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makeitmingi · 6 months

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Cause Baby You're My Muse [Chapter 54]

Genre: Romance, Idol!AU, Music, Slight angst

Pairing: Mingi x Reader (y/n)

Characters: Producer!Reader, IdolLyricist!Mingi, IdolProducer!Hongjoong, Idol!Seonghwa, Idol!Yunho, Idol!Wooyoung, Idol!San, Idol!Yeosang, Idol!Jongho, cameo(s) by other celebrities

Summary: You always preferred producing underground, having an unknown face and governed by your own rules. But when you start freelancing for idol groups, you say goodbye to your lone wolf lifestyle as you learn to work with idol producers and lyricists.

Word count: 3.3K

The fans noticed. Of course they noticed, they were so observant and focused on their 8 idols that they would know when something was wrong in a heartbeat. The way their smiles didn't reach their eyes, the way they kept their playfulness to a minimum when on stage and the way they would go quiet for a few seconds.

The way Mingi would space out and need Yunho to bring him back down to earth. The managers tried to motivate them but it was useless. Even Hongjoong was different.

They hardly saw him around the dorm, except for when they had schedules together. He was cooped up in his studio outside of KQ.

He didn't even want to use the open room that used to be your studio. He'd much rather use the external one.

Sure, they weren't actually in a relationship with you like Mingi was. But they all felt the stab to their chest, the betrayal and hurt when Mingi told them what happened.

They had never seen Yunho that upset. But it was hard to watch when your best friend comes in, absolutely broken and unconsolable.

'What happened to Ateez? The recent change in demeanour has caused fans to worry and speculate!'

'Is KQ overworking their idols?'

'ATINYs are calling for change, give the idols a break!'

'Is this how your idols change after a few first place trophies? Some ATINYs are disappointed at the change in attitude from the boys. Some citing that they feel the boys are different after they had a very successful comeback season.'

Of course news outlets were having the time of their lives, jumping at every opportunity that they could. But Ateez didn't care, they've been mistreated before, this isn't new to them.

"Alright, everyone. We will be meeting CEO Kim today. So please, try to look alive." The managers begged.

"Yes, hyung." The boys said, breaking up to go get ready. Instead of going to get ready, Yunho entered his best friend's room.

"Mingi ah. We need to get ready. CEO Kim will be meeting us." Yunho shook his best friend.

Mingi... was broken. He tried to act tough, he tried to act like he didn't care, that he was better off without you. But that only last for a few days. Now, he's cooped up in his room, wallowing.

What makes thing worse is that his anxiety was back and the attacks manifested as nightmares now.

"Come on." Yunho was patient, helping Mingi out as much as he could. Mingi sat up, his eyes void of any emotions. Now, it was like he was a ghost, just moving through the motion. But in all honesty, he was just exhausted. Crying his heart out was one thing but every time he closed his eyes, he would see you.

It hurt.

"Yeah." Mingi waved his best friend off, standing up and shuffling out to the bathroom to get ready. He didn't bother looking at his reflection, knowing it would be horrendous.

"Mingi hyung." Jongho stopped the older when he emerged from the bathroom. Mingi lifted his head to look at the youngest.

"I... Nevermind... Here." Jongho handed the taller a mug of iced americano that he brewed.

"Thanks." Mingi didn't press Jongho to spit out whatever he had to say, which would be what he usually did. He took the mug of coffee and brought it to his room.

"Oh, hyung..." Jongho sighed, thinking back to what happened last night.

"So how has your new school been, little bear?" Jongho asked, looking at her through the screen. Wooyoung was at the dance studio having late practice while Yeosang was with San at the gym. That left Jongho to have his usual call with Haneul alone.

"It's okay! I'm having fun but I am still trying to make friends. Everyone else already has a best friend." She pouted. That made Jongho coo at her.

"Well, I am sure when the other kids know how amazing you are, they'll ALL want to be your best friend." He chuckled.

"Really?! You think so?!" She brightened up.

"I know so." He replied. He didn't know what about Haneul just made him melt into a puddle.

"I miss you, bear oppa. I miss the other oppas too..." She said sadly. Jongho didn't say anything, he wasn't really sure what to say. But he felt like there was something else she wanted to add.

"Go on, little bear. You can tell me." He encouraged.

"I can't say I miss you. When I talk about you or the other oppas, unnie gets... very sad. So I can't tell her I miss you. Because I think she misses the oppas too. Some times, I see unnie crying or looking at pictures." Haneul said sadly. Jongho sighed softly, Haneul was just that observant and smart for that age.

"That's nice of you, little bear. You know, thinking about how your unnie feels. But you can tell her you miss us. It's okay to share how you feel with her." Jongho told her.

"I don't want unnie to be sad. I don't want her to cry. When she sleeps next to me, she's always saying she's sorry." Haneul said.

"Oh, little bear, I'm sorry. It must hurt you."

"No... I just want to make unnie happy. I don't want her to be sad anymore." She said sadly.

Jongho was conflicted. He knew the only way to make you happy was to bring you back here, to be with Ateez and specifically Mingi. That was the only way for everyone to be happy again.

"I'll speak to you soon, little bear. Cheer up. Everything will be alright." Jongho assured with a small smile.

"Really?" She asked.

"I'm sure it will be." Jongho melted. With a small wave, Haneul hung up. Jongho sighed and removed the Airpods from his ears. He jumped when he saw someone standing at his doorway. He was so engrossed in his conversation that he didn't hear anyone come in.

"H-Hyung." Jongho stuttered.

"Was that Indigo?" Seonghwa asked softly, closing the door behind him. Saying your name was like the new taboo of the dorm.

"No. Haneul..." Jongho replied. He began to tell the oldest how you requested for him to maintain some sort of relationship with Haneul, which he was more than happy to oblige with.

"Did you have a chance to speak to her?" Seonghwa sat on the edge of the bed, not wanting others to overhear.

"No. She only says hi then passes the phone to Haneul." The youngest shook his head.

"Hyung, I think we should tell them. Make the CEO launch that investigation. Even if it doesn't bring Indigo back... I just hate that we're acting like it's her fault." Jongho said sadly.

"I understand. Indigo is the victim in all this, she's not at fault at all. It's because of us that she's being targeted in the first place, receiving all those death threats. And she didn't have to but she left and would rather take all the hate and blame from the others instead." Seonghwa sighed.

"But we told Indigo that we wouldn't tell them. At least, not yet. I'm worried Mingi might lose it and I don't know how much more he can take." He added.

"But this isn't right, hyung. I don't like that Indigo is being seen as the bad guy." Jongho frowned.

"It's really taking a toll on her as well. Haneul tells me she's not doing well over there and the little girl is worried." He shook his head.

Now Seonghwa knew why Jongho wanted to tell the others to truth. It wasn't a secret that Jongho cared for Haneul dearly, their relationship was like what you and Hongjoong had.

"Knowing the truth... might help Hongjoong hyung too..." Jongho spoke. Seonghwa nodded in agreement.

"No, no. We need to wait for a bit. Let's wait until we can contact Indigo. If we tell everyone, they may all just rush to contact her and that may overwhelm her. Or I'm worried Mingi or Wooyoung fly to where she is." Seonghwa reasoned.

"Oh, hyung. You're here." A tired Wooyoung trudged in, surprised to see the oldest there with the maknae. Seonghwa nodded and got up with a tight smile on his face.

"Good work, Wooyoungie." Seonghwa patted the male on the shoulder. Wooyoung gave a small smile.

'We'll talk about this again. - Seonghwa hyung'

Jongho looked at the text that came in from Seonghwa after he had left the room. He let out a huff of frustration, making Wooyoung give him an odd look.

"Yah, you're bending the spoon." San said, making Jongho snap out of his thoughts. He looked down to see the bent spoon in his hands.

"Oh, sorry." Jongho tried to bend the spoon back to straighten the handle. In the end, he tossed the spoon in the sink and went to the room to change into presentable clothes. This sudden meeting with the CEO was an unexpected spanner thrown in. As the boys gathered, Seonghwa cast Jongho a look.

"Hongjoong's already at the studio so he'll meet us there." The manager said as he ushered everyone downstairs and into their two respective vans.

The van ride was mostly silent, well, Seonghwa's van was. Mingi had his headphones on, looking out the window. Jongho was stewing and Yunho just kept giving Mingi worried glances.

"Let's go." The managers led all of them upstairs. They bumped into Hongjoong.

"I brought you fresh clothes to change." Yeosang handed Hongjoong the paper bag with clothes.

"Thanks." Hongjoong smiled tiredly and went to the bathroom to change. Hongjoong was... taking it a lot harder than Seonghwa expected. Maybe because Hongjoong found himself genuinely caring for you and he felt abandoned.

Only Hongjoong, himself, would know how he feels. But the way he was living now was definitely not healthy. Seonghwa needed to help him keep everyone together.

"Ah, boys. Come in." CEO Kim said, waving for everyone to come into the meeting room.

"Good afternoon, CEO." The 8 boys bowed.

"Sit, sit." The CEO let out a long exhale as he gestured for the 8 to take their seats. They moved to the opposite side of the table so they could sit across him.

"Now, I'm not sure if you have an idea as to why I called you all in. But it is regarding how Ateez has been since Producer Indigo's departure." The CEO leaned forward on his hands.

"We're very sorry, sir. I promise we are more professional than this. We should know better than to let our emotions affect our performance like this. We'll be better and I'll make sure that the boys are better, I promise you." Hongjoong stood up, bowing deeply to the CEO as he apologised.

"I've been talking to the teams. And with comeback season more or less over, we'll be putting you guys on vacation." The CEO said.

"What?" The boys were puzzled.

"You're bound to have a vacation anyway. We're just pushing it forward now. Fans are worried that we're overworking you and that's not a good look for the company." He frowned.

"We understand, sir. We apologise for that, it wasn't out intention to give off that sort of impression." Seonghwa said.

"Whether it was intentional or not, it's what the fans speculate. The fans are disappointed by your lack of commitment to this comeback, I am too." He sighed.

"Use the vacation to pick yourselves up. You're idols. Whatever is going on off stage, you do not let that affect your performance on stage. Especially in front of the fans. Everything you do is under public scrutiny. You should know that." CEO Kim chided.

"Yes, we know." The boys said.

"This was also the best decision because we cannot afford to put just Mingi on another break. It is not a good look for you as a group and for Mingi as an idol." CEO Kim turned to the rapper.

"I'm very sorry for causing all this trouble, CEO. I'll be better for the group and the fans." Mingi bowed.

"You better." CEO Kim said seriously and Mingi nodded his head.

"Look, boys. I know you were all very close and Indigo leaving was rather abrupt. Mingi, I know break ups are hard. But all this, they're part and parcel of life." He sighed.

"Sir, I-" Not only Mingi but the others were stunned by what their CEO just said.

"You didn't think I would know about your relationship? Indigo came to tell me herself. She offered to take all the blame and scolding for it if anything bad were to happen." He revealed.

"What do you mean, if anything bad were to happen?" Mingi frowned in confusion.

"That's all I have to say. You're welcomed to go home during your vacation or travel overseas, same protocol applies in terms of declaring your travels for safety reasons. I hope to see you all back to normal after the vacation." CEO Kim stood up from the table. The 8 followed suit and stood up to bow to him.

"Thank you, sir. We're sorry." They bowed.

"If only things were different, Indigo wouldn't have had to leave." Mingi's eyes widened at the last comment made by his CEO before he walked out of the room.

Yunho looked at his best friend that was frozen in his spot, knowing that his head was racing with thoughts at the CEO's words.

"Alright, let's all head back to the dorm. I think we need to talk." Hongjoong said.

"Yes, captain." All of them filed out of the meeting room. It seemed like the managers already knew what happened as they quietly ushered the boys back to the vans and drove them home.

"What do you think he meant, Yunho?" Mingi croaked out.

"I'm... not sure. But don't think too much about it, Mingi ah." Yunho squeezed his best friend on the shoulder. Mingi nodded glumly and climbed into the van with Yunho behind him. Jongho was chewing on his lip, casting Seonghwa an uneasy look.

'No'. Seonghwa mouthed and shook his head. Luckily Yunho and Mingi were having their own hushed conversation in the back to notice the oldest and youngest up front.

The guilt was settling in Mingi even more. He has let the group down once again, as well as ATINY and CEO Kim.

But he was still holding onto a thread of hope. That this was all a nightmare, that he didn't have to force himself to hate you for what you did.

"Ateez, sit down in the living room." Hongjoong said the moment all 8 of them were back in the dorm.

"Thanks hyungs, I'll take over from here." He turned to the managers, who nodded and patted the captain on the shoulder before leaving. Hongjoong let out a long sigh and went to the living room.

"I'm sorry I have been letting my emotions get the best of me. I didn't really expect her departure to make me shut myself down... to the point whereby I've been neglecting my duties as the captain to all of you and to the fans." Hongjoong started and bowed his head in apology to the 7.

"Hyung... There's nothing for you to apologise for." Wooyoung whispered softly, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Mr CEO was right. Let's use this vacation to rest and get back to where we were. We have to do it for ATINY." Yunho said. The others nodded in agreement.

"Indigo was someone we all treated as family, some more than others. But if she can move on, so can we." San said, looking at Mingi.

"Whatever happened between me and her, I shouldn't have let it affect the rest of you. You've all already dealt with a lot on my behalf." Mingi shook his head. Yunho rubbed his back as a form of comfort.

"People will come and go. But we'll be okay." Yeosang smiled softly and Hongjoong covered his eyes to weep.

"It's okay." Seonghwa comforted him as he cried.

"Even if we knew that there was no certainty that Indigo was going to stay, she shouldn't have done that to Mingi. It wasn't right, it was unfair and selfish. We were not there to know what really happened but look how torn up Mingi is." Wooyoung frowned.

"I agree. There was no need to be harsh about it." Yunho added, obviously siding with his best friend.

"I think that's what's hurting us the most. That we expected more or put more faith in our relationship with her. And that led us to the disappointment we felt." Hongjoong concluded.

There was a heaviness in Mingi's chest. He was grateful for his members being protective of him and siding with him. But hearing them speak negatively of you still made him uncomfortable and hurt.

"Damn it." Jongho cursed under his breath, looking away with a bitter look on his face.

"Jongho?" The 7 turned to the youngest of the group.

Even if Jongho wasn't the closest to you, you still supported him and he knew what you went through. You didn't deserve to be thought of as such.

"Sorry." He mumbled and stood up, walking to the bedroom and shutting the door. Seonghwa stood up and went after Jongho, entering the room and closing the door. The others just left them alone, let the oldest one speak to the youngest to offer him comfort. The other 6 just sat there.

"W-What do you think the CEO meant in his last statement?" Mingi suddenly brought up.

"What do you mean?" San asked.

"He said 'If only things were different, Indigo wouldn't have had to leave'. What did he mean by 'if only things were different'?" Mingi asked. The others looked at each other, shrugging.

"D-Do you think something happened?" This was Mingi leaning on his last thread of hope.

"I don't know what he meant by that. But don't harp on it too much, Mingi ah. It's easier to let go than to hold on to silver linings."

"Hongjoong hyung is right." Yunho said. Mingi nodded glumly, his head hanging low.

Unbeknownst to Seonghwa and Jongho, Wooyoung had been listening in to their conversation. He wondered why Jongho suddenly had that little outburst earlier, considering the youngest hasn't been showing much of a reaction to you leaving.

"We have to tell them the truth, hyung. This is wrong. Like Hongjoong hyung, you were her older brother. Would you not want to defend her?" Jongho asked in frustration.

"Of course I would. You think I want to sit there and listen to that? But we promised Indigo." Seonghwa replied.

"Sometimes, you need to break promises, hyung." Jongho said.

"We've already failed to protect her before, Jongho. The least we can do is to keep this promise. We tell them the truth then what? Can you stop Mingi from going after her?" Seonghwa asked.

"Will you be able to stop Mingi from blaming himself? Or the others like Hongjoong, Wooyoung?" He continued.

"Indigo isn't going to come back. Why do you think she made such as effort to make Mingi hate her?"

"But this is wrong, hyung. If the other hyungs know the truth, they wouldn't speak so ill of her, like she's the one that did all the wrong. When she's the victim in all this. If they knew, maybe they'll push the CEO to launch the internal investigation then Indigo can come back." Jongho reasoned.

"Whoever this person is, we can't let them get away with it. Indigo is gone but does that mean the investigation isn't to happen? We act like it didn't happen and carry on?"

"I... I don't know. But what I'm saying is, we think it over and don't act rashly." Seonghwa sighed.

"Tell us the truth about what?" Wooyoung opened the door, getting the attention of the 2 in the bedroom and the 5 in the living room.

Series Masterlist

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mistydeyes · 7 months

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Would you please write a story about Ghost x Reader with Ghost being a guard for y/n and y/n being hired help of some kind be that investigator, scientist or otherwise?

this was also sent with the request: I am so sorry for sending multiple asks in like two seconds, but the initial request is meant to be Ghost x male reader (sub if you choose to write some smut which would also be greatly appreciated.) Use of tactical kinks and primal kinks would also be greatly appreciated. thank you so much for requesting @areallyhappyperson ! as a stem girlie my mind when crazy for simon having some action with a scientist ;)

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summary: When you were first contacted by the government to find the source of a new biological weapon, a security guard wasn't in the job description. However as Ghost has you pinned in a supply closet, you can't deny you enjoy the assignment.

pairing: Simon "Ghost" Riley x male!reader

please do not read if you are under 18! some very sexual descriptions are ahead!!

warnings: SMUT AHEAD u have been warned! sexual depictions, swearing, use of kinks (tactical/bondage, degradation/power struggle, sub/dom kinks)

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You walked around your lab quickly, holding various spot plates in your hand. The plastic Petri dishes clattered together as you set aside the opaque and red-colored agar discs. You pulled out the microscope to examine the bacterial colonies growing within the isolated space when you felt his eyes on you. "Can you not stare?" you muttered sarcastically, before pulling a chair over with your foot. You heard shuffling behind you as the large and brooding Ghost took a moment to settle back into position. "What do you even do anyways?" he asked curtly, "don't get why I have to babysit someone in a lab all day." You turned to him with your arms crossed and an annoyed look on your face. "It's not every day your government asks for you to analyze soldiers' blood to find the latest biological weapon," you replied. It had been three months since you were sent to the UK's interpretation of Area 51 and you were constantly left to remind your unwilling security guard of your importance. Despite his negative attitude, you took a liking to him and wondered what he looked like under all the layers of gear and weaponry.

He huffed before walking over to your bench. You tried to return to your work, but you could feel his presence over your tired shoulders. "Do you need something?" you asked again, "I'm a little busy here counting colonies." He moved over a box of strong autoclavable bags to your annoyance. He took the opportunity to lean on the clean counter and look at you as you continued to write your messy notes. "I needed those," you mumbled but he continued to watch. Sensing your lack of acknowledgment, he took an inoculating loop off the bench and heated it over a now-turned-on Bunsen burner. You quickly snatched it out of his hands. "God, would you please stop messing with my lab materials?" you scolded him as you put it away but he laughed dryly in return. "Just trying to make my job interesting," he joked and you had enough of his shit.

You pushed aside your materials and positioned yourself in front of him. Despite your stature and standing far above your colleagues, Ghost was still broader and taller than you. However, you took this opportunity to pull a random item from his tac vest. "What does this do?" you asked as you held onto the small packaged object. He looked at you curiously as you twirled it in your fingers and read the label for pharmaceutical-grade fentanyl. "Put one of those in your mouth and suck, the pain goes away instantly," he replied and you could've sworn his choice of words was a flirtatious maneuver. "Sounds like heaven to me," you replied, before grabbing onto his vest and putting it back. Next, you eyed the gun on his belt but before you could grab it, you saw him instinctively place a veined hand on it. "Those are dangerous," he commanded, with a tone of seductiveness, "don't want the attractive scientist getting hurt before he can finish his research."

In that moment, you could feel the tension palpable. The normally cold room had increased a few degrees and you tried to rationalize the rapid beating in your chest and the tightening in your pants. As a final act of insolence, you set your gaze on a pair of handcuffs strapped onto his belt. With a swift movement, you grabbed them and you felt him hold your risk into place. You looked at him intensely before watching as he let your wrist fall. You examined the metal bracelets in your hand as you slipped one onto your wrist. "Never been handcuffed before," you mumbled, looking up at him and noting his fists curled tightly, "mind showing me how it's done?" Before you could react, Ghost had your hands pinned behind you and clicked the cuffs into place. "This what you wanted?" he asked, even closer than before. You could smell the bitter coffee and cigarette smoke on his breath as you took a moment to reply. "Not exactly," you whispered, parting his legs and taking a step forward to meet his face, "I want you, Lieutenant."

It took Ghost a moment before he held on to the back of your head and lifted his mask to give you a needy, possessive kiss. You moaned as he held you in place and left you breathless and panting for more. "You sure you want this?" he asked as he looked back down at your lustful eyes. "I want you to tell me what to do," you said, confidently, before biting your lip and moving in even closer. His gaze darkened and you swore you could feel his heartbeat race in the moment. As he wondered about the implications of this scenario, you began to walk over to the storage room in the back of the lab. "You gonna follow, Lieutenant?" you questioned before you could hear his heavy footsteps follow you in a trance. When you entered the room, you could hear Ghost close the door behind you. You turned around, smirking before he placed another hot kiss on your parted lips.

"I want you to kneel," he commanded and you complied. You got on your knees, disregarding the dust that was populating your pristine white coat. You struggled a bit against the restraints but you were determined to follow his every word. "What a good boy," he mumbled, "getting on your knees for me." You nodded as you looked at him from your new position. The dim overhead light illuminated his partially obscured face perfectly and you could see his curved lips glisten with your saliva. "You're gonna suck me off, is that clear?" he demanded and you nodded in response. He shook his head before asking again, "Use your words to a commanding officer." You could feel your body temperature rise from this new, dominating personality. "Yes, Lieutenant," you continued before you inched forward, your mouth meeting perfectly against his growing bulge. He grunted before unzipping his tactical cargo trousers and letting you see the outline of his cock soaking his boxer briefs. "This an issued weapon?" you joked before he moved his hand to release it in front of you. Taking the opportunity, you opened your mouth and leaned forward to slowly suck his length. You gagged slightly as you felt him graze the back of your mouth. He moaned quietly as you began to swirl your tongue around his veiny member. You could feel saliva drip down your mouth and soak your collared shirt as he gripped the back of your head.

"Don't tease me now," he grunted and you felt yourself being used to pleasure him. You breathed through your nose as you began to build a steady pace. His moans filled the room as you looked up at his closed eyes and continued to deep-throat him. You tried to foolishly break out of the handcuffs to just be able to touch him but the metal remained strong and confiding. "So fucking good," he let out in pleasure and you slightly smiled at the compliment. As he continued to relentlessly use you, you could feel your mouth and his cock grow more wet with the combined saliva and pre-cum. A part of you wondered what your employers would say if they saw you with your mouth wrapped around your guard's dick. You didn't care as his grip grew tighter on your hair and he began to breathe quicker. "Fuck," he moaned as you continued to allow him to hit the back of your mouth and tried to use your tongue to outline his veins. The grip he had on you was bordering on pain and pleasure as he released into your mouth. You tried to swallow it and he took a hand to your jaw and shut it. "Take it all," he commanded, breathing heavily and shallowly as he watched you swallow all of him. You sat back on your heels as he zippered up his pants. Before either one of you had the opportunity to continue further, you could hear the doors of your lab open.

"Shit," you swore before allowing Ghost to open the door slightly for you. Out of sight, he gripped onto your cuffed hands tightly and you could feel him work a hand up to your waist. "Someone there?" you questioned and saw Station Chief Laswell looking around the lab. "Do you have a minute? Shepherd wants some updates," she asked politely, not knowing what you were doing moments prior. As you could feel Ghost press himself against you, you stifled a moan. "Yes, just give me a moment!" you answered, a little too quickly, "I just need to get some pipettes." With that, you closed the door slightly and turned back to a smirking Ghost. "Round two later?"

#task force 141 x reader #task force 141 #cod x reader #call of duty modern warfare #cod mwii #modern warfare 2 #simon riley x reader #ghost x reader #simon ghost riley #call of duty #mw2 imagine #madebyizzie #mw2 #izzie is writing

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soaps-mohawk · 2 months

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if ghost suddenly decided he wanted to be the boss, could he suddenly challenge price for the position or would he have to break his bonds and leave the pack (and the taskforce) to form his own? i saw you mentioning that their jobs and ranks in the military has at least some influence on their dynamics so i'm wondering how that situation would play out. if he had to leave, could he force soap to leave with him? i know you said he trusts price, but does he respect price as an alpha or does he simply listen to him because he's higher ranked in their field of work? somewhere inbetween? i read the ask about price possibly ever topping ghost and their relationship as alphas and boss/subordinate really intrigues me.

(sorry if this/something similar has already been answered)

I kind of answered this one when I answered a question about packs splitting and whether or not Ghost could split from the pack if he wanted, though I didn't really get into too much detail about it.

Ghost could challenge Price to be pack alpha, but it would be a huge decision because obviously it's going to cause a disruption in the entire dynamic and affect everyone, not just the two of them. Of course, if Ghost loses his challenge, he'll likely leave the pack and that's going to cause issues as well.

Whether Soap would leave would be partly up to Soap. Obviously they're a bonded pair so Ghost leaving would be incredibly painful and hard for Soap regardless, but he could stay if he wanted to, since he's also part of the overall pack. I think Price would let him stay if he wanted, though Price could also kick Soap out with Ghost if Ghost lost his challenge. If Ghost won the challenge, not only would he unseat Price, he'd also have the ability to kick Price out entirely. Of course none of this can just be done lightly, there's a whole lot to take into consideration like the wellbeing of the members of the rest of the pack because this is going to affect them greatly as well.

I think Ghost has a lot of respect for Price beyond just in their careers. Price and Ghost are fairly close and I think Ghost trusts Price a lot. So much so Price probably knows the most about Ghost and his past and everything he's been through. Probably more than even Johnny knows. You have to remember, Price picked the members of the 141. Not just in canon but in this fic as well. Price still picked the members of the 141 and asked for the Task Force, but it was the government that kind of took this opportunity for a bit of experimentation and added in the stipulation about their pack status and becoming a bonded pack. I like to think they all have a lot of trust for each other and a lot of respect and Price picked them for a reason.

It's really a unique situation because of the military aspect as well. Things would be a lot different if they were just a standard, normal pack and the military wasn't involved.

#i hope this makes sense lol #and answered your question #answered #crcb lore

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historia-vitae-magistras · 11 months

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Part Five: Interrogations

First Installment: Here.

Last Installment: Here.

Current Installment: You are here!

Author's note: Inspired by the 1950s short story "The Man Who Came Early" by Poul Anderson. This installment of the Viking-time-travel au sees Arthur ever so polite, some light torture and gore, some slightly tenderized federal fillet and some primo semi-sane eldritch Mattie. This should be the last use of humans.

21st Century

Washington DC

Diplomatic Security Service

It was easy enough. Two minutes in the car, three key card swipes of Alfred’s ID cards Matthew had lifted from his apartment, four steps past the secretary’s back as she left for the night. Five more as he entered a shitty little office in some shitty little government building.

“Good evening,” Arthur, in the very image of proper manners, greeted the man sitting behind the desk, hand extended to introduce himself. "Arthur Kirkland, I believe I may have some business with you."

“They said you might come.” Corcoran muttered. He didn't shake Arthur's hand. His son’s handler was a paunch-laden man with a red face and puffy hands named Cocorcan in his forties. He was only somewhat familiar to Arthur, as Alfred had been on his best behaviour lately, studying hard to fling himself off the planet again. No one serious had been given the post for some time.

"Did they do? I am glad to hear it! Hopefully, that will help us smooth this along!"

“What… would that be?”

“I haven’t heard from my son, your chief responsibility, in some time.” Arthur had not sat. He ran a finger through some dust on a shelf holding official-looking framed certificates and made a face—Corcoran sweat. Arthur squashed his pleasure. “Now, why would that be?”

“I’m sure service is spotty.” Corcoran tried. And failed.

“Is that so?” Arthur countered. “Are you quite sure about that?”

"It's a space station. How reliable could cell service be?” Corcoran gave a pathetic shrug.

“You may want to consider your answer. You have one more opportunity before I hand things over to my associate, if only because Alfred is ever so fond of the inept fools put in charge of him. Have you anything to say about that?”

“Like I said—”

He didn’t get another word out before the blood had drained from his face. Matthew appeared at Arthur’s shoulder, and Corcoran looked like he’d seen a ghost.

“You’re dead, they dragged you out of Hudson Bay!” Oh, this was going to be fun.

"Is that right?" Arthur glanced at Matthew. Honestly, it was more difficult to keep him alive now that he was grown than when he was small. Well, grown. Overgrown. He took in the lad's height. They would have to talk about that. And the Matthew did look like he’d been dead for a day or two, but that was par for the course for his boy when stressed. Somewhere between refusing to cry and appearing at Arthur's, his face had transformed into the one Arthur had rarely seen in recent years. His son had not been a creature of the shadows for some time, and the sharp points of his face were predatory. “Well, that would explain how uncontrollable he’s become! Made quite a mess. Come back wrong, did you lad?”

Corcoran didn’t respond. He put his hand to his waist, where there would be a service pistol. Matthew was faster, his fingers finding the attaching small joints of Corcoran’s dominant hand and pinching so tightly that Corcoran’s grip jumped open. One smooth motion saw the man’s face smushed against the wall, one arm flailing, the other bent at an extreme angle behind his head. Even the smallest resistance would see the shoulder pop out at a sickening angle. It was Matthew’s favourite grapple. The maneuver didn’t require strength, and he efficiently used his stronger left hand and great height. Smart lad.

Matthew easily disarmed him, kicking the pistol across the floor, then an out-of-date mobile phone. Arthur pocketed both. And then, looking happier than he had in days, Matthew put the tip of his old paratrooper knife against the man’s jugular.

"You can start talking, or I can start cutting." The knife's point rested against the man's skin, and Matt stared hard into his eyes as the Corcoran dragged his head to stare out at Matthew. Matthew hadn’t slept, which would be evident to anyone, but his son was unstable. Arthur knew better. Matthew looked unpredictable, unhinged and half mad, precisely what the situation needed. What had been frustrated tears were now red-rimmed eyes on a sharp, bone-pale face. He looked out of control, breathing hard, his eyes narrow, desperate and… oddly gleeful. “You choose.”

"I'm afraid the lad is rather handy with his whittling." Arthur added as if noting the weather was particularly pleasant that day. He pulled the points of his waistcoat down and leaned over. “Won medals when he was a lad. I suggest doing as asked.”

“I can’t!”

“Loyal to your country, are you?” Matthew asked, his voice hardly audible. Soft and insane. “Might want to give that loyalty a second thought."

Shot through with pride, Arthur suppressed a smile and clicked his tongue in a scolding way, and shook his head, like Matthew was being petulant about naptime. “Just answer a few questions, and this will all go away.”

“You can't do this! It’ll be right to the electric chair for both of you.”

“Just because you kill me doesn’t mean I’ll die.” Matthew’s pressure on the blade increased; just enough that blood trickled down Corcoran’s jugular. The man trembled. Matthew put his face closer to Corcoran’s jaw. “You did something to my brother. My brother. His laughter was the first thing I knew of humanity. And you’re going to tell me where the fuck he is or you will never hear another laugh. Neither will your wife or your children. Anyone who ever knew you will know nothing but the silence I have endured. There will be nothing but winter where you once knew joy.”

Jesus Christ. Arthur blinked, once and then twice. Well, the boys had always been fond of each other.

Corcoran whimpered. Arthur rolled his shoulders and sighed, disappointed in him.

"We wouldn't want you to make a poor choice, would we? My boy is wonderfully creative.”

Corcoran broke.

#my writing || cacoethes scribendi #I have a lot of pent up emotions rn so eriogeorjigjioerg sorry #the dangeld axe to grind: the viking age time travel au #matthew || my country is winter #Arthur and the children || bilge rat and his bouncing baby bilge rats

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tarisilmarwen · 9 months

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Rebels Rewatch: "The Occupation"

We return one final time to Lothal for the beginning of the end.

Live reaction version.

God, Ezra looks and sounds so stressed. He's nearly at his breaking point when it comes to waiting for the Alliance to help Lothal, hell, even just for news on Lothal. He probably feels like the Alliance has abandoned his people and even if he nominally understands that everywhere is suffering and there are so many other worlds that need help it still hurts that he can't do anything for his planet and people.

Is it a little bit selfish of him? Maybe. But also the Alliance wasn't taking the TIE Defender project nearly as seriously as they should have, if nothing else they should have been replanning the Lothal attack for that ASAP.

A lovely undercurrent this episode is just how concerned for/over Ezra Sabine is, and this is the first instance, her gaze lingering after him when he turns in his seat glumly.

Pretty Yavin is pretty.

Mon offering Ezra the chance to go back to Lothal is pretty much the best solution she could have given him. It's relevant and important to the Alliance, since it involves the TIE Defenders, and it gives Ezra the opportunity to help his people he's been so desperately after. It even works out that the Alliance won't be able to extract them because Ezra is perfectly willing to stay behind Imperial lines there. Which I think Mon knew. She only sounds a little mildly disappointed that the WHOLE Ghost crew is going, likely because Hera's proven to be such a good squad leader and pilot and it would suck to lose contact with her.

But she accepts their decision anyway.

Love that we bring so many characters back for the final season. Hi Vizago!

Rex and Zeb needed to interact more, especially if we get hilarious exchanges like this.

A moment of appreciation for their disguises

And oof that is a visual gutpunch. Ruined Lothal looks almost hellish. Red replaces blue and amber, fires and smoke burn constantly.

The last time we saw Lothal, the mining crawlers hadn't begun stripping the surface of the planet yet, so this gives us a sense of just how much the Empire was ramping up its production. I don't even think they limited it to the factories in Capital City, probably built more facilities in cities all over the planet just to accommodate the workload.

In any case, it's no wonder the Loth-wolves decided to reemerge. This kind of ecological devastation is absolutely certain to arouse the wrath of ancient nature planet-guardians.

And they've built orbital construction stations too, ngl, I'm pretty sure that was deliberate in order to visually remind us of the first time we saw Geonosis. Perhaps to invoke the same sense of borrowed time? Because with how thoroughly they're sucking the planet dry, even if Palpatine hadn't pulled the TIE Defender funding, Lothal would not have been able to sustain that level of production for long. The planet would have become a broken, polluted, empty husk.

:(((((((

Once again Star Wars leaning heavily on the Nature vs. Careless Industrialization theme. (Like half the Visions shorts feature it to some degree, I'm not surprised.)

Right so even though they didn't find Rebels on Vizago's ship, they arrested him anyway because of the pufferpigs and gang-pressed him to work on a mining crawler.

Rebels said government stifling of private industry is unjust. Again. Lol.

Jhothal does not have the countless "occupied territory" holobanners, but it does have video propaganda service announcements playing constantly.

"The Empire wouldn't do anything to Old Jho. The people wouldn't stand for it." Ohhh honey you would be surprised just how much tyranny the average person is capable of tolerating. Also that's probably why they have an enforced curfew now.

We now begin the portion of the episode that I affectionately call the Sabezra Bar Date. XD

Aaaaaand another visual gutpunch. I had to go back and check but even the lighting and paint have been changed to a standard, washed out Imperial gray. Also note that there are no civilians (at least until Jai reveals he's there). This is no longer a functioning small business serving the local community, it's a state-run facility servicing members of the state.

It's sickening.

There is so much arm-touching this episode I was spoiled.

No but seriously, has Sabine ever been this physically touchy with him? She's already hyper-aware of how upset he is about Lothal, perhaps the constant comfortable touching is a way to comfort and reassure him?

-snrk- Still hilarious how they brought back Baron Valen Rudor. For once the Rebels do not ruin his day personally.

"We don't get many civilians in here anymore." Hey. Hey maybe it's because you're a bar and there's a curfew enforced so civilians can't get to the place. Just a thought.

RIP Jho, godspeed.

Head empty, no thoughts, just Kanera. And maybe a little bit the "You could always see me."/Sabine Sees Ezra parallels.

Love this subtle moment so much. Sabine noticing immediately how Ezra's hands curling into tight fists on the counter, gently touching his arm to calm him, get his attention before he does something rash.

Even when they turn to go she puts her hand back around his wrist, holding onto him, anchoring him. <333333

IIIIIIIIII thought there was a curfew in effect are they just going to let the kids... leave?

(Perhaps "going home" is one of the few valid reasons to be out after curfew?)

Jai did, ah... not age well.

FHKASJFHAKS EVEN IN CIVILIAN CLOTHES EZRA GETS PICKED ON BY TROOPERS JEEZ.

Love how even when given the opportunity to divide forces a different way Ezra and Sabine just naturally gravitate to the same team. <3

Also love that the Lothal rebels adapted Sabine's starbird as their callsign. Not to be all Other Fandom Parallels but it makes me think of how the other Districts started marking things with the mockingjay in Hunger Games.

The little wall-bounce parkour and twirl Ezra does taking out that one probe. <3

The despair in Ezra's voice here. Taylor makes it sound like Ezra's about to cry,

Sabine immediately reaching out to him. <3

Again with the touching, this time with bonus talking him out of his negative self-spiral, repeating his own words of hope back to him.

Badass family shot. <3

That Extra little twirl Ezra does as he bats down one last blaster bolt. <3

The beginning of Ryder's misgivings about their chances. Honestly, it definitely feels like the Alliance has mostly given up on Lothal and considers it a lost cause, because even with the proof that the Defender is going to absolutely wreck havoc on them in space combat they still need to be talked into attacking the factories by Hera.

So yeah, understanding Saw and Ezra's frustrations with the bureaucracy of it.

"We've done it before. We can do it again." Help I am thinking back to how Ezra remotivated himself in "Path of the Jedi". "Yeah... again. Been alone before, survived, I can survive this." *sobs*

Apparently Sabine's pep talk worked. :)

Ahhhhh I love this episode so much! The music is great, the animation has lovely subtle soft moments, the action setpieces have so many nice little unique bits (Zeb dragging that probe along the wall was great) and even if seeing Lothal in such bad shape hurts it emphasizes how badly the Spectres are needed.

Ezra did need to return home because, as it turns out, he and Kanan are the only two ones who can actually save Lothal.

Up next, romantic wolf rides! I mean what?

#star wars #star wars rebels #ezra bridger #kanan x hera #sabezra #rebels rewatch #liveblog

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blingblong55 · 1 year

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Ashes- 141+ Los vaqueros

This is based on a request:

GN!Reader, mutant AU, angst?

It has been a known fact that you are one of the mutant soldiers Captain Price carries in his team. The men that work with you have been curious as to how you became who you are today. For you it was never easy to explain who you were. You wish you just picked up a gun and joined the military. But your past held knives. Too sharp to just throw a blanket over them. The conversation was never brought up, yet.

Backstory:

As a child, your mother and father were the most powerful mutants in the world. They knew the risks of having a child would be bigger than anything they’ve fought. But they knew that if they raised you to be kind and understanding that maybe you’d be some sort of hero to the mortals. As a mutant, it is impossible to age. Your mother was a few hundred years old, your father too.

You were born in 1926. Since then your body remained at the age of 28 years old. The government was aware of you and your family. So by age 12, you were sent away to train your powers. Helping those who needed it. By 1954, you reached your full potential. Although you hadn’t reached all the powers you fought in WWII. Becoming a secret helper for the troops, you met your now enemy. He betrayed you and some kind of village that was hosting you both.

You since then swore to always be of help. And to seek revenge after he murdered the whole village. For decades you looked for him, always following close. He always escaped. Until tonight.

——————————————————

This mission was going to be difficult, you all knew that. The enemy held a 'secret' weapon. But for you, this only meant another mutant would be involved. Very few countries held the remaining mutants. You were all a dying kind. The UN decided that your generation would be the last to be made. Multiple governments fought for your kind. It was never easy to keep any of you around. Especially you.

Price made sure his men trained every day with you. This helped their powers become stronger, and it helped them understand how to move and fight against mutants.

All those who became superhumans have 4 abilities under their control, yours were:

Terrakinesis

Necromancy

Shapeshift

Shadow Manipulation

You didn't use them as often as others, but they became handy for sure. Shapeshifting was your favourite, it allowed you to do anything and never get into much trouble.

Tonight the teams are set to land in Portugal. The enemy is hiding there and tonight would be the perfect opportunity to take them down. When you all land down, you take the form of a local you saw by a stand. The team leaves to set base, and you start to walk around, listening to locals. "I heard tonight is the night, the boss is waiting for precious cargo." one man says in English. "same place?" "yeah."

With the small but significant information, you head back to base. You go back to your true form. Soap is right in front of you as you do this. "steamy Jesus," he places a hand over his chest and takes a deep breath. He was always the one who you freaked out with your powers the most. "sorry," you tried not to laugh. "S'alright, you heard anything?" he asks, trying to look you in the eyes. You nod, "not much but it's something." he nods and motions for you to follow him. The team is inside a small room, and the men gather around a table. Price was talking about some plan he was coming up with. He turns to the door as Soap and you walk in. "got anything kid?"

"they are expecting some cargo, if our source is telling the truth, they will be at their main base." You look at the room and then back at the map.

You knew this one could be more impossible to complete. But after hours of working on a detailed plan, the team got in their trucks and drove to their positions. You stayed behind, as usual. Waiting for the perfect time to strike the enemy. Once Ghost gives you the signal to move out, you carefully step into the city. Hiding in plain sight.

Soon later the team started to have a very serious and dangerous gunfight with the enemy. You know they were prepared for anything, but it’s haunting knowing there are others like you who like to cause harm.

When you stepped into the new battle field you spotted the other mutant. He had a dark green glow surrounding him, this person can absorb power from others. Fuck, you thought. “Everyone stay back!” You stood up from your position, and you threw your gun to the side. “Kid no!” Ghost tried to get a hold of you, but you quickly moved aside, a shadow pushing him to the wall.

The man started to walk towards you. “If it isn’t r/n, how lucky must I be.” You always hated him, he was the reason your entire family went into hiding, because of him you were held captive for years. Some shadows tried to trap him, and his men withdrew from the scene. Hiding elsewhere. Dark thick vines started to crawl up his legs, he looked down at you a sinister smirk on his eyes. He moved his fingers and you went flying. Before you hit a wall a dark shadow broke the fall. You stood up, “I can do better.” In your hands, you held a pebble. You turned it and soon thousands of rocks went flying in his direction. It took some of the enemy out, something Price was pleased about.

Bolts went flying in the direction of your team, and a large dark hole appeared in front of them. Your back started to burn, it was one of the downfalls. A young soldier was hit, and Rudy held him close, trying to keep him awake. “Don’t you ever mess with my family? Not again.” You ran towards him, he jumped and landed behind you. You quickly turned around. Water from the nearby ocean rose up. Your hands pointed at him, and the water went rushing towards him. He nearly drowned. As he was on his knees trying to catch his breath, you walked up to him. You pulled out a knife from your pocket. You grabbed him by the hair and made him look at you.

“Don’t. You. Ever. Fuck. With. Them. Or. Me.” The knife was now at his throat. You leaned in and whispered, “Don't you know? With great power comes great responsibility.” You slashed his throat. His hands tried to stop the blood. But soon he lay on the ground, and you rushed to your team. “What was that?!” Soap panicked. It wasn’t known to mortals of how many powers your kind could control. “It was nothing.” But the men all just stood there, scared and panicked. You walked to Rudy and gently nudged him to move away from the now-deceased soldier. You looked down at him and then at the team. “What happened here stays here, don't go around asking me for this kind of favour.” You look back down, your right hand placed on his heart the other at his head.

Alejandro kissed the cross chain on his neck. “Dios mio.” You opened your eyes, bright light shining through them. You looked up at the sky and then back at him. There was a reason they called you Reaper on the field. One thing that wasn’t known is that although you can bring people back to life, you can also take their lives, their souls become a part of you. Forever haunting you.

You closed your eyes and the solider soon gasped for air. You held him close, his head on your chest. “To sleep. To wake up by the morning, to not remember what you saw in the afterlife. To live as if you never died.” You whispered only for him to hear. You walked away, your vision becoming blurry. The energy was drained from you. Ghost followed you, he watched as you held onto the walls. A shadow soon moved in front of him and as it disappeared you were gone.

He looked back at the huge explosion. The enemy was now dead. “What the fuck” he walked back to the team. From the corner of his eye, he saw you, lying on the floor, your body near the enemy. Price ran to you when he too saw you. Your body is weak, nearly pale.

It was the side effect of bringing people to life. When you were younger it was much harder to not pass out, today you are still getting stronger. But back when scientists poked around and extracted your blood and injected other superhuman blood in you, you died, every time. Your mother the best superhuman to exist, she brought you to life every time you trained your powers. She was known as Angel.

Your father was the last of his generation to be made. He unlike your mother was made in a laboratory, he had all the powers anyone could want, and he went into hiding during the Great War (WWI). They were immortals, much like you.

“Kid, c’mon wake up.”, price shook your body.

As you looked around an empty room you found your mother and a young child. She was dressing them up in a superhero costume. You approached them. The young child jumps into its father's arms. When you blinked you were alone in that room. And then the men and women you had saved and killed started to walk to you. Their souls forever burning. “Take me to my family.” “Is Shelia okay, she was pregnant.” “You murderer!” “Take me to my body!” “Murderer” “You killed my husband.” “Your mother shall die at dawn.” Then their appearances changed, they were pilgrims now. Holding torches as they dragged you to your final destination.

“R/n, c’mon wake up.”

Your eyes opened, and you were met with Price's arms around you. “You okay kid?” You hugged him, your breathing heavy. “It’s okay, m’here.”

“What happened?” Your eyes scanned the room to find the entire time staring at you. “You fainted,” Soap answered.

“What was all that back there?” Gaz had a nasty scar on his face by now. Gosh, what the hell happened?

“I.. I don't know, I used to need just five minutes to recharge my energy….Where’s Ghost?!” You quickly panicked. He was your human connection.

It was said that when you found a human you trusted, you and they had to connect your souls together. If the human was injured, you’d be injured with them. If they died, your energy would be drained it would be impossible to recharge in time for anything else. “Your shadow attacked him the second you fainted. He is ok though, just needs an ice pack. Poor guy.” Price still holding you near him. “I- didn’t mean to do that.” You got up from the table and walked to him. “M’fine.” He knew you better than anyone else and knew all your secrets.

—————————————-

After the teams were gathered around, they asked you about your abilities. “No soap, for the 5th time, I won't fucking kill ya.”

“But if you do, I will haunt you.” Air pushed him back into the wall. He looked more offended by that. “Alright anyone else?”

“How exactly did you become…this,” Gaz asked. “I was born with one of them, inherited I guess.”

“Are they…alive?” You assumed Alejandro asked about your parents, and you nod, “Yes, my mother is helping Interpol and my dad is in hiding, for now.”

“Why?” Rudy asked, his arms crossed on his chest. His eyes studying you. “Before the Great War started, they tried to...well, I guess suck all of his powers away. By the 70’s he started to understand that you know maybe they forgot about him, and then by the 90’s i was captured. So he went into hiding again.”

“Does he know he is safe now?”

“No, he is a stubborn one. Much like Ghost.”

“Oí, quick it aye.” His harsh accent makes you laugh a little.

“So how does the whole necromancy thing work, or the thing you did with the water.” One of the younger soldiers asked. It pleased you to know they weren’t going to attack you. You smiled because there was still some fear radiating from their bodies. It was funny to you.

“Did you see how the fucking veins moved too, shit seemed fake.”

“I can control elements, whether it’s fire, water, air, plants or anything like that.”

“Like a fooking avatar?!” Gaz spoke up, it made you chuckle at his childlike questions. He was by far your favourite little human.

“I guess so.” You answered.

“Wow, that is so cool.” His eyes lit up, you just wanted to squeeze his cheeks as if he was a little boy. “And to answer the whole necromancy question, I can at times go back and forth between this world and the other world. I used to bring back animals from the dead and let them be free. At times I would sneak into protests in America and resurrect those who died at the hands of racists.”

“They must write a movie for you.”

“Nope, never, it is my job to protect you all. Much like your job in the military.”

“So this is just a job to you,” Rudy spoke up. He was always the one you worked to build a relationship with. Mean with his words at times.

“No, it was just an example. I love doing this you know. I adore the adventure, to meet new people and to love those who I trust and work with.” You looked at Ghost.

————— Months later,

Your life was hanging by a thread. The team far from you, Ghost had been injured badly, and it was now you both paying the price. You turned to face him. “I’m sorry I failed. I tried to keep him safe.” You looked up, ghost not knowing to who you were speaking to.

“Darling, it’s okay. You don’t have to be sorry.” She caressed your face. “I took an oath to protect them all. And because of me..” she hugged you. “Shhh, it’s alright. Take a deep breath.”

The night his whole family died, you were there. It was a cold night in Manchester. You had been on your way back home, you heard screams and you rushed to the home. Only to find them dead. You cried for strangers. Then the cops arrived. At around this time, mutants were still a secret. But before you ran away, his mother's soul reached out to you. She held your hand and told you about her little boy. How he would need someone to have around.

“Take care of him, I can’t do it anymore. Please take care of my little boy. He doesn’t deserve any harm.” Her voice was so gentle and sincere. You nod, and as you scan the room you look for a picture of him. And there he was, a young little boy with what seemed to be his brother. You turned around and found Tommy on the ground. A child and a woman by him. You gathered a few items and ran away. Hiding in the darkness.

A year after looking for him you found him. But he wasn’t Simon, it was the Ghost you found. A scared little boy within him. He held a gun to your head. A balaclava hiding his features. But you studied the picture for years, and even though he hid himself behind it you could recognize him.

“Your mum sent me for you. M’r/n. I am only here to help.”

After much fight, he believed you.

After years you still held onto your promise, to always protect her little boy. And all though you have seen him without his mask, you still carry a picture of him anywhere. After meeting the team and then changing their title to your family, you also carried pictures of them. In a small box you had pictures of them with their wives and kids. The small little charms their children made for you had become your favourite little awards.

The night you met Price, you saw your father in him. He was severely injured. You approached him in military gear. “With us?” You nod. He was losing a lot of blood. He took a picture out and held it near. You remembered this all too well. “If I don't make it, tell her,” he shows you the picture. “I love her and I tried to make it home.” Tears of defeat now leave his eyes. “You’ll make it home old man.” You dragged him to a safer place and since then you vowed to protect him till his very last days as an old man.

Soap was much more of a sad encounter. He was a young soldier when you encountered him. He had gone back home for a visit. His father was drunk. What a surprise. Poor Soap tried defending his mother and siblings. “Dad don’t!” But the man started throwing punches. You were walking home after visiting your father. A bouquet of flowers in your hand as you prepare to visit a graveyard where all your past friends and lovers stayed. Buried to never be found.

You ran inside the house after you heard a woman scream. “Johnny! What did you do to our son!” The door was locked, but you broke it. The poor young man lay on the ground, blood spreading fast. The children holding their brother in their arms. You took the man outside and beat him senseless. “What is wrong with you?! That is your son!” You punched him again. “You never hurt your own.” And then he was unconscious. That was the evening Johnny met death for the first time. You rushed in and held him in your arms. After bringing him back to life you sat there, his mother held him in her arms by now. After a few minutes you stood up, “m’sorry, you deserve much better. Here” you gave her a card. It contained an address to a home somewhere safer in the country. “Take all your important documents and take your kids there.” You soon walked away with a picture of Johnny when he was a teen. Giving the camera a cheeky grin.

The morning you met Gaz was one of his worst days. His sister had gone missing. You founder her a few hours later. He cried in your arms. She was the one thing he had left in this world. You discovered later that after a successful mission as an officer, a mob held his sister as a part of a deal. The way he looked you in the eyes. His tone was so cold, hinting at weakness in between words. He was a reminder that all thought you are kind and do good, but most of the time it won’t be reciprocated. His sense of humour and nature made him your favourite. You never understood how he ended up with the team. Always told him he deserved to live in the country side and meet a nice person and just grow old with them. And now you were here, looking at the scar on his face.

Alejandro and Rudy were your most kind meet-up. You visited Mexico as part of a recruitment for those who might have powers. Las Almas was heard to be the centre of this. You saw a young boy running around with his friend. They were giggling as others ran behind them. The first boy tripped, his friend dragged him to a safer place, and that’s when you met him. “Ale estas bien?” The other boy spoke. You stood there, trying to understand the situation. “Si,” Alejandro spoke up, there was blood dripping down from his knee. You kneeled down, “can I?” You asked, he looked puzzled, you took out a band-aid and a bottle of water. “Here take this.” You handed it to who you now know as Rudy. You washed your hands and then cleaned the dirt and blood from Alejandro’s knee. You placed the band-aid on the injury. A small smile on your lips. “Mejor?” You spoke, your poor accent making the boys giggle. He nods and thanks you. Rudy walked with his arm around his best friend. They turned back and waved as they disappeared into the streets.

—————

The team found you two. Ghost would be okay. But you? You were far from being okay. You resented yourself. You were meant to be their protector. Not the other way around. “M’sorry.” You spoke up. Price rushed to your side. Ghost was in the bed next to you. His hand reached for yours. “Don’t be sorry. Ever.” He held you close to him. “We love you.”

Gaz nods as he plants a kiss on your forehead. You nod and slowly close your eyes.

———————————

A/n: this is so long but gosh did i fucking enjoy writing it.

So i wrote this before i went on that small break and never posted it so here it goes.

Tags: @warenaim

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joshualunacreations · 1 year

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The US and its propaganda arm, Hollywood, have always been anti-Asian. Although opportunities are opening up for Asian actors, the underlying messaging—that divides and hurts Asians—hasn't changed.

Not too long ago, AsAms seemed united in outrage against racism and white-washed casting such as Scarlet Johannsen in Ghost in the Shell, Tilda Swinton in Dr. Strange, or Netflix’s Deathnote. Yet as more projects with AAPI leads and casts were produced, this so-called unity proved to be a lie.

The illusion of AsAm unity fell apart with To All the Boys I Loved Before—which was widely celebrated despite its blatant white-worship. The most recent blow comes from Hulu's The Company You Keep, a U.S. remake of a k-drama that replaced the male love interest with a white man.

Once it seemed like AAPI women were getting roles and being “humanized” (i.e. garnering attention and approval from white men on-screen and off) AAPI with media power were satisfied. It didn't matter that AAPI men were still erased and dehumanized—even in supposedly pro-AAPI projects.

Not only do AAPI with media power not care about the continuing harm against AAPI men, they exacerbate it. When AsAms critique anti-Asian narratives—especially ones erasing or targeting AsAm men like TATBILB—they're gaslit, harassed, censored and even permanently blacklisted.

This is because AsAm media is held hostage by the racist framework of the U.S. government's 1942-43 Mixed Marriage Policy. White men's hierarchy—based on perceived threat levels and receptiveness to white assimilation—still dictates Hollywood narratives.

Research confirms that the MMP persists today. A 2015 study shows how gendered racism leads to severe under-representation of Asian men (and Black women). Whereas monoracial Asian men face significant barriers in dating, a 2014 study shows mixed-white Asians get a "bonus effect."

This is why Hollywood execs know there will be less uproar if monoracial Asian men aren't represented—it's been the status quo for decades. In the few roles made for Asian men, they still fall into two categories: pathetic loser or toxic man/villain. In some cases, both.

The hatred and erasure of Asian men is so deeply embedded that it's led to the widespread erasure of AAPI men as victims of anti-Asian hate crimes in recorded stats and media narratives. AAPI journalists know this, yet continue to do nothing to correct it.

So what's next for AsAm representation? In 2022, Janet Yang became president of the Oscars. She's co-founder of Gold House—an AsAm Hollywood collective—and executive producer of Joy Luck Club, a seminal work bashing Asian men as irredeemable misogynists compared to "good" white men.

Many AsAms like Yang want more of Joy Luck Club and similar stories. Amy Tan, author of JLC, has been pushing for years for a sequel with the original cast. A TV series was optioned in 2017, and as of 2022 a movie sequel is to be written by white male screenwriter, Ron Bass.

Stories like Joy Luck Club aren't just bad media—they're dangerous. Arthur Martunovich randomly hammered three AsAm men to death because he saw a movie depicting Chinese men as abusers and he wanted to "protect Chinese women". There's a high chance that movie was JLC.

Hollywood has figured out it’s easy to make anti-Asian films and stifle criticism by hiring Asian tokens to give stamps of approval. An article from 1986 (40 years ago) about AsAm criticism of racism in Big Trouble in Little China shows there's a history of sowing division among AAPI and using government resources to do it. I understand the allure of the Hollywood dream because I used to believe in it myself. From an early age, all marginalized groups—POC, women, LGBTQ+—are taught to fantasize about how we'll finally be accepted and heal the hurt once we get on a big stage and give an award speech. Having experience in Hollywood as a comic creator, I know how people in power (esp. white men) behave. Their goal is to wear you down until you internalize their bigoted messaging, regurgitate it yourself, and then thank them for it. They hate the word "no." Awards don't matter if the content that gets you there ultimately serves bigoted and harmful purposes. In 2020, I made a test for AAPI media. None of the projects so far have passed. That's by design. We think we’re holding the statue, but really, it’s holding us.

Correction: I just noticed a typo in the comic. Inside the Hollywood sign's letter "Y" I meant to say "non-Asians" not "non-whites." Sorry, it was a lot of drawing and writing, and I got tired 🥴 (Please don’t repost or edit my art. Reblogs are always appreciated.)

If you enjoy my comics, please pledge to my Patreon or donate to my Paypal.

https://twitter.com/Joshua_Luna/status/1134522555744866304 https://patreon.com/joshualuna https://www.paypal.com/paypalme2/JoshuaLunaComics

#asians in hollywood #aapi in hollywood #asian representation #aapi representation #oscars #academy awards #racism #anti-asian racism #gendered racism #hate crimes #anti-asian hate crimes #media analysis #asian americans #fil am artist #my art #artists on tumblr #joshua luna #josh luna

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fixfoxnox · 11 months

Text

Break Out (Gaz/Jackson)

More Gaz week content! The NSFW day 1 prompt was Monster, so I, naturally, took the opportunity to write Gaz getting railed by a monster version of Jackson. Enjoy!

Warnings: Biting, Tentacles, Smut, slight dub-con, slight size difference thing, marking/possessiveness

Word Count: 6.9k

“Well, well, look who's late once again.”

Gaz pushed past Soap to swipe his card through the reader, officially clocking in for the day, “Fuck off, traffic was terrible this morning.” He sighed and tossed his bag down on one of the benches before quickly digging into his locker. “I’m sure you were late too,” he joked while pulling on his lab coat and special lanyard.

“I am never late,” Soap turned his nose up at him, “I arrive exactly when I want to.”

Gaz snorted and slammed his locker shut, “Sure, bud. Try telling that to Price, I’m sure he’d love that one.” He looked Soap up and down for a moment, “Why are you still in here, by the way? Shouldn’t you be on the floor?”

“Nope,” Soap popped up from his seat and gave a big stretch, “Shepherd wants to try Jackson today, which means we were all waiting on you to show up.”

Gaz could feel his face flush and he was quick to push past Soap, grumbling under his breath as he did, “There was no point in waiting for me.” He started down one of the long lab hallways toward the safety entrance for the lab around Jackson’s enclosure.

“Please,” Soap was quick to catch up and match his pace, walking right beside him as they talked, “We both know that the only reason that creature behaves so well half the time is because of you. You’ve got some weird relationship going on with him.”

“I don’t have a weird relationship,” Gaz was quick to argue back, “he just likes me because I’m not a dick like Shepherd. I advocate for him.” He stopped in front of the door to the lab and pulled his keycard out again, “Should we talk about your relationship with the mated creatures down the hall.”

Soap’s face went a bright red, “My relationship with Ghost and Roach is nothing like this!”

“Sure,” Gaz swiped his card and pushed into the small lab where most of the team was waiting, Soap followed after him. None of them had dared to go into the small lab yet and, though Gaz disagreed with Soap, he understood why. The last time they’d tried to run a day on Jackson without Gaz present and the creature had thrown a fit. They’d all been amazed that the glass of his enclosure had managed to hold up against the assault he’d hit it with.

“There you are, about time you showed up!” General Shepherd was the government supervisor for their little organization. Gaz hated his guts. The man was constantly overstepping and always more than willing to hurt the subjects brought into the lab. He had no consideration for the fact that these were living breathing creatures and he only agreed to call them by the names they’d been given so he could differentiate between them when talking. He only saw the lab as a way to develop weapons for his little military exploits. Gaz hated to say it, but there certainly had been numerous times that he’d dreamt of one of the creatures escaping just to take care of the man. Though he knew that would never work out in a way that he liked.

“Apologies, General,” he responded quickly, “Traffic kept me busy. If we’re ready to go inside?” He motioned to the door with his hand, trying to avoid getting an earful of nonsense from the man. It didn’t matter, it wasn’t like they could fire him. The fact that they were all waiting outside the lab for him just proved it.

Shepherd seemed more than annoyed with him, but he didn’t do anything other than glare and shove past him to open the lab door and push his way inside. Gaz received a short smile from Price, a sort of quick greeting for the two until they could talk later, before he was motioned inside. He followed after Shepherd and the rest of the scientists, assistants, and, caretakers followed after him.

The room was large and open with one-half of it converted into a large lab with cameras, data readers, computers, and much more. Practically anything their team would need could be found inside. The other half of the room had been converted into an enclosure for the creature. Gaz had personally designed and changed it over the creature’s stay, making sure that it was exactly what Jackson would need and be comfortable with.

This half was transformed into a deep fake wooded area. The lights in the enclosure were kept dim at practically all times and there were a number of places where Jackson could hide. The biggest and most often used one was a little cave at the very back of the enclosure. The only time the lights were ever turned fully on were times like these when Shepherd insisted on being able to see Jackson perfectly as they ran their tests and conducted their research. Gaz had tried numerous times for at least dim lighting, but he’d continued to be overruled, much to his annoyance.

While all of the scientists went to their stations and prepared for the day, Gaz moved toward the glass. He didn’t need any papers or pens, after all, he was just there as an aid. That’s what the caretakers were meant to do. Build a relationship with the creatures and aid the scientists in conducting their tests. He hated it sometimes, but at least the scientists were nice. They weren’t doing any of this for the same reasons as Shepherd, they were doing it for the sake of their own curiosity and intrigue.

Peering inside the, now fully lit, enclosure told Gaz that Jackson was likely tucked back in his little cave to stretch himself out. Gaz didn’t call for him yet, he just stood by the glass, waiting for a command. He would let Jackson rest as long as he could.

After several moments of idle chatter and moving around, it seemed that many of the scientists were finally ready to begin. “Alright Gaz,” the head scientist of the unit called out to him, “See if you can get him out here for us.”

Gaz gave a short nod before turning toward the glass enclosure and stepping closer to it. He was quick to lift his hand and give two good taps to the glass. He waited a long moment, letting the noise vibrate around the room. The entire lab was silent, just waiting and letting him do what was needed. After a long moment, Gaz could see as two glowing white dots emerged from the darkness of the cave. He could very slightly make out the outline of Jackson’s body thanks to the full lights in the room.

“Jackson,” he called out kindly, tilting his head at the eyes, “Would you come out, please?” There was another long moment of silence, but he never took his eyes away from Jackson’s. He knew how much the creature liked it when he looked at him.

Finally, ever so slowly, Jackson emerged from his cave and into the light. Despite his strength and power, despite the fact that so many of the scientists were deathly afraid of him, and despite the fact that Gaz knew there was more to him than could be seen, Jackson didn’t look intimidating. He looked human. Like a regular person that you’d see walking past you on the street. It was somehow far more terrifying than if Jackson did look like some of the other creatures in the facility.

Jackson walked all the way up to the glass and made a point to stop right in front of Gaz. His face was fixed into something surprisingly soft and Gaz found himself looking away, embarrassment and heat flooding down his spine as he felt Jackson’s eyes excitedly moving over his face. He cleared his throat nervously before giving the creature a small smile, “Thank you, Jackson. I appreciate your participation.” He turned back toward the scientists then, waiting for their first request of the day.

“We’d like a chance to observe at least one of his other limbs in detail,” One of the scientists at the corner called out. “If you could get him to bring it out and hold it close to the glass, we would be grateful.”

Gaz nodded to them and turned back to Jackson. He found that the creature’s eyes were still locked onto him and he resisted the urge to shiver under the other’s gaze. It was that same soft look that he wore every day, and yet Gaz had never gotten used to it. He cleared his throat nervously, “Jackson, would you be willing to let us look at one of your, um, well, your tentacles? Up close?”

Jackson tilted his head at him, his lips quirking up a bit as though he was amused. Still, it wasn’t a moment later that there was a sort of wet sound followed by the clothes that they’d given him shifting. A moment later and out slithered an inky black tentacle. The appendage almost shined in the light and Jackson was quick to move it around and hold it just in front of Gaz so that he could see it clearly. It was a dark black color and, upon closer inspection, Gaz could see that as he moved the appendage in the light, it was as though rainbows shined across the appendage. It reminded him distinctly of an oil slick.

Jackson didn’t move, even as several scientists moved closer to the glass, gathering around Gaz to make quick sketches, take notes, and snap quick pictures of the appendage. Gaz didn’t mind, he just stood still and allowed the scientists to work. Jackson did the same, though he seemed far more focused on Gaz than the various scientists who were very clearly interested in him.

It wasn’t until one of the scientists accidentally bumped into Gaz, sending him stumbling forward that Jackson tore his gaze away from him. It moved immediately toward the scientist who’d bumped him and his gaze shifted from the softness that had covered it to something sharper. The guttural growl that tore from his throat sent many of the scientists scrambling away from the glass and, when Jackson’s tentacle slammed against the glass and rattled it in its hold, screams erupted from the room.

Gaz was quick to act, slamming his hand against the glass with a strength that was sure to get Jackson’s attention. Sure enough, the man’s gaze turned toward him. As soon as he saw him he softened and he immediately moved toward where Gaz had his hand pressed against the smooth surface. Jackson practically pressed himself flat against the glass and took care to gently place his hand in the exact same place as Gaz’s.

Within a few moments, it was clear to everyone that Jackson was calm again. That meant that once again, Gaz found himself surrounded by curious scientists. The only difference was that this time they all kept a healthy distance away from him, worried about potentially bumping him and setting Jackson off again. Gaz stayed in his place, his hand pressed against the glass. Jackson seemed more than content with the placement, his own hand staying just where it was on the other side of the glass.

Gaz noticed that the creature wasn’t looking at him now, but was rather observing their hands with a sense of wonder on his face. Gaz didn’t have small hands by any means, but Jackson was a creature beyond anything that he was sure he could ever understand. It was no surprise to him that the creature’s hands dwarfed his own, after all, Jackson was at least a good foot and a half taller than him.

Despite this, Jackson was fixated on the sight for several minutes, just observing the way that his hand fit next to Gaz’s. When, finally, he looked back up to his face his entire demeanor had changed. Gone was the softness that Gaz was used to seeing and, in its place was something much darker. There was a look in Jackson’s eyes that Gaz couldn’t quite place, but it sent a shiver down his spine and a flush of heat through his system.

Jackson’s gaze didn’t change for the rest of the session and even as Gaz and the others were leaving the room, the lights dimming behind them, Gaz could feel the creature’s eyes piercing into his back. He didn’t know what it meant, but he knew that it couldn’t spell anything good for him.

It was around lunch when the alarms in the facility started going off. As was procedure when things like this happened, Gaz and the others immediately moved into a safe room as the security ran around the facility, trying to figure out what was wrong and what would need to be done to make things safe again. Gaz doubted it was an actual break out, nothing like that had ever happened at the facility before.

More likely than anything was that one of the creatures had damaged their enclosure in some way and set off the alarms around the base. It was part of the reason why he wasn’t surprised in the slightest when a knock came on the safe room door with Shepherd calling for him to come out.

He gave a deep sigh, knowing that what had likely happened was that Jackson had damaged his enclosure in some way earlier in the day when he’d been shoved. He didn’t mind too much, he often found himself working on quick repairs to Jackson’s enclosure for one reason or another. It would be an easy fix.

When he pushed his way out of the safe room, the door snapping shut behind him with an air of finality, something felt different. Shepherd’s face was more serious this time and a number of the security guards looked scared shitless. Perhaps the fix wasn’t going to be as easy as he thought.

“Shepherd,” he acknowledged carefully, “what’s going on?”

“It’s Jackson,” Shepherd crossed his arms over his chest, “We need your help.”

“Did something happen with his space?” Gaz asked carefully, trying to get a bit more information from the man, “If you tell me what happened I can tell you what I’ll need to fix it. Surely it can’t be that bad?”

There was a long pause. Shepherd shared a glance with the head of the lab’s security and Gaz tensed up at the looks on their faces. That wasn’t good. Something big had apparently happened.

“It’s better if you see for yourself,” Shepherd landed on finally. He motioned for Gaz to follow him and set off down the hallway, leaving him with no choice but to make his way down the hallway after him.

As soon as they stepped into the safety room that was connected to the lab and Jackson’s enclosure, Gaz knew that something bad had happened.

The entire room was in disarray. It looked as though an earthquake had shaken the room. Shelves had fallen, tools were dropped to the ground, and glass was broken along the floor. But what really worried Gaz were the cameras. Each of the labs and connecting enclosures were covered with cameras to allow the security team to monitor everything without disturbing the creatures. Each of the cameras was behind a thick casing of bulletproof glass. The same casing that made up part of the glass blocking the creatures into their enclosures. Every single camera in Jackson’s enclosure had clearly had something happen to it. Rather than showing a live feed of the other room, they only displayed static.

Gaz sent a questioning look toward Shepherd. Shepherd straightened up and met his eyes before admitting, “Jackson has broken out of his enclosure.”

“What?” Gaz’s mouth fell open in shock and he had to lean against a nearby counter for support. This was not good. Not good in the slightest. “Wait, wait, if Jackson broke out of his enclosure,” he looked around the room nervously, spotting the two security members who were now blocking his only way out of the room, “what do you need me for?”

“You’re the only person who Jackson responds positively to,” Shepherd stated quickly, “we want you to go inside and convince him back into his cave. Once he’s in there we can activate the backup casing to hold him until the glass can be restored.”

“You’re crazy,” Gaz backed away from Shepherd quickly, “fucking nuts! I am not going in there!”

“It’s your job,” Shepherd told him quickly, his eyes glaring harshly into him, “You’ll do your job.”

“My job,” Gaz responded easily, “Is to help take care of the creatures while they are in their enclosures! Not to get them into the enclosures. That’s your job!” He pushed toward the two men at the door but was quickly shoved back away. “Let me out.”

Suddenly, both of the men at the door rushed forward and seized his arms, holding him tight even as he struggled. He was dragged across the room and it didn’t take him long to realize where they were taking him. He tried to struggle harder, but it did nothing for him as the two men stopped in front of the door to Jackson’s enclosure.

He could hear someone swiping their card for the room, but his attention was taken quickly by Shepherd. “Do your job, Garrick.” The man turned his nose up at him, “We won’t let you out until Jackson’s back in his cage. Let’s hope that that thing likes you enough to listen.”

With that, the door was thrown open and Gaz was thrown into the dim room. He was scrambling back up as quickly as he could, but it was too late and he only managed to slam himself into the metal door. He slammed his fists against it several times, screaming every obscenity that he could think of toward Shepherd.

He should have known not to be loud, that was what always got Jackson’s attention. Still, he wasn’t thinking clearly. Panic was building in him and it only seemed to increase when he felt something wrap carefully around his ankle. He only had enough time to look down and spot the inky black of a tentacle wrapped around him before the limb yanked and sent him tumbling to the ground.

To his surprise, the fall didn’t hurt in the slightest and it only took a moment to realize that was because there were three other tentacles under him, cushioning his body. He only had a moment to realize this before he was moved across the floor, dragged halfway across the room in only a short moment. When he finally stopped moving, he found himself looking up at Jackson.

The creature was hovering over him and Gaz could feel the four tentacles that had been wrapped around him move carefully away to wriggle around in the air behind Jackson. Like this, he could see the light reflecting off of them, giving them that oil-slick look once again. Jackson wasn’t moving, he was just standing over Gaz, looking down at him carefully. That same dark look from earlier was still in his eyes.

“Jackson,” Gaz started to slowly push himself from the ground, but he was quickly pinned down with a tentacle. He took in several deep breaths to try and calm himself. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but what he did know was that he should at least try something. Even if it didn’t work, at least he’d tried. “Jackson, the others are worried,” he spoke carefully, keeping his voice soft and his face clear of any panic he felt, “Why don’t you go back into your cave for a bit so we can clean things up?” He looked around at the destroyed and torn-apart room, “This isn’t exactly the nicest thing to look at, is it?”

Of course, there was no response from the creature above him, just more staring. Gaz wasn’t quite sure what to do. There was no way that he was going to be able to break out of Jackson’s hold or get away from him. He was completely at the creature’s mercy and he had no idea what the other wanted from him.

“Jackson,” he started again carefully, “Please. Let me-”

He interrupted his own words with a gasp, his entire face going bright red as the tentacle on his chest started moving, trailing down his body and just brushing over his nipples through the fabric of his shirt.

“Jackson,” he moved to sit up again only to be pinned back down to the ground, this time with another tentacle wrapped around his wrists, holding them together tight. The tentacle on his chest continued moving down until it could slip under his shirt and begin trailing back up his skin.

Gaz felt hot with the contact, embarrassment and something else running through him. He looked back up to Jackson and was surprised to see that he could suddenly very clearly read that dark look on the creature’s face. Hunger. Lust. Love.

Another shiver went down his spine and he was helpless to move as the tentacle against his skin finally met his nipples once again. It moved around his chest carefully for several moments, just sliding along the skin before brushing carefully, almost teasingly, over one of them. A moment later and it had brushed over the other. Gaz resisted the urge to groan at the contact, little sparks of pleasure shooting up his spine. He bit his lip instead, squirming a bit in Jackson’s grip. That seemed to be the wrong thing to do as, a moment later, there was another tentacle wrapping around his waist to hold him in place.

The tentacle at his chest grew bolder quickly, carefully flicking over one of his nipples. Soon there was another tentacle pushing its way under his shirt and joining the other in teasing his chest. This one was a bit meaner it seemed, pinching and squeezing at his nipple rather than the simple rubbing and flicking the other was doing.

The sensations were driving Gaz crazy and it wasn’t long before he was a panting mess, still trying desperately to squirm in the tight hold of Jackson’s tentacles. Whether he was trying to move into the touch or away from it, he wasn’t sure. He just managed to keep his eyes focused on Jackson above him. He could see the way that the creature was flushed from watching him and he’d rather quickly noticed the growing hardness in the clothes that he wore.

After several moments, the tentacle around his wrists suddenly moved away. Gaz understood why when, a moment later, the tentacles playing with his nipples were moving to strip him of his shirt. “Woah, hold on,” he tried to fight against the movement but, despite his best effort, he soon found himself shirtless. A tentacle wrapped around his wrists again, pinning them back to the ground above his head. “Jackson,” he called nervously, the flush on his skin only growing stronger as he was exposed to the creature’s eyes.

To his surprise, a groan pulled from Jackson’s throat. It was something deep and low and the sound of it seemed to lay over his skin like a heated blanket. He liked the sound of it more than he wanted to admit.

He yelped a bit when the creature rather suddenly dropped down, straddling his waist. Their hips pressed together and Gaz couldn’t help the groan that pulled from his throat when Jackson’s hardness ground against him at the move. The sound had a slight smile tugging at Jackson’s lips, but Gaz only got a short look at it before he was ducking down to latch his mouth onto one of his nipples, sucking and licking at it as one of his tentacles played with the other.

“Jackson,” he gasped as he felt hands begin trailing over his waist, feeling carefully over the skin. To his surprise, the creature’s touch was kind, kind and almost reverent in its movement. It was like he couldn’t believe that he was actually touching Gaz. The only noises from the man were content and happy little sighs along with the occasional groan when he would accidentally grind his hips down against Gaz’s.

Jackson’s teeth were just sharp enough for Gaz to notice as they brushed along his nipple, the slight movement caused him to arch up into the creature’s touch. Jackson only hummed at the move before slowly trailing his mouth up his chest, one of his tentacles quickly taking his mouth's place to continue teasing at his chest. His mouth inched higher and higher until he was sucking at the spot where Gaz’s neck met his shoulder.

Gaz found himself tilting his head to provide more room for Jackson, allowing the creature to press careful kisses against the skin. He knew he shouldn’t have done it, he knew that he should be fighting harder against the hands and tentacles that seemed so determined to pull pleasure from his body, but he just couldn’t help himself. Jackson was sweet, he’d always been sweet to him and, Gaz had to admit, he didn’t exactly mind what was happening. Would it have been better if he was in a bed rather than the destroyed remnants of a lab? Probably. Was he still going to enjoy himself? Based on the way that Jackson’s hips were moving against his, he would say yes.

Jackson’s mouth continued to work at his neck, sucking and kissing along the expanse of it as he moved higher and higher. Occasionally he would give just a little nip to the skin, but he was quick to soothe that over with his tongue and several kisses. Eventually, he made his way to Gaz’s jaw, then his chin, before finally, he pressed their lips together. The happy little moan that escaped Jackson when Gaz pressed into the kiss was enough to have his chest feeling warm.

The kiss started with only a few short pecks, but quickly grew into long presses and soon Jackson was opening Gaz’s lips with his tongue so that he could lick happily into his mouth. It all meant that Gaz was distracted enough to hardly notice as Jackson’s hands slid down his skin to begin undoing the top of his pants with surprisingly clever fingers. His attention was brought fully to the movement when another two tentacles began working Gaz’s pants and underwear down his legs in slow careful movements. He was beginning to wonder just how many of the things Jackson had.

Soon enough, he found himself fully naked under the creature’s touch. He pulled away from Jackson’s lips as best he could, not that Jackson seemed to mind as he just returned his mouth to kiss along his neck. “Jackson,” Gaz started desperately, “You-”

Jackson’s hand wrapping carefully around his hardening cock pulled a desperate moan from him and his hips jerked up into the touch. No tentacle came to stop this movement and, instead, Jackson seemed to encourage it, groaning happily into his neck every time his hips moved. “Oh, fuck,” Gaz groaned out as Jackson started to slowly work his hand up and down Gaz’s cock, stroking him with slow tight movements of his wrist.

“Jackson,” he gasped desperately at the pleasure that was slowly curing his toes and filling his body, “Please, god, please take- oh your clothes, take your clothes off.” Jackson paused against his neck. His hand and tentacles were still moving around his body, taking pleasure from him, but his mouth had stopped and his head had tilted to the side, as though he was trying to decipher what Gaz had said.

After a long moment, he finally pulled away from him, a small smile tugging at his lips. He moved his hand away from Gaz’s cock, but it was quickly replaced by one of his tentacles. The tentacle was much slimier than Gaz remembered it being and, distantly, his scientific mind wondered if perhaps it was secreting something due to Jackson’s arousal. It didn’t really matter, all that really mattered was that the slide felt phenomenal against his cock. His mouth fell open and he could only manage to pant desperately as it wrapped around him and started jerking him off at a much faster pace than Jackson’s hand had been moving. He wondered if the increase in speed was because of excitement.

That would certainly make sense considering the way that Jackson practically tore at his clothes to get them off. His shirt was ripped from his body and tossed away quickly. Next came his pants. He was forced to stand up to take those off and, even through his arousal Gaz couldn’t stop the amusement that flooded him at the way that Jackson huffed at having to move so far away from him. His pants and underwear were quickly kicked away as well.

As soon as Gaz got a good look at Jackson naked he couldn’t help but groan. The creature was gorgeous and fucking big in more ways than one. With just one look Gaz could tell that the other was going to stretch him open quite nicely and just the thought of it had another moan pulling from his throat.

Jackson was back on the ground in a second, this time between Gaz’s thighs. He was pressed close enough that Gaz could feel his hard cock pressed against his thigh, rutting against him just slightly. Jackson was quick to bat the tentacle away from Gaz’s cock in favor of replacing it with his own hand, once again resuming his slow tight pace. Now he allowed his thumb to run over the head of Gaz’s cock, stroking along his slit in a move that had him tossing his head back with a whine.

The tentacle that had been wrapped around his cock didn’t move fully away, instead, it started to carefully trail down his thigh until, eventually, it could begin to slip between his cheeks to start prodding at his hole. He groaned at the feeling of the slippery appendance slowly prodding at him. It was circling him, teasing with little presses or just the tip of it slipping inside of him. “Jackson,” Gaz let his head fall back to the ground with a groan, his entire body lit up with pleasure from the tentacles touching all over him and the warm hand stroking his cock, “Please, oh fuck, please don’t tease.”

He gaped as the tip of the tentacle finally pressed inside of him, desperate pants leaving his throat as it started to move in slow thrusts, pressing deeper inside of him with every move. Jackson leaned down to kiss and nip at his hips as his tentacle started stretching him open, Gaz could feel the creature’s grin against his skin. “Yes,” he managed to moan out at the thick slide, “yes, yes, yes, keep- oh fuck, keep going!”

The tentacle pressed inside of him started to pick up its speed, thrusting in and out of him at a much quicker pace, pressing against his walls. Gaz could have sworn he felt it thicken inside of him and just that feeling alone nearly had him spilling over Jackson’s hand. The pleasure of it was all too much and he could feel whatever slick was coating the tentacle begin to build up more, spilling and slicking his thighs.

After several moments, the tentacle shifted and pressed further inside of him, hitting harder and pulling a high whine from Gaz’s throat as it bumped against his prostate. He could feel Jackson’s mouth pause against his skin again before suddenly the tentacle inside of him was hitting that spot again and again. Gaz could only gasp and moan and take the pleasure that was hitting him in continuous waves.

It was all too good and all too overwhelming for him, so it was no surprise that when Jackson switched from pounding into him with the tentacle to massaging it against his prostate, he couldn’t last much longer. Only a few quick strokes of the hand against his cock and he was coming, spilling over Jackson’s hand as pleasure shook his body and hazed over his mind completely.

He came down from the feeling slowly and, though the tentacles against his skin had ceased their movements, he couldn’t help but whine as he felt Jackson’s tongue lapping at his spent cock, cleaning the cum from his cock and belly with his tongue. “Jackson,” Gaz was completely out of breath and he tugged helplessly at the tentacles around his wrist as the creature continued his treatment over him. “Please, fuck, just wait,” he gasped again as the tentacles over his skin began to move again slowly and carefully touching him. Similarly, the tentacle inside of him started to slowly move again, still hitting his prostate with every slide. “Wait- oh, oh fuck.”

He found himself being slowly worked back up, this time with a mouth around his cock rather than a hand. Despite the fact that he’d just come, it didn’t take Jackson any longer than five or so minutes to work him back up into a hard whining mess under his touch.

The tongue against his cock was clever and Gaz couldn’t help but thrust up into the waiting heat, whining at the feeling of Jackson slowly but harshly sucking at him. Jackson’s hands took to holding his legs open wide, allowing the tentacle inside of him to hit just right with every thrust.

Then, just as suddenly as they’d started, everything stopped. All of the tentacles slowly retreated from his skin and Jackson was quick to pull his mouth away from Gaz’s cock with a pop. Gaz gave a whine of disappointment, but that was quickly cut off when Jackson used his grip on his thighs to flip him to his hands and knees, a low growl escaping his throat.

Gaz groaned at the change in position, the feeling of Jackson’s hard cock pressed against his backside making him feel hazy once again. He rocked back against Jackson’s cock, pulling a groan from the creature behind him. The tentacles started to crawl over his skin again, wrapping around him and tugging him back further against Jackson’s cock. Two of them wrapped around his thighs, pulling them further apart, and one wrapped carefully around his cock again, pulling a groan from him.

Jackson was gentle as he spread him open, fingering at his still-slicked hole for several teasing moments. He seemed to enjoy the desperate noises that it pulled from Gaz’s lips. Finally, though, after several minutes of teasing he pressed the head of his cock against Gaz’s hole.

With one quick and small thrust, he slipped the head of his cock inside of him, pulling a desperate groan from both of them. “Oh fuck,” Gaz gave a long moan as Jackson started to slowly press inside of him, stretching him just a bit more than the tentacle had. Just enough for him to feel it. “Fuck, Jackson, oh- oh god you feel so fucking good!”

Jackson gave only a small grunt at his words, his mouth latching onto Gaz’s shoulder with a quick groan as their hips finally met, all of him buried inside of Gaz. He stayed that way for several moments, pressing sweet kisses to his shoulder. As much as Gaz enjoyed it, he clearly knew why the creature was doing it. He was trying to comfort him in some way, trying to offer him something because he, very clearly, didn’t think Gaz was able to easily take him.

Gaz couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the thought. Sure, Jackson was big, but he’d prepared him well enough. What Gaz wanted, desperately, was for the creature to start moving and actually take care of the buzz that had formed under his skin. The arousal that he’d caused. “Please,” he gave a little sigh, “move, please move.” Jackson didn’t listen, he just kept kissing and licking at the skin of his throat. “Jackson,” he groaned, trying again, “Please, god please move.” Again, nothing. Finally, desperate for some sort of stimulation from the man, he whined, “Jackson, please, I thought you were going to fuck me? I can take it!” He paused before adding teasingly to the end, “If you don’t want to fuck me, I’ll find someone who does.”

The mouth on his neck froze. All of the tentacles moving across him froze. He could feel the creature behind him tense and, for a moment, he wondered if he said the wrong thing. That thought left his mind when hands tightened harshly on his hips and a snarl pulled from Jackson’s throat.

In the next moment, Jackson was pulling slowly out of him. He moved until there was only a small portion of his cock still inside of him before he slammed back in, his hips slapping against Gaz’s as he perfectly nailed his prostate once again. Gaz jumped at the sensation, a delighted moan pulling from his throat as Jackson set a bruising pace, fucking into him quickly and nailing his prostate with every thrust.

The tentacles against him were moving again as well, stroking over him quickly and tightly, leaving their mark in slick across his skin. All sorts of noises fell from Gaz’s lips, moans of Jackson's names and pleas for “more” and “harder” all of which Jackson gladly answered. The pleasure flowing through him was overwhelming. It shook his legs and curled in his gut and numbed his brain until all he could think about was the hard cock pounding into him and the slick tentacles stroking along his skin and covering every inch of him.

Jackson was a growling and snarling mess against him, groaning and grunting and sounding absolutely feral as he fucked him harder and harder, increasing his pace to something that Gaz knew no regular human would be able to keep up for so long. His tongue was still tracing along the skin of his shoulder, but now Gaz could feel his teeth scraping after it and pressing just so against his skin, just enough that he could feel it. Gaz wondered what it would take to get him to bite.

It wasn’t long before Gaz found himself a whining moaning mess, his hips moving desperately with Jackson’s thrusts as he chased the rising pleasure inside of him toward that high that he so desperately craved. Jackson seemed to be close as well based on the way that his hips began to stutter slightly and his noises grew more and more wild and more and more desperate.

It only took the tentacle on his cock moving to rub over his slit for Gaz to come again, pleasure pouring over him in waves as his entire body went weak in Jackson’s hold. The feeling of the creature still pounding into him was so overwhelming but so good as he worked through his orgasm. Gasps and pants and a desperate call of Jackson’s name slipped from his lips.

Jackson moved quicker and quicker, the groans, grunts, and growls slipping from his lips becoming more and more animalistic as he continued fucking into Gaz, taking everything that he could with desperate movements. His teeth dug into his neck more and Gaz was beginning to feel a bit too overstimulated by his continued attention. “Jackson,” he groaned out, his voice weak from the noises that had been forced from him, “please, want to feel you,” he gasped as the teeth at his neck clenched down tighter. “Please, please, want you to fill me up, want to feel you inside of me! Fuck, give it to me! Make me yours!”

With those simple words, Jackson was biting hard onto his neck, breaking skin just slightly as his hips stuttered once then twice before he finally spilled inside of Gaz. He continued fucking into him for several moments, his cum slowly dripping out around his cock. Gaz couldn’t help but groan at the feeling of the creature lapping at his bleeding neck as his hips slowly stopped.

Many of the tentacles against his skin retreated, but several of them stuck around to help slowly flip him to his back. They acted as cushions for him, keeping him from laying on the cold floor as Jackson leaned over him, pressing kisses all along his face. The creature’s cock was still buried deep inside of him and something told Gaz that he didn’t plan to move any time soon.

Gaz took several moments to collect his thoughts, trying to get his head on straight despite that haze that continued to hang over him. There were several things running through his brain, things that he hadn’t been able to take into account when he was getting fucked silly by the man currently hovered over him. He had a rather embarrassing feeling blossoming in his chest that told him that he may have just accidentally become the creature’s mate if the way he was licking at his neck and happily soothing him was any indication. He decided rather quickly that it would be an issue for a later version of him. For now, there was something much simpler that he could try to deal with.

“So,” he started carefully, bringing Jackson’s eyes to meet with his own curiously, “I’m guessing you don’t plan on going back into your enclosure.”

A small, almost amused smile crossed Jackson's lips before he went back to licking and sucking at his neck. Gaz sighed, knowing that he’d just been given his answer. This was certainly going to be a very interesting next few hours for him.

#gazweek2023 #kyle gaz garrick/paul jackson #gaz/jackson #kyle gaz garrick #paul jackson #monster au

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deadinyourarea · 4 months

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Is the giw even smart enough to pull something like that off? I once saw them shooting at a obviously fake inflatable ghost decoration thinking it was a real ghost

The GIW is like any organization. There’s leaders and planners and fieldmen.

what we, Amity, see on the daily are fieldmen.

What I’ve had the unfortunate opportunity to meet before, was someone higher up. They’re smarter and more resourceful than their fieldmen make them seem…

they just hire ghost fanatics and idiots because it’s easy labor.

They’ve got managers, planners, people who run the numbers, office men, and scientist. It’s a government organization, at the end of the day.

#danny phantom

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capricorn-0mnikorn · 1 year

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Scrooge followed to the window: desperate in his curiosity. He looked out.

The air was filled with phantoms, wandering hither and thither in restless haste, and moaning as they went. Every one of them wore chains like Marley’s Ghost; some few (they might be guilty governments) were linked together; none were free. Many had been personally known to Scrooge in their lives. He had been quite familiar with one old ghost, in a white waistcoat, with a monstrous iron safe attached to its ankle, who cried piteously at being unable to assist a wretched woman with an infant, whom it saw below, upon a door-step. The misery with them all was, clearly, that they sought to interfere, for good, in human matters, and had lost the power for ever.

Source: A Christmas Carol in Prose, being a Ghost Story of Christmas. by Charles Dickens. Stave One: "Marley's Ghost."

Truth be told, the conflation of Christianity with morality in this story makes me uncomfortable, given the context of the time and place I'm currently living through.

However, I do love Dickens's vision of a tormented afterlife, here: There's no fire and brimstone -- no demons with pitchforks enacting gruesome torture. There's only ("only," she says) the pain of eternal regret over all the lost opportunities to be kind.

#A Christmas Carol (novel)#kindcore #Scrooge's redemption arc

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kayhi808 · 1 year

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Billy Mine - Act 2.2

Billy was on his way to Midtown East to meet with Senator Ellis at his residence. His daughter was recently attacked. A botched kidnapping and he needed a security team for her. This was a big opportunity for ANVIL. He was more interested in securing government contracts, because that's where the money was but this job was for a sitting US Senator. It could open a lot of doors for him & his company. So what if he has to take on a glorified babysitter job.

"Mr. Russo, thank you so much for coming out today. The Senator & Ms Ellis will meet you on the terrace, this way please." They walk out onto a small terrace looking out onto the Manhattan skyline & East River. "Please help your self to refreshments," indicating the table set to the side. He nods & the aide leaves.

Hearing footsteps, he turns to see the Senator assisting his daughter. Fuck, she looked really banged up. He had read the police reports. She was lucky her injuries looked worse than they actually were. Leggings and an oversized hoodie made her look so slight. How could she have fought off 3 attackers??

"Senator Ellis," Bill extends his hand.

He steadies his daughter on his left arm, shaking Bill's hand "Thank you so much for meeting me here instead of the office. This is my daughter, Jules."

Bill turns to the Senator's daughter & he witnesses the color leech from her face as if she saw a ghost. He notices her grip tighten on her father's suit sleeve. She barely breathes out, "Billy Mine" & drops into a faint. Bill quickly catches her before she hits the ground, scooping her up in his arms. He carries & places her on the lounge and lets the Senator tend to her.

Billy Mine.

No one's called him that in 20 years. Bunny. It was her name for him. No one ever called him that but her. He can't take his eyes off the prone form on the lounge. It's impossible. She was 8 the last time he saw her. Fuck. How is this possible??

*****

Bill didn't bother returning to the office. He went home and poured himself a stiff drink and pulled up everything he could find on Juliet Ellis.

He regretted how he hurt her. Its not like he was unaware of the crush she had on him. Everyone at the Home knew. Juliet wore her heart on her sleeve for him since she was 3 years old. No one in his life had ever done that for him. It was unconditional love until he broke her 8yr old heart. She kicked his nuts up into his guts and he wanted to strangle her. Billy shifts in his chair and adjusts his pants remembering the pain. She was only 8 but it was still her fucking foot.

He would have never recognized her. He would have noticed her because she grew up into a beauty, but he could have passed her every day on the streets and he would have never guessed it was her. Scrolling through her social media, he tried finding something recognizable. Her hair is darker. Her smile is...off. It doesn't reach her eyes. Smart girl, graduated from Cal Berkley. A spark of pride warmed his chest. Bunny did it. She got out of the system and did well for herself. She has a family who obviously loves her. She's safe. Or she was safe.

That thought brings on a rage that hits him in the gut and makes him want to murder someone. Three men tried to grab her off the streets! They hurt her. Bill looks at the time and figures he'll visit the training center to work off some extra energy and anger.

*****

Mom came and talked to me about Billy. She was a pre-school teacher at Ray of Hope when I first got there. She knew about how close Billy and I used to be. She probably had to call him in when I was especially stubborn. She wanted to know how I felt about that. I lied and told her I was fine. That I could barely remember him. I was only 8.

I've been laying here trying to fall back asleep when I get a text from an UNKNOWN number: Bunny? Answer your phone.

It starts ringing. Shit! "Hello?"

"Hi. I wanted to make sure you were ok after this afternoon." His voice had gotten deeper over the years. Like velvet.

"I...I'm fine. I took a nap."

"Good." He didnt say anything after that.

This awkward silence is giving me anxiety. I can't take it. "Why are you calling me, Billy?"

"Shit." I hear his heavy sigh. "I don't know. I'm...making sure you're real. That seeing you this afternoon wasn't my imagination. There was so much...When can I see you?"

"I was going to work it out with your assistant tomorrow."

"You can tell me right now. I'll make it happen. I can have my schedule cleared for you."

"Billy."

"Tomorrow morning? I'll pick you up. I need to see you, Juliet." I don't know what to do. I feel overwhelmed. In a soft whisper that gave me goose bumps, "Please, Bun."

And that's all it took for Billy Mine to make my resolve crumble.

@idaofinfinity @imagine-a-fictional-boyfriend @e-dubbc11 @bustlingcrowdsxorxsilentsleepers @snowkestrel @ellooo0ooo @terry2227

#billy russo #billy x juliet #billy mine x bunny girl #billy mine #billy russo fanfic #billy russo imagine #billy russo fanfiction

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elvenbeard · 7 months

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AAHHH!!! I *finally* got to play a little more Phantom Liberty today öahjsdföasklfasfhdfs

First I wanted to riot slightly cause GoG didn't find my install anymore (but rescanning folders did the trick).

Man OH MAN. I'm really just rambling about how fucking cool this game is below the cut, but beware of spoilers!!

"How the fuck do I keep ending up in these situations..."

I played all the way up to meeting Reed and agreeing to work with him back in the President's hideout. This was also the point up until I'd seen the gameplay at Phantom Liberty Tour back in August, but I also saw a loooot of new stuff o.o The demo back then started at entering the Stadium (when V walks through that area with cyberarms hanging from the ceiling) - stopped at meeting Myers in the crashed plane - continued at arriving at the hideout with her and then ended, as I said, with shaking hands with Reed.

SO. The whole "how do we get the president to the hideout" sequence was completely new to me AND MAAAN. That Chimera fight was so good like?? The whole setup and everything, I didn't expect such a big and epic boss fight so early on in the expansion at all, really sets the tone I guess xD First V gets his face bashed in by the President, then gets his ribs broken by this thing, things can only get better from here on. That whole section gave me such Bioshock vibes actually like... the Art Deco architecture the "amazing city that turned out so awful" vibes, it's impeccable, and I love it so so much. Really gotta take some time to properly explore everything (and now I gotta wait for Reed to call me back so, best opportunity).

I saw that thing under the tarp and was like "oh yeah, later on in the story this is gonna come back to bite me in the ass" - only that in this case "later" was "five minutes later" not "10 story missions later" as I anticipated XD

Also, I gotta say, I really don't trust Myers or Songbird much at this point with their intentions. I mentioned this previously... how convenient for Songbird to know to contact V via the Relic, but how the hell did she know about it in the first place, that he had it, where he was at, etc.? And then, in the Space Force One Wreck there was the shard with the answer! They knew about the Konpeki heist and two involved mercs through an informant potentially working at Arasaka. Yet, when I then deliberately chose a dialogue later on where V was like "yeah, I got Arasaka's Relic stuck in my head" Myers was all "oh, what really! how peculiar!". And maybe she really didn't know and I'm reading too much into it, but I'm really not liking her vibes atm at all XD (as a character though she's so cool, not at all how I'd picture a typical NUSA president, and I get the impression she doesn't really like the role all that much - I wanna read up on her background lore as soon as I'm done playing XD). AND. The shard on the plane specifically mentions Johnny on the Relic AND I'M CALLING IT NOW like I called it before, I BET they're really after Johnny's engram to do some experimenting with it for some fucked up Militech scheme. And in return V gets to live or some crap. URGH. I hope I'm wrong but I said it before "Phantom Liberty" (if you read it as in "a ghost that was freed" or "no real freedom") screams to me that this all boils down to something happening to Johnny in a messed up way in the end in exchange for V's life. Analogue to the Devil ending, but instead of Arasaka you have Militech/NUSA (if I'm wrong, please don't spoiler it to me, and if I'm right or close, please don't spoiler it either XD I wanna see just how far off I am myself XDD)

Songbird being MIA is hmmm... Not quite suspicious, but I'm wondering if she is still alive or maybe also doomed to be a construct now, but I'm really not sure. It would be kinda disappointing, I'd like to meet her in person still and am excited to see what she is gaining in all of this. I like the tragic "gifted criminal kid turned government asset" trope a lot and I'm curious to see how her story develops.

I'm also loving all the lifepath specific dialogues so much, I'm actually learning something new now and then about what Vince's Arasaka job was actually truly like at the core!

Also Myers roasting him for not having had a high enough security clearance to know about Reed xDD So rude! But I'm so so so curious how Ex-Arasaka agent with occasional homesickness to the corporate world and FIA-Sleeper agent with a big Arasaka-grudge are gonna work together o.o

I feel like, they're either really gonna see eye-to-eye very much or will continue to clash over and over and V is gonna come out as the loser at the end of this xD But currently, me as the player I'm trusting no one, and Vince as being caught up in all of this tries to play nice and be on everyone's good side but behind the scenes does not trust any of them one bit either xD It's really more a one hand washes the other kinda deal for him with no long-term obligations.

I'm also LOVING Johnny in all of this so far like... Vince and he don't get along that well most of the time for a variety of reasons. And so far, even though I got the Sun ending as my canon (as of right now), I feel like Vince acted more out of desperation than real trust or anything in going down that path and not any other. So I think Phantom Liberty *might* be the storyline that has been missing for me personally so far to really legitimize to myself that Vince would trust Johnny enough to let him take over his body for that last mission or go on a suicide run through Arasaka Tower with him. They are really seeing eye to eye on a lot of the stuff that's going on, both paranoid and suspicious, both not liking to swear any oaths or work for the FIA or anything like that. Bonding over their shared dislike for all the secrecy and scheming xD

Speaking of timelines, I found an ingame date for the 16th of June about an meeting Myers was to attend and another meeting scheduled for June 18th - sounding like the 16th is already passed at this point and the plane crash probably happening on the 16th or 17th or something like this... which completely throws my previously established timeline overboard :D But also stretches the canonical timeline a bit, if my assumptions are right, which would be nice and a lot more realistic than "like, a month, for all of that to happen". (For reference, in my timeline for Vince without PL I put the last quest on June 9th).

But that's only speculation ofc!

Then I also had my first vehicle gig for Muamar and omggg I loved this little convo with him so fucking much?? Like, this really built up his character so nicely, and the whole car stealing scheme would also be super down Vince's alley XD

And this exchange I LOVED sm:

Vince, car nerd surpreme, offering to fix the Cap's car, and Muamar's response: certain things I don't do halfway -> my clothes, my cut, my cars. Vince 100% seconds that sentiment XDD Like, so far I have to admit Muamar never really grabbed me that much as a character and I felt like he and Vince probably didn't have much in common. I was wrong XD

I also wanted to pay Mr. Hands a visit in his funky pyramid, but he wouldn't let me in yet. I'm so looking foward to finally playing his gigs now :D And seeing what else Dogtown has to offer in terms of stories and side jobs :o

Others mentioned it already, but I'm loving this place's design so so much... it feels like a different city altogether, the style of the buildings and everything is so unique and it's such a biiiig sprawling place o.o

And a random little thing I noticed, there's a lot of little cinematic moments now (the contextual removal of the HUD for conversations for example is such a good new feature). And occasionally the camera will automatically pan to interesting events or V's optics zoom in automatically - it was a bit weird the first time it happened but I really like it in a way? I noticed it during the part of rescuing Myers where you had to sneak past the huge Barghest drone (also such a good good moment, I'm loving all the stealth, parkour, and whatnot, the level design is *so good* hhhhh).

And finally, when I decided "okay, I'm gonna go to bed now" and was just about to close the game... I got a text message from Kerry I didn't know yet :DDD

(the fucking emojis with noses, Kerry pls, your age is really showing)

Like... I did not expect new texts from the LIs, and yeah, this got me really excited xD (and yeh I obviously had to read all the different outcomes and there *are* some differences depending on what you text back. I love it sm). AND. Then I called him. And there's new conversations about the events of PL too??? Hello?

Man I wish there was something like that for the other missions but obviously, with how late-game Kerry's romance is that sadly doesn't make much sense. So this is also something that made me tremendously happy (and also adds some new depth and bits and pieces to Kerry's character, which I'm always so here for XD). Exicted to see if there's more to talk about with him as the expansion progresses - I doubt it, but I'm ready to be surprised, maybe also by the other main NPCs that you're not in a relationship with.

That one V will definitely bear in mind for whatever is to come. Hhhhh I'm so excited!!

#cyberpunk 2077 #phantom liberty #phantom liberty spoilers #pl spoilers #cyberpunk 2077 spoilers #elven plays cyberpunk 2077 #spoilers #öjkasdjhfafjaköslf I should be sleeping but I CANT my brain is going BRRR

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