#Blaze Train off the rails

[tomthefanboy]

Last week I made a simple post saying I wanted a D&D version of this chart with a gnoll in the middle. I know that most of the time if you want something on the internet you have to make it yourself, but I couldn't figure out what each axis would be.

I wanted the D&D chart SO BADLY that I started boosting the posts about it with tumblr Blaze... Post 1  EVERY Post 2  TIER Post 3  OF BLAZE Post 4 

and after spending $250 I had a very wild week...

...and had a lot interactions to sift through!

Before I go too deep into the feedback and my reactions, I would like everyone to know that only ONE tumblr user out of.... (3604 plus 19895 plus 25938 plus 63883... cary the tens...) ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTEEN THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY interactions actually had the combination of empathy, creativity, and reading comprehension to HEAR ME.

@emptymanuscript made me not one, but TWO D&D versions of the chart!

LOOK AT THEM!

Gnolls in the middle and everything! Fantastic.

This gives me the catharsis of being heard and a level of closure fitting with a $250 purchase on the internet. Especially when combined with all of these new friends (whom I will be spending the next month getting to know)!

Hoooooowwwwwwwwwever... I still want a version that has the D&D creature types Humanoid on one side and Beast on the other side of the gnoll. so lets slip under the cut and take a look at the suggestions.

So first off, Axis 1. The X axis if you like maths. This is where I felt like Human to Beast would fit. That changes the chart into something like this.

This will be the basis for most of the charts going forward, meaning that in addition to the top and bottom creatures we place at the extremes of Axis 2 (the Y Axis) we will also need to consider monsters that are "half-humanoid" or "half-beast" versions of those types.

Since I started with creature types, lets start with the two groups of suggestions that actually involved the Rules As Written (aka RAW) D&D monster types.

Fiendish - Celestial got a lot of hate from comments due to the lore of gnolls. Gnolls are the spawn of the demonlord Yeenoghu and reproduce through a wicked ritual. People claimed that this meant they could not be placed in the center of the chart this way. They were too hung up on the top of the chart being a celestial type creature, if you make the top of the chart a creature that's halfway between a demon and an angel (such as a chaotic neutral pixie) and the BOTTOM of the chart a creature that is full blood, bad-n-nasty demon (like say, Yeenoghu itself) then gnolls serve a pretty good middle ground. Then the corners would be creatures that are mixes of each of the sides (demonic beast, demonic humanoid, fey beast, fey humanoid) and you get a pretty solid chart like this;

A smaller group considered the mortal natures of both Beasts and Humanoids and chose a different set of criteria...

These don't have a unified voice but generally it was about an axis between what was natural/organic/normal and what was un-natural/in-organic/aberrant. Multiple creature types fit this bill at each end. Plants and fey are tied to living things while Undead, Constructs and Aberrations are based in inorganic and un-natural processes. We've already got fey in our last chart, so lets see how that looks on an axis against Constructs and Undead (both of these a created via magic like gnolls, so we'll leave out the alien aberrations and try not to think about them reproducing).

Before we continue, let's take our first side bar.

There were some fools out there thinking they could shame me for spending my money on this, proving they don't understand budgets OR the internet. Only ONE of you out there thought to ask me for some money and I respected their hustle so much I gave them enough to blaze one of their own posts. Don't think the rest of you will get some though, even if you come at me with charities or shit, so don't try it. That time has passed.

Such foolishness. Weep for them. Don't tag them. Definitely do not interact. I DO hope they get this blaze post as well though. (Hey @staff, you can do that right? It's not like any of them would have the mental fortitude to read this far after all)

From here we get into the more esoteric groupings. This is where the people who are VERY into D&D and the people who are completely unfamiliar overlap. Let's look at the physical descriptors first.

Size categories are a thing in D&D and Gnolls are medium creatures like dwarves or elves and most humanoids. There's plenty of small monsters and plenty of big ones as well so it is relatively easy to find Large or Small creatures on the humanoid side and the Beast side and then a Tiny creature for the top and a Huge creature for the bottom.

This makes for a satisfactory chart, but not one that captures the complexities of the original animal meme.

The Softness and Hardness of a creature can be reflected in they shape and their stats. It may be acidic but the gently curves of a black pudding are pretty soft, just like the fists of an iron golem are hard. The corners of a chart like this are a bit trickier, there's all shapes of armored things you need to find softer partial-beasts and partial-humanoids. Oozes don't come in half measures so a different creature might be needed.

Let's take a look at another side bar before we continue. There were a lot of people with something to say that were unhelpful in new and different ways.

I'm sure there are dozens of you out there who had been thinking about a Third Axis (the Z axis) this whole time. That stops being a "D&D version of this chart"! Not applicable to this discussion! Same with anything that doesn't have gnolls in the middle!

Next up we have some suggestions for metrics along SOCIAL lines instead of physical ones.

The lines here are very blurry. Gnolls work in packs but are not really social creatures. The destroy civilizations brutally but they do use weapons and magic items they find. They can speak language. The cuddle-to-kill spectrum is as skewed as the fiendish - celestial axis discussed earlier. Aside from player characters, gnolls want to kill and destroy things. I know the savagery is attractive to the monster-fuckers out there but they are 100% kill you. to go further down that axis you'd have to start looking into undead or outer planar beings that destroy the body, the mind, and the soul. So lets look at the Feral to Civil axis instead. Gnolls don't have as much infighting as some creatures. They are at least capable of teamwork to achieve their goals of mayhem so lets focus on that as a metric. Modrons exemplify orderly cooperation for a group cause but there's no CULTURE there. Just Law vs Chaos. We need a civil creature that is neither/both humanoid and beast and an utterly feral creature for the other side that will even turn on its own kind. Even more feral and unthinking than your average beast... But we simply can't ignore sexiness and willingness to cuddle in the equation... Metal to Cottagecore sums it all up best I think, so let's look for that.

When you practice for an exam a lot people will tell you to trust your gut. I'm here to tell you to trust your first Blaze results. As much as I loved the thrill and attention of the higher tiers, the roller coast ride of the $25 tier was enough to get me where I needed to go. Let's see one of the first suggests and the most popular.

Gnolls are a combination of brutal warrior and arcane origin story. There are certain gnolls with magical powers but in general they are not relied upon. This makes them a good middle ground. So we need a creature at one end that is a cunning spellcaster and an opposite that is a muscle-bound brute.  A number of arcane outsiders fit the first while half the giants fit the latter. But anything with a language is not quite dumb enough for an extreme. So there may be a need for outsiders on both ends if an unthinking/non-magical outsider can be found. BUT are outsiders by default eldritch magical creatures? Also, should I listen to the person that posted my face in their reblog more than the others? That seems important...

As much as I'd love to have different creatures on every single chart as a weird flex, but the Tarrasque literally REFLECTS SPELLS and is one of the few creatures dumber than an ogre without being an ooze, construct or undead. On the other end, I had considered that the Death Tyrant or the Demilich with its Strength of 1 might represent the ultimate embodiment of mind over matter, but nobody has as many MAGIC spells and MIND powers as the Illithilich!

As we reach the final side bar, allow me to slap down a block of tags for all the people who left notes specifically asking to see how it ends. that way they get an alert even if this blaze doesn't get to them. @trickstercheshi​

@kippkap​

@musings-of-an-avimancer

@thatwingeddaydreamer 

@smokenmoths

@queuest

If you did a CTRL-F and just scrolled down to your name, I don't take it personally. I applaud your efficiency!

Let's see all the "none of the aboves" that my Blaze Train awoke as it shrieked across their dashboards!

Not all comments are created equal.

Out of all the excellent ideas there was one that stood out to me early on and only got a few more people fully on board through the entire Blaze Train.

Yes. That's right. We come all the way back around to physical descriptors. But it's not that simple! On the original chart, the rat, weasel, and raccoon are also mischievous and unpredictable with their grabby little hands. Meanwhile the quadrupedal Horse has evolved just as far in a different direction. Solidity and strength are in their hooves. Llamas and goats benefit from this power and stability but use it for wildly different purposes. There are also easy D&D creatures to pick out for each side without dabbling in lycanthropy or shifters.

And now I can rest, knowing that I have the chart that I wanted all along. Now I just need to blaze this and see which chart people like the most and how many ideas people have for the Z axis on them. (you sick bastards)

#Blaze Train off the rails #Last Full post #everything else will be reblogs #tumblr blaze #D&D #welcome to the deep lore. #argue all you want MDMR #gonna come at me ya best come correct #with reblogs and diagrams #and the first image is the invert so I can see it on the activity log easier

[pandalorian36]

Izzy x (Genderneutral)Reader

Ed reveals the reason Izzy is always so grumpy and short tempered is because he got separated from you.

Warnings: Mentions of blood, knives/swords. Word count: 4655

Izzy stomps away from yet another shouting match muttering under his breath as he goes the rest of the crew staring after him in a state of shock. He had never yelled that much for something so little. Lucius had kissed Pete on the cheek and next thing Izzy was yelling and cursing about everything. “Well, that was intense.” Lucius nods agreeing with his partner just as Stede and Ed emerge onto deck “What the blazes was that all about?” Ed glances over at his first mate and Roach speaks up “Izzy snapped.”

Ed nods slightly “We heard that. Why?” Lucius glances at Pete “I kissed Pete on the cheek.” Stede looks shocked “Something so small? Really? We thought someone had broken the ship.” Ed looks confused a moment before looking up speaking quickly “What’s the date?”

“Sorry?”

“The date. Today. What is it?”

Lucius looks at the diary tucked under his arm “June 2nd possibly 3rd.” Ed, Ivan and Fang all exchange a look of understanding “June 3rd. I’ll go check on him.” Ed leaves the rest of the crew gathering around Ivan and Fang who clearly have the rest of the story. Stede pipes up “What happened June 3rd?" Ivan sighs shrugging “It was just over two years ago. We raided a merchant vessel, turned out to have a lot more weapons on board than we intended and was actually full of trained soldiers. We managed to set the ship a light and get back to the Queen Anne when the flames hit a gunpowder storage. Lucky our ship wasn’t damaged, but it caused a big confusion.”

He stops and Fang takes over the story “those that were on the main deck didn’t get injured, but it did confuse us enough that the merchant crew managed to take charge. Two of our crew where captured which did allow the rest to escape but Ed forbid us from going back. We now know one was killed but the second we don’t know. Their name was Y/N, they were Izzy’s. Partner? Lover? Companion? Actually, I’m not sure what they were but they were incredibly close, always had each other’s backs. God, forbid you threatened one of them the other was always close by. They were the only one who could best Izzy at swordplay,” he grins “Part from Stede.”

Ivan sighs “Before we lost Y/N, Izzy was actually pretty tolerable. He’s always had a temper and a tendency to threaten people, but Y/N could always calm them. Couldn’t help but like Y/N, don’t get me wrong they were a ruthless pirate, loyal to Ed and Izzy. Forgot to mention Y/N was Ed’s younger sibling, least we think so. Fiercely protective of each other.”

The whole crew remains silent taking the information in. Ed leans on the railing next to Izzy crossing his arms out over the water “I miss ‘em too Iz.”

“Fuck off Edward.”

“I just thought… Actually, don’t know what I thought.”

Izzy sighs shoulders sagging “Why couldn’t we go back?” Ed frowns staring out over the sea “I had to think of the crew. If we had gone back, you know none of us would of come away.” Ed clasps Izzy’s shoulder “Y/N probably would have some stupid motivational crap to say to ya but fraid all I got is they’re gone mate, not anything we can do about it. Just have to move on.” Ed walks away Stede falling into step beside him “You never mentioned you had a brother/sister?”

Ed shrugs slightly walking back into their cabin “Not something I like to talk about. They’re dead not anything can do about it.”

“Still, you must miss them. Where you close?” Ed sighs falling onto the sofa “Suppose we we’re close yea. Them and Izzy where the only two I ever trusted.” Stede sits on the edge of the sofa by Ed’s feet frowning “I’m sorry.” Ed shrugs “‘is alright. Sometimes feel guilty for it though. You know? I was captain, I ordered the raid and the burning of the ship.”

“It’s not your fault Ed,” Stede tries to sound reassuring patting his leg “I’m sure there was nothing you could have done.” Ed flips himself around, so his head is in Stedes lap letting him play with his hair “It’s not your fault.”

Izzy is still standing over the railing the ring usually safe around his neck scarf clasped between thumb and finger.

“Izzy.” Y/N hisses from the shadows pulling the first mate away from the crowds “What the fuck are you doing?” Y/N rolls their eyes “Playing crochet. What do you fucking think I’m doing. Captain Vance just turned up.”

“Shit.” Y/N snorts in response “My thoughts exactly. Come on.” The two make their way towards the docks using the back alleys both freezing when a deep gravelly voice echoes down the confined space making it seem louder “Well, well, well what do we have here? Israel Hands and Y/N Teach.” The two-freeze swearing colourfully before turning Izzy raising his sword and Y/N gripping a pistol tightly “What do you want Vance?”

Vance a large bulky man with scars decorating most of his skin the remainder coated in ink. “That’s Captain Vance to you dog.” Y/N scowls their grip on the pistol tightening as the flick the hammer ready to fire “What do you want Captain Vance?”

“I want to kill you two worthless lumps. You torched my ship.” Izzy smiles slightly “Only a little.” Vance seethes “A little. A little? You destroyed it.” Vance takes out two pistols readying them to fire “I would like to draw this out, make it painful and slow. Then watch as Black Beard finds your mutilated bodies. But unfortunately, I do not have that luxury. Still, you will at least be dead.” Y/N shoots first three shots echoing around the alley. Vance falls to the ground blood blossoming from his shoulder while his shots hit the wall sending bits of rock flying.

“Time to go.” Y/N grabs Izzy’s arm the two of them running full pelt from the alley as Vance swearing and spluttering lumbers back to his feet to give chase. Flying out into the busy street where a market is being held the two dodge between stalls skidding down another alley as Vance’s crew appear with their captain in the lead a bloodied cloth to his shoulder “FIND THEM.”

“We’ve got to get back to the ship!” Y/N turns to Izzy pausing when they both realise how close they have gotten in the small space. Izzy’s cheek heat while Y/N smirks “Am I making you uncomfortable Iz?” he shakes his head slightly making the latter chuckle pressing a soft kiss to his cheek before shooting him a wink “I’ll cause a distraction. You get Ed.”

Before Izzy can protest Y/N has leapt onto the closest stool selling jewellery grabbed a fistful of brightly coloured gems and started yelling at the top of their lungs “Captain Vance, I believe these colours would draw the attention away from that ass of a face you have. Although anyone would have to be blind before they even considered you attractive. Least you can fight… oh wait no you can’t. You’re just crap at everything aren’t you.”

Jumping from stall to stall and causing utter chaos in the midst Y/N runs deeper into town while Izzy runs back to the ship to get backup. The two of them may be the best swords on the Queen Anne but they’re also smart enough to know Captain Vance and his crew are not to be messed with. As Izzy reaches the ship as a large explosion shakes the docks a cloud of dust rising from deep inside the town. “What the fuck was that.” Ed appears on the gangplank while Izzy sighs shaking his head slightly “Who do you think?” they both say the same thing in unison “Y/N.”

As if they have been summoned Y/N comes skidding over the rooftop’s tiles falling to the floor before they topple to the ground in a heap when they jump on a barrel that is not secure “What the fuck did you do?” Izzy helps them to their feet “Caused a distraction. Captain Vance will no longer be a problem.” Ed snorts supporting Y/N’s other side as they walk onto the ship “Our worst enemy gone for good. Excellent work. Iz help ‘em get cleaned up gotta make sure we’re ready to go.”

Izzy helps Y/N limp to their cabin “Do I even want to know?” Y/N shrugs “Probably not. Got you something.” Out their pocket they take a simple diamond ring smiling proudly “It’s not real, and pretty sure it’s not even gold but for you.” Izzy takes it slipping it on the handkerchief around his neck “Where did you get it?”

Y/N starts removing their outer layers poking at a wound on their side while talking “Stole it. Its only temporary before I get you something better. Can’t have my man wearing second rate jewellery. But thought you needed something to show you were taken. Not that pirates care for such things. You don’t have to wear it; just thought I don’t know.” Izzy rolls his eyes clamping a hand over Y/Ns mouth to stop their rambling “I’ll wear it. Though we’ve already got tattoos can’t get much more permanent than that.” Y/N shrugs starting to clean their cut before Izzy takes over kneeling between their legs on the floor “Do you think we’ll be okay? With our profession and everything.”

The two stare into each other’s eyes a moment before Y/N closes the gap cupping Izzy’s face gently “We’re gonna be just fine.”

Izzy returns the ring to its rightful place. Y/N did in fact gift him much more most of it stolen but some of it actually bought, including the sword hanging at his side. He glances at the pale band of skin on his ring finger still visible despite two years, the ring that use to sit their long gone. Where he had no idea, but it felt like a stab to the chest every time he saw it was gone. Returning his gaze out over the sea he ignores the whispering crew behind him wishing he could go back and change the past and return Y/N Teach to his side.

Your P/O/V:

Shit. I duck into the nearest alley tugging my hood further forward as a group of navy officer’s marches past in perfect form. Breathing a sigh of relief when they pass, I push back my hood leaning against the wall. Finally free of that cramped cell and tattered clothing. Two years, eight months and three weeks spent in an British prison, it’s a relief to be free. Though wanted posters have started appearing around the docks with a reasonable reward.

Keeping to the shadows I head closer to the docks inspecting the ships currently docked. Taverns are the best place for gossip, and I have heard varying tales of my brother, which ones I believe I am not sure. Most people give me wary looks the heavy hood, leather and two swords crossed across my back and pistol holstered on my thigh don’t exactly scream friendly.

Finding a dingy tavern any member of the navy would avoid like the plague I step inside tossing a few coins on the counter “Rum.” The bartender an elderly man with multiple missing teeth and stringy hair pushes a glass across the counter “And information I imagine?” I smile into my drink “What do you know of Blackbeard?”

“Blackbeard? Queen Anne is under new captainage they was here last week. Not sure where Blackbeard ended up. Word is he’s gone soft sailing with some gentlemen pirate, though few believe those rumours.” I nod finishing my drink he refills it without my asking before moving along the bar to serve someone else. I sip this one leaning back against the bar, gentlemen pirate never heard of him before.

Finishing my second drink I stalk out the bar all I need is a ship. A small vessel catches my eye definitely pirate from the crew loading up supplies I watch from the shadows as they stumble about on deck. Not the most experienced of crew but they will have to all I need is the captain. Someone clears their throat behind me, and I turn “Shit.” The officer grins “Y/N Teach you are under arrest.” I sigh putting my hands in the air “Fine you caught me.” turning away for a second, I form a fist before spinning back catching the officer across the jaw sending him sprawling to the ground.

Taking of I run towards the tree line more shouts echoing behind, so much for a low profile. Several shots ring out as I start zig-zagging closer to the trees jumping over a stack of barrels and a wall before finally reaching the trees. “You are ordered to stop.” I grin speeding up as I enter the trees following a worn path deeper in land before taking a sharp turn back to the coast. Swinging myself up into the low branches I jump from tree to tree watching the navy officers below following my footprints “Where did they go?”

“They can’t be far.”

“Do we kill them?”

I jump to the next tree slowly making my way back to town. Jumping back to the ground I turn quickly when two men yelp. Drawing my sword, I turn lowering it when it is not soldiers. “You never saw me.” they both nod and I take off again reaching a small beach already inhabited. A group of pirates lounging around on the sand. “Captain?” I take a step back ready to run again when two men turn to answer the question: one an elaborately dressed blond who looks more gentleman than pirate the other. “Edward!?”

I would recognise that beard anywhere. I push back my hood taking several steps forward, his eyes widen in recognition “You’re not dead.” I snort “Not last I checked.” He runs over poking my chest then my cheek “You’re really not dead.” I roll my eyes punching him in the stomach making him grunt “Point taken.” I grin “That’s for leaving me behind.” He laughs the two of us colliding in a hug “Can’t believe you’re not dead.” I laugh “Sorry to disappoint.”

He shakes his head “What? No. Not what I meant. Shit. Izzy. Where’s Izzy? Stede where’s Izzy?” Stede the fancy blonde looks confused “Back on the ship. Why?” Ed grins grabbing my arm “Come on.” I dig my heels into the sand “Navy kinda after my head. Town is not a good idea.” Ed frowns only pausing a moment before resuming dragging me across the beach “Nope. Come on.” I manage to tug up my hood as we practically sprint to the ship I spotted earlier and up onto the deck.

“Izzy! Get your butt out here. Iz. Iz. Izzy.” Fang, Ivan, and Izzy all come running onto deck swords drawn “Edward what the hell is going… on?” I push back my hood Izzy’s sword falling to the ground “Look who’s not dead.”

“Y/N?” I smile slightly the rest of the crew disappearing my sole focus on Izzy. “I missed you Iz.” He steps forward still looking a little shell shocked “We thought you were dead.” I shrug slightly “Had a couple close calls but still here.” I smile my stomach tying in knots as I step closer “I can leave if…” I don’t get the chance to finish his body colliding with mine “Don’t. Don’t even.” I chuckle wrapping my arms around him “You really think I would leave Iz? Spent the last two years trying to get back to you.”

His grip tightens but I gently ease his face away from my neck cupping his face in one hand smiling softly “Missed you Iz.” He returns my smile the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly “You’re really here.” I nod leaning my forehead against his “I’m here.” I grin tracing the ring around his neck “Can’t believe you still have this. Which reminds me, this belongs to you.” I tug on the cord around my neck two identical silver bands with waves pressed into the metal. I take one of putting it back where it belongs on Izzy’s ring finger “I thought I lost it.” I shake my head “You left it on the side in our cabin when you helped with my stitches. I was going to return it after the raid and well you know the rest.”

My brother clears his throat the two of us pulling apart “Wait hang on. Izzy is capable of smiling?” I bite my lip leaning down to kiss Izzy’s cheek neither of us had ever been big on PDA, but I want to remind myself he’s real. Izzy scowls at the pirate who spoke making him laugh Ed steps forward before anything else can be said “Everybody. This is my little brother/sister Y/N.” Stede smiles brightly “Stede Bonnet its lovely to meet you.” I shake his hand tentatively shocked when Ed throws an arm around his shoulders smiling lovingly at the strange man “Reunion can wait we really need to get out here.”

We all turn our attention back to the docks where a large number of navy officers have gathered combing the docks from top to bottom. Stede nods “Right. Come along everyone, get the rest of those stores below pronto.” The ship is a flurry of activity as the gang plank is raised and the sails unfurled. I remain tense till we are well out into the open sea, Izzy joins me at the prow, and I move so I can wrap my arms around his waist head resting on his shoulder “So how long has Ed been like this?”

Izzy chuckles leaning forward against the railing my arms atop his “Fair while.” I close my eyes breathing in the sea air enjoying the light breeze that ruffles Izzy’s hair “I’m sorry.” I open my eyes confused. “I thought you were behind us. I should have checked, should have been there for you.” I move my arms so they are wrapped around his chest and waist “Iz there is nothing you could have done. I don’t blame you for what happened.”

“You should.” His voice sounds so small it breaks my heart “I don’t, and neither should you. none of us knew what would happen, pirating ain’t a career known for its safety. The only thing I couldn’t stand was the fact I never got to say goodbye or tell you how much I love you or how much you mean to me.” he turns so we are face to face tears staining his cheeks which I brush away gently “Because I do love you Israel hands. Time has not changed that.”

“I love you too.” His lips are hesitant at first as they brush against mine before I draw him closer with a hand cupping his cheek. “Swear we won’t leave each other’s side ever again.” I grin “Till death do us part right?” he nods lips twitching into a small smile “Till death do us part.” I kiss him again deeper this time running my fingers through his hair while his dig into the front of my shirt pulling the two of us closer together. “This better not be a dream.” I chuckle tracing the star then the swallow tattooed on his neck “I promise its real.”

We remain together ignoring the rest of the crew who stare and whisper while we return to our previous position watching the water lapping the front of the boat while catching up on two years of tales more so from him than me catching me up on the strange crew, he has found himself with. Finally, we exhaust most topics and Izzy sighs heavily “They will want to talk to you.” I smile “I won you over, reckon I can deal with this lot.” His smile grows slightly before returning to his neutral expression “Let’s get this over with then.” We turn making our way to the centre deck the crew trying and failing to hide their curiosity. Ed saunters over grinning “You both look insanely happy. Hey, you got your ring back.” Izzy nods slightly tracing the silver band while Ed throws an arm around my shoulders “Everyone this is Y/N. Y/N this is my new crew, well our crew.” He grins at Stede “Lucius, Pete, John, Jim, Frenchie, Olowande, Roach, Swede, and Frenchie. You already know Ivan and Fang.” I nod slightly in greeting.

Olo waves while Swede looks confused “I thought they were dead.” I smile slightly “Nope.” Ivan grins “Good to have ya back.” Ed chuckles while Stede clumsily walks over stuttering over his words “Well then, how about you tell us a bit about yourself. We talk things through as a crew on this vessel. And I know I would like to know a bit more about you.” I frown “What’s there to know? I’m good with a sword, spent the last two years in a British jail cell, anyone hurts Izzy or my brother, and they get a knife in the gut.” Stede nods looking slightly alarmed “Right well I was thinking more along the lines of your favourite colour? Or perhaps hobbies?”

Izzy makes a sort of choked cough noise while I bite back a laugh “Your new to this aren't you?.” Stede beams “Yes, realatively. Now Roach is our resident cook and doctor, Izzy is first mate, Buttons is normally at the helm and Lucius is my scribe. I’m sure you will find your place soon enough; do you have any particular skills you feel may benefit the group?” Ed laughs “You kidding? They’re strong, fast, agile. Excellent with a sword and daggers, spent half their time up in the bloody rigging. Though two years out of action may have effected that.”

I grin reaching for one of my swords “Want to test that theory, Edward?” he draws his own sword spinning it artistically “Alright N/N.” Izzy sighs grumbling “You won’t beat them Ed.” I block every blow I may have been locked up for two years but that didn’t stop me from training in any way I could keeping up arm strength and agility. My muscles strain slightly but I grin putting more weight into my blows before knocking my brother to the ground sword pointed to his chest “Fuck. Really thought I could win that.” Grinning I haul him back to his feet “Don’t feel too bad about its Eddy.”

He groans rolling his eyes “Not that fucking name again.” I laugh clapping him on the back “Only if you piss me off, I promise.” The rest of the crew are grinning broadly while Ed claps me on the shoulder “So two years in prison ay?” I shrug eyes darkening “Don’t want to talk about it.”

“When did you get out?” I sigh running my thumb over my blade before sheathing it “Three days ago. I got to the coast this morning. Then you know the rest.” His face softens slightly “I’m sorry N/N.” I shrug brushing him off “It’s in the past, nothing you could have done. Just drop it.” he nods returning to his usual self “Well you catch up on some rest. Iz?” he nods motioning with his head, I follow into a small cabin immaculately tidy. A bunk along one wall just big enough for two, a writing desk, two storage chests and a small window “I kept all your stuff. Never could bring myself to getting rid of it.”

I turn pulling him into a tight hug the both of us dropping our shields “Thought of you every day.” He chuckles kissing me gently “I didn’t handle you leaving well.” I smile tugging of my jacket and laying it over the chair also removing my swords and boots “Let me guess you returned to your grouchy side.” He rolls his eyes “I’m always grouchy.” Laughing I sit on the bed pulling him down on top “Yea, but you have a grouchy side and then your super grouchy side. I know you Iz and I would have acted the same way.”

He sighs the two of us laying comfortably on the bed. He starts tracing the tattoos on my arms stopping at the largest on my bicep. An anchor with rope wrapped around it and a compass behind. “I remember when you got that.” I grin “Ed was acting all high and mighty that he got a tattoo so I had to get one that was bigger.” Izzy chuckles continuing up to my shoulder before moving to my other arm focusing on the inside of my wrist an anchor with roses wrapped around it “I regretted not getting mine more visible.”

I grin tracing the back of his shoulder blade where his own tattoo is etched. “We could get another one?” he laughs “Hmm maybe.” I shift slightly my shirt riding up “What’s that?” I freeze tugging my shirt back down “It’s nothing.” Sitting up he pushes my shirt back eyes turning cold as he examines the lines wrapping around my sides scars left from all the times the navy tried to get information out of me “Turn over.”

“Iz, I don’t think.” “Turn over.” slowly I turn almost glad I can’t see his expression as his fingers ghost over the skin. “I’m going to fucking kill them.” I turn back grabbing his hands “I’m okay Iz. I was worth more alive than dead, but they gave up trying to get information after eight months. ” I try and smile failing when Izzy looks so broken “Is your entire back…” I shrug “I have no idea. Probably. Could only see a small portion in the mirror.” Sighing I turn and pull of my shirt Izzy he traces up along the back “Fucking hell Y/N.”

“How’s my tattoo?” his hands freeze a chocked laugh coming from him “Sorry, just trying to make light of this.” His arms wrap tightly around my waist “I should have been there to protect you.” I relax into his warmth turning around so we are face to face. “Okay here’s what’s going to happen. We are going to move on from this, you are going to stop beating yourself up. I don’t blame you for anything. Look at me Iz,” he meets my eyes and I smile “Now pull yourself together. Neither of us are good with this sappy crap we can leave that to Ed and whatever him and the weird blonde have going on.”

A grin slowly spreads across his face “I don’t know what I did to deserve you Y/N Teach.” I grin rolling my eyes playfully “I love you Izzy Hands.” His mouth collides with mine the two of us falling back into the bed “We ever bump into the navy I’m slaughtering them all.” I grin kissing him again “If it makes you feel better, I already killed the two who did it.” He snorts kissing my cheek “Helps a little.” He flops onto my chest while I run my fingers through his hair.

3rd person P/O/V:

Ed walks out onto deck frowning “Anyone seen Iz?” the rest of the crew look around confused. Where is the angry man of a first mate? “Pete, Ivan? No one has seen him?”

“Nope.” “No.”

“Frenchie go check his cabin.” Frenchie nods and disappears below deck knocking gently on the door before peeking inside. Y/N and Izzy are sprawled on the bed in a tangle of limbs both sleeping soundly. Hastily Frenchie shuts the door and makes his way back to the deck “Both asleep captain.” Ed laughs “Sleeping? Really?” Stede smiles warmly “Well they have both been through rather a lot. Let’s leave them rest for a bit.”

#ofmd x reader #izzy hands #israel hands #our flag meets death #x reader #x y/n #izzy hands x reader #edward teach #stede bonnet #pirates #our flag means death x reader #izzy x reader

[vinciwolf]

Loyalty Pt 1

(Recom)Na’vi!Miles Quaritch x (fem)Na’vi!Reader

Warnings: SLOW BURN, THIS IS AN EVENTUAL NSFT SERIES, ENEMIES TO LOVERS, capture, romance, reader is fem, Jesus take the wheel.

Warnings about this chapter: violence, death.

Notes: Na’vi spoken is in italics, but inner thoughts are also in italics.

Tags: @perseny​ @mechformers​ @ragingloser​

The leathery flap of your Ikan’s wings pushed you higher above the tree line. You told her to keep a steady pace beside Toruk Makto with the rest of the warriors soaring through the dense forest. Sylway did as she was told while brushing past the greenery and other Ikran. She was an albino with light yellow and tan accents.

The RDA train was on schedule and so were you, assault rifle in hand – your preferred weapon from the traditional bow and arrow like Neytiri.

The ground war party was steadily barreling towards the tracks beneath the dozens of Ikran above. Your heartbeat quickened against your breast as the clearing and train rails fast approached in the distance. Your senses heightened, from the tinkling of your braids in the wind, to the sound of Sylway’s breathe. It was all so sensitive and loud.

Then, all hell broke loose.

You screamed an encouraging roar towards the other warriors beside you, lifting your arm up holding your weapon. Neytiri clicked her teeth and screeched as well, showing off her father’s bow. He was with them in spirit.

The explosion of the rails grounded your resolve.

You chased beside a gunship before gaining enough momentum to flip upside down and fire a hail of bullets into the cockpit, steadying your Ikran upright with a loud whoop as the ship lost control and fell into the ground.

Like ants to a honey-oozed split in a tree, the Na’vi below got to work exploiting the scattered RDA cargo. You watched from above for any more incoming airships.

Then, through your scopes with ears pinching backwards, you saw the two biggest headaches of the clan. Neteyam and Lo’ak.

Putting down your scopes, you reeled your eyes with a light shake of your head and cussed.

You could smack’em!

Fucking idiots!

Spits of rocket fire then screeched through the air, causing your Ikran to instinctively bank away from the weapon spree to protect herself and you.

Explosions hit the ground and you panicked. Fortunately, a mounted warrior retaliated with a rocket launcher and took the machine down in a fiery trail of blaze and smoke.

Placing your fingers onto the com around your neck, you shout, “Jake! You read me!?”

He breathily responds as he crawled and jumped through the wreckage for his boys, “Get me visuals on my sons!”

You searched the area but it was too clouded to see ground level from your height.

“Negative. The smoke is too thick!”

“Copy. Retreat immediately.”

~

As you took your rider’s harness off Sylway, you could hear the shouts of Jake’s disappointment from across the caverns. Patting your Ikran’s neck for a good job, your ears tipped back lightly with quilt. You should have seen them descend onto the ground, but you were distracted with anxiety watching the horizon for RDA gunships.

Gazing over to the Sully family, your eyes sunk as you watched the two boys walk away to recover their wounds, Jake walking in the opposite direction to decompress, his tail swiping in all different directions from his rage.

It was done. There was nothing you could do but let the storm pass.

After your adrenaline calmed and you had something to eat, you went to find Norm and the other humans to give them your daily rider’s mask footage for their never ending research into the world of Pandora. It was the least you could do to stay connected to your human side… and show off your battle moves.

You could see that Norm was still connected to his avatar as he brushed his teeth and joked with the Sully kids who were maneuvering through the human camp.

Walking into the old RDA unit, the balls of your cheeks lifted as your grinned towards Max, hand outreached with the small camera on your rider’s mask for him to take.

He was always a welcoming sight, even though your appearance had changed significantly since your transition, he had always treated your like the same old scientist he had worked with before you became Na’vi.

Your heart sank as you saw Kiri having to watch her mother through a projection and a tank. Unable to touch or hug one’s mother had its toll on the young girl and you mourned for Grace’s daughter. Mourned for what could have been if Grace had survived.

Your former mentor would have been so proud of the woman Kiri was becoming. She would have been so proud of you too, living one with the Na’vi and surviving through your sickness that ultimately made Jake and Mo’at decide to help you transition to your healthy, non-diseased avatar body.

After you handed the camera to Max, you exited the unit and passed by Norm’s now dormant avatar body in his cot. By the threshold was a few pictures of the Sully family with the human scientists, Grace with her students from years past before the war, and one in particular that pulled at your heartstrings: Trudy sitting in her gunship.

The picture must’ve been taken by Lyle sometime when they first arrived to Pandora.

Everyone who came to Pandora was escaping something else left behind on Earth.

It was a fresh start.

Every person who took the journey was naïve, young, and full of hope for a better future… until they reached the ‘final frontier’ and realized that it was just another shithole. Then slowly that glimmer of goodness and hope snuffed itself out, eventually turning the best of soldiers into assholes and the scientists into recluses.

But you… you tried to hold onto that hope, even in the end when you were dying.

You gave a solemn grin towards Trudy and gently fist pumped the picture before stepping out into the Na’vi settlement inside the vast cave system of the Halleluiah mountains.

Into your home, you sat down on your cot and rubbed your temple. You had a massive headache and reached for your pills. Over the years, the war and the fall of the RDA broke down your ‘spirit’ as Mo’at had put it, leaving you to resort to pill popping every day to help you sleep.

When you found the leftover stash of pills in the abandoned RDA medical bay, you knew you were doomed. There was plenty of medicine for a few decades, but the pills you exploited had dwindled to a few containers in just fifteen years. You were too ashamed to ask for help or let anyone know about your addiction.

You laughed at yourself. Everyone thought the RDA was killed off during the war, but it still lingered to ravage the one person who wanted to desperately leave it all behind: you.

Ironically, at one point, the RDA was going to save you with a life altering surgery on Earth, but of course that journey home would never come, nor would you have survived your sleep in cryo. Your disease was too advanced at that point and war had already begun – you, Grace, Norm, Jake, and Trudy all escaping into the woods last minute.

Parker was the one who orchestrated the whole deal with the military on your behalf in secret.

He was just a manager trying to make business deals wherever he could dab into just like he did with Jake. And he was trying to save face and hold the whole company together that was inevitably falling apart no matter how ‘diplomatic’ he was trying to be.

When he broke it to you that you would… could… be saved from the cancer spreading through your spine, it had taken everything out of you to try to keep a foothold in the lab and the RDA.

A double life.

You and Jake had confided in each other for the same problems. Jake wanted his legs back, but he fell in love with Pandora too quickly. And you? You wanted to live.

Sifting through your things, you took out a box filled with pictures of the old you.

A whole life shoved away into stained carboard that you’d hoped one day you could forget about.

Flipping through the pictures, you found the ones taken when you had first arrived to Pandora with the other scientists. You were the youngest, a child prodigy who grew to become the woman Grace had chosen to accompany her to a foreign planet… five years before Tommy Sully would be killed.

You stood up abruptly and found a metal tray. Taking out a lighter, you brought the small flame to the stack of photos.

Slowly the blue and yellow ambers ate the pictures until they were a pile of black dust.

Your shoulders slacked and you sighed, then cleaned up the ashes of a past life and went to bed.

~

The next morning felt different. Almost like the world was reborn anew and it was a new day. You wanted to move on from last night and continue to focus on what mattered in front of you.

You shoved a tank top over your arms and slipped it over your torso before clipping a few feathered and beaded necklaces around your neck, resting just atop your breasts. The cargo capris you chose were basic camo as always to blend in with nature. No need to wear boots anymore for your feet had become tough and calloused over the years running around with the Na’vi on their hunts when Ikrans weren’t necessary. You chose some dangle earrings for your lobes and then stepped forward into camp, rifle settled against your back.

The morning was perfect until four heads caught your attention.

Morning ruined.

Your eyes narrowed, ears slightly poking upwards, when you took note of Lo’ak, Kiri, and Spider trying to chase away Tuk from their group. She tugged Kiri’s arm and said something that clearly made Lo’ak cease his attitude and bend to the young one’s wishes, expelling a few ‘ssshhhs’ at her while looking around the camp.

Your suspicions were reinforced when the four Na’vi exited the cave with a little too much bounce in their steps.

So naturally, you followed.

You weren’t going to let Lo’ak get in trouble again.

~

The woods were humming with life and buzzing all around you, like Eywa was breathing through every pink leaf and green blade of grass that brushed your ankle. The sunlight filtering through the canopy of jungle warmed the crown of your head as you steadied your bodyweight evenly from foot to foot, bouncing here and there over thick vines and rocks.

You were at peace here in the beautiful wilderness.

The crunch and muddy splash of your bare feet was light as to not reveal yourself to the Sully children who were blissfully unaware of you following behind them. You grinned when Tuk poked her tongue out at her older brother when he mocked her for what she had said about ‘telling mom’ earlier at camp.

So that’s what that was about.

They kept up a steady place towards unfamiliar territory from the war that you were pretty sure Jake had told them to stay clear of. Once they had gotten far enough, you brushed through the woods quickly in a different direction to get in front of them. You wanted to stop them from going further into an unknown region you yourself was uncomfortable with because this side of the forest was cursed in your eyes. It was where Jake had finished the last fight against the RDA.

Against the Colonel.

Your skin tingled at the thought of finding Quaritch’s corpse.

Then a puddle caught your attention in the corner of your golden eyes.

Looking closer, ears falling tightly against your head in fear, it was larger than your foot, and no toes were visible so it was a booted footprint but too large to be human.

Avatar?

But what would an Avatar be doing this far out from base or from the old Hell’s Gate lab where Spider grew up with the science guys.

Looking up, you had lost track of the kids.

Shit!

Quickly regaining yourself and using your hunter skills, you find Spider and the Sully’s foot patterns again and swiftly make your way through the wooden trails to find them.

Peering up, you saw that daylight was going to disappear in a few hours. Eclipse would come and Jake was going to kill Lo’ak.

Brushing past a large leaf, you find the Sully children looking over an old gunship hanging from vines and take a sigh of relief while thanking the Great Mother.

Stepping forward, poor Spider jumped making Tuk scream before calming, realizing it was you.

“(Y/N)!” Tuk ran up to your side and hugs your hip making you smile and pat her head gently.

Lo’ak jumped down from a large, fallen tree trunk and asked you how you found them.

“Yeah, we’re in the middle of nowhere,” Spider chimed in.

“Well, you’re not a good tracker if you hadn’t noticed me following you since base,” you say, folding your arms in disappointment at Lo’ak’s lack of awareness but also his lack of self-control for getting into trouble.

“We need to leave before eclipse,�� you note.

“But we want to find dead bodies,” Tuk replied with a little too much enthusiasm that made you chuckle.

“Just one more hour?” Spider asked politely, soft eyes through his exopack.

Your head tilted and you gave in with a loud breath. “Fine. But if you get in trouble, I’m not bailing you out.”

“If you allow us to go, you’re just as guilty,” Lo’ak teased walking away with a proud smile as he turned his weight to hop over a log.

“That’s why I’m coming with! To make sure you don’t get too carried away, skxawng,” you retorted effortlessly, arms swaying in front of your as you pick up a spot in front of the group near Lo’ak.

Then, just as quickly as the positive mood came, it died when another print in the mud captured Lo’ak and Spider’s attention.

“Could it be human?”

“Too big for a human,” you replied. “I saw another track earlier not far from here,” your braids fell over your shoulder when you crouched down in between the boys, “could be from the same group?”

Moving forward, the boys tracked the footprints while you hesitantly followed their curiosity, for you too were curious about who had left the tracks.

It wasn’t long before the trail led to an old avatar link unit in a small clearing.

A flicker of blue moving around near the unit had your blood sink from your face and into your stomach. These were possibly avatars and they were in camo with heavy protection in their hands.

You quietly swing your rifle to your front and hold it close as you squatted lower, watching the avatars attentively.

“You’re going to be grounded… for life,” Kiri said in a hushed voice behind you towards Lo’ak.

“Be quiet,” you hissed at the lot of them.

You look over to Lo’ak, “Call it in. Now.”

The youngest son reluctantly placed his fingers to his neck and informed his father of the strange soldiers in the woods. Jake told them to move out as quietly as they could and you followed suit.

“Protect my children,” Neytiri said through your earpiece you briefly borrow from Lo’ak.

A fire burned in you when she said that, hand gripping your rifle hard. You would get these kids out of here. For her. For Jake. These kids were yours now and you weren’t going to allow them to be harmed by those soldier aliens.

You placed a firm hand on Lo’ak’s shoulder and looked him directly in the eye, ears upright and eyes wide with all seriousness.

“Get yourselves out of here, I will make a distraction -- you hear me, boy?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, dipping his chin with a short nod.

With that, you stepped lightly and maneuvered quickly through the forest around the clearing and only stopped when you found yourself behind one of the soldiers a little bit away from the group who wasn’t watching his six enough. Slinging your rifle behind you, you pulled out your knife.

He moved forward into the clearing when a scream echoed through the trees beyond, sounding a lot like Tuk.

You gathered that these were RDA from the guy’s attire and type of weapon he carried. That made you pissed. At least he would be a worthy target when you slit his throat.

But that moment had to wait when your mind paused in shock as Spider and the Sully children were pushed into the clearing and forced onto their knees, queues roughly handled by the strange soldiers.

Great Mother, give me strength.

Then you heard a voice in your native English you didn’t think you’d hear until you died and went to hell.

“Look boss, five fingers. We have a half-breed,” Lyle sneered with a little cockiness as he held up Kiri’s hand.

The leader of the group was obscured by the brush and when you tried to see his face, he had already turned around to face Lo’ak.

“Do you speak English,” the soldier pinching the young Na’vi’s braid asked him.

“I don’t speak English… to assholes,” he spat making you so proud.

“Show me your fingers,” the leader roughly commanded.

Then Lo’ak picked up his hands, both fingers to your amusement giving the bird.

“Yeah, you’re his alright.”

While the enemy was distracted and with a rush of adrenaline, you pushed forward out of the shadows, grabbed the lone soldier’s braid in a tight grip making him growl in pain, and firmly pressed the edge of your knife to his bare throat, your hand around his queue yanking his neck backwards for better exposer. Your ears tipped backwards closely to your head, eyes wide, fangs bared with hate as you hissed towards the alien soldiers.

And in what felt like an eternity of silence from your native tongue, you spoke plainly.

“Release them, or I’ll slit his throat,” you seethed, blade catching your hostage’s neck and spilling a few dribbles of blood.

Then, when the leader of the group finally turned his weight around, shoulders squared, and faced you, you couldn’t hear Eywa’s breath through the trees anymore. Your lungs hitched in your throat, heart dropping a few beats slower making your head faint. Golden eyes bore into your form, mimicking the same shock and curiosity as you did.

“Miles?” you breathed, brow creased and ears flicking upright.

You couldn’t feel your grip loosen, nor the sound of the rush of twigs being broken behind you. Then your senses snapped back into place, but it was too late. Turning your head, you found the butt of a rifle colliding with your skull.

#miles quaritch x reader #miles quaritch x you #miles quaritch x fem reader #quaritch x reader #quaritch x you #quaritch x fem reader #miles quaritch #recom quaritch #avatar quaritch #na'vi quaritch #recom miles quaritch #avatar miles quaritch #na'vi miles quaritch #na'vi x reader #na'vi quaritch x reader #avatar quaritch x reader #recom quaritch x reader #avatar james cameron #avatar 2 #avatar the way of water #quaritch

[wishluc]

Hi there! Can I request a Yandere headcanons of Kafka and Himeko?

I don't do headcanons sorry!

Content Warnings: stalking, implied kidnapping & imprisonment

As you watch Himeko leave the ship, the sight of her captivating smile and the warm grasp of her hand around yours is burned into your memory, bright and blazing like her presence. Something inside you shrivels up as she walks away, yearning for her warmth again, and you can feel yourself visibly deflate once she's completely out of sight, the rhythmic clacking of her heels completely faded into the background. You close your eyes and try to recall the sensation of her lips against your skin, but your mind can't conjure the same feelings despite the image still evident. Even the stars around you seem to dim after her absence.

"Well, what's got you looking so down?"

Kafka walks out from behind you, her steps slow and purposeful as she regards you with an uncharacteristically stiff smile. Dread washes over you as you realize she must have seen the entire meeting, and you internally berate yourself for not noticing sooner.

"Nothing." "Mm, is that so? You're going to hurt my feelings, darling," she says, her voice devoid of any of her usual airiness, and her usual smile lacking its charming quirk, "not sure I quite like being second place. "

She cocks her head to the side, her eyes looking frighteningly dark despite the lights around her, "But I especially dislike being treated as a fool."

You flinch back, hands gripping the railing almost painfully tight now, "I wasn't— Himeko isn't—"

"Oh, so it's Himeko now?" She sighs, her tone dripping with faux sorrow—beneath it, you catch a tinge of something more bitter, more resentful, even— "My, and here I thought we had something special."

"We don't have anything," you correct her, "...were you watching the whole time?"

Her sharp smile is all the answer you need, "you're losing your touch, dearest, if you couldn't tell I was here. Or were you just looking for an excuse to give you more training?"

You roll your eyes in reply, but some part of you is unsettled by her confession. Even if you had been too distracted to realize, Himeko is far too clever and observant to let something like that slide. She should have noticed the additional presence immediately, but didn't.

Or maybe she wanted Kafka to stay.

The two of them, you were aware, weren't on the best terms. You had always chalked it up to their differences in ideology and reputation, but recently, you've started noticing that your presence seemed to fuel their antagonism in some way; feeding into the flames of their rivalry.

Himeko, like Kafka, was always planning ahead; planning her next destination, her next expedition. You had seen her in action yourself; standing behind her as she gazed on ahead, and later positioned beside her as she pointed out the station you were heading to, so you were certain there was rarely an occurrence she didn't account for.

"I really didn't know," you admit, soft enough so only she could hear, "otherwise, I wouldn't have..."

"You really need to stop with the excuses. It really isn't helping your case—especially since they're all lies," she puts put a finger to your lips, causing you to swallow your protests, "none of that, now."

"Honestly, I'm not that bothered by your silly games," she declares, filling you with uneasiness, "and lucky for you, I happen to like challenges."

It should be a good thing, that she's not too upset by your meeting with Himeko, but you know better than to take anything Kafka says too lightly.

"Kafka," you say, desperately trying to appease her, "you know I'm not leaving you. I can't, even if I wanted to."

It's the truth, for once—you could try to hop off the ship when Kafka was away, but she had long latched one of her colleagues onto you like some kind of terrifying guard dog, and you had no intention of testing just how dedicated he was to his post. Besides, even if you were to leave, you had no doubt that she'd find a way to track you down and drag you back.

At the very least, the statement earns genuine laughter from her.

A gloved hand rests on your back, and Kafka moves closer to you, "Terrible little thing you are, darling," you find some comfort in realizing that there's actual amusement hidden in her words, "I don't think you know how much you mean to me."

No, and you probably won't ever know, but your verbal assent isn't the response she anticipates, so you remain silent.

"Terrible," she mutters, her other hand cupping your cheek, "but all mine, aren't you?"

all works © wishluc. do not copy, steal or repost my works on other platforms. (including translations)

#yandere hsr x reader #yandere hsr #yandere honkai star rail #yandere kafka #yandere kafka x reader #hsr kafka #kafka x reader #yandere honkai #honkai star rail x reader #honkai star rail #kafka. 🌀 #honkai star rail. 🌀 #mail. 🌀 #yandere x reader #cw yandere #asa.writes 🌀 #drabble request v01. 🌀 #requested work. 🌀 #drabble. 🌀

[changeling-rin]

Broken Chain AU

Steam is dead.

Speck continues to reprise his role as the Only Link In Touch With His Emotions, and continues to drag the rest of the Chain down with him. Mourning ensues.

...and then the Spirit Train, apparently sentient and also apparently incredibly pissed off that someone killed its conductor, performs the railway equivalent of breaking and entering, followed by kidnapping, followed by attempted murder. The breaking and entering being barging straight into the Revenge Session, the kidnapping being scooping all seventeen remaining Links into the passenger car and blazing new rails into the distance before any of them can process what's happening, and the attempted murder being when the Spirit Train does its level best to repeatedly run over whichever villain killed Steam.

The attempted part is where the kidnapping comes in, because the Spirit Train eventually needs the rest of the Links - i.e. someone with thumbs - to actually Do The Revenge. Because Trains do not have a gentle touch, unfortunately.

#Changeling Answers #DL Questions #Dimensional Links #Broken Chain AU #Trigger Warning #A Link Is Dead #Steam #Spirit Train #the Spirit Train really kinda took over this post huh

[gh0stsp1d3r]

Ooo can I please request a brothers!Tangerine/Lemon x Little sister where it’s like home alone lol? They have to rush to a mission and leave their 8 year old sister Y/n at home (with a babysitter of course), however, the babysitter doesn’t do their job… Leaving Y/n in the mansion by herself. She does what any little kid left alone would do… Watch a lot of TV, okay a lot of video games, eat a lot of candy, jump on the beds, etc, until enemies of the Twins show up and break in and Y/n goes all “Home Alone” on them. The Twins rush back having gotten the alert that someone broke in (they’re rightfully panicked), and walk in guns blazing, only to see a very messing house filled with traps, the bad guys tied up, upside down, hanging off of the upstairs rail… And a very proud little sister happily kicking her feet and waving at them while she’s just innocently watching a kids show

Lol Lemon being like like, “Welp, she is our little sister”

Tangerine face palming but also feeling a sense of pride in his lil sis😂

Also the twins rushing to hug her because they were super worried

oh my god I LOVE THISS 😭

Home alone

“Alright, you got our number, jus’ call if you need anything.” Tangerine had said to the babysitter, she just nodded and continued to scroll on her phone.

“Thank you.” He said, before they both left the house.

“You sure ‘bout her?” Lemon asked.

“She’s the cheapest one I could find.”

“You’re so cheap. Look at where we live.”

“Babysitters a babysitter, mate.” Tangerine rolled his eyes. “She’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” He said, and they both got in the car.

The babysitter stayed for a little, before saying she was going to a party, and to tell your brothers that she was still there so she’d get paid.

You looked at her confused but agreed anyways, you were now home alone. You smirked when the door closed, and switched the channel. It was a horror movie, Texas chainsaw massacre.

You smiled as you realized you had hours home alone now. You could do anything.

You quickly raced to the kitchen, and jumped on top of the counter, and opened up a cabinet. A cabinet you weren’t usually allowed to open.

Lemon and Tangerine were auger addicts, and they always had to hide the candy from you (or you’d go crazy and eat it all like you are now)

You smirked and quickly got down a bunch of boxes, grabbing as much as you could and hopping down onto the floor again. You sat snack onto the couch, and ate almost all of it until you couldn’t eat anymore.

You switched the channel to another horror movie, saw this time.

You watched all the traps, and got bored after a while. So you went to one place you weren’t allowed.

The both of their bedrooms.

You made your way to Tangerines first, it was neat, and books were scattered around the room. Some plants and some flowers as well. Pictures of Tangerine, Lemon, and you all around as well. As well as an old painting.

You stood up, and started to jump up and down, laughing loudly as you did so, the bed getting messed up while you did so.

You then fell down, laughing wildly and grinning. That was about the most fun ever.

You cleaned up his room back to normal, then went to Lemons.

You’ve been in Lemons room tons of times, the both of you watching shows and TV.

It was messier, and it was more childish and fun. It had pictures of you, tangerine, and himself all around like Tangerines did. His bedsheets a bright blue. And small train figures scattered on his desk, along with some stickers of different things.

You smiled and did the same, smiling and laughing for a while before you heard a knock at the door. You furrowed your eyebrows and made your way back downstairs.

Your brothers couldn’t be home this early. No way!

“Who is it?” You said, in the best grown up deep voice you could muster.

“Its uh… your grandfather!” He made up a liez

“My grandpas dead.” You said back.

“It’s… your great grandfather.”

That’s a lie. You knew that.

So quickly, you ran down the basement, grabbing anything you could with a small smirk. A rope, some tape, and some other things. Your brothers had showed you what to do in case something like this happened.

You quickly set up the trap, the man outside fidgeting with the door knob. You placed the net hidden, and hid what activated it underneath some tape. It looked like a mess, but it would work hopefully.

The man grew agitated, and blew the door open with his shotgun.

Tangerine looked at his phone when he got the alert someone was at the front door, of course he had only seen the part where the man blew the door off.

He showed Lemon, and they both drove faster, breaking the speed limit a couple times while doing so.

The man was now in a net, it barely was hanging on, he fell down slightly every minute.

His gun had fallen, and you just stared at it, waiting on the stairs.

The twins had come in, both guns out. They looked around and noticed you on the stairs.

“Holy shit. Are you alright?” Tangerine said, going up to you while Lemon stared in amusement at the man captured in the net, hanging on by the stairs.

“I’m fine. He’s not.” You pointed to the man, who just growled.

“Is that who I think it is?” Lemon snickered, and went closer.

“Think it is, Lemon. What do ya say we kill him right now?”

“Nah, I say we torture him.” Lemon sniffled, and the man just thrashed in the net, making it fall from the rope. He fell onto the hard floor with a groan, and looked up to the three of you staring at him.

“Can’t believe you got beat by a child?” Tangerine teased, grabbing him out of the net, and pulling his wrists roughly.

“Now I want you to tell everyone, including the person who hired you, to never come here ever fuckin’ again. Don’t even lay your eyes on her ever again.” Tangerine said.

“Yeah, you’re lucky we don’t shoot ya fuckin’ eyes out right now.”

“Well then who’d give everyone our message?” Tangerine said, and shoved him outside, the man tripping and falling on the driveway while running.

“Nice job, y/n.” Lemon said, turning back to you and giving you a high five, making you beam.

#lemon and tangerine #lemon x sibling!reader #tangerine x sibling!reader #tangerine bullet train #lemon bullet train

[oldhagtournament]

Fresh from the Preliminaries to join Round 1...

Propaganda under the cut

Big Mom

She is one of the four pirate Emperors of the Sea. She has 86 kids who are her crew and officers. Her Devil Fruit allows her to bring objects to life called "Homies", and her main Homies are a stormcloud named Zeus, a fireball named Prometheus, and a hat that can transform into a sword called Napoleon. She is my favorite One Piece villain, she's so powerful, cool, evil, manipulative, clever, silly, and terrifying. She's also 28 feet tall.

1) was at the top of the Pirate food chain at 80. Reigned for a wild 4 decades 2) her intensity, ambition, and mercenary nature remained brightly blazing in her old age 3) batshit parenting ethic. Off the rails territorial policy

Dr. Kureha

She's old. She's a hag. She keeps trying to tell people the secret of her "youth". She's also a doctor who scams people. She heals them but she makes them pay way to much. She has a sort of adopted son that is a reeinder. He's a most wanted pirate and she owbs and wears a crop top with his face and bounty on it. She wears this at an official government meeting. She gives no fucks.

She's old enough to remember the treatment for diseases that were thought wiped out 100 years ago She can tell if your bones are infected with bacteria just by lightly pressing on your leg, and she can cure broken backs in only a week or so. She can also kick through brick walls if her patients run away. She mentored/raised Chopper, one of the greatest doctors in the world.

Old lady who dresses like she's heading to a rave and throws knives at people. She's wonderful.

she's a radical old lady who can and will kick your ass. she's a mean old doctor who will demand all the toilet paper and plum wine in your house as payment for treating you. she has a belly button ring & wears clothes that show it off despite the fact that the country she lives in is a perma-winter island

she's a radical old lady who can and will kick your ass. she's a mean old doctor who will demand all the toilet paper and plum wine in your house as payment for treating you. she has a belly button ring & wears clothes that show it off despite the fact that the country she lives in is a perma-winter island.

Pretty much like if you took a magical hag only instead of cursing people and abducting children, she was a trained medical professional.

Punk granny

#big mom #dr kureha #kureha #one piece #old hag tournament 2024 #round 1

[thedawningofthehour]

I just had a morbid thought. But, what if Galois die? Either by an anti-mutant Yokai group, in a kidnapping attempt by the mercenaries or by members of the resistance? How would the characters react?

Well, that would be an incredibly unfulfilling end to the story, for one. And don't get me wrong, character deaths that are by design unsatisfying absolutely have their place, (Finnick's death in Mockingjay comes to mind) but I feel like it would be more frustrating here than make a point.

Honestly, I could see it going either way for Draxum. He could either give up right then and there and die with him, or he could go total Rhaenyra after Luke's death. Total liquidation on his enemies, and no mercy for his allies who object. Once that was over, though, he wouldn't really have any direction and would eventually end up destroying himself. He means it when he says he can't lose Galois. He could handle losing anyone else, everyone else. Even Cass, he'd totally go Angry Murder Dad for her as well, but it wouldn't destroy him like losing Galois would. (it might have been different if he was lying to himself about Cass's origins as well, but he still lies to himself and says she isn't his daughter)

If Cass is still alive and Galois is dead, then the world would end. Instantaneously. She'd explode like the birth of a star.

It would also kill Splinter. Not right away, he'd live long enough to get revenge on Draxum and everyone who contributed to his son's death, but he'd end himself not long after. He wasn't lying when he said he couldn't lose another kid. That also applies to losing the same kid twice. Losing Donnie the first time almost killed him as it was.

(Leo ramble under the cut because I went way off the rails-but fuck it I wrote the end scene of the next chapter in one sitting today I am allowed to go a little insane)

I'm hesitant to go all 'two halves of the same whole, twins can't live without each other' because we literally have proof that Leo can live without Donnie. We don't know how long Donnie's been dead by the point the movie starts-Leo having his bandana wrapped around his sword implies that it wasn't very recent, while Casey's familiarity with Donnie and the fact that his gear is certified GeniusBuilt shows that his death must have happened when Casey was old enough to remember him, or even after Casey started training and Donnie built weapons to suit his fighting style. So Leo's probably been without Donnie for at least a couple of years at that point. And he is still kicking ass and serving cunt, in his very homosexual way-though he does kind of have a whole-ass kid to raise and the resistance to live for, which he doesn't have in doth. And even in the movie, Future Leo throws himself into a Krang incineration beam rather than return to the past with Casey and live without the family he's lost. And there's the whole deal with Leo sacrificing himself so there's no chance whatsoever of living to see his brothers die.

I just don't see Leo being able to move on from something like that. Knowing his brother died pointlessly, maybe even painfully, never remembering who he was. There would be no closure, no point to start moving on. I talked about this with another fic author, the whole thing about fulfilling vs. unfulfilling deaths in media, and I think Future Donnie's death is as good as any to talk about that.

Like, let's talk about Replica's Donnie. He died epicly. In the midst of battle, sacrificing himself to plant a spy probe, and even got in some snappy comments to Prime (and maybe killing him too? I'd have to reread) before ending his own life. From his family's perspective, yes, it felt pointless and awful and they would much rather Donnie back than whatever bullshit he sacrificed himself for. And it's tragic for the audience, but it still feels satisfying. Donnie went out on his own terms, for a cause, in a literal blaze of glory. We see his family mourn, but we also see Leo receive some measure of closure from Omega telling him how proud Donnie always was of him. And crying right after-but as he tells Casey a frame later, he felt just a little better.

Or a more subtle example in Cass's series. Donnie's (temporary) death is none of that. He dies weakened to the point where he can't even stand up on his own, he dies quietly and he dies slowly. It was heartbreaking-like, bitch, I cried, but I don't think a single person would call it unsatisfying. Even with his quiet, demure death, so undeserving of him and his awesomeness, there was still a sense of satisfaction in the fact that he was such a threat that the Krang had to resort to such tactics to kill him. (and that he stuck it to them one final time, outliving their expectations and coming back to fuck them up when they thought they were safe, he had to be dead) And in the end, he's accepted his death, he tied up all his loose ends and feels ready to go. He dies peacefully, spending his final moments feeling his brothers' love for him. His brothers get to hold him and say goodbye. Yes, they're in mourning, but they show hints of healing and moving on-until Mikey finds out that Donnie's spirit isn't with their ancestors. That pulls the wound right back open, and Leo doesn't really seem to move on from there.

Having Donnie die as Galois I think would be a lot like that for Leo. Raph, Mikey, and even April would find ways to move on-after getting their revenge, of course, but they would use Donnie's memory to drive them forward. "Plant this tree because Donnie would have liked that." "Buy only produce from sustainable farming practices for my restaurant because Donnie would have approved." "Get that degree because Donnie would have kicked my ass if I didn't."

I don't think Leo would be able to do that. I think he'd feel very lost, with a lot of rage and sorrow and no real direction for any of it, no drive to find an outlet and get his life back on track. Maybe he wouldn't outright shoot himself, but he'd stop caring about keeping himself alive.

#like i said i wrote a very intense scene in one sitting today #i always go a little nuts when i do that #doth asks #tw suicide #fuck i didn't add a trigger warning for the last ask i mentioned it in did i #i'm sorry i am so bad at tagging shit #a lot of stuff kind of falls under the umbrella of 'if you're reading this fic you already know what you've signed up for' #but i feel like suicide talk deserves an extra warning just in case

[mrhyde-mrseek]

SCIENCE MOST SINISTER: VOLUME II - PART SEVEN

(God, I am so sorry for the hiatus, life happens and people get busy, y’know? But WE’RE BACK BABY WOOHOO!)

(CW: Some body horror.)

The train whistle screeched, making Griffin jump a mile into the air.

Charing Cross Station was overly crowded with travelers and commuters, all shouting at once and bumping off each other like the world’s most chaotic game of marbles. Griffin was already tense at the thought of returning to Port Burdock, and the added worry of being slammed into and discovered did nothing to relieve his stress.

Fortunately, they all made it to their two train compartments—his consisted of Gwen, Victor, Utterson, Watson, and Edmund—safely. Griffin only released his breath when the whistle blew again, and the wheels began turning.

Next to him, Victor had crossed one leg over the other and was shaking it so hard he could feel it through the seat. “Stop that,” he snapped, “or I will hit you.”

Victor planted both feet on the floor. “I can’t help it!” he protested. “Hardly any of us have left the house in a year. Am I to be blamed for being at least a little anxious?”

Utterson glanced in their direction. Griffin shrank back and fell silent. He’d hardly known the man for a full twenty-four hours, yet his stoic manner and lack of emotion in his voice or expressions made Griffin uneasy. It was obvious why Jekyll had praised his skill as a lawyer so highly; Griffin almost suspected he was gifted with some sort of mystical, truth-seeking ability.

He turned to lean against the window. The morning was a blur rushing past, city scenery slowly melting into countryside as the train chugged along, the wheels clanking rhythmically on the iron rails. The steady motion was calming. He yawned—none of them had slept much that night—and soon felt himself drifting off.

•••

Griffin threw his head back as a deranged laugh tore itself from his throat. He loomed over Kemp, practically towered over the skittish scientist. Ignoring his bullet wounds, still fresh from the day before, he leapt across the room, throwing dining chairs aside as though they weighed nothing.

The pounding on the door grew louder. Those damn officers would punch a hole through it at this rate. He ignored it. Let them knock. Someone would find Kemp’s body at some point, anyway. It would save the staff the trouble of running to fetch the authorities. Shoving Kemp against the wall, he wrapped his hands around his throat and began to squeeze. Fire blazed through his veins, white-hot and angry. He grinned, baring his teeth.

He was so consumed by his own vengeful glee that he didn’t notice that Kemp had grabbed him by the wrists until, in a feat of strength that caught him completely off guard, the scientist had slammed his foot into his stomach and shoved him backwards.

The floor slipped out from Griffin. Instead of landing on hard wood, he kept falling, down and down and down into a pitch black pit. Kemp’s dining room faded to a pinprick of light, and soon even that was swallowed up by the blackness.

A hissing started. At first he thought it was the wind, but listening closer he realized it sounded suspiciously like incoherent whispers. Fighting against gravity, he struggled to peer around through the shadows. “Show yourself!” he demanded.

“As you wish.” Griffin’s heart stopped when he heard the answering voice. No. No, no, no, no. Not that thing. Anything else but it.

With a crack, his head snapped back, bent far enough so his hair practically brushed his spine. Something was crawling around in his brain—spiders, rats, a colony of rats, scratching at his conscience with their little claws, hollowing out a hole for a nest. He couldn’t move, couldn’t scream, couldn’t even panic properly, because that goddamn demon was back and it was in his head again and this time it was going to kill him and he couldn’t fucking do anything to stop it—

Then he jolted straight upright with a cry, the side of his head smacking the train window hard enough for his eyes to open.

He muttered curses under his breath, rubbing his forehead, and glanced around the compartment. Victor, Gwen, Watson, Edmund, and Utterson were all staring at him with a mixture of shock and concern. “What?” he snapped.

“Were you having a nightmare?” Gwen asked. “You were mumbling to yourself.”

“And twitching in your sleep,” Victor added.

He scowled. “It hardly matters.” Changing the subject, he asked, “How close are we to Port Burdock?”

Edmund pointed out the window. “See for yourself.”

A line of rickety docks bordered the muddy blue sea. Clouds were gathering overhead, dark enough to warn against oncoming snow but pale enough to not be much of a concern. If he squinted, Griffin could see the town a few miles off in the distance, small and insignificant compared to the ice-covered fields that stretched beyond.

Watson reached over Victor and tapped his shoulder. “We should be reaching the station shortly,” he said. “I know that Sherlock will want to begin the investigation practically the moment the train comes to a stop.”

Griffin nodded, and turned back to gaze out the window at the swiftly encroaching town he thought he would never step foot in again.

#science most sinister #gothic literature #classic literature #classic lit #gothic lit #the invisible man #griffin the invisible man #dr jekyll and mr hyde #dr jekyll #mr hyde #the strange case of dr jekyll and mr hyde #sherlock holmes #acd sherlock holmes #acd watson #dr watson #mycroft holmes #the time machine #the time traveller #frankenstein or the modern prometheus #frankenstein #victor frankenstein #guinevere crowley #gwen crowley #edmund seawright #gabriel utterson #gabriel john utterson #mr poole #alfred poole #arthur kemp #dr kemp

[romerona]

The Worm

Surviving the game and losing yourself in the way.

"Don't go underestimating the power of a small force, it may be the only thing that can slip through the cracks."

ROSEMARY BLACK X OC!SNOWMALE.

ROSEMARY BLACK X PRIMROSE EVERDEEN.

"Rosemary Black, district 10, the youngest ever victor in the Hunger Games. Don't let her age fool you, she a force to be reckoned with, known for her cunning wit and speed she managed to-"

"I remember her… I found it hard to believe it then and still find it hard to believe it now."

"Well, then you know that with the right motivation, she's unstoppable."

Rosemary Black × OC!SnowMale? // Primrose Everdeen?

A/N: There would be a few inaccuracies but please, remember this is a fanfic. I'm unsure If I will match Rose with anyone yet but I'll think about it as the story goes.

Masterlist.

Next

[THE SCORE]

Rose was scolded by practically everyone in her ‘team’ for getting into the bad side of the careers in her very first day. From Allen, who she was sure had almost giving up on her, to freaking Lennox, who decided she had condemned Eugene (which to be fair she kind of did) to a horrible death. Before she could even explain herself she was STRONGLY advised to steer clear of careers for the remaining of the training days.

Rose was already planning on doing that, the second Blaze Rafferty dangle her from her shirt, Rose knew she had to stay as far away from him as she possibly could.

That would prove to be a challenge, however, for the next day, while trying her best to stay away and picking up a few skills like archery ( to which she’s more than pleased to know she’s decent at it) or spears (too heavy for her to hurt someone let alone kill) she could feel the heated gaze of the careers, it was burning her back and settling a deep hole in her bowls.

They made her beyond nervous.

But it wasn't until lunch when Rose heard Blaze and Xury speak with District 4 tributes, which after 1 and 2 were the biggest threat for the other 18 tributes, that if either Blaze or Xury didn’t kill the worm, (as they had nicknamed her) in the bloodbath, the first one to do so will be able to join their alliance. That made Rose feel terrified.

They were loud enough for every other tribute to hear, of course, Rose knows it was on purpose. It was an open invitation, a challenge, yet another game, for the others to join.

After that, she was in autopilot after that and refused to looked at anyone she simple and almost in daze continued her archery practice while Blaze’s words repeated in her mind over and over that not even Eugene, who tried his best to keep her mind of off it, could make her heart to stop terrorizing the inside of her chest.

That night Rose escaped to the rooftop of the building, because where else could she go? She felt suffocated in her disgustingly luxurious room.

Leaning against the railing, ignoring the view of the capitol and the chilling breeze that came form within the mountains, Rose took a shaky breath, then another and another but no matter how much she breathed nothing seemed to be making it to her lungs.

It seems that whatever courage she had excited her body.

‘I won’t accept the fate they all believe I’ll have’

‘but I refuse to leave the Games in whatever form that is without trying my best.’

‘I promise I’ll make it.’

It was all a load of bullshit, wasn’t it? She’ll never make it. Allen was right she’s going to die in the arena, and she’ll never get any sponsors or make people like her, she a lost case they all know that, and until now she refused to believe it because she’s so optimistically blind, she stubborn and so fucking stupid.

What was she thinking when she convinced Allen that she could handle this? She can’t, he was right and now she has the burden to live up to her stupid stupid deal.

So fucking stupid.

Her brother, her father, her grandfather… she can only hope they forgive her for not making it back to them, for not keeping her promise. She hopes they live a happy life, she hopes that Finn finds someone who will make him happy, she hopes her father doesn’t beat himself up, and she hopes her grandfather lives the rest of his life healthy. And her friends, Harper and Chet, she hope they end up marrying each other and living a happy life or as happy as this life can offer.

Rose will miss dancing in Buckaroo's Bar, she will miss singing with her father, she’ll miss the heat of the day, she’ll miss the sun, she’ll miss the stream near her house, she’ll miss… Rod.

‘I promise I’ll make it.’

It was all a load of bullshit, wasn’t it? She’ll never make it. Allen was right she’s going to die in the arena, she’ll never get any sponsors or make people like her, she a lost case they all know that, and until now she refused to believed it because she’s so optimistically blind, she stubborn and so fucking stupid.

What was she thinking when she convinced Allen that she could handle this? She can’t, he was right and now she has the burden to live up to her stupid stupid deal.

So fucking stupid.

Her brother, her father, her grandfather… she can only hope they forgive her for not making it back to them, for not keeping her promise. She hopes they live a happy life, she hopes that Finn finds someone that will make him happy, she hopes her father don’t beat himself up, she hopes her grandfather lives the rest of his life healthy. And her friends, Harper and Chet, she hopes they end up marrying each other and live a happy life or as happy as this life is able to offer.

Rose will miss dancing in Buckaroo's Bar, she will miss singing with her father, she’ll miss the heat of the day, she’ll miss the sun, she’ll miss the stream near her house, she’ll miss… Rod.

Suddenly, Rose felt something nudge her foot forcing her to look up at the perpetrator, it was a woman, she’d seen before, the spiky brown hair and wide-set brown eyes was too familiar. “Get up, kid.”

The woman said, nudging her again with her heel. Was she a tribute? No, she couldn’t be, not dressed like that, surely. Not with the bottle of a crimson liquid in her hand. Not with the bored eyes she stared at Rose with. And she hasn't seen the woman at the training center either.

“Why?” Rose mumbled, only realizing that she had somehow ended up on the floor and hugging her knees for dear life.

“Because it’s pathetic.” The girl took a swing out of her bottle turning to look at the view. “And the only place I can relax in this goddamned place is here and you’re ruining it, so up.”

Rose couldn’t but scowl at the woman, “Who are you and why should I care about you want?”

That made the girl turn to her. She leans down a little to stare down at Rose. “I think the question is why are you here crying like a baby for?”

“What do you mean—“

“Wake up, kid.” The girl snaps at her, “Tears are not going to help with anything. Stop whining, will you?”

"Go fuck yourself," Rose swiftly wipes away her tears, glaring up at the girl.

The mysterious woman raised an eyebrow at Rose's sudden defiance.

"Well, look at that. A backbone," she remarked, taking another casual sip from her bottle. "But let me tell you something, kid. Nobody cares. In here, it's every person for themselves. You cry, you die. Simple as that."

A wave of bitterness washed over Rose as she processed the harsh reality laid out before her. She hesitated for a moment, then defiantly retorted, "If it's every person for themselves, why bother helping me up?"

The woman's eyes flickered with a mix of annoyance and amusement. "I didn't say I'm helping you. I said you're ruining my spot. There's a difference."

"Whatever," Rolling her eyes, Rose braced herself as she stood up. "Even if I stop crying I'm dead anyway, why does it matter?"

"Don't tap out so quickly, kid. Your chances might be better than you think inside the arena,"

"Right, because kids my age usually make it out," Rose scoffs a bitter laugh.

"Well, that is true," The woman shrugs and moves to lean against the railing looking down at the street, "But at least most of them go down fighting and not whining,"

"They probably did," Rose mumbled under her breath, crossing her arms as she felt the cold of the mountains.

"Whatever kid, if you want to go and die in the arena be my guess, I don't give a shit," The woman took another sign of her bottle before muttering, "And If I'm honest, I think death is better than this shit,"

Rose frowns, hugging herself tighter, she regards the back of the woman's head, she is so familiar but Rosemary can't pinpoint from where.

"What do you mean?"

The girl glances back at her, and she sighs looking back at the view, "Nothing. Just leave already if you're going to keep whining."

Rose stood there for a moment looking at the view of the Capitol skyscrapers. The air was cold but fresh, far too different from the dry wind of her district. Her district. They will see her in a few days fighting in the arena, they are counting on her, on Eugene. Eugene, her partner, he has been so supportive these past few days, he's been training, fighting against the odds to help them when they were in the arena... and what is she doing? crying. The girl is right, that's pathetic. Imagine how disappointed would be her family if she went down without a fight.

Rose can't disappoint them like that neither can she disappoint Eugene, he has been giving his all so she should too if not for her at least for him, for her district, and for her family.

"Thank you," Rose mumbles lowly, just enough for the girl to hear. She isn't all aware of why she's thanking her but it feels right.

Without waiting for her response (which Rose thinks won't come anyway) she made her way back inside with a newfound determination.

No more crying, no more whining, no more feeling bad for herself. The future ain't written in stone.

The next day rolled around, the last day of group training. Rose decided that she would try hand-to-hand combat, after all, her skill with knives works better when close to the victim.

Rose stood in the training center, surrounded by the faint hum of activity as tributes prepared for the imminent Games.

The trainer demonstrated a few basic moves, showing her how to break free from a rear chokehold. He emphasized the importance of swift reactions and using her body's natural leverage.

"Remember, it's about using their momentum against them," the trainer explained. "Now, you give it a try."

Rose squared her shoulders, mentally preparing herself. The trainer approached from behind, mimicking a potential threat. In a split second, Rose executed the techniques she had just learned, twisting her body and breaking free from the hold.

"You're a fast learner, good," the trainer praised.

Rose grins at him, "Yeah, well, when your life's at stake, you tend to become one,"

The trainer huffs a laugh, "Okay, now, let's say someone comes at you with a frontal grab. You want to create distance and be ready to react. Keep your hands up, elbows close to your body, and stay light on your feet."

They continued the session, with the trainer guiding Rose through various scenarios. In the short hours, she learned to deflect grabs, escape from holds, and use her body to create openings to attack.

Each move is a step closer to survival.

As the sessions continued, there were times when Rose failed to execute a manoeuvre or became momentarily disoriented, but she refused to let the setbacks define her.

The trainer observed her progress and noted, "You won't get it right every time, Rose. What matters is your ability to get back up and keep going. Adaptability is the key to survival."

During surprise attack simulations, there were instances where Rose found herself momentarily overwhelmed. Yet, no matter how many times she hit the mat, she rose again, determination burning in her eyes.

With each fall, Rose learned. She absorbed the lessons of her mistakes, and despite the setbacks, Rosemary persevered.

Soon after lunch, they were calling the districts, one by one in order. District 1 is first the dumbass of Blaze and then Xury. Then goes District 2, Devon and then Aria and then 3 then 4 and so on until it was their turn.

"Eugene Dion," the voice called making Rose nervous fidgeting to stop. She felt Eugene squeeze her interlaced hand.

"Good luck, make them remember you" Rose mumbled squeezing back.

Eugene nods, and he sends her a smile. It was as if she was nervous for both of them. "Right back at you, Rosie,"

With that, they let go of each other and Rose watched him walk through the doors. Her nervous fidgeting came back as she waited for her name to be called; she tapped her feet, crossed and uncrossed her legs, drummed her fingers, and played with her hair that somehow Pearl had managed to put in a bun.

Another minute ticks by and she looks at the back door thinking of Eugene. Rose has no idea what his skill is, all she knows is that he is good at milking cows which means he has a good grip right? He might been able to learn something like climbing or something, hell, maybe he even learned how to use an axe or--

"Rosemary Black,"

Her heart did a summersault. Rose took a deep, shaky breath before standing up and with all the confidence she managed to gather, Rose walked through the doors.

The Gamemakers, all sat on their platform, some talking amongst each other, others drinking wine, others eating and very few looking at her, paying attention.

Shit. Okay. Okay, It's cool.

The cold metal of the training weapons gleamed under the artificial lights. Determination etched across her face, Rose decided to focus on close combat. She approached the weapons rack and selected a set of knives. The weight felt familiar in her hands, a comfort amid the impending chaos.

Summoning her courage, Rose decided to address the indifferent Gamemakers. "Hey, ya'll!" she called out, her voice carrying a playful twang that turned a few heads. Rose flashed a radiant smile, acknowledging those who bothered to look her way.

"I reckon I'm interrupting some important business here, but I promise it's worth the while," she continued her facade, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

A few Gamemakers exchanged glances, curiosity piqued by Rose's unexpected interruption. She seized the moment, more confident in her ability to make an impression even if it was just shit-talking her way out or rather up the ranks.

With a sly grin, Rose twirled her knife with flair. "Now, I know you've seen tributes before, but trust me, you haven't seen one like me." She struck a pose, emphasizing her point with a touch of sass.

With knives in hand, Rose moved to a designated training area, an open space where combat simulations could be enacted. She eyed the target dummies lined up, their fabric surfaces waiting to be pierced by her blades.

As she moved into her lively demonstration, Rosemary infused it with a comical touch. The rhythmic sounds of the knife striking the training dummies were accompanied by a playful commentary.

"I call this move the 'Dodgin' Districts.' It's a real crowd-pleaser."

The Gamemakers, initially surprised, found themselves chuckling and exchanging amused glances. Rose's charismatic, talking her way up, approach is working.

She continued her demonstration, her strikes were deliberate, aimed at vital points while mixing dance-like footwork with quick jabs at the training dummies.

Rose finally stopped, catching her breath, and gave a mock bow. "Well, what do ya think, folks? Ain't that a sight for sore eyes?"

With a final wink, Rose exited the stage she had created, leaving the Gamemakers amused and hopefully thoroughly charmed. Rose had successfully showcased her close combat skills with a knife while infusing the moment with her 'charm' good or bad as it may be, Rose was sure she would be memorable.

-----

"How did it go?" asks Caine the second she steps into the District 10 suit.

Rosemary glances at the familiar and expecting faces of Allen and Eugene before looking back at Caine. "I.. think it was okay,"

"Okay?Okay?" Caine huffs, "Just an okay?"

"We want to know what you did, kid," Allen spoke from his place on the sofa.

Rose moves to the sitting room, "I don't know I showed them that I can use a knife and sort of talk to them through it,"

"Talk them through it?" Caine asks slightly scandalize.

"I made them give me their attention," Rose turns to Allen who was regarded with curiosity, " A character, right? Charming them up and whatnot,"

"That only works with the audience, kid,"

"Maybe it'll work with them too," Rose looks at Eugene while sliding down next to him."What about you?"

"I didn't have much to show them but I climbed and built some shelters," Eugene shrugs looking away, he purses his lips "I don't think I'll get a good score, I mean they didn't even look at me,"

"I'm sure it'll be okay, Gene," Rose tells him, with a reassuring smile.

Allen spoke again, "Sometimes it's better to get a low score. Keeps the targets off your back, y'know."

Pearl and Lennox arrived just before dinner, both stylists asking the same questions about their private session. This time around Rose decided to keep the details to herself.

After dinner, Pearl sat beside her on the sofa as the team waited for Ceasar to announce the scores on her other side was Eugene. The team was chatting among themselves waiting for the show to start, meanwhile Rose was drumming her fingers nervously on her tight.

She hears the music of the intro of the show and everyone quiets down, compulsively she reaches for Eugene's hand, and she feels him squeeze it but at the moment she is more focused on the television.

They showed a picture of Blaze Rafferty on the screen and below it, his score, which of course, was a 10 because her life couldn't be easy. the same with the rest of the Districts. The careers got the usual high score, the lowest being the boy from 4 with an eight. Then the rest of the tribute's scores were average.

And after some minutes it came theirs.

Rose's stomach churned as the television focused on Eugene's image. She felt the squeeze of his hand, a shared moment of solidarity. A five appeared beneath his picture, and a murmur of encouragement spread through the room.

"That's an okay score," Caine offered reassuringly. "It's the half of the punctuation, not so bad."

Eugene nodded but remained quiet, disappointment lingering in his eyes. Rose shot him an encouraging smile, silently communicating that they could overcome this together. The arena was where they'd truly prove themselves.

Then, it was her turn. The camera shifted to Rose's image, and she held her breath, bracing for impact. To her surprise, a seven flashed beneath her picture. A wave of relief swept over her, and a triumphant smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

The tension in the room gradually lifted as Rose's seven was announced. The weight on her shoulders seemed to ease, and she allowed herself a moment to bask in the relief. Glancing at Eugene, she saw a subtle smile breaking through his disappointment. It was a moment of shared triumph amidst the pressure of the Capitol's judgment.

Caine, the team mentor, grinned approvingly. "A seven! That's a solid score, Rose."

Allen, ever the pragmatic strategist, nodded in agreement. "He's right. We can work with that."

The team, though not entirely satisfied, began to see the silver lining. The scores were decent, and the anticipation of the upcoming challenges fueled their determination.

As the broadcast continued, showcasing the tributes from other districts, the atmosphere in the room shifted. The initial disappointment transformed into a quiet resolve.

Rose squeezed Eugene's hand again, this time with a hint of pride. "We got this, Gene," she whispered.

The redhead took a breath turned to face Rose and nods, "We do,"

The room buzzed with subdued conversations and strategy discussions for the upcoming interview with Caesar Flickerman. This would be their very last chance to secure sponsors and stand out in the eyes of the Capitol audience.

#fanfiction #the hunger games x reader #the hunger games x you #the hunger games x y/n #the hunger games fanfiction #the hunger games fic #the hunger games fanfic #hunger games x reader #hunger games fanfiction #finnick odair x y/n #peeta mellark x y/n #primrose everdeen #president snow #katniss everdeen #peeta mellark #catching fire #district 10 #finnick odair #haymitch abernathy #tigris #snowmale #oc tag #fanfic #the hunger games x oc #thg oc #the hunger games original character #the hunger games oc

[holly-fixation]

Three... Guards? Ch12

Summary: Tifa finds Cloud at the train station in Sector Seven. It’s the first time she’s seen him in seven years. But he’s not alone. Three silver haired boys protected him. Three silver haired boys that triggered memories of her hometown. Of steel through her chest. Of SOLDIER First Class. Of Him.

This time, her world is not the one burning.

Please Enjoy!

Inspired by the prompt by @im-totally-not-an-alien

Chapter 12: Rejection

“Cloud. I’m confused. Where is the rest of your group? Are you alright? You’re certainly different than before,” The white haired boy in a lab coat questioned immediately upon seeing Strife and Genesis. 

“Who is this odd child?” the redhead spoke first. 

Strife ignored the comment, not like he knew the answer anyway. “Where-?”

“Wait a moment,” the boy cut him off while holding the side of his monocle, projections glowing within the small glass, “according to the cameras, you’re still in the lab with your group. How is this possible?”

“Long story. How did they get into the labs?”

“Two of the triplets showed themselves on the lab camera. As potential specimens, they were allowed entry.”

“Am I a potential specimen?” Genesis questioned. 

Cladley scanned the redhead over. “I apologize. Hojo shows no interest in your SOLDIER type.”

Strife sighed, slowly pulling up his sleeve. Black blemishes oozed on the skin of his arm. “What about me?”

Chadley stared intently at the bruises, his glasses whirring with digital analysis. “I must say this is incredibly interesting. Hold on. Scanning Professor Hojo's potential specimens criteria. Scanning complete. New protocol authorized. I must take samples to the lab right away.”

“Can you keep the door open behind you?”

* * *

The fuming screech ricocheted through the chamber. The smell of burning flesh hit like a wall. The pain reverberating from the boys nearly touched the air itself. The headless body blazed. Every sinew crumbled to ash, and strands of black lifestream weaved their sluggish descent to The Planet like a poisoned waterfall. The flames crackled behind the same silhouette of the Silver Soldier in silent rage, just as they did in Cloud and Tifa’s hometown.

He launched up the bridge without warning, Cloud clashing his attack with the Buster Sword in the nick of time.

“How dare you.” For once, He wasn’t looking at the blond, the playful smirk sheared from his lips to a barely perceptible snarl. Inhuman eyes stared daggers straight at the boy brazen enough to reject every internal instinct imaginable.

Loz and Yazoo couldn’t pull their eyes away from the fire, weaseling out of Aerith and Tifa’s grips. They casted every spell they knew to snuff out the flames and even ran past Him to save Her. They wanted to- needed to help Mother, but it was far too late as the remainder of Her soul left Her body. The long haired one turned back to the real threat and barely had time to protect his brother. 

The demon before them gathered wind in His right hand and knocked the boys over the edge, both of them dangling from the railing. “Out of my way.” 

Cloud, somehow, pushed the silver soldier back, the man barely staying on His feet with Masamune in hand. 

He was weak.

Mako blue eyes twitched, a single and glance step taken closer to the creature once called Mother. He glanced up, as if someone above shouted his name. Then the man grew a cheshire grin. “The Reunion… It’s not over. It cannot be stopped.” His dark chuckle lofted through the massive chamber until the last of the Lifestream dripped from the ashes. 

A swirl of black smoke consumed Him, and when it dissipated, a man in a tattered black cloak fell to the ground with a groan, a tattooed 49 his shoulder visible through a hole in the rags.

Cloud ignored the body as he ran to the boys and helped them off the ledge. “Are you guys okay?”

They didn't answer him. They just ran to Jenova's body. Or realistically, Her ashes. They reached through the powder, Loz sobbing as Yazoo allowed silent tears flow down his cheeks. They searched and searched, but not a single cell of Mother's remained, the crumbling dust already dead in their hands. 

Loz suddenly stood and in a blur of blue appeared in front of the youngest brother and decked him. 

Kadaj fell to the ground, not lifting a single hand to fight back. He only curled up on the ground like a helpless turtle as the eldest continued the assault. 

“What did you do!?” The strongest kicked him, launching him into the one armed father’s legs that stood like a wall. No one ever heard him angry before. 

“Hey hey! Cut it out!” Barret shouted, aiming his weapon. Red leaped in front and guarded the downed child.

Tifa suddenly pulled the largest into her hold.

“Why!? Why did you hurt Mother!? Why is she dead!? Why why WHY!?” 

“Loz, stop it!” Tifa yelled right in his ear, and the wince forced him back to reality, a whale leaving his lips.

“She doesn't want us here…” the youngest whispered, but they all heard it, a drop of blood rolling down his mouth. 

“...What do we do now…?” Yazoo asked softly, his knees still in the ashes, the tips of his hair brushing into the remains as he held Her nameplate to his chest. Aerith came up behind him and rubbed his back soothingly. 

“Tifa! Barret!” The sudden call gained nearly everyone's attention. It was Strife, the Cloud from the future, followed by a man in red none of them recognized. 

“Good to see you made it, blondie!” Barret called back.

“What the hell happened?!” 

“We’ll explain in a second! Can you give Tifa a hand?” Aerith requested in the kindest tone she could manage. 

Strife nearly groaned before launching over the beast and one armed father to take Loz from the martial artist. “Calm down.”

“Go to hell!”

The wolf readjusted his grip, locking the boy in place and growling directly in his ear. “Calm. Down.”

Even through grief, the threat was not lost on him. He grabbed at his own face, his body shaking as he forced himself to stay back but couldn’t hide his shouts. Strife glanced at everyone in silent question but the three boys consumed all attention. 

Cloud was already at Kadaj’s side, placing a hand on his shoulder and trying to encourage him to stand.

“Just let us die…” came the youngest’s voice.

“After all the trouble we just went through to save your little ass? I don’t think so!” Barret stated.

“The Planet sent you back with a purpose,” Red reminded. “Don’t squander it yet-”

“What purpose…?! To kill Mother…?! To know she rejected us because we failed and never let us forget…?! Because of what He did…?! Because He made us, knowing we were never worthy and knowing we never will be!?” Kadaj screamed through angry tears, staring past Red directly at their real Big Brother, seeing the silent question clear as day. “Mother’s dead! I killed Her! We serve no purpose now! You won! Your kind won! Just take your stupid friends and leave us to die…”

“There has to be another way!” Loz denied.

“That’s not true and you know it…” Yazoo stood, tightening his grip on the helmet. “Our only existence is to wait for death now…”

“Spending your time waiting for the inevitable is a waste to all no matter the age,” The redhead interjected, his expression hard as stone. “A life’s purpose can be replaced. I know that all too well.”

“And who the hell are you…?!”

He stared daggers through mako blue eyes. “Someone who knows that even if you do crave death, you should await its grasp outside this compound or you will be in Hojo’s grasp once more.”

“If Hojo lets us live after what I’ve done.”

The kitten’s hissing quickly irritated the newest member, but he directed his energy to the group. “My name is Genesis Rhapsodos. In a former life, I was SOLDIER First Class. I stand before you now just wanting to aid The Planet.” He gestured to the blond in black. “I broke Strife here out of Shinra’s underground dungeon. He filled me in on the way up. I know everything now. Tifa. Barret. Aerith. Cloud. Red. And the three remnants of the man who was once my greatest friend: Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo.”

Strife only nodded to confirm his words and confirm the trust the team could place in him.

“If you have any questions, I would save them until we escape this Goddess forsaken city.”

“I don’t wanna leave…” Loz sobbed, quickly petering out. “I don’t wanna leave Mother here alone…”

“Here,” Cloud handed the boy an empty potion bottle. “Fit as much as you can in this. She won’t be alone if she’s with you. But we have to go.”

The triplets finally accepted their words, Kadaj carefully maneuvering to his feet as Loz and Yazoo contained all they could fit. The long haired boy refused to leave the helmet behind, and the short haired boy kept the small potion container close to his heart.

Just as the women and older brothers began their way across the bridge, the youngest began shaking with every step forward, struggling to hold his own weight. Once again, the younger blond came to the rescue, offering his hand without a word.

“I can take him, Cloud,” Genesis suggested, not expecting the mako blue glare or the near hiss in response.

“I’ll protect him. Make sure the other two behave.”

Since Cloud was the clear leader of this group, the man in red surrendered, walking ahead.

“You sure, blondie? I can fight one armed no problem.”

The ex-SOLDIER lifted the boy, the child wrapping his arms around his neck. The child buried his head in the man’s shoulder, shuddering and crying softly against him. “I’m positive. I got him.”

Barret and Red shared a look before shrugging, but Strife watched in complete confusion. He always sacrificed himself first, making someone else take care of the little ones while he fought. He knew Cloud was far too attached to the remnants but he didn’t understand why. 

The ever growing party continued to an elevator on the other side of the chamber. To their surprise, it worked. Only Red’s expression showed his suspicion, with Strife and Genesis feeling it too.

Deep within the lab’s control room sat Hojo, who laughed as he allowed the team entry to the top floor, the president’s floor. He laughed joyously as his theory was proven correct before his very eyes, and how the world was not ready for the next step in Sephiroth’s plan.

Whatever that may be.

.

.

.

.

To be continued…

Thanks for reading!

Chapter List

#ffvii #sephiroth #final fantasy vii #ff7 #final fantasy 7 #jenova #cloud strife #tifa lockhart #aerith gainsborough #barret wallace #red xiii #genesis rhapsodos #hojo ffvii #fanfic #fanfiction #kadaj ff7 #loz ff7 #yazoo ff7

[tomthefanboy]

Blaze MVP

The MVP of my blaze train was, of course, @emptymanuscript who actually made charts for me.

The new post though, the one with the charts I made, has a different MVP.

@werehog responded in multiple replies (maybe one for each time the post was sponsored onto their dashboard?), each reply being a new block of text from an article about Shadow the Hedgehog. for one reason or another when I was going through the replies manually they were nowhere to be found! I am really sad that I can’t share their excellent response!

I tried to send them an ask with my appreciation but the site said their asks were not working.

#blaze train is off the rails #tumblr blaze #idk if this was out of love or hate or if they do this for every blaze they see #but it is still a very cool and very tumblr response

[middleearthpixie]

Wanted Man ~ Chapter Ten

Summary: A price on his head, Loki of Asgard finds himself stranded on Earth and in need of one woman's help in order to free himself from the bounty and try to reclaim what he sees as his rightful throne in Asgard.

McKenna Carlin just wanted to put a horrible day behind her. She had no idea that things would get worse before they get better…

Pairings:  Loki Laufeyson x ofc McKenna Carlin

Characters: McKenna, Loki, Shannon, Agent Phil Coulson

Warnings: None

Rating: T

Word Count: 3.4k

Tag List: @fizzyxcustard @court-jobi @guardianofrivendell @piggledy-higgledy @evenstaredits

If you’d like to be added (or removed) to the tag list, please just let me know!

Previous chapters can be found here! 

Shattered wood and icy water sprayed down around Loki as he found himself staring up at a mockingly bright red-and-white striped awning and rows of evil-looking wide-eyed clowns with gaping mouths. The pain blazing through him was hotter than any he’d ever felt—it was worse than when the Kursed drove the spear through him, and that was saying something.

Anyone who’d been anywhere near them had bolted in all directions, vaulting over the railing to the sandy beach, knocking others down in their haste and those who didn't run were instead herded away from the scene by soldiers in black fatigues.

Loki groaned as he rose onto his elbows, and managed to sit up. Blood trickled down his left cheek from the gash at his temple. Wonderful. But that didn’t matter nearly as much as the fury that sliced through him when he saw McKenna on her knees, her hands behind her back, and the soldier with the gun poised at her back.

The pain receded as he twitched his fingers and his dagger sat warm in the palm of his right hand. All he need do was throw and she’d be free in a heartbeat.

“Don’t even think about it.”

Loki palmed the dagger, rising slowly to glare at Agent Coulson, growling, “Didn't I already kill you once?” 

Coulson lifted his weapon. “It would appear you did nothing of the sort, wouldn’t you say?”

“Let her go,” Loki said, nodding toward McKenna “She has nothing to do with this. It’s between you and I and no one else.”

“So,” Coulson met his gaze without a flinch, “do you meant to tell me she isn’t with you?”

“She is, but only because I took her.”

Coulson’s normally dour expression cracked into a bit of a smile. “Really? I don’t think so.”

“You think wrong. I’m well-skilled at manipulation. Let her go and you can have me. She has nothing to do with this.”

“Loki, don’t,” McKenna said as the soldier at her side grabbed her upper arm and hauled her to her feet. 

“This is my bargain, son of Coul. Let her go and I will come with you. Or, I can kill you again. And this time, you will stay dead.”

“Let her go.” Coulson didn’t so much as look at McKenna. He wisely kept his eyes trained on Loki.  

With a clatter of metal, McKenna's hands were freed and she rubbed her wrists, her eyes shooting daggers at the soldier standing next to her. Then, she turned her gaze to Loki and if he thought her eyes had been filled with fear the first time they met his, it was nothing to what he saw in them now. 

Loki flicked his fingers and the dagger disappeared and he held up both hands. McKenna stepped up to him, her eyes wide as she shook her head. “Don’t do this, Loki. Do not go with him. You know what will happen if you do.”

“It will be all right,” he told her softly, looking from her to Coulson and back. “But, you should go now.”

“No, Loki, wait—” Her words were cut off as one of the agents grabbed her around the waist to haul her away.

“Take care with her,” Loki growled. It took every bit of self-control he possessed to not blast the man into Hel, but he knew if he did, they’d open fire and the risk of McKenna being hit was far too great. “She is not to be manhandled and you will not follow her once she leaves here. I mean it, Son of Coul, she has nothing to do with this.”

Coulson smirked. “I don’t really think you’re in any position to bargain, Loki. The game’s over now. You’ve lost, just as I said you would.”

Fury burned through him, but he held out his hands and allowed Coulson to bind his wrists in metal cuffs. He held the smaller man’s stare without blinking as Coulson stepped back and cleared his throat. “Let’s go.”

With a none-too-gentle shove, Coulson pushed Loki away from the demolished stand, marching him in the opposite direction. Loki cast one last look over his shoulder at McKenna, who remained where she was, with an agent on either side of her and his stomach clenched at the realization that Coulson was not about to honor his promise. 

Sure enough, the soldier on McKenna's left shoved her back to her knees and yanked her hands behind her back once more. Only this time, there was nothing he could do. The metal bands about his wrists were impenetrable to magic, no doubt a lesson learned by S.H.I.E.L.D. in dealing with him.

“You lied to me, son of Coul,” he gritted, narrowing his eyes at the slight, unassuming agent who’d bested him.

“That I did. You didn’t think we would let her go, did you?”

“I told you, she has nothing to do with me, or with what happened in New York. I landed in her apartment and threatened her if she didn’t assist me. Can you fault her for choosing to help me over dying?”

“I didn’t know you had it in you to give anyone a choice,” Coulson replied, nudging him in the back with the muzzle of the gun. “I thought you preferred to just kill them and be done with it.”

“You have no idea what I prefer. You know what my brother has told you, and he is a bumbling oaf.”

“He managed to defeat you twice, though.”

Loki narrowed his eyes as he glared at Coulson over his shoulder. “Do you think you will be able to say the same? I’ve learned a few more tricks since the last time I ran you through. Perhaps the next time, medics won’t reach you in time.”

That made Coulson’s face go pale, but to his credit, he didn’t flinch as he said, “Did you threaten the girl the same way? Did that make you feel like an all-powerful god? Threatening a girl as tiny as that one?”

Loki couldn’t help but smile. She was tiny, but that didn't stop her from standing up to him, despite her obvious fear. She was also kindhearted enough to help him, to show him a kindness only one other person ever really thought him worthy of receiving. 

He shook his head as Coulson marched him away from the ruined stand and down the ramp to the street, where S.H.I.E.L.D had at least four different SUVs blocking off the roadway, their grills flashing red and blue, the lights bouncing off the windows and plate glass store fronts around them. “I didn't have to threaten her. I merely let her think it would be in her best interest to aid me.”

“Ever the gentleman.”

“Trust me, son of Coul, there are other ways to get women to do your bidding that don’t require threats. Of course,” he paused, smiling as Coulson almost walked into him, “some men aren’t fortunate enough, or skilled enough, to know this.”

“That’s right. Because like you said in Stuttgart, there are no men like you.”

“Women aren’t much different, either here or in Asgard. They bow to the smallest of compliments and the warmest of smiles.” He grinned at Coulson. “How many women would bow to you, just for the hope of brushing their hand against yours?”

They reached a black Suburban at that point, and Coulson yanked open the rear door, growling, “Get in,” as he shoved Loki from behind. He climbed in next to him, the weapon aimed squarely at Loki's temple. “One move, and I fire. You’ll be dead before you hit the seat.”

Loki shivered mockingly. “I’m terrified.”

“You should be. You’re not getting away from us this time. And not even Thor’s intervention will help. You managed to escape an Asgard prison. You won’t be so lucky in one of ours.”

Loki managed to hold back his smirk as he settled back into his seat. We’ll see about that.

***

McKenna squinted and tried to ignore the blood pounding through her temples as she sat across from the agent who’d marched Loki off the boardwalk. “I’m sorry, but I really don’t know what you want me to tell you.”

“Let’s start with the truth, Miss Carlin. Are you one of them? An Asgardian? Or a Jötunn, maybe?”

“Do I look like a Frost Giant?” She stared at him as if he was an idiot. “I’m five foot three, Mr. Coulson. How many giants do you know that come in at five three?”

A dull flush colored along his cheekbones, but that was the only indication she’d embarrassed him. She didn’t care. She just wanted to see Loki, to make sure he was all right. Her stomach hurt just thinking about him at the moment, thinking about what most likely awaited him and it took every bit of will she had to force out her next question. “What will happen to him now?” 

“Loki?” Coulson waited for her to nod, and then he tapped his fingers against the table. “He’ll be tried on too many charges of war crimes to count. And when he’s found guilty, he’ll be executed.”

The agent said it with no emotion, as if giving her an update on the weather, and she wanted to throw up. She averted her gaze from him, looking about at the stark white walls that reflected the light to the point where her eyes almost teared up from the glare. “Then why am I here? I didn’t have anything to do with anything he’s done before a few days ago. I only met him when he crashed into my apartment.”

“I need to know what you know.”

“What I kn—look, I just told you—” she brought her stare back to him—“I don’t know anything. He landed in my apartment. If an angry god landed in your apartment and demanded your help, would you say no?”

“It’s more than that, Miss Carlin. Please don't insult my intelligence by suggesting otherwise. What else—”

“There is nothing else. I really don't know how many times or how many different ways I can say it. I. Know. Nothing. Else. All I wanted to do was keep my eyes in my head and to make sure my neck stayed safe. Wouldn’t anyone do the same thing?”

Coulson just stared at her for a long moment and she thought he was about to keep the interrogation going, but then the cell phone on his belt chirped and he tugged it free to look at it. “Excuse me a moment.”

She sank back as he left the room and stared at the mirror on the wall opposite her. How many S.H.I.E.L.D agents were behind that mirror? Were any of the Avengers there? Had Thor been contacted about his fugitive brother?

Would she ever see Loki again?

The ache in her head worsened and the lights didn’t help. She rubbed her forehead with both hands, concentrating on her temples. What had started out as a night to remember was rapidly becoming one she’d like to forget.

Without thinking, she slid her hand down over her neck, where Loki had kissed her only an hour or two earlier. Christ, she didn’t even know what time it was, or where Shannon was—did she even know where McKenna had been taken?

The door opened and she steeled herself for Coulson’s return and a few minutes later, he did just that. Sitting back in her chair, McKenna sighed. “Look, I know you think I know some deep dark secret plan that Loki confided in me, but I don’t. He crashed into my apartment and was pretty insistent that I help him. Considering I saw what happened in New York—”

“You helped him.”

“Of course I helped him. He took my phone. And by take, I don’t mean he shoved it in his pocket. I mean he zapped it somewhere. I still don’t know where it is. So, yes, I helped him. I thought you guys were monitoring him anyway.”

“We were, until Thor took him back to Asgard.” Agent Coulson spun his chair away from the metal table and spun it around before sinking into it and propping one arm on the chair’s back. “We were told there was no way he could escape an Asgardian dungeon. Looks like Thor’s got some explaining to do.”

“So ask him, then. I don’t know anything. I don’t know what Loki's plans were and quite frankly, I don’t give a damn. I just want to go home.”

Agent Coulson didn’t reply at first, but his eyes narrowed as he studied McKenna for a long, somewhat uncomfortable moment. “Very well. You’re free to go.”

McKenna eyed her suspiciously. “I am?”

Agent Coulson nodded, rising from the chair to cross to the door, which opened without a sound. “Your friend is here. A Miss Hathaway?”

Shannon. Thank God.

McKenna didn’t say a word as she hurried past the agent, almost convinced the woman would grab her as she did. But, no one bothered her except to show her where the exit was, and outside, on the sidewalk, she threw her arms about Shannon and practically collapsed in her arms.

“Where’s the god?” Shannon asked.

“I don’t know, but I don’t think this is a great place to discuss it.” Her throat ached from the lump rising in it and her eyes pricked with tears that she didn’t want to shed. Not here and not in front of anyone.

Shannon’s Volkswagen Jetta was parked alongside one of the black Suburbans and McKenna threw herself into the passenger seat, not bothering with the seatbelt. Shannon put the car in gear, let up on the clutch, and rocketed out of the space.

“What the fuck happened, Kenna? One minute I see you and Loki getting all snuggly and the next, he’s blown into the water balloon clown thing and you’re face down on the boardwalk like a common criminal.”

“S.H.I.E.L.D.” McKenna stared out the window as they left Point Pleasant and got back on Route 35 South to go back into Bay Head. “How do I help him now? I don’t even know where they’ve got him. All I do know is that they’re going to execute him. Oh my God… Shay, they’re going to execute him.”

“So what do we do?”

“I don’t know.” A tear slipped free, followed by another. And another. McKenna covered her eyes with one hand as a frigid sense of hopelessness, of helplessness, permeated every pore of her being. 

“Okay. We’ll go back to the Winchester and figure it out in the morning.” Shannon lifted her hand from the stick shift to cover hers and squeezed. “It’s going to be okay. He’s a god. What’re the odds S.H.I.E.L.D can hold him?”

“This is what they do and they’ve got a bit of history with Loki. The guy in the suit? I think Loki may have killed him at some point.”

“I thought that’s what he said, but then thought I had to have heard him wrong. Guess I didn't.” Shannon downshifted as they came to the intersection of Route 35 and Ocean Avenue, where the Winchester was located. She steered into the parking lot, pulling into the slot next to McKenna's Accord. “Man, Kenna, if you told me a week ago this was all going to happen, I’d have thought you were drunk.”

“Tell me about it.” McKenna threw open her door and climbed out of the car. 

“You want me to stay with you? I have my own room but I don’t care.”

“No. It’s okay, Shay. I think I’d kind of like to be alone.”

“Are you sure?”

McKenna nodded. “Yeah.”

“Okay,” Shannon said with a shrug, “but if you change your mind, just call me.”

“I will.” 

They parted ways in the hall and McKenna stepped into her room, closed the door, and sagged back against it with a long, shaky sigh. The light in the bathroom was the only one on, and in the half-light, she could see the bed had been made and Loki's clothes had been folded and stacked neatly on the still somewhat rumpled love seat.

She walked over to the loveseat and sank onto hit, leaning back against the cushion, and closed her eyes. Her head still ached. Her heart ached. Without thinking, she slid her hand over that same spot on her neck. Loki nipped her, but so gently it hadn’t hurt. 

Draped over the back of the sofa was the tee shirt he’d worn the day before and as she leaned her head back near it, the soft scent of leather and sea air and the unique musky scent of Loki himself clung to it. She caught the shirt and pulled it closer, breathing deep as she gave up trying to control her tears. 

***

The cell reminded Loki of the one on board Nick Fury’s helicarrier—all glass, about the size of the room he shared with McKenna at the B&B, with a built-in bunk at the rear. He paced about the circular room like a caged animal, swinging between rage and worry. Rage he was used to, he practically lived with it every day since Frigga’s murder. Rage was almost comfortable because he was so used to it.

Worry, on the other hand, was an entirely different story. He had no idea where McKenna had been taken, or how she was being treated, and his entire body practically hummed with the need to burst out of there and go find her. He had to know she fared well.

Although, if she was still at S.H.I.E.L.D., at least she’d be safe. The Chitauri would never be foolish enough to attempt an attack on them. 

But if she wasn’t…

He slammed his fist into the glass. It didn’t move. Didn’t rattle. He had magic, but Thor had the strength. Unfortunately, his magic had so far proved ineffective against the glass. His forehead thunked dully against it and he swore beneath his breath as Coulson stepped up to the glass.

“I’ve nothing more to say to you,” he told him through clenched teeth. 

“I didn’t expect that you would.”

“Then, if you don’t mind, I’d like to be left alone.”

“We’ve let Miss Carlin go. She claimed she had nothing to do with your actions.”

“She didn’t. And I’m certain you didn’t follow her, either.”

“I didn’t.”

He didn’t smile. “You know what I mean.”

“No. I believe her. To a certain extent, anyway. I don’t think she had anything to do with any plans you might have. She doesn’t seem quite the type you’d recruit for anything so intricate.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“She’s pretty. I’d imagine it was easy to convince her she had to help you. She’s pretty and nice and probably not the smartest girl in any room.” Agent Coulson shrugged. “Perfect to get her to do what you want, without having to worry about her trying to take over or stab you in the back.”

Loki narrowed his eyes. “When I’m out of here, you will want to take care to watch your back, Agent Coulson.”

“You don't frighten me now, you know. There is nothing you can do from in there. And you are not getting away any time soon. We’ll keep an eye on Miss Carlin, though. Just to be sure she is safe.”

Loki’s hand curled into a fist at his side but all he said was, “It won’t work. You’ll get nothing from me. Nothing more than you already have.”

“I don’t need any more. You, Loki, are what we needed and we have you. And somehow, I don’t think your big brother will come to save your ass this time.”

“I don’t need him to.”

Coulson offered up a smug smile. “Perhaps I should just have the Hulk come in here and give you another taste of the smash. It would only take a phone call.”

“Thank you, but no. My back still feels the aftereffects of the beast’s lack of control.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. Really. I feel for you.” Sarcasm practically dripped from his words as he stepped back. Two other agents, ones in black fatigues, stepped up behind him and as he glared at him, Coulson smiled. “We’re going to be transferring you to our facility in Colorado tonight.”

“Wonderful.”

With that, he turned and left and the door to the cell slid open without a sound. Both men approached him, one holding a pair of the titanium cuffs and the other unholstering his weapon. Loki just smiled as he held out his wrists. Some people just never learned.

#Loki #Loki Fanfic #Loki x ofc #Tom Hiddleston #Thor #Romance #Is it hot in here? #Jersey girl #Marvel #Marvel fanfic

[boygiwrites]

The Boogeyman's Daughter P.1

• John Wick & Daughter.

• Two Part Mini Story.  (Here’s P.2)

Summary — When a fatal mistake is made during a mission, a secret is revealed. The Boogeyman has a daughter.

Notes — This is a short one-shot that I wrote a while ago. I found it while digging through my old documents and thought, "Hang on... This isn't total garbage." So here it is!

.

When John Wick strikes the heel of his palm into the base of the last henchman's neck, effectively cracking it in two, hundreds of girlishly pink beads go flying off his wrist and clatter across the ground noisily. It's so strange, so inherently wrong and out of place that it seems to force the world to suck in a big breath for the longest time. John doesn't move. Marcus doesn't move. The dead man with the severed spinal cord definitely doesn't move. The accusatory, tiny plastic beads roll along the grooves of the sidewalk in all their childish glory. A part of John's innermost life, his secret, his treasure, sprawled out in front of him like a small pile of wrongdoings — the bracelet that his daughter made, no longer safely tucked beneath his black cufflinks. If Marcus' skull wasn't whirling with questions and conclusions, he may have put together the white beads with the letters printed on them to spell out Baba, but of course; he doesn't.

He just stares — first at the beads, and then into John's hardened, marbled eyes.

He knows, and he knows that he knows, and he knows that he knows he knows, and all of a sudden, Marcus knows John's deepest secret.

John Wick has a daughter.

The realization slaps him square across the wind-nipped cheek, and before he can process that hit, there's another one coming his way. In one swift motion, rooted in muscle memory just like breathing and blinking, John Wick unsheathes the pistol from his waistband and points it right at the man he's known for fifteen years without a second thought, and backhands him across the face into the wrought iron fence behind him. There's a spiraling vortex in the depths of John's pupils as he fists Marcus' shirt collar and almost skewers him onto the fence's spears. His jaw is locked tight.

Marcus balks.

"Joh—"

"You forget what you saw." John murmurs darkly, an unstoppable force, an instruction. "You forget it."

Or you won't have any brain left to remember with, anyway, he doesn't need to say.

Marcus' Adam's apple gulps against the gun.

The metal spikes begin to pierce through his lower back.

"John, I swear..."

The world is yet to let out that uncomfortable breath. Marcus' lungs seize with suspense. He's drilled into by John's consuming, furious, tangible gaze and he feels as if there's some sort of elastic band between them, now. There's certain pieces of a man's life in this line of work that are never meant to surface. This, Marcus senses as John itches to squeeze the trigger, is one of them. John wouldn't hesitate to end his closest friend's life if it meant burying this jewel of information again — no remorse — and they both know it. It's in the air, strangling him.

Marcus pours all his being into sending John a silent message with just his gaze. Something that conveys, I'll take this to the grave.

John reads it perfectly, but doesn't move an inch.

The Hudson River roars hungrily over the other side of the railing, waiting to swallow Marcus and this secret up for good.

Marcus honestly thinks this is it.

John is going to bury a bullet in his head and dump him backwards into the abyss no matter what he says.

Time ticks by.

There's an understanding that bridges them. A man would do anything to protect what's most important to him.

It wouldn't be anything personal.

He wouldn't blame him.

Quietly, a forlorn groan breaks out from nearby, and without so much as breaking eye contact, John pivots the gun behind him and shoots a downed man right through the forehead with no effort at all; eliminated. Then, the gun is back, trained intently on Marcus' jugular. John is blazing.

Marcus nods in a way that could be mistaken for uncontrollable tremors.

"Already forgotten."

John Wick simmers like smoke and coal and insurmountable anger, before everything lurches, and a fateful decision is made.

The grip on Marcus' shirt is released, and John takes a single step backward.

A parting utterance — "For every word you speak, Marcus, I will slice something off of you."

Marcus almost sags to the ground with relief.

When he looks back up, the November wind ghosting through the streets of New York, the Boogeyman has already vanished.

.

Please let me know what you think!

#john wick #john wick's daughter #daddy issues #two-shot

[lewding-paradise]

Blaze, is it true that the new employee railed you on the train the moment you where alone with him?

"So big~! Ah, it's so good~! This big cock~!" Blaze moans like a bitch in heat while she gets fucked up against the wall of the train while the new employee shows off how much of a hot stud he is turning her into a drooling heart eyed cock addict within minutes of meeting each other and getting alone. She's moaning and cumming over and over and she's definitely an addicted whore for his cock now like an easy bitch and they're just getting started.

[peakyblinders1919]

Collision of Worlds

modern!Tommy Shelby and amish!reader

He barely registered the horn honking, much less that the shrill sound was directed at him. He prematurely stepped off the sidewalk, more concerned with the iPhone in his hand, the meeting coming through his headphones, the hot coffee in his other hand, to notice the crosswalk sign flashing red. 

The white BMW screeched to a halt a few feet from him, the driver laying on the horn and waving his hands sporadically in frustration. Without missing a beat, he stopped, turned, and looked at the driver through his shades before taking a sip and continuing on as if nothing had happened.

It wasn’t the first time Thomas Shelby looked death in the eye.

He was mildly perturbed he’d nearly spilled his coffee and had to ask his buisness associate on the other end to repeat his question. 

“No, no, we’ve stopped all trade with our supposed partners in Camden Town until the political upheaval is settled. We don’t want to make ourselves a vulnerable target by extending our hand or being found to associate with them at this time.” A brief pause as he took a sip of his coffee, suede shoes scuffing the pebbles on the sidewalk as he sandwiched himself onto the train. It wasn’t his preferred mode of transportation, but his car was in the shop and his brother, John, had dropped the ball on solidifying a rental car. It was the last time he trusted John with something important.

He was the only one deep in conversation as he held onto the railing overhead, nose tucked into the endless stream of emails he was replying to and the ranting in his ears from the treasurer of his company.

“No, No, Pol, you're not listening. Look at the numbers. We can stand to lose 3% for a week or two max… yes, yes I have it on good authority that whatever this is, it won’t last longer than that before the strike is broken.” He sighed, glaring at the people around him whose noses were upturned by his disruption. Who expected a train ride to or from work to be the most peaceful part of their day? 

“I have it on good authority from Ada!” 

The train pulled into his stop. Signals that the doors were opening rang out. Still heated, he moved to leave. She moved in a blur of color, in a hurry to get somewhere. It was that urgency which sent her out barreling into his chest, piping hot coffee staining his white shirt.

“Fuck.”

“Oh my, I’m…I’m so sorry.”

“Pol, I’ll call you back.”

If he put weight on the superstitions his aunt believed, he’d think it was going to be a day full of bad luck, karma.

Hanging up the phone, he put it in his jacket pocket, a sneer on his face as he looked down at his stained shirt, the coffee seeping through the fabric and leaving his abdomen warm to the touch. It was amazing that he had enough time to stop, to stop and look at his assailant. She was pretty in a natural way, not like the other city girls with their fake tans and fake eyelashes and fake tits. Her hair was shiny, her eyes aglow, her cheeks blazing red with embarrassment.

She was like a little mouse, grabbing for some napkins from her big purse on her shoulder, cautiously trying to wipe up the coffee on his shirt. Normally he’d tell her who he was, some big businessman who didn’t have time for these games, but it was almost more fascinating to watch her act, so unsure as she touched his shirt with the napkins, pressing lighting against his abdomen, his chest. Her touches were light, whether she was afraid to break him further or nervous to be touching him in the first place, he wasn’t sure. 

“I… I am really sorry,” she finally said again, tossing the coffee-soaked napkins in the bin. “I… I don’t have anymore. I… I really should’ve watched where I was going.” “It’s alright. The damage’s done. I’ll send it off to the dry cleaner and it’ll be good as new.” He tried to smile at her, to let her know he didn’t care about his shirt, he had a closet full of them, but something kept him from doing so. Maybe the fact that he hadn’t smiled in years. He tried to tell her it wasn’t her fault, he knew it was his because he hadn’t been looking around him, but he wasn’t used to public transportation and he wasn’t used to people not stepping out of the way for him when he walked by. So instead, he kept his mouth shut, pink lips in a tight line, lost in her eyes, before he felt his phone buzzing to life. 

How peaceful those few moments had been. 

“I’m late. And I’ll be even later having to stop, I… hope your not late either. Here, have a coffee on me. For the trouble.” 

After handing her a few pounds, he answered the phone with a gruff greeting and disappeared.

--

It’d be much easier if you had a phone. Easier to find out who the mystery man from the other day was. You spent all night telling your sister about him, voices dropping extra low when you told her about helping wipe his shirt clean. 

“It was hard, tight, like muscles. And I tried not to concentrate on it, really, but it was easier to concentrate on that than his eyes. A blue like the sky. Like I’ve never seen, hair dark as midnight.”

Although she hadn’t met him, your sister swooned with you over the whole thing, wondering how, if there was any, way for you two to find out his name, what he did for a living, where you could “accidentally” run into him again. 

But that night was all “what-ifs” and little girl fantasies. Yesterday was a moment you could hold onto while you were busy at work, sifting the flour in the kitchen, elbow-deep in it as you rolled out the dough. 

You didn’t need a phone, it wasn't necessary, nor was electricity when you had a fire to cook on and light your way with. It was a lifestyle you’d grown up with, you were used to, you had chosen to live, and you hadn’t once thought differently until now.

That night, you dreamt about your encounter with tall, dark, and handsome, as he was therefore known as in your mind. As much as you wanted to see him again, as easy as it was to remember his eyes and his hair, it was impossible to ignore how he lacked a smile, head bent and far too enraptured and controlled by the little device in his hand, or was it his ear? Thinking back on it clearly, the buzz of everything around him was what caused him to be so careless around you in the first place. And just like that, you drifted off to sleep with memories that turned into nightmares confirming that it was not only too good to be true, running into him that day but it wasn’t meant to be, it wasn’t ever meant to be.

--

“I can’t find her!” He brought his fist down onto his desktop with hammer-like force. Such an outbreak wasn’t uncommon for Thomas Shelby, but the matter in which it was about was shocking to those around him. His family.

“Tom, we’ve had the best internet hackers on call, working twenty-four hours at a time. We even got some secret service agents from the police tracking what you’ve told them through their database. Nothing.”

“It’s not enough. There’s got to be something else. They want more money? Give them whatever they’re asking for, I want her found.”

His men simply nodded and left, his Aunt Pol crossing her legs and making her disapproval known with her tsking.

“It doesn't take someone like me to know you in love. But I thought Mr. Thomas Shelby didn’t believe in love at first sight?”

“There was something about her Polly. I don’t expect you to understand.”

“Oh, but I do Tommy. I do. Love is magnetic, I’ve told you that since you were little. You just chose never to listen. And now that you have, the world has rewarded you with a challenge. A girl who can’t be found.”

“Don’t mock me.” He had risen from his leather-backed chair to pace. His office was spacious, on the tallest floor of the most well-known building in London, towering over the others, the wall nothing but windows that allowed him an endless view of the city, even to the fields beyond. The whole city under his watch and he couldn’t find the one person he wanted to see. He’d paced to get his mind straight but it didn’t work. Quickly, he was sitting back down behind four computer screens that lined his desk, projecting his work onto the flat screens on the wall. The wall to his left was lined with clocks synced up to represent all the timezones of the world, multiple tv screens muted to show the horseraces around the world and the stock market live. The office was always lit in a dim glow from the screens, a soft buzz from the electricity, and somehow it never bothered him. It kept his mind busy, sure, constantly busy, his eyes switching frantically from screen to screen trying to focus on only one thing.

Since meeting her, finding her was the only thing he could focus on. And Polly was right, she didn’t seem to want to be found.

With the best people he could hire already on it, he figured some fresh air could do him good. When he informed Polly he was going out for coffee, and she reminded him they had people for that, she didn’t prod any further.

Down on the ground floor, he nodded towards the security behind the desk, and the doormen, and headed onto the street in one direction, any direction the wind seemed to take him (there was a coffee shop on every block), but he seemed to end up at the one he went to that day he was taking the train. Something about their fresh ground beans. Tapping his feet anxiously while standing in line, it made sense why he employed someone to do this for him. He passed the time by catching up on emails, shoving his AirPods in to listen to the live race at Cheltenham to avoid the elevator-esque music playing from the shop’s speakers. 

He wasn’t really paying attention then, taking a second to realize the line had moved. He ordered the usual; coffee, black, and waited where one picked it up. It was all a series of routine things that came next, listening for his name, taking that first sip to make sure it was right, shuffling around other waiting customers to get back outside. His nose still buried in the phone, he would have missed her completely had he not learned from his mistake the other day and looked up before crossing the street. 

She seemed to be leaving the coffee shop from the back, heading in the direction that led out of the city. He had work to do, he knew that, but the business would run without him. If that little glimpse he’d caught of her held up to be real, he’d save himself a lot of money. 

“Hey,” he called, taking a bit of a jog to catch up to her.

Not sure if that hey was directed at you, you stopped, and looked around you, before continuing on your journey home. You must have been going a little crazy, no one this far out from the country knew you, were even less likely to recognize you.

The coffee cup worked to warm your hands. You smiled, pleased to hear the city’s symphony as you headed home. It was all part of the reason why you agreed to deliver the beans to your best customer; while it came with an excruciatingly long walk, you were awarded the sights and sounds of the city, the excitement of it all, and a fresh cup. 

“Hey!”

It was the same voice as before, and you would have continued to ignore it had you not felt a strong arm grasp your elbow, making you stop in your tracks. Your heartbeat quickened. This was why your father always warned against you doing the delivery on your own, but you’d fought with him more than once that you could handle yourself in the city for an hour or two. 

Now was time to show him the truth.

In a quick maneuver, you dodged the stranger, turning quickly and shoving him back with your shoulder, hearing the familiar sound of coffee sippling as it was dropped to the floor. Ready to run, you caught a glimpse of your attacker before running. What were the odds it would be your Mr. tall, dark, and handsome?

He didn’t look amused, but he didn’t look as displeased as yesterday. He almost looked pleased.

You smirked. “You’ve got to stop wearing your coffee. You're supposed to drink it.”

“I’d be able to if you stopped spilling it on me. I think you have something against me.”

You both shared a smile, a true smile, before your eyes both scanned down to his torso, today’s blue shirt now dark with coffee on it.

“I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it, I’ll send this one to the cleaners just like the others. I should be scared of you though, that was some quick thinking.”

You blushed, suddenly feeling so small and so seen in the city, a place you certainly didn’t belong but tried to. 

“What can I say? My dad taught me right.”

“That he did.” Tommy used the napkins in his jacket pocket to wipe up his shirt enough to keep from burning his skin underneath, and it provided just enough time to figure out how to get you to stay longer.

“Why don’t I treat you to another?”

“No, I couldn’t. I… I wish I could treat you to one but…” Well how were you supposed to tell someone like him you didn’t have any money on you?

“Come on, my treat…”

Knowing your family would be wondering where you were, you couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get to know him a little more. You agreed, and he told you he’d be ready to go as soon as he changed his newly ruined shirt, assuring you he had an extra in his office and it was only one block away.

What were you doing following this man to his office? Everything in the building was shiny and new, reluctantly following him into the elevator. It never seemed to stop, crawling higher and higher until the final ding signaling you were at your destination caused you to jump a bit. 

What you stepped into was too much for you to comprehend. It overwhelmed you, so much stimulus in his office with the screens and whatnot. He promised he’d be quick, and you barely noticed his lack of presence as you absorbed the sound and light of everything. The tapping of your foot, the pacing, it was all you could do to try and stay comfortable. You both wanted to know more about how it worked and, more importantly, why, why all this, but you refrained. You couldn’t comprehend a life where one person needed so many screens.

Everything was coming to fruition. It wasn’t meant to be. You were both from two different worlds.

When he emerged in a white collared shirt, pulling at the cuffs and rolling them up, you felt a strong wave of nausea hit you. He must have noticed the unfamiliar look on your face; it was amazing that a complete stranger noticed it almost immediately.

“Is everything alright?”

“Uh..” Opening your mouth to respond, you were suddenly made aware of just how dry it was. “Uh.. what do you need all those for?” You hoped it didn’t sound as rude coming out as it did in your head, but you couldn’t resist finding the answer, knowing more about him, more about a life you weren’t sure you would ever be ready for.

“Oh, those?” He chucked. “Sometimes I forget they’re even there. I need them for business, I can’t be in multiple places at once, though it would be easier.”

Silence lingered as you tried to compose a response, a silence that was anything but silent. You shook your head.

“I’m sorry. I… I hadn’t noticed the time and I forgot I’ve got somewhere to be.”

“Oh, are you sure? Well, how about another night?”

“I… I don’t know. Maybe,” you swallowed, stepping away from the harsh glow of the screen.

“Wait. Your name. Please tell me your name.”

“Y/N Y/L/N.” 

Though you left not a mystery but a mission, a challenge for Tommy Shelby, should he choose to accept, to you he remained a mystery. A mystery behind a screen, something for you to ponder as you took approximately 45 flights of stairs down to the ground floor.

-------

“She’s Amish.”

“She’s fucking what?”

“Amish, sir. They’re members of a church that believes electricity is not necessary for leading a fulfilling life, hence why we couldn’t find her online presence.”

“Ok,” he sighed, taking a hit from his vape and blowing the smoke out to the side. “What did you find on her?”

“We have a home location, family profile, and her background records. That’s it.”

“I want it all on my desk. Now. And a car, one that’s not going to shit the bed in the country. Have it parked outside, keys in the ignition to go.”

With a nod, Charlie was out of the office, but Tommy didn’t get much time alone to consider the grandiosity of the plan already forming in his mind.

“A car? Where are you off to?”

“The country Pol. I’ll be in a few hours. Might not have cell service. Don’t contact me… what?” He asked in response to her chuckle, almost a mocking one.

“Tommy Shelby never puts down his phone, nor does he ever stop business. Unless it’s a girl.”

He saw no reason to lie so, sighing, he told the truth and braced for impact. “It is a girl Pol. The one I’ve been looking for. I know where she lives and I’m going to her. I’m going. I barely know her name and I… I know I did something to scare her off but I… I’ve got to find out why, you know? I’ve got to do something to get her out of my head. For good. Whatever it takes.”

He found you outside the address he was given, his black BMW oddly out of place among the wheat and the fields and the barn and the expanse that was known as your house. You were tending to the horses, taking the pony to graze on the taller grass in the side yard, senses on high alert as the unknown vehicle pulled closer and slowed to a stop. Your dad and your brother, everyone in a 3 mile radius became aware of the unwanted visitor, trying to figure out why someone in a car was on their land. It was surprising how unfazed Tommy seemed to be with a few shotguns pointed his direction. His hands flew up in surrendor and if you weren’t sure it was him, the hair, the eyes, the commanding yet comfortable voice reassured you.

“Y/N, do you know this man? He says he knows you.”

“Yes, yes, this is Tommy. He’s a… a friend.” Pulling him away, into the shadows of the maples where the horses were cooling, you asked why he was here and how he had found you. It was a quick explanation from his end that both left you speechless and wanted to know more. 

“I want to talk to you.  Why you didn’t agree to going out yesterday?”

“We… we can’t talk here. Do you know how to ride a horse?”

It would have been comical seeing a man like Tommy ride a horse, but really he was a natural. He looked like the main character off a romance novel with his dark hair, dress shirt sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his posture perfect and hands tight on the reigns, in control of the horse. Stopping by a stream, you both dismounted and began talking.

“We would never work Tommy. I.. I barely even know you, you know nothing about me, and yet you show up in my yard. I can only imagine how you found all this out.” You shuddered at the thought alone, holding a hand up signaling you didn’t want to know the intimate details.

“I know it sounds crazy, but I feel this pull. This nagging in my stomach thats saying ‘go after her’. I had to come try. What was it? The office?”

“Well, it was all a bit overwhelming. We’re from different worlds. You live by the screen and I… well we’d never come to a compromise.” 

“What if we could.”

“What do you mean?”

“What if we could come to a compromise. Would you give it, would you give us a chance?”

“What kine of compromise?” You asked intrigued. 

He shrugged. “Less screen time. Weekend away from work, from the city?”

You shrugged, suddenly feeling shy under his eye. The space between you disappeared as he entered it, toeing a line he wasn’t sure he should cross. He knew your name, where you lived, and a little bit of the lifestyle you lived, that was it, and so he wanted to know more; your favorite color, the taste of your lips, the softness of your curves. And though you were less sure of what you wanted, you wanted the same thing. You wanted it to work out like a fairytale. 

“Could this really work?”

“Are we insane?”

“Do I live without electricity?” The question, although rhetorical, gave him the answer he needed. Leaning in, he took all the air from your lungs. His lips found yours, the kiss chaste and soft, strong and loving.

“I’d give up everything for you.” 

And there it was. The collision of two worlds, two people in a world of billions, two stars in the galaxy a little too close to each other's orbit, two atoms beginning their journey together headed towards the big bang. 

#tommy shelby fanfiction #tommy shelb #tommy shelby fanfic #tommy shelby imagines #tommy shelby imagine #peaky blinders fic #peaky blinders fanfiction #peaky blinders fanfic #peaky blinders imagines #peaky blinders imagine