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luviemax · 3 months

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big jet plane- oneshot

a/n: i'm alive.... trust... song inspo here

-> carlos sainz x fem!reader, no physical descriptions of reader

warnings: i'm a time traveller, puking, inaccurate portrayal of appendicitis

word count: 1,640 words

masterlist

2024 is a tense year.

For you, mostly.

Carlos is out of a seat for the 2025 season.

Although you know he'll probably be fine in the end. He has the skill, speed, talent and intelligence for any team to be on their knees to be signing him. Any team would be lucky to have him, and it would be simply illogical for Carlos to be out of a drive next year.

Yet, much to your dismay, you're not a team principal, and you're not really in charge of those things.

"Y/N." Carlos sighs, not in frustration, but more with a sense of concern. "Hm?" You hum absentmindedly, pushing at your food with your fork. "What's wrong?" He moves from his place from across the table to the empty seat next to yours. When he settles down on the seat, you simply rest your head on his shoulder, "you can tell me, you know?" You simply nod in agreement, thinking of the words you aren't quite able to say. "I'm just..." You suck a breath of air through your teeth, "frustrated. I can't believe they just...." "I know," He runs your fingers through your hair in a soothing manner, "but there's nothing you could've done about it, amor. Neither could I." You don't respond, but you wrap your arms around his waist and sink further into caress.

Of course, you trust his word.

You're over the moon when he scores a podium upon the first race of the season.

That joy doesn't last long, though.

You're worried sick when he spend half the next week bent over the toilet spewing out whatever had gone in.

You feel helpless.

All you can do is sit next to him and rub his back in soothing circles as he continues to spill his sick into the toilet bowl for the millionth time of the day.

He looks pale and frail as he lies asleep underneath the sheets.

In hopes of making him feel better, you wipe a damp towel all over his face, but much to your dismay, his face feels hot and burning under your touch.

"Carlos," You whisper, hoping to wake him up gently. He cracks his eyes open, just slightly, "can you open up for me?" He opens his mouth, just enough for you to slot in a thermometer. The display of the device blinks an angry bright red as it read 39.9°C. "I'm going to call your doctor, okay?" You ask him, running a hand through his hair and stroking his cheek under your thumb. He simply leans into your touch and gives you a faint nod. "What day is it?" He rasps, voice sounding hoarse and exhausted. "It's Thursday baby, why?" You scoot closer to him, running your fingers through his hair to brush his scalp in a way that you know he'd love. "Fuck," he groans, "what if I'm not well in time for the race?" "Let's not be so hasty, okay?" You reassure him, "let's see what the doctor says. I'll get him to come over here." He simply nods and shuts his eyes to get some rest.

"Doctor, do you know what's happening?" You ask the man as he walks out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind him as Carlos slept, albeit restlessly. "I can't say for sure," the doctor replied, walking to the exit for the door, "it could just be a bug. I'd suggest that you just wait it out for the time being." "Alright. Thank you for your help." You give him a tightlipped smile as he waves goodbye and gets into his car.

You spend the entirety of the flight to Saudi Arabia observing Carlos anxiously, holding his hands in yours and soothingly running your thumbs over the back of his hands. Perhaps his nausea had settled down slightly, but his skin seemed clammy, and he had been having hot and cold flashes which made it nearly impossible to get a good night's sleep. How was he meant to race in these conditions?

Just before he got into the car for FP1, you pull him aside into his driver's room for just a moment. He simply pulls you into his arms as you bury your face into his neck. You pull away, but still keep both your hands on his face. "Carlos," You start, caressing his face underneath your fingertips, "I don't want you to push yourself if you feel like you can't do it, okay?" He simply nods in response, but that's not enough for you, "I want to hear you say it." "I'll stop if I can't do it, I promise." He reassures you, and leaves to race with a kiss on your cheek.

Your foot is tapping anxiously on the floor of the Ferrari garage for the entire hour of FP1. "Are you okay?" Alex asks halfway through the session, a concerned look gracing her face. "Yeah, yeah," You say dismissively, "it's just that Carlos isn't feeling that well. I just don't want him to overdo it." She simply nods in understanding.

When Carlos finally gets out of the car, he looks pale and stressed. "Are you ok?" You ask him, inspecting him from head to toe. "I think I need to sit down." You nod, and quickly guide him to his driver's room. You hand him a cup of cold water which he eagerly gulps down. Although he says that he's fine, you don't buy it. He doesn't seem mildly alright, so you leave the room with the excuse of using the restroom, but you go get the team's doctor instead.

Unlike the family doctor which you had called over to the house, this one seemed far more thorough. "I think you should go to the hospital." He tells you and Carlos, speaking in English so that you could understand too. "What?" You exclaim, eyebrows furrowing with confusion, "But why? The other doctor said that he would be fine." "Perhaps his symptom weren't as apparent then, but based off what you've described to me, I think that he might have appendicitis. I don't have the proper equipment now, of course, but I'll make arrangements for you to go to the hospital. I suggest you get your things packed." The doctor gave the two of you a curt nod before leaving the room. "C'mon, why don't you change into something more comfortable?" Out of your travel bag, you hand him a t-shirt and sweatpants. You help him into his clothes as you help him into his change. You pack up all of your personal belongings as the two of you are led outside into a van which is meant to bring you to the hospital.

When you arrive there, a doctor gives Carlos an ultrasound, where he's formally diagnosed with appendicitis. "It's a minor surgery, and it should be done within a few hours. The recovery should be a week or two." the doctor informs you as he begins to instruct the nurses to prep him for surgery. You nod, simply unable to speak. How could you have failed to notice something so big?

Once he's out of surgery, you've called his dad, who was in town for the race. You sit by his side, holding his hand as he slowly awakes from the anastasia from the surgery.

"Cariño," he rasps, "how long has it been?" "Few hours." You hum, pouring him a glass of water. "Hijo." Carlos Sr materialises from the bathroom, rushing in to check on his son. "Papá." Carlos greets. "Are you feeling okay?" His dad asks, taking a seat on the other side of his bed. "Been better, been worse." Carlos shrugs, wincing at the movement. You place a hand on his shoulder, halting his movements. "The doctor told you not to move too much." You whisper, keeping your voice soft. "The doctor told you to tell me that." Carlos retorts. It's amazing how he's still so witty despite his weakened state.

The next day, you and Carlos are on a plane back to Madrid to rest. He spends most of the trip resting. You're glad, though. His bout of illness had brought him weeks' worth of exhaustion and tiredness.

For the next two weeks, the two of you are in your own sort of comfortable bubble.

Ollie would drive in place of Carlos, so that wasn't something for him to stress about.

The two of you would have slow mornings, breakfasts' in bed, and walks around the estate to hopefully rebuild his flexibility for movement before Melbourne.

Mornings are filled with gentle, adored kisses and peaceful naps and simply... repeat.

His physio recommends swimming as part of his recovery too, so the two of you spend a copious amount of time basking under the Spanish sun and spacious swimming pool.

He's all back to good by the time Australia comes around.

You accompany to the race, and admittedly, you still baby him a little, but just a little bit.

"Remember, don't push yourself, okay?" You remind him, placing a chaste kiss on his cheek before he gets into the car for qualifying. He simply gives you a knowing smile and gives you a warm hug.

You're beyond amazed at the fact that he's going to start at P2. Even more shocked that he almost starts on pole. And you're beyond overjoyed to see that he seems as fit as a fiddle when he gets out of the car.

On race day, you're stunned that Max's car malfunctions. But your worry for a friend quickly turns to an ecstatic buzz that runs through your body when he takes the lead of the race.

When he wins, you're standing front row, cheering him on as he approaches the Ferrari crowd and takes your lips into a sweeping kiss in front of the roaring mob.

#carlos sainz #cs55 #carlos sainz x reader #carlos sainz x you #carlos sainz fluff #carlos sainz smut #carlos sainz jr #f1 #f1 x reader #f1 imagine #carlos sainz imagine

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startrekfangirl2233-writes · 7 months

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Home (Not So) Sweet Home

Chapter Four of Sweet Home Alabama

Jake ‘Hangman’ Seresin x OC (Linley Mitchell/Floyd), Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw x OC (Linley Mitchell/Floyd)

Description: A trip to jail was not on your list for things to accomplish during the short time you were home in Pigeon Creek. But, like most of the predicaments you find yourself in, it's all thanks to Jake. So much for a half an hour trip into town to get the papers signed and then back to New York soon afterwards. Instead you get a high-speed trip down memory lane as Pigeon Creek, and Jake himself, dredge up ancient history.

Themes: angst, love, smut, attraction

Warnings: Mentioned miscarriage (non-graphic) Please do not read anything between As your belly grew and the bed sheets if this is an uncomfortable topic for you. I have italicized those sections in this to account for this.

Word Count: 2719

A/N: First of all, I'm sorry this chapter is a bit late! I went shopping today because I needed a new coat and I just got back home! This is the chapter where we get to see a little bit more of Jake and Linley's relationship after the seven year separation they've been on. It's nothing short of explosive! All of my thanks to @desert-fern for beta-reading and refining this chapter for me!

AO3: Cross-posted here!

Wattpad: Cross-posted here!

My Masterlist

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Well, you ended up in jail. You've never once been able to out-dare Jake in your life and you weren't able to out-dare him today either. When Jake had unplugged the phone and taken it to the bedroom, it had been to call the Sheriff. The Sheriff of Pigeon Creek and you have a contentious relationship, to put it lightly. Too many run-ins with the law for your comfort when you were much younger and more foolish. Of course, just as the sirens show up on the front lawn, you're already booking it for the back door. This is the last thing you need, getting arrested on your first day back in Pigeon Creek. The only person you can call other than Jake is your dad. Fuck! Maybe you ought to leave quietly and come back later?

But to your surprise it isn’t the old Sheriff you tormented as a teen. It's Mickey Garcia, and he walks right in through the back door. You grew up with Mickey. He’s Jake’s best friend and somebody Jake loves like a brother. Hell, Mickey was Jake’s best man at your ill-fated wedding. Really, if Jake believes Mickey would ever arrest you, then he has another think coming, or so you thought.

“Well, well, well… If it isn’t Misdemeanor Mitchell!” There’s a huge grin on his face showcasing the new smile lines around his eyes and the dimples in his cheeks.

“Mickey?!” You’re wrapped up in your first hug since you got back home and you can’t help the smirk you throw at Jake over Mickey’s shoulder.

“Hot damn, girl, did we miss you around here!” He holds you out at arm length and drinks you in.

“Hey, I think I saw poor, old Fuzz just the other day.” You laugh at his words because you haven’t thought about Fuzz in years. You hope that old cat is doing well, even after all this time. But, it looks like some things will never change, like how Pigeon Creek is never going to forget why you’re so notorious.

“Oh, God, you just had to bring that up, didn’t you?” You can sense Jake’s irritation from where he’s leaning on the wall and it drives your smile even wider.

“I can't believe you're the sheriff!” The last time you saw Mickey he was moving to college on a baseball scholarship.

It doesn’t surprise you at all when his voice takes on a flirtatious tone. “Yep, I get to frisk pretty little things like you all day and get paid for it!”

Jake’s scoff breaks up the convivial atmosphere. “Mickey, can you try and be a little more professional? We got us a prime suspect here! This woman broke into my house!”

You just know the man’s smirking again. Is it so hard to just sign some papers and be done with this whole situation? Now he’s dragging Mickey into this? Why the hell is your ex-husband so impossible to live with?

"Aww, Linley, you know that you can't trespass in other people's houses." He's smiling as he looks between Jake and you.

"I'm not trespassing, Mick. I used my key." You tug it out of your bag as proof, noticing how Jake’s eyes darken at the sight of the spare key he’s never known how to find.

"Honey, I'm sorry, but whether you have a key or not, I'm going to have to escort you out of here." He sounds genuinely sorry for your plight.

Jake, of course, has something smart-alecky to say, like always. "In handcuffs please, Mick."

"Mick, if you can get him to sign these papers, I'll let you run me out of town as fast as you want." You pull the papers out.

“Don’t drag him into this, Linley.” Bullshit. Jake’s the one that dragged Mickey into this. He could have just signed the papers and you’d have left town fifteen minutes after you’d blown in. He wanted to play hardball, hardball is what he’s going to get. You hand the papers to Mick and watch Jake’s expression change even as a smug grin curls your lips.

"Sorry, man. If you're still married, this is her house too. So at most, this is a domestic disturbance. I don’t see anything to arrest anybody for." He turns back to you with a wink. "Unless, that is, Jake hit you. Now, honey, you'll tell me if Jake over there ever hurts you in any way, right? Cause we take that kinda thing seriously now."

Jake's face falls just a little as you glance coolly over his grease streaked face. You’re not sure what he thinks you’re going to say. But the realization feels like a bucket of cold water dumped over your head. He thinks you’re going to lie and say despicable things about him, doesn’t he?

Your voice is soft, softer than it has any right to be."Naw, Mickey. Jake's never hurt me. Not a day in his life."

Jake tries any and every way to get you out of the house. But none of them work until he mentions how Mrs. Garcia's tractor ended up in the pond and how there was an open warrant out for the perpetrator still. That rat bastard.

Now you're sitting in a chair in front of Mickey's desk wearing handcuffs contemplating who you can call to get you out of jail. Mickey's on the phone with his ma, letting her curse you out in Spanish. You don't really have many options. Your dad and Jake are the only two people who'd ever bail you out if you were in trouble. For obvious reasons you can't call Jake. So your dad it is.

You dial the number you've known by heart for most of your life and have barely used for the past seven years and wait. It's only a few minutes before he picks up.

"Hello?" He sounds exhausted, like he does after working a particularly grueling shift at the shop.

"Dad? Surprise, it's Linley!" His voice makes you feel safe.

"Hi, kiddo! This is a surprise! I wasn't expecting to hear from you for a while!" That statement hurts.

"Dad, it's not the call that's the surprise. I'm actually in town." His little intake of breath has tears flooding to your eyes.

"Really? Well, kiddo, you didn't have to call. You can drop by the house anytime you want." After the fight you had before you left, how can he still welcome you home?

"I know, Dad. But that's not why I called. I'm in custody at the Pigeon Creek Police Department."

You can hear his fond smile with every word and it makes your eyes roll. "I should've known you would have already gotten into trouble. I'll be there in fifteen, kiddo. I love you."

You murmur your love back and settle back into the chair to wait. It’s a formality after your dad works through the doors of the Sheriff’s Office to get you out of handcuffs. You may have had to profusely apologize to Mrs. Garcia, but at least you’re not in a jail cell for the night.

Of course, as soon as you’re in your dad’s truck, he lets you have it. Mickey had kindly offered to drop your rental car off, so your bags are in the backseat.

“You just got into town. How in the world did you end up in jail again, huh?” He sounds so relaxed at having rescued his only child from jail. Since this was not an uncommon occurrence in your teenage years, it’s a little shocking that he’s not more worked up about this. After all, you’re twenty-five and an adult. Childish things like getting dragged off to the Sheriff’s office should be behind you.

You shrug as your dad drives you home. The roads are dark, illuminated only by the streetlights spitting out fat pools of golden light. “Jake and his big fat mouth. It’s just a misunderstanding, Daddy.”

“Why don’t you try to fix things with Jake, kiddo?” You sink a little bit deeper into the seat. “I went to all that trouble to pay for that wedding after all.”

“Daddy! That was hardly a wedding! He was hungover, threw up all over my dress and then I had to go to our reception alone, in my puke covered dress while he got to sleep off his hangover. It’s not exactly a wedding I want to remember.” It fills you with disgust to think of the heirloom lace of your Grandmother’s wedding dress getting ruined like that. You’d managed to save it, of course, but it’s something you still haven’t forgotten. That first night should have been the first evidence that you and Jake would never work out. But you were young and stupid and in love. So you disregarded every bit of evidence until something big enough came up that you couldn’t ignore anything anymore.

“He’s a good guy. Just give him another chance!” This is why you fought with your dad before you left. He’s always been fond of the Seresins. He has been since your ma skipped out on you both when you were two years old. His soft spot for Jake is so strong that he never sees anything wrong with a single decision he makes - including throwing up on his baby girl on her wedding day and everything else that went wrong afterwards. He’s never once been willing to see that maybe Jake was a little bit to blame as well. But no, that dubious honor only ever went to you.

“You always side with him, daddy! He’s the son you’ve never had, I know. But I’m your daughter. Your only daughter and you don’t even care to know what I’ve been doing with my life?!” Your breathing is a little ragged. This is why you’ve never come home over the past seven years. Why would you when your dad had something better, someone better than you in the boy you’d lost everything to? The hand that covers yours is warm and jolts you out of the impending spiral your thoughts try to yank you into.

“Alright, sweetheart, tell me what’s going on.” You’re not sure whether he’s just humoring you, but now’s your chance to tell him. How he’ll take the news and whether he’ll be okay with it, you don’t know. But you have to tell him.

“I… met somebody. He’s a catch. He’s in politics, his family is in politics, and I love him.” Your dad doesn’t so much as blink. The radio’s off and you sit in silence, trying to gain control over your fraying emotions.

It’s not until you’re back in the house that you pickup the conversation again.

“He asked me to marry him, daddy. It’s why I needed to talk to Jake. He needs to finally give me that divorce.” Your dad tugs you onto the sofa and takes your hands in his own.

“Are you sure about him, kiddo?” Your dad’s green eyes look deep into your own. A lot of you may be Pete Mitchell, but the one trait of his you never inherited were his eyes. Your eyes are your mama’s, and most of the time you’re glad her eyes are the only part of her you’ve inherited.

“I - I don’t know, Daddy. He makes me happy when I’m with him. He makes me happier than I have been in a long time.” You’re so confused. Coming back to Pigeon Creek was supposed to be easy. You sit with your dad on the overstuffed sofa facing the tv for a long while. The silence is draining, but you can’t force yourself to get up and walk away or break it.

It’s your dad who breaks the tense hush overtaking the living room. “Alright, kiddo. If he makes you happy then that means that he’s automatically got my approval. All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy. We’ll see what we can do about Jake. But right now, your old man needs to get into bed. It’s been a long day for me, and I’m sure it’s been just as long for you. Why don’t you head to bed?” Your nod is mechanical as you walk into your childhood bedroom and lay down. You’re asleep in minutes, but your sleep is anything but satisfactory.

All of a sudden you're thirteen, fifteen and seventeen again, noticing the changes in your best friend, noticing how all the girls see him in a way only you've ever seen him before. You remember the urge to ensure he loved you as much as you loved him. You still remember his words from the day you and Jake were struck by lightning, "Will you marry me, Linley?"

Ten year old you was an idiot. Jake Seresin, quarterback and All-American heart-throb, wanted you to marry him and you told him no. It's a decision you kick yourself over every now and again, especially when you see Mindy Jefferson making out with Jake behind the bleachers one afternoon. Is it possible to be both jealous and sad at the same time? Because that's what you are.

You spend most of your senior year of high school feeling like that. The night of the last football game of the year is when everything changed. You'd hitched a ride with Jake home, and Pigeon Creek is not the biggest town. You should've guessed something was up when he drove the opposite direction from home. When he kissed you, you'd melted. When he pulled you into the bed of his truck you went willingly. And when he made love to you under the stars, you climaxed with tears in your eyes.

There were tears of a completely different kind in your eyes as you sat in your bathroom with a multitude of drugstore pregnancy tests on the counter in front of you three months later. You had to tell Jake and your dad and his mom. Obviously all of Pigeon Creek knew within an hour. That was why you'd married Jake. For the baby that was half of you and half of him. Other than the aforementioned reception incident, the two of you settled into matrimonial bliss quite easily. Jake gave up his dreams of pro football, deferring college to work at the tire factory. You had taken in mending, sewing, and darning to help.

As your belly grew, so did your happiness. At least until the night you woke up to red streaking your thighs and staining the bed sheets. After you lost your baby, you weren't sure how to be with Jake, not anymore. He tried to be strong for you, be your rock when you were grieving. But it was just putting more stress on your relationship. You weren’t sure you could ever be enough for Jake, not anymore. The fissures in your relationship became suddenly, wholly apparently clear.

So one day, while Jake was at work, you'd left a note on the bedside table along with your wedding ring and gone to see your dad. You told your dad why you were leaving, fought with him when he objected to your decision and bought a bus ticket to New York with everything you owned in a bag. You've never told another soul why you left, though you’re sure most of Pigeon Creek could assume the reason why, especially considering how you’d been rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. You're not sure that even Jake knows the real reason why you left. It wasn't the fights or yelling or how Jake wanted you to stay home when you wanted to chase your dreams, either. It was because you couldn't face him after your body had destroyed the one thing you loved more than Jake - the one thing you only had because of Jake.

Ancient history clouds your thoughts when you wake up the next morning. Your head is in a fog of what was. More than ever you're filled with the urge to leave Pigeon Creek, maybe for good. But first you need to make a couple of phone calls, withdraw some change from the bank and go talk to Jake again. Maybe this time you’ll finally walk away with the divorce signed? If only it could be so easy.

I DO NOT CONSENT TO HAVE MY WORK POSTED, TRANSLATED, OR PUBLISHED ON ANY SITES OTHER THAN HERE, ON WATTPAD, OR ON AO3 BY ME. IF YOU SEE MY WORKS ANYWHERE OTHER THAN HERE, ON WATTPAD, OR AO3, THEN THEY HAVE BEEN POSTED WITHOUT MY PERMISSION AND I WILL BE WORKING TO TAKE THEM DOWN.

Taglist:

@sarahsmi13s @atarmychick007 @the-romanian-is-bae @lt-spork @buckysdollforlife @blackwidownat2814 @praline357 @seitmai @cheyrenee @trickphotography2 @abaker74 @marrianena-library @angelbabyange @temptest13 @kmc1989 @im-an-adult-ish @chaoticassidy @inkandarsenic @lynnevanss @shanimallina87 @khaylin27 @mizzzpink @emma8895eb @hookslove1592 @desert-fern @horseshoegirl @thedroneranger @roosterforme @dakotakazansky @cherrycola27 @mak-32 @beyondthesefourwalls

#star writes #top gun fanfic #top gun fanfiction #top gun maverick fanfic #top gun maverick fanfiction #top gun imagine #sweet home alabama #a top gun au #star's sweet home alabama top gun au #jake hangman seresin x oc #hangman x oc #jake seresin x oc #bradley bradshaw x oc #rooster x oc #bradley rooster bradshaw x oc

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silverskye13 · 1 year

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can i ask how you get the motivation to write? ive been writing for most of my life but i have such a hard time sticking with it

Honestly it just comes from the overwhelming desire to create. In a perfect world, I would rather animate or make comics, but my life is short on time, so I write instead. I can take my fic with me everywhere, squeezing in writing time while in lines or alone in the office or whatever. It's versatile.

For long projects specifically, it helps to have a plan. You don't have to outline everything [though I know people who do that]. Knowing you have a premise and a major climax somewhere is sufficient. The premise is interesting to you, the major climax is the very cool finish line you want to cross. Setting that goal of "write until you write the thing you desperately want to write" keeps me going. It's why I write chronologically instead of cherry picking scenes I have ideas for and then filling in the blanks later. I treat those scenes like they're dessert. You want it? Work for it :3 not to say cherry picking is a bad thing. I know plenty of people it works for. I just know myself, and if I give myself the fun payoff when I want it, I won't slog through the rest.

In the shorter term other things that help:

Making music playlists or mood boards or whatever. Give your brain a reason to keep picking at the story outside of the story context. Make it fun to work on. Don't feel like writing but don't want to forget you have a project? Add songs to the playlist, look up photos for setting inspiration, make a Tumblr tag for quotes. It has the added bonus of helping your story along, and giving you a reason to make the world and characters better.

Don't be afraid to drop it. Like, seriously. I know this whole post is about motivation, but nothing kills a project more than getting insanely guilty about said project. You're allowed to take days, weeks, months, years to rest on a project. Just because you put it down doesn't mean it'll stay down, and agonizing over putting it down will just ensure it's harder to pick up again. If you're staring at a project and you would rather do literally anything but work on it, don't work on it.

Uhm, counter to that, if it's been awhile and you're scared to start again? Just write gibberish. I have a section on every large document called "cut pieces" where I slam out the most dogshit writing and after I get warmed up, I cut it and put it at the bottom of the doc. For two reasons. The first being you've got the swing of things so you can get rid of all the practice you did getting to that point. The second being it might not be as bad as you think it is. Someday you're gonna remember that dialogue, and you're going to want to salvage it.

Keep aids handy! Especially for things that bring you trouble. For me it's descriptions. I love descriptions, but I often have trouble thinking up good ones or I have something specific in mind I can't nail down, or I've been staring at a wall for an hour trying to think of a good way to describe clouds and I can't. So I keep a description document, full of descriptions from books I've read or previous ones I've written, that I can use as a jumping off point. It speeds things up, keeps me from dithering on something stupid, and sometimes someone already described the perfect cloud, yanno? [As before so again, if anyone wants my description document, feel free to ask. It's massive and it's organized.]

Never stop at the end of a chapter. Well, you can stop at the end of a chapter sometimes it's 2am and you just wanna write [Chapter 11] on the header and go to bed. But normally I like to keep writing a few more paragraphs? So when I start [Chapter 11] I'm not staring at a blank page. Blank pages will always win a staring context. Put an I there so it blinks instead.

Change your document color. Like the paper color? White is so mean sometimes. My screen is black with white text. Other writers I know swear by lavender or green. White is just so hard to break man there's just something about it.

Last one but, keep reading. Like, why do you want to write? Because you want to tell a story sure, but why do you want to tell a story? Well, probably because you read a good one somewhere, and you want to give other people that "I read a good story" feeling. So keep reading. One of the most motivating things you can do is remind yourself why you're slaving over a hot keyboard.

.... And this got very long sorry :'D

Hope this? Helps?

#answering asks #anonymous #the barking writer #writing advice #also sorry if this sounds stilted or theres spelling errors #its midnight and my sleep aids are dragging me to hell as we speak #i can barely keep my eyes open #forgive me if any of this is incoheren #writing #reference

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siilvan · 8 months

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fortuna redux

characters (ocs): mylène "petra" scholten de ridder, freya "mini" mactavish

summary: the medic of the 141 suddenly becomes two.

genre: general, fluff, light angst?, fem!oc

warnings: semi-proofread, cursing, mentions of canon-typical violence, mild descriptions of blood/injuries, mildly superstitious stuff, they're so sister-coded...

word count: 3k

note: “but navi we want bloodsport” i know babygirls, it’s gonna be my next post 😔 i just need to be cringe with my oc first…

also big shoutout to @sofasoap for giving me the much-needed confidence to write this AND for trusting me with her beloved mini 😌 this is going to get zero notes, but idc, i wrote it for fun lol

you let out a soft breath as you sift through documents, analyzing dossiers and combat records until your eyes burn and beg for a break. it's the season of new recruits, which means late nights, early mornings, and headaches for yourself. why did you offer to train them when price asked?

probably because ghost has a track record of sending new faces running for the hills. as the one-four-one's only other commanding officer, you're the only one fit for the job. fantastic.

after a much needed break – that consisted of you laying back in your chair with a damp cloth over your eyes – you grab the next document off the pile on your desk and scan it like you did with every other. you stop short before you even finish reading the name at the top, though.

freya mactavish.

surely, it can't be...

you flip through the pages of the dossier, blinking at the information that only served to confirm your suspicions. scottish, twenty-two years old, combat medic, has an older brother in the special forces...

"no fucking way." you mumble, staring at the picture attached to the file. you recognize her from pictures that soap's shown you over the years – she is, without a doubt, the "mini" he's told you so much about. why haven't you heard about the transfer request until now?

when you come across the combat records, the reason is glaringly clear. she hardly passed on all fronts; if she was any other recruit, this file wouldn't have even made it to your desk. she can't match the rest of the team in the field, you'd all end up slowing down to accommodate her. it's nothing that can't be fixed with dedicated training, but with how precious the task force's time is, you simply don't have the time to bring new recruits up to speed.

with a quiet groan, you push back from your desk and gather up the files on her, heading out the door and padding down the hall towards price's office.

you round the corner and spot him unlocking the door, his back facing you.

"captain!" you call out from down the corridor, catching his attention. price turns to look at you, pausing with the door held open as you approach.

"you're up early, petra." he comments, reminding you to glance at the time. five am— shit, you spent the whole night pouring over those files. "got something for me?" he continues, pulling your focus back to him.

you nod, waving the document folder at him. "i've got some questions about one of these recruits."

his eyes flick between you and the folder, before a low chuckle escapes him. "think i might know who you're talking about." he mutters, motioning for you to follow him into his office.

he shuts the door behind you and clicks the lock shut before circling around his desk and settling in his chair. you sit across from him and lay the files out, starting when he nods for you to speak.

"i'm assuming you've connected the dots between the surnames?" you ask, earning an affirmative hum. "you've known soap longer than i have, so maybe this makes sense to you, but—" you flip through the pages of the dossier and slide it towards him, pointing out the large boxes of redacted information with two companies logos plastered at the top of the page. "—i can understand mi6's involvement with this, but what does the cia want with a low-ranking british soldier?"

price leans back in his chair and drags his eyes from the document to you. "it's a long story." he shrugs, pulling a frustrated huff from you.

"come on, price, don't give me that." you reply, shaking your head. "soap's never mentioned anything like this. is there something i need to be worried about if we recruit her?"

his tongue darts out and wets his lips as he lets out a noise, somewhere between a groan and a sigh. "even i don't have all the information, scholten. all i know is that she's damn good at what she does." he sits up straight and thumbs through the dossier, glancing over it like he's already familiar with the contents. he probably is.

"you've been tripling as this team's commander, medic, and medical intelligence expert since its formation. you've already got ghost and myself to handle most of the leadership, but you need someone to help with the rest." he asserts, unclipping the picture from the rest of the stack and holding it up to face you. "you need the assistance and she's reliable. trust me on this."

you blink at the photo, then at him. "she barely passed any of the physical tests – even her marksmanship scores were average at best. there's other medics with better scores, captain. i know we cherish family on this team, but i'm not willing to send someone unequipped onto the battlefield."

price sets the picture down and sighs, low and heavy in his chest. "did you see what she's called?" he asks.

you furrow your brows at him. "something like... what was it, 'lady fortuna?' what does that have to do with this?"

"lady luck, lieutenant. she doesn't look like much on paper, but whenever she's in the field, people always come back. the only person that serves to suffer when she's working is herself." he smiles as a noise of confusion tumbles from your lips.

"never pegged you as the superstitious type," you start, squeezing your eyes shut and pinching the bridge of your nose. "that isn't reassuring, anyway. i can't risk having a soldier, especially family, die under my watch, even if it means the rest of the team makes it home unscathed."

price places a firm hand on your shoulder, jostling you and forcing you to look at him again. "it's your refusal to let her die that'll keep her alive." he mutters, and the plan in his mind finally clicks with you.

she'll keep you from working yourself to death. you'll keep her from dying in her work.

a mutual safety net.

price, you clever bastard.

"you were never going to let me say 'no,' were you?" you cock your head to the side, slumping back in your chair.

he shrugs, mirroring your position and producing a cigar from one of his pockets. "i always respect your judgement." he lights it and places it between his lips. you move to gather the documents and stand, before he snaps his fingers, remembering something. "a transport just picked her up, by the way. she'll be here in a few hours."

you pause mid-action and glower at him. "guess i should get started on the training schedule, then."

⋆⋆⋆

"corporal freya mactavish, reporting for duty, ma'am."

you eye the younger woman curiously, noticing the way she shifts her weight from one foot to the other, shrinking a bit under your scrutiny.

bright blue eyes, just like her brother. she's a few inches shorter than yourself, about five-four according to her files, and you feel yourself soften a bit at the glimmer in her eyes – a soldier desperately wanting to be acknowledged. again, it reminds you of soap.

"so, you're the new recruit?" you regard her with a gentle smile in an attempt to ease her nerves. when she visibly relaxes from her stiff stance, you turn to price. "i'll take care of her, captain."

price uncrosses his arms and chuckles. "don't be so quick to write her off, petra. who knows, she might end up surprising you." he says, tapping your arm and giving mini an encouraging nod, before walking out of the room and leaving the two of you alone.

you turn back to her and rest your hands on your hips, silently studying her again. you don't miss the puff of her chest under her vest when she inhales deeply and opens her mouth to speak.

"you can call me mini, lieutenant," she utters, the stiffness from earlier returning, her shoulders locking up as she stands more straight. "i know i'm not much of a soldier, but..." she trails off, her gaze flitting from yours to the empty space between you.

your brows furrow as you tilt forward. "but?" you repeat, urging her to continue.

she drags her focus back to your face, but still avoids looking directly into your eyes. "my brother's told me a lot of stories about you, and... i swear, i won't disappoint you."

she's sheepish, hands flexing as she confirms her statement, and you almost let the pity you feel flash across your face. she's so similar, yet so different from her brother. every word is said like she has something to prove; to you or herself, you're not sure.

"we'll have to swap stories sometime," you start, stepping closer to place your hands on her shoulders. "soap's always going on about you, he's very proud." you assure her with a gentle squeeze. mini rolls her eyes at it, but smiles nonetheless.

"i hope he hasn't mentioned any embarrassing childhood stories..." she mutters.

you pull back, recalling the many stories the sergeant's told about his family since joining the squad. "just a few. we can share those later, we've got a busy day ahead of us."

⋆⋆⋆

you had hoped the combat records would be out of date, but to your chagrin, they reflected mini's performance well.

her shots are hitting the target... most of the time, at least. you've had to correct her stance and grip more than once, give her several basic tips— so now, you're standing behind her, eyeing the target over her shoulder, your fingers twitching at your sides as you watch her form slip again. before you can correct it, however, she pauses and shifts, fixing her posture and adjusting her grip on her rifle.

it's been three hours, but she's showing some improvement, you think to yourself, the edges of your lips twitching up.

mini lowers her gun after emptying another clip and lifts the headphones from her ears, turning to you. "what do you think?" she asks, searching your face for approval.

you take off your own headphones and step closer, squinting at the target. most of the bullet holes lie around the edges, near misses, or scattered around the torso of the silhouette. there's a handful of headshots, but for three hours of work, it isn't enough.

"you're getting better," you sigh, facing her once more. her face drops and you rub the side of her arm in a small attempt at comfort. "you just need more practice, is all. that's why i'm here."

she huffs and shakes her head, setting her rifle on the counter. "you're supposed to be leading me in the infirmary and the field, not holding my hand through the basics, lieutenant." she complains in a low grumble, crossing her arms tight over her chest. your eyes narrow as your hand drops back to your side; you know her frustration lies with her performance, not you.

mini trails close behind your right shoulder, listening intently as you rattle off the list of activities for the day. basic marksmanship, physical tests, close-quarters combat... things that the rookies even younger than her are working on.

"you aren't going to be seeing as much action as the boys or myself, but you still need to be capable enough to defend yourself if necessary." you say, stopping in front of the door to the shooting range.

she hums, standing in front of you. "i know i'm not as skilled as the rest of you, but i can hold my own." she replies, furrowing her brow.

"i'm not clearing you for duty until you show some major improvement." you assert. her eyes widen, pupils turning into small saucers, before the crease in her forehead returns.

"lieutenant, you can’t—"

"i can," you state, perhaps a bit too stern, as the rest of her rebuttal immediately dies on her tongue. "price put you under my watch for a reason. i can't in good conscience send you out underprepared." you continue, softening to a low murmur.

mini merely stares at you, the gears turning in her head. after several seconds of this, finally, she relents with a barely-audible exhale.

"let's do this, then."

the sound of an irritated groan brings you back to the moment. you look just in time to see mini lean back against a nearby wall, her head tilting back and knocking lightly against the surface. she shuts her eyes and breathes in deeply, prompting you to go quiet as she steadies herself.

once her eyelids flutter open again, you speak. "let's take a break, yeah?" you give her a tight-lipped smile. "we can worry about the physical and close-combat tests later. we have plenty of time."

mini eyes you for a few seconds, deep blue irises swimming with about a hundred different emotions, cascading across the surface like waves crashing against jagged rocks during a storm. you've never seen so much conflict in soap, even in his worst times – whatever she's feeling clearly goes deeper than irritation over slow progress.

"how about we hang out? get to know each other a bit?" you suggest, brushing past the observation.

she seems to ease up at your words, her fingers interlacing in front of herself as she silently considers a response. a short, yet eager, nod of her head brings a more genuine smile to your lips.

you find yourself comfortably settled in on one of the worn couches in the common room after cleaning up the range, leaning back against the arm of the couch to face mini as you talk to her, mug of steaming tea in-hand.

"johnny's never been pleased with me following in his footsteps," she confesses after taking a healthy sip of her tea, her legs crossed under the blanket you haphazardly slung across your laps.

you hum, lowering your mug to rest atop your knee. "can't blame him. once you're in this field, you stop wanting your family close." you chuckle, before adding, "i wasn't particularly happy when my brother joined the forces, so i get where he's coming from."

mini grumbles into the rim of her cup and sends you a half-hearted glare. "i'm perfectly capable, though." she mutters, earning another curt laugh from you.

"i'm not saying you're not – even though there's still a lot to improve on – but, think about his perspective." you lean forward, motioning with your hands as you continue. "his little sister, who sounds very prone to injury and bad luck, going into such a dangerous line of work? i'm surprised he doesn't have you attached to his keychain."

you both pause, waiting to see who concedes in the argument first, before another thought crosses your mind. "speaking of luck," you start, catching the raised brow she sends your way. "ever since i read your files, i keep hearing about this whole 'lady fortuna' thing. even the captain's pretty convinced you're lucky."

another beat of silence passes as you both sip on your tea. you eye mini curiously as her eyes dart anywhere but your face, avoidant, but not nervous by any means.

"i don't want to sound like i'm bragging, especially in front of you," she trails off, only perking up again once you dismiss her concerns with a wave of your hand. "i guess, uh... i've been told that i've got this knack for bringing soldiers home unscathed, even on dangerous operations that should end with casualties. it's become something of an urban legend." she says, eyes settling on the steam rising from her cup.

"and yet, you are always getting injured. guess the luck comes at a price, huh?" you comment off-handedly.

her mug lightly clacking against the table nearby catches your focus, drawing you back to her as she wrings her hands together.

"when one person's fortune rises, another falls," she utters, looking focused as ever as the words leave her lips. "bearing misfortune is the cost of giving good fortune to those around me."

for a second, you almost think she's joking. harmless superstitions exist everywhere in life, but this is a new for you – not only is mini convinced of it, but even the captain believes it to some extent.

when her eyes drag up to meet your gaze, you feel a pang in your chest.

the zero-sum game. one party's advantage is equal to another's disadvantage. mini's misfortune is equal in value to the good fortune of those around her. what could possibly match the value of saving lives, though?

death isn't the opposite reaction; to lose the fortune entirely is a worse fate. suffering is a fate worse than death for the benefactor— it's perpetual, iterative, something that would stick around for the rest of her life. save a life and have your own ruined, it's an equal trade. you set your cup aside and reach forward to wrap your hands around hers, holding them in a loose grip.

"let's split the cost." you murmur.

mini blinks at you, confused. "what?"

you squeeze her hands gently, warming when she mirrors it. "there's no sense in one person bearing the world's misfortune alone. i'll carry some of it and you'll save some of that luck for yourself."

she shakes her head and retracts her hands, sitting up straight and leaving you leaning forward. "i don't think that's how it works, lieutenant. it's not something you can just give or take." she stutters out, stifling a nervous chuckle.

"it works that way if we say it does. you can give out as much luck as you need and we'll bear the burden of it together." you take another sip of your tea and let out a low sigh. "i won't take 'no' for an answer, from you or from fate." you add a moment later.

mini giggles, finally giving in with an affirmative nod and a "yes ma'am" escaping her amidst the giggles.

you don't believe in superstitions about luck or fate. the choices a person makes is what defines them, not a third party pulling the strings. however, if it'll bring her some comfort, then you're happy to bear whatever misfortune you can. at the end of the day, keeping your team safe is more important than shallow beliefs.

as a bright grin crosses her face, you make a silent vow with yourself.

you won't let her suffer.

whatever it takes, you'll bring her home safe.

#call of duty #cod #cod mw2 #mw2 #call of duty fanfic #cod fanfic #cod fic #cod fanfiction #cod original character #cod oc #cod ocs #task force 141 #tf 141 #mylène “petra” scholten de ridder #freya “mini” mactavish #sylph.writes

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smalltownfae · 11 months

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Honest question: do you think visual reading affects the speed at which someone reads a certain book?

I honestly think it does. From all of my interactions with people that read fast it turned out that at least 90% of them have aphantasia. It also makes logical sense to me that someone that creates the visuals in their head and sometimes sound and everything takes more time reading a book than someone that doesn't experience that because brain is super busy at that moment. How fast can you really be if you are experiencing a book as if it was a movie?

For those that can vizualise and read fast do you just hear the sound as if it was at 2.0 speed or higher like with an audiobook? Or do not hear the sounds at all and it's just visuals? I can go through descriptions faster because it's just painting the scenery but when I get to the dialogue I go back to the speed in which I talk because I hear the voices of the characters.

I know people have different experiences with this and I find it fascinating. I seldom imagine real people, but I know a lot of readers cast actual actors and such in their own personal movie in their heads and that seems so neat. Backgrounds to me are usually a little blurry but I imagine a fiction book as if it was an animated movie. When listening to an audiobook I am not able to imagine every scene properly because I speed it up so I get bits and pieces and overall is not as much of an enjoyable experience. Another reason why I can't really do rereads on audiobook is because I authomatically go "oh no! This is not how the character sounded in my head".

Anyway, feel free to tell me how do you process your reading :D

#booklr #aphantasia #also it seems like people with aphantasia are a minority and most people visualize at least something in some way #this subject is just fascinating to me

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protege-not-protagonist · 5 months

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Criminal Minds: The Protégé Chapter 4

Ch 4: My Brother's Keeper Pt. 1

Blurb: After meeting with Dr. Reid, Grace is called away on a case with the team to a double Homicide of children with excessive overkill. It doesn't take long to establish that This Unsub will kill again if not caught soon. But as Grace works the case, certain aspects of it stir up a past she would rather forget. Meanwhile Spencer can't help but start working on the victimology of this new possible serial killer back home.

Masterlist

Previous Chapter

Audience: mature audience for depictions of violence and sexual references

Author's Note: if you see a trigger warning that concerns you, you can scroll to end and I'll have a brief description what happens. I think that system should work well cause then those who don't want spoilers don't have to read the trigger warnings at the start and get spoiled. Also my apologies to Groton South Dakota. I'm sorry I'm sure your a lovely town, I just threw a dart on the map and looked for a small town in that area. No offense.

TW: Ableism, child death, violence, gore, crime scene depiction, kidnapping.

Quantico, FBI Runway Tarmac Thursday July 2023 1:32 pm

‘Sorry,’ Grace apologised as she entered the jet, ‘It’s worth the wait trust me.’ She turned behind her and gestured to the two people who followed her up the stairs, ‘This is my friend Agent Stiller, from Forensics…’

A neatly dressed young man with dark skin and round glasses smiled widely and offered his hand to the rest of the team, ‘You can just call me Avery, nice to meet you guys, I’ve heard a lot about the lofty sixth floor. Didn't know you guys had a jet.’ That earnt a few laughs from her team.

Grace turned to the older redheaded woman who still stood at her side. ‘And this is our associate, Dr Boland, she's an expert Forensic Anthropologist with the Smithsonian. She taught me everything I know.’

'Well, I don't think that's quite true, Grace,' Dr Boland chuckled slightly and turned to the team offering a small wave, ‘Nice to meet you all, although I wish it were under better circumstances.’

‘Thank you for joining us on short notice, we appreciate having you both on board,’ Prentiss welcomed them, ‘Take a seat where you can find one, budget won’t allow for a bigger jet so we might have to get a little cosy, I’m Section Chief and Acting Unit Chief SSA Prentiss, this is SSA’s Rossi, Alvez, Simmons, Jareau and Dr Lewis, you both know Special Agent Matthews. As soon as we’ve taken off, we’ll start running through what we've got so far.’

The jet started taxiing along the runway. Without too much surprise, Avery and Dr Boland took the couch seat together. Grace smiled and shot them an encouraging smile up before sitting down next to Rossi.

‘Where did you wander off to today, huh? That's the first time you’ve taken a lunch break longer than 10 minutes. I’m proud of you,’ Rossi nudged her.

Across the table from her, Dr. Lewis and JJ listened in curiously.

‘I was still on site, as I’m sure you will all hear from Alvez in his report-’ she heard Luke snort from the seat behind her. ‘-I went to see Dr Reid.’

Everyone sat up in their chairs, suddenly very focused on what she had to say. She even heard the rest of the team's seats creak behind her.

‘What?’ she asked. It felt like she was unaware of some joke that they had with each other. Had they been taking bets again?

‘Nothing.’ Rossi shrugged, ‘We all miss him. Guess we just wanna know how he's doing, How’d it go?’

The jet shuddered as it sped full speed down the runway. They all paused their conversation as the cabin began to rattle. Rossi gripped the armrest tightly and Grace closed her eyes and enjoyed the stomach flipping sensation. They lifted off the ground and there was the pleasant buzz in her body of adrenalin. She loved take offs. She opened her eyes and there were a few pairs staring back at her, waiting. Oh yeah, they had asked her a question.

‘Fine, it was really good actually. He’s nice, gave me some advice, and he's funny too… It was very… I don’t know.’

‘You two just… gelled well? It would be nice having someone on your level to talk to,’ Dr. Lewis suggested.

Grace let out a nervous chuckle, ‘Oh no, he is way above my level, but… he’s not like other people I've met who are like that.’

Rossi gave her a knowing look, ‘He is the smartest guy in the room but he doesn't lord it over anyone. He doesn’t have a drop of arrogance or conceitedness in him.’

‘Yeah, that’s it,’ she smiled. Rossi was right, probably because he knew who some of the ‘other people’ she was referring to.

‘Well, if you think he is funny, you must be closer to his level than us, cause his jokes often go over our heads,’ JJ remarked and there were a few nods of agreement.

The monitor chimed, and Garcia’s bright personality shone through the screen.

'Hello my crime fighters and special guests! I've got an update, not a good one but still an update.'

'What have you got, Garcia?' Prentiss asked. They all got up and gathered around the second table in the jet that currently had all the files scattered across it.

‘Well, I have nothing folks, I looked for two related persons with Brittle Bone Disease in Groton and surrounding areas, and there are none. I trolled through medical records, but knowing they can be tricky and locked up tight, I went with ER admissions for repeated broken bones, then tried health insurance, then wheelchair and braces purchases, then school enrollments with special needs, nada… whoever these babies are, they aren't local and I can't find them and it's making me so sad.'

‘That's okay, keep working on that list, extend it to nationwide; families with two or more individuals with Brittle Bone who are under 25,’ Prentiss instructed.

‘Oooh, that is a big list,’ Garcia winced.

‘It’s okay, we have Dr Boland and Agent Stiller here, they will help give us more identifying features and we can narrow down the list further as we go along.’ Prentiss assured her. 'But are there any missing persons with Brittle Bone reported?'

Garcia shook her head, 'None reported in the entire country.'

Grace felt her chest ache a bit at the thought of a pair of parents out there unaware their kids were missing, or worse, not caring that they were. She held to that thought.

‘Brittle Bone is debilitating for kids. Most breakages occur before puberty, they would require a high level of care. These are kids you couldn't leave them home alone for long periods of time. They wouldn't be able to walk long distances or play on a playground unsupervised. Even if these victims are in their early teens, and they aren't as vulnerable, they're still someone you would notice missing. If they have not been reported missing, it’s likely that their guardian is also missing,' she suggested.

'Or the unsub themselves,' Alvez countered.

Why hadn’t she considered that? It was more likely.

She winced at the thought, 'I hope not. But yeah that's what statistics would point to, most murders are committed by someone closely related to a victim, even more so with children.'

'Well, if that is not the case…' Simmons pointed to a map of Groton they had on the table, 'Two major routes intersect here the 37 and the 12, there isn’t much in the town, it’s basically a rest stop, we could be dealing with a mobile killer. If our unsub knew the town had little in the way of law enforcement, they could dump the bodies, shock a small town, overwhelm law enforcement and continue driving. They’d be long gone before the cops even figured out what to do, it’s a forensic countermeasure. Have we looked at the Highway Serial Crimes database? Any similar scenes in other states?'

Garcia shook her head, ‘I checked that, and I'm keeping tabs, but I’ve found nothing this severe, or with kids, sorry. Ah… and I see you’re getting ready to look at those photos and I’ll take that as my cue, I’m out. Talk to you later.’

The screen went dark as Simmons laid out some of the photos on the table.

Prentiss turned their guests. ‘Can you tell anything from the photos that will help narrow anything down?’

‘Ah, no, I agree with everything Grace has concluded. An MNI of two. Both victims are definitely under 21. Most likely related, both have OI. Most likely Caucasian; their teeth have no shovelling. I would say these victims are more likely have Type One, but we will have to reconstruct and get stature estimates and bone samples to know that for certain. Unfortunately, I can’t rule out one of our individuals being pre-pubescent either, like Grace observed, their 31 hasn’t erupted. And if the victims do have Type One, it is the only type not known to cause unusual dentition. I believe it is a worse case scenario, one of those victims is around 12 years old.’ Dr Boland reported.

Grace already had known that, but somehow having someone else confirm it, made the cabin's recycled air feel heavy.

Avery sighed, ‘I have nothing to add, except I want to let you guys know, we are pretty good, but we are not miracle workers. I just want to prepare you for the possibility that we may not ID these victims if no relative comes forward with DNA or reports them missing. Soft tissue is obliterated, so we’re going to work with what we can and move to bones. Now, with younger victims, it is harder to determine sex with only skeletal remains, and given the condition they are in, the fragmentation will also make it difficult to determine facial features or distinguishable characteristics. Dr Boland will do what she can and I will assist where I can.’

‘Wait assist? So you’re not a bone and body guy?’ Alvez asked.

The rest of the team looked confused. Grace realised she hadn’t really told them much about who Avery was, or much about her old team, really.

‘I dabble but no, on the second floor, I’m the living people expert,’ he explained.

JJ nodded along with a grin, ‘You’re the team liaison.’

He nodded proudly, ‘I specialise in CSI coordination, organisation, and education for local police. Grace called me because I’ve worked cases like this before. It is possible we are walking into a contaminated crime scene, regional PD’s will be trying to work with one another, there will be press vultures, and we will most likely be doing the reconstruction in a country clinic or even a vet clinic. Agent Prentiss, I know you will be head of this investigation, but if you allow it, I will gladly organise and coach Local PD though evidence collection. I will do my best to make sure all evidence is collected and processed so it is admissible in court, if that's what you want me to do.’

‘That would be a big help, a profile is going to be hard enough with not much victimology to go off, we don’t need to be juggling crime scene management as well,’ Prentiss agreed.

Avery pulled out a business card and passed it around, ‘That’s my number, I'll grab all yours as well. I know how important a profile is in a case like this, I need to know any updates on your profiles immediately. In a small town like this, we will definitely work with volunteers. I’ve been warned that having Feds brought in might excite and Unsub, it’s possible I will be working along side our unsub at some point, so I think it’s good if we stay in touch.’

Rossi nodded with an impressed look on his face, ‘Where do you find these people, kid?’

‘Around. I keep good company,’ she smiled.

‘Okay when we land, we have a 20 minute drive to Groton from the regional airport, JJ, Matthews, Stiller and Dr Boland, I want you to go to the crime scene, make sure they get everything under control. Rossi, Alvez, I want you to question the staff at the golf course where the bodies were found. Simmons, Lewis you're with me, we will go to the station and get a lay of the land. We'll meet at the Gold Stallion Inn by seven. That's where we're being put up. I hope none of you snore, because there are only six rooms some of us are gonna have to share.’

‘Shot not sharing with Rossi,’ Dr Lewis remarked.

‘Hey, I do not snore. And I’ve had three wives who can attest to that,’ Rossi defended.

-------

Somewhere along Route 37, South Dakota, Thursday July 2023 3:30 pm

He looked out the window as the radio played country music. It had been a long time since he had been on a road trip, he’d forgotten what it felt like. The crink in his knees hardly bothered him though. This was too exciting. Fields passed him and he smiled as a herd of cows lazily grazed, watching their minivan drive by.

‘Cows!’ he exclaimed with delight.

No one else in the car shared his enthusiasm. That was okay, his mom and dad had been driving for a long time, they were tired.

But then the woman next to him sobbed.

‘Please, where are you taking us? Where are my boys!’ his mother cried.

His smile retreated. She was ruining it.

‘SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP RIGHT NOW!’ he pressed the gun to her head again.

‘Lilly, it’s okay baby, we’ll be okay!’ Dad called from the driver’s seat. ‘Please don’t hurt her, she just wants to know when we are going to stop.’

The man turned back to look at him and the woman with pleading eyes. It was good that Mom and Dad loved each other. If only they would love him as much. This was supposed to be a family road trip. They were supposed to be a happy family now. Why didn’t they love him?

‘We stop when I say we can, and you’ll see your boys again, soon enough,' he promised, and he wasn’t lying this time.

This Mom and Dad weren't right, his brothers weren’t right. He’d find the right ones one day. But he supposed he had to value what little time left he had with this family, it was supposed to be fun wasn’t it? He lowered the gun as the road sign loomed up ahead and he smiled. They were nearly there.

‘Ooh, let’s play a game… I spy, with my little eye, something, beginning with… M.’

--------

Groton SD, Golf Course, Thursday July 2023 3:58 pm

'Deputy Mitchell?' JJ asked as the four of them climbed off the golf cart and approached a middle-aged man guarding a large tarp spread over the ground.

'You the feds?'

‘Agents Jareau, Matthews, and Stiller, and our forensic expert Dr Boland.' JJ introduced, pointing out each one.

'Well, thought you'd be all suited up with earpieces, but I'm glad you're here. Body is under here.' He lifted the tarp partially and they all braced themselves. 'Groundsman found it here this morning, Jesus,' the deputy winced and turned away.

'When did the call come in?' JJ asked.

‘That was about six this morning... Look, other than putting the tarp on and doing a search of the grounds, we haven't done anything else. This is way over our heads. We are a small community. People come here cause it’s quiet and nothing happens, we don’t have resources, certainly not for this. Heck, I’m not even sure how we are going to move the body. We asked the regional centre, Aberdeen, for help. They took one look and told us to contact you guys, but they’re sending us their CSI team. They just radioed that they are a few minutes away.'

Avery began to talk about how they were logistically going to go about this. JJ asked questions about what time people usually played golf, and the opening times of the course. She zoned out and peeled the tarp back fully, and Dr Boland jumped to help.

Immediately it was clear the victims were killed right here. This wasn't a dump sight. Blood spatter was caked all over the grass.

Dr Boland opened her field kit and began taking the ambient temperature, following procedure. Grace however became focused on the thing she hadn't been able to tell from the photos; how was this done.

She fixed her glasses on the nose and knelt down next to the bodies.

'Hello, I'm Agent Grace Matthews, I'm just going to examine you to see what happened, okay? Then we will get you both somewhere safe and put you together so we can bury you okay?'

She always spoke to the bodies. She knew the others on the team thought it was weird. She even felt weird talking to them this time, it was hard to even recognise them as human in the state they were in. But that’s why she had to do it, especially at a scene like this.

It was a habit she started at her first job after she left school and she kept it up when she went into forensics. The practice was quite normal in some fields. It was a humanising technique that gave dignity to a body while acting as a coping strategy for the living person. They taught it at the academy, but few practiced it.

'And I'm Dr Boland, I’m Grace’s friend. I will be putting you together and running tests. I will work as fast as I can.' Dr Boland introduced herself, not missing a beat. Grace looked to her in surprise. The doctor only smiled warmly back at her as if to say, “it's not weird at all.” And kept setting up the scene for the investigation.

Grace turned her attention back to the gore and clasped her hands together and hugged them under her chin; it was time to focus. This is what she was here for, this is what got her into the FBI.

Her eyes darted across the mess and searched for repeated patterns or familiar shapes. Amongst the clumps of flesh, splinters of bone and bloody strips of cloth that would have been clothes, she looked for large pieces that were still relatively intact. A long bone, or perhaps the outline of where the clothes would have sat, hopefully. She moved around, searching from every angle for something recognizable. Eventually, the two bodies began to appear. She could identify different sections of a body and her mind filled in the blanks or rearranged into the form it was supposed to take. The two had died next to each other; one face down, one face up.

Two fragmented bones stuck out to her. A snapped the ulna and radius. Attached to it she found a bit of skin that was bruised and dented in a rough crescent shape.

The scene flashed in her mind;

A young voice cried out as they were hit in the back of the head with the bludgeon, their skull shattered immediately, they fell face first into the grass and their jaw dislocated, which allowed the mandible to remain relatively while the overkill was exerted. This was the younger one. When they hit the ground, the other older one turned to the assailant, who was already swinging the weapon at him now. They raised their arm in defence to block the first blow of a rounded heavy object swinging at them. Their forearm shattered immediately. They fell to the ground, and the blows kept coming in a frenzied rage from the man standing above them. They died relatively quickly. But the unsub wanted to humiliate and disfigure them further, he beat them for what must have been hours.

She shook the scene from her mind and focused now on the weapon.

It was flexible and heavy yet did not leave a uniformed mark. It was malleable and, given the frenzied blitz attack; improvised.

She racked her brain, an improvised weapon on a golf course. It would have to be a club right? But it couldn't be; a golf club wasn't the right… anything. Shape, size, weight distance from the attacker; it was all wrong. This damage was more like a mediaeval mace, something heavy that could be swung but didn’t have much reach- yet, not solid? She stood up and wandered around, deaf to the world as she searched for an object that would fit the disruption.

'Hey Agent Matthews… Matthews… Grace. Grace!’ Dr Boland called to her.

‘Yes?’ she turned around

‘If you're heading over there to the bunker can you get a sample of the sand please?' Dr Boland asked.

She nodded and pulled out a test tube from her forensics field kit. She knelt down and scooped up some sand from the bunker. It was really fine sand, not like the natural sand that was about the town. This stuff would get everywhere if I fell over right now, she thought to herself. Then she had a little giggle to herself, it would get everywhere, but it wasn’t rough, or course, it was powdery and fine. Like Anakin Skywalker, she disliked sand, which was unfortunate, having grown up on a tropical island. She also hated golf courses. In her opinion, and her father’s, they were a waste of space. Swathes of nature manicured into useless fields to chase a ball in. The amount of habitat destruction, water wastage and land metamorphosis places like this went through was… she halted.

The sand wasn't from here.

It was brought here, and you buy sand in bags and sand bags are heavy and malleable. And she knew firsthand, you can scale a sandbag down and make the tried-and-true homemade truncheon with little effort.

She ran back over the body and pulled out her magnifying glass, inspecting a depression that would have been caused by a blow. Sure enough, she could make out a few fibres and sandy particulates in the wound. She pulled out a swab taking a sample.

‘Dr Boland, there are fibres and particulates in these wounds, make sure to get some samples before you clean the bones, have you established a baseline yet?’

‘Yeah, it's that flag there,’ she pointed to the peg in the ground and continued laying out measuring guides getting ready to take scaled photos. Grace stood next to the baseline, took out her tablet, snapped a photo and drew an outline with her stylus.

'I got a rough indication of where the victims are lying. I'll do a diagram, that way you can have a rough starting point for the reconstructions.’ She drew outlines of the victims over the photos and labelled them One and Two and hit send.

Dr Boland glance at her tablet smiled, 'This is great. I've never seen you work out side the lab before.'

'Well I do this quite often, I think it would be more accurate to say I've never seen you work out side a lab before,' Grace grinned.

'True, the field is not usually my scene, especially when the site is this recent. But I just wanted to say, the field, it suits you. You seem... more free.' The doctor remarked.

Another golf cart approached carrying a uniformed officer and a few people in CSI jackets; the team from Aberdeen.

‘Looks like the Cavalry's arrived.’

‘Go, catch this guy, we’ve got this,’ Dr Boland nodded, holding out her hand.

Grace frowned at her and reached to shake it.

Dr Boland laughed and shook her hand back, ‘As much as I appreciate that you are comfortable enough to shake my hand, I actually was after the samples you collected, I need to catalogue them.’

‘Oh. right,’ Grace nodded and handed them over. ‘What do you recon? If we catch this guy by Saturday, will you be up for Sunday Study Brunch?’

Dr Boland smiled at her, ‘Well with your diagram here, it should make it easier to reconstruct. I’ll say, we’re on at this point. I’ve got a new stack of possible US soldiers from Bataan, circa 1940s, that I could use help cataloguing, unless you want to work more on your thesis?’

Grace sighed, ‘Not yet, I’m still stuck. Cataloguing Soldiers it is then. I’ll see you and Avery tonight, I’ll keep you in the loop, but I have to brief JJ, and the team. I’ve got a weapon and a few details.’

--------

Leaving one car with Avery and Dr Boland at the scene, JJ and her met up with Rossi and Alvez after they finished the staff interviews.

‘Anyone stick out?’ JJ asked.

‘Nope,’ Rossi shook his head. ‘All of them have alibis.’

‘Grounds man was a bit too into lawn, but none of them seemed off at all.‘ Alvez added. ‘What if this guy is a worse case scenario; just a random guy with victims of opportunity who motored out of here like Simmons said?’

JJ sighed, ‘Well, apparently opening hours are seven to seven, and people would only interact with staff and leave a record if they paid for entry, or hired equipment or a cart. Most locals have an annual pass, so they don’t need to pay for entry. Not that it’s really barred at all, there is no fence, no security or CCTV. Anyone could walk onto the course at any time. What could you tell from the bodies?’

They all looked to her.

‘It was a blitz attack followed by post mortem overkill. After the initial attack the unsub continued to beat them to humiliate and dehumanise them. There was no attempt to conceal the bodies; there is no remorse. The Unsub, is a man, given the strength, and probably under 30, immature and emotionally stunted. The attack was disorganised and full of rage. It seems personal, if the unsub didn’t know these kids, he must be using them as surrogates,’ she reported.

‘Now that kinda rage at two random defenceless disabled kids makes me think we could be looking at a hate crime; like extreme ableism,’ Alvez surmised darkly.

‘Ugh, can this guy get any worse,’ JJ murmured.

Grace gave her a sympathetic look. JJ hid it well but Grace could tell, she was very shaken by this case. She had said very little the entire time. Anything with kids was hard, especially on JJ, but this level of brutality was something else entirely.

‘You said the attack was disorganised, are you implying that he is organised in another aspect?’ Rossi turned to her.

‘Yes well, I may have some good-ish news in that department,’ Grace nodded, ‘The weapon was an improvised truncheon. Now improvised weapons usually indicate a disorganised individual, but on this occasion the weapon actually shows the opposite. He used something that requires criminal sophistication. This guy used a sock filled with sand. It’s a simple but effective weapon. It's not one that comes to mind unless you’ve been in a situation where you’ve had to learn to make a weapon out of nothing before,’ she smiled proudly. They continued to look at her, confused, so she elaborated; ‘I think this guy’s been to prison. Which means he’s in the system, we can find him.’

Rossi’s phone rang and he answered after a quick glance at the Caller ID. ‘Yes? Yeah everyone’s here, yeah I’ll put you on speaker hang on-’ Rossi held his phone out, and they gathered around it, ‘-Go ahead Emily.’

‘I have bad news and worse news. The bad news is there are only five rooms at the inn, so more of us are going to have to share. The worse news is that there are only five rooms because room one’s key was left in the drop box this morning before the office opened and the guests’ car was gone. Now the manager assumed they had checked out, but when the cleaner arrived this afternoon, the Giles family’s belongings were still inside the room.’

‘Well, that’s not good,’ Rossi voiced what they were all thinking.

Grace's mind raced, it made sense why they weren’t reported missing; this family was on vacation, they weren’t expected to be anywhere. The Unsub still had the parents, they couldn’t report the kids missing, they might not even know their kids are dead.

Prentiss continued, ‘Hotel manager says the Giles family were a family of four staying one night. Mom, dad and two boys, one around 15, one around 12 with crutches. Garcia got the 411 on them, the Giles are originally from Minneapolis, she can confirm the boys and the father have type one Brittle Bone Disease. Garcia is searching for their car as we speak. We also have moved our base of operations to the inn and called in State troopers to meet us and the sheriff there. We need to give the profile as soon as possible; we’re dealing with a family annihilator.’

-------

Next Chapter

Note: Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this and that you like Avery and Dr Boland, we'll be seeing them and a few other OCs a fair bit in this story. If you love it, or even just like it, please leave a comment and/or like, it is much appreciated and it really motivates me.

TWs:

Ablesim: this is the big one. Unsub is targeting physically disabled people and it is suggested that these murders could be hate crimes. It is not explored why the unsub has this view point in this chapter but it doesn't really matter. It's never justifiable at all to hate like that. unsub is horrible and delusional. Be warned for ick factor.

Child death: sadly the victims are kids.

Violence, gore, crime scene depiction: these all go together, I don't think I'm too graphic, but Agent Matthews goes to the crimes scene and she replays the events in her head. it's a brief depiction of how the children were murdered.

Kidnapping: there is a scene with our unsub who is currently with the kids' parents, who have been kidnapped. He threatens them and is just generally creepy.

#oc #OC Grace Matthews #BAU #criminal minds #mentor spencer #big brother spencer #spencer gets a happy ending #the protege #the protege chapter 4 #fanfic #my fic #criminal minds case #spencer reid

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irambletoomuch · 5 months

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MUST READS

These are fanfiction that I feel like are must reads. Separated by Fandom. Enjoy!

MCU

🐐Death Before Inaction is literally one of the best Peter Parker fics I've ever read, if you want skewed dynamics, no slash, an OP Peter, and really good story telling this is for you.

The Anomaly is an amazing Into the Spiderverse fic that really goes into Miles character and how giving up; doing everything in your power to prevent something and then it happens anyways, can destroy you and change your perspective. And on the other side how choices can make you regret them.

Bound by a Promise to the Moon is an Avengers work that is focused on characters and relationships between people who have drifted apart. It is IronStrange but nothing in your face for the most part 💀 you can skip those parts if you don't like it😁. It really is worth the read though.

Crossovers

Gaming Spider is a MCU fic that is Peter-centric but be warned because they dropped 8 chapters on the same day in 2022 and haven't updated since. It's so entertaining because Peter just has the Gamer Power (basically Litrpg elements) and grows increasingly stronger after every encounter, and the plot makes sense and isn't only based on the system.

All of the heroes and all of the men, couldn’t save Tommy from getting kidnapped again is such a bias rec on my part, I like crossovers that are done correctly and I was a mcyt and dsmp follower (not really watcher, I can't commit to anything) and this is a story changed by the characters, where the original plot is nothing but a memory to help character development. God I love character development.

BNHA

🐐Parallax is a BNHA fic that is SI and I KNOW BUT HERE ME OUT is basically like if Todoroki was haunted by a physics loving astronomer that made him feel more like someone else, but still kept a lot of what makes him, him. It's so good, like touched me so deeply that I have a hard time explaining it.

A Study In Deceit is a BNHA fic (I know) that is SO FUNNY, basically Bakugou is BBC's Sherlock, but has hid it for all his life, he does cases on the side and turns them in anonymously to the police. It's really good if you're looking for Todoroki and Bakugou friendship.

Foresight now this, this is crack. Want a BNHA fic that speeds through the story in ways that are so funny? Want someone doing something without a clue why? READ THIS. If you know the plot of BNHA it's sometimes easy to guess why he's doing what he's doing but the reactions of other characters is sooo good.

RONIN, ronin, ronin, ronin. This thing is the best ever, BNHA, op Midoriya but now you might be scrolling past, but... It's SO GOOD, BOHB_STEVENS IS A GENIUS this fic was made to practice fighting and ohhhhh did they get plently of practice. If you like fighting scenes that are descriptive, easy to understand, and EXHILARATING read this.

Magneto is an amazingly different BNHA SI fic, where really the story stays the same but I'm a simple person and slice of life interactions can be just as fun as fighting and complicated story telling (the storytelling is good btw) . I think I you want a little angst mixed with mostly good times and crack you should read this.

Pinwheel Eyes is a BNHA if Midoriya had a quirk. But once again the story is original they aren't afraid to make unpopular decisions to keep realism, and he has to win to keep people alive, not just have plot armor. I think if you want amazing fights and to be surprised over and over with how good this is you should read it

Crossovers

🐐A Massacre of One is a BNHA/Worm crossover that is something out of a dream for me. Super long, well written, fight scenes, character development, and well done implementation of other stories elements. With quirks it makes it easy, but still the reactions of others when they figured out what happened is AHHH and the way they make them go through the story is amazing too. Big props to the writer.

Si Vis Pacem is a BNHA/John Wick fic where John Wick (would it be SI?) is reincarnated into Midoriya, and it's pretty good, ngl it updates like 3 times a year so it's been a minute since I've read it, but I remember really liking it.

Be Careful What You Ask Your God is a BNHA and Chainsaw Man crossover where once again (I know I said it wasn't the norm) the characters are the story, here they took a different approach and didn't even focus on the main characters of BNHA and just how the mc's of chainsaw man would live in that world, but the LORE (matpat😭) is interesting.

Misc.

Harry Potter

Porcupine Quills & Potion Spills A Harry Potter (Snape-centric) work. This fic is pretty good, but it's not TOP top tier. The reason it's here is because I've been looking for another fic that has this same idea but none have done it this certain way and I really like the idea. Now it is on Hiatus but its only been a few months, so they'll probably be back (man I hope so).

Crossovers

A Wand for Skitter is a Harry Potter and Worm crossover (if you haven't read worm and appreciate modern sci-fi/eldritch original works you should read it) but the characters are amazing, nothing seems cheap and the ending, THE ENDING it was so good.

Stranger Things

I really didn't mean to hurt anyone is a Stranger Things story that had Steve as Seven. The choices with the way the story is going makes sense and again the characters are so well written. His powers are original and make the story even better and even gets him into some unsavory situations.

Worm

Crossovers

Kuroko's Basketball

Ball Is Life, But You Still Need To Pay Rent before anything, this work is on hiatus (it hasn't updated since 2022) it's a Kuroko's Basketball fic that is a SI but omg this si is not a John Doe he is so out of pocket I'm not gonna spoil it a lot but if you like the anime you should read this you'll have fun.

The Saga of Tanya the Evil

The Chronicles of Tanya the Fuehrer is another Tanya fic where it's after the war ends, the beginning is amazing, she does get a bit ooc in some parts but other than that the story itself is so entertaining and how they describe things and paint a picture is so beautiful.

Crossovers

A Young Girl's Guerrilla War is a Code Geass and The Saga of Tanya the Evil crossover. It's if Tanya died and was reincarnated again into code geass (another war so on brand) it's something special because it feels like an AU, which so many crossovers can't accomplish, they just follow the plot of the story with new characters without changing the world based on their characters actions. This story is Amazing and something that should become a norm within the trope.

Code Geass

Crossovers

MCYT/DSMP

Weapon Reforged is something everyone should experience even if they don't know the fandom (I'm not even gonna say it but don't be pushed off once you see it because the story is original and uses characters simple traits to build new ones off of) it's an amazing work of art that is near and dear to me in a big way, it hasnt updated since 2021 but you have to, HAVE TO read this.

Crossovers

Blue Lock

A Child's Dream is a Blue Lock fic that is the only reasonabley lengthed fic that isn't slash that I have found. Theres a lot of simping for Isagi but that's normal enough. The development is interesting and keeps you engaged and the interactions are funny and so out of left pocket most of the time.

Déjà Vu is a Blue Lock fic that is probably abandoned, but the idea and execution make up for it, it's also short so don't worry about slogging through 100,000 words then figuring out it's abandoned. It's kind of crack-like but more serious than you would expect.

Miraculous Ladybug

(pockets full of) Stones is a Miraculous Ladybug one shot that is somewhat tear inducing and very realistic. Want a AroAce Adrien Agreste? READ THIS

#fanfic #fanfiction #ao3 #chainsaw man #blue lock #mcyt #technoblade #bnha #mcu #peter parker #harry potter #miraculous ladybug #fic rec #stranger things #parahumans #saga of tanya the evil #code geass

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fandomfaeofveryfewf4cks · 7 months

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ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/52424179/chapters/132621133

Mobius stands under that tree for a long time, just watching the house he doesn't remember living in. He's having trouble processing what happened. When they all rebooted the TVA to be about keeping He Who Remains' variants from starting a war, he had something to do to distract him. But that can only work for so long. He needed a change. He needed somewhere quiet to figure out what he really wanted. Because now that he had a choice - a choice that Loki gave everything for him to have - there was no staying behind a desk doing a job anyone else could do. So he left.

He left and quickly realized he didn't have many places to go. He can't just figure out when he got taken from his life on the timeline and go back to that life. He doesn't remember it and as he watches 'Don' with those two boys, he realizes he wouldn't fit in that life anyway. He has been through too much and seen too much to just be able to settle for an ordinary life surrounded by people who wouldn't see him as much more than a stranger in the place of who they once knew. It wouldn't be fair to anyone involved.

But then, what does he do? Sylvie had no trouble finding a place for herself in a world she'd never been in before.

Wait... Sylvie!

Sylvie had been hopping from universe to universe with no limits to what she could do and she eventually found a life for herself and a place she could call home. Maybe Mobius could do the same thing. But that still begs the question: Where should he go? Where is the place that will feel "right" for him, or even just like something he could settle for?

Well, since they don't need to worry about timelines branching any more, there isn't any harm in looking around before making a decision, right?

Now, there's just one more question to ask here: "Where should I go first?"

. . . . .

After jet-skiing for the first time that he can remember, Mobius came to the realization that the ocean spray in his face, the thrill of hopping over a wave, the speed, the taste of salt, and the freedom that jet-skiing gives him...is a little underwhelming.

Like, don't get him wrong, it's fun. There's a rush to it that is so much better than sitting behind a desk as well as a meditative quality to it that, combined with the excitement, gives him a sort of euphoria, but... it feels like there's something missing. It's as though in all those magazines full of admittedly idyllic descriptions, and stories from people who genuinely love these water crafts, there must have been some sort of fine print he forgot to read with instructions that would help make the whole thing worth it.

Oh well. Some dreams just don't turn out like you'd expect them to. That's just a part of life. He'd always imagined he and Renslayer were going to be friends for the rest of time, 'protecting the sacred time line' like the greater good they all thought it was. We saw how that turned out. Don probably thought he and his wife were going to live a normal life and die of old age or diabetes or getting eaten by a shark like normal people. Instead, his wife is gone, and he gets abducted, mind-wiped, brainwashed, and forced into working for what he thought were three space lizards determining the story of the universe. "In hindsight, that is a pretty crazy thing to believe, huh?" Mobius thinks to himself. "Maybe Loki had a better point than I thought, even back then, before he had really started to change."

That was another thing Mobius never expected. Loki has always been known for not being easy to predict. When Mobius was assigned to study his life and question him, it was a little easier not to fall for the facades Loki used to keep it that way.

Loki could be as sneaky and intimidating and threatening as he wanted, but at the end of the day, he mostly just makes things up as he goes along. He's very impulsive, even though he tries to make you think he's always 1000 steps ahead. This is the person who fell through space to presumably never see his homeland again and to land who knows where, so that he could have a dramatic death in front of his father and brother. This is also the person who very easily fell in with the Grand Master's crowd on one of the most chaotic worlds there are. He was D. B. Cooper for fuck's sake, jumping out of a plane, flirting with mortals, and stealing money he doesn't need all as part of a bet he lost to his brother.

Loki switched sides easily depending on what he could get out of it, but you could never trust him to truly be on anyone's side but his own. He also was just a bit of an arrogant dick. At least, all this was what Mobius was led to expect with what he'd read of Loki's life. And he was right. His expectations were fairly accurate on those counts.

But Mobius has a troublesome habit of believing in everyone's potential to be a good person. He didn't allow himself to form any hopes yet, but he still considered it possibly for Loki to actually care about other people. He knew Loki was charming and knew how to read people, meaning he could understand them and maybe relate to them. One of the best ways to connect with someone is to learn more about them. Most of the time, you end up finding you have a lot in common with them. Mobius thinks Loki is the one who didn't expect anyone to give him a chance like that. In fact, he probably didn't even believe he was worth it.

It's kind of funny, really. Loki spent most of his life defying everyone's expectations of him and throwing the rules of their lives into chaos, succeeding by playing off how he expected others to react to the things he did.

When those rules, that he based his own life on, fell apart, and the people he found himself surrounded by seemed to know exactly what he would do, he surprised even himself, and changed for the better. That's probably why Mobius didn't fully see it coming what he was doing at the end until it was too late. Or maybe he just didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to believe that Loki would soon be gone forever.

As Mobius stares at the salad he got for himself from a little place on the pier, he remembers the one Loki destroyed with his somewhat unnecessary display of how apocalypses are supposed to affect the way events cause branches from timelines. It was so over the top, as Loki always is, but it was also just so silly. The way he just stared into Mobius' soul, shaking the salt and pepper shakers up and down and up and down. The triumphant smile after he poured Casey's drink over it, like a little kid showing off his amazing painting skills on the walls. It makes Mobius chuckle softly to think of it. He thinks of Loki's smile and how it gradually became more and more genuine the more they just talked with each other. And they talked quite a bit for two people in the middle of saving the multiverse, about nothing and everything and things you really should rethink telling the person who's job is to keep you locked up or the person who's favorite prank is to put literal snakes in people's food or stab them after dying in front of them. Mobius almost wishes he would stab him right now, just so he can be back.

Aaaand that's the sign that he's thinking of Loki too much. Time to pick a new place to go and try and figure out what the heck he wants to do with the rest of his life. Maybe he'll go to see the Roman Empire before it fell. See what all those warriors really liked to do in their free time. He takes his time finishing his salad before getting out the tempad and setting the destination. He looks at the empty salad bowl, just plain white and round and not very interesting at all. There's huge mounted fish and stunning artwork on the walls of this restaurant. You can hear the calming waves and the group of sea lions just outside. There is no reason his attention should be so solely given to this silly salad bowl. And yet his eyes stay on it, even as they tear up. It isn't until he wipes at them that he looks away and stands up.

He leaves some money on the table and opens a time door to walk through. As he does, he feels a breeze ruffle his hair, brushing it away from his eyes. "Strange," he thinks, "all the doors and windows are closed, there shouldn't be a breeze in here." He looks around at the nearly empty restaurant getting ready to say goodbye to the morning calm and welcome the lunch crowd in an hour or two. He feels a warmth on his side and looks over to the large window where the sun has shifted its light and heat to blanket Mobius almost comfortingly. As he looks over, his eyes catch on a flash of the window, ever so faintly tinted green. There was movement of something not quite there, but unmistakably there enough to be visible. Like something between a shadow and a reflection. It was hard to make out a shape at first, but as it got bigger - no - closer, mobius saw the shape of a person with horns on their head and, if they looked closely, green and gold vines twisting around them like magic. Mobius stepped closer and was sharply met with two very familiar eyes. He took a breath.

"Loki?"

. . . . .

Part 2

https://www.tumblr.com/fandomfaeofveryfewf4cks/735068803984228352/part-1?source=share

#lokius #loki series #loki x mobius #loki fanfic #fanfiction #part 1 #post season 2 episode 6 #I'm intending for this to be a part 1 of potentially many #but that doesn't mean I'll follow through.#Also #I don't know if there's anything I'm supposed to do here that I should know about?#Like tagging specific stuff? Putting in warnings for other stuff?#Mixing the blood of a virgin with seven drops of quill ink to pour into the sacrificial goblet #and give to the writing gods in exchange for a lack of writer's block in the coming days?#I dunno.#Either way #here's the thing my brain threw at me and bullied me into writing.#Hope you like it!

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beyondthetemples-ooc · 2 months

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People often ask me about DnD classes for my OCs but I don't know jack nor squat about DnD classes. So I took the DnD quiz for all of them to see which they'd actually fit!

tl;dr Dove is straight-up Monk (with Cleric and Paladin as runner-ups), Srentha is also Monk (but with Bard as a close second), Leyla is again a Monk (with heavy Wizard leanings), and Evangeline kept tying but I'll call her Sorceror because that was consistently the highest tied score (but she also scored high for Barbarian and Warlock).

Dove:

100% Monk, and I think it fits her quite nicely!

"The monk is a disciplined warrior of mind, body, and spirit, embodying harmony, self-mastery, and enlightenment. They are ascetics who have devoted themselves to a life of rigorous training and spiritual discipline, seeking to transcend the limitations of the mortal realm. Monks harness the power of ki, an inner energy that flows through all living beings, enabling them to perform extraordinary feats of agility, speed, and resilience. Through meditation and martial arts, they achieve a state of inner peace and focus, allowing them to unleash their full potential in combat. Monks often follow a code of ethics or philosophy, which guides their actions and shapes their worldview. Whether serving as humble protectors of their monastic order, wandering philosophers seeking enlightenment, or righteous warriors defending the innocent, monks embody the virtues of balance, discipline, and inner strength."

Srentha:

Also got Monk, but was SO close to getting Bard! (And from what I hear, Bard is a good class for his eccentric and entertaining friend-making self.) He seems to be the most balanced among different class characteristics so far.

Leyla:

Okay, all of my Azarathean characters are getting Monk and I'm laughing. The core tenet of their belief system is peace, okay. Meditation and mindfulness are parts of the package deal. But Wizard was a close second for her!

Kary:

If she doesn't get Druid, I will be amazed. That's the nature class, right? Forests and animals are Kary's Things.

Okay, color me amazed? Kary got Barbarian with 95% and Druid was only 70!

"The barbarian is a primal force of nature, embodying raw strength, unbridled fury, and untamed wilderness. They are warriors who eschew the trappings of civilization, preferring instead to embrace their innate instincts and physical prowess. Barbarians are driven by a deep connection to their primal roots, drawing strength from the untamed landscapes they call home. Their rage is both a weapon and a shield, fueling their ferocity in battle while also providing a means of survival in harsh environments. Despite their outward appearance of savagery, barbarians often possess a keen intuition and a strong sense of loyalty to their tribes or companions. They are fierce defenders of their homeland and fiercely independent individuals, embodying the wild spirit that courses through their veins. In essence, the barbarian is a primal guardian of the natural world, embodying the untamed essence of the wilderness itself."

And you know what, that's actually PERFECT for her.

Just for fun, I want to see what Evangeline would get, perhaps one of the only characters I've ever written that lands solidly in the Evil alignment:

Evangeline:

...Hm, apparently when you get multiple results, you don't get to read what the tied classes are.

She tied for Warlock and Sorcerer, both at 95%.

So I retook it, tweaked some results, and somehow STILL got her tied, this time between Barbarian and Sorcerer, both at 90%.

So I can't get a description, but I'm going to assume Sorcerer for her.

Is sorcerer a good class for someone who's selfish, hedonistic, driven by fury, and ferociously loyal to those she considers friends?

#rhs has ocs and this is the tag about them #personality quiz #dnd

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sungsuho · 2 years

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Hey I saw your tags on a prev post, can you tell me how you pirate content safely? (you can publish privately) thanks!

ok im going to start out that im not the 'end all be all' of piracy im like. constantly improving my craft (lol) but i'll explain everything i do to make sure i dont get caught while extensively downloading media

before that though if you just want to stream media and not torrent it you can just go to r/piracy's megathread and click the links through there

i WAS going to put this all under a read more but i was trying to link additional resources and this post has most of their explanation under a read more and since they deactivated their account you can't access it anymore. so on the off chance i deactivate i want to keep this post accessible, sorry its so long lol

some of this tutorial is only truly accessible if you have a computer that can stay on 24/7, which i know is not viable for everyone, so i went ahead and highlighted the things you need a computer thats always on for in blue

(honestly, you probably do all the things you need an always on computer for with a raspberry pi but i dont know jack shit about those (yet) so you'd have to look elsewhere on how to do that) i do all of my piracy on a windows desktop computer

1. the first thing you want to do when beginning your torrenting life is purchasing a good vpn.

i personally don't trust any vpn sponsored by youtubers to not sell you data to companies for profit, so i use ProtonVPN since i use their mail service and their servers are based in Norway i believe which has EXTREMELY strict privacy laws. they have a free version of it but it doesn't allow you to torrent.

NEVER USE A FREE VPN FOR TORRENTING EITHER! they are like. the least secure vpns in the world . a vpn is expensive but basically all of them are for plans that last well over a year so its a worthwhile investment

2. the next thing you'll want to do is select and set up your torrenting client

i personally use qbittorrent and it works great. DO NOT USE UTORRENT. while their are some versions that don't have a cryptominer attached to it, basically all of the versions do at this point so its better to just steer clear

once you have your torrenting client downloaded, you will want to set it up to only be able to connect to the internet through you're vpn. the images below show you how to do it in qbittorrent

(image descriptions available in the alt text)

once you've done the steps in the image, click "apply" and then "ok" in the bottom right of the settings tab

the next part is only necessary if you are going to seed torrents (which i recommend you do if you can)

if you ARE going to seed torrents, you are going to need to enable port forwarding in your vpn and connect your torrenting client to the port specifed. the following images will show you how to do that with ProtonVPN and qBittorrent

(image descriptions available in the alt text)

once you've done the steps in the image, click "apply" and then "ok" in the bottom right of the settings tab. you will want to make sure that connection status button, located two buttons to the left of your displayed download speed is a GREEN electrical cord plug. if it is red then you cannot download or seed. if it is yellow then you can download, but you cannot seed. it will take a couple of minutes for the specified port to update and the connection status to turn green.

3. now that you've done the hard part, its time for the EVEN HARDER part (this is, however, all completely optional). it is now time to set up tracked tv shows, movies, etc to automatically torrent when updates or a better quality becomes available

you do this using Radarr (for movies), Lidarr (for music), Sonarr (for TV shows), and Prowlarr (as your indexer to manage what torrent hosting clients you want these applications to use). when you download these applications and install them, you are going to want to

you first want to download all of these applications using the links above. you can choose which applications to download based on the things you're going to be downloading, however for any of these applications to work you are going to NEED to download Prowlarr. for simplicity sake i will walk you through setting up all of these from the beginning of my list to the end, except im starting with prowlarr first because that's what you need to set up the rest.

however, when installing ANY of these applications, you are going to have to choose whether to install it as a system tray application or a windows service. I'm going to copy and paste from the Prowlarr wiki what the difference means, though it applies to all of the applications

A Windows Service runs even when the user is not logged in, but special care must be taken since Windows Services cannot access network drives (X:\ mapped drives or \\server\share UNC paths) without special configuration steps.

Additionally the Windows Service runs under the 'Local Service' account, by default this account does not have permissions to access your user's home directory unless permissions have been assigned manually. This is particularly relevant when using download clients that are configured to download to your home directory.

It's therefore advisable to install Prowlarr as a system tray application if the user can remain logged in. The option to do so is provided during the installer.

now that you've installed the programs you want, its time to set up prowlarr. i am once again going to show you how to set it up using pictures

(image descriptions available in the alt text)

that is how you add what torrent indexers (the websites that host torrents) you want to use to prowlarr. I only used TorrentGalaxy as an example, I don't actually use that site. I recommend being VERY careful and selective with what websites you use if they are a public tracker, as any of their torrents can host viruses. do your research before adding them. for convenience, however, I will list all of the public trackers I use so you can add them to Prowlarr if you like:

1337x

IBit

Internet Archive

Nyaa.si

Rarbg

Shana Project

SubsPlease

Torlock

YTS

you can also add private trackers, which is basically the same setup except you will have to input your username and password and/or an api key to allow prowlarr to access your account. I will explain private trackers later.

i will now show you how to connect prowlarr with the other applications you downloaded, once again with images

you want to do this with every application you're using.

that's the basics for setting up Prowlarr. you can further customize it with the help of the Prowlarr wiki if you'd like, but this is all I'll be covering in this tutorial.

setting up the other applications pretty intuitive if after setting up prowlarr, however if you do need help this is the video i watched to set up the rest. you only need to watch how to set up one of these applications to know how to set up the rest, and you can ignore literally everything this person is saying besides how to set up sonarr radarr and lidarr. seriously, don't listen to the rest of what this person has to say it will only confuse you. i have the video hyperlinked to where you need to start to learn how to set up these applications (the one she walks you through in depth is sonarr)

4. now that you've set up the torrent trackers (or skipped that part, those are, again, optional), it's time to go back to your torrenting client and configure how it handles your torrents.

you can only download so many megabytes a second, and when you have a million torrents downloading at once it makes every single torrent download at a snails pace because of that. so, what you're going to want to do is set it to download only a certain number of torrents at a time, and queue the rest to download once one torrent finishes.

this setup is pretty self explanatory, so I won't use images and just explain it.

go back to the settings of your torrenting client, and click on the "BitTorrent" tab (this might be a tab specific to qbittorrent, if you are using a different client look for a tab that is called something similar) (you can alternatively just google how to set torrents to queue for your specific client)

click the checkbox next to the option "torrent queuing"

customize how many active downloads and uploads you want. I personally recommend having no more than 6 torrents downloading at a time so that way they can all download relatively fast. i have my seed (upload) limit set to 60 because I'm in private trackers (which i will explain more about later), but if you don't want to seed for whatever reason you can set that to 0 and it SHOULD (don't quote me on this) automatically stop your torrent once its finished downloading. this could also potentially throttle your download speed because torrents don't like it when you're not uploading them while downloading them, don't quote me on that either having downloads set to 0 is not something im familiar with at all

you can optionally also set your download and upload limits in the "speed" category of settings, though i recommend keeping them both at infinity

5. setting up your downloaded media so you can watch it

this part is really easy and ALSO technically optional but it makes your life so much more convenient so i really recommend doing it. we're going to set up Plex Media Server so it can auto sort through your libraries and organize everything.

download plex and create an account

launch the server and go to the settings page, indicated by the wrench icon in the top right

scroll all the way down the settings directory until you get to the 'Manage" subheading and click on "Libraries"

assign your media libraries to the folders on your hard drive. for this you are going to want to keep movies, tv, and music all in separate folders, and you are going to want to keep your tv shows within your tv folder separate as well.

click 'scan library files' and watch plex update your library in real time

there will be times where plex isn't able to grab the metadata for a piece of media you have, but i can tell you how to (hopefully) prevent that from happening:

in the settings menu, go to the "network" tab under the "settings" subheading

uncheck the box next to "Enable server support for IPv6"

thats it! it should be able to get the metadata for all your media now

6. joining private trackers

this is honestly some Advanced levels of torrenting, and you shouldn't join them if you don't have a device that can be on and seeding 24/7

private trackers are torrent trackers that you can only use if you have a registered account with. they generally have a higher quality selection of torrents with faster download speeds due to a higher seeders to leecher ratio. each tracker has their own rules you need to follow, but they all have similar baselines

maintain your download-to-upload ratio (this will be specified in the trackers FRQ)

after you finish downloading something, you then need to seed it for a certain amount of time (normally a week) or else it will be considered a 'hit n run' and you will face the appropriate consequences

some things are free leach, which means you can download them without it contributing negatively to your ratio. if you seed and upload free leaches they will count to your ratio positively, however

most private trackers are invite-only, but some do occasionally have open signups which you can track on r/opensignups

when joining any private tracker, i recommend only downloading things that are free leach until you have built a good buffer between your upload to download ratio.

this is barely a drop in the water explanation of private trackers, but it's a part of torrenting that i feel like most people don't know about and/or don't know how to get started with, so i felt like it was worth mentioning. r/piracy has a more in-depth explanation (and a better "how to get started" guide on their megathread

and that's it! this is my indepth beginners guide to torrenting and piracy. i will maybe come back to this later and add more / make the formatting better (tumblr post formatting has such bad options...)

linked below are some useful resources for torrenting and pirating in general that i have saved.

my favorite public torrent tracker

r/piracy megathread

r/roms megathread for video game console downloading (direct downloads mostly, not torrents)

r/FREEMEDIAHECKYEAH megathread

r/FREEMEDIAHECKYEAH beginners guide to piracy

nintendo switch roms (direct downloads)

nintendo switch emmulator

ns emmulator setup guide

sideload apps on an apple device

hacked spotify ipa (ios app) that you can use above link to sideload

a less convient way to sideload apps onto apple if altstore doesnt work for you

#this post is so fucking long im sorry #and because i have like 3 followers no one is going to reblog it. and thats ok #this took me almost exactly 4 hours to make. lol #and since i put a bunch of outside links here theres no point in putting it in tags to spread the word... thank you tumblr !#save #piracy #<-- formyself lol #anyways to the person who asked hope this helps #if anything doesnt make sense you can DM me and ill hopefully respond also google is your friend #well you should use duckduckgo #but

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