seen it in years 😅

Favorite fic you've written?

i try hard to get back inside your arms alive is the probably the one I'm proudest of and while it isn't finished yet Her Royal Highness is up there cause it combines so many of my favourite things, I'm getting to explore darker topics in some scenes while also putting Henry in drag - fanfic catnip for me quite frankly!

I'm not sure who has done this already but I'll tag folks I want to see answer this: @heysweetheart-writes @candyspandemonium @firenati0n @onthewaytosomewhere @callumsmitchells & of course, open tag 💛

#fanfic writer #ao3 writers #personal #rwrb #red white and royal blue #riverdale #skam #wtfock #teen wolf #heartstopper #tailsbeth writes

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tendou-satori-chocolatier · 1 year ago

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please give me your iwaoi fanfic recs 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Help I'm so dead. I just freaking deleted my iwaoi recs list and now I have to make it again 🥲🥲🥲 freaking Tumblr. You guys better eat this up cause im remaking this all over again. Okay anyways, ver 2: my iwaoi fanfic recs list:

(Not in any particular order, most have smut, all can be found on ao3)

1.) Coffee king- oiivkawa- the starting point for my love of cafe au's, best coffee au fanfic ever period, so so so fluffy, oikawa is the cutest cafe server and he falls HARD for the cafe's new kind-of-regular, Iwaizumi

https://archiveofourown.org/works/10721739/chapters/23756658

2.) Wedding ring- crazychipmunk- angst, heart-rending, surprisingly made me cry, happy ending tho, super good angsty iwaoi fanfic, I promise its not ALL angst tho😭, it's super fluffy too

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25393174/chapters/61577038

3.) The courtship ritual of the Hercules beetle- kittebasu- bugs? Oikawa is still a nerd its just for bugs now, I'm just gonna copy and paste the summary cause I love it and it sums it up perfectly: "Tooru is pretty sure he could manage the mating habits of a mosquito. It’s the mating habits of people he can’t seem to get right." I love fics like this that preserve the characteristics of the characters even though it has nothing to do with volleyball

https://archiveofourown.org/works/6422014/chapters/14701168

4.) That's your husband?!- a_very_smolfrog- just😌🤌, iwaoi being simps, oikawa is a physics professor and iwa is a volleyball coach au, makki is iconic as always, iwaoi being the iconic: childhood friends to lovers and we adore eachother but we will definitely expose eachother if need be trope, I'm so sad this is so short (2000 words), it should've been longer😔, I adore them all

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29412615

5.) Conquering the great king- suggestivescribe- this fic is actually so iconic, just perfection at its max tbh, just iwaoi being iwaoi but make it smutty and make it at the office, iwa is an editor and tbh I don't remember or know what kawa is, it's some office job, not kuroo being a slay as always, honestly has to be one of the best iwaoi fanfics of all time

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3301085?view_full_work=true

6.) Until the sky opens up- iwaoidk- the summary lowkey did them dirty, not really tho cause I still read it😋🙄 but this was way better than I thought it was going to be, like iwaoi accidentally gets kissed by every member in his team, I'm still convinced that they did all that to make oikawa GET A MOVE ON, oikawa confesses and he's a little dense but so is iwa so whatever, they're perfect for eachother like that😻

https://archiveofourown.org/works/5008225

7.) Looks like it- ivyfics- iwaoi have been dating for a while now, they just didn't know it, iwa is very competitive in his knowledge on tooru, cute and short, recommend if you want something to speed read for some lighthearted fluff

https://archiveofourown.org/works/11729118

8.) Six month lover- afuzzyowl- I'm gonna be completely honest, I haven't finished this fic yet BUT I PROMISE ITS NOT CAUSE IT WAS BORING, IT WAS SO GOOD, I just never got to finishing it cause I was busy but thinking about this fic makes me actually want to finish it, oikawa makes iwaizumi a PowerPoint presentation on why they should date, oikawa is absolutely utterly in love with iwaizumi (same, like who isn't?), oikawa is trying to convince his best friend to fall for him, I adored this and now I need to go finish it, edit: HELP IM BASICALLY FINISHED AND ITS SO GOOD BEHESKJSA ITS SO SO SO GOOD I CANNOT EVEN FIND THR WORDS

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14100501/chapters/32488506

9.) Kilometer zero- internetpistol (orphan_account)- a classic iwaoi fic, childhood friends to lovers, slowburn, it's just them in a class well done iwaoi fic, there's nothing else to say, it was really good, "just gay yearning"- the author's ao3 tag

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28732224/chapters/70448769

10.) The Pda jar- orphan_account- iwaoi is obliviously in love, everyone knows it but them and they're all tired of their pda so they make a pda jar, it's really the only way to make them see their idiocy😌, this is why I love aoba johsai folks, live love laugh seijoh, highkey hilarious

https://archiveofourown.org/works/4230951

#here you guys go!#sorry for procrastinating while making this😭#iwaoi fanfics #haikyuu fanfics #iwaoi fanfic recommendations #haikyuu fanfic rec #haikyuu fanfic recommendation #haikyuu #iwaoi #iwaizumixoikawa

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voylitscope · 1 year ago

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20 questions for fic writers

Tagged by @somanywords and @zenaidamacrouras1 💞 Thank you both for the tag! 💞

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

34.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

438,009

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Primarily MCU (17). I've also got Original Work (12), and there are a few fandoms I wrote one/two fics for.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

All Stucky:

1. There Are Strangers I Have Yet to Become

2. We Set a Precedent, and Now I’m Living With It

3. I Held You in Gloved Hands (And I’m Not Letting Go)

4. There’s a Light (I Find It at Your Side)

5. If I Could Stop the Clock With You Tonight (Technically, this isn't true. There is a fic I wrote in 2015 that is my Fic That Blew Up fic. It is my all-time most kudos'd fic by quite a lot. It's a one-shot I wrote in about four hours. It is in pretty small fandom. This fic is, to do this day, one of the top fics when you sort by kudos both for this ship and in the fandom in general. I still get kudos on this fic all the time. I got 5 overnight last night. So, unless I write something else that completely blows up, nothing will ever catch this fic. There's no chance. It will always actually be my number one most kudos'd.

There are two other older fics of mine that would slot into my top five by kudos -- one would actually be two all-time currently. But in the case of those two, that's largely because they've got time on their side.)

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

Always! Sometimes it takes me a little while, but I always do. I love comments.

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

I was going to say I didn't really have fics with angsty endings, but that's a lie. I forgot about these two pre-war, unreliable-narrator-Bucky one-shots: But You Can Hold Me (Only 'Cause It's a Cold Night in Brooklyn) You're a Gem but Not a Saint

And thinking about it, I guess Darling, Let's Take Our Time (While It's Still Ours To Take) is probably also pretty angsty, just because of the circumstances.

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

I think some of my fics are just really happy overall, tone-wise, so the ending hits happy, too. Most of all We Set a Precedent, and Now I’m Living With It, I think? And i feel like the ending of I Held You in Gloved Hands (And I’m Not Letting Go) really cements the rom-com vibes there. Also, in my original stuff, people seem to really like the ending of Secretly, I’m Hoping for the Dare Again, and I completely get that. It's a very happily-ever-after sort of ending. So, I'd say those three.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I don't. I occasionally get comments that make me uncomfortable, but nothing I'd call hate at all.

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

I very much do. As for kind, I use the porn with feelings tag a lot, if that counts as a kind, ha. I think. I do get a lot of comments about my smut being sweet, or romantic, or sometimes even oddly wholesome, ha. I mean, like I said, Secretly, I’m Hoping for the Dare Again, has one of my very happiest endings, and I wrote that as a gift fic for the 2022 BDSM exchange. So, that probably says something about my smut style? I think?

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

I haven't. Unless you count putting characters into other universes as a crossover, even if they don't interact with that universe's characters? But I feel like that's more just an AU than a crossover.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not one that's on my currently being-used AO3, but yes.

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

Yes, a few times, but not in years.

14. What’s your all time favourite ship?

Honestly, it's Stucky.

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

I hate to say never on anything, but there are several things sitting in my drafts that I haven't touched in so long. It's probably equally unlikely I'll ever finish any of them.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Tone/mood-setting and character voice, probably?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I find describing some actions so difficult, especially when specific things need to happen for plot purposes. Like, any sort of action sequence/confrontation/athletic event/etc sequence is a struggle. It's harder when there are more people involved. Transitioning in and out of scenes is also Not My Favorite.

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

I've done it, most heavily in Will You Keep a Candle Burning? (Will You Let Me Come and Stay?) and its prequel one-shot. Although, there were also several more Wanda lines in my earliest draft of I Held You in Gloved Hands (And I’m Not Letting Go) but I think only... one? two? of those ended up in the final version. I enjoy including it, and I think it can really add a lot for characters/characterization.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

This was a question on a similar meme months ago, and I honestly didn't remember. I've Wayback Machined myself since then, and my very first fic ever up on fanfiction.net (in November of 2006, apparently) was a Harry Potter fic. I'm not positive it's the first thing I ever wrote, but it is the first fic I ever put up online, so.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

This is so difficult! I am always tempted to just say that Will You Keep a Candle Burning? (Will You Let Me Come and Stay?) is my favorite/the best thing that I've written. It's 116k! There is a lot of plot! There is so much character development! It's also the story I wrote and liked so much that it pushed me to get back on AO3/sharing my writing on line. Because I just wanted someone else to read it. So it's hard to separate it from the way writing it has impacted my life over the past couple of years.

But there are a few others I do like. For two that aren't in my top five by kudos or mentioned anywhere else in this post so far -- I'm so fond of the Steve and Bucky in We Were Strangers for Far Too Long, and I loved writing this one. I also really like this The Secret Garden fic I wrote for an exchange: So I Could Blend in With the Sky.

No pressure tags for @dharmasharks @sparkagrace @dontcallmebree @musette22 and @thisonesatellite

#thank you for the tag!#my fic #my writing #tag games

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lescarbille · 8 days ago

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Fic Writer Interview

Tagged by @lottie1824 🧡

How many works do you have on AO3?

I have 12 works and 1 hidden in a private collection until I manage what to do with it.

What's your total AO3 word count?

My word count is 306,163. I am as surprised as you are cause it's A LOT in a year.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Is it Over Now ? [Landoscar] - 1087 kudos (complete)

481 pounds of Fine [Landoscar] - 504 kudos (complete)

From track to path [Charles adopts Oscar / Girl!Charles] - 250 kudos (complete)

Guide to I accidentally acquired a demon by Oscar Piastri (Thank you Lando, sarcastically) [Carcar] - 228 kudos (in progress)

The grill the grid coffee [Carcar / Norpinto / Gax] - 218 kudos (complete)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I respond to every comment but sometimes I take time cause I don't know how to respond and I don't want to sound bad or clumsy so I just panic and do the ostrich (hide my head in the sand). But I always respond at the end of the day, cause it helps me to keep track if people still love what I'm writing or not since you can leave kudos only one.

What's the fic you've written with the angstiest ending?

Ahaha. The tortured poets department. This is the story with the less kudos (statistically this fic doesn't work) but I'm just so proud and love every aspect of it.

What's the fic you've written with the happiest ending?

Tricky, every fic has a happy ending but I'll go for the most satisfying ending : Is It Over Now ? cause the angst during the finals chapter gives a particular taste to the happy ending.

Do you write crossovers?

Nop, but still I want to write at some point a Harry Potter crossover.

Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Never or maybe my english is so bad that I haven't understood. Recently I saw on a Carcar tag someone saying they couldn't find any good Carcar fic and I take it personally (read I was a bit depressed for no reason), so no hate just some itching feeling that I'm not enough of a writer.

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Technically yes. Do I post it ? No. Will I post one ? Yes. Since it's for the F1 girl fest, it will be something sapphic, and since I'm not comfortable with writing it, there is a sort of poetry ? Yeah, let's say I write poetic smut and never talk about it again...

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

I don't think so

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nop but I don't want to.

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Never.

What's your all-time favourite ship?

Jegulus. Yeah nothing related to F1, but I just love the James and Regulus ship. They have everything I love, and more. Like the Stars/sun parallels, it makes me weak on my knees.

What's a WIP that you want to finish but don't think you ever will?

I'm working A LOT on Every dead man should tells some tale, but I don't know if I'll manage to finish it someday.

What are your writing strengths?

Angst. Description and visualisation. I can make you feel what the character feels like and crush your heart like their is crushed. I'm also a queen of foreshadowing since the solution is ALWAYS in the first chapters.

What are your writing weaknesses?

Dialogue. I'm bad at it. I don't have the code of communication, especially in English. I don't have the same humour. I have this very typical french humour that we call 'second degrès' I think my dialogue lacks spontaneity.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

If the fic is in english, even if the character speaks french, so the dialogue should be in english with a italic or a "he said in spanish", cause it's frustrating to google translate something in the middle of the reading. For the pet name, it's fine.

Also "mon chou" in french for the Lestappen is the CRINGIEST nickname ever. If you call a french mon chou, they will look down on you.

What was the first fandom you wrote for?

PJO. A long time ago. A crack smau fic. I smile everytime I think about it.

What's a fandom/ship you haven't written for yet but want to?

None. I just go with the wind and never look back.

What's your favourite fic you've written?

There are two, and they are the least favourite on my account. It's Every Dead Man Should tells some Tales and The Tortured Poets Department.

(The funniest part is that two of my most liked stories : The Grill the grid coffee and From Tack to Path are my least favourites fic).

AND THE END !

#ask game

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thats-by-the-by · 17 days ago

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Burnout

This fic was crossposted on Ao3. Find it Here. Mind the tags.

If one more person needs Jacob, he's going to lie down in the middle of the road and let a carriage run over him. Or perhaps the train tracks.

Jacob stares at the papers sitting on his desk, the words twisting on the paper. He can't do this. He just can't. The pen in his hand is a shackle, tying him to his desk. He doesn't even know what he's working on. He's in his office in his Father's manor, but that doesn't mean he's working on papers relating to the Templar cause. He could easily be working on something for Starrick Industries, for the Rooks, for starting University.

Everything is in a fog.

The world is hazy, and Jacob can't move from his desk. He just needs to work on this. He just needs to finish this. He can't rest yet. He hasn't even started it. He just needs to put his pen onto the page. He just needs to focus. He can't rest now.

The window slides open, and Jacob ignores it. Someone climbs into his office, and Jacob ignores them. Someone stands behind him, and Jacob ignores them. Someone leans over him, and Jacob ignores them.

"The ink is blotting the page." Evie Frye says, looking down at the page. "Do you hate financial paperwork that much?"

She's clearly joking, but all that does is make the haze darker. Jacob signs the page, his eyes glazed and unfocused. He needs to pull himself together. He needs to focus. He turns around and looks at where Evie's face is supposed to be, though he can't see any of her features.

"How can I help you, miss Frye?" He asks, hoping the bone deep exhaustion isn't evident.

"I was hoping that you had found any of the documents I asked you for." Evie says, looking over the pages on his desk. "Though I can see that you're busy with paperwork. Really, I would have thought that your Father would handle the financials for his own business."

"I am to inherit it." Jacob parrots his father unthinkingly. "I need to understand the every aspect of running the business, giving me more responsibilities helps to enforce good practices, and Father will look over every document before allowing it to come to pass."

Evie turns her head towards him, her face blank and expressionless. Without eyes, without a mouth. Just a blur. Jacob looks at where her eyes should be, maintaining eye contact with a featureless void.

"I'm afraid I haven't found what you're looking for." Jacob sighs, only slightly lying. He wasn't even aware he was supposed to be looking for something. He can't even remember the last time he spoke to the assassin, let alone what they spoke about. "I promise I'll find it soon, unfortunately I am swamped with this paperwork. I don't think I know when the last time I had a chance for a break was."

His attempt at levity is met with a harsh, blank silence as Evie processes his words. Was he speaking too fast? Was he speaking English? The assassins likely trained Miss Frye in other languages, but her family is working class, if he was speaking Latin, or Italian, or French, or Greek, would she have understood him?

Evie nods slowly, turning her head towards the blurred pages once more.

"Well, Henry's curio shop is open from 8am to 6pm." She says slowly. "If you need a break and are in the area, I'm certain he wouldn't mind a customer. If you're looking for a trinket, of course."

"I wouldn't know where to find it." Jacob lies. "And you ought not to tell me. I am a Templar, Miss Frye. It would be unbecoming of me to know where your base of operations lies. Dangerous, too, should my Father find out that I know where it is."

"You would tell your Father?"

"I wouldn't have a choice in the matter. I do hate to be rude, but I really must insist you leave - I have to get these pages sorted." Jacob slips into his Father's accent and demeanour instinctively. Reflecting the proper way he should be interacting with people at his station - though he knows his Father would be furious at him for entertaining a lady unchaperoned in his office, and he knows his Father would be furious at that lady being both below his station and an assassin to boot. Evie once again shoots him a look, but her shoulder relax slightly. She sighs, nodding her head once before turning to the window.

"If you need a break, you should look up while you walk." She invites him. "I'm sure one of us will be tailing you."

"Charming." Jacob says blankly. If he needs a break, he would go and find Robert. Maybe throw himself into a fighting ring, or into the other mans bed.

But he can't have a break. He needs to finish this work.

Evie shuts the window behind her, and Jacob turns to the new sheet of paper with contempt in his heart. He could just leave, of course. Weather whatever punishment Father gives to him like a cliff faces weathers a storm. But he can't let his Father down, not like this. He can do this. He just has to be better. He knows be can be better. He knows he's just being pathetic. When has a little paperwork ever hurt anyone?

Tears fall down his cheeks silently, as the haze overwhelms him. There's nothing but the fog now, and the pen is heavier than anything he's ever held.

#whumptober 2024 #whumptober2024 #no.29 #burnout #assassin's creed #assassin's creed syndicate #fic #fatigue #sleep deprivation #guilt #misplaced guilt #im very tired

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multifandom08x · 4 months ago

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20 Questions for writers

Got tagged by @thewildballyntynesgrow

1 How many works do you have on AO3?

74... which is a lot i think.

2 What is your total AO3 word count?

123,098 - honestly not as much as i thought...

3 What fandoms do you write for?

I have currently written 67 fics for star wars, 2 for macgyver (2016), 1 original work, 1 for criminal minds, 1 for supernatural and 1 for avatar the last airbender. But i do have a lot more drafts for both star wars and avatar

4 What are your top 5 fics per kudos?

The force's will - Obi-Wan finds Anakin in his quarters after Ahsoka left. And his life hanging by a thread.

I got you - Padawan Anakin got kidnapped and waits for his master to safe him. He may or may not get tortured too.

Help her - Anakin and Ahsoka get hurt on the battlefield and because Anakin is Anakin he only cares about her safety.

Make it stop - Anakin got kidnapped (yet again) and was tortured for weeks. He just wants it to end.

Protective - Anakin and Ahsoka get caught on a mission and Anakin is the most protective older brother you can imagine.

5 Do you respond to comments?

Yes. To each and every one. Even on old fics, it doesn't matter.

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

That would have to be Too late. I don't really like it but it does have the angstiest ending. I mean almost everyone dies so...

7 What is the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Uhhhh... the best I could think of was Lightning because it is pretty angsty throughout the story but then ends on a happy note. But i don't really know tbh.

8 Do you get hate on fics?

Not until now. No.

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

No. Not now, not in the foreseeable future.

10 Do you write crossovers?

Nope, cause I don't really like them.

11 Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of at least.

12 Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope.

13 Have you ever co-written a fic?

No, though I do think it could be fun.

14 What is your all-time favourite ship?

That would be Zuko and Katara from Avatar but through my (very) recent Inception obsession Arthur and Ariadne are also high up on the list.

15 What is a WIP you want to finish but doubt you will?

i have one unposted WIP because I always finish them completely before posting. The lines from the Last Line Challenge are from that WIP. I'm kinda stuck there...

16 What are your writing strengths?

Uhhh... I would say I can describe rather good. And least in my mouther tongue (not english) I can also write rather poetic which I haven't tried in english so far.

17 What are your writing weaknesses? (psssst @thewildballyntynesgrow I think you missed this one 🤫)

I would say needing a lot of motivation/inspiration to even start and sometimes loosing the thread of my stories when I didn't plan them out beforehand. I also always need something to play in the background, either music, youtube or a tv show wich leads to A LOT of distractions but otherwise it's even worse...

18 Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fics?

I do like it, as long as there's a translation somewhere. For example in the notes.

19 First Fandom you wrote for?

Star Wars. Still writing for that fandom today but now I'm shifting around. My username is Multifandom after all so...

20 Favourite fic you have written?

Honestly, one of my yet unpublished ones.

But from the ones online it's Don't ever say that again - Ahsoka keeps Anakin from jumping off a cliff after a hard battle. I sometimes struggle with those kind of thoughts (jumping off a high building and so on) and found that writing about it helps. That's why I have a deeper connection to fics I wrote about it in.

OR it's Visions - Anakin has visions (duh) of someone murdering whole villages, the disaster trio is sent to investigate. Just because I spent SO much time working on it.

I'm tagging @astranite and @flyinghalfaship

And anyone who just wants to join as well

#writing #tagged #fan fiction #fanfic #ao3

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beautifulsnake2162020 · 3 months ago

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We have it all (Hualian adopted daughter fanfic) - Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. I only do this for fun.

Premise: Not long after comforting a bullied girl named Meng Ai, Hua Cheng and Xie Lian find themselves adopting her and together they form a family they didn't know they had needed for awhile.

AO3 link

Follower Tags: @anonimgato1507

Chapter 1

"Congratulations to the newlyweds." A powerful yet gentle voice with an underlying enthusiasm silences the chatter in the wedding banquet. Even Feng Xin and Mu Qing had halted their banter to turn their attention to the latest arrival. They share a glance, and give each other a knowing look as they watch the new guest with concerned alertness.

With every step the new guest took towards the new husbands there were hushed whispers beginning to occur. All of which involved the same emotions of concern, amusement, awe, and confusion.

The only ones who was pleasantly surprised by the new arrival were the newlyweds themselves.

"Xiwangmu, it's been awhile since you've ventured out of your gardens. Thank you for your congratulations." Xie Lian says as he and Hua Cheng wait for her to approach them. From his periphery he notices Hua Cheng's subtle expression of curiosity mixed with concern beneath his calmness.

"Just because I prefer to stay in my gardens and spend my days with my husband does not mean I am unaware of current events. A marriage involving a Supreme Ghost King and a God is quite rare and I feel I must be present to offer my congratulations and blessing. Though I'm quite sure that you are both more than capable of having a happy one even without either." The Great Mother goddess then gives a bow to the couple. Low enough to show that she is being respectful but high enough to show that she is greater than all beings present.

The newlyweds follow the same, Hua Cheng may not have any qualms about killing any God who simply insulted his husband but even he knows better than to disrespect the Goddess whose domain is life, death, creation and destruction. Even ghosts are under her mercy. If there is anyone who could destroy a ghost for good, it is her. The fact that she showed up in their wedding banquet is either a great blessing or a great curse.

Or perhaps both or neither at all.

His instincts told him that she was being sincere in her intentions but she also had an underlying motive for showing up.

She raises her eyebrow and smirks at him.

"Don't be alarmed, I didn't feel the need to interfere in your journey to get to this point. It's why my husband and I merely watched from afar."

"Well I'm glad that you have decided to appear in our wedding." Xie Lian says in a thankful yet diplomatic tone. Only San Lang's thumb caressing the back of his hand kept him steady. In truth he didn't know what to make of her presence here. He can only hope that it is a blessing. After all neither she nor her husband had ventured beyond their gardens and rarely appeared in the heavenly court. He still hasn't met her husband. He asked her about it when she attended the banquet in heaven celebrating his first ascension into heaven.

"My husband is finished with heavenly affairs." She says as she gives him a basket of peaches from her garden. The peaches of immortality serving as a form of assurance that he is indeed immortal.

"It's why only I enter into the domain of heaven. Heaven for him only causes exhaustion of the work he used to do before he appointed a successor. I don't want to subject him to that type of stress again. But who knows..." she cuts open a peach and hands one half to him.

"Given the right circumstances you might finally meet him in the future." And that was the last he saw of her.

Until now.

"How fortunate it is then that my husband and I have a gift for the newlyweds. Something which I will discuss with you at the end of tonight's banquet. But nevertheless I have already given my congratulations, and now as I stand before both of you I shall now give my blessing for your marriage." Multiple colors come out from her palms and gently embrace the newlyweds. There was an aura of optimism, hope, and encouragement emitting from the aura she gave them. It was at this point that everyone began to relax in her presence. If she wanted to cause harm and a ruckus even a powerful Goddess like herself couldn't hide her malicious intent for long.

"There, now I shall wait till you are both ready to meet me in private for the wedding gift that my husband and I have prepared for you." She gives a small bow of her head and gives them a sincere smile before she allows herself to be lead to a place cleared for her beside Lang Qianqiu and his ward. Gradually the banquet returned to the normal fanfare celebrating the newlyweds and everyone almost forgot that the Goddess who rules over their life and death was in their midst.

Once majority of their guests have departed Yin yu escorted the Goddess to a private room with the newlyweds. She passes by Feng Xin ang Mu Qing who both bow with reverence to her. She also feels their skepticism and alertness to her presence. Something she's used to as part of the domain she rules and controls over. It is because of her domain that she and her beloved husband can afford to stay away from heavenly affairs and live a relatively peaceful life.

"We are in private now, I know you want to speak with me more directly than when we had an audience." She says with her gaze focused on the Crimson Rain Sought Flower. He gives a low chuckle as he settles himself to his Gege's right side.

"What gave me away?"

"I could sense that you wanted to dismiss formality and ask me what my real intentions were. But you couldn't out of your love for Dianxie. Well - " she opens her palms and spread them in an encouraging gesture.

"We are mostly alone now, be as direct as you want with me."

"Very well - this gift that you and your husband have for us. There's a hidden catch to it isn't there."

"Yes." Hua Cheng smirks.

"You're not going to deny it?"

"What would be the point? If you think about it everything has a hidden catch. Whether that is to your detriment or favor is up to the both of you."

"Then why give it to us then?"

"Because from what we have observed, you two are the best option to recieve this gift." This catches Xie Lian's attention.

"Let me guess." Xie Lian began. "We need to prove ourselves in some way to recieve this gift."

"Precisely."

"Then is it really a gift then?" Xie Lian asks as calmly as possible while his hand rubs Hua Cheng's.

"It is, don't worry - we are both confident that you two will pass our final test before we give you the gift."

"You don't have it with you." Hua Cheng's voice doesn't bother hiding his skepticism about her intentions. For all he knows she's the master mind and this mysterious husband of hers is unaware of what she's doing.

"Let's just say the gift will be delivered in the right time. I never said that you would receive it tonight."

"Hmm fair point."

"And you're really not going to tell us?"

"Dianxie, both of you are intelligent enough to deduce what the gift may be. Why should I do the work for you? That would be an insult to the intelligence you both possess."

"Or an excuse for you to hide your true intention hidden in this gift." Hua Cheng doesn't bother hiding the threatening tone in his voice. After what he and Gege had been through, he will be damned if they will once again be used in the games of others.

"Think what you will, but I'll tell you right now that should you pass the confirmatory test and should you accept the gift it will also be a favor to me and my husband."

"In what way?"

"Let's just say dear Ghost King, that it would save us from finding other worthy recipients - and before you refuse, I'm not allowing any refusal until you know all you need to know to make a decision."

"The decision to refuse is getting more and more appealing."

"San Lang."

"Are you really not going to tell us what it is?"

"Don't overthink it. Just be yourselves, I'm confident that you will like the gift and will treasure it."

"It better not be a useless toy for a passing amusement."

"Oh don't worry Crimson Rain Sought Flower." She says with a smug smile as she stands.

"I'm sure neither of you will see the gift that way."

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

"What are you thinking Gege?" Xie Lian was brought back to the present as he and Hua Cheng were making their way back to Puchi shrine on a horse driven cart. This time it was Hua Cheng who had the reins while he sat beside him.

"Oh just a couple of things." He says with a blush as he lays his head on his husband's right shoulder.

"Hmm, what's the first?"

"The second time we met...our first real conversation when you were in disguise."

"Like how I am now?"

"Oh be honest, you've also placed one on me."

"Why wouldn't I?" Hua Cheng chuckles and Xie Lian sneaks a kiss on his shoulder.

"It wouldn't do if people would think that you were cheating on me with someone else."

"Hmm but I love you in all of your forms."

"And I love you in all of yours." He pulls the reins stopping the horse as they arrive on front of Puqi shrine. They begin unloading the items from the cart and begin making some partial preparations for the incoming ghost month.

"What was the other thing that you were thinking of?" Hua Cheng asks as they settle down to eat their lunch.

"I was thinking that it was seven years since we got married and till now I don't think we've done any test or recieved any gift from Xiwangmu."

"She could just be bluffing. I may not know her personally, but I wouldn't put it past the Gods to not follow through on their promises."

"Still, she sounded sincere. Perhaps she and her husband forgot."

"Hmph, it wouldn't be the first time for a God or Goddess."

Then from a distance the sound of thunder rumbling emerges.

"Huh, there seems to be a storm coming. We'll need to make some final preparations before the downpour starts."

"Last I checked we'll have to prioritize wood. We could also spend this as one more stroll in the outside before we lock ourselves in?"

"I'd be delighted." Xie Lian says before leaning over to kiss Hua Cheng. Their lips meet briefly, now was not the time for a long lingering one. Once the rain will fall there would be plenty of time for that.

Hand in hand they make their way to the forest, the same forest they had to pass through when they were escaping from ghosts during their second meeting. Perhaps it is instinct, or simply a feeling, but the moment they both entered the forest they heard sobs from someone crying.

It was strange, no one would stay within this forest because of the ghosts that lived in it. And whenever the ghost month would arrive and when the worlds of the ghosts and the mortals collided, it frequently ended up with mortals spreading fear from their ghostly encounters or their deaths. The ghosts would just be more and more active in taking mortal lives.

The sounds of sobbing began to be louder in volume. They share a look of silence to pursuit it. If this is a ghost who is weeping then they will need to help it find its peace before other ghosts may take advantage of their despair.

But it was not a ghost who was crying.

On a stump, a little girl was pouring out her despair.

"I...I don't..." She couldn't help but bring a new batch of tears as the thunder begins to get louder.

"Why...why don't...why don't they like me?" She looks up to the sky. The sky was beginning to darken, and she knew that it was going to rain soon.

Better that she help the rain water the ground while she still has so much tears to give.

"Why doesn't anyone want to be my friend?! Even the creatures in this forest don't want to be my friend! What did I do wrong?!" The first few rain drops begin pouring down.

"Baba says that not everyone could see or talk to ghosts like we could. I tried...I tried to talk to the ghosts here...but nobody wants to be friends with me...what...what did I do wrong?" She brings her head back down to the stump. She feels so desperate now that she just wants to cry her heart out.

"I...I don't...I don't want to be alone...can someone...anyone, please tell me what's wrong with me?"

"Nothing is wrong with you." A deep but gentle voice responds. She looks up from the tree stump and sees a beautiful man with an eye patch over his right eye. His left eye gives her a reassuring look as he gives her a gentle smile. It's only after blinking a few times that she realizes that he's also holding an umbrella which protected them from the rain.

"Really?"

"Yes little one."

"Then why do they say mean things to me?"

"What do they say?"

"That because I could talk to ghosts and have mismatched eyes I was cursed at birth. And they don't want to be with someone who is cursed." She wipes some of her tears on her sleeve as she looks up at the mysterious man. Her parents did warn her to not talk to strangers but something about him was reassuring her that she isn't in any danger.

And she was tired of being alone.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, they also say that my parents made a mistake in giving me my name. Because how can someone who is cursed have love?"

"That is cruel." She was touched by his tone. But she couldn't help but bring a new wave of tears.

Why was he being so nice to her?

Isn't she supposed to be cursed?

And yet here is someone who is talking to her and shielding her from the rain.

"Would you like to know something about me?" She feels her voice become hoarse in trying to say yes. So she nods at the beautiful man and she feels herself lighten up as he smiles at her.

"I was also bullied because of my eyes."

"Really?"

"Yes, little one. Just like you I had mismatched eyes. And others would also say mean things to me."

He leans closer to her as the rain gets stronger. Bringing her closer to the center of the umbrella. Up close he could clearly see that her left eye was a vibrant blue color and her right eye had the same amber color that Gege had.

And she was just like him a long time ago.

Wanting to not be alone.

Everyone rejecting him.

And only one who didn't.

"It had gotten so bad that I thought life had no meaning anymore."

"What happened?" Hua Cheng gives her a gentle smile.

"Someone saved me."

"How?"

"He gave me something to live for."

She calmed down and she was no longer crying. She was now truly listening to him and his words. Behind her was Xie Lian sharing a knowing look with him.

"Would you like to meet him little one?"

#Family moments #Hualian #Lang Qianqiu x Female OC #Lang Qianqiu x OC #Fanfiction #Tgcf #heaven official's blessing #Hua Cheng x Xie Lian #Xie Lian x Hua Cheng #Chapter 1 #Heaven official's blessing #tgcf #fanfiction #We have it all

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