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#have to strategically plan my shot so i don’t have to work for 2-3 days it’s so stupid
emeraldotter · 7 months
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deer day
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caixxa · 2 years
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massive ask incoming: 7, 25, 33, 35, 38, 49, 56, 58, 68, and 70 for the fanfic asks >:)
(also i hope you've been doing well! <3)
Hi! Thank you for the massive ask, and I hope you've been doing well too!
I started answering this and believe me, got to question 58 when my Tumblr decided it would have none of it and crashed.
I'll start over but I'll start slowly and edit only after I see that something sticks.
7. Post a snippet from a wip.
This is a very no plot vibes only thing with coach/player daddy kink, dldr ;) It does have a working title thought, Windsor Knot.
André is on Jared's bed when he gets in the room. He's lounging over the bedspread like a pin-up boy, one knee bent up, the other to the side, crotch strategically towards the entrance as if to be on display for whoever comes through the door.
He looks at Jared from under his brows, his usual luminous smile on his lips.
"You made us champions, daddy," he says. "Gabe got the cup for the night but I got you and you got me."
Jared shakes his head, pulling out his tie. 
"What will I do with you?"
André bites his lip, slowly stretching the elastic waist of his underwear.
"Fuck me?"
"Well, since you've found your way to daddy's bed already, I might as well."
André grins and shimmes his briefs off, kicking his legs wildly to fling them on the floor.
--
25. What’s your favorite part of the writing process (worldbuilding, brainstorming/outlining, writing, editing, etc)?
Brainstorming/outlining, everything is still possible.
33. Is there a specific word count that you hold yourself to/enjoy writing the most?
Not really, whatever comes naturally. I have often been the most pleased with the writing process when I keep on the shorter side, though: 1K for a simple one-idea, one-scene thing, 2K for a little more setting the scene, 3 to 5 K for some actual build-up and story arc. That’s about the length that I see as comfortable reading in one sitting, be it a chapter or a one-shot.
38. What is your most self-indulgent posted story?
Most of my stories are self-indulgent, even the ones written for a fic exchange. But if I were to pick one, I’d say Still of the Night. I wanted more Aho/Williams so I wrote it, I didn’t ask anyone’s permission to write adultery and family members and other messy stuff. And oops, I hinted at another ship in it and the triangle snowballed into a whole 6-part series, King and Prince of Carolina (Parts 1 and 2: Sebastian Aho and Justin "Daddy" Williams, Carolina Hurricanes. Canon setting daddy kink porn with plot and feelings. Part 3 and onward: same but add coach Roddy in the mix for spice and drama.)
49. What fic of yours would you say is the best introduction to you as a writer?
Kesäranta. (wjc 16 team Finland, sepe/hine) As a 1500-word slice-of-life thing it’s a short easy read that shows my writing style and introduces some of my favorite characters.
If something longer is OK, one of my newest works  Summer Kisses (Pekka, Juuse, Sepe) is also very much Me As A writer. 1: it blew out during writing, I planned it to be 3 chapters and it’s 5. 2: There are open and undefined relationships and a lot of sex, 3. it’s set in Finland and nature description is present and 4. there are slightly kinky elements.
56. Are there any fics that you would change or rewrite if given the chance?
I have the chance, the edit button is right there on Ao3. I have revised one of my fics, Jussi at Jussi’s, I added a couple of scenes to make the plot more dynamic. 
I have thought about doing something to my newest fic  Dog Days of Summer but I don’t think I will. I might want to see if it would work better in one piece than in 5 chapters, and maybe try some more foreshadowing to highlight the endgame ship better but I just feel that I don’t love the story enough to spend much more time with it. I’m not sure if the current title works the best either, but I also think that I might ditch the Taylor Swift song lyrics so changing it to  cruel summer wouldn’t make much sense either. Ugh. It’s not a bad fic at all but it bothers me a little, it got such a mixed reception that... idk. Maybe it would have needed some primer type content in the author’s notes to convince more readers to care about the different ships it presents? Maybe it’s because there are too many different ships that the kind of representation of casual hookups and polyamory throws people off? FUCK I JUST NEED TO LET IT GO.
35. What’s your favorite fic you’ve posted?
These are so old it’s embarrassing but it’s either  Jussi at Jussi’s (in the brightness of my night) / Jussi Jussilla (sepe/teuvo friends to lovers) or  camera ready (porn AU, sepe/multi). Both were an enjoyable adventure as a writing process and I love getting back to reread some specific scenes or chapters.
58. Do you have a favorite piece of figurative language you’ve written?
Yes, descriptions of Veli-Matti Savinainen in my two fics that I wrote originally in Finnish (and I like the original wording even better.) He’s a very rare character, there are only 5 works in his tag, all mine, and it’s actually only 2 stories in two languages; one work is just short dialogue cuts of one of them.
There are days when Veli-Matti is sure that these youngsters are a lot closer to being a total package when it comes to hockey. Their generation has been programmed and built to be pro athletes ever since they got out of their diapers: trained, coached, fed and maintained right to the detail, like delicate machines. They have been given every chance to grow into their profession on a direct paved path.
He, on the other hand, has got to the same point through winding detours and side steps, pushed around by the forces of trial and error, like a steel ball in a pinball machine.
Well, no matter what, steel is steel.
( Midnight in Paris)
--
Veli-Matin käsivarret ovat kireät ja kovat, kädet painavat hänen lapaluittensa väliin kahtena tiukkana nyrkkinä. Halaus on luja, samalla tavalla jämerä kuin se tapa jolla Vellu painoi hänet hissin seinää vasten. Se tuntuu niin luvattoman hyvältä, kuin olisi täysikasvuisen urospantterin sylissä, uhkalta ja turvalta.
(Tappiolla tappiin)
68. Are there any fics that influenced you to write the way you do?
It's a love story, baby just say yes. by SweetestLamb1711 (football rpf, ronaldo/bale) got me into writing fanfic. It was (is!) very smutty which probably gave me the idea that sex scenes are Very Welcome, and that switching between POV’s is okay. After that, probably a ton more, every fic has taught me something.
70. Are you subscribed to any writers on AO3?
Yes, 9 writers plus some works and series. I should probably edit the list.
--
I did it! I made it to the end! Hooray Tumblr! Yay me!
Thank you for letting me ramble so much about my writing!
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Struggle Not Juggle
Let the fuck go!
Let me set the table for you. I had meetings lined up for the entire day. Only one was scheduled in office, meaning I was on the road for the rest of the day. Those meetings were a 40 minute drive in between them. I haven't had the best health lately, but my day was scheduled, so I dove into it. It didn't take long for the day to get derailed. I am sure you can relate, as we all have days that we would like to forget. But here's the thing... it helps me to realize that it is okay not to get everything done. I take pride in my work, but I am a realist.  
So my day starts going south immediately. I had a 13 hour day scheduled, and I needed it to run like clockwork. But it didn't. During that time....
My vendor ran late to one of my meetings
I got a flat tire
Went to 3 different service centers to finally get it repaired
I literally ran out of gas trying to stay on schedule
My phone died and I didn't have a charger while I was driving
2 clients call me in crisis
Despite all that went wrong, I only managed to miss one meeting. Overall, I crushed the day. That said, it was not a banner day. Not by a long shot. But I have learned over the course of years from meditating, it helps to juggle. Not struggle. I have also realized that it is okay, not to get everything done.
One of the biggest lessons I have learned working with the dying is making peace. Peace with reality. Yes, we all make plans. But how many of them work out as we expected? Yet here we are, still doing this thing called life. I admit that I am a workaholic. But knowing when to take a strategic pause, is a life saver. I worked very hard to stay optimistic, professional and on time yesterday. But, it seemed like all the forces in this world were working against me. Even at the time of this writing, my health is kicking my ass. I'm here. I'm pushing through, and will end this blog so I can take the wife out for an ice cream date. Priorities!
I will close with these words. It's okay to leave things on your to do list. There are forces much stronger than our egos. And they will make us brutally aware of that. Control is an illusion. Get in the habit of learning to juggle. Get the important shit done, and don't struggle with the rest. Letting go can be very empowering. In no way is it a loss. It is simple life.
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fandomscombine · 3 years
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It's the Lease I Can Do
Platonic! Weasley Twins x Reader
BG: The Weasley twins are so close to having their joke shop become a reality. They had found the perfect location but they had hit a minor problem that could cause them everything. You want to help, but how can you when they, the birthday boys themselves had given up?
a/n: I had this idea for a almst a year now and waited til ther twins bday to write it. I hope you enjoy.
WC: 2111
>>>MASTERLIST<<<
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Fred and George causing a ruckus in the common room is a daily occurrence that everyone is accustomed to. However ever since the start of Year 7, the amount of commotion these two had caused can be counted in one hand.
At first glance, it could be attributed to NEWTS or in this year's case-to a pink toad acting as High Inquisitor. Still, more and more nights the twins had claimed the back corner of the common room.
~
The last remaining batch of students were making their way through Filch's checkpoint (an added security protection which also serves for Umbridge having a list of names on who comes in and out of Hogwarts). You glanced down at your watch- 2:27pm, they’re late. Weird, the twins never pass a chance to go to Hogsmeade.
You hear the castle door open behind you. Thank Merlin, you thought but instead you were greeted with a disheveled Angelina. “I’m coming! Wait!”
“Have you seen Fred and George?” You called as she ran past you.
“I think I saw them in the common room!” Angelina shouted back.
The common room? “What are they up to now?” You sighed. Stomping heavily up the stairs. “Ditching me….”
~
“Oi Weaslebees! I know you’re in here!” You rounded the corner of their secret spot. “AHa!”
You caught them red handed, midway into shoving papers into their “Weasley & Weasley'' Trunk. Though what they were hiding, you weren't exactly sure.
“Y/N!” Fred greeted, grabbing onto your shoulders, effectively covering George and the table. “To what do we owe the pleasure?”
Narrowing your eyes at him. “Really?” Hands on hips you blatantly say “2:15 am, courtyard?? Ring any bells?” Fred shook his head.
Meanwhile George’s head shot up. “Oh shit, y/n we’re so sorry!”
Fred turned to his brother, still clueless on what the heck George was talking about.
Abandoning the trunk, George gave his twin a classic smack on the head. “Hogsmeade, you idiot! We were supposed to all go together.”
“OHHHH FU--” Fred knew he was screwed. “I’M SO SORRY! WE’RE SORRY.” Seizing the messy trunk, he strategized. “Right, here’s the plan: I’m gonna quickly drop this off back in the dorm while you two make your way to the gate. If you run, I guess you can make it. I’ll catch up with you two then.”
“Fred….. We’re not gonna make it” you argued.
“Not if we don’t try.”
“It’s almost 3, Filch would be closing the gates by now.” You sat down on Fred’s empty seat. “Besides we can go to Hogsmeade next time, we could just hang out here. I miss having my best lads around.”
“Awww…we’ve been upgraded from annoying pricks to best lads!” Gushed George, pulling you into a side hug.
“Yea, I could help in whatever it was you guys were doing before I came. I don’t mind.”
At that, you could feel George tense up, his arm around you dropping. “Uhhh…” He looked to the older twin, silently conversing.
You gaze between the boys, sometimes they get so caught up in their scheming that they don’t notice that to others, especially those who had known them for years that their non verbal communication is not so sly.
In the end, Fred gave his brother a subtle shake. “No, that’s alright. I’ll just put this back and we could play gobstones or something, anything you like.”
As Fred headed up to his dorm room, you noticed a piece of paper under the table. Picking it up, the header caught your eye. RE: Lease Agreement. Were the twins looking for a new home after graduation? You didn’t mean to pry. You were close friends, they would tell you if they were moving right? This is big news….you decided to brush it off until another line caught your attention. The shop premise located at Number 93 Diagon Alley. Shop? They are trying to set up shop? That’s brilliant! The twins would get to showcase their inventions to the world! You could feel your pride swell. Leasing Agreements would not proceed if tenants, Mr. Fred Weasley and Mr. George Weasley, are unable to provide an endorser by the date of 31st of March.
“Where’d you get that?” George standing across from you, gobstones on one hand and another pointing at the document. There’s no backing out now.
“It was under the table.” You explained. “I didn’t know you were this far along with the shop.”
“Yea, well it’s not happening now is it?”
“What?”
“Cmon y/n. I know you read it.”
“I didn’t mean to-”
“It’s alright. We aren’t getting the place anyway.”
“Wait what? Why?”
“No endorsers.” George stated matter of factly but you sense the pain in his voice.
“How about your parents surely-”
George laughed. “As if mum would suddenly have a change of heart. You knew how she disapproves of our inventions, calling it a waste.”
“Arthur then.”
“Mum won’t let him.”
“Anyone then?” George huffed in defeat. “How about me! I could back you up.”
“You have to be an adult with a proven financial stability.” He stated, effectively shutting you down. “Forget it y/n. The hold ends in 3 days. We’ve tried everything. Just don’t let Fred know that you know. He’s devastated. Promise?”
“I promise.”
“And no pity, sad eyes!” He added as footsteps are heard descending the staircase.
“But I suck at poker faces!”
“Then let’s hope that Freddie is distracted even to not notice.”
~
It’s been 4 days since you had sent the letter to your father.
“Dear papa,
I know that this is a huge favour to ask but I believe it would be worth your while.
So remember back in the summer when you caught Fred Weasley, George Weasley and me snooping around with the Extendable Ears but let us go because you were so enamored?
Well turns out the twins and trying to get a shop up and running! How amazing is that?
The only problem is that they need an endorser to back them up in order to proceed with the lease agreements. The are currently on hold for the Shop Number 93 in Diagon Alley until the 31st.
This is where the huge favour comes in. Could you please be their backer? You did say that you’d love to help in some part in their invention, be an investor of sorts. Please papa. I would love to do it myself but I have to wait a couple more months to qualify. Plus it’s their 18th birthday on April 1st. Imagine their surprise if it were to come through.
I’d love to hear from you soon, regardless of your choice.
Your favourite child
y/n.”
The twin’s 18th birthday was spent with absolute love and madness.
Lee had unloaded his stash of butterbeer and firewhiskey, Fred had slipped Angelina with one of their new prank inventions- which changes the person into a sickly color of vomit green, a perfect way to ditch class or events.
Upon learning that the color would last for a few days and would only fade with the ingestion of an antidote, antidote that George said they still had yet to create. Angelina (understandably) threw cake at them. The Gryffindor chaser with perfect aim, hits its mark. However, Fred using his beater skills, instinctively blocks the incoming cake.
Resulting in a wide splat zone. Fred’s arm was covered in frosting, having sprayed everyone around him in whipped cream during the impact. George wasn’t safe too, despite being across from Fred, the rebounce of the cake had made him the new target.
You had just changed into your pajamas when a tapping sound came from your window.
Your family owl, Lanny, was outside carrying a large yellow envelope.
Quickly letting him in, you gave Lanny a gentle pat and brought out some owl treats for the tired bird.
Unscrolling the note tied to his leg, you begin to read.
“My dearest y/n,
My sincere apologies for the late reply, it’s been quite hectic at work.
In regards to your favour, you need not worry. Everything is taken care of. I had met with the landlord of Number 93 Diagon Alley and had all the documents settled. I had also gone and checked to make sure the two lads aren’t being ripped off. Fred and George had picked a nice prime location.
Greet them a happy birthday for me alright? And tell them that I look forward to witnessing them succeed in their endeavors.
They would undoubtedly be bringing a lot of much needed joy into these darkening times. The people would be thankful for them.
I also had Lanny bring the twins’ copy of the Lease Agreement.
I can’t wait to see you all soon.
Much love,
Papa.”
~
Fred was grateful that their friends had retired into the night, leaving him and George to sulk into the dreadful reality.
“We were this close Georgie, this close!” Fred winced, pinching his fingers close without touching.
“I know but there was nothing else we could have done.” consoled George but even he himself was having a hard time. Number 93 was the perfect location for their joke shop. But now it’s gone.They are back to square one, scouting for locations.
“Fred! George! There you are! I have great news!” You yelled, not caring if you could wake up the other students.
“Oi Y/N! Be careful!.” Even in a bad mood, Fred Weasley couldn’t help being protective.
You banged the envelope on the table. “Surprise! Happy Birthday! From papa and I.”
“Another gift?” wondered George.
“So you don’t want it then?” You challenged, crossing your arms. You tried to look intimidating but the pajamas weren’t doing any good. “Cause I bet a hundred galleons that you’d shit your pants if you were to reject it.”
“That confident eh?” Smirked Fred, taking the contents of the envelope out. “ What do you think is so grand that Georgie and I would---BLOODY HELL! Y/N!” Fred kept looking down at the paper and up to you, unbelieving.
“What is it Freddie?” asked George leaning over to read whatever it was that left his brother speechless.
Re: Lease Agreement
Mr. y/l/n has submitted his endorsement to Mr. Fred Weasley and Mr. George Weasley.
The turnover of the leasing property of Shop Number 93 Diagon Alley would begin on April 1st …..
“Oh My- Y/n? Is this real?” George whispered, afraid that if he were any louder this dream would end.
“Yes, absolutely, 100%.” You affirmed. “The shop is yours! Opff-”
George embraced you tight, catching you off guard. You could feel your right shoulder getting wet. “Heyya big guy, don’t cry.” Running a hand up and down his back.
“But how?” Fred with brows creased was still stuck in a trance, you could see the paper shake in his grasp.
“You left the agreement noticed a couple of days ago. I might have accidentally read it. George said to not let you know cause you might get angry-”
“YOu KNEW?!?”
“George only knew I saw the paper. Nothing else.” You defended. “I thought i might try and help, so I called in a favour with papa. You knew how much he was impressed with the Extendable Ear, so I mentioned if he wanted to back you up. I only got his reply just now, said he’d love to and got onto ironing out the paperwork and viola!” Pointing at the document. “Oh and he also said Happy 18th Birthday, looking forward to your success and the people would be thankful for bringing a lot of much needed joy into these darkening times.”
“Thanks Y/n but this is a lot we can’t possibly-”
You cut Fred off before he could say more. “Oh please, you have done countless things for me. And I know what you’re gonna say- but see you would do the same for me. Besides think of this as your first investors. We want to help. We see your potential, we know you two, Fred, George, are gifted with bringing laughter and joy to people with your inventions."
"Thank you, truly y/n and to your dad too." Fred admitted, opening himself up. "No one's really backed us up with our inventions before, we've been always told off for being childish. It really means a lot."
“Hey, it’s the lease I could do.” You replied, causing the twins to chuckle immediately lightening up the mood.
It's great to see them relax again after weeks of stressing over the shop. Times might be changing but at least tonight, you got your best lads back.
~
Everything Taglist : @gruffle1
HP Taglist: @onlyfreds
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mi6-cafe · 3 years
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THE DRABBLES ARE IN! COME READ THEM AND VOTE!
GUYS, WE HAVE 15 AWESOME DRABBLES FOR YOU!
Our writers did an excellent job. All of them wrote 100-word drabbles  based on this picture:
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READ THEM ALL BELOW THE LINE AND WHEN YOU’VE PICKED YOUR TOP THREE FAVOURITES COME >>VOTE HERE<<
But how do?
anyone can vote (read the fics, pick your top 3 favourites and put that in the google form)
yes, even the writers can vote (they should, however, vote for someone other than themselves)
please, while you vote: also give anonymous feedback to the drabbles. we will send this to the writers after voting ends
why you should give feedback to the writers: we and they will love you forever but it won’t be creepy because you’ll be anonymous
READ&VOTE UNTIL SUNDAY 11.59PM Eastern, 4:59AM UTC!
Now, here are the drabbles!
#1
Title: Arson Author: artsytarts / Misha Warnings: None
Summary: If there is one talent James Bond has, it’s to give his Quartermaster a headache.
“Can I ask you a question, 007?”
“Not like you’d respect my wishes if I said no, Q. Go ahead.”
“Why is it that you always, without fail, find some way to cause an explosion? I’m starting to believe you have an arsonist streak.”
“I don’t do it on purpose, it just… happens.”
“You do know that you’re supposed to keep things quiet, right? ‘Secret’. It’s in the job description.”
“Not my fault their base lay beneath a firework factory.”
“Wouldn’t have been a problem if you didn’t blow it up!”
“Debatable.”
“I’m sure you mean ‘yes, Q’.”
“Yes, Q.”
#2
Title: Occupational Hazards Author: storm-of-sharp-things Warnings: none Summary: Q would willingly pay extra for the option to have a boring vacation…
Q sat back against James in the little rowboat and stared across the lake as bright jets of sparks shot up from the island. The fiery glow amid the trees was beautiful in the reflection of the dark water. James settled the blanket more comfortably around them, keeping the chill off their bare skin.
“I liked that cabin,” Q finally said.
James sighed. “What’s the probability that our rental cabin would be a hidden entrance to a secret arsenal of explosives?”
With a splash, Alec finally surfaced next to the boat, grinning wickedly.
Q scowled. “One hundred percent, I’d say.”
#3
Title: Postcard Author: sunaddicted Warnings: none Summary: Bond stops in the middle of a mission for a view Q shouldn’t absolutely miss.
“Bond, stop dallying”
“Look, Q”
He sighed, squinting at the screen broadcasting the grainy images coming from the small camera that he had managed to disguise as a lapel pin “What exactly am I looking at?”
“Wait for it”
“Bond, need I to remind you that you’re on- Oh”
“Beautiful, isn’t it?”
Q was enraptured in the blue fire shooting up towards the dark of night: he couldn’t remember the last time he had looked up at the sky, eyes full of awe “Yes, it really is” he admitted “Thank you, James. Move along now: your contact is waiting”
“Yessir”
#4
Title:Flare Author: Hexiva Warnings: Angst Summary: Alec and James on a stakeout. One moment of hope.
What James remembers from that night in Canada is the fireworks. Fireworks reflecting off the lake as he sat in the dark waiting for morning when their target would walk by. Fireworks reflecting in Alec’s eyes, a manic gleam as he leaned in to adjust Bond’s hand on his rifle. And in the darkness between displays, they looked at each other, the instruments of their bloody work forgotten.
Years later, after everything, after the betrayal, James doesn’t remember who reached out first. All he remembers is the sound of fireworks as they kissed, clinging to each other in the darkness.
#5
Title: Rest & Relaxation Author: SouffleGirl91 Warnings: None Summary: James and Q kiss goodbye to yet another security deposit.
“This was fun. We should do it more often.”
James watched an explosion illuminate the sky, showering white sparks on the carnage below.
“Did you hit your head?”
“What?” Q frowned. “No! Why?”
“You want to do this-” James gestured at the flames, “more often?”
Another loud crack, and the cabin roof collapsed, sending up a plume of smoke.
“Well, maybe not the part where your ex-boyfriend tries to burn us to death in our sleep…”
“So just the murder, then?”
“Pillock.”
James laughed. “If this is what holidays with you are like, I’d love to do it more often.”
#6
Title: Efficiency Author: Anyawen Warnings: None Summary: Bond appreciates competence, whatever it wears.
James ignores the cold of the Canadian spring night, attention focused on the far side of the lake.
“I can get closer,” he offers quietly over comms.
“Stay where you are, Bond. I’ve got this,” Q answers.
Q’s frenzied typing stills, and James hears satisfaction in the silence a moment before an explosion rocks the lodge. He watches, bemused, as stray fireworks streak into the sky.
“The security on their firework storage facility needs work,” Q remarks dryly before utterly failing to stifle a yawn.
Another firework explodes, illuminating James’ fond smile.
“Not bad for a man in his pyjamas.”
#7
Title: Isle of Bond Author: Warnings: none Summary: No man is an island.
They say, “no man is an island,” and they’re right.
Bond would disagree; would claim the title for himself.
He would say that he is a man for himself, as he trusts his life in the hands of friends. He would build a fortress of solitude, only to fly from it in a blaze of glory. He would fence his heart with spikes, spark, smirks, and sex. Until someone is unafraid to get stung.
Bond would lay life, death, heart, and gun at the feet of true love.
“They say, no man is an island, and they’re right,” Bond says.
#8
Title: forget the past Author: scarytheory Warnings: none Summary: In the woods, in the middle of the night, two friends are trying to make peace with everything.
“This is ridiculous,” says Q, looking at Moneypenny. “It’s not New Year’s. Also, do you know how harmful it is to animals?”
She gives him the side-eye: “Your complaining already scared everything within ten miles of here. And it’s symbolic, actually. Because he’s not coming back, not to me, not to you. We need to start over, with a bang. Help me set this off.”
With a sigh, he does.
And here they are, watching fireworks in the middle of March, both feeling lost.
But as she slips her hand in his, he thinks that maybe they will be alright.
#9
Title: Inferno Author: oldestcharm Warnings: fire Summary: Q appreciates the scenery. Bond isn’t pleased.
Q’s eyes are glued to the live feed from the helicopter. “This is very scenic,” he comments. Bond huffs. “Are you talking about the forest fire, the flare guns, or the volcano that’s about to burst now that I obliterated this guy’s lair?” Q hums, considering. “All of the above.” “I’m pleased to know you care so much for my safety.” “You’re just fine, 007,” Q assures him. “I’m standing in the middle of burning debris,” Bond points out. “There is a lake right beside you. Grab a bucket.” “You didn’t equip me with a bucket.” “Maybe next time then.”
#10
Title: Birthday Celebration Author: Nana-41175 Warnings: n/a Summary: Q is gifted with spectacular fireworks for his birthday by Bond
Q was sure he would dislike camping. He did not feel kindly toward the idea of a million insects descending upon him while they roughed it out in the woods. Plus, no internet. Hideous.
But he liked fireworks at dusk, especially when viewed over water. He was touched that Bond wanted him to see this: the lake, the dark circle of trees surrounding the warm, cheery glow of a campfire, the slender strands of bright light as they shot up toward the night sky.
Most of all he adored being in Bond’s arms as his boyfriend whispered, “Happy birthday, darling.”
#11
Title: In the End Author: Venstar Warnings: none Summary: One last goodbye.
Bond stared as the island of Mr. White burned away in a final fiery glow. So many things had been set in place there. Thoughts of Vesper slid through his mind, like a dark oil slick on water. Never to truly be erased. He felt something slide into his hand. A weapon. Something strong and flexible. He squeezed and felt bones move. Q. Something else that had been set in place. A gift, from one madman to another. Silva’s little cogwheel in the bigger scheme of things had inadvertently delivered Q to MI6…and James. He kissed those fingers. His weapon.
#12
Title: Miscalculation Author: Merc/moon_of_mercury Warnings: none Summary: Bond makes a strategic mistake. Q improvises to save the day.
“Gorgeous, aren’t they?”
“No, not really. They’re an unnecessary waste of money, spread heavy metals and other contaminants in the environment, cause noise pollution, not to mention the stress to animals and people who don’t like them–”
“Alright! Fine. I should have asked you first.”
“Or used your head for once. I told you; the cats and I are a package deal. If you plan for me you plan for them. I’m not having fun when my darlings are terrified.”
Before the mood sours, Q pulls James into a kiss.
“But we can always stay in. I’ll show you fireworks.”
#13
Title: How Does He Do That? Author: IrishWitch58 Warnings: Things blowing up, Canon typical violence, 006 and explody stuff Summary: Bond and Q watching the end of a 006 mission
Bond watched intently as Q focused on the terse commentary from the extraction team. Trust 006 to find one of the few primary forests left in Europe to play hide and seek with terrorists. Injured, bleeding but in possession of valued intel he’d been sent after, Trevelyan was being sought by both sides. One of the drone cameras blazed with light, flaring streamers rising from a central explosion. Q blinked, eyes watering before the screen dimmed.
“How does he do that every bloody time? I never issued him any explosives.”
Bond just shrugged, grinning. “When has that ever stopped Alec?”
#14
Title: Beacon Author: solarmorrigan Warnings: None Summary: Q is very good at reading even the smallest signs.
“Come on,” Q murmured.
Images flashed by on his screens: satellite feeds, CCTV stills, personal security system hacks, social media posts – anything he could think of. Windows overlapped, flashed, jockeyed for space and called for attention as new information poured in. Then, at last, a filter-covered photograph from one website or another, a tiny island lit up by a few explosive columns of light, drew Q’s notice.
Unexpected fireworks off the coast, the caption read.
Q checked the location. He checked the time. He smiled.
“There you are,” he sighed, and began the work of piecing together Bond’s trail.
#15
Title: We Don’t Need Fireworks Author: MrKsan / starrboned Warnings: Canon-Typical Violence Summary: Bond makes things explode. Q watches from afar.
The skies were ablaze with stardust and fire. It could’ve been beautiful, Q thought, had it not been his job to clean up the mess after.
Damn Bond and his dramatics.
Footsteps approached from behind, and Q couldn’t help but smile as an arm looped around his waist.
“007,” Gareth sighed. Q snorted, leaning into the warmth. Something exploded in the distance.
“Wish you could join him?” Gareth asked. “Share the action?”
Q turned his head, watching the fireworks reflect in his eyes.
“I got all the fire I need right here,” Q smiled, and leaned in for a kiss.
Go vote!
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emersonfreepress · 3 years
Note
ok ok in the spirit of community, how would the ros fair in a paintball war?
(referring to this ask! like the zombie au post this ended up making me think a lot 😅)
ohh... interesting, interesting... p sure the only paintball wars i’ve really seen were the ones featured in The League, Peep Show, and Community... but let me wrack my lil head...
ok, i ended up coming at this from multiple angles like the zombie au post 😅 always so much to consider in battle environments! and in the spirit of community, I'll stick with the individual player elimination style paintball match. in the woods with other e prep seniors. last one standing wins bragging rights
Gabe
Shooting skill | 6/10 - Experience with shooting and practice with Kile ofc
Stealthiness | 8/10 - He's done a fair amount of sneaking around during his after school activities, is super observant (or just paranoid lol), and naturally light on his feet. Good luck ambushing him.
Strategy | 8/10 - Strike deals. Do favors. Form alliances. Shoot 'em in the back once they’ve outlived their usefulness. ...What? It’s just paintball.
How does he win? | Graciously. Gabe likes winning, and especially via strategic manipulation, so it puts a smile on his face. And he's in a good mood so he treats a bunch of you to ice cream or smth 👀
How does he lose? | Slumps in frustration at being outwitted or taken off-guard, sulks about it for a little while. He's not that sore of a loser but needs time to lick his wounds and stop thinking of the different choices he could have made.
Kile
Shooting | 9 - The most accurate shooter of the cast and easily one of the best shots at E Prep. Lots of practice + talent
Stealth | 10 - They're stupid good at climbing trees and 100% consider that a valid method of ambushing their classmates. People start having flashbacks to 3rd and 4th grade recess and P.E. Scanning the trees. They just start taking people out with such efficiency it quickly starts ruining the game 😂
Strategy | 0? 10?? - “...Strategy? You just stay out of sight and kill 'em all, right?” (immediately scolded by Gabe for word choice 🙄) They really do mainly stay out of sight and pick people off with max stealth, like 😆 they'd be such a terror, people would need to take them out early for anyone else to stand a chance! They spend a lot of the game staking out the most frequented paths in the area and taking out groups quickly, all at once. Then they'll get around to stalking and picking people off one by one. The real fun...
Winner type | Stoic. Likes winning combat but the stakes were non-existent, so... the win is meaningless! this just infuriates the losers more 😅 such disrespect
Loser type | Sucks their teeth and tosses their paintball gun to the ground. "Y'all suck." (they're over it five mins later tho lol)
Jack
Shooting | 3 - This is nothing like shooting light guns... ☹️
Stealth | 5 - Not just due to his size making him an easier target, but homeboy is liable to get distracted by a cute squirrel or some pretty flowers 😂 He's not great at keeping his voice down either so good conversation would make him easy to seek out. He's just out here enjoying a beautiful day 😅
Strategy | 7 - All that movie-watching (and DMing) make him a valuable creative mind for problem-solving, but he needs a cooperative team to be effective. Rescued and recruited by Rupan/Rohan early on in the game ^ ^
Winner type | Disbelief! And everyone’s content and satisfied with him winning. Except Vivian/Vincent, that jealous fool
Loser type | Doesn't mind losing at all! He just hopes he was a good teammate and was glad to have fun ☺️
Jessie
Shooting | 7 - Comes from a family of hunters, girly knows how to shoot.
Stealth | 6 - Familiar enough with woods and stalking prey to be capable of sneaking around. Having too much fun to not giggle and get overly invested in the developing plot of the game. Even more easily distracted by critters and flora than Jack 😅
Strategy | 5 - Oh, she's just here to have fun. She'll go with whatever the person she's teaming up with decides, but can adapt easily enough.
Winner type | Surprised... then elated! Bouncing and happy and it's completely contagious. No hard feelings about a single thing. Convinces Heidi to invite people to the Emerson Estate—it's a hot day and they have a nice pool
Loser type | Same as Jack! Congratulates the winner with a hug because she's sweet like that 🧁
Rain
Shooting | 2 - This... thing is so cumbersome. And ugly. At least it shoots pretty colors.
Stealth | 7 - Small and used to sneaking around different environments and seeking out hiding spots. Their height and frame makes them harder to spot too.
Strategy | 4 - Hide!!! They’re not getting assaulted with paint and pellets!! Especially not after managing to make this ugly jumpsuit look cute?? Waiting it out is perfectly legitimate. Might share snacks if you decide to join them in hiding 😆
Winner type | Falls asleep in an unexpectedly cozy hiding spot and emerges as everyone thought they’d declared the winner. I imagine R and others yelling at them to get their gun while the original winner scrambles to get theirs, just for Rain to win by pure luck of the draw. Won’t stop them bragging about it, though! (I want this spurned runner-up to be Vi bc ofc)
Loser type | "So I can stop holding this thing?" Yawn. "I'm so hungry and bored, we've been at this for hours..."
Rupan/Rohan
Shooting | 4 - Ah, shit. These don't shoot anything like light guns.
Stealth | 7 - They sneak out and around town a lot 😂 They just force themself to be careful about how loud grass and bushes are.
Strategy | 7 - They’re treating this shit like an action movie and banding together a ragtag team of misfits to take down the strongest alliances and players. Savvy enough to reject Gabe’s and Curt’s offers to join, not opposed to strategic backstabs. They're very clearly just as focused on having fun as they are on winning—and playing Predator, which honestly works with Kile runnin around. They even brought war paint and borrowed a tactical vest. Is it mostly packed with snacks and weed? Maybe. Does it prove useful for negotiations? Hell yeah.
Winner type | Raucous celebration, just pure joy and adrenaline ☺️ Celebrates with their team, brags a bit, rubs it into Vi's face, makes fun of Curt, the usual. Then invites allies out to get pizza because it's the obvious next step
Loser type | Mostly disappointed they can't keep playing. They're a little sore about being left out of the action, but soon just start chatting with other marked players about how the game went for them. Plenty entertaining on its own, they want all the details
Vivian/Vincent
Shooting | 5 - They've got a little bit of shooting experience.
Stealth | 4 - They're overly sensitive and hate being in nature. Their skin is sticky, they keep feeling bugs everywhere, they've gotten dirt all over their pants, it's so hot, they keep WALKING into SPIDERWEBS, [flails about, screaming furiously]
Strategy | 8 - They have good ideas, they're just difficult to execute alone, especially since they're getting sunburnt and getting crankier and can't stop swatting at insects 😅 they're one of the first people to figure out that someone's taking out groups from the trees, so they stay solo and try to find a single person to team up with. Really what they need is someone who's a better shot but easy to boss around. They can probably just owe them for an in-school favor...
Winner type | Barely suppressed gloating. Vi somehow finds a way to be an obnoxious winner almost entirely by the look on their face. Once they're in a smaller group, they're passionately discussing the details of the game and happily boasting about their triumphs (while glossing over all of the whining and and slip-ups lol)
Loser type | Booo, such a sore loser. (Especially in the scenario where Rain wins 🤣) If they're outsmarted or outgunned in a clear, transparent way they'll growl and stomp off, then quietly glower and sulk for way too long. If they're double-crossed or beaten in an underhanded way oh lord —they're fighting it to the end. R can't help but get involved either way, reminding them it was a damn game with literally no prize. "C'mon, Vi, chill. You want ice cream? Let's get you ice cream."
Heidi
Shooting | 6 - Some shooting experience.
Stealth | 8 - She's very aware of her surroundings and her body. Perceptive yet quiet. Tactical. All residual traits picked up from her many activities over the years.
Strategy | 9 - Most likely to outsmart everyone. The first one to figure out groups are being targeted from the trees. Goes it alone and only open to trading (unless she sees Curt with Jess in which case she puts a quick pin in her plans to rescue her 😂). She also immediately figures out it's Kile, because ofc it is. Keeps close tabs on what groups are doing, knowing that eventually Kile will come down to ground level to pick off individuals and couples. Predator becomes prey 👀
Winner type | Proud but not boasting. She doesn't need to be. Victory looks good on her, natural and fitting. Thanks everyone for a good game then takes the girls for a long ride in the Cadillac 😎 top down on a bright day, baby
Loser type | Damn. She should have won this. Maybe if she'd... She probably could have... Then she snaps out of it, roped in by the celebratory mood of congratulating the winner. She's over any feelings of frustration or regret after getting to discuss the match with the person that took her out/the winner and there's no hard feelings. If anything this was fun as hell, it should be an annual thing. ☺️
Curt
Shooting | 8 - Some shooting experience and a natural knack for it. Good reflexes.
Stealth | 8 - Curt likes to say he gets along with the woods around these parts. Sneaking around is second nature to him. Really good hearing too. He's an easy target if you manage to seduce him though, having no issue leaving himself vulnerable if it means that kind of fun 😂
Strategy | 7 - Honestly, he's most interested in seeing how long he can get away with using charm and seduction for both protection and double-crossing 😂 Eventually becomes persona non grata and gets all of his ammo stolen by a vengeful mark, barely getting away in the process. Since that jig is up, he finally starts thinking a win might be nice... and so he teams up with the only competent player who would never betray him and also inspires the least vitriol in others: Jessie. What? Is his back-up plan using her as a human shield? No! 😚 Of course not! 👉👈
Winner type | Insufferable and gloating. Rubs it in a lot of people's faces, specifically Heidi, Rupan/Rohan, and any participants who genuinely don't like him. Brags to Gabe (who is completely disinterested in gassing him up 😂), then promises he'll make things up to Jessie (who didn't mind and had fun lol). Then celebrates by asking whoever he's flirting with these days for a quick date—and a ride in the Ferrari. Makes a scene pulling out of the parking lot. Ass.
Loser type | Doesn't care one bit as long as he had fun! And he always finds a way to have fun, it's why he's so carefree 😅
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Text
Disappearance 2: The Sighting {Katsuki Bakugo}
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A/N: Please be sure to reblog, comment, review, and like if you enjoy! Feedback is what keeps me motivated! Thank you all so much for your support with this story so far, I hope you continue to enjoy it!
Disappearance Masterlist
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He dreamt of Chiasa often.
On bad nights his mind created terrible scenarios about who she was with and where she was and what was happening to her. Other better nights let him fantasize about finding her and bringing her back to his agency with a smug grin as he reunited with the love of his life.
Most nights, though, his dreams were memories. Soft around the edges and sometimes fuzzy in detail, but as real as he could remember.
That night he had a dream about finding their first apartment for just themselves. It was going to be a far cry from sharing a townhome with Kaminari and Jiro, mostly because it wasn’t going to be as cluttered and full of ridiculous pranks but also because it would finally be theirs.
He could vividly remember coming home from one of the early meetings with the Hero Public Safety Commission about starting his own agency and seeing her in the sitting room practically vibrating with excitement. She’d pulled him down beside her and all but shoved her tablet into his face to look at what she’d found, declaring that their search was over.
And it had been. The building had twenty-four security and desk staff, keycard resident entry, and was in a safer neighborhood with a low crime rate. He could see it was a short walk to the nearest train station and if he got the approval for his agency and secured the building he wanted, it wouldn’t be a long commute at all. Two bedrooms was well within their budget and would allow her to have a dedicated office space for her work from home position instead of her current setup at the foot of their bed.
He didn’t realize he’d been grinning until she poked his cheek and asked an impatient, “Well?”
“Let’s apply.”
She let out a happy squeal as she threw her arms around his shoulders, kissing his face repeatedly as he tried to keep a hold on her tablet. Her grip only seemed to grow tighter the more he weakly fought her embrace.
“Katsuki, this is going to be amazing!” she laughed, kissing his temple one final time as she pulled back slightly to cuddle against him. This time he didn’t fight the embrace, instead wrapping an arm around her to keep her close.
He’d scoffed. “’Course it’ll be amazing. It’s you and me.”
“You and me,” she agreed with a smile.
He could hear her saying those words as clear as day in his memories. It had started as a joke about the first time they’d gone out alone without friends; he’d asked her if she wanted to go to a new mochi shop and she immediately went to text the rest of their friends before he stopped her, grunting, “You and me.”
After some time it just became theirs. Three words with just as much weight as I love you. It was a simple way to say more important things—“I’m here for you” and “We’re in this together” and “The two of us cannot be broken.”
It was a part of how their bond became as strong as it did, and he missed hearing it in person.
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Cool, early September air was left behind as the door to his agency closed behind him. He wasn’t thrilled with the weather beginning to take a turn towards lower temperatures, knowing his quirk took longer to build up its power. As much as he hated being called a “slow starter” in the winter it wasn’t entirely untrue.
Hikari greeted him with a curt good morning as he passed her desk and slid a few papers his way without looking up. He grabbed them and in their place set down a travel mug of peppermint tea and a small blue bento, his own low mornin’ barely audible.
Making his way to his office he looked over the patrol routes for the day and the notations about the current goings-on of the areas. It was fairly run-of-the-mill with little suspected villain activity, a perfect time to allow some of the newer sidekicks and interns to tag along with his people for the day.
Surprisingly this was one of the things he enjoyed about running his own agency. Planning and strategizing were some of his strong suits despite how much he did enjoy blasting headfirst into battle when he could. But as the man in charge he liked being control of where his people were posted a lot too.
He had already decided who would be taking which patrol by the time everyone was gathered in the large conference room in their hero costumes, some more bleary-eyed than others. Mugs of coffee and tea billowed steam above the table and Kirishima’s branded shaker bottle stood taller than all of them.
Kaminari yawned lazily and Sero elbowed him in the ribs at the stern glare of their boss.
“Three sectors, little activity save for the corner tea shop on route 2B,” he started as everyone turned their eyes towards him. “Cellophane and Pinky, you two are taking the sidekicks to sector 1. Route A to Cellophane, B to Pinky. Choose your sidekicks and report it before you leave.”
The two heroes fist bumped and shot grins and thumbs up towards the sidekicks across the table from them. They were the best to get collaboration on the brain when it came to the newer recruits.
“Sector 2 goes to Red Riot and Chargebolt. Red, you’re on route A with the two interns and Chargebolt you’re taking route B so make sure that shitty shop isn’t getting worse.”
He knew that Kirishima was the perfect option for guiding the wide-eyed interns through some of their first tastes of the hero life. Plus, he was the best defense if trouble arose and backup would take time.
“I’m taking sector 3 myself. Questions?” When no one responded, he concluded, “Alright, get out there.”
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Kaminari shot a smile to everyone he came across on his patrol. Chargebolt was a well-liked figure and regarded very highly as a personable hero when spotted in public. He was proud to have cultivated that good will with the people and was oftentimes the one who handled the media for the Dynamight agency alongside Kirishima, Red Riot’s popularity one of the only heroes higher than himself.
Quieter times to stop and chat with his fans were always his favorite but days like this that required more vigilance he did what he could with smiles and waves to those he saw. Even if there was only suspected villain activity at the tiny tea shop across from the mall he had to keep a close eye on it.
He tried to spend as much time as he could with the shop in view while still patrolling the rest of the route. Nothing of note caught his attention all morning and well into the afternoon.
Then the afterschool crowd and post workday crowds filled the area. He began to see a few suspicious characters that he reported back to the agency when he had a chance, but none of them gave any other indication of wrongdoing. He preferred to be thorough, though, just like Bakugo liked.
Half a dozen notes later, as the sun was low in the sky, he started to plan his evening once he got home. Jiro had the day off which meant she would spend most of it in the studio and bring home their favorite takeout. She was always in a great mood after a day in the studio too, and he loved seeing her so happy.
The tinkling bell of the tea shop’s door opening brought him from his thoughts and his gaze fell on a scraggly-haired brunette stepping into the evening air. From where he was down the street, he could see her pull the hand of a small boy to come stand by her on the sidewalk. Dark, matted hair sat atop his head and he scratched at the arm the woman held.
The closer he got the more he noticed about them—the woman’s ill-fitting dress and oversized sweater in much warmer contrast to the boy’s too short jeans and short sleeved tshirt. The boy shook from the cold and he quickened his pace, everything in him ready to shrug off his jacket and wrap the child in it while giving a few choice words to the mother.
As he approached he saw the woman’s eyes darting furiously as she hurriedly crossed towards one of the mall’s department store entrances, the boy shuffling along beside her as he went from scratching his arm to scratching his neck. Her grip on his arm looked tighter than it should be, and she walked quickly with no regard for if he could keep up with her longer strides.
Kaminari took in as many details as possibly as he began crossing too before stopping dead in his tracks in the crosswalk when the woman turned and said something to the boy. Her profile fit all of his observations in place and he tried to make himself move forward to confirm what he thought he was seeing.
By the time his body started to cooperate the duo had disappeared into the crowded department store and he was left at the door with only startled suspicions and half-formed what if scenarios in his mind. He had to tell someone, someone other than Bakugo who would surely fly off the handle on him for losing sight of the woman.
As he went to radio Kirishima, his comm came on with an incoming message from the redhead instead—“Charge, rendezvous in twenty at our starting point to head back to the agency?”
“Yeah,” he confirmed breathlessly. “Yeah, I’ll see you there.”
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Kirishima nudged him in the side, concerned for his usually loud blonde friend who had barely said a word on their journey back to the agency. “Are you okay, man? You’re never this quiet.”
Kaminari chewed the inside of his cheek as he pulled on his street clothes. With a sigh he ruffled his hair with his hand before rubbing his face.
“I saw something weird on my route at the tea shop.”
“Oh damn, what happened? Did you let Bakugo know yet? You know he needs those villain updates as soon as possible.”
He waved his hands to stop the questions. “No, I didn’t tell him yet but it wasn’t… I don’t know if it was villains.”
The redhead’s eyebrows knitted together. “Then what was so weird?”
“Right before you radioed me near the end of patrol I was finishing notes on some shady people around the shop when this lady and kid stepped out. They both looked, I don’t know, greasy? And she was dressed warm while the little boy she was with was shivering in just a tshirt.”
“That’s not exactly our kind of suspicious, dude, but we can—"
“But the fact that she looked like Chiasa is suspicious!”
Kirishima froze, whispering, “What?”
He nodded. “She looked like Chiasa with longer hair.”
“With… with a kid?”
“Yeah, little dark-haired kid that kept scratching at his arms and neck. I felt so bad for the little guy, he looked so cold—”
“Kaminari, focus!” Kirishima said harshly, cutting off his rambling. “We need to tell Bakugo. Even if it’s not her, he needs this lead. He has to see it through. On the off chance it is actually her… I don’t even know how he could react.”
“Plus she has a lot of explaining to do about where she’s been,” Kaminari sighed. “It’s been so long.”
Kirishima nodded sadly. “It has, but we need to let Bakugo lead on this. Whether or not it was really her and will get him closer to finding her, I don’t know. But he needs to do this. It’s the only way for him to move forward.”
Closing their lockers, they gathered their bags and made their way to their small shared office. The day being fairly quiet aside from the two brunettes being sighted allowed them to finish their patrol reports quickly and send them to Bakugo for his review.
They knew he waited until all reports were received to begin looking them over and they had never been more grateful for Mina’s inability to focus, knowing for a fact that she was always the last person to submit her reports. Passing her still in costume talking animatedly to the sidekicks about their day let them know that this time wasn’t going to be any different. It allowed them to speak with Bakugo before he had to read the information and hopefully let them do damage control too.
Hikari was just leaving his office as they came to the doorway, a tired smile on her lips as she shuffled the papers in her hands.
Kaminari knocked on the doorframe as she passed them to head back to her desk and without looking up was called in by their friend and boss.
“What?” he grunted, continuing to loosen his gauntlets to set them aside. Unlike the rest of them he preferred to write his reports before changing completely.
Kaminari cleared his throat awkwardly, feeling Kirishima’s hand on his shoulder for support. As long as he’d known Bakugo and been on the receiving end of his temper and explosions, this had to be one of the most nerve-wracking conversations he was going to start.
“I’ve got some news from my patrol today.”
Red eyes snapped up to meet his. “Villains at the tea shop? What happened? Was it in your report? You never called for backup and I know we didn’t have anyone detained in any of our sectors.”
He spoke quickly, his shoulders tensing with each word as he prepared himself to don his gauntlets once again to find whoever was stirring up trouble in his agency’s territory.
“No, no, it was just an observation but I wanted to tell you about it in person—”
“Then spit it out!”
“I think… I think it’s possible that I saw Chiasa come out of the tea shop with a little dark-haired boy. I’m not one-hundred percent sure if it was her but it sure as hell looked like her.”
Bakugo stood rigid behind his desk. Over four years of not a single clue as to where she was or if she was safe and now she reappeared right in his agency’s backyard. If it was her.
He would pull all the surveillance he could find in the area based on Kaminari’s report and go through it with a fine-toothed comb. He would know if it were her. There was no one he knew better.
If he decided it was her then their patrol routes were about to get a shakeup and he was about to get answers years in the making. But that was for him to know, at least for now.
“I’ll review your report. Send Hikari back on your way out and I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said evenly.
The two other heroes exchanged surprised looks, expecting a much bigger reaction than a few long moments of silence. They watched him sit down and start his computer, his body language tense but not to the level they had anticipated.
“You don’t want to—”
“I’ll see you both tomorrow,” he repeated, eyes flicking up to see their stunned faces. He watched them blankly until they seemed to take the hint ad turned to leave.
He sat alone typing his report after making his request to Hikari to go through the proper channels for the surveillance footage he wanted and warning her that he would likely need more after reviewing Kaminari’s report. She didn’t seem to mind, letting him know that she would tell him as soon as the requested film came in.
So until then he sat in his office allowing himself to grasp onto this small straw of hope, holding tight to the first real evidence he’d had in years that he might be able to use to bring her home.
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A/N: Please be sure to reblog, comment, review, and like if you enjoy! Feedback is what keeps me motivated!
Disappearance Masterlist
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lovelyirony · 4 years
Note
Fic title meme : pulvis et umbra sumus (We Are Dust And Shadows)
On every single document, including the ones that show what actually happened to Howard and Maria Stark, Tony Stark is listed as dead among them. 
He is not. 
But in not calling in the accident on the abandoned road, Tony managed to find someone else to take his place and escaped. 
Tony Stark is dead. A whole family funeral and everything. Obadiah pretends to cry. Tony is at the funeral with shitty dye in his hair and sunglasses that he wouldn’t be caught dead wearing. Ha. 
The funeral is closed casket. All their faces are rumored to be impossible to fix with make-up. 
He makes new documents. Anthony Jarvis, from Boston. Airtight background. Likes puzzles. Scored damn high on the SAT, but not the perfect score. 
(Killed him to answer some of those questions wrong, seriously.) 
Anthony Jarvis goes to MIT and requests a single room. He gets one for one semester, and then the room next to his burns and destroys his as well. So he gets moved to Jim Rhodes’. 
Jim becomes Rhodey, and he is the first friend of Anthony Jarvis, and nicknames him Tony. 
He grins at that. 
There are plenty of times that Tony wants to tell him. The thing about secrets is that they need to be shared. No one really wants a secret, nor do they want to keep it. But he keeps his mouth shut and asks if he wants to go for Thai food. 
“This is the third time this week.” 
“Not my fault it’s good! I’ll pay...” 
“Sign me up.” 
Tony and Rhodey gets Thai food. It’s good. 
Rhodey lets him in on a secret that Tony had actually known about since his room assignment. 
(You remember that guy’s room that caught on fire? Yeah, he swore that his microwave hadn’t been on, and nothing had been plugged in. He was right. But Tony needed an accident.) 
In other circumstances, Rhodey would have ignored the offer that he had. He had had his heart set on Air Force. But there was something about the man who talked to him. 
“It’s a place called Strategic-Homeland-something I can���t remember,” Rhodey says. “Point is, they’re a big deal and kind of shady, but not in the government shady kind of way. The only thing I can find out about them is that they’re an international company who need engineers, pilots, and basically anyone like you and me. I don’t know how I feel about it.” 
Tony nods. 
“You want me in on this?” 
“I mean, you did tell me a couple of weeks ago that you weren’t sure what you wanted to do after graduation.” 
(It was two weeks, three days, and fourteen hours ago. Not like he was counting.) 
“...thanks. I’ll check it out with you.” 
Anthony Jarvis shows up in a nice suit, stupid sunglasses, and impresses the higher-ups by diagnosing a problem with the engine that others had previously marked as “impossible.” 
He’s hired on the spot, same as Rhodey. 
Tony Jarvis gets his own keycard, finds an apartment in New York that’s within at least biking distance, and gets started on inventing some cute little toys for the spies in Research and Development. 
He brings the laser-lipstick to life, poison-drop-earrings, spyglasses that actually work and have HD, and briefcases that use mirroring technology to change color. 
“How did you do this?” Rhodey asks, eyes wide. “I swear this is unreal.” 
“Aw,” Tony says. “You sap. I got some inspiration from some old comic book ads. I think I’m gonna try a ring decoder next, what do you think?” 
“Almost makes me want to go on missions instead of flying them.” 
Tony Jarvis is known for working odd yet long hours. He comes up with results. And he keeps his head down and minds his own business. 
This is all to find out exactly who killed his parents. As much as his and Howard’s relationship was...interesting, he still wanted to know. 
His desire to know the truth leads to somewhere he hadn’t thought was possible: Hydra. 
His hands freeze as he looks at the paper file with thick, black lines all over. The information there was sparse. Howard, Maria, and Anthony Stark all died. It was ruled: 
And there’s nothing there. 
It wasn’t an accident. Sure he knew that, but there was something far more sinister at play. Why wasn’t it an accident? 
He gets Alexander Pierce in his apartment with a man in the corner. His arm gleams in what little light from the lamps outside give off. 
“Why are you searching for the Stark files?” He asks. 
“Why didn’t you just schedule a meeting? I’m available tomorrow at three,” Tony jokes. “Who’s your friend here?” 
“Someone you wouldn’t want to shake hands with,” Pierce answers. “You need to stop looking into this before you find yourself in a situation you don’t want to be in.” 
“And if I don’t?” 
“Accidents will happen,” Pierce says. He gets up from the table, to the counter. Gets out a glass. And makes himself water. He smiles as he looks to the man in the corner. “Do you want any water, Winter Soldier?” 
Winter Soldier remains impassive. 
Tony stills. 
“So, the legends are true. And Hydra is still around.” 
“And if you aren’t careful, you won’t be,” Pierce says. “Don’t bring any of this up. Or this won’t be the last time you see Winter Soldier. I know your moves, Jarvis. Don’t think you can surprise me.” 
They exit the apartment. Tony realizes that Pierce took his glass. 
And he laughs. 
Because this? Not according to plan, but god he’s gonna have fun with it.  
It starts with telling Rhodey who he actually is. 
It does not go as planned. 
“So let me get this straight. I’ve known you for years and you just. Never told me?” Rhodey asks. “Why not?” 
“To be completely fair, no one knows besides a man in Wisconsin, and he’s from Wisconsin,” Tony says. “Also I was drunk. Drunk me is a terrible person who would sell me for a buffalo nickel.” 
“I’m still mad, even if that’s funny,” Rhodey says, trying not to smile. “So. Why tell me now? I’m assuming you need something.” 
“I would like your help,” Tony says. “It is not required but I am toppling a secret organization living in SHIELD and I think if I get your help, I will most likely not get fired by the end of this. Fury likes you, he hates me.” 
“False, he mildly tolerates you. You’ll be fine. Probably. Who else should we get to help?” 
Tony had originally planned for no one. 
But then there was Pepper Potts. 
She had been deemed by the media as “crazy” for accusing Obadiah Stane, longtime-CEO of Stark Industries, as ordering a hit out on the Stark family. 
She had been booted from the company--anticipated--and then Hydra had ordered a hit on her. 
Slightly unexpected. 
Point is, Rhodey brings her into the apartment and tells Tony casually that the grocery store had run out of his usual hummus brand, was the generic okay? 
“That’s like asking if I’m okay with blue pens,” Tony curses. “Also, is that Pepper Potts? Why is she here? Did you run into her at the grocery store?” 
“No, as I was coming back. Did you know that she has a hit out on her? Fun times.” 
“Oh my god, will someone explain to me what’s going on here?!” Pepper seethes. “I was just trying to get my yogurt without anyone taking a picture of me and some random fucking guy had a knife thrown at me and then this guy took me to your house!” 
She then rants for ten minutes about the “questionable design choices going on in this establishment, who honestly thinks shot glasses are a decoration?!” 
“Are you done?” Tony asks. “Because if you want to help with a conspiracy plot, you need to be done.” 
She is. 
Pepper does not get a job with SHIELD. In fact, she mainly just decides to take care of the redecoration in Tony’s apartment. 
“You will be paying me for this.” 
“Why would I do that? You’re using my money to buy everything. You’re living here rent free for now.” 
“Because I’m helping you make better life choices. I also want new shoes.” 
What Pepper does is provide very valuable access to Stark Industries: she knows the ins and outs, what employees do and don’t do, and also is very helpful in telling Tony what he needs to do when he takes the company over. 
“Who said I was going to take it over?” 
“Me,” Pepper says. “Also because I reviewed every single old document and the company was specified to go to next-of-kin. You are. And you’re not dead.” 
“My death certificate is literally framed,” Tony says, pointing to his graduation photo that Rhodey took. He had swapped out his official diploma with it as a joke. No one had seen it. He thought it was hilarious. 
“Yeah, but they can do DNA testing,” Pepper says. “This is like the twenty-first century Anastasia except this time they don’t find you with metal detectors!” 
“I don’t like that you know that story as well as you do,” Rhodey says. “But I’ll leave you a credit card for furniture and groceries. If you get rid of my drinks in the fridge I’m literally never forgiving you.” 
“Noted, and I don’t need forgiveness,” Pepper says. “But they’ll stay there.” 
So begins the plot. 
Pierce doesn’t know three things, which is a lot of things not to know: 
1.) Tony Jarvis is not Tony Jarvis. 
2.) Rhodey actually likes Tony and most of the time him saying that he would “kill Tony in a variety of ways, starting with sporks and moving forward...” is mostly (mostly) a joke. 
3.) Pepper Potts resides in their apartment and is having fun telling Tony she bought new silverware. 
“Why did you buy new silverware! It was fine!” 
“I recognized all of these forks and knives from restaurants. Why did you steal them from restaurants?” 
“They can replace them!” 
“Don’t. Anyways now your spoons match and you don’t have the shitty ones from different places. Also I painted the bathroom.” 
“My landlord is gonna kill me.” 
“I made her cookies and discovered that she likes going to concerts. You’ll be fine.” 
(Pepper is a goddess. You can’t convince them otherwise.) 
Pierce doesn’t know any of this, but he still holds a key piece of blackmail: Tony Jarvis shouldn’t know about Hydra, and he’ll do anything to make sure that he doesn’t lose his job. 
Tony has been recording their conversations for weeks. 
(Pierce thinks he doesn’t design things to get around the available technology. Pathetic.) 
He also has bugged Pierce as well as his house, and figures out that Winter Soldier is going to be on assignment within the DC area in an effort to kill some higher-up on the foodchain that was SHIELD. 
Well. 
Tony has always wanted to go and see the cherry blossoms a little more up close. 
Pepper, of course, doesn’t like that they left his boots on. 
“This couch is new and red,” she says. “Take off his boots!” 
“He is unconscious and probably won’t be in the next fifteen minutes,” Rhodey says. “We are not touching him and possibly shortening that fifteen minutes.” 
Winter Soldier wakes up to three faces staring at him. 
“Mission failed?” he asks, voice robotic. 
“Nope, you just got a new one,” says the man on the right. He is wearing a t-shirt. Winter Soldier thinks that in this situation, a t-shirt is not the best option. 
(Of course, he’s not supposed to think. But they don’t have to know that.” 
“Can you take your shoes off?” says the woman in the middle. “Please. You’re getting germs on the couch.” 
He’s confused. 
“Who am I killing?” 
“No one, yet,” says the man on the left. “Do you know who you are?” 
“Winter Soldier.” 
“No, like a name? I’m assuming you’ve had a name at some point.” 
“Someone has called me Mr. Freeze before.” 
The man on the left snorts. Man on the right taps his arm lightly. 
“Well, um, okay then. How do you feel about the name...aw shit. I can’t think of a name for you when your mask is on. Can you take the mask off?” 
He takes it off. It’s nicer to breathe. 
The man in the t-shirt pauses. 
“Okay. So your name is Bucky Barnes. Do you know that name?” 
Something clicked. But he doesn’t know what. 
“Sounds...familiar.” 
“Cool! So that’s your name now, do me a favor and don’t google it. I’m Tony, this is Rhodey, and this is Pepper. If you don’t take your shoes off, you’re going to be scared of her.” 
Newly-named-Bucky highly doubts that he will be scared of Pepper because she is built like a twig and she is wearing high heels. 
(He is wrong about ten minutes later when she forcibly throws a fork at him.) 
“Why am I here?” he asks. “Should I be checking back in with Handler Pierce?” 
“No,” comes the consensus from everyone else in the room. 
“Technically, he thinks you went rogue and went back to Russia. He’s organizing a team to go get you. We hired an actor to play you. It’s been entertaining. He got some plums. Do you like plums?” 
“Why is that relevant?” 
“It’s vapid and not interesting at all, Tony loves questions like that,” Rhodey says. “Now come on. We need to get you actual shirts. Also some body wash.” 
Bucky Barnes learns how to be a person. He stares at himself in the mirror for an hour and smiles slightly when Pepper calls him “vain” and pushes him aside to grab her hairbrush. 
He then learns that Hydra is trying to overtake SHIELD and they have a slight window with Pierce out. 
This involves two things: 
1.) Tony Stark coming back from the dead. 
2.) SHIELD panicking that they didn’t know this secret and taking another look at the paperwork, in which case Hydra will be found out. 
These are both easier than anticipated. Tony can act like a showman better than anyone, and has been carefully growing a goatee that is eerily reminiscent of his late father’s. Of course he’s had to switch it up. 
The media is going crazy. SHIELD as well. They’re scrambling to find paperwork that proves that it happened, and they find that the “accident” was no accident. That Howard hadn’t been working for the “enemy” at the time. 
The enemy was in the building, and they had blended in seamlessly. 
This all happens on a Wednesday, by the way. Pepper has it marked on the calendar and everything. Rhodey made his coffee. 
Bucky is busy slamming people into drywall and listening for any word from Rhodey, who is also slamming people into drywall. 
“You know, you’d think we’d get something like a suit of armor for this,” Rhodey pants out, slamming another guy out of his way. 
Bucky nods. 
“Best I can offer is a grenade.” 
“Where in the fuck did you get a grenade?!” 
“Supply closet. Second floor. What, you didn’t check?” 
“No sorry must’ve missed it--of course I didn’t fucking check the second floor closet!” Rhodey yells. 
Bucky says he’s stressed. He should calm himself. 
Rhodey chucks a particularly nasty Hydra agent out a window. 
(Bucky thinks Rhodey is probably the coolest person he’ll ever meet.) 
Tony is fashionably late to the take-down of the century. He’s already foiled a lot of plans, and taken a key-card for Project Insight to work. 
He waltzes in and nearly gets hit by a mug. 
“So, how’s the party going?” he yells over to Pepper. Pepper is still in her heels. She looks like a goddess still, as usual. It is a Wednesday, after all. 
“As fine as it can be,” Pepper says. “We’ve met some resistance. With Pierce gone there’s little infrastructure. You got his plane delayed, correct?” 
“Even better. Got it sent to London. Motherfucker is gonna be there for a while,” Tony says. “Also may or may not have said that he was a threat. SHIELD branch there will investigate, find out some questionable things in his file that he will swear up and down were never there.” 
“Good,” Pepper says. She launches a stapler at someone’s head. “Do you think we’ll have time to pick up takeout for dinner?” 
“Depends on whether or not Deputy Director Hill is Hydra.” 
They see Maria Hill pass by in a blur, yelling as she jumps onto a man and sends him crashing down over a railing. 
“Lovely, she isn’t!” Pepper cheers. “By the way, I was thinking about redoing our kitchen.” 
“‘Our’ kitchen?” Tony says, ducking a bullet and drawing out his personal lipstick-laser, firing it with expert precision. “I told you the living situation was temporary.” 
“Oh please, you have an extra room.” 
“Which was an office!” Tony tells her. 
“Like you can’t have your office at Stark Industries,” Pepper says. “I expect to hear how the reveal went over dinner. Also, please hire me back. I don’t wanna be your interior decorator for forever.” 
“Neither do I, you like modern art. Disgusting.” 
And so the fighting resumes. 
It is done by five-thirty-two, with an official surrender from Pierce. 
“Thank god, I already ordered Chinese and they said it’d be here at six,” Rhodey says. 
They all sit on the red couch. 
Shoes on. 
Tony tips four hundred percent. 
-
“So what are we doing tomorrow?” Rhodey asks. 
“I am not moving for six hours,” Bucky answers. “Also maybe getting a library card.” 
“This is the first thing you want out of the icebox? A library card?” Tony asks, laughing. 
Pepper laughs. 
“I have errands to run. You can come with me and we’ll swing by.” 
“What are the errands?” 
“Getting a kitchen mixer and also making sure that my plates match my napkins.” 
“A travesty if it doesn’t happen,” Rhodey deadpans. “Pass the lo mein, Tony. You’re hogging it.” 
“I had to fight on a Wednesday and run,” Tony says. “Today isn’t cardio day.” 
“Literally hate it when you speak,” Rhodey says. “Absolutely abhor your language.” 
They go to bed, although it’s more of laying on the floor. 
Sure, Tony will have to deal with retaking a business that he knows a bit less about and Pepper will have to be trained (again) and also fight against being made CEO (but she won’t fight much). Rhodey will get a new job with SI because it’s not like Tony will let him work at SHIELD (Rhodey tries, Tony will get him fired at some point). Bucky just...he needs to get a bit more than a library card. 
But that’s for tomorrow. 
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dragoqueen · 3 years
Text
Whoops! Wrong Way 6/8
Summary: Peter has been living at Avengers Tower for 2 years, known to the workers and Avengers as Peter Parker-Stark-Rogers.  When his teacher announces that they're going on a field trip to Avengers Tower, or SI,  he's going to have to attempt to survive a day of embarrassment and keeping a secret identity.
Words: 1558
“Okay guys here’s the plan, mostly just protect Peter because he and that idiot Flash kid need to be the last ones so Peter can do something cool and get him out. That’s your only goal- get everyone out and protect Peter, alright?” There's a chorus of yesses that confirm her plan. She nods and motions for them to spread out around the base to be ready to run to better guns when the round starts. Just in time too. Right when they get to the starting positions FRIDAY begins counting down, “three… two… one… begin!” there’s an airhorn sound and the Avengers start their nerf gun battle.
Peter immediately starts climbing up the floating parkour platforms, dodging a few bullets while he’s at it. He jumps from platform to platform till he reaches a giant automatic nerf gun with a strap attached to it. He slings it over his shoulder and continues climbing until he gets to a high point where he can see the entire arena. There’s a snipe with extra ammo there, which he takes before laying on the ground to start sniping the other side. 
His first target is Sam. he’s at a disadvantage because he can’t use his wings in the nerf arena. He’s grounded and without a good gun. Peter smiles as he steadies his gun, focusing on Sam he takes a shot.
Misses. 
He quickly reloads while Sam begins looking around wildly, trying to figure out where the first bullet came from. Peter aims at Sam again and before Sam can retaliate, there’s a second bullet and he’s out, “Bird Brain #2 is out.” Friday announces. 
“Dang it Sam,” Steve calls out from across the arena, “already?” 
“Shut it, the kid freaking sniped me, you know how he is in these games,”
Peter laughs and begins looking for his next target. Meanwhile, Scott has shrunk down and begun sneaking over to Peter’s side. He turns back to normal size right behind Ned, quickly shooting him with the starter pistol. FRIDAY announced that Ned is now out. MJ takes the advantage of Scott celebrating and not paying attention to sneak up behind him and shoot him. He groans in frustration as FRIDAY announces he’s out, and goes to join Ned and Sam in the spectators section. 
Peter watches the commotion behind him and shoots MJ a quick thumbs up before returning to watching the opposing team, oblivious to the merc slowly making his way towards him. For some reason, his spidey-sense doesn't alert him of Wade until he’s jumped in front of him with the pistol aimed right at him. Peter puts his hands up and yells dramatically, “just kill me now!”
Wade chuckles, “I’m not here to kill you, BabyBoy. I’m here to team with you. I’m still mad at you for now putting me on your team, but I also hate my team. So, here I am!” 
“Heck yeah! Unfair advantage for the win. Great to have you on out- HOLY CRAP, watch out babe!” 
Their teaming is interrupted when a bullet hits Wade straight in the head. “Ha! Headshot it doesn’t count!” he announces glaring at Natasha who had shot him from behind one of the bunkers. She’s still smirking and a few seconds later they figure out why, “unfortunately, Deathboy, headshots are counted in this game. You are out.”
“You’re the worst Natasha! I was going to team with you!”
“That’s payback for stealing Peter from me during Hair Club.” she announces smugly. 
“Nat, really? Did you have to get my boyfriend out?” Peter asks. 
“Sorry маленький паук (little spider) he’s from the other side.”
“It’s alright мама паук (mama spider), ready to get the rest out?” 
“Let's do it.” 
Peter picks up his sniper and rushes off the platform, jumping towards a rope. He swings from rope to rope until he gets to another platform. He jumps and does a flip before landing and getting back in a sniper position he sees a flash of blue before he gets shot with a bullet. “I’m hit, dang it! FRIDAY who shot me?” 
“Turbo shot you. Although, you are still in because he used his powers so he is disqualified.”
“What the heck FRIDAY? How did you see that?”
Peter laughs, realizing that the update that he had been working on and uploaded on FRIDAY last night had upgraded her ability to see Pietro while using his powers. He watches Pietro exit the arena, leaving his guns by the door. Wanda and Nebula decide to take this moment to go get Pietro's guns and extra ammo. Wanda grabs the gun while Nebula covers for her. 
Suddenly, a bullet comes out of nowhere, hitting Nebula. Wanda turns around when FRIDAY announces that Nebula got shot, only to get hit by another bullet. Peter looks  across the arena and sees Clint in a dark corner with a piece of the arena covering him as a shield. He wants to tell him that he’s cheating but he knows that Clint will probably just shoot him anyway, so he remains silent. 
Steve finally decides to emerge from his bunker. Since he’s not allowed to use his shield, he’s taken to using a giant nerf gun instead. He runs across the arena, way too fast for Peter to be able to snipe him, towards MJ. all of her shots ricochet off of the giant gun he’s carrying until he’s within shooting range. Then, he pulls out the starter pistol and shoots her square in the chest. “That’s cheating, Cap.” she tries telling him until FRIDAY announces that she’s out. She glares at him as she exits the arena, and Peter knows that the next time there’s a prank war Steve is as good as dead. 
Meanwhile, Bucky creeps towards Steve, who’s currently looking for his next victim. He jumps out from behind one of the bunkers and uses his automated gun to shoot Steve. Around 100 bullets hit him, one after another. FRIDAY announces his ‘death’ and just like that it’s down to 5, 2 on Flash’s side and 3 on Peter’s. 
Clint and Peter are still on their perches, hidden from one another by a large tower at the center of the arena. Bucky is still creeping around where Steve got you and Natasha is a few feet away, hidden by a bunker. She appears to be strategizing. Flash is still hidden and hasn’t come out the entire game, so only Clint knows where he is. 
Peter detects movement out of the corner of his eye and turns to watch Clint slowly creep out of his corner; he silently places the piece of the arena on the platform before jumping away to another. He moves closer to the center of the arena to get a good aim of Bucky before Peter can shout a warning, Clint fires. Bucky’s out and it's now a 2 vs 2. 
Peter looks down towards Natasha, trying to signal to her they need a plan. She motions towards him and the huge tower at the center where he would be able to make a clear shot on Clint. He nods as she grabs Bucky’s fun and begins running from bunker to bunker, shooting at Clint every once in a while for good measure. 
Meanwhile, Peter moves silently throughout the arena, parkouring from platform to platform and swinging from a few ropes until he makes it to the tower. He jumps through the window and rolls to the food before jumping back up and moving to the window that has the best view of Clint. Just as he gets the shot lined up he hears FRIDA announce, “Scary Woman #1 is out.”
Three things happen in the moment one, Natasha shouts to Peter in Russia, “avenge me spider child, then get the bully out. I believe in you!” Two, Clint shouts, “I’m coming for you kid!” at the same time as, number three; Peter shoots Clint. 
Dramatically, Clint falls to the floor on his knees yelling, “No!” while FRIDAY announces that he's out. Peter grins, shouting, “I have avenged you мама паук (spider),” before returning his focus to winning the game. Flash is definitely going to stay hidden unless he’s been keeping track of- “Come out Parker! It’s just you and me. Don’t be a coward!” Flash announces, emerging from his bunker with two of the starter pistols. 
Nevermind, Peter thinks, this is going to be easier than I expected. And, as an added bonus, I’ll show off because I’m pretty sure Aunty Nat will run me through drills until even my enhanced healing can’t keep up if I don’t. 
He watches as Flash walks confidently around, trying to find where Peter is hiding. Just as he walks underneath the tower, Peter lets out a loud “whoop” sound and flips out of the widow. Flash looks up in panic, trying to find whatever devilish creature had just decided to rein it’s terror upon him. Instead, he’s met with the sight of Peter doing several flips as he falls towards him. 
Flash just manages to dodge out of the way, as Peter lands gracefully in front of him in Black Widow’s famous superhero pose. Flash falls to the ground and just lays there in school. Even when Peter walks towards him, grins maliciously and pulls out the giant gun that had been strapped to his back the entire game, pointing it directly at him. 
Before he can even think to react, Peter presses the trigger, causing all 150 bullets to hit Flash, rapid fire. 
There’s momentary silence as Peter runs out of ammo where only his heavy breathing can be heard. Finally, FRIDAY announces, “Eugene Thompson has been eliminated, Team Parker wins!” 
He noise in the arena suddenly explodes as Peter’s team and the tour group run in, congratulating Peter on his epic win, tormenting Flash for not doing anything, and talking about how awesome that battle was. Flash still hasn’t moved or talked, opting for sitting on the floor, his mouth opening and closing, gaping like a fish out of water. MJ uses this moment to sketch Flash in her crisis notebook. 
Peter, on the other hand, is grinning like a mad man and soaking up the attention for once. When everyone first came in it was surprising. His super senses weren’t too happy about the sudden explosion of noise, but Natasha had quickly yelled at them after seeing how distressed her baby spider appeared. 
After that, the questions come barreling in one after another. 
“How’d you learn to do that” (training with the Avengers)
“Why’d you act like that when getting Flash out?” (dramatic entrance) 
“Why’d you do Black Widow’s superhero pose?” (because it’s freaking awesome) 
The pose story actually was much longer than that. Some guys were harassing Nat one time about her pose and began to be super sexist and what not. After that the guys had all made their poses similar to Nat’s and even at one point all got dresses personally designed for each of them to wear to a special event. It was pretty awesome. However, that’s a lot to explain for one question so he left it at that. 
Finally, Nat tells them all to leave and meet the tour guide in the hallway, and that Peter and Flash would be with them shortly. They filed out, leaving their two classmates with the group of Avengers. 
Once they're all gone, Steve walks over to Flash and offers him his hand. Flash takes it, gratefully, and is lifted about halfway into the air before being dropped back on his butt. “Don’t mess with my kid again! I don’t condone bullying and, unfortunately for you, neither do any of the other Avengers.”
“I… what? Uh, I.. I di- didn’t. No sir!: Flash manages to stutter out before standing up and running to join the tour group. 
“And you, don’t think we aren’t aware that this kid has been bullying you for who knows how long. Your father, you, and I will be having a conversation about  it tonight.” Steve tells Peter sternly. 
“On that note… that was amazing! You finally listened to  advice on how to make a grand entrance! 
“Figured there'd be some sort of consequence if I didn’t.” “You’re dang right, маленький паук (little spider). Now go join your class.”
He nods, leaving after a quick hair ruffle from Bucky and a kiss from Wade. Ned grins at him as he rejoins the class, too starstruck from having a nerf battle with the Avengers to be able to talk. Flash, who Peter hadn’t previously noticed walking strangely close to him, begins slowing his pace until he’s directly behind Peter, “next place we go, meet me in the bathroom… or else it will be 10 times worse when we get back to school.” 
Peter mentally groans at the last part even with his enhanced healing Flash could cause some serious bruises and leave him limping, something Peter didn’t want his family seeing. So, when they arrive at the higher-up intern labs and Flash asks to go to the restroom, Peter waits a few minutes before also excusing himself to the restroom.
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dorevenge · 3 years
Text
where ignorance is bliss - chapter 9: although you know
SUMMARY: Anton shows his true colors when the arc reactor development isn't going as smoothly as planned. [AO3 LINK]
CHAPTERS: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 [9] 10 11 12 13 14 15 ☆
June 14, 1967 – Los Angeles, California, Stark Industries Headquarters
“I’ve told you already, Anton, we don’t need Roxxon’s help!”
“It’s been four years; the Unity Project isn’t going anywhere!” Anton fires back at Howard. They’ve been fighting the same fight over and over, and everyone else in the lab is used to tuning it out by now. They haven’t agreed on anything all summer, like a couple of rams constantly butting heads.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day, Red, and it sure wasn’t built in four years. Hell, only five years ago Kennedy said we were gonna get man on the moon, and it’s gonna happen, it’s just gonna take time.”
“We choose to go to the moon, but you haven’t yet!” Anton replies sarcastically. I slink back further in my chair, watching the two of them go at it again in the laboratory. Howard and I were going to go out to lunch together before the two of them picked up the same argument again. “The Lunik 9 did it last year, but we Russians also know when to give up. We proved it’s possible. You can’t prove the arc reactor is possible. Americans don’t know how to stop fighting.”
Howard shakes his head, laughing, but not out of humor. “I’ve been at this for over two decades, and inventing since I was 6. I know when something’s not gonna work, and when it’s gonna work and just needs some time. You think the Stark Industries empire happened on accident? No! It took time. If I gave up on it like you did, no one in this room would be here.”
“It’s taking time we don’t have. There’s so many other things we can be focusing on, more pressing issues, more profitable projects.”
“We? Get that word out of your mouth, Anton. You haven’t been a team player. Since day one, you were only looking out for yourself, even when we fought tooth and nail for you, defending your name that you weren’t a Commie, protecting you from the Feds, and for what?” Howard stops to catch his breath; he is about to turn 50 in a couple months, and the years have crept up on him. “For you to give up because it’s hard? Life’s hard, buttercup, so put on your big boy pants and strap in.”
Anton sets his work down forcefully. “That’s it, Stark. I’ve had enough.” He grabs his briefcase and packs it hastily, snapping it shut with a tone of finality. “Consider this my two weeks’ notice, and I’ll be taking two weeks of vacation starting tomorrow.” Anton makes for the door with a hurry.
“Like hell you are. Open your briefcase, Anton,” Howard stalks towards him. Obadiah runs to catch up to Howard.
“Act rationally, Howard,” Obadiah warns.
“In the years you’ve known me, have I ever acted rationally once, Obadiah? Anton, your briefcase.” Howard sticks his hand out, like a petulant child expecting a treat. With his other hand, he motions to the security guards, who place themselves between Anton and the door silently.
Anton stands indignantly, insulted. “I will not be treated like a criminal. I gave up everything to move to the United States, to work with the Scientific Strategic Reserve, to work with S.H.I.E.LD., and this is what I get? Back home, I was a genius, and I was treated like one. The disrespect in this facility is preposterous.”
“What are you hiding, Anton?” Obadiah steps forward, in front of Howard. “Show us your briefcase. If you have nothing to hide, you’d show us, and we’ll let you leave. No hard feelings.”
“I will show you nothing.” Anton is tense, every muscle in his body engaged, ready to decide in a split second whether to fight or flee. I can almost see his pulse rising, his nostrils flare and eyebrows settle deeper into his face. Before Howard can move closer, Anton turns and sprints, right into the arms of the two guards. His speed connects with their strength and knocks Anton flat on his back, his briefcase crashing from his grip and falling open on the floor. Papers fly out across the lab, some landing at my feet. Anton tries to get to his feet and is kept down by the guards. The first paper I pick up has a familiar name.
“Why are you sending telegrams to Giulietta Nefaria?” I ask. “Are you working with Roxxon?”
“I worked there for a short while before working with you,” Anton stammers.
I look down at the telegram.
RECEIVED
June 12, 1967
To: Vanko, A.
A., Thank you for the updated plans. Our recreations are coming along well, but we’ll need your help in the lab soon. Are you free next week?
NEFARIA, G.
“I don’t believe that for a second. Look at the date.” I hand Howard the telegram, then go to his desk to phone the S.H.I.E.L.D. office. I quickly relay the situation to the agent on the other end while keeping an eye on the situation.
Howard reads the telegram, then looks up, heartbroken. I watch the realization hit him, the tiniest movements of his muscles showing how devastated he is. “Updated plans? June twelfth? Roxxon was the one who hit our house that Christmas, weren’t they? Anton, you were working with them while you’re working with us.” Kneeling, Howard sifts through the rest of the papers on the floor, Obadiah helping him, and they find copies of blueprints and sketches of models, with detailed notes, all of their research of the arc reactor and the Unity Project ready to be handed off to the enemy.
“You son of a bitch,” Obadiah says under his breath, taking in the evidence.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents arrive at the Stark Industries office a few moments later, Colonel Chester Phillips leading the charge. Being a founder of the organization helps with speed and urgency, making Howard a high priority. Phillips takes our stories as Anton is further restrained, ready to be taken in for questioning. Agents collect the papers and briefcase, as well as anything else on Anton’s desk.
“Anton… What have you done?” I ask softly.
“How much?” Howard asks Anton, still laying on the ground, seething. “How much did you sell us out for? How could you do this?”
“I did what any man would do in my position. Don’t act so shocked, Howard. You should know better than anyone. It’s all about money.” Anton struggles against the arms of the guards. He has a bruise just starting to form under his right eye, and his lip is split and bleeding. “It’s always about money.”
“We’re rounding up Vanko’s family in town now,” says Phillips. “Don’t worry, Howard. We’ll take care of things from here.”
“What are you going to do with him?” I ask Phillips.
“Most likely send him back to Russia. Depending on what he’s done with these blueprints, he could be tried for treason, espionage, aiding and abetting. At the very minimum, he’s looking at a handful of charges and a lifetime of misery,” Phillips says, finishing his report. “He got his shot at the American dream and blew it to hell.”
Anton is escorted out of the building, spitting curses in Russian all the way out, and Howard dismisses the other inventors in the office, calling it a day. His shoulders slump with defeat, staring out the window, and Obadiah tries his best to turn the situation around.
“I know that must’ve been tough, Howard,” Obadiah says genuinely. “But that guy was a crook. What choice did you have? You took that commie under your wing, you let him into your home.”
“Obadiah…” I say quietly, I’m not sure he hears me. The lesson has been learned, and enough is enough.
“I know this cuts closer to the bone because of your belief in the arc reactor and your plans for the expo. I’m just saying, maybe you should take this incident as some sort of sign. Maybe we’re too far ahead of our time, and everyone else needs to catch up to us.” He places a hand on Howard’s shoulder. “I’m here for you. Just like I’ve always been. But let’s just get back to doing what we do best, huh? Let’s change the world, Howard.”
The next week, Stark Industries holds a press conference, led by Obadiah, announcing they are doubling down on the fight against Communism, promising their aid will turn the tide for the Vietnam War and the Cold War, and that their weapons division will more than triple their production output as a testament to their patriotism. Howard’s words from three years ago ring in my head, “Think about the children we’ll have someday, the legacies we’ll leave them with, the world they’ll be born into – that’s our priority,” and I feel sick to my stomach, unable to picture what that world will look like.
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Smokey the Bear (Reboot)
Commission for a lovely person who wishes to remain anonymous! I loved working with your ideas and character, thank you for commissioning me!
If you would like to commission me, please head to my About page, link in my blog description!
~
1.
“But Bellaaa, I want to come too!” Kristopher whined, tailing his sister to her personal flight. “I can be helpful!”
Izabella sighed heavily, taking a cigar out of her box and stuffing it in the corner of her mouth. She wouldn’t light it until she landed, but it was comforting. “You have to stay, Kris,” she said firmly. “There isn’t room in the cannon. And no one is expecting me to bring a little kid.”
Kris, only four years younger than her seventeen years, hit her bicep in annoyance. Izabella smacked the top of his head with the flat of her palm. “I love you, you demon,” she said, and bent to kiss his forehead. “We still have communications, remember? And I’m counting on you to blow some stuff up, alright?” She grinned slyly, and he bounced on his toes, grinning right back. “Make Babushka proud.”
“Yeah!” Kris cheered. “I can help aim the cannon!”
“Excellent!”
Izabella packed her bag while Kris readied the cannon’s coordinates. Everything that could be vacuum-packed, was. Her gadgets either folded or were compact enough to be stacked so no space was wasted. Izabella swung on her bearskin coat, and then attached the bag to her front. After a check with Kris, Izabella slid down inside the barrel of the cannon, wiggled into position, and called, “Aim!”
The cannon turned ponderously to face the right direction. Under the cold winter moon, the landscape was grey as a charcoal sketch. Mountains, trees, brilliant stars…
The cannon adjusted height. Izabella yelled, “Fire!”
(A group of young boys who had made an illicit bonfire looked up in terror as an enormous boom shook the air. There was a small projectile ascending into the sky, twinkling like a star. The boys hastily stomped out their fire and ran home.)
2.
“Tell us what happened,” the grizzled interviewer told the witness, with the perfect stereotypical gruffness.
The witness, the teenage heir to a tech company far too big for him, considered lying. She might come back if he lied. One glance at the interviewer shot that hope down, so he began speaking.
“She was really pretty. Red hair, blue eyes, absolutely gorgeous. She was wearing this enormous, like, fur coat? I mean, I know it’s autumn, but it wasn’t that cold.” The interviewer raised his eyebrow; the witness gulped. “She also had a cigar, a huge one, like a cartoon, y’know? It was legit scary, man. She was Russian, too.”
The interviewer’s eyes narrowed. “What did she do?” he growled.
The witness had a fleeting thought that he didn’t want to be James Bond anymore. “We were at the yacht club, there wasn’t much to do. She was drinking whiskey and smoking that huge cigar and everyone was taking turns talking to her. She was friendly enough, but… when I went to say hello, she said hi back, and while we were talking she said--well, she said I shouldn’t tell anyone…”
“We are the police, sonny.”
The witness nodded vigorously. “Yes, sir, sorry. She told me that the English monarchy was weakening. She said she was warning me, in case my dad was involved in England. Which he is. He’s anti-monarchy. I called my dad after the party--”
“Why?” the interviewer interrupted, looking even more annoyed, if that were possible. The witness rubbed his sweaty palms on his knees.
“Because I wanted him to know. If she was warning me, maybe she wanted to warn him, too. I dunno, okay?! She was nice and gave me this lighter thing--”
“What lighter thing?”
The witness fumbled in his pocket and brought out a thing shaped like an old-fashioned metal cigarette lighter. As he put it on the table, almost slamming it, the lid clicked open.
There was a bark like a small-caliber gun, and out of the lighter came--
--Silly String.
The witness screamed and fell off his chair. The interviewer jumped to his feet and tried to save his notes, but the oily surface of the rapidly-expanding foam had smudged and smeared his ink writing to illegibility.
When two other officers burst in, the witness was curled in a corner, sobbing, and the interviewer was staring into the distance with a grim expression.
“It’s that Izzy girl,” he said, with complete conviction.
(The boy was inconsolable and had to be sent home on a private jet to his mother’s house over the border. When the captain heard the interviewer’s oral report, she shook her head and said, “Red hair? It can’t have been Izzy. She’s blond, remember? With curls.”)
3.
Izabella lit her cigar and puffed on it a few times before entering the meeting room, Kristopher at her side. They were both on their best behavior, and dressed to the nines; Izabella in her sumptuous furs, and Kristopher in a new suit in olive brown. The heels of Izabella’s shoes tapped a brisk rhythm.
“Hello, boys,” she drawled, pausing in the doorway to breathe out a cloud of smoke. She then stuck the cigar back in her mouth and swaggered over to the remaining chair at the foot of the table. Crossing her ankles neatly, her next exhale was in rings. Kris stood at attention beside her, his face emotionless.
“We are not boys for you to command, young lady,” snapped a tall man with a Portuguese accent. The Australian on his left gripped his wrist lightly.
The four other Russian men chuckled softly. “She’s in command, alright,” said Gustav, who was sent to Ukraine when he was small to escape government assassins and still had the faintest accent. “Do not worry. She will make sure we have what we need.”
Izabella smiled brightly, then took off her tall fur hat to reveal a bottle of whiskey balanced perfectly among her curls. All of the men at the table cheered, and drinks were poured for everyone, though Kris’s was watered down quite a bit. When everyone was feeling looser, Izabella said, “I have planted seeds of doubt, and heightened tensions with clever paperwork. Your way to revenge is clearing. Kris, the hologram please.”
Kris took off his watch and placed it neatly in front of her, face down. With a subtle flick of his fingernail, a beam rose and spread, to show an office building slowly rotating. The building was quite normal, except for the eighteen red squares in various strategic points.
“This is my plan,” Izabella explained, leaning forward. “I will compromise this building, after securing the information in its mainframe. And then your men can swoop into the police station while the officers are busy, and take back your mole.”
“Will this work?” asked the Australian.
Izabella smiled and raised her glass. “We shall hope so.”
(After the meeting, the Portuguese man was seen flying off into space, twinkling like a midnight star. No one asked questions.)
4.
The teenager striding down the hall of the office building, talking on her phone loudly in accented English, caused more than one curious worker to stare, baffled.
She was slight and pretty and wore cat-eye sunglasses, her hair perfectly curled, a slinky black dress, and a fur coat that was pulled off her shoulders and bunched up on her biceps. Her brooch was a silk flower, startling in its bright pinkness.
“No, Kris, no!” she was saying as she walked straight into the CEO’s office. “I told you, Mama said to not touch the telephone! If it is the men, they will find you.” She stopped in the middle of the room, and seemed to notice the CEO and his guests for the first time. She smiled, and said, “Hello! I’ll call you back, Kris. Yes, yes, I’ll tell Papa.”
She snapped her phone shut as she pulled it away from her ear, and kept it level with her cheek as she struck a pose and asked sweetly, “Mr. Ama-zone, I presume?”
“Ah. It’s Bezos,” the CEO corrected. “Who are you?”
“Mascha. You talked to my Papa a few days ago. He asked me to come by for your answers.” The girl flipped one heavy lock of hair out of her face, then pulled a paper-wrapped gumball out of her pocket, and let the paper float to the floor when she unwrapped the sweet. Popping it in her mouth, she chewed quickly, then continued, “Papa is rather unhappy, as well. Something about overdue payments.”
The men in suits at the conference table glanced at each other, Bezos, and the girl. Bezos looked rather pale as he smiled and replied, “There must’ve been a mixup. I haven’t talked to anyone from Russia in a long time.”
The girl sighed dramatically and swaggered across the room to lean on the window, so Bezos had to turn to keep an eye on her. This also meant that he didn’t notice the other men watching the exchange with wide eyes. “Mr. Bezoss, do not play games with my Papa,” she retorted. “He will bring his men here, and your company will go poof!” She snapped her fingers for emphasis. “He wants his payment. He wants it now.” She smiled again, innocent as spring. One of the other businessmen was texting furiously; another had laid down his mobile with the mic pointing up.
Bezos cleared his throat, and pressed a button on his own mobile, under the table. The girl’s sweet smile became a smirk. Bezos’s eyebrows twitched, but he spoke strongly. “I don’t owe anyone anything. I don’t know who you are or why you keep dropping hints about a man being angry, so my staff will have to escort you away.”
Silence fell on the office.
The girl took her gum out of her mouth, tossed it into the waste basket, and took a cartoonishly large cigar out of a different pocket. A plain silver lighter was next. She lit the cigar, put the lighter back, and took a deep draw on said cigar, letting the smoke billow out of her nose.
Bezos was sweating. So were his compatriots. More of them were sending emergency texts and alerts.
“Mr. Bezoss,” the girl said kindly, “Perhaps you should check on your staff.”
Every man there jumped to their feet, and pelted for the door. Izabella trotted over and locked it, then gathered all the wallets and personal gadgetry left behind and tucked them into her coat’s inner pockets. Finally, she plugged a tiny USB into Bezos’ computer, and set it to siphon what her employer wanted. It was designed by Kristopher, and made by a Swiss watchmaker they knew. It finished in about three minutes; plenty of time for these foolish Americans to realize the entire building was now blocked from any electric communication.
When the computer binged, Izabella sighed dramatically and sat up. With four key taps in quick succession, she unleashed the virus also hidden on the USB. It began to systematically purge the computer’s data, and spread from there, attaching to every connection it could until the entire building began to shut down, and police started yelling outside the locked door.
Izabella tapped her cigar, and the ashes fell on the specially-formulated gumball, which burst into flame. She smiled at the fire, then turned and drew a glass-cutting blade from her sleeve to quickly slice out a hole in the window that was supposed to be indestructible. Just as she prepared to climb out, she drew her lighter again, and flicked it three times.
Bombs hidden throughout the building began to go off, within seconds of each other, and destroying the structure of the building. Izabella threw herself out the window, landing in the window cleaner’s hoist positioned just so to catch her, and smacked the brake on the rope. It plummeted immediately, and Izabella shrieked with glee as explosions and the rumble of crumbling concrete surrounded her.
(She escaped unharmed, somehow, covered in stone-dust and ash. Gustav and his men had fetched their mole, and when she joined them, they nodded solemnly and followed her to the vans. Later, the interviewer from Alaska (who had been reassigned to California) heard the details and told his captain that he knew it was that Izzy girl. The captain frowned and said, “Izzy? No, no, she smokes cigars constantly. This girl chewed gum.”)
5.
“Babushka!”
Kris and Izabella flung themselves at their grandmother, who laughed warmly and hugged them back, with much kissing of their cheeks.
“Ah, so how are my two little kittens?” she asked, hauling Kris into her lap while Izabella sat on the foot stool beside the rocking chair. “How much have you brought your babushka?”
“So much!” Kris crowed. “Almost a BILLION rubles!”
“No, it’s two hundred and fifty thousand rubles, three million American dollars, half a million Lybian dinars, a few thousand in various other currencies, and five pledges of partnership from various governments,” Izabella corrected, and stuck her cigar in her mouth again.
“Ah,” Babushka sighed mournfully, shaking her head. “Ah, my kittens. When I was your age, I was blackmailing royalty and undermining continents.”
“It’s harder now, Babushka!” Izabella protested. “You were a duchess! Kris isn’t even an adult!”
“Neither are you,” Kris sniped.
Babushka shushed them both and stroked Izabella’s hair. “I was teasing, vnuk,” she said, the corners of her wise, bright eyes crinkling. “Tell me what you did to that Egyptian banker.”
“Oh, Babushka, it was amazing! Kris made these tiny microphones with nuclear batteries that I placed throughout the banker’s home, and we got results in three days! The information has been securely transferred to the Yamaguchi-gumi, who will send the final payment tomorrow.”
“If they don’t, I’ll crack into all the bank accounts the family controls,” Kris piped up.
“I used the shoulder-cannon on the man in London calling for the rejoining of Ireland under the English government,” Izabella said dreamily, blowing smoke rings. “Oh, Babushka, it was splendid. He flew up so high, he didn’t even leave a glimmer. I also dropped that pink poison-flower into the double-agent’s brandy, as instructed. He died in about twelve hours.”
Babushka shook her head. “We’ll have to have a talk with the chemists, kittens; that poison is supposed to be quicker,” she told them. “But in the meantime--let’s have some kholodets to celebrate another successful year!”
The two children cheered, and their babushka chuckled again.
(Babushka’s kholodets was made from a recipe passed down since before the Soviets, and most people who were given the honor of tasting it whispered to friends later that it was poisonous and had given them sores in their guts. All of Russia feared the Babushka and her grandchildren.)
6.
The squadron of soldiers stood their ground, as the heavy, pink-painted tank drove toward them with complete disregard for anything else. Other soldiers had given up trying to break its track; this squad would not.
Carefully, one of them set a small, shallow, rectangular dish on the ground. It had wheels much like the tank, and an electric motor. A demolition expert gently attached a very strong bomb. An enlisted soldier brought out a radio remote.
The dish with its bomb jerked into life and whizzed across the bare field, which was scarred and streaked but mostly whole. The soldier with the remote drove the dish with her tongue poking out of her mouth, eyes flicking over the terrain and to the pink tank.
The dish and bomb swooped neatly under the tank.
“COVER!” the demolition expert roared, and everyone dropped back to the trench. She pressed a small button and dove in too.
The bomb went off, and the power of it literally blasted the tank apart at the seams. As the soldiers took deep breaths to cheer, they saw two people-shaped objects flung into the air. Somehow, their voices carried over the explosions of their tank giving way.
“I told you, Bella, I told you they would have a sneaky bomb--”
“Shut up, you’re the one who wanted to save weight with thinner plates--”
The shouting became too faint, as the figures became nothing more than glints in the sky. The soldiers looked at each other uneasily. One of them, a corporal, who used to be with the police, opened his mouth to speak.
“Wasn’t that Izabella, the spy?” whispered one of the enlisted soldiers.
“Nah,” whispered the other, “Neither of ‘em were wearing fur coats.”
The corporal turned around and started thumping his head against the earthen side of the trench in a consistent rhythm. Why. Why was everyone so stupid. Why.
(Later, the corporal was demoted for leading a ragtag group of soldiers from other squads to do something so dangerous. When he pointed out that they had actually been led by a captain, said captain shrugged and answered, “Wasn’t me.” The corporal went to his quarters and got drunk.)
7.
Earth’s atmosphere was a boring place to be, but Izabella and Kristopher couldn’t really come down themselves; they had to wait for Gustav’s air balloon.
Izabella re-lit her cigar and puffed on it angrily. “This is your fault,” she grumbled, the thinness of the air softening her voice to a whisper.
“How is it my fault?” Kristopher snapped, throwing up his hands and immediately bringing them back down with a wince. Space always made his hands cold. “I told you there would be sneaks!”
“Then why did you make the tank so delicate?” Izabella retorted angrily. “Saving weight, saving gas, blah blah blah--Blyat! You’re worse than Anatoli.”
“Don’t you dare compare me to that labrat!”
The siblings continued bickering for several hours, floating and turning and twisting. Eventually they grabbed each other’s arms to argue at the same level, and the insults got truly vile, until Kristopher started crying. Izabella growled, but pulled him in against her and hugged her baby brother tightly.
“We’ll be fine, Kris,” she said. “Gustav is too afraid of Babushka to leave us up here forever.”
“I’m cold,” Kristopher sobbed, his tears drifting from his pale cheeks and falling into the clouds.
“I know, bubble-butt.” Izabella pressed their foreheads together. “When we get back to the ship, we’ll sit in front of the heater and watch that film you like, what is it? The Swan Princess? And we’ll drink hot cocoa and design a new tank, and you can tell me all the things I missed, and then we can paint each other’s nails. Alright?” Kristopher nodded. “Good. It’s okay.”
Not even ten minutes later, Izabella spotted the grey-blue balloon rising up to them slowly. “Ah!” she exclaimed, shaking Kristopher gently, “He’s here!”
(Returning to their base of operations on the warship, they did indeed watch The Swan Princess in front of the radiator, drinking hot cocoa. Gustav watched from the doorway for a moment, smiling softly, then walked away, leaving his children in peace.)
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hazelenergy · 4 years
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How I Digitally Paint like a Scenic Artist/Designer
Aka: how I did this and put my degree to good use. 
LONG POST WARNING
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Step 1: Research. 
First off, get to your image search. If you are going to be using Google, you may want to type “-pinterest” in the search to eliminate the countless boards. 
I had to figure out clothing that is vaguely late 1800s. I found a multitude of reference images that were fancier clothes- but I wanted to find images of clothing for kindred across all social classes. Photographs from the era and paintings are your friend. They will more accurately showcase what was worn. 
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After Fashion research comes location research. The 1890s in America is known for the rapid industrialization. Factories were getting bigger and work days were getting longer. But, I wanted the moonlight to be cascading into the place, illuminating the scene. This means I needed to find a structure that had skylights or let sunlight in. And the best images I found? Slaughterhouses. Fitting, huh?
The same rule for fashion still stands- if you can find photographs or paintings from the era- they’re better. There are tons of places still standing today from the 1800s. But today, they look WAY different. Ya know, Abandoned! So just be sure to take this into consideration if you search “abandoned slaughterhouses” or go trespassing like I did.
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Lastly, pose research. Finding the poses for a fight scene can be tedious. So, I enlisted some help from a few fight choreographers and stunt men. You can record their fights and play them back at quarter or half speed. You can also get a mirror and flop on the floor a bunch. I did both. This lets you see the action/motion lines you are going to replicate in the drawing.  Heres how we initially did fina’s pose:
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And sometimes you have to go back and get a clean shot. I ended up using this pose for the axe.
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Step 2: Set up and Background!
When you open a new file, set it to the dimensions and resolution you want. I was working at 600. Usually, I’m working at 300-350. You can always reduce resolution. Its hard to prevent fuzzy lines if you increase it later. 
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I cannot stress the following enough:
You work background to foreground. Big Shapes and areas to little shapes. Work your way forward. What this means is you need to fill in as much space as possible first. Then build your details. I prefer working as follows: Big Solid tones, Soft shadows, Dark Shadows, Highlights, then final blend. Once you finish this, put an overlay on top. This knocks everything back and helps create the illusion of depth. See this at work with the video below or here
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Step 3: Figure Drawings + Composition
Utilize that research and images you collected to pose your characters. I create subfolders for each set of figures. Organization is important here. This will help keep you on the right layer and prevent the eternal digital artist struggle of “Fuck that was on the wrong layer!”
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Even after you move on to lineart and shading, Keep the sketch layer as a reference. You may need to see what youre original notes/ figures looked like as you do the lineart and shade. Don’t be afraid to move them around and alter the composition rn. You want to be able to make changes. Make notes! Detail light sources! 
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I’m about to through out some art jargon:
You want to think about asymmetric balance. The easiest way to achieve this in an eye-pleasing manner is to use the Fibonacci spiral. Yeah. This boi:
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Place your figures and actions in a similar sequence to the spiral and the viewer’s eye tends to naturally follow it. This is sometimes called the Golden Ratio in the art world. 
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Doesn’t need to be perfectly on the spiral. You can break it- but its an excellent tool to plan how things move in the piece. 
Step 4: Lineart
Once you got things sketched- its time to do the lineart. I’m using clip studio paint’s standard brushes. Nothing fancy. I often switch between the G-pen and the For Effect Liner. Mapping and Turnip are for thicker lines. 
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Usually I set these pens to a specific thickness depending on where I’m drawing.
My background figures are lined at 0.05 thickness, the midground is .1 to .2, Fina is .3 and the foreground is .4. I set my stabilization high to help keep my lines smooth. Stabilization 100 means there’s a significant delay between where the pen is and the cursor. I like the stabilization to be at 20 for freehanding and at 50 ish for outlining. Dont become completely reliant on the stabilization though. Good and smooth lineart is drawn from the arm not the wrist. Your range of motion is severely limited if you only move your wrist. Practice moving from your elbow and you’ll be surprised how much smoother your lines get. 
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Once I finish lining the figures, I usually go around it with an outline. This does three things: 
1. Solidifies the figure and cleans lineart for paint bucket tool. More on that in the next step.
2. Its a stylistic choice. Helps give it that comic book feel with a heavy outline. 
3. Pushes figures forward or back in the composition. Thicker outline helps denote that a figure is farther forward than another. My background figures have no outline to push them away 
Step 5: Digitally coloring
For each figure you are going to select outside the lineart. 
Create a new layer under the lineart
Invert the selection. Paint bucket. You should now have a solid shape of the figure under the lineart. Do not deselect.
Create a new layer above the one color. Title it solid colors. Paint in thick, solid tones. I like to use the mapping pen and turnip pen to color in my solid tones: skin, clothing, hair, etc.  
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After that, deselect. Create a multiply layer if you can. If your program does not have a multiplier function, Pick a tone you want to use for shadows and lower the opacity (usually 30-40% I like to use lavenders or blue tones). It will not be as vibrant, but you can edit it in post. Select off of the solid colors layer. I like to start with skin tones. Use the airbrush tool to create soft shadows. You don’t want to create harsh lines on this layer.
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Then repeat this process with harsh lines.  
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Then knock it all back with an overlay. If you dont have the ability to create an overlay, you can again drop a solid color and lower the opacity, but you’ll have to mess with the color balance/ brightness/contrast to let all the hard work come through. 
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You’re going to repeat this for every single figure. Here’s a few color theory tips though.
Your overlay colors should be darker (not more vibrant) in the foreground and lighter (avoid using pure white) in the background. This helps with the depth of the piece. Things closer tend to be darker (not always true, depends on lighting)
You can choose to use color theory to aid your shadows. Instead of choosing black or grey for shadows, choose a complimentary color. I used a lot of green for this piece, I used red for really dark shadows. Its not that black drains color- its just loses some depth if not used carefully. 
Keep your colors consistent. Helps unify the piece. You can strategically break the consistency to draw focus. For example, Fina is the only figure with a true blue overlay. This helps her stand out from the other figures who have reds and greens. 
Step 6: Touch Ups and Final Renderings
Now comes the most tedious part. If you’re like me, your computer fans have been whirring for the last few hours trying to render this monster of a file. If you havent already,  SAVE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS GOOD
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These are the last four layers I have for the entire piece. Here, I am trying to create effective and believable lighting. This kind of work I have only been able to achieve in clip studio or photoshop. You can do it with normal layers, but choose your colors CAREFULLY. Stay away from pure white. Carefully utilize your knowledge of light and shadow to create soft highlights. Harsh lines tend to be a stylistic choice for me. The final layer, subtract, dulls out harsh red tones. I used this as a final overlay to help put everyone and everything in the scene. Without it, things are a little too green and skin tones are a little too blushed for vampires.
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The challenge here is I want to tone down the red, but not lose the vibrancy of the blood. So, shift it to a blue. This also helped reinforce the “nighttime” effect. Its only a slight change.
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Final thoughts:
Whenever you finish something, its important to reflect.
1. I am so FUCKING PROUD OF MYSELF. This is easily one of the most complicated pieces I’ve done in a while- and I’ve made 16′ tall faux stained glass. Brag. Let yourself feel awesome cuz you just made something awesome. 
2. I timed myself on the piece. I could have easily spent another 7 hours on it. But its important to know when to stop messing with it. Partially for budget reasons but also when you get down to the details you can make yourself go insane. Theres also a ton of detail work I lost cuz of overlays or its just too small to notice. Fina’s face? hard to see cuz its not close enough. 
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3. I needed to take frequent breaks for this piece. That was good. Resting and stretching was very important. That is one of the reasons why I was able to work so fast. 
4. I started doing more digital art in April 2020. I have to say, practice makes perfect. I practice drawing and digital painting for at least 3 hours a day. 
That discipline has allowed me to improve so rapidly. So- I don’t wanna hear shit about I can’t possibly get this good! Or I couldn’t even draw a stick figure! BULLSHIT. You can. Get yourself some free software like Krita or Autodesk sketchbook and start playing! 
And thats what I got! Thanks for coming with me on this long post! 
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yayeetsonny · 4 years
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Hand in Hand~Alyssa Naeher x Ashlyn Harris
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Prompt: there's a picture out there that looks like Alyssa is proposing to Ash so, here’s a proposal fic that was super fun to write. 
Requested by: @knight-16​
Alyssa PRO//
“Are you sure this is a good plan?” I asked Ali Krieger, my good friend and my hopefully soon-to-be fiancé Ashlyn Harris’s best friend.
“Yes, this is perfect.”
“Well what if I mess this up or, what if she doesn’t like the ring or, oh god what if she says no-”
“Lys, relax. She’s not going to say no. The women is head over heels in love with you.”
“I could still mess up.”
“You won’t. Trust me.”
I had been planning my proposal to Ashlyn for months, it took me 3 months to even decide on the ring for her. I have known she was the one since our second year anniversary. We’ve been dating for 2 and a half years and I couldn’t be happier. She completes me and I fall in love with her more everyday. I knew in my heart that she would say yes even if I proposed with a ring pop candy ring but I still wanted everything to be perfect.
The plan was to wait until after our game tonight and after we get back to our apartment I’ll ask her if she wants to go for a walk and then I would take her to our spot on the beach we like to visit almost everyday. Once there we’ll sit and chat for a while like we usually do and then I’ll carry out the rest of my plan and pop the question. I was beyond nervous but I was also over the moon about finally getting to this milestone with her.
“Hey babe! You ready?” Ashlyn said, taking me by surprise.
“H-hi love. I am.” 
I quickly shoved my phone in my bag so she couldn’t see what I was showing Ali
“You okay?”
“Yeah, just nervous is all.” I admitted
“You have no reason to be nervous Alyssa, you’re starting in the game, which is a first for this set of friendlies I know but you’re going to show Vlatko just how amazing and badass you are.”
She came up behind me, and wrapped her arms around me, kissing my neck softly.
“Oh, you can do it just know that I believe.” She sang 
I smiled softly when I realized what she was doing. We watched the High School Musical movies religiously and I instantly knew the song from the 3rd movie.
“And that’s all I really need.”
“So come on.”
“Make me strong. Time to turn it up, game on.” I giggled as we finished singing. 
Ali was watching and recording the whole thing, smile just as bright as we were.
“You guys are the cutest.”
“Thanks, we try.” Ash said flipping her hair
“I needed that boost. Thank you.”
“of course baby. Now go kick some ass.”
She slapped my butt playfully as we started to head out to the tunnel. I met up with the little girl whose hand I would hold and walk onto the field and she talked animatedly about how excited she was to go out and I promised we would wave to her parents when we did. I was behind Megan who was first in line since she was captaining this game and when we stepped onto the field I was swept away by the crowd and how loud they were. I have been playing on the national team for years now but I will never get over that first cheer or the adrenaline rush I feel before a game. After the anthems, pictures and shaking hands with the other team we got into a huddle for once last pep talk
“Okay listen up. We’ve watched plenty of game footage and strategized, we can beat this team. If we take care of the big things, all the little pieces will fall into place, alright?”
We all nodded in agreement.
“Oosa on 3!… 1!… 2!… 3!”
“OOSA, OOSA, OOSA” We shouted together.
We broke off to get into our positions and I headed into goal. I took a deep breath, jumped up and down a couple of times and stretched my arms, determined to remain completely focused. I wanted a clean sheet really bad.
It was the 67th minute when things changed, up until that point I had stopped every shot that the Brazilian players sent my way, every set piece went off without a hitch and we were up 1-0. Unfortunately, Becky accidentally fouled Marta in the box and gave away a penalty. She turned to me looking guilty.
“It’s okay Beck, I got it.” I said patting her on the back.
I knew I could stop the shot and after listening to instructions from the ref and waiting for everyone else to be ready I turned out everyone else around me and focused solely on the ball. I could feel Marta’s eyes on me but I refused to look her in the eye because I knew she was trying to get in my head. She backed up a few steps before firing the ball toward the upper right 90, I could see she was going to go there so I leapt in that direction and was able to slap the ball away and out of danger. After I got up from the ground my teammates swarmed me and shouted praise in my ear as we hugged. 
“SO BADASS!”
“FUCK YEAH BABE!”
“Go, set up for the corner!” I yelled
I was overjoyed that I kept my clean sheet but I knew we still had work to do and was locked in. They did as I said and Marta once again took the set piece, she sent the ball into the box but I was able to come off my line and punch it away. We regained possession and Abby passed the ball to Christen who passed it to Lindsey and she took it into Brazil’s final 3rd. Our counter attack was strong and I was watching intensely as my teammates went for another goal. Lindsey crossed the ball the Megan but she was between 2 defenders so she wasn’t able to get the shot off, she decided to pass to Alex who was able to fire it into the net. I watched as my teammates cheered and celebrated and I couldn’t help but let a massive grin spread across my face. The rest of the game went on without many chances for either side and we were able to walk away with a solid 2-0 win. 
After we signed autographs and took pictures we all made our way back into the locker room, I was putting my stuff away when I felt someone pick me up from behind. I squealed quietly at the sudden movement but knew exactly who it was.
“THAT WAS SO BADASS BABY, I’M SO FUCKING PROUD OF YOU.” Ashlyn yelled as she set me down. I turned around and jumped on her, hugging her tightly as she peppered my neck with kisses and eventually moved to my head, face  before finally planting a deep kiss on my lips.
“Thank you. I couldn’t have done it without you.” 
“Yes you could, and you did. I just gave you a little pep talk.” She chuckled
We kissed some more before someone cleared their throat.
“Look, I love you both and you’re super cute together but please… get a room.” Alex groaned
I instantly felt my cheeks turn a deep red as Ash just smirked at her.
“You’re just jealous because Kelley grounded you from sex for a week.” She said
She just flipped Ash off and stomped away. Everyone laughing at her faking being mad. Kelley pouted at her sympathetically as she whispered something in her ear. A dopey grin spread across her face and I knew she had been freed from the dog house. 
After an hour of celebrating the win Ash and I bid goodnight to our teammates and headed back to our apartment. We lived in Orlando together which was great but playing on different NWSL teams made being separated during the season hard but we made it work; we spent all of our offseason together and made sure to make frequent weekend trips to be together. I knew after I proposed, I would immediately get to work on requesting a trade to the Pride. Our regular season was almost over so the opportunity couldn’t be better. 
“So, how do you want to celebrate your amazing performance tonight?” Ash whispered in my ear, slightly nibbling on it as we sat on the couch.
“W-well, I was thinking of taking a walk together on the beach.”
She took to kissing my neck and as much as I wanted to celebrate like that I had planned to much for this not to pan out.
“A walk?” She seemed slightly disappointed, I felt bad but we could always celebrate after we were officially engaged. 
“Yeah, I would like to take a walk. It’s so nice out.”
“Okay, then a walk it is.”
I kissed her sweetly before whispering in her ear
“Don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of fun later tonight.”
She shuddered and I smirked at her. She smiled at me before taking my hand and pulling me up with her. I pretended to go to the bathroom so that I could grab the ring I had stashed away and when I was sure I had everything I needed and shaken out my nerves, I reemerged and we left our apartment. walking hand in hand to the beach. When we got there, we walked along the sand, I had taken off my shoes and let the water flow over and under my feet, loving the calm, cool feeling.
“You did so good today, I’m so proud.”
“Thank you. You’re my biggest fan.” 
“I always will be.”
 After a while I led us over to our spot, which was a section of rocks that were comfortable to sit on and gave us a good few of the whole ocean. Ashlyn turned to me and I could have sworn her eyes were literally sparkling under the moonlight. 
“Hi.”
“Hey there.”
We just looked at each other for several moments, and then Ash broke the silence by tapping me on the nose.
“You have such a cute nose, did you know?” She asked, smiling like a fool. “I didn’t but thank you. So do you.” I giggled, tapping her nose in return.
We continued messing around, smiling and laughing and I fell in love with her all over again.
“If you could be anywhere in the world right now, where would you go?” She asked
“I would be right here, with you.”
She smiled lovingly at me in return before kissing me. We sat in comfortable silence for a few more minutes before Ashlyn got up, turned away from me and stretched. 
I knew this was my chance so without any hesitation I got down on one knee, ring in hand and waited for her to turn around. When she did, her eyes immediately filled with tears.
“Oh my god.”
“Ashlyn Michelle Harris, I have loved you since the day we met all those years ago. You are the light of my life, my rock, my person and I can not imagine my life without you. Will you make me the happiest women alive and marry me?”
She stood in shock for a moment, tears flowing freely down her cheeks. At this point I was in tears too, my heart was going a million miles an hour as I waited for her to answer.
“Yes, yes a million times yes!” She shouted as she tackled me into the sand. 
“I love you.” She cried
“And I love you.”
Still on top of me, she looked down at me with so much love I thought she would burst. Our lips met in a passionate kiss and we made out for a moment before finally sitting up to breath. 
“So what do you say, you wanna put the ring on?”
“Oh, yeah. I totally forgot about that.”
I laughed through my tears as I slid the ring onto her finger. It was a simple gold band but Thad a decent sized diamond in the center. She inspected it for a moment before saying
“It’s perfect, I love it.”
“I really thought and hope you would” I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.
We sat in silence again as we took in the moment, we were officially engaged and it meant the world to us both. 
“How did you do so well at hiding this from me?” Ashlyn asked
“I had a little help from Ali.”
“Ah, I shoulda known. Good ol’ Kriegs.” She chuckled
“How do you think we should tell the team?”
“We could…. Invite them over for dinner tomorrow and see how long it takes for them to notice the ring?”
“Excellent idea.”
“I should probably tell Ali first, she’s been blowing my phone up for the last hour.” I laughed 
“That’s a good idea. Tell her I said thank you.”
“I will.”
“I can’t wait to be Mrs. and Mrs. Neaher-Harris.”
“The day I get to call you my wife will be the greatest of my life.”
After I texted Ali, swearing her to secrecy, we laughed at her excited response. 
I was excited for this new chapter in our lives and I knew no matter what life threw at us Ash and I would get through it together, hand in hand.
I’m sorry this took a hot minute. Sorry for any mistakes.
-N
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lynndoublelegacy · 3 years
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just a cool dnd meme i saw
Yook so it’s less a meme and more like. a big ol questionare but hey, might as well do it. originally saw it on @/probablyottrpgideas, go check them out
1. Game Master, Player, or both? Why?
Ok so technically I’ve DMed twice but I really don’t find it fun? and don’t ever want to do it again. so. Player. I like building characters and their connections with fellow PCs more than building worlds
2. When did you start roleplaying? How old were you?
oh god, if we’re talking about roleplaying in general? I’ve been doing it basically as long as I can remember. As a kid I would play House, and then once I got older in like 5th grade I actually started making characters and playing out their stories with friends. Google+ is what made me realize this was actually like, a THING, though, and I got into some roleplaying groups there, then on DevaintArt. Dungeons and Dragons is a newer development? I got into it in late 2018 when my sister’s friend invited us to a one-shot, and... well, yea, I got hooked lol
3. What was the first roleplaying book you ever owned?
dude, bold of you to assume I really own any. I don’t have that kind of money and literally only own the Guide to Wildemount, and that was a gift
4. Describe the first game you ever ran or played in.
I mean... it’s not a game but ima describe the one shot, bc my first campaign was a hot mess without a true storyline and I used the same character for it anyway. I played a tiefling bard called Aisling Kai (I didn’t know this was a cliche combo at this point, and I honestly played her like a rogue with a music motif but Whatever) and we were a little group tasked to figure out why the hell anyone who goes into this cave never comes out. So we go in, make our way through the dungeon, fight some frog people (I made one of their ears bleed just by getting a nat 20 on a performance check to play a high f# on flute, that was fun, FWEET), and turns out yep, theres a hill giant down here. We kicked his ass and collapsed the cave on top of us (dw I think we were fine but my memory is a little screwy)
5. What system did you grow up with? / 6. Which system do you play now?
i learned on and currently play dnd 5e. I don’t really know anything else, but I’m debating checking out Vampire of the Masquerade.
7. Longest campaign you’ve run or played in?
That would be my Tal’Dorei campaign group, aka The Fatefallen! Started in the Fall of 2019 and still going to this day, just played our 45th session last week. I play Ilia Liadon, the drow grave cleric, and the only member of our party who has been there for every single session since the beginning.
8. Where did you meet your current gaming group?
...well first I feel the need to mention that I have 3 different groups (2 of them are on hiatus now for pandemic related reasons but! we’re still groups). My first group (with Aisling) was formed slowly over time as friends adopted friends into the group, I think it started as a school club? but that didn’t last long. The other two started from a different school club as well, though one has since branched out into other people as well. 
9. Strategic combat or dramatic plotlines?
I am a roleplayer first and a gamer second. Give me all of the backstories and dramatic plotlines. Don’t get me wrong, I still like combat, but story takes precedent for me.
10. Favorite RPG genre?
I don’t tend to define myself by genre? But I tend to fall into more of a fantasy, at most arcanapunk style. Give me all of the magic, and magic powered tech.
11. Your first character.
I got into her a little bit earlier, but my first character was Aisling, aka Calypso Kai. She was a homebrew subclass bard with a criminal background, who honestly? should’ve been a rogue. I’ve since rebuilt her into an Assassin Rogue/College of Eloguence Bard multiclasser, but this iteration was like. Baby her, baby me new to dnd, I did not know what I was doing. She tried to be edgy, but my mom energy came through HARD and she just. Never really had a set characterization. She deserves better and I plan on playing her better sometime in the future.
12. Your favorite character.
You are making me choose between my children. BUT, if I had to pick, either Ilia Liadon, or! Ashe Wednesday, a protector aasimar drunken master monk and my profile picture. Ashe also deserved a lot better from their campaign, so I have a massive soft spot for them, they were made during a really tough time in my life (as was Ilia) and was going through an equally rough time in-game, since I made them for a Curse of Strahd campaign without understanding what I was getting into. They’re my little rebellious asshole and I love them dearly, someone get this kid therapy. Ilia, on the other hand, is just... she’s a comfort character for me at this point. mostly soft edges, such a mom- while Ashe was me yelling “come at me” at the world while crying, Ilia was just... embracing it. Making it better. basically, if they actually existed, I would die for both of them.
13. Your most ridiculous character.
I don’t usually play super ridiculous characters, but! I would say Keothi “Bookfinder” Vaimeil counts. She was basically me looking all of the goliath barbarian stereotypes in the eye, and going “nah. she’s a nerd.” She’s literally a massive puppy dog, just the sweetest big old thing, sitting in her house and reading all the books she can get her hands on in order to make up for her amnesia. Oh, and did I mention that she’s a zombie? ...yea. She’s wacky, but I love her.
14. The best in-character line you’ve ever had.
“I need sleep. I don’t even sleep and I need sleep.”
~Ilia, after a particularly tough fight and an emotionally draining day
15. Your most epic death.
Ok so... none of my characters in game have ever actually died during the storyline? Keothi obviously has in her backstory, and Ilia might have in hers as well, it was never explicitly stated, but during the game? Nope. Ashe got stupid close, but nope. Since Keothi is my only death period, and her death was pretty epic, I’m just gonna describe that. Her parents and siblings in her Goliath tribe had all fallen ill, so she decided to go searching for a possible cure, and ended up getting conned into helping this cult, since they said they would cure her family. Turns out, yea, they were lying, they just needed a goliath willing to sacrifice themselves with a cursed sword. They made the mistake of revealing this before Keothi was actually dead, so as she was dying, she brought the entire goddamn cultist temple down to the bottom of the sea and took the cultists with her. The sword was why she was undead, in the Shadowfell, and couldn’t remember anything.
16. Your most disappointing death. 
As mentioned, I’ve never died in campaign, but I feel like I have to mention this one that happened to our party in Curse of Strahd. We were in the death house, all 5 of us, still level 1, and our barbarian falls into a pit trap with spikes. None of us realize she’s actually dead, so we send out paladin down to get her... with the monk, the bard, and the warlock holding the rope. ....yea both of them died.
17. Something that shouldn’t have worked, but it did.
I’m stuck between two options for this one. First one was the time our water genasi paladin/rogue bloodbended our gnome cleric into a bridge to keep her from falling all the way down a ravine. The second time was when our party managed to defend a small seaside town from a pirate raid with just an NPC with Control Water, a ballista, ourselves, and some explosives. Neither should’ve worked, but both did. Having a triton in your party can really come in clutch in a seaside campaign.
18. Something that went hilariously awry.
I have one that’s hilarious and one that’s horrifying. Hilarious one: in my first ever campaign, someone from Aisling’s backstory popped up and our sorcerer went “that’s shady” (to be fair, he was) and then went to investigate BY HIMSELF. He obviously got kidnapped by the mafia, and then we went all stealth mission to break him out. Stealth was immediately abandoned after our other bard used a SCREAMING SWORD to break open the locks, then we proceeded to go out the way we came, setting everything on fire on the way out, and with our bard lying their way out the front door (with the rest of us in tow as “prisoners”) by pretending to be a fellow mafia member. It was great. Horrifying one: Ilia tries to Send to a member of the party who left in order to let him know that a fellow party member had died. Forgot that he left bc his mind was invaded by a previously dead, very evil old god, and ends up trapped there with him for a while. Ended up with all of our main spellcasters trapped in their own heads while the barbarian paced around worriedly and the rogue decided he was going to get smashed instead of worrying himself silly.
19. Your most memorable in-character moment.
There are a LOT in Ilia’s campaign, but! If I had to pick one, it would actually be a pretty recent one involving Ilia and our party’s wizard, Liara. They’re basically the embodiment of head vs heart? Anyway, Liara is currently suffering from something called magic corruption, though idk if suffering is the right word. Anyway! It basically resulted in her getting... possessed? by her own magic during the night during Ilia’s watch, and they had a really, really interesting conversation regarding guilt, death, and grief, and yea basically I love them. Honorable mention to our druid’s death (he’s back and better now, but that was my first long-time death in a game, we didn’t know he was coming back) and also the moment that Ilia realized that her childhood bff/crush had been revived in a new body and that this NPC was her best friend. That was a trip.
20. The coolest item you ever got and how you came to possess it.
I got this item in the revamp of my first ever campaign and nothing has topped it since which is Sad but hey. Anyway! I got this really cool, possibly cursed dagger after I threw a knife at an absolutely eldritch being and it got stuck in him as he transformed. It looked really badass, and allowed me to cast Inflict Wounds on occasion when I stabbed someone with it. So yea, we love that. Honorable mention to my paladin/bloodhunter’s Helm of the Aberrant Gladiator which allows you to basically do a bunch of fear based affects and psychic stuff.
Numbers 21 through 30 don’t apply to me but. yea. enjoy this summary of my dnd history I guess
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capricornus-rex · 4 years
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Bad Ideas Make Good Memories (3)
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Cal Kestis x Reader
Requested by @queen-destenie​ | Prompt:
i live for you qUEEN! i LOVE your writing. if you have the time, could you do a fic where reader is the most reckless badass and Cal is like ‘wait don’t do THAT’ and she is just ‘im living life BABYY’. she does the most insane things that always somehow work and Cal is literally like what the F*CK’. reader is basically a GOD. please and thank you
Additional tags: Rebel fleet, rebel base
Also in AO3
Chapters: Part 1 | Previous: Part 2 | Next: Part 4 | Masterlist
3 of ?
The jump was lucky—partially.
It’s not every day pilots see a Jedi girl climbing up the front face of a TIE Assault Shuttle.
“That kid’s crazy!” one of the pilots exclaimed.
“Should we shake her off?!” the co-pilot suggested.
It was too late for them to try out that plan, because you’ve already kicked the entry hatch open and jumped in.
“Hello there!” you beamed.
From behind, you sensed a Scout Trooper and his commander lunge at you with their batons but you easily deflected both of their weapons.
“Oh, she’s a bold one!” the scout trooper blurted.
You repaid that comment with a smug smile and quickly got rid of the troopers. The pilots couldn’t take their eyes off of the Jedi, alternating their attention between the controls and you. They knew they were next when the two scouts troopers fell dead on the floor of the ship. One of them resumed control over the ship, it was the one who proposed to swerve the ship when you were still outside—and he put his plan to work.
Both pilots hung tight on their seats while you pawed the air in search for something to hold on to. You hugged the wall for support as they continued swerving the ship.
From the rebels’ point of view, they saw the large TIE hovering and swerving in place. They could only imagine what’s happening inside that ship.
“Look at TIE, it looks like it’s out of control!” Aqua Five pointed out.
“But we didn’t hit it!” Maroon Eight replied.
“No, that’s [y/n]!” Cal cut in, shepherding your Interceptor into the skirmish and letting R-12 take on the guns while you’re away. “Try not to get roasted, R-12!”
“Beeee-woop!”
“Yeah, she’s insane,” Cal repeated, agreeing with your own droid’s comment. “Good thing she’s not hearing that!”
“[y/n] is… driving that TIE?!” the operator exclaimed, absolutely flabbergasted at the stunt you pulled. “The droid’s controlling her ship! That kid’s crazy!”
While the AT-ATs are still out of range, the rebels still have a fighting chance in protecting the base. Cal continued taking on the reins of command.
“Guns, see if two of you can take down the AT-ATs!” the ground command radioed and Cal overheard.
“No, their armor is impregnable! Their weak spots are too narrow for our guns!” Cal cuts in.
“Well, what do you suggest, Interceptor One?”
“Tow cables!” Cal cried in epiphany. “Maroon Three, follow my lead!”
“Copy that, Interceptor One!”
The ship tailed Cal. They sank on the fine line between the tree canopies and the legs of the iron giants. The young Jedi connected his communication to his companion.
“Maroon Three, you copy?”
“Loud and clear, Interceptor!”
Cal instructed the fighter to fly low enough in the same level as the AT-ATs’ knees before releasing their tow cables.
“Three passes should be enough! Don’t worry about their fire, the heads can’t look down that low!”
Meanwhile, back in the TIE shuttle, the ship continued to swerve and the nausea frustrated you. When the pilot opened fire, you evaded that single shot that cost the pilots their lives—you’re standing behind the auxiliary power grid and that blast met a different mark.
The auxiliary power was now cooked and is sputtering sparks all over. You finished off the pilots as soon as the swerving ceased when the one who opened fire realized his grave mistake. You took over the pilot’s seat and made quick work of converting its frequency to open range.
“That TIE shuttle’s trying to transmit something,” Cere spotted the soundwave register in the screen from the base.
“This is [y/n] of Interceptor Two, I have hacked the TIE shuttle’s communications. The auxiliary power has been damaged, integrity is at 60% but is going down fast!”
“Get out of there, [y/n], or you’ll go down with it!”
You heeded Cere’s warning, but you weren’t able to reply—your attention was immediately stolen by the thundering thud of the metal giant stumbling to the forest floor, followed by the loud twang of a snapped tow cable around the second AT-AT’s legs. You steered the TIE shuttle to face the last AT-AT standing, the transmitter beeped to your end.
It was Cal, “[y/n], what are you doing this time?”
“Relax, I got it covered!”
“I hope it does because from the looks of it—no, it doesn’t!”
“Just tell R-12 that I’ll be hitching a ride in a bit!”
You found the lever for the auto-pilot and cranked the gear to the highest speed, you stepped back, aligning to the entry hatch above your head as the TIE shuttle rams towards the AT-AT. The TIE was now mere inches away from the walker—that was your cue to escape through the same way you came in—and you’re already sprinting away from the TIE and onto the walker—which was more stable ground.
“There she is, R-12! On the walker’s back, hurry!”
“Beeee!”
The droid steered the Interceptor to your exact location while retracting the glass dome cover of the cockpit, he was close but the surface you’re standing on was beginning to incline and you had to stand on fours to keep yourself stable.
“Come on, R-12!” you encouraged through the grit of your teeth.
“BEEEEE!! TRILL, WOOP!”
You propped yourself in a runner’s starting stance and sprang off before the TIE shuttle imploded and proceeded to take down the walker with it. Had you waited a second later, you wouldn’t have closed the distance of that leap of faith. You thudded on the hull of your Interceptor and crawled quickly to the cockpit.
“I KNEW I COULD COUNT ON YOU, BUDDY!!” you whooped and regained full control of the starfighter.
The droid scolded you and at the same time cheered you on as you flew to the dogfight. The gunships were able to cover the starfighters from a safe distance away from the rest of the TIE Fighters.
“YOU ARE INSANE!!” Cal scolded you, bellowing through your radio. “That was probably stupidest thing you’ve done this month!”
“It’s not stupid if it works!!” you screeched back, the adrenaline levels are through the roof in your system as you steered your way back to the skirmish.
Cal can’t stay mad at you, after all, he actually agreed with you on that.
The two of you opened fire at the enemy lines until none of them have gotten close or have dealt critical damage against the base.
“People on the ground, how are you back there?” you call.
“We’re still here, don’t worry! A TIE Fighter got a shot on us but nothing critical!” Cere responded. “We’re taking care of the ground quite well from the Stormtroopers here!”
“Perfect, we’ll keep it up and I’ll be just in time for a scolding once this is all over!”
Your excitement has made you reckless and your joker side is showing. Oddly enough, your out-of-place-and-time enthusiasm and optimism were boosting the squad’s morale, while still keeping a serious tone when strategizing real-time in the middle of the crossfire.
“I’m being tailed!” one of the gunship pilots screeched through his transmitter.
At the top spot of your windshield, you saw a trio of TIE Fighters tailing the gunship with a cartoonish graffiti of a thermal detonator.
“I see you, Bomber! I’m coming to you!”
“Hurry! They’re just missing me by a hair strand!”
“R-12, are my proton torpedoes charged?”
“Weee-woop!”
“Good,” you flicked open a glass cover on the dashboard, revealing a second analog controller. “This is where the fun begins!”
You accelerated the ship until you got close enough to the cluster of TIEs ganging up on the rebel gunship.
“Bomber see if you can maneuver to a curve so you’re out of the line of fire, I’m sending some torpedoes on those vermin’s way!”
“Roger!”
The gunship did as you were told and when the friendly got far enough, your targeting monitor reflected the three TIEs on your screen and when they aligned in the grid, you threw all the pressure of your thumb on the second analog controller—two torpedoes jetted through the sky while you used the guns to take down the third.
“Thanks, Interceptor Two!”
“Don’t sweat it! We need every single one to win this thing!”
Every fighter in the sky and everyone in the ground heard you. Suddenly, your confidence and bravery infected everyone. The tables have turned for the Imps. The starfighters were the ones ganging up on the lone or pairs of TIE Fighters and are thinning the herd in a dramatic scale.
“We’re slowly gaining the upper hand!” the second-in-command to Captain Miccah reported as he pointed at the blips on the holograph; there were more white and blue blips than red.
“That’s good,” Cere rubbed her hands together, shaking off the tension. “They just need to keep pushing.”
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shesawriter39049 · 5 years
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|FAMILY TIES| M| MAFIA AU| 5.1
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MOB/MAFIA AU
(Can be read as a stand-alone...it’s a solo one-shot within a series.. BUT there will be subtel hints/foreshadowing which could be useful in the future chapters)
-NOTE- Tae is a HEALTHY lol shade of blonde now
UNDERBOSS TAE & OC
1.3K cheeky little sneak peek the full thing will be between 5-6k
There both sassy/snarky/and boujee AF
IF your new here....there both from Boston...the OC’S accent is A LOT thicker than Tae’s though....
****Tae and the OC are apart of the same alliance..and the pair are a slightly dysfunctional FWB situation that’s lowkey trying to transition into more…
ABOUT- While headed to the aiport for a trip to Vegas, to celebrate Tae’s restaurant’s grand opening, Mel lets Luxx know shit’s feelin a little off with one of their allies over in China. Then, Tae surprises Luxx, on the flight, they have slightly tipsy, needy sex in the bathroom of his PJ....with all of there friends sitting the main area...they also pop into Luxxy’s club at like 1am...were of course nothing’s going to plan!
***Mel is one of Luxx’s launders and Luxx is the OC’S NICKNAME, and Joon who is mentioned briefly is Luxxy’s bodyguard/right hand! ****
WARNINGS: In this sneak peek  just...dirty talk/phone sex ish but not really but kidna
FINAL NOTE (OPTIONAL) -If your familiar with the series your prob scratching your head as to why it’s 5.1 because your all waiting on part 5! BUT at the end of part 5, it will be noted that there's about a 3-month gap between 5-6..meaning shits kinda.. “normal” for a little while. So in between that...I decided if I had the time and inspo I’d write mini one shots..smut mixed in with plot. There will ALWAYS be mob influences..it’s just apart of there lifestyle. The point is nothing crazy(Shootouts don’t count..that’s noraml lol)  will take place during the gap between 5-6 ...
I'm starting with this because I haven't written about them in damn near 3 months! So this allows me to get reacquainted with the pairing in a “lighter” setting because part 4 &5 are angsty AF…
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5:30PM in route to Boston Logan International -
OPERATION: Taehyung’s Las Vegas Grand opening
Boston to Vegas
“Okayyy..sooo what are you trying to say?” Glancing up slightly in between sorting out the multiple stacks of 20’s,50’s,and 100’s along the backseat of the blacked out truck. Both Mel and yourself alternating between running them through the money counter, double checking the amounts and the authenticity. Sorting the money into briefcases to be picked up by one of your guys before you board your flight within the next 20 or so minutes.  
“FUCKIN HELL! Can we NOT play fuckin bumper cars Chris!? Not like I’m doin shit back here or anything... ” Nothing subtle about the bite within your voice in complaint to that wide ass turn he took, making the stack of twenties slide off you lap and onto the floor. Eyes attempting to slip through the partition and lock with hsi though he was desperately avoid you at all cost! Reaching down with a grunt, also managing to knock your hot pink Birkin off the seat as well “Yup, let’s just toss a 6 figure bag on the ground too while we're at it!” Eyes rolling to the back of your head more times than you could count!
“Yeah, let’s totally ignore all the money that fell.and now needs to be recounted.....the bag is more important...” The crass more than evident in Mels voice as your eyes narrowed into tiny slits. Daggering in her direction
“Eat my ass Melissa!”  The words slipped out of your mouth on almost autopilot...not even giving it a second thought which only earned an amused chuckle. Mel’s known you far too long to take anything to heart.
“I mean I would butttt...not too sure how Tae would feel about that.” Shrugging a little too noncohlant and smug for your liking!  
Grabbing the band of twenties to your left and chucking it directly at left boob, yet you still didn't wipe the smirk off her lips! “Count…now!”
“Ask nicely..” The pout in her voice let you know she was pushing all negative 2 of your buttons…earning an exaggerated sigh in response.
“Did you know Chanel makes garter belts?” Brow arched at your own implied question only to be greeted by a slow nod. “Hmm well now you know...wanna take a wild guess at what I’m hiding in mine?” The playful tenor within your voice was riviling a more..dominant one..which let Melissa know how much room she had to play..and she could tell she was running out of leeway right now!Assuming her lack of sass menat she was finally silently waving that white flag….
“Now let’s try this again...what the fuck happened in China that has you so damn spooked?”
“Oh fuck off don’t say it like that..I’m not spooked I’m a Mangjuhl for fucks sake! It was just odd..that’s all! You would have sworn I was just some random bitch off the street with the way they were damn near stalking me the entire time…” There was a slight pause as she threw the band into the briefcase. “Ahh fuck!How much money is in here already?” Tone hopeful because Mel really wasn’t trying to recount all that damn money!
Brow arched instantly in curiosity “Mmmkay, how about you define ''Stalking” ? And there's...1...2...6...ugh..12k in it right now...that one's going with Yoongi so it has to cap out at 16!”
“Exactly that, it was all eyes on deck 24/7 every time I moved through the compound someone was over my shoulder, I wouldn't be surprised if they were outside the door when I went to take a piss. But I mean...I didn't really say shit because I didn't have anything to hide, but it’s just odd.I’ve been dealing with them for damn near 6 years and it’s never been like this…”
A low hum left your throat at that, the first thing that comes to mind was the last conversation you had with Henry where he admitted to killing Wei in self-defense. Granted as far as you know they still don’t know about it and that alone just feels grimy as fuck, considering the relationship your suppose to have! But, the day that secret comes rises to the surface..the repercussions alone would inevitably start a war that your not ready to fight just yet! So regardless of how your heart feels about the situation, your brains leading you in the smartest direction right now. You're already shielding Marco...you guys can’t handle another war, you're not BURYING any more bodies anytime soon!
It just clicked that Mel’s been the first one back in China alone, since the funeral ...which has you more than curious if maybe they know more than their leading on. You’d never forgive yourself if something happened to her because of a mistake one of your men made...even if it was an “Accident” you don’t lead your soldiers blind! But at the end of the day, this was a decision far bigger than you! If it was going to be known within the alliance that Henry Killed Wei Zhao, who was apart of your most SOLID and trusted Chinese alley.,either your father or Taehyung’s had to make that call..NOT YOU!
“Mel..I-fuck…” A deep sign leaving your chest, there was so much you want to say that you couldn’t “Alright, when we get back I’ll brainstorm with my dad...I mean yeah I wanna blow your left tit off 90% of the time but I love you . I I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable, maybe we can see if Hoseok can do that route or fuck I dont know man...” Towards the end of all that your tone ended up coming  coming off more biter than indented and she picked up on it instantly.
“Whoa, Luxx stop! I’m not sitting here bitching and moaning I’m a big girl, I can handle myself, I don't need you to change my route! I just felt like I’d be a shitty friend to not at least let you know that the vibe was off..that’s all..” God did she really HAVE to take it there!? As if you needed to feel even worse! “I’m still fine to go next month...relax and hand me that last case”
Melissa’s tone was warner than you wished right now because it just made you feel like trash, there was no way in fuck you were letting her make another drop to China until you had a better feel of the situation! If you can't tell Melissa the issue you were going to protect her in the only way you knew how which was keeping her OUT of their terrority!
Like she said..she's been doing this for years...why now the cold shoulder all of a sudden? Everything is done for a reason. Every vibe is strategically set, if she felt uncomfortable or watched it’s because they wanted her to feel that way!
“No, I know, I’m sorry I’m so damn snappy I’m just tired and fuckin stressed...” Pausing slightly, for some reason you actually felt like you wanted to cry, hastily raking your fingers through your scalp. You’d barely been sleeping,partially because you’d been reworking deals and partially because you’d gotten used to sharing a bed with Kim Taehyung. Who hasn’t been around, so your bed feels empty..but we will leave that part between us!
“Let’s just talk about this later okay? Right now I need to make sure this money is solid for pickup, and get you all squared away before we board this flight…”  Your smile was forced but she didn't press the topic, the two of you worked in silence, and just like clockwork your phone buzzed against your right boob. Currently sitting stuffed between the silk cup of your dress and your skin...your earpods letting you know it was Tae.
Almost as if he could sense something was wrong…..
“Will be at the plane in like 15, I think we’ve actually been stuck in traffic......I’ve been to busy to really pay attention but the flights barley 5 hours. I should be to you by at least midnight…” You swore you could almost hear him rolling his eyes through the phone, the huff that left his throat proved that was the wrong answer...
“I’m sorry at what part of me breathing on the other end of the line said, “Where the hell are you!?” His tone indicated he really wasn’t looking for a response but well..your you sooo..
“You may not have asked YET,  fuckin smartass! But I know you..you're impatient so I already knew it was coming...” Throwing the last band of hundreds into the briefcase to your right before snapping it shut, sealing the deal with the passcode!
“K, Are you done making up unnecessary excuses for why you felt the need to explain yourself orrrrr….” Purposely letting the last symbol just rollllll off his tongue, just enough to erk you!
A dry scoff leaving your lips at that, god you hated and loved him all at the same damn time!
“You really must not want to get your dick wet tonight huh?” There was still a smile in your voice though, you couldn't even help it. Mel's eyes narrowed in your direction with a smirk, not even remotely phased by the two of you anymore.
Nothing but arrogance laced within his laugh as it fluttered up to his chest “Yeah, okay good luck with that, you could bring every toy, get yourself off all night in every hole and it wouldn't be enough because it ain't me!”
Why was he right?! God you hated that he was right….
“ It’s s been a week, your bodies not use to that anymore, not when you usually get it whenever and wherever you want. Actually, that’s probably why your all angsty to begin with…”His tone was just as much condescending as it was sensual effortlessly slipping into his bedroom voice.
“Fuck..remind me to buy Namjoon as many drinks as he wants this weekend..he’s been stuck dealing with your bratty ass all week without me to keep you in line...”  This may or may not be true...you may have ran that poor man ragged but luckily Joon loves you..but your not in a position to confirm or deny! Though that’s probably why he’s sitting up front with Chris right now instead of with the two of you….
“Alright,fuck you Kim Taehyung…” Even if he couldn't physically see you, you knew he could still “see you” so you didn't hesitate to let your eyes flutter to the back of your head multiple times.
“I mean yeah baby that’s the plan if you’d stop being a fuckin brat and get your ass on that damn plane. So yes, to clarify I’m still getting my dick, tongue, face, and fingers wet...unless you have some sort of rebuttal and it doesn't sound like you do. You're probably too busy squeezing your thighs together right now to focus!”
“Ya know..I’m currently painting very vivid picture of me smothering your face between my thighs until you pass out!” Just as much a threat as it was a promise, but the hits of flirtation laced within your voice only added fuel to the flame…
In true Kim Taehyung fashion he made sure you heard the deep breathy moan that fell from those pouty lips of his! “Mmm..ya know I’m having the same visual Luxxy...my face between your thighs until your coming down my face…”
Fuckk...
You had to bite your lips so damn hard to suppress the moan that was rolling up your throat, almost forgetting Melissa’s to your right! Fuck, why do you do this with him!?
“On that note, I have a really important business call to get to on the other end so ugh, yeah..I’ll see you in a couple hours baby...have fun..to Mel I said hi..”
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Ahhhhhhhhhhh I know lol I know.it’s been a minute ...if you liked it...like it! Come lemme know..the goal is to have this up by the end of the weekend...and to roll right into finishing part 5 which is why I did this...as a way to get me back into the groove!
Also, note there will be a little more plot prior to Tae bending her over the sink lol they havent seen each other in a week...he’s been away for business! They also pop into Luxxy’s stip club which Kook manges...he’s getting ready for a drop night tomorrow...so..of course there will be a little drama there...because nothing goes to plan!
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